5.12.01: Reunion?
Ok, so this probably doesn't even qualify as news. But for us news-starved Spins fans, there's always hope. When Erik left the band, he did not exactly leave on good terms, so him returning was very slim. But an email in the Spins digest shows that there could be an extremely slim chance of Erik playing with Chris. Here's what Dave Mallic said: Hey all - finally, some straight Spins info from me instead of this Blues Traveler shit I'm always spouting about. Well, okay, so it was posted on the black-cat list, but still... Apparently he was sitting next to Warren on the way back from Jazzfest in New Orleans, and he mentioned that "One new piece of info I gleaned from talking to him was that perhaps Eric Schenkman (sp?) and Chris Baron (sp?) are talking again and getting along." Just thought I'd share. :) Once again, I'd just like to remind you that the chance of them getting back together is very slim. But we can dream, can't we? :-)
APRIL 2001:
There was no news in the month of April.
MARCH 2001
3.1.01: Sinko's Spin Doctors Page goes bilingual! Also: changes servers, abandons the "update every week" deal, and eats massive piles of crow I'm sure you've been wondering what the hell I've been doing for the past month. Well, I can't tell you exactly, But I can tell you what I haven't been doing: updating. And I'm really sorry about that. First item: SSDP goes bilingual. That's right: for certain sections of the page, I'll have a link at the bottom that says: read in (German, Spanish). I'll be using a free translator, however, so the translation most likely will not be very accurate. But it should give the gist of the story. Second: I've realized that I just can't update every week, for two reasons: one being that there is just no news at all about the Spin Doctors, another being that I just don't have the time. I will still try to update as often as possible, but I just can't guarantee every single week now. Third: Something else I've realized is that Internet Trash SUCKS. The pictures take forever to load and the pages are often down. So I'll be moving to a more reliable ad-free server called Brinkster. Over the next few weeks there may be some problems with the page. Let me know if there are. Alright, that's about it. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go eat some crow.....
FEBRUARY 2001
There was no news in the month of February.
JANUARY 2001
There was no news in the month of January.
DECEMBER 2000
12.20: Video of GDF available for download!I got an email from a guy named Mike today, who is subscribed to my emailing list. Here's what he said:Perhaps you already know this: on the following link you'll find a concert of Barron and his new band: http://musictv.com first you have to order a password for the login search for a "give daddy five" concert The video is streaming, so it looks much better on a broadband connection. The sound quality isn't great, but I highly recommend downloading it anyway. Thanks to Mike for this heads up!
NOVEMBER 2000
11.17: New soundclips posted on Chrisbarron.com
And life is good...Back on the 8th of November, you may have noticed that Chris mentioned on his page that he would be updating it with new soundclips. I don't know what you thought, but if you were like me, you thought shheay, right.Well Chris has proved us all wrong. He's posted 3, count 'em 3, sound clips over at his spectacular page. And guess what? The songs were recorded in a studio by the Give Daddy Five. So the logical explanation is that the Give Daddy Five is coming out with an album. And that will defiantly kick ass.What are you waiting for? Click here and download the new sound clips right now!There is a God....
11.08.00: Chrisbarron.com Updates
...and not much is new Today Chris Barron posted a message on his page. Here's what he had to say:Dear Folks,Well, plenty of stuff has happened since we last spoke. Robbie Clores and I got the chance to go to Spain to play five shows. I don't know if you've ever been to Spain but it's one of the funnest places I've ever been and believe me, I've been to some pretty fun places. We drank some whisky and I practiced my Spanish on the prettiest girls in the world. We enjoyed playing in the duet so much that we're playing some shows around town just with the piano and acoustic guitar. We went down to Baltimore and played the 8x10 as a duet and from there we went on to Alexandria and played Zig's. Those were great shows. If you don't believe me, next time you ought to be there to see for yourself.Here in New York City, on Monday nights, this guy Latch runs an open mike called the anti-hoot, which is short for anti-folk hootenanny, which I've been using for an opportunity to try out material that I've been writing. Latch is a NYC institution and he M.C.'s with this warm, dry wit that is so funny that I sit around laughing all night. If you're in NY, you should check it out. There's people of all abilities playing, from people who've never been on stage to some really great performers. From that I met Adam Green and Kimya and I ended up playing lead guitar in their band the Mouldy Peaches on a a gig and I'm also on their new record which is awesome. I want to send out a shout to Robbie Clores, my piano player, who's my right hand man and an amazing player. He's been a great friend and a huge help. Paco, who drove Robbie and I all around Spain and set up our gigs there, my friend for years, a great Spanish teacher and a Jedi. Dianne Gentile, who's going through a tough stretch right about now loosing someone very close to her recently and still finding time to bring some heavy hitters down to the show. Bill and Rose McGathy who invited us to Amsterdam and found a way to get us on stage. Colleen, who works really hard on the site when I give her something to work with and all of you folks who logged on to check me out.Look for more poetry, a journal from Spain and clips of new music coming soon to chrisbarron.com.Your furry pal,
Chris Not much news in that letter, but it's always great to hear from Chris. He did mention he's writing new songs, and he'll be posting those eventually. It will also be cool to see his journal from Spain. Because Chrisbarron.com doesn't have a mailing list I'll be sure to let the people on my mailing list know (and I'll probably post it here).
11.07.00: Two new MP3s available
and one coming soon Anybody remember when the Spins appeared on Sesame Street? The last time I remember seeing it was a few years ago. Anyway, thanks to the awesome Spins fans Nick and Dave, an MP3 of the appearance is now available! Here's what Dave had to say in the Spins Digest: Hey all...I just got a killer video tape of spins appearances in the mail today (thanks Nick.) Don't anybody ask me for copies as I don't have the ability to dub video tapes at the moment. I did make an MP3 of the Sesame Street segment where the Princess Zoey tries to decide between two playdates with Prince Elmo and Prince Telly. Its really cute. So download it. Its at the FTP site along with a few live chris shows.
Fly In My Glue
Possibly one of the best Spin Doctors songs every is available on MP3. Go to Staffan's page (named after the song) then click on Music Files. Once there, you can download the file (Fly In My Glue). RIGHT CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT SAVE TARGET AS. Otherwise it won't work. This is a great song- you should defiantly download it!
Here Comes The Bride live
Believe it or not, I actually found something off that useless peice of crap called Napster! Yes! I found Here Comes The Bride live, from the 4-29-99 show in Boston. This file used to be on David L.'s ftp server, but the server has been gone for quite some time now, so this is the only way to get it! I will try to get it uploaded later today and post it by the end of this week.
OCTOBER 2000
10.25.00: "JGAN:AR" beaten to a bloody pulp by Entertainment Weekly
Plus, Chris Barron gets mentioned in "Where Are They Now" program on MTV Here's what EW had to say about the Spin Doctors' Best Of album in the most recent issue: SPIN DOCTORS - Just Go Ahead Now: A Retrospective (Epic/Legacy) An unmissed band that could use some positive spin, the Doctors are best remembered for "Two Princes," an annoying non-song that inexplicably went top 10 in 1993. Not everything on this best-of sample is that awful - their first hit, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," has a retro-pop charm - but too many of the 17 tracks are samey variations on soulless funk and tuneless pop. It'd take one heck of a pundit to gloss over the fact that this sound bites. C- Ouch. It's unfortunate that EW has turned against the Spins. A few years back they listed a bunch of Gen X-ers that were doing something with their respective lives, and Chris Barron was included in the list. Now it seems as if they've turned against Chris and the Spins. (HCTB got a B-).
So where is he now?
All around good guy Nick has just informed me that Chris Barron appeared on MTV in the form of a Where Are They Now? Segment. Here's the transcript: "But first what's the update with Chris Barron In 1992 The Spin Doctors fun spirited Pocket Full of Kryptonite blasted through the brick wall of early 90's grunge. Singer Chris Barron and his band offered fans an upbeat alternative with songs like Two Princes and Little Miss Can't Be Wrong. But a 1999 bout with Bells Paulsy left Chris with paralyzed vocal chords and the uncertainty of ever singing again............
These days Chris's voice is back and better than before. He has taken a break form Spin Doctors and formed Chris Barron & The Give Daddy Five playing jazz clubs up and down the east coast and throughout Europe.
And Chris tells Spin Docotors fans not to fret The Doctors plan to keep on delivering. A best of record and their next record are looming in the near future." Nick also noted that other bands like P.O.T. USA got much longer segments than the Chris Barron did.
SEPTEMBER 2000
9.30.00: Just Go Ahead
Now: A Retrospective Cover
Art Thanks to Nick, we now know what the cover of JGAN:AR looks like. I was also able to confirm the release date (10.24.00) and the tracklisting from yesterday's news. Here's what the cover art looks like ------------------------------------>
9.29.00: "Best Of" Tracklisting
Plus- A site first- an editorial.
Tracklisting
Now, first off let me say I don't know if this is true or not, but I see no reason why it wouldn't be. In message posted by Nick in the Spin Doctors message board, he listed the tracks from the Greatest Hits album. I am emailing Nick right now to see where he got this...but I'm pretty sure this is the real deal and I figured I'd let you guys know. Here are the tracks: Jimmy’s O’s BluesLittle MissHow Could You Want Him2 PrincesCleo’s Cat You Let Your Heart Indifference Big Fat Funky Booty Hungry Hameds House I Can’t Believe You’re Still With Her If Wishes Were Horses She Used To Be Mine Miss America (B-side, the un-released track) You’veGot To Believe In Something What Time is it? Refrigerator Car (live) The album is called Just Go Ahead Now: A Retrospective. Editorial
I've never done this before- I figure the news section is for news only- but I am very disappointed with this track listing. Where's Mary Jane? Syster Sysiphis? More than meats the ear? Where Angels Fear To Tread? These are all songs I and many other Spins fans consider the best of the Spin Doctors. And Indifference? Who said that was a greatest hit? I am also dissapointed with the "un-released track"- just a B-side from Little Miss Can't be Wrong that I already have, and the live track which is most likeley from Hombelly Groove. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sony sucks.