Sad to say that George Jones left us Friday, he lived 81 years and half of that on borrowed time. To me he was one of the best vocalists of all time as I grew up on a steady diet of Jones and his music from my folks record collection and myself. He may not been a rock and roller but he could have fit in there quite well with his early stuff. I'm not a big fan of He Stopped Loving Her Today, it's too sad for me to give it steady listens but his later day songs were just as good if not better. I tend to agree that Melba Montgomery was his best singing partner, Tammy Wynette was great too but there was electricity when George and Melba sang together.
I think Choices was a better autobiographic song of George Jones myself but I would also put It Don't Get No Better Than This right up there too.
Still in shock of Diggy playing the whole No Exit album to the radio buzz'd audience. Don't expect that to happen anywhere else. Most of the reviews that I have read were 3 star at best, read one that said I tended to repeat myself from other albums as well.
The problem of getting older is that I don't spend a lot of time songwriting like I used to say about 20 30 years ago. I'm trying to do my best making a living on something that pays and really don't observe and write them down like I used to. With No Exit, I wrote whatever came to mind and put it into use. The End was done spur of the moment. I'm sure it turned off a lot of listeners on Radio Buzz'd but I found it to be just as menacing and hypnotic at the same time.
There's always thoughts of telling people that The Townedgers have ran their course and it's time to disband but I've been saying that for, um 20 years at least. We always seem to come back to do another new effort. No Exit was done for ourselves and the fans. Of course that hasn't translated into sales. I'd go bother BoB Lefsetz and flood his inbox to hear it, but he'd only block me and write a blog about what kind of fucked up world do I get people to flood my inbox with music when I don't give a fuck?!
Bob Dorr? Great showman, knows his music and is a great DJ. The Blue Band is better seen live, their cds tend to be a bit goof offish.
Paraphernalia reunion? Don't foresee that happening. Would have loved to jammed with Mike one more time but missed out on that. Outside of Russ playing bass from time to time, I don't think anybody else plays guitar anymore. Think they all retired and enjoy being grandparents more. Even Randy, our soundboard guy is a grandpa now.
The TE classic period was 1990 to 1996. Got a second wind on There's Nothing Left and Road Less Traveled. And Pawnshops For Olivia. Town's Edge Rock was the start of something good and then it took three years to follow it proper.
Living In The Twilight Zone hasn't aged very well, nor the 1989 albums, the latter due to not working the 4 track very well, I still can't get a decent mix from Moonlight Chronicles and Floodlands. the 1985 albums were either too rushed or too labored. Had we had a decent four track back then Wapsi Dreaming, Tales Of The Red Caboose and Postcards From The Edge would be held in high regard as well. But they are the best ones in the Low Fi years.
Weather On The Nines? Some good songs on it, some not so good, that space mix that Hugh McConnell did hasn't aged very well either. What to do what to do.
Still haven't found the tapes for 20. Only thing left is the master which was put together quickly. I know we should have done something more than just half remakes and half new stuff, I disowned it for a while but a later listen proved that it wasn't all that bad.
Songs I love hearing on the radio? Dear Lisa, Bring It To Light, Teri come to mind.
Sunday 28 April 2013
Thursday 25 April 2013
No Exit Listening Party
Today, Diggy Kat and Miss Mouse from Radio Buzzd' gave the world the No Exit listening party which started around 4:30 my time to which they played every song off the new record. From Into The Now to The End, all 14 songs got their moment in the sun.
I am very honored that they showed the TE love.
Most of the songs sounded quite good except that One More Time, the vocals didn't come through as well as the version that was on the first mix. I'm not sure how I'm going to remedy that, unless I just put out the first version as a stand alone single. The first single is Cannery Row.
Hearing The End on the radio still manages to get me hypnotized through out the 9 and half minutes of that song. Later in the broadcast they did play a live version of the Doors classic. It was fun to do in the studio and a challenge as well but it's not high on my play list to do live.
Next month I will return to add lyrics from past albums, with an eye on the 30th anniversary of So Much For That, the album that ended the echophonic years and began the long winding road that is Route 66 then, The Townedgers now. I may just group the lyrics to that album in halves and make it play out like a LP record, namely side 1/side 2, you get the picture.
Since it's been five years ago, I should do a revisit of Pawnshops For Olivia as well. Diggy Kat made a observation that the 3 albums that I did in the late 00's were part of a trilogy of sorts. I've never really looked at it that way. A Long Time Forgotten was done acoustic and very quickly since the last couple efforts got shelved The Highway Home was trying for something that we did with success on Drive In Blues or Diamonds In The Skies. Pawnshops For Olivia is more stand alone I think, the only similarity would be that it's mostly acoustic like Long Time Forgotten but it's a dark and sad album, on the second side and certainly on the songs So Alone or Somewhere Down The Line. Beyond The Sun, our version of Love Will Tear Us Apart or the final goodbye.
No Exit was different than the albums of the late 00s, since the songs were thought up on the spot along with the melodies, something that I used to do a lot back in the early 80s. To revisit Stone City and actually make it a song rather than an afterthought that appeared on a thrown together outtakes album, that version was fun but it was there to fill out tape space, this version is more harder rocking. It's too early to talk about a new album, but the logical guess would be the next would be more of a return back to acoustic sounds of Pawnshops or Long Time Forgotten.
As always there's always in the back of our minds that any album I do might be the last one, life is like that, you never know when the last album will be the last album until they bury you. But I'm sure I'll return back to the studio for a batch of new songs or remakes or whatever sounds good and we'll go from there.
I am very honored that they showed the TE love.
Most of the songs sounded quite good except that One More Time, the vocals didn't come through as well as the version that was on the first mix. I'm not sure how I'm going to remedy that, unless I just put out the first version as a stand alone single. The first single is Cannery Row.
Hearing The End on the radio still manages to get me hypnotized through out the 9 and half minutes of that song. Later in the broadcast they did play a live version of the Doors classic. It was fun to do in the studio and a challenge as well but it's not high on my play list to do live.
Next month I will return to add lyrics from past albums, with an eye on the 30th anniversary of So Much For That, the album that ended the echophonic years and began the long winding road that is Route 66 then, The Townedgers now. I may just group the lyrics to that album in halves and make it play out like a LP record, namely side 1/side 2, you get the picture.
Since it's been five years ago, I should do a revisit of Pawnshops For Olivia as well. Diggy Kat made a observation that the 3 albums that I did in the late 00's were part of a trilogy of sorts. I've never really looked at it that way. A Long Time Forgotten was done acoustic and very quickly since the last couple efforts got shelved The Highway Home was trying for something that we did with success on Drive In Blues or Diamonds In The Skies. Pawnshops For Olivia is more stand alone I think, the only similarity would be that it's mostly acoustic like Long Time Forgotten but it's a dark and sad album, on the second side and certainly on the songs So Alone or Somewhere Down The Line. Beyond The Sun, our version of Love Will Tear Us Apart or the final goodbye.
No Exit was different than the albums of the late 00s, since the songs were thought up on the spot along with the melodies, something that I used to do a lot back in the early 80s. To revisit Stone City and actually make it a song rather than an afterthought that appeared on a thrown together outtakes album, that version was fun but it was there to fill out tape space, this version is more harder rocking. It's too early to talk about a new album, but the logical guess would be the next would be more of a return back to acoustic sounds of Pawnshops or Long Time Forgotten.
As always there's always in the back of our minds that any album I do might be the last one, life is like that, you never know when the last album will be the last album until they bury you. But I'm sure I'll return back to the studio for a batch of new songs or remakes or whatever sounds good and we'll go from there.
Monday 15 April 2013
Thoughts Of The Townedger April Edition 2013
Greetings one and all. I haven't forgot about y'all. I've been busy mailing off copies of NO EXIT and hopefully we'll get good reviews along the way. I don't spend much time in the TE My Space Site but I did managed to check up from time to time what the questions are.
Some viewpoints to questions.
The more I think about it, the more I'm not sold on remaking Town's Edge Rock 30 years later. I don't think I can improve on the original arrangements and music. Besides only the hardcore and myself will ever revisit it anyway.
I missed the jam session at my former lead singer Mike Swearingen's Tribute at the Eagle's Club, which sits on top of a hill and couldn't find it to save my soul. Never been there in my lifetime. Mike still remains in good spirits although I have to decline his invite of karaoke singing. I don't do that shit anyway. Mike still remains himself and back to his pack a day habit of smokes. His daughter is just like him, down to the pack a day and constant joking. Didn't see Russ there so whatever attempt of a Paraphernalia reunion fell short. Maybe next time I'll write down the fucking address before leaving the house.
Don Timmons is considered the best known Cedar Rapids drummer although there's plenty of them that could be considered great drummers as well. Cody Kollings can run circles around me. The female Kollings (is their last name a C? I forgot) is damn good as well but for me Lon Washburn remains the best drummer that I've known in town. The most reckless drummer in town? That would be me. Nobody was as wild as I was back in the 80s. Timmons could probably read music and play it better but I assure you that nobody bashed the cymbals and crashed them as hard as I did.
I'm still debating to retire the Townedgers name since it's my way of getting the music out although I could put the next effort out on my own name Rodney Smith. But it doesn't stand out as well as The Townedgers.
I don't do the single dating scene anymore, too old and set in my ways. I still talk to a handful of folks at Mingles but I canceled my membership in 2009.
Pawnshops For Olivia still hits hard at times. Most of the songs is just me playing the guitars, it was too personal for Geoff Redding to get involved with. No Exit, he's on all the songs this time out.
I write the lyrics and give credit to whoever gets into the music. Pawnshops though I had some help from Diggy Kat who contributed the middle eight version to Downer's Grove, Liz Chaffe got co write credit on Can't Be What You Want Me To Be (the title came from her Can't Be Who You Want Me To Be) and Nicole Passmore helped out on Place And Time. She helped shaped some of the words to Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever, I think she wrote some ideas down when we first met in 2009 in St Louis and I found them while rummaging through a batch of song ideas. Stone City, the chorus line came from a Billy Lee Janey contribution to a album about Iowa, but the rest of the song came from two unfinished TE songs. Didn't intend to include it on the album but Diggy Kat told me to keep it on there.
The End was spur of the moment but thought it fit in nicely with the album. Don't look for me to perform it live though, it's not something the bar patrons would want to hear.
I have done The End back in 1976 for Beautiful Randictions but you don't want to hear that version. I was 15 and going through puberty at the wrong time. I like to think we got better since then.
Jack Orbit has approached me about producing the next album but Geoff and Ken don't really want him back in the band. It would be a cash in attempt to do a TE 30 album but I want to see No Exit get some traction before attempting to do another album that nobody here or wants except for myself and the three fans that do want to hear it.
Nobody has heard from Isabella (we broke up in 2001) after what we call the Disaster in Seattle get together. She may have Overdosed on Methadone in 2004 around that time everybody in Mingles was asking me about her whereabouts then. Even when we were going together she was a drug addict much to my dismay. My last memory of her is her freaking about losing her Methadone in a pizza joint when I had to use the bathroom and she was tearing up the place trying to look for it.
Last time I was up in Spokane, 2001 (See above)
I loved Seattle in the summertime, the five days I was there it didn't rain, and the skies so picture postcard blue and they had plenty of Wherehouse Music stores to keep me occupied. But that was 12 years ago, haven't been back since. Plane tickets are too high and it's 3 and half hours in a cramped airplane.
The Zickos set was the loudest drums I ever had. They sounded like thunder everytime I played them.
The old Zildjians that I had were the best sounding cymbals but I wasn't that impressed with the K hybrid or Z Power Crash that was great for accenting at the end of the song but not as a crash ride. I probably was the last to continue to use the Impulse cymbals even it was Zildjian's attempt to cash in on the Paiste Rudes. But I actually liked the Impulse cymbals a lot, more so than y'all.
Paiste 2002s are worth getting. The bigger the cymbal the better, I love the 20 inch 2002 Thin Crash. And the Paiste 20 18 inch China cymbal is a beast upon itself it really comes through the recordings very well. The Novo China is LOUD, probably too loud, too attention grabbing, I used it more for the Rude lineup that was favored back in 2007.
Haven't talked or seen Greg Nutter in over 10 years. Guess he's now down in Austin?
The Routers were a one time thing when Greg drafted me into that band and we played in 1991 and 1992 the latter which I got Mike Swearingen to do the vocals. The first time we played it was 30 degrees and the next year it was like 80 degrees and the mosquitoes were thick. Think I was keeping a better beat swatting them fucking things then playing the drums.
If your going to learn to play drums or guitar, learn at a early age, take lessons, and listen to records and then get a decent drum set to boot. I fucked off most of my grade and high school years and didn't learn to play them although I had a guitar at hand. Learn to practice and learn to write lyrics as early as you can. I would have benefited had I heeded that advice.
That's all for this month. I'll be back next month with more thoughts to your questions.
Some viewpoints to questions.
The more I think about it, the more I'm not sold on remaking Town's Edge Rock 30 years later. I don't think I can improve on the original arrangements and music. Besides only the hardcore and myself will ever revisit it anyway.
I missed the jam session at my former lead singer Mike Swearingen's Tribute at the Eagle's Club, which sits on top of a hill and couldn't find it to save my soul. Never been there in my lifetime. Mike still remains in good spirits although I have to decline his invite of karaoke singing. I don't do that shit anyway. Mike still remains himself and back to his pack a day habit of smokes. His daughter is just like him, down to the pack a day and constant joking. Didn't see Russ there so whatever attempt of a Paraphernalia reunion fell short. Maybe next time I'll write down the fucking address before leaving the house.
Don Timmons is considered the best known Cedar Rapids drummer although there's plenty of them that could be considered great drummers as well. Cody Kollings can run circles around me. The female Kollings (is their last name a C? I forgot) is damn good as well but for me Lon Washburn remains the best drummer that I've known in town. The most reckless drummer in town? That would be me. Nobody was as wild as I was back in the 80s. Timmons could probably read music and play it better but I assure you that nobody bashed the cymbals and crashed them as hard as I did.
I'm still debating to retire the Townedgers name since it's my way of getting the music out although I could put the next effort out on my own name Rodney Smith. But it doesn't stand out as well as The Townedgers.
I don't do the single dating scene anymore, too old and set in my ways. I still talk to a handful of folks at Mingles but I canceled my membership in 2009.
Pawnshops For Olivia still hits hard at times. Most of the songs is just me playing the guitars, it was too personal for Geoff Redding to get involved with. No Exit, he's on all the songs this time out.
I write the lyrics and give credit to whoever gets into the music. Pawnshops though I had some help from Diggy Kat who contributed the middle eight version to Downer's Grove, Liz Chaffe got co write credit on Can't Be What You Want Me To Be (the title came from her Can't Be Who You Want Me To Be) and Nicole Passmore helped out on Place And Time. She helped shaped some of the words to Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever, I think she wrote some ideas down when we first met in 2009 in St Louis and I found them while rummaging through a batch of song ideas. Stone City, the chorus line came from a Billy Lee Janey contribution to a album about Iowa, but the rest of the song came from two unfinished TE songs. Didn't intend to include it on the album but Diggy Kat told me to keep it on there.
The End was spur of the moment but thought it fit in nicely with the album. Don't look for me to perform it live though, it's not something the bar patrons would want to hear.
I have done The End back in 1976 for Beautiful Randictions but you don't want to hear that version. I was 15 and going through puberty at the wrong time. I like to think we got better since then.
Jack Orbit has approached me about producing the next album but Geoff and Ken don't really want him back in the band. It would be a cash in attempt to do a TE 30 album but I want to see No Exit get some traction before attempting to do another album that nobody here or wants except for myself and the three fans that do want to hear it.
Nobody has heard from Isabella (we broke up in 2001) after what we call the Disaster in Seattle get together. She may have Overdosed on Methadone in 2004 around that time everybody in Mingles was asking me about her whereabouts then. Even when we were going together she was a drug addict much to my dismay. My last memory of her is her freaking about losing her Methadone in a pizza joint when I had to use the bathroom and she was tearing up the place trying to look for it.
Last time I was up in Spokane, 2001 (See above)
I loved Seattle in the summertime, the five days I was there it didn't rain, and the skies so picture postcard blue and they had plenty of Wherehouse Music stores to keep me occupied. But that was 12 years ago, haven't been back since. Plane tickets are too high and it's 3 and half hours in a cramped airplane.
The Zickos set was the loudest drums I ever had. They sounded like thunder everytime I played them.
The old Zildjians that I had were the best sounding cymbals but I wasn't that impressed with the K hybrid or Z Power Crash that was great for accenting at the end of the song but not as a crash ride. I probably was the last to continue to use the Impulse cymbals even it was Zildjian's attempt to cash in on the Paiste Rudes. But I actually liked the Impulse cymbals a lot, more so than y'all.
Paiste 2002s are worth getting. The bigger the cymbal the better, I love the 20 inch 2002 Thin Crash. And the Paiste 20 18 inch China cymbal is a beast upon itself it really comes through the recordings very well. The Novo China is LOUD, probably too loud, too attention grabbing, I used it more for the Rude lineup that was favored back in 2007.
Haven't talked or seen Greg Nutter in over 10 years. Guess he's now down in Austin?
The Routers were a one time thing when Greg drafted me into that band and we played in 1991 and 1992 the latter which I got Mike Swearingen to do the vocals. The first time we played it was 30 degrees and the next year it was like 80 degrees and the mosquitoes were thick. Think I was keeping a better beat swatting them fucking things then playing the drums.
If your going to learn to play drums or guitar, learn at a early age, take lessons, and listen to records and then get a decent drum set to boot. I fucked off most of my grade and high school years and didn't learn to play them although I had a guitar at hand. Learn to practice and learn to write lyrics as early as you can. I would have benefited had I heeded that advice.
That's all for this month. I'll be back next month with more thoughts to your questions.
Wednesday 3 April 2013
The Mike Swearingen Benefit
In my years of playing in bands, I have two constant players in outside projects. My best friend Russ was part of Paraphernalia/Tyrus years and IO and his cousin Mike Swearingen to which he was part of F.O.A.D (with Dave Kelsey of Mox Nix fame), Open Highway and Tyrus as well. Mike and I also was part of the Stone Garden reunion with Virgin Hanson and the other guy Rick (can't remember his last name but we did that in 1985) and Mike was part of the Routers band of 1992 (featuring Greg Nutter). Mike basically has retired from playing live music but he is part of Crown Karaoke which he would be at every Saturday Night at the Sip N Stir in Cedar Rapids before health issues have caused him to suspend that.
On April 14, there will be a benefit for Mike at the Eagle's Club in Cedar Rapids to which the fun begins at 10 AM and lasts till 6. There's hope that many of Cedar Rapids finest will be there to talk about the good times and doing a jam and Karaoke session that afternoon. I will be there sometime Sunday (don't know when) and perhaps there will might be a chance for me and Mike to do a couple songs together. If Russ decides to sign off and show up as well maybe all three of us will be together one last time to do some of our better known classic rock stuff.
In my estimation Mike was the perfect vocalist in the bands I was in and I have to credit and thank him for considering me to be the drummer of choice when his bands needed one or simply go up the country bar and do a couple jam songs on Sundays. It was his style that dictated the way that I played drums and sad to say I almost made him deaf in the process. We remain music brothers throughout the course of my time being a part of the CR music scene although I was more interested in doing The Townedgers/Route 66 band than being a classic rock cover band.
Hopefully we'll have pictures to show for when that day arrives. Here's Mike with the Full Circle Band ;)
On April 14, there will be a benefit for Mike at the Eagle's Club in Cedar Rapids to which the fun begins at 10 AM and lasts till 6. There's hope that many of Cedar Rapids finest will be there to talk about the good times and doing a jam and Karaoke session that afternoon. I will be there sometime Sunday (don't know when) and perhaps there will might be a chance for me and Mike to do a couple songs together. If Russ decides to sign off and show up as well maybe all three of us will be together one last time to do some of our better known classic rock stuff.
In my estimation Mike was the perfect vocalist in the bands I was in and I have to credit and thank him for considering me to be the drummer of choice when his bands needed one or simply go up the country bar and do a couple jam songs on Sundays. It was his style that dictated the way that I played drums and sad to say I almost made him deaf in the process. We remain music brothers throughout the course of my time being a part of the CR music scene although I was more interested in doing The Townedgers/Route 66 band than being a classic rock cover band.
Hopefully we'll have pictures to show for when that day arrives. Here's Mike with the Full Circle Band ;)
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