Saddle Tramp/Dragna @ Kats in Tyler, Texas 042409!

Yes....it's true. We return to (surprisingly)the only place someone's ever yelled "Ya'll suck! We wanna hear some rock & rolllll!!!" and this time we're bringing a good old-fashioned rock and roll band to mix it up so everybody's happy. We're playing a 45 minute set and then Dragna will do the same; rinse and repeat and your done.

Inspiration comes in many forms...

Developminks!

Things have really been happening at Casa de Polack lately! Not sure if I've used that name on the blog yet but that's what I'm using as an "umbrella" name for any creative projects that I'm in charge of or at least that's how I've been referring to the place where I live in-lieu of any actual output...until now that is. We've been working hard behind-the-scenes at a various projects that are starting to come together. I've been working on some preperatory tests and drawings for a series of woodcut prints based on the lives of Texas musicians and I'm about to pull a small edition of the first print. It's just a small test-print but I like the way it turned out.



And on the music-front Saddle Tramp has been playing more shows including one last Saturday at the Goat with Los Lonesome Losers, and Dragna for Chadillac's birthday (and a farewell to Tennessee George). The show went over well and all the bands sounded really great. We packed the place and I was even inspired to show off my rarely-seen dancing skills.



And then there's the Top-Secret garage-rock project that I'm not at liberty to discuss just yet but I can say without a doubt that it's going to be awesome and unlike anything else I've ever done. We started practicing recently before the keystone of the band got sidelined by an injury...but you just wait!

It's all TOO real!!!

A Polack Evolves...

I'm trying to find myself. Well not really....I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing with this whole "Pickin' Polack" project/comedy routine/trainwreck. It started innocently enough; Matt Powers and I thought it would be cool to fill-in for Saddle Tramp opening a show at the late RedBlood Club. We were just serious enough to present some semblance of a musical performance with minimal practice and familiarity with the material. In my twisted view of reality I wanted to believe we could be some kind of crappy version of the greatness that is Memphis' supreme duo, Jeff Evans and Ross Johnson but without the coolness, cred, ability , or sense of humor.

We've played four shows now to varying degrees of success, and with that experience under my belt I'm attempting to decide how to proceed. I started out with the idea that we had to "kind of fit in" with the bands we were playing with but now I'm not so sure. I hate limitations but there's actually a form of freedom in placing restrictions on yourself...sort of limiting your palette if you will. Too many options confuse the creative-process and sometimes the initial inspiration gets lost along the way. I want to keep it simple but I also want to be able to do different styles (at least half-ass), play with a variety of bands, and most importantly entertain myself and others. That being said I think we might find a bass player(possibly bass/drums rotation) and if someone I know wants to sit-in on keys, or some other instrument now and then that's nice too. (Zither anyone?)

It's a really weird time in the history of music to throw ones hat into the ring but a big part of my inspiration to do this has been my attitude about live music which can be summed up with the phrases "I can't believe they're getting away with that crap up there!" or "This is what I live for!". Yeah, it's pretty much all been done, but my lyrics are slightly-different ( than the first ten bands using the same chord progressions) and rock and roll/country/folk/punk/popular music in any form, etc, etc, is a folk-tradition well worth continuing relevant, innovative or not. -Love , The Pickin' Polack

Probably our last show at the RBC!

Looks to be a fun weekend...

Band Practice on Friday night, my niece and nephew are graduating from high school on Sunday( party for them at my folks on Saturday ), and playing a free BBQ at the Redblood Club on Sunday afternoon/evening. Great line-up for what will most-likey be our last show at the RBC as they're shutting down after the 14th or so. Sad but true...I didn't go to a whole lot of shows at the place but I always enjoyed the ones I did go to or the ones I played there and it was nice to know there was at least one all-ages venue that didn't have a Christian theme. And it was fun to drink there on the slow nights too. Brad, April, and Justin put their hearts and souls into that place after taking it over and it showed.

The show will be opened by a young lady I don't know much about other than the fact that she is a very talented 12 year old (?), by the name of Caroline Danielson. I think we're playing next followed by Tennessee George and Wagontrash, and then The Truckstop Junkies. The whole deal's free (except for beer and liquor) and there will be food, raffles, and door-prizes. What more could you want?

Walking to New Orleans. (well, driving real slow at least...)

What's that blurry thing before my eyes?

Oh, yeah...My life for as long as I can remember. There are scientists that theorize that time is actually speeding-up, and I for one think they may be onto something. I don't believe everything that "those in positions of power and authority" tell "us", less-and-less to tell the truth, but that's one theory that seems accurate to me. And my recent mystery-ailment isn't helping any. Seems to be a cross between allergies and an upper-respiratory kinda thing with a little spacey-ness thrown in just for kicks. The wacky part is that I didn't think I had allergies. Damn Chemtrails! (oh, but I kid...)

I often struggle with the content of my blog; More often than actually posting it seems. I just feel so restless and creatively stifled, and I'm NOT going to bore you with what I had for breakfast, or any number of inanities. Two things would help alleviate this condition: Becoming a Sunday painter in the tradition of Rousseau (in my case it would be prints/painting/drawing), and starting a new band. Now I don't want to stop playing with the cats in Saddle Tramp but I'd like to do something totally different. The Pickin' Polack stuff is fun but the whole point of that is to play songs I barely know with very little practice and it's sloppy-as-hell (in a good way we think). I need to recruit some folks that are pretty competent, and very open to different styles of music. I just haven't been able to bring myself to placing some kind of ad because I know so many great musicians. What a conundrum!

But Candie and I are going to the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans at the end of this month so I'm pretty stoked...And yes, I'm going to EAT MY HEAD OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Oh, and if anyone actually still reads this tripe I apologize for the broken audio-player to the right. Not quite sure what happened...guess I'll fix it.)

Bad collage of good folks...

Exciting Times in Dallas Music!

Bear in mind that I have a skewed perspective on music, both local and otherwise, but dang-me if there aren't exciting things going on these days in the Dallas music scene. I'd be lying if said I wasn't a midly-reclusive, music snob with artistic leanings that only intermittently checks in on said scene beyond slavishly perusing the Observer and various blogs but I'm still a big supporter in my own way.
While I still have to make the trip up to Denton for most of the really great shows, our fair city seems to be having yet-another musical and artistic rennaissance of sorts. The galleries seem to be out-numbering the progressive music venues for now but with the appearance of Sloppyworld, John Freeman's Swiss-Army knife of a cultural outpost and a recently revitalized (out of necessity) Bar of Soap and a remodeled RedBlood Club under new management to name a few, things are looking up. I'm sure I've left plenty others off the list...but Hey, I said I was a bit out-of-the-loop.
And then there are the numerous interesting new(ish) bands/performers such as Dovehunter, The Strange Boys, Tree Wave, Naptime Shake, Doug Burr, and The Lonesome Losers among others. Other than Tree Wave, about whom I've only read so I can't rightly say, all these folks play great, vital, live-shows that make going out worth it. However, I get extra-happy when I think about all the bands that are re-uniting every time I turn around such as Dallas' favorite sons of Garage- Rock(proper), The Blackouts (who just happen to be kicking-ass) and everybody's tequila-fueled band the Loco Gringos. Makes me pine for the days of a show like that one in someones cattle-corral in Gainesville back around '95 featuring the stellar line-up of Cornhole, Jet Screamer, Electric Freestyle Fantasy, the Dooms U.K., and Slobberbone.

http://www.sloppyworld.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theblackoutstx
http://www.myspace.com/locogringos
http://www.myspace.com/barofsoapdallas

Not Again...

What?? Another solo-ish gig?

Yes...it's true, Matt Powers and I are returning to the stage at the RedBlood Club in Soon-to-be-a-Memory....I mean Deep Ellum. In case you don't live in the Metroplex area or you're more out of touch with the news than me - Deep Ellum, the largest and longest running "Arts District" in Dallas is in danger of being bulldozed to make room for upscale, urban-living and shopping areas in addition to other things we already have enough of in this town. In 5 years it will no longer exist, at least in any recognizable form.

But enough with the belly-aching; something needs to change down there, and I'm here to tell you that Voiceless Youth is opening the show some time between 6 and 7 (I guess), and the The Pickin' Polack and his Little Drummer Boy will then slaughter some cover-songs before being joined by that rounder Chadillac for the never-before-seen perfomance of Saddle Tramp songs with a drummer (and no mandolin/accordian, or bass for those playing at home). The headliners are local cats called The Battle Band playing some kind of Dub/Reggae mutant hybrid so it's an eclectic bill to say the least. It's a Free show and they have cheap beer & no dress-code at this joint so cobble together the dough you didn't spend on Aunt Trudie's Lotto tickets for Christmas this year and gather the freaks-with-nothing-better-to-do on X-mas Eve-Eve and head on down.

http://www.myspace.com/redbloodclub

King Khan & BBQ show changed my life (again)!

Photo by R. Otazo.

Real Rock and Roll isn't dead...

I know this isn't news to some of you, and there are still more of you that either don't care or have been blissfully listening to a neutered, watered-down version of what was once a genuine force of nature. I was lucky enough to attend another of those all-too-rare life-changing shows last Friday night in beautiful Denton, Texas. The King Khan & BBQ show are among a growing number of musical acts that appear to be making music for themselves first with the knowledge that doing so is the only way to produce "art" or at least kick-ass music that will find it's own audience. In a perfect world (and yes, that would be MY vision of a Utopia) their song "Waddlin' Around" (from their first, self-titled album recorded in 2004 and issued by Goner Records in the U.S.A.) would have been a number one, chart-topping single.

It's strange world we live in that loves nothing more than to forget the past. I'm often reminded of this phenomenom when people are unable to get into an artist(visual, musical, literary ot otherwise) that was clearly the template for one of their favorites seemingly for the reason that they aren't current. That would be a real shame in the case of this duo as they combine elements of primitive/early rock and roll with doo-wop and early punk and garage rock(with touches of psychedlia no less) to create a style that is both timeless and forward-thinking. This has been said about many bands before but it needs to said again. The music in itself is really great but with the addition of a truly spectacular stage-show they are NOT TO BE MISSED!

I won't go into great detail about them as there are plenty of other articles on the net that do so but here are the basics: Two guys. One plays the drums with his feet while playing guitar and singing. The other plays guitar and sings while dancing around and staring into the crowd with an expression that is hard to describe. They often wear costumes including dresses and wigs, Nazi helmets, and Swami turbans and/or capes. For a close-up look at the set-up you can consult this site:

http://www.valladolidwebmusical.org/cronicas/07/bbq/

I have loved their music for years now and had heard tales of amazing shows but nothing prepared me for this one.

http://www.myspace.com/thekingkhanbbqshow

Mr. Boom Boom and Treble Boy on stage.

The Pickin' Polack "Sings"!

Saddle Tramp is the band I play guitar in and provide some vocals for. Chadillac wrote all the original songs minus 'Clear Syrup' which William wrote. To this date I have only written one song that was anything other than a goofy little ditty but for various reasons I still haven't felt like I could perform it live. This hasn't stopped me from wanting to play more shows, and music in general, than has been possible for some time now.

The band was booked to open for what was being referred to as a Czech Bluegrass band at the RedBlood Club in Deep Ellum, which contrary to popular belief isn't entirely dead yet, but still many are wondering "Who cares?". That's another story all-together. We had to cancel, and in a moment of madness I told my friend Justin who books at the club that I'd come up with something in our place. I figured I could whip up some cover songs to play with whomever I could coerce into doing so with me.

In typical fashion I waited until the last minute before putting much thought into the set. I had a handful of what I considered to be classics in a variety of genres that seemed to go together in my often-non-linear mind. There were selections from Tom T. Hall, the Yardbirds, Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, the Compulsive Gamblers, Blue Mountain, and Doug Sahm; some I knew well, some I thought I knew, and some I had no business attempting at such a late date. So two days before the show I called up Matt Powers who has a practice space and a bunch of instruments including a drum-kit which he can keep a beat on at least as well as Meg White; he was stoked.

We met the night before the show and with the aid of some Tecate hammered out the set. We were scared at first but things began to gell quickly...either that or the beer kicked in but we were making progress. We decided we'd better meet there again the next night before the show to run through it one more time which we did. There was a respectable crowd for a Tuesday night gig in barely-breathing Ellum which I credit to loyal friends(whom I wanted to keep this secret from initially) and the headliners Austin Lucas and the Pressmen. After a little Irish courage we took to the stage and it was fun and apparently "a lot better than we thought it would be" so I'm happy.

Voiceless Youth was next and he was a train-hopping young man with an acoustic guitar singing what I would call punk-folk. (really folk in style but a punky look and spirit if you will). He was pretty entertaining! The headliners were up next and I could tell be their warm-up/tune-up that they were REALLY professional. Turns out that Austin is an American living in the Czech Republic and his band is mostly Scottish but hey close enough, right? I guess some of those cats are from hardcore(or something similar) band Oi Polloi. I could only stay to hear the first few songs but they play soulful, melodic, passionate and beautiful traditional bluegrass that is slower than what one would typically think of as bluegrass. These guys are good and I even bought a cd and a 45. I feel lucky to have been on the bill with these guys and I hope they come back.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present my father...

Long Over-due in many ways...

Well, in typical style I'm too late on this one but I wanted the world to know how proud I am of my Dad, Grant Krakowski, for being selected as Razorbackoutfitter.com's Hog Thumper of the Month last month. He's a man of many passions, but he's primarily into hunting with a growing focus on archery in it's various forms including primitive archery which I find fascinating. He's the guy on the right and though it might be hard to tell from this photo my "mug" is largely derivative of his; could be a lot worse, right?! Most of my best qualities come from him so I feel pretty lucky. (Don't worry Mom, your times a'comin'.)

In other news, I've considered doing away with this blog as I don't really have the time to make it anywhere near as cool as most of the ones I peruse regularly. I guess it gets me writing a little bit so depending on how things go it might change dramatically. There's a lot of change going on right now, both in my personal life and in my creative pursuits. Too early to comment on this too much, but I can tell you that one of my oldest friends and I are starting a fine art press/studio kind of thing but despite the way this sounds it's not going to be boring, pretentious or typical so LOOK OUT WOILD!!!(mispelling intentional to imply pronunciation like some East Coast character of days- gone-by. Possibly Jewish.)

Oh yeah...HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYBODY!! The Weather sucks, but my wish for you is that you spend it with friends, and/or family with good food, the beverage of your choice, and hopefully some truly great music; you know like "Insert Name of This Weeks Disposable Pop Fabrication". "They/He/She"'s got soul, baby!

It's like ART, man!