Welcome to joelhendricks.com

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Realist Rant by Joel Bull: So I’ve been trying to find my way in New York. I’ve met some really amazing people so far. The only let down has really been trying to connect with my old friends that come here to visit. I don’t know… Heroin, when used by someone on a regular basis really creates a barrier for having a relationship with the specific individual using it. At least in my experience, it’s never been good. The relationship usually fades away and dies sort of like the person using heroin. Pictures of needles and cigarettes and headlines pertaining to me, or could I be so important? I love you in spite of all the madness that surrounds you. But let me get back to it. So I’m trying to find my way in this big fucking city and it’s been interesting. I’m really stoked I found Casey out here in the madness. The first night I met up with him he looked so lost. Then the second night he looked a little less lost and now he’s doing really good and he’s flowing like old times. So we watched the Lakers vs. Celtics at an Irish bar in Brooklyn and if it was the old days we would have been fighting with people for sure! But we befriended a bunch of the Celtic fans and when Boston won in game six the whole bar was out of control with spraying beer bottles, screaming, laughter, and loud music in the form of Queen’s “We are the champions”. I lost all motivation to be happy about Boston winning but they do deserve it. KG definitely deserves it as well as Paul Peirce and the rest of the Celtics. It was an upset for sure, but it had been 22 years since Boston won an NBA Championship. I exchanged phone numbers with Jeremiah Mandel and said goodnight to a cute girl named Jessica that goes to Parsons. The walk back the L was filled with Casey telling me stories about fucking girls and having sex parties with all sorts of hotties and I just related and told him my own experiences with that sort of stuff. So on and on we go and I’m back on the L going to Manhattan to catch the A uptown. I get off the L at 8th Ave and start to walk out. I’m sort of following this really cute girl with beautiful feet and the next thing I know I’m outside the turnstile headed to the street. A little lost I finally realize the girl had me following her and I completely forgot that I needed to transfer to the A. Another $2 to get back on track and now I’m on the express to Penn Station at 34th Street. I have a twenty-minute wait. The 1250 to Long Beach, Long Island. Reading Leslie Arfins blog spot I just found myself so lost with what she was talking about… GAMS and reruns of shows I’ve never even heard of… So I had to get out Google search and begin. I just want to be liked… Loved… Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places… Trying to mend friendships of the past and for what? Only to be let down again and again… I have some close peeps that really care and I’m making some new ones that are truly amazing! I have to be grateful about that and I am. I just don’t get it sometimes… Why people I thought were so close to me have time to log into myspace but no time to return a phone call to a distant friend… I suppose the sooner I get over the fact that we really weren’t that close anyway, the better I will be. It’s all about a house cleaning and it's pretty sad but I've been through worse. Goodbye fair weather friends…

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Captured Movie Premiere: This was my first movie premiere in NYC and let me tell you, it was great! After riding the LIRR to Penn then the A to the L to the F (later finding out I could take the A to the F) I found myself at the Delancey/Essex stop. Two blocks down and a right on Grand, the line wrapped around the building on both sides. I was hoping I would gain access. Marissa was in line and I finally met up with her. We waited for about 30 minutes and made it inside New Design High School. It was 8 floors to the roof and no elevator. Needless to say I was sweating when we got to the roof. Smoke from the barbeque swayed in the air and misconstrued lines of people were staggered about as we squeezed into the doorway. The makeshift ceiling above the roof was made up of chicken wire and steel beams and there was graffiti on every inch of the walls that partitioned the different sections of the roof; scattered buildings littered the LES skyline. There were at least 500 people in attendance for the world premiere of Captured. Clayton Patterson is the man behind the camera and the person responsible for making this movie a reality. He recorder video footage throughout the 80’s, 90’s and right into the tragedy of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on The World Trade Center. The movie is a documentary about Clayton Patterson and the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. From the Tompkins Square Park riots on August 6th & 7th in 1988 to The Pyramid Club and beyond, Clayton Patterson documented life in the Lower East Side of New York City. With footage of GG Allin, Raybeez from Warzone, Jimmy Gestapo of Murphy’s Law, John Joseph of Cromags, Bad Brains, CBGB, getting arrested by NYPD, tent city, and everything in-between. The footage is raw, real, and in your face. Clayton Patterson has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and has been arrested, beat up by the NYPD, and harassed for his complete dedication to the Lower East Side of New York City. From collecting the packaging of bundles of heroin and documenting the different names by putting them in a photo album, to his complete documentation of squatters taking over buildings, to making hats that were worn by several different musicians in the 1980’s, Clayton Patterson’s Captured movie will go down in history for it’s authenticity, grittiness, absolute lawlessness, and complete compassion for the people of The Lower East Side and New York City as a whole. This is a must see movie! http://www.myspace.com/capturedmovie

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Exclusive Holly Brook Interview:

JH: So tell me a little about yourself, your musical background, where you grew up?
HB: Holly Brook is my first and middle name. I grew up in a tiny town in Wisconsin and come from a very musical family. Piano is my first instrument, then guitar and dulcimer I taught myself. I made 3 indie records with my mom from the ages of 8-16. Then I dove deep into songwriting and began my solo career, moving to LA alone at 17 (yes, dropped out of school). Why am I telling you this? Just read my bio!

JH: What are you up to these days?
HB: I’m currently homeless, so I just travel back and forth between my sister’s apartment in LA, Jon’s house/studio in Ventura, and NYC where I’ve been spending a lot of time working with Duncan Sheik.

JH: How is your new record coming along?
HB: Oh I am so excited about this record! I hope to have it out sometime this summer.

JH: What has been your inspiration for song writing since you haven’t put out a record in a few years?
HB: Well, because of some legal issues, I haven’t actually been allowed to put out a record until now. So I wrote about 40 songs in that time. So much has happened that was worth writing about. For example, I discovered Harry Potter! Then I moved out of LA to a much smaller town called Ventura, where the air is clean and the beach is always standing tall. Additionally, I spent a lot of time working with Duncan, I ended a 3 year relationship (depressing times make for great song subjects!)…. Oh…and of course I was held hostage by a bunch of ewoks!

JH: How is working with Duncan Sheik?
HB: Amazing!!!! Except he’s turned me into a wino… But check this out…I was just a fan of his…I still have his autograph from when I was 16 and saw him perform. And now I work with him regularly. Dreams do come true!

JH: Are you working/writing with anyone else besides Duncan?
HB: Yes! Of course I am still working with Jon Ingoldsby. He is producing my record and co-writing some of the songs. In addition, I currently have a couple of side projects in development, including a folk duo, which is Jon and I (yes he sings too!). Another is an electro-rock band I started with Adam Iscove, that sounds kind of like Peter Gabriel meets Dido meets Shiny Toy Guns. I’ve also been working on some hip-hop songs with Ryu from Styles of Beyond, and Scoop Deville. Additionally, I’ve been working with are Katy Rose, Caitlin Moe, Heather Holley, and Eric Jay.

JH: How was the Jesse Malin show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC?
HB: Fun! Caitlin Moe (www.myspace.com/caitlinmoe) played violin with me, and it was the first time I ever did a show playing keyboard while standing up!!! And if you ever get a chance to check out Jesse’s show, you should. He is such an entertainer.

JH: What keeps you busy when you have free time? What do you like to do?
HB: I like to fly airplanes…I like to write songs, record songs…or does that not count as “free” time? Cuz my work is my favorite thing in life… I like taking long drives. I like to drink tea. I like camping. I like to come up with random ideas. I love dreaming (in my last dream I was swimming in yogurt lagoons).

JH: What message would you like to convey to your fans about their anticipation for your new record?
HB: I know it’s been a long time since you’ve heard new music from me, but I really hope it turns out to be worth the wait! Get ready for a single and video in July, and the record soon to follow! And try and catch a show, as I will be doing a lot of touring!

JH: What can we expect from your new record? Has your sound changed?
HB: Try not to have expectations. Just listen with an open mind. My sound has definitely changed since the last record. Some people might be caught off guard. But I think my song writing has improved, especially with lyrics. The past few years have been very dramatic, so many of the songs stem from specific things that happened to me.

JH: What music are you listening to these days?
HB: Bjork, Shiny Toy Guns, and the classical station.

JH: Who’s your favorite poet?
HB: I don’t really read poetry…but Joni Mitchell counts!

JH: How many tattoos do you have? What personal significance do your tattoos hold for you? Who does your tattoos?
HB: I have 2 tattoos…the one on the back of my neck I got backstage at a Linkin Park concert when I was 19. Chester’s “Club Tattoo” was doing them for free! It’s a Pisces symbol my friend Steve Stokes from Wisconsin designed. Then I got an owl on my left ribcage last December. I got it because I love flying, and I love staying up late…and harry potter. It was done by Josh Lord at East Side Ink in New York. If you are looking to get a tattoo, please check out his work. Unbelievable.

JH: Tell me about the last dream you had?
HB: Oh, uh…actually I lied before. My very last dream was kinda private…

JH: Is there anything you would like to add to this? After thoughts?
HB: Yeah. Wheels. Banana slugs. Pink parts.

Oh, and send me a little item of your choice to be included in a diorama for my album artwork!

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JH: What was the first record you ever bought?
SC: Prince Erotic City 12’ from Licorice Pizza in Santa Maria Ca

JH: Who influenced you in the early days?
SC: Funny I had a dj who lived across the st named Dj Influence (get it)he turned me on to hip hop like the skinny boys, bdp, erik b and rakim, epmd all kinds a shit, and the skateway roller rink was a big part of it as well

JH: Were you influenced by Grand Master Flash, DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Run DMC? What did you learn from these greats?
SC: I was influenced by them; but not really knowing that I was. I was a punk lil kid who skateboarded and would try to bring my skateboard on the roller skating floor and when I got kicked off of the roller rink at 10 or 11 I got stuck watching the dj and from then it was on. Dj lil Ken I still remember his name. He played funk boogie disco early hip hop and I was hooked.

JH: Tell us about The Double Fisted Underground?
SC: It’s a group of guys that all love djing, all love records, any kind of records, all love drinking beer, and making people dance. Thanks to Mike Conley for letting us has-beens play disco music at the Avalon bar for the last 5 years. It’s family.

JH: I know a lot of people are using Mac’s to DJ. What’s your opinion of this and how has it changed DJ Culture?
SC: I look at it two ways. If you have paid your dues and lugged records around your entire life dedicating your life to the music you love, then it’s a great tool. If you’re some hairdresser with a bunch of friends and rip the latest and greatest hipster tune from the latest and greatest blog, then buy serrato or any other program, and call yourself a dj, I have news for ya… It will go out of style for you as quick as your haircuts and you are not a dj. MUSIC BLOGGERS ARE FUCKING BOOTLEGGERS…

JH: What about disco? Give us your take on disco?
SC: I love disco. I sometimes think I was born too late. Its all disco to me man.

JH: With all the different names for genres of music these days, what style do you classify yourself as?
SC: Drunk.

JH: Where do you buy your records these days?
SC: I go to thrift stores in Long Beach, Cal Sound in San Diego, Jigsaw records and any yard sale that I see that has wax. Anywhere and everywhere I guess.

JH: Who are your close cronies and favorite DJ’s?
SC: Close cronies are Dj Poppa, Jud Nester, Dirty Lo, Ben Cook, Dj Cocoe, Josh One, Esca, Dj Spun, and Tim Love Lee. I don’t really have a favorite; they all do different things and play different shit. Maurice Fulton, Harvey, J Rocc, Jazzy Jeff, Moody Man too many to name…

JH: Where do you see DJ Culture heading?
SC: I don’t really know and I don’t really care. I’m not one of these fly by night dudes. I have been collecting records for 20 years and djing since I was 13 or 14. I’m going to do my own thing without caring what other djs are up to really.

JH: What is your plan for keeping your music great and on the edge and unsafe?
SC: Not wear a condom while djing.

JH: What would you tell an up and coming DJ that wants to keep it real?
SC: Play from the heart. Only play records you love. Don’t compromise what you like for money or anything else. People know if they are a dj or not, its not a fucking fashion statement.

www.myspace.com/scottycoats1
www.rvca.com/music/scottycoats/

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