Yes I Can Social Inclusion for Pepsi Refresh Award
The YES I CAN Social Inclusion Program could win a Pepsi Refresh Award… but we need your vote!!
Since the Yes I Can (YIC) program was started in the William S. Hart Union School District in Santa Clarita nearly a decade ago, Brett Lieberman and Lisa Lamedmen have brought together HUNDREDS of students with and without disabilities to get to know one another, learn together, and share their love of music. Mentors become friends with students with autism, Asperger Syndrome, and other conditions who they would not have had the chance to know without YIC.
Students with Autism created the concept for the Summer Meltdown autism awareness event after being bullied by their peers. Everyone benefits from the students’ shared efforts to put on the exciting day-long musical event for thousands of their peers. This the only autism awareness concert in California produced by youth!
PLEASE VOTE for YES I CAN’s Summer Meltdown in the Pepsi Refresh contest and help these deserving students and their dedicated teachers realize a dream of the best Meltdown yet- together.
To vote please click here or text 110797 to 73774.
AMS Front Man Rocks LA’s The Grove
AMS gifted front man Scott Siegel performs live at the Grove in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, October 4th. The Fly Concert was an event supporting The Miracle Project and included performances by Jack Black, Stephen Stills and Wyatt Isaacs from Autism: The Musical. The free concert was meant to help change how the world views autism, showing that Autism is Awesomeism!
Annenberg Digital News Neon Tommy reported that Scott Siegel “blew the audience away” at the benefit concert! Awareness in a Box is proud to feature Siegel’s band, Arrest My Sister, as our lead entertainment during our Awareness Day events!
Check out his performance here:
AMS Flashback: Blues Great David “Honeyboy” Edwards
by Crazy Tomes
I had the honor of playing two songs with one of the greatest Blues men of all time (and the last pre-WWII Blues artist who still tours), David “Honeyboy” Edwards.
I met him on Jan 24th, 2008, at his first show at Cozy’s, a music venue in Sherman Oaks. We had a great conversation about the Blues. He is 95 years old and still plays and sings amazingly well. He taught me more about the Blues than I could ever describe. We had a great time hanging out, drinking and talking about music and all of the great artists that have inspired me so much. Honeyboy is a very nice guy who enjoys having conversations with people – and can still party!!
Honeyboy told me that he actually wrote the original version of Sweet Home Chicago and that he introduced it to Robert Johnson, the King of Delta Blues, who was his best friend, and Robert recorded the famous version. He told me some very interesting stories about Little Walter, Muddy Waters and other Blues legends that he brought to Chicago in 1945 to help start what later would be called “Chicago Blues“, before leaving back to the Delta. He told me all of the interesting stories and rumors surrounding Robert Johnson and the “Devil’s Blues“. He is the last living person who was actually good friends with Johnson. Honeyboy performed many Robert Johnson songs during his show, including Crossroads, and also paid tribute to Muddy Waters with Catfish Blues.
The next day at his show, I asked Honeyboy to sign my guitar, and when he did I played a little blues in front of him. He (and his manager, who is also his harmonica player) said they really liked my style and asked me if I wanted to play a couple of songs with him.
Although I used to play at Cozy’s every Monday and have a good reputation out there, I still couldn’t believe it would go THAT far!!
I couldn’t have been happier!!
It ended up being Honeyboy Edwards and I with our guitars on stage. We were joined by two former members of the late Paul Butterfield‘s band (on stand up bass and harmonica). We played two songs: Next Time I See You and Going Down Slow. On Going Down Slow, Honeyboy and I were trading guitar solos and it was just FANTASTIC!! He said some of the best compliments about me as a Blues musician and told me to NEVER give up doing that. He and his manager gave me their contact information and asked me to stay in touch.
Since then, Honeyboy and I have become friends and still talk on the phone all the time. I go to see him every time he comes to play in California to hang out with him, and even jam occasionally. He is still very encouraging of me, my music and my bluesy guitar style!!
Watch part of our performance together:
AMS Flashback: Uncle Remi and the Rolling Stones
By Scott Siegel
I remember one time I went down to the Pig N’ Whistle in Hollywood to see Burning Wagon play. Burning Wagon was fronted by Crazy Tomes and former guitar player Billy Joe Daniel. Also, ex drummer Bill Spoke backed them up and sometimes Nick Gonzalez on bass. Anyway, Tomes told me to come down that night because a famous percussion player Remi Kabaka, who played with The Rolling Stones “nk”>Sympathy for the Devil” was going to be there. So during their performance of Satisfaction, Tomes invited me up to sing a verse with them and Remi. After the show, Remi came over to me and said “Hey man. Wow. You have some killer vocals.” He, then, told me that it was one of the best vocals on that song he has ever heard. And knowing that he has played with the Stones made that was a huge compliment for me. I gave him a business card and we stayed in contact. As a result, we are now great friends and he has contributed his talents on Make Your Move and Undercover. He is truly an amazing musician and I am so grateful to have him in my life. He often refers Tomes and I as his nephew. Tomes likes to call him Uncle Remi. To say that I have jammed with a former Stones member is a dream for me. I grew up listening to the Stones and never thought I would ever meet anyone associated with them. It is always good times chillin’ with Uncle Remi.
AMS Testimonials: The Life of the Party
We had a blast rocking out at Lake Elsinore in early September and we’re thrilled to hear some fans had just as much fun, considering us “the life of the party!”
Honestly, these guys rate a 6 (on a scale of 1 to 5)! Their play-list,(covers as well as original songs)made for an exciting, well paced,”what’s next?”show. They covered it all,no one went home disappointed. Their talent, energy & stage presence is “off the charts.” I will be passing their info on to other event promoters in my area & am looking forward to working with them in the future. I would recommend “Arrest My Sister” without reservation! - Kevin
Always an honor Kevin. Thank you!!
AMS Flashback: The Musical Muses of Scott Siegel
By Scott Siegel
I listen to a lot of music, but I get the most influenced by rock. When I am asked what my favorite band is, it is very hard because I get into these phases where I listen to a band for a month straight and say that they are my favorite. Then, the next month I am listening to another band and saying the same thing. Every band I listen to I take the things I like about them and incorporate them into my own music.
One of my favorite performers is Mick Jagger. His stage presence is amazing. He has an attitude when he is on stage. I also started picking up little things that Roger Daltry does. When it comes to vocals, I am very influenced by Bon Scott and Steve Perry. I take the grit and edge from Bon, and the soft technical passion from Perry.
Lately, I have been listening to Dr. Dog. They are very influenced by the Beatles. I have been coming up with lots of new ideas because of their music. They have an old sound to them that I want to someday capture with Arrest My Sister. I like how they are so diverse in their music. Every song sounds different. I have also been listening to the new Maroon 5 album. I think it is one of the best albums of the new millennium. It has also inspired me.
Another thing that grabs my attention is the way an album is mixed. Dr. Dog uses tape when they record the drums. It is very rare these days to use tape. And the quality of the Maroon 5 album is phenomenal.
AMS Flashback: From Muppets to Music
By Scott Siegel
Growing up I always had a love for music. When I was around the age of seven, I think, my parents bought me a drum set. I used to play it for hours. I could keep a pretty good beat. I used to watch the Muppets and whenever Animal would bang on the drums, my eyes were glued to the TV. I guess you could say that I took the wrong qualities from Animal, because, soon after, my parents gave my drum set away. Too many neighbors would complain constantly. I was bummed out, but then moved on to the piano. I pretty much taught myself the chords. I was decent and over the years I took lessons from friends and even lessons at Musicians Institute. I mainly grew up listening to the Stones and the Beatles. My mom being a huge Stones fan, and my dad loving the Beatles. That is what inspired me to play music. People used to tell me that there was no future in music, so I never really pursued it until after culinary arts school. When my parents would go out of town, and I had the house to myself, I would write music and I found a love for singing. I bought a cheap drum set from a friend and I recorded myself singing with the piano and then adding drums. I have over 20 cassette tapes of songs I recorded. It made me want to become a singer/songwriter. I have now written over 500 songs.
AMS Music Review: Brandy “Bohm”
Arrest My Sister is honored to receive a great review from music enthusiast Brandy “Bohm:”
If you are a fan of awesome rock bands from the 80′s and early 90′s,this band is for you! Arrest My Sister not only has an interesting and unique name, but they have a sound to go with it…
I have enjoyed every track [Make Your Move] very much. I fell in love with track number 2, appropriately called Take the Fall. This track makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and be free. I love how this song makes me feel like I can conquer anything. I am also a huge fan of track 13, Through the Looking Glass. The guitar is amazing on this son, and the lyrics are just as amazing.
Arrest My Sister is a flashback to the sounds of the 80′s and 90′s, but also very modern. I can honestly say this album is one of the best I have purchased all year, and if my readers know me, I purchase a lot of music… I promise my readers will enjoy Arrest My Sister has much as I do!
Click here to view the original review.
Thank you Brandy!
AMS Flashback: Dating a Band
By Jon McCracken
It’s funny how being in a band is very much like being in a relationship. I’ve been in many bands, and I’ve been in many relationships. So, I’ve come to realize that it really is the same. Except there’s no sex in a band. So I guess it would actually be closer to a marriage…
In some ways, being in a band is worse. You’re only with one other person in a relationship. In a band, you’re with at least two others. Success in a relationship is created the same way success in a band is. Similar interests and the ability to be around each other can make things work out a lot easier. You audition to join a band, and in a sense, you audition to join a relationship. Except, instead of showing how well you play an instrument, you show how you talk and act. So once the fun starts, both a band and a couple go through an awkward beginning. Or is that just me? Anyway, eventually you warm up to each other and either share all the good qualities, or call on the other’s bull crap. In the end, both scenarios either stay together, or eventually split. It’s hard to say if one is better than the other. Both have an equal amount of pros and cons. You get paid to be in a band, but not in a relationship. Well, you can, but its illegal in many states…
Many of you will read this, especially the musicians, and say of course a relationship is better. But really think about it, because, in the end, both can be just as great and suck just as much.
AMS Flashback: Wadada Khufu “The Crocodile Charmer”
By Wadada Khufu
When I travel I love taking my acoustic guitar just to write new songs. All the new vibes I feel when I travel are new songs. Life itself is a song, all things in life. I love writing with my bass guitar too, but when I write with the acoustic guitar I hear more that I can play. It’s like a drum. You experiment to see what drum part fits what melody, what bass part, etc… You never have to plug in the acoustic. You can play it anywhere, no amps needed. Because its made like a tree box, it picks up vibes like a tuning fork. I have people walk up to me with a bad vibe and stop right in front of me and one of my strings will break. Just like you feel vibes coming from the acoustic guitar, the acoustic guitar can feel vibes coming from you. That’s how music works. The acoustic guitar is a new form of the harp, but with a drum-like wooden body for the strings to sound louder. What a great music tool! I remember being in West Africa, Ghana’s Gold Cost. In the North, at a place called Paga, there’s a lake with crocodiles. One day, I was there playing my acoustic guitar and crocodiles started coming up out of the water. The people that were with me told the story of the crocodiles and how they can feel vibes of music. New songs came out of that for the people and soon those songs will be coming out on disc.
Wadada Khufu
Universal love.
AMS Flashback: Evolving as a Singer
By Scott Siegel
AMS front man Scott Siegel © Laura McNamara
Well, I proved my parents wrong. Three months of exercising my voice and singing such songs as Hey Jude, Candle in the Wind, Waiting for the light to Shine, I Just Called to Say I Love You, and Faithfully. I was on my way to becoming a great singer. Pat and I made a little concert for my parents and I sang Daniel, Faithfully, and Hey Jude. That night my parents cried, again. But this time they were tears of joy. They said to each other: ‘Wow. He is amazing. He sounds great. All that hard work it did pay off.’
I practiced everyday, 30-45 minutes for three months, really exercising my voice. My range grew tremendously. I then brought up the idea of music school. I bet you could guess what my parents thought of that. But that’s another story. After three months of lessons, I convinced my parents to let me quit culinary arts school. They told me I had to be working though. So I got a job at Petsmart as a dog washer. It was a great job. I am an animal lover. During my seven months at Petsmart, I really got my voice in shape and expanded my range. My friend told me about Musicians Institute. He was going there in the fall and said I should do it to. I talked to my parents and they were open minded about it. I decided to wait until spring to go, so I could perfect my voice even more. The only thing though was that I would have to move from Orange County to Hollywood. Pat worked me real hard and I noticed myself getting better and better every day. When it came time to apply for MI, they wanted an audition tape. I had to sing one song a capella, one karaoke, and then hit ten notes. I sang faithfully with the track, and I sang Daniel a capella. Friends and family heard my version of Daniel and couldn’t believe it was me. They were blown away. We sent in my audition and I was soon accepted to MI. I then started looking for a place to live in LA. Luckily, the building that my buddy lived in had availability. I put in my two weeks notice and was on my way to the big city. I was finally going to live on my own. Moving up to LA was a big step for me. But in the long run, I learned how to do things for myself and not have to rely so much on my parents. I moved into Sycamore Terrace about a month before starting Musicians Institute. Most of my furniture came from Ikea. That was the worst thing I have ever done. Most of that stuff is either broken or thrown away. My dad bought me a keyboard and with my iPod, I started to record ideas. I would play chords and sing random lyrics. My dad saw that I was so into writing and recording and knew that an associate at his office was getting rid of his G5 Mac. So my dad bought it from him for a great deal and bought me Pro Tools. That is when my writing abilities rose to a new level. Before, I would just play piano and sing and occasionally record a drum track to it. But as a result of Pro Tools, I learned about producing, and my songs sounded fuller. I have had Pro Tools for four years now and, as a result of it, I have written and recorded more than 400 songs with it. Luckily, my friend that lived in the building is an outstanding guitar player. Every time I needed a solo on one of my songs, I would have him do it. Occasionally, I would record keyboard guitar. I even let Crazy Tomes record a few solos. He actually recorded both organ and guitar solos for the original version of The Night Is on Fire. I must say that MI changed my life. It took my singing to a whole new level. The first day, the teacher told us we had to get up at least four times each semester and sing for the class. The first day only one girl sang. She was amazing. I was so nervous, so I didn’t sing that day. The next week I got up there. From then on, I sang every week. I sang the most out of all the students. Vocal performance class helped me get over stage fright. We’ll I never really had it, but it made me come out of my shell. I would always pick songs that pushed my range. Most students would play it safe, but I was a risk taker. In the long run, it paid off. I worked with a private instructor while attending MI. It is now five years later and I am still working with Lynn Fanelli. I see her every other week. Over they years she has pushed me and brought out the best in me. If you heard me at my first lesson and then heard me now, well, I can honestly say that I hold Lynn 100 percent responsible for that. I never thought I could sing for three hours and not lose my voice. The dream came true. She taught me how to breathe correctly and the five rules of singing. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for Lynn.
AMS Flashback: Reggae Feel with Lauryn Hill
By Wadada Khufu
One of the blessed jobs i had playing music was with a great artist by the name of Lauryn Hill. Now, how all this came about was when one day i was siting in my truck at Leimert Park in LA, just chilling. A guy walks up to my truck and says he’s looking for a guitar player to do shows all around. I ask him who the artist was he said he could not at that time tell me who she was. Needing work at this time in my life, I said to myself that it would be great if I could it a gig right now and I did not think anything more about it. After giving him my number, one Monday night, my phone rings after i had gone to bed for the night.
Hello Wadada, this is the brother you met in Leimert Park looking for guitar players to do shows.
He ask me if I could come to an audition that night. I told him I had just gotten to bed and was all most asleep. He told me: I will tell you who the artist is: it’s Lauryn Hill. He said that if I got get gig then he would get a finder’s fee. Like I said before, I needed the work, so I told him that I would come to the audition. I go up to Hollywood for the audition and there is a long line of guitar players. They were giving out contracts to be signed before the audition. Some of the guitar players wanted to take the contracts home to look over, so that made the line smaller. When it was time, I went into the room and it was me with a drummer. Lauryn is siting there on a stool. She said hello and began telling us what she looking for. She picked up her guitar and said Jam. I’m going to play something. You just play along
When we were playing I thought to myself: Let me put some Reggae feel on her music.
She loved it. I played some more feels that she loved. After that, she told me that I got the gig .I started working that following day. WE would rehearse six days a week with some of the greatest players ever. l loved it. Music was my life. When i was with Lauryn we were on shows with Ali Green, The Roots, and more. Playing with Lauryn made me a better guitar player. My job with her was to put the magic in the music. I could be myself and I loved it. Live the life you love and love the life you live always believe in yourself.
Wadada Khufu.
AMS Flashback: Music Therapy
By Wadada Khufu
All my life I wanted to play music that was healing to the world. When I was about 22, I used to play my guitar after work and we would drink beer and talk about life. But this time something changed how I looked at music from that day on. One of the guys drinking lost his mind and thought he was back in Vietnam and everyone was trying to hurt him. His wife said this has happened before, it happens whenever he doesn’t take his medication. He started crying and said have: “I have killed in war.” He doesn’t want to but he had to. It was war. His wife called 911. At that time I was still playing my guitar. It was just like a movie. When I would play, he would cry. I feel it was his soul being healed. When the police got there, they came in to see a man completely out of his mind, but crying. They saw me playing the guitar and they told me: “Son, if you weren’t playing the music he could have hurt someone. The music controlled his mind.” From that day on, I began to study everything on music therapy i could find. I have traveled the world to heal people with music.
There was a woman who sat down beside me one day on the beach and she said: “I want to kill myself.” So I told her: “Before you kill yourself, let me play you a song.” After the song she told me she didn’t want to kill herself anymore.
I know there is something in music that is beyond what you see and hear. Music is the universal language of the world. Life is music and music is life. By living life you’re playing music. Listen to the music of your soul…
AMS Testimonials: Stand Out Rock Group
We make music because we love it when fans get excited, rock out and have fun. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Steve:
You must hear this band live to appreciate how incredible they are. They totally blew me away last night along with 70 other guests. Lead singers Crazy Tomes and Scott Siegel surprised the audience with a diverse array of song styles from decades 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s along with Siegels original song compositions. The audience danced the night away and was totally surprised when Crazy Tomes decided to play some Jimi Hendrix..it was surreal. Drummer Jon McCracken was excellent as was bass player Wadada Khufu who sang some Louis Armstrong at the end. In my 35 years at the casino, seeing hundreds of bands, this group definitely stands out
- Steve, Casino Owner
Confessions of Bogus Buying
By Jon McCracken
I spend money like I have it. And a lot of times that has come back to haunt me. But I can’t help it, I just buy stuff I really don’t need. Like coffee. No human being “needs” coffee to live, you really don’t. But I buy coffee daily. Sometimes three times a day. I’m addicted to the McDonald’s Iced Coffees. I will go through three or four of those a day sometimes. I buy coffee mugs all the time. Those travel mugs you can get pretty much anywhere. I have about 27 coffee mugs laying around my house. I see one that I think is cool and I think: “Oh look, it has a new locking system I don’t need, and it’s only $10!” So I buy it. Here’s the messed up part. I haven’t made coffee at home in two years. So almost none of the mugs have been used.
I plan ahead when it comes to buying things. But in a bad wasteful way. Like, I’ll buy something knowing full well that I’ll use it eventually, but not for a couple years. Occasionally I’ll catch myself. I was at Target one day looking at the movies, and I saw this movie I really wanted and it was on Blueray. So I bought it, took it home and was then reminded that I don’t have a Blueray player. Sub-consciously, I bought the stupid movie as an incentive to go and buy a Blueray player. Which I didn’t, and I still don’t have one. I did return the movie and explained what happened. Which I guess I could’ve lied, but I didn’t. And I’m sure those employees are still talking about it to this day.
AMS Flashback: Joining the Band Arrest My Sister
By Jon McCracken
Luck must have something to do with it, mainly because it seemed almost too good to be true when the opportunity to join Arrest My Sister came up. By matter of chance, I went from a fresh graduate from Musician’s Institute to playing Carnegie Hall exactly one year later. And it was all because of the band I joined before AMS. The band was an AC/DC tribute band; started by a coke addict with a DUI to pay off. My audition was interesting. The rhythm guitarist was auditioning with me and I had to pay for the studio time. The lead guitarist was off playing with one of his other nine bands. Eventually I got the gig and two weeks later the “Angus Young” of the band finally came back to town. Our first rehearsal, I had to drive out to Hollywood to pick him up cause his girlfriend couldn’t, and that was the first time I ever met Crazy Tomes. The guy was literally a crazy guitarist, and knew every note in all of the AC/DC songs we played. And I will be completely honest, I didn’t understand a word he said for the first three weeks of knowing him. Eventually Tomes left, and called me saying one of his other bands was looking for a drummer. At the time I had four other bands and a part time job. At first I was going to say no, but I changed my mind and said I’ll audition. I met up with Tomes and this other guy, who kind of looked like he could be Tomes’ brother, to get a cd of their music. Tomes did pretty much all the talking, while the other guy kind of sat there looking half asleep. I quickly found out that he was the lead singer and songwriter, Scott Siegel. I got the cd, wrote out charts, practiced once or twice, and went to the audition, nervous as hell. I didn’t really know the songs, and the detailed charts I made were left at home on accident. There, I met Wadada, one of the best bassists I’ve ever seen, and the band manager Michael. In April I’ll have been in this band for a year. I guess in the end I can say they liked me.
AMS Performing Queen Live
Arrest My Sister delighted fans in Pasadena mid-July with a cover of Queen’s popular track ‘I want to break free:’
AMS Flashback: Arrest My Sister Explores New York City
Arrest My Sister proudly started off 2011 with a true New Year’s “bang,” performing live at Carnegie Hall for the inaugural Genius of Autism celebration. Because the experience was so memorable for each of our band members, we are revisiting the thoughts and emotions each shared just after the milestone experience…
Two AMS band members share thoughts from their visit to New York City in early Jan 2011 for the Genius of Autism Celebration at Carnegie Hall.
New York was like a moment that blew away with the wind. It went by so fast… I really couldn’t enjoy it as mus as I wanted. Two days in this big city was not enough. It wasn’t as cold as I expected it to be. Staying at a hotel right in Times Square was so cool. I ate so much food out there. Some of the food was very tasty, and some, well, let’s just say I am glad to be back home. I have come to the conclusion that LA food is better than NY food. I went to two delis and was not impressed. Carnegie Deli had good mousse. That was about it. Maxie’s had great French onion soup. I still don’t know though if the pizza is better in NY. I still love Ball Park and Upper Crust in Orange County. I felt like a celebrity walking around Times Square. Tom took some amazing photos of us, and captured our finest AMS moments on film. There is so much of the city that we missed, but that just means I will be coming back to NY very soon. This was my fourth time going. My sister used to live there, so I visited here a few times over the years. I felt that I bonded more with my band members and my parents. Luckily we made it out of there just before the snow storm; we were the last flight to leave JFK. “Imagine that!”
As I’m on this plane heading back to Los Angeles, CA, I gotta say that part of me didn’t want to go back. When I first heard about Arrest My Sister’s show at Carnegie Hall, I was excited. But I was even more excited that I was going to go to New York for the first time. Countless people told me time and time again that I needed to go to this state. I finally see why they said that. The winter weather is harsh, the cities are packed with people, the time change is a trip, and it’s impossible to drive yourself. At the same time the atmosphere was great, the amount of life was thrilling, and I’m pretty sure I had the greatest pizza I have and will ever eat. This was an experience I will never forget. Being in Los Angeles all my life made me think that almost all major cities were pretty much the same. But now I realize that they have a unique character to them that is different everywhere you go. The trip to New York didn’t last anywhere near as long as I would have hoped. New York City is not one that can be done in a week, let alone three days. So I was especially thrilled when my dad mentioned that he would be more than willing to take me back this year. Along with Scott’s parents who were great to have there, I went with three other guys who are not just band members, but great friends. I’m definitely glad that my first time in New York was with them. As psychotic as they are sometimes, they made the trip just that much more fun. Especially when I discovered that Scott had the same enthusiasm about the pizza as I did. So obviously we had pizza every night of the trip. Of course, after being told by about two-dozen people that I had to go to Carnegie Deli, I went to Carnegie Deli. Between the chocolate fudge cake, the 6″ tall slice of apple pie, and the juiciest, biggest burger I’ve ever had, I gotta say that everyone was right. You can’t go to New York without going to Carnegie. In the end, New York City is quite possible my favorite city in the US. And it’s in my top five best cities in the world. I know I only got a taste of it, but despite anything bad about the city, I know that I love New York City. I wouldn’t move there, but I will definitely visit as many times as I can.
AMS Flashback: Magic at Carnegie Hall
Arrest My Sister proudly started off 2011 with a true New Year’s “bang,” performing live at Carnegie Hall for the inaugural Genius of Autism celebration. Because the experience was so memorable for each of our band members, we are revisiting the thoughts and emotions each shared just after the milestone experience…
By Scott Siegel
The best thing for me about playing at Carnegie Hall was that, as we were playing on the stage, for the first time I looked back at my band members and really saw how good they are. I always new they were amazing, but watching them play was like magic. The energy and passion that they had in their playing was spectacular. Sometimes as a front man, you need to step back and let the rest of the band shine in the spotlight, and that is what I did. Also, I think what brings out the best in us, is when there are a lot of people. There were 600 people in the audience. During Tomes’ guitar solo, he got a standing ovation. I bet if you asked him how he felt at that very moment, he wouldn’t be able to tell you in a few words. I think as a band, we get better every show. Like our last show in Reno we played for 15 minutes and sounded the best we have ever sounded. But next stop for us is Austin Texas, to play South by Southwest. I am so excited, I was there last year. I dreamed of playing that festival while I was there. I am so honored to be playing this year.
AMS Flashback: Playing Among the Spirits of the Greats
Arrest My Sister proudly started off 2011 with a true New Year’s “bang,” performing live at Carnegie Hall for the inaugural Genius of Autism celebration. Because the experience was so memorable for each of our band members, we are revisiting the thoughts and emotions each shared just after the milestone experience…
by Wadada Khufu
I feel so blessed to have played Carnegie Hall. On that stage and in that room on that night I could feel the spirits of the greats. When i was a young teenager playing bass guitar I would tell people I wanted to be so good on my bass that I would play Carnegie Hall. Now, for my dreams to have come true is a sign that I was always on the right road. And I want to say I felt blessed being on stage with Scott, Tomes and Jon. That, to me, was the greatest show we have ever played.
Jon counted off the song that night. You could feel it. By the time Tomes and I came in with the guitars, the song was rocking. Then Scott comes in and the night IS on fire. I could feel the people vibing with the song we were playing and the way we were playing it. (It’s called The Night is on Fire). We got a standing ovation and then Tomes comes in and plays his guitar solo with his teeth the people give him a standing ovation. I know now I am with the right rockers. It was cold outside in New york. It was hot inside of Carnegie Hall. The night was on fire.
Wadada.
AMS Flashback: Carnegie Hall Venue of the Year
Arrest My Sister proudly started off 2011 with a true New Year’s “bang,” performing live at Carnegie Hall for the inaugural Genius of Autism celebration. Because the experience was so memorable for each of our band members, we are revisiting the thoughts and emotions each shared just after the milestone experience…
By Jon McCracken
On Jan. 10, 2011, Arrest My Sister got to play at the venue of the world, Carnegie Hall. The thought of that alone is mind blowing. Let alone actually doing it. I’ve been in the band for a little over eight months now, and I didn’t think we would be playing on the same stage that The Beatles, Gene Krupa, Paul Simon, and countless other music legends have performed on so soon.
As soon as I told my parents that the band I basically had just joined was going to be playing at Carnegie Hall, they thought I was either joking, or I was talking about a different Carnegie Hall. It was very hard to wrap my mind around the concept. To the point where it didn’t hit me until the sound check the day of the show. Honestly, how many bands can say that they played Carnegie Hall? It’s beyond belief that I can now put it on my resume. Who wouldn’t want to hire us now??
The trip to New York was incredible, and to top it all off we played the best venue in the world. It may have only been one song, but really that’s all I would ask for, to play at least one song at Carnegie Hall. The show was all around amazing. Every other performer was incredible. Way past a ton of people on a level of talent. I heard a girl from England who had one of the best jazz voices I’ve ever heard, and a kid who can rap so well, that I actually liked it. And I HATE rap. It was definitely an honor to perform with these musicians during the Genius of Autism Celebration.
The bar is set extremely high now when it comes to gigs. It’s pretty darn hard to top Carnegie Hall. The only thing better would be to headline an entire show there. Who knows, the way things are going, it may happen next year.
AMS Flashback: Crowd Pleasing with Teeth at Carnegie Hall
Arrest My Sister proudly started off 2011 with a true New Year’s “bang,” performing live at Carnegie Hall for the inaugural Genius of Autism celebration. Because the experience was so memorable for each of our band members, we are revisiting the thoughts and emotions each shared just after the milestone experience…
By Crazy Tomes
After a GREAT introduction by the actress Laura Linney, who had very nice words to say about us (including that she thinks we have the best band name), we went on stage at about 9:20 p.m. (the show was going on between 8 and 10 p.m.), and we performed our song The Night Is On Fire better than we ever have before!! We had four rehearsals dedicated to this one song (PRACTICE, PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!!), and therefore, our vocal harmonies were better than ever and we were instrumentally much tighter too. Carnegie Hall wasn’t completely sold out that night, but it was still still more than 80 percent full, which wasn’t too bad considering the tickets were $150-$500.
We all did our solos, including me on both organ and guitar. I was playing my Bo Diddley model Gretsch guitar, as that was the guitar I used in the studio recording and because I wanted to pay tribute to Bo (more about it in another blog!!). It was one of my best solos I’ve ever played, and I was proud of my rhythm playing that night because I was totally tight with the bass and drums. Jon played the drums so perfect and amazing that I had to start calling him “Ringo” after the performance, and of course Wadada’s playing was as great as bass playing can possibly get!! Scott’s vocal performance was among the very best I’ve ever heard him, and he did a fantastic job being the frontman and entertaining the crowd!!
We got two standing ovations from the crowd (including one during my guitar solo when I was playing with my teeth), it was a wonderful experience seeing everybody applauding us with a big part of the crowd standing up, at such a great historical place.
It’s a huge honor for me, and I can’t really put the feeling into words, other than that it was one of the best nights of my life and I would like to thank everybody all around the world who have supported, helped and inspired me to do what I do, to any degree, throughout my 26 years, as it wouldn’t have ever happened without you!! God bless y’all!!
Eyes2sEye Features Arrest My Sister’s Comitment to Awareness
Arrest My Sister band manager Michael Siegel spoke with Eyes2Eyes, a website designed for the blind and visually impaired, about AMS’s new partnership with Awareness in Box. Siegel is also the co-founder and director of AIAB, which aims to promote inclusion between the typical and disabled communities through organized awareness festivals. During the Ask the Therapist (05/14/2011)interview, Siegel shared the story of how Arrest My Sister first became dedicated to raising awareness about the disabled community:
What would happen was is in thinking about marketing the band… I became connected with the disability community and it basically happened as a result of the band was playing at a place called the Cabana Club in November of 2009 and a group of kids that were film students that had disabilities came to the concert and there was about 15 of them and there was about 75 people totally in the room which it kind of mirrored the ratio of people with and without disabilities in our environment. Twenty percent of the general population have some form of disability. So the band’s playing at this night at the Cabana Club and I noticed that one of the people that were there from the film school was this young man, his name was Nikki. And Nikki has cerebral palsy and he’s confined to a wheelchair and he has the spastic kind of cerebral palsy where he’s very active in his chair. And when people would see him fear comes to people and they stay away. They don’t reach out. So what happened was he was kind of on his own which seemed to be a typical thing for someone in his condition. And in the middle of the concert Scott said ‘let’s everybody come on up and dance.’ And Nikki was in an electronic wheelchair and as I say he put his chair in gear and he went to the middle of the dance floor and he started to rock out and what was really amazing was that everybody in the room came onto the dance floor and had to gravitate toward Nikki. And I looked at them and said this is what I want to do. I want to put the people together and have them feel like they belong not just have them be in the room. And that’s actually the definition of the term for inclusion.
Siegel also clarified the vision for his new project and partner organization Awareness in a Box…
Basically what awareness in a box is, it’s an all inclusive awareness day. We’re starting out with autism awareness day and what we do is provide simulation activities of what it’s like to walk in the shoes of a person with autism… and what we discovered in this process is that a lot of parents or support systems of loved ones with disabilities they can see something’s wrong or different and they can go to the necessary consultants to help in therapies and such but they don’t know what it’s like to actually be in the person’s skin… Consequently, if they have that, they can then be empathetic, not sympathetic, but empathetic to what’s going on for you and have a better chance of supporting you for who you are.
More about Eyes2Eyes:
Eyes2eyes is a website designed specifically for the blind and visually impaired. The purpose of this site is to promote encouragement, insight, personal growth, and interaction with other blind or low vision individuals. This website is brought to you by a visually impaired person with a Master’s degree in Counseling.
This website is based on the philosophy that your visual limitations are a part of your life, not the center of it. Eyes2eyes believes that your willingness to be responsible for your thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions directly influences your degree of self worth and personal achievement.
Listen to the podcast by clicking here.
Independent Music Scene Reviews Arrest My Sister
The Independent Music Scene has reviewed our debut LP Make Your Move. Check it out:
Arrest My sister is a rock, blues rock, pop, reggae band from Los Angeles, California. Beside having a cool name this band is not afraid to embrace all of their influences. The listener can hear all the different styles, but it does not sound mashed together. They have a way of bringing the diversity in every song, without alienating their personality. In many way they are like your favorite band down the street, and they invoke that kind of pure joy that comes with music. One aspect that will impress the investigative fan is the way they can make you love their songs more and more the more you listen to them. Arrest My Sister is eclectic between songs, styles, band members, and interpretation. Like all great musicians they are confident in what they are doing, and in who they are. This is also a band that is very active in aiding people with disabilities. They honestly believe that music can heal people, and they seek to be miracle workers.
Click here to see the original review.
