Pheaturing Jaret Reddick From Bowling For Soup

Hello, welcome to a Monday entry of the Phile, everybody, how are you? I am your host, Hurricane Jason. I was hoping the next hurricane and tropical storm would be named Jason but it's Jose. So, Canada imposed a ban on trade with North Korea. No more hockey highlight DVDs for Kim Jong Il. People are still talking about Hurricane Irene that hit the East Coast... but not Florida. It was 80 something degrees and beautiful here. Anyway, I saw an article about all the yuckiness that will happen in the Gowanus canal. Should stink for weeks! The right wingers on this board are REALLY gonna be pissed. There's an awful lot of people who will be getting Socialist Federal Assistance from this. I heard there are over 10 people dead due to Irene. Some young men had to be rescued when they went adventure canoeing in a hurricane over flow. That was real smart. Speaking of hurricanes, six years ago today Category 3 storm Hurricane Katrina attacked the Gulf coast with 145-mph winds. Cities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi were declared disaster areas. Parts of New Orleans are submerged, some residents were left to scramble to their rooftops awaiting rescue. News organizations reported widespread panic and looting, crowds abandoned on elevated freeways, and rumors of rape in the Superdome. In yesterday's entry I mentioned that Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple had resigned, well, I know what his resignation letter said. It was kinda short and to the point. "Dear Board of Directors, iResign. Sincerely, Steve Jobs." Apparently the reason he wanted to step down is so he can spend more time with his daughters, Blow and Hand. Yeah, I went there. I do apologize. And I have my son here as well. Have you seen the new McDonald's commercial? I think it's aimed at the disabled. Here is an exclusive screen shot, kids.

Today's guest, Jaret Reddick, lead singer for one of the coolest bands ever did the music for the cartoon "Phineas and Ferb", and I was surprised to see that there's a "Phineas and Ferb" inspirational poster. Take a look.

Alright, with season starting just around the corner I have to idea what to expect, so I thought I would get an experts opinion, and to see how my New York Giants are gonna do. So, I invited my good friend Jeff back to the Phile for a pheature I like to simply call...

Me: Hey, Jeff. Thanks for being back on the Phile. I have to ask, now we're in football pre-season are you wearing sports appearal? You stopped wearing all sports related clothes cause the strikes, lock outs or whatever they were, right?

Jeff: Hey, Jason. It's always good to be back on the Phile. Yes, I am back to wearing my football shirts and hats again. My basketball stuff is still on lock out and it looks like it will be out for a very long time. There has been no progression between the owners and the players. A lot of NBA players are looking to go play overseas until the lock out is over.

Me: So, football season starts in a few weeks, right? Any predictions? The Giants are looking good.

Jeff: The Giants are looking good in deed. The only problem is they are getting injured at an alarming pace this pre-season. They have all ready lost 4 players, three of them out for the season. I don't think any of them would have made a huge impact but it hurts depth of the team. The biggest stories through the first half of preseason is the Philadelphia Eagles signed quite a few free agents that make them look like the team to beat. The Patriots did too, but the players they signed are more over the hill then the Eagles got. The other big story is that Peyton Manning will probably not start the season. Manning has started 227 consecutive starts, second only to Favre.

Me: So, I have to ask... I want to pick a Peverett Phile Fantasy football team. Who should be on it? I say Jeremy Shockey. Joe Namath? O.J. Simpson? The Refridgerator guy? Just kidding. Let's put together a fantasy team and see how well they do. Whatcha think?

Jeff: If you are interested in doing a fantasy draft, we can do it. Do you want to do one team between the two of us or do you want to compete? 

Me: Hmmmm. No, I wouldn't know how to put together a fantasy team... not of football players anyway. Let's forget that and I will just have you come back during the season so you can keep us updated. Cool? Jeff, thanks again for helping me out. And I will have you back here soon.

Jeff: That works for me. Glad to help whatever way that I can.

Jason: Thanks, Jeff. 

Okay, this is so cool. Today's guest is the lead singer for the band Bowling for Soup, an American pop-punk band best known for its singles "Girl All the Bad Guys Want", "Almost", "Punk Rock 101", "High School Never Ends", and "1985".  Their new album "Fishin' For Woos" is now out on iTunes and in stores and they will be appearing next on September 3rd at AnimeFest 2011 at Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas. Please welcome to the Phile, the singer for one of my favorite bands ever... Jaret Reddick.

Me: Hello, Jaret, welcome to the Phile. Let me tell you, you are making me dad of the year being here on the Phile. I am a huge fan, and my son Logan is also a big fan, so if you don't mind he'll be helping me with this interview. Anyway, how are you?

Jaret: Couldn't be better. Just got back from my daughter's 2nd grade play. Now watching TV and talking to you.

Me: It seems just like yesterday "Sorry For Partyin'" came out, and now you have a new album... "Fishin' For Woos". The new album went through some trials and tribulations, right?

Jaret: Not really. In fact, it was as seamless as it could be. "SFP" was a bit of a downer, because we worked very hard on it and it got shelved by Jive when we split from the label only 4 weeks after it came out, and before any promo had started... we were bummed. But when we decided to make a new album, we jumped in with both feet and kicked it in the butt. Written in 3 weeks, recorded in 3 more!

Me: You guys were gonna release an EP, but instead you released a whole album. Does the EP and album have the same songs on it?

Jaret: It was actually songs taken from the 17 we recorded for "Fishin' For Woos."

Me: What caused you guys to change plans?

Jaret: Honestly, it felt rushed. And breaking up the songs seemed dumb. This is a collection of songs that works. And as soon as you start pulling stuff, you make either an amazing EP and a shitty album or an incomplete album and an okay EP. It was the right thing to do! We were rushing an EP out to have something new out around our October tour of the UK last year. Three weeks before it just didn't feel right... I pulled the plug.

Me: Anyway, I love the new album. Did you guys have fun making it? I figure you guys have fun no matter what you guys do. Logan, do you have a question for Jaret?

Jaret: Ha...we do indeed! It was a blast. We made it in Dallas, at our friends studio that we do a lot of one off film and TV, or B-side stuff. It was nice to go home every night!

Me: Logan, do you have a question for Jaret?

Logan: Yeah, where did the name Bowling for Soup come from?

Jaret: It comes from a Steve Martin comedy bit. But it has a swear word, so I will leave it at that!

Me: I have to ask, Jaret, your album titles always intrigue me. Do you come up with them, or does the other guys in BFS come up with them as well? And what is a Woo?

Jaret: Most happen in conversation on the tour bus. Each is a different story. If I typed better I'd take you through all eleven, but I don't, so I will let the reader do some research! Haha. A WOO happens when you say "Are ya'll ready to rock?!?!" and the audience goes "woooooo!!!!!"

Logan: Why did you want to become a rock star? Apart from being one, what else did you want to be growing up?

Jaret: I didn't. I was in a band for fun. I went to college to be a corporate psychologist, graduated and everything. I guess I grew up to fast. I decided to give music a few year and I found the formula. It worked! I never looked back!

Logan: How did you get to be the band to do the "Phineas and Ferb" song? 

Jason: He means the theme song, Jaret.

Jaret: The creators came to me, they were fans. They wanted us to do the theme. Flew me in, showed me some early episodes, and asked me if I would take their 30 second theme song, and make it into a radio single... 3.5 minutes. I sent them a song within 48 hours and they were blown away! Thus "Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day" was born. While I was in LA I read for the part of Danny, lead singer of Love Handle, and got the part. Since then I have co-written 4 or 5 songs, and sang more for the show than I can count. Not to mention BFS was on an episode as ourselves. It has been a blast. It is the best show on TV and to be a part of it in some small way is amazing!

Me: That's a very good question, Logan. One thing I thought was always cool of BFS was you guys have some songs that kids shouldn't listen to, and you also do a lot of kid friendly songs. I guess having kids of your own makes you want to do the kid friendly thing, like all the stuff you do for Disney, am I right?

Jaret: Kind of. I mean, I don't ever take any work because of my kids. I think it is more that we are all still kids at heart, or maybe it is something else. I think our sound lends itself to THAT world, so opportunity just raises its head in that area quite a bit.

Me: And it's a great idea you have two versions of each album an explicit version for people like me and more kid-friendly versions for kids like Logan. Will the new album have two versions?

Jaret: It doesn't. We DO have edited versions of all the songs, but our distributor decided not to do two versions. I'd like to release the clean version at some point.

Me: Let's talk about your side project, Jaret and Erik acoustic shows you have done. How did you two decide to go out and tour without the other guys? Did the others have a hard time with it?

Jaret: That is in no way a side project. It is very much just an extension of BFS, something we have done since the beginning, so the other guys are very cool with it. They get paid for chillin!
Erik IS doing a solo album that I am helping him with, and I DO have a side project called People On Vacation (www.wearepeopleonvacation.com). These are things we do when the band isn't working. Both are a LOT of fun!!!

Me: Do you guys do BFS songs in those shows, or other songs?

Jaret: Almost ALL BFS, with some springles of flavor here and there!

Me: Any chance you'll be releasing a Jaret and Erik acoustic album?

Jaret: Very good chance, but it will be a Bowling For Soup Acoustic Album!! Ha.

Me: Jaret, I noticed something I never noticed before... all your tattoos have a theme. You must be really into games, right?

Jaret: One arm is classic toys, one arm is Texas. Both legs are gambling themes, one good luck, one bad. And yes, I love toys. I used to own my own toy store when I was 17. That's ANOTHER story!

Logan: What is your favorite game?

Jaret: Connect Four or Othello.

Logan: My grandad was Lonesome Dave in Foghat... have you heard of Foghat?

Jaret: Of course... Lonseome Dave's Foghat is an institution! That's crazy!!

Me: Jaret, let's talk about your other band you mentioned, People On Vacation. That's a duo you're in with Ryan Hamilton, right? How would you compare POV's music to BFS?

Jaret: It is completly different. The perfect blend of Ryan's indie side and my pop sensibilties. It is musical candy for the ears. I could NOT be more excited about it. Everyone should check us out on the interwebs!

Me: I read that you and Ryan are working on an album. Would you come back onto the Phile when it comes out?

Jaret: OF COURSE! This is awesome!

Me: I know you will be on the road for awhile, any chance you'll be playing in Orlando, Jaret?

Jaret: I hope to get there in the fall... one of our favorite markets.

Me: Thanks for being on the Phile, and answering Logan and my questions. Bowling For Soup needs to come out with a live album. We got your live DVD, but a live album would be great. Go ahead and mention your website, which I am sure everyone knows about already. Thanks again, and come back soon.

Jaret: Thanks for having me! This has been a blast!!! Check us out! Bowlingforsoup.com,
and follow me on Twitter! @jaret2113. Thanks again!!

There you go, that has to be one of my best interviews ever. I really do hope Jaret comes back onto the Phile. Thanks very much to Christina Duren for hooking it up and to Jaret of course. Also thanks to my good friend Jeff Trelewicz. Check out his own blogspot at entertainmentgurunews.blogspot.com. Well, the Phile will be back next Sunday with Robert A. Medeiros, the singer for the band The Clarences. And then next Monday it's singer Luther Russell. So, until then, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Danielle Soloud

Hi, kids, welcome to another entry of the Phile, thanks for being here. How are you? My thoughts go out to everyone on the East Coast who went through for Hurricane Irene. In Washington, D.C., thousands of people have been left without power. They’re called Democrats. They say this could be the biggest disaster to hit New York since “Spider-Man the Musical.” So, did you hear a local news reporter from Washington D.C. ended up getting covered in what is probably the remnants of raw sewage as he delivered live hurricane reports from Ocean City, Maryland? Why is sewage always described as raw? Do any of you ever cook it? Researchers in Britain claim they have created a gel that prevents tooth decay. We’ve got this in America. It’s called “toothpaste.” I am British, so I am allowed to say that by the way. The east coast is still cleaning up after the earthquake. Experts say this only happens once a century. It’s Larry King’s third. Apparently there’s a crack in the Washington Monument. Calm down, Marion Barry, I said “a crack.” Regis Philbin celebrated his 80th birthday — quietly with his money. Regis maintains his youthful appearance with exercise. He loves to take a walk, especially when the check arrives. President Obama’s popularity is slipping while he’s on vacation. When he went for a walk on the beach, the tide went out. Dick Cheney says that when people in Washington read his new book, “heads will be exploding.” When Cheney says heads will be exploding, he means it. The name of Katie Couric’s new talk show has been announced. To make sure it has great ratings, they’re calling “Oprah.” So, Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple and already the company is going down. Take a look and see what they are coming out with next. Jobs wouldn't never let this happen.

I was watching the Weather Channel last night and I was thinking of those poor reporters that always have to stand out in the hurricane warning everybody to stay indoors. And I was wondering if they liked what they were doing. The Weather Channel answered by flashing something up on the screen. Take a look.

And I couldn't believe there's a hurricane themed inspirational poster out there. Here it is, kids.

I saw an alligator on the side of the road the other day, does that count? 






My Aromascope card didn't work. I was promised eight full-bodied odors, three of which were meant to be various candies. Another one was allegedly bacon. Another one cheese. Two farts were also promised. I forget the others. But I got none. I scratched it with my finger. I rubbed it with my thumb. I scraped it with my car keys. I gouged at it. I inhaled deeply. Nothing. Well, okay, not exactly nothing; the entire card smelled like freshly processed toxic chemical ink.
Who's to blame for this? Did the theater I went to receive a bad batch of cards? Did nobody professionally nose-test this gimmick before it was shipped to cinema chains? When the numbers flashed on screen telling me to smell the crispy, frying pork and/or Spy Toddler flatulence, I looked at my sad, ineffectual card and cursed it. I was cheated out of rancid, intentional stinks and, instead, was delivered card stock soaked in dry-cleaning fluid. Our local theatre is not showing the movie in 3D so we had to watch a partial blurry movie. It would've of been nice to see Jessica Alba in 3D. As for movie itself, it seems like a secondary consideration, maybe even to director Robert Rodriguez. The original spying kids are young adults now, so two newer, more polished and yet less charismatic tweens are set in motion to stop a guy with a big clock for a head from taking all the time in the world for himself. See, if he gets away with it, then Mom (Jessica Alba) and Dad (Joel McHale) won't have any time left to learn how to be better parents for the obnoxious, pampered brats and everybody will be sad. Or something. It's a strange plot trend that keeps rearing its guilty head in kid movies--one clearly conceived by adults with feelings of remorse over how they ignore their own offspring. Not that this is a useless film. It's fun enough for kid audiences, and Ricky Gervais, as the voice of the talking robot dog, will keep non-sleeping grown-ups reasonably tuned in. From 1 to 10 it gets a 6 and I probably won't be buying it.

Today's guest is the fifth artist to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Art Gallery and the artist and writer for the on-line comic "Life with Death". She will be appearing next at the first ever PalmCom at the Polish American Club in Lake Worth, Florida, on September 17th. Please welcome to the Phile... Danielle Soloud.

Me: Hello, Danielle, welcome to the Phile. How are you?

Danielle: Great, thank you for asking and for the interest in my work!

Me: You're welcome. So, this year for the first time in awhile I didn't get to go to MegaCon. I like to go and meet different artists, and interview them here on the Phile. I know Michael Banks, interviewed him, and he introduced me to you, so things work out anyway. Anyway, did you have a good time at MegaCon?

Danielle: MegaCon this year was fantastic! I get to meet so many amazing people and MegaCon treats me very well. I heard attendance was up from about 27,000 attendance of last year to 33,000 this year.

Me: I am sure you've been there before, right? What is your favorite convention to go to?

Danielle: I've been quite a few times but this was only my second time in Artist Alley. My favorite is definitely MegaCon so far!

Me: Danielle, you're based here in Orlando, is that right? Have you lived here all your life? How often do you go to Disney?

Danielle: Yes, born 'n' bred. I haven't been to Disney in a while but when I was younger we'd go a lot, especially when my grandmother worked there and she had the hook up. I think I've been once since they removed Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Me: Let's talk about your art work, Danielle. It seems going through your portfolio you like to draw women. Is that because they are easy for you to draw, or because you are one?

Danielle: I would have to say neither. I enjoy drawing women, I like to draw curves. I see women as circles where as men more like squares and rectangles. I do find them easier to draw simply because I've been doing it since I was little and I'm sure that being female doesn't hurt!

Me: I love to draw, but when I draw a woman, they always end up looking ugly, or men in drag. When did you start to draw, Danielle? Was drawing girls one of the first things you learnt to draw?

Danielle: Like most (or maybe all) children I drew a lot when I was little, I just didn't stop. And I definitely think girls were always a strong focus from a early age.

Me: You draw a lot of Marvel characters in your style, but I don't see a whole lot of DC characters. Are you a Marvel fan more? I am.

Danielle: I would definitely say I was in middle and high school but not as much now. I favor X-men characters on the Marvel side and Batman characters on the DC side. I think DC has a lot more iconic characters when it comes to females. In fact, Harley Quinn is my most requested character I get to draw at conventions which is more than fine with me as she's one of my favorites!

Me: When you are at conventions such as MegaCon do people come up to you and ask you to draw their favorite super hero? What was the oddest request you have ever been asked?

Danielle: Sometimes it's their favorites, other times it may be a character they'd like to see in my "style", or a handful of people will request me to draw them. I've had friends swap crazy commission stories but I yet to have any of my own. I'm sure that's all in due time!

Me: Do you draw naked women as well? Can you draw me a naked Kelly Clarkson? Just kidding... I think. ; )

Danielle: Haha niiice. I have drawn nudity, mostly in figure drawing classes. I have no problem with it but I probably wouldn't do more than what you'd see in a 'Playboy'. I'm comfortable at R-rated.

Me: Okay, so, let's talk about what I really what to talk about, and I know you do as well... "Life with Death", your on-line web comic.

Danielle: "Life with Death" is my training wheels for making comics. The best way to learn to do something is to jump in, get your hands dirty, and learn from your mistakes and that's exactly what I'm doing in a very public manner. I've developed a whole world with residents and now it's just about learning how to bring others into this world. Hopefully readers will enjoy the ride.

Me: I interviewed artists in the past here who have web comics, and I always wonder if that is easier then having the comics printed. Do they come in printed form as well?

Danielle: It's definitely easier and by far CHEAPER! Right now I only have one printed "Life with Death" book and it's a prologue to the comic, taking place one week before the first page of the webcomic starts. I recently decided to change the path of my webcomic in a different direction. The webcomic started out with a graphic novel, one page a week format but this wasn't working like I wanted to. The storyline involved many characters and I thought would only become more confusing. So what I've recently decided to do is I'm going to put the original story concept and continue it in a graphic novel format (and/or digital download) so that the readers can get it in one piece. The story that's happening now is sliding back into the same path but is much simpler to follow along with on a weekly basis.

Me: Tell the readers of the Phile what "Life with Death" is about, Danielle.

Danielle: "Life with Death" focuses mainly on Kim Reaper, the daughter of the Grim Reaper, currently 17 years old, and is to be the next Angel of Death following in her father's footsteps. But this is something she has no interest in. The rest of the primary family includes her mother, Lucy, daughter of Satan (and the reason they have to live in Hell), her brother Jimmy, and zombie-dog, Rotty. The comic focuses mainly on the family and residents of the afterlife (Heaven, Hell, and Limbo).

Me: How long have you been drawing and writing "Life with Death", and how often can a reader see new chapters?

Danielle: I have very old concepts of Kim Reaper but I would say I started getting into it a year ago, March 2010. A new page is uploaded every Thursday.

Me: Is that the only story you write?

Danielle: It's the only currently publicly available story, yes! I'm also working on a few others. A little preview that people got on "Life with Death" was for my grindhouse-styled "Sai O'Nara" story which features a female vampire-werewolf-ninja-assassin. It was well received so I'm really looking forward to putting that out.

Me: It's an interesting concept, Danielle. Do you ever think it'll make a great movie or TV show? Maybe for Adult Swim or something?

Danielle: Thank you! I've said many times that "Life with Death" just FEELS like it would be better fit as a cartoon and I'd love to see Kim Reaper and the rest of the cast come alive as such.

Me: I like the dog with the eye popping out. I can easily see kids buying a plush of him at Hot Topic or something.

Danielle: Another thing people say to me quite often is how merchandise-able "Life with Death" is. And it's definitely something I consider for the future. I'd adore a little plush Rotty.

Me: Do you see "Life with Death" ending? How much of a story do you have planned out?

Danielle: I do have an ending in mind, but it's always opened to change and I'm no where near ready to end it.

Me: It's hard enough for me to post an entry of this blog once or twice a week and get people to interview, let alone write a weekly comic? Do you ever get tired of it, or a writer's block?

Danielle: YES. But when I do start to dread or get tired of it then that means it's time to switch it up. I have so many ideas for "Life with Death" that I try to write down EVERYTHING. Whether it be moments, possible events, anything that can spark inspiration for future storylines.

Me: Your art work is similar to manga to me, Danielle. Are you a big manga fan?

Danielle: Yes, although I'm not up to date on it. I was a big anime fan in the 80's and 90's and it definitely contributed to my style.

Me: I like to ask artists I interview which tools they use, so, Danielle, which tools do you use? Is your comic done on a Mac like the Phile is?

Danielle: I use a PC and Wacom Cintiq for the comic now pretty much and work often in Manga Studio and Photoshop. Traditional inking I like to use Faber-Castell Pitt Pens, Copic Multiliners, Pentel Brush Pen, and sometimes brush and ink. For traditional colors I'll use a mixture of Copic and Prismacolor markers.

Me: So, what's next? Any new projects lined up?

Danielle: Always! There is so much I want to do that it really just feels like there isn't enough time in a day. I have many more comic ideas I want to do and I'm becoming more interested in gallery type work so we'll see how that goes!

Me: Thanks so much for being on the Phile, Danielle. Go ahead and plug your websites and come back again, soon, okay?

Danielle: Thank you SO much for having me! My main site and blog can be found at DanielleSoloud.com and my webcomic "Life with Death" is at LifewithDeath.com.

Me: Hope to see you at a convention soon. Take care.

Danielle: Thank you again, it's been a pleasure!

There you go, that about does it for another entry. Thanks to Danielle for a great interview. Well, the Phile will be back tomorrow with the singer from one of my favorite bands ever Bowling for Soup. Yep, Jaret Reddick. And then next Sunday it's Robert A. Medeiros, lead singer for the cool California band The Clarences. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Drawing by my niece Kaylie Gray.

Pheaturing Alumni Kyle Weber and Bryan Weber From Zelazowa

Hey, everybody, welcome to a Thursday entry of the Peverett Phile. Thursday... it's been awhile since I posted onb a Thursday. I have a doctor's appointment today so had a day off work and thought what the heck, I should post an entry. So, here we are. Everyone is watching the big global news story. We’re seeing historic changes rocking one of the most ruthless families on earth. That’s right, Kim Kardashian got married. Man, did you see all that crazy stuff going on in Libya? Some people think Gadhafi will go into exile somewhere harmless where we can keep an eye on him. I’m thinking “Dancing With the Stars.” I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re hoping for an end to the bloodshed, a peaceful transition to democracy, and... cheaper gas. So, did everybody survive that earthquake on the East Coast? After the earthquake on the they found Mayor Bloomberg standing under his desk. They felt the earthquake at Martha’s Vineyard. It was so bad, President Obama nearly missed a putt. The earthquake was so strong in Washington D.C. the Washington Monument is now leaning an inch or two. MSNBC reported that it's leaning to the left, Fox News reported that it's leaning to the right. The next earthquake on the East Coast will be sometime in October when we go to vacation to Washington and I trip up the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial. Just warning you people. Speaking of the earthquake, did you see the P.S.A. poster that the state of Virginia put out? If you didn't I have it here.

Okay, now that the earthquake is over, we have a hurricane on it's way to America this weekend and people are being evacuated. Let's check in to the weather and see if we know where Hurricane Irene is going.

I thought you "The Office" fans would get a kick out of that. And now for some sad news...

Jerry Leiber 

April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011

Guess that IS all there is.

Nick Ashford 

May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011

Solid... solid as a rock.

The fifth artist to be pheatured in the P.P.A.G. Danielle Soloud and this is one of her pieces of work.

Danielle will be a guest on the Phile in the next entry on Sunday. And now, from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's...

Top Ten Signs Congress Just Doesn't Care Anymore
10. Nay votes now signaled using the middle finger. 
9. Filibusters replaced by Taco Tuesdays. 
8. New desks are all "cable-ready". 
7. They spend a week trying to figure out what color to paint the debt ceiling. 
6. Their new debt/deficit plan? "Bowling For Trillions".
5. On the issue of the bond rating, passed a resolution that Sean Connery is the best Bond. 4. Voted unanimously to agree to disagree. 

3. Every time the stock market takes a dive, they take a shot. 

2. Fewer deals being made, more deals being photographed. 

And the number one sign Congress doesn't care anymore...

1. Calls in sick almost as often as Peverett does. 

Today's guest was last on the Phile on October 30th, 2009 and his time he is joined by his brother. They have a new album out called "Love In Lunacy" which is available on iTunes and will be appearing next at Mojo Main in Newark, Delaware on September 17th. Please welcome to the Phile from the band Zelazowa... Zelazowa, I love that name. From the band Zelazowa... Kyle and Bryan Weber.

Me: Hello, guys, welcome back to the Phile. How are you?

Kyle: Doing really well. And you?

Me: Where do I start? I am hanging in there. Anyway, last time it was just Kyle, Bryan. I am glad you both came along. Anyway, in the past I interviewed bands and duos who are brothers, sisters, husbands and wives, and such, and it always amazes me. I am close to my sisters, and of course my wife but could never fathom working with them, let alone being in the same band. Whose idea was it for you both to be in a band?

Kyle: Ultimately, it was Bryan's (and the other two member's) decision to invite me to join the band. They had already been playing together for about 3 years when I finally became a part of the group. I had secretly always hoped that it would happen, but had to wait until the situation presented itself.

Bryan: Yeah, we used to have another guy that played lead guitar but things just didn't work out. He was on another path and when he chose to leave the picture, it was an easy decision to bring Kyle on board.

Me: I am guessing you get along good, am I right? Any arguments? Sibling rivalry.

Kyle: We get along very well for the most part, but I would be lying if I said we never argue. You have to expect disagreements from time to time when you have people working together that have strong opinions. The thing to remember is that all 4 band members (Bryan and myself and Terry and Ian) are shooting for the same goal - success.

Bryan: Agreed.

Me: Which one of you gets the most groupies?

Bryan: Haha. Good question.

Kyle: Definitely Bryan. He is the singer. Chicks dig singers.

Me: Who else is in the band, and what do they do?

Kyle: Ian Sharkey, vocals and bass, and Terry Sharkey, drums and backing vocals. They are not brothers, but cousins. Yes, we are a family band, hahaha.

Bryan: Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Me: Do you guys both do the songwriting?

Kyle: Yes, but Bryan is a much more prolific songwriter than I. Whether it be him coming up with the backbone of the song or me though, we always end up working out all the details as a unit. Bryan writes all the lyrics now-a-days though.

Me: What do your parents think about you guys being in a band together?

Bryan: We have the greatest parents in the world, hands down.

Kyle: They are very proud and have always told us about the importance of keeping a strong family bond especially as we get older. Bryan and I have two younger brothers that we feel just as close to as well. It is a part of who we are.

Me: Okay, let's talk about the name of the band. Last time you were here on the Phile I commented how much I like the way it sounds. I know I asked before, but for the readers that don't remember and the new readers, go ahead and tell them what Zelazowa means. Also, who came up with the name?

Bryan: Zelazowa loosely translates to "steel will" in Polish and is a word that we took from the birthplace of Frederic Chopin, Zelazowa Wola. No, we are not Polish. This is something that I learned about in college and we all thought it sounded cool, was unique, and fit really well.

Me: You guys have a brand new album out since the last time you were here. "Love is Lunacy", which I downloaded from iTunes and really like. Where did the title come from?

Kyle: It comes from the lyrics of "Come the Black Tide", track #10 on the album. Bryan can further elaborate.

Bryan: True. I think that the real derivation of the phrase though came when we were finalizing some of the album lyrics and were just about to enter the studio to begin tracking. I realized that a lot of the material on the record was written about people that I know, had known, loved, and lost. It's really about how all of the emotions surrounding that word, "love", can really take you to extremes psychologically speaking - in a good and bad way as the case may be.

Me: There's no elephant on the cover on this album, guys. There's a beach picture instead. What does that represent?

Kyle: For me, it kind of represents simplicity on first glance. It is just a picture of the beach on a nice summer day. But, look closer, notice the palm tree is actually plastic and not a real palm tree at all. The picture depicts love in a way - simple on the surface and much more complicated underneath.

Me: The band is based in Philly, right? Do you guys all live there?

Kyle: Correct, but we do not all live there. Bryan and I live in Brooklyn, Terry lives in West Chester, and Ian lives in Philly, so 1 out of 4. I guess that is better than 0 out of 4, hahaha. We all grew up outside of Philly, so we still consider that our base. Also, it is way easier to tell people that you are from Philly than to say "I'm from Downingtown". Where is that?

Bryan: Exactly. Especially when you're touring people have no clue where Downingtown is.

Me: Is that where this new album was recorded? How would you compare "Love is Lunacy" to "Elephants on a Mousehunt"?

Kyle: The new album was recorded right outside of Philly in Conshohocken mostly, but 95% of the vocals were done at a home studio in Upper Darby and the strings at a studio in Oreland. I would say that "Love is Lunacy" is a more mature album than elephants just because we as people are maturing and as a result our songwriting is too. Barring a couple of the really heavy drop D tunes on "Elephants", both albums are relatively comparable though. "Elephants" leads the way to "Love is Lunacy", so it is easy to find some similarities.

Bryan: I agree. I think "Love is Lunacy" really shows how the four of us are getting a little older and experiencing more of what being an adult is. Not to mention that there have been some difficult times over the last couple of years and those experiences definitely seeped into the musical approach that we took.

Me: I have to ask about Indie on the Move. At first when I read it I thought it was Indie on the Movie, as you guys have a documentary out on the band. But, it's Indie on the Move. What is that exactly?

Kyle: Indie on the Move is a 100% FREE, open-source, interactive live music venue database and tour booking resource geared towards independent musicians and booking agents. It is a tool that we created to allow other DIY, independent bands to do what we did from 2006-2009, which was toured our asses off. It is also us doing our part to keep the independent music community connected and thriving. We are a little more than 2.5 years in at this point and we have seen great success currently showing over 20,000 account holders and about 3,500 music venues.

Me: So, you're gonna help other bands? Is there any that you helped with yet?

Kyle: We have helped hundreds if not thousands of bands book successful US tours just by providing them with the information that we publish on Indieonthemove.com.

Me: Any who would be good for the Phile?

Kyle: That is hard to say as we deal with so many bands & venues every day as a result of the website. There is not just one act that jumps out. Check out indieonthemove.com and go to the Gig Swap section of the site to find some acts. You can search by city, state, & genre (or all at once).

Me: And you guys were in 'Sports Illustrated' 2011 Swimsuit issue? What?! Explain, guys.

Kyle: Yeah, pretty cool right? We had a connection in the video department of the company and submitted our material to him. He found a couple of choice spots where he thought our stuff fit and he submitted it to his bosses. They approved the video and decided to mention us in the magazine too. We were pretty excited.

Bryan: The only bummer was that they didn't include our band body paint shot in the mag. Maybe next year (fingers crossed)!

Me: Are you guys still traveling and touring around the world?

Kyle: Not so much around the world anymore as regionally in the northeast. With Indie on the Move and other non-band responsibilities, we find it hard to just hit the road for months/years at a time. Now, would we do it if the right opportunity came along? Of course.

Q: Thanks so much for being here on the Phile again, Kyle, and welcome Bryan. Please come back when the next album comes out. Go ahead and plug your website and anything else. I wish you guys continued success and please come back again.

Kyle: Thanks so much for having us. The new album is out now and is available on iTunes and on CDbaby.com. Musicians - definitely check out Indieonthemove.com. It's FREE, so worse case you hate it and never use it again. I doubt that will be the case though.

Bryan: And don't forget to check out the band at www.zelazowa.com. Thanks a lot, Jason!

Man, what a great band. They are definitely one of my favorite bands. Thanks to Bryan and Kyle for a great interview, and to you readers for reading on a Thursday. Hope everybody will be safe this weekend. Anyway, the Phile will be back on Sunday with artist Danielle Soloud and then on Monday with the singer for one of mine and my son's favorite bands ever. It's Jaret Reddick, lead singer for Bowling for Soup. Freakin' cool, right? So, spread the word, don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Pheaturing Alumni Baub Eis

Hello, and welcome to a Monday entry of the Phile, how is everybody doing? I still feel like shit in case you're wondering. Well, a new survey has Rick Perry ahead of Mitt Romney by eleven points, and Michele Bachmann is five points behind him. I think it’s going to come down to who wears the most flag pins. Perry is an attractive candidate for many conservatives, because he wants smaller government, to cut national spending, and he knows how to fire a grenade launcher. He’s like the Sarah Palin of politics. Perry was a Democrat at one time, but only once, when he was experimenting in college. Donald Trump may be running for president, and why not? He’s got that everyman quality that we can all relate to.  The price of gold is at a record high. It’s so high that an angry mob looted Mr. T. The CEO of Starbucks said that President Obama shouldn’t be vacationing during a crisis, and that he should be getting Americans back to work — so they can afford a $9 cup of coffee. The White House is pointing out that all presidents take vacation. Teddy Roosevelt took trips to Long Island, Harry Truman would go to Key West, and George Bush would go to Legoland. A brawl broke out during a Joe Biden speech in China. Apparently, someone was blocking the exit. Okay, so yesterday I showed an inspirational poster that made no sense to me of a math problem of sort sort, right.  Well, I found another inspirational poster that made no sense to me. Check it out.

Did you see the new Rick Perry ad? If you didn't, check it out. 

What a scumbag. Speaking of politics, now that Obama is on vacation and did really good on his campaign tour I thought I would invite 'friend' Reince Priebus, the RNC Chairman back on the Phile and let him know how well Obama did. So, once again, please welcome back to the Phile RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in a pheature I call...

Me: Hello, Chairman, welcome back to the Phile. So, the President did well on his re-election tour. Do you know how much money he raised so far? Millions.

Reince: Yes, Barack Obama has already raised over $86 million for his 2012 re-election effort from his liberal elitist friends coast-to-coast.

Me: That's not bad, is it? What can you say about that, Chairman?

Reince: All the campaign cash in the world and the desperate effort by his adoring mainstream media allies to paint a rosy picture over the Obama Recession can't hide the truth from Americans who are hurting. He went and will go on a taxpayer-funded stunt to try and recapture the glory days of 2008's "Hope & Change" and once again use the liberal media to pull the wool over the American people's eyes.

Me: Pull the wool over the American people's eyes? What do you mean?

Reince: Obama may be looking to cruise Main Street, USA, but his policies have America headed for a "debt" end.

Me: Look, Chairman, I don't think anybody can complain what the President is doing. The American people still love him, maybe not as much, but they still do.

Reince: Friend, America simply cannot allow Obama and his Chicago political machine handlers to spin more fiction about his so-called "moderation" and "bipartisanship" around what is clearly the most radical left-wing White House that America has ever seen. You can help frustrate their schemes today.

Me: So, let's get one thing clear, you think the President has ruined the economy?

Reince: Friend, Barack Obama has driven the American economy into a ditch.

Me: And what do you call his bus tour again? 

Reince: His "Debt-End" Bus which will visit as many of the "57 states" as possible to hoodwink the voters with more empty promises and misplaced blame. 

Me: Thank you as always for being so negative, Chairman.

The fifth artist to be pheatured in the P.P.A.G. is Danielle Soloud and this is one of her sketches. Danielle will be a guest on the Phile next Sunday.

Alrighty, today's guest was first on the Phile way back on December 21st, 2008. He was actually the fourth guest I ever had on the Phile and the first male. Anyway, he is the guitar player for the Geoff Stein Project and the Baub Eis Band who will be playing at Shady Gators in Lake Ozark, Missouri on August 23rd. Please welcome back to the Phile... Baub Eis.

Me: Hello, Baub, welcome back to the Phile. So, how have you been?

Baub: I've been really good. Summer is in the air. The long deep snowy winter is just a thing of the past. Mountain biking is back in full swing in the Ozarks, so I can't really complain.

Me: You were the first male interview I had on the Phile, Baub. Are you honored?

Baub: I'm not really sure. I probably just would have stuck with the women.

Me: Have you been following the Phile since you've been on?

Baub: I tune in once and a while. I have lots of things to keep up with. But once and a while I will see a reference to your site in the log files on my website so I'll sneak back and take a peek at what's going on.

Me: Okay, I noticed you have your own band The Baub Eis Band, which you had for 15 years, right? When you were here before you were the guitarist for The Geoff Stein Project who had a great album out called "Coconut Coasters". Is the GSP still together?

Me: GSP has always been a studio band. It's mostly comprised of folks from the BEB (Baub Eis Band). Either current members or members from the past, and or just music friends of mine. Geoff is the song writer and I just lined up all the players and did the producing.

Me: How is Geoff?

Baub: Geoff was actually in the hospital for a while. Had some sort of crazy kidney failure? He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. He is doing better now, but still has to monitor things pretty closely.

Me: Any new projects with that band?

Baub: We are actually in the middle of another CD. We are really close and actually really dragging behind. Mostly because of my performance schedule. The new CD is actually really awesome if we could just get the last 10% finished up and mixed down.

Me: Let's talk about your other band, your own one, The Baub Eis Band... who is in this band with you?

Baub: Johnny Marsi plays drums and sings lead and back up vocals. KP Hauge plays bass guitar and brings comic relief to the show. I play guitar and sing and do the live looping stuff.

Me: You are currently looking for a new lead singer, is that right? Will you be putting an album out when you find one?

Baub: We will probably do one without a singer if we have to. John and I sing enough if we have to. We really need more of a front man. I've have a studio here at the house, so we do record a lot of stuff. We just are always so busy playing anymore its tough to stay motivated. LOL.

Me: I listened to your song "Filthy Mouth" and liked it a lot, Baub. That song needs to be put up on iTunes so I can download it. Did you write said song?

Baub: Actually John our drummer wrote that one. It was one of those songs that just kind of came together at rehearsal one night. We recorded it, listened back the next couple of days and then changed a few things and viola! We had a song. We also talked about just getting that song
mastered and posted on iTunes.

Me: Does your band do a lot of originals or mostly covers? It's a different style of band then the GSP is, isn't it?

Baub: Yeah, the BEB does a lot of both. We do a lot of covers too, but we aren't the play the record note for note kind of guys. We really consider ourselves more of a rock/blues/jam band. We have been trying to work in more live looping into our shows. As a three piece there is a lot of space we can fill, so we have been experimenting with that a lot. And also loading samples into the looper of different noises, political speeches and robot noises and just randomly throwing weird stuff in here and there.

Me: You guys are based in Missouri in the Ozarks. Do you still live there?

Baub: Yeah, we all live at the Lake of the Ozarks, here in Missouri. It's a big tourist town so we do a lot of shows a year here. We usually play 50-75 shows a year, plus we all have full time jobs too. With this economy you have to have two jobs if not three.

Me: Baub, one thing I didn't ask you about before is the origin of your name. It's very original and sounds European. Is it? Does it have a meaning?

Baub: I'm actually Robert Eis, III. So we had three Bob's that all lived in the same town growing up, so I changed it to differentiate myself from the rest of the Bob's in my life. The family name of Eis is actually German.

Me: Let's talk about The Homegrown Show, Baub. I didn't realize you were host of your own radio show. How long have you been doing that show, Baub?

Baub: I've been doing the Homegrown Show for 3 or 4 years now. I think I have done 150 shows or something like that? If St. Louis Rams play at 12:30, I don't have a show that week, which cancels a few shows during the year, but I actually kind of welcome the break. It's always a hustle to get bands lined up. And they always cancel at the last minute too! So take that bands! If you want to ever get anywhere in life as a musician, just show up when you say you will...

Me: The same for here. I invite bands and musicians to the Phile, and some say yes, so I work on the questions after doing research, send them in and never hear from them again. I am talking to you Jonny Blu, and Elyse Haren. Okay, I got that of fmy chest. What kinda show is it? You interview different bands like I do, right?

Baub: I basically interview original Missouri based bands. Once and a while we will sneak in a cover but I primarily focus on original songs. It takes a lot of guts to write and play originals. Everyone can learn to play a cover. I want to promote the folks that are out there sticking out
their necks to play their own tunes. And the radio station really does promote the hell out of the show. I can't go out to eat without hearing a Homegrown spot on the radio. So that's really great.

Me: I always wanted a radio show, but settled on this blog instead. Is doing radio fun?

Baub: KMYK 93.5 Rocks the Lake, actually in all reality ROCKS THE LAKE, ha ha. I have had so many great opportunities from the station. I always cover the Wakarusa Festival in Northern Arkansas as they always have a lot of Missouri bands play it. But last year I got to interview Bill Kreutzman the drummer from the Grateful Dead. Now that was totally cool! I also do a lot with the Lake Fire & Rescue Shootout boat race here. I think the top-gun speed last year was 208 mph! The radio station actually sets up a TV station for the weekend, and broadcasts the show live on TV. I am the guy that puts up the graphics and speeds, etc. below the boats. I also get to put funny stuff on there. I started doing the “Hottie” cam, every time they would focus in on a boat load of hotties. I started a couple of years ago doing that, and then last year we actually had a sponsor for the “hottie” cam. How funny is that.

Me: Did you have to take any broadcast lessons?

Baub: No, when the station first started the Homegrown show, there was another host, Kevin Burns. BEB was one of the first bands on the show. And then about a year and half later, Kevin left the station and they got a new guy. The station called me because they knew of my music
connections here. So I helped him get started. And then about a year after that, he quit too. So I told the station I would be interested in doing it. They told me to record three full shows before they were ever broadcast and then they would decide on it. So, I did the three
shows and the rest was history. I already had studio experience so it was fairly easy. I had problems at first with worrying about dead air space and saying “uh” or “um”, but I just kind of worked it out. Plus the station owner has given me a lot of tips over time.

Me: Where can a Phile reader listen to your show, Baub?

Baub: If you are in Mid-Missouri, like Lake of the Ozarks, Jefferson City, Columbia, Lebanon, Warsaw or close you can hear it on Sundays at 11am on 93.5FM. If you are anywhere else, it can be streamed via the internet at 935rocksthelake.com.

Me: Thanks so much for being on the Phile again. Please come back when the next GSP album comes out. All the best... go plug your website before you go.

Baub: BAUB.com links to our Facebook and Reverb Nation pages can be found  there also. And thanks again for having me on!

There you go, that about does it for another entry. Thanks to my guests Reince Priebus and of course Baub Eis. Well, the Phile will be back with an extra entry this week on Thursday before my doctor's appointment with Alumni Kyle Reber from the band Zelazowa and then next Sunday it's artist Danielle Soloud and then on Monday it's the singer for one of my and my son's favorite bands ever. You better wear your trucker hat that day, kids. On Thursday I will let you know who it is. Until then, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Now for some Dayquil.