Hi All,
Thought you’d like to see this pic: a friend and fan was in Iran recently, and managed to put a sticker on a lamppost, next to a mosque that’s adjacent to Imam Square in Esfahan, the second largest public square in the world, and the site of the recent uprisings. So, there you go. Perhaps it was Ben’s compelling artwork that spawned revolution in the hearts of many.

The Hot Seats
Retreat to Camp Candy Temptation Island

The sound of fiddle, banjo and mandolin never ages. If one were to argue it does, well, then it ages well. All those instruments need are a few good singers and creative songwriting to accompany it. Said instruments find a fine home with Richmond, Virginia’s newly christened The Hot Seats (formerly Special Ed & The Short Bus) who take an eclectic and delightfully carnival-esque approach to blending bluegrass, ragtime sounds and stringed bands from the 1920’s and ‘30’s. The result is an energetic handful of back porch jams strutted about with drunken swagger, opinions and humor.

The band is an explosive concoction of old time music engrossed in the present (note ‘Price of Gas Blues’ and ‘Sell Your Babies’). Boasting numerous singers, Retreat to Camp Candy Temptation Island is a massive title, belying the contents to some degree. It’s a roller coaster ride and sheer rave-up mixed with double entendres and fuel aplenty to burn. As diverse as the album’s genres are it doesn’t take away from the whole, resulting in a rollicking album born from of jug bands and swing.

Vocals tend to sound like old time radio (‘Everybody’s Doin’ It’) or rural and rustic on ‘Pretty Polly’ which moves at top speed and recalls live performances from the O’Brother movie. The country tinged ‘Sleepover Party’ is a riot in which the guys sing a song from the ladies perspective about subjects such as how to avoid pregnancy and kissing George Clooney.

On the album The Hot Seats certainly sound serious about having a lively time. Whereas similar bands Squirrel Nut Zippers or Christabel & the Jons might play things a little more contemporary, The Hot Seats take a juke joint approach and attempt to burn down the barn. Performing and entertaining as something sacred is alive and well on Retreat and it begs the question of how the songs will sound live. Doubtful its any tamer.

Brian Tucker
Bootleg Magazine
Wilmington, NC

PF and Aaron, so clever! So coordinated!
Whoa Mule!

Hi All,

Just a quick report from the road . . . We had great shows in PA and MD and then headed to NYC for a show at the Rodeo Bar. The show went great, we went busking at Columbus Circle and then in the subways on Sunday, our day off. Monday, we were headed out to a show in Massachusetts, or, at least we THOUGHT we were!

First thing, as Ed was hanging out beside the van after loading up, a friendly NYC police officer handed ed what he assumed was a love note, but was in fact a $115 ticket for having a tire on the curb, much like the numerous other vehicles behind the van who somehow managed to avoid this cop’s eye. Lovely.

Then, as we pulled out, we noticed that pretty much everything ceased functioning in our lovely van - the power steering, the fan, the alternator . . . all kaput. We found a spot to park in uptown, and noticed that our serpentine belt was broken (the one in the engine, not our sweet rattlesnake accessories). We found a tow, and took it to the 54th St. Auto Center. They eventually fixed the problem (after about 36 hours), and we found some time to busk.

So, there’s a pretty non-eventful story for you. There were moments when we felt sure that our van was a goner, and it caused us great consternation. We love our van, and, at only 357,000 miles, we know she’s just in the prime of her life.

Now we continue the tour, and we hope for less events than we’ve had thus far.

Love,
PF HotSeats

Warmest regards,
PF Hotseats

Hello folks!

PF HotSeat here, writing from the comfort of the Travelodge Glasgow, just wanting to report on our UK experience thus far.

But FIRST! Some very important breaking news . . .

So, let’s catch up, shall we?
Wednesday: We left Dulles Airport last Wednesday night with no incident, however, upon arrival to Heathrow, we found out exactly what a bureaucratic nightmare REALLY is. Our work permits from the Home Office of the UK Immigration Service had come in at 9:30 PM on the night previous, after a ridiculous debacle that stems from this agency’s inability to use common sense. Anyway, these work permits are brand new as of 2009, so, naturally, our immigration agent at Heathrow had never seen this form before, and spent the better part of an hour (the hour we had to make a connecting flight, by the way) talking with her boss, the home office, etc, only to let us through. It’s as though the left hand doesn’t know that the right hand is shoved up a nose, paying no attention to the real world. Ah well, at least it’s not just a USA thing.

Thursday: We met our pal Gerald the super roadie at Glasgow Airport, and headed for our first gig in Kirkcaldy at the Polish Club. Have you ever been to a Polish Club before? It’s an intense experience! First of all, every time you say “Polish Club,” the members shout “Hey!” with great vigor. Also, there’s ALL KINDS of Polish beer and liquor, and the members are very eager that you know just how good all these delights are. So, anyway, you may imagine that our night was pretty wild.

Friday: Our first gig of the day took place at a high school in Johnstone – outside of Scotland. A surreal experience for certain. Imagine us performing for 250 thirteen year olds. Before our performance, the principal of the school gave the students a brimstone and hellfire warning against them acting up, which really set the tone for the gig. As soon as we began playing, these kids responded with the appropriate stomping and hooting of a bluegrassy audience. The highlight of this was the Q&A, with such questions as, “Are you hillbillies?” “Do you ever shave?” and so on.
We then headed to Glasgow for our evening gig at the Celtic Connections Festival with the Wilders. This fest has given us some of the poshest treatment we’ve experienced – food, fancy hotels, dressing rooms, etc. We played to a sold out crowd (see here), and rocked it out pretty thoroughly. After the show, we headed to the after hours club, where all the musicians who are milling around Glasgow congregate to meet and booze. We put together an impromptu set with some of us, some of the Wilders, and our pal Tim, who ran sound for us at the Spiegeltent in Edinburgh, but who’s also a kickass fiddler, apparently. At some point in the evening, we were out on the street watching six Scots, fresh from the club, fighting one another. As near as we could tell, there were not particular people fighting one another, but just all of them fighting all of them. A hilarious fracas, for sure. All in all, a late night . . . or that’s how I recall it.

Saturday/Sunday: I’ll jam these two together for brevity’s sake. We played two great shows at halls in little villages that border on Glasgow – Brookfield and Lochwinnoch. Both crowds were typical for our experience in the UK – sit down crowds who are very polite, and who we have to goad into getting loose with us. Last night (Sunday) we played with a local group called the Shed Inspectors, who had great vocals and, after the show, took us to a local pub for to taste a variety of Scotch whiskey. Not sure what it is, whether it’s us or them, but those Scots sure do like to booze us up!

So here we are, a week left in the UK, 5 days left in Scotland, and getting ready to support the largest act we’ve ever played for. Not surprisingly, we’re having a great time thus far, and will certainly continue on this pathway. We’re very much looking forward to revisiting our pals at the Banham Barrel in Norwich and at What’s Cookin’ in London, and we’re also excited for our show at the Tall Ship in Glasgow Harbor on Friday night.

So . . . if you’re in the area . . . come on out!

See you soon!
PF HotSeat

Hiya folks,

PF Hotseat here. Just wanted to let you know that we have posted on our video page new clips from our recent performance on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special in December 2008. Additionally, you can see some pics from our little tour we took between Xmas and NYE this year, featuring Thomas Bailey and The Fox Hunt.

Enjoy!

Special Ed and the Shortbus - Richmond’s premiere twisted stringband, purveyors of all things bluegrass, oldtimey, ragtimey, jugband-y, and bizarre – will be playing their final show in Richmond, VA. No, they aren’t breaking up, going to jail or finally returning to the womb; indeed, they have decided that, after 7 years of touring and performing far and wide (as of December, 2008, they have played in every state east of the Mississippi River, plus England and Scotland) with what some would consider an offensive name, the band has decided to retire the name “Special Ed and the Shortbus,” in favor of a more widely palatable alternative.

The new name is The Hot Seats.

Why The Hot Seats? A few reasons, thanks for asking!

1. This name still connotes the frenetic and jerky nature of the music we have chosen to play.
2. The new name is not offensive to those who care about special needs issues.
3. The band now is very different from the ragtag bunch who slapped together sets for a weekly gig at the Cary Street Café.
4. “SEATS” is an acronym for Special Ed And The Shortbus, so, for any die-hard fans who care, the name remains intact, in spirit, anyway.

Fret not, the band remains committed to our mission statement – that of uncovering obscure music, writing music that sounds obscure, and presenting it with a bent towards reverent irreverence, pageantry, and vaudevillian melodrama.

So, the new info:

thehotseat[at]gmail.com
http://www.thehotseats.net
http://www.myspace.com/thehotseatsrva

So, there’s your Xmas letter.

For more info, email thehotseats[at]gmail.com,