What the hell just happened? And I'm not referring to the exquisitely lame republican convention. After playing a perfectly hosted house concert in Chicago (big basket in hotel room with Brunello di Montalcino inside!) that was pretty much off the chain in a killer backyard setting, and included three bands performing with a "supergroup" jam at the end of the night playing a few dada songs as well as some Who classics, I woke up a week later and found myself dazed and confused in Norfolk VA.

In between those two events was a killer X LEVITATION CULT performance at the Seattle arts festival with the strange name- Bumbershoot. It was the first XLC show for bassist Jenn Johnson who kicked ass and had guys howling at the Seattle rock chick extraordinaire all show long. Phil Leavitt completed the trio and provided the usual world class back beat that no other drummer seems to be able to match. We played to an immediate crowd of about three thousand but a good seven to eight thousand were within earshot and we were well received by the NW concert goers.

The next day I flew down to LA for two days of dada rehearsals. While we were blowing out the cobwebs in our room at our favorite Mates Rehearsal Studios, we could here one of the finalists for the INXS find the rock singer TV show next door as well as the band The Cult (hmmm) throwing down the second day (how Hollywood…) in the next room over. I was able to make it out to The Mint in Hollywood Wednesday night with bff Holli to see our friend and sometimes XLC bassist Robbie Gennet play a set of well crafted rock/pop songs to the adoring crowd (cool bartender girl poured me multiple wines to taste…yummy). That night Holli and I ran into Pilar (dadaista) at the show which turned out to be a reoccurring theme for me over the long week. The next morning I had to run out of the Holli-wood hills super crash pad at an ungodly hour and catch the first flight out of LAX to Norfolk via Philly which was hella long and capped off by the pilot showing off to his girlfriend in the control tower by showing her how he could make the big jet dance ( insert green faced passengers here).

All week I had been hearing on the news of the approaching hurricane Hannah with an "h" and wondered if we were going to have to dodge flying objects propelled by the 70 MPH winds. Would people even come to a three day festival known as Hampton Bay Days with Hannah knocking on the door? Turns out we would never find out. The festival was cancelled the day of show. I was getting my morning jacket on at the nearest Starbucks when I got the call from Phil. "So, are you ready to hear the latest?" Phil asks in his best dry sense of humor VO guy voice. "Should I sit down?" I asked knowing pretty much what he was about to relay to my freshly caffeinated mind. "The whole weekend was just cancelled." And there it was, lying there like a cheesy lyric that was discarded at the last minute of a Scorpion mixing session. I had just had the best sleep I had had in the past four months and I was not gonna let anything ruin the newly found brain cells that had been put on pause due to lack of sleep.
"What's the plan?" I asked with a mouthful 'o muffin. "I'm waiting to hear back from the guy in charge. There's some talk of a club show in town we could do for all the fans that flew into town to see us." That didn't sound so bad actually. I wasn't looking forward to rubbing Hannah blown sand out of my already less than stellar seeing blue orbits. That plan came to fruition and we played the super-cool (yet hellishly-hot) Marker20 Club (where Pilar sighting 2 took place). The club was wall to wall sweaty dada fans with zero elbow room and even less oxygen. I was about to lose all the freshly rested brain cells in the stifling heat of the club. What the hell, I can't think of anything better to use/lose them on. Dada played 23 songs (that I counted) and played for close to three hours- yikes! I lost five pounds in the three sweltering hours (yippy). I was spent, cashed in; nothing left to give for my country. The fans were, as usual, incredible. They held up in the heat and were on ten for the whole show.

I woke up the next morning fresh as a daisy and full of life…not. I was back to the new normal; sleepy all the time. Nothing I couldn't handle, which was a good thing 'cause there was more margarita and merry making to be had that night. I played house concert in Norfolk that night to a crowd of post dadafest 2008 participants who were all fairly warm and fuzzy from the previous twenty four hours. The hosts were kick ass and very generous, as ALL the house concert hosts have been, and after the initial "Hello", I started to get my bearings for the night. Before the Hannah with an "h" rain and wind event entered into the horizon, there was an anticipated giant sized group of fans expected at the XLC house concert. But even with the weather episode there were plenty of people, in fact the usual amount for the HC scene. I showed up at 7 pm and left at 4 am and felt like I was there for an hour and a half! Great night, great people, and Pilar even helped out by holding a cheat sheet for me (PS3!)
I'll say it again, what the hell just happened?

Welcome to my world… From the very beginning of the record release process, it has been a struggle. The state of the record business, colliding with the state of the economy, has created a mind field for me and all other musical artists.

After what seemed like a solid plan just a few months ago, dates set on a calender started to twist and turn in the wind of economic uncertainty and changes were made to the X LEVITATION CULT (and a slew of other bands) release schedule to deal with a crumbling bottom line. In fact, lots of bands have been cut all together from rosters for this very reason.

What happened to XLC was a last minute change of plans to only release the music digitally, at first, and then wait and see how the sales did to determine whether or not a physical release would be necessary (costs of making a CD are much more than just a digital release).

I have found out from listening to my fans that the physical CD was "the thing" and that they were not as interested in the digital download release. I get it, I still buy CD's myself. I also get the money issue with the music business; it's terrible right now. My issues with all of this have nothing to do with my record co., baria/contraband. In fact I'm very lucky to be on a cool, and yes small, progressive record company. But record companies are just part of the food chain.

Anyway- I'm not here to bitch, I'm here to say that THERE IS A PHYSICAL X LEVITATION CULT CD THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN A MATTER OF DAYS! It will be available through XLC myspace and the awesome XLC.com (and at all XLC shows!).

I wanted to wait and tell you when I had the exact date but I am still waiting to here when the pressing will be complete. It will essentially be an import, which when I was a ratty stoner teen-boy, was the coolest thing I could get from an artist. As soon as I find out the exact date they will be available, I will let you know. Thanks again for your patience and your support and I'll see you on tour very soon…………………j

Later that night I was in the Hollywood hills with bff Holli watching The Misfits (movie, not band), one of my all time favorites. It was on late but I couldn't stop watching the intense beauty and sadness on the screen while imbibing some amazing Cotes du Rhone.
Next morning was a sleepy late start with coffee and Perry Mason on the tube in the background, which somehow triggered a non sequitur wiki search on Patty Hearst and the SLA. After discovering that we were near one of the locations of the SLA spree, I drove my less than cool rental car down to the Whisky for sound check.
After the check, the band and crew got a bite to eat at nearby Dukes restaurant where I was talked into playing a XLC song with the band that we had never rehearsed, no pressure.
After the first band finished their set, we hit the stage and I started to prepare for my first ever gig with someone else playing bass in the band, weird. The soundman gave us the Whisky style intro and we began to play the first song that had exactly ZERO minutes of rehearsal time. Halfway through the song (follow the stars) I felt a bit of stress melting confidence when I realized the song was sounding pretty good. I ended up loving the way the whole set sounded and was totally stoked by the performance of the XLC rhythm section in front of a full Whisky house- they kicked my ass.
After the show I hung out with the excellent fans while the Sunset crazy's, and lost LA loners passed us by, under the full moon and the big lit marquee that read "X LEVITATION CULT." I headed back to the hills to finish the wine and relax under the Hollywood stars…………………

ps- the XLC cd "Happiness In Hell" will be available soon! It's out now on itunes, amazon, zune, etc. Stay tuned………………………j

"Hey man, nice gauges!" says the sixteen year old to the now ratty haired cult singer. "Thanks man" I say back to teen-boy as his mother whisks him far away from the racks of discounted shoes, and starts to think what she can say to him at the dinner table to smack any ideas out of his green mind he might have of drilling 5/8" holes into his fleshy virgin lobes. If only she knew what I was doing at his age she would be happy to have him escape teen-dom with just a few holes in his head.

I had just returned from playing a big outdoor festival in Spokane put on by 99.9 The River radio (which I had the pleasure of visiting on air that morning). It was a beautiful northwest summer day/evening, and a very cool event, chock full of picnicking music fans of all ages, and sobriety levels.
I had the fortune to meet a couple of bands who were also on the bill, that were cool/very friendly. One Block Radius (very melodic hip-hop), who had heard for the first time and was blown away, and Royal Bliss (rrrock) whose record I have heard and think sounds amazing (Rob Daiker producer); all very cool dudes.
I was accompanied by my friend and local Spokane artist Dan Spalding. He played bass, fattening out the low end for the festival crowd.

Just heard Habit Forming is 41 on the AAA charts so keep bugging the radio stations and downloading the record- if you like what you hear. Seems like people are digging the music (see amazon reviews).

More shows to come, Whisky A Go Go show on July 18 should be a totally bitchin, summer-licious, furry freakout fun mind-trip.

The second wave of the hybrid live version of

X.T.L.L.E.U.V.C.I.N.T.O.A.I.T.T.I.A.0.T.N.I.CV.U.E.L.L.T.X.

is about to land.

Crop circle experts beware…………..j

Just got back from a mini road trip. Jon and I had a great time. First off, the Whisky A Go Go was a blast. Phil Leavitt came up and played three songs with us and really gave the songs some punch. Fantastic night in LA with great Holli (wood) hills party after the show.

Then it was off to Denver. We played a house concert that blew away the last Denver club show we did in March. House was packed with very cool people and we had a spontaneous jam with Jon playing the human jukebox and daring me to sing along. He also played drums on a few songs which was very cool.
Then it was time to go to Chicago to play a benefit concert. We played to a very enthusiastic crowd and I was happy to help bring awareness to the fight for a cure for breast cancer.

Next day it was Minneapolis. That was another fantastic house concert. I think it was the biggest yet. We played outside to a very attentive listener's crowd. There was a massive amount of margs, wine, and beer, as there was at the Denver HC.

Of course last week the XLC record was released. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE PURCHACED A DOWNLOAD. I talked with a lot of fans about the download process and how it did or didn't relate to their musical listening world. A LOT of people told me that they were going to wait for the physical CD because they didn't have an ipod, Zune, or any other digital music player.

There are A LOT of people who use their computers for emails only or maybe do just a bit of surfing. They don't do the whole download thing. I reminded a lot of people that YOU DON'T NEED AN IPOD, ZUNE, OR ANY OTHER MUSIC PLAYER FOR IT TO BE RELEVANT TO YOU. YOU CAN SIMPLY DOWNLOAD IT TO YOUR MAC OR PC AND THEN BURN A CD THAT YOU CAN PLAY IN YOUR HOME STEREO, OR PLAY VERY LOUD IN YOUR CAR!
Yes there will be a CD with all the cool artwork that will be available in the coming weeks, but you will be doing a lot to help the future of this music by showing support now (and later!).

Giant heartfelt thanks goes out to all who hosted or were involved in the last few shows and a big thanks goes to samiam (house concert queen). She can make it happen.

This was a sleepless week for me but the fans, as usual, make any of the stress and mental strain melt away. Thank you… again, as I have been telling you, the new X LEVITATION CULT cd is available for download at all the usual places (itunes, amazon, Zune, etc). Please download it and give it a listen, I promise you will not be disappointed. Everyone has been getting in my grill about how much they love this record. As a side note, I heard a few say after downloading from amazon some people couldn't find the song. It should be in whatever player you have on your computer (itunes, windows media player, Zune player, etc.). Hope that helps. I'll be out in Spokane this week (26th HOOPFEST) and back in LA in July (Whisky July 18). In the meantime I will be catching up on my 24 hours of Le Mans on Tivo, caio…………………j

Digital release gig last night for XLC at the whisky a gogo on the sunset strip! Joie, Jon & Phil Levitt on djembe could not have been cooler for the acoustic live versions of happiness in hell. a little neil young "man needs a maid" in "she's lost it" was awesome! after the show the party moved into the hills… with more live music... and - for real - the levitation (actual art of levitating) was surreal! those that were levitated whew, that was something else! … my first levitation experience and I was a total skeptic about levitating people – no longer – and those of you doubters out there like myself – believe it! party broke 4am, empty barolo bottles everywhere. let the games begin! have some summer fun with happiness in hell... download it! top down volume cranked. sunscreen- holli

Thank you for all the positive responses out there! I had a great day of driving around LA from one interview to the next, balancing iced lattes between my knees.
I did some national radio that I hope you enjoy, even though I was burnt to a crisp (up late night before with Jon writing song for indie film-so I rambled on and on and said nothing).
I had a surrealistic moment last night with BFF Holli drinking a glass of wine as Burt Bacharach echoed through the canyon... playing to the Hollywood Bowl crowd.
If you are in the LA area tonight I hope to see you at the Whisky A Go Go around 10p. Jon Skibic will be with me and I will be having a good time knowing that so many people have responded so kindly to the new X LEVITATION CULT record :) ........................j

What is "Happinss In Hell" to me? Ten songs that define where I am at today. Ten songs that, for me, work as a musical vehicle; ten songs that divulge both truth and lies. Ten songs that I hang my hat on, as well as rest my case. It is safe to say that if these ten songs could be a tattoo, I would put them on my skin and let them stay with me until I die. I feel very close to these ten songs, closer than I have ever felt to any group of songs that I have seen through, from start to finish. They move me. That is what I require from music for it to be full blown acceptance into my life, and taken to my grave. They must connect with me every time I hear them. That is what happens to me when I hear the Stones, or the Beatles, or the Doors, or Bowie, or Howlin Wolf, or Led Zeppelin, or … There are too many to list and there are many songs by new artists that move me too, not just the "classics."
My point is this record is not just my "next" record; it's my "best"- meaning I feel that I have achieved something as an artist here. I don't ever want to feel like I got away with something, or maybe just got lucky; it's not the same as really digging deep and ending with something that I feel good about.
That's the same for everyone, I know. I will go out on a limb here though and say, if you have ever enjoyed any music I have made or been a part of, I guarantee that you will like, or dare I say, love this record. The whole record, not just a song or two; all of it. It's now up to you, to listen and decide. If you like it, please buy a copy. If you love it, get your friends to buy it. Why? Because that is how I will be able to continue making records that I believe in, not just rush through to get some "product" to sell at shows, etc.
I truly love what I do. I am passionate about music, and the arts. I think life without the arts is no life at all, it's just time passing. The music is your only friend, until the end…until the end………………………………j

Just when I think I know which way the wind is blowing, the high tide crashes in around my ankles and leaves me a very important message in a bottle. The note inside said…GOOD NEWS:

THE X LEVITATION CULT RECORD "HAPPINESS IN HELL" WILL BE AVAILABLE IN DIGITAL FORMAT JUNE 17!!!

"Wow" I said to the friendly gull sitting beside me. "This is huge! People can get my new record much sooner than I had thought, at their favorite digital outlets! Oh, ...birds too." The kind gull smiled and flew away into the frosty blue Seattle sky, hopefully to tell all of his friends of the big news.

So now it's my job to tell people like you (who won't have as much trouble as a friendly gull with the internet) that the wait will soon be over, you will finally be able to purchase the new XLC record online. I will continue to keep you informed as to all the upcoming shows and events,
but for this moment I just want to stay focused…

JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17 JUNE 17….

ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF JUNE

2008 YOU MAY PURCHASE THE DEBUT

RECORD FROM X LEVITATION CULT!!!

The plane going down to San Francisco from Seattle was less than half full. I wasn't sure if everyone else in America knew something that I didn't about the goings on in the city by the bay this week. Maybe the seals of Fisherman's Warf finally got fed up with the tourist's taunting and went on a fish-head induced killing spree that swept across the compact expanses of concrete hills and picturesque points that just wasn't getting the coverage it deserved by CNN, and everyone else because of all the late breaking news about gas taxes and flag pins? (Yes, the long sentence police have been notified) San Francisco was, in fact, unscathed by psycho seals, or any other barking mammals. She was glowing in an unfamiliar heat source to us who live in the Pacific NW…sunshine. I was in the city for a meeting and a few music business parties. I grabbed my 5 shot non-fat energy drink and walked the sidewalks of Market Street. For me, there is no other city like San Francisco. It has all the energy you could ask for, all the beauty and it makes my DNA twitch when I see the skylines and hear the soundscapes. Later that evening, I had a bottle of California Cabernet at a music business meeting, then found myself at a crazy party on the 30th floor of the Marriott. The hotel was packed with music business mavens moving from room to room with vibrating cell in hand; each room filled with different food, drink, and loud music. I had a chance to meet a few people in the over-stuffed suites while navigating from corner to corner. Then the moment came when I knew I was nearing the twilight-zone of music industry parties. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a reality TV star that made me feel like I was anywhere but reality. Wearing an over-sized, retina scorching, old school tie-dyed t-shirt was one of the party favorites: the fantastically-furry Rupert from Survivor! Not the person I thought I would be running into that day. Although I did sort of feel like I was on some sort of reality TV show, but I wasn't ready to start eating bugs for the immunity idol just yet...stay tuned............j

Getting ready to leave on a short trip to my place of birth, San Francisco. there is a music convention going on there this week and I will be meeting some important people who could possibly throw an oar into the XLC waters. I talked with Jon Skibic (guitarist for XLC) and Sam (XLC street team capt.) about the upcoming weeks prior to the release of Happiness in Hell.

There are a few rockshow dates in LA that we are looking at as well as deciding on an acoustic house concert or two in various places accross the US. We had a great time last time we ventured into the house concert arena so we're looking forward to more of the same. If you can make it to one of the house shows I will play the new X LEVITATION CULT cd for you in its entirety as loud as you can stand it. Look for more info on that in the coming days on this page. Have to go now- see you soon.................j

Without sounding too much like some sort of predictable political speech writer; I have an update re the X LEVITATION CULT cd release: JULY 29 is the new street date. Why you may ask? I'll keep it short and simple- because that's what the distribution company has asked for to maintain a successful release schedule of the cd.

Federal is a brand new distribution arm of Fontana/Universal, and as such is having some teething pains that have affected many upcoming releases, including the "Happiness In Hell" cd. I am still very happy to have XLC be a part of the new distribution company. They are working hard to make sure this will be the last delay of the XLC cd. As a musician, I always hate getting this kind of news; it makes me nervous like a teenage boy getting a call from the girl he just asked out for a date, who has come up with a reason, legitimate or not, to postpone the first rendezvous.

But, the self managing professional (term used loosely here I know) that I presently am, has found out that there are many people involved in putting this cd out who are very happy to have the extra set-up time. So I'll try not panic over this new development with some sort of teen-like hormonal laced, Chernobyl style melt down (including farming a new crop of panic stoking zits), and keep my mind on my music, and my music on my mind. Fortunately, I am surrounded by a group of people who work very hard, and are dedicated to making this project a success.

On Wednesday, I performed acoustically, with the producer Rob Daiker, at the Portland radio station KINK. It was unexpectedly crowded in the studio that morning; chock full of enthusiastic listeners who made mine, and Rob's morning- thanks P-town! What does this mean for me in the newly created two month buffer zone? There will be a few acoustic shows in the NW, band rehearsals in LA, and a few rock shows that I will give you more info about later. Also, there are some requests for more…wait for it… house concerts! O.K., life's not so bad…………………..j

As I type this, the music business as a whole is in a mad scramble to rearrange deck chairs, argue on what color the hull should next be painted, and try and find a way to get their share of the income from the song the band is hopelessly playing, as its massive titanic hulk lurches into the cold, frigid brine of the 21st century. Almost all of the life boats were cut down years ago and their options, if any, are looking fewer and fewer as every second clicks by. How many people will the life boat hold? What direction will it sail? Will it even float? No one knows and everyone is scared shipless about the future. Great news for people like me, those who have put all of their eggs into one basket labeled "music." No one said this would be easy, no one said the f-ing ship would sink either, but that can't be the only reason to get in, or get out of the arts. You better love it, you better want it, and you better need it. Otherwise don't bother. If you are a musician without Kevlar body armor from head to toe, daydreaming about the "rockstar lifestyle", you might as well sit on the train tracks of life, smoke a joint, and wait for the speeding locomotive called progress to come and put you out of your misery because that is what's happening in the music business today unless you are bullet proof, from the inside out.

Well, I'm happy to say that that sums me up, I am, and always have been, prepared for what is coming next in this life that requires me to fill in the blank on every document that asks "occupation" with the one word answer: musician. So, if you love music and really feel that life would be far worse or even unlivable without music; support those that spend their life making a difference in yours. What does that mean exactly? That is what the people jumping off the big ship into the small rafts are wondering themselves; only you know best what works for you. How can this business survive? Well, as far as I'm concerned the first thing is it will only be worth saving if people like me continue to work their ass off to bring new and, hopefully, good music to the listening audience. So I will do my part and never give up, even if it means staying in a business that feels less and less like it is jumping into a life raft of safety; and more and more like it just jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. Stay tuned. "Hey hey, my my…"…………….j

All of that leads me to this- what’s next? Well, getting the full rock band up and running is my next job. We will be touring in the US this summer. Please come out and join us in the hedonistic ritual of rocking out in a room full of inebriated music lovers. See you then.

What can I say- that short little acoustic tour was a bitch. We started off in Denver, and ended with a (very small, but fun) show in Atlanta. Between those shows there were some great nights in places like Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Boston, and New Jersey that kicked ass. I talked to a lot of people after the shows that were very cool to me and Jon, and excited about the new music and band, none of whom were eating cheesy tots. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with the guitar player for X LEVITATION CULT Jon Skibic (now on tour with The Blue Man Group for 3 weeks). The basic message was “We can’t wait to see the full band!” Me neither.

People I did not talk to- Paris Hilton, Jack Black, Nina Totenberg, Kimi Raikkonen, any member of Wilco, Ellen Page, Jimmy Page, any cast member of Stargate SG-1, or anyone who responds to the names “Big Sniffy” or “Lil’ Poof”. Things I lost- guitar stand, megaphone (actually didn’t lose, broke), eye drops, gig shirt (found 2 days later), .5 of my mind. Best thing I ate- gnocchi in Denver. Worst thing I ate- black bean burger in Atlanta (stale bun, eeew). Town with best wine shop- Milwaukee. Worst wine selection – Tie: Boulder, Virginia Beach. Town with best dogs- Tie: NYC, Atlanta. Smelliest hotel- Arlington. Number of Joie face tattoos seen: 2. Some of the CD’s or DVD’s purchased or acquired by XLC members: MGMT, Nico, Led Zeppelin live, Nada Surf> Bonnie and Clyde. Mornings that at least one XLC member woke-up on a stranger’s floor naked: 0 (boring).

There were a few fans that hung-out with us and helped out with our stay in their town. There were fans that helped out by watching over and selling XLC merchandise at the shows. There were fans that brought us great food. There were fans that brought us great wine. To all of these tour angels: THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!

Also- I couldn’t have done this without the help of my best friend, stylist, co-blogger, drinking partner, and personal psychiatrist: Holli (love you xoxoxo) Jon and I stayed at her beautiful house in ATL (she’s working in LA for the time being) for the last three nights of the tour and had a great time. (Sorry about the chainsaw thing in the backyard, I had no idea it would cut through brass pipe, oak, and cement so easily; I get suckered into these stupid bets on tour when I’ve been over served. BTW- your neighbors were very helpful with the clean-up. The bill is under the mat.)

We visited radio stations and met record company people. If you like, or Keith help you, love the music of X LEVITATION CULT, please show it by telling your local radio station or even XM radio (on “The Loft” right now). And for damn sure… don’t forget to buy the new X LEVITATION CULT CD when it comes out on MAY 20th.

If you love music in general, and care about artists who provide you with music that MOVES YOU, buy the X LEVITATION CULT CD. If you want your friends to get into better music and follow in your footsteps of genius and good taste- buy them a copy of the XLC CD. As a sort of personal gesture to the universe, buy extra copies for strangers and pass them out as you go through your day. You will feel better about yourself and help add a piece of your good taste to the cosmic airwaves. (In the interest of full disclosure, my dog Cash is sitting next to me, farting up a firestorm, which is adversely affecting my brain, so I apologize for the severe lack of modesty.)

The tour ended with Jon’s guitar getting smashed by US Air, and United taking my guitar away from me at the last minute in ATL, then landing in Seattle only to find that both of my guitars (checked by me or taken by airlines) were missing. (They showed up at my door in Seattle the following morning unscathed.) Thank Keith that the acoustic touring era of X LEVITATION CULT is over. If you caught it, I hope you enjoyed it for what it was; a different take on the songs that will be presented in full living alt-rock color on the CD this coming MAY 20th.

All of that leads me to this- what’s next? Well, getting the full rock band up and running is my next job. We will be touring in the US this summer. Please come out and join us in the hedonistic ritual of rocking out in a room full of inebriated music lovers. See you then.

hey there- holli here, i’m waiting for joie to call me back..he’s at the airport & we lost connection…so, the phone rings & it’s joie, I pick up as usual say hey…pocket call (this happens a lot with joie) this time though I decide to yell at him! so i’m calling, calling finally he says “how long has this been going on”? ask him about the shows all good, great to see everyone blah blah and he asks so did u get my text…ah no, haven’t looked at my phone since yesterday dig around in my purse and here’s what it says…no wait to preface it - i got a text from him yesterday that said i would not believe the last 24 hours & i respond - r u in jail? bondage? hospital? now this is what the text says…just had dinner. at club in boston. yesterday after getting a parking ticket in philly we drove early morning (on 4 hours sleep) to upstate NY to play live in front of fans on radio then after having a slice of best pizza in the world sal’s (3 for skibic) in mamaroneck NY-we drove back down to NYC just in time for sound check at knitting factory. played show - went well-then as i was packing up a fight broke out just behind me on the street 5 guys jumped a bouncer. i wasn’t one of them so i walked back to the club to see a huge guy slip on the sidewalk & smash his face down on the now freezing cold sidewalk - out cold. I yelled to call 911 but they were having none of that - they threw him in a cab & sent him away (my obsession with Sopranos just kicked in -h)went back to SUV to see 100 dollar parking ticket & dodge rushing police running into nearby parking garage to flush last bad guys out. Drove to hotel at airport but GPS freaked and we ended up in brooklyn instead of queens. got to bed at 4AM. that’s all that’s going on here. you?

they’re on flight to Asbury Park now - I really wish I could be there …I keep buying tickets to see shows in Asbury Park & I can never get there so represent NEW JERSEY!

Jon Skibic’s homeland…rock.

hey there - Holli here - just for the record I never made any promises to anyone about anything…for the record. just got off the phone with Joie in NYC and he was getting ready to go onstage at the Knitting Factory…he’s happy to be in NYC drinking a double espresso in the cold…on this first day of spring. I’m envious of everyone getting to see these shows…I know Joie & Jon are having some great fun and are so happy to be seeing old and new fans & friends…plus, I miss my wine consultant…so Habit Forming..rock on.

Thank God (Keith Richards- although most people think he looks more Hellish that Heavenish. Does that make me a Satin worshiper? Hmmm…cool) for a few days of good weather. Seems like the Gods of Rock ’n Roll have been smiling over the X LEVITATION CULT acoustic duo. Although it was a bit cold in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis (Rob at the Fine Line was particularly friendly and helpful); it was a very good run of shows IMHO. The people have been great and the food and wine has been plentiful. Also, talk trash as much as you want about Starbucks but I am thankful every morning that I pull up to one for kick start therapy. I am lucky enough to have fans helping me by selling my merchandise for me while Jon and I are on stage- THANK YOU! I also have Holli in LA helping me with my myspace from time to time and I’ve been trying to get her to blog(!) so if you see her writings on my blog page it is not a hacker, just my friend from LA disseminating some info re XLC, or maybe a thing or two about how snobby and dysfunctional I can be (she has promised to keep that to a minimum). The weather wasn’t quite as nice in Virginia Beach, but the show was good, even though I broke 2 strings. Richmond, well let’s just say if you were there you probably saw the last show I will be playing at the world famous Poe’s Pub. Jon needed a Crack(er Barrel) fix this morning, so we went to the local dealer and scored. I had blueberry pancakes; he had too many things to list. MUSIC HEARD IN XLC SUV: Nada Surf, Stones outtakes, Led Zeppelin Live, Various songs that Bob Dylan put on his Starbucks Favorite songs CD. I am looking forward to the second half of this acoustic promo tour; we’re just about to do a great 5 show run including Philly, NYC, Bos, and Jersey. After this tour we will be getting ready for the XLC CD release May 20th, and getting the rock band known as X LEVITATION CULT out on the road to kick some ass… and eat pancakes.

Monday was one of the worst days I have spent traveling in a long while. After the group of people at the United gate gleefully told us that we were 2 minutes late for the plane that had started boarding 12 minutes before, we stood in a long line at customer service desk for about an hour and a half before we learned the great news that all flights were full. Welcome to the Denver airport! We ended up getting on a stand by flight that saved us a few hours and then went out in the very cold Milwaukee evening to kill the pain of the day (did I mention we ran half the length of Chicago O’Hare?) with some great wine and food. Today was much better, coffee, record store shopping (Jon bought a book about The Replacements), and an easy drive from Milwaukee to Chicago, except that our GPS dealio went out at a crucial point when we strayed into a GPS free zone. Tonight in Chicago Jon and I started the night off by seeing the Blue Man Group show(cool), then hanging out with a friend of his who is an actual Blue Man; it was a great night of recovery from the traveling. This tour looked a little easier on paper, but since we are out here on our own, we are dragging everything around, and doing all the driving etc. and that is a bit of a bitch. Very excited to be playing Chicago Thursday night. I hope to see some of the usual faces from the area. Thanks again for everyone who has made it to the shows so far.

Over heard at Sbarro in the Philly Airport: “Yo dog, how much is the lunch special with a slice?” There are not a lot of choices at the Philly airport so I was stuck deciding between spaghetti or baked ziti. But the dude right next to me, dressed in full hip-hop regalia including oversized gold rimmed sunglasses, giant-sized pants, and over-sized chains was having trouble with the worker at the cash register and was sure she was disrespecting him. I was staying clear hoping it wouldn’t erupt into an airport-wide pizza-riot. I have been laying off piazza (girlish figure paranoia) for a while so the notion of free pizza flying through the air, like some sort of dough-based UFO’s, wasn’t all that appealing. I opted for ziti (bad idea) and made my way to a table that was half cleaned, and started to eat about two thirds of the not quite passable pasta. I was having a fine morning (afternoon to everyone else) that started with a large glass of Brunello di Montalcino for breakfast. You can’t leave that behind for the cleaning crew at the hotel, that would be a sin in my book. I had no hangover from the night before, but I have a feeling there were a large contingent of the fans at the New Jersey house concert who could not say the same. That was a lot of fun; I dare say it was off the hook. The house was full of excited guests, most had a good idea what they were about to hear, but a handful of newbees to the music were tucked into the crowded house. Jon and I rolled in about 8:15p and were greeted by well wishers and bottles of wine, food platters, and gobs of fine tequilas. Over heard at the Philly Airport part 2: HEY DUDE (said with full blown Philly accent) are these yours?” I was a little too wine-happy when going through security and left my wallet and cell phone in a bin as I was walking away, nice. The night before, I saw plenty of the familiar faces who had come to check out the acoustic stylings of X LEVITATION CULT. We played a 13 song set to a VERY attentive crowd, you can’t ask for more than that (well you can but you’d be an ass). After the show we played the XLC cd as I made the now customary margaritas. I also noticed various other party enhancing products such as hell-o-jello shots and beer. I had to pace myself as the night would be long and I didn’t want to stumble out the door at 3a.m. (2a.m., sure). I am really looking forward to getting out and crossing the country this month. It ain’t gonna be easy, but there is no doubt in my mind that, because of people like the ones at the Jersey house concert, it will be worth it.

After getting slightly lost on the way (in my own town), I finally made it to the radio station known as The Mountain (www.kmtt.com) in downtown Seattle. I was there for an interview and recording session. When I moved out of L.A., I had a lot of the streets in that town down, but for some reason I just don’t have the downtown area of Seattle worked out yet, 9 years later. As I’m driving over the I-90 Bridge looking over the ultra beautiful Lake Washington, I get a call from the record company man named Steve. We planned on meeting at the radio station a half hour ahead of time, 11 am. I was running on musician’s time (about 10 minutes late) but that would still leave us with plenty of time. Then I took the exit, 166, that would funnel me down to the big silver building that I have seen so many times while driving by the downtown city-scape of skyscrapers and Starbucks. I had the directions all written up so there would be no panic. My phone rings, plays an X LEVITATION CULT song (which I have programmed for all the record company people), and I answer. “I’m almost there dude…” little did I know I was about to miss one turn of the four that I was supposed to make. That screwed me up just a bit; I managed to correct the problem quickly. Then I get stuck on a street that is not moving. Construction, the bane of all city driving, was in full swing just up ahead. My phone starts playing the XLC music again; I’m now officially the late guy. But when I pick up, there’s no sound, I can’t hear anyone on the other end. I figure he’s in the building with the radio station, apologizing for my poor manners. I try to call him and let him know that I’m right around the corner. When he picks up, the phone goes dead- not frustrating at all. The traffic starts to move and I make my move. I’m looking for Olive Ave and every street sign has been custom shrunk for my arrival. I see Ol…. and I make the right turn. Finally I’m within reach. I pull up to see the now frustrated Steve from the record company out front waiting. I park, walk up to the massive front glass doors, he tells me his brand new phone isn’t working, and we walk in. We jump into the elevator and rise to the 16th floor, we walk past the front desk back to the studios. I feel like I’ve been in these offices before, and we wind our way back into the cave with the microphones. The engineer helps me dial everything in and makes me sound better than I really am. Then the master of ceremonies, DJ John Fisher, comes in and we start to talk. The interview and songs will be posted on their website next week (Wednesday 3/5 3:15) when they will play it on air here in Seattle. I had fun and after the interview, yes, there was levitation. We tried to film it but the camera stopped just before we got going (hmmm…) http://1037themountain.com/pages/778264.php

“Excuse me, that’s me” the teenaged girl from the Pacific Northwest motioned to me with her full of stuff hands that the window seat was hers and she needed me to move my ass out of the way. I stepped into the aisle and let her squeeze by the twenty something clean-cut college prep boy who was not moving from his middle slot. I was on my way down to LA to rehearse with my guitarist and new musical partner Jon Skibic. We had just barely got to know each other and were now looking down the barrel of a full month of touring together. We will play across the country with just our acoustic guitars and a cork screw. “Ding ding. That sound lets you know that it is safe to use all approved electronic devices…” The ipods come out. I had my (3 year) old iriver that I use to record my musical ideas on, as well as store music for the road, and my new 80 gig Zune, which is sporting a cool tattoo on the back from some underground artist. But before I start listening to Bowie or the Arctic Monkeys (I like the song on the new cd they played on Letterman), I couldn’t help listening in to the two other people in my row. They were dancing around the idea of giving each other their digits, but were too nervous or whatever to close the deal. The topic of ipods and music downloads started up- goodie. “Hey, how do you like your ipod? Is it new?” Short haired twenty something frat guy with bright blue button down chimes in. “I love it. I have, like, a bunch of songs on it. My friend just put a bunch of new songs on it for me….” Younger Seattleite talks through her perfect skin and straight combed brown hair. “Do you pay for them or just sort of…” school boy starts in with some common sense questioning to break the ice. “ha ha ha, well I just sort of… well some I buy but, like my friend, she just down loaded a bunch of stuff for free…” it’s at this point I always think to myself, do I pipe up or bite my tongue? I have a lot to say on this matter, but who cares what I think anyways? Not these two, that’s for sure. “Yeah, well, isn’t that like sort of weird because, you know, it’s sort of like stealing in a way…” college boy puts his brain to work on a social issue. “yeah, but I mean like, ha ha ha ha ha I just sort of get some for free sometimes, but I pay for it sometimes too, it’s weird, yeah, hahaha…” then college boy gets a big thought. “I mean do the artists ever really get any of the money anyway? How do we even know?” Wow, I was just getting ready to give them a taste of the bs known (in my own mind) as “The World According to Calio”, and then he let that one rip. No, the artist hasn’t, in fact, hardly ever received compensation for the sale of CD’s, or downloads in the past because of the way record deals are skewed to the record companies, and away from the artists. The way the landscape is rapidly changing in the music business today is hopefully something artists can look to for changes to the good for the artist, and their future compensations (but nothing is for sure on that) But I would argue that that still isn’t the point. This is more about a convenient machine for consumers to get, and listen to their music, and how they choose to use it. They invented a machine in the 1920’s that made it easy for people to walk in and get money for free… from banks, all across America- it’s called a Thompson sub-machinegun. But that didn’t make it right, did it? (ask Bonnie and Clyde). Well, there’s no doubt that it’s too late for that argument now. Peoples will just have to make up their own minds on how they will use this (relatively) new machine. She then went on to talk about how she was invited to a party where they had downloaded new movies that weren’t out on DVD yet somehow for free. They had been put up on the internet. Probably some stoner kid of an academy member. They watched all the new movies for nothing. Are you listening H-wood? It’s your turn next. They then started talking politics and I shut them out as best I could. Didn’t need their highly qualified political input for my decision making process. The plane lands and the girl who flew down to LA to party with her friends for her eighteenth birthday never passed the numbers to the middle row frat guy. I put on my shades, and proceeded to my friend’s house in the hills where I would be staying and rehearsing with Jon. I rented a big American Chevy Impala and cruised Vineland ave. like it was 2009 and Obama was in the White House. We had some food and wine delivered from Greenblatt’s deli and got to work. I’m lucky to have the kind of friend’s that I do who allow me to come over and use their space for my musical needs. It makes the rigors of the road a bit easier to deal with. So does multiple bottles of Italian wine (stuck on them big time right now). The second day there was more of the same, rehearsing, wine drinking. This Jon Skibic guy is one of those types who could really just show up and he would sound great and make you sound better (I hate guys like that). After he left, me and my friend Holli started to watch American Gangster, when about 20 minutes into it, a loud poof sound filled the room and then the whole room went dark. Not just the room, all the Hollywood hillside surrounding the gorgeous hillside home. It was a bit Manson-esque. We lit candles, drank more wine, and I serenaded her with a few drunkenly out of tune X Levitation Cult songs. The power outage went on for a few hours, we called the DWP and they said it would be out all night, some sort of explosion in an underground power vault (read: wasted guys smoking pot too close to the power off switch). Just as I was thinking it might be time to shut it down for the night, around 12:30a (those blackouts really take it out of ya), the power came back on in a burst of incandescent confusion. Before our eyes could stop dilating, I noticed a new movie just starting on the wide screen TV, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls! There is no way you can stop watching that movie. The colors and the music are hypnotizing. The cinematography is crazy. It just sucks you in like a stereophonic egg chair with a full hash pipe waiting for you inside. I stayed up and watched even though I needed some sleep for the first ever X LEVITATION CULT show, also the first of the legendary (insert obnoxious brass band music here) house concerts. The end of this movie is unlike any you have seen. You couldn’t make a movie this bad/great now days. I highly recommend this movie if you are into acid flashbacks and Twinkies. The next day Jon came over and we spent an hour or so going over a few more things before we hit the road in the not-a-six-foe red (in someone’s mind) bad ass Impala rental car. We loaded up the trunk with acoustic guitars, and just as we were leaving Jon asked Holli if I was a good driver, she just looked down and shook herb head quickly side to side. Jon was a bit nervous about the one hour trip but as soon as we got on the 101 south, he was fine again. We made it there via Jon’s secret (to me) short cuts through Silverlake, by passing the obnoxious bumper to bumper sea of humanity that was amassing on the freeway. We made it to La Verne in one hour flat, the scene of the house concert. I saw the cars parking and the houae filling up with half loaded fans and some newbees as they are sometimes called. But for this show, everyone was a newbie, even myself and Jon. I promised to play an hour, then mix some custom margarita’s (dubbed Joie-ritas, not by me) as well as bring some music to DJ and of course, there was levitation. We played all ten of the songs that will be on the cd, acoustically, as well as one song from The Complications of Glitter, one dada song, and one cover song. After they drank the freshly mixed j-margs (better than joie-rita’s? maybe j-bombs is more accurate), and cranked the entire X LEVITATION CULT cd, twice. We did the levitation thing, also twice because the first girl, hostess, was so damn light that it wasn’t much of a trick. Afterwards we hung out and I was happy to hear the reaction of all the listeners. They seemed to be quite satisfied with the musical exploits. The monkey was off my back and I could move forward. This week there are a few more radio stations playing the song Habit Forming. It’s what I would call a cool, chick song. Listen for it and please let them know if you like it, lie if you have to...

We just added one more show to the March acoustic X LEVITATION CULT tour. We will be playing a show at Poe’s Pub in Richmond VA on March 16th. That brings the total to 14 shows that start in Denver 3/8 and end in Atlanta 3/27. We will get to more towns soon after with the acoustic version, and the full band coming after that. I played at a radio convention this past weekend in socal where I met some cool radio people who seemed very interested in the new cd. The first single “Habit Forming” was just shipped last week to aaa radio stations. If you hear it and you like it and you would like to hear more X LEVITATION CULT- let them know! I’m just about to start packing for a weekend in L.A. to rehearse with XLC guitarist Jon Skibic, and play the first ever XLC house concert, should be cool. I’m bringing a movie camera so maybe I’ll get some dope levitation reality show action. Of course I’ll hook up with Holli for some Barolo in the Hollywood Hills. Remember, no matter what the soul shiners tell you: Levitation happens.

Time keeps on ticking into the future. Hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer in March when I go on the acoustic tour with the guitar player for XLC Jon Skibic (Gigolo Aunts, Redcar). He has also toured with Fountains of Wayne, Julianna Hatfield, and was a touring member of The Blue Man Group (he also has a cool dog who sings). Other than that he hasn’t done a damn thing with his self. We’ll be playing acoustic shows from Denver to Atlanta from March 8th to the 27th. Before we leave we will also be playing a few house concerts, which are the same as the club show with added DJ-ing, drinking, and levitating. I’m not sure how those manifest themselves, but I manage to find out about them. Starting in February, you may hear an X LEVITATION CULT song titled Habit Forming on a radio station in your area. If you like it please let them know- call, email, send pigeons. If you love it, camp out in front of the radio station with large signs stating you need to hear the song all day long or you will burst into flames.

Even though the list of things I need to get done before the new X LEVITATION CULT cd is released grows longer everyday, flinging me into a daydreamer’s lost malaise, I have managed to get a thing or two done. I was able to get a few acoustic versions of the XLC songs recorded. Three songs are now available for download on the X LEVITATION CULT myspace. I hope you enjoy them with fine wine and cheese, or pizza and scotch. And as always being naked in the moonlight helps bring out the hidden meanings of the songs, which have been carefully buried deep inside the lyrics.

For the next few months I will tour with just one of the other members of the X LEVITATION CULT, but soon after, the full rock band will make its way across the country. The name of the record is Happiness In Hell and it is not an acoustic record, it rocks, and so will I. ‘Till then I will bring my acoustic guitar around to 13 cities to play some new music for you, and drink as much expensive wine as I can manage.