AI, Advent, and Playing Guitar (Music Newsletter)

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[Note: I’m reposting my latest music newsletter. I am now using Substack for all my music-related communiques. It might be a good time to sign-up if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest from JimBaumerME.]

When we moved from Maine to Virginia in 2022, I thought my days of snow and storm closures were over. And during that first winter, Virginia seemed to be a land free from ice and snow.

Our realtor told us that it rarely snowed in Virginia, but when it did he said, “the entire city shuts down.” Friday, we had three inches of snow and I was reminded of what he told me. I work for Lynchburg City Schools and they cancelled school for the day. Much of Lynchburg was also closed. Then, on Sunday night, with another similar snow event set to hit the Lynchburg/Roanoke area, I received my robo call from the school system saying we were cancelled on Monday.

 

This morning (Tuesday), I awoke to a frozen winter wonderland outside. Last night’s snow and frigid winter temperatures in the teens had made the roadways sheets of black ice, so once more, I’m home on a snow day. Given that it’s December and I haven’t put out a newsletter since the summer, it feels like a good time for an end-of-the-year summation of 2025.

Live music opportunities in Lynchburg continue to be rare events. I couldn’t have picked a worse place to opt to play original music. But, rather than allow bitterness to poison my musical well, I try to use my downtown productively—working on my guitar skills and writing new music. Then, when school gets out, I take my one-man-band show known as JimBaumerME on the road

In 2024, I met a small DIY community in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A musician named Chad James hosted shows on his property outside of town. His bills at The Shack gave me an opportunity to find members of my musical tribe. Chad, Kip Gunnells (of the band, Kip Gloss), Chad’s girlfriend Alecia, and a few other people made me feel welcome that very first summer and so this June, I stopped off in Murfreesboro again. Even better, I got to play a show in Nashville at Betty’s Grill with Kip Gloss (Chad plays drums for them), and meet Milo and the boys from Wonderbad, as we shared an amazing evening and a really cool bill at one of Nashville’s dive bar gems. Prior to my foray into Tennessee, I played Asheville, NC, the hometown of MJ Lenderman (arguably one of the biggest names in indie rock at the moment) for the very first time, rocking out at The Burger Bar.

As AI continues to take over the world, I often wonder what will become of music, literature, and maybe, the future of mankind. I honestly don’t know the answer to that. However, since no AI has been used to write this newsletter or produce any music in 2025 (and this will continue in 2026), no new data centers have been erected to further the reach of JimBaumerME.

Since it is the season of Advent, I thought it appropriate to share some related news. In May, after decades of being spiritually adrift, I was curious about the Hallow app I kept seeing advertisements about. I downloaded it on my phone and began accessing a vast array of Christian material. Initially, I didn’t know it was a Catholic-based app. Having grown up as a “cradle” Catholic and walking away from my faith in college during a “born-again” phase, and then later, attending Bible College, my faith got tested and I apparently failed the challenge. Catholicism was the last thing that I thought would offer my life meaning. But after visiting a host of evangelical churches that dominate the religious landscape in this area, the Catholic Church felt like coming home.

I have been attending Mass every week since June. I find that practicing the Catholic faith helps ground me and offers me hope that I’ve rarely had, especially since the death of Mark in 2017.

So, what does this have to do with music, Jim? I’m not sure. Honestly, I don’t plan on releasing an album of Gregorian chants come RPM season in February. But don’t be surprised if my faith doesn’t pop up in some of my lyrics from time to time. One of my idols during my time in evangelical Christianity in the 1980s was a musician named Larry Norman. He is sometimes called “the father of Christian rock.” Larry was more than some marginalized Christian rocking out to Jesus lyrics, however. He was a talented songwriter, musician, and thinker, a friend to Dylan, Joplin, and others. I remember receiving his Solid Rock newsletter back in the 1980s while living in Hobart, Indiana, recovering from legalistic Christianity. Larry was a breath of fresh air, as he’d be referencing G.K. Chesterton, Malcolm Muggeridge, and commenting on how the church’s take on music and culture was lacking. Being more like Larry might not be a bad look for future JimBaumerME projects, but we shall see. At the very least, I might add another Larry Norman song to my repertoire.

Hallow has a great 25-day Advent challenge. The holidays have been tough since losing Mark. And, my wife Mary will tell you I’ve always been a bit of a Scrooge come Christmas time. But this year, I am finding new meaning in the story of Jesus and his birth.

Over the last two months, I’ve been learning a ton of new songs. These are covers and I vowed I’d never go back to playing cover gigs again. But, learning “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon, “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp, “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers, and even “Born in the USA” by Springsteen has breathed new life into my ever-burgeoning set of originals mixed with covers. I look forward to playing some shows in the New Year and surprising people with some new material.

My guitar-playing continues to evolve and I marvel at how far I’ve come over the past seven years after picking up the guitar again to deal with grief and loss.

Please mark your calendar for January 10th. I will be doing a livestream, most likely via Facebook Live. I hope you’ll tune in and check out the ever-evolving stage persona of JimBaumerME. Also, for that music lover who has all the latest and the greatest, surprise him/her with some merch from my Bandcamp page.

From snowy Virginia, here’s wishing you all the Happiest of Holidays and the Merriest of Christmases.

Soros Jamming

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I wrote my first song about George Soros during COVID because I felt we’d become so Balkanized as a country that there was little that opposing factions could say to one another. The binary polarization had made dialogue nearly impossible to have.

I also recognized that this division and strife was being funded on the left with money from George Soros.

Liberal Democrats had become so enraged about anything connected to Donald J. Trump.  A term called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” was coined on the right to describe and explain it. Stephen King definitely suffers from it. Probably Rosie O’Donnell, also. This seemed odd because there was a time when Trump was a beloved cultural icon, often referred to as a “tycoon.” But not any longer. Most on the left have imbibed the narrative that Trump is anathema to our democracy.

Additonally, the left conveniently began turning a blind eye to the rioting and mayhem fueled by Antifa and BLM groups. You may as well lump in the litany of vaccine and mask mandates for businesses and schools and it began to feel like chaos was a strategy that Soros was funding, with the playbook being written by Saul Alinsky. This is an overly “glowing” account of Alinsky’s how to get whatever you want.

Continue reading →

Back from the Road/TennVaMa Tour 2024

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Six years ago I set out on a musical journey that I had no idea where it would lead me, if anywhere. Tragedy was its catalyst and something necessary for me to pursue.

I can still remember my first few awkward open mic appearances, just me and an electric guitar, trying to figure out what it as I wanted to be as a performer. I certainly had bands and artists I aspired to be like, or allow them to inspire me through their music. I’ve recited many of them before: Neil Young, Guided by Voices, Swearing at Motorists, Lou Reed, Pavement, Polvo, Elliott Smith, and so on.

Moving to Lynchburg in some ways was necessary in order to get out from under a mortgage. The city is cheaper in terms of housing and other factors–the weather is considerably more moderate compared to the harsher climate of the Northeastern part of the U.S., particularly the winters.

In terms of music however, there isn’t any sort of underground music scene. I know gurus like Matt Bacon talk about connecting and building collaboration within your local scene, but there’s really nothing here to connect to. My few attempts reaching out to a handful of people playing original music have been rebuffed. For the past 18 months, I’ve been figuring out some sort of Plan B. Rather than play 65 or 70 times a year like in the past, I’ve managed a handful of shows, playing covers mainly, which I no longer want to do. Continue reading →

Nashville, Don’t Let Me Down

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It’s about 8 hours from Lynchburg in Central Virginia to Nashville, Tennessee. You could do it faster if you pushed it, but I left early and wasn’t playing in Murfreesboro until Tuesday night.

When I was a writer and trying to push my prose up the mountain of recognition, Seth Godin was a “guru” of sorts. I know I’ll sometimes criticize the ubiquity of gurus, but there are some out there, like Godin, who are worth listening to and offer countless tips that move your craft forward: writing, music, maybe even mixed martial arts.

I’ve been following Matt Bacon on the ‘gram for a month or so. His stuff is so damn good (and practical) that I marvel that I’ve already started doing many of the things he talks about in terms of building a following. One of them recently was to find an area that you can tour regionally two or three times a year.

In many ways, this two-week tour is exactly that. Me, taking my all-original music, and playing cities and venues I’ve never played before. Including Nashville.

The DIY show I was part of on Tuesday night at The Shack was epic. Four different artists/bands, doing what they do, and showing support for me, the touring bard and minstrel passing through town. Chad James (aka, Karate Chad) seems to me to be a DIY force of nature in Murfreesboro. He’s originally told me he rarely does mid-week shows, especially Tuesday nights, but he made it happen. The link should be available soon on Twitch and when it is, I’ll post it, here. I’m also going to have some live footage of me playing what was about a 40 to 45 minutes set of originals.

[Shua, Murfreesboro singer-songwriter, covering Warren Zevon’s “Roland the Thompson Gunner”]

While Murfreesboro was sweet, my plan to play Wednesday night in Nashville fell through. The booking agent I’ve been working with texted me and told me that the venue has “discontinued all live music.” Wow! That fucking sucks! But, rather than let it derail me, I had a blast in Murfreesboro and I’m going to bring the same energy to Huntsville on Friday. Continue reading →

The Final Leg

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Two more sleeps at home before I hit the road for the last dates of my first regional tour.

The vision for this tour came together at the end of January. That’s when I first reached out to Happy Nomad Booking. I had an itinerary in mind that I hoped would take me to places that used to be solid indie rock stops: places like Morgantown, WV, then over to Pittsburgh, then back down through Virginia, before heading south.

Morgantown never materialized. I did play Harrisonburg, then Friday night was a great gig in Raleigh, aka, “indie rock city.” I sing about it on “Out of the Mainstream.”

Played a small dive bar near downtown called The Night Rider. Funky space and amazing sound (low ceilings always help). What was cool is that the original act, a power trio that wasn’t a good match for me, cancelled. Cooper Uglow ended up being a last minute replacement. He was perfect, playing solo, opening my show. Got to talk some inside baseball with him and Joe, the terrific bartender for the night. I rarely get to talk music with people who get my vibe.
Continue reading →

Loading Them Road Cases

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Since moving to Lynchburg, I’ve been making a musical transition. Oh, I’m still making and playing music, but my journey has diverged from the path where it began seven years go. Back then, I was just hanging on, struggling with the loss of a son, and my guitar became a means of finding some way forward after a devestating and seemingly senseless tragedy.

I initially thought I wanted to see if I could work-up a setlist that would allow me to get booked into clubs and other venues on the “cover circuit.” Every state and region has one.

What I learned is that if you have enough drive, and you can get on the phone and/or craft a compelling booking pitch, you can play regularly. Or, at least that was my experience in Maine. Before I knew it, I’d moved into playing some clubs in Boston, thanks to making a connection with a small booking agency. My first few years of playing live music, I’d play 60 to 70 gigs a year. That changed when COVID hit.

Then, my wife and I made a monumental decision. Real estate was at its peak in New England. We realized that this was our time for a new adventure and no more winters in the northeast. Off to points south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Lynchburg had affordable housing and it wasn’t a dump like some places that are affordable. But Lynchburg also has been a very hard nut to crack in terms of trying to book shows. I’m not going to belabor the reality that I was initially bitter and then, disappointed in the lack of places to play original music in the city and nearby.

Lynchburg, Virginia, USA downtown skyline.

What that initial experience provided, however, was the chance to really work on my songwriting craft. I’ve been putting out material on a regular basis. Then, putting it out on various streaming platforms, the central one being Spotify.

What has happened over the past two years is that my streams on Spotify have slowly ticked upward. Unlike many of the local musicians who get all the gigs, but have less than 100 monthly streams, my numbers have shot beyond 1,600 monthly streams and continue hitting upward. I attribute this to being willing to “feed the algorithm,” or the “Al Gore Rhythm,” as one of my songs on my new release, Some Singles+ talks about. Continue reading →

February Is a Tough Month (for Love)/RPM 2024

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This year’s RPM Challenge was a walk in the park for me. Maybe, if I’d decided to push it and make a full-length and not an EP, it might have been a bit harder. But for some reason, the song ideas were flowing and I even have my next single in the can from this creative exercise.

My latest release

With this release, I embraced a bit of genre-shifting, or at least, I diverged somewhat from my usual indie rock. Granted, the first two tracks align with most of my previous input, save that the overall quality of recording has improved.

On the opening track, “Al Gore Rhythm,” I wanted to tackle the notion that to succeed in music these days, it really does come down to “feeding the beast,” which are the social media algorithms (or, Al Gore Rhythms) that seem to drive everything, talent or songwriting prowess be damned.

The second song on the new release, is an update in my musical narrative that really began with the death of my son, Mark Baumer. January was the 7th anniversary of his death and music has allowed me a space to find some healing of sorts. “100 Days (7 years later)” is an update on the story about Mark, and also serves as the single on this release.

The next track is probably one of the peppiest numbers I’ve done (at least in terms of music and melody, if not lyrics). Breaking out of my usual 115 BPM, “Rocket Store” could certainly fit the bill as a single. On this one, I really embrace Auto-Tune on my vocals.

During the making of FIATMFL, I’ve been playing around a bit with synth loops and other effects. That exploration delivers the fourth track, “Synth Wave Sweep,” which uses a synth loop to create a bit of “space” on the record between songs.

In 2008, I wrote my first Moxie book, Moxietown, which detailed how Moxie and my hometown of LIsbon Falls became epicenter of the Moxie universe. The central figure in that narrative was Frank Anicetti, “the Moxie man,” or better, “the Mayor of Moxietown.” This track, a simple acoustic number is my paean to one of the more interesting characters I’ve met in my lifetime. Glad I took the time to pay attention his stories.

The final track is me, my electric guitar, and a pedal board. Decided to have some fun, crafting a song, “Future Gaze,” best described as shoegaze, with lots of delay, distortion, and compression.

If you use Spotify, please add me to your playlists and give the new single a spin or two when it drops on Friday.

Cover Song Friday/Flying Pizza

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I’m using the TikTok to post content, all in an attempt to keep Al Gore’s Rhythm fed and feisty. I edited this down for those who feel the need to watch shorter vids.

I’m covering one of my favorite bands from the Dayton,Ohio scene of the 90s, Swearing at Motorists.

@jimbaumerme #coversongs #swearingatmotorists #indierock #daytonohio ♬ original sound – JimBaumerME

Guitar Story (episode 2)

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Guitar Story will be my weekly feature where I share details and tips from my own journey of picking up the guitar again.

As someone once said, “the guitar is an easy instrument to learn; the difficulty comes in the mastery.”

I’m on a quest to master the instrument I love to play.

This week’s video finds me talking about the myth of talent.

If you are new to my music, you can find all my important links here.