East Village Radio - For The Sake Of The Song

Last time we played at Otto's I met a fan from our first incarnation who told me that in 1980 he was too young to get into the clubs where we were appearing. Of course he was excited to FINALLY get to see us live and apparently he was not disappointed. After the show he proceeded to extol the band's virtues and specifically our songwriting. He then went on to tell me that in the intervening 30 years he has not only become a musician in his own write but is also journalist.

It turns out that Jim Allen (didn't I mention his name?), has written album reviews, concert reviews, artist features, CD liner notes, and more, for RollingStone.com, The Village Voice, Mojo, Uncut, CMJ, The Wire, iTunes, V Magazine, Amazon.com, VH1.com, CMT.com, Harp Magazine, Musictoday.com, Perfect Sound Forever, MTV Digital, Blurt, Stylus Magazine, The Advocate, We TV, Women's Health, Prefix, Country Weekly, Goldmine, Amplifier, BarnesandNoble.com, and more.

But that's not the end of it cause he also has a radio show on
The East Village Radio Network which deals with songwriters and their processes.

Today I taped a show with him that is set to be aired this Friday Morning 6 AM EST. For those of you who don't get up at that ungodly hour, click the picture above and you can pick any of his previous shows (after this Friday mine will be included).

Remember, May 28th at 6 AM on
The East Village Radio Network.

Buzzcocks in NYC

Way back in 1977 me and my buddies Dan, George and Matt used to collect, listen to and discuss all the latest British Punk Rock singles as each one came out. Looming large (of course) were the Buzzcocks, first of all the Limey punks to release anything (early 1976!).

So 30+ years later me and my buddies ventured into Irving Plaza to hear if the Buzzcocks still had that punk spark. how did they stack up? Actually pretty damn good! They played their first two albums IN THEIR ENTIRETY and did a good job of getting the sold out crowds attention and keeping it from beginning to end. Below is a review of the show that has a suprise!

Buzzcocks Refuse to Stop Show During NYC Bomb Scare
5/14/2010 By Greg Pratt

Sure, Buzzcocks may be a bunch of old men, but they still have that punk rock attitude, no doubt about it. They still love to tour and as a recent incident in New York City proves, they still don’t give a toss about personal safety when they’re rocking out, which is a vital component of any punk show, isn’t it?

The band were playing a sold-out show at New York City’s Irving Plaza on Thursday (May 13) when there was a bomb threat outside the venue. During their set, police evacuated other buildings around the venue and blocked off some roads after a car was found outside with two gas cans in its back seat.

At around 11:30 p.m., the police interrupted the band’s performance and told vocalist/guitarist Pete Shelley to ask the crowd if anyone owned the vehicle. The band’s other guitarist/vocalist, Steve Diggle, said to the cops, “Tell them to fuck off,” reports Spin. “Isn’t there a robbery going on around the corner?” Then, in true punk fashion, the band continued the song they had stopped (“E.S.P.”) and finished their set.

Maybe they didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation or that the venue was on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave, as perhaps they couldn’t see the message the venue had posted on the television monitors, points out Spinner. But we like to think they knew and didn’t care. After all, if everyone’s stuck in there and potentially about to get blown up, why not keep playing?

In the end, it turned out the owner of the car — a blue 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass — was at the show. As for the gas cans, dude is no terrorist; he mows lawns for a living.

Buzzcocks’ last album was 2006’s Flat-Pack Philosophy; they also recently reissued three of their classic albums.

The band are currently on tour playing their first two albums, Another Music in a Different Kitchen and Love Bites, both originally released in 1978 (and two of the aforementioned albums that got reissued), in their entirety.

The Martial Arts - Your Sinclair

Call it an obsession. Perhaps I relate to Paul Kelly's quirky delivery or his deceptively simple arrangements or his fun yet hearfelt songwriting. Whatever it is, I can't stop playing this record!

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland they have gained attention all over Europe. Blending 60's beats with 70's and 80's delivery The Martial Arts really deliver.

Even though you can get it for free (click the pic) I urge you to actually seek out and purchase this disc. We must all support the musicians and music we love.

Band Meeting

I was avoiding this issue for almost a month but now that it's resolved I am comfortable talking about it...

At our last recording session Joey and I had a huge misunderstanding, stemming not from the matter at hand but from many unspoken (and incorrect) assumptions on both our parts. Even though our current relationship has been on an even keel (not like it was 30 years ago), there were some unresolved issues that bubbled to the surface and manifested themselves in the studio, causing both of us great distress.

Over the course of that month, my mind was in full recovery mode, thinking about how to pull "the fat of this CD project and all it's almost year long sessions" out of the fire. In that month I re-evaluated our new and old songs with what I hope was an unbiased ear. What came of that (rock) and soul searching was a fine tuning of melodies and lyrics that (I think) bring the songs in question up to a new level.

What level? Well, the bar was raised by our experience with Tommy Byrnes during the recording of Crying Town. Shouldn't ALL of our new recordings (and for that matter our current live set) be at that new level? My thinking is, yes it should.

At the meeting, we discussed many things, discovering (after three years) that resentments from young adulthood don't just go away. I guess we were both afraid to rock the boat but now that these issues have been aired, discussed and resolved we (as a band) now know how to proceed to take us (the songs and the band) to that new level.

Will it be easy? Probably not. Old habits die hard and we all have 30-some odd years of habits to break. Will it be satisfying in the long run? My answer (and I can't speak for anyone else) is ABSOLUTELY!

Growth always comes at a time when your resolve is tested. I for one have grown both artistically and personally from this experience and I have a new found excitement for the band.

Let's move forward!





PS The meeting was hosted by Scott at one of the furnished appartments he rents. A beautiful place with a unique lobby. See photos.

RIP Doug Fieger

I was surprised and saddened today to learn that Doug Fieger, leader of The Knack has succumbed to a long illness today.

I've decided to celebrate his talent not with a rehash of their well known (and worn out) debut album Get The Knack! instead I present one of their less known but totally rocking albums, Serious Fun.

Check it out!

Finishing the new CD?

We've been working on our new album in fits and starts since March 2009 and now it looks like we're gonna actually finish it, starting with a final all-day session this coming Saturday. Hopefully we'll get all the actual recording done on the dozen songs we've been assembling and then one last MIX-A-THON!

Hard To Get(rough mix) by buddylove

Now the question is, what should we call it? Someone suggested "Flowers and Kittens". what do you think?

Wo Hop

Where does a starving rock and roll band go to eat at 2 AM in the morning after a gruelling evening of entertainment? There's only one place in New York City and that is Wo Hop in (where else?) Chinatown!

A fixture in my life since high school, when me and my friends would at a moments notice (most likely after an evening of "ahem") drop everything and head into Manhattan for a late night snack.

Here's the band after a typical hard day's night, enjoying the after effects of our after gig meal.