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April 1st 2024:
The album is done. Its killer! Huge thanks to Doug Brody for his help with the artwork layout, to Tad Doyle for his mastering skills and to Richy Vegas and P. Earwig for their fantastic illustrations. Any of you who have gone to my Bandcamp page will know that I like to keep everything as a “pay whatever you want” kind of affair. I plan on keeping it that way, but sometimes something comes up and now is one of those times. Smedley’s Racket could use some dough and some PR from YOU–that’s right, I’m askin! But that’s because there will be a limited run of Smedley’s Racket 12-inch LPs coming out this summer on a marbly vinyl!! Woot! As you can imagine this is the result of countless hours of work as well as a few thousand bucks and while I generally don’t want to ask anything of anyone, right now we could really use any support whether with money or verbally or “sharing” to help Smedley’s Racket. Please explore and do what you can over at Maxbrodyworld on Bandcamp. Enjoy some of my weird-ass back catalog. Everything will go towards paying ourselves back for the manufacture costs. Our upcoming LP, called “Victory Or Deaf” won’t be available until this summer. In the meantime, I intend on making a bunch of video content for the Maxbrodyworld TV YouTube channel and then start releasing the music as singles and playing shows as soon as I can get it together. Your help will be mission critical in the near future! So, please stay tuned. Thank youuuuuuuu! Love you my peeps! Cheers, Max |
*shout out to Jack Blood for this pic from Tim's Tavern*
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AUGUST 21ST, 2023:
Howdy folks, I hope you are well out there! In case you had not heard I've been posting updates on a new website, www.smedleysracket.com since that band is my main focus now, as well as performing with AR BAND. It's been way too long since I've posted here, so I thought I'd touch base. This year has definitely been a busy one for SMEDLEY'S RACKET and I feel that we are still on track to eventually make a vinyl. Sadly, back in May, drummer Mark Hanna decided to drop out of the band which was a bit of a set-back. Fortunately, we were able to replace him right away with Juan Lozoya and continue playing the shows we already had booked. Since June we slowed down on performing live and re-focused on rehearsals to tighten things up with 'new-guys' Kent (Slide Guitar) and Juan (drums), as well as learn more songs and prepare for recording asap. We oughta have more videos up soon on the MAXBRODYWORLD TV YouTube channel too. Our next show will be at Slim's Last Chance in Seattle on Friday, October 13th with LOS NOMADS, which is Juan's other band and THE FUSS, who are releasing an EP that night. AR BAND took a vacation in August but will surely be back at it in the fall. Their next show is September 2oth at Skihill Summer Music Series in Leavenworth. 2023 gigs list: January 6th: Smedley's Racket at Lucky Dime in Everett (w/ Ventriculum, Skiz Dizzard) KENT'S FIRST SHOW January 12th: Smedley's Racket at Tony V's Garage in Everett (w/ Unspoken Nature, Brush Apes) January 14th: Smedley's Racket at Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood (w/ Caught In The Web, Awake Amongst The Dead, Skizz Dizzard, Choly) January 20th: AR Band at Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood January 24th: AR Band ("acoustic set") at Central Saloon in downtown Seattle (w/ Buried Blonde and Atrocity Girl) February 24th: AR Band at Tony V's Garage in Everett(w/Atrocity Girl, Public Theatre, Deep Contact) March 18th: AR Band at the Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood (w/ Randy Hanson, Agents of Fortune, Variety Pack) April 14th: AR Band at the Mirkwood Public House in Arlington (w/Dobros and Dublin Abbey) April 21st: AR Band at the Central Saloon, downtown Seattle.(w/The Other Truckers, Iris Drive) April 22nd: Smedley's Racket at Darrell's Tavern in Shoreline (w/Ventriculum and ERODER) May 3rd: AR Band, Smedley's Racket(w/Ventriculum) at Funhouse in Seattle--MARK'S LAST SHOW May 30th: Smedley's Racket and AR Band at the High Dive in Fremont (w/ Atrocity Girl) JUAN'S FIRST SHOW June 3rd: AR Band at Tony Vs (w/Deep Contact, 1st Saint Street) June 17th: Smedley's Racket and AR Band at Brush Stomp Hootenanny #2(Camp/Fest) in Granite Falls (w/AR band, Mossy Rock, Burnwell, Deep Contact, The Brush Apes, Smedley's Racket, The Moon is Flat, Ventriculum, Tour De Detour, more...) July 8th: AR Band at the Mirkwood in Arlington, WA (w/ Skablins, Catalyst, Doss Collective, Los Occupados, Billy Rosewarne and Molly Hansen, DJ Stank Fanger) music starts at 5pm July 15th: AR Band at the Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood. (w/Moon Is Flat, Deep Contact) music at 8. $13 adv/$15 dos July 21st: AR Band at the Rendezvous Jewel Theatre in downtown Seattle (opening for Ember Mist. 1st band is the IVES) July 27th: Smedley's Racket & AR Band at the Blue Moon in Seattle (w Mossy Rock) July 28th: AR Band at the Hoot and Holler Festival #1 in Tulalip July 29th: AR Band at the Hoot and Holler Festival (extra set) + AR Band at Bailey's Corner on Whidbey Island August 4th: Smedley's Racket at Tim's Tavern in White Center. (w/Late Night Shiner, Severhead, Monster Creep. $15.00 - All Ages til 10pm 9655 16TH AVE SW, WHITE CENTER, SEATTLE, 98106 |
DECEMBER 31st, 2022:
Looks like its time for another year-end-wrap-up! Already! 2022 is fixin to croak in a few hours!!
ok...THE 2022 STATS: (drumroll, please)
17 shows--5 with SMEDLEY'S RACKET, 12 with AR BAND
3 Bandcamp releases, COSMO ep, BRADFORDICUS single, and the SMEDLEY'S RACKET 3-song demo.
and
13 videos to the Maxbrodyworld TV YouTube Channel
Hmmm, what can I say? This website is starting its 10th year! For the past 5 I've been in serious song writing mode like a dude in a cage or something. 2022 was the year I got out of the cage. On the loose! I did release a couple little things but it's been months since I've written anything or made a recording and I'm not sure when I'll get back to that mode. My focus has changed, and it feels like a definite level-up!
This has been the year of SMEDLEY going live. I'd been trying for a few years to find the right humans to start with. The current incarnation of SMEDLEY'S RACKET got started near the end of 2021; Mark Hanna reached out to me and wanted to jam and reconnect (we had been in a band circa 1991-93). He brought Isaac out to the jam and it was a fun one. They both dug what I had been writing and liked the guitar junior weirdness, so it was game on. Rehearsals lasted for 7 or 8 months. During the spring we recorded a demo. By June 2022 we played our first show, where I was so nervous that we played every song way, way too fast--ha! I've learned a lot this year. FEELS GUUD.
In July I got a call from TAD asking if I would be interested in laying down some sax tracks for a band that he was recording at his studio. That turned into me being a sax player for AR BAND and playing a bunch of shows and meeting a bunch of nice folks and having lots of fun. SMEDLEY'S RACKET played a few more shows too, as we kept on the lookout for a possible 4th member. It's been nice to play shows again. TAD had me back out to his place the other day to lay some sax on a song he was working on with his friend, GANNINGNIYA, which I hope sees the light of day cuz it's crazy sounding. Thanks for everything this year TAD, by the way!
So, that is how I ran across Kent Lake since he is the lead guitar guy for AR BAND -- he came out to some of our early shows and liked it. And I'm very happy to say he is interested in learning the lead guitar parts for SMEDLEY'S RACKET. We have begun rehearsals as a QUARTET not only to get Kent up to speed, but to learn some more songs. Now, at long last, at the end of 2022 BOTH bands are poised to play some mighty fun shows in the new year! Let's keep em comin' so we can get real tight before we go into the studio. Thats the plan, anyway.
Next month:
January 6th: Smedley's Racket at Lucky Dime in Everett
January 12th: Smedley's Racket at Tony V's Garage in Everett
January 14th: Smedley's Racket at Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood
January 20th: AR Band at Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood
January 24th: AR Band at Central Saloon in downtown Seattle
WISHING ALL OF YOU STREGNTH IN THIS NEW YEAR and a Happy Bullstar!
Thank you for your kind attentions. Cheers!!
Looks like its time for another year-end-wrap-up! Already! 2022 is fixin to croak in a few hours!!
ok...THE 2022 STATS: (drumroll, please)
17 shows--5 with SMEDLEY'S RACKET, 12 with AR BAND
3 Bandcamp releases, COSMO ep, BRADFORDICUS single, and the SMEDLEY'S RACKET 3-song demo.
and
13 videos to the Maxbrodyworld TV YouTube Channel
Hmmm, what can I say? This website is starting its 10th year! For the past 5 I've been in serious song writing mode like a dude in a cage or something. 2022 was the year I got out of the cage. On the loose! I did release a couple little things but it's been months since I've written anything or made a recording and I'm not sure when I'll get back to that mode. My focus has changed, and it feels like a definite level-up!
This has been the year of SMEDLEY going live. I'd been trying for a few years to find the right humans to start with. The current incarnation of SMEDLEY'S RACKET got started near the end of 2021; Mark Hanna reached out to me and wanted to jam and reconnect (we had been in a band circa 1991-93). He brought Isaac out to the jam and it was a fun one. They both dug what I had been writing and liked the guitar junior weirdness, so it was game on. Rehearsals lasted for 7 or 8 months. During the spring we recorded a demo. By June 2022 we played our first show, where I was so nervous that we played every song way, way too fast--ha! I've learned a lot this year. FEELS GUUD.
In July I got a call from TAD asking if I would be interested in laying down some sax tracks for a band that he was recording at his studio. That turned into me being a sax player for AR BAND and playing a bunch of shows and meeting a bunch of nice folks and having lots of fun. SMEDLEY'S RACKET played a few more shows too, as we kept on the lookout for a possible 4th member. It's been nice to play shows again. TAD had me back out to his place the other day to lay some sax on a song he was working on with his friend, GANNINGNIYA, which I hope sees the light of day cuz it's crazy sounding. Thanks for everything this year TAD, by the way!
So, that is how I ran across Kent Lake since he is the lead guitar guy for AR BAND -- he came out to some of our early shows and liked it. And I'm very happy to say he is interested in learning the lead guitar parts for SMEDLEY'S RACKET. We have begun rehearsals as a QUARTET not only to get Kent up to speed, but to learn some more songs. Now, at long last, at the end of 2022 BOTH bands are poised to play some mighty fun shows in the new year! Let's keep em comin' so we can get real tight before we go into the studio. Thats the plan, anyway.
Next month:
January 6th: Smedley's Racket at Lucky Dime in Everett
January 12th: Smedley's Racket at Tony V's Garage in Everett
January 14th: Smedley's Racket at Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood
January 20th: AR Band at Vessel Taphouse in Lynnwood
January 24th: AR Band at Central Saloon in downtown Seattle
WISHING ALL OF YOU STREGNTH IN THIS NEW YEAR and a Happy Bullstar!
Thank you for your kind attentions. Cheers!!
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