The List.

It varies. It's a life work in-progress.  It's whatever little musical bender I'm on at the time. It's a hell of a lot of fun. We've gotten to a place in the band where some shows we throw THE LIST of tunes we can do out there and let the audience call the show. (Inspired, I mean ripped-off, from my brother Chuck's favorite bar band from Vancouver BC, The Bobcats.)  Tried it for the first time in a Broad Ripple bar last week at the Monkey's Tale, and it was a bloody blast, moments of the true cosmic throb, cel phones were ignored. Rock and Roll is like democracy, it's a participatory sport. (We're back at the Tale, 10:30PM, on October 9th - which would have been John Lennon's 70th - and the 22nd.)

1         A Long December COUNTING CROWS

2         A Song For You LEON RUSSELL

3         Across The Universe BEATLES

4         Ain’t Too Proud To Beg TEMPTATIONS

5         Alison ELVIS COSTELLO

6         All Along The Watchtower DYLAN/HENDRIX/DMB

7         All I Want Is You U2

8         All Over Now ROLLING STONES

9         Ain’t No New Girls Around TB AND THE BH

10     America SIMON AND GARFUNKEL

11     Androgynous REPLACEMENTS

12     Amoreena ELTON JOHN

13     Ash and Blame (One Day, Jack) TB AND THE BH

14     Baby, It’s You BEATLES/BURT BACHARACH

15     Babylon DAVID GRAY

16     Back In The USSR BEATLES

17     Bang A Gong (Get It On) T. REX

18     Behind Blue Eyes THE WHO

19     Bennie and the Jets ELTON JOHN

20     Brandy LOOKING GLASS

21     Carolina In My Mind JAMES TAYLOR

22     Casey Jones GRATEFUL DEAD

23     Cinnamon Girl NEIL YOUNG

24     City Of New Orleans STEVE GOODMAN

25     Close To You CARPENTERS/BACHARACH

26     Country Road JAMES TAYLOR

27     Crazy Mary PEARL JAM

28     Dancing With Myself BILLY IDOL

29     Daydream LOVIN’ SPOONFUL

30     Dead Flowers ROLLING STONES

31     Doctor My Eyes JACKSON BROWNE

32     Don’t Think Twice DYLAN

33     Domino VAN MORRISON

34     Downtown Train TOM WAITS

35     Drift Away DOBIE GRAY

36     Duncan PAUL SIMON

37     Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere NEIL YOUNG

38     Fire BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN/POINTER SISTERS

39     For What It's Worth BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD

40     Friend Of The Devil GRATEFUL DEAD

41     Good Morning, Hackensack TB AND THE BH

42     Gone Daddy Gone V. FEMMES/GNARLS BARKLEY

43     Got To Get Back Home TB AND THE BH

44     Hallelujah LEONARD COHEN

45     Have A Little Faith In Me JOHN HIATT

46     Have I Told You Lately? VAN MORRISON

47     Here Comes A Regular REPLACEMENTS

48     I Ain’t Ever Satisfied STEVE EARLE

49     I Am A Patriot JACKSON BROWNE/LITTLE STEVEN

50     I Can't Tell You Why EAGLES

51     I Saw Her Standing There BEATLES

52     I See You In Everything TB AND THE BH

53     (I Want To Give To) Charity TB AND THE BH

54     I Wish I Was Your Mother MOTT THE HOOPLE

55     I Won’t Back Down TOM PETTY

56     I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight DYLAN

57     I’m A Believer MONKEES/NEIL DIAMOND

58     I’m On Fire BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

59     I’m So Tired BEATLES

60     If Not For You BOB DYLAN/GEORGE HARRISON

61     Into The Great Wide Open TOM PETTY

62     Is She Really Going Out With Him? JOE JACKSON

63     It’s Only Rock and Roll ROLLING STONES

64     It’s Over (The Fat Gal Is Singing) TB AND THE BH

65     Jumpin’ Jack Flash ROLLING STONES

66     Just Breathe PEARL JAM

67     Lay Down Sally ERIC CLAPTON

68     Lay Lady Lay DYLAN

69     Let It Bleed ROLLING STONES

70     Levon ELTON JOHN

71     Like A Rolling Stone DYLAN

72     Lodi CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

73     Lola KINKS

74     Long Distance Love TB AND THE BH

75     Long May You Run NEIL YOUNG

76     Lost Highway HANK WILLIAMS

77     Man On The Moon REM

78     Man Out Of Time ELVIS COSTELLO

79     Mary Jane’s Last Dance TOM PETTY

80     Melissa ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

81     Message In A Bottle POLICE

82     Mighty Quinn, The DYLAN

83     Mr. Bojangles DIRT BAND

84     Never Been To Spain THREE DOG NIGHT

85     North Dakota LYLE LOVETT

86     Oliver’s Army EVIS COSTELLO

87     Only The Good Die Young BILLY JOEL

88     Ophelia THE BAND

89     Out Of Control DAVE ALVIN

90     Paradise JOHN PRINE

91     Photograph RINGO

92     Prove It All Night BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

93     Radio, Radio ELVIS COSTELLO

94     Rain BEATLES

95     Raspberry Beret PRINCE

96     Reckless With Love TB AND THE BH

97     Revolution BEATLES

98     River, The BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

99     Rock and Roll LOU REED/VELVET UNDERGROUND

100  Rocket Man ELTON JOHN

101  Scientist, The COLDPLAY

102  She Can Take Me For A Ride TB AND THE BH

103  Should I Stay (Or Should I Go?) CLASH

104  Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay OTIS REDDING

105  Sitting, Waiting, Wishing  JACK JOHNSON

106  Sixteen Days WHISKEYTOWN/RYAN ADAMS

107  Slow Turning JOHN HIATT

108  Something In You TB AND THE BH

109  Step In Peace (Tic Tac Toe) TB AND THE BH

110  Sunny Afternoon KINKS

111  Sunshine Superman DONOVAN

112  Sweet Jane LOU REED/VELVET UNDERGROUND

113  Sweetheart Like You BOB DYLAN

114  Tangled Up In Blue DYLAN

115  Tequila Sunrise EAGLES

116  Under The Milky Way THE CHURCH

117  Up On Cripple Creek THE BAND

118   Wagon Wheel OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

119   Waiting On A Friend ROLLING STONES

120    We Were High TB AND THE BH

121    Weight, The THE BAND

122    When You Were Mine PRINCE

123    While My Guitar Gently Weeps BEATLES

124    Who Says? JOHN MAYER

125    Wild Horses ROLLING STONES

126    Willin’ LITTLE FEAT

127    With A Little Help From My Friends BEATLES

128    Workin’ At The Car Wash Blues JIM CROCE

129    Yellow COLDPLAY

130    Yes, It Is BEATLES

131    You Always Were The First TB AND THE BH

132    You Can’t Always Get What You Want STONES

133    You Wreck Me TOM PETTY

134    You’ve Got A Friend CAROLE KING/J.T

All Hail WITT-FM!

I have been incredibly remiss in not congratulating Jim Walsh and all the folks at our (relatively) new community radio station, WITT-FM, for recently celebrating their first year on the air. An incredible achievement of pure dedication by longtime hip broadcaster Mr. Walsh, and an excellent implementation by all involved! A-Squared Radio, Matt Masters' Rock N Rhythm Revue, and Stuck In The Psychedelic Era are my current fave shows. I hope to track the hosts down and interview them soon. Thanks, folks - for brightening our lives!

Different Beat Radio #6: "Pure Prine" returns, The Elect, Punkin Holler Boys, Simon Brawl, Lon Ohnder

Different Beat Radio returns with the long-awaited Episode #6! Tim gives you the rundown on the remounting of "Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine", which is playing now thru September 12, 2010 at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The show features Tim playing and singing with amazing cohorts Michael Shelton, Jenni Gregory, Bobbie Lancaster, Tim Grimm and Jan Lucas. Tickets are available at www.phoenixtheatre.org. 

The cast of "Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine"

Plus, fabulous music from three acts from The Wilds Of Indiana:

The Elect is an incredibly tight 6-piece rock band from Indianapolis. Listen to the groovin' cut "Use Me Up", from their latest LP, "In Your Heart There's A Light". 

The Elect

The Punkin Holler Boys are a long-running singer/songwriter collective who have just released a career-spanning retrospective, "Tin Ears (Ten Years)". Listen to to fabulous Ralph Jeffers-penned "You Changed Your Mind."

The Punkin Holler Boys

Simon Brawl is a loud and wild rock trio, featuring Kentucky-born guitarist/vocalist Garson Combs. Now living in Indy, check out Garson's sprawling epic inspired by his grandfather, "Head To The Mountains".

Garson Combs of Simon Brawl

Plus, (in honor of the release of the Major Motion Picture "Howl" - featuring James Franco as Allen Ginsberg) spoken word from poet/painter/singer/songwriter Lon Ohnder. Dig his poem, "Life".

Lon Ohnder

Different Beat Radio, Episode #5:"Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine", danny flanigan, Paul Matthew Lauck and Richard Torres, 4.30.10!

The latest episode of my new "Different Beat Radio" show/podcast is up and out. You can read all about it here, listen by right-clicking on the title to this entry, or go to www.differentbeatradio.com and subscribe. Or subscribe via iTunes. It's all so damn confusing, I hope you can figure it out and give it a listen!?!? (I still think the easiest way is to subscribe at the DBR site, and it will just show up in your e-mail!) Happy Spring, all.......

Different Beat Radio, Episode #5:"Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine", danny flanigan, Paul Matthew Lauck and Richard Torres, 4.30.10!

Brought to you by Greek's Pizza!

Ah, Episode #5, an eclectic offering rather quickly compiled by the currently rather time-crunched Mr. B. Featuring a quick preview of the upcoming "Pure Prine: The Music of John Prine", a theatrical concert experience at the Phoenix Theatre conceived and directed by Bryan Fonseca, starring Tim Grimm, Jan Lucas, Michael Shelton, Jenni Gregory, Bobby Lancaster, and the currently rather time-crunched Mr. B. We don't want to give away to many details, but it is going to be an enlightening and entertaining overview of the work of Mr. Prine, one of the wittiest and warmly wryest American singer/songwriters of the past 40 years. We believe it's going to be a pretty wild acoustic rock and roll theatre ride, Jim! There are 7 performances - May 7-9, and then May 13-16. Click and go to the Phoenix Theatre website for tickets!

                                      

In honor of Mr. Prine, we then feature music from two area singer/songwriters continuing the classic American singer/songwriter tradition. danny flanigan (he prefers lower-case, like e.e. cummings) is a Louisville, KY resident, and Paul Matthew Lauck is from Greenfield, IN. As you'll hear, they both know how to write a pretty damn good song. Then, a good bit of a little post-bop tenor from Tim's long-time saxophonist colleague Richard Torres, with "L.A. Stomp" of off his "From Kenton To Now" release with sometimes Steely Dan drummer Peter Erskine!

And news of our new sponsor, Greek's Pizza, who besides sponsoring Different Beat Radio, is now featuring Tim performing outside on their groovy, vibe-laden Broad Ripple outside deck Wednesdays and Sundays at 6PM (and Paul Matthew Lauck on Thursdays). We aim to reclaim Pottersville. people! Approx. 25 minutes, 2010)

Different Beat Radio, Episode #4: Low Flying Helicopters, Tom Gulley. Plus: Our 212th Download!

   Episode #4 of our new Different Beat Radio show/podcast is live and on-the-air for you to listen to or download at www.differentbeatradio.com! (Or click on this entry title.) Go subscribe at the DBR website, will ya? This episode features a fabulous new rock band, Low Flying Helicopters (featuring the songs, voice and guitar of Ray Lincks) and comedy segments from noted Mad Man/broadcaster Tom Gulley.
   Plus, we just passed a milestone - our 212th download. To celebrate, we shall drink some delicious Bell's Beer.

The Passing Of Claude Sifferlen.

 With deep regret, I share the sad news of the passing of Indianapolis jazz piano great Claude Sifferlen, at the age of 69. Claude was a musical hero of mine, who I first saw perform in 1986 at the Chatterbox. His playing - the pure beauty of his other-worldly harmonic architecture, the intellectual power and spiritual grace of his improvisation, and his simultaneous fathomless complexity and quiet simplicity - was one of my favorite things in the world. Claude was an inspiration that truly altered my life's trajectory, and that of so many others. I will never forget the moments of brief grandeur he found - and shared - with us.

   I did not know him well as I would have liked to, but I heard him perform probably hundreds of times through the years and had the sublime opportunity to record him on a session at Hit City a few years ago. The fact that he even knew my name was a great pleasure to me. Claude was a true gentleman and one of those rare virtuosos whose ego did not overshadow his amazing gifts. I would like to offer my condolences to his family, collaborators and friends, and let you know that there are two musical celebrations scheduled (to both honor his infinite spirit and pay some earthly medical expenses): March 31 at the Jazz Kitchen, and at the Chatterbox on April 8.

Different Beat Radio, Episode #3: "Writers + Restaurants = Rock", 3-2-10. Plus, our 112th Download!!!

Last week saw the successful launch of Episode #3 of my new Different Beat Radio show/podcast, featuring music by and interviews with Richard Sullivan and J.J. Pearson. You can click on the title of this entry to listen, or better yet, go to DifferentBeatRadio.com to subscribe to future episodes via iTunes, RSS or e-mail....

And in related news, this morning we passed our 112th download! I know it's rather ridiculous to be excited about that when iTunes just passed it 12 Billionth Download, or something like that, but hey, somewhere out there, you are listening - and for that we are incredibly grateful......

"Different Beat Radio" on iTunes, new website....

The second episode of my new Different Beat Radio podcast/radio show is out, and after a two-week, rather steep learning curve (for this old-school sort) - it's now an actual, honest-to-Gawd podcast. You can- and I urge you to! - subscribe in a variety of ways:

If you are like me, iTunes is the easiest way to subscribe, download and listen to podcasts. You need to have iTunes on your computer, then go to:

http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/different-beat-radio/id357423670

hit "subscribe", and you'll get all the upcoming episodes.

You can also go to:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/DifferentBeatRadio

which is where the podcast "feed" lives. You can read up on each episode, listen or download, and subscribe via a variety of "podcatchers" (such as iTunes) or - in a handy feature - subscribe via your good, old-fashioned e-mail - each new episode will be delivered to your mailbox. Sweet!

And, finally, while I will continue to post the episodes here, there is a new site specifically for the radio show, and that is:

http://www.differentbeatradio.blogspot.com

Go check it out - interesting stuff there about Episode #2, "The Birth Of The Geez"......

Different Beat Radio, Episode #2: The Birth Of The Geez, 2-15-10

OK, getting closer on this becoming an actual podcast. But not there yet. For the time being, download here:

Listen/download Different Beat Radio, Episode #2: The Birth Of The Geez, 2-15-10

This episode was a blast to do. Mostly, because as I neared the end of it I realized I was actually going to do at least two of these things.

But really mostly because of the music. This episode features Indianapolis singer-songwriter Scott Sanders, and Louisville-by-way-of-Portland, Oregon Chuck Foster. Plus a track-in-progress from your's truly.

My New Podcast/Radio Show: Say 'hello' to Different Beat Radio!

Folks, attempting to get my Podcasting chops going here. For now, it's going to be called "Different Beat Radio". (Different Beat was the name of a Indianapolis music magazine I helped publish for two runs, in the late-80's, and mid-90's.) It's going to be a radio show about all the music I'm involved with at the studio: recordings-in-progress, interviews, live performances, material from the vast Hit City archives. First episode features Ann Arbor's Monument Valley (see below blog entry) and Rosetta Pebble from Detroit. The approx. 20 minute show was a blast to do, and I hope it will become a great way to share all the good stuff we're doing here with all of you. Like I say, still trying to research/understand/get the hang of this whole Podcasting thing.....in the meantime, you can click here to listen!  http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2317685

The Greatest Band Of The Decade

This is Monument Valley (L to R: Zack, Dustin, Colin, Jesse). They are from Ann Arbor, MI and they are the Greatest Band Of The Decade. I had the distinct pleasure of recording their debut album last week and, let me tell you people, it is some phenomenal rock and roll, roaring along in the footprints of ancestral Ann Arbor rockers like Iggy and The Stooges, The MC5, and The Alice Cooper Group. It's always hard to categorize a "sound", but imagine Jeff Buckley fronting King Crimson....no.....Rufus Wainright fronting Gang of Four.....no....Robert Smith fronting The Doors with angular guitar and weird synth instead of all of that bloody organ. Aww, you're just gonna have to hear it for yourself, so here's a rough mix, the opening salvo of The Rock and Roll of the 10's, "Wino On The Wagon". Click here to listen:

                                             
                                             http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2277940

Guitarist-vocalist Zack Jones' songs are intricate poetic and musical constructs, not self-consciously trying to be different, but organically-created original compositions that have an arcane structure all their own. And his voice - despite the above comparisons - is also his own, a careening emotional roller coaster ride of a voice that soars perfectly above the twisting musical tracks. Like early Michael Stipe, you may not be able to make out all the words (partly by design, partly by overly-complex syntax) but phrases pop out: "to defray", "sycophants", "praises God in golden cuff-links", "moral continuity". And then there's the killer chorus, "I'm not here in the world, speaking only in slurs", and the extended, elegaic coda which somehow mixes Three's Company with the Great Wall Of China. Through my long days/nights of work with them - and the repeated listens that go with that territory - I was able to glean a bit of a story here though, a redemption song of sorts, that leaves the protaganist alive, but truly living?

Well, Monument Vallet is totally living, for crissakes. The band (also including Zach's brother Dustin on deceptively simple beautiful synth lines, Colin McCormick on solid, funky-by-way-of-Manchester bass and Jesse I-don't-know-his-last-name-but-he's-cynically-awesome on drums) is obsessively well-rehearsed and so good, so artistically supportive of Zach's superlative material that Monument Valley has restored my faith in the undying transcendental power of true rock and roll. Stay tuned for an Indy show (in the newly-constructed Happy Channel TV studio at Hit City) and news about the album release later this spring.......

Holiday Music, part two....

Holiday Music, part one....

OK, here's a little holiday cheer that's been cracking me up all month. Here's a track I just produced for the Phoenix Theatre "A Very Phoenix Xmas 4", which wraps up it's very successful run this weekend.

My pal and colleague Bryan Fonseca at the Phoenix has an unnatural, overpowering love of holiday music. (Betcha didn't know that, did ya?) Anyway, he found this fabulous song, "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?", by Adam Gardner from the Boston rock group Guster. It was released a few years ago on an album of Hanukkah (sp?) songs by a sidegroup of Gardner's called The Lee Vee's. Anyway, Bryan came up with a faux-"American Idol" holiday skit for the Xmas show, and asked me to produce a handful of tracks.

Anyway, the Lee Vee's version has a very edgy, almost "Armed Forces"-era Elvis C. vibe, but Bryan wanted the song to be sung live by some of the cast as a 60's-esque folk group - "Jesus, Joe and Mary" - so it was off to Folk-Rock Land for me. It's a really, really funny and witty song, and I haven't been able to get the cast in to sing on it yet, so I decided to sing it myself.

Happy Holidays to all!

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2150462

Great Neighborhood Street Fair tonight...

I guess you'd call it a street fair, it's a a big outdoor fundraiser for St. Thomas Aquinas, their annual "SausageFest" throwdown all weekend. We're doing a full band set tonight, it's on the parish grounds at 46th and Illinois, we go on at 10PM. I don't want summer to go.....

Wild Weekend.....

....which actually started last night, our inaugural gig at Z's Oysterbar, in Castleton. A fantastic, upscale seafood/steakhouse with a lakeside patio (and, now, live music on Thursday and Friday nights.) From Louisville, where there are two locations, this a gorgeous, still under-the-Indy-radar independently-owned gem ala Oceanaire or Dunaway's. We're going to be back most Thursdays in August....Tonight, we're back west at the Chateau Thomas Winery in Plainfield, from 7PM to 10PM. Looks like it's going to be a lovely night of rocking under the stars in their new, expanded outdoor wine garden......Tomorrow night, I'm doing pre-show music for HART's production of "Much Ado", outside at the White River State Park downtown. (The rock-hewn ampitheatre, just north of the bridge that leads to the Zoo. ) My actor/musician friend Michael Shelton ('Rusty Nubbins' in "Zoomerville") is one of the guiding lights of HART (Heartland Actor's Repertory Company) and is playing Benedick to Diane Timmerman's Beatrice. The cast also includes Chuck Goad ('Buck") and Scot Greenwell ("John') from "Zoomerville". It will be a fabulous, fun, accessible night of Shakespearean frolic. Expect a big crowd, and - as Nuvo so wisely noted - bring sunglasses, because you'll be facing west. And - as Nuvo erroneously reported - I will not be playing standards, but rather performing solo, mine and David's songs plus some selected covers by Paul Simon, John Prine, Elvis Costello, Dylan, etc. (Or,as I call it, "Shakespeare Rock".) Cara Jean Wahlers is performing pre-show for tonight's performance. Music both nights starts at 6:30PM, with the play at 8PM....And if that wasn't enough, this weekend is the "48 Hour Film Project", the international, 'make a movie in 2 days from conception to final cut' competition, which I am once again helping producer/director David Yosha with. Our entry from last year, "Foil", actually won the Indianapolis competition, so the pressure's on. At 6PM tonight, David will draw a card that will give him a genre, and a few other specifics that must be in the film (a certain prop, or a line of script), and we're off. After the Chateau performance, I'll race back to try and get in on some of the writing tonight, David has a full crew ready to go, and will shoot all day tomorrow, edit Sunday morning, I'll score it in a few hours Sunday afternoon, and the final cut gets delivered on DVD by Sunday, 6PM. Man, I already need a nap......

Damn this rain - no 4th of July show at Zing tonight...

Hello, my people. Just trying to get the word out - no big outdoor Bleeding Hearts rock and roll bash before the fireworks at Zing tonight, due to the rain. Just looks too iffy to go thru the hassle - and no place for cover down in the parking lot where we were planning on setting up. But I hope it's a lovely holiday for everyone anyway - and don't forget to cheer for Andy Roddick when he goes up against Roger Federer tomorrow morning in the Wimbledon final. (I totally love Federer, so I'll be happy if he wins - and breaks Sampras' 14 Grand Slam record - but Roddick has spent the last year and half retooling both himself and his game, and so deserves to be in this final...)

We're filling in at the Phoenix "Brew-Ha-Ha" tomorrow...

Due to some kind of scheduling snafu, there's an opening at tomorrow's big Brew-Ha-Ha fundraiser for my beloved Phoenix Theatre, so the Bleeding Hearts (the Big Hearts, really) and I will be there doing one long rockin' set at 5:30PM. (And then, of course, it's on to my solo show at Zing at 9PM.) The event is outside the Theatre, they block off Park, set the bands up on a big porch, and fill the street with various micro-brew and food vendors, including a Bell's booth manned by beer geek superhero Veronica Sanders. Check out www.phoenixtheatre.org for more info. (And get well wishes go out to Phoenix staffer Tom Robertson, who has been a bit under the weather this week - here's to a speedy recovery, brother...)

"Zing" went the strings of my....guitar!?!

For those who don't know yet, there is a great new restaurant/bar in town called Zing, and I am proud to be helping them book live acoustic music on Saturday nights. (I'll be there myself this Saturday night, 6.27, from 9PM to Midnight.) It's a truly fabulous, stylish place (much the same vibe as dearly-in-hiatus D'Vine), downtown in the heart of "Indiana Avenue", across from the Madame Walker Theatre at the corner of West and Indiana. In the past month or so, some of my favorite local singers and songwriters have been gracious enough to make the scene, including Cara Wahlers (with fab cellist cohort Grover Parido), Paul Lauck and Gary Wasson. And it looks like the Bleeding Hearts and I will playing next Saturday, July 4, (yes, it's here already!) out in the Zing parking lot for all you fireworks aficionados, from 6PM to 9PM.

5th annual "Teen Art and Music Festival" is this Saturday at Broad Ripple Park!

Here's the NUVO preview, which will giva ya all the pertinent info:
http://nuvo.net/music/article/teen-arts-and-music-festival-preview

The background: This is the 3rd year I've been involved with this awesomely cool event organized by the awesomely vision-fueled Matt Stokes and Janet Gilray. An independent, grass-rootsly organized big ol' rock and art show featuring teen bands and visual artists. And this year, it's at Broad Ripple Park (site for many a teen rock and roll scene or two for my pals Lon and Jon Ohnder) this Saturday, June 13th, from 11AM to 7PM. The bands and art are always fabulous, and it's sure feels good to help provide a forum for some kids to rock out. Plus, there's going to be a whompin' PA this year, courtesy some appreciated volunteers from always-great sounding Klipsch, coordinated by, with thanks again to, Michael Colter. The BH's play a short set, as the token "Elder" rockers. (I think that's the new genre name for our band, by the way. As in ascribing the values of the golden Rock Elders. And - at least in our case - being old as hell.)

Jay Harvey review of "Zippers" in the Indy Star.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009905150364 .

It's nice to be appreciated, isn't it? I still remember years ago, Mr. Harvey reviewed a Big Band performance of ours at the Indy Jazz Fest, and he praised the "spirited, quirky resuscitation's" of some famous Nelson Riddle/Sinatra arrangements. I thought the same thing then, as I did this morning - someone gets it! (Especially in his praise of the "hard-working" cast. Watching them work their craft - and seeing the characters grow with each each performance - has been one of the real treats of this experience.)

"We're Open. Therefore, We're Ready."

Bryan Fonseca tells me I coined this phrase in the fateful crunch-time of one of our early musical productions, probably "Three Penny Opera" in 1986, and it's stuck with him ever since. And I suppose it works, it's basic logic is inescapable: "Zippers Of Zoomerville" opened last Thursday night, and therefore, we were ready.

In that same pre-show, get-your-head-together chat w/ Bryan, he told me another saying, which I'm going to mangle here, that he attributed to the wonderful Gayle Steigerwald. Concerning the long, exhausting, eventful, elating yet often-contentious rehearsal process (check my memoirs out in a few years for all the salacious, tendentious details) she once told Bryan something along the lines of: That was the play we all thought we were in. Once it opens, it becomes the play we're all really in.

And so, we're really in it now - every Wednesday thru Saturday night until June 6. (Weds./Thrs. @ 7PM, Fri./Sat. @ 8PM - call 317.635.PLAY or go to http://www.phoenixtheatre.org/ for tix.)

The early reviews have been incredibly heartening. I'm tempted to pull quotes, but will demur and let you read them in their unexpurgated glory:

"Zippy Zoomerville Launched", Lou Harry, Indianapolis Business Journal, his "A+E" column: http://ae.ibj.com/blogshell.asp?p=466

"Theatre Review: 'The Zippers Of Zoomerville' at the Phoenix", Hope Baugh, Indy Theatre Habit: http://www.indytheatrehabit.com/2009/05/11/theatre-review-the-zippers-of-zoomerville-at-the-phoenix/#more-986 , and

"Photo Flash: The Zippers Of Zoomerville at Phoenix Theatre", BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_THE_ZIPPERS_OF_ZOOMERVILLE_At_Phoenix_Theatre_20090507
The shows have been a blast so far. The incredible skill, talent, heart and soul of the cast has been a wonder to behold. It's truly a really fun night of entertainment - and I'm not just saying that to put asses in the seats. (Although I probably would, if it were a dog. But it's not. It's a good time. Come put your ass in a seat. Really.)