Young Patriot Christopher Ambrose visiting Gettysburg with his Dad and the apparition of a Civil War vet.

Sorry for the delay! I had a huge number of pictures from which to choose. Plus, we attended the Dracula's Ball in Philadelphia the next night, and that exhausted us, besides adding a trillion more pictures to edit. I'll post those on a subsequent blog.
Live Music was provided by the talented Pla brothers under the band name clueLess.
That's a bird's eye view of the performance with Josep on the left and Nelson on the lower right.

The scariest costumes, by far were elaborately designed and worn by my son Johnny and his lovely (not at the moment) wife Tina.

Perennial guests included the infamous Marty ColemanMike Manenti
and the irrepressible cousins Marianne Colaneri and Dennis Hoppin

An over-the-top, spectacular job at DJing was performed by son Dan and cousin Joe SyversonDan, you will note turned "Orthodox" along with his wife, Ally, the newest addition to the Ambrose Clan. Here they're showing their Hasidic outfits. Dan was joyous as he has been since getting married this past summer. Who wouldn't be?
Here's nephew Mark with Tara, refugees from a defunct Renaissance faire along with Ally who seems to be unable to look because they re so "fay."
I of course busied myself with keeping as many beautiful ladies company as I could, which was a bit of a task considering I was in the persona of Death from the Ingemar Bergman cinema classic "The Seventh Seal."That's Rhea Riachi, recently from Lebanon on the left and Anna Rogalski on my right, flanked of course by the gracious hostess Marzena further to the right.
Speaking of beauties. How does Laura Drager do it? How does she manage to arrive each year in the costumes best designed to hide her beauty, yet somehow, the costume can't quite manage to to do so?
Below is a sampling of costumed party-goers


Above is Labib, husband of Rhea and lifelong friend of Marzena since medical school days. Then there's Frank and Bonnie (forgive the red-eye which I didn't have time to correct) and the beautiful Marzena.
Doktor John appears here with Lee Berger-King himself (get it?) and flapper Nancy Freda
This year we put together a spook-house in the attic. Here, Marzena is servicing one of the props.and below, Rhea confronts one of the actors hired to scare whoever dared venture in to take a look.
President-elect Barack Obama promised to put an end to The Red Death, if you can believe that!
Meanwhile Sara made death seem a little more appealing.
The evil John Trause came as his alter ego, feminist-militant Janet, but bomb-squad fumbler Frank Freda had already been through so much that he wasn't intimidated by her misanthropic attitude.
Metal-Head meets Trailer Park below

Best outfits for non-costumed attendees went to Hon. Miguel de la Carrera and hostess Marzena

This rock'n'roller fit in just fine despite being something of a Misfit

Mike Ness
Published in The Aquarian


4/30/08

I phoned Mike Ness on the morning after the first night of his cross-country tour. Frontman for the three decades-old, hard-core, punk band, Social Distortion, Ness has been recording and performing solo material since around the time of the 1999 Woodstock Festival, which is where I first saw him live. At that time he captivated the crowd of with his utterly sincere manner and rock-with-a-country-twang style. He is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, artist, clothes designer and customizer of vintage cars. Punk and hardcore have come and gone, sending both the celebrated and the little known to obscurity. Yet after thirty years, major personal struggles and numerous tragedies, Mike Ness and Social Distortion have not only survived, but have continued to grow in success and recognition, adding a second generation of fans to their loyal following.
Mike Ness proved to be a remarkably modest, friendly person to interview. He was quick to give credit to many others in music who inspired him, and clear in his love of America and American culture in all its many expressions.


DrJohn: You're on the first leg of a tour that's about to cross the country. How's that tour going?
Mike Ness: Well, last night was the first night and it was pretty good. We'll work all the bugs out by the time we get out your way.
Are the opening bands mainly local people from the regions your tour is passing through?
Yeah, usually, so they don't have to travel far.

Do you have a big say on picking the opening acts or do your managerial people do that for you?
They initiate it and then I have to approve it. I just try to get someone that's going to fit and trying also to give them an opportunity to perform in front of a larger crowd than they usually get to do.

Do you get contacted much by bands that would like to open for you or that feel they should be performing with you?
(Chuckles) Yeah!
What do you think is different about the Mike Ness solo as compared with Social Distortion?
It's kind of an intangible thing. Certainly it's different, it's not as loud, it's not as fast, it's more musical, and it's a little bit harder to play.
Are you presently engaged in writing and composing for either Social D or creating Mike Ness solo material?
Absolutely. I'm always writing. Even when I don't pick up a guitar. I mean I'm living life. And then when I do pick up a guitar I get in touch with those experiences and feelings.
A few years back you broke your wrist skateboarding and were unable to play guitar for a while. Did that make it difficult for you to write & compose?
Yeah, that made it difficult to do anything. I usually compose on the guitar and so there wasn't much writing going on in that period, for those few months.

Do you see yourself as part of the country & western genre?
I'm really on the outside. It's never been my desire to get on the inside of that. I listen to mainstream country and I say, 'Yeah, that's cool, but this is how I see it.'
Would you agree that your more recent Mike Ness solo music was more derived from country & western than is the Social Distortion stuff?
Yes, although that's the stuff I grew up with until I got into punk music. Then I kind of set country on the side. But in the early '80s I started to revisit it. And there were bands like X and the Scorchers that I liked. I really like that connection of rock with American roots music whether it's country, blues, rockabilly, bluegrass or folk. I just like connecting the two styles, then giving it a bit of an edge.

In regard to your early influences, did you grow up with Elvis Presley's music? Or was that before your time?
There was a little bit of that, of that mid-sixties, late sixties stuff. But I grew up mainly with the Beatles and the Stones on my mom's side and Johnny Cash and bands like the Dillards on my father's side. He was the country guy. And my uncles were rock'n'roll. It was like the Smithsonian 'Folkways Box set' was around the house. Then it just progressed into the glitter years, to Ziggy Stardust and to T Rex and little bit of Kiss. Then I got into the Clash and the Sex Pistols. When the Ramones came around, I was like, "This is it. This is going to be my whole life."

You are known for having a taste for 1950s retro styles in cars and clothes. Where do you think that those interests come from?
Well, early experiences. For example I think about when the Hell's Angels had short hair and when my uncles were riding on low-rider-style motorcycles and building Harley trikes, it's all American culture. I absorbed everything from Elvis Presley to 'The Lords of Flatbush' and I remember saying "I've got to comb my hair like that!" A lot of it began in my mind with the Clash dressing like early American gangsters and me thinking, "We should be dressing like that because we are American."

s there a future to Social Distortion or will it just be Mike Ness solo from now on?
There's no end in sight for Social D, I can tell you that.
We want to do a documentary. We want to do a stripped down, acoustic record with our favorite songs from our catalogue and do a kind of a Springsteen/ Dylan approach, maybe a Neil Young unplugged approach to these songs. It wouldn't be much new stuff, though. Except that I would put a couple new things on the record. But primarily I'm saving my new stuff for a studio album that I would like to do next year.


Do you agree that a lot of your early stuff was self-critical and despairing?
Yeah, 'White Light, White Heat White Trash' was particularly dark, more so than any of the others. But that's where I was at that time in my life.
Now that you've emerged as a cultural icon do you feel happier these days due to the success you've experienced of late?
Definitely. We feel very lucky to be enjoying this amount success so many years into our careers. It's lucky for us to have lasted this long, and to be more popular now than we were in the beginning. For most bands it's the other way around. They're at first popular and then twenty years later they're trying to relive that. But for us, it's been the complete opposite. To me it's baffling; I'm like "Wow! What a trip! How cool is this?" We feel very, very grateful. I know I am very, very lucky.

Good luck with the rest of the tour.
Thank you. I hope you can make one or two shows when we're in New York or in New Jersey.

Mike Ness will be performing in Philadelphia, May 12; in New York, May 13 & 15; and in Asbury Park May 16 & 17

Okay! Who wasn't dying to see pictures of gorgeous Laura Drager in drag?! So here's we go. Thanks for use of your pictures, Tara!





With added bonus pictures of Judge Miguel with the statuesque Georgian, Irina

Hope everybody had a blast this Halloween 2007
See you all next year!

The annual masked ball celebrating Halloween was held November 3 at The Cathedral in beautiful uptown Totowa NJ on November 3. A sampling of the guests and their costumes is shown here

Host Doktor John seen here, next to poet Joel Allegretti, is being carried on the straining shoulders of the creature whom he created but who turned out a little shorter in stature than expected.


Below, left, hostess Marzena is shown here with a charming bunch of party-crashers who accompanied long time friend and L.A. sensation, the vivacious Veronica Puleo seen cheek-to-cheek with the Polish Princess herself in the photo at right



The Ambrose Clan was represented in force by this dread duo, by co-host Dan with Aly, a.k.a."The Fiancee of Frankenstein"



by Wolfman Mark,and by Anna Maria with beau Joe

Other relatives of the clan included hip zombie Joe Syverson and Chinese princess Marianne Colaneri accompanied by floridly attired Dennis Hoppin



New Dark Age perennial Myke Hideous showed up with the lovely Dina, and is seen here with all-around music wizard Nelson Pla. Mismatched upper crust Audrey Hepburn Bonnie with Brooklyn "guido" Frank simultaneously added class and subtracted it from the gathering

Monsters were there in great number, battles erupted between various of them, particularly when "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman"

This innocent looking pair was capable of displays of bad temper!



And this smiling devil delighted in menacing onlookers

Fortunately there was a representative of "Ghostbusters" present, with the aid and encouragement of Josep Pla.

There's never a shortage of beauties at Doktor John's monster bashes, particularly when Lisa graces the hallowed halls of "The Cathedral"

Even the dumpster pick-up dude was invited to join the party, once the guard at the entrance got a look at his girlfriend. Eddy and Frank made sure these playmates didn't get themselves into trouble!

And the night rolled on!



The smoke machine wprked!


But we never did get around to that "Game of Goth" Tournament

at South Street Seaport on August 17, 2007
New York's "River-to-River Festival hosted up-and-comers The National on a drizzly Friday night to a huge crowd of clean-cut hipsters.
You can no longer consider yourself hip nor the possessor of secret knowledge about a brilliant undiscovered band when you hear them featured on National Public Radio. That's what happened as I tuned my car radio en route to my first performance of TN.
Originally from Ohio, now Brooklyn-based, these indie rockers can be seen as epitomizing mellow, middle America, with their happy-sad, musically brilliant songs, in the emotional style of Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Characterized by brilliantly composed and ingeniously arranged pop---the kind that rarely gets play on commercial radio or MTV and sounding reminiscent of Modest Mouse or Interpol in a state of clinical depression, the six-man TN plucked heartstrings with heavy themes, soft-spoken lyrics, marching-band rhythms, and hook-laden melodies that immediately took hold of the listeners' emotions.
Vocalist Matt Berninger (whose has some of the voice qualities of 60s folk giant Burl Ives) used his considerable skills sparingly, sometimes lapsing almost into quiet speech or holding back completely, allowing the ingenious arrangements and virtuoso musicians to carry the crowd to heights of listening pleasure .
They opened with the mellow "Start A War" and played for a little over an hour, featuring many well-known (in any case to that crowd) tracks including "Fake Empire"* and the upbeat, rousing "Abel." They're supposed to be a quintet according to their website, but I counted 6 performers on stage. The violinist particularly added a touch of hard-rocking zest to an otherwise sedate musical style.
So seductive were the National's mesmerizing melodies and their compelling cadences, that I have remained hooked on them for days afterwards, and at this point find myself obsessively listening to nothing else as I search out everything in their repertoire for my collection!

*click on the link and hear "Fake Empire" on their Myspace!

The Machine/ Starland Ballroom/ June 22, 2007
Sayerville NJ






Yahoo lists 12 Pink Floyd cover or "tribute" bands, including entries from L.A., Germany, Denmark, Canada and the U.K. New York's own The Machine performs worldwide, but also quite regularly in our metropolitan area, reviving the classic psychedelic sight and sound experience of this, one of the most beloved bands of all time. Starland Ballroom's stage provides enough space for TM, their equipment and their light-show. This night the standing area was filled with the diverse array of adherents that comprise the area's Pink Floyd ardent fan-base.


The first opening played a kind of generic 60s or 70s rock, and were followed by a hard-core band with raspy, screaming vocals. I didn't get the names of either.
TM opened their act with "Breathe" from the album "Pulse," then "Time" off "Dark Side of the Moon" amidst intensely colorful, swirling cones of concentrated light. After another number, they went into one of several instrumental jams featuring the signature distorted bass, spacey vocals and feedback that characterized the sound of PF in its heyday.

A pipe organ solo was followed by "Run Like Hell," then "Welcome to the Machine" with its heavy, pessimistic and philosophical lyrics for which PF are famous; and from which TM obviously takes its name.
"Have a Cigar" began with a syncopated, galloping rhythm, then lapsed into an extended improvisation, in precisely the parent band's style. The audience was invited to sing along, naturally, during "Another Brick In the Wall" which I'm sure was a joyous experience for the passionate and nostalgic PF devotees.


One of Starland's attractive bartenders

After a break TM returned with what their frontman characterized as a psychedelic set, and the guitarist switched to a 12-string instrument. "Pigs," "Wish You Were Here" and many lesser-known pieces were performed as the gaudy, polychromatic light show continued to dazzle the audience. Eventually TM lapsed way back into PF's vast repertoire to play early material from 60s and 70s which went over the heads of the young but was warmly received by the gray seniors who comprised a significant fraction of the crowd.


Known to all, but rarely spoken is the fact that the music of PF with its eerie, surreal and gloomy themes, evokes for many, if not most of their followers, the hallucinogenic experience of their reckless and lost youth. TM succeeds admirably in resurrecting that experience.

Skinny Puppy/ Nokia Theater/Saturday June 9, 2007
New York City

Icons of the Industrial! Gods of Goth! Creatures, no, CREATORS of the darkside of music!
SKINNY PUPPY performed at Nokia on Times Square
Here we are out in front of the theater. (L to R that's Marzena, me, Vanessa and Chet.)


Opening band Otto von Schrack (or whatever) was everybody's worst nightmare: A fat guy in a speedo wearing rubber work gloves and acting like a loony tune while his partner attired as some kind of disheveled superhero's sidekick made noise, used a squirt-gun, and in general reinforced the madness with digital electronic tracks at decibels that were lethal to the acoustic nerves. No pictures of Otto. You'll have to use your imagination.
Next up was an experimental, free-form guitar-based band from Brooklyn, "Sightings," with some original sounding, spacey stuff that would probably grow on you if you had the time to tune in.
Skinny Puppy wasted no time in following up the second act. The theater was filled with the tumultuous approval of a packed house of adoring fans, some of whom had just seen them the previous night in Phiiadelphia.

The stage for Skinny Puppy had a kind of red-spattered curtain set up, behind which Nivek Ogre stood singing, back-lit so as to throw his silhouette in various forms of illumination.

Green seemed to be the color of anger as they opened their act, consisting of alternating songs from their new album "Mythmaker" and their older, classic material. In the former category, "Ugli" was accompanied by fleeting images of religious iconography on a video screen behind the band."Tormentor" with its shocking mantra, "...mental shock..." was a welcome entry from their beloved album, "Too Dark Park."
Back to the new album, "Politikill" proclaimed the true nature of politicians: "Do you want me to suck?" over and over again. But I was relieved that the show this time was not as consumed with anti-american political diatribe as had been the last tour, "The Greater Wrong of the Right," off of which they performed "Pro Test" this night.
"Rodent" off the greatest album, "Rabies," was immediately recognizable with the nutty, opening sample,"They came back to Earth with a great rock & roll band," and with it's machine-gun like rhythm. Ogre,when he appeared from behind the curtain, was grotesquely costumed and made-up, with and eye-patch and coiled, dangling electrial cords and tubing dangling from his torso.


They also performed "Haze" from the new album, and thrilled the audience and this reporter almost beyond ecstasy with an enhanced version of "Warlock" featuring a trumpet to accent various lines of this, perhaps the greatest song of their entire body of work.

Typical of the excesses that characterize Skinny Puppy, they poured forth two hours of music new and old, including another three tracks from "Mythmaker" and two encores, the first with "Testure", finally ending with the eerie "Far Too Frail" as Ogre repeatedly offered his gracious thanks to the loyal and loving crowd of worshipful fans who risked life and limb to mosh recklessly in the pit .

Many of you were aware of my growing obsessive admiration for the power-rock trio "The Secret Machines" whom I was starting to look upon as potentially one of the greatest bands of the new millenium and possibly of all rock history. Unfortunately, disillusionment eventually comes. Check this report out as it will appear in The Aquarian/ East Coast Rocker

Secret Machines/ High Line Ballroom / May 19 2007
Doktor John /NYC


It was no surprise that The Secret Machines was selected to top off the High Line Festival, a 10-day combination of music, art and performance celebrating the inauguration of work to renovate a stretch of elevated rail running up the west side of Manhattan through Chelsea to convert it into a public park-in-the-air. This trio, originally from Dallas, but currently living in New York City soared into fame and acclaim on the basis of tight, elegant Led Zeppelin-meets-Pink Floyd brand of power rock.
So it was a profound letdown when, following two excellent, anonymous opening bands (when, oh when, are rock venues going to make clear announcement of the identities of openers?) and a dazzling light-show prelude, TSM began, not with one of their beloved anthems, but an unfamiliar and uncharacteristic ballad…or two…or five.


No longer a trio, having lost guitarist Benjamin Curtis recently, they replaced him with not one but two performers, thus transforming TSM into a quartet. Scorning the audience's desire to hear their many established hits, TSM chose to push new material obviously intended for a yet-to-be-assembled third album. Worst of all, they failed to intersperse the new material with recognized songs.
Unfortunately, the new material has none of the qualities of their prior efforts. Brandon Curtis completely changed his vocal style. Gone are the compelling, driving cadences. Gone the catchy, melodious hooks. Gone the intriguing lyrics!

Instead the rhythms are erratic and shallow, the melodies monotonous and unsatisfying, the lyrics preachy and pretentious. The bass guitar issued buzzing belches that removed any resemblance the music might have had to their former repertoire. Between these half-baked songs there were irrelevant drum rolls and guitar and synthesizer riffs. All throughout the show, the band members seemed to be distracted, frantically gesturing hand signals to each other and to the off-stage staff.
It's as if TSM had been replaced by imposters who knew nothing of the originals, and who trying to foist their own inferior material on fans. A confused but loyal and forgiving audience accepted this misguided departure from TSM's former style with lukewarm applause. After an hour of bitter disappointment, I lost my desire to hear the songs I had sacrificed a Saturday night to hear. I had no trouble convincing my companion to leave, even as TSM began reverting to their old repertoire. We got up and walked out, wondering if it would be appropriate to ask for our money back.