June 13th at the Flatiron

The Blockheads will be at the Flatiron with Slingshot Dakota (from PA), and The Old One-Two on June 13th.  We're looking forward to this.  Our album is going to be mastered in the next month or so, too.  Really looking forward to that too.

@mattysheets

Blockheads Octopus Album Update

We've been recording an album since May. Yes, I know it is taking forever, but this is going to be the best recording I have ever been a part of.

We're in the final mixing stages out at On Pop of the World Studios in Reidsville, NC. My dear friend Randy Seals and I have been vigorously mixing the eight tracks that will be on our first album.

I change my mind all the time, but today I think the order will be :

Octopus

Swimming Pool

Three Big Squids

Slow Driver

Al's Diner

Shitty Day

Walking on Shark (Your Dog is Dog)

When You're Gone

I spent the weekend out there, and we're really getting close to being done. We mixed Swimming Pool for four hours, Al's Diner for about eight hours, Shitty Day took most of yesterday, and Three Big Squids took almost a day.

We only have three more to get done- with very small adjustments to the other five. I'm excited.

The biggest rush I get from mixing these tracks is realizing how damn good the Blockheads really are. Everyone played amazing stuff, and the vocals are divine. I get goose bumps every time Little P hits certain notes, or Erin takes some of the lead vocals on Shitty Day, or Jerrod comes in with a stellar harmony, or Emily's back up vocals just sound so spooky and perfect. These performances are outstanding, and the work Driveway Moore did to ensure great recordings of the instruments is equally outstanding. The vocals, and the mixing work that Randy has done out at On Pop of the World is super duper. We are really working well together on the mixes, and that goes a long way with me. I'm sure I can be a pain in the ass sometimes, as I tend to get rather particular about some things. Randy's patience and cooperation and general know-how is making all of this possible.

On Pop of the World is really a great place to work. Donna Smith, studio manager, is an old friend of mine and her presence seems to add to the good feeling I get when I'm over there.

We should be done within the month, and then it looks like we'll have to play some shows to earn the money to get this sucker duplicated. I can't wait.

-matty sheets

on the subject of recording.

We (the Blockheads) have been a band for a little over a year now. We've had slight changes in the line-up, but most of us have been playing together since March 2010. We recorded some live stuff in a basement, some of which is pretty good. We played on Radio Greensboro, and the lovely folks at WUAG 103.1 FM (UNCG's radio station) recorded it all for us, and some of it sounds pretty good. Our entire set from that performance can be found on our website HERE.

Now it's a new year. We have some new players. We are developing a sound that's, as rooted as it may be to the style of music that we started playing, different. It's like we got a better boat.

So now that we've evolved a bit, we are going to make a recording. Right now we are shooting for a seven song EP or a nine song short album.

We will be working with David Driveway Moore on this project. He's a great producer, engineer, singer, and musician. We have worked together in the past, both in bands and on soundtrack music for short films from the illustrious Monkeywhale Productions, based here in Greensboro.
Driveway and I talk about working with Monkeywhale, Harvey Robinson, Carolyn de Berry, and music in general HERE in this video from MWP (Monkeywhale Productions).

It seems like a good fit, and a natural choice. Driveway uses essentially all analog recording gear, so our sound will be warm and big.

Being comfortable and relaxed at a recording session is priceless to me. I believe that this set-up, this producer, this band, and these songs, will all come together to make something good.
And I can't wait.

Hopefully we will have this done and available by late summer or early fall, depending on our pace and finances.
Have I mentioned that I can't wait to start? 'Cause I can't.

-matty sheets

A Farewell (sort of) to James Marshall Owen. (origins of Eating the Invaders)

Years ago (three, four, five? Time goes by so fast), I met James Marshall Owen at the Open Mic I have been hosting at the Flatiron in Greensboro, NC. I have been hosting this weekly event for eight years now. This month is actually our anniversary month, which is why I can safely say how many years that was, but not how long it has been since I met Marshall.

I feel like I've always known him now. He is easily in the top five most talented performers we have ever had roll through the doors to the Open Mic. Once he started singing and playing his guitar (exceptional guitar player- and he was twenty years old at the time. Wait. He's twenty-four now, we met when he was twenty... Ok, ok, I met him four years ago. I should start over), I knew he was one of a kind.

Four years ago we met and I wanted to play with music with him. We were just starting to get to know each other when we were in Eating the Invaders, but we quickly became friends - despite our differences (me writing silly songs with a few chords, and him thinking a diminished chord would be nice under his wicked guitar solo). Seriously though, we hit it off and ended up playing music together ever since. Hopefully that will never go away, no matter which city we live in.

After getting the name Eating the Invaders from a friend describing a spider who was eating ants that were stealing the spider's eggs, I went to Nate's Place to see one of Marshall's bands perform. I parked the scooter I was driving at the time and before I could get inside, here comes Marshall.

"Someone canceled, can you open for us?" he asked me.
"I don't have my stuff, I'm on my scooter."
"Use my stuff. We need an opener."

At the microphone for the first time at Nate's Place (and so far the only time, I think), I said- "Hello, my name is Eating the Invaders."

So now I needed a band to use the name. Along with Marshall on guitar, I recruited Barry Staples (a friend of mine who used to play drums at our house back in the Deviled Eggs days. He actually bought us our kick pedal) on drums, Gael McKeon (a new friend, he started playing with Come Hell or High Water around the same time) on upright bass, and Don Ravon (now a staple performer at Open Mic. Then, a new-comer.) on vocals with me. They were all my first picks, and I was honored and excited that they were interested.

We rehearsed for the first time on a Sunday (five songs), and played our first show the next day. Our second show was the day after that.

That band went through changes over the years, losing Gael and Don, gaining Little Mikey Roohan (Gino), Jason Voss, and the uncanny Mr. David Driveway Moore. Then after losing Little Mikey and Voss, we were a four piece at the end.

Yes, the end. We disbanded last year, this month.

I met James Marshall Owen five or six years ago, and I learned a lot from him. I can sing with others now, I can hold a vocal line where it needs to be without just going all crazy and stuff, and I've done things musically that I never knew I could do. Thanks so much for that.

By the way, Marshall is moving to Austin in two weeks.

Eating the Invaders is going to play one more time.

to be continued...

-matty sheets


Eating the Invaders in Harvey's Kitchen.
JMO's farewell show 1
JMO's farewell show 2

some photographs from the road (Charleston, SC)

The Blockheads play Kudu Coffee in Charleston, SC. All photographs by Melodi Fentress.

Little P takes us to what she called the secret art spot, behind an old strip mall to see some amazing street art.

Emily in the Tin Roof parking lot.

Little P talks to one of her many Charleston friends outside the Tin Roof.

Playing the Tin Roof was a lot of fun. Thanks to the sound guy for working his butt off for us (13 microphones).

The Blockheads rhythm section on the Tin Roof's outside area.

During the set. Little P, Jon, and a blur of Matty.

All photographs by Melodi Fentress. See you soon, Charleston.

Missing the Low Country!

photograph by Melodi Fentress

It has been almost two months since we made a trip to the Coast. It was good to smell the salt air again, for a while I didn't think I'd ever miss it. It brought back good and bad memories of our time on the pirate ship, a year and a half on the sea will make you learn to love the water and hate it.

We were fortunate enough to get back to dry land before She (the sea) got the best of us, and this trip I found myself wandering through the port looking at a few 30' vessels, thinking how easy it would be for us to just quietly shove off in the middle of the night, BACK OUT TO SEA!

For now we will have to enjoy our time spent visiting the coast, dining on Shrimp n' Grits, smelling the salt air and dipping our toes in the familiar waters of the bay of adventure that is Charleston. Can't wait to go back, its a little dry here and the rain just isn't enough.

-jon bohlen

notes from the road : Charleston, SC

A month or so ago, the Blockheads made their first trip to Charleston, SC to play a couple of shows. We had an outstanding time, hung out with excellent people, and played our asses off. Here are a few photographs from our five hour GPS guided drive from Greensboro to Charleston. A big thanks to Little P's folks for loaning us the van.


Little P's friends and sister live in Charleston and were very hospitable and supportive. We were put up on Danny and Joy's boathouse right near downtown. Both Danny and Joy work at The Early Bird Diner, where we had some of the best breakfast I've ever eaten. If you're in Charleston, go eat there. You won't be disappointed. Tell 'em the Blockheads send you.


Our first show was at Kudu Coffee Shop off Market St. We played on the patio, so it was horrifyingly hot, but the staff and sound man were very nice. I guess Kudu is a new place, so go check it out if your in the neighborhood. Good coffee, good food, great beer selection.

Some people came out, we had a fun time with it, and were warmed up and ready for the big show Sunday night. Local performer Laura Jane Vincent invited us to play her farewell-I'm-moving-to-Asheville, NC-show at the Tin Roof.

LV played and sang with a LOT of other Charleston musicians. It was a good time. Despite not knowing anyone, I felt the feeling of community in the room. There was lots of food, lots of hugs, lots of I-hate-goodbyes, and some tears. And quite a few drinks.

We wholeheartedly enjoyed playing the Tin Roof. We worked the patience of the sound man a bit- what with our all acoustic line up- but he worked it out and ran all thirteen channels on the board (including his talk-back microphone). We were well received, made friends, and hung out with some folks back at Danny and Joy's ship.

We came out of it a bit tighter, and with a new song called Wicket (named after our favorite of the three cats on the boathouse) about our trip. We will be performing it for the first time at our next show this Saturday at the Flatiron (we start things off at 10pm, then The Old One-Two, then The Alcazar Hotel plays their Greensboro CD release show).

Thanks, Charleston. We'll see you soon.

Check it out- Jerrod matches the couch.



-matty sheets (words and photographs)

the search for the Pond Monster continues...(Arlo gets wet)

Blockhead extraordinaire, Emily Stewart (vocals, banjo, dulcimer, Dixie honkelulu), has a dog. This dog's name is Arlo. I think his full name is Arlo Spaghetti Freddy, but I may have that wrong.

Anywhooo, Arlo is a bit afraid of the water, and has recently started swimming. Today we took him on a quest. A quest of the pond. A quest to find the Pond Monster.

We saw some weird stuff and got a bunch of blurry photos that look way worse than that footage of Bigfoot (shout out to my boy Bigfoot- miss you, buddy. Little P says playing the melodica just isn't the same without you).

The day was not a total loss, however. Emily and Melodi both caught exactly thirteen fish a piece.
-matty sheets

more on the Pond Monster.

Fishing for new tunes.

Way out in the country there's a road. Down that road there's a driveway. There are no numbers on the mail box, although there are numbers on the mail box at the next driveway. This driveway, the one without numbers, is a long and winding driveway going up then down then up again.

The house at the end of this driveway has a big front porch overlooking the fishing pond on the other side of the driveway. Hundreds of lily pads with blossoming lotus flowers surround, even envelop the edges of the pond.

photograph by Melodi Fentress

A T-shaped floating dock stretches out from the lily pads to a central point on the pond. A row boat and two oars are flipped on the dock- the boat sits upside down to prevent the collection of rain water.

On the front porch there are potted plants, a cat feeding station, and two fishing poles. With one of those fishing poles I caught a pond bass that I killed, cleaned, scaled, cooked and ate for the first time. It was delicious, and fed us for about a week, but that's another story.

The house at the end of this driveway, across from the fishing pond, has two main floors and a third basement level. The basement wraps around the stairs into three areas.

The quiet is nice here. The frogs (and many other creatures) sing into the night like they are longing for a frog who is across the pond- a long, long way to swim. Fish, deer, mice, frogs, turtles, butterflies and huge dragon flies are everywhere. One night, while fishing on the boat, we came across a -for lack of a better term- Pond Monster.

Yes, a monster. He seemed friendly enough (although he did steal a couple of the girl's bikini bottoms while they were swimming, and put carrots in Harry's beer). The Monster shook our boat a little, laughed at how startled we were, but most of all he scared the fish away and refused to sing the part we assigned him in a round of Row, Row, Row Your Boat (that's also another story).

I keep getting distracted. I apologize. The point here is that at this house, down this driveway, across from the pond where the Pond Monster lives, in the above mentioned basement we have set up sixteen microphones and will be recording our first album. The energy is good, we got some really good takes during the first couple of sessions, we made some progress arranging newer songs, and even wrote some brand new stuff.

I can't wait for the next session.

-matty sheets

We'll be at the Flatiron next Saturday, September 4th, to help our friends The Alcazar Hotel celebrate their Greensboro album release show with The Old One-Two.

P is for Progress.

A big Blockhead salute to our own Little P. Last night at Open Mic, she performed her first three song all original set accompanied only by her own guitar.
She's writing great songs that convey emotion bluntly and beautifully. She's singing out- loud and proud- in front of an audience of her peers, and for all of these things (and more), we'd like to recognize her talent and progress.
A big 'P' for Progress goes out to Little P for all of her hard work this week, from all of us here at Blockhead Headquarters.
-matty sheets