Brand New Website and 2012 Is Gonna Be HUGE!

Well friends, it’s official — The Informants are BACK in action! The band is gearing up for a busy 2012. There will be new songs, new product, new merch, BIG live shows both in Colorado and throughout the US and a whole lot more. The first step is the new website, so check back often. The band is planning on recording new songs very soon and you will be able to listen and buy them through BandCamp. For now, come and see the band Saturday December 3rd at the Continental Room (formerly Teddy T’s). See ya soon!

Don’t put your dreams in someone else’s hands

Or you’ll be waiting til you’re dead.

Waiting and watching is for everyone else.  Not me.  Hoping and praying is for everyone else.  Not me. Dreaming and delaying is for everyone else.  Not me…please…let it not be me.  I’d rather be dead. kp

Liberation (Turn it up Loud!)

Goddamn right! Throw down, cause blues is mine Muthafu@#*kers!

Liberation is declaration!

Liberation is brilliant and haphazard!

Liberation is slow and decadent!

Liberation is!

MR

Ennio, Bruce, Bugs, Blues

Ok, influence comes from everywhere. I cry ever time when I hear it smash me in the face. The songs that we play have my life and soul. I let it wash over me, where it came from, theme, structure, development, instrumentation, degradation. I tend to think about things for long periods of time. I construct and obstruct. I deny and access. I permit, allow, curse, swear and taunt my band because…well, I love them.  That is my job.

I am obstinate, pedantic, controlling, and the guy that has and is writing OUR music. We make a wave because we play together. Make this our life.

Blues is the truth. Blues is the way of life. 

So…. I love music and hear is it 2nite. (rant, rant, rant), what is the blues? Cause I gotta tell ya. We go to Memphis…We play our blues. We change what is blues.

So, Italian beauty is mixed with American brutality and Polish machismo! Hmmmm…Get it! Ennio played the blues.

I had this beautiful shirt when I was in grade school. I wore it all the time. Laugh hard at the haircut, but I believed in what this shirt was. I was 4th or 5th grade. Bruce was my god…and he played the blues.

Bruce Lee played the blues with his movement, grace and savagery and smirk. The fluidity of craft. Here is about 30 seconds that just sums it up. Sling it Bad-ass!!!

Bugs Bunny. Foghorn Leghorn. Sylvester. Daffy. Elmer. Porky. Wile E. Et al. You know what I’m saying? They are John the Revelator of cartoons. There is no pantheon in man’s history that can even hold their candle. This was the perfect storm of all that is good, bad and ugly. Unmatched art. Untouchable music. Unmistakeable character. This is blues folks. Why? Because it carries tradition, emotion, and moral bankruptcy!  Oh yeah, MEL BLANC! Plus it’s really fun!  AHH, SHUT UP!

Blues. I has it. You want some too? How bout a dose of the comedic Chinese-Mexican blues. I couldn’t help it.

So what is blues?  I don’t know. What do you want it to be. All it really needs to do is speak to you. There’s no form or sense or quality or style or dignity. It just is. That is what blues is. It is.

MR

What am I gonna wear today?

So, can you tell who’s blogging now?  Yep…the girl in the band, who’s been held hostage by this question since I was 5 years old.  I can remember family portraits at 6 because of the dilema of choosing the right dress for the picture.  Should I wear the bright pink and orange striped dress or the black asian print dress with lace on the sleeves? 

Well, I’m asking myself that question right now for our show tonight.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not gonna have a fashion crisis this time, but there’s a certain amount of pressure I put on myself to “out do” the last show.  I do have another question that has haunted me for just as long, and that is why people dress so badly?  Hell, maybe people think I dress badly, and if that’s the case, then most people have no taste in fashion.  Give me chiffon, leather, satin, ruffles, slashes, latex (not all in one outfit Cher) and I’ll be satisfied…well, actually… put me on a stage to show that sh!t and then I’ll be satisfied.

Check out some of my personal favorites on video.  I won’t be pulling a Wendy O with whipped cream though.

Kerry

Live Loud & Wear A Cool Hat

It’s been a few weeks since I blogged. Sorry. I have no excuse, so I’m just gonna jump right in. I went back to Northern California a few weeks ago to visit my family. It was a great trip and it was very cool to see everyone. This trip was particularly interesting because my tattoo collection has grown quite a bit over the past year. My parents are not very rock and roll (to say the least), but I was pleasantly surprised by their lack of reaction. I guess they know that I’m way past the age of making my own decisions. It did make me think about my upbringing and how I am grateful for how I was raised.

My folks ended up doing well and my Dad was from the last American generation that did better than their parents financially. Sad, but true. Despite being comfortably middle class, they raised me to make my own way (money, etc.) and cut me off (as promised) the day that I graduated college (I am eternally grateful that they helped me out that long) and I have been making my own way ever since. Visiting the place where I grew up seems to get more interesting as time goes by. It’s strange seeing your family and friends get older. What is even stranger is seeing them become more like their parents.

I am speaking more about friends, most of whom I didn’t see on the trip, but still see what they’re up to on Facebook, through email, etc. It’s weird to me how many people either became (VERY) conservative like their parents and/or are living under the huge weight of trying to live up to the standard of living that their parents created. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, it’s just foreign to me because neither of those things have ever even been on my radar. I moved away from home at 18 and never looked back. I finished college (to the relief of my parents), got a decent software gig and started playing music. I have come to realize recently that most of the major decisions/choices in my life have been to support the music in one way or another. As long as I can keep playing music, the rest is gravy. I just don’t worry about money, retirement, etc. I really don’t care about it.

My path has always been to live out loud. It’s just who I am. I’m outgoing, I like sticking out in a crowd, I like cool clothes, I love rock & roll, I like making a lot of noise, etc. I have no interest in being a part of “normal” society, in fact just the thought of that freaks me out. I am almost the polar opposite of  my parents and yet somehow, they “get” me and love me no matter what. Even though they aren’t even that into music, they still ask about my music because they know how important it is to me. So I just want to say thanks. I also want to give them props for at least being open to listening and understanding other opinions like mine.

Now, as for my friends who freak me out with their weird conservative Facebook posts about the Tea Party, how building a “mosque” in N.Y. (or anywhere in the US for that matter) is a bad thing (whatever happened to “freedom of religion” — sorta like “whatever happened to my rock & roll”?!), etc. I can say in my true, obnoxious, living out loud way that I think you’re F*CKING crazy and that you sound like a grumpy OLD person who has given up on life and just trying to hoard money. BUT, I love you anyway. Feel free to believe whatever you want. Just don’t try to convince me that being “progressive” is a bad thing or that living like I do is wrong.

I ain’t gonna go down without a fight and I ain’t EVER gonna show my age. I’m gonna keep on ROCKIN’ until I can’t any more. That brings me to the cool hat. I’m going to see the mighty SLASH tonight and I’m psyched. The dude is still as cool (if not cooler) than he was when I was in high school. Did he give up, get conservative, wear khaki pants and golf shirts, buy a house in the ‘burbs and get a “real” job? F*CK NO. He just kept on doing what he loves — playing the guitar (and being an all-around BADA$$). And he kept wearing that cool a$$ top hat.

Rock on MOTHERF*CKERS!

Sixxx

Intellectual Property, you don’t own it.

Music is writing. Publishing and legal assholes have always been, and forever shall be wrong. A person writes music. Someone else immediately wants to own your product. Art is not ownable. I don’t believe in that value. That is a value of $ and control, something for power seekers and music/art could give a shit. I will die with nothing, because the music and creation will supercede. There is nothing legal involved, I’ll take a check or a thank you. I will die. People will either remember or forget.  If you want to come and grab, you are a loser. If that is your sum of art, kiss my ass. Kiss it again, cause it doesn’t matter to you, you want a dollar. The worth of creation is zero. The need to create is cave art. It occurs because you should. You make art to make art. Period.

I still played the little game, but not how you know.

I own my own publishing. Ain’t what you think. You don’t do it to make a buck and there is no luck involved.

 

Keeping it fresh, doing it different, no no to complacency

Not keeping your finger on your own pulse can be a dangerous thing. Just might realize you’re dead.

You can’t stay in a comfort zone or you’ll lose everything that makes you comfortable. That sh!t only lasts for a minute at the most and then what?

Stay current! Taste what’s out there! Buy new clothes! Stop looking like a dork! Listen to your kid’s music! Go eat at a new restaurant! Use a new slang word! Go to a punk club! And stop making excuses!

I watch tragedy happen constantly, it’s part of life, but it’s wicked painful when the universe drop kicks you into a reality check because you’re not going to take the reigns. Something else will take your life over and you might not like it.

Do you have to lose in order to find yourself? Probably.

Call me when you have something interesting to talk about.

The Directive

There will be a beginning and an end. Most spiritual visions tenant this. That is why my life revolves around the One Thing – Music. What color of creature doesn’t have it? What life doesn’t call out in joy and pain? All logic is punished by the One Thing! My spirit and velocity eschews the falseness of god and embraces the purity of being. It’s pretty simple really. First beat the heart. Then the cry of life. Music is the only expression of humanity: Boom, boom, boom, boom! La, la, la, la! And then you move! That is the only trinity that can possibly exist. Beat, Sing, Dance!

The gorgeousness that is music is the expression of diversity. There is no color, style or taste. Some of what moves me, you will consider trash! Some of what moves me, you will curse. Some of what moves me, you will embrace. That is why creation is. And creation is this. And this is The Directive.

Selling out is for the fool that doesn’t want to capitalize. Selling out is for the man who wants a job. Selling out is for the scared, afraid to achieve. Selling out is planning for the future! Ain’t no future. No life after life. Take it now. NOW!   DANCE THAT MOTHER FUCKIN’ SHIT AROUND!!!!

I don’t know what that was! YEAH! NO to prejudice! No to judgement! Hell’s fuckin’ yeah to people doing the One Thing! Coolness!

When I was 19 years old, I played in a band, Orkestra King Mama. I played the trumpet with 10 other musicians. We were blessed with the majesty of a show at the Fillmore with the King of Juju, King Sunny Ade. This is how you become King! Play the blues! Tell the men when to play! Shake the ass!

Smack that simple beat! Play some blues that means something. I crunched two years as a Mariachi 2nd trumpet man with one of Denver’s premier mariachi bands, Phil Marin and the Latin Fantasies.  I was Uber tall and playin! But I call up some real class. This man playin button! He is the main chingon!  Can you dig this?!

Now I welcome my brethren from the South, bands that OomPah and Oolah! BLOW DA CELLO!!!!! Texture! Beauty! Lick that Brass! Gimee! Gimee! Gimee! Sousa! Sousa! Sousa! Play that S#%#! Plump that!! Yes!

Goddam! Roll that shit home!

People ask me,  “What you sellin?” I’m telling it. My life. That is my directive. I’m selling my life. It is the beginning and the end! Play some blues m-ther-f-ckers!!!

Top Ten Things in the World that I Dig & Am Greatful for!

And people please relax… there is no way these are in order of importance, I can’t do that, they really are all #1

1. My kids (ok this is #1) they just plain ROCK!  Thanks M & M for believing in me as a person & a dad!

1.  The special gal who loves me, flaws and all

1. Music

1. Family, no mater how extended it gets

1. Good friends and knowing who they really are

1. Living in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet

1. Friends, family and associates who hold you accountable for your words, deeds and actions

1. Digital cameras (evidence machine)…LOL

1. Music

1. Art

1. Tolerance

1. The ability to change, grow and adapt and if you don’t like it; change right back to where you were

1. Sushi

1. Music that makes you cry

1. Music that makes you pump you fist in the air

1. My Mom who is retiring after almost 70 years in music with money in the bank and a wicked sence of humor!

1. Pushing yourself to believe in the impossible!

1. The wisdom that comes with year of experience, and to be able to see through the BS.

1. Laugh at yourself and realize that you may not be as charming or important as you think you are at that moment.

1. Music that put you is awe of those who created it

1. Learning to take your condition serious and make it better.

1. Taking nothing for granted….. you may lose it before you are done reading this (not heavy, just making a point)

1. Knowing how to read, learn and digest all the info that come crashing into us every day.

1. Music

OK,  just a snap shot to show you how lucky I am as an individual. I could have gone on and on and that is special

So what inspired me to do a to 10+

ok you have the little ad at the front but these are good.

Peace and love to all who intersect my path…

MM