Neighborhood Explosion!

At Irene's prodding, we checked out our old friend Mr. Jon Spencer who has recently shortened his band's name to the simple, yet effective Blues Explosion. It had been some time since we had seem them perform, it was in the neighborhood (Irene saw Mr. Spencer and his son on their way to the gig, and then later saw Mr. Spencer's amazing wife, Ms. Christina Martinez) and plus he IS our neighbor (we literally live on the same block), so Irene felt it would be nice to see what the Blues was all about these days. As they have done so many times in the past, the Blues Explosion played a sweaty, energetic, set of the dirty rock n roll they are known for. I'm not familiar with the new album, and I wasn't a big fan of the previous album, PLASTIC FANG, but my god do I love this band and John Spencer's Elvis like stage persona never grows old and in fact he's so good at it that he's made it his own. However, the crowd was easily one of worst I have ever been a part of. Hipster douches and just plain douches alike half filled the venue and just had no energy. They were a bunch of dead fishes and it really hurt the gig. But you can't stop a great band, the Blues Explosion are just that and I will be happy to tell Mr. Spencer the next time I see him at the market.

Meanwhile, the Holiday Season, as always, just makes things crazier than normal, which in some ways is good and other ways a pain in the ass, which is usually the case when the end of the year crunch starts to effect the music. Recent gigs, weddings etc, have made it a struggle to sit in one place for any long period of time to really focus on the record. You have to steal each moment you can to get things done. We've been trying to do that quite a bit. I spent many hours in the Birdcage (now currently in mid dog-proofing), watching Mr. Gassman perfect every loop that will be heard on this album, making them as perfect as perfect can be to fit with the now perfect drums. I'd say we're about mid-way through that process and the tougher loop songs (LENINGRAD, SOLAR) have been tackled. We have so many intricate little details to ge through, but we're making the right progress. Heads are on straight, things are happening. Progress will be made. I even made a chart of all things to make sure we don't forget anything and that we can set our plans and schedules accordingly. My mom would be proud!

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