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Speedkings News > March 2017
Here's a few tunes from our December 2015 Cadillac Lounge show. I meant to post this show afterwards but i got side tracked, for a year, till now of course. Better late than never!
Head on
Soapbox Preacher
Blown Away
Pink Eldorado
We'll post the whole show on our Bandcamp page as well, all for free. I'm gearing up for a new Speedking's C.D. this year, the recording of it anyways. I'm still sorting out what direction it'll take, but it'll be a quality product be assured of that. And we'll post samples as they become available. Till then...
It's Only Rock and Roll, but we live it!
Speedkings News > November 2015
The wheels are back on track now, all my projects are being realized, slowly but surely. Time to do a bit of that Rock and Roll thing again, the busted knuckles and crushed finger have healed and the band is in fine form.
Join us for an evening of love, loss and lust, plus a few car songs thrown in just for the hell of it! Get your pre "Christmas" (are we still allowed to use this term?) shopping done then stop by the Cadillac Lounge for a few beers and a spliff and say high!
It's Only Rock and Roll, but we live it!
Speedkings News > March 2015
It's with a heavy heart that I say we lost a great friend recently. Drummer Glenn Kimberley passed away suddenly earlier this month. He played with many great Toronto bands over the years including with me in "The Abatoirs" and most recently with "The Millwinders".
Glenn was such a well respected musician around here, the Toronto scene will never be the same without him.
I know we all feel the same joy at having shared a stage with him and we offer our deepest condolences to his family. Gone but never forgotten. R.I.P..
Speedkings News >February 2015
A very Happy New Year to y'all, I hope 2015 brings to you all that you deserve. Now, I know what you're probably thinking here, it's frickin' the middle of February man, aren’t you a bit late? And my response to this thought would be, it's New Year’s every day when you're young, sexy and rich... Sadly, I'm just a very lazy man, Rich, in name only. Sexy? That's up for debate. Young? At heart for sure! Now that we've dispensed with the formalities let's get on with the show.
I've been mixing tracks for a new "Just Another Nobody" C.D. that we started tracking over the Christmas of 2014. And in my humble opinion it's gonna be the bomb man! It picks up where "Greetings From the Underground" left off, "angry but optimistic" as it has been put to me. You can check out a sample song HERE. We're headed back into the studio soon to record more material for it. I was talking to my pal Kooter Burgess, guitarist for one of my other recording projects BFBM (Brothers From Different Mothers) about recording the debut C.D. we've had demoed for more years then I care to recall.
It's a hard blues rock kinda thing, stuff we all grew up with. We gotta keep moving here man we're not getting any younger, so hopefully we'll trot out a new C.D. this year or early 2016. In the same breath I'd say that material for a new Speedkings C.D. is about 70% done, but I wouldn’t count on a new C.D. for a while yet. We haven’t even milked Love Annihilator for what it's worth. Did I say that I'm a lazy man?. Really though I've been making plans for a new home for my Custom shop "Twitchcraft", downsizing everything closer to home to hang with my dear old dad. It's gonna be the ultimate man cave (garage) for all our precious stuff.
I've been making progress getting our web store up and running again, hopefully we'll be back with the big schill for our next news posting. So for now i guess that's all i have to say friends, so many thoughts so few words.
One things for sure though:
It's only Rock and Roll, but we live it !!!.
Speedkings News >August 2014
Our new C.D. "Love Annihilator." is finished now! Well… technically it was finished in May, but due to the death of my dear mom all the plans i had for it became thoroughly meaningless.
This said, time eventually does heal, and all the work we put into it must now be recognized.
It's what she would have wanted i'm sure.
"Love Annihilator" will be available as a C.D. through "Rotate This" in Toronto and through
our website as well as digitally song by song through Bandcamp shortly. I'm having
our Merch page re- jigged as well, so all our fine merchandise will be available once again.
Add to that we're looking into doing a live streaming to internet show for our U.S and Overseas
friends this winter from the legendary "Country Bunker in downtown T.O., possibly with a few
special guests to sweeten the deal. So keep your ear to the tracks friends, the (loco)motive that
is The Speedkings is common' down the tracks again!. And…
It's only Rock and Roll, but we live it!
Speedkings News >January 2014
New C.D. coming very soon! We recorded the last tunes on the day before New Years, we just slipped the session in for 2013. We're working on the mixes now and also getting the Merch page functional.
The title of the long promised C.D. is "Love Annihilator." We'll leave the car and weird uncle stuff for the next
C.D.
I'm working on a couple video ideas as well, we have some new footage shot in the studio i'll post soon
on my newly cleansed YouTube channel.
My summer was crushed when my dear dad fell ill, but i still kept the
writing up. Thankfully he's on the mend. As well as a 92 year old man (who still drives a 5 speed by the way!) can recover. I'm truly grateful.
Engineer extraordinaire Robi Banerji was over to the house, we also finished
some overdubs for an L.A. session Luke and I did some years ago with bassist John Bazz and Bill Bateman of the mighty L.A band "The Blasters." I still have'nt figured out what i'll do with it yet, but as I tweak the stuff
i'll post it for sure at the very least.
So for now this is all i have say, but remember this my friends...
It's only Rock and Roll, but we live it!
Twitch
Speedkings News >March 2013
The new CDs are up on Bandcamp now (check that out here), as well as on our audio page.
We had some software issues with our Merch page so we determined that a re-design and tweak of the layout was wise. Can't be too careful on the internet -- Digital herpes is everwhere these days!
We're finishing up a couple old recordings we did in L.A. a few years ago this month, better late than cleaver I always say.
And we've got a few more tunes to cut for the new Speedking CD. I'm guessing at a fall release now, and as yet untitled.
I was organizing all my lyrics and scribbles over the months and I found some plum pieces yet to be exploited. My writing, stylistically, has always been all over the place, so as I come up with ideas, if they don't coincide with my current project they just get filed away. And it appears the file is bursting, expect some surprises in the future!
On a Twitchcraft note, I've been busting hard on the bodywork on my electric '48 Ford Zapper "Powering the Past into the Future." I'll post some more pics later in the springtime.
And my '65 Hell Camino is getting some bodywork botox as well. All in all it's a good start to 2013 and my sights are firmly on the future of Rock and Roll.
"It's only rock and roll," but we live it!
Twitch
Speedkings News > December 2012
Well, as I previously mentioned, we've been working hard around here finishing up a couple C.Ds.
-- an end of the year creative purge (a poop) -- and, as might be expected, it's very satisfying indeed.
The Just Another Nobody C.D, "Greetings From The Underground" is done, son.
So is a new
live Speedking C.D, not coincidentally titled The Speedkings "Live at Ted's Collision."
Eleven songs of earth-scorching rock and roll!! A freakin' flame thrower of Chuck Berry riffs, really. It's
pretty good for something I forgot even existed until a couple months ago.
That's 3 C.Ds in 2012!
And the tea leaves said 2013 is supposed to be my year. yikes! I've created a Munster!
We'll have
'em up for sale on our Merchpage as well as being individually available on Band Camp in the New Year.
All in all it's been a great year, a few missteps, but that's what life's all about. Certainty is the
killer of creative, the best stuff's always out re...ally close to the edge. It's where the action and
DANGER is!
Ah 2013, it looks pretty good so far but we still have to get through this year to get to that one.
Best of this season one and y'all !
Twitch
Speedkings News > November 2012
Well now that the U.S. erection has passed we can get on with our own very nuanced problems.
It's really the only time I give a toss about some one else's business. Now they talk of a "fiscal
cliff," but that pales in comparison to the long nightmare the U.S. faced if the "other guy" got elected.
I chose the title for the new Speedking C.D. It's now officially called "Sadie Hawkins Day Blues"
after a song i wrote recently with the same name. It felt right. The new C.D.s full of songs about
love, loss and lust. I can remember Sadie Hawkins day as kid as i was growing up, it's kind
of a Valentines day in November, but for singles and perverts.
It's a yearly ritual where all the young single girls take the initiative in inviting the man or boy
of their choice out on a date, or, in Al Capp's "Lil' Abner" where all the single guys and gals
mosied up to the starting line, the shotgun went off and the poor guys ran like hell with
all the single girls chasing after them, whomever got caught got got. That's how it went,
anyways that's my story, and i'm sticking all over it. Also we added a couple new songs,
some more fresh content, have a little listen here.
I've been mixing the "Just Another Nobody" C.D. "Greetings From The Underground"
this month, just two more songs to go !!!. We're all giddy. Stay tuned for a Discember C.D.
onslot, that's right Discember. take that fictitious ad agency "Mathers and Wilks," Discember is
like Festivus, but for C.D.s, our C.D.s not the rest of them.
Stay fine, tuned!
Twitch
Speedkings News > September 2012
Goodbye... long hot summer, really? It whizzed by like an old lazy bladder after a gallon of warm water. I barely spent any time at the chalet, "Swiss" that is. Now that it's cooling down we're firing up the Class Eh tube gear for a fall mix marathon, I've set the rock and roll machine into maximum overdrive. We're doing one more recording session at the Country Bunker next month, i've got a couple more tunes for the new
Speedking c.d. and a few more for the archives.
Languishing lovingly in obscurity allows us an open window for creativity, it's hard to shut the tap off. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to prove, we'll
leave all that for the "contest winners" and their corporate spinners, "the all show no go" we just don't want
to be part of that race to the bottom, ever...Ever.
2012 is the 30th anniversary of Twitchcraft "Shiny Things for Arrogant People", and i'm celebrating it by
building myself a chopped, dropped '48 Ford coupe, " the Zapper" a fully electric hot rod. I think i deserve it.
Rolex's are so 1980.
My '65 Hell Camino is getting and a freshening up as well for next summer. It's
always been that my stuff took the back seat around here, but it always works out for the better aesthetically,"all show" but with a whole lot of belated go.
Speedkings News > April 2012
Well Spring has sprung again in the great white slop and none too soon, what with that brutal winter we had here in T.O... It was so warm this winter that my nipples barely got erect at all... from the cold, anyway. They're the body's tempertature guage, you know. What this early spring has done is let me get a month's yard work done a month early! Yay me.
We're up and running at Bandcamp now -- we're still sorting out the look, but most of the Speedking catalogue is now up for a listen. I've been mixing a bit over the last month, so I'll start to post singles as well. Why wait for a CD these days? Just adding the songs as they get done is so self-indulgent and financially sensible.
I've been working on my hillbilly musical sensation, "Piss Ant Town," mostly developing the characters, but I have a couple new songs to add to the score as well.
We're hoping for two new CD releases this year, "The Year of the Dragon" -- good fortune is ours this year apparently. I've never had a fortune that wasn't attached tro a cookie.
There's some new pics up on our photos page as well as some choice shop pics I unearthed recently from the depths of my tool box.
Stay tuned... More fresh programming is coming your way!
Twitch
Speedkings News > January 2012
We'd like to wish all our friends out there in the nether world a happy and prosperous Year of the Dragon!
2011 was a good year musically and December was a really good mixing month, finally. I got 8 songs onto the "Just Another Nobody" CD, Greetings From the Underground. I tackled the brutes first so the last few should go down without a hitch. Man I'm glad the log jam's breaking - I have sooo much new material and nary the lucre to pay the piper. Well I guess I'm gonna have to take up stripping at night again. Say hello to Sven Incher, girls! nyuk, nyuk... And I shoulda kept my cab license!
On a less desperate note, we're hoping to do some live stuff, maybe a live DVD show thingy in some dank shit hole (ain't they all, though!) I just can't get enough of the dank.
Tracking on the new Speedking CD is almost done as well, so 2012 will likely see a couple new releases anyhoo.
We still seem to be having a glitch with Internet Explorer on our merch page, so we suggest using Firefox - it works swell.
I've stumbled onto a couple new old shows on YouTube, one thing about punk shows even back 20 years ago people were still filming with VHS cameras which capture pretty good audio as well as a decent picture. It's nice when the old stuff surfaces and I know there's still a bunch out there yet... and we're still cranking out good new material as well, our eyes are on the future. I'll be posting some new mixed up next month and there's some new pics up in the pic places.
'Till we meet in the street, keep your eyes open and your wheels spinning. We're comin' right at ya'll! Yeee haa!!!!
Twitch
Speedkings News > November 2011
We're just finishing re-jigging our merch page, and I do believe we are bordering on functional.
Not to outdo ourselves, like that's possible, but we're currently making our entire Speedking Records catalog available for per song downloads on Bandcamp. Eventually we'll fill that service here, but Bandcamp is a fine start for now. We'll post the link when we've done that deal.
I've been working on acoustic demos lately when really I should be mixing another CD... 13 Songs of auditory annihilation here I come! But in the interim, here's a demo of a little rockabilly ditty called "Krazy Lil' Kitten." I'm going to add some harp to it this month. I'll make it the ever-evolving demo from HELL. Sometimes the demo ends up being the song.
There's some more pics up in the usual places, and a few wee tid bits for those in the knows. I'm digging through the archives this month, and no one even died!
Twitch
Speedkings News > October 2011
I sent the first batch of Abatoirs promo material out by ground mail a few weeks ago, so it should be arriving by now. I'm putting together the next batch and we're working to add the C.D. to the merch page. We appear to have a software issue, and a software developer that's running from their product service.
Aside from that, hmmm let's see...
I'm getting back to mixing the "Just Another Nobody" C.D. this month, I hope to have it done by the end of the year. I've been doing some acoustic demos -- some sweet stuff -- it's going on two years and still no writer's block.. Dang!
Unfortunately I haven't done much work on my hillbilly(?) musical, "Piss Ant Town," but it's never far away. There's only so many house in a day, and I have many other interest and responsibilities...
Like my '48 Ford coupe "Powering the past into the future" project. The metalwork is done, and I'm ready for the bodywork. If the economy doesn't tank, I'll git 'er done for next summer. I'll have to pass on the car shot debuts this year. A huge blow to my hEgo.
Back on a musical note, I'm getting back to the next Speedking C.D. at the end of this year, with the intention of a summer 2012 release, but still no title. I think that'll be an eleventh hour drama.
Have a nice fall, do not FALL, fall, get off your bloated bums and breathe some fresh air!
Please.
Speedkings News > July 2011
This month I'll be doing an extra large mail-out of the new Abatoirs CD, "Produced for Consumption," to all my favorite radio shows. Let's face it though, any entity that plays it is a favorite of mine (ours)!
It was a long time comin' and I'm already writing for the next one. Check out the new CD here!
Oh, did I mention the Abatoirs CD will also be available on our lovely SSL encrypted merchant site in the next few weeks? We'll steer you the right way, keep an eye out. But please feel free to nose around all you like, we're all about inclusiveness here at Speedking Records.
On a different note, I've been making some sort of decent progress on my new challenge, my musical --- my musssical.. it still souns wierd, my musical. Anyhoo, the title of this musical is "Piss Ant Town," a comedy filled with modern day mores, based largely around the songs on the new Abatoirs CD. Plus I've filled the gaps with new songs I've written in the last couple of months. Obviously I can't explain the complete premise, it's quite a "cat and mouse" scenario to be sure, but a few principals are..
Potsie Cline, Ramona 801, Ramona's sister and Frog Legs Freddy ("He thinks he can dance")...
It's a work in progress. If you listen to the Abatoirs song samples on the audio page, you'll get a sense of all the wacky hijinks in store.
But I will confess, this is a huge job, man. I bit off a big chunk for sure. The details are many. Luckily my hot rod experience helps to deal with the constantly diverging elements.. details, man! It's all about the details.
It's been an interesting life that I've led, I have plenty of crazy stories of mine for this plot.
Piss Ant Town -- it's not a myth, it's a legend! And it's only half done!!
On another electric note, the metalwork on my '48 Ford Zapper "powering the past into the future" is almost done. There's some real trick stuff on this car, it's the prototype for a future business venture I have in mind -- an idea whose time has come. I mean, this idea is so cool, so ground-breaking, so lucrative, so personal I'd just rather keep it to myself. I'm a good person, honest.
On a recording note, I'm hoping to do some recording on a couple projects before the end of the year. Summertime is a very chaotic time in music land. Besides xmas, this is when all the money's made, so all the players are scattered 'til fall.
On that note, 'til we meet again, I bid you adieu. A mountain dew! Yeehaaa.
Speedkings News > June 2011
Well, Spring has finally sprung here in the great white slop, and the mixing console over here at Speedking Records has been burning up!
No, not literally -- our gear is impeccable!
I've been mixing all month and the result is a finished Abatoirs CD. It was a long time comin', but I finally got my mix mojo back and my ears are still feeling great.
Now I'll mix the Just Another Nobody project and then on to the long awaited Speedking CD.
But I digress, "Produced For Consumption" (that'd be the new Abatoirs CD) will be for sale next month, I'll do the radio thing in the next couple-three weeks, and we'll see where we go from there.
My only real plan is to throw it at the musical wall and see what sticks! No plan is the best plan in an industry gasping for air.
There's a few new pics floating around here somewhere, and we'll post the new Abatoirs CD, as well as a few bits and bobs next month.
On another topic, I've been coaxed into writing a musical... A musical!?
'What do you know about writing a musical,' you ask?
Well, not enough, but what intrigues me is that my crash and burn logic says 'give it a go, what could go wrong?' Ha ha, what could go wrong...
I'm basing a large part of the music -- well, 69 per cent anyway -- on the songs off the new Abatoirs CD. The premise is still a bit murky, but it'll have a strong comedy element, a bit surreal in spots perhaps, but it'll be short and to the point. I can't write epics, and short songs work better for scenes. Or so 'How to Write a Musical' says!
Wish me dumb luck! And plant your corn early this season.
Speedkings News > February 2011
Well, now that we've all settled back to our daily whatevers, and all the unhealthy urges
have been properly repressed, I was all set to do some serious mixing.
Phones off the hook -- ha, there are no more hooks... i'm so old! -- fired the gear up, popped the tapes in and WAAAAAAA!
No sound.
what the...?
My power amps fried!!! Well good thing i had a spare... A spare blown
power amp!
A month in the service dept and we're good to go. I did a pretty good mix of a
tune called "Cursed to walk the earth Alone," one of three we recorded at the end of December
2010 at the Country Bunker here in Toronto. Check it out here.
I set up a Flickr page to post the photos i've been snapping on my new Cannon T2i. It's easier on
site space and i can post high res pics for what that's worth. Check it out here.
I tend to shoot elements
rather than whole subjects, especially outdoors. The shots tend to get busy.... [He clucked indignantly.]
I'm not that pompous, yet. Check out the beautiful computer table my dad made on the photos page, I'm
applying the finish this month. He made it from scraps of red and white oak laying around his shop. Family
heirloom, anyone? No store bought shit around here baby.
As has been my habit of late, I'll offer up some of my cultural and literary choices. Here's what i've been
poking through the late couple months:
This Documentary, "Inside job" Directed by Charles Ferguson exposes (identifies) many of the parties responsible for the current economic misfortunes being felt by the collateral damage (that's you and me) around the globe. How will they be punished? Whips, caning, bamboo shoots under their well manicured nails? ...How about multi million dollar bonuses?
On a lighter note i watched part of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" recently. A young Sean Penn, a young preppy Judge Reinhold and a ravishing Phobe Cates titty shot. It's a really hilarious movie. I love the 70's. After all, I was there.
On the T.V. side, i'm still hooked on the Britcoms on Vision TV weekdays between 8-9 in Toronto. It's one of the reasons i keep my cable.
Books i've been through that deserve a plug include:
"Griftopia" by Matt Taibbi
"The Great American Stick Up"
by Robert Scheer
and "Death of the Liberal Class" by Chris Hedges.
Twitchisms - Recent thoughts from my digital self.
Speedkings News > January 2011
Tannenbong, O Tannenbong, your water smells so sticky. Yuck, stinky bong water! Me thinks we need a
vaporizer. Be kind to the lungs --you know, the ones that project the air! My New Years resolution is more
cardio at the gym this winter. Now that that's out of the way, on to more pressing matters... 2010 was a roller
coaster year for sure. I got a lot of recording done but not much mixing. I do most of my mixing at night, but I spent most every evening for the last fourteen months with my Mom in a long term care facility. My Dad did
the day shift. She went in for knee surgery in late '09 and had a stroke in the recovery room. It messed her
up real bad. Now, thankfully, we have her back home (though challenges still remain for the near future.) To
say it was and continues to be hugely upsetting is to state the obvious.
On a more positive note, we recorded one more song for the "Just Another Nobody" project and 3 tunes for
the new Speedking CD in very late December (my Christmas present to myself, paid for by myself. )
So, now i will start the mixing machine (me) back up for 2011... really! We'll post some new mixes up later in January.
I got myself a new Cannon Rebel T2i camera this month, i bought it mostly for it's superior HD video performance
over the comparable Nikon, but i discovered it takes great photos as well. I'm not much of a camera buff but i do
have a great eye for detail so i guess i have a new hobby for 2011! Lucky me. Unfortunately i can only post lower
res photos on our site --just so ya know it's a space issue and not a dead eye if they look a bit grainy. Or hey, maybe
your monitor's a pile of shit !
I worked on my '48 Ford Zapper coupe over christmas. There's a few new pics on the Twitchcraft page as well
as some new pics on the Photos page. I've been looking through all my old memories over the holidays and I found a
bunch of old photos, audio clips and such thati think I'd like to share with the public. Fancy that, sharing, what a novel
concept.
My new years wish for y'all, "Stay in tune and stay in touch" don't let the economy get you down. Learn how to do
more for yourself and you'll need less money, and have more time to pursue your extra curricular activities. Like, for
instance, lust after hot young chicks. Some people get their kicks on Route 666, but i get mine from chasing young
chicks! Halladooya! I'm holding my hot dog cross and wearing my pink plastic pig nose! Soooweet!
Twitchisms - Recent thoughts from my digital self.
Speedkings News > December 2010
Song writings finished, for now (almost). Recording's done (well not exactly)... but November was the start of
mixing (seriously) it's half over!
Oddly i'm still writing a lot, i usually dry up around fall for a couple months.
So i take some time to collect my thoughts, also to consider all my other distractions (real and imagined).
But my Mojo's been working overtime (for song writing anyway) so i'm running with it. I'm fixin' to record
a couple new Speedking tunes for December this time round. I've got a couple gems left in my pocket. No,
not jewels, gems! My jewels are'nt for sale -- possibly for rent, but never for sale! Melissa Etheridge are you
listening? My nads will yield you a much prettier baby! (And pay my credit card bill this month!) A sticky
wicket no doubt.
Aanyway i'm still considering the line up for this newer musical adventure.
For now i've got some real mixing hell, not really hell, just hours and hours of tedious listening and
then correcting my previous assumptions. We have no problems recording but mixing has always fried
me.
On an electric note, i'm getting the batteries for my '48 Zapper electric hot rod this month, the rolling
chassis is almost finished. Thats a huge hurdle to clear so I'm feeling optimistic the old girl will see the
road next summer. I hear gas is going up again.
We have a new i Mac over at the padded cell studio, 21". And of course the porno is still as crystal clear as the old G4, clear as you can get through a land line.
Everything is still blurry! I'm a huge Mac fan, so stable and stylish... P.C.'s are are about as stable as
the Greek economy, So i'm told.
I'm gonna try and edit "Meet me in the Riot Zone," the G20 footage and
clips in the new imovie. I'm told it's an improvement to the earlier of which i thought was fine. Someone's
at my door, maybe its opportunity knocking? Maybe it's a home invasion?...... pity the fool(s).
More Twitchisms are coming!
Speedkings News > November 2010
So the title for the new "Just Another Nobody" C.D. is now titled "Greetings from the Underground".
And no it has nothing to do with mining, not that there's anything wrong with mining (well, maybe a bit).
Anyway i'm talkin' the other underground.
What other underground you ask? well, if you don't know, we
don't want you there --i mean here, i mean, ahhh now i'm confused...?!
And of course i had to come up with
a song to go with the title coincidentally titled "Greetings from the Underground" Its the last song i wrote,
and i love the tune. It's one of the bestest tunes i ever writ. No shit!
Pleasure from pain, its an old tonic
best used sparingly.
Greetings from the Underground
Speedkings News > October 2010
What can i say, meet me in the RIOT ZONE mother effer!
Its not like we re invented the wheel, we
just balanced it back up. Poor thing was wobbling awful bad till now. It gives us old fucks something
to do while we're digesting our meals. All the kids were busy watching "America am i Dull" while society
started to crumble and the old fucks saved the day. Again. Anytown Gazzette 2011. We're looking
for raw G20 footage (or links to "free" footage) from the summer of 2010 in Toronto -- any length, any
quality -- and new footage from recent civil unrest related to the austerity measures currently being imposed
in Europe.
We're make a video for, you guessed it....
Thats right... Meet me in the Riot Zone!
Click to watch it go down live on YouTube!
And while you're at it, check out the song here!
Speedkings News > September 2010
We're back in the studio in September. A weekend day -- yuck, i hate working weekends! even if it is band
related stuff.
Eddy K teaches shop class in "high" school and school is back in, so we've become the victims of
the curriculum. We spoke of maybe doing a show, a "Just Another Nobody" show in December. I'm kinda
warming to the idea. It'll be it at the start of winter!
Here's a couple more tracks for your listening pleasure -- keeping in mind what you are hearing are works in progress. Unless its a packaged product, it ain't done son. Save the helpful comments for the judges on "America am i dull! "
Angel and Devil
Better Days
I hear there's some new pics floating
around here somewhere as well. I'm starting to get excited, my buddy Joe Dunphy hooked up with Joao
Carvalho and they've built a beautiful new recording and mastering studio complex on fashionable Queen E. a couple years in the making. I want to break in the Neve 8068 console with the new Speedking record. Started analogue, finished 2010 analogue, check. And the world survives for another day!
Twitchisms > Recent thoughts from from my digital self
I have to admit it, i'm addicted ___ to thinking.
We were shooting the breeze the other day, me and Johnny Mac, i was yapping about my newest revelation.
Namely, pot when used "responsibly" will improve a persons demeanor and outlook far better than any
anti depressant, and without the horrible "side effects." Obviously pot is not going to satisfy someone of a lower intelligence the same as a person of a higher intelligence, but it will pacify both their brains and possibily enhance their sex lives. Take that, Viagra!
On the other hand, pot in the hands (lungs) of someone of say an above average intelligence is going to improve their cognitive abilities, possibly take their thinking to another level. Some of the greatest thinkers smoked pot. Do the research! -- well, eat your Cheetos and then do the research.
Alcohol on the other hand diminishes everybodys brain capacity to some degree, some worse than others.
A study in Montreal just concluded, fairly conclusively, Marijuana works as good or better then other pain killers without the "side effects." As well, its easily the best herbal remedy for depression with "no harmful side effects."
Ya, but that doesn't help the drug companies and their shareholders much, does it? And we all know it's
all about the shareholders, don't we?
More great old British comedy:
Fawlty Towers -- John Cleese is so funny every time i think of this show i leave a little puddle from
laughing
so hard.
Carry On series of 60's movies
The Benny Hill Show
More favorite Internet Radio shows:
Sally Goodin KFJC 88.7 Foothill Hill College CA 10 AM - 2 PM West Coast time (T.O. 1-5 pm)
Bluegrass, Cajun, Classic, Cowboy, Folk, Old Time, Rockabilly, Western Swing, and Zydeco.
Ted Smouse (Rancho Del Ray) KOOP 91.7 Country and Roots music show Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Texas time!
Roots, Americana, Country Honky Tonk music; also Surf, Rockabilly, Steel Guitar, Hawaiian, Garage, Psychedelic, Western Swing.
Good books:
Jeremy Rifkin "The Empathic Civilization" REthinking the human biosphere.
Very compelling.
Speedkings News > August 2010
"I've never had a pot piss in, now i have a bucket!"
Man it's been a hot, slow summer here in Speedking County, and mixing has been sporadic due to this fact/jack.
All of our studio gear is high end and heat producing even with the a.c. blasting! So we picks our times as we get '
em.
We just recorded 5 more songs for the "Just Another Nobody" project and we'll track a couple more lafter
this month. I'm gonna be mixing forever. Ugh.
Gotta get a bunch of photography for the artwork done as well,
i'm always looking for a fresh eye. We're trying to get a couple projects finished for fall, in time for S.X.S.W. Ya man, all my ex's live in Texas, thats why i make my home in Tennessee.
I'm just watching some indie pop
band on "Austin City Limits" as i compose this tripe. The guitar player sounds like he's playing with oven mitts
on, slash and burn -- actually the band has no groove either, just an irritating choppy meter. My guess is that it's to deflect
the fact they can't play, and there really is no game plan. Who were they? Who cares! I guess even Austin City Limits has problems getting talent these days. All the "talent" is running for the hills -- can't say I
blame 'em.
But i digress, Angelina will be posting some of the new stuff we recorded later this month. There is some
news pics on the Photos page as well as the Twitchcraft page. The project Zapper '48 Ford "powering the past
into the future" is moving well, i have forgone the summer road test. I'm confident the thing will run! I'd like
to try and get it ready for the car shows this winter.
...And now for something completely different!
Twitchisms > Recent thoughts from from my digital self
Got some books i've been browsing through, for all you brainiacs (there's gotta be a couple, even in this dung hole.):
"The brain that changes itself" by Dr. Norman Doidge
- Amazing what we're starting to discover about the human brain.
"The Value of Nothing" by Raj Patel
-
Heres a lot of insight into the comodification of everything, and the resulting
false value attached to it. And its eventual demise, one only hopes!
" Relaxation Revolution" by Dr. Herbert Benson
-
He runs his clinic at Massachutsetts General Hospital.
Heres a few Internet Radio shows i listen to:
Backwoods (d.j. John Funky) at WMBR 88.1 out of M.I.T. in Cambridge Mass.
Saturday morning 10-noon e.s.t.
Old school rock and roll, rockabilly , country, rhythm and blues, one of the best shows of it style for sure!
Howdylicious (d.j. Wanda) at KUCI 88.9 out of the University of California, Irvine campus
8-10 pm west coast time
for all things twangy this here's your thangy . Great late night listening for us in the know here in Toronto.
Catwoman Radio (d.j. catwoman) at CIUT 88.1 out of the U of T Toronto
Wednesday 5-6 pm est.
Funk, punk, surf, garage rock, psychedelic, rockabilly, old school country, global groove and other cool stuff. (
Her words!!! so it's gotta be true.)
Speedkings News > Late June 2010
I was doing production work on the new Speedking C.D. (untitled yet) earlier this month.
Namely choosing the news songs that we'll be tracking later this summer. Probably 60% of
it has been recorded for some time now. When you don't hear the stuff for a while it sounds
really fresh. I recall giving a bunch of songs to my buddy Neil who was doing sound on a
Sheryl Crow tour. When they hit T.O. we hung out and i slipped him the goods (sounds like
a gay encounter!.. it was'nt). Anyway he'd play the stuff at shows through the p.a. system,
i was talking to him later on tour he said people were coming up to him at the mixing station
and asking who it was, i asked if that happened often, he said never. Sooo i shelved the stuff
until i could afford to finish it right, the time is right $$$. Check it out. Amazing keyboards by
the late Richard Bell and Vocal monstress Shannon Maracle, can't to start... wait i already have!
I also was listening to some original demos we did at Hart House U of T awhile back and thought
it might be neat to post some so you, the layman can see how the material evolves or devolves
depending on your tastes of course. But i'm selfish so could'nt give a toss. I found a song called
"Long Road Out" i wrote in memory of the tragic dead of football star Pat Tilman,probably the
saddest story i'd heard at that time. Plenty more since
Ticking Away
Shooting Stars
In And Out of Love
Getting Over You
Bless This Bullet
Long Road Out
I had a bit of a writing hemorrhage of late so we're adding some more tunes to the "Just Another
Nobody" recording heres short vid of a demo i did for a song called "Tangled in the Web" its a
Jimmy Reed jump kinda thing, i love blues, it never lets me down.
Speedkings News > June 2010
Went to see the Reverand Horton Heat, Cracker and Split Lip Rayfield at the Phoenix last night. Was great to see a show, i haven't for a long while. I stood at the sound mixing station - always do; it's the best place to hear a show (provided the room is good of course). I probably shouldn't have said that, now all the drunken idiots will swarm it, sorry to all you sound people! Ha!
I'm glad i'm mostly on stage, but that has it drawbacks as well, man (projectiles!). Caught the back end of Split Lip Rayfield (love the name). They smoked, man. Solid as a three coil steamer!
Cracker has a great new c.d. out and played a bunch off it, as well as all the old favorites. The crowd was a bit lippy - you know those pseudo Rockabilly Rebels, all covered in tattoos, taking the bus home after the show. I love my new truck!
Here's a cheaper way to stand out in a crowd, wear a soiled pink wig.
The crowd was there to see the Rev & they didn't disappoint! The sound guys were great, the band smoked...
I'm tired as fuck, but no hang overs for this lad - 25 years alcohol (poison) free. I'll stick to the natural substances thank you very munch!
The G20 summit is upon us here in Toronto. They're the forces that snoozed as even more sinister forces ruined the world economy. Everything is fine now though! Just another market correction. The working class jobs always materialize after the financial system rebounds. But that doesn't seem to be the
case. Seems the problem is leverage, most of the world banks are levered (over extended) beyond comprehension, as are many individuals and even countries. And a lack of transparancy between the holders of toxic commercial paper (debt) is holding back lending. The really disturbing thing is there's hundreds of 'trillions'
of dollars of this toxic shit mostly constructed of sub-prime fake estate mortgages, car loans, boob jobs and credit card debt (which isn't even collateralized debt!) Thats like ten times the G.D.P. of the world!
And the idea we'll consume our way out of it is laughable, everything has already been commodified. But that debt has to be recognized and the only way it will be resolved is by devaluing all of our assets and/or seizing all the assets of the corporations and individuals who caused the mess. Which do you think it will be?
But civil unrest will not be tolerated, just sit by passively and get financially raped. It's all about control, man. The less control the government has over you, your thoughts and actions, the more you're the enemy. Sadly most folks aren't even aware of the grief that awaits us.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/812432--you-can-see-the-picture
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Twitchisms > Things you might not know.... or care to know.
More Favorite underground and kinda underground movies.
1. L.A. Confidential
2. The Meaning of Life (Monty Python)
3. It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time
4. The Blues Brothers (original)
5. Brazil
6. Dead Man
7. Caddy Shack
8. Mother Jugs and Speed
9. Tin Cup (What can I say? I'm a golf fan.)
10. Freebie and the Bean
11. Police Academy (original) - First time i heard the term 'Piss Ant'
12. Gone in Sixty Seconds
13. Fargo
Favorite older British comedy series .
1. On the Buses
2. Are You Being Served?
3. Keeping Up Appearances
4. Monty Pythons Flying Circus
Twitchisms > May 2010
Speedkings News > May 2010
Mixing continues on all fronts but not necessarily on all cylinders!. I continue in my praise of slow,
its not like anyones beating my door down to offer me a whole lot of money, or are they???
Music
never sleeps, neither do i lately, many issues to deal with daily and little patience for almost all of it.
I forgot to mention the guys who did such a masterful job on the Just Another Nobody project last
month so heres our list in no particular odor.
The 'Just Another Nobody' Band:
Guitar and Piano: Johnny Macleod of the infamous "Johnny and the G Rays"
Lead Guitar: Mr. Harri Palm also of the infamous "Johnny and the G Rays"
Drums: Eddy K of the Jack Family and many other excellent projects
Bass: John Borra who has played in so many great Toronto bands i don't know
where to start, but currently he plays bass with the "Screwed" an his own projects
I walked through Queens Park this aft May 1, 2010 on my way to the gym must have been 20,000 at the
Global Marijuana March smoking pot and having fun!, maybe a couple panic attacks. I could'nt help
but think what if all these people were drunk, it'd be a blood bath surely, but pot seems to soothe the
savage beast as opposed to agitating it. I hope the powers that be take notice, but likely not.
Later in
the day i walked back through, there was probably double the crowd. Toronto definately likes its weed.
It's amazing people who've never smoked pot have the gall to vilify it, and actually legislate it! Real
killers like alcohol and cigarettes are o.k.? I've seen more people go down from those two than anything
else and 'i' have seen it all man, many times over. But the white trash addictions are taxable are'nt they!
I'm hangin' in Yorkville this summer, lookin' for some classy (but not plastic) lassies! Keep your eyes peeled ladies for the blond haired, blue eyed hunk rollin' in the red 65 El Camino, you'll here us comin' for sure!
Humma Humma :)
Happy birthday! to Casie Stewart Super Tweeter at Muchmusic/MTV.
She's
turning 28 May 8 but she still looks gr8! Humma Humma :) Hangin' in Yorkville this summer????
Glenn from the Abatoirs is working on a couple web pages for the band so we should
have a little site for em up here soon. Angelina is working on a video page so we can post
all the vids or at least the embedded clips on our site as well as You Tube.
And there's a couple new electric pics as well as a few old shop pics on the Twitchcraft
page. There'll be some new mixes up later in the month we're moving along just fine,
like well aged brine. Check back soon, or hell, don't even leave, but we can't feed ya!
More Twitch'isms are coming later this month.... ya'll
Favorite underground movies ( i don't follow mainstream film at all, never have.)
1. Easy Rider
2. Blue Velvet
3. Pink Flamingos (any early John Waters)
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
5. Up in Smoke ( any early Cheech and Chong)
6. Eating Raul
7. Colors (directed by Dennis Hopper)
8. Sugartown
9. Rocky Horror Picture Show
10. Quadraphenia
11. Clockwork Orange
Music i'm listening to now (and forever amen!)
1. 'Rough Mix' PeteTownsend and Ronnie Lane, one of the best kept secrets in popular music history.
2. ' Infidels' Sly and Robbie on drums and bass 'Jokerman' makes this recording a must listen on its own.
3. ' Right Between The Promises' Freedy Johnston is another song writing monster thoroughly under
appreciated.
4. 'The Paladins Years Since Yesterday' (on cassette!) Rocking from start to finish.
5. ' Agnostic Front' (on cassette!) 'Last Warning' an early live recording by the N.Y.C. hardcore band.
6. ' Space Heater' Reverend Horton Heat ' ( on cassette!) is one of my favorite Rev recordings, the critics
panned it, the critics don't know shit.
7. 'Johnny Cash American Recordings 5' , his last album, the Gordon Lightfoot song 'If You Could Read
My Mind' is the most gut wrenching powerful recording i've heard in my life. And i've heard a lot em.
Every time i hear Johnny Cash sing it i well up, so i listen to it alone, with a box of kleenex.
Recent reads (I don't read a lot of books, but i'm trying)
1. The Zero Carbon Car William H Kemp
2. The Effective Executive Peter Drucker My buddy Brendan uses it to teach his MBA course at U of T.
3. Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell Ya i know he's written new books but this ones the best.
4. Consumed Dr. Benjamin Barber Think you can recognize purility, guess again.
5. Omnivores Dilemma Michael Pollen The bible for sustainable eating.
6. American Theocracy Kevin Phillips
7. The Bush Agenda Antonia Juhasz
8. Armed Madhouse Greg Palast
9. Hedgemony or Survival Noam Chomsky
10. The Gas We Pass Shinta Cho (The Story Of Farts) George. W .Bushs autobiography.
Favorite internet radio shows coming soon!
Speedkings News > April 2010
We're finished tracking the "Just Another Nobody" electric project, we recorded December 22 and 23rd 2009 at Johnny Macleods rehearsal complex down on Baldwin St., here in Toronto, "best live rooms" in the shitty. We recorded 10 songs over two days, i taught the band the tunes as we went, on the spot, a totally Motown moment man. It was a real bonsai mission and it turned out great, my ears are still ringing!. Mixing is now underway.
So heres a few of the newly tracked "Just Another Nobody" tunes that we've been listening to for while now.
These are raw tracks with no major mixing or processing, as they come together we'll swap em out so you too
can get a sense of the pure joy of music creation. I wrote one more song that i'm adding to the "Just Another
Nobody" recording, it came to me recently so i finished it up as my birthday present to myself!.
We just renewed our U.S. Speedking Trademark, simply said man, don't fuck with our property!. We go to great pains to share our music to the extent we're able, i mean if you have to give it away its likely shit anyway. We're starting pre production for the last half of the new Speedkings CD, there's a bunch of titles so far, for now its a mystery.
We'll add a couple more Abatoir tracks to what's currently posted very soon, i'm just remixing a few clunkers, unlike Toyota we always try our best to make our customers happy.
Here's a link to the Abatoir artwork. Nice stuff. The music industry is choked with sub par dross and we don't roll with that man. I'm hoping to put together a couple shows this summer i have a twitch to play more lately, getting a band tight is a bloody chore though. Too much blogging going on not enough playing. Pussy central.
And finally, there's some build pics of my fully 'electric' 48 Ford Zapper "Powering the past into the future" project at Twitchcraft, we're pushing hard to road test the car in May or June, lots of video footage coming!. There's also new band pictures on our Photos Page, as well as a whole whack of old Speedking V.H.S. video footage i've transfered over to MP4 files. Heres a link to my You Tube page, watch the stuff here in the comfort of your home.
I can't recall who shot the shows but i'd like to thank them, these are't our best shows ever but beggars can't be choosers and they are a good indicator of The Speedkings at the heavier moments in our history. We were labelled cow punk, in hindsight i'd say we were more like "Cow Core", thats why we always ended up on punk and hardcore bills, good people, lots of fun, i was feeling a bit nostalgic over Christmas what can i say?
All the best, Twitch.
SPEED KILLS BUT WHAT A WHAT TO DIE !!!
Speedkings News > February 2010
"Recent thoughts from my "Digital Self ":
I hope everyone had a happy healthy holiday, the three h's baby!, and just maybe you saved a few bob for one of our well made products?. I'm watching Elton Johns "Spectacle" on t.v. as i type this trash and i do believe that i have an unexpected case of the hots for opera singer Renee Fleming!. Clearly she has many of the same facial features as actresses Diane Lane and Lauren Graham both whom are also really quite hot. Clearly things are mighty fine over in "Cougar County." Kleenex for all, and to all a good night!.
On a cleaner subject, "The Abatoirs" advance CDs are now done. I'll be harassing select college radio programmers post haste, at least the ones i've pledged to at funding drive time. Angelina will post some new tracks as well, we're almost done!
Well thats all for a bit................................................................................ Carry on then, off you go. Check back soon!!!
All the best, Twitch.
Speedkings News > September 2009
Well we're back in the racket again after a much deserved hiatus. Personally i have been finishing myAll the best
Twitch
Well, we've got some updated Abatoirs demo stuff for you. In fact, Twitch likes it so much we've taken down the stuff we had previously loaded up here. You can also check out a couple of live videos, embedded below! Not to mention a couple of snazzy shots of Matt and Eddie!
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Speedkings News > October 2007
Here it is! The long awaited Abatoirs demo material! Three songs linked below for your listening pleasure. * All three songs can be heard in better quality above, we've removed the lower quality ones to protect your ears! * Keep in mind that these are rough demos and aren't complete. Yes, they are the entire song and yes, you can download them and play them if you feel the need to. Just keep in mind that Twitch will also be selling the proper, completed versions once they're done! Also, check out the live pics (below) taken at The Cadillac Lounge in Toronto. For more pics, head on over to the Twitchcraft page as there are some new Chopper shots!
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Speedkings News > July 2007
After an incredibly long wait, and more technical difficulties to talk about, we have some new stuff for y'all! Twitch has recovered some great video footage of the band, which we are now making available for you to check out! For now, I've embedded the videos below and as the library continues to grow (there's some Abatoirs footage that we can't wait to get going for you!) we'll add a seperate video page. If you have any questions about the footage, feel free to email Twitch at: twitch@look.ca. I'm sure he'd love to talk to you and maybe even sell you some merch! The band is going through some reconfiguring and Twitchcraft has kept Twitch hopping (not to mention the 3 million other projects he's got going) but he assures me there will be lots of news coming very soon.
Any of you folks Myspace junkies? Well, I've got two links for you immediately, The Speedkings and Route 666 Radio . The first link is pretty obvious, the band has joined the crazy world of Myspace and wants you all as friends! The second is a radio show (hosted by yours truly) out of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The show focuses mostly on old time Rock N' Roll, The 'billies (Rocka, Horror, Psycho) and roots rock. I think you'll dig it (if I do say so myself) so tune in Fridays 10-11am EST. There's a link to the station from the Myspace page. Alright, without further ado, here's the videos that we've managed to get up on the web for your viewing pleasure! Make sure you email Twitch and let him know what you think!
My apologies for my lax attitude to the website of late; it's difficult to generate news if you don't do anything! This summer has been a bit boring, frankly the scenes getting kinda worn out, and being a true music fan, as I am, it's a bit depressing. But I've re gained my energy and we're back in the racket. As they say, "you lead by example" so I feel the need to rock, roll and rock some more. As Bo Diddley says," you're never too old to rock and roll". But man I do feel old these days!
My musical home "monumental
sound" sadly had to relocate thanks to a greedy landlord. This hampers
the completion of the new Speedking c.d. for a few months, we hope? We're
tracking the last few guitar parts for the debut c.d. by "The Abatoirs"
at padded cell tentatively titled "produced
for consumption". As well the solo acoustic project I started last September
at hart house is back on track again. I've just mentioned three projects on
the go and as you can imagine each one costs a lot of money to finish. I unfortunately
am not a wealthy man so getting the job done is
always a strain. Did I say three projects? Actually I have a few more projects
than that; and I'm determined to finish 'em all, be sure of that! Also we
have a show! That would be the "Abatoirs" debut with "The Swinging
Blackjacks" at The Cadillac Lounge: 1296 Queen West at Dufferin. Thursday,
December 7th at 10 pm. All proceeds to benefit the Toronto Humane Society.
(see poster below)
It's interesting to sit back lately and watch the music business continue to devolve. Whether it's more payola or the sycophantic behavior of wannabe "idols" singing their little black hearts out, I believe the new business mantra is gonna read lean, mean and independent for the future. Bandwidth is increasing; soon we'll be able to play live on the internet without massive costs. Our audience through-out the world can join us wherever we choose to play. The prospect is exciting, though promotion will always be a challenge. Unfortunately music publications these days are more interested in advertising revenue than content so if you can't afford their inflated ad rates you get ignored. Majors buy their lousy acts to the top. But even at the top boys, a pile of shit still stinks! There's an old saying in politics, 'People always get the government they deserve'. I think the same is true with art, if you accept mediocrity that's all you'll receive in return. Proponents of digital radio brag about the content being superior to analogue radio. But all they have are more channels of regurgitated material and whatever the major labels pay them to say and play. College campus radio is still the last bastion of independence but it too is being infiltrated and corrupted by "corporate music" the sound track of our demise.
Lastly I've been corresponding with a cat from Argentina named "Bat Mario" he's got a great rockabilly band called 'Los Salvajes Rockabilly'. All the vocals are in Spanish but it's a beautiful fluid language, and nothing gets lost in translation. Check 'em out!
And lastly, really; a quote from the deceased Hunter S. (the 'S' is for splatter fest!) Thompson:
'The music business is a cruel and shallow trench, a long plastic highway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men lie like dogs. There is also a negative side'.
Cheers,
Twitch
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(Some new photos in the Twitchcraft section as well!)
Speed Kings News > March 2006
Well spring has sprung folks at least we're damn close. Actually here in Toronto winter bypassed us so far....
Work is nearing the end on the "just another nobody" project, as well as a kick ass cow punk c.d. by a talented group of guys called "The Abatoirs". I haven't been this stoked about a band since I discovered "The Supersuckers" though they don't sound a thing like 'em (but the spirit's the same). Hopefully it'll be done late summer.
All the writing for the next Speedking c.d. is done and it promises to be a killer! A real step forward for sure. Recording is expected to start in the fall at monumental sound studio in Toronto with "Blood, Sweat and Primer" producer Joe Dunphy.
I'm charging the battery on the old el Camino this weekend and getting' ready to burn a hundred bucks a week in high octane fuel thanks to the good folks who brought you the war in Iraq (the 4:11 gears don't help either!), Driving's not much fun anymore, gotta get my bike finished. Anybody got a shovel head motor cheap????.
We'll be setting up pages for all the projects on the Speedking record label shortly so you can get acquainted with the cast of characters, as well as get some mp3's up soon.
There was one more thing i had on my mind what was it? Hmmm… what the hell was it? Oh Ya!!
Fuck George Bush!!!
Coming Soon From Speedking Records!!
