We've got a limited run of our ghetto packaged, special "brown bag edition" of Holster vs the 21st Century at Manifest Discs in Charlotte (that's in the Starmount Shopping Center, 6239 South Blvd, for those who don't know). It's the full CD, 8 songs plus a bonus track --- sort of a preview release. Get 'em while you can, at $2.99 each!

And come see us perform at the Manifest Janifest Local Music Showcase, Saturday Jan 5!

Thanks once again to all the great people who made it --- and stayed! --- at the Homeless Benefit Show at The Evening Muse last Tuesday.  We felt like it was an all around fantastic time!  Glad to have shared the stage with Kimosabe again, and very appreciative of Illicitizen for putting the benfit together and doing such an exemplary job promoting the event and getting so many donations for those who need them!

But now we've got to ask you all to come out again, for one more stupefying performance at the world famous Milestone!  Especially if you missed that last show!  We'll be playing in support of Gil Mantera's Party Dream, a freak-causing funtime semi-nude act the likes of which you'd never see at any other club in Charlotte.  Very cool garage rockers White Dwarf are also playing.  So it's going to be one energy blast in your face after another!

Come on out!  Have a good time!  Surely you deserve it!  And we really, really want to see you there!

Just watched the movie End Of The Century, a documentary about the Ramones.  Among many notable quotes and anecdotes, Joe Strummer made one of the best statements, one that bears repeating, as it does have some application to the Holster philosophy of performance:

"I particularly learned that from the Ramones:  that 'slam!' there's that number; where's the next one??  'Cause there's people watching, and people have got things to do.  It's a busy world out there; you got to... give it to 'em!"

That IS a new version of "Conception" on the player!  Thought we'd give you a taste of the new CD.  Check back; there may be more surprises in the coming weeks.

Been a while, I know...

We have been a busy band, which is fantastic, and we have lots of folks to give thanks to again.  Here's to catching up with Holster:

The studio work continued on through this month, but we believe the mixing is nearly done.  Kelly Morse has really made us sound good, and Mark at Audio Works has been extremely accomodating.  Jason W. is continuing to add his magical touch to the mixes.  One way or another, we're going to have a CD ready soon.

Speaking of Kelly, he kind of helped open the door for us to play the Amps 11 party at the Visulite Theatre on May 12, which was a great opportunity for us to be on one of the best stages in Charlotte.  The crowd there was amazing --- we LOVE all the fans who make it out show after show, and there were also a number of folks who'd never seen us perform before.  We got a pretty good reception, and hope to get back in there before too long.

Oh, and as far as cool people and Charlotte venues go, we seriously need to let everyone know just how awesome Seth Boulton and the Dream Machine are!  This may not be news to anyone, I know, but in addition to being excellent musicians, those three (Seth, Laura, and Nicollette) are about the nicest people you could ever hope to meet or do a show with.  We got a short-notice booking to play SK Net Cafe a couple of weeks ago, and the Dream Machine helped fill the bill.  Attendence at the show wasn't fabulous (there just wasn't a lot of time to publicize it), but they put on a great show and were exceptionally professional.  Thanks, y'all.  And thanks, again, to the Holster friends who did come out.

Our next gig is a benefit show for our friend Leslie.  Her house burned down last year, and we're trying top help her raise money to rebuild.  The show's in Salisbury NC at the 315 Club.  There are four bands confirmed right now, and a fifth may be added soon.  Please, if you're in the area, come up or down or over and help out with the good cause, and also make us look good!

Hey, if anyone has pictures from any recent shows, please share!  We'd love to get some more on the site here, and we'll certainly give photographers credit!  If you want to email any, send them to holstertheband@hotmail.com.  And if anyone has the ability, we REALLY need to get some video recordings of our performances.  Pass it on, okay?

And, in the spirit of having  more to say but realizing this is already a little long, and I have lots more I need to do, here are a few bullet points to leave you with:

* La Chocha Loca is a very fun, rockin' band!  You should see them!  You should also check out Kimosabe, In-V, Silent Weapons, Babyshaker, and the Situationals... and any other local and indie bands!

* Regis really needs to find a cool day job.  If you know of any opportunities, PLEASE let him know.  His own myspace is www.myspace.com/holsterspankin.

* We've sent our info in to hopefully play at Dragon Con this year.  Wish us luck, and if you know anyone on the committee, put in a good word for us, okay?

* Jason Perkins has screenprinted some limited edition Holster T-shirts.  They'll be available at shows until they run out.  Or if you want more info or need one now, let us know!

* The Milestone is still one of the Coolest Places on the Planet!

* Amps 11 magazine is cool.  Make sure you're reading it every month!

* Sometimes we send out emails with info about shows and merch and stuff.  If you want to be on the email list, send us your address in a message here, or email holstertheband@hotmail.com.

* Keep coming to the shows (if you've seen us more than once, you should know it's always a somewhat different experience), and PLEASE, tell your friends and get people out!

Thanks, all.  Be good.

Our favorite Heather has some really cool Holster pictures online Here.  Some pictures from our show at the Milestone a couple of weeks ago (including more of Jason's bloodied hand from his ferocious bass playing!), and some from the studio.  Enjoy, and be sure to thank Heather!

We had a blast (as usual) at the Milestone last night.  Thanks to everyone who came out for the show, we really appreciate all the support.  Thanks also to Skybox and Kimosabe (those in Charlotte, you should definitely see this group!  Check them at www.myspace.com/gokimosabe) and, of course, to all the fine folks at the Milestone.  There are a few pics from the night uploaded here, and more should be on the way.

Hopefully it was worth coming out on a weeknight for everyone.  If nothing else, I think we all enjoyed seeing Jason W. bleed all over his bass, right?

  "J. Weiss was here"

We'll be back at the 'Stone April 7th supporting Bang Bang, and with Silent Weapons, too.  That's a Saturday, and promises to be a great time.  And if you can, get by Jeff's Bucket Shop this Saturday and see Silent Weapons.

One more time:  thanks everyone!

March already, and this is what the new year has brought us:

A hot new song, "Spy Vs Spy," straight out of Ian Fleming and John LeCarre storytelling, Stick's love of the Chameleons, the Jasons' incredible power playing, and Regis's sad and scary last relationship.  You'll love it when you hear it, and you can get the chance to do that as early as this Wednesday at the Milestone show!

An unfortunate non-show at Zakk's Coffeehouse, where a booking mix up (not on our part) put us in an odd situation that necessitated not playing, and missing out on the planned show with Tick Tock Boom and the Avenue.  On the bright side, the road trip was fun, and we had the chance to catch Mike Got Spiked, and awesome band from Ireland, at Zakk's.  The guys are incredibly nice, and their music is an unexpected energetic mix of styles that made for a very fun show.  We recommend chacking them out --- www.myspace.com/mikegotspiked.

Two days in the recording studio at Audio Works in Charlotte putting down tracks for our first full-length album.  Kelly Morse, currently of the Situationals and various area music associations, is producing.  The initial recordings are, we think, impressive, and we can't wait to get the final touches added and the mixing done so we can get the music out for all of you to hear.  Jason Weiss added some amazing synth parts to some of our songs, and all the guys sound freakin' phenomenal.  Keep checking here for more news about that!

Jason Perkins moved to a new house.  Regis quit his lame full-time job.  Stick got a Jazzmaster and has near-sponsorship from Eastwood Guitars, and Jason Weiss continues to look for a safe neighborhood to rest his weary, lucky star head.

We got a very nice mention in the February issue of Amps 11, where, in a "10 Things I Love About Charlotte Music" article we were described as "imagine David Byrne fronting Sonic Youth."

Of course, there's been more, and we've all been very busy, but that makes a decent summation of the major events.  Our next show is, as mentioned above, at the Milestone in Charlotte, a great venue for us, where we are supporting a group from Chicago called Skybox --- Spin magazine has apparently identified them as a band on the edge of greatness.  We have our best show planned, and hope you'll be able to get out there to see us.  We certainly do thank everyone for the tremendous support and encouragement.  Now let's see you out at the shows!