Farewell, Chicago Gig Saturday Night!!!

A quick thank you to those who helped lighten my load this past week. I hope you're all enjoying your goods.

Here's your last chance to see me in Chicago for a while as my wife and I move back to Oregon on Dec. 1.

Saturday, Nov. 15 at Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville 9 PM.

I'll be playing some new and some not-so-new material, and I'm all but guaranteed to be joined by some friends, too.

Also, all Lighten my Load specials are extended to this show. If you ever wanted copies of Ghost Notes, or Songs from Memory, or the new Stuck Outside of Phoenix, this is the time!

Come on, man. It's Saturday night. If I can stay up late, so can you.

Thanks,

Art

Off to Oregon Again!

Hello, all.

Just a quick note to let you know I'm once again relocating, this time back to Oregon. It was a difficult decision, but the current economic downturn, and the cold winter around the corner, has us pining for more mild and secure climes. This time, Portland is our destination, and we're looking forward to seeing all of our PDX friends, not to mention our first trip to Powell's in at least a year.

If you're in the Chicago area, what does this mean? It means you have one more shot to see me in the flesh before I head west. The date is Saturday, November 15th. The club is Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville, and I play solo acoustic at 9 PM. This is my favorite club to play in Chicago, and it should provide the perfect backdrop for a fond farewell to one of my favorite cities. Call to reserve your spot: 773-929-3680.

Also, as I pack everything and drive 2,000 miles to the west coast, I'm looking to lighten my load. This means you'll be presented with an unprecedented opportunity to own some Defunct merchandise. I'm talking good deals. If you've ever wanted Ghost Notes or Songs from Memory or the new Stuck Outside of Phoenix, you're going to want to read this blog next week.

That's it. Until next week,

Art

October Gig This Week!

I will be playing with my Defunct Band at Reggie's in the South Loop area this Thursday, October 23rd. The show starts at 9 PM. We go on at 10:30.

And this ain't no 45-minutes-and-get-off type of gig. We'll shoot everything we have in our Defunct quiver, and that could keep us up there for a full 90 minutes.

So, come on out on Thursday night! (Did I mention there's no cover?) It ain't like your team's in the World Series or anything.

Thanks,

Art

Art's September Schedule

That's right. I'm back.

I just had an acoustic date added for this Saturday, not to mention the Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville gig in two lousy days! Here's where you can come see me this month:

Events

September 18-Chicago, IL-Uncommon Ground

Solo acoustic performance-8 PM

September 20-Chicago, IL-Elbo Room

Solo acoustic performance-9 PM

Both times indicate when I'm going on, so get there before then if you want to see me in all my glory.

I'll even play your request!

Thanks,

Art

Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix



Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory

Plumber's Butt

First of all, a new gig!

I will make my encore appearance at the ever-charming Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville on Thursday, September 18 at 8 PM. I will be playing solo acoustic, and I will be featuring some new material, along with all of your old favorites, Refreshments and otherwise. I'm tempted to call this the Cubs Clinch the Pennant Show, but past experience keeps me from making such a stupid mistake. Suffice it to say you should mark this one on your calendars now before you forget and waste your Thursday night watching some inane tripe on TV.

When people ask me about being on the road with the Refreshments, I'm always ashamed at how little I remember of it. I don't want to continue the weird reverse-romanticism of the road being this awful existence. I don't think it is an awful existence. It's just that, unless you're Led Zeppelin, it's unmemorable.



Valhalla, I am coming.

I do have one very clear memory of being on the road with the Refreshments, and it seems a great time to tell it to you since it features Brian Blush, whose new band the South Slope Cutthroats has recently joined the line-up for the 2nd Annual Laying Down the Law Show on August 9th.

Flash back to the winter of 1995-96. The band had finished its debut record for Mercury, Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy, but the label had yet to release it. We were touring with local heroes the Gin Blossoms and Dead Hot Workshop, and we were traversing the western United States in our used-but-new-to-us Econoline van. This was to be an easy day; we had all day to drive from Seattle to Ketchum, Idaho with no gig that night. The drive was supposed to take about ten hours, but with snow in the Rockies it wound up taking about 14. We were just about to Ketchum, it was 1 A.M., when Swaff, Tempe legend and our road manager, pulled over to get some gas. Blush, who'd been sick for a couple of days, had one bench in the van to himself--I don't think I'd heard a word out of him the whole trip--and I had a bench to myself, trying to sleep a bit before Ketchum.

Everyone else had gotten out of the van except the two of us. Some clown had left the side door open, so I was getting a good dose of Idaho winter blowing in on me as I tried to sleep. I looked up to see what the deal was when I was affronted by the person at the pump across from us.

I don't know what he was doing--filling up a gas can, working with something on the ground--but in his arching over he exposed to me the largest expanse of plumber's butt I'd ever seen.



So I smiled and lay back down.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I heard this noise. It started as just a rumble, grew into a titter, and climaxed into a full-fledged giggle. It was Blush in the bench behind me, chortling at the bad moon rising just outside the van.



It seems silly now, but that's my most vivid memory of being on the road with the Refreshments: some Idahoan's butt crack at 1 A.M., Blush giggling like a schoolboy from the bench behind me, and me unable to keep from chuckling too.



I think Brian started feeling better after that, and so did I.

Gotta love rock 'n' roll.

Thanks,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory

Stop the Presses!!!

Last week I told you about the Laying Down the Law Show that's happening on August 9th in Lansing, Illinois.

I told you about Buck Daddy.

I told you about Art Edwards and his Defunct Band.

(Oh, actually I didn't. Art Edwards and his Defunct Band is my new Chicago-based band. The Laying Down the Law Show will be our debut performance.)

I told you about the Refreshments tribute portion of the show. (FFB&B in its entirety, baby!)

What I didn't tell you about is the fourth act on the bill.

I didn't tell you about it because I didn't know about it at the time.

I didn't know about it at the time because, well, that's just how life happens.

As of a couple of days ago, the fourth act on the bill is the South Slope Cutthroats.

Who, you ask, are the South Slope Cutthroats?

The South Slope Cutthroats are an ornery bunch of cusses who hail from Northwest Indiana.

They're also the new band fronted by Brian Blush.

Who's Brian Blush?

Aw, hell. Everyone knows who Brian Blush is.

Brian Blush was the lead guitarist of the Refreshments.



The Refreshments laid down the law big time in their day.

So, come to the 2nd Annual Laying Down the Law Show on August 9th and not only will you get the South Slope Cutthroats, you'll also get two Refreshments in the tribute band for the price of one.

Oh my. This is starting to get good.

Seven weeks, baby.

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory

Announcing The Second Annual Laying Down the Law Show!

We had a great time at Uncommon Ground on Friday! It was wonderful to see some old--and not so old--friends, and to play some songs solo acoustic for my new favorite city. And what a great turn-out! I'm always glad to see new faces.

If you want to hear a track from Friday, check out my MySpace Audio Page.

Rob, who came to both the Abbey Pub show in March and this one at UG, admitted he has two CDs in the visor of his car: Songs from Memory and Too Fast for Love by Motley Crue.

I have to admit: Too Fast for Love was always my favorite Motley Crue CD.



So, I'm honored and humbled.

Anyway, Chicago, thank you for treating me like family. We'll have to do it again sometime.

Like, how 'bout August?

The Laying Down the Law Show 2008

Randy Anderson, of Chicagoland's Buck Daddy, and I are teaming up to bring you a night of new and classic music. The date of the show is August 9th, a Saturday, and it's at JJ Kelley's in Lansing, IL, just south of Chicago. Events will include a set of music by Art Edwards and his Defunct Band, a set by Buck Daddy, and a set featuring me, Randy and a cast of musicians performing the Refreshments classic Fizzy, Fuzzy Big & Buzzy in its entirety! This is sure to be a fun night of music and memories you won't want to miss.

Last year, at the inaugural LDL show at Martyrs' in Chicago, we had a great turn-out, with lots of fun and plenty of rock to tame that outlaw inside of you. Many of the same performers have signed on for the Refreshments tribute portion of the show, including Bobby Shaw of Buck Daddy on drums, and Todd, the singer, who brings new meaning to the phrase "laying down the law" (he's a cop, folks). This is one you need to start planning on right now. I bet you won't regret it.

Saturday, August 9, 9 PM, JJ Kelley's in Lansing, IL.

See you there,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory

Chicago is...

First of all, I hope to see all of you this Friday the 13th (Oooo) at my Chicago show at Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville. The Cubs are in first, the weather is beautiful. It's the best time of the year to be a Chicagoan. Come out and celebrate! I go on at 9 PM.

And if you come, you will be the first to hear my next big announcement, which involves Chicago and laying down the law. Wanna know more? Great. I'll see you Friday.

We've lived in Chicagoland six months, and we're loving it. We spent all yesterday in the Hyde Park/57th Street area, and it reminded me of growing up in Moline, Illinois, pining to live in a place as cool as Chicago. Moline is about 135 miles west of the big city, and I always thought I'd eventually wind up in Chicago, drawn there by the Cubs but staying for something else. I wouldn't have been able to say what, but yesterday driving up Lake Shore Drive I realized what it was.

The place is big enough and diverse enough to allow for just about any whim to be satisfied. If it's available anywhere, it's available here. Need to buy a used PA system? No problem. Wanna jog the lake front? Check. How 'bout see a new movie that didn't cost a billion dollars to make? Yep. Wanna catch Wilco? Play an open mic? See classic artwork? Eat Lebanese? Browse an independent bookstore? You have it all, usually ten times over. If you're willing to put up with a little stop-and-go on the freeway, you can do anything you want.

That's something relatively new for me. Five years in Ashland, Oregon, which is at least four hours away from any big city, got me used to dealing with the limitations of being so isolated. Now it feels like there's so much to do. It's a little overwhelming.

And it doesn't hurt that the Cubs are here, either.

I'm sorry, I meant the first place Cubs.

Come see me on Friday!

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory

New Chicago gig, plus Sting is a Fraud

There are some special things that come with promoting a novel and a CD. The best part is that I get to play gigs, and the next gig is booked.

It's in my hometown of Chicago at a place called Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville.

And here's the best part of the best part: the gig is on Friday the 13th.

Ooooooooooo.

What kind of crazy shit am I smokin'?

It's true. Friday the 13th at 9 PM is the date and time of my next show at Uncommon Ground. I'll be playing solo acoustic, and two other solo acoustic fellas, Christopher Joel and Brooks Geenen, will go on after me. This is going to be a great time, and it's a small place, so make your reservations now. (They don't do tickets there but reservations. O, la la. Bring a date!) You'll hear Songs from Memory songs, and Refreshments songs, and songs that are just as good but neither Songs from Memory songs nor Refreshment songs. Come and see me! It's a Friday night, and I'm known to ham it up pretty good.



And if you're not in the Chicago area, don't worry. I've got at least one other gig to announce...but not until next week. This week, I need you to feel the full effect of Chicago at Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville.

Feel it? Okay. Onward.

Also on the music front, Radio Free Phoenix has kindly picked up three Songs from Memory for its rotation. So, check out Radio Free Phoenix and prepare to be entertained.

Finally, and perhaps least importantly, a gentleman in Nampa, Idaho claims that Police songs were stolen from him by Sting. This guy "wrote" them by telling Sting about his life one night in Reno, Nevada in 1977, about a his girlfriend Roxanne, and the message he left for her in a bottle. Sting then composed songs from the stories, and this guy feels jilted.

So, Sting's a fraud. Everyone deal with it.

Too bad the rest of his work doesn't measure up.







In retrospect, it's so obvious.

Thanks,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory

Chicagoland/Coming up in 2008

Okay. Back to the blog.

Blog, blog, bloggity blog-blog.

The Move

I now live in St. Charles, IL. I’ve lived here for a week, and my wife and I are settling in. The predominant reason for the relocation is Kel’s work, but there are many fringe benefits for me living just outside of Chicago.

1) I have family and friends here.

2) Major markets are close together in the Midwest, which means I can do more events to support my upcoming novel release, Ghost Notes, and solo project, Songs from Memory.

3) Anyone who knows me longer than fifteen minutes knows of my passion for one sports team. This passion extends to no other sport, and to no other team within the sport. Can you guess the team?

The Release

I have fourteen boxes filled with Ghost Notes in my closet, and 1,000 Songs from Memory CDs arriving on Christmas Eve. You should all be considering taking one into your homes in 2008. It’s a big commitment, I know, but these little fellas come from a good home, are toilet trained, and can be enjoyed for years.

Again, the official release date for both projects is March 4, but you can get them at my web site starting February 4. That's only a month and a half away!

I have a handful of events booked or virtually booked for 2008, but the centerpieces have yet to congeal, so I’m holding off on any event announcements until January. What kinds of events, you ask? Any and all of the following:

Readings
Solo Acoustic Shows
Full Band Concerts
Honest-to-Goodness Rock Tours

I’m busily booking and rehearsing for all of the above. Don't be surprised if your city is on my schedule in 2008.

Future Blogs

Barring any riveting announcements, I will refrain from blogging in December as I do the holidays, finish moving in, continue booking events, and update my web presence. You guys will all be shopping, or doing family stuff, or getting pasted on New Year’s Eve, and you won’t have much time for little ol’ me anyway. So, barring something mega-cool that I just can’t wait to tell you, you won’t hear from me again until January, when the big train of Laying Down the Law will get rolling again. You can bet 2008 will bring you what you’re accustomed to: at least a blog a week from yours truly. (I take great pride in the fact that this blog makes 52 for 2007...I’m weird like that.)

For those of you who can’t wait for something new, all I have to offer is the cover design and advance praise for Ghost Notes.

Ghost Notes

Scroll down for the praise. That’s right, Laurie Notaro.

So until January, everyone have a very happy and safe holiday and New Year’s Eve, and get ready for Betty!

For those about to Proust, we salute you.

Art