looking toward 2012..

so here i am at panera bread - making good use of the free wifi and even better use of the free coffee refills on this, my last week of from work of 2011. it has been a great year for me and i'm looking at 2012 with optimistic eyes.

for starters - Black Cat Bone Music has taken off in ways i cannot begin to believe. i have partnered up with Lee Jergensen and we are planning some really fantastic events for next year! we are working with a couple different venues now - setting up events that will put western massachusetts on the muddy roots/deep blues map! between the polish american citizens club in south hadley, the elevens in northampton and the waterfront tavern in holyoke housing my ongoing deep blues jam series - we have the ability to bring bands into the area that we had some difficulty with placing or housing in the past.

my goal is really to make BCBM a staple in the northeast - ideally being able to host the Deep Blues Festival in the next 3-5 years.

the elevens has a new little jolt of motivation these days. the feeling is that it's got so much potential to be a really great club for live music and artistic events. i am usually the perpetual optimist in these situations - but i really feel like with a little work it can perform very well. part of that is a little action on the clubs part in getting involved with the events they have - which i think is exactly what we will see in the near future.

anyway - i'm going to shut down my netbook and refill my paper cup one last time of that glorious nectar of the gods. i have a bit of time to kill before i pick up my little buddy at school. i'll spend it checking out a couple new CD's i've been digging lately and driving around town sipping aforementioned nectar!

Have a happy holiday - i'll be back a lot more often in 2012!

-BRB

post muddy roots/deep blues jam session.

so i have been so nervous all day about this first installment of my series at the waterfront in holyoke. on the one hand - i have been promoting this event and hoping for a large turnout to get some good 413 exposure for Henry's Rifle. who, by the way, provided a unbelievable set for all the people who were in attendance! on the other hand my nerves were rooted in the uncertainty of playing host to this open jam with players whom i have never - EVER played music with before. sure, it was loose and sloppy... but that's  ok - because it kind of set the vibe for the room a bit. 

upon arriving i began to set up my kit. once that was in order - and John Pipino from Henry's Rifle had arrived i began to set up the PA and get familiar with it. one issue was that the PA was MIA. Luckily the bar owner was around and made some phone calls to get Benjamin Jon from Stillwork Media on the horn. Ben essentially saved my ass. Not only did he arrive with a full PA - the guy sat in on Bass with us to open up the jam! it was a lot of fun - and a few moments in the short set were especially cool because John jumped up and did some improvisational vocals for us. it was really cool that it all kind of clicked at the right time like it did.

i did get some time to talk with some people about my vision  - it seemed to be very well received. upon packing everything up from the session i had mentioned that i was looking for a second date to line up right away. i'm looking forward to 10/15 for the time being - it all depends on who i can find that is touring in the region to feature for the next session. i really dig the support the waterfront has been giving me with this - very nice to have the backing of a venue like that!

anyway - i'm beat. lots of whiskey early in the night makes for -  a lazy night at home followed by a great nights sleep!!!

later!

wow - things have completely fallen apart and miraculously come back together again for this Saturday's BCBM Muddy Roots Deep Blues Jam Session. Being the first one, I have no real expectations other than having fun! this is more about learning and applying that knowledge to make the next installment more of a success. I'm really lucky to know some completely awesome people pulling this together in the 11th hour. For starters - John Pipino from Henry's Rifle has been great. After not thinking that this would be able to happen - he was able to stick with it despite everything. I'm really looking forward to his set too - I think it's going to be great!

As for what happened that threw a wrench in the works for this. Essentially, I got kicked out of my band due to musical differences with Damon. This messed up a lot of shit - I knew the band was not on board to play the host band roll for the jam. It was fairly clear that i was going to be scrambling a bit to pull this off. Fortunately, with the help of a bunch of great people it came together.  I got really lucky that Dave LaValley is game to jam with me while I host this thing. Being that we haven't played any music together before - it's gonna be something! I'm looking forward to it though - also looking to play those new hi-hats too damn it!!!

So - what is next on my plate after Damon Reeves & The Love Thieves. Well, primarily I'll be focusing on Black Cat Bone Music events - however - my passion is playing drums. I do have an ad up right now looking to form a punk blues group. As luck would have it a very good and old friend of mine is also interested in putting something along those lines together - so I have something to work with fairly soon and I'm psyched! I'm not going to get too into the details right now. More like just waiting and see what happens in the next few months. One thing that is for sure - it's gonna be good!

That's all I have for tonight. I'm planning on a post session update to go over the details.

what a week it has been!!! i've been so unbelievably busy all week long with a handful of things happening  - the first and biggest is the release of Damon Reeves' debut release "Coming Home"! i've been under the gun trying to get the release together in time for my own 8/2/11 deadline and i made it by the skin of me teeth. in the end we put out a really great sounding product and even have a nice little set-up going so that we aren't investing megabucks into a huge inventory to carry around. since that all came together in time - the next bit of work to do was get the word out about our online sales AND our little celebratory event happening at Theodores' on Saturday (8/6)! I'm holding back from calling it a "CD Release Party" only because we can't afford the upfront cost for CD's for the show at this point - so we won't have them actually available at the party. Still - the party will still be awesome! more than anything we plan on playing the CD live and a bunch of other fun tunes too. There is no cover and without there being any pressure to move units at the party to make up costs - i think it will be a ridiculously fun night!


now, i have set up a little store widget in this blog. it's located just to the right on top of al the other widgets. Basically at this point we have the album available as a digital download OR a CD that you can order. each of the individual tracks are also available as 99 cent downloads too. there are ringtones available - which is awesome if you're into that. we also have a handful of shirts designed as well - they are all new and yes, we had a lot of fun with some of these. hey, this band is a fun band - we want that to come through in the products people buy from us. oh, we will be distributing very soon through many various online music retailers as well. sites like itunes, amazon mp3, last fm, yadda yadda yadda - are all in the process of carrying "Coming Home" - yay!


this is the first time that i have had product available like this - where technology has been at the forefront as the primary method to distribute music and merchandise. i'm working toward getting a small inventory together for live shows. a short run of CD's and some digital download cards are in the very near future. we'll get some shirts to have on hand and some of the smaller promo items - but the large selection will be mainly online as far as merchandise goes. that's not to say we won't offer some live show only "special" stuff however! the feedback so far has been awesome - i'm just hoping to hear from even more people about their thoughts on the release.


we have a slow month lined up for August as far as shows go - that's a good thing though! after saturday's party we have one more event lined up - the BCBM Presents: Paper City's Muddy Roots/Deep Blues Jam Sessions on Saturday 8/27. i'm really looking forward to this as a regular series for BCBM. my goal is to bring in more artists to feature and develop working relationship with larger touring acts. a place where an artist could swing in knowing that this has a good core group of participants and spectators - and feel like it was a good stop to make on their tour. The 27th features Henry's Rifle - and i'm feeling pretty excited about having John on the bill for the kick-off BCBM Sessions!


we'll leave it at that - i do plan on a sunday morning blog entry as i work while half asleep chugging coffee in order to cling to consciousness. ahh - the life of a blue collar musician!

cruel summer

wtf is it with summer!?!? august is right around the damned corner and i feel like summer just started. sure right now it's 2000% humidity outside and it feels like walking into someones mouth each time i step outside my front door - but still - summer is fun and it's flying by this year!

This summer has been really busy. lots of shows that have been played and it's been a lot of fun! one big downer for me was missing the Deep Blues Festival 2011. By the time the time came to go - it just wasn't going to happen. Money got crazy tight in the spring with my wife's unemployment benefits ending and the job situation being shaky at best. We had set aside some cash for the trip when our tax returns came in - but ended up having to use it for groceries and other bills.

Holly was actually really awesome and said that I should find some people to take along to help pay for the expenses. I had even considered going up with Damon and doing a little busking around Cleveland to help compensate the expenses - but that didn't work out either. He booked a fundraiser for a biker club at the last minute and was very intent on playing it. In the end i stayed home an took a night to spend with my wife sans kids and enjoy some live music from the crowd for a change. t'was very nice!

From what I understand however, the DBF was an amazing show and experience! I've gotten the chance to check out a lot of pictures and some videos from the show. I so badly wish I had been there, but I am looking forward to the next one.

I did accomplish one big goal this summer - to set up a series of event modeled after Geezer's Garage Night At the Granite Rail. I got the Waterfront in Holyoke to jump on it and hold the events on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. The first one is slated to be on Saturday 8/27 @ 4pm. Henry's Rifle is going to be the featured artist too! HR is a solo country blues/Americana act - John Pipino (who also plays drums and sings for The Killerados) plays some killer banjo, guitar, harp and stompbox - I have been listening to the songs available on the HR Reverbnation page and have really started to dig them - looking forward to seeing him perform at the Waterfront!

More later - watching a documentary about Tourette Syndrome.

deep muddy hillgrass bluebilly movement in the 413!

so the past few days an idea had popped into my head that i am very excited about. i have been really juggling the available dates at venues with available dates for artists coming through the area. it's been a challenge with a lot of loose ends. so, after a suggestion a while back from a friend - i decided to try and put on a regular event. one part featured artist showcase and the other part open mic/jam.

i'm thinking that i would like to hold this during an earlier slot than other shows - partially to avoid competing with other shows in the area. i would also like to have it at a venue that serves food - decent food too. the reason is that perhaps people may stop in for a bite or a few drinks around the dinner hour. a good house PA would be nice too - but not a deal breaker.

the theme would be blues, roots music, country and folk. most gear would be provided by my band as we'd be hosting and acting as a house band. i think a sticking point is to hold this no more than once a month - in an effort to keep it from burning out and being too much of a demand on the participants. speaking of participants - i would love some feedback from people interested in coming out, playing a set, jamming, or just hanging out and networking while checking out some different music.

so i am talking with one venue fairly seriously about this whole thing. they have everything i am looking for - but i am a guy that likes options, so i can weigh them. i'll ask all of you for some input on some cool venues - and contact info of it's something i might not have worked with in the past.

on another BCBM note - i am psyched that i have booked another BCBM Showcase for later in July with Husky Burnette at Snowzee's Music Shack in Sunderland! It's on 7/22 - Damon and the crew will share the bill and it's going to be nuts! i'll be posting some event information soon, standby.

ok - i am gonna wrap up watching this episode of weeds and hit the hay.

g'night folks!

summer in the city....

wow!! it's been a while since i have been posting any content up here. i should mention that readers of this amazing bit of literary gold can always stay connected with me via my social media outlets. i am, in fact a huge proponent of social networking and am a bit of a social media whore at times. i have links to my online profiles posted on the sidebars of this here blog - but for those who prefer to not seek them out and for my own love of posting links i'll leave them right in this entry too!

My Facebook Page

Follow me on Twitter

My You-Tube Channel

Black Cat Bone Music on ReverbNation

Damon Reeves & The Love Thieves

as for what has been going on in my life - well for a month or so my wife and i have been dieting and exercising - it's paying off! We have been careful with what we eat and have been taking vitamins and supplements along with being active and drinking tons of water. i have noticed that i actually don't have the back pain i was having while spending 4 hours a night on my drum throne. that's huge since i hated the idea of spending so much time doing something i love was leading to my back killing me.

last night i took the whole family to see Eva Cappelli and her band perform at a great little outdoor venue in Easthampton, MA. the kids had a blast and Holly did too. it was a nice little crowd that gathered for the show too. i was talking to a woman in the crowd and she told me that they have these free outdoor concerts each friday. the venue is literally on the bike trail, right off the section that crosses ferry street. i am hoping to track down a schedule so i can find out what the other events are so i can get the kids some exposure to live music.

still very much looking forward to the Deep Blues Festival this July. unfortunately - it's looking like it won't be the nice trip that Holly and i had in mind a few months ago. money is really tight right now and if she doesn't find work we really won't be able to afford the trip together. problem is we have a hotel reserved for that weekend and it's already paid for. so, she insists that i go without her and find someone/a small crew to come along. that will help make the trip do-able. we'll see what happens - still about a month to go until the trip, so we'll see what happens.

over the last couple of days i have had BBQ FEVER in the worst way possible! for the last handful of years (mainly since living in this 3rd floor apartment) i have been hoping each summer i would be able to spend a day with 3 things sun, beer and barbecue (all the while being kidless of course)! the summer just slips away so fast and i get tied up with other things. this year however, i am planning on buying a portable smoker and making it a priority to make my dream come true. i want to go portable so that i can take it camping with us as we've been acquiring camping equipment so that we can begin to take the family out enjoying the outdoors! the rainy weather outside at the moment has curbed my desire to smoke meats and veg in the sun while sipping beers - or diet approved mixed drinks until i reach my goal weight. i have scoped out some smokers out there that will allow me to do this on the cheap - which of course is very necessary. i have considered going with an electric or propane route for control - but there is the caveman aspect that i want where i actually have to control the fire myself. so, charcoal it is!

my coffee cup is empty.

who'll stop the rain?

So the rain actually started on Saturday evening. it was pretty light for the most part, but it was really pouring at some points making the commute out to Cambridge kind of tricky.

Earlier on Saturday took the family out to our cousins for a birthday party. the girls had a fabulous time. Chloe had a blast playing with all the kids - her age and the older girls, of course. Delaney had a fantastic time too. I don't think she sat down for much longer than to eat her lunch and her piece of cake. this kid loves her some cake!

After the party Holly and I left with the baby, but we left Chloe with my parents so she could play a bit longer with her cousins and new friends. once we got home it was very obvious that Delaney was going to sleep very well through the night. I got my stuff together for the show and headed out.

I love my car, and love driving - especially while I can listen to some new music. gave the Tokyo Tramps CD a couple spins on the ride. great stuff, really dig that band a lot! had to stop for gas while venturing off the highway - then eventually caught the highway again. got to Cambridge a little later than expected - ended up parking in a questionable lot which had parking regulations that seemed a bit conveluded to say the least. luckily we didn't get towed away. as a matter of fact after the set I grapped a free parking upgrade right behind the club - BONUS!

So the show was awesome - in a nutshell. the opening band was a trio called "Sonny Jim and the Blue Devils" - they play some great tunes and have an interesting candor when on stage. they played some Howlin' Wolf which really enjoyed even after the made a self depricating joke about not doing it justice. still - it was great! the original tunes they played were fantastic too. the drummer played very light with some very be- bop inspired fills. I'd really like to get those guys in for a show in Northampton in the future.

The second band was kind of an odd choice for the bill. they didn't stick around much  after their set wrapped up. that being said - they were from California and heading back home, so can't really blame them for wanting to get back home.

We played a really fun set. ran through love thing, stone blues and nothing much matters in the world these days. we then played a newer song called "fool for you" which is a newer one for us. we also played a newer song called "16 floors" and am so glad we played it! I feel like we have been sitting on that song for way too long. the set was really high energy and the folks in the crowd really got into it. there were a number of folks taking pics - and am so anxiously awaiting seeing them. played Chad R's (drummer for the ten foot polecats) drum kit that night - what a beautiful set of drums! K Custom dark cymbals all around too. excuse me while I clean up from drooling!

The Ten Foot Polecats blew us all away, as we expexted they would. they rocked a burnside tune which pretty much made my night too! They played a few new tunes that were awesome and they closed out the set with "nobody's fault but mine" - very great tune which was very appropriate being that it was already Sunday morning at that point.

It was a great night - I got into bed at almost 5am and was awake not that long afterwards. we had a relaxing day around the house because the rain was still pouring outside. we had a good day - Chloe did a bang up job cleaning her room. Delaney was a little crankity crankerson all day though. still, was hanging in there until about 7PM after the baby was in bed. I was passing out in my chair. finally at 9:30 threw in the towel and went to bed. slept like a rock too!

This week it is supposed to be a total wash. my folks are planning a get together this weekend though which I'm looking forward to and hoping the rain is done by then.

time to get a practice session together for this week!

this is the word of Bobby Roast Beef

watched some "whitest kids u know" last night before going to bed. that show is pretty funny despite having an occasional miss. I do think the earlier seasons are some of the best material however. I would consider posting a clip here to share, but my mom actually reads my blog - so that would just be wrong.

got some great news about having the band open for a very good touring act coming through the area. it isn't concrete just yet, so I'm holding back the details. I know that Damon is unbelievably excited about it.

I also found out that ZZ TOPP is playing in New England this summer. while the idea of going to the show is right up front in my mind - it just isn't in the cards for me to afford a pricey ticket. The idea of doing a little parking lot concert as a duo might be a good possibility.

So far this morning have had two people contact me for something TV related that had nothing to do with my job.I totally understand that nobody knows (except for a small handfull of people) at all what I actually do here at the TV station. but, to every family member, friend or acquaintance I am "the guy they know inside the TV station". I get and accept that. but have come to learn that when someone say's "so you still at 22?" - it usually means that they are about to ask me for something or complain. this is especially obnoxious when haven't had any communications with that person in forever. I have taken to responding to them with "what do you want" - just to cut to the chase a bit. I mean come on people - I know they routine and it's ok! just don't act like I'm the asshole for trying to be efficent in dealing with your needs and agenda. the fact they try to play like it was totally innocent and unprovoked of me to assume they want something if so fucking funny actually chuckle out loud.

That's really all have for now. perhaps I'll post a bit later!

post rehearsal mid-week post.

There is a part of me that cannot believe it's already Wednesday. last week just dragged on at a snails pace. partially because was sick on Monday combined with the news of the assassination of OBL - the whole world seemed like it was on a different clock after that news.

The gigs last weekend and mothers day made the weekend fly by too!

We had one killer rehearsal session last night. the songs we went over for Saturday's show are nuts! it seems like Damon is consistently introducing new material into the mix. give him a lot of credit for wanting to keep it so fresh - but it's a challenge to keep all these songs in my mind. can see where it gets frustrating to have this constant flow of new songs to work out - but do like having a mix of stuff to play. it's especially helpful on those nights where we are playing 3 or 4 sets in a night.

I'm really excited to be playing with the polecats again. those guys make some insane music and are just really cool folks. I am hoping that can do another BCBM showcase in noho soon too. I have a short list of bands want to bring to town as soon can.

Have a picnic to attend with the family before leave for the gig. it's my cousin's 16th birthday party - and man does that make me feel like an old fart!

Oh well - time to take my geritol guess!

Cambridge Massachusetts,drum heads, summer time longing

Man - what a beautiful day out there. it's a little cool considering how sunny and clear  it it outside - but will take it! it's actually got me thinking of long summer days and the desire to barbecue while listening to or playing some good music!

A friend of mine responded to a Facebook status update made earlier about just that very thing. He's got a little event going in the background and the more think about this the more excited get about it. I'm not getting into details about it yet - because at this stage it's just in it's infancy. let's just say that this would make one hell of a deep blues party and we can leave it at that.

Like usual I'm extremely excited to gather with the band tonight to rehearse for Saturday's big gig in Cambridge. on the one hand it's awesome to be playing outside of our hometown. however, the fact that we are playing with The Ten Foot Polecats again just totally sweetens the deal! add to that the fact that we also have Sonny Jim and the Blue Devils on the bill just makes it even better.

In other news I'm back to using a BlackBerry again. I ordered a torch last week and I love the thing! I'm posting this from it right now as a matter of fact!

Lastly, I have finally gotten around to getting my drum heads changed - starting with my snare drums batter head. went with an Evans dry head - love the sounds I got out of that drum now. Tom toms are next!

post japan benefit show details...

so the big event i had been working on for the last 8 weeks has come and gone. i have to start out by thanking all the bands on the bill for the great performances they graced the stage with. i want to start out by saying thank you to the bands. i genuinely feel as if i walked away from this show with a lot of 'fire' for the blues scene. just to be in the same room as these performers, sharing a stage - made me feel like i was very lucky!

Jook Joint blew they entire room away with the amazingly polished and slick arrangements. truth be told - they had my attention from the moment they had started sound check! a small contingency of my family was at the show and was very interested in Jook Joint's set.

we [Damon Reeves & The Love Thieves] played the second slot of the night - played a mix of tunes we have been playing regularly but snuck in two or three new tunes we had been working on. we had Andy Soles playing harp with us, adding some different flavor. it was nice and seemed well received by the folks in the audience.

Dynamite Johnny played the middle slot. i had been introduced to this band but Damon and had checked them out online - after seeing the performance i told D how much i could see what he dug so much about them. when they played "lock me up" (which they played on Mass Appeal earlier in the week) i was singing along with the chorus after only hearing the song one time - that's the sign of some good original music!

Wildcat O'halloran took the stage next with his band actually bringing the level of showmanship up to a completely other level. his interaction with the crowd during guitar solos absolutely broke the wall between the stage and the room. his use of guest vocals was amazing - providing a new element to the set and continuing to build on the entertainment value of the performance. This guy is the real deal! i confirmed this buy listening to his CD on the way home from the show. if you are from western mass and have not gone to see Wildcat do his thing on stage, well you owe yourself the chance to witness this live for yourself! i - for one am looking forward to playing more gigs with these guys in the future!

rounding the night out was Tokyo Tramps. before tonight my only actual exposure to the group was through word of mouth and watching the live vids on you-tube. seriously, this does not begin to do this trio any justice when compared to seeing them live. they played a couple songs then the drummer (who completely knocked my socks off to begin with) takes this solo that left me with my jaw on the floor. i'm not a big fan of over the top solos - i'm a groove guy, but this blew me away. the rest of the set was full of killer vocal harmonies, showmanship that would rival the biggest entertainer out there. i feel  that people who missed the show for whatever reason - had really missed out on an opportunity to see some really top notch artists in what i would consider one of the premier venues in our backyard - for an amazing cause.

at the end of the night we had done a good deed, made some new friends and learned a lot for future events. i'm really satisfied with how the show went down - i only wish that the crowd have been larger. that being said - these things are common in this business. all i can do is learn and grow from it!

thoughts on summer parties...

man did we rock the freakin' house on friday night or what!?!?!? actually, it was an awesome show - one i was unsure to make heads or tails on prior to our first of 3 sets. the night was a radio promotional party for a country radio station BEAR 95.3fm, held at The Rendezvous in Turners Falls MA. they were doing a Budweiser promotion giving away tickets for an upcoming country act, Jason Aldean. this was not a typical night over at the Voo - as they mainly have a lot of indie and folk or jazz bands on tap. it was a crowd there to win tickets, mainly - not shake they're collective asses to the house rocking gritty blues and classic rock stylings of Damon Reeves & The Love Thieves - but that's exactly what happened!

the interaction between the four of us on stage and the audience who had no idea what to expect - ended up being a dream come true. the crowd was a mix of beer chugging twenty somethings, to a more distinct and seasoned mature crowd... and it all worked perfectly.

this has me thinking about summer parties. i'd like to book the band at gatherings anywhere and everywhere. our goal since day one has been to develop our audience through exposure - i'm finding that a little harder to do in the bar circuit than we had anticipated. the idea of playing private events is becoming an alternative way to bring this music, band, experience to more people more often.

this is what i propose - if an individual is having -or- knows someone who is having a party and would like to book a band for live entertainment - contact me. we have the library to draw from that will allow us to play for up to 5 hours or so. this is a mix of originals and covers. some of the artists we cover are Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, doors, muddy waters, john lee hooker, bb king, hendrix, plus a ton more rock and blues and standard party tunes. we also take pride in having fun! we can open the mic up for folks that wanna join in ala live band karaoke style.

contact me and we can bounce ideas around - we are available in as little a group as a solo/duo or a full 4-5 piece band. we will bring all sound equipment needed for the even and even provide some background music in between sets. don't worry about costs - contact me and we will talk!

email me @ rob.charette@gmail.com

or call/text me @ 413-320-5724

let's do this - let's have a great summer!!!

sunday morning and i just put the baby down for a nap. she's been a little bit of a crankity crank this morning too. not sure what her issue is. still, the dishes all managed to get caught up. that was my big goal this monring - get those out of the way.

chicken is marinating for tonight's souvlaki (sp?) greek tacos. yea - it's fusion night in the Charette house.

Chloe is in the other room playing Wii - she's constantly providing a running commentary on EVERY detail in any game she's playing. it's cute, but i hope she doesn't wake up the baby.

not a whole lot on tap today - just gonna hang out with the girls. we had a little adventure yesterday bumming around in downtown northampton. did quite a bit of walking too - maybe we'll go out today for a bit who knows.

been a great week for me! for starters, we got new pictures taken of the girls. Chloe of course is a clown in them all, but Delaney - well she's been smiling and so good lately. her new pictures look great and the process was basically painless this time around.

i had gotten a lot of things accomplished this week for the Japan Disaster Relief BLUES BASH at Maximum Capacity. the show is coming up soon, so i have been sweating getting all the details in order in good time. this week i managed to get a bunch of details confirmed. first off, i got the ticket situation under wraps. i set up an account with Brown Paper Tickets for this event. i love the way that company works - gives you complete control to create and promote your event. They even will supply me with pre-printed tickets to sell person to person, the old fashioned way. All if the money raised from tickets sales and the door will be donated to help relief efforts in Japan. At this point we're still looking at a red cross donation as the beneficiary of the show - but Yukiko Fujii (Tokyo Tramps bassist) is looking into more direct charities involved. mainly so that the funds raised get the maximum amount of use where it counts.

The other aspect of the event that was solidified this week was the line-up. i've got five acts lined up, i'll post a short video of each to give some idea what they are all about!

so the line-up is pretty fantastic, if i do say so myself - and i do! there is one other thing that i managed to get tied together this week, a television appearance by Wildcat O'Halloran on TV 22's Mass Appeal on April 25th. granted i work at the station - but it was one less thing to get in the works later on. i may actually look into having a second act do the show too maybe earlier in the month - we'll see what i can swing. it's an early morning for some of those musicians traveling out from Boston!

lastly, i played a show last night with Damon and the crew at Snowzee's in Sunderland. it was the early show from 5-8pm - good times! part of me wishes that more bars would put some early show on for friday nights! we played 3 short sets, got out some covers we had been wanting to try out. even played this tune --

yea - we did that. kind of made me a little nostalgic for back in the Prescription America days. We played a great gig in Northampton one night and used that song as intro music. i miss that band sometimes - we had a long string of memories!

well folks - that was my week in a nut shell. please, if you could take a moment and see if you're available for the benefit show - it'd mean the world to all of us if you were there. all the details, as well as online ticket sales are at the link below. Thank you!

 http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/168830

Blues Power | My Secret Boston

Check out this article - and if you're in that area go to the SHOW!

Blues Power | My Secret Boston

news with the Japan Disaster Benefit show goes like this. i have four acts on the bill so far, two slots to fill. heard back from Big Jon Short - he's unavailable that night. still waiting on a couple other bands to get back to me.

had an exchange with max cap today - we're going to do a $10 advance ticket and a $15 day of event door charge. All money raised from the combined ticket and door will be donated to charity. i am still looking for some help in getting tickets printed. i'd like to have the full line up nailed down before printing tickets, but if i can't - cest la vie.

i'm hanging out with the wife - watching Roseanne via Netflix. i love this show! i'm gonna leave you with a video from Big Jon Short. i'm hoping to bring this guy to Northampton soon!!

yea - i may be going a little overboard on this branding thing but i do not care!

i want this to be the look of my kick drum.

easily the part of the week i look forward to most.

first thing saturday morning is hands down one of the most special points of my week. the weekend has just begun and i have most likely been woken up by either of my two girls OR have actually slept until i woke up on my own. though the later method of awakening is a rare occurrence - it does sometimes happen every now and then.

today, like most saturday mornings - Chloe can into my room dropping hints that she would like her typical weekend breakfast made by daddy. a simple egg sandwich on any grilled bread, with melted cheese and ketchup. it' a very simple and savory breakfast and the kid loves it.

the reason i love it - i get to use my cast iron skillet. i love that pan. i love the quality it yields, the easy cleanup, the rootsy/old timey feeling i get when i use it. it's on the list of things in my kitchen that i use most of all. it actually goes beyond that - i have read countless articles and blogs about cast iron care, seasoning of you pans to accomplish a perfect surface, and numerous recipes! my wife thinks i'm some kind of nut because i try to take such good care of my skillet. cleaning it right away and oiling it back up. eventually i'd like to expand this into a small collection of various cast iron pots and pans. they will out last me - that's for sure.

my current skillet was given to me by my father. he's also a big fan of all cast iron cooking tools. he was working at an account of his - cleaning out a barn (i believe) before they sold the estate. he came across the skillet and it was covered in rust. gave it to me and said if i clean it up and season it well - it'll last me a lifetime. it took a while before i put the work into it - but after cleaning it up and seasoning and re-seasoning it has become a workhorse!

i've also been getting kind of antsy about the release of this documentary i'm interested about Chris Whitley; called Dust Radio. i had been introduced to Chris Whitley's music back in 2000/01 by my friend Dez. i forget what album it was that i firt heard - but i was hooked! here's the trailer for the film:

here's a video of one of Chris' most known songs - once i tell people about him, if they haven't heard of him - they usually know this song.

and here's on my my favorite tunes!

great artist - gone too soon.


maybe if the interest is there, i could organize a tribute show. we'll see.

watching "Whitest Kids U Know" for the first time in AGES!!!

also - working on planning the Disaster Relief Benefit Blues Bash.

i am so stoked to be doing this! so far the tokyo tramps are confirmed, along with wildcat o'halloran. i've been running into a lot of bands already having bookings for that date - as expected with the short notice of this benefit. i have a few other irons in the fire - just waiting on hearing back so i can get the final lineup together.

i also need to get a batch of tickets together for pre-sale.

i have also been talking with Yukiko Fujii from the Tokyo Tramps about how to handle the donation aspect of the event. i'd like to have some representation from the charity present to collect additional donations.

this show is going to be a lot of fun - but there is a reason behind it.

here's a video - enjoy!!!

busy busy busy!!!

i'm so sorry for the lack of updates here!

 

it would be a pretty pathetic blog - except that i have had so much going on recently there are lots to talk about. i suppose i have been creating content - yea, that's it!

 

the last week has been huge - it was Delaney's first birthday, we had a nice little party for her too! she was great during the whole party, the house was packed with family and she was so good with everyone. she only had one little instance of crying - but it was over quick. she loved her cake and couldn't care less about opening any presents - good thing we had Chloe there to pick up the slack. after the party she went with Chloe to my folks place for her first sleepover. i was half expecting her to have a problem over there - but it went great!!!

 

Holly and i got to sleep in and just kick back for the night without any drama from the children. when we picked up the girls the following afternoon, all was well!

 

the other big thing that has been going on is another BCBM event i'm working on. This is a Japan Disaster Relief Benefit that i have been planning with the help of Lee Jergensen. We're planning a 5-6 band benefit "Blues Bash" on Saturday 5/7/2011 at Maximum Capacity in Chicopee. It's going to be pretty amazing - The Tokyo Tramps have jumped on board with it. Their bassist (Yukiko Fujii) was in Japan during the Earthquake and just got back home sometime last week. this obviously hits home for her and the rest of the band - we are just glad to welcome them to our little party with a purpose!

 

We are taking submissions from bands and local businesses who want to sponsor with a donation to the cause or some help promoting the event. it will be a blast! more details will be announced soon, just be patient while we get it all together!

 

that's all i have for now. tonight i'm heading up to greenfield for an open mic at the greenfield grill. Damon and the rest of the Love Thieves will perform a short set - stop in if you can.

 

also, text me. i'm bored!!!

--

-Rob Charette

Black Cat Bone Music ~ Drummer/Management for Damon Reeves

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/3089209

 

 

beware the ides of march...

yep - my little baby miss Delaney Morgan Charette turns 1 year old tomorrow. i cannot believe it's been a year, she's grown up so much since we first brought her home - it blows me away.


granted, most people who have gotten to know Delaney have first hand experience with how tough of a baby she has been. it has been a tough year, but i'm glad to say she has really gotten much more social. we had an awesome time at my sisters surprise birthday party on sunday. normally when we are out with a large group of people, there is at least one meltdown. we had nothing when she was out with us on sunday. as a matter of fact - my folks are taking both Chloe and Delaney after her party on saturday for a sleepover. Holly is jumping on the chance to go out with the girls. i'm gonna hang back with the guys in case i get that "we can't get her to sleep" phone call. i'm already preparing myself to go get her if need be.


been talking with lots of people about the show last saturday and about future events. also have just added a good amount of shows for Damon and the band.  i may be looking to network with some other acts for one or two of these shows - got to do a little planning. one of these shows is a punk blues series that is in the works in Cambridge. we are really excited to be a part of this. i'll mention more when the details are all ironed out. maybe we could work out a caravan to the 617 perhaps?

i had mentioned in a handful of previous posts, James Keyes - a roots/americana songwriter from the 508. he came out to the show on saturday and gave me a copy of his newest CD "Ruminations". my friends, this CD is un-freaking believable. visit his website and check him out - i feel like this is something i just need to share with everyone. one thing i really dug was that the CD packaging was really interesting. made to have a look that fit the style the digipack was nice - but the actual disc itself was pretty unique. buy a copy and you'll know what i mean.

i also found out that there is a great show going on at the Ashfield Lakehouse on friday - Wildcat O'Halleran Band. unfortunately, with all the work ahead for the birthday party on saturday - i probably won't make it. this doesn't mean i won't kick it into high gear to TRY!

alright - we're almost caught up on intervention. we'll talk more a bit later!

march 13th - post BCBM kickoff

so, the kickoff show is done. all the gear has been packed up and the last rocks glass of jim beam has long been drunk. the show as a whole was a huge success for BCBM, and for all the bands on the bill. i know that the The Ten Foot Polecats most definitely made fans for themselves in Northampton, but they also got the ball rolling for building a deep blues audience in western Massachusetts in a huge way. i owe them for that - big time!

the breakdown of the show was like this. all the bands were there and ready to load in on time and got things up and running right on schedule. this was great because i didn't want to have any of the set times get cut because we had a curfew to work with. once every thing was all set, Jeff Norwood  got things started with a smokin' set of South Carolina goodness like only he can deliver. i'm  a huge fan of the title track of his latest CD "Push Pilin'" and of another tune he does called "God Damn South Carolina", both of these songs he performed at the show and both times were textbook examples of how all live acts should own the moment when performing. the stories behind the songs and the way he presents them almost as an integral part of the song is nothing short of brilliance. i truly wish that the late arrivals of the show were there to see this for themselves - they'll have to wait till the next time he's in our area again. i know i'm looking forward to it!

next up was my band Damon Reeves & Co. - we recorded the set and after a review (mainly for sound quality) i'd like to post it for folks to hear. Damon was completely in his element - hands down! when the guy is in the moment and the energy of the room is good, it comes back out to the audience in a great interactive performance. simply put the room was buzzing with a great kind of energy that makes playing live worth all the effort put into it.

The TFPC's jumped right up there and then the whiskey started flowing! Those guys are the real deal - all bullshit aside, what they do is play truly kickass hill country style down and DIIIIIIIIIIIRTY blues! i have been wanting to share a bill with these guys for a couple years now,  never seemed to come together until last night! those guys had the audience in the palm of their hand for the entire set. Jim Chilson's guitar work just sucks you right in to the song - while Jay's voice just just holds you there, the guy is pretty much Howlin' Wolf with a slight Boston accent! they do a nasty version of Robert Johnson's "Dead Shrimp Blues" which they played last night. Another song that just grabs me is "Tears on my windshield" - so friggen good!

we got wrapped up and loaded out on time. everything went off without a hitch. i cannot wait to do it again!

there were a few folks who made it out tot he show from Providence RI - which blew me away! James Keyes also made it out from Worcester - he's another artist i want to have play a show out here and think he'd also make some new fans out this way. I love that we had such a good amount of people show up for the event. i do feel that i made the right decision having the show at the basement. i feel that the vibe was great - small enough of a room to make it feel like it was really jamming. that's half the battle, really. if you put your event in too big a room all the energy you are hoping to have in there has too much empty space to fill. almost like it gets diluted to a point where you can't detect it.

still stoked and looking forward to the next one!


this tubby bitch needs another coffee...

-Beef... out!

 

a friday - kind of like a second thursday.

tgif - seriously. this week has been dragging on at the slowest pace possible. if nothing else however, it's friday - oh wait - i have to work tomorrow... FANTASTIC.

actually, it's not a big deal at all. typically working weekends is very much welcomed by me. the increase in the bank is nice - plus they tend to be a ghost town. very little going on, so it should be fairly relaxed, barring any breaking news anyway.

right now Chloe is watching a carebears movie on netflix while Delaney is playing with her toys. Holly went out to plan her best friends wedding and discuss some drama. so, it's just me and the wee ones for a few hours - good times.

i've decided to stop drinking beer during the week. the cost and extra calories are both things i really don't need. so i decided on friday's i'd pick something out that's kinda special. this week i had my eye on Harpoon's Celtic Red Ale

it's pretty good, well balanced - refreshing. it's a red ale and delivers without being EXTREME. sometimes that's a really nice thing.

so, i'm pretty happy that Damon has taken a little time to check out the The Ten Foot Polecats for himself. i know they will totally deliver a great show - they are a great band! it's just nice that now he'll have a little idea of what they do - instead of just going on my high praises! i'd also like to get him to head out to cleavland in july for the DBF 2011. i'm still shocked that Holly booked a hotel already and we're going together - so psyched!

i need to track down some time to hit up a barber shop. yes, me - the baldest of the bald guys needs to go to the barber. it's time to clean up this beard a little.

ok - time to grab another beer! i'm planning a significant post tomorrow!
-Beef

lazy thursday night...

post dinner relax time with the family in the living room. kids watching alice in wonderland via netflix (the one with Ben Kingsley and Whoopi Goldberg), wife and i computing from our designated seats. couldn't ask for anything more! even knowing that tomorrow is friday only makes the deal that much sweeter.

got a phone call from a venue in greenfield. i had asked about a date in april so we could potentially hook up with a date for Smokestack & The Foothill Fury while he'll be in the area. unfortunately, i had forgotten that the date in question is the day before easter! what sketches me out is that the venue outright told me that past dates like that (holiday weekends) were usually tough to bring a crowd in for most bands. not exactly sure what i'm going to do. i'll pass the opportunity along and see what gets decided. christ - dude is from GA, i'd hate to have a dud of a draw because the easter bunny is throwing down.

here's a little Smokestack for ya'll to get a taste!

great stuff right!?!?!? i know, we'll have to see what we can do.


very anxious about saturday's show. we worked out our setlist for the night and i have to say - it's pretty friggen awesome, if i say so myself - which i do. we have a nice mix of tunes in there and they flow well together! i'm also really looking forward to playing with the Ten Foot Polecats and Jeff Norwood too. it might be a short show, but it's packed with some seriously fantastic music! here's a couple vids of the TFP's and Jeff:

have a lovely evening everybody - see ya saturday at 8!

-Beef

evening post - fat tuesday netflix marathon

dang man - i have been so productive with designing flyers and promotional postcards in the past few days. wish they'd be here in time for the basement show! actually - i sent an email to the other members of the band today talking about what i'm working on for potential shows. the list is pretty substantial, just have to chase a few folks around and confirm some dates.

i've been talking with an artist out of the 508 area - James Keyes. here's a video to get you familiar with his sound.

i'm looking forward to booking him for a BCBM show in the near future. he has a show in april over @ sam's pizza - i recommend if you happen to be in noho that night pop in for a slice and a few beers! i mentioned to him that if the weather is nice - that venue is a prime spot for street traffic stopping in for a song or two. helps to have some help passing out something to the passers by in that case.

i'm also bouncing aroung the idea of setting up a booth for BCBM at some area block parties and fairs. just a promotional table and distro along with some live acoustic playing - maybe a small trio set-up. if not this year - maybe next year or at least something to keep in mind.

anyway, things at home are good. Holly went out for craft night. Delaney is already tucked in and Chloe is wrapping up her last fencing bout on the Wii. i'm gonna dig up something on netflix to watch that i would normally miss out on to a wife veto. it'll probably be a blues documentary or something music related. who knows though - my viewing tastes are pretty random.

session with the band tomorrow - i'll make sure to take a coat and have plenty of gas! i also have to pack up my kit tomorrow too! 

alright - time to tuck in Chloe!

fat tuesday post via email

it's fat tuesday. The wife has plans tonight with the girls. So i'll
be hanging out with Chloe and Delaney tonight.
Chloe has been enjoying playing some of the games on Wii. I am happy
to see her have a little difficulty with some of the games and
continue to try. She, has actually gotten pretty damned good at some
of these games. I also like that it's so physical too - she really
puts it all into the game. Watching her play the swordplay games is
hilarious!
I ordered the postcards promoting Damon Reeves on Facebook and Reverb
Nation yesterday. I'm waiting on my flyers to go on sale so i can get
some of those soon.
I have a CD that i need to get up to Mike Glazier to master for us. My
goal is to get this released online ASAP and have a release party this
summer for the physical CD. Might just make our show in August @
Theo's the release party date. That will at least give me some time to
maufacter the product.
I am so friggen excited about Saturday. I am actually looking for a
room to book my next even too. i have a few ideas bouncing around in
my mind. If i can get a date for april i might be able to get
Smokestack & The Foothill Fury to play! Hmmm - got some ideas brewing.
Let's see how it comes together and hope for the best!
I think i'm due for another cup of coffee soon. Yea - sounds like a plan!
-Beef

my friends - i deeply apologize for my lack of attention over the last week toward my blog.  i pride myself on regular updates and have let myself slack on that. i'll get back on track with it this week.

the positive side is that i have many things to discuss due to my lack of correspondence. last week actually turned out to be a pretty big week. i discovered that my current department head at work is leaving at the end of the month. this is something i had never seen coming, but i think from what he's told me that he's making a very smart move. who knows what will be in store for the hub - we will obviously be looking for a head engineer soon!

we had some eye exams on wednesday for Holly and Chloe. Holly will be picking up her glasses this coming week - and she loves them. that's a good thing because Holly needs to wear her glasses and if she doesn't like them (like her old pair) she's gonna leave them off. Chloe on the other hand did not need glasses, yet. the doc asked to have us take her in sometime in september to get a follow up exam.

after the eye doc's we brought Chloe to school and went out for lunch - good times! later on that night i had rehearsal with the band up in ashfield. of course i left without my coat because of the gorgeous weather and didn't even think of it getting down to the teens at night. awesome! another element of adventure to the night was that i arrived with very little gas in my tank. the true bonehead maneuver of the night was that i chose to warm up my car before heading out, adding a significant dose of adventure to all of this. good thing is - i made it to a gas station in time. will not be doing that again.

while at practice - Kara Kharmah and i discussed the QR codes and postcards as i had assumed we would. we decided that it would be best to design postcards implementing a QR code to direct people to our presence on facebook. i had asked her to come up with a design for saturday since i am in the stretch promoting the basement show. then, i get an email from vistaprint informing me about deals on, of course - postcards! so, for shits and giggles i decide to design one and price it with the sale. the design is great and the QR codes work very very well! for those folks who don't know wtf i'm talking about, these are the actual QR's for our use. check them out and scan them using your smartphone - yes - scan them right on the screen.

yesterday and last night were awesome! finally got my spring cleaning on the porch started. i usually recruit a couple of my buddies to help in this with the benefit of lots of beer and a homemade dinner from my lovely wife. this year we had a lot of old furniture to toss due to inheriting some items. we didn't have room in the dumpster for all of it, but we did manage to put a dent into it! when it came time to move my old recliner - we captured it on video. check it out!

it's amazing what a 30 pack of cheap beer will inspire! after the work, we had a big chicken dinner and watched star wars with my kids! when the kids went to bed we hooked up with Pawel and went out for a night of drinks and laughs. bumped into Zero Fun John at Tully's for a bit - we never made it into the show at the elevens however. the entertainment all around us was too good to pass up!

no much on tap today. kicking it with the family. tonight i'm making some smoked beef ribs with brown sauce. i may do a food update tonight after i document my first use of my indoor smoker pan. wish me luck!!!

BEEF OUT!

well - today was a day. not horrible, but certainly not great by any stretch of imagination either. the weather proved to be sucktastical. the commute in was nothing if not retarded. i saw a four car accident on the way in, right in front of holyoke hospital no less! i did my fair share of sliding/praying i wasn't going to end up involved in any early morning smash ups. adding insult to injury - i actually had to leave work to pick up Holly and the girls so we could pick up the jeep from the garage before Chloe went to school. wouldn't you know it - as i'm getting off 391 in holyoke i get the text that Chloe has a 2 hour delay due to the icy roads. fantastic call on the granby school system for making the call to delay school 40 minute before Chloe's bell were to ring. i wonder how many parents were pissed that they sent their kid to the bus stop for 2+ hours? well played jerks.

anyway, after wasting time running out in the ice for no good reason - i got back to a mess in master control. basically network satellite dishes covered in ice - we have to smash the stuff up and sweep it out in order to keep something on the air. well, that's one thing, but the barrage of phone calls with folks NEEDING and explanation of what's happening - right at that very moment - is more frustrating than you know. i should say - most folks that call like that... get hung up on. i don't have time for that shit - read the trouble report like everyone else you asshats! phew - i'm better.

my business cards should be arriving this week - cool.

so we got the jeep back and Holly came home with some blue moon. my day is better just being home with my girls.

this week at rehearsal with Damon, i am having a little meeting of the minds with Kara to discuss some promo/marketing ideas. we are working on utilizing QR codes in our fliers/posters. i'm still looking for a design that:
1. i like
2. i can afford
3. works well with the QR codes i've been generating.

i think the codes are fantastic. i just think that the issue is with the phones or application people are using. maybe a field test experiment is in order. i could put some samples of codes together and have friends with different phones and apps try them out before implementing them full scale. as much as i love the idea of heading up new technology to promote - i don't want to half ass it and look like a tool for rushing something that doesn't completely work.

sent a message to Patricia Seifert from My 411 Source Underground Radio with deets about the basement show on 3/12. i've also reached out to the advocate, masslive, and a few other spots who list shows too.

that's it for me tonight - gonna have a beer and go to bed!

hey oscar - my 6 year old is flipping you the proverbial finger for canning tonights episode of America's Funniest Home Videos. that kid looks forward to the new episode of that show with a hunger in her eyes comparable to that of a starved jungle cat on a deer farm.

anyway - great weekend. lots of home time with the girls. Holly went out friday night and this afternoon. i took the girls over to my moms to visit today and much to my surprise, Delaney was fantastic. no crying at all - no drama, it was so nice to visit and not feel like Delaney was hating on the GP's. she really had fun too - playing with Chloe and my mom... it was nice.

speaking of the kids - you knew it was just a matter of time before i posted pictures of my little angels!

Bobby & Baby Roast Beef

Bobby Roast Beef w/ "Toof-Less" Chloe

God, i love those two little ladies  - they're the most wonderful little people i could choose to spend my time with!

Anyway - i need to throw in a DVD because this red carpet crap at the academy awards just made me throw up into my own mouth a little. i don't have any issue with awards show - hey, whatever ya gotta do to for a little attention - right? but seriously - must we be subjected to the awkward interviews and commentary on fashion right off the top?!?!

getting very excited about the show on 3/12 at the basement! i have had some interest come my way on BCBM from some unexpected places - all of it is very welcome i should add. still looking for a show in june, maybe in july. july is tricky because one weekend i'm in Cleveland for DBF and then there's a holiday weekend in there too. maybe i should focus on june or august. 

this week is going to be pretty busy - if anyone can help me spread the word about the 3/12 show - i'd greatly appreciate it!

ok - it's 007 time. later!

Brand alignment across channels

Brand alignment across channels

Sorry for the lack of updates this weekend. Not a ton going on this weekend - kind of enjoying that! Good news is that the Jeep's hood is fixed and for WAY less than we had expected to pay. Proof that the sun does indeed shine on a dogs ass once in a while. BEEF - OUT!

full throttle friday?

there is nothing than i find more entertaining about my 6 year old than her feeble attempts at staying up the slightest bit later than her predetermined bedtime. anyway - because it's full throttle friday and i'm here blogging here's a little mr. show goodness to kick things off, simply because it's one of the greatest shows in the world. enjoy!

lest go over the last day to so - starting with thursday night. had a meeting with a mortgage specialist as Holly and i are beginning to get into the game of buying a house. meeting went well, we have a direction to work toward, then the real fun can begin. so, after the meeting Holly, Delaney and i (Chloe was up in North Cupcake w/ my in-laws) went out for dinner. we hit up Cafe Lebanon, Holly had been wanting to try it and i had heard nothing but great things about it. so we went and i was a little concerned if they would even have highchairs - they actually had tons of them. Delaney ate everything we ate too! i know she has had much more of a broad array of foods compared to her older sister - but i would have never expected Delaney to like the humus and olives and LAMB like she did. she's our little foodie. 

after dinner we took the long way home and shortly after getting home Delaney went to bed. Holly went to bed shortly after but i couldn't sleep so i did a little research on building a suitcase kickdrum. that's my new project - putting together a suitcase drum kit so i can go out with Damon and do some busking this spring and summer. i can pack most of what i'll take in the suitcase and set up rather quickly. i should also look into any licensing issues for northampton. i'd rather play it safe instead of having any problems. had a nice little exchange with Mark 'Porkchop' Holder too - about the design of his suitcase and ides where to dig them up. i'm looking forward to seeing him perform at the Deep Blues Festival 2011 in Cleveland in july! here's a video of him doing what he does - 

i've also begun working on a facebook page for Black Cat Bone Music. i even designed a super simple logo to use for the time being.

it's very simple but i want it that way so i can  use it with ease. in other BCBM news, i had received a message from a very well respected bluesman from the area expressing interest in what i'm doing. thanks to Rich Tardy from SwillMerchants for putting him in contact with me. i've also been getting some good feedback on my chili cook-off and music festival idea too - just need to make it come together!

tonight was pretty quiet - the wife headed out for coffee with one of her friends and i hung out here with the girls. at least i have the last of my last Oskar Blues TEN FIDY here - god it's an intense stout... so good though. at 10.5%abv it's taking care of the biz too!

peace.

  

my chili/music vision

well, thanks to my wife for making that amazing dinner on monday night - she has inspired my thoughts on planning a chili cook-off. my ultimate goal is to create a charity/promotional event where BCBM can provide a multi band line-up to entertain a large crowd of chili fanatics. the actual chili cook-off side is where i'd like to raise money for the food bank of the pioneer valley. the event date would be sometime in september/october at an outdoor venue during the afternoon.

this would be a legitimate NON-Sanctioned chili cook-off. the reason why i don't want to have it be a sanctioned Chili Appreciation Society International [CASI] event is that i want to allow the teams a little more freedom with the recipes. for instance in a CASI cook-off the rules restrict the use of beans - being a lover of all types of chili's, i would prefer to allow all types of entries to compete. matter of fact, i'd like to create some interesting prizes for specific recipes - like best veggie chili and most unique. 

i have a good amount of people who would love to put a team together - i'm thinking that list my diminish when they see the cost in ingredients, equipment, etc. i am thinking that i might be able to approach some local restaurants to enter as a team or sponsor a team to help them out. ultimately, i want to have the teams meet early and begin cooking on site - like at the sanctioned cook-off events. this is actually one area where i have run into concern from one restaurant owner when i had asked about this. that is an issue concerning the board of health. see - each team would be required to submit a predetermined amount of chili to our judging panel - the rest of the chili i'd like to have given to the audience of the show in the form of sample cups. not like a full cup of chili - just enough so that the crowd could get a taste of each them.

i also would sell tickets to the event and the proceeds of the ticket sales/admission would go to to the food bank. there's a short list of venues in mind too. the key is that the venue have an outdoor facility with a pavilion, and a bar. all of the cooking would go down outdoors and i would suggest the teams use a "turkey fryer" for cook the chili or use an electric burner or even a couple crock pots if that works better. 

my main point of contention rests on this health board thing. i feel very confident that there is a solution. i suppose i could work around it and lose the idea of cooking on site. i really would hate to not have chili samples available for the attendees. the amount of folks interested in tasting chili is nothing short of monumental - i can only have so many judges as well. 

we'll see what i can come up with. i know this would be a great time and a terrific opportunity to put some great musicians together in front of a large audience. essentially - i can do something good for the food bank while bringing the deep blues to the area. maybe i could even do a sampler of tunes for the event so that the audience can listen to the bands even after the event. 

lots of ideas - just need some direction and planning, then we'll get it rolling.

mmm - chili with a side of blues.

--

-Rob Charette 

Black Cat Bone Music ~ Drummer/Management for Damon Reeves

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/3089209

 

 

just got in from band practice - what a great session! did a little more recording but i had to hit the road before the cd's got burned. it was getting a little too late for me seeing how i have to be up for around 6am. there is so much material to go through and so much to work on and really get worked out - it seems a little overwhelming. the recording aspect is helping to chip away at it much faster. at least we have something to listen to and wrap our heads around - make notes too. yea, make notes - there is so much material i have begun a note taking routine to get it to sink in.

did a little brainstorming on the ride up to ashfield tonight about future events for Black Cat Bone Music [BCBM]. i have a couple interesting ideas that i came up with. i think i need to just continue on with some area showcases and out of those make some contacts - then maybe up the ante a little bit.i'm also thinking that a cd/online compilation might be in order too. maybe see where i'm at in like 12 months before getting to ahead of myself. still, good idea to have ideas out and work toward them.

looking around at some houses with Holly lately - we're not putting any eggs in baskets yet. more like taking a look at some options. it would be really nice to have our own place. i must admit lugging the baby and all her accessories up three flights of stairs is beginning to get a little old. plus i'd like a yard and an area to barbecue perhaps!!!

alright - i suppose i out to get to bed... work comes around early!

for a tuesday - it has been pretty unbelievable. this morning was really nothing too crazy - i took the wife's car into work. her hood release has been know to get kind of wonky, so i told her that i'd drive her car to work and she could take mine to visit family with the girls. this way, should it give us any trouble it would be when i had it - not when she was out with the girls. work was pretty normal for the most part - only thing different was that i came across an old friend on facebook that i haven't talked to in quite a while. when i was on my way home -  that's when things started to get more exciting.

after stopping to get some gas for the jeep - i was driving down chicopee street and then BAM - the hood flipped up against the windshield... damn-it! what was pure gold was that as this was happening, there was a rough looking pedestrian walking along the sidewalk who exclaimed "holy SHIT" - this was pretty much me exact feeling at that time as well. after i popped the hood back down, i drove slowly and cautiously back home.

upon getting home and unwinding, Chloe hears a blast from a siren out on the street and immediately runs to look out the window and calls us over. this is what we see:

now, we have yet to find out what the guy was being taken in for - but it must be something serious. there was also a chopper that did a fly by as well, i assume they were searching for him. so, that's been my tuesday. pretty exciting when you compare it to my average tuesday these days!

that's all i got for today. i had teased a little rant about condiments - i'll save that for a later date however!

titles - we don't need no stinkin' titles!

presidents day is wrapping up and what a day it was! let's start with last night - had a cake with Holly and the girls to celebrate Holly's birthday. Cerrato's Pastry Shop done did it right again! this cake was called a "semifreddi" (sp?), anyway - it was chocolate cake-raspberry liqueur-black currant mousse-goodness! Then, Holly went over to her friends place to make tie-dye stuff for the girls. i put the girls to bed and hung out till the wife got home and we went to bed. Delaney slept like a rock too - it was a great nights sleep.

wok up to a few inches of snow on the ground - whatever. coffee was brewed already because i ACTUALLY had the cognitive capacity to set up the coffee pot the night before - go me! anyway, i was out the door and on my way to work ready for a day of minimal bullshit, thanks to the federal holiday. so, i'm at work and i fire up the netbook hoping to hoping to make this blog entry about twelve hours earlier than i'm typing now - and Blogger is blocked. Actually - i knew Blogger was blocked on the machines in the facility - but to block it from the network i was accessing was new. no sweat, i did a little research when i got home and found a work around. i will have to wait to share my posts via social media, but hey - i can live with it for a while. actually i COULD try and do this via my phone. regardless, i can work with it!

so you have probably noticed how insanely excited i am about this up coming event at the basement in northampton next month. really, this is way more than a gig with Damon Reeves. it's about my love affair with this genre of music and wanting to be involved in it. i love blues music - i also have come up in the hardcore/punk/metal scene in this area and have learned a lot from that. i see a lot of the same fire in these artists. the DIY way of doing things and the punk mentality seems to be the way of deep blues. i feel kind of connected that way and want to DO something to build an audience of such bands in my home area. then there is the really selfish part of me that wants to share the occasional bill with really kickass bands - i suppose that's just gravy however!

i have a wishlist of bands i'd like to bring into town. we'll see how it works out. i'm actually working on the next showcase already! mainly just trying to line up a date and bands, but it's a start. Here's one i'd love to have play a BCBM event! Ladies and Gentleman... Mr. Husky Burnette

before i wrap up let me say a few words about Chili. tonight my wife made a killer batch of Chloe and Delaney friendly Chili. i did kick it up with a little small batch ghost chili sauce from Dave's Insanity.  now, anyone out there who knows me - knows that chili is one of my favorite things on the planet. all types, white chili's, texas chili, chili spaghetti, veggie chili's - i'm game. i make a mean chili myself - aptly titled "Fatboy's Chili - Big Meat; Big Heat". as a matter of fact, last summer and i was planning a big chili cook-off. unfortunately, things got kind of derailed in the fall - but it's on the back burner so to speak. anyway - my wife can throw down in the chili kitchen department. she pretends she doesn't like it  (not many people are as obsessed as i am), but she plays off like it's just not good - haters. back to my point, i got a message from her saying that she had to sacrifice one of my craft beers in the fridge for the chili. i wondered what she used being as i had a lagunitas brown shuggah, a dogfish head IBA and Raison D'Etre, and a couple Oskar Blues Ten-Fidy cans in the refrigerator. out of all of those choices - of which she's not a fan of any - she chose the Raison D'Etre! my friends, she did that chili right - damned right. i was thoroughly impressed with the outcome!

yea - if you made it to the end of that ramble of culinary bullshit - you are truly a dedicated blog reader/follower - i appreciate that more than you know!

-Beef out-

email blogger post

here's a test of the email option for updating my blog. the IT guys have blocked blogger from the network i was connecting to. this will work as a substitute though. my normal blog writing time will probably fall into the evening now - that's fine i suppose.
--

-Rob Charette

Black Cat Bone Music ~ Drummer/Management for Damon Reeves

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/3089209

 

 

Ok here goes - hope this works. I wonder if i send a text beyond 140 Characters if it will show up properly. If not, i suppose i should just use twitter lie i have been. Btw, you all should follow me on twitter @bobbyroastbeef is the name. Ok well this is enough - let's check it out!

about to try some mobile blogging - standby for today's post!

this makes two straight nights where Delaney slept like a champ! i cannot believe how easily she went to bed and slept until past 7am. i'm glad things are back to normal.

today is my wife's birthday. we got up and had a nice breakfast with the girls. then, i cleaned the kitchen for her. later today i'll take a ride with Chloe to get a little treat for after dinner - either a small cake or some cupcakes.

so far this weekend has been awesome - the gig on friday, followed by a nice saturday working out with the wife, then a nice afternoon with the girls while Holly went out for some ME time and did some stuff for Rachel's wedding (Holly's the Matron of Honer). today seems like it's going to be just as nice as the previous.

i asked Chloe what she's prefer to listen to in the car while we're out: Led Zeppelin or Pearl Jam - her response was "BLUES". i love that kid!

here's some videos!

and why not - here's a video of Damon Reeves @ the Iron Horse from last november:

enjoy!