Re-Discovering Downtown Harvest.

I have been a big fan of Downtown Harvest for years now. They have an incredibly original sound. It’s like the guys took a little bit of funk, some hip-hop beats, a major case of the blues, and a pinch of rock-n-roll, threw it in a blender and poured themselves a large glass of success. The four young musicians are the talk of the town. They actually have been for a while. In this day and age of overnight Myspace-musicians, longevity is usually not what comes to mind when speaking of your local “hot band of the moment.” However, these four guys have been on the tongues of those in the scene for a while. Radio DJ’s, music writers and bar owners all sing their praise and have so for a couple years. Even though I was clued into their brilliance, I always kept my distance from them. The reason…high school! These guys went to my high school. They weren’t a band during the time I was rocking flannel shirts and listening to Hole and Nine Inch Nails. They were just guys at my school. In fact, Tom (Larry Thomas Moore) was the first person ever to speak to me at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.

Tom was in my homeroom. He sat directly in front of me for four years. On my very first day at my new school, without introducing himself, or any kind of small talk, he turned around in his seat and in the friendliest of voices handed me his open text book and said, “does this smell funny to you?”

I took the bait. It must have been my trusting private-school-girl-mentality. I went right in. I put my nose as close to the pages as I could get, and bam! He slammed the book in my face and sent the class rolling in laughter. This was my first memory of High School.

Bob Cahill (B.O.B) and I actually had the same group of friends. We were always in the same place with the same people but we never really hit it off. He was always kind of “too cool for school” and I was always kind of awkward and nervous.

High School in general was not a time or place I like to remember. So quite a few years after graduation when I heard that some class of ‘98rs had formed a pretty sweet band I ignored it, trying to stay away from anyone or anything that would remind me of my four years served.

But the power of Downtown Harvest compelled me. I ended up listening to their self-titled debut album over and over in the privacy of my car.  The sound was so different form anything around and I was shocked at the talent that had surrounded me a few years earlier.

A year later when they released Golden Dragon, I knew it was useless to try to fight it any longer. They were great. The album was fun. It had soul. It sounded like they were a ten-piece band. They were a band that actually knew how to play their instruments. I was hooked for good.

When Nataly and I decided to launch this Web site, I knew in the back of my mind that Downtown Harvest would have to make an appearance on our pages. They are Philadelphia local music. They are some of the best around.  So we went to their second residency show at World Café and spoke with the guys.

We caught up with Bob and Tom in the Green Room. They were pretty much as I remembered them. Both jokesters, both “cool kids.” Tom was quick to ask me if I recalled the time he got me to smell his textbook in 9^th and grade. He was kind enough to fill in the rest of the crowd as well. It was great catching up and all but I wanted to know about the band. I asked them to fill me in on how they had run into each other and decided to form the band.

“I was riding the R6 home from school, hung over,” says Tom.

“He was drunk.” Bob jumps in. “He smelled like Camel Lights and many, many, Pabts Blue Ribbons, in a white dress-shirt none the less. In fact I was like, this guy dresses so crazy these days, let’s start a band.”

Shortly after, the elusive Chris Woods (C-Dubbs) joined the band, bringing with him some seriously sick drumming action and a darker vocal sound. When they found Frank Ewing (Tyrannosaurus Frank) the formula was perfected.

“I didn’t know Frank in High School,” says Tom. “Frank would just show up at Penn Sate, never knew any of our songs, just show up with his saxophone and played right along. I was like this guy has his shit together.”

Frank is like a one-man-band all his own. He sings, plays guitar, saxophone, keyboards and a few instruments I don’t even know the names of. He seems like the type of guy, if you put an instrument in front of him he’s going to pick it up and figure it out on his own.

“I come from a musical family,” he says. “It’s just always been natural for me.”

Frank took it a step further on their new, soon to be released album, Discovering Dinosaurs. He produced and engineered the album entirely himself.

From what I have heard of the sampler to Discovering Dinosaurs, the sound is a bit more refined and cleaner than the previous albums. Bob say’s it’s more upbeat.

“You can tell they are upbeat, cause of titles such as ‘Captain I Hate My Life’,” explains Tom.

All though it’s hard to say, only having heard four songs, it sounds like this album may be a bit more cohesive in sound and tone than the two before it. Whether this is a good thing or not is yet to be seen. It is their immense collection of sounds, genres, instruments, and strong personalities that make listening to Downtown Harvest so unique and invigorating. I am anxious to hear if talent, humor and madness of the band makes it onto the Discovering Dinosaurs.

“Buy Discovering Dinosaurs this month,” says Bob, “and get a free Subway sandwich.”

You can catch Downtown Harvest at their Friday night residency shows at the World Café Live on the 30^th of this month.

Pre-order Discovering Dinosaurs here.

ALL PHOTOS BY GGM PRODUCTIONS

I Am Still Wild And You Can Be Too.

Where The Wild Things Are Motion Picture Soundtrack.

When you were a kid, if you were one of the lucky ones, perhaps every so often in your room a forest would grow, and your “ceiling hung with vines.” Maybe “an ocean tumbled by with a private boat” to sail you in and out of days.If you were super lucky perhaps you even got to be “king of all the wild things.”

If you have no clue what I am talking about, you are never too old. Run out now and get yourself a copy of Maurice Sendak’s award winning book, Where The Wild Things Are.

For those of you who are following, you probably have been eagerly awaiting the release of Spike Jonze’s new movie version of the beloved children’s book. I have, but with some hesitation. Can you take something that represents a child’s unequaled power of imagination and turn it into a movie that we can all agree on? I don’t know, but when I see this movie I will be back to tell you what I think.

One thing I can say is that Karen O and the Kids have succeeded in making a soundtrack that lets the mind soar at will. It’s creepy. It’s beautiful. It’s imaginative. It’s reminiscent and hopeful. It fits the book and my imagination perfectly.

In an interview with New York Magazine, composer Karen O, says she was influenced by the Langley School Music Project, which is my favorite children’s choir piece, because of it’s sweetness, and imperfections, it’s just pure honesty. This soundtrack has this same raw sound. However, the sounds these young voices emit, somehow sands away the rough edges.

The songs are simple. The instruments are lo-tech and childlike. However, this is not a children’s album by any means. The track “Animal” is scary and wild. It could fit perfectly on Fever to Tell. “Hideaway” is sad and painful and a step forward for Karen O. The rest of the musicians that pieced this project together include some of the most influential in the current indie scene. Including, Bradford Cox from Deerhunter, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence currently from The Dead Weather, Aaron Hemphill form Liars and of course the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

This album totally warms your heart, makes you yearn for simpler times, and reminds you that after all your big adventures, all you really want is a dinner that is still hot and someone who loves you “best of all.”

Diary of a Band: Odessa Stair

When Eat Our Cocks, Dr. Dog: The Odessa Stair Story is released in book stores everywhere, readers may be surprised to learn that we weren’t always the SteveDanPat line-up that girls dream about at night. There are a few former soldiers that helped turn Odessa Stair into the fear-mongering hit machine that it is now.

Doug’s an old friend of mine who has the noble distinction of being the first person to join the band, and the not-so-noble distinction of being the first one fired. Nevertheless, his enthusiasm for guitar was second-to-none. As October ’08 ended, I taught him my songs and accompanied him on bass.

I met Jonathan through Craigslist at the beginning of November. A great guitarist with an amazing sense of rhythm, he could turn my lamest riffs into garage rock anthems. He also taught me the most important question to ask potential band mates: “So, uh, you don’t do coke, right?”

I hadn’t talked to Dan in years when we met up at our friend’s sex toy party last April. The grotesque dildos on display sparked our discussion about making music that sounds like a giant rubber dick getting shoved into your eye. He took over on bass a few days later. I moved to the drums, which at this point consisted of a tom and a frying pan.

We were having fun but things weren’t… right. The greatest band in the world sounded pretty awkward, which is to be expected when half of your drum kit is used to cook breakfast. Morale was starting to dwindle. People were skipping practices or ignoring phone calls. By June, Jonathan had quit, and I decided to let Doug go. It’s never easy firing a friend, but I wanted a real drummer and I no longer saw room for two guitarists. People often see this as harsh, but that’s usually because they’ve never met a real man before.

Dan posted an ad on Craigslist for a new drummer (an excerpt: “You’re going to be part of a movement that will destroy lives.”) and only Pat was brave enough to respond. Pat auditioned with pure gusto and declared his love of trashing hotel rooms. He was the perfect fit.

I’m still friends with everyone and their influence can still be heard in the band; Jonathan and Doug have writing credits on many of our songs. I’m grateful for their help getting Odessa Stair off the ground. Without them, Hipsters Eat Soy Animals would have to find some other sap to write diary entries for free.

~ Steve

Poll

Diary of a Band: The John Salamone Band.

The John Salamone Band: Episode 3: Season 1

Why I do what I do.

Well that is a pretty easy question to answer. It’s for the love of music. That is really what keeps me going. Yeah I want this band to be my career, to record albums, go on tours, and make money. Those are definitely motivating factors, but I think the love of music gets me through the hard times. This isn’t something you can go to college for, get an internship, get a degree, and then land a job when you graduate. There are very few bands that instantly make it, that don’t have to pay their dues, as they say. Even then nothing is guaranteed. If you read my first diary you know what I’m talking about. If not then you have a little homework assignment. I dropped out of school so I could focus on being in a band. I work jobs that allow me to easily manipulate my schedule cause sometimes you will be playing a show at 1:30 a.m. in New York. These unfortunately are not always the highest paying jobs. I’ve played shows where it is just your manager, one friend, and the bartender. You know what? It’s worth it. That feeling of getting up on stage, playing songs you helped create, and seeing other people enjoying it as much as you do, well there aren’t many things that come close. My love of the music keeps me on this path.

beard

New to the Scene?: Ten bands to expand your mind.

By: Patrick Niederriter

In honor of this new Web site(HipstersEatforFree.com,) I am writing this article for all you who are new to the whole “indie” scene. Maybe you’re just starting college and feel like discovering new music or maybe you are just bored with what you hear on the radio and feel like expanding your horizons. So, I have listed ten bands from a variety of genres for you to peruse to better find your niche. Those of you who eat and breathe underground music may find this list elementary, but it is not meant for you. Still, give it a read. There may be a few gems you overlooked. This list is in no particular order.

1. Fugazi: Since 1987, these D.C. artists have been a major influence on the progression of punk rock and hardcore. Their music is heavy, sometimes droney, and sometimes almost jammy. Be prepared for some quality yelling. They are equally well known for their DIY (Do it Yourself) methods and musical ethics. For instance, they view pricey admissions to shows as unacceptable and prefer that the cost of admission not exceed $5.

What to Listen to: Repeater, Fugazi’s 1990 release is a great album. Also, 13 Songs is a great compilation of their hits and would give you a good variety of their music.

If You Like This: Then you may be a punk rocker at heart. Go back in time a little and look into The Clash and The Ramones. Also, check out Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye’s former band Minor Threat. Also cruise around the Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph, and Dischord Web sites. There is a wide variety of punk out there. If you dig this sound, pay some respect to the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop.

2. Dinosaur Jr.: A little more on the alternative side of the music spectrum, Dinosaur Jr., was formed in 1984 by J. Masic, Lou Barlow, and Murph. Over the years, members have come and gone. Recently the prolific band has reunited its orginal lineup. Their music exemplifies the rebirth of the extended guitar solo, without making it sound masturbatory. The lyrics are simple; the sound is often upbeat and it features heavy feedback and the loud-quiet dynamic.

What to Listen to: If you can only get one album, it should be 1987’s, You’re Living All Over Me. It is great from start to finish and has a great cover of the song “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure. Green Mind was released in 1991 and is also very good and 2009’s Farm proved that the band has not lost its talent.

If You Like This: Check out the bands, Pavement and Husker Du. Both are so good they should have made this list along with Guided By Voices.

3. Gang of Four: This post-punk band has seen some musical changes in their lifespan. They are perhaps best known for their mixing of punk with reggae, and funk with a minimalist quality, making music you can dance to. They were pioneers of the dance-punk/dance-pop movements of today. Still, their music often political, offers several levels of listening.

What to Listen to: Entertainment! was their first full-length release and is often regarded as one of their best. However, Solid Gold and Hard have both been ranked in the charts at one time in both the U.S. and the U.K.

If You Like This: The Rapture, Liars, and Bloc Party have all taken musical cues from this band. If you like to dance, give MGMT a try too. Don’t rule out Beirut, their music blends dance-pop rhythms with eastern European folk.

4. The Pixies: David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, and Thom Yorke can’t all be wrong. Pound for pound, The Pixies are arguably one of the most influential bands of the past 20 years. Bands like Radiohead and Nirvana have named The Pixies as an influence. Their sound blended punk and surf rock. They were able to be highly melodic and abrasive almost simultaneously. They also were proponents of the loud-quiet dynamic. Lyrically, the subject matter often focused on contreversial topics such as, biblical figures, violence, molestation, and incest.

What to Listen to: 1988’s Surfer Rosa is their most widely acclaimed album, which features the song “Where is My Mind” which had some commercial success via covers and movies.

If You Like This: Since they were so influential, you can find elements of their music all over the place. Look into Sonic Youth and Blur to start and add spice to taste.

5. Joy Division: The sad and mournful vocals of lead singer Ian Curtis coupled with the bands slow drone and sparse music has been an indie mainstay since the suicide of Curtis in 1980. Their sound is rather dark and gloomy but still maintains a high level of emotional energy. The songs often relate to their lead singers battles with depression and epilepsy. An interesting piece of trivia: Curtis allegedly hung himself while listening to the Iggy Pop album The Idiot.

What to Listen to: Joy Division only released two albums. 1979’s Unknown Pleasures and 1980’s Closer. A horse a piece.

If You Like This: Bands like Interpol and Nick Cave’s The Birthday Party have very similar musical qualities. If you like low, somber vocals of Joy Division you will appreciate these two.

6. Heavy Vegetable: Minimalism at its best. Heavy Vegetable is Rob Crowes first real foray into the music world and the music is characterized by simple melodies layered on top of one another. The lyrics are simple if not quaint and the vocal harmonizing is often pleasant. Probably one of the least known bands on this list, Heavy Vegetable features a lot of short, catchy songs.

What to Listen to: This band wasn’t around very long, but their album Frisbie has 28 nice tracks.

If You Like This: Then you will like Pinback and Thingy; Crowes other bands that take his minimalist layering to the next level.

7. Hum: The hometown heroes of Champaign, Illinois, Hum is a kind of space rock band that is best listened to loud. The sound seems to stretch for miles and employs a variety of effects pedals and distortion with almost monotone vocals. The lyrics often use metaphors and similes about cosmic phenomena as well.

What to Listen to: Whether you choose to listen to 1995’s You’d Prefer and Astronaut or 1998’s Downward is Heavenward, you will get a great scope of their music. By this point, Hum had refined their sound.

If You Like This: Dig up some Spacemen 3. If you like that, then try and find some Castor or Centaur, which feature members of Hum.

8. Neutral Milk Hotel: Perhaps you prefer things on the softer, folk side. Neutral Milk Hotel formed in the early 90’s uses skilled and intricate instrumentation mixed with passionate vocals. The subject matter is often spiritually motivated and employs poetic imagery.

What to Listen to: 1998’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, is their most acclaimed album to date.

If You Like This: Then you enjoy the softer side of music. Try Destroyer, Iron and Wine, and Rogue Wave. Each has their own style but keep to folk roots. Also, you will probably enjoy Bon Iver.

9. The Velvet Underground: You’ve probably walked down the street and seen people dressed in the “hipster” uniform. You know, the tight black jeans, a disheveled, sickly appearance, and thrift store apparel. These people, whether they know it or not, are taking their fashion from Lou Reed. It’s been said that only 1,000 people bought a Velvet Underground album, but everybody that did started a band. They have a pivotal influence on all sorts of subculture music like punk and alt rock. Andy Warhol was their manager for Christ sake. The music can seem to be all over the place, but normally employs twangy guitar, drones, and nihilistic outlooks on things as well as a non-apologetic approach to drugs.

What to Listen to: The Velvet Underground and Nico from 1967 is one of their best known with songs like “Heroine”, “Venus in Furs”, and “Waiting For The Man.” 1968’s White Light/White Heat is another great album.

If You Like This: You will like bands that have a retro sound. Give The Brian Jonestown Massacre a try. If you are attracted to some of the more innovative, wild, drug related material, then look into Modest Mouse; especially their earlier albums.

10. Big Black: Steve Albini fronted this experimental, noise rock band throughout the 1980’s. This is a band that is not suitable for everybody’s ears, but if you enjoy brutal, angry vocals and slashing guitar you will more than likely like this band. Its harsh, full of energy, and pushes the boundaries of what some people would call “music.”

What to Listen to: Songs About Fucking from 1987. The name says it all.

If you Like This: Listen to Albini’s Shellac. If you like things that are experimental but less abrasive, then look up The Desert Fathers and Don Caballero.

All said and done, you actually have more than ten bands to look into. Have fun and support local music.

Bantrified Mutney on the Wings of a Chutner: Interview with Nurses

Even with a slight fever, achy joints and perpetually runny nose, Nurses sounded amazing.  It was just the cure I needed, and who better to administer it than Nurses!  Not only is their music inspirational but they are also some of the nicest guys around.  Willing to spend his birthday answering our questions, Aaron Chapman (singer) exudes kindness.  Their highly visual sound is unmistakable.  Each and every song is full of rich colors, textures and landscapes.  Possibly this year’s best indie album, Apple’s Acre offers organic and extremely honest music.  We hope to see a lot more of Nurses in the future and according to Aaron Chapman, James Mitchell and John Bowers; it looks like we will have that pleasure.

HEFF: Where did the name come from?

AC: John and I had been making music together for a quite a while and there was a poem that just kinda had the work that we were into at the time.  It was a Saul Williams poem.  But it wasn’t like there was some huge resonance necessarily, it just kinda happened and we thought it was the sorta name that didn’t sound like any specific genre… it kinda seemed like a blank slate in a sense.

HEFF: You are often compared to Animal Collective.  How do you feel about that?

JB: I think it’s more likely that we share a few elements and a few inspirations.  As far as genre is concerned I don’t feel genre literate.

AC: We kinda don’t think about that stuff.

JB:  We like to write songs with a melody and harmony and try and create interesting worlds for those melodies to live in. I think that’s something that a lot of bands do.  And they’re [Animal Collective] one of them.

AC: I mean every band that is smaller gets compared to bigger bands like that.  And the next record we make it will probably be somebody else because it will probably sound different.

JB: I think a lot of people enjoy saying that things sound like the most hyped band.

HEFF:  It’s easier

JB: Yeah totally.  Rather than saying, “here’s the emotions that this music evokes” it’s easier to say, “this sounds like this.” This is kind of an attack on music journalism, but I think it’s a really superficial way of describing music.  I can see where it’s a tool…but it’s almost always presented as snarky. It’s like oh well, then you’re writing like this.  Lets all give each other a break.

HEFF: What’s the artistic process?

AC:  There isn’t once specific process that things go through.  I think we’re constantly thinking about music and thinking about our songs and ideas.  A lot of ideas actually start out as visual…  John and I, when we started making Apple’s Acre, we thought of a lot of fictional landscapes. We would talk about these color schemes or film references… like this feels kind of like this.  We are not referencing you know like, going to a coffee shop like, every day things… it’s more of an abstract thing for us.  We make music when we are inspired… A lot of times we just hit play on the cassette tape and record and kind of improvise…I think we are in tune with the creative process because it’s on our mind a lot and it’s our priority in life but at the same time a lot of the ideas were really spontaneous.

HEFF: Do you like being able to go through the process yourself?  Kind of DIY?

JB: Yeah.  It was the first time we’ve done it and it was a really fun thing.  It felt good and we liked what we were doing.  I think we’d like to work with other people.  I mean we are excited to have James especially, in our group now.  He’s a huge part of what makes me excited about doing new things.  It was cool having the recording studio to ourselves so that if we woke up with an idea like within ten minutes we were recording an idea.

HEFF: Apple’s Acre is very different from your first album, Hangin’ Nothin’ But Our Hands Down.  Your first album was more of a story and this one is more texture rich.  How was the process different?

AC: It was a lot different.  I think the writing was a little more like linear story-based type, lyrically anyway.  We kinda of considered it a different band… like a rock band.  On the new record we approached everything like we’re making music and these are songs…It’s a completely different process.  It is hard to compare the two. I mean we were completely different people.

JB:  We recorded the first one in a studio.  We had an allotted amount of time.  It was more of a traditional studio, producer.  This one felt to me more like an art project, rapidly progressing as we went… It was like, “and over this landscape comes this color! And this color rises this way”.  That’s Kind of a silly example.

HEFF: No, it sounds just exactly like that.  You guys seemed like you fully immersed yourselves in this project. Do you feel done with it?  Or are you still living it?

AC: It’s hard to say.  It was such an important part of our lives for quite a while.  Done with it, in the sense that we finished that project and there is kind of a bit of an exhale.  I think it’s going to take a while to fully digest and like move on.  This might sound weird but to me it was the most important thing I have done in my life at this point.

JB: Like wise.

AC:  To finish it was like almost like postpartum, like having a baby.

JB:  (Laughs) There needs to be a moving on, and we have a lot of ideas beyond this record.  I want to say again, it’s really rad to have James along because he didn’t make the record with us and he adds an element that we’ve been searching for…It’s kind of a flavor and James is that.  I am super excited for our next project.

HEFF: Did you enjoy playing Philly?

AC: Yeah.  It was kind of awesome. I’ve always had a soft spot for Philly.

JB: Didn’t Ben Franklin invent sarcasm?

HEFF:  (To James) How has joining the band been?

JM:  It’s been pretty cool.  I have a hard time only doing one thing, ya know?  I tend to have a million directions at once, if I don’t I kind of go crazy.  So, it’s kind of nice when you have somebody who has something going on to compliment it…I am super A.D.D.

AC: James does visual art that is really awesome too and made a lot of rad music before he started playing with us.

HEFF: What is your artwork like?

JM: It’s maybe a middle ground between folk art and graffiti art, kind of fantasy.

JB: Here is something about James that I keep saying; I think he is cool.  He creates like really interesting visual landscapes that I have this weird version of stuck in my head for like three months and that’ the kind of thing that Aaron and I have referenced for so long and so it was really funny to meet James.

HEFF: What are you listening to these days?

AC: K.R.T. Wasitodiningrat.  Its Javanese music.  Its really really really pretty…kind of sad

JB: It’s ghostly

AC: We have been listening to a little bit more expansive things on the road cuz we’re driving for so long.  One of the guys from Battles, Tyondai Braxton put out a record.  I’ve been listening to that.  We listen to Micachu and The Shapes a lot.  There’s a folk singer, Michael Hurley.

JB:  I think the last tour we might have burned it out but we were listening to this compilation called “Sound of Wonder”.

AC: It’s called Lollywood music.  It’s like weird pop with an eastern filter.

JB: I got really stoked on Biggie Smalls the other day.

AC: I listen to Missy Elliot sometimes.

JM: Dylan a lot lately.

AC: A band that I think is really awesome is Family Fodder.  Really cool British band in the 80′s.  They were going on in the 80′s and sound like some Animal Collective stuff that is going on now.  That band was doing stuff that didn’t get popular until Animal Collective or Deerhoof.

JM: I am really into that Micachu and the Shapes album.

AC: Our favorite contemporary record I would say collectively is Micachu and the Shapes

JB:  Seeing them play live really made me happy.

HEFF: Any last words to your fans?

JB: Can I say something that might be hard to decipher?  Bantrified mutney on the wings of a chutner.

AC: It’s a poem John wrote.

HEFF: Are we going to get an explanation?

JB: No.  Hmm… Well our record, our record.

And so, we eagerly await the next Nurses project!

Don’t Ban These Books!

Remember that awesome CD review about Banned Books?  Well, now is your chance to experience them for yourself, live!  They will be playing at Silk City on Oct. 21st .  If for some lame reason you can’t attend that show you have another shot.  Don’t fuck this one up.  They will be playing at Danger Danger Gallery on the 25th which is a DIY venue that rocks.  Don’t miss out because then you will be banned from the cool club.

Nataly

Dear Diary,

What I learned this weekend:

1. Prowler’s Myspace does not do them justice. You must see them live! I am totally going to go see them again.
2. Victor Victor Band never ever has a bad show, or even an average one.
3. Downtown Harvest is a cornucopia of sounds, instruments, talent and personalities.
4. The guys from Nurses are a shinning example of why we do what we do. They make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I totally have a band crush on them.

Pretty good weekend all and all.

Check out Nataly’s interview and story on Nurses this Monday the 12^th. I will have a Downtown Harvest feature for you on October 18^th.

Hope you are all having a beautiful weekend.

Peace, love and hair grease,

Andee

Diary of a Band: John Salamone Band

The John Salamone Band: Introductions All Around.

Yeah, I figured it was about time for you to get to know my cohorts. No long intros, so let’s just get down to business. First off there is a Mr. John Salamone, the man we get our name from, for now anyway. We will be changing the band name as soon as we find one that is suitable for us. John is an amazing song writer and damn good guitar player. He makes it easy for me to write bass lines and writes some fun ones for me to play as well. I just hope this doesn’t give him too big a head.

Then there is Nick Vacante. Nick is our lead guitar player and his solos will melt your brain. No really, at our last show this guy up front starts drooling and then, bam head hits the table. So I did what any decent human being would do. I stole his beer. What, weren’t you reading? He didn’t need it and I was thirsty and poor.

Zack Zimmer is the youngest member of our group and drummer extraordinaire. On our EP that we are in the process of recording, he didn’t use a click track. If he was ever off beat we didn’t notice it. He is also one of the few drummers that have a double kick pedal that I don’t want to break off in his… (Well, let’s keep this family oriented.)

I play bass. Yeah that is all you are going to get, except sometimes I beat on the bass like it owes me money, like a red headed stepchild. I love to play and have been doing it for a while. So that’s it. These are my friends, my brothers, my family.

beard

(The author does not endorse the beating of children whether they are read headed or stepchildren. However, if someone owes you money, that’s your business. Far be it for me to tell you how to handle your affairs.)

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