Rock Academy Gig

The concert that marks the culmination of the most recent session of Rock Academy is coming up this weekend. Our 13 year-old, Alayne, is singing for two of the bands this time around.

Place and time:

Ballydoyle Irish Pub
Downers Grove, IL
Sunday, November 1st
3:00 pm

In a world where the words "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" make people think of video games before they think of actual musicians, Rock Academy gives teenagers a chance to learn what it's like to play in a band and gig for real. They rehearse for 8 weeks, then do at least one gig at the end of the session.

Usually about 6 or 7 bands play, so if you're in the neighborhood stop by and support these kids. They always put on a great show.

Alayne at Ballydoyle's

Here's a shot of Alayne at her Rock Academy gig at Ballydoyle's in Downers Grove, IL. The name of her band is Hospital Bill, so the wrap on her wrist is part of the outfit.

She's just shy of 13 but looked like a seasoned pro up there. Great job, kiddo!

I'll post the info for their next session when I get it.

News from the Batcave

Haven't posted in a bit. Our youngest, Ruby, ended up in the hospital over the weekend with pneumonia. She's out now and feeling better.

What's the Batcave, you ask? It's my den of musical inspiration. A couple of houses ago, we had an upstairs room that was originally intended to be my music room. I called it my Fortress of Solitude. However, it quickly became an all-purpose office of sorts and a computer room. After that, Ruby was born and it became her nursery.

When we moved into our current house, my lovely wife Lara was determined to give me a place to play and write music free from the distractions of a house full of kids. As a surprise Christmas gift, she designed a beautiful music room for me in our finished basement. I couldn't have been happier when she unveiled it.

Lara said, "Now you finally have your Fortress of Solitude."

After thinking about that a second, I responded, "No, since it's in the basement and all my 'gadgets' are in here, this is my Batcave."

So what's happening in the Batcave? Quite a lot.

I'm booking 2009 and I have some gigs coming up. If anybody knows of any cool places where they wouldn't mind seeing a JB gig, please let me know. I'm always looking for new venues.

I'm also writing new songs and finding some cool covers that I can put my own spin on. I'm really excited to get back on a stage.

Stay tuned. Same Bat-time, same Bat-blog.

Ramping Up

Some really exciting things are happening in the JB camp. I'm working on some new material (and, in some cases, rewritten old material that never saw the light of day), which is a pretty big deal considering I've been fighting writer's block for a very, very long time. Colleen Wild and I had the first of many writing sessions this past weekend, so I'm very excited about what may come of that.

I've been trying to find some new places to play and reconnect with old venues so I can get back out and play some shows. It feels good to be back in the game.

For those of you who don't know, I've been on a hiatus due to my daughter's condition. She was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and she's already had more surgeries than most adults I know. Things are slowly settling down, however, and it's about time she got a chance to see Daddy doing what he does best.

Elsewhere in the JB camp, my stepdaughter Alayne enrolled in the Rock Academy of DuPage. I can't wait to see her tear it up. I swear that kid was born to be a rock star. The Rock Academy is an awesome place. It gives kids the opportunity to learn what it's like to play in a band and collaborate with other musicians. If you have a pre-teen/teenager who likes to play music and you live in the Downers Grove, IL area, check it out.

Check back for more updates. Exciting things are happening.