Well, let me back up a little bit first. The time is May 2010 and Part or Execution was released to "rave"* reviews. And the questions started coming; how are you going to support this album? Are you going to play live? Do you even know how to play live? But you don't play guitar?? Questions like that, which left me confused and despondent. Afraid and alone. Well, not alone, but very afraid. I've never been up front or led a band. I've never commanded an audience. One time in Virginia I spoke in front of a group of people and peed my pants. I literally urinated down my corduroys and kindly excused myself**.
Now let's take it to the present time. There is no time like the present. It is a gift, a present if you will to appreciate the current time and place you are in. After a wonderful fall tour, The Sixers decided to take an extended period of time off for the remainder of the year in order to regroup and have babies... I, a man of New York City told all my musician friends "If you hear of anything like a gig or something that you think I'd be good at playing and singing in front of people that don't give a shit about me, please let me know!" Cut to early December where I played a half hour set to a group of drunk 50 year olds in the lower east side of Manhattan. After that half hour set I knew I was ready for a real gig. What better place to try and book a gig than maybe in your home town? No. Bad idea. Let's think outside the box; so many people play in New York all the time that it's just overwhelming. Go see this guy at that place, she'll be on next over across the street after that guy who has a showcase around the corner from that guy who was in that band in the 90's that overcame that drug problem... It's like Disney World without the large animals. The food prices are still the same.
So my friend approached me last week about playing a club, a residency if you will. "Where, in NYC"? "NO," he replied. "First put on some pants and we'll talk about it..." After putting on some corduroys I said "OK, friend, I'm ready to hear more about this residency. If it's in Delaware, that's cool, but I have some ludency charges pending... If it's in Chicago that is also fine, just know that last time I was in Chicago I thought they drove on the opposite side of the road and did so voluntarily and paid the consequences... And, if it's in any state in the Pacific Northwest that is awesome, but you gotta know that I'm allergic to something over there. Every time I drink the water in that region I break out in hives and start singing like Judy Garland. But all these other places are fine... Except for a small town outside Detroit where they know me as 'Dr. Death'. Everywhere else, is fine..." "Singapore, you're performing in Singapore kid." I was speechless. I didn't know if he was speaking some foreign language he picked up on Star Trek or if he was rattling off his favorite cuisine in Queens. After many questions, maps, diagrams and cups of coffee*** I learned that Singapore is a country in Southeast Asia. I'd be playing there. The flights in total are 24 hours long, including a layover in Tokyo. I accepted. I mean, it fits all the criteria of what I wanted to accomplish; play for a group of people that have never heard of me before, this way if I fuck up they won't know the difference. Win, win, win and I'm very excited.
So for all of you Singaporians reading this, it's going to be a good time. From January 4th to January 8th I will be playing in your country and honored to be there every second of it... And yes, if I mess up, chances are you won't have any idea...
boots
*To me, the word rave doesn't necessarily have a positive or negative connotation, so I thought I'd use it...
** I did not "kindly" excuse myself. I yelled at the audience, blaming them for what just happened...
***Man, I swear corduroys attract accidents with me.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Order Part or Execution This week and...
So, in celebration of for the month of July I've decided to give away some free stuff... If you order a copy of Part or Execution over at www.bootsfactor.com you will also receive a free disc containing my first EP titled January Bridges. Since there weren't any "physical" cd's made of this EP due to the fact that George W. Bush was president at the time (please, let us not get into a political discussion), I will instead autograph the burned CD, and let that be the artwork...
How does that sound? Order Part or Execution now over at www.bootsfactor.com and get more than what you paid for... Sounds good to me.
boots
How does that sound? Order Part or Execution now over at www.bootsfactor.com and get more than what you paid for... Sounds good to me.
boots
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
www.bootsfactor.com
Part or Execution is now available on www.bootsfactor.com as well as on iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/part-or-execution/id368527622
Thanks so much!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/part-or-execution/id368527622
Thanks so much!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A Real Year In Review
Written for SK6ERS Road Journal...
2009 A Year In Review
I have a theory about time that as you get older, time passes by faster. For instance, a newborn baby lives one full day in this world and then wakes up and lives another. That second day of his or her life is the equivalent to that baby's entire life span. That must've felt like a long day. Now, a 50 year old person who lives another day, only lives a small fraction of his or her life. That day would logically feel a lot quicker. That fraction only gets smaller as we grow older. What I'm trying to say here is that 2009 went by a little too quickly.
We started off the year off by maintaining our steady pace of recording for the album that would become The Bear. By this time in 2009, we were freezing our asses off in northern Maine. I've never been more cold in my life and more excited to sit on top of a furnace in between backing vocal takes. Don't worry, the year eventually got warmer...
By early March the recording process was nearly over and we were packing our bags for the military tour we were to embark on. I think about this month a lot and how much it meant to all of us as a band and individuals. Along with the special moments we shared frolicking through Europe on a tour bus and later, on commercial airlines (lots of down time on airport floors, which makes you really appreciate electrical outlets...), even more special moments were shared by hanging with the brave men and women who are serving in our military. Not only do these brave souls put their lives on the line each day for our country, but they truly know how to drink beer. Lots of beer. In the middle of the desert. I was floored. And had the best time of my life in Bahrain.
Heading back to the states, we quickly got back into studio mode, recording over dubs and eventually mixing. The spring air was rustling about up and down the New York City streets, but we had no idea because we were trapped inside a studio the size of a tenament. The only fresh air we breathed was when walking towards Kit's car to listen to mixes. But that didn't matter because there was more traveling to be done.
We were lucky enough to have the honor of playing the US ambassador's party in Israel on the Fourth of July. If you can picture the scene for a moment; a suburban neighborhood far away from the news stories coming from the Gaza Strip. In this neighborhood were many beautiful homes set right next to the ocean. One particular house was the ambassador's... Now picture the driveway of this house filled with armed security. And 3 metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs. But once you entered this place, make sure you get a look at the snipers on the roof of the ambassador's house. It was truly a sight for these sore eyes. Oh, and the Prime Minister spoke right before we played on the very same stage my Israeli branded drums were on. It made us all wonder what the hell we were doing on that 4th of July. I don't think there will be many Independence Days that will rival 2009's....
July quickly turned into September and with the blink of an eye, it was getting close to the release date for The Bear. Not before the album was to officially be released did we get a call from our wonderful record label Vanguard, asking us to make a video for Shady. They wondered if it were possible to somehow include a marching band in said video. I don't even think we thought it all the way through before we said "Yes". But before we knew it we were on a football field at the University of Massachusetts with a 400 piece marching band. And as September 8th rolled around, which was our release date for The Bear, I remember being in the editing room putting together the Shady video and thinking how amazing it was that we were able to pull off all these accomplishments for 2009...
The year didn't end there, as we toured with our very good friends Carbon Leaf, aptly naming the tour The Bear Rhymes with Woman. Both bands did something not many others have done in the past, which was something we named "the seamless transition" between our respective sets. One band would come up for the other's last two songs, start the next band's set and stay up for their first two songs. Does that sound confusing? Well, for the first couple of shows it was just as confusing for all band members involved. But yet, another accomplishment was reached and some of the best moments we've experienced live were on that tour... ie the drum solo at the end of Rambling Man. Need I say more? Nope...
So, what's in store for the year 2010, you might ask? Go on, ask... How can one beat the year 2009? That's a very good question. I can tell you that we've got an exciting new tour lined up with the great rock and roll band Need To Breathe and we have a very special run in April leading up to SK6ER's 1000th show. But it's really the stuff that happens in between that makes a good year; the life experiences and the new friends we make a long the way.
Happy new year!
boots and co.
2009 A Year In Review
I have a theory about time that as you get older, time passes by faster. For instance, a newborn baby lives one full day in this world and then wakes up and lives another. That second day of his or her life is the equivalent to that baby's entire life span. That must've felt like a long day. Now, a 50 year old person who lives another day, only lives a small fraction of his or her life. That day would logically feel a lot quicker. That fraction only gets smaller as we grow older. What I'm trying to say here is that 2009 went by a little too quickly.
We started off the year off by maintaining our steady pace of recording for the album that would become The Bear. By this time in 2009, we were freezing our asses off in northern Maine. I've never been more cold in my life and more excited to sit on top of a furnace in between backing vocal takes. Don't worry, the year eventually got warmer...
By early March the recording process was nearly over and we were packing our bags for the military tour we were to embark on. I think about this month a lot and how much it meant to all of us as a band and individuals. Along with the special moments we shared frolicking through Europe on a tour bus and later, on commercial airlines (lots of down time on airport floors, which makes you really appreciate electrical outlets...), even more special moments were shared by hanging with the brave men and women who are serving in our military. Not only do these brave souls put their lives on the line each day for our country, but they truly know how to drink beer. Lots of beer. In the middle of the desert. I was floored. And had the best time of my life in Bahrain.
Heading back to the states, we quickly got back into studio mode, recording over dubs and eventually mixing. The spring air was rustling about up and down the New York City streets, but we had no idea because we were trapped inside a studio the size of a tenament. The only fresh air we breathed was when walking towards Kit's car to listen to mixes. But that didn't matter because there was more traveling to be done.
We were lucky enough to have the honor of playing the US ambassador's party in Israel on the Fourth of July. If you can picture the scene for a moment; a suburban neighborhood far away from the news stories coming from the Gaza Strip. In this neighborhood were many beautiful homes set right next to the ocean. One particular house was the ambassador's... Now picture the driveway of this house filled with armed security. And 3 metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs. But once you entered this place, make sure you get a look at the snipers on the roof of the ambassador's house. It was truly a sight for these sore eyes. Oh, and the Prime Minister spoke right before we played on the very same stage my Israeli branded drums were on. It made us all wonder what the hell we were doing on that 4th of July. I don't think there will be many Independence Days that will rival 2009's....
July quickly turned into September and with the blink of an eye, it was getting close to the release date for The Bear. Not before the album was to officially be released did we get a call from our wonderful record label Vanguard, asking us to make a video for Shady. They wondered if it were possible to somehow include a marching band in said video. I don't even think we thought it all the way through before we said "Yes". But before we knew it we were on a football field at the University of Massachusetts with a 400 piece marching band. And as September 8th rolled around, which was our release date for The Bear, I remember being in the editing room putting together the Shady video and thinking how amazing it was that we were able to pull off all these accomplishments for 2009...
The year didn't end there, as we toured with our very good friends Carbon Leaf, aptly naming the tour The Bear Rhymes with Woman. Both bands did something not many others have done in the past, which was something we named "the seamless transition" between our respective sets. One band would come up for the other's last two songs, start the next band's set and stay up for their first two songs. Does that sound confusing? Well, for the first couple of shows it was just as confusing for all band members involved. But yet, another accomplishment was reached and some of the best moments we've experienced live were on that tour... ie the drum solo at the end of Rambling Man. Need I say more? Nope...
So, what's in store for the year 2010, you might ask? Go on, ask... How can one beat the year 2009? That's a very good question. I can tell you that we've got an exciting new tour lined up with the great rock and roll band Need To Breathe and we have a very special run in April leading up to SK6ER's 1000th show. But it's really the stuff that happens in between that makes a good year; the life experiences and the new friends we make a long the way.
Happy new year!
boots and co.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Top Ten for 2010
I think it's safe to say that I am the FIRST person to make a top ten list for 2010. All those lists for 2009... Forget about them, 2009 is o-v-e-r. This a new year and of course, it's time to take stock.
10. Lady Gaga - OMG for her!
9. Sports - Can't get enough of sports. Did you guys see any football games yesterday? WOW.
8. Obama - He's still our president! I think he's been doing a great job in 2010 and can't wait for 2011...
7. Snuggies. OMG! Have you seen these things? Definitely the most popular thing of the year...
6. the iPhone - SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THESE IN 2010. wow.
5. Luke Perry - He's going to have a killer year. His comeback started January 1st 2010, 12:01am!
4. High Definition Television.
3. Poker, on HDTV. It's the best thing on television in 2010!
2. TMZ! OMG!
1. Thermostats/heat. Seems like a very popular thing; everyone's using them!
What a year...
10. Lady Gaga - OMG for her!
9. Sports - Can't get enough of sports. Did you guys see any football games yesterday? WOW.
8. Obama - He's still our president! I think he's been doing a great job in 2010 and can't wait for 2011...
7. Snuggies. OMG! Have you seen these things? Definitely the most popular thing of the year...
6. the iPhone - SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THESE IN 2010. wow.
5. Luke Perry - He's going to have a killer year. His comeback started January 1st 2010, 12:01am!
4. High Definition Television.
3. Poker, on HDTV. It's the best thing on television in 2010!
2. TMZ! OMG!
1. Thermostats/heat. Seems like a very popular thing; everyone's using them!
What a year...
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