February 2nd
Happy Groundhog’s Day. Nice groundhog.
A live performance of my song The Devil’s Convoy is posted on my youtube channel: youtube.com/earlyeehawpickens. This is from my Acoustic Long Island gig too.
The Devil’s Convoy is my contribution to two genres I have always personally enjoyed: truckin’ songs and songs about satan. The song presupposes that the Devil drives a Kenworth, and that he uses it to haul lost souls back to Hell. (Capitalized for effect). It also suggests that he brings 36 other big rigs along with him, in order to get the total wheel count up to 666. (Do the math: 37×18).
The Devil’s Convoy is a cautionary tale: lay off the whiskey, cocaine, loose women, gambling, carousing and smoking or you’ll end up you-know-where with you-know-who. Yes, this song suggests that smoking cigarettes will damn your soul for eternity. My thoughts on the lesser vices (nail biting, yodeling off-key) are not tendered herein.
Enjoy.
See you in Hell.
HEEEE YA!!!
January 28th
I played a new song called “True Too” at my Acoustic Long Island performance on Jan. 16th. The song was inspired by a breakup a friend of mine went through, and by some of the things he said to me over a few cups of coffee one day. Totally unrelated: Man, I love coffee. Anyway, “True Too” was one of those songs that seemed to jump out of the air and onto the page; like I happened to pick up my guitar at just the right cosmic moment. Note to self: name future album of space-age romantic ballads This Cosmic Moment. It didn’t take much longer to write than it does to listen to it. Is 14 hours too long for a song? Surely I jest. The crowd seemed to dig the song at Acoustic LI, so swing over to my myspace page to give it a listen if you have 3 1/2 minutes to spare.
On another note, I gots me a gig up at that thar fancy Community Arts Center they got up in Williamsport, PA. I’ll be doing some songs in the Capitol Lounge in between sets by The Oak Ridge Boys, who will be supporting me on the main stage. Thursday, February 7th. Tickets are $34.75, and yes that includes access to the Oak Ridge Boys show.
Here’s what the Capitol Lounge show will look like if only you show up and I karate chop you as you walk into the room:
January 25th
This is my favorite.
January 10
BRUUUUUUUUCE!!!!
You know how every once in a while you find out that there’s a rockstar living down the road from you? Well there’s a rockstar living down the road from me. Do yourself a favor and check out Bruce W. Derr. He writes and records these great songs in his home studio, and apparently just recorded a whole album in 24 hours. Crazy cool stuff. He’s got a few songs on his myspace page. We’ve been exchanging emails on myspace, and we’re doing a show together in Lewisburg next Friday, January 18th. Don’t miss it. Don’t.
December 17
Ho ho ho. A little bird told me that you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet. Here’s a little gift idea for that discerning alt-country fan on your “Nice” list: A copy of Turn On The Radio never goes out of style. Buy yours soon from Amazon.com and you’ll have it under the tree by Christmas eve.
December 12
Yo yo yo. I posted a new music video on my youtube channel youtube.com/earlyeehawpickens. Yrs truly doing an acoustic arrangement of All You Need Is Love. Please: enjoy.
December 10th
YEE-HAW!!!
Did my thing on WFUV up in New York City this past weekend. Paul Curcuruto packed up his doubleneck Dan Electro and headed up to the Big Apple to join me joining John Platt on his show Cityfolk Sunday Breakfast. We logged about 35 minutes of air time with Mr. Platt. Talked a bit, played a few songs, laughed, cried, hugged and left that studio richer for the experience.
A clip of me and Paul performing When I Leave That Woman I’m Going Riding On a Train live at WFUV is posted on my myspace page. For those who don’t do myspace for whatever reason, these photos will have to suffice:
Rockin and rollin on WFUV. How cool is that studio? (Hint: very cool.)
Me and John Platt, posing in front of the WFUV logo, which blends in nicely with the large antennae protruding from my skull. Note radio waves beaming out for the benefit of those tuning in on terrestrial radio.
Quite a thrill for this songwriting cowboy to visit John Platt & WFUV. I’ve been a fan of the station, and of his show for a long time. If you happen to be Mr. Platt or WFUV itself: thanks.
December 9th
Headwound. Pop Headwound.
Got a nice little shout out from Brooklyn music blog Pop Headwound today. They asked a bunch of NYC-area performers for their year-end “Top 10” lists. Lo and behold, Earl Pickens’s Top 10 Favorite Days, Colors, and Songs of 2007 made the cut. Check it out here
There’s also a nice photo of my underarm sweat at The Earl Pickens Band Group’s debut performance at Rodeo Bar last month. The photographer’s last words, before he blacked out, were “Yee-huh?”
December 8th
Hey. Guess who’s going to be on the radio in New York City tomorrow? If you guessed me, then you’re right. If you guessed someone else, you may still be right, but I can’t verify that unless you tell me who that person is. Even then I’d have to check it against radio schedules in NYC this weekend. Too much trouble: you win.
Me and Band Named Thunder lead guitarist Paul “RAWK” Curcuruto will be on WFUV (90.7 FM) for some interviewin’ and some live performin’. We’ll be on John Platt’s show Cityfolk Sunday Breakfast some time around 10 AM. Tune in on the radio if you happen to have one, or listen online at wfuv.org. John Platt has played Can I Turn On the Radio a few times on his show already. Thanks, Johnny! (Remind me not to call him “Johnny” on Sunday.) Please tune in if you can: me and Paul need all the good cosmic vibes we can get. Plus you can count how many times I involuntarily laugh like a little girl whilst on the air.
Speaking of interviewin’, I just did a wee little interview out here in Lewisburg, PA for a local (if you live in Lewisburg) youtube program called Life In Lewisburg With Cat & Sheri. Check it out!
Nice people, the folks over there at Life In Lewisburg. Thanks for putting me on! Wait. That didn’t come out right.
ROCK!
November 16
My friend & fellow crusader in song, Tim Robinson, (myspace.com/timrobinsonsongs) worked up the little sketch of yours-truly shown below. This portrait was commissioned by The United States Postal Service for a stamp which will be issued in 2107, on the 100 year anniversary of my death. Nice work, Tim!
November 13
Hey. Thanks for stopping by the blog. I was wondering where you were, since I heard you recently stopped by the homepage.
I’m going to be on the radio tomorrow morning (11/8) at 8:15-ish to talk to Drew & The Crew about the new video and Saturday’s Blue Butterfly Fund show. Tune the heck on in!
The new video for I Know What You Want is done and posted online at www.youtube.com/earlyeehawpickens. Check it out!
If you enjoy the new song & video, and if you liked the video for Can I Turn On the Radio?, now would be a great time to show your support and pick up a copy of Turn On The Radio at Amazon.com. (Heads up: the “new and used” copies listed on the amazon page are not legally offered for sale. Kill Buffalo sends free copies of my cds out to reviewers, at magazines, blogs, etc. Many of those “people” take the cds and offer them for sale, usually unopened, online. If you want to buy Turn On The Radio from amazon, please buy a legit copy.)
Both songs featured in the videos are from Turn On the Radio, my new 4-song cd out on Kill Buffalo Records. Drop five bucks and pick up a copy today! Your ears will thank you.
November 5
*Earl Pickens and the Band Named Thunder
THIS THURSDAY NIGHT / Lewisburg PA
See the SHOWS page for details.
October 24
More Star Wars youtube humor. Pretty funny.
October 19
EP&TBNT
Played a great show with The Band Named Thunder this past weekend here in Lewisburg, PA. Packed the ol’ Town Tavern to the door and had the place jumping all night long. RAWK! Our drummer, Jake Kline, recorded the show and gave me a copy on cd (okay, on 3 cds — it was a long show) last night. Thanks, Jake. I’ll post a song or two here shortly. EP&TBNT is heading down to Selinsgrove this week to record our brand new theme song, which I have titled “Love Theme From Earl Pickens & The Band Named Thunder”. That will also be posted here soon. Yee haw. Off to Doylestown tonight for a show at The Moose. Come on out!
September 26
Hey. Happy September 26th.
Thanks to all who came out to the show in NYC on Saturday. The Earl Pickens Band Group was on fire. Chief Dave, Joe Horseman, and Tink Travers all of EPATBMM fame did their thing and new guy Peter Santilli (who has yet to adopt a silly stage name) sat in on keyboards. The band took it to the proverbial H.N.L. Ho nubba lebba. Another show in NYC is in the works for this band. yee haw.
I returned from NYC on Sunday morning to discover that my daughters are budding mathematicians. In my absence they had invented a new number called kazziple. It’s a big number. According to their calculations, a google-one plus infinity-two equals a kazziple. It then follows suit that a kazziple plus a kazziple equals a kizzipley doople.
Now you know.
September 14
Great show last night w/ EPATBNT. You should have been there. Maybe you were. The band is going back into our secret rehearsal cave somewhere on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border to work on more songs. Next show will be in Lewisburg in October. Yee haw.
September 12
Earl Pickens and The Band Named Thunder performs for the first time tomorrow night in Lewisburg, PA. The Band Named Thunder features Paul “Local Guitar Hero” Curcuruto on lead axe, Jessie “The Queen of all Harmonizing” Yamas on accompanying vocals, Buzz “I Play Bass” Meachum on the bass, and Jake “1-2-3-4” Kline on drums. These guys and girl are all top-notch musicians and beautiful cats to boot. Not that I go around booting beautiful cats, mind you. We’ve been woodshedding in Paul’s basement (as opposed to basementing in Paul’s woodshed) for a few weeks and we feel that we are now ready to release the full brunt of our fury upon an unsuspecting world. Hope you can make it.
August 28
August 27
Oh Say Can You SESAC?
Here’s a picture from my SESAC Writer’s on the Storm showcase gig at Rockwood Music Hall last month.
The other writers on the storm (Rebecca Hart, Michael Lynche and Susan Cagle) are pictured with me. I’m the one in the pink dress. The storm is not in the picture because me and the other writers are, as the showcase series name suggests, standing on it. Also in the photo is SESAC VP of Writer/Publisher relations, Linda Lorence Critelli, the brains behind the event. Thanks Linda, for having me, and kudos to my fellow SESAC’ers for putting the rock in Rockwood, and for putting the music in Music Hall.
August 3
Earl Pickens, singer/wrong righter, needs your help!!!
Armed only with a catchy song, a unicycle and a dream, Earl Pickens made a little music video that has been spreading warm, fuzzy feelings across the land. Now he wants to see if he can actually Turn On the Radio after all. If you’ve seen & enjoyed Earl’s video and his new song, please spread the word by calling up one of the fine radio stations listed below and asking them to play Can I Turn On the Radio? by Earl Pickens on the air for you:
94KX, Sunbury PA: 1-800-326-94KX
94.1 FM
WFUV, New York, NYC: 718 817-4550
90.7 FM
WXPN, Philadelphia, PA: 215-573-WXPN
88.5 FM
WVIA, N.E. PA/Susquehanna Valley: 1-877-700-9842
89.9 FM Scranton/ 89.7 FM Williamsport
These are just a few of the stations that have played Earl’s music, and/or had Earl in for an on-air visit in the past. They’re cool stations, and even if you don’t get around to making a request for Can I Turn On the Radio?, Earl recommends giving the stations a listen anyway. No hard feelings.
Very big THANKS to any and all who call in once/twice/many times to one/some/all of the stations listed above to make a request for Can I Turn On the Radio? by Earl Pickens� — the workingman’s unicyclist!!!
July 27
I see than Nicole Richie has been sentenced to 4 days in jail. I don’t even know what she did, but this doesn’t sound like nearly enough jail time to me. Someone get on this right away. And let’s see if we can throw Beyonce in the clink while we’re at it for falling down that flight of stairs.
July 14
Happy Bastille Day. I didn’t even know it was your bastille! “Bastille” is French for birthday, right?
I wrote a parody of the classic country song, I’ve Been Everywhere. Everybody knows the 1996 Johnny Cash version, but this song has been around since the 50’s. My version, I’ve Been Everywhere In Pennsylvania features town names from, you guessed it, Pennsylvania. Watch, listen (and hopefully enjoy) on youtube
I’ve Been Everywhere was written by a great Australian singer/comedian/songwriter named Geoff Mack. There are apparently several parodies of the song by other artists, but the Hank Snow version of the song, from the early 1960’s is the definitive version. Johnny Cash’s version is pretty damn cool too. I’m currently trying to get permission from the copyright holders to record & release my version of the song. Watch this space for details.
EP
PS. For those who question the inclusion of a picture of the Statue of Liberty in a video about Pennsylvania, read ‘em and weep.
June 26
Turn On the Radio is now available for purchase from the good folks at antifolk.net.
The antifolk scene in New York City’s East Village is where I got my start as a performer, back in the 1830’s. Now Can I Turn On the Radio? is playing in the antifolk jukebox and the record is yours for the buying.
Thanks, antifolkers!
June 23
Thanks to all who have been calling WQKX, WFUV, WXPN & WVIA to request Can I Turn On The Radio? I was back on WQKX this week for another live turn with Drew & The Crew. They gave Can I Turn On the Radio? another on-air spin while I was there, and told me that they’ve been getting requests for my song.
QKX dee jays Drew Kelly and Ali Stevens took me with them to the Lewisburg Area Joint Sewer Authority to deliver some food to the winners of the QKX weekly lunch giveaway. I provided some mealtime music for the good folks at the LAJSA. Here’s a picture:
I will refrain from making any jokes about playing at the local sewer treatment plant. They do important work over there, and it is nothing to turn your nose up at.
June 19
My friend Steve Lambert sent me this photo of my performance at the Beaver Springs Fair. A tree limb fell on some wires nearby and cut off power to the fairgrounds. I did my set standing in the grass in front of the stage. I’m filing this under “dues, paying, my”.
June 18
Played at the Mountain Stage Newsong regional round finals in NYC last night. Didn’t manage to win the thing, but I had a great time, met some cool people and heard some great music. It was sort of like summer camp, but all in one night and without the marshmallows. And indoors. At Joe’s Pub.
Big thanks to all who came out to support me at the show. Folks drove in from as far away as Central PA to cheer me on, and having some real supporters in the house really made me feel good. There was a burst of conspicuously loud applause when the M.C. introduced me, and it warmed my long-frozen heart almost to the point where I could actually feel real human emotion once again. THANKS!!!
Mad props as always to Jessie Yamas for joining me onstage and making my songs sound so nice. U ROK!
June 12
I’ve been selected as a finalist in the Northeast regional round of the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. A yee haw seems in order: YEE HAW! I’ll be going up to New York City to compete and perform “Can I Turn On the Radio?” (+ 1 other song) at Joe’s Pub this Sunday, June 17th. Buy a ticket on the Joe’s Pub web site and come out to cheer this unicycle-riding cowboy to victory!
June 6
Earl Pickens, singer/wrong righter, needs your help!!!
Armed only with a catchy song, a unicycle and a dream, Earl Pickens made a little music video that has been spreading warm, fuzzy feelings across the land. Now he wants to see if he can actually Turn On the Radio after all. If you’ve seen & enjoyed Earl’s video and his new song, please spread the word by calling up one of the fine radio stations listed below and asking them to play Can I Turn On the Radio? by Earl Pickens on the air for you:
94KX, Sunbury PA: 1-800-326-94KX
94.1 FM
WFUV, New York, NYC: 718 817-4550
90.7 FM
WXPN, Philadelphia, PA: 215-573-WXPN
88.5 FM
WVIA, N.E. PA/Susquehanna Valley: 1-877-700-9842
89.9 FM Scranton/ 89.7 FM Williamsport
Very big THANKS to any and all who call in once/twice/many times to one/some/all of the stations listed above to make a request for Can I Turn On the Radio? by Earl Pickens!!!
June 5
I was on the radio this morning at 94KX in Central PA from 8-9. I talked with morning-crew deejays Drew Kelly & Ali Stevens about my new video. It was a lot of fun, and definitely worth waking up at 6:45 AM for. Drew & Ali are both very cool, funny & friendly, and they made me feel right at home in the studio. (This was not hard to do because, between you and me, I actually do live in that studio.)
I played a radio-friendly version of New York Woman and, although I put them on the spot, Drew & Ali were kind enough to lend their delicate falsetto voices to the song, providing several rousing choruses of “He loves the ladies, Earl loves the ladies”. They in turn put me on the spot and had me do some live Muppets-sing-Johnny-Cash impersonations. How they knew I had the ability to deliver the goods for this bit is anyone’s guess. I suppose the word got out: I do a mean version of Folsom Prison as sung by Gonzo.
Here’s an mp3 the good folks at 94KX sent me of some of this morning’s hi jinx. High jinks? Hi jincks? You know what I mean. Click here to listen in.
Big thanks, mad props, & loud shout-outs to Drew, Ali, 94KX and the Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation for inviting an independent artist such as myself onto their big, fancy commercial radio station. Now we must repay this kindness by bombarding the station with requests for Can I Turn On the Radio? by Earl Pickens. Call 800-326-94KX for requests or email them to equest@wqkx.com. Let’s move, people!
Rock.
June 4
We finished 3rd out of 7 in our run last week on FUSE’s new-music-video show Oven Fresh! Like the old Meatloaf song says, “3 out of 7 ain’t bad.” Got enough votes to keep the video on the air there at FUSE for a few more showings. Thanks to all who chipped in, logged on, and registered a “thumbs up” vote on my behalf. Yee haw.
June 1
I’m going to be on the radio on Tuesday morning (6/5) to talk to Drew & The Crew about music, unicycling, Pennsylvania, music videos and such. Tune in to 94KX around 8AM to share the magic.
I want to note here that I will also be waking up to the sounds of Drew & The Crew on my radio alarm clock, then driving to the studio while listening to Drew & The Crew in the car. To share the full experience, set your radio to 94KX and your alarm to 6:45. That’s when I’ll be getting up. I’ll need 15 minutes for a shower, plus some time for breakfast. I’ll be in the car at 7:15. Join me, won’t you?
In other “Turning on the Radio” news, I was on the air in Williamsport, PA yesterday afternoon for an interview with WVYA’s Fiona Powell. Talked about stuff, sang a song. Good clean fun. Thanks Fiona!!!
May 28
Hey. My video has been picked up by the cable music-video channel FUSE! (Big YEEEEEEEE haws all around.) The video is being shown nationally this week on FUSE’s show Oven Fresh, where they feature new videos. People can vote on whether or not to keep my unicycle odyssey in rotation. Needless to say, I need your vote, and how! Be a pal and head over to the Oven Fresh web site, log in and cast a thumbs-up vote for your old pal Earl.
Considering the fact that I only started filming the video a month ago today, and that my budget was roughly $600, I am pleasantly surprised to see how far this thing has gone. (All on one wheel, no less.) I’m up against some great looking, big-budget videos there on FUSE, so I really need all the help I can get. “I’m Earl Pickens, and I am asking for your vote.”
Thanks, rock, etc.
May 16
The cool folks at antifolk.net in NYC’s East Village are currently featuring the video for Can I Turn On the Radio? on their homepage. Thanks antifolksters! While checking out the link this afternoon, I discovered my new favorite song, Anyone Can Tell (in the Rain) by Jason Trachtenburg. Don’t know who he is, but you can hear this song (which is from the new, cleverly titled, antifolk music scene compilation cd; Anticomp Folkilation) by going to antifolk.net, and playing track #14 on the jukebox. Don’t know what it is about this song that I love so much, but I’ve been playing it nonstop for over an hour. It might be the way he sings the word “rain”, or the line “pardon me, while I still got the feeling that I got.” Great stuff. Guess I gotta pick up that there anticomp folkilation.
I also just discovered the song Sly by The Cat Empire. Very cool song. The video is floating around youtube. Go to it.
Rock.
May 11
There’s Still a Place...
A couple of folks have emailed me with questions about the small town featured in the new video.
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania is a wonderful place, and I am proud to call it my (adoptive) hometown. I don’t advise trying to get out here on a unicycle (ow), but I heartily recommend travelling here by bus or car. Lewisburgpa.com has lots of information about our little hamlet on the Susquehanna river in North Central PA — home to Bucknell University, Jessie Yamas’s Cherry Alley Cafe and Earl USA Pickens Total World Domination Enterprises, Inc. Tell ‘em Earl sent ya!
May 10
My local paper, The Daily Item is running a cool story about the video today. Front page, no less. Thanks Daily Item!
May 9th
One day and over 1,000 plays later, my new video is up and running! I’ve been getting lots of positive feedback, and I want to thank everyone who’s taken the time to watch the video and/or drop me a line or post a comment on the youtube.com page.
A few people have asked me how it was made, who shot it, how it was put together and stuff like that. All will now be revealed: elves. Elves made that video. There. Now you know.
Actually, the whole thing was shot on a Sony Handycam over a two week period (shots were timed to catch certain flowers and trees in full bloom). I came up with the concept a few months ago and waited until springtime to shoot it. We shot several hours of footage, and I edited it myself in iMovie on a Mac.
A few people really helped me a lot with this, and I want to thank them:
My lovely wife Jackie USA Pickens agreed to be in the video after a few weeks of pestering by yours truly. I wrote the song for her, and though I’ve never pedaled a unicycle from New York City to Central Pennsylvania in real life, I would if she asked. (Just don’t ask me to cut the grass, dear.) Jackie filmed a couple of the daytime scenes for me, and tolerated my obsession with this project. What I really want to thank her for though is lighting up the screen with her million-watt smile! THANKS, MRS. PICKENS!!!
Steve Lambert is my neighbor, my close friend, a fellow songwriter, a brilliant photographer, and an early riser. For these reasons, I originally conscripted him to shoot the sunrise scenes. That gorgeous yellow sky scene pictured on the left was his doing. Can’t thank him enough for coming up with that shot. We had such fun filming at dawn that Steve kindly jumped on board for several subsequent shoots. He filmed the night scenes and filmed/directed the flower delivery sequence, and the closing shot. Visit Steve’s myspace page to check out his beautiful songs and his photographs. THANKS STEVE!!!!!
Eric Hoffman is my longtime best friend (excluding his alter ego, Joe Horseman, of course) and the man responsible for filming all the NYC, George Washington Bridge, and New Jersey shots for me — on a single day!!! Eric’s a great photographer, and if he gets it together anytime soon, I’ll post a link to his forthcoming photography blog. Eric and I both suffered near full-scale panic attacks filming on the George Washington Bridge. Notice how low the guard rail is in those shots. Truly terrifying. But funny. THANKS HOFF!!!
Helen Smith, or Aunt Helen as I call her, drove out to meet me, on a few hour’s notice, at the Delaware Water Gap last Thursday evening to film some sunset shots for me. I thought we were done and she inspired me to drive up one more hill to try to get one last shot before the sun disappeared for good. The shot we got is the last one before the night scene, and it’s a doozy. Look at that sun, sinkin’ like a ship, as Dylan says. THANKS AUNT HELEN!!
Lots of neighbors and friends helped out too. Big thanks to all!!! Special thanks to Jessie Yamas for coming along on the night shoot, and for lending her beautiful voice to the track!!!
That’s all for now. Go buy my album already:
May 8
NEW VIDEO!!!
The video for Can I Turn On the Radio? is done and posted on youtube and on myspace!
I’ll soon be posting some mad props on the blog to all the people who helped get this video made, but for now I just want to get the video out there. Check it out if you have a few minutes, and please pass it along to friends/family/total strangers if you dig it. Buying a copy of Turn On the Radio wouldn’t hurt any either.
Hope you like it!
April 25
So Wild
I’ve posted another song from my new cd, Turn On the Radio on my myspace page for your listening pleasure. The track is called So Wild and it was inspired by a dream I once had about John the Baptist. In my dream, J.T.B., as I call him, had come back to life in the 21st century and wanted to preach the gospel to the masses through the medium of rock ‘n roll music. Think late Jim Morrison meets early Billy Graham. Okay, just think Bono with a beard. Anyway, he was staging this big outdoor concert on the bank of some river, and there was a “Springsteen-is-going-to-show-up” style rumor going around the tailgate parties in the parking lots that “Johnny”, as he was known to his fans, was going to have his head cut off as part of the show’s big finale.
I don’t recall making it to the end of the dream to see if he went through with it or not, but it hardly mattered because I knew it would have been TOTALLY AWESOME, albeit a tough act to follow. I do recall waking up to a very clear vision of martyred saints as the rockstars of the bible, and dead rockstars as the martyred saints of American popular culture. I quickly put this midnight vision down into a song. Trust me, it all made perfect sense at the time. Check it out at myspace.com/earlpickensmusic
April 19
A video about Medieval tech support. Pretty funny.
April 17
Earlgazines
It has long been my dream to launch my own magazine. Here are some ideas I’ve been kicking around. Send me a check for $42 to subscribe to any of these for 1 (one) lifetime. I’ll let you know when they publish.
March 30
NEW MUSIC ALERT! NEW MUSIC ALERT! NEW MUSI…
I posted a little promo spot for my new record on my myspace page. Give it a listen!
Write this down: my new 4 song ep Turn On The Radio will hit record stores on April 24th. That’s right; it’s actually going to hit them. I can’t go into details, but I can say that a moving car and a slingshot will be involved. Kill Buffalo has spared no expense for this release.
Surely I jest. Kill Buffalo has actually entered into a distribution partnership with Young American Recordings so the new ep will be “hitting” stores only in the colloquial sense.
The NYC cd release party info will be available shortly. But, for all you central Pennsylvanians out there, the ep will drop in L-burg on Saturday night, April 28th at the Cherry Alley Cafe. Hope to see you there. More info can be found on the gigs page.
March 29
SESAC
I am very pleased to announce that I am now affiliated —as a writer and publisher — with SESAC, Inc. in Nashville, TN, USA, Earth, etc. My publishing company, Pickensongs, is up and running. Okay — it’s just up, not really running yet. Next stop: total world domination!
What the heck is SESAC, Inc.? Click here to find out, or just make something up if you’re too busy. Or, just take my word for it that this is good news and that there should be much rejoicing.
On another note (pun not intended), Kill Buffalo has teamed up with Songlines Ltd to promote Turn On The Radio to Americana radio stations this spring. Also very good news. Next stop: total Americana radio station domination!
March 27
Graves, Roadside, The
Kill Buffalo has expanded their roster, using nothing more than a good, old-fashioned roster expander and plenty of elbow grease. The Roadside Graves, an alt-country band from New Jersey signed with KBR a few months ago and they have a new record out now. They’re really good. You can check my label-mates out on myspace. Go to them.
March 21
BOING!
It’s official, people: spring has sprang, as they say. (And by “they” I mean the people who say sprang instead of sprung.) I’m spreading a little springtime cheer in my blog today with some shots of my garden from last year. If you put your nose up real close to the monitor, you can almost hear the flowers growing, which is odd because you can’t hear with your nose. I can’t anyway. Maybe you can.
I built my garden out of bricks, so it would not fall over. 3 years later, it is still standing. Here’s the layout, in case you want to build a replica:
Yes, I drew this on my computer; and yes, I am obsessive-compulsive.
I put every last one of those bricks in place by hand. It was difficult work, but much better than placing them by mouth as I had originally planned. Anyway, I hope you have a good Vernal Equinox, and that you get outside for some fresh air, and that you remember to balance an egg this year. Speaking of balancing eggs, this person is hardcore OCD. Happy Spring!
Feb 26
This is the greatest thing I have seen in a long time.
Jan 23
Hey. Here’s a cool music blog, for all you people that like cool music blogs. It’s called Pop Headwound. Aside from this, I just can’t find anything that seems blogworthy to me lately. I saw a Carolina Wren at my bird feeder today, but you don’t care about that and we both know it.
Jan 8
Happy New Year. Congratulations on being named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year”. You deserve it. Maybe next year will be my year.
2007 is shaping up to be a great year. So far it’s a lot like 2006, but with a seven instead of a six in it. I have a new record coming out this spring, so get ready. New songs, full band. Good stuff. I hope you like it, or at least that you buy it before you figure out that you don’t.
See you sooooooooooooon.
EP
Dec 18
Christmas is upon us. Let’s all try and remember what this holiday is all about: stealing Christmas music.
While I don’t really endorse this sort of thing, I know people like you are into it. A friend of mine runs this site falalalala.com where he gleefully distributes vintage, copyright-controlled X-Mas tunes to naughty web surfers everywhere. Remember, Santa will know that you’ve downloaded this music. Santa will probably know even if you just WANT to download it, and he may hold that against you anyway, so why not go for it and have something nice to listen to when you unwrap that new lump of coal.
If you’re into paying for music, go to itunes and buy Dean Martin’s “Making Spirits Bright”. It’s a favorite in the Pickens household, and I recommend it whole-hic-heartedly. It’s a marshmallow world, people. Buy “Country Music Jukebox” while you’re at it.
Dec 14
“This looks like a job for … [cue dramatic music] The Wooooorrrrrrrrlllllllldddddddds Taaaaaallllllllllllllllllest Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!”
“Gee, thanks World’s Tallest Man.”
“You’re welcome, Timmy.”
Dec 13
Darth Vader Being a Jackass
This video is so funny it made me cry.
Dec 6
Actual conversation with my 3 year-old:
She: Daddy, I don’t like this kind of yogurt.
Me: Really? What kind of yogurt is it?
She: Oh, it’s just the kind I’m eating right now.
Sorry I’ve been slacking on the blog lately. My report on the situation in Iraq is due to the White House next Tuesday, and I have been SWAMPED. Seriously, it’s like I’m in a quagmire or something.
Nov 13
Ever wondered what fire is? I have. I’ve asked a bunch of smart people and looked in a bunch of smart books, but none of them were able to tell me anything. So, I turned to my old friend the internet to find out. My old friend the internet directed me to my other old friend, Cecil Adams for the answer. Click here to find out what fire is. Click here for a link that doesn’t go anywhere.
I emailed Mr. Adams to find out if fire can be frozen. I’ll let you know what he says.
Okay. He wrote back. Fire can’t be frozen. There you go.
Nov 5
Cartoonsalot
Sometimes I draw cartoons. See?
Oct 31
Spamalot
A conversation with an email spam message, by Earl Pickens:
How many times did you get unhappy after noticing you keep ordering pizza after pizza?
Zero times.
0besity does not only affect the way you look and feel about yourself. It is also dangerous for your health, bringing plenty of health problems in a variety of spheres.
Oh, I get it: spheres. Round things. Like obese people.
And of course feeling shy to take off your clothes
on a beach or in bed with your special one is so saddening.
Ah, my special one. My sweet, special one. Let’s go to the beach or to bed so I can take off my clothes, special one!
You don’t have to spend the rest of your life exercising yourself to death.
Something about this sentence is not right. But I like it.
You also don’t have to experiment with suspicious pound-fighting products.
I did a bit of experimenting with suspicious pound-fighting products when I was in college. Crazy times.
The only option you need is Anatrim! Its completely naturaI blend of ingredients attacks obesity like nothing else and suppresses your appetite, putting your mind in control of your eating. It also easily integrates into existing diets and has no side effects.
Except for the effects on my actual sides, which no doubt will get less spherical if I take this, right?
You have to try it to believe the results are real!
This is a problem, as I do not intend to try it, and I do not believe the results are real. Where do we go from here?
Getting rid of extra pounds now is safe and enjoyable. Anatrim boosts not only your confidence but helps your body produce tons of natural energy!
Ironic that a weight-loss product should produces tons of anything.
Check out the testimonials of happy customers, at our site.
No thanks.
Oct 8
A friend of mine sent me this link to The Nietzsche Family Circus This site “pairs a randomized Family Circus cartoon with a randomized Friedrich Nietzsche quote.” And to think my grandfather told me this couldn’t be done. Here’s an example…
The strange thing about this is that after refreshing the screen a few times, you realize that you are essentially just reading “Peanuts”.
Oct 3
My Good Will
The following heart-wrenching message came to me via email this morning. I post it here that we all may share in its heart-wrenchingness:
Good day and God bless, Greetings to you in the name of God Almighty. I am former Mrs. Memunat Farouk Hasan, now I am Mrs. Rebecca Farouk Hasan a widow to Late Farouk Hasan Muhammad. I am an old woman; suffering from cancer. From all indications, my condition is really deteriorating and is quite obvious that I may not live long, because the cancer stage has gotten to a very severe stage. My late husband died in an air crash on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline Boeing 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this fact from the website which was aired by the BBC WORLD NEWS and my only daughter died in BOMB ATTACK LONDON. My late husband was very wealthy and after his death, I inherited all his business and wealth. My personal physician told me that I may not live for so long and I am so scared about this. So, I now decided to divide part of this wealth, by contributing to the well being of less privileged people and handicapped in the society of world America, Canada, Africa, Europe and Asian Countries. This mission, who will no doubt be tasking had made me to recently relocate to Africa where I live presently. I selected you for this Purpose and prayed over it, I am willing to donate the sum of $7,300,000.00 Million US Dollars to you for the development of the well being of handicapped in the society and also as aids for the less privileged around your country, and i have map out $1,700.000.00 for your own personal use to help me for this work. Please note that, this fund is lying in a Security Bank. Therefore immediate application for the transfer of the money in your name or your home. Please, do not reply me if you have the intention of using this fund for personal use, than enhancement of the comfort of the Handicapped. Lastly, I want you/your home to be praying for me as regards my entire life and my health because I have come to find out since my spiritual birth lately that wealth acquisition without God one’s life is vanity upon vanity. I await your reply.
MRS REBECCA HASAN
Powerful stuff. With everything that’s going wrong in the world today, it’s refreshing to find a person who is so decidedly unwilling to seek profit from other people’s loss. I will help you, Mrs. Hasan. I WILL.
Sept 20
The Missing Links
Here’s some entertaining sites to check out:
Beatles tribute bands always crack me up, especially when they dress like the Fab Four and end up looking more like the Rutles, as these guys do:
Here’s their site. Enjoy. Don’t tell ‘em Earl sent ya.
Now, a Rutles tribute band, THAT’S a good idea! Someone get on that right away.
That reminds me of my long standing goal, as yet un-achieved, to start a They Might Be Giants cover band and call it “They Might Be They Might Be Giants”. I’ll get around to it someday, when all this Earlpickensmania settles down.
This is pretty useful information, and you would do well to avail yourself of it.
Found these links during a recent, and brief, obsession with the origin and nature of the universe.
This fact is along the same lines. I found it as fascinating as it is depressing for some reason. Plus it makes me thirsty.
Have fun looking at these links at work.
Sept 18
I have a show in NYC next Tuesday night. I’m playing at Makor, up at the 92nd Street Y. (One block south of the 93rd Street Z.) The show part of a monthly series of performances called Under The Radar hosted by WFUV deejay (dj? djay? deej?) John Platt. Check out the other people on the bill. They seem cool: Antje Duvekot and Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. I’m glad someone finally came up with a band name worse than “Earl Pickens and the Black Mountain Marauders”.
This’ll be an acoustic gig; just me, my guitar, some new songs, some old songs and whatever’s left of my mohawk. Remind me to tell you at the show how my hair is similar to the war in Iraq. Hopefully Jessie Yamas will be doing that harmony singing thing that she does so well.
This is an important show for me, and I can use all the support I can muster, mister. Mister Muster: good name for a band.
Later.
August 9th
Does my nose smell? You would tell me if it did, right?
By the way, check this site out.
July 27th
Here’s the PDF version of the booklet from my new ep. Happy reading (1.7 MB)
July somethingth
I don’t understand this, but I like it anyway.
June 11
Flicker? I hardly even KNOW her!
I like to rock. That’s no secret. What has been a secret for some time now, a secret I’ve kept from even my closest friends, is that when I’m not rocking I like to watch birds.
There. I said it. I feel better already.
I’ve also been doing some biking lately. I live in a small town in central Pennsylvania that is surrounded by rolling hills, fields, farms and forests. I like to hop on the old bicyclette, as the French say, and go for a nice long ride early on a Sunday morning to check out the scenery and my feathered friends. I’ve seen an amazing variety of birds in the few months that I’ve taken the trouble to notice. I’ve seen bluebirds, warblers, hawks, vultures, finches, woodpeckers, osprey, herons and mockingbirds in the last two months alone. I lived in New York City for 15 years before I moved out here and I only recall seeing two kinds of birds during that time: pigeons and fucked-up pigeons.
About two weeks ago while I was out biking/birding I caught sight of a bird I’d never seen before. It was light brown, with polka dots on its breast and a red patch on the back of its head. I startled it unintentionally, and when it flew off I noticed it had white spot on it’s back. It was really beautiful and I really wanted to know what it was called. I tried asking it, but the bird gave no reply. As soon as I got home I searched through my bird books (yes, I have bird books) but couldn’t find anything that looked like the bird I’d seen.
A few days later I went up to New York for a gig. On the way home the next morning drove through the area where I had been biking, to see if I could see this bird again. I guess I was going kind of slow, because the car behind me was tailgating for a while and eventually decided to pass me in a dramatic “THIS is how you’re supposed to drive down this freakin’ road” fashion.
It’s amazing the number of thoughts that can run through your head simultaneously. As this car moved into position to blow my doors off, I found myself thinking the following thoughts in the space of about three seconds:
1. Okay, this jackass is finally going to pass me.
2. Hey. There’s that bird again, flying across that field!
3. Wow. This guy is really driving fast.
4. Man, that is a beautiful bird.
5. This guy is going to hit that bird
6. That bird exploded on impact.
7. DAMN YOU, FAST DRIVING JACKASS!!! DAAAAAAAAAMN YOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!!!
That bird never had a chance, and that guy never even slowed down. He certainly didn’t do the customary “I’m sorry I just killed that bird” slight reduction in speed that bird-killing etiquette would require.
Me, I turned around and drove back. Not because I thought I could help the bird, because it was most definitely dead. No doubt about that. I drove back because I wanted to get a good look at what was left of it so I could try and figure out was kind of bird it was. I also wanted to show the other birds that we humans aren’t all bad. That sometimes we actually care about the impact (pun not intended) of our actions. I think they appreciated the effort because they did not shit on me or my car as I poked their fallen comrade with a stick.
Once I found its head, torso and wing (still attached to each other), I was able to see some more markings on the bird (yellow feathers under the wings, black spot by the beak, BMW logo on the forehead). When I got home and got the books out, I determined that it was a Northern Flicker.
I salute you Northern Flicker, wherever you are. If you someday get reincarnated as a person and grow up and learn to read, and if this blog entry is still posted here, I hope you’ll read it and know that I thought you really were a beautiful bird. You’re probably a nice person too. By the way, be careful crossing the street.
May 15, 2006
There was an owl in the tree outside my bedroom window the other night. Either that or it was some other kind of bird doing one heck of an owl impression. I never heard an owl before, unless you count the one in those old tootsie pop commercials. Despite my inexperience, I was able to instantly identify the unseen bird as an owl by it’s distinct “HEY – I’M AN OWL!” call. That and the hooting.
I lay awake listening to Mr. owl (not his real name) for half an hour or so, (that’s 18 minutes in owl time), before drifting off to sleep. That’s how I do it. I DRIFT off to sleep. Nice and gentle-like. No falling to sleep for me, thanks.
In the morning I walked out into my yard and discovered the raw, ravaged, bleeding carcass of a robin strewn across my patio. “Damn you, owl” I cried, looking up into the trees overhead. The owl looked down at me, shrugged, and waved a roll of Mentos in the air. Me and the dead Robin couldn’t help but smile.
April 24, 2006
Yo.
I have heard it from on high that the release date for my new ep will be Tuesday, May 23rd. Begin cleansing ritual immediately.
The ep is comprised of 5 songs that I wrote at the tender age of 17, re-recorded at the tender age of twice the age I was when I wrote them. It comes with a downloadable booklet replete with handwritten lyrics, stories and a few cartoons.
April 13, 2006
I’ve been working on a new album for the last few weeks. Five songs. Full band on four of ‘em. Rock and roll on all five. It’ll be out in May. Kill Buffalo is releasing it online as a downloadable EP via their web site. There’ll be a booklet to download and print out as well, complete with handwritten lyrics and song info & cartoons. Really. I’ve seen it. I’ll be posting a track from the album/ep/whatever it is on my music page soon. Sooooon. Soooooooooooon.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooon.
Earl
April 2, 2006
I’ve been slacking on the blog lately. I’ve been told that for some, my blog is a “crucial procrastination device”. This warms my heart. Here’s one of the cartoons I promised to post back in January. Read this at work and stick it to the Man. Stupid Man.
Oh yeah, visit my myspace page for free music. That’ll really piss off the aforementioned Man. I like that word. Aforementioned. It has a nice ring to it. You know what word I hate, though? Memento. That word rubs me the wrong way and I’ve never known why. I have mementos and I like them just fine. I simply prefer to call them keepsakes.
Actual conversation with my 3 year old daughter last week (out running errands with me on a cold day):
She: “Daddy, can we go home now? My hands are freezing.”
Me: “No, sweetheart, we can’t go home just yet. Try putting your hands in your coat pockets.”
She: (crying) “I caaaaaan’t put my haaaands in my po-o-o-o-ckets because my (sniff) gloves are in there!”
February 22, 2006
My Patented Method
Start using my patented method today.
Tell your friends about my patented method.
February 19, 2006
Man, the day before Presidents’ Day is always such a letdown.
I don’t have time to write much at the moment, as I am currently in the midst of my grueling training regimen leading up to this Thursday’s gig at Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction. I hope you will not take this personally, and that you will know that it is solely for your benefit that I do this. Hope to see you at the show, when I will spread the spicy mustard of rock and roll upon the meaty hot dog that is New York City. Mmmmmm.
February 3, 2006
Man, the day after Groundhog’s Day is always such a letdown. There’s so much build up to the big day that I guess it’s no surprise I feel a bit depressed when it’s all over. And is it just me or does Groundhog’s Day seem to be getting more and more commercial each year? We need to pause and remember that Groundhogs are the reason for the season. I guess that’s just the way these things go. Look at what’s happened to Flag Day.
Anyway, I hope your Groundhog’s Day was a great one. 364 days to go until we do it all again. sigh . . .
EP
-Earl “I Got Shirts” Pickens
January 15, 2006
I have to give a shout out to O’Hanlon’s Bar (349 East 14th St) for proudly displaying the entire Earl Pickens recorded catalog (yes, both albums) in their jukebox. Stop by and put a quarter in that country music jukebox and let old Earl iron out the rough spots. Thanks O’Hanlons!
Yrs.,
Earl
January 11, 2006
Chuck Norris responds. Uh oh.
December 17th, 2005
Public Service Announcement
These facts about Chuck Norris require your immediate attention. This link was forwarded to me by NYC country music superstar Jack Grace. Jack’s a swell guy and a great act to check out if you’re ever in New York City on a night when I’m not playing there. God forbid.
See you soon. Happy holidays. Rock on.
Earl
The Blog Entry With No Title
Hey. The EPATBMM farewell show was a blast. Rodeo Bar was packed to the door and the show was as rowdy as all get out. (All get out is EXTREMELY rowdy). Thanks to everyone who came out to give this band, AMERICA’S BAND, the send off it deserved. You touched our cowboy-hat-wearing hearts. Yes, our hearts wear cowboy hats. Thanks again. Thanks Marauders, wherever you are.
November 15th, 2005
A Picture of Me and Jessie Playing Live on the Folk Show with Gene Shay
This is a a picture of me and Jessie playing live on The Folk Show with Gene Shay.
Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to post some recent Country Music Jukebox news. Here goes:
COUNTRY MUSIC JUKEBOX NEWS
I visited WBAI (in New York city) in March to chat with Peter Bochan on his show “All Mixed Up”. That was cool. Peter is a swell guy and it was an amazing experience being on his show and sitting in the very same chair that his previous guest had sat in. We talked country music, Long Island & Ricky Nelson and then I played some songs.
I made an on-the-air visit to wxpn in Philadelphia in November to talk to Gene Shay and play a few of my songs on his show The Folk Show With Gene Shay. It was coooool.
My trip to Nashville was a success. I was down there in Music City, USA in late October for a gig and also to meet a few people who heard and dug Country Music Jukebox. The gig was at the Kazu Restaurant, in Cummins Station, in downtown Nashville. The show was the latest monthly installment of a series called Tunesmithing @ Cummins Station “Spotlighting Emerging and Professional Songwriters” The show is sponsored by Whiting Publicity & Promotions and the Nashville office of The Songwriter’s Guild of America. Met lots of cool people and heard some great songs. I definitely want to get back down there to play again soon. Thanks, Nashvillians!
Country Music Jukebox has been getting airplay across the USA. Check it out, yo:
David Dye, host of the nationally syndicated NPR / WXPN radio show World Cafe, played my song “Come On Up and Haunt Me Tonight” on his show and said that Country Music Jukebox is “filled with good songs”! I nearly dyed! Mr. Dye’s show airs weekdays at 2pm in Philadelphia. The show is then rebroadcast on over 185 public radio stations in the USA! Someone from Alaska emailed me to say she heard the song and dug it. Looks like I gotta go play in Alsaska now.
Show your love by clicking here to request an Earl Pickens song on WXPN! Some folks on my mailing list have written me to say that they’ve been requesting “Come On Up and Haunt Me Tonight”. Many thanks. I appreciate your support. No, really. I actually do.
Gene Shay has played some tracks from Country Music Jukebox on his Sunday night WXPN show The Folk Show With Gene Shay. What can I shay? Thanks Gene! See the links above to catch his show online, request a song etc.
In New York City, WFUV dee jays John Platt and Don McGee have played Country Music Jukebox a few times on City Folk Sunday Breakfast. They also gave Country Music Jukebox a solid on-air endorsement. Said they heard shades of Springsteen, Neil Young and Steve Goodman in the album! Not a bad way to start my Sunday morning. I don’t know who those people are, but it sounded like they were famous or something so I assume this was a favorable comparison. Having my music played on WFUV is a real thrill for me, since I have been a big fan of this station for a long time. Here’s their site, for those who might want to listen online.
Dan Reed played “Come On Up and Haunt Me Tonight” on his weekly wxpn show “New Release Tuesdays” in August. What a great New Release Tuesday that turned out to be. I’ll never forget that new release Tuesday, even if I live until next new release Tuesday.
If you know of another station that’s playing Country Music Jukebox let me know. If you know of another station that should be playing Country Music Jukebox let them know. Then let Earl know that you let them know.