MAMA KICKS WEEKLY UPDATE 8/30
Aug 30th
Good Morning Kids, Happy Monday once again,
Another great week in Mamaland, and in LALALand. Jam-packed jam night, I had a great time appearing on Scorch’s PFG-TV, I got rained out on Wednesday but didn’t care, very nice debut at Stella Blu, as always killer nights at the Derryfield and Whips, and a perfect day out on the Pasta Loft deck yesterday . Thanks to Mark Belanger for blowing the horn with us all night on Saturday, and to Lisa for joining me for a song on the deck yesterday.
Out on the left coast the kids had a very successful trip, rehearsing, shooting video and filming interviews for the upcoming Sully Erna solo CD, “Avalon,” which will be released on Sept 14th.
And here we go again:
Tonight 8/30 Lisa will be playing solo on the Derryfield Deck. 5:30-8:30
But later tonight 8/30 – It’s the Every Monday Open Mic Jam Night at Whippersnappers in Londonderry, NH 8-11. A near complete line-up change this week: Chris Lester on guitar, Mike Dupont on drums, Rich Knox on bass, and me. It’s never not interesting! It’s fun and it’s free!
Wed 9/1 Lisa will be playing solo at J’s Tavern, 7:30-10:30. Legendary Red Arrow menu served 24 hours More >
MAMA KICKS UPDATE 8-2: BIG NEWS!
Aug 2nd
Oh, Kids!
You all know how I love the extra weekly emails, but this is an important one. As you may or may not know, for the past year or more, Lisa, Chris & Tim Theriault have been working with Godsmack’s Sully Erna on the Sully Erna Solo project. The CD is called “AVALON” and it’s scheduled to be released nationally in retail outlets on Sept 14th. I’ve been fortunate to have been given an advance copy and I tell you, it’s a stunning collection: Unique, passionate, moving, exciting, exquisitely produced. It’s a joy to listen to. This is not hard rock in the style of Godsmack. It’s tough to label: Get it, listen to it and enjoy it! You know I wouldn’t lie to you. Tomorrow, Tuesday August 3rd, the first single “Sinner’s Prayer,” will be released. It will be available for download on Amazon.com and in the hands of as many radio stations as possible. Do yourselves a favor, download the single and/or pre-order the CD. Do the band a favor and call your local radio station to request, request, request “Sinner’s Prayer.” This project has been in the works since Lisa sang with Sully on Godsmack IV. More >
Guest Rant courtesy of Chris Lester
Jan 12th
Alright. I know this is a topic that has been put in a sleeper hold but I have to throw a couple of punches at it myself. I am just mystified at “American Idol”. Where to begin? Let’s start with the fact that almost anyone that talks about the show admits that it really isn’t very good any more. However, they also admit to being too damn apathetic to stop watching it.
Who cares if the singers are the equivalent of baby bird vomit and sound like a copy of a copy of a copy of Christina Aguilera who’s a copy of Mariah Carey who’s a copy of Whitney Houston who doesn’t even know where she is anymore (which is probably a good thing).
There is little worse to me than singers with fake “soul”. Listen to me carefully. YOU EITHER HAVE IT OR YOU DON’T. Just accept it if you don’t. For the love of God stop faking it. Next. The judges tastes seem to be a tad on the one trick pony side. How many times can the same, shape shifting. watered down, mediocre, straight to the cut-out-bin, throw away get voted the winner? It’s amazing to see. Well, More >
New Decade
Jan 3rd
1-03-10
I turned 60 on New Years Eve. Undeniably a milestone, and man what a celebration we had! Wonderful turn out of family, friends, band mates past and present, it may well have been the most touching event of my life. As the night wore on Lisa kept inviting people to the stage to deliver testimonials. It was kind of like Tom Sawyer attending his own funeral service, which is good since between you & me, I anticipate outliving everyone I know. There was one person who couldn’t make it due to an ongoing illness and I want to talk about him for a bit because I’m not entirely sure he’s aware of how important a role he’s played in my life. I’m talking about my friend Paul Labbe. Back in the summer of 1987, I was nearing 40 and honestly felt like I was well past my prime. I was in a band called Double Cross, which played its last gig in August of that year. The other members of the band had or were about to move on to bigger and hopefully better things and I was left without a plan. No prospects, no job, no skills, presumably too More >
TC vol. 09.07
Dec 3rd
Okay Listen: I’m sick to puking death of hearing about Tiger Woods. Jesus H Christ, are our lives so fucking miserable and empty that we have to get our licentious thrills dwelling on somebody else’s marital discord. The man plays golf for a living….golf! In my opinion the most boring pastime in the history of athletics or of televised sports. The man probably needs, and certainly deserves, a little excitement in his life. And frankly I don’t care what he does, and neither should you. If you’re a fan of golf, relish his mastery of the game. Once the game is over he can put his club in any bag he chooses as far as I’m concerned. Certainly far more important, but no less over reported is Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. The Democrats don’t like it. The Republicans don’t like it. The Republicans started the war for Christ’s sake, and were all in favor of sending more troops when Pops McCain thought he was going to be running the show. I’m all in favor of peace and I say Go! Send whatever the fuck is necessary and be done with it. Send enough troops to span More >
TC vol. 09.06
Nov 23rd
Well gang, it’s been a while since we spoke. Did you miss me? Truthfully I’ve been in kind of a creative slump. Don’t know why exactly, I’ve been working a lot and frankly nothing makes me happier. Personal relationship is beyond reproach. But despite all that’s good in my life, I seem to have jumped on the National Depression bandwagon.
We seem to be turning into a nation of whining, hand-wringing worry warts. Pussies! Doomsayers! Watching the news is simply as dismal an experience as one could want to engage in. I’ve tried to stop, but it’s nearly impossible. 24 hour news is the worst thing that’s ever happened to us in my opinion. We spend all our time oh dearing, cringing in fear, trying to head off whatever disaster, real or imagined, may befall us next.
Listen: It’s as safe as you make it. Stop fucking worrying about everything, you can’t stop it, and you can’t make a difference.
H1N1: Wash your hands…I’ve been doing that for almost 60 years. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and carry a hankie for Christ’s sake. People spewing into their own elbow look ridiculous and it’s risky business if you’re carrying a cup of coffee. While we’re on More >
TC vol. 09.05
Jul 9th
I guess I should talk about celebrity deaths. There’s been so many lately, but really as we grow older, so do our icons. We all gotta go sometime, no?
I was of course saddened at the passing of Farrah. Doubtless she’s in a better place, freed of her long struggle with cancer and finally pain free. But I felt the timing of her death was kind of a screwing. Her fans had about seven hours to mourn and then Michael Jackson died, stealing all the commemorative thunder.
That’s what I call the Groucho Marx curse.
Groucho was without exception, one of my greatest show biz heroes. I saw all the Marx Brothers movies, read all his books, and watched You Bet Your Life reruns incessantly. When I started trying to write, I subconsciously (or not) emulated his style. He was a brilliant storyteller, amazingly funny and sarcastic, and when he passed away in 1977, I felt a genuine emptiness…for about seven hours and then Elvis Presley went and died on the same day. Screwed!
Of course our only news sources back then were TV and newspapers, so when the 24 hour cycle between news updates came around, Groucho’s legacy was completely overshadowed. His 50 year body More >
TC vol. 09.04
May 15th
I have a theory on the Swine Flu panic, don’t laugh…just listen:
I believe that Barack Obama has probably read “The Secret,” “The Laws of Attraction,” “The Power of Positive Thinking,” or any of the other “you can pull it together with your mind” books that are out there. I’m not ridiculing him if he did. I’ve read the first two myself and found them to be astoundingly uplifting. Everyone should read one of them.
I try to practice the theories expressed in both books, but I tell you it’s difficult to alter the effect of 59 years of sarcasm and cynicism. I do work at it though, and work hard.
I have many things in my life that I’m blessed with, one is good health. And I believe the reason I have good health is because it doesn’t occur to me to be sick. It’s that simple. I don’t talk or think about ill health, mine or anybody else’s so it just doesn’t come my way. This is a perfect example of how the Law of Attraction works, and it’s an aspect of myself that gratefully, I don’t have to work at.
The wealth thing…not so much. That I have to meditate on More >
TC vol. 09.03
May 6th
Tom Looks Back With Anger
It’s been such a long time since Tom Sholz’ petty madness has reared its ugly head, but as we all guessed, it was only a matter of time.
Last week it was reported in the Boston Globe that now Tom’s got his electronically enhanced panties in a bunch because Ernie Boch Jr refers to Barry Goudreau and Sib Hashian as “original members of Boston,” in promoting Ernie & The Automatics. He admits that they both played in the band, but won’t accept referring to them as Original Members.
You know, I still have a copy of Boston’s first album…on vinyl no less, and if you look at it, lo & behold, there they are; Barry Goudreau and Sib Hashian. Pretty much defines the term ‘original members’ in my book.
I may have said this before, but in my waning years I tend to repeat myself. Forgive me. I bought the first Boston album in 1976. I played it until the high end began to fade and then I bought another one, and immediately started to wear that one out too. It was a remarkable piece of work. It deserves its place in rock history, and Tom deserves to be More >
TC vol. 09.02
May 6th
O! The Things I Hate!
I love a tasty ice cream bar and I have ever since I was a kid. But it seems to me that the taste of wooden stick is overwhelming. Was it always this way? As a child, was I so enamored of the ice cream that I didn’t notice? Hmmm. There’s got to be a better answer to holding a yummy icy treat, and still avoid sticky fingers.
Joan Rivers should be the anti-cosmetic surgery poster girl. She’s just a beard and a crown away from doing Burger King commercials.
Those BK commercials give me the creeps, by the way. I’d be scared shitless if I was a kid.
I regret using “Give Me Back That Filet O’ Fish” as a ring tone on my cell. It seemed like a funny idea at the time. Now it’s just plain annoying.
99% of all vanity plates are gay. I haven’t actually seen the 1 % yet but I assume they must be out there. No guarantees.
I’m sick of seeing you tube videos of Simon Cowell sitting gape-mouthed in response to a genuinely good singer. Of course he’s amazed by talent…he has to sit through American Idol week after week.
I understand that More >
