Sean's little girl Lily joined us on 12/30/05. Be sure and post your best wishes for the family. And keep checking back for date, news, and blog entries. We'll try and keep this updated as best we can.

Man, its been a long time since I posted news. I've put all my updates on my blog and just neglected the news section.

Well, the big news this week is you need to tune in on Friday morning to hears us on the radio. Listen to The Ticket 1310am, or listen to the audio stream at (www.theticket.com). The best sports show in town, and they will feature Pickle for an hour. Also in the studio will be Tom Hicks. He's a billionaire who owns practically every sports team in the area, so we may turn Pickle into a disc golf team and see if he'll buy us. Or maybe he'll just like our music.

Tom, if you read this, we are for sale.

"This Good Life" has Officially Arrived!

The CD's are in hand, and the lucky people who pre-ordered a copy of the CD at the Curtain Club show already have one in the mail. It looks and sounds great, and should be for sale soon on the web site, and through Pickle's label SSR at www.specialsessions.com.

It's always best to get a CD right at a show, and you can do that in just 4 weeks at Pickle's show at The Moon.

Pickle/ glASSpack Show: Recap

What a great show. Anyone not at the show simply missed out on, IMHO, the best Pickle show ever. First off, glASSpack just kicked ass. Their show had a huge lighted sign. 6 or 7 bottles of Jim Beam on stage, fully naked streakers, onstage band fight, and rock and roll that was so loud and aggressive that even the band ended up in a pile on the stage with drums falling all around them. It was cool.

Pickle then took the stage and basked in the warm glow of an amazing crowd. With Gruber playing lead guitar, we just pounded out 13 of our best songs, and it was great. The energy onstage was amazing. There was dancing, broken strings, more beer than we knew what to do with, and a raw, edgy version of "The Other Woman" thrown in as an encore. We'll be putting together another show at Curtain ASAP, so be ready.

Final Album Update

The release date is set. "This Good Life" will be available on February 24th. We will be mailing out any pre-ordered copies that day. Of course, the album will always be available at gigs as well. Pickle also signed with Special Session Recordings, a local label, and the album will be available for sale through their web site. In the coming weeks, the band and SSR will be getting the album into stores as well, so you that there will be no excuse for not having multiple copies of "This Good Life". You'll need one for your house, office, car, friend's car, a few to give out for holidays and birthdays, the never-played-autographed copy...

Man, we're going to be rich!

Almost there!

I know, you are all jonesing for the new album, and to see Pickle back on the stage. Well both will happen soon. "This Good Life" is mastered, artwork is being fine tuned, and its only days away from going off for replication. We have contacted local clubs to get our shows up and running again, so we should hit the stage in the next month. Also, the lucky few who had the chance to listen to some rough tracks were left smiling from ear to ear. Trust us, you're gonna love it.

It's Recorded!

"This Good Life" has been recorded. The final vocals were finished today. 11 of your favorite Pickle songs are in the can. Now, the songs get mixed and mastered, then put into your hands. We'll let you know the date of the CD Release as soon as possible.

Album Update

We finished up a big session this weekend and thought that an update to all you dedicated fans would be worthwhile. As of now, we have finished drums on 9 songs, bass and guitar on 7, and 4 are completely finished. (And it sounds badass.) Basically, if things go to plan, we should have all of the songs recorded by the end of next weekend. Then we just fix, mix, and master. We are right on schedule to release "This Good Life" in January.

We still could use some help though. Album art is the only thing we are still lacking, so if there are any artists out there who want to give it a shot, don't hesitate to send us some ideas. We need all the support we can get to produce a great album. Feel free to email ideas to craig@pickleband.com or call us directly at 214.395.3991.

Pickle is Hiding in the Studio

Just an update for those of you who have been missing the dulcet tones of Pickle and are jonesing to come out to a show. You'll be waiting just a bit longer.

We've been in the studio working on the new album, "This Good Life". Recording started at the beginning of October, and we've got the majority of 5 tracks recorded so far. To focus on recording and rehearsing, we have not scheduled any live shows. The next time you see us out and about should be at a CD release party sometime in January.

Sorry to make all of you wait, but be assured that it is worth it. The album sounds awesome so far, and is just going to get better. And the rehearsal and studio time will mean that our next live show is going to be razor sharp. See you after the holidays.

Pickle

The New Music Festival Report

Our show was scheduled at Club Dada on the Patio stage. It was an awesome stage set up like a living room with 2 arm chairs, a couch behind the drums, end tables, a lamp, and some decorative sculptures and plants. Very cool. Unfortunately, after setting up and soundchecking, the weather turned bad. 5 minutes before our show, it began to rain, and being an outdoor stage, tarps were quickly pulled out to cover everything. The stage manager gave us the option of waiting it out (in which case we might not play) or quickly getting on the inside stage and playing right away.

Well, we had to play, because this show was featuring special guest Jeff Gruber on lead guitar. Being rained out was simply not an option, so Pickle moved their setup in just a few mintues into Dada and set up on the stage.

And its a good thing we did, cause after we started our first song, it started to pour. Which worked out great for us, cause people were all seeking shelter, so they came into Dada and caught one of the greatest Pickle shows ever. It was energetic, sharp, and the set was dynamite. For those who missed the show, its a shame. The extra guitar work really took the songs to new levels.

On a fun note, Chris and myself (Craig) were joined by Collin and Kris to play in a NMF Bowling Tournament. Now, we don't bowl, so the fact that we came in 5th out of 6 was awesome for us. We now can officially say we are not the worst bowling team in Dallas. Take that Observer.

The Record Begins

No really. This time its guaranteed cause the studio time is already paid for. Our win at the Battle of the Bands earned us 105 hours of studio time at Crystal Clear. We have booked about 50 of that already in October and November, so with our tracks we've already started at Reel Time Audio, we should have the album recorded by December. That means we tentatively have a late January release. We promise to do everything in our power to get it out as quickly as we can. However, don't look for any tracks to pop up here on the site. We are going to keep it in the can until we actually release the album. The first time you hear the album will be at the CD release.

The wait is almost over.

A Little Band called Pickle

The big show at Curtain Club for the North Texas New Music Festival Battle of the Bands was last night, and Pickle was lucky enough to pull out the win. That's right kids. Pickle won the Grand Prize to record our new album, get replication, t-shirts and a slot in the New Music Festival. It was a great night of music, and the other bands Far Cry, Common Signs, 12th of Never, and Raleigh were all top notch. For those that made it out for that early 9:00 slot, thanks for your support. For those who missed it, there will still be chances to catch Pickle at their best in just a few weeks.

Thanks again for your support.

The Lowdown on September 3rd

Many people are surfing to the site who know about the show and want to go, but don't have all the details. Well, all questions are answered below.

Place: Curtain Club (Deep Ellum, Dallas TX)
Date: September 3rd
Details: This is Deep Friday, which means that when you pay your $8 cover at Curtain Club a wristband. This wristband lets you into 8 clubs in Deep Ellum. So get out early and stroll around the block. You can listen to bands for 5 minutes and go find another one. Its like musical variety pack.

Now, Pickle will be playing at Curtain Club along with 3 other bands. We don't know the exact time that we hit the stage yet, but it will be between 9:30 and 12:30. (I know, really vague, but we'll know exact times in the coming weeks.) In addition to the audience, reps from Crystal Clear Records, Bandwear and more will be on hand to judge the competition and award the Grand Prize of $10,000 in prizes.

You may notice that there is only one show in August. That's because Pickle is taking the month to put together the best set that they've ever done. It'll be tight, loud, energetic, and worth about $10,000. So take this next month to send out emails to your friends and get them out. 17 and Up are welcome. Put out the word, and lets show Dallas what Pickle is all about.

Pickle + You + Killer Tunes = $10,000

This is it. The moment you have been waiting for. Pickle will hit the stage September 3rd for a chance to win $10,000 in studio time, CD's, bandwear, and more. I can't express how important a win on this would be for Pickle. We need to pull out all the stops for this one. It is going to be the sharpest show we have ever done, so don't miss it. Also, it is Deep Friday, so your $8 bucks gets you into 8 clubs in Deep Ellum including Curtain Club, Club Clearview and Club Dada. Get out early and go club hopping with Pickle before the show, then make the grand entrance into Curtain Club behind the band who will take the night.

Studio Surprise!

We just learned that our win at Curtain Club had some unknown perks. In addition to getting to compete for $10,000 in prizes at the Finals, for winning the Semi-finals we also get 15 hours of Studio time at Crystal Clear Studios. That's almost $1000 of studio time. That's like getting a free song for our upcoming album. If we really knock it out, we might even get 2 full songs done. That means that the album will be almost halfway done by July.

A big hooray and thank you from Pickle to all of you who came out and supported us.

Pickle is in the Finals!

Pickle won the Semi-Finals of the North Texas New Music Search at Curtain Club last night. We had a lot of people come out to support us and because of that support, we are on to the finals for the $10,000 prize. We had Vicki with her birthday entourage from Ft. Worth, Crystal brought her bachelorette party from Arlington, Alisa brought people from Austin and Sherman, and even a couple from San Francisco, and a guy from Boulder, CO threw their votes our way. It was a fantastic evening, and we want to thank everyone that made it out for going out of the way to come to the show on a holiday weekend.

Now we're in the finals, so get ready to do it again.

Another Win (sorta)

Pickle played in a Battle of the Bands last night at the Curtain Club. We had a great audience turn out, played a high energy set, and a good time was had by all. The winner of the evening is based on the number of people a band brings out, and there was a tie between Pickle and Napalm Lovebomb. As a result, we will both be advancing to play again. Thanks to everyone who made it out to support Pickle. We appreciate it.

The Recording Starts

Pickle is hitting the Studios on April 17th to start recording their first full length album. After some delays and snags, everything is all set. Pickle is working at Reel Time Audio in Denton with Eric Delegard. This fine studio has recorded great bands like Bowling for Soup, Brave Combo, and Jibe. We are excited to be working with such an outstanding studio, and we know the results are going to be top notch. The wait is almost over. In a matter of months, Pickle will have their new album out. Get Ready.

Get Bohemian

I'm back on my soapbox for this entry. It was brought to my attention that the number one selling album of 2003 was none other than Clay Aikens, the runner up on American Idol. He has been mentioned in one of my previous rants. I've got nothing against Clay. He's doing his thing, and that's fine, but I am disappointed in a country that invests more money in that music than any other artist/musician in the world. So I've decided, its time to encourage you all to cast off the mantle of mediocre music, and get bohemian.

This is a time when we should be listening to music that is fringe. There is so much great stuff out there, especially in Dallas. It's a scene that is ready to make a name for itself. Catching Pickle playing a late Wednesday night gig at a little bar is like people seeing Nirvana and Mudhoney play in a seedy club in Seattle. (That's right, I said it. Comparing Pickle to Nirvana). We should be staying up late and crashing on peoples floors after late night gigs. We should be talking about things happening, sharing obscure music. Make your own music, write your own books, have your own ideas. Complacency is boring. No one ever looks back and goes, "That year that I went to work every day, watched TV, shopped at the Gap and slept was awesome." Its time to make memories. Its time to do things you might regret. Its time to take risks. Its time to say no to artists who have good haircuts and no talent. Its time to get back to the core. Pickle would like to be the sound track.

The Dark Horse Pickle pulls out the Win!

On two days notice, Pickle played the Sobe Battle of the Bands at The Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas last night. No one knew we would be playing, and many people hadn't heard of us before, but they won't be forgeting us. Pickle fans surprised the guys with a great turn out on a weekday night, and their support, combined with what may have been the best Pickle show ever, made Pickle the winners of the evening. The next stage is December 4th, so make sure you get out to help us win again.

The other 3 bands, Farstar, Rocket Queen, and Piker, all did a fabulous job, and it was a very close competition, with Pickle only winning by 3/10 of a point. It was a fun evening, hanging out with the other bands, our friends and fans, and meeting new people that will hopefully be the newest Pickle converts.

Thanks to all the fans who came out. It's all because of you that Pickle had such a successful evening.

A Sad day in Music

In a terrible loss to the music world, singer/songwritter Elliott Smith died yesterday in his home from an apparent suicide. The same day, American Idol Clay Aikens' new album of cover songs debuted at #1.

Its a sign of the times. I try to avoid preaching, but this is seriously a glimpse of where music is today. A creative, inspiring musician decides to end it, and Fox television, the people who brought you gems like "Herman's Head", decide what music is good for us, and the public swallows it obediently.

Millionaires and executives throughout history have proven themselves to have very poor taste in music. It is up to people like you to make sure that the tide shifts. I don't care what kind of music you like, but do your part to support the great musicians out there, especially the local talent that needs your support.

Evil Invades the Pickle World

Soulless evil reared its ugly head last night, and attacked our bass player, Sean, at his home. Last night, someone broke into his car, which was packed for rehearsal, and stole his entire bass rig. This includes his Green 6-String Carvin, Hartke 4x10 and 2x10, Peavey 15" Black Widow, David Eden Bass head, and his Line 6 bass Pod. Keep your eyes open for any losers with nice gear resembling this. Although usually non-violent, Pickle gives you permission to shoot first, and ask questions later.

Hopefully, everything will work out, and Seans gear can be either recovered, or covered under insurance. In the meantime, if anyone out there can support us with some spare bass gear to borrow for shows, it would be appreciated. He has another bass, but we could use an amp.

*******UPDATE********
It looks as if everything will be ok. The gear will be covered by insurance, so other than some minor expense and a major hassle, everything should work out, and our bass player will be good as new in the near future.

Weekend for Charity - Pickle is Sold!

The charity weekend for Pickle started with a show at UNT for the Phi Mu Alpha music Fraternity. It was a great location, cool people, and loud Pickle music, with proceeds from the show going to the Owsley Foundation, a group that gets instruments for at-risk kids.

Later that evening, Pickle was sold to the highest bidder at an auction party in Dallas. For those who have never heard of these things, its a big party where people bring things to auction, and all of the money goes to charity. Things acutions ranged from boxes of CD's, dance lessons, and, of course, a Pickle performance. The winning bid was $110, the second highest amount of the evening. The winner, Elizabeth, will be donating the money to the Susan G. Coleman Breast Cancer Foundation. No date yet for the Elizabeth Show.

Pickle was excited to be a part of such a great event. If anyone out there would like to throw their own auction party, call us and let us know.

"Heavenly" is Leaked

Some unscrupulous person has stolen a rough copy of "Heavenly" from our upcoming album and put it on our website. It is an unmixed version, but you get the sense of where the song will end up once its on the new album. It will most likely first appear as a "B-Side" for our first single opposite "Dig It" this winter, with the album coming out in the spring.

We have no idea what evil, soulless person would steal our work and post it out on the web for everyone to download, but we will get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, enjoy the ill gotten gains.

Back in the Game

Pickle played their first electric gig since getting new drummer Chris Plunk. It was a marathon 4 hour show at O'Riley's in Dallas. We had a great time, and got to get a feel for each other on stage. The chemistry is definitely there, and the sound is great. We'll be working on more tunes, and adding some covers to the set list, so if you have any requests of songs you'd like to hear, let us know. If anyone recommends Creed, you will be banned from future shows.

Session 4: Drums, Drums, Nothing but Drums

Well, Pickle finally got back into the studio with their new member, Chris Plunk on the drums. Chris spent over 15 hrs. recording drums for 3 tracks: Heavenly, Aldous Huxley, and Dig It. Even though he's been with Pickle just a few weeks, he added a whole new life to the songs, and we got great stuff down. I know I keep promising this, but as soon as we have a track edited and mixed, I'll throw a cut up on the internet.

We're booking shows for September, so be ready to come out and see the revamped Pickle. Chris is gonna blow your mind. A great drummer, easy going guy, and the only single member of Pickle. Hello Ladies!

And 3 makes a Band

Pickle is excited to announce the addition of Chris Plunk as our new drummer. He's been rehearsing with Sean and Craig for about 2 weeks now, and things are really starting to cook. Pickle will be back in action with live shows at the end of August, so keep your eyes and ears open for new developments. Also, to learn more about Chris, check back to the site. We'll be putting up photos and bios in the near future.

Back in The Saddle, Again

While the hunt for the new drummer is on, Sean and Craig have been brushing up their acoustic chops, and are getting ready to go back into the studio and continue work on the new album. New songs are being put together, as well as reworking some old tunes from the early days that most of you haven't had the chance to hear. The shows will be coming more and more, so keep checking back.

Pickle - Back to Basics

Pickle is changing again, as we say goodbye to Bill, our drummer. After a year with Pickle, he will be parting ways with the band after our May 16th show. We'd like to thank Bill for his dedication to the band, and wish him the best of luck.

Pickle will still be pushing forward with acoustic shows while we look for a new drummer. The recordings will still be going strong as well, so keep checking in. Anyone who knows a great drummer, let us know.

First song almost ready

We've been pounding out time in the studio, and have almost finished "Heavenly". All that remains is some back-up vocals and fine tuning. As soon as we have a rough copy ready, we'll post it to the web, so keep visiting the website and keep your eyes open for it.

Brand New Look

As you can see, the Pickle website has been completely redesigned. This great new look was created by Kristy Hall, our web designer, manager, and all around organizer. Drop us a line and let us know what you think.

Enjoy

Session 3: Zen and the art of Editing

A rainy night in Frisco, staring at a computer screen for 4 hours and listening to bass lines. It was actually a lot of fun. The bass for "Smiling thru the Pain" is completely edited, and is kick ass. We also edited a huge chunk of bass on "Heavenly", currently, my favorite track on the album. This is the tedious part of the process, but the long process has produced great results. The small part that we completed sound amazing. Very tight. Our producer, Ken, is bringing out the best in Pickle.

Session 2: Enter the Cowbell

Bill and Sean started their recording for the new Pickle album this weekend. Pickle spent 12 hours recording on Sunday with our producer Ken, and got drums and bass down on all five tunes. The cowbell click track is still beating in all of our heads. Some fine tuning and editing will need to be done, but the rough tracks are starting to sound really good. It already sounds better than the "Yummy" EP, and we haven't even started to mix or edit. Bill bore the brunt of the recording, with about 6 hours of drumming. He was completely wiped out by the end, but the results were well worth it. Sean laid down his bass very quickly, by comparison, throwing out 5 tracks in about 2 1/2 hours, and there is some really killer shit in there. I'm jonseing now to get in and record my guitar tracks. My scratch guitar and vocals are the worst part of the songs now.

Were sure that this is going to be a great album. It'll be everyhting you've come to expect from Pickle, only more so. On stage, there are only three of us, so we are limited somewhat. In the studio, anything is possible, and we are already staring to explore. As soon as we have some stuff finished and mixed, it'll be up on the website. Keep checking in.

It Has Begun!

The new Pickle album has officially begun. Early this week, I (Craig) went in an recorded some scratch tracks and vocals for 5 songs. These will be used to build the song around in a recording session with the whole band on the 16th. Songs that are down in rough form so far:

Good Life, Aldous Huxley, Heavenly, Smiling Thru the Pain, and Dig It.

This is going to be a great album. "Yummy" was recorded and mixed in a mere 20 hrs. This album will take more like 300 hrs, so it is bound to be that much better. It looks like there will be about 12 songs on the album, although we are still finalizing what songs will go on. We'll keep you updated on what songs are being used, and have tales from the studio. Keep checking in.

Best Pickle Show Ever!!!

Pickle had a fantastic time this weekend at Andy's in Denton. The proceeds from the show went to the UNT production of the Vagina Monologues, and lots of people came out to show their support. Monkeyshyne and Sally Majestic opened up the show, and did a great job. The audience through the evening was 50+, and a fun crowd. In the end, the show raised over $200 for the Vagina Monologues. Money for Charity, a great audience, and a fun show made for the best time Pickle has had at a show.

Thanks to everyone who made it out.

A New Pickle CD is beginning!

A short 11 months after Pickle's first recording, "Yummy", Pickle is heading into the studio to start recording their first full length CD. The recording will start on February 10th, and will be guided by producer Ken Demith at his Rug Records studio. Pickle estimates that the recording will be completed in September, and be available for sale around November. This will be a long process, but we feel the extra time will make for a great quality recording. As songs are completed, rough edits will be put up on the website for download.

If you have a favorite Pickle song that you'd like to have on a CD, request it by signing our guestbook. By next fall, you could have that song in your hands. Keep checking back for new songs. They could start showing up as early as March. We'll keep you posted on the progess of the recording in our news.

Pickle

Pickle: Curtain Club Veterans

Craig here. Let me preface this entry by saying that the success of last nights gig was due in large part to the outstanding sound at the Curtain Club. Thanks to James McWilliams and all the guys there for making Pickle sound better than we ever have before. If any of you haven't seen a show at The Curtain Club, you haven't heard good sound.

We played our first show at The Curtain Club last night, which was also our first show as a trio. The band was somewhat wary that there would be some rough spots since we only had 2 rehearsals to make changes to the songs. (Actually, I was the only one that was really nervous, cause I was the only one who would probably step all over a song.) However, once the sound check started, we had no more fear. We sounded like minature rock-gods. The crowd was a good one, about 30 people, and they witnessed the first public performance of a new Pickle song called "Heavenly." It was a high energy, fast paced, 40 min. set, and the audience ws digging it the whole time. We were followed by A Jury Of Robots, an aggressive hard rock group and all around great guys, and Rivethead, a band who describes their sound as "groovetronica". It was a great night, and we hope to do it again soon.

Pickle Bids Farewell to a Friend

Wyatt Edenfield, guitarist with Pickle, has decided to part ways with Pickle. Sean, Bill, and Craig all wish him the best in his new endeavours. Wyatt may not be out of the music scene for too long though. He has some new projects cooking, and when something gets up and running, we'll let you know.

Thanks Wyatt for all of your hard work over the last 10 months. You'll be missed.

Pickle

Times they are a changin'

All of you Pickle fans out there that have always wanted to be onstage with PIckle finally have your chance. Pickle has decided to add another guitar player to the line-up, and have started the audition process. We're looking for a solid lead player that can rip it up when needed, lay down a blues lick when called upon, and anything else the varied sound of Pickle requires. The new player would need to have an earnest desire to be a rock star, and the time and energy to dedicate to promoting the band, rehearsing, and more. Pickle plans to start recording in the next month or two, so we would like to add someone as quickly as possible. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, send us an email through the contact page, or call us at (817) 235-0489.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Pickle

Pickle, streaming over your Computer Speakers

It's tough being an up and coming rock band, especially in a city like Dallas. There are tons of bands out there, all struggling to get heard and create an audience. But some bands, like Pickle, have an advantage. Altough our music instantly stands out, it's people like Darren at Dallasmusic.com that are helping us reach an audience. Last night, I got a call from Darren, who was on live with his internet radio show. HIs show is one of the best out there, focusing on local music and playing the best local bands. Great bands like Pickle, that you normally would only hear at a club. He had me do a short promo and introduce "Never the Same" before he played it on the show. It was really cool. Internet radio is definitely the future. While it's a bit rough right now, eventually, you be able to listen to broadcasts from all over the world, not just in your audio radius. With wireless communications advancing like it is, internet radio will eventually come into houses and cars, allowing listeners to hear more selective and specialized broadcasts. Imagine being able to listen to only great local bands from all over the US. It'll be great

For now, Pickle is just jazzed about being a part of the local music scene, and being heard by new people. Give the show a listen. You never know what you might hear that will really turn you on. You can visit Darren's show at http://www.live365.com/stations/44463, starting at 10:00 every night. You definitely hear some Pickle if you check out the show, along with other great DFW bands.

Get switched on,

Craig