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MayAs this site expands and I get more comfortable talking about other aspects of my personal life, you'll see it looking more like a blog. It's not really a blog, however, since you can't search or comment on my postings. I'm seeing less live music these days but there will be more about events, conventions and other interesting things I'm doing. JAB and the Hydrogen Jukebox are now on my band links; I've been seeing them for years so I thought I'd finally take some pictures and add them to the site. I'll also be looking forward to my trip to Pasadena at the end of May for BotCon (if the H1N1 virus hasn't infected everyone by then). In band news, Blue Sinatra will be taking most of the summer off to work on new material but will have an EP ready on iTunes to tide their fans over. Mouth Of Wilson added another talented singer/songwriter, Jim Gavin, who plays bass and will take some of the writing load left by Devin Rosa's departure for a solo career. MarchThere are a lot of birthdays for people I know in February and March other than Laura Cheadle and I celebrated with some of them. For Lara Allen's birthday I came over the house where she was staying and hung out with her friends. Various instruments were set up in the "dining" room and some of us jammed there. I listened for awhile, then joined in, playing drums then some bass. I had played drums a few times at Richie's and at JAB's New Year's Eve party, but it was only the second time I had ever played bass. Next I hung out at my friend Bill's apartment for a combination birthday/housewarming and played Rock Band. Finally, I celebrated my own birthday with my family and good friend by doing Karaoke at Mike's York/Street Bar. I got a new digital camera and my original one went back into retirement. I tested it during a JAB show. Dave Devlin and the Gruffs have taken a break but he is working on his acoustic album and playing with a new group, Exquisite Live. Lara Allen is performing with Stellium, a psychedelic-like group that recently played at South By Southwest. I haven't seen them yet but I hope to in April. The Hydrogen Jukebox starts back up with 2nd Fridays at the Tiberino Museum in May. 2008DecemberThere weren't a whole lot of concerts for the rest of 2008 but there were other things to enjoy including Otakon and house parties at the Arnolds featuring JAB. My camera was dunked into the ocean while visiting my friend Karen in New Jersey so I've been using my ol' trusty first digital camera (circa 2002) in the meantime. In local music adventures the Pheromones started playing regular shows again and I finally went back to John and Peter's to see a Smiths cover band. Laura Cheadle's new album comes out in February. In a bit of sad news Mouth Of Wilson said farewell to co-founder and lead guitarist Devin, bringing an end to a nice run for the group but they are playing some acoustic shows. JulyFinally some good news about the local venues, South Street is regaining an old favorite venue from the '90s: J.C. Dobbs is returning to its original location, the former site of the Pontiac Grille. It should be open soon with all-ages shows. Their new site is here. And the Fillmore experiment is over, the TLA is back to being simply the Theatre Of Living Arts. Blue Sinatra and Laura Cheadle gave fans a taste of their new music on their MySpace profiles which was great news but the fact that Polymer changed their name to The Classic was a big surprise. I feel part of the reason the name was changed was because with the departure of Jon, their co-lead guitarist and a major songwriting partner, they were no longer the same band. Fans were recently able to see this new version of the band in action for the first time this year at the North Star Bar. I went to my second big concert, Dave Matthews Band, in Hershey. And finally, one of my friends, Linzi from The Pheromones, recently got married! I hope the band plays again soon!
AprilWith the recent closing of Grape Street, area bands and their fans have been coping the best they can. One of the venues that they have turned to is the North Star bar and I recently took in two shows there. I had not been there since 2005 and wanted to see what, if anything changed there. Both of the shows were on Thursdays so not as many people could come out as at Grape Street; it is tough to find open nights there with national acts booking many Fridays and Saturdays. Read my MySpace blog post about Grape Street's closing, and some reaction, here.FebruaryThe first update of 2008 wraps up quite an interesting 2007. In artist news, it was an eventful year for the bands I follow. Whereas almost all of them released a new album in 2006, in 2007 many changed lineups: the Pheromones' co-founder Jessica got married and moved to Maine, Blue Sinatra and Mouth Of Wilson saw their bassists move on and Polymer's guitarist Jon headed to California. It was sad to see them go since all of them were founding members but most were able to pass the torch to their replacements. Taking advantage of the usual slow winter Dave Devlin, Polymer, Blue Sinatra and Laura Cheadle headed to the studio and started recording new songs. In personal notes I greatly expanded my music collection over the holidays. Most of these albums I have wanted for years. I picked up the debut albums of the Cars and Pretenders, (which I recommend that everyone should own) Collective Soul's second album and complations of the Gin Blossoms, Doobie Brothers, 10cc, Squeeze and Stevie Wonder. That should give you an idea of the variety of music I like to listen to. 2007OctoberI have had plenty of things going in the past two months or so, not as many concerts but plenty of other things like going to the shore and my sister's wedding, details and pictures of which I posted on my Flickr and MySpace pages. I also attended the September 20th Genesis show in Philadelphia. I was proud that my first concert with a major artist featured my favorite group of all time. I could not take pictures there but you can find some at their German fan club site, here.
JulyI have been really thinking about where this site had been and what I hope to accomplish with it. I really want to work on changing the format and refocusing on what I want to do now. Things have changed a bit since this started but after over three years of going to concerts and spending time with musicians and music fans two things continue to be true - I cherish the friendships I have made and my love for music is as strong as ever. Recently I caught shows by Dave Devlin and Mouth Of Wilson in Trenton and saw Future 86 and Laura Cheadle again. I also attended BotCon, pictures from that can be found on my Flickr page. In some exciting news, the Pheromones have found a new drummer and hope to be playing shows again in the near future.
JuneAlternative rock returned to the Philadelphia airwaves in May with the new Radio 104.5. On their website they promise to deliver the alternative music and showcase for local indie artists that has been relegated to WMMR (93.3) since Y100 went off the airwaves a few years ago. Will it be the chance for some more of my friends to get played on the radio? We shall see. Check their website: radio1045.com. The TLA is now The Fillmore at the TLA. With the new name came a bit of needed remodeling. In Project news, I was finally able to see Laura Cheadle again and help welcome Mouth Of Wilson back to Grape Street and WMMR's Thursday Night Rock show. I also finally sang (yes, sang) doing Karaoke over Memorial Day weekend.
MarchI have healed up and the Project is back in gear. I was so happy to go to shows again and my local music collection has doubled after all the recent releases by the groups I am friends with, including Blue Sinatra's Move and Mouth Of Wilson's self-titled album which I finally picked up a few weeks back. In regards to doing something special for the anniversary of this site, I would like to let everyone know that things are progressing quickly but I want to make sure that things are done right. Coming up, I have a date with Polymer and a long-awaited reunion with Laura Cheadle in April, and shows by Dave Devlin and Mouth Of Wilson in May.
JanuaryI have been unable to attend any shows recently due to a car accident around the holidays. However, I was able to finish off the rest of the reports for 2006 and had more time to work on a little something special that you are going to really like and will take the Project to another level. In local music notes, Dave Devlin is promoting his new album and getting some college radio play. Mouth Of Wilson recently released their self-titled debut and have posted a music video for "Heavy" and an interview on MySpace. The releases by my favorite groups are halfway done and there has been a lot of really good music so far. Here's what we have left:
They may be EPs but don't think they will be any less awesome than the others!
2006DecemberWhat inspired all five of the main artists I see to release records within four months of each other? It must have something to do with the Catapilla Project I guess! Anyway, these guys are giving me new recording overload. The release dates are as follows:
I'll enjoy it while it lasts since it will probably never happen again!
NovemberDave Devlin's new site now features my newer pictures and I have been helping him out with both it and also his new album, most of which I have already heard. You'll have to wait until December for its release. However, Polymer's new album, their first with Candice Harris, is out this month. The venues section is updated, adding World Café Live but, sadly, removing venues that have recently closed. Some maintenance has been done on artist pages as well.
OctoberIt is a sad time for Philadelphia local-music fans. Club 218 and Abilene have recently closed their doors, adding to the news earlier this year that the Pontiac Grille would no longer feature live bands. The two bands that I follow that will be most affected are Blue Sinatra and the Pheromones. Thanks to these bands playing at these venues, I came back to South Street in April after a long absence. Now, there is hardly a reason for me to return. While music venues on South Street have dwindled, Grape Street and the clubs in New Hope continue to thrive. Many music fans, including myself, are wondering if and when new venues will rise up to fill the void. I won't have to drive as far to see bands in Philly, but I will miss the venues and walking around on the Street (and trying to find free parking spaces) just the same. And all this just before the city's smoking ban came into effect. Read Blue Sinatra main man Greg's blog post for more. AugustA evolution is coming... or is it a revolution??? Blue Sinatra and Polymer have both ended their summer schedules and have taken September off to record new albums. With the changes each group has undergone since their last one and the new songs they have been playing live, it will be very exciting to hear how the recordings turn out. And not to mention Mouth Of Wilson's upcoming first release also due in the fall. I'll have to start saving my money! JulyIt's summer break here at the Project and some connections are being expanded but there are some interesting upcoming shows and events to cover. Bear with us, there is some server construction going on so some sections may be temporarily unavailable.
JuneI have added or fixed links on Dave Devlin's page and the related show pages so you can now access all of the pictures I took for him back in the day (two years ago, way before this site was started). I can only hope he will use my pictures from this year...
MayMost of the concert reports this year now feature links to more photos on Flikr! The local music section continues to be cleaned up. AprilYou know what they say, change is not easy. It has taken plenty of events and concerts, new bands entering my world and old ones evolving or breaking up in the past year to figure out exactly what the Catapilla Project is and what I am trying to do with it. Mission goals have changed; some things are not as important as they were when this whole thing started. It's about getting down to what really is important: sharing myself, my love for music and related ideas, knowledge and experiences and helping the friends I have made along the way. That's what I really want to do with this - everything else is just icing.
MarchOne year anniversary, baby! |