Hey! Look! I did it!
Isn't it three times, and it's a habit? One more week, and I'll be a regular Thursday blogger!
I don't have long. My brain is on shut-down mode, and it's almost past my bed time. There's a huge conference at The Haw River Ballroom tomorrow (Switchpoint, I believe - someone correct me if I'm wrong), so I'm getting up early to help for a few hours, before heading to the repair shop, then back to Winston-Salem to teach, then BACK to Chapel Hill to play the Cave. Dinner happens somewhere in between, I promise.
And my car has started to idle funny (miles, maybe? Hmmm, clearly my car didn't ask for my lifestyle). Not looking forward to checking that one... but I'll figure something out.
What's happened in the past week?
I have new contacts!!!! HURRAY!!! I can finally see again! Thank you Downtown Winston Eye Care Center for being so gosh darn convenient. I didn't have time to navigate Stratford Road (yay traffic) but the new location is pretty sweet.
I'm also super excited because I finally have dual P-90's in my Les Paul. YEEEEHAWW! I didn't get the chance to crank up The Evil Twin at my studio, but I did get to hear it on a clean setting, and, boy... those pickups don't mess around.
May I guitar-nerd for a moment? You can sit back and let your eyes glaze over for a second until I get this out. This won't take long.
So, I ordered the pickups from Lindy Fralin (they're the best I've heard out of the repair shop so far... the Lollars are pretty spectacular too), but Lindy's 1950's P-90's are my favorite for the chainsaw grind and high end scream I'm going for. It looks like he even baked them for me after I gave him the description of wanting to sound as much like Johnny Thunders on LAMF without losing some 50's retro-ness. Nicely done, Sir! The only thing I miss on the Fralin's is the fact that you can get the Lollars with your name inscribed on the back of the pickup, it's a pretty cool touch, I must admit. Kind of reminds me of getting one's ipod engraved. :D Oh, and they hum cancel if you put it on the middle pickup setting. Awwww yeah. For those extra quiet moments. (Bwah?! In a punk band?!)
Through the routing process (no, that part I didn't do... I don't trust myself to rout my own guitar. Plus, if I mess up I'm the one that has to look at it and curse myself forever - no thanks!) the discovery was made that, indeed, I luckily obtained one of the maple top/mahogany bottom-ed Studios. MEGA score. Take that, Les Paul Standard!!!
Back to other things, besides my really beautiful, awesome sounding guitar - (Hey, I've waited on this mod for a loooooonnnng time, I have to boast just a little - he's my little sports car I'm gonna drive around town on Sunday just because I can) -
THIS WEEKEND'S SHOW REPORT! (cue theme music... I'm envisioning the Star Wars opening theme...)
Friday -
The P-90's are back at The Cave with The Pheurotics (our other band had to cancel, so they stepped up to the plate!) and the rock starts at 10:00 PM. New pickups included. Come make a fool of yourself and have a blast - that's what punk shows are for. We're here for you.
Saturday -
RECORD STORE DAY!!! Whoopie! John Howie Jr. and The Rosewood Bluff are doing an in-store during the day at SchoolKids Records in Raleigh as part of the festivities, and I'm too tired to remember the exact time. Keep an eye on The Rosewood Bluff facebook page for up to the minute details. It's an entire upright bass set, so it's a rare Bluff moment indeed. And... my first record store in store. I'm elated.
Apparently, John is taking me on a date Saturday evening. We're going to see a real live movie and a have a real live night to ourselves. Rare!
Sunday -
Band pictures for the Rosewood Bluff (FINALLY HAPPENING, if it doesn't rain on us) and a show at The Nightlight with Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons. This should be an absolute blast. Come join us!
Then, it's back to normal on Monday. Normal being working in a guitar repair/building shop. Not too bad.
It seems like everyone in Chapel Hill who owns a Taylor guitar had decided to smash through the back of them, or at least that's what I've been doing a lot of lately - so fair warning for all you Taylor owners... :)
BEDTIME. Gotta go.
Love to you and yours, wherever you are.
~Billie. (and her rekindled love affair for her Les Paul)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Bluffycakes and Thirsty Beavers.
Hey again. Yeah, it's been a while... but I told you I'd come back, didn't I?
So, Thursday is going to be "blog day". I've put in on my calendar, marked it in ink, highlighted it, and made it a date for myself. Hopefully this time it will stick.
WHEW!
Crazy. Where to start? I've given myself 30 minutes, and the clock's ticking.
I'm also doing this at the same time "SoundCloud" is loading and attempting to find my musical friends. Well, it's crashing. Apparently, I have the amount of musical friends on my Facebook account that would cause a website to crash. :) That's a wonderful thing! I'm lucky to have so many musically inclined buddies.
You can do it, little website!
My mom keeps bugging me to do Hallway Waltz stuff (as does my brain, since I tend to lose my favorite punk songs all over the house. GRRR! Don't worry, they're coming. Eventually. I promise.
So, where am I?
In Winston-Salem, sitting at Krankies Coffee downtown (I work for the other Krankies, the one in the silver airstream - Yeehaw!) and allowing my brain time to wind down from teaching, repairing, and driving all over creation.
Earlier today, I'm driving down Franklin Street (because all the secret back ways through Chapel Hill are currently being "worked on" in some form or another) which allows me time to almost crash into the car in front of me several times due to my attention deficit people watching. A guy passes by the car in a punk rock vest with an awesome Misfits back patch. Before I could snap a picture and send it to John, the car behind be decides to honk at me for not moving fast enough down a pedestrian laden street. I wave.
Chapel Hill would not be complete without someone honking at me in frustration daily. I've learned to embrace it and laugh about it. I'm also getting a water gun soon to squirt at them.
That's not assault, is it? I mean, it's just water... and it's just a car window... right?
ANYWAYS.
Proof that Franklin Street's proud punks are coming out of the wood works and starting/restarting/joining/rejoining the scene revolution. I love it! Take that, naysayers!!!!!
And there was that girl with the awesome cowgirl boots. Party on, my dear.
Enough about Franklin Street!
Shows.
Friday found me at the Cave playing bass with STAG (Micheal Rank's band, formerly of Snatches of Pink - John showed me the MTV episode of him and Sara Romweber. I wanted to steal Micheal's boots and Sara's hair!) with Mr. Howie Jr. on drums. It's the first time John and I have gotten to be a rhythm section together, and we had a BLAST. Normally, it's him telling me what to do (kinda) or me telling him what to do (I try, doesn't work so well :) ) but it was a fantastic change of pace to have us both in the backline. It gave us a chance to make funny faces at each other, or have me smile at his cues/drum faces. The show went well, and we had a good crowd. What a fun night!
Saturday was a long day - we woke up from a late night ("What time do we have to be in Winston again, Billie?" "Oh, we have to leave in an hour." Grumblegrumblegrumbleshowergetdressedloadthecar) only to be shuffed to Winston-Salem to play PhuzzPhest. We were the first act on a 1:00 on Saturday. One of my students turned up and it made my day! The P-90's played really well (go team!) and I was impressed by everyone's ability to be awake and ready to play the show. I'm blessed to be in such great bands. John's drum gear took some rigging (meh, it's punk rock!) but ultimately it went off without a problem, even with poor Dillon recovering from having an organ removed only days before. It was the first time we've played PhuzzPhest, and I hope we'll get to do it again next year! I hung out for a little bit to catch some of the bands (it's amazing... I've been playing live music in this town for almost 10 years, and I STILL don't know all the musicians!) and was really excited by all the different bands this town produces. WS pride, beeotches.
I did feel a little out of place in my ripped jeans, studded belt, and Ramones shirt... but I just can't embrace the skinny jeans movement. It's a cool look, but sadly I wasn't built for skinny jeans - they bring back memories of having to wear stirrup tights in elementary school. Same with big 80's glasses... they look cool on some people, but after having to be forced to wear them as a child I just have to pass. :)
But! Even if I felt a little out of place at first, it was clearly all in my head. I ran into friends Ryan Synder and Richard Emmett as well as some old school Werehouse crew, and felt welcome.
I head on back to my studio (John decided to crash there after the show... he had the much harder lead singer job later), pack up another round of gear for the Rosewood Bluff, and truck on down to Charlotte to play The Thirsty Beaver.
I love The Thirsty Beaver. If you haven't checked it out, please do. It's only one of the coolest bars ever - covered in old honky-tonk awesomeness.
The crowd felt a little wilder this time - ladies dancing on the bar (Why never men?! Huh?! I mean, I'm all for the ladies having a good time, but throw a girl a bone! Howie, it's you next time), a bachelorette party, etc. - but the Beaver never fails to please. It was good to see old friends and make some new ones, and had a blast with my favorite country band - The Rosewood Bluff.
I us Junior and his Bluffycakes. I know, it makes no sense. But it's fun to say.
Try it!
.....
See?! Told ya. BLUFFYCAKES!!!!
Anyways.
We'll see you soon, Charlotte! We're coming back to the Snug Harbor next time, and I'm pretty excited since we're playing with The Overmountain Men - and Bob from the Avett Bros. Yay! Upright bass players unite!
I got to spend Easter Sunday at The Haw River Ballroom (I'm a guest barista! It's so fun, and pretty out there - stop on by and say "Hi!" some Sunday) doing the opening shift, then back home to wake a sleepy Howie with an Easter basket (you'll have to ask him about the lipbalm he got :) ), take a short break, and then on to Salisbury to see my mom, dad, and brother. It'd been a while, so it was good to catch up. I miss them often - even if my brother is only 30 mins away in Raleigh. Life's just too busy sometimes.
Okay, thirty minutes up. Gotta hit the road again.
I've got nothing but Loretta Lynn songs stuck in my head. The P-90's are at The Cave on April 20th with Slawterhaus 5 (Winston-Salem, represent!) and hopefully we'll have Fist City up to snuff by then. I can't wait to do that cover. I'll even wear my Fist City shirt. Promise.
The Bluff is back in Chapel Hill this week at The Nightlight on... GASP!... SUNDAY! April 22nd with Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons. Catch us there or the day before at SchoolKids Records in Raleigh for our Rosewood Bluff instore for Record Store Day!!!! I've always dreamed of playing an in-store!
Play an in-store.. CHECK!
PS - that means you have to show up, little brother of mine. MUAHAHAHA.
For real this time... gotta go. I got boys to get home to who are probibly wondering where the h-e-double-hockey-sticks I am. Catch y'all in Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, or Saxapahaw real soon.
Or, you can just listen for the person getting honked at for pissing other drivers off in Chapel Hill. There's a 80 % chance it's a pollen-covered black Volvo with band stickers. Make sure to wave!
Hugs, and.... Bluffycakes. (Bet you said it, didn't you?! BLUFFFFFYCAKES!!!!)
~Billie.
So, Thursday is going to be "blog day". I've put in on my calendar, marked it in ink, highlighted it, and made it a date for myself. Hopefully this time it will stick.
WHEW!
Crazy. Where to start? I've given myself 30 minutes, and the clock's ticking.
I'm also doing this at the same time "SoundCloud" is loading and attempting to find my musical friends. Well, it's crashing. Apparently, I have the amount of musical friends on my Facebook account that would cause a website to crash. :) That's a wonderful thing! I'm lucky to have so many musically inclined buddies.
You can do it, little website!
My mom keeps bugging me to do Hallway Waltz stuff (as does my brain, since I tend to lose my favorite punk songs all over the house. GRRR! Don't worry, they're coming. Eventually. I promise.
So, where am I?
In Winston-Salem, sitting at Krankies Coffee downtown (I work for the other Krankies, the one in the silver airstream - Yeehaw!) and allowing my brain time to wind down from teaching, repairing, and driving all over creation.
Earlier today, I'm driving down Franklin Street (because all the secret back ways through Chapel Hill are currently being "worked on" in some form or another) which allows me time to almost crash into the car in front of me several times due to my attention deficit people watching. A guy passes by the car in a punk rock vest with an awesome Misfits back patch. Before I could snap a picture and send it to John, the car behind be decides to honk at me for not moving fast enough down a pedestrian laden street. I wave.
Chapel Hill would not be complete without someone honking at me in frustration daily. I've learned to embrace it and laugh about it. I'm also getting a water gun soon to squirt at them.
That's not assault, is it? I mean, it's just water... and it's just a car window... right?
ANYWAYS.
Proof that Franklin Street's proud punks are coming out of the wood works and starting/restarting/joining/rejoining the scene revolution. I love it! Take that, naysayers!!!!!
And there was that girl with the awesome cowgirl boots. Party on, my dear.
Enough about Franklin Street!
Shows.
Friday found me at the Cave playing bass with STAG (Micheal Rank's band, formerly of Snatches of Pink - John showed me the MTV episode of him and Sara Romweber. I wanted to steal Micheal's boots and Sara's hair!) with Mr. Howie Jr. on drums. It's the first time John and I have gotten to be a rhythm section together, and we had a BLAST. Normally, it's him telling me what to do (kinda) or me telling him what to do (I try, doesn't work so well :) ) but it was a fantastic change of pace to have us both in the backline. It gave us a chance to make funny faces at each other, or have me smile at his cues/drum faces. The show went well, and we had a good crowd. What a fun night!
Saturday was a long day - we woke up from a late night ("What time do we have to be in Winston again, Billie?" "Oh, we have to leave in an hour." Grumblegrumblegrumbleshowergetdressedloadthecar) only to be shuffed to Winston-Salem to play PhuzzPhest. We were the first act on a 1:00 on Saturday. One of my students turned up and it made my day! The P-90's played really well (go team!) and I was impressed by everyone's ability to be awake and ready to play the show. I'm blessed to be in such great bands. John's drum gear took some rigging (meh, it's punk rock!) but ultimately it went off without a problem, even with poor Dillon recovering from having an organ removed only days before. It was the first time we've played PhuzzPhest, and I hope we'll get to do it again next year! I hung out for a little bit to catch some of the bands (it's amazing... I've been playing live music in this town for almost 10 years, and I STILL don't know all the musicians!) and was really excited by all the different bands this town produces. WS pride, beeotches.
I did feel a little out of place in my ripped jeans, studded belt, and Ramones shirt... but I just can't embrace the skinny jeans movement. It's a cool look, but sadly I wasn't built for skinny jeans - they bring back memories of having to wear stirrup tights in elementary school. Same with big 80's glasses... they look cool on some people, but after having to be forced to wear them as a child I just have to pass. :)
But! Even if I felt a little out of place at first, it was clearly all in my head. I ran into friends Ryan Synder and Richard Emmett as well as some old school Werehouse crew, and felt welcome.
I head on back to my studio (John decided to crash there after the show... he had the much harder lead singer job later), pack up another round of gear for the Rosewood Bluff, and truck on down to Charlotte to play The Thirsty Beaver.
I love The Thirsty Beaver. If you haven't checked it out, please do. It's only one of the coolest bars ever - covered in old honky-tonk awesomeness.
The crowd felt a little wilder this time - ladies dancing on the bar (Why never men?! Huh?! I mean, I'm all for the ladies having a good time, but throw a girl a bone! Howie, it's you next time), a bachelorette party, etc. - but the Beaver never fails to please. It was good to see old friends and make some new ones, and had a blast with my favorite country band - The Rosewood Bluff.
I us Junior and his Bluffycakes. I know, it makes no sense. But it's fun to say.
Try it!
.....
See?! Told ya. BLUFFYCAKES!!!!
Anyways.
We'll see you soon, Charlotte! We're coming back to the Snug Harbor next time, and I'm pretty excited since we're playing with The Overmountain Men - and Bob from the Avett Bros. Yay! Upright bass players unite!
I got to spend Easter Sunday at The Haw River Ballroom (I'm a guest barista! It's so fun, and pretty out there - stop on by and say "Hi!" some Sunday) doing the opening shift, then back home to wake a sleepy Howie with an Easter basket (you'll have to ask him about the lipbalm he got :) ), take a short break, and then on to Salisbury to see my mom, dad, and brother. It'd been a while, so it was good to catch up. I miss them often - even if my brother is only 30 mins away in Raleigh. Life's just too busy sometimes.
Okay, thirty minutes up. Gotta hit the road again.
I've got nothing but Loretta Lynn songs stuck in my head. The P-90's are at The Cave on April 20th with Slawterhaus 5 (Winston-Salem, represent!) and hopefully we'll have Fist City up to snuff by then. I can't wait to do that cover. I'll even wear my Fist City shirt. Promise.
The Bluff is back in Chapel Hill this week at The Nightlight on... GASP!... SUNDAY! April 22nd with Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons. Catch us there or the day before at SchoolKids Records in Raleigh for our Rosewood Bluff instore for Record Store Day!!!! I've always dreamed of playing an in-store!
Play an in-store.. CHECK!
PS - that means you have to show up, little brother of mine. MUAHAHAHA.
For real this time... gotta go. I got boys to get home to who are probibly wondering where the h-e-double-hockey-sticks I am. Catch y'all in Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, or Saxapahaw real soon.
Or, you can just listen for the person getting honked at for pissing other drivers off in Chapel Hill. There's a 80 % chance it's a pollen-covered black Volvo with band stickers. Make sure to wave!
Hugs, and.... Bluffycakes. (Bet you said it, didn't you?! BLUFFFFFYCAKES!!!!)
~Billie.
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