On this eve of Christmas 2007, I have time to reflect on the music in my life. Many songs, diverse lyrics and a wide range of emotions. My band, Joe Willy, Neckbone & the Fishheads is finishing up the final work on our tracks for our first CD entitled "Hook, Line & Sinker." A CD that is fully ten years in the making.
At one of our earliest rehearsals in putting this band together around 1996, I suggested a very tongue-in-cheek title for our first CD as "Hook, Line & Sinker." Our stylish new harp player, BB, immediately went home and wrote the song. It also became the graphic images for our first t-shirt. We had big laughs, but after that we just went back to being a shiftless blues band that played music, chased women, drank liquor and generally screwed off. You can see the original t-shirt artwork and read the saga of the Joe Willy Band at our website at http://www.joewillyband.com/. See, just like papa Wharton the Sauce Boss, we always find a way to plug the band!
Well, the band has been through some mighty changes over this past ten years. We've been through many guitar players (all of them whores), a couple of drummers, a keyboard player here and there, and even a part time female voaclist. I've been in and out of the band three times over ten years, and we've played all over Polk County. As a result, we have become a very tight knit core of four players who have grown to find we really did want to make a CD. We have slowly developed about 15 originals that we evolved playing live, and now have spent the last six months recording the raw tracks. Again, there are some snips on our web site to listen to.
So this Christmas, I am very excited about finishing this project early this Spring, and having a CD to hustle at our gigs. We will be adding two new folks on guitar and bass to really push this project out live, and things look great for us right now.
But there is more music in my life. Lately I have been digging around in different artists material to broaden my scope, and I have come to have some new (and old but revisited) faves in Evanescence, Paolo Nutini, The Goo Goo Dolls, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Bob Dylan. All of them inspiring and different. And if you haven't heard of Paolo Nutini, give a listen. He is a Scottish (yeah, as in MacGregor Nutini!) singer who is very hot in Europe with a very unique voice, and some really great and fresh songs. Anyway, it keeps me going.
More music for my holiday, was spending the day with my daughter Samantha yesterday, and getting her latest installment of a Christmas mix CD. Every time she comes back from college, she makes me a mix CD of all kinds of music. She is very into alternative music only found on the web, and completely eschews the normal commercial distribution channels and artists for the really eclectic and obscure. It is really cool, as I get a very close listen to the soundtrack to her college years, and can only imagine what the video must entail. Scary to say the least.
And then will come Christmas morning music. I wrote an ode to the blues for Christmas, and alluded to getting myself a new Fender Telecaster for Christmas. Well, Leo and the boys at Fender will have to wait, as I could not resist getting a new Taylor acoustic instead. I have played a Taylor for a number of years, but I bought one a litlle further up the food chain this time. I am positively giddy with anticipation as I had to order it, so it isn't even under the tree. But when it comes in, I will quickly put it to use and learn some new material, and book a date for the No Name Band, my acoustic trio. Merry Christmas to me!
So to close out this Christmas eve sojourn, I will resolve to clean the kitchen, walk the dog, make some egg nog and liberally apply the rum. And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except that fat guy in the corner with a big glass of grogg. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
At one of our earliest rehearsals in putting this band together around 1996, I suggested a very tongue-in-cheek title for our first CD as "Hook, Line & Sinker." Our stylish new harp player, BB, immediately went home and wrote the song. It also became the graphic images for our first t-shirt. We had big laughs, but after that we just went back to being a shiftless blues band that played music, chased women, drank liquor and generally screwed off. You can see the original t-shirt artwork and read the saga of the Joe Willy Band at our website at http://www.joewillyband.com/. See, just like papa Wharton the Sauce Boss, we always find a way to plug the band!
Well, the band has been through some mighty changes over this past ten years. We've been through many guitar players (all of them whores), a couple of drummers, a keyboard player here and there, and even a part time female voaclist. I've been in and out of the band three times over ten years, and we've played all over Polk County. As a result, we have become a very tight knit core of four players who have grown to find we really did want to make a CD. We have slowly developed about 15 originals that we evolved playing live, and now have spent the last six months recording the raw tracks. Again, there are some snips on our web site to listen to.
So this Christmas, I am very excited about finishing this project early this Spring, and having a CD to hustle at our gigs. We will be adding two new folks on guitar and bass to really push this project out live, and things look great for us right now.
But there is more music in my life. Lately I have been digging around in different artists material to broaden my scope, and I have come to have some new (and old but revisited) faves in Evanescence, Paolo Nutini, The Goo Goo Dolls, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Bob Dylan. All of them inspiring and different. And if you haven't heard of Paolo Nutini, give a listen. He is a Scottish (yeah, as in MacGregor Nutini!) singer who is very hot in Europe with a very unique voice, and some really great and fresh songs. Anyway, it keeps me going.
More music for my holiday, was spending the day with my daughter Samantha yesterday, and getting her latest installment of a Christmas mix CD. Every time she comes back from college, she makes me a mix CD of all kinds of music. She is very into alternative music only found on the web, and completely eschews the normal commercial distribution channels and artists for the really eclectic and obscure. It is really cool, as I get a very close listen to the soundtrack to her college years, and can only imagine what the video must entail. Scary to say the least.
And then will come Christmas morning music. I wrote an ode to the blues for Christmas, and alluded to getting myself a new Fender Telecaster for Christmas. Well, Leo and the boys at Fender will have to wait, as I could not resist getting a new Taylor acoustic instead. I have played a Taylor for a number of years, but I bought one a litlle further up the food chain this time. I am positively giddy with anticipation as I had to order it, so it isn't even under the tree. But when it comes in, I will quickly put it to use and learn some new material, and book a date for the No Name Band, my acoustic trio. Merry Christmas to me!
So to close out this Christmas eve sojourn, I will resolve to clean the kitchen, walk the dog, make some egg nog and liberally apply the rum. And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except that fat guy in the corner with a big glass of grogg. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
2 comments:
What a great post, B. Boy. I have always admired your spirit greatly and this blog reminded me of Christmases (is that right?) past that we shared with all the other Winter Haven outcasts.
Do you remember when John G. dropped Mary L. M. on your mother's glass-topped table and it broke?
Or how about the year Colin walked in with a fire extinguisher and extinguished everything in his power to extinguish?
Ah. Those were the good old days and I miss them.
Merry Christmas, brother.
Uh- did you survive Christmas? We who are checking your blog wish for another.
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