In The Darkest Depths of Morning….
Feb 24, 2010 Uncategorized
Conspiracy Theory…
Tonight I’ve seen the night as the Ancients once did
For pure is the light when you look from within
It reads like a book that tells nothing but Truth
But alas I feel the ending’s too soon
I fear we have failed to hear the stars cry
Despite the warnings of watchers who’ve died
Clear is the message that falls from the sky
The time of Ophiuchus so soon will arise
See eons ago the Nagas appeared
And spoke of the dangers of smoke and of mirrors
They taught us to reason to pray and to love
And promised the answers lay waiting above
So for thousands of years we kept in our souls
The words of the prophets from stories of old
We prayed for the heavens to show us the way
And basked in the glory of Jupiter’s rays
We worked in the fields and slept with the Moon
Content with our lives alone in our tombs
We drank from the Chalice and ate from the land
Embracing our fate knowing Death was at hand
Yet black is the heart of Hades and power
Both began growing like ego and flowers
And soon the words of a man had replaced
The offerings of Gods who lived up in space
So down came the rains and up rose the waves
They washed away pestilence hatred and rage
And when they receded the few who survived
Remembered to look again to the skies
Again and again this cycle repeated
Ninmah stood proud she was never defeated
But at last she grew weary and laid down to rest
For she saw in her dreams what she knew would come next
From the words of the Sioux she heard in her mind
She knew it was ending she knew it was time
And as Nibiru appeared she smiled at her friend
And said do what you must I don’t fear the end
Twas this tale from Annunaki which gave me my peace
Prepared is my essence when the light shall soon cease
Tonite I saw the night as the ancients once did
How I wish I had seen it when I was a kid
Confessions of a Road Band VOL. V
Jan 20, 2010 Uncategorized
I can’t sleep…
There’s a ton of shit that’s been clouding my mind lately and so I’m sitting awake thinking about how it all relates to me…cause lets be honest that’s what Insomnia is right? Anxiety created by the brain when your conscience is all fucked up? You ever met a nun who can’t sleep? Anyhow I’m uninsured and so I can’t go whine to my doctor that I have blood on my hands and could you please numb my brain so I guess I’ll just talk it out…
This has to be the period in time musically equivalent to the super produced teeny bopper bullshit the late fifties was churning out right? The time directly before the Beatles and Stones and Elvis flipped the world on its head?? I saw a commercial at the movies today…brilliant by the way…you’re literally FORCED to stare at the ad as you have no where else to look…for a BAND. REALLY?? It was for some 21 year old chick and her group of rocker dudes backing her…every single dude in pop rock looks exactly the same right now by the way….if you don’t know the look I’m talking about stop reading and turn on MTV then vomit and return to the computer…and so in the ad the little pup tells us about how she comes up with lyrics while “Tommy” her guitar player comes up with the structure and then “we all kinda put our own spin on it” and BOOM! They’re on MTV and top 40 radio!!! WOW! Tommy just sat down and whipped up a pop anthem that every brain dead idiot in the country is now chanting!? And it happens to have the exact song structure as every other tune on the radio? Same instrumentation? Tommy sure is young to be arranging stacked harmonies for keyboards and backing vocals!! Wait a minute…maybe…just MAYBE these bands that are destroying the musical fabric of the universe are being handed these songs EXACTLY like the groups that were assaulting our parents ears in the 50’s?? Could these tunes be coming from some 55 year old guy in Memphis and Nashville whose written a hundred previous pop tunes for country stars and corporate America?? The next time you’re in the car listening to the radio stop singing the awful canned lyrics and listen to the actual music. Country. Pop. Metal. Rock (gag). Every song could work on any album released today at Best Buy. Change the vocalist and instrumentation and Miley becomes Mudvayne and Taylor Swift becomes an Artic Monkey.
So send an email to someone at a record label and explain to them they have destroyed the very industry they’ve created. These labels were created by great visionary men who WORSHIPPED good live music and hit the streets like fresh hookers to find the next great band. I wonder what Ahmet Ertegun and Mo Ostin would say about all these bands right now? Now days a business model has been applied to the industry and suddenly rather than find someone doing something special the industry just spits out Avatars (killer flick) of previous success stories hoping for a percentage of the profits. I say fire one lawyer haggling over publishing percentages and pay three guys to hang out in clubs all over the country looking for killer live bands. Give them a little cheddar to set up a web of informants and have people in the clubs call them if they ever see a band’s LIVE SHOW that’s worth a damn. DO NOT hire the sound guys for intel by the way…I’m convinced too many years of attempting to mix awful live music has rotted their brains. They’re the most bitter people in the music business. Anyhow grassroots searching for bands is the only way to find the talent that’s going to carry the industry into the next phase. U2 and Bruce can’t tour forever and sooner or later people are gonna figure out that weird fucked up sound you hear on every pop, country, rock and hip hop vocal is an auto tuner digitally adjusting the pitch of the chump on the mic…and speaking of chumps on the mic did I mention you should tell em to GET THEIR ASSES TO THE DOUBLE DOOR Feb. 5th?? We plan on putting on a display that’ll turn a few heads…Somebody has to keep trying to turn shit around right?? Anyhow that’s where I’m seeing things in the music industry right now…and it’s freakin me out…
In other news we ran out of fucking gas on the interstate last weekend. Swear to god. Five guys DEAD SOBER rolling down the highway with a loaded trailer in 5 degree weather failed to take into account gas would become an issue. In addition, once Kong and E headed out into the cold in search of a gas station….E was the driver and Kong has the most power…we realized we couldn’t run the lights or heat for risk of killing the battery. So we got Semi’s FLYING by at 70 in the right lane as we’re sitting in a FREEZING cold van…frost on the INSIDE of the windows…as we shiver and cringe hoping the trucker coming over the ridge is guzzling five hour energy and not dozing at the wheel and doesn’t drift to his right four feet where our dark trailer sits loaded to the gills with our lives…
And then the cops show up.
“Hey Guys” he says as the three of us…all in the back rows shivering uncontrollably…look at him like deer in the headlights…
:”Hello.”
“What’s going on?”
“We ran out of gas.”
“Really? How? Didn’t you see the gauge?”
“Well uh…see…”
“Those two big guys walking down the highway a ways up with you?”
“Uh yeah…”
“Okay. I’ll go get em and drive em up to the exit to the gas station. You know the exit is only half a mile from here right?”
“Uh Yeah…”
“What are you guys pullin?”
“Musical equipment. We’re in a band see and we…”
“Yeah yeah…stay here…I’ll be back…”
“Uh okay…”
“You guys been drinkin?”
WELL WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK?? YOU THINK WE’RE GONNA SIT IN THE FREEZING COLD AND NOT DRINK!!??
“Uh no sir.”
“Any smoke?”
WELL WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK?? YOU THINK WE’RE GONNA SIT IN THE FREEZING COLD AND NOT SMOKE!!??
“Uh no sir.”
“Yeah yeah…alright stay here…”
So the cop picks the guys up and turns out to be pretty cool. Turns out he was in New Orleans the weekend before and got hammered on Hurricanes with a few of his buddies and ended up coming to in his room wearing nothing but his socks and gun….gotta love it. Anyhow he berates E on how stupid we are for NOT being drunk and running out of gas but eventually brings him back and with two baby gas cans and we manage to get enough in the tank to turn her over and get her to the station…of course without Kong as he chose to stay in the town and grind at McDonalds while we froze to death in peril on the highway….
Sooooooo…um….I love the smell of gasoline.
Not sure why. My earliest memories of gas stations revolved around jamming out in the back seat to “Electric Avenue” with my sister while my mom enjoyed a grit while pumping gas into the old Buick (hey it was the 80’s) but I guess once I figured out the wavy haze in the air outside was that sweet smell in my nostrils I was hooked. Every time I pump gas and I’m alone I get the pump all set up and once it kicks into gear I’ll look around and if no ones looking, or I’ve been BCDing…Buzzed City Driving…I get my nose down real close and take a giant rip off the tank like it’s a Georgia Pine. Is this huffing? Am I a Huffer? Do you capitalize Huffing?? Anyhow I say no. I only take one pull and it doesn’t really do anything…I don’t think…so I say it’s just a quirk. Like huffing a can of tennis balls the second you crack it open. God I love that….
Anyhow now we’re in the van on the way to the station and I’m in the third row of seats and so they hand me the gas tanks to hold til we get to the station and I say, “Yeah sure I’ll hold em…pass em back..no problem…” and about half way into this three minute trip to the station everyone comes to the conclusion that: A. We shouldn’t have the gas tanks inside the vehicle and B. I shouldn’t have my head entirely in the gas tank. Needless to say an argument ensues and upon reaching the station Pat climbs into the back and stands over me yelling into the side of the tank, “Hey Idiot!!” Get your head out of the tank and gimme those fuckin things!!”
“Huh!?”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Who me??”
“Oh hell. How the hell are you gonna remember the words to 30 songs all huffed out on gas?”
“They’re engrained into my soul. That’s how”
“Christ…you know what?? Take this 5 hour energy and pull your head out of your ass. We gotta start in an hour…”
OH GOD NO….
Anyhow…I think we’re gonna give all the money we make at the Double Door in Feb. to a charity that’ll get it someone who’ll send it to Haiti. Awfully sad what’s goin on down there. I haven’t discussed this with everyone in the band or on the bill yet but what are they gonna say…
“Hey man what are your thoughts on donating the proceeds from the show to Charity for the people of Haiti?”
“Fuck that man…how we gonna pay this bar bill??”
Uh…after writing that exchange out I fear this may be more difficult that I suspected…
Anyhow come out and hang and bring your friends and then get wasted because when you wake up in the morning hung over you can avoid the Insomnia bug by rationalizing to yourself you were participating in a humanitarian effort….that’s what I’m telling myself anyways…
I’ve made the same New Years resolution 4 years in a row now, and it’s never last more than three days. I’ve got to dumb it down. My New Years resolution this year is to get drunk on New Years Day…there’s no way I fuck that one up.
I’ve really cut back on beer lately…been drinking red wine instead. I figure I’m a bit of a romantic so it makes sense. Problem is I’m mixing it with Pepsi. Whatever.
We booked a show later this month at a Bowling Alley. High profile gig. Evidently the stage is set up along side the lanes so that the view from the stage will be nothing but streaking bowling balls and people dancing precariously along the foul line. I hope it doesn’t distract me and I can stay focused…at least until the rock n bowl laser light show kicks in…I should be fine once that gets goin…
I’m tired now. Who needs pills for sleep??
Disregard that last statement. I’ll take anything you’ve got.
Hope everybody’s holidays were cool, we just kinda laid low and geared up for the year of the Sugar…which in case you haven’t been reading…has already begun…
See you at the Double Door Feb. 5th 10pm!!! Get there early and catch the whole bill tho…it just HAPPENS to be a good one!!
I was serious earlier by the way…I know…know….good live music is amongst the last untarnished types of performance art left…so come out and dig on it…
Much Love-
GS-
PS: “I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.”
Frank Sinatra-
A Quickie…update that is…
Dec 3, 2009 Uncategorized
Hiya Gang-
Just a couple of things to keep you posted on things:
DO NOT DRIVE TO GREENBAY FOR THE DEC. 11th SHOW!! Due to circumstances beyond our control…Grrrr…the show on the 11th is being rescheduled for January…so if you were strapping chains to your wheels in preparation for the run north just hold your horses…lets wait until January when it gets REALLY nasty! Also Tix are still available for our show at The Congress Theater on Dec. 12th where we’ll be jamming with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at The Chicago Blues and Bluegrass festival!! Buy em from us and save a little cash from the ticket master monster…Finally catch us this weekend at R House of Brews in Crowne Point IN, from 9pm til close jammin for the King Kong faithful…should be a party!!
And if you’re not a fan of us on Facebook then we’re devastated…PLEASE BE OUR FAN!?
Much Love-
Also, click here to check out this review of our 2 year old demo!!?? Hey any press is good press…
Headed for Kongville!!
Dec 3, 2009 Uncategorized
The guys leave Saturday morning for Crowne Point IN, where they’ll be jammin all nite at R’ House of Brews! Crowne Point is the nesting grounds for bassist Jason “King Kong” Rollins and will be a reunion show as it’ll be his first GreenSugar show in his home town!! The place is expected to be packed so get there early and plan to stay late…word around the campfire is that the guys will be road testing some of the new material they plan to debut in Chicago the following week at the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival at The Congress Theater…
Shows start a little after 9pm…12-05-09You’ve been warned…
Fearless Radio Interview w/ GreenSugar now available.
Nov 19, 2009 Uncategorized
Check out the podcast!!
Reggies W/ BLOTTO!!!
Oct 28, 2009 Uncategorized
Join the guys down in the South Loop as they open up for Mr. Blotto at their weekly Tuesday jam session…
