Pheaturing The Whiskey Saints

PHIRST OF

Hello, kids, welcome to the Phile, the web's most updated blog. Last week Jen and Logan went to Kennedy Space Center (while I stayed home sick) and guess what? Not only did they see one Space Shuttle on the launch pad, they saw two. That's apparently a rare thing. Figures, when I go I the only shuttle I see is the bus they drive you around in. Barack Obama is in the news: During the Summit of the Americas, he shook hands with Hugo Chavez. People are pretty upset about it. He’s a dictator; you don’t shake his hand. You extend your hand and say, “Psyche!”
North Carolina’s Kristen Dalton won the Miss USA Pageant. I guess Republicans now have a VP candidate for 2012. A new study shows Austin, Texas is the best city to find employment. The worst city to find employment? Circuit City. Scientists have discovered a new planet that they say humans could inhabit. They say that it could be done with just 1,000 humans... or one Octo-Mom. Scientists are now blaming global warming on fat people. That’s quite an “inconvenient truth” for Al Gore. Barack Obama will appear shirtless in a magazine this month. I think many Americans will identify with him — most have lost their shirts. I think I speak for everyone when I say, “Thank God Hillary didn’t win.” A doctor in England claims he has impregnated four women with human clones. I think we should go back to the old-fashioned way of having babies — eight at a time. On Wednesday it was the 39th Earth Day. Enjoy it now because once you get into your 40s, it’s all downhill. It was also Administrative Professionals Day. It used to be called Secretaries Day, but now it’s all PC. It’s like Thanksgiving used to be called “Just Cook My Dinner,” now it’s called Thanksgiving.
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” is returning to prime time. Due to the recession, it’s been renamed “Who Wants Five Bucks and a Taco.” Michael Jackson’s limo has been in an accident. There was no damage to the limo; however, Michael Jackson’s face suffered $1 million in improvements. I was watching Larry King interviewing Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol Palin’s baby. He asked, “Exactly where did sex occur in the Palin’s house?” And then, it was incredible... my TV threw up. And finally... Police in North Carolina are looking for a pregnant woman who attempted to rob a bank at gunpoint. FBI sketch artists have just released a sonogram. Be careful everyone she is armed and lactating. I have a great blog for you today. Three dead celebs, April 24th in History, a Top Ten List and an interview with all four members The Whiskey Saints.

Doc Blanchard: The doctor is out.
J.G. Ballard: Just Gone? Jolly Ghost? Joined Graveyard? Jazzy Ghoul? Jostled Grave? Take your pick.
Jack Cardiff: Marilyn Monroe once described him as "the best in the world". But then again, she was wasted a LOT.

1928
The Supreme Court of Canada declares that though women are indeed legal "persons," they are nevertheless ineligible to serve in the Canadian Senate. The Court agreed that the term "person" applies equally to humans of both genders, but the British North America Act referred specifically to "fit and qualified persons" -- necessarily excluding unfit and unqualified people (aka females).
1934
The present incarnation of actress Shirley MacLaine is born.
1967
Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov soon becomes the world's first space mission fatality after his Soyuz parachutes become entangled four miles above the Earth.
1980
A mission to rescue 53 American hostages from Tehran fails; 8 US soldiers are killed.
1993
An IRA bomb causes $1.5 billion of damage in central London when it destroys several square blocks. One person is killed and 40 injured.
1995
The Unabomber strikes, killing a timber industry lobbyist. Gilbert Murray is killed in his Sacramento office, opening mail addressed to the man he replaced.
1997
A petri dish arrives in an 8x10 manila envelope at the Washington, D.C. offices of B'nai B'rith International. The dish, labeled "anthracks," drips a liquidy red gel which is later determined to contain a relatively harmless strain of Bacillus cereus.

From the home office in Groveland, Florida, here is this week's top ten list...

Top Ten Things Overheard During President Obama's Trip Overseas
10. Hillary, get out of the shot.
9. Hey, you're right -- he does have the same ears as Prince Charles.
8. Would a fist bump with the Queen be out of line?
7. Did he try to bum a cigarette off of you, too?
6. At last, an American president who speaks English better than we do.
5. No one has tried to put their arm around the Queen since Clinton was here.
4. Hey, I think I can see Sarah Palin's house from here!
3. Madonna asked that I pick up her kid while we're here.
2. How embarrassing -- Michelle Obama and Sir Elton John are wearing the same dress!
And the number one thing overheard during Obama's trip overseas...

1. What happened to the dumb guy?

Today's guests to the Phile is one of my favorite bands right now. Please welcome to the Phile... The Whiskey Saints.

Me: Hello, guys, welcome to the Phile. So, do you all drink whiskey?

Dave S: I'd say at one point or another we've all enjoy a drink of whiskey... I'd say generally though that the members whose names start with a "D" are the most likely to be found drinking it.

Rob: All of us except Jeff, he prefers Shirley Temples.

Jeff: We actually drink a lot of Daiquiris, but The Daiquiri Saints just didn't fit. So, good thing we also really like whiskey.

Me: Are you all from Los Angeles? Where did you four meet and come to form a band?

Jeff: Actually none of us are from L.A. I'm from Wilmington, Delaware which is 20 minutes outside of Philly. Unfortunately, nobody really knows where Delaware is out here, so I tell everybody Philly. One time I told a girl that Delaware was an island off of New Jersey and she believed me. So uh yeah... Philly.

Dave S: I'm from a little town called Westminster, in Maryland.

Dave B: I'm a California native. We're really a product of Craigslist, except for Rob who we met through a friend. Sparrow was hunting out a guitar player and found me. We instantly hit it off, which is good because I had already met seven other guys on Craigslist who claimed they could "sing." I even met one guy in Venice who I swear was trying too hard to get me into his unlit garage in order to show me his "equipment. " Not cool.

Me: Which one of you is responsible for the band name? Where did it come from? Why not The Beer Saints?

Dave S: Our original bass player actually came up with the name. I guess we all agreed it had a nice ring to it. It sort of fit with the music we were/are playing.

Me: Okay, let's talk seriously... your album fucking rocks! I downloaded it from iTunes and played it a number of times. Well done. When I first heard it I thought you sounded like the Gin Blossoms, but you are more like the Jayhawks. Anyway, where was it recorded and who produced it?

Jeff: Thanks for taking the time to listen and the compliment. We recorded this album in 3 different studios. We got a majority of the recording done in a studio in Pasadena called Hot Pie Studios. We actually recorded all of the piano parts at Westlake Studios in the same room that Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones recorded "Thriller". Finally, we finished the recording in our producer Jim Dineen's studio. Our good friend Jim Dineen produced the album. He's worked with a lot of top notch artists as an engineer and this w as his first outing as a producer. We feel like he gets our music and it was a great working relationship. He also partakes in daiquiris and whiskey with us.

Me: It's called "West"... is that because you guys are from out West?

Dave S: Nope. We liked the connotation that "West" had. Once again it sort of encompassed our music and what we'd been doing up to that point. West is where we all came together.

Jeff: Out of all the meanings, one that sticks out is opportunity. We all moved out west because there was more opportunity we had with music then where we are from.

Dave B: I would say the title "West" is synonymous with opportunity in general. Our album is heavily influenced by the people, including the guys in this band, who move out here to follow their dream or start a new life. I guess I'm thinking about the Steinbeck novel type view of the West.

Me: Is "West" your first CD?

Dave S: Yeah, it's our first full-length album. We actually released a 6 song EP called "The Bootleg EP" in 2007.

Me: Tell the readers of the Phile that don't know what alt-country is. Are you guys fans of Wilco? They were one of the first alt-country bands I think.

Dave S: Alt-country is country in the vein of more traditional "roots" music. A lot of people hear the country part and assume it's coming out of Nashville but it comes from all over. I'd say it's formed by rock and punk just as much as it's influence d by country. I'm a Wilco fan but I really got into alt-country via Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown.

Dave B: Although Wilco's Jeff Tweedy has personally been a huge influence on my writing, the genre has actually been around much longer. The original alt-country stars were guys like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, or pretty much everyone in The Highwaymen. They took a style of music that was at the time exclusive to Nashville and brought it out west. You hear a lot of the blues and rock n roll that wasn't really part of country music until these guys came around.

Me: Who wrote the song "Under Los Angeles", and what is it about? You also have a song called "Tennessee" as well. Is that because of the country connection?

Dave B: "Under Los Angeles" is really just a lament about all the wealthy, beautiful brunettes in West LA that want nothing to do with me. I was working in this neighborhood called Westwood, near Bel Air and Beverly Hills, and was constantly reminded how poor I was by the residents. It's kind of a blues song about longing for these girls and this lifestyle I couldn't have.

Dave S: "Tennessee" is a song about choices. It's sort of several events in my life that I mixed together. I lived in Nashville very briefly and I guess it's more about having lived there than because of the country connotation.

Me: You play a lot of shows around L.A. Have you opened for anybody cool? Ever see a celebrity at one of your shows?

Dave S: No big shows yet, although once Dave B. and I performed for Bret Michaels at the downstairs lounge of The Viper Room.

Rob: Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite was at one of our shows wearing a bathrobe I think. He stuck around for a few songs but didn't talk to us.

Jeff: One time I saw a guy who looked like Andrew Dice Clay, but it wasn't him. In all honesty, we really don't pay much attention to that kind of stuff.

Me: How's the audience reaction been?

Dave S: Really great. We have a close-knit group of friends who've been coming out for years and the word is starting to get out. We had about 300 people in attendance for our CD release party in October of 2008. That's been our biggest crowd to date.

Jeff: That's a big reason why we do it. We make music we love to play and our friends truly enjoy. If you're not in it for that, it's not worth it.

Rob: We're seeing more dancing which is a good thing. Especially since it's usually girls who are dancing. In fact, I think we're seeing more girls, which is really the more important issue.

Me: Are you guys gonna go on a nationwide tour this year? If you come to Orlando I will make sure I am there.

Jeff: We have no plans for a national tour this year, but who knows what may come up. If we do make it to Orlando, you'd better be there!

Dave S: I'll go crazy if we don't get out on the road soon.

Me: Did you know there's another band called The Whiskey Saints from Ohio? They are very good, but you guys are a lot better.

Dave S: Yeah. They're actually a cover band. Or most of the time they are. I've honestly only taken a look at their site once or twice.

Dave B: The cover band part is problematic, as they probably make more money for us and could hire better attorneys if a name dispute ever came up. Of course, we have "The" in front of our name.

Me: Wouldn't it suck if fans of ours went to their show instead of yours?

Rob: Our fans are smarter than that.

Jeff: And since we play a lot in Los Angeles, that would be a long commute.

Me:  Are you guys planning on doing the talk show circuit?

Rob: The last time Dave B. was pregnant he went on Springer in search of his baby daddy. After a huge blowout fight, we've been banned from the talk show circuit.

Dave B: Eh, probably for the best. We didn't get banned from "The Late Show" yet, so hopefully you'll see us on there at some point.

Me: Okay, fellas, do you have a website to plug, or anything you would like to tell the readers of the Phile?

Dave S: Our page, www.thewhiskeysaints.com, is still under construction but you can link easily to our facebook page and our myspace page from there. I guess I'll end by saying I hope to see everyone soon.

Me: Thanks for taking part, and I will definitely make sure I check to see if you guys hit Florida.

PHINALLY

Those guys are great. Go and buy their album "West" on iTunes. It is really great and I really did play it quite a few times. Okay, now to get serious for a moment... I am proud to say the Peverett Phile is a proud sponsor of generationrescue.org and tacanow.org. It's not because my son has autism, but because of the vaccines he and many children are given could of given him autism. Vaccines have risks and parents are rarely told about these risks. Any pediatrician who represents that vaccines are "completely safe" is not presenting the facts. Many vaccines contain other toxic substances including antifreeze, a disinfectant dye, chloride, formaldehyde (, and aluminum. Further, some viruses used in vaccines are cultured in animal tissue including chicken albumin and monkey liver. That's gross!! Anyway, next month it is Artist Month on the Phile. On May 1st it is artist Daniel Mann from Kid Domino. No, that's not a band. So, in the meantime, check out The Whiskey Saints on iTunes, and please go to the Generation Rescue and TACA websites. Until then, spread the word, not the turd.