I Was Supposed To Be a Rock Star

It's been a long time...

2011-10-20T21:49:00.000-05:00

I've been doing most of my updates on Facebook and jimhewitt.com and it's been a crazy year for music!

Is this thing on?

2011-07-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

OK, so it's been a while. How you doin'? So much stuff going on and I haven't even kept things up to date. Things to talk about at some point: The Mancave Sessions, Live shows with Three Chord Circus, new album and Kickstarter.

First song of 2011 - All Over

2011-01-06T21:29:00.000-06:00

Got together with songwriters Cody Sokolski and David Howie on Monday January 3rd to see if we could write songs together. At the end of the session we stood in front of Cody's web cam and recorded it as is. This is what we came up with.

1.1.11

2011-01-01T16:28:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year everyone. 2010 was a pretty good year for me musically speaking. I started out the year with plans to finish a full length CD with my typical ambivalence towards the music biz. Early in the year I invited a friend over with his acoustic guitar to run through some of my songs. We set up in my studio and just started going through stuff. I recorded some of the sessions though not with intent of releasing it but more so just so I could listen back and critique it. Those sessions were really fun but I couldn't figure out how to pull together in some bigger way. And honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to given my limited vocal abilities and my general ambivalence towards...the music biz.

Then I reconnected with an old classmate who kicked me into gear. Everything really started to take shape in July. I had seen a friend of mine post a video of himself sitting in front of his computer and performing one of his songs with only an acoustic guitar. For some reason seeing that video really made me want to do one on my own.

On the morning or July 24th I took my guitar, video camera and recording equipment out to Allerton park and recorded the first in my series of "Jim's 2010 Summer Acoustic Project". It was really hot that morning. I made my way down the path and through wooded areas off the path to an area across the pond from the Allerton Mansion. That was the first recording I made and it was the only song that I did solo. From that point on I had other musicians involved.

The next couple recordings I made were with musician friends of mine, gathered without rehearsal, at locations that were picked only a short time before we recorded. These get-togethers were a big step for me because it was really the first time I had publicly sang my own songs in front of an audience. Being able to sing in front of these really talented musicians gave me desire to do more. Once I started posting the videos and I started getting positive feedback I wanted to do even more.

The final session reunited me with a couple of my Last Gentlemen bandmates, one of whom had been helping me on the other videos and one who I hadn't jammed with since the band broke up. That recording was a blast!

At this point I was really starting to want to do something live. I didn't know exactly how it was going to work out. I didn't know if it would be acoustic or electric. I didn't know who was going to be involved. I didn't know where we would rehearse. Blah blah blah. The reasons not to do it seemed endless but somehow everything kinda fell together. The core guys who had been helping me with the video project were interested and this lead me to a phenomenal bass player and additional backing vocalist. Another friend of mine offered his garage full of equipment as a rehearsal space. It was all moving forward despite my ambivalence.

I contacted another friend and former bandmate (from a different former band) about possibly doing a show together. After several dates didn't work out we finally booked a show for November 20. And so it goes, that was my first show using my name and not hiding behind a band name.

Going out as a "solo artist" with a full band required a lot of work on my part. "Heavy lifting" as my friend Cody described it. Every detail was mine to figure out. I hadn't really prepared for this because I'd never done it before but in the end I realized I thrived on doing it all and having a deadline. The show went really well and much to my surprise my band said they wanted to do more.

Finally on November 30th I released an EP. What Are You Hiding is the first single from the album I started working on at the beginning of the year. I coupled it with a couple additional non album tracks for a digital only release.

I'm hoping to keep the momentum going and the ambivalence to a minimum in 2011.

Jim

Jim Hewitt and the Three Chord Circus - Never Mind The Bollocks It's our First Show!

2010-11-04T20:38:00.015-05:00

Saturday November 20, 2010
Cowboy Monkey

6 Taylor Street

Champaign, IL

9:00pm - The Keylocks

10:00pm - Jim Hewitt and the Three Chord Circus

11:00pm - TBA

The band:

Tommy Garza - Drums

Stacey Krejci - Bass & backing vocals

Kevin McGuire - Keyboards & backing vocals

Me - Guitar and Vocals

We'll be playing songs from the Three Chord Circus - Start CD, my upcoming 14 Angels CD and other songs I've written that I just want to play.

Show Announcement!!

2010-10-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

My first show with my new band is confirmed. Saturday November 20th. Cowboy Monkey Champaign. Can you be there? More details to come.

Last Gentlemen fans - listen up

2010-08-25T22:47:00.001-05:00

This Saturday evening Brian Leach's band "The Great Crusades" will be playing at Mike and Molly's. There's a very good chance that Brian, Tommy and I will get together to film a Last Gentlemen song or two for my acoustic project (http://acousticsongproject.blogspot.com/) some time earlier in the evening, several hours before the show.

If you would like to be alerted as to where this location might be (once we decide) follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/14_Angels). I can most easily use that to get the info out.

Jim's Summer 2010 Acoustic Song Project: "Time To Myself"

2010-07-25T20:41:00.000-05:00

Jim's Summer 2010 Acoustic Song Project: "Time To Myself": "'Time To Myself' originally came out on my album 'Jennifer's Boyfriend' in 1988. This recording was made at 9am Saturday morning July 24, ..."

New Popgun5 Digital EP coming soon

2010-07-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

You wanted the best and you got the best... Er... wait a minute. Well if you ever wished you had some Popgun5 on your iPod you'll be happy to know that we're in the process of finishing the last song for the 3 song EP release. Look for it to be available by the end of the month exclusively at jimhewitt.com.

New web site

2010-06-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

jimhewitt.com is now live. This site will be a collection of all the various projects I've worked on and be the main site for the 14 Angels release. From here you can listen to full versions of the songs and then hopefully make a purchase(s). "Anyone can figure out how to download songs for free but the really cool people still pay for them anyway."

http://www.jimhewitt.com

And now we'd like to do "Hark the Angels Come",..

2010-04-12T21:31:00.004-05:00

Mock up for 14 Angels cover.

Hello world!

2009-11-22T10:39:00.004-06:00

Thanks for stopping by! Click on the image of the map below to see a larger version.

Solo show rehearsals continue

2009-11-04T22:17:00.008-06:00

On stage in Orlando January 2009

The Handcuffs live in Champaign

2009-05-09T19:13:00.001-05:00

The Michael Mulberry Experience

2009-04-05T22:02:00.001-05:00

It looks like Michael Mulberry has finally gotten off his ass and started recording his long overdue next record. Expect some show announcements this summer.

Woo woo woo

2009-01-19T17:34:00.001-06:00

A couple shots of me from the 18th annual Great Cover Up in Champaign last night.

Popgun5 @ The 18TH Annual Great Cover Up Benefit

2009-01-16T21:06:00.006-06:00

From http://www.thehighdive.com:

A 3-night extravaganza with 20 local CU bands, each masquerading as a "tribute" band for one night only to benefit local charities. Past highlights include Poster Children as Elvis, Absinthe Blind as Beastie Boys, Hum as Led Zeppelin, Lorenzo Goetz as Sublime, and Temple of Low Men as Rage Against The Machine.

EXACT ORDER AND SET TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE!!!

SUNDAY 01/18/09
Beat Kitchen (12:45-1:15am)
Mike Ingram Band (12:00-12:25am)
Curb Service (11:15-11:40pm)
Brother Embassy (10:30-10:55pm)
Kilborn Alley (9:45-10:10pm)
PogGun5 (9:00-9:25pm)

TUESDAY 01/20/09
Santa (12:35-1:00am)
Agent Mos (11:55-12:20am)
New Ruins (11:20-11:40pm)
Tractor Kings (10:45-11:05pm)
Common Loon (10:10-10:30pm)
The Duke Of Uke (9:35-9:55pm)
RC$/Post Historic (9:00-9:20pm)

THURSDAY 01/22/09
Terminus Victor (12:35-1:00am)
Roberta Sparrow (11:55-12:20am)
Chemicals (11:20-11:40pm)
Hot Cops (10:45-11:05pm)
Scurvine (10:10-10:30pm)
Golden Quality (9:35-9:55pm)
Silver Moon (9:00-9:20pm)

Doors open at 8:00pm each night
Cover charge is $7.00 each night

Top Ten for 2008

2008-12-25T09:05:00.015-06:00

In no particular order and subject to change at any given moment.

1. Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd. I avoided this album forever because I didn't like the first one but WOW, it's nothing like the first one. I love the instrumentation and the tone of the guitars. Great harmonies too. Listen to this album! Favorite track of the moment (FTOTM): Any. Take your pick.

2. The Firman - Electric Arguments. Any time McCartney puts out an album it's gonna be in my top 10. The cool thing about this is that McCartney doesn't have to stick with the mold he created. No typical ballads that he can sneeze out in his sleep on this album. (FTOTM): The Highway

3. Sparks - Exotic Creatures of The Deep. Ditto with Sparks. If they put it out I will buy it. I always have said great Sparks albums come in 3's. In the 70's it was Kimono My House, Propaganda and Indiscreet. The 80's had Whomp That Sucker, Angst In My Pants and In Outer Space. Now we've got 'Lil Beethoven, Hello Young Lovers and now ECOTD. (FTOTM): Good Morning.

4. The Mother Truckers - Let's All Go To Bed. Killer guitar tone! You can pick up a million books to teach you how to shred on guitar but it's really hard to find anything to help you learn to play like this guy. Very cool. (FTOTM): The Streets of Atlanta & Dynamite

5. Popgun 5 - Greatest Hits. OK this wasn't actually released in 2008 because it hasn't even been recorded yet BUT if it was I'm sure it would make my Top Ten. (FTOTM): Poisonous Tongue

6. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid. This album was a surprise. I went to buy the song Grounds for A Divorce but Amazon had the album for a crazy low price, like $2.99 or something. I don't think I'd have bought this otherwise but it turns out to be really good. Surprise! (FTOTM): Grounds for a Divorce, Weather To Fly

7. Sloan - Parallel Play. These guys couldn't be bigger wussies if they tried (or maybe they are trying) but for some reason I like almost everything they put out. (FTOTM): Burn For It & Believe in Me.

8. Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha. Another band that I like almost everything they put out. This one almost snuck by me without realizing it came out. (FTOTM): Any

9. The Submarines - Honeysuckle Weeks. This is a late addition but has some great tracks on it! (FTOTM): You Me and the Bourgeoisie & Submarine Symphonika

10. The Handcuffs - Electroluv. another late addition. I've pretty much liked everything Brad and Chloe have put out and have somehow never managed to see them live!!! That needs to change. (FTOTM): Wonderful Life & Reserection.

Stuff that I haven't lived with long enough but on any given day in the future (when I re-write history) could make the list:

The Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues. This was in the list until I added the Submarines.
Paul Weller - 22 Dreams. Like the Supergrass album I almost missed this release. Still digesting.
Beaujolais - Love at Thirty. I was never a big Wolfie fan but I really liked The Like Young. This is an interesting CD given it's real life storyline.
The Black Keys - Attack and release. I don't know if this would ever make the top ten but it's their most interesting release yet.

Yeah!!

2008-12-24T16:21:00.001-06:00

Extra Christmas cash...

2008-12-17T22:22:00.001-06:00

Do you think it's too late to send this in?

Family portrait...

2008-11-29T21:21:00.001-06:00

Helloween - PG5

2008-11-20T21:10:00.003-06:00

What!?!?!?

2008-11-02T19:22:00.001-06:00

The Bitch Is Back...

2008-09-30T20:50:00.005-05:00

This is Last Gentlemen live at Mabels August 31, 1988. This video was shot and illegally posted by Dave Warner (no worries Dave I forgive you). For those that didn't know us we played almost entirely original material with a few covers here and there. I forgot about this one.

And remember kids, it wasn't called a mullet back then. It was called fuckin' cool!

Left to right: Front row - Me (white guitar long hair), Brian Leach, Tom Broeske (the coolest pink bass ever).

Back row: Greg Manuel, Tommy Garza & Michael Roux.

Again!?!?!

2008-09-25T08:02:00.004-05:00

Dig on down baby, dig on down...

2008-09-15T22:15:00.007-05:00

Me sometime in 1988

I love cheap guitars...

2008-09-15T19:38:00.005-05:00

They don't make'em like they used to. My friend and bandmate Howard turned me onto this guitar. It's an Agile AL-2000 Gold Top. It's got P90's, Grover tuners and neck through body for $200! This thing is solid (10lbs) too. It plays and sounds great. I'm a sucker for Les Pauls but they've gotten so overpriced I won't even consider them. I'm sure the price will go up on these at some point. I'm looking at one of the Ric shapes next.

More info on the Agile AL-2000 here.

Popgun5 live at the Budokan...er I mean the Highdive

2008-08-12T07:25:00.009-05:00

Click on image to see full size.

It might look like a pawn shop but I call it home Pt 2

2008-08-01T21:23:00.003-05:00

Ampage.

i:scintilla tour dates announced

2008-07-27T11:39:00.009-05:00

Check myspace.com/iscintilla for updates.

Aug 30 2008 12:00P
New Bohemia Music & Arts Festival Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Sep 14 2008 8:00P
Salvation @ Hollywood Disco (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Nashville, Tennessee

Sep 15 2008 9:00P Rapture @ Dante’s (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) St. Louis, Missouri

Sep 17 2008 8:00P
Varsity Theater (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sep 20 2008 8:00P
Reggie’s Rock Club (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Chicago, Illinois

Sep 21 2008 8:00P
Wake The Dead Cafe (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Decatur, Illinois

Oct 1 2008 8:00P
The Bouquet (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Boise, Idaho

Oct 7 2008 8:00P

DNA Lounge (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) San Francisco, California

Oct 9 2008 8:00P
Safari Sam’s (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Los Angeles, California

Oct 24 2008 8:00P
Davey’s Uptown (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Kansas City, Missouri

Oct 26 2008 8:00P
Hi Ho Lounge (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) New Orleans, Louisiana

Oct 30 2008 8:00P
Talbott Street (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Indianapolis, Indiana

Oct 31 2008 8:00P
Miramar Theatre (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Nov 7 2008 8:00P
Skully’s Music Diner (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Columbus, Ohio

Nov 13 2008 8:00P
Darkotica @ The Dock Complex (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Cincinnati, Ohio

Nov 15 2008 8:00P
Pegasus (w/The Cruxshadows & The Azoic) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Nov 27 2008 8:00P
Town Dance Boutique (w/The Cruxshadows & Ayria) Washington, Washington DC

Cougar on the loose in Chicago

2008-07-18T22:29:00.003-05:00

My friend Lawrence was in Chicago last week. This guy knows everybody in Chicago and I mean everybody. I won't name names but think of the who's who in Chicago and he knows'em. So Lawrance was in a bar where a friend of his was bartending. I can't remember his name but for the sake of retelling this story I'll call the bartender Mark. So Mark tells Lawrence that the night before this really good looking older woman sat at the bar and started talking to him. She asked him if he knew what a cougar was and he said yes. She then asked if he had ever considered doing a mother / daughter team. Mark told her it was one of his biggest fantasies. She asked what time he got off work and he said 2.

At 2 she was waiting out front in her Jag (ironic huh?). So they take off and end up at her apartment downtown. They get inside, she closes the door and announces "Mom I've got one".
Yep. The first three lines of this story are true.

Yeah, I'm still here...

2008-07-07T18:09:00.002-05:00

I got nothin' though. I'm all out of really clever & super funny things to say for the moment (yeah, I know, I know. Shut up already). In the meantime read Stephanie's blog.

Instant Karma's (almost) gonna get you

2008-06-11T20:19:00.009-05:00

So, getting to play with Anita Athavale in New York was a real treat. Everyone in the band was really cool and fun to hang out with. Anita is super talented and definitely deserves a shot a something much bigger. And it was great to see Ken again. It was pretty perfect.

To make things even cooler I was invited back to play with her in Toronto at North By Northeast - (Canada's answer to South By Southwest?). The show was scheduled for this Saturday. Or so we thought... Then it appeared it was scheduled for Friday... Again, that's what we thought.

Long story short I was supposed to be a plane tomorrow
bound for Toronto, cool people, rehearsal & a show...but now I won't because sadly the show was canceled. The upside is that it will probably be rescheduled and we'll all get a chance to hang out and play again.

Here's to hoping!

We all shine on...

Live from NY April 29, 2008 (L to R): Me, Paul, Anita, Billy & Jill

5705...but there's no reply

2008-06-07T14:21:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone who kept me amused at the Iron Post last weekend!

Lower your expectations, I alreay have... Pt. 5

2008-05-19T18:58:00.004-05:00

Photo credit: Salvatore Carovilla
http://www.carovilla.com

Lower your expectations, I already have... Pt 4

2008-05-17T11:45:00.004-05:00

All I've got is a photograph...

2008-05-09T20:40:00.004-05:00

photography by salvatore carovilla

C'mon get happy

2008-05-04T18:28:00.009-05:00

OK, I think I'm finally caught up on my sleep enough to give a brief re-cap of the very cool happenings from last week. These photos were all from my camera so there are no live shots. I'm hoping someone has some they will share.

Band dinner Saturday April 26, 2008. This is where it all started. Everyone meeting for the first time. We had a bit of a Spinal Tap moment looking for the restaurant which was RIGHT NEXT TO THE HOTEL. Thanks Garmin. I can't live without my GPS but man sometimes it just really likes screwing with me and this was one of those times. Around the table left to right: Jill Welch (backing vocals and shaky things - no that's not a breast reference), Billy DePasquale (bass and super cool Les Paul lender), me, Paul Warner (prize fight drummer), Anita Athavale (The lovely and talented) and Ken Gullic (Mr. make it happen).

Band rehearsal somewhere in New Jersey. This was a cool little room that sounded great.

Finally I get to use this eBow I bought years ago.

Ken & Jim pre-show NYC. Jim to Ken "stop being taller than me". Ken to Jim "Stop being thinner than me". Sadly I'm not that either.

OK, now this time look in opposite directions like there's something really cool happening.

Ken & Jill - Pre show NYC.

Post show dinner. Thanks VH1.

Ron Albanse (stage manager and super cool dude who owns an orange Fender Tornado), Anita, Me & Paul.

Yes, you'd be smiling too.

Que pasa New York?...Que pasa New York?

2008-04-24T22:37:00.006-05:00

I'm getting ready to head out to New York for rehearsals and the show with Anita Athavale. Of course this would happen at a time when I've been so busy that I haven't even seen much of my own home this month. Oh well, I'm looking forward to it. It'll be fun with to play with new musicians and hang out with my friend Ken. I'm going to try to update this blog daily and (with any luck) that will go better then when I planned to do the same from London.

Youtube killed the video killed the radio star...

2008-04-06T16:30:00.004-05:00

Discuss.

Have guitar will...whatever. Just ask.

2008-04-04T19:53:00.005-05:00

I'll be playing guitar with Anita Athavale in NY on April 29. Rumor has it they really wanted Michael Mulberry but he can be just way too difficult to deal with. More details as I get them.

Transmigration

2008-03-22T20:19:00.002-05:00

The original Nix 86. Man, was there a better band in Champaign??? I don't think so. Tom Broeske was the coolest! That's why we stole him.

Unaired David Lee Roth on American Idol

2008-02-28T22:30:00.001-06:00

Although the actual video footage was destroyed the audio track was salvaged for all to enjoy.

The real 5th Beatle revealed

2008-02-25T21:27:00.005-06:00

This video was shot in happier days before Heather Mills sued the boy and took away his stuffed cars.
.

Update: This kid does all the hits -http://www.youtube.com/user/heroisborn

I:Scintilla - "Toy Soldier" (Live on JBTV)

2008-02-24T21:04:00.001-06:00

Damn, talk about bad timing

2008-02-10T11:16:00.000-06:00

McCartney was at his home on Cavendish a week after I was there!

10 February 2008
MCCARTNEY SLAPS SNAPPER

By Emma Donnan Emma.Donnan@People.Co.Uk

Sir Paul McCartney slapped a photographer as the stress of his bitter divorce battle bubbled over.

The Beatles legend clashed with snapper James Jenkins just three days before a court showdown with Heather Mills.

Sir Paul McCartney (Pic:Matt Sprake/Newspics)

Sir Paul, 65 - whose hits include Back In The USSR and Yesterday - slapped Jenkins across the face when he spotted the lensman videoing him outside his London home.

Macca - who is usually unfazed by photographers - then stormed off to a nearby gym.
But 90 minutes later he returned to his St John's Wood pad - and happily posed with waiting paparazzi.

Macca's spokesman last night blamed Jenkins for the bust-up.

He said: "Every day for the last 18 months Paul has had to put up with up to ten paparazzi trailing him wherever he goes and these guys overstepped the mark."

But Jenkins denied provoking Macca and said: "You can hear on the video that I didn't say a thing. "It was him who walked up to me and became aggressive.

"His slap had quite a sting to it and I was left with a red mark."

And an onlooker said: "Paul came out of his house and made a beeline for the snapper - he seemed furious and was yelling.

"He lifted his hand and slapped the shocked photographer.

"I couldn't believe it because Paul is usually great with the paparazzi."

Macca is due to face Heather, 39, in court tomorrow in a final bid to thrash out a megabucks divorce deal.

A pal said: "He's always been comfortable with the media and accepts photographers as part of his life.

"It just shows how stressed he is and how much the court case has got to him that he reacted like that."

Let It Be@tle.london.co.uk

2008-02-04T18:10:00.000-06:00

A few final photos from London. This is 3 Saville Row. The former offices of Apple Records. The building is empty and being refurbished for the next business. You could see right in the window where the studio was in the basement and if you listened close you could still hear the echos of Get Back coming from the roof. Oh wait, that might have been my ipod.

This is MPL. McCartney Productions Limited. 1 Soho Square. I tried to get the receptionist to buzz me in but as they say if looks could kill. So I felt a little weird taking more photos.

Got this out the window of the cab on the way to Heathrow Saturday morning. From the cover of Pink Floyd Animals.

And thus ends my journey to the holy land of rock and roll. Oh yeah, I did see some of that other history...Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and Big Ben but what would they all be without The Beatles!

Listen to what the man said.

2008-02-02T00:57:00.000-06:00

On Friday I also made my way back to the holy land. The Mecca and the Macca. Abbey Road studios and McCartney's house. I had been to both on Monday but my camera died and I needed to have some of my own photos. Anyway, it seemed fitting to start my day at the Liverpool underground station... a) for the obvious Beatle related reason and b) the fact it was closest to my hotel (purely coincedence but it seemed like a good sign). From there I made my way to St. John's Wood station. There's a Beatles coffee shop/gift store at the exit of the station. Yet another clue (for you all) that I was on the right track so to speak.

.

Then I made my way a block up to Abbey Road. The gate was closed at the studio today. One gate anyway.

So I went in the other gate. A couple who were also obiously tourists walked right into the lobby of the building. I tried to do the same but no luck. They make it pretty clear on the Abbey Road website that they don't allow visitors.

From Abbey Road it's a short walk to Cavendish Avenue.

McCartney bought this house in 1965 and still owns it.

Like Freddie's house this house is in a regular (but I'm sure pricey) neighborhood. The interesting thing coming back to it was noticing how much lower the fence was compared to Freddie's place.

Ready Freddie? (Part 1)

2008-02-01T16:56:00.000-06:00

OK, so after a night of seeing WWRY it only seemed fitting to make my way to Freddie's house. Freddie lived and died here. How many times did members of Queen walk through that door!!!

Logan Place is the street.

This is looking down Logan place right by the previous street sign. Freddie's house is all the way down on the left.

This is the famous entrance.

That's my hand on the door.

Yes, I know I'm a dork.

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise...

2008-02-01T12:56:00.000-06:00

I saw We Will Rock You in London last night. I didn't really want to go because I hated the soundtrack. The first 15 minutes of the show I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to sit through the thing but then I started to get into it and in the end I thought it was really good! What can I say, I was wrong. I guess the lesson is - don't listen to the soundtrack of the showtunes by one of your favorite bands a) ever or at least b) until after you've seen the show.

London Calling (random photos)

2008-01-30T13:29:00.000-06:00

Here's some random pictures of London frommy camera.

Here's my entire row of seats on Virgin Atlantic. Each seat had free movies, TV shows, video games and music to choose from. That was all cool but the best part was having 4 seats to stretch out in to sleep.

This is the first thing I saw when I woke up. I couldn't figure out what that was at the end of the wing in the dark then the sun came up.

The quickest 30 pounds I've ever lost.

The cab from Heathrow into central London.

Big Ben. Tower bridge and some of my co-workers.

The last shot I got off from my camera before the battery died. The white building is the front of Abbey Road. I'm waiting for the photos a co-worker took for the rest of this day.

London calling....

2008-01-30T06:41:00.000-06:00

I had planned on updating this daily with photos but it's been crazy. I've been here since 8:50am Sunday morning (2:50am central time). The exchange rate is awful. For every $1 US you get .44 British pounds. Nothing like seeing more than half your money disappear before you've even bought anything.

So far I've been to Abbey Road (walked across the crosswalk and stood in the entry way). How many times did the Beatles pass through this door (photo to come)? Then I walked to McCartney's home on Cavendish which is only about 2 blocks away from Abbey Road studios. The house was gated but you could see it clearly from the street. Again, what a surreal moment.

I'm planning to go to 3 Saville Row (Apple offices where the rooftop concert in Let It Be was filmed) and MPL on Friday. I may also get to Freddie Mercury's house and Jimmy Pages London home where John Bohnham died.

Oh and there was that other stuff...Towers of London,Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, walked along the banks of the Thames. Went by the prime ministers house on Downing Street. The only police with guns in London are in front of Buckingham Palace and Downing Street...and they're serious guns!

I've also got the underground pretty well figured out so getting around is pretty easy.

I'll try to get some photos up soon.

Hi Low It's Only Rock And Roll...

2008-01-12T12:39:00.001-06:00

i:scintilla is currently working on songs for their 2nd full length release on Alpha-Matrix. In preparation for any upcoming photo shoots Jim Cookas executes a flawless rockstar pose #32 (passed out on the floor of some club around 3am).

Assume the position. Rock Star pose #32

Wanna buy some CDs?

2008-01-06T22:08:00.000-06:00

If you know me well you know that I love Apple Computer. I really love my iPod and I've had a (whole) lotta love for iTunes. Yes, there's a lot of love going around my house right now.

I never really though I'd get to the point where I didn't care if I owned the actual CD or not but guess what... I'm at that point. Digital is fine by me. I can't hear the difference in fidelity since most of the time I'm listening in my car and I'm getting tired of CDs taking over my house. I've still got several hundred in a CD rack in the living room and several hundred more stored away in plastic containers in the basement. I'm actually considering eBay.

To date I've made most of my digital purchases through iTunes (you're welcome Steve) and a small percentage through eMusic. I feel guilty when I buy through eMusic though because their prices are so low I can't imagine much is filtering back to the artist. And since most of their stuff is indie it seems like there's a good chance a larger percentage could actually reach the artist.

I've also liked the idea that Apples stronghold on the digital domain has keep the major labels from raising the prices of downloads. (This is the point where I would slag the majors but I have friends who work for them and I'd hate for my friends to take it personally)

But my opinion has shifted slightly after this weekend. I just discovered that Amazon has digital downloads. Their prices are a little lower than iTunes and most importantly their tracks are encoded at a higher bit rate without DRM (eMusic doesn't use DRM either). I know, I just said I couldn't hear the difference in fidelity but maybe someday I'll listen on a better system and I'll be glad I have the higher quality versions.

I still prefer the iTunes interface and I still want Apple to win so I'm hoping that they'll respond to this in a positive way. Or maybe they'll just move on to the next big thing that will reshape the world we know.

Top 10 4 '07

2008-01-03T19:05:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again when I try to figure out what my favorite albums were for the past year. When I started I didn't think I could actually come up with 10 but thanks to the magic of the iPod (and sorting by year) I heard some things I completely forgot about.

(Order subject to change based on my current mood)

1. i:scintilla - Optics
You could say I’m biased about this band and you might be right but I still think this album is really good. They've come a long way since their first album The Approach. Jim stepped up with his writing and Brittany is an amazing vocalist and just keeps getting better.

2. Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
If Paul McCartney releases an album you can pretty much count on it being in my top 10. The surprise here is that this album is really good. If you close your eyes you can almost imagine Wings doing some of these songs. Only Mama Knows is classic McCartney rock.

3. Sloan - Never Hear The End of This
The sleeper album of the year. Every time a song from this album comes on the iPod (which is pretty much always on shuffle) I think Oh yeah this is really good. Of course all Sloan albums are like that for me.

4. Manic Street Preachers - Send Away The Tigers
Brit pop is alive and well. This album is another surprise on the ol' iPod. I never really liked these guys before but this album is enjoyable. Maybe I was just finally worn down from not liking their other albums.

5. Various Artists - Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur
I don’t usually like these kind of things especially when they’re Beatle related but “surprise” this one is good.

6. The Lift - It Is What It Is
Brothers Matt and Jason Docter used to be in the Champaign band Suede Chain. I think these guys are great writers and performers. They should have been signed (for whatever that's worth today) years ago.

7. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
I admit I only bought this CD because of all the marketing hype that has been going on. Amy Winehouse was everywhere in 2007. Having said that I’m a sucker for retro 60’s/70’s soul and this album nails that feeling and sound.

8. Gore Gore Girls - Get The Gore’
Raw like they just got their first guitars. OK maybe not that raw.

9. Blaqk Audio - Cex Cells

There’s a back story behind the guys in this band but I don’t remember it and I don’t really care. It just sounds like good synth pop from 1984.

10. Otep - The Assension
This one barely squeaked into the top 10. It’s not all that different from their other albums but there is more “singing” and less rapping on this one. That’s a good thing.

Best reissue of the year: Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same.

Didn't think I'd buy this but I did and it still rocks!

I put an imix together with some random songs from each album here.

The great Unknown

2007-12-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

File under: Damn, I wish I had thought of that!

2007-12-13T22:01:00.001-06:00

And I thought my idea for "The Nikki 6" was good but this...Oh man...

i:scintilla on JBTV part 2

2007-12-11T20:15:00.000-06:00

Here's some behind the scenes footage of i:scintilla filming for JBTV. Obviously the sound wasn't mixed for the room. I can't wait to see the final cut.

Tuning is for old people. Guitar Hero rules!

2007-12-05T01:07:00.000-06:00

Sooie!

2007-11-28T18:03:00.001-06:00

Popgun5 Live at Cowboy Monkey, Champaign, Illinois Saturday November 24, 2007

It might look like a pawn shop but I call it home

2007-11-28T04:27:00.001-06:00

i:s on jbtv

2007-11-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

Nice!

Reality Show - Sweet Lady of Sorrow (video)

2007-11-17T00:01:00.001-06:00

Reality Show is a band/project I've been working on with John Ross. I've known John forever. John grew up near Brian and Michael and when we were putting Last Gentlemen together there was a moment when it looked like he might be in the band. He and Brian even released two albums together under the name Autoliner in the late 90's. You can check them out at Parasol Mail Order or on iTunes.

So John and I have written and recorded demos for 10 songs as Reality Show. I've written all the music and played all the instruments on the recordings and John has written the lyrics and sung all the vocal parts. We've done all this through the mail and over the internet. We've never actually gotten together to work on songs. Kinda weird but for me personally I'd have to say it's the best stuff I've ever done.

This video is for the track "Sweet Lady Of Sorrow". I put this video together a while ago when I was learning a new video editing application. I never intended for anyone to see it. It's kind of rough in spots but now I've decided it's good enough to share with friends...and I don't really feel like re-editing it.

If you want to hear a few more tracks from Reality Show check out myspace.com/realityshowmusic

He's a whore, ooh the stories I could tell...

2007-11-15T04:33:00.000-06:00

This is the commercial that Brian, Tommy and I were in sometime in the late 80's. I can't remember the date right now. It was aired nationally and ran for about a year. It was good money while it lasted (we got payed every time it played)!

From what I remember we did about 4 hours of makeup and then shot for about 4 hours. All for our 15 seconds of on-screen fame (OK after watching it again it was more like 5 seconds).

I'm the one with the red guitar. Tommy is on drums and that's Brian playing bass. Greg was also there but at the last minute, after all the makeup, the producers decided they only wanted three band members. So Greg had to just sit there and watch which obviously sucked.

Roll me over and set me free, the cowboy's life is the life for me...

2007-11-09T17:32:00.000-06:00

With the warrants for his arrest in Champaign county expired Michael Mulberry, aka The King of Country Metal, is confirmed to perform with Popgun5 11/24 at Cowboy Monkey.

To make him feel more at home please be sure to wear your cowboy hat to the show.

Bonus points to anyone who can name the artist and song title the title of this post is taken from.

Lower your expectations, I already have... Pt. 3

2007-11-08T21:28:00.000-06:00

Artwork by Ralph Roether.

Bootleg video of Popgun5 Tribute Surfaces

2007-11-04T00:29:00.001-05:00

Well you knew it would happen sooner or later. A clip of the All Star Tribute To Popgun5 has surfaced on the internet (many thanks to our friend Satan). The song is supposed to be Poisonous Tongue but there was a little too much volume and a little too much alcohol (Nikki - I'm just sayin' man). After you watch the clip head over here and hear what the song is supposed to sound like. Rawk!

You got, got...BRUCE!

2007-11-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

This is my best bud Ken's band Boot Camp ripping through the KISS classic Nothin' To Lose in Dallas with Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick. That's Ken on lead vocals. This is a quick edit I did for him from the footage he had from the show. The Boot Camp CD "As You Were" includes guest appearances from Robin Zander, Bruce Kulick and Adam Schmitt. The CD also includes the Last Gentlemen song "Always Waiting For The Next Train" that was co-written by me, Ken, Michael Roux and Brian Leach (and for the record it was written long before Runaway Train). Check out the Boot Camp CD at iTunes and Amazon.

All Star Tribute To Popgun5

2007-11-01T04:18:00.000-05:00

Country Western Troubadour Michael Mulberry leads an all star ensemble through a few hits from Champaign's hometown heroes Popgun5 Wednesday night at an undisclosed location in Champaign.

The night didn't start off so well however. Mulberry, who was only in town because his tour bus broke down, managed to stumble into the hottest party in town. A skill that has never let him down. As fate would have it Mulberry's old buddy Nikki Sixx was also there. The two former friends hadn't seen each other since 1987 when Sixx gave Mulberry some bad dope that killed Sixx and put Mulberry in a coma that lasted 18 months.

Some words were exchanged and fisticuffs quickly ensued.

Luckily Cowardly Lion was also there to provide the voice of reason. Mr. Lion reminded the pair that Nikki was brought back to life and the experience lead Mulberry to release his critically acclaimed and biggest selling album to date "Damn My Head Hurts but at Least I still l Look Good".

It wasn't long before the boys were doing what the boys do best. Er, maybe second best...

Cowardly Lion danced and sang to celebrate saving the day.

Nikki rocked a Les Paul and Gene Simmons even found time to play bass in between trying sell people stuff. Most of it wasn't even his to sell.

The full line-up also included a cereal killer on drums. Country metal at it's finest.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...

2007-10-27T10:26:00.001-05:00

As we near halloween it's important that we all revisit the great debate about zombies vs. our national security.

Popgun5 "Rehab Tour" promo #1

2007-10-26T18:27:00.002-05:00

Archaeological find confirms musical life in Champaign's past

2007-10-21T13:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a story WICD Newschannel 15 did on the local music scene sometime in the late 80's. When was the last time any of the stations in the area did something like this? Maybe this was it. My personal favorite moment is: "A lot of hope rests with the Last Gentlemen..." and boy how we delivered!

Kathleen Quinn was really cool. What ever happened to her? Remember Art Barron? Dude, the lights are on but...huh!? For those interested (I know you're out there) I might start selling bootleg copies of Keith Page's CD on eBay.

Lower your expectations, I already have... Pt. 2

2007-10-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

Popgun5 @ Cowboy Monkey, Champaign, Illinois, September 8, 2007

All of my friends are rock stars

2007-10-16T02:11:00.000-05:00

OK...but all of my friends should have been rock stars.

But some of the people that used to work for or with Last Gentlemen have gone on to do very well.

Let's review:

Bruce Reiter...Then: started as a roadie for Last Gentlemen and ultimately became our sound man. He did a great job in both roles. Since then: Bruce has gone on to mix sound for really large tours such as Ozzfest, Family Values, Static-X and Megadeth. Check out his resume. It even lists us! *And he'll still talk to me.

Peter Katsis...Then: pseudo manager for Last Gentlemen. Booked us into some great shows and got us the audition for the RCA commercial that Brian, Tommy and I were in. Since then: Started a management company called The Firm and managed some of the biggest bands in the world from Limp Biscuit and Korn to Christina Aguilera and Jewel and millions in between. *Won't add any of my bands to his myspace.

Jim er, James Barber...then: Responsible for getting Last Gentlemen signed to our major label record deal. Hung out in my living room and talked about Led Zeppelin. Since then: Worked in A&R for Geffen Records. A&R'd the last Nirvana record. Dated Courtney Love. Shared closet space with Kurt Cobains ripped up jeans. Produced records by Courtney Love, Ryan Adams and others. *Still takes my phone calls.

Ken Gullic...Then: Ken was never directly involved with Last Gentlemen but he was my best friend and was supportive even when others weren't. Since then: Ken is senior VP at Fontana. Fontana is in charge of getting CDs of your favorite bands in stores so you can buy them. *Ken was also supposed to be a rock star!

Hold on my phone is ringing. I'm sure it's either Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page or Brian May wanting to jam or use one of my songs...

Kiss and Tell

2007-10-14T10:11:00.001-05:00

In late November 1992 I was asked to photograph Kiss for "The Neon Glow" a Kiss fanzine that was put out by my friend Ken Gullic. The show was in Chicago and Ken had arranged for me to get a photo pass for both the show and the pre-show meet-and-greet.

The meet-and-greet was held before the show in a room backstage. I don't know how people got access to the event. Contest winners?? I really don't remember. Anyway, the room was packed. Gene, Eric and Bruce were there. Paul was a no show. My goal was to get pictures of the band members and of Ken with the band members while holding a copy of his fanzine.

When Gene, Eric and Bruce came in the room, and the entire time they were there, the crowd was just mobbing them. There was no way to get close to them and set up a nice posed shot. So I ended up walking away from the mob and I climbed up a stack of road cases. I was about 8 feet in the air. I had a really nice Canon camera with a long lens and from there I was able to pick off some really good shots.

The cool thing was that Gene noticed me first. I'm sure he thought I was a professional photographer (I guess in a way I was...). I must have been the only person in the room who wasn't trying to get up close enough to talk to them. Plus I had a really nice camera. So from that point on Gene was making sure to position himself so I could get good shots.

The show was much the same. The photo pass allowed me to be in the pit for the first three songs. All the photographers were right up against the front of the stage. Most of them positioned themselves where Gene and Paul typically stand. Again I decided not to fight the crowd but find a different location. And once again Gene found me and seemed to spend a lot of time in front of my camera. Paul ended up doing the same. Bruce did a little but not so much. I got some great shots.

Some of my photos from the show ended up being published in Ken's fanzine. A few years later some of them were published in an official Kiss magazine. That was pretty cool but the thing that sucked was they got my name wrong in the credits.

As a footnote it's worth mentioning that Ken has gone on to work closely with Kiss. This is a recent photo of Ken with Kiss accepting an award for Kissology. Ken is on the far right. More about that here.

Lower your expectations, I already have... Pt. 1

2007-10-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

i:scintilla live @ The Abbey Pub

2007-10-08T22:34:00.000-05:00

I got to see i:scintilla live last week. They played at the Abbey Pub in Chicago opening for the Birthday Massacre. The show was good despite many technical issues that could have really held them down. For starters Brittany had no monitors at all during the first song. The band uses in ear monitors and because of this the onstage monitors aren’t even turned on. To her credit she got through the song and I had no idea anything was wrong. It’s pretty amazing really. It’s kind of like driving while being blindfolded. Of course she does know the road but still she couldn’t see it.

A couple things that stood out about the show: The sound was pretty bad. It’s weird because these guys should be a pretty easy band to mix. My friend Mike was at the show and his comment afterwards was “to their credit the entire band performed admirably under less than ideal conditions”. I agree!

The second was the size of the crowd. It was fairly small. It was an all age show and I really expected BM to pull a much bigger audience. That said the audience was polite and listened to i:scintilla and responded appropriately.

First post. Take 1. Roll tape...

2007-10-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

Hi. My name is Jim, and I was supposed to be a rock star.

I’ve been into music as long as I can

remember. I’ve played in a ton of bands. I used to watch my older brother Jeff play in his band Ruth Baxter. I thought they were the coolest band. They played their own songs instead of covers and probably because of that I realized I needed to write my own music if I was going to get to where I wanted. The bands I played in through high school in Portage Indiana mostly did covers despite my best efforts.

So I got serious with some friends who thought the same way I did and we formed the band Last Gentlemen in Champaign Illinois.

We had a huge local following.

We put out our own records and locally were outselling the big guys.

Finally we signed a major label record deal with Zoo Entertainment. Matthew Sweet was having a big hit with Zoo at the time and Tool had just signed to do their first major label album. We released one album with Zoo then we got dropped and broke up.

At that point I thought I was finished with music.

Then I got a day job (s). Hated it (them).
Got laid off (Twice).

And then I remembered: I was supposed to be a rock star

Today I've still got a day job but at least I like it and now I manage a rock band. The band is i:scintilla. I've also been writing music again under the names Reality Show (the more serious stuff) and Popgun5 (Much less serious but kinda fun).

I've even recently collaborated with Kathyjo from the Last Gentlemen days on a song called A New Day. More on all this later.