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BTE LEXICON: WHEN IS A MANWICH As many readers will know, before BTE releases a new album, the band typically plays at least one gig under the assumed name "The Manwiches." What is a Manwich anyway? Well, as seen below, it's a popular food item. Is this where the name came from?
"Manwich came about as our pseudo- performance name
just because it sounds so ridiculous, and could be misinterpreted as a
bad boy-band name," says Tom Drummond of BTE . "...And, as you
know, we love to make fun of boy bands." CARS CRASH MP3 NOW AVAILABLE February 6 – BTE has posted a studio mp3 of "Cars
Crash" on their webpage. The song is billed as a something to
"tide fans over until release of the new CD". Kevin
Griffin has previously been referred to the song as BTE’s "rock
epic." Many BTE fans have definite artistic skill. From time to time the SERENADE will feature fan submitted artwork. First off, is "BTE Goes South Park" submitted by Bigkid76. Now that's creative!
BTE Goes South Park: Where's
Kenny???? Next is some "beach art" done by EnglishDave. This photo was taken several weeks before the release of "Closer" in August 2001 in Cape Anne, Massachusetts.
BTE at the Beach! |
CHRISTMAS SHOW REVIEW (CONT'D) The Fans Tom Drummond gave a special welcome to fans – both locals and out-of-towners – attending the annual "Ezralite Convention." Kevin said it should really be called the "Ezralite Gathering" in keeping with an Anne Rice theme. The Christmas shows are unique in that fans come from all over the country mix with more local fans, drawn by the allure of inexpensive airfares and hotels, back-to-back shows, guest musicians, and (of course) the myriad charms of New Orleans. States represented included Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia (if any states were missed, I KNOW I will hear about it!). Kevin also gave a special shout out to fans from "Metairie" versus "Old Metairie." Although the humor was lost on the out-of-towners, the distinction drew knowing guffaws from the local crowd. Guest Musicians As in past years, the shows featured outstanding guest performers. Trombonist Mark Mullins (MULEBONE, BONERAMA) and trumpet maestro Eric Lucero shone Friday night, even adding horns to "Recognize." John Gros of PAPA GROWS FUNK ambled on stage toting a fire extinguisher to add some incendiary keyboards to the show-closing rendition of the classic Bill Wither’s tune "Use Me." Musical Highlights Friday and Saturday’s set lists were very different. Of course, "set list" is a relative term at the Christmas shows which typically included rare songs not played at typical tour dates. Friday’s show included a revitalized version of "Hollow" with slightly different lyrics. And, as is traditional at the Christmas shows, Kevin sang "Merry Christmas Eve" while the faux snow drifted down. At least this year the crew didn’t direct it straight at his head! The show also featured an extended Aaron Nevillesque breakdown in "King of New Orleans." New songs included "Simple Song" and the (as yet unnamed) "Belle and Sebastian" song. The guys threw in a cover of Elton John’s classic "Benny and the Jets" for good measure and concluded with an amazing rendition of the Bill Wither’s "Use Me" with John Gros sitting in. As if Friday’s show wasn’t good enough, Saturday’s show reached a whole different level. Graham Colton went out of their way to thank BTE for the run of shows they’ve opened and noted that they had spent lots of time drinking and falling down and falling asleep on the tour bus (is that called rock ‘n’ roll "mentoring"?). BTE rocked so damn hard Saturday night. Why was the band so primed? Well, according to KG, the band had been to a friends wedding that day and ended up at Pat O’Briens (or rather "Patrick O’Briens"). He remarked that locals are really not supposed to go there as it’s for tourists, but that BTE is different in that "this band does not care!" He also offered some thoughts on the dangers of "dissing" Eminem. He said he wasn’t afraid of mixing it up with the rapper himself, but rather he was afraid that Eminem’s money might fall on his head and cause a serious injury! Saturday’s set list contained a few more fan favorites than Friday’s. Kevin spontaneously broke into "Wallflower" as he pondered what songs he might play that fans don’t usually get to hear. "Beautiful mistake" edged its way into the set, as did a short rendition of "Waxing or Waning"and a rocked-out performance of "Porcelain, Voodoo Style." Each was a special gem. KG was not kidding about the band being up for trouble because Tom and Travis decided to get got all crazy in the house as well. First, Travis beckoned Tom over during an improvised striptease routine and shoved a dollar bill in his trousers. Later, they got into an impromptu water fight and both ended up soaked and laughing hysterically. Sadly, the night had to come to an end, but it did so in truly spectacular fashion. Graham Colton and his band joined BTE on stage for a rousing performance of the Rolling Stones classic "Sympathy for the Devil." The ensemble totally kicked it. Turtle played a ferocious lead guitar while sporting a black scarf and looked very Jimmy Page (in a Keith Richards sort of way) and Mike, BTE’s guitar tech, also strode on stage to help out with backing vocals. What a great way to end a super show... So who’s up for Christmas 2003? |
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