White Wedding - Rocks Off Concert Cruise 8/9/12 New York City

Take a great crowd, a very capable band, gorgeous skyline and set them to sea in The Jewel,..... and there is indeed a chance of mutiny. Top that off with a fully stocked bar and like minded partygoers on an 80s Concert Cruise and you have a recipe for mutiny-less and party-full dance cruise success.

Great Show for all involved, Everyone had a Blast and it is always different and daring to play on a moving vehicle. It was great to see the Jewel again so we boarded, set up early and sound checked late, had a plate of food and began set one upon castoff of the boat. The energy from the audience makes it all the worth while and this was a Great audience.

"These kids and their Bon Yovi"




The obligatory photo of the drums, for certain shows I expend plenty of energy getting Drums to and from places so there had better be a photo to prove they were there.



This is what you get when you shutter a camera in flash mode inside of an opaque garbage bag filled with ice and 23 Tecate Beers (I was having 24, the first one room temperature at the time).



still no one knows what eric did with his meal ticket.

not even the trolling gophers.



Diana enjoying a plate (Ziti, Salad, Meatballs) pre-show.

Patiently waiting on the chow line with 33 minutes to showtime my ear went to my bandmates behind me and J.C. makes some kind of reference to Diana's penchant for snacking often, yet keeping fit.

This is what I heard.

Diana: I don't know what you're saying, I eat like a bird.

J.C.: Bird's Eat A Lot.



Q: Where's Waldo ?

A: He's under the DEVO hat

Q & A are not people.



Possibly the worst plate of foodstuffs I have ever had (mind you I ate the Hot Dog and Meatballs).

The Food on Rocks Off cruises is usually killerish *, I even asked the ladies ferrying the food to and fro if the Empanada's would be served tonight,.... they were not.

(pictured above) - Supplemented Meatballs, Grade Z Hot Dog, Overcooked I guess we have to call them Ziti, Threw the Pasta out.

Decent Hot Dog Bun and Packet Condiments.

Our long time fan June was there and she snapped a few pics with her phone.

The view from the deck.



A brief and shaky birds eye tour of the Jewel captured to post here, taken with an iPhone 4.

* -  There is always the salad base of Iceberg Lettuce "which even though I was raised on" irks me still. I mean come on Its Not Even Close To Green !!! (apologies for shouting)

This Is Show # 184

White Wedding - Junction 46 8/3/12 Ledgewood, New Jersey

Nestled inside the lobby of a Quality Inn hotel is the Junction 46 hotel bar (not the butter), a dining room and banquet hall, we played the banquet hall. Junction 46 has an in-house audio engineer and stage monitors so everyone and my Bass Drum was very happy and could hear everything, always a plus. Everyone loved us and a few new doors opened, incidentally we listened to The Doors in the car on the way up.

During the Michael Jackson segment Rob had me in stitches as Michael introduced Cyndi Lauper on stage and his third number "Beat It" by exclaiming "Me and Cyndi worked together before, We Were The World, This is a song either about getting the crap kicked out of you or enjoying some time with yourself, I dont know"

The band performed very well tonight and I thank Dave for mentioning it because it made me play with that much more confidence and as we know confidence equals conviction.



Entrance to the parking lot.



It's Alive, ALIVE I TELL YOU !!!

After many outdoor gigs where you are in fear of your set list blowing away and many indoor gigs where you have to reach down to ground level quickly to check the set list between songs only to find it has slid under an amplifier or behind the stage I finally put my invention into use.

Now if we can only give it a name.



Between sets Diana munched on some Sweet Potato Wedges and sipped White Wine.



We were making very good time zipping our car to the show so we stopped off at a local Whole Foods at first to use the restroom but then the product variety and savory goodness took hold of four sixths of the helpless White Wedding clan and we stopped over for a bite to eat, I Mean How Could You Not !!!

First Off it's Diana (the band's foodie) favorite place and as soon as I set eye on the Edamane Succotash I became completely transfixed. Diana and Rob got Sushi (my very close first choice) which from my seating angle at dinner looked like Sugar Cookies, Eric chose the most promising Turkey Bacon Panini only to find it too dry to really enjoy so he got some Mustard packets and made the best of it. I saw some Indian Food at the Salad Bar and my mind was made up!!! Pictured above was my Dinner in a box which is (clockwise from 3 o' clock) Vegetable Pakora, Dirty Rice (they did'nt have Basmati or Saffron). Chicken Tikka Masala, Vegetable Samosa, Curry Chicken.

Delicious and the Chicken was "Pulled" or "Shredded" which is a very nice touch.



Fizzy Lizzy Yakima Grape!!!! Amongst the Hundreds,... maybe Thousands of beverage choices at Whole Foods how could I resist a Fizzy Lizzy ? and she me.



Rob also chanced upon a product he endorses, namely Singer's Saving Grace. Gleaning the ingredients list I was surprised to see "Jack in the pulpit root" amidst the compound as he used to be my local parson.



I met Brenda and her friends who had just gotten back from a Fuckaware party with some goodies.
Take a look at the F&%King Chocolate.



On The Way To Ledgewood and Victory.

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And Now, a rare glimpse into the mysterious world of "Soundchecks" as captured on my iPhone from behind the drum kit.



Rob referencing the Greatest Rock Film Of All Time "This Is Spinal Tap" as he often does at soundcheck to my delight.



Latina Diana befuddles our sound technician for a moment but all is well in the outcome.



Eric tells us "Hello" and sings it too.



This man has an endearing smile (5 second mark).

This Is Show # 183

White Wedding - Thai Rock 7/27/12 Rockaway Beach, New York

Just when you think you know what to expect you get the unexpected at least from my seat in the back.

Tonight we got to play outside on the deck at Thai Rock which is what we hoped to be doing last year but the doppler was chancy that night, tonight we got our wish and for me it was a muggy, sweaty, fixing my glasses all night to the detriment of my playing accuracy experience AND to top that off the lighting was so in my eyes I could see only shadows, the floor was so unlit that I almost tripped over the monitors a half a dozen times, I could literally not see my cowbell (well, yes it is black in hue) two feet in front of my face so forget about any hand gestures from Rob that allow us to end songs on a dime and with conviction, either way no train wrecks tonight and everything went smoothly as I truly did play on auto-pilot. We got a return engagement at the Roxbury Mardi Gras in Breezy Point that we played last year after someone in attendance remembered us, Small World isnt it.

Premiered tonight was "Everybodys Working For The Weekend" by Loverboy.



I spied this tasty little dish (of food) on the way in and while setting up the drums on the deck I placed these next to Diana and Rob at the bar since Diana is always eating and picking away at snacks, By the time I wanted some more a bunch of patrons were ordering drinks and hovering around my bird seed and it was not worth the effort.

note to self: next time bring the trail mix behind the drums.



Almost as important as the performance itself was the "Yellow Curry", Dave has been speaking of this for about a year and its legend grows long, and rightly so. This was Truly Delicious, the Chicken, Potatoes & Peppers are done to perfection but there is something really special about the Curry Sauce, I am sure there are a million ingredients but OH MY, 5 Stars right up there.




From here it looks like a photo shot from the audience at a concert but this is what I was actually looking at as the performer.



So I looked behind me eighty percent of the time into the calming waters of Jamaica bay instead.



FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK WE SALUTE YOU!!!



The facade of Thai Rock.

This Is Show # 182

White Wedding - Private Party 7/14/12 Malvern, Pennsylvania

Tonight we were truly a Party band because the party joined us on our makeshift stage. Once again not too many pictures since this is a private event but this was indeed in Dave's words "one for the books". We drove over two hours to Malvern, Pennsylvania and set up our equipment on the sun deck at (for argument's sake we will call him) Grant's house and were asked to make ourselves at home as we all banked on a rainless day which is what we got.

First set went without a hitch after which we had a bite to eat and some Beer, Water & Soda (depending on who you ask) and Grant brought us up some Beer and Wine to the deck. Second set was going smoothly but we had to vamp with a few Diana songs since we did not want the crowd (who were at the Piñata and Frozen Yogurt truck) to miss the Michael Jackson segment. Michael arrived but during his performance Grant decided to give us some liquid fun and proceeded mid - song to each band member feeding us Ketel One Vodka from the magnum to our mouths which was hysterical, decadent and just plain fun (we are so professional), afterwards Michael Jackson exclaimed "Well, its made out of potatoes so its healthy" then proceeded to ask for more "special juices" from the podium of which of course Grant obliged, the band was starting to feel a bit wobbly.

Third set was the "All Request" set and we started showcasing with Madonna and Billy Idol which led into the request portion interspersed with regulars from our show, we were asked to extend our third set and the band played on. Someone requested Led Zeppelin so we made up our version of "Rock and Roll" that I caught audio of with my trusty camera and we also did a version of "L.A. Woman" giving Rob a chance to get his inner Jim Morrison out.

Unique to tonight's show is "Call Me, Maybe & "Roller" by April Wine.

Premiered tonight was  Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero".

 

Dave's new 80s shorts and the extra 2X10 cabinet for outdoor shows boosting levels from a paltry 300 watts to a devastating 500 watts.



Another Pepsi accident waiting to happen *



Is it the Ketel One Vodka or did Spike just become a thousand times more attractive ?



Half of the band cooled in the pool directly after our performance.



Grilled Chicken, White American Cheeseburger, Homeade Mac & Cheese (obscured by Burger) & Corn Avocado Salad.



A bunch of the ladies accompanied us on this.



Off The Cuff and flying by the seat of our pants and dresses.

* - I have to give Jamie credit for this caption as I could not think of anything at all except "Eat It"



This Is Show # 180

White Wedding - Hudson & McCoy 6/14/12 Freeport, Long Island

It must be summer because we are in Freeport, Long Island for a weekend of two (almost) back to back shows on the nautical mile under the sky and out in the breeze. White Wedding began their show to an almost empty bar but the crowd grew to about 50 or more people that the music drew in who stayed for our entire performance.

Dave continues to find things to leap off of during song finale and this time it was a bench again but we love it and it was nice to see our sometimes lighting & sound techs Sean and Ginger come support us.

Incidentally,.... This is also "Rock Of Ages - The Motion Picture" opening weekend so we made the most of that in our third set as well (see below).

Premiered tonight was Madonna's "Open Your Heart" and Poison's "Nothin' But A Good Time".

At this stage of the game about 95% of the shows I play are live rooms with acoustic drums which are not mic'ed up nor amplified so the room plays every part in the sound aside from ring and dampening preferences and my drums (Ludwig) sounded really good tonight and this at an outdoor performance. I had concrete walls on three sides of me so that just might do it. Lets just say I could really hear the Bass Drum.



The view from my vantage point approaching 9 p.m. just as it was getting dusky darky.



Eric exudes confidence, quality and a never ending thirst for cosmic consciousness as long as the coleslaw is fresh and the riffs be tasty.



The drummer brings the Cheetos and is also taking a picture of himself without a viewfinder.



Sean may look like Jack the Ripper in this photo but he's really a capable engineer and drummer, You can find him here at Boardwalk Entertainment.



ROCK OF AGES !!!

The Stacee Jaxx costume which we are currently testing & finalizing.



Hudson & McCoys online event calendar.



uhh,........ Yeah !!!!

(6:30-10 p.m.)

This Is Show # 173

Photo Funnies - White Wedding

Rob: Look its no big deal one of us did not get Pepperoni on our sandwich, there was still Ham & Salami

Eric: But Dude, Im the one gypped out of the Pepperoni.

Diana: Whoa, Wait,... I'm a vegetarian, you guys had me eat Pepperoni ?!!!

Photo - Zeppelinhall Biergarten upstairs dressing room - 5/18/12.

White Wedding - Wedding/Vineyard Caterers 3/24/12 Aquebogue, New York

It all began with the Tarantula.

He of effeminate qualities but doing a dickens of a job performing maitre d'/wedding coordinator duties at the lovely (Shining-esque) Vineyard Caterers of Aquebogue, New York.

We arrived thusly on a slightly cooler day of the week at a chillier sixty or so degrees in temperature amongst cloudy skies to set up our gear at this wedding reception and were asked to take our sign down by Tarantula (fair enough we were independently hired).

Shortly after Dave asked if there was a place to store our keyboard, guitar cases and costume bag to which Tarantula replied "right this way booby" with accompanying "buddy" arm on back.

Later during appetizer's Rob was coordinating wedding party intro's/band start time whilst receiving accompanying "buddy" elbow peccadilloes from the Tarantula as well.

He also liked the band and told us so, well we did do a smashing job and I am pleased Tarantula liked us as well, I wound up liking him too.

J.C. is responsible for the "T" moniker, you ask him.

Dave and Rob remain disturbed by the incidents, Fab fellow was he though.



There was a Mariachi band serenading the guests during cocktail hour and into the dining hall where we shared performance duties with DJ Lane of All Around Sound DJ's.

The band played exceptionally well providing an 11 Song opening set of songs including Eric's (unplanned and impressive) vocal debut of "Your Love" by the Outfield and a last minute request of "Billie Jean", an 8 Song dinner set of quieter music (which I love to play) and a 11 Song Dancey Dance Party set that had the room grooving and up on the dance floor for our entire performance. A Great reception and fun crowd for White Wedding.



Over the bridge and through the woods to grandmother's house we go.



I was very much looking forward to the appetizer friendly cocktail hour and to compliment my glass of Cabernet Sauvingmignon I procured an accompanying plate of (from 9 o' clock) Eggplant Rollatini, Swiss & Cheddar Cheese, Chicken Francaise, Prosciutto & Gourmet Seeded Cracker's (probably of the water kind) which was followed by an irresistible plate of Fried Calamari (I Blame J.C.) and then for Dinner appetizers Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Antipasto and a Delicious Salad with a Sesame (Peanutty tasting) Vinaigrette followed by Stuffed Chicken with Squash and Roasted Potatoes in a Lemon Sauce (She DID say Mashed, She DID!!!) with Red Velvet Cake A La Mode for Dessert.

But more about the SALAD.

Dave (to Spike) - "What's the crunchy stuff in the salad ?"

Spike (to Dave) - "Croutons, Wait!,... I think its Captain Crunch."

J.C. (to Spike & Dave) - "Are You F**king kidding me, I said it wuz Walnuts"

and it was.



NYC Still Life.

This Is Show # 162

White Wedding - Zeppelin Hall 3/23/12 Jersey City,New Jersey

As can be seen I popped my Bass Drum head which only lasted me 17 shows !!! fortunately for me it broke during the third set. I think its because I have settled for the Remo Ambassador head as opposed to my preferred Remo Powerstroke head (store out of stock) or maybe its just time to try out an Evans Bass Drum Head, she is working nicely on the Snare Drum.

While not quite as crowded as Zeppelin Hall on St. Patty's Day there was still a turnout of appreciative onlookers and quite a few people taking photos of us without the help of Michael Jackson as Rob and Diana carried the main stage while the band held the rear down. Eric and myself are building a little camaraderie wherein I gawk at his little guitar tricks (L.G.C.) mid-song and he plays them while I speed up tempo (NONONO!!!). Being Zeppelin Hall we took a car service SUV back into the city and tonight's cargo was Jamie, Diana, Collette, Eric, Rob and myself so the car ride could be called anything but boring. We learned that Eric's fingertips have an upward turn and that Rob is double-jointed (the medical term not the other kind of joint). Premiered tonight was the Def Leppard anthem "Pour Some Sugar On Me"



I Love Rock & Roll !!!



Consigliere Amadeus Deniro.



Diana on Vocals and Guitar.



Diamond Dave sideways (until Photobucket fixes it)
addendumb - photobucket fixed it (5 hours later)



The Charming, Talented and Vivacious Eric Bair (he must be the new guy in the band what with me being so nice and all)



From the looks of this photo Rob is channeling his Kundalini into blue light.



Shiny Drums and cartoon "SESSION" drummer.



Jamie Girl & Eric.



.J.C., Uber-fan Giseli & Spike.



Philly Cheese Steak with Cheesy Sauce.

This Is Show # 161