- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12/24/03 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hey everyone, sorry for the truancy
over the last few weeks. Finals are over for almost all of us, and we're all relaxing and having a good time with our friends
and relatives. Taking it easy, you know? But that doesn't mean Hot Rodney is on haitus! Au contraire, amigos. As the December
freeze takes hold, Hot Rodney is only warming up...
Jim and Nick have had a bunch of new songs in the hole for awhile now. They've spent these past few days refining and
building upon this stuff, and they're thinking this new material is their best yet. (A lot of you have heard "Velvet," which
the guys played at the recent NDP show with Trepid.) Andrew too has been working on some new songs, and is collaborating with
Jim on at least one track. Andrew's off to London for the next few days, and Greg may be going skiing, but Jim and Nick will
start recording a few acoustic numbers with Dan Hollenkamp and Tim Hollis next week. The plan is to have a nice little EP
all dressed up and under the tree before the end of break. All Rodneys will be involved, of course, as soon as they are available
- Andrew will be back soon to lay down basslines and possibly contribute a tune or two to the effort, and Greg will add his
inimitable percussive touch. We may not have time to record a whole album, but you'll soon have some brand-new Hot Rodney
songs. Also, Nick is trying to book a venue for a show sometime in early January. We'll keep you posted, rest assured.
Andrew, Nick, and Scollin decided to continue their tradition of Christmas caroling door-to-door in different Rochester
neighborhoods, and this year they've added a third tenor to their ensemble - Jimmy Higgins. In two nights the boys hit Andrew's
and Jimmy's neighborhoods, in addition to Parisian at "the Village," singing classics like "Joy to the World" and "Jingle
Bells." They thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Scollin was especially jolly, as Danny and BC can attest.
Jim had a solo in the NDP choir's winter performance. You can hear him on the "Magnificat" CD (mixed by Tim Hollis).
I think it's track #13. My mom really likes it.
Nick put up some pictures from the NDP show. Here's the link:
They'll be up on the Hot Rodney pics site really soon - Bill had trouble accessing the page at school, so he couldn't
add them before.
Unfortunately MP3.com has closed down, so you can't download "Date" or "EGA Jam" from there anymore! But don't worry,
we'll think of something.
Feel free to post favorite Christmas memories on the guestbook! Or talk about your favorite gift or anything you want.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12/1/03 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - -
Well we hope your Thanksgiving was peaceful. Our show at NDP has come and
gone, and we want to thank the 270 of you who came to see us and the brothers Trepid. We had such a good time. A lot of faces
we hadn't seen in awhile, which is awesome. Some observations: "Hey Ya"
was fun. Nick drank water and played with the mic-stand. Andrew smiled a few times. Jim broke a string and later
blinked under the spotlight. Greg was very shirtless.
Special thanks to the teachers and staff who volunteered to chaperone, and
to Dan Hollenkamp and Tim Hollis, who are honestly two of the best people you will ever meet. They dedicated their entire
day to the show, just because they are nice guys. And it sounded great! Mr. Feedback was turned away at the door
with a swift kick in the pants! But it wasn't enough for these two gentlemen just to make Hot Rodney sound better than ever
before - they also went and recorded the whole mess for later consumption. Not even a bad tooth and a fever could keep Iron
Tim away from the soundboard. And Danny came to the rescue when Jim couldn't figure out how to turn on his guitar. If you
see Dan (he's far away) or Tim (which is more likely), give them a hug and a kiss if you are a girl and a firm handshake and
appreciative nod if you are a boy. Thanks dudes! By the way, you are now Heroes of the Week!
We have a bunch of pictures from the show (and the Albion performance also)
(thanks Karen!). We have so many we hired either: (A.) a dozen chimpanzees or (B.) one unemployed Harvard student to sort
through them. The best of them will be up when we feel like it. Soon, maybe. Or will they?
Hot Rodney would love to play a show in December. If you own a bar or a backyard or something
let us know! We'll play there. Also, we were serious about the T-shirt contest. Send us your best designs! Or will you?
We have a bunch of new songs that we're itching to record, so work on album #3 might start sooner
than you think. I just came up with an idea. Hot Rodney's Best and Worst of 2003. Coming soon!! Or will it?
Umm... that's enough. Give us concert memories in the guestbook. Did you, too, find romance at
the Hot Rodney show? Let us know. Oh, and if you have any constructive ideas for a good cover song, we're always interested.
