http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/05/20/the-complex-7-corn-mo-of-357-lover/

Here’s an interview I did with the two guys who curate the Found Footage Festival. Note: I never use the word “gab”.
http://www.digitalcity.com/2009/05/19/found-footage-festival-creators-gab-about-touring-videos-and-more/

I’m trying to finish up the .357 Lover album so we’ll be mixing some today. Also, I’m recording a song for a documentary. I wrote it in 2 hours forgetting I was supposed to show the director something. I wrote another song last week in the same amount of time. The trend is developing from my inability to write things down on a calendar. People who can compartmentalize get a lot of stuff done. It would be nice to make brain shelves. Someday I will when my coffin includes a shadowbox with pieces of my brain. If anyone knows how to reanimate, then I can label the pieces myself.

I did an interview for .357 Lover today with Complex Magazine. I’m not good at interviews, especially phone interviews. The first question he asked was what was a deal breaker for a girl, meaning what would make me not want a girl. It caught me off guard since I was thinking he would ask about the band which he eventually did. Of all the questions, I felt like I needed to constantly re-answer that question. My first answer was she had to like Rush (the band) but that’s not true since most girls I know don’t like Rush. My second answer was David Lee Roth. She had to like David Lee Roth. But, I really don’t care if a girl likes him or not. I like him. My third answer was Mel Brooks’ movies. She had to like them. In particular, Blazing Saddles. But, again, I don’t care. That’s for my enjoyment. I left it at that. Then, I thought of the real answer but it’s really stupid to call back in order to change an answer. That’s pretty lame. But, if I did call back to change my answer it would be my dad. She has to like my dad.

I’ve been learning songs of Franz Schubert lately and decided to record some of his songs with my friend, David Fairchild. I’ve posted them on a myspace page:
Link

Here’s a video I made as an audition to make Ben Folds’ Hiroshima. I’d planned on reediting it but then my hard drive was ruined and I was stupid enough to not have backed it up. So, this is the rough version that I found in an email to Ben’s manager. I’ll make more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=midrrLQfj7w

The next full moon is not until May 19th.

However, I will be on Nightwatchers as a werewolf on Tuesday, May 6 at 10:05pm Eastern. They asked if I could “be a werewolf” for 45 minutes. I don’t know if I can but I said yes.

You can listen here.

Nightwatchers on myspace.

I may be on NightWatch tonight at 9pm CTR. This will be the first time they've had a real werewolf on the show. UPDATE RESCHEDULED FOR MAY 6TH!

I got this email yesterday.  It made my day.  I’d sent the Golden Warrior a copy of Your Favorite Hamburger is a Cheeseburger

Hey Jon,
Thanks for the CD. Hope you guys are doing well. This is my wife’s email address. I don’t do email unless it’s something special.
Keep Up The Good Work…If you don’t get a Grammy for “SHINE ON” then it’s rigged.
Your Friend,
Kevin Von Erich

Here’s some of the hair match. 

I just woke up from a dream about seeing "The Muppet Movie" with my family.  It was different from the real muppet movie.   Before the opening credits, there’s a scene where a family has a bad day at the mall and is on the top floor of a parking garage.  The dad says, “I don’t know how this day could get any worse” and a car blows up with three guys in their 20’s thrown from the car onto another car, one dangling through the sunroof.  They’re all dead of course but there is something comical in the way they landed. 

The camera focuses in on a small bottle that fell out of one of the guy’s pockets.  It says “Green Felt” on it as if it were some kind of acid.  Then, it focuses on a patch of clovers that grew on the top of the parking garage.  Then, "The Rainbow Connection" starts.

My mom says, “Let’s go,” because we were on the road and had to keep going.  I say, “Wait,"  as if something were going to happen that would make us want to stay longer and Jackie Cooper is in the next scene, driving a convertible Model T through a open field of people about to watch fireworks.  His passenger looks just like Buffy from Family Affair.

When I woke up I thought about Jim Henson’s Time Piece.

Your Favorite Hamburger is a Cheeseburger is about to be sent to the manufacturing plant. I’m very pleased with it. We decided to make it with a sleeved jacket containing one cd and the diary of a werewolf. It has 5 songs, making it an ep. The lp, Diorama of the Golden Lion, is almost finished. It has much more than 5 on it. And then after that, we plan on recording another one.

One day, I was having lunch with a fellow named Fishboy. He told me his bandmates were ready to play new material even though they had just put out a concept album. As he told them, “I don’t think I will be like Will Johnson but I definitely won’t be like Corn Mo.” I hate setting up recording time. I’m never ready. Once I am there it is great. So this year, if things go as planned there will be at least 3 releases.

old-timey camera phone

Saturday night, I went to the Lakeland Jamboree in Cadiz, Ky.

The last time I went it was a $2 or $3 cover and no beer since its a dry county. My Aunt Lilly was there along with a lot of older ladies in their 80’s. It was pretty relaxed as far as shows go. The Grand Ole Opry is relaxed, too, with people walking back and forth on stage while the guest artist is playing.

During that show, there was a guy standing in the back of the room wearing a dress stuffed with a pillow, as if he were pregnant, grinning just as big as he could. When it was his time he walked to the stage as a cd played Loretta Lynn’s “One’s on the Way”. He stood on the stage grinning, until Loretta sang, “Whoa! One’s on the way!” He would say it, too, and then stand there grinning until that line came again. The folks were rolling. It was the darndest thing.

He wasn’t there this time. It was just music. $3 cover. Soda and popcorn were $2 total. A couple of kids did “Dueling Banjos” and it was excellent. There was a minor argument on stage between the host and a guest which added some nice drama. The best part of the evening was a guy in the audience who came up to sing Merle Haggard’s “Branded Man”. I really think that guy did some time. He embraced the shit out of that song, tugging my heart a bit.

I’m going to try to go back next month. I’m glad this place exists and I’m glad these people enjoy playing for us.

Lilly’s Rocking Chair. Her stories are on.

A knock-knock joke told to me by my 3-year-old niece:

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock.
who’s there?
banana.
banana who?

knock knock
who’s there?
banana
banana who?
Shaggy ate the banana.
joke told by girl holding twig

Yesterday, Sxip, Adam, and I did a storytelling presentation at LeHigh University. It was great fun. Sxip’s an amazing storyteller. He’s into magic realism. Adam gave a history of beatbox/vocal percussion, explaining the difference between the two. I described my story writing process and gave examples of my work. It was a great group. A fellow named Mason cooked for everyone and it was very relaxed. Deborah, the sweet woman who booked us, took us to lunch at the faculty lounge. We were going to eat in the “Hogwarts” cafeteria but it was being used.

denied. I thought about that scene from Fletch.

We went to the other cafeteria and had a nice lunch with Dave, the fellow who takes care of things, and Deborah. It’s been a while since I’ve had wedding-style buffet. Good spread and good people.

Sxip and Adam

After lunch we did a masterclass for the composition department. I was a bit intimidated at first but that went away as soon as I began. I demonstrated ways of changing sounds on a grand piano, specifically making a tinny sound to mimic a ragtime piano. And then I demonstrated some songwriting methods I use.

After each of us did our presentations, we improved together. It was a lot of fun. I rarely do that anymore.

Deborah had invited us to dinner at her house, so until then Adam and I got beers at the hotel bar. He’s a brilliant fellow. He acquired a residency at Cornell through Craigslist. He beatboxes 24/7.

Deborah and her staff made us dinner and provided exotic liquors, including Unicum. Sxip loves liquor and dinner so he was in heaven. I was too but mostly because they were great, great people. Good dinner, good drinks, good folks.

On Saturday night we played to about 200 people sitting at tables on the stage of the Zoellner Arts Center’s Baker Hall. The ages ranged from 8 to 88. They loved it. They had martini glasses filled with m&m’s; wine, cheese, beer at the bar. We each did 2o-minute sets. Adam played his bike wheel that was wrapped with cassette tape and attached to a tape recorder. Sxip played his music box among other things. It was a fantastic time.

Deborah bought us dinner at the Bethlehem Hotel. Good times. I’d love to play there again.

We had a great time Sunday at the Mercury Lounge. The other bands – Seedy Ease, Drowning Girl, and Charlemagne – were fantastic. The drummer for Seedy Ease is amazing to watch. I love watching someone multi task during a song, i.e. play keyboard and drums at the same time.

Brian, Neil, and Brendan from the TMBG crew showed up and ran sound and lights for the show. I was a bit giddy seeing them behind the soundboard having fun. It was a good, good night. We rocked the show really well, trying out new songs.

The next night I played at the Hot Tub Variety show with Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal. Cracked Out and Reggie Watts did separate sets and then joined each other at the end of Reggie’s. John Oliver also did a set. He’s very, very funny. Kurt and Kristen are brilliant entertainers. Truly funny. I played a few songs on the piano. I like finishing a set and feeling like I scored a goal from the back pats of my teammates. All those fellows are fantastically good-hearted.  I got a free Duvel. It was rewarding.  Just like my life.

Well, it’s an old cd but my friend, Matt, just put it out on cdbaby so that you can hear it.  I’m not sure when it will get to itunes and such.  This is a project Matt did a long time ago and I remember I was sick the day I recorded with him.  He’s a very good song writer. Ian Bjornstadt, who plays with John Vanderslice, also sings on a track.

On another note, Corn Mo and the .357 Lover ep release Your Favorite Hamburger is a Cheeseburger is about to go to the manufacturing plant.

Saturday night we played the Rotunda, located in the middle of the University of Pennsylvania.  It’s an old building that looks like an auditorium inside.  There were plenty of bands playing including The Absinthe Drinkers, Nicki Jaine, This Ambitious Orchestra, and the Oscuro Quintet, whose songs reminded me of Evan Lurie’s first record, Selling Water by the Side of the River.  I really like that record.

It was incredibly hot inside.  I was soaked by the beginning of the set.  To the precious people who came to the show and endured the heat for through our set, I am very grateful.  I enjoyed playing to them.

I drove back to NYC jacked up on coffee and Necco wafers.  My head hit the pillow like a bowling ball dropped by my four-year-old niece.  I sleep well after shows.