CD NOW AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE ORDERING AT CDBABY.COM!!!
UPCOMING SHOWS
Thursday 7/10/08 @ 8pm - at Rockwood Music Hall - 196 Allen Street, NYC - FREE DOUBLE BILL WITH BENJAMIN WAGNER 8pm - Chris Abad full band; 9pm - Ben Wagner full band, w/Chris Abad on guitar
3/11/08 - Some shows - Just wanted to let y’all know I’ve got a couple of NYC shows coming up and some more on the way. Hope you can join me for either or both! These shows will be full band electric shows with Tony and Ryan. First one is up in a couple of saturdays, and then a sunday evening at Rockwood. Mark your calendars and check out what we’ve been up to! See above for details. See y’all there!
3/2/08 - No Glory- Unfortunately, the weekend trip to Vermont was somewhat derailed by the flu that seems to be tearing its way through the US over the last couple of weeks. Its latest casualty was Benjamin Wagner’s wife Abbi, and the outcome was that they were unable to join Meg and I up in Vermont.
That said, we’ve had an incredible time here, spending time with Meg’s sister and brother in-law, and my best buddy, Jason up here in Androver, VT. The weekend has been filled with, among other things, good company, good food, beer, beer pong, skiing, time with the dogs, a game of Trivial Pursuit. Meg and I don’t make it out of the city nearly as much as we should, and trips like this remind us that we indeed need to make more of an effort. I have to say, I am not psyched to be coming back to the city this evening.
Anyway, for the time being the Magic Mountain EP will be delayed, and may have to be renamed. But all is not lost. So as not to completely under-deliver, I just made a quick bedroom demo of a new tune called ‘No Glory.’ It’s a tune that Tony, Ryan and I have been working on. It’s a bit of a rocker with the full band, but in this form, It’s a bit stripped down, but i hope y’all enjoy it either way. It’s posted on my myspace page for free download. Check it out!!!
2/25/08 - New EP and rockin’ with the fellas! - As you may have heard on Ben Wagner’s website he and I have plans to make a live EP this coming weekend. See, Ben, our respective wives and a couple of friends are heading up to my sister’s ski house up in Chester, VT this coming weekend. The house is a beautiful colonial inspired three story behemoth of a house set on several acres of gorgeous woodlands. On the few occassions that Meg and I make it up there, I always feel a bit more creative and inspired. Maybe it’s being in the middle of somewhere so quiet, so beautiful, so far removed from the city, you can actually hear your own thoughts for a change. I mentioned to Ben that in addition to being ideal for skiing, cooking, boozing, beer pong, etc., the house would be great for doing some laptop recording. Ben came up with the great idea of a joint EP to be recorded this weekend to “remind people that we still exist.” We spent part of Saturday running some tunes and coming up with a game plan, and I think we could make a pretty fun little recording together this weekend. So stay tuned!
Separately, sunday, I was back in the lab again with Ryan Vaughn and Tony Maceli, my reliable collaborators. Making new music is always more fun with fresh perspective, especially from guys like Ryan and Tony who play with so many different folks I respect, and in their own right are just stellar musicians. We’re continuing to write and arrange new material. By my own admission, my process runs a bit slowly sometime, but honestly, it’s starting to sound like a real rock band. The band dynamic is something i haven’t really experienced in a while and I’ve found it to be incredibly fun and inspiring. When we’re ready to launch, it will rock..I promise! Hoping to get in shape for some shows and recording soon, back in power trio format!
2/7/08- Working!- Quick update: I’ve been reloading over the last few weeks: Got me a new rehearsal space. Got me the best rhythm section in NYC. Got me some brand new rock songs. Got me making a push to make a rock record soon. I’ve been quietly busy, prepping for the relaunch soon. I will keep you all posted!
11/27/07- Feliz Navidad, folks!- I have been fortunate enough to be part of a great project this fall. I, along with 12 other local bands and artists have joined forces to put together a soon to be released holiday record to benefit 826NYC, a Brooklyn-based non profit dedicated to supporting youth literacy. Please join us at The Delancey for our 12/5 record release!!! The show is going to be a doozy. Where else will you find such diverse and big hearted indie talent?
‘A Family Holiday’ is now available on ITunes and CDBaby.com!! Make sure to buy multiple copies - It’s for the kids!!! More details below:
Liberated Matter & Hot Rocks present:
‘A Family Holiday’
Benefit CD release party
Wednesday 12/5 @ 8pm
The Delancey
168 Delancey Street, NYC
with performances by:
El Jezel
The Flying Machines (FKA, The Attorneys)
Wakey! Wakey!
Jeff Jacobson
Chris Abad
Benjamin Wagner
Misty Boyce
Seth Kallen
and more!!!!
10/24/07 - Winding up for Buckeye- So tonight, Ben, Tony and I will be getting together to finalize and work on the final set list for the saturday’s Buckeye Halloween Extravaganza. Ben is finally back from his honeymoon in the Maldives. We haven’t spoken since pulling away from the Inn at Bray’s Island the morning after he and Abbi got married..and what an amazing wedding it was. I haven’t been playing much as I’ve been gearing up for a recording, so I’m looking forward with great anticipation to saturday’s show. I came to work and received the following email promoting our show in my inbox. How can I not be psyched!!!:
From: Wagner, Benjamin
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 8:30 AM
Subject: This Saturday Night: The Buckeye Halloween Show
Just over eighteen years ago, a quartet of natty teens took the then-fledgling CMJ Festival by storm. Buckeye’s electrifying set at Greenwich Village’s Electric Banana (don’t look for it; it’s not there) became the high water mark of ’90s alternative pop performances, featuring incendiary guitar playing, saccharine vocal hooks, and knock-down, drag-out onstage fistfights.
Ten years later, Buckeye’s songs have been made famous by many of the musicians who witnessed this now-legendary flameout: Oasis, Matthew Sweet, The Dandy Warhols, Paul Westerberg, and The Gin Blossoms, to name just a few. Due to ongoing litigation with their defunct (but well-represented) record label, Flaming Cochlea, the quartet remains destitute, unknown, and relegated to selling pints of blood, quarts of saliva, and radio jingles (yunno’ that PC Richards’ whistle?) to make ends meet.
Join Chris Abad, Tony Maceli, Ryan Vaughn and Benjamin Wagner this Saturday night* as they reclaim their rightful place in the pantheon of ’90s alternative greats and salvage their reputation as America’s Most Punctual Rock Band.
Buckeye: The Halloween Show
Saturday, October 27 @ 11:00pm
The Knitting Factory
74 Leonard Street
New York, NY (212) 219-3132
* Costumes emphatically encouraged.
SEE Y’ALL THERE!
10/17/07 - Playing with Mr. Shea and friends…- I ran into the talented Casey Shea last night at the awesome Liberated Matter showcase at Pianos last night. Through a set of extenuating circumstances, he found himself band-less going into his upcoming friday gig at rockwood. Tony Maceli put the idea in his head that I would be a good addition to his impromptu backing band featuring Tony and drummer Ryan Vaughn. Whether this was a good idea remains to be seen but regardless, i now find myself sitting in on lead guitar (filling in the very large shoes of Jeff Jacobson) for his upcoming show on Friday night at Rockwood Music Hall. I am more than happy to oblige. If you haven’t seen Casey doing his thing yet (whether as frontman of the heavyweights, 1/3 of Sundown, or as as solo act), you’re missing out. Swing by! We’re on at 10pm!
9/24/07 - It’s (not quite) Christmas time - For those who don’t know. A good part of my weekend was spent pitching in on a great project spearheaded by my good friend, Benjamin Wagner. He, along with Wes Verhoeve of the Undisputed Heavyweights and Family Records fame, are helping to assemble a holiday record to benefit 826NYC, a non-profit whose programs promote literacy/writing among NY students. We gathered at Travis Harrison’s Serious Business Studios with some of the most talented folks in NYC to cut a rendition of “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” I was glad to pitch in my contribution which included rhythm guitar, George Michael’s lines in the song, some backing vox, and a ton of canned beer for the folks involved. In addition to the group track, each act will be putting forward their own holiday song for the record. I will be submitting my version of ‘Feliz Navidad’ shortly – presumably the only foreign language submission. It should be an outstanding record that will support a very worthy cause. Here’s a short list of the talented people/bands involved:
Jeff Jacobson
El Jezel
William and John of Flying Machines (FKA The Attorneys)
Casey Shea
Wakey Wakey – Mike Grubbs and Gene Adam
Wynn Walent
Misty Boyce
Tarrah Reynolds
Kailin Garrity
Seth Kallen
Blogger/Writer/Promoter Jenny Piston
Part-time Documentarian Langhorne Shea
These folks all rock and gave their time and art for a great well-intentioned project. Kudos, rockstars…
8/18/07 - TONIGHT - Join me tonight for my last show of the summer tonight at Alphabet Lounge. I’ll be playing with a very special lineup to cap off a great summer. I’ll be rockin’ the electric tonight with some very special guests. This one should be a lot of fun! I am very psyched for this one. It should be a doozy. I’ll be trading the acoustic guitar for the electric and will be joined by one of my favorite rhythm sections of all time (and great friends to boot…). See y’all tonight…Also come by early to see my very talented friend Dave Pittenger (8pm) performing with bassist Jon Price.
7/24/07 - Parkside with Wynn Walent this Saturday - Please note, my time slot on 7/28 satruday night at Parkside Lounge is now 10pm! I am looking forward to the show with great anticipation. I will be joined by Tony Maceli on bass and new guy Tom Diehl, an OUTSTANDING drummer. Also will be unveiling some new tunes and might even coax Wynn on stage for a song or two…Need your support for this one (as always). See you there!
6/18/07 - Cross Pol!!! - Come join me at Piano’s tomorrow night 6/19 for Cross Pollination. I will be appearing with the ubiquitous Ryan Vaughn and will be cross-polling with Svoy. Should be another fun tuesday night. See y’all there!
6/11/07 - Thanks! - In case you missed it, the saturday show at Alphabet Lounge was a blast. I just want to thank all those that came by to support me, Ben, and Damien. As much as I love playing music, it really isn’t the same without the awesome support of my wonderful friends, family, listeners, etc. So thanks to all of you for making the show at Alpha Lounge such a great time for me. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I believe there was plenty to enjoy from Ben getting the house rockin with John Denver, and with Tony and newbie, Adam rockin’ the rhythm behind me (it’s been a long time since i’ve been joined on stage by a drummer!). If you dug what you saw and heard, I will be appearing next at Pianos on tuesday June 19th for Cross Pollination (with percussionist Ryan Vaughn doing his uniquely
awesome thing on ‘the box’).I hope to see you all there!
6/8/07 - Time to rock - So, it might not be pretty….After all, Tony, Adam and I have only played together for fewer than 4 hours and have a 10-song set to look forward to on saturday. But am i worried? Not one bit. The truth is the shows are getting to be fewer and far between. Life continues to get busier and busier and responsibilities mount. So what is there left to do but thoroughly enjoy every minute i play music? Adam, who will be playing on saturday in his first ever gig with me, is someone i barely know. Heck, we’ve barely spoken in rehearsal, as we barrelled through 10 songs in under 4 hours. But, why should i worry? He’s a good kid and a good drummer, and we know Tony has the experience to adapt to any situation. Me? I’m just focusing on feeling good, playing some good music, having the support of my friends there, and enjoying all of it. Alphabet Lounge saturday, kids!! Ben Wagner at 8, Me at 9!!!
6/6/07 - Relaunch - Last night, I returned home at about midnight after watching the Mets lose in 11 innings last night to the Phillies. After a full day at the office, a long train ride to Shea (during which Jason and I sipped on cups of rum-spiked pepsi from the Grand Central Station food court, and ran into my boy Seth on the 7), 11 innings of taking in the game with friends Seth and Robert in Robert’s awesome box seats, and the hour long trek back to my stead on 56th and 9th, I was pretty tired. But soon i found myself a little wired as i thought about tonight, and my upcoming show. Tonight will mark my first rehearsal with drummer Adam Christgau, who will be appearing on saturday night with me and my good friend/bassist Tony Maceli at the Alphabet Lounge. It’s always a blast to have an opportunity to play music with new people. My mainstay drummer, Ryan Vaughn (aka, the man with the box) has become one of the darling’s of the LES songwriter scene and has been booked up for the whole summer. Ryan recommended Adam a month or so ago, and now here we are, a few days before my next gig, getting ready to launch a new incarnation of my music. I am very very excited, and even with the small window of time we have to prep, I have a great feeling about how it’ll all turn out. So last night, as i packed my Taylor, my tuner pedal, some cables, and my paradriver pedal in anticipation of heading to rehearsal after work this morning, I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. Please make sure to check out the show this saturday 6/9 if you can! Even better, Ben Wagner will be playing and so will Peasant on saturday. See you there.
6/4/07 - ERRATUM!!! - I am horrible with dates. Don’t own a calendar. I probably should. To clarify, the upcoming show at the Alphabet Lounge is on SATURDAY JUNE 9th, not friday! Thanks to those that brought the error to my attention. Again..SATURDAY JUNE 9th!!!! SEE YOU THERE!
5/31/07 - 100 words? - I was hanging out with Ben Wagner about a Wednesday or two ago over cheap beer at Bar Nine, and somewhere in between meeting a dude named Thor (Jimmy Page in Led Zep cover band, Led Blimpie) and Jimmy Buffett’s personal chef, he mentioned the importance of doing “100 words a day.” We were discussing our music careers, and the challenges of keeping the music afloat in our lives in the face of constantly rising demands away from music, i.e. marriage, career. I admit, it’s been tough to find the time and energy for that something that I love doing so much, which i suppose is the slightly sad/ironic part, since it’s me getting in my own way. It’s trite, i know…but very true. At once, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying and coping with the reality that my life is changing. I’m married now. I’ve finally quit smoking. I’m on the closest thing to a career path than i’ve had in a long time. Some years back, i took the plunge, quitting a lucrative job and ditching a career to pursue music with my former band, Dough. Things didn’t pan out the way maybe I thought they would, but the year and a half we spent going full-throttle was one of the best times in my life. However, looking back, my best music has been written since then, since returning back to reality, back to the grind. I was a different person then, maybe not enough experience or wisdom to understand that it might be my last and only shot, and maybe i didn’t need it as badly as i did way i am now to take that plunge. Maybe i feel like i need it more now than i did then as my life continues down a path that’s pulling me away from music. But then again, i think i need that tension to make music that means something to me. Maybe it makes me write a little bit better, want it more. It feels like it means more to me now in what feels like the beginning of the twilight..blah blah blah. The problem is at the end of a 10 hour work day and with all the noise of the urban life I’ve created, attempts to connect with creation, music are often in vain. Ben was saying that getting in the habit of writing 100 words a day on whatever it is going on and how it ties to life, music, whatever will do some good. I find therapy in HIS words, reading about someone in the same everyday struggle between who we are, who we are becoming, and who we thought we would be. Maybe I am too exhausted to look at my life with the same candor. But, I admit I need some connection…I will give 100 words a try.
5/11/07 - Upcoming performances - It’s been a busy 2007 away from music of late. After a bit of a hiatus, I’ll be returning to the stage this spring. Here are some of my upcoming NYC performances. Mark your calendars. Hope to see you at one or all.
Sunday May 20th @ 7pm
The Knitting Factory – Old Office
Saturday June 9th @ 9pm
Alphabet Lounge
Tuesday June 19th @ 8pm
Pianos – upstairs lounge
Cross Pollination show presented by ASCAP/Liberated Matter
2/23/07 -More fun.. - - My monday night was spent with some very talented people at the NY Songwriters Circle at the Bitter End. If you have a chance, make sure to check out Seth Kallen (www.myspace.com/sethkallen) and Lara Ewen (www.myspace.com/laraewen), as well as pics from the evening at BJ, our gracious host’s, page (www.myspace.com/thebjspace). Needless to say, it’s been a while since i’ve been on stage. I have to say, my head is getting back in the game - i was inspired by what i saw and heard on monday night. So…looking forward, there’s a gig next friday night 3/2 at The Alphabet Lounge and more to come…See you next friday…
2/14/07 -Back on the radar.. - - It’s been an eventful two months since my last performance. i got married, traveled to South Africa, saw large animals, had an amazing time and to be honest, i feel a little different. While adjusting back to city life after being away for a little while is always a little tough, I am happy to be back with the promise of new performances, new songs, and maybe a new record. I’ve got a couple of performances coming up. One is on monday, when i will be participating in the NY Songwriter’s Circle night at The Bitter End. On friday 3/2, I will be playing a gig with my good friend Colin McShane. Hope to be unveiling a some more new material in the coming weeks. Hope you guys can join me this monday.
11/30/06 -Me, Ben, Pianos - next tuesday.. - - This is likely the last show of the year for me, and what better way to go out than with my co-conspirator, Benjamin Wagner. It’s my third Cross-Pollination - I love the event, it’s free, and it’s at Piano’s, a space that I love. So join us on tuesday night 12/5 at 7:45pm for originals by me, originals by Ben, and some cross-pollination, Buckeye style (though my infamous wig will stay home, and I will be wearing a shirt with sleeves!). Swing by! happy holidays…..
11/13/06 -Buckeye returns.. - - Mark your calendars: Buckeye returns to the stage this saturday night at the Knitting Factory! Midnight show not to be missed! In 1996, four lads from SUNY Purchase took the Roskilde Music Festival by storm before flaming out in a contentious breakup. Ten years later, Buckeye’s songs have been made famous by those closest to its greatest triumph: Oasis, Matthew Sweet, The Dandy Warhols, and The Gin Blossoms, amongst others. On Saturday, November 18 at Midnight, the band will reunite to launch it’s “European Thunder Tour.” Don’t miss this historic event. For the full backstory, and samples of Buckeye’s early lost demos, visit www.myspace.com/buckeyerocks
10/10/06 -Cross Pol aftermath - - Thanks to everyone who made it out to Cross Poll last night. I think it was worth the free admission! Ryan rocked the box again, I felt pretty good, Annona Rhus was great, and we had a blast during our collabo set. I am not playing a ton for the next few months, so it was great to share my music with all of you last night. There were the usual ardent supporters -Meg, family, friends, GTAM folks, etc, and then there were a bunch of new faces, thanks to Nick and Sanj - i hope you all collectively had a good time. The next show is about a month away, and will mark the return of Buckeye - reuniting for one last time, one more time. I am also lining up another recording before the end of the year - an ep with anywhere from 5-8 songs. We’ll see what we can squeeze in. Thanks again for your support. See you soon. Also, thanks to our gracious hosts Wes and Jay - thanks for the buddha!
10/8/06 -Cross Pol - - Tomorrow, I will be marking my return to Pianos for Cross-Pollination. I’ve been paired with singer Cara Behan, who will be performing with her collaborator, guitarist Rob Cimitile. We spent the better part of yesterday evening prepping for our all-covers cross-pol set, which to say the least will be new-wave/alt-pop heavy. Should be a great time. Also, I will be performing with percussionist Ryan Vaughn tomorrow night - our second show together in as many weeks. if you missed us at R&R, come by and check us out for free. i think ryan and I might have a nice thing going here. Hope y’all can make it tomorrow - pianos upstairs 7:45pm!!! -C
9/29/06 -Yup. It was good. - - Last night’s show at R&R was a blast. I have to thank the faithful that made it out last night to R&R. Ryan Vaughn, my new pal and percussionist KILLED it last night - we will be doing more shows in the future. If you missed it, I unveiled ‘Scissors’ and ‘Last Dance,’ 2 new tunes in the latest batch of songs headed to the studio in the coming weeks. I haven’t been playing that often and last night’s show made me realize how much i miss performing. I really had a great time. Thanks to all those that showed their support as well as my boy Colin McShane who rocked the stage after me last night. See y’all soon.
9/26/06 -R&R - - Looking forward to the next few weeks. Thursday night’s gig at R&R is sure to be a blast. I will be performing with Ryan Vaughn (drummer/percussionist from Buckeye), and will be sharing the stage with Colin McShane. I have been scrambling to get a batch of new material ready for this fall and winter, with plans to record something - preferrably full band, electric rock album, though an acoustic follow-up wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I am hoping to launch a few new tunes this week, if i can get through them with a higher degree of confidence than I’ve had lately. I am really excited about the new tunes and have some good stuff going right now. Hoping to be ready to record another album very soon. Come down this thursday and check out a few of the new ones, and tell me what you think. R&R this Thursday at 8pm.
9/14/06 -Inertia - coming to an end - - Hope all of you have been well. I sort of fell off the face of the earth for the last couple of weeks. That said, I am rarin’ to do some playing and recording very soon. My birthday just passed, with little fanfare. I am keenly focused on getting my next batch of tunes out before i get married in the winter. The days keep flying by. Next show is with my buddy Colin McShane, and it should be a good one. Colin is one of my local faves, and just a good friend. I’ve been spinning my wheels a bit, but i’ve recently purged a bunch of old song ideas, and started anew, and have a few potential gems i am looking to record. Also, it looks like Buckeye might make a return at some point this fall, so it’s back to business. New songs, gigs, a new side project, and perhaps, my last record as a non-married man. Looking forward…
8/21/06 - Buckeye - A supergroup reunited, a future uncertain.. - - First of all, thanks to all those who came out to our sundown set at Rockwood last night. Buckeye made its triumphant return (or debut) to the stage, and honestly exceeded my expectations. I mean, I knew it would be fun…But did i think it would be that much fun. Apparently, we struck a nerve in ourselves and some of the audience members, and perhaps, something of a future for this collaboration/supergroup just might be on the horizon. We’ve got the backstory down now. Who knows what comes next? Check out Ben Wagner’s blog and photos from the show here:
8/20/06 - Buckeye is here: Beam me up!!! - - I’m not very good at documenting things. Ben Wagner is. Check out his latest blog entry re: Buckeye - http://www.benjaminwagner.com/journal/index.html. Looking forward to a rockin’ little show. I’ve made a new friend in the process in Ryan Vaughn, who will be drumming and percussing for us this weekend. Be there Sunday!
8/14/06 - We Can Pretend - Lyrics to the beta version of a new song to be unveiled at the upcoming Buckeye show! - It’s come back to haunt me/One thing is certain/I haven’t been fooling anyone/It’s a chronic affliction/This daft dereliction/Feel like I’m running from everyone/But we can pretend that the world just won’t end/Is this learned behavior?/From the ways of a savior/Corrupted by politics of greed/It’s a rousing reminder/Or some kind of sign we’re/Still fighting for what we don’t need/This game seems familiar/There’s really no skill here/Making the rules as we go along/In a world without heroes/It all sums to zero/And everything that we know is wrong/But we can pretend that the world just won’t end/It’s the first and the last day of everything we know/Everything we know is wrong/It’s come back to haunt me/One thing is certain/I haven’t been fooling anyone/But we can pretend that the world just won’t end/It’s the first and the last day of everything we know
8/8/06 - Buckeye progress report - Things are right on schedule for the upcoming, one and only Buckeye show ever. Ben and I have assembled a set list featuring some of our favorite guilty pleasure songs from 80-90s alt rock, as well as a few new tunes of ours. Ben has been nice enough to give me the honor of singing two of his latest tunes at the show on 8/20 at Rockwood, ‘So Hard’ and ‘Runaway.’ I’ll also be debuting the beta version of a new tune called ‘Pretend’ just for the hell of it. We of course are working with our shared bassist and collaborator, Tony Maceli, as well as the young and fabulous Ryan Vaughn on drums. We unfortunately will not be playing with Leslie Van Newkirk on keys and backing vocals. Maybe next time…Wait..there isn’t going to be a next time for Buckeye…as far as i know anyway.
7/21/06 - BUCKEYE, FOO!!! - Me and my buddy, Benjamin Wagner had a brilliant idea. Every now and then, every musician starts to feel like doing the same old show gets kind of…well..old. So Ben and I decided to book a gig next month where the two of us will collaborate as a one-night only supergroup called Buckeye. It will feature Ryan Vaughn on drums, Tony Maceli on bass, and perhaps Leslie Sink on keys and backing vox. We’re planning on an eclectic mix of unreleased original material as well as some interesting cover songs. We’re probably going to start brainstorming this weekend, so if you have any cover song suggestions, let us know! Email me at cj@cjabad.com. Show will be at Rockwood Music Hall on Sunday 8/20
7/17/06 - UPCOMING SHOWS - In two saturdays, I will be playing an all-ages electric show at The Knitting Factory. Make sure to show up in force, and bring your friends of all ages, as all are welcome! Also, just added shows - 8/20 at Rockwood with ben Wagner and friends - we are starting a 1-night only supergroup to be named later, and 10/10 at Pianos - i will be making my return visit to Cross-Pollination thanks to my friends at Liberated Matter.
7/5/06 - “THE STARTING POINT” NOW ON CDBABY!! - You can now purchase my new CD online at CDBaby.com. You can sample all of the tracks at CDBaby, place your order, and have the cd at your door in no time! Check it out!
6/22/06 - NEED YOUR SUPPORT… - Your support is needed for my next show on Thursday, June 29th. I will be playing at the Lion’s Den with my friends, Colin McShane, and Snacks at the House to benefit an organization called Minds Matter, an organization that provides mentoring services to innercity students. Ira and Chris of Snacks at the House are both educators and are involved in the organization, and from what I’ve gleaned from them, Minds Matter does some great work with kids in NY, Boston, and Denver. All show proceeds go directly to Minds Matter, so your patronage really will have an impact. Also, I will be playing this show with full band/electric for the very first time since going solo so, I will be bringing more rock than you’ve been getting out of me lately. It’s also one of the last evenings before the July 4th weekend, so come out before you head to beach. It will be a great show, and it would mean a lot to me to do some good at this show. Thanks!!
6/19/06 - It’s out there… - Thanks to everyone who made the release of my new cd ‘The Starting Point’ a success. If you missed the show, you will be able to purchase my cd at shows and through CDBaby.com in the coming days (should be up and running soon). If you want to get a taste of what’s on the record, check out my music clip page, with some sample tracks. Thanks again for all the support. It means the world to me. Happy listening..Also, my buddy/fellow musician Ben Wagner highlights the cd release party in his daily blog. His site totally kicks ass and predictably, has better coverage of my cd release party than I do. Check out his music too while you’re over there!
6/14/06 - Got ‘em… - Last night, i picked up my CD from the wonderful Amy Hills Engine Room Audio and everything looks great. I am psyched to finally get these songs out to all of you for your consumption and enjoyment. It hasn’t been easy, but this is a major milestone for me. Looking back at how insecure the whole Dough dissolution left me, I am proud to say that this marks an accomplishment I am proud of. It’s a minor victory, but the CD symbolizes the next big step in my music career. Losing the band has forced me to evolve and improve upon my weaknesses and turn them into strengths, and change my entire approach to music, for the better, I hope. I am clearly very fortunate to have great allies in my efforts, without whom, I would be nowhere. Thanks to the support of everyone who worked on the record, and support me at shows, and more broadly, those who support me in the more everyday sense. I hope you enjoy the record (that is, if you buy the record….available this saturday….). Looking forward to what happens next.
6/13/06 - Countdown… - The release of my cd is just a few short days away, and I am very excited. The show at Rockwood should be a blast and looking forward to seeing all of you there. I am starting to get my summer shows lined up as well. First up should be a benefit concert at the Lion’s Den on 6/29 with my friend Colin McShane, and the acoustic hip-hop supergroup Snacks at the House. The show will benefit Minds Matter, an organization dedicated to mentoring inner city high school students - more info on this show later. July should see a return to The Knit, Rockwood, and some other favorites. Also, I am finishing a fresh batch of songs which I am hoping to put on wax at the end of the summer in the form of a full band/electric CD. Should be fun. Anyway, remember to show up at Rockwood this weekend and pick up the new CD!
6/5/06 - CD RELEASE PARTY UPDATE… - We’ve determined the location of the afterparty - 7pm onward at White Rabbit at 145 E. Houston St.. Please be advised, due to me being very last minute with planning, Rockwood was the best venue available. As you may or may not know about Rockwood, it is a very small venue with very limited capacity. There is a slight chance that there may be more attendees than the venue can handle. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. However, the after party is open to all and has a much larger capacity, so please join me and every one else there from 7pm onward. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
5/31/06 - CD RELEASE PARTY!!!!… - Mark your calendars and stay tuned for additional details. The CD release party for my debut record “The Starting Point” will be on Saturday 6/17 at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, Party/Show runs from 5pm to 7pm at Rockwood with an afterparty at a location to be determined from 7pm onward!!! Stay tuned!!!
5/23/06 - Out of my hands… - The record in now in the hands of Mike Caffrey of monster Island studios. His mission: to master the record and put that sweet layer of shimmer that only mastering can provide. I bolted out of the office at around 5:30pm yesterday with the mixes burned to a shiny silver cd-r, packaged with some simple instructions and song order. I managed to show up a tad early for my 6pm meeting with Mike at his studio on 21st street. As I sat in the hallway outside of monster island, it finally felt like the cd’s pretty much there. it’s completely out of my hands now and off to repro this weekend. An aggressive estimate of the earliest possible date the cd could be pressed and in my hands is next weekend. Pretty damn exciting.
5/23/06 I know the feeling… –Ben Wagner gave me, my fiance, and my new song ‘Downer’ a little fame on his blog from last night. I can relate to what he described as mild postpartem depression…well not depression, maybe more like pensiveness. In my post-gig pensiveness, I’ve regained some confidence and feel great about the new record and prospects for a musically productive summer. The CD has been mixed. Now it’s on it’s way to being mastered by friday at Monster Island Studios by Mike Caffrey, and then out the door for production immediately thereafter. My designer Scott send me the almost final mockups of what the cd will look like - they look great. Now once there’s an estimated finish date for the pressing of the CD, look out for the CD release party. Hopefully, it will be in about 1 month. Not too much to be down about today.
5/22/06 Good night… – Though there weren’t a ton of people there last night, the show at The Knit was, in my humble opinion, one of the best yet. Sure there was a small crowd, but it was filled with many of my favorite people and ardent supporters. Of course things were sweetened by the presence of Wynn Walent, who put on a great show just before my set, my band mates for the evening - Tony and Walker, as well as my pals/colleagues Colin McShane and Ben Wagner. It was the first time I had played my songs with any accompaniment other than that provided by me in a long time and it was a blast. So as to minimize downtime between songs to tune and retune, i put all of my capo songs (for the layperson, that thing you clip on to the nexk of your guitar to change it’s key-i know, not a belpful description). That meant opening with my nexly transposed old favorite from the Dough-era, Living without you, followed by the debut of 2 new ones called Downer and Wide Awake. Walker and Tony seamlessly provided some great rhytmic support, particularly because of our lack of ample rehearsing. But hey..they’re pros, and that’s why they do what they do. For some reason I really enjoyed this show. Less apprehension than usual on stage. I kind of felt about as ready as I’ve been in months, which is strange since I’ve kind of been wallowing in a bit of self-doubt about how hard to push and how much longer to continue on with the whole music thing. I’m not talking about quitting per se, but figuring out where music fits in the hierarchy of responsibilities. I feel a bit more fatigue these days, a little frazzled and stressed out at times. Last night helped reaffirm what I’ve known all along. Like it or not, I would be incomplete without making music. I love it too much. And last night I was fortunate to share, and maybe convey it better than i have in a while to some of the people that matter the most to me…who of course, support me unequivocally, even on a sunday night in a basement. Thanks to Meg, Charm, GT, Colin, Jon, Jessica, Jason, Charles, Jason S, for their support.
5/18/06 MIX MIX MIX MASTER… – This week has been nothing short of eventful. Today, I am bolting out of the office to hear the final mixes of my debut CD. Walker and Peter Robbins (of Murmur fame) have been working on the mixes. Guy, who engineered, started the process, knocking out the album’s opener ‘long way down’ and the feelgood track ‘every minute’ before splitting forwhat may turn out to be a National Lampoon’s European Vacation with family. Last night, my pal and graphic designer, Scott and I mulled over the final CD layout over some Pam Real Thai in my apartment until late last night. I believe this record is going to be a nice little start. i hope it provides a little spark - kind of tough to get yourself out there without a cd, but fortunately, thanks to the efforts of myself and a small group of talented people, this should be a product I will be proud of. It’s all been simplified this time - Simultaneously recorded vox and guitars, minimal overdubs, sparse arrangement, and a ton of rough edges. I think the record will capture what it’s like to be out in music starting over, cobbling the songs and the record itself during a few late nights in the cold of winter, stitching my thoughts and identity as a musician back together again, at least I hope it will. We’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.
5/17/06 Busy week… – Trying to catch my breath. A busy week on all fronts. I spent last saturday with old friends Ben Wagner and Tony doing a bit of recording at Ben Wagner’s home studio. We took some first stabs at ‘Downer’ and ‘Wide Awake,’ and in a few hours had some good work under our belts - we’ll be back in there soon to track a few more. Recording was followed up with a rehearsal/jam session with Ben, Tony, and Ryan (percussionist/drummer). We made Ryan’s acquaintance way back at a Ben Wagner gig last fall at Rockwood. I have a feeling, you might see him on stage with me some time in the near future. I did a good amount of writing too this weekend - more than i can recall in a little while, and of course…I got to hang with mom and the rest of the family. Anyway, the record is in the final stages - mix, artwork meeting with Scott Gilbert tomorrow. By weekend, it’ll be gig time at The Knit - Downer and Wide awake should crack the set this weekend. . Outside of music, things are picking up steam - work, my dads 50th, wedding, etc. All good things, but i can barely stitch together a thought right now. Meg baked some brownies tonight - think it’s time to have one…More later.
5/8/06 Done?… – I am proud to say that ‘The Starting Point” has moved on to the mixing phase. Thanks to the efforts of Guy, as well as Walker and Brett Bass who played on the record, the music sounds great, and should be ready for pressing very very soon. I am releived and psyched to hear the final results. After Guy works his editing and mixing magic, the record should be a great sounding little project! On another note, this weekend, Ben, Tony and I will be working on another little project - 4-5 songs to be recorded at Ben Wagner’s studio. Tracks should include some very new stuff - Wide Awake, Downer, Propeller, My Love Is Something Better, and an acoustic version of Dough’s Living Without You - which has fit in nicely into my recent sets modified into the key of F from E (for you nerds out there). Also, some dates on the horizon - CD release party, probably a gig followed by drinks at a nearby watering hole, and 1-2 dates back at The Knitting Factory in late May or Mid June. Stay tuned. Hoping to resurface with record(s) in tow very soon!
4/28/06 Almost there… – Last night, Guy, walker and I got together for our drum and percussion session for ‘The Starting Point.” Walker artfully, and rather efficiently knocked out 5 tunes in a few hours and we are so close to done, I can almost taste it. One more backing vocal and lead guitar session - some bells and whistles, and a day or 2 to mix, and I think we have a finished record. After scrapping our early efforts at the end of March and starting fresh, we’ve been able to stitch together what i think will be a charming little record. This is definitely the first record i’ve recorded in this much of a stop-start environment, but we’ve lucked out and put together something that i think is fluid and will represent the songs well. Now to book the cd release party. Any recommendations?
4/25/06 Progress… – Sometimes it clicks in the studio. Sometimes it doesn’t. You hope for the best, but just like an athlete can go cold at anytime, your results can often be mixed at best. ‘The Starting Point,’ the cd i’ve been working on has been getting hammered out piece by piece in short spurts; a record being put together by myself and Guy working after the end of our respective workdays for a few hours. You hope to be in a groove with that short of a window to record in. Alas, these are the pitfalls of having a job and being the beneficiary of your friend’s good will for free studio time. So far, we’ve stiched together a very respectable record in the very limited time we’ve had to work on it. Last night, we got a lot closer. We knocked out some great harmony ideas, and as one of our favorite engineers would say, ‘it sounds like a record.’ So we’re getting there. Should be recording percussion and drums, maybe a couple of guitar leads, but nothing that 1-2 sessions in the next week can’t remedy…then onto a mix next week, and hopefully a pressing by mid May. Just hoping we don’t go ice cold (not in the way Andre-3000 means it) down the stretch, and put out an enjoyable record. I’m sure we will.
4/20/06 Not best, not worst… – Thanks to the faithful that made it out to Crash Mansion last night - Meg, Peg, Jim, Jason, Connie, Casey, Peter, Colleen, Matt, Scott, Charm, Mom, Matty, Ortner, PGuac, and those that tried (brookmo). I’ve had better, I’ve had worse. Just happy to be playing, I suppose. I am planning on focusing on recording - finishing the record, as well as another recording of the latest songs with Ben Wagner and Tony Maceli at skyline studios. if all works out timing wise, there may be a double cd release party in the works. That said, my next show might not be until the cd’s are done - need to get fully loaded. But thanks for all the support so far, especially on a night when I seemed to forget most of my arrangements! More soon.
4/19/06 Showtime… – I am psyched for Crash Mansion tonight. I am hoping that my friends and supporters can rally on this wednesday evening - I suppose it’s a little easier when it’s beautiful out. Some very old friends who I haven’t seen in a while may be in attendance, which I am psyched about, in addition to my amazingly supportive core group that shows up no matter what. Hoping to deliver a good show tonight, on the heels of a successful show at Fat Baby. Hope to see you all there. Thanks for the support!
4/10/06 Fat Baby… – Thanks to all who missed The Sopranos for my show last night - Meg, Peg, Derek, Tiffy, Jason, Erin, Tony, Colin, Eddy, Mom, Franck, Tiffy, Charmaine, Blaine, Richard, Colin, Chris, et. al. And thanks to the few other listeners in the crowd, especially the fans of The Deep End. Hope you all enjoyed the show. I played an oldie but goody in ‘Living Without you’ in a new key, which worked out well. Felt comfortable last night. It’s tough doing the after work shows, i think i tend to bring a little bit of the workday stress with me when doing those. A nice easy sunday evening gig was a nice change of pace. Hope y’all who made it, enjoyed it. Next show is Crash Mansion next wednesday. Hoping for good turnout and a great show. Hope you can make it.
4/7/06 What I am listening to today… – If you’re anything like me, the right music can set the tone for your day. The few minutes that my IPod is on before arriving at work in the morning are key moments in setting my mood for the day. Pick the wrong song, and look out, I could be getting my day started out on the wrong foot. This morning, I am feeling pretty good. Looking forward to a nice weekend and a great sunday show. To get me in the mood this morning, I have been listening to the Pernice Brothers. My future sister-in-law, Kate accidentally turned me onto them a couple of summers ago. She’s one of those people with a high quality collection of cd’s - good taste and understated artsiness abound - case in point, the Pernice Brothers were in there as we were riding around Portland, Maine in her black SUV. The Pernice Brothers are pretty much the only chamber poppish band I have ever liked. Over a short span of time, they’ve risen into the elite status among the favorites in my music collection. It’s got a bit of Nick Drake, Beach Boys, Morrissey with incredibly artful orchestration. Outstanding. If you haven’t listened to them, please do…
4/6/06 Inching closer – I think I’ve been in a minor rut: nothing’s wrong per se, but I’ve been feeling more rundown than usual - Forgetting things at work, minor hiccups here and there. Trouble getting up in the morning during the week, unable to sleep a little longer on the weekends. Nerves are somewhat jangled, stressing over everything and nothing in particular. Admittedly, there is plenty of sunshine in my life – getting married, gainfully employed, it’s spring, family’s good. Fortunately, we made some good headway in finishing my record “The Starting Point.” Last night, Guy and I hooked up with Brett Bass (like the fish), who, ummm, plays bass. He’s a tall lanky young guy with lengthy resume, impressive for a guy who in his mid twenties. He was Enrique Iglesias’ tour bassist, has played with a ton of folks locally and nationally, and by all accounts, totally rocks. I was curious to see how well he would adjust to our semi rag tag, rough around the edges recording. Five songs in 4 hours was the mandate, and Brett was equal to the task. A good working vibe took over the control room at The Space, with Guy efficiently engineering, Brett making great playing decisions, and me, just taking it in. It was 4 hours of escape (no Enrique pun intended), and a long run in the right direction for getting the record done. Now just some Walker Pettibone needs to be added, and a couple of harmonies, and then bam…we’re mixing and pressing…Rut be gone…
4/4/06 - Wide Awake.. - Last week ended with a great little show at Piano’s with Ben Wagner and Tony Maceli. Walker couldn’t join us, so we flipped the script and ran acoustic instead of plugged in, which, in my humble opinion, play’s to Ben’s strengths anyway. This week, I am hoping to wrap up a new tune called ‘Wide Awake’ by the time i hit the stage at Fat Baby this sunday night. Lately, I’ve admittedly been a little distracted, and not putting as much time into music as i would have liked. My great grandmother is in the hospital. She’s doing quite well, but she’s also 96, which make me worry a bit. I played in a basketball tournament on sunday, which took all day. My out of shape body is certainly a bit fatigued. And then, there’s work and wedding planning. All is going well, just the days are flying by. Hoping that spring will bring in some fresh inspiration and more good fortune. I am recording tomorrow, still trying to put the final layers of bass and percussion, and some vocal harmonies on the record before sending it out to be pressed. I am already thinking about doing the next batch of tunes very quickly with my fellow collaborators Ben Wagner and Tony Maceli, maybe over a weekend, just for fun. I am babbling, and not elaborating on much, but all is well and looking forward to sunday’s show. More later.
3/22/06 - Thanks.. - Last night’s matinee at The Knit was a success, and a reunion of sorts. Thanks to all the friends and family that showed up in force, and on time! As usual, I can always count on the usual suspects: Meg, GoldenTree, my family, Nichols, Charles with some nice additions like JPM folks, among others. Also a big thanks to my buddy Colin for showing his support and putting on a great show in the 10am slot. Thanks to all for making me feel welcome at my first show at The Knit. We’ll be doing it again on a sunday in April at Fat Baby. Hoping to have some more new tunes in the hopper by then. More later…
3/21/06 - Showtime… - Tonight, I will be playing at The Knitting Factory for the first time ever. It will be in the Old Office, so i’m not quite making the leap to the main stage just yet. I will be sharing the stage with my good friend and colleague Colin McShane, which i am very excited about. Also, the last week or so has seen me and Guy make some serious headway with the record. We pretty much scrapped our initial efforts and pressed ahead over a few late night sessions tracking vocals and guitar for the 8 songs that will comprise ‘The Starting point.’ The recording is about as raw as anything I’ve ever recorded. It will be anything but perfect, but i think guy and I are trying to capture a little bit more honesty and vulnerability than on other records we’ve worked on together. Tonight there will be free sampler cd’s - done guerilla-style, or ghetto style, either description is applicable; i might as well be setting up the Chris Abad gift shop out of the back of my crappy car with the no frills approach this project has been taking so far. But without the frills, I am growing happier with the results..The songs are getting stronger, and I’ve got some good ones up my sleeve. I am hoping to get some percussion on the record from my good friend Walker Pettibone, and maybe some bass, a little piano, or strings, but hoping to keep it very simple and organic. As for tonight, I am looking forward to playing again, tonight in particular - the shows have been far apart as this year has been busier than i had expected, and progress has been made in slightly smaller increments. But i am feeling good. I should have a good bunch of friends and family around tonight at The Knit. See you all at 7pm tonight.
3/14/06 - Broken Nose… - I broke my nose last week. It kind of sucked, but is sucking less and less by the day. I suppose it could have been much worse. I would love to blame said nose for my radio silence, but it’s really not my nose’s fault. I’ve been busy, i suppose. Busy recording my record, working with colleagues like Benjamnin Wagner, working, and trying to keep my life in order. Coming up, there’s a real bright spot - an inaugural show at The Knitting Factory with my good friend, Colin McShane. Unfortunately, I am playing at 7pm, and he’s playing at 10pm, but i would recommend staying behind to check him out. If anything, he is about as honest a songwriter as i’ve met - unapologetic and raw. As for me, I will be playing ‘Dyer Avenue’ for the first time this coming show. About time. Feeling like i could really benefit from a week off to write. Many ideas, not a lot have been whittled down to working shape. Looking forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday 3/21.
3/1/06 - I love ‘XO’… - If you haven’t experienced the genius that was Elliott Smith, pick up his big label debut, ‘XO.’ While ‘Either/Or’ is the defining album in my mind in the short but stellar career of one of my most favorite writers, ‘XO’ is a must listen. I recently loaded up the old Ipod with a bunch of music, including Elliott Smith for a long drive up to Vermont. My playlist rocked. I was digging it the whole way. However, it has been a good few years since i had listened to ‘XO.’ I discovered the album while in college (back in 1998)…..Damn…gotta hop. More on this later.
2/13/06 - Snow Day… - My body is still a little sore from my 2pm football game in the Sheep’s meadow in Central Park yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, I emerged from the game without any major injury or illness - wearing more layers than necessary certainly helped pad my slowly aging body from the impact of crashing, diving, tackling. Two feet of powder also helped…Anyway, this week, i will be playing a private event with Walker and Tony, in tow. Should be a lot of fun. Hopefully, we’ll be working on recording too this week. Technical difficulties at the studio have pushed things back a little behind schedule, but I am confident a very good acoustic record is on its way.
2/9/06 - Thanks to the Arlene’s crowd… - I have to say thanks to the following folks. Please forgive if i missed you - your support on an otherwise average wednesday night made it pretty special - Megan, Tatlow and friends, Dept of Finance friends, Fed friends, JPM friends, Helen and Dana, J. Simon, Immediate family, friends who engineer, tmac, and the always strong GoldenTree contingent. Anyway, i’ve been slacking on the music side of my life, a little distracted by work and wedding. All good things…More to come though..I guarantee!
2/6/06 - Take Two - This week, you will be able to find me at Arlene Grocery on wednesday at 8pm. I am again looking forward to playing another solo acoustic show. The first one went pretty well and hope to improve in this second effort. I will be posting selected MP3s of from the live recording of The Cutting Room Show from 1/28, so stand by for those. I also had the good fortune of winning $450 by randomly selecting boxes…
1/31/06 - Thanks!!! - Saturday’s show at The Cutting Room was a blast. Thanks to all that came down, especially Paul and Jess (x2), the GoldenTree crew, and of course the family, friends, and fellow musicians in attendance. The show concluded without any major trainwrecks. We also recorded the show off of the board - i will be posting some of it for your enjoyment soon. Next show is wednesday 2/8 at Arlene’s. hope it goes as well as the show this past weekend.
1/27/06 - It’s on… - Be there or be square. The Chris Abad solo experiment rides for the first time in 2006 tomorrow night at the cutting room. A lot of nervous energy and anticipation. Psyched to see all of you.
1/26/06 - Banner week… - Is there a better way to kick of the year than to get engaged, and book your first solo show of the year during the same 7 day span? Rhetorical questions aside, I am feeling great right now. Meg and I, still reeling from the initial excitement, haven’t slept well in a week - but couldn’t be happier. As for the music, I will be unveiling new material at my first official solo show at the Cutting Room this weekend. Here are the songs you are likely to hear this weekend, mostly new, a couple of older tunes, but should make for an interesting set. Hope i don’t blow my lyrics…I kind of mumble anyway, so you’re probably unlikely to notice…See you there, and if you see meg, congratulate her and tell her she has what appears to be the most beautiful ring…ever….
- Time on My Hands
- Long Way Down
- Bringing me to Life
- Dyer Avenue
- Novocaine
- Every Minute
- Save The Day
- Spectacle
- I Suppose
- Mystery encore..
1/20/06 - Upcoming Shows in the hopper… - I have 2 upcoming shows to announce. To kick off this year’s solo performances, I will be at the Cutting Room this saturday 1/28 at 7:30pm. Join me for this matinee show..Should be unveiling some new tunes for the ‘06. Also, as previously mentioned, I will be at Arlene Grocery on wednesday nite 2/8 at 8pm. Show your love, and I promise to send mine back…
1/12/06 - In the works, pt deux… - Looks like Scott (my friend and graphic designer) and I have agreed on a look for the album cover, merch, new website, etc. I am psyched and very pleased with what he came up with. This weekend, I am headed to VT for some R&R, snowboarding, and hopefully a good bit of writing and maybe some laptop recording. Probably radio silence until tuesday.
1/12/06 - In the works… - I am pleased to announce that my first gig of the year has been officially booked - Tuesday, February 8th at Arlene Grocery - solo acoustic. With Guy’s help, it looks we should have a pretty consistent schedule going through the winter and spring at Cutting Room, Rockwood, Arlene’s and maybe some out of town shows as well, depending on how things go during these formative months. This weekend, I am headed up to my sister’s place up in Vermont. i plan on hitting the slopes, eating, drinking, and doing some writing and recording with the help of my truty laptop. Perhaps, inspiration will strike in the middle of nowhere.
Also, earlier this week, Meg, our friend Jim, and I went to see a taping of the Colbert Report. If you haven’t seen this show, please make time to watch it. If you can’t stand the likes of Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity you need to see this show. On top of the political satire, Stephen Colbert seems to take shots at the seeming absurdity of Americans, as evidenced by his bit on bear population management in the great state of NJ. A good time.
1/10/06 - I’m back. Sort of… - 2006 is off and running, and I am already racing to catch up. January looks like prime time to get a cd done and get the hopper full of gigs. This is all a work ini progress, and believe me, progress is being made. Blogging has been a little slow lately as the final touches are going into the design of the cd and ultimately the website - which i am really psyched about. I closed in on the elusive arrangement for ‘Long Way Down,’ banging out the last ideas while playing with Tony the other day. I think we are almost done with ‘Dyer Avenue,’ and there are a few new ones in the works, which should make it to live show soon, but in the interest of time, maybe not to the studio. Anyway, even though it doesn’t look like much is going on, believe me, things are certainly in motion. More later. Looking forward to a good 2006.
12/27/05 - XMas travel.. - I spent christmas day drunk at Logan Airport. It’s really not as bad as it sounds. I was in Boston in the morning with Meg’s family. We did presents (Meg got me an awesome semi-hollow body electric - rock) that morning, had some breakfast. It was nice to spend time with her family, that morning. The plan was to hop on the quick flight to JFK to be at my Dad’s in Queens by the late afternoon. I should have known that things were going to get ugly when there were still people at the gate waiting for the 9:50am flight at 1pm. During my 6 hours of being stranded at Logan, much of XMas day was spent with complete strangers whining about Johnny Damon’s departure from the Sox, listening to the old IPod (Franz Ferdinand “The Fallen” is the hot track this week), pounding beers, watching the Spurs lose, napping on a bench, sobering up, getting a headache, and making drunken phone calls to everyone i could reach to pass the time. When I finally made it to Queens that evening, dinner was done, people were rarin’ to leave and were all waiting for me to arrive. Two cousins from the other side of my family that we never see were there, one of which had recently had a baby…at the age of 18. There was the usual chatter of relatives that refuse to listen to each other, some updates on family gossip: I was a little too tired to absorb it all. All told, it was still nice to see everyone. But now I am here back in NYC. Gearing up to do some recording this week, and looking forward to a few days away from the office.
12/23/05 - Later y’all.. - Headed to Boston, then back to Queens, then back to the city over this Christmas weekend. Looking forward to seeing the family and eating myself into oblivion. Hope you all get to do the same.
12/20/05 - Progress.. - Last night, as the TWU and MTA battled it out down to the wire, and the city braced for the first transit strike in 25 years, Guy and I were in the lab making some progress..and some music. Last night was the first official preproduction session for the forthcoming record - The Starting Point. I don’t know if this will be a demo length, EP length, or full length yet, but if last night is any indication of where these songs can go, I will be happy with whatever I can get. Music is at it’s heart, founded on social interaction. At the base level, it’s communication, story-telling, and in the broader sense it is the way in which people interact in listening to and creating it that brings magic to it all. So, up in the control room of The Space recording studios on the LES on the frigid Transit Strike Eve, Guy and I embarked on our first collaborative effort since Dough went on hiatus. Production and engineering is one of those dark arts which bears some scientific and non-scientific elements, which demands a sort of specific part of the brain, that i neither have the patience or competence for. Thankfully, Guy does. And in those small moments of hammering out the details, whether it’s in the studio with Guy, or playing with Ben, Tony, or any other musician for that matter, good things become great, and music comes to life. Now, i am not proclaiming that whatever is borne of these sessions will be great in the conventional sense, but perhaps greater than what the ideas may have been at inception. And for that I am thankful. After a long year of ups, downs, and flat out exhaustion, I am looking optimistically towards 2006.
On a side note, preliminary tracks that will definitely be on the new cd will be:
Every Minute
Bringing Me to Life
Novocaine
Long Way Down
Dyer Avenue
Bonus Track - Photogenic (redux)
And if I can get on a little creative roll in the coming weeks….
Time on my Hands
The Starting Point (ironically, the cd will have this as a title, whether or not i actually finish this song)
My Love is Something Better
Propeller
Come Clean
12/19/05 - It’s been a long time.. - For the few of you that actually read this, I have been MIA for the last week. Holiday parties, shopping, gigging, etc have left me little time to put some new words on the site. Right now is no different, but there are a few things to report. Over the weekend, Tony, Walker and I played a gig up in Riverdale. It was supposed to be a 3-set acoustic duo show without Walker. However, he showed up after set 1 and proceeded to improv his way through songs old and new. Felt pretty damn good, and it’s always a good time to hang with those guys. Also, today, Guy and I are having a final preproduction session for my very first solo recording and tracking on tuesday hopefully. The plan is to have something ready come late January. In addition to peace and joy for all, including my loved ones, my earthly desire for the new year is to keep the music flowing and get a cd out there soon. Psyched for tonight.
12/12/05 - R&R - Nothing beats a day at the beach, except a day at the beach on a day when you wold normally be parked at your desk, working for the proverbial man. I spent thursday night through last night in Miami - for a friend’s wedding. Thursday was a minor ordeal - work was busy, my car service car called me 5 minutes before pickup saying they’d be 90 minutes late. I ran through midtown hunting for a taxi, and finally found one after charging through the streets of the east 50s with my luggage in tow. As my car made it’s way up the approach to the Triboro bridge, a calm started to fall over me. The view from the approach is somewhat a poetic and beautiful. The city recedes off into distance as you head Queens-bound. My worries about work, music, etc faded off into the night, at least temporarily. Time spent with good friends in relaxing surroundings always does the body and spirit good. More later.