5.3.08
"Nearing the starting gate." Greg and Andrew's e mails leading up to the tour!
Overheads for this tour are
lower than last time. no internal airfares, no vehicle hirage, we even
managed to swing getting the ferry crossings free of charge.
we will need to pay for accomadation occasionally but overall im fairly
confident that the tour should be able to cover costs.
I just got 1000
posters printed and sent a bunch off to the venues and the remainder to a
poster placement company to put up.
i was hoping to have another issue of drill magazine out in time to coincide
with tour but fear now that it may not be viable.
anyway .....nothing like a tour to speed things along. looking forward to it
.....it's gonna be a blast!
bring your winter wolleys .....it's apparently freezing cold in the south
island ..... snow!
Cheers
Andrew
----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Franco" <speedbmp@earthlink.net>
To: "acepowertool" <andrew@powertoolrecords.co.nz>
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: Poster
A. I have lots of t shirts
to sell on the tour. ..no problem though
much appreciated....g.
On 2/05/2008, at 3:11 PM, acepowertool wrote:
Hi Greg,
i've added a large readable version of the poster on the website.
Clic on
the small one and it will take to to a larger version.
re: swapping rough church and wandering bear around. sorry man, i
guess i
jumped the gun, it's already at the printers. they may have already
started.
i can check first thing monday.... however it mean re-submitting
the art
again. they are really busy down there and that would eat up some more
valuable time.
we are now in full publicity phase at present.
See you soon.....
Cheers
Andrew
4.23.08
The White Dove Of The Desert Rough Church/ Wandering Bear E.P.
1. Book Junkies
Wake up!! Smell the coffee!
A salty salute to a love affair with books, youthful indiscretions. Remember how you put stamps on your soul? Made promises?
Love Matt's diamond toned big guitar sound, loud and proud.
2. Oriole
"Little bird, she is flying." Mother Nature. Inspiring and mystic.
Bona fide Ventilator fan. MD & I started a collaboration. Looking back, we had very short time. Groovy. We wrote Oriole. Now lives in Austin.
3. He Threw Kryptonite
Fernando was not a good bet, stout and unlikely, not an athlete, so they said.
He threw a slow and mystifying "screw ball".
This ball was like a slow moving airplane, twisting and turning for a landing at Chavez Ravine airport. He was called "the bull."
After kicking up dirt on the "dying matador", (batter) he elegantly walked off the mound and into the dugout.
To baseball fans, he's short of a Hall of Famer. To us, a legend, a saint. Number 34.
Done at Smartso.
4. Thanks for the Pen!
Brisk and snotty. I hate work!
Eight hundred Ferdinand drummers can't be wrong! Beautiful little workhorse . Smartso.
5. Rebel Waltz
Campfire story, told by the ghost of a dead soldier. Remember always remember.
A tribute to Joe STRUMMER. Most all songwriters of my generation couldn't shine his shoes!
Lyrics are pure genius. Chris C. lent us his Santa Cruz Guitar!! Thanks. Autobahn.
6. Reg
Granddaddy mom's side. Died at 36 yrs. Country boy from Azle, Texas. Met Nana Lucy in El Paso. Mixed marriage, served in WW2, sweet personality. Frisbee.
Mom has deep affection for Reg. Celebrate the spirit. First song I wrote, for difficult times. Recorded at Bob's, N.Z.
7. Corona - '06
Orale! And RIP D. Boon. Post punk-era prophet. Haiku lyric. State of our nation in the Reagan 80's. If he were around today we'd rap over a bowl of chili, talk politics, peace. yes peace.
Good day at Smartso. La Abeja & small bottle of tequila. Smartso.
8. You Are a Comet - '06
Spaulding's and Elliott's suicides were devastating. Did they need liberation from life?
Transformation, the idea was no stranger to me. R.I.P. G.B.F. 1935-2006, T.A.H. 1938-2002
Souls are free now. Frisbee.
9. Not Pissed, Not Hurt
Dark nature of the "love" game. Written during a fallow time, yet it implores "you can't really even try, until the old hurt dies." Not really country, but "Cowpunkish." Recorded at Frisbee
10. Absolution Song
(Trip to Wanaka and Queenstown version) A "Wandering Bear" production, This is an instrumental. harmonica added in the key of "G", added in L.A. Reminds me of the amazing trip D.K. and I took in 2004 in the South Island. Very open and stark, a call to natural beauty. Tin Shack.
11. Message to My Girl - '07
For Michelle. Our April 2007 marriage was 17 years in the making! Back to Big Sur. Good Groundhog Day. If you could choose a song about maturity & love, this is it. Back to its roots. After all these years, love abides. Finally we are matched, not afraid of high water. Frisbee.
12. Guarantees (Remix)
Another "WB" production, it has a 1960's flavor. Robert Scott plays a thumping and precise bass. The song is extended for "hip shaking goodness." Tane holds down the drums, while D.K. plays a slithery wah wah, and layers in more guitar textures, all ending in a blinding ether. Tin Shack.
13. Sparks from the Universe
Recorded at home at "Bird Feathers Studios." in Mt. Washington, it includes a Tibetan blessing at the end.
Final thoughts
Downtown to the Arroyo Secco and San Gabriel mountains.
The summer dries the chaparral into thick prickly bushes; the sun makes empanadas out of you. The evening moon draws out night blooming jasmine.
In the fall, the air is smoky Halloween orange and distant fires burn. The red tail hawks hover above the rats and mice, the coyotes kill at night, gunshots ring out from Frogtown.
Winter, the mountains are vivid and snow-capped; our small winding streets are whipped with winds. Dislodged tumbleweeds congregate like hungry vatos, as they go down Cypress Park hill getting pushed up against spray painted fences and mural-laden walls. An LAPD set up?
Curl up with this music at home now, con familia.
"A Rough Church" celebration. Enjoy.
Recorded by Richard Bosworth and Bob Frisbee at Smartso and Frisbee studios respectively.
Or Chris Chandler at Autobahn. Mixed, Mastered and Produced by Richard Bosworth.
Greg Franco – Rhythm guitar on all tracks and vocals on all tracks, except 10, 12, sometimes harmonica, trumpet on 4 Jon Franco – drums on all tracks except 12 and 10 lead guitar on 4, 9, 11; keys on 4; organ on 3; mandolin on 7; bass on 5; melodica on 4 Jef Hogan – bass on all tracks except 1, 2, 5, 10 and 12; q-tar on 3 Daniel Bosher – drums on tracks 9 Mark Burge – bass on tracks 1 and 2; piano and acoustic guitar on 5 Matt Devine – lead guitar on tracks 1 and 2 Richard Lopez – percussion on 7 Alex Salazar - trumpet on track 7
"Wandering Bear." D.K. Bob Scott, Greg and Tane, outtakes from "Southpawwest." Tracks:10, 12
All mixed and mastered at Consolidated in Los Angeles
Much thanks to Rose Ann Hall, Michelle Franco, Michelle's family, R. Bosworth, Rick Rosas, and Burton Averre, Andrew, Patria, Dave and Laura, Rene and Mel, Liza,Kathleen, Daniel Hall, Rosi, Ron W., Garet W., Nadar G., Tony Chiu, Cat, Jep and Adrianna, Jen Roe, Dayna, Nicole, Tracy, Daryl B., Ricky, Bob, DK, Bob Scott, Tane, Tom, Allen, Tony, Chris Chandler, Nana, Christine and Steve, Minisnap, Infinite Flying Kick, Decortica, Black Pudding, Tim and Fel, Scott Brick, Chris Knox, Dragstrip, Mark Arlie, The National Office, Kedron and Lorenzo and family, Richard Wain, the Powertool family, Uncle Fred, Aunt Bev, Rob, Dana, Mike and all the Franco families, Sacha, Alex, Rich and the Lopez's, Dad & Kelly Buffa, Danielle and Family, My Sue, Guy T., Matt T., the legendary Port Chalmers Bowling Club, Pie O' My, everyone we ever met in NZ land and to you of course. Please visit www.roughchurch.com
All songs written by Greg Franco Sofahablando publishing, ASCAP all rights reserved, except #'s 5, 7, 11 by J. Strummer, D. Boon, and N. Finn
Greg Franco, April 2008
Los Angeles, Ca, a sanctuary city
1.19.08
What we want in a President, at this unique juncture in American History.
First Humility. I think we all, know where we were on September 11th, 2001. I happen to have this birthday, which in and of itself is not really that unique, but it gives me and the others that have this birthday a perspective that might be.
I am a 42-year old local Los Angeles guy, UCLA-grad, from a hispanic working class background, unemployed at the time, a poet, writer, song writer, and musician, who has spent most of my working years chasing a buck in various jobs somewhat related to the entertainment industry.
I grew up here, I live here, I love my city, I love my nation, but right now, not only am completely disgusted with our current President, and finally I’m not alone in this, but I’m pretty shocked at the current crop of presidential wannabes. In my mind most seem aloof, uninspired to me, arrogant, or just plain bickering.
In their defense, maybe we don’t really get the best people,I mean, what a difficult job, what a difficult process, I wouldn’t want to do it, but one thing is for sure, look at them, all of them, folks, one of them will ber our president, for at least four years, whether we like it or not, and god forbid what ever important decisions they make we are to blame for putting them there.
So in my most humble way, I wish to as Jim Morrison would have said “Break on through to the other side.” I’m hoping that this message gets “through” to any candidate who is willing to hear and accept it as plain conventional wisdom, because I think the best candidate who aspires to hold this office will get the endorsement of the american people if they remind us of their core values, and their steadfast adherence to them.
In other words, we want them to walk the walk and talk the talk, but I don’t necessarily hear any of the candidates right now even whispering any inspired thoughts to us, I don’t know about you guys, but I want to be wooed, i won’t be taken advantage of, but at least get us excited about your candidacy.
To me it isn’t that hard to look back on some of our worst moments in the recent past and not almost want to cry. I’m a pretty tough guy, I come from some tough hard working folks, but seeing terrible destruction and the pursuant “occupation” of another country, in the recent past, besides the other wars and human indignities for most of my adult life, gives me great pause.
I know that we are not “the greatest generation” or anything, or we didn’t have to live through the great depression, or WW2, but for goddsakes, now we have 24-hr cable nonsense, the internet, and viscous talk radio, blue states, and red states, it somehow brings all of it home with a some kind of one-two punch, or even three your out, that begs the question, how do you feel about the state of your nation?
I stay up at night sometimes like this night and grieve for our nation’s young sons and daughters, who were put into harms way to fight a almost invisible enemy, on their turf, far away from home. It will be called Bush’s vietnam, in the end, and it was a mistake.
Honesty. The candidate who is able to bring us back together by showing us that in their presidency will never again pander to our fears, and lead us into ill-planned wars, incredible debt, cover-ups, and flat out stone walling will receive our vote and our grace.
It has to be for real, it has to be backed up, even if you got swept up at the time and voted for the war based on false intelligence.
This is the issue of our time, no matter what is going on with the “surge” We remember that the only reason we were able to add more troops was that the failed policy was made even worse by the immobility of Secretary of Defense, and the planners at the executive branch. We recall that Don Rumsfeld said to the troops when they were asking for better protection from ied’s that “you get the military you inherit, not the one you choose.”
That was a hard lesson learned, that he would disdain our proud troops for asking him for help. On the positive side, look where Rumsfeld is now. But it took a battery of retired generals, gallons of newspaper ink, and tons of even conservatives to get the administration to act .
Integrity. We have a little more success in Iraq now, because even we “liberals” understand that, no matter how much we were against the policy, and believe me, I got on my marching boots and marched, like a lot of concerned citizens did back in 2003, we had to adhere to the “Pottery Barn” policy, that if you break it you have to pay for it.
I think we all know that this country is now almost beyond repair, and we will eventually have to abandon it, but not even the staunchest critics of the occupation, and lets’ from now on correctly call it what it was, could stomach just leaving, and letting the people suffer complete anarchy. It would have been “cut and run” and we knew that.
It turns out that the issue of Iraq was separate anyway from a somewhat legitimate “War on Terror” which should have just been a managed so much differently. We need mostly to know, how the best candidate would have dealt with it differently.
I would like to hear some candidate say, and maybe in a little more nuanced way, that “War on Terror” which one of my favorite comedians David Cross says, “is like a war on jealousy,” It follows logically then that we can never kill enough people, and if this is the plan to “win.” we just make more terrorists.
Additionally, we cannot just cast ourselves as mere victims, go on the offensive, hide out in our bunker, and expect the rest of the world to help and respect us.
It is so much more complicated than that. We need to go deeper, something W. couldn’t fathom. We need to think hearts and minds, we need to give our enemies, no more fuel for their fire as well as engage and appeal to our friends for loyalty and support.
The right candidate will refer to all of this, remind us of our shared recent history, use the current president’s mistakes to show us how they would have recacted if they had been president at that unique moment in history, and draw these important differences.
Grace. In order to put this country back on the right track, we must not shame those who followed some pretty bad leadership at that time. It cant’ be a blame game at this point, it’s immature and the stakes are far too high. The President needs to draw out a simple plan for our troops withdrawal, that takes all of this into consideration, so we feel that once we do leave, we leave with some dignity.
Dignity. It comes from humility, and the next candidate would do very well to show, in contrast to the current president, how humble they really are.
I confess, that at the moment we were attacked almost seven years ago my first thought, even though from a lapsed catholic, and it was a real stretch, I prayed for our president. Mostly, I prayed for his humility. That in the aftermath, he didn’t need to merely react, hunt down the “culprits” and “smoke them out of their holes” etc. I wanted him to consult with all of us, consider all the options, grieve with the nation, and with nations from all over the world. It was a moment for him and us to see and think clearly, about what horrors can only be accomplished by violence.
We could have turned the world on it’s ear and said in a sense, “enough” we will not merely react, but take our time and sort it out, bring our enemies to justice, even if it takes a long time, because going after them with a the blunt force instrument of war would inevitably create more innocent victims and so called collateral damage, a term so detestable to me, that my brain couldn’t really recall it without help from imdb, because our governor made a movie with the same title.
Certainly being president at that terribly awesome moment in history deserved all of our prayers, or at least our sentiments.
Vision. When we choose a president this time, I want them to consult us at every step of the way. Secrets are forbidden this time. Every thing must be on the table. We are grown ups, or we are “growing up” we don’t need a father figure anymore, nor god, but a partner, and a good listener this time, decisive, passionate, but tempered. September 11th, the Iraq war, the “War on Terror,” and the aftermath may have been a blessing in disguise. Now maybe because of it, we know our way forward.
In this unique moment of American history, and because of the blossoming of communication technology, we are uniquely perched to debate all of our presidents actions. We shouldn’t ever let our leaders lead us again down any rabbit holes without our consultation.
Now that we have experienced the worst kind of administration, that makes Nixon look good, or Calvin Coolige, and even our now beloved president Ford admonished posthumously , we must move beyond it
Vision. We now have to pick a president that lets us into the fold, giving us transparency, at every level, so that when they make a mistake, we can now say it was also ours.
We can sit and debate all of the other issues, like immigration, health care, trade policies, unions, intellectual property rights, whatever, this is normal stuff. We are adults, we can work this stuff out together, hopefully, without taking to the streets.
However, the issues that uniquely arose in the past six and a half years, regarding occupation, nation building, religion, terror, occupations, enemy combatants, terror cells, regime change, secret prisons, torture etc. during this last presidency, cannot again be seen only through the prism of one man, and his policies.
We do not have the right to a “America First” ideology when it comes to issues that effect every living human being on our planet. How the next presidential candidate articulates our involvement with their presidency, and their relationship to the last, is the way in or out of the presidential race.
It seems that for the most part all other issues are almost left in the dust in comparison, maybe except for our unique problems with regard to race, identity, and poverty in this country, and when we see the statistics on who makes up the majority of our military, and who makes up the population of the incarcerated in this country, the numbers also speak for themselves. The president again, has little power, but if we as citizens take responsibility for the day to day doings of our executive, and help set his or her agenda, it will be the first presidency of its kind, and their power could be infinitely stronger and constructive toward a significantly brighter future for this country.
Then i could sleep better, and so could you.
Greg Franco, January, 2008
1.01.08
Why did we name the band Ferdinand?
M. Leaf who wrote the story of Ferdinand during the Spanish Civil War was telling a children's story about pacifism, it can also be interpreted as a display of non violent political action.
The bull is not filled with agression, and hate. Even though he has been stolen off to the big City to be part of a bullfight. He is in effect a political prisoner, he has given no sanction to be part
of the people's sacrafical "sporting" event. He is not aware that he is going to be slowly killed in front of a blood thirsty crowd.
The crowd throws the flowers to the Matador, so Ferdinand sits down to smell them. The matador tries to anger him to no avail. Ferdinand pays no attention to the Matador and his friends who yell, and wave red cloth around. In the end, he is not victimized for his pacifism. He has started a sit down strike in the middle of the arena, In effect refusing to do his job as a bull, and attack the Matador.
He would have licked the Matador if he could.
He is a hero for non-violence. The blood sport is mocked, the "majesty" of it is shown to be a scam, the matador is disgraced. For Ferdinand, there is no malice in his heart, no calculation of real political strategdy at all. So he now prized and loved now, he wins over society to see in it's own evil mirror, unwittingly casting out the demon of blood lust, and injustice. Ferdinand becomes legendary, and he achieves the status of warrior of peace.
He is let go, back to his pasture to live out his life until old age and natural death.
It is a children's story with a positve ending.
In reality, if the Bull refused to fight, the Matador's men would have killed him.
M. Leaf, was anti-War, and anti the Spanish dictator Francisco "Franco." During the Spanish Civil War.
I believe that war is an occupation of the souls of men, unabe to settle their differences like men, by negotiation.
Domination is not noble it is evil.
The killing of Ferdinand, the untold story, would have been a more modern and realistic tale of domination and evil.
I am sad and sickened to see yet another War in our lifetime. Especially when we try to dominate another country that did not threaten us.
Vietnam, Gulf WAr I, the Occupation of Iraq, and other Armed Forces and CIA hijinx in Latin America and beyond. Our country has soooo much blood on its hands.
We have 750 American millatrary bases world wide. Why is this? What is our mission, who decides this?
Is it US telling our leaders what to do, or are decisions influenced by the money that flows into the campaigns of our elected officials, from world wide multi national Corporations?
Especially from corporations that benefit from wars. See Halliburton, Blackwater etc. Raytheon, The Carlyle Group, McDonnell Douglas, etc.
This time we have a Oil man for a president, and we have a "Oil WAr" on our hands. This is obvious.
They say it is a war on terror, that is a lie, as much as Vietnam was a war against Commnunism. That war was fought
because a country wanted independence from imperialism. First from the French and then from us.
We are always at war it seems, and not for the right reasons.
America is an imperialist nation, a killing machine, we are shedding the blood of our brothers and sisters. We should be ashamed, I support our troops, I don't support the misson, and now More and more people have grown suspicious.
Iraq was more than a simple mistake. Somehow, due to leadership manipulation, we ended up unwittingly supporting a cynical agressive oversees sojurn that has caused innocent death thousands of times over,
the ripple effect is wide, the "blowback" is real, and the refugees will be flooding in.
This will come to haunt us in many ways for a long, long time. We are not popular in the world, and it is not because we are bad people. The leaders who brought this to us should be tried and prosecuted. The terrorists have come to reside in our government, in the Executive Branch mainly. Unfortunately, I don't think any leadership out there, exept for maybe Mr. Obama, will drastically change our direction. I don't want to hope or wish for change, I demand it.
There is no way we can support our current government in the way it operates or will continue to operate.
Still, I think our best bet would be to fire almost the entirety of leadership and start over.
