it’s been quite the journey.

back cover photo of Potsie

 i haven’t blogged in a couple of months cause thats how long my life was basicly on pause while i went through a few surgeries. so instead of the album coming out on Black Friday it’s coming out on a Friday near the end of Jan. 2012, mere days away. the Potsie record- 9 finely crafted songs and one suprise improv jam after the record. mixed and recorded by Rich Ott at John Blanche Studio right outside Orlando, near the old Jam Magazines headquarters (if you know that ref. you’re a peer of mine) brilliant production, i just could not be more pleased.

  and then there’s the beautiful artwork, the photos that we took with Miriam Lorenzi were inspired and they look and make us look stunning.                the front cover art is a painting by Neil Farber and Michael Dumontier who were both, along with Marcel Dzama , founding members of the Royal Art Lodge . i’ve been a huge fan of all those guys since i found out about them in 2005. when i started collecting art theirs was one of the first peices i really bought and i cherish each and every one of them and value them as the cream of the crop of my collection.  gee can you tell i’m excited.

 so anyways, in a week or so theres gonna be a few differant ways for everyone to purchase our real first c.d….and of course available in a few digital formats as well. gotta put my lot in Park Ave and Rock and Roll Heavan and East West i hope too. i guess thats all i know that are still around. and maybe a bar near you for few drinks and c.d.s at happy hour. i’ll tell when and where if it happens. till next week, SRG

 ps- i’ve been listening to the rockin live set from last years Antimisaris, Potsie set recorded 2-19-11, real good sound and killer playing. here’s a link to it- Potsie 2011 Antimesaris set.

The Royal Art Lodge

 the 4 images above are paintings by The Royal Art Lodge- the Royal Art Lodge (R.A.L.) was formed in 1996 by college students in Winnipeg as a weekly group where they would collaborate on low-fi, D.I.Y. art including everything from paintings to dolls and music perfomances. at times swelling to six members ,the core members have always been Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber and Michael Dumontier. since disbanding in 2008, these 3 have  had steady solo art careers as well as Neil and Michael working together still somewhat in the style of the R.A.L. but with an even more pointed cerebral wit.

  on a personal note, the R.A.L. and esp Neil Farber and Marcel Dzama are favorites of mine and are definatly the highlights of my own art collection both as the Royal Art Lodge and a few solo paintings as well. i do have some photos of my personal peices in the “art i collect” photo album on my page.

  …and what, you may ask, does this art have to do with your music? well since 2005, when i got my first Royal Art Lodge painting, i’d always wanted to marry my 2 interests into one and i finally have acheived my goal- i can’t unveil the image until the record comes out on Black Friday but i can tell you- the front cover album art on the Potsie record is painted by Neil Farber and Michael Dumontier and it is amazing.

  Erin and I could not be more proud of this record and we are so excited to be able to share it with you guys soon. it definatly looks as good as it sounds,  the beautiful photography of Miriam Lorenzi and the cover art of Neil Farber and Michael Dumontier on the outside. inside lurks the songs of Potsie as recorded by Rich “Mixer” Ott.  the accumulated talent those names represent should attest to what we all have to look foward to with the release of this Potsie record . Will’s – Nov 25th, Black Friday. see you then SRG

  a blog of Neil and Michael’s art- http://personalmessageblog.blogspot.com/

what a day

what a day….. this day carries weight to many people for dif reasons. some people will say today’s tragedy happened 10 years ago, for some the worst just happened 2 days ago.  unfortunatly some people haven’t even felt their worst tragedies yet. life is full of these extremes- up, down ,then get ready to do it all again and again and again. enjoy those ups and downs cause i guess thats called livin.  i heard a friend say that she doesn’t understand why it takes death to appreciate life.  isn’t that always the way, i guess you never know what you have till its gone(which in this case is a bit too late). sometimes we can lose perspective as to what really is important and thats why we need days like this to remind us how precious life really is. 

  where does a band fit into this heaviness?  i mean a band is really just a group of friends who “band together” for a common goal of making music together. it’s what we choose to do with our time and energy while on this earth that matters- at the end of the day the band matters less than the music, it is the music that brings us all together anyways . a band is just another of the many relationships we tend to have in life and for me has always been the hardest part of having a band- the people.  again this is an important time for me to keep my eyes on what really matters and thats the music. luckily i’m more in love with the music now than ever …. maybe i’m just a little more aware of the expiration date than some others

  Potsie is alive and well- the album is done  recorded and heading towards duplication so each of you can get your own copy on Black Friday- Nov 25th- the day after Thanksgiving. we hope all our favorite people will come and help us celebrate all the hard work we as a band have put into this record- it has been a hell of a year and it is one hell of a record too!  i can say as the songwriter that some great memories have gone into those songs…. some of the songs perhaps a little more bittersweet. the song “Jeremy” stands out in my mind- “Jeremy you wanna sneak out tonight?” – and of course he sticks out in my mind , he was one of my great bad -influences as well as just another in my long list of tragedies.  “The Good Die Young” is another song which illustrates just how tenuous our grip on life really is- “i don’t know if you’re the luckiest or unluckiest guy in the world?” says a reporter to a 19 yr old vet with no arms and no legs and the vet answers, ” a little bit of both i guess”.

   life is nothing if not bittersweet . right now i can feel the weight of it- like its in my hands or on my shoulders physically.   as i get older i seem to lose more friends…. today my thoughts are on those friends who are only here in spirit and i will celebrate you guys when i’m doing those mundane everyday things we don’t even realize matter.      remember today, do not  take anything for granted – something as beautiful as life can’t be forever, nothing is. SRG

some new music. on video

 one of the joys of music is turning people on to new music you love and in turn being introduced to a new favorite artist is just as awesome too. many days i will comb through Pitchfork and Napster just looking up cool band names and just surfing til i find something life-changing, sometimes it works sometimes not.  so i will lay out a few of my new faves that are relativly new or new to me at least. i also chose to highlight some live performances of these artists to illustrate why they are so amazing, just watch and listen. soemone asked me how i get people to be quiet and listen when i’m performing on stage. you can’t ask or demand attention with your voice, you must command it by your actions. if people don’t want to miss what you’re saying, they’ll shut up. o and if that one bitch is on a cellphone well then fuck her in the face and single her out over the mic.

 first is St Vincent- “Cruel”- this is my new porn- watch her play the shittiest guitar ever played live on t.v., oh i think i came again- that solo!  speaking of Pitchfork, you’d think St Vincent has hung the indie rock moon for us with her new album coming out Sept 12th, this clip is amazing though. she has 2 older albums on 4AD that are worth checking out too, your girlfriend will think you have good taste if you pop this on next time y’all are together.

St Vincent live “Cruel” on David Lettermen-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25jiTFa3kBM

now get ready for a left turn, rap. not classic BIGGIE either, this is the new new…. Big K.R.I.T.- he’s got a radio single out “Country Sh*t” with Ludicris and all the usual Southern criminals but he also makes his beats and has tons of old material that is actually well done and well thought (for a rapper). he’s not stuck on the crack shit either though he clearly is from the streets but with a more literate flow and some good experiance raps.  ussually a rap live show is just a mess but this clip makes me wish i was big and black enough to be at this show , it looks wild. of course theres the pre-requisite horn blasts from the d.j. but hey it is a rap show right? i hope Big KRIT blows up enough to make some money and more hits but not so big that he gets shot and killed too early or something. so enjoy this look into another world and then go check out “Dreamin'” or my fave , “Children of the World” off his new album, and check out his lyrics, great flow and you can tell he’s genuine- which is def. in short supply in hip-hop.

  Big K.R.I.T.- “Country Sh*t” live in a Nashville club-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuS3M8h3bC8

 and now for something y’all at large may not have heard of but they are not new, in fact this song is off of their 4th album and that was even from a few years back. MEW.   they are wierd at first, lots of changes in the music and that angel of a voice just doesn’t stop. the complexity and beauty of their music leaves me sppechless sometimes. this video is live and will show you everything i mean. “The Zookeepers Boy” by Mew.

   Mew “The Zookeepers Boy”  live- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW2eH_bbdjg&feature=related

  there you go, a few things to occupy your day. you can also tell a little about my music taste right now. pretty girls and vocals always help. a few other bands i’m listening to these days are The Joy Formidable, Tune-Yards, Phantogram  and just cause theres more to music than indie rock i’ll include Thundercat (think R&B jazz but only if that genre meant something cool)

   and now to leave you with something to dance to, lets all dance yo….- http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=6WJFjXtHcy4&feature=fvwp    Kreayshawn “Gucci Gucci”.  now go outside and enjoy the day- SRG

“what bands do i feel informed my songwriting and sensibilities?”

  i’ve been asked about what bands or songwriters i dig and of course i’ve spent countless hours devouring and thinking about these artists anyways, thats why they’re some of my faves.

   i’ve got to start this and any music conversation about myself with the one band to me- The Sex Pistols. perfect- the album, when i was in 9th grade i purposely only let myself listen to the “Never Mind The Bullocks…” tape front to back for weeks until i was dreaming about those songs. and it is those songs that still hold up…. but when i listen to them i don’t really think “oh screaming punk rock!” i just hear a solid f’in rock record from over 30 years ago. the image and lifestyle helped because it was still so genuine though very well thought out by somebody. such an inspiration, i always say, mix the Sex Pistols with this next guy and then you figure out where my music chops come from- hell!.  and did i almost not mention the name Sid?

   Hank Williams – do i even have to say Sr.? yup Hank was the first real music i ever remember hearing and i heard it my whole life but not from where you think. it was my Dad’s constant yodeling of “Kawliga” and “Hey Good Lookin'” that are some of my first memories along with the way his back smelled in the pool. anyways.  with Hank, for me, it’s the lyrics and the life and the 2 shall never be seperated in importance of one to the other. and yet again it always comes down to songs- after all it is the music that brings us all together. the songs are still catchy and amazing. and  maybe you can’t overlook that this may be where my twang comes from in my vocal delivery (i really wanted a British snarl but uh… at least i’m Southern)

  The Misfits-  punk rock was huge for me but i never really dug the “hardcore-est” of the genre, i still gravitated towards the catchy stuff. Glenn Danzig was a master  the whole package- stunning singer and voice, lyrics and looks for days. great band names and i still remember the lyrics from 20 years ago when i played Misfits covers with Nick and Jeremy. an honorable mention must go to Milo from the Descendants as well- another smart punk lyricist.

  Easy E /N.W.A.- o yeah, 14, 15 yr old suburban white bread kid but smack dab in the middle of a growing ghetto Pine Hills. this stuff was tailor-made for me to digest with gusto and my mom was horrified. it was def. Easy E that did it for me- the voice, the look and “hey i’m only 15 too!?”   but yet again… it was the songs. when they were great they were great! story telling that makes you smell the gunpowder. also it just proved to me that any genre can produce well written, catchy and killer music that can transcend genre and just is..

   and then at about the age of 20 or 22 or something?.. i saw them and it changed my life… the great Harvey Milk. i saw them open for Jack O’Nuts at the Sapphire Supper Club and they were slow and sludgey and just wierd, Jack O’Nuts was incredible.  at WPRK, where i was working at the time as a dj, we had a Harvey Milk song that i played until i fell in love. within the year i was living in Athens ,Ga, the hometown of Harvey Milk, the band. i saw them about 6 times over a year and they were stunning. i learned how deeply music can really affect somebody and esp me. AND the important thing to remember is for the the first time- it wasn’t based on lyrics- i can’t understand shit that comes out of Crestons mouth.  i finally got to call someone that i’ve met “a Genius”. unfortunaly you won’t get this- just hearing the records are not enough to know the depth- you must have been there, ya know. i do meet people here and there that just kinda shake their head and go “o yeah, Harvey Milk, Jezus!”  and i go yup! they know.

  —so those could be me in a nutshell and then a bunch of other shit like life experiance and bad surgeries and good medication. whatever- its not all quantfiable and who would to define it all…. leave that shit for other people hopefully.  i could mention a few other bands musicly that affect my tunes- Black Flag for guitar styling alone….. maybe Sonic Youth for some more stylings and then the Smashing Pumpkins… uh just to be a complete-ist i guess.  alright, hope that made some sense to someone. SRG

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