Honey in the Pot

Well, I have a few pieces of exciting news to relay. First, a few months back I wrote a piece about one of my favorite bands, Honeychurch, and their album Makes Me Feel Better. Well Shilough Hopwood, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist for the band, read it and liked it and enlightened me. Shilough and I spoke about a favorite song of mine off the Makes Me Feel Better record called "From The Sky", which I recently covered as part of a Covers EP The Congregation put together. He made me feel much better than I am with his words. First off Shilough explained that he basically played every instrument on the song when they recorded it. The drums were his, the guitars both his (a Fender Telecaster and a 12 string electric dueling for a heart-warming few moments). He is a genius on the highest order. Not because these parts are virtuosic or especially difficult. In fact, it's just the opposite. By taking incredibly simple elements and essentially supercharging them in that reverb soaked way of his, he took something small and made it huge and timeless. I'll never tire of that song and I thank him immensely for his kindness.

Second, I wrote and recorded an album. Well, wrote's a bit of a stretch. I took a lot of musical cues from other artists, friends, and movie scores. Anyway, the ideas are hardly all mine and I wouldn't have done it without my friends. Anyway, I hear Shelly's recording music too and it blows mine away effortlessly, so there. Anyway, it's about how much I love my friends and don't want to leave them for college. or prison.

Recently I've gotten the chance to meet a few very charming musicians in Doylestown. The first is Bethany Walk-Spiers of the band Feverfew. Having sharpened her chops in hardcore bands, Bethany moved on to playing complex and dizzying pop blues. She's a terribly nice person and has a whole bag full of stories to tell. Their the kind I love, stuff about Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance vomiting back when he had integrity. Lovely. The second is area musician Paul Fugozzoto. Now i'd actually seen Paul once without knowing it when he opened for Honeychurch under his nom de plume Ponieheart. Paul, a good and gentle soul writes folky pop tunes that melt you like butter. His voice has that natural echo that some people are just born with. Paul and Bethany have at least one thing in common, they'd both like to play in King Crimson tribute bands. I, for one, would love to be a part of that little collaboration. I've also gotten to know a fellow named Matt Rhodes, guitarist/singer/bassist for NY-sound-influenced rockers The Lone Pine Cones. The Lone Pine Cones played at the World Cafe recently and I've loved their music ever since I first heard it all those months ago. Matt and I met through non-musical channels (my little sister and his better half are childhood friends), and he's a terrific guy. He, like me, is an unabashed fanboy with a love for all things indie rock. He and I have traded concert stories, battle scars and guitar licks, and he can hold his own like few others can. Having seen the Lone Pine Cones play a few times now, watching his bass-laden trances are a real treat for anyone who likes brash rock music. Now, I don't like to devote too much of time to overtly fantasizing, but I'm just saying, playing In The Court Of The Crimson King with Paul, Bethany, and Matt would be unmitigated insanity.