Thoughts From The Townedger May Edition

I have been extremely lazy this month.  And laid up from three weeks of allergies and the flu, so basically I have pissed off on the cover art of the Forthcoming Trains album.  The record label isn't too happy with me it seems but I promised (this time for real) that the album will be in store first week of June.  And you can hear only on Radio Buzz'd.

There's a treasure chest full of unreleased stuff that I hope bring out to see the light of day later in summer as well as a formidable best of the early years before renaming the band to The Townedgers.  But then again when there's talk of cover art, I just go, why don't we just release the CD as is and let the fans design their own cover art?

It's finally springtime here in Iowa, the fucking gnats are out in full force.  It's hard to do an outdoors event and have 10 of them buggers are going into your mouth while trying to sing.

If I can ever catch wind of it, I'd love to do some jamming on those infamous Bacon Jams that they have in CR.  It's funny how 30 years flies by and the old Tyrus band trying to get their foot in the door.  I'm surprised by the crazy drumming style that I used to do in that band, the smash and crash method but in this day and age I can't do that anymore without getting a heart attack.  I can still maintain the beat as well as before, in fact my playing is better now than it was back then but still I amazed of how I managed to pull off some of those drum rolls and cymbal crashes back then.

There's talk of doing a 30th anniversary edition of Live Under A Full Moon, our final show as Tyrus. I may have Martin Daniels mix that one from the original copies.  It would mean sitting through the whole thing and picking out the best songs.  Awful lot of filler and missed notes and words and nobody wants to hear Free Bird anyway.

The best Rocky Mountain Way version we did was the Squaw Creek reception but Dong Bonesteel forgot to bring the recorder so that's committed to space, time and memory.  I really have no idea why we decided that song was going to be our main theme between all the cymbal crashes and Mike trying to keep up with the vocals.  Still, I look at the Tyrus years like I do The Big Crash Years.  It's fun to revisit but I don't see a major market for this, except for fanatics of the band.  And I would like to meet these fanatics if they do exist.

Mike has actually been going through a bad time, I guess Maj, his wife left after 12 years and he's not taking it too kindly either.  Don't know the whole story behind that and as they say, please respect our privacy as we go through this crisis.    I probably said too much.

Sometime in July, I should get together with Alex to see if there's any chance of a new and exciting music project coming from this.  I'm thinking of adding Russ to the band for emotional support. We do play very well together.

The inspirations that shaped some of my earlier songs are no longer viable anymore.  Why write about somebody that you haven't seen in over 30 years and haven't lived in town as long as that too?  The songs about Janice served a purpose but nowadays we are total strangers and doubt if I would know her if I've seen her in this day and age.  She doesn't have that Farrah Fawcett hair cut anymore.  Ancient history. And not a good one at that either.  Look for a new revision on Running In The Rain should we play that live.....

I'm sure if I would have used the Paiste cymbals on the latest album, they would be cutting though a lot more louder than the Z's.  It's a matter of choice, both Z's and Pies are great cymbals.  If I pose the question again about what to use, I'm sure the majority would still want Zildjians.  The next project I'll use Impulse lineup for the 1986 tour.   Still have most of them.

I've heard that Marco's Pizza has returned back to CR, which would be great.  If I know where the new location is at I'll be a regular visitor again. Always love their pizzas the best.  Naso's I love as well but they're too expensive anymore.  Little Ceasar's 5 dollar specials are good for snacks.  Zio Johnnos' pizzas suck.

Happy birthday to my DJ rock and roll buddy and sometimes TE conspirator  Diggy Kat, the number one fan and sometimes inspiration for his band Vufcup.   'Ears to ya bro. Cheers!

  

How I Spend My Saturday Night In Quad Cities

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyqUeJgFlPM&feature=youtu.be

Thought I go to Davenport for a Saturday Night game to see the Cedar Rapids Kernels playing the home team the Quad Cities River Bandits.  Pretty good game, CR had 2-1 lead and Matt Christensen robbed a Quad Cities player of a HR.  But another walk and Conrad Gregor came up to bat. 

It's a hour and 20 minute drive to the QC from where I'm at and usually I go to Cedar Rapids to see the Kernels play but the last three games I have been going to Davenport.  They got a nice stadium and for 6 dollars you can watch the game from the center field wall.  Last three times I been out there I have had the damn ball flying toward me be it fair or foul or Home Run.   I couldn't do the river walk, the Mississippi is over its banks and have inundated the trail behind the park with muddy water.

But anyway, the game was somewhat a pitchers duel and kinda boring till the bottom of the sixth and I was out there in in the fence with a couple folk around me.  One of the folk was Conrad's dad Marty who was from Indiana and in town watching his son play.  At that time he didn't hit a home run prior before getting a pitch and hitting it far.

As I saw it in the setting sun, it looked like it was coming towards me.  Since I couldn't catch the fucking thing when I played baseball, I really wanted nothing to do with it but I heard his dad calling for the ball.  I pointed to him and said You catch it, I'm not.  Knowing my luck it probably hit me upside the head or me dropping it.  But Marty made a heck  of a catch and we congratulated each other with handshakes and high fives and chatted a bit before he said he was heading to Burlington to see his son play the next day.  Anyway Cedar Rapids got swept by the River Bandits 5-2 after Tyler White hit another HR after Conrad did his. But Quad Cities got swept by Burlington today whereas the Cedar Rapids Kernels won 6-5 over Beloit.

I hope to return to Davenport a couple more times before the season is over.  In the meantime, here's further proof that I was there.  You can tell who Marty is. (the guy with the ball).  I'm the one in the green jacket.