Over the Hills and Thru the Woods to Funk YOU UP! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

We almost didn't GO! The show Yesterday was a Blizzast! An epic adventure in the name of Funk!

Due to several reasons...Azma not being able to make it for a VERY SPECIAL reason, Not having a 4 wheel drive vehicle to drive a couple folks up, the INCREDIBLE blizzard that had most of the roads CLOSED, we ALMOST didn't even bother going up the hill!



Xmas Day was spent in speculation and wonder..fear was growing in the ranks. We had realized that we didn't have a 4X4 reserved about a week back and tried in vain to get one. The news and online tools all pointed to it being impossible to get to Telluride. A HUGE storm was passing thru..dumping 40 inches of snow on Telluride in 24 hours! I couldn't get thru to the club to find out what was going on and around 1 am I fell out...worried about the morning.


Popped up at about 7 and found that one road I was worried about was open according to the CDOT website. Yet the TV said that it was impossible to get to Telluride. I called the police up there and the officer told me that "If you aren't in Telluride NOW..you aren't getting to Telluride today!" So I left a message with the club that we weren't going to head up. Sent out the word to the band and went about relaxing.....about an hour later that all changed!

Got a call from Tom at the Club finally! He said that we could make it...Oh lord...I called the cops again...different officer...."if you can get to Grand Junction you can get here!!" Well....I-70 was open all the way!
Took about another hour to finally re-assemble the troops. Another couple hours to get out to the Airport to pick up the vehicle and back and get loaded up and all...buying tire chains along the way home. We were OFF..

The ride was breezy till we got to Vail Pass...that's when we had our first "oh hell" moment. A huge chunk of snow hit the windshield..like 4 inches deep...sliding off the mountain in front of me in a mini avalanche. Took my feet up off the pedals and relaxed. Kept on keepin on and it was really no problem till we got past Glenwood Springs...that's when everything changed!
It was getting dark..the snow was THICK and blowing all over the place. My fellow travellers on the road were mainly a bunch of wimps tho. I would try to conform and sit in line with them..but found that following an idiot that slams on their breaks at every curve was much more dangerous than riding in the other lane with nobody in front of me. I LOVE driving in the snow...and I got my fill of it! The conditions were about as bad as I had ever driven in till we got to Grand Junction...At one point Tom called me..."hows it going?" he asked...."Much better than it is for the truck that just flipped into the ditch in front of me bro" was my reply. I counted at least 5 wrecks in that stretch of highway...with a jack-knifed tractor-trailer being one of them on an off ramp. There were times that I had to imagine I was a goalie in Hockey...keeping track of the sides of the roads cuz I couldn't really see in front of me at all.
Then it was like there was NO snow at all..not even on the ground..a Big patch of clean easy driving...I thanked the heavens for the break. As soon as we headed south it was clear! For a while. After a bit the snow came back...hard and heavy. My biggest problem now tho was the fools with their brights on illuminating the storm and not the roads..the jerks who flashed their lights at me cuz they didn't see me turn off my brights...

One of the HIGHLIGHTS of the trip was calling KURT and asking for Directions! Thank GOD somebody bought him a GPS for Xmas!

At long last we arrived safe and sound! Sent Missy and Mike to deal with the Hotel and the rest of us Loaded in..set up and got HIGH as a kite!


Now the show....The show was one of the best shows musically that we have put on in a LONG time. We started off with Music For My Mother and mugs were dancing like freaks from the TOP! We had all decided to stretch things and experiment a bit. It paid off.
I was really loving my set up of amps for the evening. The old Twin (that is now dubbed 7 but pronounced Seb'n) and the Boogie blended with the stereo delay sounded like they were made for each other! Izabella came thru and sent me into a sexual frenzy that I hadn't experienced in decades! I was fuckin her good all over the place...grinding the frets on my amp...droppin her on the gound and makin her rumble...calling down the thunder by scratching the springs in the back...most of the old tricks from my Jimi and Stevie worshipping daze. She held her tuning pretty well and maintained playability thru the night...She's BACK for real now! Plus I know I can put her thru the ropes and have a great place to take her to for tender love and care!

With Tear the Roof we hit the nail on the head baby... had the crowd in our hands...they kept the chant going and going....and we would drop out and let them take charge...THIS is the FIRST Time that we ever got our audience to that point...that point in a show where the band becomes secondary and the crowd takes over. It didn't stop there.

Kurt and Murphy dropped into a pocket while I tuned up that had every lady in front of me wet and all the dudes boned up....I joined in and they tried to stop, but I couldn't let those people down like that till they got a nut! We kept the jam going and it ended up being a real highlight of the evening...the horns hit some great lines they had been working on and I sang the Cajun Stripper Queen over it cuz it had that Dirty sexy Big Easy vibe on it.

Maggott Brain...oh hell...I told the crowd to start makin out and to get out their lighters...they did..it was beautiful!
I was bending that Strat's strings farther than I have since the early 90s...she was on fire...FINALLY I broke one..the b string snapped under the tension...."What would Mike do?" I went apeshit on the high e string...moving to the g occasionally but over all I just played a few more minutes on one string...getting the melody to come thru as well. We even managed to pull off the heavy ending...

There were TONS of great moments... a few "ass-pie" moments. But basically we did great..
Missy really shone thru ! We mapped out a few things on the ride up and it paid off big time. Her voice was strong all night and we had some really good blends! She was confident and sure of herself all night long! It was a pleasure to behold!
The Horns were horny and groovin......a lot of good stuff was coming thru and they sounded tight as could be. I loved it seeing the charts fall to the ground in a pile! We don't need to stinkin charts! Mike and Jimmy both had some major solo's...at one point in the night there was a crowd of mugs just eggin them on...eating up every note! tha bomb! We did a lot of give and take and took each other into different phrasing and note combos...how fun!

Kurt slammed some major shit Solo'd his ass off and really held things down...we had some great improvisational moments too
The Lock Brothers? the three of us were locked tight as our sphincters were on the ride up! LOL.
Murpholoptic? SHEEEITTT>..he drove the whole way and played a killer show...In fact...while we were just setting up and getting ready to start soundcheck..he hit just a couple of notes on the drums and it made the kundalini shoot up my spine! The rest of the night was no different. His vocals were killer too...Soldier.

Everybody was on point..their ears were open...their eyes were communicating! We were a unit again!

We missed Azma big time..in fact we dedicated the show to him and his son. I think that in a way we were playin FOR them and their big chance to be together...sending love from afar.

For me personally it was a victory....I was deeply saddened by the thoughts of not going to the show...the debates and the obstacles thrown in my way made me question my Self and a lot of other things. I thought "what would my heroes do?" they would be at the road block waiting for them to open the gates so they could play the gig...they would play Maggott Brain on one string...they would let the audience dictate the momentum of the show...they would soldier on and do the damn thing...




Well...now my band is my hero.

Izabella by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Back in '85 I went to this guitar shop in the northern suburbs of denver. On the wall was MY guitar...I felt it pulling me towards it...I just couldn't take my damn eyes off of it.
Being a young cat...16yrs old...I really had no duckets for this guitar...I mean $310!!! c'mon!
I put it on Layaway! and went in and paid on it whenever I could...taking Polaroid pics of me and my baby to keep me going! In fact...MOM has a picture of me and Izabella on her fridge to this DAY!
I TRULY felt that either Jimi Hendrix or Garry Shider had owned that guitar....Hendrix was ruled out when I found it was a '72. Shider has since confirmed that he thinks he owned the guitar at one point in the Glory Daze.
Anyway...This gorgeous Blonde Strat with a Maple Neck....I took it home and played it to death...but noticed right away that it played like CRAP! I took it in to AXE Haven and had it refretted! In keeping with my poor financial situation and the sillyness of being a teenager...I didn't have them finish the neck....then I even went so far at to Scallop a few of the frets down at the bottom...I played her SO much...falling asleep with her....doing all the things that good guitarist does...tripped acid....went rollorblading LOL ...everything..with my guitar. If there has EVER been a guitar that actually felt like it was a PART of ME...it's THIS guitar...
Well...I have been broken for a while! I played that guitar to death! I traded it, I sold it...and I bought it back every time...I figure I let her go about 4 or 5 times and bought her back for $310 every time! I traded her for a Danelectro Doubleneck Bass with an 8 string neck! I traded her for Marshall Stacks...for ART amps when they were hot...for money...I always got her back tho!

in '02 she went with me overseas to Europe and Africa...In Africa she was in the wreck that we had...Al Davis, all 300lbs of him, dropped right on to her...I thought she was crushed...I used her in her leapord skin case to break open the big window to the van so that we could WALK out instead of climb up thru the little windows...Hell she was damn near in tune! Just played like SHIT!

I took her in to a few shops and had her refretted and tried to bring the life into her...but I wasn't ready personally I guess...cuz she wouldn' be fixed.



Recently, my Mentor and friend Mike Hampton came thru town...He showed me a hot little left handed strat that he had bought on the Isle of Wight!... It set me into action. I HAD to get Izabella back in action..OUT of the case and INTO my arms! (like a Billy Ocean song)
I just can't bare to see her and NOT touch her...but touching her drove me NUTZ!....so I took her in recently....expecting the cat to say...oh man the neck is beyond help etc etc...

but NO...she is home...she has had a heart transplant...a sweet set of pickups and new wiring...a GREAT job of setting her up and all... I mean...she plays better than she EVER has before. I can't put her down..

Pilgrimage to Madison Headquarters by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I made the Pilgrimage to Madison Headquarters again yesterday!

I headed out at about 10 am. Had some smooth sailing till I came upon a pretty ugly accident on the I-25 corridor. Didn't look like anybody got hurt, but they were obviously freaked OUT! I counted my blessings and moved on down the road. It's about 65 miles away from the house. I look forward to the drive because it takes you thru some really beautiful country. The last stretch goes along a killer razor back formation of rocks!

The place doesn't look like an amplifier factory at all...in fact the first time I went up there I went to the house first and not the shop! This time tho...I parked and went right to the shop's door. Ron came to the door and it was "oh HEY DUDE!!!" from the both of us! He took me into the depths of the shop! The last time I went up there I got a tour of the place and they were spread out all thru the building.
THIS time tho they were all holed up in one little section, by the wood burning stove. Eric and Ron were working on wedges while Andy was in his office. Ron took me to Andy but we headed right to the little work room where it's ALL going down. The spot is normally just for the speaker construction. The wood shop...so it's covered in sawdust. The wood-burning stove is fed the little scraps and unusable bits from the cabinets and wedges and heads.. All real wood here. I didn't ask a thousand questions...but my eyes were everywhere! There was no press board or crap of lesser amps. I was impressed by their obvious ingenuity and flexibility. They are getting the job done man!
Eric was skillfully building a wedge. He was all business the whole time...workin away. Andy and Ron and I sorta BS'd a bit about the Myspace and Distributors and the questions and suggestions that people are sending in to the Myspace page.

I asked Andy to blog a bit more cuz folks seem to really dig when he blogs...HE then took me to look at a bunch of Cabinets in his office.

"You wanna blog man? I got something for you Bog!" He showed me the covers that go on the corners of each cab. They were all filed to a sharp point where the pieces of wood actually meet. "That Fucker in there (Ron) Files these all down man...every one of them...cuz it just looks so much better!" In my world of Funk we say "If you have Funk. You have Style" These mother funkers got mad FUNK! I mean...I have always been drawn to the amps cuz of the way they look! Madison amps are some of the coolest looking rigs I have ever seen!

We headed back to the heart of it all and started talking about Distribution more and how hard it is to find the right folks to sell his stuff. I can't imagine what it's like breaking into this market at all! They need to get this gear into real stores in L.A. and Vegas and all over the world! Looks like things may pan out over seas in the near future...which I hope will help with the American market as well.


Ron and Andy went out to the main room of the shop and came back with the wedges that I had come to pick up. Andy then suggested that they mod them and add some capacitors to make the tone cooler. They get to opening them up....Andy says that he will help by just opening the one...but he ends up with a soldering iron in hand anyway..can't help himself. They do the mod and then Ron wraps them up with precision and care..you can tell that he takes a LOT of pride in his work..they all do! Some little inside jokes were going around about sawdust in the cabinets and other things....

We talked music...I couldn't believe that they claimed to not have much theoretical knowledge on the guitars...cuz these cats can SHRED!!...but they do it by ear and feel and emotion....I think they make their amps that way too...tons of Heart and Soul!

Last ’08 Denver show + Lincoln, NE on Sat!

Just want to let you know we'll be doing our last Denver gig for 2008 on Friday night, Nov 21: the Warren Miller after-party at the Paramount Cafe, 519 16th Street in downtown Denver. We'll hit around 10 p.m.

If you've ever gone to one of these Warren Miller events, well, we don't need to tell you--it's off the chain! If you're hankering for a helluva party, you should come by. It's your last chance to party with the Pipe in D-Town this year--let's go out with a bang!

On Saturday night, Nov 22, we'll be making our debut in Lincoln, Nebraska, so if you're out that way or have peeps, let 'em know we'll be at the Box Awesome, 815 O Street. We'll be playing with two awesome Lincoln-area bands: Son of 76 and Electric Soul Method.

They made a really cool poster for us, check it out:

Don't forget that you can now order United Sound Pipe online!

We'll also have CDs available at all our shows so we hope to see you soon!

Funk On,
U.S. Pipe
us-pipe.com reverbnation.com/uspipe myspace.com/uspipe uspipe.ning.com

My $250 Cigarette!!!! by Azma

From Azma's myspace blog

So saturday night My band, U.S PIPE Rocked a show up in winter park at the Winter Park Pub!!! Dope ass show!!! Those cats know how to get down on the good foot!!! It was our 2nd time up and they were jus' as wild as the 1st, Rocked wit' us from 10-2am. NON-STOP!!

Aiight, So the shows over, we load up our equipment, sign some cd's, drink some"danks", and roll out!!

Now I know that we have all been to hotels were they got signs up that say no smoking, right? Right. Otay!! And I'm sure that some people disregard these signs, like me!! Hahahaha!! This "BAD MUTHAFUCKA", (me) pulls a "SUPER STUPID", while I "ENJOY LIFE", and decides to smoke a muthafuckin' cigarette!!!! Tsk, tsk, tsk!!! Bad choice!!! In my state of Ignorant bliss...hahaha...I payed no attention to the sign that said, "No smoking in the rooms, violators will be subject to a $250 fine." Now keep in mind, I've smoked in most hotel rooms that had similar signs, but they never inforced them...Hell to tha naw...not this time!!!! apparently ALL of the rooms on the 2nd floor were jus' remodeled, new carpet, new paint, new furniture, new everything!!! Damnit!

And duh, I'm in winter park, where their only goal is to make scrilla!!

Ok, Sunday morning I roll out wit' the horn players and Everythang is coo', or so I Think!! Remember ignorant bliss? I get to denver, do what I gotta do for my day, go home and chill....Citrus texted me and says, "Winter park promoter called...great show...someone smoked in room 203...Owe best western $250...

DAMNIT!!! A brotha' shoulda used a "SMOKESCREEN"!!! oh yeah I'm on a roll!!! hahahahaha!! So now my dumb ass has to "WRITA' MAN" a $250 dolla' check! Ain't that a bitch! for a goddamn cigarette, thee most expensive muthafuckin' cigarette to touch my lips!! I should call em' and see if they still got the butt so I can put that shit in a gold case or some shit! So after my first reaction I laughed so muthafuckin' hard that I was cryin', my stomach is still sore from laughin so damn hard!!! If I can't laugh at myself, then who the fuck can I laugh at?

So the moral of the story is....fuck it ain't no damn moral, next time you wanna smoke, take yo' ass outside!!!

Maybe Hotels should start usin' a picture of my ass handin' over a $250 dolla' check to keep people from smokin' in their rooms!!! hahahaha! yeah laugh it up, jus' be glad it wasn't you!!

On the serious tip....My apologies to Jeff Williams, The Promoter for the pub, and to The best western....and especially my band!! My bad!!

Peace

Azmorphius.... the man who paid $250 for a cigarette!!

The Berf of my Baby! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Good Grief...how many years in the making? Two I guess...really. We had started off with by recording an entire album that got shelved! Lot's of hard work and great guests are on it...we will slowly trickle that one down to the Pipe Posse. The Lost Album.. I won't go into the other names for it as it may offend some mugs! LOL
One year down the drain...but a HUGE learning period for my band and myself, setting the stage for the NEXT one!

Then after deciding to scrap it all Laura talked my good buddy C3 into giving us like 4 days...two to record and two to mix. We were hoping to at least get a real DEMO out on the table. When working with intelligent and talented mugs who have great toys in their houses(C3) you often find that time is as man made concept. He kept sayin...now GET OUT...it's gotta be DONE by (add any date here)!!!! but then we would somehow manage to schedule another session!
The Rhythm section did it's thing in a flash really. We got all the basic tracks done in a session and a half or so.

Then came the overdub period. Horns were laid up on there first. One Session and they were out. Then I came in and did my guitar overdubs...only one and a half hours! It was amazing. I laid down like some 20 tracks in that time. Hit it and quit it was in full effect!
Afta dat came Vox....we spent a goodly amount of time on them...going back again and again until they sounded just right...of course...most of our studio time was in the mornings at the start...and my vocalists were normally going to sleep at the time they were supposed to be trackin! But we got thru it...changed the schedule some and it all worked out!

Next up??? the MIXDOWN! Now the BIG problem with the LOST Album was that while I was away we had a body go in there and move stuff all around... I mean...cut copy and paste like mad...it got chopped into a lifeless bunch of samples IMHO....so with THIS one...we decided that we weren't going to splice solo's together...unless we had to...We kept it as LIVE and energetic as we could...leaving in the little bits of music that make it organic. We stayed as far away from triggering and sampling as we could...adding a few effects here and there for fun tho!
The process took a long time as we had short bursts of studio time in which to work...I suppose that if we had the duckets to PAY for our studio...we would have done it much faster in larger blocks of time...but as it was...we were on borrowed time and we took it when it came to us.

Afta DAT....we took the mixes to get Mastered...now this was something completely NEW to me. I had never sat in a mastering studio even...and here we go...to a grammy winning mug that really sprinkled some good juice on it!

Then of course...we had to deal with the tape..the RED tape...I have never had to go thru the whole copyright jammy in ernest. I was in bands that had somebody else handle it. The wifey and I went round and round trying to get it all just right with much help from our lawyer (Shoshana) and our producer(Billy Tee)!
Finally we had to send it off....and WAIT....
The wait is over...I have TEN beautiful boxes of CDs in my living room! True product...and a wonderful group of recordings if I do say so myself... I have listened to this thang enough to make me sick of it...but I am NOT sick of it...in fact...I keep hearing things that I didn't hear before we went to Master..
Morale of the story? This shyt ain't over...in fact..it's just begun!

The CDs are here and will be available for sale at our Moe's show!

The wait is over--U.S. Pipe's debut CDs are now here and ready for sale! United Sound Pipe has officially dropped.

We will have them at our shows this weekend: Denver @ Moe's BBQ Friday night, November 14 (formerly known as The Falcon and just a few doors down from The Gothic Theatre) and at Winter Park Pub Saturday night, November 15!

If you ordered your CD online, we will mail them out ASAP so you will be getting them by the end of next week (depending on where you live as some of you who pre-ordered are outside the States).

Official CD release parties will be announced so we can all celebrate. We will be selling these CDs in numerous spots online and will send out links as stores are in place.

And...you can buy them right now online at us-pipe.com/buypipe.cfm.

We hope to see you this weekend!

My brother.... by Azma

From Azma's myspace blog

Ok, alot of people have been askin' me why I don't have a song up in memory of my brother, who was killed in june....first of all like I've replied to most of you...tha's none of your business!!!! But it made me realize that I have been tyrin' to live my life like he is NOT gone! Denial sucks...It's been 5 months since my big brother was killed...the media and the police have put out THEIR story of what happened, but it's not even close to the truth!!! But I'm not about that right now...I'm about my fans who made me wake up and deal with my brothers death...It's been really hard for me to deal with this!!! I've seen alot of ya'll at shows, whether it was a Cadava show, or a United sound pipe show.

My brother was my best friend, and my biggest enemy...we were two giants in the same place, and that never worked well...AT ALL! My brother went through alot of bullshit bein' locked up at the age of 15, he taught me that the choices we make will either haunt us, or launch us to the platform of our dreams...(Media) "he was a thug, with a criminal record...) I have a fuckin' criminal record too!!! most young black men our age do!!! are you SHOCKED??? we have been their target for years...anyway I won't go there either! To the people who have asked, The reason I have'nt put up a song about my brother on my page is because I don't want him to be gone...might not make since but have you ever had a really good friend that pissed you off and ya'll never agreed on shit, argued all the time, talked shit to eachother, fought eachother, but always stayed friends??? That was me and my brother...no matter what we did to eachother, we loved eachother!! He was the only person in my life, that was not directly involved in my life that gave me advice that changed my life......for the better!!! We grew up in very fucked up situations, and because he was older, he tried to hide those things from me...but when he got locked up at 15, I was thrown into shit that I never even knew existed!! ya'll have all read the papers about him, and have probably come to your own conclusions about what kind of person he was, but let me bust the media in it's ass!!! My brother was a LEADER, he was the kind of person who was always helping people, yes he hustled, yes he fought, yes he dabbled in dope, yes he had many women, yes he did certain things when needed, and yes he grew up with no direction!!! count how many muthafuckas you know who fit this category....

He was still loved by his mother, his grandmother, who by the way, died 2 months after he did, his brothers, his sister, and his wonderfully smart children!!!

I AM my Brothers keeper!!! I have a song written especially 4 him, and it will be on my solo album...before my album is ever released that song will be given a away for free...because it will speak to those who need it...the truth is to be told not sold!!!

Thanks to the cats that made me realize what I needed to do...

PEACE

AZMA

Veteran’s Day by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I know there are a LOT of heroes out there. I thank you.
For me...especially now that he has passed on, my HERO Veteran has been my Uncle Joseph P Delio.

He was in WWII. He was a radio operator on B-17s. Once while bombing Germany he was shot out of the sky. He was knocked out but came to his senses and pulled his Chute in the nick of time. He evaded the Germans for about 10 days, but was captured. He was put in a prison camp and then, he and his fellow prisoners endured a forced 80-day, 487-mile march across the wintry landscape, a trek that cost him 65 pounds and earned him severe frostbite. He managed to write a book on that march. He used cigarette package paper and bound them together with floss! matchbooks...whatever worked. That book is in my Aunt's possession now...tho it belongs in a museum or something.
He came home with 6 medals.
When I met Uncle Joe...it was long after the war obviously. He never said a word about it to me. I asked and asked but he wouldn't glorify himself or the war. He just wouldn't go there. Instead he was putting the "magic" into figure and hockey skaters blades... He had become the BEST skate sharpener in the world. Every Gold medalist sent their skates to him in the day.
He had three daughters...all of whom I love..but you know they drove him nutso! His patience was endless...his strength you could feel across the room..the flash of love in his eyes could brighten your darkest day.

He taught me my first trade. Sharpening Ice Skates. He played Chess with me. He was the one man in my family that I truly respected in the MOMENT, not just in retrospect. I watched and I learned....and a great many of my traits that I am complimented on are directly related to Uncle Joe.
I was given some of his clothes recently. Strange that we are the same size cuz I always thought of him as a giant.
He is my Hero and will not be forgotten as long as I live!

PDF about my uncle here!

Go-Bama! Celebrate with U.S.! Obama-rama!

We're very excited about President-elect Obama. Help us celebrate this glorious change with some pure stanky funk!

This coming SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 you can party with U.S. at Out'a Bounds Saloon in Loveland, if you're up in northern Colorado! ALL PIPE, ALL NIGHT, 21+, 9:30 p.m.

Then next FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 we'll be playing with our friends, HOME. at Moe's BBQ next to the Gothic Theatre (formerly known as The Falcon). 16+ AGES, 9 p.m.

Gettin my ning on! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Hey everybody..Myspace and Face book are ok with me...but I am moving my life over to NING for the most part!

see me teaching music at
www.swallowhill.ning.com

find my U.S. Pipe and other interests at

www.uspipe.ning.com

and finally hook up with my Parliament family at

www.myfunk.ning.com

see you there...
I will be here somewhat to check in on how my non ning friends are doing!
cit

Check out Azma's upcoming FREESTYLE workshop!

FREESTYLE 101: Start creating cohesive rhymes with tips from a freestyle master!
Thurs.Oc.30 6 p.m.
with Azma Holiday
Learn the rhythmic breakdown of words, how to improve your mental dictionary, exercises to practice and MORE. [More Info] Register Now

Win tix for the Eldo show!

We are playing the Eldo Brewery in Crested Butte (215 Elk Avenue) on Saturday night, October 25.

Listen to KBUT Radio tomorrow night, Friday, October 24 to hear our single, "Bad Brotha," and for a chance to win tickets to the show!

Don't forget to visit U.S. Pipe's official site at us-pipe.com to pre-order your copy of our upcoming debut release, United Sound Pipe!

Pre-order UNITED SOUND PIPE!

Pre-order your copy of U.S. Pipe's debut album, UNITED SOUND PIPE, due to drop by year's end! By pre-ordering, you'll guarantee you'll get your copy as we're doing a limited first run. Don't wait and be disappointed when we sell out! Click here to order now!

A long time in the making, legions of fans have been waiting to get their hands on this CD, featuring cover art by famous artist, Scrojo. It also features very special guest, Rick Gardner, on trumpet. An original member of Bootsy's Rubber Band and longtime member of the P-Funk family, we are honored to collaborate with him.

This weekend: Positive Hip Hop & ROCK FOR BARACK

NEXT big shows: FRI OCT 17 at The Toad Tavern
with Audible Abilities and BaSheBa Earth.

$7, $5 with coupon before 9:30 p.m. available below.
Just click on it to open it in a new window for printing!

AND: SAT OCT 18 at ROCK FOR BARACK at the Santa Fe Brewing Company
Visit www.rockforbarack2008.com for more info

NOT the Last Supper!! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

So pops came out the surgery and is in recovery!!!
STANX to airbody that has sent me and mine the love! IT really helps!

Now we can get to the battle that is in his mind!

IF it's right it's all right for YOU now
If it's right it's all right for ME now
any night you'll be uptight until you find
that the wrong and the right are in your mind!


The "Last Supper" is postponed and last night was just another dinner now...nice.

Rare Acoustic Performance by yours truly! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Rare Acoustic Performance by yours truly!

Howdy kids...yeah we are all sumbody's kiddos!

OCT the 12th at 11 am I am gonna take the stage at Swallow Hill Music Association.
I am playing 30 mins on the sitar and 30 mins on the guitar.

NOT sure WHAT I am gonna do with the guitar yet...but have some pretty stuff I am workin on!

PLEASE come to the Harvest Fest OCT. 11th and 12th at Swallow Hill Music Association!

Link to Official site!

There is some top notch music gonna be going down for two solid daze!
Full Schedule HERE!!!


Oh yeah...buy my Mentor's new Album...if you like oldschool Soul and R&B you can't go wrong with this one!

George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love

Melt MY FACE!~!~ by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

OH man... Mountain folk know how to party!!!
the Winter Park gig we did last weekend was amazing good times!
I can't believe how loose those kids got and how fast they got that way..
Never heard the band or seen U.S. before..yet they were dancing from the start! They BROUGHT the FUNK...no standing around waiting to be impressed..they jumped and jived from the start! I LOVED it!

One of the craziest cats out there kept putting his hands over his face and sayin something to me...I couldn't figure it out for the longest...but finally I just said...man what tha funk do you want?

MELT MY FACE!!!! MELT IT>>>>MELT MY FUNKIN FACE MAN!!!

I obliged and started throwin out the silliest stuff I could think of...the mile a minute riffs that are associated with "face melting" .....he completely freaked out!!!!

the Winter Park Pub is a great place to partay!

Support community-powered music!

This email we got is from a great long-time friend and supporter of ours and is for a VERY worthy cause. If you value community-powered music--quality radio is an endangered species!--please pass the word and give to the best of your ability! We thank you for your support of great, genuine Colorado music!

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you well. Please forgive the mass mailing / formal nature of this email. There's a lot of folks to get to and this is the most efficient way of doing it - at one time.

I just wanted to touch base with you because the KRFC Fall Membership Drive is coming up, and I need your support on my show.

The Drive begins this Friday, September 26th, and runs through Sunday, October 5th. As you know, The Colorado Sound airs on Saturday from 5PM to 7PM. I will be on the air this Saturday September 27.

My friend, Greta Cornett, President of the Fort Collins Musician Association will be sub-hosting for me on Saturday October 4th.

Every donation, of any amount, is important because it will help me reach my goal of $3000.00 and helps to ensure that my show not only stays on the air, but can be proven viable for other stations throughout Colorado - who we plan on approaching about syndication this coming year.

As you're also probably aware, KRFC has taken a leadership role in promoting Colorado music this past 2 years. The Rocky Mountain Music Network was launched partially as a result of the efforts of KRFC has made. The Colorado Sound has the highest market share of any program on KRFC today - a HUGE 12.5 market share among 25-34 year old radio listeners in Northern Colorado (spring 08).

I make no money from this endeavor. The contributions you make are important to the station. I honor them deeply. I appreciate them with all my heart. If you think you cannot call in this Saturday at 970-221-5075, please to to the website at www.krfcfm.org and donate through our online service.

Thanks so much for helping me out in my efforts to promote Colorado music around the state, the country, world.

Chris K.
~goat

P.S. Our theme for the drive this year is "Get Involved," because KRFC wouldn't exist without community support. That's why every gift is so important.

NEW TOUR DATE ADDED!

NEW TOUR DATE JUST ADDED!
We'll be at Owsley's Golden Road on Saturday, September 27 with Train Back Home and the Demon Funkies!

Updation by Kurt

From Kurt's myspace blog

well well well, look who's back......so, yesterday i had to pick up a couple of references(cd's) from the mastering studio. Airshowmastering.com check em' out, kool stuff.
It felt good to see gold/platinum records on the wall, and to hear that the head guy there personally worked on our album and from what i heard he was way into it. Hopefully soon we will be pushing this cd harder than buttah rocks on a cold city night.
The summer was kool, we got to play Red Rocks Ampitheater, which is the shizznitty. Felt good to be on that stage, and even signed my name on that crazy tunnel underneath the venue right next to Mariah Carey's crazy ass. ahahah
Every show we play i feel that we are getting closer to where we want to be. It still takes mad work, dedication, and focus to get there. We have lost some people along the way who i thought would be there all the way, but i guess you never know...good luck to y'alls....

My main focus right now is to minimize all of my monthly bills down to near nothing so that i can go out on the road for very long amounts of time....it's not easy, but will happen. And to practice my ass off till i never want to play this damn bass again...........stay healthy, stay positive, and stay up.


PEACE

Giving BACK! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I replied to a call for help from Madison Amps yesterday and was honored to be the cat given the go ahead to help out with their Myspace page!
An incredible little company that really reaches out and helps the little guy.

I got thru 9 pages of unread mail and comments and stuff this morning!

No hiding at Herman’s by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

We played a show last Saturday with Ben Taylor..that dude was cool. He was a hot mess of drugs and stuff...but way cool! He had a great voice and played the guitar with style and finesse. I guess the apple fell RIGHT under the tree huh?
I enjoyed his songs and his attitude...he really had that ..."shut up and listen to me man" thang....even playing songs in the dressing room and expecting airbody to shut that fuck up and listen...which we did!

The Flashmob was up next and true to form they ROCKED the house! I really dug hearing them and running upstairs to peep them from time to time while I wasn't being entertained by Ben! D. Scott is a monster! His guitar tone shure doesn't match the tone of his voice! They really rocked the Ska tip and I enjoyed their vibe...our fans should definitely peep the Flash Mob if you haven't yet!


We got up onstage and it was very nice to have some lights and some fog and some engineering that was worth a shizzle! Herman's has obviously spent some chedda on making the evening more of an experience for it's patrons...Kudos Roth dudes!


We seem to have a new energy about us...and I think that it's just gonna get better from here. The line up changes have been for the better and the hard work that we have been putting in is paying off...I DID look around the stage and imagine the cats that have played with U.S. on that stage in the past and get a little reminiscent... Thanks to ALL of YOU mugz that have played with the Pipe over the years!!!!!!
Luckily, that hallucination passed quickly enough that I didn't mess up because of it or anything.

WE even had a brand new sax player and our buddy from the Filthy Children up on Bone...they were loose..but FUNKAY! I must say that we are getting tighter and tighter and having more and more fun up there on the stage lately.


I had a gig without Breaking a string! WTF???
How did that happen?
I was told that there was some betting going on about when the FIRST one would pop! LOL
I had switched to a lighter pick just to preserve my strings for the night! PLUS they were brand new! ...I was tuning up all night and not really enjoying the attack that the weaker pick gave me...but hey...didn't have to change guitars or strings on the fly for ONCE!
We Do really need a tech tho...just the simple things like the Kick drum mic moving away from the drum made an impact. I could feel that it was missing for a grip...but was too focused to look around and check that mic...sorta a good feeling tho...my techy-ness is fading and my musicianship expanding. In past years I would have stopped playin all together to find out why it was wrong.


I was super stoked to have some talented dancers and good party people in the house all night long...People came to PARTY!!

Nothing is more inspirational to a funk band than a bunch of mugz gettin it on out on the dance floor! I personally LOVE to play to a person or people dancing...it changes EVERYTHING for me....I can try to match them or follow them or guide them. It is an experience that few things can even come close to in MY world
...I bet a few of them continued that dance at home in their beds!

It is the TANDAVA:

"Tāndava or Tāndava nṛtya, the divine art form, is a dance performed by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. According to Hindu mythology, Shiva's Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. While the Rudra Tandava depicts his violent nature, first as the creator and later as the destroyer of the universe, even of death itself; the Ananda Tandava depicts him as the enjoyer of his creation - the universe. In Indian tradition, Lord Shiva as Nataraja (lit. "Lord of dance") is the supreme lord of dance."

"How many various dances of Shiva are known to His worshipers I cannot say. No doubt the root idea behind all of these dances is more or less one and the same, the MANIFESTATION OF PRIMAL RHYTHMIC ENERGY. Whatever the origins of Shiva's dance, it became in time the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of. --Ananda Coomaraswamy

that was from wiki by the bye.

I see all of you dancers as Shiva and Shakti....dancing the world into existence and void. The tru reason I play music at all..

I can't remember when or who right now...but I HAVE been told that babies have been conceived after a Pipe show...the toply top honor a funk band could ever have! THE BOMB!!

well alrighty then...off to work on some photography! I have an ART SHOW coming up!

Herman’s was bout ta BLOW UP by Murphy

From Murphy's myspace blog

Sat. 9-13-09 Herman's Hideaway

There's was sum great energy flowing in tha building n it was definetly feedin U.S. Saw lots o new faces smiling ear ta ear letting loose on the dance floor ALL NIGHT!!! Didn't get a chance to catch up with all ya but BIG THANKS fer comin out! Was the best sound we've had playin up in this venue, so thanks ta Greg for that n I hope they finally keep a soundman up in tha place. Peace

Murphy

My Day at Red Rocks 8-8-08 by Bubbles

From Missy "Bubbles Johnson's" myspace blog

So everyone has been asking me how playing Red Rocks was. It was FRICKIN' AWESHOME!! We opened for the movie Purple Rain, so we decided to do Prince's entire album Purple Rain. That was quite a task! Prince is a BAD ASS, and that album is genius! We added members to The Pipe for that show and practiced our ass off!

Soundcheck was great, it was amazing singing to a blue sky, hearing the music bouncing off the rocks and just feeling the excitement of the band build! Backstage at Red Rocks, what can I say? The beautiful red rock serves as one of the walls of the dressing room, and not just a wall but you can crawl up on it!
Seriously, those rocks hold some great energy!



We're supposed to go on at 7 p.m. and play til 8:10 p.m. So, while I'm getting ready, I hear that it had started to rain! I hurry up and finish and run up to the side of the stage to find out that everyone lied!! It wasn't raining it was pouring!! There was a river in the middle of the stage and I think I saw Noah's Ark floating by in the front row!! Now, we had just had 21 straight days of temperatures over 90 degrees, and you're gonna tell me that on the most anticipated day of my life (thus far!) the weather is gonna come and mess with U.S.?

You know what though, I really wasn't upset! We had been treated like RockStars and I did get to sing (even if it was just during soundcheck) at Red Rocks on the same stage that music legends and many of my heroes have performed on! But what really made me smile was when I looked out, from the covered part of the stage (DUH, cuz i didn't want to get my hair wet!), was a big group of my friends partying up in the rain, getting soaked and waiting it out!!! THANK YOU-Ray Ray, Shane, Michelle, Mr. and Mrs. Hippy Mike, Jen, Sammy, Tracey and John, Joci, Tempa and Joseph, Elaina are just a few off the top of my head! I know I saw Alissa and Zach, Heidi and Cassie, Karen, Lori and Jerry, Dr. J, Alex, and Stacey as soon as the rain slowed down!

Yep, if you don't like the weather here in Colorado, stick around for 20 min and it will change, and IT DID! They broke out the squeegees to clear the water off the stage and said we were going on!! The place started to fill up after the rain stopped and the next thing I knew we were being introduced! As I walked toward my microphone I got a little choked up cuz this was the beginning of something I had dreamed about for a long time! It was surreal, amazing, magical and over way too soon! I didn't even mind the wet spots (on the stage you perverts)! Unfortunately, our set had to be cut short because of the rain delay, so we only got to do 2 original songs, but we we're gonna get to play til 8:30ish!

So, you know when things don't go your way and people use that dam saying "things happen for a reason" to give you hope that everything will turn out right in the end? Well all I wanted was to get to play Purple Rain after the sun had set and the lights came on at Red Rocks. I even googled what time the sun was supposed to set on 8-8-08! 8:05 and we were supposed to be done by 8:10, so it probably wasn't gonna be very dark! Well, guess what, the rain delay made that happen! What a great song to end with at Red Rocks, I could hear the whole crowd singing along! I just looked up and enjoyed that last song, trying to capture one last mental picture, it was unbelievable! I got choked up twice during the end of that song, I'll never forget it and I can't wait to do it again!!

I really wanna thank my friends again for being there, it meant alot to me and you were my "light shining through that cool Colorado rain!" I gotta share this lil' story with you. While the stage was bein cleaned up and gear was getting set back up, I walked across the back of the stage to the other side where Rick Gardner and his wife, Pat, were standing. When I did this everyone started cheering and whistling, just making a bunch of noise for me! When I got over to them, Rick asked me what was all the commotion goin on while I was walking across the stage, and I proudly got to answer that those were all my friends!!

I also wanna thank all my partners in crime that night! Ya'll rocked --Citrus, Azma, Murphy, Kurt, Scott, Sherryce, Ryan, Jamie, Ryan, Amanda, Denise, Rick, John, Damon and of course Laura!!

FREE show.. by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Check it!!!

Herman's is......well..........Herman's......so they do what they do...and what they are doing now is having a FREE entrance to our show up to 9:15.


PLEASE>>>>>airbody show up from 9 to 9:15...bring your ticket that you can print from right here:


Sat., Sept.
13! Here is your discount ticket--just click on it to open it in a new window for easy printing!




You will be let in for FREE and the PIPE will get paid from Herman's BAR Not YOUR POCKET!!!!!!!

If you DON"T bring your ticket WE DON'T GET PAID!!! grrrrrrrr

Let's work the system instead of gettin worked by it!

Show up early and Party with tha PIPE....we gonna be gettin UP to get Down!

PLUS you will get to see James Taylor's son do his thang and the ever incredible
THE FLASH MOB!
One of my favorite local guitarists is in that band...don't miss them!

Deep Questions from Bubbles Johnson Episode 1

From Missy "Bubbles Johnson's" myspace blog

1. What song is in your head right now?

the theme song from Sponge Bob Squarepants


2. What was the first concert you went to?

Rick Springfield, yikes! I was always hoping Jesse was a girl


3. How often do you go over the speed limit?

always, until a cop pulls up behind me


4. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?

nothing good


5. Is it possible to lick your elbow?

only one way to find out


6. Did you just lick your elbow?

yes!

So you think you know me, well you're gonna get to know me even better. Welcome to the weird and wacky world according to Bubbles, together we'll explore my innermost thoughts through a cornucopia of vague ludicrous questions!
To learn more about my fellow U.S. Pipers, I challenged them to answer these probing questions! Please check out their blogs to see if they're brave enough to confront the inquiring mind of Bubbles!

Chris Murphy http://www.myspace.com/murphy_drums
Azma Holiday http://www.myspace.com/azma1
Kurt Rosenbecker http://www.myspace.com/kurt_rosenbecker
Laura "Spunky" McGaughey http://www.myspace.com/faerie_belle
Chris "Citrus" Sauthoff http://www.myspace.com/citradelic
Sherryce Emery http://www.myspace.com/sherryceemery
Mike Chiesa http://www.myspace.com/theoriginalmpc

Stay tuned for the next installment of Deep Questions from Bubbles

Crazyness about signing a Big Label by Kurt

From Kurt's myspace blog

This oft-referenced article is from the early '90s, and originally appeared in Maximum Rock 'n' Roll magazine. While some of the information and figures listed here are dated, it is still a useful and informative article. And no, we don't know how to reach Steve Albini.

-Negativland

www.negativland.com

The Problem With Music
by Steve Albini

Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke". And he does of course.

Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A & R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire." because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly. These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave.

Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well. There are several reasons A & R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences. The A & R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it. When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast. By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A & R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired.

These A & R guys are not allowed to write contracts. What they do is present the band with a letter of intent, or "deal memo," which loosely states some terms, and affirms that the band will sign with the label once a contract has been agreed on. The spookiest thing about this harmless sounding little memo, is that it is, for all legal purposes, a binding document&183; That is, once the band signs it, they are under obligation to conclude a deal with the label. If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There are a hundred other bands willing to sign the exact same contract, so the label is in a position of strength. These letters never have any terms of expiration, so the band remain bound by the deal memo until a contract is signed, no matter how long that takes. The band cannot sign to another laborer or even put out its own material unless they are released from their agreement, which never happens. Make no mistake about it: once a band has signed a letter of intent, they will either eventually sign a contract that suits the label or they will be destroyed.

One of my favorite bands was held hostage for the better part of two years by a slick young "He's not like a label guy at all," A & R rep, on the basis of such a deal memo. He had failed to come through on any of his promises [something he did with similar effect to another well-known band], and so the band wanted out. Another label expressed interest, but when the A & R man was asked to release the band, he said he would need money or points, or possibly both, before he would consider it. The new label was afraid the price would be too dear, and they said no thanks. On the cusp of making their signature album, an excellent band, humiliated, broke up from the stress and the many months of inactivity. There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label. They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus -- nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work. To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyways, it doesn't cost them anything if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much! One day an A & R scout calls them, says he's 'been following them for a while now, and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time. They meet the guy, and y'know what -- he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude.

They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot. The A & R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question-he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it (like Warton Tiers, maybe-- cost you 5 or 7 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about. Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself.

Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children-- without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties. Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer--one who says he's experienced in entertainment law and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be great royalty: 13% [less a 1O% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever. The old label only wants 50 grand, an no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter million, just for being in a rock band! Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money. Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody In the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better.

The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on T-shirt sales! ridiculous! There's a gold mine here! The lawyer Should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe. They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo. They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old "vintage" microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm." All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies! Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are: These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. income is bold and underlined, expenses are not.

.. ..tr> Advance: $ 250,000
Manager's cut: $ 37,500
Legal fees: $ 10,000
Recording Budget: $ 150,000
Producer's advance: $ 50,000
Studio fee: $ 52,500
Drum Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": $ 3,000
Recording tape: $ 8,000
Equipment rental: $ 5,000
Cartage and Transportation: $ 5,000
Lodgings while in studio: $ 10,000
Catering: $ 3,000
Mastering: $ 10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping tapes, misc. expenses: $ 2,000
Video budget: $ 30,000
Cameras: $ 8,000
Crew: $ 5,000
Processing and transfers: $ 3,000
Off-line: $ 2,000
On-line editing: $ 3,000
Catering: $ 1,000
Stage and construction: $ 3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation: $ 2,000
Director's fee: $ 3,000
Album Artwork: $ 5,000
Promotional photo shoot and duplication: $ 2,000
Band fund: $ 15,000
New fancy professional drum kit: $ 5,000
New fancy professional guitars [2]: $ 3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp rigs [2]: $ 4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: $ 1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp: $ 1,000
Rehearsal space rental: $ 500
Big blowout party for their friends: $ 500
Tour expense [5 weeks]: $ 50,875
Bus: $ 25,000
Crew [3]: $ 7,500
Food and per diems: $ 7,875
Fuel: $ 3,000
Consumable supplies: $ 3,500
Wardrobe: $ 1,000
Promotion: $ 3,000
Tour gross income: $ 50,000
Agent's cut: $ 7,500
Manager's cut: $ 7,500
Merchandising advance: $ 20,000
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Publishing advance: $ 20,000
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Record sales: 250,000 @ $12 =
$3,000,000
Gross retail revenue Royalty: [13% of 90% of retail]:
$ 351,000
Less advance: $ 250,000
Producer's points: [3% less $50,000 advance]:
$ 40,000
Promotional budget: $ 25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label: $ 50,000
Net royalty: $ -14,000

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record company income:


Record wholesale price: $6.50 x 250,000 =
$1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties: $ 351,000
Deficit from royalties: $ 14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and distribution: @ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000
Gross profit: $ 7l0,000

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.


Record company: $ 710,000
Producer: $ 90,000
Manager: $ 51,000
Studio: $ 52,500
Previous label: $ 50,000
Agent: $ 7,500
Lawyer: $ 12,000
Band member net income each: $ 4,031.25

Biopsy came thu with the bad newz by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I am blessed to have two idiot fathers.
Father numba two has been chain smoking since before I was born and has had throat cancer and all that crap.
His heart is so week that they wouldn't let him have a biopsy even for the longest...but he had it yesterday..survived! with a heart running at 19% no less. I had a shitty day...listening for the phone call that would tell me that he passed on the table or something
Unfortunately he was told that yes the tumor that is growing in there is malign. Just the biopsy was a huge risk and now they are gonna cut out the growth soon...which is a HUGER risk.
I am very scared for him. Pissed at him cuz he is prolly suckin down a ciggy right NOW...and also going thru a lot of shit mentally about our past and all.
It's fucked up...but I am HOPING that I will get to talk to him thru his little artificial voice box.....cuz if not...that will mean he is gone for good.
With the end in plain sight...it's time to bury the hatchet and get some sort of understanding between us.

Tore the Roof off the Snake...AGAIN!! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

So we rock this little joint up in the hills called the Snake River Saloon...
They have a brass ceiling and blow fire up all over it and stuff...Hell they hired us in the first place due to the fact that we cover " I call my baby Pussycat"

Tha place is always a madhouse when we are up in there. Mugs passing out on the floor, dropping their glasses to break... fights...etc..
THIS time the big story was some lucky cat that got rode hard and put away wet by a mom and daughter team friday night, the guy that wet himself AND of course a wedding party going nutzo.

It's a crazy little mountain town bar...Not a big place..but we managed to pull in some 420 folks thru the door over the two nights.

I have to mix the show from the stage...and that is TUFF....the first show is always hard to get...and the second always sounds so much better.
We have to set up very different than our norm....with me way over stage left. the cues are hard to get to the band..I can hardly see Murphy at all and locking down is really a test of our mental telepathy....

My poor brother Azma always has shit go down when we play there...THIS time..he had buried his Grandmother in the morning...and got the text that his cuzin had been shot in the evening during our set.....wtf? IT was really taxing...I didn't even realize what had happened till after the set..but knew that something was wrong with Azma...something more than being sad for loosing his Grandmother. I don't get it...why does shit havta go south whenever we go to the snake? We all had our fill of fried chicken from the service in the morning... we had chicken for pre during and post show food! Thanks to the Holiday family for that.

Well anyway...the rest on saturday was much needed. All I could do was watch Unbeatable Banzuke and laff my ass off all day...then rocked em again that night.

I think it's time for a raize up in there...cuz they more than covered our fee from the door alone...and made a MINT at the bar!

I am always amazed at mountain folk and their ability to let it all hang out...I wish that it was like that everywhere!

Mastering with a MASTER by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

We had the album Mastered last friday at Airshow Studios with David Glasser as our MASTER...he is indeed a Master!

Airshow

In NO time at all the whole thing was sounding a TON better than it sounded prior to him sprinkling his dust on it...and we had all thought it sounded pretty damn good.

Just walking into the room with 5 ten thousand dollar speakers...some 60+ Grammy's represented on the walls with TWO actual trophies on a speaker in front of the room, and countless gold and platinum records all over the place...made ME feel humble.
I just kept remembering Shider telling me.." you are never better than your surroundings"....I used it in reverse and realized that I BELONGED up in there.


We had gotten there just a bit late and Billy TEE and David G had already been at it for about an hour...Billy told me that David just never spends that much time on ONE song...he was pumped. Indeed David was having FUN...we were listening at a fairly loud volume as David said he only had our session for the day and that the music was meant to be listened to loud. I had done my homework and expected it to be a fairly quiet time.

They had run Get Up back to a BIG ol piece of Tape...but apparently we did good enough at the studio that it really didn't help us out that much...better to just stay in the digital realm David said...so we did...basically whatever this man said was cool by us! He kept commenting on how quiet we were and all.. We just kept telling him that we were there to observe and learn NOT to tell HIM what to do by any means!

It was really a great time. I had NEVER been to a Mastering session and was in awe of the room itself.. the gear...and of course the Man in the middle of the room turnin all them knobs and boppin his head.

Bill and Tom have worked together on many sessions and I could tell they were very friendly with each other. The energy was funky and fun and just what the album needed for the finishing touches. Bill kept telling me...he NEVER...does this or that or the other thing... with a shit eatin grin on his face I knew that Billy was stoked about this project...hell he MUST be...cuz he has been workin on it with me for a couple of years now with barely a mention of money or any of that stuff.....course I am gonna PAY the man..have been all along...but you know...I am poor..the band is poor...he is poor...but we are all RICH as hell in love and light!


Anyway...the experience was one I will CHERISH forever and I hope that there are more to come down the Pipeline..
Some 5+ hours and $977 dollars later....we walked and listened to the thing for the first time on the way up to play a weekend at the Snake River Saloon in Keystone....
I can't wait to put this thing out!

It’s Friday!!! by Sherryce

From Sherryce's myspace blog

Okay, so thrilled it's Friday. One, because I have a gig tonight in Keystone, Colorado, which always puts me in a good mood to gig, and two, because I'm picking up some Bourbon Chicken at the local Colfax eatery. Yummy. Oh, and number three is because I get to spend lunch time with my hubby. One more thing, holy crap sticks it's cold out today. Can I get a, "Where the heck did summer go?" Sheesh. Well, have a great weekend ya'll.

The DNC aftermath...and beyond... by Spunky

Hello Pipe fans!

This is my first "official" behind-the-scenes blog and I'm pleased to be getting around to this. My head was in a fog due to all the madness of Denver's hosting of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). U.S. Pipe was proud to take part in some of the festivities, including one private party, the Green Frontier Fest and the Sustainable Living Roadshow. Each of the three had their own special fun. I thought we'd all lose our minds to an extent because the logistics were challenging but we lived through it, learned much and can keep moving forward.

I'd like to thank all the people who gave us these DNC opportunities...while I can't really mention all of them by specific names here, they know who they are and they will all get a more personal thank you from me very, very soon! We are grateful to have been able to perform at these events and promote our music and some great causes, too.

The night Obama gave his acceptance speech was a regularly scheduled practice night. The kids (yes, Citrus--who is my husband for those of you who don't know--and I refer to the band members as the "kids," lol) were given a night off because of this historical moment. Citrus and I watched it together, curious what would unfold. I'll admit I was worried and somewhat anticipating something CRAZY happening, but instead I saw something BEAUTIFUL happening.

Most of the times I'm the cynic Obama wants us to NOT be anymore. I really listen to most politicians and think most of it is pure BS. I have lost faith in my government and those in power, for sure. I can't take them seriously. But Obama really moved me.

I guess what pops out at me, more than anything else about this moment in time, in Obama's speech, is his theme about not doing the right/good thing for others, but FOR YOURSELF. Do it FOR YOURSELF.

This band has presented many challenges since we stumbled into doing it. In June of 2005, my husband Citrus went to audition for a band, but then he became the focus of a new band. I got suckered into web design and press releases and now I help manage the band with Citrus. We sometimes, in all honesty, wonder what we're doing and why, and feel like giving up because it seems like so much for so little reward. We think about this in terms of others but really, we're doing this for ourselves.

It is my hope and dream to see this band, U.S. Pipe, that has weathered so much throughout time and trials, to see some level of success. It's my goal for Citrus to be able to be the awesome musician he is and make a living from his talent. It's also my goal to keep working on my ability to do what I do within this industry: to write, to hype, to connect, to help sustain what it is and deliver music that not only moves but can remove, as the great Dr. Funkenstein would say.

The power of funk and its legacy is lost on some. I am hoping we can revitalize it and take it to another level. That, I suppose, is the ultimate dream. I want there to be a little Citrus, of sorts...as he was at a young age, opening Dr. Funkenstein's album up and thinking that Afronauts and their story was a real deal. It IS a real deal. The funk needs us and we need the funk. Hopefully our funk will get its stank on some new blood and carry on.

Friends, thank you for your support. I see so many familiar faces at our shows and your love helps us to grow. For that I am extremely grateful.

Hope to see you at Herman's Hideaway on September 13. Discount tickets are on an intro page to our site at www.us-pipe.com. Tell your friends!

Thanks for reading,
Spunky (aka Laura), U.S. Pipe's pimp :)

Three of the most important conversations by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I had three of the most important conversations in my life this week.

I am still reeling from it all really. HEAVY STUFF for me.
First got with my Tia Margaret...we Finally got to share some perspective on Life together after some 31 yrs apart....I got some good information from her and a LOT of LOVE. I realized that the LOVE truly was always present...and tho the dam was holding it back...the floodgates are wide open at the moment and the river of life is moving fast...cleaning and churning....stagnant no more.

Being alone with her was amazing. That conversation led me to the next two because it came to light that my sisters weren't talking to each other and why....

So...Next up....Sister Kim....numba ONE.
Yes...she is the oldest of my three sisters..and the one that I know the least.

We FINALLY got to be alone...the FIRST TIME IN OUR LIVES!!!!
I dunno how to describe the emotions that went thru me...I think Every emotion you could have passed thru my being on that day. Quickly...over the course of a couple of hours we tried to catch up...to express ourselves and our perspectives on the mess that is our Family..to show how much we love each other...Mostly we realized that we were played against each other.. we knew it all along...but we made it REAL that day...and vowed to NOT ALLOW it any longer. We are grown folk now and will just have to take the reigns and show our elders about a little thing called the TRUTH...because it will certainly set us all free. My poor sister...she has suffered enough and plenty...perhaps more than I can even imagine. We did after all only get thru a couple of tough layers to this onion.

Next up...Baby Sista...who is NO baby... Krista..
We went to breakfast with our Auntie and Uncle then over to their house to look at pictures. Margaret is pretty damn sick(see previous blog Orando por mi tia) and is obviously preparing herself mentally for her bodies' eventual end. I got a good amount of pictures of my cousins and uncles and aunts and dad and step mom and sisters and grandparents and such....pictures from different phases of their lives that I missed out on...some from the way back machine...the faces that I remember.
THEN...we went for a little walk...Just me and Krista also for the FIRST time we were alone together....and WE tried to catch up. We learned a LOT about each other. Even MORE stuff came up and out....cuz I had more information at this point...and could suss some things out better.
I realized that tho I had the pain and agony of being ripped from my family...my sisters suffered more than I did. Their life stories sound like a hell that I am very lucky to have escaped. We all longed for each other equally and were equally confused and hurt by the whole thing. I see that we are all cut off from our emotions (nobody cried). We learned a lot of the same stuff...I saw myself in them for the FIRST time. Yes...tho they say that they are polar opposites..my sisters are very much alike..and I am like THEM.


WE all got an honest look into the mirror this week. The ramifications are yet to be felt...and there are two or three more conversations that MUST be had...the THREE of us together...and One on ONE with Pops...
None of us and All of us are to blame...and there will have to be discussions with everybody really. They should be much easier that these first 5 or so...

NONE of this would be going down without Myspace and my cousin Rachel. The ONLY one to take a step towards ME.

BUY Pipe Gear Online: T-shirts, hats, thongs + MORE!

NEW!!! Get hats, T-shirts, thongs and MORE at U.S. Pipe's CafePress.com store: cafepress.com/uspipe

Flashes of Wonderful by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I know I have been on the low end of the wave for the last few weeks.

Feeling used up and old....like the water is flowing too fast for me to swim against. It has been some strange dayz for me lately to be sure.


Last night tho...I was blessed....and it really snapped me out of it!




I was really bummed at the start of this session because I had worked really hard on creating some Hindustani classes because I had several requests to do them at Swallow Hill. Nobdody signed up...well one guy did, but the classes fell thru.
I wanted to show beginners the Carnatic system of scale exercises that I learned at Dr. Suma Sudhindra's school in Bangalore back in the early 90s.

I have been teaching that system for the last week or so ANYWAY in ALL of my classes...because it is just so useful and I love to see people who were confused and not free to play open up and understand really big concepts from the start! It isn't a part of the curriculum and I certainly didn't PLAN on teaching this to ALL of my students. IT just WORKS.



So last night I was teaching my guitar logic class and was helping them thru the exercises in different positions and fingerings across the CAGED system. I noticed that the amplifier that the younger student was playing thru had a sticker on it that said "Goddess". I dunno..it was sparkly and caught my eye. I thought for a moment that my two students truly were goddesses and that I was lucky to have them in my life.
One is the student that has RA and has been helping me face that stuff..the other...the young student...she has taken SEVERAL of my group class offerings and tho she struggles to keep up, she works hard and tries hard and when she let's go I hear things that really amaze me come out of her fingers...she usually notices me noticing and then freezes...but hey...that flash of wonderful is really what it is ALL about!

So anyway...just seconds after this flash on the Goddess...we stop playin and the young lady says to me in a very serious tone..

"Goddess Saraswati is surely proud of you!"

This young thing....all blond and blue and emo...not outwardly showing ANY signs of knowing ANYTHING about Hinduism....SHE lays THAT on me!

A blessing...that the Goddess of Music and Knowledge and the Arts is smiling on ME!!??

I instantly felt a wash of cleansing and happiness...of a bit of guilt for my lack of
faith and for judging people.....and of immense vindication...that I am doing what I am supposed to do.
I saw myself as Shiva....teaching Saraswati herself about music.
Suddenly EVERYTHING was perfect! The water was still and refreshing, cleansing and wonderful

of course, that flash is now gone.... but that flash of wonderful is really what it is ALL about!

Purple Rain @ Red Rocks FRI, AUG 8!

YES...we are very excited and preparing diligently for this upcoming show on Friday. Click on the flyer for more info!

U.S. Pipe in today's Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_10047538

"U.S. Pipe, one of Denver's busiest funk bands, will end a short tour of the state with a Red Rocks stop on Aug. 8, at which the band will play (wait for it . . .) "Purple Rain" in its entirety. Before then, however, it will hit Avon, Aspen, Breckenrige, Fort Collins and many points in between. Check us-pipe.com for more information and ticket prices. "

--John Wenzel

THANK YOU, John Wenzel + Denver Post!

Save $ on our Friday nite gig at Cervantes!

Mention you're there to see U.S. Pipe and you'll get in for just 10 bucks instead of getting charged the full $15 ticket price!

We'll be opening for two amazing national acts, Bonerama (New Orleans Funk) AND Fareed Haque (Acclaimed Jazz Fusion Guitar).

It's a sweet deal, all going down at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom at 2637 Welton Street in Denver. We hit at 9 p.m. See you there! (FRI, AUG 1)

5 gigs this weekend and some KILLER gigs NEXT weekend! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

We start off by heading up to Breck on Thursday night to play Three20South.


Friday we are at Cervantes Opening for Bonerama + Fareed Haque!!

Saturday we are playin at two different venues in AVON Colorado!
Zacca Za's AND Finnegan's Wake


Sunday we are at our Home away from Home..the Belly UP ASPEN!


Then we rehearse like mad ALL FREAKIN WEEK to get ready for our

RED ROCKS and Dacono Centennial Celebration gigs
8/8 and 8/9!


Come Party with the Pipe....Put Some Stank in your Summer!

EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: United Sound Pipe album cover!

This is the first public posting of a look at our album cover for U.S. Pipe's upcoming debut full length release, United Sound Pipe!

This art was done by the renowned artist, Scrojo: scrojo.com. Many thanks to him for his hard work and support! You may have seen his art at the Belly Up clubs in Colorado and California. We are very honored by his graciousness to do this for us and we are in the final mixing stages of the album.

RED ROCKS OR BUST!!! by Bubbles

From Bubbles' myspace blog

So U.S. Pipe is playing Red Rocks on August 8! We're doing the Film on the Rocks series, opening for the movie Purple Rain!

Not only are we going to be doing original U.S. Pipe songs, we will also be performing the entire Purple Rain album! Appearing with the Pipe will be legendary trumpet player Rick Gardner, guitarist Ryan Chrys, keyboard players Amanda Ray, Jamie Krutz and Ryan Connell, and Damon Scott on percussion.

It's been a dream of mine to play there ever since I moved to Denver in 1997, so I expect all you suckas to go get your tickets now and I'll see ya there!!

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL KING SOOPERS
BY PHONE AT 1-866-464-2626
OR ONLINE AT WWW.DENVERFILM.ORG

Pipe Dream by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Most people tend to think that U.S. Pipe is my dream come true...let me shed some light on the subject!

I was auditioning to play guitar in a band! All I wanted to do was be a guitarist in a good band and make a little side money. I answered an add in Music Mates or Craigslist or something like that....went to audition for Lickin Lolli...with the Wonderful Jamie Nova of Helles Belles singing the leads! They had some really cool songs written and I just wanted to come in and play some guitar for them....THEY decided to switch up the band and start one around me! THEN Jamie decided to stay with Helles Belles and leave Lolli too...so there I was...with a big band to take care of.
I don't know......I guess I asked for it...I let it happen.
Here I am anyway :)

I love my band and all the people in it...or that have been in it...but it certainly isn't what I set off to do.

ONE Degree of seperation by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I fuckin LOVE my GrandDAD.
If it weren't for his third wife...none of you would know me at all! Isn't that just amazing?
I mean...if it wasn't for her, I would surely be living in rural Nebraska cowboyin' up.
Everytime I am near the man I feel the call of the horse.
He runs 1/4 horse ranches where he billets cattle and breeds horses. Yes plural...an 80 acre ranch in North Platte and a full Section of land in Wolback.

His third wife makes me freakin HOT with anger and frustration tho...and I can barely stand to be around the two of them for more than a few daze! So here I am in Dever on the computer instead of out in Wolback on the Ranch.
I am glad the man is happy with his wife....cuz my poor Grandmother NEVER found love..
Their story is a tragic one full of intrigue and mystery. I just can't be around his wife..."Hyacinth" ya ever see that show "Keeping Up Appearances" the lady is Hyacinth Bucket in an american country style. To the TEE...
I have Horseman in the blood...
Jockies(one took second place in the Kentucky Derby), Breeders, Trainers, Cowboys and farmers are my ancestors and elders on THAT side of the family....
Life is so very interesting!

Focus on Reality!!! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

SO many people have been advizing me to focus on the POSITIVE...
That is all good folks...I believe in the power of positive thinking..
I also believe in facing reality head on these daze. I mean I spent years and years trying to think positive thoughts and hoping that it would cure the world...didn't work

...if you don't know the truth...thinking positive thoughts doesn't really help. Knowing and Facing the truth in an honest and fearless way is about as positive as I can get right now.

I am awaiting the newz that I either have or don't have a particular anti body in my blood...NOT HIV....I don't know what it's called! LOL...but IF I have it..then I have a disease...IF I don't...well then..I have just used my hands WAY TOO much.
Positive thinking will surely help me in dealing with my situation. I am POSITIVE that I will learn to deal with the situation no matter what it actually is. I have already adapted the way I do many things...However...thinking positive thoughts ALONE...is NOT gonna help.

Another note....I used to think I was bodhisatva...that I came back cuz I pretty much got the picture and need to help some other mugs see the light. But that I didn't NEED TO BE HERE. That's pretty damn positive thinking aint it? Well....in watching the suffering of my fellow humans...I have learned much much much more than I ever thought that I knew already! The suffering that I have gone thru and am facing now...will teach me even more. In turn I will be able to help more poor slobs who are dealing with what I am dealing with....so....I AM positive ok!

I guess that my real point here is that there is a big difference between positive thinking and DENIAL.

I must stand and face the truth!
Life IS about Suffering....but just check the definition of the word....
means...
1 a: to submit to or be forced to endure b: to feel keenly : labor under
2: undergo, experience
3: to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable
4: to allow especially by reason of indifference
intransitive verb
1: to endure death, pain, or distress
2: to sustain loss or damage
3: to be subject to disability or handicap

I really like the second one...to undergo or experience

New booking agent for U.S.!

U.S. Pipe is pleased to officially announce that we have a new booking agent!

Mr. David Weingarden will be helping me (Laura aka Spunky) with plans to take over the world. I met David as he worked with Swallow Hill on a temp contract basis to work for our concert department.

He has a high level of integrity and great business smarts. It feels very good to work with someone on this tip who actually knows what they're doing!

Any booking inquiries for us can now be directed to him at either david@us-pipe.com or booking@us-pipe.com. Soon we'll have a direct phone number for booking that will be listed with other info on our site at us-pipe.com under the "hit U.S. up" menu.

An official press release with more information will also be distributed in the coming days.

SummerFest in the Rockies was a blast!

Literally...

The fireworks that took place in the middle of our set blasted off, most clearing the trees to oohs and ahhs.

We were honored to be part of this annual event in Loveland, Colorado. The stage was set in the middle of the lagoon in Civic Center Park. Apparently it is a fountain most times, but is converted to a stage that has really great sound, apparently made especially for this event.

It was great to see families of all varieties and ages dancing the night away. People stuck around till the end, shakin' booties all the time. Some of the kiddos were an absolute riot.

We had a great time. Thanks, Loveland!

Summer has been a lot of hard work for a lot of good times. We're all working hard to both finish the album AND prepare for all the shows we have, including the upcoming show for Film on the Rocks, where we will perform the Purple Rain album before the film is screened, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on August 8.

You can get tickets at any ticketswest.com or King Soopers. More info can also be found on the Denver Film Society's website at www.denverfilm.org. Swallow Hill is also helping present this series and dealt with the booking so THANK YOU, Swallow Hill! If you are reading this and are unfamiliar with this great nonprofit music organization, go check it out at www.swallowhillmusic.org.