No Turning Back News

7/8/08: Happy belated birthday, America! We hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July. Here is just a quick update about a little something that has gotten my creative juices flowing again.

I finally got a chance to take some time off from my fatherly duties on Friday, June 27th and used that time to recharge at SummerFest with my brother. The only goal in mind was to get there early enough to score a wristband to see Rush. Unfortunately, once acquired, my brother and I had many hours to kill before the big show. To make a very long story a bit shorter, here are a couple of bands that we saw that I feel are worth mentioning (none of which had either my brother nor myself ever heard before). First off is Mercury Crossing.

We walked passed their stage at first, just to sample what was going on around the grounds. I was immediately keyed into the voice. We decided that if nothing else suited us better, we would return and so we did. I guess there is nothing super-special about this group other than the singer/guitarist. She has very powerful, melodic vocals. Ultimately, my brother & I bought CDs to help support them.

Next up (on a different stage) was The Liam Ford Band. If you like rockabilly, you will love The Liam Ford Band. We were very upset that we got to their stage near the end of their set and only got to hear the last few songs, but that was all it took to make an impression. They are not the Stray Cats, but who cares? Damn good music is damn good music.

We walked around again to see if there was anything else worth seeing. We came to one of the stages and heard some nice blues-rock going on so I decided to check it out. Another 3-piece and again fronted by a female guitarist/vocalist. What I heard sounded good so we stopped off to get dinner and came right back.

We were about to be properly introduced to Sue DaBaco and Wise Fools. We made our way to the 3rd row of bleachers just in time. As we sat down, I heard the distinct opening riffage of Voodoo Chile. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am here to tell you she TORE IT UP! In my book there has always been Hendrix, followed by SRV. We have a new heir to the crown, folks. Sue even came down offstage, walked into the crowd, got up onto the bleachers, and just kept killin' it! I was blown away with just one song.

Later, we were presented with a little drum solo, that myself and another Rush-head near us agreed had a hint of Neil Peart in it. During the solo, Sue came out, picked up a pair of sticks, squeezed in next to the drummer, and tried her best to keep up on a floor tom and crash (does that make it a drum duo?).

One of the songs took me completely by surprise. Sue came to the mic and announced that they were now "going to do something that no 3-piece should ever attempt." The opening chords/progression sounded familiar, but I just could not place them. She stepped up and began singing, "Breathe, breathe in the air..." Yes, that's right. They took on Pink freaking Floyd. If you have ever thrown away an hour of your life and watched American Idol, you have probably heard the judges go on about "make it your own, dawg," and other such remarks. Sue and the boys MADE it their own. Being a Floyd fan, I have a very hard time listening to others *trying* to cover one of their songs. I loved what I heard Friday afternoon.

I mentioned to my brother that I was going to buy a CD and "wouldn't it be cool if they stuck around after the show to sign it?" We made our way to where the CDs were being sold and there was the band, signing every one! I bought 2 CDs, one for myself and one for my brother. I will also try to attend their gig at The Waukesha County Fair later this month.

Of course, all of that brings us to the whole reason I went to the fest in the first place: Rush. Holy Moses! The last time they were in town, was one of their better performances, in my opinion. This time, they kicked it up a notch. The songs were better, the performance was better, Geddy was full of energy, they boys were smiling the whole time, every song was nearly perfect (much better than last September). Even from the lawn "seats," I experienced the best Rush show I have ever seen or heard. Rush fans that go further back than myself (the band has been around longer than I have been alive!) also agree that THIS was the best show they have witnessed.

Here's to hoping for a new album next year and maybe another tour or two before they hang it up.

4/16/08: Just a real quick update this morning: Chris will be performing a solo acoustic set this Saturday night at the Steaming Cup (located at 340 W Main Street) in downtown Waukesha beginning at 7:00 PM.

3/28/08: Well, my son has finally arrived (actually, a couple of months ago)! He has become the primary focus of my attention (and the remainder of my free time). The family is still in the process of adjusting to each other but that is becoming smoother by the day. However, every time mom and I think we have the little ne figured out, he pulls another surprise that we were not prepared for. This will be a very long game of catch-up, but I am loving every minute of it.

I have recently heard a few rumblings from Chris. Tankapillars is no more. Why? I did not ask. Spendthrift Sai is also on hiatus. Why? Boss is house hunting. Everyone has an excuse...

In the meantime, Chris will still be performing, but the dates will be fewer and farther between and they will be solo gigs. I really do want to check one out. Unfortunately, I never get advanced notice of the dates (are you reading this Chris?!?!?) so I can not post them here for all of you to see (and yes, if I did have the info, I would make the time to post it).

Things have been more than a little messed up here in my world. Hopefully, everyone can brush themselves off and get back on their feet again within the next couple of months. I would love to rant about it here, but 1) it probably wouldn't do any good; 2) it could be considered libel; 3) you probably couldn't care less. If you do care, maybe I will tell the story when everything settles down (but don't hold your breath).

Well, I don't have much more to say. I especially won't say I will try to check in soon. I have said that too many times before and ended up failing miserably so I'll just say "Till next time..."

12/31/07: I have yet another excuse for the long delay in updates here. After upgrading my OS, Dreamweaver decided it no longer wanted to work. Well, I just got it working this morning. There are a few noteworthy items to post here to bring you up to speed with things...

My baby has not yet popped out. We have a couple more weeks for the due date to arrive, but we are basically on the day-by-day plan. We have been to the hospital a couple of times already for pre-term labor contractions that needed to be stopped, but things are progressing quite nicely. The nursery is ready and waiting. We spent all day yesterday taking down the Christmas decorations because we do not know when things will hit high gear and we do not want to be caught with too much to do and no free time in which to do it. Now, it is just a matter of trying to focus on what needs to be done at work each day and wait for when we need to take our final trip to the hospital. You will be updated here with details when things have calmed down.

To help pass time away while waiting for the little one, I have made a few purchases this year. To make a fairly long story short(er), since June I have upgraded to HDTV, HD-DVD (not BluRay--I am still waiting for the price to come down on those), and a new receiver. I am finally happy with my tiny home theater.

Erik came back home to visit for the Christmas holiday. It was so wonderful to see him again. We got together and jammed and, once again, it was as if we never stopped playing! It felt so good to get all of that pent up noise out of ourselves. Before he left, he gave us a gift for the baby: The "I listen to Slayer with daddy" onsie! I can not wait to get a picture of that! We already miss you, Erik, and can't wait for your next visit.

Chris has once again created a new musical outlet called Tankapillers. It can be considered a kind of Indie-Lounge-Jazz-"enter genre here"-type band. I had the honor of sitting in on one of their practice sessions and was pleasantly intrigued. Please check them out at one of their upcoming shows.

I know there has been a whole lot that happened since the last update (and even more before that) but it would just be a jumble at this point. Let's just say we are all doing well, we are all healthy, and we all happy. Some of us are even still creative (I am semi-retired in that department). Overall, as I had hoped, 2007 has been much better than the horrid 2006. If things keep clicking the way I see them going forward, 2008 should be right on track for being better yet. We all hope that your year has been at least acceptable and that the next one will be memorable (hopefully for the better). Take care, be safe, and come back next year...

9/12/07: Due to a couple of family emergencies, I did not get a chance to post what I wanted to yesterday...

To all of those who lost their lives or loved ones 6 years ago, you are not forgotten. To all of those who have taken to arms and marched into harm's way, we salute you. We will never forget the sacrifices that have been made, both at home and abroad. We will never forgive those who have caused us pain.

I have more I would like to post here, but it is not related and does not feel right to post it here tonight. Until next time, good night.

8/26/07: Another 4 months passed with no update. Another site anniversary come and gone with no promised surprise. Well, my friends, I have an excuse. Shortly after the last update, something special happened on the home front which has changed things quite a bit. I am going to be a daddy! This one is planned and a lot of hard work went into it (if you can call it work). We wanted to wait until all of the major milestone were reached before we made the announcement. Well, those milestones were met a while ago, but that just means more work must be done at home in preparation. We have heard the heartbeat several times. We have been amazed by the growth and progression with each passing week. We also know what the baby will be (but I'm not telling! Some do not want to know so it will not be advertised here until the time is right). The only thing we are still working on is agreeing on a name. The list has been whittled done to a choice few, but we keep changing our collective mind.

Work has been brutal for the last month or two so the last thing I want to do is work on my computer at home. I have been passing the time away by ready many books, watching a lot of TV, and I have just begun writing something that has been in my head for over a year. Needless to say, work on this site has come to an abrupt halt as well as any work on the surprise project. Work may begin again sometime in the future, but no deadline will set forth. I do hope you all under stand.

With the band on hiatus indefinitely, so too is this site. The site will continue to exist even if this page remains silent. Updates are possible but are not to be expected.

4/21/07: I will not say too much about the VT shootings this week other than out hearts go out to everyone touched by this tragedy. I want to keep this bit short, not because I don't have anything to say, but because I do not want to give this person any more publicity than he has already stolen. Most of what needs to be said has already been said by others and probably better than I ever could. However, I do want to make a few personal points here: We must not allow this to be politicized (I know it may already be too late). We do not need knee-jerk gun-control/video game/secular music legislation. We do not need those who already find it difficult to fit in with societal norms to be profiled and ostracized more than they already are. Hindsight almost always shows us all of the "signs" leading up to the final moments. However, following a trail does not always lead to a single destination. There are three members of this band that know the last point personally.

Based on something posted previously, I have created a new challenge for myself that will hopefully be ready for the upcoming anniversary of this site. I will post no more about it until it is done...

Also regarding a previous post, if there are any Rush fans reading this, the new CD, "Snakes And Arrows" (to be released May 1st) is something beautiful. This is some of the best work I have heard from them in many years. Solos are back. Melody is back. Beautiful vocals. LOTS of acoustic guitar. Great production. No clipping!!! --Those of you still bent about "Vapor Trails" (including myself) know what I mean. Be sure to save a few pennies for the actual release in just over a week and don't forget about the DVD-Album coming later this spring.

4/15/07: We are pleased to announce that "Bluefire," our first major recording project (as Bluefire), has finally been made available for FREE download! Simply go to the Releases page, scroll down a bit, and proceed to download until you can't download any more. In addition, the same has been done for "No Beer in Heaven" from "Time of Our Lives." As always, the .wav and .aif files are full, uncompressed, CD-quality files, while the .mp3 files are 256k, with no DRM attached to any format.

As for the remaining recordings, while we don't want to say "never" to their being available for download, sound quality and technical issues that can not be overcome will more than likely prevent them from being offered.

4/12/07: Boy, have I been lazy! Sorry for the lack of updates here for so long. Lets get down to it, then, shall we?

Here is some good No Turning Back news from Erik to start things off:
"Howdy, boys and girls! We're pretty stoked here about Tom Rowles (creator of the Internet television site NotMTV.tv) choosing the song Angry as the theme song for his daily show: The Dose! You can check it out at NotMTV.tv."

Also from Erik, here is his latest collaboration project (and his first work in animation) with Jeff Victor. Erik handles the audio editing and some other behind-the-scenes duties and has his very first voice acting job! Also, be sure to watch for Erik's cameos.

And finally from planet Erik:
"Well...it's official: The Beginning of the End has been chosen as a FEATURED SELECTION at the KEVIN SMITH FAN FESTIVAL in Franklin, New Jersey. For the first time ever, BOTE will be on the big screen! This is an event that you do not want to miss! It's cheap to get in and there'll be plenty to see and do. So get your butts over there and enjoy the fun!"

Rainbird Studios (where every Bluefire and No Turning Back studio recording and rehearsal has taken place) has been busy lately. Not only is Spendthrift Sai working on their latest project, but even more is keeping Chris occupied. Check out the latest blog for more info.

As for me, well, I am just kicking back, working my back side off, watching way too TV, reading way too many books, and preparing for the latest Rush release. That's right. If you have not heard about it yet, Rush will be releasing a new recording on May 1st called "Snakes & Arrows" (plus a DVD-Album sometime this spring). They will also be playing the Marcus Amphitheater on September 6th (tickets on sale this Saturday, pre-sale tomorrow, 1st pre-sale this past Tuesday [where I scored Sec 3, Row Q]). Be sure to check out Rush.com for more info.

2/10/07: Just checking in and posting a couple of very minor tweaks to the site tonight. We hope the new year is off to a good start so far for everyone. Personally, things are going well and I am still on schedule to be debt-free by this winter (maybe sooner)! I can not wait.

Erik has been having some issues with his email for quite some time, so please use the following address when contacting him: notmtverik@gmail.com Resend any correspondence you have not received a reply to. All associated links in this site have been updated as well.

Don't forget to download the latest No Turning Back release, "Die Blutsbrüder" (now available in .wav, .aif, and .mp3 formats) and tell your friends and family to do the same.

12/31/06: We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and we are wishing you a very happy and safe New Year, as well. For my part, I am looking forward to finally putting a period (maybe even a question mark) at the end of 2006 and start fresh for 2007. Despite my feverish attempts, this past year has not gone according to plan. A few highlights include mixing and finishing "Die Blutsbrüder" (finally!), visiting Hollywood, CA for the first time, spending some quality time with my newest niece, and reuniting with the boys for a private show last weekend. A few setbacks include not being able to say goodbye to my grandfather before he passed, missing out on a lot of recreational free time, and losing another baby. Here's to hoping for a much better New Year!

You may have noticed a small tidbit about a gig above. Yes, Erik returned home for a quick visit for the holidays and we scheduled a small, private show for December 23rd. We had gotten together the day before for our first rehearsal in 14 months (yes, 14 months!). Things were not flowing quite right and I did not have very high expectations for the show. On Saturday, a caught a tough of something that has been going around and I did not feel up to the performance, but the show must go on. Once we started, (except for a couple of rough patches), No Turning Back was humming along like a well-oiled machine. It was a great gig for those who braved the nonexistent elements. Thank you to those who made it. You know who you are and we appreciate you sharing the experience.

For those who have not done so yet, please head over to the "Die Blutsbrüder" page, download all of the songs from both CDs, share them with your friends, and spread the word. We want everyone who has access to these songs to have them in their collection.

Last night, I decided to throw my hat into the Flickr ring and set up an account to share a few of the pictures I have taken over the past few years that make me smile. You can find them here. My wife (the official NTB photographer) has also set up an account here. Chris also has some of his photos posted here.

That concludes our broadcast for this year. Again, we all hope 2007 is even better for you than 2006 has been. Thanks for tuning in.

11/12/06: Greetings, once again. The final phase of the "Die Blutsbrüder" project has just been completed. Chris has finally surrendered the lyrics of each song. As an extra special personal touch, these are hand-written by the man himself. They have been scanned and posted on each respective "Die Blutsbrüder" song page. No other updates to those pages are planned until the new "Angry" video is cut. However, since I have the final say in such matters, I reserve the right to update them as I see fit. Notice of said updates will be posted here.

11/5/06: I know this is early, but I just needed to remind all of you, before it is too late, that this coming Tuesday is Election Day. I will leave the politics aside at this time, but please do whatever you can to make sure you block out some time and get in line at your local polling location and vote.

11/4/06: As promised, minor updates have been completed on the music download pages (for both "For All Intensive Purposes" and "Die Blutsbrüder"). All of the song pages have been streamlined in regards to downloading the songs as well as adding the option to download .wav files. Some of you have brought to my attention the fact that not all Windows (pre-XP?) users can make use of the .aif files. So, now 3 options are available for every song: .aif, .wav, and .mp3.

I just got word from Chris yesterday that he has finished his piece of the project. That part of the site should be ready later next week. I will make an note of it here when available.

11/2/06: Since we are currently entertaining a few new guests here at ntbmusic.com (and we welcome you all), it is always good to have a clean house. So, long-time visitors may notice a few cosmetic changes here and there, but it is all aimed at consistency. Another batch of minor updates is expected this weekend. Nothing much, but just a little something by request. If you just happened upon this page before anything else, please spend some time over at the "Die Blutsbrüder" page, read all about it, and then download the songs (2 discs worth!).

10/30/06-10/31/06: Happy Halloween!!! The wait is finally over. After almost 2 years of hard work and frustration mixed in with a heaping dose of pride and joy, "Die Blutsbrüder" has now been fully unleashed upon the world! Please remember, we only ask a few things. 1) Please download all songs. 2) Please respect the listed song order when burning CDs. 3) When sharing, please do NOT exchange these songs/CDs for money.

I would like to thank the following people for helping (in their own way) to get this project finished and available to you (finally!). Erik Deutscher; Chris Koterba; Chris Morin; Steve Pellechia; Kristina Pagac; and everyone else who may have seen and heard any of the associated works in progress and offered your opinion. We are grateful to you all.

P.S. In addition to the full, uncompressed versions of the songs from "For All Intensive Purposes" being made available for the first time the other day, the mp3 files have been upgraded from 128k to 256k. Now those of you who do not have a broadband connection can finally download something with a little more quality than what was being offered for so long.

Brought to you in association with Animal Instinct Studios and Spendthrift Sai: