Florida and a new haircut, Chief

Here I am with the belated Florida recap (not recount, reCAP). Overall the trip went very well. Great people, cool venues, and lots of sunshine. A comfortably balmy 75-80 degrees for most of the trip.

I was even able to make it over to Cocoa Beach for the afternoon on Tuesday, just enough time to burn the hell out of myself. This is the second time that the spray lotion stuff has backfired on me (there was one time my calves were absolutely CHARRED before a gig at Seacrets in Ocean City), so I will forever be switching back to regular lotion. So much for an easy fix.

I also broadened my culinary horizons in FL by trying gator meat for the first time. Mmm, mmm. I felt a bit like Bobby Bouche from 'The Waterboy,' but it was meaty, chewy and actually quite delicious. Bruce ordered the Gator Fingers, which were just hunks of gator meat breaded and fried. Tatsey!

Big shout outs to the generosity and hospitality of so many folks we met, including but not limited to: everyone at Tanqueray's, The Dave Quattro, Eve and everyone at Crowne Plaza for hooking Bruce and I up, everyone at 13 Cafe and Lounge, and the fine folks at Underground Bluz. I also had the great pleasure of seeing some old friends from home and college. It was very comforting to see some familiar faces far from home, some I hadn't seen for years!!

In other news: Right before the Florida trip (brace yourself)...I finally cut my Fredlocks. Yes, the runors are true. The 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' era of my hair adventures is over. I had just enough to donate (10 inches) and put my severed coif in the mail last week. (Side note: I found it weird sending 10 inches of my hair in the mail...imagine if you opened your mail and there was a bunch of hair in it.) Overall, I just hope drunk dudes will stop hitting on me at shows now.

Happy Easter/Passover everyone!

Nashville recap

The last couple weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I wanted to give you a quick Nashville recap before I play a couple of shows this weekend and then head off to Florida next week for some performances.

The trip to Nashville was overall a great experience. Both exciting and humbling--lots of talented folks out there. My first plane flight ever went really well, I was like a little kid on an amusement park ride. Had breakfast and some drinks at the airport, then flew off into the sunny skies towards Nashville while sipping on Wild Turkey. Ahhh...it was great and exciting and I wasn't apprehensive at all. Plus, as a bonus the flight attendant didn't even charge me for the drink, perhaps because I was easy to spot as a 'first timer' and he wanted to hook me up. I had a great window seat, and it sure put me in a very contemplative cosmic place looking down at mountains that looked like they could fit in my hand...

The only downside was that I was the only dumbass at the airport who had a huge bag with no wheels on it. Bruce was walking like he had taken pledges for a cure of some sort, and I had to keep up carrying by hand the 100 pounds of s*** I had packed. By the time I got to the ticket line I was sweating like a bastard and had lost feeling in one of my arms. Lesson learned. Needless to say, I went to Walmart the other day and bought a more mobile piece of luggage.

Monday night I had the great honor of playing at the legendary Bluebird Cafe on the same stage that had been previously graced by Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Kris Kristofferson, among many other great performers and songsmiths. It was surreal.

Waiting for my turn to play, I got to talking to a man next to me who I found out happened to be one of the most famous anonymous voices in the country. His name was Joe Cerisano and he had done a lot of singing in commercial work in the 80s. Remember the 'Be All That You Can Be' song? That was him singing in that Army commercial, among many other well-known ads. He is a really talented musician/songwriter and a really nice guy, too. Check him out online:

http://www.cerisano.com/

I made a lot of other great friends while I was out there, heard some great music, got to see an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while, and was able to get a wealth of insight from several folks in the biz (not to mention, some great food). Also had the opportunity to play at both The Hall of Fame Lounge and The Commodore in addition to the Bluebird. I was very fortunate to be able to cram so much into one trip (you can always sleep later, right?). Here's a picture of me playing at The Commodore:



The only bummer was that the weather went from 75/80 to cold and freezing rain by the day we left to get on the plane to come back home. The words 'deicing' coming from the cockpit really didn't set well with me and I was a little edgy for the flight back. Thank God those people know what they're doing. There was a little turbulence, but we made it back safe and sound. Hello solid ground...does anyone need a drink?

All in all, a great trip. I look forward to returning to Music City soon. Next week it's off to The Sunshine State to play some more tunes and hopefully catch some of those warm Florida rays!

Headed to Nashville

I will be getting on a plane (my first) later today to head out to Nashville for a few days with Bruce. For those of you who don't know, Bruce helps manage me and The FLB (talk about a full time job!) and was nice enough to set up a couple of performances while I'm out there. I also plan to meet with some friends and other fine folks in the biz, enjoy the musically rich nightlife of Nash-Vegas, and just soak it all in and see what it's all about.

For those of you in the area, I will be performing sets at the Hall of Fame Lounge on Music Row both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Those shows kick off around 7pm usually, but there will most likely be others on the bill and I'm not sure where I'll be in the order. I'd suggest calling the venue for more concrete details.

Next Monday I shall do my best to give the full report of the experience, hopefully including pictures and whatever else I can share. It should be a great trip, as long as I don't soil my loins on the flight or have some kind of first-timer Rain Man moment. I don't foresee that, though. I think I'm just going to be lovin' the fact that I'll be flying through the air like Superman with a drink in my hand and a bag of free peanuts. Does anyone ever make the Mile High Club on their rookie flight?

Watch out Music City, here I come!

Support and Pre-order New Album

The release of The FLB's new album, 'Shotgun With The Devil' is right around the corner and scheduled for the end of spring/beginning of summer. The mixes are finished and getting their final sheen before replication, and now you can be a part of the production of the album.

As a way to allow all of our great listeners and followers to play a role in the album's release, we are now offering several pre-order/support packages. These packages include everything from a simple pre-order of the album up to a full page mention in the liner notes and a personal performance by The FLB. You can show your support, promote your business, and help bring the music to life.

To take advantage of these opportunities, make sure you do so before they expire on May 1, 2009. You can choose from several options here:

http://freddielong.com/swtdpreorder/


For a track listing of the new album, go here:

http://freddielong.com/music

We very much look forward to sharing the new music with you and extend our deepest thanks for your support,

-Freddie

Twitter and Handguns

More firsts for me this past week. Yesterday I started an account on Twitter, which, for those of you who are not familiar with the latest cyber-phenomenon, is a site where people answer in 140 characters or less the question, "What are you doing?" Called micro-blogging, the thing seems to be catching on faster than bell bottom jeans. You can also attach it to a regular blog (see right), Facebook profile, MySpace, etc.

Here's my page on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freddielong

Yesterday I also went to the shooting range with my brother who helped teach me how to shoot a Glock 9mm handgun. I'm not one to advocate violence, but who knows? Maybe I'll need to save the world someday with Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vin Diesel, and I don't want to be the weakest link.

We got there and I first noticed that there were quite a few cute girls at the range, which was both exciting and anxiety-inducing at the same time. We were assigned to a lane next to a woman and a man that were shooting a higher caliber gun that sounded like a damn Civil War cannon. Even though I had ear protection on, it definitely took me a few minutes to stop soiling myself every time those folks fired from what could've been mistaken for a small tank.

I eventually got a little more comfortable and even though I kind of had Barney Fife hands, I actually wasn't that terrible of a shot. Just holding a gun and being around gunfire made me think about all those who serve in the line of fire and our friends and family overseas. The experience gave me even more respect for the folks who have served, fought and died for the safety and freedoms we enjoy in our country.

The Hans Grubers and T-1000s of the world don't stand a chance...

Rihanna assault photo post -- No class

Just wanted to speak my mind on a current issue...

I don't know if you all have kept up with the Rihanna/Chris Brown assault scandal, but recently there has been a photo circulating online taken of Rihanna that shows her battered and bruised face after the assault. Apparently the photo was leaked by the LAPD, perhaps by someone looking to make some easy money by selling it to the media. Today I saw the photo for the first time posted under the 'Featured' section on the front page of MySpace, and I feel it was done in incredibly poor taste, whether the photo is genuine or not.

I think it shows ABSOLUTELY NO CLASS for any website to post a photo of this nature, which if genuine was supposed to be confidential and was released without authorization. This is especially true for a site like MySpace, where younger folks will be exposed to it. Sites like Daily Fill, MySpace, TMZ, et al. should really have more respect for common decency than that. Hats off to the LAPD for seriously investigating the leak.

There's just no good reason for this exploitation. All to get more hits to your site? Come on. What if that was your daughter/sister/friend? Let's have some integrity, people.

The end and beginning of an era...

(I know I blew it this Monday, but better late than never!)

I remember when I was in middle and high school I would spend hours perusing the music stores in the mall, buying CD after CD, some even just on a whim. As the industry changed, the music chains faded off into the retail distance and gave way to bigger multi-entertainment stores like Best Buy, Circuit City (RIP), Borders, and Barnes and Noble.

But today I finally took the quantum leap into the digital age by making my first strictly-online digital music purchases. I had been bucking the trend for a while now and I know I'm behind the curve on this one, but it felt like it was time today, for whatever reason. It is the dawning of a new age for me.

I decided to use Amazon MP3 because their music is DRM-free (meaning you can do whatever you want with the file--burn, copy, whatever) and also you can download singles without having to install any other application. You need their downloader program for full albums (which I eventually installed), but it is very small, straightforward and unobtrusive.

Here were my first digital purchases:

*Hot N Cold - Katy Perry (something about the song made me feel good the other day, I don't know what...)
*Gives You Hell - All-American Rejects (catchy number, well-produced)
*Boyz II Men - II (full album--only $1.99!)
*Also downloaded some free giveaway tracks including a Stax sampler and free tunes by Sepultura and Ani Difranco.

So, not really any deep choices there, just a couple of current pop/rock singles and a Boyz II Men album that I always get nostalgic about and couldn't pass up for the price, but I think that's going to be the gist of my initial MO with this digital thing. Usually if I'm really into an artist and/or an album I would rather purchase the physical tangible CD to have, so I forecast that for now I will use digital shopping just for one-off purchases, at least until CDs go the way of the 8-track tape.

Here's a really good site that compares all of the biggest digital music sites out there:

http://music-download-review.toptenreviews.com/

See you at the online record store...

'I feel funny...'

Drugs at the dentist can really trip you out...especially if you're seven years old. Here's a good laugh for the week:

Past and Current Events

That's right woodchuck-chuckers, it's Groundhog Day! Unfortunately, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means six more weeks of winter. As opposed to if he didn't see his shadow, which means...probably six more weeks of winter anyway.

Tomorrow also marks the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest days in music history: The Day The Music Died. Fifty years ago tomorrow, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens were all killed along with their pilot in a wintry airplane crash. The tragedy has given birth to many legends, as well as the song 'American Pie' written by Don McClean. You can read more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died

This past week celebrated the birthday of American artist Jackson Pollock. He was a painter famous for his 'drip' painting technique. I encourage everyone to watch the movie Pollock with Ed Harris. I was not familiar with Pollock's work before the movie, but became a fan of his art, his personality, and his story, which is at the same time both tragic and beautiful. Below is a picture of one of his paintings at the National Museum of Art in DC called Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist). Pollock stopped naming his paintings and gave them numbers instead so that people would just look at the painting for what it was.



This past week also saw the passing of Lynyrd Skynyrd's original keyboard player, Billy Powell. The story I always heard was that he started out as a roadie for the band and was asked to join when the band overheard him playing one day. The rest was history. He was classically trained, but played some of my favorite rock piano solos of all time. His talent will be sorely missed, but will on through the music he created. Here's the article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE50R7ME20090128

Lastly, I wanted to comment on Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's performance at the Super Bowl last night. I actually missed it live, but watched it on YouTube shortly after the game. Although I thought there were a few sound problems (which I'll take over having everything pre-tracked anyday), I felt Bruce put on a great show and looked like he was having the time of his life. From all of us who were Born To Run, well done, Boss. If you missed it like me, you can watch it here below.

PART 1



PART 2

The week in review...

Let's see...what's new in the World of Long? Not too much, really. Played at Stevenson University (formerly Villa Julie) this Saturday for a beer and wine tasting. Really nice event.

Beer and wine tasting on a college campus, you say? Where were those when I was in college?! There actually were a few drink-on-the-school's-dime (which is really your dime, of course) events around my graduation, and I guess even if my college did have something like that back in the day it would've been hard to justify paying for tickets when a 24-bottle case of Lion's Head beer (OR Lion's Head Light :) was only $9.99. Let's just say we kept the Annville Township recycling program on its feet.

Other than that, the band and I have been rehearsing and finishing final mixes of the album. We are in the final 'tweaking and critiquing' stage (also see 'compulsive perfectionist nit-picking') and I'm really getting ancy to complete the final product. I just hope people dig the songs and get something out of them...they've been a long time comin'...(future album title?)...

By the way, the band is getting back out on the road and we've started to book some more shows. Dates are usually posted soon after confirmation, so check the site for the latest.

I know who I'm rooting for to win the Super Bowl...The Boss :)

Merrie Melodies

Ed forwarded the video below to everyone in the band the other day. It's one of the Looney Tunes Merrie Melodies shorts. They were great cartoon/music shorts and this one is a jazz take on the Three Little Pigs.

The gist is that the Big Bad Wolf keeps trying to join the pigs' band, but he sucks at trumpet. Who knew he was just another frustrated musician? I hadn't seen this since I was a kid:



'Ooo, ya cool! Ooo, ya cool! Ooo, ya cool man, cool!' Pretty funny stuff. Here's another good one where a note from 'The Blue Danube' gets drunk:



The music in these is really ingenious...

Back in Black

As we continue to rocket into 2009, I have decided to make the pledge to return from my blogging sabbatical and more diligently share on a more regular basis. My ambitious plan is to post something every Monday at the very least, so keep checking in and give me hell if I don't deliver!

In the meantime, have a laugh care of Jeopardy and its biggest winner, Ken Jennings:

Frederic Yonnet

I saw a guy named Frederic Yonnet play harmonica tonight at the Wammies like I've never seen anyone play the harmonica before. I looked him up when I got home, and it turns our he's played with Stevie Wonder several times along with many other greats.

Check out this YouTube clip of him doing 'Little Wing'. Gave me chills:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eRNDIVJ4n0w

The man is an absolute virtuoso. I just wanted to share that with you.

The power of water

Check this out:

https://www.hado.net/index.php

Dr. Masaru Emoto is a Japanese researcher who claims through photographic evidence that water actually reacts positively and negatively to thoughts, words, sounds, and other stimuli. Some folks have written off his research and photographs as quackery, but I believe there is at least some merit to it all.

Just think of the implications...

And the winner is...

An early holiday gift for The FLB...

The FLB's debut album, 'Strangers and Friends', was recently given the honor of being included in Indie-Music.com's Top 25 releases of 2007. In addition, 'Blanket' also made Indie-Music.com's Top 25 MP3s of 2007.

Be sure to check out Indie-Music.com's review of 'Strangers and Friends' and the other top albums of 2007. Big thanks to IndieMusic.com for their support and for both tremendous honors!

How did I get here?!

I've said before and I'll say it again: all that stuff they told you in school was true. If you chase your dreams, they happen. That had never been more apparent to me than on Saturday night opening for Jo Dee Messina at The Maryland Theatre.

The show was a fantastic experience. I met Jo Dee early on in the day and we chatted very briefly about Hagerstown and her missing the small town where she grew up. I was a little star stuck of course, but I thought (hoped?) I played it cool. Later on I chatted some with Jo Dee's pedal steel and acoustic guitar players, both incredibly friendly and complimentary, which was huge coming from such great players.

Ok, here were some really cool perks of the show: Free food (lunch and dinner), some free booze (that we were able to request), and we even got our own dressing room. We also got to watch Jo Dee from some of the best seats in the house, not to mention we had a lot of incredibly helpful and gracious volunteers helping us with equipment and anything else we needed. I just kept thinking how ridiculous it all was and how I didn't really deserve it all. Folks like teachers, or firefighters, or EMTs, and countless other public servants are really the kinds of people that deserve all these luxuries. I should just get a water fountain and be glad that people are there to listen to my musical ramblings. Anyway, big shout outs to Mick, Niles, Brian, Mike, Jon, Jess and everyone else who helped us out Saturday.

Here's a dressing room shot:



I was nervous and anxious before and during the performance, but also felt a certain level of comfort. I couldn't help but smile as we tore into the first song, 'Blanket', looking out into the theater with the lights flashing all around. It really felt like 'wow, I can't believe it. We did it.' It was an especially special moment with my parents and brother, my biggest fans, sitting right in the front. Mom said she bawled through the entire set! Here's a shot of me looking up at the balcony:



The crowd was incredibly responsive for us being a pretty unknown opening act for such a huge artist, and I thanked them for not impaling us with any foreign objects. It was really great when the lights would come up and I could see all the faces. That connection really filled me with comfort and joy. And then just like that, it was over. Those 30 minutes on stage went by in a blink.

The whole experience truly was something I'd hoped for and dreamed of for a long time, and it was wonderfully surreal to have those things materialize right before me. Here I was, playing in a beautiful theater for a crowd of people sitting listening to songs I had written in my bedroom or dorm room or wherever. And if my dreams can become real, it 'sure as heckfire' can happen to yours. Please remember that, and remember that any success I experience belongs as much to you as it does to me. It's all about us being a part of something together, and I would be nowhere if it wasn't for you and everyone else to share it with.

Big thanks to Bruce Torres at Cabana Cove Concerts for believing in us and the music and leading us to the promised land. Which leads me to Crazy Story #2...

Bruce was nice enough to hook us up to see Elliot Yamin, The Last Goodnight, and Josh Hoge at the theater Monday. After the show, we all ended up hanging with Elliot and TLG at a private bar gathering in town later that night. Because the owner opened the bar privately for Elliot and everyone, he was low on help so Randy got behind the bar and started serving drinks! I talked with Elliot for quite a while and he even offered me the clams that he didn't want from his dinner. Gave him a CD and then Randy played it on the bar stereo (which was quite embarrassing). Elliot and some of his band mates were politely complimentary about the music, though, which was very cool.

Here's a shot of Elliot and I at the bar that Randy took with his phone (I am gesturing wildly for some reason--I blame the Jim Beam):


Needless to say, this week has been a trip and I just wanted to share some of it with you all. Now it's time to go underground for a little while to get the new group together and up to speed and to record some new material.

See you soon!

I'm Back

Welcome back!

There's been a lot of crazy changes and developments lately, so I am going to attempt to revive this ramble-space. Hide the women and children!

More to come...

Some Great Things In My Local Scene

Over the past few days I have had the great fortune to discover a few really wonderful things in my local scene. Check 'em out:

1. Bob Sima--I came across Bob and his music on MySpace and was really taken aback by a song called "Gravity." I actually went to see Bob this weekend at The Pour House in Westminster and got the chance to talk with him for a little bit. Bob plays with Stereopool and his new solo album "Pour It On" is fantastic (I bought it, and you should too). Give a listen:
www.myspace.com/bobsima
www.bobsima.com

2. The Music Cafe--This place just opened about 6 months ago and is located in Damascus, literally about 10 minutes from my house. I went in there tonight to check it out and I really liked the vibe. I was only there for a little bit, but you can tell the owners are people who really love music. They even have Jimi and Janis painted on the bathroom doors! The Music Cafe is a pretty spacious coffeehouse with a nice area where bands and acoustic acts perform. Go by and visit one night, you won't be disappointed. (I recommend Fri. or Sat. nights when they have music).
www.the-music-cafe.com

Artists I think you should give A listen to (If you haven't already)

Among the cesspool of awful music in the mainstream these days, there are thankfully some redeeming lights out there that you may or may not have discovered. These are some of my current and all-time musicial favorites, which above all appeal to me because of their great emotional substance.

1. Ray Lamontagne--"Trouble" and "Til The Sun Turns Back" are both brilliant albums.

2. Martin Sexton--Lots of great stuff. His double live album is wonderful. The guy can do INSANE things with just an acoustic guitar and his voice.

3. Damien Rice--I just bought "9" and I really like the first track.

4. Marc Broussard--A self-proclaimed white-boy with soul. I agree wholeheartedly.

5. David Gray--"This Year's Love" has brought tears to my eyes (despite its overuse in romantic films). "The Other Side" is a weighty tune.

6. Edwin McCain--Most folks know "I'll Be" and "Could Not Ask For More," but this guy has several albums full of both beautiful and groovin' tunes resonating with his powerful voice.

7. Blessid Union of Souls--You'll probably recognize some of thier hits, but there are a lot of great songs that never made Top 40. Check out their earlier albums, "Home" and "Blessid Union of Souls." "Walking Off The Buzz" has some good stuff on it, too, but in my opinion marks the beginning of the band's shift to very produced sounding pop/rock and away from the more acoustic-based stuff that really drew me in.

Halftime Show

I'm not really a sports guy, and last year I didn't even watch the Super Bowl at all. This year I only watched the Halftime Show in my brother's room, but man it was fantastic. Prince was the performer this year and he was just absolutely awe-inspiring.

It was pouring in Miami during Prince's performance, but the guy wailed and brought the house down despite having to sing and play electric instruments in a drenching rain. I've played in wet weather before and can tell you this is no small feat. Considering all the lights, pyrotechnics, and other electric gear the performance required, the show's engineers also deserve a lot of credit.

Prince ended with Purple Rain (the perfect soundtrack for the ensuing weather conditions), during which he threw articles of clothing into the audience, kicked over the microphone in a climax of musical emotion, and lead the entire stadium in singing the song's final 'Ooo's. I thought the whole thing was pretty powerful. It made me want to be Prince, or at least be able to do what he did in that 10 minutes.

Thanks, Prince...