WE GOT IT!!!!!!

These super-duper short notice things NEVER work out. EVER. But apparently I had a karma chip to cash in, cos it's a full-on go.

Friday June 2nd - Cafe Du Nord
Red Lightning (feat. Alain Whyte, Morrissey's guitarist & songwriter) * 1st Bay Area Show!
Hope Chest

Details as they arrive. Time to fucking celebrate.

I am expecting every fucking one of you to be there. Dressed nicely.

Oh yeah: fuck this guy.

Best Blog Post EVARR!!!1!

Seriously - this is genius, and perfect for a Friday. Go there and pay homage.

This is how cats come into the world:

No storks or, even more ridiculous, Mama Cats. Nope, they come from UPS. Almost full grown.

FUCK ME RUNNING - THE GIG IS 90% CONFIRMED

I should know tomorrow if it's a "yes" or "no". And it's lookin' like one big motherfucking "yes".

If you believe in God, pray for me. If you don't, drink for me (that's what you call a "win-win situation").

Amazing

This just may be the coolest website ever, and, indeed, justification for the internet as a whole.

I Am Cracked Out Right Now

I have had 3 cups of coffee and an email with potentially the most important gig we've ever played today.

I am bouncing off of fucking walls right now.

If this gig actually comes off, HO-LEE FOOKIN' SHIT. WATCH OUT.

I will keep you posted - cross yer fingers.

Back In The Saddle

I am back and in fine singing voice once more. Yes, I am still handsome.

This was some awful shit. A good diet, but horrid in every other way.

Tomorrow I have 21 bath bombs coming from Basin. Can you say "FUCK YEAH!!"?

I have exactly 3,915 emails to read...oh wait - 3,896 are spam.

The secret word of the day is "sushi". Scream any time you hear someone say it!

I'm gonna go around give everyone some love, so be patient and wait yer turn - apparently Jesus loves kids who do that shit.

Oh yeah, the new Hope Chest songs KICK ASS.


Hope Chest live, courtesy of Fulsome.

Strep Throat For The Past 5 Days

...and all you get is this lousy blog post.

I still love you, it just hurts my throat to say it.

Here's a nice pic of the Salford Lads Club, suitable for desktops.

And here is Isabella watching the fish.

New Hope Chest Single Out Next Month

Our new single will be released next month. The "My Huckleberry Friend" EP will be available on 7" vinyl (that's a "record" to you analog luddites).

A: Lipstick
B1: Three
B2: My Huckleberry Friend

Dig it.

If You Have 5 Seconds To Spare...

...I'd like to expand upon my feelings about the post below and the importance of those remembered below. The links are to pages where you can download the songs I am reminiscing about. I'll update the links as I have more of them available.

While I grew up listening to Gene Pitney on the radio, it was the classic "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", his duet with Marc Almond that made me love him so much. An iconic singer/songwriter paired with the only vocalist I love as much as Morrissey, singing some of the most romantic lyrics ever to an amazing score by a big band (in the classic sense)...let's just say that there were MANY wistful minutes spent staring out of windows, daydreaming.

Everyone who watched The Partridge Family basically knew The Cowsills - it was based on them. They would've actually been on the show themselves but producers decided on actors who were musicians. They had their hits, but the song that has always been my favorite is "The Mystery of Life", a brooding song that resonated with me far more than it should have at such an early age (kinda like my obsession with "In My Room" by The Beach Boys when I was 6). When I heard about the flood and the worried family, the lyrics to it immediately sprung to mind and the tears came. Now, with the way history has been written with Barry and Billy, the tears fall even more readily.

Gilks was the drummer for The Wonder Stuff, an amazing, acerbic Brum pop band. It always seemed like pop gems just flowed from them like water from melting snow. They were one of those bands you'd listen to after a break up and say "yep - that's exactly what I'm going through". Can't Shape Up, indeed...

Requiescat In Pace

Gene Pitney

Billy Cowsill * Barry Cowsill

Martin Gilks

Pics From Last Gig

Courtesy of my guitar player's girlfriend, Heather.

May 9, 2006

Okay, now THIS is gonna be fun...

May 9, 2006 - Studio Z, San Francisco

Hope Chest
Astral
others TBA

This will be the return of the Hope Chest light show and a return to sequencers for half of the set. We're playing a bunch of new songs. We may even have a special guest for a special song. And Astral is just fucking great live. We don't usually play this early in the week, but we'll ALWAYS play a show with our mates.

UPDATE: We will have a guest - Dave from Astral will join us on-stage for a special cover. Hell yeah.