First of all, we'd like to thank you for your comments and concerns surrounding the various lies circulating about the personal lives of the people in our band. Unfortunately, Greg Hirsch was not the only member of Yam Cannon over whom false information swirled. We'd like to take this opportunity to absolve Matthew Hankey of the following rumours:

-Matt has never written anything under a pseudonym. Not as Mark Twain, Richard Bachman, Steve Miller, or Andy Lau. As a professional journalist, Matt prefers to write under his own name. He says it adds credibility to his words. While we can agree or disagree about that fact, we would like to make clear that our friend Mr. Hankey always signs his real name - especially in the snow.

-Oxford University did not reject Matt's application based on a hilariously offensive letter. The letter, written in 1994, was actually written to Matt's grandmother in Ohio, in thanks for the 5 dollars she gave him on his birthday. It contained no offensive language. Matt never even applied to Oxford University. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, with a degree in print journalism. And he is a rockstar drummer in Yam Cannon.

-John Mayer's new album, due in fall of 2009, makes no mention of the alleged "fling" between Matt and Jennifer Aniston. The Yam Cannon drummer saw Aniston once, but she was on tv at the time, and he was in his boxers eating cereal. Matt is a faithful and loving fiancee to former UWEC tennis star Alli Taplin.

-Matt was not the Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association (WCJAA) State Tennis Champion in 2006. Matt actually won the tournament in 2003, after a stellar performance and an undefeated season at UW-Fox Valley. In 2006 Matt was dreaming of the perfect band, and found his calling in Greg's basement during the early days of Yam Cannon.

-On the set of the movie Three Men and a Baby, there was allegedly a ghost in one of the still pictures taken on the set during a shoot. The ghost in the picture is not Matt Hankey. It's actually Ted Danson, waiting just off screen for his cue to enter the scene with Steve Gutenberg, Tom Selleck, and some kid that is probably a junkie now living off his trust fund.

Thanks for your attention and your patience with us as we sort through these inaccuracies. If there are any other questions about any members of Yam Cannon, please send them our way and we'll do our best to clear things up.

Hey everyone, it's Joe.  I'd like to take this blogging opportunity to clear up some inaccuracies about Greg Hirsch that I've heard floating around the earthosphere.

Greg did not graduate summa cum laude from West Point with a degree in archery.  West Point doesn't even offer an archery program anymore - that was abolished in the mid 1950s.  Greg did briefly attend the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, but he found a job during school that paid way more money than whatever it was he was going to school for.  He is now the network administrator at a successul software company in Eau Claire, WI.

Also, Greg has never had surgery to make him taller.  He is in fact naturally the tallest guy onstage at a typical Yam Cannon show.  This was not something the fat cats at the record label paid to fabricate in order for Greg to look cool or anything like that.  If they had wanted to make Greg look artificially cool, they probably would have made him look more like early 80s Michael Jackson (something that can be done at a much lower price, with a much higher rate of return).

There are thousands of rumors about each member of the band, so we'll be checking in occasionally to clear the air when time permits, or if something gets really out of hand.

Until then,

Joe

Thanks to you, the multitudes, who partied with us to celebrate the release of our new CD, Registration Round.  We had an amazing time, and it's been just a foot-stomping, knee-slapping time getting to this point as a band.We hope to see y'all at many more parties.  Show the CD to your friends, your relatives, your enemies....anyone with an open ear.

See you further along the way!

Joe

Registration Round is nearing its final form. It's back from mastering Gods.  Its front jacket cover is designed. Its liner notes will be written over the course of the next two weeks.  The CD release party is planned conspicuously close to 4/20; a happy accident for everyone.

Words cannot convey the level of our enthusiasm.  Music can, though! Hope to see you soon, out on the floor, as we play our "rock music" for you!

Joe

Mr. Probst is right. We've got an album coming, kids.  It's a garage-style recording, done live with no overdubs right here in Eau Claire at the House of Rock.  We just dropped it off yesterday to the folks at Rare Form Mastering to get, um, mastered.

You can get a sneak preview of the album if you listen to the Bears' Den on WHYS radio, 96.3 FM on sunday, Feb 22nd from 5-7 PM.  If you're not from Eau Claire, you can stream WHYS by going to WHYSRADIO.ORG.

Stay tuned for release dates and more fun details!

Yam Cannon is indeed on facebook.  Join us, or suffer greatly.

Joe mentioned in his latest post that we called it a weekend after leaving Jeff & Jim's (which should more accurately be named "Jeff & Jim's Delicious Pizza Oh My God You Guys It's So Good I Am Totally Not Kidding", but that probably wouldn't fit on the sign).  In reality, he called it a weekend, but I called it "What the heck, I have Monday off, I'm going to go home and stay up really late playing video games."

The moral of the story is that I have to come up with shorter names to call things.

-GH

Saturday night we had the pleasure of watching Matthew Probst, aka MC Mello Cello, in fine form as he jammed with Heatbox and the Root City Band for a packed house at the Stones Throw.  Eau Claire was alive that night, and Probst blew us all away with some of the finest cello work known to man.  Thanks to Heatbox for kicking our ass the rest of the night - that dude is worth checking out.

On Sunday we recorded our first (what we hope to be) album.  We set up and recorded live in an empty House of Rock with some room mikes and a board feed with no overdubs.  We cut 9 tracks and added a couple of jams in for good measure at the end of the day.  Then we ate pizza at Jeff and Jim's, and called it a weekend.

Rough mixes sound good so far, but there's level cleanup and possibly mastering to do.  More info will come as we move forward - stay tuned!

JT

This past weekend was the Mousetrap.  Boy it's nice to come back.  We hadn't done a full show in Eau Claire for a long time, and we missed everyone.  The Gypsy Lumberjacks opened the evening and played some amazing shit.  They are 2 acoustic guitars (Leif and Bobby), a guy on a drum box (Ben), and our good friend and .5 member MC Mello Cello on bass/cello duties.  Yam Cannon blasted off after the Gypsy boys were done and we didn't stop the party until 5AM the next morning.

Saturday we played a burger joint called the Milwaukee Burger Company.  Our first show as a 3 piece, without MC Mello Cello.  It was fun to do it, and a good confidence booster to play a full show together as 3.  Much love to the rugged hippie at the bar digging the tunes.  Actually a lot of folks there seemed to get into it over the course of the night.  Not as many dancers - hey, it's a burger joint - but a lot of bobbing heads, and nobody left early.  Our man Trelfa sat in on a tune and we hope there's more to come on that side of things.  Also included on both nights was Lightnin' Troy Jackson, ripping it up on the mouth harp. 

Some of our friends came out both nights and we really appreciate it - holy shit it's good to see y'all out there dancing, weaving, and smiling along with us.  Yours truly had some moments of grin-frozen face playing with those other talented motherfuckers (Greg and Hankey are almost stupidly awesome). 

See you around the way.  Next stop, WHYS radio benefit!

Joe

Though it's a bit late, we'd like to thank those of you joining us this year as a response to our mention in the Onion's 2008 Year in Band Names article.  We are honored to have even made the list. 

You can find the whole list HERE:

Peas and carrots,

Joe