Of Battles and Broth

If you didn't already notice, The JackKnife Barbers left everyone relatively alone during the Thanksgiving weekend. Our fans were free from incessant posts about "buy tickets now" and "please help us now." We hope you enjoyed your short reprieve because I've returned now with the resolve of a musk ox in free fall and the passion of a short-haired house cat.

You are running out of time to buy your ticket for the Battle of the Bands on Dec. 8th at Tremont Music Hall. Our time slot is based on OUR pre-show ticket sales. The more tickets we sell before the show, the better our time slot.  If you're planning on buying a ticket at the door, you're an asshole because you're not helping anyone. Get your ticket now at www.mattstache.com or send me at email at matt@mattstache.com.

Seriously. If you buy your ticket at the door at 10PM, it's likely that you've already missed our set because we ended up going on at 5:30PM because you didn't buy a pre-show ticket.

Now that I've made that clear, I'd like to say that I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was lovely and that you binged on an obscene amount of turkey (or tofurkey for our vegan friends) and copious amounts of stuffing and potatoes.  What should you do with the leftover turkey? Make turkey sandwiches like a goddamn American! Pick that carcass clean!

And then...

..make turkey broth out of the carcass.

I smoked my turkey, so the carcass has a lovely hickory aroma to it.  Simply follow this recipe:

1 turkey carcass
5 carrots
1 onion
3 stalks of celery
1 head of garlic (yeah, one FULL fucking head of garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste (you can taste, can't you?)

Fill a stock pot with enough water to thoroughly submerge your turkey carcass, bring to a boil. Add the rest of the aforementioned ingredients and cover the pot. Let it boil for four or five hours or until the bones of the turkey fall apart in your hands.  Continue to add water as necessary.

Strain out the bits and pieces and store in your fridge.  You can also pour it into ice cube trays and make turkey broth ice cubes.  You can use these cubes to quickly add flavor to soups or to simply whip up a quick cup of broth when you're in the mood.

Alternatively, turkey broth ice cubes add a fun element to any party when mixing cocktails for that guest that has overstayed their welcome.

Promo Video for Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall

Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall

Gorilla Music has booked The JackKnife Barbers to play a Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall on Saturday, December 8th. Our time slot is based on how many tickets we sell. The more tickets we sell, the later the time slot.  The show starts at 4PM and runs until mid-night, so you can see how important that is.

We will be reporting our ticket sales to Gorilla Music one week before the show, and that is when we will be able to tell everyone what time slot we'll be playing.

It's incredibly important that you get your tickets early.  The tickets are $10 pre-sale and $12 at the door on the day of the show.

You can either get your ticket by emailing me at matt@mattstache.com or by going to www.mattstache.com and ordering online.  You can pay online via credit/debit card or PayPal.  I'll be happy to mail you your ticket or hand-deliver it.

Please check out the Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/492592080771790/?fref=ts

Upcoming Shows in Charlotte, NC

You've been missing your JackKnife Barbers. Where can you see us perform next?

When: Friday, December 7th @ 7:00PM
Where: The Ultimate Basement in Spindale, NC
With whom: Red Band Mercenaries, Pinko, and SnuffalufaFUNK
How much: All ages - $5
For more info: http://www.facebook.com/ultimatebasementstreetteam

When: Saturday, December 8th (time slot to be announced)
Where: Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, NC
With whom: Battle of the Bands by Gorilla Music
How much: All ages - Presale $10, Day-of-show $12
For more info: Our time slot is based on ticket sales. You can order your tickets on our website at www.mattstache.com via PayPal. Please include either your mailing address or other contact info in the comments section when ordering.

When: Saturday, January 5th (our time slot is between 9:00PM and 10:00PM to be announced)
Where: The Saloon at NC Music Factory in Charlotte, NC
With whom: Battle of the Bands by Peterson Productions
How much: Presale $5
For more info: You'll be able to pre-order your tickets for this battle of the bands from our website about three weeks before the show.

Don't forget to check our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mattstacheband) for continuous updates, and check out our website (www.mattstache.com) for pre-ordering your tickets. As always, follow me on Twitter @mattstacheband for my repetitious rantings in 140 characters or fewer.

The New JackKnife Barbers

If you've seen the website lately (www.mattstache.com), you know that something is afoot. What you might not be able to immediately tell, is that I've moved to Charlotte, NC. The Tallahassee-based JackKnife Barbers are no more, and I've re-formed the band in Charlotte with all new members, save myself -- I'm still the same Matt Stache.

Several things to note:

1. The band is no longer "Matt Stache and The JackKnife Barbers," but rather we are simply "The JackKnife Barbers."  This fits onto flyers and whatnot much easier, and is easier for consistent branding. I reassure once again that I am still Matt Stache.
2. We're back to being a power trio. Drums, keyboards and guitar.  I'm doing the old left-hand bass routine again and routing the bass out to my trusty 200-watt keyboard amp with the big boomy 15" speaker while the rest of the keyboards go through the rotary amp.
3. It's considered really bad form to make a numbered list and not have a third item. So, here's a third item. Suck it.

Charlotte is mostly a cover-band town, and it has been a sincere challenge to put together an original band. While Tallahassee was 90% original, in Charlotte, the mantra is "You'll never make it as an original band. Here, join my cover band instead."  Thankfully the new Barbers don't agree with that sentiment.

We've played a handful of open mic nights and open jams here, and the response has been incredible. It does seem like this town really needs a fresh sound and is actually hungry for something unusual.

We've got a number of shows coming up soon, but I'll post about those in a subsequent blog entry.

Not a "Bad Idea"

Four or so drinks in one weekday evening, I said to Lance one evening, "Would you like a bad idea?"

"What's a 'bad idea,'?" he inquired as I began mixing an entire pitcher of Rob Roy.

"A 'bad idea'," I explained, "Is that last drink you have before bed."

"Does it have alcohol in it?"

"Yessssss."

"Then yesss."

"For example, this pitcher of Rob Roy." I continued "Inevitably, I will wake up tomorrow and say 'Ughhh.. that Rob Roy was a bad idea."

I've mastered the art since of avoiding the "bad idea." Instead, I've become interested recently in the application of fortified wine in cocktail form. Semi-innocuous and certainly less potent than other cocktails -- equally complex and enjoyable.

Bereft of ingredients necessary to make a trule classic port or sherry cocktail, I offer this substitute which I improvised this evening.

'Stacheville Rose
-----------------
2oz. port
0.25oz. grenadine
0.25oz. orange juice
gingerale

Shake the first three as hard as you can in a shaker filled with cracked ice. Strain into tall ice-filled glass and top with gingerale.

Vox Toddy

My new band, Matt Stache and the Public Option, is my first experience as the only frontman for a band. That is to say, in the past, I've shared the role as lead singer. As a result, I've been spending long practices as the only person singing and doing so with no relief.

We have a show this Friday at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack, and I'm starting to feel a bit of scratchiness in my throat. I'm not sure if it's the crud that has been going around or whether I'm simply experiencing vocal fatigue, but I'm not experiencing any secondary symptoms.

What follows is my own recipe for vocal-chord-soothing tea. Use green tea if you're planning on staying awake for a bit, use chamomile if you're planning on sleeping within a few hours.

1 teabag of the desired tea
4oz. of hot water (not quite boiling, of course)
1oz. of coconut rum (NOT optional)
1 tsp. local honey
Zest and juice of 1/4 of a lemon

In an appropriately sized mug, combine rum, honey and lemon juice. Place the zest in a teaball and drop into mug with teabag. Add hot water, steep 3 minutes and enjoy.

My Band Dad offers this advice pre-stage. Despite what any classically trained vocalist will tell you, hot coffee and alcohol are not bad for your vocal chords before singing. For the perfect rock singer preparation, drink a hot cup of black coffee 30 minutes before stage and follow it up with a cold draft beer immediately before your performance.