The folks of FOKL Center (556 Central Ave) opened its doors for the first time only a couple months ago, but it’s already getting good love from the arts community. On Dec. 2nd — first friday — FOKL will play host to a joint art exhibition titled, MicDanDanLand. A collection of 3 local artist’s work, MICah Buzan, DANiel Forth, and DANny Joe Gibson (DJG) will be on display and Thom Hoskins and I will be playing musical sets to accompany the visuals.

If you read what I write from time to time, you’ve been introduced to my fine friend DJG. He’s been keeping his new art under wraps for a while, so I’m really excited to be there for its unveiling, as well as the other artist’s offerings. And Thom’s always a pleasure on the ears…

Music starts at 8 or 9pm. I don’t know when exactly I’ll play which is a-ok. I’ll be there early, anyway, enjoying some great art and hope to see you doing the same.

event poster by danny joe gibson

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Click below for more info on each artist:

Danny Joe Gibson
Micah Buzan
Thom Hoskins

I was also afforded a few recording sessions in Lawrence with Tom Wagner in his studio, Underground Sound, while I was in town. Since experiencing Tom’s craftsmanship during the mastering sessions for It Is What It Is , I’d been looking forward to the opportunity to record with him in his back-to-the-future studio.

Tom runs his own top-notch music equipment repair shop during the day and is a lover of vintage sounds — and seeks out the instruments/machines that make them — so he’s got a museum’s worth of tape machines, microphones, amps, instruments and effects. What wall space remains in the studio is taken up by thousands of records, artwork (some his own… and good) and paraphernalia — lots of Beatles.

It’s one thing to collect, but something else to have an understanding and ear to use it. And Tom is one with his studio.

So, catching some time while he was finishing mixing/mastering a great debut album for his new band, Museum (appropriately), was much valued and appreciated. I was also fortunate to have Museum’s talented drummer/multi-instrumentalist, Jason, around for session work on drums, piano, and Hammond B3. We got in the studio four times over a couple weeks, each time for 2-3 hours.

1st sesh: I recorded acoustic guitar and vocals and Jason drums.
2nd sesh: Jason on piano, Tom on bass, and Jason layered B3.
3rd sesh: Some more B3 and acoustic guitar.
4th sesh: I recorded trumpet and we got a quick mix down.

Everything was recorded to ADAT, we all like the sounds, and feel like there’s a real spirit about it. So I’m looking forward to finishing up the mix in the next few weeks, and then thinking about a short run 7″ vinyl single release. Maybe a split with The ACBs.

At any rate, “All I Have to Give” is the first track I’ve recorded since finishing the album a couple years ago and it was really energizing. Credit Tom and Jason for making it happen in less than 10 hours in the studio. The icing on a fruitful month in KC…

I got out to LA on 4/21, which happens to be the 2 year anniversary of a gig in Venice with my bro Pete’s band, HI-Stereo (and my bday, and Pat from HI-Stereo’s bday!). Here’s the flyer that DJG sprayed up for it a couple years back.

Since arriving, I’ve been living on HI-Stereo’s tour bus with my bro and trying out for the band on keys. I’d intended to stay in LA only a couple weeks and then head north to join friends starting an off-grid community, but the prospect of playing music with Pete and HI-Stereo has me putting that on hold for the time being.

I’ve never owned a keyboard, nor had much practice since piano lessons in elementary school, so I’ve got some good rust to shake off. But hopefully I’ll be able to pick it back up pretty quick and fit in with HI-Stereo’s sound. Their debut album is currently being mixed at Jim Henson Studios and is shaping up real nice. Hopefully, it’ll be hitting your ear drums in a couple months.

The trip out here was pretty epic, and I’ve been told I should share it. So here it goes:

I set out westward in the Wookie — my ‘82 VW Vanagon — as the sun was setting on 4/19. After a few hours on the road, my headlights started flickering, so I figured my battery was quitting on me. Fortunately, I passed a Walmart (where I bought the battery) off the highway right around this time, so I pulled off and prayed this store had a Tire and Lube Dept., as only a select few do. This one did, and though they’d closed up shop, got my battery on the charger, decided it wasn’t any good when an hour had passed, and hooked me up with a new one. SCORE. So, back on the road for a while before spending the night in the Wook at a rest area.

Next morning, I was out in the SW corner of nowhere Kansas when my van started dying on me again! So, I spent a couple hours on the highway shoulder with my dog, Rainer, until I could get a repair truck from the closest town to give me a jump. Got to Meade, KS and got my battery on the charger again. Figured I had alternator problems at this point, even though I’d checked that before leaving town, too.

Wandered around, wondered aloud, saw what looked to be the town’s “biggest” draw — the Dalton gang hideout! — and got back to the shop to receive affirmation that my alternator wasn’t working. While the mechanic searched the area for a new alternator, I crawled under the Wook to check it out. After a couple more hours, I’d found and reattached a wire that’d come disengaged. Alternator situation fixed. 5 hour delay… but only $40. I felt blessed to be back moving again, for sure.

Got just outside of Albuquerque when the overheat lamp started glowing ominously from the dashboard. This is never a good thing… especially in old VWs. In fact, when I bought the van, I was told to keep baking soda around in case this light came on as it may mean the engine’s ON FIRE. So I pulled off the highway and made it to a park and ride commuter lot to check the situation. Happily I did not find flames, so I said a prayer and called it a night… hoping the Wookie’d be ready for an long final leg to the trip in the morning.

At about 1 am, I was freaked out WAY HARDCORE by 2 cops politely shining their torches in my grill and rapping on my window. After I’d let out a primal defense scream and sat up trying to gather myself, I was asked if I had a weapon — I said, yes… my multi-tool perched right next to me (ha!) — and they informed me it was legal for me to be parked there, but that they had to “check on me”.

While I waited for them to run my ID, I had a conversation with Rainer about his lack of guard dog skills, and then talked to God some more for a little peace of mind. After all, my van was out of registration/inspection by a month, and my insurance had also expired recently. These are the calculated risks you take when you ain’t got a penny to spend. Cops came back, nothing was said about my tags etc. (thank the Lord), so I slipped back into la la land.

Next morning, bright and early on my 29th bday, I set out into what’d be 25-35 mph headwinds the whole way to LA. Not good when you’re driving a glorified toaster-oven through mountainous terrain. For many long stints, I was drafting semis for wind block and was still only going 50-55 mph with the pedal to the metal. I had 12 hours drive time (in normal conditions… in a “normal” vehicle) to cover to get to LA, so although I was really hoping for something of a miraculous arrival at my final destination that night, I knew it’d be good to get close without any more problemos.

Amazingly, I pulled into LA that night after 16 hours on the road having passed through some intensely beautiful scenery without any issues. A reminder of God’s greatness. If I was more of a picture/video taker and online chronicler of things, I’d have plenty of good stuff to share more on this trip (and on a regular basis). But, as it stands, I only have some landscape pics I took with my phone while driving and waited a couple weeks to share it all. This is how I dooz it. Click the pic of me and Pete if you’d like to see a few more. (I’ve since shaved the goat but kept the ’stache, bien sur)

Thanks to those who prayed and expressed goodwill for my latest adventure. HI-Stereo’s got a gig this Saturday 3pm on the Venice beach for the Spring Fling Fest, so I’ll make sure I get a post up about it next week. Til then….

I’ll be playing two show shows while I’m back in KC. Hope one suits your fancy.

Thursday / 3/10 / 9pm / The Brick

– My favorite KC venue. Really glad they could fit me in on short notice. I’ll start right around 9, play a 30 minute set, and then will enjoy hanging there with you afterwards. Not sure if there’s a cover… No more than $5 anyway, I’d guess.

Saturday / 3/12 / 10:30pm / Prospero’s Bookstore

– This will be a more close knit performance. Looking forward to this one a lot, too. Great bookshop. If you haven’t been, you should this night or some other time. It’s just me playing, and I’ll probably do so for about an hour and a half. $5 cover. BYOB

Thanks to my friend, DJG, for once again providing the show poster. Can’t say enough good about him as friend and an artist. I’d encourage you to check out his prints and order one (or some) when you see something you like.

Hope to see you soon!

Gonna miss a lot of you KC folks. I hope to be back around real soon. Know you’re loved…

Gotta mention my pal and super photographer, Forester’s 40th bday bash in the West Bottoms last Friday. The massive turnout is a testament to Forester as a friend and artist. He’s taken my favorite photos over the last few years in KC.

Click here to see his shots from my last show in KC @ The Gusto Lounge

And here’s a shot from Forester’s bday. He asked Konnor Ervin (The ACB’s) and me to do a short Hall and Oates set that night. A great note to end my KC stay on!

Check it:

And yes… that IS a limited edish, custom cut HI-Stereo tee I’m rockin. Their debut EP is in final mix/mastering stage. Get ready.

Also, working on booking a 2 week (upper) Midwest tour in October… so if you live above the Mason-Dixon line and want me to stop through… let me know, okay?!

OK.

Got some mo’ shirts, designs and all that in the werx to gear up for the tour. I think I’m comin outta hibernation this time for real. We’ll see.

Time, as we know it and as it happens, will tell… yeah?

Thanks for stickin’ with me.

I just wanted to you to be the first to know that there are only 50 CDs left from the first 1000 printed. I’m not mentioning this to talk about my sales… au contraire, mon frere… many of these first prints were given away to promote the album. Part of the process, really.

I AM letting you know because this first batch is special, and not just because it is the first run of the first album (both pretty good reasons for specialness, yeah?). It’s also unique because the next batch will have different track start/end times for “Something You May Wanna Know” and “Will Ya Be My Friend”. (The locusts at the beginning of the latter will be moved to the end of the former. Got that? Haha!)

The track time change is to prep for “Will Ya”’s release as a single, in the coming months. We got a stop animation video brewing for it and everything! Check out the progress here.

So, that’s a small variation, yes. But, it’s just another reason why, if you want to buy a CD, getting it from this first batch is the way to go! Otherwise, they’ll soon be going to radio stations, press outlets, etc… And they won’t appreciate the significance like you.

It really comes down to this. I think this first print is special — I’m biased, I know! — but I thought you might agree and would appreciate the “heads up!”. Especially since it doesn’t come with getting hit in the face by a flying object! Though, you might get your face slapped if your friends find out you didn’t give them the low down too, eh?

The album is packaged in a tri-fold digipak with original artwork by Liverpool design group, Smiling Wolf (album cover photo shot by Alexandra Wolkowicz, of Arctic Monkeys album fame). The insert has all the song lyrics, credits, and a photo of yours truly (uh-oh… fold out!) shot by Chicago photographer, James Exley. All that’s to say, it’s wrapped up pretty.

You can pick up your CD at the Grassland Records Store (store.grassland-records.com). Your support, as always, is much appreciated.

Thanks for listening.

-Seume

P.S. Great show coming up with another great poster, courtesy of the one-and-only DJG.

David Seume @ The Brick 9/5/09 from Gnarly Enterprises on Vimeo.

Show Poster by DJGDESIGN.COM

April 21st is also Pat’s (HI-Stereo guitar player) and my birthday! Aaaand, my younger brother Mark is coming out for the night from Chicago! Without Mark’s support, Peter and I surely would not be where we are — wherever that is — in music. I keep a note from Mark framed on my desk, where I spent plenty o’ time while making the album. It says, “Get. It. Done.” Keeping it on the really real, like he doos it. Bro, I couldn’t have done it without you.

DJG once again cooks up a killer show poster that’s now been slapped all over Venice Beach to promote the show. This scaled down image hardly does the all-spray-paint poster justice. See a BIGGER one here. Thanks, DJG, for taking the time to meticulously cut out the stencils and do the 3 color layering (and for the balloons)! It’s truly a blessing to have the best in town at play with my shows. We’re starting a nice li’l pile! Click here to see ‘em all.

And Norris, HI-Stereo’s bass player and resident artist, also put together a sick poster using the pages from his doodle journal. I first saw No-No’s journal — and “doodle” isn’t really the right word… his drawings are mos definitely skilled — during the band’s recording session at 4th Street in Santa Monica a few weeks ago. The 2 pages from that weekend in the studio are the ones you’ll see in the poster below. I’ve suggested that he start scanning the pages and throw ‘em online as a blog so folks the world over can enjoy his work. It was really cool watching him creatively chronicle the events of the day — like the black bird singing (I played this tune in the control room at one point between takes) or the hearse drawn beneath it (there was some kind of funeral situation outside that Saturday) — and I think it’d put a killer spin on the sometimes humdrum blogiverse.

And, today is 4/20. So I’ll take this opportunity to do 2 things. First, say happy birthday to my good friend David Blair — a phenomenal painter. Click here to see some of DB’s portrait work in pyschedlic realism. The first 4 portraits on the page are those of the Fab Four that my brother, Mark, commissioned and has hanging in his crib.

And here’s one that is currently residing as the desktop on my laptop. Thanks, DB, for creating art that motivates. And, thanks for your spirit and music, Bob.

And last but not least, thanks to all my friends at the Dopefiend Network that have supported my music by playing it on their podcasts. Thanks especially to Larz, Esse.B, Jay-K, Dopefiend, and BB at the Bungalow. Be on the lookout for a Esse.B remix of “Revolution Son”. Dirt nasty.

Okay… I’m gonna miss my plane if I don’t wrap this up. Adios amigo.

-seume

DJG whipped this show poster up in his “bossome” man cave. This 2009 vintage design has earthy undertones and an oaky finish!

You can also check out some of DJG’s design progress for the “Will Ya Be My Friend” video that’s in the works. See some the collages being considered for integration!