UPDATE FROM NASHVILLE (01.2008)

I guess the biggest news for the band lately has been the huge write up in the new issue of Blues Revue. I pretty much hate all interviews, as they have a tendency to spin or misquote ideas and principles but this write up rocked and I'm really happy about it. Additionally our CD "Rocket Number 9” has gotten almost unanimously rave reviews minus one only one mind you from a website owning, Dungeons and Dragons loving, short sited and slandering, uninformed and presumptuous, rock and roll dissing, net hater geek boy. But anyway...  All the big magazines and people that don't play Dungeons and Dragons love the record and thanks to Rand Chortkoff and the team at Eclecto Groove this band is enjoying more press, love, support, success and world wide attention than ever before and were stoked! 

One thing I know all of you will be happy about... that I am not very happy about.... Is me trying yet again to quit smoking. Yes after all your chiding, annoying remarks, motherly concerns, and straight up bitching I have finally caved into the health lemmings, democrats and powers that be and am now taking the new controversial and dangerous "quit smoking" drug Chantix for your approval.  I'm not loving it, the drug or the quitting, but I will continue taking Chantix even though I haven't slept in days, feel sick to my stomach all the time, feel like I'm floating, when I do sleep I have totally demonic dreams and still want to smoke. Yes folks, like the Martyr that I am I will continue this psychotropic torture, only so my harmonica chops don't diminish a fraction and all of you can finally be happy and go home at night without your clothes smelling like those "stinky, nasty, dirty, awful cigarettes". Can any of you reading this tell that the wild stories of complete nicotine withdrawal immunity, associated with Chantix are not really accurate as of yet for this writer? 

In other news: I have just made available eight more, new and as always FREE harmonica instructional videos on YouTube this makes something to the affect of 33, totally free, ten minute video harmonica lessons.  Additionally, Ron Sutton (New Blood Death Drums) has added a new video to his ongoing series of well-edited and hilarious "Road Videos". This is video number 3 from a little Sutton Sutton and focus on the bands last, 30 day straight, influenza influenced, west coast romp. Highlights from the ten minute video include me playing a chord harmonica (two foot long harp), Shawn in the midst of various "enhanced" moods and finally Buck Weed in Idaho, riding a horseless saddle, mounted ten feet above the floor, on a perturbing, two foot thick, house beam, wearing a headdress, and shooting an ancient Indian bow and arrow into the wooded walls of a secluded cabin. Good times.

So, in short, we hope you had as relaxing a holiday break as us and New Blood is more than ready to see you soon as we begin another hellish year of touring and mind body abuse. In closing I would like to thank our great sponsors: Delta Groove/ Eclecto Groove records, Intrepid Artists, The Man Rand Chortkoff himself,  Jeff the great Delta Groove communicator and composer of this newsletter, also Chantix and my old friend insomnia (great to have you back), YouTube, Ron Sutton, Shawn Starsky and Buck "El Jefe'"  Weed. Of course thank you to all of our fans for coming to our shows, sometimes driving hours, buying our records, taking us out to eat, buying us drinks, fixing our van, fixing Bucks head, singing along, dancing and enriching our lives.

Peace and love.

- Jason Ricci