Just wanted to put this here in case some of you lovely people hadn’t seen it:
It’s a lovely write up done by Clifford Parody at The Lakeland Ledger
“WHO IS JEFF MORRISON? WHO IS HORACE HOLLOWAY?”
http://www.theledger.com/article/20160216/ARTSINPOLK/160219556/
Have I ever told you about my good friends from Canada? Do you like GREAT FREE MUSIC? With top notch production and sound?
Well then. I guess I shall fill you in! Continue reading!
A couple years back, I had some strangers from a far away land (Canada in pretty damn far from Florida) message me on a website called Couchsurfing.
After some deliberation, and upon learning these 2 folks were musicians in town to record, I decided to take a risk, and meet them for coffee!
BEST. DECISION. EVER!!
Not only did they turn out to be GREAT people, but they were GREAT musicians on top of it!
They ended up recording a top notch record here in FL with Aaron Marsh of the band Copeland.
AND, you can get it FOR FREE, RIGHT HERE:
Just click the picture!
Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folks record “Over Land and Sea”
FREE, COMPLETELY FREE.
The record turned out brilliantly, they toured like MADMEN, and they ended up winning multiple contests up in Canada.
Heck, they even stayed at my house!
So do yourself a favor, grab a free copy of the record, and say hey to my buddies while you’re at it!
Hop you enjoy!
HH
AUBURNDALE CITY CON WAS UPON US! #CityCon for you Twitter folks….
and then it was over. and I am TIRED…..
Well. It went how I thought it would go. Small Con. Small town.
REALLY nice people.
Ran into some fellow Orlando City Soccer Club supporters (City Till I Die!)and had some friends come visit. Always cool. Had some Barbecue. Walked the dog. Laughed A LOT. Heard some great stories. Had PLENTY of coffee. (Thank God for Dunkin Donuts). Trekkies, Furry’s, a ZOMBIE Batman….
ANYWAY
THIS is my buddy Paul
HELL of a nice guy (even though he was a LIVERPOOL fan :p) who showed me some CREEPY pictures of real life ghost encounters he’s had as a member of Ghost Hunters: International. He’s been all over the WORLD searching for the truth behind paranormal encounters.
There was a WICKED cool Delorean on premise
As well as a cool copy of “Christine” and a sweet Jurassic park jeep.
I had a TOTAL childhood flashback with Phil Moore from Nickelodeon (No, he is NOT the guy from Reading Rainbow hahaha He hears this all the time, he told me.)
a SUPER nice, wacky, zany, loud fella who was a HUGE Space Ghost fan.
and OF COURSE, as always, I had TONS of fun w/ my buddy George Lowe, the ghost with the most!
CON LIFE!!!!!!
My pal, George Lowe, on the job!
HH
So, once, while I was tracking the “Chinese Democracy” of E.P.s ( Guns and Roses ain’t the only guys who take 15 years to make a record apparently!) I was called and asked to move my already booked and paid for recording time.
and WHY, after my session had been set for quite a while, was I being called and asked last minute for a favor?
WELL, because a Japanese/ British “Super group” had come to town to record and they needed the place! STAT!
and, being the doll I am, I of course obliged.
They’re actually pretty good! The bands called “Muddy Apes” and this is my new claim to fame
hahaha
Alls well that ends well,
Someplace’s own,
HH
As EVERY good story begins, “So I played this gig, right…”
Well, I played this gig a week or so back, with these real deal songwriters.
It was put on by a professor at Full Sail University down here in Orlando. A songwriter in the round type gig where you tell stories, talk about your songs and then take turns playing them. an “Austin City Limits” type thing and HOLY SMACKERS was I nervous. There were only 3 of us on stage. A lady, with about 30 years of songwriting and performing experience, and guy, with about 30 years of songwriting, producing, and performing experience, AND myself. With my fat 5 years of learning to play the guitar….
“One of these things is not like the other”
So the guy, he’s kind of a big shot, seeing as he was Justin Timberlakes producer. You know all those hits for N’sync and The Backstreet Boys?
Me and Veit Renn
Yeah, he wrote AND produced them. Plus a ton for other famous performers as well. He’s 50x Platinum as a songwriter/ producer. (mailbox money millionaire, as we call them) and YOU COULD TELL. This guy was on some NEXT LEVEL SHIT. and MAN, O , MAN, was it incredible to be up there watching him do his thing. Crazy good with his guitar (he was a damn PIANO PLAYER 0_0, to make it worse) Voice all trained up and on key, and songs that were OUT OF THIS WORLD.
I told all my friends, “It’s sort of like getting in the ring w/ Muhammad Ali. You know how the fights gonna turn out, you just gotta do your best not to embarrass yourself.”
Now, Mind you, I HAD practiced. A TON. but I knew what was coming, and it did not disappoint. Both he, and the lady were ON POINT, so I just did all I could to hold my own. There was NOOOOO winning that fight. That’s for DAMN SURE!
It sure doesn’t look like much, but this little pad was host to some next level shit!
But, I tell you what. It was an incredible experience, and I’m glad I had the sack to get up there and do it!
MUCH was learned, and I even went out and bought a new guitar afterwards to try and keep up! (My poor old Guild couldn’t hang 😦
The only way to get better, is to continue having to up your game. and I was up there with the best!
Special thanks to my good friend/ producer/ engineer/ music guru Joe for getting me the gig and for coming out to make sure it went well!
and to David Lareau and the Copperpots for the T-shirt, and for kicking ass!
and to YOU, for taking the time to read this crap, and for caring enough to do so!
Keep at the dream! Never give up! Never surrender! 🙂
Someplace’s own,
HH
So my whole life I’ve been a nerd. As a kid, my walls were covered in comic books. Love, love loved them. Loved Star trek. Star wars. Had plenty of super hero action figures. Crushed HARD CORE on The X Files. and even went out with famed comic book illustrator Billy Tucci’s Niece. (he’s the creator of SHI, and illustrator for both Marvel and DC).
I lost track of those hobbies for a while. But I never lost my love. Hell, even my songs now have reference to all sorts of nerdy, magical and mysterious things.
So when the opportunity to work with my hero George Lowe aka SPACE GHOST (yep, SPACE GHOST: COAST TO COAST!) I jumped on it!
So we headed on out this weekend for what would be my maiden voyage as assistant to the stars. That’s my self created title. haha
(Me, Space Ghost, and Master Shake of Aqua teen: hunger force)
My real title should be super helper, pack mule, goods fetcher, artist wrangler, phone call maker, schedule checker, note taker, lost stuff finder, coffee getter, packin up and unpacking money collecting picture taker, but that’s not nearly as fun
What a crazy good time!
and who knew how much hard work Cons actually are. BRUTAL!!!!! (I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t been there) but man, what an incredible time.
Us headed to the penthouse with ZABOO from THE GUILD
This was all a trial run for the big mahmah jahmah in Atlanta (solid rhyme if I do say so myself) called DRAGON CON.
So look for that on the horizon. I’m so glad I finally got the opportunity to embrace the nerd I am and hang out with some like minded folks!
What a great time. THE CON AWAITS!!! (and probably more nights of little sleep, trail mix, and sleeping on floors)
(Me with *class act* Chad Rook of THE FLASH)
Someplace’s own,
HH
So I decided to go out and play an open mic with a friend of mine. We’ve been working on a few songs for some weeks and i thought maybe we should road test em.
We went out to St. Pete. Which has always been my home scene (even though I live about an hour away) and there’s a great little listening venue there called the Hideaway Cafe. The very first time I ever played in my life, When I mustered the courage, finally, to try my songs out live, I drove to an open mic at a little hole in the wall bar there. Way out to the burg. I have yet to regret it.
This is a new song, called “Vercingetorix”. I don’t have a great gauge on which of my songs are good, so I let Alexis make the call on this one.
It’s NOT on the record (maybe I shouldn’t be playing it yet haha) But it seems to resonate well, so why not, right?
Anyway, It went pretty well, and here’s some videographic proof should you need more convincing. or you know, just want to hear it.
Thank you for your time,
HH
So, is it possible to go balls out whilst playing Adult alternative music on an acoustic guitar?
Have a look at this photograph as proof.
I dedicate this to all the bands who took the time to be my friend. and all the friends I’ve made in bands. Hell, all the friends who’ve supported me since 2006.
You guys are my heart and soul. We deserve better.
I’m just waiting on a coupla bux more.
This one goes out to all the dirty poor kids. Shits about to get real.
HH
It’s a crazy thing being able to work with your heroes.
There’s this guy. That has helped me GREATLY in my evolution to GENU-WINE recording artist. His name is Brett Williams. He writes and has written some killer songs, and was in a GREAT band that had a bit of success back in the late 90’s called “Mighty Joe Plum”. They had this album on Atlantic Records called “The Happiest Dogs” with this song “Live Through This (15 Stories)” that went to #6 on the modern rock charts.
Why is this relevant? because without Brett and his help, the Horace Holloway that you know would not exist. I used to go to his house to talk songwriting, talk music, talk ideas. To show him things I’d come up with and get his take. to Jam and understand.
Do you know what it’s like to have a guy who wrote a top ten hit song (and a damn good one at that) tell you that you have good hooks and melodies and that he digs your lyrics?
It makes you keep going. it makes you push harder. it MAKES you believe.
Before this project evolved into what it’s become, the idea was to get Brett on board. To do a song together. and when it came time to ask, I was more nervous then I’d ever been. I’m sitting on his porch and my hands are shaking, and my chest is tight and my mind is going a mile a minute. and I’m spilling out all these ideas for the album and title. and I realize now that if he’d have said he couldn’t do it, if he would have declined, it may have killed the project before it got started.
But he didn’t, and he even helped me select the tracks that are on the “Tin Foil Stars” ep. and so began a series of FORTUNATE events.
Mighty Joe Plum “15 Stories” on Youtube:
Here’s to you Bretty boy, CHEERS!
Someplace’s Own,
HH
Horace Holloway 