The other band

Wow it's been a while. Nothing new to report on Hot TV, unfortunately, but here's some stuff related to Traps, PS:

- Video of us playing as part of Guerilla Fest
- A handsome photo book documenting the Fest itself is available for purchase

Change of plans (part two)

Now this is just getting embarrassing. Turns out I wasn't as prepared to move to San Diego as I thought I was, and now I'll be staying in LA for an indefinite period of time until I can get my head straight with this decision. My advice to you: don't believe anything I write here. Except for the following:

Yesterday's first-ever Guerilla Fest was a complete success (and then some). Six bands played at six outdoor locations around LA, one band per location. We had 25-30 people in our caravan at any given time (all the bands, a couple girlfriends, a couple friends, and one dog), which really helped with the whole loading-in/loading-out situation. We were actually ahead of schedule for most of the fest, which was pretty amazing. Equally amazing was that the cops didn't show up at all to break up the proceedings (except at the very end, right after our set). A small camera crew was on hand to document the event, so once footage of that becomes available I will let you know. All in all it was a ton of fun and I was pretty stoked to be part of it.

I've got another show with this band (now known as Traps PS) this Saturday at Pehrspace with A.M. and the Muslims. Please come see what the fuss is about.

If you are so inclined...

...please come out to enjoy six of LA's finest music acts at six of LA's not-so-finest locations. Dirt Dress, Happy Hollows, Widow Babies, the Primos, A.M. and one unnamed band--the one I'm playing percussion for--playing at various outdoor locations this Saturday from 1-6pm.

Click on http://www.myspace.com/guerillafest for more details.

Change of plans

Evidently Los Angeles is not through with me yet, because I'm going to be staying in the area for another 4-6 weeks. Turns out no one in San Diego wants me to live with them. (Please reconsider, Mom and Dad...)

So in the meantime I'll be here in LA, holding down the fort (i.e., crappy apartment). Speaking of, my toilet pooped out on me today--literally. I won't get into specifics, but let's just say I built a LOT of character this evening mopping my bathroom floor.

In better news, I'm going to attempt to finish the EP before I leave. Of course, we've all heard that story before...

Here's what's been happening with Hot TV:

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

But it's ok, because I've been using this time to attend to much more pressing issues: looking for an apartment in San Diego, packing my stuff up, cleaning my room, etc. And what do I have to show for it? Almost no leads for SD apartments, a room that's messier than it's ever been, and a single box that I packed with my CDs. So basically, I've made a huge mistake.

But aside from that, I've been rehearsing with a friend's band recently for a couple of shows that are lined up for October. They used to be Anchors for Architects but now they are something else, and I'd tell you their new name except that they haven't thought of one yet. (I suggested "Duck Tales" but it got shot down almost immediately.) I'm playing percussion and it's been pretty fun...once the shows are more solidified I'll be sure to give you more details.

As for Hot TV...wait for it. Seriously, things are brewing. I just need to find an apartment first.

Relocation

It's official: I'm moving to San Diego by the beginning of October. We'll see if Hot TV will find their second wind down there, or if they'll get fat and out of shape on burritos and Stone ales. Either way: complete success.

The plan

Had a stellar time in San Diego last weekend. Basically ate a bunch of awesome food, drank a load of Tecate, and spent a full day in the studio (where we also ate food and drank Tecate). The Modlins put a large dent in four of their songs while I stood in the control room, ordering them around like Phil Spector (minus the afro and handgun). I have yet to hear the rough mixes, but from what I remember, everything that was tracked that day sounded great. (I was concentrating more on the Tecate, if you must know.)

The plan this weekend is to put my own dent in the EP. Haven't had a whole lot of time to work on it the last couple of weeks, but with the weekend pretty wide open, I'm hoping to get a ton finished. With Tecate, natch.

Things on the horizon

I'm working on an EP right now, written and recorded in the comfort of my bedroom. I recently went berserk and bought a bunch of gear on ebay: an MIM Fender Jazz bass, a single-channel pre-amp ("The Brick"), and a Boss tuner pedal. Add that to the Jazzmaster I bought from this cool dude in Huntington Beach a couple months ago, plus a (children's) drum set my sister gave to me last weekend, and you've got a recipe for hit-making success! Or unmitigated disaster, I have to check my figures. Not sure if this EP will have the "Hot TV" moniker on it (patent-pending) since the songs are a little more low-key than the usually-unbridled Hot TV hits (all two of them). I dunno, it just seems kind of lame to put my actual name on it. Maybe I'll just label it "Mark B." But then that just makes me sound like a Spice Girl.

In non-Hot TV related news: I'm heading down to San Diego this weekend for the Modlins' first studio session for their third album. They recently asked me to help produce it, which I feel simultaneously flattered, excited, and vindicated about. (What took you so long, guys? I mean, come on!) Maybe they're just shy. Anyway I'm really looking forward to San Diego this weekend, especially because it means I'll be able to get my hands on a true-blue California burrito. And if I play my cards right, I just might be able to get Eric to pay for it.

A brief history of Hot TV

June '07 - Hot TV forms
August '07 - Hot TV plays their first show
October '07 - Hot TV plays their second show
October '07 to August '08 - NOTHING HAPPENS

Let's see if we can't do something about this sad timeline.