My 5 favorite underrated Rock N' Roll drummers

#1. Jerry Nolan (New York Dolls, Heartbreakers, London Cowboys)

My most memorable hangover was back in my college days.  I woke up with a particularly nasty headache, immeasurable nausea, and a shitty disposition.  To make matters worse, I'd woken up far too early, and couldn't get back to sleep.  The TV was on, so I laid in a fetal position watching VH1....and for some reason, the New York Dolls came on, - I believe it was the video for "Lookin' For a Kiss".  I'd been a fan already, but I'd never seen any of their live clips.  I noticed the drummer, Jerry Nolan, in the back, pounding the holy FUCK out of his hot pink drum kit!  Wow!  It was almost as if Dave Grohl had gone glam and beamed himself back to the early 70's!

What I really love and relate to about Jerry's style is....the power and fury with which he played.  He pushed the beat in a way that really gave those songs a swift kick in the ASS (which might have something to do with the fact that he was a Gene Krupa freak)!  The raw adrenalin that he brought to his bands was really special, and really made him stand out.  That was probably why, when the Dolls were auditioning drummers to replace the tragically departed original Dolls drummer, Billy Murcia, Jerry beat such other New York drummers as Peter Criss (who went on to great success with Kiss, and whom Jerry taught how to play) and Marc Bell (who later became Marky Ramone). 

I listen to Jerry's drumming and watch a lot of his moves.  To put it simply, the guy's style had a lot of fire, class, and more than a little bit of fucking DANGER.  He was and always will be THE composite New York Rock N' Roll drummer, as far as I'm concerned.  He had a big effect on me.  Thanks Jerry!



 



Here's an article Jerry wrote for the Village Voice, not too long before his death.  It's a great read: http://www.divshare.com/download/2650863-2ff

#2. Nick Turner (Lords of the New Church, Barracudas)

I happened upon the Lords of the New Church when I was growing up by accident.  I ran into their 3rd album, Methods To Our Madness, in some cut-out bin in some "Mom and Pop" record store back home, before I'd even started listening to the bands their members had first made their names for themselves in (the Dead Boys, the Damned, Sham 69, and the Barracudas).  I took a look at the back cover, thought that they looked cool, and figured it was worth the 3 bucks to take the LP home and give it a spin.  I'm sure fucking glad I did.

Nick was another drummer, like Jerry Nolan, who really pushed that beat, loved to play hard & fast, and bring the music to a fever pitch.  This might have something to do with his background with the criminally-overlooked surf band, the Barracudas.  Another thing that impressed me about Turner was his use of the toms, giving a sort of tribal edge to certain parts of certain songs.  It's a dynamic that comes off as being very fucking intense and from left field, so to speak.  I do it quite a bit myself, and, I'm sure it's not coincidence.  Thanks, Nick!

I don't think Turner did any drumming after he left the Lords.  That's too bad, especially for me.  His style is instantly recognizable to my ears, and I'm sure I could identify his drumming, no matter who he was playing with.  There are few drummers I can say that about.

#3. Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche)

I'm by no means a fan of "Progressive Metal" music at all.  I think it usually consists of technocratic dweebs attending a wank fest.....displaying chops and meaningless drivel of the like.  That's not what Rock N' Roll is about, and I suspect the dudes who play this type of music get laid very rarely.

Queensryche were different, in that they executed their music with taste, spirit, and ingenuity.  And their driving force was sitting in the back, and his last name is ROCKENFIELD.

What I love about Scott's style is that he plays much more sparingly than most of his counterparts.  You see, SPACE is also a percussion instrument, and one that he uses extremely well.  He plays with power and authority, and makes a HUGE noise, but he doesn't overplay, especially with  the double kick, which I don't usually like anyway.  The result is really cool, creative drum parts, executed in such a way that makes the songs move and groove.

I spent years playing along the Rage for Order and Operation Mindcrime, and surely know every drum fill on both.  Obviously, he had a huge effect on how I play, even though he plays a completely different kind of music.  I see a lot of that.

#4. Mac McNeilly (The Jesus Lizard)

There was a time when I was OBSESSED with the Jesus Lizard.  I found their music to be extremely intense, powerful, and interesting.  They didn't have songs with "hooks", per se, and they simply weren't a "hits" kind of band.  What they did was something dark and imaginative and, at times, profane.  And I loved it, and still do. 

And pummeling it all into shape within an inch of dear life, was MAC!  The first song I ever heard of the Lizard's was "Boilermaker", the first song on the LIAR album.  He wasn't playing a straight-forward back beat on the 2's and 4's, with the rest of the band playing over it (although he does this on some songs, of course).  No.  He was doing a creative, almost poly rhythmic drum part that was centered around the guitar line....and, I might add, it was fucking BRUTAL!  I'd never heard anything like it.  It opened my mind up a lot of possibilities and creative approaches to different rhythmic qualities of songs that I hadn't considered before.  It helped me a lot, and still does....again, even though the music I'm helping make is way different from these guys.





 

#5. Boris Williams (The Cure)

Boris played with the Cure during, for my ears, their most fruitful years (from The Head on the Door through Wish), musically speaking, and anchored their best line-up.  And his presence is felt on all of those albums.  I think the guy is the most creative drummer of the entire genre (English Goth/Alternative). 

He is another drummer who often had an unorthodox approach to the regular, often creatively-stifling 4/4 time signature, often, again, playing around with different beats, often around the guitar lines, and often incorporating his toms and different odd percussion instruments into the beats. It really helped set the Cure apart from their contemporaries, and he deserves credit for his unique contributions to that, as far as I'm concerned.  He certainly inspired me to come up with some different ideas, and to figure out how to play his!

Another really cool thing about Boris's style was,  he would come up with this creative beat, and repeat it over and over, playing few drum fills, etc.  This sort of "cadence" approach to Rock N' Roll drumming isn't easy, because it required focus and discipline.  Trust me.

Here's a great interview with him back in his heyday: http://www.picturesofyou.us/90/boris-interview.htm







I could come up with many more.....and maybe I will.


Thanks for reading!


Marty E.

Clips from the Dirty Pearls taping for Little Steven's new Fuzztopia.com earlier this year.

This past March, The Dirty Pearls did a taping for Little Steven Van Zandt's new website, Fuzztopia.com, out at Soundwaves Studios in Union, NJ (whose staff are all great guys, and we appreciate their support).  Our good friend, Rich Russo from 101.9 RXP was there hanging out as well.

The clips just became available, and I thought I would share them.

We had a blast, as you can see from the clips.  But the much to our surprise, Little Steven actually took the time to come check us out.  After we played, he hung out with us, pose for pictures, and just shoot the shit for a little while.  He proved to be a very cool and gracious host, one that truly cares about great Rock N' Roll.  It was truly an honor.

There was plenty of beer to be consumed as well, and, as you know, we all love that!

I'm not going to ramble, but check out the clips!

Marty E.

PS. For best results, drag your mouse over the clip, once is starts, and turn the HD off.



THE DIRTY PEARLS "Caffeine and Gasoline" from Fuzztopia on Vimeo.




THE DIRTY PEARLS "Love Sick Love" from Fuzztopia on Vimeo.

Feeling the Rain of or Taking a Shine to my personal favorite Summertime songs

It's been a long time since I've written on this blog of mine, and suddenly, it's Summertime!  Things are good, there's a lot going on, and....well, I guess I'm going to talk about the music going through my head while it happens.....how the hell do you like that?


For me, Summer isn't really that different than any other season, save for the fact that I should probably get a goddamn air conditioner, and it's going to be too damn hot for most of my scarves, leather jackets, dark clothes, and boots (but, fuck it, I'm wearing the damn boots, and you'll NEVER see me wearing shorts unless you see me at the beach.....and most of you who are reading this will not.....ok?)


That being said, Summer is a great time, not only for fun in the sun and relaxing on the beach (which I do occasionally)....but for cool, killer nights on the town.....drinking beers on rooftops....taking the long way home on foot....Hefeweizen beers on the sidewalk (with lemons, not oranges, ok?)...gin & tonics....Central Park....barbecues....all that shit....it's fun.....


Anyway, these are my favorite songs that sort of.....convey the spirit of Summer, as I feel it, in my heart and mind.  It isn't all fun and games, but....it's real, and.....it's all GOOD!  Don't worry about the order....that could change in a matter of minutes.......


#1. Urge Overkill-"Sister Havana"


GOD I still LOVE Urge Overkill.  These guys were the first band of the so-called "Alternative Era" to....sort of exemplify and attitude of that, to me, said, (to their contamporaries), "Look, guys....I  understand that you're all PC and intelligent and all of that cool shit, but.....we can still PARTY OUR ASSES OFF, can't we?!!"   I thought so!


To me, UO were sort of....like Kiss/Cheap Trick meets Neil Diamond (and of course, their biggest hit was a cover of a Neil Diamond song, go figure).  It was definitely incongruous to a lot of the dismal, depressing output of a lot of 90's bands (not that I'm a real big fan of overly happy music, but you know what I mean).  They wore their UO-embossed medallions and their egos on their sleeves, and I thought it was great.  In a time when such things weren't fashionable, they made no bones about the fact that they wanted to be stars....and in my mind, they were.  I just wish the rest of the country had sort of caught on.....but my tastes and the tastes of the American Public have not always seen eye-to-eye.


No matter, this song was probably their most well-crafted and artfully-produced track.  It is packed with hooks (even in the fucking BRIDGE), has a huge chorus....I can't believe they didn't pack arenas with this! It epitomized the UO M.O. to a T (how do you like that?) and....it's fucking FUN!  The video mirrors that perfectly, don't you think?







There you go.....it makes sense now, doesn't it?




#2. The Barracudas-"Summer Fun"


I love surf music.  It's fun and laid back, but the rhythm of it is, at times, fucking relentless!  Which is the reason why I got into the Barracudas: their drummer, Nicky Turner, went on to play in one of my favorite post-punk/goth bands, the Lords of the New Church....and whose drumming I've always loved (more on that in a future entry on here!)


I don't need to do a lot of explaining here....just watch the damn video!





#3. Van Halen-"Panama"


There is, perhaps, no American Rock N' Roll band that, for my ears, represents an American Summer fucking Vacation than Van Halen with David Lee Roth.  Hell, I could have put this song at #1 on my chart here....and made the whole chart consist solely of Van Halen songs....but that would have been too damn predictable....and besides that....I'm doing this as I go along.....Summertime is about spontaneity, alright?


I remember being a little kid watching this video, with all the cars and motorcycles and women and beers and on-the-road hijinks, and I remember thinking to myself that THIS was the way to live.  Hell, I still DO think that, for that matter.  This video sort of.....represents my every hope and dream as much as any.  I haven't obtained them all yet, but....getting there is indeed half of the fun....so....lets get to getting there, shall we? Plus, who doesn't love women and cars? It's as American as apple pie....and, yup, there's a joke in there somewhere!!!







#4. The Thrills-"Deckchairs and Cigarettes"


This song is my favorite...."Fuck and forget about everything in the world and relax and if the world ends now, it's as good a time as any," kind of song.  This video clip is the best I could find.....but you should buy the album.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some of their songs would make the Beach Boys blush!


"....just don't change a thing...."


Beautiful!





#5. AC/DC-"Let There Be Rock"


Every time I hear this song, I think back to when I still lived in Minneapolis.....and I'd wake up hungover and alone on a Sunday afternoon in my little studio apartment downtown, next to I-94.....the fan blowing in my face....and I'd say to myself, "Screw THIS....I gotta get OUT of here!"  And I'd go out to my pick-up truck and start driving....with both windows down, and my shades pulled down tightly, to hide from the Sun that I was trying to catch up with....and more often than not, I'd put in AC/DC's If You Want Blood....You've Got It (Live) into the stereo.....and I'd drive all over the Twin Cities metro area, with no destination in mind....and I wouldn't come back until well after dark.


That is, until I didn't come back at all, but that's another story!


How BADASS is that opening riff?







That's what I thought too.


#6. The Cure-"Icing Sugar"


This song is a different animal altogether.  This is the sort of song I like to put on when I'm getting ready to go out, right before midnight.....and it's been so HOT, that it's practically raining inside your apartment, but.....there's a breeze easing in through the window.  It's telling you that something crazy and awesome is in the air and that it is about to become one hell of a night.....and to prepare......and take heed....don't wait up....





#7. The Beach Boys-"Surfer Girl"


....because I'd be a total asshole if I didn't have a fucking Beach Boys song on here, ok?!


And this song is awesome....







#8. The Cult-"Love Removal Machine"


This is another "beer-drinking in the bed of the pick-up truck in the woods" kinds of songs. Rick Rubin, as a producer, really helped these guys hit the nail on the head with this entire album. I mean, he basically took a post-punk/goth gang of brits and turned them into a down and dirty classic-Americana Rock N' Roll band (despite having them rip off fellow Brits the Rolling Stones and AC/DC, from down under, but....you get my point....hell, those bands took American Rock N' Roll and made it their own & threw it back at us, no?)


Anyway, the Cult delivered with power and grace on here, and I'll never stop loving this song....but this song never sounds better than it does when the heat is taking you over. You know exactly what I mean.







#9. Neil Young-"Thrasher"


This song holds a special place in my heart, for different reasons, most likely, than any other songs I'm mentioning here.


Back when I was in the Midwest, and knew I had to get out in order to....well, become what I am, and what I have yet to become....I did a lot of soul-searching and explored a lot of possibilities. For a minute, I thought I might go down to Phoenix and play with an awesome, tragic, glam/pop/rock band down there. It didn't work out. Then, there was an opportunity for me to play with a gritty, no-frills Punk N' Roll band in LA and hit the road with them immediately....and I was close to doing so. I was going to pack up my truck and make the drive out, living, what I refer to as the "Neil Young Dream"....which is sort of what his lyric (from this song), "I was just getting up, hit the road before it's light, tryin' to catch an hour on the sun". How great is that? Well, I sort of chickened out on that though, and....well, it was for the best (long story, but it wouldn't have been a good move for me at the time).


But I knew at that time that I had to act, to DO something. All of my friends were starting to get real jobs and real lives; they started getting married and having families. And God bless them, for that's what people DO, right? Hell, I'm sure glad MY parents did.


But, I had to do something else, and finally I did, and 10 years later, here I am.


But this song, to me, is sort of about....discovering that you're something different, than, perhaps, the world expects you to be. It's about realizing what your aspirations are, and the hard choices you have to make and the risks you have to take to get on the right track to fulfilling them. And the metaphors with which Neil illustrates this are really beautiful and picturesque....almost pastoral, in a matter of speaking. He spoke of his peers (supposedly, he was referring to Crosby, Stills, and Nash) "Hiding behind hay bales", "Lost in rock formations", "Or became park bench mutations"....while he "burned my credit card for feul" "Through the timeless gorge of changes, where sleeplessness awaits". Daunting stuff to be sure....and I sort of feel like, in my own way, I experienced that as well, in my own way. And the funny thing is, I was listening to this album and this song in particular when all that was going on. It's kind of crazy to listen to it today, and sort of feel the history of my relationship with a song like this. But I guess that could be said for a lot of them couldn't it?


Do you know what I mean?





#10. The Rolling Stones-"Little T&A"


I could have probably put just about any Stones album on here.


But....well, you know when your walking down the street, and you see a total babe with a no-nonsense walk, long legs, and a face full of attitude that has no time for you....and a killer body wrapped in just enough cotton to carry it?


Well, when I see that, this song starts reverberating through my mind....and what better song could be, really?





#11. Bananarama-"Cruel Summer"


I don't care what anyone says, I love this song.


It may be cheesy 80's pop, but....it carries the mood of the "Dog Days of Summer" and communicates it so well...yet, it still manages to make it kind of fun! It's undeniable, and very infectious.


Admit, it....you like it too!


The video has great images of a New York City I never got to experience.





#12. Billy Idol-"Hot in the City"


This song makes me smile every single time I hear it. I guess it's the lyric, "When a long-legged lovely walks by, you can see the look in her eye, then you know that it's HOT IN THE CITY TONIGHT!"


I know, deep stuff, right?


It doesn't hurt that this song is so TOTALLY about New York, either.


It's my favorite song to put on right after midnight when I dj at one of my Rock N' Roll haunts in NYC. It makes everyone dance and sing along, and hell, sometimes I do too.


Even though this song is 25-years-old, there's always a timeless sense of "Right Fucking Now" when that happens, and...to me, that's a big part of what Rock N' Roll is all about.





How about you?


#13. Janes Addiction-"Summertime Rolls"


This is another "forget it all" song....and I don't know how anyone could help but love it.


I mean, despite the sordid nature of Janes Addictions image, the lyrics of this song are a innocent as any I've ever heard. "Children...screaming TAG", "She says stop! I'm a girl", "Her nose is painted pepper Sunlight", her song says, "If you want a friend, feed any animal". I mean, you'd have to have icy slush going through your veins for those images not to evoke something within you, as far as I'm concerned.


There was no band like Janes Addiction.





#14. Guns N' Roses-"Reckless Life"


Just because.





#15. Ramones-"Rockaway Beach"


Because there's no other REAL New York City beach song.


No, Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby" doesn't count! (I love that song, but it's not about the beach, ok?)







Thanks for reading!


Marty E.

Why I Do What I Do

I was having a Rock N' Roll discussion the last night with a friend of mine.

The topic of the discussion is immaterial.

But while I was having this discussion....I realized just how much Rock N' Roll and being able to play it and do as well as I do means to me
....and I do NOT consider myself to be "successful"....not YET! Ahahahahaha! But I'm getting closer every day!

But that is what makes me ask myself....almost every day....why DO I do this?

Is it for money? AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Money....um.....let me put it to you this way: if you want to make money....go to LAW SCHOOL or go be a fucking ACTOR and
stick with something like THAT, ok? Because....even if you wind up MAKING any goddamn money in Rock N' Roll....chances are you've given your life for a pittance. So...
there you have it!

Is it for the "social" aspect? I am a very social animal...and I will grant you that being a Rock N' Roller gave me an identity and a definition, and really, made me
exactly what I am....and (almost) everything I ever wanted to be. Sure...that doesn't hurt...socializing serves a purpose to be sure, and is certainly a big part of
being any kind of entertainer, I think....but that's secondary. The music itself comes first....at least it does to me!

The reason I play music and live it like my life depends upon it (for it DOES) is because of LOVE. I'm not talking about my love of the audience or even my love of
the music itself, even though I feel both of those things very intensely. The kind of love I'm talking about is the love that I feel in my heart just through the action of
PLAYING and SINGING. It's a sort of chemical reaction that goes on in my heart when I make music. It's hard to explain, but it's a feeling more intense, for me, than the
inferno that ravages your heart when you hold that beautiful someone in your arms for dear life! THAT is what it's all about for me. It's an addiction....one that is more
severe, for me, than anything in the world....and I hope it stays that way. I guess this goes along with artistic expression, but....I think it's far more basic, primal,
and much less premeditated than that. I mean, whether I'm playing drums in front of hundreds or thousands of people or singing in front of 30, I'm not thinking about
anything at all in the world, more often than not. I just know that I love doing what I'm doing and being there. And that means everything to me. And if you were there,
thanks for coming out!

Sure, Sex, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll is a great slogan, but those things are listed in the wrong order if you ask me! I party my ass off....but not before I play a show.
I owe my band, my audience, and mySELF to play nothing less than my best, and I can't do that if I'm drunk....and playing badly is sacrilegious. Sure, it's great to have
a drink or 9 after a show, and a celebration is ALWAYS in order....but even without that.....being ONSTAGE is its own reward, you know?

OK, I'm not going to bullshit you and try to tell you that having a big, beautiful crowd there doesn't mean anything....it means a whole fucking LOT! When you have an
awesome audience there....well, that's a privilege, for one thing. And your audience, no matter where it is, is usually pretty fucking smart! And when you're up there,
playing your heart out because you love it, and you MEAN it, they can TELL....and more often than not, they are feeling that love too...and if you're really lucky, they're
giving it back to you. It's the Rock N' Roll Exchange Program, ahahahahahaha. And it DOES matter....it does mean something....Hell, it means a LOT!

But, when the audience goes home, and the lights fade to dark....and the dawn is creeping up at your heels....you know damn well that you started in your Mom's basement and
played your ass off for hours upon hours upon hours in front of absolutely NO ONE....and you did it because of that "chemical reaction" that I'm talking about. And that's
something that you need to hold onto...because if you don't feel it....then neither does anyone else, you know?

All that said....when you have something special going on....when you have a band that you love, and an audience that fucking GETS it and keeps coming back....well....don't
take that for granted. That's a gift from above that very few people ever have the opportunity to enjoy for one second of their lives. Do everything you can to protect
and cultivate that gift. In other words, don't fuck it up. It's a precious thing, and you're GODDAMN lucky if you get it once in your life. It's all yours, and chances
are you've worked your ass off your for whole life and sacrificed many, many things for your hour underneath those bright, beautiful lights in front of those beautiful
faces. Enjoy it, and make the most and the best of it....and keep making it better. You can bet your sweet ass I'm going to, ahahahaha!!!!

Anyway....I'm at a loss for what the fuck else to say....

Thanks for reading....thanks for listening....and thanks for showing up!

Your friend,

Marty E.

Last Year is just SO Last Year.....but THIS year is another story.....

At the top of every year, I think that a lot of people sort of take an internal mental inventory of what's going on in his or her own world and how to make it better....I guess there's a psychology of renewal and a fresh start or something....it's unavoidable, I think, but....I'm sure there are many people who disagree....

There's a lot of....sort of crazy earthquakes going on in my world right now....GOOD ones....I'm shaking in my steel-toed boots right now....and what a difference a year makes. A lot of people I know thought that '09 sucked. I went through periods of time last year when I guess I felt that way....but it's all a matter of perspective. If '09 sucked, that's only in comparison to '08 in my case, because '08 KICKED ASS! That was the best year of my life....and last year....was merely second best. That being said, I'm starting to wonder what the hell I spent some pockets of last year complaining about, by God!

But you know....sometimes, as always, for me anyway.....I don't realize what the hell was going on when it happened, but only when I look back on it....which seems to be a recurring thing that I write about....

But I live a life that hasn't been heavy on stability, security, and I suppose, safety. It's been a seat-of-the-pants existence....(no regrets)...But, in general...I'm not really a betting man, and the reason is, sometimes I really feel like I'm betting MY LIFE....on this crazy dream I have to make something of myself, and to do it my own way. That's what Rock N' Roll is all about, as far as I'm concerned. And there's no time like the present that I ever felt like it is working more than now. Without getting into details....I can say that it's a bit surreal....just like any feeling that you've never felt before is going to be. And sometimes it's scary.....like Hardcore Superstar sings, "It's so frightening when dreams do come true." That's the truth, but....it's unbelievably cool too....and something that no one should ever take for granted....or not appreciate....for every moment in which it's happening.....because you never know how long it's going to last or how far it's going to go....you just have to do your best to keep making it happen, and hold on for the ride....and enjoy it for all it's worth....and have the time of your life and hope that it lasts, maybe, for the rest of your life.....ahhahaha, and hopefully, that's a LONG time!

I think that along with the sort of renewal that the the new year brings, there's a sense that one should eliminate what ails you.....at least in terms of what you can control. For me, I'm trying to take all the resentments, the pointless dramas, and the insecurities.....and toss them in the trash where they belong. There comes a time when....hopefully, we realize just how fucking great we have it....and that a lot of the things we perceive as problems and impediments on our happiness are just nothing but festering shit living inside of our heads. It just gets in the way in every way. Fuck That.

I mean, really, the world, year in and year out, over the past decade, seems to have proven itself to be....well, more fucked up than I would have ever imagined it being. We get inundated so much with all the dangers & problems in the world that....I don't know about you, but I'm sort of feeling immune to it all.....even though I'm not....but there's really not a goddamn thing I can do about it.....and.....

.....I'm getting the opportunity to do some really cool shit this year that I've never done before....or at least it's looking that way.....and all I can do is concentrate on that....and I'm really excited to see how it all turns out....because I'm optimistic that it's going to turn out really fucking well! And I DO have some control over that so.....

....I'm prepared to bust my ass to make that happen.

Stay tuned, and keep the beer cold, my good friends.....one way or another, we're going to need it!

Your good friend,

Marty E.
1/7/10

Open Letter to New York's Music Press

Hi.

I wrote a letter today, in reaction to an ARTICLE I read in New York Magazine.

I don't really think it's going to make much impact, but I had something I needed to get off my chest.

What do you think?

If you have an opinion one way or another, I encourage you to write to comments@nymag.com and let them know, just like I did.

Anyway....

Here it is:

To Whom It May (or may not) Concern,

I noticed your cover story about Brooklyn's music scene. Sure, it's in-depth article, but it is extremely one-dimensional....which is something that the music scene in NYC is definitely not.

I think your coverage of what you call the "New York Rock Scene", as you call it, is limited at best, to Indie Rock, and the like.

I have nothing against that genre of music, and know that there's a lot of talent there.

That said, there is more to life than just one thing. Variety, as they say is the spice of life....and really, that's what life in the city is all about, for my money (or lack thereof).

There are lots of great bands in NYC (whether it be Manhattan or Brooklyn), playing classic American Rock N' Roll, Hard Rock, Metal, Punk, and various fusions thereof, that are thriving in NYC right now, and have for years. These bands are fresh, enthusiastic, work hard, and are very inspired and talented. Some of them also have large followings and sell out a lot of shows in and out of the city. And they don't make any more money than the bands you cover, and are taking just as many "risks" for their craft and the love of their music. Trust me...I know.

For some reason, most of the press in this town has chosen to all but ignore them.

Music in whatever form, is supposed to be about inspiration and expression. Trends come and go, and sometimes happen synonymously. This year's "old hat" is next year's "next big thing." You, as critics, I think, owe it to yourselves, and to your readers, to be a little bit more open-minded to what's going on with music in this great city of ours.

Try something different, and maybe check out a Rock N' Roll show at Trash Bar (a great Brooklyn Rock N' Roll venue that's been around for years, and deserves mentioning in any article about music in Brooklyn) sometime, or countless venues in Manhattan. I think you'll be glad you did.

If you need recommendations, I'd be more than happy to oblige you.

Thanks for your time,

Marty E.
The Dirty Pearls

Musing on the movie madness or when I saw my head on the big screen, I agreed that THAT was about the size of it....

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=723580726339&ref=mf

So, The Perfect Age of Rock N Roll finally had it's New York City premier the other night (Tuesday, October 20th) on the opening night of the CMJ Festival. After a year and a half of spouting off about it to anyone who would listen, I finally was able to put my damn money where my mouth was and invite my friends to come and see the finished work.

Now I know what you're thinking....you're thinking that Mr. Marty Egomaniac just wants something more to spout off about in the bar....right? Well....that may be true, but there's something much more important than that involved here.

When you've worked with something so intensely and become so close to it and the other people who were involved in creating it....to see it come to some kind of fruition is extremely gratifying and fulfilling....and that's something that you feel smack dab in the deepest pit of your heart. I guess that's what made this experience a lot like unleashing new songs on an adoring audience with your band.

Anyway, back to Tuesday night....I went over to the Trailer Park bar across the street from the Theater about a half an hour before the scheduled show time to have a beer or two. Were those butterflies in my stomach? What...are....these...."nerves"? Yup....guilty as charged. The bartender there was a real prick, but I guess it's his job to check ID's.... more on that later...

I had friends rolling in here and there to pregame with me, which calmed my nerves a little bit....but not much....after I basically slammed a Budweiser, I went across to street and stood outside, waiting for a friend who was to accompany me. Thanks to Mr. Obama's speech at the Hammerstein just 10 blocks North if the Theater, traffic was thick (DAMN it, I should have invited him, ahahahaha....)...so that took awhile. No matter, I had a LOT of friends to say hello to as they showed up (and once again, THANKS everybody!)....

Anyway, we went in right as the movie started rolling....perfect....the place was fucking PACKED....but the first two rows were empty. That's fine with me, I like sitting in the front....I can hear better, you know....plus I like having that huge screen in my face. (I was the type as a kid, way back when, who sat WAY too close to the tv). SHOWTIME!

In one of the first scenes (if not the opening scene), Jason Ritter's character directs a classroom of children through a rousing rendition of "Hot Cross Buns" on these plastic fifes.....it's absolutely hilarious, and one of my favorite parts of the film.

But, at the risk of sounding crass....the first time I appeared in the film, a bunch of my friends cheered....(again, THANK YOU).....I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...but I figured I'd call it even and just grin from ear to ear.....

Really, what makes the film for me is the "live" performance footage....I mean, you really get into the Rock N' Roll spirit (which, really, is what the movie is all about, from what I get out of it)....you can feel this electricity watching it in the theater (and kudos to Tom Richmond, who's one hell of a camera man)....it made me want to jump out of my seat.

During one of these scenes, I heard what sounded like some kind of a scuffle going on near the back if the Theater.....I thought that was funny....and I found out later that it was my compadre' in the Dirty Pearls, Mr. Johnny B, telling some drunken assholes to shut the fuck up and stop kicking his chair....hahahahaha....great stuff!

Other than that, I don't want to give too much away about the movie, because I'm hoping, if you haven't seen it, you will get the chance to sooner than later.....

So afterward, my director/producer Scott was kind enough to wave me up to the front for the Q&A with him, Joe White, Jason Ritter, and Jasin Cadic, which really meant a lot to me. As my friend Gabe told me later, I was grinning like the Kool Aid Man ("OOOHHH YEEEEAH!"). It was strange being on front of that many eyes, but not being behind drums with my Homeboys in the Dirty Pearls....I mean sure, I sing with the Brian in the Lonesome Fools every now and then, but....this was different...I mean it was exhilarating, but I felt like I wasn't wearing pants at first, ahahahaha....but I got accustomed to it.

The dipshit whose ass Johnny B almost kicked in asked a stupid and inappropriate question, but Mr Ritter handled it like the Gentleman that he is. That was cool. At some point, I made some joke about having done character research for the role for, like 20 years, ahahahahaha!!! But the coolest thing, again, about it, was just....being able to experience being a part of the presentation of this THING we all made together....and it's still happening. If you ever get a chance to experience something like this, I highly recommend it. But there's not a day that goes by that I take something like this for granted, and I'm truly humbled, in many ways, that such an opportunity came my way. I'm extremely fortunate.

Afterward, I went back to the Trailer Park bar to have some shots with a few of my friends....and the same bartender was there, and was even more of a prick than he had been earlier...he gave us hell about ID's and credit cards, and whatnot, and generally, ran serious risk of ruining some great vibes if we stuck around there (how this guy makes a living on tips is beyond me, and you can tell him I said that). With that, my friends (and the CAKE that one of them made with the movie's logo on it) (wink wink) and I got the holy hell out of there.....

....and we jumped in a cab and went to the AFTERPARTY at Norwood. I did some press pictures with my aforementioned homeboys from the film (and the aforementioned cake). I love that shit.

Then, I proceeded to get BOMBED out of my BRAIN on Gin (Bulldog, I believe) and Lemonade for the rest of the night.....this is when the details get kind of fuzzy...not that I'd TELL you anyway, hahahahaha....although I heard that I missed meeting Actress/Rock N' Roll UberBabe Gina Gershon somehow....perhaps another time!

Anyway, to sum it up, it was one of the best nights of my whole life....and I have some great fucking nights, to say the least. I can't thank everyone who worked on the film with me enough......or all my friends who came to support and celebrate it's New York City premiere with me....it was indeed a night that I'll never forget.....

....well....most of it, anyway, hahahahaha.....

Marty E.

Humourously crazy people that have crossed my path, or whacked out ghosts of blogs past, or just a few of life's special moments

Hey....while I've been out yackety-yacking on the town, I've been compelled for one reason of another to bring these stories up....so I thought I'd share them, the way I wrote them on my old Myspace (remember that phenomenon?) blog....enjoy.....
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Just when I thought I’d seen/heard everything in this town, or why I never watch American Idol Current mood: amused Category: Life Just a few minutes ago, I was walking through Madison Square Park....not the least bit bothered by the rain....when I heard this voice bellowing something indecipherable on the other side of the park.... "Now just what the HELL is THIS, now?!", I thought, as I guzzled my Dr. Pepper like it was a bottle of Jack. As I got closer to the other side of the park, I see what appears to be some homeless dude on a bench. It became apparent that, in his mind at least, he was putting on a little concert. I say this because he was talking at this point, as if to an audience (of which, incidentally, there were no members), between songs. And what I heard him say still has me laughing my ass off. He said, "Thank you VERY much ladies and gentleman....and my next number is a special song originally sung by Laura Branigan....." OK? And I thought to myself, "No....NO....Dude...PLEASE tell me you're NOT GOING TO!!!" But yes he did....he proceeded to do a gloriously off-key version Laura Branigan's song "GLORIA" at the top of his lungs....I still can't stop laughing......but maybe you had to be there.... I thought of uttering some cliche', like "Don't quit your day job"....until it occurred to me that this is probably it.....hahahahaha..... Marty E.

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

"What The Fuck" moment 5,043,869 Current mood: confident Category: Life ...ok....so, I stepped out for some junk food (sometimes a dude wants some Chicken fucking McNuggets, ok?).... ...and this dude...who looked like a cross between Albert Einstein, Col. Sanders, and (what I imagine, the looks of) the King of France character in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn starts yelling,"EXCUSE ME....SIR...YOUNG MAN....YOU....EXCUSE ME...THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE HAT!!!!" So, after ignoring him for a few seconds, I turned around and said, "WHAT do you WANT, (Man!)?!" And he says, "Do you mind if I take your picture?" "Nah, I don't mind," I replied. And he said, "OK, let me see your profile?" Slightly annoyed, but figuring 'What the Hell', I turned to my left. He took a closer look at me.... ....and then he said, "Well....no," and he walked the other way. I hollered after him, "Look, Dude....you're the one who asked, ahahahahahahaha!!!" I love this town.

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Saturday, August 02, 2008

Weird, stupid, obnoxious, or should I just take it as a compliment? Current mood: confused Category: Life So....after "another one of those nights", I was dropping off a couple of friends of mine on my way home in a cab. I got out of the cab to let them out on the curb side. When I did, two or three guys on the sidewalk held up cameras and started taking pictures of me, and looking as jovial as all hell! Um....what the fuck? This sort of thing has happened to a couple of girls that I've known, but....never to me! I can't help but wonder....just who the hell did these crankshifters think I was?

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You get my point.....and here's to many more "special moments"!

Thanks,

Marty E.

You can & should never go back, but a song will sometimes take you there anyway, just for a moment....

No matter where you live, anywhere on this Earth, one's most immediate certainty is the passage of time. I know, it's not a profound notion in the least...yet it's something a lot of us don't take notice of....which perhaps is a sort of passive way of denying it.

But every once in awhile....the simplest, most random thing can just make your mind explode, and the force of which can act as a sort of virtual time machine. Maybe it's the smell of fresh muffins wafting out from the open door of a bakery on 1st Ave & 11th St....or the perfume of a random, beautiful stranger sitting across from you on the train. Maybe it's the soft sound sound of an owl "CooHoo"ing behind every building on your block when you wake up....or maybe it's just the way that random good Samaritan of the moment on Nowhere Street sympathetically looks you in the eye and asks if you're ok when you're sitting alone on a bench, feeling momentarily hopeless when you're just having a bad night. (Yeah, you're ok....now that someone asked....right? Hahahahaha!!! And Thank YOU!)

For me, what takes me back most often, unsurprisingly....is a song (and, truth me told, I've sold my soul for a song many times, hahaha...and resold!)....one that I once listened to over and over again....that I haven't heard in a long time. Sometimes it's not so meaningful....sometimes it's completely mundane....and sometimes it's just fucking hilarious.

But last night, it was a song that just hits me like a concrete block dropping 20 stories, crushing my admittedly thick skull. It's a song that immediately, without warning (or, perhaps, any indication to those around me) transported me back to a different time and place. It took me on a First Class trip back many years (and many, MANY beers), to a time when I was incredibly young, naive, stupid, ultra sensitive, directionless, irreverent, drunk, and painfully in love....and didn't care about anything else. Yeah, THAT song...a song (and it's not the only one) that defines that period of my life when everything revolved around a feeling in my heart and the look in her eyes...when the entire world could have boiled in oil and all of its inhabitants with it as long as her arms were around me. Yeah, no shit....it's a DAMN good song...and an awfully consuming feeling that it exemplifies for me.

But the thing about it is, when I think about it for a moment with some clarity and perspective....hearing a song like this also reminds me of some really important and poignant things. The first is that, nothing lasts forever....at least in terms of situations. I mean, sure, feelings can certainly last forever, no matter how far under the rug you try to sweep them....but life changes, one way or another....and people simply move on. And when that (usually inevitably) happens, it's usually a good thing for both parties involved. That said, I think that, at the end of the day, a big chunk of what a person's legacy in this world consists of is the memories that you leave with those you have been closest to. And hell, nobody's fucking perfect, but....if, when they tally them up, you left them with more joyful memories than painful ones....well, that reflects on your heart and your soul....I always hope I'm on the right side of the column.....

Even if you never see someone again that you've loved so intensely and insanely that it, at times, has made you sick....if, after the smoke has cleared, you've come out of that situation a better person in some way, than it was all worth it, wasn't it? And when something brings you back like this, you feel as if as if you couldn't possibly imagine your life without the experiences & adventures, both ecstatically blissful and excruciatingly painful, that you shared with this person. It was just something that was meant to be at that time. It isn't a feeling of looking back or wanting to go back, but more a matter of seeing it from a different angle...and it can be sad, even if you aren't a nostalgic type (and as much as I think about the past, nostalgic, I'm not). If you lament something that's gone, to the point where it brings tears to your eyes, and a storm to your heart.....than there must have been something pretty fucking good about it, right? One can only hope! Goddamnit...life is crazy....

But, you know...we roll with the punches....do our best....and when push comes to shove, with any luck, we learn, we move on, and hope to do better next time. Sure, life is never going to be the same...tomorrow is never going to be the same as yesterday....and thank GOD!

For me, though....sometimes it's the thoughts of many yesterdays ago....that reassure me that, despite all the bullshit, I still haven't turned into a jaded, cold, & heartless fuck yet, and I sure hope that I never do. And I hope the same for you. We never know what's going to happen next week, who will cross our paths, and what great things are waiting for us.

We can only hope the be prepared.

Thanks for reading!

Marty E.

PS-Thanks to Lenny Kaye for playing this song at Otto's last night! I just thought that was worth mentioning for some reason, hahahaha.....

My letter(s) home on 9/12/01 w/ follow-ups or a lesson to be learned is to not take anything for granted, least of all your own sanity!

9/6/06
Everyone's talking about the 5th anniversary of 9/11.You hear all kinds of bullshit from the pundits and our so-called President Bush about whether we are "safe" or "safer", as if anything any of them says means a goddamn thing.So, here's what I wrote to my friends and family around the country (including many of you reading this now) in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attack on New York City. There's no influence from pundits, journalists, or politicians; just a no-BS assessment of what was going on through the eyes and ears of a young NYC Rock N' Roller living dangerously close to the front line. As I was writing this at the time, I had no idea how 9/11 would be expoited and used in vain,i.e., gratuitous wars, conspiracies both true and untrue, and convenient scams of every type (especially the Patriot Act and other erosions of our civil rights). All I knew was I'd never felt so awful in my life. One interesting tidbit was that Slayer's God Hates Us All album came out that very day...and interestingly, it was the only album I could listen to for a couple of weeks. I was so numb, it was the only music that made me feel anything...and the only one that seemed to make any sense. And if I sound like I come across as a complete batshit crackerjack in these emails, it's only because I was fucking terrified....but that's probably understood. Enough of my ranting.

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9/12/01..>..>

Hello everyone.I am alive and well, at least physically. Inside, I've been on the verge of losing my mind since I woke up yesterday. I mean, how is a person supposed to react when there are flying bombs going off, destroying a landmark that you are accustomed to seeing daily, like a close friend, just a mile or two from the place you call home?!!!

For me...I feel my eyes welling up with bitter, angry tears sometimes...other times, I maintain my sense of humor...still others, I feel worried....and others, I feel (still) that nothing can stop me. There's a conflict.There's also a conflict of just WHY I feel this way....from the fact that probably tens of thousands of people are lying in the rubble dowtown, to more selfish reasons, such as not being able to work, play my music, and essentially, live my life. But, that shouldn't be too damn much to ask....For the second day in a row, I have an involuntary day off, so I decided to go down to my beloved East Village and get myself a coffee and maybe some sushi and try to regroup. Well, I got my coffee and ate my sushi, but there is some kind of faint haze in the air from 14th Street on down...consisting of dust and smoke, and what's rumored to be asbestos. I decided to get the hell out of there.

The streets from 14th Street on down are blocked off for automobiles....and everything south of Canal St is evacuated.The streets are surprisingly calm...there are people about, but there is this uncertain, morose calm over most people that I see. Near Times Square yesterday, there was some two-bit sidewalk preacher telling us that the "Lord is coming."I felt the anger rising, and wanted to tell him that I felt that the "Lord" must have taken the day off, but I maintained my cool.I don't know what's going to happen, just as nobody does. I wonder if I have any friends who might've been in the WTC yesterday.

A couple of months ago, when my financial situation was at rock bottom, I took a job as a foot messenger, and made many deliveries, daily, to the financial district in lower Manhattan. To think that I might've gotten caught up in this if I hadn't gotten quickly sick of that utterly thankless job is a lot to fathom.The only thing I can tell you at this point, is that there isn't a lot that matters to me anymore, at least for the time being. All my mad passion and ambition for being a great musician, drummer, Rock N Roll star, and writer seems almost like a thing of the past. But, I think that's merely due to shock.But I didn't realize, at all, what a carefree life I've had for 20-odd years...until yesterday morning. Now I wonder if life will ever be the same. One thing that I've learned from all of this already is the bitter motivation that must have been prevalent amongst the American population during the first two World Wars. I've never lived in a war-torn era, but I'm deeply afraid that I'm about to. The Gulf War, as I understood it at the time, was some rinky-dink little battle over control of oil. This...is REAL. I wouldn't mind kicking some Bin Laden ass, myself, after what he seems to have done! The front line is just a few miles down the road. And, I'm "Man" enough to admit that I'm scared. Do you remember when some kind of biological weapons were released in a Tokyo subway a couple of years ago? Well, I ride the subway every day...and so do millions of other people wearing the same worried face as myself.

But, the bottom line is, I guess I can't let this ruin my life if I can possibly avoid it. I still love this city and belong here...and probably feel that way even moreso since this shite has hit the fan. And I believe that someone up there, somewhere, despite my faults, is looking out for me.I deeply appreciate all of the calls and emails that I've gotten from everyone. Feel free to write anytime.

9/13/01

Now, we have some clowns calling in fake bomb threats. There was supposedly a bomb in the Empire State Building (4 blocks from my house) and consequently, they were evacuating Penn Station and routing all traffic off of 9th Avenue (which is where I live). It all turned out to be a hoax, and I was ready to hightail it out of my damn neighborhood. The sense of humor of some people leaves much to be desired.(later)Now there have been over 100 bomb scares in Manhattan...in the Empire State Building (again), Grand Central, Port Authority, and seemingly countless office buildings where friends of mine work. These were all either hoaxes or false alarms. The villains, in some ways have already won; they have instilled a paranoia that will last for a long time. Speaking of work, my office is closed until Monday, but...I really doubt that business is going to be good any time soon. The whole city now smells like smoke, and many people who are about are wearing some kind of gas masks, which I think look ridiculous, which wouldn't matter if I thought that they did much good.You know, just a few days ago, everything was great, and I was on top of the world. Now...that's all disappeared. Many of the great people I know are talking about hoping that the US destroys entire countries, and I find myself agreeing with this...but, I don't want to be this kind of person. There's a loss of any remaining innocence, decency, and mercy, in a lot of ways, and there's not a hell of a lot anyone can do about it.

I mean, down at Union Square, there are a bunch of people singing the Lennon song, "Give Peace a Chance." That sounds great, but I don't think that can happen, here in the real world. I'm sorry, but there is no chance, and I'm as sick about it as the next guy. When the hopes and dreams of most everyone I know have gone down the proverbial shitter, I can't find myself singing along. I never thought in my whole life that I'd say such a thing, but Rock N Roll doesn't really mean a damn thing to me at this particular moment, and Lennon, if he were here today, might very well agree with me.

The latest information that I've heard is that there have been several people caught with fake flight licenses and weapons at both JFK and LaGuardia...apparently, another hijacking or two may have been thwarted. These assholes don't know when to quit, do they? Just when flights are about to resume, these barbaric imbeciles have to add further insult to injury.Well, I'm going to ponder this over a beer....If anyone would like to write, please feel free....

Your good friend...

Marty E