Greetings from Camp Lure …

We planted 12 huge coconut palms around our Florida hacienda today. Trying to put back the green that was stolen by Frances and Jeanne. They look stunning. Things are almost back to normal here, at least by Florida standards. The weather has been cool and breezy but warm enough to swim in the surf and roam the beach in search of shells and drift wood, a pastime we take very seriously down here in the tropics.

Last time I was in Pennsylvania, I met up with the legendary Arlo Guthrie, who lives across the Indian River just about a mile or two from my house. His place was destroyed by hurricanes, too. We talked about our rebuilding projects and the great power of these storms. It was great to finally meet him. I'm a fan who's in awe of his amazing history and music.

I also played a show with Chris Smither recently at the beautiful Whitaker Center in Harrisburg, PA. Chris is just the nicest guy in the world. We had dinner and talked politics. It doesn't get any better than that. My opening set got a great response. I sold a load of CDs and made a new slew of fans who dug my rootsy stuff and backwoods stories. Larry Broido, my new guitarist, played shot gun guitar on this show. He was great. Everybody loves Larry. Me, too.

After a relaxing holiday and a snappy New Year, me and the band will be back playing the Triumph Brewery in Princeton, NJ on January 7th , and across the Delaware River, the other Triumph Brewery in New Hope, PA On January 8th.

I have to tell you now how much the band and I appreciate your faces at the shows we've been playing this fall. So many of you keep comin' back for more, and the acceptance of my new music is growing thanks to you and the word on the street. I also want to thank you all for visiting the web site and buying the new CDs -- without your support we couldn't go on. Your input is so important. Really, without your hearts and ears would the music matter? Not much. Hope we'll see you once again at the Princeton and New Hope shows in the New Year.

Now. For all of you who've been asking, here's the skinny on Camp Lure. It's a cabin on a remote Adirondack Lake. It's the call of the loon, a fire burning in a circle of stones, the smell of pine and wood smoke. The reflected glow of a varnished log wall. It's a place of warmth and nourishment far from cell phones and traffic jams. It's a place to get back to. Where poetry flows like honey and guitars strum you to sleep. It's not an easy place to get to. Sometimes you have to leave a part of yourself behind to find the rest. But it's worth the trip. If you ever get up that way, I'll meet you there. We'll swap stories, sing songs, tell tales, eat, drink, and paddle silent canoes out under the stars. It'll be great. 'Til then, I'll see you on the road.

Have a great holiday.

Love and peace,

- Robert Hazard

Previous Newsletters:
Fall 2004
Summer 2004