It sounds amazing (hats off to Alex) and I'm glad to have something new to give you. It's been more than six years since I released Talk is Sheep and I'm working hard to find the time and resources to release the third album in the next year. I hope this track conveys the quality of the music I want to bring to you.

Thanks for being patient and may this make the wait a little more worth it.

-Dave

I went to The Amazing Meeting 9 in Las Vegas this summer. It's the world's largest skeptics conference (you'll just have to take my word for it). This article covers the conference, the skeptic movement, and includes interviews with James Randi, Eugenie Scott and Pamela Gay.

http://tinyurl.com/DENTAM82511

I also met some Mormon boys last week. We had a nice time together:

http://tinyurl.com/DENMormon

Tickets are $8 here: aftonshows.com/davebalson or $10 at the door (I think).

It's 21 and may be the last show I do this summer. Come out if you can.

Click the Calender button on the left for more details.

Thanks

What could cause an otherwise decent and sensible man to waste both your time and his money?

One answer is that I'm a bit of a Luddite and quite easily distracted. About a year went by where I forgot the password I need to update this site and the password to the email account they send the forgotten password to. 

Another is that I hadn't done anything groundbreaking musically for a while. A third album has been just around the corner longer than I'd like to admit. While I've been more productive in the past few years than ever before, there have been no great announcements for fans of my music. 

The best answer is that I'm dumb (or at least behind the times). But I hope to be just a bit smarter.

I'm still writing, playing and (slowly) recording music. I'm also studying and practicing journalism. A slightly more in-depth description of both ventures follows. But the point is, I'm now going to use the site to post articles/columns and other writing in addition to music-related stuff.

I will now take questions.

ARE YOU SLOWLY GIVING UP ON YOUR MUSIC?

No. Don't be stupid. I have been writing, practicing and performing since "Talk Is Sheep" (which one can still purchase by clicking the "Buy" button on the left, or at iTunes, or Napster, or anywhere one usually goes for music on the Net). There is a new album on its way, but it could be a year or more until completion.

The good news is all of my new material is much, much better than anything I've previously released. I say that with pride and without reservation. The bad news is recording requires investors and fewer and fewer streets are paved with gold these days. (At this point, I want to direct my wealthier visitors to the "Contact" link on the left.)

I have less time to devote to booking shows than I'd like, as I'm also closing in on my degree. I play a few shows a year, each one an effort to stay just sharp enough for the next one. But I'm usually available for booking, so please contact me if that's your angle.

Next question.

JOURNALISM?! and a follow-up: WHEN DID YOU LET THE MAN GET YOU DOWN?!!?!

Yes, I'll take those in order. I should say straight out that anyone who thinks the term "Lame-stream Media" is a deliciously clever and pungent turn of phrase is unlikely to be a fan of my brand of journalism.

I believe journalism can be a fine art, a public service and fucking fun, to be frank.

I've been writing and reporting as a journalist for a couple years, won a couple awards and enjoyed almost every moment of it. I'm currently Opinion Editor for the Daily Eastern News, the student-run daily newspaper of Eastern Illinois University.

I do mostly opinion writing (columns, editorials and the like), but have also reported on delusional people (the Tea Party, vaccine denialists), assholes (search youtube for "Dave Balson interviews Shirley Phelps-Roper) and smart people (read my upcoming article, which I'll be posting in the coming week).

I'm a firebrand liberal with very little patience for the new-age crowd, an athiest and a Jew, a devotee of free speech devoted to criticizing blathering bullshitters, and probably a little bit funny sometimes.

Journalism isn't cable news anymore than cable news is journalism. Journalism isn't dying; it's alive and well and I hope that this website will feature some shred of evidence for that. 

In any case, keep coming back. 

It's almost 2:30 a.m. No more questions.