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VIEWS UPCOMING FEAR + WHISKEY
SHOWS:
"The Omnichord was an instrument developed by Suzuki and first released in 1981. It has been used by musicians such as David Bowie, Eurythmics, Arcade Fire and countless other recording artists. The more advanced Q Chord has now taken the place of the Omnichord, but the kitsch appeal of the unique instrument continues to draw fans.
Went to the doctor early
this morning. Turns out I was entering into a third bout with pneumonia.
February 3, 2012 -
The underappreciated Dave Davies was born on this day in
1947.
As you know...I've written about this a number of times
on this website over the years...Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big
Bopper perished on this day in 1959 in a horrific plain crash.
February 2, 2012 - Well, I've
come down with my annual winter illness. The usual: sore throat, achy
joints, headache, etc.
January 31, 2012
- Amy, Zack and I had a good practice last night...not
like the previous one which was really full of fire, but better than
decent. We talked about doing an open mic thing somewhere before March,
but time's a-wastin' if we want to do something before the WXJM gig. "You can't arrest me...I'm a rock star." ~ Johnny Rotten
January 28, 2012 - A long time
ago, when I'd just started teaching creative writing at Harrisonburg
High School, I presented some sort of long-forgotten poetry prompt for
the kids to do. One of the girls turned in this at the end of class: January 26, 20112 - Amy, Zack and I had a very productive practice. Lots of fire. Now, it's the same old same old in that we're amateurs who get together once a week and jam for a couple hours and that means we are what we are...three average folks who get together once a week and jam for a couple hours, but for all the hiccups here and there, we're turning into a pretty rocking little band. I really like how "The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye" is coming together after we've only played it perhaps four or five times all the way through. (You can listen to a snippet of that song at the end of the mp3 below.) And Zack has really added so much through his powerful, intuitive drumming. Did get some downer news last night, however. Looks as though Amy is going to be heading to Europe in a year as an exchange teacher. So, unless the mythical manager we dream about every practice comes along and sets us on the road to musical and financial fulfillment, sadly Fear + Whiskey is living on borrowed time. I hope we can at least get in some tasty gigs here and there before Amy leaves. In the meantime, we'll be on the lookout for the mythical manager. If you want to listen in on some excerpts from practice last night, click here. (The track lasts about 13 minutes.) Tell me...is there another band website that gives you so much and asks for so little in return? Nah...didn't think so. On this day in 1970, John Lennon wrote, recorded, and mixed his new single "Instant Karma"...maybe my favorite solo John song. It hit stores around the world just ten days later. Of course, nowadays with this new-fangled thing called the "internets" you can record a song and make it available the same day, but back then creating a track in one day and issuing it on vinyl less than two weeks later was pretty incredible. By the way...wanna hear an incredible live cover of Lennon's "Cold Turkey" by the great Cheap Trick? This performance is just below the greatest live performance ever on TV by Neil Young in intensity. Sure you do! Go here...and turn it up. And here's a link to Neil's performance, because it's my duty to make sure you listen to this at least twice a year just so you don't forget how fucking awesome rock and roll is. "My role in society, or any artist's
or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell
people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a
reflection of us all." ~ John Lennon
January 24, 2012 -
The collages for The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye
ep are gone. Looks as if
Anonymous
is on the warpath, eh? But what do we care as long as we've got our
cable and hdtv? "Well, first of all, let me say that I might have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years. It was one of those phobias that really didn't pay off." ~ Warren Zevon "I give so much pleasure to so many
people. Why can I not get some pleasure for myself?" ~ John Belushi Wolfman Jack was born on this day in
1939. "Half the time I feel like I'm appealing to the downer freaks out there. We start to play one downer record after another until I begin to get down myself. Give me something from 1960 or something; let me get up again. The music of today is for downer freaks, and I'm an upper." ~ Wolfman Jack
January 20, 2012 -
The Ballad Of Jim Shelley has been accepted for
distribution by Smashworks. I don't know yet whether or not they're
going to accept the book into their "premium content". I'll let you
know.
January 18, 2012 - There's a good chance I will be
distributing my first book, The Ballad Of Jim Shelley, through Smashworks. If that does indeed end up being the case, it will probably
take about three weeks for the book to be available on Amazon, iTunes,
Barnes and Noble, and dozens of other online stores that deal in ebooks.
January 17, 2012 - We practiced last night, but it was not very good. We really struggled with vocals. I don't think we have a handle quite yet on what we want to be musically. But I am having a lot of fun playing with Zack and Amy. We'll keep plugging. F+W is an interesting concept and this will be the line-up, I think, to bring that concept to fruition in all its amateurish glory. Still mourning the Packers' loss
Sunday night. At least there was good news this past weekend for "my"
other team, the New York Yankees...they made a
classic
blockbuster baseball trade with Seattle,
one that benefited both clubs. "There were times when I blundered and got the dreaded look from the lads. But that was a good sign. It showed I'd attempted something I'd not tried before." ~ John Bonham January 15, 2012 - It's 8:21 on a Sunday morning. I slept on the couch last night because we had friends over and I drank a few rum and Cokes and when I do that I tend to snore, so I spare Mary Lou the torture. As far as football goes, this is my favorite weekend of the year, when all the second round tournament action takes place. That said, last night's game between Denver and New England was predictably terrible. Ah well. I had hoped for a tight game. I've got a song written for a new album. I might record it tomorrow. I might not. I'm getting ready to go grocery shopping. Talk to you tomorrow.
"A lot of times I find that people
who are blessed with the most talent don't ever develop that
attitude, and the ones who aren't blessed in that way are the most
competitive and have the biggest heart." ~ Tom Brady
January 12, 2012 - Didn't practice yesterday. It was pouring rain, Amy wasn't feeling very well, and I had some stuff I had to get done...maybe this weekend. On this day in 1995, Brian Temples, Dustin Bugg, George Finch, and I played the ArtSlab in Washington, D.C. One of the more memorable gigs we ever played, I must say. The place was filled with young pseudo-punks who I guess thought it was still 1976 and who all turned their backs on us the moment we started playing 'cause we weren't punk! Within a song or two, we'd managed to change their minds. Afterwards, a young guy with a mile high Mohawk came up to me and said (quietly, so that his buds wouldn't hear), "You guys were really good." The set list for that night was a good one: Don't Stop the Scream, Killing Time Again, I Hang Heavy, Negative Creep, Fade, Message to the King, Fat Woman Lying in the Street, Create, Abandoned, Lost. On the same night we were doing our thing, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was inducting The Allman Brothers Band, Al Green, the late Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Al Green, Neil Young, The Orioles and the late Frank Zappa. Pretty decent roster of talent there, eh? Maybe all those kids at the ArtSlab were pissed off 'cause they were missing seeing The Orioles perform on TV. "Old men do it better. We're not so sensitive in certain areas." ~ Robert Plant January 10, 2012 - I'm done with The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye compact disc. Go to the merchandise page for details on ordering a copy with a very limited edition 2"x 3" original collage by yours truly included! I've also completed editing on The Ballad Of Jim Shelley. I don't have any experience with converting a manuscript to an ebook, so I can't say for certain when it's going to be available on Amazon and the various other internet stores that sell that sort of stuff. However, I understand that some folks don't have a Kindle or iPad or whatever other device one might use to read an ebook on, so I will be selling it as a .pdf file as well so that anyone with a computer can easily read it. The .pdf version should be available no later than next Tuesday, January 17. But don't hold me to that date. This is new territory for me. The book is now 250 pages in length which is about 75 pages of additional material more than the version that appeared back in 2008-09 on this website had. It has been substantially rewritten. Rod Stewart was born on this day in 1945. Once a brilliant singer/songwriter/performer, he is one of the most tragic sell-outs in all of rock and roll history. Guess I oughta mention that Elvis
recorded his first songs for RCA on this day in 1956, including
"Heartbreak Hotel". Joey Santiago was born on this day in
1965. He was a much more influential guitarist than he's given credit
for, even though, much like Kurt Cobain, he was not technically very
flashy.
"Here is my theory on this one. If
you write things down, if there is a mystery and you try and explain
it, once you've written it down for permanent, in due time, it'll be
proven stupid." ~ Joey Santiago
January 9, 2012 - Been unexpectedly busy with working on the album, book, etc. I have finished the insert, lyric sheet and CD. I expect I'll post final details about this little glorified single called "The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye" tomorrow. On this day in 2008, the Plague Dogs (with me on bass) played the Rocktown Grill in Harrisonburg, VA. If I remember correctly, about eight people showed up to see us, which I guess is pretty much the fewest number of people I've ever played for (Got Nirvana beat! I think Kurt said their lowest was three and they played one of their finest ever shows that evening). We played really well. The set list: (Set One) Lost, Different, I Hang Heavy, Stanley The Steamer, River Of Blood, You Know You're Right, It, Salvation, The Thief (Set Two) You Don't Know Me, Release, Fly, My Friend, The Flow, Mexican Buzz Saw, Paint It Black, Fat Woman Lying In The Street, Little Metal Toys. January 8, 2012 - Amy, Zack and I had a really good practice yesterday. We focused almost exclusively on a few things we haven't had much time going over yet..."I Fell Inside", "Heaven", Ah Ahh Ahhh!", "Cave In", and "The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye". I will probably put up a few excerpts again tomorrow since they seem to be really popular. January 6, 2012 - I'm nearly done with the "new" e.p. and I think it's pretty nifty. It will contain "Nomi's Song (If You're Ever In The Neighborhood)", "The Music We Haven't Made Yet", "Six Shadows Lost", "The Kings Have Spoken", and "Reasons To Be Pretty" from the two Singles Of The Month releases back in early 2010, plus the solo version I did of "Blue Heart Drumming", plus three new tunes--"The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye", "Mary O'Brien", and "Watch The Stars". The five tracks from the singles series, which I always thought were kind of overlooked at the time, have all been remastered and remixed and all five are superior versions, and feature voices and instruments that have been (subtly) added back into the mix. I think this record is right up there with If I Should Fall (honest) and probably has some of the best guitar work I've ever recorded. The first few copies will also come with a limited edition signed 2" x 3" original collage, song by song notes, and a lyrics sheet. Collages will be inserted randomly into the album package and when they're gone, they're gone. You'll be able to purchase these extremely limited edition packages starting 7 P.M. next Tuesday, though that could change. Stay tuned for further, final details. Really, folks, this is a very cool little album.
January 5, 2012 -
I know you're gonna want to check out
the Grammy nominations if you haven't already, so
here's a link. You can even vote for
your fave artists like Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Pink. “Mediocrity is excellent to the eyes of mediocre people” ~ Joseph Joubert
January 3, 2012 -
We had a good practice last night. We still have a good
ways to go. But I think we've turned the corner to where I can tell
we're going to be a good band. We threw an awful lot at
Zack...twenty-two songs and he has learned them all in the course of six
or seven practices. We tried out two "new" songs last evening...Jane
Firkin's "Cave In" and my own "Ah Ahh Ahhh!", a song I've always wanted
to do (Dustin Bugg, Brian Temples, Mike Chiarello and I tried it out
back in 2004 but it never really clicked) and one that has proven to be
extremely popular on Spotify (unfortunately you only get paid about a
tenth of a penny every time your song is played). Amy will sing both of
those songs for the most part. I want to add another
new song next time we get together..."The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye"...which is going to show up on the "new" ep that I'm going to release (see
below) this month...sort of a If I Should Fall type record, only
in reverse. Sir George Martin was born on this day in 1926. Van Dyke Parks was born on this day in
1941. “When he comes in and listens to a song that you're asking him to play on and he turns to you and says, 'Hmm, that chorus goes a little long, doesn't it?' you (acquiesce): 'Yes it does. Yes, of course , Mr. John Paul Jones, sir. You are absolutely correct.' It really was one of the most special things that happened to me in my entire life. Sitting down with an acoustic guitar, teaching John Paul Jones a song I'd written while he's playing it on piano - it was too much.” ~ Dave Grohl On this day in 1964, The Beatles were glimpsed for the first time ever on American TV when a brief clip of them performing live ran on The Jack Parr Show. I can't recall if I saw this clip or not. I don't remember watching The Jack Parr Show since he tended to mock rock and roll and I just didn't consider him "cool". Of course, he was sort of the granddaddy of the late night talk show, so there is that. Bob Dylan and the Band began their famous 1974 tour on this day in 1974. We were fortunate enough to see the D.C. stop. There were more than 5 million applications for the 660,000 tickets and the "winners" were selected in a lottery style pick. I still remember well receiving the notice in the mail that we had won the chance to buy tickets to one of the shows. (You had about a one in eight chance of being selected.) The show (at the old Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland) was one of the better ones I ever saw, even though the sound wasn't all that great. January 2, 2012 - I think Fear + Whiskey will either practice this evening or Wednesday evening. We'll most likely focus exclusively on two or three songs we've barely tried or haven't run through at all yet (maybe Jane Firkin's "Cave In"?). I want to be up to twenty-five core songs by March 1, 2012...then we can add a random new song for each show we play from there on out. Don't forget...you can stream BOK (just three albums currently...don't know why In My Room isn't on there yet) on Spotify and download tracks there and on many other services...iTunes has all four BOK albums currently available online. I will make many more of them available in the coming year. Thanks to all of you who've been streaming BOK material on Spotify in particular! Turn others on to the music! On this day in 1971 the legendary
triple George Harrison album, All Things Must Pass, hit number one in
the U.S. and stayed there for the next two months. I'm pretty sure I
bought it the day it came out. I definitely remember wearing that record
out! On this day in 1997, the largely forgotten and surely underrated Randy California drowned in the ocean in Hawaii while heroically saving his twelve-year-old son's life. “Love always involves responsibility, and love always involves sacrifice." ~ William BarclayJanuary 1, 2012 - Happy New Year! Hope your New Year's Eve was fun. Mine was okay but sort of boring. Went out and spent 6-7 hours at an Eagle's. Couldn't drink since (as always) I was the designated driver. The band was good but it was the typical country/southern rock cover band that you always see around here. New Year's Eves almost always seem a little boring to me. This one wasn't much different. Lots of small talk. Dancing to songs you've heard approximately 7,675 times in your life and pretending like it's a meaningful experience. Etc. On the other hand, it's comforting to be around friends, isn't it? My New Year's resolution: Do more creative stuff than I did in 2011 and do that stuff in 2012 better than I did it in 2011. Also, don't die until I make at least one more good album. I'm pretty certain I'm going to
release "Here's To The Pleasures Of Saying Goodbye" and "Mary O'Brien"
along with the "Singles Of The Month" tracks from 2010 and my solo
recording of "Blue Heart Drumming". At least two or three of the S.O.T.M.
tracks will be slightly different with additional vocal and/or
instrumental parts. I will initially sell it as a CD and then a week or
two later as downloads. More information when I actually get some time
to work on music...something I haven't been able to do now for two
weeks. After that, I will begin writing and recording another
album...but I want it to be different. Not sure what "different"
entails. "I have 137 pairs of shoes and 200
pairs of jeans." ~ Frances Cobain
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