I Eat Paste

Part Two.

2008-10-06T19:14:00.001-07:00

Next Week, I Got A Prayer For The Girl...Well You Know What Kind Of Eyes She Got!

2008-10-06T18:34:00.001-07:00

I must be fighting something off. I've been feeling sluggish for a short while now. Maybe i'm not getting enough sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a stressful day but thankfully it'll end with Charlie's record store gig. Tallahassee was fun. We (the band and Karen Wideen) left real early in the morning. Even riding up there was fun. It was nice to be stuck with some fellow music freaks. We talked a lot about it. Charlie would ask us weird questions like "If you could form a fantasy band, who would be in it alive or dead?" I never really thought about that stuff. And I got to play Ipod DJ which is one of my most favorite things to do. Last weekend, I was talking to Steven and he said that was also one of his favorite things (insert John Coltrane right about now). I asked him if I could show up with some records at the store and spin them and he thought it would be a good idea so hopefully i'll do that someday.

Anyway, we went to the venue which happened to be an American Legion hall and met up with Jeff and did a soundcheck. They had a piano so I helped myself to it. The place was pretty big and empty so it was plenty loud. Can't say I was happy about the drum situation. They were older Tamas and they sounded real dead but I was glad to not have to lug all my shit up there (but if there is a next time, that's exactly what i'm going to do). Next stop? Guitar Center so Rick could buy some strings. We all found instruments to bang on and I had a ten-second jam with Charlie on dobro and me on banjo. With strings in hand, we headed to a Econolodge and got a room. Rick, Jeff and I headed to the local Goodwill on foot to maybe get lucky and buy some cool souvenirs. Rick bought a wallet and a shirt ( I think). I got a record of Chet Atkins' of Christmas music. I also bought something to wear for the gig. I thought it was a dress but it turned out to be a really large dashiki. I wore it like a dress anyway. We got back and went out to Mexican dinner with a friend of Rick's that he used to play with named Tom. The swell guy bought everybody dinner! Thanks, Tom!

Gig time rolled around and we went back to the Legion hall. The first band was already playing. I poked my head in the door and saw mostly old people and not very many of them. There was a coffee shop behind the place so we ended up there. Ed's nephew, Ryan, met us there and stayed for the show. The next band started (a Neil Young tribute band!) so we thought we would go over and check them out. There was this great couple ballroom dancing to every song no matter the tempo. We finally went on and it was a good show. Can't really remember anything unusual happening except we went over pretty well. Karen sold 13 cds! Charlie signed some autographs and we were out of there.

Back at the hotel, it was lights out pretty quickly. It was a long day. I woke up after a short while and had to put some earplugs in 'cause somebody was sawing logs. I woke up and things were already in motion. I was the last to get up. We got out of there, got breakfast through a window, and got home pretty quickly. I still haven't slept real well but i'm gonna try tonight.

Suddenly, I'm Out-Of-Phase or FINALLY!!!

2008-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some older RoosterHead photos contributed by Sarah (thanks!). At the last Eat gig, I went to the record store that's down the street and I saw the staff there playing Beatles Monopoly and it got me started looking for it again. I found it yesterday at the Borders in Byoca. Me and Kris played it last night and she kicked my ass on it. I was happy to at least own Beatles' '65.

I'm in a new phase now and it's the Doors. I bought some magazine with them in it it a few weeks ago and that planted the seed. My first Doors memory happened when I was probably about four or so. I remember my Dad really liking Riders On The Storm (I guess it would have been pretty new at the time) and I have a clear memory of driving somewhere in New York and it was raining pretty hard and that song came on the AM radio. It was the perfect soundtrack for what was out the window. Later on, my friend Pete really got me into them in 6th grade. I knew about them but he had all the important info. I remember he made me a tape with the Apocalypse Now version of The End on it with Jim yelling Fuck and that was pretty cool in 6th grade. Pete was always ahead of his years. I remember, before knowing Pete, owning Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine which was a compilation. Through a series of trades with him, I aquired Doors 13 which was another compilation.

I was reading that Doors article and I really like something Robbie Krieger said. He said Jim was only a shaman and a sex symbol and all that junk to other people. To the band he was just Jim. I never really got into the Morrison myth. I always thought what I read about him portrayed him as a spoiled pain in the ass with really bad habits. I knew people just like him. They were weird in their own way and definitely followed their own paths. It sucks when you get older and find out your heroes could be giant assholes. Like John Lennon. When you're a kid, you're impressed with their ability to stand out from the pack and maybe what they believe in but that doesn't mean you really know them at all. But I did think Jim was a great singer for someone who couldn't sing. And Love Street and Indian Summer are cool songs. I always thought Robbie had his own stlye and sound. I learned a lot from John Densmore like the latin beat and the bossa nova. That was some of my first exposure to that stuff. Pete abandoned the Doors long ago for more heady pasture but I still find merit in what they did.

And What A Time It Was It Was It Was.

2008-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

OK, short recollections on the Eat gig.... Charlie went up first and we played a few Chuck Berrys and he gave some shit to Kenny for moving away (he said he was moving to Arizona but he's going to New Mexico). Rick got a great sound out of my amp. Mr. Entertainment was next and they were superb as usual. Brandon did some Rudy Sarzo over-the-neck tricks. The Eat were next and we played pretty well. John Salton crashed the stage and sang with us. At the end, the rhythm section came out front and Kenny and I played guitar. That was fun. I did a bunch of feedback noodling that i'm sure caused a few people to go deaf. The Eat is gonna be on hiatus for a while with Kenny moving and all. I'm pretty sure I saw Karen filming so I can't wait to see the DVD.

The Past Is Not Always.

2008-09-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Right about now, I should be talking about the great Charlie Pickett/Mr. Entertainment/The EAT show at Churchill's last weekend and I will get to it eventually. Lately, i've been a little obsessed with an old band I was in called RoosterHead. It all started when I found out Mr. E's bass player, Brandon, was a fan of that band. For years, I didn't think too much about it. There were some bad memories associated with the whole thing. Thankfully, it didn't break up badly or anything. I just moved out of state and that ended my time with them. I kept in touch with most of them. While I was gone, two members died of drug abuse/suicide. A few years back, I decided to try to get the band back together just to see if we could still play music together and only that. It didn't go very well and that's why I put it out of my mind.

But here I am now going over the old songs and now most of the memories are good (and great songs they are!!!). I still work with Bob just about every week. I see John quite regularly, too. Pete and Mike are dead so I don't see them much. I never really had a real relationship with Mike. We had conversations and spent a lot of time together but I can't say I really knew him. I used to go to Pete's house every now and then to discuss the merits of the Monkees. Bongo was our helper of sorts and generally made our lives easier. He's in the Funkabilly Playboys with me. I never hear from Dave. I don't have any way of getting a hold of him and I like it that way. Something snapped in him and he decided not to like me one day. He was the main problem when we tried to reunite. He's probably what would stand in the way of it ever happening again. One day, i'll post some good memories and if I find someone willing to transfer some videotapes to DVDs or QuickTime files i'll post some YouTube videos. And if anyone reading this has pix or anything, pass 'em on. All in all, they were a great fucking band and probably the best i'll ever be in. I miss them.

Richard Wright RIP.

2008-09-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

There goes any Pink Floyd reunion. Why couldn't they have taken Roger Waters? He's a real shithead.

Just goes to show..

2008-09-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I went to the gig with a blazing headache. Can't say I was really in the mood to play. Rick informed me that we would probably be doing a half hour on acoustic guitars because Charlie (who's filling in for Bill) had to leave early to make his own gig. I started noticing people paying attention to what I was doing and I wondered what was up. Someone told me that Stanton Moore was playing at City Limits behind us tonight. I don't know much about him...only I've seen him in the drum fag magazines all the time and I've heard his band Galactic. Not a few minutes after I was told this, he comes strolling by. He stopped to listen and smiled and walked on. He did this a few times. I just looked at some of his stuff on Youtube and it is impressive but I think he's one of those musician's musicians where drummers and their buddies get together and ANALyze his every fill and what kind of sticks he uses. Well, it was nice to be cruised by him anyway. Time came for Charlie to leave and we were just getting the acoustics out when Rick anounced that Rick had arrived. He meant this guy Rick Krevy (?). I'd heard of him through other people. I have to say I was a little leery 'cause I didn't know what he'd be like. He set up and we started playing and it was wonderful. We did some Ray Charles and Jimmy Smith-type organ jazz and Watermelon Man and even The Girl From Ipanema. It was loads of fun and I felt shitty about pre-judging the situation. This week will probably be the last session at Bob's. Last Thursday, I pretty much completed my song except for vocals. Matt came along and did some acoustic guitar playing and helped me add some stereo wah to Jim's song. This is also the last week to rehearse with The Eat for the show on Friday. Since this may be the last show for a while, Kris agreed to go.

Ok,

2008-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the three best songs in the world and, no, i'm not depressed.

Vi Vi Vi Vi Vi.

2008-09-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Don't watch this video unless you have a lot of time and are bored. I just found it on youtube. Goodness knows how old it is.
So Danco Samba. Well, the hand seems to be healed. Thanks for the cards and letters. I think rest cured it pretty much. It still hurts a little if I overuse it, but so far so good. Tonight was an Eat rehearsal and it went well. I really should take pictures while Kenny is still here. Kenny, the bass player, is off to New Mexico at the beginning of next month. This will probably be the last show with him (Sept. 19). Tomorrow is another night at the studio with Bob. This may also be the last one of these for a while as our project is coming to a close. I hope I get to help Bob mix. Tomorrow, i've got to finish up my song with some electric guitars and some acoustics on Jim Wurster's song. I've been feeling very hermit-like lately. I wish I never had to go out of the house. It's so fleepin' hot out, I don't know why anyone would go out. I'm also having serious brain problems as i'm trying to remember where my stuff is...two Beatles books to be exact. I lend things out and I forget who to. If I ever got all my stuff back from everywhere, I could open a store. This weekend, i've got Elwood's on Saturday and Sunday. Ought to be good for the pocket and bad for the voice. I'm waiting for it to finally go as it's been raw for a good, long time. I haven't had it back full strength in a while. Gotta quit taking the high harmony parts. How've you been?
P.S. Just got word today that some stupid fuck stole Peter Buck's Rickenbacker 360. This person must burn! I remember the first time I heard Peter's style and it blew me out...so, naturally, I had to copy it. There's so much '60's influence there. I hope he gets it back. I had a 330 that I sold a long time ago 'cause I didn't use it much. Boy, I regret that one!!! Hopefully, I'll own another one before I kick it old school.

MMMMMMMMMMMMM....Not Quite.

2008-09-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

An update; I went to an orthopedic surgeon Tuesday and he diagnosed my condition as intersection syndrome. The place on top of my forearm where the tendons mix with muscles gets inflamed from overuse...which is basically playing guitar, playing drums, painting the fence, putting up shelves, strumming the banjo, making soup, punching the clown, varnishing the banister, taking a load off, oiling the pennywhistle, manually increasing the surface temperature of the Ship's primary cannon by repeated linear manipulation....you get the idea. I had a cortisone shot but it doesn't seem to be working.

Fucking OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

2008-09-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

I've been lowdown lately so I haven't felt like writing anything. I haven't really felt like being social or even contacting anyone. It all started last week. The family went to our nephew's first birthday on Saturday and I was asked to bring a guitar to have a sing-a-long. Normally, I don't like these things 'cause I get real nervous singing in front of people but when it gets going that wears off. I left the guitar in the car and a few people were bugging me to break it out. Finally, I got it out and started playing and I ended up playing for about 6 hours straight. When I was younger, it wouldn't have fazed me a bit (not to mention I was really enjoying it and my voice didn't sound too bad. Kris sang some with me and that sounded really good.). The next night, I played Elwood's and that's where the trouble began. The next day, my wrist/arm was on fire. My tendonitis flared up in a major way and any slight movement hurt like fuck.

No time to slow down. I had rehearsals with Charlie Pickett for our big gig with Johnny Depp (the Sheila Witkin Memorial Show at Club Cinema in Pompano) and I was real worried on how that was gonna work out. The first rehearsal went OK on Monday. I narrowly missed meeting Mr. Depp but did see some of his family. We had another rehearsal on Wednesday and that one hurt. We were booked in another rehearsal studio but it was occupied so we got to rehearse in the one occupied by Mr. Depp and the Kids. Right before I got there, Charlie met him and showed me where he was standing and there was some guitar picks on his amp so I snagged one. We weren't allowed to use their gear and our rehearsal was cut short by all the time used to haul other gear into the room. I didn't sleep very well thinking I was gonna blow the gig if I couldn't grip my sticks or was in too much pain. Friday came and the soundcheck went OK without too much pain. No problems at the show either (thanks to Karen Wideen for the photos!). I kinda laid off the fancier stuff and just kept the beat and that probably helped, I didn't think we went over too well. There was mostly teenagers waiting to see Mr. Depp and our sloppy brand of garage blues didn't seem to move them. In fact, the most applause we received was from Charlie introducing his Hello Kitty Stratocaster. Hmmmm. Rick and I didn't stick around and as we were leaving, Johnny Depp arrived in a Lincoln Navigator. Yet another missed opportunity. I'm not crying.

Saturday was a Funkabilly gig at O'Hara's and the arm was fine for the first set but after that it was uncomfortable playing through the pain. Last night, Kris and I had date night and had a great time. We ate at a Brazilian steakhouse called Amazonia in Palm Beach Gardens. Then we ended up at SalonChair down the street from us. A great night! Tomorrow, I go to the orthopedic surgeon to see what he can do about this. As i'm writing this, i'm wallowing in a Percodanic haze. Let's hope it's just a simple cortisone shot and not too serious.

Here It Comes Again (i think i'm starting to like it).

2008-08-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we narrowly escaped disaster. Actually, we just got a lot of rain and wind. Got Tuesday off though. I finished reading this book on The Replacements and i've been listening to them a lot lately. It reminds me of my late-teens/early-twenties. Maybe one day, when I can afford it, i'll pick up the new reissues of their cds/albums. Last night at the studio, we were supposed to have some guests but everybody bailed. No big deal. Bob and I got down to business overdubbing on some of the rhythm tracks we already had. I think so far we have at least three songs done recording-wise. Last night, we did a few electric 12-string tracks and I added electric piano and shakers to Jim Wurster's song. I've really been enjoying being in the studio. If I had my way, i'd just be a studio rat. It's so creative and I love shaping the sounds. Like a sound lab. Bob and I gel so well production-wise and he's taught me a whole lot over the years. And he'll try any crazy idea I can come up with (and he thankfully vetoes the ones that don't work). Playing in front of people has never been comfortable for me. I get really nervous and my stomach gets all knotted up. I'd rather do without all that. Boo hoo. Waaaaaa. Shut up, already!

Take A Flying Fuck At A Rolling Donut.

2008-08-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for that one. I learned it from Mr. Eddie O'Brien from The Eat. Let's see...where'd I leave off? Oh, last Tuesday was a success. We went in and did the Elvis Costello song. Pete sang and played drums and Matt and I played guitars. Matt was gonna play bass but he changed his mind at the last minute. Pity. He's a good bass player. All in all, it was a fun night. I'm trying to figure out a way to post some of these rough tracks so anyone who wants to can listen to the progress. Thursday at the Quillo was no great shakes. Kinda the same goes for Elwood's on Saturday. Kris went and Keith showed with our old friend Deb who was visiting from out of town. Sunday, we got rained out and I caught up on a little sleep. This week, Johanna started 1st grade! Kris and I took her to school the first day and got a little emotional. Seems like yesterday I was changing diapers. Next it'll be college applications (which Kris will have to figger out....What was that thing about Women Are Smarter?...Amen, Sister).

Psssssssst! It's Me!

2008-08-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, Chris and John from The 18 Wheelers went to Bob's studio and we quickly knocked out a version of "Eve Of Destruction" for Bob's project. It went really easily. I finally got to play the baritone but I don't know if it'll make the final cut. The song is too fast for that sort of thing. I like it, though. This project is really coming along and i'm very proud to be part of it. The Eat had another rehearsal before the gig that Wednesday. Ed decided on my Super Reverb and I must say he made it sound great. By Thursday, I was really worn out. Friday was the Alligator Alley gig and it was a great success. I re-established some old contacts and made some new friends. It was hard hearing Brandon kick my ass on the drums. There was a rumor going around that someone wanted to try and put Roosterhead back together for a one-off show. That brought back lots of old memories (most of them good) and I broke out the old cds and got nostalgic. That was probably the best band i'll ever be in and I miss it sometimes. After this project is done, I hope I have some time to elaborate on some of this stuff. Right now, i'm just jotting down memories so I remember some of this stuff. Sunday was a drum lesson with Tess and it went really well. She's really getting good. She's definitely gonna give Keith Moon a run for his money. Tomorrow, it's back to the studio with Pete and Matt and we're gonna tackle "(what's so funny about) Peace Love and Understanding". I'll keep me posted. Thanks to Karen for the picture of The Eat

Gumption.

2008-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

I feel bad about not blogging in a while. So much has happened that I don't know where to start. I'll have to take it in short segments. I never did get the Beatles' Monopoly 'cause I can't find it anywhere around here and money is tight right now. Weeki Wachi (?) was a lot of fun. Mermaids. Water slides. Ice cream. We had a great time getting out of town. We had to get back in a hurry so I could play that Sunday. Thanks to Tina and Tess for the contributions. I hope to include more photos from the record store when I have some time.

I Have Musicality And I'm Seeing A Doctor For It or I Could Very Well Be A Barrel Of Stupid.

2008-08-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

I gotta go. We're headed up to Weeki Wachi like NOW. When I get back, i'll try to remember what happened last night and hopefully someone will send me pictures I can use. Here are the two pics that came out. Also, the Dillengers' article from today's paper. Can't say I agree with the angle but more on that later.

I'm Chucking It In.

2008-07-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday, the air conditioning at O'Hara's was half out so it was a scorcher. Waitperson Danielle provided us with drinking glasses which were tubes bent into an eyeglass shape you could drink through. I was drinking ice water out of them and it cooled off my eyebrows. Chuck's voice was still a mess. Time to have that checked out, pally! Lately, i've been doing a lot of sessions at Bob's for the cover cd and that's going well. Tonight, i'll be there working with the 18 Wheelers boys on Eve Of Destruction. I borrowed Rick's Danelectro baritone guitar and that'll be the secret ingredient if all goes well. This week is nutty! Tonight: studio. Tomorrow night: rehearsal with The Eat. Thursday night: gig at RadioActive records in Ft. Lauderdale. Friday night we leave for Weeki Wachee Springs for a little R&R. Sunday: Elwood's. Don't forget to check out the TGIF section of The Palm Beach Post for a Dillengers article. I may be bringing my Beatles Monopoly on vacation with us. Write more soon!

This, Too.

2008-07-24T16:25:00.001-07:00

This Reminds Me Of Something.

2008-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

I could insert a "laying pipe" joke here.

Q: How Many Stupid People Can You Fit In South Florida.

2008-07-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

A: All of them. Today, I was doing deliveries in Stuart and I had my IPod going in the car. I have a playlist entitled "Songs" where I just dump random stuff. It was playing through the list and "Everybody's World" by The Grays came on. I must've listened to it ten times in a row. I haven't heard the Grays "Ro Sham Bo" in a long, long time. For a while, I couldn't listen to it for two main reasons. One: It reminds me of a time in my life when things were really confusing. I was living in Denver and not really knowing where my life was going. Second; Artistically, it was hard to listen to because it was so good and it made me feel inferior. Everything does but, at that time, I was feeling pretty good about my writing and this album came along and made me want to quit. It is so well written melodically and lyrically. Production-wise, all the instruments sound great and there's more than a few nods to the Beatles.

I was introduced to this album by my friend and songwriting partner, Pat Goodwin (he also introduced me to a lot of things I still listen to today....The Muffs, The Posies, The Fastbacks, etc.). The day it came out, he went out and got it and we devoured it. Soon after, they came to Denver (Mercury Cafe?) and we had to go. We got there early and Pat brought his video camera. The guys were just hanging around...I don't think many people knew about them. They said it was OK to film and we did (in the youtube clip (which was posted by Pat) you can see me whiz by at about 2:51 to save a falling guitar). The show was unbelievable. Afterward, we hung out with them until we had to leave (see photos). We ended up seeing them the next time they came to Denver (I think they opened for the Smithereens) and they remembered us and it was all friendly. It was Jason Falkner's birthday so we drove him to my apartment (I tried to wake up my girlfriend with "Jason Falkner's here!!!" to which she replied "Who?...I don't care") and I gave him my James Brown boxed set he was admiring. On the way back to dropping him at his hotel, we made him listen to our demos and he said he liked them. We didn't hear much from them after that and they quietly faded away.

A long while passed when Pat brought me Jason's first solo album and (the way I remember it) told me we could audition for his band. It never happened but it was nice that he remembered us and our music. Jason went on to have a solo career (he also plays on the new Beck album). Jon Brion is a big producer with lots of credits to his name. I never heard anything from Buddy Judge (last sighting was Amy Mann's Whatever) and Dan McCarroll I thought I saw on Austin City Limits a few years back playing with somebody I don't remember. I still love "Ro Sham Bo". I think it's an amazing piece of work. "Nothing Between Us" is still one of my all-time favorite songs and "Everybody's World" is a delicious slice of modern psychedelia (and sounds a lot like like "Rain" by The Beatles...another all-time favorite). Pat moved to San Francisco and I followed him there. Our band lasted awhile and I quit over something stupid and I burned a bridge that I really regret. Last time Kris and I went to SF, I ran into Pat at Amoeba Records and there was a strangeness there that saddened me (the photo was our "Carpenters" parody).

I really miss him sometimes. I remember us having a Lennon-McCartney type competition while songwriting. He'd bring in a great song and i'd go home and try to compete but I couldn't write as well as him. He was/is very talented and I hope to patch it up with him sometime in this lifetime. Someday, i'm gonna have to blog about my Denver/San Francisco days so i'll have a place to go back to when my memory REALLY fails me. Today, I picked up the Strat and Tele. All is well now. Tom turned the humbucker around and it really looks weird but it plays bettter. I'm gonna have to get a new pickup but I have to save some money.

I Wouldn't Lie About This Shit.

2008-07-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

So this Saturday, I went to Bob's studio with a whole car full of shit and we only got one song done. There was supposed to be some people there but only three showed up. Mark showed up and left. Jim wasn't prepared so we didn't do his song. Jeff was ready so we did a cover of Nowhere Man that was slower than usual and we changed the arrangement a little. I played drums, bass, acoustic guitar and I did some harmonies. It was fun but I wish we would've gotten more done. I got an email asking if I could play a gig with the Eat at Alligator Alley on the 8th. Right now it's tentative but I hope it comes off. I 'spose there will be a short round of rehearsals.

Last night, I participated in my friend Dave's podcast. I posted about the last one about a year ago. Dave, Keith and I get together and discuss albums that mean a lot to us. We did this one over the phone 'cause Dave is in Washington DC. This time I chose Meet The Beatles, Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols and Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. As soon as he edits it, i'll post a link to it for the severely bored. Charlie Pickett called me today and told me we're going to New York October 25th to play a record company thing in Brooklyn. Today I did a phone interview with Bill Meredith for the TGIF section of the Palm Beach Post. He's writing an article on the Dillengers that i'm sure i'll post here when it comes out on August 1st....which is the same day the Beatles' Monopoly game comes out. This is going to be cool. I'm gonna have to get some people together and have a game.

Today, I also brought the Strat in for a looksee... Saturday I strung it up like normal and when I got to the D string, I was stretching it and it made a weird sound so I cut it off and put on a new one and that one sounded the same...kinda dull. So I figured I probably messed up the nut. The guy (Tom) at the Amp Shop called me and said it was just a bad string. Two in a row? Hard to believe but I pick it up tomorrow and i'll figure it out then. I also brought in the Telecaster to possibly change a pickup. Since I went to a humbucker, I haven't been able to use it because it sounds real muddy. Who knows what the rest of the week will bring. Not to many gigs this weekend. O'Hara's on Saturday and Elwood's on Sunday. Round and round it goes.......

Go, Go Magic Fart Power.

2008-07-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

As usual, it's been a while and my memory is foggy so this may be disjointed and out of order (like a soda machine). The first thing that comes to mind is my amp. Years back, I bought this amp from my Mom's boyfriend at the time. He was a traveling musician and, if memory serves me, the first owner of this amp. A 1968 Fender Super Reverb. I used to play on it when he wasn't home. Eventually, I talked him out of it and bought it for 300 bucks. I used it for a good, long time but it developed this problem of popping fuses. I remember playing the Margaritaville in Key West for a weekend and popping a fuse every set. I eventually got it repaired and got some speakers replaced but I fell out of love with it and stuck it in a non-air conditioned storage unit where it picked up some mold. When I left Florida, I left it in the care of my friend John Tillman and I pretty much forgot about it until I moved back.

My bandmate Scott wanted a Super and I remembered I had one and I traded mine (non-working) for a 1973 Fender Deluxe Reverb he had. He reworked the thing and changed the grill cloth and got it to work. He used it on a few gigs and it sounded great. Some trading of equipment went on between him and a friend and I and eventually I got the Super back. I used it a lot (one recording session comes to mind; Fenders sound really great when you crank them up but I remember mine sounding shrill so I went with an overdrive pedal to get THAT sound) but I was never IN LOVE with it and would use other amps. I had a few speakers (the original ones were back in the amp) re-coned and did some tube changes and was pretty OK with it until a week or two ago. It just started to sound tired so I brought it in for a check up. I figured it was a speaker again or the tubes weren't properly biased or something. Today, I got a call and the first thing the tech said was "Have you ever been in love with this amp?" That got me thinking. Here's what happened. The mid '60's Super had a black control panel (mine was silver) and a different circuit design. The silverface models were never all that desirable once the circuits were changed. Mine was made in a transition period when they were introducing the new circuit. Many people have "blackface"d their silverfaces by cutting out some capacitors and resistors. That's what he did and my amp sounds INCREDIBLE!!!! I can't wait to play it on a gig. It really sings now and has lots of compressed sustain.

Last weekend, I went to my friend Steven's to give a drum lesson to Tess and that was a good time. We did a double drummer thing that sounded real good. Tess is really coming along and it sounds like she's really practicing (or i'm easily fooled or she's real talented or both). We practiced Ringo beats and Surf beats. I'm sure the whole neighborhood heard. And we made a trip to Rez Drums to get some sticks and such. They still have my drool-inducing Gretsch kit. WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to my friend John Tillman's house and came home with two new guitars to play with. This time it's a '66 Jazzmaster and a Firebird...both in beautiful sunburst. Weird how that works. He's got my Rickenbackers so it all works out. Tomorrow, we're going to see the Fab Four at the Kravis Center. We saw them last year and they were great. I'm sure Johanna will scream and mock-faint. Saturday, I've got a recording session at my friend Bob's place. Before the last election, we recorded a CD of original compositions that were of a protest nature called Wake Up! that was reviewed on NPR. We had a lot of fun making it and I contributed two songs and played a bunch of shit on it. Anyway, Bob wants to make a cover CD of the same nature before this election so that's what's gonna happen. I haven't made up my mind what i'm gonna do so I probably won't start mine Saturday. I know someone's gonna do Nowhere Man and someone else is going to do In The Year 2525. Charlie Pickett is gonna do a song so it'll be good to see him and Ed.

One That Got Away.

2008-07-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

Due to overwhelming demand, I posted an outtake from our Beatlenight. On a good note, I got a call from Bob Wlos who wants to put together a collection of cover songs of a protest nature. I'm trying to think of a song to do. Maybe "Machine Gun" by Jimi Hendrix might be fun. Suggestions?
In the meantime......

When I'm....68? Not You, Steven!

2008-07-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

At approx. 11:59 am, I thought a lot about Peace and Love and Richard Starkey. I love Ringo. There. I've said it. When I lived in San Francisco, I had a cat named Ringo and never once did it sound weird to say. When I moved back here, I had him flown in where he lived the easy life until he kicked it old school about a week after Johanna was born. The Drunkabilly Gaylords cover "Don't Pass Me By" and when I brought it in, I might not have mentioned it being a Beatles song. We do it like a Cajun stomp. I used to do it in another band years ago like the way the Georgia Satellites did on their second album. I have made a decent living copying Mr. Starr and still do. I might have posted this before but I got to shake his hand the first time I saw the All-Starr show at the Sunrise Musical Theater. He was ending an encore and I reached up and he took my hand. I still haven't washed it. It's a long story...Tonight, in honor of the Ring, Johanna made it Beatlenight. We watched A Hard Day's Night and I made her sing a few Beatle tunes (see video). We posed with our favorite Beatle. Malley got saddled with Ringo and, as you can see, he didn't take it well. Everyone's a critic. We very nearly polished off a pint of Ben & Jerry's John Lennon Whirled Peace ice cream. I am FUCKING BEAT!!!!!!!! Like a jackass, I stayed up late to get my memory logged and it wired me. It took me forever to fall asleep and I was/am real tired today. I dragged ass at work and my boss was very understanding. I'm gonna hit the pillow with a POW!!!!!! My friend Keith wants to go wah-wah shopping and i'm excited. I hope he gets something really expensive so I can borrow it. I've got about five of them so i'm cut off.

Happy Berfday, Steven.

If Brains Were Electricity, You Couldn't Light A Glove Compartment Vol.1

2008-07-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from last night used with permission from the SHOOTER. I have changed the names to protect the shameful. First two pix contain your fat slob author with the toy drum kit and the real musicians. Rumor has it he makes stupid faces when he plays. We'll just call him Teddy. Third picture frames Freddy, Teddy, Jesus (pronounced hay-soos) and Twinkle. Last photo depicts Freddy beating the shit out of Teddy's drums and getting him in a fuck of a lot of trouble. He should have stuck with the violin. Or maybe the abacus.

What's My Name?

2008-07-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, we took Johanna to see Ringo Starr and the All-Stars at the Hard Rock thingy. This was her first real concert. We had pretty good seats stage left in the upper level but we could see everyone just fine. Jo was real excited to see a real Beatle in the flesh. But she was bored when Ringo wasn't the focus. She was mock fainting Beatlemania-style. Funny. It was a great show. I always try to see him when he comes to town.

Friday was the 4th and I had to do some music store shopping which I always dread. I HATE going to the music store. The employees are generally into one kind of music and, in their opinion, everything else sucks and they're not afraid to tell you so. I tend to use weird supplies like thin sticks or drumheads. Not cool. I like these picks that are almost shaped like a rounded Dorito. I used to be able to find them anywhere and now it's impossible. So I bought some unpopular drum stuff and I went to the guitar counter and asked for said picks. "Oh, nobody uses those things anymore". I wanted to smack the shit out of this idiot. Music stores only seem to cater to Metallica fans or idiots....OK, same thing (just kidding). I could rant on about this for weeks but i'll end up forgetting what I was supposed to be journaling.

So Friday we went to Mizner Park and watched the fireworks in the rain. I had to carry Jojo so my back still hurts. I'll probably have to carry her until she decides i'm uncool. What can I say? I'm a sucker. Saturday, I went to my friend Steven's berfday party. I arrived early and hung out with the Kramers. We ended up playing some music with Tess and Dani(?) and that was a lot of fun. I'm not a good socializer (NO!), so after awhile I was feeling nervous and I had to split. There was a house full of people I don't know and that freaks me out. And I had to go because I had a gig at Boston's (see pix by Judy Blem). I was hoping we'd do well and I guess we did. I don't think we played all that well and it seemed to take awhile for the crowd to warm to us but management and staff were happy and that counts. Chuck's voice was a goner before we even started so I sang more than I wanted to. We had some guests come up and do their thing and that helped. Scott's friend Jeff came up and played some. Kris told me I looked real upset when he came up and I kinda was just 'cause I wasn't expecting it. He was great and we played well together. Dee came up and tore the house down...always hard to follow her...Bitch! Just kidding. You know I love you (if you're reading this). I don't know why I was inclined to drop my pants. Habit maybe. It was a good night and I was real glad Kris was there. I ran into a lot of people I haven't seen in years. Crazy.

This morning, my voice sounded worse than Tom Waits from all that screaming. And I woke up with a big zit right in the middle of my neck. You get good tickets to Ringo and a zit on the neck. Life is funny that way. We played Elwood's and the Hollywood Contingency came out in full force. That was really nice that they made the trek. And they get to go home completely deaf. I was real tired from the night before so I bought an iced coffee with two shots of espresso in it and I was flying when I got there. Timing went to hell. Every song was a drum solo. Fuck it. Johanna decided we should have a Beatles night tomorrow night for Ringo's berfday. I'm trying to think of something English to eat that isn't fried. Kris nixed fish and chips. When we went to England, I ate nothing but fish and chips and bangers and chips. I came back weighing at least six or seven hundred pounds. We're gonna watch A Hard Day's Night and sing along to every song. I also found out tonight that my week is going to be busier than I thought. Thursday I have the Quillo theater again and Saturday night and Sunday at Elwood's. I'm tired.
P.S. At noon tomorrow (as per Ringo's instructions), think Peace and Love. I already am.

Tom Waits For No One.

2008-07-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the title isn't exactly original. This was in my email box during my absence.
We got out of town a little later than expected. We were supposed to caravan to Jacksonville with our friend Pete and some people he knows (who reserved our rooms for us...Thanks!) but we ended up going it alone. I put a few new tires on the Scion and we were ready. We coffeed up, put a David Sedaris audio book cd in the player and hit the road a little after 10 am. We ended up stopping in St. Augustine 'cause i'd never seen it. We kinda did a run-through but it was nice and old. We went to a hippie record store to scout out cool stickers but it was a no-go. We ended up going to the venue so I could take a picture of the marquee. Then went back to the hotel for a shower and some relaxing.
I got a text from my friend Tina (and Steven) saying they were letting people in as early as 6:30 because the ticketing system could cause delays so we hightailed it over there. We got right in with no line and met Tina and Steven and the Eat's bass player Kenny and Joe Harris. We went out the back doors and had a few four-way conversations. Finally, we made our way into the theater. We knew we had good seats but they were REALLY good. We kept walking up and up. We were right by a speaker stack so I readied some TP for my left ear (not needed...this was one of the quietest concerts i'd ever been to). After what seemed like hours, the lights went down and we were transported to Tom Waitsland for the next 2 and a half hours. The show was incredible. Probably one of the best i've ever seen. He was really funny during his between song banter. I know both Kris and I did a fair amount of pinching ourselves not believing it was really happening and we were there to see it.
Afterward, we hung out with Steven and Tina at their B & B and they fed us cheese sandwiches and pita chips (and an awesome biscotti...Thanks a million, guys!!!). Back at the hotel we tried not to wake Pete (didn't work) and we just ended up falling asleep. Pete had a plane to catch so we didn't see him in the morning. We ate breakfast and booked it back to town and picked up Jojo. Later, her and I went out to pick up a pizza and were rear-ended coming out of a parking lot. Luckily no damage was done but we were both scared.

Might As Well Face It Your Dick's In The Mud or Ain't No Cure For The Summertime 'Do.

2008-06-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Yes I did it, Captain Bubbles McKissesandcuddles. I had to chop my hair off. It's too fleepin' hot lately. I sweat all day at the job and all weekend at the gigs. When I stand next to Rick, people think we're the Fordham Baldies. Kris HATES it...but still loves me...I think. This past weekend, I had a few gigs. I played with Charlie Pickett at Churchill's on Saturday night and that's where I picked up the swell Ventures' record for a whopping 6 bucks! I haven't had the time to play it yet. Eddie wants to get another Eat show happening for September. We did a double on Sunday. We had a retirement party in Royal Palm Beach and Elwood's. Tomorrow, it's off to Jacksonville to see Tom Waits. I'll pull together some sort of photo journal for the next blog. In the meantime, here's a few photos from the O'Hara's thing. Can you spot me? Sorry this is not so detailed (i'm apologizing to myself), but i'm really tired and I have a long drive tomorrow. I'm sure I left a few things out.

I Want All That Stupid Old Shit Like Letters And Sodas.

2008-06-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hiya Sports Fans!
Boy, how 'bout this rain? For Father's Day, my mom got me a pair of CLEAR Chuck Taylors. Pretty cool, huh? I think they're gonna give me Athlete's Feet. Last weekend, O'Hara's had a photo shoot like the famous Great Day In Harlem picture where a bunch of musicians that have played the club got together and had a photo taken. I've searched the web and nobody has posted any photos from it yet. I was shooting the Victory V sign which is the British equivalent of the bird. It was fun hanging out with my fellow Funkabillies and hobnobbing with the elite SFLA musicians. It was more of a scenster-ass-kiss than anything else. I made fun of those silly people who take themselves too seriously when they weren't listening.

Tuesday, the 15th anniversary edition of Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville CD came out and it brought back some memories. I remember when it came out. It was summer 1993. I don't think i'd done the Chili Pepper audition yet. My girlfriend at the time had read a glowing review of it before we could find it (we might have ordered it). I honestly didn't expect much but I was hooked from the first listen. People went on and on about the lyrical content and rightfully so, but I was impressed by the organic nature of the production. And the chord structures. And the fact that she wasn't afraid to release an album with sharp and flat singing, which is very natural (you won't see that anymore now that music is more sterile and BUSINESSlike). I loved the drum sound. It sounded like the drums would in your bedroom. I played that record endlessly for a long while. It was part of the soundtrack to moving to Denver along with Buffalo Tom's Big Red Letter Day.

In Winter 1994 (?), Liz came to Denver for a promo of some sort and did a cable access TV show (I have part of it on a videotape somewhere) live from the Mercury Cafe. It was really cold and snowing that morning, but I was determined to meet her (and not get fired for being late by my psychomatic boss). My friend Pat and I waited for a while outside the Merc with a crowd of other people when a security dude popped out the door and said she wouldn't be coming out this door and we should go away. Surprisingly, mostly everyone left. I'd heard that shit before so I hung around a while longer and it paid off. Somebody must've told her some people were freezing to death waiting for her and she came out for a little bit. I was surprised at how little she was. She was really nice and signed my record. I think she might not have known it was released on vinyl. I made small talk about the kind of guitar she used and how I was probably gonna get fired for being late. As I said that, she was saying and writing FIRED? FIRED? In the picture, what looks like a defect on my chin was a snowflake. I didn't get fired but my boss was a cock when I finally got there. He's dead now. Serves him right for fucking with me. And he did. I'll post those stories some other time. I did end up seeing Liz in Denver on her first tour. She looked really nervous and did the show solo. She had furniture on stage with her and invited people up to sit on it. I think i'll be listening to Guyville endlessly for a while.

YouTube strikes again.....

2008-06-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

And You Are.......?

2008-06-05T18:18:00.001-07:00

Yeah Yeah, I know it's been a while. If you must know, i've been sick. Two weeks ago or so on Saturday, I was playing O'Hara's and I was in the middle of a song and I got this chest pain. I figure it was something I ate. Later that night, I felt really fatigued but I thought nothing of it. The next day, I played Elwood's and felt REALLY rotten. It was a struggle to get through the night. I was hallucinating on the ride home and when I got there, I had a fever. The next day was Memorial Day and I spent it in bed. I had to take the next few days off 'cause I kept waking up with a fever. Come to find out I had a viral infection. Last Saturday at O'Hara's, a friend of the band celebrated his birthday at our show. As you can tell by the pictures, it was Middle Finger Night. I was only following tradition. Johanna graduated from Kindergarten this week. She's such a ham. All the kids were called up one by one to receive a certificate and when it was her turn, she waved from the stage. Tomorrow, i'm off to Marathon to play at The Hurricane. We were there last year at this time. In fact, i'm sure if you go back a year I probably blogged about it. I'm gonna try to catch up on some reading. There certainly isn't gonna be anything else to do. We tend to go over like a fart in a spacesuit there. When I was sick last week, I happened to catch the Pixies documentary on the Sundance channel and i've been listening to all the Boston bands since. Pixies, Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Breeders. You know, back when music was good.

Fuck The Flowers And Trees, Temporarily.

2008-05-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm hating this weather. Generally, I really like rain. My grass outside has got to be LOVING it. The sound of rain falling is very calming. But it's fucking robbing me of valuable playing time and money. I must say for the record, it's rare that I play for the financial gain. I genuinely enjoy playing and the money is icing on the cake. I was supposed to play Thursday in a place that isn't even outdoor but the foot traffic was so low 'cause the rain and we got the boot. Tonight, I was supposed to play Elwood's but they called us off. Total loss: 200 bucks. That's a lot of money to me. My new job pays me less than the old one so i'm a bit more money conscious these days. But in a small way i'm glad i'm not playing. I feel like shit. The last few weeks, i've been around sick people and I haven't caught anything but I had a sneezing attack at Publix and I feel really worn down and sniffly. Probably allergies brought out by the rain.

Tonight, we watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark so Jojo could see it and she liked it. I hadn't seen it in a while and it reminded me of the quality of movies I was lucky enough to grow up with. Kris made pizza, I made salad and Jojo made a mess.

Speaking of...Jojo has been working on her first original song and I have to say it's pretty good. She's got a melody line and everything. This morning, we're walking down the stairs together and she says," Daddy, I need another verse for my song. Here's the chorus...." Wow! I didn't start trying to write songs 'til I was a teenager. I told her she could save time by repeating the first verse for the third. I don't know if she's ready for professional advice. Hell. she doesn't need me. She could always just ask her husband, Paul McCartney (who keeps drinking all my cream soda!).

2008-05-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

Paint It Black, You Devil.

2008-05-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to play the Quillo Theater in WPB tonight but the weather isn't so hot and they decided to cancel us. Oh, well....back to the Stones. Big album: Get Yer Ya-Yas Out. This might have been my second Stones album. I remember getting it in some long-gone store near Commercial and Federal. I wore out my original copy (still have it though). I learned how to play guitar to it and I used to practice the drums to it. I used to open my window in my room and blast the neighborhood with me doing a Charlie Watts. There is so much great Mick Taylor on it but I was sad to learn some of it's overdubbed.

So anyway, Pete and I went to see Shine A Light and we were disappointed. First of all, the sound was real distorted and VERY guitar heavy. There were certain songs where you had to strain to hear the drums. And the mix was way compressed. The instruments were constantly fighting for sonic space. Second, the movie was mostly the Mick Jagger Show. Martin Scorsese would rather show the back of Mick's head for ten minutes than to feature the other members. Even though he's just a hired gun, Daryl Jones (their bass player) was only shown when he was standing near one of the other guys or when he was introduced. Not much Charlie. either. And whoever wrote the set favors Some Girls. I'm complaining but there were some bright spots. Keith did You Got The Silver and that was great. It was nice to see the Stones (or some of them) on the big screen. After the movie, Pete and I downed some fast food and had a good talk about our current state of musical affairs. Pete has always been a good friend and I was reminded of that. It reminded me of when he'd visit me in San Francisco and how he came to Denver to help me out on a gig.

You Don't Want My Trousers To Fall Down, Now Do You?

2008-05-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last night, on the way home from seeing Shine A Light with Pete, I put Their Satanic Majesties Request on the stereo and I started remembering..... TSMR was my first Rolling Stones album that I owned. I lived across the street from some hippies that worked in lawn maintenance when I was about 9 or 10 or so. They used to smoke pot and drink in front of me but I don't remember them ever asking me if I wanted to do those things. They were really cool to me. And very generous for people who didn't have much. I remember them rolling joints in the spine of Hot Rocks. Matter of factly, most copies of Hot Rocks i've owned have smelled like pot.

Anyway, at Christmas time they chipped in and bought me TSMR and I was blown out. By this time, I had a lot of records that were bought or inherited but this was a genuine act of kindness! I used to listen to it quite alot until later when a friend who was a Stones fanatic convinced me that it was a piece of shit (which seemed to be the consensus for a while there amongst Stones fans/critics). I guess I wanted to appear cool in his eyes so I slid it to the back of the pile and I forgot about it for a few years. I eventually revisited it and have loved it ever since. What happened to the hippies? My Mom made me stop hanging out with them which was probably the right thing to do but I hated her for it. They eventually moved out of the neighborhood and wherever they are....Thanks!

There is so much to love about TSMR. My favorite things are the compressed guitars and out-of-tune jams and weird instruments like the dulcimer. The next important memory I have concerning the Stones happened probably the next year. Every other year or so, I used to go to NY for the summer to get out of my mother's hair and to understand the generational gap with my Italian Grandparents. This particular year ('78? '79...the year of Son Of Sam...I remember that much), I was quite Stones mad and I remember looking at the Some Girls record and noticing the record company address was in NYC. How convenient! I have no idea how I talked my Grandmother and sisters into going into the city on a whim to find...I didn't know what we'd find. Anyway, we looked up the address and headed over there. I'm sure my Grandmother probably made those people be nice to us. "We schlepped all the way here from the Bronx and you're not gonna give my Grandson anything to take home to FLAAAARRIDDAAAA"? I'm sure it wasn't that bad...I don't remember...coulda blocked it out.

Anyway, I was starstruck being in the Rolling Stones Records office and we didn't stay very long but I peeked down a hallway and saw a door with Mick Jagger's name on it. The receptionist gave me several copies of their current promo pictures and I was in heaven. I really wish I remember what happened to them. One more and i'll stop. Somewhere in the late 80's-early 90's, Ron Wood had a club in Miami called Woody's and the band I was in (name withheld) got to play there. We were sub-nobodies but were treated with respect and professionalism. Ron had a gallery of paintings and one of the staff let me looksee. I also noticed on the phone in the dressing room speed dial buttons with each of the Stones' names on it. Oh, the temptation. I have seen them a bunch of times and they've been great everytime. It's late so i'll save my review for next post.

Shit! Part 186.

2008-05-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Friday after work, we went to Johanna's school for a fund-raising spaghetti dinner. The spaghetti was OK at best and the lemonade gave me acidy-stomach. Now that i've dispensed with the negative aspect, I had a lot of fun with her. The kids were playing and I got some pics of her running around being a kid. She got a picture of me dancing real silly-like. We beat it out of there fast 'cause it was really hot. It feels like Summer is here early. That morning, Kris got us THIRD ROW tickets to Tom Waits' show in Jacksonville. WAHOO!! It's gonna be awesome. He almost never tours so we should naturally drop everything and run to see him. That night, I introduced Johanna to my portable record player and my Beatles 45s. Now that's all she wants to do.

Saturday, I went to my friend Steven's house to give my first drum lesson to his friend, Tess. I think it went well. I'm not the best teacher but i'm really gonna try hard. She already has scads of natural talent so it shouldn't be hard. And she likes Keith Moon so she's #1 in my book. After that, I added some electric guitar to one of Steven's songs and that sounded pretty good. All in all, it was a fun time down in Hollyweird. Today, we did a bit of house cleaning. Jojo sat in her room listening to Beatles 45s and I laid on the couch and put on my Sgt. Pepper record and fell asleep midway through side two.

I eventually made it to Elwood's where I discovered I broke the fuck out of my hi-hat stand (that's where the title of this post came from). It's not so broked that it doesn't work but I need a new one. I may be calling around to some music stores 'cause I have a few gigs this week; Thursday at the Quillo in WPB and Saturday and Sunday at Elweird's. Tomorrow, i'm gonna go with Pete and finally see the new Stones movie at the IMAX. I'm sure i'll post some sort of valueless review.

Unkey's Monkle.

2008-05-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Friday, we saw Bruce Springsteen with Keith and it was a good show. We had nosebleed seats but it was OK. I had a little something to contain the vertigo and anxiety that concerts and heights usually give me. The show was really long and in a good way. I'm amazed that his voice holds out for an entire tour. I was also impressed with his guitar sound and the fact that he did most of the leads. I kinda knew that from the last time we saw him. The quality of the show kinda took away the pain of paying 20 bucks to park. Man, things are really starting to get expensive! I gassed up the other day and spent a small fortune filling up. And i've only got an 11-gallon tank!

Saturday, I can't remember what happened.

Sunday, we went to my friend Steven's house and had lunch (homemade pizza) there. That was a great time. Jojo got to ride on the Puke-O-Rama in the backyard and Kris made some new friends. Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. E and Mahoneys! Steven's drum student Tess accompanied us to Resurrection Drums where I was allowed to buy a new cymbal. I wanted a 20' Paiste Giant Beat multi-function (crash/ride) cymbal but they were out of those (which is good 'cause they're REALLY expensive). I ended up finding a Paiste 2002 20' Medium something cymbal. I set it up on a kit and gave it a few good seconds of whacking and it was sold. I did some research and found out it's a crash. Duhr! Well, it sounds good as a ride or crash so i'm not disappointed in the least. I tried it out at my gig at Elwood's that night and I thought it sounded great. Some friends came to visit and cupcakes were consumed thanks to Kristie. Jojo was there too and she did a swell job helping pander for tips.

Yesterday I had a nice, quiet dinner with the family at Red Lobster. I apologize to anyone I upset by not answering my phone. I needed to lose the world for a day...i hope you understand.
Today, was a freakin' mess. I arrived at my job late 'cause Starbucks made me wait. Almost everything I did today was wrong. I had to undo a lot of stuff I did. Can't say it made me feel good. Turned in my suit to the dry cleaners for Saturday's Bar Mitzvah. Tomorrow can only be better. Normally, I would wallow in a pool of self-pity but i'm too tired. Good night. And thank you friends.

The Best Songs In The World #312

2008-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

I Don't Get It. I JUST DON'T GET IT!

2008-04-30T17:50:00.001-07:00

Kris emailed me and let me know i'm on imbd.
How weird is that? Now you can tell all your friend(s) that you know someone who was in a movie with Johnny Depp. No, I was not in Benny And Joon. Or Edward Boogerhands. Well, I guess it's cool anyway. I wanted to be credited as Clark Bent but I had to be "himself". Can't wait to see what other credits I can rack up. How about credits for YouTube videos?

Don't look at me. I don't have anything to do with it. Personal highlight? Pulling up my pants near the end...how subtle, Grandpa! And what's with the infrared? I wasn't wearing peach-colored pants. OK, I was.

Sucka!!!

2008-04-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's me hangin' with Mr. T. I'd like to say things are getting easier but they're not. I couldn't sleep too well last night because of anxiety over this job. There's a lot of stuff to remember and that's not one of my strong points. Friday, Kris and I went to a birthday party for Funkabilly Tim. It was at some fancy-schmancy place in Byoca where the rich singles mingle. We had a blackened appetizer which was two bitty pieces of fish, two shrimp (scrumps) and some other black seafood. It came to roughly 306 dollars (OK, it was 12.95). Granted, the fish was good. But not 12.95 good. Am I cheap? Currently, yes. The party was fun. We didn't stay too long 'cause we had limited Jojo coverage but we did have a good time. I got to hang with my Funkamates and other assorted friends.

Saturday, I did a bunch of errands and hung out with The Jojo. The O'Hara's gig went OK, I guess. The vibe in the place was really weird and it made me fight off a few panic attacks and nervous sweats. I love nights where we finish a big. loud song and then nothing. We really had to work and the score was a tie. I played like crap. My calluses were all soft from sweating and the skin on the tops of my fingers was peeling off. OUCH! Thankfully, Keith was there for a hearty pep talk which he's real good at. Thanks, Pally!

Sunday we went to Morikami Park in Byoca with Jojo. It was some kind of Kid's day and we met a classmate of hers and his Dad and had some fun. We also saw The Bongos there. That was unexpected but nice 'cause I never have the chance to sit and talk with him. Elwood's went as planned and here we are now. Boring.

Whaddya Crazy?

2008-04-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Two in one day? Who'da thunk it? Actually, I was just reviewing the posts I made and I realized there was quite a gap in time there so I thought i'd try to remember a bit about the NAEMI show. I was really nervous about doing it. We had a rehearsal with Rick and that went fine. The man to really come through during this time was my friend Matt. I'd never played with him before and I kinda dumped him in the deep end learning two songs he wasn't all that familiar with. He ended up really making it great and he came up with some great arrangement ideas. And we had lots of time to bond. I miss those days when we seemed to have more time and I was spending more time with my guitar. Right now, the skin underneath my pinky nail on my fretting hand has dried and cracked and playing is painful right now but I need to anyway. Back to the story; We ended up not having a considerable amount of time to rehearse with Pete. We did about 20 minutes right before the gig. Even though it was only two songs, I wish we could've tightened it up some more. Matt, Rick and I had some BBQ before heading down to the gig. It was in a record store and that made it cooler. During the final rehearsal, something in my mind kept making me play the wrong chord in "I'm Waiting For The Day" and come showtime I was so nervous that I did it again. I can't say I ruined it but I helped. The Skip Spence song, "War In Peace" was played better but by the end, my guitar solos were buried by the sheer noise in the place. It seemed like we were up there for about 5 minutes. I was really pissed off at myself for being so nervous and not playing so well after having high hopes. At my gig that night, everyone who was at the show was full of praise and they especially singled out the crummy Pet Sounds song. Go figger. Also, I thought i'd throw in some pictures while we're at it. This is my Rickenbackers and Vox AC-30 with my friend John's Epiphone Casino.

I don't know what this is but it looks cool.

A post or two ago, I talked about bringing a song idea to my friend Steve's house and it was too wordy. This is what it was. I got bored trying to fix it and I just started jotting down random ideas. I hope you can't read my handwriting. And I have no idea why I can't get rid of this fucking underlining shit and it's driving me insane!

She's Got Everything She Needs. She's An Artist. She Don't Look Back.

2008-04-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Jojo in her room although you'd probably think it was mine. I was going through some old stuff last week and I found this Beatles tapestry my Mom had gotten me for Christmas or a birthday or something. Jojo wanted to use it as a blanket so I compromised and tacked it on her wall. Now, before she goes to bed, she makes me pretend I'm the Beatles on her wall and imitate their accents and say things like "Put down your sitar, Johanna, and go to bed".
On the way to school in the morning, she pretends to play the sitar and I play "Love You To" or "Norwegian Wood" on the stereo and then she makes me applaud at the end (it's great being a Dad!). This morning she said,"I'm gonna play and the Beatles (meaning me) are gonna watch me". I said, " Honey, The Beatles are driving the car". She said, " But Daddy, we're not listening to that song!"

What? I Cn't Hear You. I Have An Ear Infction.

2008-04-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

This first picture was actually sent up to us this Sunday at Elwood's. Part of me wants to have this bravado thing I've carried with me all my life and used in times of confidence crisis that sounds like "Fuck 'em! I'm loud. That's who I am and what you get!". The real me feels bad 'cause I have a real problem getting happy when I play and I just start beating the shit out of my drums. As soon as they were big and famous, nobody ever complained about John Bonham or Keith Moon being loud. And they were. It's widely documented (this is where i break in the line and say i'm not comparing myself to either of those guys/heroes). Last Saturday, I played a gig/party with the White Owls (wet towels) and our guitarist Rick (not that one...the other Rick) let me know quite unabashedly that I was killing his hearing with my Amazing Drumming Style (i added the last part). I really took this to heart and played the rest of the night like a very respectable Holiday Inn Lounge drummer/machine. So to hear the same comments Sunday has me reeling.

What the hell am I gonna do about it? I know the people are right. I am loud. And not so proud. I've got a smaller snare drum I can use and that might help. I know if I start thinking too hard about it, i'll end up playing crummily (?). Any ideas? (and don't say "give up", Pete!) Today was Day 2 of the new job and it's not getting any easier. Not like I expected it to. My feet are hamburgery (?). My back is killing me and I think I'm allergic to ground coffee dust. Last night, I woke up with a sore throat and today I was sneezing. Will somebody turn up the little violins, please! Cry for me, Argentina! OK, how 'bout Apopka? Recently, I had some re-constructive surgery on my face and, for those who know me, I thought i'd post Before and After photos.

Touch Me I'm Sick.

2008-04-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Started my new job today. My back is killing me. Nothing like a good dose of manual labor to make you feel old. I didn't sleep too well last night 'cause I was anxious about today. Everything went weller than expected. I outperformed my expected limit....or so says my new boss. What happened to my old, stressful job? I knocked it on the head. Granted, I kinda did it the wrong way. I'm not gonna go into it 'cause this is a public blog and i'm sure some of the people I used to work for look at this. I gave my notice and I was promptly fired. I didn't do it in the most friendly way and I probably deserve it in some way but at least I still have half an ounce of confidence left. I 'spose I had enough to leave. Now we get into the struggle part of our show. Taking this new job is not going to be a breeze. I'm gonna have to tighten the financial belt for awhile. At least I really like my new boss. Maybe I won't be so depressed and i'll start blogging more.

This past Friday, I went to visit my friend Steve who's better known as Mr. Entertainment in the clubs. We were messing around trying to see if we could write a song together. On the way to his house, I got some words in my head about the mystery of songwriting and how you have to try to unlock some hidden door to let it all out. I brought that in and we tried to chisel it into shape but it proved too wordy and we abandoned it for something a little more light-hearted and then it just flowed. That was fun and such a release. I used to write a lot and I haven't done it lately 'cause I haven't had the time and now I know I need to make the time. I'm really tired right now but i'm feeling good knowing my first hard day is behind me.

Shunday.

2008-03-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

My voice is even worse now. I blame it on Nowhere Man. Today, I got to spend some quality time with Miss Jojo. We had a real fun lunch at Friendly's where she insisted I call her Micky as in Dolenz. I love my one-on-one time with her. She's so funny. As promised, the family showed up at Elwood's. We played Sleepwalk and Wipeout for my Mom and we mangled Under The Boardwalk for my Aunt and Uncle. They danced on the sidewalk and that was cool. We played our little hearts out and nobody cared. Oh, well. I spoke to the guys about rehearsing for the NAEMI show and we're gonna try sometime this week minus Pete. It looks like we're gonna rehearse with him the day of the show. A little while ago, Jojo woke up and told me she liked my playing tonight. She's so sweet. I can't wait for the day where i'm in a club somewhere supporting her musical dreams.

S Hatterday.

2008-03-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

My voice is FUCK ALL today. Three gigs later, it's a chunky goo. Yesterday, we went to dinner with my Uncle Rick and Aunt Carol and family. Then we had to race home so I could take the usual five hours to get ready for the evening's programme. O'Hara's. I was told ahead of time that some Art Festival was happening downtown so some of the streets were blocked off. Somehow, my lack of parking luck was all cashed in 'cause I got a great spot. Musically, we were pretty good. There were mostly tourists in the joint so they laughed heartily at all our 10 year-old jokes. Nothing like a new polish on an old turd.

I met some people from Scotland (pronounced scoot-land...go ahead...say it.). Glasgow (pronounced glazz-goo... go ahead...say it.) to be precise. They seemed to like us and one gentleman kept saying we were very tight (pronounced tait...go ahead...say it.)(i hope he meant musically!). I think they might have had a pint (pronounced paint...go ahead...ah, for fuck's sake...forget it) too many. Nice folks. I saw Pete in there somewhere but he was off like a shot and was gone when I was searching for him a little later. The evening wound up with five very tired Funkabillies grasping for something to play for the few stragglers left. Both mine and Chuck's voices were gone so I thought to end with The Train Song which is an instrumental. At the end, Chuck and I tried to dissonantly out-skronk each other. Easily the best musical moment of the night.

Frieday.

2008-03-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Last night, we were at Alligator Alley and Ed O'Brien from the Eat and John Mahoney (from Mr. Entertainment's mob) showed up. That was a pleasant surprise. The few people who were there really seemed to enjoy it and the gig went great. There were a few Spoon Benders in the house as well. I wasted about 20 dollars in sticks as the splinters went flying. Today, I have to run around to get some stuff done. I'm having my band pants altered again. The first time I went to have it done, the lady couldn't believe I wanted my socks to show and I think she took matters into her own hands. Sheesh. My Uncle Rick and Aunt Carol came in from New York so I imagine we'll be having dinner with them at some point. In the past few days, we've lost the ultra-soulful Buddy Miles and the ultra-soulful Mike Smith from the Dave Clark Five. People don't really mention his keyboard ability. He could rock the Vox as well as anybody. And there's no way you can't tap a toe to Can't You See That She's Mine! As for Buddy....Who Knows....that's all I can say.

Thirstday.

2008-02-29T05:29:00.001-08:00

Last night, we were at the Quillo Theater in WPB throwing it down for no more than a few people at a time. I 'spose I should explain the second picture...Out in the street (which was blocked off for Clematis By Night), there was this standard poodle (y' know...one of those huge bastards) laying on the ground so I joined him. Rick's friend Jim joined us on the Beatle tunes and relieved me from singing the Paul parts. Tonight, Alligator Alley. Tomorrow, the World (actually, stinky old O'Hara's).

Only I'm Not Sleeping.

2008-02-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I wish I could report something but they didn't tell me anything. I got there a bit earlier than the appointed time so they filled that time with more questionnaires and rights-waiving papers. I was WAY tired from the lack of caffeine so I was ready to sleep as soon as it was allowed. I took some pictures and read a bit till I had to have the electrodes connected. Can't say that was comfortable. I had to do some testing to make sure the shit worked ("roll your eyes left..right..left...now wiggle your toes...") and read some more. I was nodding off something fierce when the time came for lights out (like prison). At that very moment, I ceased to be tired and tried to sleep (with wires hanging out everywhere). I felt myself wake up at least four times and had a little of the itching fits that I'm so used to now. I have to say it was weird sleeping by myself. Not something i'd like to repeat anytime soon. Next thing I remember, I was woken up by the intercom telling me to keep my eyes open. More questionnaires. Great big chunks of leg hair ripped out with frightening speed during the electrode removal (that'll wake you up!). I got dressed and split. They told me i'd have to talk to my doctor for the results. Kinda anti-climactic if you ask me. I returned to my beloved caffeine.

I'm Only Sleeping Part 1

2008-02-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today, I have a fucking BITCHIN' headache that won't go away. Why? I couldn't have caffeine today 'cause i'm having my sleep study. I gotta go real soon. I guess they'll be able to figure out why I wake up a zillion times a night. Wish me luck. I may sneak the camera in and document myself in lurid poses with electrodes hanging off. Sexy? You betcha! Stay tuned.

HBG!

2008-02-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

OOOHHHH! I'm Tellin'!

2008-02-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

Hello, yeah it's been a while. Not much how 'bout you? I'm not sure why I called. I guess I really just wanted to talk to you. I have so much to say but i'm sure I won't remember it all. A while ago, I had a hearing test. Actually , lemme start further back. Lately, my voice has sounded really nasally and when I sing (if you can call it that), I tend to blow out my voice and then it comes back in a day or two. Lately, it's been taking a week or so and that got me worried. So I went to and Ear, Nose and Throat guy and he suggested a hearing test for some reason. I had one last year and it wasn't too good. OK, so I had another one and my right ear is way worse than the left. He thinks I might have this Minnear's Disease which makes you collect fluid in your ear with no real good way to get it out. So I have to have an MRI to rule out a possible tumor...fun.

Tuesday night, i'm having a sleep test done to find out what's wrong there. I sleep pretty horribly. I wake up quite a few times during the night and i'm always tired because of it. I know ('cause Kris tells me) that I have sleep apnea which means I stop breathing now and then in my sleep. So I gotta go to this place and they monitor my sleep patterns. That ought to be good. I'm taking Wednesday off work 'cause i'm gonna be pretty wiped out.

A guy I know is having an art show in a record store in Ft. Lauderdale and i'm gonna play a few songs during it and that should be fun. I'm putting together a makeshift band for it and we're gonna have a few rehearsals in March. I'm really nervous about it. I haven't led a band since I lived in SF so it's been a while. I'm playing with some great folks though; Pete Lavezzoli is gonna play drums and Rick Rossano is gonna play bass and my friend Matt is gonna play guitar. Musically, it should be great with all that talent pooled together.

Let's see.....this weekend was O'Hara's and that went well. We played pretty well and that was good. Last night, we went to South Beach to celebrate my friend Jen's birthday at an Irish pub down there. The main attraction was a U2 tribute band and they were OK. They were having sound and power problems and you can't blame them for that. We ended up spending a lot of money but it was worth it to get out of the house.

Today, Rick put new power tubes in the Vox and so far so good. Our gig at Elwood's went OK. It was really hot and folks weren't all that responsive but that's OK. Matt and Shauna came out and Sean was there and we had great conversation and hopefully we're gonna find the U23D movie and see it up north. This week, it's back to the hectic schedule.....I have the sleep study on Tuesday, a gig at the Quillo Theater in WPB on Thursday, a gig at Alligator Alley on Friday, a gig at O'Hara's on Saturday and Elwood's again on Sunday...Coffee Up, Boys!!!

I'm A Facking Cack!

2008-02-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend, i've been a facking cack. So the Funkabillys played the Garlic Fest in Delray on Saturday morn and I don't think it went too well. I was really nervous and it facked with my playing. Here's where the usual excuses come into play; I was expecting a lower-wattage amp (i was asked not to bring my own...mistake #1) and there was this high-power monster waiting for me. While I was playing, my guitar sounded like really loud paper tearing. The sound on stage was pretty bad too. It was really bass-heavy and I was having a hard time hearing/connecting with the drums. That made it really uncomfortable. I really wanted to do well in front of our peeps and I guess, in retrospect, it probably wasn't that bad. Everyone in the band was staying away from me when we finished 'cause I was sending out really rank vibes. I didn't say anything to anyone and I left. I'd like to apologize right here and now for being a Betch. Sometimes I can be real difficult to play with when I take things too seriously. Sorry, guys.

Last night, I played Churchill's with Charlie Pickett and he was in some kind of mood and we cut the show short just as it was building up some steam. I'm glad it wasn't my fault. I talked to Ed about possibly playing another Eat show and he wasn't against it. So that could happen. This afternoon, I went down to a new record store in Ft. Lauderdale and bought a few things. They had some cool records that hopefully will still be there next time I go. Tonight's Dillengers gig went pretty OK. I think we must've inspired Rick to play at the top of his game 'cause he was killin' it! A very good end to a semi-lousy weekend.

I've been having some mental issues lately and I think they're spilling over into everything. I think I just need to listen to Pet Sounds in 5:1 and that should cure everything. I friend asked if i'd help him with a show in Ft. La uderdale in March and i'm a little nervous about it 'cause i'll be doing a few songs solo on an acoustic guitar. Could be fun....could be a disaster. Tuesday, we're going to see the U2 movie yet again. I'd like to see it before it leaves the theater.

So........

2008-02-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

This morning, I decide to have Corn Flakes for breakfast. I don't like milk in my cereal 'cause it makes it soggy so I grabbed a small box and headed to our computer/music room to check email (like I do every morning....doesn't everyone?). While I was reading, i was tugging at the cellophane bag inside the box trying to open it (can you see what's coming) and it exploded. I got Corn Flakes EVERYWHERE! I'm not talking about a few here and there. They were all over me, in the computer keyboard, all over the floor. The real stupid part of this story is I didn't think to take a picture before I cleaned it up. Good Morning! We're definitely going to see the U23D movie at the Ft. Lauderdale IMAX Friday so if you wanna go.......

And the word isn't......

2008-02-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

We were at breakfast the other day and across from us was a mentally handicapped girl and her father and when she focused on something she looked really lucid and I wondered what she was seeing. Sometimes if I drift off, I can get the psychedelic visions happening. Sometimes I wish I was hallucinating 'cause maybe everything would make sense then. Any feeling or idea I had that was absurd wouldn't be judged or my negativity wouldn't seep through and I could just melt into the floor.

And the word is....

2008-02-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

Today is the day Buddy Holly didn't make it home. His pregnant wife had a miscarriage soon after. Tonight, I will be watching some Buddy films and i'll be thinking of him. Last night's gig was an overwhelming success. There was alot of people there to see The Eat and there was a really good vibe hanging in the room. It was great to see the guys smiling....probably reliving 1980 in their heads. I could go into specifics but it would be a waste of time. It was a great time and I was honored to be part of it. Today, I haven't done much of anything. I gotta catch up on housework that I neglected all last week. This coming week is not too busy in the playing department. I wish someone would kick my head off so these neck/shoulder aches would go away.

ex-Kung Fu Hippies. Bananagrams.

2008-02-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hey, bloggerville! Sorry I haven't been here for you. I've been on Safari in Kendall. Things here good and bad. So much has happened since the last time we talked, so i'll keep it to myself 'cause you wouldn't understand. Johanna's got a loose tooth and is having a music class that appreciates the masters. Jimi Hendrix, Lou Diamond Phillips, The guy who invented the Nose Flute. Last night was our (Eat) last rehearsal before the Big Gig (in the sky). I have to say (i have to think), i'm really nervous and i'm sure i'm just doing it to myself (insert joke here). I don't know why but I feel like i'm going to be unfavorably compared to their drummer who I can't touch with a ten-foot easter bunny.

I was out with a friend (Jen) and we saw the U2-3D movie (which I will be attending again sometime next week) and she confirmed that all of my "I suck" yammering is really annoying. I have to say I fully agree but it's hard to undo years of training and practice. This year, i'm going to try to do my best to keep quiet. Today, I pick up my beloved Stratocaster from the shop in Port Saint Lucie. The time before last that I used it (pics in the previous post), i got a little excited and threw it and it landed on it's face. It made for a really cool Rockstar moment but it's costing me 100 bucks to patch her up again. Dummmy. Saying this is a guarantee it's gonna happen again...probably at the Garlic Fest next week. I'm also playing at Churchill's (again) with Charlie Pickett on Saturday.

Fuck the SuperBowl! I'm not playing Elwood's tomorrow because of that huge waste of time. We're gonna watch the PuppyBowl on Animal Planet. Sadly, I had to let go of the beard. It did it's job well and made me look like a smelly old man (which is what I was going for). I also joined an Yahoo group for aging Punk Rocks that's going well. Now THEY have to listen to my rambling about third pressing Rubber Souls from Holland. Fuck 'em. They should have never invited me. I wouldn't have. Last night was a sooprize party for Yves (of destruction) and fun was had by several. My social anxiety converted me into a very annoying, unfunny lunatic who wouldn't go away. Better luck next time. I hope someday I can just have normal conversations.

Gifted.

2007-12-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

It sho 'nuff been a while since i done did devote some time to my journalistic endeavor. Things have been a bit hectic. Last weekend was a blur 'cause I was hardly home. This weekend will be no different. The pix are from a show last weekend with Jim Wurster at the school he works for/at. As you can see, the beard is coming along scraggly. I love it. Johanna was tested for Gifted and it's been determined that she is. This worries me. I'm extremely proud and pleased with this news but (believe it or not...hell, I wouldn't) I tested positive for this Gifted stuff and i'm a little leery of it. I felt it helped isolate me from other normal kids and, probably at one time, gave me a false sense of importance or superiority. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure I learned some great things in Gifted class....just ask Pete. I just want her to be normal and not let it go to her head. She is truly an amazing kid and i'm really glad she inherited her Mother's brains. Maybe she'll want to take up an instrument some day other than the sitar. Now, on the way to school, we play an Anoushka Shankar cd and she plays a recital for me on air sitar. Not too badly, either. Except she holds it like Bill Wyman held the bass. Tomorrow, i'm playing at the SouthShore Grill with Davee Bryan. I've never played with him before so it ought to be interesting. Then the next two nights i'm at Elwood's.

I Just Had To. Rick Made Me Do It.

2007-12-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

Some Thoughts on JL.

2007-12-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight, it felt good to play some Beatles songs with the Dillengers. I wanted to watch something about John Lennon to commemorate December 8th, so I ended up watching Let It Be. Not exactly the most uplifting movie...Somehow I found this.
That sort of makes it all better.

And The Wheel Done Did Roll On.

2007-12-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

Last night, after Eat practice, I went to see my co-worker Eric's band The Wheel. They played at The Funky Buddha in Byoca. I was pleasantly surprised! They were really good. The guitarists got really great sounds (kudos for the hollow-body guitarist for playing VERY clean through a PA head....that takes guts....or insanity!) and the overall band sound was really good for the little place they were playing in. The drummer deserves mention for being ultra-steady and keeping the tempos in line. I wish I could have heard Eric more. Rich got up to play a blues and the night ended on a high note....an A, I think.

The Santa Experience.

2007-12-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post pix this week. We went to go see our local Santa so Johanna could tell him EXACTLY what she wants for Xmas. In the first pic, she's explaining to him how he could be a bit more efficient with his goody distribution. Second pic, her eyes got red when she realized she wouldn't be able to take over the operation (or as she calls it, "Santa's racket"). Third pic shows her dissatisfaction with the circus' treatment of animals. Who's the proud Papa?

Interrupting All Programs!

2007-12-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we went to see the Joe Strummer movie in Lake Worth and since then i've been listening to The Clash non-stop. This Is Radio Clash is one of my all-time favorites. I remember when I was about 11 buying The Clash's first (second over here) album with my allowance at Peaches' in Ft. Lauderdale. I still have it but I lost the bonus single that came with it. I never felt The Clash were really punk. As soon as they saw fit, they broke out of that pigeonhole. I mean, they had a cover of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves on the first record! You wouldn't catch the Pistols or Black Flag trying that. There's so many great Clash songs and my favorites are usually sung by Joe. Rest In Peace John Mellor.

My Oh My #3.

2007-11-26T16:22:00.001-08:00

Last night was devastatingly bad. We showed up at Elwood's apparently without any prior knowledge on how to play musical instruments. I haven't played drums in a while and it was painful....to listen to. I'm not gonna go into it 'cause i'll sound like a whiner 49er. I took a pain killer and I woke up groggy....but with no pain!

Today was so busy at work, I didn't pee 'til I got home. Friday, i'm playing with the Drunkandsilly Gayboys at O'Hara's. Saturday, I had a gig at Elwood's with the usual suspects until Chuck called me up with our yearly Xmas party gig that he forgot all aboot (Canadian). So I called my trusty back-up and got released from Elwood's duty. But i'll be there Sunday. I haven't had a full-gig weekend in awhile so it ought to be interesting....to somebody.

Wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Kris gave me one of my Xmas prezzies early 'cause Johanna saw it and she can't keep a secret yet. Not that she gave it away. We just figured she'd let the cat out of the bag eventually.

Tracking The Beard #1.

2007-11-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

For a few weeks now, i've been growing my beard. I used to hear the expression "growing my beard for winter" when I lived in Denver and I always thought that was a cool idea. Even though we don't get winter weather conditions here, I thought it would be cool to adopt the idea anyway. So far, it's coming in a lot whiter than it did last time. Then again, last time Jojo was 1. It's gonna take awhile to grow it long enough to cover the holes.

Today is my first gig since i've been back from my trips. I'm gonna be at Elwood's for the first time in about a month or so. I'm sure i'm gonna be real rusty and achy afterward. Getting old sucks! I got this old snare drum from Harry Johnson's estate and I really like the tone of it. I've been playing it for a while. It has no name on it and the parts are really cheap. Everytime I bring it to a gig, it snaps a rod and I have to use another one but today I modified it with sturdier parts so hopefully that won't happen again.

It's been real nice being home the last 4 days. I've spent all my time with my family and I haven't had to do much running around. Friday, we bought "HELP!" and watched it. Kris talked me out of buying the deluxe edition which is real expensive. I didn't really want all the special crap that came with it so we did the right thing. There is so much cool stuff coming out for the holiday season music wise. I got my Amazon wish list workin'.

I'm In A New York Plate Of Rind.

2007-11-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

I got back on Monday night after my flight was delayed for an hour or so. I miss New York but i'm glad to be back with my family who I missed very much. The trip started early Saturday morning. By mistake (or accident) I ended up being on the same plane with two of the Thursday's Children. I brought along Bob Spitz's Beatles book and i read that on the plane. I'm an avid beatlereader and I've been avoiding this one 'cause the some of the picture credits are wrong. If these were wrong, how could the book be right? Well, I was mistaken. It's a really good book...so far. Anyway, my uncle met me at the airport and we went back to his place on 93rd in Manhattan. We stayed long enough to drop things off and we walked Central Park.

When we got to the outside of the Dakota where John was murdered, I got a weird chill and I felt very sad. We continued on through Strawberry Fields and decided to have lunch at the Boathouse. We were eating outside when I noticed my cold uticaria flaring up. It was pretty cold and I forgot my gloves and hat back at the apartment. When we got back, I took a benedryl and fought being tired the rest of the night. The next day, I dragged my uncle to the Village to see some music sites. We got to Electric Lady Studios, The Cafe Wha, and a few other cool spots. I bought a mono "Beatles' '65" at Bleeker Bob's and we had some great pizza. We also hit Ground Zero. We got back to the apartment and I ran back out with my uncle's girlfriend, Lynn. We ended up going to 30 Rockefeller Plaza and Times Square before it was time to get back for the gig.

We ended up being later than I expected 'cause we waited for my uncle Rick and aunt Carol to show up and we all took the subway. We made it to the Parkside Lounge and I was disappointed to see hardly anyone there. We didn't play for too many people but we played well. The club's snare drum was broken so the guy on after us lent me his...Thanks! Next day, I had to leave. When I woke up, they were working on the hot water pipes in my uncle's building so I couldn't have a shower. P.U.! I'm leaving out a bunch of stuff but nothing really important. Tonight, I had an Eat rehearsal after not having one for two weeks. It was hard blowing the dust off but we warmed up eventually. Tomorrow is Turkey Day but most importantly....NO WORK!!!! I do have a lot of stuff to do and i have to find some time to make Kris realize we desperately need the special edition of HELP! on DVD. Happy Thanksgiving!

I Didn't Seee Robert Ulrich...

2007-11-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

but I did see Vince Neil. He's quite short. Vacation is over and that's ok. If you haven't figured it out (or read Kris' blog), we went to Las Vegas. It was like I expected. I'm not a big drinker or a gambler so there wasn't much for me there...except sore feet and a complete emptying of the wallet. Actually, there was something. The Love show at the Mirage. That was an emotional experience seeing the Beatles' music being interpreted in such a way. The next day, we went to the gift shop and I couldn't pick out anything to buy 'cause I wanted it all.

I should probably start from the beginning. Kris' stepfather gave us a ride to the airport where we found out our flight was cancelled. Spirit eventually got us on a Delta flight and we got there a little early. We were pretty exhausted when we got there and I think we just walked around a bit, ate alot and went to bed. The next day was our anniversary (Happy Anniversary!) and we went to a few casinos and walked around. We had lunch at an Irish pub at New York New York. We saw Love that night and that was awesome. We went to the Revolution Lounge and left when I found out it would be 20 bucks for me to get in (ladies free!). See ya! Went back to the Beatles gift shop and it was too crowded. Next morning, we had breakfast at the Bellagio and that was good. Did some more walking around and I think by that point we were already tired of Vegas. You all should read my wife's blog on this 'cause it's much better. I'm sure i'm leaving out a bunch of stuff. What i'll always remember was how well we got along and how we enjoyed each other's company on this trip. I love you, babe!

Today, I went back to work. Tonight, I watched an old Popeye cartoon with Jojo and she dug it. I'm so glad we have similar taste. She likes all the cartoons I grew up with like Bugs Bunny and all the Looney Toons. I gotta really listen close to the Thursday's Child material tonight. We have a last rehearsal tomorrow night and I don't want to fuck it up. I'm gonna be a real nervous wreck at the gig. I really hope this stuff sinks in so I don't embarrass them.

Fuck You. Bye!

2007-11-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

I'm outta here 'til Tuesday for a small vacation for our 7th Anniversary. My, how time flies! It's gonna be nice to beat it out of here for a while. Where we're going is supposed to be a little chilly at night so that'll be nice. Last night, I saw Keith at the Funkabilly show and that was swell. I'm having slight issues with my lawn and the Homo-wners Association wrote me a letter saying they'd fine me if I didn't get on it. I didn't get on it but I asked for an extension and i've yet to hear back from them. I mentioned this problem to my Dad. Big mistake. This morning he shows up in my driveway ready to dig my lawn up. He called a landscaping service and he was gonna wait around 'til they got there to give him an estimate. I didn't have time to hang around and I certainly did not want to leave him with my key so I explained my situation and eventually order was restored. I escaped sure death yet again listeners! Kris was chomping at the bit to put a foot in his ass and that would not be good. Once a rift is opened, it'll never go away. Hope y'all have a good weekend! See ya Tuesday!

I'm Pissing Myself.

2007-11-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

I WANT TO SHOOT THE WHOLE DAY DOWN!

2007-11-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

I'm home for lunch and I gotta keep it short 'cause work is way too busy. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH Shi.......rt. Photos from yesterday courtesy of Karen Wideen. We was LOUD! I'm glad she cut the bald off me. I actually have a mohawk in that picture. Am I always cross-eyed when i drum? All the time?

Sock It To Me, JB!

2007-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

I feel good! I just got off the phone with Keith and talking to him reminded me of how important friends are. This week has been a blur. I had my first rehearsal with thursday's child and it went rather well. I still have about 5 more songs to learn in a short amount of time. The gig is only about two weeks away. I suppose we'll just have to see what happens. The Eat rehearsals are going better than expected. Kenny is out of town this week so i'll have a week off there. Friday, we did a leukemia walk in WPB for our friend Bongo and that was cool. We raised a shitpile of money and Johanna had a great time.

Last night, I played the Ashtray (Poorhouse) in downtown Ft. Rockerdale with Joel DaSilva and that was interesting as usual. Unbeknownst to me, there was big rock concert going on at the end of the street so parking was fooked. I found a place a few blocks away for 20 bucks. There goes my food/soda money. Playing was OK. I wore my earplugs so I can hear pretty well today. Tonight, I played with Charlie Pickett at Nova University for a film festival and that went OK. Of course, we were way loud but that didn't seem to bother anyone. Rick rode up with me and we listened to some WFMU programs on the way. Karen archived some of my Teenage Fanclub/Tom Waits videos on to DVD so I have those...Thanks! On the way home, I played Rick "Winter" and he really liked it so I lent him Grand Prix and Songs From Northern Britain...We could have another TFC convert on our hands. He mentioned possibly covering one of their songs in the Dillengers.

I'm so overwhelmed with the projects i've taken on but part of the reason I feel so good is 'cause i'm able to do these things. Instead of bottling in my emotions, I get to let them out on the guitar or some drums. Even a bad gig is better than say....cleaning a toilet! I'm a real lucky guy! Thank you, music gods!

P.S. I just got in the mail RhinoHandmade's Aretha Live in Philly 1972 and it is the shizzle.

Boy, You're Gonna Juggle That Weight.

2007-10-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

Eat rehearsals are getting better. Now I gotta cram for thursday's child. I'm gonna need (to quote Bob Dylan) a dump truck to unload my head! Last night, I went to a b'day party for Matt Winfree of the SpoonBenders and I was surprised to see my Funkabilly mates there. All 5 in the same room! I'm really tired today and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. QUIT YER CRYIN' SOLDIER!

Saw It Written And I Saw It Say.

2007-10-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Funkabillies have been out of commission for what seems like an eternity. I've been obsessing over Nick Drake over the past few days. That's not a bad thing. I was watching part of a documentary on him on YouTube and it said in his last year he didn't leave the house much at all. I could be that way easily. I come home for lunch most days and it's torture having to leave to go back to work. Tonight's Eat rehearsal went pretty well. I went into it tired so it was hard working up the energy to play fast punk drums but i made it ok. I guess we're going to try to play a gig in December. Next Thursday, I have my first rehearsal with thursday's child. I hope we have quite a few of them before the New York gig. Trying to learn two band's worth of material is wearing me out. This Friday, The Dillengers are playing a pick-up gig at some place called Igot's in Lake Worth. I need a massage badly! I'm all out of whack. Tired!

Eat Me.

2007-10-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

OK. it's official. I called my Uncle Jack in NYC and he said I could stay with him a few days so I will be playing a gig in New York with Thursday's Child on November 18th. I haven't been to New York since my Grandmother passed in the late 80's. I've meant to go back but I could never find the money or the time. I'm gonna take a shitload of pictures and I really hope to see Electric Lady Studios and/or the Village Vanguard. I'll probably try to take in Ground Zero. If I can handle it. Tonight's Eat practice went well. I still don't feel like i'm part of it. I'm trying to keep up with them and I guess i'm doing OK. I think we have a long way to go but they'd probably tell you different. I think i'm more of a perfectionist than they are. It is fun playing fast and i'm not having trouble like I thought I would. I did have to wear earplugs tonight 'cause Ed's amp was on a chair pointed right at me. No ringing so that's a good thing.

Yesterday, I bought the new Tom Petty documentary (Running Down A Dream) and I got through half of it. It's about 4 hours long. So today I listened to him and was reminded of how many great songs he has. Tomorrow i'm going to Bob Wlos' studio to sift through tapes (!) to find one suitable for a new project. I have some old songs i'd like to record so we'll see what happens.

When You're Hot....You're Probably Only Room Temperature.

2007-10-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a weekend. Last night, the Fs played the Hurricane in Dehray (home of the silent L) and that went as planned. We hadn't played in a few weeks (which is becoming a trend) and it showed. I'd seen the place previously and thought the Gibson amp would do fine (like it does at O'Hara's). It cried UNCLE in the first song and it had a long way to go. The tone was fine but we were so LOUD that I had no headroom so the mellow songs sounded like Black Sabbath on molasses. Good grief. It was a tough crowd to win over. Seemed like everyone I could see had their arms folded just staring us down. I'm sure my perspective is off. Of course, the manager loved us and wants us back once a month. The shittier we are, the more people like it. I don't get it. I left there with my ears SERIOUSLY ringing. Which is how I woke up this morning. Which is how I am now. What?

Today, the Dillengers had a soundcheck at the Cuillo Theater at 4. Just for the record, I generally hate these things. Nothing more fun then hitting the bass drum for a half an hour. And everyone practicing their numbers (1-2-3-4 Check-Check-Repeat). Anyway, the band that was on before us decided to turn the soundcheck into their rehearsal so we sat around a lot longer than we should have. We finally got our turn and it took forever to get the sound right. Luckily, the guy before me did all the boomboom kick drum nonsense. They only had a mic on the kick drum and one overhead. Simple. I was up in the cheap seats listening to their rehearsal knowing we were going to be really loud. It was a very live room. We finally got out of there and didn't return 'til 8:30. I found the dressing room and a had a piece of cold pizza that was there for the entertainers. Behind that room was a prop closet and Bill and I tried on some feather boas. We would have worn them but we would have upstaged poor Rickypoo. The aforementioned band before us must've been having fun 'cause they kept on playing past the allotted quit time. That's not cool. We ended up playing quite badly and loudly to roughly half the people that were there when I arrived. Oh, well.

Tomorrow we play a birthday party at our regular gig, Elwood's. Monday is a rehearsal for an Allman Brothers tribute thing I said yes to which I haven't done my homework for. OOPS! I'll have to cram at work Monday. Wednesday is a practice with The Eat. Thursday could be recording with Bob Wlos. I think I had something to do Tuesday but I can't remember. Saturday is a gig at Elwood's. I'm in over my head.

I Want You Around.

2007-10-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Whew! End of the weekend. This week, I had a rehearsal with The Eat and they didn't tell me to go away so I guess i'm in. I've got another rehearsal with them sometime early this week. I also have a Funkabilly rehearsal seeing as we have a gig on Friday. Saturday and Sunday, i'm with the Dillengers (Sunday at Elwood's for a birthday party of some sort). Listening to the Eat material has slid me into a punk phase. I've been listening to the Ramones and the Muffs a lot lately. Even though they're on the light side of it, they're still my faves. I may break out some Black Flag this week to see if it gets me fired.

Saturday afternoon, I had lunch with my friend Jen over by the Sawgrass Mills mall and that was fun. Got the new Mojo and a new live Ramones DVD at the Borders there. That night, Kris and I went out to Carrabba's for dinner and I ate some overly-cheesy ravioli which made my lactose-intolerant ass do the St. Vitus dance (look it up). Then we ended up at a place near here called Shea's (an irish pub). We sat and listened to a few tunes and some lady got up and sat in. She sounded like the bad chorus teacher in elementary school so we beat it out of there pretty early. My full stomach must've cut the oxygen to my brain somehow and I felt really tired and I was nodding off with Louis Black on the TV. I'm a shitty date.

I'm Easily The Stupidest Person You Know.

2007-10-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Once again, Best Buy fucked me. I wasted my lunch hour looking around for this thing and I realize I probably have to go downtown (!!!!) to Borders to get it 'cause everything around here sucks. Everytime something new comes out, Best Buy doesn't have it or misfiles it and nobody can find it....but I still keep coming back. Pavlov's dog? Tomorrow, I have jury duty in WPB. Weeeeeee! I can hardly contain myself. I gotta be there by 8 so i'll probably take a nap on I-95 like everyone else.

I Can Stereotype 60 Words A Minute (if they're and, but and or).

2007-10-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

It's fookin' raining! I was driving this morning and I was getting this cool stereo thunder effect. These are the scenes from this morning. Since I don't eat vegetables, i've been trying to take vitamins and drink juices and stuff. I know what you're saying but at least it's better than nothing at all. Even if it pours, i'm still gonna make the trek to the dreaded Best Buy. Mama needs a new Otis Redding DVD!

Brainpan Aliceripple.

2007-10-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

On the way home from work today, there was a brief moment where everything was alright with/in the world. I can't explain it. I was just singing along with the radio and I felt great. It's amazing how music can just perk you up. On The Muffs song Agony the first thing you hear is this intake of breath before Kim starts singing and every time I hear it it's like a release. You ever have that joyful anger? Like when some asshole in line at the grocery store who's being a complaining whiner slips and falls on his ass. You're angry but at the same time happy that he got his. Speaking of grocery stores, last night I had to go to Publix (pronounced like pubic) for some odds and sods and I happened to catch this guy's eye who was in a wheelchair and I gave him a real big smile and he went from a frown to a grin in nothing flat. I should start a smile campaign. When people smile at me it just makes everything better. It's hard to be grumpy with someone giving you the SAY CHEESE in your face. I can't be. Tomorrow, the Stax/Volt tour DVD comes out so you'll find me at the local Best Buy during lunch. C'mon by. I'll buy. Congress and Old Boynton Beach Blvd. Somewhere close to 12:40. See ya there. I'll be the one with the smile.

Am I Pleasuring You? or Here's Looking Up Your Old Address.

2007-09-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

I can't even remember where I left off. Last week was helllish (which is one more than hellish). I tried to wean myself off caffeine all week and I was a sluggish sack 'o potatoes. At least I wasn't having the dreaded anxiety (i don't think they're panic) attacks. So there's the solution to that problem. I accepted the job with The Eat and i've got my work cut out for me. Their drummer, Chris, was a hero of mine when I was a pup. Still is. I hope I can come up with something that will make them happy. It seems my project calendar is deep in the swamp. It's nice to be needed but it's also nice to conserve sanity. Which of, I suppose, i'm a quart low or two cards shy.

Was O'Hara's last week? Anyway, Bongo ended up being there but he left early. That sucked. There were a few songs that we had to scramble to fill harmony parts. He seems to be a bit up and down at this point and I worry about it. Last night was the return of the Dillengers after a few weeks off and it showed. As usual, I was all over the map timing wise and i'm sure i'm gonna hear aboot (that's Canadian or, as I like to call it, Canoodlean) it today. I deserve it. But it was a good night overall. This guy I know (i guess he could be called a friend even though I don't know him very well)....Fuck it. This friend of mine, James, came by with entourage in tow and that brightened things considerably. James is moving to Nashville to be with his boyfriend, Matt (just kidding). I'm bummed. He was really cool and always nice to me. Rumour has it he may be back in town around Halloween time. Hope so.

Wednesday, I've got the Bamboo Room with the Dildogers (which means Thursday i'll be dumber than a bag o' hammers at work...if not completely def (sic)) and Friday I have my first practice with the Eat. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it. This week's prediction for listening: Otis Redding and plenty o' The Eat!!

'Lil Peetie.

2007-09-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

A few hundred posts back, I mentioned a band called thursday's child and I raved about them quite a bit. I've gotten a few emails from them about possibly playing second guitar with them at a gig or two but scheduling conflicts have prevented us from working together as of yet. This afternoon, I got an email from them asking me to play drums for them at a gig in New York City. I'm hoping I can do it. They're great and it would be nice to play an out-of-town gig. I've been having a lot of dramatrauma in the personal life lately. Stuff I can't really talk about that i've been bitching to everyone about. It's like i'm forgetting to take my lithium and i'm all out of sorts. I'm not on lithium (for those who don't know me). Last night, I met with Yves, Brian and Greg to see if music could be shared and it was. Unfortunately, it was sort of directionless...but not terrible. Eddie O'Brien asked if I would play a gig with The Eat and I jumped at the chance. The Eat were about the best punk band we had around here in the beginning of the Eighties. My stepbrother and I would listen to their records all the time. It is certainly an honor to be asked.

Naked Man Does Laundry. Film at 11.

2007-09-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted much 'cause I haven't really done anything interesting. Last year, down time was August-September. This year, it's a month late. I have one gig this month and it's this coming Saturday at O'Hara's. I really hope Bongo is up to it. I think people will boo us if he's not there.

Yesterday, we cleaned up the house a bit and Kris bought a cinnamon broom so the place still smells like a pack of Freshen Up gum. We had our friends Jen and Vena (?) over for a bit last night and I broke out some 45s and spun them. We ended up at the Jetsetter (Jojo at my mom's) and had dinner and checked out the entertainment which was some blues. My mom promised to take Jojo to Chuck E. Cheese (they should close the place 'cause i heard they found a mouse in the kitchen.) and she bailed on the idea so it was left to us to take her this afternoon. I hate that place and some of the kids are snotty little spoiled brats (this is in Byoca). We played skeeball and all the usual games and after spending probably 20 bucks on tokens, we won enough tickets for Jojo to take home a bracelet and two Tootsie Rolls worth about 78 cents.

My day was not going so well when I pulled into Borders to look around and I saw a new John Coltrane video has come out. I had that in my hand at the checkout counter when I noticed a box of stuff they were putting away. Bad idea. On top of the pile was a brand-new OTIS REDDING video!!!!! I was so excited, i was willing to take the beating for spending too much money. I'm counting the hours until Jojo goes to bed so I can tuck into it. It's here This has turned out to be a great day. FUCK TOMORROW!!!!!

The Infamous Banjo.

2007-09-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Must give some blog time to my friend and yours, Michael Hawn. Mike has been in and out of hospital lately suffering from the ill effects of chemo-therapy. A few years back, Mike told us he had some form of leukemia and there was nothing to worry about. I'm worried now. As usual, he's being very light-hearted about it but I would like everyone reading this to send out a good vibe to him. Mike (Bongo) and I go way back. I joined this band called The Trouble Boys back in the 80's and Mike was a friend of theirs. If memory serves me, I met him at my first gig with them in Hollywood. He went on to be one of my closest and dearest friends. When I moved away we still kept in touch and when I got back in town he got me to join his band, The Funkabilly Playboys. He also got me a good job at Verizon. He's always looked after me and I hope somehow I can do the same. I love you, pally! Last night, we went to the final Spoony gig at Cheers in Fart Lauderdale. Before that, we went to our friend Vena's and met Jen and JC there. Vena had a guitar so I had to play it and a hootenanny ensued. Eventually we made it to Cheers. We had fun and I successfully socialized without too much fear. We cut out of there early with ears ringing. Rumor has it a new project might present itself Tuesday. Who knows?
* photo by judy blem.

Clang Bang/Clang Bang.

2007-09-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today's endeavor went smoothly. Yves of Destruction was who I met with. We had a great time together and I feel like i've gained a friend. We played some original material to each other and became fans. He's a great songwriter and singer and, hell, just a great guy all around. We actually started writing a song together and that went really well. And he likes corned beef. And he has a piano. What more could you ask for? It was also nice to have a rare day off. Sometimes when I have time off, I don't know what to do with myself. Sometimes I only feel real when i'm playing music. Our bathroom is still being renovated and the tile went down today. My bedroom smells like burnt plastic. If you never hear from me again, i'll have died from inhalation. You can split my records among you.
* top photo by judy blem.

Midnight, Tennesee.

2007-09-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Today was just not my day. Rick called to let me know we won't be playing Elwood's on Sundays for a while. As much as I complain about them now and then, i'm gonna miss them. My drumming is going to go to complete shit. Like it isn't already. Judy Blem dropped a project in my lap that I might consider. Tomorrow, I have the day off work so i'm gonna get some things done. I have that meeting with a future-possible-musical-ally in Hollywood that i'm looking forward to. I get real depressed when I have too much time in-between gigs...and complain when I have too many. There's no pleasing this jerk! I 'spose i've been sad lately 'cause i'm listening to sad music.

Just Let Me Say For The Record: We're Giving Love In A Family Dose.

2007-09-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Rainy days make me sleepy. Outside my window, it's lightninging and raining a bit. I don't know why I haven't been blogging....oh, yeah...I haven't had the fucking time. I think I might have a lead on starting my own band. I find out on Thursday. I'm taking that day off work and i'm gonna hang with a new-found musical ally and see what sticks to the pasta. I've been having feelings I should be writing songs so i'm really gonna try and i've got one i've just started. I really hope it works out. Like all my musical endeavors, this one will also be a side-project. I had a full weekend of gigs this past week. Friday was Elwood's. A few friends stopped by and while I was talking to them I felt a panic attack coming on and thankfully it went away quickly. I think i'm pretty sure they are caused by lack of sleep, stress and too much caffeine. The gig went OK and afterward I ended up at the Hurricane to see the Spoonys. I arrived too late and didn't hear/see any music. Saturday, we played the Jetsetter and that's always fun but the crowd usually peters out early so we played to chairs at the end. Mike Jones always makes me a bitchin' egg cream.

Yesterday was Elwood's again and after that I ran to O'Hara's to take part in the Spoony's all-star jam thingy. I played drums and guitar and neither was that painful. Matt and I played simultaneous lead and that was cool. I hung out afterward and chatted with everybody and didn't get home 'til around four. Today was a cleaning day 'cause our bathroom is getting redone this week. I really wish I had something interesting to say other than the facts. I'll have to save that for the next post. Luckily, I don't have any major plans during this coming week...other than having a filling replaced tomorrow and seeing the Spoony's last gig at Cheers on Saturday night. I have no idea why I added these pictures. One of them was taken during my first punk phase when i was around 11. Another one is with Bongo when we were in our twenties. The last one is of one of the bands I played in in San Francisco called Candyass. On the left is East Bay Ray from the Dead Kennedys.

Uhhhhhh....Paging Mr. Vollo

2007-08-27T19:01:00.001-07:00

Funkabilly Playboys "What is Hip?"

I took the Gibson amp in to get fixed and when it was done, I went in to pick it up and decided I needed new speakers. I got some Celestions put in and ran to rehearsal for Grizzled Jim (long story). Ran to soundcheck at Bamboom with Gibson in tow. It sounded great so I used it for the show. I also found out the show was SOLD OUT (!). That's quite an achievement. Sometime when I have time, i'll give you my review of it. This morning, I got a call from the amp tech at the Amp Shop who told me he tried to get in to hear the amp for a few minutes and they turned him away. He also told me this was in today's paper.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/08/27/a6b_spoonbenders_0827.html

Not too shabby. I don't remember saying those words exactly and Bongo said most of it. Thanks to Judy Blem for dealing with the whole thing and providing this video from the show. I left there feeling not so good about our performance. I found out later that the staff was telling people to sit down when we were trying to get them up. I guess some of the staff were pretty nasty to people trying to get in. Bummer.

Micky's Second Season Hair.

2007-08-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of Kindergarten. No crying. No freak-out. Who is this kid? When I was her age, I went ballistic when I had to leave my Mom for the first day of school. I remember beating the hell out of the Principal and pulling his beard when he tried to separate me and my Mom. I'm so proud of her. Over dinner, she told us how she has a few new friends already. One minute they're in diapers, the next in college. This is going to be painful.

She Wears Denim Wherever She Goes or If I Lost My Mind, Would You Help Me Find It?

2007-08-19T21:30:00.001-07:00

What is happening September 1st? I got it on my gig calendar but with no information and it's making me nutty! Anyone know? Friday was a rare night off. For some reason, I can't remember what we did. Saturday was spent cleaning out part of the garage for the arrival of bathroom parts. That night, I had a gig with Charlie Pickett at Alligator Alley. I usually use the drums there and bring my own stands and wouldn't you know it? The one night I get lazy is the night things are broken. I had to construct a cymbal stand with some parts and a mess 'o duct tape. It worked though and that's the important part. The gig was so-so. Rick was in the Keys with the Dillengers so his place was taken by a mess of people. Me being one of them. Since I've been blowing my ears out lately, I wisely decided to wear ear plugs. Earlier in the day, I bought some heavier-than-I-normally-use drumsticks (zildjian zak starkeys) so I wouldn't break them right away like I usually do. That didn't really work. Charlie plays quite loud so they were kindling by the third song.

John Salton and Kenny Lindvall(?) played lead first and then I was up. Bobby Tak from the Cichlids took over on the drums and I tried to keep up on songs i've never played the guitar to. Bobby left a trail of what was left of my sticks as he finished the night out. Debbie from the Cichlids took over on guitar and couldn't get it away from me fast enough. Sheesh! The best part of the night was my hanging out with Leslie and Karen. We talked music and records and stuff and it was great. Karen gave me a whole shitpile of Teenage Fanclub live cds and a DVD of some tv stuff I didn't have. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Leslie works at Blue Note Records and I found out they moved to Hollywood which is much closer....I can feel a road trip coming on....anyone up for it?

Today was a celebration of my family's August birthdays at Lucille's BBQ. That was fun seeing my Mom and Dad and sister and everyone. I got stuffed which mad me real tired but I had way too much work to do to nap. Tonight's Elwood's was almost completely unattended. It was hot as shit so I can't take it personally. We threw the game from the outset. Songs we've played for years were forgotten. Oh, well. I'm not gonna lose sleep over it this time. Just loaded the Ipod for this week with Soul Asylum and Buffalo Tom and that ought to hold me for a few.....minutes!

I've Completely Turned My Life Over To Satan or Have You Seen Me?

2007-08-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Who am I? Where have I been? I'm starting to doubt that I know. This week has been an overwhelming flurry of activity. I've spent more time traveling in the car than awake hours at home. Even now, I feel like i'm in motion when i'm not. When is the rubberband gonna snap? When am I going to show up at some stranger's house and walk right in? When am I gonna show up at a Funkabilly gig with a set of drums? When am I gonna be the guy on the interstate with the hollow eyes who doesn't know where he is? The answer: soon. Look at that fucking dead guy in the picture. I'm so tired. Worn out. When I do go to sleep, I wake up only a few hours later. I can't remember what good sleep feels like. Right now, I have a headache that feels like i've been shot in the forehead.

Tuesday, I had a meeting about a project with the Dillengers that's gonna take up even more of my time. I don't feel too good about it but it's gonna bring in money. I could use some of that right now as all my shit is falling apart. I've got a few guitars I can't use 'cause they need repairs. The new amp is a fucking disaster. I don't even wanna look at it. I'm so discouraged (you can stop reading now 'cause there's gonna be a whole lot more complaining...SORRY!...i gotta get it out somehow). Wednesday was a rehearsal for the gig with Jim Wurster at the Bamboom on Thursday. Thursday's show was a pretty good one. At rehearsal, we were sitting while playing and Jim thought it would be cool to do that at the gig so we did. We played Neil Young's Cowgirl In The Sand and I just made feedback noise for a full 5 minutes. I really enjoy the sound of feedback....and making it. We had Chris DeAngelis from the 18 Wheelers on bass, so the musicianship went up a few notches. He's just an over-all swell guy and I love talking records with him.

I didn't get home until the wee-wees and it showed the next day (today). I could not get a grip today. I was walking around at work like a zombie (rod argent? colin blunstone?) counting the hours till I could get out. During lunchtime, I went to Starbucks and had a coffee and that made everything right 'til it wore off. This is how i've given my life to SATAN. I even bought a renewable gift card for myself 'cause i'm always there. I never wanted to be one of those GEN X-GOATEE WEARING-PSEUDO INTELLECTUAL-POETRY READING-COFFEE GENERATION-BASEBALL CAP WEARING-POPULAR KID IN SCHOOL (educated) geehaws who sit around at Starbucks all day typing into their laptops like they're solving all the world's problems right there. Bastards! I wouldn't fit in with them either. If i was reading this, I wouldn't talk to me anymore.

Tomorrow, I have to clean out my garage to make room for bathroom renovating supplies. Tomorrow night, i'm at Alligator Alley with Charlie Pickett and that should be fun. His crowd has always been very nice to me. Sunday, Elwood's. Next week, Wash/Rinse/Repeat. Thursday, I have a possible Funkabilly rehearsal for our gig at the Bamboom on Saturday. Friday, O'Hara's. Saturday morning is supposed to be a rehearsal with this Dillengers project. I'm a little concerned about our Saturday gig. Tickets are 12 bucks and I hope some people come to watch us get blown away by The Spoon Benders. There's supposed to be some kind of All-Star jam at the end that i'd rather not have anything to do with. But I will.

Sunday, my sister is throwing a combo birthday for my Dad, sister and Kris somewhere. Lord (or somebody), help me. After that, RUN to Elwood's. l should really shut up now. There's starving people in Apopka.

Last night on the way home, I thought it would be cool to form a band with Pete on drums, Bob Wlos on pedal steel and guitar, Chris DeAngelis on bass and me on anything else.

Tralalalala.

2007-08-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today at work, I was listening to John and Yoko's Double Fantasy and it brought back a load of memories. I remember it came out in the winter of 1980. Whenever I hear it, i feel cold and it reminds me of the the time leading up to John's death. The night it happened, I was watching Johnny Carson and the news scrolled on the bottom of the screen. I was completely gutted. John Lennon was my biggest hero since I could/can remember. I remember being in a daze and not believing it. Anyway, I also thought of how you have to have thick skin to be a Yoko Ono fan. I just love when idiots say how she broke up the Beatles. We all know they were tired of each other long before she came along. If John would have fell in love with a trombone, it would have taken him away from them. He just needed to do something else. I honestly feel that they would have stayed together longer if they would have taken a good size break from it all and regrouped after doing individual projects. We'll never know.

I really love Yoko's songs on DF. Kiss Kiss Kiss is like new wave from the period with excellent feedback guitar. I love her in the same way that I love Nico. Their stiffness and cold approach helps the material. Yoko can do no wrong as far as i'm concerned. The first brush I had with her is/was a signed book a friend of mine gave me a long time ago. He met her at an art show and got her to sign one of her books and he didn't want it. He had the same negative attitude most Beatlefans have. She's got fucking Ornette Coleman on her shit, for chrissakes! The second brush came when she was on tour for the Rising album (there's some heavy shit on that album and some yummy wurlitzer) and she had a stop at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. My roommate Mel and I got tickets and went.

During the show (which was awesome), I had the misfortune of standing next to this really weird guy from LA (who looked kinda like Jim Martin from Faith No More-the guy in the picture) with pink glasses and a very odd outfit. How'd I know he/it was from LA? He kept telling me over and over again. Apparently, he'd seen the show the night before and probably annoyed the crap out of everyone around him there too! He kept screaming "YOKO...YOKO, I LOVE YOU!!!!" whenever it was quiet. You HAD to be there. Sean was playing guitar and the rest of the band was made of John Spencer Blues Explosion members. At the end of the show, we waited out back for them to come out. I brought a Sharpie hoping Yoko would sign anything I had. An eyeball. An arm. A breast. She came out and saw this lady with a thousand lps going "Can you sign these?". She politely declined and moved towards the van that was taking them to the hotel. I got bold and asked if I could shake her hand and she allowed me to. I told her I loved the show and she thanked me. Sean came up behind her and said he saw me in there (we were near the front and I had fire-engine red hair at the time...hard to miss) and he liked my hair. Like a dork, I said "I like yours too!" Duhr!!! They split and all I could think about was I just shook the hand that touched John's penis. Granted, it had been washed many times since then but one can't help thinking of these things.

Early Morning, April 4.

2007-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

I came home for lunch today and I continued watching the Stax Records Story I taped last week from PBS and, boy, it made me sad. I left off when Otis Redding went to Monterey and when it continued it talked about his plane crash. There was a hunk of it displayed at The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame when we went there. The guy was only 27 years old and had a family and everything. Shame. Then they went on to talk to a guy who was right behind Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was shot. He talked about what happened when that picture was taken and other people talked about how it was never the same after that. I'm glad I wasn't around then. I don't know how I would have handled all that. I know I would have been in a few of those marches and gotten the shit kicked out of myself for doing so. We need him now.

Everything Is Broken.

2007-08-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Last night was the debut of my new Gibson amp and it wasn't good. It started sounding really weird after the first few songs. Luckily, I had a spare amp in the car and I had to use it. I have no idea what the problem is and I can't afford to fix it right now so I guess i've got an oversize Gibson paperweight. After sounding like crap for a while, I threw the game. It did get better. That afternoon, we had a rehearsal that was actually productive. We tightened up a few oldies and learned Van Morrison's Domino. We ended up playing it at the show and it went OK. I can't really sing (?) that high. Pete came and played War Pigs and very nearly smashed the drum kit into Georgia. We had a good conversation about the local musician's elite and how we're not part of it.

I heard our Bamboo Room gig on the 25th is selling pretty well. Surprising. Tonight, Bill was out so Charlie played Elwood's with us. I had a fried pickle and broke a forest of drumsticks. I saw Chuck there but he didn't stay too long. Here comes another crazy week. I got rehearsals on Tuesday (w/Dillengers) and Wednesday (w/Jim Wurster), gigs on Thursday (Bamboo Room w/Wurster) and Saturday (Alligator Alley w/Charlie Pickett....The Dillengers will be in the Keys without me) and my boss is on vacation for two weeks starting Wednesday. I should be dead.

good and bad.

2007-08-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

This last week was weird. Nice things happened to me. A co-worker of mine overheard me cursing my watch and he gave me a new one! My boss started talking about Ipods with me (i had a 40 gig dealie but i misplaced it somewhere...or it was STOLEN) and the next day he gave me a brand new one! Weird! I should probably start talking about 3 pickup Les Paul Customs or Paiste Giant Beat cymbals. I love my new Ipod. My last one was such a hassle. I went through three of them 'cause they kept locking up on me. By the time I got the last (lost) one I had, i was burned out on all the problems. This new one is a massive improvement. I downloaded No Direction Home (the bob dylan movie) and now I can watch it wherever. It's got a great feature where I can slideshow photos so now I can show Jojo (joy) to the world. Thank you Ipodgods!

I've been sleeping like total shit lately. I keep waking up in the middle of the night and I can't get back to sleep. I've been coasting on fumes most of the time. Last night, I took a Benedryl (which sometimes helps) and it just gave me a nasty hangover today. Blah! Tonight, i'll probably take two and wake up Tuesday. I hope. Tomorrow is the first Funkagig in a while so i'm sure i'll be freaked out all day. This is the first gig with the new amp. I hope it doesn't blow up. I bought new bandpants (scotchgard Dickies) and I pick them up tomorrow from the tailors. They're gonna be all stiff so i'll have to wash them a few times. We're actually gonna rehearse tomorrow afternoon so maybe we'll have a new song to fuck up at O'Hairy's.

Tonight, I introduced Jojo to The Monkees' TV show. She loved it and I figger we'll be listening to them for a while. HEAD is such a great movie. And the soundtrack is great, too. Porpoise Song is one of the great psychedelic classics. I've also been listening to Teenage Fanclub's Songs From Northern Britain and that's kept me happy.

And They Were.

2007-08-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Keith/Gabby/Grandma/Jojo/Kris/and I saw The Fab Four at the Kravis Center in WPB and they were great. We were pretty far away, so they looked even more like the real thing. The George was spot on. They had pretty much the right instruments and suits and wigs and stuff. It was fun and also Jojo's first concert. It was great to hear her sing along to "Can't Buy Me Love". Totally worth the price of admission. I hope they come again.

What's Your Name? Who's Your Daddy?

2007-08-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

And I Won't Forget The Way You Helped Me Up When I Was Down.

2007-08-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Last night's Bamboom was OK. There was a few people there and that made it easier. I bought these sticks at Rez Drums last week 'cause I liked the way they felt, but they must be stunt sticks 'cause I broke one in the first song. That's why they were in the bargain bin. Probably looked cool...to somebody. My friend Sean showed up and we ended up talking way over the limit (which happens just about every time) and I was/am way tired. I was dragging ass at work today. New MOJO came out and that's always cause for celebration. Right when I got home, we ran to the Hard Cock Restaurant/Museum/Casino/Gas Station/Encyclopedia/Sock/Banana/Cobalt China/Disco Stu/People Place to see the ZOMBIES!!!!!! Oh....YEAH!!!!!BABY!!!!!!

We ate some crummy pretzels waiting to get in. First up was Joey Molland's Badfinger. Listening to interviews and knowing his story, I was inclined to hate him/it but was pleasantly surprised. He didn't originally sing any of the hits, but he did a real good job. He gave Pete Ham credit so he's OK in my book now. "Baby Blue" and "No Matter What" were big highlights. A great start to the show. Next up: Country Joe McDonald's. Country Joe is a punk. He started his show with an instrumental. Bored the old hippies to sleep on that one. He only made a dent when he did the FISH cheer and when he was selling t-shirts. Next up: Felix Cavaliere's Rascals (basically the same backing Badfingers). He looked like a mean little shit who should be on the stoop smoking cigars with the other dagos. Country Joe invaded his set during "People Got To Be Free" and danced around like an embarrassing Dad playing air guitar and having no clue what the words to the song were. Felix did a great job and I got busted singing loudly to "Groovin'" which is a great fucking song. In the interim, I saw Sean up on the balcony.

Next up.....THE ZOMBIES!!!!! If I had big breasts, i'd flash them right about now! They opened their show with a failed single, "I Love You" and that was TOTALLY unexpected. Everyone was on top of their game and playing well. Colin's voice sounded amazing....like he was 20 years old again. Then they played Ray Charles' "Sticks And Stones"(one of me and kris' faves) and continued to lose the stupid hippies but we were going BALLISTIC!!! Next, they did "Time Of The Season" note-perfectly. My only complaint was the guitar player was closer to Eddie Van Hamburger than our dearly departed Paul Atkinson. They also did Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" and "Tell Her No" and closed with "She's Not There" which really got the Grandparents out of their seats.

A super-stellar show. Big highlight: Kris leaned over to me and said "Maybe we should fly to London to see them perform 'Odessey and Oracle' ". I tried to look around for any of the guys afterward to try and meet them, but they were out of sight. It would have been nice to tell them how much their music means to me. Oh, well. Maybe next time. After the show, we hooked up with Pete at City Limits and watched Crazy Fingers do their thing for a while. Tomorrow, Jojo comes home and I can't wait!

Thanks, Dave!

2007-07-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is the best I could do with the provided materials.

Ouch. You're On My Foot/Balls.

2007-07-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

I've got a humongous headache that's not going away. I took a pain killer and I hope it does what it says. My neck is out of whack and that's probably what's doing it. Last week, I had some self-esteem crushing moments with other people that set off a mild depression so that's why I haven't written much lately. I'm better now. As promised, this week has already been busy. Jojo went to NC with Grandma and I REALLY miss her. I've been having dreams about her. I don't remember what's happening in them but she's in them. I hardly ever remember my dreams the next day. Maybe they're never good. Who knows?

Sunday, we saw the Led Zeppelin tribute band at City Limits and they were kinda funny but good. The Bonzo-alike did a great job on Moby Dick and the Robert Plant-alike had big balls...like the real one. Last night, we saw the Simpsons' movie and it was very funny. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Tonight, we saw the newest Harry Potter and that was good also. We very rarely get to see any movies with my schedule and the kid and all. It was a treat. My face is starting to hurt. Tomorrow: Bamboom. Thurtsday: Zombies. Friday : hopefully no headache.

The Sound Of One Hand Snoring.

2007-07-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we chose tile at Lowe's to re-do our bathroom. Before that, we went to Pei Wei and ran into Keith and shared dinner. We talked about our experience podcasting with Dave and agreed it was a success. If you'd be interested in listening to three know-it-all critics spewing their boring opinions about some music they like, by all means, go here. We bag on each other, perform sexual favors for each other and music is discussed somehow. Saturday, Jojo leaves for NC and that's got me and the moms (sic) down. Tomorrow, I rehearse with Jim Wurster and finally give Bob back his drums. I'm gonna be sad to see them go but what are you going to do? I have another gig-free weekend (minus Sunday) and Kris and I are going to see the Radiators at The Culture Room Saturday night. And I guess a gang of us are going to Resurrection Drums that afternoon to shop and I broked (sic) my floor tom and need them to fix me up again. Thanks in advance, Drum Gods!