Rob Mehl: ~Home
Aloha and thanks for stopping by! I hope you're able to take some time to check out all the pages and like what you see. I'd love it, too, if you'd say "hey" on my Guestbook page!
The best way to reach me in person (even better than the "join the email list" thing on the left!) is on the Contact Info page.
I try to post updates fairly regularly ... so read on below this quick calender overview of the next month or so ... and thanks! ~ Rob (Oh yeah ... that's Wade Koniakowsky's "Pipeline With Ginger" up above!)
(MORE DETAILS ON THE CALENDAR PAGE!)
8/29 ~ Kaisen Sushi & Hawaiian-Style Restaurant, Oceanside, CA
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008 ~ Last night's Art Gallery Opening and Book Release was so much fun for me. My friends Artist and Surfer Wade Koniakowsky's art and Surfer/Artist/Waterman Mike Doyle's new book and such a reunion of old friends (Chris Ahrens, Bill Shrosbree, Norm Daniels, Frank and Pam Grubbs were a few!) ... pretty cool! I'll put a picture of Mike and Wade and I on the Photos Page ... Mike told us all to suck our gut in! I wouldn't have done it otherwise ... honest! ;)>
Haven't played at Kaisen the last three weeks ... I hope you're able to welcome me back home tonight! Aloha ~ Rob
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008 ~ I got back from Africa last ... wow, what an adventure! I'll get you all caught up in the days ahead ... I'm pretty sleepy right now though! New songs and great stories to share! Thanks for your love and prayers! Aloha ~ Rob
TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2008 ~ Well ... didn't get a chance to add all the pictures from the last 3 or 4 amazing weekends out of town I've had ~ sorry! And now we're leaving for Africa. Sooooo ... though it means I'll have a bajillion more pictures to add from our visits to Switzerland, South Africa, and Mozambique, I promise I'll do it when I get back that last week of August! If there's any way to get on-line and do it while I'm on the road, I will.
Take care! Aloha always ~ Rob
TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2008 ~ Finally have just a moment here ... back from two of the most amazing weekends ever! The Seattle area this past weekend ... Austin and Houston last weekend.
So many folks to thank for making it happen ... Mike and Peggy Falgoust, John and Pegge Wright, Wendy and Patricia Peat, Ken Perry, Brett Green, Dave Calhoun, my dear friend James "Sunny Jim" White, the Parrotheads of Puget Sound, and on and on and on! And the new friends I met ... WOW!
I'll have some time before Austin and I leave for Africa to go into more detail and post some pictures!
Til then ... aloha! Rob
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2008 ~ My son's 13th birthday ... COOL! And my daughter Taylor is back safely from Uganda! Thank You Lord!
Great House Concert at John and Sue Moore's home last Saturday ... thanks so much John and Sue!
AND Gerry Limpic and Ed Fink! Gerry played lead guitar and sang some with me ... he's been a friend for a long, long time and is an amazing songwriter and musician himself ... one I've looked up to all these years!
Ed Fink on percussion is always a treat ... just ask Gary Seiler! Ed has a fantastic feel for cool rhythms and really kicked it up for me! Thanks Ed!
And finally, thanks to all you who showed up to help out getting Austin and I to Africa, hear some music and stories and show some love. You're loved back!
Aloha always ~ Rob
THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008 ~ SLOW DOWN SUMMER! The water's warm, the sky is blue ... must be summer in San Diego! Hope you're doing well! We're all busy not being busy and having a blast! Drop a note, check the Calendar Page (which is filling up ... thank You, Lord!) ~ hope to see you soon!
And yes, I WILL have t-shirts to sell at the shows! (I've given in!) ;)>
Aloha, Rob
MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008 ~ MAGIC! No other way to describe a house concert with Hugo Duarte. Hugo's a ton of fun at Hog's Breath ... there's no doubt about that, but you get up close and personal with him and you can tell he's a man on a spiritual journey who wants to share his heart with anyone who'll listen. Result: Wow!
So many nice friends drove down from as far north as Santa Barbara and Carpenteria and us from as far south as San Diego ... all the way to Granada Hills (in the Valley!) to hear Hugo weave his magic. Thanks, Hugo, for songs like "Hollywood", "Back To The Island", "Willie's Country Store", "Danged Old Broke Down Pickup Truck" and so many others. You ROCK!
And thanks to John and Bobby for opening up their beautiful home for the concert ... what a SHANGRI-LA!
He's headed to the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday morning ... you guys up there are in for a real treat!
I'll be back at Kaisen this Friday! Hope to see you there ... and I really hope you'll be able to make it to the Benefit House Concert at John and Sue Moore's house on June 21! Just found out that Gerry Limpic will be joining me on guitar and I'll have Ed Fink on percussion! They're worth the ticket alone!
Aloha always ~ Rob
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008 ~ Great fun this past weekend playing with Hugo Duarte from North Carolina. What a master storyteller ... in story and in song! He's written some of my favorite songs of all time!
And then to be joined by the amazing guitarist and showman Steve Orr and percussionist Buzz Buchanon at the Monterey Bay Canners ... wow! It was one of those "mutual admiration" shows as Steve was blown away by Hugo and Hugo rocked Steve's socks ... and Buzz and I stood around and watched it all happen right in front of us! How cool!
Great friends and fans in the audience, too ... thank YOU so much! It WAS fun, wasn't it! Let's do it again!
OKAY! How about this weekend? I'm back at Kaisen on Friday night, but then Hugo will join me at the Mission Bay Yacht Club on Saturday, and I'll join him at a house concert in Granada Hills on Sunday. Check out the Calendar Page for more info ... or give me a call!
Hey now ... if you haven't checked out the Photo Page to see my new logo, please tell me what you think! I'd appreciate it!
Austin (my 12 year-old son) and I are off to Mozambique in less than two months for a week of handing out solar-powered "talking Bibles" (in their own native language) to bush tribe people, then a week of surfing and singing as we head back down the coast to Johannesburg, South Africa! We're still in the process of raising the funds for the flight, but it'll happen and we can't wait! In fact, the House Concert at the Moore's home on June 21 is specifically for that purpose! If you're in the San Diego area, I hope you can make it to that one!
Hope you're doing well. If you're a part of the Plockers web site, be patient with me ... I'll figure out how that thing works eventually! ;)>
Keep in touch! Aloha always ~ Rob
TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008 ~ SOOOOOO ... you ready for summer? ;)>
It's warming up, got a new board, school's out in twelve days, and the summer calendar is filling up! Must be summer!
And HUGO's coming to town! Time to get yourself familiar with the right-coast, Cuban-flavored country-rock music of Hugo Duarte, folks. Great stories and lots of history. Check the Calendar Page for more info!
Also ... GARY SEILER's got a new band that is going to ROCK San Diego ~ GUARANTEED! Calling themselves GS and The E Ticket Ride ... you're going to LOVE this new sound! Good on ya Gary! (Enjoy Ed, too, amigo ... he's one of the best!)
Did I mention that Jerry Gontang and Mike Broward took Tampa by storm couple of weeks ago! You shoulda been there! ;)>
Hope to see you soon ... keep in touch! Aloha ~ Rob
MONDAY EVENING, MAY 19, 2008 ~ Hey now ... I'm back at Kaisen this Friday! See you there?
Back from Tampa and still on a major high after the amazing Floridaze. That's it ... I'm still DAZED!
Captain Harry, Heidi Ho, NanaBabe, McGill, Phred, the folks from the Save The Manatee Foundation, and so, so many others who poured their hearts and souls into this event ... I'm in AWE! Good on ya ... from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me be a part of your amazing Sea Cow Soiree!
And the artists from all over the country ... Dennis and Randy of Tropical Soul, Jeff, Koney, and James from A1A, John Frinzi, James "Sunny Jim" White, Rock 'N Roll Joe, Joe Bennett, Jack "My Brother" Mosley, Gary Roland, and our own Jerry Gontang and Mike Broward ... thank YOU for letting me share your stage, and for making my music sound like it never has before (and may never again until we're able to do this again!) ;)>
In fact, I have to say, our little jam on Saturday night ... so I'm getting ready to share a few songs after Stars On The Water played and I'm feeling a bit intimidated, and Jeff Pike, Koney Ferrell and James Cobb (a.k.a. A1A) and Randy Zimmerman of Tropical Soul join me and all of a sudden I have a band! ... it was THE MOST MAGICAL MUSIC MOMENT OF MY LIFE, YOU GUYS. For real! And I've played a long, long time.
So thanks again!
NanaBabe ... if you'll invite me back, maybe I'll get it! Duh!
And Captain Harry and Heidi Ho ... thank you so much. Love ya, plus one!
Aloha always ~ Rob
WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY 14, 2008 ~ Up early this morning ... looking forward to a great day. Hope you're doing well!
Had a fabulous time at Cave Creek last Saturday on stage with Dave Mulligan ... what a great songwriter and singer. Dave's pensive and insightful and has such a cool dry humor in many of his songs. Look for his new CD soon!
Had a blast off-stage, too, with Tony and Jen (and the tray!) and Logan! Cracks me up ... Logan, who's eleven, learned how to play "Going Home" ... so I invited him up on stage to play the song with me and he ROCKED! ;)> Good on ya, little bro!
I leave for Tampa tomorrow morning to join a bunch of my pals (including San Diego's Jerry Gontang of Stars On The Water!) at Floridaze, another Parrot Head Club "party with a purpose" to benefit the Save The Manatee Foundation. Cool! With PRIVILEGE comes RESPONSIBILITY, so I'm honored to be a part of this show that will focus on the need for us all to be good stewards of what we've been blessed with in nature!
You have a great day, too! Aloha always ~ Rob
MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008 ~ Back from an AMAZING weekend in Laughlin at the Phins To The West benefit show. Great artists, great fans, and a party with a purpose. Good on ya L.A. and Phoenix Parrot Head clubs for once again working so hard to produce a wonderful fundraising event! Plus, it's always so fun hanging with folks from all over the country that I only get to see a few times a year. You know who you are ... you're loved! ;)>
Had a fabulous time, as always, getting to spend time with my musical pals from around the country, too! Guys like John Reno from Alabama, Matt Wahl from D.C., Jim Hoehn from Wisconsin, Tony Baloney from Northern California, Bob Karwin from Los Angeles, Alonzo McClean from Phoenix, Brent Burns from Alabama, and of course Jerry Gontang, Mike Broward, Guy Hufferd, Gary Seiler and Ron Bell from way out in San Diego! Also got to meet Lauren Adams, an amazing Americana rocker from L.A.! You've gotta check out her music!
And while we were there we got some GREAT NEWS ... Congratulations to Kelly McGuire for winning the "Album of the Year" award at the Texas Music awards! His "Boat in Belize" truly is one of the most incredible CD's I've heard. Way to go, Kelly!
Oh yeah ... speaking of musical friends ~ I've been on the phone lately with Hugo Duarte and we're making plans to bring him out here on the West Coast for some shows sometime toward the end of may! Look for more info as it comes in ... but if you've got an idea where you'd LIKE to see him play, get in touch with me, would you? Thanks!
Don't forget ... May 10 ~ NEXT SATURDAY ~ I'll be playing with the very talented Indie songwriter David Mulligan at a show in Cave Creek, Arizona. We'd LOVE IT if you were able to make it to this show! Check out the info on my Calendar Page!
I'll be back at Kaisen this Friday ... hope you'll join me! Aloha ~ Rob
TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008 ~ Hey! How you doing? Hope you're loving the warmth of the sun here in SoCal these days. Summer's a'comin'! Remember I WON'T be at Kaisen this Friday ... heading to Laughlin for the weekend. See you next week? Take care! Rob
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008 ~ Hi there ... hope you're doing well! Thanks for checking in. Things are going to start to get crazy now that summer is near ... cool! Shows out of town, recording the next installment of the "UNDER THE BANYAN TREE" series, going to Africa ... I'm blessed and loving it!
I've already had all the songs I needed for the next CD for a while, but I just wrote one that will be the title tune ... it's called "Havana Good Time" ... pretty much my new favorite! You're gonna love it! (I hope!) ;)> In fact, I'm calling Allan Phillips, who produced and arranged my "JUST GIVE ME THE KEYS" CD, because this is a song he HAS to produce for me with his home-grown Caribbean roots and all his Cubano friends!
See you tomorrow night at Kaisen? Hope so! Aloha always ~ Rob
TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008 ~ Hey now! Missed seeing you guys at Kaisen last Friday ... had to go to Phoenix and take part in one of the most wonderful weddings I've ever seen! Don and Robin are happily married and now honeymooning in Tahiti! All the best, my friends! (P.S. ~ If the bride and groom hadn't been center-stage, Gary Seiler and his bride of two months would have been the highlight as they (newlyweds still) were just beaming! Plus, Gary put on a great show and everyone was dancing up a storm in the desert heat!)
The calendar keeps piling up ... cool! Added a fun show in Floridam, hosted by the Tampa Bay Parrot Head Club, with so many wonderful artists who (all of us) participated in writing songs to raise awareness of the plight of the manatee in the coastal waters of the lower east coast states. This will be the CD release party of those songs and includes some amazing songwriters, including San Diego's own Jerry Gontang! Check out the Calendar Page for more info.
See you at Kaisen this Friday? Hope so ... I won't be around much in May, so I'd really like to see you again soon!
Aloha always ~ Rob
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008 ~ Aloha friends. Getting so many nice emails from you guys ... thanks ... they really mean a lot!
Thanks, too, for those of you who actually chime in on my Guestbook Page ... you rock!
Always a blast, too ... and a bit humbling ... when so many of you make the trip north or south all the way to Kaisen Sushi on Friday nights to watch and listen to the show. Thanks!
Had a special treat this past Friday when Johnny Kukui sat in for a whole set making magic with his ukulele! Wow is he good! Never know who's going to show up to sit in ... hope you can be with us tomorrow night!
WON'T be at Kaisen next Friday ... heading to Phoenix to marry off a wonderful couple I met at Mark Mulligan's Islandfest a few years ago!
Keep in touch ... I appreciate you! Aloha always ~ Rob
THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008 ~ HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! Being in "summer
mode", mentally, now that it's Easter Break, I forgot to chime in here on Easter ... hope yours was special!
Thinking it's time to get busy ... looking at the mini-schedule I put above and realizing that when I'm in town maybe I could play a little more than just Friday night. Any ideas?
I AM working on finding some shows in Austin (Takes-us) and Phoenix for a house concert with my buddy and great singer-songwriter Dave Mulligan ... Mark's big-little brother! (Thanks Tony!)
Got to get busy, too, trying to figure out how I can afford to fly to Africa this July. AND finish paying off the Pacific CD! Always an adventure!
Stay tuned, friends ... lots and lots of new songs and, hopefully, that means a new installment of the Banyan Tree series should be in the offing.
Drop a line, sign the guestbook, keep in touch! Aloha always ~ Rob
SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008 ~ So much fun last night at Kaisen's! Had a blast having Johnny Kukui join me for a song ... what an ukulele player! He's promised to show up the next Friday night he has open and play a bunch with me! Cool! You can catch him regularly at Kaisen on Wednesday night with Desi Relator and Dave!
And thanks to all the friends who drop by to listen and be an encouragement to me ... you are, and you are loved! Aloha always ~ Rob
SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2008 ~ Hi! Had an amazing time at the Warehouse in Marina Del Rey last night with some really, really nice people from the Los Angeles Parrot Head Club. (Now I know why you love these guys so much, Bob Karwin! ... Oh yeah, they love you, too!) These guys even talked me into playing some Jimmy Buffett music ... and not too many folks can do that! ;)> I was a little more mellow than they were expecting, or use to, but they made me feel real welcome! Thanks you guys!
How cool, too, to see my friends Tom and Zanna all the way down from the Carpenteria area. You guys are the best! (I think I lost my hat, though, Tom ... sorry!) You guys got away before I could say aloha and thanks for driving down! Hope you had a great time! (And Tom ... the Guestbook Page is back thanks to you!)
Lost another dear, dear friend this past week ... I've been kind of misty all week. Auntie Genoa Keawe two-weeks ago, and Larry Norman from the sixties rock group People this past week. Larry was THE pioneer Christian rock recording artist and was compared to, as well as being good friends with, Mr. Robert Zimmerman himself! I was blessed to have played many shows with Larry ... he was a good man, he will be missed.
I WILL be back at Kaisen Sushi & Hawaiian-Style food this Friday ... hope you'll be able to make it!
Aloha always ~ Rob
MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2008 ~ Hey now ... really looking forward to seeing my L.A. friends this Saturday at the Warehouse in Marina Del Rey ... a first for me to be with you guys!
I WON'T be at Kaisen this Friday ... our school is having an auction and duty calls! I'll be back on the 14th, though!
Already gearing up for summer ... never too soon to make summer plans! Looking like I'll be starting in Mozambique, Africa (which is one of Africa's best kept tropical paradise secrets!) and who knows where from there. Could use some help raising the funds to get to Mozambique, though, so if you'd like to host a house concert ... that'd be awesome! ;)>
I DO know I'll be making some stops in Florida, Louisiana and Texas on the way back! Can't wait!
Should have another installment of the Banyan Tree series by then! Lots and lots of new songs.
I'm also hoping to have recorded a cd of songs written by friends like Gary Seiler, Mark Mulligan, Kelly McGuire, Hugo Duarte, Michael McCloud, Henry Kapono, Jerry Santos, Sunny Jim, Eric Stone, Gerry Limpic, Bob Karwin, and K.D. Moore. Might call it, "Friends, Volume 1" because I KNOW I'll bum somebody out by not including them on this first one! ;)> (Gotta do what you do best, I guess!) I have so many cool friends who write great, great songs ... so this could be another on-going series of recordings!
Which reminds me ... was talking with a couple of guys about the whole recording thing the other day. Mentioned I'm still trying to pay off the "Pacific" CD's 55K tab and that the Banyan Tree series recordings have been way (no ... seriously, WAY) less expensive to make. And one of the guys asks which CD I like better ... the more expensive one or the ones I record this less expensive (I WON'T say "cheap"!) way. Makes me wonder. I listen to JJ's (Jack Johnson's) cd's ... I love the simplicity. Rambling ... sorry!
Soooo ... what are you reading these days? I'm going back over John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series again (all 21 of them!) ... as well as T.E. Lawrence's (Lawrence Of Arabia) "Seven Pillars Of Wisdom". Great reading ... keep reading!
Gotta run ... aloha always ~ Rob
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2008 ~ Oops! Didn't realize I'd let a couple of weeksl slip by without saying "hey" ... sorry! Hello ... is anyone there?
Anyway, some sad news as I read that Auntie Genoa Keawe, one of my early, early heroes of Hawaiian music, passed away this past week. She lived a long and full life and influenced the styles of so many of us who love Hawaii and love singing about the good life there. I haven't had a chance to call the family yet ... will do so and let you know how we can send our aloha.
I'm writing so many songs these days ... can't keep up with the recordings! Hope to get back into the studio real soon for Volume 3 of the Banyan Tree series.
The Save The Manatee Foundation is finally releasing the compilation cd a number of us wrote tunes for, including San Diego's own Jerry Gontang, Florida's John Frinzi and Sunny Jim, our good bro Jack Mosely and others! I'm hoping to get out to the release party, but we'll see!
Hope to see you guys soon. Drop me a line, please! My email address is on the Book Me Page!
Aloha always, friends ~ Rob
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008 ~ Happy day after Valentine's Day you guys! Hope you're still on a love buzz from yesterday/last night! Don't let it stop ... buckets o' love songs tonight at Kaisen! Come join me ... I'd LOVE to see you! Aloha, Rob
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008 ~ Hey now ... thought I'd let you know I just added some photos to the Photos Page of the Los Cuatros Amigos show at Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point)! This was Seaside Resort's Parrot Mafia Weekend and a total blast. I hear we're doing it again soon ... so cool! Aloha ~ Rob
Oh yeah ... see you Friday at Kaisen? And have a great Valentine's Day!
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2008 ~ Thanks to all of you who were able to drop by Kaisen last night! Really appreciate all you guys who even brave the freeway and drive all the way up from places like Lakeside and La Mesa and San Diego to come listen to me. I'm blessed to have "friends like you"! Nothing but aloha for you!
Congratulations again to Gary and Audrey! (Hope you're enjoying O'ahu!) ;)>
Aaron and Calley and sweet little Taryn ... oh, how we'll miss you!
Finally, need to sadly acknowledge the passing of a legendary songwriter and performer John Stewart ... one of the old Kingston Trio and the guy who penned "Daydream Believer". We'll miss you, Johnny! Aloha ~ Rob
Oh yeah - just got Jack Johnson's new cd ... it's way cool!
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2008 ~ So I turned on the t.v. yesterday to watch the Tom Petty Concert (and yes, it rocked!) and was surprised to find a a little football game being played before and after the show! ;)> I'm still glad we got Phillip instead of Eli, but good on ya Giants!
See you guys Friday at Kaisen? Aloha ~ Rob
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 ~ Another fun, albeit mellow, night at Kaisen last night. Always cool to see Reed & Laura in the house. Bonus when Turk and Cheri show up, too! And I have to say, if I have to play anything but my own songs, playing Hawaiian music, traditional or contemporary ... that's my next favorite! People say you can tell I enjoy singing them, too, so I've got that going for me!
One last note for today ... of all the venues and opportunities to play and sing I've had over the years, few have been as much of an honor for me as the one I just got home from playing! Truly! What was it? Look on my Photos Page for the answer! Aloha always ~ Rob
SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2008 ~ Great night last night at Kaisen Sushi. So cool to see Wendy down here from the Seattle area with her friend/boss Cheryl, Turk and Charlie, Jellyfish, St. Connie and Buddy, Kris T. and my Kathy, Gringo Pete and Sally ... who'd I leave out? ;)> And so many little keikis dancing to the island music. "Friends like you!" Thanks!
Forgot to mention how cold it was in Rocky Point ... and there I was dressed for the tropics. (First visit to Puerto Penasco in the winter!) But, again, you guys really missed it! What a blast!
Staying local for a while here ... looking forward to the Phins To The West shows in Laughlin! Hope to see YOU soon! Aloha ~ Rob
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008 ~ I hear there might be a big group of friends from down south (well ... south of North County, anyway!) coming to Kaisen tonight! My Kathy might even show up! Hope you can make it! The fun is supposed to start at 6:30, but we'll wait for YOU to show up! ;)> Aloha ~ Rob
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2008 ~ Finally with a moment to (briefly) catch you up on the fantastic weekend we had in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) last weekend.
Mark Mulligan, Kelly McGuire, Gary Seiler and I (Los Cuatros Amigos) entertained an amazing group of local and Arizona folks at some of the Seaside Resorts there.
We played together at The Reef on Saturday night to a totally pumped-up crowd, then at different venues the next day ... beachfront and casual! Awesome!
Steve Schwaab, Kathleen Mayers, Pilar, Omar, and all the great people at each of the resorts went way beyond the call of duty in providing a cool weekend. Thanks!
And to all you who attended this first Parrot Mafia event, you were fabulous! It was great meeting you ... or seeing you again ... and we can't wait to get back together down in Rocky Point! ~ Aloha!
One last thing ... scroll down to find "the BEST Webring on the Internet!" (Thanks Billy Peoples!)