And On the Seventh Day he created The Beatles

We left off with a cassette player with dead batteries, relieved parents, and we are pulling into Paris, France.  Although I was going into 3rd grade I remember that European trip fairly well all these years later.  We began in Holland where my uncle and his family were living.  Uncle Freeman worked for a chemical compay and was constantly being transferred and moved all over the States and to places like Europe.  He was my dad's older brother and a bit of a jerk; as years went on he became more of an asshole to my parents and Freeman's 2 other brothers.  But that's another blog.  Here we are in the summer of 1978 (I think) and in Europe.  


My biggest memory of Holland is that each neighborhood had these amazing playgrounds with  jungle gyms and these guys were all wooden and each park was different.  Also there were french fry stands everywhere and they put mayonnaise on their fries.  CRAZY!  But delicious.  Both families traveled together for about a week where we went to Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia (it was a country back then) and Italy.  When it came time to go back to Paris we split up as Freeman's family had already been and wanted to see some other parts of Europe.


(Side note: in Austria I saw a poster for a Beethoven concert with a picture of his bust on the poster - although I was a little American kid I knew he was a big deal but I had to ask if he was still alive.  Turns out he wasn't.) 


So we arrive in the city of lights - Paris!  We stayed in a hotel in the city where I continued my love affair with Orangina, the fizzy, citrusy drink we discovered on our travels.  I remember sitting on the street at a cafe eating breakfast and drinking the golden deliciousness.  Hey, technically it wasn't soda!  We saw the Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, and the highlight of my sight seeing - walking under the city street through the catacombs.  Creepy but amazing.  Maybe that's why I have so many skull tattoos...


By now you are saying "I thought this was about drums?"  Here we go gentle reader:


One morning in Paris my brother and I were our room goofing around.  For awhile he would ride the elevator up and down and I would run up and down the stairs trying to catch him.  Ahh you crazy Americans!  On this particular day I think (it's a little hazy here) Mom and Dad were downstairs at the cafe having coffee and they let us kids hang out in the room.  I do not recall my sister being there so maybe she was with them.  Anyway my brother and I in the room horsing around; the windows are wide open as it is a lovely, warm summer day in Paris.  The hotel is U shaped with the bottom part of the U on the street side leaving an enclosed courtyard in between the two sides of the hotel where all the rooms are.  Or we are very close to the next hotel and there is a courtyard in between us, that detail is hard to remember.  All the windows are open on both sides of the courtyard and I can see the maids cleaning the room across the way.  All of a sudden I hear this sound, this music, that literally stops me in my tracks.  It's as if  I am hearing music for the first time on a conscious level - I do not understand it fully but I understand that it must be important.  The beat grabs me; the rhythm makes me move closer to the window so I can hear better.  I turn to my older brother and ask "Do you know who that is?"  He answers casually, "The Beatles," and is not moved by the sound.  How can you be so nonchalant?  This is the greatest thing I have ever heard!  Yes I know I've been alive for only 8 years but come on man!!  Can't you dig that crazy sound?!


I suppose you are wondering what the song in question was.  I found out again from my brother that the song was "Birthday".  If you know the song you can imagine what grabbed my attention: it was the 8 bar drum break in the middle followed by the clanging guitars and the repeated words, "Yes we're going to a party, party" and that build up and up and up.  I have heard the song hundreds of times since then and when it comes across my ipod it still brings a smile to my face and heart.  I am even lucky enough to sit in with Beetle down in Houston once in a great while and the song is a joy to play.


So... I hear the song, I am shell shocked, and I find out from my aloof brother that it is indeed The Beatles.  As soon as Dad returns from breakfast (or wherever he was) I beg with him and plead that, "When we get back home will you pleeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzeeeee get me a Beatles record.  ANY record by the Beatles I don't know any of them so any one record would be great.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"  SInce Dad can get almost any record in his store he comes through with flying colors:  The Beatles Rock n' Roll Music, released by Capitol Records in 1976, a double album:

I like the "thumbs" holding the sides of the album.  The center of each record was a red label with an old style Coca-Cola glass full of Coke and a straw.  The track listing is below.  Notice the lack of ballads - this is Rock N' Roll!

[edit]Track listing

All tracks written by Lennon/McCartney, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Twist and Shout" (Medley-Russell)
2. "I Saw Her Standing There"
3. "You Can't Do That"
4. "I Wanna Be Your Man"
5. "I Call Your Name"
6. "Boys" (Dixon-Farrell)
7. "Long Tall Sally" (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell)

Side two

8. "Rock and Roll Music" (Berry)
9. "Slow Down" (Williams)
10. Medley: "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" (Leiber/Stoller)/(Penniman)
11. "Money (That's What I Want)" (Bradford/Gordy)
12. "Bad Boy" (Williams)
13. "Matchbox" (Perkins)
14. "Roll Over Beethoven" (Berry)

Side three

15. "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" (Williams)
16. "Any Time at All"
17. "Drive My Car"
18. "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" (Perkins)
19. "The Night Before"
20. "I'm Down"
21. "Revolution"

Side four

22. "Back in the U.S.S.R."
23. "Helter Skelter"
24. "Taxman" (Harrison)
25. "Got to Get You into My Life"
26. "Hey Bulldog"
27. "Birthday"
28. "Get Back" (album version)

I played the grooves off this record and analyzed everything about it: I had a hard time telling when George sang, who that singing "Boys?" and I noticed right away that not all the songs were by Lennon/McCartney.  I thought to myself, "Who was 'Berry' - he has a few songs here and 'Perkins'?  Who are those guys?"  I soon realized that this was bigger than Elton John and The Carpenters and Roy Clark.  It was even bigger than "Convoy."  I had to find out what and why this was so big and so important.

Little did I know that this album would chart a new course for me and change my life forever.

Random beginnings

Hey there.  My fellow lefty drummer and all around groovy guy Andrew has given me the go ahead to write about my musical adventures going way back to 1975 so prepare for some self indulgence but hopefully a few interesting anecdotes.  Possibly very few.  Deep breath... here we go.


I have recently had the pleasure of interviewing fellow drummers about their oral histories - where they came from, how they got started, where they are going, etc... and a lot of them have said that they were influenced by a family member who played drums or their parents played the radio all the time or their mom was a HUGE Elvis fan.  In most cases the influence has been close to home.  I do not recall being influenced by any member of my family.  I had a cousin, Tom, who played in a rock band but that is as much as I knew at the time and that may have been after I was already into music.  I have a yellowing and fading Kodak picture of myself on Christmas day, 1975 playing what looks to be part of a kiddie drum set.  The shells were some sort of spun metal (tin?) with thick paper heads.  When the heads broke I would turn the drums over and play until those broke.  When those broke then there was no more drum set.  You couldn't replace the heads since there were no tuning rods on the drums.  I do not even recall why I got the drums.  I don't think I was tapping on pots and pans or anything like that so I must have just asked for a set of drums out of the Sears (or Montgomery Ward - anyone?) catalog.  In 1975 I was 6 years old.  I think I played the drums along with the radio to the best of my ability although since I grew up in northern New Hampshire I can only imagine what was playing on the radio.


One caveat growing up where I did was that my dad owned his own drug store.  Being a pharmacist he bought the business and ran the daily operations.  In addition to medicine, candy, and gifts the store had an "old fashioned" soda fountain complete with the stainless steel ice cream freezer, Coca Cola dispenser, hot peanut/nut display with a small scoop and paper bags to hold them, an old school Hamilton Beach shake mixer (we called the shakes frappes pronounced "fraps") and a big mirror behind the counter.  In addition that bit of cool Americana old school set up he sold records and cassettes in the store.  This was a constant source of music for me although my tastes more or less followed the Billboard Top 40 and what I could get on radio or learn about from older friends.  My real music education would not take place until I got to college - such is the life growing up in a remote small town with no cable T.V. and spotty radio reception.  The fact that Dad could get almost any record from the distributor will come into play later on in my life.


Dad loved music and mom liked to sing along with the radio and she had a pretty good voice as far as I knew.  Dad sometimes could be very particular about his music - at the Colebrook House (a hotel/restaurant/bar owned by a family friend) Dad would show his distaste with certain selections on the juke box by approaching the offensive music box and with a stealthy kick he would skip the needle off the 45 and the next platter would begin.  This was after he had a few belts in his system and was feeling feisty.  I think when they sold the Colebrook House and had a farewell party my Dad was invited to kick the hell out of the jukebox.  I'm sure he did.


Ahhh the jukebox... one of my favorite devices ever.  Back when I was a kid you could get 3 play for a quarter.  Since we were family friends with the proprietor at the Colebrook House we kids would hang around the bar; my brother getting high score on the table top Pac-Man and I would beg for quarters for the juke box.  Stevie Wonder was one singer that stood out in my mind - "I Wish" and "Sir Duke" were the real popular hits on that box.  That's probably why when I bought my first Stevie Wonder CD it was the incredible Songs In The Key Of Life.  The jukebox was my glowing beacon in a rather boring upbringing.  Even the local diner had individual juke boxes in each booth.  Every once in while when I go to a Johnny Rockets I'll throw a nickel in and pick some winners.  Play B-6, I love that song!


My chronology is out of order... but in second grade I received my first communion from Father Bellfay.  That is not the correct spelling of his name but I cannot remember how to spell it.  (Mom help me out here.)  We wore our little robes and our wooden crosses on a string and had a big ol' party in the church basement.  It was sort of weird - all the recipients sat at a long table and our parents swarmed around us taking pictures and whatnot.  I do remember we had cake and we all had our picture in the local paper which I thought that was pretty cool.  For my communion present from Mom and Dad I received a portable cassette player with some cassettes and they were all The Best of the following artists:


Elton John
The Carpenters
Roy Clark


An interesting combination but this was all music my Dad was probably into at the time.  Nonetheless I now had my own music box I could take anywhere and play anytime.  Soon thereafter my neighbor turned me onto "Convoy" by C.W. McCall which I thought was the greatest.  I ended up with a C.W. McCall tape that contained the offending track and I played that tape over and over again.  I did not realize at the time that I was listening to a version of country music; even the Roy Clark tape was music to my ears.  His "Ghost Riders In The Sky" was some scary shit even instrumentally.


That same summer we went to Europe to visit my uncle Freeman and his family and I brought the tapes and cassette player with me.  I sat in the way back of the car and played "Convoy" all throughout the first part of our trip until the batteries died.  When I asked for some new batteries Mom and Dad came back with "Sorry there are no American batteries in Europe."  That may or may not have been true but the family was probably glad to be rid of "Convoy" for a few weeks.  So I tried to enjoy the rest of the trip without The Rubber Duck and C.W.  Luckily something happened in Paris, something wonderful, that charted my course forever.


To be continued....

Autobiography - Informative yarn or self-indulgent tripe?

I've been reading a lot of music autobiographies lately.  In the past few months I've read the following:

• Lobotomy by Dee Dee Ramone
• Hound Dog by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
• Bumping Into Geniuses by Danny Goldman
• We'll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives by Paul Shaffer

and just finished yesterday

• Tommy Land by Tommy Lee

My general assessment is this: I need to write my autobiography.  Especially after reading Lobotomy and Tommy Land.  Dee Dee and Tommy are not great writers and their books were a little disappointing although I cannot exactly figure out why.  Paul's book was all over the place and Danny's book didn't make sense until he hooked up with Led Zeppelin.  The only book that had any coherent direction was the Leiber/Stoller book.  Years ago I read Levon Helm's book This Wheel's On Fire - that was a good read.  But it seems most biographies are better reads when an author is telling the story from an outside perspective.  In an autobiography the subject talks about his/her self and there is hardly any self-editing.  In Tommy's book he had a running dialog with his dick.  To me that's sort of dumb.

So I should write my own story. Why the hell not?  I've done the same thing these guys have done (sort of) on a much smaller scale, I can be witty and entertaining, and I think I am a better writer.  My brain has not been fried with drugs or alcohol and I remember a lot of details from previous years and gigs.  It would probably be interesting only to me but that's o.k.  Shakespeare said, "Self-love is not so great a sin as self-neglect."  Dig it.

So.... where to begin?  I was born... 

Shut the fack up when George is singing!!!

I posted the other day about how Vinny Appice was not too old to rock n' roll.  Albeit 54 is not that old but to play heavy metal it might be in the upper age bracket.  For a singer though, you are only as old as your pipes.  That's why Sinatra toured into his late 80's.  He could still technically sing even though he uses a teleprompter and sat on a stool.  The aforementioned Tony Bennet is still singing and he's getting along in years.  February of 2010 we saw Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson sing.  Merle was top notch; Kris sang the same words to 2 different songs but he figured it out.

Last night we saw George Jones at the Star of Texas Rodeo sing and perform on the revolving stage.  We were super excited and he started out with "Why Baby Why".  I'm not going to say we were let down.  I'm not going to say we were disappointed.  George will be 80 in September (a fellow Virgo!) and he has done much more in his musical life than I will ever do.  But he is old.  He had 2 teleprompters on stage that he referred to constantly.  His voice, though on excellent pitch, was the voice of an old man.  Every song was slow(er) and he only raised the tempo for the fiddle instrumentals and "White Lightnin'".  Most every other song was in the ballad tempo range.

He is George Jones.  He is a classic Traditional Country icon.  He showed up, did the gig, and during his victory lap in the Dodge Ram pickup truck you could see he was smiling and waving and that he was having fun.  I was glad to see him perform as you never know how long some of the older folks will be around.  He is George Jones.  I forgive him for reading from a teleprompter.  He is George Jones.  It's ok if he sang quietly and slow.  He IS George Jones.  He is country music.

So know for the promised smackdown.

When the concert started there were 3 girls sitting directly behind us who started screaming when George took the stage.  I mentioned he started with "Why Baby Why" to which these girls SCREAMED the lyrics.  So Liz and I moved down 5 rows where there were seats available and away from the screamers.   As the concert went on we noticed another sound.  The sound of 2 different girls talking LOUDLY over the music.  As I also mentioned George was singing very quietly and we were fairly far from the stage.  We looked around at them to give them the eye - they were oblivious.  The couple in from of us started to look around as well.  They would talk very loudly through each song and then when the song was over they would clap and go "Whooooo!" as if they were actually paying attention to the music.  At one point the lady in front of us turned and said "Could you keep it down?  We're trying to hear the concert."  Nothing.  Liz turned around and said "Really guys could you quiet down?"  Nothing.  By now all of our dander was up.  I wear 2 rings on my hands - on my left is my tungsten wedding ring which is one of the herder metals; on my right is my "ECH" silver carved ring.  I turned around and banged my hand on the metal bench row behind us LOUDLY, using my ring as an attention getter (a little metal on metal).  I think I hit the bench 3 or 4 times.  There was stunned silence by this particular group.  I was so pissed I don't even remember what I said.  Probably something like "Would you stop talking?  We are trying to hear the show!!!!"  To which one of the harpies said "Excuse me?!  I have never...." the sound trailed off as the blood was POUNDING in my head.  I have not been that mad... in a very long time.  Needless to say except for a few childish remarks and their own tapping on the bench (not nearly as loud and Liz said "That behavior will get you thrown out" and she meant it) the rest of the concert was enjoyable.  Of course these assholes cheered the loudest for "White Lightnin'" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today".  Two great songs but... too obvious.  He played some killer songs that I hadn't heard before and I though those were very poignant.  If you want to talk during the concert stay at home and play the hits on your fucking iPod.

Now I know this is not classical music or an intense jazz show where you are "forced" to listen - that music tends to command your attention.  But any music worth listening to should command you to listen.    And this was one of those times where you want to listen, you have to listen.  I guess for that matter EVERY concert or show I have been to is one where I wanted to hear the music.  I didnt want to go and talk.  Maybe it's just me.  I am too used to being on the stage that when I am the general population I can't deal with it.  We had the same thing happen when we saw Merle - 2 assholes yelling during the concert.  They got thrown out.  OK enough rambling.  Let me know your thoughts.  He is George Jones.

Back In The Saddle... again

Welcome back.  I had my first gig since the 2011 SXSW Massacree last week with Two Hoots And A Holler last night at the Highball.  We followed the venerable Dale Watson, of course, and the room was filled with plenty of regular (from the dancing crowd) but also a lot of gawkers and yuppies.  Is that still a word in our vocabulary?  I would say there were a lot of "tourists" - people who are out of their element as it was.


You have to give it up for Dale - The man basically built Ginny's Little Longhorn one gig at a time and he is an Austin institution.  Here's my question: does trombone belong in country music?  I vote no but I never liked trombone.  Anyway after hearing Dale play before us for several gigs now I can honestly say I've heard his whole deal and it is what it is.  It almost seems like he's retired in Vegas every Thursday night, playing The Highball which has sort of that Vegas "vibe", wearing a smoking jacket and being serenaded by a 3 piece horn section.  Maybe that's the way he likes it and that's totally cool.  After all the shit that he's done in his life he would probably love to retire in Vegas.


So Dale Watson and His Large Unit* (there's 7 of 'em) eventually got off the stage and we were set to our task ahead.  Luckily a large number of dancers stayed around for our set which was good thing.  But I give our actual performance a B+ despite all the dancing.  The effects of last week's shenanigans was apparent in my own playing and even Matt mentioned putting on a brave face for the show.  All in all it was a very good night with people dancing to each and every song.  


I was paid one of the highest compliments by Marlon, a dancer who I have known for many years.  As he came onstage to thank the band he said to me, "You are a real dancer's drummer."  To which I replied a simple "Thanks Marlon," though I was deeply touched.  As the drummer I feel it is my duty to get people on the dance floor.  The band has a big part in it of course, but most people move to the beat.  Providing a foundation that these folks can two-step, twirl, and dip to is my goal.  They came out to see US, the least we can do is make them dance.  Do I want them to be moved by the lyric of an original tune?  Yes.  Do I want them to applaud the guitar solo?  But of course!  It does bring a smile to my face to know that they are on the floor, moving and shaking, because of my contribution to the beat.  I feel the same way about the Oldies Band and Mike Stinson's band - yes we are here to entertain, maybe enlighten, but we also want to see you on the dance floor.


Speaking of enlightenment I am going to see George Jones tonight.  I figured I better see him before he kicks the bucket or worse.  What's worse?  Recording a duet with Justin Beeber.  You know some old guy is gonna do it - people love that duet/crossover bullshit.  An old guy... like Tony Bennet .  Jesus... if it's the "Tone-ster" I'm going up on the roof with a rifle.  You have been warned.  And I'll let you know how George was/is.


*they are actually called Dale Watson and His Lone Stars


  

Never too old to rock 'n roll

I recently found out that a drum hero of mine (from when I was kid) is working with a new band on a new project.  In my younger days I was into the "heavy metal" (I know... shocking) and really enjoyed the Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath and the subsequent DIO band and albums up through "Dream Evil" and then I turned my attention to more rootsy stuff like Little Feat and The Band.  That's college for you.


So the drummer in question was/is Vinny Appice who is the younger brother of rock legend Carmine Appice.  Vinny is a New Yorker and followed in his brother's footsteps - while Carmine was on tour with Vanilla Fudge Vinny took his older brother's drums and began to fool around on them.  He eventually took some lessons and like most teenagers started a rock band and began to record.  He eventually ended up in a NYC studio down the hall from John Lennon who was recording with Yoko.  I can only imagine what was being laid down on tape... Anyway this led to Vinny recording with John Lennon (on some obscure tracks) but they also appeared on TV - wearing all white and some crazy-ass face masks.


Here is guy who was in the right place at the right time and recorded with one of the biggest stars of rock/pop music.  However, John had to recognize that the kid could play his drums.  He wasn't some wanker who was trying to cut a demo in the studio next door - he was a bona fide musician.  Was being Carmine's brother a plus?  Probably.  But I stand by my previous statement that this brother could lay down some mighty fine beats.


I could go on and on about Vinny's life and times.  Fast forward to 1980.  Vinny is a 23 year old dude playing drums and leading his own band called AXIS and he is hand picked to join the heavy metal kings Black Sabbath, halfway through their Heaven & Hell tour and the rest is metal history.  He made charts for the first gig he played at an outside ampitheater and during the show the rains came and blurred out the charts.  Welcome to the big time kid!


Vinny does not play like a traditional metal drummer.  He plays fills the way he wants to; he plays very interesting fills and reacts to the music almost like a jazz drummer would.  Vinny is a powerful drummer and his ability to play the sludge tempos is nothing short of amazing (check out "After All - The Dead" or "Shadow Of The Wind" and you'll understand.)


His new project is called KILL DEVIL HILL and it is shaping up to be a very heavy deal.  I am actually looking forward to some new music, meaning music that was recorded within the past 20 years.  What's the whole point of all this rambling?  Here is a guy who is 54 years old and still wants to create new music and he is not afraid to beat the hell out of the drums while doing it.  And that boy can HIT.  He has earned his stripes, he is making music on his terms, he is an inspiration.  I have recently rediscovered his playing by listening to some of my old DIO and Sabbath recordings.  He sounds as fresh as anything that's out there.  Good for you Vin.

Anti Establishment begins at home.

Matt Brooks, guitarist extraordinaire, shared an article on Facebook that got me to thinking.  If you want to read it you can click here:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/riot_at_sxsw_death_from_above_1979_show/

The author mentions an incident that happened when a band called Death From Above 1979 played an official showcase at the Beauty Bar on 7th street and when a few hundred folks were turned away things turned ugly.  I have several comments and even posted some on my friend Kelly Strait's FB when she posted an article about the incident.  Her comment was "Rock and friggin' roll".

I know my rock history pretty well.  Rock was an anti-establishment music from the get go.  I mean the fact that white, suburban kids were listening to Little Richard scream that classic "WHOOOOOOO!!!" must have been a shock to their parents who were enjoying Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window."  There was Chuck Berry, there was Bo Diddley, then Elvis showed up shocking the world with his gyrating pelvis.  Shock rock indeed.  Then the 1960's showed up with even longer hair, psychedelic music and more drugs.  The 1970's had punk rock and the Eagles.  I'm not sure which was more shocking but to my ears I'd have to go with the Eagles for pure shock value.  The 1980's saw the real rise of metal and then hair metal, again hair metal wins for shock (shlock) factor.  1990's Nirvana turns the tables, Alternative rock is on the rise, and rap and hip hop begin their domination.  But the 2000's it's all pretty much a crap shoot with the emphasis on crap.

But is there really any relevant music being forced down our throats these days?  I mentioned this to Liz the other night as we were eating at Zen and listening to their satellite radio over the speakers.  The music was definitely from the 1980's and Liz said "I wonder if half the people in here know what this music is" referring to the fact that many of the patrons were young and born well after the 1980's.   My point was that music today does not have the same relevance it did even 25 years ago.  I bet we will still hear Nirvana on the radio but will we hear Lady Gaga?  Will we hear Arcade Fire?  Will we be excited when Say Anything comes on the radio?  Nope.  There's a reason why you ill still hear the Beatles on corporate radio.  That music endures, today's music evaporates.

So back to the article.  Will anyone care about Death From Above 1979 in a month?  No.  WIll anyone remember their name?  They might since is a pretty asinine name.  I think historically they will be relegated to the by-line of "Oh wasn't that the band that had the fence torn down at SX this year?"  But their music?  Nah.  Forgotten and filed away in the dead letter office.

Breifly let's discuss the so called "fans" at that show -   those people that were tearing down the fences, throwing bottles and screaming "FUCK YOU!" to the cops and the security guards are the worst kind of music fan.  They do not care about the scene, the city, or maybe even the band.  They are the worst kind of asshole - those that feel entitled and have no accountability.  I despise people that have those sets of "values" - those that think they are allowed to do whatever they want so long as they don't get caught and don' cause harm to themselves.  They believe that it's ok if someone else gets hurt because:  "Dude! At 1'47" you can see me throwing the bottle on this YouTube video.  Rock n' Roll!!!!"  Shut up asshole.

Truth is SXSW had given up on bands long ago.  The article mentioned above hits the nail on the head - when assholes like Kanye West are playing at SXSW then the festival has jumped the shark and lost its soul.  I felt that years ago when the Beastie Boys played at Stubb's.  I love me some Beastie's but I don't want them here during SXSW.  The record industry has made several colossal blunders during its entire history beginning in the 1930s and continuing until this day as they lay on the mat gasping for air as the referee is counting to 10.  SXSW is the next bout on the card.

To my original point - is the music at SXSW anti-establishment?  No.  If your band accepts a bid to play at SX you are part of the establishment.  If you volunteer to play in somebody's parking lot you are feeding that same monster.  Did any of my gigs fall under the umbrella?  Possibly - especially when your audience is the band that played before you (because you are using their back line) and the band that is next.  There is no reason to do that.  I hated every minute of it at Sam's, Waterloo Icehouse, and the second set at Giddy Ups.  The coolest shows I played this year were showcases put on by (and for) friends (Jimmy D @ Highball, Ginny's, Steady Boy, Cornell) or shows that were sponsored by my own band, in this case the Two Hoots deal at Trophy's which was an incredible night of music.  No entitlement, no hipsters, no bullshit.  Just honest music played from the heart.  The only destruction was a few drum sticks.

The Sunday Rundown

My hands felt so tired last night that after the last show (the VERY last show) I went to Walgreens and bought some Icy Hot to help with the soreness.


So... here we are on Monday morning and still carrying the SXSW hangover.  Not induced by alcohol but by drumming and lots of it.  If you've been following along I truly appreciate you for reading this and your comments have been most excellent so I thank you.  


This last week has been the busiest SX I've seen in a long time.  Luckily almost everything was running on time (except Sam's... amateurs.) and we all had a rocking good time.
Yesterday was Sunday so that means after 5 hours of sleep it was time to get up although I could hardly move.  After a shower and some breakfast it was time to leave for the afternoon gig out at Jimmy Quill's.  We fought through the midday traffic (on a Sunday?! oh right... Austin...) and drove out to the rural southeast part of town.  I didn't want to say bucolic because that, to me, sounds like it is pleasing to the eye which it is not.  Many trailers and run down homes but hey I guess you gotta live somewhere.  Jimmy's place is a sort of anomaly in this area:  a really beautiful two-story farmhouse with a detached out building which has a recording studio built inside.  The studio is very once complete with a shower, a kitchen and of course the control room.  Out back next to the studio is an airstream trailer which can be used for guests that may be recording for several days at a time.  I guess Blues Traveler was in there this January although I heard a rumor they were just hanging out.


Jimmy is from L.A. as is Mike so there were plenty of L.A. people hanging about.  
Michael Des Barres was the emcee, the Vitamin Water truck was making a delivery,  and the air was filled with the scent of pretentiousness that can only happen this time of year.  So we set up the studio gear to our liking and kicked off the set at 3:30, only a half hour past our start time.  Mike Stinson is a great songwriter and we did our best but I knew I was tired; I tried to put on a brave face.  End result -  not our stellar gig of the week.  Hey you - the extremely tall guy with the rattlesnake boots, leather pants, gray hair/beard playing the harmonica?  Yeah YOU - you are not helping the situation by jumping in on the tail end of "Taking No For Answer" which was definitely a low point in the show.
But we finished and after brief good byes we were out the door and back in traffic this time heading north upon which I fell asleep in the car even though the drive was maybe 20 minutes.


When I got home I crashed hard with Dottie on my lap and had dreamless sleep for about 30 minutes but I woke with a start at 7:00 PM and here is the dialog I had going on in my head:


You're late for a gig!
No... Wait... No we don't play now.
YES WE DO!  Get up - they have already started!!
No... we play at 9:00
Are you sure?
Yes.  Go back to sleep.
OK but I still have the feeling we need to be somewhere.
Would you shut up!


Liz woke me up at 7:40 where she had ordered and I guess picked up food.  I ate in stupefied silence watching "The Return Of The Jedi" on tv.  Then I got in the truck and headed down to the G&S lounge to play the last set.


Rick had emailed everyone earlier that his voice was gone.  He thought he might have blown it during the last song we played at Ginny's the night before.  The plan was for Matt do sing most of the songs and we'd do some instrumentals, "Sukiyaki", "Come ANd Take It", etc...  However upon arrival Rick is speaking fairly clearly, albeit a little hoarsely and the plan is to switch between Rick and Matt singing.  Excellent.  Larry Lange and His Lonely Knights finish up their set of Gulf-Coast R&B and we take the outside stage.  We are the last band to play this portion of the festival and the rest of the music will take place indoors.  This is a Steady Boy showcase in conjunction with the extremely grizzled John Conquest and 3rd Coast Music.  We kick off the set and soon people are dancing and tapping their toes.  It does my heart good to see Grady Pinkerton tapping along and bobbing his head in time.  For the uninitiated: Grady is a badass guitar player in town and a very snappy dresser.


We work our way through the set and things are going well.  Our energy level is rising as each song goes by and we had a great time and great gig.  Matt's borrowed amp totally blew out my right ear but we had a good time and it was great that our fans came out and still had the energy to dance.


Matt's quote of the week, "There were 3 things I wanted to do today: #1 - play this gig; 2 - eat a meal with a fork; 3 - go see the next showcase indoors.  I'm going home so I accomplished 2 out of 3."  Classic.


My next gig is on Thursday at the Highball.  We play from 11:30 PM-2:00 AM so if you're out and about come say hi and maybe take a turn on the dance floor.  And I apologize for my lack of witty rejoinders or insightfulness.  My brain is totally shot of deep thoughts but I expect after a few days rest I will be back to my wise-ass self.  See you soon and thanks for reading.

Saturday - The blisters arrive / Sunday - The final scene

8:30 AM - Too early especially after a late show at Sam's.  I arrived at the Continental Club and, as I mentioned, the smell of puke was wafting through the air.  I met Davey Schoenbaum and Mikey T. at the club and we began to set up the gear.  Allen and Jim arrived shortly after and began to get the pancakes in order.  David BB and Dazzling showed up shortly thereafter and the Oldies began to take shape.  David and Pete spent the rest of the time outside whipping the crowd into an Oldies frenzy and true to Mojo's Mayhem-ness we got the doors open by 9:30.  By showtime the front room was packed with a few folks hanging in the back.
We kicked off with "Double Shot Of My Baby's Love" followed by "California Sun".  I also play a different version of that song in Two Hoots so I actually had to engage my brain for 2:45.  The rest of the set was Oldies Oldies Oldies.  W employed "Sweets For My Sweet" which is a fairly obscure Drifters tune but we made up for it with "Hanky Panky".  This is the show the blisters begin to bubble up.


1:00 PM - A brief break for lunch with the family then I headed down to The Broken Spoke to play with Miss Leslie.  


2:00 PM - Miss Leslie's set begins.  Wayne Turner joined us on stage and sang the hell out of "Heaven Can't Be Found".  Leslie was awesome as usual.  A good short set and by 2:35 we were out the door.


3:00 PM - Waterloo Icehouse for some deal with some L.A. friend of Mike's.  Luckily the band The Lusitania let me borrow their (big) drums so there was no set up involved.  Pretty straight ahead Mike set and it was good to see Chris Johnson at the gig.  We had a brief chat and then I headed down to Tom's.


4:00 PM - Tom's Tabooley.  I know... a Mediterranean restaurant serving up live music.  Hey, it's SXSW EVERYPLACE is a live music venue.  But they do normally have acoustic shows there during the week.  Anyway I set up the house kit to my left-handedness and get ready to rock.


4:30 PM - We do a short Two Hoots and A Holler set.  We do play the new songs which are taking on a life of their own and they are great. 


5:00 - Load my drums into Brendon's van to be delivered to Ginny's later.  I go home, take a much needed shower and change my clothes.  I am beginning to get tired and have a hard time constructing complete sentences.  Off to the Highball.


6:15 - Arrive at the Highball and to my delight there is another set of house drums to use.  If I had to tear down and set up all day I would have been dead hours ago.  I have a cocktail and relax with the band until it's time to play.  The showcase run by Jimmy Deveny and his band are running ahead of schedule  That is called PRO, people.


7:15 - Two Hoots completely annihilates the crowd - people are dancing like dervishes, others are rocking in their seats, and those folks in the back are looking on in stupefied amazement.  They are probably thinking, "This is a country band?!"  This may have been our best show ever.  EVER.  So far anyway.  I was on cloud nine after that gig.  Off to the G&S Lounge!


8:15 - Arrival at the G&S.  We are playing inside and there is a band outside.  In the front room there is already a good crowd.  I set uo the house kit (yes!) to my liking replacing the craptastic Zildjians with my Sabians and we begin the last Mike Stinson set of the day.  Much to our delight... no... much to our dismay the smoke machine kicks on during one of the songs.  I'm sorry folks but Mike is not really a smoke machine sort of guy.  We finish at 9:30 PM and I am out the door to drive back to Ginny's to finish out the night.


9:55 - Ginny's.  A decent crowd of many tourists.  The band is playing with Chris Staples who was kind enough to fill in for me for the first set.  As I mentioned earlier I had Brendon deliver my drums for Chris to use and during the break I thanked him, paid him for his time, and re set the drums southpaw style.  We took to the next set but I could tell we were all tired.  I still had gas in the tank but halfway through the last set I played a drum fill (a small, short solo) and it was then I realized I had finally run out of steam.  The past 4 days of gigging and little sleep had finally caught up with me and my body was telling me it's time to call it for the day.  We played until 12:45 AM and decided we had all had enough of SXSW for another year.


Standing outside drinking a beer with the boys was a great way to end the day.  We were laughing, cutting each other up , and just hanging.  Yes, it's all that male-bonding bullshit but it is that bullshit that makes you realize how much you love playing music and when the chemistry is right you know it's 100% RIGHT.  Music is fun.  Did you know that?  Sometimes when you play a ton of gigs it can be cool but not a whole lot of fun.  Music is supposed to make you smile.   When the guitar player plays something cool; when the bass player is grooving just right;  or when the lead singer turns around and gives you smile like he knows that you know that this is the coolest thing in the world and it's happening right here, right now.   It's a few hours of leaving everything else behind and communicating on a different level with a different language that makes music so special and important in my life.


Although this is the end of SXSW I still have 2 more gigs today.  3:00 at Jimmy Quill's party... how may L.A. people can cram into one house?  That'll be a Mike Stinson show.  And then a 9:00 show with Two Hoots and A Holler at the lovely G&S Lounge.  Come on out.  I know it's a school night but all the db's are leaving.  Its safe to come out now...


PS.  Tired?  Yes.  Sore?  Yes.  Excited for the next gig?  HELL YES.

Friday's highs & lows - Saturday's preview

Welcome back. I'm doing today's post on my iPhone so please excuse any spelling errors.
Friday was a taste of things to come - played a 20 minute set at Maria's to an enthusiastic crowd but playing for 20 minutes is sort of ridiculous. You barely get warmed up and then you have to stop. I ran out of there and fought my way north to go to Rick's Norwegian party. He has many friends from Norway visiting and had a big ol' spread at his house. We visited with everyone for 20 minutes and then shoved a hamburger down my throat before heading back to Ginny's for a second happy hour set in 2 days with Mike. 3 hours later I was about to leave my drums at Ginny's for the rest of the weekend - due to scheduling I was hoping to leave my drums for everyone to use through my gig Saturday night. James Intveld totally kiboshed my perfect plan thereby screwing things up for 3 other drummers. The best laid plans....
A quick shower and a change of clothes and I was heading back south to play with Mike at Sam's Town Point. Where I was informed that we were running behind. By an hour and a half. So after playing to a small crowd I made it home around 1:30. There were quite a few people from L. A. and I heard all about it. It's nice that so many people come here from California and talk about California all the time. At some point if you live here you should stop talking about the old and embrace the coolness that is Austin. I only wish these folks would embrace TEXAS.
After a few hours of sleep I am now sitting at the Continental Club with the smell of puke wafting in the back door. To quote Robert Duval from Apocalypse Now, "I love the smell of vomit in the morning. It smells like... victory."
So today's schedule: 9:30 AM Oldies (10:00 show)
2:00 Miss Leslie at the Broken Spoke
3:00 Mike Stinson at Waterloo Icehouse
4:30 Rick Broussard at Tom's Tabooley
7:15 Rick Broussard at The Highball - best set of the week.
8:30 Mike Stinson at G & S Lounge
9:00 Rick Broussard at Ginny's
If you so the math on those last 2 shows you will see a problem. I've had to hire a drummer to cover for me for the first set at Ginny's. Today is the first and last test of "the pressure of time". Wish me luck - it's almost 9:30!!!!

St. Patrick's Day shenanigans / Friday at last

Wednesday we ended up fighting the traffic and crowds and went to see Carlos Hernandez and family at Flatstock - the SXSW sponsored poster and art show at the convention center.  We wanted to say hi but to also pick up my new drumhead which Carlos custom screened for me.  I'll include a pic in this blog.


Then after some queso and a salad (they counteract each other... right?) I took a quick nap and headed to my happy hour set at Ginny's Little Longhorn.  For the uninformed Ginny's is a must-see bar on Burnet Road; a shotgun sort of shack where they serve beer and wine (how old is that wine?) and you can buy set-ups if you bring your own liquor.  Country music reigns here and Texas sports are always on the TV.  On Sundays the venerable Dale Watson performs and hosts "Chicken Shit Bingo" where Ginny's prized pet chicken will walk around the covered pool table and crap on a number.  If she craps on your number you win some cash.  Good clean Texas fun.  Back to the gig at hand...
Mike's show was easy and fun.  I was still half asleep for the first hour but I was laying it down and the band sounded good.  There was a large L.A. contingency to see Mike so that helped out.  Afterwards I packed up and headed home for a little dinner and to change clothes for the upcoming Two Hoots show.


I got to Trophy's in time to see Nick Gaitan and Umbrella Man from HTX play.  In all my time living in Hugheston and seeing Nick everywhere I never did see his band play.  They were GREAT and I knew everyone in the group.  Afterwards we set up and to my delight and joy John X. Reed was going to play with us.  John is old school Austin, having played guitar with literally everyone.  One of John's claims to fame is playing the guitar lick on Roky Erickson's "Starry Eyes".  If you are unfamiliar then familiarize yo'self!  John always plays the coolest stuff.  Austin has plenty of guitar players that do amazing work but in my eyes and ears John X. Reed has that "something" that makes me smile from ear to ear when he plays.  Sublime is good adjective to describe his style.


So we kicked it off with our incendiary version of "The Times They Are A Changin'" which is a crazy way to begin but we were excited to play and we were off to the races.  We also included some new originals - "Halden" for the Norwegians and "I Cried and Cried (The Day Doug Sahm Died)" and, in true Rick Broussard fashion, a few songs by the Clash.  Rick sponsored the event so I think he was glad to be finally playing and he was in great spirits.  After we played I let Mike Buck (google him and see what sort of stuff he's done - wow) use my kit so I went and got some food and came back to hear the LeRoi Brothers tear it up.  Grady Pinkerton was playing guitar and rocking the house - A tremendous night for music.


Today - Mike Stinson plays a 20 minute set (I know... what the hell?) at Maria's Taco X-Press on South Lamar.  Last year we killed it so this year I expect that we will destroy.  Then I am running to the opposite end of town to scarf down a burger at Rick's Norwegian Party before setting up shop BACK at the aforementioned Ginny's for a 3.5 hour show.  Then we head to extreme south Austin to play at Sam's Town Point - 2 double wide trailers sewn together to make a bar/club.  


Do you see the real side of the music scene now?  Some folks think it's all rock n' roll and glam and free drinks and limos.  I am trying to show the REAL side of things.  Yes I used the bathroom at Trophy's and yes it is still a shithole, in fact it was worse than I remembered.  I have washed my hands 30 times since last night.  But then again I wouldn't change it for the world.


By the way here is the new drum head.... see you tomorrow.  At 9:30 AM!!!

Wednesday was a hit / Thursday - Look out people!

Howdy,
Wednesday: Giddy Ups in Manchaca, TX.  Country.  As in you are in the country.  Gracious hosts, cheap beer, decent crowd.  Miss Leslie played first and we were joined by Robert Ellis who plays music in and around Houston.  Great set of music and Leslie can really sing the hell out of a song.  There are few performers who seem to really set it all out there and bare their souls every time they sing and Leslie is one of them.  She is so technically good as a singer and fiddler and it is a joy to play with her.


Mike Stinson was up next.  We played ok but I think the venue and the crowd sort of threw off the set list.  Don't get me wrong - we played a good choice of tunes but the order was a little off.  For the last 2 songs I would have done "Set Up Another Drink" (country shuffle) THEN "Take Out The Trash" (a rocker).  We did it the other way 'round and it was o.k. but not face-numbing like it should be.  At any rate the crowd, albeit small, really enjoyed both sets.  Plus my parents and sister made it out so it was nice to see them.  I wish there was something more excited to mention but like I said it was in the country south of Austin and far removed from the wandering freak show that is SXSW Downtown.


Thursday:  Well we did it - we added another show at the last minute.  It makes sense really if you think about it.  Today is St. Patrick's Day so there are bound to be drunks at every watering hole in town therefore... why not play a Mike Stinson happy hours set at Ginny's?  Alvin Crow is to follow us but I need/want to get down to Trophy's when we finish.  


Tonight should be the killer set of the whole deal.  Two Hoots and A Holler is playing at 11:30 right before the LeRoi Brothers which should be amazing on many levels.  Rick is the actual host of the event so I am excited for him and excited to burn down that shithole that is Trophy's.  This is one of those clubs that when you go to bathroom you don't even touch yourself.  It's not as bad as that foulest of foul dumpsters from the other night but it is on my list of shitholes.  (Another notable shithole was the boys bathroom next to the bandroom when I taught music at Westside High School but that's another bog.)


Anyway if Tuesday's show was any indication of how Two Hoots can "brang it" then tonight will melt faces and make people dance their shoes off.  After tonight the rest of the weekend is a rollercoaster ride of music and gigs and facing "the pressure of time".  Tonight's the night.

Tuesday - The Aftermath / Wednesday - The Preview

Welcome back.  As I mentioned before we had to listen to a subpar band at BD Riley's before we played.  They were very forgettable to say the least.  However the drummer and the bass player were/are very nice guys who came to my Two Hoots show afterwards.
Many folks in the crowd knew Mike from his California days and they seemed to enjoy us, his new band.  Mike mostly stuck to the more rocking' new tunes and we laid it down the best we could.  I think we were a hit and the the audience enjoyed it very much.  When it was over I had to pack up my stuff and haul it 2 blocks east to the Jackalope.  (NOTE:  Dude from California who sponsored the gig:  It's very nice that you want to feed and drink the band however I would have appreciated a rented drum kit already set up for all bands to use.  Maybe even a bass rig as well.  6th Street was an absolute madhouse at 4:30 and trying to get through was a hassle.  So for next time: spend your money on gear and the bands will understand if their drinks aren't free.)
By the time we finished they had already started to close 6th street and the crowds were getting huge.  The film festival was wrapping up and the music fest was starting that evening.  Music was pouring from several clubs as Lance, Loren and I cart my stuff down the middle of 6th street (thanks guys).  We get into the Jackalope and the place is already packed.  The Moonhangers were setting up (thank goodness- real music) and getting ready to lay down their version of outlaw country.  Matt met me and handed my me wristband for the party:  he said it was a Tito's (TX vodka) party so who was I to argue?  I got a vodka on the rocks and had a seat to prepare myself for the rhythmic onslaught that would be Two Hoots And A Holler.
The MHS finished (brilliant, boys) and we set up only to find that the giant P.A. system belonged to another band and that Rick was going to have to sing through a little amplifier.  No worries.  We kicked off with "Shotgun Blast" followed by "Rock n' Roll, Honky Tonk Ramblin' Man" and then he said "Times They Are A-Changing, boys."   Really?  Now?  Third song?  OK!  We play the Bob Dylan classic as a train beat but our train is carrying TNT, gasoline, and 4th of July Fireworks as it careens down the steepest mountain pass at 300 miles per hour.  The audience was stunned.
There was a huge contingency of Norwegians there - all friends from Rick's many travels to that country.  Also there was many folks from my last gig there who seemed to be digging it.  We played 2 sets and rocked the house and then unloaded out the back next to one of the foulest dumpsters I have ever laid my nostrils on.  See folks - it's not all rock n' roll, free drinks and adoring fans.  Sometimes it's sweat, worn out muscles, and a stench that would kill a yak in 8 seconds.

TODAY:  Two country sets with the lovely and amazing Miss Leslie followed by a more honky-tonk set with Mike Stinson at Giddy Ups in waaaaaaaaaaaay south Austin.  I hear the place is huge and a real shit-kicking good time should be had by all.  At least it's away from the insanity that was downtown.  Today is looking like an easy load in and 2 great shows.  I'll let you know how it all turned out.

B. D. Riley's -The First Show

My thoughts about the band before us: Guys it's seriously ok to tune. If you've done it before it takes very little time and we, the audience, would appreciate it. Very much. Other than that they are boring as hell. At least they will be done soon.
BD's is one of those places where the stage is open to the street behind you so everyone gets to look at your backside as they walk by. I promise no performance or appearance of the plumber. I played here once a while ago with someone named Seth Walker. It was a Saturday night and the most memorable thing about the whole gig was that U Miami came back and beat the Florida Gators. That should tell you how interested I was in the gig (Seth's music is pretty dull.)
FER CHRISSAKES WOULD YOU TUNE THAT GODDAM GUITAR!!!

Tuesday - And So SXSW Begins

I believe I am more anxious for this year's activities more than the past few years.  Perhaps it's because there are so many shows to cover or the fact that I am living in Austin this year.  The last 4 years I was in Houston and I felt more relaxed about the whole affair.  Even in 2009 where, on a Saturday,  I backed up the Oldies Band, The Twang, Roy Head, Barbara Lynn and Andre Williams in one day - hectic day but a very calm Eric.  (BTW - We backed up Andre 3 times that one Saturday.  By the end of it all we were all in another state of mind.)
  
Please understand: when it comes time for the shows to actually start I will be as cool as a summer day in Point Barrow.  But I do feel the anticipation growing...  Here is today's schedule and I will conduct a post mortem on each of the shows.


Tuesday, March 15:  Mike Stinson and The Working Stiffs will be taking it deep at B.D. Riley's on 6th street at 5:00 PM.  The previous sentence is a conglomeration of what I like to call "witty band banter".  Although we have been called many things "The Working Stiffs" is what Lance came up with.  He is always up for a good (or bad) penis joke.  The phrase "taking it deep" is our way of saying (jokingly in this case) that we will have a rough gig.  I am 100% confident that the show this afternoon will be fun and musically exciting even though it is on 6th street.


Then it's time for Rick Broussard and Two Hoots And A Holler at The Jackalope also located on 6th street about 2 blocks away from Riley's.  We start at 8:00 and play until 10:00.  I am not exactly sure how Rick did it but this is an actual paying gig.  On 6th Street.  On a Tuesday.  Rick.... you Rock!  Two Hoots has never been a disappointment  - the band simply kills every single gig.


The plan for today is to walk my gear from club to club since they are only 2 blocks away from each other.  I guess that is a blessing of 6th Street.  Check back later and I will let you know how Tuesday panned out.  
Ps. I have heard that the Jackalope has very good hamburgers.  We will see my friends, we will see.