News

Summer 2010:

It's hot. I have shows with hilarious, bitter hippie Sean David McMillen in June and with Beat Man and Delaney Davidson (!), the Crack Pipes and T-Model Ford in July. Life is good.

(Feb. '10) Another year, another obscure-assed release to add to the ol' discography. I am now a Gospel Clodhopper! I play on Walter Daniels new 7-inch on the Ghost Highway label. It's an all-star lineup, also featuring my former collaborator Trey Robles of the Hard Feelings, Jeff Pinkus of the Butthole Surfers, Texicali Jones, and more. Only 222 copies, so order yours now! (Get 'em direct from the label, I don't even have any copies to sell ya...)

And here's a long interview with me that just got posted, which you should check out if you can read Italiano.

In other news, I am now in grad school (and also working full time), so expect a little less one man band action for the time being. I will still try to play a show every now and again, but prob'ly no world tours for awhile. Don't know if I'd be able to fly anywhere with all my equipment post-underwear bomber, anyway.

What am I going to grad school for, you ask? I am studying archives and records management - wait, don't fall asleep - with an emphasis in... recorded sound preservation! Why? Here's a paper you can read about why it's important, if you really want to know.

(1/4)I start out the new year with a live television appearance on local CBS affiliate K-EYE from 4-5 p.m. on Monday, January 4th. It is to promote a one man band documentary playing at the Alamo Drafthouse for Music Monday later that night. Uh, I'm not actually in this movie, the doc is a few years old, and features Bob Log and a few other one man bands.

I am in a different one man band documentary, however. I got interviewed while on tour in Italy last year for this one, which is NOT screening at the Alamo, but here's the link to the trailer anyway.

"Lost" Revelators 2nd LP "Let A Poor Boy Ride" Out NOW on Crypt! On LP and CD!

UPDATE 11/01/09: For those of you who never saw the Revelators in their brief heyday, there are a couple of videos on youtube: One from the Emo's in Houston from the only North American tour, and one from a house party in Columbia, Missouri. Looks like these are the only vids out there, so this is all you get!

Not many zines left to review it, but Savage actually bothered to do so:

"Had this come out ten years ago I'm pretty sure it would have cemented the Revelators as one of thee garagebands of the late 90's but oh well, shit happens and the band broke up anyway."

UPDATE 10/01/09: While this was originally a vinyl-only release, due to the demand Crypt has just pressed it up on cd, too.

Big news - Tim has finally unleashed the 2nd Revelators LP "Let A Poor Boy Ride" on the world. For those of you who don't know the story: original Revelators drummer Mark Walters quit right before the recording session. Producer Mike Mariconda suggested New Bomb Turks drummer Bill Randt as a replacement. The album was recorded with Bill on drums, and came out, to use Crypt Records head honcho Tim Warren's memorable phrase, "shit hot!" Then, as soon as the record was finished, singer Jeremiah Kidwell promptly quit the band as well. Rather than continue with only one original band member remaining out of three, the Revelators ceased to exist (any wonder that being a one man band started to look appealing?).

Tim sat on the tapes for over a decade, as Crypt wandered in the wilderness, changing addresses numerous times. Meanwhile, the album built up a semi-legendary status among the few who heard it as the "great lost album" in the John Schooley discography. Tim has talked about releasing it before, in 2001, even going so far as to commission some liner notes. But it never happened. Until now! With the Gories and Oblivians having reunion shows to great acclaim, maybe the world is finally ready for this beast.

Tim has finally shut down Crypt USA and moved back to Germany, and his last act in the US of A was to press up "Let A Poor Boy Ride." In Europe, you can order it direct from Crypt in Hamburg, or from Soundflat. In the states, you can order it from the following record stores in Austin, Texas:

For more than you want to know about this record, check out the myspace blog.

2009! I'm going to L.A. in February to play the Blowout (tickets and info here) with a bunch of sixties garage and surf bands. The full lineup is on my shows page. Also, I'm learning to play the banjo. I've only been playing since I got back from my European tour, and I don't suck too bad, so I may work it into a show later this year. In Austin I'll be playing the Hillgrass Bluebilly ANTI-SXSW showcase. If you are coming to town for SXSW I would advise you to ignore the "official" shows and just come around to the free parties instead.

Oh, and my record label executive Beat Man has run into some trouble with SUISA, the Swiss performing rights agency. The details are on the Voodoo Rhythm web page. Apparently, SUISA has backed off a bit on their demands, and may no longer put VR out of business, but Beat Man could still use your support. Order some records and merch or send him some dough today and keep VR going!

Dec. '08 - Still alive! Back from 'Yurp. Some folks posted new videos on Youtube and I have 'em up on the Music and Images page. My next show is Dec. 27th at Red Eyed Fly w/Scott Biram, where I will play the doubleneck that I wanted to take with me to Europe, but that was too big to fit on the airplane. They wanted me to buy another ticket just for the guitar! I'll get around to posting some pictures an' stuff on myspace...when I get around to it.

Thanks to everybody who came out to the shows, bought stuff, let me sleep on their floor, etc. Maybe I'll do it again sometime...

Euro Tour '08 - Dates here! I'm trying to hit some countries that I didn't make it to last year, so in addition to Germany and Holland I got some shows in France, Spain, and Italy (one show) this time. Robert at Kiss n' Run did the booking again. One last Euro trip before the worldwide economy collapses. I'd like to remind everyone that Schooley records and cds retain their listening value even when the fiat currency used to purchase them collapses.

I'd also mention that John Schooley and his One Man Band t-shirts can keep the wearer warm and fashionable even while huddled around the single candle providing heat and warmth, can make you the best-dressed person in the hobo jungle, and in a pinch can be traded to others for canned goods or tasty shoe leather!

First Record - SOLD OUT! - When I emailed Beat Man about getting some more records to sell for the upcoming tour, and he told me that the first one is sold out on cd, and few copies are left on LP. Nice to know that people actually bought the damn things. Thanks to all who did!

He may re-press, but not sure how soon. Probably not until next year, anyway. In the meantime, the handful of copies I'll be traveling with, and the few scattered around at Austin record stores, are IT. Snatch 'em up while ya can, before they are selling for thousands on Ebay!

October '08 - Shows in Nashville and Austin, then on to Europe in November. Euro tour dates coming soon!

Sept '08 - Got a new video up from my show in Mineapolis after the Deep Blues Festival earlier this summer. Check it out!

Aug '08 - There's a new interview with me on the website Madeloud.com. I managed to not even come across as particularly stupid, so you should check it out. I'm also playin' some shows, going to Nashville in October and Europe in November. Dates will be posted here soon...

I had a link up here for Amazon because Voodoo Rhythm stuff was available for download, but it turns out Beat Man got screwed on the licensing and none of that dough actually makes it to him or me. So, keep Soulseeking it if that's what you want to do. Once you download the record let me guilt-trip you into giving me some dough via Paypal so I can afford to make more records in the future.

Or, even better, order the LP and hear it the way it was meant to be heard - analog and cranked up! Not on tiny little earbuds while you wait for public transportation. With the LP you also get the excellent artwork of Rob Jones, and the pride of ownership that you don't get with a bunch of 1's and 0's.

I get emails all the time from people who don't have record stores near them that carry Voodoo Rhythm stuff. If you are in the states you can get it from Waterloo Records. If you are outside the U.S., have a look at Beat Man's list of international distributors. In Europe you can order straight from Beat Man or from a number of different stores. Most of the rest of the world has access to Voodoo Rhythm somehow. Check it out!

5/1/08 - Hey, I'm playing a show again!

UPDATE 3/20/08 - Well, still doing painful physical therapy and trying to get my arm to bend like it used to. I booked a show with DM Bob at Beerland in May, and I might not have anything until then. Once I get my arm back in shape then I have to hit the woodshed and work on my guitar playing...and my harmonica playing...and my drumming...

Anyway, I did do an interview with a Japanese zine, Western Times, that you can read here (if you can read Japanese!).

2008!

I started out the year by breaking my arm, so this has kinda put a damper on the one man band as you can probably imagine. It will most likely be March before I'm healed and practiced enough to be back on top of my game. I'll keep ya posted as to when I make my triumphant return...

Euro Tour '07

Going across the pond in November/December to play the songs offa the new record for the good folks in Europe. Yass! Hittin' Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands. Wish I had more time to make it to more places. The dates are here. It'll be cold compared to Texas, but I'm lookin' forward to seeing ya'll.

It's OUT!

New reviews here.

Plus - just added (8/31/07): SIX Mp3's from the new alb here. That's almost half the damn record. Download 'em, keep 'em, copy 'em, whatever. Just promise to tell your friends. And to let me sleep on your floor when I come through town...

My new Voodoo Rhythm album "One Man Against the World" is out now. 14 tracks on timeless 180 gram vinyl and totally obsolete 4.5 inch plastic with cover by Rob Jones (who also did the new White Stripes cover). Rob wants everyone to know that the cover design was my idea. Apparently he doesn't think it's as funny as I do...

I'm taking copies to End of An Ear, Sound on Sound, and Waterloo today. Hopefully I'll get some sent to the Goner store too if Eric ever returns my email. It's available from all sorts of record stores and mailorder places in Europe, so if you are there just Google it and a ton of options come up.

2007

Finally! Now that everybody is totally sick of one man bands, I finished the artwork for my new LP and got it sent off to Beat Man. Read about this ordeal on my myspace blog. The new record is gonna have overdubs, a string section, electro-remixes, the works! (But it's still mostly me playing everything live). It's all in Beat Man's hands now. Look for it on Voodoo Rhythm maybe this summer, with a tour to follow.

I'm gonna be on TV! News 8 Austin filmed me freezing my ass off and playing a tune on the roof of their building. It's supposed to air during South By Southwest about a million times, plus they should have a link to the footage on their website soon...

In other news, there's yet another one man band comp, this one a two cd mess from Rock and Roll Purgatory called Attack of the One Man Bands. My cut is a re-release of the "Rock and Roll Party with the One Man Band" cut from single on Ball Records. With 57 other cuts. Yeesh!

In the meantime, I'm playing SXSW and some other shows, listening to the Holy Modal Rounders, and trying to pick like Merle Travis. Merle, you're a real bastard! Well, I've gotta go make my fingers play the same pattern for an hour or so until they get it...

December '06

Last news flash of '06 - San Antone based zine Rock n' Roll Purgatory has a new issue out (as in actual honest-to-god hold-it-in-yer-hands PAPER, not web-based!) featuring all one man bands, and interviews with Scott Biram, Ghostwriter, Haunted George, Jeff Novack, Beat Man, Almighty Do Me a Favor, Bloodshot Bill - a shitload of guys! As a bonus, the interviews are actually well written and I found out a lot of funny info regarding my colleagues in one-man-bandliness. Such as: Scott's first band was called "The Happy Trees" named after PBS painter Bob Ross! Jeff Novack complains about me not playing my old songs, then two paragraphs later he says he doesn't play his old songs, either! King Louie dj'd the Himalya while a punk rock carney! And Ghostwriter is a libertarian? Plus too many good quotes from the Beat Man interview to even begin to tell you. This issue is great for fans of one man bands and/or those who miss holding an actual paper zine in hand rather than staring at a computer screen...

Also, I managed to get one more record out before the end of the year. There's a new compilation 7-inch on Squoodge Records outta Austria called "Killed by a One Man Band". This is one of those "that's so stupid it just might work!" kinda genius ideas: 15 one man bands on a single, none of them doing a song longer than one minute. It works out quite well in the execution, too. None of the tracks overstay their welcome and you get a pretty wide diversity of styles. My cut is called "Lucky For You There's Only One of Me" and it clocks in at a mere 36 seconds!!!

I just got my copies in the mail today, but they only pressed 500 and the Squoodge website says it's already sold out! I think there are still some online stores that you can order it from if you google it, though.

Fall '06

Okay, admittedly there ain't much goin' on. I'd like to keep that rock n' roll fantasy alive in your feeble minds, but the reality is much more working-class. Really I've just been working like a dog and trying to save some scratch 'til I can go on tour again. I'm playin' some cool shows here and there, and my new album is done (tho' the artwork, alas, is still NOT...). Check the shows page for when I'm playin', and watch this space (or Myspace) for news of the new LP's release or anything else interesting...

June

I think I forgot to mention that Chicken Ranch records has the third Hard Feelings album up on I-tunes for ya to download...And, WFMU has my live set up from Three Chord Monte recorded last month. It's alright, but I think the live cuts from Australia on my Hook or Crook single came out better...

May '06

Just got back from NYC, playing an awesome Hasil Adkins tribute show with Bloodshot Bill, Ghostwriter, Hillbilly Werewolf, and Mike Edison. Joe Coleman showed up, as did Billy and Miriam from Norton. A blast!!! Then I'm goin' to Reno at the end of the month for more out-of-town trouble-making. And mebbe I'll finish up this damn record sometime soon...

April '06

Still working on the new record. More later...

March '06

Finally got my video online! Check it out! Otherwise: recording a new LP. Got a new single on Hook or Crook, showcase for SXSW, shows galore, etc. etc.

January/February '06

Played a shitload of shows, gearin' up to record another record. Beatin' the head against the same 'ol wall just like always.

December '05

Not a bad end to 2005 - The Austin Chronicle ran a story about one man bands about town - Possessed by Paul James, Scott Biram, and Schooley. Check it out here. The employees at Waterloo Records picked my record as one of the ten best of the year. And you know it must be good on a musical level because on a personal level they can't *&$@%'n stand me...

Thanks to everybody who bought my rekkid, came and saw me at a show, booked me to play in your corner of the world, and put up with my shit this year! All in all, I must say, a great year. Thanks to all.

November '05

The Voodoo Rhythm Records documentary "The Gospel of Primitive Rock n' Roll" is screening at the Alamo Drafthouse on Wednesday, Nov. 23rd, with a performance by your hero John Schooley and his One Man Band beforehand! The film features interviews with Lightning Beat Man, the Monsters, King Khan, the Dead Brothers, and more. The performance by Schooley is just that same ol' shit he always does. But this time in a movie theater...

Also - My first endorsement deal! Schooley now proudly pimps Bushman Harmonicas 'cuz they're the best. Check out the Delta Frost model - with a distinctive nasty tone and long-lasting reeds, it stands up to Schooley's repeated abuse and sounds bad-ass! Buy 'em 'cuz I said so.

And I finally got my Euro tour pics and tales up on my Myspace blog.

September/October '05

On tour in Europe with the Guilty Hearts. Click here for the dates!

August '05

Completed a sweaty new photo session with Aubrey for the next record, and got upcoming shows with Scott Biram and the Fleshtones! Also Mike from Chicken Ranch finished the first ever Schooley video (for "Drive You Faster") and it will be up on the website soon.

July '05

Back from Australia, with a bunch of songs recorded live on Melbourne PBS radio. Look for singles on Hook or Crook and Chicken Ranch records, coming, maybe not soon, but sometime. Also, Mike from Chicken Ranch is working on a video for "Drive You Faster". And look for me on the west coast July 8th and 9th! Check the "shows" page for details.

May - June '05 Australia/New Zealand Tour

My first trip down under. Thanks to Rich Stanley (of the Onyas and Dropkick Records renown) for booking the Aussie dates, and Andrew Tolley (of Perpatrator Records) for the NZ shows. I'll be playin' (hopefully) with Kim Salmon, Spencer P. Jones, the Onyas, the Sailors, and other awesome Australian rockers! Check out the tour dates here.

March '05 - Voodoo Rhythm LP unleashed on an unsuspecting world!

It's out! The new John Schooley and his One Man Band cd is now available for the discerning consumer. Like the Bible and toilet paper, no home should be without it. Cd's and Lp's can be ordered straight from Waterloo Records in Austin, TX.

To have your local record store stock it, have them contact the following kick-ass independant distributers:

Subterranean Records
PO Box 2530 , Berkeley CA 94702 , USA
tel: 415-821-5880, fax: 415-647-0678. e-mail: sales@subterranean.org

Cargo Music inc.
4901-906 Morena Blvd.,San Diego, CaliforniaCA 92117,USA
Gubby@cargomusic.com

Get Hip, Inc.
Columbus & Preble Aves. ,Pittsburgh, PA 15233 ,USA
Phone: 412-231-4766 , Toll Free: 866-353-9048
Fax: 412-231-4777
gethip@gethip.com www.gethip.com

To get it outside of the US of A, check out the Voodoo Rhythm international distro list.