Hey there Noodles.
Glen here once again with an update on all things Cake,
and all things Sue & Glen Nelson. It's been a while
since the last official update, so instead of a summer
kickoff, let's try an end-of-summer wrap-up. To fill you
in completely, I have to start with last summer, where
Spaghetti Cake played a run of great shows including an
unforgettable concert on the Guilford town green, which
resulted in our first ever official live bootleg, "Learn
To Swim". We made only 150 copies, and distributed
it off of our MySpace and official site for free, while
supplies lasted. I'm glad to say that we shipped copies
from coast to coast, and even a few overseas. Many thanks
to our own Christopher Eddy for all the hard work on that
project. Summer 2007 also saw the release of a brand-new
studio EP, "What
About Pluto", which was released on September
4th, 2007 as an iTunes only digital exclusive. It contained
2 studio tracks from the band, recorded at Monster Lab
Studios in New Britain, CT and mixed by our old friend
Earl Cohen. Also included was the now classic but unreleased
"Farm Boy", as well as a new Spaghetti Cake
original, "Miles & Miles Of Smiles", which
was commissioned to be included on a national dental health
CD, and recorded by Mike Shirra of Share-A-Voice Productions.
If you haven't downloaded your copy yet, get over to iTunes
right away!
Once school started
back up, I spent most of my waning free time promoting
the "What About Pluto" EP, (and created MySpace
Music site 4, for my old high school band Via
Satellite) and Sue became ever more prosperous and
successful with her real estate company The Oliver Nelson
Group, with her partner Ed Oliver. In the last few years,
for anyone who doesn't already know, Sue has really managed
to transform herself into a mini-mogul in the real estate
world, particularly in the field of investment in large
apartment complexes. mostly in the South. While that job
does keep her very busy, it also makes her very happy.
And like anything that Sue puts her time and talent into,
she is very hardworking and very good at what she does.
At the time that Aidan was born, we also got a nanny to
help Sue out around the house, Judith Evans, and she has
been living with us for a year and a half, and has managed
to fit in very well, and we really enjoy having her around.
At Polk School, around
April 2008 we released our 7th consecutive music CD, "Polk
School Party", a collection of the greatest dance
hits of all time. We sold an amazing 250 copies (sold
out!) and raised $1,000 to go towards the purchase of
30 new baritone ukuleles for our school. It was once again
produced by our dear friend Mike Shirra of Share-A-Voice
Productions, and featured some amazing solos from my 3rd,
4th, and 5th grade students, including a career-topping
elementary school vocal performance from one of our favorite
young stars, Teairra Maunel, who has performed with Spaghetti
Cake on many occasions. It also featured a brand-new Todd
& Glen composition called "The Ballad Of Indiana".
Todd "E-Bones" & I wrote this song not only
as a follow-up to "Farm Boy", but also in honor
of the impending release of the fourth Indiana Jones movie
in May 2008. Like "Farm Boy" before it, this
song had its world-premiere debut on the "Indy-Cast"
with Ed Dolista, and was also played on the "MacCast",
as well as coverage on iBerkshire.com and even on NPR!
Todd & I felt that this song more than any other we've
written, really harkened back to the days of our childhood,
when we were in each other's first band called "High
Adventure". So, we made up a new website High
Adventure Music, where listeners can download a high-quality
version of the track for free, as well as my fifth (and
final) MySpace Music site for High
Adventure . So sign up and be a friend today, there
will be more new music from us soon! In other Polk School
news, in addition to our usual concerts, 5th grade podcasts,
and school-wide talent show, the final feather in the
cap for the students & I was when Ed Dolista of the
"Indy-Cast" played our 4th grade chorus performing
"The Ballad Of Indiana" on the show!
This summer, I had
the thrill of playing on the mainstage at Max Creek's
Camp Creek music festival with my longtime bandmates in
Flipper Dave, which included Brett, myself, Steve, and
Mike, and was one of most unforgettable Flipper shows
in our band's history. The crowd was huge! It was such
a blast. Flipper Dave continues to be a jam rock powerhouse
everywhere that we play, and the gigs are always a very
special experience for both us and our loyal fans. Spaghetti
Cake also had the great honor of hitting the mainstage
at both Strange-Creek and Wormtown music festivals in
2008. Spaghetti Cake also played numerous other indoor
and outdoor concert venues, many of which featured a familiar
face on drums, "Flipper" Steve Battistoni. So,
we managed to keep very busy, and it looks like we're
movin' on up!
I also continue to
remain active with my other part-time job, which is as
pianist and organist for Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
right here in Harwinton, CT. That has really been a lot
of fun for me on so many levels, not just working with
the other great musicians, but also with the kids chorus
as well. This Fall I am entering the RCIA class, where
I will be taught the Christian faith and ultimately be
baptized and take first communion on Holy Saturday next
March, right before Easter Sunday. I am looking forward
to taking that exciting new journey!
In other musical
news, I spent my summer this year working with an amazingly
talented singer/songwriter and musician named Mike
Greca. We spent the summer rehearsing and working
up the arrangements for his songs and then we went into
the studio and recorded the whole thing LIVE in front
of an audience! It was recorded at our own Mike Tierney's
brand-new recording studio Audio Media Solutions (formerly
The Gallery - which now proudly houses my GOFF Professional
Hammond B3) and in doing so I got to work with some amazing
local artists, and incredibly talented people. It was
a lot of work, and an unusual way to record an album,
but it turned out to be an unforgettable experience, and
one that I will never forget. Mike Greca is a superb local
artist, and I can't wait for the album to come out this
Fall!
The kids are doing
great! Fox will turn 5 this October, and is going to his
first day of Kindergarten tomorrow! Vayle is currently
3 1/2, and will be going to her second year of preschool,
also starting tomorrow. Aidan is a year and a half, and
is just about the cutest little thing I have ever seen.
Bodhi is 9, and doing great. She still chases after the
tennis ball like she is a puppy. See below for a few new
pictures. We were also able to get away this summer, not
just to the usual Maine retreat, but Sue & I also
spent a week with the family in Newport, RI. This summer
was not only the summer of Indy IV, (which I saw 4 times)
but also of course, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I was able
to take the whole family to our very first Star Wars movie
on the big screen. (Fox & I went back to see it again
the next day!) Personally, I loved both of those movies.
I take them for what they are, entertainment, and leave
it at that. And what fun they were! For those who read
my blog posts on MySpace, 2007 was the year the battle
of the vinyl LP record vs. the iPod raged, and now this
summer, Sue got me the iPhone for my birthday, and boy
oh boy, do I love that as well. It is perhaps one of the
greatest inventions of all time. (That and the GPS!)
Sue & I also
got to take in some great concerts in 2008, way too many
to remember, but the ones that stand out in recent memory
would be Jackson Browne solo acoustic at The Oakdale,
Brian Wilson at The Warner Theatre, Rush and Jethro Tull
at The Mohegan Sun, Neil Diamond at the Civic Center,
and coming up this Fall, Zappa Plays Zappa! Also, I continued
to listen to so much great music in 2008, stay tuned for
all of the highlights in this year's Nelly Awards in a
future blog post. The album of the summer? The soundtrack
to "Star Wars: Clone Wars". I also enjoyed the new Sugarland CD,
"Love On The Inside". The Fan Pack Edition is a must-have.
Well, that's just
the tip of the iceberg, but I think I touched on most
the of the vital need-to-know highlights of our past year+.
As you can see, we have not slowed down at all, and despite
a growing family, we manage to keep writing and playing,
and releasing albums! Sorry it took so long to sit down
and write you all an update, but things have been a little
crazy. So today is Labor Day 2008, and the kids return
for me at school tomorrow as well. What will the next
year hold for The Nelsons? Stay tuned to this website
and find out. All of our love, Glen & Sue
For all those of you who were keeping count (and who isn't?)
MySpace By The Numbers (as of 9/1/08):
Spaghetti Cake:
Plays: 15, 110
Views: 20, 125
Friends: 2, 540
Comments: 617
Glen Nelson Music:
Plays: 1, 675
Views: 4, 516
Friends: 470
Comments: 114
Flipper Dave:
Plays: 7, 010
Views: 11, 150
Friends: 685
Comments: 153
High Adventure:
Plays: 851
Views: 1,885
Friends: 345
Comments: 48
Via Satellite:
Plays: 267
Views: 1,300
Friends: 50
Comments: 15