A personal story about playing at the House of Blues...

Here I am at the Outside Lands Festival...
not the HOB of course :)

Ever since I was a young kid, just learning how to play bass and discovering what I liked listening to, the House of Blues on Sunset was always this mysterious presence in my parent's yearly rounds of concerts...a place at which all the top groups performed, but also one that somehow maintained a homely vibe and ambiance. My dad still talks about getting the chance to meet Jimmy Vaughan (Stevie Ray's older brother) just outside the entrance, on the sidewalk of Sunset boulevard. I remember seeing The Roots perform there, and just being in awe of the energy coming off the stage and bouncing around the willing audience.

In the last couple of month's, I've had the opportunity to play this amazing venue as the newest member of Cosmic Suckerpunch, and it has absolutely been a dream come true. I didn't anticipate feeling so accomplished after any one gig, but somehow it just gets to me in a very special way playing in such a cool spot. I know I'm not the only one in the band looking forward to playing there again, but I just know that when we get the opportunity to play on the main stage in the main showroom, whenever that may be, I'm going to put every ounce of energy and emotion I have into that performance, because the venue is just that inspiring for me. Even though we are constantly working to get better as a band and that is definitely happening, I felt like our latest performance at the House of Blues, this past Monday, was our best show in a lot of ways. I can't help but think the venue played a big part in that.

In the Parish Room, where we've played these last two times within the House of Blues, there are relief sculptures of famous musical artists up on the slanted ceilings. When we played "Hey Joe" underneath the relief of Jimi Hendrix, I almost got chills looking up and seeing his face in stone staring down on us...it was an interesting type of energy that urged me to push forward and really play my heart out and do everything possible to honor his legacy. That's the way the whole place makes me feel, a place where good music is propelled to the forefront and held in the highest regard...and it's such a good feeling to join the group of artists who've helped make that reputation possible throughout the years.

-Josh (the new bass player)

Kinderschokolade

I am proud to say that beside the guitar sounds, there is something else I brought to the band Cosmic Suckerpunch. And that is Kinder Chocolate, (pronounced Kinderschokolade for more exotic appeal). This O so sweet! delicacy was invented by an Italian company (the same that makes Nutella), yet first introduced in Germany in the late 60's, the same year Axis: As Bold as Love (previously talked about on this blog) had been released => sign of greatness. Kinderschokolade has been mostly successful in Mediterranean countries such as France, Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe, which is why it is so hard to find it in the U.S and why no one really knows about it. For us Europeans, Kinder Chocolate is deeply engraved in our childhood. 

 

Which is why one day, on my way to rehearsal here in L.A, it is with nostalgia that I found a pack of those at a local market in Little Armenia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has since then been the usual snack for the band at our extended 4-5 hours rehearsals, as, let's not forget about it, Kinderschokolade is full of nutrients. High in sugar, which is enough to give a little boost to keep you going, and calcium-filled milk, which is good for bouncing around and head banging and stuff, and let's face it, it's pretty yummy. So thank you Kinderschokolade, even if your package is little outdated, and not very appealing, you rock. 

 

- Fabien

 

 

Cosmic Suckerblanca!!

Hey everyone!! One day out from shooting the first portion of our very first MUSIC VIDEO!! Tomorrow morning we are heading over to Ari's now transformed apartment to shoot the scenes involving the beautiful actress/ singer Whitney Blair. I don't want to give away too much but she's "In Love With A Robot". The boys tried on suit jackets yesterday morning in LA's fabric district and were pleasantly surprised as how nicely they clean up. They are shooting their scenes on Saturday night in Josh's also transformed warehouse. So keep an eye out for the release of our very first music video! - Tizz 

 

Sunday morning rock history

As you might know, I am not only a vinyl collector, but also a Jimi Hendrix fan. So yesterday, when, in a local store with Josh, I found an original vinyl edition of the abum Axis: Bold as Love by Jimi, I couldn't help myself from getting it. So here we are today, the feared Sunday morning of Carmageddon.

Today I need to do some sound experiment with my rig, do some pre-production stuff for the music video we're shooting with the band next week. But first, what a better way to start a Sunday than with a cup of Joe and some good ol' Jimi Hendrix? When listening to him, I am always amazed by two things, 1-that Jimi Hendrix, who learnt how to play guitar, very much self-taught,  and played it in the subway, went to become one of the most incredible guitar player ever, and one of the major influences of modern guitar, who influenced probably every single rock band in the history, (from the Rolling Stones to Cosmic Suckerpunch). 2- that in something like 5 years, (1964-69), the same thing happened to music than what happened to technological evolution at the beginning of the 20th century: a rush of discoveries never seen before, raising the bar to an unforeseen level. All the effects that were invented in the 60's are the same we're using today (most of which were invented by mistakes and experimentations) such as flanger, chorus, large reverb, delay... There is no such thing as new effects invented nowadays, just combinations of those from the 60's that are now called "new effect". But really, back then, they invented everything. As you can see in the picture, even Bijou, our unofficial mascot, is interested in reading the liner notes. I mean who wouldn't? Hendrix, for instance, is one of the dudes that invented distortion, as simple as it is. Imaginary discussion between Hendrix and a dude that never heard of him
"Dude: What's your name?
Hendrix: I am Jimi Hendrix
Dude: What do you do?
Hendrix: Errrr.... I invented distortion...
Now that's thinking outside the box."

Time to get to work,

FabZ

Our Final Practice Before The Roxy Show This Thursday Night!!

If this picture sums up anything about our upcoming Roxy show on Thursday at 10, it's that it is going to be an awesome show! We have been working our rock and roll asses off getting a tight show ready for all of you. Hope to see you all there and remember it's $12 at the door, or $10 presale tickets. Find anyone of us or our street team members before the show for the $10 tickets. Rock on - Tizz

Show Reminder

Hey y'all,

Tizz here, just wanted to remind everyone about our headlining show at The Roxy Theater on The Strip this Thursday night July 14th at 1030pm. Tickets are still available for $10 presale on our website www.cosmicsuckerpunch.com or from us or our street team members. If you have never been to The Roxy it is an awesome club with a big ol' stage and a lot of great space for dancing or jaw dropping. Anyways because it is late I am gonna get my much needed drummer sleep. Just hope to make Thursday night a big, fun night. The set is sounding really really tight. Night - Adam (Tizz)

P.S. - Outside Lands is creeping up on us and our music video shoot begins next Wednesday!!!

The Day After Our Independence....

Happy 5th of July Cosmic friends.... The brown walls of L.A. rehearsal rocked again today from 3 - 6 as we amped up our set for The Roxy. Super excited to be rocking that stage again, especially since we are HEADLINING!! For three hours in an 80 degree practice room we ran through our normal pre practice jams, ran the set, and then worked on our new song "Glad You're Here Now". The set is sounding great. Can't wait to debut that song to you all. Anyways hope you all are staying hydrated on this super hot LA summer day. I'm pretty sure it is a proven scientific fact that listening to Cosmic Suckerpunch on repeat cools your body temperature at least 12 degrees every hour.... Just saying... - Adam T. (Tizz)

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