Well, I’m BAAACK, after a long absence: there’s been nothing from me on Eargasms since last Spoleto. But for awhile there, I thought I didn’t have my trusty blog anymore: it somehow dropped off of the City Paper’s blogroll (probably due to a long summer stretch of classical inactivity). But Eargasms has just been restored unto me, and I’m happy to be back to blogging.

Eargasms has always been a happening web-spot during Spoleto – but I now hope to make more of it during the regular season than I have in the past. Some of you are aware of my heavy schedule in recent years: there’s not much time left for blogging when you’re struggling to juggle a full-time job and two part-time ones, all on top of publishing at the insane rate of around 200 reviews, articles, columns and blog posts per year (you may recall that I also review new classical CDs for American Record Guide). It was getting to be far too much to handle.

But I’ve lately come to my senses, and have decided to “retire” (HA!) early: I just reached minimum retirement age, and will begin drawing benefits in a couple of months. With the (sob!) closing of Millennium Music last July, I’m no longer employed full-time. Bingo! – I’m suddenly able to attend more concerts and other cultural events. I’m even enjoying the unaccustomed luxury of sleeping in now and then after a long night of writing!

My hope for Eargasms is that I can gradually turn it into a comprehensive ongoing journal of Charleston’s rich, varied and ever-growing classical music scene. My artistic horizons are expanding, too: I began reviewing local ballet performances (lots of EYEgasms, too!) just last month.

So, kindly stay tuned: you’ll find links to my many newsprint concert reviews, plus my coverage of other worthwhile events that the CP can’t make room for. I intend to share interesting “trend” articles and reviews from other publications, too – as well as interesting anecdotes and personal musings about great music and the fascinating people who make it.

But retired or not, I’ll never be able to cover it all. And my opinions aren’t the only ones that count. So I’ll be constantly on the prowl for feedback from my readers – and contributions from guest bloggers, if I miss something good. So please don’t hesitate to post comments – or to email me (scorpsinger@aol.com) with news of something I didn’t make it to. Help me make Eargasms the best that it can be.

Thanks – It’s great to be back.