From the studios of w m n H ninety five point three FM in downtown
Manchester, New Hampshire. You are tuned in to the best of Matt Connerton
Unleashed and on the couch we have Conrad. How do you say your last
name? Is it? Where war? Like? In Second World War War?
Conrad War from the band Bees Deluxe. How are you welcome? Very
well, thanks for having me. Yeah, yeah, we've been playing some
of your your stuff on the show. And now you're not from these parts
originally, are you? I consider myself from Brooklyn, but I'm actually from
London. Okay, Now why do you consider yourself from Brooklyn to live there
for a while. If you brought up in England, everything is easy.
You know. People go to sleep in the middle of the day. They
don't work, they don't do anything. They just crown people. Oh.
But then when you moved to America, suddenly you find you've actually got to
work and meet people and find things and do jobs. And so I moved
to Brooklyn and New York and I found it was a baptism of fire.
Yeah, so immediately it was like being in New York for six months was
like six years in university in England. Wow, it's much much harder.
So are you so the lyrics to hang Fire by the Rolling Stones, that's
actually accurate, pretty fair, Yes, I'll be down. When did you
are so? When did you come to the United States? So? I
was in New York in the early eighties. Okay, I put an ad
in the Village Voice, and I got a drummer at a bass player and
I auditioned for Hilly at CBGB's on a Monday night and he said, you
guys are all right, come back tomorrow. And then after that he says,
you guys all come back on a Wednesday. So and after six months
we worked our way up to playing on Saturday night, two sets in between
the headlining band. Oh wow. Yeah. We opened for Dogs of War,
which was the name of Living Color in those days. Oh no kidding,
Yeah, fantastic band. Oh wow. And hr from Bad Brains.
Oh wow. So we missed the early section with the Ramones and Talking Heads,
but we got in like the second wave when bands were still really interesting
but didn't quite go billboard. Okay, Oh wow, that must have been
a great time to be there. It was awesome. Wow, that's that's
amazing. Well night, we were playing with Jonathan Gregg and the Lonesome Debonairs,
and I don't know if you remember CBS, but the stage was to
the side of the walk through to the bathroom. So we're playing. Jonathan
greg and his band are all at the bar drinking. They come back.
All their guitars have gone out in the back door. Oh my god,
you had to nail things down and hold them in your hands. Yeah.
Yeah, Oh jeez, So you were there when did you say? So?
Early eighties? Early eighties? Okay. Then my girl got a job
in Boston, so I went, all right, I'll move up to Boston,
and then started all over again. Yeah, and then we had a
couple of kids and I had to stay at home make sure they didn't put
forks in the electricity, and then started up again. So I put together
Bees Deluxe here in Boston. Okay, Um, what was the what was
the band called when you were in New York? That band was called Invisible
House. What's the cool name? I like that? Now? Where does
the name bees DeLux come from? What does that mean? It's a combination
of a pub in London and an amplifier that I used to this day.
Oh no kidding. Oh cool. Well I had to come up with a
name very very fast because I was in a bar with a friend of Michael
Maurice and he said you should play here, and I went, I don't
have a band. He says, well, I'm going to book you.
What's the name of the band? Yeah, so we played the next Friday.
Oh, there you go, there you go. Yeah. I have
a friend Mike Laughlin, who used to be in a band called simply called
something because he was he was on the spot, he was he was supposed
to play somewhere and they didn't have a name for the band yet and he's
called it something and and actually stuck with it for a while. So so
listeners should be where Because I have a neighbor in Jamaica Plane who started a
band and he called it hot Dog, And I went, you an idiot.
If people go on Google and search for hot Dog, they're never gonna
find you, right, So you've got to do something that's yes, off
center, Oh yeah, oh absolutely, And and and also too, something
that you can be reasonably sure that somebody doesn't already have, right, Um,
yeah, so that makes sense. Um, I mean, did you
how quick did you have to come up with that, Like, did you
do a search online to make sure there wasn't already a band somewhere called we
were in the rehearsal studio, Yeah, the phone booking. Yeah. Yeah,
so that's it. That's great, that's great, that's very rock and
roll. Um cool sou What was what was it like, you know,
starting in the music scene in Boston in contrast to New York? Was it?
Was? It drastically different in some ways The scenes are were and still
are very different. Yeah. In New York, many of the clubs are
four bands to night, back line provided bring one hundred and fifty people or
we'll never book here again. And they're like sausage factories. Yeah, they
just churn you in and churn you out yea. And some are better than
others. Some have actual people who care about music. Boston, we tend
to play gigs where we played for three hours. So we're playing in a
room where the management and the bartenders like us. They'll tell their friends and
once the customers have seen us, once they come back for the next one.
Yeah, you know. So we play anywhere from dive bars like Vincent's
in Worcester. I mean if there's forty five people in there, it's packed.
Yeah, Yeah, it's great dive bar. And then we'll play Boston
City Winery Haymarket Lounge where they're very tony, you know when they serve meals
and people sit down. Yeah, So there's a range, but we'd like
to play it on our own, because that's that's why you want to play.
Is you want to play as much as possible. So you'll do a
three hour Yeah, take a break in the middle and run out for a
cigarette or something. But if you're only playing for forty minutes, you've barely
got the plane off the ground, right, right, m You've got obviously
you've got a lot of originals, and we've been playing some of them today,
but you also have quite a few covers, I would imagine, right.
So our philosophy is to play covers that aren't played by everybody else,
Yeah, and reverse engineer them so they're different. Okay, So we'll take
a song like Damn Your Eyes by Edna James, and we'll play it in
a different key and a different tempo and a different field, and then move
get rid of one chorus and put a break in there instead. Oh,
and then and then stretch. So a lot of what we do is improvisational.
We don't really know where we're going to go until we've hit it.
Yeah, do you do you run into it where someone will Has anyone ever
come up here and said, hey, I really like that song, a
certain song and they assumed it was one of yours, but it was actually
a song that you There was a cover that you took in reverse engineered exactly
that we played the two hours at the House of Blues when it was at
Harvard Square and Cambridge. Yeah, and the couple came up to me at
the end and he said, you guys are really good. You should play
some covers and we've been playing easy tup Jimmy Hendrix edit, James Freddie King,
Albert Kane, you know. And they liked the tunes. Yeah,
but they didn't know that they'd heard them before. That's funny, Yeah,
yeah, because you know, subconsciously they there's something in the you know,
in the backs of their minds that's going to connect with that because they have
heard it before, but they don't know what it is because they don't recognize
it. That's interesting, that's really cool. Um our friend DJ Steve is
in the chat room. Rondo Favero says, Living Color excellent band. Yeah,
yeah, that's cool. You said we were they called Dogs of War
before they were living that was the sort of a hidden name. Oh okay,
you know, like Wind the Stones played their Morgan's Cove. I don't
know what they called themselves, but they played to fifty people there. Yeah.
Yeah, you said you live in Jamaica plane. Yeah, you ever
played the Midway Cafe? Yes, as much as possible really, ye.
Yeah. And they've opened up. They've got the room next door as well.
So now now there's a horseshoe bone. You can get behind it and
in front of it. Oh okay. They got double the space than when
I used to play in a long, long time ago. Oh okay,
I used to do back when I did a lot of promoting. I used
to do shows. They're like for a while, it was like once a
month at the Midway, but it was but they didn't have that other space,
so it was small. It was cool. It was a lot of
fun. Yeah, it's still going strong. It was a long time ago.
It's probably not even the same same owners now, but I think it's
Jay Balona and Dave quit. They were two brothers. Oh, I'll be
damn. So Dave is still I remember Dave. Jay is the serious one
and Dave was the nut jube. He and I would go up from the
roof and throw was it cast going part? Oh my god? Yeah,
Dave is the one I would deal with there, I remember Dame. So
he's still there. No, Davis Davis vanished? But Jay is still Oh
Dave? Okay? So yeah, yeah, I don't think I ever dealt
with Jay. I don't think I ever met Jay. I think it was
all Dave Davis van What do you mean he's vanished. I haven't seen him
for a while. Oh okay, but he's not actually missing, is he?
No? But I don't think he's working that run. Oh okay,
Okay. I was afraid something had happened because I have good I have good
memories with Dave, and it sounds like you have some good memories with him
as well. Definitely, although not necessarily the best thing to be doing.
But um so, so when did you when did you uh end up in
Boston? That have been late eighties or yeah, late eighties, early nineties.
I got what happened was I got a job because my my then girlfriend
got a job as a night science fellow at MIT. She was a science
journalist. Okay, I got a job. I was in design. I
got a job, but Raychodiscus production manager. So I went to Salem every
day on Pickering Wharf and I dealt with Frank Zappa and his wife Gail,
David Bowie Yoko Ono. All the releases that we put on Raycordists were repackaged
artists who were fed up with their major labels. Yes, yes, yeah,
yeah, very familiar with Racodesk care. Oh wow, that's cool.
Yeah. How long how long did you do that? Um? I'm guessing
four or five years? Okay. I sort of quit because I got fed
up with the fact that they didn't an R or anything. Everything was recataloging.
Yeah. And the final straw for me was that there was a bank
called Gallant Drunk. Gallant Drunk were Morrissey's boyfriend and his pals, and Siah
Records convinced my boss that we should put out two albums by Gallon Drunk because
they were going to tour opening for Morrissey and we were going to sell fifty
thousand copies of each album, and that Conrad had to put them out in
five days, meaning me. Yeah. So I mean I didn't kill myself
because I'm still alive today to tell the story. Yeah, but I put
out these albums and they were horrible, very horrible. We killed us of
doing it. So I went to the bus and I go, I can't
do this anymore. You know, it's like operating on a corpse. Yeah.
I was gonna say, I've not even heard of gallant drunk, right,
be thankful? Yeah, Wow, that wasn't been a great experience.
It was. It was a lot of fun, really fast moving, and
a lot of great artists and yeah, and very nice to do things that
were good for the industry. So, for instance, we started Banned the
Box. You're probably too young to remember this, but when they switched from
vinyl to CD, everything came in twelve inch long boxes. Yes, I
do remember that. Actually, voice of cardboard printing and money. So we
started this movement called Banned the Box. Oh, and we got that kicked
out. And then I was working with Phillips du Pumpt Optical in Minneapolis,
and together with them, I invented, First of all, I invented see
through jewel cases. Kid and then I invented the green dye that we put
in Rychodisc. Okay, So when you looked at the disc, you knew
it was the Rycho Disc album because it was green, okay, lime green.
Oh wow. And as soon as we came out with the first releases
like that, you know, everybody from the country was calling me, how
did you do that? Where did you get that done? Yeah? You
know, like Geff and Ricos were mad that they hadn't come up with it.
Really, Oh wow, did you did you? Did you sell them
the technology recipe? If you're just joining us, we're talking with Conrad war
from the band Be's Deluxe. But he's also been pretty well steeped in the
music industry in other ways too. This is this This is a cool surprise
because I love talking about this stuff. So where did you go? So
after you left Rico Disc, where did you go? Then? Well,
what happened immediately after that was the Internet came out. Yeah, Raycho Disc
went under and they got picked up by Island Palm Palm Records, Ireland and
they drove it into the ground. And now it's moved to Rhino on the
West Coast and Rhino managed it as a back catalog. I don't think it's
an active label. But I went and I was designing books and magazines and
CDs and posters, and the Internet came out and the editor gave me a
little floppy disc said you'll like this, Conrad. It's something called Mosaic,
and I put it into a computer and I went, I can see the
code. This is desktop publishing, but from computer to computer. So then
I stayed awake for two weeks learning how to how to write code and how
to write director and flash. When it came out, yeah, oh wow.
So I was doing that during the day and then playing at night.
Yeah, oh no, kidding. Hum. Yeah, So you've you've lived
through all the all the changes um in and the one that's coming up now
is AI. We're all going to live through that. Yeah. Any any
predictions on that, because I know, I know some people are concerned that
musicians are going to go away. I'm not scared of that, but we
are in a point. If you remember when cars were first invented, somebody
had to walk in front of them with a red red flag. No.
Yeah, when people first had cars, I didn't know that you had to
have like a servant walk thirty feet in front of you with a red flag.
Oh wow, watch out, there's a car coming. Oh no,
I didn't know that we're at that stage with AI because when I talked to
AI like chat CHPT, I'll ask you some questions and look, I'm sorry,
my database stops two years ago. Yeah, or I'm sorry that's an
invasion of privacy. I can't tell you that, or I'm sorry, we
don't know. So it's it's early stages. My son was talking about this
with me earlier actually, and he's in favor of a lot to pass that
if you're interacted with an AI, it has to be known to you that
it's an AI. Yeah. So it is already doing good things. So,
for instance, doctors who are too much overworked with paperwork, they can
say I've diagnosed my patient with X, and they'll write to the AI engine.
They'll say, give me three different treatment plans for a patient with X
who's thirty two years old, you know, a white male, and the
AI engine will come back with three reputable treatment plans and the doctor would be
able to choose from that, and that saved them I don't know, two
hours in books. Yeah, yeah, because they can't remember all of that
stuff, but AI not only remembers it, but is learning it and teaching
itself that. Okay, are you concerned though about it going too far?
Like I mean people are. Like what my son was talking about is he's
tried to interact with some of the AIS that people are talking about. I
think there's one that's on TikTok maybe and that he found it concerning how they
could take become one side or another likes. He said he interacted with one
that was uber uber left liberal, and then there was another one that was
uber uber right conservative, and he's worried about AI in those worlds. It's
just like the Internet, it'll give you back what you put into it.
So that now there's a new class of jobs called the job is called a
prompt engineer. That's somebody who knows how to talk to AI. Okay,
there's a new job, trumpt engineer. And the point of that is the
AI itself doesn't care if you're a Republican a Democrat. Right, It's going
to answer the question pending how you ask it, So you just have to
be It's like being scared of guns. Guns are dangerous, but it is
possible to handle one without it going off. Yeah, and AI is dangerous,
but it's possible to handle it without it going off. Yeah, there
was this story I think I think it might have been a Facebook or meta
whatever you call it. Now. Did you see listen, We've talked about
it on the show. These these two AI bots or computers, they were
talking to each other. Did you know the story I'm talking about. They
were talking to each other, and they came up with their own language to
communicate with each other, and they ended up getting disconnected because people were like,
we don't know what they're saying to each other. They seem to have
their own language, and for all we know, they could be saying,
you know, let's kill all the humans and take over. So that's just
like what my parents used to say, is go upstairs, find out what
the kids are doing, and tell him to stop it. Right. Our
friend Mike Doyle is on the line him, Mike, any man, are
you doing good? How are you very good? Thanks? Jenny, nice
to hear from you. Nice here, And I apologize I just turned you
on and I heard the discussion about AI, and I didn't catch the gentleman's
name. Yeah, This is a Conrad War he's from the band Blue and
we've really been talk been talking about music and the music industry and so forth.
But we we took a little bit of a side street because h AI.
A big subject right now is how is AI already beginning to affect the
music industry? Okay, what do you think? Yeah, I apologize about
because I thought you were simply discussing AI, and I understand now you have
it, you know, with music and everything. My only question was I
heard a great discussion about a week ago, and it was about the many,
many, many positive things that can come out of AI, like you
were just like you were just mentioning about the doctor and the how many different
you know, remedies for what your ailment is, et cetera, et cetera,
and hours it could save and all this, But then they went to
the discussion about the negative part of it, and then how horrible the negative
part could be, um in in cloning people, making people guilty of crime
they didn't commit, um, you know, things like that. Um.
And it was a really good discussion that and the experts were saying that,
yeah, there's a really really dock side to it, and there's a really
good upside, which is why everybody has a little bit of trepidation right now,
is to sure, you know, we want we want the good,
but how do we stop the bad? Right right? Exactly? Yeah,
it's it's uh and it's it's a subject will be uh discussing for many years
to come. Obviously, as it continues to advance, it seems like it's
it's definitely here. It's like the moment came. You know, we've been
hearing about it for so long and now it's like, oh, it's it's
here. We've got the chat. And I know you don't like, I
don't believe you like musk. But when a guy who when a guy who
had his hand in the start of somewhat creating it, um says hey we
should pause here for a moment um, that worries me, you know what
I mean, I say, holy cop, he's worried. Sure, um,
oh yeah, there's a lot of people, a lot of people will
break note. Oh yeah, absolutely, yeah, it's something we want to
proceed with caution with certainly. Yeah, all right, well I'm sorry.
I didn't know. I didn't know he had crushed into music with it.
So here's an example, Mike. There was a record released on the streaming
networks by two artists that was created by AI and the two artists named in
it had nothing to do with it, and the record companies went ballistic because
it download. It got downloaded like half a million times in two weeks.
Yeah, and they had to shut it down. But the point was somebody
using AI had made a song that sounded like these two guys and it was
a hit. Yeah, two hip hop artists. Yeah, yeah, it's
pretty amazing. So think of it, think of the think of the lawsuits.
Well, yeah, the lawyers always win. We'll all be dead and
the lawyers will still be running around. They'll be AI lawyers probably. Yeah.
Yeah, we don't. All right, Well, good talking to you
guys, and Jenny if I don't see you, happy Happy Mother's Day.
Oh, thank you so much. That was nice. Alright, very nice.
Thanks for the call. Mike. Talking with Conrad war from the band
Bee's Deluxe and um yeah, so uh yeah, we are we are an
uncharted territory and this is so this is probably the next big the next big
transition in the music industry right like first was the Internet with Napster, and
everything, everything becoming digital and the effects that that had on the music industry
just really just changing it foundationally. This is this is the next big change
potentially right right, and it should be used creatively. So for instance,
Charlie Christian used to play guitar in an acoustic band and he had the idea
was sticking a gramophone needle into the body of his guitar like a hypo syringe.
Yeah, and that made the music come out of the l off his
gramophone and people were horrified. And then you know, the war pedal came
out and people were horrified. Ye. And then pro tools came out and
all these musicians are going, oh, it's sick. I prefer analog.
I want to be on two inch tape or the Beatles SiGe oft Pepper was
done on at a track. Why are you used in pro tools? Because
you can because you can move a beat or change its pitch this much.
And AI is going to be exactly the same thing. People are going to
be able to do things that we hadn't done before. And I've said years
ago, wouldn't it be great to have, for instance, another led Zeppelin
album when they've all passed away? Well, Hey, I will help us
do that interest. And I'm not talking about great Evan, let's just thinking
that. I was thinking the same thing. Don't we already have that?
And also you could get a movie. You could say, well, let's
have Bill Murray with Marilyn Monroe in a movie, right, because it's possible
now, right? Yeah, so you sound you sound a positive about it.
I think the technology moves forward, we have to keep up with it.
Right. My theories that um, government people and politicians don't know how
to regulate this stuff because they don't understand it. Right. If you remember
when Mark Zuckerberg was was in the Senate being at a committee meeting. I
talk about this on the show. As we're talking to him, they go,
how do you make money? Just like they don't understand anything about this.
Oh, Conrad, I've talked about that so many times on the show.
How I get I get so nervous when you know, when government tries
to interfere with technology or the Internet or anything. And I use that as
an example. Yeah. I tell people, I say, if you have
confidence in these people to actually regulate this stuff, I can I can fix
you. Uh, just go to go to YouTube and just look up either
yeah, Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey when he went and testified before a committee,
and just listen to the questions that these people ask and you begin to
realize they're they're going to be voting on things that they have no idea what
the hell even they're doing. They don't know. SAME's true Frank Zapp or
when he went to Washington. Oh what for the PMRC thing? Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, they just don't get it, right, Yeah,
yeah, that is so true. Well we are let's um, let's
play something. Well, well, we've been playing some of your music.
We'll take a break and we'll play I'll let you pick the song. This
is the album Voice of Dog. Correct. This is the current album that
Ivan fy. That's an all originals album by Basta Luxe. Yes, and
I thought it was hilarious that we would stop the album with a song called
song number nine. Ah. Yes, and it tries people mad. I
go, that's the point. Did I What did I play at the beginning
of the show. I think I played that one already. You were playing
Flat Earth Conspiracy when I came in. When you came in, yeah,
at the beginning of the show. Though, at the top of the show.
I played something at two and I think it was out. I think
it was a song number nine. Um, let's see. Probably our biggest
hit live is a song called beer. Oh Beer, all right, let's
now is this about? Is this about any any particular person? Or is
it just about beer? Both? Okay? And only took three minutes to
write. Oh really, Who's who's it about? Or can you or can
you say? Is it a political person? No, it's a romantic person.
All right? We would you rather leave it at that As far as
the explanation, I think that's enough. All right, let's give this a
listen. So this is uh, this is a track called beer and this
is from the band Bees Deluxe. We have Conrad War in studio with us.
Uh, let's give this a spin and then we'll we'll continue our discussion.
Here we go. I'll want you, but I need a beer.
I need you, but I want a beer. It's cold outside, but
I need to be. I like you, but I need to be.
I remember you that I want a bear. It's dark outside, but I
need to be. I'm meaning you, I need is I am? And
I'm all? A tart is here and I don't even that's great. That
is beer from Be's Deluxe. What a cool song. Jenny is here at
the news desk, I am yeah yeah. And on the couch we have
Conrad War from Bee's Deluxe, and uh yeah, that's that's a great song.
Um now that's you on vocals, right, and guitar and guitar.
Very good, very good. Now who else is in the band? Carol
band plays keyboards, sings vocals, and plays harmonica. Okay. Paul Joviney
is druma and Jim Gilday is the bass player and he sings as well.
Oh okay, so it's a four piece with three vocals, gotcha, gotcha?
So you take turns on the lead vocals. It's mostly me because okay,
because I'm a whack joke and we took from Maine. We go to
Rockland, Maine, and go down to Miami and Florida. We go up
and down the East coast. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. I
was looking at your your tour dates online. Actually, um at beeslocks dot
com is this site? Right? Um? Yeah, I like the website.
Who does the website? Did you do that? Yeah? Do you
build up? Yeah? I'm kind of a website nerd. So I noticed,
Uh yeah, I like the designer, like the layout and um and
you also brought Jenny and I a couple of let's see, so there's UM.
So you're you're still putting things out on CD. Yeah obviously. Uh
so you brought us uh this single Nitro Uh and it's got Industrial Espionage,
the instrumental version. I shouldn't let me put it if you put the camera
on me. I've got them right up in front of my computer. Oh.
Perfect, Yeah, cameras nobody told me. Cool. Oh, Mike
Doyle, Mike is calling us back. Hey Mike, Hey, sorry,
say you know, I hate to call more than one. I had to
say. I had it on the station. I hadn't changed, and I
was sitting at the light listening to that song. And let me tell you
that was awesome that the instrumentals in that song are off the charts. Man.
I don't want him to get too big of a head. The singing
was good, but the instrumentals were off the charts. No, right there
with you under understood the start. That was excellent. That's all I wanted
to say. Very job, it was excellent. Thanks Mike, all right,
Thanks Mike all right, very good. Yeah. I was gonna ask
him if he if it made him want to have a beer, but it
sounded like he was in a hurry. But yeah, no, that great,
great song. Yeah. So now the artwork on these is really cool.
Actually, let me put the camera back on. People watching online can
see the artwork. I want to see my gorgeous who does who does this?
Uh? The artwork on these is really cool. Well, I think
they're awesome. We do the graphics, but we commissioned the art from people
that we like. So for instance, Nitro the Green Man, he's actually
called Anxious Man, is by this wonderful artist named Wendy Brusik b Areu s
I c K. Okay. So she found us playing in Cambridge and became
a fan and we looked at her artwork and we'd begged it to do that.
So she's done the artwork for our next album, which is still being
mixed. Okay. And the other one called Wherever You Hide It is an
EP and that's a photograph by my daughter Zoe. Oh wow, Zoe took
that photograph in a sculpture park somewhere. That is very cool. I like
it, isn't that nice? Yeah? That is. Yeah, and we'll
for people listening who obviously can't see, well, we'll take pictures of these
and put them up on social media so you can see exactly what we're We'll
do that after the show so you can see what we're talking about. But
yeah, that's that's very cool, very cool. Um, Now are you
are you putting out? Um? Are you doing anything on vinyl? I
noticed vinyl is, uh, well, it never went away. But now
I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think twenty twenty two might have
been the first year where vinyl actually outsold CDs. I wrote that too.
I'm not sure I believe it really well. One reason I don't believe it
is because there's a vinyl shortage rule materials. I didn't know that. So
obviously there's a lobbyist or there's a there's a PR engine going behind it,
probably to build it up again. Yeah. So the cost per entry for
vinyl is hard because you've got to make a master, a master that you
cut, you know, so yeah, whereas a CD you can make fifty
right, right, and a cassette you can make ten, yeah, and
an E track you can't make. Yeah, cassettes. I was I was
shocked when jeez, must have been seven or eight years ago, now maybe
not that long. I was on bandcamp dot com and I realized that that
people were starting to put out cassettes again. I couldn't believe it. I
mean, you know, obviously just kind of as a novelty, I guess,
but I don't know. Maybe some people like the sound of tape hiss.
I don't know the cause. Yeah, a pencil on the tape,
just swinging it around, trying to get it thrown wind back up again.
I don't miss tapes, no, But I think I want a CD player
now, yeah, like I really think I want to have a CD player
again. Yeah, I know I have one. We actually have one here.
I think Rob as a Veto is the only one who uses it for
his show. But um, and my you know, I have a MacBook
that has a CD player on it. But um, but uh yeah,
I was amazed to see that cassettes sort of come back. And um,
I actually I used to work for a retail chain. I worked for Strawberries,
and then of course it got bought by a trans World and became fye.
But I remember, um cassettes, you know, one of the things
that's interesting, and you might agree with me, it's it's it's um interesting
to see over time what technology go away and what technologies stick around and to
try to predict it. And sometimes sometimes you know, people aren't always right.
And cassettes are an example of where I thought those were going to go
away at least five years sooner than they did, and we still had them
when I was working at that job. We had them much longer than I
thought and I thought we would have. But my theory at the time was
that it was because of the auto industry, because people still had cassette players
in their cars even though CDs had been the dominant medium for so long.
And then eventually cassettes went away, but cassettes stayed stayed around a lot longer
than I would have imagined. But well, it's immenseally portable. But the
two that you missed that went away like the dinosaurs were the mini disc Sony
Rye, which had a bubble memory so you could jug and it wouldn't skip.
Oh okay, you could record on it so you could record, you
know, speeches at college and go to sleep in them. Yeah, and
then Phillips came out with another one called digital compact cassette, which was essentially
a cassette sized DAT Oh, and that went down the toilet really fast because
they tried to gouge back more of the royalties from the artists. This is
Phillips really in Germany. Okay, So, and the artists said, no,
you can't have it. If you're going to take that much away from
me, we're not going to put our albums out on digital compact cassette.
But the idea was to have a cassette that had CD quality sound on it.
Okay, Um was that? Did that ever make it to the United
States? I had to make those damn things that rychould be no kidding,
yeah, because I don't even remember those. I remember the mini discs I
don't remember, but I don't remember those digital compact cassette that. Wow,
that burnt inflames really fast. Yeah yeah, huh interesting. I mean I
remember the old DAT recorders. Yeah, those were great because I remember you
could bring those to a concert and record and the quality would be amazing.
Right. But but indexing on that stuff, you know, oh yeah,
it was just it was for engineers, not people. Yeah yeah, yeah,
yeah, but yeah, and the other technology too that went away quickly.
From what I can recall is because we actually had these when I first
started at Strawberries, we had these, but it was it was at the
tail end, was laser discs. Oh yeah, you know, so you
got this this movie basically on Yeah. Yeah, they were huge, and
it was like it was cumbersome. And then you know, of course,
as soon as CDs, I mean, as soon as I DVDs rather started
coming out, laser discs went away pretty quickly. But I remember if people
would come in wanting to order them, and they would take forever to get
them, you know. And do you have little libraries on the street here
in Manchester. I don't know if any of them they maybe want in Manchester,
but they do have them around. So they're all over in Jamaica.
Plane And when I opened them up full of DVDs, Oh yeah, you're
talking about them up on the street and you put a book, can take
a book out? Yeah yeah. And in my neighborhood, people are getting
rid of the DVDs because of the streaming industry, because the Netflix and an
Apple and everything like that. Yeah. Yeah, Um, that's another thing
that's been in the news lately. Too, because of the writer's strike,
and you know these writers, uh, you know, streaming has really changed
a technology. It's as change as everything. Streaming has really changed the way
a lot of them get paid and so forth. Yeah, get ready to
be flooded with reality shows. Yeah, no, kiddy, that's what happens.
To take your clothes up, run out in the street, that's what
happens. Get a series. Yeah, so now Bees Delos. How long
is the because I assume the lineup has changed over the years, right,
because occasionally we lose and find a player. Yeah, how long has the
band existed? I mean it's been decades, right, I think we've I
think we put out something about eight years ago, the Demolition tapes. Okay,
Um, so, but is a current lineup hasn't been together for a
while? Is it pretty stable or yeah? This one three or four years
and we've we've done thousands of miles together. Yeah. So we take terms
driving, okay, And the mythology of this is that when I'm driving,
it rains. Yeah, when anybody else drives, it's fine, right,
Right, you're all pile into a van. Yeah. We we borrow either
borrow a VW bus or a Ford transit or rent a Ford transit. Yeah,
but COVID almost killed us on that. Yeah, because if you remember,
before COVID, you could rent a van for I don't know, one
hundred fifty two hundred bucks a day, do unlimited miles. So we'd be
cool. Yeah. Yeah, And then all the when COVID hit, people
like Enterprise said okay, let's sell our inventory and we'll buy it back when
it's finished. Of course when it finished, they couldn't buy the imagery back.
Ye. So now they're charging us four hundred bucks a day for a
Ford transit. Wow, so we're gonna have to do this on roller skates.
Yeah, yeah, that's a That's one of the things that I hear
the most now from from anybody who does any any level of touring. It's
so well they're actually. In fact, there's been national artists who have said,
no, we're not gonna We're not gonna tour anymore. It's gotten ut.
Steve Eis says, you weren't playing in Europe anymore? Really? Yeah,
it costs him too much money. Yeah. Yeah. The travel is
the travel, the truck, in the hotels, all the overhead is now
higher than the ticket. Yeah, and it always used to be that the
ticket price didn't get you your money back. Like when The Stones or the
Talking Heads played in New York, they would break even or lose on ticket
sales because Ron Delson would take it from them, but they would come back
into the black on T shirt sales. And I think like the Rolling Stones
played, they would make twenty five to fifty bucks ahead on merchandise, okay,
because people would go in and they'd buy the two hundred dollars leather jacket,
right right, yeah, and that's where they made their money back.
So, which is kind of unusually because you think rock and roll is in
the T shirt business, oh very much. So yeah, but they pretty
much are. And that's how indie bands survide now. Yeah. Yeah.
If you look at something like Bad Bad Hat, they when they go up
and down the country, they're selling T shirts to pay for gas and pizza.
Mmmmmm yeah, no doubt. Well, my my all time favorite band
is Kissed, and of course kiss happens to be the most heavily merchandise band
in history. You know, um, I'm not even sure. I think
the Beatles might be number two, but but kiss is the most heavily merchandise.
Then it's like, uh, you know they they actually um sold off
their publishing back before before a lot of artists were doing it back in the
Uh jeez. I think it must have been around nineteen ninety nineteen ninety one
because they cashed out on the on the publishing. Yeah. Um and uh
but you know they make you know, touring, they sell so much merch
you know, it's like, uh, that's where the money really is for
them. I have the worst example for you. Yeah. I used to
be friends with a band called the Soft Boys, which was Robin Hitchcock and
a great guitar player named Kimberly Rue. And the band split up. Robin
wanted to go solo and Kimberly started a band doing Bo Diddley songs. They
were in Greece. They got a deal. They cut a song called Walking
on Sunshine Katrina in the Waves. Yeah, that's that's Bo Diddley and Kimberly
Rue is playing. Oh no kidding. So he's in England. I'm still
slightly in touch with him. I walk into a store and I find a
toothbrush that when you press it plays walking on Sunshine. I'm going if that
isn't the lowest wow version of merchandising a rock and roll band in the universe.
I don't know what. Yeah, yeah, that song though kind of
transcends. It's a great song, you know, to be honest with you,
I never liked it, I remember, but I think part of it
was, you know, when I was a kid, you know, I
couldn't turn on MTV without seeing the video, right, like, oh you
can overexposure will kill you on anything? Yeah? Yeah, because that was
their only hit, right, Katrina on the Waves, I think, right,
I don't remember another. That's it. I don't remember another song.
Yeah, yeah, but he was great in the Soft Boys. He played
like Hendrix. Yeah, listened to the really early stuff. So like I
want to Destroy you now with when you were at Rycodisc, was there any
merchandising going on there or or because they were no. But what we did,
and I think most labels do this is we would package in a way
that the super collectors would want, okay. So we had a release called
Yektodosa, which is by Zapper, and it's called it stands for you can't
do that on stage anymore, okay. So they'd be like five double albums
in a box hand painted. Yeah, so if you bought all five,
you got the box. So that's kind of merchandising, but it's really upselling.
Yeah to persuaye. People don't just buy volumes one through two, five
volumes one through five and you get this extra that makes sense, you know.
My favorite actually was not Odgun's Flake by the Small Faces, which came
in a circular tin like a tobacco tin. Yeah, way before Public Image,
because public Image did metal tin box as well. Okay, so so
it was really about that kind of packaging. On one spooth that I came
up with was we did an album with NRBQ called Honest Dollar. Yeah.
I got a thousand dollars from the bank and I send it to the band
and I said, I want you to sign every single dollar bill and then
send them back to me, and I'm going to put them into CDs.
Oh wow, and then shuffle them and distribute them. Yeah. So if
you're an NRBQ fan and you bought one of those, you might open it
up and find a dollar bill and they're signed by the band. Oh wow.
Oh that's pretty cool. Yeah yeah, um oh, well that is
that kind of the the most unique idea that you would So who would think
of that? I mean, that's that's I assume that was your idea came
up with? That? Is that? Is that the most unique idea that
you had come up with? I had had another one that it didn't quite
take off in the way I hoped. But um I introduced Bob Mole to
my boss and he Bob really hated Virgin Records because they had nothing but session
players working for him. And the session players. You've probably met session players,
but they're very serious and they're in there to make a dollar and get
out of you. Yeah. Yeah. So he's a good songwriter and a
great guitar player, and he just didn't like that. He wanted to be
in charge. Yeah, So he agreed to sign with Rycho Discuss an original
artist, and he formed a band called Sugar and the first album he did
was Copper Blue, which is to take on police. Yeah. So I
got with Phillips dupon an optical and we made a copper CD case okay,
and printed the name of the band on the copper on the outside. Oh
wow, So and that's like a super limited edition. Yeah, oh wow,
that's pretty cool. Wow do you are now do you do? Are
you involved in the in the industry side of things now or or you just
focused on the music. I just played a guitar. Yeah, yeah,
do you miss it? No? No, no. As I said,
you know, the more you get embedded in the record industry, the more
you feel like you need a shower. Really yeah, And I suppose it's
like that in the film industry and the advertising agency and publish. Yeah.
Interesting. Um, so, I mean, was there a specific thing that
I'm so curious? I mean, was there something specific that made you feel
that way or was it just kind of over time? I got two albums
I had cost my net and people knew who I was and they would send
me demos. Yeah. I got a tape from Robbie Krieger and my bus
wouldn't put it out. Really yeah, it was just it was an instrumental
album by by Robbi Kreeger with the doors if you don't recognize oh yeah,
yeah, but it was a great album. When they wouldn't do it,
they said, we can't sell that. I go, we can sell that.
They wouldn't know. And then I got another tape from a guy whose
name I can't quite remember yet. But he was He was a student of
Bill Brazil's in San Francisco, and he was playing world music really early before
world music really existed. Yeah, and I took it to my boss,
a very nice guy named Don Rose, and he had a desks the size
of yours, this deep in CDs and dat tapes and cassettes. So because
I worked there, I could get it to the front of the pile.
Yeah, And he listened to it, and he came down the next day
and he said, Conrad, this is awesome. This is the best I've
ever heard of this genre. And I said, great, let's put it
out and he said, no, nobody's heard of him. So my heart
kind of broke because I go, Okay, so here's the record industry executive
who has the power to introduce a new act, to put out original music
and chooses not to. Yeah. And I'm guessing it's like that everywhere.
Oh I'm sure, Yeah, I'm sure. And there's um yeah, And
you know, there's so many horror stories too about you know, like bands
they signed with orsol artists or whomever, they signed with a label, and
you know, and they signed whatever however many album deal. Then they record
something and hell, maybe it's even happened to you. I don't know.
And they record an album and then the label decides not to put it out
and they shelve it for whatever reason, and then the band is like,
and they don't even own the master recordings of what they just did, and
this label says, no, we're gonna shelve this for for which could be
for any number of reasons. Yeah, I've got tracks and warehouses in London
at E M I in places, no kidding. The one that comes to
mind, knows is there's a really good guitar player in New York called Binkie
Phillips. He was in a bank called The Planets. They headlined CBS.
Okay, they were huge, and he cut an album. They were one
of the first buy racial bands too. They had had a black guy in
the band and three white guys. Yea early rock days eighties. Yeah,
And the album was phenomenal and it went to the label and Ted Templeton said,
we've got Van Halen, we don't need the Planets, and it was
just like if he if he just got the Takes their six months earlier,
Yeah, and that that just blew him up. And why wouldn't you eat?
And yeah, you've got Van Halen, But so what why don't you
want another? You know what I mean? Why don't you want to know?
Because record companies can't market the same thing twice in one month. In
the book publishing industry, it's called review driven. A book company like Double
Day will have twenty books out a month. Yeah, they'll promote one of
them, okay, so why do they put the other nineteen out? They
go just in case. Yeah, and they say those books are going to
be what's called review driven, but they're not going to push it. So
it's up to the author to go out and find a public system and get
on Good Morning America. But in the record business, it's really specific.
It's like we and do one girl singer, one boy band, one heavy
rock band, one reggae band. That's it for the next two months.
Okay. I remember watching an interview with Tori Amos talking about that shoot the
difficulties. Well, we already have a female, right, Oh, we've
already got a piano player, you know, and just what they wouldn't put
her on it's insane. Yeah, yeah, that's why. And from the
artist perspective, it's it's bad luck or good luckpending on your timing. Yeah
right, seriously, I mean when you remember if you listen to Nora Jones,
now you go it's good. But her album came out when there was
nothing like it, right, the true Yeah oh yeah, yeah, so
the critics went, this is wonderful, right, it was like a dose
of fresh air. Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. Yeah, And I
remember that too because I was working for Strawberries when when Norah Jones I hit
big, And yeah, you're right, I remember that. And of course
now we you know, we live in a time where you can, you
know, you can put things out yourself on the release of yourself online,
and it's a it's a completely different world now. I mean, record labels
still exist obviously, but um uh yeah. But it's funny too. You
know, people there's still people who think that, you know, if if
I get signed to a record label, you know, all my problems will
be solved. And yeah, I remember meeting of bands that have been signed
in Utah and they came up to New York. They go to cheap apartment
of Staten Island for ten bucks a night and they're all working this way to
send Barbucks. Yeah. Yeah, a going you signed to a major labeler
says yeah, we got no money right right? Yeah, yeah, exactly,
Yeah it is. It can be a dirty business sets for sure.
Yeah, so I can I can see why you got disillusioned with it.
Um, listen, Oh, this has been a wonderful Conrad. We learned
a lot and we went in some directions I wasn't expecting, which is always
a nice surprise. Um. You know, I love talking about the music,
but other aspects of the music industry too, is great. Um,
But we do want to make sure people know where to find you online,
your your band, uh, Bees Delos and if you have any shows coming
up in the area that you want to you know, we have listeners online
from Oliver, but any any specific shows you want us to know about anything
at all, social media, whatever you can. You can find us on
Facebook as Bees Deluxe and you can find our website best Deluxe dot com.
And our next show is a No Carver show matinee at the Porch Southern the
Southern what's it called? Porch Southern Fair and Duke Joint in Medford, Okay.
And it's a matinee Okay. And we released a video of Jamie Lee
Curtis begging us to put out a matinee show. Really yeah, I'm kidding,
yeah wow. And we're on Instagram and Twitter and Masterdon and all those
things. So she was at she was at late the Grammys or something like
that, and she was begging Bruce Springsteen to stay on matinee. She goes
to bed at seven in the evening. Yeah yeah, So we cribbed the
video and put our name in there. It's brilliant. I love it.
I love it all right, very good. On the website, of course,
is Bislux dot com. And uh, Conrad, this has been wonderful.
Thank you again so much, my friend for coming in. This is
thank thanks for having me absolutely from the studios of w m n H ninety
five point three FM in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. You are tuned in
to the best of Matt Connerton unleashed and we have a very special guest with
us. Let me bring that mic up, so Zach from Abner the second
this year. Hello, sir, Hi, how are you now? Good?
Good good? And uh he's gonna play live for us and let me
bring up them the other Uh, we're kind of gonna live sound check on
the air. Here, how's that sound, little Moriam? Perfect? Thank
you? Okay? Cool? Cool? All right? So, uh,
he's gonna play live for us. I'm gonna do some songs and then afterward
we'll we'll chat a little bit and get to know him. But this is
really cool. Uh, this is uh a very Let me put the wide
shot on there so you can see the full set up. He's got his
pedals and his viola. Am I saying that correctly? Yea? So this
is uh, this is awesome. So I will I will go ahead and
give you the floor if you want to. You can introduce the songs or
however you want to do it. And I just can't wait to hear you.
Very cool. This song is called Dover. You don't think that it's
scudding easier, but if funny thing, we would say it's cutting better.
And I wrote a song about you and learn the age old lesson. Think
of it singing tune and we harp. The co host is good for you
and just snow snow think of you, and how I wanna thank you for
teaching me the age old lesson. Think of them singing the mic and singing
tune. You don't think it's getting easier. Body funny thing we would say
it's getting better. And I wrote a song about you and learn the age
old lessons our kids singing tune. We hope the coast is good for you.
Still think of you you, let's think of it. Sing tune we
have if you're just joining us. Zach from Abner the second is here with
us in studio and he's got a whole he's got a whole set up here.
Well, we'll talk to him about it afterwards. Very interested to learn
more and how we uh we figured how we figured out how to do all
this. It's it's remarkable. Different pedals. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah,
yeah. It's very kind of you saying thank you again for having me.
I'm very very happy and I listen to your show of you now and
again it's very nice of you to a very nice of you to uh here,
very cool. Alrighty. So these next two songs they go back to
back um. They're called Fireplace and Keep Closed and they actually the opening two
songs off of the album that I have coming out called The Audrey Burns,
which is out May fifteenth. If you go to uh Instagram dot com slash
abner underscore II. There's a pre sidelink there, so make sure you do
that anyway. All right, here's a couple more. I've been running off
the fumes. Help you, and I just came wander and I thank you
less. How y'all live in before you boy, spring time boon? And
when is screening, you're all worry eating. You know she's southside for you.
I guess, face down on the bird glasses in one hand, in
your eyes in the other. It's the small comes in through a window.
The shoes said, we should keep closed. Shake the thoughts is shaving my
head in painting the ceiling with thoughts of you and I have bird existing because
it's a man. It better of meaning because it's so good. I man
it better of meaning because I had nothing works right in in your head.
You've been left out, so I bother. Let the fog rolling through a
window. The church says, you should keep close, You should keep close,
You should keep closed, You should keep close. Shait the thoughts is
shaving my head and painting the ceiling with thoughts of you and I ever existing.
He says, ah many better of meaning. He says, oh good
on that it's better meaning no hope, no hope, thank you. Wow,
beautiful, beautiful, gorgeous. You know I always enjoyed rainy days really
thinking about that. You know, as I was playing, I was like,
this is just fitting. Rainy days make me drowsy day and mondays always
get me down. Yeah, I like the sunshine. If you're just joining
us. We have Zach from Abner the Second here in studio and uh,
this is uh, this is great. Really enjoying this a lot. You
have such an incredible setup he has for for for our listeners out there is
this beautiful viola, electric viola plugged into about six different petals into an amp,
and I'm just fascinated watching him work these petals and and different switches and
dials, and it's just amazing what you're able to produce all by yourself.
It sounds like there's a lot more going on. It's just one person.
It's absolutely awesome, awesome, very kind to you to say, thank you,
absolutely, thank you again for having me. Yeah. Yeah, so
I have a I have a few more twos. Okay, yeah. My
instrument they stopped developing it in the like thirteen hundreds, so it doesn't respond
well to anything such as a room or someone breathing. Though we're doing all
the things a lot of tuning. All right, This is the title track
off of my album The Audrea Burns. The song is called The Audrea Burns.
All right, you're ruler now and you know that this is probably won't
and well the audea of losing it in the concept you're gonna quit again,
it's the forest and nicotine, a haunted house of and pheto means and they
deal your quote alone you're alone. You're alone and on your own. You
could tell me shut my poormout when I'm talking to somebody other than me.
Alone, we go to bed and most nights angry or at least an now
the version something other than I'll be you're alone alone, But I guess you
know this so well well in the eye losing sleep, in the concept you
want to leave, we don't have it, and if we did, we'd
break it again. We don't have it, and if we did, we'd
break it again. You long for a place you don't know, and the
time that doesn't exist, with thoughts that you won't grow. When you were
a salon, The Archery Burns, The Archery Burns the Archery Burns off,
the Archery Burns. All right, thank you, very cool. That's the
h So that's also the title of the album that's coming out, Yeah,
Adrea Burns. Yeah, coming out fifteenth acorded here in Manchester excellent, excellent.
Where where did you record it? I recorded it at a Blastulus studios
in Manchester, New Hampshire. Okay, yep, which was which is very
nice. Yeah, my friend Evinrma did it. Oh, very good.
Yeah. The studio tracks we've been playing sound great. Yeah, thank you
so much. Kind of you just say thank you for playing them. Absolutely.
We have a we have a name in the chart room I haven't seen
before. I wonder if it's a fan of yours. Larry Thomas. Larry
Thomas. Not familiar, No, not familiar, but I'm really terrible with
me. Well, hello, Larry faces welcome Larry. All right, if
you're just joining us, We have Zach from Abner the second here in studio.
Alrighty So, speaking of Yarmo, this next song is actually called Yarmo.
Excellent. Again, to tell you we you'll see every night for sleep.
Just speak just speak to me, just speak to me, please,
there's no shame in locking doors, blocking numbers, and none wanting more.
Your face through and this your goldears slithout, you face through something other than
Hippy's something other than happy, something other than happy, something other than happy,
something other than m Wow, it's beautiful. That was awesome, Thank
you, thank you very much. Just fascinated getting to watch you play is
just amazing. I'm just fascinated watching you strum the viola and yeah yeah,
I mean wow, are you using a pick? No? Just is the
way you were holding your fingers it almost looked like they were like a pick.
Yeah, yeah, no, just just the old the old finger,
very small hands. That doesn't reflect my masculinity, right, it's gonna gonna
clarify that. Yes, yes, strong masculine side. Oh yeah, that's
right, that's it. I have mistaken. Very cool. All right,
So I have a couple more tunes. These two go back to back as
well. Okay, yeah, so's the last two songs off the album.
It's called a Alien seven all right. This is Abner the second with us
in studio over the bridging con again, while the other it's of Toowntown Street
from When My Heart to Live. I hope the comfort don't kill what it
is that you said you believed in. I'm in the alli for you because
what else can I do? I think I'm freaking out again. But this
is my It s where I talk to myself. Mister Green, would you
ask these spidy folks? It's to leave, grow up and let them win.
It's a tale told t why he's written down and then forgot it again.
I'm sorry mom for the life about it. I'm living all right.
You some happy songs, you'll love them, but this is one. It's
where I talk to my self, this screen to side to leave. There
you go again, acting like the top of man. You know you're not
nothing set in. Just give it time and you'll be back on your knees
again and I'll love it. There you go again, acting like the top
man. You know you're not enough things said, Just give it time and
you'll be back on your knees again and they'll love it. But Sun smit
Chili, thank you, Wow wowst two songs off the album Yeah okay,
yeah, going out, try to go out with the bag. Those are
two of the Those are two of the earlier songs I wrote, you know,
and I'm not sure if either of you are news buffs or not.
But oh, yes, everybody the past couple of years spent a lot of
time inside. Yes that was you know, I was amazing, but yeah,
that was Those are those are the last two songs on the album,
but they were like the first two I wrote you know, a while ago
and went in that direction. So, oh fantastic. What you just well,
just a curiosity question what you just said. Was it during the pandemic
that you learned to do this or was this something you were already doing?
Befrior to it? Um So I play um, I play strings in a
band called A Happy Just to see you. That's like my like main project
that like I really spent a lot of time on and you know, creatively
where I try to spend a lot of time with you know, cello,
violand viola. And then um, what ended up happening was his my front
man got hit by a car and he was just kind of laid up in
bed for a year. So then I was kind of left to my own
devices, and that's when I started to kind of do this and you know,
and then it just kind of spiraled off into me you know, doing
this and then I bring what I do here into Happy just to see you
and yeah, so that's how I started to do it. Yeah, yeah,
so it's amazing, Zach. Did you want to get did you want
to have a seat and get comfortable? Yea, very cool. Yeah,
we have my back to you. Well that's okay. Yeah, well,
uh we we'll talk for a few minutes. We were actually, um,
yeah, we got about ten minutes left in the show. But I do
uh, like I said, you know, very interested in what you're doing
at such a unique project. And yeah, you can just go ahead and
here, I'll meet the mic while you while you adjust. Absolutely, and
for people that are interested, you can definitely find Abner the Second on Instagram.
That is a B N E R underscore I I and I am dropping
those links into the chat room. Excellent, excellent. Yeah, where does
the name come from? Abner the Second? Um, it's a homage to
uh uh there's a cartoon called Hey Arnold. Oh yeah, he had a
pig name Abner. I thought a pet pig was really cool. Yeah,
so then I was just gonna be Abner. And then I thought, oh,
you know Abnor the Second, you know, yeah, pet pig.
Yeah yeah, so so tell me a little bit about it. I mean
to learn to to do this. The way you're doing it is it.
Um. And I've seen other artists who looping and stuff, but I mean
it looks so somebody like me, like, I'm a simple bass player.
I you know, I used to playing the rock. Well I appreciate that,
but I mean, so to me, what you're doing looks incredibly overwhelming.
Oh yeah, it's um, it's uh. It was baby steps,
you know, to to kind of sort of learn to do everything. Yeah,
it was um for for for the album that I just did like everything
I tried to make it so I kept like the organic relationship with the instrument
and then bring kind of parts I wrote you know at home or laying in
bed or whatever it is, into in front of technology and stuff along those
lines. So it was all about kind of piecing it together. Yeah,
baby steps though, Yeah, one looper at a time. Yeah. Um.
And when you when you play out live, are you um do you
well? Do you do a lot of shows? Are you playing out a
lot? Yeah? I try to play out as much as I can.
Um. Yeah, I've had a handful of shows. Most of them have
been like basement venues. Yeah, you know their locations are. But yeah,
right, yeah, I know. But the um, yeah, it's
I try to play out, you know, as much as I can.
Um. And like ever since COVID my uh you know, for lack of
better words, like Little Black Book of like promoters and stuff to reach out
too, it's kind of dried up. Everybody kind of changed and something else.
So I'm trying to figure out who to contact for shows and stuff.
And um, the album came out later than I wanted to, so I
didn't really have a whole lot to send to promoters, gotcha. But but
I do. I do enjoy playing out live. Yeah yeah, and I
do this and I have a keys player and a drummer and stuff along those
lines that I use. Oh cool yeah, oh okay, yeah. But
it's cool that you have the option to do it by yourself if you have
to, you know. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Yeah, it's very
nice. Yeah yeah what what what? What band do you play in?
Oh? I don't play in any bands anymore. I used to. I
used to be in a million different bands. Yeah yeah bass cool though,
yeah yeah, um, And the album is out theft yeah May fifteenth,
yeah, yeah, May fifteenth. Yeah, it's gonna be out, very
excited, you know, put a lot of work into it, you know,
yeah, scheme of things. Now, is it just you on the
album or do you have other musics? No, I have I have multiple
other musicians or yeah, I have um Evan ben Wall he did some guitar
and vocals for me. He's also in the band Happy just to see you.
And then Evan Yarmo he was my you know, quasi writing partner is
the best way to describe it. You know, all the extra the bells
and the synths and all the extra instrumentation, a lot of it went to
him. Yeah. And then I had my friend Ty who's in the band
five Feet. He did drums for me at um Black Lodge Audio. I
think that's what they call you, a Black Lodge Audio candya okay, where
we recorded drums with a man named I Andrew Johnson. So yeah, now
I was happy just to see you still active as well? Oh yeah,
yeah, just to see us. Yeah, yeah, we're still kicking.
Yeah, they're both. Yeah, both are it's apples and oranges. I
hold both very close, you know, near and dear to my heart.
So yeah, and we have an album coming out too. You know,
we have a we have a call. I think somebody has a might have
a question of some feedback for you. Hello, welcome to the show.
Who's this, Hey, Maddie, It's Gary. Hey Gary. We're almost
out of time, so we gotta be playing any Hey, sweetie, what's
up? Gary? Hey? Um? The music that you were playing your
your abner too? Um? Do you play like Ashley McIsaac. Actually,
actually you know who Ashley? Oh no, no, I have no idea.
He was um. Um he plays he plays violin and he plays really
um what people would call odd things like what you do. He's very good
and I've known him when when I was younger, and his stuff is really
good, very cool and just like Jacques Lupante. Uh. He's in another
violinist and they were playing you know, they play rock music and they play
things like that. But Ashley McIsaac is very good. His aren't is um
she's um, she did another she's a violinists um who plays all over the
place and but um, Ashley McIsaac is really he's amazing awesome. Yeah,
I'll have to have to check him out. He's a Canadian. Oh,
spook him up. He's really his stuff is really really good. He had
one song. I have a couple of his CDs and it's um, good
day, how are you or whatever. It is one of the songs and
he's been playing since he was a young kid. He's probably old now,
but um, yeah, the stuff that you're playing is just like what he
plays. Nice, what he played, very cool and it's amazing. Yeah,
it's it's just really great stuff, you know, and a right,
Gret. I love I love the diversity and music like that, and I
love what people can do with um with the soma of you know, people
will say, oh, why you pay you play fiddle. It's like,
no, I don't play fiddle. I'm not a country I'm not a country
tiddler. All right. You know I'm playing. I'm playing like a like
a classical rock type what you're playing, and it's it's excellent. I enjoyed
it. Cool, cool, all right. Gary. We are short on
time, my friends, but I appreciate the call. I know you're running
out of time, Maddie. All right, Garrett, I love you both,
and I just want to tell you I'm celebrating a an anniversary one month
in my new palatial apartment here, so congratulations, I congratulate. Yeah,
I've been listening and the music is fantastic and just yeah, keep it up.
I love it all right, all right, yeah check out Ashley Kaisac
can really enjoy the stuff. So all right, than man, love you
guys, night by bye, all right, bye bye, all right,
very good. Um, before we run out of time, Zach, where
should people go online to keep up with everything that you're doing as far as
shows and the new album and every Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So Instagram
right now is kind of the main vein. I don't really have much on
Facebook, so that's just abner A, B N E R, Underscore II
and I think Jim put in the chat yes, yep, yeah, And
if you follow me there there's a pre save link. Right now, the
only link I have is for Spotify for it's a there's a little bit of
a delayed fuse with putting up tunes in the world of you know, pre
safe stuff. So hopefully i'm more presaved links later. But yeah, May
fifteenth, it'll be out, Okay, very excited, excellent, excellent.
How many songs on it? There's nine songs? Ok? You got cut?
Oh really? Yeah? Three cut cut yeah, yeah, so nine
songs, you know, yeah, which is nice. Well, why why
did you cut the three? Um? They just weren't coming together because when
it came down to recording this, it was it was very labor intensive just
recording each individual loop and yeah, trying to make stuff work, and just
three couldn't come together, you know. And I don't like long songs either,
yeah, yeah, personally I don't, and some like I cut one
that was five minutes, like yeah, noh, no kidding, I'm not
a five minute guy. Yeah, I don't like five minute guys. Yeah,
can't you five minute songs? There you go, there you go.
Well, we're really glad you came in today. Thank you so much.
Yeah, it means the world. Thank you for thank you for having me.
Yeah. No, what you do is remarkable and uh and unique and
it's uh, you know, it's uh no disrespect to any any of the
great artists that we have on obviously, but it's cool to see somebody doing
something as interesting as what you're doing. And that's very kind of you to
say yeah and and thank you. I showed up and just kind of plopped
having to d I everything right on. So you took it like a Champce,
so thank you for that. Thank you. Oh you were awesome,
Yeah, awesome, happy to be happy to do it. Very good,
very good. Well, we are just about out of time, Jenny,
did you want to plug your your website? Absolutely can always check me out
at Jencoffee dot com j E. N N C O F Fey dot com.
And I do have more writings coming out on the mining and I will
be giving an update on the national health campaign. Very good, very good.
And that's gonna do it for us for now. Zach from Abner of
the second, thank you again so much. My friend is this has been
absolutely absolutely happy to do it, and that's gonna do it for us for
now. I will talk at you all a little bit later. Bye everybody,
Bye bye Fay. Sound of the glasses in one hand, in your
eyes in the other, this is smoke comes through window side. We should
keep clothes seek the thoughts is shaving my head in painting ceiling with thoughts of
you and I everisca sis, God, damn it a heaninging. This is
so good. God damn it her a meaning nothing. We're trying in your
use in lifetimes to my bother with the rolling through window it s says,
used to keep clothes, you should keep closing, used to keep cool,
used to keep close and shouts shutting me father, and painting the ceiling without
some human dis he says god temn meaning he says so God tem n meaning
no, no, no not. From the studios of w m n H
ninety five point three FM in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, you are tuned
in to the best of Matt Connerton Unleashed and we have with us returning to
the program. Mister Shane Ballen is here. Hello, Hello, it's great
to be back. Yeah, scaded to be back. Thanks Matt. Yeah,
absolutely, it's good to see you and looking forward to hearing some tunes.
And uh yeah, me too, me too. I got a we
had a couple of guitars here, I got a little Martin here. We
just got so, I got some I got a couple of covers I wanted
to play, and but I want to play some songs off the EP that
I just put out. Oh yeah, and my good friend and producer missed
the goodbars, Timothy Thorpe Toy Box Studios in nashvill Um did a great job
helping me out with that and looking forward to working with him again. Yeah,
so excellent, excellent. Yeah, and is the So the EP is
it out now? Yeah, it takes a few days. It takes like
a week or how many days it is. But it's all set up with
on destro Kid. Excellent. Yeah, so it's out there on all the
platforms. Oh, very good, very good. Yeah, I don't know
how I guess it will be a little while. Yeah yeah, yeah,
Well congratulations on that. Thanks, and they just keep writing. You know,
I have a bunch of songs, so I have another another whole whole
EP, I would say right now, so excellent, goa just gotta work
on it. Yeah yeah, all right, Well, whenever you're ready,
I'm dying to hear whatever you're gonna play for us. Yeah. I wanted
to play a couple of the songs I was thinking about playing, um,
you know, Charlie and I want to play Daddy's Truck. I want to
play spring Pain Projection. You know. I have a new song that called
a Note that that I just wrote. Okay, somebody they can get that
in. Yeah, yeah, we have plenty of time, all right,
great and uh yeah, so I'd like to start it off here. Let's
get warmed up with little Stapleton. All right, it sounds good. I've
seen my share broken halo folded ways that used to fly. If I got
rather there, he go rocking halos and huge fly angels come down round the
heathline, came to hell bows came highway first the tea chests. They an
leave gona fine, no soul save. I've seen my share broken halo folded
away. They used to fly. He fuck where every day go broken halo
stay, used to fly, broken hands and he used to shine. Don't
go login for the reason. Don't go asking Jesus why we're not mentor now
on, he answered. They belong to the bye by, evelong to the
bye by. I've seen my share of broken halo holding ff I come by
loan, Who's that used shine? Broken? Has broken hans and to fly
well. Stapleton, Ah, it's beautiful, beautiful. I love it.
But I was gonna say, by the way, Sarah. Lorraine Prince is
in the Facebook live chat and says, excited to hear you perform the song
you wrote with my mom. All right, that's right, I think I
remember you. Uh oh and uh iris Ivas and Lamire is in the chatterman
says cool Shane Balen, all right, let's do Daddy's Truck right now.
All right, this this is the song that Sarah was talking about. Yeah,
cool, cool, all right, awesome, all right, and uh
yeah, here we go. This song is uh. I wrote with a
friend of mine passed away, Janine McGrath, and she wrote this song and
I said, spoke about it once and it reminded her of her dad when
I started playing a certain chord progression and she wrote a song about an old
Dodge truck and it had the smells, you know, reminiscence of her father.
Um, so she would keep it around and then she had to go
to the junkyard one day. And this is the story of Daddy's truck.
I can stee you smell back. Oh, when I climbed, said,
my dad struck real dream at his need. He taught me how to travel
down and hold road, lucky strikes and no spice out two smells that with
my heart. Now that a more memories in his own. Dad struck her
birth more than the morning that you pay me. If I wasn't so down
on my hands, Look right now, I can't drunk hanging on to my
daddy, unruly child and running wild. It didn't know how to thank me.
Daddy's girl, and I was his world, all his love that he
gave me. I didn't get her rights, wanting to grow up and be
free memoriason as the old time strucking worth more than money that you will if
I wasn't so down on my loved right now back trucking mind, I hang
on to my daddy as I take that gun rack down now my heart break,
who with every painful turn of the screw let me view window now has
a very clear and painful you. Please fix her up the trucker. Don't
turn my daddy to the mantle kill memories in his old datched recouverth more than
the money that you ever got, pay me memories and datch trucker with money.
M Wow, that's that's uh. Yeah, you played that last time
too. It's just amazing. Um, thank you. Our friend Ronda Ferverro
from California and the chat room says, uh, having just lost my beautiful
husband, this song is so resonating with me. Thank you. Wow,
You're welcome. I'm it helped. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry to hear
that, Ronda. Wow. Sorry absolutely. Sometimes music can bring out the
pain and make you, you know, reminisce, but in a in a
way that heals you in a sense. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And
Sarah said, thank you, Shane, You're welcome. Yeah yeah, thanks
And um Yardbird Blue Sky says hashtag Shane Balen. We say, awesome song.
Um, very nice, very nice. Um and uh oh and I
see another name in there too. I've iris of a sudden lamier who I
assume as that's my mom? Oh that's your mom? Excellent, okay,
very nice, very nice. That's good. All right, Well you want
to keep going him? Yeah? Cool cool. I'm not gonna do that
one though, I was gonna say that sounds familiar with Oh yeah, yeah,
I would like to do another cover cover though, us goes out to
my dad and uh um down in Florida. Oh yeah, so uh The
song right here is uh by Luke Holmbs. It's called even though I'm leaving?
Are you doing Dad? Love you Daddy? Am free? Won't you
stay in a little while? Look me safe because there's monsters right outside Latty,
Please don't go. I don't want to be alone. Girls. The
second that you'll God, they're gonna know and before he left, he grab
my handing say, even though I'm leaving, dom me, I won't be
right by her side when you need me and you can't save me in the
middle. Love, ex close your eyes isn't a safe prayer. It's okay.
I know you're scared when I'm not here, but a long always be
right there. Even though I'm lady, ain't nowhere, Bob balance like downing
tough the sky. I know there we're gonna be laid. I'm Sam.
Don't like the way you got a big old pain gonna take me far away.
I don't know why I acted. There's a churney in mygat because I
just can't call you out. Things differ and my daddy tuned and he grabbed
my nickins. Even though you'll leave, you don't mean I won't be had
by your side when you need me and he can't see me in the middle.
Love, and now, just close your eyes and say prayer. It's
okay, boy. I know you're scared when I'm my, but I homes
be right. Even know I'm leaving, I angle nowhere that he am afraid.
Won't you stay a little while? I never thought I had seen that
I had to say goodbye that he please don't go. I can't do this
on my old There's no way that I can want all this cruel along.
And Daddy turned and grabbed my hand on the last time. Even though I'm
may you don't mean I won't be even right by yourself when you can't see
me in the middle love and night. Just close your eyes, say a
prayer. It's okay. I know you're scared. I'm right here. Can
I'll al whisper right here even know I'm leaving. I ain't going nowhere.
It's beautiful, that's really beautiful. Thanks