Mark and Dean tracking Slide Guitar

Dean and I got together recently, got our waders on and took a walk through a southern swamp to channel Duane Allman for some paranormal inspiration to help us with tracking slide guitar parts to a new Funny Money song called “Right Things To Me.” The other rhythm guitars were already recorded using a ESP baritone guitar, a Randy Rhoades Super Lead Special Edition Marshall and my trusty ‘76 Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103, rumored to actually have been looked at by Pete Townshend himself once. Normally I wouldn’t use a POD to record a spotlight guitar track, I usually restrict PODs to overdubs only (and only if I don’t feel like going all the way downstairs to fire up the fire-breathing real amps), but the POD X3 Pro I have has some really cool mushy tremolo teeth-pullin greasy electric blues sounds, just reeking of stinky swamp gas. Perfect for what we wanted to do. Dean was noodling around with the chord progression on the slide and I thought it would be a good idea to use that as an intro. So check it out, it is once again a LONG video but there are some good comedy moments and Dean tracked some great parts. Go on YouTube and give us some ratings and comments for this video will ya?

-Mark

New Song Posted!

This is a live version of the infamous but never recorded Masturbation Song. We tried to record it once in the studio, but a studio version felt a little to serious for the subject matter so we decided to try to capture it live when it is most likely to be most entertaining – for us anyway…and here is the result. It was recorded live at Fat Daddy’s in York, PA on 12/4/09. If you want to download it, we bet you can find it online somewhere. If not, you can listen here all you want. Enjoy!

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New songs update!

Jimmy and Mark recorded backing vocals this past week for two new songs to be released very soon. They also did some hi-hat fix ups on one song. Look for both songs to be added to the set in the next two weeks! We’re moving steadily forward!

Newest Video

Time-lapse video compiled and created by Kosta Tzamalis. Taken at the Orchards in Chambersburg, PA. on 4/3/09 to the live sound of About Women. A little different look with the time-lapse thing going on. We think it’s cool!

Endorsements-o-plenty!

Yeah we have to update the schedule, I know! We’re booked solid after the second week in January and I’m looking at this long list Steve sent me and I’m kinda procrastinating.

Dean’s not a guy to toot his own horn so I’ll do it for him. Usually guys like us like to keep that sort of thing “in the closet” but hey, if we could all toot our own horns we’d never leave home! (wacka wacka).

So Dean entered a contest and won an effects pedal from a company called Modtone. Kewl right? Well not as kewl as trying the pedal out and actually liking it, then having the pedal maker actually check out your music and your projects and give you the big E as they did for Dean. Very nice of them! Check them out, check out Dean’s artist page over there, and if you’re in the market for a pedal or two, know that it’s good quality stuff and sounds great!

Dean Cramer at Modtone Effects

If you’ve been watching Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew lately, you’ll notice a particular notorious drummer guy on there is rather smartly dressed each episode in some rather snappy looking pants and shirts. Marc Vachon is the designer and he makes clothes, very kewl clothes, for very kewl people – and he’ll even make a few threads for guys who aren’t as kewl as Slash, or Duff, or Weiland, or Jacoby - or even Ronnie and Brian, and even use a picture or two. Check out his web site, and search for his name on eBay for some great deals – Marc Vachon – “worn by the fine since 1999.”

Mark Schenker at Marc Vachon

We say Merry Christmas! And we mean it!

Last Call for Rob!

Well, we’re sorry to see it. It’s the end of another era. We’ll miss our dear friend week after week. I’ll still see him every day at work so in the future, if you have anything for him, like say money, whiskey or jellies, jams cakes and pies, just give the goods to me and I’ll pass it along. The money prolly won’t make it all the way to him tho, I gotta be honest, while I’m being crooked.

Last gig with FM 11/08/08

We had a great time and there was a full house at Sweet Caroline’s in wonderful Winchester, VA. We drank and played sloppy. Well, I didn’t drink, cuz I don’t- but I played sloppy, cuz I do sometimes - see intro to Sickness X-1, right Jimmy? First ever DO OVER !! Let’s have a couple of those next week on Dean’s first day back to throw him a curve ball or two. Just one or two random stops and then - DO OVER! We packed the place so well, the owner was even happy. And owners are hardly ever happy. A drunk guy fell on my pedals and triggered some random bombs. He was happy.

...and the fans go wild for him one last time!

Rob gave a nice heartfelt thanks from the stage to his wife Heather for watching the kids every Saturday night for the past five years. (All the girls sigh in unison now ready? Awwwwww!) Steve gave a speech. We all cried and felt very gay. We spent the last bit of dressing room idiocy we had left with Rob in the ‘dressing room’ type we love so much and see way too often – the kitchen! With the freezers buzzing away busy doing all their freezin’ stuff, the giant jars of mayo staring back at us, listening to all our dumbass jokes that only a mayo jar would laugh at. I don’t know about Steve and Jimmy, but I was very aware that it was ‘the last time’ to be in the little clubhouse that we build each week with Rob. Unfortunately, Rob was just plain unaware! He had a few, Gene lined up four shots of an appropriate whiskey named Jack on his amp and then something happened to them. On Sunday, had a really tough time remembering if he was a blithering idiot or not. He even had to call me and ask!

Rob and Gene - outed by the paparazzi! (all pics by Kosta Tzamalis)

Sitting Down on the Job

If some of you noticed I was looking a little under the weather at the recent gig at the Chambersburg Moose club, I had sinus surgery (again) the Wednesday before. I was assured by my surgeon that I would be ok after a few days but it was not to be. Drilling out new holes in my skull turned out to be much more invasive and painful that I had thought. When I got to the club I was wiped out from the two hour trip and was seeing stars already, and not in a good way.

Gene managed to find a decent bar stool for me to lean on and I used it about half the show. I only tried to sing backups once when Steve and I sing the middle part in ‘Sex’ together, and after a few words I was in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon making the jump to hyperspace – the streaking of stars wiping my vision! That was the last time I sang a word that night.

So thank God and Gene for the barstool! And apologies to the fans for looking like a disinterested lounge act bass player!

Mark sitting down on the job - Chambersburg Moose 8/23/08 - photo by Marcy Royce

And here is the BEFORE the second surgery pic, some fucked up sinuses in there even after one operation. Oh and look ma – no brain!

Mark's Sparsely Populated Skull

Slow To Blow Video

‘Slow To Blow’ filmed at the now defunct Stinger’s in Boonsboro, MD, New Years Eve of ‘07.

Dean Takes a Dive

One of our favorite videos – the usually cool and smooth stage strutter, Dean makes probably one of his only wrong moves ever and it results in a backwards tumbling ass-kiss onto the hard stage. We love this video and hope you do too!

New Material Coming

Yeah back in the studio – this time no recording drums at Mark’s house! We have gone to a real studio – Dragonfly East – to get the drums done better, faster, stronger!

See the Featured Video on the right (same as the one below) – it’s long and boring but it tells some of the story of the hard work it takes to make a record.

Read Mark’s take on the proceedings here: Mark’s Blog

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