2015 was full of awesome and beautiful things! Here are the highlights:

• We opened for our swing heroes Big Bad Voodoo Daddy! It was AMAZING!!
• We headlined our first college show. WOO HOO!!
• We played a ton of corporate events for everyone from Google to DemandBase, Blue Shield to Forgerock. Pretty fancy :)
• We opened SFO's New Terminal 3 Concourse and rocked SFO's "You are Hear" series.  I have to admit, playing at an airport was pretty cool. 
• We played the reception for Mark Cantor's "Giants of Jazz" series…

Hey lovers,

I haven't written in a while not because I don't think of you, but because life's been so darn busy. Between getting married, getting a new puppy, and gigging like a mad man, well, life is full - and full of beautiful, awesome things. So to bring you up to speed, here is a picture from my wedding, a picture of my new puppy (and her big sister), and a video I made of life as a Klipptone. Enjoy, and hope to see you on the dance floor soon. xo Josh

When the email came in I was on a break between sets at a private club gig. An email address I didn’t recognize, from a Napa venue manager, asking if we wanted to open for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on May 24.  I had to read it three times. I showed it to Mayra to make sure it said what I thought it said. My fast answer – HELL YEAH! I mean, I was much cooler than that…but not by much. A few exchanges later our info was forwarded to BBVD’s management for approval and all I could do was wait.

The rest, they say, is…

Dear dancers,

We have some super exciting swing news to share with you.

First, “Second Sunday Swing” at Neck of the Woods is going so well that, if we get good numbers in May, the venue wants us upstairs in June – on the BIG DANCE FLOOR!  Whatever you’re doing dancers, it’s working. Keep it up, keep showing up and showing love, and let’s get you a floor where you can fly!

Second, the Terrace Room has hired the Klipptones for a summer residency!! For one Friday a month, June - September, you can now swing…

A few years ago my sister and I made a pilgrimage to the Polish villages where our Mom’s ancestors came from. I asked my sister – who lives in Europe – if we could also go to Auschwitz while we were there, and she made arrangements. My family isn’t Jewish, but I’ve always thought this to be a place of tremendous importance. Since that visit, I’ve only spoken to a few people about my experience. The reason is because it was overwhelming. I can still hardly talk about it without my heart falling to pieces.…

2014 was a year of big changes and growth for the Klipptones.

On a grand scale, we finished a nearly yearlong residency at the Palace, and started a new one at a swanky private joint in downtown San Francisco. It’s got gorgeous views, bad-ass cocktails, and now some of the best live music in town.  (By the way, we have a guest list so email me if you ever want to get fancy with us).

The band had some personnel changes, most noticeably our lady singer became a gorgeous redhead and we band dudes learned how…

I recently wrote a blog about why I have the best band in the world. At a recent rehearsal/recording session, my sax player Jesse returned the favor. Here's the story:

We needed to do a holiday tune demo, so I hauled the band into Lennon Rehearsal Studios one Sunday morning, set up a microphone into the board for each player, and for the next 2 hours recorded every lovely sound. That afternoon I reviewed all the audio to whittle down our takes into a short demo. While listening through the 120 minutes plus…

Because no matter where I drag them (bars all the way out in Livermore, parking lots next to Chevron stations in Millbrae, rickety boat houses in Point Reyes); no matter what I ask them to wear (kilts, piano key ties, Santa hats); no matter what music I throw on them (Ricky Martin, Elvis, Bruno Mars); no matter how hot the day or cold the night, my band always finds the bright side of the gig. Whether it’s the food trucks, the free beer, the pretty people, or the jackpot parking spot, my players find the…

The life of a musician is as sexy as it sounds. Here’s a little peek into the morning after a night of making beautiful music.

Even though last night was the third of three consecutive nights playing, I didn’t sleep in. Instead, I woke up at 6:45am to drive out to Lake Merced to pick up a golf bag from a seller on Craigslist. Why? Because golf bags are a great way to carry stands and I’m tired of getting my fingers crunched. Oh, you meant why did I have to get up at 6:45am? Because the seller said he had to…

Sometimes you're in a corner and you just gotta write your way out. So I did, and here's where I ended up. (A little rough around the edges but it won't make your ears bleed.)

Coming_Home_to_Me_2.mp3