Date

News

01/09/2009

Apparently it's time for my yearly update. I definitely need to update this site more often. Last May was the CD release party with my ladies, The Bush Pilots (Lorna Bracewell on drums and Lexi Pierson on bass). From the reaction of the crowd, we rocked it hard! :) A huge thanks goes out to my brother Tony (aka. White Boy T) for all the graphics and video for the show. Apparently I forgot to mention that during the show, sorry bro! It was a great crowd, they bought CD's and Skubz rocks T-Shirts and all the girls wanted one made just like Ms. April was wearing.

Within the next couple of months we practiced and then split up. I began work on Lorna Bracewell's songs for a big show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in November and Lexi got ready for deployment to Iraq (she is in the Reserves). Ruth Eckerd is an exceptional venue, which is the kind of place people come dressed up a bit, to attend. The show was in November, it went really well and the band was great. Lorna ended up getting an exceptional drummer Hiram Garazo, Anthony Landi on the keyboards (you can hear him on my disc - check out Luvin' Man) and Jody Grey the sound engineer/bassist/drummer on my disc Freedom. We put in a lot of practice time and had one show to let loose. It was great!

Currently I'm working on my own music again, while trying to retain my knowledge of Lorna's music. Lorna has booked us a couple of gigs, one at Pro Star Studios (where my CD release party was held) and one at Vinoy Park, which is a beautiful spot in downtown St. Petersburg overlooking the water (Tampa Bay). I think we are all pretty excited about this show. Vinoy is where they hold the medium sized music festivals in St. Pete. Blues fests (Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, etc.), Reggae Fests and The Vans Warped Tour have all been held at this same location. We will be playing right before the Headlining act at a Woman's Music Festival. It should be a lot of fun.

I also hope to get back in the studio soon, to start my new disc. I still have so many more songs to choose from. I'm really hoping this time to capture more of my live raw vocals, rather than what I heard on this last disc. People who have been listening to me play for years, have told me that the edge is missing, I hope I can fix that this time around. It's one thing to play, sing/write in the comfort of your own living room feeling every bit of what you are singing, it's a whole other animal to step into an isolated vocal booth with no guitar in hand singing along to your previously recorded tracks coming through headphones.

04/19/2008

CD Release Party set for May 3rd at 8pm at Pro-Star Studios, St. Petersburg, FL. The new CD is also available to pre-order online! Click the Store link above to pre-order your copy today!

 

01/02/2007

The following is taken from my blog on myspace:

I figured it had been long enough since my last update that I should post something inspiring to start the new year. Hmmm...inspiring.....hmmm.....creative.....hmmm....nothing. Well, I guess maybe just a totally self-promotive update of my life will have to do. *I think I just made up a word self-promotive, I like it* Anyways, just got back from a week vacation out west doing the snowboarding thing. I came to the realization on this trip, that as much as I use to like to snowboard, it now bores me. I would much rather being chilling on a boat in 80 degree weather wakeboarding, then sitting on some cold-ass chairlift in the middle of 10 degree weather. It was nice to get away for a while, do something different, and see some old friends, but I'm over it now. I must admit I do feel reenergized for the new year.

I have a stack of cash that is set aside for a brand new Acoustic guitar, I am so totally psyched. I have been playing the same pressed-wood cheapo for the last 14 years. It has served me well, but it has a nasty little buzz to it and it's time to step-up to the real deal. Before my vacation I had been spending quite a bit of time at the local music shops, usually in their "vaults". For those that don't know, those are the rooms that have the locked cabinets. When you have to ask a salesman to unlock a cabinet so you can play the guitar, you know it's worth some cash. I'm currently hemming-n-hawing between a solid-spruce top Taylor with mahogany back and sides, a Martin with the same qualities, or a used over-priced Gibson. The Martin and Taylor sound so totally different. They are so unique in their sounds that I really could "use" both. The Taylor I really want, is quite a bit more expensive than the Martin, but it melts in my hands whenever I play it. I like the way open chords and jazz chords sound, just trying to determine if the sound gets dirty enough for me when needed. The Martin has a very deep-rich sound and fits rock very well, just not sure it's flexible enough. The Gibson I really like, but find that my finger is constantly slipping off the fret board when fingering the high E string. I guess I'm not too keen on laying out the cash for an instrument that won't fit the way I play, even if it does sound really nice. What to do, what to do? I'll will probably continue to bother the sales people at my local music shops over the course of the next couple of weeks until I finally decide to purchase one. Regardless of which way I go, one thing is for sure, my guitar will cost more than my car. I think I have arrived at some sort of musician apex when that occurs.

Over the past 6 months or so I have been recording my first studio cd project. I am going electric on this cd and have been frustrated with the outcome so far. I had not been able to put a finger on the frustration until my little vacation break. While speaking to a friend about the issue, it came to me. Because I usually play acoustically, I don't have a defined "electric sound". At least not yet. I believe I have an acoustic "voice" if you will, but not a defined destortation and vocal layering. This has lead to lots of expermenting in the studio. Now expermenting is fun, but when you are flippin' the bill, it definitely is not cheap. So here's to the new year 2007 and finding the Skubz "sound".

11/07/2006

Wow, it's already November! I am still progressing on the studio project and got another few songs in the can. I have tried out one drummer and lost a guitarist before things even began. I guess that's the story with trying to get a band together. I must admit I have been slacking in my own efforts of forming the band. I've just been having too much fun writing and playing lately. Still working on getting solo gigs, but not interested in doing the 3-4 hour mainly cover-tune set. I don't mind playing 3 hours, but I work for a living, so when I play I'm going to do things my way. *skubz que's the Sinatra music* I finally got a full PA together, complete with monitor's. I have added a few new instrumental pieces to the possible set list. Pretty soon I'm going to be able to have 2 completely different 3-hour set lists, yikes that's scary. Hope everyone's doing well. Enjoy the holiday season and I'll catch you on the B-side.

09/21/2006

Greetings from sunny Florida! That's for all you up north who experienced the first frost of the fall last night. On to music news. I am getting close on a few songs, basically just final tuning and mixing left on these tunes. The cd now has a title, "My Incessant Aversion To Normalcy". After telling a certain someone about the title their response, "ain't that the truth", made me think I'm a little transparent. The studio project is moving forward but as of yet I do not have a timeline on it's release. The goal is to start putting together a band to showcase my studio version music at a cd release party sometime in 2007. Watch for the U.S. Tour sometime in the spring. Rumor has it that my brothers Ukrainian foreign exchange student is diggin' what I'm puttin' down, so I may have to book a European leg to the tour. Hey boss I'm going to be working from "home" for a little while ;)

06/17/2006

Well, I am finally in the studio recording my first album. It has been a long time coming. It is a very long process and I hope to have something early next year. I am thrilled to be working with the staff at ProStar Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida to create a full-band sound on this album. I currently have 17 songs down on scratch tracks ready to start putting the band sound around the song. After the drums, bass and any other instruments have been added to the scratch tracks, I will then replace the guitar and vocals with finished tracks. I'm really excited, but also cautiously nervous. I really want to make sure the sound I capture is true to me and not some over-produced, homogenized, pop-sounding piece that I don't feel comfortable calling my own. It is funny though, I think the album is going to be different than I anticipated. I have a lot less harder sounding songs than I thought I had. I am not ashamed of that, it just gives me a different perception of myself and my music.

03/01/2006

Make sure to check out the upcoming gigs page, because Skubz has just been added to a number of shows around the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. From the weekly Tuesday night ice cream shop show in North Tampa to the multiple 1 hour shows during March and April at a couple different Music Festivals and Songwriter shocase events. From St. Petersburg to New Port Richey to Tampa there is sure to be a show near you. Be sure to check him out soon.