I am sitting in the Whisky a go go listening to a band. Peter Distefano has a short acoustic set tonight opening for Pico Train. Everyone here at the table can't talk because the music is to loud, so I will write to you.

I got 3 hours of sleep last night, I tried to go to sleep, but started working on a new song instead. I am jamming with some guys on a new musical project- we played today and I wanted to have this new song "The Loophole" ready. The drag is that I got to bed at around 5:30am. The good news is that the song came out pretty well and we played it today. Nothing like instant gratification. Can't tell you anything else about the project, cause there's nothing more to tell: we are writing songs, and will probably do a little recording in the next couple weeks to see how it sounds.

Posted by steveisaacs at 11:06 PM | Permalink

Damn, but the kids sure come out to check out the tattoos and boobies! It was packed last night at the Knitting Factory for the Suicide Girls Burlesque show. Showed up a little after 9pm and started playing at 9:30pm. Started off with "Goodbye", a song I started a few months ago and finished the night before the show. When Elliott Smith died, I got really into learning some of his songs, and became committed to getting some fingerpicking down. "Goodbye" is the first song from that phase,  the first time I could fingerpick and sing at the same time. A minor victory for me. I thought it would be a nice opener, quiet and sad, and slowly get people's attention, then kick in with song two. Well this was not the crowd  for my master plan. They were chatty, and it was a fight to get through the number, I even cut out the whole 2nd verse to get it over with. Then played "Pay No Attention", "Half Hearted", and my Supergrass cover. Then played two from my Pop Opera "Strawberry" : "Beggars and Businessmen" and "Pink Snow". Then played a new one (written last Saturday) called "She Won't Last", then closed with "Ramona". I cut out "Movin On" cause I didn't think the audience would feel it - they were too pumped up for boobies. All told, I wasn't really on my game, felt self conscious and never really felt dug-in and steady with my performance. Had to fight the audience a bit. No biggie. Got to see some friends who came out early to see me: my man Eddie Fladung from Mostasa, Poker Pals Leigh, MJ and Ann Moneymaker, music afficionado Kristen Lauck, Skycyle manager Mr. Gary Helsinger and his lovely fiance, and one of my favorite drummers of all time from one of my favorite bands of all time who told me a story about the lead singer of Iron Maiden taking a header off a riser while onstage that had me crying from laughing so hard. "Thank you L.A., I 'm gonna go get an X-Ray"...

Muchas Gracias to my friend and world conquerer Sean Suicide for putting me on the bill, I hope the Suicide Girls Burlesque show is a massive success, and that none of the girls catch cold.

Posted by steveisaacs at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Ok, just about to go home, run the set a few times and go through my standard pre-gig ritual: Drink some tea, sing some warm-ups, freak out that I haven't been running the set enough to be ready for the show, shave all my body hair off clean like a baby, ingest the powdered yak horn for virility, and let my cats eat their evening dinner off my chest. Then it's off to the Knitting Factory. Don't believe their website - apparently I go on around 9:15pm, not 8pm. Here is the planned set:

1. Goodbye (a song I started months ago, and just finished last night)
2. Pay No Attention
3. Half Hearted
4. It's Not Me (Supergrass cover)
5. Beggars and Businessmen
6. Pink Snow
7. Movin' On
8. She Won't Last (a brand new one that was co-written with some friends, but what the hell)
9. Ramona -if I am feeling saucy (or if I play all the songs way too fast out of nervousness, and the set comes in at under a half hour)
10. Side 3 of Physical Graffitti

Hopefully no strings break, I remember all the words, and some friends show up. If not, then I always have a fresh World Poker Tour waiting for me at home on the TiVo.

My blog has been very poorly updated of late - I blew it and didn't pay the SBC bill, and the DSL was cut off at home.. so once it's back up (10 long days - wow, SBC is so great)- I will again continue with the tireless blogging.

Ok, there you go.. I will see you there! -
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Posted by steveisaacs at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One week from this Thursday I will be playing an acoustic show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood opening up for the SuicideGirls Burlesque Show:

From the Knitting Factory site:
Main Stage - Suicide Girls Live Burlesque Tour with Steve Isaacs, Killola, DJ David Jay (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) $16
Now I know we already announced the Suicide Girls Live shows but check out the just announced opening acts: Thursday's show features ex Mtv VJ and Skycycle frontman Steve Isaacs and Killola. David J. (He used to be in Bauhaus and Love and Rockets!) disc jockeys!

So you get my purty acoustic experience, tattooed boobies, AND David J from Love and Rockets! Isn't this why you moved to L.A.?
Hope to see you there, and muchas gracias to my bro Sean "Mwah haa haa haa" Suhl from Suicide Girls for hooking me up with the show!

Check out Suicide Girls
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Posted by steveisaacs at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In no order:

XTC Skylarking
Beatles The White Album
Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy
Jane's Addiction Nothing's Shocking
Jason Falkner Can You Still Feel
Failure Fantastic Planet
Rufus Wainwright Want One
Elliott Smith XO
Eleven Eleven
Radiohead The Bends
The Who Quadrophenia
Supergrass In it for the Money
Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
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Posted by steveisaacs at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

After much consideration, I have picked the two songs I definitely want played at my funeral. To kick it off, I think "Tommorrow Tomorrow" by Elliott Smith. I love this song so deeply and every time I play it, I have to hear it over and over and over. I tried in earnest to learn it on acoustic, but couldn't pull it off. I think the magic of the track is in the beautiful mix of overdubbed guitars, and when I tried playing it (from a tab off sweet adeline.net) it never sounded that great. I would like this song played when everyone is being seated, or if they have a jam playing before the priest or swami or MC or whatever gets into the main spiel. Then after the nut, as they are standing up to leave, (hopefully crying) I am now convinced that I want "Daylight" by Failure to play. One of my most favorite sad beautiful epic rock songs, and the song with my favorite guitar solo ever. I kind of like the idea of my casket being carried out to a massive Vallhalla-ese rock jam. That said, I want to be creamated, cause burying people in the ground and using up that space just seems goofy to me. That doesn't mean you can't carry the urn out in a nice casket, right? And the ashes? Where to sprinkle them/ keep the urn? That's a toughie. When I was a kid, I wanted my ashes dropped in a cement block and have it put in the castle at Disneyland, and while still I like that idea, I don't think I have enough clout to pull it off. So maybe somebody could throw me into the Lake at the Malibu Lake Shrine. Fish food.
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Posted by steveisaacs at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)