For our regularly scheduled last-Friday-of-the-month show in Bryan, Kaye and I went back to The Watercrest. We had a great set, and I think it was the best we've ever sounded without Paul, who won't be able to make it there for any of the summer months due to a scheduling conflict.

Of course, that's not to imply that we don't always sound better with Paul because we do. However, I felt like the two of us really clicked on stage for today's show. We're playing duo again tomorrow back in Austin.

Enjoyed the fantastic and funny Folk Uke at the One-2-One Club tonight. Cathy (left) and Amy (right) filled the evening with their unique blend of angelic voices and sweet and raunchy songs.

I took Helen (a.k.a. "Hell Belle") with me. For some reason, I thought she had seen their show before, but she hadn't, and she had no idea what to expect. We sat at the front of the room, and Helen laughed liked crazy at every funny song and joke they had. In fact, I think her laughter helped the rest of the audience further enjoy the songs, even if they'd heard them before.

Got to see Tommy and Kathy at a house concert in Buda yesterday. Nice venue, and great crowd. House concerts, I think, are the way of the future. Left the host a Kaye Pasa Trio EP and a Honky Tonk Hymnal CD. Fingers crossed.

This was my fourth year playing with the Austin Ukulele Society ensemble at the Keep Austin Weird 5K Fun Run, and it was our best ever. The weather actually cooperated with temps in the low-80s and a nice breeze keeping us comfortable.

The costumed "runners" usually stopped for a song or two before continuing on their way. After the last of them went past, we moved across the street to play for those on the return trip. Great fun.

Got a call from Sarah at The Legacy asking me to substitute for an act that canceled on their Friday happy hour. She said she couldn't afford to pay the trio, so she was just asking me to come and she'd pay 1/3 of what we normally get.

I said yes, and after the disappointment of the three previous gigs, this one really lifted my spirits. Sadly, however, I neglected to pack my mic stand, so I ended up doing an all-acoustic set. I had to sing very loudly throughout and didn't have a lot of voice left afterward. Lesson learned. Always double check the equipment list before leaving for a gig.

It's been a year since The Kaye Pasa Trio started playing monthly at B.B. Rover's Cafe & Pub, and sadly, we never really got anything like a following there. After last night's dismal attendance, I pulled the plug.

I've decided two things: (1) I need listeners when I play, and (2) I want money. Ideally, I'd like to get both, and that's not happening at Rovers.

Two small gigs this past weekend: a 40-minute solo gig Friday at the Four Points Starbucks, a one-hour Saturday gig with Paul at The Hole in the Wall, and my regularly scheduled open mic hosting duties at B.B. Rovers on Sunday.

Health update: Finally had the damn stent removed at my follow-up appointment on Monday. Some initial discomfort during the first few hours afterward, easily treated with pain meds, but overall feeling much, much better. Had to miss a rehearsal with the Austin Uke Ensemble, but am confident I'll have no trouble with the rest of the week.

It's been a weird and not-very-wonderful couple of weeks. The severe pain in my lower right back that sent me to the ER turned out to be a kidney stone. After several days of excruciating pain, I went back only to learn that the damn thing was stuck between my kidney and my bladder. This required surgery to yank it through and an overnight hospital stay.

Because my body tends to react poorly with heavy drugs, it has been a slow recovery process. I missed three gigs with The Kaye Pasa Trio in the past week, but will be back on stage this weekend. I have a solo gig at the Starbucks at Four Points on Friday, a John y Pablo show at Hole in the Wall on Saturday, and my regularly scheduled third Sunday hosting duties at B.B. Rover's open mic on Sunday.

Kaye and I played an early (7 PM) show at the Hole in the Wall last night. Small crowd, which didn't surprise us what with UT being on summer break; however, my friends Joanne and Jay attended, and it was good to see them again. We spent about a half hour after the show just catching up.

Joanne took the pic

The Kaye Pasa Trio played Kenz Guitars last night. Paul still had the sniffles from a bad summer cold, and I had just passed a kidney stone the evening before after seven long hours of suffering. Despite our woes, we had a good show with a very attentive crowd.

This was probably our last time to play there because--despite the fact that Kenz Guitars had booked us months in advance, we weren't told until minutes before we started to play that 25% of our tips would go to the house. Ken seems like a nice guy, but this was a sleazy move, especially since this was a tips-only gig.