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March 6, 2003

Hi There,

On March 7, 2002, FRANK WOOD PRESENTS started to do something no one else was doing at that time. That was the 1st nite of NYC UNPLUGGED - The Core Of NYC's Best Bands at the 169 BAR. I had an idea for all the best bands in NYC to show people, in an intimate setting, what their music was about. With luck Rob from the 169 BAR shared that vision and allowed me to try it. Well his faith in me and the NYC rock scene has been rewarded and you, the fans, are the beneficiaries of it all. Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and doing unplugged shows. Some are even doing it in nicer venues (way to go STEVE BLUSH) and we all are benefitting from it.

So now is the time to celebrate.

Over the past year some of NYC's best and hottest acts have perfomed at the 169 BAR. The very first band was MAD JUANA and they have set the standard which all the other artists have had to live up to, and they continue to raise the bar with every subsequent show they do, as was evidenced when they opened STEVE BLUSH's Monday at PARK.

Over the past year these artists have performed at the 169 BAR either as scheduled or (my favorite) as surprise guests for a song or two between acts:

MAD JUANA; T.J. JORDAN (solo and with his band WOUNDED); QUEEN V; JOY RYDER; JOHNNY LAW from BANANA FISH ZERO; D.J. extraordinaire, "MAN ABOUT TOWN" ROBERT LUND; BURNI & LI & DANNY RAY from the DROSSELLS; GOD The Band; MARK PINES & friends; CHARLEY BUCKLAND & friends; STEPHANIE DELK; STEWART BRODIAN; BLACK FLAMINGO; D.J. ROB NITRO; CATHERINE CULPEPPER & friends; SEAN KERSHAW & his many friends; JENNA; ALIERON (now the LADYBUGS); GARY GRAY; GYPSY BLUE; RANDY from the NERVE; MEG MACAN; FOLK FICTION; SUPERGROOVE; THE UNPRONOUNCEABLE; GINO OLIVER (who also let me use his P.A. system until we got our own); JUSTIN TRANTER; RIPE; SPEEDDIAL; BILL POPP & The TAPES; The BAGHDADDIOS; The JANA PERI BAND; BRAVE THE DAY; ANGRICHICK; MIDNITE CIRCUS; HEATHER LARKIN; YASAYUKI TAKAGI; HEAVENLY PETERSEN & The NEW JERUSALEMS; EDDIE LEE PRIEST; RICK & The REFORMERS; STEVE KIRKMAN; JOHNNY ROCK; TUESDAY MAY THOMAS from 69 NOVA; TERRY WINCHELL; LORI BEHRMAN; SISTER MONK HAREM; NO SHOW PONIES; SWAMPBYTCHE; LONESOME PRAIRIE DOGS; SPRINKLE GENIES; PORTIA; AMY FEINSTEIN; and many, many more (sorry for not naming everyone).

In the upcoming weeks there will be more MAD JUANA, more T.J. JORDAN (he may even bring a violinst with him - I HOPE!), TOBY GOODSHANK and some of his MOLDY friends, more SPRINKLE GENIES, DIRTY LENIN and whoever else I can convince (maybe some JOKERS? or SLAVES?) Hey, you never know who's gonna pop up on stage at a FRANK WOOD PRESENTS show.

So a very BIG THANK YOU to all of the artists who have graced the 169 BAR, to you the fans (for coming to check them out), to my assistant RYOTA, and of course to the lovely LACE behind the bar who makes us all feel better when we leave than when we came in.

So come down during the next month for more surprise appearances as we celebrate one very successful year of NYC UNPLUGGED - The Core Of NYC's Best Bands at the 169 BAR.