Sorry everyone, but my blog has been so overwhelmingly bogged down by spam that I’ve had to delete all users and disable comments for now. I’m trying to get Akismet activated, but am in a vicious circle of needing the API key and not having access to the key to get it going. I’m going to chat with the site admin that has been the man behind it all and get it figured out. I’ll keep you posted as to when you can sign back up. 

I will always have a spot in my musical heart for Alice In Chains and I realized that again today. I loved Sap & Facelift, followed them through Dirt, Jar of Flies, Unplugged & the self titled. I don’t listen to them as much as I used to, but I revisit them from time to time. When I went to see “Band Practice” at The Moore Theater a few years back, the debut of William Duvall as their new singer, I was skeptical. New singer in a band is hard, new singer in a band from an impacting time and genre and with such a tragic end seemed almost impossible.

I was wrong. William Duvall stepped out there as a new guy in a band. He was humble and thankful and never once tried to be Layne or put off that he was in any way stepping into Laynes shoes. They approached it as a new chapter and they sounded incredible. Today, I got the new song “Check My Brain” from the forthcoming album “Black Gives Way to Blue” out on September 29th. It’s good. It’s really good. Since Jerry sang so much in AIC, his voice is as tied to their sound as Layne’s was and that vibe is there. I read that they spoke with Layne’s mom and got her blessing to go forward with this. I met and interviewed her once and she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’m sure that meant a lot to them.

So here it is, if you’re an Alice In Chains fan, I think you’ll dig it. I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the record.

Alice In Chains

The man that gave us some of the sweetest, most beautifully made guitars, the man that gave us overdubbing, tape delay, multitracking & delay effects. The man that gave us the sound of so many of the musicians we passionately love.

Our musical lives wouldn’t be the same without him. He was 94.

Thanks Les.

Near the end of June, I got the call to come up to my bosses office, nothing out of the ordinary, we worked hand in hand on a lot of stuff. Since about August of 2008 there’d been many, many layoffs at CBS, to the point that everyone was a bit on edge with the “who’s next” vibe that had overtaken the place. There was just a heavy, tense air that had settled in, as I’m sure is being experienced in companies across so many different industries.

I felt safe, mainly because I didn’t make a big salary and was involved in so many facets of the place. I was the Promotions Director, have many great relationships in the community, I hosted nights from 7pm - Midnight, co-produced, co-programmed & co-hosted the Punk Show & did audio production, as well. I felt like I’d made myself valuable, working in so many areas and doing a great job, at that.

I was wrong. That call came, I headed upstairs and as I walked around the corner, I saw my 2 bosses and the Human Resources Manager. I think the first thing out of my mouth was “Awwwww, really?” I was really surprised, got a little emotional and went to gather my stuff. Back down at my desk, my computer had already been locked and shut down, I know that those guys are all just doing their jobs but it was all really fast. Just like that, done, gone, see ya. I figured the bigger salaried people that were doing much less work would be the next to go, but the lesson I learned here is that sometimes longevity and relationships with the right people will win out over cutting a big salary. So, as has been the way of the last year +, the people who remain will absorb the responsibilities and will probably be busier than ever. That was by far one of the busiest, most challenging jobs I’d ever held, but I rocked it.

With that, I am on the hunt for a new adventure. Brian and I have always dreamed of opening and running our own place and we will keep on with that mission, but there’s no knowing when it will come to fruition in what are some of the worst economic times we’ve seen.

If you know of a spot that you think I’d be a good addition to, let me know. Much of my broadcasting resume is here on the site, but there’s a lot more, so email me and I’ll get you the full deal.

Onward and upward, right? I know I’m not alone in unemployment by a long shot, there’s so many great people out there who need work, but we will prevail.