Checkin out. . .

Some bands that I've been checking out recently (say, from the last six months to the last six minutes):

• The Kooks
• Glasvegas
• OK Go (Get Over It)
• Editors (Bullets)
• Them Crooked Vultures (Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I)
• The Weeks (Buttons)
• Klaxons (It's Not Over Yet)
• The Kaiser Chiefs (Never Miss A Beat)

See you tomorrow night at ArcticA. We'll be playing a whole load of new material so come on and check it out!

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies

B

Rock Rock Rock

I opened this page thinking I had way more to say. . Well, actually I wouldn't say I'm at a "loss for words" so much as I've got so much going on inside my head that actually nailing down what I'd truly like to say might be difficult. Perhaps a bullet style blog is in order for this go around. This is a whole bunch of long status updates.

1. Just watched "Heartbreak Warfare" live from The Beacon Theater last night. Owing to the fact that The Turn was also performing I/we were unable to attend. There are parts of me that are pretty bummed to have missed it, but also parts of me that are glad. After all it's not like John Mayer postponed his gig to come and see Pat and I at The Pig 'n Whistle on 2nd Ave. And I don't take that personally.
2. I just want to make sure nobody ever loses sight of how amazing The Beatles were/are. Some woman last week at Sojourn mentioned that she thought "The Beatles are boring". For a brief moment I thought she was from another planet. It's cool if you don't want to listen to them all the time. But if you can't think of a Beatles song you'd like to hear, you've lost all of your request line privileges.
3. Them Crooked Vultures streamed their entire record up until the day it came out. Now I'm going to go buy it. Awesome.
4. Guitar is the best thing. If you ever want to get yourself something go buy a Mitchell MD-100S. It's less than $200 at pretty much any guitar retailer in the world and it sounds awesome. It will also last forever. I have two. They're both 7 years old and still sound awesome.
5. David Gray kicks ass. He keeps on kicking ass.
6. I couldn't possibly thank everyone enough for all the support we've been shown over the past two years. Nothing gives me/us greater pleasure than to have the opportunity to perform and play music with/for all of you. Let's keep this relationship going awhile, what do you say?
7. "It's an industrial strength hair dryer, and I can't live without it." Will never stop being funny.

We'll have more updates on everything soon. In the works are (more bullets). . .

• New t-shirts (Mr Rich Verdino is working on it as we speak)
• New website
• New record

See y'all at the show.

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies

B

The New EP. . and whatnot

It is still yet to be named, though we have a few ideas.

A recap, for all you curious folk. There will be six or seven songs on the upcoming EP. In no certain order:

• The Sound Of Me Breathing (from The December Sessions sessions)
• Stormy
• A Thousand Words
• You Can't Make Me Let Go
• Over Now
• Hold In Your Breath
• Attention

We'll be working on them as hard and often as possible, and releasing them one by one as they're ready. The hard copies will be around I suspect sometime after the new year, but I definitely can't comment on that yet, as I have literally no idea when they'll surface.

We're hard at work and will be out 6 nights a week consistently through the conclusion of 2009. New Year's Eve we'll be at The Pig 'n Whistle at 922 3rd Ave (between 55th and 56th). Come on down and have some champagne as we wave goodbye to a great year in the life of The Turn.

Next Sunday 11/1 will be a rather exciting day. There will be two full band performances. A matinee and a night cap at ArcticA. During the day at 1PM, we'll be appearing at the ING NYC Marathon on 1st Ave between 95th and 96th Streets. I don't know what the weather looks like yet, but it promises to be a fun time one way or the other.

As for 2010, it's anybody's guess. The new record, and as many performances as we can squeeze into the next 365 days will be our immediate goal, and as the details unfold we'll obviously keep y'all posted.

Come out to the show. We'll be there.

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies

Perfect Timing. . .

I couldn't think of a better time to get back into blogging. The fact is, with so much digital media available these days (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc) it's hard to figure where the most valuable expenditure of time is. Also, realizing that 140 characters is plenty enough to satisfy most people these days is something of a wake up call.

All the same, a quick update here and perhaps something more regular as the winter rolls on in.

We'll be heading back to the studio tomorrow to begin work on what may be a single, an EP or a full length record. It remains to be seen, but the first five songs on tap are:

1) Hold In Your Breath

2) You Can't Make Me Let Go

3) Over Now

4) A Thousand Words

5) Stormy

We also have The Sound Of Me Breathing, Signs, Evening Blues and a "secret" song in progress from those December Sessions earlier this year. So it promises to be an exciting winter no matter how you slice it. Look for pictures from the studio, videos, more blogs and all The Turn you can wrap your mind around.

We'll be at ArcticA every Sunday night at 9PM rocking steadily and hoping to see y'all out.

Any questions, comments or concerns you can feel free to get in touch with us and look forward to our new record, yet to be titled. Thank you so much to everyone for all of your continued support.

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies

B

On The Floor

Popular superstition is a pretty interesting phenomenon.  As many of you know, my brother and I have relocated to Long Island City.  We're living on the "14th Floor".  At first glance, whether it be at the mail or at the door which reads "1408" you'd think. . well probably nothing.  But, introduce yourself to the buttons in the elevator and you might take notice that there's no 13th floor.  The floors advance from 12 to 14 rather inconspicuously.  So much so in fact, that when I was introduced to a girl in Pat's building who also lives on the 14th floor she said she had never noticed.  And why would you? 

Excuse me, but this is just the most ridiculous practice in the history of humanity.  I hate to break it to everyone, but contrary to what it says on my door and the door of every other apartment on this floor, we live on the 13th floor.  Doesn't bother me very much.  I'm rather at home with it as a matter of fact.  I'm not concerned with the dangers of admitting that I live on the 13th floor.  I'm more concerned with management's attempt to pull the wool over my eyes and sell this to me as a 40 floor building when it's actually 39, and trying to trick me into believing I'm one floor higher than I actually am.  It's apparently an effective ruse.  I've taken notice of every building with an elevator and 13 floors or more.  Shock of shocks, none of them have a 13th floor.  Or, more accurately they all have a 13th floor but not a single one is named as such.  I flat out disagree.

Moving on.  I spent most of the day with the following lyrics stuck in my head:

And you won't have to worry no more. 

No you won't have to wonder again,

About how this song or story ends,

About how this song and story will end.

That's the closing lines to "From A Balance Beam" by Bright Eyes.  That song is awesome.  I've been listening to it pretty consistently for at least the last 5 years and I dig the fact that it's got such staying power.  I love the fact that music, as a whole, is relatively timeless.  Hearing that song brings me back to a place in my life that I haven't been for quite some time.  Having an opportunity to relate the lyrics of songs I fell in love with as one incarnation of myself to the period of my life I find myself in now is pretty special.  Having the things you love grow with you is something to behold and something I appreciate about music above most other things. The words to that song were just on repeat in my head all day.  On the subway, off the subway, up the stairs down the stairs, lock the door, unlock the door, pay the meter and so on.  I actually hadn't realized that I knew all of the words to the song until today when I "sang" it in its entirety, and got stuck on that last phrase which frankly just captures the essence of most things.  

Don't wonder, don't worry.  Eventually you'll find out the ending.  And all the whispers will be quite clear.

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies

B

So it goes. . .

The generational shock wave that was felt yesterday as news filtered through of Michael Jackson's death, shook me in my flip flops.

The text message came from Mr Brian Holtz, who is responsible for laying down the bass line when we play Billie Jean.  It seems particularly funny to have added that song to our set list on Tuesday night as something of a last minute call.  In fact, it was (in my opinion) one of our best performances of the song to date.  Whatever the case may be, his talent and indelible mark has been left on music for the rest of time.  Everywhere I've been over the last 18 hours has been playing one Michael Jackson song or another, and people are traversing the subway humming the guitar line to Beat It.  

It's interesting to consider just how many active performing artists were influenced directly by his career.  Even with all of the oddities and bizarre behavior, the body of work that he produced over the course of his lifetime is undeniably phenomenal and something to be revered.  One of the things I've come to appreciate most over the last day is just how much everyone, and I do mean everyone appreciated his music.  You just like Michael Jackson. Whether you readily acknowledge it, or are even readily aware of it. . You like Michael Jackson. He's singing your song.

I'm not sure "sad" is even the right word to describe my disposition.  I'm surprised, and I'm hoping that one day the only thing he is most remembered for is his otherworldly talent as a songwriter and performer.  That's frankly all you can hear on the radio anyway.  

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies. . Yee hee hee

B Ripps

Joss Stone. . .

Are you serious?  Check this out.  Watch the whole thing.  This is precisely the type of thing that makes me want to pick up a guitar every morning when I wake up, and fall asleep every night holding it.

More to come.

Peace Love and Vocal Harmonies

B