Look. It's been several years now, and I've never used a corny two-bit Title Headline like that before. Gimme a break. This blogging stuff ain't easy...
Anyway, here is some legitimate Mighty No-Star News for ya:
* New Endorsement Deal-- Our favorite guitarist, Your Mighty No-Stars' Bruce Rounds, has inked an endorsement deal with Carr Amplifiers. Very cool, very hip hand-wired boutique amps used by many top stage and studio players, and a lot of the younger generation of up-an-coming musicians (Neko Case, for instance). Check them out on-line, and check Bruce's new amp out at an upcoming gig.
* New Website-- I know, I know, we've made this promise before, and to be fair to us, we've made quite a few upgrades and changes to our home site over the last couple of years, but this is BIG! I'm not talking little tweaks here. We will be sending out press releases soon about Bruce's new endorsement deal and our "Grand Re-Opening" at www.MightyNoStars.com, but suffice it to say that Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars on-line have never looked better. We have lots of new photos, info, and cool features coming your way. We're still under construction until further notice, but you can take a sneak-peek at what we're up to by clicking here: www.MightyNoStars.com.
* Contest & Awards-- Congratulations to Mighty No-Sub J.J. Moscato, lead singer and crack keyboardist for J.J. Moscato and Blue Avenue, who will be representing Buffalo/WNY in the solo/duo competition at the International Blues Challenge this year (along with our old friend Reggie Evans). Great Job guys (it's great to see when one of these things turns out right). Congratulations also goes to a great group, the Todd Eberwine Band, who will represent Buffalo/WNY in the band division. Here's to WNY showing our stuff in Memphis. Go get 'em, boys...
* World Record-- Our drummer, Bret Norvilitis and I spent the afternoon Sunday helping about 150 drummers locally, and who knows how many (totals aren't in yet) Nationwide, in breaking the Guiness Book of World Records record for "Most Drummers Playing the Same Beat at One Time" on a rousing version of "Louie Louie" that lasted over five minutes, followed by some percussion-crazy rock chestnuts from the 60's. This was a great event sponsored by Buffalo Drum Outlet. We'll have a story and pictures up at the home site as soon as we can. In the words of one semi-retired drummer (me), this event was "insane."
* Upcoming Gigs-- Gregg Juke & the Mighty No-Stars will be at Vizzi's in Buffalo, and at the Double Diamond in Ellicottville in November (check our website schedule, or your local listings for more info). Also, 'tis the season, so we'll have information on lots of upcoming Christmas shows for you soon. We're still waiting to find out who will be on the upcoming "WBFO Gives Me The Blues, Vol. VI," but as soon as we know, we'll let you know too.
Until next time, as always-- God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
Monday, November 03, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A Real Award Members of the No-Star Nation can vote for...
Just a note to let you all know that we are up for a spot on the new WBFO Blues compilation CD, "WBFO Gives Me The Blues, Vol. VI," available soon from WBFO and Digital Chips Records.
To vote for our song, "Battle Ax," go to: https://www.wbfo.org/blues/bluestracks.php3 , hi-lite our song, add your name and e-mail, and click. That's it. You can vote as often as you wish, provided that you have seperate e-mail addresses for each vote (in other words, you can vote once for each e-mail address you own).
Thanks for your help, and we'll see you at a gig soon!
God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
To vote for our song, "Battle Ax," go to: https://www.wbfo.org/blues/bluestracks.php3 , hi-lite our song, add your name and e-mail, and click. That's it. You can vote as often as you wish, provided that you have seperate e-mail addresses for each vote (in other words, you can vote once for each e-mail address you own).
Thanks for your help, and we'll see you at a gig soon!
God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
Friday, October 17, 2008
Ringo and Cut & Paste
Hey No-Star Nation;
Two Items--
1) We were the first (or at least we should have been) to establish that we will be accepting all of Ringo's fan mail after October 20th. Disregard the posers and imposters-- SEND IT TO US!!!! (But please follow the instructions provided-- see post below)
2) The Annual Cut & Paste Awards are swiftly approaching.
Cut & Paste here...http://bestofwny.com/bma/index.php?sid=3
GJ
Two Items--
1) We were the first (or at least we should have been) to establish that we will be accepting all of Ringo's fan mail after October 20th. Disregard the posers and imposters-- SEND IT TO US!!!! (But please follow the instructions provided-- see post below)
2) The Annual Cut & Paste Awards are swiftly approaching.
Cut & Paste here...http://bestofwny.com/bma/index.php?sid=3
GJ
Thursday, October 16, 2008
News Flash-- Joint Announcement from Ringo Starr and Your Mighty No-Stars
Dear No-Star Nation and Beatles Fans Worldwide;
Ringo Starr recently announced that he will not be accepting anything to sign, nor any fan-mail whatsoever, after October 20th, 2008. This is understandable, in light of Ringo's intense schedule, and his 45-or-so-year commitment to fans and fan-mail (just watch "Hard Day's Night," if you don't believe us... Shake used to lock the boys in their hotel room until all of the fan letters where answered properly, often causing writer's cramp, and forcing the Fab Four to seek entertainment, and some kind of break from the fan-mail doledrums through protracted episodes of sneakin' out the window to cause mischief and mayhem on an unsuspecting public, ad executives, and various type-A television directors). Ringo is tired, and wants to enjoy his retirement, and perhaps a nice hang on the Riviera with Mark Hudson and other cool guys that can afford that sort of thing. Which again, is completely understandable.
But it does leave Beatles fans in a bit of a pickle. Ringo-- the down-to-earth, accessible, "Peace & Luv," really cool Beatle, suddenly cut-off from the masses of fans and swindling e-bay memorabilia peddlers that have come to know and love him for signing just about anything sent to him (I guess).
So we've put our heads together, and come up with a solution that we think will be win-win-win, for everybody except the swindling memorabilia peddlers... What's the answer to this conundrum, you might ask?
Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars will, after midnight on October 20th, 2008, accept all fan-mail that would have gone to Ringo. Simply take any mail or packages (including cards, letters, brownies, large boxes of tribute cash) that were going to go to any of Ringo's various country estates or castles for processing, replace the phrases "Ringo, we love you!" with things like "Mighty No-Stars Forever!" or one of my personal favorites-- "Gregg, you are incredibly outstanding in every way!"; and mail them to us instead. We will also take the liberty to initialize
on all servers worldwide a new program that our organization has had written expressly for the situation, "Grab Ringo's E-Mail 2.0," whereby all of your fan e-mail that would have gone to Ringo will now be sent to us. Again, please change all adoring phraseology from old economy
genuflections such as "Ringo, oh my Ringo!" to something more appropriate to the current reality, perhaps something like "Bret, you are awesome," or "Joel, you are a marvelous hunter," or simply "Gregg, we love you-- here is the password to our numbered Swiss account."
Bruce will have his own fan-mail account. And a line of tabletop bobble-head dolls. More on that later...
So, Never Mind The Bullocks, Here's Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars! Keep those cards, letters, and packages coming.
It was the least we could do, considering that we both have Star(r) in our name.
The way we see it, we have 45 or so years before we have to pass all of this on to some other band...
GJ
Ringo Starr recently announced that he will not be accepting anything to sign, nor any fan-mail whatsoever, after October 20th, 2008. This is understandable, in light of Ringo's intense schedule, and his 45-or-so-year commitment to fans and fan-mail (just watch "Hard Day's Night," if you don't believe us... Shake used to lock the boys in their hotel room until all of the fan letters where answered properly, often causing writer's cramp, and forcing the Fab Four to seek entertainment, and some kind of break from the fan-mail doledrums through protracted episodes of sneakin' out the window to cause mischief and mayhem on an unsuspecting public, ad executives, and various type-A television directors). Ringo is tired, and wants to enjoy his retirement, and perhaps a nice hang on the Riviera with Mark Hudson and other cool guys that can afford that sort of thing. Which again, is completely understandable.
But it does leave Beatles fans in a bit of a pickle. Ringo-- the down-to-earth, accessible, "Peace & Luv," really cool Beatle, suddenly cut-off from the masses of fans and swindling e-bay memorabilia peddlers that have come to know and love him for signing just about anything sent to him (I guess).
So we've put our heads together, and come up with a solution that we think will be win-win-win, for everybody except the swindling memorabilia peddlers... What's the answer to this conundrum, you might ask?
Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars will, after midnight on October 20th, 2008, accept all fan-mail that would have gone to Ringo. Simply take any mail or packages (including cards, letters, brownies, large boxes of tribute cash) that were going to go to any of Ringo's various country estates or castles for processing, replace the phrases "Ringo, we love you!" with things like "Mighty No-Stars Forever!" or one of my personal favorites-- "Gregg, you are incredibly outstanding in every way!"; and mail them to us instead. We will also take the liberty to initialize
on all servers worldwide a new program that our organization has had written expressly for the situation, "Grab Ringo's E-Mail 2.0," whereby all of your fan e-mail that would have gone to Ringo will now be sent to us. Again, please change all adoring phraseology from old economy
genuflections such as "Ringo, oh my Ringo!" to something more appropriate to the current reality, perhaps something like "Bret, you are awesome," or "Joel, you are a marvelous hunter," or simply "Gregg, we love you-- here is the password to our numbered Swiss account."
Bruce will have his own fan-mail account. And a line of tabletop bobble-head dolls. More on that later...
So, Never Mind The Bullocks, Here's Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars! Keep those cards, letters, and packages coming.
It was the least we could do, considering that we both have Star(r) in our name.
The way we see it, we have 45 or so years before we have to pass all of this on to some other band...
GJ
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Last Summer Update for 2008...
Wow. That went by fast (as always). We've had a great summer, and a particularly hectic couple of weeks.
We had an excellent time in Attica last week; thanks again to everybody there for making us feel at home. The Double Diamond on Friday night was, as usual, a great place to play with a lively crowd and some great dancers. We hope the rest of the "Taste of Ellicottville" festival went just as well on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, we played at an incredible show called "Blues in the Valley" in Warsaw, NY. What a blast! We play quite a bit of festivals, multi-band music events, lawn fetes, town concerts, benefits, etc.; and I have personally played throughout the WNY region, the East Coast, and in Canada, and I have never performed at a more well-organized, artist-friendly event. The staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful, hospitality was excellent (great food), the staging and sound were pro, band parking and load-in and out were well thought out, the audience and the bands were completely covered from the elements, the talent line-up was great, and speaking of audiences, the crowd was very polite but enthusiastic, with some great dancers (and some great listeners). And did we mention the weather was beautiful, and it's all for charity?
Thanks to everybody at "Blues in the Valley," we sure hope we get the opportunity to play for ya'll again!
The "Blues in the Valley" concert marked our last official gig with Greg "GC" Connell, our crack saxophonist of the past several years. GC is moving down south to pursue an academic career, but we'll stay in touch, and we plan to have him as a special guest on our next album, which is due out in '09 and is currently in the pre-production stage. Thanks for everything GC; the No-Star Nation wishes you well and Godspeed...
We're going to take a few weeks off for our own bit of summer R&R/vacation, but we'll be back-atcha in September with a new stream-lined roster, more new tunes, and some surprises.
Until then, God Bless & Good Blues, and enjoy the rest of the summer!
GJ
We had an excellent time in Attica last week; thanks again to everybody there for making us feel at home. The Double Diamond on Friday night was, as usual, a great place to play with a lively crowd and some great dancers. We hope the rest of the "Taste of Ellicottville" festival went just as well on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, we played at an incredible show called "Blues in the Valley" in Warsaw, NY. What a blast! We play quite a bit of festivals, multi-band music events, lawn fetes, town concerts, benefits, etc.; and I have personally played throughout the WNY region, the East Coast, and in Canada, and I have never performed at a more well-organized, artist-friendly event. The staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful, hospitality was excellent (great food), the staging and sound were pro, band parking and load-in and out were well thought out, the audience and the bands were completely covered from the elements, the talent line-up was great, and speaking of audiences, the crowd was very polite but enthusiastic, with some great dancers (and some great listeners). And did we mention the weather was beautiful, and it's all for charity?
Thanks to everybody at "Blues in the Valley," we sure hope we get the opportunity to play for ya'll again!
The "Blues in the Valley" concert marked our last official gig with Greg "GC" Connell, our crack saxophonist of the past several years. GC is moving down south to pursue an academic career, but we'll stay in touch, and we plan to have him as a special guest on our next album, which is due out in '09 and is currently in the pre-production stage. Thanks for everything GC; the No-Star Nation wishes you well and Godspeed...
We're going to take a few weeks off for our own bit of summer R&R/vacation, but we'll be back-atcha in September with a new stream-lined roster, more new tunes, and some surprises.
Until then, God Bless & Good Blues, and enjoy the rest of the summer!
GJ
Monday, August 04, 2008
Summer Update Number Two
Hi again No-Star Nation peeps;
Just a few items:
1) St. Chris' SummerFest was a blast! We always have a good time, but this was definitely one for the books. The dance contest was a smashing success, with some great swing/jump blues dancers, and even a costumed hip-hop act. Fun, prizes, a great band; what more can you ask for? We'll be doing that again, so stay-tuned for details...
2) Joel, Bruce, Tracy (Joel's wife) and I had the opportunity to play with world-renowned Bluesman, Muscle Schoals recording musician, and CCM artist Will McFarland in Houghton, NY on Tuesday. I got to play drums, because our man Bret was busy. This event was billed as a "pro jam session," and I was really surprised at the relatively low turnout, but those that were in the audience were treated to something really special. Will is a great vocalist, guitarist, and nice guy, and his wife Janet is no slouch in the vocal department either. We had a great time, and it was really fun to watch Bruce trade licks with Will. I hope we get to do it again!
3) I also had an opportunity to play drums with the Patti Parks band up in Canada on Sunday. A good time was had by all at Crystal Beach. Thanks Patti, Guy, and company.
4) We'll be in Ellicottville this Friday at the Double Diamond for the "Taste of Ellicottville" Festival. Also, at "Blues in the Valley" in Warsaw, NY on Saturday. Come out and see (and hear, of course) some great music, support some good causes, and enjoy the festival summer scene here in New York State. The season is all-too-brief, so get it while it lasts...
God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
Just a few items:
1) St. Chris' SummerFest was a blast! We always have a good time, but this was definitely one for the books. The dance contest was a smashing success, with some great swing/jump blues dancers, and even a costumed hip-hop act. Fun, prizes, a great band; what more can you ask for? We'll be doing that again, so stay-tuned for details...
2) Joel, Bruce, Tracy (Joel's wife) and I had the opportunity to play with world-renowned Bluesman, Muscle Schoals recording musician, and CCM artist Will McFarland in Houghton, NY on Tuesday. I got to play drums, because our man Bret was busy. This event was billed as a "pro jam session," and I was really surprised at the relatively low turnout, but those that were in the audience were treated to something really special. Will is a great vocalist, guitarist, and nice guy, and his wife Janet is no slouch in the vocal department either. We had a great time, and it was really fun to watch Bruce trade licks with Will. I hope we get to do it again!
3) I also had an opportunity to play drums with the Patti Parks band up in Canada on Sunday. A good time was had by all at Crystal Beach. Thanks Patti, Guy, and company.
4) We'll be in Ellicottville this Friday at the Double Diamond for the "Taste of Ellicottville" Festival. Also, at "Blues in the Valley" in Warsaw, NY on Saturday. Come out and see (and hear, of course) some great music, support some good causes, and enjoy the festival summer scene here in New York State. The season is all-too-brief, so get it while it lasts...
God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Summer Update
Hey No-Star Nation,
Hope you're having a great summer. We are enjoying ourselves, both on and off stage, although it's been a little rainier than expected the last few weeks...
More live Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars action coming your way. A few items of note:
1) We are back on the Roots Report Chart for the month of July... Last week and this week on the New York State radio chart for most-played roots music-- the state charts are not "Blues-only," but include all roots genres like folk, roots rock/Americana, country, etc. We were listed with acts like Donna The Buffalo, Albert Castiglia, The Holmes Brothers, John Mayer, Popa Chubby, and Steve Earle-- heady company. So now we've been on the national/international Blues chart (back in May), as well as the New York State roots chart! Pretty cool! Keep calling those radio stations and requesting Mighty No-Star music...
2) Bruce, Joel, and I will be playing in Houghton tonight with Christian music artist and Bonnie Raitt guitar player Will McFarland. Stop by the Houghton campus if you're in the area.
3) Upcoming gigs-- St. Christopher's SummerFest (the big dance contest!), Blues in the Valley (Warsaw Blues festival with Maria Aurigema, Mick Hayes, and a bunch more cool acts), Attica (town concert), our triumphant return to the Double Diamond in Ellicottville (for the "Taste of Ellicottville" celebration), and more. Check out the schedule at the website or in your local listings, sign-up for the e-mail list, and we'll see you at an upcoming show!
4) We'll try to get the updated radio list up soon; too much to do, too little time, with more radio stations continuing to pick up "Blues Power" (we are now on the air in Italy!).
5) GC, our sax-player for the last several years, will be moving to the Carolinas (a sunnier clime), so come out and see him before September...
God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
Hope you're having a great summer. We are enjoying ourselves, both on and off stage, although it's been a little rainier than expected the last few weeks...
More live Gregg Juke & The Mighty No-Stars action coming your way. A few items of note:
1) We are back on the Roots Report Chart for the month of July... Last week and this week on the New York State radio chart for most-played roots music-- the state charts are not "Blues-only," but include all roots genres like folk, roots rock/Americana, country, etc. We were listed with acts like Donna The Buffalo, Albert Castiglia, The Holmes Brothers, John Mayer, Popa Chubby, and Steve Earle-- heady company. So now we've been on the national/international Blues chart (back in May), as well as the New York State roots chart! Pretty cool! Keep calling those radio stations and requesting Mighty No-Star music...
2) Bruce, Joel, and I will be playing in Houghton tonight with Christian music artist and Bonnie Raitt guitar player Will McFarland. Stop by the Houghton campus if you're in the area.
3) Upcoming gigs-- St. Christopher's SummerFest (the big dance contest!), Blues in the Valley (Warsaw Blues festival with Maria Aurigema, Mick Hayes, and a bunch more cool acts), Attica (town concert), our triumphant return to the Double Diamond in Ellicottville (for the "Taste of Ellicottville" celebration), and more. Check out the schedule at the website or in your local listings, sign-up for the e-mail list, and we'll see you at an upcoming show!
4) We'll try to get the updated radio list up soon; too much to do, too little time, with more radio stations continuing to pick up "Blues Power" (we are now on the air in Italy!).
5) GC, our sax-player for the last several years, will be moving to the Carolinas (a sunnier clime), so come out and see him before September...
God Bless & Good Blues,
GJ
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