While taking leave from live performance during the brutally hot months of July and August, we've been both vacationing and applying the final touches to the "FUN" album. Editing, mixing, mastering and artwork chores are all being coordinated at this very moment. We hope to release two Download Singles ("Witch Jenny?" & "Sweet Sunshine") by the end of next month through CDBABY, and the full CD/Album by the end of September/beginning of October. We do plan on releasing the "FUN" CD/Album with a deluxe 12 or 16 page booklet on our very own Urban American Heavy MeNtal Records label. The CD/Album and Download Album of "FUN" will be available at just about all internet stores (CDBABY, AMAZON etc) as well as this web site. Also in the planning stages is a proper album release party/bash/show. We're currently considering several venues for this event, and will inform you as soon as we have all of the details. We are so excited for all of our friends to hear the "FUN" album - It took a little longer to record than first anticipated, but we couldn't be more proud of the results. We will tell you that the "FUN" album is comprised of 14 songs totaling about 52 minutes - Half of the songs have been a big part of our live set for the past few years - Of the other half, 5 of the songs have never been performed live and 2 were played just a few times. There were 17 songs written for the album, but two of the songs ("Just Because" and "Beautiful Lie") didn't fit into the album concept, and a satisfying arrangement of one of the earlier songs written for the project, "Smiling Sam", just never developed. We do plan on releasing all of these songs as Download Singles sometime in the near future - Stay tune for the formal release date announcement coming very soon!
In a recent article for the Delaware newspaper, The News Journal, talented writer Ryan Cormier did an outstanding story on our beloved drummer - Jim Drnec - and his brush with super-stardom while playing with international rock stars (and our old Galaxy play mates), Cinderella. Jimmy really opens up about this exciting and difficult time in his career. 
However, we will be releasing several singles hopefully sometime in June. We will keep you informed as to the album's eventual release date which we now anticipate to be sometime this August.
Who are we? Where are we? What will become of us? I'm sure all of these questions were running through the minds of me and my 16 year-old friends pictured to the left in Wildwood N.J. back in 1972 (visit our PHOTO PAGE for a closer look at this memory contributed by that good looking blonde - ?). Well these dilemmas are still following me to this day. But now you can help! Once again we are besieged by requests from our music industry friends to supply them with a description of our music and our sound. While it true that all songwriters and musicians would like to believe that they are doing something a little different, the truth is that publishers, A&R folks and everybody else on the selling and pitching side of the business must know how and who to market your music to. So we come to you for help in identifying who we are. No one knows our music better than you - so please help us label our music! We call our music "Urban American Heavy MeNtal" and will continue to do so, but music business folks like more industry accepted categories such as "Adult Rock", "Pop Rock", "Alternative Rock"... There must be hundreds of genres and sub genres. One tip would be to look at the category genres of artists whose style you would compare with ours. But please feel free to come up with your own label if you prefer. We've also been asked to post testimonials on our web site and in our press kit from the folks who enjoy our music. At the top of this page there is a recent and very kind Facebook posting from a couple of our new friends (thanks Mark and Jeanne) that demonstrates the general spirit of what we're looking for. Hey, you can really lay on the love! Anyway, take a moment and have some fun with these labels and testimonials! Just click here with your label and/or testimonial entrees!
We are finally coming down the "back-stretch" of the recording process for our new album, "Fun" - Some backing vocals here, a guitar solo or three there, a stray bass line and rouge piano lick is all that remains. Our goal of a late May or early June release still seems realistic, and with a little help from the mixing and mastering "gods" we just might make it. 
We will be releasing a deluxe CD version as well as individual song and album downloads. We are so excited for all of our friends to hear the 14 (rather eclectic) songs that comprise the "Fun" album. Hey, drop us a line sometime and let us know if you are more interested in the physical CD or the Digital Download version of this album.
We recently played our most consistent run of shows since we began recording our new album in earnest back in early 2009. The Krunch Inn, Stogie Joe's, JR's Bar and Cookies Bar, featured both the full band and the Heavy MeNtal Gypsy Trio. We had a blast at Stogie Joe's monthly "open mic" program, and have been asked back on April 5th. Of course The Krunch Inn is always a good time, and at JR's Bar we rekindled the "MeNtal Meets Metal" series as we opened for our South Philly brethren, Stop The World. Of course our home-hood crowd at Cookies Bar made us feel right at home once again, and many new friends picked this show to pile into the bar and help us shake-up our old haunts. Check out our upcoming shows!
We are very proud to announce that our beloved "The Girl from the Sand" was selected as one of the 20 most requested songs-of-the-year on UC RADIO. "The Girl from the Sand" (from "Princes of the New Dark Age" - 2005) had appeared on several of UC Radio's programs throughout the year including their monthly "best of" SONIC WALLPAPER show; the beach theme special - "Surf's Up, Baby" and the year end "New Years Eve Bash 2009 - The best of UC Radio for 2009". We thank UC Radio for the recognition - Listen to the "New Years Eve Bash 2009 - The best of UC Radio for 2009" by clicking here - Our segment begins at 27:42 - Subscribe to these great sites while you're there.
As we did at our December show at Cookies bar, we'll be playing some rarely attempted material from earlier albums, and many of the songs from the new album. We will have the entire HEAVY MENTAL GYPSY band for most of the shows, but smaller configurations of the unit will also be featured along the way.
After a six month layoff from live performance to record the bulk of our upcoming album, we took the stage at the North Star Bar on October 30th for our first annual "Mischief Night Massacre". This show was the first of three we will play to close out the '09 season - Get all of the detail at our LIVE DATES PAGE! We were joined by the wonderfully rambunctious "Missiles" (aptly renamed "The Vampires" for this occasion), and the always cool "Midnight Bottle Club" - Both of whom performed their beautiful Rock 'n' Roll with great skill and passion. We also had the good fortune of having legendary Philadelphia radio personality Cyndy Drue not only attend the show (as she has on several occasions in the past), but write a very nice review of our performance which appears on our PRESS PAGE - THE CYNDY DRUE REVIEW!
The North Star show also marked the debut of our new bassist, Bill Saltzer. Like Jim, Bill is also a recruit of the great Delaware blues band, The Delcats (who we love and respect very much). Aside from his unquestioned and obvious musical proficiency, Bill is a total sweetheart and fits right in with our scattered and eclectic band of passionate Heavy MeNtal Gypsies - A select group on a noble crusade, for sure. We encourage you to get to know Bill better at our BIO PAGE!
We are happy to announce that the new album, “Fun”, is still on course for a spring release. The recording of the live drum tracks should begin by the end of year with final touches and mixing to follow at the beginning of the new year - Yes, you did read correctly - we are recording completely backwards in doing the drums last - but we believe we are up to the challenge. And in keeping with the most recent industry practice afforded by the digital phenomenon, we do plan on releasing 2 to 4 single songs from the album as downloads prior to the release of the actual physical CD. This way you can check-out what we've been up to before committing the final few bucks from your stimulus dough on a full album of tunes by the aforementioned fanatically passionate "Heavy MeNtal Gypsies". Finally, we'd like to remind you that we have a half-a-box of the "Fan Appreciation" CD's awaiting your email request. Over 40 minutes of exhilarating live stuff, brain-teasing interviews and our very favorite – but seldom performed - studio tracks. See you at the shows! Click Here For Your Free CD!
In August we were notified via email that our song "Morning Coffee" had been played several times on a Russian radio show called "Night Diary" (we can't obtain the station's "call letters" or the DJ's name). We were able to get one of the broadcast clips and have it translated. Listen now by checking out our brand new MULTI-MEDIA PAGE which features interviews, concert visuals, podcasts and more - Just Click Here!
If you don't receive a copy by September 20th, simply request a copy (include your address) by emailing us, or by visiting our CONTACT US page - Just Click Here - and we'll send you a CD straight-away!
As promised in the May news update, we've just posted the first installment of live material to our MUSIC PAGE - Click here to listen! We hope to make this a regular practice when we have more time to sort through our recorded live shows. The initial offering is 4 songs by the trio configuration of the unit (Tony-Joe-Steph) recorded way back in May 2008 at Cookies Bar. Comprised of songs not performed much anymore and an unlikely "cover tune", this segment is aptly entitled "COOKIES LIVE! - MAY '08". We remind you that these recordings are made from the audience and that the quality will sometimes be a bit dicey. We believe the passion within these performances out-weigh the sonic deficiencies, and we encourage you to download and enjoy them free! We'd love you to post your comments and opinions on the MESSAGE BOARD PAGE of our web site. In addition to your comments about the music, let us know what you think of this planned series of live material.
In late June Tony finally broke from the rigorous recording schedule he and the band have been following the past few months, and sat down with promoter/producer (and avid band supporter), Ronnie Dawg of RON DAWG STUDIOS, for a candid conversation about making music, personal influences and the future. About an hour worth of Q&A was recorded that we've posted in three separate segments. Listen now by checking out our brand new MULTI-MEDIA PAGE which features interviews, concert visuals, podcasts and more. Click here to listen to the Tony Mecca Interview!
Do you remember "FUN"? Do you remember what it feels like to have it, or look forward to having it? Anyway, as you may or may not know, "FUN" is the title of our next album - which we are diligently working on right now. While the artwork is far from finalized, we have this crazy idea of putting photos throughout the CD booklet (maybe even the cover) of what faces look like when someone (you) is having an incredibly "FUN" time. So we are encouraging you to email us a photo of you with the biggest shit-eating grin you can possibly muster. It doesn't matter how young or old you are in the photo - As long as it is a “close-up” of you. In fact, you as a teenager would be way cool. Send it to TonyMecca@TonyMeccaMusic.com - Then look for your mug on the new and improved PHOTO PAGE of our website, and on our next album. We know that our attorney and record label will want us to tell you that by sending your photo, you are giving us permission to use said photo on our web site and in/on our CD/album artwork. So there, you've been duly warned!
Well, we tried as hard as we could to play live and record a new album at the same time, but the old man's once potent stamina level for multi-tasking is running a bit low these days. So we've decided to disappear from the live scene for awhile and finish the album. A ton of hard work has already gone into the "Fun" CD, and yet, there is still so much more to do. We are so excited about the songs on this album; we just can't wait to get it done and share it with all of our wonderful friends and fans. Okay, since you've been asking, we now will reveal the names of the songs that will most likely appear on the new CD (in no particular order):
At several recent shows we've been ask about posting live material on this website. Well, we do have some live recordings in the can from a number of venues that we hope to make available soon. Of course, the sound quality is less than optimal, but the spirited performances more than make-up for the technical deficiencies. Finding some time to edit and perk-up the overall sound of the recordings has been the challenge so far - but we're getting close and we promise to drop you a line when we get some songs posted.
We're very proud to announce that our song "You're Not as Tough as You Think" from the "Hello, Goodbye & Everything in Between" album has been selected by Philadelphia filmmaker Nick Lanciano as the opening song for his new film 9th & Bay which will premier later this month. To support this fine local artist, visit Nick's site and get all of the details about his film, and information regarding tickets to the premier. Like finding gold in your own back yard, if you take time to investigate your local art scene, you will most always be pleasantly surprised. 
The 2009 live schedule started off very deliberately as we've tried to focus most of our attention on recording the new album - which is coming along fine and should be released late summer or early fall. We played two fun and energetic sets at the Krunch Inn in January and were back at the North Star Bar on February 20th as part of a show that we put together with some friends that turned out to be a great success. For those who couldn't get out to that show, we are pleased to present video of a couple of performances from the North Star (Thanks Kimmy) - Click here to watch us at the North Star! You can also be transported to the wonderful world of YouTube where you can watch these performances and find a whole bunch of other songs from the same North Star show courtesy of "Justin TV", who broadcasted us live that night (Thanks Ronny!) - Click here to watch us on YouTube
We do have a much more active live schedule in the coming month or so including a special appearance at the Tappers Club. Check-out all of the details on all of our upcoming LIVE DATES.
As the last few iconic major record labels scurry to find new ways to survive in today's progressively "less-tangible" music business, there is one final money-poaching entity that still roams freely in bars and clubs around the world. No, it's not Clive Davis. Nor is it Universal boss Doug Morris. It's not even Edgar Bonfman of Warner's. None of these company big wigs are surreptitiously extending their sticky hands into the musician’s pockets as much as every ones familiar old standby. Yes, you've guessed it - 'tis none other than that friendly purveyor of your favorite tunes, the Juke Box. Did you ever stop to think that when you feed a buck into that slot to play a song, how much of that dollar does the artist actually earn? Would you believe it’s less than a dime for every six plays. So after perusing our last royalty statement, we started to wonder how many plays it would take to pay various bills. One of these expenses has now presented us with a "quest-opportunity", and we'd like to ask for your help. How many Juke Box plays would it take to fill Tony's gas tank? The answer = 2,240. So we humbly crawl to you with our guitar and clarinet scarred hands out, and ask you to make an effort to play some of our songs on that snazzy flashing AMI Juke Box every time you enter your favorite local bar or club. And don't be shy, tell everyone around you that may be listening to the song you just played who we are and what we are trying to accomplish. Surly, one tank of gas is not too much to ask for all of that wonderful musical entertainment we are providing. Right? And for all of our fellow struggling musician, writer and actor friends, always remember, "The work is truly the reward and the passionate play on." Tony said that.
Our return to the SECOND STREET IRISH SOCIETY was a total success. Thanks to the tireless work of the sound crew, and our wonderful friends who continue to support us with great enthusiasm, we were proud to announce the event as a "sellout". Special kudos to the JONES GIRLS who bravely fought off the flu and opened the show with their beautiful songs and super-sweet harmonies. For our part, we got a chance to do some long requested material that we don't often play live (Holly 1-2-3 / Burn, John Burn / We Called Her St Anne / Logic), and we were finally joined on several songs by my long-time musical partner, DAVID DECCA. (Thanks Dave!)
The show also served as the official debut of our new drummer, JIM DRNEC (pronounced Dur-nic). Jim is a terrific drummer (and human being) that I had last played together with in the band HABITS back in 1984. We kind of found each other via the internet sometime back in 2006 and have been thinking about this night for a long time. It was also a debut of sorts for our keyboardist, JOHN MERLINO. John has been with us since May, but usually only plays on a handful of songs. At the Irish Society, John took on the responsibility of handling all of the bass parts and much more. Jim and John did a fantastic job given the little time that they had to learn the material and prepare for this performance. 
Our final performance before taking a brief vacation was at the North Star Bar on Saturday August 8, 2008. Kim Falcione was "Johnny-on-the-spot", capturing the premier of our newest song "Sweet Sunshine" which features Steph on lead vocals - Kim acted quickly to get this performance on "youtube" - To have a look just CLICK HERE - Let us know what you think - Thanks so much Kimmy!!!
Well, I can't say I wasn't warned. When I told a fellow musician that I was planning to take 3 or 4 months off so I can concentrate on recording, he said "there is no way you can just turn off the urge to perform." Sure I can, I stopped from 1989 to 2006. He responded, "I'm telling you, this is different. You've been re-smitten." Well he was right. The offers to play for friends new and old in these great venues are just too wonderful to refuse. The brand new STONEHOUSE PUB; another IRISH SOCIETY bash; an always debauchery laden KRUNCH INN show, WOW! Get all of the details about these Live Dates
But we have definitely relocated our base of operation to the Opera House Recording Studios for work on the next album. It is a little different this time since many of the songs have been in our live set for a while. It also seems quite strange not having Dave Decca on board for the proceedings. Dave, as you may know, was my partner for the first three albums.
Co-arranging, co-producing and playing all of the keyboards and harmonica, Dave will be limited to a guest role this time due to other musical obligations he has accepted. We will try to drag "the old man" out for some live work this fall so that you all can see that he really does exist. That being said, Steph, Joe and I have had a blast during the early sessions. We are incredibly excited about the new songs, and we just can't wait to introduce you to Lucy, Jenny, Fred, Patricia, Charlie and the rest of our eternally mixed-up and fun crazed friends.
GarageBand.com is one of the most popular and respected on-line music communities in the world. Its primary objective is to provide a platform for artists and bands of all genres (both signed and unsigned) to expose their music to other musicians and fans of independent music. One of the cool features provided is a system where artists can elect (if they dare) to have several of their songs reviewed. While many of the reviewers are often "hard-markers", we've managed to chart very well - In some cases we've even earned special awards and recognition. Just click here to read these interesting worldwide reviews! Well, baby steps has been the theme for the last few weeks as we prepare to begin recording a new album while simultaneously staying sharp for the flurry of live shows that we've been offered. It sure has been a long time since the old man has had to balance live performance with his beloved studio antics. So we are finally about to begin and hope to be well into things as the summer progresses. Several of the new songs (Patricia Knows, Which Jenny?, The Happy Hop, Fun and Annie Crime-Fighter) have been a big part of our live show over the past year, but we promise there will many more musical surprises before we're through. We still hope to mix in a few Live Dates here and there while we tend to the business of recording - You just know we will keep you up-to-date.
Speaking of live shows, on June 3rd we played our inaugural set at the legendary North Star Bar as part of their New Music Tuesday program. After the promoter initially previews (and likes) your recorded music, this event serves as a testing ground for future employment opportunities at the North Star Bar. On a stormy mid-week night over 50 of our faithful friends braved the nasty weather and the eternal temptation to just stay home and watch TV, and attended the show - making it a total success in terms of an incredibly fun evening, and also our future aspirations of playing this great venue again. Thanks to your support, we were asked back for the July 3rd show, and a "prime-time" Saturday show on August 9th. Joe, Steph and I thank you so much, and can't wait to perform for you again - really!
The next time you're at your favorite bar/club, check the jukebox. We finally got our licensing agreement straight, and now all three of our albums are up. And while you're enjoying the songs from "Hello, Goodbye & Everything in Between", "Princes of the New Dark Age" and "Purple Monkeys", take comfort in knowing that we receive a whole 2.5% of every dollar that you put in that jukebox. That means your favorite local Philly artist needs about 50,000 plays to make next month's mortgage payment. You'd be accurate in thinking that I shouldn't depend on those jukebox royalties to cover that next check to GMAC, but at the very least you now know one of the many reasons that the recording industry is a putrid mess that continues to crumble before our very eyes - On that pleasant note, please don't forget to stand-up and be counted by voting for your favorite CD's and songs!
Well, another couple of months have flown by since our last news update and there is much to report. We've met some more wonderfully kind folks while playing at some great places like The Krunch Inn and J.R.'s (both with our good friends DRIVE 56) and Cookies Bar (with old buddy DAN SULLIVAN). We do have a few more Live Dates lined up before we slow-down a bit to begin recording the next album (more on that next time) - Oh, speaking of DRIVE 56, we just finished their incredible new EP entitled "Word On The Street". It was my pleasure to produce this talented and powerfully energetic band of gentlemen/musicians - And of course Steph and I had a total blast contributing vocals & slide guitar.
I guess you can tell by the over-crowded headline that much has happened since our last entry. "The Bar Tour" kicked-off with a history making visit to COOKIES BAR (3rd & Mercy). This was the first time in its storied history that COOKIES has had a live band. And what a great night it was as many friend both old and new joined us for the first show of the new year. Anyone that knows a neighborhood bar owner with an open mind similar to Petey and Donny from COOKIES, and Casey from THE KRUNCH INN - and would like to try live music, please contact us. A quick and much appreciated thanks to all who have bestowed the wonderful compliments on our new songs: "Patricia Knows", "Which Jenny" and "The Happy Hop". We sincerely thank you - as does Patricia, Jenny, Mr. Jimmy and Mrs. Busy.
Hey, we're having so much fun reading your descriptions of our music. If you haven't given it a try, do it now and email it to us through our site. I've already started to use these creative comparisions on a number of important communication tools including my official bio, MySpace, GarageBand.com and more. Very soon I'll post the top ten (with the authors name) on our poll so you can vote for your favorites. By the way, get to that poll now and vote for your favorite CD, songs and a few other things. Finally, we now have web-pages up at GARAGEBAND.COM and CDBABY.COM where you can sample and buy CD's and Downloads from the "Hello..." album. You can also write a review of a song or the album, or just leave a comment - something like 'this album rules' - Hope to see you at one of the upcoming shows!
With the summer shows ending in grand fashion at the Krunch Inn and Gene's Rooftop Theater, we bounced right into the fall program which kicked off with an October outdoor show in Manayunk that featured a start time temperature of 45 degrees (unfortunately, nobody brought a camera to document the wide assortment of winter gear we all sported), and climaxed at the Second Street Irish Society on Black Friday in front of many of our beloved childhood friends. 
The show was captured on digital video and we hope to have some clips up on this site in the next few weeks. Oh, we have been asked back to this wonderful venue, and hope to set a late winter date very soon. We promise more musical surprises, and by all indications (emails and phone calls we've received from many folks that couldn't make the first show) an even larger crowd of both new and old friends - we can't wait!
This time the PRINCES OF THE NEW DARK AGE album was tapped for "The Further Adventures of Annie Helicopter" and "The Girl from the Sand". That's a total of five songs that we've signed this year that are now being shopped to a wide array of national recording artists. Hey publishers, "New Green Shirt", "Boy Meets Girl", "Logic" and many more of our catchy little tunes are still looking for good homes ... What are you waiting for?
From 2nd Street to Manayunk, Cape May to 28th & Reed, the summer leg of the "2007 LIVING ROOM, DECK & SIDEWALK TOUR" rolls on into the fall with the great promise of playing new and exciting venues for great friends both new and old, to whom we extend our eternal thanks and love for thier continued support. We look forward to seeing you at the next show! Check out the Live Dates page for upcoming shows.
"HELLO, GOODBYE & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN" was officially released in late march. Both the special deluxe edition of the new CD and individual song downloads are available directly through this site - We sincerely thank everyone who has laid down the $15 to purchase the CD, and then taken the time to write or email us with their heartfelt compliments on the music. As in the business of life, the music industry continually presents an artist with a sack-full-of disappointments and frustrations. And although it may sound like a cliché, it is the kind words and recognition of the folks that we aim to please that keeps us on course in the pursuit of our dreams, and makes this strange journey seem worthwhile.
The "2007 LIVING ROOM, DECK & SIDEWALK TOUR" kicked off on May 19th at Van Blunk's - The live performance was preceded by a very cool CD release party, and the show itself was a total blast that formally introduced new members Lonesome Joe's Owenso (guitar) and 
Stephanie Davis (vocals, clarinet) - Show review by Jay Schweitzer - The second show of the "2007 L.R.D.S. TOUR" took us to the lovely "MANAYUNK 2ND SATURDAYS" event. This outdoor show turned out to be a really nice experience for us and we've been invited back each month to terrorize the 'Yunk for the balance of the year.
We are extremely proud to announce that in the very early stages of the "song shopping" process of the "HELLO, GOODBYE... album, we have signed a publishing agreement for the songs "Plain Jane and Average Joe" & "The Night We Danced". Specializing in the promotion and placement of country flavored music, A.D.N. PUBLISHING (Nashville, TN) becomes our newest publishing affiliate and friend. Also, the prestigious international progressive rock publication, PROGRESSION MAGAZINE, once again reviewed our work and awarded HELLO, GOODBYE... 12 of 16 stars - Read Progression review - Pretty special when you consider that we are not necessarily out of the Yes, Genesis or King Crimson mold.
The long months of painstaking attention to both creative and technical detail, that often seemed an unending and impossible task, is now just a distant memory that only recalls the joy of creating and doing what we truly love. It has been almost 2 years since our last album, and needless to say we are very excited and pleased to announce the release of our new album, "HELLO, GOODBYE & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN". There are 22 songs that run over 70 minutes - That’s a “double album” to us old folk - We are extremely proud of the diversity, quality and performance of this new material, and we can’t wait to hear the thoughts, opinions and questions (and I’m pretty sure there will be a few) from all of our wonderful friends.
Outstanding Records (our label) have initiated a program of PODCASTS that you can download and listen to from their web site. A PODCAST is similar to a radio show with a "d jay" (now called a "p-jay"). We are featured with 2 other bands on their "Rock 'n' Roll" show. Just click the icon to the right and listen. You will be linked directly to that show. Our segment begins 12 minutes 40 seconds into the show. 
while ironing-out the details of a new overseas publishing arrangement. In addition to shopping our songs to other artists for their recording consideration, our European publisher (who is based in the Belgium/Netherlands market) expressed a strong desire to release PRINCES OF THE NEW DARK AGE in those countries. So in January 2007 we will be getting heavy radio airplay on the PRINCES album. The second parcel was delivered (literally) in the mail. The fall issue of PROGRESSION MAGAZINE gave a very flattering review of both PURPLE MONKEYS and PRINCES OF THE NEW DARK AGE (click the ALBUM/SHOW REVIEWS to read the review). We knew that this prestigious magazine would eventually be reviewing the albums - We were a bit concerned because while we are fans, we are certainly not "Progressive Rock" artists. We graciously thank Mr. John Collinge for hearing only the music and not the genre. 
Since our last rant we have made only moderate progress with the recording of the new album. Two weeks were lost to a brutal virus infection that attacked both Dave and Tony. Another two weeks went down-the-drain when Tony inadvertently stabbed himself in the left hand attempting to remove his daughter's new rod and reel combo from the near impenetrable packaging that protects many of today's products. Of course it was probably foolish to attempt this feat with one of those "big frickin' Harley Davidson shanks".
In response to the many requests that we've received for a CD of the old MECCA and HABITS songs, we are now in the process of compiling material , and hope to release a retrospective set that will be available through the web site in the future (thus the new/old pictures now appearing on our photo page). This package will also include many home demo recordings and an entire album of acoustic material that Tony recorded just after the release of the MECCA "FEARLESS" LP. We would love to augment this project with a live CD, and we are currently interrogating fans and friends as to the whereabouts of their old HABITS and MECCA bootleg cassettes. If you have any live audio or video tapes, photos or pertinent documents to validate the existence of these bands, please contact us through this web site. We only want to copy your stuff, and will promptly return your originals. Finally, on the "pretty cool" front, our first ever national/international ad appeared in the Spring issue of PROGRESSION MAGAZINE. 
Thanks to all of our great friends (both new & old) who attended the listening party/performance celebrating the release of the "Prince of the New Dark Age" CD at Van Blunk's. Check the photos from that great evening on the photo page. Much love to Joe, our kind and generous host.
Greetings from Purple Monkey Headquarters! Today will forever be affectionately remembered as the day we finally published our official website – “THE PURPLE PAGES”. That’s right! On this day we boldly open the doors of our humble and intimate family affairs to anyone interested in what we happen to be doing. We encourage you to drop by often and enjoy the photos, music and conversation that we hope to inspire. We encourage you to join our mailing list and regularly contribute your ideas and recommendations for the site. Of course you will be able to link with our record company to purchase our CD’s, and keep up with our live exploits. 