Monday, Monday

Ike Willis and Eric Slick

I just woke up to some exciting news! You know how I mention my friend Ellen Meister all the time? And the fact that she's going to be a superstar when her book comes out this August? Well, apparently the New York Daily News thinks so, too. Scroll down to "side dish" and see for yourself! I am so excited for Ellen I'm beside myself right now.

And my other good pal Jordan Rosenfeld? Have a look at this! (lifted from her blog):

Friday I received the good news from the fine folks at Writer's Digest Books that my proposal for my book titled Master the Scene has been accepted for publication in Fall, 2007, and will be included as a feature in their Book Club.

And that would be a hardcover book deal, my friends.

So yay Ellen! Yay Jordan! You gels rule!

And...the newspaper articles are starting to appear regarding Eric's upcoming tour with Project Object:

May, 5 2006 at Project/Object featuring Ike Willis Performing the music of Frank Zappa

The Abbey Bar at ABC 50 N Cameron St, Harrisburg , PA 17110
Cost: $12adv/$15doors

With special guests The Green Onions. “Project/Object began as a simple annual get-together in the basement of band founder/guitarist Andre Cholmondeley and has since become an ever-evolving tribute to the huge multi-faceted back catalog and undeniable weirdness of the late Frank Zappa.”

—Creative Loafing New York, NY—PROJECT/OBJECT, the acclaimed and internationally known Frank Zappa repertoire band, is declaring its MISSION ACCOMPLISHED tour, commencing April 12 and running through May 13.

This is PROJECT/OBJECT’S first tour exclusively with vocalist/guitarist Ike Willis in over four years, so fans can expect a heavy dose of material from Willis’ debut album with Zappa, Joe’s Garage. Willis’ soulful vocal hysterics and virtuoso guitar work help make PROJECT/OBJECT's extensive touring the success that it is. The band also plans to delve into some practically uncharted territory for them on this tour, such as Flo & Eddie-era Mothers of Invention material from Fillmore East 1971. Bandleader Andre Cholmondeley named the spring tour MISSION ACCOMPLISHED because he feels a sense of purpose when it comes to Zappa’s music.

"I set out years ago to do what I could to honor Frank Zappa's final wish, and that was for fans to play his music whether they were musicians or not,” says Cholmondeley. “Our intelligence told us that much of America's impressionable youth had not yet heard Frank Zappa's music. There is clear evidence of that youth having been exposed to really bad music, and we now know that our actions have been successful. So, after a dozen years, PROJECT/OBJECT is ready to say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!”

PROJECT/OBJECT has reached a whole new generation of critical music fans, has helped promote and publicize each new posthumous Zappa release, and best of all, has played with well over a dozen of Zappa's most important alumni in at least 28 states, as well as Canada and Germany. The band seeks to celebrate this successful insurgency into the minds of so many brand new young fans, as well as seasoned Zappa listeners. Consequently, the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED tour will be another music-dropping, truth-seeking “mission” in the Eastern quadrant of the United States.

The “mission” will be led by Willis, and the band also features a new drummer, School of Rock phenom Eric Slick. Rounding out the lineup (and all on leave from School of Rock) are bassist Dave Johnsen, Guitarist Cholmondeley, keyboardist Eric Svalgard, and a special guest in selected areas—guitarist Robbie 'Seahag" Mangano. PROJECT/OBJECT has struck at the heart of "Wack Music Developers" (WMDs) and is certain to show that "You CAN Do That Onstage."

Their mission has been accomplished, but they will continue to take this music to the people, as was Frank Zappa’s last request of his fans. For more information, please visit www.projectobject.com"

Okay, proud mother moment here. I am absolutely thrilled that they describe Eric as "School of Rock phenom".

Remember how crazy I said Eric's schedule is? It's even more nuts than I thought. This morning he takes the train to spend six hours in the recording studio with Shannon Penn in Conshohocken, PA. Then he hops on a train (20 minute ride) to be at Rock School to teach drums from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. Then he gets back on yet another train to Downingtown (45 minute ride) to practice with Project Object.

Tomorrow he is in the studio all day/night with Shannon Penn. Ditto Wednesday, until 10:00 p.m., when he has to jet to New Brunswick, New Jersey (two and a half hour train ride) to rehearse for the Project Object tour until 1:00 a.m. at The Big Noize. I told him he may as well sleep over because Thursday he has to be ten minutes away in New York until 8:00 p.m. assisting with the Zappa rehearsals. Friday -- all day in the recording studio until 5:00 p.m. until he races back to Rock School, Philly to run the punk rehearsal by himself.

Saturday? Teaches drums all day. Saturday night? Will run the All-Star rehearsal at Philly Rock School for Paul while Paul attends the Fender Guitar Festival in Tempe, Arizona.

Sunday? I dunno. I hope he finds time to sleep. But I doubt it.

Hey, is this serendipity or not? When you go to Neil Gaiman's Journal now, his photo changes every time you hit refresh. I refer you to my blog post of February 28, 2006. Coincidence? You decide. But ahem...he did use all four of the pictures I posted. Oh what the hell, who cares who is responsible for this...all I know is, click...click...click...(the sound of my refresh button all day long)

Alas, he did not include any with me photoshopped in, but what can you do. At least now when I google my name in quotes, the third thing that comes up is "Neil Gaiman and Robin Slick, together at last" and there we are in all of our cut and pasted glory.

So in spite of Julie being on spring break and my grand plans for doing stuff like eating in great restaurants and taking a day trip to New York over the next several days, here in reality are the things I must do this week instead: My taxes (arghhh), tax returns for both kiddies...FAFSA forms for Julie's financial aid for Drexel University for which I get turned down every year because we make "too much money" (Huh? Where is it all then and when do I get to spend it?) but Drexel insists that I fill out the paperwork anyway for God knows what reason...make a dentist appointment because I bit down on a cookie and lost a filling (see what I get for breaking my diet?), and worse, make an eye doctor appointment because when I tried to order my contact lenses on line I was told my prescription expired and naturally I waited until my very last pair of (disposable) contacts were in my eyes before attempting the re-order and now I'm either going to be blind or stuck wearing my glasses, purchased in oh, around 1970 (before they perfected thin lenses for those of us with prescriptions that look like the bottoms of Coca Cola bottles) and make me look like Charles Nelson Reilly in drag. Oh wait. I mean the way Charles Nelson Reilly wishes he looked. Har har.

Oy, what a week this is going to be. But on the plus side, Saturday is April 1 and we get to turn the clocks forward. Yay! I love when it stays light outside until 8:00 p.m. I adore this time of year, and I love that I've got a lot to look forward to in the next eight weeks, such as being a groupie on the Project Object Tour April 12-May 14 and attending both the RT Convention and Balticon in May.

More on that in a future post.

Later,
xo