Comings and Goings

Blogger Vacation™ continues until I finish this goddamn screenplay.

BUT BUT BUT, as this also functions as the official band blog, I have to break in from time to time to give updates... This is one such time.

Item the FIRST! Our most recent pairing with Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds was a rip-roaring success. We couldn't ask for a more lovable group of degenerate rock stars to pay visit to our humble midwestern burgh.

KCC was even nice enough to snatch a photo with Curvacia and myself on the Jackpot patio-- like so:

Item the SECOND! Allison at WILL YOU BE MY +1? was kind enough to send some love our way-- via a naughty-but-nice dissertation on our ode to 60's stripping housewives, NUDIE WATUSI. Her thoughts?

"Diving into the first verse is like a bite of a sundae after not having one for a while…a spoonful of delicious nostalgia.

“Now everybody knows/ the peppermint twist/ and you can do the alligator/ and it goes like this/ you’ve been mashing those potatoes/ since the day you were born….”

Harkening back to old dance crazes, it’s what you expected, and what you wanted. It’s also all one long pick-up line…that is, if the “nudie watusi” Manilow finally invites us all to do is what I think it is. (I think so.)"

We here at Spook Light Central couldn't agree more, obviously. Thanks for the kind words, Allison!

Item the THIRD! Witness some sonic noiseplay and stellar footwork from our recent gig at the 8th Street Taproom.

Now, some of y'all may have hear about this big Garage Fest that's coming to town next month:

Needless to say, some of us were a bit heartbroken over the lack of local acts on this bill, so we've assembled a few of our best and brightest for a pre-show at the Replay the night before... if anyone out there in bloggerland happens to be in Lawrence that night, stop on in and say "Hello!" We're always happy to make new friends!

Until next time, I remain...

--SCARY MANILOW!

Going, Going, GONER

And now, a seasonal, hot-weather update from THE SPOOK LIGHTS!

We're still mid-recording, chipping away at this thing slowly but surely. Despite some unforeseen delays in the creative process, I fully expect that we'll be mixing this thing by the time the leaves turn brown.

Meanwhile: is anyone interested in a copy of our 7-inch? Red vinyl, screenprinted covers, and two great songs for the low-low price of FREE! I've got a handful of them to give away, mostly because I just want to get the songs into circulation, so if you want a copy or know of a good place to send one, drop me a line in the comments and we'll work out the details...

In other news, Curvacia and I got our 4-day passes to this year's GONERFEST, which means our Autumn just got 100% more Memphis-y! It pains me to report that we'll have to bow out of our opening spot with the OHSEES that same week (SADNESS!!!!) -- but it's a small price to pay for seeing the holy trifecta of OBLIVIANS, NEW BOMB TURKS, and motherfucking GUITAR WOLF!

This will be my first experience with them since the death/ reincarnation of Bass Wolf-- but if the new lineup is even HALF as solid as the version I saw ten years back (when they rolled through town with THE CRAMPS, no less!), our money will be more than well spent.



If you haven't seen SORE LOSERS, the movie these clips were taken from yet, do yourself a favor. Director John Michael McCarthy toured this movie and its follow up, SUPERSTARLET AD through Lawrence a decade or so back... The idea of touring an underground movie through rock clubs like a band was a pretty inspirational concept to me at the time. His newest pic, THE CIGARETTE GIRL, looks pretty astounding as well:

PSS: If anyone is interested, here's a bunch of pictures from last year's Memphis trip-- a pilgrimage to see the almighty GORIES in action!-- CLICK HERE and browse away. Hopefully this trip is just as rocking but with less car-hitting-deer action.

50 Cents and a Smile

First up: THE SPOOK LIGHTS were nominated for BEST GARAGE BAND in the 2010 Pitch Music Awards... Which is great, and could potentially be greater as soon as I figure out where to send people to vote. Details as they emerge...

Next: A couple of awesome grabs from the 50-cent bin at the new Salvation Army thrift here in town:

As with 77 SUNSET STRIP, I was unaware that GIDGET started life as a series of books. The non-Sally Field-esque model on the cover throws my mind for a loop. What kind of Bizarro-world GIDGET does this novel detail?

"I took one more look at the holocaust before I settled down and started the motor. Okay, you crazy mixed-up kid, I said to myself before I maneuvered myself out onto the highway, now you've been at a luau... and now you know what an orgy looks like."

HOLY SMOKES, MOONDOGGIE!!! I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the story!

On that same note, who's up for some not-so-thinly veiled sexual shenanigans with THE MONKEES?

I also grabbed a YACHTLOAD of old Harlequin Romance books-- but that's another post for another time, my friends...

Still Kicking...

One of these days, I'm going to get back to regular posts, I swear. And by "regular posts," I mean, "updates about something other than my band."

In my defense, the last month and a half of my life has been occupied with family visits, extended stays in the local medical research facility, and a massive home-base rearranging project (which yielded great results in the FORGOTTEN JUNK department-- more on that later this week).

Until this weekend, I leave you with THIS:

And THIS:

As you were, comrades.

(For some reason, Youtube doesn't embed any smaller than this anymore, so a third of the screen has been clipped by Blogger. D'oh! If you double-click and go straight to the source, you should be able to see the whole thing).

The End is Nigh

I haven't had a drink in almost four months now, but the stress of having a seven-inch release AND film fest deadlines ON THE SAME DAY might push me back over the edge. Stay strong, Manilow!




Wish us luck tonight! I'll be back this weekend with a full report.


PS: Today is New Year's on "old calendar"-- according to the tarot, the first day of the Fool's journey, TRUMP 0. Here's to taking a leap of faith!

Checking in

I walk. I breathe. I live! And here's the proof:



This is my suit for tonight's gig with Kid Congo Powers. It was kindly donated to me by the brain trust at our local Social Service League thrift store. Curvacia and I should get their logo tattooed on our bodies in some visible location-- they've contributed so much to the look of our band and our movie that they might as well be a sponsor.

Life is hectic. A month away from the blog has given me some time to sort through my projects. I'll be back on a regular basis within the next week or so, provided some asshole customer doesn't shut my big mouth for me during my St. Patrick's bartending shift. Until then, here's a movie for the weekend:




EDIT: It was AWESOME. Not only one of the best shows we've ever played, but one of the best shows I've ever SEEN. If you haven't made time to check out the Pink Monkey Birds, pencil it into your day planner for YESTERDAY. Seriously-- Kid Congo is a consummate showman and a perfect gentleman through and through. I wish his band would play in town every night, it was that good.

Also, I took my cut of the money to the antique mall this afternoon and scored a copy of GOD BLESS TINY TIM on vinyl. Does life get any better than this?

Spring Fling

Shows! Shows! Shows! The winter is drawing to a end (although you'd never know it by stepping outdoors) and it is finally time for the Spook Lights to step out of hiding. We have new songs to play, a new seven-inch to sell (although I still haven't come up with any artwork for the cover yet), and new shows scheduled for your viewing pleasure.

Our self-imposed hibernation was supposed to last until the end of March. Every year we come back on April Fool's Day and pick some unlucky local bastards to open for us(in this case a new band called THE MOUTH BREATHERS)... But we decided to cut our break short this year when the chance to play with KID CONGO POWERS presented itself to us. What, you think we'd just say "NO" to an opportunity like that?

Kid's newest project, THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS (check out their album DRACULA BOOTS right HERE) are playing at the Jackpot Music Hall on March 13th, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready to drop trou for ANYONE who would give us a chance to open this gig. Luckily, my integrity was never compromised-- all it took was a couple of quick hone calls to seal the deal.



(It turns out that Kid makes his way to Kansas often-- his drummer is one-half of the brain trust behind THE HARVEYVILLE PROJECT, where the Pink Monkey Birds have recorded BOTH of their albums!)

Honestly, though-- I'm still armpit-deep in the new screenplay, so this movie thing is really first and foremost on my mind. The story is all mapped out for me, I have most of my actors lined up many of the locations scouted. All I need is a decent camera and someone with a knack for constructing miniatures and I'll be well on my way. And when I say "a knack for constructing miniatures," I don't mean DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS figurines... I mean something like THIS:

Look What The Stork Dropped Off!

A mystery package arrived today! Let's see what's inside...






The record press jerked us around, it took us three years to put together, and the labels look like they were printed on an '85-era dot matrix. But it sounds awesome! And it's so RED!

Ladies and germs, presenting SH001: TEENAGE MANIAC b/w NIGHT OF THE QUEERWOLF! It's been a long time coming.

Season End Recap

Way to end the year with a bang. The Spook Lights are officially on break until the spring (woo-hoo!) so we can focus on more writing and recording (Woo-HOO!) and trying to get these new seven inches out on the market (WOO-HOO!). Our last gig of the year (with THOSE DARLINS-- see them NOW if you haven't had the pleasure!)was a total freak show. Here are a couple of pics from the big night, courtesy of the lovely Mrs. Xoe Cranberry:

Inspiration Station

AAAAH! Friday the 13th strikes!!!!

The King Khan and BBQ Show had to CANCEL tonight's gig with us. Those Darlins are still on the bill, but I was despearately looking forward to a big-time Spook Lights/ King Khan reunion fiesta. Next year, perhaps. There's always next year.

In the meantime, I'm hard at work on the new script-- a science fiction melodrama, of course. This is what I've been watching to keep me inspired during the writing process...

Acting cues:



Plot schematics:




Aesthetics:

The Way It Was

Ah, Halloween. You did it to me again.












Let's get together again next year, shall we?

No More Days Till Halloween

What are YOU doing to prepare for tonight's festivities? Why not start out with a jaunt through the following videos?

HALLOWEEN III is the best part of the series. Michael Myers can take a flying leap to Fuckyourselfville, for all I care. Why make room for him in a movie that already features killer androids, evil wizards, children with melting heads, a hypnotic flashing pumpkin that activates a magic death ray, and the testicular acting talents of one Mr. TOM ATKINS? God I love this movie. It should be playing on television every night, on every channel, for all eternity.




For some reason, this educational film only ENCOURAGES me to harass elderly drunks on Halloween. Maybe it's just the kid in me, I don't know:



And this cartoon always played before the HEADLESS HORSEMAN cartoon on the Disney Channel when I was a kid. For Pavlovian reasons, I still get wired for something frightening whenever I see it:



As always, THE SPOOK LIGHTS will be minding the store over at The Jackpot Music Hall, serving up a horrifying slice of, um, something really scary and such for everyone brave enough to attend.



(Extra special thanks to our pal Johnny Garfunkle for these fang-tastic screen printed posters-- they get better and better every year!!!)

A Weekend With The Spook Lights

We played a show over the weekend with our newest friends, BAD BLOOD REVIVAL and STUPID PARTY.



BAD BLOOD REVIVAL play fashionably savage dirge rock distilled from equal parts Black Sabbath and Killdozer. The kind of stuff that soundtracked my juvenile delinquency, as it were. I'm more than happy to see it coming back into style.

STUPID PARTY, on the other hand, are more of a low-fi, snarling fuzz outfit, dirty punks with the occasional surprising pop edge. Think early Dinosaur Jr, but drunker and with less attitude. A thirty minute blast of sound that warmed my spirit from head to toe.

All said, it was some of the most fun I've had in a while. I got drunk on whiskey and Night Train, then whacked myself in the face with a microphone before our band had even finished setting up. Curvacia was both lovely and lethal (as always), Jet Boy showed the audience that HAIRDRESSERS DO IT BETTER, and Zeppelina and The Meld once again proved to be a rock-solid rhythm unit, which proved to be a big help when I fell over backwards in a booze-induced stupor. Thanks for backing me up, gang!

An extra special THUMBS DOWN goes out to the crusty kids who tried to lure our door guy into the alleyway for a group beatdown. Tsk tsk tsk, kids... Don't they teach manners in school anymore?

Next weekend, we're onstage with LABRETTA SUEDE AND THE MOTEL 6 at Kansas City's very own RECORD BAR. And if you can't hold out that long before seeing us again, I would advise grabbing a ROLLER DERBY WORKOUT DVD and grooving to "Curvacia's Theme" while you trim off this summer's beer gut. See you at the rink!

Introductions all around.

This is ME:



This is my GIRLFRIEND:



This is OUR BAND:



These are our movies:




This is my DAUGHTER:



These are OUR CATS:



This is MY BIKE:





Welcome to the inside of my brain.