News

Dec. 1, 2008

NEW YORK WASTE, Winter 2008

10 DAYS OF WOOD Review
by
FRANK WOOD

Hey Folks,

This year for my birthday celebration we had 10 DAYS OF WOOD!

10 shows.

10 days

7 Different Venues

with

Over 70 bands

and

5 DJs!

Being as I was the ONLY person that was at ALL of every show, I have to write the review.

The first nite was at TRASH BAR and it was WILD!

One band cancelled the day before the show an then another cancelled 1/2 hour before they were supposed to go on - and they didn't even tell me. Someone else told me they weren't coming. LUCKILY, KAREN CURIOUS was hanging out, along with her band THE NEW PROS, and she said if they could borrow equipment, they would play.

Well, they did, and they were AWESOME! The other bands (F.P.TOZ, THE EROTICS, KUNG FURY, ANIMAL PHARM and ACID RAYZ) also kicked ass. And RIK ROCKET had everybody happy as he DJ'd b/w the bands.

Day 2 was a mellow, acoustic night at TENELEVEN TAVERN but the house was rocking! From SOUSALVES opening set through Birthday boy JOSH LEE HOOKER (HEADLESS HOOKERS) to GEORGE CRISIS' angry man acoustic punk and CARLA RHODES' mellow rock interposed with some corny jokes the night moved along smoothly.

Then came BOOBY STEELE. The leader of THE UNDEAD (and former MISFITS guitarist) did an outstanding set of classic, jazzy, blues, pop standards that showed off his FANTASTIC voice. He was followed by HARRIS TRUCKS' solo set that kept the vibe going until PATTI ROTHBERG OVERWHELMED the packed house with some really great songs. The night was capped off by ASH GRAY & THE GIRLS. MARY, ABBIE and HELEN were decked out in some foxy dresses that took nothing away from their sultry back-up vocals. They weren't there for eye candy, those girls can sing!

We had DJ TED OFFENSIVE b/w and after the bands keeping everybody happy.

I ended the night by dropping my bags off at OTTO's and heading over to DUFFS with 3 nice young ladies (MEREDITH, JACKIE and VIOLETA) for a final nightcap!

So Day 3 was at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD and boy was it fun.

Starting off with FLACK BLAMINGO, who were stellar as usual, ACOUSTIC TRAUMA followed. This violin led band from ALBANY brought 3 carloads of people with them and tore up the place.. JOE BENDIK was next with his high energy acoustic punk set and then EL MUCHACHO arrived. These electric-kazoo driven surf rockers are an incredible band without the kazoo but with that added touch, they reach even more heights.

ACID RAYZ, the band-in-residence for NOVEMBER, won over new fans. JUSTIN from WWIX said he found his new favorite band.

The HUDSON DUSTERS were back yet again to help with the Birthday festivities and turned in a solid set that had the packed house jumping and dancing all over the place.

We went unplugged for a special set by BRIAN BURKE and TONI LYNN (she was our DJ for Day 5) before bringing out JOY RYDER and HER GROUP du JOUR! JOY was in the first band I booked in NYC back in 1973 and she still lights up a room when she hits the stage. She was joined by WILD BILL THOMPSON on guitar and DANNY RAY on sax from the HUDSON DUSTERS. DAVE DAWSON, JOY's regular drummer for the past couple of decades, and LUNDO on keyboards rounded out the GROUP. They never practiced before they got up on stage but they kicked out some songs as if they practiced together all the time. JOHN COLLINS (also a HUDSON DUSTER) jumped up and joined JOY on a few songs.

Overall it was an outrageous night!

THE SLIPPER ROOM on Day 4 was PHENOMENAL!

It started with the club mgmt. being assholes and changing things at the last minute. They tried to make me pay for a sound guy who didn't know his ass, from a hole the the ground. And they thought I was gonna give him $100. HA!

We pushed on anyway. BILLY MAGEE started the night off with a nice mellow touch considering he had a 10 day old baby at home.

Then DANNY's DEVIL's BLUES played their usual set. Which led to me helping THERA do her Burlesque piece. (Wait'll you see these pics.) We were followed by HEATHER RABBITT doing a couple of SEXY lounge pop standards while wearing an eye-catching red sparkly gown with a slit up to ...

MARNI RICE & LE GARAGE CABARET were next with DANIEL REY (Producer - THE RAMONES, and many others) on guitar and they breezed thru a quirky set that had everyone enthralled. Some good friends were there hanging and grooving to it all (SAMI YAFFA - NY DOLLS, DONNA LUPE - SHEWOLVES, DANNY RAY - MAD JUANA) and many more.

LENNY KAYE was up next and was SUPERB as usual! He did a modified version of GLORIA and broke a string halfway thru but he didn't stop and kept playing in a truly punk/garage style and attitude!

Which brings us to THE BAMBI KILLERS! This is 3 HOT, SEXY Girls in shimmery coctail dresses who sing and dance and then fight with each other as they pull off each others clothes and, well, just wait till you see the pictures!

The night was brought to a hilarious close when CARLA RHODES and her old, English, vaudevillian puppet CECIL, accompanied by KEEN on the piano. She had everyone cracking up.

Of course, LUND was eccentric and fun as usual DJing between the bands and after, he had a lot of the crowd up and dancing all over the place!

So, despite the attempts at sabotage by the club, ROCK'n'ROLL prevailed!

Well, Tuesday, November 11th was my actual birthday and THE DEALANCEY BAR was hopping.

PARANOID LARRY & HIS IMAGINARY band started off the night and I love watching people's reactions to his brand of zany rock'n'roll. EASY was up next and were quite entertaining.

Then the lovely JAM brought me some pastries that were AMAZING! THANK YOU, JAM.

Next up were THE 2 STATUES. PRINCE HAL and HITOMI from the STATUES OF LIBERTY who played w/o JOHN LAW because he's on the West Coast, but they wanted to play. So with some help from some friends (ERIC 13-SEX SLAVES, NAO-SAKURA MADAMS and LANI FORD-STARK) they pushed out a few STATUES songs and even did an old RABBITS standard, "Me Want Cookie"!

UNSTEADY FREDDIE was there and gave me some presents, amongst them was a wooden kazoo, an old fashioned hand buzzer and some other stuff.

The SPRINKLE GENIES were next and as ANANDA was getting ready to have a babyat any minute, and ERICA out of town, AMALIA filled in on VIOLA while LANI did some harmonies and backing vocals.

Then LANI hit the stage with her band - STARK and I do mean HIT! They were the most powerful they've ever been. HOGAN was busy nursing a mean hangover Monday nights show but he kicked it up a serious notch when he hit the stage. Many people mentioned how awesome they have become. That's when they brought out the cake that ALAN RAND got me. It was delicious and it disappeared quickly. I gained weight on the very first bite!

LUIGI BABE and ALL MOBBED UP came on and dragged me on stage and made me part of the show with the sexy nurse dancing all over me. With KEVIN SHAW (bass) and DANNY RAY (sax) on loan from THE HUDSON DUSTERS, they plowed through some old classics and some new ones and KEVIN actually SANG! WOW!

The BOWERY BOYS closed off the night with a bass player playing drums. The last band didn't want to play late and left. No loss!

TONI LYNN did a fantastic job DJing, keeping people in the party spirit long after the bands were done!

It was off to LUCKY CHENGS for Day 6 and it was crazy as usual.

This show's bands were mostly all friends of each other and that made for a crowd that stuck around for all the bands.

The RUBBER ROOM RATS started the night with some straight up, goofy punk rock. THE VONDELLS had the best singer of the night in LYNN VON, who's sultry voice makes people take notice when she sings. FLOWER OF SIN took a while to get started but pulled it together nicely to rock the house.

Next up was another old friend, GUNJI, and his current main band THE SALOONATICS, which was more fun rock'n'roll. THE CRUSHER followed and SEAN was in fine form. Spotting the band from China , he led off with "CHINESE BUFFET" and kept it high energy throughout. THE BAGHDADDIOS whipped trough their set at a pace that led me to believe that KENN was 2 Red Bulls over his regular limit of 2!

ZEN had arrived from China and this was their first show in the USA since they returned. They had everyone mesmerized! They speed and accuracy of their playing was phenomenal! They sold a bunch of merch. THE BANDITZ followed them and kept the crowd going with their raw punk. With the sound man JARED doubling as DJ and THE MIGHTY AFRODITE at the door, it proved to be a wonderful night.

Thursday, Day 7 was at SANTOS PARTY HOUSE. We started the night with a band from South Florida called 16 SECOND STARE. These guys are serious hard rockers and one of the singers sounds like me. They were followed by THE CRINGE, a straight up up rock group that mixed some old rock favorites with some danceable original rock songs. The leader of the band, JOHN CUSIMANO, is married to RACHEL RAY (of TV food fame) and she was there hanging and dancing with her friends.

THE NEW PROS were up next and they ROCKED! KAREN CURIOUS has teamed up with NICK VIVID and added NATE on drums and the result is electrifying. They kept the crowd moving. FUNKFACE put the icing on the cake as the last band and they put the SERIOUS FUNK into the rock dancing.

STEVE BLUSH was supposed to be my DJ but got caught in a business meeting that ran way too long but ERIC 13 came in and I promptly asked him to take to the DJ booth which he did with relish.

SANTOS PARTY HOUSE is the new hot spot for both live and dance music in downtown NYC. It has 2 floors and holds over 600 people. The sound system is extraordinary as are the lights. ANDREW WK is one of the owners and is a real friendly guy as well as more than fair. He gave us extra drink tickets and wants me to do more shows there.

Club staff and management were amazed that this was the first show they had where every band was GREAT! They want more WOOD shows and they'll get it!

Friday nite at DELANCEY BAR was a lot of fun! Starting off with PANIC SQUAD's straight up rock'n'roll followed by CHLOE's rocking band - SCREAM & SCREAM again. COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION played a bunch of ZAPPA covers along with their regular set (they know I like ZAPPA).

Then GAGGLE OF COCKS hit the stage with a vengence. It was their first show in almost a year and they rocked like they'd never been gone. ROGER (former JOKER 5 SPEED) was on drums behind FREDDIE on BASS with 2 absolutely awesome guitarists CHRIS "CUPCAKE" (GSX) and the leader PAT (SLUNT,) with all combining for a fierce ROCK'n'ROLL assault. Then as a surprise, TOR (JOKER 5 SPEED) joined them for a few songs.

THE UNDEAD featuring BOBBY STEELE hit the stage next and they kept the high energy going, With HITOMI (STATUES OF LIBERTY) on drums and HIROMU (ROYAL LOW KICK MANNAH) on bass this has got to be the best UNDEAD line-up BOBBY has put together. They flowed effortlessly through the songs and had the crowd begging for more.

16 SECOND STARE was still in town from Florida so they filled in for FOLK FICTION (who had a member's child in the hospital.) These boys won over more fans to go with the ones they made the night before at SANTOS PARTY HOUSE with more hard driving rock.

STATE OF EMERGENCE came ready to play and brought a bunch of fans with them leading to SKEEVOTZ with some riotous punk rock.

DJ ROB NITRO kept everyone happy between and after the bands. Then it was off to an after hours place that I hope I remember where it is.

We returned to TENELEVEN for Day 9 and the more I go here, the more I like it.

There are two rooms, with the music pumped into both of them. One has the stage along with tables, chairs and couches while the other has the bar. I may start doing more shows there. It's only acoustic, with no drums allowed, but it could be perfect for a new, and expanded, NYC UNPLUGGED - the core of NYC's best bands!

METAL JOHN started the night with 26 minutes and 10 seconds of metal guitar mania. T. J. JORDAN was joined by his friends FORREST and DAN. 1 electric and 2 acoustic guitars and it was wild. They finished off with "PIGS" by PINK FLOYD. This got the attention of a pub crawl that was gonna pass the club but when they heard it, they piled in. They packed the place and were a little disappointed when T.J. and crew were finished but DAN KINSLEY (THE UNPRONOUNCEABLE) was able to win them over. Not bad, considering he only had an acoustic guitar and the crawlers were going crazy when they came in.

BEN WARREN (formerly of GOD-THE BAND) then started playing his wickedly sarcastic, delightfully sick and funny tunes. Halfway through it appeared he was lip-synching but then MATT (another former member of GOD-THE BAND) walked into the room with a cordless mic and swaggered to the stage (a la SINATRA). He took over from BEN and took his turn with even more outrageously irreverent tunes.

LUIGI BABE and HILLARY were next and were joined by STEVE MARSHALL for a ripping blues number wherein LUIGI & STEVE had a wicked guitar duel. The lovely HILLARY was seriously animated as she sang some pop standards and a few originals.

MARK SINNIS (NINTH HOUSE) was joined by SUSAN MITCHELL on violin and cello and MATT on keys for a riveting set of solid original tunes. It was much different from what he does with his band (NINTH HOUSE), but it kicks ass all the same!

PATRICK, from the band SIX7, was supposed to play next but he was feeling the effects of flu. Regardless, he still drove down from Connecticut, in the pouring rain, to keep his commitment. Seeing how he looked ,we decided we would attack the flu with JACK DANIELS and bypass the set. The night was a success overall and management wants more FRANK WOOD shows!

We had the final day of the 10 DoW, Sunday at my home base - OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD.

We started off with my friends from China, ZEN. This was their 4th show in the USA and already they were outdrawing bands that play all the time. They're gonna be around for a few more weeks, so don't miss them before they leave.

Old friends BUDDY BOWZER & SCHEEBO brought the rock, old school style, and the crowd was up and dancing. CATSPAW kept them that way with their rock-a-billy style followed by BIG FRANK & THE BARGAIN BINGERS who continued in the rock-a-billy style.

House band for November, ACID RAYZ, made their 3rd appearance during the 10 Days and wowed the crowd agian. These guys keep making new fans every time they play.

ICU was next and that's PEE WEE's band. She owns PASSOUT RECORDS in Williamsburg and had been battling a stomach flu with extensive vomiting all day and the night before. She insisted on playing and it proved that rock'n'roll is good for you because by the end of her set she was back to her normal (?) self!

Then we had performance artist KILLER KILLY and her alter ego, FUCK. This involved singing, costume changes and audience participation which bordered on illegal (it wasn't because the clothes stayed on)!

We wrapped up the 10 DAYS OF WOOD with THE "SOFA KING" WILDE JAM consisting of WILD BILL THOMPSON/guitat, JOHN COLLINS/guitar & vocals, LUNDO/keys and SUSAN MITCHELL/violin.

In all it was the most successful WOOD Birthday Celebration ever despite all the normal glitches and gremlins that will pop up at everything that goes on.

THANK YOU to ALL the bands, the clubs, DJs, barstaffs and especially all the fans and friends that showed up to enjoy the best in NYC Rock'n'Roll (with some friends from around the world).

THANK YOU, ALL!

There are lots of pictures up on my website: www.mrfwood.com Just go to the photo section and check each individual date. Hopefully I'll have them all up by the time the paper comes out.

Now it's back to the usuall Rock'n'Roll !

Then He commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which GOD giveth him under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 8:15

"We're on a mission from GOD!"
- BLUES BROTHERS

NY Waste Articles	F Wood Newsletter Archive	Mighty Afrodite News Articles	F Wood Stemway Articles
Dec. 1, 2008 NEW YORK WASTE, Winter 2008 10 DAYS OF WOOD Review by FRANK WOOD Hey Folks, This year for my birthday celebration we had 10 DAYS OF WOOD! 10 shows. in 10 days at 7 Different Venues with Over 70 bands and 5 DJs! Being as I was the ONLY person that was at ALL of every show, I have to write the review. The first nite was at TRASH BAR and it was WILD! One band cancelled the day before the show an then another cancelled 1/2 hour before they were supposed to go on - and they didn't even tell me. Someone else told me they weren't coming. LUCKILY, KAREN CURIOUS was hanging out, along with her band THE NEW PROS, and she said if they could borrow equipment, they would play. Well, they did, and they were AWESOME! The other bands (F.P.TOZ, THE EROTICS, KUNG FURY, ANIMAL PHARM and ACID RAYZ) also kicked ass. And RIK ROCKET had everybody happy as he DJ'd b/w the bands. Day 2 was a mellow, acoustic night at TENELEVEN TAVERN but the house was rocking! From SOUSALVES opening set through Birthday boy JOSH LEE HOOKER (HEADLESS HOOKERS) to GEORGE CRISIS' angry man acoustic punk and CARLA RHODES' mellow rock interposed with some corny jokes the night moved along smoothly. Then came BOOBY STEELE. The leader of THE UNDEAD (and former MISFITS guitarist) did an outstanding set of classic, jazzy, blues, pop standards that showed off his FANTASTIC voice. He was followed by HARRIS TRUCKS' solo set that kept the vibe going until PATTI ROTHBERG OVERWHELMED the packed house with some really great songs. The night was capped off by ASH GRAY & THE GIRLS. MARY, ABBIE and HELEN were decked out in some foxy dresses that took nothing away from their sultry back-up vocals. They weren't there for eye candy, those girls can sing! We had DJ TED OFFENSIVE b/w and after the bands keeping everybody happy. I ended the night by dropping my bags off at OTTO's and heading over to DUFFS with 3 nice young ladies (MEREDITH, JACKIE and VIOLETA) for a final nightcap! So Day 3 was at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD and boy was it fun. Starting off with FLACK BLAMINGO, who were stellar as usual, ACOUSTIC TRAUMA followed. This violin led band from ALBANY brought 3 carloads of people with them and tore up the place.. JOE BENDIK was next with his high energy acoustic punk set and then EL MUCHACHO arrived. These electric-kazoo driven surf rockers are an incredible band without the kazoo but with that added touch, they reach even more heights. ACID RAYZ, the band-in-residence for NOVEMBER, won over new fans. JUSTIN from WWIX said he found his new favorite band. The HUDSON DUSTERS were back yet again to help with the Birthday festivities and turned in a solid set that had the packed house jumping and dancing all over the place. We went unplugged for a special set by BRIAN BURKE and TONI LYNN (she was our DJ for Day 5) before bringing out JOY RYDER and HER GROUP du JOUR! JOY was in the first band I booked in NYC back in 1973 and she still lights up a room when she hits the stage. She was joined by WILD BILL THOMPSON on guitar and DANNY RAY on sax from the HUDSON DUSTERS. DAVE DAWSON, JOY's regular drummer for the past couple of decades, and LUNDO on keyboards rounded out the GROUP. They never practiced before they got up on stage but they kicked out some songs as if they practiced together all the time. JOHN COLLINS (also a HUDSON DUSTER) jumped up and joined JOY on a few songs. Overall it was an outrageous night! THE SLIPPER ROOM on Day 4 was PHENOMENAL! It started with the club mgmt. being assholes and changing things at the last minute. They tried to make me pay for a sound guy who didn't know his ass, from a hole the the ground. And they thought I was gonna give him $100. HA! We pushed on anyway. BILLY MAGEE started the night off with a nice mellow touch considering he had a 10 day old baby at home. Then DANNY's DEVIL's BLUES played their usual set. Which led to me helping THERA do her Burlesque piece. (Wait'll you see these pics.) We were followed by HEATHER RABBITT doing a couple of SEXY lounge pop standards while wearing an eye-catching red sparkly gown with a slit up to ... MARNI RICE & LE GARAGE CABARET were next with DANIEL REY (Producer - THE RAMONES, and many others) on guitar and they breezed thru a quirky set that had everyone enthralled. Some good friends were there hanging and grooving to it all (SAMI YAFFA - NY DOLLS, DONNA LUPE - SHEWOLVES, DANNY RAY - MAD JUANA) and many more. LENNY KAYE was up next and was SUPERB as usual! He did a modified version of GLORIA and broke a string halfway thru but he didn't stop and kept playing in a truly punk/garage style and attitude! Which brings us to THE BAMBI KILLERS! This is 3 HOT, SEXY Girls in shimmery coctail dresses who sing and dance and then fight with each other as they pull off each others clothes and, well, just wait till you see the pictures! The night was brought to a hilarious close when CARLA RHODES and her old, English, vaudevillian puppet CECIL, accompanied by KEEN on the piano. She had everyone cracking up. Of course, LUND was eccentric and fun as usual DJing between the bands and after, he had a lot of the crowd up and dancing all over the place! So, despite the attempts at sabotage by the club, ROCK'n'ROLL prevailed! Well, Tuesday, November 11th was my actual birthday and THE DEALANCEY BAR was hopping. PARANOID LARRY & HIS IMAGINARY band started off the night and I love watching people's reactions to his brand of zany rock'n'roll. EASY was up next and were quite entertaining. Then the lovely JAM brought me some pastries that were AMAZING! THANK YOU, JAM. Next up were THE 2 STATUES. PRINCE HAL and HITOMI from the STATUES OF LIBERTY who played w/o JOHN LAW because he's on the West Coast, but they wanted to play. So with some help from some friends (ERIC 13-SEX SLAVES, NAO-SAKURA MADAMS and LANI FORD-STARK) they pushed out a few STATUES songs and even did an old RABBITS standard, "Me Want Cookie"! UNSTEADY FREDDIE was there and gave me some presents, amongst them was a wooden kazoo, an old fashioned hand buzzer and some other stuff. The SPRINKLE GENIES were next and as ANANDA was getting ready to have a babyat any minute, and ERICA out of town, AMALIA filled in on VIOLA while LANI did some harmonies and backing vocals. Then LANI hit the stage with her band - STARK and I do mean HIT! They were the most powerful they've ever been. HOGAN was busy nursing a mean hangover Monday nights show but he kicked it up a serious notch when he hit the stage. Many people mentioned how awesome they have become. That's when they brought out the cake that ALAN RAND got me. It was delicious and it disappeared quickly. I gained weight on the very first bite! LUIGI BABE and ALL MOBBED UP came on and dragged me on stage and made me part of the show with the sexy nurse dancing all over me. With KEVIN SHAW (bass) and DANNY RAY (sax) on loan from THE HUDSON DUSTERS, they plowed through some old classics and some new ones and KEVIN actually SANG! WOW! The BOWERY BOYS closed off the night with a bass player playing drums. The last band didn't want to play late and left. No loss! TONI LYNN did a fantastic job DJing, keeping people in the party spirit long after the bands were done! It was off to LUCKY CHENGS for Day 6 and it was crazy as usual. This show's bands were mostly all friends of each other and that made for a crowd that stuck around for all the bands. The RUBBER ROOM RATS started the night with some straight up, goofy punk rock. THE VONDELLS had the best singer of the night in LYNN VON, who's sultry voice makes people take notice when she sings. FLOWER OF SIN took a while to get started but pulled it together nicely to rock the house. Next up was another old friend, GUNJI, and his current main band THE SALOONATICS, which was more fun rock'n'roll. THE CRUSHER followed and SEAN was in fine form. Spotting the band from China , he led off with "CHINESE BUFFET" and kept it high energy throughout. THE BAGHDADDIOS whipped trough their set at a pace that led me to believe that KENN was 2 Red Bulls over his regular limit of 2! ZEN had arrived from China and this was their first show in the USA since they returned. They had everyone mesmerized! They speed and accuracy of their playing was phenomenal! They sold a bunch of merch. THE BANDITZ followed them and kept the crowd going with their raw punk. With the sound man JARED doubling as DJ and THE MIGHTY AFRODITE at the door, it proved to be a wonderful night. Thursday, Day 7 was at SANTOS PARTY HOUSE. We started the night with a band from South Florida called 16 SECOND STARE. These guys are serious hard rockers and one of the singers sounds like me. They were followed by THE CRINGE, a straight up up rock group that mixed some old rock favorites with some danceable original rock songs. The leader of the band, JOHN CUSIMANO, is married to RACHEL RAY (of TV food fame) and she was there hanging and dancing with her friends. THE NEW PROS were up next and they ROCKED! KAREN CURIOUS has teamed up with NICK VIVID and added NATE on drums and the result is electrifying. They kept the crowd moving. FUNKFACE put the icing on the cake as the last band and they put the SERIOUS FUNK into the rock dancing. STEVE BLUSH was supposed to be my DJ but got caught in a business meeting that ran way too long but ERIC 13 came in and I promptly asked him to take to the DJ booth which he did with relish. SANTOS PARTY HOUSE is the new hot spot for both live and dance music in downtown NYC. It has 2 floors and holds over 600 people. The sound system is extraordinary as are the lights. ANDREW WK is one of the owners and is a real friendly guy as well as more than fair. He gave us extra drink tickets and wants me to do more shows there. Club staff and management were amazed that this was the first show they had where every band was GREAT! They want more WOOD shows and they'll get it! Friday nite at DELANCEY BAR was a lot of fun! Starting off with PANIC SQUAD's straight up rock'n'roll followed by CHLOE's rocking band - SCREAM & SCREAM again. COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION played a bunch of ZAPPA covers along with their regular set (they know I like ZAPPA). Then GAGGLE OF COCKS hit the stage with a vengence. It was their first show in almost a year and they rocked like they'd never been gone. ROGER (former JOKER 5 SPEED) was on drums behind FREDDIE on BASS with 2 absolutely awesome guitarists CHRIS "CUPCAKE" (GSX) and the leader PAT (SLUNT,) with all combining for a fierce ROCK'n'ROLL assault. Then as a surprise, TOR (JOKER 5 SPEED) joined them for a few songs. THE UNDEAD featuring BOBBY STEELE hit the stage next and they kept the high energy going, With HITOMI (STATUES OF LIBERTY) on drums and HIROMU (ROYAL LOW KICK MANNAH) on bass this has got to be the best UNDEAD line-up BOBBY has put together. They flowed effortlessly through the songs and had the crowd begging for more. 16 SECOND STARE was still in town from Florida so they filled in for FOLK FICTION (who had a member's child in the hospital.) These boys won over more fans to go with the ones they made the night before at SANTOS PARTY HOUSE with more hard driving rock. STATE OF EMERGENCE came ready to play and brought a bunch of fans with them leading to SKEEVOTZ with some riotous punk rock. DJ ROB NITRO kept everyone happy between and after the bands. Then it was off to an after hours place that I hope I remember where it is. We returned to TENELEVEN for Day 9 and the more I go here, the more I like it. There are two rooms, with the music pumped into both of them. One has the stage along with tables, chairs and couches while the other has the bar. I may start doing more shows there. It's only acoustic, with no drums allowed, but it could be perfect for a new, and expanded, NYC UNPLUGGED - the core of NYC's best bands! METAL JOHN started the night with 26 minutes and 10 seconds of metal guitar mania. T. J. JORDAN was joined by his friends FORREST and DAN. 1 electric and 2 acoustic guitars and it was wild. They finished off with "PIGS" by PINK FLOYD. This got the attention of a pub crawl that was gonna pass the club but when they heard it, they piled in. They packed the place and were a little disappointed when T.J. and crew were finished but DAN KINSLEY (THE UNPRONOUNCEABLE) was able to win them over. Not bad, considering he only had an acoustic guitar and the crawlers were going crazy when they came in. BEN WARREN (formerly of GOD-THE BAND) then started playing his wickedly sarcastic, delightfully sick and funny tunes. Halfway through it appeared he was lip-synching but then MATT (another former member of GOD-THE BAND) walked into the room with a cordless mic and swaggered to the stage (a la SINATRA). He took over from BEN and took his turn with even more outrageously irreverent tunes. LUIGI BABE and HILLARY were next and were joined by STEVE MARSHALL for a ripping blues number wherein LUIGI & STEVE had a wicked guitar duel. The lovely HILLARY was seriously animated as she sang some pop standards and a few originals. MARK SINNIS (NINTH HOUSE) was joined by SUSAN MITCHELL on violin and cello and MATT on keys for a riveting set of solid original tunes. It was much different from what he does with his band (NINTH HOUSE), but it kicks ass all the same! PATRICK, from the band SIX7, was supposed to play next but he was feeling the effects of flu. Regardless, he still drove down from Connecticut, in the pouring rain, to keep his commitment. Seeing how he looked ,we decided we would attack the flu with JACK DANIELS and bypass the set. The night was a success overall and management wants more FRANK WOOD shows! We had the final day of the 10 DoW, Sunday at my home base - OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD. We started off with my friends from China, ZEN. This was their 4th show in the USA and already they were outdrawing bands that play all the time. They're gonna be around for a few more weeks, so don't miss them before they leave. Old friends BUDDY BOWZER & SCHEEBO brought the rock, old school style, and the crowd was up and dancing. CATSPAW kept them that way with their rock-a-billy style followed by BIG FRANK & THE BARGAIN BINGERS who continued in the rock-a-billy style. House band for November, ACID RAYZ, made their 3rd appearance during the 10 Days and wowed the crowd agian. These guys keep making new fans every time they play. ICU was next and that's PEE WEE's band. She owns PASSOUT RECORDS in Williamsburg and had been battling a stomach flu with extensive vomiting all day and the night before. She insisted on playing and it proved that rock'n'roll is good for you because by the end of her set she was back to her normal (?) self! Then we had performance artist KILLER KILLY and her alter ego, FUCK. This involved singing, costume changes and audience participation which bordered on illegal (it wasn't because the clothes stayed on)! We wrapped up the 10 DAYS OF WOOD with THE "SOFA KING" WILDE JAM consisting of WILD BILL THOMPSON/guitat, JOHN COLLINS/guitar & vocals, LUNDO/keys and SUSAN MITCHELL/violin. In all it was the most successful WOOD Birthday Celebration ever despite all the normal glitches and gremlins that will pop up at everything that goes on. THANK YOU to ALL the bands, the clubs, DJs, barstaffs and especially all the fans and friends that showed up to enjoy the best in NYC Rock'n'Roll (with some friends from around the world). THANK YOU, ALL! There are lots of pictures up on my website: www.mrfwood.com Just go to the photo section and check each individual date. Hopefully I'll have them all up by the time the paper comes out. Now it's back to the usuall Rock'n'Roll ! Then He commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which GOD giveth him under the sun. - Ecclesiastes 8:15 "We're on a mission from GOD!" - BLUES BROTHERS