The Blogdown™ : Still Younger Than Keith

ROGER MCGUINN KARAOKE -- ONLY SCORES 98 ON BYRDS SONG

2010-04-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Funny moment on tour: we had a karaoke machine hooked up to the TV, and Roger McGuinn sang Turn,Turn,Turn, but only scored a 98. Earlier efforts yielded a 96 and 97. Sadly, hotel security shut down the party soon after, so he didn't get a chance to go for 100.

THE NY POST REVIEW IS IN - ROCK BOTTOM IN THE MIDDLE!

2010-04-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

The New York Post review is in. Seems like the debate between Scott Turow and Roy Blount, Jr. over talent has been settled. At least by the NY Post.

Some highlights:

In fact, during the 100-minute performance, Barry wasn't Slash, but he was slick in his guitar work. The rest of the ragtag lit rockers in the lineup also fell into the not-so-rarefied air between pretty good and not so bad.

and this about Roy:

...also features best-selling authors Amy Tan on vocals, Mitch Albom on keyboards, Scott Turow on vocals, Greg Iles on lead guitar, James McBride on saxophone, Ridley Pearson on bass, and Roy Blount Jr. -- on nothing, since the essayist and humor writer seems to have no apparent musical talent. That's OK: Blount makes up for his deficiencies with lots of funny hats, a dance step that seems to require seizure medication and a load of enthusiasm.

and this about Scott:

The other surprising talent in the band was courtroom fiction writer Scott Turow. He's short, unassuming, and has a very studious appearance, but when you put a mike in his hand, the guy explodes. He can't sing worth a damn, but his passion and performance abandon made his cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway" the night's hit.

GREG ILES - YOU'LL WANT TO HEAR THE LYRICS OF THIS

2010-04-24T03:05:00.000-07:00

AT THE TRAIN STATION IN NYC

2010-04-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

We made it to NYC. Tickets still available at the box office...see you tonight...

AMY TAN AT THE ELECTRIC FACTORY IN PHILLY

2010-04-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

AT THE TRAIN STATION IN PHILLY

2010-04-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Above: Dave, Greg and Roy.

Great concert last night in Philly. Real tight. Tight show. If you are in NYC, come to the Nokia Theater in Times Square. Get your tickets here....and help us support relief efforts in Haiti.

FLIP CAM VIDEO #3 -STILL AT NPR, BEETHOVEN VS THE REMAINDERS.

2010-04-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Shooting the breeze with Scott Simon.

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STILLS FROM THE 2010 WORLD TOUR

2010-04-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Check 'em out.

FLIP CAM VIDEO #2 -WITH MELISSA BLOCK AT ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

2010-04-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

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A FLIP CAM VIDEO MOMENT-BEHIND THE SCENES AT NPR

2010-04-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

MORE ELVIS

2010-04-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

ELVIS IS THE HOUSE

2010-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Get your tickets here....And read all the buzz... Join us as we support the Free Library of Philadelphia. In addition to proceeds from tickets, the Pearson Foundation, our sponsor, is giving five children's books for every ticket sold to the Library and also to Philadelphia Public Schools...

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THURSDAY IN PHILLY

2010-04-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Remainders had a killer show last night. Hotel security just shut down the after party. Next is Philly, and here's some ink on that.

Please note that the show in Philly benefits the Free Library of Philadelphia as that is left out of the article....Give 'em some love and buy your tickets NOW.

And speaking on Philly, best selling author Jennifer Weiner who lives in Philly will be joining the band for a few songs as will poet Billy Collins.

HOW DAVE BARRY WON THE PULITZER PRIZE

2010-04-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

...and more on toilet flushing. In depth interview with veteran newsman, Sam Donaldson.

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AMY TAN - "One Way or Another" Rehearsal

2010-04-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED INTERVIEW.

2010-04-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Roy, Scott and Dave ham it up with Melissa Block on NPR.

Check it out.

Mitch on the Tony Kornheiser Show

2010-04-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Check it out...Off on the right in the link below...

SCOTT TUROW AND ROGER MCGUINN ON FOX-WTTG IN DC

2010-04-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

REHEARSAL VIDEO -- WITH ROGER MCGUINN

2010-04-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Folks at XM Radio may regret having us over to rehearse, but the band did get in a three hour rehearsal....Here's video from some of that working through a song with the great Roger McGuinn....

You can still get tickets here....

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RADIO PROMO FOR THE REMAINDERS

2010-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

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BLOG UPDATES FROM DAVE BARRY

2010-04-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out Dave's blog for updates on the tour.

The Remainders Internship Program

2010-04-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

For several years now the Remainders have had our much sought after internship program, The Remainders Internship Program (RIP). This isn't something we're doing because we're in DC. We accept applications year round and the program fills up within hours -- after the rigorous screening and interview process. Many people often ask, and wonder, "Interns, you have interns? Exactly what is it your interns do?" Well, on THIS tour they're doing a lot of video work and will be creating some cool stuff that we will be sharing through out the tour.

We got this email from one of our interns this morning.

Hey Ted,

Just woke up to find it's a bit later than expected. Gonna jump in the shower and be over after that.

Mike

No worries, we're not going to fire him.

WIN TICKETS IN DC -- FROM FISHBOWL

2010-04-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

Today we're giving away four concert tickets to see the literary rock band Rock Bottom Remainders. Each winner gets two tickets to the show.

The first person to e-mail us at fishbowlDC@mediabistro.com wins. The show is this Wednesday April 21 at the 9:30 Club with special guest Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Byrds founder Roger McGuinn.

Answer this question:
Q: This former Washington Post staff writer and bandmember, is also the author of the bestselling memoir The Color of Water.

We'll hold another contest this afternoon so stay tuned...

POLLSTAR INTERVIEW WITH DAVE BARRY

2010-04-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

Pollstar normally cover real good bands, so it must be the recession. They did an interview with Dave Barry. Check it out. Here's a teaser:

Scott is an example of a guy who was allowed in the band. Not too many people were allowed into the band after it formed. Scott is one of the few. I believe it was at Miami Book Fair when he first got up on stage. We like to have guest authors come up on stage with us.
And he was so enthusiastic – and when I say “enthusiastic,” I am using it as a term of “bad.” We said this man has got to be a part of the Remainders. The only stipulation we told him was we were short one chick singer. We have two and we needed three, because you have to have three chick singers. So Scott agreed to be one of the chick singers, and he was in.

And the fact that Turow is a practicing lawyer didn’t scare you off at all?
No, I think it sort of helps us in case of any audience liability lawsuit.

MORE MEDIA IN PHILLY

2010-04-21T03:27:00.000-07:00

To our Philly fans: Check this out.

Here's and excerpt:

"OUR BAND IS kind of like a dog that walks on its hind legs," said Dave Barry, lead guitarist of the Rock Bottom Remainders. "It's not so much about whether the dog does it well. It's about the fact that he does it at all."

Barry, the nationally famous humor columnist who has been rocking with the Remainders for 18 years, will join his ragtag band of fellow authors at the Electric Factory on Thursday for an 8 p.m. concert benefiting the Free Library of Philadelphia

And here's where you get your tickets. ALSO, we will be auctioning off a guitar in Philly to support the Library!

And Phily fans should check this out. Jennifer Weiner will be on stage for the Philly concert and thanks for buying all those tix to support the cause!!

ROGER MCGUINN WAS ON TO DEEP THROAT

2010-04-21T03:22:00.000-07:00

Nice story in the Washington Post, and something we didn't know about Roger McGuinn, Roger joins the band tonight at the 9:30 Club.

So what can we expect from The Rock Bottom Remainders?

Well, you never know what to expect with the band. Usually what happens is they come out and do a few '50s and '60s rock standards and then I come out and do a few Byrds songs with them. Then we all kind of jam at the end. It’s always a blast. It’s like hanging out with people from Mensa. It’s totally unpredictable.

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

2010-04-21T03:09:00.000-07:00

The band will be on All things Considered on your favorite NPR stations this afternoon. We are also taping a segment called All Songs Considered this afternoon, which will air in a couple days. Get yer tickets here, and check out all the wonderful causes we are supporting. In addition to sponsoring the tour, The Pearson Foundation - through it's We Give Books campaign - is also donating five books per ticket sold to public schools in each market as well as the Philly Public Library.

VIDEO FROM DAY ONE ON TOUR -- DC

2010-04-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

If you don't have tickets to the DC, Philly, NYC or Boston shows, you best go get them....

Here's some video from DAY 1. They've been rehearsing all day and ALREADY sound much better.

Taking DC by Literary Storm

2010-04-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

We're still in the DC Area. A lot of book signing, and rehearsing at XM Studios for tomorrow's show at the 9:30 Club. Be on the lookout for some footage of the rehearsal we'll be posting later on!

Don't forget to purchase tickets, you don't want to miss this!

THE BAND IS IN DC -- A FEW QUESTIONS FOR DAVE

2010-04-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

IF YOU RAN FOR OFFICE, WHAT OFFICE WOULD IT BE?
DAVE BARRY: I'd run for vice president, because apparently the job requires no expertise
whatsoever.

YOU'VE PROBABLY READ/SIGNED BOOKS AT POLITICS AND PROSE BOOKSTORE IN DC, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE INTERSECTION OF POLITICS AND PROSE?
DAVE BARRY: I'd say the health-care bill, because it's very political, and it contains several billion linear feet or prose.

WHAT DO WRITING, GOVERNMENT AND BEING A ROCK STAR HAVE IN COMMON?
DAVE BARRY: They all involve a lot of time off.

WHAT ABOUT A ROCK BAND FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS? WHO DO YOU SEE IN IT? ANY
ADVICE?
DAVE BARRY: I think all members of Congress should be required to play in a rock band, which should be sent on a multi-year foreign tour.

The Remainders are in DC Tuesday and Wednesday, Philly on Thursday, NYC on Friday and Boston on Saturday...Get yer tickets here!

THE BUZZ CONTINUES

2010-04-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

There is some here in Washington Life Magazine. And here at Oprah.com and another piece at Oprah.com. Ok, so Oprah has picked the band, so you know what to do next, buy tickets. isn't that how it works!

Happy Birthday Scott Turow

2010-04-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of Scott singing at the band's 15th anniversary in NYC in 2007. Word is Scott is working on a new song for the Wordstock Tour -- I Fought the Law. Get your tickets here.

A Few Questions for Roger McGuinn

2010-04-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Roger McGuinn will be joining the Remainders for two events in DC -- a concert at the 9:30 Club and in conversation with Sam Donaldson and all of the band!! Here are his responses to a few questions we asked him. Tell all your friends and get your tickets here.

IN THE YEARS YOU HAVE PLAYED WITH THE REMAINDERS, ARE THEY ANY BETTER?
Um .... no and its a good thing too! Bruce Springsteen, who knows something about rock 'n' roll, played with the Remainders at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His advice to the star-struck band was as casually eloquent as his best songs."Your band's not too bad," said the Boss. "It's not too good either. Don't let it get any better, or you'll be just another lousy band."

IS YOUR CAREER IMPACTED -- IN ANY WAY -- GIVEN YOUR AFFILIATION WITH THE REMAINDERS?
Not really... I haven't been canceled from any of my booked gigs as a result of playing with the RBR.

WHAT DO WRITING, GOVERNMENT AND BEING A ROCK STAR HAVE IN COMMON?
Lots of travel and signing a ton of stuff!

WHAT ABOUT A ROCK BAND FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS? WHAT BYRDS SONG WOULD YOU GET THEM STARTED ON?
"It's All Over Now Baby Blue."

WHAT'S THE LATEST WITH THE FOLK DEN?
Latest a jam with Marty Stuart and Roland White where I play lead on "Soldier's Joy."

Street Interviews about the Remainders

2010-04-09T00:11:00.001-07:00

Some fans put together this video with interviews about the band and sent it to us. Why not just check out one of the shows for yourself to REALLY see them get down. We got all your tour deets right here.

DC -- April 20 and 21
Philly -- April 22
NYC -- April 23
Boston -- April 24

The Lucky Tiger Grease Stick Band

2010-04-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

Several members of the Rock Bottom Remainders used to belong to other bands earlier in their "musical" careers. Mitch Albom's first band was The Lucky Grease Stick Band. They played oldies music (ala Sha Na Na) ......For those who are curious, a Lucky Tiger Grease Stick was the stuff they used to brush into the top front of a crew cut, to hold the hair in place. There's more about them here, and you can even hear clips of them playing at their 35th year reunion a couple years ago.

Happy Birthday Greg Iles!!

2010-04-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Greg turns 50 today! Here's an interview with Greg Iles from a couple years ago. If you are a Greg Iles fan, you don't want to miss his rendition of Paperback Writer! Get your tickets here.

Who is the least talented Remainder?

2010-04-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

All too often, the question will come up, "Who is the least talented in the band?" Scott Turow addresses this in this video...
You be the judge. Get your tickets to one of the shows and let us know.

Amy Tan interview

2010-04-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

Wordstock Tour benefits Haiti relief efforts

2010-04-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

If you're in or near DC, Philly, NYC or Boston, come on out for an evening of fun and support all the causes we're supporting. Here's an article from the Baltimore Sun with some deets. And for every ticket purchased, The Pearson Foundation through it's We Give Books campaign, will donate five children's books to public schools in each city of the tour.

Wordstock Tour tickets are on sale!!!

2010-04-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Check out Pollstar! And buy your tickets here.

Roger McGuinn, guest musician for June 1

2007-05-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

Roger McGuinn has played with the Remainders for the last four years on various tours, and he will join us in NYC on June 1. Here's a write up by his wife, Camilla, on their blog about their last outing with the Remainders -- in LA last April. It also has some history to how Roger came to be involved with the Remainders. Here and here is some footage of Roger with the Remainders from that gig. And here is some cool footage that goes back a couple years.

The Rock and Roll Fantasy

2007-05-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

The writing life versus the rock and roll life always comes up in interviews. Here are clips from Amy, Ridley and Greg. Enjoy.

Frank McCourt, guest for June 1 gig

2007-05-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Frank McCourt first performed on harmonica with the Remainders in Sun Valley, ID, in the late '90s. There was some confusion over which Beatles song it was to be. Mitch Albom and Frank chat about that moment at CBS while the Remainders await to play on the Late Late Show. Feeling a little Elvis?

Scott Turow

2007-05-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

This isn't the first clip in which Scott claims to be the least talented musician in the Rock Bottom Remainders. We report, you decide.

Matt Groening

2007-05-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

How Chaos Theory related to the Rock Bottom Remainders, was one of the audience questions at the event with Steve Martin. This opening question from that night is a case in point to the chaos. Get your tickets to see it yourself.

What instruments do folks in the band play?

2007-05-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

What instrument do you play and what is your most shameful moment with the band? Enjoy.

Roger McGuinn and Ridley Pearson get down

2007-05-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Since we started this blog, we have gotten several e-mails wondering if there was any video of Roger McGuinn playing with the band. Here's Roger's new CD. Here's a clip of Roger and Ridley. Some of those e-mails also wondered if the band talked much about writing when they were on the road. Funny that you would ask, that also came up that night. Roll video.

Band Auditions

2007-05-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Tour management, from time to time, gets questions from persons interested in joining the band. We remind them that all we are in charge of is making sure all the trains run on time. But we do oversee the internship program.

More chatter: Where do you get your ideas from?

2007-05-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Another question that morphs into stories unrelated to the question. In this case from when Steve Martin hosted the Oscars and Dave was one of the writers. Enjoy. And another audience question. And another from Steve about writing. And another audience question about editors.

Enough already with all this chatter, doesn't Steve Martin play banjo?

2007-05-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

Yes sir, he does. Check it out!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Bruce Springsteen

2007-05-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Two Remainders factoids:
--The Remainders played at the opening night of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame a dozen years ago. Sorry, but we don't have video of that, but something funny did happen at the t-shirt shop while they were in Cleveland.
-- Bruce Springsteen played with the Remainders. And here is a column Dave wrote about that gig.

Stephen King and song lyrics

2007-05-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

What's with the lyrics Stephen sometimes sings? Check it out.

Amy Tan and the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA)

2007-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Steve Martin did the risky thing of opening the evening to Q & A from the audience -- and as was the case with most questions asked that night -- somehow the answer morphed into something completely unrelated to the question. In this case, the Rock Hall of Fame and how well Amy can make dog noises in restaurants. Blame Matt Groening.

A Stephen King fan in Nashville

2007-05-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing else to add to that. Roll video.

Life on the road

2007-05-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

In case you have wondered about life on the road, going from gig to gig, you may want to check out this or this. Here's an article athat appeared in the Los Angeles Times about the Besides the Music event where these clips are from.

"I ain't gonna love you no more"

2007-05-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

What happens when a bunch or writers in a band have to sing a song with lyrics like the title of this post?

"Besides The Music"

2007-05-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Back in 2003 on the Remainders' Wannapalooza tour, we had an extra night on the Los Angeles leg of the tour, and since the 'Ders don't do two shows back to back in the same city we thought we'd do something a little different. We called the evening Besides The Music and someone very special interviewed the band. Over the next few days, we will share some of those moments. Here's a gem from that evening. Roll video.

Also, maybe you wondered what members of the band were thinking when they were on stage. Maybe.

Welcome to the Blog

2007-05-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

Glad you found your way to the blog. Everyone get their tickets? Ok, maybe you just want to try you luck at winning some tickets through the contest. Or maybe you'd like to check out the auction items. In any case, please make yourself comfortable.

Some very cool video featuring the Remainders is coming soon, so do come back...

The Blogdown™

2007-04-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Thirty days before the Still Younger than Keith 15th anniversasry tour, we'll launch The Blogdown™. Come back May 1st for witty repartee among the band leading up to the Still Younger than Keith tour. (repartee: French for to party again.)