Here’s a link to the New York Times account of our “wedding” at the Knitting Factory a couple of weeks ago. It’s actually the Golem website press page, but we swear, we didn’t make it up.

Don’t Michelle and Jonathan make a lovely chosson v’kallah (groom & bride)…mazel tov, mazel tov.

Hello from the Colonial Motor Inn in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It’s a fishing village…very quiet…I can see the ocean from my window, and smell the salt in the air. Went to check out the schooners in the harbor this morning and got a haddock sandwich.

As I write this, Aaron, Taylor and Curtis are hanging out in my room, drinking whisky and soda post-wedding. Aaron is telling us the story of the creation of the world according to an ancient Sumerian epic. We are eating chocolate that Slavic Soul Party brought Curtis from Switzerland. I’m being very antisocial by writing this. Time to return to my chocolate and whisky & soda. Tomorrow, back to NYC.

Hello from backstage at the Paradise Lounge in Boston. I am so excited, not just to play, but because Cafe Tacuba is playing in the main space and hopefully I will sneak over to see them after the show (they just won a Latin Grammy… which I know because I googled them… the joys of wireless.)

Montreal was amazing. Within the first five minutes there I saw a car that was painted “This Car Runs on Bio-Diesel” and a woman with a mustache. I love their fashion and people really were very kind. The highlight was busking with Annette at the Fringe street festival, which happened to be right outside Le Swimming, where we would play later on. We played our Yiddish/Roma/Russian songs as the sun went down. We inspired the nearby record store owner to belly dance (and he was a pudgy 40 year old guy), and a tall Russian guy with a mustache kept throwing us $5 bills until we finally had to tell him to stop. Good thing Annette is fluent in French… it was great fun to play “Tire L’Aiguille” to an audience that understood the words.

OK, we are on in ten minutes. Hope to get back to Montreal soon. And to see Cafe Tacuba within the next few hours.

It all started with my cell phone ring… the best one was the Latin ring.

The rhythm just kind of worked its way into my head, as ringtones will do. And thank goodness it did, because I soon found myself onstage with Las Cucarachas, in Guatemala, having been invited to sit in with their band but having no idea how to play Latin rhythms. I just messed around till I found something that sounded decent - which I soon realized, to my embarassment, was actually none other than my cell phone ring.

When I got back to NYC I was inspired to expand my repertoire beyond the genius of Verizon’s ringtone composers. Which gave me an excuse to indulge in my vice of choice at the moment–googling for hours. I googled Latin Violin and found a book called How to Play Latin Violin, by Sam Bardfeld, which I ordered online.

The next night I went to go see Taylor (Golem’s fabulous bassist) play with his Latin band, Las Rubias del Norte, and ran into a musician friend who said “How was Guatemala?” “Oh, great, and I’m all excited about Latin violin now, I even ordered a book on how to play it.” “Wait, didn’t Sam Bardfeld write that?” “Yes, why?” “Oh, he lives near here, I’m sure he’d be glad to give you a lesson.”

And so it was that two days after googling Latin Violin I had set up a lesson with the author of the book via email. But then it turns out that Curtis (Golem’s fabulous trombonist) plays in Roberto Rodriguez’ Cuban band with Sam Bardfeld, and they were performing Monday night. So I caught a ride with Curtis…tagged along with the band when they went out to dinner around the corner from Tonic… and soon found myself telling Sam Bardfeld about my trip to Guatemala over burritos and coca-cola. Odd.

Anyway, the lesson was great and I am now fully obsessed, hearing montunos in my head as I walk down Broadway, and beating clave rhythms against my knees on the 2 train. Who knows where this will all lead. Probably back down to Central America….or even Cuba……at least I hope so.