BREAKING NEWS! THREE DAYS IN NYC FREE UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT!

In light of the whole Amazon/Macmillan Publishing debacle, I, along with my fellow Phaze authors, am offering selected free book(s) for the remainder of the weekend.

I've decided to give away Three Days in New York City, the first book in my "Sins in the City" collection.



Grab a copy right here. And if you enjoy it, don't forget books two and three in the series, Another Bite of the Apple and Bitten to the Core, respectively.

Just so you all know, there are many alternatives to Amazon. Support All Romance, Phaze, and Indie Bound!

Thanks and enjoy!

Later,
xo
P.S. Three Days in New York City is a romantic comedy, yes, but it is also erotica. So this is Adults Only please.

What's been going down Part III and Happy Birthday Julie Slick!

ETA: From last night's show in Rhode Island and now I see what Eric meant about the stage decor. Very cool.



Good morning!

Well, let me start off by saying: HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY JULIE SLICK!



Sigh...I remember when she was just a young lass of 23.

Wasn't I just 24 yesterday? Arghh...where are the years going? Ah well. I'm one of the lucky ones. Life is good.

And life is especially good for Eric Slick right now, who, if I am to believe the powers of Twitter, had another most excellent show last night.

@CarolineRCook: "Frankie thanks for the great show! Dr. Dog's amazing!" And she posted this pic:



@JawsForJesus: "Dr. Dog! In concert! Fuck yeah!"

@taylordukes: "Dr. Dog is quite fantastic."

@nabokovsnose: "Dr. Dog: Totally fucking excellent. Never put on a bad show, these guys."

In the Buffalo News, an article by brililant music critic Jeff Miers regarding the band's upcoming show Monday, February 1 at Mohawk Place in his fair city:

"CLUB CHATTER
BY JEFF MIERS
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
Published: January 29, 2010,

Dog days

Formed as a freaky home-studio project in Philadelphia, Dr. Dog might have remained a local legend — or perhaps just a place for the band’s intellectual but decidedly irreverent members to store all of their wildest fantasies, via digital bits and bytes — minus the intervention of old-fashioned luck.

Dr. Dog started getting very good very quickly after forming in the late 1990s, as members Scott McMicken, Toby Leaman and Zach Miller set about honing the studio craft represented by the indie releases “Psychedelic Swamp,” “Toothbrush,” “Easy Beat,” “We All Belong” and “Fate” through beaucoup touring. Somewhere along the line, some benevolent angel slipped a cassette compilation of Dr. Dog tunes to My Morning Jacket singer/songwriter/ guitarist Jim James, who quickly fell in love with what he heard and signed the band to open its 2005 tour.

Now, Dr. Dog is signed to the coolest of big time independent labels — Anti-, the home of Tom Waits and other folks who are almost as cool.

The band has a new drummer, too. Certainly, it won’t hurt these guys to be playing with the skinsman who, for my money, is the finest his particular generation has yet produced — one Eric Slick, known to Buffalo audiences for the blistering performances he’s offered as one third of the stellar Adrian Belew Power Trio.

Slick is still a member of the Belew Power Trio, but he’ll be with Dr. Dog when the band debuts material from its upcoming release “Shame, Shame” in Mohawk Place at 8 p. m. Monday. The Growlers will open the show."

Jeff Miers has the honor of being the writer of my favorite review of the Adrian Belew Power Trio EVER so it's really cool to see him now writing about Dr. Dog...here's a link to that article, which was written in September, 2009 following their performance at the Tralf Music Hall.

Here's some more press out of Buffalo, brought to you by ArtVoice:

"Dr. Dog
On Monday (Feb. 1), Dr. Dog will bring their sixties-influenced pop-rock to the Mohawk Place. The Philadelphia-based quintet mixes lush vocal harmonies and jangling guitar chords like some bygone AM radio station, spelling out summertime with hopeful songs about the breeze, sunny days, and dreams. The band formed in 2002 with lead vocal duties shared by Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken, who also play bass and lead guitar, respectively. Other band members include Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar), Zach Miller (keyboard), and Eric Slick (drums). Dr. Dog found their first major success with the release of 2007’s We All Belong, which made its way onto Rolling Stone’s Best Album and Best Song lists that year. Their song “My Friend” was featured in the trailer for Judd Apatow’s Funny People, taken from 2008’s Fate, released on Park the Van records. The band has since found a new home at ANTI- records, and 2010 will see the release of the new album Shame, Shame, out April 6. The first single, “Shadow People,” will be released only when the band’s Facebook page reaches 20,000 friends (so go to http://www.facebook.com/Drdog and become a fan.) Monday’s (Feb. 1) show at Mohawk Place will likely be a showcase for the new album’s songs fresh from the studio. Special guests will be Long Beach, CA’s the Growlers, supporting their album Are You In Or Out.

—peter vullo"

So that covers Buffalo...tonight the band is playing in Syracuse, New York at the Wescott Theater and if you want to purchase tickets, here's the link to make it easy for you.

Okay, it's still pretty early and I'm sure more stuff will pop up during the day. As usual, I'll come back to this post with my ETAs ("edited to add" for those of you wondering what the fuck I'm talking about) and keep you all up to date. But for now, more coffee awaits.

Later,
xo

What's been going down: Part II

ETA #4 added - photo of Eric's drums adorned with flowers....see below

Meh. Not much to talk about.

Oh, I'm kidding. But I've been working on my new book and kind of distracted so forgive me.

Wait. Stop. ETA: Fantastic video of Ms. Julie Slick:



Wow. Okay. I am really smiling now.

ETA #2! Dr. Dog updated their website to include Eric, whose official band name is now "TEACH" which I think is highly appropriate on so many levels it's ridiculous. Here's what they have to say:

"Tour Kickoff!

With a horseshoe balcony offering fans the choice to be right above the action or down on the floor in the thick of things, Revolution Hall was an ideal place to start tour. The crowd responded to the new songs with applause and shouts for more new music. The band was on fire from the start, and Teach aced his first official Dr. Dog show on drums.

The kid wails, and it’s going to be a blast watching him grow with the band.

There were many, highlights, but “The Pretender” stands out as being extra special. The crowd was mixed with young fans like Annie, who has been to 3 shows and said,”This was my favorite one!” to older fans like Clayton, who attended his first show (based on a recommendation from his buddy) and left clutching prized copies of Fate and We All Belong on Vinyl and fond memories of his first Dr. Dog show.

Make sure you’re following us on Twitter @drdogmusic for our daily updates!

Love, Forrest
January 28th, 2010"

ETA #3: As tweeted by @drdogmusic: "Meet "Teach" who now mans the drum kit. Killed it last night. This kid mastered the catalog in record time."



So yes, as Forrest says, last night Eric began his first tour with Dr. Dog, and as usual, I'll be stalking the internet today for reviews. If I find any, I'll come in and add them to this post. I did find a bunch of people tweeting from the show, which was at Revolution Hall in Troy, New York (where Eric has played with both Project Object and the Adrian Belew Power Trio) so here's that:

@mmmaatt: "Dr. Dog concert last night was tons of fun. Rev Hall is a solid venue." And he posted this twitpic from the show:



@christenerowicz: "Dr. Dog was awesome! Best Wednesday night ever?"

@BTPete: "Seriously good show last night by Dr. Dog. If you can go see them."

@RidingWithJG: "Dr dog was amazing."

@Gruberama: "Dr. Dog is absolutely amazing! Best concert EEEVAR!!! And orange juggling too!"

@Phantogram: "Dr. Dog is so rad live!" And he posted this twitpic:



I did have a chance to chat briefly with Eric this morning and he told me he was having a blast. He said he was psyched by just the energy of the show, the good food, the low stress, and the incredible stage production with flowers and tiger heads everywhere. Of course I had to ask about the tiger heads, and he told me that yeah, every night, their stage is decorated with flowers, mascot heads, crazy plants, flamingos...he said it was pretty astounding. I will have to be on the lookout for a photo...I'm sure one will pop up and I'll insert it here. I think you can sort of get an idea in the first pic I posted above.

ETA #4 - Here you go...wow, I see what Eric means. That is amazing!



Tonight the band is playing at Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont, and there's a cool newspaper article about that right here. They were originally going to play the smaller room at Higher Ground but they sold it out so awesome news, they've been switched to the big room and there are still some tickets available.

On Saturday, they will be in Syracuse, and here's the press for that.

Before Eric took off, Tuesday evening we went out as a family for an early Julie Slick birthday celebration (the actual event is this Saturday, January 30) and we ate at our absolute favorite vegan restaurant -- maybe even our favorite restaurant, period -- Horizons. We decided to just share everything which was a most excellent call because every dish is better than the next and now that we are all vegetarian, there pretty much isn't anything one of us won't try. Here's what we had:

First Course:

Portobello Carpaccio
black olive blini, preserved lemon aioli, crispy capers, seaweed caviar

Smoked Eggplant Empanada
caraway dough, rapini, roasted peppers, and smoked mustard sauce

Vietnamese Tacos
crispy lemongrass tempeh, sriracha mayo, daikon, cilantro, carrot, & chile

Warm Winter Vegetable Salad
baby turnips, rutabaga & parsnips, shallots, pistachio black truffle vinaigrette

Second Course:

Pan Seared Peppercorn Tofu
creamed leeks, peas, and maitake mushrooms, braised black lentils, smoked tomato jus

Grilled Seitan
yukon mash, grilled spinach, horseradish cream and roasted red pepper tapenade

Tame and Wild Mushroom Plate
portobello shepherd's pie with deviled oyster mushrooms & truffled celery root 'crust', braised black trumpets, sage & grain mustard emulsion

Hearts of Palm & Curries
hearts of palm stuffed crêpe, crushed saffron cauliflower, green chutney raita, spiced yellow split pea mulligatawny

Dessert:

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake
oatmeal cookie crumble, cranberry caramel

Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding
caramel apples, eggnog ice cream

Chocolate Stuffed Beignets
marshmallow cocoa

If I had to pick my favorite out of each course, it would be really difficult, but what the hell, I can do it. The smoked eggplant empanada, the hearts of palm and curries crepe, and the chocolate stuffed beignets were pretty much to die for. Yeah, yeah, naturally my favorites were also the most fattening. So what else is new?

Anyway, the bottom line is, if you live in Philadelphia or come for a visit, Horizons restaurant is a must. Oh yeah, they have a great bar, too. Julie and I had the usual insane crazy cocktails made with weird spices that somehow taste fantastic and knock you on your ass, then Julie and Eric switched to a great red wine but I'll have to defer to Julie on that one (hopefully she'll blog it, I mean) because I have no idea what it was...just know they were both glowy happy drinking it. Ha.

In other Julie news, she's busy recording her first solo CD and I've heard a couple of tracks from it -- I have to admit, my jaw dropped. Who knew Julie could write such amazing music? Is there anything she can't do? Also, I know Eric has a brief window in his massive tour in mid-February and a few dates open in March so they are definitely going to try and book a few Paper Cat gigs...beyond that, I'm staying quiet for now because I don't want to jinx things.

Julie and I have decided to go full steam ahead with our cookbook, which is going to have the same name as Julie's blog: Having My Bass and Eating It, Too. We're considering the self-publishing route because we want to get it out quickly and be able to offer it from our respective websites, Amazon, etc. I thought about going the traditional route and sent out some queries but truthfully, I know only too well how the publishing world has changed and maybe in this case, putting the book out ourselves is the way to go. In any event, Julie has an awesome array of recipes she's concocted from restaurants and cultures in cities all over the world and we both have some serious food porn and personal photos...anyway, it's going to be a total rock and roll cookbook heavy on the vegetarian and full of anecdotes from the road..between the two of us, we have many, many stories. So we're thinking we'll do a print and digital version, and in a perfect world, we should have it ready within the next few months.

By the way, be on the lookout for the launch of Julie's fabulous new website. We'll both be pasting billboards all over the internet when it's live.

Speaking of writing, as I've announced a few thousand times, the third book in my "Sins in the City"series, which is called Bitten to the Core is available for sale by clicking the link on the book or over at Amazon, Smashwords, Fictionwise, AllRomance, and more. Night Owl Romance just gave it a stellar review which you can read by clicking on that link - there's an excerpt, too -- but I love how they wrap it up: "I recommend this easy and delightful read if you like your erotica with a funny leading lady and an absolutely charmingly sexy love interest."

Ah, that was nice. I could use a couple more reviews like that if anyone is so inclined. (insert smiley face emoticon here).

So that is it for now. I'll keep checking for Dr. Dog updates and if I find them, I'll be back.

Later,
xo

What's been going down: Part I

So as you should all know by now, yes, Eric Slick is the new drummer for Dr. Dog and it's damn exciting. Last Monday they had a photo shoot for their upcoming tour, and this is the first one published.



Here's a review of Ninja gig at Johnny Brenda's last Thursday...some additional photos and nice comments posted there, too.



Dr. Dog just signed with Anti Records

Take a look at who else is on this label.

And oh man, here's the "partial" tour schedule...more dates on the horizon, one of which is incredibly exciting.

Wed 01/27/10 Troy, NY Revolution Hall
Thu 01/28/10 South Burlington, VT Higher Ground
Fri 01/29/10 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Sat 01/30/10 Syracuse, NY The Westcott Theater
Mon 02/01/10 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
Wed 02/03/10 Pontiac, MI Pike Room
Thu 02/04/10 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
Fri 02/05/10 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
Sat 02/06/10 Iowa City, IA The Mill
Mon 02/08/10 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
Tue 02/09/10 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Brewing Company
Wed 02/10/10 Cleveland, OH The Spot @ Case Western University
Thu 02/11/10 Bloomington, IN Video Saloon
Fri 02/12/10 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Sat 02/13/10 State College, PA State Theatre
Fri 03/05/10 Los Angeles, CA Museum Of Natural History
Fri 03/12/10-3/12/10 (exact date TBA) St. Augustine, FL County Fairgrounds
Wed 04/14/10 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
Thu 04/15/10 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
Fri 04/16/10 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
Sat 04/17/10 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
Mon 04/19/10 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
Tue 04/20/10 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre
Thu 04/22/10 Boise, ID Neurolux
Fri 04/23/10 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
Sat 04/24/10 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Sun 04/25/10 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Tue 04/27/10 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda
Thu 04/29/10 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Company
Fri 04/30/10 Dallas, TX The Loft
Sat 05/01/10 Austin, TX Emo's
Sun 05/02/10 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
Mon 05/03/10 Fayetteville, AR George's Majestic Lounge
Wed 05/05/10 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
Thu 05/06/10 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
Fri 05/07/10 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
Tue 05/11/10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
on sale 1/22
Wed 05/12/10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
on sale 1/22
Thu 05/13/10 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
on sale 1/22
Fri 05/14/10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Sat 05/15/10 New York, NY Terminal 5

Sun 05/23/10 Berlin, Germany Magnet Club
Mon 05/24/10 Cologne, Germany Blue Shell
Tue 05/25/10 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
Wed 05/26/10 London, United Kingdom The Tabernacle
Thu 05/27/10 Paris, France Nouveau Casino

Appearing at "San Miguel Primavera Sound"
Sat 05/29/10 Barcelona, Spain Parc del Forum

Meanwhile, how cool is it that Eric gets to play the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, where his Dad saw his first concerts at age 15. We saw Jeff Beck there last May and I started having the fantasy back then though little did I know it would be Eric with a new band.

By the way, before he takes off on this gargantuan tour, Eric has two gigs this week which will be awesome. Tomorrow night, he is on the drums with Ape School and here are the details as published by the City Paper:

"Ape School is futuristic, but not in an entirely nerdy way, even though there are some moments in their oeuvre that can only be described as “beam me up” music. With Savior Adore, Circadian Rhythms, and New Motels, $8, 7:30 p.m., Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919."

On Friday night, Eric is playing with Lithuania at The Ox which I personally would love to see since Eric and Dom Angelella share vocals but um, I'd kinda feel like 90 years older than everyone there so I will have to take a pass. Bleh.

And then next week, the Dr. Dog tour begins.

Oh, another thing I wanted to mention is that the Dr. Dog show in New York City on May 15 at Terminal 5 is on Eric's 23rd birthday. We're going to have to come up with something major for that. All ideas welcome!

Finally, please friend the band on Facebook. You'll understand why when you visit their page.

In Julie world, she had a blast at NAMM. Here's a couple of photos - one which bass player extraordinaire Tony Levin posted on his website...



...and another with bassist Bryan Beller, Bryan's amazingly talented wife, singer Kira Small, and Corey Brown from No Treble, where, as I have already posted all over the internet, Julie's interview was #1 read in 2009!



So yeah, Julie schmoozed with rock royalty at NAMM and she's going to fill me in (finally) when she swings by here today or tomorrow, but the harsh reality is this: The music business is such that unless Julie is out there actively touring, she isn't earning a living. So in case anyone reading this is looking for a kick ass bassist willing to travel the world, Julie is your woman. Here's a link to her EPK: Click!

This wraps up part I...part II to follow. Hey, I do have a writing career of my own!

Later,
xo

Julie and Eric Slick as Baby Rock Stars...My Day has been made

The first ever group of School of Rock All-Stars perform their final concert of the 2004 west coast tour in Las Vegas - it was Julie's swan song - she was 18; Eric was 17 with one more year to go -- and you will see Eric with very long hair on the congas first song in. And Julie and Eric wrap up the finale with the Beatles.

The kids playing King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man are 15 years old. That's Julie's boyfriend, Matt, on bass. He's also on bass on Black Magic Woman and Theme from Italian Restaurant.

Eric is on drums on the Devo song in case you can't see that.

I'm totally freaked out because I did not know this video existed. By the way, this Vegas show is chronicled in vast detail in my latest book, Daddy Left Me Alone with God.



Later,
xo

Gag Order

Well, I'm still under a gag order, which really sucks because I have so many great stories I'm about to burst but I think by Friday morning I'll be able to spill all.



By the way, you have no idea how disturbing Google images can be when you try and find an illustration/photo of "gag order". Trust me on this. Don't do it.

Here's what I can say: Yeah, Eric is now the drummer for an already established band and yesterday he had a photo shoot because they are about to go out on a brief two week tour and release a new CD which will then be followed by a mammoth tour. Bah! I hate not being able to say more. But I admit I like being able to say "My son had a photo shoot yesterday" though Eric will probably want to kill me when he reads this. Sorry, Er!

One thing Eric did not tell me so it's a good thing I stalk him online; he met with Markus Reuter and Tim Motzer at some point yesterday regarding yet another project. Here's what Tim tweeted: "wonderful day_Eric & I picked up Renee and Markus at Philly international...listened to Goldbug album and on to dialogue re: Art life. Tired" and here's what Markus tweeted: "Got to Philly OK. Hugged Tim and then listened to great Goldbug album mixes with Eric, Tim and Renée. Then blue chips and hanging.. Now bed."

Okay, so what I'm getting from this is that somehow Eric found the time for yet another project in between the photo shoot and "secret" band rehearsal yesterday...and apparently the band is named Goldbug. I just found some info on Tim's MySpace site:

"Goldbug-Journey to Eskeopia (1k016) a new project featuring Eric Slick (drums, percussion, instruments), Barry Meehan (bass, instruments), Theo Travis (tenor saxophone, alto flutes, loops), and Tim Motzer (baritone guitars, piano, laptop and other instruments). a journey in groove exploration, textures, and orchestration cut up, mis-aligned, and re-imagined for the wandering ear. coming early 2010."

(I guess that was written before Markus came into the picture but holy cow, what a line-up!)

Yet another thing to look forward to in 2010. Life is good.

Also, Eric is pretty excited about another project he is in with guitarist Dom Angelella (you gotta click on that link!) called Lithuania and here's a link to listen to their music...Eric does vocal harmonies with Dom and both Dom and Eric write all the music. Hey, this is some great stuff! Listening to it now...

So if basically having to wear the gag regarding Eric isn't bad enough, I really wish I could tell you about an interesting experience Julie just had but that one has got to remain in the vault -- like probably forever. Let's just say it involved someone who has won a Grammy or nine and who knows, the future may hold something interesting. Lucky Julie gets to fly to California tomorrow where it is 77 degrees to hang out at the NAMM Show for five days so expect an obnoxious but fun name dropping post from me on Monday morning.

Regarding both Julie and Eric as well as guitarist Robbie "Seahag" Mangano, the Paper Cat fan base continues to grow. Here's an awesome review of their latest CD by Mike Inman and thanks so much to Tony Thompson at Digicast International for spreading the word as well. You can friend Paper Cat, Mike Inman, Tony Thompson, and Digicast on Facebook and as well you should! I am not sure if Facebook links work if you aren't a friend of that person already, but you can go to my Facebook page and friend them that way. Cool? Cool!

Whoa. I just had a look of some of Paper Cat's friends on Facebook. Impressive! The latest to join is Chuck Negron, and thanks to Mike Inman for turning him on to their music! I really can't say enough about Mike. He's been such a supportive fan of Julie and Eric's career and he takes the most amazing photos. Here's a link to some incredible shots he took of Julie, Eric, and Adrian when they gigged in Asheville this summer.

As for me, I will probably do a separate post about what's going on with my writing, etc. I think wearing the gag order is a good thing for some "to be revealed" reasons but I hope to have some exciting news soon.

In the meantime...

Later,
xo

Tonight in Princeton: Chris Harford & The Band of Changes w/special guest Eric Slick

I know I said 2010 would be an interesting year but it's already ridiculously cool and I'm pretty excited but I've been told I'm not allowed to say anything about anything yet other than report the news which is reportable. Bah! Thwarted again, but I suggest you tune in a few times daily because once the ban is lifted, all bets are off!

Anyway, what I can tell you is this: If you are anywhere at all near Princeton, New Jersey tonight at 9:00 p.m., you have to make this gig at the BT Bistro -- Chris Harford and The Band of Changes -- which is a loose jam every Tuesday night featuring Chris and bassist Dave Dreiwitz and this week Eric Slick will be the special guest on drums.

To further whet your appetite for this show, and I use that term in more ways than one because the menu at this venue looks fucking incredible, here are two outstanding You Tubes from a lunchtime concert at WXPN Radio...well, the show itself was brought to you by XPN/NPR (and that's a link to the entire one hour podcast) but was actually downstairs at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on 12.8.2006 and features Chris Harford, Gene Ween, Dean Ween, Dave Dreiwitz, Scott Metzger, and Eric Slick. Wow. I just realized this show was three years ago already, before Eric had all that time with Adrian under his belt. So you can imagine how he'll kill it tonight. But these You Tubes slay me...Chris is an unbelievable songwriter and to me, these are two of his best. "Teach Me" was either in a movie or television soundtrack...I'm pretty sure Google will tell you if you are so inclined to find out.





Speaking of Eric, another vintage You Tube surfaced yesterday - this one a really short, fun drum solo he did while on tour with Project Object in November of 2007 and yes, that's Zappa alumni great Napoleon Murphy Brock on stage. I adore this - Eric is so loose and obviously having a blast. I hope everyone is going out to see Project Object on their current tour with drummer Jim Ruffi ably filling Eric's shoes...there's been some really great press about this current run which you can read about on P/O's website.



And of course it's a pretty exciting day for me, too, because, as I've been posting billboards all over the internet, the new Smith Magazine six word memoir book published by HarperCollins, which features six words of not exactly wisdom by yours truly, is now available at a bookstore near you or via Amazon and naturally I'll give you the link and post the cover one more time because it's just so damn pretty. But first, here's the international debut of the book's trailer!



How cool is that?! Does anyone know who is responsible for the soundtrack? I love it!



"It All Changed in an Instant
More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure
By Larry Smith, Rachel Fershleiser

Price: $12.00
On Sale: 1/5/2010 PRE-ORDER HERE!

“A perfect distraction and inspiration, and a collection that begs to be shared. Be warned, though. If you plan to lend out your copy, start out with two. Once it leaves your hands you’ll never see it again.”
—Denver Post (on Not Quite What I Was Planning)

The editors of the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning are back with its much-anticipated sequel, It All Changed in an Instant. With contributions from acclaimed authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Frank McCourt, Wally Lamb, Isabel Allende, Junot Diaz, Amy Tan, and James Frey, and celebrities like Sarah Silverman, Suze Orman, Marlee Matlin, Neil Patrick Harris, Ann Coulter, and Chelsea Handler, (and Robin Slick!) It All Changed in an Instant presents a thousand more glimpses of humanity. . . six words at a time. In the vein of the popular Post Secret books, It All Changed in an Instant, in the words of Vanity Fair, “will thrill minimalists and inspire maximalists."

There. Now go and buy this book. You know you want to.

In Julie Slick world, well, she has a new blog post up with some awesome photos and next week she heads to NAMM out in Anaheim, California as an endorser of GK Amps...I offered to erm, make the sacrifice and go with her but she took a pass. Drat! All of her pals will be out there, though - Tony Levin, Bryan Beller, Marco Minnemann....and I think even Adrian will be there on behalf of Parker Guitars but I'm not sure.

By the way, Julie's interview with No Treble Magazine was voted #1 interview of 2009!.

Okay, I better get out of here before I blab something I'm not supposed to...and there's this book I'm busy writing...so...

Later,
xo

Ho Ho Ho 2009

So what a year, eh? For our family, it's been twelve months of some neat transitions and some not so neat, and I suspect that trend will continue even more strongly in 2010. I'm not complaining. Hey, I even made it through my first full year as an empty-nester. Though admittedly I continue to stalk/harass both Julie and Eric daily - that will never change unless they tell me they actually mind. I personally think they enjoy it. And I expect that contrary to what I proclaimed in an earlier post, their musical lives will be providing most of the excitement in this blog in 2010, but fear not, I have a few tricks left up my sleeve as well. I'm working on a new novel which is a modern day version of Bonnie and Clyde meets the Beverly Hillbillies but with the usual rock and roll back story because this is me we are talking about. Not to be an egomaniac or anything, but I've been cracking myself up writing it. I started out with something totally different - I even had an outline this time! -- but somehow, some way, this other story wormed its way into my brain and once I went with it, well, it just took off. I'm stoked! Anyway, tonight is New Year's Eve, a night which I loathe so we made a pact years ago to never go out and have awesome food delivered instead. This evening we'll be having dinner brought to our door courtesy of an Asian fusion restaurant where I will be dining on delights such as mushrooms stuffed with black beans, miniature steamed spinach dumplings, and curried shoestring potatoes. Eric is of course playing a gig -- in his words via Twitter: "by the way: new years at the ox (2nd and oxford). we'll be doing a chronological review of the decade in music. expect some miley hits." -- and yes, I know, Eric is hilarious...if I didn't hate going out on NYE so much, I would definitely have to catch him drumming to Miley but I'm sure he's kidding...right, Eric? Right? -- after which he'll head over to Julie's apartment, where a major party will be underway and oh man, I wish I could get Ms. Julie to deliver the food here from that soiree instead - her menu sounds amazing but I'll let her blog those details...I'm sure she will, along with recipes. But I have dibs on telling you about Christmas, and what better way than to show you via Gary's amazing photos. Our tree is exceptionally gorgeous this year...sigh...now that Eric's drum kit is no longer in the living room (sob sob) we had space to buy a bigger tree and place it in a prominent spot. Both Julie and Eric were here for Christmas Eve dinner, and spent the night so they could relive their youth (Gary did not dress up as Santa, alas, and I wish I had a scanner so I could show you a photo of when he did...hahahaha..he had a cheap ass outfit and he also had a mullet -- hey, it was the eighties -- which stuck out of his crappy white wig and still Julie and Eric believed he was the real thing until, like, sixth grade har har)...anyway, Julie was in charge of the food, Gary was her sous chef, and we unanimously decided our meal would be a series of small plates like the ones we've been enjoying at Tria Cafe and Village Whiskey. So, without further ado, here are the first set of photos, and the food shown is as follows: Deviled eggs two ways (curry/honey and sesame/wasabi); caramelized onion bruschetta with Bulgarian feta; steamed spinach with roasted garlic; swiss chard and red onion saute; a selection of imported and local cheeses; charred marinated cherry tomatoes; homemade apricot fig mustard; crostini; spiced almonds with brown sugar, paprika, and cumin; fresh blackberries. By the way, thanks to Faith Cohen, a truly cool and talented woman I met through the ABPT, for sending our family a very fitting and lovely holiday gift which you will see in said photos - a bottle of incredible Fig Balsamic Vinegar from Artisanos Oils, and man, that shop looks amazing! Oh! While I'm at it, let me also extend a very special thank you to Rena Davis for the luscious chocolate truffles and to Mike Inman for sending absolutely unbelievably photos he took of Julie and Eric and printed out on exquisite paper...I cannot wait to have them framed and hanging up here so I can show you! Again, I met Rena and Mike through the trio as well, and believe that no matter what the future holds, the four of us will always be friends. Oh yeah, here's those pics I mentioned 89 paragraphs ago...jeez, I go off track a lot, don't I? Ha! What can I say...there's a lot to talk about! I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious it was. I adore eating this way...so much more fun than traditional appetizer, entree, dessert. Food is so sensual - every meal should be an adventure. Exhibit "A" of why I loathe chain restaurants so much! (Though that might be Exhibit "B" with Exhibit "A" being the fact that chain restaurants are all owned by evil, ugly, Republican corporations) So we went to bed stuffed and you'll never guess who woke us up Christmas morning...the dog! He absolutely, positively knew it was Christmas, and the minute the early morning light came streaming through the window, he tried to physically lift me from the bed, burrowing his nose under my body. When that didn't work, he barked and woke up everyone, and then raced downstairs, where he somehow knew exactly where his presents were! We had to chase after him pre-coffee because he seriously would have unwrapped everything himself: Since they wanted a traditional Slick Christmas, I insisted that Julie and Eric wear their holiday headgear, which, as you can see, thrilled them to no end -- and note that Julie is wearing her Fairmount Sports Association Most Valuable Player t-shirt which she won for her work in the All-Star game. Yes, in 1997, Julie was the MVP of her softball team, for both pitching a near perfect game and for getting the winning hit in the bottom of the last inning! I totally lost my cool that day and I'll never forget it. I stood behind the dugout dressed in a Rolling Stones t-shirt, jeans, and Doc Maarten boots (yeah, total soccer mom apparel) screaming "MY DAUGHTER IS MVP! MY DAUGHTER IS MVP! MY DAUGHTER IS MVP!" in case the umpire and coach didn't already notice (as if). Back in 1997, I honestly believed Julie was going to be a "major league" pitcher and would go to Princeton on a softball scholarship. Okay, so every once in a while, my Mom vibes are off, but not often as both Julie and Eric will tell you. I am scarily accurate, in fact. But I digress. Here's the photo I was talking about before I went off on yet another tangent: Now this made us all laugh out loud...Eric and Gary are both gift wrap challenged, and not only did Eric face the struggle of cutting paper and applying scotch tape, he made the mistake of buying Julie's gifts at Anthropologie, who gave him the added enjoyment of having to construct his own gift box out of a ridiculous piece of cardboard with absolutely no assembly instructions. Hence Eric's notation on said box: Now both Julie and Eric asked for the same exact item as one of their gifts -- something which made absolutely no sense to me at all and to be honest, I choked at the price considering what they appeared to be (i.e.., useless) until they opened them on Christmas morning, tried them on, and showed me how they worked. Too freaking cool! There's a flap on the palm of these fingerless things which comes up and turns them into mittens if it's really cold out. But by wearing the gloves without the flap, they are able to play drums/bass in chilly rooms or at outdoor festivals (hint hint) in snuggly comfort: I could not wait for Julie to open this one, because she just acquired a new bar for her apartment and I knew this would be a perfect accessory to hang above it...and as you can tell by her expression (and Eric's), it was a huge hit: But the gift that got the most attention -- and out of everything he got, and he got tons, Eric's most favorite present ever was one recommended to me by Dan'a Chamberlain, wife of uber drummer Matt Chamberlain (oh, here's Matt's bio, and I adore how he wrote it: "Hi my name is Matt Chamberlain--I play drums and have been involved in various projects over the years with friends and have also had the privilege of touring and recording with some of the most amazing musicians/people ever such as Bill Frisell,Tori Amos, David Bowie, Fiona Apple,The Finn Brothers, David Torn, Elvis Costello ,The Master Musicians Of Jajouka, Jon Brion, Robert Fripp, Morrissey, Elton John, Brad Mehldau, Garbage, Dido, Pearl Jam, Mitchell Froom, T-Bone Burnett to name a few. ... . I have a solo CD that is now out, a project with Bill Frisell called Floratone, The Slow Music Project with (Bill Rieflin, Robert Fripp, Peter Buck, Fred Chalanor, Hector Zazou), and Critters Buggin (Brad Houser,Skerik,Mike Dillon)."...anyway, Dan'a turned me on to this site and thanks to her, Eric Slick is now a Beardhead! Eric tells me that his beardhead is taking Philadelphia by storm and I believe him. True and funny story. Dan'a showed me that site weeks ago and I didn't realize they were sold out and backordered until February, 2010. I knew Eric had to have one. I tried eBay, where I found one going for $300, and soon realized this cap was not only more than a passing fad, it was a fucking social phenomenon. I spent hours and hours on line looking for one and finally, after an assortment of dead-ends which would not take my credit card info because they were sold out though the site did not say that...I kept thinking something was wrong with my card; I tried paypal and that didn't work either....ugh...I was never so frustrated...anyway, finally, hallelujah, I scored probably the last legally priced beardhead in the entire free world. Seriously, Julie, Eric, and Gary got tons and tons of gifts and this was the one I knew would be the winner and I was right, though I hardly expected it to also be the one that took the most time to procur! Julie, of course, could not resist trying it on, but I somehow think she's going to take a pass on actually owning one: By this time, Monty has now eaten way too many of his gifts while our attention was directed at Eric, meaning we were bent over double laughing our asses off, so he just kind of sighed and took a nap while Julie and Gary went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Eric was so enamored with his beardhead he attempted to drink his orange juice whilst still wearing it but soon realized it was not the best idea...(probably when I started screaming "Don't ruin it; it'll get all sticky, it took me hours to find it, you'll never be able to replace it blah blah blah....) Julie decided to go with a Christmas theme for our morning meal...man oh man, this had to be the world's best frittata, made with the left over red and green vegetables from Christmas Eve's dinner and served with multi-grain toast and fresh blackberries. Sublime! I do not have photos of dinner - Julie does, and hopefully she will send them to me or post them herself. We were talking about Christmas dinners before we all went vegetarian, and I totally forgot (and how this is possible I do not know, since when it comes to food, I forget nothing!) that our standard meal was always buffalo wings and hand cut french fries! It was always our favorite fun meal, so instead of doing traditional ham or turkey dinners, we did that instead. When I started to get all teary eyed and sappy remembering, Julie said "Don't worry, Mom. I'm going to make us a vegetarian version of that meal and you won't even know the difference." And she did. We had buffalo wings made out of tofu (she even cut them into wing like shapes) which she dipped in panko breadcrumbs, baked, and smothered in a lovely hot sauce/butter combo and yeah, yeah, we had hand cut fries along with them. In order to mitigate the damages and make ourselves at least feel a little healthy, we also had roasted broccoli on the side. Oh my God, did you ever taste roasted broccoli? It's insane! Julie roasts it in the oven smothered in olive oil and garlic and the garlic roasts right along with the broccoli, making it so sweet and delicious you can't believe it. It's my new favorite food, I swear. ETA: She sent me a pic! See? How cool is that! Sooo...that was Christmas, 2009. I think it was one of the best, ever. I definitely have some music and writing news to tell you about, but I think I will save that for my next post. One thing I do want to mention, though, is that I'm now the Administrator of the Facebook page for Paper Cat...please friend the band and I'll try and figure out how to be aggressively creative with the page...I am Facebook challenged but I am resolving to learn how to work it correctly with a little help from my friends. And with that, it's time to kiss this decade goodbye. Unlike Time Magazine, I can't really say it was the worst decade ever though if you click on that link, dear God, they sure do make a valid point; but in any event, not to be selfish or anything, the past four-five years have brought me some of the happiest moments of my life...travel all over the world, listening to my kids make what is up there with the greatest music I've ever heard...new friends...oh God, I just realized this is the decade that brought me into cyberworld (I was a late bloomer...didn't go on line until 2000) and it's because of said cyberworld that I've made said friends, published six or is that seven books, tons of short stories (hey, my website is currently being updated...nudge nudge to Scott if you are reading this...I have more stuff for you to add...hope you liked the cookies!)...and well, what else can I say? Here's to a happy, healthy New Year for all, and an even more amazing 2010 for Julie and Eric Slick and everyone we love. Ho, ho, ho. Later, xo

Yikes

Just a quick note to let you know that Julie, Eric, and Robbie, a/k/a Paper Cat, will not be performing at the Mercury Lounge in NYC tonight. Something came up beyond their control but I will be back tomorrow with lots and lots of photos and all the news you can use!

So I won't wish you all a Happy New Year yet...sit tight and stay tuned for info on what promises to be the most stellar year yet!

Later,
xo

Ketchup Time

Okay, it's time to play serious ketchup.

First, let me apologize for the canceled book release party on Saturday night. We had a "crippling blizzard" here that day...a 23 inch total which just never happens in Philadelphia; I had wonky internet service and all kinds of craziness at Casa Slick. Just to give you an idea, here's a photo of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is basically down the street from where I live...you know those famous steps that Rocky ran up?



Yep, that was how it looked yesterday. And that's nothing. Cars were covered to their rooftops and our poor dog couldn't even go out for a proper walk...all you could see was his head sticking out of a mountain of snow. It was painfully hilarious.

The book release live stream party will be rescheduled. I will let you know within the next few days.

Anyway...

When I last left you last Friday, I was headed for the Philadelphia debut of Paper Cat at the Khyber and I'll have a lot to say about that in a minute but I think it will be better if I start with today and backtrack since this has been an incredibly eventful week!

Okay, first of all, tonight Eric has a really interesting jazz gig with some amazing heavy hitters in the music world and A.D. Amorosi wrote about it in this week's City Paper!:

"►There’s a double shot of Lillie Ruth Bussey going around this week and it’s sweeter than H1N1: The missus of hot-mess electronica does “Treble Without A Boss,” Dec. 17, at Slingluff Gallery with our favorite filmmaking Latino folk rocker Les Rivera (still waiting for that Creep records single, Les, the one with the Count Skotchula illustration on the front). Ruth’s band — with lanky skronkmeister Stephen Buono and Birds for Arms (featuring Eric Slick on drums) — opens for the Buono-booked extravaganza celebrating genius guitarist Rick Iannacone at Tritone Dec. 21."

And if you scroll down when you click on Mr. Amorosi's link, you'll also see this mention, which may very well have a bearing on future news here at ye olde blog and that's all I'm saying..

"► Boy did Andy Hurwitz step into a pile of gold. First, he takes over Mad Dragon Records (aka Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design’s coolest homework project) right when that label scores eight Independent Music Awards nominations (from a 2009 judge panel that includes Zooey Deschanel, Pete Wentz and Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus; you can vote at independentmusicawards.com). Second, Hurwitz still has another label, Ropeadope, that’ll celebrate Christmas at Marbar Dec. 23 with Leana Song and Oud Blues. Why Marbar? Hurwitz just took over its booking schedule. “Fits into my West Philly connection,” he says. He officially starts in January with a world music weekly featuring a live house band starring Pablo Batista and two Elliots, Garland and Levine"

So what might this mean? Maybe nothing; maybe something spectacular. Stay tuned!

Now on Wednesday, December 23, 2009, Eric has an outrageous gig at Johnny Brenda's:

"Aron Magner & Tom Hamilton, Acoustic Again - (Set time: 10:00 PM)

A yearly tradition during the early 2000's, Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits) and Tom Hamilton (American Babies, Brothers Past) would take one night a year to dig through each other's catalogue and interpret their songs into an acoustic environment. After a few years off the duo will be starting the tradition anew at Philadelphia's Johnny Brenda's. As with previous years one can expect several guests and Beatles covers to pop up throughout the night."

Who might those "guests" be? Well, Eric is the drummer for the evening, but hmm...who else is stopping by? Another biscuit or two? A surprise bassist (not Julie, though hopefully she'll be with me in the audience)? All I know is, this is going to be a MAJOR amazing way to kick off Christmas in more ways than one. Eric shared the set list with me and I had one of those OMG moments. I'm not telling his Dad...I want to see his face as it happens. But, erm, a few Beatles' covers did you say?

Okay, now I've brought you up to date on what's happening tonight and this coming Wednesday...now I can backtrack.

On Saturday, as I already told you, we had a blizzard. Eric, of course, had a gig in New York City. We talked about different options (me: Oh my God, it's a nightmare out there, stay home!)(Eric: It's not even snowing in New York, I'll be fine! And by the way, erm, I am 22...)(Me: Yeah, yeah...okay)(Me to Gary: "Oh my God, I'm going to be awake all night worrying!)

Anyway, this was his NY gig (and I notice from googling there were many other articles written about this evening as well)...he obviously made it home and back in over a foot of snow, had a total blast..and was really glad he didn't listen to his insane, neurotic mother:

"Saturday December 19

Location: West Village, NYC
Bands: Pop Rocks! Get Tickets Here
Show time: 11 PM
Venue: Sullivan Hall
Food: Tortilla Flats
Drink: White Horse Tavern
Miscellaneous: Magnolia Bakery

Ever wanted to see the Velvet Underground? Check out the next best thing as Scott Metzger's HEROIN plays the music of The Velvet Underground. Joining them are Eric Slick spinning vinyl, the art of Jess Pfohl, an installation by Chuck Frye, and the launching of JessMessin.com. Dinner before a show like this should be just as awesome. Check out Tortilla Flats. The food is Mexican and delicious, but it’s the insanity within (bingo and hula-hoop nights) that is the real calling for this place. For drinks afterwards, hit the White Horse Tavern, a great bar and the old haunting grounds for Dylan Thomas. If you somehow have time before all of this, stop by Magnolia Bakery for some of the best tasting cupcakes in the city."

Hmm...if I had known about those cupcakes, I might have braved the snow along with my son....

Oh, I'm kidding.

Continuing on...

On Wednesday, Julie, Eric and I went Christmas shopping, visited Dickens Village where I fought back tears like crazy remembering Julie and Eric as toddlers when I used to take them there and their eyes and mouths widened in wonder...now they accused the mannequins of dirty dancing while Scrooge looked through the window like a peeping Tom...oy...we laughed like maniacs; J&E took a ton of video footage with their iPhones, none of which they are sharing with me, sob (I think they are using some as samples har har) and no, I could not trick them into sitting on Santa's lap so I could get a picture but...but...but...they did kindly agree to having our portrait snapped right as we entered Dickens Village and if you think I get all glowy and happy whenever I'm around Julie and Eric Slick let alone at Christmas, well, here's the proof:



By the way, you should click through all the photos of Dickens Village. It really is amazing and too bad they don't have the soundtrack to go with it like they do when you visit in person...oh look...here's the dirty dancers..




I'm not going to tell you what we bought on our little spree but we had an absolute blast and there will be plenty of photos showing you on Christmas morning when I post my yearly Slick holiday blog. But after we finished shopping and visiting Dickens Village, it was now time for Happy Hour so we headed for what has to be the best happy hour in the entire City of Philadelphia (though Julie and I have one more to try on our list...we may go tomorrow so I'll report back with the results if we do)...anyhoo, best happy hour to date in our opinion is Tria Cafe at 12th and Spruce. I cannot tell you the name of the wine we drank (only that we had seven (7!) glasses) but here's what we nibbled on from the menu:

SNACKS
Spicy Crab and Chickpea Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette
Tuscan Three Cheese Potato Chips with Smoked Paprika Aioli
Fennel Spiced Almonds

BRUSCHETTA
Caramelized Onion with Feta
Gorgonzola with Fig Jam
Artichoke Puree with Grana Padano and Fennel Seed

And then of course we had two cheese plates which came with lovely fresh honey comb and apricot mustard dipping sauces...it was just a superb, superb meal.

Loved the ambience there as well, and the servers are all super friendly and knowledgeable. It's going to be hard to top this, but the place Julie and I have in mind is not only supposed to have a comparable happy hour, oysters are involved.

I'll let you know.

On Tuesday night, Eric played yet another gig at Johnny Brenda's, this one with Ape School, and I had no idea that "Ape School" is the brainchild of Michael Johnson, a professor at the University of Arts in Philadelphia nor did I know that this band caught the attention of Pitchfork Magazine! Read all about it right here!

Sunday, I found myself at Julie Slick's lovely apartment where the two of us baked, oh, about 1,000 cookies while at our house, Slick Daddy was busy making another 25,000. Then Julie and I headed back home so I could pass out and Julie and her father could bake some more.

Here are Gary's pride and joy - chocolate chip peanut butter cookies topped with a miniature Reese's cup:



Trust me, that's just the tip of the iceberg - there are several other varieties, each sicker than the next. So those of you fortunate enough to be cookie worthy, they are all out via UPS as we speak -- happy munching!

But man, when in my life did I ever think I'd be mailing out cookies to Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, John Medeski, John's engineer, David Kent, Saul Zonana, Adrian Belew, Michael Bernier (they are on the way, Michael, but probably not until next week)...not to mention all of the incredible fans/friends we've made along the way.

I tried to snap a few photos of Julie and Gary working feverishly in the kitchen but trust me on this, Annie Liebovitz has nothing to worry about...it would be nice if I could ever take a pic without cutting off someone's head but nooo....





Oh yes, Julie also cooked us dinner in between. I kid you not - we had spaghetti and beanballs.



Let me say this right now. As hilarious as it sounds, beanballs are freaking delicious. Like meatballs without the dead cow, gristle, and calories. She made them out of beans, chopped nuts, and bulgar wheat (I think)...anyway, what an outrageous meal that was. (But the hot out of the oven cookies for dessert afterwards were even better)

Oh, and you'll notice I mentioned John Medeski and his engineer got cookies because well, as it turns out, they are more than cookie worthy! Julie had an awesome week recording at John's studio, and the story changes yet again...yes, Julie laid down bass tracks at John's studio for this truly wonderful singer/songwriter/guitarist from the UK...but then John arrived back home from tour two days into the project and dubbed in his keyboard parts over what was already recorded so yes, yes, yes, it appears Julie Slick will appear on a brand new recording with John and if you would like a sample of the music and to watch John and the mystery man in the studio, I have a video posted on my Facebook page which will not embed here so you may have to friend me on Facebook; I'm not sure. I did hit the setting where my profile should be visible to everyone and here's the link but if it won't let you go there, you can friend me - I'm there under "Robin Slick" (d'oh, though believe it or not, I think there are four of us but I use the same profile photo there as here)...I will usually friend anyone unless they are known stalkers and ugh, yeah, I do have a few but hopefully they've finally gotten the message not to screw with me and stay in lurker mode.

So yeah, Julie bonded with John because he's a fellow foodie, and she was all set to hang out with him December 30 when he has a gig with "The Word" at The TLA with...Good freaking lord, this is the first time I'm seeing this...."The Word is a blues/jam/rock collaboration between Robert Randolph, The North Mississippi Allstars and John Medeski"...but something else popped up.

Holy Crap, I really want to see this...except...except...what is the one thing that would keep me (and Julie, Eric, and Gary) away from a show such as that one?

It would have to be a show in which Eric and Julie Slick are actually performing, right? You guys know me by now...nothing could keep me from that. So December 30, 2009 will find me not in Philadelphia bopping out with The Word, but in New York City, where I will be attending the New York premier of Paper Cat at the Mercury Lounge...they are opening for the Dirk Quinn Band and not on the venue's website yet but expect that to change any second (ha).

Speaking of Paper Cat, they finished recording their brand new EP and there's a hint in this blog post about where that might be going...or not...but I have amazing news about Julie and Eric's great friend and Paper Cat's brilliant, brilliant guitarist, Robbie "Seahag" Magano. A few weeks ago, Robbie got "the call" from Tom Morello to fill in for Carl Restivo, who, are you following this?, is currently on the Rhianna tour (and he was on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, which was awesome! I met Carl on the Belew west coast tour in October...he came to the Redondo Beach show outside of LA and he told me J&E are so awesome they need to move out to LA immediately and he'll have them gigging every night there but I just put my fingers in my ears and started going LALALALALALALALALALALALALA) (just kidding - I want whatever is best for everyone. In fact, if you ask me for my biggest wish for 2010, it's that everyone I love be happy and that everyone I know get exactly what they deserve!)(Muhahahahahahaha....)

Tom Morello and his band and Robbie were a good fit and how sick would it be if Robbie does more work with them in the future?

Paper Cat is a band with a pedigree already!

Here's Robbie's take on the Morello gig.

By the way, hurrah Tom Morello!

Seriously, Paper Cat is especially great because all three musicians in the trio write the songs and are really into composing their own material, which they don't get to do with most other projects. It's pretty obvious to see this is where their talent also lies and where their careers are headed...it's the next obvious step for musicians of this caliber and I'm sure 99% of the world has already noticed this. It's that remaining, clueless 1% who mystify me....hahahahahaha...oh, I'm just messin' with you, but you know, someone has to buy all those other CDs....

I mentioned I wanted to talk about their show at the Khyber last week. How about that it was sold out? And that the audience went basically crazy over the music? Who said there's no audience for intelligent songwriting and high caliber players? I loved reading Robbie's summary:

"FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2009

PAPER CAT GIG in Philly Thoughts
Well, it's been a long time since there's been an exciting opportunity for me to play what I truly want on stage and really speak my musical mind comfortably. Last week, Julie Slick, Eric Slick, and I played our first show as Paper Cat and debuted all of our new songs and improvised as well to a sold out crowd. Needless to say, it was a great time. The crowd reaction --- oozing with loud applause. We really enjoyed ourselves and are psyched to do it again.

Our next gig is December 30th at Mercury Lounge in NYC. More to come on that detail. We are due for another video conference meeting. That's next on the agenda! 2010! We're psyched!

SETLIST: INTRO, SPIDER, ROCKY, IMPROV, FOUR SQUARE, CAGED MOUSTACH, OPERATION DESERT STORM, NOVEMBEARD"

I should also mentioned that I was happy to read in Bert Lam's blog that the California Guitar Trio is busy mixing their new CD, and I believe Julie and Eric will appear on three tracks; Tony Levin will appear on one as well...anyway, here's what Bert says:

"Sunday, December 20, 2009
Mixing in Louisville, KY, day 2...
Two more pieces mixed today(Cathedral Peak and Portland Rain, featuring Eric and Julie Slick on bass and drums, and Dilek Engin on viola), and we started work on a third: Hazardous Z.
This album is already turning out to be quite different than anything we've done before. Tomorrow we will get started on Chacarera, a piece by Paul, and a series of improvisations"

So that is yet another awesome thing to look forward to in 2010.

I already wrote in a previous post that Julie is going to NAMM in January and may have some possible gigs coming her way from that which I'll shout from the rooftops as soon as anything is verified, but Eric, who is a four time veteran of NAMM and jaded (ha), may have other plans...in any event, to those of you who have asked, no, Eric will not be on the winter Project Object tour...he is on indefinite sabbatical which Andre talks about in his shiny, brand new totally fantastic website! Hey, Andre, if you are reading this, the site looks great! Welcome to 2010...I adore that it's interactive and very, very user friendly. Great job! And best wishes to Jim Ruffi, a Project Object alumni, who will, I'm sure, joyously retake his seat behind the skins...here's hoping for a great tour and 2010 for P/O, who will always have a very, very special place in my heart along with Andre, who gave Eric his very first break. Our family will never forget his kindness and his willingness to take a chance on an unknown 18 year old who had the balls to play Frank Zappa music on stage with the likes of actual Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Denny Walley, Robert Martin, Don Preston, and Napoleon Murphy Brock!

As for me, I am still basking in the glow of being, at least six words worth, a Harper Collins author:




"It All Changed in an Instant
More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure
By Larry Smith, Rachel Fershleiser

Price: $12.00
On Sale: 1/5/2010 PRE-ORDER HERE!

“A perfect distraction and inspiration, and a collection that begs to be shared. Be warned, though. If you plan to lend out your copy, start out with two. Once it leaves your hands you’ll never see it again.”
—Denver Post (on Not Quite What I Was Planning)

The editors of the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning are back with its much-anticipated sequel, It All Changed in an Instant. With contributions from acclaimed authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Frank McCourt, Wally Lamb, Isabel Allende, Junot Diaz, Amy Tan, and James Frey, and celebrities like Sarah Silverman, Suze Orman, Marlee Matlin, Neil Patrick Harris, Ann Coulter, and Chelsea Handler, It All Changed in an Instant presents a thousand more glimpses of humanity. . . six words at a time. In the vein of the popular Post Secret books, It All Changed in an Instant, in the words of Vanity Fair, “will thrill minimalists and inspire maximalists.

"Dear Robin Slick, Six-Word Memoirist extraordinaire,

Congratulations! Your Six-Word Memoir, "xxx" from SMITH Magazine is being published in the new book, It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, on sale January 5th. (But available for pre-order now!) Thank you and welcome!"

There are two readings in connection with this - one on January 5 in Brooklyn and one in late January in New York City...I will try to make both but I'm leaning toward the end of January as my "definite". I'll let you know as soon as I get the details. Naturally, the website for Smith Magazine is down right now but no worries, I have more than enough time to post the usual billboards.

Okay then. I think I've brought you all up to date on most things.

(1) Try and get out to see Eric do his jazz thing at the Tritone tonight;
(2) For sure be at Johnny Brenda's this coming Wednesday to see Eric, Tom Hamilton, and some Disco Biscuits and/or other local and national luminaries perform an uber special show;
(3) Absolutely positively be at the Mercury Lounge in NYC on December 30 to witness the New York debut of Julie Slick, Eric Slick, and Robbie "Seahag" Mangano, a/k/a Paper Cat...and maybe there will even be a brand new EP at said show...you just never know.

I'll be back here before Christmas...there is still much to discuss but I want to save it for...

Later,
xo