Yes!
More than 700 folks packed into the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn the other night for a sold out CRB show, which means that word has already spread far and wide about our band. This tour is continuing to get better as the days roll on and we're having about as much fun as a band can have. Love to all.
Kickin' Butt
No one can believe how well this tour is going, most of all our fearless leader and comrade in arms, Chris. The shows have been fantastic and the fans seem to really be digging the vibe of our little band. So, if you're reading this and you live somewhere on the east coast, then please come see us and say hello!
CR says "hi".
| Wed-Aug-03 | Amagansett, NY | Stephen Talkhouse | On-Sale |
| Thu-Aug-04 | Bangor, ME | Bangor Waterfront | On-Sale |
| Sat-Aug-06 | Boston, MA | Bank of America Pavilion | w/J Geils Band |
| Sun-Aug-07 | Boston, MA | Bank of America Pavilion | w/J Geils Band |
| Wed-Aug-10 | Brooklyn, NY | Music Hall of Williamsburg | On-Sale |
| Fri-Aug-12 | Atlantic City, NJ | The Borgata Event Center | w/J Geils Band |
| Sat-Aug-13 | Danbury, CT | Ives Concert Park | w/J Geils Band |
| Sun-Aug-14 | Wallingford, CT | Oakdale Theatre | w/J Geils Band |
| Tue-Aug-16 | Charlottesville, VA | Jefferson Theater | On-Sale |
| Wed-Aug-17 | Nashville, TN | Mercy Lounge | On-Sale |
| Fri-Aug-19 | Detroit, MI | DTE Energy Music Theatre | w/J Geils Band |
| Sat-Aug-20 | Lyons, CO | Rocky Mountain Folks Festival | w/Jackie Greene & Bob Weir |
| Tue-Aug-23 | Santa Fe, NM | Santa Fe Brewing Co. | On-Sale |
| Thu-Aug-25 | Dallas, TX | The Prophet Bar | On-Sale |
| Fri-Aug-26 | Austin, TX | The Parish | On-Sale |
| Sat-Aug-27 | Houston, TX | Fitzgerald's | On-Sale |
| Tue-Aug-30 | New Orleans, LA | Tipitina's | On-Sale |
| Thu-Sep-01 | Birmingham, AL | Workplay | On-Sale |
| Fri-Sep-02 | Athens, GA | The Georgia Theatre | On-Sale |
| Sat-Sep-03 | Ashville, NC | The Orange Peel | On-Sale |
| Sun-Sep-04 | Thornville, OH | Hookahville | On-Sale |
Let The Games Begin!
I woke up, got out of bed and dragged a comb across my head...Had a fairly smooth ride from LAX to O'Hare on Virgin America (first time flying with them) and with the exception of a near quarrel with an aggressive 80 year old man, my day was pretty much hassle-free. Watched a movie, listened to some tunes, drank some tea. Everyone's gear made it in safe too which had made me a little nervous at first, considering I'm traveling with a new toy.
Ahh Chicago, how I've missed you. This place is great and I love the energy here. Compared to all the others, I feel peaceful in this city and maybe it's because my dad and his family are originally from here, who knows.
Today marks the beginning of the summer fun with CRB. Early afternoon rehearsal, evening to ourselves, then off we go into the wild. Stay tuned.
Winding Down
As we near the end of this first run, 41 shows in just two months has definitely taken it's toll on the Brotherhood crew, but although exhausted, we've had the best time and everyone is pumped for things to come. Two more shows after tonight, then we take a much needed three-week break before the summertime fun begins. More touring, some major festivals and fantastic venues. Hell yes!
"And all of that for tips!"
The CRB played a show at the world famous Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown last week but we had a day off the day before, so I decided to head out to the high desert of Yucca Valley to see if I couldn't gain some perspective on the world and such. As much fun as it is, touring life can often take a toll on your body, mind and spirit, so if the opportunity is there, it's good to take some time to yourself every once in a while. I had a great time, hung out with old friends, played music, ate righteously and was able to sit quietly with my thoughts, although the altitude and dry air really messed with my sinuses quite a bit. Starry skies, Joshua trees and many lizards I saw, but didn't get much sleep, that is, until I paid a visit to the pharmacy for some vitamins and meds. That helped me out a lot.One thing I will say about people of the desert, they often have unique personalities and (some) see the world through a very different lens. Many folks I met seemed totally confused that I was a touring musician from Memphis and couldn't believe I was visiting the desert alone. Trying on their best southern accent, "Really? Wow, Memphis. You kn0w I have a friend in Nashville. Maybe you know him?" Of course, what they don't realize is that Nashville is roughly three hours away from Memphis and is a pretty big town. Funny.A friend of mine introduced me to a lady he was dating and she immediately wanted to know how I was able to travel as much as I do and be away from home all the time, or in my case, no home at all. I told her I loved traveling and everything that comes with it, but when I described to her the rigors of the road, right away she seemed turned off by the idea. Waking up in a different city every morning, searching for good food in unfamiliar surroundings, working until very late at night then repeating everything the very next day. It's a pretty good life, I said with a smile and I've gotten to see a lot of the world. But to my complete surprise and amazement, she looked at me without batting an eye and said, "And all of that for tips!"It took me a second to realize what she was saying.What do you mean, I asked?"Well, you play for tips, right?" Really...are you serious? You think that I play music for tips? I'm a little insulted, I said."I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure that anyone could really make a living playing music. You mean, this is your job?"Of course, I won't bore you with the rest, but it was one of the most interesting conversations I've had in a very long time and I realized she was (in no way) trying to hurt my feelings at all, just terribly misinformed. I went on to tell her that as a salaried employee, things were good and although I wasn't getting rich or anything, my life was full and my bills (for the most part) were being paid. Later, I discovered she was quite wealthy herself and thought that music was something that people did for fun, on the side as a hobby. I guess there are those who do.Lord, have mercy.
Bicoastal
Getting settled in LA has proven easier and much more productive than I'd imagined it would be this time around. After nearly fifteen years of West Coast living, I thought I was finished out there, but it turns out I was quite mistaken. Maybe things are going so well because I'm in a much different place in my life than before, or that I've got a pretty good job, not really sure. All I know is that I'm happy and there's a lightness to my environment I haven't noticed in a while. No expectations. That's the key. Go with it and take each day as new.A couple of days off from the CRB afforded me the chance for another trip home this weekend, which I look forward to each time, as it helps me to keep things in perspective and I'm grateful for my hometown family. Three gigs with the Champs, lots of hang time with my bro's, some good southern cooking (thanks, Camille!) then it's right back to work. Exhausting, yes but incredibly rewarding and fun. To be honest, I'd like to try and make this into a regular thing. Maybe a house in Memphis and an apartment in LA. Not a bad way to live, right?
Thanks to Neal Casal for this wonderful image. You're a master of the lens.
Double Digits!
The CRB has played nine shows and things have certainly begun to gel with this group of cats. The songs are stronger, groovier and the playing is more relaxed and patient given the short amount of time we've been on this journey together. Tonight we'll be back at the Echoplex in LA, rocking out for only the 10th time.Here's a sampling of a recent show at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, CA. Enjoy.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSQ-EGSFtkc&feature=related]
First Run, Killer...
After two long weeks of intense rehearsals, the Brotherhood embarked on the first leg of the two-month California residential tour/experiment and the results were fantastic, as was the response from friends and fans. Two of our first four shows were sold-out and ticket sales for the rest of the tour are very good. Here's a video someone posted from our first night in LA at the Echoplex...[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-u23-HmA00]There's a feeling of genuine hope that we will continue this pursuit together. This week we hit Santa Cruz, San Fran, Sacramento and Petaluma. Tonight, Moe's Alley...
More to come...
Busy Time
I have over 70 pieces of music, instructions, chatter and noodling recorded on my little Olympus hand-held doohickey, all in the space of a week, which means there's a ton of stuff, many hours to sift through to get to the good takes of each tune..roughly 25 songs. We've all been busy working hard to get this band to sound as good as possible, rehearsals have been quite productive and spirits are definitely up. Seems like everyone is ready to get the show on the road.
It's an honor to play with these cats and a wonderful opportunity for me to be in an entirely new and different musical situation than what I'm used to. I'm a bit frazzled, but I know that once we get out and start playing in front of people, things will mellow out. That's my hope, anyway. One more rehearsal to go, then I've got a few days to myself, which I'm very much looking forward to. At midnight, I'm boarding a red-eye for a quick jaunt back to Memphis for the weekend to finish recording my good friend Billy Seward's album and playing a gig with my trio, then right back to LA to continue with this chapter here. As crazy as all that sounds, it's gonna be nice to be home for a couple of days, slow down the pace, eat some bbq and be with my close friends again.
CRB
Gettin' psyched about this new gig... we rehearsed roughly 25 tunes in four days and the vibes are really good between everyone. The sound is very 70's, funky, rocking, soul music with extremely good, well thought-out lyrics and melodies.
Neal Casal & Chris Robinson working out an arrangement. Cool dudes.
A Return To Little Rock
Need a place to do some voice-over work? Got a commercial to finish? Scoring a film? Or do you wanna track a full band with guitars, bass, drums, keys & vocals using the best gear on the planet, while a great engineer sits at a bitchin digital console and handles all your sonic needs? Well, if you're in or around the Little Rock, Arkansas area then you're sure to know about this place already, but if not and you're willing to make the drive, then look no further than this amazing studio. Lucky Dog Audio Post. I've worked here several times before, but this weekend was definitely a memorable one for me. I spent three days there tracking for two separate recordings and had a blast. Trust me when I say that you should go here and be impressed. 'Nuff said on that.
Now, if you're a band, traveling around and want to play in a great little bar, this is it. The White Water Tavern. Cool, laid back locals, national and regional acts playing nightly and good sounding room with stage and full, working PA system.
Like po'boys? This is the place, no question...Capital Bar & Grill, inside the world famous Capital Hotel. Shrimp, catfish, or roast beef, their po'boys are killin and definitely try the homemade potato chips...plain or spicy. Wow.
Plain & simple, Little Rock rocks!
Grimey's, the Basement & Nashville Comes Alive
Last night's gig in Nashville was so much fun and a little sad for me, as we'll be taking a bit of break while I'm on the west coast with my new gig, but what a time we had. The Basement is a fantastic club and this was our second time playing there. We opened for a great local funk band called, The Coolin' System and the house was packed with a lot of cool folks and lover's of instrumental music.
The locals seemed enthusiastic during our show and afterward were extremely complimentary of our sound. They flocked to the merch table and bought our records from us, which was a pleasant and welcome surprise, as Nashville can be a tough town for newbies. There were several good friends of mine in attendance, too and that made the night even more special for me. We may not be around here for a while, but we can't wait to come back.
If you get to Nashville any time soon, you must go and visit the fantastic record store upstairs from the club called, Grimey's. One of the best in the world, with a wonderful selection of vinyl, great staff and they are such huge promoters of our music, playing our record in the store and spreading the word.
Some time during the night, I was introduced to a sweet young gal who was helping sell the merchandise for both bands and found out she was a DJ on a local college radio station, Vanderbilt University's own 91.1 WRVU. Originally from Memphis, Miss Lauren (as she's known on the air) hosts a fantastic show called, The Delta Groove, playing soul, blues and roots rock of the southeast. As Joe and I were driving home after the gig, we tuned-in and for about an hour, the ride was full of soul. Thanks Lauren. And to Mike Grimes, Grimey's, the Basement, all the amazing staff, The Coolin' System (killer band) and the fine folks in Music City USA...The Champs say thank you and we love you!
24 Hours
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call that was totally out of the blue and took me by such surprise that I'm still trying to process that it really happened. "Hello George. This is Chris Robinson." Those of you in the know, will understand my excitement cause this dude not only has one of the best voices in rock-n-roll as the Black Crowes frontman, but he can have his pick of just about any drummer he wants. Since the Crowes' are going on a hiatus, the fact that he called me tells me that (whatever it is he's got up his sleeve) he's either exhausted himself trying to find the right person in his own city, or that he wants to go in a completely different direction. Whatever the reason, I was elated and honored to speak with him and couldn't wait to hear what he had to say.He informed me that our mutual friend, Crowes' guitarist and local hero, Luther Dickinson, had recently given him a copy of my trio's latest release on vinyl, to which he was totally floored by and asked if I wouldn't mind coming out to LA for what he referred to as a "jam session". The Crowes' would be taking a bit of a break and he wanted to showcase his latest endeavor, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. Are you kidding me? Hell yes, I said and so the ball was immediately set in motion. He didn't want me to learn anything from his extensive catalog and rather preferred that we just get together and see what transpired between us musically. How effin cool is that? The flight was booked and all I had to do was wait.Fast forward to this past weekend, I'm gearing up for this big audition and one of the craziest 24 hour periods I've ever had. Thursday night The City Champs opened for the legendary Huey Lewis and the News to roughly one thousand peeps at our newest local hot spot, Minglewood Hall...it was a rousing show and thanks to our good friend and brilliant photog, Josh Mintz, you may view the visual results of our performance here. We had an amazing time and could not have been more humbled at the reception from Huey, his band, the crew, the venue staff and the beautiful Memphians who came out in support. There was a decent little after party giong on backstage, but yours truly had an early flight to catch and needed sleep something awful. Sadly, I had to bail. Unfortunately, with so much excitement on my mind, there was no way to get a good nights rest, so I just went ahead and got myself together around 5:30 AM and headed over to the airport.Once I made it to LA, everything suddenly went into fast motion. CR's personal assistant and Brotherhood tour manager, Brian, picked me up, took me to my hotel where we checked in real fast, then stopped at a great Mexican restaurant for a quick lunch (which I immediately threw up, due to an upset stomach, terrible migraine and case of the "nerves"...the total trifecta!) then onto the rehearsal space. We got there around 1:30, I sat up the drums they'd brought for me (gorgeous 70's Slingerland's, 22, 13 & 16) along with some nice Agop pies and a 1930's Ludwig nickel over brass snare drum that was total money. Chris showed up half an hour later, band in tow and after some initial greetings, plugged in his guitar and we commenced to getting our groove on.Roughly four hours and many new songs later, a smiling Chris Robinson told me that if I didn't mind getting in a van with him and the other cats, he would be happy to have me on board. Damn. That was it. We shook hands to seal the deal and within 90 mins, it was as if all of Los Angeles County had been notified about this development, as my phone started to blow up with phone calls, texts and emails from friends of mine offering congratulations. I said to myself, holy shit, word travels fast out here. Well, that's how it goes sometimes and this looks like it's gonna be a great opportunity to play with another really amazing group of musicians. How lucky I feel right now. I'm gonna need to take Luther D out for drinks or something to say thank you. We'll be hitting the road in late March and you can view the tour schedule here. Stay tuned!
It's Never Too Late
So, I was in the studio this past weekend, not only drumming but producing as well. A good friend of mine from my days out in Cali, Billy Seward, asked me to help him with his first solo record. He's 56. I was floored. Not only is this brother one of the most soulful cats I've ever met, he's a helluva singer, guitarist and songwriter, too. Having his own record has been a dream of his forever, but life can get in your way, or rather, we will often blame life as the culprit for never fully reaching our goals, when really it's just an excuse. Am I making any sense? Well, let me just say this dude can sing his butt off and writes a damn good song, so all I really had to do was find the right group of guys, studio and engineer and we were in business. It's been a little more than two months in the making, with this weekend's session being the second of two that he's done for this record. We did six tunes in four days...that's six tunes, with 7 people all in the same room at the same time, recorded, overdubs, edited and mixed in four days. We were moving and the results are so good that Billy was actually brought to tears during the listening party. I'm so happy to have been a part of it, but more so that my good friend has decided that his dream has been put on-hold for long enough and it's time to see it through.
Congratulations, good buddy and may your gigs be plenty and your worries few.
2011
Hope this year has a little more to offer up than the last cause 2010 wasn't much fun. I lost two of my uncles, my girlfriend/fiancee and I split, my car broke down three times, which cost way too much to fix, I got a pinched nerve in my neck and gigs were in very short supply. All of which sucked ass. But with that said the year wasn't a total loss...the Champs put out a second record, we toured a little bit, received rave reviews, Huey Lewis became a fan of our music and I acquired some new gear...two more vintage Rogers kits, a Craviotto snare that I'd previously owned and sold, and a 1966 Gibson ES-125, gifted to me from Dad. I am betting that things are on the upswing cause I'm ready to rock.Here's a pic from last night's new year's eve gig, at Itta Bena here in town. The lighting in this place is really phenomenal, but I took this with my phone right before our afternoon sound check and I wish I'd gotten a better shot. Later that night, I came back and brought my camera and let our organ player's wife shoot the band while we were playing, but she must've been a little tipsy cause all 25 pics are blurry! Someone was having a good time. Anyway, much love to y'all and happy new year. Let's try and make it a good one. I know I plan to.
Killer Session
The City Champs were invited to participate in the filming of a music documentary that some people are producing and we happily obliged, but little did we know that two of the folks we'd be in session with were the heaviest of the heavies...the great bassist, David Hood from the world renowned Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and blues harmonica man, Charlie Musselwhite. This was a special day for us and the vibe was definitely a good one between us.
East Coast & Back
The City Champs sophomore album, The Set-Up was released to the world on November 2nd and our label wanted us on the road. Unfortunately, with the timing being as tight as it was, the booking agent wasn't able to totally put together what we'd originally planned on, so what was supposed to be a two-week long tour, ended up being only 5 days, but we made the best of it and motored ahead. Gassed-up the van, we headed North.First stop, Newark, Delaware at a quaint little club called Mojo Main and although everyone was pretty friendly to us (once they let their guard down), we probably should have been playing a different venue. In short, it was a Ska bar. Yes, that's what I said, so enough about that. But we played well and even sold one record and I was overjoyed at that.
After the set, we loaded out and had to wait for a couple of hours to get paid, which was a drag, but we met some nice folks and had a few drinks and all was right with the world. Once we had our dough, we headed back to the hotel and noticed on the way that the streets were full of people partying their asses off and we passed by several clubs that seemed way more like the types of places we needed to be playing up there. So, there you have it. Lesson learned.Philly and the North Star Bar. Great venue, but a bit of a strange night. We were thrown onto the bill at the very last minute and it didn't seem like anyone was happy about it, especially the Headhunters, who were headlining alongside another group from NYC called, The Mumbles. One of my drumming heroes and drummer with the Headhunters for many years, Mike Clark is a really sweet man and someone I've had the pleasure of knowing for quite some time. It was amazing to see him play again. What a killin feel he has.We only played a 30-min set cause that's all the time that they had for us, but we did our thing, rocked our butts off and made it back to our wonderful Howard Johnson hotel in record time. Oh yeah, almost forgot...the highlight of the day, big fat cheese steak sandwich from Jim's on South Street. It was so worth the hour-long wait that I forgot to take pics of my food, but there's a million of them already on the web, so check 'em out. Freakin d'lish.
My old buddy from San Diego, Devon E. Levins, who now lives in New York hosts an internet radio show called Morricone Youth on East Village Radio and had previously worked it out to have us on his show. We were very excited because the show is geared toward film music and The Set-Up has such a strong thematic nature to it. Perfect! It's a good thing we got on the road early because we'd totally forgotten that the New York Marathon was happening that day, so the traffic coming into the city was a bitch and we had to be on the radio by 2pm. Timing was everything and there wasn't much of a window for dawdling.
Fortunately, we made it and everything worked out great and even had time to sit at a fantastic coffee shop called, The Bean and enjoy a hot beverage. I chose the Dirty Chai, which was Chai tea and a shot of espresso. Damn Good. EVR is located in a tiny glass storefront, right on a busy 1st Ave, with gorgeous models walking up and down the street, which was driving me crazy all day. I must have fallen in love three or four times that afternoon. It was nuts and we had a blast. Thanks to Devon for having us on the show, for playing so much of our music, and to our esteemed guitarist, Joe Restivo for putting together such an awesome playlist of soundtrack tunes. You can stream the entire Nov 7th segment here.
That evening we did our show at the Rose in Brooklyn, which is a great little venue and everyone there was really cool... And speaking of, many thanks go out to Devon, John Castro, Brian Seeger and Scott Bourgeois for making the trek out to see the show and to our good friend Carter Mclean for being so kind as to put us up in your home for the evening. You're a gentleman and a scholar. The next morning was colder'n hell and it actually started to hail, so after bagels & coffee from Murray's, we shagged ass outta town, headed to Williamsport, PA and to the fabulous Bullfrog Brewery. This is a great little town and the venue is pretty much the centerpiece of their live music scene. There's no stage, but the warm friendly environment made us feel quite at home. The food is great and the beer they brew is fantastic. We were sitting enjoying our lunch when Joe announces that he'd just received an email from our publicist telling us that the album had been reviewed in the Commercial Appeal, our local Memphis newspaper. It was the first really good review and we were elated. What a day we were having. That is, until I looked up from my sandwich at lunch and saw our van getting towed down the street. Yikes! I guess we'd been parked in a private lot, which was owned by some douche-y high-powered lawyer who doesn't take kindly to people parking in the spots that he pays for. We sprinted out the door, the three of us, chasing our Sherrod down the street for fifteen blocks, only to find a $125.00 tow charge at the end of our journey, but the fine folks at the Bullfrog (Steve & Jody) were on our side and had dealt with this before. They took care of the bill and we were thrilled. Later, we had a stellar show and sold a few copies of the album to some very nice folks. Thanks, y'all.Next day, we had a two-hr trip down to Harrisburg and played a venue called the Abbey Pub. Nothing to speak of really cause there were four people that showed up to see us and that was probably an accident, but we had one of the best musical nights as a band and it was a fantastic top-off to the trip. All in all, good times were had, lots of great food, numerous stops at Dunkin Donuts (they rule the Northeast) and only one traffic ticket (thank you hard-to-understand parking sign in Philly...curse you!) 1000 miles and 15 hrs later, home sweet home. I highly recommend anyone reading to take a couple of days off, get in your car and drive somewhere in this country because it's absolutely beautiful.I love my job.
Road Trip
The City Champs hit the road this past weekend, played three shows and traveled a good 1,200 miles from Memphis to Atlanta to Asheville to Nashville, then back home. Lots of time behind the wheel, but we saw some beautiful countryside along the way and had a pretty good time all around. Many thanks to our many friends and fans who came out in support and my good buddy John Paul for renting us his wonderful red Dodge van he named Vince, as in Van-Go!
New Trio
Not really sure where this will go, but it's exciting to have some different cats to play with and doing the stuff I've been dreaming about for a long time. Two of my good friends, Jim Spake and Chris Parker have been rehearsing with me, off and on for a couple of years, but we've never done a gig. I figured it was time to change that, so I booked one and it's in a few weeks, so we've got some time to suss out the material. It's good shit, too...we've got Hank Crawford, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Monk, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, Lou Donaldson, just to name a few, plus there's some original material that we're all bringing to the table, as well. So, I'm very excited. Parker, Sluppick & Spake. It's catchy, right?