1.21.2004
puff daddy
I moved this dog n' pony show to Lucky's. I dashed out to have a puff, then sneezed from the overwhelming cold that I only experienced for a mere second. I'm amazed that I still live in this city. Ever feel like you've been cheated?
Oh, ebay and your electronic allure: look at your world of used basses, amps, pedals and other wond'rous doodads that I DON'T need. I keep telling myself that I some point I will need these toys for some distantly futuristic gig that may or may not ever happen....but I know that deep in my bones I don't need to blow all of this cash that I don't have.
I was compelled upon leaving my house to attend to my blog. However, the unknown verbs and nouns that tried to get out of my head have been lost in the aroma of fresh breakfast sandwiches and potent coffee. Which is how it should be.
Oh, ebay and your electronic allure: look at your world of used basses, amps, pedals and other wond'rous doodads that I DON'T need. I keep telling myself that I some point I will need these toys for some distantly futuristic gig that may or may not ever happen....but I know that deep in my bones I don't need to blow all of this cash that I don't have.
I was compelled upon leaving my house to attend to my blog. However, the unknown verbs and nouns that tried to get out of my head have been lost in the aroma of fresh breakfast sandwiches and potent coffee. Which is how it should be.
midwest conflict sideshow
What's wrong with this picture? It's 9 AM and I'm pretty much wide-eyed awake, even though I'd say my eyelids are about several millimeters from being bright due to the lack of caffeine and morning chow. I checked my fridge, my can of GOYA coffee, and they were both looking devoid of substance. I might be able to make a cup of coffee for a mouse, if one were so inclined to drink one. I also woke up with blood on my lips (which made me feel like I was in some schlocky but effective 70s horror flick with Christopher Lee) due to chapped lips which have suffered for far too long. It's also about 9 degrees outside, which really, is rather normal for Cleveland in January.
I woke up early because I think I hit the hay 'round 11 pm. I was up all night with Schafer, Caswell, and Washington the night before. We gabbed and smoked while I attempted to 'master' the Lives of the Saints tracks using GoldWave, a soundfile editing program. I don't really know how they came out. Schafer hasn't gotten back to me on the quality of said songs, so who knows--maybe I actually made something passable instead of half-assed. The rest was much-needed: I've been in the heat of battle against various viruses, sniffles and aches due to the nasty weather and the even nastier illnesses that have been crawling the streets. The next month's too busy for me to sit in bed and waste away.
Speaking of the next month, I'm proud to announce the latest string of dates from Cobra Verdeville:
February 3 - Grog Shop w/ Urge Overkill, New Planet Trampoline
February 6 - Chicago (as part of donewaiting.com)
February 7 - Indianapolis (as part of donewaiting.com, too)
February 20 - Akron at Lime Spider
February 21 -Beachland, Little Steven's Underground Garage Live! hosted by Little Steven himself.
February 28 - somewhere in Columbus, not sure where
But wait! That's not all! This Thursday Mr. Mike Uva and Hook Boy will be opening up for new Clevelander April March. It should be our last show for a while. The boys are too busy with marriages, other bands, and jobs. I reckon we'll pick up in the springtime or perhaps find some seriously plush gigs here and there as the need warrants.
And on Saturday, the New Lou Reeds will be opening up for the too-naughty-for-words bill of The Tough and Lovely (featuring my pal Carol from Columbus) and the Demolition Doll Rods (Detroit). After that, the NLRs are booked at Edison's on the 5th of Feb and then on the 13th as part of our friend Eric Schulte's Elixir Is Zog late-nite radio show on WCSB.
More info soon--possibly even today, after I get coffee and a sandwich.
I woke up early because I think I hit the hay 'round 11 pm. I was up all night with Schafer, Caswell, and Washington the night before. We gabbed and smoked while I attempted to 'master' the Lives of the Saints tracks using GoldWave, a soundfile editing program. I don't really know how they came out. Schafer hasn't gotten back to me on the quality of said songs, so who knows--maybe I actually made something passable instead of half-assed. The rest was much-needed: I've been in the heat of battle against various viruses, sniffles and aches due to the nasty weather and the even nastier illnesses that have been crawling the streets. The next month's too busy for me to sit in bed and waste away.
Speaking of the next month, I'm proud to announce the latest string of dates from Cobra Verdeville:
February 3 - Grog Shop w/ Urge Overkill, New Planet Trampoline
February 6 - Chicago (as part of donewaiting.com)
February 7 - Indianapolis (as part of donewaiting.com, too)
February 20 - Akron at Lime Spider
February 21 -Beachland, Little Steven's Underground Garage Live! hosted by Little Steven himself.
February 28 - somewhere in Columbus, not sure where
But wait! That's not all! This Thursday Mr. Mike Uva and Hook Boy will be opening up for new Clevelander April March. It should be our last show for a while. The boys are too busy with marriages, other bands, and jobs. I reckon we'll pick up in the springtime or perhaps find some seriously plush gigs here and there as the need warrants.
And on Saturday, the New Lou Reeds will be opening up for the too-naughty-for-words bill of The Tough and Lovely (featuring my pal Carol from Columbus) and the Demolition Doll Rods (Detroit). After that, the NLRs are booked at Edison's on the 5th of Feb and then on the 13th as part of our friend Eric Schulte's Elixir Is Zog late-nite radio show on WCSB.
More info soon--possibly even today, after I get coffee and a sandwich.
1.18.2004
bourbon street bash!
Despite the slippery, snowy roads and the permanent chill in the Cleveland night air, both the New Lou Reeds and Viva Caramel toughed it out to Columbus and played at Bourbon St. in Columbus, with the support of the righteous big man of Columbus' rock scene, Robert Duffy and his compatriots at donewaiting.com. Not that driving two hours south of CLE is a big deal; but this was a first for the NLRs and a rare one for VC, which will now be even rarer since that band's taking a break as family members are having babies, and also concentrating on their new project, Bloom, which features none other than Tim Tobias, the latest exile from the Guided by Voices camp.
Bourbon Street is essentially a rickety little neighborhood bar, with a seemingly makeshift stage, a portable PA, cheap n' easy beers, and a little taco/burrito stand in the back called "Taco Ninja", which I'll add at this point makes some fine, tasty veggie tacos. There weren't too many people during the early part of the night, when local openers Earwig took the stage. But they had some supporters who cheered wildly at their emotionally-wrought pop . Turns out the Earwig guys go way back with Viva Caramel--they talked about a time they shared a bill with DC's mighty Kerosene 454 on a night when jocks felt it was necessary to bum rush a punk rock show and start a violent fracas.
We, the New Lou Reeds, scrambled on with a shorter set and did, I think, a pretty decent job. We rushed through the tunes a little bit too frantically; I think that was due to the fact that by and large the crowd did not seem overwhelmingly into it. Not that we received zero applause. It's just when you're the new kid, well, why should anyone care? I had no real problems up there. The tiny stage was perfect for just the three of us; I could hear vocals fairly clearly (I think they were actually coming from the mains instead of the monitor, but no worries), Steve through down some kick-ass solos, and Jeff definitely held his own. I had a hot open clam here and there, but fortunately I worked it on out. As it stood, we sold a few discs, won over Bourbon St's booking fella, Curtis, and played in front of our "label head", Brandon, who was staying in Columbus with some friends.
Viva Caramel kicked out the jams without batting an eye. The set was quick, taut, and to the point, though one of the strange things about B-St's sound is that toward the back of the room, the guitars and such are barely audible, with the vocals being way up front. Moving up near the middle, everything evens out nicely. So I feel a little bit bad for those folks who should be listening and watching--they should have moved up a bit more to feel the entire VC experience. Alas, it's a narrow room, so if folks are already standing at the bar and milling about at the tables, one would rather stay put and within arm's reach of Taco Ninja. After VC's performance--as well as hanging out with them on the ride-- I realize I'm going to miss the band. However, things are looking up due to the Bloom situation--Tim and his brother Todd's album is already going to have distro and press, if just for the GBV thing alone. So hey--more power to 'em all. I hear that Todd and his VC backing band pals are taking a short jaunt down to Morgantown next weekend, to play at the wonderful 123 Pleasant Street (ain't been there in years, not since my OWN Viva Caramel days!).
After VC's set, we packed up, checked out a few minutes of the Stepford Five, got tacos, and headed back up to Cleveland. At approximately 5 am, an impromptu snowball fight started at the practice space. Everyone was laughing.
Bourbon Street is essentially a rickety little neighborhood bar, with a seemingly makeshift stage, a portable PA, cheap n' easy beers, and a little taco/burrito stand in the back called "Taco Ninja", which I'll add at this point makes some fine, tasty veggie tacos. There weren't too many people during the early part of the night, when local openers Earwig took the stage. But they had some supporters who cheered wildly at their emotionally-wrought pop . Turns out the Earwig guys go way back with Viva Caramel--they talked about a time they shared a bill with DC's mighty Kerosene 454 on a night when jocks felt it was necessary to bum rush a punk rock show and start a violent fracas.
We, the New Lou Reeds, scrambled on with a shorter set and did, I think, a pretty decent job. We rushed through the tunes a little bit too frantically; I think that was due to the fact that by and large the crowd did not seem overwhelmingly into it. Not that we received zero applause. It's just when you're the new kid, well, why should anyone care? I had no real problems up there. The tiny stage was perfect for just the three of us; I could hear vocals fairly clearly (I think they were actually coming from the mains instead of the monitor, but no worries), Steve through down some kick-ass solos, and Jeff definitely held his own. I had a hot open clam here and there, but fortunately I worked it on out. As it stood, we sold a few discs, won over Bourbon St's booking fella, Curtis, and played in front of our "label head", Brandon, who was staying in Columbus with some friends.
Viva Caramel kicked out the jams without batting an eye. The set was quick, taut, and to the point, though one of the strange things about B-St's sound is that toward the back of the room, the guitars and such are barely audible, with the vocals being way up front. Moving up near the middle, everything evens out nicely. So I feel a little bit bad for those folks who should be listening and watching--they should have moved up a bit more to feel the entire VC experience. Alas, it's a narrow room, so if folks are already standing at the bar and milling about at the tables, one would rather stay put and within arm's reach of Taco Ninja. After VC's performance--as well as hanging out with them on the ride-- I realize I'm going to miss the band. However, things are looking up due to the Bloom situation--Tim and his brother Todd's album is already going to have distro and press, if just for the GBV thing alone. So hey--more power to 'em all. I hear that Todd and his VC backing band pals are taking a short jaunt down to Morgantown next weekend, to play at the wonderful 123 Pleasant Street (ain't been there in years, not since my OWN Viva Caramel days!).
After VC's set, we packed up, checked out a few minutes of the Stepford Five, got tacos, and headed back up to Cleveland. At approximately 5 am, an impromptu snowball fight started at the practice space. Everyone was laughing.
