| May
06 Q and A:
From Michael Jourgensen
1. What type of leslie effect pedal do you use (like the one heard on “I’m Allowed?”)
Why, that is a Leslie speaker. A real one. And then I use a Small Stone Phase shifter, I think. And a tremolo pedal on the verses.
2. Would you be willing to listen to my band on CD? I would really only like to send the 5 brand new songs we have down (yet unreleased). I’ve been listening to BT for so long that I really do think you might enjoy it.
Mike, I appreciate it, but I am just being honest when I tell you I don’t have the time to give it that it deserves. Thanks for asking. Let me know if it is up at a web site and maybe I can swing by and check a song or two out.
I live in norway i wondering if you can help me find the tabs and the chords for the song : peninsula
Then I will be verry happy.hope you understand my whrithing.my English is not so good
Tanks!!!!!
Bjørn L
To answer you, I don’t even read tab, never mind write it. Maybe someone on the web site can help.
Thanks -- Bill
Hi Bill,
just surfed the net a bit. Don't know if you remember me from around 1989 when BT played a gig in Hulst (Holland). You stayed at my folks place. It was the day the Berlin wall fell. I remember that...I have grown up to become (in all modesty) one of Holland's best known producers and guitar players in case you might want to know. Just to say keep on keeping strong, man, and I certainly hope to see you play again somewhere if I can grab the opportunity. Will look out for your book on Exile On Main Street.
Love, JB
JB-
I really appreciate the nice email and I do have a recollection of this. Was it at an in-city kind of town house, with big windows overlooking the city street below? Did Tom M. try to get into your parents bed after he hadnightmares?
Thanks again -- Bill Janovitz
Dear Bill,
I’m sure you get this stuff all the time, but I wanted to send you my first home recording. I’ve been a fan of your music for a long time and I learned to play guitar by downloading Buffalo Tom guitar tabs.I hope you enjoy (or at least can stomach) my maiden song, “Madeline.” Criticism welcome, and ignored.
Thanks!
Max
Hey Max,
Thanks for the email. The song sounds like Hot Tuna or something. I also have a song by the name “Madeline.” It seems we were both enamored by Madeline Albright.
Best -- Bill
March
06 Newsletter:
Holy moly, chips and guacamole,
It sure has been a long time, eh? Well, there has not been much
new music-wise for me to write about. I probably wrote about the
bi-annual Hot Stove Cool Music event prior to the show. One of the
year’s most fun nights for me, still. Granted, things have
slowed down for this guy. But so have they for you, don’t
lie.Buffalo Tom News
So yeah, up until now, not a lot of new shows to let you know about.
But there has been a pretty good amount of stuff going on behind
the scenes. Mainly, we have been slowly – s l o w l y –
chipping away at the next Buffalo Tom record. It seems that momentum
is in short supply. Since we do not do it full time anymore, we
can not set aside a bunch of weeks consecutively like we used to.
But I don’t think any of the three of us thought that it would
take so friggin’ long. The way we have been approaching it,
I guess as much by default as by design, is to write a small batch
of songs, say 3-5 at a time, and then go in a record them from top
to bottom, more or less. It has been a nice way of watching the
record slowly take form. But there were so many huge breaks where
many months would go before we got back in to the rehearsal room
and then the studio. Holidays, kids, jobs, yadda, yadda, would all
get in the way before we were able to get back on the same page.
Well, you can see I am mostly talking in the past tense. That is
because we are in the home stretch. All the tracks have been written
and recorded. Now we are just finishing overdubs and then will start
mixing the songs. I believe we have 13. I am really, really happy
with the record. Chris has brought some really great song ideas
and his singing and lyrics are better than ever. I think I have
grown as well. Tom sounds like he has been practicing drums, though
I am not sure that he has. I am pretty sure he hasn’t had
much time, so I am not sure how that works. But the songs and the
production are very moody, fairly raw. Some remind me of Neil Young’s
classic LP Tonight’s the Night. But most simply sound sort
of mid-period Buffalo Tom, I guess. I am not going to try too hard
to describe it, and I always thought we were working on our best
record ever as we were in the process, but I psyched with the way
this one is going. Especially since there were points during our
hiatus from recording when I was not sure we were going to ever
make a record again.
FAQ’s will include: When is it coming out? What label will
be putting it out? When and where will we do shows? Will there be
any special costumes arranged for the shows? Does this officially
make us ineligible for American Idol? Will any of us be available
for free kisses? I know, I know. The answers to all of them are:
I don’t know. So what do you want from me? Believe me, you
will be the first to know.
Live ShowsSo no Buffalo Tom shows planned. But please come on out
or listen to your radio or the internet for any of these:
MARCH 10:For those of you in the Boston area,
I will be doing some sort of radio interview with Jon Goode, Director
of Corporate Communications. He pairs up unlikely combos of professional
jocks and other folks, like me. I will apparently be on with Steve
Kasper of the Boston Bruins. He will hopefully forgive the fact
that I have no idea about anything regarding hockey. In fact, I
have never really skated. I don’t know Mr. Kasper. Anyway,
this is how Jon describes the nights:
I have started up a new radio show on The Sporting News Radio Network
AM1510 which will air every Thursday night from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
at the Skybox Restaurant in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The name of
the show is called "Blast from the Past Radio Hour" and
it's all to benefit the Foundation my wife and I created to help
children and families affect by Cerebral Palsy and Cystic Fibrosis.
Each week will feature a different New England Sports Legend and
a different celebrity guest host.
I guess I constitute the latter. So – I never thought I would
be saying this – come on down to the Skybox restaurant in
Tewksbury (I have never been there. That is not true, I bought a
car there once at Atamian Honda but it was right off the highway
ramp. I got a great deal on a car there in the mid 1990s. Go see
Terry Atamian. Don’t tell him I sent you, though. He will
have no idea what you are talking about.) I am actually kind of
sick right now trying to imagine my conversation with Mr. Kasper.
MARCH 18:
I will be sitting in at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA for Sessions
Americana (www.sessionsamericana.com). See the site for details.
Basically, singers sit in for 8 or so cover songs with some top-notch
Boston musicians. I will be probably doing some soul, country, and
standards, I imagine. This should actually be a whole lotta fun.
I look forward to it.
EVERY THURSDAY IN MAY (4, 11, 18, 25):The fabulous
Crown Victoria comes out of hiding for a Thursday night residency
at Toad in Porter Sq., Cambridge, MA.
ALSO IN MAY: The very supportive and excellent
KEXP radio station out of Seattle will be basing itself in NY for
the week of May 15-19 and has invited Crown Victoria down for a
live appearance. This has not been solidified yet. The station is
considered the best internet radio station by many. www.kexp.orgOther
Stuff
I have received many emails dating back to around September. I was
going to try and catch up and answer some here. But it is late,
I have not had much time, the keep piling up so it gets more daunting,
and I wanted to get the news out first. I will try to get to them
soon. I do read them all, but I am sorry that I do not reply to
many of them.
Speaking of web stuff, Kevin has taken over the buffalotom.com site
as well and has quickly whipped it into a cauldron of excitement.
A cocoon of horror, as Medfield’s own (and my high school
mate) Peter McNeely used to say. And he took a box of junk from
my house and has, through his own special Connecticut Irish Alchemy,
no doubt ascertained at UConn, turned that box into such special
sparkly magic as Podcasts of buffalo tom videos. Look it up at iTunes.
Right now, there is clip of us on the last episode of Jon Stewart’s
MTV show in 1995, with me and my embarrassing hippy-ass hair-do.
Speaking of Podcasts, if you are not already doing so, you have
to check out the Ricky Gervais show. I have been a fan of his since
the first Office episodes on BBC America, but I don’t think
you even have to know who he is to enjoy it.
Oh yeah, I switched real estate brokerages, from Coldwell Banker
Lexington to Carlson Real Estate, GMAC, so for those of you in the
Boston area (mostly the Northwest suburbs and Arlington, Somerville
and Cambridge) looking to work with the premier rock & roll
realtor to pimp you out into the crib of your dreams, drop me a
line and I will get you the relevant information. I actually was
awarded a top sales prize for 2005. You don’t want to think
of me this way? Then don’t! Forget I mentioned it. Believe
me, I would have preferred a Grammy but I am continuously snubbed.
But I don’t want to shatter your rock myth. Nay, I am an enigmatic
artist in a garret who makes his money from his creations only.
More later.
xoBill
July
05 Newsletter:
Hey NASCAR fans,
Janovitz here with an untimely update. Thanks to all those who made
the trip out to see Buffalo Tom at the Paradise last month. We had
a good time playing again. We really should make it a more than
once or twice a year deal. It is just that, well time just seems
to slip away so fast. I think there is a song in there. Personally,
I would like to be able to keep time in a bottle. How about you?
As many of you have already heard The Buffalo's are playing at Fenway
Park on July 16 for the first summer edition of the Hot Stove Cool
Music benefit concert. Here is the press release:
Theo Epstein, Peter Gammons To Lead July 16 Charity Event: Benefits
Newly Formed `A Foundation to Be Named Later'
Music and baseball once again team-up for an all-star double-play
tandem as organizers of the "Hot Stove, Cool Music" concert
series today unveiled details of Hot Stove, Cool Music: The Fenway
Sessions. Pending city approvals, the unique musical revue will
take place Saturday evening, July 16, at Fenway Park following the
Red Sox' afternoon game versus the New York Yankees.
The charity fundraiser before a limited audience would feature musical
performances by a host of Boston sports, music and entertainment
all-stars including Epstein, Gammons, Red Sox pitchers Bronson Arroyo
and Lenny DiNardo, and Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams.
All proceeds will benefit Epstein's `A Foundation to Be Named Later,'
a new branch of the Red Sox Foundation.
Tickets for Hot Stove Cool Music: The Fenway Sessions are $50 and
$100 and are available
starting June 16 at noon via redsox.com or by calling the Red Sox
ticket office, 877-RED-SOX9. The gates are expected to open at 6
p.m., and the entertainment is expected to begin at 7 p.m.
In a set up designed to preserve the intimacy of the winter event,
the performers will use a small area of the ballpark. Their stage
will be adjacent to the roof of the Red Sox' first base dugout,
and only the seats near the dugout and along the first base foul
line will be used.
A Foundation to Be Named Later, a branch of the Red Sox Foundation,
was founded in 2005 by Theo and his brother Paul Epstein to support
community programs that focus on at-risk, underprivileged and disadvantaged
youth.
The 2005 Hot Stove, Cool Music Fenway Sessions performance line-up
includes Buffalo Tom featuring Theo Epstein; Peter Gammons &
the Hot Stove All-Stars, featuring Bill Janovitz and The Gentlemen;
the Dilettantes featuring Kay Hanley, Michelle Lewis and Paula Kelly;
Juliana Hatfield; Ben Kweller; Red Sox pitchers Bronson Arroyo and
Lenny DiNardo; New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams and other
musical and baseball guests. The music will be interspersed with
on-stage skits performed by Mike O'Malley.
Mr. O'Malley has voiced his displeasure at that whole "skits"
thing at the end. But really, in life and on screen both, that pretty
much sums up his whole shtick. Seriously, the guy can't tell a story
without assigning roles to the listener, "yeah, ok, you be
me and say `hey, I did not order those fries' OK? And I will be
the dude behind the counter."
I guess more details will be relayed as they become available. Theo
will indeed be joining us again, as will Chris Colbourn, who had
to be out of town last winter. The chance to play at Fenway should
be fabulous and we look forward to it.
In the meantime, we are chipping away at what should be the next
Buffalo Tom record. We have about 8 songs coming along so far. At
this pace, we should have a record out before we all hit retirement
age, though we are all excited about George Bush's plans for social
security and how that relates to our overall recording budget.
Breakin' the law,
Bill
March
05 Newsletter:
Chinos and pantalones,
I write with some updates in B-Jan Nation.
These truly are historic and exciting times to be part of the dynamic
and fun-loving generation known as B-Jan Nation. Freedom is on the
march, or so I have heard.
Why, by merely signing up for this newsletter, you are not only
privy to the mundane minutia of my pastimes, but you are also taking
a stand, rising up against the "Whatever Feels Good, Do It"
crowd, the "Me Generation." Nay, you are part of something
much larger than all of us put together could ever hope to even
possibly dream: A perfect society of good-hearted and clean-living
people who care enough about the music from me, Bill Janovitz. All
we need is me. I am glad you agree.
OK, enough of the idiocy. My main reason in writing is that Crown
Victoria and Me will be playing at the Paradise Lounge in Boston
on March 11. Full set of rock. Come on down, please.
My book about Exile on Main St., titled, Exile on Main St., oddly
enough, is printed and slated for release this month.
Kevin Guiney has been working diligently on a new-look web site
overhaul, which will now include a variety of music downloads, some
for free/donation, some for a compulsory fee. This page will include
some the Searching for Certainty CD; the Homemade Songs CD; the
score to another play, Here Comes a Regular; demos; unreleased;
live and miscellaneous MP3s. Keep an eye on it.
I am sure I am forgetting something, but that's it for now. I promise
to answer some of your emails and Q&A's in the next newsletter.
Right now, I gotta go and make sure that freedom is still on the
march.
Your best friend,
Bill Janovitz
Click
here to buy Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria "Fireworks on
TV"
Dec 04 newsletter:
When the quick light dims
Dylan is on the TV
A long way back home
Hi potatoes and frites,
I am happy (for the charity) and sorry (for those who wanted to
go but could not score tix) that the 5th annual Boston Hot Stove/Cool
Music benefit for the Jimmy Fund for cancer in children sold out
in a day. This was predictable as the Red Sox (many of whom show
up and even play music at the show) won the World Series this year.
Just wanted to remind you of that. Meanwhile, we still have the
cozy Paradise as the venue, so we did not sacrifice the intimacy
of the event with a bigger room. But it seems inevitable that this
will have to change next year. At $30, ticket prices are still a
real bargain as well, especially for a benefit. And especially since
the Red Sox are the World Champions this year, as they won the World
Series and all (after staging an unprecedented comeback against
theYankees).
Unfortunately, Chris Colbourn will be out of town on January 9 and
will not be able to make the show, but Tom Maginnis and I will be
doing some Buff Tom chestnuts with help from friends Phil Aiken,
a longtime honorary Buffalo; Ed Valauskas, of the Gentlemen, Crown
Victoria, the Gravel Pit and more, on bass; and Theo Epstein, who
grew up in Boston as a long suffering fan of the Red Sox, only to
become the General Manager of the World Champion Red Sox (by virtue
of them winning the World Series, stepping all over the Yankees
on their way) -- a Cinderella story of a young man who ends an 86
year old drought in his home town and will therefore (along with
being rich, young, and good-looking) be the dude in the band most
likely to score the chicks this particular night (if he wantsto)
– on second guitar.
Aside from all that, I have some other reminders. Bill Janovitz
& Crown Victoria play two sets (I think) on New Years Eve at
the Orpheum in Boston, opening forGraham, Parker, backed by the
Gentlemen. From the First Night Boston web site:
Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria
Buffalo Tom’s frontman Bill Janovitz goes it alone (with some
friends) in his new side band, Crown Victoria, which finds him returning
to his hooky pop-rock roots. They’ll play songs from their
new CD, Fireworks on TV, and you should come see them, instead of
staying home and watching fireworks on TV.
Sponsored by The River 92.5FM.
(Map 23) Orpheum Theatre
January 15 -- I will also bring
the band down to WFUV in the Bronx (not far from where the Red Sox
celebrated winning the American League Championship by beating the
Yankees, going on to win the World Series), to perform on Vin Scelsa’s
show, the best radio show anywhere. In the process, we will actually
come down a night early JANUARY 14 and play at Sin-e in NYC
HERE IS SOME MAIL:
10/17:
hey bill,
yes,...you are being played in jersey, albeit an all local music
show on rutgers college radio but there's always space for bill
j. and crown vic...the new album is fan-fuckin-tastic! the mercury
lounge show was inspiring...rock&roll still lives!?!sorry 'bout
your sox...better luck next year,...or the year after that,...or
the...when you playin' ny again,...better yet how bout jersey? thanks
man
brian
Thanks for the kind words Brian. And your email, coming from you,
a Yankees fan prematurely celebrating brings me extra pleasure.
London Borough of Lambeth: our disclaimer is at the end of this
e-mail.
***********************************************************************************
bill, this sounds like a lot of fun. i've really been torn between
taking a few days off work here and flying to boston to hang out
for a week and catch the CV gig. I did it last Jan for buffalo tom
at the Middle East. still, im taking a week off after xmas to tour
around New England a little bit (Vermont and Mass mainly) - Burlington,
Montpeilier, Hanover, Norwich, Bellow Falls, Brattleboro, Northampton,
Armherst, Williamstown, North Adams, Middlebury (back to Burlington
- in that order!)
3 questions though: where is the cover photo taken from on Up Here
? What is the best book you've ever read ? and any tips for me and
my friends and the road trip ? (we ain't skiing!!!)
Best,
Ian Leonard
London, UK
Ian –
The photo was taken by a friend of mine at a truck stop in Foxboro,
Massachusetts, not far, incidentally, from the home of the New England
Patriots, who have won two out of the last three Superbowls.
Best book? I don’t know. I mean, some Faulkner I read in college
was probably the “best.” Maybe S.E. Hinton. My favorite
author lately is Richard Ford. I heartily recommend Tom Perrotta’s
books as well, if you enjoy Ford. I also loved John Irving’s
Prayer for Owne Meany. After a lot of rock & roll books over
the summer, for research on my book on Exile on Main St., I am now
reading Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces (finally).
Since you must have already made your trip, I will spare you my
suggestions, though I hope you made it to Woburn, MA.
Lenny writes:
Here's what kills me about your Sox emails... The number one payroll
in baseball beat everyone in the game. The Yankess in 2004 had the
number two payroll. Next year the Yankees have the number one payroll
and Boston has number two if all stays the same. You put a salary
cap in baseball and watch both teams crumble...
Lenny
Thanks for pointing that out, Lenny. Now as my friend Bill Simmons
might suggest, can you fill it up with regular and check the oil
please?
Happy holidays to all!
Bill
August 04
newsletter:
News from Bill "I am your buddy"
Janovitz
I ain't in no mood for extraneous pithiness, so here is the low-down,
Brown; some stuff you should know:
August:
14 Buffalo Tom; Beachcomber, Wellfleet, MA
21 Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria; Paradise Lounge, Boston,
MA
28 I sing with Tanya Donelly, at the Windham, in Bellows Falls,
VT. She will be
recording new songs, live, for a new record album. Details:
http://www.thewindham.com/tanya.html
September:
7 Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria record Fireworks on TV released
(watch billjanovitz.com and QDivision.com for pre-release availability)
17 Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria; Mercury Lounge, NYC, with
the Knockout Drops (NY bon vivants)
26 Me and maybe some of CV on-air WFNX 101.7 FM, Boston area. Evening
promo, maybe play some songs in promotion of the record.
30 Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria; Boston Music Awards at Avalon,
Boston. To be confirmed.
October:
2 Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria; The Abbey Lounge, Somerville,
MA; NEMO show.
July
04 newsletter:
A few spicy items to share with you hot tamales:
Buffalo Tom plays the Beachcomber in Wellfleet, MA, waaaaay out
on Cape
Cod, August 14. For those of you who have not been there, I very
much
recommend it, unless you are so helplessly stuck in your goth ways
that
you can not enjoy the sun and the beach in the summer. I know BT
still
has a lot of goth fans, smoking those damn clove cigarettes and
wearing
black latex and patent leather cod pieces. Which brings me back
to Cape
Cod (piece). The Beachcomber is not really your standard Jimmy
Buffet/Corona kind of place; it is a legendary rock place that just
happens to be nestled amongst the dunes on one of the most amazing
pieces of shoreline in the Northeast. So come on down, sweet Virginia
and get your rocks off.
Ah, what an interesting segue! I am writing a book on the Rolling
Stones' Exile on Main St. for Continuum Books' 33 1/3 series. You
might
know that Joe Pernice wrote on Meat is Murder and Warren Zanes on
Dusty
in Memphis. Mine will hopefully be out next Spring.
continuumbooks
link
Meanwhile, the Bill Janovitz and Crown Victoria CD is due out first
week
of September. It will be on Q Division records, is called Fireworks
on
TV, and has 15 songs. Yes, a bit long, but listen, we've been sitting
on
some of these songs for more than 5 years already. We should have
had
three records out by this time. So leave me alone, you pale impudent
Goths!
Speaking of which, Buffalo Tom used to cover Bauhaus' "Bella
Legosi's
Dead" back in our earliest of days. You think I'm kidding?
Nope. We'd
play that, the Stones' "Last Time," Naked Raygun's "Managua,"
The Gun
Club's "For the Love of Ivy," and a lot of the same songs
we still play
today, including covering all of Some Girls once.
Perhaps we will dip back into those songs at the Beachcomber.
Also, why not come down to a night in celebration of Q Division
acts at
the Paradise Lounge on August 21? Crown Vic and I will certainly
be
playing some of what Bob Seeger (I call him "the Seegs")
calls "Old Time
Rock and Roll."
Speaking of that song, when my wife and I were planning our wedding
back
in '92, I was, of course, in charge of the music; she handled pretty
much everything else. We were married in Cape May, New Jersey, Laura's
home town. Well, her mom's beau, Ed -- a real jazz aficionado who
once
pitched pennies with Dizzy Gillespie -- recommended I come to check
out
this hot little area trio ingeniously named the Capers (which is,
incidentally, also the name of the high school sports teams). The
band
was appropriately cheesy and yet also played a wide range of standards
with heart and a little authenticity. Oh yeah, and the horn player
could
- and would - play two saxes at once. So we had that going for us.
I
talked to these brave Capers and hired them for our wedding. I explained
that I am a pop music musician and, while I would not mind if they
took
some stabs at the whole rock & roll thing, I would prefer any
of a long
list of standards for our wedding. Making out a list of our favorite
songs, I gave them as much leeway as they needed, with the exceptions
outlined on an explicit list of numbers I absolutely did not want
them
to play. Chief amongst these were two, still as fresh in my mind
as they
were the day I wrote them out: "The Chicken Dance" (the
name of which
alone still causes insanity-inducing echoes in my head [by the way,
once
armed with the knowledge of this weakness of mine, certain members
of
Bettie Serveert would hum this endlessly whilst sharing a tour bus
with
Buffalo Tom]) and, yes, The Seegs' "Old Time Rock & Roll,"
a song which
might only be made worse had Bob spelled it "Olde Thyme Rock
& Roll."
So the big day arrives and we are swilling down the gin and tonics
at
the Lobster House (a joint far classier than the name would imply,
while
still no Ritz Carlton) and are well into the celebration when some
Wildman friend of my dad's, in an apparent need to get his freak
on,
whispers a request into the Capers' drummer's ear. You see where
this is
going? The drummer, grinning, looks me in the eye from behind the
set
and announces into his microphone (drummers should not be allowed
to
have microphones; I should have noticed this when I first went to
see
these mooks; none of this would have happened), "This one goes
out to
Bill!" And they launch into:
Just take those old records off the shelf
I'll sit and listen to them by myself
Today's music ain't got the same soul
Not like that old time rock & roll.
I did not think it was funny. At all. If I had not been so plied
with
alcohol, I would never have paid them.
Speaking of not paying bands, Senor Happy will be playing at both
of the
above shows. The act includes Crown Victoria drummer and all around
gadfly, Tom Polce.
On to some mail from you 15 guys who read my newsletters:
STEPHEN WRITES:
Bill, you're the man. Can't wait to see youse guys again.
Missed ya
with Dear Leader, but won't miss again. Rock on Real Estate
agent man.
Stephen.
P.S. When I find myself in the market you just might hear
from me. :o)
Stephen -- First of all - and this goes for all of you - don't put
those
smiley faces in emails to me, especially if you are a "man."
Number two:
don't make fun of my second career -- unless of course you really
do
want to buy through me, in which case you can call me whatever the
hell
you want.
ROSS WRITES:
Great Jesus and Mary Chain reference. Thye were an underated
act back
in the early 90's. I actually saw them live at Lollapalooza
at Great
Woods in Mansfield MA circa 92 maybe. Check out the bill:
Jesus and
Mary Chain, Ice Cube, Peral Jam, Soundgarden, and the event closed
with
the Chili Peppers playing Give It Away Now with gas cannisters strapped
to their back and flames spewing out of silver helmets.
How great would it be to see all those acts again today with one
rule,
no music to be played that was created after 1994.
Ross, That is a sad sentiment, mainly because I agree with it. Age
sets
in.
ARAM ASKS:
Dear Mr Janovitz,
why do I never get an e-mail with 'oh yes, tonight I'm doing a gig
in
Belgium'?, this is getting frustrating.. Well, guess we will have
to
wait till your beam-me-up-to-Belgium machine is tuned well.
greetings and I wish you all success
Aram
Aram - I love Belgium. How come no Belgies come over here and see
us on
our home turf. I am seriously thinking of getting a little Branson,
MO
thing going. BT Family Theater.
MARK WRITES:
Post Sheila Devine, my pleas for a one-time-only Lincolnville/BTpalooza
again falls on deaf ears.
I live in NYC now but remain a Sox fan. Their inconsistent and lack
of
clutch hitting is more worrisome then appears at first glance. Subtract
Manny's performance from the Yankees Series, and they may have lost
2 of
3.
Mark - Not sure if I am the first one to mention this to a Sox fan:
it
is a long season. They are just about where they were this time
last
year, with only about three games under their belts in which they've
fielded their intended lineup and a manager who actually says things
like "I've never been so proud of a group of people (sniff)
in my
(sniff) life," after getting swept by the Yankees. Meanwhile,
the Yanks
got swept by the Mets and just lost 2/3 from Detroit. Keep your
eye on
the prize, dear man.
JOHN WRITES:
Bill -
Rock the house in Beantown! Come down to Chicago, when you guys
have a
moment! I hope you can put a couple live tracks from the weekend
on your
site.
There was a guest on the Sopranos last week, was this your bro?
He was
the construction worker, that was dating Mr. Soprano's daughter.
Have you guys played "Saving Grace" in a while?
Keep on rocking in the free world!
John - I did notice that actor's name: Will Janowitz. Close; my
name is
William Janovitz, with a "v."
No, we have not played that song in a while. But we did play the
theme
to "Will and Grace."
No - YOU keep rocking in the free world, made all that much freer
by our
dear leader George "no nation building" Bush.
BOB WRITES:
Hey Bill thanks for last update as for me being from California
I can
only hope those bastards from the industry like the new stuff and
get
you out here to Cali! Anyways wanted your quick take on the Pixies
reunion for the almighty dollar!! give me your thoughts on your
next
update if you like! keep the faith
Bob - I have no view, except to say that the almighty dollar is
usually
a pretty good reason in my book. Whatsamatter, don't you like to
be
paid?
TIM WRITES:
Bill,
On your next solo/Crown Vic/BT "world tour," any
chance you could find your way to the Star Hill
Brewery & Music Hall in Charlottesville, VA? http://www.starrhill.com/
Intimate venue, great beer and home to Dave Matthews -
what more do you need? OK, besides the Red Sox and all
the great restaurants and places to hear live music.
At least we have John D'earth every Thursday night at
Miller's.
http://www.johndearth.com/
Looking forward to the Crown Vic CD in Sept!
Thanks,
- Tim
Tim,
Not sure if you are joking about Dave M. He is someone I never "got."
Maybe someone can try to tell me what there is to get there, so
then I
can make fun of their attempts in my next email.
WILLIAM WRITES:
>>
>> On Friday, May 7, 2004, at 07:33 pm, will j wrote:
>>
>>> PLEASE COME TO BOSTON!!!!!!
>>
>> Ah....the beautiful Ted Hawkins song. Have you heard it?
>
> (I know it's a Dave Loggins song, but Ted re-worked it)
William, yes. I love Ted. Best incestuous, child-molesting homeless
street singer there was.
AND THEN WILLIAM WRITES AGAIN (OR MAYBE IT WAS BEFORE):
Hi Bill,
I've heard the Friday Paradise gig from a downloaded live recording.
Hope you don't mind these small illegalities, (I've got everything
you've put out officially anyway, even the singles). The net is
a good
thing for real music fans - we'll buy good product anyway. The record
companies deserve to be shitting themselves.
I've got to tell you, Bottom of The Rain and Three Easy Pieces are
the
best things I've heard from you/BT since Sleepy Eyed. Reminds me
of
when I was 19 and listening to you guys for the first time!
Bottom Of The Rain reminds me of Creedence - the sound and the
title/words. Was that intentional?
Can't wait till you come over to Britain. (Last time was at the
Borderline in Soho, London on the Up Here tour. That's too long
ago,
Bill!)
When's the B.T. LP coming out?
William
William - I don't mind small illegalities.I guess. We in BT are
ironically the last to hear these recordings, by the way, but probably
the last that would want to hear them as well. Creedence is a good
reference point, though nothing I do is intentional songwriting-wise.
I
am into the whole cosmic scene. "Three Easy Pieces" reminds
us of New
Order covering Modern English, if such a thing were ever to happen.
I
also hear the clash in there a bit. Thanks for your nice words.
JERRY WRITES:
Hi Bill. I realize that you're busy and that you have a life but
I
have a couple of quick questions if you don't mind.
First off let me say that I think you guys are great.
You've reminded
what rock and roll is supposed to be like. Thanks for that.
Secondly, I am dying to see you guys live. Any
idea when and if
you'll be playing the Toronto, Ontario area anytime soon? I know
you
guys are kind of taking some time out at this point but I am counting
the days to when I get to see you live.
I'm also a guitar player and have a few questions regarding
your
equipment. Mainly, what are your main guitars and amps? I
know you
play a Gibson SG. What are the details? What year, model, etc.?
Also,
do you use tube or solid state amps? What sort of effects
do you use,
specifically for tremolo? And how, oh how, do you get that cool
sound
that runs through the song Knot In It? Totally cool.
The other thing was this, I had heard about you guys
i the early 90's but was able to find any of your CDs. One
day in 1995 I found a copy
of Big Red Letter Day and have been hooked ever since. I wanted
to get
the rest of your catalog but could never find them in any local
record
stores which is a shame. I want to support you guys by buying
your
music but no one here is selling it. I ended up eventually finding
them
at a used music store. While that was good for me I know it was
bad for
you guys as you don't see any royalties. That sucks. Is there
anything
I can do to help out in any way? I'm serious. I'm more than willing
to
pay for good music and it's a shame that I can't do that knowing
that
you guys are being properly compensated. Sigh. Maybe when
you're in
Toronto I can buy you dinner or something. Not much, I know, but
It'd
make me feel better.
Anyway, thanks again for the great music. Hope to see
a new album and subsequent tour in the near future.
Jerry
Jerry, I like to play guitars with humbucker pickups (SG's
mostly, plus
a Tele Deluxe). I vacillate with amps. Almost always Marshalls and
Fenders, though, and always tube amps. Effects come and go. I can
never
remember, though I think I detailed that stuff in the studio diary
for
Smitten on the BT.com web site, especially for gear heads like you.
"Know in It" was achieved by sampling my guitar via a
tremolo. Right now
I am using Line 6 effects for distortion and modulation. I just
bought a
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which I am very excited about. I love it.
It was
about $350 used.
As for sending us money, I can set up an address for anyone who
ever
wants to send us checks, cash, I.O.U.'s, etc. Guilt money works
for me,
if that is what motivates you. Just think of my little kids out
on the
street while I slave away in another real estate broker's Mercedes
previewing $2 million dollar home which I will not be able to afford
to
buy any time soon!!!!! I feel entitled to such material possessions
and
I feel like my music should have afforded me such luxury. Note to
the
Belgians: I am being ironic. Don't send me any money. Just go out
and
buy more records for your friends. You can find them on iTunes,
Amazon,
CD UNIVERSE, etc.
And buy the Crown Vic record when it comes out. Buffalo Tom will
not be
recording for a while, so I can't see a BT record any time soon.
XOBill
Feb
04 newsletter:
Hi All
A couple of news items:
Buffalo Tom is playing May 7 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.
Depending
on a bunch of things, we might add a smaller show the next night
to stretch
out into new material, most of the set devoted to drummer Tom Maginnis
ideas for the new direction for the band: a sea chantey-rock opera.
It is
better than it sounds. We're calling it Argh There Matey! It is
a working
title.
Also, the long awaited, mythical, great lost Bill Janovitz and Crown
Victoria record will be out soon. We just came to terms with Q Division
records, though no deal has been signed. Try to keep it to yourself
lest we
all be embarrassed if it falls through. Looks like it would be out
in the
summer. We will likely include a remixed ^?One, Two, Three,^? which
some of
you might know from the Hot Stove, Cool Music CD or from my web
site
billjanovitz.com. I was thinking about changing the name of the
band to Bill
Janovitz and Sons, but it seems like we are named already and it
is hard to
reverse the CV juggernaut. Said juggernaut took almost 5 years to
get this
record out.
I am excited about spring training and hope the Sox superior pitching
helps
take it all this year. For those Yankees fans that have recently
learned how
to use ^?da email ting,^? please spare me your thoughts regarding
this^?or
anything, really.
A brief Q&A (please do not hesitate to resuscitate this long
lost feature):
Hi Bill,
I was wondering what "Mineral" is about. I love that song
and
always wondered the meaning behind it. Thanks.
Charlie
I am not sure. It was very stream of consciousness. Those kind of
songs tend
to be about a certain block of time in my life, all bleeding together,
direct and indirect experience, real and imagined.
We miss you in Europe ... better in Belgium ... QB is a great place
to play
my
friend ... come on, come out and play there. Me and my friends are
good for
about 25 people.
A sold out gig will be guarenteed.
John
Not so much a question, but my love for the
Belgians is deep and real. I
miss all you Flemmish kids and your damned Trappiste beer. Go get
^?em! I had
a great time in Ghent last time, though I was alone in a^?.oh never
mind. I
am going off on a reverie.
Just curious Bill,
Do you have a particular favorite track on the Hot Stove album?
I'm a bit
partial to the Crown Vic and Westerberg tracks myself.
Love the ballplayer rock: speziooooo!!!!!!
Not much else to tell you. Still working on some new BT material,
but
otherwise I have been not devoting enough time to writing music
lately,
though there is so much back material that I never get to. Unfortunately,
the day job is really cutting in to the rock. I know you are all
going
through similar things, tough all over. Hey, by the way, I find
it very
disheartening that none of my fans apparently trust me enough to
send real
estate referrals to me down here in the Lexington, MA area. I have
only had
one direct sale, though a bunch of people have eventually recoginized
me
after the fact: ^?hey, weren^?t you the guy^??^? If you want to
send someone my
way ^? send me an email here. I am with Coldwell Banker in Lexington.
Oddly
enough, I am actually having a bit of fun doing it. Yeah, sure it
is cheesy
sometimes. But so was going around on tour and sitting in at Mornign
Zoo
radio station programs ^? more so. I feel less dirty in fact.
BUT I STILL GOTTA ROCK!.
Been listening almost non-stop this past year to the Kings Of Leon.
Wish someone would tell me why I should be excited about the Shins.
I keep
trying. I do really like ^?A Call to Apathy^? though.
Am not too into the Grey Album by Jay Z as remixed by Danger Mouse,
I hoped
for more.
One weird thing about the iPod is that I have been listening a lot
to ^?Love
Will Keep us Together.^? Have you listened to that recently? It
is a perfect
pop song, written, performed, and produced. It totally kicks. Dare
I say,
funky? Listen closely to the odd kick drum pattern at the end of
the chorus
^? totally off-beat on purpose.
I love ^?New Year^? by Death Cab for Cutie.
I am addicted to American Idol, yet again.
I feel like I am writing a Larry King column for USA Today.
Lost in Translation has me listening to my old flames the Jesus
and Mary
Chain. How great were they in 1986? Totally new sound with completely
stolen
melodies.
Have I ever mentioned ^?Isn^?t it a Shame?^?
by LaBelle (the band, named after
its lead singer Patti, but with Nona Hendryx as well). Good God
man!
Okay! luv Ya! write back! smiley faces and everything! smooch!
B
Jan 04 newsletter:
Happy holidays to you all.
Just a quick musical update:
January 11 th I will be playing with my mates Los Coronas Victorias
(Crown
Victoria for you gringos) at the annual Hot Stove Cool Music benefit
for the
Jimmy Fund for children's cancer research, hosted by Peter Gammons
of ESPN,
at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Other performers include the
usual
suspects: The Gentlemen; Kay Hanley; Trauser, featuring Theo Epstein;
The
Hot Stove All Stars featuring Peter Gammons; and special guests
from the
stage, screen, field, court, etc. Here is a link to the excellent
label
Fenway Recordings^? page regarding the event and the CD being released,
which
includes the song ^?1,2,3^? by Crown Vic and me:
http://www.fenwayrecordings.com/hotstove/index.html
An article that just appeared in Billboard:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2058312
January 24 ^? Buffalo Tom at the Middle East Rock Club, downstairs,
in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Also on the bill are Dear Leader -- featuring
a
member or two from The Sheila Divine -- and Big Digits, who are
a personal
favorite and invitation of mine. They perform old school hip hop,
along the
lines of Public Enemy, LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys. Just two white
indie
rock art student boys who remember when rap meant something. Inciddentally,
this is how I age myself: I remember when rap first started to break
back in
the late 1970s and all the old folks and suburban rock and roll
freaks
started to complain about how they remember when music featured
singing and
musicians, etc. Now I catch myself saying, as I watch that damn
50 Cent, "I
remember when rap/hip hop was substantial, fresh, and innovate."
Of course,
this discounts the best radio single in God knows how many years
"Hey Ya,"
which, while maybe not quite hip hop, also may qualify as the all
time best
video, if simply for the equestrian gear worn by Andre 3000 (also,
the name
Andre 3000 deserves its own lofty perch in the pnatheon of great
musician/band names).
At the show, BT will be trying out some new material we have been
working
on, 5 or 6 songs, as well as many older faves. The writing/rehearsing
stage
is off to a good start; no fisticuffs or broken hearts yet, as far
as I can
tell. We played together at the Fuzzy Christmas spectacular at Zuzu
in
Cambridge last Monday. We worked out ^?Run, Run, Rudolph,^? ^?Please
Come Home
For Christmas,^? and ^?Merry Christmas Baby^? for the kids.
Been listening a lot to Sigur Ros again, as it is so grooving for
the
winter. Otis Redding^?s ^?Otis Blue.^? Pulled out some other old
stuff
recently, like the Sonics. My 4 year old daughter totally dug on
the Sonics.
Also: say what you want about downloading music, but I am enthused
about my
new iPod and iTunes, even if artists get the usual short end of
the stick
royalty-wise. At least it is some form of compensation and you don^?t
inadvertently download really bad files/viruses like you can on
the free
sites. But creating quick playlists and carrying around so much
music so
easy to access is making me happy listening to music again.
Let^?s see, been watching a lot of TV, which
is good for you. I^?ve become
addicted to the English show ^?The Office^? on BBC America. Rivals
^?Curb Your
Enthusiasm^? in its writhe-fulness. The only adult movie I have
seen recently
(and I don^?t mean ^?adult^? in the way you are thinking, you dirty
bastard. I
see plenty of those, though perhaps not in their entirety) is Lost
in
Translation, which I found sublime and moving. I think Bill Murray
is really
hitting his stride since his role in Rushmore.
I will be out to Chicago on January 16 to see the tail end of the
run of
^?Here Comes a Regular,^? the play I scored. Hope to see some of
you Chi-Lites
there.
Am I still allowed to wish you ^?peace^? for the new year, or will
that label
me a leftist-dissident/suspect/enemy combatant under the John Ashcroft's
Patriot Act? Well, you never know; when he isn't busy covering up
nude
statues of Lady Justice or whoever she is.... Anyway, enough politics.
Just
go to www.aclu.org if your outrage, like mine, needs an outlet.
xobill
Sept 03 newsletter:
Red Sox still alive
And it is already fall
Will there be a fall?
Dear Jets and Sharks.
It is true! As of this writing, it remains damn well possible that
the Sox
will win it all this year. Of course, it remains possible that I
will become
a popular box office draw with my next summer teen-scream blockbuster
with
Hillary Duff. One must remain positive. I could play Ms. Duff^?s
clumsy Dad
who tries to be cool but says things like ^?Who the hell is this
50 Cents I
have been hearing so much about?^? Such a role would not be a stretch
for me;
indeed, it would be type casting.
I've been working on a new theme song for the CBS show "Yes,
Dear" starring
my friend and yours, Mike O'Malley. He was kind enough to throw
my name in
the hat when the producers started discussing new theme music. They
liked
the demo and I went into the studio Saturday with Tom Polce (Crown
Victoria; loveless; Senor Happy) on drums and mixing and Ed Valauskas
(the Gentlemen;
Gravel Pit) on bass. It is a pretty cool, silly little rocker. I
think it will debut on the season premiere next Monday, September
22 at 8 p.m. The
show is now in its third season. If I get clearance, I will post
MP3s of the song on my site.
There are some more ^?Searching for Certainty^? score CDs available
at the
site, as well. Samples are available there.
We are inching closer to getting the Bill Janovitz and Crown Victoria
disc out. Hopefully before winter.
Chris Toppin and I are also almost finished
with our little old acoustic
record. Who knows when that will come out.
Top also will let us all know when Rock and Roll Cootchie Coo will
come out,
a record of all original songs for kids which was organized by Toppin
and
Tanya Donelly, features contributions from both of them along with
Kay
Hanley, Dave Minehan, Chris Colbourn, me, and a bunch of other,
primarily
Boston-based people. I would think autumn for that one.
I have finally fulfilled a dream for my sports-loving father: My
name is
mentioned in Sports Illustrated. I would like to say that it is
because of
exemplary athletic prowess but anyone who has observed me on stage
with
concern for my safety and that of others can attest to my singular
lack of
coordination. Alas, it is for music, albeit jock rock. Each winter
I take
part in the Hot Stove Cool Music benefit show in Boston for the
Jimmy Fund,
which raises money for children^?s cancer research. It is organized
by Jeff
Horrigan, Sox beat writer for the Boston Herald, and ESPN analyst
and
baseball guru Peter Gammons. Local bands and sports stars all appear,
along
with certain national luminaries. Last year a group of us musicians
backed
Gammons for a few numbers while he played guitar and sang. This
cross-pollination was such a success that it led to the organization
of a
record of originals and covers from a slew of national and local
bands. I
and Crown Vic contribute an original track ^?One, Two, Three,^?
and I also
sing lead on a version of Garry Glitter^?s (please keep your jokes
to
yourself) ^?Rock and Roll No.2^? Appearing with me on the vocals
are none
other than the Wooba Gooba (Woofa Goofa?) Peter Wolf on verse two,
and
Dickey Barrett on the deep chorus ^?rock and roooollll^?s^?. I believe
baseball
star Scott Spezio lays down a few of the sort of tasty licks that
only a
ball player can provide. Keep an eye out for this baby.
Finally, I have composed and recorded another score for a play.
It is named
after the Replacements song ^?Here Comes a Regular^?. Details:
http://www.thefactorytheater.com/shows/Regular/Regular.html
Nick DiGilio is a buddy of mine in Chicago and wrote the play. He
previously
write ^?The Vinyl Shop^?, and adaptation of Nick Hornby^?s novel
High Fidelity,
and that may or may not have inspired the film version. Go see it
in
November if you are in Chicago.
And never, ever, nevahhhhh rule out another
record by Buffalo Tom. The love
remains the same.
Love until the next time,
March 03 newsletter:
I am hungry now
go get me some freedom fries
damn them swarthy French
Anyway, enough politics. I will not bog down the newsletter with
my political ravings. Only culinary comments. If you are interested,
the debate rages on at the new, "democratically" installed
message board at my Web site -- a puppet democracy answering to
the poll-driven whims of Kevin "regime change" Guiney,
the Webmaster. So far it seems like it is little old me versus a
battalion of pro-Bush, "Rush Limbaugh Youth" warmongers.
So feel free to chime in any time, you friends-of-Janovitz bleeding
heart pacifist liberal hippy flower-sniffing queers. I know you
are out there. By the way, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU
as well.
Here is what I have to tell you regarding upcoming shows and the
like:
March 20, Thursday night, Lupo's in Providence -- I will be performing
with Tanya Donelly and Dean Fisher. We will do some of her songs,
some of my songs, and some covers, including a couple of Graham
Parson's-identified numbers. This will be a benefit for the victims
and the families of victims of the Station nightclub fire. I think
we are on stage in the 10 p.m. range. Don't stop and ask why we
are sharing a bill with Max Creek and Duke Robillard. It is a benefit.
I just hope their fans don't beat me up. Hell, I hope that my own
fans don't beat me up, given the email response I have gotten regarding
my views of the war that's a-gonna make things right. And yes, I
think they serve Freedom Fries there.
Saturday March 29 -- as part of my manager Baron of Bellows Falls
Gary Smith's birthday, I will play a solo set at Rick's Bar and
Grille in Bellows Falls Vermont, to be followed by a band he is
very excited about, the Stone Coyotes. Details can be found here:
http://www.fortapache.net/stonecoyotes/ It sounds like a fun
night. No Freedom Fries though, unfortunately, as it is Vermont,
the state that saw my man Howard Dean as governor. So, instead we
will be serving Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Commie-Pinko Shakes.
Mmmm.. I can already smell the patchouli.
Sunday April 6 -- Narrows Center for the Arts Fall River, MA. I
will be playing with the fabulous singer-songwriter, Lori McKenna.
Freedom Fries will be available, though in Fall River they understand
that "french" fries are actually from Belgium, so they
are called Peace Freak Frites.
Friday, May 9 -- The Buffalo NY show has been rescheduled to this
night, though I am not sure if it is 100% yet, or the details. I
think it will be at the Continental. Buffalo is close to Canada........You
know, Canada? That's right! Frenchies and their so-called "french
fries."
Monday May 12 - The Paradise front room, Boston. The Newtonville
Books authors/musicians series I mentioned last email With Tom Perrotta,
Chris Colbourn, and others. I am sick of the fries jokes, so I can
only imagine how you feel. Probably a little greasy?
Anyway, I beseech you to deluge the elected idiots in Congress who
found the time, in the midst of such an urgent rush to war, to order
the menu change and thus made the whole country look even more like
a bunch of Bush-following goobers. I mean, I am hooked to American
Idol, I admit I am a goober. But I gotta draw the line.
The tour with Kate Pierson and Graham Parker is still being ironed
out, though we are tentatively starting in Boston on May 16. Graham
is originally from England. Hmm. I will keep an eye on him, but
they don't really like the french either.
I tried to avoid politics.
Old and new music I am actively listening to and loving lately:
Evan Dando's new Baby, I'm Bored (not yet released). Has a beautiful
new song "Hard Drive"; Sigur Ros' new one and "Svefn-G-Englar";
Soundtrack of Our Lives; My Mourning Jacket; Bert Jansch; Nico's
Chelsea Girls; Springsteen, Nebraska and Tunnel of Love; LaBelle
"Isn't it a Shame"; Percy Sledge "Warm and Tender
Love"; Grateful Dead Europe '72; Clash London Calling; Jackson
Browne "Here Come Those Tears Again"; Jeff Buckley's version
of Leonard Cohen's unbelievably stunning classic song "Hallelujah."
( I am still not a huge Buckley fan, I hate to admit, but if he
never did anything else aside from this, he was a genius interpreter
at least. He also did a great version of a Nina Simone song or two).;
revisiting Belly and Tanya D.records and hearing Tanya's great back
catalog again, including "Restless" and "Stay";
Debussy "Claire De Lune"; Ray Charles version of
the Leon Russell standard "A Song for You". And
oh yeah, Ruben from American Idol.
Thanks for the love,
Bill
Feb 03 newsletter:
Haiku
snow lightens on lawn
shoveled my fucking back out
Florida looks good
Really, I am getting old and it is time to retire to a gated golf
community on the Gulf Coast to drink martinis and watch mooks like
me getting their cars stuck in ice and snow on the nightly news.
But see if you can bring yourself to fight winter's inertia and
get your ass off the sofa to come down and see Chris Toppin and
I singing our little hearts out next Monday the 24th at Zuzu on
474 Mass. Ave. Central Sq., Cambridge. Come down, have some dinner,
and make a request.
Top and I are about halfway through a very nice little record that
you may all enjoy someday. She and Tanya Donelly are also pulling
together a fabulous record for kids of all ages, to which I contributed
the song "The Farm Where Everyone Does What They Want to Do."
Oh yes, it is an old favorite.
Otherwise, I can't recall the last time I was as excited about a
record as I am about the one that we in the band Crown Victoria
are finishing up. The mixes -- by Tom Polce -- sound excellent to
me, though what the hell do I know? Well, I know this: I hope everyone
in the world hears it and loves it but I know relatively few will
hear it and fewer will love it, but I really don't care at the end
of it all, as it is exactly what I want to do. How earnest can one
man be? The songs are old -- some of them -- the recordings were
mostly done last year, and I am still listening and enjoying them.
I hope you like it when it comes out sometime in the next 4 months
or so.
Buff Tom fans: Chris Colbourn is the proud father of a new baby
boy!
Renner Colbourn. It is the first for Chris and his wife Kelly. A
new Buffy Tee.
Mike O'Malley's play "Searching for Certainty" was a smash
success in LA.
Thanks to those of you who came down, and hope you enjoyed it. It
may some day be a movie.
Warning: For those of you who are sick of hearing people's opinions
of
George Bush's impending war, read no further.
But I am one of many who are sickened to find ourselves living in
dark times. As I write, yet another DeLillo-esque event is announced
on the shallower-than-ever nightly news propaganda machine -- the
subway disaster in S.Korea. These sorts of things have been happening
a lot, lately, no? And it is all the backdrop for the seemingly
dim-witted cowboy-president and his band of extreme-right henchmen
to continue leading the country in completely the wrong direction
since 9/11, indeed using that insane tragedy as a license to impinge
on Constitutional rights, wage unjust warfare, and distract from
other more pressing matters like improving the state of the economy
(Reaganomic tax cuts for the rich are most likely not going to do
the trick) and capturing actual (not just "potential")
terrorists. In short, responding in the very way the terrorists
had hoped. It is my understanding that no high level al Quaeda leaders
have been captured or killed, though plenty of innocent Afghanis
have been slaughtered and a butt load of suspects have been detained
in Guantanomo without rights to lawyers or due process. But the
judicial process on an international or national level seem to be
held in great disdain by the administration. The Boston Globe published
an editorial the other day which took to task John Ashcroft's chilling
directive to state attorneys general instructing them to pursue
the death penalty in more cases. What year are we living in?
I know I am not the only one struck daily
by the absurdly obvious "Wag the Dog"-like end-runs around
the Bill of Rights, NATO, the UN, disregard for the nation's less-fortunate,
and brazen abuse of power that the current administration exhibits.
For those like me, laughing at it all was heretofore the best way
to cope: www.getyourwaron.com among the best of all satire. But
lately I feel more hopelessly distressed. I am sick of the seemingly
endless Best of Noam Chomsky lists of fill-in-the-blank dictators
the U.S. has supported and encouraged in the past "but now
we have to go kill him, though will probably not and will probably
instead kill thousands of 'collateral' innocent civilians and US
military personnel in the process because the guy is no longer just
bad for our enemies, but is now bad for us." N. Korea? Al Quaeda?
Fucking Saudi Arabia? Columbia? Iran? Why Iraq? I guess the inhumane
and probably war-criminal economic sanctions are not enough. A guy
like Bush, who pulled his blue-blood rich-boy favor to avoid service
in the military should not be so quick to commence a unilateral
pre-emptive war. Are we to seriously believe that this has nothing
to do with George the Daddy being embarrassed by not getting Hussein
in the Gulf War? This guy could not run a fuckin' baseball team
and we are following him into a war?
So I now gravitate towards sites such as Not in our Name and www.votetoimpeach.org
, where Ramsey Clark, the former Attorney General under the Johnson
Administration, has drafted serious-as-a-heart-attack articles of
impeachment against the current administration, pointing out for
example that "the U.S. Constitution provides the means for
preventing George W. Bush from engaging in a war of aggression against
Iraq, and from advancing a first strike potentially nuclear preemptive
war. It's called impeachment." Hey, if the Republicans can
waste billions of our dollars trying to impeach over a blowjob....
Peace to you all,
Bill
New Live date:.
Monday Feb 24 at ZuZu, next
to the Middle East, Bill with Chris Toppin. Music starts at 10pm.
Lennon/McCartney project:
There is an article up on RollinStone.com
with details about the project Bill has been working on with Graham
Parker, Kate Pierson, Robin Zander and others. It a collection of
songs written by John and Paul, but passed onto others to record.
Bill sings lead on 6 tracks and plays on others. The release
date is March 18th.
Click
here to link to the article.
Bill's Jan. newsletter:
Hey all,
Happy new year. Hope your holidays were swell. A couple of
news items to tell you about:
I will be playing a couple of acoustic punk rock covers for
the celebration of Punk Rock Aerobics at TT the Bear's in
Cambridge, MA on Monday night, January 6. Short notice.
Sorry. The PRA. for those of you wondering what the hell I
am talking about, is basically just what it sounds like:
sweatin' to the oldies in stinky rock clubs. The brainchild
of two friends of mine, Hilken Mancini (of Fuzzy and the
Count Me Outs) and Maura Jasper.
The following week, on Wednesday, January 15, me and the
Crown Victoria will be playing the third annual (I think) Hot
Stove Cool Music benefit for the Jimmy Fund at Boston's
Paradise club, hosted, as always, by ESPN's Peter Gammons.
American Hi Fi, the Gentlemen, an Kay Hanley will all be
doing their part, as well as sports and media figures. The Commissioner,
as Gammons is known,
might even be joining some lads and I on stage for a rousing R&B
cover or
two.
The mythical, legendary, rumored record that Crown Vic and I
have been recording on and off for about 2 years is currently
being mixed by Tom Polce and sounding really great, I think.
I say two years, but 10 or 11 of the 14 or so songs were
recorded live at the late Fort Apache studio in three days.
We hope to have it out in some shape or form this
spring/summer last February, that is if the "MAN" lifts
the ban on us
underground
prophets and discontinues the suppression of the truth.
Chris Toppin and I have also been recording a mostly acoustic
on Pro Tools at Chez Toppin, chipping away at it slowly. Not
sure when it would come out. I guess we're aiming at next
fall or so.
From a Window: The Lost Songs of Lennon and McCartney, a
project that includes Graham Parker, Kate Pierson, and me all
taking turns on lead vocals, should be released some time
around March, with a possible tour in the spring. Robin
Zander also does a track or two. This is a really satisfying
recording that has mostly the same stellar backing band of
Dave Mattacks (drums), Duke Levine (guitar), and Paul Bryan
(bass) and the different singers taking turns on lead vocals.
It also differs from a standard tribute record in that all
the songs are songs the honorees wrote for others and did not
record for themselves (other than demos).
For those of you in Southern California, I will also be out
in Los Angeles for the West Coast premier of Mike O'Malley's
play "Searching for Certainty" on January 23-February
3.
http://www.mineraltheater.com
I scored the music (there are some new pieces, as well as the
older ones that are on MP3 on my Web site
www.billjanovitz.com. I will be there on January 23 and 24.
Please come down and say hello and enjoy a really excellent
work from O'Malley.
R.I.P. Joe Strummer.
This guy sums up my feelings regarding current
events lately:
www.getyourwaron.com
Thanks four your nurturing love,
Janovitz
Bill's Oct. newsletter:
New Q&A posted
Thanks you to all who came down and enjoyed
the nostalgic love-fest
weekend at TT the Bear’s in Cambridge last week. It was
a great
feeling to play at the old hole to an audience of some of our die-hard
fans, including many who flew or drove in from various parts of
the
country. That is an awful lot of pressure for some humble three-chord
rocker-wannabe-has-beens. But we took that challenge and...well,
had a
few drinks and played hackneyed versions of some our old catalog.
The recording project I did with Graham Parker was like rock and
roll
fantasy camp. The group was made up of Dave Mattacks, Duke Levine,
and
Paul Bryan, with Graham and I singing and playing guitars on
Lennon/McCartney songs that were written or given to other people.
The
project has been expanded to include three or four more songs with
Kate
Pierson from the B-52s singing lead. Robin Zander also sings on
at least
one. I have only heard the 11 that Graham and I did up at Longview
farm
studio and I am very excited about the project. It was an honor
to play
with legends such as Graham and Dave (check out Dave’s
discography
at allmusic.com) and such fantastic musicians as Duke and Paul.
The whole
project is being pulled together by the creative and energetic catalyst
producer Jim Sampas. He is anticipating a February release. Hopefully
we
can pull together a few shows around the same time.
The only upcoming gig I have to tell you about is October 22, Tuesday
at
the Kendall Café in Cambridge, as part of the very inspiring
Earfull
series organized by Jen Trynin, Mike Deneen, Newtonville Books,
and Q
Division. In case you are not familiar, the series pairs well-known
authors, writers, and mostly local musicians for a night of readings
and
performances. Dennis Lehane, Tom Perrotta, and Charlie Pierce are
just
some who have appeared in past and will be at this year’s
as well.
Tom Perrotta will be reading our night and I will be playing acoustically
with Chris Toppin, Phil Aiken, and maybe one or two others that
may or
may not complete the Crown Victoria line-up. Chris Colbourn and
Hilken
Mancini will also be playing with their band the Mayflowers. There
will
likely be a few buff Tom and Fuzzy songs played in other sets. I
think it
will be worth getting off the couch for, before the winter sets
in and
makes such a task even more difficult. Go to www.earfull.org for
more
information.
Speaking of Crown Victoria, we have decided that the record will
come out
on Play it Again Sam records (PIAS) in Europe and we don’t
know who
yet in rest of world. PIAS is a great label who have put out every
BT
record in Europe. One of the few consistently good labels, indie
or
otherwise. We are starting to mix a project we recorded last February.
I
have no idea when it will be released yet. Maybe spring.
Still no plans for BT recordings.
July 2002
New Buffalo Tom dates are up for Sept on
the Live page.
Bill's July newsletter:
Hello to Jano Nation,
Thanks to those who came out to my solo trip in Brugge, Birmingham,
and
London. I had a tremendous time.
No solo dates to tell you about, but Buffalo Tom is continuing to
cash in
with two shows scheduled September 27 and 28 and the godawful but
nevertheless beloved TT the Bear's in Cambridge, MA. I have been
going to
this hole since I was 17 and have repeatedly vowed not to play there
ever
again. Don't get me wrong, the people that run it are fantastic.
It is
conveniently located, and it has an important place in Boston rock
history.
But, much like CBGB (well, for a while anyway), its reputation for
booking
good music persists in inverse proportion to its utility as a live-music
venue. This will likely be it for BT shows for a while.
I am excited about this: I will be doing a project with none other
than the
legendary Graham Parker in a couple of weeks. He and I will sing
lead vocals
on five songs each, Lennon and McCartney compositions that were
given to
other performers, like Badfinger and Peter and Gordon. We will also
sing
back-ups on the others' leads. The band will consist of Duke Levine,
Paul
Bryan and Dave Mattacks. They are an amazing assemblage of musicians
-- you
should check out the latter's credits in particular at
http://www.allmusic.com/. I am thrilled about it. Also, we are doing
it at
Longview Farms in Central Mass., a studio at which I have always
wanted to
record. I remember when I was 16 hearing about the Stones rehearsing
there
for their 1982 tour. (By the way, if you can find a bootleg of Keith
Richards alone and drinking at a piano when he first came to check
the place
out in 1981, I heartily advise you to get it. He sings Tin Pan Alley
standards and great old honky tonk songs while loosening up with
"some nice
gin.") The producer is Jim Sampas, a man who has a knack and
drive for
pulling together unique projects. He is the producer who organized
the Jack
Kerouac screenplay "Dr. Sax" project I read for with Jim
Carroll. Also on
board for reading on that one are poet Robert Creely, that, um,
other "poet"
Ani DiFranco, and some other luminaries. John Medeski will be scoring
it
and it is due for release in the next six months or so. But this
Lennon/McCartney thing is going to be great and hopefully out before
Christmas. Sampas also pulled together the Badlands Springsteen
tribute a
few years back for Sub Pop. This record will not be a standard tribute,
as
you can see.
I hope to finish the latest solo/Crown Vic record soon. Things seem
to stall
in the summer.
June 2002
There are some new Bill solo European
dates up on the live page.
Bill has a version of 'Atlantic' and an interview
featured on/in the latest issue of a UK zine 'Comes with a Smile'.
It's an 80+ page mag with a 19 track full-length CD - for line-up
go here:
http://cwas.hinah.com/currentissue/
The track was recorded live at Dingwalls earlier this year. There
are mail-order links on the
website...
Bill's June Newsletter:
No more haikus, no
more "I love you's," no Summer
Japanese Zen verse.
Hi all,
It has been a while but I assume you have gotten on just fine without
my
whimsical emails. Truth be told, I ain't had too much news to share,
as I
also assume you don't necessarily yearn to hear tales of the Real
Estate
Agent Bill as much as the Myths of Bill, Agent of Rock. But I could
be
mistaken; set me straight if you want to hear about property inspections
gone terribly wrong instead (by the way, free CDs to anyone who
buys a house
through me. And they don't have to be my own CDs! Foreigner, System
of a
Down, Sum 41, you name it). No, I know what you subscribe to this
for:
Groupie erotica and stories about bass players miraculously revived
after
choking on their own vomit.
Well, I will do what I can. And the first step towards getting back
on the
not-so-right track is getting back on the lonesome road. The second
step is
to bring along someone who might succumb to the classic temptations
and
embarrassing foibles of an American in Europe for future newsletter
fodder.
So it is with unparalleled joy that I bring you the news of a Bill
Janovitz
3-day mini-tour of England and Belgium with thespian and friend
of Nomar and
Jeter, Mike "Mick" O'Malley* (*subject to his lovely wife
Lisa's approval.)
Here is what we have:
July 13 -- Brugge Belgium; Cactus Festival
14 -- Birmingham, England; Glee Club; Songwriter's Festival
15 -- London; Borderline club
You will note, as Kevin, Ze Webmaster has, that it seems as I made
up the
Cactus Festival of Belgium. But I am pretty sure I did not. Also,
Birmingham
is hometown of none other than the MTV sitcom star Ozzy Osbourne.
I apologize for the lack of other shows. I thought I might do Amsterdam
at
least, but there did not seem to be any available dates for the
time frame.
And financial projections did not encourage flights to Spain, Italy,
Germany, etc. And I simply can not afford much more time.
In other news, Buffalo Tom plan at least two shows, for which tix
are on
sale: June 21 at the Paradise in Boston and June 22 at the Bowery
Ballroom
in NY. I apologize if I had those dates switched in earlier announcements.
We are also looking into doing the Jimmy Buffet circuit down on
Cape Cod. A
Wellfleet Beachcomber show is not out of the realm of possibility.
Break out
your thongs and daiquiris.
I have another solo record, most of it will backed by the band that
we
have heretofore been referring to as Crown Victoria. It is mostly
recorded
and needs to be mixed. See this space for future details.
I will play and extremely truncated set this Friday June 14 at 608
in
Somerville for an Amnesty Benefit. It should be a good night of
music. I
will play 2 or 3 songs.
Red Sox still in first place, despite an embarrassing spanking by
Arizona at
home.
April
2002
New Buffalo Tom dates
6/21 and 6/22. info on the Live page
Besides collection to be released May 21
Bill's April email:
Buffalo Tom will be doing at
least one show each in
NY and Boston in late June, venues and dates to be confirmed. This
will
pretty much be the extent of the support of the Besides Buffalo
Tom
record. we do not want to turn into a nostalgia act, unless of course
we
start getting paid Westbury Music Fair and South Shore Music Circus-level
fees. We have toyed briefly with regrouping for another LP of new
material, but I have to level with you, no one seemed what I would
characterize as "giddy like a little girl" at the prospect.
At least not
now. Maybe I am wrong at my perception.
As for solo stuff, I recorded 10 songs in 3 days with "the
band formerly
known as Crown Victoria and awaiting another, slightly more imaginative
and evocative name." For now, it is a solo project. The stuff
we did was
live-in-studio (only a few overdubs for solos, clams, etc.),
mostly electric stuff, though only a few rockers and a lot of more
rootsy, soulful ballads. It sounds very Stones/the Band/Bill Janovitz,
if
you ask me. It is pretty raw, but in a good, Some Girls kind of
way. I
think. Maybe I am wrong. I equivocate, I know. We have not mixed
it yet,
and I would like to add a few solo acoustic numbers and a few of
the
things we have already recorded. It could easily end up being 15
or more
songs. I have no idea who will release it in the States, but PIAS
will
hopefully put it out in Europe.
There is an unconfirmed solo
date at the Bottom Line in NY inlate June. I
think it will be for WFUV.
Also, thanks to Jeff Horrigan
of the Boston Herald for mentioning in his
baseball notes column my new music for the Red Sox games on WEEI.
I did
them solo this year, as the deadline was all but impossibly tight.
So It
was not the Castiglitones but True Piano who recorded this batch.
Decamber & January 2001
Two new cd's I make a guest spot on are Tanya
Donelly's EP, released only in Europe/UK, I believe,
and also Amelia
White's CD.
In addition
to the shows below I will be down at the annual Fuzzy
Christmas spectacular on
December 18th at 608.
That is the old Lilli's
at 608 Somerville Ave., Somerville, MA
(click here
for directions from your house)
JANUARY
9. Lizard Lounge in Cambridge,
MA with Josh Ritter
18 same place for Amelia
White's CD-release party (I sing and play
harmonica on her excellent new record)
25 BELGIUM, ANTWERP, DE
NACHTEN FESTIVAL
26 HOLLAND, AMSTERDAM,
DE NACHTEN FESTIVAL
28 ENGLAND, LONDON, DINGWALLS
29 IRELAND, DUBLIN, WHELANS
30 SCOTLAND, GLASGOW, KING
TUTS
31 ENGLAND, MANCHESTER,
HOP AND GRAPE
November 2001
Newly Confirmed a week-long tour double-billing with
Curt Kirkwood:
1st -- NY,NY Mercury
Lounge
2 -- Boston, 2 shows Lizard
Lounge (Cambridge)
3 -- Philly, North
Star.
4 -- Hoboken, Maxwell's
(Adam Franklin of Swervedriver opening)
5.-- D.C. (Arlington), Iota
club
6.
-- Annapolis, MD Ram's Head
There are instumental pieces I've done for
the Mike O'Malley play "Searching for Certainty" up on
the Mp3 page
October 2001
Live Shows:
Saturday October
6 Hatch Shell on the Boston
Esplanade
Friday, October 12
Rescheduled CMJ show at North Six
Tuesday, October 16
Kendall Cafe in Cambridge, MA
There are also new confirmed dates for
November in the LIVE
section.
have Mp3's up, including a repost of "Coming
Down With Something". Some people have requested it and
it seems timley.
September 2001
Live Shows:
9/5/0 Wednesday The
Wetlands New York, NY with Hootie and The Blowfish
9/7/01 Friday
The
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