Led Zeppelin 02/09/2012
 
Happy day all...it's great to be alive, and I'm working hard to keep improving my mind, body, and spirit each and every day. Making music fulfills so many aspects of my life, whether it be teaching, performing, recording or writing. My musical journey began years ago when I was introduced to Led Zeppelin by some of my older role models, more specifically my father and Uncle Mick. Fortunately for me, they had a great ear for music :) Things may have been different had they been listening to MmmmBop instead. Lol. 

Over the years, Led Zeppelin has always been a part of my musical life, so I finally took the plunge and decided to record one of their songs. It's a monumental task when you take on Zeppelin, given their uncanny ability to create amazing songs, not to mention trying to match the vocal prowess of one Robert Plant. I spent a great deal of time in the studio working on "Going to California," by far my favorite Zeppelin song. I tried to take a different approach to this song with the Ukulele. I wanted to bring a little different feel to the song with the instrumentation so we approached it with percussion, ukulele and piano. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and hope you'll take a second to listen. 

Next task at hand...choosing my next song. I've spend a lot of time writing original material lately, so that's most definitely an option as well, but I'm still torn on a cover song. Maybe we'll throw away the road map on this one and try something completely obscure and different. In the meantime, I'll continue to write and create, learn and listen. 
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Hey party people! 

Just a quick heads up to let you know I posted a new video on Youtube for your viewing pleasure :) I decided to cover a pretty recent tune by Foster the People entitled "Pumped Up Kicks". Stop by our Youtube Channel and have a looksy if you get a sec. I'd love to hear what you think. 

In other news, my cover of "Going to California" is days away from the mastering stage so we should have a new track on the website very soon for you to check out. I'll definitely be letting you know when it's finalized. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall. The insanity that we all know as the holiday season is right around the corner. Christmas music, gaining weight, jam packed parking lots and more. Oh I can't wait! 

Happy Tuesday 

~Prez

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How quickly the weather changes in the Midwest....I think people say that no matter where they live though. Except California! And if you're in California right now, you're probably not reading this because you're outside doing something fun like roller blading or getting a tan. Yeah I am jealous haha. It's okay though..winter is on the way and I secretly do love snow storms. Just ask my parents. 

So we're getting close to the debut of not one but TWO more ukulele songs on the site here. Between all of the shows and my growing teaching schedule, I've been slaving away in the studio late into the night getting more material ready for you all to hear. Right now we're in the mixing phase so we're just a few weeks away from release. Yay. Well...back to work folks. See ya soon..
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So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the past week of weather in Chicago has been the best I can remember from any point in my life. I know this is a stretch, but it's been sunny with not a cloud in the sky for 8 straight days. Perfect temperature in the 70s and little wind. I could just sit out on a hammock and strum the Ukulele all day long. Speaking of Ukulele, last week I started teaching my first Ukulele course as a community college class at Waubonsee Community College last week. To think, just a year ago I'd only just begun the adventures of ukulele and now I'm teaching a course. It's pretty cool, and it's opened up a entirely new musical outlet for me. It's kind of like playing a guitar with a little happier voice to it. Screw prozac, ukulele can mellow you out and make ya smile with the best of em. 

So things are going great, my teeth are fixed, although the Dr. recently found out that my "missing" tooth was lodged in my chin for a month. Yeah that was a blast to get extracted. All is well now though and the new crown is in, smile is looking better than ever in fact. Should've listened to my mom and got braces, but instead I let a piece of exercise equipment fix up my teeth for me the hard way. Haha. The dumb things we do in life ahh. 

Many shows to come this month and for the rest of the fall. Calendar is shaping up great, lots of new music and the Ukulele CD will be hitting the street soon. Promo versions of Billie Jean and Use Somebody are available on CDs at my shows. 

TTFN
~Prez
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Did anyone catch that madness on Comedy Central recently? I kind of felt like ole' Charlie had been roasted enough by himself and the media over the last several months that he didn't really need an official 'roast' to make him look more like  even more of a jackass! Oh well, at least Mike Tyson got a chance to show off his comedic skills. Truth be told, he pulled it off a lot better than that ass clown 'The Situation' who is about the most despicable representation of american pop culture that I've seen. Ah enough of my views on pop culture....

Things have been going well lately on the musical side of things. I'm meeting so many great people and have started distributing my latest compilation of cover tracks via promotional CD. The only way to get your hands on one now is to come out and see me play live though, so there's a little incentive for ya to get to a show. Just recently, I dove into some Led Zeppelin and decided to do a Ukulele version of "Going to California". By far, this song is my favorite Zeppelin tune so I feel like I have a little weight on my shoulders to pull it off. So far, it's sounding pretty damn good as you will soon see. 

On the original side of things, I've got about 10-20 songs I've demoed on my own over the last year and I'm narrowing it down to get ready to really lay them down in the studio. The elimination process is tough so I may just end up doing a longer album with more of an acoustic flare to it. Stay tun
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Tis September, and the leaves, they are a changin'....the chilled winds from the north have invaded the Chicago area in the last week or so and we're starting to look a little more like Autumn, my favorite time of year! This year has been slightly crazy, but I'm happy to say I'm still standing and having an amazing time playing music. The shows are more of the acoustic variety these days, which is where this journey originally began years ago. I'm happy to say I love playing the acoustic just as much as I did the day I picked it up for the first time. Only now, I've added a little friend to the mix....The Ukulele! Don't say Tiny Tim...I swear if I hear that one more time. It's not like that at all....no tip toe through the tulips I swear. I've been busy in the studio making music for the last few months and with the help of Bobby Scumaci & Lucas Gillan we've got a really cool thing going right now. We're taking a new approach to some cover songs, throwing out the map and letting the music breath. What we've created, I'm really proud to share with you all. Stop by the "Listen" page and check out the most recent tracks "Billie Jean" & "Use Somebody". They're the first of more to come, so let me know how you're feeling about these. Keep it real...stay safe, and don't get robbed & lose your teeth like I did! ~Prez
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Stormy Monday 08/08/2011
 
That is it here in Aurora today...although with the heat lately a day of cloudy cool weather is a nice change of pace. I've been up to my ears in shows lately and having a blast playing. Many of you will notice that the schedule is quite full of acoustic shows lately and fewer of the full band. This is attributed to many things, but mostly to the fact that with the state of the economy it's tougher and tougher to book the full band. So instead of crying about it and sitting at home, I've been strapping on the boots and playing acoustic to make sure the music is still being heard and heard often. I've joined forces w/ a wonderfully talented musician Lucas Gillan who has added the percussion element to the show which some of you may remember from the early days of Team RD (my band before Painkiller Hotel). Lucas is a fantastic musician who sings his ass off and plays a helluva guitar as well. We've added at least 20 new songs to our set and I'm currently heading back into the studio to record new acoustic material that will bring a little more of an organic sound to the table in the future. Have no fear, I'm working harder than ever to make sure we put some new music out for you die hard fans. As always it takes blood, sweat, and tears to make it happen but I assure you it'll be worth it when the new material is released. Keep checking back to the schedule and come check out our acoustic show sometime soon. I promise you won't be disappointed. Until next time...Prez
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Just thought I'd write a little sum' sum' to keep ya up to date on my latest musical infatuation....Florence and the Machine. Saw her open for Black Keys at Summerfest and needless to say I've been quite obsessed ever since. Great album, great songwriter, great voice. Music to my ears. 

Been a wee bit steamy this summer in Chicago, but hey it sure beats blizzards and sub zero temperatures. Looking forward to all of the shows I've got coming up this August. Chicago will be a regular spot as well as another round in the QC. Hope all is well with everyone and you're enjoying your summer. Write us anytime...painkillerhotel@hotmail.com

Xoxo
Prez
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Black Keys 07/06/2011
 
It's pretty rare that I get to attend a concert that I'm not either playing before, during or after, but today is that day. Summerfest. Black Keys. Cage the Elephant. Flo & The Machine. Beer. Brats. Bikinis. Mil-ee-wauk-eh here I come. First time seeing the Keys, and first Summerfest. That's a lot of firsts today. Always better than getting seconds. Adios amigos...
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God's Country 07/02/2011
 
It's good to be back in the USA, but man I'm telling you Canada is a trip you must take if you haven't already. I'm not suggesting you go after September, unless you're skiing, but the summer in Manitoba is the equivalent to a trip to the Caribbean in the winter...As always, the fishing was amazing at God's Lake, and I got to spend some good quality time w/ friends and family. Played a little bit of Ukulele between the hours on the lake too... July is going to be a busy month and the acoustic shows are plentiful. Peep out the shows page and put us on your calendar for a night will ya? Happy 4th o' July! ~Prez
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