GO It’s March 2011. How did that happen?!   To quote a certain song, “I’ve Been Away.”  Thanks to everyone for making The Smithereens annual January East Coast run such a blast!  As each new year begins, we reunite with our friends who come out to have fun and support us in Philadelphia, Falls Church, Annapolis and NYC.  And we’re always gassed to see a lot of new faces. I can’t believe how many people tell us that they’re catching us for the first time…especially since we’ve been together for 31 years!   January also found us busy finishing SMITHEREENS 2011, our spanking new album which sports 13 original tunes (produced by Don Dixon and mastered by our old mate Greg Calbi). It will be released this spring on E1 but you can preview each cut and check the cover on our Facebook page  - Won’t you please “like” us on Facebook?   And please click on NEWS for upcoming Smithereens shows! Bell Sound will be hitting the stage again next month. Come see us on Thursday March 10 at The Record Collector in Bordentown, NJ (with The Dollyrots) and Saturday March 12 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia (with The Bigger Lovers).  Ben Trokan  will be playing with us for these dates, on a break from working with his other fine groups The Jay Vons (just off the road with Sharon Jones) and Robbers On High Street. For more details on Bell Sound shows please click on NEWS.   AND the annual WFMU fundraising marathon is on (as of February 28). As many of you know, this free-form, listener-supported station deserves your support. It’s “in the air” here in the NY/NJ Metropolitan area but it also streams around the globe on the world-wide web! I’ll be co-hosting several shows in March and I’ll be drumming on slew of tunes at Maxwell’s with The Hoof’n’Mouth Sinfonia at the big finale on Sunday March 13 (this will also be heard live on the air/web that night) Listen often! Give! ‘Til it feels good!   See you around!   DD “If ever there were a 10-star pop (“psych”-, “power”- or otherwise) album this year, Late Music just may be the one. Critical hype? Nope — it’s that jawdroppingly good.” Fred Mills Blurt Magazine January, 2010 Brian Wilson 2009 CE. copyright Dennis Diken 2009