Hey Y’all,

You’re not going to believe this, but I’m actually trying to quit smoking.  I’ve been smoking pretty hardcore since I was about 15 years old (sorry Mom) and it’s been an integral part of my life for over a decade.  For all you smokers (or ex-smokers) reading this I’m sure you already know the tribulations of quitting, or trying to quit.   Dude, they say it’s more addictive than heroin.  Now I’ve never tried heroin, but I can see how it’s easier to slip back into something like smoking even after you‘ve quit for a while.

With some drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and even alcohol (it IS a addictive and serious drug) the consequences of using, both positive & negative are pretty immediate.  If you quit something like that you know why, and can probably recall at least one, if not a dozen, horror stories that clearly reinforce your decision.

With cigarettes it seems a little different.  The benefits, such as a nicotine high as well as an increase in your metabolic rate which helps keep off the pounds, and looking like a total badass are immediate.  The only real immediate drawbacks are that you smell like an ashtray, and nowadays you have to smoke outdoors.  Nicotine doesn’t turn you into a theiving drug-addled lunatic like so many of her sister  stimulants.

Anyway, I woke up Sunday with a little tickle in my throat.  It’s one of my least favorite things.  The combination of weather, and smoking is what does it every winter.  I hate it, and it’s bad for business.  I thought to myself, ‘What would John Wayne do besides drink a bottle of Jack Daniels and then kick somebody’s ass?‘  So I just said, ‘ya know what; F this!!’  I had one cigarette Sunday night.  Three or so Monday (because I’d been drinking & was having fun), but none yesterday or today.  I’d never seriously tried quitting before because I thought I just couldn’t do it.  It’s impossible.  It’s too addictive, and I love it too much.  Well, this is longest I’ve been without a cigarette since I was in high school, and though I’ll have cravings a few times a day, I’m loving being clean!!!  Plus I’ll save money.  A little anyway.  Nicotine gum is EXPENSIVE!!!  It’s pretty awesome though.  

Anyway, that’s just a little update.  All you smokers out there quitting is possible!!   Hallelujah!!!

Stay tuned for updates from our Christmas Euro Tour ‘08 on The Mighty Blog!!!

Cheers,
Orq

P.S. I'm not a 'smoker-hater' and I don’t mind people smoking around me.  Actually I love second hand smoke.

Hey Y’all,

What’s happening?  I had an unexpectedly cool experience the other day.  I was having a cup of coffee at Starbucks in Rice Village (I’m a total Starbucks addict!!) and there sitting at the window was none other than Tommy Chong!  I didn’t want to bother him, and apparently no one else recognized him so I left him alone while I ordered my coffee.  Mmmm…coffee.  Anyway, so I go outside so I can smoke.  I’m sitting there thinking about the episode of “That 70’s Show” I watched the night before which featured Tommy as a stoned-out PhotoMat clerk.  (Incidentally, he plays it brilliantly!)  And then I started thinking about all the Cheech and Chong  movies that I kind of remember from High School.  I thought, “Well hell, I’ll just go say a quick hi.  Not bother him or ask for anything.”  So when I go back in for my $0.54 refill I say, “Hey I’m a fan, and I hope the tour is going great!”  (He and Cheech were on tour and performing at the Verizon that evening.)  He said it was going very well, and seemed genuinely glad I’d said something.  Cool!!  Ah, but then the flood gates opened up as two people almost immediately started asking for autographs.  Ah well, bummer.  Sorry, bro.  So I think from now on I’ll just leave celebs alone.  I hate to interrupt a fella’s coffee whether he’s famous or not.  So that’s my Tommy Chong story.  Hope you like it.  Next time you see Tommy out & about maybe just leave him be.  Hope y’all are all doing well, and look forward to seeing you soon!

Cheers,
Orq  

Hey Y'all,

Ever wonder how songs get on the radio?  It's not really something one would think about I guess.  My experience with the radio is you basically flip until you find something that's tolerable (or sometimes even awesome!) then keep flipping.  I have a few stations that I rely on for music I like as I'm sure a lot of you all do as well.  But these days most folks probably just have the old iPod hooked up or satellite radio and don't even bother with terrestrial stations.  ('Terrestrial' is the new term for, ya know, regular FM radio which my friend Tom told me stands for F---ing Magic.)  Anyway, FM and XM/Sirius radio is still a viable way to promote music.  The formats have changed substantially over the last few years, but it still works.  So with this in mind we decided since the new CD is available all over the western world now, we should get in on the radio action!!  But where to begin.....?

Luckily, there are radio promotion companies that have specific information about hundreds of radio stations all over the country.  Depending on your budget and what sort of format & target market (I love terms like 'target market.' It sounds so 'proactive!!')  you're interested in you can get your new CD in the hands of potential allies who want to promote your music.  It's a pretty cool deal although logistics and budget are a big factor.  On top of costs for the information and follow-up work provided by the promo company, there is the cost of actual CDs that must be sent, as well as shipping costs, the time it takes to prepare all the packages (anywhere from 200 - 500 depending) and additional costs for other related materials, (e.g. mailers, shipping labels, bio, etc.)  This is no mean expenditure, but it's pretty much the most effective and useful tool to get your music out there. 

So Matt & I spent the better part of last Thursday evening/morning packing up goodies for all the DJs on our list (there were about 250 of 'em!)  Maybe one day we'll have some folks to do these things for us.  And maybe one day we'll all drive rocket cars & live in solid gold houses.  Either way we're pretty excited.  Once things get rolling we'll let you know how and where to request our tunes in your area.  We're really going to need your help on this one because that's the only way stations know what to keep playing. 

Ok so that's about it.  Thanks for visiting the site!!  Hope all is well, and see y'all soon.

Cheers,
Orq

Remind me never to write an entire entry on the Bravenet site again.  Mother always said write it in Word and then copy and paste!  I just wrote this long ass (and what seemed to me) very interesting blog about improvising, playing, and my new favorite guitar player, Elliot Easton, of The Cars.  Suffice it to say I lost the whole f-ing thing with one misclick of a button.  Oh well.  I'll try to recapture my enthusiasm at some point, but now is not the time.  I'm gonna go fix a potato.  Hope all is well with y'all and thanks for visiting the site.  Feel free to inquire about my theory on how Elliot Easton is one of the coolest guitarists ever, either here on the site, or in person the next time we meet.  Take care and see y'all soon.

Cheers,
Orq

Well man it's been a while since anyone blogged.  Sorry about that y'all.  Hope everyone's doing well.  We've been having a blast playing with a bunch of different folks and just haveing fun!!  Staying pretty busy and getting geared up for the international release of To The Bone.

Anyway, I've got a funny story for y'all.  It's partly funny anyway.  Well it's really more embarrassing.  And if you guessed alcohol was involved... well right you are!!  I titled this post "Sorry Todd," but really I should apologize to my sister and our friend Matt Gonzales as well.  Heheheh. 

OK so I started out playing a solo set at a benefit for our musical brother Larry Johnson at Shakespeare Pub.  Lovely time.  Had a blast.  BUnch of old friends.  Made some new ones.  Pretty ladies.  Delightful.  Started drinking my new favorite drink Dewar's on the rocks.  Did this for about four hours interspersed with the free BBQ that was provided for those of us that had maybe had a few.  Wink, nudge.  Thank goodness for that stuff.  Anyway, decided it's about time to head to the hacienda.  So get home and hooked up with my sis.  We love to hang at McElroy's Pub.  Nice place.  Great folks.  Close to home.  Perfect.  We go over there and are hanging with our dear friend and champion of immeasurable magnitude Matt Gonzales.

Cut to midnight, say.  Now I don't believe I mentioned that I started drinking around 4:30.  So there, now it's mentioned.  What's that, 7 and a half hours?  Uh, yeah.  Now back to midnight.  Still drinking.  Tequila shots with a Dewar's/Rocks back.  That's scotch on the rocks for those of you that don't have iron livers.  I'll admit it, I'm experienced.  Perhaps too much so.  My sis, Matt, me.  Dearest Sister goes to the bar to procure us another round.  Whilst at said bar she meets and invites back to our table one youngster by the name of Todd.  I think.  By this point for me things are slurry & blurry.  Although I'm still well enough composed to be a complete dick to poor Todd.  That's right believe it or not poor sweet Orq a complete and total asshole.  Now, most of the time I'm a sweetie.  But every now and then with enough booze...well, yeah.  It's douche time.  Maybe it was the scotsman in me.  Or the big brother.  Or the West Texas redneck.  Scotch & tequila?  All of the above?  You decide.  Hell I can't decide.  I can barely remember. 

So from what I recall I was giving Todd the business perhaps in subtle ways.  My sister in passing asked to see his ID which in context of the situation was completely normal.  Then I asked for it.  I took the ID and gave it a perusal.  I found out later what I said.  Here's a direct quote from me as recollected by Dearest Sister.

"Oh look, you're birthday is May first.  May day.  Gay day.  Do you like boys Todd?"  Then I proceeded to throw Todd's ID away into space.  It disappearred.  Whoops.  Uh.  Whoops?  Luckily, Matt G. (champion of immeasurable magnitude) finds the thing in about ten seconds like magic.  And Todd I think proceeds to take his leave.  Wise fellow. 

Yep so that's my embarrassing story.  It's been a while since something like that has happened.  That's why usually I don't drink for 8 hours straight.  It does things to the mind.  Crazy things!!  Anyway Todd if you're reading this please take this as my most humble apology.  I'll buy you a beer next time I see you.  You are a gentleman not to have come across the table and tore me a new one.  Also sorry to my sister and Matt G. for my turkey ways.  Hey does anyone else hear that weird almost-piano-sounding Doogie Howser song?  Nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh, nuhnuhnuh, nuh-nuh, nu,nuhnuhnuh,...nuh-nuh.

Later,

Orq

The gig at the DOUBLE DOOR INN in Charlotte on Friday night was a real pleasure...thanks a million to HOT POLITICS who had us come over and play at this great lil' place. There were lots of neat stuff to look at, and Eric Clapton had jammed there at one time. Thanks again ya'll for having us and we hope to see you again soon. The trip back was quick and uneventful for a 15 hour drive. Thanks for all the help getting back safely and for the show Saturday night.

We're excited you visited the site and there is much more to come. Thanks for all the support!

 

WS Johnny

Matt and Orq are leaving tonight for New York, and I'll meet them on Thursday for our gig at the Bitter End. Of course I'm real excited about going there again, and some nice weather this time I hope. I'll be coming back mid-week via bus from Washington DC and then I'll meet up with the guys in Charlotte, NC next Friday. This way I'll be back on Wednesday to play at LCC and set up the PA like I usually do. It will be a pretty nice week and I'm looking forward to seeing a little highway while not driving. That's a little bit longer bus ride than I would prefer however. My aunt Susan says SW airlines has flights from DC to Houston for $85 quite often, but it requires a 2-week advance purchase and we really weren't sure where we would be until this week....Oh well. We're looking forward to seeing them in Maryland and we really appreciate the chance to stay with them for a day or two. Matt and Orq will head to Raleigh, NC while I go back to Houston for a few days. What a week! We got a nice little room nearby in Jersey for the first part of the trip so I'm happy we found a good deal. Of course we haven't seen the hotel yet so I guess I should wait before I announce that. I'm just really stoked to see some more of the Big Apple and have the chance to rock out! Thanks for visiting the site and listening to our music. We hope to see you soon in your city!

 

WS Johnny

I'm pretty sure I saw a Nutra-rat Sunday evening. I was looking for some turtles and saw what appeared to be a beaver a couple of yards away. The creature swam away quickly into a strorm drainage pipe and I decided not to swim in after him but went to get a flashlight. I couldn't find it after that and was kind of disappointed. I did see a few turtles though and the Nutrarat was worth the price of admission.  I hear Nutras are good eatin'!

When I was at the beach last time I noticed that there are "water cockroaches" out in the rocks along the shore. Is it just me or do they seem not as bad as regular roaches because they're always getting wet (albeit from sticky, sandy beach water) and therefore at least a little cleaner than land roaches? I really don't like roaches. My new place had/has a mouse. I saw him once by the corner on the floor and once climbing up the wall(which is carpeted). I sealed off a lot of the cracks with foam and put all the food into plastic containers. The mouse had eaten the corners off 5 or 6 hot cocoa packets and left a spillable booby trap before eating a few bite-size (for people...a feast for him) candy bars. There were Heath bars and a few Kit-kats but I'm not sure which he enjoyed more. I had forgotten how tough rodents are. They will tear into ketchup and soy sauce packets if that's all that's around and leave little ketchup footprints, I've seen it with my own two eyes. Still better than roaches if you ask me. Thanks for visiting the site and we'll see ya'll in Baton Rouge on Thursday. We'll have a radio show that afternoon to promote so it'll be a great gig. Thanks for visiting the site and we'll see you soon!

 

WS Johnny

Another successful night at the Hideaway....thanks to you!  It was a good time, thanks everybody for coming and hanging out. Steve-o, we really appreciate the gig. Terri and Cadillac behind the bar took great care of us. The rest of the folks came by too and that was much appreciated.

I'm real excited about going to NY again week after next. Matt and Orq will drive the van up there but I'm really stoked to flying out soon after my gig Wednesday night at LCC. I'll leave Hobby with just my bass and a few essentials for the day, and get to La Guardia airport at around 2 pm. Then I'll take a bus to the subway and make my way into Manhattan, eat something, get some coffee, and find the club to meet up with the guys. It will be a real busy day and I usually stress a little about getting places on time so wish us luck! It should be a great gig and we're looking forward to it. Thanks a million to NICK DIAZ and his band for working hard to put the show together. We'll be in Long Island that Saturday as well.  More on our little mini-tour later,thanks for visiting the site and we'll see ya'll soon!

 

WS Johnny

So, the weekly Tequila Mondays are now the LAST Monday of each month for the Mighty Orq, with James Reese and his band filling out the rest of the month. We had an awesome time last night! I hope ya'll have been enjoying the James Reese project as well, and please make them feel welcome as they begin their tenure at the Big Easy.

We've been rehearsing a lot and have a few new songs waiting. I suppose work on the NEXT album will begin this fall and continue when we get back from Europe....looking forward to working with our new label, ZYX Music/Peppercake this next time!

This will be a super busy month for us and a lot of traveling. We're really looking forward to NEW YORK again in a few weeks so please check our schedule and make plans if we're in your state this month...we love traveling out and it's an inspiration for me, I love traveling. It get a little harder now that I'm older but it's nothing that a little preparation can't handle. To me it's the little things like an ocassional well-balanced meal, high-fiber cereal, aspirin, and pepto-bismol chewables that make all day on the road tolerable, and most of those items are obtainable at supermarkets so there you go.

And of course we're pumped about going back to Europe in November/December. I think we'll be back just in time for Christmas too but it's okay either way because Santa Claus/aka Kris Kringle was invented in Germany anyway.  I'll try to find something strange or amusing to write about for next time since I haven't done any burger reviews for a while. I went to the beach recently, noticed some various weirdness, and got mad at all the Seagulls that bother people who are trying to eat, so there's some material there I suppose. I moved into a new place recently and it's been keeping me real busy...it's got a big  open space so I've been building some shelves and stuff and still working on selling some old toys and clothes.

Thanks for visiting the site! Our first pressing of TO THE BONE is still available from us at shows pending the Worldwide release this Fall, so get your collector's edition today! Thanks for all the support and we'll see ya'll soon-

 

WS Johnny