The King has left the building......

I know this blog is mostly based on my spiritual findings as a recovering addict and alcoholic,
but other times it's just a place for me to write what I am feeling or share a story.

I would be remiss to not share with you the deep fondness and appreciation I have
for the now late B.B. King.

My father worked at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, Mo.
He was 48 years older than me and needless to say, the generational gap was wide and long.
We did not have much in common with the years between us, but we both loved music.
He listened to Big Band and Swing music.......Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Count Basie....
He loved Harry James, Gene Krupa, and countless other musicians from days long gone
in the mid 1970's.  Like any child, when you're very young, you listen to whatever your
parents listen to, you don't really have any taste yet and whatever is around you is what you soak up.
I loved my fathers music, still do today.  Then I got a little older and started to hear rock n roll
from the neighbor up the street and got really excited about guitar.
I distinctly remember making my father take me to Sears on Grand Ave in South St. Louis to
buy Kiss Alive 2 in about 1977.  We stood in line and he looked at the record in disbelief.....
he turned it over and saw the blood covered Gene Simmons and said out loud

"Jesus Christ.....What the hell kind of music is this shit? This guys all covered in damn blood.
You like this? These guys play music???"

It was the beginning of the end.  We were so far apart in age and when I got old enough to
start making my own choices, we grew apart. I was no longer a little boy and it wasn't the 1940's.
I fell in love with rock n roll and pop music and started listening to the radio religiously and never
turned back.  My father hated my music, he had no time for it and was not interested at all in listening
with me.....and God knows I tried.  No one played an instrument in my family, so me getting a guitar
was also not the most desired sound to have around. My parents put up with it all, mostly because I was the youngest and they were old and beaten down.

Eventually I got turned on in high school to Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
I was just really into guitar and guitar music at that time, but also Prince, Michael Jackson,
and Cyndi Lauper. I did love good pop music.

I got a job at the music store in my neighborhood and got seriously turned onto B.B. King.
They played "Live at the Regal" damn near everyday at that store.
I fell in love, immediately.  The sound of his guitar and his voice and that band, just swinging.
It was the first time ever that I made a connection of my love of the guitar and my fathers music.
Thats what BB sounded like to me, like blues guitar in a Big Band.
I bought that record and played it for my father. He loved it too.
He knew BB had played with Sinatra in Vegas for years at Caesar's Palace in the late 60's.
He said to me..."Now thats music. Thats good. I can hear every note that he's playing and he's playing
pretty. Not a bunch of noise...and he can sing too. Thats good Michael, thats what music sounds like."

I was proud. I found something that we both liked and we listened to it a lot together.
We talked about BB and music and while he was always first to tell me that the "crap" I had been
listening to was no good, he would always say to me that this music here is what I should try and learn.  He also said the same thing about Country Music. He loved Glen Cambell.....because he played guitar for Sinatra :)

BB King became my mentor and I tried my best to learn from him, but I was still very young.
Finally, in about 1999 I think, BB King came to the Fox Theater in St. Louis.
It was his tour with opening acts, Tower of Power, Robert Cray and Indigenous.
My girlfriend at the time, knew how much I adored BB and she surprised me with front row tickets.
I will never forget that concert. I had never sat that close to the stage before and was in complete AWE of his performance. He was on fire and really doing his thing. The band was amazing and he was strong and solid and his guitar amp was hitting me right in the face, I LOVED IT!
At the end of the show he walked to the front of the stage and he shook everyone's hand and gave out guitar picks. He looked at me and said "here you go son"......I was speechless.
I looked at my girlfriend as we walked out and said "I don't care if we get a dog or have a kid someday, we are naming the first thing we get to name after that man right there!!!"
Well......not much longer after that we got pregnant and today she's almost 15 years old, Riley Zito.

Riley has a fabulous, huge photo of BB King taken by the great Jerry Moran at Jazzfest about 5 years ago, hanging on her wall in her bedroom. He's looking right at the camera smiling, playing his guitar.

My father passed away some years ago, but he got to see me get clean and sober and find success
for myself in the music world.  He became my biggest fan and was very proud.

It's weird to look back now and put the pieces together. The puzzle makes sense now.
BB King was such a huge inspiration in my life and brought my father and I together again,
even though we were so far apart in years.
I never played music with him, shared the stage or opened his show, and we never met....
he just shook my hand at his concert, and I think thats the best.

I am a fan of music and I believe in the magic, sometimes it just needs to stay there, in the magic.
Today, we know everything about everyone, and it's just not the same.
I did read his autobiography twice and loved it!

What a life.  B.B. King lived the life he loved. He played the music he wanted to play
and he gave the world so much love and hope.
It was not always easy, but it's not supposed to be.

Thank You Riley B. King.
You will continue to inspire me until he day we meet.

Perception

I am a pretty happy guy these days.
Why I wouldn't I be?
I have everything that a man could want and then some.
Most of us probably feel the same way, maybe not all.
But if we really took a moment to make a gratitude list, we'd find that we are
amongst the fortunate few in this world.
I am certain some of us are suffering losses and pain.
Some are sick themselves and dealing with some real life shit right now.
Others are depressed and lonely.
But overall, we are probably doing better than most in the big picture.

There is a website called the Global Rich List.
It is a website to bring awareness to poverty in the world.
You enter in your yearly salary and it will tell you the percentage of where you stand
financially in the world. This is always a go to for me with my kids when they
complain they need a new toy or don't have the newest bullshit thats out.
I pull it up and show them where they stand in the world.
Just for reference: If you made $20,000 in one year in the USA........
You are in the top 3% of the world.
That makes you the 219,013,152ndrichest person on earth by income.

How many people live on Earth?

7.125 billion (2013)

Earth, Population

That means you are richer than 6.9 Billion people.

Obviously, wealth does not make for happiness, but it certainly helps

in the material world. Besides, the whole point here is to raise awareness

of gratitude. We have food to eat, clothes to wear, a home to live in, etc.

A dear friend and mentor of mine always says 

"Just when I'm complaining about the shoes I don't have, in walks a man with no feet."

(and yes I always wonder how he's walking with no feet)

But, you get the point.

Gratitude is all based on perception and most of us live in the western world.

We are biased to perception due to conditioning.

We think if we don't have what they have on the Kardashians, we are just poor.

Obviously that is so grossly wrong, it's downright stupidity.

The problem is, we don't know it. We don't always realize how good we have it

and how amazing our lives are, we just see what we DON'T have.

It's part of the human condition, I am convinced.

We all pine for something or someone and have to get knocked back down to size

to realize we have all what we need right in front of us.

If you believe in any kind of a Higher Power, you come to the conclusion that we

are being taken care of and we have nothing to worry about.

We do our part and let the rest work itself out, and it always works itself out.

I know right now in the world, things can look gloomy or dark because of terrorism

and lack of concern for the planet or the mighty 1% grubbing all the money.

Politics is nonsense these days and it's hard to get a good read on anyone.

The horrific scenes of defenseless Black men being shot by police,

or the inane argument over who has the right to marry.

Why would any man or woman think they have the right to decide how another man or woman

can live their life???

All of this is such saddening, depressing news and information and seems so hopeless.

No matter where you stand politically or religiously or whatever, we can all agree that

life is best when we can just live our lives and love our families.

The Dalai Lama says "If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them."

Again, I think perception plays a HUGE role in how we look at the world.

With Facebook and Twitter and Fox News and CNN and all of the hype and bullshit and lies

online about every angle to every story - we just never quite get the truth.

It all gets overwhelming and to me makes us all a little gloomy and depressed.

Studies have found that folks who spend too much time on social media are depressed and

more suicidal. They compare their lives with the lives online they are following and they

become depressed......instead of living the lives they have.

We are all guilty of taking pictures of every single aspect of our lives, rather than actually living

the moment that is in front of us - we feel the need to document it.

Ok - I am getting carried away here - my point is that we need to stay positive and look for

the hopeful and not obsess on the hopeless.

Happiness is a choice and we have to take action.

Very seldom do the stars align so perfectly that we are the center of the world.

So, instead I make a gratitude list in my head, almost daily and remind myself how lucky I am.

Where I have come from and where I have been and where I am going today.

I don't watch the news very much, just enough to keep in the loop.

I try not to spend much time on FB, other than to make the occasional Seinfeld reference or sell

you a t-shirt :)

The biggest thing is to look at these situations we are in right now and see them as hopeful.

Maybe, just maybe, we are seeing for the first time that Police Officers are being held accountable

for their actions. Maybe this will bring about a change that is so necessary for the safety of the Black community and for the Police Officers who do their jobs with respect and honor.

Maybe we are in the middle of a Gay Rights Activism that will forever change history in the USA.

We will look back on these days the way we look back on the 19th Ammendment; women's right to vote and the Civil Rights Movement.

Change requires CHANGE.

Shit has to happen for shit to happen.

I am trying my best to hope for the best. It's all I can really do.

Maybe, I don't have the power to change the world but I do have the ability to live

a good, clean life. I have the opportunity to raise my children to be responsible, productive 

members of society. I can give back and make sure I am not hurting anyone.

I can make amends where I have done wrong and I can do better in the future.

If we all did these things, this world will get better REAL fast.

But, there is no reason for me to concern myself with the rest of the world and whether

or not my neighbor is behaving properly; I just need to take care of me and mine.

Live and let live.

I am no different than anyone else, I need to be reminded to be happy and hopeful.

I need to take responsibility for my thoughts and my actions and be forgiving and understanding

of others. Today I will make the choice to be hopeful and happy.

I'll make a gratitude list and take time to give thanks for the wonderful life I have.

I sure don't know what all this means here on Planet Earth.

Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going?

But I am going to make sure I look around as much as possible before my time ends.

Life is pretty amazing.

Keep it Simple.....Stupid

I dedicate this blog to my dear friend, Mike "Mule" Johnson.
Mule is a big part of my recovery and was a huge supporter of my music.
He was a really good friend and I miss him a lot.
We played music for him just a few weeks ago at his house and I hoped that I would get the chance
to do that again, but he was gone before I got home from my last tour.
He was all about "paying it forward", and I promise to not let him down.
Here today, gone tomorrow.......love ya Mule



Keep it simple....stupid

I always like this catch phrase, because it plays to my inner turmoil.
It reminds me to stop being complicated and just for laughs it allows
me to degrade myself a bit, self loathing......mmm.

Even if you're not in recovery, you've most probably heard all of these phrases
and lines in movies or in everyday life. Recovery doesn't own the rights to clever
catch phrases, thats for sure. This particular one says it all to me.
Whether I am new in recovery and just coming off the streets, or I have been here 20 years,
it works all the time. It's also the epitome of the words actually matching the true meaning.
It is a simple, stupid reminder to keep it simple, stupid.

So while I know this phrase and the idea behind all to well, I forget about it, almost on a daily
basis. Thats why it's there, to "re-mind" me, and I need "re-minding".
My mind goes a mile a minute and mostly in the right direction these days, but sometimes it
runs away and hijacks my feelings. So I need "re-minding".
My sponsor told once, many years ago, that the mind is like a child.
Children like to go play in the street and we need to tell them to get back in the yard, where it's safe.
That sounds silly, but it is absolutely true.
Most of my crazy thinking is just that, crazy.
It's not based in reality. I'm having conversations with people about problems that have never occurred, but that doesn't stop me. I carry on with someone in my head, to prove a point or win
an argument that doesn't exist......thats crazy.
Most of the time my crazy thoughts are based in fear and ego. I am looking for a fight,
because I probably have not prayed or meditated and spoken with my Higher Power.
When I take time to do so, especially before the day begins, my mind is much more pleasant.
My biggest problem is that I forget whats wrong with me.
Thats when the shit starts to hit the fan.  I start to believe the thoughts in my head.
I create drama that is not there, I get very needy and also very people pleasing to manipulate.
Rather than just "be", I create being based on my emotional needs and irrational thoughts.
Somewhere along the way I am stunned to find out that nothing is wrong at all and I am just crazy.
None of what I was thinking is real and my mind has been playing tricks on me.
Thats when I get scared for a minute. My mind is so powerful that it can hijack my feelings and thoughts and I don't even realize that it's happened.  Luckily, I am in recovery and I am surrounded
by recovery books, emails, others in recovery, I go to meetings and eventually one of those things or people will get my attention and "re-mind" me of my predicament.
Once I am "re-minded", I suddenly give myself a break and those all around me.
"Keep it simple stupid" is such a nonsensical phrase that is so spot on with my thinking.
IF I can just let it all go, give it to God, and focus on whats right in from of me......everything will be fine. It's always fine, all the time, as long as I don't drink or put in.
My thinking and awareness today are so much better than they used to be.
I still get lost sometimes, but I am brought back to speed quickly and long before I go off the deep end.  Prayer is always the answer, yet it's the last thing I do sometimes.

Today I will take time to pray and to connect with my spiritual life, my true life.
I will do my best to keep it simple and walk the narrow path chosen for me, I am grateful.

Peace, Love...Zito

My first and greatest success

It's been just a bit too long since I wrote my blog and today was the day I decided to get back to it and press on into 2015! I love writing and it always help me to clear my mind and get focused,
But I just can't throw something in there when I m not feeling it, but I'm feeling it today :)
My laptop has also taken a dive and I'm working on my iPad, so forgive me for the many mistakes I foresee.
We often consider success as "rich and famous", or having a lot of money and a big house.
I know growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was enamored with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
I wanted nothing more than to be a famous actor or singer on TV with tons of fans and plenty of money. But like any kid, I had no idea the mount of hard diligent work it would take to even get close. Mostly the misinterpretation of true "Success" is what I was missing and for some many years to come. I, like many kids and people today, expected everything to just happen for me.
I expected the world and it needed to hurry up and give it to me.
When I first came into contact with very good guitar players, I was in wonderment of how they could
Play the way they did no I could not. I finally got the news I when I was 18 and working at the local music store that I would need to "learn" to okay the guitar and it would take years, maybe a lifetime,
to aspire to the level of playing I was interested in, and even then, I might not every get there.
That did inspire me to work very hard at the guitar.
Along the way I became a husband, a father, an employee, and I never sought to be successful in any of these other areas like I did the guitar. I had one thing in mind and it was this dream of playing music.  Eventually my life became so unmanageable that I could no longer even play the guitar.
My point is, I did not try hard at anything in life other than seeking my own happiness.

My life is much different today.
I tell people that my first real success in life is my recovery program, and that's true.
I got to the point where I had nothing in life left to do but learn how to live.
I started from scratch and learned to be honest, respectful, trustworthy, hard working, forgiving, understanding......everything that kids should learn when they grow up.
I began growing up at 33 years old.
That's ok, I'm so thankful it even happened!
I began to have an intimate relationship with my higher power.
From this first success, I was able to take these skills I learned and applied them to everything in my life.
 I began to become a good father and put my kids first.
My kids love me, and it worked. My life as a father is priceless.
I learned to be a partner and a husband. I learned of true intimacy and the importance of the union.
My marriage means the world to me and I would not trade it for anything in the world.
I finally applied these principles to my music and consider having a career as a musician and a songwriter. I learned to have respect for what I did and for other musicians. My expectations became more realistic and I found joy in all that I was doing.
Success became a part of my life and is still a part of everyday.
It all starts with the spiritual principles and applying them in my life.
If I can stay grounded spiritually, I won't drink today and that is true success for me.
Then I can be a husband and a father. My family comes first, always.
My music comes next and it so benefits from the hierarchy of God and my family.
I have something to write about, something to sing about, something to play for, to work for.
Music means so much to me, I couldn't live without it, but I would give it up in heartbeat if I had to choose between my family or music, and the greatest gift of all...... I don't have to choose today.
My definition of success is much different today and yet it is the same.
Success requires hard work, diligence and focus, but it does not mean rich and famous.
Although, ironically, by applying spiritual principles to all that I do, to the best of my ability,
all I desire becomes available to me.......I just desire so much less today.
I am happy with what I have and so thankful.
I thank God for the first success in my life, it has afforded me all of the successes in my life today.
It's a great life, it's all in our perspective.
Peace, Love, Zito

Brand New Blues....

Well, to borrow from my dear friend Cyril Neville,    Brand New Blues.......

It's a new year and an exciting one to say the least - 2015!

Wow- starting to sound like Back to the Future around here, or Back to the Future 2 to be correct.
I love the holidays, and thoroughly enjoy time off with my family, but like a lot of us,
I am also eager to get the holidays over with and get moving forward with the new year.
And we didn't waste any time - I am currently out in the cold northeast of New England on tour with
The Wheel.  This will be the first full year of touring with this exciting band.
We have a lot of festivals and tours booked and are working on a new studio album.
I think this will be a defining year for me and the band.
But as I read my daily reflections and give a thought or two to my spiritual life, I am reminded
that nothing is given or completed magically, it requires effort on all parts - especially from me.
Just like getting clean and sober, my problems do not just go away when I stop my drinking
and drugging - in fact when that all ends, I am left with the nothing but the problem, me.
My life required intense restructuring from the ground up!
As I have learned to trust in the spiritual process, I have also learned to get my hands dirty and
walk through all of the day in/day out struggles of life.
Nothing is handled until we handle it.
For example - I am so excited about the process of my new album.
The band is fired up, I have great ideas in mind and a conception and even quite a few songs
written - but I am far from ready.  I could walk into the studio this week and we could complete
an album, but it would not be my best album.  I need more time to do the work.
and a lot of the work in life is time. It takes time to get from one step to the next.
If I have done all I can do, I probably just need to sit on my hands and wait.
When I haven't found all of the pieces of the puzzle and I have looked everywhere,
I need to wait and with time the last piece will be revealed.
I do not believe that my God is a magician, but I do believe that I need to leave room
for "Magic" in the process. And most of the time "leaving room" means waiting.
My time is conceptual, God's time is not.

So I am taking time to pray and meditate and learn to love the process.
I know that more "Magic" is on it's way and will be revealed when THE time is right :)
I have faith that things will work out for the best and I am excited to see what the future brings.
I pull on my boots and get to work - more shows to play, more practicing to be had,
much more to learn and I learn to reach for help when I need it.
I cannot do this all on my own, I need the help of others and I need to help others
in the process.

Peace, Love, Zito

What a year......

Well.....it's that time again.
If you're reading this, then you lived another year - way to go!

"It always beats the alternative" thats what people say of living vs dying.
But of course, no one really knows this to be true.
We are all just afraid of what we do not know, and quite possibly dying is WAY better.
Like Louis C. K. says - there are so many more dead people than their are people alive.
But alas, we are alive and thats the way it is - so suck it up!

I have to thank you and God for a great year!
It has been another year of crazy touring, making new friends and fans all over the world,
and getting closer to my family.
I thank God for keeping me and my family healthy and safe.
I thank you for your continued support and friendship with my music career.
Laura took over our online store this summer and she has been busy ever since.
Thats all in part to you placing orders and supporting our new business venture.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Mike Zito and The Wheel took to the stage at Dosey Doe in Houston, Tx. in January
and filmed my first ever dvd "Songs From the Road".
What a night that was - I will never forget it!
The audience was so excited and lifting the band up. The band hadn't played together in quite a while
as I was touring with RSB all year in 2013. We did not rehearse, we just went for it and the audience
carried us through to new heights.
My niece, Amanda Irizarry was there to be the head camera and work with director, Mark Bergeron.
I am so proud that she edited the entire dvd and she did a great job!
I knew that night that I needed to get back to focusing on my own music and take this great band
out on the road full time.
I put in my notice with the Royal Southern Brotherhood back in February.
I loved playing in RSB, but I never felt quite comfortable in that group.
I love each member of the band so much, I connect with each member on a personal level,
but I never quite connected with the group, together, musically.
I realize that now. It was me, not them.
It was a hard decision to make, considering we had just recorded our third album
"Heartsoulblood" together in December.
But I knew it was time to make that choice and move on, so I gave my notice in February of this year.
I gave a 9 month notice - I said I would stay until the Blues Cruise in October.
The guys were confused at first, not happy, but understanding and eventually they knew it
was what I needed to do and they supported me.
RSB took off as it always does and we toured like crazy all of spring.
I worked on editing and producing my dvd for Ruf Records.

I hooked up with Truefire in April and filmed my first ever guitar instructional course.
"Blues Americana" came out over the summer and I am so proud of our work together.
I have been a long time fan of guitar and instruction and working on getting better and learning in general. I grew up in a music store and learned guitar from the Hot Licks video series.
Creating this course was one of the milestones i my musical career, it means a lot to me.
The folks at Truefire are awesome and helped me every step of the way.

Mike Zito and The Wheel were honored to be nominated for Rock Blues Album of the Year
and we performed in May at the Blues Music Awards. RSB won for the DVD of the year!
I took my wife Laura with me to Germany with The Wheel to perform at the Grolsch Blues Festival in Schoeppingen in June for her birthday.
Then RSB headed back to Europe for summer festivals in Italy.
I had a fantastic family vacation for a week at Crystal Beach in Texas. We rented a house for the week and all hung out swimming, playing and even caught an Astros game in Houston.
RSB rocked the Notodden Blues Festival for the second year in a row in Norway.
We had the honor of backing up the one and only, Delbert McClinton. That was a hoot!
Delbert is pretty cantankerous and I love it.
We also got to do our "Exile on Royal Street" tribute to the Rolling Stones - that was a killer show.
I always thought that was a great idea - RSB doing cool tribute shows.
So I took that idea and decided that The Wheel would do a CCR Tribute show in the fall.
I love John Fogerty and I had just recorded "Fortunate Son" with Sonny Landreth for a Blues Tribute to CCR on Cleopatra Records.
I did my last European tour with RSB in September of this year.
It was along 3 and 1/2 week tour with very few days off and no end in sight.
RSB definitely worked their asses off.  But it was a good tour with great shows and I really enjoyed
the music for it was some of the last times I's get to play this music with this band.
The guys were not always so friendly on this tour, I guess they were maybe upset or just ready
for me to go.  I tried to stay light hearted and have fun.
We set out on the October Blues Cruise and I brought my daughter Riley and my son Sam.
They are both in the teenage bracket now and I thought they would enjoy this musical adventure.
We had the time of our lives - me and the kids really bonded and I think they really liked the blues music.  I played my last shows with RSB on that cruise and they were pretty uneventful.
There was no big goodbye, no hearty handshakes, no big hugs and good lucks....just finished.
Cyril was sweet to me and I was thankful for his kindness.
Not that I expected a big going away party, but I started that band and wrote a lot of the songs
and I guess I did expect friendship to prevail over the trivial.
It would have been nice to have been made felt that I would be missed and that they wished me well.
I assume they all did, but were not in the frame of mind to give it away at that time.
Either way, I have no hard feelings and I enjoyed my tenure with the band.
But I also enjoyed playing with Los Lobos on that cruise!!!! That was a dream come true.

The Wheel got together after the cruise and we took off on a midwest run to start playing again
and get ready for our big tour. Mike Zito and The Wheel and Samantha Fish took off the end of October for what would be the longest tour we had ever  had to date.
We flew to Basel, Switzerland to embark on an almost 5 week European/UK/Scandinavian tour.
WOW - what a tour it was. We played 28 shows on that tour and none of them sucked!
The band was in full force except the roar of Lewis Stephens. We were unable to bring Lewis with us on that tour, but he is absolutely to be on the next!  Sam and I put this tour together and we had a 60's style show in mind, like a revue.  She would come out with the trio and do 45 minutes. I would come out for one tune with  her on her set. Then a short break and The Wheel would take the stage for 60 minutes and she would come out and sing a song with me. Then we both and the band would take the stage for the encore and just rock out and have fun. The crowds loved this show! It really worked well. Everyone got along so well and we all worked hard to make the show better every night.
Sam killed it, she was on fire! The audiences love her and it gave me a shot in the arm to go out there and really give it my all. The UK fans were over the top, filling the rooms night after night.
I truly believe we hit our stride in the UK and have began a fan base that will last a long time.
We had great shows in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and a very memorable show at Buckley's in Oslo, Norway. Magnus Berg came out and played "Sugar Sweet" with me and tore it up on guitar. Make sure you check this young man out, he is really good.
We packed in sold out shows in Germany that was really over the top.
The show in Basel, Switzerland for Blues Now with my friend Patrick Kaiser was amazing.
All in all, this was the best, most successful tour I had done to date and it showed me that
I had built a great following with RSB and the fans wanted more.
I came home feeling really good and excited for the future.
I cannot thank the band and most of all, Sam, for doing that tour with me.
Everyone was so fun and got along so well.

I got back and took a week or so off to just relax with my girls at home.
My good friend and mentor, Tinsley Ellis had been talking with me about going out and playing
some shows together. I have always loved Tinsley and thought it was a great idea.
We found a short window in December to head up to the northeast and do a string of shows.
It was Tinsley and I and his rhythm section. We played some of my songs and some of his songs
and ended with some great old blues tunes. I LOVED these shows with Tinsley.
He is a blues master and it was so much fun to play with him and his great band. I look forward to more of these shows together next year.

In the midst of this I got the call from my friend, Paul Nelson, to come out and take part in the Johnny Winter Remembrance show in Saint Louis.
Johnny was my hero and we became friends these past 5 years.
I was sad when he passed but happy for him to have left us back on top.
I jumped at the opportunity to play his music and celebrate this legend. We had a great show
in STL and Paul asked me to stay on the bus and head up to Chicago the next night for the show
at Buddy Guys Legends. I couldn't resist and I made the trip with Paul, Marion and the boys.
Ronnie Baker Brooks was fantastic and I finally got to spend some time with this great blues man.
The show in Chicago was legendary. Buddy came out and they commemorated one of Johnny's guitars to hang on the wall at Legends. Johnny's brother Edgar was there to play with us and that was amazing! Having been transplanted to Southeast Texas, Edgar Winter and White Trash are a staple in the music down here. I got to spend a little time talking with Edgar and when he asked where I lived
I answered "Nederland, Tx." His jaw about dropped...."What? Really? You knew my brother?"
and then when I told him I moved there a dozen years ago he asked the same thing his brother would always ask me "Why?" Edgar sang "Tobacco Road" and tore it up, he was stunning.
What a few days that was with Paul and I cannot thank him enough for the invite.

I always try and finish the year with time off for family around the holidays.
I gave myself 3 weeks at home for Christmas this year, and I needed it!
I played some local shows with friends that have been really fun and just great to be back home
seeing friends and family and taking a break.  RSB was nominated for the Blues Music Awards "Rock Blues Album of the Year" for "Heartsoulblood". I am very excited for our nomination and I am proud of our last album together.
My family had the best Christmas together ever. Just peaceful and easy and lots of family time.
All of my kids are here now. Zach flew in from Saint Louis and Sam and Riley joined us a few days ago. We have been laying around playing games and watching movies and eating WAY too much food. I keep thinking I might be in trouble in some way.. isn't that weird.
My mind is always working and when I give it a break for a few days I start thinking I am missing something or forgetting something, but I am not, I am just crazy :)

My wife is amazing and I fall in love with her more each day.
She is my best friend and she makes this family work beyond belief.
It's not easy to have 5 kids and 2 ex-wives and 7 animals, but she takes it all in stride.
I truly believe she is my soul mate and helps keep everyone in line and working together.
We are a true team and I am excited for our future together!

We are working hard on our New Years Eve show at Dosey Doe - Tribute to CCR!
I think I have all of the lyrics down and Zach is working on some guitar parts.
We have our dear friends, Patrick and Beatrice Kaiser, from Switzerland coming to spend a few days
with us in Southeast Texas. They have never been here and I wonder what they will think.....
Switzerland is so perfect and clean and "organized"....HA!
They are staying in Port Arthur at a nice hotel, but...... Port Arthur and Southeast Texas are so NOT
perfect and clean and organized.....but it is beautiful in so many different ways. I know they will enjoy the culture shock...............I hope they like Mexican food.

I am sitting at my dining room table as I write this. The girls are eating cereal and Laura is playing on her phone. The big kids are still asleep and Sasha, one of our cats, is looking out the window.
It's cold and damp and rainy outside, thats as close as we get to a "Winter" here...and thats is fine with me.  I am so thankful for this life, for my family and friends.
I am thankful to you for supporting me and my career. You make my dreams come true, corny as it sounds, it's true.  Without you, I would not be able to continue making music and provide for my family.
It's hard to believe that 12 years ago I was really down on hard times.
I was not doing well at all.
But today I am doing better than ever and I thank God for this second chance at life.

I am VERY excited to jump into 2015.
We have so much planned already - tours, big shows and another studio album for MZ and The Wheel. I have a lot of songs written and demos I am working on. The guys are working on music too.
We are all gearing up for this next album and a full year of touring as The Wheel.
I am heading back to Florida in January with Truefire to film my second instructional course
that will come out sometime in April or May.
So many things we are working on and I can't wait to share them with you......

Happy Holidays - Thank you for the best 2014 ever!

Peace, Love, Zito

Happy Holidays

A sincere and heartfelt Happy Holidays to you and yours this season.

Not sure what religion or non-religion or spiritual program or Festivus you're working......
but I think we can all agree to wish each other a happy season.
Buddha suggest that if we cannot do something to help one another, at the very least, do nothing to
harm anyone.  I try and live by those words of freedom.
When I wish no one harm, do no one harm, and try and help when I can.....I live a relatively serene life, free of drama or pain and suffering.
Life is painful at best, so I try not to contribute to my own pain.
When I go to sleep at night I think back over the day and examine my behavior.
Did I do someone wrong? Speak ill of someone? Act inappropriately?
If I can answer no to these questions....I can sleep peaceful.
If I have behaved badly, I can take time to make amends to the person the next day.

The bottom line here is that I want a good nights sleep.
Peaceful sleepers have the world in their hearts.
When I have nothing to worry about, and I have followed principles to guide my behavior,
I am at peace with myself and my maker.
I trust the process and let it all go.......I fall asleep easily and rest.

We all do not agree and have the same views of religion or politics or behavior.
But we all certainly know right from wrong, or should know if we are adults
living on Planet Earth.
So lets all agree this holiday season to have respect for one another, have faith in humanity,
and at the very least....not harm one another. It only hurts us the most and hurting ourselves
makes no sense at all.
I pray you and yours have peaceful nights of sleep and healthy days of joy.

Happiest of Holidays - Peace, Love, Zito