some upcoming Greens dates

The Greens will be at the Brew Pub in Morgantown on Oct. 7- hopefully a CD release event! The Greens will be playing at the Hot Air Balloon event in Morgantown October 21st at 5:30 pm. Later that evening Andy will have a songwriter spot at the Mountainlair in Morgantown. September 29th (andy's birthday!) andy will be playing at a Young Democrats function at 123 Pleasant St. And, October 8th is the 3rd annual john prine birthday tribute benefit at the boreman wheel house in Parkersburg, where andy will be the "musical host" with Dan Baker, Nick Barry and Todd Heslep also performing. Stay tuned for more venues and dates-

looking ahead musically

tomorrow I will piece together a Greens upcoming schedule from what andy has sent me; and give a John Prine birthday tribute update, and a few shows I am attending upcoming.......

listening selections - monday road trip

today on a drive to fairmont and back for a work related trip these were the three CD's in the player: 1) the carpenter ants "picnic with the lord"; 2) bob dylan's "masked and anonymous" sound track from the motion picture; 3) from hell to breakfast; a taste of sugar hill's texas singer songwriters (townes van zandt; guy clark, robert earl keen, larry mcmurtry, etc.) including the wonderful austin lounge lizards song: old blevins (he went blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah blah) this was a rainy day and suitable for the wide diversity of selections (the dylan one had foreign version of several songs......)

broadening out the blog

well, today registers the point when I'm ready to move on from the "trial phase" of the blog and begin to get the word out; and try to generate some interaction- I've been using this first month to try and get my bearings and try it out- so I will be letting some folks (Other than andy and andy) know about it- mainly Greens fans and then musically linked people in general. I will use it to publicize fund raising musical events for Children's Home Society of WV in the Parkersburg area; and to "review" and boost the Greens; and to journal my concert and show experiences, and say what I'm listening to........

vinyl record swap meet

We held the second vinyl record swap meet today; pretty disappointed in the turnout of buyers; but the donations flowed in, and the few who attended enjoyed each others company and music discussions and trivia recollections. Thanks to Phil Carroll who set up a vendor space and had interesting rock and roll memorabilia. Thanks to marcie, alison, and michael (and billy toward the end, for helping robert and I run the thing. Billy may get that drum set he's been wanting out of the deal...... a drum set was donated!!!! Well, there is now a much HUGE-R collection than before to "deal with"- but this time, there are some pretty good/ interesting finds still left; so there will be a plan developed to deal with the records; but today I am too tired out. I enjoyed David Lake's collection this morning; too bad he had to leave before it really got started!!!! My office-mates are not going to be happy with me for the clutter I have maintained; so maybe even tomorrow I will begin dealing with it!!!!

greens show at front row in parkersburg friday night

The Greens returned to the Front Row in Parkersburg for the first time in a month or so - fresh from some busy weeks in morgantown, elkins, columbus, etc. They have several new songs worked into the sets; and keep "polishing" the recent favorites; there was an extended Hendrix run of songs in the second set. Dave Snider stopped in; recently having spent time with the national guard in katrina relief- then on his way back to florida; the crowd over in the far corner by the pool table was an especially appreciative audience. There was one flurry of dancing folks, and generally an enthusiastic group.
I got a "master" of the new CD- Greens 3 is the current title; and I will be making 5-10 of it for immediate distribution; while the band works on a larger order somewhere. I also am down to one copy of Strange Language, so want to make some additional copies; for the "early songs"- and perspective of how they are played now, and incorporated into the current line up. I still have at least 10-15 of Fruition; yet only about two of andy's acoustic CD from earlier this year. I was scouring through some various promo's with 4-5 songs on them, too.

greens trip to ohio over the weekend

Andy reports to me that the trip to two shows in Ohio with Zen was a fun trip. Columbus was a well-received gig - the set list was (generally): crazy thomas; 10,000 days; big ol betsy; there is nothing to fear; anon; beekeeper; apocalypso; Mary Jane. The next night was Yellow Springs Ohio- where "newer tunes and rarities" were performed. Andy recalled a road trip and visiting Antioch College and Yellow Springs in the summer one year of his high school years.
The weekend started with a gig at the Wheeling Sternwheel festival friday earlier.

mountain stages; fur peace ranch shows

Sorry to have waited too long to get tickets for David Bromberg at the Fur Peace Station on Nove. 5- sold out. There are a string of good mountain stages coming up starting sept. 25 - pretty steady on to early november. Oct. 2 is in Athens Ohio. Tim O'Brien is playing "everywhere" around here in the next month or so (WV native)- stuart's opera house, mountain stage, and rosewood theatre in morgantown. Bill Poole's putting in a plug for Marty Stuart at the Front Row on Oct. 21st- a good review of Marty in the latest edition of No Depression.

greens studio work

Andy reports that work has been going on for a third full length greens CD. Some of it is re-working songs off the EP and the acoustic Cd earlier this year. Andy is thinking of submitting some songs to a songwriting contest: big ol betsy in a rock category; truck stop religion in a roots/ americana category and bushwacker in a folk/ singer songwriter category- updates later. A shipment of CD's is supposed to be on the way- keep in touch for updates.

Vinyl Record swap meet coming up

We are having our second vinyl record swap meet as a fund raiser for the agency I work for, on saturday September 24th from noon to 4 pm at 1739 St. Mary's Ave., (In parkersburg) in the parking lot. We are eagerly awaiting more donations; we have the "left overs" from the first event in the spring- there are of course, some diamonds in the rough for some true music lovers, but we'd like to replenish the selection with some fresher stuff. The first event raised $300 for our "good cause," with people eagerly scarfing up the 60's-70's type rock selections. For details contact Robert Ward or myself at Children's Home Society of WV- 485-0650- or e-mail rward@childhswv.org or stuck@childhswv.org or track us down otherwise...........

The Greens haven't been in Parkersburg for a while

Parkersburgians are missing the Greens the last few weeks; after Elkins and the highland jam (the weekend before labor day)- I understand the greens played in morgantown several times this weekend; Next weekend it is to Columbus Ohio with Zen, I believe. On Sept 23, (finally) the Greens will be in parkersburg at the front row. Awaiting word on any further recording sessions also. Somewhere in here, thegreensmusic.com website SHOULD be updated (!) for the fall!!!!!! and/or the sonic electronic press kit.

road trip music selections - toledo

Well, since I started it last week with a shorter trip to wheeling and back. Here is music I listened to on the way to Toledo and back for a reunion of high school football (class of 1971!) This was a trip across Ohio- diagonal from south east to north west- where, especially north of Columbus the flat corn and soybean fields are a total contrast to WV terrain. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals "Nothing but the Water" was on; still in the CD player from the Wheeling trip! Then, Jason Wilber's Lost in YOur Hometown; John Prine's Live on Tour; Townes Van Zandt "The Best of"; Adrienne Young's The Art of Virtue; Grateful Dead, Postcards of the Hanging (songs of Bob Dylan); that got me to Toledo. The next day on the ride home: John Prine's anthology Great Days, disc 2; Lucinda Williams, Car wheels on a gravel road; John Prine's Fair and Square; and The Band's Last waltz (both discs) to finish up on in from logan or lancaster ohio through Athens, into Parkersburg.

september 7th road trip listening selections

driving to wheeling and back for a work related meeting: "what was in the CD player" : jason wilber- behind the midway; sarah guthrie and johnny orion- exploration (that was in when I got a speeding ticket on the ohio side on route 7 across from the new martinsville bridge; passing a gravel truck that had been spitting rocks at me for about 15 miles..... sigh...........)
todd snider- that was me - this was the "cross over CD" finishing the front leg of the trip and starting the return trip. kd lang- hymns of the 49th parallel; and finishing up with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (who recently played at the Rosewood Theatre in Morgantown - in July? August?

tom waits and frank zappa readings

I am currently reading (in tandem) "innocent when you dream" the tom waits reader edited by Mac Montandon (2005) Thunder Mouth Press, and The Real Frank Zappa Book; (by Frank Zappa, with Peter Occhiogrosso 1989 - Poseidon Press. Andy let me borrow the Tom Waits book; and Robert Ward let me borrow the Zappa book (andy has the "other zappa" book right now). The other night (3 am) I probably had some insightful things to say; but now at the end of a work day I am just stating they are good inspirational reading.
"everybody likes music" - music's got to like you (to be a musician).....

Greens played at Highland Jam over the weekend

I am waiting word on how the Highland Jam went in Elkins on friday and saturday. The weather must have been great- if a little cooler up in the mountains than down here in the "lowlands." The website for the Highland Jam made it seem pretty inviting to attend. The hosts are definitely "cheerleaders" for the music scene in WV. We'll give them a couple of days to recover before inquirying how things went.........

todd snider's new CD

I received Todd Snider's new CD the other day. This is a compilation of the first three CD's he did (for his previous label before Oh BOY) The songs are a good collection/ distribution of the three albums. The liner notes are excellent- giving some more perspective on his evolution. I would hope they would "catch up" some fans of later years to the "early years."