The Red Room
Spent last weekend preparing my latest release. The Red Room is a small home studio / office I have set up in The Shelf House. I used it a lot when I was recording the Star City Punkcast with Tara Hicks and Savana Perdue, a podcast for local and reginal punk rock music, shows, and news. It’s also a place where I can work on ideas, make demos, listen to music (critically or for enjoyment), and all the other home officey stuff you’d think.
I keep a Baldwin spinet piano in there and a few other instruments so whenever I get the creative itch I can scratch it quickly. Throughout 2017 & 2018 I made several recordings of mostly piano based songs on a Tascam 2488 porta studio. I have share a few song from this up coming release but very excited about share all the tunes and move on to the next stuff.
No official release date yet but I did want to share the art work.
Marshall & Friends (vol. 2)
Unsung
Happy winter solstice here is a 3 song EP rightfully titled “Unsung”. Here are 3 home recordings that have been on the shelf for some time. The 1st track, “Should Have Know Better Than That”, may sound familiar to some. I had performed it solo a few times and later with Shared Skeletons.
Unsung. Home recordings. Old times. New Feelings.
2017 CATCH UP
With the New Year rolling in so are the gigs and events! Virginia Electric has played a couple of shows now and getting into the rhythm. This week we play one of our favorites in town, Martin’s Downtown. We are starting to book outside of Roanoke as well, with a few shows out in Danville already booked and a even a wedding! So watch out for us in 2017.
Hosted a great show at The Shelf House on January 13th. Check out these great photos from Brian Muncy ( bmmuncy@gmail.com ).
Mike Henderson
Washed Up
The Reppertons
Paradigm
The Shelf House
VIDEO SHOOT WITH VIRGINIA ELECTRIC
Virginia Electric teamed up with Will Sellari and Dave Perry to flim a live recording of one of our original songs “Built To Last” Video should be out early next year.
LISTEN TO… VIRGINIA ELECTRIC
So my new band Virginia Electric has finished our very 1st demo for your listening pleasure. Follow this link Virginia Electric’s Bandcamp and give it a listen for free. If you download (name your price!!!) you will receive an extra hidden track. If you dig what you hear Like us on our Facebook and keep up with with us on news and show announcements.
NEW SONG: WINTER COAT
I know what you are thinking… It’s July and close to 100 degrees everyday why are you putting out a song about winter coats?
This song has just as much to do with the summer time heat as much as the winter coat that is in your closet right now.
I rarely have ever played the blues let alone try to write a blues tune, but this is a straight up blues song and I don’t think it could have been done any other way.
This was written and recorded in one day and mixed the next. I sat on my porch and wrote the words while strumming my acoustic guitar to the busy street in front of me. Words were inspired by a few conversations I had over the last few days with a friend of mine, and the winter coat thing just stuck in my head.
No one is thinking about their winter coat now and when winter comes back will you even wear the same one you did last year? Sometimes you can start to feel that way yourself with relationships, friendships, and just connecting with society.
Working on more new songs, this one has a different feel so here it is, enjoy!
MISSIONARIES LAST SHOW
Tomorrow I say goodbye to one of the greatest bands I have had the pleasure to work with, Missionaries. What started as a solo project for my friend and bandmate, Seanmichael Poff, has took so many twist and turns through so many genres and line-up changes. Sadly it is time for this chapter to end and time to look towards the future and what it has in store for all of us.
When I joined The Missionaries (it did start as THE Missionaries) it was an eclectic folk / indie sounding outfit, with mainly acoustic instrument, including a woodwind section. We all were friends, we enjoyed a movie night together, and we made music! I remember my first practice with them, all I brought was a snare drum and a few sticks and brushes. A lot has changed since then and everyone has grown as a musician.
Tomorrow we play our last show in our hometown of Roanoke Virginia at The Spot on Kirk, which is very fitting to me. We used to perform there frequently when it was called The Kirk Ave music hall, and a lot of our former members had there last shows there.
Joining us for this departure is Clair Morgan, friends of ours from Richmond, Virginia who is kicking off a small tour that night. Check them out: CLAIR MORGAN’S WEBSITE
Here is the Facebook event : Missionaries’ Last Show
We will also be releasing all the music we have recorded up to this point. A full length through Hope For The Tape Deck ( Half a Creature Pre-order ) and a self released EP of the last songs we wrote together titled “Exit Music”.
Thanks for all the good times, good tunes
Much love,
-Marshall
LAST WEEKEND & THIS BUSY WEEK
What a weekend! It took me a few days to process it all and prepare myself for this shows coming up this week.
Friday was a very weird show hosted by Backstreet Cafe’ downtown Roanoke. Very cool, hole the wall kind of place, but what is special about Backstreet is they will book anyone’s band. From Heavy Death Metal to singer-song writer acoustic stuff. Our show was a weird one… I got the call from my friend Eric of the project Lugwight from Richmond, VA, who performed at The Shelf House sometime last year. He wanted to book a show in Roanoke with another act Thieves of Shiloh, another act from Richmond. Now both of these acts are considered to be drone/noise/doom/ type of stuff, with Lugweight using a wall of amps to have his guitar cut right through your chest and Thieves of Shilo’s droning delayed electirc violin keeping you entranced for his whole set, so Backstreet was my 1st choice to have this show.
Also on the bill was Moths, Eric Wollersberger, soundscape project and Jonathan Woods and myself 1st performance as Stoner Cop. Last minute addition to the show was The Fabulous Miss Wendy, a Punk Rock Metal Grunge Pop from Portland, who ripped! What an act, if you get a chance to catch them I would definitely do so. They are on a 3 month long US tour right now.
Facebook event : Stoner Cop // Moths // Thieves of Shiloh // Lugweight + Fabulous Wendy
Lugweigh
Thieves of Shiloh
The Fabulous Miss Wendy
Saturday night, I had to run sound at The Coffee Pot for a show my long time friend and old bandmate Mike Henderson put together.
Facebook event : Robbie And The Bookers, Riverbank Ramblers, Jupiter’s Incense, Paradigm!!!
Paradigm
Jupiter’s Incense
Riverbank Ramblers
Robbie and the Bookers
This week/weekend is a busy one:
Wednesday: Sound @ Martin’s downtown with Jive Mother Mary www.jivemothermary.com
Thursday: Sound @ The Coffee Pot with Stump Tail Dolly With Riverbank Ramblers and Attakk
Friday: Sound @ Billy’s Barn with Heevahava // Compulsovich // Affliction Kid // Love & A .45
Saturday: Playing with Missionaries at Festival in the Park Missionaries at Festival + Sound @ Blue 5 with Lazy Man Dub Band
Sunday: Freedom Fest @ Fincastle Baptist Church
Let’s do this!
Listen to “Thanks To You”
FREE Download “Sample From The Attic”
