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shane macgowanYou do not want to be Shane MacGowan’s liver. You imagine it to be a beat-up and scarred little organ; a poorly-used, spongy thing, old before it’s time. Shane is known to have the “curse of the Irish,” no, not a smaller than average penis, but an insatiable urge to overindulge, and you imagine him swimming in a vast, foam-topped sea of Guinness. You imagine he’s happy to be adrift in that sea.

Shane is also a poet, an Irish bard, a singer and songwriter of great distinction.  Just listen to the Pogues records, especially, (my personal favorites), “If I Should Fall from Grace with God,” and “Hell’s Ditch, “ but also his work as frontman for Shane MacGowan and The Popes. 

Anyway, we opened our set for the 2013 Toys for Tots show at the Red Line Tap on Saturday with Shane’s great song “Fairytale of New York.” It’s something we did last year too, let’s just say it’s a new tradition. Love the song, there’s great poetry, humor and sorrow in those lines…

It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me: won’t see another one
And then they sang a song
The rare old mountain dew
I turned my face away and dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I´ve got a feeling
This year´s for me and you
So happy christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
Where all our dreams come true.

Anyway, the show rolled out perfectly. Lots of music from some great performers, plenty of toys for the kids, and sexy, beautiful and very limber Go Go dancers.  I mean, it was glorious! – Jammer

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Picture 5Recently finished reading  David Byrne’s book, “How Music Works.” An inspiring, informative and thoroughly enjoyable read. I learned something on just about every page. Loved Byrne’s description of how CBGB’s became a “scene,” and was reminded of my own rock and roll education. Growing up I “inherited” and embraced The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Bob Dylan, but I “discovered” and embraced The Ramones, Talking Heads, Television and the Patti Smith Group.  Not a bad musical foundation! “Hey ho, let’s go!” – Jammer

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Picture 2A few weeks a go the phrase “we are the natural world” came to mind and it’s been circling, round and round inside since, provoking me. Should I be doing something different? Is it possible to be more of who I am? How can I be a better person? How can I be more grateful, more giving? How can I be love, have love, feel love for all that’s good, and have limitless forgiveness for all of the other?

For me, the creative process is grace, a place where you can have moments of transcendence. A sacred space where you are making something that is much, much more than you, especially when working with other artists in rehearsal. Then well… you just gotta live your life. You spend a lot of in-between time hoping to get back to the vibration of grace.

The world has been looking a little dark lately. Yes, I still have hope but at times my eyes fail to see through the veil of harshness. Then the voice, we are the natural world… we are the natural world. When it starts to rain, the darkness begins to clear away.

The work of other artists can carry you through too. Jammer and I recently bought Patty Griffin’s new release, “American Kid,” it’s stunning. I am a fan of her work for sure. She has an extraordinary way with narration, and you can really get in. On much of the CD she is working with Cody and Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All Stars. It’s a lovely collaboration; the lyrics and music complete each other. They create beautifully illuminated vignettes woven together by the passage of time. A poetic tale about the life of a man, a family, a story about America. – Carla

Wild Old Dog – Patty Griffin

God is a wild old dog
Someone left out on the highway
I seen him running by me
He don’t belong to no-one now

They dropped him out on 93.
Mange was setting in on his hips and on his knees
Between the highways running north and south
They pulled on over and put him out

Willie said he was old and going blind
Momma told me how she didn’t mind
When Willie kicked him with his shoe
He just climbed on in just like he knew

God is a wild old dog
Someone left out on the highway
I seen him running by me
He don’t belong to no-one now

It’s lonely on the highway
Sometimes a heart can turn to dust
Get whittled down to nothing

Broken down and crushed
In the bones of wild old dogs, Wild old dogs

They dropped him out on 93
Tall grass was waving there just like the sea
He tore off running like we set him free
Just disappeared right in front of me

God is a wild old dog
Someone left out on the highway
I seen him running by me
He don’t belong to no-one now
He don’t belong to no-one now

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Picture 2This morning, on the radio, I hear that Lou Reed has died. I first heard Lou Reed on the radio in the early seventies. I remember being a snot-nosed kid, listening to the FM radio station alone in my room, and the Velvet’s “Rock & Roll” came on the radio. I had never heard anything like it. It sounded so “New York,” smart, edgy, raw, kind of funny, sort of trashy, a little bit dangerous too. So Un-Beatles.

I remembered this first glimpse as an important moment! It was a song that opened my eyes and ears. There was a big world outside of my little, sheltered world, and the Velvets and Lou Reed came from another side of the planet.

Lou Reed was never a role model when it came to life-style. He was a self-titled “rock & roll animal.” You wouldn’t really want to do drugs like he did drugs. You probably wouldn’t want to have sex with the people he had sex with. You definitely didn’t want to live inside his head.

But the music, the lyrics, the voice, the dedication to making rock & roll songs that mattered, yes, that kind of artistic integrity was over-powering, admirable, and inspiring. In that respect he certainly was a role model. Lou Reed was a major force in r&r and a major voice in my life. And his music still means a lot to me. I will miss Lou Reed. – Jammer

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Yes, this week we jumped into bandcamp with both feet! It’s like a little ecosystem for bands, an underground, under the radar scene. Music of every conceivable genre is just waiting to be discovered there. We released two albums as digital downloads, our debut CD 10+1, and a 5 song EP “Live at St. Luke’s.” The EP was recorded & mixed on-site by Bill Stribling, the resident “phantom” of St. Luke’s, an extraordinary old Episcopalian church with amazing acoustics. It was a great show, the band was in fine form, and being in that intimidating, awe-inspiring, chamber seemed to bring out our best.

We are donating 50% of all proceeds from digital downloads to the The Earth Day Network’s Canopy Project. Their goal is to plant 10 million trees in 5 years in impoverished communities around the globe. We are honored to give back, and we hope people will buy our music and at the same time help us contribute to a noble and worthy cause. It’s a way of putting some of our own idealism into action!

Here’s to a greener future for all of us! “Enjoy the Music, Change the World!” – Jammer

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richard-thompson-electric-reviewYes, often it’s a matter of opening your eyes and your ears. Inspiration is all around us. Awhile back we discovered Richard Thompson’s record “Electric.” It really is masterful. It grows on you with each listen. It showcases some of the best singing and guitar-playing of his long career, and that’s saying a lot. There is a real-world wisdom in these tracks. It is not a young man’s record. It’s got gravity, weight, substance. There’s humor and fire. It’s work that blazes. It feeds the soul. Inspires. And what of that great guitar tone? There’s a unique, quicksilver, mercury sound that Thompson conjures up with his guitar that jumps out at you. And it’s a rare, fine thing. – Jammer

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I have a little side project I’m calling Broken TV. It’s a channel for songs that have no home. Hopeless cases and lost causes.  The new song “Beehive Hairdo,” was inspired by the untimely demise of Amy Winehouse. Broken TV. Don’t worry it’s always on!  The three-song EP “Don’t Worry it’s Always On,” is now available on Bandcamp. You can stream it, or download it for free or “pay what you want.” It’s the Radiohead model! – Jammer

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shooting starsOur friend Keralee billed it as the “Night of the Shooting Stars.” Just because. It was a rollicking good time at Cary’s Lounge last night. Keralee & Eric opened as Bad Burrito, and they did a nice little set of acoustic tunes. Nice harmonies. And I swear Eric put me in the mind of Willie Nelson.

We were up second. Our set was tight, focused and cramped up on that little stage, but it was intense and cool. No hitches. A really solid performance. We brought our own P.A. and it definitely paid off. We know how to “dial it in;” the vocals were upfront and warm; my acoustic sounded full and resonant. Tim’s 5- string bass sports new Bartolini humbuckers, and his sound is bigger, fatter and even more thrilling. Rich was trying out a new snare drum and it fit in very nicely with his vintage Slingerland kit. Rich played with a controlled abandon. Carla sang with authority and she played her new bells, adding another dimension to some of our songs. All these subtle additions have big effects.

I also played my Mexican-made Fender Telecaster. It’s outfitted with Seymour Duncan pickups (Hot Rail and Little ’59). The last half of the set was electric, and we ripped it up a little bit on “Magnificent Bird,” “Inner Light,” “Nothing,”  “Soul Kitchen” and a rollicking version of “These Boots are Made for Walking.” A mix of originals, and covers from The Doors, Townes Van Zandt and Nancy Sinatra (Lee Hazelwood).  A wide spectrum!

We were followed by The Boneheads. It was a trippy, sort of a beat-nick performance, Bill on stand-up bass and Nancy and KC  Chronis declaiming in an extreme, hip, poetic mode. You had to be there for sure. Anyway, we all thought Cary’s was pretty cool. Nice room, stage in the window, looking out on Little India on Devon. Oh yeah, and the storm, don’t forget the storm. On the way to the show, lightening flashed sideways in the sky!  A Chicago r&r experience! – Jammer

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abbie fest - 2Friday Night’s Abbie Fest show at the Den. Broke the “D” string on “Inner Light.”  Those Elixirs should not be breaking so easily! Took the guitar in to Guitar Works for a little adjustment yesterday.  The guitar tech opened up the groove of the nut a bit, hopefully that does the trick! Still, broken strings may just be the price of exuberance and commitment! Sacrifice on the altar of Rock! – Jammer

 

 

 

 

 

photo by Karen O’Brien

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wandsprThe 25th Abbie Fest took flight last night. We did our part on Stage 2B… it was “Get Right with God,” featuring our band, whitewolfsonicprincess.  Yes, 2B as in To Be. Better to be than not to be. It was an incandescent performance. I can tell by the amount of sweat generated by my body. I pretty much burned up and melted on stage. I am working on different ways to spontaneously combust! Almost reached total flame-out. I really was the “Prince of Wands.”

It was just Bass, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals. We are pretty damn tight, even if and when we are ragged, and if we are ragged, it’s because of me, I’m spiky & frayed around the edges, but hell, it’s not r&r unless someone bursts into flame, or bleeds, or breaks something. That’s my role. Being in that little black box theater with a focused and engaged audience just kicked the intensity level up to the freaking max. Intense. We definitely did not “phone this one in.” I have the evidence. We recorded the show, we are thinking of maybe posting a few tracks on Band Camp soon!  Maybe a “Live at the Den EP”… maybe! 

The band before us, was Names Divine, they played a totally cool, dissonant set of broken and jagged songs. It was completely “broken music,” detuned and noisy. Gloriously broken music. We loved it! Day two of the Abbie Fest today… and it’s theater for us… Black Forest’s “The Cheerleader and the Astronaut” on the Main Stage at 8:00 p.m.  I wonder if I can find another way to reach a new level of combustion? – Jammer