Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere: News

They had it right. Everybody's working for the weekend.

Thanks to all the folks that came out yesterday to the Blue Plate- always heartwarming to see SRO during a lunchtime musical event. And of course, the folks that tune in. It was a a fine time- and a real treat to see lots of ole pals including a very wry Santa.

There is some video posted online from our good pal Ramblin Man Randall Brown from the KNS:

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/music/article/0,1406,KNS_360_5232241,00.html
This was taken by a handheld device about the size of an I-pod.

I spent this morning watching Lost in Space. I have no idea why. Billy Mumy was the best actor on the show, I think.

Anyhoo, have a great whatevermas and be safe out there.

The guestbook is now back on- so please send all cryptic messages to it thusly.

Hopefully the spammers will still think it's off.

In other news- we are playign on WDVX this Friday at noon. Wdvx.org to hear it live. Or come down if you are in Knoxville.

We had a true hootenanny at Blue Cat's on Friday, despite my funky head cold. Was fun to whip out some new tunes.

Happy Holidays. I have sent zero christams cards.

I have turned my guest book off- which is a shame- because I really enjoy the messages that pop up from time to time. But spammers are all over the place doing their worst.

There oughta be a law. No, really, there oughta be a law. It's just a matter of time until 90% of your e-mail is garbage.

In other news- I can't wait to play on Friday.

I have a new gig: announcer on Improvisations on WUOT. Go to http://wuot.org
I am on every tuesday/thursday from 6:32-8:01. Tune in each week night for jazz, jazz, jazz.

I love jazz. More jazz.

It's now my favorite holiday.

No gifts, no dogma.

Food, family and fun.

Thoughts about the post-election non-blues.

Howdy, friends.

It's November, the good effects of the time change has worn off leaving me with the very unwise desire to call for another time change so I can sleep in and hour later on Monday. I know it's stupid, but it sure makes sense on some subconscious level.

Yes, my friends (bring in Bill Frisell playing some gospel ambience here) it is indeed time for time change. Six years of a political system void of checks and balances has left me feeling like somebody has been slipping a liberty-rape drug into my daily soup- and I finally just got them to stop it.

Look, I am willing vote for anybody I sort of trust that hasn't sold out to the nth degree. Which, probably, leaves very few people worth voting for. (Let's see Charlie Thomas, and...well I am sure others will come to me.) But just for the dream of getting back checks and balances, for the protection of the constitution- I got off my arse and voted and pushed the little buttons with as much strength as I could muster.

Now it appears the dems have both the House and Senate. They have a lot facing them, the least of which is the war in Iraq. The irony is that it's the dems who ultimately might cut the Republican Orgy of Spending and put some clamps on unwise versions of nation building favored by the elephants.

I sure wish the old republicans would take over this new shape-shifter evangelical model and lend a hand to get things going back in the right direction. I fear if Ike hisself would come back to earth, he'd never forgive his Grand Oil Party.

Everything, indeed is the oppostie of what it is.

In any case, here is to hope.

I am back in DC. Talk radio is a lot of fun up here about right now. Sun is up and a chill in the air. Kids were dressed like Donnie Rum and Dick Chain for halloween.

I was scared.

K, go to http://obknoxcast.com for our latest podcast. (Click on Podcast... and ye shall see it.)

Today's sample: Six Meat Buffet in DC.

Haw!

You gotta love E-music. I do.

Plus, you can get our stuff on there:

Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere: Heartbreak an Duct Tape
http://www.emusic.com/album/10935/10935783.html?fref=700329

Brewer's Jam was major portions of fun. We got there before it started and really enjoyed going around and sampling the beers- this was after a trip by S-Dave and I to Greek Fest for lunch to build a suitable base/bass.

The weather was amazing, the people in good spirits, and there were lots of them milling about having fun in the sun.

Here is the setlist, though we didn't get to a couple of these:

WORLDS UNFAIR
TENNCARE BUZZ
NEW KNOXVILLE GIRL
PREZ ROOF
AFTER SHOW BLUES
PLASTIC FACTORY
EAST TOWN MALL
PEYTON MANNING SHIRT
TINA WESSON OR GRANDMA
STATUS NO
SOUNDS OF THIS TOWN
CORNER CONCERNS
I’VE BEEN EVERYWHERE
NORTH KNOXVILLE
SOUNDS OF THIS TOWN
FREEBIRD2
BEER, ICE COLD BEER
VAN WILLIN/NASHVILLE/KEEF

In any case- last night went to see David Sedaris. A great way to spend a couple of hours. If he comes to your town, check him out.

SETLISTS

We gots a requests for our setlists from the mini-suns recent shows- here is all I got:

NYC

Prezervation Roof
After Show Blues
Nobody Listens to Me
Grandma's Hymn
Six Meat Buffet
East Town Mall
Peyton Manning Shirt
Keef Richard..s Blood
North Knoxville
Must be from Nashville

DC

Preservation Roof
Sherpa
Six Meat Buffet
Peyton Manning Shirt
Stuck in Asia
Keith Richard's Blood
Corazon
Manbeater
Grandma's Hymn
Normaal
You Must Be from Nashville

Uh, not sure what you want with these, but enjoy.

We are semi-fresh back from a short tour of the NE. We played with Tim Stutz (High Signs, J-bats) up in DC at the Velvet Lounge, in NYC at the Bitter End (Thanks DK!)- and a roaring finish with Owen Davis in WV, where the Vols were beating the crap out of Georgia on the TV at Genes as we started our set.

The shows were well attended and well received by our good friends to the North. We found some Knox-souls along the way- shoutouts to all those that came out, esp. in NYC.

In other highlights: I drove the van directly into Port Authority within 2 seconds of arriving in NYC- there we were, one mini-van and 34 giant bus type vehicles. Homeland security didn't get us before we escaped.

We spent the night in Saltville, VA. Unforgettable vistas.

Ed got his box signed, starting a Willie Nelson like-tradition.

Bob continued his search for the prefect tone- and I think he hit during his Grandma solos.

Dave became the Zen Navigator and the non-Mexican Gittaron champ of the east coast.

The electric band is back- this weekend at Brewers Jam in Ktown. Come on down and drank.

We are going on the road- and looking very forward to it. Click on our Calendar page to see where and when.

Todd

Five years ago, I’ll bet most of you can tell me where you were and what you were doing. And since you didn’t ask I’ll tell you where I was and what I was doing. Well, let me back up.

In May of 2001, the missus and I went to NYC for r&r. I had been several times but she hadn’t been there very often. Here is a strange side note: Within two hours of arrival I ran into two different people I knew. One guy was a Smokin’ Dave fan from way back- and the other was a guy I had traveled with in Zimbabwe almost ten years earlier.

Anywhew, we had a great time and I fell in love with the city all over again, just like you do every time you go there. We meandered down towards the financial district in the hopes of finding this Indonesian place (we did, but it didn’t look so hot) so we just decided to walk around the area. It was great, I had never walked around there much and I liked the buildings and whatnot. We soon noticed we were very close to the twin towers.

Then it just POPPED out at us. Kind of made me seasick looking up at it, but it was magnificent. I had never really cared for the look of the WTC before, but for some reason it really won me over. But at the same time, it felt a bit scary.

Missus: HEY, let’s go up there!
Me: You know, I’ve had the heebie jeebies about that place since the 93 bombing.
Missus: Aw. Come on, it will be fun.
Me: I just have this feeling that they are going to try and take them down again. You know, it was ‘losing face’ to have failed to bring them down last time. So, I know the odds are small it will be today- but…
Missus: Yeah, where do want to go?
Me: Chinese food?

And then we wandered off.

Of course it would have been safe that day. But, hindsight is plenty twenty. I wish I would have gone.

On Sept. 11, 2001 I was at work. The receptionist ran into a meeting I was in and said: A PLANE JUST HIT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. And she walked back out. The first thing I thought of was terrorist attack. And maybe it’s just study abroad types and their paranoia, but everyone in our group thought the same thing. We watched it on TV, and the second plane hit. I felt physically ill and simply walked away, went back to work, and I didn’t turn on the TV until I got home. I did listen to the radio all day, but I couldn’t take the visuals. Plus, you knew they were going to be repeated plenty. And we were glued to the TV all night.

I didn’t know anybody, thankfully, killed in that mass murder.

But about a year later, a friend of mine was walking down the street, minding her own business. This was in Kuta Beach in Indonesia, by the way,.. and she was killed by the Bali bombs of 2002. To be honest, I’ve never been able to process that one. And, to be honest, I don’t think I’ve completely processed September 11.

I’m still working on it.
It’s going to take a while.
It's a long process to process the anti-progress of assholes.

We should go on around 9:30 on Wed- RB on at 8:30. Jescoe around 11:00ish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSQ0oQ09W2g
Mini-Suns at Borders- playing the last few seconds of 'Preservation Roof'-

Well, here and there. There, mostly. Spent a good healthy chunk of my summer in China. I have no idea where to begun in explaining what that was like other than to say that it was rather fascinating and somewhat incredible in parts. Met a lot of great folks, Chinese, Americans, Brits and one Kiwi.

Spent most of that month in Beijing, but then a few days at the end in Inner Mongolia. Nowhere quite like that. It's a feast for the eys. The people were wonderful there as well.

Nice horses, too. Just a bit short, at least the one I rode.

Lots of shows coming up- and still working on new songs and such.

OK, I need to go watch Steve Colbert.

Last weekend I had the good fortune of attending the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN. There was no rain, only moderate heat, cool nights, moderate consumption on my part of beer and food, and BOATLOADS of music.

Here were my faves in no particular order other than the order they are in:

Amadou and Miriam
Bill Frisell
Radiohead
Tom Petty
Neville Brothers
Dungen
Phil Pollard and the Band of Humans
Death Cab for Cutie
Elvis Costello and Allen Tousaint
Oysterhead Or some such like that
Dr. John
Balkan Beat Box
assorted drum circles

People were friendly and polite- and I ran into Knoxville peeps nonstop. The irony is that I ended up hanging out with Knoxvillians more than I get to in Knoxville. It's great being away from home, work, etc. with only conversation and music for soul fuel. It works.

Some of the best times were just walking around the festival and goofing off- or hanging out in the camping area with various good folks.

And then it was over. And I came home. And here I am with the computer- a secondary and less powerful source of communication compared to unhurried conversation and music. That's show biz.

Here it is June- and feels like May. May Felt like July. July will fill like August. And so will September.

OK- we had a fun spate of shows there- and now we'll be taking off to various places for the summer and doing different things. Hopefully, some new songs when we come back. And then recording this fall, if all goes according to the no plan.

Thanks to all the folks that came out to the shows or tuned in on the radio. We do it all fer you.

Spent the week in Montreal- took a while to adjust to even more cold and wet weather but as the sun shined, the city bloomed and there was much rejoice type activity.

The food is oustanding. Greek, Asian, Moroccan, Afghan, you name it.

While wearing a hat, people speak French to me. I take the hat off, they don't.

The Suns of Phere have been added ot the CAMPERFEST lineup on saturday at 1. HOTFEST ON Sunday.

TA

Well, it feels like Fall. Cold out there. I had packed all the winter clothes away for a long summer's nap.

Moved last week- same town. Anybody need boxes of crap?

Lots of music coming up in May- click on Calendar. One real innarestin thing should be the May 1 WDVX Blueplate with Marshal Andy sitting in on some songs wit the Mini Settings Suns of Phere.

I have been listening to Bach lately- even though he's dead, he still can write a mean song.

Tonight for dinner I had salad, aspargus stir fry and a piece of chocolate. OK, two pieces.

OH- you can find the smokin dave stuff on e-music, too.

It's cheaper there.

Lots of shows coming up- lots of new songs to finish before summer.

Or not.

Also- the Opposable Thumbs forgotten classic, OPPOSABLE THUMBS ARE READY FOR LOVE is also on I-TUNES.

This includes the classics: AGURKAS, HANGOVER OVER, and A MINOR LOVE SONG.

And then you got yer non-classics.