Who Ordered The Groupies?

After a few weeks off and near-death experiences for half the band... album rehearsals resumed the day after Thanksgiving. And, as an added bonus... the lovely and talented Erin Foster returned to the mic to help out. Midway through the evening, Miguel's brother shows up with a group of females, leading them all into the already-crowded rehearsal space to watch his brother "show off". After a rousing showcase of "Wipeout", Planet Roy launched into one of their originals followed by my renditions of "I've Got Time" and "Broken". Our guests seemed a little confused as to why they were there, but most of them got to take a turn on the drums while most of us took a breather outside., so it wasn't a complete loss for them.

Jesse Cripps (John Frum) - electric guitar
Erin Foster (Planet Roy, Running Erin) - vocals
Gary Fitch (Planet Roy, Running Erin, Skillet Lickers) - electric guitar, vocals
D.J. Jones (Planet Roy, the Spurs) - bass guitar
Dave Rayburn (Buddy, Garage Salesmen) - vocals
Miguel Zuleta (Planet Roy, Shattered Glass) - drums

Songs (in order of appearance):
"I've Got Time" (Rayburn) - D.J. threw together a set list for us to run through. This one works well as an opener, I must say.
"Good In Black" (Rayburn) - Although I was not completely comfortable with this song at the end of the last session, I quickly grew to love it upon subsequent listenings. Erin's finding her way on this new one.
"Outside" (Rayburn) - By far, my favorite song to sing with band. This one works really well with the harmony vocals.
"Set Me Free" (Rayburn) - Something a little different this time. I didn't find out about it until the song was almost over, but apparently there's a pretty new vocal part thrown in on the coda featuring Gary and Erin, culminating with me wailing "set me free" until I nearly overstepped my range. I'm a quiet singer, so this is something I'm gonna have to come to terms with. Hence... rehearsals.
"Jessie's Girl" (Springfield) - Well, this was pretty much just Miguel going to town on a whim. It only got as far as a line or two. Please forget this even happened.
"Awake" (Rayburn) - Following the Rick Springfield thing, this song seemed to frazzle me a bit. I blame the time off for my memory lapse. We need to work on the arrangement a little more on this one... and I gotta do my homework.
"Small Midwestern Town" (Moore/Rayburn) - Old reliable.
"Hard To Trust" (Fitch/Foster) - Planet Roy entertains the masses that just walked in.
"I've Got Time" (Rayburn) - With Jesse on break, and an audience on hand... we decided to belt out one of the stronger tunes on the album list. The vocals were being sent directly to the computer, so nobody in the room without headphones could hear what we were singing. Still, it all managed to get recorded for posterity.
"Wipeout" (Fuller) - Word has it that chicks dig when drummers play "Wipeout". With a lucky audience member seated next to him in the corner, I do believe Miguel was having youthful flashbacks as he smashed away.
"Broken" (Rayburn) - This one is still a little odd. It's a pretty strong song, but I think some changes still need to be made. What they are remain to be seen. Tick tock.
"It's Your Turn Anyway" (Gomez/Rayburn) - This song is pretty much there despite Erin and I crossing a few words due to some slightly different lyric variations. Classic signature sound.
"Wonder" (Rayburn) - This one should go down easy in the studio.
"Why Won't You Fall?" (Rayburn) - Not that it has anything to do with him... or death... but this one was lovingly dedicated to the late Pat Morita.
"In Peace (Dogstar)" (Rayburn) - Another one of my favorites to sing with the band. This one is pretty much done.
"Phases And Changes" (Rayburn) - A great closer, and one with a new beautiful guitar cascade that Jesse claims is stolen. the best I can come up with is a guitar part near the ending of "Stawberry Fields Forever" by the Beatles. Quite nice.

Maybe it was too much turkey, or too much time off... but I know that I wasn't at my singing best tonight. Still, we've got to keep from getting rusty, so back at it we go next Friday. Recording sessions are not far off. Stay tuned.

P.S. - Gary, thanks for bringing me Gatorade on my death bed last week. You are a remarkable friend.

Reflections Of Paradise

A much-needed getaway to the lush greenery of Northern California proved to be an inspiring setting for me to resume my composing skills with little pressure on the task. Paradise, California. A couple hours north of our state capitol, and loaded with tall Ponderosas. I was in great company and I even brought a guitar along incase the mood hit me. Sure enough, I found a little bit of time to arrange and write several passages to a song that's been in the works for a couple years now... "My Little Lost City".

The title of this song has changed a couple times, and it may even change again. In any case, I think I needed a beautiful nature setting to trigger some thoughts on this song which comments on the ever-changing geogrpahical landmarks in our lives. In my particular case, a modest old strip mall shopping center that I grew up near has been going through demolition and renovation to make room for the likes of Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Starbucks. Granted, I am guilty of being a consumer at these new and shiny establishments... my issue revolves around the ability or inability to let go of the past and the things we are all comfortable with.

We don't live in the world of The Waltons anymore, but there are certainly some places left that serve as pretty good reminders of the warmth of simplicity. Hopefully that is what will come out in the music. Thanks, Karen.

Bassist D.J. Jones Injured In Car Accident

Planet Roy bassist D.J. Jones was involved in a terrible car wreck on the 91 freeway in Riverside this morning. Thankfully, he escaped with minor injuries after spending most of the day in the hospital being checked out. From what I know of the accident, his car (a brand new recent purchase, by the way) was struck from behind by a car that failed to brake for the slowing traffic. His rear bumper was clipped and his car was sent spinning (as Gary Fitch puts it...) like the Roger Rabbit ride at Disneyland... across all lanes of the freeway. Miraculously, he did not come in contact with any other cars, although his car was deemed totaled after the wreck.

D.J. has been a great friend and partner in musical crime to me for at least the last 10 years, most recently being a solid anchor in my current album project. Deeeeej, I hope ya bounce back real soon, and I'm glad things didn't transpire with a more tragic outcome. You're a great man, and we all need you around.

Mocking Me

Well, it was only a matter of time. No, it's not the usual order of me making fun of myself or being my worst critic (as I often am). No, quite the contrary. Planet Roy bassist D.J. Jones has stepped up his contribution to the album project by getting the artwork ball rolling. D.J., for those of you not in the know... is quite a skilled graphic artist in his professional life. Well, in some recent down-time, he threw together the first album mock-up for the upcoming CD!

Things are still up in the air as to the final track listing... which may dictate the title... which, in turn, will dictate the final graphic approach. It will, no doubt, evolve over the next couple months, but the important thing is that there is something on the table to look at. And, with that... I wanted to share it with you, my faithful readers! Special thanks go out to D.J. (my X-friend).

The Magic Number

Twelve songs in the bag, my friends! The magic number has been reached as we now have enough songs we deem good enough to record. And, as Erin was away visiting family, the boys were left to take over where they had left off two weeks previous. Once Jesse arrived, we set up shop and revisited several songs we already knew, with comfortable success. During a break, I demonstrated my latest song ("Good In Black") to the group. We tried it and it worked! And then... I blew out my voice. Yes, four hours of anything will take it's toll. It's something that's never happened to me before, and I was.... well... speechless. Okay, that was a bad joke.

Jesse Cripps (John Frum) - electric guitar
Gary Fitch (Planet Roy, Running Erin, Skillet Lickers) - electric guitar
D.J. Jones (Planet Roy, the Spurs) - bass guitar
Dave Rayburn (Buddy, Garage Salesmen) - vocals, electric guitar
Miguel Zuleta (Planet Roy, Shattered Glass) - drums

Songs (in order of appearance):
"I've Got Time" (Rayburn) - Jesse added a few little ambulance-style riffs that I really liked. This one is ready to go.
"In Peace (Dogstar)" (Rayburn) - No new changes. Neil Young couldn't dream it any better.
"Wonder" (Rayburn) - This one's got a nice Radiohead "Creep" pattern going for it. Sure to be a crowd favorite when all is said and done.
"Good In Black" (Rayburn) - My newest song. A song of jealousy and pain. Given a fresh treatment from it's original incarnation in the hopes of breaking the traditional Rayburn songwriting mold. D.J.'s Rush-inspired bass line and Gary's itchy guitar part provide the feeling I was after.
"Phases And Changes" (Rayburn) - This is where my voice decided to bail on me. It's not like I'm fronting Judas Priest! Sheesh.
"Small Midwestern Town" (Moore/Rayburn) - An otherwise perfect take by the band... my voice was in shreds. We opted to call it a night at this point.

Hopefully my voice will recover quickly, and hopefully the boys didn't find too much humor in hearing my Peter Brady impression during the last two takes of the night. afterwards, we all sat down and listened to some of our rehearsal work and discussed the record. The latest word is that we will hit the studio in late November or early December. I still need to bring in two more songs for consideration including the unfinished "Little Lost City", which was briefly demo'd in October's acoustic sessions. Miguel... I promise you... we will take you and Roger out for pancakes soon. Good boy.