Blog

Sometimes this page is not quite up to date... for the latest postings by Gus Black, check out his MySpace blog.

Thursday, May 11, 2006: KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic

Hello hello,
So....
We did the show.
KCRW
Morning Becomes Eclectic w/ your host Nic Harcourt.
This was the third time on the show and by far the most fun experience.
I would like to thank the fine musicians that played with me...
Gianni Neiviller (Bass)
Luther Russell (Guitar and Glockenspiel)
Brad Gordon (Piano)
Jay Bellarose (that Drum looking box thing)
Melissa Reiner (Violin)
Jen Kuhn (Cello)
Mario Diaz (engineer)

you guys were such a pleasure to work and play with...
most them will be @ the upcoming Largo show as well...

As is the case with most live broadcast...some of the run thru or soundcheck was better than the actual live performances...but that's the way it goes...overall, it felt really good ...
as cliche' as it sounds...it's an honor to do a show like Morning Becomes Eclectic...

if you missed the broadcast...gianni has provided this link so you can check it out...
any problems ...
let me know.

you can just listen or listen & watch...

have a great day...

April 14, 2006: Fear is just a 4 letter word

Hello... first up from what we here @ myspace/gusblack.com like to call..."the song of the week"

"Don't Fear the Reaper"
it's an edited version of the song from the movie "scream"

recorded and prooduced with christopher thorn (blind melon)...he also played guitar
features laurie goldston (nirvana- unplugged) on cello
ken stringfellow (posies, rem)... on background vocals
and... nieleen schmenkel (lucky me)...on...well ...let's call it a duet.
i love her voice...if you can find a copy of a Lucky Me record (the one released by Will Records...that's the one to get) you will see why.

have a lovely week...

p.s. a man without a cellphone...is a happy man

p.s.s. in accordance with the "honor system"... don't fear the reaper is avail for free download here @ myspace... if you do download the track...all we ask is that you visit itunes...and if you enjoy what you hear...purchase a song...you don't have too...just an idea

March 22, 2006: iTunes

Autumn Days is now avail @ itunes
15 songs for 9.99
a fair price indeed.

March 22, 2006: Largo...sold out!

Hello Hello,
Largo last was very fun indeed.
Sold out.
Thank you.

Have a great day!

March 21, 2006: KCRW/RADIO EINS BERLIN

Hello there...
It's official
KCRW in Los Angles has added the new record!
I've be on Morning Becomes Eclectic 2x, and they have been very supportive in the past...
But this is the first official add from the station.
Thank you !
Also...
Radio Eins in Berlin...(a very influential station) has added "Certain Kind of Light" right out of the box.
Cool!
Keep you posted with any updates...

March 20, 2006: Mountain Stage

Charleston, West Virginia
What a great time.
Mountain Stage is a radio/tv program put on by w. virginia public radio
(W.Va version of kcrw)
It was a sold out show...
On the bill...Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (the main act), Lynn Miles (Juno award winner),
and Teddy Thompson.
I have played a few shows @ Largo w/ Teddy...so it was nice to see a familiar face.
My show went well...
I played a 2 songs w/ the house band (helicopters...todays song of the day...and trillion things)
These guy were very cool.
The guitarist from the house band, Michael, invited us to sit in with his band @ a place called the Empty Glass after the show.
So...after a rousing version of "Great Balls of Fire" in which all the bands were together on stage...we headed over to the Empty Glass.
This place is amazing...
Plywood floors...an insane tile mural behind the stage, and...
... Michael's band was phenomenal!
They were the real deal...
They invited us (Teddy, his band (his guitar player Steve has his own band called Longwave) , and myself) to join them onstage.
At first it felt like a big mistake...but with alot of help from Michael...we pulled it off.
It was such a blast!
I played tambourine and sang background vocals for the next 2 hrs (i've got the bruises on my leg to prove it)

I needed this..
SXSW was fun but exhausting.
This was a chance to let go and relax.
Thank you Mountain Stage!

March 9, 2006

Taking the idea from a friend...
we here @ myspace/gusblack are going to try and feature a new song everydayish.
we'll start by uploading the title track from the upcoming record "Autumn Days" then slowly but surely move on to songs from previous records and soundtracks.
cool?
ok.

have a nice day

March 8, 2006

this just in from the U.S. label home office

Hello everyone,

I've got some great news to report about our push at radio yesterday. Sixty-one stations added Autumn Days to their top 5 which put Gus on CMJ's Most Added chart at ..8. Already receiving airplay from some great stations like WAWL (Chattanooga, TN), KUCI (Des Moines, IA), KRCC (Colorado Springs, CO). Autumn Days has already enjoyed enough airplay to chart at two stations already WCNI (New London, CT) and WSUW (Whitewater, WI).

Top five adds to rotation from these stations:

ACRN - Athens, OH
CHMR - St. Johns, NL-Canada
KAMP - Tucson, AZ
KAPU - Azusa, CA
KAUR - Sioux Falls, SD
KCSU - Fort Collins, CO
KDUR - Durango, CO
KJHK - Lawrence, KS
KMNR - Rolla, MO
KMSA - Grand Junction, CO
KMSC - MN - Moorhead, MN
KMXT - Kodiak, AK
KNAB - Orange, CA
KNWD - Natchitoches, LA
KPSU - Portland, OR
KRSC - Claremore, OK
KRUI - Iowa City, IA
KRUX - Las Cruces, NM
KUCO - Edmond, OK
KUWS - Superior, WI
KVMR - Nevada City, CA
KZSC - Santa Cruz, CA
WBNY - Buffalo, NY
WCFM - Williamstown, MA
WCUR - West Chester, PA
WECI - Richmond, IN
WGMU - Fairfax, VA
WGRE - Greencastle, IN
WIDR - Kalamazoo, MI
WIIT - Chicago, IL
WIXQ - Millersville, PA
WKCO - Gambier, OH
WLFM - Appleton, WI
WLUR - Lexington, VA
WMHB - Waterville, ME
WMHC - South Hadley, MA
WMSC - Upper Montclair, NJ
WMSR - Oxford, OH
WMTS - Murfreesboro, TN
WMUA - Amherst, MA
WMXM - Lake Forest, IL
WOUB -AM - Athens, OH
WPMD - Norwalk, CA
WRCT - Pittsburgh, PA
WRFT - Ambler, PA
WRFW - River Falls, WI
WRSK - Slippery Rock, PA
WRUB - Amherst, NY
WSCA - Portsmouth, NH
WSUW - Whitewater, WI
WUPJ - Johnstown, PA
WVUM - Miami, FL
WVYC - York, PA
WWSP - Stephens Point, WI
WXAV - Chicago, IL
WXOU - Rochester, MI
WXSU - Salisbury, MD
WYBF - Radnor, PA

Early top 30 debuts from:
WCNI - New London, CT ..15
WSUW - Whitewater, WI ..22

Fun.

February 21, 2006

today
a good day
smiles and coffee
dog dates and plum trees

one month to go.
Largo march 21.
book your table now.
323 852 1073 (that's one of ..'s)

January 17, 2006

Hello hello,
Just a little note on the release of the new record
Autumn Days will come out March 21st in th US (possibly sooner on iTunes)
That same night I'll be playing a show with my band @ Largo in Los Angeles.
Hope to have a few guest performers that night as well...
Largo has been my musical home for years.
So it's the perfect place to launch the record.
Hope to see you there.

now...i am heading to the grand canyon

November 16, 2005

Hello hello...
Another beautiful sunny day in L.A.
I would love for Autumn to arrive...
but... one should not look a gift horse...

Music rant part 2:
The Dirty Three are Nick Cave's favorite band for a reason.
Please check out their single "Great Waves" from the new record "Cinder" on Touch and Go.
Cat Power sings.
It's brilliant!
It makes me smile...
and weep.
I'd love to know who wrote the lyrics...
stellar!
They are in my top 8...whatever.

oh yeah
note to self (kind of)
always pay your parking tickets... on time...
please.
I got the BOOT today.
shit!
Hello Hello.

September 1, 2005

Hello
Finally... I can post something new.
First of all...nothing seems important in the wake of hurricane Katrina... home seem so far away.
It amazes me that the time does not stand still in these moments.
Life goes on...
But how...
I can't say it would be easy to carry on with so much devastation all around.
To those directly impacted... my heart goes out to you and your families.

That being said.
Germany has been great so far.
press interviews... radio performances
and of course my record release party coming up on Saturday.
My first record release party in another country.
Crazy...

it's nice to have something to distract one from the s*** going on in the rest of the world.
I plan to donate $$$ to the effort relief when I return.
I hope you do the same

August 31, 2005

I have 14 mins. and counting left of time on my prepaid
internet access card.
When I say I love touring in Germany and Europe I mean it.
But Last night I could not sleep (again)
I found myself watching CNN till 5 am
I have avoided watching or shall I say focusing on the devastation caused by
Katrina.
Not to be cynical...but the coverage leading up to the hurricane hitting land
seemed so hype driven that it kept from seeming real (for me).
Then... I got busy. Interviews, radio shows, me ...me ....me.
That is until last nite/this morning.
My god/your god.
It is the worst thing I have ever seen in America.
I feel so sad for those that that have lost so much.
I feel sad for my country.
No matter how I feel about the politics of the nation...
This is a tradgedy that makes me yearn to be home close to the ones I love
I hope none of you has lost someone in this tragedy.
But as I finished writing that last sentence I realize that we have all lost someone.
Our fellow americans
Our brothers and sisters
Our loved ones
Human Beings devestated from the power of mother nature.
My heart goes out to you.
Gus

For more musings, visit Gus Black's MySpace page...