We all live to make fun of Charlene when at midnight on New Years she raises her glass and says with a very serious tone and very serious glint in her eye that “this year is going to be the best year ever” She has said it every year since we’ve known her and it doesn’t make us believe her any less.
In March 2010 we started working on our sophmore record with Eric “Roscoe” Ambel at CTS in their new space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We are pretty much in the home stretch and are hoping for a release of this record in the spring of 2011. We are ridiculously proud of this record and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.
In May we had the honor of playing the 10th Annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash and Lymphoma Benefit at Iriving Plaza in New York City. It was a wonderful night, dedicated to a musician and innovator that changed music. Mo always tells me that this band would not exist if it wasn’t for the Ramones.
In October, we saw our win as “Best Unsigned Band” in America come to fruition, getting to spend 2 days in the studio with Steven Van Zandt working on 2 songs that will be released also in 2011. It was a great experience working with Steven.
In between studio weekends, we played, maybe not as much as we would have liked to, but we played as much as we could .
And YOU came, all of you, bad weather, rough days, whatever, people continue to show up and appreciate the music and us. So for that we are unbelievably thankful.
So as 2010 draws to a close we have a ton of thank you’s…..
First thanks goes to our band for all the familial drama that comes with being in a band and trying to be the best that we can be. We will always fight and scream and slam doors but we will also know what it feels like to play and be elevated to that place that only the 4 of us can recognize, where all feels liquid and magical, where connection to each other can take us up over the brim.
Thanks to our long time supporter, friend and producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel who Charlene accosted with a demo “backstage” at Brownies in 2004. To this day we are still thankful that he actually took it home and listened to it. Roscoe gave us our first NYC gig and we haven’t looked back since. To have someone like Roscoe in your corner that you can rely on for anything and to talk you down from the ledge when you have had just about enough and to cheer like hell when you rock, it’s a very big deal and rare to find in a producer or even a friend. Roscoe has always been the 5th member of Spanking Charlene and we hope he will continue to be. So to Roscoe and the guys at CTS (Tim Hatfield and Mario Viele) we are eternally grateful.
Thanks to Scott Hueston, Steven Van Zandt and Wicked Cool Records for their hard work and integrity. Its not everyday you get to be in the studio with Steven Van Zandt and it was quite the experience. We’ve all heard the old “stay away from your heroes” but Steven could not have been more gracious and patient. He’s one of the good guys.
Lastly, thanks to the Lakeside Lounge for giving us a home and thanks so much to the group of talented musicians that surround us, join us onstage, keep us laughing and keep us motivated. Christopher Bryson, Genya Ravan, Mickey Leigh, MC Quat, Phil Cimino, Chip Robinson, Nate Schweber Jason Dole, Tara Elliot, Fletch, Professor Marcus Aldredge, Joe Cassady, Melissa Masser, Leslie, Alex, and let’s not forget Doggie!
So when Charlene once again raises her glass at midnight this year and once again says “this is going to be the best year ever” WE will believe her and we hope you will too.
Peace, Love and Soul,
Spanking Charlene
