Greetings from Camp Lure …

Spring came early this year. The snow is almost gone. The last of it deep in the sunless woods. The ice has broken up and gone out flooding rills and streams, sending falls from the high peaks. The big trout will rise from the depths to the shallow sandbars and ledges of the lakes. You can see them fanning just beneath the surface, dark rainbows arced in shadows below the boat.

Back in the town they’ll be elbow deep in mud. It gets on your shoes, gets on your clothes, gets in your car and your house. If you have one, it will get all over your dog. You can’t escape it. The black flies are everywhere too. They bite and leave welts the size of quarters. There is no place to hide. If you go outdoors you better wear a net suit. They are the height of fashion up here during Fly season. The bears will be back to trample the garden and rip the doors off the shed to get to the trash cans. They’ll make a big mess. It will take you hours to clean up in the morning.

It’s a hard place to live but it’s the most beautiful place I know. Loons mate for life. The same pair of loons return year after year to Seventh Lake. More than it is mine or anyone else’s, it is their lake. They own it by heredity, by chemistry, by magic. There is only one pair of loons to a lake. No other loons are welcome. They must fly on and find their own lake. Soon there will be hatchlings that ride on their parent’s backs exploring the lake ‘til they can paddle off themselves and then in the fall, fly off on their own. I enjoy being with the loons, being a part of their migration, being a part of this place.

Forget-me-nots grow along our drive for miles and miles. They’re pale blue and smell like babies in a new rain. Come on up here and see us. The mountains are always open, always free... We hope.

Guitarist Larry Broido and myself have been traveling around doin’ our thing in coffee houses, bars, and theaters. We played a great spot in Sykesville, Md., at the Baldwin Station. Joyce Sica and her friends have a wonderful musicale down there. Joyce was gracious and the audience was a lot of fun. The place is nestled in the hills with a river running by and a train that blows thru every now and then- very atmospheric.

In Chestertown, Md., there’s another cool venue called Andy’s. Andy is a great lady who runs the place. It’s like sitting in her living room with big couches and comfortable chairs. You can sink down and enjoy the music there. We dug it.

The Point in Bryn Mawr, Pa., is always an event for me. We have to thank all our friends, fans, and family for coming out of the woodwork and catching our act when we’re in the Philadelphia area.

Speaking of Philly, we’ll be playing the Tin Angel on Thursday, May 19th. Please try to make this show. It should be something of a magical event with a couple of surprises that you won’t want to miss.

On June 17th, I’m playing at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, Pa. I really want to thank Otto Bost at WDIY for playing my music and having me perform on his “Acoustic Eclectic” show in Bethlehem. He is a good man. Even though we just met I felt I had known him for years.

On June 18th, me and the whole band will be performing at the Bridgeton Folk Festival. We may even pull out some historical pieces for this event. I can’t wait to see all the guys and turn up the volume a bit. This should be fun.

On June 26th, I’ll be opening the show for Steve Forbert at “Concerts Under the Stars” in King of Prussia, Pa. Larry will be there too, pickin’ and grinnin’ as usual.

Well it’s been almost a year full circle since I released The Seventh Lake CD. and started playing shows at “The Point” and “The Philly Folk Festival.” The new songs are becoming old friends now. And new rhythms are beginning to surface. The CD’s have sold well at the shows and at this site and in stores all over the Adirondack region. We’ve gotten radio air play in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio. Anyone who knows me well, like my good friend Michael Tearson, knows that this roots music has always been the music of my heart. The music I respect and aspire to.

It’s hard to sell poetry and subtlety in the new millennium, but I’m not giving up. I’m just going to keep on singing. Some of the old fans have fallen off the page, while others have stuck with me. Show by show and song by song I keep making new fans and new friends in new and unexpected places. There was a good review from Geoff Gehman at the Allentown “Morning Call” this month. I really appreciate it. It keeps me going. I’ll post it on the web site so you can read it. Writing and singing songs is the way I connect with people. When it works there’s nothing like it. A young woman approached me after my show in Princeton, N.J. She said she loved my songs and the lyrics touched her. She thought I was a “treasure.” Well, that’s it. I think I’m doing alright.

I'll see you on the road.

- Robert Hazard

Previous Newsletters:
April 2005
January 2005
December 2004
Fall 2004
Summer 2004