Thanks to Patrick my band now has a show on July 21 at The Black Squirrel in DC. What a better way to finish up your weekend than coming down for some Sunday rock n roll!!
The Black Squirrel is on 18th Street in Adams Morgan. Evidently they have an awesome beer list and great food. Come be the judge! The cool thing about this is it is a FREE show! Zoinks, Scoob!!
Times and other acts are still getting sorted out but it shouldn't be too late a night. Keep an eye on our Facebook event page for details. Come on down or the squirrel gets it! And by "it" I mean awesome rock n roll!!!
I learned to play guitar around about 1998. By 2000 I was playing at open-mic nights and doing shows with friends, friends who were very supportive in that I wasn't particularly good. We mostly did covers, mostly alt-country tunes like Wilco and Gram Parsons, Johnny Cash, Son Volt, Ryan Adams and Uncle Tupelo but occasionally more rocky stuff...Neil Young, Big Head Todd, Radiohead. I started writing my own songs around then. I did my first album in 2001, recorded and produced by my good friend Mike in his basement. The fruits of that labor can be found here!
I had a songbook of about 15 songs of varying degree. The shows I would do, usually just me and my guitar opening for my friends' bands, focused on covers but I began to work the originals in. I played in a sort of band with my friends James and Clay but nothing ever came of it. Part of it was that it just didn't quite click, but mainly I wasn't as in to being in a band as I was doing my own schtick. Then around 2004 I stopped. The writing dried up; I felt I didn't have anything to say anymore. I got married and all the angst that fed the creativity seemed to be sated. And I had always had a kind of disdain for cover bands. Well maybe disdain is too strong a word; doing other people's songs just didn't interest me. I loved the creation part of the music experience. Without that I lost interest. So I put my guitars away; even sold my electric Rickenbacker 330 (something to this day I regret immensely).
Original lyrics to "Fall" including notes on the demo I created on my little Tascam 4-track
But music always stayed important to me. My wife will attest to this as she noted my regular CD buying, which in time became digital downloading (legally, I care to add). But there was no juice to playing out, to writing songs. I felt that had become a short interest, a strange little detour.
Then about two or three years ago (time has really become an odd concept to me...I really have no sense of it anymore) I finally accepted the suggestion from my friend Tom, whom I had played softball with for many years and who I knew was a guitar player, that we jam sometime. I had put it off for years, mainly because I hadn't played my guitar in years but mainly I was intimidated by playing with anybody of real talent. Finally he wore me down. I dusted off the songbook, got myself familiar with some of the old tunes, and drove over to his place in Centerville to play.
The thing I remember most about that first jam was how well Tom took to the songs. He seemed to generally like them. That was a kick; I was flattered more than anything else that someone would think well of my little stories. By then those songs were almost 10 years old in spots. The ones later in the book had been written with a band in mind but I had just not progressed that far. And then Tom finally badgered me enough where we jammed and it just clicked. So I started going over once a week to go through these songs with him. It didn't take long before the bug bit me again and songs started pouring out. So joining the ranks with older songs like "A Lot To Ask" and "Fall" and "Zero Confidence Level" and "My Waterloo" and "Take Control" came new ones like "Confederate Gold" and "Roadside Crosses" and "Maria With Child" and "California Specific" and "Any Day Any Way" and "Into Your Arms" and "Another Teenage Dream" and "Girl Gotta Gun" (with music by Tom!).
I knew it really clicked when Tom played me a snippet of "Take Control" on his portable recorder. He was working on the solo so he put together a basic rhythm track and programmed a drum beat behind it. He played me the track he had so I could get an idea of the solo. Now, "Take Control" was a song I was ready to jettison because I was still playing on my acoustic and felt it really wasn't working. Until I heard what Tom had done with it, which was to turn it into a noisy rocker. My jaw dropped. I will be the first to admit it wasn't like Jimmy Page hearing "Stairway To Heaven" I am not that delusional, but I was shocked that a song I wrote one way could be re-interpreted another, and that it would sound so great. I said to Tom over and over "That's my song! That's really my song!" It sounds dorky but it was really the moment Braddock Station Garrison was born; that I knew we were on to something pretty good. If not good, well at least something we would enjoy.
I am reminded of this because on my trip to the Record & Tape Exchange in Fairfax I bought, amongst other things, a copy of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water for $3. And on that record is a song called "The Only Living Boy In New York" which to me is one of the best written and best produced songs ever. Let's give it a quick listen:
If I could write a song that is 1/16 as good as this song I'd be ecstatic. I love everything about this song. Paul Simon's (completely and criminally) under-appreciated guitar playing, the amazing lyrics, the perfect production, and that singing. Christ, that singing...those harmonies. Listen to the bridge where the voices sound like angels coming down. This song pretty much convinced me I was a hack and I should just stop trying to write songs because nothing I write will come remotely close to being as beautiful and perfect as this.
Happily I got over that. I won't even say too late because I think if I hadn't of stopped for a while I might not have started playing with Tom and I wouldn't have met Michael and Patrick. Braddock Station Garrison is a band. While it might be my name in the song-writing credits (something that will be changing) it takes all four of us to breathe the life into the songs. Each member brings his own touch and personality and interpretation to the song. And for me, I have grown enough to not be put out by that, to not be intimidated by that. Sure, there are sometimes things I hear in my head that I think are essential for us to capture, but for the vast majority I want my bandmates to take the songs in the directions they think best.
Bandmates is an accurate term but it's not the right one. These fellows are my friends, and I am damn glad to have finally found them. I will save the story for when we met those two guys for another time.
By the way, if you want to hear and see what we are up to, we'll be doing a free show at The Black Squirrel in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC on Sunday July 21. We shall be back with the electric instruments so we'll be making a wonderful ruckus.
Yep, that's my band! You can hear what our demos sound like here and can see how we bring it here. And most importantly you can LIKE us here!
So yeah, we are playing a show Saturday June 8 at DC's Bier Baron. This is the old Brickskeller located in DuPont Circle. Doors open at 730, show is at 9, and it's a trifling $10 at the door.
We are fortunate to have two amazing artists joining us: Emily Henry is a gifted singer/songwriter and she will be kicking things off; I know 100% you will like her as much as we do!! Steve Bowes is an old friend and he will be joined by his Pharmacy Prophets cohort Wes Fleming for some old fashioned cry-in-your-beer acoustic numbers and slow ballads (as Johnny Cash would say). Then as a special treat (I hope at least) I'll be doing some numbers from my two solo records before Braddock Station Garrison does a special acoustic set; we are seriously excited about this set because you will see us in a whole new light. What better way to spend a Saturday night in DC?!?
Here's a catchy little number you will hear at the show. It's called "Fall."
We hope to see you there and appreciate the support!
You probably know that I have my own band called Braddock Station Garrison. We are a little bit power pop, little bit Americana, but a whole lotta rock n roll. We have been working on our demos for a looooong time now, and I am very happy to announce that they can be listened to and downloaded at our ReverbNation site. So, PLEASE, come check them out!
Saturday night three/fourths of my band trekked down to the Rock n Roll Hotel to see our friends Technicians play their maiden show at that fine establishment. I had only been there once, seeing the great Titus Andronicus. We met Technicians when we had the pleasure of sharing a bill with them at the now regrettably defunct Red Palace, which is/was just down the street from the RnR Hotel. They are great musicians and perhaps more importantly incredibly nice and gracious fellows. Their drummer Steve was kind enough to let our drummer Mike play his kit in the interest of speeding up the wait between sets. It was great to play with them and a treat to see them play a great room like the RnR Hotel.
Nick, Steve & Navid of Technicians
Technicians were the second band on the bill. They were without their bass player this time around. He had other commitments but it was not a major distraction. I have had to do shows without our bassist and it's a bit of a let down, but Technicians are gifted enough to do it without any significant loss. At first listen they strike one as a very Pavement-y and Sebadoh sounding outfit. They have that very 90s alternative sound going, but what's most interesting is that they have a refreshing take on it. Take their EP, which is available at their website (and really good, BTW). The first track is, not surprisingly, the best, a great cut called "Dreamer." It starts off very ethereal and liquid sounding before crunching up near the end. The guitar lines drive the songs, and they have an interesting sophistication in their construction. These passages are very reminiscent of a band from Austin I have written of before and love terribly called Explosions In The Sky, which is basically three guitar nerds making glorious instrumentals. There's a nod in the rhythm track, be it on purpose or not, to fellow DC indies Jawbox on the lovely "Now That We're Home." Performance-wise, they are very strong. Engaging presence and great tunes and excellent musicianship equal a band you should check out. Get their EP; it's one of those name your price things. You won't be disappointed.
Boris Milic
Moving backwards, the first band of the evening was Boris Milic. I hadn't heard of them but I wound up walking out with their 10" vinyl. Boris appears to be the name of the leader of the band. According to the liner notes he played all the instruments himself with an assist from the producer. I figured it would be cool when he came out with a sweet Gretch White Falcon. The band was tight. They played that kind of twitchy-sounding, nervous power pop I spent countless dollars on through Not Lame Records back in the 90s. Especially the excellent song "Don't Tell Me Stories, Gramophone"which reminded me of bands like Heavy Into Jeff and Bloody Chiclets (BOY! I feel like a Pitchfork writer now, dropping references to equally obscure bands like it should mean something to you. IDIOT!) The drawback to the record was a few too many filler-sounding instrumentals. The songs that were songs, like "Not A Toy" and "I'm Just Saying," are great. The instrumentals just didn't grab me. No knock..they are a band I hope to see again and spend more money on.
Interesting thing I noticed: the opening riff to "Not A Toy" sounds remarkably like a riff that Tom wrote for a song we are working on. In the unlikely event Boris ever hears that song I swear on all that is good and holy that Tom did not steal that riff from you. Tom hasn't bought a new record since Don't Look Back so there is no way he could have heard it.
After two bands I was hungry and getting to the point where if I drank anymore PBR I would be carried out of that joint, so Tom and I left to go get food.
One more thing: on both of the aforementioned records, the vocals are mixed in the right spot. At the RnR Hotel they were very buried in the mix, which is disappointing, especially to a lead singer like me! Let's hear what they have to say, man!!
One last thing: Technicians are playing there again on February 9. So be a good sport and check them out. I will probably be in the back gnashing my teeth at those toads because I am still looking for our next gig.
