and now ~~an AMAZING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
The current plan is to put out at least 26 new Philharmonic CDs in the next twelve months on the Iddy Biddy label, at the rate of one every two weeks -not to mention the long-heralded official Philharmonic debut CD on Sonic Trout (yes, folks, the artwork is at last compleat!!!)
HOW CAN WE DO IT? WHAT’S OUR SECRET?
IT’S ~~LOW STANDARDS!!!
The weekly CDs will come out every Sunday at the Midway, and will be mostly composed of highlights from the previous week’s Midway performance, recorded in our patented Horrend-o-phonic sound process, along with occasional surprises - like home tapes, studio outtakes, more cool live stuff from the archives, guest star appearances, and other stuff we couldn’t figure how else to get rid of!
For instance, this week’s effort will feature a whole bunch of seasonal favorites (well, actually, no one has heard them yet, but they’re favorites of mine...) just in time for the holidays! -plus highlights from two weeks ago, all with extensive liner notes and lavish-to-wretched artwork!
But, Chandler! (-you’re no doubt exclaiming-) WHERE DO I FIT IN?
I thought you’d never ask...if you’ve got a camera, we’ll need some photos; if you’re an artist, we’d love some art; if you’re a writer, we’d love some writin’, and if you were a carpenter, and we were a lady, we’d have your baby!!!
Nah, you get the idea -this is supposed to be a little more interactive, and hopefully a lot more fun, than fretting and fuming over every note and detail for your one CD every two years...they’ll all be limited editions, because, let’s face it, not everyone’s gonna need 26 new Philharmonic CDs right away.
And you know what that means! -That’s right, folks...collector’s items!
They’ll sell exclusively at the Midway and through the mail at $10.00 a pop (unless we have a particularly lame week -then the price comes down right along with the quality) -or get the whole series for only $200.00 !!!
So, anyway, that’s the plan -the deluge starts Sunday, December 5, at
the Midway. Helphelphelp!!!
(For details or offers of advice, assistance, or discouragement, call
me at 508 240 2733.)
OTHER NEWS:
I’ve got a cut on a new compilation CD from Sweden called “Hit the
Hay” on Sound Asleep Records, as do the Incredible Casuals...my song, “When
She Smiles at Me”, was produced by Bill Scheniman and is from the same
sessions as “Something Right About It” and “Ball the Wall” from the “Ivan
in Paris” CD...
Philharmonic drummist Rikki Bates sat in with NRBQ for a couple of shows in NYC in August...
If there’s past particular Philharmonic shows you’re hankering for tapes of, let me know (I tend to save a lot of just that kind of crap...)
The Halloween show at Toad was something of a standout...bassist John Styklunas (aka Whitey Houston) appeared as the Statue of Limitations, and I was quite proud of my Elvis Parsley get-up, which featured real parsley! John has really been outdoing himself lately -have you heard his version of “Are You Lonesome Tonight”?
SUGGESTED LISTENING:
Les Double Six (RCA)
Suzi Lee (?)
Saint’s Paradise -Trombone Shout Bands From the United House of Prayer
(Smithsonian Folkways)
The Cookies -The Complete Cookies (Sequel Records)
Paolo Conte - The Very Best Of (Nonesuch)
Fishing with John (sdtk. -Strange and Beautiful Music) (the videos
are great, too!)
Ronnie Dawson, Live at the Continental Club (Continental Records)
not to mention that erstwhile Philharmonic saxophonist Ken Field has a brand new record out; and Dinty’s other band, the Funky White Honkies, has one out too!!! (you can contact me for further info on either.)
as always, I’m at:
kelp@gis.net
cheers!
[CAUTION -HYPE FOLLOWS~~]
Alternative Dixieland! ~
Omnipop!! ~ SOUNDS!!!
Jim Sullivan of the Boston Globe described
the music of
the Chandler Travis Philharmonic as
“Dixieland, pop, avant-jazz, rock...and fully
over the top.”
Jim Macnie of the Village Voice saw it as
"A keenly entertaining blend of
Ringling Bros. and Ra [that] puts the harm
back in Philharmonic"
while John Black of Offbeat Boston observed
"...a truly original musical experience"
and the Boston Phoenix's Carly Carioli envisioned
“...a Mexican version of the Bosstones on
Caribbean holiday...,”
Jason Dean Moriarty couldn't help noticing
(in the Noise) that
“this man should either be locked up or made
king of the planet. Despite the apparent anarchy, the band (playing
their “psycho-jungle-dixieland”) is incredibly tight.”
(The same fine ‘zine accorded the band’s debut
release,
“The Dreadful Humming of the Chandler Travis
Philharmonic”,
five stars -its highest rating!)
What makes them so different? you may well be asking yourself
(after all, you’ve had a long day).
Well, for one thing, there’s MORE of them:
eight -count ‘em, 8 -of the finest musicians on the east coast
on trombone, accordion, trumpet, mandolin, mandocello, saxophone, string
bass, timbales, drums, sometimes clarinet, sometimes keyboards,
AND BEYOND!
(plus Chandler on electric guitar, mouth, and wild impulse),
all dressed up
(bathrobes, cocktail dresses, paisley tights, and mardi gras gear are
the order of the day)
with some place to go...
You’ll not only be entertained -you’ll be surrounded!
Willing participants include:
multi-instrumentalist and singer DINTY
CHILD,
who also leads the Funky White Honkies
(for many years a Rhode Island institution);
KEITH SPRING on keyboards and tenor saxophone,
who played for many years with NRBQ
and produced and arranged Martin Mull’s first three albums;
trombonester and ex-Sex Exec BOB PILKINGTON,
now a Berklee professor and Man of Learning (if not Refinement);
drummist RIKKI BATES, a virtual legend
from his years with
Space Pussy and the Incredible Casuals;
trumpeterino KEIICHI HASHIMOTO, not only
one of Boston’s hottest young musicians, but probably the only one who
wears bunny ears;
MARK CHENEVERT (ex-Hypnotic Clambake)
on clarinet, tenor sax, and striped shorts
and large bassperson JOHN STYKLUNAS (formerly
of Big Dipper and Mrs. Zorro),
known far and wide for his bowing expertise and sunny disposish.
FOR BOOKINGS & INFO, CALL ART FARBER’S CIRCUS OF STARS
BIG -TIME VIDEO NEWS!!!
You folks on the lower cape can
tune into ch. 8 for Chandler's video compilation, "The Phantom of the VCR"
(with guest stars Dinty Child, Tim Dickey, and John Styklunas); or, if
you're in the mid-cape, check out the Philharmonic on "Cappy's Country
Music" (honest!) on whatever the damn local channel is there! (This one's
also shown in some other strange and random areas, like Connecticut and
Detroit...can't hardly get stranger and more random than that...)
for dates,
check the Chandler dates page!!!
info@sonictrout.com
