MaloneMemes #2 - Rock & Roll, in a nutshell.

MaloneMemes #1 - Be Rock. Always.

Scenes From an Italian Truckstop

Notes from the road - Southern Italy, July 13, 2013.

Ah, the glorious clusterfuck that is Italy. The place is not unlike New Orleans in that a mostly carefree populous party among the ruins of their fragrantly crumbling past. When people hear I am coming here to tour, they envision me perhaps sipping a glass of homemade chianti under a lyrical olive tree in the shadows of an ancient roman aqueduct. Merde! It's all sleep deprivation, long drives, crappy hotel rooms, and truck stop dining. Although the food at Italian truck stops is better than the food at most American restaurants. The clock here is, at best, a suggestion. If we're late for soundcheck, then we've likely made it there at exactly the right time. An 8:00 show might go off at 10. Or 11. But don't worry about that, signore. Now we eat! 

New Tunes - New Press!

Hey kids! We've been sequestered away in the studio working on the new Bob Malone record most of this year, and the first three tunes are done, with more to come soon! Click here and have a listen:

http://soundcloud.com/bob-malone/sets/new-bob-malone/

A nice feature article about me is in this month's issue of Berklee Today - that's the alum mag from my old alma mater, Berklee College of Music. Check it out here:

http://bobmalone.com/pdf/review-berklee-today-2013.jpg

And I've also been interviewed for the latest Mix Magazine, here it is:

http://blog.mixonline.com/mixblog/2013/01/18/bob-malone/

All of this stuff, plus new gigs, photos and videos are at bobmalone.com, which has been massively updated - so go have a look! 

See you out there! B

2013 Finally Begins

Today I feel like the new year has finally begun. Showed up late last Monday at Cadillac Jack's amazing weekly blues jam hedre in LA and ended up sitting in with a Creedence tribute band (they sure were happy to see me!) and then a whole smoking set with LA blues legend Preston Smith. This weekend I reconnected with old and recent friends and made some new ones at the NAMM convention (for non-musos, this is a yearly ritual where musicians and the manufacturers of the stuff they make music with get together for 4 non-stop days of schmoozing and naked gear-lust). Then today I sat in with my very dear friend Dave Nachmanoff - Al Stewart's guitar player and a great singer-songwriter himself. Dave and I did a lot of touring together back in the day when we still had to call venues on our land-line phones to book gigs. I always felt somewhat inadequate because the numbers on Dave's phone were completely worn off. And he says it's my fault he quit his day-job to become a full-time touring musician. So I probably owe him money. Playing with Dave always brings back the finest kind of memories. 

This Saturday, February 2, I do two sets with the whole rocking band at Arcadia Blues Club here in LA. Tickets are only $5 if you get them in advance - $10 at the door - so get them now right here! Showtime at 8:00!

Within the next couple of weeks we will be announcing a bunch of new tour dates (both solo and with John Fogerty) and previewing a tune or two from my new CD, which we are busy working on right now, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here's some cool press from this month:

Mix Magazine Interview

Review of "Ain't What You Know" in Bluesmagazine Netherlands

Piano Lessons - A Tribute To Mom

When I first started taking piano lessons, I hated it. I was a restless nine year old kid, impatient with the process of learning music. During that first year, my Mom would sit with me each day for fifteen minutes of practice. Knowing I loved an audience, she'd encourage me with praise while I stumbled grimly through scales and arpeggios. Neither stage mother or musician, she just didn't want me to be a quitter. At some point during this process, I discovered I had talent, and from then on, nothing could tear me from the keyboard. And you all know what happened next.

Mom, I am missing you this Mother's Day. I don't think you ever realized that everything amazing in my life happened because you made sure I didn't quit when that would have been the easiest thing to do. I wish you were here to see where this long road has taken me - you would be proud. 

This Is What They Pay Me For

The carefully rehearsed TSA dance routine: shoes off - belt off - laptop out - hands up - TURN! The fuming, snaking line, always a bit diffuse and confusing at its tail, like a frayed length of rope. The overly chipper and grating voice of the flight attendant. The little passive-aggressive game I play with said flight attendant where I leave my electronic devices on and my seatbelt off, even though I know better. The rote repetition of the safety features of this 737 aircraft. From the seats next to me, the loud, terribly self-important and crushingly banal conversation of two L.A. types, redolent of chewing gum, plastic surgery and the overconfidence of the none-too-bright. The not-at-all reassuring shaking of the silver wing outside my widow. The seat, far more uncomfortable than it needs to be. The captain interrupting the edited-for-tv movie on the back of the seat in front of me - letting me know that we’re passing over Toledo, which can be seen just outside our left cabin windows. The sticky remnants of spilled drinks on my seat-back tray – ghosts of unhappy travelers past. The drunk frat guys a few rows ahead of me – why do they always travel in packs? The claustrophobia, the boredome, the barely suppressed rage.

Playing the piano? Singing? Writing songs? I do that shit for free. This is what they pay me for.