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| Triple event weekend | |
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5.03.2008
9:23 PM | Link |
 This has been a jam-packed weekend so far, and tons of fun! Friday night there was a bachelor dinner in honor of Jonathan's wedding (coming up in a couple weeks!), so all of gathered for a long meal at the Clay Pit with plenty of drinking, story telling, and lots of laughter. After dinner we decided to walk to the Cloak Room, which is one of Jonathan's secret late-night haunts. Most of us had never been there before, and it was cool to discover this tiny, dark bar that's famous for being filled with Texas legislators (since it's right at the foot of the Capitol). It was a really fun evening!Today I got up early to get my weekend chores done so I could head out to enjoy Free Comic Book Day! Matt decided he wanted to check it out also, so we went to Capstone Comics (a really nice place that I'll definitely revisit) and ran into George and his grandson Devin, which was nice since I love seeing kids getting excited about free comics. The store really went all out for the event with raffle drawings, guests artists signing things, and even guys in authentic Star Wars costumes! Next, after an hour or so of rest, the Greatest American Heroes drove to Temple to play a benefit for the American Cancer Society. We played in a high school football stadium, right on the 50-yard line, and although we were missing Chris on guitar and had a guest bassist, we had a great time and seemed to be well received. It was so refreshing to play outside in the beautiful weather, and then have an awesome meal together at a 50s themed diner. Now I'm finally home, a little sunburnt, and a lot tired, but I've enjoyed every minute of this crazy weekend! I'm definitely going to kick back tomorrow!  View photos: Jonathan's Bachelor Dinner View photos: Comics & Heroes
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| Swing for under a buck | |
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3.06.2008
8:04 PM | Link |
 I'm really late in mentioning it, but my pal Dae, guitar player for the world famous Day Jobs from Austin's swing glory days, has put our old studio tracks on Amie Street to make a few pennies! We did this recording just before Dae moved to Los Angeles, and all of the tracks online are original compositions. On Amie Street, the price is set by how often something is purchased, so you should buy this rare album while it's only 78 cents! Of course, the Day Jobs features my pals Matt on vocals, Ernesto on sax, Dae on guitar, Ann Marie on bass (now a Grammy-nominated artist!), and myself on drums.While I'm on the topic of music, I should also announce that the Ernesto Marquez Sextet has been renamed Casa del Swanko! Since our beloved founder Ernesto has moved to Los Angeles (oh how we miss him!), we chose our new goofy name to commemorate Jonathan's house (where we rehearse), which has always been referred to as Casa del Swanko. We have lots of gigs booked through May - look for us at the Tree House Italian Grill or North by Northwest! |
| Hitting the big time | |
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11.11.2007
12:39 PM | Link |
 My bands had a couple amazing gig opportunities last week, and they were sure fun (and exhausting) shows! First, the Greatest American Heroes played at a party for the University of Texas, who just happened to rent out the studio of Austin City Limits for the event! We could hardly believe we were actually going to play on that stage that we've all seen on TV so many times, the same stage where huge entertainers like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and a million other folks have stood. The stage was really fascinating, especially the fake Austin skyline (that looks much better on TV), and the sound crew was unbelievable! They helped us all with our equipment, setup tons of mics on my drums, and made sure we all had excellent personal monitor mixes. When we did the sound check, we couldn't believe the sound - it was the best we've ever experienced! The show itself was fun to play and the audience enjoyed it, but I was a little intimidated by the stage, so it was mentally tiring, but definitely an incredible experience. (In addition to my photos, check out our bassist Francis' website, too!) The very next day, the Ernesto Marquez Sextet played at a huge conference for Planview at the Lost Pines Hyatt Resort and Spa, a cool resort in the woods about an hour out of town. It was a big dinner, jazz and casino night, and we filled the big ballroom with our sound and enjoyed the good food (and the scotch just kept on coming!). Although we love playing clubs and restaurants, it sure is nice to have big gigs like these every now and then! View photos: Heroes at Austin City Limits View photos: Sextet at Lost Pines HyattLabels: bands |
| Gigs with Ernesto | |
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10.02.2007
6:58 AM | Link |
 Both of my bands played gigs this past weekend, and both of them were the last public shows we'll play with Ernesto, who's moving to Los Angeles in less than two weeks. Ernesto wants to be with his family because of his mom's health, which is totally understandable and admirable, but all of his pals here in Austin are so sad to see him go! On Friday, the Greatest American Heroes played out usual show at the Carousel Lounge, and there was a nice crowd with lots of our friends there, plus plenty of cute girls filling the dance floor. I think we all did our best to make it a great show (I came up with some new fills on a few songs), and it was so much fun! The next day on Saturday the Ernesto Marquez Sextet played at the Treehouse Italian Grill, just barely dodging the rain. We had to start a little late because of the weather, but somehow there was still a nice crowd eating outdoors and we all played well (and Bernadette was back to join us on a few tunes). Now all that's left is one private party gig, and of course we'll be throwing a big going away party (combined with a book signing for Tom's book). I know I'll miss Ernesto a lot, especially on Sunday TV nights, but I also know that there's no way we'll lose touch. Since I try to get to LA a couple times a year to visit Dae, it will be cool to have Ernesto there, too! I think that's one of the wonderful things about close friendships as an adult - realizing that friendship is so important that there's no way we could ever let it go.
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| The Day Jobs: more memories | |
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7.24.2007
8:39 PM | Link |
 I'm continuing to move old photos to Flickr, and now it's become kind of an obsession, since I know I will have a nice feeling of accomplishment when it's finished! Since I'm starting with photos taken in 2000, there are plenty of shots from the last few gigs of my old swing band, The Day Jobs. It's been a blast seeing these old photos again! One of these gigs was way out in the boonies (complete with flatbed trailer), and the other was on the Flagship Texas, a cool boat on Lake Travis that people rent for parties. I've also been converting my old video clips to YouTube, so I figured now would be a good time to upload some Day Jobs video! This is a performance of Mopac Bounce (an original by our guitarist Dae) from Austin Music Network, which we appeared on live. It was pretty exciting at the time! The quality of this clip is definitely lousy - I can remember that Barron helped me rip it from VHS so many years ago, and we had to make it a little postage stamp sized video in order to get decent sound. Still, it's better than nothing, so enjoy the memories! View photos: Gig in the Boonies View photos: Flagship Texas Gig Watch video: The Day Jobs / Mopac Bounce
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| My new kick | |
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6.23.2007
2:55 PM | Link |
 Last week during my Ernesto Marquez Sextet gig, the spring on my bass drum pedal broke. Thankfully it was only out for the last few songs, but I definitely had to do something out it this week. It's well-known among my bandmates that I have a cheap drum kit and I'm too lazy to shop around for anything better, so I have been playing my old Yamaha drums into the ground for years now. So, I figured rather than replacing the spring on my cheap, ancient pedal, I should just get a new pedal. When the Sextet recorded our CD at Brain Machine, I used their studio kit, and I was really impressed with their bass pedal - a DW (Drum Workshop) 7000. I decided to get the same model, and I found it quickly online at Zzounds.com (I like this website since my old pal Mark used to work there in Chicago - I have no idea if he still does, but I still shop there!), and I just got it a few days ago. The construction is really amazing, and I'm impressed by all the sound-dampening features it has - the action is going to be so smooth! I'll be trying it out tonight for the first time, which should be fun. Now my bass pedal is the best part of my kit, so maybe I'll have to start upgrading some other pieces someday!
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| Maybe I need to join a snoozetet | |
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4.24.2007
7:52 AM | Link |
 Last night I missed rehearsal for the Ernesto Marquez Sextet because I slept through it! After work I was feeling sleepy, so I set my oven timer (which I use for an alarm clock all the time) for 30 minutes, and started napping on the couch. Before I knew it, I was waking up about an hour after rehearsal started! The band called my cell phone, but it was still on silent mode from going to the movie on Sunday. I can't believe I slept through the oven timer, too. Everyone was nice to me when I called, though, and they still had a good rehearsal. I just stayed home and continued organizing software CDs instead! Anyway, this is a good excuse to mention that recently Chris finished a fantastic website for the band, where you can hear our tunes and check our schedule, so take a look!
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| The Stones opened for the Heroes | |
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3.18.2007
7:36 AM | Link |
 Happy Day After St. Patrick's Day! Last night the Greatest American Heroes were part of the first Austin Tribute Band Marathon at Ego's, and it was a crazy fun time! Austin is overflowing with visitors right now because of the big South By Southwest festival, and when you combine that with St. Patrick's Day, you get a huge crowd of green-wearing party people. This show wasn't officially part of the festival, but even so, Ego's was totally packed from 4:00 PM until after midnight. The marathon was a great idea (and was advertised all over town with cool posters) - a different tribute band took the stage every hour, and we showed up early to take it in. We got to hear Elvis Costello, Journey, Iron Maiden, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles! The Heroes were sandwiched in-between the Stones and Hendrix, so I'm not sure the crowd knew what the heck was going on when we kicked into The Jeffersons, but at least the applause was nice. Overall, it was a pretty cool experience, and it was nice to mingle with the festival crowds (which I usually avoid) for awhile. What a night!
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| A musical day | |
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11.11.2006
8:52 PM | Link | Today the Ernesto Marquez Sextet put in a full day at the studio recording for our first CD (basically a five song demo). We decided to try The Brain Machine after a great recommendation from another musician friend (and a nice special price), and every went incredibly smoothly! The band was really prepared, and Ernesto really outdid himself with some fantastic arrangements and horn lines for himself and Jonathan. Bernadette really sold the vocals, Steve sparkled on the keyboard, Chris was amazing on bass, and I had fun playing a combination of my drum kit with some of the studio's higher quality equipment. Tomorrow everything will be mixed, and we're all looking forward to hearing the result! After a great day at the studio, I've been relaxing with some manga (yes, more manga!) and Scotch - I wonder if that's a popular combination anywhere other than my house? |
| Yet another Heroes Halloween | |
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10.29.2006
11:45 AM | Link |
 Happy early Halloween from the Greatest American Heroes! Last night we played our annual Halloween show at the Carousel Lounge, decked out in costumed craziness. I decided to go simple this year with a Fred Flintstone outfit (which was really comfortable, except for the stone underwear), which turned out great since Wilma & Betty showed up! Francis was a nice Clark Kent/Superman combo, Kirk was Mork from Ork, and Chris resurrected his Greatest American Hero costume from a few years back. Ernesto was by far the star, though, taking Chris' dare to go with an I Dream of Jeannie ensemble (and Jonathan was Major Nelson to go along with the theme)! Plenty of folks in the crowd were dressed up, too, which made for a great costume parade during our third set. It was a really fun night, but don't take my word for it, take a look at the photos! View photos: Heroes Halloween 2006
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| Threadgill's night | |
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10.04.2006
10:06 PM | Link |
 Last weekend my pal Francis and his band, which also features my pal Chris (both Chris & Francis are also in the Greatest American Heroes, since all of my friends mix together in our various music projects!), played a show at the outdoor stage at Threadgill's downtown. For part of the show they were the band for Maryann Price, who was really crazy and entertaining, and they also had a pretty amazing ancient sax player who was incredible to hear. It was a fun show, and it was nice to sit outside in the evening breeze and drink with Ernesto & Jonathan and everyone else - it was a nice relaxing night with friends! As usual, I enjoyed taking some photos and playing around with different simulated film speeds. I really like a few of them, so enjoy the set! View photos: Music at Threadgill's
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| As seen on TV | |
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8.26.2006
9:48 PM | Link |
 I really enjoyed playing this month's Greatest American Heroes gig at the Carousel Lounge! Just like last month, it was practically dead when we got there (the poor opening band played to almost no one!), but by the time we got set up and started the show, the place was getting packed. It's so nice to have fans! There's a nice girl named Emily who has been to almost every single show for years - she was celebrating her third birthday in a row with our band! We had her come up on stage for a drunken duet of Three's Company with Kirk, and she loved it. The rest of the crowd was a blast (plenty of dancing), and real TV enthusiasts, too (one guy even had a "As Seen on TV" T-shirt on for us!). We debuted some new material, too! I'm really happy with our bizarre new medley - A-Team blends into Eight is Enough which blends into Green Acres, a genius combination! We also did our new "Dr. Who Are You?" which is the classic Dr. Who theme with a sudden switch into Who Are You by the Who (which is the theme to CSI). Finally, we did the Flintstones as the third part of our Hanna Barbera 3-pack, which of course starts with our old favorites Scooby Doo and Hong Kong Phooey. It's amazing how playing these songs still remains fun after so many years! View photos: Heroes in August
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| Artistic acheivements | |
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4.13.2006
8:59 PM | Link |
  Two of my pals had some amazing "firsts" this week! Last Saturday, my pal Francis had his first gig of his new solo music project (featuring the songs on his No Less Days CD). They played at Borders, which was a nice environment, since it was easy to enjoy the band, talk with old friends (Conrad was there with his awesome kids), and browse Kanji books at the same time! My pal Chris is in the band also, so it was really nice to see my friends put on a great show!A few days later in Japan, my pal Matt opened his first gallery exhibit of his super-cool photography! The theme of the show is Life on a Japanese Train (read Matt's description of the theme), and he did a fantastic job of covering all kinds of ages and walks of life in these images. I'm so happy that he's taken his photography talent to the next level, and I'm sure it's just the beginning. View photos: Francis' gig View photos: Matt's exhibit
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| SXSW party update | |
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3.12.2006
4:45 PM | Link | OK, forget my crappy cameraphone pics - there are already a jillion photos of the party on Flickr! (Wow, I seriously love Flickr.) There are even some nice shots of the band (yay, us!), so check out my favorite, one with a nice comment, and a decent close-up! |
| Smoke machines and TV themes | |
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1:31 PM | Link |
 Last night the Greatest American Heroes got to play a total rock show event as one of three bands for Frog Design's SXSW Interactive Opening Night Party (thanks to our singer Dana, who works for Frog, though she's taking a new job in DC in a few weeks)! This was a giant party held in an old produce warehouse, and filled up with hundreds of people (not everyone was in front of our stage, of course). They had a great stage setup, with smoke machines, crazy remote control spotlights, and all kinds of graphic projectors putting cool images all over the walls! The sound guy was Damon, a cool guy that I've worked with before, and he's really professional - he had five mics on my kit all setup in just a few minutes, and he cranked us up loud. We only got to play an hour, and I have no idea what the crowd was thinking with the Muppet Show theme started blaring across the room, but it was really cool to play for a huge crowd with all that equipment and rock the house (in our own cheesy way)! Since the SXSW Interactive conference is going to be a majorly blogged event, I've already found some mentions of the party on the web - maybe someone will talk about that cool TV theme song band eventually. I didn't have my camera with me (baka!), but I tried to take a few crappy cameraphone pics to capture some of the moment. View photos: SXSW Interactive gig
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| Bossa boys | |
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3.10.2006
9:41 PM | Link | This week I had a great rehearsal with the Ernesto Marquez Quintet, a new combo focused on Latin jazz. Actually, the group is just a new mix of my usual musical pals - Ernesto & Jonathan on horns, Chris on bass (which is amazing since he's primarily a guitarist), Steve on keys (from Stella), and myself on drums. One of Ernesto's musical colleagues is going to join us every now and then to add a trombone to the mix, which is exciting. We originally got together to play a quick Christmas party last year, but we had so much fun that we've decided to keep rehearsing and see what happens. Since Ernesto is stepping up to organize everything, the band is named for him (and his name sounds the coolest for a Latin jazz band). This week we really had a good time - it's so much fun playing styles that I learned in my early days of drum lessons, but rarely get to play. I even bought a new drum book with more Latin rhythms for me to try, so I'm pretty psyched about it! |
| Say hello to '06 | |
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1.01.2006
6:36 PM | Link |
 Happy new year, everyone! I had a blast last night at my Greatest American Heroes gig - it was one of the best ever! The crowd was a little slow getting there, but as midnight approached the whole place was totally packed and the dance floor was full. My favorite thing about playing music is watching a good crowd, and last night there were plenty of crazy folks to watch. (In fact, the band received it's first "flashing", so I guess we've made it now. Of course, I was hidden behind the horns so I missed the display!) Tons of friends showed up, including our pal Shelly, who is visiting from Portland, and tons of other folks. The countdown to midnight was fun, and then we played Auld Lang Syne and rocked on until about 1:15 or so, and the crowd kept dancing, too. I was totally exhausted this morning, so it was a great day to play Nintendo DS, watch Looney Tunes, and eat Cheerios from the box, just before taking a long nap on the couch. View photos: New Year's Eve
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| Shake your antennae | |
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10.31.2005
6:45 PM | Link |
 Wow, this weekend was really packed full of fun stuff to mention here! I guess we'll start on Thursday when I got a mysterious UPS package. A long time ago I signed up on Pipe Show Online, just because it looked kind of interesting, and because of that, they sent me a box of tobacco samples - about 30 different 1.5 ounce pouches! That's at least worth a couple bucks a piece, so that's a really hefty "free sample"! I'll never smoke it all, but I'll have fun trying out a new kind with each bowl (I smoke my pipe about twice a week in the Fall and Winter, but hardly at all the rest of the year.)Next up is Greatest American Heroes news, starting with our annual Halloween gig at the Carousel Lounge. It was pretty fun this year, especially since we had matching TV-head costumes! They were pretty comfortable as far as costumes go, and we actually kept them on for both sets. It was kind of fun shaking the antennae around - it made me feel like I had long hair or something! On Saturday morning, the Heroes went to Figment Studios to record four tracks for our singer Dana's new solo album. The recording session was one of the best I've ever experienced - the studio was awesome and we really had fun. The engineer really understood how I like my drums to sound, too! I can't wait to hear the CD in a month or so. View photos: TV-headsOn Saturday night there was a baby shower for my pals Kristin & Carlos, since their little girl Sofia is just about ready to get out of Kristin's tummy by any means possible! Just like every party at Chris & Eliza's, it was a really fun time with tons of friends (and lots of other faces!). And yes, one of the gifts was the "sausage-maker" (the thing that turns dirty diapers into little sausage-like links), so now I can say that bizarre device has made an appearance at every single baby shower I've attended. View photos: Sofia's baby shower
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| Time well spent | |
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3.05.2005
7:56 AM | Link |
 The best part of having my old gang back together for a few days was just spending time together doing ordinary things. We spent a day walking around Town Lake, we ate at some of our old favorite spots, and played a little Scotch-enhanced Scrabble (even though I'm always terrible at it, I did OK this time!). We also showed Kumiko around Central Market, apparently an amazing sight for a Japanese tourist! On Matt's last night in Austin, we headed down to South Congress ("Soco" for the hip crowd) for First Thursday, ate yummy burgers, and watched the International Tubadores on the street. The whole visit was a great one - Matt, Kumiko and Dae are lifelong pals! View photos: Pals Around Austin View photos: Soco Pals
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| The mighty Merchants return | |
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12.12.2004
1:45 PM | Link |
 Last night was an incredible trip on the swing time machine! The Merchants of Venus, Austin's definitive swing band of the 90s, played a special reunion show last night at the Carousel Lounge. Back in those days I was busy with The Day Jobs, so I actually only saw the band in their heyday a few times, which made last night a real treat. Ernesto (and keyboardist Rob) learned 30 songs in just a few days to fill in for "missing Merchants" - the horn section was fantastic! George was great, singing his way through the crowd with his wireless mic, Merrideth was solid as a rock, and Wayne was dynamite on the drums (I had a particularly good time watching his technique). The place was packed with dancers and devoted fans, and Stella was there to shake everyone up (especially when she danced on the bar!). It really was a fun show, and made me realize again what a great band they are. I'm looking forward to another reunion when Ian can join them on guitar! View photos: Merchants of Venus Reunion
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| Searching for the Heroes | |
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8.15.2004
9:35 PM | Link |
 Every now and then I like searching for references to my bands on the web, and I found an amazing page with lots of photos from a past Greatest American Heroes gig! The author is Chance McCoy - she's a Texas Rollergirl and has a cool website. She was there when the Heroes played with Jerm Pollet (of Mr. Sinus fame), and even got a great photo of Jerm and me (which I had no idea was taken).
 Visit site
I watched another episode of Justice League Unlimited, and I figured out what bugs me about the music. The guitars sound too much like the Flash Gordon soundtrack by Queen, using those high-pitched harmonies in the melody (like a lot of Queen guitar solos). I think the Flash Gordon soundtrack is cool, but it doesn't fit with the dramatic feel of Justice League Unlimited - the former music (more traditionally orchestrated) was way better in my opinion. |
| A visit from Dae | |
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8.11.2004
8:59 PM | Link |
 Last weekend my pal Dae flew in from Los Angeles for a visit. We had a great time running around town and doing stuff with Ernesto, Chris, Jonathan and the rest of the gang. When he went home on Sunday, I was pretty tired and completely full of food (from two BBQ dinners and IHOP for breakfast), but it was worth it! Here's some of the fun highlights: View photos: Dae's Visit 2004
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| The Day Jobs: Work all day, swing all night | |
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5.16.2004
9:40 AM | Link |
 Most people tend to remember firsts - their first love, their first kiss, their first drink, maybe even their first speeding ticket. Musicians remember firsts, too, and they become memories that are, in time, even better than the actual events themselves. The Day Jobs wasn't my first band, but it was my first "hit" band, and so it will always hold a special place for me as my favorite musical experience. I love to reminisce about good times, so here's the fun I remember.
Soon after I moved to Austin, my pal Tom Fleming introduced me to some new friends - Matt Melton, Ernesto Marquez, and Dae Kim. He knew that they had been playing some old 20s and 30s tunes together, and he knew I was a drummer, so he got us together. I remember the first time we played in Ernesto's bedroom - it was fun for me to play jazz style, and I think the boys liked the way the drums filled out the sound. So, we hit it off pretty quickly! Soon we decided we needed a bass, so we advertised in the Chronicle and had a few responses. One of them was Ann Marie Harrop, who was enthused to be playing stand-up bass, and soon she was in. Suddenly we were a band! We spent lots of evenings rehearsing in Ernesto's bedroom (always stopping for a French press coffee break), and not only did we learn tons of tunes, but we started becoming great friends. Even from the beginning we were adding original songs - Dae and Ernesto were both writing (Dae's Mopac Bounce and Ernesto's Marvin Gardens became some of our most popular tunes!). We learned how to arrange as a group, trying out different intros and endings, seeing what worked and what didn't. We started to develop our style, which I always thought of as "a big band feel with a small combo". Ann Marie, who turned out to be a master booker and manager for the group, got us our first gig at the Manor Road Coffee House. It was a small quirky place with protest posters everywhere, and we played for free pizza (which was excellent), but it was a real gig and we were excited. We told all our friends, and Austin's local swing scene was notified - the Four on the Floor gang showed up to our first gig, so people were dancing! Since we were still a new band, lots of our songs were played at a medium to slow tempo (because that's all we could handle at the time!). However, those tempos turned out to be perfect for Lindy Hop, a style of swing dancing that was all the rage, so the dancers loved it! We were on our way. |
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9:38 AM | Link |
 Soon we started playing Monday nights at the Caucus Club - since Four on the Floor had dance classes that night, it was a good fit to have a swing band play afterwards. Our first show there was such a thrill - we thought we were real stars! We got to see our name on the board in the entryway, we had some comped drinks, and playing on that raised stage was so exciting. Little did we know then that we would end up playing over a year of Monday nights there! The Caucus became our "home", in a way. The bartenders liked us because we were big tippers, and they even invented a drink for us - the "Day Job" was a concoction with scotch (our liquor of choice), and we were proud of it. Those Monday nights were something special, and really helped us develop a following - we had honest to goodness fans!
All of that playing really helped us hone our performance. Ernesto and Dae wrote out excellent crafted solos that I loved to play behind - since I knew what phrases were coming, I could accent and punch in all the right places. I had fun playing with dynamics and "Las Vegas" endings just because I liked to be cheesy, but I also tried to always play jazz style, without the heavy snare on two and four, which I think helped differentiate us from the other swing bands. Ann Marie and I loved to play against each others fills, and we all liked to listen to Matt sing, because he was a whiz with coming up with alternate melodies and lyrics, just like his hero, Mel Torme. I'll never forget that feeling of counting us off and hearing us all come in together - it always felt just right, like putting on a favorite T-shirt. |
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9:37 AM | Link |
 Lots of other gigs started coming our way. We played other clubs in town, several parties and lots of weddings, which were some of my favorite shows, since we had lots of time to goof off and enjoy the food and drink (including some devastating mead at one particular wedding!). We played some big shows at the Union Ballroom on the UT campus - it was a pain to get the sound right, but that huge hall made us feel important. We helped organize a big multi-band Christmas show (where we played a swing version of Frosty the Snowman that was later requested year round), and even played on the Austin Music Network (including a goofy interview), so we have "professional" video of us that I'll cherish forever. The out-of-town gigs came, too - our first was in Houston, and we couldn't believe that we were renting a van, hauling all our stuff to Houston, staying in a hotel for free, and getting paid. We played in Dallas and San Antonio, too, and always played dirty Mad Libs in the van, and had some great Denny's food at 2:00 AM after the shows.
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| The Day Jobs live on | |
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9:27 AM | Link |
 We were also marketing geniuses! We had our logo printed on matchbooks, and we left a few of them everywhere we went. Eventually they were all over town! We wanted to make T-shirts, but we realized that our dancing fans dressed much too nicely to wear them. But, they did use hankies to wipe their brows, so we had hankies make with an embroidered Day Jobs logo. I'm sure we never made a profit selling them, but it was definitely an original merchandising idea! I made lots and lots of flyers for the band, using old stock photography and coming up with goofy things to say - it was always fun showing the band my latest crazy work!Two successful years later, Dae decided to move to Los Angeles. Before he left, we spent some time in the studio to record most of our originals for posterity, and then said good bye to our founding guitarist. Around the same time, Austin's most popular swing band, The Merchants of Venus, decided to break up after five years of playing. The timing was amazing - after the Merchants' last show, Ian Case started rehearsing with us. He learned our material in no time, and the Day Jobs kept playing with almost no break at all. Ian's style was very different from Dae's, giving us a fresh feel and a new, spontaneous sound. He was instantly part of the band, and part of our close friendship as well. Several months later, Matt decided to start a new life in Japan. We debated about finding a new singer, but truthfully, all of us were a little tired from close to three years of playing, and Matt's voice was an integral part of our sound. The swing scene in Austin was also much less prominent - several swing clubs went techno, so we all saw the handwriting on the wall. We said good bye to Matt, and at the same time, said good bye to the Day Jobs as well. All of us are still close friends, and always will be - our band experience brought us together in a special way. Matt has a wonderful life in Japan with his wife Kumiko, and Dae has been a part of several music projects in Los Angeles. Ian began to study classical guitar, and now lives in New York City. Ann Marie went on to become the most serious musician of all of us, and has played more gigs with more bands than I can count (just check out her website!). Ernesto and I still play together in The Greatest American Heroes. I think all of us look back on those Day Jobs days with a special fondness - the rewards have certainly been great. View photos: Gig in the Boonies View photos: Flagship Texas Gig View photos: Finale at the Fed Watch video: Mopac BounceNearly five years later, we're still on the web! |
| The ultimate dinner music | |
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5.15.2004
6:10 PM | Link |
 This week I went out to dinner with my pals Eliza, Kristin, and Ernesto (plus his sister, visiting from Los Angeles). We ate at Asti to see The International Tubadores (otherwise known as my pals Chris, Jonathan and Lisa), and had a fantastic time. The food was great - I had a nice seafood risotto (I was craving seafood!) with shrimp, clams, and mussels, then a pear sorbet (with champagne poured on top!) for dessert. We all loved the band - of course, I've seen them play many, many times at lots of parties, but it's even more fun seeing them perform in public. Going out to eat with friends is such a wonderful thing to do - I need to do it more often! View photosThis weekend I watched some anime for the first time in a long while. Truthfully, I was a little burnt out on Japanese since I was studying so hard, so the last thing I wanted to watch was more Japanese. Now that class is over, it's fun to watch (and listen) all over again! I laughed out loud, drank Kirin Ichiban, enjoyed the cute anime girls, and felt like I was welcoming home an old friend. I'm back on the anime wagon, fellow otaku! My potted magnolia tree has buds all over it, just waiting to look beautiful - I can't wait for them to open! The suspense is killing me! |
| Day Jobs days | |
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1.06.2004
9:22 PM | Link |
 Someday I plan on writing a long essay about my days in the swing revival with The Day Jobs, a story of goofy friends who somehow sounded great and hit the Austin "big time". For now, I can at least prove that we had some loyal fans - I received an email yesterday from someone who hired us to play at his wedding reception (he writes "I've been going through Day Jobs withdrawal ever since"), and he's been scouring the web for Day Jobs info! Of course, he found WEBmikey, so now I'm going to send him a nice CD filled to the brim with Day Jobs tunes. I really wish I had the HTML to the old Day Jobs website - Matt did a nice job with the site, and it may have been the only source for the "Day Job" drink recipe, created just for us at the Caucus Club! (Of course, the Caucus Club is now the appalling Le Privilege - everything changes.)
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| Greatest American Demo | |
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9.25.2002
10:56 PM | Link |
In case you were wondering, the Greatest American Heroes demo recording session was a success! The recording itself was a breeze, and we are super happy with the results. Now we have an awesome demo CD to wow people with!
 Disneyland Countdown: 17 days!
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| New bass player | |
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4.06.2002
11:05 AM | Link |
Wow, what an amazing gig the Greatest American Heroes had last night! This was our first gig with our new bass player, J. Dock, and he totally kicked out the jam. We had a fun crowd and a great time playing - GAH is finally back!
The WEBmikey redesign is coming along nicely! The site is going to be quite a bit more "plain", but I think it will be clean and cool (and oh what a joy to update!). Maybe the first new stuff will go up this weekend (if the weather stays rainy, that is). |
| Ze Round Midnight is no more | |
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1.27.2002
1:47 PM | Link |
At last, some overdue WEBmikey updates: links to new photo albums, lots of Last 5 reviews, and even a silly little slide show movie of my DDR buddies. Enjoy!
In other WEBmikey news, my jazz combo has disbanded. However, I predict many members of Round Midnight will be forming a new jazz project soon, so keep your eyes peeled. On top of that, the Greatest American Heroes are looking for a bass player - if you play bass and love TV show themes and other cheese, please let me know! The first quarter of the year is full of birthdays - on Friday I went to party for my pal Ian, and then last night there was a party for Eliza. And yes, WEBmikey himself will be moving to the next survey age bracket this coming week. I've decided that Mikey-years are about 1 to 4.5 regular person years, which means I'll be turning 8 years old (that feels about right). |
| Day Jobs Reunion | |
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1.22.2002
6:05 PM | Link |
Our huge reunion show at Chris & Eliza's, featuring Matt and Dae and a slew of fans. View photos: Day Jobs Reunion Party
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| Day Jobs Hangin' Out | |
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1.21.2002
6:00 PM | Link |
Rehearsing, eating, maxin' & relaxin' with everyone's favorite former swing band. View photos: Day Jobs Hangin' Out
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| Round Midnight Gigs | |
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1.20.2002
5:59 PM | Link |
Some loyal friends listening to our mellow jazz, featuring Matt and Dae. View photos: Round Midnight Gigs
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| Here come the Heroes! | |
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9.15.2001
5:20 PM | Link |
The Greatest American Heroes have hit the scene - and we were a hit! We simply could not have asked for a better debut gig. We played last night to a completely packed Carousel Lounge, full of all of our friends, plus friends of friends, plus all of the folks who stayed after the previous band finished. We were amazed! The best part is that everyone loved what we're doing (TV show themes and surf) - people recognized all the songs (how couldn't they?) and even danced! (When's the last time you saw a full floor of folks dancing to "Welcome Back Kotter"?) The legendary Stella was there and pumped up the crowd, too (she also made them sing "God Bless America" and the National Anthem, and everyone really enjoyed it - we also donated all of our tips to the Red Cross, and ended up raising over $200). I think part of the great time was because people were so ready to have a great time after the rough week - I even overheard someone say that it was great to hear TV themes because there hasn't been any shows on TV all week. To top it all off, the Carousel asked us to book another gig there right away! Thanks to all who were there, and be sure to see us again soon!
After the great time last night, I'm finally ready to start getting excited about Walt Disney World again. I'll be going there with Chris & Eliza on Thursday for four days of Mickey. Don't worry, you'll see a full report here! |
| Le Petomane | |
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7.21.2001
7:25 PM | Link |
 During June 2001, I was part of the Tongue and Groove Theater production Le Petomane: Anatomy of a Fartiste. This is a musical based on the life of Joseph Pujol, an actual entertainer of turn of the century France who could fart music (try a Google search - you'll find out more than you want to know!). The play is set mostly in the Moulin Rouge, and involves an on-stage band to back up the musical numbers, including several rousing can-cans! I had a fantastic time doing it, as it was entirely different from my other musical experiences. Learning to pick up cues and follow tempos (rather than setting them) was fun, not to mention playing in costume.My good friends Ian and Jonathan wrote some of the music and were instrumental (pun intended) at getting me into the show to play drums in the band. I was able to enjoy the great stuff about performing theater that I remembered from high school, but without having to learn a single line. And who could ask for a better role than to sit back and watch can-can girls kick for seven performances? View photos: Le Petomane Rehearsal View photos: Le Petomane Backstage
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| The Day Jobs: Mopac Bounce | |
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4.10.2001
6:16 PM | Link |
 Now that Matt is in Japan, the fabulous Day Jobs are no longer swinging. Near the apex of our earth-shattering career, we were featured on Austin Music Network and performed four songs. Here is the famous Mopac Bounce, written by Dae Kim. Watch video: The Day Jobs / Mopac Bounce
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| My bands | |
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12.31.2000
10:15 PM | Link | I've been playing drums since 7th grade - first in private lessons and then with the spectacular bands you see here. All of these bands had at least one gig and exactly zero groupies. |
| St. David's Handbell Choir | |
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10:14 PM | Link |
Bell Ringing
Since the bell choir has kicked into gear for Fall 2002, I decided I should add the choir as an official "band". I've been ringing bells for years, both in Tulsa and here in Austin, and I really enjoy it. The music sounds really cool, I love the teamwork involved in playing in such an orchestral environment, plus all the weird notation in bell music is really fun. I generally play C4 and D4 (middle of the bass clef), which are great bells because they have a full sound but don't weigh 50 pounds! The bell choir performs about every six weeks or so downtown at St. David's Episcopal Church. |
| Stella | |
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10:13 PM | Link |
 Jazz & Blues
Stella was basically born out of the breakup of Round Midnight - we all wanted to keep playing, just with a different guitarist. After we finished out our line up, we were rehearsed and playing gigs in no time. I like playing with Stella because I want to keep up my jazz chops, since I was originally taught jazz way back when I was a little tyke taking lessons (thanks, Mom & Dad!). We've managed to play some nice swanky gigs, and the audience seems to enjoy what they hear! |
| Round Midnight | |
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10:12 PM | Link |
Jazz Standards
My pal Jonathan (who is also in The Greatest American Heroes) answered an ad in the Chronicle for a trumpet to play with a jazz combo, and asked me to try it out, too. This combo featured guitar, standup bass, trumpet, and of course, drums. We played some mellow restaurant and party gigs, but just didn't have the right mix of personalities (meaning, the guitarist was a loser). One glorious night, he proclaimed "Ze Round Midnight is no more!" |
| The Greatest American Heroes | |
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10:11 PM | Link |
 Surf TV Themes
In the last few months of 2000, some pals from Works (Chris and Barron) along with some former Day Jobs (myself and Ernesto) got together to try playing some surf tunes. As we started to have fun, we decided it would be even cooler to play old TV theme songs - the first one we learned was The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not), so that became our name. We think everyone wants to hear TV themes and The Greatest American Heroes are ready to deliver! |
| The Day Jobs | |
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10:10 PM | Link |
 Swing
Just when the neo-swing movement was hitting, some new Austin friends and I started a totally fun dance band, and soon were playing up to four times a week. It was incredible - out of town gigs, dancing followers, weddings and clubs (including over 60 Monday nights at the Caucus Club!). Alas, neo-swing is pretty well dead, and our sweet singing Matt just moved to Japan, so The Day Jobs are now enjoying retirement. |
| Empty Pockets | |
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10:09 PM | Link |
Folk
While I was in Stone Bluff, I was also playing some very mellow congas with a folk guitarist and flute. We were the typical Borders band, and played some other coffee houses and outdoor gigs, too. Once again, I sang backup, which was a blast. And just like Stone Bluff, we got a really sweet regular gig offer just as I was leaving. |
| Stone Bluff | |
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10:08 PM | Link |
Jazz
Most of the folks from Light of Day along with a few others under the guidance of consummate jazz man Larry Sheer. I was trained in jazz drumming, but really didn't get to use it until this band. We were pulling off some really funky stuff and shooting to be in a jazz festival downtown, and we got the gig just as I was leaving the band to move to Austin. Had a ton of fun practicing in the boonies and eating the goodies Larry's wife would make for breaktime. |
| Loose Brix | |
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10:07 PM | Link |
Poetry Beat
During the heyday of my beatnik days at Tulsa's Gold Coast, I joined this totally wacky band that backed up the poets (including me) as they read. We had a guy who played guitar through about 12 different effects pedals at once, and we did really weird arrangements of things. It was totally unstructured, which was great for poetry, but I couldn't handle it forever, so I was outta there. |
| CITGO All-Star Rock & Roll Review | |
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10:06 PM | Link |
50s Rock & Roll
A bunch of folks at work, old and young, living out their rock & roll dreams. The main problem here was keeping everyone happy - we usually had to find something for four guitars to do at once. At one point we had 15 musicians, counting vocalists and horns (including Nick). We played many fun dances, all for charity, and even got to be on the news ("Meet Michael Walters - computer whiz by day, rock & roll drummer by night"). |
| FineLine | |
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10:05 PM | Link |
Goofball Pop
Crazy college and high school kids trying to make music - only one of us had any experience making music, and that was a high schooler who was in it for the chicks (never found any). We played U2 and The Cars, plus our own silly compositions (the tapes are priceless - especially the "spooky wind" opening of our masterpiece). Lots of good times, until our rehearsal space was robbed and I lost my beloved Sears drum kit. |
| Gig in the Boonies | |
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5.22.2000
5:58 PM | Link |
The Day Jobs meet Deliverance! Witness a swing band on a trailer, along with the best speaker stands ever built. View photos: Gig in the Boonies
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