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EROC'S AGENDA - 2/3/09
EROC'S AGENDA - 12/9/08
Here is a link to the MP3 of "C'mon
Brady, Finish What Ya Started" by The Gov'ner.
I was commissioned to produce this in October by Gus "The
Guv'nor" Boland, who is a bartender at Merry Arts
in Lakewood as well as a manager at the Browns Stadium
Executive Club (and he used to be at the Terrace Club
at Jacob's). Gus - a big Browns/Brady Quinn fan, had the
idea & lyrics 2 months ago, and hired me to produce
it. Now that Brady's chance to start (and Finish...) is
over 'til next year, we'll just have to wait - 'til next
year - to push the song again!
In it's short life so far this season, "C'mon Brady"
received airplay on Northeast Ohio radio stations such
as WNCX 98.5 in Cleveland, WDJQ Q92 in Canton, as well
as at WBWR The Brew 105.7 in Columbus. The song has also
received spins by DJs at numerous clubs and bars throughout
Northeast Ohio, and has been featured on news websites
such as WKYC.com and the fan site www.brady-quinn.org.
(Please note that there is a musically inferior, unofficial
"demo version" that has been posted to another
MySpace page by someone not affiliated with this project...
Laughably bad, actually... but you won't find it here!)
Official
MySpace site of C'mon Brady
Eroc Sosinski: Bass, Lead & Backup Vocals
Shaun Perry: Stunt Vocals
Dwayne Dickman: Guitars
Tommy Rich: Drums
Recorded & Engineered by Mike Brown at Lava Room Recording,
Cleveland OH
Mixed by Eroc Sosinski & Mike Brown
Produced by Eroc Sosinski
Executive Producer - Gus Boland
EROC'S AGENDA - 11/23/08
EROC'S AGENDA - 11/18/08
In
tribute to our last performances of The Wall....
EROC'S
AGENDA - 11/5/08
Never
wear a red shirt when beaming down....
EROC'S AGENDA -
11/3/08
What Would Lemmy Do?
EROC'S AGENDA - 10/31/08
Happy Halloween!
EROC'S
AGENDA - 9/08
EROC'S AGENDA - 2/5/07:
ALRIGHT, DON'T HAVE A HEART ATTACK... Yep, after
2 and a half years of dormancy, and with the addition
of my brand new baby - the Mac Pro - and a little help
from Mac uber-guru Joe Kleon, the literary cyber-force
known as Eroc's Agenda has once again come to life...
IT'S ALIVE!! Blogging since March of 2002 - before
many people even knew what blogging was... (and
what a stupid word, BLOG - how chic, expressive &
eloquent - NOT!); let's just call this what it really
is - an internet journal, a web column, a forum for me
to rant and rave about everything and/or nothing at all...
stream-of-consciousness Roc-babble, insightful ponderings
or pure drivel - that's up to you to decide... but hey,
I've got a website, and I'm gonna use it!
The format is still the same - news about WISH YOU WERE
HERE and all my other gigs, my friend's gigs, the latest
updates to my CD/DVD/media collection, websites that you
should check out, and of course my pet peeves and anything
else there is to pontificate about. It might be a few
paragraphs, an extended discourse, or just a couple sentences...
and since it's been awhile, I'm not ready to jump into
the deep end again right away, so here's the latest with
WYWH.
The band had a great time at our last show in January,
and I personally want to thank all our fans who continue
to support us and help spread the word - it was our 5th
sell-out at the House Of Blues in Cleveland, and I believe
we hold the sell-out/attendance record there now (just
like we did at the old Odeon - 30 sellouts in our 8 years
there), and you can see photos on our PHOTOS
page. We will be back at HOB in April (date tba soon),
and before that in Columbus at the L.C.
Pavilion on Saturday, March 10. We are also working
on the preliminary stages of our summer season of gigs
- a weekend at Nelson Ledges June 15 & 16, some other
regional festivals & theater gigs, and possibly our
biggest show ever (!) at one of Cleveland's major outdoor
venues later this summer - more on this as it develops.
Reflecting back on what has transpired with the band since
my last Agenda, I can't help but smile at what we've accomplished
since then - the acclaimed 2005 performance of Floyd's
'77 Stadium show at Nautica and the subsequent DVD release
of the show, which is also available for sale on our DVD
page... more sell-outs and attendance records broken than
ever before... the welcoming of phenomenal new vocalist/guitarist
Jamie Combs
into the band and our subsequent ability to tribute Pink
Floyd more accurately than ever... the creation of the
WYWH MySpace
page... the 2006 Blossom Music
Center performance on the same stage as Pink Floyd
in '73... all the other Great Gigs we've experienced,
and all the kind friends & cool people we've met along
the way - it's been a hell of a ride, and I'm looking
forward to more!
This last year has also been the busiest for me with my
other musical projects, especially the Jim & Eroc
Classic Rock Duo. Now celebrating our 20th year of rocking
together (since February 1987!), WYWH co-founder Jim Tigue
and I have been gigging up a storm
locally - if you're within easy driving distance to Cleveland,
we hope you can join us in our
quest for the Ultimate Jager Party - we play 20 gigs together
in February & March alone! This includes our ongoing
Tuesday gig at the West Park Station plus a Tie-Dye
Harvest reunion show there on February 16 with Tim
Ginley on drums... and going even further back,
a reunion of the U.S.B/Ultimate Sports Bar gang in Lakewood
at Bobby O's on the Sunday afternoon of February 18 with
Colin Dussault and
Austin Charanghat. Plus,
our other Jim & Eroc gigs at C-Town, the Happy Dog,
the House Of Blues restaurant, Stampers & Pug Mahone's
(for Jim's birthday Feb. 19)... man, I suddenly have a
taste for some Jager and I don't know why - bookmark www.floydtribute.com/gigs.htm
to quench that thirst!
Of course I can't forget to mention the Midlife
Chryslers at the Sly Fox this Saturday - Tommy Dobeck
is our new drummer and really gives the band that extra
kick that somehow feels oh-so-good! (Remember OSoGood
pop? It's a '70's Cleveland thing...).
Stepping down from the ol' self-promotion soapbox, I did
want to recommend a show that I'm going to catch - New
Orleans Funk-Trombone band Bonerama
will be at Wilbert's on Wednesday Feb. 14 - they are too
cool to miss, even if I may be a little jagered-out from
all my gigs!
Okay, so I may have ventured into the deep end for a bit
there - you can't keep me out now! - so look for more,
coming soon - same Bat page, same Bat website!
Cool Breeze - and stay warm, it's colder than a witch's
tit in January out there!
EROC'S
AGENDA - 9/22/04:
The only thing on my agenda
right now is real simple: our show this Friday 9/24 at
the Odeon. This will be a special night for us,
so I really hope you can make it to the show - of course,
I always say: You won't be disappointed!
I've got lots of exciting things to tell you about, but
we'll have to wait until Monday September 27, when the
band will be posting a special announcement on this website.
More to come - see ya at the Odeon!
EROC'S AGENDA - 7/10/04:
"My friends are lying in the sun/I wish
that I was there.."
- Richard Wright, "Summer '68" - Atom Heart
Mother.
I had to find an appropriate summer quote, and truer words
were never spoken... ahh, but at least it gives me an
excuse to jam out on Atom Heart Mother for a few!...
WISH YOU WERE HERE had a great May & June, thanks
to everyone who made it out to the Odeon, Promowest Pavilion
(our first outdoor show there - a little cool but we cooked!),
Toledo Citifest's Rally By The River (turned on 2500 new
fans!), our triumphant debut at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park
(looking forward to a whole weekend there next year),
and a hot night in front of more new fans at the 1st annual
Summerfest at the Berea Fairgrounds - what a fitting way
to cap off that mini-tour! Special thanks to Mother
Nature for the great weather at these last 4 outdoor gigs,
always a risk factor in Ohio, lol... (Pictures from all
these shows are posted at G4orce-studios.com,
and a special Nelson Ledges
page has been created on our site.)
NEW SHOWS JUST ANNOUNCED - As we are putting together
our Fall schedule, we have some great shows already booked:
On Saturday August 21 we return to Toledo with our new
light show in tow to debut at Headliners
- if you saw us in Promenade Park, you only got half a
show - and this is a very cool venue. Labor Day
weekend (Saturday Sept. 4) we're back in downtown Medina
for the Rally
In The Rally at the Main St. Cafe - our last official
outdoor summer gig. WISH will travel to Pittsburgh
for a very special "small hall" show to be announced
soon, and then the band returns to Cleveland for a show
at The Odeon on
Friday September 24 - vocalist Jennifer Lee will be joining
us for this performance, with the theme TBA.... More Fall
shows in Columbus & Cincinnati will be announced soon
- stay tuned to our GIGS page for
the latest info!
NEW LOGO - NEW POSTERS - NEW T-SHIRTS!!!! Yes, you
asked for it, and yer gonna get it! We will have
t-shirts available at all these upcoming shows with our
new logo design (by yours truly and Sue Unkefer, our graphic
designer)... it's all about the Merch, in'nit?
JUST BUSINESS - that's it for this Agenda.... I've got
enough music to talk about to fill another entire Agenda,
(concerts, new releases & re-issues,etc.), so stay
tuned... I gotta get to Acacia Country Club for a private
Midlife Chryslers blues gig, getting out my best Hawaiian
shirt... Huh?!?!
EROC'S AGENDA - 5/11/04:
"Every year is getting shorter / Never seem to find the
time..." - that's seems to be my mantra lately.
But first, as always, I must take the time to thank all our
friends in Cincinnati for making our road trip worthwhile - in
spite of a broken-down van & illness in the band, those 3
hours on stage at Bogart's rocked because of the spirit &
dedication of our fans, all captured by a 6-camera video crew
(more on that as it develops, lol....) - we hope to see ya
again soon, Cincy! Special thanks to The Dude at WEBN &
WOFX, Rob, Jamie & Beth; see photos of the show at the G4orce
Studios site, and the setlist on our Forum......
Now to the biz at hand - we're just around the corner from our BIG
SUMMER TOUR! (Well, if you can call 4 gigs a tour....) But
since we won't be playing live until the Fall, this is yer chance
to see what all the hullabaloo is about if you're a newer
fan, or to get your ongoing WISH/Floyd fix as prescribed by our
own Dr. Robert. Here's your meds: FRIDAY MAY 21 at The
Odeon in Cleveland - I've been calling it "The Dark Side
of The Wall" - we'll be performing all of Dark Side of the
Moon, plus selected "bricks" from The Wall and
more. If you haven't been to The Odeon in awhile, they have
done some "fan-friendly" remodeling, and this will be
our last show there until at least the Fall...... Our next stop is
down I-71 South on FRIDAY MAY 28 at the Promowest
Pavilion in Columbus for our 2nd Annual Outdoor Summer
Freak-Out! Last year's rain forced us inside but we're
confident that Mother Nature will smile down upon us as we get all
psychedelicized this year...... FRIDAY JUNE 4 we take a
rare trek west to Toledo for Citifest's
Rally By the River at Promenade Park for 2 early
"happy-hour" sets, and then head east on SATURDAY JUNE 5
to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in
Garrettsville, OH for our debut show at this cool venue - camping,
fishing, and partying under the stars, supported by our friends in
Morrison Hotel, Jandrix, Jimiller Band, and many others.....
Suddenly it seems there are all kinds of bands hopping onto the
"Pink Floyd Tribute bandwagon" - let's show these other neophytes
that WISH YOU WERE HERE has been going strong for 8 years & is
only getting stronger, by coming out to party with us - unlike
some other bands, we won't ignore you (or each other
on stage, for that matter) - you are the reason we are
here!
OTHER GREAT GIGS IN THE SKY: Thanks to everyone who made the
TieDye Harvest reunion such a blast - somehow, I can remember
(thru the Jager haze) someone saying "we gotta do this again
sometime!"...... I'll be playing bass with Michael
Stanley & The Resonators at Tower City Amphitheatre on
June 19, plus assorted gigs with the Midlife
Chryslers thoughout the summer...... At this point, I would
like to send a huge THANKS & "Good luck mate!" to
our outgoing Lighting Director Paul Miller, who has put in over 8
years of hard work and dedication to the band & is moving
on.... Also a big WELCOME to our new Lighting Director, David Cook
- if ya see him, shout out a "Cool Breeze!"......
CDs & DVDs ARE YOUR FRIENDS: Some of the releases that fueled
my addiction these last 2 months - The Allman Brothers Band's
"One Way Out" is the jammin' CD companion to the 2003
Beacon DVD; Wayne & Derek cook but I still miss Dickey.....
Aerosmith's "Honkin' On Bobo" puts a rejuvenated hard
rock spin on some blues chestnuts..... Jeff Beck's "Live at
BB King's Blues Club" still makes my jaw drop..... Buddy
Guy's "Sweet Tea" is only 3 years old but already a
classic..... The Bad Plus put a New York jazz trio spin on Sabbath
& more with "Give"..... Finally completed my
collection of Frank Zappa's "You Can't Do That On Stage
Anymore"....... Been holding on to the "G3 - Live in
Denver" and "La Vallee (Obscured By Clouds)"
DVDs, waiting for that perfect moment to take them in - the genius
guitar work of Vai and the chilling soundtrack work of Floyd - I
promise to get to those real soon...... As you may notice, usually
there are more CDs & DVDs listed here, but Cleveland has lost
2 great independent stores that closed in April - My Generation in
Westlake and Quonset Hut in Parma - and I am currently in a state
of digital mourning.....
So I guess "The time is gone the song is over / thought I'd
something more to say."
Oh yeah, now I remember - SEE YA AT THE ODEON, PROMOWEST PAVILION,
TOLEDO CITIFEST, OR NELSON LEDGES!!!
EROC'S AGENDA - 3/14/04:
"Broadway On Acid"..... That's how I've been
referring to our 'Last Cleveland Wall' show at the Odeon back in
February - a long, strange trip indeed! While I have learned
to "never say never", I can truly say that I'm glad it's
over, for now. A production that size cannot be successfully
produced without all the help & talent that I had available -
big THANKS to all involved, and to the great crowd of fans and
friends who sold-out the Odeon 5 DAYS IN ADVANCE - a new WISH
record! Needless to say, we always perform elements of The
Wall in all our shows, so it's not like we're abandoning it, and I
have gone on record saying we will do it again - somewhere down
the line (maybe in the Fall in Columbus?)....... Other shows
coming down the pike are Bogart's
in Cincinnati on Saturday April 24, and a return to the Odeon
sometime in May. And to officially kick-off summer, we will
be hosting the second annual OUTDOOR SUMMER FREAKOUT at the Promowest
Pavilion in Columbus on Friday May 28. Our last show
there in February was one of our best ever (according to the 1000+
fans & friends there - thanks!), and this year we look forward
to playing the 'outdoor' side of the venue - if you've never seen
it, you gotta experience this show!....... Been to the Message
Forum lately? We've got our recent setlists posted,
exclusive WISH YOU WERE HERE audio & photo links, Pink Floyd
news, and other cyber-mayhem afoot.......
GIGS A'PLENTY: The big news in the "other gigs" section
is the upcoming Cleveland reunion of TIEDYE HARVEST at Squeezeplay
on Saturday April 10 at 9pm. For the unitiated, TieDye
Harvest is the classic rock & originals band that WISH YOU
WERE HERE and Sugar Magnolia evolved from. Originally formed
as HARVEST by Jim Tigue in 1985 and joined by Eroc Sosinski in
1987 & Bob Gerhard in 1990, the band toured Ohio, Kentucky,
Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont from 1988 to 1995, performing
a "Pink Floyd Revue", songs from 3 original releases,
and other classic covers by the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, the
Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, the Doors, and more. In December
2003 the band reunited to play in Killington VT, and are now ready
to party with all our Cleveland friends! Special guests will
include past members Vince Broncaccio, Myrtle, Dan Tobin, &
Tim Ginley, as well as WISH drummer Tim 'TJ' Hanculak, Cy Sulak,
and more........ Squeezeplay will actually be my gig home for 3
Saturdays in a row, starting with HAMMERED (classic hard rock
& metal) on March 27, the MIDLIFE CHRYSLERS (blues) on April
3, and the TIEDYE HARVEST reunion on April 10 - check out the GIGS
page for more info.......
WHAT'S IN YOUR CD PLAYER? Recently, mine's been getting a
workout, at home & (finally) in the car: The Darkness -
Permission to Land (this band rocks...SO hard), Jet - Get Born
(new energetic rock with a retro touch), Dickey Betts - Instant
Live at the Odeon 3/9/04 (killer show, from what I remember!),
George Harrison - Live in Japan (from '91 w/Clapton's band), Ween
- White Pepper (a classic from a band you can't categorize),
Badger - One Live Badger ('73 w/Yes' Tony Kaye), Yes - Tormato and
Drama (the Rhino re-issues with bonus tracks), Charles Mingus -
The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady (classic jazz, improv &
dymanics that jam).......
WHAT'S IN YOUR DVD PLAYER? Mine's been showing: Frank
Zappa - Does Humor Belong in Music (highly recommended!) and Baby
Snakes, Paul McCartney - Wingspan, Deep Purple - Masters From the
Vaults, MST3K - Volume 2, Yes - Yesspeak, and Space:1999 - MegaSet
(all 48 episodes of the '76-'77 sci-fi series - I don't remember
them being this cheezy!).......
Let's end this Agenda with another quickie 'Rant &
Rave': To those who waited too long to get their tickets to
the sold-out Wall show last month and were then upset AT US
about it (huh?! - I shit you not!) - there is a reason why tickets
for a show go 'on sale' 2 MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!!! We always
say, buy 'em early, DON'T WAIT! Hell, people have scalped
tickets to our shows for $40 a ticket! Get with the
program!!!
Okay, I feel better now, thanks..... time to crawl out of my
cocoon and face the sunlight, if there's any left. See ya in
the Forum!
EROC'S AGENDA - 1/29/04:
Happy New Year! (Better late than never, eh?) So what if
it's practically February - that's one of the perks of being your
own boss: your own (flexible) deadlines!.... But after surveying
the statistics of this site, I noticed just how many visitors
actually peruse this ol' Agenda, so let's get updating, shall we?
WISH YOU WERE HERE returns to Columbus, OH on Friday February 20th
to freak-out our fans at the Promowest
Pavilion - c'mon OSU, this is way better than the
Newport! We'll be playing a variety of Floyd faves with an
emphasis on The Wall, making this a kind-of "warm-up"
show for the big-bang gig the following week...... That's right,
it's true, WISH will perform THE WALL in it's entirety, for the
very last time in Cleveland OH at The
Odeon on Saturday February 28th. This will be the
biggest production we've ever, uh,...produced! The music,
the characters, the actual friggin' Wall itself - all for the last
time here on the North Coast. (Before asking me why, check
out our Message Forum for the
answer.) Get yer tickets now - I'm sensing yet another
sell-out here...... Other gigs in the works for Spring '04
include Bogart's in Cincinnati in early April, and then a return
to Columbus with The (last) Wall - as always, stay tuned......
The Sight & Sound of our website: After an initial
"Pulse" of life, the Message
Forum quieted down a tad (Who is this Tad, and what is he
doing here?), but a recent surge says "I'm not dead yet!"
- I'm a proud parent and confident about it's potential - topics
include general WISH discussions & reviews, questions put to
the band members, Pink Floyd news, rumors and opinions, and much
more. So if you haven't yet, please check it out and then
register - which also puts you on our E-MAIL LIST! Woo-Hoo!!
I've received so many requests over the years for an E-mail
list, so here it is. What's
that you say? "But I don't like Spam!"
Never fear, this monthly email list is certified "spam-free".........
Other cool website additions include WISH heard live on-the-air
from WNCX-FM on the Audio page, and a new Photo
page from our Columbus/Cincy road trip in October. Lots
more photos are just waiting to be posted - if only February
wasn't so short. No wait, it's a leap year so we have 29
days - but then again, on Februay 29th I'll be recovering from the
Wall show - DOH!.......
TOUR TALES: The TIE-DYE HARVEST reunion in Killington VT was a
blast of fun and fury - we had fun on the road despite the fury of
winter ice storms! Thanks to the Daves & everyone at the
Wobbly Barn for making us feel at home - we'll be back, even if
the power is off...... Cleveland is next: It's now official,
TIE-DYE HARVEST will be reuniting at SQUEEZEPLAY
on Saturday April 10th (Easter weekend - kinda like the band is
"rising from the dead" too - ouch, I couldn't help it -
sorry!) With special guests (a cast of biblical
proportions... there I go again) and surprises, this promises to
be a night of Revelations (okay, no more)....... Speaking of
reunions, the classic hard rock & heavy metal of HAMMERED will
also be heard at Squeezeplay on Saturday March 27th...... and I
cover yet another genre - the blues - with The
Midlife Chryslers (featuring Michael Stanley) at Squeezeplay
on February 7th. Hey, that's just around the corner.......
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC: I'm just overloaded with new
releases to feature, December is always the craziest, so away we
go...... CD 's: Dream Theater's "Train of Thought"
is their heaviest & most delightfully manic release yet.....
Steve Lukather's "Santamental" got me thru the holiday
in fine fusion form..... Frank Gambale & Alan Holdsworth told
the "Truth in Shredding"..... The Beatles stripped to
"Let It Be...Naked", showing us what a "good little
band" they were, as Paul says; and "The Concert For
George" Harrison provided a stately yet grooving &
inspired tribute..... Robert Plant's anthology "66 to
Timbuktu" is packed full o' solo hits and cool rare tracks,
yet disappointingly ignores his fine first solo album..... The
legend of Johnny Cash is "Unearthed" with a box set
celebrating his recent catalog classics..... Watch out for
Britain's lastest sensation, The Darkness, with "Permission
To Land" - think the crunch of AC/DC with an outrageous
Queen-style vocalist, blended together with Spinal Tap &
Tenacious D - they know how to R-O-C-K!..... Our friend and 'local
legend' Colin Dussault
and his Blues Project have released "Official Bootleg - Live
at Tri-C", and have even more cool new blues music in the
can...... and from Columbus, The
Walt James Band's new psychedelic/progressive hard rock CD
"Arrival" has earned them the opening slot for WISH at
the Promowest Pavilion on February 20th.....
Now for the DVD's (BTW, music DVD's are now the fastest selling of
all DVD's): The following are heartlily recommended by yours
truly, if you like the artist - 'Nuff said! Here we go: Pink
Floyd- Live at Pompeii (duh!), Tenacious D- Masterworks (rocks....SO
hard!), Stone Temple Pilots- Thank You (live+rare - I miss
them already), Rush- In Rio (Alex is "stunning"), Steve
Vai- Live At The Astoria, London (w/Billy Sheehan!), Frank Zappa-
Does Humor Belong In Music/NYC '84 ("the modern-day composer
refuses to die"), and Grateful Dead- The Closing of
Winterland (3 Gratefully-long sets).......
Speaking of "winterland", try to stay warm out there and
if you're driving, don't slide into my car! Oh, that reminds
me, a quickie Rant & Rave: When you're planning to go
out and the local TV news/weather bimbo/butthead exclaims
"Don't go out if you don't have to!!!", remember - they
are being paid to HYPE & EXAGGERATE - with a job where you can
be WRONG half the time and not get fired. Think about
it...... See ya in the Forum!
EROC'S TOUR DIARY -
12/15/03:
Night before Vermont road trip for the Tie-Dye Harvest reunion in
Killington......Just wanted to shout a quick THANKS!!! to everyone
at the Odeon show this month, it was truly a night to remember
with an awesome crowd, great jams, another sell-out, and now
immortalized on CD thanks to our friends at www.play-it-again.net
!.... You may have heard about our last performance of THE WALL in
Cleveland on February 28, 2004 at the Odeon,
tickets for that are already on sale, and we are working on a
Columbus date as well.... I'll post my annual Holiday Gift Guide
in my next Agenda when I return from the road, but if ya really
need to know now, the thing is: BUY MUSIC!!!!
See ya on the road!!!
EROC'S AGENDA - 11/3/03:
Hi....It's me again, the Central Scrutinizer...... oops,
sorry, I was just lost in Zappa's "Joe's Garage",
perhaps The Best Rock Opera Ever (sorry,
"Tommy"!).... now before I go off and form a Zappa
tribute, let's get back to this here FLOYD thang..... The first
exciting news to announce is about WISH YOU
WERE HERE's 2nd Annual "Acoustic & Electric" Holiday
Show at the Odeon in
Cleveland OH on Saturday, December 6th. As tradition
dictates, in the first set we'll be un-plugging and pleasantly
de-constructing a set of Floyd that will "shock and
awe," with special guests sitting in, such as Cleveland
blues-harp master Colin Dussault and original band
co-founder/guitarist Jim Tigue. For the second set, of
course, we'll plug it all back in again and "blow your
eyebrows off", as Biff Byford of Saxon once told me.
Tickets for this early holiday bash are already on sale - get 'em
now 'cause this show did sell-out last year the day of show......
So what could be more exciting? The launching of the new
WISH YOU WERE HERE Message Forum! Ever since having problems
with keeping the old cyber Guestbook afloat, I felt we needed
something more, perhaps a way to provide a forum for
interaction with and between our friends & fans, and I
believe we have finally achieved that - please check out our new Guestbook
page, which will link you to the new Forum. (Once the
'newness' has worn off, we'll provide a direct link to it from the
Home page - or bookmark it now and get registered!)
It's real easy to register, and a great way to spend a few
minutes..or hours...and meet some new people, give some input to
the band, get a few questions answered, debate your favorite Floyd
topics, solve all the world's problems, create a few yourself, you
know, the usual.... But seriously, if you've never been involved
with an interactive web community, this is yer chance - I credit
my experience in the Michael Stanley Message Forum with finally
helping me to achieve financial independence! Or, if you're
the shy type, you can always just log on to read it, without any
obligation! (Uh oh, this is starting to sound like a frickin'
infomercial! Complete with multiple exclamation points!!!)
EROC'S TOUR DIARY: Our Columbus/Cincinnati road trip was a
lot of fun for everyone - in Columbus, thanks to all those who
braved the Noah's Ark-like rains to join us at the Promowest
Pavilion. After finally conquering the infinite I-71
'construction loop of death', we made it to Cincinnati and rocked
the WEBN and WOFX airwaves with a first-time live-on-the-radio
unplugged performance that was but a prelude to the performance
that night.... FEARLESS THANKS to all our friends in Cincy - The
Dude, Rob, Jamie & Beth, and the crew at Bogart's, Cincy's
premiere rock club - lotsa rock'n'roll history there - we will
be back next year.....
HELLO CLEVELAND! Yes, we're from Cleveland, so here's a
coupla gigs to check out if you're around this neck o' the
woods: I'm proud to announce that one of my other bands, Midlife
Chryslers, the all-blues & classic rock side project
featuring Michael Stanley and members of the Resonators, will be
at Squeezeplay this
Friday November 7th. Also, on Saturday November 8th, at 12
noon (yes, I will be up that early!), the Jim Tigue Band,
which is myself, Jim Tigue, and WISH drummer TJ, will be at Hoggys
on Canal Rd. for the WNCX F150 truck giveaway event.... Speaking
of Jim Tigue, who's getting lotsa press this Agenda, he and
I will be reuniting TIE-DYE HARVEST (the predecessor of WISH YOU
WERE HERE) for a few gigs, the first of which will be in
Killington VT in December, as well as a local gig in January TBA -
watch the Gigs page for the latest on that.
Also, our friend MYRTLE has a new website, www.myrtleband.com,
her band rocks.....SO hard!
CD's AND DVD's ARE YOUR FRIENDS: Back to my favorite
addiction..... All kinds of great new releases coming out this
week (Nov.4), including the new Dream Theater, Steve
Lukather's Christmas CD, Robert Plant's new anthology, the
Tenacious D "Masterworks" set, and much more - look for
reviews on these & more in the next Agenda.... Other new CD's
just out includes the latest Steve Vai box-set installment,
"Mystery Tracks - Vol.3", more drop-jaw guitar
pyrotechnics..... "CAB 4" has Bunny Brunel, Dennis
Chambers, & Brain Auger in a tasty prog/funk work-out.... NEIL
MORSE's "Testimony" features Mike Portnoy and, if you
can get beyond the preaching, the kind of melodic yet powerful
songwriting that Spock's Beard now lacks.... and "The Eyes of
Alice Cooper" is a return to the classic Alice we know &
love, just as he proved onstage at TCA last month...... FROM THE
VAULTS, not quite the crypts: Alice's 1978 album "From the
Inside" is a twisted & adventurous look at his first
rehab..... The Allman Brothers "Live at the Atlanta Int'l Pop
Festival" from 1970 is a great document of Duane and Berry
before they went biking (and that 2003 Beacon DVD jams just as
well)..... A final RIP - tip o' the hat to the Man in Black,
Johnny Cash - just got his classic "...At San Quentin",
which gives new meaning to "Jailhouse Rock".... Santana
& McLaughlin pay tribute to jazz master John Coltrane on
1973's re-issued "Love Devotion Surrender"..... the YES
box set "In A Word" has kept me inspired throughout the
writing of this whole Agenda - can't wait to see Rick Wakeman
doing his 'keys & comedy' routine at the Odeon on 11/4.....
TOTO rock out on the new "Live in Amsterdam" DVD, Luke
and the boys must've been snooping around those special "coffeeshops"
there....
PINK FLOYD's "Live at Pompeii" DVD has finally been
released - and as always, I need to get into that proper
"frame of mind" to fully experience it. Word on the
street is positive - could it be any other way?..... Look for my
annual "Christmas gift-giving guide" in the next Agenda
- yes, it's that time already - AHHH!!..... And just when I was
starting to enjoy this "Indian Summer" weather.... See
ya in the Forum!
EROC'S AGENDA - 9/30/03:
So much to say, I'm not waiting 'til Roctober!
BIG THANKS are due, first & foremost, to all our fans &
friends who came to the Odeon on the 19th and got Freaked Out with
us at our QUAD show (was "Saucerful" as good for you as
it was for me?), and a special thanks to those who "eased my
pain & got me on my feet again" in spite of the broken
toe that I suffered the week of the show - that's why I was
doing the "Neil Young shuffle" on stage that
night! Human kindness (and a little Jager) can go a
long way - thanks again to Rick, Joe, Myrtle, TJ, Dad, Dr. Halpert,
the band, the Odeon and a cast of hundreds (over 800, that
is)..... Keep an eye on this site for pics and audio coming
soon..... Now to start planning for the next shows: a rare
Thursday night gig at the Promowest
Pavilion in Columbus on October 16th (OSU, we wanna see you!),
then off to our debut performance in Cincinnati on Friday October
17th at the legendary Bogart's
- still looking for some U of C students to help us promote the
show there - if you know anyone who can help us with this
endeavor, please email me.....
Took a promo run down there last week, caught part of the town's
Midpoint Music Festival and I'll tell ya - Cincy does know
how to throw a music party. Thanks to The Dude from WEBN,
Rob and Jamie for the hospitality and a healthy shot of the Blues,
courtesy of the Sonny
Moorman Band....... Have you checked out our brand-spankin'-new
MP3 AUDIO PAGE yet? It's still
fledgling yet ready for expansion - currently you can hear a
medley of tunes taken from last year's FakeFest tour (a
promotional mix of some of the best of what we do), and I also
posted some treats for you diehards out there - 2 cuts from Jim
Tigue's "Farewell Show" of 12/21/01 - a marathon version
of Echoes and a rare Pillow Of Winds, that might just have to be
resurrected at our next Unplugged Odeon show....... Cleveland's
classic rock behemoth WNCX 98.5 is doing an A-Z song-title format
all this week, with a guitar theme of the "ABC song"
played by yours truly, heard throughout the duration (my claim to
fame this week)........
BUY BUY BUY: Here we go again, more evidence of my attempts
to stimulate the economy..... Mostly used CD finds this time
around featuring a few classic guitarists....... Eric Clapton's
"Crossroads 2 - Live in the 70's" is a meaty 4-disc set
that is a must for any fan of his 70's output...... Carlos
Santana's "Fried Neckbones & Home Fries" explores
the earliest Santana jams with rough & raw recordings from
1968, and his 1972 CD with Buddy Miles "Live!" shows his
psychedeli-jazzy-funkified side....... Lotsa great blues and
classics emanate from the "Monterey International Pop
Festival" 4-CD box set, much more than what you've
seen in the movie....... Roger Waters' hired gun Doyle Bramhall II
& his band Smokestack go retro on their 2001 release
"Welcome" to mixed results - sorry, but (editorial here)
I don't think Doyle was quite a good fit for Rog's band, a little
too maverick for my tastes, but certainly a smokin' player........
The YES re-issues continue to amaze, with "Close To The
Edge" offering 2 outstanding "alternative version"
bonus tracks....... On the DVD front, the Allman Brothers Band
gives us the new "Live at the Beacon" 2003 set, still
gotta get myself in the proper "frame of mind" to absorb
that..... as well as the new "Monty Python and The Holy
Grail" Collectors Edition (expanded by 24 seconds!)......
From the last Agenda, I give you this update - GO OUT RIGHT NOW
AND BUY the "Making of the Dark Side of the Moon"
documentary DVD, it's an outstanding exploration and lesson on how
to make a close-to-perfect album....... The "Rising Low"
documentary on Gov't Mule is cool for bass players & musicians
who are fans of the band & the players featured, but not much
else (Mike Gordon, stay out of that boathouse & stick to
Phishing!)...... The Mars Volta CD alternately cranks & gets
psychedelic, but where are the songs? Still looking for the
Best New Artist of 2003......
Gotta cover up the AC units and turn on the heat, goodbye Summer
and welcome to Fall, God Bless heated waterbeds. Feelin'
toasty? Remember that toast is not only food but a frame of
mind, and as Ozzy once said, "Of all the things I've lost, I
miss my mind the most."
EROC'S AGENDA - 9/10/03:
Ready to Freak-Out? We'll get to that in a sec, but
first round is a big THANKS to our friends & fans in Medina
Ohio, all 1800+, who came to the "Rally In The Alley" to
get their last summer dose of outdoor Floyd courtesy of WISH YOU
WERE HERE. Special thanks to Gary ("the Fat Man"),
Rose, and all at the Main St. Cafe for treating us so well, even
letting our roadie Rick Kennedy on the premises with his new
Mohawk. Kudos also to Rich and Vertical Sound......... OK,
now are you really ready to FREAK-OUT? We are - at
the Odeon on Friday the 19th.
Quadraphonic sound. An emphasis on the psychedelic
side of Floyd. Some new tunes and even a few
surprises. Get yer fix - 'Nuff said!......... ON THE
ROAD AGAIN: As promised, we are hitting the dusty trail this
Fall to bring the Word (& Music) of Pink Floyd to your
hometown, or at least somewhere other than Northeast Ohio.
We return to Columbus on a Thursday this time around
(10/16/03) at the Promowest Pavilion, then head South for our
debut performance at BOGART'S in Cincinnati on Friday 10/17/03 -
very psyched for that one......... Still working on some other
tentative dates around that vicinity, stay tuned to our GIGS
page for the latest updates of WISH shows as well as the other
bands that 'yours truly' performs in, such as Michael Stanley
& The Resonators..........
VIEWS & REVIEWS: How 'bout that blackout, eh?
Seems we need things like that every once in a while just to
remind us what's important - and also to give us a few stories to
tell in our old age........ August also was lit up with live rock:
Anthony Gomes testified the blues/funk gospel to the converted at
Wilbert's (home of the over-priced Jager shots - $4.75 - OUCH!),
Bela Fleck enchanted the Cain Park crowd, Steely Dan made the
Blossom trek enjoyable, and Jeff Beck & B.B. King gave us
multiple guitar lessons at Nautica......... October is my favorite
month (because it's Roctober?), looking forward to Alice
Cooper's traditional Halloween-season show at TCA on 10/10........
Picked up 2 new DVD's this week, RISING LOW - a Mike Gordon
documentary about Gov't Mule, and (of course) "The Making of
Dark Side of the Moon" DVD, but haven't seen 'em yet, you'll
get the full review next Agenda, same with the new Mars Volta
CD....... Other CDs that made me put out the green since last
month: Derek Trucks Band's mostly instrumental "Soul
Serenade", a very jazzy affair recorded 3 years ago but just
recently released.... Jeff Beck's "Jeff" continues his
fascination with electronica.... Jane's Addiction's
"Strays" rocks AND grooves.... Destructor's "Sonic
Bullet" thrashes just like the old days, Dave Holocaust would
be proud.... Walter Trout's "Live Trout 2000" is a great
introduction to this smokin' fast bluesy guitarist.... Derek &
The Dominos' "Layla - 20th Anniversary" has great
extended jams on it.... Look for many new releases coming next
month, including the Tenacious D "Masterworks" DVD set,
which I promise will rock....SO hard......
While I usually close the Agenda with an upbeat item, this being
the eve of the 2nd anniversary of 9/11/01, I must re-assert my
thoughts on dealing with the pain, confusion, and anger brought
about from those events, as I commented on in the Agenda last year
on this date; that is, the belief in music as a power of release, healing,
strength, pride, and unity. And to add 4 simple words this
time around: We will never forget.
EROC'S AGENDA - 8/5/03:
And away we go...... I know it's been awhile, so let's dive right
in: Massillon rocks...so hard. This year's
Cruise car show in downtown Massillon, as evidenced by the pics
posted on this site, was another highlight of our summer - major
THANKS to everyone who came, organized, watched, heard, played,
and/or partied with us (literally tens of thousands!)........ Now
that the band has had some time off to enjoy our summer as well,
we're looking forward to many cool gigs thru the rest of this
year. Saturday August 30th - Labor Day weekend - will be our
last outdoor show of the summer, in Medina OH for the
"Rally In The Alley". Then things move
indoors and get a little crazier - just announced is our Friday
September 19th show at the Odeon - a "QUADRAPHONIC
FREAK-OUT" featuring our very own "4.8 surround-sound
system" - that's 4 separate speaker channels around you plus
8 musicians on stage! It will also be the Cleveland debut of
a few new additions to our setlist (great for all you Bike
riders with Secrets - what a hint) - perfect for the Quad
treatment, but then again, aren't ALL Pink Floyd tunes great in
Quad? Find out! And I know I may have said
something at our May Odeon show about "The Wall" (did I
really say that?), but good things come to those who wait, and all
I can say is that the ol' Wall will be built sometime in
the near future, when "you have grown colder"..........
We are definitely planning on Fall road gigs as well, please stay
tuned here for the latest news on when we come to your neck
of the woods.........
HELP KEEP LIVE MUSIC ALIVE: Many people regularly ask
me what our former guitarist/vocalist/band co-founder Jim Tigue is
up to these days - his website www.tiedye.net
lists all his regular Cleveland-area solo gigs as well as the
parties & bar gigs that I get to play with him, both public
& private (we're for hire - another hint!)......... The Jam
Night at SQUEEZEPLAY at
Brookpark & Pearl in Cleveland has been moved to Thursdays
and has been getting better & better- last week found me
jamming "Third Stone From the Sun" with Tall Tom &
Vince Broncaccio, "Backdoor Man" with the singer of Mojo
Risin', and even a Doobie Brothers tune - oops, did I say that out
loud?........ And don't forget to check out the GIGS
page for more shows featuring the other bands I am fortunate to
play with........ In July at TCA, The Allman Brothers Band cooked
up a healthy cauldron of jam stew, and Dream Theater once again
tore the roof off that glorified tent........ Many more shows to
look forward to in August: Funky blues guitarist Anthony
Gomes testifies at the new Wilbert's on 8/7, Bela Fleck & The
Flecktones park their bus at Cain Park on 8/8, Steely Dan are
worth going to Blossom for on 8/12, stick player Jibilian gets
progressive at Squeezeplay on 8/15, and guitar legends B.B. King
& Jeff Beck share the stage of the Pavilion at Nautica on
8/20, where you can also have your money taken by the Sex Pistols
on 8/27, God Save The Queen.........
RECORDED MUSIC ALSO ROCKS: Since the last Agenda, here are
more of my "favorite addiction" findings: The new
Spock's Beard CD "Feel Euphoria" is good, but I miss
Neil Morse in the band...... Glenn Hughes goes retro but retains a
modern crunch on "Songs in the Key of Rock"...... The Tommy
Bolin Archives keep releasing more great discs featuring this
long-deceased but still-revered guitar hero, I recommend anything
live with Energy or the Tommy Bolin Band, at Ebbets Field, or the
After Hours jam CD...... Finally got "The Steve Howe
Album" on CD...... and also out is Trevor Rabin's
"90124", featuring pre-YES demos...... More Live Phish,
up to V.19 now, I dig it when they dig into the earlier years
(like '91)....... Kennedy turned me on to Sam Bush, the live
"Peaks of Telluride" is a great start..... Local
"cow-punk-abilly drunks made good" the Cowslingers
remind us why they get paid to play overseas on the brand new
Americana-tinted (tainted?) CD "Cowslinger Deluxe"......
HEADS UP! : Watch for "The Making of Pink Floyd's Dark
Side Of The Moon" DVD coming out this month...... Barry
White, R.I.P.......
And in closing, let us reflect on the immortal words of Spinal Tap
keyboardist Viv Savage, as he so eloquently put it - "Have a
good time.....all the time." Emphasis on
"all".
EROC'S AGENDA - 6/12/03:
HEY NOW!! Another month, another new Agenda - thought I
forgot, eh? How could I, with so much going on! First
order of biz is a big THANKS to our friends & fans in Columbus
- where we hosted over 1500 Floyd freaks at the Promowest Pavilion
on 5/31/03 (our biggest crowd there ever; we even got a mention in
Pollstar!). The weather may have moved our FREAK-OUT
indoors, but it certainly didn't dampen the spirit of '67 as WISH
got all psychedelic with the debut of "Bike" and "A
Saucerful Of Secrets", our first Columbus "Echoes"
in 2 years, and even an uber-funky version of "Brick 2"
(shades of Bb)..........
Next stop: This Saturday June 14th in downtown Massillon Ohio, for
our return to the free outdoor car show that drew 10's of
thousands last year - just check out the pictures on our photo
page and more info on the GIGS page.
We will have a limited number of posters & videos for sale at
this show, and joining us for the first time in years for this gig
is our original sound effects tech (& TieDye Harvest soundman/Aquaman
co-founder) Mike Smalley, subbing for Joe Kleon........ From cars to bikes: Our first appearance in 4
years in the Youngstown/Warren Ohio area will be on Friday June
27th, when we headline the 1st night of THUNDER VALLEY 2003 at
Yankee Lake - saddle up the Harleys!.......... Surf's Up: While
perusing the vast wasteland known as the Internet, God Bless it, I
stumbled upon an online
newspaper review of WISH YOU WERE HERE's performance of
"THE WALL" at Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania from this
past September - you never know what you're gonna find at
3:30am..........
MUSIC MUSIC & MORE MUSIC: The new Led Zeppelin CD and
DVD sets are simply incredible, go out and buy them now if
you haven't. They are historic, legendary, aurally &
visually stunning, and a great conversation piece to
boot!......... The Live Phish series continues unabated, with V.18
from '94 in Dallas just rocking, well, "SO hard",
as Tenacious D would say......... The new Steely Dan CD
"Everything Must Go" just came out this week, and while
I haven't quite fully digested it, it sure tastes damn good so
far.......... The Cleveland area has a new "musicians jam
night" on Mondays at SQUEEZEPLAY (formerly the TickTock
Tavern) at Brookpark & Pearl Rds. - hosted by our friend
(& frequent WISH YOU WERE HERE guest guitarist) Tall Tom Denk,
who also plays in the Tom Petty tribute Full
Moon Fever.......... Another good friend of ours, Myrtle,
debuts her new band this month - check her out at Shadows (in
Parma Hts) on Friday June 20th........
RANT & RAVE DEPARTMENT: Kudos to the Cleveland Free
Times on their rebirth; There's nothing like a little healthy
media competition - hopefully we'll see more local music coverage
as a result (and not just about original bands that draw 18 people
to the Grog Shop - how about the cover-band scene that still
exists in this town? I know this one successful local
tribute band that's dying to be written about).......... And a
mighty big "F.-You!" to Michael Powell, Chairman of the
FCC, for changing the meaning of "FCC" to
"Furthering Corporate Control"......... With that in
mind, I'll leave you with a line of some early lyrics of
"Sheep" - "Raving and Drooling, we fell on his neck
with a scream!" AAHHH - HAHAHAHA!!!!
EROC'S AGENDA - 5/9/03:
The Animals have been herded back home (to Flamingo
Surprise) and all we have left are the THANKS to everyone, all
700+ of you, who made the Odeon "Animals" show on 5/2/03
such a great experience! And now, as always, people
(who weren't at the show) start asking me "when are you at
the Odeon next?" - not 'til at least September, Bubba (see
previous Agenda). So that means you gotta check out our next
show, at the PromoWest Pavilion in Columbus on Saturday, May
31st. This will be a night of many firsts for us -
our first performance in their giant outdoor amphitheater, the
debut of some new Syd-era Floyd tunes, and our
very first OUTDOOR SUMMER FREAK-OUT! As the name implies,
it'll be a mindblowing phanatasamagoric psychedelic extravagonzo
of previously unknown and unforeseen..., uh,...things!
In other words, it should be a real trip and a lot of fun, so
start planning the roadtrip now, call your friends from OSU, and
tell 'em to get ready for a good old-fashioned Freak-Out!
Looking for a comprehensive reference guide of all things
Floyd? One source that I recommend is "The Pink Floyd
Encyclopedia" by Vernon Fitch from Collector's Guide
Publishing. Concert dates, song info, people, places, &
even deciphered sound effects - it's all there, and very readable
for an encyclopedia.......The motherlode of live material from Led
Zeppelin will be released on May 27th, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs of
different unreleased concerts, jams, and TV appearances - I'm
getting goosebumps just trying to comprehend it all (can you tell
who my favorite band is? Sorry, Rog!)........Cleveland
bluesmaster Walkin' Cane (aka
Austin Charanghat) has a new solo release, "706 Union
Ave" that is chilling in it's rawness & emotions - if you
get a chance, check out him & his hot band playing around
town, I highly recommend it........The Allman Brothers Band will
be "Hittin' the Note" at TowerCity Amphitheatre (TCA) on
July 2, look for me grooving there........Also grooving is the new
Trey Anastasio live set "Plasma", complete with a tune
recorded last summer at TCA (listen closely, you'll hear me
cheering on that one).......Not to be outdone, fellow Phish-erman
Mike Gordon duets with guitarist Leo Kottke on "Clone" -
a charmingly delightful, mainly acoustic CD.........Switching
groove gears here, drummer Dennis Chambers, of Steely Dan,
Santana, Niacin, and so many others, presides over a stellar cast
of jazz & fusion cats on his solo disc
"Outbreak".........Which provides a nice segue to the
heavier, progressive fusion/metal of keyboardist Derek Sherinian -
his outstanding new CD "Black Utopia" gets my vote as
the best progressive release of 2003 so far, with help from Steve
Lukather, Simon Phillips, Yngwie, Al DiMeola, & Billy Sheehan
- this one smokes in more ways than one!........Blast From the Past Dept.: I just recently
discovered the music of '70's English prog-rockers Gentle Giant, a
mix of old Genesis & medievel influences with complex vocal
& musical arrangements - their live set "Playing the
Fool" ia a great start........and of course, I can't forget
to mention Frank Zappa - the live "You Can't Do That On Stage
Anymore" series is yet another way to explore the wonderful
world of Zappa - wild, whacky stuff, indeed!.......
One more thing I need to RANT & RAVE about: As I type
this, the hostage/gunman crisis at Case Western University in
Cleveland is unfolding, and I gotta say this (with respect to the
victims of this situation) - nothing pisses me off more than the useless
inane banter of the local TV news media "talking heads"
- their incessant vamping & presentation of NOTHINGNESS under
the guise of "news and information" is insufferable and
inexcuseable to anyone of normal human intelligence, thought, and
emotion. And don't get me started about the Corporate
control of radio - that's a whole 'nother Agenda!.........Okay,
now that I've vented a bit, time to get outta the house and go see
some live music - nothing better to help exorcise more of those
demons, eh? SEE YA AT THE NEXT SHOW!!!!!!
EROC'S AGENDA - 5/1/03:
On this, the Odeon eve, I say to you: Friday's show
at the Odeon will be our last appearance there (and probably the
Cleveland area in general) until at least September.
So if you're waffling, or you're not planning on coming
down, I would seriously re-think that position - now is as good a
time as any for a Floyd fix, done WISH YOU WERE HERE-style, at our
home venue! And this IS one of our most-requested
theme shows, something we haven't done in almost 2 years, Pink
Floyd's classic ANIMALS in it's entirety. We got
plenty o' Pigs and Sheep, some On the Wing, and some Dogs to keep
'em in line. And of course a killer set of assorted
classics, from Syd to the stadium era, including something a
little Obscured. (By Clouds, that is...) Wake up Grandma and
grab the kids (it is an all-ages show), this is truly AN
EVENT not to be missed if you live in the Cleveland area - 'Nuff
said!
We're also real excited about our next gig in Columbus, on
Saturday May 31 at the PromoWest Pavilion - this will be our first
show on their great outdoor stage. The weather will
be warming up, so we decided to take a page from the Pink Floyd
handbook and make it the first annual OUTDOOR SUMMER
FREAK-OUT! Needless to say, there are all kinds
of opportunities to have a good time at this event, and there will
be more info on the direction this show will take, in my next
AGENDA, after the din of the Odeon show has died down. See
ya Friday at the Odeon! Oink Oink, Woof Woof, Baaaah!
EROC'S AGENDA - 3/10/03:
I always love saying this: THANK YOU CLEVELAND for
yet another sold-out Odeon show! We had a great time
celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Dark Side Of The Moon with
1000 of our friends, including Myrtle, Bonnie, Billy & Tom
(thanks for the pre-show Jagers - it's all your fault), Sandy
(Happy Birthday), Paula Balish & Chris V from WNCX and the
92.3Xtreme gang (thanks for the cookies, Paula), Jerry from the
Ohio Cannabis Society back at the vending booth, and the staff of
the Odeon. So now I have to start thinking about what to do
for our next show in Cleveland this summer - anyone up for
some Wall building, perhaps? Hmmm.....
If you've been following the band for awhile, you may have noticed
that we rarely release video or audio of our shows, but right now
we have a very limited number of videos of our 12/20/02
"Unplugged & Electric" Odeon show for sale.
It's over 3 hours long, one camera pro-shot with soundboard audio,
and if you were there that night, with our special guests &
the cool vibe of it all, well then you know how magical it was -
for more info, email us..........Check
out our GIGS page for some of my other
bands' upcoming gigs, as well as the latest info on WISH YOU WERE
HERE's April show at KSU's Springfest and our return to Columbus
in May..........I know I've been slacking lately with posting
recent gig photos on the site, it's just that our "staff
photographer" Joe Kleon
always takes so many great photos, and it's hard to choose from
the literally hundreds of pics he shoots at each
show!.........
CD SHOPPING: The highly anticipated new Allman Brothers
disc, "Hittin' the Note," comes out March 18th, the new
Steely Dan in May, Pink Floyd's "Live At Pompeii" on DVD
sometime this year, and a motherlode of live Led Zeppelin
on both CD and DVD at the end of May.........Fans of prog rock
& Dream Theater will enjoy OSI - "Office Of Strategic
Influence" featuring Kevin Moore & Mike Portnoy.......Trevor
Rabin's "Live In LA" documents the 1989 solo tour of the
ex-YES guitarist.......Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Live at Montreux
1982 & 1985" is a smokin' collection of classic Stevie
Ray jams.......The Funky Meters kick out the Bayou funk on "Fiyo
At The Fillmore"..........Frank Zappa - buy
anything!........Glenn Hughes & Joe Lynn Turner of Deep Purple
& Rainbow fame team up on HTP's "Live In
Tokyo".........and the classic MK2 lineup of Deep Purple tear
it up on "Live in Denmark '72"..........DVD
SHOPPING: More Deep Purple (where do you think I got those
Ritchie Blackmore stage moves...) is now available with
"California Jam," one of their most explosive
performances from '74..........My most-watched new DVD is from a
'94 German TV show of guitar god Steve Lukather & Los
Lobotomys, "In Concert"..........I must give some
non-compensated/free plugs to My Generation in Westlake OH, and Buccaneer
Records, 2 great sources for music like this.........If you
don't get VH1 Classic, call your cable company, as they say - it's
cool to see Pink Floyd videos on TV, amongst others...........
Spring is just around the corner, hard to believe, so try to stay
warm for now - see ya at the Braumeister. (Hey Kennedy,
where's the Aventinus?)
EROC'S AGENDA - 2/7/03:
Time for me to Rant & Rave: An Editorial.
The month of March is the 30th Anniversary of the release of one
of the greatest rock albums of all time, Dark Side of the
Moon. (We will be performing that album in it's entirety on
March 8th at the Odeon in Cleveland.) Sometime in the
mid-1990's, someone with way too much time on their hands (and a
good buzz) noticed all kinds of trippy correlations &
coincidences when you played the movie "The Wizard of
Oz" along with Dark Side of the Moon (called
synchronicity). However, for it to really work, the music
& film must start together at a precise moment. If
you've never heard of this before, there are other websites out
there that are devoted to this, & I'm sure you can even find
copies of this synchronicity on ebay. I saw it at one
of those laser shows, as the laser company was looking for
anything extra to supplement the cheesy laser line drawings of a
guy running while "Run Like Hell" blasted thru a
distorted PA. The synchronicity was amusing, I admit there
are some funny & tripped-out coincidences. However,
that's exactly what it is, a coincidence.
WISH YOU WERE HERE, as a live performing band, had fun with this
whole thing back on 7/11/97, when we did a Wizard of Oz-themed
show, complete with our very own live Dorothy, looking for Aunty
Em & finding a "mind-altering" experience
instead. People have often asked me (and still do) about
performing the synchronicity live, and I'll tell 'em all the same
thing to this very day: It is IMPOSSIBLE to synchronize a
live performance of the album to the movie, without using a
pre-recorded "click track" and a SMPTE time code (a
high-tech method of synching music & film), which is the only
way to ensure that everything is synched up perfectly (thus
creating all the moments of synch that are so cool), and would
thus reduce any human musician onstage to a robot, defeating the
whole purpose of playing it live in the first place! And I
don't believe that any of the Pink Floyd tribute bands out
there are going to this extreme. So, any band that
says they are doing this synchronicity are only using it as an
advertising GIMMICK, because once they start playing live, the
synch between them & the movie will soon "get off
track", so what's the point of doing it at all then?
"DARK SIDE OF THE MOON" IS GREAT, performed live, all
by itself - IT DOES NOT NEED "THE WIZARD OF OZ" to make
it any better or cooler than it already is.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. It just
doesn't make sense to do it live.
Okay, I'm finished ranting & raving - I'm gonna go watch the
Weather Channel while listening to "Obscured By
Clouds". Hey wait, that gives me an
idea......
EROC'S AGENDA - 1/7/03:
Happy New Years to all, and a big THANKS to everyone who
helped make our December Odeon show such a success: the audience,
my fellow bandmates, crew, & special "unplugged"
guests, our friends & families, and to the Odeon staff - it
was truly a special, magical night, and a hell of a lotta fun,
too! We will be posting a whole page of photos from this
show very soon - in the meantime you can check out a sample at JoeKleon.com.
If you weren't there, what else can I say? Your loss - see
what happens when you miss one of our shows?? (Hahaha! Just
kidding......kinda!) So DON'T miss another one, you never
know WHAT we are gonna pull off!!!! (Am I getting brutal here, or
what? It IS a cold winter so far.....) Speaking of which, the new
year of 2003 will be a banner year for this band, we've already
got a few surprises "up our sleeve" that will surprise
and may even SHOCK some people, and all kinds of gigs in the
works, new cities, new venues, new songs....... It's actually all
very exciting. Of course, you'll get all the info here
first, so stay tuned to this site! I should probably go
"chill" now, eh? Stay warm and I'll be back with
more Agenda soon!
EROC'S AGENDA - 12/5/02:
The turkey leftovers should be just about gone by now, and
I hope "you & yours" got stuffed like mine
did! With that holiday outta the way, the time to focus on
the BIG SHOW is here - the UNPLUGGED & ELECTRIC show at the
Odeon on Friday, December 20th. To tell you the truth, I
have not been this anxious and excited about a gig in years - this
is gonna be SO COOL!!! Here's the format: The first set will
be "unplugged" with an emphasis on acoustics and vocal
arrangements, like if the Floyd were to do an unplugged
show. Also, our current lineup will be joined by special
guests on some songs, such as Marc Lee Shannon (from Michael
Stanley & The Resonators) on mandolin, and for the first time
since retiring from the group a year ago, band co-founder &
former guitarist/vocalist Jim Tigue. Percussionist Tim
Ginley will also be on board to help carry the beat, and there may
even be a surprise guest or 2, that is if we can find some room on
the stage for them! After an intermission, the second set
will be performed "electric" as usual. I'm so
psyched about this, I'm even looking forward to the practice next
week!.............You may have noticed on the GIGS
page that our next Columbus show will be at the Promowest
Pavilion on February 1st, NOT at the Newport as mentioned in
the last Agenda - however, we've worked it out so that IT WILL BE
AN ALL-AGES SHOW - please help us to spread the word,
especially on the OSU campus.............Also on the GIGS page,
you'll see that I'm now listing "other gigs and side
projects" that WISH members are involved with, including the
return of a great band that I played with from 1993-96,
HAMMERED. If you're into the heavier side of classic
70's, 80's, & new rock, then come out & get Hammered with
us!.............Looking for a great holiday gift idea? Pick
up a copy of the NORTHCOAST NOEL CD, available thru the link on
our HOME page - it features WISH YOU WERE
HERE members & other great Cleveland music artists and
benefits the Salvation Army.............
If you were at the Rush, Souvenir, Down, Peter Gabriel, and The
Other Ones concerts in Cleveland, I may have seen you (oh, and we
can't forget Peanut's All-Star Jam, too!)............It was
definitely worth the road trip to Erie PA to see NIACIN (featuring
Billy Sheehan & Dennis Chambers) -
unbelievable!............Speaking of holiday gifts, here's a cool
site that I'm shopping at, www.tshirthell.com,
and make sure you check out the "babyhell.com" section
there as well, even if it's just for a laugh - I guarantee you
will!..........
Lotsa good CDs out there to choose from as well, here's just a
sampling of what I've picked up in the last month:
Progressive rock fans will enjoy RYO OKUMOTO's Coming Through
(plus anything by SPOCK'S BEARD and TRANSATLANTIC), PLANET
X's Moonbabies, and the new KANSAS live CD & DVD called
Device-Voice-Drum (thanks, Phil!)...... Rhino has been
re-releasing all the early CHICAGO albums, which feature great
horns and the irreplaceable Terry Kath on guitar......Chris
Cornell wails on the new AUDIOSLAVE CD......The GRATEFUL DEAD are
still alive on Go To Naussau and Dick's Picks #26........PHISH
cover "The White Album" on Live Phish V. 13 and also
"Quadrophenia" on V. 14, while their new "made in 4
days" studio CD, Round Room, comes out December 10th......And
of course there's FRANK ZAPPA - Ryko has released 3 killer 1969-72
albums, Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka, and The Grand Wazoo, in a special
"threesome" pack.......For even more great CD ideas,
read some of my past Agendas below - would I steer you
wrong?.......And of course there's always the gift of PINK FLOYD
music - turn on a "newbie" to the classics, search out
some of the more "Obscured" CDs for the initiated, and
satiate even the most ardent fanatic with the new DAVID GILMOUR -
In Concert DVD........Oh yeah, and you can also give someone a
gift of tickets to a real cool Floyd tribute band playing at the
Odeon in Cleveland on December 20th.......Hmmmm.........
HAVE A FUN & SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON - I'LL SEE YOU AT THE
SHOW!!!!!
EROC'S AGENDA - 10/29/02:
That's right, I'm back - sorry for the delay, but I have a band to
run! First item of business is a huge THANK YOU to everyone
who came to our October Cleveland & Columbus shows (over 700
in Cleveland, over 800 in Columbus), especially those who
road-tripped from parts unknown. Personally, I also want to
thank my fellow bandmates & friends who helped make my
birthday weekend even more special. It all started
with a pre-show Jager toast at the Odeon and it continued, thru
The Wall in Columbus, all the way to my Ashtabula campfire
melt-down! Special thanks go to Rick, TJ, Joe K, Joe G, Bonnie,
Myrtle, Simone & Gary, Sczvinky Lake, and of course me mum
& dad, for starting it all!
With that all outta the way, let's roll........Look for WISH YOU
WERE HERE to return to Cleveland in December for a special holiday
show, something we've never done before, I wish I could tell you
what it's about, but I just can't yet - stay tuned, it WILL
be worth it! We will also be back to Columbus in January for
an All-Ages show at the Newport Music Hall, across from the OSU
campus..........Did you notice my new Moog Theremin at the Odeon?
(that funky box with the antenna that I play with)..........Seen
quite a few good shows around town lately - Alice Cooper rocked
with a great band (including Eric Dover & Eric Singer) at TCA,
Al DiMeola strummed to a stunned (& amazed) crowd at the
Odeon, and Project/Object evoked the spirit & genius of Frank
Zappa at the Beachland Ballroom...........Band sound
tech/photographer/jack-of-all-trades Joe
Kleon has been working at gigs & in the studio with UFO
bassist Pete Way, engineering & mixing his next CD, recorded
live in Cleveland earlier this month (another cool
show)..........See ya at RUSH on November 4th at the Gund..........The
STANLEY/SHANNON PROJECT (featuring Michael Stanley, myself, and
others playing blues, roots rock, standards, and anything else except
MSB tunes) will be at the Savannah in Westlake on Friday,
November 15th.........A great Cleveland Classic/Progressive Rock
band from the 70's-80's, SOUVENIR, will be reuniting for an Odeon
show on Saturday, November 16th.........The return of HAMMERED, my
classic hard rock/heavy metal cover band from the 90's, will take
place at the Runway on Brookpark Rd. on Saturday, November
30th..........Need a laugh, or 2, or a hundred? Check
out this link - it's a HUGE collection of links to other sites
that will keep you in stitches for hours...........
MY CD HABIT - Yes, it truly has gotten out of hand again - I've
picked up so much in the last 2 months, both new releases &
back catalog, that for brevity's sake I'll just list 'em, in no
particular order - it's up to you to wade thru it all!: Toto
- Through the Looking Glass (new-all covers!-available Nov.5th in
the U.S. on Capitol/EMI).....Jellyfish - Fan Club Box
Set.....Black Crowes - Live.....Queens of the Stone Age - Songs
for the Deaf.....Terry Bozzio & Billy Sheehan - Nine Short
Films.....Spock's Beard - Snow (Neil Morse's last)....."An
All-Star Lineup Performing the Songs of Pink Floyd" (on
Purple Pyramid Records).....Me First & the Gimme Gimme's -
Have a Ball....."Bat Head Soup" - A Tribute to Ozzy.....Derek
Trucks - Joyful Noise.....Jughead - debut.....Kansas - Always
Never the Same (w/ a symphony orchestra. Hmmm...).....Saxon -
Heavy Metal Thunder (new) and their debut album.....Dread Zeppelin
- De-jah-voodoo....."Movin' Out" - Broadway Cast
Recording (Billy Joel tunes, sung by Cleveland's own, Michael
Cavanaugh, who I used to jam with back in the
'80's...).....Joe Bonamassa - So, It's Like That.....The Doors -
Stoned Immaculate.....Tony Levin Band - Double Espresso
(live).....Don Caballero - Singles Breaking Up.....New York Dolls
- Rock 'n' Roll.....Gary Moore - Scars.....Ben Folds Five - West
54th (live) DVD.....and a few others that I've already filed and
can't remember.......And Frank Zappa - I've been on a kick lately,
so instead of stating what I've most recently procured, let me
give a quick primer on what I believe are the
"Essentials" (and I'm sure some may disagree - get your
own Agenda!) : Overnite Sensation, Apostrophe, Joe's Garage
Acts I II & III, Shut Up'n Play Yer Guitar (all 3), Zoot
Allures, Sheik Yerbouti, Lather, Man from Utopia, Freak Out!, Just
Another Band From LA, One Size Fits All, plus anything LIVE,
and...goddamn, there's just too much to list here - but that's a
start - Happy Collecting!.........
That's a wrap for now, have a Happy Halloween and as Tenacious D
say, "Shut up & listen to my orders!"
9/11/01 - A MEMORY
Last year on this day- it hardly seems like a year - WISH YOU WERE
HERE were preparing for our 9/14/01 show at The Odeon. Stunned,
admittedly freaked out, and not quite knowing whether we or anyone
else would be even thinking about playing or listening to live
music, we all decided to go thru with our scheduled practice that
evening, which then helped us to focus on our upcoming show. As
evidenced by the 600+ friends that joined us for the
emotionally-charged show that Friday night at the Odeon, we were
not alone in our belief in music as a power of release, healing,
strength, pride, and unity.
That belief will be foremost in our minds and hearts this weekend,
as we travel to and perform at I.U.P. in Pennsylvania. We thank
you, our friends, and our families, for your continued support,
your belief in us, and our shared belief in the power of music.
EROC'S AGENDA - 8/30/02:
Get out yer calendars - if October 18th and 19th aren't filled in
already, then it's time now - for our only 2 Ohio
appearances this Fall. The Friday 10/18 show at The Odeon
will be a fun night of Floyd in our hometown of Cleveland - with a
surprise theme, we hope that we can, with your help, sell out this
venue once again (for the 20-something-th time in our
history!). This will also be a warm-up gig for the next big
night (Saturday 10/19) at the Promowest Pavilion, where we will be
performing THE WALL in it's entirety, for the first time in
Columbus! It's a great venue, with lots of room to
"Breathe, Breathe in the Air," or in this case, marvel
at the Wall that we build! Ooh, ahhh.........We now have a
pro-shot video available of our performance of THE WALL from The
Odeon last March - pick it up at our October shows...........The
band is currently getting ready for our September 13th road trip
to Indiana, which is actually in Pennsylvania...........It's
already Christmas as various members of WISH YOU WERE HERE, along with other
Northeast Ohio talent, are participating in the recording of Volume
2 of NorthCoast Noel, the compilation CD released last
year that benefited the Salvation Army - more on this when the
weather changes..........Look for me at the Robert Plant/moe. and
Dream Theater concerts in Cleveland after Labor Day...........
NEW MUSIC RELEASES - The CD stores in town gotta love me, this
truly is an addiction (admittance is the 1st step, you know): I
actually got this a while ago, but it's worth it - LUTHER WRIGHT
& THE WRONGS "Rebuild the Wall" is a
country/bluegrass version of The Wall that will make you laugh,
cry, and shake your head, often within the same song - Rog &
Dave even gave it 2 thumbs up!.........."By The Way" is
the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS at their most "mature," but
don't let that scare you - this one has really grown on
me..........VIDA BLUE is Phish keyer Page McConnell's funky solo
debut (see, I told you Phish would re-form), and DEEP BANANA
BLACKOUT dish out the funk with "Release the Grease -
Live".........I just picked up WIDESPREAD PANIC's "Live
in the Classic City" but haven't really absorbed it yet,
except for checking out how they cover "Let's Get the Show On
the Road," one of my favorite tunes that I get to perform
with the song's writer, Michael Stanley (in my "other
band")..........
NEW RE-ISSUES : BLACK SABBATH's "Past Lives" is actually
a better sounding "Live at Last" re-package along with
other rare live tracks of varying quality, but if you are an Ozzy/Sab
fan, I recommend it..........DEEP PURPLE's "Who Do We Think
We Are" gets a dynamic re-issue treatment..........Unearthed
from the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vaults is "American Univ.
12/13/70," which still proves why they need Dickey Betts back
in the band..........and finally, not technically a re-issue, but
more of a re-RUSH-ing, it's "Exit...Stage Right,"
the STRING QUARTET TRIBUTE TO RUSH. Worth it just for "YYZ"
alone!..........as TENACIOUS D (with Lee) say, "That's Un
Special Thing!"
EROC'S
AGENDA - 8/14/02 :
GEDDY LEE, KURT TISCHER, EROC SOSINSKI, & ALEX
LIFESON
backstage at Polaris Amphitheater, Columbus OH
- 8/8/02
"I can't pretend a stranger / Is a long-awaited
friend" - Well, Geddy, Alex, and Neil may not, but WE can at
least pretend, eh? So that's how myself and sound fx tech Joe Kleon approached our
fleeting meeting with the Canadian super-trio RUSH on August 8th,
before their excellent show at Polaris Amphitheater in
Columbus, Ohio. While Neil Peart usually declines these
promotional events, we had the great pleasure of a brief meeting
and photos with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson - special thanks to
Bill Peters of Auburn
Records, and Joe Kleon for this coup! (You can
see Joe's pics with RUSH as well as a myriad assortment of other
cool photos at Joe's site.)
For more on RUSH, check out 2112.net..............Back
into the WISH YOU WERE HERE world, we just added an article to
this site about WISH and the FakeFest tour in May that was from
the Cleveland Free Times - see it here
or on our BIO page............. The band is
currently enjoying a well-earned break, but we will soon start
rehearsing for our special performance of THE WALL at I.U.P. in
Pennsylvania on September 13th..............Can't confirm anything
yet, but it looks like October will truly be ROCK-tober.......(What
the hell does that mean?)..............
NEW MUSIC RELEASES: Well, it's been so long since I've done
this, so some of these may not be so new anymore - but still, as
they say, "it's all good." (But who the
hell are they ?) Anyways, these are CD's that have
been in my CD player frequently in the last 3 months: THE
JELLY JAM's self-titled debut is great progressive rock with
Beatlesque vocals and psychedelic jams, and includes members of
Kings X and Dream Theater...... Speaking of progressive, JING CHI
is another "monster player" supergroup featuring Vinnie
Colaiuta, Robben Ford, and JImmy Haslip.......TREY ANASTASIO (of
the hopefully soon-to-be-reforming Phish) calls his jammin' CD his
own name......Lotsa good stuff from the Dead camp, including more
Dick's Pick's, England '72, and PHIL LESH & FRIENDS'
"There and Back Again".........Cleveland's own cow-punk-abilly
legends THE COWSLINGERS rock the house with "Coast To
Coast"........If you like MEGADETH, it is mandatory to pick
up the remixed & remastered "Killing Is My Business"
- it is now TEN TIMES more brutal.........DO NOT pick up
the re-recorded new versions of OZZY OSBOURNE's
"Blizzard" and "Diary" - it's still Randy
Rhoads, but the new rhythm tracks are LAME and the whole thing
just reaks of something foul - which reminds me of the time I
befuddled Ozzy about 5 years ago - but that's another story for
another time!.......Live Bootlegs: STONE TEMPLE PILOTS -
Louisville KY 5/1/02 - why is this one so good? Because they
opened with a perfect "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and
our drummer TJ and I were there for the ride!...........Oh yah,
one more cool new release is ROBERT PLANT's "Dreamland,"
a collection of psychedelic-bluesy-folk-jammin' covers and
originals..........
I just heard David Gilmour's "Mihalis" being played on
the Weather Channel - somebody at that network must be enjoying
nature & the weather :) ..............
Well, it's time for me to clean my Jager machine - gotta keep
those shots pure and clean, just like my thoughts......and as
Tenacious D so truthfully say, "This Is Just A Tribute!"
EROC'S
AGENDA - 7/27/02 :
CHECK
OUT THE NEW WISH YOU WERE HERE
"GIG HISTORY" ON OUR GIGS
PAGE. IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE
LISTING OF ALL OUR GIGS GOING BACK
TO 1995 - SEE WHICH ONES YOU WERE
AT!
EROC'S
AGENDA - 7/16/02 :
WELL,
AFTER AN EXTENDED BREAK FOR ROCK
& ROLL AND RELAXATION, I'M
BACK....TO SAY THANKS TO
EVERYONE WHO HAS MADE THESE LAST 3
MONTHS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EVER FOR WISH
YOU WERE HERE. TO THE REST OF
THIS VERY TALENTED BAND, OUR GREAT
CREW OF SOUND & LIGHT TECHS, OUR
FAMILIES, OUR GOOD FRIENDS BOTH IN
AND OUT OF THE BUSINESS, THE VENUE
STAFFS & PROMOTERS, AND ANYONE
ELSE WHO CARED ENOUGH TO GO OUT TO
SEE US, OR LOGGED ONTO THIS WEBSITE
(YES, THAT'S YOU).....OKAY, I
THINK THAT SHOULD COVER JUST ABOUT
EVERYBODY......FAN OR FRIEND, WE
COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU
- THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
SUPPORT. (NOW IT'S
STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A WINE COOLER
AD!)
EROC'S
TOUR DIARY - FAKEFEST : MAY 2002 :
WELL,
THE SMOKE IS STARTING TO CLEAR, AND
IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW....
WELL, ALMOST....THE SIGHTS, THE
SOUNDS, AND YES, THE SMELLS OF 6
GREAT GIGS BY A POSSE OF KILLER
TRIBUTE BANDS SET LOOSE ACROSS THE
CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOOR VENUES OF THE
MIDWEST!.... THE COLD WINDS &
SANDWICHES IN CLEVELAND.... THE HUGE
CROWD AT STAR LAKE (5800 STRONG)....
THE RAIN & HUMIDITY OF
COLUMBUS.... AND THEN IT GETS A
LITTLE BLURRY, AS WE HEADED OUT WEST
TO KANSAS CITY - LONG DRIVES & A
LATE-MINUTE FLIGHT.... THE CASINOS
& OTHER DEBAUCHERY IN ST.
LOUIS.... AND THE FINAL PARTY IN
INDY WITH OUR NEW FRIENDS IN HELL'S
BELLS, THE ATOMIC PUNKS, ZOO
STATION, & PARADISE CITY....DAMN,
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT....IF
I COULD ONLY CLEAR THE JAGER &
BBC BEER & THE PO.... ER, I MEAN
THE COBWEBS FROM MY BRAIN.... SO
STAY TUNED FOR MUCH MORE TO COME, AS
SOON AS I REMEMBER IT!..........
EROC'S TOUR DIARY: 4/27/02
-
University of Toledo. It was a dark & stormy
night....actually a cold & rainy day, so the gig was moved
indoors - into the band's hospitality room! Not enough power
for our light show, but someone said the show must go on, so we
turned lemons into lemonade (that cool, refreshing drink) and
played a spirited set of Floyd faves to an appreciative crowd of
students & fans who, like us, had "weathered the
storm." (Steph said she's "done this before"
- okay......) Our thanks go out to those in the student and
production crews who rose above it all, and to the fans that night
who made it all worthwhile - hopefully we will be back sometime
soon to put on the kind of show you deserve to see (and
hear)!!! NEXT STOP - FAKEFEST!
EROC'S AGENDA: 4/5/02 -
If this is April, that means Spring, right? So where is
it??? Hopefully soon, as our next 7 gigs are all outdoors!!
(Well, kinda....) We're getting VERY PSYCHED about the FAKEFEST
tour, and we hope to see all our fans come out en masse and
enjoy a long night of great music - have you seen the low ticket
prices for these shows? - What a DEAL!........I've been listening
to Pink Floyd's OBSCURED BY CLOUDS a lot lately - if you don't
have this disc, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is the soundtrack
to the 1972 French film "La Vallee" and was written AND
recorded in 2 one-week sessions, in between tours and during a
break from the "Dark Side of the Moon" sessions -
incredible! You may see a song from this creep into our
setlist at the U of Toledo gig later this month........Check out
this site that has great info on the current Roger Waters tour, www.intheflesh2002.com.........Buying
a lot of used vinyl lately - old Chicago, Utopia, B.B. King - a
fun, cheap way of exploring music without spending $15 each on
CD's, and enjoying the lost art of album graphics.......The "BeatleJam"
show at the Odeon last month was inspiring, adventurous, and just
plain FUN, unfortunately most of Cleveland missed it, as there
were only a couple hundred people there. To make up for
that, we bought Vince Welnick a double shot of Beam.........SIDE
PROJECTS: Playing bass for Michael Stanley this month at The
Tangier in Akron OH, April 12,13,19,20, and our classic rock
band O'BRIEN'S RUN will be at the Riverwood in Lakewood OH on
Friday May 3rd..........Check out extreme violinist ED
CANER's site, I'll be playing some gigs with him this
summer.........RECOMMENDED NEW MUSIC: "Thunderthief" is
the newest from ex-Zepper JOHN PAUL JONES.......From the TOMMY
BOLIN archives comes "First Time Live"..........Finally,
we received a funny email thru the website recently from someone
who thought WE WERE PINK FLOYD (not the first time this has
happened!!), requesting permission to use lyrics in a novel she
was writing. Am I insane, or isn't it obvious that, as TENACIOUS
D say, "This Is Just A Tribute" ?!?!?!?
Cool Breeze...........
TOUR DIARY: 3/25/02 -
We
braved the snowstorm on Friday evening & arrived late but
ready to party in Olean NY (Thanks to AJ's subs!), continuing our
trip to Delhi NY on Saturday to play for a great crowd at S.U.N.Y.
- thanks to Marty Greenfield, Natasha, & the student crew for
all their help - we had a great time! (Picc's Bar & the
Buena Vista will never be the same.) Sunday we trekked back
to Cleveland thru the wet snow & slush - which was wasy after
Friday's mess - the curse of winter road trips! (Got
diesel?) Next show - U of Toledo in April......
EROC'S AGENDA: 3/22/02 -
Welcome
to the Premiere Edition of EROC'S AGENDA - a regularly updated
column from the mind of Bassist/Vocalist EROC SOSINSKI. This
is my forum for spreading the "Gospel of Rock'n'Roll
according to Eroc," along with news about WISH YOU WERE HERE,
band member's side projects, PINK FLOYD, new music & CDs, and
anything else I
feel like "raving and drooling"
about! (NOTE- opinions expressed within do not necessarily
reflect those of anybody else anywhere!)
So let's get started.......As you may have noticed, we've been
working on the website (kudos to Wishmaster Jeff Zahorsky), with
new features such as a GUESTBOOK
(your forum to tell us & the world what you think about us)
and a calendar (soon to come), to show all the WISH gigs as well
as side projects that involve myself & other band
members........We will be doing more WISH road trips in the future
- hitting colleges, and then touring in May with a package of
tribute bands called FAKEFEST, playing at the larger outdoor
venues here in the Midwest - stay tuned to the GIGS
page for the latest updates........If you haven't seen the band in
a while, come & check out our newest member, SCOTT LANGSTON,
who took over for original guitarist/vocalist JIM TIGUE, who left
to pursue other interests - Good Luck JIM, and Welcome
Aboard, SCOTT!........If you're in Cleveland, check out our
classic rock side project, O'BRIEN'S RUN, at the Riverwood in
Lakewood on Saturday, March 30th.......Looking for the latest news
on PINK FLOYD-related activities? Check out these 2 great
sites, www.pinkfloyd-co.com
and www.pinkfloyds.com
for news on the Roger Waters tour dates and David Gilmour's recent
solo shows and interviews. I keep 'em bookmarked........RECOMMENDED
NEW MUSIC RELEASES : DREAM THEATER's double-disc set,
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," is yet another great
addition to the band's catalog......NIACIN blends funky drumming
with progressive bass & B3 organ on "Time
Crunch".........Saw GALACTIC in Pittsburgh - great funky New
Orleans jam-band that has a new CD, "We Love 'Em
Tonight - Live at Tipitina's," that really captures the
band's live groove, 'cept ya really gotta SEE the drummer to fully
appreciate these guys.........GOV'T MULE's "The Deep End -
Vol. 1" has been a constant presence in my player - can't
wait for Vol. 2!........
FINALLY, I must finish this Inaugural Tome by thanking all of our
fans who come to the WISH YOU WERE HERE performances - hopefully
we will get to see you soon and thanks again for all your
support!........As the Gods of Rock TENACIOUS D say, "This Is
Just A Tribute!"
3/19/02 - Thanks HIRAM COLLEGE and special thanks to RICH
& VERTICAL SOUND!.......Just finished editing the DVD/Video of
our performance of THE WALL - look for it to be available at gigs
starting in April!......Have you seen "The Osbournes" TV
show on MTV? Bloody brilliant!!!
3/12/02 - Wow, what a weekend: March 8th & 9th, 2002 -
over 1500 Floyd fans at Promowest Pavilion in Columbus, then we
performed THE WALL the next night to a sold-out ODEON crowd
in Cleveland! Thanks to everyone who came to the shows -
they were truly special to us! See ya at the FAKEFEST in
May!!!!!!
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