Cassavettes

The LSAT doesn’t scare me, but what it implies for the band does frighten me a little bit. I take the test in June. I would enroll in a law school (somewhere) next fall. I know that the demands of law school’s first year are so high, and that playing in this band simultaneously is nearly impossible. I also know that this plan may require a move. Does this all put an expiration date on the band? A ridiculously close expiration date? Well, I’m not giving up that easily, nor am I delaying my future. In fact, I think it should fuel us to work even harder than before. Look at it this way: We have one year to see how far we can get, and then re-evaluate (who knows what happens at that point? If things within the band are going great, then maybe I delay my first year — but it all depends on what we do now). That’s why my work ethic needs to change. That’s why we all need to recommit to the band. We owe it to ourselves and to each other. There’s a lot invested in this band, personally and financially, to not try to see what the potential pay-offs can be.

I suppose the good news about this LSAT prep class is that when I get busy, I keep myself even busier. This is true: the most productive years of my work in the band’s business side coincided with a hectic schedule of college classes, a part-time nights and weekends job, an unrelated editor’s job at the college paper, and, of course, the regular duties of a hard working, big dreaming rock band. This isn’t to say that my post-college life hasn’t been busy, but it hasn’t kept me fueled my passion in the same way. That’s for certain. If anything, I have just felt bogged down, and have found trouble mustering the mental energy to work my ass off again. Well, consider that changed.

This band needs to get back on track. That’s why on this day I’m blogging an original blog for the first time in months — not merely some show announcement or press release. The principles that we enacted very early on in this band seemingly worked: believe in yourself, in each other, in your hard work and, most importantly, put yourself in a position to succeed and see what comes of it. In this fickle industry, nothing is guaranteed. Talent and hard work are more often than not unrewarded. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Therefore, this is about getting the four members of Cassavettes back together.

This has been a difficult, weird few months and I think we all felt more estranged from each other, and our collective goals, than ever before. And it’s hurt us professionally. Despite putting out arguably our “best” work in November, we find ourselves at a crossroads just a half-year later. We started putting the pieces back together during our great SXSW trip this year, which was the result of a lot of hard work (by me, and by Creamer) and paid dividends interpersonally that I think we continue to enjoy. But a lot to needs to change still. We need to consistently play well — obviously, you may not play every note correctly, but that’s music. But we need to play for each other, and play for the band. The selfishness that hinders us is creeping back into our playing, and often makes me feel like this whole thing isn’t worthwhile. Anyone else? Playing these songs is about putting the song first, and everything and everyone else taking a backseat. We made considerable progress at that for awhile, but the problem is that bad habits sneak back in a lot. We need to get people excited about the band, and that starts with US getting excited about the band again. I’m there, and I trust that my cohorts can be as well. We need to diversify and show off our versatility at shows, if it’s indeed true that our live shows have grown stale. Fine. We need to increase our web presence, and also get back to the traditional means of promotion — word of mouth, flyering, flooding bloggers’ inboxes, Facebook invites. That’s how you get people through the door. That’s how you get people excited. It’s harder when you’re older, and out of college, of course, because there isn’t that “community” anymore. But it’s not impossible. We need to approach the schedule as a series of steps again instead of a random smattering of shows, as it has been. That one’s on me. I got it. We need to build up regionally, and the steps are being taken for that to happen. And finally, we need people to believe in us again. That’s the hardest thing to accomplish, but it comes from believing in ourselves. At one point, it was a top priority for me to have everyone who hung out with us and came to shows to feel connected to the band, as if they were in the band themselves. I think the fracturing within the band has led to a divide with our friends, fans, and audience. It’s not an impossible chasm to cross, but it will require another leap of faith. I’m willing to work for your trust again.

A lot of this is up to me, and I am willing to meet the challenge. But this is a band, and it’s not about what I do as an individual. It’s about how we work together, how we play together, how we dream together. Because this whole thing started as a dream. It’s time to start dreaming big again.

Hello friends,
This weekend we are coming home! During a two-week mini-tour we will be hitting our hometown of Lewisville (Dallas/Denton), Texas, as well as the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin. I’ll be blogging (and possibly filming) the whole thing for boston.com. So, come say hi! Here are all the details… we hope to see you out there!

Friday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m.
Cassavettes w/ Informant — hometown reunion!
At Tequila’s, 2300 Highland Village Rd, Ste 1100, Highland Village, TX
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=341819099762&ref=mf
Notes: This will be a flat-out fun time — as close to our old stomping grounds as I think we’ve ever played. Which means: Were they really our stomping grounds in the first place? Soon-to-be old stomping grounds, perhaps.

Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m.
NX35 Day Party
At Cool Beans (rooftop), 1210 W Hickory St., Denton, TX
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=391470522891&ref=mf
Notes: This show is the warm-up for the day’s headliner: The Flaming Lips! It’s also totally FREEEE!

Thursday, March 18 at 1:45 p.m.
Wente Vineyards Discover the Music Wine Bus (Glenn Yoder & Todd Thibaud)
At WFM (Whole Foods Market) gateway, 9607 Research Boulevard, Austin, TX‎
Link: http://www.wentevineyards.com/discover/promo/wente_at_sxsw/
Notes: This show will be simulcast live to the Whole Foods in Illinois on a 96 inch screen as well as on the Whole Foods website, Justin TV, and Blip FM.

Thursday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Show TBA
Notes: Sorry for the ambiguity. This one is taking a bit to nail down the specifics, but I wanted to give you a time and date, in case this is the only time and date that works for you. We should have this figured out soon!

Friday, March 19 at noon
Sonicbids & Planetary Group SXSW party
At Maggie Mae’s (downstairs), 323 East 6th Street, Austin, TX
Link: http://www.sonicbids.com/SXSWParty/
Notes: Two colossal powers, Sonicbids and Planetary, are throwing the biggest party of SXSW. Well, close to it. Please RSVP for this free show — even though it should be no problem for you to get in, they just want to know what to expect.

Friday, March 19 at 2 p.m.
SXSW Day party
At Guero’s Taco Bar, 1412 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=359433086536&ref=mf
Notes: This is a free day party, all ages, just come by and rock out, drink some margaritas in the Oak Garden.

Saturday, March 20 at 8 p.m.
Cassavettes w/ Girls Guns & Glory, Oh No Robots, Savage & The Big Beat!
At J&J’s Pizza, 118 West Oak Street, Denton, TX
Link: http://www.myspace.com/jjspizzaolddirtybasement
Notes: One last (free) show in our old hometown, bringing back our best buddies from Boston (GGG) and pairing them with an old friend (Rob of ONR) and new friends (S&TBB). This is what it’s like when worlds collide!!!!!!!

Howdy friends,
As many of you know, each year we play a musical event called Rodfest, which means quite a bit to us and several of our closest friends in the local music community. All the money that comes in goes to a Stonehill College scholarship fund established in the name of Greg “Rodney” Moynahan, the life of the party to many who died in an accident several years ago. His annual “Rodfest” event has been carried on literally in his name, and is a celebration of life that truly is the biggest party of the year. No joke — this night gets WILD. People, including us, have come to expect the best night of the year from Rodfest. This Saturday, Jan. 30 at The Paradise Rock Club will be our fourth Rodfest, and the eighth overall, and each year this thing just gets more spectacular. It ALWAYS sells out, so my suggestion would be to get your tickets early from either the box office (no surcharge), online (link below), or at the door (just make sure to be there early!!!). Full details, and the fine line-up, are below…

Rodfest 8 w/ Three Day Threshold, Cassavettes, Quixote, Death and the Dance Machine, Sam Reid and The Riot Act, Chatham Sessions, Colin Toomey & Kevin McDevitt
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 at The Paradise Rock Club
967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston (Green B Line, Pleasant St. Stop)
Doors at 8 p.m., $15, $18+
Tickets here
Directions and more info here

We hope to see you at this year’s Rodfest! Also, don’t forget that you can buy our new album, Shake Down the Sun, CHEAP on iTunes and Nimbit!

In the words of the immortal Fritz, responding to why he stopped maintaining his blog, “I got Twitter.” True, it’s faster and reaches more folks, which is why I’ve been lazy. So, here’s a little mass PR pitch…ahem, last minute plea…

Thanks for sticking with us, it’s the home stretch now! We’re not far off our huge CD release party — this Friday, Nov. 6 at the Middle East Downstairs with our good friends Movers & Shakers, You Can Be a Wesley, Quixote, and Jookabox (Asthmatic Kitty Records). It’s going to be a momentous occasion for us and a big celebration for everyone after a lot of hard work on our new disc, “Shake Down the Sun.” We really hope you are able to join us for the party!

CASSAVETTES CD RELEASE PARTY
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
Middle East Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave., Cambridge
w/ Movers & Shakers, You Can Be a Wesley, Quixote, & Jookabox
18+, $10 advance/$12 at the door

TICKETS…A friendly reminder: You can avoid needless surcharges by purchasing tickets from the Middle East Box Office, (617) 864-EAST ext 221. However, if you are one for instant gratification, you can buy them online here.

DIRECTIONS: Red Line T stop (Central Square) or click here.

Facebook invite.

To listen to songs from our new CD, please visit our MySpace page.

Thanks and we really hope you are able to join us Friday!

Hello, friends. I wanted to briefly write you for two reasons: 1) Our CD release on Nov. 6 at the Middle East Downstairs is lurching closer by the second, and 2) We are headed to New York City for the CMJ festival tomorrow, Friday. Read on for details…

On that CD release, we now have an extraordinary five-band bill: Cassavettes, Movers & Shakers, You Can Be a Wesley, Quixote, and Jookabox (Asthmatic Kitty Records). We’d love for you to be there, too, as this is going to be a big night for us. This CD, “Shake Down the Sun,” is hopefully a big step forward for us, and this release show is going to literally be a party to celebrate that monumental (at least in theory, as of now) step. Grab your tickets today, as this thing is gonna get nicely naughty in a hurry!

Also, see a cool CD release show poster, designed by Chris Cerrato (who did the CD design). Print some out, hand them to friends/family/strangers, hang it in your room and fall asleep looking at its intricate design, and wondering if Chris Cerrato is man or myth.

Now, as for this thing tomorrow at CMJ, we are playing Pianos at a Planetary Party headlined by (who else?) Superdrag, featuring some esteemed musicians, like Boston’s own Will Dailey. We play as early as the rooster crows for these musician types, 1:40 p.m. If you’re interested in coming out, give us a shout via email, cassavettesband (at) hotmail (dot) com. We’ll see what we can do. Full details, click here.

That’s about it. We hope to see you out at the CD release show, Friday, Nov. 6 at the Middle East Downstairs. It’s going to be fun!

Couple quick things, most of which are (oddly) now covered by Twitter (is this making the blog look long-winded, and perhaps obsolete? That’s what happened to Fritz’s Xanga, as you’ll recall).

First off, for those of you in the digital age who don’t like hard copies of CDs, or are partial to instant gratification, we now have our new CD, “Shake Down the Sun,” available in both MP3 form and CD form. Click here to buy for absurdly low prices (but it’s always cheaper if you come to a show!). Please support the cause!

Next up, we are for some reason (not ungrateful, of course — just surprised since we weren’t notified at all) up for Band of the Month over at Deli Magazine. You can vote for us here, and it would be much appreciated.

Final quick mention, we are close to re-confirming our Philly show at Khyber Pass for Oct. 6. The club switched agents and it was in limbo for a bit, but we are looking pretty good to go now. I will keep you posted as we get closer. For now, let’s plan on meeting in Philly Oct. 6 for a steak-and-cheese (that I can’t eat anymore, since I don’t do the red meat, but you can enjoy) and Shiner (in select places). Yuengling will be the backup.

Last night’s Toad show was looking rocky at the start, but really smoothed out over time. Mike’s amp had some serious issues and I’m still fairly certain, upon listening to the recording of last night’s show, that his overdrive pedal is shot. Lots of between-note squealing going on. Anyhow, after the first four songs or so were wildly unbalanced, we got the knack of things and, best of all, the place started to fill up. It was pretty packed by night’s end. Due to the delay caused by equipment problems, we decided to forgo the set break and play through. Good thing, too, because that’s when we really started “cooking.” Still a bunch of mistakes, and a lot more loudness and showboating than I would have preferred, but all in all, it was OK. Crowd was a bit quiet for being so filled out, but they seemed to enjoy it. And I enjoyed that, clearly. Either way, quote of the night goes to Creamer, explaining to a new fan that Grover does NOT live in a trashcan with Oscar the Grouch, explaining, “Don’t get me wrong, I mean, he’s all dirty and shit, but he doesn’t live in a trashcan.”
SET LIST (I’ll need to check this against the recording): Ordinary Girls / Debts / Research Blvd / Empire Central / Don’t Get Me Wrong / There’s a Reason / Whitewashed / Golden Fleece / Trouble From the Start / St. Anthony / The Nadir / On Our Own / The Devil’s Arms / Valley of Gold / A Hard Rain / Lights On / Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This / Madeline / Seek Cover / Cedar / I Come From the Water / Shotgun Wedding / Shine a Light

Our last Toad Tuesday before we leave for tour is Sept. 22 — so, yeah, next week is going to be nuts. All I’m saying is you better be at Toad next Tuesday, and early at that. We might just go crazy!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: A wee bit of blog and newspaper chatter, since I haven’t check in awhile, and confirmation that Sean Murray recalls his offer to book us once a month at The Oasis.

Cheap Thrills – For Toad, last night: “Wanted to go to Toad last Tuesday? Cassavettes and Mia returned just for you. From gig to gig, I’ve Cassavettes hit multiple points on the roots-to-rock meter. Who knows what mood they’ll be in, but the room size suggests they’ll be in an easygoing alt-country groove tonight.”

The New Haven Advocate, For I Am Festival, last weekend: “This year that includes New Haven’s avant-skate rock trio The Vultures (who drop their long-awaited, razor-sharp first full-length Chingus exactly a week after I AM) and psych-pop ensemble M.T. Bearington (who had to cancel last year’s festival but have continued to amass audience goodwill through 2009); Boston’s Cassavettes (a band Murray was so excited about “I promised them I would book them once a month — I definitely haven’t done that!”); and, from New London, ukulele-punker Brian Skidmore and his band The Weird Beards (“they’ve been getting a huge following as of late,” Murray says.”

Finally, I noticed in my scouring of the net, that we are mentioned on a couple Australian music sites, because we are playing next to Aussie Mia Dyson. I wonder if this exposure will finally make us big Down Under (and no, that’s not a member joke).

Crazy weekend. My buddy Jimmy is in town, so things have been hectic at work as I try to handle not taking off any time (since the band is going on tour next week) with actually seeing the kid and making the most of his stay. As a result, we burned the candle at both ends this weekend, starting with a show Friday at The Beachcomber.

Now, usually, when we play the Beachcomber, we have Girls Guns & Glory on board. They are from the South Shore and a reliable draw. Also, it’s usually summery weather, which is good, because this place is a beach joint and ALL ABOUT summer feelings. In this case, we didn’t have either, and while I was surprised and fairly pleased with the outcome, I’m not so sure the club was. The only thing besides an iffy draw that might have caused ire is that (despite my best efforts), we ran overtime by seven minutes. I know this because when I jumped off the stage, the detail cop grabbed me and said, rather disgusted “1:07 — you’re welcome.” I said, “Thanks?” Yes, a question. Regardless, we had a good time, and had some Alabama slammers and tooters. I’m pretty sure both are just juice. The band was sloppy, but didn’t I just tell you about the Slammers and tooters? We were probably getting a sugar high off those drinks. Besides, it’s the Beachcomber. It’s supposed to be wild. Jimmy had a good time though, and on the way home, begged for Burger King then fell asleep, woke up, and screamed into the BK intercom. Good night.
SET LIST: Ordinary Girls / A Hard Rain / Research Blvd / Lights On / Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This / Madeline / Golden Fleece / Seek Cover / Trouble From the Start / Whitewashed / Cedar / Shotgun Wedding / Shine a Light

The next afternoon, we all met up in our old stomping grounds of New London, Ct. on a dreary day. Not the kind of day you want to play an outdoors show, but such was the case at the I Am Festival. Weird note: Since we’ve been going to New London, the great thing about it is that it is fairly constant. Nothing changes, and it’s always fun. This time, it seemed like EVERYTHING had changed, some for the much, much worse. Two divorces, one death, several coast guard guys shipped off to other remote areas (Bahrain?). It was a lot to take in. As for the show, it was an impressive set up, but I think the weather dashed any hopes of big crowds. And we may not have been right up most of the kids’ alleys — even if one dude was really into it, headbanging and nudging Jimmy repeatedly. We did sell a decent amount of merch, so maybe folks liked the jams more than I thought? It’s hard to read a crowd sometimes. After all, even when I’m really into something, I rarely act like it. It’s just a thing. A vibe thing, I guess. Anyhow, I officially started my experiment of recording all of live shows (fingers crossed) and have yet to dump the audio, but an initial listen sounded OK. Again, we were sloppy and I’m coming down with a cold, I think, and having some major trouble singing, but some songs were pretty on. So, we’ll see what happens as I undertake Cassavettes’ archives project.
SET LIST: Ordinary Girls / Lights On / Seek Cover / Don’t Get Me Wrong / Golden Fleece / Cedar / Shotgun Wedding / Shine a Light

After the show, Jim and I went south to NYC for a quick 24-hour whirlwind adventure. Some of the highlights: hanging with AJ whose new place and new life are equally fantastic; hanging with Joe Bug, L Ro, and Stephen (and Jimmy and AJ) at Pete’s Candy Store without having to play a show; doing the tourist thing at the Statue of Liberty (where we went through two security checkpoints, one of which inexplicably blows air on you in short, sudden bursts), Wall Street, Ground Zero, Times Square, and Central Park; seeing a dude in the park with a battery-operated blender, illegally mixing margaritas for customers out of a backpack he was carrying about; and finally, having some really good NYC food (sweet deli sandy, awesome late-night za). All in all, good, albeit brief, trip. Looking forward to the tour, as this seemed like an early preview in some ways, of both the good and the bad.

Tonight, we complete our costly, yet fun, tour of New England with a visit to the Patriots game (my first), which has Matt green with envy — making him look very Christmas-y when you add in the red hair. Tomorrow night, we’re back at Toad for week two of our residency. Ought to be a good one!

Finally, hard copies of our CD are for sale now on Nimbit (see below) and I joined Twitter to convince more folks to come to our shows (see right rail). Hopefully both are positive connections!

Quite a nice trip to San Fran and Napa. I enjoyed the trip thoroughly, up until the ride to the airport, in fact — TD and I completed a bike ride over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito just before boarding. As for the wine, I only went too far once — on a port wine called Caberet (not to be confused be cabernet sauvignon) from Nichelini (the most quaint, and in my opinion, most legit winery we toured). It was a bad combo of port wine and cigars, neither of which, I must admit, am I very experienced in. But for the most part, we spent the days traveling about, sampling at the vineyards, and spending more money than we should have. It’s funny how much that area of the country looks like central Texas. During my morning runs, I was really taken back to the time I spent in the hill country outside San Antonio last September. Perhaps I will post some photos shortly.

So, I have yet to reconvene with my musical kin, but tonight we shall. I’m excited because I’ll have copies of our new CD. One of the things this trip gave me perspective on may be quite huge, actually. I must have listened to “It’s Gonna Change” three times. Once, a relative put it on during dinner to embarrass me. That sucked. But later, I made peace with that record — no small feat, as any musician who has a back catalog knows. I have long looked at that record as a good stepping stone album, but also a missed opportunity. I fully believe, still, that it’s a STRONG record, writing-wise, but it just didn’t showcase the performances we wanted. It was rushed, perhaps — a lethal combination of not knowing any better and not wanting to overspend (sounds like the port wine/cigar combo, eh?). But listening back to it for the first time in a long time, it sounded refreshingly new. There were so many elements I had forgotten — not the least of which is how much pleasure we used to take (and the crowd used to take) in “It’s Gonna Be Alright.” The song fell out of favor when I stopped playing piano live, and our reworkings have never really worked. But, listening to a live recording of our two-year anniversary show, when Mike hits that opening chord, the crowd goes ballistic. A girl screams like it is literally the most exciting moment of her week — she actually sounds more terrified than excited, so maybe she saw a ghost at the exact same time that Mike hit the chord. It’s insane! I don’t recall that kind of response to the song, but see, memory forgets these things. Washes right over them. I’m not saying that we need to bring that song back all the time — that would be a step backward in our evolution of a band. But it’s also important to remember where you came from. I think this trip really gave me some perspective on that. I guess that’s what family reunions are for (even if that recollection was about music).

Also, listening to that same two-year anniversary live show (yes, I gave Cassavettes material a thorough listen), I noticed that we opened, of all things, with a song that we had not played but once before or really since, at least in a dog’s age (it’s called “She’s a Bright Light”). It’s funny, because I brought up the idea of resurrecting this song to the band about a month ago, and the response was better than I expected. Best of all, for being a “piano song,” and a “harmonica song” (like “Alright”), this one actually lends itself to the switch to a guitar-driven tune. I messed around with it at about 3 a.m. the other morning. I think it could work. Worth a shot.

Anyhow, the band has a busy month coming up, with touring and what not. This Friday, we’re back at The Dive for the first time in a long time. Next week, we re-start Toad Tuesdays (late show next week, 10 p.m., but 8 p.m. for the weeks after that), then my buddy Jimmy visits just in time for us to play The Beachcomber in Quincy again and the I Am Festival with Deerhoof in New London. We actually got a nice mention from the local paper, The Day.

This year, folk-rocker Tim Easton, who’s played with former New London- and now Los Angeles-based band Quiet Life, is on the card, as are up-and-comers Free Energy and Cassavettes.

Finally, a dilemma: The band has a weird offer right now that could possibly fund our tour. But it would require selling out…again, possibly. My thought: Is it selling out if there is no profit for us personally? I mean, yes, it’s generally selling out to give up intellectual property for any reimbursement — but then isn’t selling CDs sort of like selling out? Being somebody’s swag dog doesn’t interest me much, but if a small commitment, and doing something totally lame for a month, can bankroll our entire tour, save us from going way deeper in the red, and help us further our dreams (rather than our own bank accounts), should we do it? Or is it a deal with the devil either way? Ponder that one, my friends.

Last update for awhile, since I’m heading way, way west for a bit. San Fran bound. Napa Valley. Vino.

Busy band weekend, with two shows just 16 hours or so apart. The first was at Joco’s in Waltham, which may set a new record for smallest venue we’ve ever played. We cramped in the corner near the jukebox, drank Narragansett, and played two even-tempered sets. Some friends even made the drive out, to watch us play and to watch the Sox (or watch the Joco’s patrons watch the Sox) get absolutely whomped. No big.
SET 1: There’s a Reason / The Nadir / Debts / The Devil’s Arms / Madeline / Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This / Research Blvd. / Like Secrets Beneath / Golden Fleece / St. Anthony / On Our Own / On the Lam / Seek Cover / Valley of Gold
SET 2: A Hard Rain / Ordinary Girls / Lights On / Don’t Get Me Wrong / Trouble From the Start / Alex Chilton / Cinnamon Girl / Walk On / Cedar / Shotgun Wedding / I Come From the Water / Shine a Light

The next day we had an afternoon show at City Hall Plaza, as part of the expansive GreenFest. After a lot of initial confusion, we got loaded in, were served some Narragansetts (see a theme emerging here?), and then played a weird show in which all I or anyone else could apparently hear was drums. On the plus side, I had the foresight to bring a backup guitar on the hunch that my strings were on the verge of breaking, so there was minimal confusion during the guitar swap. Not that I heard the guitar anyway…

Two papers promoted it (with Cassavettes mentions, hence why they get mentioned back here!): The Herald and The Phoenix. Nice to get a mention among such elite company!

SET LIST: Ordinary Girls / Lights On / Madeline / Golden Fleece / Seek Cover / Cedar / Shotgun Wedding / I Come From the Water / Shine a Light

We hauled out after the set to get Matt to another gig, and Mike home for a moving truck. It was a day of chaffeuring for me. Either way, a good dinner made up for any negative feelings toward the show, and Ghostbusters topped the night. I can’t remember even seeing that movie, even if I loved it as a kid. It was like almost a totally new experience. TD fell asleep and asked me if the Marshmellow Man was had returned to the water. After the grogginess subsided, it was clear she was confusing MM with the Statue of Liberty in Ghostbusters II. Final Ghostbusters note: the lyrics to the theme song? Really odd… a few choice lines: “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts / I hear it likes the girls” — what does he think ghosts DO exactly? Also, “If you’ve had a dose of a freaky ghost baby” and, my new favorite proclamation, “Lemme tell ya something: Bustin’ makes me feel good!”

Finally, perhaps the crowning achievement of Run DMC’s career is in the OTHER Ghostbusters theme song, with rapid-fire call-and-response:

[Run] Howling haunting
[DMC] Scaring screaming
[Run] Ghostly ghosts
[DMC] Ghouling demons!
[Run] Monsters spooks
[DMC] Werewolves and devils
[Run] All those things
[DMC] on the same level
[Run] Nightmares (bad dreams) cannot be beat
It takes a brave man (to stand in defeat)
Must be the bravest (yo, the bravest and most)
You must be able to say, “I ain’t afarid of no ghosts”
[DMC] A good sense of humor, is important to have
When a ghost tries to scare you (ha, don’t make me laugh)
They be dustin off ghosts, like true ghost-dusters
[both] Go, go, go, go, ghoooooosstbusters!

We ought to cover it.

It’s been well-documented in this space that Andrew WK is the man. But why is he answering questions on fidelity and polygamy on Fox News?

I got a call this morning at 7 a.m. from a Washington, DC area code. I didn’t answer. But knowing that my TV is broken, and Best Buy may be calling to confirm an appointment to fix it, I called back. A thick, gravelly voice greeted me: “Geek Squad.” So, yes, Best Buy’s Geek Squad was behind the early morning call. But the voice didn’t match the words. How can you purport to be a member of the so-called Geek Squad when it sounds like you just took a phone break from a barfight?

In actual band matters, the CD was approved and actually sent to print today. Turns out, unfortunately, because of the way it was designed, we have to kick in some extra cash to get it to look the way we want on the CD face (using four colors instead of three). There was a slight hope of a work-around for this, but that would have taken a lot of TIME, which at this point, is more valuable to me than the relatively small amount of money we had to put up to get it right, the way we wanted it. I also explored the last second avenue of doing a digipak, but gosh darn, those are expensive! We’ll be happy with this decision for good, I feel. Matt is in Maine for a few days, on a whim (I guess?), so practice is iffy this week. I’m feeling pretty good about the covers we did last week — they sounded pretty good and I’ve been getting some nice feedback. But I’d like to work more covers into the rotation. Versatility is the name of the game.

Finally, TD just uploaded a slew of photos from the past few months to our computer, so a lot of undocumented band shows are, well, now documented. So I will try to go back in the archives this week and give it a touch-up.