Betcha
thought I'd never get back around to this page, right??
Well, truth is I didn't think so either, but I just
paid off a couple of ancient parking tickets and finally
threw out all the socks with holes, so now I can update
freely. Last Sunday marked the world debut of San
Francisco's latest supergroup LOUT!
at Annie's Social Club. Featuring Chris Gutheridge
and Bill Cramer from Ride
The Blinds as well as original LOUT!
drummer Dave Leonard (back when LOUT!
was the Penelope Houston's backing band for Europe
'04 tour), Dan Eisenberg on Hammond and myself just
standing there looking good, we had the sheer audacity
to cover Amy Winehouse's "Rehab", the Miracles
"I Second That Emotion" and Fleetwood Mac's
"Feel So Bad" in between scorching versions
of our own original, made up on the spot, soon-to-be
standards. Watch out for a myspace page soon... (you
can always check mine out here...)
Other
news... the new Dave Gleason's Wasted Days CD has
been out for a month and it's getting some rotation
on KFOG amongst other places. It's called Just Fall
To Pieces and you can buy it in stores or online at
the usual outlets. It's worth the money just for the
picture of me wearing Bill Anderson's Nudie suit.
January
31, 2006
Here
comes February and that means a busy month for me
and my pals. Really looking forward to going down
to Los Angeles with drummer Dave Leonard to do a New
Sheiks South show at the Lava Lounge on the 10th--
I'll be joined by Bay Area transplants Rob Douglas
(formerly with Chuck Prophet and Moot Davis among
others) and the inimitable Dick
Deluxe on guitar. This is another bill with Holiday
and the Adventure Pop Collective, who rock a mean
tuba... come out and see us if you're in the Hollywood
region. Also just announced- a solo set at Annie's
Social Club with one of my favorite guys Ian
Moore-- the fact that it's Tom
Heyman's record release party just sweetens the
deal. That's on Sunday February 26th... see the Shows
page for even more good times...
Here's
a novel idea as told to me by a librarian friend.
If you go to your public library and ask the librarian
in charge to order a copy of October Moon, you can
hear it for free and spread the word about your pal
Pat Johnson-- librarians love being turned on to new
records and they get to use other people's money!
Isn't that cool? Get on the phone-- I know the San
Francisco Public Library has already ordered 2 copies!
December
31, 2005
Here's
hoping everyone had a great holiday season! 2006 is
shaping up to be the best year yet despite a rainy
start-- I'll be heading down to Los Angeles to play
a handfull of shows with good ol' Dave
Insley next weekend, then he'll be coming up to
San Francisco where we'll share a bill with Holiday
and The Adventure Pop Collective at Cafe
Du Nord on the 11th. Looks like that's the only
New Sheiks show in January, but that's okay because
it's time for me to head back into the recording studio
and start work on a whole new batch of songs.
If
you can't get enough of the live stuff, allow me to
introduce you once again to Trashfever.com.
They are offering a CD and a DVD of the show
I played with Charlie Pickett at the Globe in St.
Petersburg last September. You can buy it here.
Look for a downloadable version of the album from
Flare Records USA soon.
All
the best in 2006!
November
22, 2005
Happy
Thanksgiving! I'm just back from a short trip to Tempe where I
met up with my old pal Dave Insley-
if you haven't checked out his stuff yet, click the link and
investigate- fans of real country music will find him essential
listening. I recorded a few licks with him in the studio for his
forthcoming CD, then sat in with his band at the good ol' Yucca Taproom. The Vaquetones from Orange County
brought the Baja-Western vibe and we were compelled to order giant
tequilas and late night chorizo tacos before crashing at dawn.
Great folks and great times.Release of October
Moon has been postponed until December 6th (which just happens to be my
birthday) - some problem with the printing, I'm told. Anyhow, it
will be available at all your local megastores and of course through
the usual online sources like Amazon.
Or come to Penny Arcade at Bottom
Of The Hill on December 15th and I'll sell you one right outta the
box. Had a great time
backing Amy Rigby at the
Ivy Room a few weeks back- her new record, Little Fugitive, features a
song called "Dancing With Joey Ramone" which should be an international
mega-hit, and is available everywhere, including her online
store. Check her out for sure and don't miss her when she comes
to your town.
October 14, 2005
Got a nice note
from Jeff over at Trashfever.com, the official Charlie Pickett
website-- he has put up an MP3 of me and Chas (and Bob and Hugh)
tearing up the old Wellsprings Of Hope chestnut "Rocketship" live
at the Globe Coffee Lounge in St. Pete, FL. Snoop around
Trashfever while your at it- great comprehensive site dedicated to all
things Pickett.
September 28, 2005
What a month-
loads of shows and lots of recording fun... tracked a version of Fred
Neil's "That's The Bag I'm" In for a tribute album due out in November
benefitting The Dolphin Project,
a concern started by the late singer/ songwriter himself... you can
hear a preview on the New Sheiks Myspace
page. Upcoming show with Penelope and LOUT! will top off a record
breaking month, that included a great show for Wasted Days at the Roots
Rock and Ribs Festival in Salt Lake City. Spent a few minutes
there shooting the bull with Sleepy
La Beef, a fine gentleman and a great talent. Be sure to
check the shows page for all the upcoming stuff.Furthermore, the trip
to Florida was great- played at the Globe in Saint Petersburg to the
nicest bunch of people you'd ever want to meet. Carrie Waite was
there and took some
pictures of the show, which included a reunion with Charlie
Pickett, the Florida pub rock legend that gave me my start in the
biz. Thanks again to Natty of Sparky's Nightmare for setting the
whole thing up. Drove down to Fort Lauderdale the next morning,
where Charlie and I sat around in his driveway grilling meat and trying
to outdo each other for bad guitar playing before we headed out to
Alligator Alley for another show. Once again, great audience and
incredible club. Must admit, though, my favorite gig of the trip
was at the Mill Top in Saint Augustine, breezy Monday afternoon,
playing to 10 people including my parents and booker Don Oja Dunaway, a great
singer/ songwriter in his own right. The man is a great story
teller and a veritable wellspring of information about Florida
music. Drop in and say hi if you're ever in the neighborhood. Finally, a
reminder: October Moon will be coming out on November 8th,
2005. Look for it in stores and request the title track
on your favorite radio station. And look for me coming
to your town this winter.
August 29, 2005
It's official-
October Moon will be released on November 8th by DBK Works (through Koch
International.) We'll have the release party on Sunday November 6th at
the Make Out Room with an all star band (well, mostly anyway) and some
special guests. October Moon was originally released in Germany a
while ago as Mooner, but it's never seen the light of day in the United
States, so be sure to tell your friends at the local shop to order a
few of them! Yeah, I know
it's hurricane season but I'm going anyway. Florida dates
on this trip will include the Globe Coffee Lounge in
Saint Petersburg, Alligator
Alley down by Ft. Lauderdale, and my favorite old haunt, the Mill Top Tavern in Saint
Augustine. Then I'm going to hang out for a few days on the
beach, okay?
July 24, 2005
Many have been
the great shows this month- a couple of Penelope Houston and LOUT!
performances that brought to mind some of the magic of last October's
Euro-tour, especially the one with the Moore Brothers at Starry
Plough. Had some fun with Dave Insley early in the month
at the Argus and a frantic New Sheiks set featuring sax dude
Ralph Carney and Bay Area guitar legend Wally Sound. But best of
all was last night, when I got a call from Mushroom main man Pat Thomas
requesting my collaborative presence at the Plough. For the
uninitiated, Mushroom is a free music collective that Pat put together
a few years back upon tripping over Bitches Brew era Miles and a mess
of Krautrock. Definitely check them out if you can, and if I ever
get to do another set with them you'll be the first to know!
June 7, 2005
June is gonna be
crazy with shows galore for all you music lovers. Penelope and I
have assembled a band again and will be debuting some new material
during the Mission Creek Music Festival on Thursday the 9th; my new
band The New Sheiks will have their first show the following Tuesday at
the Argus, and members of Wasted Days will be toasting dads everywhere
at the Mauna Loa in San Francisco at their special Father's Day
barbecue bash. Check the shows page for a full listing. A couple of
weeks ago I took my guitar and a tape deck into an abandoned shack on
the side of the railroad tracks in a remote corner of northern
California where producer Mike Therieau and I taped a few old songs for
fun. No sooner had we set up the microphones than the ghostly
strains of piano music and chanting began to bleed through the walls,
as though the little tin edifice had been built on the site of an
ancient Indian Casino. At first we tried to block the ephemeral
noises out, but eventually decided to keep them, including the rumbling
of phantom trains, in the mix. The result is coming soon from Flare Records.
Last month's Jackpine Social Club at the Argus Lounge was a total
free-for-all featuring guests John Blaylock and Miss Sarah Nelson of
Sacramento's Prairiedog--
these are great shows and the Argus is the perfect venue for
up-close-and-personal songsters. This month we'll have a visit from
True West frontman Russ Tolman-- I used to go see his band when I was a
mere teenybopper-- and once again Sarah Nelson. That'll be on
Wednesday the 22nd of this month so don't miss it!
It
should be added here that due to some wild notion involving
domesticity, Melody Baldwin has
moved to Houston, TX making it very difficult for her to join us on the
Jackpine stage. We wish her well in her pursuits. Look for
her forthcoming CD on the Jackpine S.C. label, though.
May 11, 2005
Had some real
fun last week up in Chico at Duffy's Tavern with Wasted Days on Cinco
De Mayo. Ran into some old friends and made some new ones.
What a town. Plus, for all you record geeks, right next door to
the club there's a shop with scads of great vinyl priced cheap. I
don't know what it's called (or I ain't sayin'.)A couple of shows
coming up, not least the next installment of Jackpine Social Club at
the Argus on May 29th. This month it'll be me, Mike Therieau
(we're putting the finishing touches on his solo debut album tonight!),
Dave Gleason, Melody Baldwin, and John
Blaylock. Also, don't miss history in the making on June 14th
when we'll be unveiling Pat Johnson and the New Sheiks! Yeah,
it's me and Therieau and Gleason again, but we're joined by Mushroom
madman Pat Thomas and Loquat
piano prodigy Ryan Manley, not to mention the double threat of Willow Willow's Jessica Vohs
and Biltmore Stairs' Janell Adams on backing
vocals. Visit our page on Myspace
for a thrill. Finally, look out for
upcoming Penelope Houston shows! We've been secretly working on
new material and we're ready to blow some minds. Check us out as
part of the Mission Creek Music Festival on Sunday June 5th at the Make
Out Room in San Francisco opening for Jolie Holland. And watch this space for more Penelope
news.
April 23, 2005
Jackpine Social
Club is back! The monthly guitar pull we used to hold at Thee
Parkside to ruin their Sunday night peace and quiet has been on hiatus
for a few months, mainly due to laziness, so I'm proud to report that
tomorrow will mark the first one at our new residence The Argus on Mission St.
Expect the same sad songs and bad behavior that made previous Jackpines
memorable (unless you were drinking.) This time it's me, Dave Gleason,
Mike Therieau, Melody Baldwin,
and Brian Mello from the Bellyachers.Thank God for online
radio. Famous Butterflies has been getting nice spins from Roots Rock Radio and Loose Booty to name
but a couple. Big thrill not too long ago driving across the Bay
Bridge with a friend and hearing People In Memphis on KUSF. Not every station has that
record, but never be shy about requesting, for instance, The Maydays 45 which
went out everywhere. By the way, if you want to join the street
team drop me a line- there's gonna be lots of activity starting this
summer. Congratulations to JT
and Amy of Nagg on their newly wedded
bliss. Wasted Days and MTB played the reception and trashed a
church. Par for the course I suppose.
March 23, 2005
Busy
times! Just back from Austin where Wasted Days played a few shows
during SXSW. Met lots of nice folks and saw some great sets,
too. Mike and Dave were also sitting in with Dave Insley, who has a cool new
album out called Call Me Lonesome. Shout out to Hacienda Brothers, Nancy "Shaggy" Moore, Penny Jo Pullus,
Genuine Cowhide featuring Dale X. Allen, and all the folks at Opal
Devine's Free House. Ask Georgia about the Bloody Mary.Good things come to
those who wait... it looks like re-issue kings Runt
Records will be putting out a shiny new version of my 1995 Mooner
album. This one had only been released in Germany, so it'll be
the first glimpse for many North American friends. I personally
hope they decide to change the cover art-- can't stand that
haircut. Should be out pretty soon, maybe by summer? Oh, and don't forget
to check out the long overdue Charlie
Pickett fan site. The man is a legend.
November 25, 2004
Happy
Thanksgiving to all my friends in the USA (and expatriates
everywhere... nothing like a Turkey day in a foreign country to bring
out the Norman Rockwell in us all...) MTB celebrated last night
at Thee Parkside where they sponsored a canned food drive featuring
ourselves and Lane Rider. Dan Eisenberg (Ryan Adams, Motherhips,
etc.) sat in on organ and clavinet escalating the racket to a din so we
all had a really great time. That's the last MTB show for a the
time being, but watch this space for a soon to be created MTB
page where you can ogle us from afar.The Wasted Days shows
down south last week were super fun. The Cinema Bar in Culver
City had us on Wednesday and you've never seen so many hip music fans
stuffed into such a tiny space. I almost choked on my Newcastle
Brown when I realized that the pretty lady sitting at the bar with
local cowboy singer Mike Stinson
was none other than Miss Pamela Des Barres. Nice folks. Coincidentally
it would have been Gene Clark's 60th birthday, so we let fly a
dedicated version of Kansas City Southern to the man himself. Hanging
out in Hollywood is always a gas, and Ventura was great. A couple
of friends came up with us for all night beer drinking at the beach and
just general hanging out. Still got sand in my boots. Oh, and
check out the Deadbillies when you get the chance-- wild stuff. Finally, the
management is pleased to announce that The Maydays will congregate at
Thee Parkside on Sunday, December 5th for the first time since last
spring. It's going to be a party and a half with some special
guests and probably a little cake in observance of the anniversary of
my own birth. Okay? Okay.
November 11,
2004
Yep, believe it
or not it's yet another new website. Same old address, though.
The
Real Pat Johnson. Mr. Dodgy was doing the site
for the longest time, but he's so busy these days I thought I'd just do
it myself. This way if anything important happens, no matter
where
I am I can post a little morsel for y'all.
Some of you
might have seen me with Penelope Houston last month as we took our show
all over Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia. Needless to add, we
had a blast with The Moore Brothers tagging along and our band (Mike
Therieau, Dave Leonard and Ned Doherty.) Check the photos section for a couple of nice pix from
the trip. Here we are getting tanked in Munich.
The kid is Katarina, Nicky's daughter.
She drank two of those things. Flare Records has released
a CD of rarities and recent Pat Johnson recordings, "Famous
Butterflies-
Live and Unreleased". It's got a couple of unheard Wellsprings of Hope
tracks, two solo acoustic live performances from the mid- nineties, the
original version of "Another Train Blues" (b-side to WSH's "Soul
Temptation" 45) plus a new Christmas duet with Penelope, and four
tracks
recorded this past January with my buddies Dave Gleason, Mike Therieau,
John Hofer and Gene Parsons. It's only available from Penelope Houston's website and the Flare Records site, and there
are only about a hundred left, so get 'em while you can. Download
a free mp3 of "People in Memphis" from Download.com As usual, I'm playing as much as
possible these days. I've joined MTB (the Michael Therieau Band)
so that makes three bands that we play in together, unless you count my
band, then it's four. He's got a great record out on the Dollar
label-- seek it out. We'll be heading out to L.A. with Dave Gleason
next
week, so come find us there if you can-- see the shows page for details.
That's it for now. Drop me
a line if there are any questions.
