Paul Plays TDA Tunes on KPTZ In Port Townsend

I'll be doing an "in-studio" this Friday on KPTZ in Port Townsend. Phil Andrus is the host. Dirk Anderson will be helping out on string bass. They just got set up for internet streaming so now the whole world can tune in! Things kick off at noon. 

Paul Moonlights with 1 Piano, 2 Piano men

Circle August 28 on your calendar for 1 Piano, 2 Piano men: Paul Rogers & Austin de Lone. Paul has performed with Austin for years in The Christmas Jug Band & next Thursday night they will share a single grand piano as they share their tunes. The Marin Independent Journal is already calling the gig a "Best Bet." Pick up your tickets and find more details at the Sweetwater Station in Larkspur, Calif.

Remembering Tiny Tim

You know, we've got some folks in Those Darn Accordions that have worked with some BIG names in showbiz. I'm not kidding. Mick Jagger, Pat Benatar, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, etc, but no one tops my street cred. Here's the proof. What a magical night that was backing up Tiny Tim. If I hadn't happened to find this photo while cleaning up my studio, the moment would have been lost forever. I know to some of you this will explain a lot, and upon reflection, I suppose it does.

Meet the Dinks

I've been going through the vault and pulling out some PRETTY interesting stuff, not the least of which is my first forays into songwriting for a band. It was 1980 and I was living in Alameda, CA , just across the bay from San Francisco. I was rehearsing in a half burned down cottage behind the house I was staying in with two friends I knew from my college days in Delaware, OH, Jim Breece, Paul Morris.
The three of us crammed in that small space and we banged out a bundle of New Wave, Power Pop, Pre-Punk, Post-Wacko and just plain nutty tunes. Jim played bass and Paul played guitar. Later when we started to record, we added a local drummer, Jerry Myers. We managed to get most of these tunes down on tape in some kind of rough demo form and it's fun to hear the raw energy of those recordings.
We played the SF club scene for a couple years and a couple of name changes and had a great time doing it. So I invite you to take a trip back in time and Meet The Dinks!

'Larry' Gets a Nice Review

Many thanks to UkeDoggy for the gushing review of "Larry's Wonderful Life" on Amazon.com. I especially like the part where he says he envisions a day when a lot of old TDA tunes will be "rediscovered" and given their due. We can only hope!

'Santa Lost A Ho' in LA

Looks like The Christmas Jug Band isn't the only group putting a slightly nutty twist on the holiday season. The Fruitcake Follies is having a sold out run in Los Angeles this year with a little help from "Santa Lost A Ho." Backstage Magazine has a nice little article on a few oddball offerings in the LA area.

'Santa Lost A Ho' Is Moving Up

That other darn band I play with every December, The Christmas Jug Band, is moving up the Amazon.com charts. One ditty I do with the CJB, "Santa Lost A Ho," is actually ranked No. 7 in downloads in the Country Swing category and No. 3,576 overall for best-selling MP3 downloads. Not too shabby!

Paul Rogers: Songs From The Shelf

This may come as a surprise to you, but not every tune I come up with complies with the rigorous standards of nonsense required for inclusion in the TDA set list. So, what happens to these "Non-TDA" tunes you might ask? Oh, I've got a wall full of them. I was staring at that wall the other day and decided, what the heck, I'll start putting some of them up on MySpace on a rotating basis. Just for kicks! So here's my very own MySpace page. Right now I've got a few Christmas tunes that I recorded with The Christmas Jug Band, a special salute to Maynard G. Krebs and a few others. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Cheers,
Paul Rogers