Home for the Holidays - Have a Warm Room!

Thanx to those of you who came to our Christmas show at Bar on A on Thursday. We think it was our nicest show ever, and hey, for once we werent even loud. Quite louder than the ever so subtle Pete Fitzpatrick who can play Techno music on a banjo and Rod Stewart in seven seconds. Moss Empire are our new MySpace Friends. And now Im off to Switzerland...yippie...and Portugal with Frank the author and the T. again!

Not So New Model Army at North 6

Wednesday after Midnite might not be the best time to play a live show in Williamsburg, the kids gotta get to their lattes in the morning, but does Justin Sullivan care if there are 20 or 200? With his current line-up he looks again like a british pop star from the eighties, but the furor of early NMA gigs is gone. Sullivan, an accomplished guitarero, leaves most of the guitar duties to a grim looking hardrocker and his keyboard hippie, who looked extemly tired and had to steady himself with one hand on the rim of the keyboard through most of the gig. Nothing against such types in the studio, they are usually pretty good producers, but on the stage, especially next to the eye rolling growling Sullivan, you gotta get the moves on. The set wasn't very impressive, almost nothing from Thunder and Consolation or No Rest, but a lot of the doom stuff, for example "Here comes the War," and that's kinda scary to sing along these days in America.

Shaw'Nuff Even Better Than the Real Thing

I was never a big fan of Arthur Lee and Love, but maybe I missed something...Shaw'Nuff certainly wet my appetite with their furious and passionate show at Magnetic Fields last Friday. The band sounds just amazing and makes these songs come really alive. If someone still needs proof that rockmusic is not just for teenagers, go see Shaw'Nuff, led by the fantastic Mike Fornatale, who recently toured Europe with the Monks, the ultimate 60s Garage/Psychedelic/Beat that released one album, then lived in obscurity for fourty years, till Mark E. Smith of the Fall proclaimed them to be one of his main influences... Mike helped them Monks out on Keyboards and Vocals, but that guy can play anything, in case you need a band/producer/musical director. And he never looked younger than pictured here, next to M.E.S.!

A German Goes His Way in America

This is definite proof that Germans can be very funny. It is originally from German TV NDR and maybe the funniest polit spoof i've ever seen on the internet! Chrischn the Banjo Bongers sent it to me. Stop the Garageband Podcast Player below right before you play the vid. Enjoy!