On Newsstands Today: Julie Slick in Bass Player Magazine

So Julie's interview with Bass Player Magazine is out on newsstands today, and here's the photo which accompanies it, taken by her significant other and fellow bassist, Matt Rothstein. Too funny that he gets a photo credit for his woman. It's only a matter of time until he's featured in Bass Player, too, as I am in love with his band, Cheers Elephant. Click on that link and have a listen to "Here We Are" - it's my current favorite non-Adrian Belew song and as I know I've mentioned a gazillion times, Julie produced that song and the entire CD, actually. (And I just also realized that Julie has "Here We Are" as the current song playing on her MySpace site)



And if that's not enough, there's an interview with Adrian in the June issue of Guitar Player Magazine also out on newsstands today so you know that, despite the fact it is monsooning in Philadelphia today, I will be headed out to Barnes and Noble shortly to pick up a thousand copies or so of each. Ha.

So as I previously posted, Julie and Eric have been down in Nashville for the past few days rehearsing and working on new material. I think there are five new songs in the set for this tour, three of which are brand new (though E was played on the last leg; now there is E Plus or E+ -- not sure how Ade is going to spell it -- and Planet E) and two songs from his solo career are being added. One I was not familiar with but I listened to a clip last night and got goosebumps (a) because it's so fucking good and (b) thinking of the trio performing it. And that's all I'm saying. The other song added I am in fact familiar with and adore so to say the new set is fantastic is putting it mildly. It's hard to believe the first part of the tour kicks off one week from today.

Full information for the Quebec Summer Music Festival should be posted on their website May 21 - that is the official word from the promoters. Right now the schedule grid listed is like 90% incomplete but if you check that link tomorrow, it will have all the specifics. At least in theory.

And all kinds of crazy things are being discussed right now regarding late summer/fall overseas touring for the Adrian Belew Power Trio but I've been told I am not allowed to say anything yet. Just like I am sure I am not allowed to say what occurred at dinner last night in Nashville...only that it involved pie and someone's face. Oh god, I hate missing out on all the fun here in rainy Philadelphia.

Speaking of fun, while surfing the web, I stumbled on this on the Talk Bass forum board. I laughed out loud. In case more people add to the thread today and that link takes you to a previous page and is no longer accurate, just look for a photo of Julie and the following:

"Shakira plays bass?"

So the book festival was cool this week but I have to admit, since my current books run from R to X-rated, I feel a little out of place at what was obviously a family event but it's still a learning experience and I really like the east coast authors with whom I shared a table. Even better we all went out to dinner together Saturday night at the Rose Tattoo Cafe where I had tilapia stuffed with lump crap over polenta fries and two Ketel One martinis, up, with three olives. Mmm. But yeah, once my PG-13 novel which is half romantic comedy, half rock and roll memoir is published later this year, I will feel a lot more comfortable hawking my wares at all ages events. I've also started working on a new coming of age comedy starring a twenty-one year old protagonist and her eighteen year old sister so I'm basically leaving the world of erotic comedy for now...though of course I did complete the third book in the Three Days in New York City series, Bitten to the Core, which will also be out in the near future in a perfect world...and yeah, yeah, because that book still has another sequel possibility, why the hell not. But after that, I think I'm going to stick with what I love best - writing romantic baby boomer comedies which feature highly dysfunctional characters. I mean, really. Baby boomers = highly dysfunctional. Is there anyone who can argue that fact?

Oh I'm kidding.

Maybe.

In other news, we did manage to have a very nice celebration for Eric's 21st birthday. Gary, Julie, Eric, his significant other Katy, and I went out to dinner at Los Caballitos Cantina and it occurs to me that I should start a restaurant review blog...I think other than writing about music and books, food is like an obsession with me...anyway, in case you are interested, I had the Quesadilla Vegetariana which contained wild mushrooms, huitlacoche, roasted garlic, chihuahua cheese, and smoked corn crema. As a side dish I had a blackboard special of herb roasted corn on the cob that was so insanely delicious I could have just ordered six of those for dinner. And since Eric is in fact now legal, Julie, Eric and I split a huge pitcher of Pineapple Margaritas. No kidding, this pitcher cost $24.00 and the three of us each had 3-4 really strong drinks out of it...totally fantastic and quite the bargain. We were, alas, too full for dessert, so Gary and I drove home and everyone else walked -- it's about a ten mile walk but they are young and in good shape but the real reason was they wanted to sober up so they could continue partying throughout the night...I think they ended up at a few neighborhood establishments before calling it a night.

Finally, for those of you who are looking for something really cool to read on the web...back in 2002, I participated in National Novel Writing Month (a/k/a NANOWRIMO) for the very first time -- I am proud to say that I've participated every year since then and now can boast that every book I've written via NANOWRIMO has been or will be published. Anyway, in 2002, there was a core group of us from Philadelphia who got together and just clicked. I stayed in touch with a few and while I now only correspond regularly with one participant in particular, she turned me on to the fact that two of our pals, Tim and Jessica, who met via NANO that year, had fallen in love and had the most amazing experience. They quit their jobs, sold all of their possessions, and traveled around the world. The trip was supposed to be just for a year but it ended up being eighteen months, and to say it was life-changing is putting it mildly. Anyway, they blogged the entire experience and I have been just mesmerized reading it -- it's part love story, part extensively good travel guide, and well...it's hard to describe, you'll have to read it for yourself. It will take you hours but trust me, it's really worth it, and Susan Henderson, if you happen to stop by, Tim and Jessica would make incredibly excellent guests for Lit Park.

Okay, that's a wrap for now. Julie and Eric will be back in Philadelphia around dinnertime and I'm making them a vegetarian lasagne which will probably take me all day.

Later,
xo