HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Practice went well last night. Andy came through with 3 good sets of music for our DEC 10 show. We will be tweaking them in the coming weeks, and everything should come together nicely.

I want to extend a very sincere Thanksgiving wish to you all. We are thankful for your continued support, and determined to continue delivering wonderful times to remember.

I’ll be back blogging after the long weekend.
Be good, and keep safe!

Bye,
Rick

Listening to: Snow Patrol (Final Straw)

PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

happy u2 day, holiday bash taking shape, join the val army

Today is U2 day in America. Their latest is hitting the store shelves, and I expect it to be huge. The media blitz they accomplished was nothing more than spectacular. Still the biggest band in the world.

We have rehearsal tonight, and I am looking forward to it. We are in the preliminary stages of getting together our Holiday Bash show. Andy has been handling the set lists, and I am sure that he has come up with some doozies for this gig. This time, we are going to be cover song heavy, so it’s a special treat for the fans. Everyone loves hearing covers, and this is gonna be like a big party.

If anyone is interested in joining our VAL Street Team, please write me. We are always looking for people to spread the word for our appearances.

Bye,
Rick

Listening to: Green Day (American Idiot), Rachael Yamagata (Happenstance)

PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

schizo aftermath, DEC 10 val holiday bash

Hey, a big thanks to everyone that made it out on Friday for our "interesting" Schizoclub show. It will definitely go down as one of the most memorable VAL shows ever! There were a lot of first-timers, and it was a blast. We celebrated afterward at Thirteen a few blocks away, and sang STO LAT and Happy Birthday to Eric!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW – we will be hosting a VAL Christmas Bash on FRI DEC 10th at a new venue. It will be intimate, and we will be playing all night. The stage is ours. The small pub / bar is owned by mutual friends, and this will be a real VAL army send off to 2004. They specialize in Italian / Pizza, so munch while we serenade! We won’t play out again until next year.

DETAILS :

FRI DEC 10 – 9PM
THE UPPER CRUST
11234 Southwest Hwy
Palos Hills, IL
(708) 974-3100
MAP

Bye,
Rick

Listening to: Twilight Singers (She Loves You), The Killers (Hot Fuss)

PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

KEANE coming to Chicago in FEB, Schizo Tomorrow

Just found out that KEANE is coming to town THURS FEB 17. To order your pre-sale tickets go HERE.

Tomorrow is the Schizoclub show. I am making the final preparations. See you all tomorrow!

Bye,

Listening to: Keane (Hopes and Fears)
Rick


PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

finger pickin good, cover me...

Looks like my thumb will be ok for the show this Friday. It got through rehearsals just fine.
Friday should be excellent. We are a little concerned about the room size and our volume level, but we will have to play it by ear, since we've never played at Schizoclub before.

There are a few new songs on the air that we might want to add as VAL covers. Great offerings from The Killers, Snow Patrol, and U2. Just a matter of working them out and seeing if they are a good fit.

Bye,
Rick

Listening to: Nick Cave (Nocturama)

PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

big log thumb jam, holidays with val

Listening to: Snow Patrol (Final Straw)

It’s been a while. We are gearing up for our show this Friday. Hope to see you all there.
I had a little accident this weekend with a hydraulic log splitter (NO JOKE) and my left thumb might not be healed in time to play guitar on the one song (“Just One More”) that I lend my strumming talents to! Long story. Lucky to still have all my digits!
For more info on the Schizoclub Gallery from “Chicago Centerstage”, click HERE.

Mark FRI DEC 10th on your calendar. We are putting together a VAL holiday bash in my own SW suburbs. It will be very intimate, in a small venue. We will play all night, and it will be our swan song for 2004. We don’t plan on hitting the stage again until 2005! More info will follow. Check back often.

Bye

PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

strange part of our town

left to desire
what is left of our righteousness
get back to tha' basics
and make funny faces
when we all get too serious

i'll pull the red carpet
ta sweep ya right off your feet
got a mouthfull of kisses
and a head full of dreams

this is the strange part of our town
coulda' swore.....
that we have been here before
in lives, previous

so many oceans
the envious..... envy us
for everything
we take for granted
or take from your pockets
ta take the weight off

gonna conjure up a thirst, desperate
sink or swim
the destination is irrelevant
so long as we taste
new flavors
and our favorite thrill
comes crashing, to the surface



"my heart is a hand-grenade
that never stopped exploding"

deeper, still

your skin is your costume
and its a treat just ta' be with you
tonight, the noise is a vacuum
and we all leave without a sound

at the drop of a party hat
deeper, still at the surface
of disbelief

black cats crossing these streets of dreams

i'm an angel, don't cha' know?
got tha' ticket
and i'm front row
looking down

through the peep-holes
all the people
like animals
looking out

i got tha' view

steal the moment
ta' feel the sunset
the news is on!

new pictures

Listening to: Snow Patrol (Final Straw), Green Day (American Idiot)

Pictures are up from our 602 North Show last month. Take a look.

New Main Picture Page
Bye

PIC OF THE DAY (check it out)

TODAY

VOTE