Covers for Hire: Round 3!

Dear Cryptozoologists!

The hits keep coming in our continuing effort to defame ourselves by recording your specific requests! Proceeds from these go to our recording costs on album #2, which is in the works now.  Request one of your own here.  Do this now...no really, we insist.

This Saturday night we're playing at Hemlock Tavern on Polk Street in San Francisco.

It's a party for the 20th Anniversary of the 1989 Earthquake!  There will be earthquake-appropriate rock songs and even an appropriately named opening band.

My First Earthquake and Goodbye Nautilus are both playing with us.  We're even having a gnarly guest guitarist (Eric, of Pegataur) come up to rock some numbers with us.  If you're in jail, break out. (!)

Afterward The Chop will be descending all 39 steps into the underground laboratory of your heart to record a proper follow up to We Want It All, so this will be our last live show for some lengthy amount of time.

This week's "Covers for Hire" entry is a Ned Ryerson-style doozy from 1988.

"Straight Up" (Paula Abdul cover):

Keep them coming, you glamorous bastards!

Disguised as a prole,

Winston

(post script: I know this is from a different video, but I always thought the relationship dynamic between her and MC Scat Cat was a lot steamier than with Arsenio)

Covers For Hire: Round 2

Listen up! As far as my (very limited) research tells me, we are the only rock band ever to attempt something like this!  We are taking requests via our merch page on www.TheChopRocks.com to learn and record ANY SONG EVER, at your noble behest.

Go there now and tell us what to do next, or pass the link to this blog post on!!!!

We've been a little tied up with gigs and the like, but here's a cover (by request!!) of the classic 1992 Sir Mix-a-Lot jam "Baby Got Back"

Also-if you are in Oakland SATURDAY (9/26/09)...come to The Stork Club!  We're well oiled and chomping at the bit.  Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Sue will be there, will you?

Covers for Hire!

Dear Surface Dwellers,

Here's what's up.  As part of our current effort to save up a little money to record a second album we are currently offering to cover any song, (to record it and send it to you) right HERE on our website.

We debuted this about 2 weeks ago and here's what we recorded so far (songs by request via the website).

"Womanizer" (Britany Spears cover)

"Somebody To Love" (Queen cover)

We're ready for more.  Lay them on us.  Do this now.

Barring that, pass on or repost this link below wherever you can, let other people know what we're trying to do, and help your old buddies in the chop out.

http://www.thechoprocks.com/wwia

We're back to the stage next Friday (September 4th) at Bottom of the Hill.  We've got like 4 new songs and a sweet new cover we're gonna play (not one of the ones above).

Attend this show.  Get tickets HERE

Also, if you'd like a personal copy of either of these covers, just write and let us know.

New Everything and a couple of Friday shows!

All summer, we've been writing songs and trying to figure ways to raise a little money to record a new album (hopefully) in January.  To that end, we've totally revamped our merch options and James designed a sweet new T-shirt (see halloween-y design above)!  Check out this plus all the new merch and website stuff HERE.

For 20 bucks, you get this new T-shirt, a physical copy of our (we want it all), a digital copy of the album, a (brand) new Mix CD from one of us,  a unique and very personal letter written in Spanish, an autographed portrait from one of our unforgettable photoshoots (suitable for framing), buttons, stickers, and a special surprise from us!  What value!  If that option doesn't appeal to you...we have lots of other options, big and small, including one where we'll learn and record any song...just for you.

Please take a look and consider helping us out by buying some of our really awesome stuff, particularly this T-shirt, which will make you awesome.

AND...as a special treat for even looking at that merch page...here's a song demo from said forthcoming album for you to listen to.

"Any Other Lover"

SHOWS:

THIS FRIDAY: (8/14) James and I are doing (separate) solo sets at Brainwash Cafe.  This is James' solo on stage debut! Powerhouse of the upstroke Igor (of Coup de Ska and The Titan-Ups) will also be performing...and it's FREE.  Starts at 8PM.  Brainwash Cafe is at 1199 Folsom Street (@7th) in San Francisco.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH! The Chop returns from summer break with a slew of new songs and an awesome venue/night/show.

Buy tickets to this show!

Afterward we will be in full force crumble cake celebration mode proper!  come do it with us.

lovingly, 

robot from the ancient past who's come to help us with our problems so we can be free. (please note: he is not a hero, nor a saviour...simply a man/robot whose circumstances went beyond his control.  specifically, he's kilroy.)

Stallone Movie Marathon

Yo dudes.

As you may recall--we are on summer break...but The Chop doesn't stop working.  Ever.

James and I are playing an acoustic show at Brainwash in SF on August 14th.  Our good compadre Igor is also playing.  It is free...and you'll be able to hear some of the new songs we've been working on with the full band, plus Hot Chip and They Might Be Giants covers and maybe some Styx if you're lucky.  It'll be James' solo stage debut...so you have to come see what's what and have some beers with us besides.  Do it!

Then we're playing a huge show on Friday September 4th, opening for Triple Cobra and PunchFace at Bottom of the Hill.  That will really be awesome...should have something like 5 new original songs for that, and we're involved in some intense cerebral discussion as to in which manner we should rock. The general thought is "hard".

Oh yeah--that picture is us at Grant and Green singing "Born in Wilmington" with fellow Delawareans Nikki and Louie.  Listen to the song here:

Things overheard at practice this week:

"Those ba-ba-ba's are killing me. You gotta cut that [guitar] solo shorter"

"My amp's in the perfect spot...way too loud for me and just regular loud for everyone else"

 - "Now you're thinking like a guitar player"

"maybe this part should just be all [guitar] feedback" (sarcastic)

as tango loves cash, so do we love you.

rob-a-lon 5 out!

New record plans and our summer break

Dear Fun-Lovers,

Many things happening. First, we made some demos for our upcoming album, and had lots of fun doing so.  We posted one we're quite excited about here, it's called "Radio Doctor (part I)":

http://tinyurl.com/laku27

Listen to that and please pass along the link or repost it if you can.

We did this recording ourselves with minimal time and equipment, but are really happy at how it turned out and excited to make it bigger and better when we record it again for the album.

We're on summer break right now writing and arranging the second half of a new album, and are trying to make/save money for that inevitably expensive process.  If you feel like supporting us (via paypal donation), go here to do so.  Even one dollar is significant to us and our rock and roll related cause.  Your collective generosity consistently astounds us.  Thank you.

We've booked an amazing comeback show on Friday, September 4th at Bottom of the Hill opening for two awesome bands, Triple Cobra and Punchface.  This show will really be epic.

Observe the checklist:

1. venue = bottom of the hill, our favorite spot in SF, no question

2. night = Friday, undisputed king of all nights

3. setlist = a bunch of brand new songs that we are very stoked to play

4. approach = fully theatrical and energetic after a nice break from being onstage

5. other acts = high energy, crowd-enflaming, full glam spectaculars (seriously)

6. age limitations = none.  all are welcome and encouraged to have fun.

7. FRIDAY night at BOTTOM OF THE HILL with TRIPLE COBRA.  We are very happy.

Buy yourself some tickets because this one is likely to SELLOUT.

We have lots of other plans and ideas for this summer and beyond...more details as they are confirmed, but suffice to say we are discussing how to release more songs of more varieties all leading up to and as promotion for our second album being recorded/released sometime next year.  Stay tuned.

Here's  a little poster I threw together....bigger and better promotional tools to come as the date draws nigh.

it was cold and it rained, thus I felt like an actor,

rob

If you enjoy hearing about the chop's day to day (and occasionally minute to minute) activities via the prism of this writer's brain, follow us on twitter at twitter.com/thechoprocks

Video Representations! and a FREE show tonight!

Despair not!

Recall that I taped our show at The Hemlock Tavern last month on my birthday (Mayth)...it was, as previously noted, a raucous good time filled with cake, jagermeister, and olivia newton john.

We are playing tonight for FREE at Grant and Green and then taking the summer off.

Some things some or all of us are gonna do on our summer vacation:

1. Go to Europe

2. Practice kung fu

3. Begin a culinary (education) program

4. Write comedy songs

5. Write rap songs

6. Write regular songs

7. Jump rope

8. Wonder where the water ice is

9. Fly across the country to see Steely Dan

10. Procure aforementioned water ice in quantity

check out some videos of the Mayth show (more on our youtube page!)

It seems as though the cat has been caught by the very person who was trying to catch him!

rob