for starters

rather been a reflective few wks. bdays and some free time can cause that we guess.

of the many thoughts we had, there was one about us and bands. one previously unknown similarity has come up.

that we tend to stay with the bands we had a part in starting.

we look back to all the bands we’ve had the great opportunity to play and perform with and see that point come up way too often. its great to see how a band evolves from nothing and the road it goes on is well worth all the time spent. perhaps that is the fire that keeps us involved thru thick & thin. the great thing about the 3 bands we are in right now is that we’ve been there in all of them in the formation stages. that bodes well moving forward. the forecast is solid and is going to be busy!

the reasons why we haven’t stayed in the bands we weren’t there in the formation stages all vary. trying to come up with a catch all, all encompassing phrase for the reasons but so far it has eluded us. perhaps its a lack of feeling that we are not a contributing part of something but rather a bit player or a gun for hire or some other elusive feeling. or since we weren’t there from day1 we are not that emotionally and time invested and that makes saying au revoir easier.

speaking of feelings, it feels like this post will likely get edited once we come up with more answers and think this thought thru more fully! at least we’ve started the thought process by finally writing it down!

that’s a wrap April!

another month has flown by!

struggling with a flu bug for the later half of the month has made things more challenging but nonetheless, forward ho!

today we were sadden by the news that Molly’s Chamber, the cover act we left 7 weeks ago has now officially gone on hiatus. we thought it would be easy for them to find a replacement bassist as the material and the other players were quite solid. still unknown what exactly has transpired but its still sad news nonetheless. here’s to hoping they all land on their feet!

the dj nights at the Schomberg pub every Saturday have been a treat. the regulars and the casual atmosphere make for a great time out each and every time! its also been great to pick up on what’s new and happening in the music scene and to gauge what ppl want to hear. been havin’ a ball no matter who shows up!

also this past month, we’ve been jamming with a few guys we’ve known almost since day 1 on the bass. we have been lucky enuff to finally find a singer/guitarist that fits. so far its been a helluva lot of fun playing what we all like to play and hear in a no pressure/casual/just4kicks atmosphere. finally a group that wants to do a few Clash songs!

after Skipapalooza (pic=new sticks&bag this month!), the members of Rosalita asked us to become the permanent percussionist for the band. an offer in which we quickly/gladly accepted! its been a great way to keep our feet wet on the kit and also to learn/develop musically. the forecast calls for good times ahead & 2nite is our first official jam since the party. there’s lots of new material & a new bassist on the horizon as well!

Those Handsome Hooligans have been picking up speed for a rather hectic summer. expect more posts on that in the days ahead. expecting a tee shirt run in the near future. crazy! check out our posters while u sanitize!

lastly, we’ve been pickin’ at the ol’ geetar of late. been thinkin’ aboot an open mic nite in the near future. we’ll see. ah, so many songs, so little time… the fire that fuels us. new shoes this past month too! feels so good!

time 2 hooliganize!

things have been pumpin’ along swimmingly for Those Handsome Hooligans. 2 weeks ago, we rocked the house at Skipapalooza and this past week, we wrapped up a sweet set in Barrie for a 911 charity fundraiser. also, we’ve managed to score 13 gigs between April 14th and Sept. 8th which is quite the feat for a band made up of day jobbers with fams. we are nearing 50 songs on the setlist and a run of tees are on the horizon. we were already pretty tight with the weekly practices but now that we have so many shows, the tip of the rock iceberg remains to be seen. goin’ to be a lot of rockin’ out these next few months. lets hope the body can handle it and we’ll see how high it can soar!

here’s a few posters for our upcoming shows in Barrie this Spring/Summer. hope to see you there!

strummernite 2012!

we were lucky enuff to have one day free on Easter weekend to check out strummernite 2012 in Hamilton at This Ain’t Hollywood.

we were the DD that night so celebration lubrication was a nonfactor.  last yr we were able to make 2 nights of the yearly tribute to all things Joe Strummer and enjoy ourselves to the fullest extent.  this year unfortunately was not quite the same but we did enjoy the night all the same… if that makes any sense?  there were a lot of familiar artists back onstage but that didn’t matter much.  hearing all those songs live is a sonic treat to the our ears that doesn’t happen nearly enuff.

we posted all the pics we took with on our flickr site  The Letdowns were once again a hilite.  our deepest sincerest thx go out to the organizers for putting this stellar event on and we look fwd to another next yr!  til then enjoy this cheapy video we took of Career Opp!

yukon blonde reviewish

we happened upon a free tix to go see Yukon Blonde at Lee’s Palace in Toronto last week.

expectations were low as we’d only heard the new single “stairway” once or twice. its catchy so how bad could it be?

well, they reminded us of an updated Grapes Of Wrath just with more technology behind their songs. their lead guitarist is good. really good. drummer impressively solid. bassist came out to the front with his awesome Ric more than a few times. that was nice to see him instead of not. the crowd banter was pathetic. “its so cool to be here” was said numerous times. they were all pretty much tall and super skinny which makes them an odd sight. also the 2 step lunge by the lead guitarist at the lead singer interplay seemed ok once but in every song??? in the end, we liked about 5 of their songs. what they are who knows.

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skipapaloozover!

well its been a few days since our annual event, skipapalooza
at orleans in newmarket and how can we sum it up other than AWESOME!

we brought out the ol’ disco ball for added visual deeelite. so far in the few pics we’ve seen, the ball looks amazing!

drumming for rosalita & sounding not loud proved to be quite the struggle despite our best of intentions. sorry to any1 we annoyed! live&learn. onwards&upwards. our longest set ever in the books!

those handsome hooligans showed no rust from the 4 month baby break and played pretty much from 1030-215 excluding 2×5 minute breaks. we were all anxious to play indeed!

more pics as they come in. thx to all who came out, the bands and a special thanks to orleans! hands down the best venue in newmarket!

bossome defined

skipapalooza2 this Saturday will be “bossome!”. here’s a quick definition: Bossome is a Bruce Springsteen related emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous & more fearful or respectful. Bossome is defined in Skip’s Wheel of Emotions as a combination of Rosalita -inspired delight, surprise & fear. One dictionary definition is “an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by Rosalita which is grand, sublime, & extremely powerful”. Another dictionary definition is a “mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, & wonder inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might reproduced by Rosalita: “We felt Bossome when contemplating the works of Bruce Springsteen.” “The observers were witness to the Bossome sounds of the Rosalita.”

return of the bloodskin

if u can recall, we recently found blood on the rental drumkit at the rehearsal factory. so we even more recently returned (a full 2 weeks later) to the exact same room to not only find the same old blood on the snare but even more blood than before!

good thing we had anticipated this & had brought our own snare for the rosalita jam!

speaking of the rosas, we did our last pre skipapalooza prep show at an open mic at grossmans tavern this week. each member got to choose a song for our mini set which was way cool. also the stage setup at grossmans is now improved and makes a massive difference.

whoa! lights even! a riser too! better soundboard! the grossmans we knew has changed for the better! we played decently on the kit. but once we were done, we were once again told we were too loud on the drums. struggling with the combo of keeping the BIG drum sound of springsteen alive while not being too loud for patrons. its tough lesson to learn & even a harder one to put into practice & use!

st paddy’s bandclash at oncue!

on this past st. paddy’s day we had the unique opportunity to partake in not only some drinkin BUT we also took part in a battle of the bands for the first time!

so the deal is each act plays a set, the crowd response at the end of the nite dictates who wins & the winner takes home $250. so for a fledgling band like our female led, all bruce springsteen cover band, Rosalita the chance to play is great & the chance to get paid=even greater!

Oncue was the venue & patrons also got deals on food/bevvys/pool as well as sonic entertainment all night for a modest cover. t’was a great deal all around!

originally 3 bands were on the bill but one dropped out last minute. the first group was a dance duo. they did a great job and the bar was set. Rosalita played a better set than our debut and from our standpoint behind the kit things went well. though for the 2nd show in a row, vocals were tough to hear (crowd had similar comments) but at least this time out we could hear all the instruments which was a HUGE bonus. our playing on the kit was decent enuff. we hadn’t had the time we’d hoped for rehearsing into the leadup to the show but managed anywho. also, it was a rare opportunity to get to use our own kit for a show. that was definitely a hilite for us!

we were a sweaty mess by the end & the end of the set applause sealed the deal… Rosalita had won! our first ever personal foray into a “battle of the bands” setting was a success! its not a bad deal for patrons, the bands or the venue. the acts gain the stage experience (needed thx!), the fans get to see diverse acts, and the venue gets a decent night of entertainment & patrons at a decent cost.

our bonus for the night was the discovery of this wonderful brew! st. ambroise oatmeal stout! smooth and delicious! highly recommended if u happen upon a tap somewhere. next time we see it, it’ll be a no brainer choice! aren’t those the best choices to have? ’til next post!

the only band that matters

“The Clash were a major influence on my own music. They were the best rock ‘n’ roll band. Thanks, Joe.”
- Bruce Springsteen

this pic of a painting was recently sent to us from our “paul” that plays in our bi-monthly all clash jam sessions. its a great take on one of our fave music images of all time.
sooooo looking fwd to strummer nites on Easter weekend in the Hammer! hoping to be there for at least one of the 3 nights & if we can swing 2 nights, we will!
here’s a quick & dirty list of items we played during our last all clash jam session:
bankrobber/gunsofbrixton/
onemoretime/garageland/
completecontrol/traininvain/
straight2hell/stayfree/whiteriot/
whitemaninhammersmith/
shouldistay/rudiecantfail/
lostinthesupermarket/tommygun/
clashcityrockers/clampdown/
brandnewcaddilac/charliedon’tsurf!

bits of/or discussed : i fought the law, death or glory, i’m so bored with the USA, spanish bombs, i’m not down

note 2 self: lets effort to get the all clash jams bumped up to monthly ones! its far to long to wait between sessions!