I, Phil Ward, am indebted to you guys. Many of you came out in the last couple of months and supported the play I co-produced at Theatre of NOTE, and/or showed up at Trough Records Night a week ago. You shelled out good money to do those things, so it’s about time I did a show that’s free:

This Wednesday night, June 2, I’m lucky enough to be a featured artist again at WineStyles a wine store/wine bar (with appetizers!) in South Pasadena, where Brad Colerick runs a terrific acoustic music series. It goes from 7 to 9 pm; no cover charge; charming and cozy. I’ll be doing around six songs; there will be several musical guests and the other featured act is the delightful Sweet Talk Radio. This series is often standing-room-only, so you might want to arrive toward the beginning if possible.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be peforming a brand new song, all about the garbage men where I grew up in Kansas City.

WineStyles is at 1007 Mission Street, South Pasadena, 91030. It’s about a 20-second walk from the Metro Gold Line station; I’ve tried it. Here’s a link to a Google map: http://tinyurl.com/yb4368r

Big thanks again to all you folks, whether you’ve made it to anything of mine in the last few months or not. I like having you on my mailing list. For one thing, you’re very attractive.

Your admirer,
Phil
www.philwardmusic.com

PS: Here are places you can buy Do Not Insert In Ear Canal and/or download the songs digitally:

CDBaby.com
ComedySportz Los Angeles
Amazon.com
The iTunes Music Store

That’s right, Jon Tuttle’s play HOLY GHOST, which I helped produce, is still running at Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood. We’re a Pick Of The Week in the LA WEEKLY. We’re Ovation Recommended. We’re playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and Sunday at 7, through May 29. On Sunday May 30, there’s a 3pm matinee to close the run. Write me if you want more details. The reservation line is 323-856-8611; buy tickets online at www.theatreofnote.com. Limited half-price seats available at stubdog.com, LAStageAlliance.com and goldstar.com.

The one night you shouldn’t go to HOLY GHOST is Sunday May 23. Because that’s when you wanna be in lovely Sierra Madre, attending Trough Records Night! I and every other artist on the Trough label will be there: ROD SMEAR, ANDREW LORAND, PIPER-GREY, MARK HUMPHREYS, LISA JOHNSON, TIM TEDROW & TERRY VREELAND, DAVE MORRISON and PAUL ZOLLO. Whew! Just listing all of those brought my heart rate up; actually being there may cause you to faint. As always, please consult your doctor before beginning any audience-participation program.

Here are the deets:
TROUGH RECORDS NIGHT
7:00 PM, SUNDAY MAY 23, 2010
THE SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE
TICKETS: $10 AT THE DOOR

Seating is limited, so reserve your seats now! Call (626) 969-0778 for reservations. All ages are welcome, and each performer will be doing two songs. We promise to show you a good time and get you home at a worknight-friendly hour.

Hope to see you at HOLY GHOST and at Trough Night. The two experiences will be vastly different, I assure you.

Phil!

This play is a humdinger. Lots of drama, suspense, tension and action, laced with many moments of laugh-out-loud humor. Something for everyone. (Except children; it’s definitely for mature audiences.) Info is pasted below on when, where, and how to get tickets, including half-price ones. Hope to see you there! (If you or anyone you know is in the military or a vet, you or they get half-price tickets any time! Call the reservation line and use the code word “military.” It’s on the honor system.)

Several of you came to the Comedy Night fundraiser for HOLY GHOST a couple weeks back; I am indebted to you. Especially since a lot of the comedians addressed much of their acts right to you guys.

Also! You’ll hear more about this next month, but:

Sunday May 23, 7 pm is Trough Records Night at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, 91024. Just about the entire lineup of Trough Records artists, all in one evening. Each act will perform two songs. You’ll see me and a bunch of my heroes, in a delightful setting in quaint Sierra Madre. The Playhouse’s site, with directions: http://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org

Thank you all!

-Sleepy Phil (my new blues name)

Here’s an address that’ll get you directions to ComedySportz, which is at 733 N Seward St, Hollywood, 90038: http://www.comedysportzla.com/about/directions-and-parking.html

And this is kinda cool: if you’ve been thinking about buying or downloading my latest CD, Do Not Insert In Ear Canal, now’s the time to go fetch it at CDBaby.com, because the good folks there will donate $1 to the American Red Cross and to Mercy Corps for every CD sold/downloaded, thru February 8. You can find me on their website at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/PhilWard.

Thanks, and let’s never forget how lucky we are!

DO NOT INSERT IN EAR CANAL has fourteen songs on it, recorded live, including stuff you’ve seen on YouTube like The Hoosegow and Stupid, and of course the staggering mini-opera Ugly Little Pizza, featuring a sixteen-voice choir, bringing the album to a thunderous climax that would make Wagner envious, or at least giggly.

How to get yourself a copy: buy it or download it digitally from CDBaby.com, or through Amazon.com. Or get a copy Phil’s favorite way…go to the ComedySportz Store, where only Phil’s previous CD EASILY AMUSED is visible (the site is being updated). Order that CD, but in the “Special instructions” area, type something like “Don’t send me his old one; send me his new one! Why in God’s name would I want the old one? What kind of out-of-date relic do you take me for?!” Rest assured you will receive the new one. Not only do we aim to please, but we really dislike being yelled at.

On, or shortly after, the release date, you’ll be able to buy the CD, or download it digitally, at the usual sites. More on that in a later update.

DO NOT INSERT IN EAR CANAL has fourteen songs on it, recorded live, including stuff you’ve seen on YouTube like The Hoosegow and Stupid, and of course the staggering mini-opera Ugly Little Pizza, featuring Aubrey Richmond on violin and a sixteen-voice choir, bringing the album to a thunderous climax that would make Wagner envious, or at least giggly.

Here’s what that looked like:

And Phil’s got three appearances coming up this month. All very different, each in a different price range, and each extremely wonderful in its own way:

• Fri Sep 4, 10:30 pm: ¡Viva Luis! at the ComedySportz Theatre. Yep, it’s a benefit to help one of LA’s funniest improvisers pay his medical bills. Improv, standup comedy, and a set by Phil. Myles Nye will tap dance during The Hoosegow! To find out all about it and buy tickets (they’re $25), click here.

• Sat Sep 19, all day: Phil fronts the comedy-bluegrass band Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at Disneyland. Five shows, starting from 11 am to 5:15 pm, at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland. Expensive, but look at it this way: they also have expensive food.

• Sun Sep 20, 2 pm: the free one! (Donations are gladly accepted.) It’s Comedy Music Day at Dana Charnofsky’s Songwriter Sanctum series at The Church In Ocean Park, Santa Monica. Phil will play a half-hour set, sharing the bill with some funny acts he really likes, such as Dale LaDuke and the very R-rated Eric Schwartz, and some that he’s never seen but which sound great, such as Elizabeth Grey and Ukulele Bartt. It’s at 235 Hill St, Santa Monica, 90405 (just off Main St. on the corner of Hill and 2nd). Dana says bring quarters for metered parking.

Phil’s website: www.philwardmusic.com

You can always send Phil an email at phil@philwardmusic.com, and you can always be removed from Phil’s mailing list by sending him an email with “Please, I beg you, no more” in the subject line.

If you’ve been paying attention (and wasting time at work), you’ll have already seen the videos for some of these songs on YouTube, videos such as “Stupid” and “The Hoosegow.” Snap this sucker up at CDBaby.com, Amazon.com and iTunes–or if you want to do things the old fashioned way, just drop Phil a line (phil@philwardmusic.com) and he’ll tell you how to order one directly from Trough Records by mail.

Hey, this gig popped up out of nowhere, like the 1999 St. Louis Rams. If you’re in the Phoenix area next weekend, I hope you’ll join me at what promises to be a nifty intimate venue. If you know people in the area who have a strong enough constitution to withstand the Phil Ward comedy barrage, I’d be much obliged if you’d send ‘em my way.

WHEN: Friday, April 17, 10:30 pm
Music at 8. The talented Brad Colerick and Annie Moscow play at 8:50 and 9:45 respectively. They’re good.
WHERE: Fiddler’s Dream Coffeehouse (serving non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks)
1702 East Glendale, Phoenix, 85020
(Southeast corner of 17th St and Cactus Wren)
HOW MUCH: Three bucks! No way, right? Totally true.
For info: fiddlersdream.org
For detailed directions: fiddlersdream.org/about.htm

Thanks to all of you who came to see the play FILM at Theatre of NOTE, or tried to but couldn’t get tickets. And to the rest of you for considering it. You guys all rock.

• it’s called FILM.
• Phil plays Samuel Beckett. (A noted absurdist. In other words, type casting.)
• it’s based on a true story.
• it’s full of humor, drama, romance, silent movie clips and ukeleles.
• it runs FEB 13 – MAR 21 at Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood.

Click the theater’s link for ticket info, and/or click here for a copy of the flyer. See you there!