Richard Dean Wilson Jr, - Musician, Philly Native

New band, first show!!

2011-11-04T02:39:00.000-04:00

2ndorder - Live @ The Rusty Nail, Ardmore PA

Friday November 11th, 2011 @ 9pm

here's the kind of thing you can expect to hear.

<a href="http://2ndorder.bandcamp.com/track/red-king-crimson-cover-live">Red - (King Crimson cover - 'live') by 2ndOrder</a>

I been rockin since before i can remember.

2011-06-21T17:44:00.001-04:00

From my KIN

Updates!

2011-06-17T19:43:00.001-04:00

Been doing some housekeeping around the site lately. Changed some of the pictures in the "bands" section, re-did the overall design and layout, and added the "Photos" page that is currently running a slideshow of my lovely wife Kat's photos of me playing with my previous band, Nerd Parade, during our first year - 2007.

More updates coming soon!

I am home!!

2011-06-16T19:52:00.000-04:00

So, during the second week of April, the family and I arrived at our new home in Trevose PA, which is about 20 miles north and east of downtown Philly. Well, I personally could not be happier to be back near the town that I came from in the first place, and am even happier to be surrounded by much of the family that I've been away from since I left behind about 20 years ago. In a word - thankful.

Pictured above is our lovely home, the morning after we arrived. The time since has been filled with family holidays, bbq's, birthday, graduation, bachelor, and all types of parties in between.

Other than that, just been soaking up the Philly. Eating cheesesteaks and Tastycakes until I explode, heading out for the occasional water-ice, and just catching up with my hometown in general. Music has been slow to get started, but... all in due time.

(pictured - my new basement music workshop)

(they knocked down the Philly Spectrum - how lame!)

(It's all about the family, friends, and the parties)

(I love taking in a Phillies game with a cold one.)

So - that's all for now! I'll be back with more updates soon, including news about an exciting "concert blog" that I will be launching to chronicle my concert going experiences. I hope to make it as great as I can, with pictures, videos, setlists, and whatever cool stories I have from the shows. First up on the horizon I have Soundgarden in July, and Queensryche in August coming to the Philadelphia area. Can't wait!

See ya!

Thanks Atlanta, it's been fun, but I think I'll go home now.

2011-03-03T13:01:00.000-05:00

I am going home...

I moved from the Philadelphia / South Jersey area when i was 14 years old, after having spent about 90 percent of my life there. I was none too pleased about it when it happened, but eventually, grudgingly got used to it, and made several friends that I kept until this very day.

Also of important note is that over the last 2 years or so I have reconnected with a few dozen relatives who I had not seen since 1984 - but that's another story. But I am looking forward to spending more time with my family.

Black Sabbath tribute - Smyrna GA

2010-12-22T12:11:00.000-05:00

I played Black Sabbath's "Hand of Doom", "Hole in the Sky", and "War Pigs" with some super-talented musicians at a great tribute night at Bella's Pizzeria in Smyrna GA. It was a really cool place with great food, a nice stage, and good sound and lights. I'd be happy to go back and jam there anytime.

Also - there may be more possible heavy cover song action coming from the quartet pictured above. I'm hoping so, as this came together very easily, and everyone did a great job!

Thoughts for the day...

2010-08-23T13:36:00.000-04:00

inspired by a song, the lyrics of which right true...

Used to be a time, we held the world.
Wrapped it round our fingertips, laughing at what others missed.
Some day, yesterday, the magic we felt went away.
"Grow up." Somebody said, would you tell me where it's gone?
So I can go find it now, I can't live your way.
Go ahead without me, I'll find my own way......

taken from the song "Some People Fly" by Queensryche.

new band, first show, that is all...

2010-08-16T23:19:00.001-04:00

also - we are performing at the wonderful Five Spot in Atlanta on Weds. September 1st. Click the shows link above for details!!

Mad updates...

2010-07-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

Been overhauling the blog / site today. It's still a work in progress, but lot's of content - current and historical are on the way!!

Thank you very kindly, good night.

2010-07-20T15:14:00.008-04:00

On July 3rd, I was informed by the remaining members of Nerd Parade that they no longer desired to have me as the bassist for the band. I was at first very angry, then a little bit sad, then angry again. As the time went by I found myself less concerned with it every day.

Why did it happen? That's entirely personal. Certainly rumors will be floated about the hows and whys of the whole situation. Just remember, there are two sides to every story, and then there is the truth.

I am thankful for the experiences that I had between December of 2006, when I joined the band, and July of 2010. I was able to contribute some to the band's debut album, fully participate in the making of the second album, and contributed to the songwriting phase of, and played the initial bass tracks for the band's new album. In addition, I performed with the band over 100 times over the last 3 and 1/2 years.

Thanks to everyone that ever came out and gave me feedback at all those shows, good or bad - I appreciate every bit of it, especially the really honest folks out there.

So what now?? I'm looking into a few different musical projects already, working on more of my own new music than I have since 2006, and just living like a normal person again, instead of fighting someone else's uphill battle for a change. I have no doubt many cool things are on the horizon.

A final thought on Nerd Parade. It occurred to me that there was no reason to be sad over it, so none of you should either. The band that I loved and cared for very much, that I know many of you loved very much, had already been gone for a while now. Taken apart piece by piece.

This is how I will chose to remember Nerd Parade, 2007-2009.

Tour Pic: Pittsburgh Walkabout

2010-05-14T15:06:00.003-04:00

Been a long time... / Nerd Parade Tour Blog 2010

2010-05-07T23:16:00.002-04:00

So - it's been a while since I've posted anything at all on this here blog. Since then, lots of things have happened. My band, Nerd Parade, has become a power trio and is in the very last days of completing it's third full length studio LP - literally as I type. The events leading up to that are a long story that's already been told in many other and enough places..

So now that we are up to date, here's the idea. I figured what better excuse to revive the old blog than to document the events of the 2010 Nerd Parade east coast tour that is beginning on Friday May 14th in Pittsburgh PA. So in the coming weeks, I will try to make daily, and if not - as often as I can, posts about what is happening on the road, reviews of the shows, setlists, and photos when possible.

As always - you can keep up with all things Nerd Parade at www.nerdparade.net

Here's the full schedule

NERD PARADE

SPRING 2010 EAST COAST TOUR DATES

May 14 - Pittsburgh PA - Howlers Coyote Cafe

May 15 - Albany NY - Franklins Tower

May 17 - Somerville MA - P.A.'s Lounge (QRO Magazine Showcase)

May 18 - Brooklyn NY - Death By Audio

May 19 - Wilmington DE - Mojo 13

May 21 - Philadelphia PA - The Khyber (w/ Cheers Elephant & Paper Cat)

May 23 - Chapel Hill NC - The Cave (w/ Jungol)

May 25 - Asheville NC - Broadways (w/ Jungol)

additional summer show dates :

June 04 - Atlanta GA - TNS Bar Room (Daylight Saving Time - CD Release Party)

July 24 - Atlanta GA - Eyedrum (Nophest)

I don't even know where to begin...

2009-08-28T11:05:00.005-04:00

-- Nerd Parade & The Adrian Belew Power Trio - photo by Kat --

---

So...

I know it's been about a thousand years since I have posted anything here (aside from a breif "look, I cut my hair off." post a few months ago). But, that should not be taken as an indication that there has not been much going on. It has in fact, been the opposite of that. Here's a quick-as-I-can report - highlights of important events over the last 4-5 months!

1 - May 10th - NIN/JA @ Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta

Jane's Addiction is one of my all-time favorite rock bands. I had seen them previously with 3/4 of the original band intact. Once in 2001 with Martyn LeNoble (Porno For Pyros) playing bass, and three times in 2003 with Chris Chaney playing bass as part of the lineup that record the album "Strays". Having said that, I learned a valuable lesson this year about the chemistry of a band. All of the old cliches about the sum totally being greater than the individual parts is totally true. It was my fourth time seeing JA and it really felt like I had never seen them before. Original bassist Eric Avery had come back - and many of us who were a little on the young side when the band originally split at the end of Lollapalooza 1991 got our first live glimpse at one of the most amazing and influential bands of our generation. It was so amazing - that me and the wife traveled to Charlotte NC about a month later to see the show again!!! I do hope the band stays together and give us some more - at least for a few years! Thank you boys!

-- Dave Navarro being awesome in Charlotte 6.12.09 - by Kat --
---

2 - May 30th - Nerd Parade @ Mountain Sports Festival - Asheville NC

It's been well documented by this point that NP loves the city of Asheville NC. Awesome things tend to happen to us there (more on that later). So - we were invited to play the headline spot on a Saturday by a friend we had made on our previous couple of visits. It turned out to be - without a doubt - the longest NP show of all time, and was also the last show before we took about 2 months away from the stage so Randy and Lynn could welcome their new daughter - Ruby into the world. It was a beautiful afternoon that went from sun-drenched evening, and kept on rocking under the bright lights after the sun was long gone. NP loves AVL!

-- Me and Randy rocking the main stage @ Mountain Sports Fest, Asheville NC - by Kat --
---

3 - August 22nd - 29th - Adrian Belew Power Trio / Nerd Parade adventure - the events of which spanned Atlanta to Asheville NC! - Plus : NP returns Dirty South TV and rocks Nophest again.

So - in what turned out to be the most exciting week of the whole summer..... We found out last Saturday, as I was preparing to go watch one of my most favorite bands, the Adrian Belew Power Trio, at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta - that we would in fact be opening - for the Adrian Belew Power Trio 2 nights later at the beautiful Orange Peel in our most favorite of places - Asheville NC.

Saturday night was my 3rd time seeing the trio in person, and just happened to fall on the exact two year anniversary of the first time, and the band's first visit to Atlanta. I could go on and on with stories about how awesome it was, and how long I've been listening to Adrian's music, how much I adore Julie's bass playing and Eric's incredibly precise drumming... and of course how much fun it is to correspond with incomparable Robin Slick.

Instead I am just going to say that I am completely honored to have shared a stage with them, and am thankful for all the people I got to know over the span of a couple of days. So here's some big thanks going out to Adrian, Julie, Eric, Robin, Andre - you guys are a class act.

---

-- all images below by Kat --

-- Julie Slick in Atlanta, love this girl's bass playing, can't even begin to explain. --

-- the trio takes a bow in Atlanta --

-- Nerd Parade rocking The Orange Peel --
--

new hair style..

2009-04-27T09:34:00.002-04:00

looks good, feels good, whatcha think?

Nerd Parade Album Preview!

2009-02-15T20:37:00.001-05:00

Nerd Parade -- "The Span of a Life" Teaser

Asheville is a lovely place...

2009-01-19T21:00:00.003-05:00

(photo taken outside my hotel, in nearby Candler NC)

Nerd Parade and friends travelled to beautiful Asheville NC this past weekend. It was my first time there - it was a beautiful place indeed. Here's a quick rundown of the trip.

- Depending on what set of directions you get - getting to Asheville can be anything from a relaxing drive, to a hair raising experience.

- It was 6 degrees at the lowest of the cold early Saturday morning. Now the 30 - 40's here around Atlanta seems quite pleasant.

- Nerd Parade played an energy packed set to a packed room at Stella Blue. We can't wait to come back to this town!

- Kat's photos coming soon....

Man - there is alot of stuff going on..

2009-01-14T15:32:00.004-05:00

(pictured above - Richie rocking the East Atlanta Icehouse w/ NP - by Kat - 1.10.09)

--

So it's been quite a while since I posted, only because there has been so darn much going on! I'm going to spare everyone the details of my holiday season, except to summarize that yes, it was merry - there was a fair share of relatives and stress - santa was pretty cool to me and folks in my house - and I am glad that it is over until next year!

The busiest part of thing lately has been all the goings on in the world of NP. Here's a quick list of things that are going on - along with some juicy details...

1 - Our new album that we've been working on for more than a year now, will be titled "The Span Of A Life" and will be released officially on March 1st!

2 - We are embarking on a tour of just under 2 weeks, starting in February that will take us up the east coast and back, playing 10 shows in 12 days. Here are the ALMOST finalzied dates -

2.19 - Chapel Hill NC - Mansion 462
2.20 - Washington DC - Velvet Lounge
2.21 - Philadelphia PA - Doc Watson's Pub
2.22 - Brooklyn NY - Spike Hill
2.23 - TBA
2.25 - Wilmington DE - Mojo 13
2.26 - Richmond VA - Triple
2.28 - Asheville NC - Broadways
3.01 - Atlanta GA - The Five Spot (CD RELEASE PARTY!!!)
3.02 - Athens GA - Caledonia Lounge

3 - As you can see above - we will be holding our cd release show towards the end of our tour @ one of our favorite venues every - The Five Spot in Atlanta! Our best band friends Cinetrope will also perform in between a debut listening of the new record and a live performance by Nerd Parade.

4 - This weekend - January 17th - Nerd Parade is playing the annual PopAsheville Festival in beautiful Asheville NC @ Stella Blue - 9:40pm!

So - between finishing tracking for the album, mixing, booking the tour, having a job and a family, and doing everything else one needs to do in day to day life - it has been a crazy bunch of weeks since I last got to this here blog.

I will try to be back next week with a report about Ashevile. And will try to go day to day when NP hits the road.

Until then - ALL THE BEST!!!

My new pal, Caesar.

2008-12-06T14:54:00.001-05:00

He's a badass...

Don't call it a comeback!

2008-12-02T10:17:00.002-05:00

So - Friday night's Nerd Parade show was totally amazing. It marked the return of Ms. Abby Wren to the lead vocal position in the band. We had gotten back together about a week previously, but had kept things kind of on the down low, and everyone sure was pleased to see the band returned to it's rightful condition. We played one of our most inspired live sets to date to a packed room. The love was certainly in the air. We are now looking forward to completing our album and doing some great shows : The Earl, PopAsehville, spring tour - it's going to be a great time to be in a band. I guess you could sum it all up by saying, "Yes, everything is right in the universe again.".

NP SETLIST - 11.28.08 - Nophest :

the rockness monster
kenny rogers tune
a bird's song
we are not sleeping
yay, yeah, uh huh!
one million wooden arches
smedley
the devil of california
resolution day
span of a life
spies

So yeah, It's been a bazillion years since I've posted =)

2008-11-26T11:06:00.003-05:00

First and foremost - NOPHEST IS HERE!!!!

That's right!! The fifth edition of our DIY music and art festival is kicking off this Friday - November 28th @ Wonder Root in Atlanta. Click on the poster above - it's got the address right on there. Check out the full schedule of performances at http://www.nophest.com . The festival is kicking off on Friday with a showcase night for a bunch of Atlanta bands affiliated with "Walk To Run Records". Tracey Anderson of Walk To Run also works as Manager for Nerd Parade, and is celebrating a birthday that night!!!! It's gonna be a good ass time. And yall better come out!!!

Nerd Parade plays @ 10pm on Friday night, and you don't wanna miss what we have got in store for this show. Seriously, no matter how many times I've said this is going to be an important show - ect. ect. It probably applies to no show more than this one. Be there and be witness to the new future of Nerd Parade.

In other news - NERD PARADE EAST COAST TOUR DATES!!!!

- Here is our complete upcoming schedule - February tour dates listen below in BOLD.

11.28 - Nophest 5.0
12.18 - Atlanta Ga @ The Earl w/ Blaming Tim & The Judies
01.08 - Decatur Ga @ Twain's
01.17 - Asheville Nc @ Stella Blue (popasheville festival)
01.30 / 31 - NP cd release - details TBA
02.19 - Chapel Hill Nc @ Mansion 462
02.20 - Washington Dc
02.21 - Philadelphia Pa
02.22 - New York Ny
02.23 - Boston Ma
02.24 - Hartford Ct
02.25 - Wilmington De
02.26 - Richmond Va
02.27 - Charlotte Nc
02.28 - Asheville Nc
03.01 - Athens Ga

It is my duty to spread this video... ladies and gentlemen - "The Real John McCain"

2008-09-12T16:02:00.001-04:00

I don't mean to get political on ya but...

2008-09-05T13:05:00.002-04:00

this pretty much explains itself...

but I don't want this person to be a gunshot or a heart attack away from the oval office...

Be warned : animal lovers may find some of the footage in this video disturbing.

Nerd Parade live @ Smith's Olde Bar - Tix on sale now!!

2008-09-03T14:43:00.000-04:00

We've been invited by our friends at Smith's Olde Bar to put down our first ever "headlining" performance in their lovely music room. Tickets are on sale NOW. Just click the link below to order tickets for $8 in advance, the will cost $10 at the door.

Here's the all the info on the show -

Wednesday Sept 24th
Smith's Olde Bar
Atlanta GA
doors @ 8pm

Nerd Parade
The Bittersweets
Steven Delopoulos

tickets can be purchased at :

Criminal Records
466 Moreland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Website: www.criminal.com

Decatur CD
356 West Ponce de Leon Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30030
Website: www.decaturcd.com

OR YOU CAN :
BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE

So... we've got some catching up to do it would seem!!!

2008-09-03T14:27:00.003-04:00

So... I've been lazy about this whole blogging thing lately, but in my defense, it's been entirely due to decreased laziness in other areas of life. So... let's see.

Nerd Parade has been through alot since my last NP related post... which saw us about to rock The Five Spot on July 18th - the show was rad, here's what it looked like =) Courtesy of some more lovely photos from Kat.
So... we returned to The Five Spot on August 10th!!!

So - that was 2 more shows in the can =)

After that things went kind of crazy, we took a little bit of time off as Randy bought and moved into a new house, managed to write a couple of brand new songs, had one singer leave and have welcomed another into the band, made some big management decisions, and booked a full slate of gigs for late September.... whew!!!

thats all for now... see yall soon!!!!

2 Rush shows is 3 nights!!!!!

2008-07-24T09:05:00.011-04:00

(rush in alphretta)

Greetings folks!!! Last weekend Kat and I went to see Rush in Charlotte with my NP band-mate / best buddy Randy, and then went with our little girl Jackie and NP drummer Chris on Tuesday. Not really sure what to say on this one here - I saw my most favorite band in the world play a 3 hour show twice in the span of 3 days. Rush is a band that never disappoints live. When I was young their music was the first music to really inspire me to want to learn to play and never settle for just "knowing how". They made me want to strive to be the best possible player that I could become, and Geddy Lee continues to amaze me every time I see them play. No one can really appreciate how talented the man is, or exactly how much he does within the course of a show until they've actually watched him in person. Still after all these years - totally awe-inspiring.

---CHARLOTTE NC---
(photo by Randy Garcia)

The weekend started with a drive to Charlotte from Atlanta on Saturday. We had some nice, comfy hotel suites to relax a bit in upon our arrival. We then headed out and ate way too much seafood, which we worked off by bowling a couple of games at the local 10-pin alley - a good time was had by all.

Sunday we had some Denny's breakfast and then got ready for the show. We ended up having totally amazing seats for this one. The band was great, although immortal drummer Neil Peart made a pretty obvious mistake during the band's opening number "Limelight" that seemed to motivate him pretty hard not to make anymore. Thus the man played with a bit of an angry look for most of the night. All in all - they killed it, and had the crowd roaring right from the start of the show. We capped it off with an intense run to Taco Bell, and headed back to the hotel for some sleep before an early Monday drive back to Atlanta.

---Alpharetta Ga---
(havin a beer on the lawn on Alpharetta 7.22.08)

This was supposed be Rush's last show supporting their 2007 album "Snakes & Arrows", which is amazing by the way if you've not heard it before. Anyhow - they ended up having to reschedule one more show after this one due to some nasty, stormy weather in Colorado last month.

Coincidentally enough, the start of Monday's show was delayed nearly an hour due to some very nasty and severe thunderstorm activity. We had only grabbed lawn tickets for this show since we had seen them so well in Charlotte and back in June in Philly. The rain pretty much let up by show time except for a few sprinkles, and we made our way to a nice spot on the lawn to enjoy the show.

Rush was even tighter on this night than Sunday - although Charlotte seemed like a more energetic performance due to the fact that the crowd was really way more behind the band and into the show throughout in Charlotte. The crowd was a little more tame in Alpharetta.

So anyhow - that's probably all for me and Rush til sometime in late 09', maybe 2010 at the earliest. But they've left us all anticipating their next record and tour, knowing that they always deliver to the high standard that Rush, and their fans have come to count on.

So to my heroes - Geddy, Alex, Neil....
Thanks guys - don't know where I'd be without you.

Tonight - Nerd Parade rocking @ The Five Spot

2008-07-18T12:02:00.002-04:00

NERD PARADE - LIVE TONIGHT!!! + Independence Day re-cap

2008-07-10T10:18:00.005-04:00

To take a cue from the mighty "Spinal Tap" - Nerd Parade would like to hereby announce - "Tonight I'm gonna rock ya, tonight I'm gonna rock ya, tonight."

Be there folks - Doors open at 8pm / show starts with Sunday Drivebye at 9pm / tickets are 8 bucks at the door.

--------------
And as promised...

On July 4th, instead of playing a gig (ended up getting canceled, ect. ect. ) we rocked out all hard at the Jacobus house out here in Gwinnett County. A whole bunch of cool folks were hanging out, and we played almost every single song we know. Here are some pics courtesy of, as always, the lovely Kat.

Nerd Parade blows up Star Bar!!!!

2008-06-20T10:12:00.008-04:00

This last Wednesday Nerd Parade headlined at the Star Bar, one of our favorite stages to rock in the ATL. We ended up playing a super energetic set that culminated in us getting called upon to extend our set into and encore, in front of awesome sized crowd, all of whom stuck around til the end our set at nearly 1AM. I would like to once again thank all of the NP fans, and the members of Standard 8 and Cinetrope for making this such an awesome event to be a part of. You can catch NP and Cinetrope together once again next month on July 18th @ the fabulous Five Spot, right down the street from Star Bar, also in L5P.

Our next gig is @ Corndogorama on June 28th - come out and support. NP is gaining huge momentum and we want to share the success with everyone!! Below are a few more pics and the setlist from last week's show. Awesome pics were taken, as always, by the lovely and talented Kat.

Randy lays down some dope guitar...

Abby was feelin it all good...
Johnny Blaze has left the stage...
Chris is making the beats happen...
The bassman cometh....

------------
NP Setlist 6.18.08 - Star Bar - ATL

Circles
Yay! Yeah! Uh Huh!!
Kitten
Smedley
We Are Not Sleeping
A Bird's Song
The Devil Of California
Span Of A Life
Kenny Rogers Tune
Spies
One Million Wooden Arches

On the road again....

2008-06-19T10:54:00.006-04:00

(photo - me driving into Philly Friday afternoon - by Kat)

Greetings!!

So me and my wife just got done spending a week riding up and down the east coast to the tune of an estimated 1,800 or so miles in a rented Pontiac G6. For me to say that it was an awesome time would surely sell the whole experience short. So I'll just bust a quick rundown describing what I did, and then of course - provide the ever present Nerd Parade news & notes.

We left on Thursday morning for a drive up to Raleigh NC where we'd be stopping over for the night and hanging out with some of very best and favorite friends. A good time was had by all, probably a little too good on my behalf with a 400 mile drive scheduled for the next morning, but I've gotten through much, much worse.

Friday started kind of early - we managed to head out for Philly at about 7am. Even though I had the aforementioned "too much fun" the night before, the drive into Philadelphia is always one that goes by quickly for me. I think it's just because I get excited about visiting home and being with my family. Something I don't get to do very often. Kat and I spent Friday evening at my Mom's house - hanging out with my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew. It was a truly relaxing and nice night. We were fed well with some charcoal grilled steaks in the back yard.

Saturday had been set aside for us to go see our favorite band - Rush, in my hometown - Philly, with my dear Uncle Bobby. He is partially responsible for several of the things that I love about life - Rush, hockey, and he was probably the first person I ever saw play an electric bass - something that certainly stood out to me. Anyhow - it was a really incredible day - it was a dream come true for me and my Uncle, and on top of it all it must have been one of the 1 or 2 best shows that I've seen Rush put on - and it was my 10th time seeing them.

Sunday, Father's Day - was a day that started off with the sound of loud hammering outside at about 7am =) So - needless to say, not enough sleep was gotten. Regardless of this we pressed on, and the rest of the day was filled with hanging with the family, me taking a long overdue visit to my Father's final resting place just outside of the city, and then spending the evening in the amazing presence of my Uncle Jim, Aunt Joanne and all of their awesome kids / my cousins.

Monday we awoke and broke out back for Raleigh. Instead of the trip taking 7 hours as it did on the way up, it took 9 hours due to some serious driver fatigue and horrible accident induced traffic in our nation's capital.

Tuesday - we went home....

.... I'm still really tired.

So - after all that I got home, pretty much went straight to a NP rehearsal, got some sleep and woke up Wednesday to get ready for a NP gig - more on that later today. Believe me, there's plenty to say about it.

Well, thanks for reading.

-rw

upcoming Nerd Parade live shows.

2008-06-09T23:32:00.004-04:00

PHOTO - Richie rockin Tasty World on 6.7.08

NERD PARADE SUMMER 2008 LIVE SHOWS :

Wednesday June 18th @ Star Bar
Atlanta GA
performing with Standard 8 & Cinetrope

Saturday June 28th @ Lenny's Bar - CORNDOGORAMA
Atlanta GA
NP plays at 4pm sharp on the inside main stage!!!

Thursday July 10th @ Vinyl
Atlanta GA
opening for Calamity Magnet

Friday July 18th @ The Five Spot
Atlanta GA
performing with The Hellblinki Sextet (Asheville)

September 20th 0r 21st (TBA) @ Lenny's Bar
Atlanta GA
appearing as part of the 2008 Rock Goddess Festival (for Peace)

Nerd Parade sweats it out in Athens

2008-06-09T23:23:00.003-04:00

the band -

the bass man -
the show -

so... it was 90 plus degrees in the beautiful city of Athens on Saturday, where the Nerd Parade made it's first performance at the esteemed music room "Tasty World", and it's general debut in the city of Athens. It was, in my opinion the hottest Nerd Parade show in terms of temperature of all time. I actually suffered some serious heat exhaustion effects after the show. We did however press on, and seemed to impress the fine people of Athens who came out to see us play. It was our first show back on the stage since 4.22 @ Smtih's in the ATL - and they only figure to get more spectacular from here!!!!
-------------------

NP Setlist - 6.7.08 - Athens

span of a life
in circles
kitten
smedley
we are not sleeping
a bird's song
the devil of california
kenny rogers tune
yay, yeah, uh huh!
spies

Hello there. Long time, no see eh??? - Plus : Nerd Parade summer show schedule and other updates.

2008-06-02T11:07:00.007-04:00

(photo : NP @ Nophest 4.19, by Kat)

So, it's been a while since I last blogged. But in my defense - I use this space as a place for me to keep a journal of my musical life, which recently has been on the down-low. We are however, and by we I mean Nerd Parade, about to kick things back into high gear.

The last month was expected to be a slower one for us. Several band members did a little travelling and vacationing, some new progress was made on the 2nd NP album - still due out sometime this summer, and we all had a chance to recharge our collective batteries. We will now gear up for a nice string of live performances that is shaping up to be pretty exciting. Here's everything that I know so far. If I find out anything else - you will be the first to know =)

Saturday June 7th - Athens GA @ Tasty World
(np makes its long awaited Athens debut on a Saturday night in one of the city's finest music rooms - all with the proceeds going to the Athens Canine Rescue - pretty awesome!!)

Wednesday June 18th - Atlanta GA @ Star Bar
(our second visit to the Star Bar finds us playing with our old pals Cinetrope - always fun.)

Saturday June 28th - Atlanta GA @ Lenny's Bar - CORNDOGORAMA
(we make our first appearance at one of Atlanta's signature music festivals - we will playing Saturday afternoon at 4pm.)

Friday July 4th - Duluth GA @ Sweetwater Live
(come celebrate America's birthday at this special 4th of July show - all profits are being donated to Gwinnett County's own Companion Animal Rescue League)

Thursday July 11th - Atlanta GA @ Vinyl
(the first time we played here it was awesome - we can't wait to return. we are playing with "Calamity Magnet" featuring singer / songwriter Sara Radle from the band "The Rentals".)

Friday July 18th - Atlanta GA @ The Five Spot
(we return to what is quickly become one of NP's homes in Atlanta for our first weekend headline show. Expect to hear a longer set =) Also appearing are The Hellblinki Sextet (Asheville) & one other band TBA.)

- so there ya have it =)

Nerd Parade throws the ---- down at Vinyl!!!

2008-04-14T12:15:00.006-04:00

So, the pattern of NP shows just coming across very well and being received very well continued last Friday in Atlanta, @ Vinyl. We were invited by the show headliner - "Fishhawk" to play first on a 3 band bill and it turned out to be a great time. There was nice sized very appreciative crowd that continued to grow in size as our set went on. We met a lot of nice new fans and friends and are looking into going back and performing there again sometime in the future.

DON'T FORGET - NOPHEST IS THIS WEEKEND!!!!!
- www.nophest.com - go check it out - 50+ musical acts, art. shows, movies, video games, beer - I mean, who offers all of that in the same place?? really??

And lastly, as always - check here on the blog for the upcoming schedule over there to the right hand side here.. and in some of the previous posts below.

Til next time yall....

-------------
NP setlist 04.11.08

in circles
wide asleep
we are not sleeping
the devil of california
yay, yeah, uh huh
smedley
a bird's song
one million wooden arches
kenny rogers tune
spies

Nerd Parade @ Sweetwater review / March re-cap / Nophest details

2008-03-31T11:25:00.004-04:00

So - Nerd Parade closed out the month of March by absolutely obliterating the stage @ Sweetwater Live in Duluth. The show marked a one-off return of O.G. NP member "Johnny Blaze" - it was a pleasure sharing the stage with him again, and he brought a ton of energy and added alot to the overall perfromance - thanks Johnny - GOOD JOB!!! We received a ton of appreciation from those in attendance and made a lot of new friends and fans throughout the evening - THANKS!!!

What stands out most of all to me is how darn well the band has been playing lately. I really can't think of show we've done that I wasn't almost totally pleased with happening since before the holiday season last year - pretty much from Nophest on forward.

Speaking of Nophest.... Head on over to www.nophest.com. Details about location, the full schedule, and pre-sale ticket information are now available. Nerd Parade is appearing during this spring's installment on Saturday, April 19 @ 10pm. Appearing on the same even will be Envie, Swank Sinatra, Cassavettes, and Trial By Fire.
After Nophest - NP is heading out for a short jaunt to the Carolinas and Washington D.C. to perform. After that, we're going to take some time off to finish recording our next record. So come on out and see us while you can.
-------------
NP setlist - 03.29.08

in circles
kenny rogers tune
we are not sleeping
one million wooden arches
wide asleep
yay, yeah, uh huh
outside
a bird's song
the devil of california
smedley
spies

-------------
UPCOMING NP SHOWS
-------------
04.11 - Atlanta GA @ Vinyl
04.19 - Atlanta GA @ Nophest (www.nophest.com)
04.22 - Atlanta GA @ Smith's Olde Bar
05.01 - Atlanta GA @ Smith's Olde Bar (500 songs for kids)
05.09 - Raleigh / Chapel Hill NC @ TBA
05.10 - Washington D.C. @ The Velvet Lounge

The weekend starts on Thursday this week yall - Nerd Parade returns to The Five Spot tomorrow

2008-03-19T10:08:00.005-04:00

Yes indeed, an awesome show is all set to go down tomorrow night at one of our favorite - if not our very favorite place to play in Atlanta - The Five Spot. Couple that with playing with one of our favorite bands to play with - Cinetrope, and we've got all the makings of a wonderful evening of fun and music. This will also be our last show in the city of Atlanta until April11th, more on that next week.

Nerd Parade gig review - 03.15.08 - Drunken Unicorn

2008-03-17T22:34:00.009-04:00

(photo = NP outside the D.U. after the show - by Kat)

This last Saturday Nerd Parade made it's first ever perfromance at The Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta. It's a room we've wanted to rock for some time now, and it was worth the wait. Within 24 hours of tornadoes rocking downtown ATL - a nice sized gathering of music lovers came out and enjoyed strong sets by every band that was there. Swank Sinatra played an exceptionally tight and enjoyable set - after which time NP took the stage and delivered one of our most high-energy performances to date. The show featured a lot of the material from our upcoming studio LP, some cool renditions of songs from "A Delicate Bashing" that have not been getting enough play time lately and were great to play again (resolution day, ect..), and an awesome guitar and bass solo trade-off between Randy and I during "Spies" to close out the night. I do believe the band sounds better right now, with this line-up, and the momentum we're building now - than we ever have. And most importantly - its a group that is a pleasure to work, perform, and hang out with. A big shout out to some of the folks that came out - NP veteran Johnny Blaze, members of Cinetrope (catch us with them @ the 5 spot on Thursday - more on that tomorrow), and as always - the boys from Swank for hanging around and partying after the show. We are developing our own really awesome scene with some great bands that are great friends around here. Anyhow - like I said before - more on the next gig tomorrow. Yall take care now.
-------------------------
NP setlist - 03.15.08 - The Drunken Unicorn

yay, yeah, uh huh!
resolution day
kenny rogers tune
in circles
span of a life
a bird's song
smedley
we are not sleeping
spies

Nerd Parade rocks Parkgrounds - show schedule updated.

2008-03-13T09:12:00.006-04:00

Nerd Parade rocked the house at Parkgrounds, our favorite little coffee shop spot last Saturday. Swank Sinatra was hysterical as always. Look below for more upcoming NP dates - including more with Swank.

Our set was our longest, most epic set (with no breaks) ever. We 15 songs - balanced well between our first record and songs from the new one we're working on now. This show also marked the first "proper" p08erformance of the "A Delicate Bashing" favorite (of both band and listeners alike) - "Resolution Day" since 08.03.07, last summer at The Five Spot. It had previously been impossible to play, due to the lack of a keyboard or computer in the lineup. However, that has all changed with addition of Jon Bonus, our new keyboard guy. Jon, or J-Bone as we call him - is a heck of a nice guy and is doing a great job of sliding right into his new role with our band. I'm hoping that we've finally re-solidified our 5 person lineup for good.

NP setlist - 03.08.08 - Parkgrounds - Atlanta Ga

wide asleep
kenny rogers tune
resolution day
yay, yeah, uh huh!
in circles
span of a life
a bird's song
outside
smedley
we are not sleeping
one million wooden arches
daylight savings time
kitten the devil of california
spies
-------------------
UPCOMING NP SHOWS

sat 03.15 - Atlanta Ga @ Drunken Unicorn w/ Swank Sinatra & Trial By Fire
thu 03.20 Atlanta Ga @ The Five Spot w/ Cinetrope & A Fight To The Death
sat 03.29 - Duluth Ga @ Sweetwater B&G w/ Swank Sinatra
fri 04.11 - Atlanta Ga @ Vinyl w/ Fishhawk
sat 04.19 - Atlanta Ga @ Parkgrounds - Nophest 4 & 20 - w/ Swank Sinatra, Cassavettes, more
tue 04.22 - Atlanta Ga @ Smith's Olde Bar w/ Cloud Cult & The Forms
fri 05.09 - Raleigh / Chapel Hill NC @ TBA
sat 05.10 - Washington DC @ The Velvet Lounge w/ New York Times

you have been warned

2008-03-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

This show is going to be so freakin awesome... and other shows listed below:

2008-03-03T15:06:00.004-05:00

this show is gonna be awesome - every time we get together with Swank - an amazing show seems to happen - don't miss this folks - BYOB / NP / SS = GOOD F---IN TIME!!!!

we're playing with the swanksters a couple more times this month - here is the complete, current NP springtime onslaught -

MARCH

Saturday - 8th - Atlanta GA - Parkgrounds - (w/ swank sinatra)

Saturday - 15th - Atlanta GA - The Drunken Unicorn - (w/ swank sinatra)

Thursday - 20th - Atlanta GA - The Five Spot - (w/ cinetrope)

Saturday - 29th - Duluth GA - Sweetwater B&G - (w/ swank sinatra)

APRIL

18th, 19th, or 20th - Atlanta GA - Parkgrounds - (NOPHEST)

Tuesday - 22nd - Smith's Olde Bar - (w/ cloud cult & the forms)

MAY

Saturday - 10th - The Velvet Lounge - Washington D.C.

My sweet new ride...

2008-02-24T19:43:00.002-05:00

These are my basses

2008-02-22T10:07:00.002-05:00

They are awesome...

Upcoming Nerd Parade live dates - and a quick look back.

2008-02-20T09:21:00.009-05:00

Hey folks! Hope everyone out there is doing and feeling well.

It's been a while since I've put up a Nerd Parade update so, here goes -

1 - IN THE STUDIO

We've been making a new record, it's going really well and I've actually gotten to hear some rough playbacks lately. It's gonna be a really great album, I can tell you that right now.

2 - LIVE SHOWS :

We played last Friday @ The Five Spot (pictured below) with our buddies in "Goldenfro" also on the bill. We debuted our new keyboard player : Jon Bonus, and continued working out the new songs on stage. It was another good performance and we once again got alot of positive feedback from everybody in attendance.

NP Setlist 02.15.08

Yr Horrible Stupid Life
Kitten
Smedley
The Span Of A Life
In Circles
We Are Not Sleeping
Outside
The Devil Of California
A Bird's Song
Daylight Savings Time
Yay, Yeah, Uh Huh
Kenny Rogers Tune

UPCOMING NERD PARADE LIVE SHOWS

Saturday March 8th
@ Parkgrounds - Atlanta Ga
w/ Swank Sinatra

Thursday March 20th
@ The 5 Spot - Atlanta Ga
w/ Cinetrope

Saturday March 29th
@ Sweetwater Live - Duluth Ga
w/ Swank Sinatra

I went on a little vaction last weekend.

2008-02-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Me and the wife celebrated 5 years married by driving out to lovely North Myrtle Beach, SC over the weekend. It was nice and quiet due to the fact that February is not really a good time for tourism there. So it was not over-crowded, the weather was nice. And the time spent just relaxing around the beach was a real treat. Having lived around Florida for so long you kind of take your proximity to the ocean for granted. But as I discovered - if you near Atlanta - the beach is ****ing far man!!!!
Another bit of wisdom from Richie that I thought I'd pass along today - If you ever consider driving 400 miles with a hangover...... don't. It's really painful, at least for the first couple hours =)

While were there, we saw Queensryche -

It was the 13th time in my life that I've seen this band and it was once again totally amazing. Was a little shorter than some of their shows clocking in at around 1 hour and 40 minutes. But they played a good 4-5 songs that are very, very rare that I've never heard them do before.

The night was capped off by me and Kat going to the aftershow, meet and greet with the band. It was the 3rd chance we've gotten to do this with them, and our 4th time overall getting to hang out with all of or most of the band members. I can't stress enough what super nice guys they are. They've been touring the world for 25 years and have sold millions, but you'd never know it.

Like I said before - meeting your heroes is awesome.

=)

Nerd Parade updates are on the way.....

I love hockey =)

2008-01-28T12:11:00.001-05:00

So the family and I spent the weekend taking in the NHL's All-Star Weekend extravaganza at Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Overall it was a pretty exciting time, and it was something that I'm glad to have experienced at least once. Although I've decided not to do it again unless it happens at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, home of my beloved Flyers.

My only complaint was about the design of the arena. I actually really love the place for a regular old hockey game, but the place was just not designed to deal with the size of the crowd comfortably. And most disappointing was the lack of concourse space, very crammed, and not able accommodate the big exhibits and famous trophies on display normally at the all-star game. None of which were to be found.

In the end the East All-Stars prevailed 8-7 and I got to see my favorite player - Mike Richards - tally his first career all star point on an assist in the first period. So, that was pretty awesome.

--------------------

I'll have another update later in the week with some cool news on the musical front. Including some big Nerd Parade news & notes. And oh yeah, the latest on Willis. (yeah, I'm totally serious - for those of you who know what I'm talking about and are sitting there saying - WTF?) - some things just never go away eh??

=)

Snow in Duluth, Ga.

2008-01-21T20:28:00.002-05:00

And I am once again reminded that I'm very, very glad that I do not live in South Florida anymore. To think that I know lots of people in FL that claim that they would never, ever move away from the warm weather around Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. I say screw all the that. Since I've been here we've had a hot summer, a lovely colorful fall, and now a chilly winter complete with a couple of decent snowfalls. And now we will look forward to the warm up, and the colorful blooming flowers in a couple of months when spring reaches us.

=)

The changing of seasons is good people, its the natural order of things - that is all for now.

-rw

What a night huh??

2008-01-13T18:02:00.001-05:00

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our friends / fans who came out last night. Yall showed support in a really big way and there is no way of thanking you enough. So I'll just say - we love you, and always will.

As for the show - aside from a few glitches that have become the norm for "backline provided" gigs, we really did quite well. We debuted some new material that was received quite well, and put down some great performances of the older tunes. Highlighted by a nice exchange between Randy and myself on "Spies". A moment featured in this here photo, taken as always by last night's birthday girl, Kat. We got some great compliments for lots of people in the audience, some really great compliments from the sound crew onstage, and even a positive review from the industry people who were the guests of the promoter. All in all, another good show.

The next NP show is coming up on Tuesday, January 22nd @ Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta. We'll be getting our customary full 45 minute set, and we'd love to see you all again.

Until next time, yours truly -

Richie
------------------
NP Setlist 1.12.08 @ The Loft - Atlanta Ga

wide asleep
we are not sleeping
yay, yeah, uh huh
kenny rogers tune
spies
in circles
smedley

this is what you are doing on saturday....

2008-01-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Our first show of the New Year will feature the debut of TWO new songs. This ain't a bad deal folks, 14 bands, 8 + hours of music, 10 bucks!

Be there by 11:00pm to catch NP. Remember, tickets are cheaper if you buy them from us -- and we will hold them or deliver them to you before the show.

<3 NP

the time is almost at hand...

2008-01-04T13:09:00.000-05:00

There is just a little over a week left until The Nerd Parade performs as part of "The Atlanta Music Showcase" - presented by Badd Lemonade, @ The Loft in downtown Atlanta.

There are 10 bands performing and the tickets will cost $12 at the door, and $10 purchased in advance from us at www.thenerdparade.com .

We've already got a nice crowd of Nerd-supporters committed to coming out and rockbg with us, and we'd love to see ALL of our fans and friends out there. We're going to be debuting a couple of brand spankin' new songs as our live shows start to transition from last year / last album into the 2008 phase of the band. It's all pretty exciting stuff and I really hope all of friends are a part of it.

SEE YOU THERE!!!!

---------------------
Watch the 2008 Nerd Parade Video Trailer
---------------------

Have a rocking new year =)

2007-12-31T20:48:00.001-05:00

Well - I don't know about any of you - but 2007 has been a heck of year for me. It's had more than it's fair share of the highs and the lows along the way. But now that it's all said and done - I can mark this one as a year that I will always remember.

A year ago today I was still living in South Florida and had just joined as a new member of The Nerd Parade. In the time since, the band has played more than 50 live shows and completed a month long tour of the eastern US. 2008 will see the release of our sophmore LP, and our 2nd tour - this time focusing on the northeast.

Along with all that musical craziness - me and the family have taken up residence in the beautiful town of Duluth, Ga. Obviously way more conducive to being in an Atlanta band than living in Miami. But the advantages are way beyond that. My wife has a great job, and my kid has a great school not too far from our home. I think we may just have to stay here for a little while - viva ATL!!!!

In closing - I'd like to give 2007 a final salute by listing 10 awesome things, in no particular order that made last year memorable for me.

1 - another year spent with the best wife ever.
2 - The Nerd Parade
3 - moving out of Florida
4 - seeing my heroes Queens of The Stone Age @ The Tabernacle - and their new record "Era Vulgaris"
5 - performing in Philly for the first time back in May.
6 - Rush touring (I did 2 shows, opening night in ATL and a week later in Charlotte).
7 - getting a better car than my -prone 86 Crown Vic' =)
8 - meeting all my new friends in the ATL area - some of which are like family to me now.
9 - spending time with my mom while on vacation last January
10 - surviving the year and getting to look forward to adventures of 2008
----------------

thats all for now - see ya next year folks!!!!!

2008 Nerd Parade video trailer

2007-12-20T23:01:00.000-05:00

don't forget to scoll down for a chance to buy tickets to our show at the Loft =)

Nerd Parade - January 12th. 2008 - Tickets On Sale!!!

2007-12-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

THE NERD PARADE is playing @ The Loft in downtown Atlanta on January 12th, 2008 as part of Badd Lemonade's "Atlanta's 10 Best Unsigned Band's" showcase. This will be an industry type event. Tickets can be purchased from direct from NP at the "buy now" link below, or on the NP website or NP myspace. Tickets in advance from the band are 10$, and tickets at the door will be $12. There will be 10 bands, and we are tentatively scheduled to hit the stage at midnight.

a quick look back...

2007-12-17T09:11:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything - but in my defense, it's been a pretty exhausting couple of weeks. For starters - Nophest happened over the weekend of December 7, 8, and 9 - and was totally badass. There were a million great performances over the course of the weekend. Some that stood out for me were Cinetrope on Friday, Swank Sinatra and us NP folks on Saturday, and the funky sounds of Goldenfro on Sunday evening. We're all already looking forward to April for the next installment.

Just a few days later The Nerd Parade made it's first ever appearance at the Star Bar in Little 5 Points (pictured above). It was a great time, and the band seems to be playing every show at a consitently high level lately. Our next show is a big industry showcase at the loft on Jan. 12. We really need all of your support on this gig - and it should be the first chance to hear some brand new NP songs slated for our next release. Also - anyone who associates with myself or the band most likely knows my lovely wife / our resident band photographer Kat, well this show also happens to fall on her birthday - so come out and give her many happy wishes and buy her a beer =) Tickets are already on sale for $10 - and you can purchase through the NP myspace or website, or check out the link below this post =) Til next time - Love yall.
---------------
TNP @ Nophest 12.08.07

we are not sleeping
kenny rogers tune
outside
the devil of california
smedley
daylight savings time
resolution day
----------------
TNP @ Star Bar 12.12.07

we are not sleeping
wide asleep
kenny rogers tune
the devil of california
smedley
one million wooden arches
daylight savings time
spies
-----------------------------

Last Friday @ Lenny's....

2007-11-29T12:30:00.000-05:00

.... we threw the **** down all over the stage. It was a solid performance and our last until Saturday, December 8th @ Nophest (www.nophest.com) . Kat took a million great photos as always, which we are hoping to see soon - in the meantime here is - as always - the set list. And featured below that is a little blast from the past.

NP setlist - 9.23.07 - Lenny's

we are not sleeping
wide asleep
spies
smedley
a bird's song
kitten
resolution day
one million wooden arches
daylight savings time
kenny rogers tune
--------------------------------------
and here's the little bonus - a recent photo, published by Kat of the impromptu OG-NP (the original 5 person live lineup featuring Johnny Blaze & Smok) jam @ Parkgrounds last month...

Thanks...

2007-11-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

In honor of this week's Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to take a moment to share a few thoughts.

This year particularly - the real meaning of the holiday resonates with me a little more loudly than it does in a typical year. While I'm certainly looking forward to to drinkin' a few beers, watching the games on TV, and enjoying the turkey and related delights as much as I always am. This year, I can look back at the last 12 months and really say that there were a lot of situations and circumstances that I was unhappy with a year ago that have turned themselves around in a huge way since.

For Example - last year at about this time, I was musically struggling. I was not in a band at all, and had just suffered through playing in a couple of rock cover bands. Singing lead and playing bass in one that was filled out with musicians of less that competent musical skill. The other I just played bass in. They were very talented, we played and got payed well - but they turned out to be folks of less than savory character - and the drummer and I were fired in a very unexpected fashion.

My family and I were living with my wife's parents - and love them as I do, it was just too crowded with too many people. Beyond all that, I had grown tired of the 15 years that I spent living mostly in the Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area.

And now....

The year started with me, Kat, and our bestest buddy Jamie taking a 10 day - whirlwind - in a rented minivan adventure during the second and third week of January. One that started in Miami and headed to Atlanta, North Carlolina, Philadelphia, back to ATL, and then back to Miami. We put about 4000 miles on a brand new - pimp ass Dodge Caravan, and had more fun and laughs than we can possibly recount.

As most of you who would follow my news would know, I have been playing bass in The Nerd Parade with my old pal Randy - and my newer pal Abby for almost a year now. This Friday at Lenny's will be my personal 40th show with the band. It's the most I've done in a year with any band since I was considerably younger than I am now. I also went on my first national tour with the band in April-May. We played 21 shows in 28 days and really developed the chemistry that has allowed the core of the band to stick together through everything that has been thrown at us this year. The band is doing well. We've got very exciting shows lined up. And our fan base, local and national recognition continue to grow.

As a bi-product of that - or in a related move anyhow. My family and I finally moved the heck away from South Florida. And as I've sat and felt the air get cold, watched the tree turn colors and lose their leaves, and not seen a sign of anything that could be remotely called "tropical". It's so delightful that I can't even describe it. And to top it off our apartment itself if the most comfortable place that we've had the pleasure of living so far.

Besides that - I've been to awesome shows by Billy Joel, Rush(twice!!), Queensryche, Mastadon, Queens Of The Stone Age, Alice In Chains, and a few others I can't remember right now.

So in closing - I've got an awesome new place to live in a great city. I'm married to the coolest lady ever with Kat and we have a great kid, and a great friend for a roommate. I'm in the best band I've ever been in with my best friend with Randy, which led me to have another bandmate / great friend with Abby. We've got an awesome new drummer and great shows and opportunities coming up soon.

So all in all - it's a lot better than it was this time last year =)

So thanks I'd like to give thanks to 2007 - it has been - while long, exhausting, and difficult at times, a good year.

The Nerd Parade returns to Lenny's

2007-11-19T20:20:00.000-05:00

We were asked - kind of last minute, to perform at the locally famous Lenny's Bar in Atlanta this Friday night, November 23rd. Show starts around 9pm (not sure yet when we go on) and the cover is $7 for this show.

Hoping to see all of our usual cohorts from inside the city proper, and hopefully a few new faces.

So come get down with us - work off that turkey and have a good time!!!
--------------------------
The Nerd Parade
Friday 11.23.07 - 9pm
21+ / $7
(cd's, buttons, NP rubbers and the like will be available @ the show)

we love you all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

The Nerd Parade live @ Grant Park

2007-11-12T09:10:00.002-05:00

The Nerd Parade played a very smooth set yesterday as part of the 2007 Atlanta Walk for Pancreatic Cancer research. It was a lovely autumn afternoon in the park - and a good time seemed to be had by all. It was, in my opinion, our best live performance since Chris joined the band on drums. Randy debuted his new custom guitar from Rarebird Guitars, based right here in NW Georgia. It was also our last show for about a month. In the meantime we will be getting to work on the initial stages of making the 2nd NP album, something that we are very much looking forward to. We've got a small handful of songs ready to go already, some of which we have already begun playing live. As always - keep an eye here and the appropriate websites linked from here to keep up with the latest news about The Nerd Parade.

NP setlist - 11.11 @ Grant Park

spies
wide asleep
kenny rogers tune
imagineland
a bird's song
the devil of california
one million wooden arches
ice cream
outside
resolution day
smedley

Time for a break / weekend in review

2007-10-31T11:12:00.000-04:00

And oh yeah - Happy Halloween children!!!

Well now... let's see.

- The Nerd Parade is taking it kinda easy this week - Chris is out of town right now and we'll be getting together to rehearse for a show on Nov.11 starting next week. Be on the lookout for big info about a show in January soon. The week off is totally ok with me, having dropped something heavy 0n, and injured my right hand yesterday. Things should be cool in a couple of days though. And Randy and I may be doing some other band related work by the end of the week.

- Last weekend's show at Sweetwater Live went pretty well. Austre Giltrap made a big mess, Swank was swank, and we played a very energetic set despite an unexpected faulty bass amp incident near the end of the first song. We enjoyed our first show at the venue and are looking forward to rocking there again.

NP setlist - 10.27 @ Sweetwater Live

spies
wide asleep
we are not sleeping
kenny rogers tune
smedley
a bird's song
the devil of california
one million wooden arches
daylight savings time

THE ONLY SHOW THIS SATURDAY / NOPHEST DETAILS BELOW

2007-10-24T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's the only place to be - this Saturday - October 27th. The Nerd Parade will be taking the stage as part of the Sweetwater Bar & Grill's annual Halloween bash!!!

We will be playing with 2 bands that we have good friendships with - Austre Giltrap (with whom we have rocked The Avenue Skatepark & Smith's Olde Bar) and Swank Sinatra (with whom we've rocked last year's Nophest) who will also be producing their brand spanking new, Randy Garcia produced full-length LP. The album rocks very hard and features musical guest spots by NP members Randy, and Abby Wren.

Here are the details on the gig -

Swank Sinatra
w/ The Nerd Parade & Austre Giltrap
@
Sweetwater Live
2920 Old Norcross Rd.
Duluth Ga - 30096

10$ 18+ / 5$ 21+

-----------------------------------------------
Speaking of Nophest - check out the newly launched Nophest site at www.nophest.com. This year's winter edition had its first details announced this week. The festival will be taking place @ Parkgrounds - the coffeehouse / dog park in Reynoldstown, Atlanta - and will run Friday - Sunday, December 7, 8, and 9.

Here is the list of performers confirmed so far - more will be announced soon, and a full schedule with performance times will be available as the even approaches.

CONFRIMED
---------------
Austre Giltrap
Cinetrope
Feeding Fingers
Oski Foundation (Miami FL)
Swank Sinatra
The Green Hit
The Nerd Parade
Wednesday If Not Before
... and many more TBA

Last minute show rolls in for The Nerd Parade - in Athens, Ga - CANCELLED

2007-10-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

You can still see The Nerd Parade & Austre Giltrap together later this month at the following shows :

10.14 @ Smith's Olde Bar - Atlanta GA
10.27 @ Sweetwater Live - Duluth GA

the next show for The Nerd Parade - help us rock for the cause!!!

2007-10-11T12:08:00.001-04:00

Sunday, October 14th we will take the stage in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Joann O'Conner. We will be joined by Slim Chickens,Feeding Fingers, our label mates: Adam and the Pinx, our friends Austre Giltrap, and Motown Luminary Ike Stubblefield! The show is early, so no need to worry about getting up late for work on Monday. The cause is noble, and rockin' will be top-notch.Please come out and support!

Check these links:

Susan G. Komen Foundation

Smiths Olde Bar

Our Myspace
(for more frequent updates)

Alice In Chains live - They don't make em' like that anymore...

2007-10-11T11:28:00.001-04:00

So last week Kat, Randy, Abby, and myself went to see Alice In Chains at the HiFi Buys Amphitheater here in Atlanta. It was once again amazing to see them. I have a theory that the band never really lost any of it's original magic because they were inactive from about 1997 - 2006, they never spend those long years losing their love for the band's music. Instead - they seem to have missed it badly and came back with a brand new appreciation for just how great they were.

Now I know some of you - including some good friends of mine - view the current AIC as somehow illegitimate. I wholeheartedly disagree. I know for sure that I love Layne Stayley as much as any of them. I hung my head and shed a little tear when I heard he was gone too, but that was 5 years ago. I really respect that the band is bringing these great songs back to the people who loved them so much in the early 90's - and showing a whole new generation just how powerful they are. Also overlooked by the Layne loyalists is the fact that Jerry Cantrell was probably responsible for more than twice songwriting than Layne was - I love the guy - but the sound of AIC that we all love is mostly the doing of the amazing Jerry.

long live Alice In Chains - props to William Duvall - r.i.p. Layne Stayley - we think about ya every time we hear those songs, and I know you're smiling up there watching us all get together and rock out with your old mates - we miss ya!!!

Alice In Chains - 10.03.07 - Atlanta

Again
Grind
We Die Young
Sludge Factory
Them Bones
Rain When I Die
Nutshell
No Excuses
Angry Chair
Man In The Box
Would?
Rooster

The next live show for The Nerd Parade is approaching!!

2007-09-26T21:43:00.000-04:00

The next Nerd Parade show will take place on the half-pipe at The Avenue Skatepark in Snellville, GA. This will be the second time NP rocks The Avenue. Last time was a blast, so make sure you show up early and grab a seat on the coping. Also, bring your boards and gear, 'coz the $8 admission covers ramp fees too. If that isn't enough, any girl who shows up and skates will get a free copy of The Nerd Parade's debut album, A Delicate Bashing. Sorry fellas, but we have to show some appreciation for the ladies of sk8 :)

For more information, check out:

http://www.theavenueskatepark.com

http://www.thenerdparade.com

this will be our first show with our new drummer Chris Sheldon, and we're doing some slightly new takes on some old favorites, as well as showcasing new material - I would love to see ALL of our ATL friends who can make it out to this one - please c'mon out and show some love!!!

Queens Of The Stone Age - the aftermath - OMG

2007-09-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

So - me and the wife, and a handful of friends, went to see Queens Of The Stone Age play at The Tabernacle here in Atlanta on Saturday night. It was totally every bit as good as I expected it to be. One of the great things about this band is that you never have any idea what they're going to play. I mean, this tour has been consistent in the fact that they generally play a nice helping of new songs alongside a rotating selection of more well know tunes, and deeper songs from their first 2 records. However, tney still leave you guessing after every song. This band seems to get better and better, year after year. They are my favortie rock band of the moment - like they used to say about The Clash back in the day - QOTSA are to me : "the only band that matters."

check em out - www.QOTSA.com

Queens Of The Stone Age - 9.22.07 - Atlanta set list
----------------------
burn the witch
misfit love
into the hollow
little sister
battery acid
leg of lamb
suture up your future
turnin on the screw
do it again
3's and 7's
avon
I wanna make it wit chu
walkin on the sidewalks
sick sick sick
go with the flow
I think I lost my headache
(encore)
regular john
a song for the dead
-----------------------
now do yourself a huge favor and watch them perform the epic "Misfit Love" live from the Henry Rollins show earlier this year.

October Nerd Parade shows

2007-09-20T10:13:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update here on the performance schedule. Due to some misinformation - we were forced to, as much as we hate doing it, cancel our shows at the Wild Wing Cafe in Gainesville, Ga that were scheduled for 9.28 and 10.12, respectively. We still do however, have a nice looking schedule of shows on the horizon - CHECK EM' OUT.

Friday 10.05.07 - 8:00pm - The Avenue Skatepark - Snellville Ga
Sunday 10.14.07 - 6:00pm - Smith's Olde Bar - Atlanta Ga
Saturday 10.20.07 - 3:00pm - Park Gorunds Coffeehouse - Atlanta Ga
Friday 10.26.07 - 8:00pm - Abinadabs - Buford Ga
Saturday 10.27.07 - 9:00pm - Halloween Party @ Sweetwater Live - Duluth Ga
Friday 11.23.07 - Sunday 11.25.07 - Nophest 2007 - Atlanta Ga (Venue TBA)
Wednesday 12.12.07 - 9:00pm - Star Bar - Atlanta Ga

Let's all welcome the newest member of The Nerd Parade

2007-09-09T22:48:00.000-04:00

Chris Sheldon - resident of Norcross, Ga, became the newest character in the story of The Nerd Parade, taking over drumming duties. He has a similar story to others in the band - having done his time in S.Fla like Randy and myself, and before then - made his home in the greater Philadelphia area, which of course is the place of my birth. Anyhow - in addition to all that - he's a nice guy and a heck of a drummer. Chris will be making his live debut with TNP sometime at the tail end of this month or in very early October at the very latest.
As always - keep an eye on www.myspace.com/thenerdparade and www.thenerdparade.com for the very latest news and live show updates.

Some live Nerd Parade...

2007-09-04T14:02:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of our S.Fla pal Tony and Youtube - "Outside" - performed live at Churchills Pub in Miami on 5.15.07, during the last week of our month long tour. Featuring and awesome finishing jam w/ a badass solo by Randy - Enjoy!!!

this guy right here saved rock and roll for me.

2007-09-04T10:38:00.001-04:00

Joshua Homme - singer / guitarist for Queens Of The Stone Age. Why is he a topic of conversation today you ask?? Well - I'm getting really stoked about the QOTSA show @ The Tabernacle in Atlanta on 9.22 . And because my story on awaiting this band is a sad one. A story that reminds me of not only how badly I want to see this band again. But also reminds me of exactly how glad I am that my family and I moved away from South Florida this year.

It starts like this - our pal Josh used to play guitar in what has become a legendary underground band named "Kyuss". They existed from the tail end of the 80's up until about 95 or 96 I think. They never really gained mainstream success or any hit singles. But they were well know amongst those of us that went out of our way to listen to an seek out new and original rock music back in that day. And within the circle of friends I occupied - let's just say we were big fans. Fast forward to late 2002 - December I think. My best pal Randy tells me one day - "Hey - did ya know the guitarist from Kyuss has a new band? - they are called Queens Of The Stone Age.". I was curious - real curious. So about a week later I'm scrolling through the digital cable guide and I see that this band is playing on Letterman that night. It's late - I set the VCR to tape it and went to bed. My life changed the next morning when I played back the tape of Queens playing "No One Knows".

Miraculously - I heard on the radio a day or two later that QOTSA were playing at the Hard Rock Live in March. Bought tickets - 12 bucks - picked up a copy of "Songs For The Deaf" - and was hooked immediately. Saw the Hard Rock show - was totally blown away. Caught them twice that summer during Lollapalooza - in Philly and ATL - and then right after the ATL Lolla, back in Orlando for another HRL show. So I saw them 4 times within the span of 6 months, not to mention 3 times in the span of about 10 days. Amazing shows all around. I went to the Lolla shows to see Jane's Addiction at first - and the Queens stole the show both times.

So that was 2003 - The band took some time off - made some lineup changes (the always do) - and put out a new record "Lullabies To Paralyze". The tour got going - and we waited, and waited, and waited. Only to never have a single date in the state of Florida pop up. Then... finally... the guys hit the road opening for Nine Inch Nails. And on the schedule was Sunrise, FL - at an arena that was literally about 3 miles from my apartment.

Anyone remember Hurricane Wilma??? Well I do - it hit the very morning of the above mentioned QOTSA / NIN concert date. We got hit pretty good - power was out for 4-5 days, weeks in other places. No lights, no gas, no AC. And certainly no concert. It was so lame that people - including friends of mine, just started moving away from South Florida.

So here we are in 2007 - about 4 years since my last show. I moved to Atlanta this summer. And my man Josh is bringing his band here in 3 weeks. I'm super excited - more than I have been about any show in a long, long time. They have a great new album out called "Era Vulgaris". You should check it out sometime.

I'll betcha this show isn't cancelled because of a goddam hurricane !!!!!

All the bass I should ever need...

2007-09-04T09:40:00.001-04:00

I recently became the proud owner (thanks to my awesome wife and good credit) of a 2007 Fender Geddy Lee Signature Model Jazz Bass. It is easily the nicest playing instrument I have ever owned. I was able to take out onto the stage on the 16th of August at the 10 high club in Atlanta at the most recent Nerd Parade show. It was very, very awesome. And the bass has really started to shine since I've been spending some time at home recording with it. If you want to hear some of the sounds I've been making with it. Head on over to www.myspace.com/therichwilsonproject - there are two new demos of songs that I've been working on right there for yall to listen to. And as always - please let me know what you think of the new material

Meeting your heroes is awesome..

2007-08-28T11:12:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, August 22nd, my wife and I bought some last minute tickets and headed down to Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta to see Adrian Belew perform live with "The Adrian Belew Power Trio". It was a most amazing experience. Now I'm a pretty big time concert-goer. And these days it takes a pretty revolutionary perfromance to get up into my top 10-20 shows I've been to. It's a club that grows more and more exclusive as the years pass. But I've got to say that Mr.Belew and his amazingly talented rhythm section of Eric Slick (drums / 20 years old) and Julie Slick (bass / 21 years old), provided just such a performance. It was about 100 minutes of music that went by in what seemed like 30. Getting back to the youngsters that backed the man up. There are no words that can describe the level that these folks play at, I wish I could tell you - but you just have to see them in order to understand. It was truly humbling.

Now for those for you unfarmiliar with Adrian - he was one of the driving forces behind every incarnation of the legendary prog-rock godfathers "King Crimson" since the early 80's landmark album "Discipline". In addition to being a long time Crim' he is also famous for his work with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, The Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and a million other people. Not to mention a vast solo catalog that lately has seen Les Claypool and Danny Carey, among others coming around to collaborate with the esteemed Adrian Belew.

If you ever get a chance to witness this man perform in person, do not pass it up.

I was fortunate enough to stick around afterwards and meet all three members of the band. They were extremely gracious and took the time to chat for a few minutes and sign a poster that i grabbed off the wall at the venue. Last but not least... I asked Mr. Adrian Belew if he would pose for a photo with me =)