Part Of The Family Now

I am currently at work and very scatterbrain. I apologize in advance. Pretty much every blog I write is at work so that explains why it's done so terribly. (Maybe once I'm on the road my writing will get better, eh?)

I have been practicing with the Phantoms for about a month now. It's been a lot of fun and came together really well and really fast- not to say that we don't sometimes sound like we've only been playing together for a month...

It's been four or so years now since I first heard Phantom Family Halo demos on Myspace. Matt (of Lucky Pineapple) and I messaged Dom and told him that we really liked the songs and the recordings themselves. I believe we even tried to talk him into recording Lucky Pineapple on his 8-track.

Since then Phantom Family Halo has gone on to become one of Louisville's hardest working and most acclaimed bands, playing shows and touring with the likes of Slint, Hawkwind, and Acid Mothers Temple, and receiving glowing reviews including a rather notorious one from Julian Cope.
SOOOOOOO.......I guess what I am getting at there is I am very proud and honored to be asked to come onboard. The timing is great as Matt's baby is due at the beginning of December which Lucky Pineapple is using as an opportunity to lay back a bit, write, and record.

The past few months have been some of the most memorable, for good and for ill, of my life.
Lucky Pineapple's "The Bubble Has Burst in Sky City" was re-released and we had/have been playing a lot of shows, we made a video, and doing our best to make the most of these amazing opportunities that keep presenting themselves to this weird, weird band.

A few months ago I joined an Alice Cooper tribute band called Black Juju: The Ultimate Alice Cooper Group Tribute Band with Dom, Tony, Christian, and Chad...a pretty serious outfit when it comes to this stuff. It was so, SO much fun. Sadly, we were only able to play two shows before Tony passed away. I had been asked to play with Phantom Family Halo right before then so everybody's plans for the future froze while we figured out how to process such a tragedy and move forward

When it was time to get rolling Dom called and said that he had recruited Neal to play keyboards. I thought about it for about half a second and decided that it was somebody I didn't know. He also said that we would be trying out drummers. Corey is the Phantom bass player and has always been a consistant member of the band PLUS he's somebody I've always liked a lot. So we were set.
I showed up to find that Neal was my good friend and former co-worker at Wild and Woolly Video, Neal Argebright (I've never been able to spell that boy's name right and I don't plan to today). Neal and I have talked about playing together for years because were share so many of the same interests but have never gotten it together. I was so happy to see that guy in the band.

We auditioned a few drummers but it wasn't feeling quite right. The dudes who tried out were great but it could have simply been the short amount of time available that made it seem like Dom should go back to singing/drumming in the original PFH-stand'n'play fashion. Everybody else in the band confessed that that set-up had been a collective favorite incarnation of the band. So it was on.

It really came together well and quick. No disrespect to past or current bandmates of mine but I don't think I've ever played with folks where everybody in the room shared so much in common when it came to musical interests, concepts, and such. It's one thing to share an affection for a sound or a style but it's rare and special to be able to like a lot of different things and be able to appreciate it on a cultural level, on a creative level...hell, just for fun sometimes. I get the impression that everybody in the room really, really loves music and wants to do it. That's a great thing to be surrounded by and amongst. I, myself, talk shit about things I don't like musically for fun mostly but, in the end, I just love music. The only things that I really don't like is when there isn't a trace of bravery, integrity, or anything remotely original. I'm not too into music that is exclusively "novel"- which is a word that is rather elastic for me. But, in the end, I don't really care- I don't lose any sleep. Goofy shit like that doesn't ever really have a legacy.
Off track. Anyways, the Phantoms are great guys and a real pleasure to play with. Such a good time.

We played our first show last Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, at Al's Bar. I had played Al's on the most recent Superbowl Sunday to two people and staff- and it was still great. So I was happy to return to Al's.
We were treated well with great food and drinks. We were sharing the bill with the Invaders so we were in good company.
Leading up to the show we got help from the good folks at Al's in mounting our projector. Then we waited.

The first band was a local named CROSS. Most of the band seemed very young. The singer was a very tall, lanky fellow who came around and introduced himself. Sweet guy.
They began and it was hard to decipher, really. I didn't hate it. It was sorta' like a gothic stoner rock with a Flipper-esque looseness....and why did I think of The Doors? Anyways, it seemed like everybody in the room went though the same transition I did. It seemed to get better and better. By the end I really, really dug 'em. Very original and refreshing.
We flipped a coin and Phantom Family Halo was to be next. We set up and immediately we have a problem with Neal's effects line which simply isn't working. Poor guy worked and worked and nothing was happening. He was sweating bullets and I really had no idea how I could help. We lucked out and Joe the Invader had the daisy chain we needed. (Thanks, Joe.)
We started with our take on Brian Eno's "Ascent"- a song that we have taken a LOT of liberties with. It works well as an introduction and a good way for me to check volumes. Following a short version of that, Dom rolls us into Alice Cooper's "Reflected". The idea behind this combo is both a way of introducing this incarnation of Phantom Family Halo but also a tribute to Tony.
Past that the set went reasonably well. Dom's mic stand kept falling on me and his cymbal would occasionally connect with my spine, making for an interesting sensation. However, I am accustomed to playing in a band with 9 people- this is all fine and well and manageable after five years of 6 or more people in a band.

So, our first set went well. It was fun and well received. I think we can and will do better though.

Our next show is here in Louisville on Wednesday, Nov. 25th...two days before we leave on tour(!)........so there's a lot of excitement right now.

11/20 Louisville, KY @ Z-Bar *
11/27 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
11/28 Buffalo, NY @ Soundlab
11/30 Milford, CT @ Daniel Street
12/1 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
12/2 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
12/3 Washington DC @ DC9
12/4 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
12/5 Richmond, VA @ Camel Club
12/7 Montreal, QC Canada @ Il Matore
12/8 Toronto, ON Canada @ Lee’s Place
12/9 Kalamazoo, MI @ The Strut
12/10 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
12/11 Louisville, KY @ Skull Alley
12/12 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

All shows w/ Young Widows and Russian Circles except for * and one more New York, NY show that I haven’t received the details on just yet.