Now that it’s off my chest, this week I decided to take a step back and bore you with some drivel about what I plan to do with my newly acquired beat covering arts & entertainment at the Saratoga TODAY.

I am told that I have big shoes to fill by taking over former reporter Mike Ryan’s entertainment beat and I have to agree. Mike was a great entertainment reporter, whose knowledge, passion, creativity and intelligence always seemed to be inherent in his writing. I only hope that I can give justice to Saratoga’s entertainment scene the same way he did.

I believe Mike and I share the same love for the world of arts & entertainment, so I wouldn’t expect any changes in the care that is put into each article.  In terms of taste, I can not speak for our similarities in art, comedy, literature or movies, but I can say we are on completely different wave lengths in terms of music, but considering the only group I basically listen to is the Grateful Dead, it is hard for me to expect anyone except a Dead Head to exhibit the same crazed taste as I.

When Mike’s tenure at the Saratoga Today ended two weeks ago I was saddened to see him go. I had enjoyed his humor around the news room, not to mention his tremendous help with getting me acclimated to the beat, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit excited about getting the opportunity to cover the Pulse section. It will be a fun contrast to what can occasionally be the tedious task that goes along with covering local politics.

But enough of this nonsense, I will stop boring you with this pointless rant and just lay out what you the reader can look forward to in future Pulse sections. So without further ado, here is a preview of what to expect in the future.

What I plan to do:

Replace the weekly Musician’s Corner with a Q & A section titled Artist Spotlight. This weekly section will offer readers in-depth interviews with artists from Saratoga Springs and beyond. If you haven’t already seen this week’s Artist Spotlight, make sure to check out my interview with The Tequila Mockingbirds on page 16.

Offer first-person accounts of local and national concerts being performed in the Saratoga area. This will include my pathetic attempt at implementing some watered-downed version of Gonzo Journalism into the paper.

Review albums from musicians performing in and around the area, so if you got an album coming out and you would like to see it get reviewed in the Saratoga TODAY then please feel free to send it over.

Most importantly I hope to keep the community informed on area events and expose some of the great art that is being created everyday in Saratoga by continuing to write intriguing stories that cover a diverse array of topics.

And last but not least, I plan to continue writing my column that I have chosen to title after one of my favorite songs “Standing on the Moon.” Aside from the last two weeks, I have never written my own column, and fortunately for your sake, it will not be a weekly occurrence, but I do look forward to the challenge of attempting to entertain readers through my own thoughts and opinions.

I can not promise you that all of these items listed above will be implemented right away. There is no doubt that it will take some time for it to all come full circle, so please be patient and know that I am more than up to the challenge.

If you have an event, album, show, or just something that you think will make a great story, please feel free to contact me at 581-2480 or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it