iamwammo.com

Hope this finds you well. It’s been a long time since I checked in or reported out. Man, a lot has changed in a year!

Cecilia Starling Walker born September 10, 2009, is a magical person. I’m amazed everyday by her spirit and her take on the world. I’ve written many songs about and inspired by her, plus lots of songs and poetry about being a parent. It’s a crazy change, a wild journey and a roller-coaster of emotions, mostly the greatest joy I’ve ever felt.

In part because of being a new dad, but largely due to some irreconcilable differences, I’m no longer touring with the Spankers. It was a tough call to make, but in the end, the best decision for the band given the circumstances. Christina and the guys are doing a Farewell Tour and I will miss being on this last round of gigs but I’m psyched about moving forward. I encourage everyone to check out the band one last time as they pass through your town. In my opinion, you won’t find a more talented, hard-working group of musicians.

So what’s next? Well lots really! I’ve been doing a ton of painting and I’m
lining up art shows around the country. I’m also setting up gigs for my one man show, Road Dog. If you’re in Austin, be sure to check out the Sunday Gravy Show each month, and stay tuned for announcements about tours with other musicians.

The website is in the process of having a complete facelift, so we’ll have a proper launch sometime in the near future. For now, you can find out about upcoming gigs—this weekend in Knoxville, TN and November shows in Atlanta and NYC—and art deals—1/2 off some of my older paintings—here on the site

I want to thank you for supporting the band, coming to the shows, letting us crash in your homes, feeding us, buying us drinks, making us laugh—basically keeping us alive for the past 16 years. It’s a real privilege to do the work I do and none of it’s possible without your support and encouragement. I will cherish the memories and look forward to seeing you again just as soon as I can.

While she was asleep, I put on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. When she woke up, we listened to these tunes.
Kooks–David Bowie
Here, There and Everywhere–The Beatles
I Say a Little Prayer–Aretha Franklin
Time–Tom Waits
How Will You Shine–The Gourds
Windfall–Son Volt
Two Sleepy People–Fats Waller
Across The Universe–The Beatles
I’m Gonna Watch You Sleep–Hamell On Trial
Hey Good Lookin’–Hank Williams
Zip A Dee Do Da–The Jackson 5
It’s a Man’s, Man’s Man’s World–James Brown
People Gonna Talk–James Hunter
Cecilia–Simon and Garfunkle
Something’s Got a Hold On Me–Etta James
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman–Aretha Franklin
My Girl–The Temptations
Something–The Beatles
Ruby My Dear–Thelonius Mink
Be Bop-A-Lula–Gene Vincent
Femme Fatale–Velvet Underground
Girls Say–Vic Chesnutt
All The Things You Are–William Walker (her grampa!)
After that we listened to all of Paul Simon’s Surprise and now both momma and daughter are sleeping to Mississippi John Hurt. I think that’s a pretty good start.

Please welcome Cecilia Starling Walker, born 9/10/09 5:59PM Austin time. 7lbs 9oz 19 inches. Our sweet little girl.

Here’s the funny thing about parents pressuring schools against showing Obama’s speech. When I was a kid, anything I was forced to watch was immediately ignored, daydreamed through or at least perceived as a waste of time but anything I was told not to watch was painstakingly sought out and studied with minute detail. There will be so much hubbub about Obama’s speech, the kids who are kept from watching it at school will seek it out on the internet and watch it on their own. Never mind that Obama is the President of the United States and he’s going to be encouraging kids to stay in school. Never mind that school kids were forced to watch presidential speeches from Reagan and Bush. Never mind that this is american history in the making and kids should be encouraged to discuss the points of the speech with which they agree or disagree. Never mind all that. Pay attention to this one point. If you tell a kid that he shouldn’t do something that everyone else is doing, that kid is going to want to do it. Tell a kid that they are not allowed dance or listen to a certain genre of music or see R rated movies or have sex or do drugs. What do you think that same kid will be doing as soon as your back is turned? The more you put the screws to these kids, the more they will try to wriggle free. The more fuel you add to this fire, the more it will blow up in your face. So, good luck keeping your kid away from the focal point of all this discourse. What do you think will be the big topic of discussion on the playground tomorrow?

I have been painting quite a bit, I now have 11 canvases that have yet to be photographed and posted on my website but in the meantime… Rich from NJ sent in a donation that inspired this swirly piece of clay that I have named, Dingus. If you want to play the Pay What You Want game, go to http://iamwammo.com.

This is my Korg N364 workstation. It comes with the power chord and both manuals. I bought this keyboard when I was making my record, Faster Than The Speed Of Suck and I played it on a couple of tunes on that album. That is the only time the keyboard has been used. It has been in storage in it’s original box since then. It’s a great keyboard, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s essentially brand new. Every button, key and lever work perfectly. It’s totally mint, there’s not a scratch on it. It’s never been to a gig. It’s just one of those pieces of gear that I never got around to building a relationship with. I figure it’s time to let someone else put it to use. I’ll ship it to you in the box that it came in and I’ll throw in a signed copy of Faster Than The Speed Of Suck. I have the original floppy that came with it around here somewhere and when I find it, I’ll send it to you but I’m sure it’s easy to get a copy of it, if I can’t find it. You don’t need the disc to play/program the keyboard. it works great without it. Good luck and happy ebaying,

Click on a pic to see the auction, if that doesn’t work , copy and paste-

http://cgi.ebay.com/KORG-N364-WORKSTATION-WAMMO-ASYLUM-STREET-SPANKERS_W0QQitemZ250490746819QQcmdZViewItemQQptZKeyboards_MIDI?hash=item3a526977c3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_1785wt_1167

Good evening and welcome to day 9 of my “Pay What You Want” art experiment. My friend, Paul Minor, sent me $40 and said “Make art for me.” That inspired this drawing, aptly titled – Minor Chord. Ding! Pay forty bucks and you get a pun! And a kewpie doll for the little girl. Step right up, folks! Get away from me kid, you’re botherin’ me…
So could somebody explain to me why the number 4 is spelled “four” but the number 40 is spelled “forty?” WTF? What happened to “u?”
Anyway, if you want art, go to http://iamwammo.com