Zeppelin Hall 4/27/12 Jersey City, New Jersey

Tonight was all about the audience, it always really is but this was one of those Occasion's that make a band rise to the (errrr........) Occasion. All I know from my vantage point is that the dance floor was never empty and grew full halfway through our second set of which many people remained the rest of the evening during which Diana had her share of "Oglers" and Rob had quite a few "Oglers" himself (including some swooning asian ladies). Thanks to Ardella, Giseli and that guy with the grey t-shirt who can moonwalk for keeping the dance floor infectious and fun tonight.

Stories unique to the night were the fact that Giseli our number one female fan was asked as she gyrated "how much do you get paid ?" by a bar patron thinking that she was hired by the band to create a dance fever atmosphere and also that my friend Ardella arrived wearing a White Wedding t-shirt just as we were giving away a White Wedding t-shirt that she then modeled to the crowd.

Premiered tonight was "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates and "Heaven is a place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle.

Thanks to the Zeppelin Hall audience tonight for Rocking Out Hard with us.



The Ericmeister Jagermeister Tempomeister whom at one point during tonight's performance turned to me and said "Spike, I'm Going To Kill You" which made him feel much better, me too.

I Love this guy, So honest.



"There goes a Narwhal" ooops wrong band and song thrice times removed.



Diana gives the Triple Mind Mollochio to J.C.



Can you Spot Steve in this photo ?

Hint: He is not behind the Camel.



Our friend and fan Ardella sporting her White Wedding t-shirt.



Zee Blau Speck Burger !!!

8 ounce Angus Beef Burger topped with Melted Blue Cheese and Savory Bacon with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and French Fries served on top of a snare drum that was 85% eaten before we began our first set. The Blau speck then sat under my floor tom not to be finished until after the finale.

This Is Show # 168

- Spike

Heritage Bar - 4/21/12 Yonkers, New York

The band played really well tonight and were all very pleased with our performances as a unit and as individuals. Collette rose to the occasion once again and played to the crowd with showmanship and Eric got to meet one of his musical heroes Prince Rogers Nelson who is quite the showman himself (see photo above).

After the show Collette, Rob, Eric and myself had some drinks in the dressing room and discussed the minute details of our individual ensemble contributions, RickRolling, other bands, the universe at large, future songs to cover and Meg White.

... after which Collette found sixty dollars which may or may not have been hers.

Rob ferried us all home in the zip car but for the commuters heading away from Brooklyn it was all Burrito's and brake lights as we passed a large convoy of sedentary police cars with roof lights ablaze in the opposite lane.

For awakening him from his slumber I apologize to Sean for accidentally texting Blog ideas to his phone in the wee hours (and what will he make of it all tomorrow ?).

Also of note David Lee Roth is a bit effeminate in real life so I hear.



Eric giving the Molocchio to Dave for an unknown reason, this is becoming habitual with us.

Is White Wedding becoming Black Wedding ?



Collette fronting the band during the Journey classic "Don't Stop Believing".

There was no one available to take photos at this show so I stepped out from behind the drums during my brief "intro" pause to snap this pic and fortunately got back in time without a hitch.



Living in the Limelight.



J.C. tickles the ivories and was a good sport dodging my flying drumsticks, he did promise to "throw them back the next time" however.

its o.k. I have his red bag for ransom.



The Heritage is a fully stocked bar as well as the home of the best Guinness this side of Dublin. One of our most favorite places to play and a home base of sorts for us.

This Is Show # 167

- Spike

Resorts World Casino/Bar 360 4/19/12 Queens, New York

Probably the coolest stage we have played on so far Bar 360 at Aqueduct in the Resorts World Casino is definitely an experience and great exposure for a band like ours as the people traffic is pretty constant for those who watch a number or two, Quite a few onlookers really enjoyed the Michael Jackson segment especially well. Then there were those who stayed the entire 3 sets which we very much appreciate. It was a blast to play and have a return engagement and we hope to be back real soon.



Diana Ciccone.



J.C. giving the Malocchio to evildoers everywhere.



I was not able to hear Eric at tonights show so missed out on all the guitar solos I enjoy so much.



Jamie snuck a few rare overhead shots before security asked her to desist.



the view from the bar.



I gave myself extra time to get to the casino but still found no time to get Jamie and myself some dinner, after the first set I passed by to say hello to Steve and Richard and Steve offered me one of his Fish Taco's, Now normally I say "thanks very much but no thanks" but I have been wanting to try the recently trendish Fish Taco for some time so I accepted. Served on a soft Corn Tortilla and quite tasty save for the spicy hot seasoning that I had in the last bite and right before returning to stage. Thanks for the Taco Steve.



"Lets Go Crazy" as seen from beneath the floor tom.



The wheels on the bus they go round and round.

This Is Show # 166

FLICKR

- Spike

Petes Saloon 4/13/12 Elmsford, New York

Our first show with Collette on vocals and she rose to the 80s occasion LIKE TOTALLY. Singing, talking to the crowd and performing with a finely honed finesse that comes with practice, perseverance and professionalism (The 3 P's) it was fun for me to see the "stage" Collette as the musician's in the band only play Loud, Soft, Slow or Fast at rehearsal whereas you don't get to see a front person really performing without a stage and a crowd.

Singing? Yes.
Performing? No.
Not even Marc Bolan or Bowie would,..... o.k. those are very special cases.

it builds a better beast.



With trepidation did I return to Pete's Saloon as they feature a stage perfect for a duo but NOT a Full band (6 of us there are). My previous experience onstage was so cramped that I broke a glass trying to get behind my own drum kit, Tonight went much much better after deciding that removing my Hi-Hat Cymbals from their spindle and stepping over the Hi-Hat and Cymbal stand was preferable to climbing behind my floor tom just to get the F**K in & out from behind the drum kit!!!

We received lots of compliments from the crowd which is always very nice and there were a few Hotties* dancing on the chairs protesting shows end.

After packing our gear up Collette handed me a mysterious weighty backpack that I thought might be J.C.'s but J.C. had left by the time I seeked out his vehicle so I checked the backpack's content's to find various camera's, cable's, boxes' and camera equipment,... not any of our's after which I returned it to the bar.

Then Collette double checked for her left behind Apple Laptop power cord which she found but also returned with a wayward guitar strap that belonged to the club we surmised and returned it to the bar.

Rob was waiting for the Printer/Scanner to come out the back on her return so we decided that Collette is the official innocent "Clepto" of the band, we will be visiting Guitar Center very soon en masse and in disguise.



"Who would cross the bridge of death must answer me these questions three, ere' the other side be seen"



Rob took a sharp turn on the highway and I unwittingly caught this scene in my camera's viewfinder.

This Is Show # 165

- Spike

The Saloon 4/6/12 New York City

Our first show at the Saloon on the upper east side of Manhattan turned out to be one of the shortest in recent memory not to any fault of the band or venue might I add. There was a raffle of ten thousand dollars that we knew was happening and promoted, after setting up we were asked to share the evening with the calling of the ticket numbers so it went kind of like this, White Wedding play 5 or 6 songs/Raffle for 20 minutes, this was repeated twice and then we played our last and third set consisting of 9 songs and finishing up the evening by 11:30 p.m. which was an early night and quite different than our planned 47 song set list, not that any of us are complaining.

And where did Diana get that Cool Belt ? (see above)

Steve was not happy due to the brevity of our sets so we tried paying him off with Money, Texas Chili, a couple of bottles of Cointreau and erasing some gambling debts. Unshakable he turned down all offers but did get a Texas Chili medium size to go.

Playing in little pockets or short displays (much like at the wedding 2 weeks ago) was pretty liberating to me as I played with more relaxed conviction and concentration during my windows onstage and did not find myself thinking ahead 10 songs on our set list.

The Saloon room offered a nice fat drum sound without the aid of miked amplification.



PULL THE STRINGS !!! (announced excitedly in a Martin Landau portraying Bela Lugosi voice)



(L to R) - Dave, Dave's Brother, Dave's Brother.



23h:08m:37s:12ms 04m06d2012y pre-tambourine attack (P.T.A.)



One of our fans decided to have some fun with Cyndi onstage and then became super animated during the Prince segment culminating in her and a friend hitting my cymbals with tambourines which I would usually welcome however the hand cue to end "Purple Rain" was coming up. Thankfully Rob escorted them offstage in a friendly and princely manner just in time for the end of the tune.

So much for being Ching-A-Linged by Hotties.



Keep It Dark.



The Suspender Brothers Are Ready To Rock You.



Prior to the show Jamie, Diana, Dave and myself ordered some Indian food at the bar in Mumtaz which was located right next door to The Saloon and I can Never pass up a Mulligatawny Soup (seen in this photograph as a "to go" item) which while very tasty was loaded with a bit too much pulverized Potato or something that was akin to pulverized Potato. Diana and Dave ordered the Chana Baji (Chick Peas cooked with Onions, Green Pepper & Spices served with Puffed Bread (Poori Bread) and Jamie got an order of Aloo Paratha (Bread stuffed with mildly spiced Potatoes) which was on the contrary "plenty fricckkin' spicy".



Poster and Online flyer for tonight's performance.



Our encore, the newest crowd pleaser Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me".

This Is Show # 164

FLICKR

- Spike

Private Party - Fontana's Bar 3/31/12 New York City

A Kick Ass crowd kept us energized all night long and they Rocked Hard keeping the band firing on all pistons and the room entertained thoroughly. Thank you All very much you Lunatics (Elvis was there too).

Tonight there was a partial back line so I only had to bring down my Snare Drum, Cymbals, Kick Pedal and Hi-Hat Clutch that was accomplished via Subway which was a relief (Phew). We were playing a return engagement for an lively 80s reunion party from last year so expectations were riding high and rightly so, the crowd were ready for us from the get-go and it was "these go to eleven" from the start, storm clouds brewed however. Eric broke his "D" string (the fourth string) towards the end of the first set and his Floyd Rose Tremelo snapped it again during restringing causing two breaks and NO replacement "D" string on hand so it was a night of transposing for our fearless guitar player (string theory indeed). To add fuel to the fire my Evans Snare Drum head popped towards the end of the second set but fortunately I had time and a replacement head on hand to remedy that situation for the third set.

Bottom Line, Only the band noticed.



Trying to rescue the D string between sets proved formidable and impossible since the string broke twice, once during performance and once during repair. I blame Floyd Rose Tremelo Systems..... BASTARDS !!!



Look, its the D string, Where is Michio Kaku ?.

And Why is Dave conversing with a KKK member ?



"Tonight we're going to party like its 1986!!!"
(so said Rob at the beginning of our set, deviating by a year from 1985)



the vice squad is taking Nancy in for violation of 80s Diva green card status (neon green of course).



the class of 86 is a Wild Bunch !!! I witnessed it.



sniffle,... tonight was Nancy's last show with us and even though we knew it was coming I paid extra attention to her formidable voice and figure on stage with us, being an original member of the Airwaves we went through so much in the trenches for a few years building up our reputation and paying the "dues" that most bands do playing for free, eating badly (OK we never did that, well They didn't), working hard rehearsing, becoming better musicians/ensemble players and losing sleep for the common goal of success in the little 80s band pet project that Mike and ourselves started together which has grown into a lucrative vehicle for all involved especially my car service driver.

As I said to Nancy tonight "See what you started You troublemaker"

I have made a lifelong friend and it was a pleasure backing up such a fine singer and talented bandmate,.... I am talking about Nancy here folks.

I used to call her our "secret weapon" because whatever male singer we had at the time would come out and warm up the crowd sufficiently and then came Nancy's turn with her looks and charisma but especially the voice completely winning the audience over in those early days of the band, So I firmly stand by my words "See what you started you troublemaker" and might I add that I was and am proud to serve with you then, now and next time.



The last Nancy showcase number at the end of our third set. I was just trying to capture the audio here and luckily the camera caught this angle. Yes the drums are loud, the camera was laying on my jacket just behind the Hi-Hat pedal.



Eric's new vocal showcase, "Your Love" by The Outfield.



This Is Show # 163

- Spike

Wedding/Vineyard Caterers 3/24/12 Aquebogue, New York

It all began with the Tarantula.

He of effeminate qualities but doing a dickens of a job performing maitre d'/wedding coordinator duties at the lovely (Shining-esque) Vineyard Caterers of Aquebogue, New York.

We arrived thusly on a slightly cooler day of the week at a chillier sixty or so degrees in temperature amongst cloudy skies to set up our gear at this wedding reception and were asked to take our sign down by Tarantula (fair enough we were independently hired).

Shortly after Dave asked if there was a place to store our keyboard, guitar cases and costume bag to which Tarantula replied "right this way booby" with accompanying "buddy" arm on back.

Later during appetizer's Rob was coordinating wedding party intro's/band start time whilst receiving accompanying "buddy" elbow peccadilloes from the Tarantula as well.

He also liked the band and told us so, well we did do a smashing job and I am pleased Tarantula liked us as well, I wound up liking him too.

J.C. is responsible for the "T" moniker, you ask him.

Dave and Rob remain disturbed by the incidents, Fab fellow was he though.



There was a Mariachi band serenading the guests during cocktail hour and into the dining hall where we shared performance duties with DJ Lane of All Around Sound DJ's.

The band played exceptionally well providing an 11 Song opening set of songs including Eric's (unplanned and impressive) vocal debut of "Your Love" by the Outfield and a last minute request of "Billie Jean", an 8 Song dinner set of quieter music (which I love to play) and a 11 Song Dancey Dance Party set that had the room grooving and up on the dance floor for our entire performance. A Great reception and fun crowd for White Wedding.



Over the bridge and through the woods to grandmother's house we go.



I was very much looking forward to the appetizer friendly cocktail hour and to compliment my glass of Cabernet Sauvingmignon I procured an accompanying plate of (from 9 o' clock) Eggplant Rollatini, Swiss & Cheddar Cheese, Chicken Francaise, Prosciutto & Gourmet Seeded Cracker's (probably of the water kind) which was followed by an irresistible plate of Fried Calamari (I Blame J.C.) and then for Dinner appetizers Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Antipasto and a Delicious Salad with a Sesame (Peanutty tasting) Vinaigrette followed by Stuffed Chicken with Squash and Roasted Potatoes in a Lemon Sauce (She DID say Mashed, She DID!!!) with Red Velvet Cake A La Mode for Dessert.

But more about the SALAD.

Dave (to Spike) - "What's the crunchy stuff in the salad ?"

Spike (to Dave) - "Croutons, Wait!,... I think its Captain Crunch."

J.C. (to Spike & Dave) - "Are You F**king kidding me, I said it wuz Walnuts"

and it was.



NYC Still Life.

This Is Show # 162

- Spike

Zeppelin Hall 3/23/12 Jersey City,New Jersey

As can be seen I popped my Bass Drum head which only lasted me 17 shows !!! fortunately for me it broke during the third set. I think its because I have settled for the Remo Ambassador head as opposed to my preferred Remo Powerstroke head (store out of stock) or maybe its just time to try out an Evans Bass Drum Head, she is working nicely on the Snare Drum.

While not quite as crowded as Zeppelin Hall on St. Patty's Day there was still a turnout of appreciative onlookers and quite a few people taking photos of us without the help of Michael Jackson as Rob and Diana carried the main stage while the band held the rear down. Eric and myself are building a little camaraderie wherein I gawk at his little guitar tricks (L.G.C.) mid-song and he plays them while I speed up tempo (NONONO!!!). Being Zeppelin Hall we took a car service SUV back into the city and tonight's cargo was Jamie, Diana, Collette, Eric, Rob and myself so the car ride could be called anything but boring. We learned that Eric's fingertips have an upward turn and that Rob is double-jointed (the medical term not the other kind of joint). Premiered tonight was the Def Leppard anthem "Pour Some Sugar On Me"



I Love Rock & Roll !!!



Consigliere Amadeus Deniro.



Diana on Vocals and Guitar.



Diamond Dave sideways (until Photobucket fixes it)
addendumb - photobucket fixed it (5 hours later)



The Charming, Talented and Vivacious Eric Bair (he must be the new guy in the band what with me being so nice and all)



From the looks of this photo Rob is channeling his Kundalini into blue light.



Shiny Drums and cartoon "SESSION" drummer.



Jamie Girl & Eric.



.J.C., Uber-fan Giseli & Spike.



Philly Cheese Steak with Cheesy Sauce.

This Is Show # 161

- Spike