Day 233 - October 31st 2009
I got up real early today for some reason. I realized I was on my sisters couch. Boy did we party last night. Great show, great bands, Black Spiderman Dance battling Arabs for Pimp Cups, we had a damn good time.
The folks came to Jersey and we went to Texas Roadhouse for some steaks. They were okay, my mind was focused on the Halloween party At Lickety Tonight. We have Kittens Ablaze, Damon Hamilton, and DJ Pressure and MC Showtime rockin out. We’re in good shape.
I got there around 7 and of course Kittens Ablaze caught in traffic in a rain storm and didn’t get there till 9 so we started everything an hour late. Didn’t stop the party though. They rocked it. Then Damon Hamilton rocked it. Then Showtime and Pressure Rocked it.
It was a truly amazing time, I look forward to working with everyone in the future. I forgot how much fun life can be.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 233
Day 232 - October 30th 2009
Big Day
Tonight was going to be our first South Jersey show…ever. It’s not that I don’t have love for our people across the water it’s just that generally I haven’t had too hard a time getting all those folks to come over to Philadelphia whenever I have big shows, so there’s really been no need to roll over there to play. But when Damien Anthony asks you to do a show with him, you don’t say no. He knows how to get down, and we’ve been wanting to do some more things together so tonight seemed like as good a time as any.
We picked up Jake and we arrived at The Cherrywood around 8. We were scheduled to go on at 9 so I went ahead and suited up so that we could play. I joked with Rob asking him when was the last time we played in Philly, when we play at Lickety on Thanksgiving Eve it will be over a month since the last time we played within the city limits. I meet Bullwinkle, who runs the booking for The Cherrywood. I hope to impress him, so that we have another place in the area to play.
Once we hit the stage there was nothing fancy, basically the set list from the tour with a couple of adjustment
Superhero
(Oh) I wish I loved You
Billie Jean
How Can This Be Love
Feels so Good
(I Think We Should) Breakup
Leavin
I cut Wasted trying to be conscious of time.
Once we were done I decided to enjoy the evening. Which included me jamming with Damien during his set , winning best costume contest and dance battling two guys dressed like terrorists, and emerging victorious. I won a Pimp chalice as a result.
Once I was all funned out I went back to my sisters place, drank pepsi from my pimp cup and slept the night off.
Big Day
Tonight was going to be our first South Jersey show…ever. It’s not that I don’t have love for our people across the water it’s just that generally I haven’t had too hard a time getting all those folks to come over to Philadelphia whenever I have big shows, so there’s really been no need to roll over there to play. But when Damien Anthony asks you to do a show with him, you don’t say no. He knows how to get down, and we’ve been wanting to do some more things together so tonight seemed like as good a time as any.
We picked up Jake and we arrived at The Cherrywood around 8. We were scheduled to go on at 9 so I went ahead and suited up so that we could play. I joked with Rob asking him when was the last time we played in Philly, when we play at Lickety on Thanksgiving Eve it will be over a month since the last time we played within the city limits. I meet Bullwinkle, who runs the booking for The Cherrywood. I hope to impress him, so that we have another place in the area to play.
Once we hit the stage there was nothing fancy, basically the set list from the tour with a couple of adjustment
Superhero
(Oh) I wish I loved You
Billie Jean
How Can This Be Love
Feels so Good
(I Think We Should) Breakup
Leavin
I cut Wasted trying to be conscious of time.
Once we were done I decided to enjoy the evening. Which included me jamming with Damien during his set , winning best costume contest and dance battling two guys dressed like terrorists, and emerging victorious. I won a Pimp chalice as a result.
Once I was all funned out I went back to my sisters place, drank pepsi from my pimp cup and slept the night off.
Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 232
Day 231 - October 29th 2009
Today I spent most of the day trying to line up dates for a future tour of the Midwest in the summer, possibly a trek to SXSW in March and maybe some dates in the south. Not sure what I’m actually going to do but I spent a great deal of time at the computer compiling information.
Big show tomorrow at The Cherrywood. Looking forward to playing with Mr. Damien Anthony.
Today I spent most of the day trying to line up dates for a future tour of the Midwest in the summer, possibly a trek to SXSW in March and maybe some dates in the south. Not sure what I’m actually going to do but I spent a great deal of time at the computer compiling information.
Big show tomorrow at The Cherrywood. Looking forward to playing with Mr. Damien Anthony.
Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 231
Day 230 - October 28th 2009
Today would be my first day out since being back. I’ve been in bed trying tot take care of this cold/whatever I have.
Lickety Split was tonight. The 8:30 band apparently calls up and cancels the day of the show, another reason why I feel like I should rely on bands I have personal relationships with as opposed to booking bands that I don’t know or booking bands on others recommendations. I can blame those other people but ultimately it’s my responsibility.
Other than that show went really well. It sucks to have to play music and compete with a bar full of people watching the World Series, especially if you’re a Bossanova group or a Blues/Folk trio. The Phillies did win though making everyone drunk and excited. Which set the stage for the closing band the Relyx from New York. Funky and Loud, just the way I like it.
Today would be my first day out since being back. I’ve been in bed trying tot take care of this cold/whatever I have.
Lickety Split was tonight. The 8:30 band apparently calls up and cancels the day of the show, another reason why I feel like I should rely on bands I have personal relationships with as opposed to booking bands that I don’t know or booking bands on others recommendations. I can blame those other people but ultimately it’s my responsibility.
Other than that show went really well. It sucks to have to play music and compete with a bar full of people watching the World Series, especially if you’re a Bossanova group or a Blues/Folk trio. The Phillies did win though making everyone drunk and excited. Which set the stage for the closing band the Relyx from New York. Funky and Loud, just the way I like it.
Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 230
Day 229 - October 27th 2009
I’m still sick, hoping that rest will ultimately make me ready for the show on Friday. My phone says no lesson today, this make sit two weeks, I hope she’s been practicing.
I’ve been sleeping a lot so far this week. It’s slowed down a lot of things that I’ve wanted to get done but I guess I can’t really do anything unless I can get healthy enough to keep it moving. I woke up around 3Am realizing I’d missed Jake’s show. Damn.
For the brief time I was awake Dad talked to me about planning the next tour route. I welcome his help. Lord knows I could use it. I felt such a boost to the whole thing going out on the road. If I can keep going out and making friends and fans I’ll be closer to where I wanna be. The future seems bright.
I’m still sick, hoping that rest will ultimately make me ready for the show on Friday. My phone says no lesson today, this make sit two weeks, I hope she’s been practicing.
I’ve been sleeping a lot so far this week. It’s slowed down a lot of things that I’ve wanted to get done but I guess I can’t really do anything unless I can get healthy enough to keep it moving. I woke up around 3Am realizing I’d missed Jake’s show. Damn.
For the brief time I was awake Dad talked to me about planning the next tour route. I welcome his help. Lord knows I could use it. I felt such a boost to the whole thing going out on the road. If I can keep going out and making friends and fans I’ll be closer to where I wanna be. The future seems bright.
Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 229
Day 228 - October 26th 2009
I wake up in my own bed. It’s always weird being home after being gone for more than a day. Philly Rising was cancelled today, which in the long run is fine with me because I am still sick as a dog and can use the rest.
I got bored and made dinner for the fam. My mom thought it was a nice gesture. Then it was Eagles-Redskins on Monday Night football. The Eagles destroyed as they should have. The Redskins aren’t even as good as The Raiders were this year.
Not sure if I’ll have my guitar lesson tomorrow, Jake’s show is at Silk City tonight so I’ll probably ttry and make that.
I wake up in my own bed. It’s always weird being home after being gone for more than a day. Philly Rising was cancelled today, which in the long run is fine with me because I am still sick as a dog and can use the rest.
I got bored and made dinner for the fam. My mom thought it was a nice gesture. Then it was Eagles-Redskins on Monday Night football. The Eagles destroyed as they should have. The Redskins aren’t even as good as The Raiders were this year.
Not sure if I’ll have my guitar lesson tomorrow, Jake’s show is at Silk City tonight so I’ll probably ttry and make that.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 228
Day 227 - October 25th 2009
I hear a knock on my door. It’s Brian apparently it’s 10 am and we have an hour to get out of the Super 8 in Romulus Michigan so that we can get on the road and head back to the Keystone State. Today we go home. We get dressed and head over to the van. I’m still sick but I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did yesterday. Perhaps the chills were my body telling me to rest. Rob was sweating his balls off last night he was sure to let me know. We hit the road and started rolling. Knocked up was the first movie on our agenda, quality flick.
I’m less of a tight ass about stops along the way and even about the time we left. I’ve been in knots about making sure we got to the gigs on time. I’ll probably loosen up the next go round now that I know how we roll and what the group dynamic is. We rolled into a Bob Evans and ate some food before continuing the trip. My inability to swallow without pain kept me from eating so I boxed it up for later.
Brian’s road rage reached new heights as a truck drove slow and wouldn’t get over so that he could get by. He picks up his phone and actually calls the “How’s My Driving Number” and speaks with someone telling them that this truck is driving too slow and won’t get over. I’ve never seen anyone actually use those phone number so we had a good laugh. If that wasn’t enough someone with Virginia license plates cut him off and he uttered a word that I‘ve never heard be fore and hope to use everyday for the rest of my life he called Mr. Virginia...a cuntsicle! We hit another rest stop and throw on Tropic Thunder.
As we finish with the movies and throw on some music I look out of my window and I have to say there aren’t many more beautiful sights than this stretch of land in the autumn. All the trees are different colors and the leaves still haven’t fallen off yet. Looks like a Bob Ross Painting. As I stare into space I sort of take stock and evaluate this little mini tour. Now that I’ve taken my band out for a little road trip that included long hours in a car, being on top of each other, hotel rooms, and consecutive shows in different cities, there are things I’ve noticed, learned and will take into account the next time we’re out.
Firstly, I have to plan the route better. I sort of had to take what I could get this time around but next time I’ll probably make so that we don’t have to spend more than four hours in a car and can actually see the cities we’re playing in. The long rides meant that we had to get up early which meant little to no sleep for everybody.
Second, this is my preferred touring situation. It’s not inconceivable that I may be on tour with other bands, singing, playing guitar, or managing but if I had a choice of being on the road with someone it would be with these three guys. Jake, Rob. Brian, and I have a really good personal chemistry it’s almost brotherly. I enjoyed the debates and philosophical conversations, the new words and terms developed while out here. It seems like we’ve bonded and I think it transferred over to our playing this weekend. The machine parts are right and now and it ran beautifully despite the few setbacks we had.
Third, traveling gives me a new perspective on how good the band and I actually are. I often feel like the longevity and consistency that I’ve enjoyed often allows the people here at home to take me for granted. There’s always some cool new band that the Philly faithful try to get behind and jump on the bandwagon, the general feeling that I’m not going anywhere sometimes people are a little more lukewarm than I’d like them to be and it’s easy to get down on yourself. Not to mention Philly has a dearth of Funk/Rock acts these days. For the people we played for this week the sound was something fresh and different.
Fourth, this is a group of people comfortable with gas. I’ve smelled more farts in the past few days then I ever did in the van with Camaro, many of them were my own.
Number five, Microtels are the best of the three we stayed in.
Six and most importantly, now I know that this current Boy Wonder lineup can dot he whole touring thing. If something were to happen where we got on the road opening for someone or I got a deal etc. These guys are tough enough to withstand the pounding that can sometimes be associated with living this kind of life. There’s a big difference between a two month tour and 5 days out but I think if something were to happen we could really do the damned thang.
We’ll get the ALCS on the radio and listen to that until we get home. Drop Rob off and unload his stuff, Drop Jake off and then I get to see my house again for the first time in a few days. I can’t believe it’s only been like 4/5 days. Seemed a lot longer than that. I had an awesome time with some awesome people, can’t wait until we get a chance to do this again.
I hear a knock on my door. It’s Brian apparently it’s 10 am and we have an hour to get out of the Super 8 in Romulus Michigan so that we can get on the road and head back to the Keystone State. Today we go home. We get dressed and head over to the van. I’m still sick but I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did yesterday. Perhaps the chills were my body telling me to rest. Rob was sweating his balls off last night he was sure to let me know. We hit the road and started rolling. Knocked up was the first movie on our agenda, quality flick.
I’m less of a tight ass about stops along the way and even about the time we left. I’ve been in knots about making sure we got to the gigs on time. I’ll probably loosen up the next go round now that I know how we roll and what the group dynamic is. We rolled into a Bob Evans and ate some food before continuing the trip. My inability to swallow without pain kept me from eating so I boxed it up for later.
Brian’s road rage reached new heights as a truck drove slow and wouldn’t get over so that he could get by. He picks up his phone and actually calls the “How’s My Driving Number” and speaks with someone telling them that this truck is driving too slow and won’t get over. I’ve never seen anyone actually use those phone number so we had a good laugh. If that wasn’t enough someone with Virginia license plates cut him off and he uttered a word that I‘ve never heard be fore and hope to use everyday for the rest of my life he called Mr. Virginia...a cuntsicle! We hit another rest stop and throw on Tropic Thunder.
As we finish with the movies and throw on some music I look out of my window and I have to say there aren’t many more beautiful sights than this stretch of land in the autumn. All the trees are different colors and the leaves still haven’t fallen off yet. Looks like a Bob Ross Painting. As I stare into space I sort of take stock and evaluate this little mini tour. Now that I’ve taken my band out for a little road trip that included long hours in a car, being on top of each other, hotel rooms, and consecutive shows in different cities, there are things I’ve noticed, learned and will take into account the next time we’re out.
Firstly, I have to plan the route better. I sort of had to take what I could get this time around but next time I’ll probably make so that we don’t have to spend more than four hours in a car and can actually see the cities we’re playing in. The long rides meant that we had to get up early which meant little to no sleep for everybody.
Second, this is my preferred touring situation. It’s not inconceivable that I may be on tour with other bands, singing, playing guitar, or managing but if I had a choice of being on the road with someone it would be with these three guys. Jake, Rob. Brian, and I have a really good personal chemistry it’s almost brotherly. I enjoyed the debates and philosophical conversations, the new words and terms developed while out here. It seems like we’ve bonded and I think it transferred over to our playing this weekend. The machine parts are right and now and it ran beautifully despite the few setbacks we had.
Third, traveling gives me a new perspective on how good the band and I actually are. I often feel like the longevity and consistency that I’ve enjoyed often allows the people here at home to take me for granted. There’s always some cool new band that the Philly faithful try to get behind and jump on the bandwagon, the general feeling that I’m not going anywhere sometimes people are a little more lukewarm than I’d like them to be and it’s easy to get down on yourself. Not to mention Philly has a dearth of Funk/Rock acts these days. For the people we played for this week the sound was something fresh and different.
Fourth, this is a group of people comfortable with gas. I’ve smelled more farts in the past few days then I ever did in the van with Camaro, many of them were my own.
Number five, Microtels are the best of the three we stayed in.
Six and most importantly, now I know that this current Boy Wonder lineup can dot he whole touring thing. If something were to happen where we got on the road opening for someone or I got a deal etc. These guys are tough enough to withstand the pounding that can sometimes be associated with living this kind of life. There’s a big difference between a two month tour and 5 days out but I think if something were to happen we could really do the damned thang.
We’ll get the ALCS on the radio and listen to that until we get home. Drop Rob off and unload his stuff, Drop Jake off and then I get to see my house again for the first time in a few days. I can’t believe it’s only been like 4/5 days. Seemed a lot longer than that. I had an awesome time with some awesome people, can’t wait until we get a chance to do this again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Counter
