Dear Friends,
We have uploaded some more of the songs from my sessions with Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., Minus 5), and Bill Rieflin (R.E.M., NiN, Ministry). Please have a listen and let me know what you think of them.
They’re in the player on the right of this page, and on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/saintjohnandtherevelations
Love,
SJ
Fri, August 26 2011 » News » No Comments
You wake up in the morning and you look at your mind with some despair and you wonder what kind of damage the demons caused while you slept. Something in there has been torn apart, and you know you’re going to find out what it was. Then you regret sleeping because when you are awake some of the demons stay away, they are at least cautious of your resilience because they haven’t yet taken you down. But then you realise your hubris, those demons are just patient, letting you destroy yourself, and they know the longer it takes, the more complete your destruction.
And you get up and you march your way through the day and people ask you how you are and you don’t dare tell them the truth because the demons are listening in, better than the CIA or KGB, and if they heard you admit their victories they would be even more encouraged and emboldened. So you lie and smile and hope the person who asked you is an angel and can read your mind and see the war inside you and they will seclude you away and remove your poisons and heal your wounds and rejuvenate you and calm and guide you with a soft voice until your soul is beautiful and peaceful and worthy of being loved. And if not that person, maybe the next.
You can only distract yourself for so long with a job that doesn’t really benefit anybody, or with buying a new pair of shoes, or watching television, or whatever. Modern alienation. But then in records, in songs, in music, you hear other voices from people who feel the same way you do, and you share it with your friends, and in some melodic magic we are all connected, and we can see it each other’s eyes, and we feel good, and we feel hope.
And if through that path, through music, we start thinking and saying “we” more than “I” or “you”, the demons have less room inside of us, their voices become quieter. And besides, it’s much harder to hear them over Ray Charles singing “I’ve Got A Woman” or Stevie Wonder singing “We Can Work It Out”. I’m not saying music will save our souls, but maybe it helps keep them together until we get all the rest of life sorted out.
Love,
SJ
Wed, August 24 2011 » News » No Comments
Vinyl Mecca
Whenever I come to Seattle, I have to make my way over to Bop Street Records in Ballard and spend some time digging through their record collection for lost and forgotten musical treasures. I used to work in a record store and I feel very much at home in pretty much all of them.
It’s always the same types of people in these shops, if you’ve seen the movie High Fidelity, then you know what I’m talking about. For me it’s just as much about the passion of music and talking about it with the employees whilst listening to some classic Motown record over the in-store speakers as it is about the smile I get when I flip through to a record that I know a friend will love so much and I have to get it for them.
I am such a music geek, it really should be embarrassing. Fortunately, I don’t really have the good sense to get embarrassed about much of anything. If you ever run into me somewhere, beware, if you start talking about classic records, you might not be able to get me to shut up about them.
I added a couple of treats to my collection on this visit, I’ll let you know how they sound.
Love,
SJ
Tue, August 23 2011 » News » No Comments
This Seattle sunset sliced open the sky and a whole lot of guitar playing fell out of it.
Thu, August 18 2011 » News » No Comments
Sat, August 13 2011 » News » No Comments
:
Tomorrow night (Friday) we’re playing at REVIVAL, the coolest little speakeasy in Los Angeles. It’s a cool space with cool folks, great sound, and we’re going to play the best we’ve ever played. It’s going to be a great time and we’re really looking forward to it!
Check the link for details, feel free to invite your friends, especially your cool ones.
http://www.facebook.com/saintjohn#!/event.php?eid=144221025663453
See you there!
Love SJ
Thu, August 11 2011 » News » No Comments
Dear Los Angeles friends, I’m playing tonight at the Silverlake Lounge at about 10PM. I know some of you have work the next day, but when did you get so old that you’d prefer to go in to your job all fresh and rested to slave away for your boss rather than put some fun in your life?
Get your priorities straight.
2906 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
See you tonight!
Cheers,
SJ
Tue, August 9 2011 » News » No Comments
I’m just hanging out down in the studio eating about 23lbs of french fries (with a bottle of Cholula) while waiting for Luca to get here so we can play some rock-and-roll.
It’s delicious. Hit me up if you want the recipe.
Love,
SJ
Sun, August 7 2011 » News » No Comments
Fri, August 5 2011 » News » No Comments
Lord Jagannatha returns to Venice Beach
I snuck through a minor clash of religions on the Venice boardwalk yesterday while the Krishna Festival of Chariots paraded their colourful floats past very upset Christian zealots. I wasn’t sure if the Krishna devotees were performing third-trimester abortions on the floats as tourists took pictures, but whatever was going on sure made the Bible-thumpers upset.
Maybe they were just trying to convince Krishna to reprise his role in Avatar 2.
The sunshine and free veggie food was lovely.
Love,
SJ
Mon, August 1 2011 » News » No Comments
Sunset on Venice Beach with the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing their new song live on a rooftop. 12,619 times.
Sat, July 30 2011 » News, Videos » No Comments
Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen, Rome is burning. It’s also Friday, so you should probably start your weekend early.
See you at the pub.
Love,
SJ
PS. oh yeah, the point of this was to also give you a free song: http://www.sjatr.com/free
Fri, July 29 2011 » News » No Comments
I am an addict. There is a cocktail of heavenly drugs released in my brain and body when I play music for an audience, and I am addicted to it. I crave it, I scheme for it, I obsess over it. I have people sending out emails and making calls so that I can get get my fix. The more people in the audience combined with the energy they give back magnifies the effects of the drugs. That momentary connection is more satisfying than any other drug on the market. Sometimes, the high lasts even for a day or two after a really good show.
There aren’t any headaches or nausea when I’m coming down from the high after a show, but I can definitely get a bit depressed if I don’t have another show coming up right away. Then I start jonesing. Fidgeting. Feel unloved. Sigh. And then I mope. It’s really kind of pathetic. I just sort of wander around and figure nobody wants to hear me play and it’s just a downward spiral from there.
I want to play music for you every day. I have shows coming up, I’d love to see you and play some rock-and-roll music for you. Darling, what I’m really trying to say, is that I want you to be part of my next fix. And I want to be part of yours.
Show schedule: http://www.sjatr.com/shows
Love,
SJ
PS. If you have a party or show that you want me to play, just send me a note on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/saintjohn
Tue, July 26 2011 » News, Shows » No Comments
A weird little video we put together for a song of ours called Invitation. Pass it around!
Mon, July 25 2011 » News » No Comments
Fri, July 22 2011 » News » No Comments
We have some shows in SoCal coming up over the next couple of weeks, come out to one of them! Or come to all of them!
July 28 @ The Key Club
July 30 @ Rusty’s on the Pier
Aug 9 @ Silverlake Lounge
Aug 12 @ Revival
Here’s our full schedule:
http://www.sjatr.com/shows
Best,
SJ
Fri, July 22 2011 » News » No Comments
A Real Smurf Village
I was walking from a friend’s house today and spotted a cluster of mushrooms or what I’m proposing could be a real Smurf village.
Wed, July 20 2011 » News » No Comments
At the end of the day we’re either just trying to get it on, or we’re trying to get it off.
And it’s easy to see how one turns into the other.
Mon, July 18 2011 » News » No Comments
I’m seriously thinking about making a WD-40 flamethrower to get rid of this fly that keeps buzzing around here.
I wouldn’t actually hurt a fly, but when I was a kid I loved making home-made flamethrowers.
Fortunately, Father Flanagan set me on a less destructive path.
Mon, July 18 2011 » News » No Comments
Sat, July 16 2011 » News » No Comments
Bypass the 405 this weekend. Instead take the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
Fri, July 15 2011 » News » No Comments
Luca and I playing at O’Brien’s Pub in Santa Monica
14 July 2011
Fri, July 15 2011 » News » No Comments
Hello my dear lovelies! Our newest recording, Polar Bear Suit, is going to be on tonight on radio station WIOX 91.3 in NY on Jezz Harkin’s The Brilliant! Show, 7-9PM. Tune in and check it out!
Best,
SJ
Sat, July 9 2011 » News » No Comments
This is another new track, it’s called Polar Bear Suit. Peter Buck (R.E.M.) plays some guitars on this one too, his Rickenbacker sounds super lovely.
http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_9297321
Love,
SJ
PS. I have some shows coming up soon: http://www.sjatr.com/shows
Fri, July 8 2011 » News » No Comments
Saint John live 14 July at O’Brien’s Pub in Santa Monica
Wed, July 6 2011 » News » No Comments
Ahoy!
We’re playing Thursday, July 14 at 10:00pm at O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Santa Monica. FREE.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=213583688684479
See you there, and come up and say hello after the show!
Cheers,
SJ
Wed, July 6 2011 » News, Shows » No Comments
Happy Birthday America!
Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! Check out this great version of the U.S. national anthem sung by Marvin Gaye.
Cheers,
SJ
Mon, July 4 2011 » News » No Comments
Happy Canada Day!
It’s Canada’s birthday, and rather than get out a maple leaf flag, I figured I’d pull out some Gordon Lightfoot songs. This is a great clip of Gordon playing on the Johnny Cash show. Watch it, it’s pretty great. I promise.
Love,
SJ
Fri, July 1 2011 » News » No Comments
I find the BBC interstitial theme song to be very calming.
Wed, June 29 2011 » News » No Comments
Cable Basilisk
I needed a 9V power adaptor for one of my guitar pedals yesterday, which meant that I was going to have to battle with the Cable Basilisk to retrieve it. He’s very much a modern version of the great mythological creature, and somehow he manages to absorb the cable you need and bury it deepest and most tangled within itself.
There are cables in there that I’ve had for a long time, there’s even an original 1st edition iPod in there somewhere that might be the life-force of the whole beast. In any case, I won, and the basilisk crawled back into its dark lair.
This photo is probably making my engineer friends’ skin crawl.
Love,
SJ
Tue, June 28 2011 » News » No Comments
Record Covers
How on Earth does this Ike and Tina Turner record cover not make the 10 Best Record Cover list of all time?
The music in it isn’t so bad either.
SJ
Sat, June 25 2011 » News » No Comments
Today is the best day of the year for photon collecting in the Northern Hemisphere. I have extra if you need some.
Love,
SJ
Tue, June 21 2011 » News » No Comments
Need Any Help With That?
I’ve been meditatively enjoying a cup of tea in Luca’s back yard while he loads his drums into the truck. We head out soon to West Hollywood to play a show at Bar Lubitsch at 8.
He only had one more piece of gear to haul into the car when I asked him if he needed any help. My timing is impeccable.
Cheers,
SJ
Mon, June 20 2011 » News » No Comments
Fresh oean air, half in the Sun, half in the shade. I was doing a little YouTube song hunting and came across this bit of sinister musical gorgeousness, Fiona Apple and Elvis Costello singing Costello’s I Want You, which is one of my favs of his already. The both of them together puts it over the top with the tone of his guitar and the venomous love in her voice. I don’t think I’d want her to sing this to me like this.
Who am I kidding? Of course I would.
Love,
SJ
Mon, June 20 2011 » News » No Comments
Happy Birthday Paul!
Today, Paul McCartney turns 69 years old, and he still rocks like a mad mofo. As a songwriter he’s very important to me, he’s the best and I still learn from him every day.
Love,
SJ
Sat, June 18 2011 » News » No Comments
Ground Control To Major Bono
I saw a little Irish band called U2 last night. If you don’t see the subtlety of their stage design in the photo, that’s good, because there isn’t any. You have to step back to see the enormity of the spaceship that I assume is their main mode of transportation around the Earth on this tour and other venues in the galaxy.
Oh, and it was also a brilliantly edited multimedia delivery device. It displayed tons of great visual effects and positive messages of hope and solidarity. Good stuff if you ask me.
They played some pretty nice music too. I’m going to search for them online and see if they have any of their music recorded so I can put it on my iPod.
Love,
SJ
Sat, June 18 2011 » News » No Comments
It’s a grey day here in Venice CA, it kind of reminds me of Vancouver BC weather. Except that here, unlike Vancouver, there are no idiots rioting over a hockey game.
I’m all for a good bloodless riot, but aren’t there plenty of worthier things to get violently upset about?
There are children starving all over the world, you’re getting screwed by a global capitalist ponzi scheme, and your government is constantly lying to you. But these people decide to get upset because their sports team doesn’t get to take home the big metal cup?
We probably need to reexamine our priorities.
Thu, June 16 2011 » News » No Comments
I can’t take a super villain seriously unless they’re wearing a monocle.
Mon, June 13 2011 » News » No Comments
Elvis Costello has always been one of my favourite songwriters, and here he is with Ron Sexsmith performing Everyday I Write The Book (note the first minute of the video is just jibber-jabber, skip to the 1 minute mark to get to the song). Hearing Ron sing it and this new style of playing it reminds me of how songs can be changed and given a new life. I like the honesty and the tone of this one, there are a lot more varied emotions in it, it sounds more conflicted to me.
It also reminded me that it’s very easy for me to lose a whole morning while finding cool tracks on YouTube.
Mon, June 13 2011 » News » No Comments
Another Buddha Garden
This is my favourite one so far though, it has blueberry and blackberry bushes that have the most delicious berries in bloom right now.
My tastebuds are very Zen.
Best,
SJ
Sun, June 12 2011 » News » No Comments
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