NEW OUTLOOK AND CAST FOR TEEN DRAMA

During the summer, for several reasons including parenthood and NYC (or “Brooklyn” as they now call it) job opportunities, three people left our band. Three out of five. We were left with just a guitar and saxophone. The decision to continue as a band – versus just going to a bar together once a week – seemed almost silly. But once we made that decision, it seemed like the right – and the funnier and more interesting – thing to do.

So now we have a new guitarist, bassist, and drummer – Chris, Andy, and Matt. We’ve been learning songs and played our first show together. It went well. It went great actually – we knew the songs, we banged them out in 30 minutes, people clapped. We played exactly as many songs as we knew, completely competently. Had we been asked to play one more, to fill another 3.5 minutes, the whole illusion would have collapsed.

Recording is moving along for the “American Car” EP. My friend Jon Platt has been recording drums for two songs at his place in New Mexico; we’ll be recording the rest here. [And really, this recording rush is a personal vendetta against my own ability to continual delay our debut EP, i.e. once recording commenced it was another 6 months before final mixing began – not because of a surfeit of ideas, but because of my procrastination. Even now, CD copies being held up by the completion of the cover artwork – but who really wants a CD anymore? I’m a jerk, a snob, and a dilettante so I only buy vinyl, but pout if there’s no digital download code.]

Okay, so I have a problem with not getting completely negative in these posts. I’m going to try some positivity: we’re getting this new EP done! and its roughness is going to be the thing that makes it lovable! We’re writing new songs and learning old ones! I’ve started demoing for a full-length album (or a long EP)! We’re building lighting and making costumes! So I’m a liar if I pretend that I don’t want people to care about this. Because I care about this band and these songs, and no one wants to be alone in their convictions.

(Exclamation marks = positivity. Or weakness of character. One of those two.)