Lonely nights ...

I haven't posted in a while. Back in San Francisco for a bit, writing new songs and working out lyrics for the upcoming album... (working title: Lookout! PANDA) Inspired by Nadira Mayrena, daughter of Chris "Hype" Mayrena of Hype Raje Studios. Fun new punk songs and a splash of pop mixed with our passion for catchy melodies have inspired the majority of our music. Less dark, more bright... lyrical content is a bit more extreme... Let's see what happens, we are still working out the details.

On the daily side, Tom and I are hard at work back in our Shameless Self Productions office booking shows and tours for The Pillows and Noodles (September Tour), The Heartbreakers (ex- New York Dolls) for next Spring and All Ages for a Japan tour in the Spring.

ALL AGES New Support Drummer

ALL AGES New Support Drummer 5/11- 5/20 (2011)

All Ages would like to thank Masa "The Machine" Kaida for his 9 month support with us. This post is about a month late. We wish Masa well while he pursues his own interests in Tokyo and continues his career as a professional drummer in Japan. Good luck Masa!

For the past 3 shows and for our show finale in Tokyo (all Sold Out shows) we have had the pleasure of working with our good friend Kenta Tochio. He is a drummer from Osaka and has been working with the band OFF ROCK. We asked him on short notice to support our tour with Noodles and he was quick to respond. We've never had such an astute and dedicated drummer and even though we've only been playing for two weeks together, he has brought a new life to All Ages that Tom and I have truly missed.

Our last show is this Friday in Tokyo @ LOFT opening for The Pillows and featuring Noodles and Bugy Craxone… after this show Tom and I will return to San Francisco to begin work on our 2nd Album and to rejoin our staff @ Shameless Self Productions to continue our 9-5 projects… (more like 9-9)...

This past year has been difficult and we truly want to thank the three drummers who supported us during this time and allowed All Ages to continue on in good fashion… So, thanks Josh, Masa, and Tochio.

We are excited to say we have made leaps in our expectations because of this tour and All Ages will be around for a long long time… until the next post… Peace, Love and Rock and Roll.

Just the beginning... All Ages "Anti Robot" Japan Tour 2011

Today we offically begin our 2011 Japan tour... 47 shows (maybe a few additions) ... We are in Osaka tonight to enjoy the company of some old friends and Tom's family, maybe a beer or two! The reception has been amazing and we are so excited to go out a push our boundries! The venues that are lined up and the bands we are set to play with are outstanding!! We have a tour finale with "Noodles" and indie kings "The Pillows" in Tokyo May 20th... I was worried about headlining so many shows, but our buzz here has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year! "A New Kind of Citizen" has struck a chord with the youth here, and they understand our "Anti Robot" concept!!
I'd like to thank Tomcat and Chris Mayrena, my good friends who continue to push me and All Ages. Tom, Masa and I are getting along very well and we are anticipating huge things during and after this tour... These are exciting times and it's special to have friends to share it with. My brother Mark has also joined us here in Japan... he paid his dues with us as our tour manager for 140 US shows this past year... he can be more relaxed here and enjoy the ride.
Please keep up with the tour and shoot us a note on our facebook or right here! I'll post as often as I can, please be patient asour internet access does not coincide with our busy tour~ Lot's of Love to you! And whatever you do with your life... don't go into advertising, you may lose your soul!! And don't eat KFC... peace!!

The Danger of this Tour (Feb. 2nd)

We are literally inching our way along on this tour. The weather is dreadful and we are in the middle of blizzards and ice storms. The fog is forcing us to drive 5mph along with the re-icing of our windshield every few minutes... We are taking serious consideration for our lives and may have to cancel shows... We are heading to Trenton, NJ and then to Indianapolis... Ice Storms into Blizzard and Tornado weather... We are trekking along our route and courageously braving the ice, snow blanket and truckers. Most mornings we wake up and need to scrape and shovel our way out, this adds a few hours to our commute.
So why do we do this? We are doing what we love! It's a little of a sense of adventure and a need for adventure... Nothing ventured/nothing gained... and because we are all a bit Crazy. The heat doesn't work, so we have piles of blankets and our spirits are still high... Looking forward to warmer weather and our trip over to Japan.
For now, we'll continue on... details www.iloveallages.com and www.shameless-self.com

New Songs

I've been writing non stop for several days... being on tour didn't give me a chance to really think about stuff... I like some of it. Maybe we'll have enough material to release an EP in the Fall of 2011. Look out for our single 42 Sub Machine Guns due out Summer 2011 on Shameless Self~~

But we're back on the road in a few weeks, so it won't be long. See you soon.

www.iloveallages.com

Arizona and beyond...

All Ages is 'resting up' in Arizona for a few days... we have 3 shows in the Phoenix area; not driving is definitely resting! The shows so far have been great! Eureka, CA and Fallon, NV had great turnouts and we'd like to thank the bands who helped us out! And the ladies @ the Lion... Love you!

11/23 Tonight we will be performing two open mics: 2 Acoustic songs by Derrik @ Buena Coffee and 2 Full band songs @ Devils Advocate

11/24 Wednesday: We're at Copper State Tavern in Glendale
11/25 Thursday: THANKSGIVING (And we're really grateful for our good friend David in Phoenix for having us this year. We love crashing at your place!
11/26 Friday: Big Fish in Tempe
11/27 Saturday: We're in Prescott @ Sundances Place

11/28 Sunday 1000 mile Drive to Boise, ID

DONATE FOR GAS?
Please send donations via Paypal.com to srsderrik@yahoo.com ANYTHING is helpful in inching us along our little path. Money will go toward gas for our tour ONLY. Thank You very much. We Love you too!

On to the Future : : : : . . . .

2011
January 2011: All Ages performs in NYC Time Square for the Real Radio Show (details)

February 2011: SAN FRANCISCO CD Release for "A New Kind of Citizen" TBA

August 2011: Ani-Jam FRESNO, CA

www.iloveallages.com
www.shameless-self.com
www.youtube.com/iloveallages
Look us up on Facebook and Twitter

Fallon Nevada~

All Ages had a great time at The Daily Grind. We'd like to thank Joses and Melissa and Trigger for helping us have such a wonderful time. We went on a bit late, but that's never stopped us before! This venue continues to be a fantastic stop for us and many bands who tour the west coast loop. Pictures to be posted on Facebook under "All Ages"

Okay, Break is Over... Back to the Road

It's been nice having a couple of weeks off... but time to get back on the road. We have a full schedule Nov. 7th-Dec. 17th We have about 22 shows and you can check out the details at www.iloveallages.com. We have made a serious dent in our 220 show goal so far.

Upcoming: January-February 2011
New England Tour in January
East Coast: Maine-Florida February

Counting down to Japan

Trenton, NJ Oct. 19th

Today is chilly here in Trenton... All Ages has a show tonight @ Mill Hill Basement, should be fun... We had a great time last night @ The Trash Bar in Brooklyn where we met some beautiful people from Florida!! We've only been on the road now for a few days, but I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm just not as interested in touring anymore. Not like this. 70 dates straight scraping by to meet people and sell our music just seems like the hard way... I'm going to finish All Ages commitments here and in Japan for Shameless Self Productions' "A New Kind of Citizen" and then I'm going to seriously rethink how we produce and deliver our music. We have a day or two off coming up, so maybe I'll start brainstorming instead of lamenting :)

Infomercial for "A New Kind of Citizen"

I'm not sure why we took two weeks off to film and edit an infomercial, but we're pretty happy with the results... We'd like to thank the studio audience that was both disgusted and amazed at all the amazing things our new album is good for.

www.youtube.com/iloveallages

Thank YOU, The TOUR and back to Bookings!

We'd like to thank all the bands and friends who helped make our Summer Tour so fun! Thank you to everyone who came out and thanks to all of our Sponsors! We will be taking a few weeks off to rest before we hit the road for our Fall and Winter Tour starting in New Jersey Oct. 17th! Our goal is 280 shows in the US and Japan... we've performed 36 and have 40 for the Fall... only *^Oh god! 204 to go... We didn't even break 200!!?? Well, I hope our van holds up!

Also, check out our fun new website www.iloveallages.com (It's not fun, it's normal~)
Support the band and donate for gas via paypal to srsderrik@yahoo.com Anything helps and for any donation we will send you a limited edition All Ages Sticker... kissed by Tom himself! We love you!

"A New Kind of Citizen" on Sale NOW

We are happy to officially announce the release of "A New Kind of Citizen" available by download at www.cdbaby.com/allages or on www.itunes.com/allages Album 9.99 and singles are .99

For CD's contact and order from Shameless Self Productions: d.soares@shameless-self.com and place the order using Paypal... 13.95 plus shipping and handling.

The First 100 orders get a free Mp3 of our cover of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson instantly!

Punk Rock for Senior Citizens

Peace
www.iloveallages.com

Day 3: Business Business Business

We have been working on booking shows and discovering our van for these first couple of days. This gives us the option to go home and give up... if the van doesn't work... It works, so we'll just keep going. Tonight we play the Ruby Room on University in San Diego. This morning we played some acoustic in the park we've been sleeping at... The senior citizens walking by seemed to be enjoying themselves. Good thing we know how to play the jitter-bug!

Thanks to our Sponsor:

We really use this stuff... check it out. Walgreens/CVS/ Online @ www.thecrystal.com

The Pillows in San Francisco 2010

Tonight. Slims. San Francisco... THE PILLOWS!!! It's been great working for the Pillows and their label Delicious. Helping put together shows this size have helped Tom and I with our own booking and performances. If you don't know who the Pillows are, check them out... FLCL!!!

Slims 333 11th St.

San Francisco

Door 7pm Show 8pm

Tickets only available at the Box Office

$28 at the door

All Ages (ha)

Booking The Tour Day 2

Another day of booking... Spent most of today researching fanzines and magazines willing to listen to some songs and offer reviews. Currently booking the West Coast. I agree this post is pointless, but Tom won't shut it unless I blog daily! So here we go.

Also a bit of Shameless Self Promotion:

Kimos May 19th

SAN FRANCISCO

All Ages is playing with some killer local bands; Like Bandits, and Black Boy Rockin It... Come check it out. $6 21 and up ... Nudity considered.

Booking The Tour Day 1

All Ages is getting ready to embark on a huge world tour over the period of 32 months... and unless unforeseen good fortunes present themselves, we are uninterrupted in our quest. Todays booking began with a few short term dates in San Diego for May and June. The first leg of our tour will begin on the West Coast, Slowly move across the South, and up to New England. After a short a break will continue on for a short time across the northern and middle states back to California where we will record a single and prepare for Japan. Booking this tour is very exciting for me, because unlike all of the booking I've done in the past, I'm completely prepared and did all the work already. The rest is just filling in cracks. I'd like to personally thank "Ziggy" of "Another Zeke Production" from San Diego for helping to book All Ages. Keep up with our tour info and watch for when we come to a town near you... Peace. www.myspace.com/allagesband

Everyday, everyday, everyday

In my quest to blog, I've recently learned that no matter what I have to say, even if nothing, I should blog about it. So... um... it's Wednesday. Overcast, probably will rain, I don't know. How about that crazy volcano business... Tom is making me blog as I type here... but really I should be paying attention to the vocal mix that we are doing on "Hooray" a new track in All Ages debut album "A New Kind of Citizen". Blog end.

Noodles 2010 Recording

In the Studio this week with Noodles (Tokyo). They are working on a brand new album, that quite frankly is sounding like their best album yet. 11 tracks of pure honest music.

This is just a teaser because we can't officially put up any music... but if you look faintly through the glass and you can see a blurred Yoko. We are promoting heavily with Noodles for upcoming April 9th Show "From Japan with Love Vol. 4" at The Red Devil Lounge in SF.

Live Theater and the House Band

We (All Ages) have just finished up rehearsals and the opening night of PianoFights' Shortlived. Shortlived is the largest audience-judged playwriting competition in the country. All Ages is the house band- think late night shows. We cover the transitions between the plays while the audience is judging. All Ages also features two new songs from our upcoming album "A New Kind of Citizen".

The 8 plays are very well thought out, entertaining and funny. Only 4 plays go on to round 2. The rules of the competition are given to the attending audience during the introduction. The plays are filled with talented and experienced actors... including a bear... no, really a bear!

Shortlived is also running concurrently in Los Angeles. For more information on PianoFight and Shortlived visit www.pianofight.com

Shameless Self Productions is currently filming a documentary on the San Francisco Shortlived phenomenon. Tickets are selling fast! www.brownpapertickets.com enter promo code 'xocko' or 'allages'

Thank you for your continued support and don't forget to visit www.shameless-self.com

The Great Escape

I'm back in Boston visiting my Grandfather who has spent the past 10 weeks in the hospital. My grandfather has spent the past 50 years of his life in and out of hospitals for various medical problems and subsequent miraculous recoveries! He is one of the first men to have had a kidney transplant (Now the oldest living Kidney Transplant Patient) and despite a 20% chance of living for 3 years, he has gone another 50. A triple bypass, a pace-maker, numerous surgeries for dozens of oddities, years of experimental medications, and the respect of the top physicians at Mass General Hospital, Tony has surpassed all of our imaginations in just how much "will" has to do with life and living. He has always credited his will for life to his family, especially his wife, my grandmother Gilda. She has been by his side for the past 55 years and going.

But before his health became his primary obstacle, there was Portugal. Born in Sao Miguel in 1930, Tony and his family were forced to escape in 1949 while Portugal was under the dictatorship of Salazar. My grandfather tells me stories of a time when a dictator under the direct influence of Adolf Hitler but that fearfully allied with Britain and the United States ruled Portugal. Salazar sought to keep his empire by disrupting civil liberties and suppressing political rivals. My great-grandfather and grandfather and the Soares family presented a strong presence and were among the leaders of a rebellion against the right-wing authoritarian government. My grandfathers best friend (a political activist who belonged to another family joining the rebellion) -- one day was flying a private plane between islands, not more than a 10-15 minute trip... he never arrived. He was assassinated. Killed by Salazars' secret police. After weeks of search, nothing was found... no plane, no body... just the disappearance of this young man. With continued efforts to disrupt Salazars' "New State" resulting in numerous attempts on their lives The Soares family were forced to escape. It took many years and too many side stories to explain how they came to settle here in Boston... My grandfather always tells us how he felt when he first saw the Statue of Liberty, and I can't express the sincerity of emotion when his eyes well-up with pride... he takes a breath and says "She was so beautiful."

Never to return to Sao Miguel, Tony taught himself to speak, read and write English (with help from my Grandmother, also a native of Sao Miguel). He Attended night classes while working long hours, 7 days a week in a greenhouse, until he graduated as a draftsman and later through promotion, a mechanical engineer. During his life Tony worked for various corporations, Deck and Honeywell among the top. He was the original patent holder under many of Honeywells' patents that many of us continue to enjoy today (Although the patents are held by Honeywell today).

Most of us can gloat amazing grandparents... and if you got one to gloat about, do it! I could write a book about my Grandfathers adventures... this "blog" barely scratches the surface of the man. Maybe someday I will... until then I will enjoy the time we have left together, and continue to be amazed as the cracks of the story of his life are gradually filled in with substance.

More information on Salazar and Estado Novo (New State) visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/António_de_Oliveira_Salazar