White Wedding - Brooklyn Bowl 8/6/10 Brooklyn,New York

Some gigs are a Joy to perform at and the Brooklyn Bowl of Williamsburg was certainly no exception, the staff was very accommodating with an professional sound crew and the venue took care of the band with grace and aplomb. We played one set to a crowd of mostly locals and were successful at winning them right over to the extent that we were invited back for a repeat performance. As an added plus for the band Darling Nikki stopped by to check us out and it was wonderful to see her again.
















Quite possibly the Finest Burger EVER was served me post-gig and I have been raving about it ever since. This one (see above) is a Bacon and Bleu Burger which translates into OMG, Let it also not be said that I was stuffed and hard pressed to finish the Burger in question by the last bite.

FLICKR

Zig Zag Records 8/5/10 Brooklyn, New York

aah, Sweet Bird of Youth. So nice to see Zig Zag records still around nearly thirty years after purchasing ELP singles for seventy five dollars apiece all those years ago. There are still racks of Vinyl LPs but the 45s have gone by the wayside to be replaced by Compact Discs and DVDs but alas specialty stores must try to survive in todays climate.



And a few blocks further on up.

Sweethook - Fontana's 8/4/10 Chinatown, New York City

A nice return engagement at Fontana's, We performed "Cuckold Hen" Live and discovered that Carlsberg Beer on tap was nowhere as near as refreshing as Blue Moon.

Sweethook - EMS Picnic 2010 7/25/10 - Cunningham Park,The Queens

Performing outdoors is always very different and in this case became a treat after some questionable weather passed us by. We arrived at the EMS picnic under looming clouds that promptly burst into rain giving the terrain a Spielberg Apocalypse atmosphere but waited out the short summer storm and proceeded to set up our equipment right there in the dirt under a picnic tent. Thanks to the power generator hundreds of feet away for the juice and to the crowd of onlookers for appreciating our particular brand of Banjo Rock.



You probably had to be there and be me but it Really warmed my heart to return from getting a bite to eat at the 2010 EMS picnic where my band was performing only to find my drums commandeered by some of the children in attendance. (Youtube)

White Wedding - Private Party 7/24/10 - New Jersey

One of the best private parties that we have had the privilege to perform at done up in true 80s style with an 80s costume contest and the attendees truly in the spirit of things.





Earlier that afternoon I picked up a pound of Prosciutto Balls at Landi's Pork Store of Brooklyn.

Brian May Lecture/Signing - A Village Lost & Found 7/23/10 Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York City

Always a joy to meet Mr. May and in this case attend a short lecture as well in a lecture hall proper at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during a promotional trek for the art book "A Village Lost & Found" which celebrates and archives the stereographic pictograms which T.R. Williams spent his life creating. I was a little surprised to see that most of the crowd seemed to be "stereoscope" enthusiasts as opposed to the expected QUEEN fan but this gave a satisfactory feeling at the proceedings to pronounce the book a success in its own right without a Red Special Toting Curly Haired Rock Star Icon name checked as an author to pre-merit the books quality, popularity and appeal.





I had no idea what to ask Mr. Brian May and being exhausted with pedestrian QUEEN questions I went with the obvious.

me: "On a completely unrelated subject have you been following the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva ?"

Brian May: "From a Distance"

e.g.-(The upcoming experiments at the Large Hadron Collider have sparked fears among the public that the LHC particle collisions might produce doomsday phenomena, involving the production of stable microscopic black holes or the creation of hypothetical particles called strangelets)



Of course Jamie not only got her book signed but also her complimentary 3-D glasses, ticket stub and needing something QUEEN related, Her last minute purchase of a QUEEN(s) book (see below).

I was there as Jamie asked "Would you sign my QUEEN book?" to which Brian May took a brief gander at and replied "I guess so" we knew Mr. May would be good humored and accommodating but this also leaves Jamie with a highly collectable "one of a kind" piece within the "arcana" set as well (see below).

For those with NO Sense of humor write me or figure it out for yourself (see below).

White Wedding - Bally Bunion 7/17/10 Brooklyn, New York

A nice return engagement to the Bunion. We got a few more bookings and an even larger crowd this time. The band debuted Six New tunes at this gig (Turning Japanese, Take On Me, Billie Jean, Jump, The Power Of Love and Dont You Want Me) and they all went without a hitch.









I Dont remember the name of the diner but this was Very yummy (6 of 10 stars)

Cheap Trick/Squeeze Radio City Music Hall 7/13/10 New York City

Had Great sixth row (left off the aisle) seats for most of Cheap Trick but once the Squeeze fans filtered in we were sent back to our original twelfth row seats which it must be said were still Terrifically Magnificent.

During the Squeeze portion post-seating I accommodated a Starburst Fruit Chew orally and unintentionally extracted a Wisdom Tooth, Extremely Unnerving !!!

The Tooth Fairy IS A GYP!!!

The Agony & The Ecstasy Of Phil Spector 7/12/10 Film Forum, New York City

Let it never be forgotten that Rock & Roll can make you a little crazy and in some individuals a little more than others. Mr. Spector is surely "touched" but this film also allows us a glimpse of his genius, fortitude, intellect and most rewardingly his famous sense of humor. A good portion of the audience I sat with laughed for all the wrong reasons at all the wrong moments but Mr. Spector also had me laughing out loud (LOL) with his Lennon impression and ruminations on Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and Brian Wilson as well as himself. The murder trial and Beatles years are given ample attention but what most of us truly love him for and why he is a legendary figure amongst the music intelligentsia, namely The Wall Of Sound which is given a too brief history in my opinion, I would have liked 20-200 minutes more with the wrecking crew at Gold Star (hopefully another separate documentary altogether). There is a chillingly poignant moment when Mr. Spector attempts to describe the illogical motivation behind the mind of Mark David Chapman and perhaps unwittingly winds up describing himself.

And for a Phil Spector Production or Anything At All Containing his Recorded Work it Is Nice To Know that Houston street's own FILM FORUM (www.filmforum.org) has a Sound system that Rocks!!! PLAY IT LOUD Indeed.



I popped a shot of the marquee overhang outdoors for archival reasons and once seated was informed by the minx to my left that (Sir) Paul Schaefer was sitting nearly behind me so I made sure to keep my Cilia-Enlivening Habitquashing ex-smoker's cough as civil as possible so as not to bother the audience or the minx' concentration on the film and eyeballed Paul (Blues Brothers, David Letterman) for a great part of the evening.



Probably only my second/third visit to the Caliente Cab Company Ever but what mere mortal can resist the temptations of a Tasty, Delicious, Warm & Filling Tortilla of Joy. In my case the "Mission" Burrito for at least the second time in my life.

(custom "Tomato" Flour Tortilla 75 cents extra)

RUSH - A Jew, A Slav & A Canuck Walk Into A Bar - Beyond The Lighted Stage DVD

It was with great Relish and high expectations that I personally (and individually) sat down with before my first viewing of the long overdue and justly deserved Rockumentary concerning the peoples band from the Great White North (none other than our favorite canadian power trio) RUSH. Upon first viewing I was highly entertained and paid very close attention to detail as vintage clips and interviews never before seen flashed before my eyes (a photo of Neil Peart with Peter Criss in Cat makeup 1975! Etcetera!!!) and almost instantly knew that the film makers approached this as a labor of love placing me firmly amongst the RUSH fan that was in for quite the ride.

Whilst meandering a bit much on the early years of the band (as music bio's tend to do) this is still an almost perfect documentary with a winning formula of variety and execution, What was first tried in the wonderful QUEEN-The Magic Years video films and then perfected by the likes of The Beatles (Anthology) and The Who (Amazing Journey) is an MTV style/short attention span singsong editing formula leaving little room for the chaffe but working extremely well in music and movie documentaries where certain portions of a career must be strung together very briefly with a sense of continuity as told in interview and performance clips. Being an Uber-fan I learned very little new information but seeing my heroes praises sung and respected in an honest and non judgmental arena was extremely fulfilling.

A commercial ran (thrice?) during the broadcast advertising the DVD release and to my utter surprise and delight I was overjoyed to see that its coming out TOMORROW !!! More on that in a few hours - 6/29/10 3:41 a.m.



Arrived at Best Buy (Bay Parkway) only to find zero copies of the DVD in the section so approached a staff member to ask him to check their database for a new release music DVD to which the lad replied "Rush?" immediately. I was directed to a new release display where there was 1 copy left of the DVD/t-shirt bundle pack and 2 copies of the DVD, I am curious how many they ordered and was quite surprised that they had run out of stock and on a weekday as well. Got my t-shirt (and in my size) so I cannot complain at all. - 6/29/10 3:14 p.m.

Sweethook - R Bar 6/26/10 Chinatown, New York

Keep Cool In Summer 2010

Its Stuffing.

Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing.

Thanks to Connie for makin' it, Jamie for scoopin' it and Me for eatin' it.

White Wedding - Tina's 43rd Birthday Party 6/19/10 Bloomfield,New Jersey

Held in the Lovely Renaissance room at Essex House in spacious New Jersey.

White Wedding - Bally Bunion 6/12/10 Brooklyn,New York

The Bally Bunion Of Bay Ridge is a Long Standing Establishment (L.S.A.) amongst Brooklyn's Classic Bars and it was a fine experience to be privvy to the hospitality, kind words and Fabulous Drink Prices that the "bunion" afforded us as entertainers for the evening.

Perhaps due to the Bands Rabble-Rousing ways whatwhith the pom-pom and DEVO hat action whipping the Audience and Solid Gold Dancers (and just plain onlookers) into such a Frenzy we were invited back before our set ended.

Given such an opportunity we promoted our return gig (see July 17, 2010) over our P.A. from the bandstand.

There was a Really Drunk Guy Too (And NOT A Bandmember)

White Wedding - O' Flanagan's 6/05/10 New York City

A nice return visit to O' Flanagan's but they "Lost" our signs.

waddya gonna doo ?

UNDER THE IVY (pre-order)

Virgin Megastore Union Square - One Third Gone.

Nordstrom-Rack has utilized half of the space that was the lower level of the Virgin Megastore USQ, The ghost of a few CDs linger at checkout but the Vibe is Non-Existent compared to what once was.

Sweethook - CD Release Party 5/13/10 Fontana's Bar,New York City

A plethora of well wishers came down to show us their well wishing at Fontana's bar on the edge of Chinatown in Downtown Manhattan. The band played very well and we even ran ahead of schedule for the first time allowing us a Rocking version of "Hit The Ground Running" to end our set, I also made the right hand drumming adjustment to the "Singer-friendly/Drummer-Friendly" version of said song on this evening. Abuelito the MAN himself attended the show but I was not made aware of this until he was exiting.

I appreciated all of the drinks offered me and enjoyed some Manic dancing with a WHO fan or two upstairs, A little later in the evening and they were blaring the KINKS upstairs at the bar as well. Chinatown Won Ton soup was purchased to top the evening off but it was Too Soggy.

The Rockingham's - Greenhouse Cafe 4/30/10 Brooklyn,New York

This was one of those rare instances that just "happened" but I was enjoying a Cheeseburger Deluxe with Jamie and her family right next door in the Dining/Catering portion of the Greenhouse Cafe when I needed to use the facilities and spotted a few "neighborhood band" posters, Upon further inspection I noticed my friends band The Rockingham's were performing next door in the bar just twenty minutes previous to the current hour and on that very evening so we went in to check them out.

A nice selection of Sixties classics were performed and I was asked to come up and end the first set to perform a cover of the Eddie Cochran tune Summertime Blues/The WHO version. So it was a Drummer from a different cover band sitting in with The Rockinghams who also cover The Who that cover Blue Cheer who cover Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues.

I had a Blast and it was all a Blur that was over before it began but it was Great to finally get to jam with my former co-worker Bruce.