[ Dr. Frank's solo album to be released ]
"Show Business Is My Life," the solo album by MTX songwriter/singer/guitarist Dr. Frank, is finally completed, and it will be released by Lookout! Records on April 14, 1999. This full-length release contains 12 original songs crafted and performed by Dr. Frank himself, with the help of some special guests. Here's the info posted on the Lookout! Records web-site regarding this soon-to-be clasic album:
(summary courtesy of Lookout! Records)
Dr. Frank is punk rock's Noel Coward or Cole Porter. Beneath the impeccably tight and catchy pop-punk sound his band The MR.T EXPERIENCE pioneered lurk lyrics sharper and more intricate than you ever dreamed. Now, with his first solo record, Dr. Frank is ready to showcase new material as well as shine the light on his decade of punk rock songwriting.
"Show Business Is My Life" gave Dr. Frank the opportunity to explore musical genres his well known band MTX doesn't usually try on for size. One of the original Lookout! records acts and Gilman Street staples from the get go, The Mr. T. Experience is considered by many critics and fans to have created the East Bay pop punk sound, while consistently outsmarting and outclassing most of their contemporaries. Showcasing the Doctor's scathingly witty songwriting, "Show Business Is My Life" features the sounds of country, bossa nova, straight ahead rock'n'roll, and 60's beat music as well as the inevitable pop punk flavor. This new crop of songs represents some of the most subtle, complicated, and ingenious work Dr. Frank has ever done.
The idea for this release started with the acoustic guitar-accompanied solo songs that have appeared sporadically on the last few MR.T EXPERIENCE albums, but quickly grew into something more ambitious. Dr. Frank, with producer Kevin Army (MTX, OPERATION IVY) behind the board, enlisted the talents of Kepi (GROOVIE GHOULIES), Aaron Elliott (CRIMPSHRINE, PINHEAD GUNPOWDER), all of THE HI-FIVES, and ME FIRST, in order to realize his vision. Recorded throughout 1998 between tours and recording with MTX, Show Business Is My Life trumpets the Doctor's uncanny ability to turn a phrase, rock a beat, and break your heart.
...and here's the track listing:
1. She Turned Out To Be Crazy
2. Population: Us
3. Knock-Knock (Please Let Me In)
4. Suicide Watch
5. Bitter Homes and Gardens
6. Thinking Of You
7. Ask Beth
8. I Made You and I Can Break You
9. Sad, Sad Shadow
10. I'm In Love With What's-Her-Name
11. Two Martinis From Now
12. This Isn't About You Anymore
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+ News for 2-8-99: (thanks a bunch to the MTX Family Circle)
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[ MTX hit the movies ]
MTX still plans on being in the studio March/April of 1999 for their new album, with a release date by early fall. They are already enthused about the new songs hot off Dr. Frank's pen. No touring is yet scheduled before then.
[ the 10-second MTX song ]
MTX recently completed a strange little recording, with "little" taken literally. Fat Wreck Chords is putting together a compilation of 101 bands on a single CD, each band doing a tune under 30 seconds, and the MTX contribution clocks in at about 10 seconds. According to reports, don't let your mother listen to the lyrics.
[ Dr. Frank - wrapping up the solo album ]
Frank is determined to wrap up his solo album by year's end. In mid-December he recorded a song with the Hi-Fives for that project.
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+ News for 12-23-98: (thanks a bunch to the MTX Family Circle)
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[ plans for '99 ]
MTX still plans on being in the studio March/April of 1999 for their new album, with a release date by early fall. They are already enthused about the new songs hot off Dr. Frank's pen. No touring is yet scheduled before then.
[ the 10-second MTX song ]
MTX recently completed a strange little recording, with "little" taken literally. Fat Wreck Chords is putting together a compilation of 101 bands on a single CD, each band doing a tune under 30 seconds, and the MTX contribution clocks in at about 10 seconds. According to reports, don't let your mother listen to the lyrics.
[ Dr. Frank - wrapping up the solo album ]
In news of individual MTX members, Frank is determined to wrap up his solo album by year's end. In mid-December he recorded a song with the Hi-Fives for that project.
[ Joel starts a new band ]
Joel has developed a band to showcase his own songwriting. The group is called the Plus Ones, and has Joel on bass and lead vocals, Scotty of the Receivers doing guitar and harmony, and Dan Panic (formerly of the Groovie Ghoulies, Screeching Weasel) on drums and harmony. Their first show is scheduled for Jan. 6, 1999, at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.
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+ News for 11-15-98: (thanks a bunch to Lookout! Records)
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[ MTX to appear on new Lookout! budget sampler ]
MTX will have two songs on the upcoming Lookout! Records budget sampler, "Forward Till Death". One song is a previously unreleased song called "King Dork" and the other is a Dr. Frank solo song (also previously unreleased) called "Thinking of You". Look for this comp. to be released in January '99.
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+ News for 11-7-98: (thanks a bunch to Jonathan and Randy for the updates!)
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[ the new album / dr. frank ' s solo album ]
MTX will probably start recording the new album next summer when they get some free time.
Dr. Frank is that close to finishing the solo album and will probably work
on it some more after the current tour is over sometime near December. When asked him about
the studio musicians he said "Nah, they're just guys. Friends of Kevin Army." (Thanks, Jonathan!)
[ dr. frank - live acoustic performance ? ]
Frank seemed pretty interested in the idea of doing a live acoustic set on
WQHS (Philadelphia, PA)
with Kevin and Jonathan of the HUNGOVER
radio show. He said most likely it would happen during their next
tour that they headline and schedule, possibly meaning
after the new album is released or as early as the Spring. He
says he's done acoustic versions of "Sack Cloth and Ashes" and a folky
rendition of "Book of Revelations."
For more info on the HUNGOVER radio show, an extremely entertainging (pop-punk + comedy = HUNGOVER) show
which airs every Tuesday and Friday nights, check out the link above. For all
the non-Philly MTX fans who are interested in tuning into the show, the radio station
broadcasts live over the internet via RealAudio. See the pages for more details and
support the show!
[ dr. frank - an acoustic tour ? ]
A fellow MTXPF, Randy, recently talked to Dr. Frank about his upcoming solo
album. Randy reported that Frank is considering doing a solo tour after his solo
album comes out. This is only an idea for now, but if enough people write to him (see the
contact page) with enthusiasm, he might be more motivated to do it! Send
him your letters, emails, and stuff like that to support him & the band!
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New for 9-12-98:
According to a loyal MTX fan, as well as a friend of Go Kart's the Parasites, the Mr. T Experience will be touring with both the Queers AND the Parasites soon. This is NOT completely confirmed yet, so right now I'm waiting for some more info on this potentially amazing tour. I'll keep everyone posted; check back for updates!
New for 9-1-98 (special thanks to the MTX Family Circle!!):
There was serious talk (at the recent San jose show) about touring with the Queers during
the month of November. Doing this would delay the preparations for recording
somewhat, but the two bands are old friends who have always enjoyed playing
together, and make a popular bill. As the thinking now goes, they could join
the Queers' tour on the East Coast, then drop off at home about four weeks
later when it reaches the West Coast. They would like to complete the
tour--which then heads back through the Southwest, Texas, and Florida--except
this might really interfere with their studio plans. No final decisions made
on any of this yet.
New for 8/26/98 (special thanks to the MTX Family Circle!!):
MTX will be gathering their collective musical forces very soon, now
that Dr. Frank is back from England. Friday, Aug. 28, they get their
stage legs back under them again with a show in San Jose. Their tour schedule
hereafter is basically limited to weekends, which leaves lots of time open to
work on projects. Frank, of course, wants to finish his solo record this
year, and the band plans on tooling up for the next album, hopefully also
recording it later in the year. So there should be some juggling with these
two main goals. In other news, Joel recently tried his hand at producing,
working with a SoCal indie band called Thee Impossibles. Due to a busy
schedule, he may reluctantly have to give up a chance to tour overseas with
Penelope Houston. Penelope's new record--with Joel on bass--is scheduled for
release this fall.
New for 6/13/98 (special thanks to the MTX Family Circle!!):
The latest MTX tour, with the Teen Idols, has recently ended. It was a
productive six weeks of shows that crossed Canada and the entire U.S. Lots
and lots of miles. Mr. T and the Teen Idols made a popular match on the
billing and also became personal friends. This MTX tour made their third in
1998--almost without a break between--and the band is due for a rest. They
still have a big San Francisco show (with the Hi-Fives) on June 27, and
everyone is eager to hook up with a hometown crowd again. After that, future
tour plans are unsettled at this point, but ideas are being kicked around.
Meanwhile, Dr. Frank will forge ahead with his solo album. Joel has
finished his various recording projects with Penelope Houston, the singer who
fronted the early punk group the Avengers. He plays bass and does some backup
vocals on a full-length CD (probably called "Tongue") to be released on
Reprise, and on an EP session of previously unrecorded Avengers' songs.
(NOTE: this stuff is from me) The MTX-Ramones cover album, "Road to Ruin," has finally been realeased!! The regular lp version is out right now on Clearview Records; it's $8.75 + postage. Later on, Clearview will release a limited edition tour version of the lp, as well as a CD version of the record, so be on the lookout for those. For more info, check out the MTX section of the Skull Duggery page.
New for 3/15/98 (the following is from Andrew...thanks!!):
Dr. Frank has studio time booked for his solo album this summer. It'll be about half acoustic (a la "Now That You Are Gone," etc), and half other things- some country-ish, some too crazy for MTX ("...if you can believe that"). It will also include what he said was his favorite song he ever wrote, which Paige said she helped him with. It's based on the scenario that Dr. Frank has been kicked out of the house by his girlfriend, and he's knocking on the door trying to get her to let him back in. He says "knock knock," she goes "who's there," and he says different names, each starting a different verse (example: Ivan, Ivan who? Ivan thinking for so long...etc). Pretty clever, huh? The song would have been on "Revenge..." but the rest of the band and Kevin Army didn't "warm up to it" fast enough. He seemed excited about the whole thing and said he's been planning it for quite some time. Frank said playing solo has been kind of about getting over his fear of doing it. He and the whole band are very modest and flattered when they hear that someone really likes their songs. This was kind of amazing to me, as their
stuff is so witty and well done, to the point that it totally beats pretty much anything on popular radio. It's like Dr. Frank was somewhat unaware of his talent. I can't wait for the record to come out....
Joel is playing bass on the upcoming Penelope Houston (San Francisco singer/ ex frontwoman of The Avengers) record. He says he'll sing on the album as well if he is lucky. This will be released this summer on Reprise Records (if not Lookout has offered to release it). Tracks for an EP are also in the works, featuring Joel, Houston, Billie Joe Armstrong and Dan Panic
(what a great lineup!).
(NOTE: the following is from the MTX Family Circle...thanks!!)
The RBF tour has proven successful for MTX (something they once had reservations about), although the pace of the travel is quite tiring. And you've got to admire them for going back on the road in April and May. If people took out a map and checked the tour schedule with the distances traveled--with a new show every night--they would understand how much hard work and dedication it takes. The USA and Canada are huge countries.
Did you hear that MTX recently won another Bammie Award? "Revenge..." was voted Best Independent Album of the year.
Joel is about to finish up a full album with
Penelope Houston (of Avengers fame). And if you remember the project that Penelope, Joel, Billie Joe (Green Day), and Danny Panic (Ghoulies) did last year, it should appear later this year as a "super single" EP with a track being used on an episode of "Friends" (supposedly in August).
(NOTE: the following is from me)
The MTX Ramones cover album, "Road to Ruin", is now slated for release sometime in May or June ("Hopefully" is what Skull Duggery--the label that's releasing it--says...). You can go over to the Skull Duggery Mailorder page right now to hear a short sound clip (realaudio) from MTX rockin' out to "I Wanna Be Sedated"...awesome!!
New for 2/13/98:
Get yer VCR's ready 'cause on March 2nd, MTV (blech) will feature Lookout! Records on their show, Indie Outing. There is a suspicion that they will air segments (maybe even a new live video, who knows?) of MTX's live set, for they took their camera crew over to the 10th anniversary of Lookout! Records celebration and recorded MTX's entire set...cool. Be sure to watch or tape it. (bzzt)
News for 1/13/98 (courtesy of the MTX Family Circle):
Here's a brief word on the Lookout 10th Anniversary shows, Jan. 9-10. Friday
night Gilman in Berkeley reportedly had the largest crowd in memory--in fact,
several hundred people outside never made it into the club. Joel picked Dr.
Frank up at the airport after the flight from England and a few hours later
the Bomb Bassets were on stage. Since they are a studio band, it was a rare
live show for them. They had fun doing it. Joel said he could hear some kids
singing along to his song "Duh," proving that somebody had bought the latest
BB record.
The big Saturday night show in San Francisco, at Slim's, sold out ahead. In
the audience were people from out of state and even out of country. The
Criminals opened. The Smugglers followed--old buddies of Mr. T's--and they
did a song with "guest singers," including Joel of MTX. Then came the Go
Nuts, who as part of their act filled the whole 2-story hall with a blinding
cloud of powdered sugar, and then The Phantom Surfers. MTX headlined with a
long set, doing several songs not often performed, plus the covers of "Crash"
(Primitives) and "Sedated" (Ramones). The crowd stayed until MTX returned for
a double encore. Down front pogoing in the crowd were Kepi and Roach of The
Groovie Ghoulies, demonstrating that they are loyal fans as well as tour
friends of Mr. T. The GG are part of their own Lookout show on Sunday.
MTV had a camera at the show to tape the MTX set, so maybe a clip will turn up
on Indie Outing or Week in Review or some other MTV segment.
News for 12/13/97 (thanks to the MTX Family Circle for the news!):
As you know, MTX have just finished their overseas tour. They return on Tuesday, minus Dr. F. He will be staying in England with Bella his girlfriend (or more accurately his fiancée, since he gave her an engagement ring) and he will come back in January in time for the big Lookout 10th Anniversary show. The European tour was the usual long tiring road, with Italy, Spain, and Britain being the best countries for pop punk music. The English shows were all highlights.
There are some other U.S. shows coming up in January. They have a couple of gigs with the Reverend Horton Heat. He's a well-known surf/Rockabilly type of musician. Those shows are in Oregon and in Sacramento. They also will be doing a snowboard festival at Lake Tahoe.
News for 11/6/97:
The MTXFC recently revealed to me some info on the "...And I Will Be With You" music video, which recently aired on MTV's 120 Minutes and 12 Angry Viewers (in which, by the way, MTX lost to Ozzy!! hehe...). Here's what they said:
"All the MTX 'girlfriends' in the vid are volunteers from a casting call and were unknown to the band before the shoot. A couple of those buxom dancers, by the way, are actual professional strippers. The phone number in the TV 'Love Is Dead' ad had to be scrambled, at MTV's demand--because it was the real Lookout number. They're probably also nervous about putting up even a supposedly fictive phone number. Some poor family in Iowa might get a 100 calls."
By the way, the video is supposedly in heavy rotation on MTV's M2, so if you get this channel, be on the lookout for it...it's a really spiffy video.
The MTXFC also told me that among Joel's favorite shows of their current tour of the world so far are those of North Carolina, Cleveland, and Chicago. So, if you live in any of those cities, um...feel blessed...yeah.
News for 10/17/97:
A recent source has revealed to me that the video for "...And I Will Be With You" will supposedly be aired this Sunday, Oct. 19th, at the end of MTV's show, 120 Minutes (midnight to 2 am, eastern time). So set yer VCR's or watch it live; it should be awesome!
News for 10/9/97:
A fellow devoted MTX Psychic Friend recently informed me that the "...And I Will Be With You" video was aired in MTV's "Indie Outing" tv show. I personally did not catch it when they showed it (I'm not quite an avid MTV watcher...), but the video is supposed to be a mixture of live action footage mixed with cartoons in the Lookout! Records style. Perhaps MTV will officially premiere the video on "120 Minutes" or something...check this page often for updates! Bzzt...
There is also (reportedly) a new MTX hair comb that reads, "Do your part for the Mr. T Experience." Wowzers!
News for 10/6/97:
MTX are currently on a world tour with the Groovie Ghoulies. They'll be on this cool tour for a couple more months...
Recent sources have revealed to me that there are a few new MTX gadjets and trinkets. There is a new t-shirt which reads, "MTX. Songs about girls," as well as a new button which has this same spiffy message. There is also a new flyswatter and new postcards in the theme of "Revenge Is Sweet, and So Are You." What will they think of next?
Click yer heels together and head Home!
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