Bill Majoros From The Foreign Films

Hey there, good afternoon, and welcome to a Tuesday entry of the Phile.  Well, according to 72 U.S.C. 403(c)(2)(C), I must show you new Star Wars screen shots as soon as they are released, and breathlessly discuss the implications of the 1.5 seconds of actual new footage.

At the beginning of this trailer, you see what looks like a sci-fi Nuremberg rally full of Stormtroopers. Standing in front of them are a collection of officers, led by one extra-evil seeming guy. One of these officers is (probably) Gwendoline Christie from "Game of Thrones," who will be playing Captain Phasma. One of the other officers is General Hux, played by Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, best known as Bill Weasley from the last Harry Potter films. Standing at center is (again, probably) Andy Serkis playing Supreme Leader Snoke. Collectively, the officers and the soldiers form The First Order, a group that has risen from the ashes of the Empire. The clip debuted as an ad on South Korean TV. I have now officially discharged my duties under the United States Blogging Code. Good day.  Target is changing their kids department to be more PC, and people are furious. The retailer is phasing out "boys" and "girls" sections in favor of a "kids" section. Shocking, right? A few months ago, I reported on Abi Bechtel, a mom/blogger who took to Twitter to call out Target for what she perceived as sexist signs in its toy department. She felt that the store was making unnecessary distinctions between gender, that both boys and girls should be encouraged to build, and that boys shouldn't be the default recipient for that sort of toy. Whether or not you agree with her (and many didn't), a lot of people on the Internet got behind her. Now, Target has heard their complaints, and is making some changes to its kids departments. In a new blog post, the retail behemoth announced that it is fazing out all "boys" and "girls" distinctions in certain departments, including toys, home, and entertainment. The action figures will be next to the dolls, the pink blankets will be next to the blue ones, and the sporting equipment will be next to the sitting quietly equipment. It seems like a nice gesture. Even if the original complaint was a little histrionic, why should there be a distinction between girls' and boys' products? If a girl wants to wear sports gear and play with monster toys, why should some sign tell them they're wrong? And why shouldn't boys play with baby dolls? They need to learn to nurture! To be clear, despite the many commenters saying otherwise, they are not removing the gender labels in the apparel section. Of course, a decision like this couldn't happen without furious online backlash. People across the Internet are flaming Target hard for the company's efforts to destroy families and turn every kid into a genderqueer vegan. What do you think? Has the PC movement gone too far, or is Target doing the right thing by trying to be more inclusive? Just kidding, don't actually tell me what you think.  Megyn Kelly's one minute response to Donald Trump is classier than his 98-story tower. It was either this or physically assault him, and that's still illegal. After Republican presidential frontrunner (shudder) Donald Trump's attacks on debate moderator and news anchor Megyn Kelly turned bizarrely personal (and expectedly misogynistic), people were wondering if she'd respond to the presidential hopeful. Well, she did. Damn, Megyn Kelly! I don't agree with your politics, and it's clear you're dancing around what a ridiculous clown man Donald Trump is to please Fox New's viewing demographic, but your tone drips with all the contempt he deserves. You've chosen not to respond, but that response is on point. She says, "Apparently Mr. Trump thought the question I asked was unfair and felt I was attacking him. I felt he was asked a tough but fair question. We agreed to disagree... Trump, who is the front runner, will not apologize. And I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism. So I'll continue doing my job without fear or favor. Mr. Trump, I expect, will continue with what has been a successful campaign thus far. This is a tough business, and it's time now to move forward." Message: move forward, garbage man, cause I ain't looking back.  If you're keeping track, there have now been four Fantastic Four movies, and four criticial flops. To be fair, the first movie from 1994 was never meant to be released, and the next two were box office successes even if everyone hated them. The latest version, on the other hand, has no excuse. Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot (stylized as Fant4stic if you really want to be sick to your stomach) raked in a dismal $26.2 million over its opening weekend. Compare that to its $120 million budget, and the movie begins to look like a scheme by Dr. Doom to destabilize the U.S. economy... which would have been a better storyline. Even the director tried to distance himself from the movie with an impulsive tweet blaming the studio. He later deleted it, proving that even his opinion isn't immune to being rebooted. The ones who really suffer in all of this are hardcore Fantastic Four comic book fans. At this point, it seems unlikely that the team who put Marvel Comics on the map in the 60s will ever get their due on the big screen. I guess nerds will have to settle for the other 80 superhero movies that come out every year.  Perez Hilton wants us to take a break from covering the Kardashians. Challenge accepted. The gossip blogger Perez Hilton took to Facebook last night to ask his fellow media people to take a Kardashian hiatus. Mr. Hilton, I accept. Next week, from Monday, August 17 to Friday, August 21, this blog will not be publishing a single post about Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Tyga, Kanye, North, or anyone else affiliated with the Klan (er... not that Klan either). No selfies. No baby name reveals. No think pieces about the Kim Kardashian app. No feuds between people I can't quite identify. "Do U ever feel like there's just TOO MUCH Kardashian news out there?????" Perez Hilton asked in a post about his decision. Yeah bro, I do, that's why I support #NoKardashiansForAWeek. He promises "instead of the Kardashian klan, next week we'll be highlighting DAILY inspiring stories about amazing women from all around the world!" I'll try to do that too, if I'm not too busy with Miley stuff.  Okay, so, have you seen Donald Trump's new political poster? I have no idea what to make of it.

Enough is enough.  So, do you remember this from the Star Wars trailer?

Well, it's not entirely original.

Hahaha. Only three of you probably got that, or know who that is.  I love movie posters, I don't know if you know that about me. Anyway, I was wondering what movie posters would look like if they were made with stock photos. Like this one, for instance.

I have never seen Saw, because once again I don't like scary movies.  It's summer, and all trough summer I have been showing you different bathing suits you might see on the beach or by the local pool. Like this one for instance...

Our only consolation is that this somehow sold out. And now for some sad news...

Frank Gifford 
August 16th, 1930 — August 9th, 2015
He had an affair with Johnny Carson's wife, while he was married to Kathie Lee? Seriously? Kathie Lee is just plain HOT. What an idiot. Haha. I'm just kidding, Kathie Lee is not hot.

Monogamy
Monogamy is the practice of not having sex with one person at a time.

The 38th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

David will be a guest on the Phile in a few weeks.

Today's guest is the lead singer and founder for his project The Foreign Films whose EP "Fire From Spark" is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile... Bill Majoros.

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

Bill: Hello from the north! Things are good, summer has finally come to Canada! The trees and flowers are waking up from a long winter sleep, I'm waking up with a strong cup of black coffee! Last night I was recording a song for my new Foreign Films record! I'm very inspired to make new music at the moment... working on all kinds of new ideas. 

Me: You're from Canada, right? What part?

Bill: I'm from Hamilton, Ontario. A tough steel town with a ton of heart and soul.

Me: I always ask my Canadian guests if they are fans of one of my favorite bands ever, who are also from Canada. So, are you a fan of the Barenaked Ladies?

Bill: My favorite Canadian artists would have to be from the old school... Neil Young, Joni Mitchell,  Cohen, The Band. Amazing, transcendent song writers. Robbie Robertson once told me I was a cool guitar player for a 19 year old... I was 26 at the time...  LOL! Alex McMaster who plays in my band has been doing shows with Arcade Fire. I think they 're a great modern Canadian band. My home town has so many fantastic artists/friends as well... Daniel Lanois, Caribou, Sandman Viper Command, Dave Rave/Teenage Head, The Rest, Marie Avery, Amber Edgar, Kori Pop. I could go on and on.

Me: Some of those people have been on the Phile. Let's talk about your own band, Flux A.D., which you were in and was popular back in it's time. Flux A.D. split up and the other members went to form their own bands. You didn't for awhile, right? What happened to Flux A.D.? Will you guys ever get back together?

Bill: Flux was a fantastic band to play in. It was a whirl-wind of creative and personal chemistry... fun/crazy times... LOL! Julie Fader has gone on to play with people like Feist and has a lovely solo record. Graham Walsh has a band called Holy Fuck that's doing very well in the Europe. We're still good friends, I'd love to work with them again but everyone is very busy and in various cities. My main focus is The Foreign Films these days.

Me: You started The Foreign Films in '07, but that's not necessary a band, is it?

Bill: I play many of the instruments and sing on the record but love to have special guests. People like Carl Jennings, Mike Keire and Jon Daly have been amazing in studio to work with. Solo records can be lonely... I'm lucky to have a talented group of friends to help me out and to have pints with. Haha! When I do live shows there is core of great players that can change from time to time. I respect and love working with all of them, it keeps things fresh!

Me: I interviewed many musicians in the past who record not under their name, but a band name, when it's not really a band. What made you decide to record under The Foreign Films?

Bill: I think of my songs as little sonic movies so it felt right to call my solo project The Foreign Films. It's a way to frame my art.

Me: Where did that name come from? If it was my band it'll be called The Phoreign Philms. God, I hate the while "ph" thing.

Bill: The name came out of my love of film and seemed like a creative way to think about my songs and the stories, characters and moods within the songs. These tunes are like the soundtrack of my life. I don't have a journal... I write songs.

Me: On the album cover you do have your name on there as well. I am confused, Bill. Is The Foreign Films a real band then?

Bill: It's more of a collective/solo project...  just a way of saying, in other words, Bill Majoros aka The Foreign Films.

Me: Let's talk about your music. I downloaded both your double album "Distant Star" and your new release "Fire From Spark" from iTunes and liked them both. How would you compare both releases? 

Bill: "Distant Star" was a 22 song record... I had all these tunes (35 total) and needed to get them out in the world. I love double records... "Quadrophenia," "White Album," "Songs in the Key of Life." It's in the tradition of those albums. I think my new music is a little less retro, a little more post-modern. I'm trying to connect the dots between the past, present and future. Trying to tell my own story and find my own sound.

Me: I was impressed "Distant Star" was a double album. That's a lot of songs, Bill. When you were recording it, did you think it was gonna be that long?

Bill: Yeah, a ton of songs! I love working in the studio. I remember the day I told talented friend/ producer Carl Jennings that there was an epic amount of songs with string and horns, etc. Lucky for me he was into it 100 percent, an amazing guy to work with!! Was it a plan... more of a flow of ideas with themes and sonic ideas. We were on a roll and had a great time making it, Carl's a very inspiring guy and bass player. So yes and no... it became the plan! The "Distant Star" LP is a chapter in my life, the new songs/record will be the next!

Me: Your latest release "Fire From Spark" is only a short album, or EP. That's a big difference from the first one. Like before, did you plan on the length?

Bill: My new record is being released in three parts... The 7 song EP that is out now then another 5 song record at the end of summer. At the end of the new year the full length album will be out. It will be a combination of EP songs and a few others, three EPS in one!! The idea is to have a flow of current creativity. In the 60s groups did this all the time. A great older idea in a modern context!

Me: Who produced and played on "Fire From Spark" with you, Bill?

Bill: Michael Keire produced tracks (1,2,3,4), Carl Jennings produced tracks 5,6,7. Jon Daly engineered, amazing guys to work with. Many of my good friends helped out... lovely background vocals from Dee Shalala, Marie Avery (I'm producing her record at the moment), Kori Pop, Amber Edgar. All such talented people!

Me: I watched your video, or film, for the song "A Message" which is made up of 4,000 photos. That's very cool. Tell the readers where they could view it themselves, and who took the pictures?

Bill: A very creative friend of mine Amber Edgar. We're starting work on a new video/mini film next month!! Here's a link to our latest one... youtube.com/watchv=nM8G6YYMYRM&feature=youtube_gdata_player.  

Me: I know Amber. She's been on the Phile twice. The pictures were taken during the recording of "Fire From Spark," right? How are you gonna top that, Bill?

Bill: The new video is going to be a bit film noir... a twist of fate leads to a shocking ending... LOL! I love 70s cinema, it will have that type of mood to it!! Should be very cool!!

Me: You must be into the visual side of music, as well as sound, am I right?

Bill: Very much so... music and visuals can walk hand in hand. When I write a song it comes to me as a story with musical color in mind. Chords and keys have shade and color in my mind. Funny enough I only have one official video. I plan to make many more.

Me: Someone told me your dog released a few albums as Dogzilla, but that's a different Bill Majoros I am guessing, right?

Bill: That not me... noooo. LOL!! I 'm his evil Canadian twin... Not... haha!

Me: Bill, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Come back any time, sir. Why don't you go ahead and plug your website.

Bill: Theforeignfilms.bandcamp.com/album/the-foreign-films-ep, billmajoros.ca.  

Me: Thanks again, and I cannot wait to see what the next video will be.

Bill: Thank you, I'll make sure to send you new music and videos as I release my next EP and full length record!!

Me: Cool, man.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Bill Majoros for a great interview. I love his music. The Phile will be back on Saturday with The Alpine Camp. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker

Pheaturing Marillion

Hey there, it's Sunday and it's another entry of the Phile. I am your host, Jason Peverett, star of the new movie Phantastic Phile.  Let's talk about the sad story of the droid that relied on human kindness to hitchhike Europe & Canada and was promptly murdered in Philly. For over a year, HitchBot travelled the world without working arms, legs, or wheels. It relied solely on human kindness to transport it and to keep its batteries charged, powering the smiling LED face, limited speech capabilities, and GPS tracker that reported to Twitter and the robot's creators where it was. It brought joy to thousands of people all over the world for a year. Then, a few weeks ago, it came to America, where it brought joy to some people on the East Coast before imparting some final satisfaction to whatever depraved individuals smashed it to pieces, decapitated it, and left it for dead in a trash-strewn Philadelphia alley. It is the Cecil the Lion of the robot world. Its trip across Canada, and later Germany and the Netherlands, was an inspiration to the 50,000 people following it on Twitter and hundreds of thousands more who read about it online or heard about it on the news. Then, it got to Philadelphia. The city that pelted a visiting football team with snowballs, threw ice balls at Santa Claus, threw "D" batteries at a guy who asked the Phillies for too much money, required a court in Veterans Stadium, cheered for a guy's neck injury, booed an Irish Tenor for singing a verse of "God Bless America" that normally gets left out, and of course, firebombed their own citizens with napalm. You know, the city whose name in Greek translates to Brotherly Love. The place America was founded. That Philadelphia. Anyway, HitchBot dead now, turning the hashtag #hitchBOTinUSA into a place of mourning and wondering what the hell is wrong with us. Sorry, Canada and the world. I don't know why you trusted us with your life affirming toys. That was dumb of you.  Yeah, Kim and Kanye's son has a name, and it's slightly less of a pun than North. Good news for anyone who thought they were going to take the Prince approach with him. A close family friend (not that close, apparently) gave the "Daily Mail" the secret intel: "Easton is the chosen name. It's confirmed that the baby boy will be called Easton." There you have it! Easton West. In the past, the couple gave multiple hints that they weren't going in a direction direction for this baby, but it seems like they've gone 180° since then. And the direction they wound up going is… due Easton. The "-on" suffix is a nice touch, though. It makes his name sound more like a name. What does this mean for baby #3? Will he/she be called Westley? Or Southington? Probably not. Kim has gone on record saying: "I don't like South West, though, because that's like, you know, North will always, you know, be better and be more... she has a better direction." That's weird reasoning. Does everyone feel that North is a superior direction to South? Don't tell that to South America.  This is the face of a man who will never live down the reason he was arrested.

In what will go down as the most questionable decision of his life, 34 year old Michael Migani put his finger in his mouth and then stuck it in the ear of a 4 year old child. This action is known to grade-school children and emotionally arrested adults as a wet willy. His assault on the child's personal space occurred in a business's waiting room in Shelton, Connecticut. Truthfully, we've all been there before. Waiting rooms are painfully boring and can bring out the petulant inner child in all of us. Yet, unlike Migani, we understand that god invented smartphones so that we may occupy ourselves instead of rubbing our drool on strangers. Shelton police have charged Michael Migani with second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree breach of peace, which is a relatively minor offense. Yet, Migani will always live with the shame of being that weird old guy in the news for inappropriately touching a young boy's ear. Perhaps his decision to give an innocent boy a wet willy was motivated by years of bullying. Perhaps it was because of the alternative or rock or rap or heavy metal music he listens to... or violent video games... all I know is that culture is to blame! In all likelihood, it's because Michael Migani is a total creep who never learned to keep his hands to himself. Good luck getting a job after that one, freakazoid. Next time, have some impulse control.  Oh baby, Justin Bieber got served papers through an elaborate trick using a dog. If you need to trick Justin Bieber in person, say because you're a vampire trying to get him to invite you inside, selling him magic beans, or serving him with legal papers, all you need is a dog. A lawyer who wanted to serve Bieber papers just happened to be on the same beach walking a dog. No big deal, purely a coincidence. It is known that Bieber loves dogs, and they are much simpler agents with which to lure the Biebs than sports cars or prostitutes. When he kneeled down to pet the dog, the lawyer presented the papers. All too easy. The lawyer represents a home owner who is suing Meek Mill. Bieber had been a guest at Meek's blowout Grammy party, which was held in a giant glass house. That's right, someone rented their giant glass house to Meek Mill for a party. What could go wrong? Here are the keys to my glass house you're using for a party where all the guests are hip hop stars. Help yourself to popsicles in the freezer and here's the number for poison control. Only time will tell if Bieber can ever trust another strange dog.  "Donald Trump said another horrible thing to get attention, and it worked." This is a sentence we will probably repeat a lot over the next year. Last week, Donald Trump, a person who wants to be president of the United States, during a debate with a series of competitors who also want to be president of the United States, called a female comedian a fat pig. And everyone laughed uproariously because it was super cool and appropriate. They loved how he wasn't "politically correct," a term that apparently means not bullying an innocent person in front of millions of viewers. Now Trump went for those same laughs when he talked to CNN about debate moderator Megyn Kelly: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." Ohhhh, the mean lady was on her period, so that's why she was being so emotional. One vote for Donald Trump, please. Trump is now both dismissing criticism of what he said as "political correctness" and backtracking on his remarks. Those excuses kind of contradict each other. Were you not saying she was on her period or is it really chill and professional to say she was on her period? Help us out. Pick a method of gaslighting, Trump! You're all over the place. Speaking of the debate, I thought I was watching it but I might have been watching something else...

One thing that I love that I don't think I have ever shared before is movie posters. I love movie posters! Anyway, ever wondered what a certain movie posters would look like if they used stock photos? I do.

I've never seen Halloween. I don't like scary movies.  It's summer and all through summer I am showing you different bathing suits or bikinis you might find at a beach or by your local community pool. Like this one for instance...

It's like a Vera Bradley bag came to life and was also an idiot. And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York here is this week's...

Top Phive Startling Similarities And Differences Between Subway's Jared Fogle And HitchBot
5. His career came to an abrupt and ugly end.
4. Is surprisingly lovable, despite his inhumanity.
3. Has a strange and unsettling body type.
2. Will soon be featured in Subway's advertising.
And the number one thing similar and different between Jared and HitchBot is...
1. Deserves to get his ass beat in a Philadelphia alley.

This is a real hard one. I think it's the hardest one yet. If you spot the Mindphuck please let me know. Okay, real quick, before I forget.... Happy birthday to my little sister, Leila. I wanted to make sure I said that today.

Snood
Snood! Remember Snood?

The 38th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

David will be a guest on the Phile in a few weeks.

This is so cool! Today's guests are known as the most successful band to emerge from the United Kingdom's 1980s neo-progressive rock scene, and have sold more than 15 million albums. There latest album "Brave Live 2013" and the studio album "Sounds That Can't Be Made" is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley, and Steve Hogarth from... Marillion!

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

Ian: We're good.

Me: I have to ask you about the band's name. I am sure die-hard Marillion fans know the answer, but there's probably a lot of my American readers that don't know. Where does the name Marillion come from and what does it mean?

Pete: It was after a book by Tolkein called "The Silmarillion"... we took it and dropped the Sil.

Me: Let's talk about your fans, they call themselves Freaks or something like that, right? I love it when fans of bands have a name, like Dead Heads and Parrot Heads. Hey, even Phile fans have a name. Phile Phans. original, eh? Where did the Marillion fans name originate and why do they call themselves that?

Pete: We did a B-side to a song in the early 80s called "Freaks." I guess it resonated with some people! Especially the line "all the best freaks are here."

Me: There's also fan conventions hosted yearly, right? Are they put on by the band themselves? Does the band show up to them and perform?

Steve R.: They are every two years. We hire out a holiday park in Holland complete with accommodation for 3000 people and fill it with Marillion fans so it becomes MarillionLand for 3 days and nights. The staff spend about 6 months organising it and we spend about 3 months rehearsing for it as we play a different set each night. They are hard work but such great fun. In Holland this year we had people fly in from 42 different countries! We then took the shows out this year and did the shows in Montreal and in the U.K. No accommodation or anything in the ticket price... just three nights of music.

Me: How many conventions have they been and where are they usually held?

Steve R.: This is the 6th one we have done.

Me: You guys are also known to be one of the bands that use the Internet for more than just a webpage. Tell the readers about Web Cottage Industry, and how you guys reach out to the fans through the web?

Ian: That's really not a short answer! I suppose the most important part is the album pre-orders which we started in 2001. In what was considered an unprecedented venture in the music industry, Marillion fans financed the making of the our 2001 album, "Anoraknophobia," after an Internet whip-round raised over £100,000… a staggering 8 months BEFORE the album was even recorded. We used our email database, consisting of over 30,000 dedicated followers, (which is now over 150,000) to approach their fans as an alternative to taking up the deals we were being offered from established record companies. The response was overwhelmingly positive: within 3 weeks fans offered to pre-pay for the album, to the tune of 5% of total world-wide expected sales, providing enough money to cover the costs of making our album. In doing so, a record company advance was rendered redundant and we retained the rights to our new music.

Me: The band is from England, right? What part? And are you all English?

Mark: I am Irish but the rest of them are from mid - North England but we all now reside near our studio in Aylesbury.

Me: Let's talk about who is in the band. Tell the readers who you are. Are you all original members? 

Ian: Mark Kelly keyboards, Steve Hogarth vocals, myself on drums, Pete Trewavas bass, Steve Rothery guitar.  Me and Steve H. are not original members. I joined in 1984 and Steve in 1989.

Me: One member I know of who is not in the band is Fish. I didn't know until just recently he wasn't in the band anymore and you have a new singer Steve Hogarth, who is brilliant by the way. When did Fish leave the band?

Steve R.: In 1988!

Me: Oh, 27 years ago. Was it on good terms, or the opposite? I had to check to make sure he was still alive. That would of sucked if he passed away, and I didn't know.

Mark: That's all been well documented... at the time it was difficult but 27 years later enough time has passed that have a drink together occasionally if we are all in the same part of town.

Me: Anyway, Steve like I said, is brilliant. Did he audition for the band, or did you guys know right away you wanted him?

Ian: We were sent a tape and asked him to audition and we knew there and then.

Me: I listened to a lot of Marillion music before I did this interview and I was surprised that the music style has changed over the years, kinda like U2 did. Is that a conscious thing, or did it just happen that way?

Steve H.: Our music just evolves.

Me: How would you guys describe your music?

Steve R.: Soulful, powerful, and often deeply-moving music.

Me: I first knew about Marillion with the "Misplaced Childhood" album which had some huge hits on it. Would you consider that to be the peak of the band's success?

Pete: In terms of the media I would say yes but we have much more creative and financial freedom now and I would call that a success.

Me: Let's talk about your more recent releases... one of your latest releases is "Less Is More," which was an acoustic album. I downloaded it from iTunes and was surprised to see two songs on it... "Runaway" and "Fake Plastic Trees". First off, is that a cover of Bon Jovi's "Runaway"?

Ian: Then you haven't listened to it! "Runaway" is a song from our 1994 album "Brave."

Me: Good point. Second, that's a cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees," am I right on this one? Are you guys a big Radiohead fan?

Mark: We like some of what they are do but all love that song especially.

Me: I also downloaded the new album "Brave Live 2013," and really enjoyed it. It's not just available on CD, but there's a Blu-ray and DVD version as well, right?

Steve H.: Correct, though the Blu-ray is not available in the U.S.

Me: Do you guys get to tour America at all?

Steve H.: We haven't been since 2004 but plans are afoot to return in 2016 which we are really looking forward to. Watch this space.

Me: I mentioned the album "Misplaced Childhood," which had some big hits on it, and was surprised they weren't on your other past albums. Do you guys still perform "Lavender Blue" and "Kayleigh"?

Steve R.: No, we don't really perform "Lavender Blue" and "Kayleigh" much anymore... we have done 15 albums since then.

Me: On the latest studio album "Sounds That Can't Be Made" there's a 17 minute song that opens the album called "Gaza." What is that song about, it's a political song, right?

Steve H.: This is a song for the people... especially the children... of Gaza. It was written after many conversations with ordinary Palestinians living in the refugee camps of Gaza and the West Bank. I spoke also to Israelis, to NGO workers, to a diplomat unofficially working in Jerusalem, and took their perspectives into account whilst writing the lyric. It is not my/our intention to smear the Jewish faith or people... we know many Jews are deeply critical of the current situation... and nothing here is intended to show sympathy for acts of violence, whatever the motivation, but simply to ponder upon where desperation inevitably leads. Many Gazan children are now the grandchildren of Palestinians BORN in the refugee camps... so called "temporary" shelters. Temporary for over 50 years now. Gaza is today, effectively, a city imprisoned without trial.


Me: So, what's next for you guys? Will you be working on a new studio album?

Pete: Yes, back in the studio all summer to write a new album.

Me: Thanks so much for being on the Phile, it really is a big thrill for me more than it was for you I am sure. Go ahead and mention your website, and I hope you guys will come back to the Phile soon. Will you do that?

Ian: Thanks very much to you... tell people to come to Marillion.com where they can get a free download or CD and see what we've been up to all these years.

There, that does it for this entry of the Phile. It was cool that I had Marillion on the Phile but I think they thought I was an idiot and I doubt they'll ever come back. I'll they again though. Haha. Anyway, thanks to the guys from Marillion. The Phile will be back on Tuesday with Bill Majoros from The Foreign Films. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Happy birthday, Leila!

Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker

Pheaturing Spinrad

Hey there, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. Man, who in Florida is sick of this bloody rain? I know I am. I can't wait for whatever season it isn't right now.  Last Friday, Slyva Stoel was about to complete her two-week anniversary working at JCPenney when her (male) supervisor told her that her shorts violated the dress code. Stoel was shocked when she heard the news. She was wearing a basic pair of shorts that were about as provocative as the summer version of pants suit bottoms. She also bought them from the career section of a little store called JCPenney. Still, her supervisor asked her how long it would take her to go home, change, and come back, to which Stoel responded "probably the whole day." Zing! She then drove home and posted about the incident on Twitter, with a great double-take...

The post got a lot of attention, and thanks to the cogs in the vast machine we call the Internet, Stoel opened up a great discussion about sexism in the workplace and problematic dress codes. Seriously, how are dress codes still a thing? Unless you're the type of person who would go to work naked with a python covering up your private parts, you should be able to wear whatever the hell you want. JCPenney has yet to respond. I'm assuming they'll either let it blow over or release a very stout PR apology. Whatever happens, Stole shed light on some important issues by bringing her story to the public. She also shed light on the dangers of dressing like Popeye.  The Internet is furious with a (different) American huntress and not just because the word "huntress" is dumb. Have you gotten tired of unleashing your righteous rage on Dr. Walter Palmer? Well, here's some good news. A new villain has emerged on the Internet, killing endangered African animals left and right just for your amusement. And don't worry about upsetting her with your vitriol... she loves it. Sabrina Corgatelli is a university accountant believed to be from Boise, Idaho. In her spare time, she is also a big game hunter, and is currently in South Africa on one hell of a safari trip. She's been posting pictures where she poses with her kills for days, attracting thousands of angry comments and threats. Meanwhile, she's soaking it up... she hasn't taken down a Facebook page dedicated to her hunting photos, and a few days before the trip, she posted a meme of Leonardo DiCaprio saying, “To all the haters. Stay tuned, you're gonna have so much more to be pissed off about." Commenters on Corgatelli's page have been calling her "human garbage" and a "serial killer," and expressing wishes that one of the animal kills her, but it hasn't slowed her down. She has largely refrained from responding, except to one commenter who asked whether what she was doing was legal. She wrote back, “There is parts of Africa you can't, but where I'm at it completely legal." I didn't edit the typos out of her comment because it's fun to judge her for that too. Corgatelli was particularly proud to take down a kudu, writing, "Yesterday was day 1 an amazing day!!! Got my beautiful beautiful Kudu!! It was my #1 want on my list and I got him on the first day!!! Loving it there!!" If you want to let Sabrina Corgatelli know exactly what you think of her, head on over to her Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sabrina-Corgatelli/970549649631494. But be aware that's exactly what she wants. Because after you've killed every animal in Africa, there's only one prey left that interests you... trolls. And this lady's on the troll hunt of a lifetime.  Teen heroes uses their special teen powers to thwart some lame old guy's robbery. Nobody likes it when surly adolescents pretend you don't exist, but that's what happened to a robber in Coventry, Rhode Island, who entered a Subway sandwich shop staffed by two teens and demanded all the money in the register. Not only did he not get any cash, he didn't even get as much as an "Ew, gross," as the teens simply stood there and ignored him. The lead robber was a heavyset man in his 40s and 50s, i.e. exactly the type of human these teens have probably had long years of experience ignoring at home and in school. After a minute or two of being neglected by these kids, the man "became agitated and mumbled something under his breath as he walked out of the business," said police. About half an hour later, the man robbed a nearby liquor store. I guess he figured teens aren't allowed to work in liquor stores, so at least he'd get some proper respect. I want to know more about how they ignored him. Was this a classic "dead-stare-back-in-your-eyes" teen standoff? Or were the two teens talking to each other about how Jessica is totally into Tommy but Tommy is too dorky to realize it? Or were they on their phones, not even aware of the outside world at all? Good job, teens! It's nice to know that you're out there, defending the... hey, I'm talking to you. Hello? I'm trying to pay you a compliment, you know. Your Snapchat will still be there in a second! Well, okay, I guess it won't, but you're still being rude. I'm only 46, you know! No, that's not creepy. Whatever, I'm leaving. You kids suck.  A 19 year old student who shot porn in her college library could be shooting porn in jail soon. Oregon State University student Kendra Sutherland just went viral on the filthy web after shooting some solo porn in her school's library. The 31-minute... how empty is that library?... video shows Sutherland undressing and fondling herself for her camera in OSU's Valley Library. The video was uploaded to porn sites and received over 250,000 views in just a few days, with students sharing it campus-wide. Now police have cited her for public indecency, a misdemeanor that can carry a $6250 fine and up to a year in jail. Sutherland reportedly had not registered for any courses this semester... Yay, college ID's that don't expire, and the school has been vocal about how this incident does not represent the University. So rest easy, parents. When your kids make porn in the library, it wasn't on the syllabus. While Sutherland likely won't be invited back to OSU should she try to reenroll next semester, the popularity of the video means she probably has a career in porn waiting if she wants it, ironically making her one of the few college students who might actually find a job after leaving campus.  So, they are making a new Captain America movie to be out next year but for some reason they are going for  awhile new look...

I love Sam the Eagle.  Did you grow up reading those Hardy Boys books? You know, I loved them but there's a few of the books I didn't know existed.

Yeah, I don't remember that one.  So, yesterday I went to the mall, and I noticed something. Ever see an inanimate object you swear had a face? No? Well, look at this.

And I thought I looked angry. Haha.  Well, it's summer, even though you would never know it by looking out the window here in Florida. Anyway, all through summer I am showing you some bikinis or bathing suits you might see at the beach. Check it out...

If CDs weren't already dead, this would be the point at which they commit suicide.  As you know, I live in Florida, and there's some strange things that happen in Florida that don't happen anywhere else. That's why I have a pheature called...

I couldn't be more proud of Tavish Smith if she were my own mom who slipped out of handcuffs in the back of a police car so that she could eat the sandwich bag full of weed that had been found in the truck she had crashed twice while drunk-driving the wrong way down US-1. As evidenced by the WPLG report, Florida local Smith was in great spirits for a woman who had been drinking great spirits. Despite facing some serious consequences for the numerous crimes she'd been caught doing, she was laughing and joking with her arresting officer the whole time, even as he catches her out of her cuffs. "I'm sorry, I'm staying in them!" she laughs. She wasn't just trying to scratch her nose, though she did that, too. She made a snap decision to destroy some of the evidence, so when the officer stepped away, Smith grabbed what had been referred (reeferred?) to as the "good ol' mary-ja-wanna" from the front seat of the squad car and gobbled it up like it was her first case of the munchies. You gotta hand it to her for making the attempt... no body, no crime... but, unfortunately for her, the whole thing was caught on videotape. "Bags of weed just don't go missing inside a police car," said the trooper. That's right. They usually stay in place until the cops can get a chance to smoke it themselves. She was only going to be charged with misdemeanor crimes of minor hit-and-run, DUI, and marijuana possession, but tampering with the evidence bumped things up to the felony level. Smith posted bond and has been released from jail, though it's doubtful any facility could hold her anyway.

Snack time. And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's...

Top Phive Dr. Seuss Books For The Digital Age
5. "How the Grinch Stole Santa's Identity."
4. "Horton Pirates a Movie!"
3. "Oh, The Places You'll Google!"
2. "The Cat in the Chat."
And the number one Dr. Seuss book for the digital age is...
1. "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Bluetooth."

If I had a bike that's what it'll like... only blue. If you spot the Mindphuck let me know.

Okay, today's guests are the guys that make up the band Spinrad whose latest EP "Chase the Sun" is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile David Styer, Jeff Repo and Sean King from Spinrad.

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

Sean: Thank you very much, we are doing well.

Me: I was thinking you guys were from New Orleans or New York, being a jazz band, but you are based in Arkansas, is that right?

Sean: We are currently based in Northwest Arkansas, but we are actually in the middle of moving to Springfield, Missouri. That is where we've been spending most of our time, and met so many amazing people who are part of that scene that it just makes sense for us right now. We aren't really what most people might think of when they think of a jazz band. We definitely have jazz influence and roots, but we feel that we are actually a rock/jam band that uses heavy jazz overtones. I guess as far as jazz is concerned, we are probably more on the fusion side of that genre.

Me: I can't imagine there are a lot of jazz bands from there. Am I right or wrong?

David: Hahaha. Absolutely right. There are none. Which is a big reason behind our move to Springfield. Arkansas doesn't really seem to know what to make of us. Missouri State University, where our saxaphonist, Austin, is attending is a big part of why there is more of a jazz friendly scene there. There are some super amazing jazz musicians there, Austin and a number of musician friends of ours, get to study under true masters there.

Me: Jeff, you're from Canada, and yesterday I said you all were from Canada. Anyway, I always ask my Canadian guests if they are a fan of one of my favorite bands ever... The Barenaked Ladies. So, are you a fan of them?

Jeff: I attended a festival they played at in Toronto, and they had a great show. I can't really say that I have ever been a fan, or drawn any influence from them.

Me: Let's talk about your band, guys. I spelt it Spinrad, but you guys spell it like SpiNRad, Should've I spelt it with the lower case i and a?

Sean: Actually, it's SPiNRaD. Only the vowels are lowercase. But we're not militant about it, however people wanna write it is cool with us.

Me: Who came up with the spelling like that? There has to be a meaning behind it.

David: It seems to work well as a logo with the capitalization. But there isn't any meaning behind it. We think it looks cool. Haha.

Me: What about the name itself? Where did that come from?

David: I hate beating my head against the wall looking for a good band name. When Jeff and I started this band it was the first word that jumped off the wall at me.

Me: Have you heard of the author Norman Spinrad?

David: I have the book "The Druid King" by Norman. The word Spinrad kind of stood out to me one night when I was pondering what to call this band.

Me: Where did you guys meet? You all were in different bands before Spinrad, right?

David: Jeff and I were in a band together for about 6 years before we started Spinrad. Austin was in a band from Mountain Home and Sean was in 3 or 4 bands when we met him.

Me: Your first album was called "Long Sleep the King," which I looked for on iTunes but couldn't find it. Will it be up there?

David: It will find it's way on iTunes eventually.

Me: When did that album come out?

David: We finished "Long Sleep the King" in 2008.

Me: I downloaded the latest EP "Chase the Sun." How does that EP compare to the album?

David: "Long Sleep the King" was our first recording project. We hadn't found Austin and Sean yet so Jeff and I recorded the album just the two of us. There are a couple guest musicians on there too. 

Me: Did you guys write all the songs on the EP, which I enjoyed by the way.

Sean: Ya. All the material is original. It's awesome to hear that you like the music!!

Me: You guys are big fans of The Dave Matthews Band... have you ever seen him in concert, or met Dave?

Sean: We all went up to Saint Louis last year to see them, but we haven't met Dave yet. We did get to hang out with Jeff Coffin, Dave Matthews sax player.

Me: What is your favorite DMB song, and who else do you listen to?

David: Any song from "Crash." I've been listening to Herbie Hancock, Coldplay, Ryan Adams, and Adele is really growing on me.

Jeff: Rapunzel and Where Are You Going. Steely Dan, Victor Wooten, Esperanza Spalding. As far as drummers; Kieth Carlock, Steve Gadd, Teddy Campbell and Aaron Spears.

Sean: Rapunzel. I also listen to a lot of Victor Wooten, Primus, Parliment, Stanley Clarke, as well as metal and alt rock bands.

Me: So, are you guys working on any new music? What is next for you guys?

Sean: Always. Most songs start around a nucleus of Dave's songwriting, then we all just start building on it. We are certainly talking and thinking about the next album. Next up for us is probably settling into our new town, which seems to have really taken us in. Beyond that, we are looking to start putting together some nice tours and start building our behind the scenes team.

Me: Thanks so much for being here on the Phile, and I hope you all can come back again when your new album comes out. Do you guys want to plug your website?

David: Thank you for having us. People interested in finding out more about us can check out these sites: spinradmusic.com,  facebook.com/spinradmusic, youtube.com/spinradtv, and reverbnation.com/spinradmusic.

Me: Thanks again, and take care.

David: Thank you, you do the same.

That about does it foe this entry. Thanks to the guys from Spinrad for a great interview. Okay, the Phile will be back next Sunday with the guys from Marillion. Yeah, that Marillion. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker

Pheaturing Lisa Piccirillo From Hotels & Highways

Good evening and welcome to the Phile on a Sunday. How're you doing?  Let's start with a story about Donald Trump who reacted like a whiny little baby to a woman who needed to use a breast pump. Lawyer Elizabeth Beck gave an interview with CNN yesterday, telling them that during a deposition Donald Trump refused to let the courtroom break during an previously agreed upon lunch hour, forcing her to admit she had some excretions that just weren't going to wait. No, not urine. She didn't get her period. Keep going... Bingo, breast milk. How did Trump react? Like a toddler throwing a shit fit, screaming in the new mother's face that she was "disgusting," then storming out of the courtroom and ending the day's deposition. Woo, half day! Well, this is hardly the worst thing Donald Trump has ever done. In fact I'd describe it as "on brand." Trump insists he was calling Elizabeth Beck disgusting because he believed she was trying to derail the case with the distracting lawyerly shim-sham of waving a breast pump around. He also says in another interview that Beck wanted to breastfeed in front of him, she was in fact desperate to have him watch her. Yeah, right. Every woman's dream is to have Donald Trump make dead eye contact with her as she mechanically presses milk from her body. His other response is to draw attention to the fact that Beck lost the case. If someone loses a case, they have to sit and stew in their boob juice, until Trump is willing to admit they're a human being. So, forever. Oh, well. One day the world won't treat breastfeeding like someone took a poop on a desk! Probably not Donald Trump, he is very committed to being the worst.  Well, as required by celebrity law, Ashlee Simpson gave her daughter a weird name. Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross welcomed a baby girl into their lives, and they named the little bundle of joy Jagger Snow Ross. Sounds like they put a lot of thought into the name, or they were sitting on the couch and Evan said, "man, I love drinking Jäger," and Ashlee responded with "my favorite season is winter." Then their eyes lit up, and they realized they had a perfect celebrity baby name. Or they chose exclusively from the last names of The Rolling Stones, which actually makes sense because the other options would be Richards, Watts, and Wood. And Jagger is technically the most feminine of them all. Young Jagger will get to grow up with cousins, as Ashlee's sister Jessica has kids named Max and Ace. Just a playdate with kids named Jagger, Max, and Ace. Ashlee and Jessica can look on lovingly, remembering when they were little girls, dreaming what it would be like to raise kids together with names resembling Axe body sprays. It goes without saying that Jagger will have a very simple and modest upbringing.  Spiders close school for third time, proving summer school is the worst. To ensure that fear lives in the hearts and minds of students forever, some brown recluse spiders decided to take up residency at a Pennsylvania elementary school. This is the third time the school has closed because of spiders. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times and there's no way anyone will ever be comfortable in that school because it's plagued by spiders. The Tuscarora School District made the decision to close the school Tuesday after officials met with the district's pest control management company. The company found five to six spiders in the school's library in mid-July. They were also found during separate incidents last year in the lunchroom kitchen and the boiler room. So basically the entire school has the potential to be a complete nightmare. The librarians, custodial staff, and lunchroom workers must fear every last book, broom and industrial sized container of whatever it is they feed kids in cafeterias these days. But at least they don't have a spider living in their ear. There are some positive ways to view this problem. In addition to snow days, there are now spider days. No school! And hopefully any kid having trouble with bullies keeps a few fake spiders in his pockets.  There have been a buttload of investigative journalism pieces about how ISIS recruits young women to become their "brides." They'll use social media to find unsuspecting women living in the middle of nowhere, convince them that joining ISIS will provide them with a life of luxury or salvation or whatever, and arrange for their travel. Then, by the time the women are in Iraq or Syria and realize it was all a lie, it's too late to leave. Luckily, three Chechen women saw through the terrorist organization's bullshit and decided to use it to their advantage. They started online correspondences with multiple ISIS fighters, and as soon as they were sent money for travel, they deleted their accounts and started ignoring their benefactors. They managed to rack up over $3,000 with this scheme. They would've kept going, except the Chechen police just caught on. Now the girls are now facing up to six years in prison for fraud, which is absurd because 1) They're stealing from a terrorist organization, so it's not really stealing 2) They're more worried about the fraud part than them communicating with terrorists? Let's hope Nev Schulman and his crew try to bail them out in an upcoming MTV series, preferable one called "Catfish: International Terrorism Edition."  Zimbabwe calls for the extradition of Cecil's killer, as if that's the biggest thing troubling Zimbabwe right now. Zimbabwe wants the U.S. to send Walter Palmer back so they can prosecute him, if you couldn't already tell by the nine million "the hunter has become the hunted" headlines in the news recently. People are unsure, however, whether or not the request is actually going to be honored. Even though the U.S. signed an extradition treaty with Zimbabwe in 1998, no American has actually been extradited as a result of this treaty. And even though Palmer meets the criteria for extradition, most Zimbabwe courts impose a fine before considering a jail term. So the U.S. first needs to investigate whether or not Palmer meets extradition criteria, and on top of that, they need to be willing to send one of their own citizens to a Zimbabwean prison, which I find pretty unlikely. Most Zimbabweans don't even care about Cecil themselves, really. I mean, they care for his death as much as that of any other innocent animal, but they have way, way bigger problems, such as a national unemployment rate above 80%, an average annual income under $1,000, crazy government corruption, and multiple human rights abuses. But of course, everyone only started paying attention when a pretty lion was involved. Still, the U.S. Wildlife Service has been trying to get in touch with Palmer to see if his overseas actions have broken any U.S. hunting laws. They haven't had any luck finding him, however, since he's been ignoring their attempts to contact him. I assume he doesn't have read receipts. Palmer's first appointment back is going to be super awkward.

It turns out that Cecil had a wife and she revenge.

So, Disney, the greatest company to work for ever is coming out with a new princess.

Taco Belle. That's so stupid. Haha.  Well, it's summer and all though summer I am showing you some bathing suits or bikinis you might see.

This bacon bikini can instantly turn into a birthday suit if you're hungry. Okay, and now for some sad news.

Cilla Black
May 27th 1943 — August  1st 2015
She may have been the one female entertainer closest to the Beatles. Definitely a Beatles related death.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper 
April 17th, 1954 — July 30th, 2015
His final match... "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. "Harrowing" Hodgkins Lymphoma didn't really turn out as he had hoped.

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Okay, so, as I just mentioned wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper passed away. I don't know much about him, but a friend of the Phile does and wants to say something about him. He's a singer, patriot and renaissance man. You know what time it is.

I was a big fan of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as a kid, as was my father. I watched with my sons as well. He was cool, he was a loudmouth, he wore a kilt, he was a tough sonofabitch and we loved him for it. He also uttered one of my favorite movie lines of all time in the '80s horror classic, They Live. "I have come here to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all out of bubble gum." Rest in peace...

Anonymous
Anonymous is a global network of hackers who are more than welcome to hack this entry and come up with a better one. I could use the press.

Today's pheatured guest is the lead singer of the trio Hotels & Highways whose latest album "Lost River" is available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile... Lisa Piccirillo.

Me: Hello, Lisa, welcome to the Phile.

Lisa: Well, hello, thanks so much!

Me: So, tell the readers who is in Hotels & Highways.

Lisa: Hotels & Highways is Erin “Syd” Sidney, Patrick Thomas Cupples, and me, Lisa Piccirillo.

Me: You kids all had individual solo albums out, and music careers before you formed Hotels & Highways, right? How did you all get together and decide to form a band?

Lisa: Indeed we did, and we had collaborated on each other’s albums and performances in the past. When I asked Syd to produce my debut record, he suggested that Pat would be a great fit for a guitar player and to add some songwriting ideas. When the three of us got together, we laughed and wrote and played and felt good... so we wanted to keep those good feelings going. We didn’t so much “decide to form a band” as we did “decide to take a 10-day retreat to a cabin and write and record some songs together.” With some gigs booked after our retreat, we figured we’d play whatever we wrote in that time... and that ended up being a whole album! A few days into recording we knew we had to share our experience with our collective fans.

Me: So you knew each other before the band was formed?

Lisa: Yes, we had all played/sang on each other’s solo projects in one capacity or another since 2005-2006. Pat and Syd met through mutual friend/singer/songwriter Todd Martin back in 2004, around the same time that Syd and I met through mutual friend/singer/songwriter Gregory Douglass.

Me: Which one of you came up with the band name, and what does it mean?

Lisa: Pat and Syd began writing songs together on a cross-country tour back in 2005 that didn’t really have a place in either of their solo repertoires, so they came up with the project name Hotels & Highways, and started a MySpace page for their demos (back when MySpace was cool). I suppose they both came up with the name while staying in many hotels along various highways.

Me: Are you all from the same area, or from different states?

Lisa: I am originally from Connecticut and now live in Woodstock, Vermont. Syd is originally from Vermont (not far from where I live now) and lives currently in Ventura, CA, and Pat is originally from the Detroit, MI area and lives now in Brooklyn, NY.

Me: Let's talk about your album "Lost River" which I downloaded from iTunes and really liked. You recorded it in a cabin somewhere, right?

Lisa: Thanks for listening! Yes, “Lost River” was recorded in a lakeside cabin in Putnam Valley, NY, about an hour north of the city.

Me: Did you all live together when you were recording the album?

Lisa: We did. It was a dream of all of ours to live the process. We wanted to be able to write and record whenever the mood struck, without the confines of deadlines or hourly rates. By that same token, we wanted to be able to take breaks when the creative juices weren’t flowing (or when they overflowed) and do something good for us like walking/running, yoga or kayaking, or cooking.

Me: Was it a big cabin, and who had the idea to record it there? If I was in the band I would have said no way, I am not living in a cabin in the woods. I bet there wasn't a restaurant nearby.

Lisa: Haha, we weren’t totally in the wilderness (there were a few restaurants a short drive away), though it was our goal to be as off-the-radar as we could, without the distractions of cell phones or the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The cabin was just the right size for us; there was one main room for recording, two bedrooms just off the main room for the boys and a little loft up a ladder for me! The quarters were close, but not too close.

Me: Lisa, how was it living with those two guys?

Lisa: They’re great. Not only are they respectful and thoughtful, they are hilarious. Because we live in different corners of the country, we relish the opportunity to be together. Plus, the “Italian grandmother” gene in me loves to cook for friends and take care of them. We have a great vibe whether it’s in a cabin or in a van for 6-weeks; we know when it’s time to talk, or have alone time, or listen to music, or play music... we go with the flow and read each other.

Me: So, did you all three write the songs together, or did one person have the job to do that?

Lisa: Well, Syd and Pat brought “Live Now” and “Heaven Knows” to the cabin as Hotels & Highways songs from years earlier, and there were a few other songs that had started forming before we came together, but for the most part we all wrote together. We would sit around playing nonsense until it made sense or we’d start in a common place, playing a song that we all knew, until the chord progression and rhythm would grow and evolve and suddenly we’d be playing a new song. It was very loose and our mantra to ourselves and each other was “say yes.” “Say yes” to an idea, to something new, to something you wouldn’t ordinarily say yes to, and explore.

Me: I was going to ask you where the album name "Lost River" came from, but I am guessing it has something to do with the cabin being by a lost river, am I right?

Lisa: Well, the cabin was on a lake.... but there must have been a lost river nearby because we were off of Lost River Road.

Me: Now that you recorded the album, and it's out, will you guys be doing a lot of shows together? 

Lisa: We just finished a 6-week national tour! We played about 30 shows in clubs, bars, coffeehouses, colleges, houses and even a library all over the country.

Me: I have interviewed a few musicians who did something you guys did, which is raise money from your fans to record the album. Whose group of fans raised the most money?

Lisa: Hard to tell since we’ve been lucky to share some fans of our solo careers over the years. That’s one of the special things about this band; when Patrick’s “Build Me a City,” and my “Momentum” came out, the three of us launched The Co-Op, a creative community that serves as our record label, so our fans had been getting to know each of us separately and together, and were rooting for all of us by the time we teamed up as Hotels & Highways.

Me: How did you get the word out to do this?

Lisa: Each of us had told our fan bases about our writing/recording retreat and the shows that were going to follow in October of 2010, and we had kept them updated with videos and blogs about the experience. By the time we launched our Kickstarter campaign in November 2010, fans were already interested in the record we’d made. Then, through the wonders of Facebook, Twitter and lots of emails, we were able to spread the word about our fundraising campaign and we’re so grateful people rallied for us.

Me: I think it takes guts for any band or musician to ask fans for money to record. It's kinda sad that bands and individual artists have to do that kinda fund raising for an album to be put out. Would any of you do that again?

Lisa: We certainly had some reservations about asking our fans for money, but since we’d recorded already and we knew we had a wonderful album to give them, we believed in it. Kickstarter provided a great platform for our fundraiser which not only encouraged donors with its “all-or-nothing” policy, but also legitimized the process. It’s not an open guitar case in the street; we were very specific about how the funds would be used. Our fans and friends have been incredibly supportive and will continue to be, but in terms of the future, I think we’ve cashed in our fundraising chips for now.

Me: Anyway, I am glad your fans did it, because it's a great album. Would any of you guys come back to the Phile when your solo stuff comes out?

Lisa: We’re glad too; we couldn’t have done the tour we just did without them! We would always be happy to chat with you, as Hotels & Highways or solo.

Me: Thanks so much, go ahead and mention your website and I wish you all continued success. Take care.

Lisa: Thank YOU for your support. Readers can find us at hotelsandhighways.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Me: Cool, take care, Lisa. Tell the boys I said hello.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Laird Jim and Lisa Piccirillo. The Phile will be back tomorrow with the guys from the Canadian band Spinrad. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Not if it pleases me. No, you can't stop me, not if it pleases me. - Graham Parker