tossin' & turnin' & burnin' all up inside (outside, too)!

here's a slideshow of lst night's sauna gig at trout's! to see the pix in more detail, click where it says "view all images."
we were all so extremely happy w/how the evening went, from friendly greetings from the paxtons to friends who came out in support to the crowd's enthusiastic response to all the dancers! who surely must've really wanted to do so, since the ac was broken!! to the blackboard playboys', rockwell's, lynda's & the trout's staff's kindnesses to swell dinner & laughs afterwards at la tapatia. i haven't had so much all-around music fun since crashing a taping of the blasters on AFPP!
well, at this pt, i'm uncertain where my sun. eve's going, so will write more later... happy bd to philbert, the band's baby!! hope you enjoy the pix, & if you were there, that we gave you a good show. :)

TROUT'S sat june 28; SAFARI SAM'S sun july 6

we'll be on at 7 pm!!!
we'll be on from 12:30 pm-2 pm!!!
on other notes: r.i.p., george carlin, whose cynicism never fully hid a hopeful & idealistic heart; ... in austin, i had the most wonderfully quenching & delicious drink, tho i don't know the proportions: combine crushed ice, coca-cola, cream, & vanilla syrup. the result: a cocablanca. heaven!!!!... finally, phil & mark are contributing song ideas!! (artistic mark also made the top flyer... cool!) what a happy thing this band is lately!! :) now we just need time to actually learn our new songs we're writing, & to play more shows, too! :) these are what i would call "golden problems," most definitely...

my sleep-deprived texas train trip: snippets

not pictured: burnin' mike vernon, luann williams, kinky friedman :)

bass ackwards in the lone star state: the queen of know-nuthin speaks

if you are ever in my presence & i suggest we take a short cut or say anything that suggests a "clever" or easier, softer (& especially cheaper) way, please slap me!!!! i have had many adventures on this trip & now am (literally) cooling my heels in the hi-austin after a day out in 100 degree texas heat wearing the wrongest & stupidest shoes any female could've conceived to wear for such a trek!!! of course the shoe broke, so i being so goddang resourceful found a pin in the road & a hair tie & "fixed" the shoe & proceeded to walk another 10 miles w/my blistering dogs taped w/stickers i peeled off the wall out front of the record store & basically all it accomplished is i was slowed like a turtle & nearly crippled myself!! i love this place a lot (tho not as much as i love my loved ones), but that combined w/my FIVE HOUR wait yesterday at the amtrak station in rural cleburne (the station was closed, of course, & it was 100 degrees, & i was all alone, but then i found a penny, & found one today, so i stick w/foolishness, thinking it's all part of the great plan, most certainly) mean i am more than ready go home... i have had a swell time, but more than anything, more than music, more than mama, i await my sleeping car on tomorrow's train (which of course cost a zillion dollars to grab because i only realized i had to get one or croak after the "going to war together"-like grubby camaraderie of riding over w/NO SHOWER). i'll get on this time, shower up, & get rocked to sleep by the train's gentle gait.
...dang, i hope that didn't constitute an expectation on my part. my serenity is directly related to my expectation level... so that wasn't an expectation at all, i say: just a hope. :) i know it's ok & in fact is good to hope. :)
will report more later on the great music i've heard & will hear, my beautiful family, their beautiful little italian donkey, the beautiful rural texas dusks alive w/night-singing bugs & peaceful, endlessly flat & lovely canopies of lime-green fields & dark, stately post oaks... below i'll list some music, so "all yall" can know what's been up here... & more details later. :) peace happiness & good times to all who read this...

safari sam's 7/6 plus dusk devils demo cd available

i have a feeling i'll be writing while i'm gone on my train trip to the lone star state, but meantime, i'll post the following exciting (por moi) things!!!
the cd has six tracks: the texas song; mercy; rock boppin' baby; not goin' after him; green door; the mess around. please get hold of me if you're interested in one!!!

"you can't judge an apple by lookin' at the tree, you can't judge honey by lookin' at the bee, you can't judge a sister by lookin' at the brother...

you can't judge a book by lookin' at the cover." -ellas mcdaniel, aka bo diddley. he passed away today, age 79. what a loss for everyone! i only got to see him once, long ago down in smellay, w/little richard & jerry lee lewis. tho i was bombed out of my gourd, i remember his set smoked!!! we tried to see him at rockin' 50s last yr in green bay, but he got sick & didn't make it to the event. everyone thought he was a goner then, & the mood was heavy as the 100s of primitive/american music vinyl freaks in attendance held their breath somberly, hoping against hope for the improved health of the "original architect of rock&roll". we heard he was playing music at the hospital w/in days...
you gotta love anyone who takes his stage name from a phrase that basically is a classier version of "jack s**t." i like the humility. people who are great don't need to hoot about it. his rockin' clave-rumba songs were so fun, so cool, so smoking & sexy & rhythm-bound, & then when you listened to the lyrics, wow: poetry, too. he introduced the world to the duchess, jerome green, the hambone beat, "love is strange". he was one of the BIG FIVE, art fein says, along w/chuck, fats, elvis, little richard, jerry lee. (wait - that makes six. i must be wrong...)
some of my favorite bo diddley songs: roadrunner; you can't judge a book; mona; cadillac; bring it to jerome; pills; ride on josephine; say man; hey! bo diddley; dearest darling; we're gonna get married; who do you love?; pretty thing; crackin' up; hush your mouth; don't let it go; what's buggin' you?; gunslinger... i've been sick today, & it seems fitting now. goodbye to a great man.

at club bim bam, come on in, chief big jam session about to begin

(to paraphrase the late great ronnie dawson...) here's a pic of our sound check from last night. the stone bar was beautiful, & reminded me of the original king-king! it was a good night, tho i feel like a sack of jello right now; we got home at 3 am, & i ain't used to it!!!
it was a fun evening, tho my try-out of a different piano stand (borrowed from bassist mark-thx!) didn't really work! i wonder if i'll ever figure out ALL the logistics that go w/this? i also couldn't hear myself sing, which means i screamed my voice out early in the set. oh well! people seemed to enjoy us. "something different" is what we always hear. "YOU are just incredible," one woman told me, beaming. :)
lil mo is one super-energetic performer; he reminded me of one of the bowery boys. his band did straight-up rockabilly, along w/an R&B tune & some "born bad" tunes like "save it" & "tongue-tied jill"; i really liked those!! i loved the songs deejay lucky la rocka spun between bands, an eclectic combo of primitive R&B, rocknroll, rockabilly, & more. he really mixed it up, & i always appreciate that!!
we had a good set & the folks at the stone bar were ultra-nice to a one: lucky, who invited us; carl, the owner; the door man; the bartender. we even got some dough! who says there aren't good people in hollywood? :)
it was fun to hear art fein cheering because he literally yells "yaaaaaay!!" & claps loudly, & to see his friend randi's (heaters & blasters fan #1) huge enthusiam. art's friend luann speculated about places in austin we might play. yay! who knows? i guess it could happen! that would be so swell... :)
john bazz & i crossed paths last night; ironically, he played bakersfield (not with the blasters) at fishlips. "meet you at the starbucks on laval road," he joked. hope he had as good a show as we did! i thank blb for driving us to hollywood in the super van; that sure made the traveling easier. :)
a show i won't be going to today is local son john owens' public debut w/his stroke-of-genius-named band buckshot - they're on at 2 pm at trout's for lloyd reading's 89th bd party & BBQ, open to the public. it looks like they'll do contemporary country, but if i hear otherwise, i'll get to another of his shows. john had & probably still has an unbelievable singing voice, a cross between his dad & roy orbison. if his songs are as amazing as his pipes, i'll become a fan, no matter what. :)

HULA SWING & PUMPIN' PIANO ROCKNROLL!!!

That's how Lucky La Rocka is billing our show next Saturday in Hollywood... details below, or here: www.myspace.com/klubbimbam... The flyer's so pretty, I'm gonna post it again right here: Hoohah! Fershlugginer! Potrezebie!
today i got to run a 5k & came in 2nd!!! (this was a very very small event, please note...) it is just gorgeous right now in backwardsfield (not a contradiction of terms as of this moment!)... w/3 days left of school, i have no complaints & look forward to going back to the drunk convention today at the doubletree. friends! a common solution! nice people! and tomorrow's band practice - yahoo! we want to play music, help spread the word about good old rocknroll boogie-woogie & guitar-twanging american music... & meet others who love it, too! please let us know if you got a show, or know someone who does... & thank you mucho!!
so at this second, this is a nice life. hope yours is, too. :)

don't scratch the wax!!

that is quite a cool name for a rockabilly show promoter... :) sonny vincent sent me a nice email w/link to a bunch of pix people took at friday's show... i just knew that dress wasn't fancy enough!! oh well. :) in the 2nd pic, you can see phil dancing w/my sis in the background. what a swell time!!! :) :) :)

fleeblebleebleblubblebloobleblee

man, am i worn out!!! last night's show was amazing. only one other time have i played to a total "target" audience, & that time, the sound guy fubar'd things up. it's so different when folks know, understand, love the genre. they cheered so loud, i could hear them while we played, & we were LOUD!!! even on my piano solos, people cheered!!! thanks, sonny & don't scratch the wax, for having us. what a treat!
deke dickerson watched the whole set! then afterward he came up w/compliments. that was very cool! then deejays sonny & jose put on "that certain female" right after we were done & deke kicked it off w/a big big rocker: that made me think we'd raised the noiviss energy bar. yah!
deke played his set w/chris sprague & wally herstam. they're an all-star rockabilly line-up. they must have 10,000 gigs between them. top musicians!! i'd love to get that tight. maybe some day! dd did an instrumental where the guitar sounded like singing - wild!! they did "buck owens' 1st hit," "hot dog" & also "buzz buzz buzz," which we did in our set, so that was a little weird. after, we talked about al hendrix, who REALLY wrote "hot dog" (not buck owens).
rick, i have to confess: when you were horsing around w/chris ("drummers rule!! yaaah!!"), i WASN'T hitting record on your camera. i was too embarrassed to tell the truth. sorry!!
as he was leaving, i asked bass player mark, "what did you think of the crowd reaction?" & he just smiled, then peered at me & giggled a little, "yeah, that was really cool..." who knows? maybe he'll stick around... for now, he's gonna help us out on the hollywood show. whoopee! :)
i have to get a new piano stand, tho. at one point, i did a glissando & raked the keys too deep & the dang thing started to slide off the stand!! that would've been a disaster. i also learned not to eat ice cream before a show. i had to pound two energy drinks to get my eyes opened back up!!
my sister & her friend had such a great time. it was so wonderful to look out & see people having a great time. :)
what fun what fun what fun!! philbert is the best. what a bunch of guys. i love my dusk devils. :) next show: may 31 in hollywood (read below)... tonight: elvis interpreter don rose at trout's!

deke dickerson, exotiki, DUSK DEVILS

we have two great shows upcoming! here are flyers:
-> have seen deke many times, most impressively w/the collins kids (his stuff w/dave & deke combo & untamed youth also was very cool)!!! he knows every joe maphis lick, so they always pick him to play w/them... he writes a column for guitar player mag, too, & is a stone-cold guitar/amp expert/ scholar. a link to the venue is here, www.myspace.com/tularedust, & you can find deke's website easily via google. there's a lot to read, & guitar players will plotz!!
-> exotiki, playing hawaiian-swing, has an all-star lineup you won't want to miss... here's a link to the venue: www.myspace.com/klubbimbam ; i'm certain you can find exotiki on myspace, & if you know this music, you'll appreciate the band members' expertise & history!
->tho i love playing for any crowd, i'm thrilled that at both these shows, everyone there will know EVERY song in our sets (except the ones i wrote, that is)... yippee!! i do hope to meet other '47-'63 vinyl nerds, & see people singing along; that would be so cool!
-> visalia's only 1 hr north of bakersfield, hollywood 70 mins south. hope you who read & are nearby will consider going!!! thank you ahead of time for helping to spread the word, too! :) :)

happy bd to ruben, grandma mary, billy mize, & a goodbye

we just got back from ruben's bd in the desert. i've known ruben & family for 17 yrs!! ruben is 55 going on 30. he's a life-long working musician who teaches guitar & puts out LPs. he is light-hearted, a super guy, lightning on the guitar, always gracious & fun to be around. :) i used to follow his band, the blazers, & was entangled w/their old bassist. i had to get sober because of that, so it was all for a reason! plus i made some life-long friends in him & his ex (they're still friends), mi "comadre," donna, who's the most resourceful woman i've ever met... :) the blazers were on rounder, now little dog. the new LP comes out in august; ruben said there was info on www.littledogrecords.com , but i can't seem to find it!! the site's worth checking out, if you like roots-americana alt-country, etc.
anyways, here's 2 pix from the party. we rolled in yesterday & their lovely daughter, my bd buddy, asked me to help her play the beatles' birthday song at her dad's party... we went thru it twice, then had to hit the road. of course, i couldn't hear the keyboard when i played (monitor pointed away). no se importa: the surprise bd song had R teared up w/happiness. :) we also played volver volver, tiburon, another cumbia, a few blues tunes, & johnny b. goode. then the music got real mellow, so we headed back to the barn. this a.m., R & B had a long discussion about the physics behind guitars (B is a biker, but also a "mad scientist"). then we all stuffed ourselves on mexican food & B, the boys, & i drove home in the love wagon.
R heads today to the chris gaffney benefit at the doll hut, where his high school buddy & blazers mate manuel (whom everyone now calls "big manny") will play along w/many others. chris gaffney recently passed away after a brief illness; you can donate at www.helpgaff.com. meanwhile, candye kane is swathed in love, recuperating after her major cancer surgery; bakersfield this afternoon celebrates billy mize's bd at trout's(www.myspace.com/troutsblackboard), & my family lovingly remembers dear departed grandma mary, mary elizabeth ollivares forquera, who would have been 97. she is gone, but never will be forgotten by us all.
a nice weekend. so good to have friends & family. so good to have music. both mean love & life, in my book.

trout's/how cool's grease ball pix

mercy... what my baby does to me

me am impressed! nearly the greatest video ever...

here it is!! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_5w1KPgzuU&feature=related

in the wonderful alternative universe called youtube lives my chubby wunderkind of a child, who also appears to be a southpaw... in bizarro world, this boy would be king & presidents & politicians would wear little pointy hats & dance on hind legs in circuses. every now & then a pipsqueak like this comes along at school & makes teaching extra wonderful... & maddening.
ps - read post below about saturday's show... remember to tell them the dusk devils sent you, if'n you go... :)

grease ball at trout's, sat apr. 19

this from mommy pie, trout's promoter:


**Flyer correction! Music starts @ 4:00pm with IRON OUTLAWS!! 5:00pm MOTEL DRIVE!! 6:00pm THE DUSK DEVILS!! 7:00pm FATT KATT and the VON ZIPPERS!! 8:00pm PIN-UP GIRL contest!! 8:30pm TALLEST POMPADOUR contest!! 9:00pm FATT KATT and the VON ZIPPERS!!
FASHIONS from HOWCOOL. COM!!
VINTAGE CAR SHOW (Pre-1967!! Domestic & Import!!) BBQ available from GRILLS GONE WILD!! DRINK SPECIALS & SPECIALTY "Rockabilly/Greaser" SHOTS ALL DAY!
Come out and soak up the culture, baby! Art, Fashion, Hot Cars, Gorgeous Girls (and Guys!), Great Food, and more... taking place at the LAST of the Original Bakersfield "Honky Tonks" - The Blackboard Stage @ the Legendary Trout's Nightclub! This ain't your Grandpa's "Honky Tonk," kiddies: extensive expansion, remodeling, and renovations make TROUT'S the biggest AND best Nightclub in Kern County!!
Check it out - you will be glad you did!

slide show from tribute to merle, buck, & the bakersfield sound at trout's last month!

nada decir... pero hablo y hablo y hablo :)

- i've got nothing to say, but it's ok, to quote the beastles!!! don't know about you, but i've been so busy i can't even breathe!! haven't uploaded pix or videos, managed to take care of 2 non-music commitments tho one more looms, something every day after extra-busy work & every evening, too, however, tonight's busy-ness was nice cause we practiced! these guys i play w/are so silly & energetic - so gratifying. :) we are gelling, we are hopping, we are swinging, we have fun. :)
- as a friend said, "not everyday's gotta be fireworks"... no break in sight: the next 3 wkends will be running, traveling, speaking w/jani at desert convention; music show; candye's benefit apr. 20 (go to www.candyekane.com for locations); ruben's 55th bd. how can blazers ruben be 55?!?!
- for many yrs, NO ONE wanted me around: so tho busy, i am thankful. :) life is short & strange. who knows what tomorrow'll bring? who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?!?! the shadow knows... (i don't believe that "evil" stuff; just wanted to quote lamont cranston.) :)
- ok, well, i've bored myself enough for now... blablablablablabla :)

saturday, ethel's, 11 am!!!!!!

here's a pic of us w/rockwell from last wkend's show... i'll post more when i get more energy. still a little worn out, i guess!!!
next, this sat, 4/5, at 11 am the dusk devils will be at ethel's old corral, a friendly saloon en route to hart park on alfred harrell hwy. people ride their horses & motorbikes right up to the door at this place; there's food there, too. a fundraiser for the alzheimer's association, the day's official event is a motorcycle poker run; we're the 4th card stop. however, anyone (21 & over, that is) can drop in around 11 am & we'll be there playing about a 1-hr set. yes, the show is open to all, no charge! still, you can sign up for the event at www.adakc.org, if you ride & want to support the cause... ethel's is at 4310 Alfred Harrell Hwy (near fairfax), 661-873-7613

help candye kane & chris gaffney

candye kane, the wonderful & vibrant blues singer & activist, recently found out she has pancreatic cancer. like too many in the u.s. & in particular most working musicians (not the 0.000001% that "make it big"), she lacks health insurance.
there was a syndicated article in the paper about this phenomenon yrs ago. candye is young & strong, but too many older musicians (saw a bunch last night at trout's, & now wonder how many locally are in this boat), after decades of long nights singing & breathing in smoky bars filled w/drink, dope, lechers, & lonelyhearts, find themselves in poor health w/little way of getting medical care. poor families have car washes; ill working musicians, even those making it w/their music, like candye, must rely upon friends, family, &, if they have them, fans, asking for donations & having fundraiser shows.
candye is pro-active: since diagnosis, she has made huge lifestyle changes, & last wk cancelled her european tour to "get my health back," she wrote, adding, "If you want to donate $$ to the cancer fund, check out my myspace www.myspace.com/candyekaneband for a benefit near you or you can send money thru www.paypal.com. My user name is candyekanetour@aol.com. Or you can send a check to: candye kane cancer fund, 315 s. hwy 101 #47, encinitas, ca 92024."
chris gaffney of the hacienda bros & dave alvin band also recently was diagnosed w/liver cancer. a long-time close friend of the blasters & many more, he's a well-respected vocalist-musician in his own right. you can help out chris & his family by visiting www.helpgaff.com .
the inscription inside the "mighty woman with a torch" reads in part, "give me your tired, your poor..." our social & sacred duty is to care for all, & governmental change in november may allow that to again begin to happen.