Diary

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Update

Dudes,

I just wanted to give a bit of an update. We have a photo shoot and studio time set up for the next couple weeks. We are starting to roll on a few select summer shows, but really want to concentrate on a release. I think you have been waiting long enough, and in the next few months, you should be very happy. I have been trying to see what hammerheads want, need, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.... I hope you will be as excited to check this stuff out as I am in planning it with the guys......

Oh yeah, plan on being in Chicago in September too - maybe 20th weekend. Don't go booking shit yet, but definitely start looking at rates - ha ha ha ha ha.............

We will start being a bit more interactive with the website now too - you will have inside looks at the photo shoot, studio sessions, rehearsals, etc........

Intersting facts - our website will also feature an intersting fact type thing just about everyday. most days we will populate this news section with a new tid bit, a history of the day, a picture that you may dig, etc.

Earth Day - on earth day - April 22 we will donate 100% of all proceeds from the download of Trees. YOU HAVE TO DOWNLOAD TREES BY LOVEHAMMERS - type in Trees, Lovehammers in the search area - the artwork will be the pink t-shirt.

more to come my little lambs........... thank you for your patience, and get ready to ROCK!

-dK

posted by Dino Kourelis # 10:24 AM

Archives

December 14, 2007
Traveling Time Thru the Modern Mind

We are coming down to the end of the line. Two more shows to go and then we head home for Christmas. Last night we played in the town of Chillicothe, Ohio (chilla-coth-ee for those of you playing at home). It is the original capital of Ohio. They somehow lost their status as state capital but regained it a few years later. Nobody seemed to know why Chillicothe lost their capital status or how they got it back and I think they were wondering why I even cared. I didn't mention Columbus in fear of insighting a very calm and polite riot. I played a club called Cardo's and the building was formerly the First National Bank Federal Reserve. Inside of the club are a series of safes. Each safelock door easily weighed 10,000 pounds and you could see the functional locking mechanisms still ready and willing to secure. It felt like being inside of a Rolodex watch. When they eventually closed this Reserve they removed more than 100 million dollars in cash from the basement vault. I'm sure this Union town never even knew they were sitting on top of a gold mine.

My voice felt really strong after having a day off. I was trying to persuade the crowd to interact with me and ask some questions but that was outside of their federally reserved nature. They sat and listened intently and clapped at the appropriate moments. The biggest rise came when I screamed the climax of the song "Creep". They came out of their shells with some hooting and hollering. One cool kid in the front row knew every lyric to every song and sang along with me. I got a little freaked out when I glanced over and thought I saw him singing one of my new songs that I knew he had never heard before. I kept looking over at him to see if he really knew the lyric. There he was singing along. I couldn't figure it out. Then finally I saw that he was chewing a wad of gum so big he was just jawing at it. For a moment I thought he was a clairvoyant.

All of the drives are fairly short between gigs. This string of shows is really easy breezy and we have been taking our time and stopping at a random restaurant (Glass City BBQ in Lancaster, Ohio) or a dusty resale shop along the slow moving state highways. Feels like we are driving thru middle America in 1957. Along the way we witness tree roots strangling the rusty skeletal frames of Model T's and 57 Chevy's; Rotting wooden porches clinging on to their chip painted farmhouses; Unfarmed fertile soil packing for the hard winter ahead. An impending winter as hard as the times that deserted these ghost towns. There is nothing much left here anymore. But, there has been a bit of a resurgence of sorts. The instigator is the least likely source. GPS…. Yes, you heard me correctly, GPS. Global Positioning System. Thanks to this new technology many unknown routes and highways are being utilized by travelers looking for a more direct route or shaving a few precious moments off their total travel time. Dan and I saved 20 minutes by using alternate routes and getting off the predictably bland Interstate Roadways.

There is a deserted gas station along one of these old routes with a sign that reads: Regular Leaded $1.019. A Pall Mall Cigarette sign dangles awkwardly from rusty link chains in the window of the single bay auto repair shop. They never sold any bottles of water here but I'm sure many travelers have filled up gallon tanks of tap water to replenish their thirsty radiators. On a side note, it's interesting to me that in the modern age we complain because gasoline is $3.05 a gallon but we readily and without thought pay $1.25 for 16 ounces of "spring" water. Based on my calculations this means we are in effect willing to pay $10.00 for a gallon of bottled water.

So we slice thru these blink and you'll miss em towns and are making our way towards Cambridge, Ohio. Neither Dan nor I have ever been there. Cambridge sounds very academic but I know that is guilt thru association. Nonetheless, I will rock both horses in this town.

Dan was particularly quiet while we were adventuring down a dirt road that was listed as "Unknown; Highway Information Unavailable" on the GPS. He cleared his throat and said, "It's fun going down roads that you know you'll never go down again. I said "Yea, that's a lot like life…a road you only go down once". Then Dan leaned his head back in thought of this profound statement and pulled the car over to the side of the road. He reflected for a moment and opened his door and stepped out of the car. I thought he was really taking it all in. Then he walked over to the passenger side of the car, opened my door, wrenched me out of the car and beat my ass.

The End?

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey

December 12, 2007
Feeling Good; Feeling Fine

I haven't been this happy in a long time. I don't quite know if it's the change in the weather (85 degrees in Florida) or a change in the tide inside of me. I feel the performances are more insightful and honest than I have delivered in a long time. It's something about being out on the road that makes me feel at home within myself. I remember my parents telling me that when I was an infant I had difficulty falling asleep. They managed to find a remedy. My Dad would put me in the van, drive around and I would quickly fall asleep. Dad would make a few laps around the block and I would be sleeping like a baby (literally because I WAS a baby. hence the term). When I am mobile I feel sane. My bones are never feeling more settled than when they are in motion while cruising across the pavement at 75 miles per hour.

The bar I played this past Saturday was called Rockstarz in Ft. Myers or as the locals call it Ft. Misery. The club has only been open for 6 weeks and the owner (Allen) really worked hard at getting the word out that I was playing there. He did a solid radio, magazine and flyer advertising campaign. The street teamers were also all over the market selling tickets and popping up posters. The turn-out was great. The set up inside the venue was really intimate (small stage with minimal lighting). The crowd was really interactive and we had so much fun playing off each other. One woman kept coming up during the show and whispering her song requests into my ear as if they were secrets that only I should know. Then she would yell "WILL YOU SIGN MY ASS!!!" really loud across the bar. I told her to whisper all requests in an effort to minimize her absurdity. I must say that this show has been one of my favorites. The place was packed and I appreciate that everyone listened very intently, especially to the new songs. We had such a blast.

I have often been asked on this tour how it feels to be touring solo acoustic without the band. It is a cool change of pace. The set-up is so simplistic. Just me, a guitar and a microphone. There is never any rush or stress because it's just a 2 person crue. Playing with this stripped down feel gives the songs a chance to breath. The lyrics and melodies take center stage over the bombast of a full band. When singing songs like "Hold On" I feel a lot closer to the story behind the song. A lot of the songs in this set-list are extremely personal and letting the fans in on the back-story and why the songs were written is therapeutic for me. I feel that by talking about these difficult times I can finally let them go and make room for new songs and new times. It is also inspiring when someone in the crowd tells you in confidence that a particular song helped them thru a tough time or helped them figure their way out of a mental mess. I can understand that some fans are torn when they see me sitting on a stool with a guitar and no agenda. To me it feels perfect for the moment. I just want to let my voice do the talking. Geeze that sounds obvious. My voice... Do the talking?

Sunday afternoon we brought the show to The Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida. The weather was still kicking at 83 degrees and it felt good to be in the heat. Chicago is in the 30's with icy rain crystallizing the city. Dan and I snuck out of Chicago at the most opportune moment, hours before the first snowfall of the season. We have been blessed with great weather the entire tour. Hopefully it will continue thru Monday.

The Hard Rock Show was all-ages and I was excited to have all the kids show up. Their response to songs and the performance is always so genuine. When they like something they really let you know. When I did "Trees" they were on their feet and helping me with the lyrics. When I did a slow lamenting song some of them were rolling around on the ground in utter boredom. They want the upbeat and fun. I like that they don't have time for sad songs. The more up-tempo the better because then they can bounce around the room like they're jumping on pogo sticks. They take the energy of the song and throw it all over the room. I love their free spirit.

After the early set I got to hangout with my sister Jenny, my cousin Danny and his wife. It was nice to see some of the family cause it makes you feel right at home while out on the road. My cousin Danny hooked my up with the best meal of the entire trip at his restaurant Snapper's. I stuffed my face with fresh stone crab, and I was so food comatose that I could barely get out of the booth. Then we headed over to see his newest restaurant Mad Fish in St. Pete Beach. Danny and his wife really treated Dan Howard and I like gold and it was GREAT to reconnect with them and meet my cousins cool kids.

The drive from Tampa to West Virginia was absolutely brutal. We had no issues with weather and Dan didn't get any more speeding tickets but the miles driven were just too much. 15 hours in the car and you start to go bananas. Just blank staring at the road ahead and quick stops to eat and fill up the tank. But all that really matters is that we made it safe and sound. We arrived just in time for the sound check at The Monkey Bar in Huntington, West Virginia. On every tour you have your one venue that just isn't up to speed with what is going on. No one at the club expected our arrival. The venue is only open when they have shows and they didn't have any this week. There had been a bit of communication breakdown between the club and promoter. So, the club didn't know there was a show, so no promotion of any sort. Thank our lucky stars that the mc.org, lh.com, sisterhood, Lh Fansclubs, myspace, team Mig, facebook and internet connected West Virginians were on the boards and knew I was playing. I am still floored that fans will drive 7 hours to see a show. I owe it to them to play a show a little closer so they can spend more time at the show than on the road. A special shout out to SUSIE for celebrating her birthday with us at such an "interesting" venue in such an "interesting" town.

When we got to this club in West Virginia I had a really bad feeling about the whole scenario. The club was in a really desolate area and the place was really beat up. Most nights of the week there is a strip club on the second floor. This is a pretty seedy environment. When we arrived and there was all of this confusion regarding the show, hotel rooms, dinner and all of the contract issues. I was extremely thankful that Dan Howard took total control and made everything work out perfectly. It was in moments like these that I realize the importance of having someone looking out for you while out on tour. All Dan said was "Don't worry about anything, I'll take care of it. Just promise me you'll have a good show". I want to thank Dan for all the hard work he does for me. He never gets any of the glory and applause of being on stage and he does twice the work. This tour never would have been such a success without Dan making it all run so smooth and always having him watching my back. We have had a lot of laughs over the course of the last week and ½ and he has really helped to make this entire tour so much fun.

Today is a drive day to Ohio. We have chosen to take the scenic back roads and really see the state. I know it's cold but it feels good to be getting back to the Midwest. There has been no feeling of the holidays so far on the tour. When it's 88 degrees and sunny it's hard to start dreaming of a white Christmas.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey

December 7, 2007
Devil on My Shoulder

Last night was such a trip. We survived the 9 hour drive and arrived just in time for the soundcheck. The club owner (Troy) was there to greet us, and he was really excited that we were playing. The vibe in this club made us feel really good. When we finished checking the gear, Troy asked us what we wanted to eat: steaks, seafood, Italian, Asian fusion, hot dog stand... I said "hot dog stand, NO…" Asian fusion, umm not in Ocala, I just don't notice a very big Asian population here and I question the authenticity...A fusion of Asian and what? is also a concern. So it's either steaks or Italian. Schlitzy, the Limo Driver, yea that's right, SCHLITZY! Spoke up and said "Nah, I got it, we'z goin to Bella Luna. I'm from New Yawk and I knows I-talian cuisine. C'mon, jump in the limo I gots ya covered". We arrived at the restaurant, and they had a special "John Travolta" (yea, he lives here) private dining room set-up for us courtesy of Schlitzy. We had a really good pasta dinner, and Dan was happy to get his daily ration of nutrition.

We headed back to the club after dinner and got ready for the show. All of the club owners were there and were treating us like royalty. The show was fun, dark, ridiculous, inspired, funny and overall just a blast. I like walking on stage with no plan and just winging it. I don't know what I'm going to play or what I'm going to say. Once the crowd interaction is established, there is a lot of back and forth between me and the crowd. Lots of laughs but when the music starts everyone is intently listening. The perfect yin and yang of intensity and release.

After the show we did an 1½ hour meet 'n greet. Fans had driven from all over the state of Florida and flown from different parts of the US of A. You can't imagine the overwhelming feeling when someone tells you they flew cross country to see a 1 hour acoustic show. I'm absolutely blown away. What a life!

It was Dan's birthday, and Troy the club owner kept calling Dan the wrong name. He kept referring to him as Dave. So now you know me well enough to guess that I am going to be calling Dan "DAVE" the rest of the tour. He hates I but hasn't tackled me yet so I'll keep it up till he threatens my life. That's when you know Dan, I mean Dave, has had enough, and it's time to quit it. It's his birthday today and I'm going to make a spectacle of his big day during the show tonight. I know the fans are bringing some cakes and same candles. I want to fire 'em all up and have the crowd sing Happy Birthday. He is loving the fact that he is celebrating in 80 degree weather, but I also know he really misses Nicolette. She's back at home in Chicago in the snowdrifts, and I know Dan really wishes she were here with him to celebrate his birthday.

While I'm on the subject, it's time for the Daily Dan Report: Everyone has unique habits and tendencies. I have never spent this much time with Dan and in such close proximity and I'm getting to know what makes him tick. The Zen of Dan. I awoke pretty early today (noon) and Dan was sound asleep. I was working on the computer at the desk in the room and tap tap tapping away which I'm sure was manifesting itself as a semi-automatic machine gun firing into a enemy bunker in Dan's diluted dreams of weaponry, warfare and a subliminal coup de gras in nightmare-ville. I looked over at him at one point and he was lying on his side with his head propped up on his elbow. His eyes were open and he was looking at me. I said "Sorry about the typing Dude, I'm trying to get some work done before we roll out". He didn't respond. I thought maybe he was pissed I woke him up and was giving me the silent treatment, so I said "Sorry man" as I threw my hands to the side and said "What..................................What?………………………" He just stared back and was motionless and then I heard a light snoring sound. He was sound asleep with his head propped up and his eyes open and staring. I walked over and waved a hand in front of his eyes and few feet in front of him, and he was out cold. No response. The devil on my left shoulder whispered in my ear "you should scream and clap really loud and freak him out of his sleep". The angel on the other said "let him sleep". I wanna tell you that if it wasn't his birthday I would have scared the sh*t out of him, but that is no way to start off your birthday. I'm not that E-vil... I want to assure you that 'm not trying to pick on Dan by including him in these blogs. He's just really interesting, and I know that he doesn't mind being included. Or at least he doesn't know about it yet. Haha (can you actually see the horns pop out of my head). So I thought I had this all figured out by sleeping with one eye open but Dave sleeps with TWO eyes open. I'll never win...

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey

December 6, 2007
Living High on the Blog

There it was, there it went. I lost my solo acoustic virginity last night, and it felt great. It was a little bit like the real first time. I didn't really know what I was doing, I made a few mistakes, but in the end I think we both enjoyed the experience. Me and the crowd that is. The songs from Rock Star went over really well (Lithium, WYWH, Mr. Brightside, HMBOMT, Creep & I Alone). I played a few Marty Casey & Lovehammers tunes and a few new tunes (Just Go, Diamonds in the Dirt, My Kind of Wine & Hopes and Fears Collide). I had some beautiful crowd participation dancers for My Kind of Wine and Trees. One girl managed to slide one very c-c-c-cold finger down my buttcrack, and I jumped off my bar stool like I got electrocuted. I had to stop the intro of the song and tell her to keep her fingers where I can see 'em. She said she'd never wash her finger again, and I replied "That's disgusting"! Those Carolina girls be c-c-c-crazy!

I was amazed to find out that a select group of fans are going to be at every show in Florida. That's a total of 4 shows from Thursday thru Sunday. It's a fun challenge for me to have to keep every show a little different and interesting for those fans seeing multiple shows on this tour. I think that all the shows are unique in that the crowd interaction between songs is always so different. Last night I had my first heckler. She was not cursing me out in any way. She just wanted to ask me a bunch of the most random questions while I was trying to sing. She'd shout out "Who is your president incumbent?" or "You're in North Carolina!" and I replied "I know" and she said "Yea you are. Believe it!" I was confused and a little flustered. It was a funny interaction, and we were all laughing at her ridiculous-ness. Unfortunately she passed out in the back of the venue about 30 minutes into the set. Down goes heckler...

I had an interesting conversation with the fans regarding the Marty Casey & Lovehammers fan community. Since the beginning of the band there has always been an extremely supportive fan base immersed in the music. The fans first start coming to shows to see the performances, and then they meet friends in the audience. They see them at a few shows, and they get more acquainted each time. Then they will start to meet and talk outside of the confines of the live shows and truly become friends. That is where it becomes a fan community. After a matter of time the fans are not only coming to MC&LH shows to see the band, but they are coming to hang out and reconnect with their bonafide friends. I love to see this happen and feel lucky that we are a part of that experience. There is something very organic about it. What had started at live shows has now extended to the internet and new friendships are being made virtually on the boards. Last night it felt great to be a part of the fan community after the show and hang-out with all my friends. Interaction with the fans is becoming as important as the actual performance. I'm a lucky man to have such amazing fans. Thank you...

A special shout out today to Katherine that has been helping out the band for years now. It's her birthday today, and I want to let her know how much I appreciate all her help with getting these blogs posted, videos posted, pictures posted and dealing with my daily insanity. She is as talented as she is beautiful and she really makes our life on the road so much easier and keeps all the fans connected. You rock Katherine...Happy Birthday!

And now it's time for the DAILY DAN REPORT: I caught Dan doing something really weird today. He bought a fountain drink from the gas station and was standing in line behind me waiting to pay. I told Dan I would pay for his drink. He said "No, that's ok, I got it". I said "Shut-up dude, I got it". So I grabbed the cup from him, and he was reluctant to release it. I snatched it out of his hands and it was light as a feather. I held it in my hand a shook it slightly back n forth to feel if there was any liquid in the cup. It was completely empty. He had the cup with a lid and a straw poking thru it but it was empty. I just looked at him and shook my head. I placed it on the counter and paid for it. I knew better than to ask him what the heck he was up to. Man is Dan one weird dude! He does make this trip an interesting experience though. Why the heck was he buying an empty cup of nothing and pretending it was a drink? I better start sleeping with one eye open.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey

December 4th, 2007
Departure Date: Maiden Voyage So Low Acoustic Tour

This morning I opened my eyes inches into the electric red of the digital alarm clock on my nightstand. My face lying so close I had to let my eyes focus for a moment to read the time. It was 11:04 pm. First thought: Wow, I had a really long nights sleep. Second thought: What time am I supposed to pick-up Dan. Third thought: Oh sh*t! I was supposed to be at his house at 10:00 am. I laughed and thought what a way to start of the day, one hour late... I called Dan and from the crackling voice on the other end of the line is seems he to is in no rush because I woke him up. It's going to be an interesting tour. You have two of the most lacksidasical people embarking out on tour together. This should be called “The World Can Wait Tour”. From the relaxed vibe when we were planning the tour and getting everything together it has been such a chill vibe. I like it because there is no stress. The details are written on the tour advance sheets in regards to what time and where and everything else will be flying off the cuff.

The cool thing about touring with Dan Howard is that he is the type of guy that will sit and drive and not say a word for hours. It's great because I can read, write blogs and sleep without interruption. Some travel companions are nervous people and always need to be talking talking talking. They'll talk about personal stuff you never wanted to know including personal hygiene, relationship details, the state of the economy, Hollywood’s latest fiascos, etc, etc, etc. Not Dan though, he's got his eyes drilled to the road in front of him and hasn't said a single word all day. So after cruise controlling thru an entire $60 tank of gas I get a scary feeling. Why hasn’t Dan said a word? Is he mad about something? Is he sick of driving? This guy doesn't even blink. Now I’m getting freaked out. What the hell is he thinking about? Is he mentally rehearsing the step by step process of constructing a silencer for a Colt 45 handgun? Is he going over his checklist of order of operations when a car submerges into a body of water: 1) Be calm and remove seat belt 2) Wait for the car to fill up with water completely 3) kick out rear window with heels of feet 4) swim to safety. Maybe Dan knows the coordinates of a secret nuclear missile silo in central Florida and is figuring out how to take a detour so we can "check it out".

Man, four plus hours now and not a single word. I’m getting freaked out, what is he thinking? Why won’t he speak. COME ON SAY SOMETHING! Let me know what crazy business is going on in your head. It's building to a frenzy in my head and now I am staring directly at him and he never takes his eyes off the road. I'm thinking: What! What! What are you thinking! I'm staring so close and so hard as if I am actually going to be able to look into his ear and see the thoughts on his aural movie screen. At that moment he turns his head to the right, staring right back at me and he says... "Isn’t it weird that both Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears were on the Mickey Mouse Club together?" My fear subsides and I burst out in a shout of laughter so loud that Dan winces from the pure volume. A burst of relief that my tour manager for the next two weeks is more concerned with the affairs of the Mickey Mouse Club than the 3 deadliest death grips in the manual of mortal combat.

We are headed to Plum Crazy Too in Kernersville, North Carolina just minutes from Greensboro. We've got many hours to go and are in no rush to arrive. The inspired feeling in the air is that this tour is going to be a crazy adventure.

In the coming blogs I will keep it geographically simplex and shout out the actual town of the performance and the closest major metropolitan city you may have heard of. This way you can track our logistical progress if you wish. I will also try to keep the blogs coming daily and throw in some video blogs as well. The underlying mission statement of this mini-tour is to keep all the fans in tune to the experience even if you can’t make it out to a show. I'll try my best to keep the information delivered interesting and self-deprecating as usual.

Day 1 here we come,

Marty Casey

Ps: Dan’s birthday is this Friday so if someone could bring a cake or cupcake or cookie or McDonalds Fruit Pie and a candle of some sort we could sing to him at the show. If I bring it then it will no longer be a surprise. But now that I mentioned it I might have to have Dan pull over and stop at McDonalds for a fruit pie. Mmmm Delicious! Chow for now Amigos and Amigas.

Posted by martycasey

August 20, 2007
sup

Hey dudes! It has been awhile since I wrote. I think my main problem is having oo many places to write, I sort of lose track of them. I have written a bit on MySpace, so check that out if you want....

hmmmmm, what can i talk about. Oh, I know. I was pretty upset with music and bands in general. I am always searching for new music and bands, but was having trouble finding anything that I really liked. Seems like most albums out there pretty much suck - maybe one or two decent tunes on an album and the rest just shit. Buckcherry's album is pretty solid, but I can't think of another album which has at least 4 songs that I like - pretty sad. It seemed like in the past albums had the radio hits that everone liked - 2 or 3, and then another 2 or 3 that you liked personally, or fans loved at the shows that could never be singles, but still rad songs - cult type songs if you will..... Sooooo, I then began going to live shows to see if maybe it wasn't translating onto the cds - again, I fell short of finding anyone that I really enjoyed, or a concert that I didn't want to leave after like 2 songs. I did see The Police, who I have never really liked, but thought they wer unbelievable - to play Wrigley Field with NO backing tracks (just 3 instruments) is truly amazing. I don't think I have seen a band in the past 5-10 years that didn't hav backing tracks, so to see these guys pull it off and sound GREAT was amazing. The opening band was really cool too - FictionPlane. I actually bought their cd that night. I did like them live better though..... Oh, yeah I better go back and explain something - that is right my little kiddies, at least 90% of the bands you see are playing with backing tracks - some more than others, but most are.

So I am at this all time low as far as believing in music and bands, etc when a miracle happens. I am at Lollapolooza and I see this little band called Pearl Jam come on stage. Last time I saw them, I vowed never to see them or support them again. I thought that they didn't care anymore and were going through the motions, which is not fair for all the fans that have paid so much money over the years to support them, and buy tix to their shows. I did buy their latest album though, and thought it was their best in years. Anyway, seeing these guys on stage, rockin out like it was 1994 was an inspiration and one of the greatest shows I have ever been to. They were into it, they cared, they mixed new, old, and had great crowd interaction - it was just a great show. They didn't play perfect, or sound like their record, they sounded like PJ live, which is really really cool (another band with no backing tracks) They basically saved my rock and roll soul - hey, that is a great song title - SEE WHAT I MEAN - new inspiration - LOL!

Seeing PJ was exactly what I needed to get my creative juices flowing again.

ohhhhh, wait - Nikki Sixx has that new side project out for his book Heroin Diaries, and the first song is really cool too! They have a MySpace page out and you can hear it and see the video.....

what else.... we are FINALLY almost done with Driving Blind. We decided to really challenge ourselves and throw in an orchestra to the mix. We will be recording it with the orchestra on Wednesday - can't wait!!!!!! I think you can pre-order the Acoustic Chicago cd now at stonecutter records or acoustic chicago.com - we will have more info on that as well.....

sorry there is no real flow or organization to this blog, just thoughts spit out on the screen, but I hope you can get the jist of it.

OOOPS, ALMOST FORGOT!!!! I want everyone to get a new shirt that we have that says Make Rock Not War on it. Get it and let's see if we can make a differece - get it, and tell everyone you know to get it. If the whole world is wearing one, maybe people will stat to listen..... check it out at www.lhstore.com

L8,

Posted by dinokourelis at 03:50 PM

February 07, 2007
ARF ARF ARF

No, my little bunnies, do not worry. I have not turned into a rabid dog! I have however experienced something that I would like to share, and have had an opportunity to spend a weekend with some really amazing people and an amazing organization. Wow, that was a long sentence - I am guess a minimum of 3 gramatical errors.

Ok, so we were asked to supply some rock to the annual event ARF (Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation) puts on in Walnut Creek, CA. We loved the idea, the cause, and as fans of music, were anxious to be a part of an event with such great musicians such as Tesla, Carlos Santana, Journey, and Peter Wolf, and the list goes on.....

We have played thousands of shows, and hundreds of huge festivals since I was 14, and I can honestly say this was one of the best run events I have ever been a part of. The amazing thing is that the whole weekend was run with volunteers. I guess it goes to show you that Tony LaRussa truly is a great coach and a great leader in all aspects of his life..... Tony, Mrs. Larussa (sorry ELAINE), and his two beautiful daughters have created something very special at ARF, and have surrounded themselves with people that are very passionate and hard working.....

I had a great time playing the show, and it was really cool to be able to talk to some of the guys from Journey. Neil Schon is probably one of the greatest guitar players to ever walk the Earth, and who would have known Jonathon was from Chicago - what a cool guy. They were really great to talk to and had some cool stories. These guys are so talented, waqtching them play, then seeing the Allstar Jam was remarkable. Seeing Dennis Chambers drum in person was one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen - UNREAL! Seeing him drum with one of the greatest percussionists in the world is truly amazing.

I am going to sound like a total sissy for this next comment, but oh well. Watching Tesla do an acoustic set was for me something I will never forget. I was sitting there in person watching the band that recorded 5 Man Acoustic Jam - something I never had a chance to see when I was a young lad. I honestly had tears in my eyes watching this. We had a chance to play with Tesla earlier in the year, so it was great to talk to them as well and hang a bit. Hopefully we'll be able to do some shows with them this Spring or Summer - great guys and a great band that we can really learn a lot from.

Other than the events, we had a chance to explore San Fran - still one of my favorite cities, and finally ate at a restaurant called Joe Dimagios. That night we all ate the best steak we had ever eaten...........

Driving Blind - well, it looks like you guys are alwqys one step ahead of us. We were waiting for the song to be complete before we told you about it, but since you super sluethes already found it, here is the link:
http://www.acoustic-chicago.com/

We contributed the song for a project called Acoustic Chicago. It features some great artists all homegrown Chicagoans. Please check it out and support it when it comes out. There will be a song and video available....

Ok, well I am going back to writing songs - who knows when/where you will find another one........... Chances are, one of you will find it before we post it - lol.......

PS. keep spreading the word, posters, fliers, internet - keep getting the word out. We are trying to use MySpace more, but let's find the net MySpace or YouTube......

ROCK!

Posted by dinokourelis at 01:28 PM

November 21, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving my little bunnies

Hello bunnies! Well, again I have waited so long, that I have a million things to tell you and a few lines to say it in. I will try to hit the main points and not bore you with the fluff......

DVD - well, what can I say? I have been spending most of my time trying to get this thing done, so everyone can have it by Christmas. I can't believe we actually made it happen. Everyone on board has put so much hard work and so many hours into it, I can't thank them enough - and by them I mean the editors, producers, directors, as well as the band. Everyone has worked their asses off and it will show. I saw a rough edit of it last night, and I freaked out. I had a vision going into this, and everyone else through in their visions and this DVD has turned into something that I am really pround of. We have been spending time on the audio as well - not correcting errors, and inserting new tracks to make it sound better - rather, we are taking the opposite stance - making it sound more real, letting everyone feel like they were at the concerts that they are watching - pretty much enhancing the mistakes, improvs, everything, ha ha ha. I guess some bands are insecure about themselves, and have to redo audio cause they want everyone to think that they are perfect. To me, playing live is not perfect, it is about a feeling, a vibe, a passion...... Anyway, we are making this DVD seem more like a movie - a few songs, then some video of us showing and explaining the history of the band. I think that makes it flow a lot better and keeps it interesting. The title of this DVD is going to be" ...and the rest is History" Please spread the word, and tell everyone to order it at www.lovehammersdvd.net. We aren't sure when or if it will be instores, so this is the only place to get it for the forseeable future. We will also be doing a few things like placing an item in certain packages - if you receive that DVD, you will get to do something cool with the band. We aren't sure what this will be just yet, but we'll let you know when we decide what is possible. My idea would be to have the "winner" be a part of the band crew for an upcoming show - basically be with us, and work with us for a whole day - that might not really be a cool prize though - LOL!!!! Anyway, I hope you all dig this DVD and love it as much as I do. I honestly can't remember ever being so excited about releasing something.........

Merry Christmas (all year long) - by now, most of you have heard the song. Please spread the word on it, and stay tuned for it to be released on Itunes. Please don't buy it until we give the go ahead. Everything we do right now is strategic, so we need everyone to work together. It may appear somewhere before somewhere else, but please try and sit tight till we tell you to go hog wild on buying it - we will make an announcement on all major websites and MySpaces so we can all be coordinated. For now, this is just going to be a digital download, but we may make a limited amount of hard copies as well.

Videos - We just got back from Washington, and made a video for Merry Christmas (all year long). I saw some rough edits of it, and it is looking really cool. We were fortunate enough to have Miss Suzie McNeil be a part of it. She made everyday full of so much fun. I can't even to begin to put into words how much I love that girl. She is so talented, and has gone through the same rough stuff that we have all gone through, but her album will be coming out soon, and it sounds great. Anyway, back to the video - I am not wearing a dress the whole time you goofballs, so chill out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like the vido will be complete in time to put ont he DVD as well, so that will be a bonus for all you suckas!
Trees Video - FINALLY huh!?!?!? We initially wanted to put it on the DVD, but there is so much to do and so much on there, this will be a seperate video for us to try and get on some stations, etc. We have all the footage and a pretty good idea of what we want to do, it just needs to be edited. We would have put it out, but we want it to be great, not just good.......
Touring - there are a lot of opportunities, so we are just trying to do what makes most sense. Hopefully we can get something put together to promote the DVD in the beginning of the year. We are also planning on getting on some TV shows, so all of you that have been writing into them, it may be a great time to start again.....

NYE - tickets are going MUCH faster than expected.... Rooms are almost booked. I strongly suggest everyone get your tickets sooner than later, cause it will sell out, then you will be at home watching the rest of us party on ABC. You wouldn't want that would you?

ok, later for now.....

"I rock because I am"
-Dino Kourelis

Posted by dinokourelis at 07:32 PM

Happy Thanksgiving my little bunnies

Hello bunnies! Well, again I have waited so long, that I have a million things to tell you and a few lines to say it in. I will try to hit the main points and not bore you with the fluff......

ok, later for now.....

"I rock because I am"
-Dino Kourelis

Posted by dinokourelis at 07:32 PM

October 25, 2006
Coasting Across America

And now, here's the man that always tries to find a new blogging state of mind....... HEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRREEEEEE'''SS MARTY! (Picture me running out and doing the Johnny Carson golf swing and taking my spot on the X).

So everyone, how ya doin? Sit back and kick yer heels up, grab your variety of confections big gulp (I like Mr. Pibb with a little orange Crush) and settle into my latest installment of self satisfaction......BLOG II <------ Those are roman numerals that mean the number 2.

I'm in the middle of a cross country drive taking me from Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois. The idea struck me that it would be good to have my car in Chicago for the winter. Sounds good right? Get my Honda there just in time for the snow drifts, salt sprays and icy conditions. I know my car is a compact but in my mind I view it more like a mini-Hummer. Ya know why. Cause when I was on the show and they announced that we won a car the crowd went crazy with the hand clapping and the shouting and I thought they said Hummer, not Honda. So instantaniously the image of a big ass Hummer was burndt into my brain. Still to this day, when I look at my car I see a big Hummer. I actually lift my leg up real high when I go to step into the car and then I have to bend down real low and crawl in. I'm not gonna bitch about a free car, BUT, when you think of a Rockstar car what do you picture? Hmmm. Like I said... I won't bitch.

So I jump in my car and hit the road. The first few hours are great. No traffic, the weather is perfect for driving, I got my I-Pod plugged into my car stereo and I am makin good time. Then, about five hours into the drive I have an ephipany. "WHAT the hell am in doing?" This was a bad idea. I have just under 30 hours to go and I'm allready totally sick of driving.

I drive and drive and drive and make it to Utah. I heard some interesting things about Utah. I check into a random hotel, the last exit for 108 miles and I needed a break. Check into my room, no problem. Go to the "Italian" restaurant in the lobby cause there is no where else in sight to eat. Problem. I sit down and sink so low in the old ass booth that my chin is near the edge of the table. Gotta lean back so I don't sink in to low. Keeps your posture tight and I guess that's how they roll here in Utah. I sit there waiting for the waiter. Wait for the Waiter. Still waiting for the waiter. Yea, I see him 20 feet from me staring right at me real creepy like. Giving me a "Night of the Living Dead" meets Michael Jackson "Thriller" gaze. I say "Can I get a menu?" He says "You gonna eat?" I have to kinda laugh under my breath at the absurdity of his rebuttal but I hold it in cause he looks like he could kill somebody, possibly me or someone like me. I say "Yea, I'm gonna eat" and try not to be the one to make this guy snap. I look over the limited menu and scratch off a bit of some dried red substance and smell it. I have seen the show CSI and what this is considered is playing the detective. I am using my deductive reasoning skills and deciphering whether the substance is ordinary restaurant grade spaghetti sauce or if it is blood. It smells spicy so it's either sauce or hispanic DNA. I deduct it's spaghetti sauce.

I am ready to order and I do the big silent across the room wave. I start to order upon his arrival. I ask for the chicken breast dinner. It says I get the chicken, fresh vegetable, chioce of potato, soup or salad and breadstick. I start banging out my order and in the middle of it he interrupts with a slight "uuummmm". I look up with a questioning look. He says "You get the chicken and choice of one other thing". I point to the description while poking my finger at the laminated menu and give him a quick and potent detailing of what I'm supposed to get. He says "No, You get the chicken and choice of one other thing". So you think this means I can get a chicken breast with a single breadstick served to me on a plate for $9.95? No vegetable, no soup or salad, no nothin. I have discovered a new depth on density in the human brain. This guys brain IS the side of vegetables! I am certain. There is no physical way to educate this guy on common American dining practices. What constitutes a dinner as opposed to bird and stick on a plate. I reply, "I'll have a hamburger and fries". Simple, he won't fuck it up and I won't make him snap and kill me OR maim me OR burn me with a side of soup or salad and a breadstick.

Hamburger comes. Looks good. I look up at the waiter and finally figure out who he resembles and kinda feel relieved cause it was beginning to bother me. Kinda like when you can't figure out who sang a certain song. He looks like Lurch with a dash of Jessie from Full House. You know, the Stamos guy formerly married to the amazingly hot Rebecca Romaijn. I know all about Full House cause I watched the E! True Hollywood Story so I could get some backround on the Olson twins.

Anyway, back to the story at hand.... The hamburger is raw and almost unedible. I go for it cause I am starving and sick of the absurdity of this place. I have no napkin and no ketsup, no water and no salt. Nothing people. Just a 1/4 lb of raw ground chuck and pepper. I make it work, scarf down the food poisioning waiting to happen and make a B-Line for the register where the creep likes to perch. the bill was $6 and change and I throw down $9 singles and roll out. Creep says "Have a good Day" and as he starts to correct his statement I mutter...... night."

I walk past 5 pick-up driving, camo wearing hunters that spoke so loud the entire time I was there that I felt like I witnessed the kill and slaughter of an animal. And based on the undercooked nature of my burger, I felt like I ATE the fresh kill. OHHH that's so f'n sick. I wanna puke just writing this. When I walk by them they fall silent for the first time all dinner. I sense alot of staring but I keep my eyes to the door. I don't slow or speed. I swiftly whip the door open and it swings wide and I stroll out into the chill of night. When I turn the corner I immediately dive into a quick walk/slow sprint to my room. I fear that dream walk syndrome is gonna set in. This is where you try to run but the ground is molasis or quicksand or seaweed and you can't get anywhere. You struglle to move forward but the harder you try the harder the cement sets around your ankles. I get to my hotel room door bathed in pitch black shadows off the back parking lot and execute the key card on the third try and step inside the room and lock and bolt the door. Whew! Time for sleep.

I wake up at 8:30 AM to the phone ringing. I immediately grab my cell and say hello. It's not my cell though. It's the hotel phone. I get otta bed and answer a real scratchy "Hello". The person hangs on the line for a sec and then hangs up. I slam the phone down. I got it all figured out. The reception desk is calling to see if I left allready and then they can clean the room. Most travelers at these hotels/motels get up early and hit the road. I sleep late. Always have, always will. I know it's reception. I just know it. I can't get back to sleep. After another hour of lying there... AWAKE, I pack my car and bring my key card to reception to check out. I walk in and the reception lady says "Checking out?" I say "Did you call me at 8:30?" She says no. I say "have you been here all morning?" She says yes. I say: Did you put a call through to my room 217 this morning at 8:30 cause if someone did call me then they would have to have been put through to my room and you would of had to of done that". Mind you that nobody on earth except for the Lord and baby Jesus knew where I was . Nobody. Her answer was no reply at all. Perfect ending for a night at Motel HELL.

I make good time on the road. Once again, no bad weather and no traffic. I pass through all of the beutiful mountain scenery and near Vail Colorado I really hit stride. After hours of uphill climbs I finally hit some nice long downhill driving. I feel my 4 banger Honda needs a break of the wear and tear of long elevation climbs. The winding effort of the engine stops and I coast down for miles at a time in total silence. So silent you can't even tell the engine is even turned on. I don't feel the cruise control kick on the accelerator once in the last 20 or 30 minutes. I am just soaring down the mountainside in a freefall. It's driving bliss. The downhill coast. I am scoping out the scenery and rolling my head around 360 degrees checking out the amzing landscape. Until. Woo Woo Woo. The stillness of my surroundings is shattered. I see reflections of red cutting in and out of the landscape. COPS. I put on the brakes, slow down and pull over. I put both my hands on the stearing wheel and wait. Cop walks up and taps on the glass. He puts his thumb and forefinger together into a fist and rolls his wrist in a quick clockwise motion. The international sign for "Roll Down Your Window." I comply and ask the typical "What's the problem officer?" He says I was going 14 miles over the legal limit. I said I was cruising down the hill, never even stepped on the accelerator for the last 30 minutes. Just following gravity's orders and freefalling down the mountain in complete controll. He says I should have watched my speed while coasting down the decline. Gotta stay aware of my speed and the posted limit. I feel like it is an atrocity. In the age of insane fuel prices we need to embrace the opportunity to coast. It is our way of giving back to the environment and saving some gas. Increasing our fuel efficiancy by not fighting gravity. Yep, ticket for speeding. Fine payable on-the-spot by credit card. Talk about taking my money and run. Cheers to gravity!

We must embrace the coast when going downhill and help save the universe. Have a good day.....night.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 12:17 AM

October 21, 2006
hmmmm, now what?

Wow! After all that Hammerjammin', plannin', spammin', crammin', I feel like I got hit by a truck! Tara Jordan and everyone did a great job putting Hammerjam together, and I hope everyone had a great time. We brought up some friends to play with us (Ben, Bill, Matt, Dan), and that was really fun. I can't believe how many people came from all over the world - unbelievable! I tried to meet as many people as I could, but I am thinking I probably missed a few, since I left pretty early - 4:00 AM. Sorry dudes, but that burrito was calling my name!!!!!!!!

Now what?!?!?!?!? Well, there is a lot of work to do with the DVD. I have been going over the footage and audio we have, and it is pretty great! We are trying to incorporate a little bit of history in this, as well as concert footage. Think of a not-so-weird version of "The Song Remains the Same." We haven't really done any promo for it yet, cause we want to make sure all the hardcores get their orders in to ensure that they get them before Christmas - we are eventually going to have to cut it off, cause it will be impossible to get all the orders out. We will do everything in our power to get qas many out as we can. We will let you guys know when the cutoff is either way....

I have been really trying to get out to as many concerts as humanly possible, and will keep doing that. Anything from local stuff to legends. I just want to see what everyone is doing, what people are digging, and see what works in different venues. I get really inspired when I do this, so why stop right? I have been to Tom Petty, Aerosmith/Motley, Rolling Stones, and Jacks Manequin, Blackout, in the last few weeks. I think I got a grasp of the legends, so I am going to hit some new bands in the next few weeks - MCR, Switchfoot, Dashboard, +44, Panic, etc....

New music - I have been working on a ton of new stuff and listening to a ton of different stuff. I am a rock guy, so I want to listen to different types of music to keep growing. A friend made me a bunch of cds - My Mourning Jacket, Gnarles Barkley, Sam Roberts Band, and stuff like that. I still stick to my tastes as well: My Chemical Romance, Wolfmother, Buckcherry, and all the new rock stuff that is coming out - Rise Against from Chicago, Switchfoots new stuff, and believe it or not, I have always been a fan of Hip Hop. Don't worry, I am not going to start talking like this, "YEEEEEAH, YEEEEEEEAH!"

Ok, stay tuned, hopefully we'll have some news for you soon. Like maybe a NYE show?????????????????????

SHIT!!!!!! I have to get to Q101!!!!

L8
-duck

Posted by dinokourelis at 12:54 PM

October 09, 2006
HammerJam & Hammer Fans

(Jaws Music) Da Na....Da Na......DA NA..DA NA.. DA NA...... AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! It's only 5 days away. All of the travel planning, arranging, ticket buying, set-up, build-up and maneuvering have been completed. Now it's time to enjoy the ride. The band is really excited about this historic event. Hammerheads from all over the globe getting together for a weekend of fun. It's cool to hear that friendships that have been developed over the web are going get to meet in person and hang out in the flesh. I know that it has taken alot of energy and thought in order to make your trip to Chicago happen and i guarantee that we are doing everything we can to ensure that it is worth all your energy. Jessica Robinson will be playing with her band, my very close friend Dan Darrah will be jamming with his band Hotel 45 and we will have friends stepping in and jamming with us throughout the night. The last time I have been this excited about a show was on Thankgiving Eve when we played at the Metro last year. There is a great vibe at the Metro and for those of you that have never been there, you are gonna love the sound and the stage.

I have been in Los Angeles for the last two weeks writing a recording some demos of tunes that I have written. I like to keep pushing ahead with the songwriting because when we get the green light to start recording the next record I want to have the best tunes ready to go and focus on the recording process. Many of the fan are asking when the next record will be coming out. I will try to give you an understanding of how this part of the recording industry and major labels work. Each album released goes through what is called a cycle. the different parts of the cycle are writing the songs, recording the songs, mixing and mastering the songs, then you usually have three months of promotions prior to the album being released. When the album is released you tour and support the record on the road from anywhere between 1 or 2 years. After that it is time to write and record a new record. We released our record about 9 months ago. We have been through a slightly different version of the album cycle because we allready had most of the material on MC & LH recorded and we needed to get the record out in time for the tour with INXS at the beginning of the year. I can't believe how quickly we got it done and out there. The record is still selling really well as people hear about the band or hear one of our songs and fall in love with the record enough to go out and purchase it.

Many of you have asked me why INXS got dropped from Sony/Epic and I don't have an answer for you. I have no idea why Sony dropped them. But I do know that their unfortunate situation does not in any way reflect our relationship with Sony/Epic. My deal with the label is completely independent from them. I am sure they will get picked up by another label or independent and do just fine in the future. It is just a temporary setback for them.

I am working very hard at expanding my brain and making a new record that is better than anything you have heard from us before. I want it to really blow you away and become a part of your life. I feel like this is my first opportunity to take what I have learned over the last two years and turn it into music. There will be highs and lows and the beautiful landscape in between reflected in the songs. I feel I have become a better songwriter and have alot to talk about after all of my crazy experiences. After so much touring, the band has become tighter than ever and I'm sure you will be amazed at the muturity of the musianship.

I wanna thank you all for the birthday wishes. I received so many great gifts and cards and you really made me feel good with all the positive sentiments and personal stories. Thank you: Carla Hicks (star bracelet), Casey's Angel from Charlotte NC, Melody & Rebecca Mattison, Lyn M., hammered young Card,
Angela Gerou, Sharon Brinsdon, Cindy Borowiak, Sherry Espinozza & Theresa, Suzanne F. and our mutual love of leper pop , Jane from Kansas City (33 kisses), hammy sagar, Patricia Biesem, Mary Wendt, Dawn Dugan, Shari Beane (autographed cd), brittany Samson, Rachel Yarch (great photo booth pix), Pat Ringer and family, Melissa Wimer, Debra Brown "A day in the zone", Debby (lady slipperlady), Julie Kalman (movie tickets!), Kim MacInnis, Samantha m.o. & Brendan, Pamela Pittenger, Teri Chong Pam Springer, Ravenwolf (tiny dancer), Jen Spring & Laura Wassel, Sherri Bean, L. Young, Heartotexas, Debbie from Capital City, Diane Summers, Linda Peterson (love what you did with the guitar), Chenelle Sauer, Amy Nyenhuis, Rachael Farmer, Amy Frank, Ronda Marquis, Victoria Childers, Denah Ehrenfreed, Bren Kinsey, Kim Jamieson, Cherry Tattoo, Karen Weppler, Green Eyes from Kentucky, Rock Fan from North Carolina, Summers, Debbie, Mahew, Mary Ann Theobald, Beth Sautter, Helen Mcbride (nice to see that your horses (trees & Epic) /are happy and healthy, Constance Kwok, Laura & Kyle Philpott, Barb Sequenzia, the Owosso hotties: Ashley, Leah, Shelby & Nicole. If I have left out any names be sure to check back here on my next post and I will continue with the thank you's. I have receives so many cards and I am trying to read them all and let you know that I appreciate your thoughts and wishes.

I want to send a special thanks to Cindy for gathering all of the cards at her home in Florida and sending them out in time for me to receive the huge box of gifts on my actual birthday. A special shout out to Amy for the wonderful hand made card and also getting all of the cards together for me. That was such a sweet idea and I really really appreciate it.

Thank you for allowing me and the band into your life and encouraging us to continue doing what we love. We are overwhelmed by the loyalty and support you provide us. I'm psyched that Hammerjam is right around the corner because it's time for all of us to touch base and celebrate the band, the fans, the music and the night. We all deserve to let loose and have a great weekend with friends.

Lots of fun stuff on the horizon in the next month or so. We are always working to keep things exciting.

See you this weekend.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 04:47 PM

September 08, 2006
Gots some catching up ta do!

Wow, It has been forever. The past few months have been over the top. When last we spoke, I think I was getting prepared for the tour and now I am recovering. We gave it our all every single night and a few were the best nights I have ever had on stage. We played for thousands upon thousands, we met so many of the fans on a nightly basis, I fell of a stage, I blew out my voice a one point, we barely ever knew where in America we were and we ate several choice meals prepared by our gracious fans. It was a wild journey and I can't believe we made it back in one piece. This was our first headlining tour and it was more work than I imagined. Playing for an hour and 1/2 or two hours a night is pretty demanding. I never got tired of hanging with the fans after the shows. We usually hung out till the freakin bouncers kicked us all out onto the streets and then sometimes we would continue at a bar down the street. CRAZY!!! I saw more consecutive sunrises than sunsets. It is living life on a completely different frame of mind. Up when others are out.

The tour would not have been a success at all whatsover if it weren't for the generosity of our amazing fans. As many of you know, we had a massive setback when we were robbed of alot of cash from our hotel room. When I realized what had happened I went numb and was honestly ready to pack it in and send the band back home. It was really devestating to me. It was definitely our own fault for not having the money in a safe and having better business sense than carrying that amount of cash. I gaurantee that the way we handle the cash has been modified as a result of this occurence. Your donations made the difference between continuing with the tour or ending it right at that point. We are thinking of something special to do for all of those that have generously supported the band. I want to make sure each and every one of you know how much you helped us in the time of crisis. We have the best fans in the world. Once again, we are nothin without you. You have blown my mind with you support, letters of encouragement and kind words. Thanks to all of you from the bottom of my heart.

The final days of the tour were special because it was the culmination of many highs and lows. We were all very fatigued and surprised that we did not strangle eachother over the course of 5 or 6 weeks of close quarters. A successful headlining tour was one of the points to conquer on my list of musical accomplishments and I am glad you halped make this happen for me. Rock n Roll never sleeps and the promotion machine had to roll on so
immediately upon completion of the final gig of the first leg, I flew to Los Angeles for the Emmy's. It was an unusual experience. Very LA decadent. Lavish clothing with attitudes to match, dinner buffets that spared no expense, famous faces floating by with Emmy's awards in their hands. Kinda surreal but fun to be in the mix. I had alot of great conversations and kinda floated from party to party as the night progressed. The lavish parties ended and last minute plans were laid to head into the Hollywood Hills for some post parting. The winners never wanted the night to end and celebrated straight thru to noon.

I jumped on a plane the next morning and headed to New York City for the VMA's. This was the most hyped event I have ever been to. All of the music tastmakers of today under one roof. I sat next to Johnny Knoxville and behing X-tina Aguillera. She was incredibly tiny. I could sense how upset she was becoming every time she did not win the award she was nominated for. I know I shouldn't have but I felt bad for her. After the awards were massive post parties. Little John performing with Metal Skool, world renounded Dj's flown in from all over the word, guest appearances everywhere. The cool thing about New York City is that even though the awards are a big deal, the town doesn't change for anyone. Miami might bend and flex to make room for a big celebrity event but in NYC everyone is dropped into the mix together. I loved seeing all the performers, singers, presenters, personalities drift out onto the street after the show was over.

I flew to Chicago the next morning for a homecoming show in Chicago. It was an electrified crowd of 10,000 and I felt like we stole the show. It felt so great to be back home and see all my family and friends. Tonight I am in Boston. We play a festival tomorrow afternoon and then the band and crue are gonna hit the town. Tear it up. Stay tuned this week for a launch event associated with Q 101 morning show in Chicago. I think we are playing on the show or somewhere live to announce the new morning show line up that will replace Mancow. Next Saturday we are back in Chicago for the Guiness Oyster Fest and it should be incredible. Don't miss that show if you can help it. The band is really firing on all cylinders.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 09:30 PM

August 28, 2006
thank you

so....this has been a long time for me!!! posting that is....I hope I can convey to all the fans how greatful I/theband & crew are for all their support on this tour. From the "care packages", homemade dinners and just seeing familiar faces at several shows; thank you thank you thank you to infinity!!!! WOW. For fear of omitting people; I dont want to name names but you know who you are.....It is great to see all of you from show to show.....hopefully we do it again soon. This tour was a great success dammit. Please stick with us because it means alot to my spirits as it is a little wearing touring in a van and continuing the do it ourself work ethic. But it recharges me every night to get on stage and see all of you!!!! I really mean that. Hopefully, we can all see it through to become one hell of a Behind the Music underdog story.....At the beginning of the year, I really thought would we were finally getting our turn at bat...it did not happen and I wallowed for a couple of months wondering what now.....Well, as this tour progressed I figured out what now......A loyal fan base that enables us to continue to pursue our dream is whats now!!! Keep at it and we will do our part....you all really have inspired me once again! Thank you

Posted by billsawilchik at 01:07 AM

August 20, 2006
Great Tour - until.........

Wow, so everything has been going so great, and I feel like we have really been geneating a buzz, and creating new fans all over the country. That is usually a warning sign for me, cause when things are going so great, so flawless, something usually bad happens. And what do you know - it happened today. I have been in charge of the merch money and checks from the shows - basically I hold them until we deposit them - we haven't been able to deposit anything since the beginning of August because of horrible luck with the banks - Dan and I have been hunting for BOAs but it seems like they are always closed or they changed into a different bank etc. ANYWAY, I LEFT THE BINDER WITH EVERYTHING IN THE HOTEL ROOM. I realize it and we call the hotel right away - the manager runs in there, and can't see it. He then looks around for the housekeepers cause our room is sitll a mess, but they are gone. Not only out of our room, but they left work!!!!! They have security cameras, and you can see them going in, then leaving, going back in with a back, then walking out again with a black binder in their bag. THEY ARE CAUGHT ON FRICKIN TAPE!!!! Cops come, but the ladies are at their other job, and make up some lame excuse of why they can't come back right away. Cop looks at the footage, and then realizes that she knows these 2 scumbags, as she has dealt with them before. So now what? Well, since all the merch money was cash, that is ALL GONE. Most of the gig pay was checks, so we are praying that we can just get those cancelled and get new ones.

I honestly am stick to my frickin stomach - I feel like a complete butthead, and can't believe I let this happen. Although those two are the real assholes in all of this, I am responsible for leaving it there, and we honestly can't afford to lose that - basically 2 weeks down the drain. I think I am in the midst of a mental breakdown that is being fueled by hatred for my 2 new best friends - Karen and Delores. I cannot stress how much I HATE you 2 and wish you, your families, pets, friends, plants nothing but the most horrific pain you could imagine. People like you don't deserve to be a part of our society, and I know we will not get our money back, but I will get some satisfaction knowing that you will each get a felony. Hopefully I can be there in court to let you know how much you sicken me and that you have no right to take something that we have worked so hard for.......

-dK

Posted by dinokourelis at 08:33 PM

August 17, 2006
on the road

hey dudes! I know everyone has been waiting to hear from us on the road, but we have a pretty tight schedule, and it is hard to get a decent internet connection. ANYWAY, the tour has been going great and most shows have been pretty crazy. We honestly didn't expect it to go this well as we technically just picked markets that we have the least support in order to buid it up, etc and get some visibility. Everyone has been so great to us with all the food and gifts you have been bringing - honestly, that is such a grat help for us and keeps us somewhat sane. Being able to eat some real food every so often is great.

For those of you that feel like we are avoiding your towns, stay patient dudes, we'll get there!!! We would love to get overseas as well - we know there is a strong fan base there, and it is just getting bigger, so hopefully we can make that happen sooner than later.

I also want to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes, cards, gifts, etc. There are way too many to mention all, but thank you. I read every card, and was really touched by all of you. On a side note, today is Frankie's birthday. She is 1 - boy do I miss my bitch! I can say that cause she is a dog dudes - chill out with the censoring!!!!!

We have like 8 shows left on this leg, and I hope to see as many of you there as humanly possible. Don't forget that the band birthday bash is at Canopy, and I think we should extend it to Madison - what do you think?!?!?!? Might as well right, they are so close. So everyone get your asses to Canopy and Madison, and let's party. We have some surprises for those shows, starting with Bottle of Justus playing with us in Champaign. They are a great band that we have been playing with for years - you will love them - trust me.

Hammerjam - we found out one of our best buds Dan Darrah will be playing there with us in his band Hotel 45. I have known him since kidergarten dudes - you will love him... Call him "neutral man" he likes that. Tickets are running out for this, so get them now. I don't know how many are left, but Tara told me that they are running low, so don't miss out.

Building Steam - cd sales are starting to really climb dudes. People always ask me how this can happen without a huge marketing push from a label or tons of exposure, and my simple answer is fans/friends, grassroots. There is no better marketing tool than word of mouth. It is real, it is natural, and people make the choice rather than having some slick commercial telling them what they like or a radio station playing a song a million times forcing you to like it. This is real folks, and it is growing. Us being on the road helps get some visibility, but all of you having those cards, spreading the word on internet sites, and anything else you can think of is what makes the difference. Marty is known by millions, but millions don't know the cd is even out yet - that is where everyone comes in - just get those "CD in Stores now" cards and take them with you EVERYWHERE you go. Take them to concerts, grocery stores, libraries, doctors offices, bathrooms, psychics, dog groomers, anywhere you go take them, and leave a pile or pass them out. Seems simple huh? well it is. this isn't rocket science it is just rock! So the word for the week is "exposure" I may have to run across a tennis match naked with www.lovehammers.com written on my back - LOL

ok, lecture is over. I'll see your asses soon!

PS. I am tired, so please dont tell me that my posting has spelling and gramatical errors. I don't care, this isn't English class. Even if it was English class, I wouldn't care. I always hated English class.

-dK

Posted by dinokourelis at 09:33 AM

July 06, 2006
So Psyched!

The band is so pumped for the upcoming tour. We have a total of about 30 shows in all and the rest should be confirmed today. This leg is predominantly from the midwest out to the east coast and back. This is our first headlining tour and we have been working for the opportunity and it's great to see it happening. The second leg will be from the Midwest out to the west coast and that will take longer because of all the great cities we want to play in.

The video contest on martycasey.org is in the voting stage and I think everyone should log on and see the amazing fans put their talents to work. I was blown away by the creativity. The videos are from all different age groups and varying styles from video montages, picture montages, storylines to kid kereoke. Check em out.

This weekend is the Lovehammers annual trek up to Summerfest for a big nighttime show on the shores of Lake Michigan. We having been playing the fest for years. We started out doing the sidestage at noon and now we have a primetime slot on the mainstage. These shows are always killer. We get to hang out afterwards with all our friends and fans. That is the best part.

LA has been a great adventure and it was nice to come back to Chicago for the 4th of July. I do miss being home. Now I got my fill and am ready to travel again. I knew it was time to get out of LA when I attended the Sidekick 3 party at the Hollywood Paladium and saw just about every tabloid junkie strutting around TRYING to make a scene to get some attention. Paris, Nicole Ritchie, Snoop and Jessica Simpson each in a seperate corner posing it up for the cameras. I did talk with Travis Barker from Blink 182 and he was really laid back and cool. Talked about music and what was going on with our bands. Besides that conversation, nothing felt real. It felt like a strange dream. I knew it was time to get out of LA LA LAnd and get back to reality. Boom - Tour. Kicking off this leg of the tour will be a gig at the ROXY with Dave Navarro and Panic Channel. Someone told me that tickets were free at the MSN Rockstar site. I hope that is the case.

I finished another song with producer Staci Jones from American Hi-Fi and Veruca Salt. The tune is one of the best new ones and I can't wait to play it live. It's a soaring mid-tempo rock anthem. We had a blast writing it. I have also been writing with Mike Rocco for his bands (Plunge) new record. Marti Frederickson, Rocco, Suzi McNeal and myself sat down at around midnight, drank some wine and just put together ideas for a song. It turned out stellar. So much fun kicking back and writing. It is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. It's fun and you feel a great sense of accomplishment when you finish.

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for all your continued support. We miss seeing all of you and can't wait to get to put it on live 5 days a week. It's what we absolutely love to do.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 04:02 PM

June 26, 2006
Back from Florida

WOW, what a wild weekend! We went to Florida to guest judge the Miss Planet Beach Contest. Hard life right - LOL! Anyway, from the second we got there, Michelle and Jeanie from Planet Beach were unbelievable - everything was so organized and went so smoothly. After landing, we went to the radio station 94.3 and had an interview with Matt & Sara (the morning show). These two were hillarious, and I can see some really great things in their future - I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see them in a Major market really soon. We meet a LOT of radio hosts/personalities - some have that special 'it" factor, and some don't - these two definitely do.

Contest - this was probably the hardest part of the trip. I think all the girls were great, and it was hard for me to "judge" someone else - I am just not into that, so it was a little hard for me. I just did my best, tried to be as fair as possible, and tried to pick the girl that I thought would have the best chance of winning the National Finals in Vegas.

The best part of the weekend was going to this bar on Saturday night. We pull up and there are a bunch of people with their shirts off drinking in the parking lot, and just having a party out of their pick-up trucks. Of course when we walk by the cat calls start. I thought for sure we were going to get killed - I don't think they like dudes with long hair and makeup in those parts. Walking up to the front door of the bar, I see a horse tied up - literally 5 feet from the door. I ask this dude out there, what is witht he horse, and he says that the dude that owns it rides his horse to the bar, cause he lost his license from getting DUIs - CLASSIC! I took a picture and will put it up.

It was a great weekend, we met a ton of cool people - all the people from the town, the girls from Planet Beach, Michelle & Jeanie from Planet Beach, Jonathon from the New Orleans Planet Beach, and the list goes on and on. thank you all for being so hospitable to us, and we'll see you muthas really soon!

This week we'll be rehearsing for Pearl Room, and working on the set for our tour that will begin in July - OOPS, did I let that slip!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!? Tour dates will start appearing, and ticket info will not be far behind - get ready dudes, cause we are coming!!!!!!!

ROCK,

El Cid

Posted by dinokourelis at 10:55 AM

June 02, 2006
ROCK IT YEAH!!!!!

HOLY SHIT - if you are underage - HOLY SCHNIKEES!

It's been quite some time, so I will try and fill in the last month in a couple sentences. So my skin graft worked, so there is no longer a hole in my finger - YES!!!!! In the meantime, I have been rehabbing it, and getting the range of motion back, etc. I can't feel it, and it is still really sensitive, but much better than what it could have been. First show back ws Memphis - I had one practice with the guys right after the pins were taken out of my finger, so that kind of sucked. The show was great though, and nothing a vicodin couldn't take care of. Buckcherry is one of my fav bands, so it was cool to see them play, we have a history with Puddle of Mudd, so it was good to play with them again.

Since I really couldn't do much with my hand being messed up, I was getting efficient in Pro Tools, which is the software we record in. I am happy to say that I have gotten pretty good at in in a short amount of time, and now with my hand better I can start doing more recording, and less learning. Since there is so much stuff going on with the band, we are usually scattered, which makes it hard to bounce ideas off each other - now with this new tool we have, it is a matter of recording it, and e-mailing it to someone. Billy and I are usually in Chicago, so between us, we can get a good amount of material down. We got some really good stuff, and I can't wait to see them grow and become better, eventually letting you guys tell us what you think. Anyway, that brings us up to last weekend.

VH1 Rock Honors - it was great to do the red carpet thing again - always a fun time, and most people are pretty cool to us at these things. It was wild to be hanging with all these heroes of ours, and different actors/actresses on TV. I cant say I knew all of their names, but I definitely knew face. With that being said, I renamed them all dude and darlin. It was cool to hang at the after party with Slash and Tommy too. We ended up going to another bar with them Tao - if you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be in a limo going to a bar with Slash, Tommy Lee, Bob, and Marty, I would have said you were crazy. So we get to the bar, and it is a little hazy after that - I know I was there, cause Jamie Pressley (who's table was next to ours) and I were mixing drinks. Anyway, that was a great night, ran into some old friends, made some new ones, and just had a great time. For the record, I thought Jeremy looked great - if anything he was more tame than usual - I know cause I have stuck up his hair and put his makeup on more times than I can count - LOL

I ended up staying in Vegas until Monday. I think I must have some sort of voodoo curse on me or something, cause at least one person died at the pool on Sunday, I am pretty sure I saw someone died at the pool on Monday, someone died on the plane flying home on Tuesday, and someone died in Kims condo building this week too. With that being said, noboy better f*ck with me, cause I can handle you in a variety of ways!

Back to doctor on Thursday - my finger seems to be getting good motion back (i never stop doing the excersises). Unfortunately, doing these excersies non-stop and playing bass everyday for hours to get the feel back for my fingers caused me to get carpal tunnel (sp?). I just started laughing when the doctor told me....

Thank You - I wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for what you did for me. It is something I will never forget, and want to let you know how important it was to me to have that. I had to part with it because of my finger, etc. I love all of you for your assistance, and look forward to using that gift to entertain you for many years.

Ok, back to Pro Tools for me, I just came up with an idea for a country song!

Posted by dinokourelis at 05:13 PM

June 01, 2006
LA SUMMERTIME

Bob and I drove out from Chicago on a three day trek and it was a cool ride. When we arrived we headed over to the ASCAP Pop Music Awards being held poolside at the Bevery Hills Hilton. A friend of mine, Carolina (Tactics), got us an invite to the event and even managed to get our blue jean wearing asses into the black tie event. I met up with a few of the producers I have been working with over the past few weeks (Mitch Allan and his beautiful gfriend Kelly Hu, Jeff Trott and Dennis from Sugarcult. Mitch won an award for most played rock song (1985). A big congrats to him for writing such a killer song. Kenny introduced me to the guys in Green Day, Switchfoot and Papa Roach. Kenny is the nicest guy on the planet (next to Mig Ayesa) and was so cool to bring us over to meet some of the bands that I really admire. We hung out and met some Hip Hop artists and industry big wigs. Then we sat down in the main ballroom for the big event of the evening... Annie Lennox was being honored with the ASCAP lifetime achievement award and she gave a speech about the power of music and then performed two songs. She did a piano version of "Sisters are Doin it For Themselves" and then knocked everyone over with a simple version of "Why". This last song blew my mind. I have never seen an artist perform like her. She amazed every peoson in the room. I will never forget that song and her emotive performance. Another highlight of the evening was the speech by Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day. At the end of his speach he said "I guess this is the point in the speech where I am supposed to say F**K George Bush, But I think he has allready f'd himself enough". The crown let out a roar. His is a punk. I love it.

The next morning Bob and I drove up to Topenga Canyon near Malibu to go on a four hour hike. It was a perfect day cause it wasn't to hot and we cruised up to the top of the mountian. We hang out at the peak for awhile and bumped into Taylor Hawkins on the way down. He was struggeling to get his bike up the the peak. A minute later Bob and I are flying down the trail and I looked up and saw an amazing cactus that I hadn't noticed on the way up. I said "Wow! Check this out." Bob did not know what I was reffering to and he looking to the ground and about 1 foot in front of him was a rattle snake curled up, ratteling it's tail and with its fangs out. Bob jumped about three feet in the air and took off in the other direction. I think the snake was sunning itself and lying stretched out until I unknowingly stepped over it or on it and by the time Bob came up to it, the rattlesnake was curled up and ready to lunge. We got to the base of the mountian and asked a ranger about the snakes. He said it was poisionous but not deadly. He said you would have had plenty of time to make it to the emergency room before the poision killed you. We were definitly freaked out for sure.

We headed to the VH1 Rock Honors on Thursday. Billy could not make it so we brough Jeremy. He was so psyched to get to go. We arrived in a limo and walked the black carpet. We felt like such badasses getting to attend this event. Our connection is that Doc McGhee manages KISS and we were there in support of them. We watched the show with the guys from FUEL, Godsmack and White Star. We were all blown away by the performances. I wanted to be up there performing so bad. All the lights kicking and the sound blew your head off. After the show we hit the post party at the House of Blues and met up with Doc and Scott McGhee. A guy from Sanctuary Management grabbed me and said there was somebody that would like to meet me. He didn't say who but I went through a maze of doors and hallways and security posts and went in a moroccan style room at the back of the lounge and saw Tommy Lee and Slash were sitting there. We were introduced and talked about Season 2 of Rockstar and hang out. Tommy was tired of the House of Blues so he asked us all to go to another club with him. We made our was to Tao (I think that's what it is called). We got escorted to a VIP table in the middle of the dance floor. Tommy and Slash definitely get the rockstar treatment. Every head in the place (Thousands Literally) we turned as those dudes walked by. It was wild to be a part of it. Bob and Dino were there and we all looked at eachother and said wow, this is insane. It was like Slash and Tommy were a silver screen movie and the whole place just stared at them. Really wild. Slash and I talked about Vegas and the Rock Honors show performance and eventually we all headed back to the House Of Blues Foundation Room.

I was slated to leave the next morning but decided to stay one more night. We headed over to the Hard Rock and I went to that awesome pool for the first time. We hung out for about 5 hours and then off to the Rinbow for some of the best pizza and calamari. The owners of the Vegas Raainbow Club gave us a private tour of all of the rock and roll memorabilia that the Greenburg family has acquired. Stuff dating back to Led Zeppelin hanging out at Raainbor, Guns and Roses, Elton John, Cheech and Chong, The Who, etc, etc. I love R&R memoribilia and hang out there for a long time in amazement.

On Monday I headed to the W Hotel for their annual poolside Memorial Day event. It was all Hollywood in effect. Everyone was in their $1,000 bikini's drinking $25 margarita's and $500 bottles of champaign. I was just hanging out and soaking it all in. The vibe was so ridiculous and might have been the best people watching on earth. You got Mike Tyson in a cabana with three girls giving him a back rub, Mischa Barton being stalked by the papparazzi for pictures, and every other B-Lister clammoring for attention. I left the pool after watching the freak show and headed with some friends to a sunset BBQ in a Beverly Hills estate. I felt like an alien in an alternate universe. LA is crazy like that. I think of it as like Disney Land. Fun to hang out at once in a while and see the sights, experience the ride. There are alot of fun things to do here but you got to have some work ethic and self control to make the dream turn reality. I figured that LA is full of dreamers and New York and Chicago is full of workers. You have to work hard to make things happen. Nothing comes for free in this town. Well, maybe a margarita or two.

This week I am back working in LA hanging out with Doc McGhee and putting together a budget for the tour dates that could start as early as July. We also discussed a ton of other possibilities for the band. And who knows, we might even be opening for KISS one day. That would be insane. I think I am going to start practicing breathing fire and flying across the stage from tightropes.

I am back writing songs with Marti Fredrickson, Mitch, Kenny, Dennis and Jeff. This is the funnest thing of all. Getting one step closer to another album full of material. I feel most fullfilled when I finish the day knowing I worked my ass off. I had a great memorial day and now it's time to get back to work.

Laters,

Marty

Posted by martycasey at 04:38 PM

May 19, 2006
Hey from LA

Well, Well, Well. It had been awhile since I blogged. Got lots to catch up on.

We had a great time doing the acoustic shows at Best Buy last month. It was great to get the all-agers out there to experience the shows. I felt like a Beatle with all the high-pitched screaming going on. The meet n greets were also cool. I can't believe that fans flew in from all over the country to see the acoustic shows. We love that. This dedication blows our minds.

The trip down to Memphis was wild. We had a blast making the trip. The first night T-Bone suggested we eat at a famous BBQ place that was in the basement of some building on a dark alley. The food was increadible and we met alot of fans that were there for the Memphis in May Fest. Later that night we hit Beale Street met up with some of the guys from Staind's crue. For some reason they bought all of our drinks all night and paid all the cover charges. We didn't know why but we went along for the ride.

The Fest of Friday was great. We opened up the fest and had a good show. I was so psyched to see all of the familiar faces in the audience that I had to venture out into the crowd a few times. We hang-out with Buckcherry, Egypt Central and Puddle of Mud later in the evening and caught their sets. 3 6 Mafia was insane. Hometown show with 10,000 dancing along to their songs. It was incredible to watch.

Bob walked up to me the next morning and showed me the cover of the Memphis Newspaper with me hanging upside down on the front page. I was psyched. Cool thing was that Dino, Randy, Dan and T-Bone also got me copies. Our crew rocks, they are always looking out for me.

I flew to Los Angeles after Memphis and had meeting with management and played a really special show. Ben Stiller called me up and said that his wife Christine Taylor was a big fan. Ben wanted to surprise her for their anniversary and have me play a secret show in their living room. We set-it-up and I showed up at their home in the Hollywood Hills about 9:00 pm. Ben was waiting for me and we talked about how we were gonna surprise her. He went and got her and she walked in without a clue and was totally freaked when she walked around the corner and saw me. She was so cute and had fun with the situation. We sat around for awhile and talked and drank some wine. Eventually I played a couple of songs for the two of them and had some more conversation and then I took off. I must say that of all the things I have done since the show, that was definitely one of the funnest, craziest ever. Loved it!

I flew back to Chicago on Friday and checked out a flamenco guitarist named Benese. He is also signed to McGhee Entertainment. The show was killer and the dancers were incredible. Billy and Dino met me there and I brought my friend Renatta cause she is a huge fan of live dance shows. We met Benese and talked with the dancers after the show and then headed out for some drinks.

Saturday I hosted a music event at Harrah's Casino outside of Chicago. I never hosted anything like this before. I was the MC and introduced bands and stuff. The best part was getting the chance to meet the bands and fans and hang out with my brother and some old friends from my childhood. It was great to see Jason and Randy from back in the day. Dino made an appearance and I am happy to report he is feeling great and is finger is gonna be ok. About two weeks ago there was talk like he was gonna lose his middle finger. It's hard to road rage without a middle finger.

Bob and I are back in LA and just got invited to attend the VH1 Rock Ceremony for KISS, Def Leppard and others in Vegas next weekend. I have never gotten to see KISS perform and I am looking forward to all the pyro and blood spitting. Shoud be intense.

There are more and more dates being posted each day and I am happy we are making our way across the country. We have been offered a string of dates at clubs starting in a few weeks and I think we are gonna do it. We like the venues and are itching to get back in front of the fans.

We have been working of lots of material for future recordings and I really like the direction and sound. Definitely differerent than before and pushing to greater depths musically. Also, on a funny note, Marti Fredrickson and I wrote and puck-rock Christmas song. I called him and said, Hey Dude, let's write a Christmas song. He said why not, come on over. We sat down and wrote the entire thing in an hour and then laid the track down. It turned out phenominal. Always wanted to write a Christmas song. We are pitching it to Holiday movies and televission shows. Ya Neva Know!

Can't wait to see you all. It had been to long. Thanks for staying in touch and dropping those great emails and posts. It keeps me going knowing that so many are listening.

I want everyone to check out the MCLH video contest of martycasey.org. Cindy and Amy have worked really hard getting the contest together. It will be so cool to see what everyone comes up with. Washburn has donated some really nice guitars as prizes and I want to throw and special show out to them and say thanks.

I will be doing another interview with Laurie on the Sisterhood page next week and they should have that up in a week or so. Stay Tuned. Those interviews are always fun

I know the street teamers have been busting ass getting the word out about the record and the band. This has really worked wonders for our weekly sales. We have maintained really strong record sales since the release. It turns out that the stores are running low on product because of the demand. I love that!

Mia in Manilla has pushed "Trees" to nunber one on K-Lite radio station and has us getting spins on three other stations also. She is kicking so much butt out there that we can hardly keep up with all of the interviews, reviews and magazine spreads she has made happen. Thanks for all you hard work Mia. You Rock!

I will see everyone very soon.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 02:54 PM

May 08, 2006
Back in Chicago

Hello my crazy maniac friends!! We made it back to Chicago after a long drive yesterday evening. Thank God for gas and piss breaks or I would have gone crazy!!
Memphis was a great time, cool city. I'm glad we got to do a full on set again (obviously been a while), and even more glad to see LH fans down in the South! It is so cool to see the support so many of you have given our band. LH headquarters set up down in Memphis for a place for fans to meet, hang, drink and help distribute our flyers, stickers etc??? THAT IS AWESOME!!! If we had any time during the day we would have come by, but waiting for setup, running back to hotel to shower and coming back for soundcheck all before 6pm, didn't leave much time for anything else. So for all those who made it to Memphis and those who keep spreading the word on Lovehammers - street teamers, mods on the message boards or people who ever mentioned our band to a friend or 10 - I can't thank you enough!!
After the show, it was cool to hang for a bit and take some some pictures. Glad to see some familiar faces as well as new ones. Hopefully, soon, we can have some drinks together. Cameron, I owe you a drumstick buddy! Rockbeast, well, party on dude. Doc, was distracted and obviously didn't get the shoulders worked on-what can I say other than I'm an idiot.
OK, so it's Saturday morning, day after the show, and not feeling 100%, due to the Friday night "celebration". Dino and I, still wearing the same clothes from the night before, hair pointing in every direction and smelling like a brewery, throw on some sunglasses and decide to get breakfast. The waitress asks if we'd like the paper to read. Not being in the mood for anything other than some omelettes and pancakes, I pass, but out of the corner of my eye, I notice a photo. I tell the waitress to bring the paper over and realize it's a picture of our crazy ass singer hanging upside down! As I take a closer look, it's not only a photo, the son of a bitch made the cover of the Memphis paper!!! There he is, in all his glory for everyone in Memphis to see. Pretty damn cool!!
So anyway, many of you are asking....what is next??? We currently have some shows booked and waiting to line up a tour. As soon as we find out, we'll let everyone know. Other than that, it's all I got. Till next time, keep your asses safe and stay out of trouble. I'll try and do the same.

Bobby

Posted by bobbykourelis at 10:41 AM

April 27, 2006
Just another manic surgery

2 surgeries in a month - not bad huh?!?! Well, I have to admit, i got into a bit of depression, and felt sorry for myself. After those 2 minutes were up, I punched myself in the face and said, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" It is so easy to give up hope and fall into a trap of self pity. The hard part is to realize that being negative or losing faith, or giving up will NEVER give you the results you desire. The bigger the problem or road block, that harder you have to push on the gas pedal and go through that motherfucker (sorry for my language). I don't believe in giving up - never have - never will.

Example - people complain that their favorite radio station isn't playing Trees. You call a few times, they don't play it and give up. The trick is to not give up - rather introduce all your friends to the song. If they like it, they will call too - pretty soon everyone that listens to the station is calling for it - get it? You don't give up - you just work harder - make a difference - start your own revolution.

My example - my hand doesn't heel. I say, screw it, get in there and fix my nerves. Nerves are thrashed in my finger, and can't be fixed - we then say we'll grab some nerves from my arm. Skin was thrashed too bad and won't grow back leaving a wound - we then go back, grab skin from my stomach and put it on my finger - and here we are now. What if the skin graft didn't work, then I'll take skin from my ass - if that doesn't work, I'll take skin from Frankie - if that doesn't work, I'll take leather from a couch - I don't care, I won't give up - get it?

WHAT'S NEW YOU ASK!?!? We CANNOT WAIT to get on the road again! We will be doing a couple shows, Best Buy/Memphis, but are planning a Tour, so hold tight - we want to come everywhere. You guys keep spreading the word, and we'll make it to your city. We may be on a major label, but we are a Indie band, and need you to make this thing happen - grassroots style!

Favorite new song - Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry and Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson. Speaking of American Idol, did you guys see that Pickler got kicked off - what a crock of poo poo. GO TAYLOR!!!!!!!!!!

oh, and last but not least, I got a card from Mr. & Mrs. Casey today - made my day, and I swear it made the pain go away in my hand for a good 6 hours - take that vicodin!

Posted by dinokourelis at 08:27 PM

April 19, 2006
Perfect Timing: Back in Chicago

Tomorrow I jet back to Chicago and leave my killer Lower East Side apartment behind. I had a blast in NYC. I hung-out with friends, made some new ones, wrote and recorded some tunes and saw alot of bands. I had a few meetings with Sony/Epic and discussed some plans for the spring/summer.

We have been working on the tour every-single-day and are trying to get things 100% confirmed before we make any announcements. This downtime has been great and we are now so ready to get back into action.

Dino has been a real trouper in dealing with the constant pain in his hand. I believe he is back under the knife as I write this blog trying to get his finger put back together. Being a bass player it is so very important to have full feeling throughout his fingers and hand. His doctor is one of the best and it will just take some time for him to fully heal and not be playing with his middle finger flicking everyone the bird. I actually think it is a good look for him.

We have some performances coming up in the next few weekends for Best Buy. I don't have much info at the moment but whether it be electric or acoustic it will be cool. I kinda hope one of the performances is acoustic cause I feel like playing the guitar with the band.

This is definitely my favorite time of year. I always feel like I make my best power moves around this time. Something about the weather that kicks me into gear and helps me figure out the plan for the year. Time of renewal, time for change.

Oh Yea, the car I won on the show is finally on its way to Chicago. It took Honda 6 months but I don't care cause it is finally here. Mig has been calling me up and telling me how much he loves the car. He says it talks to him. I don't know if it actually does or if he is just going crazy but I can't wait to find out.

Hope to see some of you at this weekends performance and we are definitly psyched about Memphis!

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 12:28 PM

March 30, 2006
I'm back

Wow, it has been a long time huh? Well the first leg of the tour has ended for 2 weeks now, and we are gearing up to hit it again. With the time off, I was able to have surgery and repair my finger. Turns out it was much worse than expected, so they had to pull nerves out of my arm, and put them in my finger - pretty cool huh? God bless science! I pretty much knew I was messed up worse than what I was oriinally told, but I was trying to gut it out and not be a problem on the tour. I was detemined to make that first leg as successful and drama free as possible, and I think we accomplished that.

It was great to pop our cherry with INXS. They were great to us, and treated us very good. Everyone from the band to the first tech was very helpful and comforting. I am also really proud of the guys and crew in our band. Everyone worked their asses off, and I think we made a little noise out there on the road. Ted kept us in check, Brian made us sound good, Sean got us to every show in one piece, Dan and Randy made sure everything worked, and that let us just rock. I was most flattered when some pretty big time musicians would come up to us after our set and thought that we were playing with backing tracks or hidden musicians, etc. I would tell them it was only us 4 and they wouldn't believe it - literally calling me a liar - LOL. There is nothing wrong with doing that as 95% of bands out there do it, but we just didn't for this tour. That makes me feel like we did a decent job.

Ok, so besides surgery, I have been working on new songs and trying to get as familiar as possible with new recording software. IK mulimedia has been great to us and continues to send me different toys. I can't really play guitar with my hand messed up, but I can still put some basic ideas down, and plan to sit with the guys and record a bunch of stuff. I love watching songs develop - it is like a baby growing up, or if you want to go the other route, it is like a stripper getting naked - every so often she takes another article off, then another, it keeps getting better and better, then FINALLY it is done - shes naked. Now on to the next stripper (song). On second thought, that didn't make much sense.

Mig - One of the best people I have ever met. I now call him Saint Mig. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend time with Paula. You helped fill her last few days with joy and happiness. I will never forget what you did, and want you to know that we are here for you always.

Paula - I wasn't going to address this, cause I start to break down when I think of her, BUT I thought I should say something. Paula was/is someone very special to me. People like her really don't exist anymore - she was the most selfless person I have ever met. Her main goal was to comfort those around her and never thought about herself first. As she was getting more and more ill she would pull me to the side and apologize for being a burden. SHE SAID SHE WAS SORRY FOR GETTING SICK AND MAKING US WORRY AND TAKE CARE OF HER - ARE YOU FRICKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?

Paula was always my rock - someone I could talk to about anything and know that she would be there for me to listen or give advice when needed. She fed us when we had no money for food, let us stay at her place when we couldn't afford to pay our energy bills, and always welcomed all of our friends. I remember Jeremy and Bambino coming to visit one time from LA. They got to our place before we were home. We finally get home, and those guys walk in giggling. We ask them where they were, and they say Paula's. I am like, "you know Paula?" They say, "now we do" Paula saw them waiting outside in the cold, got worried, and invited them to her house and fed them. Later that night, they got lost, but for some reason remembered where Paula lived so they knocked on her door at 4:00 AM asking for a place to crash. Paula's answer, "Of course!" That is classic Paula - being so kind to complete srangers with tatoos all over their bodies because they were our friends.

Not only was Paula a great friend, but a dedicated mother. She had lost her husband to cancer and was raising her daughter alone. We talked about how difficult that was, and I aways told her how much I respected her for that, and how Sam would grow up to be a beautiful smart woman because of the unconditional love Paula showed.

OK, I think I am all over the place with this, so I should end it. Basically, Paula was one of my best friends, and a better person than I can even dream of being. I love you Paula, and I thank God everday that I met you and we had become so close over the years. You taught me so much and were there for me everytime I needed you... I'll never forget you!

-dK

Posted by dinokourelis at 09:03 AM

March 29, 2006
Paula Will Be Missed

We are all saddened by the loss of Paula earier this week. She was so good to the band over the years and helped us all immensely. She fed us, housed us wehn we had no place to sleep or got locked out, she listened to us when we wanted to talk things through, she helped set-up the Hammerhouse parties and would then hang out with us all night long and become friends with everyone at the party.

The band really appreciates all of the cards-flowers-thoughts & prayers that were sent her way over the past few weeks. Paula's face would light up when each new card or boquet arrived. She got one of her biggest smiles when we flew Mig Ayeas into Chicago to spend the afternoon with her. She was so happy to see him. She was acting like a teenager with a big crush! I want to thank Mig for taking an entire day out of his busy schedule to make Paula's dream come true.

We are scheduling dates for a spring tour as we speak. Everyone is excited about getting out on the road and playing EVERYWHERE. I think that once we get the tour rolling we are gonna stay out on the road for the rest of the year. We have so many places to hit and the only way to accomplish that is to go go non-stop.

I have written some killer new tunes and enjoyed my stay in NYC and a bit of time in Florida. Now we are off to Chicago and then LA. It's strange but I am getting so used to moving around all the time that I get freaked out when I have to sit still for a second. I like being extremely busy.

I got spring fever in my veins and can't wait to get to get on the road.

Marty Casey

Posted by martycasey at 10:41 AM

March 28, 2006
Sad Day in LA

As many of you know, I, we lost a very special person in our life. Our friend Paula passed away yesterday morning.

To those of you who sent cards and flowers, you really helped lift her spirits, made her last days as pleasant as possible and we really appreciate it.

She was definitely a one-of-a-kind woman, funny and crazy. For those of you who may have met her, you know exactly what I mean.

I'll miss her, but I'm glad I was able to know such a wonderful lady.

Posted by bobbykourelis at 05:47 PM

March 24, 2006
waiting for spring

hello, hope everyone is well. I love the rumours I hear about what we are up to. It would be great to just once catch the person that started one of the rumours. I always wonder how they start. Anyways, Waiting on a tour, Waiting to hear word on the video as well. Waiting for Spring......just waiting......look for that lyric on our bext album.....I guess I would just ask that eveyone keep the momentum going with radio, internet, etc. It reallly matters. We are doing good with the VH1 live set. Getting alot of hits...push it to #1...I know you all can do it!!! Hopefully, I will have some good, concrete plans next time I check in. Hopefully that's soon!!!! Just waiting...........

Posted by billsawilchik at 05:54 PM

March 15, 2006
back home

hello once again....So, I am officially off tour now and at home. I think the word to describe my feeling is unsettling. Throughout our bands career I have always managed to keep my job and that was sort of an anchor for me. Well, I left that job on 1/6/06. It was an easy transition b/c I had vacation pay to cover me for awhile and I/we were very busy preparing for the upcoming tour. Welp. I am home now and want to get back doing something. Alot of things are out there on the horizon but its wierd tight now not having a daily routine.
I know...boo-hoo. It's not my intention to whine. Just sharing with ya'll where my head is at.

Let's see the tour in review/highlights:
Arriving in Vancouver with a gaggle(new word I learned from Ted the tour mngr.) of fans to greet us. Meanwhile, customs "hassled" some of the guys. More so than I have seen as I have had my share of incidents. Vancouver was exciting as we had alot of interviews and alot of VIP's at the show. It was great to finally meet INXS formally as they came to our dressing room to wish us well on the tour! We also had the honor of meeting Mark Burnett and his family. It really was an honor to meet such an iconic person and have him be so genuine & down to earth(family included).

LA...Gibson Ampitheatre:
Another great show. The venue was awesome and ther were alot of cool people there as well. Hell, its LA!...I just felt very rockstarish that day b/c of the people & surroundings. The Viper Room really was the icing on the cake as we caravanned over there after the Gibson show to a crazy show...,..It was chaotic b/c of the crowd/excitement/& history of the venue. Scott Weiland was there!!! Some fan stole my glasses off the stage...u know who u are! Return them. They were not cheap!

Vegas, Mandalay Bay:
Awesome show. Biggest crowd of the tour and vegas accomodations! Alot of Marty's cohorts from the show were there and it really out things into perspective of just how lucky we were to be on this ride. The show went off great and we partied at The House Of Blues and the Madaly center bar after the show only to be whisked off at 2:00am by our tour mngr. in his ultimate wisdom. It was a long drive to Denver thru the mountains and the weather can be unpredictable. So we left early.

Denver:
Show was cool....we got the word that the next 3 shows were cancelled. So we raced home. OUr driver gets big props for going all the way non stop! What a cyborg!

Chicago, Joes on Weed Street:
So, we planned a last minute show b/c we had some time to kill. We sold it out in minutes with one days laed time!!! What a feeling! The show was crazy and very gratifying to come to your home town in the bus to alot of your freinds. I was very proud of the 4 of us just thinking back on all we had been through but kept going. Acouple days later, we did an acoustic show at the Virgin Mega store downtown and signed Cd's and met fans. That was cool for me b/c my kids were there and they got an idea of what daddy is out there doing while he is away! Lastly, the Chicago Theatre was the capstone on the "homecoming" experience. The four of us all had our famlies there which was cool for them to see our routine, the bus, and what it's all about. Again, my kids were there to boot! I could not beleive they sat still hiding behind the side monitor the whole show just 10 feet from me. I was waiting/expecting Luc to start wandering around at some point out of restlessness(hopefully not on stage). All went smooth!!!

Toronto, Massey Hall

This show was cool b/c; shit! it's in another country dammit! No, but seriously, we got to visit the Sony office while there and do a bunch of interviews. Being a Johnny Cash fan, it was pretty cool to play the venue where he proposed to June Carter. It was also nice b/x we had a couple of days there so we got to see some of the city.

Atlantic City, Borgata

This was memorable b/c the accomodations were great and we had access to free food 24hrs a day. There was also alot to do after the show b/c we were at a Vegas style casino so we partied all night only to be greeted by the most intense blizzard I have ever seen. I think I sent the video to the tour diary section? Somehow, we drove thru the blizzard to NY and found out the show was cancelled b/c of the weather. Bummer! But, NY is a great place to be if u have some time to kill.

Norfolk, Charlotte, Atlanta

I have lumped these together b/c they were great for the same reason...the crowds were "off the hook! YO!" Additionally, we were in warm weather and that was a nice change. Lastly, this was a cool point in the tour b/c everyone on the tour was coming out of their shells and I got to know a lot of interesting people as a result. 3 people in particulair were Tony(INXS security dude), WendiSue & Melodi...the background singers for INXS. I really had a great time hanging with em' from the point of the tour on!!! I am still keeping in touch with them.

Boca Raton, FL

This show was cool b/c first...me & Jeremy(our merch guy) found some authentic Mexican food which I had been craving b/c Mr. Muchy, Jeremy, was always talking about Taaaco Bell(Taaaaco was how he annunciated the word & I always got a kick out of it). Second, it was an outdoor venue. How cool is it to be able to play outside in February? We had a soecial guest show up....Mr. Tony Larussa! A legendary baseball coach. He was more excited to meet us than we were him, I think? He brought some kick ass Cardinals swag and invited to be his guests at Spring Training the next day! Un fortunately, we had to leave that night for Nashville, TN. That was our layover stop on the long drive to St. Charles, MO.

Minneapolis, MN

The last show!!! A bittersweet day. We spent the day taking pics and exchanging emails, phone #'s etc. You know the drill. Me and Bob went to lunch with WediSue & Melodie on their dime....thaqnk you ladies. So, last show and all...it is customary for the bands to mess with each other during their shows. We had a code word if anyone saw the prank coming....."Muskrat". Welp....Kirk came out in a janitors uniform and proceeded to walk across the stage sweeping as we played. Andrew was sidestage taping the whole thing.....so, I shot hime the moon. It made for a really fun vibe on stage instead somber. that night Andrew invited us to their hotel lobby for drinks after the show. We had a blast just getting to hang out with one another as we did not have much time during the tour b/c we were on opposite schedules. It was a nice way to close out a great chapter in all of our lives.

I wish them the best and feel that they will be around for the long run. The next tour will be a hard act to follow b/c of the beautiful venues we played and the plush accomodations. They were way more generous than most headlining acts.....A special thanks to them. I think that's it for now. This took me an hour to write!!! I hope it reads alot faster......thank you everyone for making this ride a blast. Hopefully, it's just the beginning of a happy/successful career for me and my best friends!!! See you sOon.

Billy...............OUT!

Posted by billsawilchik at 12:46 AM

March 14, 2006
Now What?!?!?

I know it's been a while, but it's the life of a nomad. I'm actually using Dan's computer since my trusty Treo sucks ass. I gotta buy a computer this week for sure!!

Just getting back to normal mentally after tour and one hell of a Vegas weekend - my liver may need a few more weeks.

Recap - last show of the tour, we have a brief meeting with INXS, exchange thank you's, good luck etc...then, it begins settling in - this is it! Holy crap, that went by fast. I'm glad we got the opportunity to do the tour and meet/hang with them and their crew - really good guys.

All in all, it was a great ride. I was proud of our band for trying our hardest to kick ass night after night. Having a great crew on the road with us (Ted, Dan, Randy, Jeremy and Brian), made it much easier.

Thanks to all the new