January 2008The year began with a bang as my band, The Dive Bar Stalkers, released our debut CD Rock The House on Nite Train Digital Records in early January. The ten song disc, in my opinion, is loaded front to back with some good 'ol timeless rock n' roll. It took us nearly a year to record it at Pro Star Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida. You can have a listen for free here, ReverbNation. Or, feel free to drop by the Nite Train Digital website and pick up a copy for yourself.
With the excitement generated from the release of The Dive Bar Stalkers CD, Nite Train Digital also opted to re-release several CD's from my musical past including, Headshock, a Tampa based nu-metal band which also featured fellow Dive Bar Stalker singer/guitarist Jeff Vitolo. That 4 1/2 song EP was originally released in 1994 as a Limited Edition "Mirror" cassette and is now in widespread CD release through the label.
And also on the Nite Train Digital re-release table for 2008? How could PIG PEN be neglected? For those of you that really know me well, its no doubt that you know its been my musical vessel for the last thirteen years. The year brought the re-issue of the first two classic PIG PEN CD's. The 1996 debut Bleedin' Drinkin' & Stinkin and the 2000 follow-up Short Bus Sing-A-Longs.
You'd think that would have been enough to keep me going, but as they say on the late night TV infomercials..."But wait, theres more". Live performances have long dominated my days, months and years. For the last two years I've averaged about one performance per week, and 2008 was no exception. All that has been possible without any major tours or road trips, but more likely that I have balanced my time with not one, but two active bands. I started the year off at Tampa's notorious Pegasus Lounge with PIG PEN on Jan.11, followed by another PIG PEN show on Jan. 24 at the legendary Skate Park of Tampa . The first Dive Bar Stalkers show of '08 was two days later at Clearwater, Florida's Harborview Center for the 2008 Full Throttle Magazine Motorcycle Expo and Florida Bike Builders Invitational.
February 2008
Along with the ground hog, February brought the return of my podcasting buddies Ick McWang and Blip Magillis. For years, my friend Shaun Kart (Ick) and I parlayed our taste of punk rock through Tampa's infamous pirate radio station, The Party Pirate 102.1 FM. Due to the fact that it is illegal to broadcast without an FCC license, the station was eventually raided by authorities and promptly closed down for good. Still feeling the urge to talk shit many years later, a podcast was born. Although we had tried haphazardly about a year and a half earlier to make it happen, the program was originally branded Loud, Fast and Shitty Podcast Show on February 25th and released to MySpace only.
PIG PEN played yet another gig at The Pegasus on Feb. 9th and The Dive Bar Stalkers played in New Port Richey, Florida on Feb. 22 at Club Bourbon Street.
March 2008
And so begins a supposedly busy month of live shows for both bands, starting March 7th with the seemingly monthly PIG PEN performance at The Pegasus Lounge in Tampa and then closely followed up with a Dive Bar Stalkers show the following weekend at the infamous Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa, Florida.
PIG PEN's dates were cut out of the mix in midstream due to losing a drummer. Go figure. Jonny Jones, who had recently been added to the line-up, broke his hand in a skateboarding accident forcing the cancellation of two upcoming shows in Sarasota, including one with Whole Wheat Bread. The Dive Bar Stalkers however kept chugging along with a beer soaked St. Patrick's day tent event at Slim and Chubbies in Holiday, Florida.
April 2008
As things started to slow down in April due to an ongoing search for a replacement drummer for PIG PEN, The Dive Bar Stalkers made the trek across the Skyway Bridge to Bradenton, Florida for a one night only show at Ace's Lounge on April 11th.
On April 13th, The Dive Bar Stalkers donated their time for a benefit concert at Fast Eddie's Bar in St. Petersburg, FL for Piper Lyn Harris, a newborn baby that was in dire need of a new liver to survive. Piper was diagnosed with complete liver failure and an unspecified viral infection (later determined Herpes Simplex 1) that made her lose precious clotting factors in her blood. It was said that one little poke could have caused her to bleed to death. On April 21, 2008 Piper successfully received her liver transplant and as of today is not technically out of the woods, but is surviving and living as normal of a life as she can in Danville, Illinois.
May 2008
May marked me turning 39 on Cinco de Mayo. It's funny how your age creeps up on you, or at least makes you fully aware you're not a kid anymore as you approach 40. I had alway heard the adults in my life growing up the same story, but I never figured that it would happen to me. Again, the same story. Ironic, huh? I came to the realization that I am OK with the aging process. I know a lot of people who are my age, and I have to say that I am probably one of the coolest and hippest dudes out there in that age bracket. Of course by using those adjectives to describe me, I am knowingly dating myself.
I celebrated my birthday with my girlfriend Megan and the boys in The Dive Bar Stalkers by taking a worthwhile roadtrip down to Lake Worth, Florida for a showcase performance at the Bamboo Blues Room. I have not been to as many of the clubs in South Florida, but the Bamboo Room had to be one of the nicest clubs that I have ever set foot in. Lots of rock n' roll memorabilia from the decades garnished the walls of their cozy, yet spacious interior. Unfortunately for regular patrons of that club, the club closed its doors (at least temporarily) as the world struggled with the economy and rising gas prices.
On May 17, The Dive Bar Stalkers played the Armed Forces Festival in Tampa. A huge outdoor event that was held in the parking lot of the Wild Wing Cafe and sponsored by Brighthouse Networks and Full Throttle Magazine. Several hundred bikes and a few thousand people showed up in support of the United States troops who are still deployed overseas and in Iraq.
May 23rd took the band back to New Port Richey, Florida for another show at Club Bourbon Street.
Every year in St. Petersburg, there is the Taste of Pinellas Festival put on by All Children's Hospital in the city's beautiful waterfront Vinoy Park. This year featured The Dive Bar Stalkers on the main stage opening up for Jonny Lang. This was an awesome show for all of us, but me especially since it was a rare occourance for my three year old daughter ReElle to see what it is that takes up so much of her Daddy's time. She was really into it! Total attendance for this gig was estimated around 11,000 people, but since it is free admission it would be hard to get an actual count as there are no ticket counts.
Also in May brought the addition of new PIG PEN drummer Rob Rampy. Rob's previous resume boasted 15 years is the drummer for the legendary Dirty Rotten Imbiciles. With him now in pocket, things were seemingly full speed ahead for the band.
Meanwhile, the Podcasts keep churning out through Loud, Fast and Shitty Podcast Show as we collect an archive of episodes.
June 2008
With the rising cost of gas, I decided that it was time to start thinking green. So, what did I do? What I thought everyone should do. I sold my gas guzzling super-huge Dodge pick-up truck and bought a fun and easy to ride scooter. What was I thinking? Here is a piece of advice. Don't buy anything made in China. Ever! I bought a scooter from the same company that manufactures toasters for Wal-Mart. After a week or so of mechanical problems, I had enough confidence on two wheels to upgrade to a Suzuki GSX600 motorcycle. Now thats a lot of fun. Nothing beat filling up your gas tank for $12 while gas prices were somewhere around $4.65 a gallon.
The Dive Bar Stalkers played a couple more gigs at the open-air Skippers Smokehouse on June 6th and at the local to me outpost, Slim and Shubbies on June 14th.
July 2008
On July 11th, The Dive Bar Stalkers travelled down to Sarasota, Florida for the grand opening of Steel Can Alley, a bar owned and operated by my good friend Ron Miller, who used to play in Headshock with me as well. Its a quaint little room with a great punk rock jukebox and excellent beer.
The following night saw the return of PIG PEN with new drummer Rob Rampy in tow. It also marked yet another time when I realized that I was supposed to be a grown-up. While leaving the club around 2:30 am, we pulled into traffic next to a motorcyclist. With my recent continuous problems with my scooter, I decided it would be a great idea to stick my fully exposed ass out the open window at him to show my disdain for anyone currently riding on two wheels. Turns out that was not a great idea as the very nearby local Sheriff witnessed the whole episode. The ironic thing was that the motorcyclist, who was right beside the van, didn't see a thing. Obviously, the inevitable happened and we were pulled over immediately. After running everybodys name to the state criminal data base and coming to the conclusion that Morgan, the driver, was not too impaired to drive he let us go. The best part was the deputy trying to keep a straight face when he informed me that I was 39 years old! He made it a point to stress my age. We laughed all the way back home while new drummer Rob told me how unprofessional I was.
The following weekend took The Dive Bar Stalkers back down south across the Skyway Bridge to The Distillery in Bradenton, Florida for a fund raising event for the Bradentucky Bombers roller derby team with one of our favorite bands, The Downshifters.
The following night on July 19th, PIG PEN was back at it again doing a rare two show, two venue performance. It started with an ALL AGES matinee/twilight performance alongside Rob's old band The Ruins at Sound Idea in Brandon, Florida and then we switched gears for a heavy night of drinking and beer bongs at The Market on 7th in Ybor City, Florida. The last show was a last minute addition to the schedule. We just happened to be available and all together when the call came in that we were needed.
The month finished off with with an exclusive performance of "An evening with The Dive Bar Stalkers". We performed our entire set live on a sound stage at Pro Star Recording Studio where we originally recorded the Rock The House CD. It was probably the most diverse crowd age wise as a young five or so year-old-boy joined The Dive Bar Stalkers for a blazing harmonica solo on stage with the band. There are videos on YouTube that are quite entertaining if you do a search there by typing in "The Dive Bar Stalkers".
August 2008
Adding one more item to the "Things I've Never Done" file is The Dive Bar Stalkers played at the iconic Tampa, Florida strip club 2001 Odyssey. Together in conjunction with Night Moves Magazine, the club was celebrating 40 years in business while the magazine was celebrating their 20th year in existence. We were there to mark the occasion ourself. It was, well, different being the performer where I myself had spent my very own bachelor party at.
Once again PIG PEN graced the stage at the local Pegasus Lounge on August 9th where once again, we got drunk and did dumb things. None of which I can remember right now.
The Dive Bar Stalkers began their long awaited trek back into St. Petersburg on August 15th. Well, at least in a club environment that is. Hands down, when we play at the Ringside Cafe, I feel like we are truely living up to our band moniker.
The following night August 16th, PIG PEN saddled up and made the trip directly across the state to Vero Beach, Florida and played our new favorite place to play outside of our hometown, Filthy McNasty's Pubbery. We played to a standing room only crowd of energetic kids, was paid well and didn't spend a dime on our own drinks. That, my friends, is what its all about.
The Dive Bar Stalkers finished up the month with another trip down to Bradenton to play Ace's Lounge on August 29th.
In another unfortunate turn of events, PIG PEN had to cancel a performance in Jacksonville, FL at Doozer's Pub. Once again the drummer position was left vacant. We'll leave it at that as it was an amicable split between both parties.
September 2008
A trail of cancelled dates followed PIG PEN as we were unable to play them without a drummer. After all, it is punk rock, and it wouldn't go off very well in an "unplugged" environment. Cancelled cities include Sarasota, Tampa and an opening slot for ex-Misfits vocalist Michale Graves in New Port Richey.
But, still running on all cylinders, The Dive Bar Stalkers played their first ever show at The Crowbar in historic Ybor City, Florida on September 5th and again at The Ringside Cafe in St. Petersburg, Florida on September 12th.
October 2008
An exciting month of high profile events for The Dive Bar Stalkers included a stop once again in South Florida at beautiful Delray Beach on October 3rd to play City Limits Concert Hall. While there, we played with a pretty cool band called Two Story Double Wide.
Adding to the lists of firsts, I played at my first ever "honkey tonk", The Dallas Bull in Tampa, Florida. This time around we played at the Nightmoves Magazine annual Adult Entertainment Industry Awards. AKA, "The Porn Awards". Hightlights from the show, other than being surrounded by dozens of household name porn starlets, was jamming on stage with porn icon Ron Jeremy, who blew the first thing ever in his life...a harmonica!
Rounding off the month, The Dive Bar Stalkers played at the Cotee River Motorcycle Festival held in New Port Richey, Florida. Again, a very large crowd in an outdoor setting with plenty of free beer (if you could stand the lines).
November 2008
The Dive Bar Stalkers christened the new Gasoline Alley in Largo, Florida for the first time on November 7th.
Again, The Dive Bar Stalkers play in another big room, but this time to hardly a crowd. We played Boomerz Concert Hall in Seminole, Florida. The club was beautiful...huge and majestic...but the attached bar next door boasted a free cover charge and thats where the occupants of the majority of the parked cars in the lot were for the evening. Too bad for them as they missed a helluva show with us and The Vodkanauts.
The twelveth anniversary party of Full Throttle Magazine was celebrated November 23rd with The Dive Bar Stalkers in Oldsmar, Florida at the Cop Shop. Police, who were aplenty but unrelated to the management, estimated the overflow crowd on the plus side of 4000 people. Hillsborough Avenue, which is the main drag right in front of the club was closed down to traffic to allow ample time for the amount of motorcycle enthusiasts converging on the establishment. Good times!
My Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful as I made the rounds from one in-laws house to another. Nobody contracted food poisoning this year and that is always a plus.
PIG PEN, after a long search, finally settled on a new drummer that will hopfully stick around for longer than a month or two. In comes Reggie The Josh, yep thats what we call him. Although young when standing next to me, he has come a long way in his musical career, and is probably the hardest hitting drummer in recent PIG PEN history. As I write this here message, we are negotiating many dates that will carry PIG PEN through the beginning of 2009.
December 2008
The Dive Bar Stalkers returned to Slim and Chubbies in Holiday, Florida on December 5th for yet another return engagement to the venue that is closest to my house.
The Dive Bar Stalkers finished out their year of live shows on December 12th in Sarasota at Steel Can Alley.
The Dive Bar Stalkers began tracking the follow up to Rock The House, in December 2008, again at Pro Star Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida. As of now, we have six brand new songs that are in the works. Although no official release date has been mentioned, it will almost assuredly be sometime in 2009. Pay attention to www.thedivebarstalkers.com for future sneaks and leaks.
PIG PEN played their final show of the year on December 27th with new drummer, Reggie the Josh, at the throne. Again another fantastic show at Filthy McNasty's in Vero Beach, FL
The Loud, Fast and Shitty Podcast Show have released all of their previous episodes to worldwide syndication through the following trendsetting sites.
With many more affiliates coming soon, including iTunes
If you took the time to read this entire blog, then I definately hope to see you sometime soon in 2009. Happy New Year and good luck with all that you do.
No comments:
Post a Comment