Tuesday, September 13, 2005

PPHPHB News

In case you are tired of reading about birds, here is a blog about the band.

On Saturday, Kev went to get a haircut and came back with three new cymbals and a high-hat. It seems he wants me to be the drummer, and I will try, but all I can really do is a steady 4-4 rock and roll beat that I learned from my uncles as a kid, and you really need a kick-drum for that which we don't have and if we got one, we'd have to get rid of a large piece of furniture to make room for it, and none of our songs are very rock and roll, so it is a kinda wasted skill. Anyway, I am thankful that I didn't get kidnapped to Guitar Center...Kev was nice enough to go without me. And I will practice the high-hat and maybe I can fake a jazzy beat good enough for the PPHPHB.

Every time I turn around, Kev has written a new song. We made a list of about 14 songs that we have back-logged and I keep telling him we need to record them before making new ones, but he can't help it. They just keep coming out. One of the new ones I like a lot is going to be called Elizaville, which is a small village in New York where there is a family lakehouse. I am in charge of the lyrics, and it is hard because this is a semi-serious song, and I can only write silly stuff like Pancho and Sock Monkey Man. When I try to write serious lyrics, I get all self-consious and feel like a big doi. But I am going to do my best, because I think this song has potential, and I like the Cowboy Junkies vibe it has going. And because if I don't start contributing, I am gonna get myself kicked out of the band.

This blog has been 100% bird-free.

8 comments:

Julie said...

Sounds cool- can't wait to hear the new ones! My neice plays the snare (sp?) drum if you ever need one of those. :)

Bleach said...

Send the songs up here and have my dad or brother lay down drum tracks.

Tara said...

Brad, that would be great if we could. Or you could come down and visit us and do the drum parts.

whitneydonkey said...

the cowboy junkies are cool and so are you and kev! can't wait to hear the songs.

Gye Greene said...

Tara drumming: Neat-o! Like Meg & Jack of The White Stripes!!! Don't worry -- you'll get better as you noodle around with the drum kit.

Kick drum: I own three kick pedals (relevant blog entry forthcoming); about $15-$20 (used) on ebay. Using an old, hard-size suitcase ($5-$10 at garage sales) works well; also the side of a Xerox box (or larger) cardboard box. If y'all are handy, a frame of 2"x4" with a sheet of 1/8" plywood across the front. But you'll want a lip of 1/8" plywood sticking out from the bottom, to clamp the kick pedal to.

Doi: Ah, yes; forgot about that word! :)

Jazz-like: Pick up a pair of brushes; makes a big difference. (The drum lady at the new 'n' used music store in Seattle said the Vic Firth ones were slightly better than the the other one they offered.) Or, you can be ''different'' and just not use a kick drum (one less thing to coordinate!); supposedly, [real] jazz doesn't rely much on the kick drum anyhoo. ;)


--GG

Bleach said...

I would love to come down. When I travel for recording purposes I have a small list of needs and wants that needs to be met.

Skittles

Dandruff Shampoo

DQ Blizzard of the month

Sleeping accomodations w or w/out cat

A state map on the wall in the room in which I am sleeping w or w/out a cat

Tara said...

Consider it done. Any particular state?

Gye Greene said...

Kevin is fortunate to be married to a musical "partner in chime." (Very weak musical pun.)


--TG