Author Archive for Adam

Hey Everybody! Hope all of you who read this are in good health and spirits (hi, Ma). Well, lots going on with me as usual. My Pens are out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as we just couldn’t find a way to beat Halak. Who’d have thunk? It looks as though their storied run is coming to a swift close though. Ah well. I probably have to say I’m rooting for les Habs over Philly.

The summer seems to finally be here! 80s in Minnesota this weekend, so of course we are heading south to where it’s probably going to be in the 90s. Might have to go see a movie. I’m not really a good Minnesotan–whenever there is a hint of nice weather around here, everyone is out running, walking the dog, working in the yard, biking, etc. I can’t blame people–we don’t get that many nice days up here so we have to take advantage. But I don’t, haha. I prefer indoors I guess. I am not a hiker or a boater or a fisherman or a hunter or much of an outdoorsman at all. I like to be outside if it’s nice, but that is a very small window. I’ll take 72. Anything hotter than that and I schvitz…

I’m really looking forward to our Ireland trip in November! No danger of 70s there, haha. We’ve got scads of people signed up to go, and it is really going to be a good time! I am going to be sure to take the video camera along to capture all the fun. A little video blog upload may have to be in order…

Everyone have a good weekend, okay? And if you’re in Kansas City, come say hello!

Later
Adam

I really do love being in a band and playing music for a living; it is the greatest job in the world. Sometimes though, just like any other job, it has its difficulties. Take this story from a few weeks ago– we played at the Dubliner in Omaha, and this guy comes up to both Geno and I and asks if he could get up on stage and play our guitars and sing a song. We both told him no, and he apparently wasn’t too pleased.

First of all in our defense I think it’s important to note that it is frowned on in musical circles to come up to a band unsolicited and ask to borrow a guitar to sing a song. This is our gig not yours, and we are not merely killing time on stage until we can get some yokel in an Affliction T-shirt up to take over. If you are the kind of person to ask the question, then you are the kind of person not good enough to play in front of a crowd. People experienced enough musically know it is a no-no to ask the band to play. I don’t go to your job and ask if I can borrow the computer, right? Kinda rude. Do people go to high school football games or minor league hockey games and say to the coach “hey, I play too! Any chance I can suit up and get in the game?” What are people thinking sometimes? Why is playing in a bar any different? I dunno.

I guess Geno even asked the guy, “hey, what do you do for a living?”, to which he replied “I’m a financial planner”. Geno suggested that it wouldn’t be cool for us to come to his office and ask him if we could do his job, so why should we think it would be cool to ask us to get up and play? This pissed him off I guess, and he later came up to the stage all in a huff and put this note on the monitor: I found the thing pretty hilarious, and I took a picture of it and posted it to our Facebook page forthwith. I hope he read it haha…

So bottom line, go to karaoke or open mic night (with your own instrument) if you want to “get up and play a couple”. Just today our bass player Cody sent me the following email, which I thought was pretty on point! Enjoy.

HOW TO GET IN GOOD WITH YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL BAND

“HOW TO REQUEST A SONG FROM THE BAND”
When requesting a song from the band, just say “play …. my song!” We have chips implanted in our heads with an unlimited database of the favorite tunes of every patron who ever walked into a bar and all* songs ever recorded so feel free to be vague, we love the challenge.

An entertainer’s job is so easy, even a monkey could do it, so don’t let them off the hook easily. Your request is all that matters. Once you’ve figured out what genre of music the band plays, please make your requests from a totally different genre. The more exaggerated the better. If its a blues band playing, yell for some Metallica or Slayer or Pantera. Likewise, if its a death-speed metal band, be sure to request Brown-eyed Girl or some Grateful Dead. Musicians need to constantly broaden their musical horizons, and it’s your job to see that it happens….immediately.

If we say we really don’t remember that tune you want, we’re only kidding. Bands do know every song ever recorded, so keep humming. Hum harder if need be… it helps jog the memory, or just repeat your request over and over again.

If a band tells you they do not know a song you want to hear, they either forgot they know the tune or they are just putting you on. Try singing a few words for the band. Any words will do. It also helps to scream your request from across the room several times per set followed by the phrases, “AW COME ON!” and, “YOU SUCK!” Exaggerated hand gestures expressing disapproval from the dance floor are a big help as well, such as the thumbs down or your middle finger up. Put-downs are the best way to jog a band’s memory. This instantly promotes you to the status of “Personal Friend Of The Band.” You can bet your request will be the next song we play.

Entertainers are notorious fakers and jokesters and never really prepare for their shows. They simply walk on stage with no prior thought to what they will do once they arrive. We don’t actually make set lists or rehearse songs. We mostly just wait for you to yell something out,
then fake it.

”TALKING WITH THE BAND”
The best time to discuss anything with the band in any meaningful way is at the middle of a song when all band members are singing at the same time. Our hearing is so advanced that we can pick out your tiny voice from the megawatt wall of sound blasting all around us. And we can converse with you in sign language while singing the song, so don’t worry that we’re in the middle of the chorus.

Singers have the innate ability to answer questions and sing at the same time. If the singer doesn’t answer your questions immediately, regardless of how stupid the question may seem, it’s because they are purposely ignoring you. If this happens, immediately cop an attitude.
We love this.

Musicians are expert lip readers too. If a musician does not reply to your question or comment during a tune, it’s because they didn’t get a good look at your mouth in order to read your lips. Simply continue to scream your request and be sure to over emphasize the words with your
lips. This helps immensely. Don’t be fooled.

”IMPORTANT”
When an entertainer leans over to hear you better, grab his or her head in both hands and yell directly into their ear, while holding their head securely so they cannot pull away. This will be taken as an invitation to a friendly and playful game of tug of war between their head and your hands. Don’t give up! Hang on until the singer or guitar player submits. Drummers are often safe from this fun game since they usually sit in the back, protected by the guitar players. Keyboard players are protected by their instrument, and only play the game when tricked into coming from behind their keyboards. Though difficult to get them to play, it’s not impossible, so keep trying. They’re especially vulnerable during the break between songs.

”HELPING THE BAND”

If you inform the band that you are a singer, the band will appreciate your help with the next few tunes, or however long you can remain standing on stage. If you’re too drunk to stand unassisted, simply lean on one of the band members or the most expensive piece of equipment you see. Just pretend you’re in a Karaoke bar. Simply feel free to walk up on stage and join in. By the way, the drunker you are, the better you sound, and the louder you should sing. If by chance you fall off the stage, be sure to crawl back up and attempt to sing harmony. Keep in mind that nothing assists the band more than outrageous dancing, fifth and sixth part harmonies, or a tambourine played on one and three and out of tempo. Try the cowbell; they love the challenge. The band always needs the help and will take this as a compliment.

Finally, the microphone and PA system are merely props, they don’t really amplify your voice, so when you grab the mic out of the singers hand be sure to scream into it at the top of your lungs, otherwise no one will hear what a great singer you are. Hearing is over-rated anyhow. The crowd and the sound guy will love you for it.

K, so I was just perusing our local fishwrap’s (Minneapolis Star Tribune) website, and for some reason I was drawn to this article, which apparently tells the tale of “actress” and professional socialite and partier Lindsay Lohan and her lawsuit against those E Trade commercials with the talking babies.

I just had to write about it because frankly I think those ads are hilarious and Lindsay, I hate to tell you this but I never ONCE thought of you when I watched it. The idea that you think you’re like Madonna or Sting is pretty laughable.

But a decent idea. I think I’m dropping the last name and just going by “Adam” from now on…

Wow, what a day yesterday!! I’ve been working hard trying to get new gigs sorted out, get press kits updated, write new songs, blah blah… WCB is a demanding mistress! ;o)

I set off for Des Moines yesterday afternoon to meet Geno and play at AK O’Conner’s. I was by myself and driving our band van, Snowball II (Snowball I died on the way to Fargo a couple of years ago. RIP). Pretty easy drive to Des Moines so I was all set to go. Nice easy trip, play one night and then come home Friday for our weekend gigs at Jake O’Connor’s Friday and Saturday. Yeah, lots of O’Connor’s/O’Conner’s gigs this weekend…

I guess Snowball II had other ideas about the trip. I thought I felt a slight shimmy in the steering, but I convinced myself that it was either my imagination, or there was snow in the tires or something that was throwing it slightly off balance.

Anyway, about 80 miles into the trip, I felt like I had been kicked square in the ass and instantly assumed I had blown out a tire (I’ve been needing to put new tires on the van for awhile now). The thing started fishtailing all over the road, and I was REALLY lucky I wasn’t in a big group of cars or something or things could have been REALLY bad. I managed to get the speed down and steer into the skids so she didn’t roll. This was at 75 MPH so that took kind of awhile. I fought and eventually got over to the right shoulder and got things to a stop. I got out of the van and I really won’t type what I was saying at the time… loudly. I took the pic you see above, which basically shows what happened–there used to be a tire there, among other things.

Got back in the van and pulled out my AAA card. My wonderful parents buy me a AAA membership every year for my birthday which might not seem that cool but I have to say it has saved my ass on more than one occasion. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU parents!!!! They even upgrade it and get the 100 mile free towing package, which really came in handy yesterday.

I didn’t even have time to dial AAA when a car with a Tennessee plate pulled over and a guy got out, wearing a Notre Dame sweatshirt. God bless the Irish. He was a nice man and drove me to the next exit (a mile down the road) where luckily there was a convenience store with a little cafe thing. I called AAA from there and waited for an hour or so. They sent a tow truck, hooked up my van and drove both me and Snowball II home.

I got really lucky and am really thankful that I have great parents and a AAA card. If you drive a lot, I would definitely recommend you sign up for AAA.

Unfortunately we had to cancel the Des Moines gig, but we’ll be back there March 4 so if you’re in the area at all, come say hello and celebrate our return with me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Adam

Hey everybody–

I don’t really know if anyone reads these, but if there is only one of you (hi, mom), I’d better write something!

We’ve been SUPER busy as of late–released a new album, as well as released a track as part of a really cool Christmas compilation CD for charity… been on TV twice live, and taped a third appearance to be broadcast Christmas Eve… been nominated for an Irish Music Association award… not to mention played our normal complement of shows, traveled hundreds of miles and had lots of pints!

So, maybe that’s why I can never get around to blogging… ;o)

This weekend we play three shows at O’Donovan’s and then a show at the Dubliner. Should be cool each night, and I am excited to play as Geno and I have learned some new songs and look forward to giving people something new to hear. Speaking of which I do keep a list of songs we need to learn and songs that have been requested so if anyone does have a tune that they really want to hear, let me know and I’ll see what we can do.

What else is going on? Well, it’s weird to say but my Steelers are less than good right now. Certainly not something we are used to dealing with as Steeler fans–into each life some rain must fall I guess, huh? The important thing is I’m still supporting them and haven’t burned any of my memorabilia in my driveway, as I’ve seen some people around here do when their team doesn’t do as well as they’d have liked… ahem.

Oh! I found the DUMBEST piece of TV (a festering TURD of a show, to be sure) on YouTube recently. Don’t ask how I stumbled on this and forgive me if you’ve heard of this or seen it already, but I just became aware of its existence yesterday. Apparently they did a “Star Wars Holiday Special” back in 1978, and completely crapped on the Star Wars universe (much like the last three films, which I guess were supposed to be the “first” three). Now please understand I am no Star Wars purist and I don’t even really care that much about it, but I did grow up with Star Wars action figures and the Millennium Falcon playset thingy as did most male children of my generation, so to see something from my youth that I’d never even heard of, and to have it be so BAD had a bit of an impact!

The whole show has this very Crofft Superstars low-budget craptacular quality to it and for whatever reason I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s basically a Star Wars variety show (I know, what the fuck, right??), and it’s like watching a car accident–I just can’t turn my eyes away! I think the general rule of thumb when they made this dreck was to take something that should’ve taken 30 seconds to play out and stretch it into 10 minutes.

Here is the first part for your viewing pleasure. My favorite bit is definitely Bea Arthur serenading patrons in the cantina on Tatooine in part 9. Wow. I am speechless…