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Friday, April 24, 2009

The Joy Of Living



I have been reading this book lately and it's proved to be pretty good. It connects science and the mind with some rich text on thoughts, personal well being, the mind in general and how it operates. It's a great book because A.) It explains a lot about meditation  B.) it is beautifully written C.) it has lots of advice and information on how the human mind functions. I suggest if your looking for a book to truly escape in this could be your match. 

We play tomorrow night in Portland  at Berbati's Pan with cool bands! Cool?

DANNY DELEGATO











Wednesday, April 22, 2009

More Stuff on Demand

I find subcultures to be very interesting. Trying to imagine what it would be like to think as another person especially someone very different from your self is a challenge that i very much enjoy. It just costs to much to go around America and find the weirdest of the weird and then spend the time to get to know them. Luckily i was introduced to a television program called 'Louis Theroux Weird Weekends' in which a lovable host with an English accent dose just that. You should start with 'The Most Hated Family in America' but their all interesting.

My Favorite Drummers (Kelly Mckenzie The Hugs)








I've always been asked who my favorite drummer was and I've never answered with a single person. I think For every genre there is a drummer that I like the most. I happen to think that most music is incomparable to "quality" due to everything being SO different. Anywho, these are some:
Jazz:

Art Blakey-He's really good at keeping things traditional...sort of. He was involved with some pretty major jazz players at the time where reform was the thing. He kept his toms all floppy(technical term) and was really hit really hard. Check out the album "Night at The Birdland". . .
 
 
Elvin Jones-Elvin played mostly with John Coltrane but, as with most jazz musicians that stayed arounds, he had his own band. He's all over the place. Literally! He'll play in really wierd time signatures. I you know what I'm talking about, a 3/4 beat is really hard to switch up and still keep a groove that seems "catchy" but he finds a way some how. He does things that you would never have thought to do and it's really inspiring to listen to. I don't really know the best album to check out but he's really famous so don't worry, you'll find him.

Rock:

John Bonham-Well, he was who I usually refer to when asked who my favorite drummer is. Me, being like everyone in middle school at that time, was really into Led Zeppelin. I got the "How The West Was Won" DVD and watch his 13 minute drum solo over and over. I was taking lessons and I told my teach that it was going to get a lot easier for him cause I really just wanted to sound like him. He's really smart musically to make sure that he's as much the main event as the rest of the band (not an easy task) but keep time like a pop drummer would. Everyone says,"You NEED to heard Moby Dick", which is his shining moment but "When the Levee Breaks" is my favorite song.
 
Ringo- OK, so not everyone gets Ringo. Sure he could be looked at as a simpleton surrounded by musical genius' but I think that's why I like him. he was very involved with the recording process (or so I read) and I think he was a smart guy. There are songs that you listen to and you can hear that he lets loose and plays a little more out there. He thought of the drums as another instrument instead of an accompaniment to music. I'm pretty sure you've heard all that there is but She Said, She Said is a really good song for drums.
Jason Shwartsman- Not a lot of people know that he was in Phantom Planet, the band that sang "California" for the OC theme. I think that band gets a bad rep because of that. 
 
They have really good pop songs that are really driving and cool in a way that they don't sound like a really big band...although they were. Plus Jason is really F-ing good. I was also surprised to hear that he wrote California and many other songs for the band. Again, really smart about playing to the music and poking out when appropriate. Listen to the song "By The Bed", "Making A Killing" or "The Happy Ending".


Hope you check em' out. Bub Bye

Kelly-

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Listen to The Hugs entire Debut Album on Virb


You can preview 'The Hugs' entire debut album here:


Enjoy,

Danny

I Will Not Follow


A couple of bands I am recently enjoying are Gringo Star from Atlanta, Georgia



 + 1776 from Kelso, Washington . . .




Both bands I have seen play live and they can really put a tune together. They both write some amazing songs. Gringo Star play psychedelic rootsy rock n' roll at it's best. 
1776 are young lads who craft songs that sound like a band from 1966 in England. 

Check their links here: MySpace.com/1776band + Myspace.com/TheGringoStars

Enjoy,


Danny Delegato

Monday, April 20, 2009

Earth Day Success!

Though the drive to Molalla was hell due to being stuck in "Tulip Fest" traffic, with no air conditioning, in the beaming sun... It was worth the wait and pain. The students at Molalla High were great fun to talk to and they did a great job providing a whole days worth of fun, as well as providing environmental awareness. I took home 3 trees myself tonight! Add that to the, I think it was something like 22,ooo new trees were planted in Portland today? Take that Seattle!! Anyway, the band and I can't thank all of those involved enough. Thanks!  - Nic/The Hugs


"The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery - not over nature, but of ourselves."  -Rachel Carson

The Hugs are releasing TWO ALBUMS!


Hello Fans/Friends/People/Huglets 

We all know it's been a long time coming but The Hugs are surely now announcing the track listings for TWO ALBUMS worth of Hugs songs. These are songs we recorded with Shay Scott @ Klickitat Band Camp. To Preview these songs you can go to www.Virb.com/TheHugsGoWild + www.MySpace.com/Danny Delegato + www.MySpace.com/TheHugsGoWild

The self titled Debut Album out June 23rd, 2009 exclusively via web and at shows, track listing below!



1.) Palm Trees
2.) North
3.) Say Wait
4.) Those Girls 
5.) What We Are
6.) Shoe Swappin'
7.) Wonderful You
8.) Idyllic Gardens
9.) Do As I Do
10.) To Glenburnie
11.) Hawthorne High
12.) All Smiles
13.) Dinosaurs Weren't Real
14.) Feel Noise
15.) Your Orbit
16.) You Gotta Shake, Shake, Shake
17.) Focus The Future

The Hugs 2nd LP titled "Go Wild" out in Fall 2009!

1.) She Was High
2.) Go Wild
3.) Never Gonna Live, Never Gonna Die
4.) Keep It
5.) Frozen Frogs
6.) Damn Toes
7.) Yesterday
8.) Midnight Dream
9.) In Love
10.) The Years Have Shown
11.) Florida Girl
12.) Come Close
13.) Ego's
14.) Dreams




Saturday, April 18, 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Interesting Documentary

If you find anthropology fascinating then your next two hours should be spent watching 'The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey'. This documentary talks about our evolution and recent history. It explores the question of why humanity was able to go from the brink of extinction in Northern Africa to dominating the far reaches of the globe in such a relevantly short time. The documentary delves into humanities history through the science of genetics. Recently scientists have been recording genetic mutations called markers in the 'Y' chromosome that its passed down through generation after generation of males with out being rearranged with both parents gens which allows them to track our ancestors movements throughout time with our current blood. Its a fascinating idea which has led to a very accurate description of how and when we spread out across the world and actually allowed us to find the surviving members of the Bushman who's ancestors initially left Africa and spread out across the world. They kinda look nonracial. Weird.

Brendan Welch


The Hugs Play Berbati's Bar (ALL AGES?)

This show is All Ages and is coming up soon! 



Good Idea?

Day-Dreamin'

I was sitting and thinking at a park in NW. I got an idea of a Portland park concert. Ten or twelve bands, a PA and a permit (probably) and pick a date. There are a lot of cool bands in Portland that could make a day like that pretty cool. I don't know, maybe I was just day-dreamin'.


Kelly-

Summer's A Comin'

Hey Portland folks,
It's sunny out! Take advantage of it: Toss a Frisbee, swim, run around! Let your inner child run wild.
We're playing at Camp Rainbow tomorrow. We've heard that there is usually a lot of people coming out but the more the merrier. See you'all later. 

Kelly-

Newly Painted Gibson Melody Maker



Hello Friends,

My very lovely girl-pal painted my 'Gibson Melody Maker' about about a month ago. It's looking pretty sharp. It has vines, flowers, rumpelstiltskin, orange hugs, PDX logo, and much more. Look below:





Danny Delegato



The Hugs Play Camp Rainbow Friday Night. . .



Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Hugs @ Portland's Rotture (5/7/09)

Photo's By: Roger Sargent















A few updates for you human lie detectors

A brilliant new show starring Tim Roth is sweeping, well my mind at least. So if you have any vested interest in what may be going on in my head, (or the heads of others), check out this brilliant piece of commercial programming entitled "Lie to Me".  If I'm right and I'm talking to those of you, like me and maybe a couple of other people who have always wished for some sort of Derren Brown/Law and Order kind of meshing to happen on public airwaves.. Check it out, or not. I wont tell you one way or another. Just don't assume like me that after watching a couple of episodes that you can just tell whether or not your friends and loved ones are lying to you, and if you think they are, don't just say "Well I'm afraid you bit your lip so you are a goddamn liar." because you'll just walk around sounding like a dick, and after awhile people will be more than happy to honestly tell you so. Anyway, it's an addicting show and I highly recommend it. 
                                                                                    

As for some Hugs business, we're pretty close now to finishing up all the bells and whistles for our second album release. We're pretty excited for you all to hear one of our new goodies entitled "Egos". Here we are recording it



Read previous posts for release details. Oh yea! Molalla readers out there! We'll be playing over in your neck April 19th with many great bands, one of which being Jared Mees and the Grown Children. Saw them the other day over in Salem and they put on quite a show so try not to miss that. 
Night loves,
Nic

Monday, April 13, 2009

My Fascination Of Brian Jones







Ever since I was a little boy I always wondered who that shaggy haired cool smiling lad was in all the early stones photo's. Until one day after high school I came home and looked this man up on the wonderful site called wikipedia and did some research on him. Now, Brian Jones is a very interesting character, he plays numerous instruments and was the founding member of The Rolling Stones. I suggest you should look into the movie titled "Stoned". It does not portray his life living in the stones exactly the way it was cause it's a movie but it does show events in his life and how he lived right before he died in 1969. 

Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones played guitar, sang, appalachian       dulcimermellotronharmonicasitartamburarecorder, saxophonepercussionorganautoharp,and marimba.

I really like his slide guitar playing that he did through his career. Especially on "No Expectations" which is a superb example of his slide guitar style. On a low note he was a major drug addict and did LSD, Cannabis, alcohol. This led to his downfall in July 1969 where he was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool in the english country side. I just wanted everyone to know that The Hugs are very much so influenced by the work and life of Brian Jones. He also has some very fresh clothing style. Thanks for reading. 

Danny Delegato

Kelly's Kung Fu Blog!




Hello, Kelly here. I've been a kung fu enthusiast all my life. I took the classes lately but I learned just recently that I really just like to watch it. I've watched quite a lot of em' and I'm gonna tell you about a few. 

A must have for any kung fu beginner:

* Master of The Flying 
Guillotine

* Shaolin Vs. Wutang

Kelly-










The Hugs Return To House Show Scene?


Hello All,
We're playing a house show this Friday. What are you doing that night? You should be going to 604 N. Beech St. Portland, Oregon. It's called Camp Rainbow. Surely you know about it. See you there, bring your friends. It's gonna be a party to tell the grand-kids about. Ciao!!!

Kelly-

Brendan's New favorite Band?


Hello, it's Brendan from The Hugs here, my friend put a song on a mixed tape for my car the other day and one of the songs just stood out, as something I'd never heard and something that was very good. It had a simplistic genius, the kinda song that makes you think shit, why didn't I think of  that? And definitely the kinda song you would expect to come out of 1964. Anyway, a week later when I found out they were a current group called "Women" I nearly had a heart attack. You should all give them a try. "Black Rice" was the song that turned me on to them but there all good at least the other two songs on there MySpace. I should go buy there CD and see them live. Check out www.MySpace.com/WomenMusic   For More!

Brendan Welch

Sunday, April 12, 2009

doodles LP

1st LP Artwork!




The Hugs New Blog!

Dear World,
This is Danny Delegato from The Hugs. We just started this new blog up today, this will be the first post. From now on we will post new photo's from the studio and news along with rare entry's from all the band members including Kelly, Brendan, Nicholas and myself. We hope to start this blog to keep everybody in the loop about The Hugs on a weekly basis.

 As of now we are recording and finishing our second LP with producer and musical genius Shay Scott at his wonderful basement studio Klickitat Band Camp. The first LP with 16 songs has been officially mastered and completed. The self titled debut album from The Hugs will be released Tuesday June 23rd, 2009  and be available on the web at various sites and will be sold at live shows coming up after the release. 

Stay tuned for more blogs from us soon!  Check out The Hugs website @ 

Danny Delegato