"Hi friends,
Yeah, I know I was shy about writing there for awhile, sorry about that.
Enough about me talking about me, how about you talking about me? OK, well, Gary just finished a wonderful new instrumental record from one of the great guitarists/orchestrationist (!?) of our “time”; Adrian Belew. His Power Trio recorded mostly live in Adrian’s studio at his Ponderosa there near Nashville. I had the privilige of mixing the tracks in the evenings in my own studio prior to Adrian’s visit with me here in San Francisco. His visit with me was pure joy, we just had tons of laughs together, we’ve always had that for some reason. We put the final touches on it, then I mastered it up and now it is on the market (Aug 3rd). the album is entitled “e” and features Julie and Eric Slick, a brother/sister team that would make Karen Carpenter sit up in her grave. Ok, that was crass. But anyway, Julie is a total monster bassist and Eric is waay beyond drumming - he’s superb. These two provide the most amazing “wall of sound” (Wallace Hound??) behind Adrian’s many guitar personalities. When you think Adrian is playing a piano, he’s really playing guitar. Weird shit like that. And the grooves on this record are killah, I mean there are some really hard-drivin’-never-in-4/4-where-the-hell-is-”one” grooves and a half. Anyway, my audio life is complete, at last..."
Well, that's good to know, Gary. My audio life is complete at last, too.
Hey, and a huge thanks to Kill Ugly Radio and The Idiot Bastard for their "e" shout outs as well!
And guess what? I get to hear that wall of sound live, up close and personal, for three weeks! That's right, I'm going on the entire tour with the band, will be at every show...look for me at the merch table at most of these venues:
Aug 21, 2009 Bijou Theatre
Knoxville, TN
Aug 22, 2009 Smith's Old Bar
Atlanta, GA
Aug 24, 2009 Orange Peel
Asheville, NC
Aug 25, 2009 Jammin' Java
Vienna, VA
Aug 26, 2009 Sellersville Theatre
Sellersville, PA
Aug 27, 2009 "e" listening party @ Rembrandt's
(powertrio will be mingling with
crowd as "e" CD is played).
This is not a concert. Philadelphia, PA
Aug 28, 2009 BB Kings
New York, NY
Aug 29, 2009 Maxwells
Hoboken, NJ
Aug 30, 2009 Ram's Head on Stage
Annapolis, MD
Aug 31, 2009 World Cafe Live
Philadelphia, PA
Sept 1, 2009 Iron Horse
Northhampton, MA
Sept 3, 2009 Center for the Arts
Cotuit, MA
Sept 4, 2009 Center for the Arts
Natick, MA
Sept 5, 2009 Narrows Center for the Arts
Fall River, MA
Sept 8, 2009
Theatre Petit Champlain
Quebec City, QC
Sept 9, 2009 Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Rire
Montreal, QC
Sept 10, 2009 The Mod Club
Toronto, ON
Sept 11, 2009 Tralf Music Hall
Buffalo, NY
Sept 12, 2009 Rex Theater
Pittsburgh, PA
I'm excited. Especially about Montreal and Toronto, where I've never been, and Quebec City, where I'd like to spend eternity.
One final reminder to catch Eric Slick on drums tonight at Silk City with Glenn Alexander and Dave LaRue - they go on around 11:00 p.m. but get there early for the opening act, Base3 with Tim Motzer...in fact, when I was just collecting those links, I was reminded that tonight is the CD release party for Base3 and that Tim is written up in this month's issue of Guitar Player Magazine (click on that link for a cool video). So basically this is going to be a pretty amazing show at an intimate, funky club with great food and drinks...one of my favorite spots in Philadelphia...I just hope I can stay up that late.
Unbelievable story that Eric just told me: We first met Adrian at Les Paul's 90th birthday celebration at Roseland Ballroom in New York in 2005...Eric and Julie played with the School of Rock Hall of Famers (Rock School All-Stars who are graduates...I am not sure if this group still exists or not because Eric and Julie are always on tour with other projects). And who was Adrian's guitarist for that event? None other than Glenn Alexander. How freaking spooky?
In other news, through the magic of Google, I just learned my son is in yet another band, tentatively named "Young Ice". *Snort* and Eric made fun of Seaslick. Well I never! Ha ha, just kidding, very cool name; I'm loving that Eric seems to be everywhere these days in an alleged depressed musical environment. Bah on that and I can assure you, it is alleged...there is just amazing new music out there, like the band Julie Slick produces, Cheers Elephant, who are in the studio recording a brand new release with Ms. Julie as we speak. Anyway, Young Ice features guitarist Nick Bockrath, who is also in Zoe Kravitz' band, Elevator Fight, and Zoe is of course the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. Zoe was at Eric's birthday party and sat next to him while he jammed on the drums. Unattractive, isn't she?
God, life is so unfair.
Oh, I'm kidding.
Anyway, I think that's a wrap for me. I am determined to work on my novel today though rumor has it that Julie is swinging by later on to help me "organize my entertainment center". I didn't even know I had an entertainment center but whatever, Julie is talking techie terms to me and it's not that I tune her out when she does that, it's just that I have no idea what she means so I simply let her do what she wants and I'm usually happy with the results.
Except for last summer when I was at the beach house for two weeks and returned home exhausted to find my entire kitchen re-arranged...but that's a whole 'nother story. Ha ha, but hey, ever since they first put her on my belly fresh out of the womb, she has been the CEO/Social Director of this family and apparently the interior decorator as well so nothing should surprise me at this point.
Oh well. It could be worse. God I love my family.
Later,
xo
See you in Annapolis. :-)
ReplyDeleteYep, home of the very best ice cream, I'm told. I'm really looking forward to this tour!
ReplyDeleteHey, while you are here...I need to change my banner from Side Four to "e" on my blog. You should have seen my pathetic attempts today...but then I realized this must be something you have on Ade's site and that's why I couldn't change it myself. Help! If I email you the code I have for the banner now, will that make life easier?
Will also see you in Annapolis. Ice cream did you say? :-D
ReplyDeleteHa, yeah, I hear the killer combo at this place is Lemon Meringue ice cream with blueberry cobbler. I am so in!
ReplyDeleteHope you can make it to Knoxville. Here is an excellent place to eat while there, and it's only a few blocks from the Bijou. It's called La Costa on Market Square. http://lacostaonmarketsquare.com/
ReplyDeleteYes, of course I will be in Knoxville - I'm on the entire tour and Oh. My. God. I am so sending Julie the link to that restaurant. It's obviously right up our respective alleys!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dr. Jimmy..and Mr. Jim, When I'm pilled you don't notice him,
He only comes out when I drink my gin...
Ha ha, sorry, could not resist. I love me some Who.
xo
Count me in for Annapolis. Looking forward to meeting all the Slicks!
ReplyDeleteWow, Annapolis is going to rock!
ReplyDeleteI'll apparently be the one with the ice cream...
When you are in Asheville don't forget about this place:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marketplace-restaurant.com/
It is truly a great place! Pricey but incredible food.
Mike
Pretty much everyone is on to me, huh. Yep, that restaurant looks amazing, too. Andre is an Asheville resident so I'm sure he'll have something to say on the subject, too.
ReplyDeleteI should just change the name of this tour to "Robin Eats America", huh.
xo
Wow, small world. I flew out to Asheville (for the first time) for a client meeting last month and they took me to MarketPlace restaurant. Yes, the food was excellent. Asheville was excellent, too... a very tiny, yet very cool, artsy town.
ReplyDeleteRobin, does your aol e-mail still work?
See you at B.B. Kings... can't wait. Especially since I get to sit next to you. I do get to sit next to you, right?
Rock on!
Hey, Joe (where you goin' with that gun in your hand...) and oh God, I've lost it, haven't I?
ReplyDeleteI prefer Robin81700@gmail.com. AOL and I are parting ways after all of these years...my spam filter is insane there - if I don't use it, I get 100 Viagra emails; if I use it, I lose valuable stuff. Bah!
Anyway, yes, I will be at the cool kids' table with you at BB Kings because they are one of two venues on this tour which do not allow the artist to sell their own merch - they have their people handling it. Also joining us will be Kimberly Wetherell of "Why We Wax" fame!
And yes, I cannot wait to see Asheville! I hear it's hippie paradise, and even though it's now used as a dirty word, I AM STILL A HIPPIE AND PROUD OF IT.
xo
I don't know that Hippie is such a dirty word but there certainly are a lot of dirty hippies living in the streets there.
ReplyDeleteIt's sort of an eclectic mix though. Crossover Hippies and Soccer Moms in their BMWV's. And street peoples. Very cool overall vibe though.
Peace,
Mike
The term "hippie" as defined when I was a baby hippie growing up in the late sixties/early seventies was a person who believed in love and peace; who scorned "The Man", i.e., corporate America; was against all wars, and believed that making art (which includes music, painting, dance, writing, etc.) was more important than making money.
ReplyDeleteAnyone have a problem with that one? If you do, you're a misguided fool.
We were idealists, sure, but our hearts were in the right place, and even the drugs we took - $15.00 an ounce Mexican weed - were gentle and did not produce violent, manic results. I'm not condoning drug use, I'm just saying how it was back then, i.e., no crack, cocaine hadn't really reared its head yet in the mainstream...the only other drug of choice was LSD, but I knew better than to trip because I am one of those persons who have a low tolerance to both drugs and alcohol and would have believed she could have flown out a window and would have tried.
Somehow in 2009, the word hippie has been translated into something dark and devious, and naturally I blame in the media for that and Republicans, who control said media. Understandably, kids today blame my generation for everything that's gone bad in the world today. WRONG. But, I remember what it was like to be a kid; adults know nothing so I'm not even going to try and make an argument there and tell you what really happened. And secondly, hippies today are obnoxious, I agree, as defined by the current young kids who get the unfortunate label, as they are the ones who are kinda dirty (okay, yes, they do have body odor) and ruin concerts for everyone by doing Grateful Dead dancing stoned on God knows what without regard for anyone else at concerts and seem to have no goal in life other than to flit through despondent and high on pills.
So yes, it pains me very much to hear the word hippie used as a dirty word, but unless you grew up in that era, you have no idea what it really meant and how we did make major changes that people today do not appreciate because they don't know what life was like before the sixties. Trust me, the world really was "black and white" as Julie once asked me. She was a toddler watching I Love Lucy on cable tv and I remarked "Can you believe I was alive when they still made that show?" and she replied "Mommy, what was the world like when it was black and white?"
Not very nice, Julie. Not very nice. But, I will say this. One hell of a lot less full of hate and violence.
I guess we'd better not get your started on how "liberal" has somehow become a dirty word too....
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Lobster. Do not get me started for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd how I must really work on what are now, as of this morning, three separate books. Feast or famine with me...
And that would be "and NOW I must get started" not "HOW".
ReplyDeleteSheesh. You'd think I'd proof read this stuff first.
Being born in 1961 I was a product of the 60's and have always loved the arts and freedom and such.
ReplyDeleteI still feel that way. However I have digressed in the fact that I work in the corporat world. akkkk!
But it puts food on the table for now.
I really think that is great how your kids are making their way in this world through their art and music. WONDERFUL of them! And wow what an inspiration they have been for me too.
I know how hard it is to make a buck as an artist. I even have almost a degree in Graphic Design with no hope of a job in the field.
Alas I am stuck inside a cubicle!
but I get to shine on weekends like ABPT in Asheville or Progday in Chapel Thrill! BOTH very cool towns!
Great that you will be at the Orange Peel gig! Looking forward to meeting you at the merch table.
Peace,
Mike
Aw, Mike, I was forced to work in corporate America - in the legal field no less - for over two decades. It's how I fed my kids and bought a house and where I'll probably end up again when I start getting nervous about my golden years rapidly approaching and not enough fundage to do the things I want.
ReplyDeleteBut when I was a teenager, I truly believed I'd live in a commune in Australia and eat food I'd grown myself in an organic garden. I'd spend my days painting and writing and live on whatever meager profits I made.
So like, maybe that'll be the gift to myself for retirement. Sell the damn house at a huge profit (ha ha, not very hippie like) and then live off said profits in a Utopian setting, i.e., somewhere, if it still exists, where there are no Wal-Marts or people with guns.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...
xo
Yes I always thought about the spritual island of Bali but then extremists started to blow up random places there. Even that is no longer a Utopia!
ReplyDeleteI too am a dreamer so you are NOT the only one! Those lyrics are timeless aren't they?
How many success stories have you read where the person was living out of their car and then the big break came.
Keep on writing! You have 3 books you are currently working on? AWESOME! Keep on it!
Peace,
Mike
I'm a DFH, and so proud of it, they'll try to demonise me, but, hey, I got facts on my side....
ReplyDeleteRobin, I'm looking into doing Québec City too, it will be nice to chat with you again.
Yeah, we got facts on our side but how frustrating, the silly upstarts won't listen. Bah!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, too cool about Quebec City. I see the trio has a show in Massachusetts on September 5 then 3 days off until the show in Quebec City on September 8. I'm hoping we head directly for Canada the next day and spend the extra days off in Quebec but I have no idea yet...fingers crossed and I'll let you know.
If all goes well, I'll see you in Natick. I was blown away when I saw the ABPT last year in Boston.
ReplyDeleteI want them to play at The House of Blues, too.
Jessica
Trust me, Jessica, they want to play The House of Blues, too. Some day it will happen! But in the meantime, the Arts Center really is perfect for their new CD, which is all instrumental and very cerebral (though of course they will do a bunch of songs from Side Four Live, etc. as well). Can't wait to see you again...it'll be here before you know it!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I'll be in Montreal this September, but I won't get there until the 11th. Missing the show by two days!
ReplyDelete