Mike Viola, Ricky Free, Nolan Verner playing for the first time in Nashville at 12th and Porter. No rehearsal, no soundcheck, just a whole lotta talent from these 2 players who brought the heat. I wanna spend time there in Nashville, maybe a rez or something. Or better yet, an extended tour of the south. Just love it down here. Day off in Atlanta now. sitting 51 stories above another Sunday. the Patriots just won. I just paid 20 bucks for internet access in my room and there’s a Starbucks in the lobby. So I may just be a little chatty. this tour is about to wrap up. been out almost 3 months (including the fountains of wayne leg) and already I’m looking ahead to 2012 to see how I can get back out on the road. it’s by far my favorite way to make music: live, in front of an audience who is seeing it happening NOW for the fist time.. ephemera… it’s what I live for. yeah I could burn months having fun in the recording studio, but given the choice I’d take the road. the long drives. the sleepless nights. the loneliness. the gallons of diet coke and energy mix, trail mix whatever. singing every night, pouring it all out. sometimes people listen ,sometiems they don’t, sometimes you connect superficially, sometimes you charge deep, ears popping, body about to burst under pressure, the weight of emotion. and doing that every night… it’s… I’m very happy right now let’s put it that way. the hum of the heating system 51 floors above Peachtree avenue where the wind the howling a few weeks before Christmas. I am Santa Clause. I exist. there are magic reindeer in the overnight parking. 29 bucks a day for valet. there’s a wish list in my head. some items checked off, others carried over from last year that once again will be unfulfilled. I take this seriously. the elves, the winter warlock, the burger meister meister burger. have I told you about my drug plan? no ? oh, it’s awesome. but I have NO time. its’ my day off and my battery is running out and holy crap I think Starbucks is closing.. it’s Sunday… I haven’t eaten… I’m too high (51 floors remember)… I might order room service. no I won’t. i”ll go to the gift shop downstairs, look for a postcard to send IZzy, sniff out some kind of trail mix, leer at the passerbye, and return to my tower for the end of the OAK verses GB. I’m not a football fan, I watch it on mute. I just want to be connected to the collective unconnected. connected to the brew loving sports fan sprawled out in bars and lazy boys across the great divide. 2 of them are my brothers Dave and Larry. I think of past Christmas’. with parents. with older problems that are now resolved. with older passions that have petered out. with older ideas of what tomorrow might bring. as I sit here in tomorrow, a future man, Santa Claus, the clock winds up not down. lvmv
photo by Max Crace
getting ready to git in that bus (okay sprinter van) and travel ‘cross the country round the country to play for you. so far I’ve played Seattle, Portland and San Diego. all great crowds and the response to my new record Electro De Perfecto has been way more than I ever could have imagined. I spend so much of my time working on songs.. ideas… with my head down.. .just doing my work… so when my managers at Hornblow suggested I try and get a deal… take a run at promoting it.. .I was kind of skeptical. how much would people respond to my secret cause? how on earth could I get a label interested (thanks Missi at Megaforce!!!) a promoter interested (thanks Joy my roller derby super agent at MOB) a publicist (Mr. Rob Moore if you will) radio guys, lawyer guys… the whole nine yards. sure it’s still got the edge of DIY to it, but only things like… carrying my own gear and setting it up (oh god forbid it!.. come on people), taking on the driving chores, hanging out at merch tables instead of sneaking backstage to smoke white stuff and sign boobies. hitting the ground running people. ready to rolk. which is rock and roll mashed up. Rolk music. Hey that’s pretty good! Rolk music… (help) lvmv
photo by Emily Shur
Mike Viola is releasing a new album on Good Morning Monkey/Hornblow/Megaforce/RED/Sony. So… it’s KIND OF a self release with some help from some talented characters including a peacock. A tour is in the works for the West Coast in October and carrying Mike across the country up until Christmas. Perfecto! Some gigs will be solo, some with a power trio. ”this has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time” Mike says, ” and I was invited by Fountains Of Wayne to tour for a bit, then Rachael Yamagata asked me to join her for the rest of the year, opening the shows for her then playing in her band. We worked on her new record together, wrote some songs, sang some harmony, so it makes perfect sense to start a traveling circus rolling across the country together.” Electro De Perfecto will be available October 4th in record stores on LP gatefold, CD and also on your preferred online music sites.
izzy just got cranked on the head with a grapefruit launched by the next door neighbor. it’s SUMMER!
