Chad & Will & Ben & Me: a Short Narrative

hi,

a while ago I decided to share this story on FB.  I've decided that bloggers of the world should hear about this too.  it still gives me good feels.

**okay so this Chad Smith//Will Ferrell//Drum Off clip really warms my heart for a few reasons. lemme tell you why:

one time back in 2010 Chad Smith showed up to do a drum-clinic thing at the Musician's Institute in Hollyweirdland. my friend Ben was a student there & he very graciously got me in.

it turned out to be a much bigger event than I was anticipating & the big theatre at MI was packed. Ben & I wound up snagging the last couple seats in the very back.

the theatre went dark for a minute, & in that time my friend Ben asked me what I would ask Chad about during the Q&A. I told him I would probably ask Chad about his thoughts on electronic music. I asked Ben what he might say to Chad, & he wasn't too sure. I told Ben he should probably ask Chad how often people say he looks like Will Ferrell.

*the lights came up so that the MC could introduce Chad, and it was then that Ben & I realized Chad was standing right next to us in the back of the darkened theatre*

Chad wound up promenading down the isle seemingly unfazed by my smartass comment, & the presentation began. he had a band of jam-buddies with him, & he introduced all of them with funny nicknames. lastly, he introduced himself by saying: "AND, I'M WILL FERRELL."

the band then proceeded to melt peoples faces off with their virtuosic powers.

toward the end of the symposium the Q&A came up, & I think both Chad & I were kind of disappointed with the students' questions. they were mostly asking stuff a person could google, literally like 'how much money do you make? how long does it take to tour? who gets credit for what?' kind of stuff.

eventually, Chad said 'alright, this should probably be the last question' & started looking around. at this point, I had to brace my arm & stand on my chair, because I just didn't want it to end that unceremoniously.

I was in the very back, but Chad looked across the theatre & pointed me out. then he said: 'yeah, over there.. the young lady in the back.. ..'

I sort of immediately blurted out: 'I'M A DOOD.' and, the place erupted.

Chad did seem to be fazed by that & he immediately started saying into the mic: 'OH MAN, IT'S JUST.. I MEAN.. I DIDN'T.. YOUR HAIR!!'

I mean it was no big deal, it was all very funny, but Chad then took it upon himself to run across the whole theatre to the very back where I was, & give me a big hug. we had this great embrace in the back of the theatre to great applause.

I got to ask Chad my question about music, and he listened intently and answered thoroughly & earnestly.

I guess I somehow feel a little scrimplin part of this clip in like a new-ager, cosmo-mysterio sort of way. if I am or ain't doesn't really matter though, it's just fun to watch. I get good feels watchin this, & I think Chad Smith is a cool dood.**

I hope you enjoyed that one, for what it's worth.  I sure did & still do.

                                                      
                                                      Your pal,
                                                         Neil


PS  a while back someone inquired: 'so what did you ask Chad anyway?'  

I responded:  well, to be specific about it, I think I asked him: 'I read that the album By The Way was very influenced by electronic music, which I can hear in a certain kind of way, but The Zephyr Song is the only track that begins with electronic drums. I think there's no denying that electronic music is the way of the future, but in the past there has been a classical antagonism between drummers & drum-machines. so, my question to you is was that electronic drum intro your idea? if it wasn't, how did you react to it? and, would you do more of that kind of thing in the future?'

 I think he seemed a little taken aback after the earlier Q&A stuff, he kind of scratched his head & said, 'wow.. good question.' he thought for a minute & asserted something like: 'yeah I don't think it was my idea.. I think it was John's. but that's what a real band does, they try out each other's ideas at least once, even if it's not something you immediately gravitate towards, because sometimes you'll be surprised.. I gotta tell ya though, I've got to have that drum track cranked in my monitor when we play, because when it's just me on a riser & three little guys, & 90,000 people in front of us, and I'm a little bit off from the loop, that's when I get - THE LOOK - from my band! you know what I mean!? THE HAIRY EYEBALL!?!? as for would we do more of that in the future.. hmm.. I don't know we'll see..'

yes, Chad Smith is a cool dood indeed.

Thanx Dub

Hi.

     Recent events have got me thinking a lot about the people that I met on the road this past while.  The following people helped me along my way.  These people took me in, fed me, let me sleep on their floor/couch/bench (in one instance, a bed.)  They listened to my ideas & told me encouraging things.  They came to my gigs & helped me get new ones, introduced me to new people, spread the word, & sometimes even threw some resources my way.

     Listen to this while you read:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIWd_2F2jJI

     Thanx to:  Vilma Ayala, Nicole & Brian Pedroche, Ben Garza, Matt Mayfield, Mitch McKenzie, Jeffrey Famatid, Kari Kolstad Lenggiere, Adeela The Movie, Stephanie Summers, Ashley Baldon, Evan Ken & Sue Peter, Jon Don & Janis Pedroche, Brett Woods, Maddie Palmer, James Martinez, Dan Hopkins, Justin Geautreau, Ryan Ernest Schumaker, Michael Sutherland, Wesley Francis, Tony Ortega, Janelle Chuck & Maritza Maluenda, Joey Rasich, Eric Foss, Aaron & Zack Silverstein, Miguel Zarcal, Dan Wheeler, Brittany Wicker, Spencer Weitzel, Mark Riley, WG Stephens, Russ Kirn, Brian Lankford, Jason at Hostel Obispo, Jupiter Lovejoy Leo & Tadeo, Katie Joe Arcata, Steve SanDi, Linden SF, Fast Heart Mart, Stephen Perry, Debbie ATX, Jazmyn Crosby, Emma Crane, Aaron Schrier, Tylina Hardy, Bill Holt, Allen Wooten, Rachel Bachman, Lukas & the secret racoon garden Tulsa family, Brian Lewis, Beth Roussel, Andrew Rommelfanger, Lura Elizabeth Walker, Amanda Wiggs, Jamie Hoschar, Jack Austin, Gavin Liza & Grandma Tormanen, Karlie Effinger, Jean Picot, Wendy & Alex the homesteader, Zulu Robinson, 

..Yolt Keyz, Kendra at Jackpot! PDX, Crystal Nelson, Brian Figueroa, Dicky Brucks, 
Stephanie Pullen, Mekenna Edwards, Olivia Pendergast, Aimee Moreland, Freia Inger Hartz Fenelon, Jeremiah Holder, Huckleberry Spoon, Blewis, Johnny Mustache, the Norseman, New York "Michael Giacobbe" Mike, Canadian Mike, Ross, SkatePark Justin, Kyle, Jimi Austin James, Builder Bill Ammon, James wit da hoyle, VW Bill, Willy Fly, Sandi Andrews, Mike & Lynne Bright, Wormz, Raven Copeland, Jimmy Wells, Ryan Cummings, Phil Purcel, Christopher Hack, Lee Bly, Louise Stoodley, Brianna Chatwin, Trapper Dan Mascoveta, Brian Randolph, Coyotee Bloome, Valerie Sherill, Radio Mike Depraida, Randy Mays, Robbi Hutton, 

..Matt Sanchez & bro, Clayton Barton, Balu, Christina Dreamcatcher Swistak, Barry Wayne, Carlos, Hiyer, Beatles Mike, Mad Max, Jimmy James Hall, Jason Motlagh, Dylan Macomber, RG Hamilton, Tara Volpe, Bashu Naimi-Roy, Kelly Brown & Erin Brown, Bryce Erhecke, Brad Rozell, Bruce Francis Cole, Paul Doc Searle, Erica Li Lundqvist, Ellice Lin, Hugh Hoffner, John Snowden, Boshemia, Old Blake, Little Brenda, Danielle Jason Phil Daniel & all the Stray Cafe, Keith & Naomi, Gandalf, Kevin Russ, Liesl Williams, Rhombie Sandoval, Erin Hofstetter, David Brooks, Kyle Stuart, Spider & Shannon Wild & fam, Randi Stevenson, Internet Frank, Tennessee & Lindsey, Tim Lemieux, Prity Mike & Sara, German Peter, Evergreen Forest, Nichoel & Lisa, Linus X, Sierra Salvation, Matt Derrick, Sam & Tracy Morrow, Stepher's Sky Walker, Little Brice Butler, Mesiah Hameed, Ben Tyler, Angel Jack, Two Horse Jack, the Duke, Atrayu, Oasis, Mike James, Jude Lives, Mylena Kate, Hunter Thomas Ledet Cory & the Red House NOLA, Henry 'Gip' Gipson, Bay Bessemer, Brian Manasco, Mitch Blu, Susan Thompson Campbell, Randy Buell, Toad Cahill, Donnie, 

..Kendra & Matt, Jake the Wind Rider, Veronica Smillie, Andrei Stanescu, Patrick Hooper, Anton Orlov & the Photo Palace Bus, Greg McMahon, G. Funk, Ella Patrick, Lee-Ann Loser, Ben & Ethan Gibbs, Kaylee Dunn, Searra Gisondo, Kaahele, all of the Asheville Schft. Chateau, dudes at MOOG HQ, Morgan A Jones, Celina Williams, Nick & Dave Moffat, Mo Karnage & all the Wingnuts, Dave at MOCA DC, Dale & the Laurel gang, Matthew Albasi & the Lola Bean crew, Anthony Sferra, Karen Duffy at the Jalopy, Stephen Zhelev, Anastasia & the coolest Ukranian kids you know, Jidong Xiao, Maddy Cristall, Signe Miranda, Sienna Che, William Charbonneau, Bri Hopton, Jody Hendrix, Jack Holtzen, Jonathan Theobald, Alicia & Robert Fernandez, Johnnie West, Tuf Schnebelen, the good people at Knuckleheads, Rick Lisa & Logan Gibbins, Brian Tran, Mario at SLL, Brad Roberts, Jason at Lot 1, Kim House, Sire & Ané at Globos, Rebecca Balin, Vince at Airliner & Terrace, Belen Oceguera, Sean Guerin, Mark Mallory, Tad Ha, Marc Aren, Ryan Fuller, Traveon, Jonah & the Mo Odds, Lamia Larkin, Gianna Gianna, Damien Blaise, Ginevra Geller, Jasper Bloom, Annika Perkins, Anthony Besné, Fenex Lopez, Felix Herrera, 

..Eras Haus, Zou Deon, Alec Singer/Cela Regnis, Angela Holtzen, Anthony Ferrara, Kevin Gaffuri, Carlos El Hijo, Kordel Yazze, Dave Tweedie, Marlena Croon & the arthouse kids, Randyll Wendl, Alexander Hoggard, Dan West, Azalia Snail, Brendan Constantine, Lionel Williams, Zachary Vidal, Carina Bilz, Samur Khouja, Freidel Love, Nadia Ulerich, Lindsay Haugh, Ariel Rose, Eric & Kota, Theo Karon, D. Bene Tleilax, Nathan Cartwright, Hsoj Nitram, Mouserranda Holmes, Asa Ferry, Johnny Polonsky, Runson Brian & BJ&E, Julian Keith, V. Dicta, Zack at The Janks, Nancy & Greg at Papafish, Jeff at Jeffertiti's Nile, Bron at Crooked Cowboy, Sean Gadd at Grouplove, Todd Asa Matt & Tory at Electric Guest, Bryan Poole at Of Montreal, 

..Claire Boucher, James Brooks, Adrienne Butcher, Josh Werner, Takuya Nakamura, Bianca Casady, Alexandra French & Michelle Patterson, Avtar Dillon, the faire folk, the pacific island dancers, the alliance for performing arts, Tara Tavi, Sam McPheeters, Cecilia Starin, Ustad Morelock Carl Off & the Hop Frog, Henry Barnes & the folk music ctr, Vanessa Neira Soto, Benjamin Ardy, Kirby Fopma, Luke Guevara, Boogie Jones, David Cagenator, Raymond Lee, Thomas Bailey, Alex & Andrea Dandino, Kirbie Puestow, Sergio Limonkey, Amaya Gomez, Rafael Perez, Aida Bonita, Sofi Bravo, Déborah Castro, Anita Muscaria, Mahmut Bozoglan, Ilhan Bayraci, Matias F. Diaz, Benjamin Larroque, Grzegorz Grabowski, Corey Jones, Kay Grey, Jon De Carlo, Mo Mac, Janett & Janel Fragoso, Shannon Sperling, Grace Rolek, Kate Farnworth, Gabby Gladding, Soraya Sebghati, Lillye Hope Dlugach, Lucy Bomba, Keely Mettlen, Annabelle Quien, Rena Anakwe, Claiton Amaral, Natalie Johnson, Nico Zulu, Jazmin Cordova, Pirimonka Asi Nada Mas, 

..Joana Pinto, Andre Gracio Tuilan, Lees Ramos, Guille Reptar, Alberto Madera Magadan, Cintia Ramos Puentes, Fer Min, Omar Caffeinated Consciousness, Veronica Pravia, Juan Cordova, Leanne Fogarty, Adriel Jaroussky, Israel Lozano, Ashlye Michele, Christian Gin, Kelley Russo, Ernesto Vega Vila, Paige Suzan, Jayk Gallagher, Ruth Is, Nicholas Streichenberg, MikeWhite Presents, SiresEvents BiGtings-Global, Monarchy-Groupe Reggae-Firm, and many, many more.

..In Memory of Jessica Lum

Hot Wrists, Hot Ritz, HOT ROOTS..

Hey!

     So I started writing this blog post a flippin' long time ago.  I was in the throws of planning the tour for the summer, when I suddenly got inspired to write what follows.  Unfortunately, the round-the-clock work of tour-hustling kept me from finishing it then, so what we have here is a frame blog-post.  Oh, and BTW the 'two weeks' I am about to refer to turned into seven, and I did become a bona fide yogi.



  *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *                             



     I have been sitting stoically in a double-lotus position on the floor with my laptop for the past two weeks straight - with occasional breaks to play guitar now & then - in the efforts of booking my tour this summer.

     I believe I have become a bona fide yogi.

     However, tonight I received a link to a radio spot featuring an old and dear friend of mine:  Henry Barnes of Amps For Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mz_0oYCR-E

     Happy to find something that would be a substantial soundtrack to my marathon typing session, I decided to check it out, and I'm glad I did.  This clip is a great nutshell presentation of a brilliant artist, and it sent me down memory lane recalling how this artist trained me from a three-stone apprentice, to a twelve-stone warrior of Rock.

     I met Henry Barnes when I was sixteen years-old, in the summer of 2003; I purchased a sitar from him.  Well, I purchased a sitar from a music store - the Folk Music Center, in Claremont, CA - that since my boyhood I've given most of my life-savings to, and Henry worked there, and that's how we met & became friends.

     To a sixteen-year-old having grown up in Squaresville, CA, Henry definitely had this otherworldly presence about him.  He was a long-limbed, well-over-six-foot-tall, grasshopper with an illustrious wizard-beard, and usually wearing some kind of funny hat.  He had these fierce eyes; and it didn't usually take much to get him pontificating on some sort of esoterica, very quickly filling any-sized room with his energy and with his looming figure as he paced around in a triangular, star-shaped, or figure-eight pattern.  To this day, if I am trying to describe Henry to someone, I'll usually have to use the sentence:  "He's kind of like Gandalf the Grey, in that he is really like 3,000 years old, but he has always just looked fifty-something."

Here's Henry playing his hand-made electric sitar,
in front of his hand-made amps & oscillators.

     Anyways, Henry & I very quickly became friends, and after about a year of my hanging around the store, sharing ideas, & Henry teaching me some licks now & then, he heard me playing percussion on a set of tablas in the shop.  I guess Henry liked what he heard, because he then uttered the phrase, "Hey man, want to do some recording?"

     I responded that, yes, I did in fact want to do some recording!  And, it was not long after that that I showed up at his studio/workshop/living space to hang out and be creative.

     In the time that I have known Henry, he has shown me a lot of things, but something definitely worth a note is that Henry was the first person to show me that I could live my life with art & music at the center of it, on my own terms, even if my face isn't on any poster, and even if I am not lauded as some sort of new 'it' boy.

     Henry was the first person I met who had built a recording studio from the ground up, and did whatever he wanted with it.  He was also the first person I met who built & designed his own instruments, amplifiers, and sound-manipulating devices of various kinds.  He was the first person I met who 'illegally' lived in his own creative workspace, unapologetically putting the higher-level needs of art & expression in front of the lower-level 'needs' of sleeping in a bed, and having his own bathtub.

     And, Henry was/is a fearless explorer of music.  He is the only person I have met with his acute sensibilities in this area; and I would later learn that Henry is really a progenitor of folk-core, freak-folk,

In the workshop.

industrial-folk, noise-folk, electro-/psy-/sci-folk, this-folk, that-folk, etc {whatever they've begun calling it over the past several years.}  He really deserves far more recognition than his infamy in the musical underground, and - in my mind, at least - he should be placed right up there with Vashti Bunyan.  However, true to his perennial soul-rebel nature, one of the only main-stream accolades he has been given is LA Weekly's award for 'Most Uncategorizable Artist.' Though this may be somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek award, he certainly deserves it.

     So, in the late summer/early autumn of 2004, at the tender age of seventeen, I was initiated as an apprentice into the ranks of Henry's long-time creative project & brainchild:  Amps For Christ.  I was introduced to AFC as the percussionist, playing tablas, a few cymbals, and a guitar pick-up on a cookie tin (to create the nastiest feedback-driven industrial bass sound you've ever heard come out of a pastry can.)  I also held down a few other odds & ends.

     At the time, Amps For Christ featured a fully fleshed out band line-up.  Playing any number of stringed instruments, electronic equipment, oscillators, & on the mic was Henry.   On the gu zheng/zither & on vocals was an eternally-young, nurturing-yet-impish older-sister named Tara Tavi.  Usually playing a treated electric guitar & singing back up vocals was the post-baccalaureate Erika M. Anderson.  And, playing viola & laptop was a steely, bespectacled post-rocker named Ezra Buchla.  

     In my brief tenure with the group, I played my first official gigs as a professional musician, among them was my first engagement at the now much more prestigious Downtown LA club, The Smell.  This period lasted all but a few months.  I guess I was never really in the band, so I was never really kicked out, but it was made clear that AFC would be carrying on without my percussion.  And, Amps For Christ returned to being Henry's solo-project within some months after that.  However, in that short period, one recording made it onto a small compilation pressing that another friend of mine produced around holiday-time 2004.

     I had to put some effort into digging this recording up in the writing of this blog entry, as it was almost lost forever; it's story is somewhat unique:

The kid, 17.    Note: *this is the only known
photo of me as a lad playing music*

      One of the many songs in Henry's preferred repertoire is a centuries-old, apocryphal ballad from the British Isles called The Cherry Tree Carol.  It tells the story of Joseph & Mary a-courtin', and Mary having to come up with a way to tell Joseph that she is pregnant while they are strolling through a cherry orchard.  She asks Joseph to gather her some cherries, as she cannot do it herself, as she is in the family way.  Joseph reacts by telling her to get the kid's dad to do it for her, because he is out of there!  And, Baby Jesus in the womb demonstrates his divine parentage by commanding the tree to bow down before Mary, to let her casually pick cherries.  Thusly, Joseph knows that this child truly is.. The King, of Kings.

     I was very attracted to this song for a number of reasons, but a main reason was my fascination with the fact that as enchanting as this song's narrative is, it really has nothing to do with any biblical account, and in that way it is heretical, but I've yet to hear any mainstream Christian raise a concern about this particular historical fiction.  Indeed, the song survived in the days when people were being burned at the stake for this sort of thing.  It is a beautiful song, and the power of beautiful music - in this case - trumps dogmatic puritanism.

     Since I was so attracted to this song, I found myself rapidly memorizing the words & singing them unconsciously while the others were playing it.  When I found out about my friend's compilation project, I asked Henry if we could record a version of it on the fly for the rapidly approaching disc's pressing.  He was into the idea, but in the short time available, the whole group couldn't get on board.

     So, Henry & I met, and since Tara - who usually sang the song - couldn't make it, Henry asked who would sing it.  I told him that I could, and I began to sing it in the same register as Tara.  Henry kind of chuckled and said, "Alright, Whitney Houston..."  {RIP Whitney}  I guess he wasn't expecting my natural range to be quite so up there, but then, there we are.  So he decided it was best to pitch the song down a couple keys.  I remember at the time, standing in awe at his ability to do that with a guitar.  However, if I could go back and do it again, I would have fought for the original key, as the vocal performance that came from the pitched-down approach kind of sounds like the bastard step-child of Nico & Mark Hoppus.

     The song that we recorded is beautiful nonetheless, and I am proud to have been a part of it, particularly at such a young age.  A day or two after that meeting, Henry, Erika, & I met my friend Bill Selak - who was producing that compilation disc - and in the acoustic space of an old empty church that he had secured for us, we cut a quick four-track recording of The Cherry Tree Carol.  I was playing tablas and singing, Erika was playing acoustic guitar and singing back up, and Henry was playing electric sitar.  We used two well-placed microphones, and we played the song live, in maybe two takes.  Afterwards, Henry & I met at his studio, and the third track was used for a vocal overdub that I laid down to doubletrack my voice.  The fourth track was used for psychedelic treatments.

     And here she is, the nearly-lost, newly-recovered recorded version from 2004 of The Cherry Tree Carol, featuring Neil Mallick, Henry Barnes, & Erika M. Anderson:

                **•*\**•*|*                                      

           *•-*-\_*•*|* /*•*/*•*

           *•*_*• \ *•|*|---*-*-•*•*              ----   The Cherry Tree Carol (on SoundCloud)   ----

          *•* _/    \    /_*•_*
          *•         |    |      \*-*•*         
                  _ /     \
            __/    /  |   |   \
          /    |     |  |  /\    | \---\ 


    As I said before, unfortunately my time with the group ended not long after this recording was made, and the group itself dissolved a few months after that.  However, Henry Barnes continues on the path of untamed artistry, as Amps For Christ and in other side projects.

     Here is a clip of Henry from around that era, being a badass:

     Tara & Erika played together for some time as Blue Silk Sutures.  Tara is currently enjoying a successful career as a teacher, while putting on art shows around the city, and playing at some of the awesome former haunts of the greatest hardcore punk bands {Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, & the ilk} with her band, Dude Mirror.

                                                                        -- Check 'em out!  ----------|
                              _____________________________________________|
                             |                                                                
                             |
                             |------------------------------> dudemirror.com

   
     Shortly after the split with AFC, Erika & Ezra played as a combo called Gowns, recording & touring around the country.  In 2010 they each pursued different projects.

     Here is a review which came out a little while back for Ezra's latest release:

                 http://animalpsi.com/2012/08/ezra-buchlawhitman-split-review/

    And, after Gowns, Erika started a band called EMA - yes, her initials - and they are doing very well for themselves (touring Europe, features in SPIN & Pitchfork, and whatnot.)  

            Check out their bandpage            :            facebook.com/cameouttanowhere

                                       

     I really do owe Henry a debt of gratitude.  Aside from essentially taking me on his knee and showing me my first note-bending blues riffs when I was sixteen, and teaching me about oscillators & other swirling cosmic things, and being a good sparring-partner with musings on art & music, Henry has continuously been a supportive figure in my own development as an artist.  Over the years he has on multiple occasions taken the time to repair an instrument or a piece of gear for me while - if even that - charging a purely ceremonial fee.  He has given me inside scoops, and has cheered me on in my recent endeavors on the road.  He has always been generous with his time & talents.  And, he has always been a very natural teacher.

     Thanks, Hank Barnes.

  *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *                             

     So there is the post that I tried to finish before I hit the road in June.  I am sure that people are going to want me to write a thing or two about the tour, and rest assured, I will definitely get to that.  I suppose I haven't done that yet because it is hard to get the perspective to write about something when one is right in the middle of it.  Anyways, check out the blog in the near future for all that and for other updates on my plans for the upcoming months.  Enjoy the tail of your summer, froinds!!  

                                                Your pal,
                                                  Neil

Howie & Wilhelm ...Together at Last

Howdy.

     Boy, the last few months have been a handful.  Two hands full.  {In a good way.}  We are now about a month into spring, but here is a list of odd jobs, random tasks, and peculiar preoccupations that have filled my heart and mind over the past winter months (all while spending my time in the California desert.):

• produced music for three artists:  Jimi Austin James, Builder Bill Ammon, and the boot-stompin', field-hollerin' Dusty McCluster & the Musty-Must

• produced my own music

• wrote, produced, & premiered a play:  The Luana Diaries or Reasonabilities Pertaining to... or So Help Me Turnip!?!?

• had six professional photo shoots (all happy accidents through random encounters)

• got three journalistic reviews

• setup and connected five internet things to my bandpage to turn the wheels of internet hoopla in my favor.  Now turn, wheels, TUURRNN!!!!

• combed the internet, volumes of personal notes, and various print references in the efforts of booking my tour for late spring/summer

• planned my invasion of college radio stations the world over.

• was the subject of two video journalists' work

• {actually, was the subject of a few more European journalists' work, now that I think about it}

• conspired with a few rock confidantes to create more video content to share with you all

               
                                                    6 photo shoots
                                                +  5 web widgets
                                                +  4 rock albums
                                                +  3 write ups
                                                +  2 video clips
                                                +  1 guy
                                                +  a boat-load of other stuff
                                                                                            
                                     ( eeEEAAAAARRRGGGHH!!!!!!!)
               
{a Howie Scream, but a fulfilled Howie Scream,  with maybe a few exasperated Wilhelm Screams thrown into the mix}

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4DX2DBWtTk & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3AdDk_i14I]

 
     A lot of this stuff is still a work in progress (really, a lot of this stuff will forever be a work in progress.)  I'm on the case.  I came across this image last night and it definitely got me thinking...

   

     However, the following disclaimer must be made:  Although I may make it sound like I am going it alone, there have been many people who have been generous with their time, effort, energy, & resources in helping me get this far.  You know who you are, and you have my deepest thanks.

     There are a lot of new things coming to you in the near future, friends.  I very much look forward to sharing it all with you.  Check in soon.

                                                      Your pal,
                                                         Neil

¡Yo soy Señor Blog!

Hey friends.  

     So, this is the new blog of your old pal, Neil.  This is the place I'll be turning to to share news and thoughts on important things, and I hope you turn to this blog to get the said news and thoughts.

     The focus here will be centered on Neil, the Rocker, which is - all in all - pretty overarching; hence, the contents shall include:

• gig news
•  gig recaps
• other news
• other recaps
• questions & conversations with you, the intelligent & appreciative audience
• any other tidbits about me & my life that I decide to leave open for public scrutiny
• "detailed things"
• cool, creative things
• **Rock Philosophy**

     I feel that we are currently living in a time devoid of Rock Philosophers, so this blog is here to pick up that slack from time to time.  However, this blog is not about Rock Evangelism {as no matter the subject, nothing is more annoying than a preachy jackass.}  Rather, the goal shall be to incite thought and promote dialogue {so y'all can make up yerr own damn mind.}

     *Rock Philosophy shall include meditations on the nature of Rock, investigations of the evolution of Rock & commerce, and treatises on art & music in our time.

     Yes, the thoughts about Rock that have long kept me up at night and that I have only shared in the past with my closest Rock confidantes shall now - from time to time - be shared with you, the web community.

     But, aside from all this heavy shit, this blog will just be a cool place for expression and for ideas that one may not get from just my music.

     I do hope you enjoy it.

                                                   Your pal,
                                                       Neil