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Dosing the Duck – The Weird Side of the Internet

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Dosing the Duck – The Weird Side of the Internet

Dosing the Duck – The Weird Side of the Internet – by Liam Sweeny.

You ever leave a restaurant and grab a mint? They’re the chalky ones, you know, dissolve faster than your paycheck after dining there, if it is such a restaurant that offers mints post-cuisine. I always figured it was to make your breath minty fresh after that Limburger delight you feasted on and mixed with cherries jubilee. But if you know what it was actually for…

… actually, it’s just a mint. Probably. Makes your breath fresh, all that. But, and hear me out, what if it was a minty antacid to cover up the explosive potential of the food, and they just didn’t tell you?

So we’re in China, right? And two chefs, known only as Sha and Fu, were arrested in the city of Jiangsu for dosing thousands of meals with gentamicin sulfate, an antibiotic used to treat diarrhea. They did this allegedly to cover their asses on the expired food they were serving. Dishes like braised fish maw with chicken sauce and braised tendons with chicken sauce were given one injection of the stuff per table.

They were buying hundreds of boxes of the stuff without a prescription. And in addition to jail time, they were fined the equivalent of $22,000 American.

This is beyond screwed up if you think about it. They were giving people an antibiotic. The things doctors tell you you’re not supposed to take too much of, or you’re a breeding ground for superbugs? I’m sure they had regular diners too stupid to know food isn’t supposed to smell like that.

But here’s an interesting question: could that ever work? Could a chef mix in diced Tums on a dish (a fresh dish) that happened to be a little spicy? Or sprinkle Omeprazole on a Sriracha pizza crust? I mean, chef-pharmacists could be a thing.

I can hear the pot brownies crying sour grapes.

 

 

More from Liam Sweeny…

Don Hoffman – Thanks for Asking!

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Don Hoffman – Thanks for Asking!

Don Hoffman – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Or so they say. Whether you’re off the wagon, on it, or never been, there’s something you got a thirst for. What are some of your basically harmless vices?

DH:   I partied pretty heavily as a youngster but nowadays not so much. I tend to drink tea when I perform. No drugs. I think my greatest indulgence is my need to be near woods, mountains and water. Backpacks , canoes, kayaks, snowshoes and hiking poles have long been my go to drugs. I also love a good creative woodworking project.

RRX: We do this for the fans. For the blisters also, but mostly for the fans. Who’s one of your best fans? Without necessarily giving their name, what are they like?

DH:  My wife Debbie is by far my best fan! She’s been there for me and my music for nearly 45 years. She bought me my first banjo, She’s approved every gig I’ve done and have been at way more than half of them. Always clapping me on and always, later-on,  giving me the real TRUTH about all my performances.

RRX: How does practice go? Is the road practice enough, or do you have a practice shack? If so, how does it look? What’s on the walls? What cool sh*t is in there?

DH: Practice is learning and creating. I rarely spend time rehearsing songs I already perform. Even in my duet, we rarely rehearse. We prefer to learn each other’s  songs live.. It’s a wonderful process full of creativity and testing and communication. Not every song sticks but the better ones morph and come into their own as we play them.

RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.

DH: Hall of the Mountain King is my original song telling the story of the Hobbit, JRR Tolkien’s classic.  It all came out as an add-on to teaching my daughter to read. She adored Sci-fi novels from the beginning. It was she that suggested I write the song.

RRX: One of the coolest things about music is that there’s a whole landscape sound that interflows with the beats, harmonies, and melodies. Can you imagine the best background acoustics to play one of your songs over? Is it a place? Can you describe it for us?

DH: Simple, It’s around the campfire at an Adirondack lake.  My home.

RRX: What historical era would you like to visit if the sole purpose was to put together a Battle of the Bands? How would you set it up?

DH: It would have to be the late 60-s through the late 70’s. No better music was ever made on this planet. Zeppelin, the Beatles, Black Sabbath, Yes, Queen, The Stones, The kinks. The Who, Aerosmith. The contest should be held at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.

 

 

More from Liam Sweeny…

Michael Poulopoulos – An Xperience Interview

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Michael Poulopoulos – An Xperience Interview

Michael Poulopoulos – An Xperience Interview – by Sketchy Hubris.

What do you know about music, you're not a lawyer?” – John Lurie

Michael Poulopoulos is known around the Capital Region as M.R. Poulopoulos, with the band Mannequin Ed, and in a duo with Matt Durfee. He is currently working on his law degree at Albany Law and is a father and husband.

I recommend checking out the song “Just a Shadow,” from the 2011 M.R. Poulopoulos album “Greenhorn” on Spotify.

RRX: When did you start playing anything?

MP: The first time I started playing guitar, seriously exploring, was in undergrad college at Providence College. I hooked into a circle of creative-type folk who wanted to play music.

RRX: On to the Capital Region, how did that begin?

MP: I was at Savannah’s during an open mic and two guys asked me to join a band called Mannequin Ed. It was an original and rock-influenced band. We started playing at Artie’s River Street stage in Troy, and we ended up playing on the roof of that place following a Troy street festival. During that time frame, I met Matt Durfee, an extraordinary songwriter and guitar player. I peeled off from Mannequin Ed and started playing with Durfee in a duo called Poulatypus. It kind of took off for a bit. Then I went solo, and played Caffe Lena a couple times. The shows sold out.

So when you asked me to do this I started to think about similarities between music and where I’m at now. I didn’t come up with too many similarities between the two (music and law), except music is pretty logical. And in terms of being able to stretch the boundaries, whether it be jazz or early 20 th -century classical modernism, some of these current Supreme Court decisions are kind of like that. They’re logical and they fit together but they go out and come back in. Another thing I would like to highlight is the skill of listening in a cooperative environment. By playing music with other people, and not just to play my part but to play with the band, has been an awesome experience to translate into the legal environment during a group conversation or discussion, or in trying to solve a problem.

RRX: Do you think being a parent is a bonus to you being a lawyer?

MP: I think that’s more of a symbiotic relationship. Perhaps what I am studying is making me a better parent in the sense I am learning to convey information in a simpler way, in a more direct way, and I’m hoping that being a parent brings a different perspective to my law education.

RRX: In the course of this hiatus from music, do you still have a lot of pieces of songs that you plan to do things with?

MP: Yeah, I got a lot of fragments on my phone, just a lot of snippets of choruses, chord progressions that I am interested in sniffing out, a lot of humming melodies.  I need to redirect that energy into other things right now – reading and studying.

RRX: So I was hanging a disco ball with the drummer from the band Otobo and thought about disco balls as the ultimate gift. Your thoughts?

MP: Sure, a disco ball is a fine gift.  A disco ball gift demands creativity of the recipient.  It’s up to the recipient to accept or pass on that challenge.

RRX: I am usually trying to promote the interviewee’s next gig. What is yours?

MP: It’s at the Schaffer Law Library in about an hour. Unfortunately, you need a card to get in.

 

 

 

More from Sketchy Hubris…

“Summer Art Fest” @ Quackenbush Square, 7/27/2024

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“Summer Art Fest” @ Quackenbush Square, 7/27/2024

Saturday saw the Albany Center Gallery’s inaugural Summer Art Fest at Quackenbush Square. Hopefully a new annual tradition.

Photography by Timothy Reidy.

 

 

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Bendt – Xperience History

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Bendt – Xperience History
Bendt – Xperience History – by Liam Sweeny. Originally published in 2019. Ralph Renna told me to get bent the other day. I figured he was pissed at me, but we he texted me ‘get Bendt…” I did just that; I got Bendt. Describing themselves as ‘a face of modern rock,’ Bendt delivers a sound with a smile, gaining a following and carving its own niche in the Capital Region, and for good reason. With lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Matt Plummer, lead guitarist Carl Blackwood, bassist John Longo and drummer Cody Bingham, they’re putting out strong melodies and elaborate, textured movements with a pulse and a beat that drive hard and hang fast, long after the album’s over. Today, I sit down with Carl Blackwood to catch up, and talk Bendt. RRX: In the beginning, you were my upstairs neighbor and we all had fun, and now I hear this incredible band and lo and behold, you appear in my inbox. So, origin stories. How did Bendt form, from notion to motion?
Bendt band pic. Photo by Kiki Vassilakis.
(l to r) John Longo, Carl Blackwood, Matt Plummer and Cody Bingham. Photo by KikiVassilakis.
Bendt: We formed in 2015 with our first single “Immured” hitting in early 2016. At that time I played drums. Originally I was a hired gun and the project had a different lead singer and different songs. That lead singer eventually left due to some bad circumstances beyond our control. Matt (Vocals, guitar) John (bass) Sam (Lead Guitar) and myself found it very easy to write together and we wrote our self-titled EP within just a couple months together. Once we were in the studio laying down the tracks we ended up parting ways with our guitarist Sam. We rearranged our line up at that point switching me guitar and hiring Cole Mead on Drums. At that time the whole record was completely tracked except the lead guitar. I spent a lot of time woodshedding the songs to eventually lay down the lead tracks. I mixed the record then sent it out to Carl Saff to master it direct to lathe. Album art was a combination of graphics from Patrick Stephenson and Brian Morgante at Flesh and Bone design. After the record was done and almost exactly a year ago we had a blow out album release party at The Hanger on the Hudson. Prior to the release we won the Schenectady county Battle of the Bands which put us in the opening spot for Schenectady County Summer night which featured The Spin Doctors. We kept getting better shows due to this notoriety, Hope Rocks Festival in Saugerties, Jammin on Jay Street, Lark Fest, Jupiter Hall, we headlined the Schenectady County Battle of The Bands in 2018 and we will open up summer night again in 2019. During this time we had another lineup change. We added a new Drummer Cody Bingham who is an old friend and the best fit in that slot so far. RRX: One of the things I love about your sound is how you play with time signatures. It’s a very distinct thing that sets you guys apart from a lot of bands. Now that’s hard to do in a studio, much less pull off live. How do you keep the live energy in focus when you’re time traveling?
Bendt in a room working. Photo by Briam Lasky, BDL Photography.
Bendt at work. Brian Lasky, BDL Photography.
Bendt: The band puts the time and the work in. We practice a minimum of twice a week for no less then 5 hours a session. We record a good number of rehearsals and more recently our own click tracks, which really streamlines the ability for each member to practice at home. Giving us the ability to come into a live show and be very comfortable with the material so we can be more energetic on stage. RRX: There’s a lot of nuance in your grooves. As I listen to your songs, I’m transported to a bunch of different places. I know, as a writer, that we develop a ‘voice’ in our craft, a message written between the lines of the music (or stories) we write. If your songs are your stories, what do you feel is your ‘voice.’? Bendt: It’s hard to identify just one voice in our music, our songs are composed mainly as a group. Each song has a different voice, depending on who came up with what part. Some songs you can identify one overall tone or “voice” but for the most part we cover everything from heartbreak to ecstasy. RRX: I find myself wanting to look under the hood here a bit, but since I’m not a mechanic, I’d just assume leave every nut and bolt unloosened. So take us to your practice room. Give us that video presentation of how a groove becomes a song, Bendt style? Bendt: We have quite a set up in our space. Looking at the room from left to right, first would be our PA system. You wouldn’t think much of it looking at it from afar, but in our small rolling rack we have a Behringer X-air 18, which is a digital mixing board that is controlled by an iPad. This feeds into our monitoring system. Carl, John and Cody all preform with In Ear monitors and Matt uses a small personal wedge. By doing this, we can greatly reduce our live performance volume, giving sounds engineers at live shows an easier time mixing. To further help our live show engineers we also carry a 16 channel snake and a splitter for every input, so we can walk into any show, and control our own monitors, again making it easier for engineers. Carl’s Rig: American Vintage 1957 Stratocaster Customized Candy Apple Red, Handmade Telecaster, Handmade Stratocaster Black, Gold Tone LS6 Lap Steel, Larrivee OM40 Acoustic > Pedal board > Hiwatt Custom 20 > WEM 212 Starfinder Cabinet and Motion Sound Pro 3 Rotary Speaker. Carl’s Pedal Board: All effects are on a programmable loop switcher. Strobe Tuner > Meris Enzo Synth > Split > “Rout 1” (No Synth) > Diamond Compressor > Stomp Under Foot 1975 Rams Head Big Muff > Electroharmonix Gate > Retroman Handmade Colorsound Power Booster > Mooer E Lady Flanger > Wampler Tumnus > Xotic Parallel Blender “Blends in Rout 2 (synth)” > Strymon Big Sky Reverb > Radial ABY split > A = Hiwatt & Starfinder B = Motionsound Pro 3 Rotary. Matt’s Rig: Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cutaway, Gibson Les Paul Double Cutaway > Pedal Board > Marshall JTM-50 Matt’s Pedal Board: All effects are on a programmable loop switcher. 69 Fulltone Fuzz > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Elextroharmonix Double Muff > Paul Cochrane Timmy> Keely Seafoam Chorus > MXR Phase 45 > Strymon Blue Sky Reverb > Strymon E Capistan Tape Delay John’s Rig: Fender V Elite Bass, Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass > Pedalboard > Ampeg SVT-4Pro head > Ampeg SVT 6×10 cab. John’s Pedal Board: > Green Russian Big Muff > Darkglass BK3 overdrive > Bass Crybaby wah > Keeley 2 knob Compressor > Tuner Cody’s Rig: Early1960s Trixon or Gretsch Drum kit with Sabian Cymbals RRX: And hell, let’s follow up on that last question. Take us to your practice room for real. What kind of place houses the magic? Are there any things that have got to be handy? And are there any honorable mention locations? Bendt: Our practice space is truly one of a kind. It houses all of our monster rigs, a plethora of tools and parts to fix or build just about any audio equipment and it’s where we feel the most comfortable being goofy and creative. Unfortunately we can not disclose the physical location, but a select number of people who have donated to our GoFundMe campaign will be invited into our space to sit down and “watch the magic happen.” Our Honorable Mention would be North Albany Studios, they were our first home and will forever be in our hearts. RRX: I haven’t seen you guys play, but I see images of you all rocking out to some impressive backdrops. So share with us a really great show you did – you know, the kind of show you only have to say the name of, and you’re all on the floor, or you get misty. Do you all have that show? Bendt: Another hard question, especially this year, we have had some really incredible shows. Opening up Schenectady Summer Night with the Spin Doctors headlining. Also we played Lark Fest on the main stage, it’s kind of a rite of passage in the local scene playing on Lark Street. It was also super convenient since three-quarters of Bendt live in Albany’s Center Square. RRX: I always leave the last question to give each band a chance to shout out to other bands or venues. We also want to know what you have lined up. We’re all about giving you the power of the press. So who’s out there? Who should we put on our watch list, and what’s on Bendt’s calendar this year…  
Bendt performing live. Photo by William Fredette.
Bendt performing live. Photo by William Fredette.
  Bendt: We love to support local and regional acts. Who come to mind immediately would be Girl Blue, Good Fiction, Zan and the Winter Folk, Talia Denis, Stellar Young, Becoming a Ghost, Candy Ambulance. Favorite Venue “Gugs” in Glens Falls probably has the audience that pays the most attention and is truthfully there for the music and features the infamous “Sweaty GUG” drink. As for upcoming shows we will take a residency this year at The Excelsior Pub for 5 shows. And again we’re opening up Schenectady Summer Night 2019 with our friends Hasty Page. We love playing outdoor gigs and festivals so we’re hoping to get on as many as we can this spring/summer. But our big news is our upcoming album. We just finished tracking 11 songs in 6 days at Sonelab in Easthampton, Mass with the amazing Justin Pizzoferratto. He is currently mixing the record to be produced for another Vinyl Release in 2019. Once we have the mater disk in hand we will book our album release party and a small tour to get the word out.     More from Liam Sweeny…

Prog Digest – An Xperience Column

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Prog Digest – An Xperience Column

Prog Digest – An Xperience Column – by Klyde Kadiddlehumper.

Well, howdy kids!  It’s story time with your ‘ol Uncle Klyde.  I’d have invited you to my summer camp – but that damned Ernie ruined it for the rest of us.

This is a story older than most.  Indeed – it really begins in the 6th century BC.  We will start by going back to the future to a couple of months’ ago.

Lest you think Klyde isn’t living in the real world, his alter ego has a real job, a real wife, a real house and is, mostly, a respected member of society.  Thus, here we are.

Yer gonna have to trust me on this one – the road is one that winds in interesting directions.

From time to time, the writer of these muses is invited to very interesting things.  In this case, a business workshop held at the S&P Global Headquarters on Water Street in NYC this past June.

Among the attendees are captains of industry in the energy, sustainability, manufacturing and many other fields.  Thought leaders. Not what you might expect of this cat, but this is to set the scene for how we get here.

As part of a follow-up series of emails, my alter ego made a few interesting comments. The gist of the comment was the seemingly binary thought that one cannot have good without evil – and, who is to say which is the more comely.

Now we come to the meat of our little tale.  One of the other attendees thought the comment interesting (just happens to be a retired Army Lt. Colonel) and wondered if I was using the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus’ “Panta Rhea”.  Fundamentally the idea that the world is constantly in flux.  We, and everything around us, is in a constant state of fluidity.  Never being – always becoming.

I was not.  Or, to be more accurate, I had no idea that said alter ego was using his thoughts.  As Klyde will tell you, he writes whatever pops into his pill crazed little head.  Taking more from the late, great, Hunter S. Thompson than Danielle Steele.  More Fear and Loathing, please.

Among the many ways he was described, Heraclitus was called a Sybil – where the same words can have multiple meanings. When asked his opinion of the writings of Heraclitus, Socrates, by account, replied “The part I understand is excellent, and so too is, I dare say, the part I do not understand; but it needs a Delian diver to get to the bottom of it.”  Delving into the depths of such thought requires, perhaps, a certain fearlessness.

Other authors I would put in this category would be Gore Vidal, William Faulkner and Don Imus (with an assist from his sidekick Chuck McCord).  Thoughtful, witty, confounding and full of fire that burns so hot it hurts your eyes.

It’s what the continuing arc of these columns embodies. Progress – never ending.  Never settling.  Never becoming the stone gathering moss.

Yes, music is, at the heart of things, what Klyde likes to write about. Diddja catch Klyde’s review of Donny Osmond?  If not, check it out online at RadioRadioX.com.  If you don’t think Donny Osmond is progressive – you would be wrong.  Much like Klyde, his career has had ups, downs, sideways, crossways, near death and remarkable resurrection. Music is always progressive – except, perhaps for Yanni – I am STILL waiting for him to resolve one damned chord.

Darwin was right – evolve, adapt or die.  Why do sharks continually move?  They stop, they die.

Don’t like your favorite artist’s latest because it isn’t just like the last one?  Perhaps they have not yet become but are still becoming.  Taylor Swift was basically thrown out of the country music club for changing.  And look what we got.

So, get over whomever you think you are and let change happen.

This is Prog Digest.  Where all we really know is that Father Time is undefeated. And 2500 years later, a little known, to most of us, Heraclitus epitomizes ‘progressive music’ and the progress music can make.

Now, who put that monolith over there and why are these monkeys making so much noise?

Until next time.

Klyde

 

 

 

More from Klyde Kadiddlehumper…

The Head and the Heart / Phosphorescent @ Palace Theatre, 7/28/2024

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The Head and the Heart / Phosphorescent @ Palace Theatre, 7/28/2024

Seattle indie-folksters The Head and the Heart came to the Palace Sunday night.  Phosphorescent (aka Matthew Houck) opened the show.

Photography by Timothy Reidy.

 

 

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“Legally Blonde” @ Cohoes Music Hall, 7/28/2024

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“Legally Blonde” @ Cohoes Music Hall, 7/28/2024
If you want a Barbie-themed musical, you got it in “Legally Blonde.”  A well-performed play with lots of camp was fashioned out by the Playhouse Stage Company.

Photography by Timothy Reidy.

 

 

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Phil Foote – Capital Region Timekeepers

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Phil Foote – Capital Region Timekeepers

Phil Foote – Capital Region Timekeepers – by OP Callaghan.

Phil Foote not only has a great drummer name, but is also the man behind the drums for newcomers Jupiter Queen.  Featuring local veterans of the music scene, it’s a band that Phil Foote is proud to be a part of. Coming from an extensive family with musical backgrounds, Phil is an innovative, passionate performer. I’m looking forward to seeing him again. So without further delay, let’s welcome Phil Foote of Jupiter Queen!

RRX: Hey man, thanks for doing this.  Tell me how you got your start.

PF: I started playing drums on the bottom of metal garbage cans with my grandfather in his music den as a very young kid. I would use claves as drumsticks, watch my grandfather play, and try to play along with a big smile on my face. Things got serious in 4th grade, when New York State would give you the option to participate in a music program through your school. A friend talked me into joining the percussion section. I went along with it, and here I am 27 years later still calling myself a drummer. For the record, I played a Ludwig Acrolite snare; an amazing snare drum looking back on it.

RRX:  Great snare drum. Who were your early influences?

PF:  Some of my early influences that really dictated my drumming personality would be Louie Bellson (Skin Deep), Stewart Copeland, Chad Smith, Elvin Jones. As I got deeper into playing and really immersed myself into the world of drumming, my contemporaries really spoke to me. Rodney Holmes, Mark Guiliana, and Chris “Daddy” Dave flipped my world upside down. I also went back to study people like Shadow Wilson, Papa Jo Jones, and Kenny Clarke. I also admit that John Otto from Limp Bizkit heavily influenced my groove drumming as a young man. These days I’m really into Matt Cameron and Jason Gerken. Adam Deitch is also a heavy influence. I always try to go back and listen and find new music from whatever era and … learn everything I can. Lately, I’ve been into a lot of stoner rock like Torche and Hum. I’m all over the place. I love music; Spotify stated I was in their top 2% of worldwide listeners.

RRX:  That’s quite a list!   Tell me about your first drum kit.

PF:  My first kit was probably the coolest kit ever; it was a sky blue Walt Disney kit. I have vague memories of the Christmas I got it. I have a picture with my dad playing guitar with my one-piece red pajamas on, topped off with a mushroom cut. I was a happy kid that day. None of my other drum sets brought the happiness that kit did! Always remember, behind good drummers are great parents!!

RRX:  Well put! Your family sounds great. Obviously, a musical family. Do you play any other instruments?

PF:  I play guitar. I was really into John Butler when I lived in Nashville. His song “Ocean” inspired me to pick up the guitar and play in an outlandish way. I have a 1963 Kay Hollow body and a Laguna Acoustic/Electric. I play the acoustic in open C and tune the Kay in standard. Over Covid-19, I wrote some music on both guitars about my life experiences. Being a drummer, I play a mean slap guitar, sing a little, and finger-pick. It’s really nice to have a broader understanding of music (chords, harmony, and everything other than counting to four and starting over). My biggest musical regret is not taking advantage of piano lessons through my grandfather. The piano opens so many doors in the music universe.

RRX:  So true. So, definitely from a musical family?

PF:  Oh yes. My name is Philip Michael Foote. If we all had the same middle names, I would be number eight (my dad told me this, I didn’t google it). Reason I say that is because Number Six, my grandfather Phil Foote, was a master piano player that toured, taught in Albany, and played out well into his 70s and 80s. With that said, Number Seven, my father, was his one-and-only roadie. He grew up around it and so did I. My mother loves music and supports my love for it as does my father, hence they supported me going to SUNY Oneonta for Music Business. On my mother’s side, her siblings were music fanatics. I especially remember both of my uncles having a few and putting the Stones, Traffic, or something else on VERY loud. I loved that as a little kid!!! I would stand there and embrace the loud noise; nothing else gave me that feeling other than music. My family has been very supportive throughout the years; I’m very grateful to be able to say that!  I would go through all the records in my grandparents and parents’ house and would listen to music for hours. Anytime I saw collections of CDs/records/tapes, I would always go through and judge people on the records they owned. It’s how I learned.

RRX:  Are you a collector?  Tell me about what you’re playing now.

PF: I used to have awesome gear, like a 1963 Gretsch Round Badge, one of Steve Gadd’s Zildijan K’s, and a Birch Bubinga Starclassic. I worked for Meinl Cymbals as a sales rep. I had access to crazy gear nobody else did, and I bought a lot of it. Without going too far into the weeds, I sold it all (with a few exceptions) during the chaos of my 20s. Big regrets. I took a hiatus when I moved out to California to work for a family member. When I came back to Albany, I started over. I wanted a “salesman sample,” so I started with a 1983 22”x16” chrome/fiberglass Pearl bass drum; man that thing can thump! I didn’t want to go crazy yet, so I bought a red Yamaha 12” rack tom, with a black 16”x16” Tama Rockstar floor tom. I topped it off with my one drum I did keep, my Taye Birch 14”x6” snare with maple hoops. It’s a very colorful kit and brings me as much joy as that Disney kit did. I put Evans G2s and an EMAD on the bass with blue moongels; people always ask me how I tune them. I take great care of the kit as I appreciate it very much. Someday I hope to upgrade to a custom kit, but there’s something about my wacky kit I love too much. For the record, I play a Pearl Speed Demon single pedal; I use the floor tom to get any double kick element.

RRX:  Nice!!  Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?

PF: I took lessons for years with Rob Sensi, and then I moved on to Mark Foster. I learned a LOT from both of them. When I can, I still go out and see Rob play from time to time. In college, I was taught by Blake Fleming who started the Mars Volta; that dude is a badass! He totally warped my thinking, I’ve always been grateful for that. Another teacher who gave me an education from the hard knocks, Bobby Angelita, got me my first job out of college in a drum shop. He’s funny as hell. He was an advocate and really taught me how to become a drummer in everyday life. I’m incredibly grateful for all of those personalities; they taught me a lot. I try to think of them when I play. I want to take it farther and pass everything I know down at some point.

RRX: Tell me about some of the bands/artists you’ve played with.

PF: I’ve been lucky to have worked with many bands throughout my life. I was with Axis 23 (my first band) and Spoke Truth. (I want to give a shout-out to Steve Gornic. I grew up playing hours and hours of music with him; he was a main focal point in those two bands. At a friend’s wedding, he said that I was nuts to give up drumming, that maybe I should find a way to incorporate it into my life again … I did, thanks bro!!!) After college, I worked and didn’t have a lot going on until I moved to Nashville. I started playing on the side with different musicians, but nothing stuck until I got to Brooklyn. I ran into an old friend one night who happened to be my neighbor. I was in the band called Art Class a week later. Long story short, I deeply regret leaving that band. It haunts me to this day. I moved out to California after that and sold all of my gear. It wasn’t until a year or so later I started playing with a friend in a duo; we called ourselves the Middle Men. It was another incredible chance to play, but after some drama, everything was done by early 2020. I am now playing in another duo with a close friend we call Paulie Choice, and my main focal point is Jupiter Queen. We are a hard rock band with a unique twist. We have a bunch of shows coming up! Check out our Instagram at @jupiterqueenrock. At 37, things are starting to move forward. It’s funny how life works.

RRX:  That’s quite a resume! Any gig horror stories?

PF: Honestly, I’ve played a lot of great gigs, too many to talk about. I’m very lucky. I’ve thrown drums, misplaced my seat, and fell off the drum throne at Saratoga Winners back in the day. I make the best drumming faces ever, I’ve been told. I try to embrace the crowd when I play, give them a reason to be happy when they leave. If they take time to come see me, I take time to play well for them. It makes life GOOD!!!

RRX:  You’re exactly right.  It’s a privilege to perform.  What do you do for fun?

PF:  Other hobbies are important. I’m a huge skier and outdoors guy. I love to backcountry ski, ride my fixie bike, and fish. I also do a little photography on the side. I like to keep busy and learn, and use my creativity through several outlets when I can. My dream is to ski up to the drums in a venue one day with a ridiculous outfit on and just start playing in front of a large crowd. My imagination is endless.

RRX:  I would pay handsomely to see that. What have you got coming up?

PF: I’m very excited to announce I have a handful of shows coming up with Jupiter Queen:

August 10 – Hudson Falls, NY (More details to come)

August 24 – Hudson Falls, NY (More details to come)

August 25 – with Eyehategod at Empire Underground

 

Follow these Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/michaelfoot_e/

https://www.instagram.com/jupiterqueenrock/?locale=id

 

We will, Phil!  Thanks for the interview!

 

 

More from OP Callaghan…

Jukebox – Music News Cuts – 8/2

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Jukebox – Music News Cuts – 8/2

Jukebox.

MC5

Detroit’s MC5 has just released a new song featuring Living Colour’s  guitarist Vernon Reid titled “Can’t Be Found.” It comes off of the album “Heavy Living, which is the first MC5 album in 53 years. Much of the album was recorded by the band’s late founding guitarist and vocalist Wayne Kramer. It was done earlier this year. He also co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs with Brad Brooks, who played in MC5 in the years just before Wayne death.

Another member pass who is on the album is drummer Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson.

The album also features spots by Slash, Tom Morello and Alice in Chains’ William Duvall. It will drop October 18th, the day before the band will be abducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the “Musical Excellence Award.

“Live long and stay creative is my attitude,” Kramer had told UNCUT in November 2023. “This album continues from where High Time left off, in that I think it’s an artist’s responsibility to reflect the times they’re going through. We made an album that is in sync with the challenges we’re facing today, and that carries a positive message.”

Johnny Cash

The late Johnny Cash will be receiving a rare honor. On September 24th, wis statue will be unveiled in Emancipation Hall at the U’S. Capitol, and will join the National Statuaary Hall Collection. This was agreed upon by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Minorit Leader Hakeem Jeffries and announced yesterday, making this a bipartisan move.

The statue will be eight-foot and cast in bronze. This will make Cash the first professional musician to be immortalized like this. Additionally, A new posthumous album titled Songwriter was released in late June.

Johnny Cash Statue to Be Unveiled at US Capitol

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis will be dropping a new album called “The Warriors,” based on the 1979 movie of that name, adapted from a 1965 novel of that name. The story is of a New York City street gang being framed for the murder of a respected gangster on a round trip from Coney Islland to the Bronx.

Nas is the executive producer, and Mike Elizondo is behind the boards. The album will be dropping October 18th and features a whole host of legendary guests.

“We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island,” say creators Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis. “Along the way we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and we’ll be announcing their roles on the album in the weeks ahead. We can’t wait to share these songs with you on October 18th.”

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