A September To Remember

                                                  

Wow, what a roller coaster ride the month of September turned out to be for Buddy Love. September has shaped up to be one of our best months yet. But as one strives to be the best they can, there must come a time in every rock and roll band's existence when you must step up to the plate, get better as a unit or come to the realization that things will more than likely remain the same. The call to greatness started for the band with the collaboration of Buddy Love and Tommy Byrnes (Billy Joel) in the studio for the production of our new single “Crying Town”, followed up with Buddy Love supporting “Wang Chung” on Long Island. This certainly pushed the envelope for us and tested our skills as a legitimate unit and profitable franchise. But as it turned out for Buddy Love this was just another test in our slow climb to perfection. After collaborating with Tommy on “Crying Town” we realized the bar had been raised and markers set regardless if we wanted it that way or not. We weren’t sure what to expect or how to proceed. Then we received the call, it was confirmed Buddy Love would be supporting one of the most successful pop bands in the world. The road was clear and our sights were set high.  Wang Chung, here we come...

Buddy Love was superb, held their own and gave Wang Chung a run for their money. Not that Rock and Roll is some sort of competitive sport, but if you want to keep up with the big boys you better damn well hold your own. We did and I’m both happy and relieved about that.  

Then came the band’s second hurdle of the month, acceptance and renewal. You know being the doorman at both Mudd Club and Max’s Kansas City in the late 70's/early 80’s by today’s standards makes you kind of a big deal. I didn’t ask for it. It just happened that way. There are interviews and video chats you’re involved with while the people listening or reading the articles are trying to capture the moment, your moment in words and stories. Editors of publications trying to find that one twist to a story no one else is aware of or a particular memory you may have of some celebrity or another that no one has ever heard before.  I’m sure when the Mudd Club reunion takes place this October @ The Delancey in New York City with all the original personnel manning their respected posts, the paparazzi will be running a muck once again. Hence rock and roll history is made for the generations. It’s just like when Buddy Love played Max’s the first few times in the 80’s, we didn’t realize the bands and clubs at that time were to be part of rock and roll history.  We all were just going through the motions unaware of anything more than wanting to play music. We were just kids, full of piss and vinegar, but now that I've performed at both Max’s Reunions, once in 2008 with what was to become ”All Mobbed Up” (thanks Peter Crowley) then again in 2010 with “Buddy Love”, it begins to dawn on me why I'm here, because I was there, renewal. My dear friend Nancy Cataldi would always say to me "Joey, either you were there or you weren't". Simple enough,right?  When Buddy Love was asked to play The Max’s Kansas City Reunion 2010, I must admit I wasn’t sure if the band would be a good fit. Max’s was the breeding ground for some of the best artists, punk & glam bands in the world. Buddy Love was actually post punk and not quite Nu Wave. We were stuck somewhere in the middle. What I learned about music from hanging out on the New York City Underground Scene was that you needed conviction in anything you do. When Buddy Love played New York City back in the 80’s, we had no conviction. We had alot of drive and determination, but no conviction. Today I feel that we have it well within our sites and then some. We performed at Otto’s to what was one of our best performances to date. With video clips posted on “Punk Cast”,reviews positive and upbeat, radio stations and magazines asking for the release date of the new album, there seems to be no limit as to what we can do these days. 

Then came the icing on the cake for me. One of New York City’s most respected and accomplished singer-songwriters from the early formative years of New York City Rock and Roll, Jon Montgomery invites the band to be part of his concert and film production to be held at Kenny’s Castaways, a weekend long event. Jon has been producing and writing plays and songs for his Off Broadway success stories for years. “The Roots of New York City Rock” as the event was called turned out to be an unbelievable shot in the arm for the band. Playing on the same stage with the likes of The Shirts,The Brats, Street Punk, Lisa Burns, Sturgis Nikides and so many other talented acts, we now felt as if we were part of the New York City music scene, finally. Remember the original band, Buddy Love was only together for a brief seven months or so before the record "Sheila" broke. I then left because of inside pressure and to persue other avenues. Ever since the band got back together in early 2007, some 27 years later I have this feeling as if I'm trying to make up for lost time, unfinished business if you will. I would speak with Doug trying to explain how I saw our place on the New York City music scene. I would often say when it's right, you'll know it. Our fans felt betrayed and angry when we broke up after the success of "Shelia" and they quickly abandoned us as they often do. Today it feels as if all has been forgiven, it feels almost right again. I think we're now on the way to regaining the respect from New York City and our fans once again. It feels good to be back home. 
This November 14th, Buddy Love will play "The International Pop Overthrow" Festival, our third consecutive appearance since we regrouped in 2007. We go back in the recording studio soon to work on our new songs that just seem to get better and better as time marches on. There's alot to be thankful for these days. It sure feels good to be back home again. Yeah, this has been a September to remember. Keep Rockin'