SlapperCast Episode 86: Part-time Professionals

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This week on #SlapperCast: a free-form discussion of metal/prog drummers, recent gigs, and how we’re learning to navigate this seemingly never-ending pandemic as professional musicians.

  • What coffee are we drinking today?
  • Patrick’s coffee brewing tips
  • Praise for drummer Dave Lombardo of Slayer and Mr. Bungle
  • Dave Lombardo’s on-and-off again relationship with Slayer
  • Lombardo vs. drummer Paul Bostaph
  • New tour dates in early October (Wichita KS, Omaha NE, etc.)
  • T-Bone Tom’s in Kemah on October 23rd
  • Acoustic Blaggards shows… without a fiddle player
  • Many thanks to Tim Kennedy for providing video footage from our performance at the Sherwood Virtual Celtic Gathering
  • Our recent show at Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. in Bryan TX
  • Eric’s new drum kit
  • Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been killing our pubs and breweries
  • Praise for Chris Buckley, former Blaggard fiddler who played with us last week
  • Time signature changes vs. “feel” in rock music
  • Eric’s favorite Rush song
  • Eric’s upcoming PASIC roundtable discussion on Neil Peart, featuring Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater
  • Do prog bands take themselves too seriously?
  • Our habit of teasing audiences with brief bits of classic rock songs we have no intention of actually playing
  • Our new album is in the mixing stage
  • Looking forward to getting out-of-state for the first time since the pandemic started
  • Memories of our first road trip with Eric back in 2017
  • NEXT WEEK: a giveaway of Blackwater Brewing Co. beer on Episode 87
  • Upcoming Houston-area shows in November
  • People who request songs and then disappear
  • Song requests that make no sense
  • Billy Joel’s overt Beatles influence on “Nylon Curtain”
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SlapperCast Episode 85: Martinis & Disappointment

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This week on SlapperCast: disappointing albums, musicians we like but wouldn’t want to work with, difficult working relationships in bands.

Topics:

  • Eric’s “ointment” story
  • Recapping our first full-length performance in months
  • How much time off is too much?
  • The challenge of developing an unspoken language as a band when we’re not gigging
  • Managing different tempos and keys in a set list
  • Last week’s show with Cindy Heywood (see Episode 84)
  • Slade Ham’s recent stand-up comedy show at the Houston Improv (see Episode 83)
  • Other comedy shows we’ve seen
  • The possibility of Blaggards doing shows with stand-up comedians
  • Eric’s memories of Hi-Ho Records in Berlin, New Hampshire
  • Patrick’s memories of Houston’s Cactus Records in the old days
  • Patrick and Eric remember learning about new album releases by reading music magazines
  • Chad remembers the joy of discovering new album releases at record stores just by chance
  • Chad’s deep disappointment with Peter Gabriel’s “So” album when it first came out in 1986
  • Eric explains the one thing that makes Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” cool
  • Eric’s disappoinment with the Boo Radleys
  • Patrick’s disappoinment with Iron Maiden’s Blaze Bailey period
  • Chad’s disappoinment with Queen’s “Hot Space” album
  • Patrick’s disappointment with Freddie Mercury’s solo material
  • Eric’s disappointment with Sting’s early ’90s solo material
  • A critique of the “Synchronicity” album by the Police
  • The joy of a watching solid three-piece band perform like the Police or ZZ Top
  • Sting and Stewart Copeland’s turbulent working relationship
  • Musicians we like but wouldn’t want to work with (Chuck Berry, Buddy Rich, James Brown, etc.)
  • Tin Machine versus David Bowie’s solo material
  • Bootsy Collins’ experience working with James Brown
  • Ricky Gervais’ friendship with David Bowie
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SlapperCast Episode 84: “Super Invisible Nobody” with Cindy Heywood

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September is National Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, and this week on SlapperCast, we talk with our friend musician Cindy Heywood, who is a proud survivor of anxiety disorder and suicidal depression.

Cindy is a fierce defender of the rights of all who suffer from addiction and mental illness. She’s a well-known mentor on internationally published suicide prevention forums, and her and editorials have been featured in internationally published magazines.

She is currently working on the second edition of her book “Super Invisible Nobody”.

Topic list:

  • Cindy’s background in the Houston music scene and the “Richmond Strip”, where Patrick and Cindy first met
  • How the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compares to the 1979 oil crisis
  • How the uncertainty of the pandemic can lead to anxiety and depression
  • The world is in mourning for a culture and a way of life that we’ve lost due to the pandemic
  • How Cindy’s anxiety disorder led to alcohol addiction
  • How suicidal depression is often not outwardly noticeable to others
  • Cindy’s descent from anxiety disorder into suicidal depression
  • How understanding the dysfunctional roots of family relationships can be essential to recovery
  • Cindy’s experience with family therapy, and how it doesn’t always result in mutually happy endings
  • Never give up, your situation is not hopeless
  • Cindy’s experiences with online forums and her Suicide Talkz Facebook page, and how that led to writing her book “Super Invisible Nobody”.
  • The importance of reclaiming your perception of yourself
  • The epidemic of suicide in military and law enforcement
  • How the pandemic is driving innovation in mental health on the internet
  • Communication is essential / there’s no shame in asking for help
  • The danger of isolating yourself (“You cannot do it alone”)
  • Chad, Patrick and Eric’s methods of coping during the pandemic
  • The value of productivity, creativity and physical activity
  • How sharing your own struggles with depression can be essential in helping others (“Go deep or go home”)
  • The essential healing powers of humor and music
  • Eric’s “Crown Royal” story
  • Recapping our recent gig at Sherwood Virtual Celtic Gathering
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Blaggards at Sherwood VIRTUAL Celtic Gathering

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We’re performing in the Sherwood Forest VIRTUAL Celtic Gathering Saturday September 12.

The show will be streamed from Sherwood Forest Faire’s YouTube Channel in two segments: 1 PM to 4 PM, and 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Central Standard Time).

Blaggards go on about 8:30 PM, and as always we’ll be graced with the fiery talents of Solar Rain.

Sherwood Forest will be sharing 50% of tips sent to paypal.me/virtualfaire with the entertainers and crew.

(Photo by Joyce Koester)

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