July 09, 2017

Designated Survivor

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This is a mid-70s SG Standard that I hardly ever play because it currently lives at my friend Jen's house. Because there are just too many damn guitars in my tiny apartment, plus I think she plays it sometimes. Also, if the worst should happen, and North Oakland should sink into the mud, fall into the sea, or get smitten in some other way, destroying my place and all the guitars in it, there will be one guitar left to carry on. The Designated Survivor. (But if Berkeley also goes, we're screwed.)

In fact I haven't laid eyes on it in years but last night we were drinking bourbon and I started feeling maudlin and sentimental enough to want to visit it, so she lugged it out. I took a picture, just to remember. And that brings the situation up to date.

This wasn't the main guitar for very long, probably for only a few months in '90 or '91. I loved the sound but it was awkward and neck-heavy and once I acquired the white Junior it basically just got retired. But it is the Love American Style / Milk Milk Lemonade guitar, which I get asked about quite often. (For anyone curious, the set-up there was this SG, a Mesa Boogie Mark IV head, and... dunno about the cabinet.)

Also, J's husband has a fantastic but under-maintained Martin from the 30s that I drunkenly played the whole night -- I couldn't stop. Despite the crusty strings and high action, it's the sweetest sounding thing, a thing I love and want to marry. Old wood, man. Gotta get me one (he says, knowing he'll never have the wherewithal to do so, if wherewithal is the word I want.)

Posted by Dr. Frank at 03:46 PM

July 08, 2017

Dumb Little Band

Fantastico cover by my Italian friends:

Posted by Dr. Frank at 03:22 PM

July 07, 2017

Now that You Are Gone

Posted by Dr. Frank at 03:17 PM

July 04, 2017

Sure I'll do 'em

Posted by Dr. Frank at 08:23 PM

July 03, 2017

Three Chords, No Brain, One Shirt

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So, the tl;dr of this is: if you're not going to be in Italy for the Dr. Frank shows in July, you can still get the shirt via Sounds Rad. Details are below, but you can sign up here: http://www.soundsradical.com. (Also: ladies' sizes/style available on this one, by popular demand.)

I'm playing a couple of shows in Bergamo, Italy this month: Friday July 14 at the Punk Rock Raduno Festival, performing as the Dr. Frank Electric MTX Euro Special (basically me doing MTX songs backed up by the great punk/garage rock and roll band Lone Wolf); and before that (July 12) at a kind of pre-show book event at Parco Goisis, where I'll play acoustic and "present" the book King Dork Approximately (along with Eric Davidson of New Bomb Turks, who also has a book to present.)

Now, I don't know how it is for you, but these days I can't seem to do anything at all without commemorating it in T-shirt form. It just sort of happens, and it's happening now. We're doing a shirt for the festival as you can see, a one-off limited design with the MTX logo that says "this is a song about a girl" in Italian.

When I shared the image, quite a few people over here (that is, outside of Italy) expressed interest in it, so Sounds Rad decided to do a very limited run of them, just as way for non-Italians to participate in the fun. It's $20 and comes with a sticker and a pin. It is being offered first come, first served only to people on the Sounds Rad mailing list. On Wednesday, Sound Rad will send an email with a purchase link. First fifty people to click get 'em. Otherwise, you'll have to travel to Bergamo. Or just ascetically do without. Them's your options.

If you've ever bought anything from Sounds Rad, or if you've downloaded King Dork Approximately from the book's download page, or if you've signed up at the MTX merch table, you're on the list already. If not, you can sign up here.

Do it!? Ciao!

progaganda:

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Posted by Dr. Frank at 03:31 PM