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May 27, 2008 K23 Oregon Run, Eugene Date Added, Roots Afterparty in SD
Hello Good folks of the mailing list. How the hell are you? We’re heading up to Northern California and Oregon this weekend and we hope to see you all up there. The shows will go as follows. May 30 2008 9:00P The Odd Fellows Hall Sebastopol, California May 31 2008 2:00P Mateel Summer Arts and Music Festival Redway, California http://www.mateel.org/summerarts.php Jun 4 2008 9:00P Silver Moon Brewing Company Bend, Oregon http://www.silvermoonbrewing.com/ Jun 5 2008 9:00P Sam Bonds Garage, Eugene, Oregon http://www.sambonds.com/ Jun 7 2008 8:00P Good Foot Lounge Portland, Oregon http://www.thegoodfoot.com/ Jun 10 2008 10:15P Humphreys Backstage Lounge..ROOTS/Badu After Party San Diego, California http://www.humphreysbythebay.com/backstageMusicClub.cfm Jun 13 2008 10:00P Goat Head Saloon Mesa, Arizona http://www.goatheadsaloon.com/ Jun 14 2008 9:00P Flagstaff Brewing Company Flagstaff, Arizona www.flagbrew.com Aug 8 2008 8:00P Summer Meltdown Festival Darrington, www.summermeltdown.com But I digress……. My Black doppelganger…..or is that redundant I live in a beach community, Ocean Beach to be exact. And though there are a few African Americans who gravitate to ocean dwelling, the few is far between. 7 years ago, when I first arrived in San Diego, people frequently asked me about my son. Questions like, “How is your son doing” and “Man your boy is growing fast” and the ever alarming “Where is your son”. These questions were generally met with shock and awe and a look that seemed to say “what e-x-a-c-t-l-y do you know that I don’t know?” After a few months of living here I met a black cat named Jacob, I also met his son and I also knew immediately that my ignorance of having a child confused several of his acquaintances over the previous months. The more I think about it, I wonder if I ever got him in trouble, arriving home to an undeserved scowl with rumors abound of sightings of him with another woman or things of that nature. Anyway, overtime people learned how to differentiate us and pick out the subtle divergences of our blackness, like the fact that we looked absolutely nothing alike whatsoever. Recently there has been a new confusion in town. Over the past several months people have been calling me Patrick. At least twice a week I hear someone fire the word Patrick at my back two to three times and the forth fades through lack of response. A former girlfriend thought she saw me at a bar and left a message inquiring if I had once again tumbled off the wagon, I missed her call cause I was in the Library at the time, so I know that it wasn’t me. As we sound checked at Earth Day, I heard a distant “yeah Patrick” followed by a fainter “I didn’t know Patrick was in a band.” I was in line at the Peoples Organic Coop in OB and I looked at the nametag of the tall skinny bearded black man ringing me up and sure enough it read Patrick, but before I could say anything he drew first and asked “are you Al Howard?” He then listed off a litany of misidentifications including one in LA where a young woman told him “she loved the K23.” We discussed that perhaps one of us should shave or acquire or perhaps a more drastic approach, we could draw straws to see who’s blackness would take a more Dennis Rodman-like approach. As I left behind this conversation the black-light-bulb went on over my head. Perhaps we could use our similar features to our advantage. He could learn all the lyrics to K23 songs and go on the road when I’m sick, or walk through the crowd and be social when I’m in the shaky grips of anxiety. If there is a family function he can’t attend for some reason, I could just show up in his stead. I went back to discuss this with him last week because I was worried that I had to miss my girlfriend’s graduation. I got there only to find that he had shaven off his beard. Alas, no doppelganger for 3-6 months (is his facial hair grows as slowly as mine) The K23 Loves You al www.ahk23.com K23 in Long Beach and San Francisco Hello Good people of the mailing list. Hope the note finds you well. I’m writing this band mailer under the gun for we have a show tomorrow in Long Beach and I figured I should let you folks know. As I type these rushed lines I feel like I’m back in High school, seven minutes before an essay is due on a Separate Peace and I’m wrapping up my last paragraph of solid C- work. Tomorrow night, Wednesday th14th we'll be playing with Flowmotion in Long Beach May 14 2008 10:00P Blue cafe Long Beach Long Beach, California May 15 2008 10:00P w/Sepcial Guests 12 Galaxies San Francisco, California May 30 2008 9:00P The Odd Fellows Hall Sebastopol, California May 31 2008 2:00P Mateel Summer Arts and Music Festival Redway, California Jun 4 2008 9:00P Silver Moon Brewing Company Bend, Oregon Jun 5 2008 9:00P River City Saloon Hood River, Oregon Jun 7 2008 8:00P Good Foot Lounge Portland, Oregon Jun 10 2008 10:15P Humphreys Backstage Lounge..ROOTS/Badu After Party San Diego, California Jun 13 2008 10:00P Goat Head Saloon Mesa, Arizona Jun 14 2008 9:00P Flagstaff Brewing Company Flagstaff, Arizona Aug 8 2008 8:00P Summer Meltdown Festival Darrington, Washington Also, if you live in Oregon and would be willing to pass out flyers or help in anyway with our upcoming Oregon shows, we be much obliged. But I digress So, instead of completely copping out on this band mailer, I have some non text morsels to offer up. From this day forward, anytime I have to write an eighth-assed band mailer, I will include FANTASTIC YOUTUBE CLIPS TO NUMB THE MIND AND INSPIRE THE SOUL. Yes, some will conjure fits of laughter, some will make you throw away your guitar and others will inspire you to keep on pushing 8 Year Old Japanese Guitar Monster Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street 1 2 Stevie Wonder plays Drums cause he's just way more talented than we are We are the world with awesome comedic twist, either this, or turning thirty, made me pee myself a little Evil Eye Baby Busy Music Another Stevie, I had no intentions of sending this one, but his rare black mullet and 80's style cape is unbelieveable Bill Withers is the Man If you dug Shawn of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, this is the soil they were planted in the Office Curb Your Enthusiasm Enjoy The K23 Loves You al www.ahk23.com Saturday May 10th @ Canes in Mission Beach May 6, 2008 by Al Howard Hello good folks of the mailing list. How the hell are you? I’m sitting in my apartment listening to a Guided by Voices cd I stole from our bass player last August. I hope that living through these band mailers is enough for him and that he doesn’t actually read them as well. I guess I’ll find out later this week. This Saturday we’ll be having a big and highly collaborative show in San Diego at Cane’s bar and Grill. The evening will feature sets by the K23 Orchestra, Delta Nove and Delsonique (with Rymo and Dela of Slightly Stoopid and Jimmy Jazz from G-Love). We’ll be swapping out musicians all night and it should be a ton of fun. Hope to see you there. Saturday, May 10, 2008 9:00 pm Canes Bar and Grill, 3105 Ocean Front Walk, Mission Beach San Diego Wednesday, May 14, 2008 9:00 pm the Blue Cafe, 210 The Promenade N, Long Beach Thursday, May 15, 2008 9:00 pm 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission St, San Francisco Friday, May 30, 2008 9:00 pm the Oddfellows Hall, 195 North Main Street, Sabastapol Saturday, May 31, 2008 9:00 pm mateel summer arts fest, Ca Friday, June 13, 2008 9:00 pm Goathead Saloon, 1423 S Country Club Dr, Mesa, Arizona Saturday, June 14, 2008 9:00 pm Flagbrew, 16 East Route 66, Flagstaff, Arizona But I Digress The Old Shoe Works the Gas Pedal All through my life I’ve held on to the most decrepit pairs of sneakers to softly massage the earth’s pavement. I’ve treated sneakers as if, like fine wines, they aged with grace and benefited from time preserved. Holes large enough to trick people into sandal status, a heavy funk worthy of a 73 vinyl pressing in Brooklyn, and “soles” more worn than the “soul” of an 88-year old Mississippi Blind Bluesman, these are my sneakers. I’ve resurrected pairs of kicks from my mother’s discrete placement into her bathroom trashcan only to slip their weathered leather thin skin onto my feet as if it was an additional layer to my own. There is nothing like the comfort of an old familiar shoe wrapped snug and tight around the foot. At this point I am beginning to glance at my car with a similar respect to an old shoe. After 175,000 miles (the first 150,000 acquired with voracious rapidity and the last 25,000 with the patient drip of frozen molasses) my Toyota Corolla has lost its original burgundy luster and shines with the dull brown of some well traveled dirty once-red corduroys. You could write a smaller “wash me” in the folds of an older “wash me” from days passed and on and on into dusty infinity. I could probably plant crops in the soil that has accumulated in its rugs over time, thus preparing me for the “just in case” of possible apocalypse. And recently I have taken to preemptive braking; I start my stop about a mile before a stop sign or at first sight of distant brake light. However, no matter how bad the waning conditions of my car, I promise that I will drive this particular vehicle off into the edge of eternity and then push it a few miles past that, as long as I can get into and out of it. You see, 2-years ago my key stopped unlocking the door. Much like the quickly remedied dismay at the end of the song Red House, I came up with a solution. Try the passenger side door. It was a great success and though mildly inconvenient, I was still able to get into my car and celebrated vigorously. A few months after that, I went to open my door to get out of my car and I looked to my left hand and noticed that I was holding onto the handle and the door was still closed. I managed to use a coat hanger for a while, but when that stopped working I was reduced to rolling down the window and opening it from the handle outside, then rolling the window back and locking out possible intruders. And though my car actually was stolen once and recovered in Tijuana mere months later (spring break 2000,WOOOO!!!), I feel that the days of people wanting to take my car for a joyride, or removing the personal belongings that are only of use to me, are done and I can probably afford to leave it unlocked. My only fear is that one-day someone smellier than I may sleep in it and scare the shit out of me when I drive to the Coop the next day. Anyway, the past couple of driving years have been costly, but nothing completely unexpected, a battery here, a few tires there, some fluids here. Last week however, I loaned my car to my roommate to run downtown. She made it to her destination, but on the way home couldn’t open the passenger side door. Stressed and under pressure from her demanding bladder and its incessant nagging for a bathroom, she opened the trunk and crawled though the tight space and burst into the womb of the Corolla and safety (yes, she did make it to the bathroom as well, before adding a further hue to the olfactory pallet of my Car). The next day I assessed the situation. I couldn’t open any doors to my car and with the direct correlation of gas prices and a touring band’s already frail budget, a locksmith was out of the question, in fact the cellular call to said locksmith could place me dangerously close to going over my allotted minutes and was thus doubly unaffordable. I opened the trunk of my car to see salvation, dusty as a yard sale, beaming dullness and exuberance. There were two pairs of old old shoes with fraying, but intact laces, 1 pair of bowling shoes circa 2002 petty theft night and a pair of brown Nikes from 03 birthday gift. I pulled the laces out of these odes to and relics of comfort perfected, I set a nail on fire and eased it through the plastic lock, I tied the fed the laces through the hole and then into the trunk of my car and as long as my key opens the trunk I’m one tug from entry. As soon as it doesn’t open my trunk, I’ll stroll down to the Library, rent the Goonies and see what insight Richard 'Data' Wang has to offer. Until then The K23 Loves You al www.ahk23.com May 10th Canes in SD April 28 2008 by Al Howard Hello good people of the mailing list, how the hell are you? We just did a seventeen-hour straight drive, bulldozing through the night from Fort Collins, Colorado to our SDoorstep. The 90-degree embrace of San Diego was welcome as it was shocking. Over the course of the weekend we played our coldest show ever, a show requiring winter coats, hoods and even a pair of dirty socks on my hands due to a Southern Californian’s lack of gloves. On Saturday we played in Greeley Colorado, birthplace of K23 drummer Steven Craft. And though almost everyday last week in Greeley hovered around a comfortable 75-degrees, there was one day that didn’t. It was as if mother nature was a techno DJ and she heard that the K23 had been talking shit and was coming her way. When we took the stage at the Outdoor spring festival at University of Northern Colorado, the temperature had dipped into the 30s with the wind chill chilly enough to keep even the most grizzled mountain-men of the student populace inside sipping hot cocoa in their pjs, much different than the Spring I had grown accustomed to (it snowed that morning, hard). I literally missed a couple of lines in one verse because the wind knocked me down and away from the mic. We all cried, not tears in the conventional sense, but wind related tears forced from the eyes by mother nature’s forceful and firm backhand. Set list were carried off into oblivion by her breath. Her icy touch shook us to the bones. Solos were kept short to preserve the fingers of our band members. The set was kept short to preserve the sanity of our day. And even the girth of the White Giant was challenged by her robust gust. The day after we played, the weather returned to the blissful 75-degrees of the day prior to our outdoor set for seven courageous and well-bundled staff members. It is good to be home. Damn good. Speaking of Southern California, we will be making some music for all of you down here. We’ll even be returning to Los Angeles for the first time in a few years so we hope to see you out there. This Thursday we’ll be at the Key Club Plush Lounge in Hollywood May 1st 9039 W Sunset Blvd Downstairs in the Key Club We’ll be performing with Delsoniq, a band featuring two members of Slightly Stoopid, RyMo and Dela http://www.myspace.com/delsoniq We’ll play again in San Diego on May 10th with Delsoniq and Delta Nove at Canes Bar and Grill in Mission Beach, the night will feature a great deal of collaboration and rotating sets from each band Wednesday, May 14th @ the Blue Café in Long Beach with Flowmotion Thursday, May 15th @ 12 Galaxies in San Francisco Friday, May 30th @ Odd Fellows Hall in Sebastopol Also, this weekend is the 4th Annual San Diego Healing Arts Festival, a little after 4pm on Sunday, May 4th, I’ll be doing spoken word in Balboa Park. This is a free event and I will have copies of my first book The Serpentine Highway, for exceptionally flexible prices to meet the monthly demands of my Landlord. www.althealnet.org Hope to see you folks out there soon. Music mourned and resurrected I remember when James Brown passed a few years back. I was on the road from San Francisco, heading south, and I noticed that all the radio stations were saturated with good music, funky driving rhythms hugging each turn in the road, soulful, moving and lyrically sparse yet dense with content. For the first time since the early nineties I just listened to the radio for hours, it was nostalgic of an era I never breathed in and almost beyond my comprehension. As I’ve mentioned several thousand times in varying lyrics and band-mailers, I’ve grown very disillusioned with the current state of popular music. As if we were all marching to the beat of the same drum machine. I’ve been waiting for a resurgence of substance and meaning to course through the veins of the tunes we subconsciously hum along to, it seems overdue to some extent, waiting for a flood of consciousness into the mainstream cognizance like the Beatles in the mid to late 60s. I have many divergent thoughts occupying the landscape of my mind, wavering about the purpose of music to both the creators of and to the observers soaking in its majesty, something so personal and universal. Is its purpose to move the mind or body and is it most masterful and meaningful when it does both. Maybe I’m getting old, complaining about “that damn racket.” With what perspective will we look back on the soundscape of our generation? When the older critics scoffed through their horned-rimmed glasses at the audacity of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, they were simply too far removed from the going’s on of the times, a new cultural flourishing, the melding of fresh technology with a the beautiful turbulence of the late 60’s social climate. Music is alive and breathing, an entity of and for its surroundings. At the same time, my ears meandered from Mile’s music when he delved into the new technology of the synthesizer, he was merely evolving his art and doing the natural thing in accordance with the face of change, yet it lost its relevance to me. So as I walk through my days in 2008, a setting where I have more music at my fingertips than ever before in history, I am both ecstatic and grim. I’m amazed at the denseness of the creativity out there, saddened by the easy ability to be lost in the shuffle of infinity and conflicted by the waning attention span due to the exposure to said infinity. Music is in such an interesting and volatile stage right now. And to stand watching from the vantage point of being in a band and see decades of changes in the course of months is astounding. I’ve seen cds become swiftly obsolete faster than my tape collection moved from my bedroom centerpiece to my recycle bin. Band names race through my cognition for quick instances before being replaced just as swiftly, like a hard rain against an active windshield. The playing field has been leveled, an affordable self tuning guitar has struck the market, thousands of drummers placed into a Mac based program, a band at your push button beck and call. How does one make an indelible imprint on the memory in such vastness. I’ve often wondered if our sound would miraculously become more audible if we wore matching neon jumpsuits, mastered well choreographed dance moves and had flame juggling midgets doing cartwheels on stage, Aesop Rock has a great quote on a song called Nickel Plated Pockets “And making bar gorillas giggle That's when life's pleasures were simple Now it takes a dancing bear jumping through flaming hoops to even make them buy the god-forsaken single!” These contemplations stem from years of touring, moments of doubt, moments of joy and the prideful hope that seeps in and out of both. These sentences also come from years of being a musical fiend, tossing my ears into the deep choppy waters of anything I can find, the diverse madness streaming from my speakers, narrating all moods and challenging me. These wavering thoughts come from seeing some of the most talented musician’s play to empty rooms and hallow halls, melting the minds of security guards, bartenders and their guestlist and from seeing simplicity bloom sound and shake the masses asses free from their monotony of a work week, the fierce nature of a struggling economy, the steepness of gas prices and a nation fighting a silent war with a looming shadow. Is there more nobility in either action? Is it the job of the artists to pleasure themselves or the senses of onlookers and how often can that line blur and move both into tempered ecstasy. I guess it’s all relative. Escapism can come from simplicity or complexity, facing the demons or ducking them in the corners. Bottom line is that there is something for everyone, and the songs that keep my boat afloat most likely sink that of another and vice versa, but in times of trouble music offers solace to all. The only thing left to do is to continue the quest for that elusive middle ground of sound, something for the thoughts, the surrender of the soul, relief from stress, the fortification of perspective and to make a still head nod suddenly and uncontrollably as if pulled by some divine puppet string. The K23 Orchestra is about to delve into a new chapter of exploration down that long and winding road of meaning, movement and magic. We’ll keep you posted along the way. With Love al www.ahk23.com K23 Utah and Colorado April 22, 2008 by Al Howard If responding to this email please hit us up at k23orchestra@gmail Hello good folks of the mailing list. I'm sorry that this email is shorter than highschool love-making, but due to having1.2 million things to do before skipping town tomorrow morning, this email will be truncated by laundary and things of that nature. The K23 loves you and hopes to see you out there. I promise many assorted "sordid tales" from the road. Mystic Hot Springs Wednesday, April 23, 8:00pm Monroe, Utah http://www.mystichotsprings.com/ Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:00 pm Fox Theatre 1135 13th St., Boulder CO 80302 (MAP) http://www.foxtheatre.com Friday, April 25, 2008 Cervantes' Masterpiece w/ Boom Box 2637 Welton, Denver CO 80205 (MAP) http://cervantesmasterpiece.com/ Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:00 pm University of Northern Colorado Spring Fest 1862 10th St., Greeley CO 80631 (MAP) Saturday, April 26, 2008 Hodi's Half Note w/ Boom Box 167 N. College Ave, Fort Collins CO 80524 http://www.hodishalfnote.com/ K23 Stays Classy in San Diego, then off to Colorado April 10, 2008 by Al Howard If responding to this email please hit us up at k23orchestra@gmail Hello good people of the mailing list, how the hell are you this afternoon? We are looking for an email address of one of our "good people of the mailing list", Adam, from Portland, Denver and Mt Hood, if you are reading these lines, hit us back at k23orchestra@gmail.com (I can almost hear the voice of Rod Roddy calling out to Adam to COME ON DOWN to his laptop and email the K23. Also, if any of you lovely folks out there reading this enjoy posting wonderful words about the K23 on message boards, we could use your swift typing fingers to make a late push to get into the High Sierra Music festival, just click on the link drapped over this sentence and retain the K23 as loyal friends for life. Alright, I can also hear the energetic voice of Rob Roddy urging you to COME ON DOWN to the following shows the Stay Classy Music Festival, supporting sustainable energy and environmental awareness Saturday, April 19, 2008 7:00 pm Pacific Beach Bar and Grill 860 garnet ave, Pacific Beach CA 92109 (MAP) Mystic Hot Springs Wednesday, April 23, 8:00pm Monroe, Utah http://www.mystichotsprings.com/ Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:00 pm Fox Theatre 1135 13th St., Boulder CO 80302 (MAP) http://www.foxtheatre.com Friday, April 25, 2008 Cervantes' Masterpiece w/ Boom Box 2637 Welton, Denver CO 80205 (MAP) http://cervantesmasterpiece.com/ Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:00 pm University of Northern Colorado Spring Fest 1862 10th St., Greeley CO 80631 (MAP) Saturday, April 26, 2008 Hodi's Half Note w/ Boom Box 167 N. College Ave, Fort Collins CO 80524 http://www.hodishalfnote.com/ But I digress Beaten by Flowers Spring is in the air. Colors have burst like confetti on the land, a million hues at one. The beauty is exceptional. The pungent fumes of jasmine proliferate through the Ocean Beach atmosphere and an abundance of joy is delivered to the senses of so many. I look at flowers like a rival gang, and unfortunately, their gang members are considerably tougher than mine. To me flowers smell like sneezes and a runny nose, the word “pretty” never comes to mind. They look like red eyes and congestion, headaches and a potpourri frail ailments of said nature, punch drunk by pollen. It’s embarrassing to be beaten by something so colorful. The alpha male father figure in a cliché football movie would cringe if his son were to tell him such a dainty tail of bright rainbow oppression. “Dad, I just got beaten up by a group or hard knock butterflies”…….., that’s how allergies feel to me, those little lingering droplets of manhood I have left, fleeing away rapidly because of some aggressive Tiger Lillie’s. I’m even hesitant to buy my girlfriend flowers, not just because I’m a cheap bastard, but because most likely they will wind up next to our bed and my nose lives very close to there. These past two weeks have involved either a very intense target specific cold, or the worst allergies I can recall since ragweed slapped around my childhood on the East coast (or perhaps a lucky combo packet). It made for a nice drive up north this past weekend, I cowered in the safety of our tightly sealed van, hiding from the effervescent bullies lingering outside, looking through the postcard windshield at the California in bloom. The first night found us in Dunsmuir California after a 12-hour drive beginning at 6 am after 1.5 hours of sleep. I was standing outside at 10:24 pm, clouded with allergies and half asleep when an older man engaged Josh and I in 1-way conversation. He was pissed. Really pissed. And his densely stacked sentences didn’t allow a lot of room for rebuttal. Josh left quickly because he wanted to answer the guys rudeness with a punch to the face (Lakesided style), so rather than delay the night further, he sidestepped the possibility of violence and made his way to the restroom. This man was furious that the poster for the show read 9:30 pm and that we were standing outside at 10:24, some of us breathing in nicotine, prior to our performance. Livid words fell from his mouth with each breath. What I don’t think he realized was that there were a number of sound issues out of our control and not our fault which had delayed our performance about a half hour, or that we drove 12-hours from San Diego, unloaded heavy equipment and were physically exhausted and that we were just waiting for the soundman to get things dialed in (an essential before playing a show) and we’d be playing in a few minutes. I explained all this and more to him in my excessively sincere, polite, delicate telephone voice that I use on grandmothers, children and crazy people. I outlined the infinite amount of circumstances that exist in the realm of bands and distant travel, I revealed the elusive secret that many clubs advertise earlier times than the band’s actual performance, so they can get people through the door, buying drinks and generating finance, and that we were going to go on in about 3-minutes. I even thought to myself that I handled the irate fan pretty well and gave him a kind sensible answer to his concerns and quelled his rage considerably. Then he responded. “You are the most unprofessional person I’ve ever spoken to in my life, you remind me of George Bush and I don’t believe a God Damn word out of your lying mouth.” To this, I had no idea what to say, me and my allergies stood there befuddled, silent and with my mouth hanging open. I thought that there may have been a time in ages past where being compared to the president would have been an honor as opposed to a shot of poop and venom spit one’s face. Not in this day and age. I’m pretty sure everyone else at the show had a good time and the sleep that followed was nothing short of epic. Last night at the JFJO show, I was talking to my buddy Greg Hotchkiss about the band mailers. He called me out on the fact that I don’t send as many e-mailers out these days and he was right. I’ve been trying to horde some of the short stories for a book I’m finishing up. I need at least a couple of original morsels leftover to entice people into reading anything I might put out. I’m also certain that nobody wants me to dig too deep into the minutia and write about the day to day brushings of teeth and things of that nature. But Hotchkiss, I promise to deliver some more email action, even if it is only you reading them. Besides, I certainly do forget to mention some decent short tales here and there. I probably need to keep a little notebook with me, actually, I have a notebook, it’s the pen that often escapes me. Like two weeks ago when our band got to be the surprise musical guest at the Healing Arts Music Festival Preparty at the World Beat Center. This never found its way to the band mailer, but it was definitely an interesting night. The venue was filled with dozens of masseuses, acupuncturists, energy healers, chiropractors, dance instructors and yoga practitioners, volunteering their time and free samples of alternative health. San Diego’s ailing (including myself) limped in early and got on line for varying forms of help. It is a truly awesome event and the festival itself will be tons of fun http://althealnet.org/. At around 8pm the K23 took the stage. I’m pretty sure our sound went over well, though after the fact, I wondered what it was like to receive a relaxing, peaceful and serene massage to a face-melting White Giant guitar solo, or to be given energy healing with an explosive psychedelic rocker called “Crazy Bitch Get Off the Stage” as the soundtrack. I am not sure what the answers to these questions are, please drop us a line if you experienced this and lived to tell about it, perhaps our song newest song “Buck Swope” combine with acupuncture is the cure for gout, perhaps not. After the set an older African American (or Afro American as Michael Richards has referred to us) lady slowly approached me after some healing, grandmother smile, cane and limp in hand. She said the following statement which pretty much summed up the night for me. “I like your band a lot. You guys keep em guessing. You tell that Lumberjack of yours that I like the way he plays that guitar.” I guess the red flannel, coupled with the fact that he looks like he could fell a tree with merely a stare, got the White Giant the title of lumberjack. Pretty classic. Hope the note finds you well If you ever want to say hi, email us at k23orchestra@gmail.com With love al I Digress... April 1, 2008 by Al Howard Hello good folks of the mailing list. I’m currently soaking in the sounds of the new Raconteurs album and staying positive about the potential of pop music to be awesome. This weekend we are coming north to Dunsmuir, Arcata and Caspar Ca. Hope to see you folks up there. Thursday, April 3, 2008 Sengthong's Blue Sky Room 5841 Dunsmuir Ave, Dunsmuir CA 96025 (MAP) Friday, April 4, 2008 Humboldt Brewing Company 856 10th St., Arcata CA 95521 (MAP) Saturday, April 5, 2008 The Caspar Inn 14957 Caspar Road, Caspar CA 95420 (MAP) On Tuesday April 8th Alfred Howard will be a special guest with the JFJO at Winstons for the release of their brand new cd Lil Tae Rides Again http://www.jfjo.com Saturday, April 19, 2008 7:00 pm Pacific Beach Bar and Grill 860 garnet ave, Pacific Beach CA 92109 (MAP) Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:00 pm Fox Theatre 1135 13th St., Boulder CO 80302 (MAP) Friday, April 25, 2008 Cervantes' Masterpiece w/ Boom Box 2637 Welton, Denver CO 80205 (MAP) Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:00 pm University of Northern Colorado Spring Fest 1862 10th St., Greeley CO 80631 (MAP) Saturday, April 26, 2008 Hodi's Half Note w/ Boom Box 167 N. College Ave, Fort Collins CO 80524 (MAP) But I Digress Putting the C back in Rap Last weekend the K23 Orchestra played at Mojitos in SF. For the most part it was a fun show with high energy and things of that nature. The show experienced a strange lull for about 5-minutes around the middle of the set, like a pocket of air in the folds of what you thought was a jelly donut. But first let me lay down the foundation for this tale, I enjoy playing on stages that aren’t stages, better yet, stages that aren’t elevated. When there is no separation between the audience and band there is often a greater exchange of energy, a certain sweaty rawness or punk aesthetic about it. We’ve had some shows at the Whistle Stop and a random venue in Las Vegas, whose name is beyond my memory’s reach like Vanilla Extract placed on the high cabinet ledge in a midget’s apartment, where the music reached an almost tribal freak out nature. However, every once in a while, you are reminded why stages exist and why sometimes a 30-foot barbed wire barrier is needed. Now, the K23 Orchestra has yet to compose our manic pop triumph that would warrant thick security guards with the tenacity to fend off both irate and motivated fathers and the delicate approach and earplugs to fend off enamored and motivated teenaged screaming daughters, but every now and again two feet of stage comes in handy. So, back to Mojitos, a stageless venue, somewhere in the middle of the set, I was ‘rapping’ and I heard a voice that wasn’t mine rattling through my ear. There was a guy trying to have a conversation with me during the verse that I was using every inch of concentration I had to exhale swiftly. He kept asking me if he could “grab the mic and spit a few rhymes (though he probably spelled it with a “Z” like so: RHYMZZE). And as I tried to explain to him (between verses and as I played the tambourine) that during the White Giant’s muscular guitar solo was probably not the best time to have this conversation, nor the best time for him to grab the microphone if he wanted to continue breathing in the traditional way. Over the next 10-minutes of music he continued to badger me with questions like “why are you bogarting the mic,” the answer to which would have been “because I’m actually the vocalist in this band,” but since I have a bit of a throat problem and I couldn’t scream over the music to answer him, he wore me down and I eventually acquiesced. Let me put this out there, I have nothing against the “sit in” I just figured that anyone drunk enough to try to have a conversation with me while I was in the middle of a poem, probably wasn’t going to shock me with a mind bending potent original lyrical performance. The K23 laid down a heavy groove, heavier than a Barack Obama speech delivered on the shoulders Ricki Lake circa 1988 (not saying who I’m voting for necessarily, but I would let him sit in on vocals any day), a groove that I hope we remember next time we practice cause it just might be our platinum hit that gets branded into the consciousness of every walking sentient being, a groove that could only be ruined by Rod Stewart, Terence Trent D'Arby, the lead singer of Fine Young Cannibals, Jon Bon Jovi or this Guy. I could hear the beginning of his freestyle which went something like this “I’m at Mojitos Eating Doritos (a blatant lie for his mouth was empty) Wish I had a burrito Uh uh uh Ummm uh uh (Stutter stutter) (Pause) (Pregnant pause)” And it went on like that….. Suffice to say he wasn’t a very good ‘rapper’. At this point he tried to grab a hot chick who was dancing in the front and attempted to get her to sing back-up or something, or perhaps dance around on stage as he verbally stumbled over a delicious groove (I’ve seen this tactic work before and actually sell millions of albums on MTV, but not in the small bar setting). She was beyond reluctant and eventually meandered to safety of the Girls Room. Eventually, he unwillingly gave up his brief microphone duties and kept asking for another chance before disappearing into the back of the crowd and then out into the feral San Francisco night. And if he was to tell his friends that he got “On Stage” with a sweet band, he’d be lying through his teeth. With Love al www.ahk23.com al k23orchestra@gmail.com If responding to this email please send it to k23orchestra@gmail.com Hello good folks of the mailing list. How are you all doing on this fine afternoon/evening? Warmth is in the air, flowers are blooming, birds and bees are doing various things, spring is at the doorstep (minus the strange hailstorm the other night). This weekend the K23 Orchestra is on the way north (where spring may or may not be in the air quite yet, jackets will be packed either way) to San Francisco and then to Sebastopol to open the Guayaki Yeba Mate Café with a unique acoustic/electric offering, a hybrid if you will. Friday, March 21st pm A night of the K23 (w/friends) Mojitos 1337-1339 Grant Avenue, San Francisco http://www.mojitosf.com/ Saturday Night March 22nd 7pm party begins, the K23 Orchestra will play from 9:30pm until ??????? (it’s all up to you) 6782 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol guayaki.com A favor please. One of the most fun moments that the K23 Orchestra has had with or without clothes on, was at the High Sierra Music Festival in 2005, in fact that is where we met a number of the “Good People of the Mailing List.” The stars align just right at High Sierra and magical sonic moments are captured. Unfortunately, in 2005, the White Giant had yet to join our squad and complete our band in a way worthy of Jerry McGuire 2. We NEED to get the White Giant to the High Sierra music festival and you can help us get our name mentioned in their booking conversations. If you could please follow this link http://www.highsierramusic.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=3057&highlight=k23 It will magically transport you to the High Sierra Message Board. If you can take a few minutes to sign up as a member and leave a kind comment about the K23 Orchestra, perhaps even a loving K23 show memory, you will have our undying allegiance and love, in the past that promise may not have meant as much, but now that we are offering the allegiance of our 6”8, 300Lbs guitarist, that allegiance is fortified immensely, no one will ever bully you or take your lunchbox again. More Shows Thursday, April 3, 2008 Sengthong's Blue Sky Room 5841 Dunsmuir Ave, Dunsmuir CA 96025 (MAP) Friday, April 4, 2008 Humboldt Brewing Company 856 10th St., Arcata CA 95521 (MAP) Saturday, April 5, 2008 The Caspar Inn 14957 Caspar Road, Caspar CA 95420 (MAP) On Tuesday April 8th Alfred Howard will be a special guest with the JFJO at Winstons for the release of their brand new cd Lil Tae Rides Again www.jfjo.com Triumphant Return Home I’m very stoked that our next hometown show is named, in the immortal words of Ron Burgundy’s infinite wisdom, the “Stay Classy” Charity Jam. It will be in the Pacific Beach Bar & Grill and two adjacent parking lots on the corner of Garnet and Bayard Street in Pacific Beach, CA 92109 Stay Classy Charity Jam - April 19, 2008: The Stay Classy Charity Jam is an all day local music festival held in Pacific Beach, CA put on by StayClassy.org and held on Earth Day weekend. This year the event benefits a series of environmental campaigns that are led by Stay Classy and their non-profit partners. The event pulls some of the top talent in San Diego for a full day of live music, art, awareness, and fund raising. Stay Classy and Pacific Beach Bar & Grill have pledged to make the event as environmentally friendly as possible, complete with solar powered staging, green vending, a carbon offset program, and a bio-diesel car pooling bus running to various spots around San Diego. Over 2000 people are expected throughout the course of the day. Tickets can be purchased at www.StayClassy.org starting on March 15th, and will start at $35. Saturday, April 19, 2008 7:00 pm Pacific Beach Bar and Grill 860 garnet ave, Pacific Beach CA 92109 (MAP) Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:00 pm Fox Theatre 1135 13th St., Boulder CO 80302 (MAP) Friday, April 25, 2008 Cervantes' Masterpiece w/ Boom Box 2637 Welton, Denver CO 80205 (MAP) Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:00 pm University of Northern Colorado Spring Fest 1862 10th St., Greeley CO 80631 (MAP) Saturday, April 26, 2008 Hodi's Half Note w/ Boom Box 167 N. College Ave, Fort Collins CO 80524 (MAP) But I Digress The shit hits the fan when Olives are free Yesterday I had the delightful opportunity to perform some spoken word at the Guayaki Booth at the Natural Foods Expo West. How to describe the Expo West…..hmmmmm. Well basically 2,800+ companies have thousands of health food products available for sampling through miles of aisles. There are lectures and seminars about all things organic and new means of cultivation and greener ways of productivity. It spans throughout the Anaheim Convention Center, which felt like an eternity hiking through the healthy buffet (2,800+ companies worth of health food sampling). Last year I had the same opportunity (even resurrected last years email below) and definitely overdid it with my eclectic sampling. The Greatest Organic Hits medley in my stomach made for an unpleasant chorus throughout the evening, though the recording went over well in Europe. This year I over did it less, I told my Hiatal Hernia and resulting Stomach Problem to go F#%K itself, but it told me the same thing, thus keeping me in relative check. The event ended yesterday at 4pm. I did some poetry at about 2pm. There were people streaming by throughout the performance, but their focus, as it was for every booth at the expo, was on a quick taste-and-off to the next morsel. People walked by, took a toothpick to a poem, picked out a sentence or two and moved on to a sample shot of Heady Apple Cider or Flax Seed Oil. At 3pm a number of companies abandoned their excess products so they wouldn’t have to cart them on the plane. At this point there is a quite literal “free for all”. The Kettle Chips were the first to go, bag after bag of Sea Salt and Vinegar;Tuscan Cheese and Death Valley Chipotle Chips were grabbed by busy hands. The Emergen-C packets were looted with swift ease. There was a degree of pushing and shoving, but more often subtle, polite positioning and patient line formation, that is until the giant olive bar went free and you could grab heaping bags of Gourmet Olives. “When Olives are free, you see the True face of humanity” –Anonymous Olive Stampede Survivor I saw an old man, who’s girth was widened by already-full bags of free food, barrel over two old women and push aside a small child to get to the sun dried pitted black olives, his bags moved people aside, his momentum unstoppable, his olives…….Acquired! I saw a middle aged lady fall trying to grab a bag of garlic stuffed green olives, like dominoes she took the competition with her. It was mayhem at the Olive Bar. People used their sampling toothpicks for protection, wielding them like miniature fencing foils. I looked at the Chaos from the vantage point of indecision, like a cowardly soldier gazing over the battlefield from a nearby mountain, like a nerdy child staring at 6-Flags’ Scream Machine. I love Olives, if Olives had legs and a brain, I would consider marrying one, but I also like my eyes and limbs. I opted for self-preservation and gathered 3 cases of Hemp Milk and a Surprise Bag. The Surprise bag was an unmarked plastic bag laying on an unmarked empty table, filled with brown nuggets which I knew to be one of three things, fake meatballs, Elk Pellets or the best God Damn Organic Coconut Dark Chocolate Nutty Dessert Treat Ever, fortunately it was the last. Having longer arms than most other attendants definitely came in handy, so if you run into me off the stage over the next 3-6 months, I can guarantee you it won’t be at the Health Food Store. With Love al www.ahk23.com Let your eyes travel south to read about last year’s expo A short film of last years Expo I am an avid fan of organic health food, so when I found out we were playing the Natural Foods Expo in Anaheim this past weekend, I got pretty freaking excited. In my head this was the snacking equivalent to meeting Ghandi and MLK at a Radiohead Concert where the attractive ladies sitting behind us were all unemployed masseuses. We arrived early and played our first K23 acoustic set centered on more song-oriented compositions. Thanks to guayaki for providing a space for us to do it as well as the yerba mate fuel to wake us all up. Before and after the K23 stripped session we walked around what was basically a small city of people offering free samples of organic foods. I entered the building, toothpick in hand, stretched and prepared to wander through a few miles of free food. The problem that faced me was the eclectic nature of the buffet which lay before me. In 2 hours I literally sampled several species of dark chocolate, thai food, pasta salad, vegan pizza, hemp milk, yerba mate beer, more chocolate, ginseng extract, Indian curries, iced teas, and the infinite etcetera that slips through the pores in mind. I was gradually reminded that any food in excess conquers its nourishing benefits, and though I knew that going into the Expo, my poverty and the utter freeness of the bountiful samplings conquered such rational lines of thinking. The organic potpourri, which churned in my belly, created the low cacophony of an avant-garde jazz ensemble playing through thick walls of stomach lining. After my stomach called to order an immediate evacuation all things returned to normal and the sampling began anew. What a beautiful day. The Expo was filled with the grand irony of a vast amount of plastic excess used to distribute the earth friendly products, but I guess it is one step at a time. This day was also filled with 3 K23 Orchestra shows in one day, which I believe is a record. The next morning I literally woke up sore, from walking, from snacking, from loading and unloading equipment a grand total of 6 times, from three gigs, from driving and from all too little sleep. We thought perhaps canceling our show the following day was perhaps a good idea, 2 or 3 of us were leaning on the doors of sickness, fatigue was thick in the air in the van, and we were opening for the opener at 9pm in Pasadena. But canceling shows is a bad habit to get into, so we toughened up and made the drive (the night before we drove back to San Diego from Los Angeles because the magnetic allure of your own bed is a strong one). Of all the gigs in the world which could have been canceled this was the one, a bar owner who wouldn’t give a complimentary glass of tap-water to the headlining band (this is not one of my al howard hyperboles, this is simple fact). We played for 38 minutes for 7 people, 5 of which were probably in the next band. Getting home that night felt as sweet as fresh air outside a DMV. Be well Peace al I Digress... March 4, 2008 by Al Howard Please send any responses to k23orchestra@gmail.com Hello there good people of the mailing list. How are you doing out there? Thank you fine folks for making this weekend’s Belly Up show an excessively fun time for all. That was a hell of a homecoming. Lot’s of news on the K23 home front, including shows, changing email addresses, news and a long series of digressions. PS the “d” on my computer is stuck so if you encounter words that seem to need the presence of a “d” feel free to place it there (just so you folks know I didn’t loose my marbles and forget how to spell everything) any other type-os are my fault. First off if you’ve tried to reach out to us at our hotmail account in the past and your loving inquiry was met with the echo of silence, there is a distinct possibility that we never received it. Perhaps you professed your undying love to Matt LaBarber, but moved back to Jamaica due to his lack of response, he may have never gotten your timely typed note. We recently abandoned the hotmail ship after many years of loyalty, due to some messages not making it to our eyes and inboxes. We love communicating with you and since I write the emails and my nerdish leanings keep me online for vast portions of the day, I love hearing back from you cats. So please send any responses, questions, hellos, well wishes or even the occasional hate mail to k23orchestra@gmail.com. And if you ever had an email go unreturned, please know that it probably wasn’t recieved. Alfred Howard and Sean Martin CD available on iTunes Sean, the guitar monster often known to sit in with the K23, and I collaborated on a mellow little jazz folk psychedelic album, it is available for download on iTunes. If you are feeling like taking a 99c chance on a song I suggest Colorado or Stolen H. If all of you take that 99c chance I can pay my good friend Kristen back before she comes for my thumbs. I hope you enjoy, here is a link, the cd is called Volatile As and features Matt and Josh of the K23, as well as Ezra Gale of Aphrodesia. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=266838609 This weekend we’ll be in Mesa, Arizona celebrating life, love and heat at the Goathead Saloon. Shows Saturday, Mar 8 2008 9:00P the Goathead Saloon 1423 S Country Club Dr Mesa, Arizona http://www.goatheadsaloon.com/ Mar 21 2008 10:00P Mojitos with some special guests San Francisco, California 1337-1339 Grant Avenue http://www.mojitosf.com/ Apr 3 2008 10:00P Sengthongs Blue Sky Room Dunsmuir, California Apr 5 2008 10:00P Caspar Inn Caspar, California On Tuesday April 8th Alfred Howard will be a special guest with the JFJO at Winstons for the release of their brand new cd Lil Tae Rides Again http://www.jfjo.com Apr 24 2008 8:00P Fox Theatre w/ Boombox Boulder, Colorado Apr 25 2008 8:00P Cervantes Denver, Colorado Apr 26 2008 8:00P Hodis Half Note Fort Collins, Colorado But I Digress Black People/Endoscopy/Day Old Karma Alright. Another interesting weekend is in the K23 Orchestra books. In fact when all is said and done, this book is going to be an interesting, multi-volume epic. Hopefully J.J. Abrams will produce a movie based on it one day down the line. If you have any casting suggestions please post them on our message board at www.ahk23.com, I hope you can pick Forest Whitaker to play me. For those of you who know me well (I’m sorry to the four of you)…..but if you know me at all, you know I’m by no means a racist or unsympathetic person. So on we go down the tricky rain slicked PC Highway (politically correct, not pacific coast, though I definitely prefer the latter). This sighting has been six years in the making and of all places for it to occur, it had to be Santa Barbara. Thursday morning the K23 Orchestra encountered our first black midget. We’ve seen Bad Santa, and the Travel Stenographer, but we’ve never seen one in the wild. Let me back up. Some of you may be new to this mailing list and the following might catch you off guard, so before unsubscribing, let me offer an explanation of one of the K23 travel traditions in passing time on the road. We play a game similar to the punch buggy game as our van traverses the nation. However, and with all things K23, we like to place our own little spin on it. So instead of ferreting out punch buggies along the winding span of highway, we search for http://www.tvsa.co.za/images/actors/b/the_black_family.jpg Black People (Afro-Americans according to Michael Richards) in areas where you’ve come to not expect us, i.e. beaches, mountain towns, republican conventions and formerly golf courses. Whoever sights the elusive minority first gets to punch someone of their choosing (no one ever chooses to punch our 6 foot 8 inch guitarist, the benevolent White Giant, I wonder why…..hmmmmm…..). Anyway, the only extra rules that apply to the game are as follows. 1) 23 punches go for a confirmed sighting of a Black Logger (blogger), Black Taper or a Black Midget (if you see a black midget taper you can shoot any member of the K23). On Friday morning we woke up and got our start towards Huntington Beach at around 10a.m. While packing up our personal belongings into the van and dealing with an irate hotel attendant, a small dark figure approached from the distance. I was standing outside with the White Giant and we were both squinting our eyes to see what unique figure quickened its pace towards us. I figured it out before the White Giant because, at 6 foot 8, everyone looks slightly midgetesque to him. I was so stoked to drop 23 punches onto someone’s arm, but when I looked eye to eye with the WG, I decided, with perhaps the best judgment of my young life, to wait for Steve “World of War” Craft to get out of the van and pelt him. This was a K23 first and we were all very happy and ebullient through the rest of the day. We took a scenic ride down the coast, watched a bunch of porpoises do tricks with surfers, flowers blooming along the road, one playful Sea Lion and it was a good day, the kind that would make Ice Cube proud. The following day, after a 4am drive from Long Beach, I woke up extremely late. My neighborhood had been enveloped by a Kite Festival/Parade, which is a strange thing to enter into in any mind state, let alone an extremely exhausted one. As I walked against wave after wave of enthusiastic children, a gust of wind came off the ocean and a huge kite came down fast and struck me in the center of my forehead, it was like an airplane accident on a landing strip. It was as if I had made fun of one of the children for his portly nature and this was his swiftly exacted revenge. In fact, immediately after it happened, I began to scan for which kid struck me and then I remembered that they were merely children and no vengeance on my end could be taken. Then I began to wonder what karmic retribution was being dealt to me, I had only been awake for 7 minutes and hadn’t done anything bad yet, then I remembered all that stuff from the preceding day about black midgets and things of that nature and it made sense, in fact…….perhaps it wasn’t a child’s kite at all……hmmmmmmm. On an entirely unrelated subject, though it is one that creeps into all my waking thoughts and is thus related to anything I write… This afternoon I furthered my quest to the bottom of my health problems and I think I figured out a few things through some impressive use of science. My girlfriend dropped me off at the San Diego Endoscopy Center in Hillcrest this at noon and planned to pick me up at 3pm when she finished class. I was told that the procedure of getting a camera stuck down your throat and into your stomach would take about 3 hours. I guess they generally put you under for the endoscopy, but if one wanted to preserve the clarity of the remaining day, they could just shove the 3 feet of tubing down your throat and get you in and out in 20-minutes. Due to an extreme impatience (byproduct of being raised on the East Coast) I opted for the 20-minutes-and-out route with a side of fries. I “manned up” and took three feet of tube down my throat (insert any sub-sophomoric joke here). I just turned 30 last week and I apparently already have a Hiatal Hernia, a little birthday gift from genetics. Thanks mom and dad. Apparently that has helped the hydrochloric acid in my belly to burn up the lining of my esophagus, and that’s why when I try to talk to folks at shows I sound like an un-cool version of Ton Loc. We’ll see what comes next with this whole process. Irregardless, there will be a number of K23 shows that I hope to see you at and though I may not say much over the noise of barroom static, I will sent all my love and energy amplified from the stage. When I got out of the Doc’s Office I remembered that my ride didn’t get out of school until 3pm, so me an my sandals walked from Hillcrest to OB. It made me feel a little better about being old (that is….at least until tomorrow morning when I wake up and all my joints hurt) Hope this note finds you folks well out there The K23 Loves You Please drop us a line k23orchestra@gmail.com www.ahk23.com I Digress... February 28, 2008 by Al Howard Hello good folks of the mailing list. How the hell are you? We are officially stoked for the big Belly Up show this weekend with Perpetual Groove. We’ve got some new treats for the ears as well as some visual candy (don’t worry the visual surprises have nothing to do with us, no choreographed dance moves, nor outfits which leave little to the imagination). We’ve got a couple other shows with P-Groove, and/or members of their band, in Santa Barbara and Long Beach. Thursday, Feb 28th 8:00PM |
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