After days of uncommon hard rain, the skies cleared for a while and Don Conoscenti rolled up to the Meeting Grace house. Packing four guitars and travelling from Los Angeles on his current tour, he came in with shiny, flowery pants, wonderful music and great tales to tell.

As guests made their way in from the cold San Diego (that's right, cold San Diego!) evening, they helped themselves to treats and coffee, tea and water. Judy the Beauty on Duty has agreed to lend a hand to Meeting Grace this year by donating some of her delicious brownies, plus some pre-show grub for the performers and the folks who help me run the show. YUM!

Before Don took the stage, a couple of his good friends (and probably a couple of yours), Berkley Hart, came on to share some of their own music. And from the first chord of their inviting, "Come On In," the crowd of 40+ people were hooked. Jeff Berkley & Calman Hart went through a group of favorite tunes including "Wake Up Charlie" and "High School Town" and ended their set by inviting Don up to join them on "Achin' Feelin'." It was a perfect way to start another year of shows at Meeting Grace.

Don Conoscenti, a man who makes his living by travelling the country and playing shows just like this one, brought all of his spiritual energy and well-crafted music into the confines of this living room. A born storyteller, Don weaved his words and music through every space, singing songs from his records including "Mysterious Light" and "My Brilliant Masterpiece." >From banjo to acoustic steel guitar to a 12 string and a 6 string, Don beautifully wound his way into everyone's ears and rested there for a while. He asked Jeff Berkley to join him on the djembe for a few tunes and returned for an encore to the appreciative crowd.

From here, it was on to Los Angeles and beyond with dates scheduled through July 2001. Thanks to Don Conoscenti for bringing his concentrated skills and bright, sharp energy & light into Meeting Grace. Until next time...

See the photos!