Before I say anything else, I got to give a shout of to the RAGING FLOWERS, who performed as part of the “Be in the Band” program, sponsored by Bluesfest and organized by Rockland Music. The RAGING FLOWERS features none other than Peyts’ kid, Irelind, on guitar; they performed along with four other bands this past Saturday, June 19th, on the same stage we had the pleasure of gracing at L’Escale, right here in Rockland. This show was a great chance to support local musicians, young bands and programs in our community. I don’t want to get all fluffy about it, but it’s a really cool deal, and I really enjoyed seeing them play.

BONJOUR!

Alright, let’s start this one off with something that we have all considered at some point in time. As a matter of fact, this crosses my mind on a regular basis. Fact: at some point, one of our ancestors saw a chicken, proceeded to watch it lay an egg, and told himself, “That white sphere that just came out of that thing’s ass… I’m gonna put that in my mouth.” Also consider that at some point, another ancestor (or perhaps the same one, I really don’t know) saw the huge mass of flesh that is a cow, saw that pinkish sack under it that is the udder, and thought to himself “I’m gonna squeeze the juice out of that and drink it.”

So, once more, I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking, “What the fuck is this guy talking about. Last time, it was
Megan Fox’s dick, now this shit?” Keep reading, and I’ll try to make sense out of it.

Firstly, I’d like to address something concerning these blogs. They have been quite informal, but at the same time, they have been teasing more than pleasing. I’ve decided that from now on, I will use these short texts to give you more inside information, rather than general directions as to where the band is heading. I was trying to keep things under wraps with the big changes in the band, but now that we are back on track, I can be more open about details.

As a second point of interest, I would like to thank the fans of the Internet. Since last time, we have reached 400+ fans on Facebook, and 2000+ visits on this website. You guys fucking rock. Now go and tell your friends.

Alright, time to get dirty. If you haven’t heard, S.o.H has a show coming up. It’s not just any show either. It’s a Rockland show. It’s our first show with Rob. It’s the first show where you will see more original music than you will see covers, and the covers you will see will be made into our style of music. It’s the first show where you will find merchandise, mainly our new S.o.H shirts. IT’S A SHOW YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS! SATURDAY JULY 24TH, 8:30PM @ ROCKLAND MUSIC, WITH SPECIAL GUESTS “THE TREES.”  With that said, we have begun selling tickets to those who are our fans on Facebook, Twitter followers, or Subscribers to our newsletter... these people comprise the S.o.H ARMY.  And guess what? THE SHOW IS ALREADY OVER HALF SOLD OUT!


Which brings me to drinking cow juice: It’s really special to see how the people of Rockland and the surrounding areas are adventurous, curious creatures. Even though we have not released any content with Rob (which has been to keep the suspense up), you crazy people are willing to step up to the plate, and drink our milk.  I’ll tell you something though, you won’t be disappointed. It’s gonna be like discovering a cow that produces Jack Daniels or beer.  I try to be a modest individual, but I gotta say... I’m very excited to present S.o.H in its final state to you all. I think it’s going to be really special. Once again, thank you for milkin’ us.

So we’ve been getting ready for the show. I can tell you right now that this specific set will see us unleash 8 original songs. I say 8 even though you have heard 3 already if you attended our L’Escale show, but don’t be fooled: you won’t recognize those songs. We’ve reworked them as a group, making them into something I’m proud, and the band is proud, to call our own brand of music. As for the “new new” songs, I don’t want to give you too much information and ruin the surprise. What I can say is that we will be singing songs about whiskey, songs that have to do with the band name, songs about those people who seem to be artificial, and songs about other individuals that hide but pass judgment. In terms of direction, we are getting into some heavy stuff, not as much lyrically, as we are in terms of style and energy. Everyone is having fun again, and it really shows in the music.

On top of that, don’t forget that we will have shirts at the show. We held a presale, and I’m still in shock about how many orders we got. I won’t give the exact number, but it destroyed our expectations. With that said, you will be able to get them in a variety of sizes at the show, both for men and women. Speaking of merchandise, I have a question for you all, and I would like for you guys to answer. We are thinking of making either S.o.H stickers, or those buttons with pins that you can put on backpacks. What I want to know is: which one do you guys think we should make, and what should be on them?

Also, I have to give a shout to our new logo, Nil Blanc, who will be working hard by decorating the front of our shirts. As you have noticed, we sorta ran over him with a car. Don’t worry though, he’s alright. But with that comes another question. Nil is gonna be an ever changing character, and I want to know: what would you have Nil do next? Let me know in the comments.

So what does the future hold for S.o.H beyond adding merchandise to our inventory and the show in Rockland? Well, the band is talking right now about hitting the Ottawa scene shortly. That means you cool people from the big city will be able to catch us simply by riding the bus, in locations that would not only allow, but encourage the consumption of alcoholic beverages such as beer and spirits. We have also been talking, within this concept of venturing to Ottawa, about performing some of our music acoustically. In honesty, I think this is the result of the band really starting to form chemistry with Rob in the lineup, and feeling more confident about stepping outside the box. Other than that, we are also eyeballing a show in a close by location to Ottawa, to play an open air, outdoor gig for charity. There are also whispers of a demo in the works, to get some of our songs recorded in proper format, for your enjoyment. Once more, I’m not giving too many details, but we are looking at it. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

That concludes everything I had to say. Thanks for checking in, don’t forget to do so on a regular basis, and we hope to see you all at the show Saturday July 24th @ Rockland Music. Also, don’t forget to check out the RAGING FLOWERS!




Peace,
Phil


 
 
Change can do funny things to an entity. For example, if someone was to surgically alter Megan Fox so that she would have a penis, it’s safe to say that things would be a bit different in many minds.
 
All right gang, how are you all doing? Good I hope. Perfect, cause I’m fucking peachy. For some reason I’ve taken it upon myself to keep you all posted on the general internal workings of the machine that is the band. And guess what, there is a lot to talk about right now.

Firstly, I would like to state that I would gladly record this blog on video format, but its Monday night, and my voice has yet to recover from the My Favorite Tragedy show on Friday night, where the boys played their first round of the Big Money Shot, and fuckin’ won! Needless to say, the pre-drink, bus ride in, show and bus ride back was a riot. “Drinking like it’s free’’ is an understatement, but yeah, it was free, and drink we did. Anyways, congrats to the boys, and be sure to be there 2 Fridays from now, when we do the exact same thing. If my voice can be destroyed for 4 days (and counting!), you know we all had a good time.

Now back to S.o.H news. I suppose you’ve all heard, right? We have a new fuckin’ singer! Robin Coleman, but we call him Rob. He was the guy to rise above the interesting interview and audition process that I described in my last blog. I know, I know. You guys are thinking that it didn’t take us long to find the guy, but keep your panties on for a second. This guy is EXACTLY what the band needed, and I think everyone knew it after the first interview, and totally after the audition. You see, Rob brings everything we wanted in a singer for this group: he has the voice, he has energy, he has emotion in his art, he has amazing songwriting skills, he can play guitar as well as I can, and he is a fuckin’ class act. I can’t speak for the band, but from my personal point of view, I liked Rob best out of everyone because he was just what I was looking for: a performer. What I mean by this is that during his audition, I played like shit because I was too busy enjoying his performance. He brought raw emotion, power and a certain I-don’t-know-what, that was just captivating. So to conclude this online ego-massage for the new guy, I must say that I am very pleased. 

So where am I going with this you ask? Well to answer your question, we must first go back to the initial question of this blog, concerning Megan Fox’s metaphorical penis. A lot of you have certainly seen some material we put out, or even been to one of our shows. I had so much fun playing for you guys, but there is something that must be said about Rob’s addition: it’s absolutely mind-blowing how his arrival in our lineup changes things. 

Now I’m not going to go into too much detail, but I will say this: If you saw and heard the band right now, short of physical appearance, you would not recognize it. We’ve been playing over the last 2 weeks, and I must say I don’t recognize the band, and I mean this in the best possible way. Rob is Megan Fox’s penis, except that he changes things for the best (so actually, he is the opposite of Megan Fox having a penis, I guess….). Ok, forget that analogy. What I’m trying to say is this: next time you hear us, see us, come to watch us perform on stage, don’t expect what you saw last time. I enjoyed playing for every single one of you, but at the end of the day, we wanted to bring you more. I don’t want to build this up, but I’m usually pretty hard on myself, and I am very excited to put out this material, and perform once more for you all. Streets of Hastings has reached its final form, and it’s a fuckin’ monster. 

Speaking of performance, there are currently rumors that we will be playing live very soon. I would go as far as to say that an announcement is imminent. So for all of you that came out to see us in Rockland, and are wondering why you should come and see us again so soon, I bring back my last point: S.o.H is a totally different, much better band now.  

All right, enough with the “This is the new S.o.H!” propaganda. What are we doing at this point in time?  Well, good people of the Internet, we are working our asses off to make original music. Last show we unveiled three originals songs, all of which are getting makeovers. For our next show, expect at least half our songs to be originals. With Rob bringing in material, we now have a healthy mix of alternative, punk, Celtic, Maritime, reggae-ska-ish type stuff, folk and rock music in the mix. It’s fuckin’ weird to be honest, but I’m having fun, and so is the rest of the band. We never wanted to be placed in a “genre box”, but we are growing certain traits. I’ll let you all be the judge when you come and see our next show. 

On a more individual level, I’m having so much fun adapting to a two-guitar band. Some people would view it as invasive, but I really like where this is going. I never got to play actual “lead” guitar, with another guitarist playing rhythm, so I was very constricted in my playing, keeping the song together, and not letting the creative juices flow as much as they should of. Last rehearsal, I watched Trucker (Jay) play, and I think he was feeling the same way. I’m feeling more musically fulfilled, as the level of complexity of what we are playing, even when it comes to covers we have performed, is changing those songs into musically challenging pieces, with room to move. 

In terms of gear (for the 2 other guitarists that read this), I have added a set of Seymour Duncan pickups to my PRS, and I am in love. I’ve always been a fan of their work, and a long time member of their forum, contributing heavily… but I am really happy with the sound I am getting. Ever since I got the Stiletto Ace, I’m able to dial in a sound that cuts, but it pleasing to the ear, and really ads weight to the band mix; these pickups are bringing the best out of that amp. 

So I guess that sums it all up for now. Two things to remember: Keep checking-in for our show announcement, and come out with us 2 Fridays down the road to support My Favorite Tragedy. Hope you enjoyed the insight, and are as psyched as we are about the new singer, and the new band that has formed as a consequence. 

As a last and more personal note, I have thanks to give. In the last weeks, my girlfriend Marilyn and I celebrated our 7th year anniversary. With the changes in the band, and music season in full swing, it really made me appreciate how open she is to my musical addiction, supporting me to the fullest. For that I am very thankful, as it’s not easy for her to sacrifice time so I can go out and rehearse or perform. A big thank you also goes out to Kelly, Peyts’s better half, who is always welcoming and supportive for rehearsal, especially when you consider that our rehearsals are held in the basement of the Peyton household. So yeah, props to you ladies… your support is greatly appreciated, as we couldn’t do it without that support.

Enjoy your week… we’ll see you all at the next show, and for the next round of the Big Money Shot.

Peace,
Phil