Subsequent trips to England throughout 2001-2004 afforded me several opportunities to play at open mic nights in Southampton.

Here I am at sharing my version of Americana with the Brits.

My performance forays in England inspired me to once again get active in the local open mic scene during the spring and summer of 2005. This was a chance for me to take the acoustic guitar out and just play some "cover" songs for whoever would listen. The crowds are usually populated primarily with other people that have also come to play, and they are invariably enthusiastic and supportive.

Performing regularly with the acoustic guitar prompted me to record another CD in the summer of 2005. My intent was to limit myself to the acoustic duo format that is common at these venues.

The result was a duo called The Riot Act. I recorded over two and a half hours of music for an album entitled Wooden Duet. The album is available below. From this, you can get an idea of what the open mic performances sounded like. (Of course, those performances were limited to one of me, so this is only a representation.)

The Riot Act
Wooden Duet

To listen to the CD, or to watch live video clips,
visit the Official Riot Act Site.

An increase in my workload brought an effective end to this relatively fruitful musical period. The swansong was my only trip to England for 2005 in December.

This video clip of Classical Gas captured a performance at a small pub called the Bent Brief in the Portswood neighborhood of Southampton.