Happy 4/20 everybody! Just a quick update for anybody keeping score out there.
A couple great records I worked on last year have been/are going to be released this Spring. Doug Gillard’s ‘Parade On’ came out on Nine Mile Records on April 8th to stellar reviews. I played drums and percussion on 6 of 11 songs on the record (track# 1,3,4,5,6,11). These were recorded at Louie Lino’s Resonate in Austin. Here’s the lead off track, ‘Ready For Death’:
Paste magazine just premiered the video for Ready For Death:
Sally Crewe’s newest EP, ‘Back At The Bar’ is set for a May 13th release. We did this one at Jim Eno’s Public HiFi along with a killer version of XTC’s ‘Making Plans For Nigel’ with Doug Gillard guesting on guitar, at Louie Lino’s Resonate. We just released a video for the lead off track, ‘Sooner Or Later’. Check it out!
I started playing with The Gourds-offshoot ‘The Hard Pans’ who just released a record last week. You can check out the deal with these guys here:
http://www.highplainsfilms.org/hpf/music/the_hard_pans/23
I didn’t play on this record, but I’m having a blast playing with these guys. We just premiered a video for ‘Where’s The Pub?’. I play a dead hobo. Yes, it’s true. See for yourself:
Beyond that, I’m close to home a lot this year after a travel-filled 2013 with Rich Hopkins (Europe), Jon Dee Graham (US), and Clay McClinton (US). Although, The Hard Pans are ramping up the regional touring in support of the new record.
Kirk Swan, Dumptruck and Sin Pelo all have mixed records I played on that are in the can. They’ve been sitting there for years now. Maybe they’re going to stay that way. Ha! Rich Hopkins next one, titled ‘Tombstone’ is set for an early 2015 release on Germany-based Blue Rose Records. There’s a Europe tour being planned in support of this one. Bass Ace, George Reiff (Joe Walsh, Courtyard Hounds) rounded out the rhythm section on this record, which we recorded at Lars Goransson’s Sounds OUTrageous studio. Paraguay just laid down two new songs at Chico Jones’ Ohm Studio and I hold out hope for a record I did with newcomer Wade Thompson to see the light of day. Producer/engineer James Stevens over at EAR Studio masterfully massaged these tunes AND played great guitar, with keyboard monster, Kevin Lovejoy and chantreuse Erin Ivey contributing. I played a zillion percussion overdubs on this one.
Speaking of Europe: If I decide to go on this next tour, I’m planning on sticking around after the tour and hooking up with Sally to hang out and look around for a place to at least split time, if not move altogether. We plan to check out Spain, maybe Prague, Lisbon, Berlin, visit Sally’s parents in Cornwall…it’s the beginning of a new travel-with-intent-to-move phase. I do plan to be available for hire ultimately, for bands who can’t afford to otherwise bring a drummer on tour in Europe. You’re not going to find a glut of non-American drummers who can play New Orleans funk or a Texas shuffle or down-tempo shoegaze stoner sludge or loop-based electronica or delicate singer-songwriter augmentation on a hybrid kit, heavy on the percussion. I will be available if you need me, or if you want to tool around the Old Country, which I highly recommend.