Heritage Bar - 12/31/11 Yonkers, New York

I finally learned what an Ulster Fry is, oftentimes on the daily menu specials at the Heritage (but not tonight) this item is listed. I previously surmised that it was a "fried food platter" and that Ulster is "a place" and I was right on both counts (Ulster is geographically located at the top of Ireland and the contents of the plate was rattled off to me so expertly and quickly that I can only remember that there were Beans). This information was provided by members of the wait staff who had ended their shift and were counting out receipts at the very table next to which I set up my Drum Kit and as it was getting closer to showtime I went ahead and set up around them, they were all very sweet but realized once the band "came in" that this was a bit loud and somewhat intrusive. Oh Thats Right SHOWTIME, this entry is about the show.

It being New Years eve the Heritage was its usual lively self with a few extra well wishers 'Round Midnight, this place has fans and a core audience that need no explanation once you have experienced the Heritage spirit.

Tonight there were 2 Michael Jackson's at one point but dont worry I know who the real one is and I aint telling, there was also some breakdancing during "Sister Christian" which was instigated by Rob, Well... at least that sounds right to me, I was in prescription shades in a dimly lit room but I mean who else would do that!!!. This is also the show that I experienced a common drummer nightmare, that of the band being onstage ready to start without you, I was at the bar getting a third set Guinness discussing the band Rush with a patron when I heard Rob introducing the opening number "Anyway You Want It" by Journey.

Thanks Steve for delivering the Stout to me.



The Two Michael's



Is this a Material Girl ?



Welcome to the Jungle.



Note: White Wedding t-shirt



Axlette Rose.



Rockin' The Heritage.



The band played very well and it was nice to have Nancy back in the fold for the evening. Nancy had a blast as well, I was there.



We got there early (Sean drove me) and actually got a seat at the bar along with Nancy & Paul. I purchased a Heritage Bar polo shirt since they treat us so well there (and its a nice shirt) and finally tried their Sliders which were very tasty.



Dave and myself vamped behind MC Rob counting down the new year for the crowd after which I meant to shut off my digital camera but forgot so we get 18 minutes of audio from tonights show instead of five, ALL for the price of a dime.

This Is Show # 148

FLICKR

- Spike

The Callbox - We hardly knew ya' 12/21/11

The Callbox Lounge (which is really a sports bar nestled betwixt the Kingsland & Meeker avenues in Williamsburg) was a unique place from an "ensemble" (band) standpoint where WE could watershed songs and arrangements without the pressures of being "on the clock" in a rehearsal studio proper, We could be casual AND this place SERVED BEER.

THIS WENT ON FOR FIVE YEARS !!!

In the beginning, we were performing as The Airwaves (Mike, Nancy, Tawni, Dave, myself and our singer also called Mike) The thing Was Mike (Doc Brown) lived two blocks away from the Callbox and once we had a handful of songs prepared he offered them a show gratis which was accepted and became our first "gig". We played to a handful of people and strictly for experience but we officially became a performing band that night. Afterwards the owner of the establishment offered us the opportunity to rehearse there once a week at our leisure which we accepted and exponentially with time we grew as musicians, performers, people and collaborators in many ways, we gained So Much and that is mostly why I will miss the Callbox, so much learning and growing went on in that room.

Speaking freely for White Wedding / The Airwaves during its creation and fruition I can only give thanks towards the Callbox and its owner Freddie for affording us Hundreds of hours rehearsal time, our first "gig" proper (and a few after that too), storage of equipment, allowing us to load gear at unimaginable hours, and most of all... The Experience.



Nancy watches her step.



The Call Box Awning.



Mike's yellow school bus Ludwig drum kit which has served well under many a performance (12/12/07).



The Airwaves outside of the Callbox (left to right) Mike, Steve (our second singer), Nancy, Dave, Tawni, Spike (7/19/07).

CALLBOX WEBSITE

- Spike

O' Flanagans - 12/17/11 - New York City

Once Again,

Quite the Frenetic and Energetic crowd out on the dance floor from our opening "A Little Respect" to the closer "Fight For Your Right", We have learned to expect a certain degree of AWESOMENESS from the O' Flanagans Saturday night patrons but this being Pre-Christmas weekend "Weekend" there were a few parties being held on the premises adding to the fun and if any night was going to have the crowd yelling "WHITE FU**ING WEDDING !!!" then tonight was it !

Those Rowdy Drunkard's certainly let us know,.... Beer, Sports, Gyrations, Rock Music and use of the "F" word where applicable and

WHITE FUC**ING WEDDING !!!!!

I was entertained by the audience's reaction and playfulness in front of a capable band but also by the bands reaction towards a capable audience. Thanks to my blonde bartender friend for all the Bass Ale Pints.



This audience knew what they were in for as soon as the DEVO hats came out.



Robert Smith contemplates.



What might they be chanting and was the "F" word involved ?



She's Got Legs.



Ran into this fan as he was trying to nick a pair of Rob's 80s shades during load out and then again was informed minutes later by Paul that "theres some guy outside wearing Rob's shades" after which I went to retrieve them, they were finally returned to Rob and we posed for a pic.



Since MTA.org is So Reliable with up to date transit info (All Sarcasm Intended) as it has fed me in the past I took the quick walk over to the 79th street "D" train to find there was No Manhattan bound trains ALL weekend. On the way back I decided to check see if they had the "Lard Bread" at Palermitana Bakery (7821 17th avenue) of which a most reliable source has told me therein the Good Bread resides.

This Is The Real Deal "Lard Bread" and not the Prosciutto Bread (which is loved on its own merits) that I have been eating over the years, you can taste the Bacon Drippings in every bite of this Delicious Loaf ($3.50).

This Is Show # 147

FLICKR

- Spike

Zeppelin Hall 12/9/11 Jersey City,New Jersey

This is not someones prank especially not mine, the poster above was drummed up by the ad men at Zeppelinhall and I must say for the record that we did 11 Costume Changes Tonight NOT the advertised 10!

So That's One Louder Innit!!!

I appreciate the poster and am always taken aback when you find one has been made for you with an angle, its interesting to see how your project is received and appears objectively.



The band played great with Rob and Paul performing on the dance floor much to our mirth for a portion of the evening. Many people passed the bandstand throughout the performance and as I peered past my bandmates asses was quite entertained myself, I have said it before "A Drummers life is a series of asses".

Premiered tonight was the Number One song of the 1980s "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.

Zeppelinhall of Jersey City is becoming one of my favorite places to play. in lieu of a green room this Biergarten is spacious with at least three distinct areas to Eat, Drink and Be Merry of which I did my best.



His Purpleness



Our fan Giseli poses with her shirt, this photo and the one above were sent to us by Giseli as well. TY



EAT TO THE BEAT.



"go out and get a bite and you'll still be hearing that one"



Its Bono, Two Cups and a White Balloon BUT What Does It Mean ???!!!



Mmmmmmm, Biergarten Potato & Cheese Pierogies, Mmmmmmm,....



from the "ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL" department. I arrived at the Callbox right around the designated time for load up and found Tiffany sitting in front of a Closed Bar, gas barbeque cooker grill over the cellar door (our only alternative form of entrance) fastened by a Kryptonite lock, fortunately Smiley showed up and came to the rescue opening the entire bar for business (the afternoon girl called out) and we loaded our equipment to and fro via bungee door, trapdoor, zipcar and back again.

Thank's for taking the photo's Steve

- Spike

JCs Restaurant - 12/3/11 - Manorville, New York

Tonight was Tiffany's first performance with us in front of an audience and she certainly rose to the occasion more than can be expected from most with so little time to properly prepare and only one dress rehearsal under her belt. Regaling the crowd with impersonations of Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna she was literally out in the crowd demanding (in a proper way) more people to the dance floor of which particularly J.C. and myself were pleasantly surprised. I said to Dave at one point between songs "She's pretty good isnt she ?" as a side note Tiffany's rebellious stage came at the tender age of 12 so this may explain things.

Debuted at this show was "I Love Rock & Roll" by little Joanie Jett.

For all the Billie Jean and Nancy fans out there, Don't worry we are not letting her off that easy, she is still playing New Years Eve (at the Heritage) and a private party with us.



taken from my vantage point during "Don't Stop Believing"



Tiffany in our newest outfit, Joan Jett



Is Mike wearing Joan Jett's pants ?



Is Rob jealous of Joan Jett's pants ?



J.C. and Spike play along happily dressed in red (J.C. is even wearing a red belt). Dave was dressed in red as well, This was NOT planned, see the photo below.



Hey that's NOT Joan Jett, That's Madonna !!!

Thanks for taking the pics Sarah.



Famished and on the Q train at a godforsaken hour I realized I had a Chinese Ham & Cheese Bun in my presence and proceeded to take care of that.



from the website.

- Spike

Petes Saloon 11/18/11 Elmsford, New York

Nancy was kind enough to take a moment and snap a pic with Daryl Hall between sets.

On the ride up to Elmsford someone posed the question "Is Petes Saloon an Irish bar?" after which Rob surmised that "Pete" was an Irish name and I deduced that "Saloon" was kind of a white non-descript thing,.... turns out it didnt matter as Petes Saloon was more of a restaurant with a bar in it.

As we set up our gear the scents of it all was very enticing and Dave and myself decided we must order something. The taps were of average fare but Hey, We just played a Biergarten last week!!! Nothing Is Real.

The band played well enough but even setting up my drums catty cornered I was totally cramped for the evening, part of this phenomenon is due to the fact that the stage at Petes Saloon is smaller than even the one at O' Flanagans!!! Petes stage is roughly (6X12).

I would be lucky if I could present the Last Supper as performed by Squirrels wearing tutu's in this space.



Its amazing Our Singers managed to stay up there with us at all but for the first set or two they had no choice as the wait staff and customers were using the area right in front of the raised platform for table service and general locomotion, by the end of the night most of the band were all over the floor (in front of the raised platform and areas unexpected thereof).



Not one of my more comfortable shows as I had to crush myself between Cymbals, Cymbal Stands, Cables, Floor Tom, Gig Bag, Drum Stool, Stepping Over Dave's 5 string Bass Guitar and Bass Amp and railing to get behind the kit.

Right before we went on (as we were being introduced onstage by Rob) I knocked my drink over due to the lack of space and for just one pint glass it shattered Everywhere!!! behind the drum kit, on top of my Floor Tom and Snare Drum, I tossed the glass slivers aside but was in fear for the entire performance due to the shards at my heel (see pic).

You may ask why I did not get the staff to sweep it up, I would have if they could for the life of them even get behind there. The authorities were notified by the end of the evening so no further drummers or trombone players face possible injury.



This was Delicious and Really hit the spot, Roast Beef and Cheddar Sliders A La Perfection, there was something a little sweet in the Au Jus Gravy that made it just right, obviously their Secret Ingredient, and look at their construction, kinda messy on purpose. Dave had the Vegetable Curry Soup which he proclaimed "Indian Restaurant Quality" and he knows his Indian fare and Restaurant Quality and Indian Restaurant Quality soup.



The Callbox was its usual demented jumping self when we dropped off the Drums and P.A. around 3 a.m. I snapped this photo on our way out (note the vast amount of posteriors).



We returned the Zipcar to a 24 hour parking garage but had to summon the gatekeeper so I had the exciting privelige of ringing the Night Bell to arouse them from their slumber, you would think in all my years of living that I would have rung a 24 hour parking garage Night Bell before but NO I HAVE NOT. Well,.... Since I have yet to own a car or rent one (to drive as well) for that matter maybe it makes all the sense in the world that I have Never rung the Night Bell at a 24 hour parking garage.

BUT IT MAKES ME WANT TO RING THE BELL EVEN MORE!!!!

Pass the Grated Cheese Please.

- Spike

Zeppelin Hall 11/11/11 Jersey City,New Jersey

Zeppelin Hall is a Great Venue and we have been invited back December 9.

While not indicative in any way of the quality of the show or venue this is the sign that stopped me in my tracks at the main entrance to Zeppelin Hall and had me a little perplexed until Jamie mentioned the possible proliferation of neighborhood street gangs to avoid. Zeppelin Hall is a beautiful venue and a most large Biergarten in my vast Biergarten experience.

The stage was a little smallish in circumference but I was not cramped against the wall with no Bass Drum/Elbow action and there were stairs on the side of the not quite short not quite tall stage of height. I cannot speak for the rest of the band but there were no complaints.



The White Wedding Dollhouse with first 3 fully posable figurines (Mike,Dave & Rob) will be available Christmas 2013.





Zeppelin Hall treats their entertainment well as all food and beverages are Gratis and you can imagine the selection. Pictured above is the Blau Speck-Burger topped with Bleu Cheese, Bacon, Pickles, Lettuce and Tomatoes served with fries.



Zeppelin Hall website advertisement (wrong date)





It was my birthday the day prior and Nancy sent me this crazy greeting via her very favorite iphone app.



short excerpt from the mockumentary in the making "This Is White Wedding" *.

* disclaimer - at the moment there is no mockumentary in the making but you never know.

FLICKR

- Spike