Christopher Whitney's blog

Hello Folks, my friend Brett Robinson and I are scoring a film titled "A Genesis Found" and we've just finished the trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gk4biVHOkc check it out. pretty cool huh?

Here's how we do it. First we talk about writing some music for several months, procrastinate, then finish it in a frenzied couple of days. Brett has introduced me to energy drinks, good stuff. It's like cocaine without the murderous addiction...or nose bleeds...or buzz that makes it impossible to concentrate. Ok, it's not like cocaine at all.

I believe this is the first feature length film for independent director Lee Fanning and it looks great.

When I know more, you'll know more.

See ya

Dear Internet,

     I apologize for my lack of corrispondance of late. Sometimes I just don't know what to say to you. You are so big and important and yet so aloof and distant. I feel like I should be asking you to watch over my family, I guess that's more a job for Santa Claus though.

    My tenure as a performer at the Stagecoach has come to an end due to an unfortunate fire. We'll have to wait and see if Eric and Laura can rebuild. In the mean time I've joined a country band called Freight Train. The band kicks ass and we have plenty of gigs coming up so be sure to check the events calender for a show that fits your schedule. What am I thinking, I'll bet you get millions of invetations per day. Being the internet must be a very hard job, what with the seeing what everybody's up to and stuff. No wonder you keep your distance.

See ya later,

Chris

the apocalypse plays backwards
as though a constant state of irony
incapable of meaningful execution
 

more prisons
to put them in

more crimes
to blame them for

the fortunate
go to college

the unwanted
go to jail

they all do as they're told

television revels in the folly of the unwanted
the hypnotized rejoice in their pain
a fog of animosity embraces
smug bastards snort approval

     First off, I thought I was on the mend from a minor throat infection. Turns out I had strep. After this gig I had three days of intense pain. Apparently, I pay health insurance so I can sit at home and not see a doctor until the pain is unbearable.
     When I arrived the parking lot was full. 'Kick ass' I thought. Unfortunately, when I got inside the number of people equaled the number of cars. I wonder if anything will change when it hits $6 a gallon. Laura and Eric, the proprietors, were happy to see me, and I was happy to see them. Them's good people. I got set up and settled into an Easy Burger, named after it's inventor and frequent bar patron, Easy. As his name implies, he's an easy going easy to talk to sort of fella. Although you can tell he's got a wild streak a mile long. There's a few laid back characters over there that you just know would be willing and able to mop the floor with your face if you gave them a reason. People don't come to the stagecoach looking for trouble though. These are the sort of people that usually end fights rather than start them. I digress. Back to the Easy Burger, 1/2 pound burger (after cooking) with cheese bacon, onion rings and bar b que sauce. Probably not the best thing to eat right before a performance, but damn, and I mean DAMN, its good. What the hell, I probably shouldn't drink beer and sing with strep either. Honestly, I thought the sore throat was over. I didn't even eat any pain killers that day.
     So I finished my dinner, ordered a beer and started the first set:

Cry, Cry, Cry - Johnny Cash
Heartbeat - Buddy Holly
Down the Rhine - Apple
Candy Hearts - Whitney
Tattoo - The Who
Doctor Robert - The Beatles
Astronomy Domine - Pink Floyd
Retrograde Mercury - Peltomaa, Whitney
I Go To Sleep - The Pretenders
Let Me Sleep Beside You - Bowie
Living - Alice Cooper
Turning leaves - Peltomaa Whitney
Mamma Tried - Merle Haggard
Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead
Knockin on Heavens Door - Dylan
Hi - Peltomaa Whitney
Leau Vive - Piotre Panin
I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingo's
Little Sister - Elvis
Heart of Glass - Blondie

    A few people came and went. All in all a decent audience, dinner crowd. I took a short break, grabbed a beer and went back up for set 2:

Chance at Twilight - Whitney
Into the Sun - Whitney
I Just Wanna Make Love to You - Willie Dickson

     About this time my good friend Uncle Micky and his grand baby, the prettiest baby in the world, Avah Rose arrived. I'm serious, Unk Mic and his wife, the lovely Julie, should be cashing in on baby food and diaper commercials. I continued the set:

Scarlatti sonata K. 391
If I Needed Someone - The Beatles
Rain on the Roof - The Lovin' Spoonful
The Snow - Whitney
The Wizard - Uriah Heep
Megalomania - Black Sabbath
One More Rainy Day - Deep Purple
Feeling Again - Peltomaa Whitney
19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones
Pretty in Pink - The Psychedelic Furs
soiree mysteriuse - Piotre Panin
Having a Party - Sam Cook
 
    Well, It's getting late in the evening by this time. Unk Mic and Avah head home. Things are winding down and BAM, a whole new party of people come in. Cool with me. Of course, cool with Eric and Laura too. Grab another beer and voila! set number three:

King Kong - The Kinks
On a Flower - Whitney (first time performed in public)
Mr. Bojangles
Tuesday's Gone - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Maybellene - Chuck Berry
C'mon Everybody - Eddie Cochran
Don't Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
Fool For You - Whitney
Ball and Chain - Social Distortion
That'll be the Day - Buddy Holly
Man Smart Woman Smarter - King Radio
Reduction of Hearts - Peltomaa Whitney
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Rockaway Beach - The Ramones
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
Twenty Flight Rock - Eddie Cochran
Casey Jones - The Grateful Dead
The Moonbeam Song - Harry Nillsson

     There you have it folks, another day another dollar. No rest for the wicked. Don't let the ass hit you on the door out. Insert tired old colloquialism here. See ya.

     So I'm working at Squeo Music today (a little music shop in Grove City) and this sweet little old lady walks in. White hair, glasses on a chain.

"What can I do for you?" I ask.

"I'm looking for something to clean my old records with" she says with a sweet diminutive voice.

Unfortuately we don't sell anything like that so I give her the advice given to me by old Joe from The Goldmine Records, R.I.P. "Clean your vinyl with a 100% cotton cloth and nothing else".

We get to talking about records, as I have a few (hundred) myself.

"I've got some old Dolly Parton records" she says.

I'm thinking, isn't that sweet...she wants to listen to her old Dolly records. Then she says "do you have any WAR records, you know, W-A-R?".

"Like 'The cisco kid was a freind on mine'?" I ask.

She clasps her hands together and throws her head back and says "Yes, I love WAR".

Sometimes the world can be a wonderful place.

    I've just come home from a day of teaching kiddies to play the guitar. The Brazen Brass Quintet are rehearsing in my living room and I'm wondering how to spend the rest of my night. Should I start sorting out the ever increasing pile of unfinished lyrics on my hard drive? Maybe I'll Practice some Napolean Coste or Fernando Sor. I've been learning Led Zeppelins "Ten Years Gone", that could be fun. I know, I'll open a beer and start the first blog entry on my shiney new website, www.christopherwhitney.net.

     You astute readers already knew that was the conclusion I would come to. Except for the beer part, you had no way of knowing that. You may also be wondering who the hell is this guy and why am I reading this? Frank Zappa's "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here" comes to mind. I can't tell you why you're reading this but I can tell you that I am a midwestern, beer swillin', guitar pickin', classic rock singin' kind of guy. NO WAIT! DON'T LEAVE YET! It could be much more interesting than that. Why? you ask. As they say, the proof is in the puddin'. Give the MP3's a listen and tell me what you think.

     I've just recorded these first offerings at Bob's Guitar Shack here in Columbus, Ohio.  I chose Bob's over the hundreds of other studio's here for a few reasons. First, he works with an old freind and former band mate Jon Coleman. Also, I happend to run into Cliff Starbuck of Ekoostic Hookah fame leaving a recording session at Bob's one night and he seemed pretty happy; Of course, he usually seems pretty happy. Lastly, having met Bob once or twice and having seen him perform once, he seemed like the sort of person I could work with. Boy was I right. He really made me feel comfortable. The studio has a great feel, It's not too slick and not too amature. Goldielocks would feel right at home. He has good gear and knows how to use it. There are none of pretentous trappings of some "pro" studios. Sure, a million dollars worth of mics and moveable acoustic panels built into the ceiling have their uses, but let me ask you this: where did Celine Dion record her last album? where did Elvis and Johnny Cash make thier first records? You get the point.

     As you can tell, I'm pretty excited about these tracks. They are far from perfect as I recorded six tracks live in the studio in one night. Next time I'll go for two or three, then I can get the best take. Since I was going for six in one night, once I got a useable take It was on to the next track. Live and learn I guess.

     Well, thats all I've got for tonight. More to come...