Long Massive Update Ahead!! Read With Extra Time On Your Hands!

Please excuse the lack of posts. It has been a very busy few weeks. Plus I have more photos to post. I had some issues getting them uploaded, so I will save them for another posts. (or maybe just wait until later tonight to put them up)

We played two shows last week. They were fun. They were awesome. For two nights in a row, we were the biggest band in the world. At least that's how it felt. The yelling, screaming, and cheering makes you feel like you have done something right. We even sold more cd's.

We've been trying to play more new stuff and really solidify some of the new songs we have already placed in the ye olde setlist. "Bob Dole" still has not been given a debut. Tha D felt it wasn't ready for the intricate guitar parts he plays. Plus the 12 string was giving us some hell at the Boro, so it was a good thing we held off. I'm pretty sure it will get played on February 21st. For as simple of a sing it is, we alaways manage to complicate things more than they should. And it doesn't help when you are at practice and EVERYTHING seems funny while rocking out. Ok...it does help...but the added humor hopefully will rear its head at the fooBAR. It's coming, I promise.....

"Whiskey Rebellion" is tighter and better, which is great because the pre-recording discussions have started, and this one will obviously be the first to get nailed down to tape. The song has come so natural and has fit in so well with all the other tunes we play, I almost feel as if I did not write it.

"Great Stink" lost its 12-string treatment on Friday night and Saturday night. The damn thing just won't stay in tune on the stage. The recording will yield the 12 string treatment. Live shows will have to settle for the 6 string. These things do happen from time to time. Other than the fact that the 12 string won't stay in tune, I have to say, "Great Stink" feels like a glove. I know for a fact I wrote this one because it took me so long to get the verses the way I wanted them. A lot of research went in this tune, and yes, I do research the material for this record. I can't pull everything out of thin air....

"Election: 1800" is still on the back burner. Something tells me it will remain there until studio time rolls around...

All in all the live shows have been going great. More and more people turn out to see us, and more and more of them are enjoying themselves. This just gives me more motivation to put more thought into the history project. So far, all the best songs have been written quickly and had no revisions...strange huh? Speaking of revisions......

"Know It All" is being turned into a song about Marie Curie, the woman who discovered radium. This makes it revisions number 5. I spent all last summer working on this song, Matt provided some lyrical assistance, only to have me totally change the entire song not once but twice! I made a final version at the start of January, and this was supposed to be the "song." Not a chance. I will admit, even with a final version, I was still unhappy with it. So...the idea was proposed to make it about Marie Curie. Come to the Feb 21st show to hear it in its newest and final glory. I'm not touching again. I'm ready to move on. It contains the first verse, and the first prechorus from the old version. Everyhting after that is different. I have saved NOTHING from the other revisions, which is strange because when I first began to work on this back in July '08, the first verse and the first pre-chorus came first and has not changed since. My best stuff is always "on the spot." Which brings me to another new song....

"Let's Go To War." It has taken 3 years and 3 people to write this song. Peach and Tha D wrote this music in 2005. They have always wanted to make it a Distractions song, but we could never really steer it into a cohesive direction. Until now....Matt wanted to write a song called "Let's Go To War," so he just re-taught me the riff and said, "Just go with it," and I did. I often wonder why we go to war, and why in history wars are fought over good, dumb, bad, and often passionate things. Ain't that America? Well...how about ain't that human nature! First two verses are DOWN. The third will be brought into light at the next practice. It's another rocker. A demo was made this past weekend with the scratch words. I'm keeping most of that. It has been refined since Peach came over and hammered it out with me. I think we have another winner....plus to add the greatness that is this song YOU CAN SING ALONG!!

More to come....