Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today
to get through this thing called life…
As the newest New Years fast approaches and we all look for the coolest of cool ways to spend its “Eve” we’re reminded of how life is essentially one big search for the best people to kill some time with and the best ways and places to kill it in, that is, until the tables are turned (inevitably) and time kills us dead instead in what’s essentially a protracted (one hopes!) game of existential chicken bound to end (spoiler alert!) in a head-on collision but until that moment arrives let’s all have a good time together killing some time shall we…
…which hey we didn’t mean to get too heavy there but these were the.deep thoughts filling up our shallow head as we listened to NYC-born-and-bred Patti Rothberg’s excellent song “You Killed My Time” not long ago, a song from her criminally slept-on LP Candelabra Cadabra released in 1999 (I was dreamin’ when I wrote this / forgive me if it goes astray) tha builds from delicate acoustic fingerpicked guitar/plaintive vocals to a big emotive finalé (talk about “heavy”!) with a soaring Floydish guitar break and the song’s titular phrase repeated with massed harmonies/solo vocal flourishes until the tune literally runs out of time with the sound of ticking clocks and arpeggiated chimes…\
…a dramatic arc not unlike Patti Rothberg’s own career except that fortunately for us all she’s still in the protracted buildup/climax section, an arc that got its start in 1994 when Patti was but a mere unassuming art student at Parsons School of Design while sneaking down to the subway occasionally to strum guitar and sing for the city’s harried commuters that is until she was spotted busking by a big-time talent scout…
…and then ended up befriending a producer (Little Dave Greenberg) who recorded some demos by Rothberg—largely songs penned during a sojourn in Paris between ’92 and ’93—recorded as a one-woman band on bass guitar/rhythm guitar/lead guitar with an assist on drums one of which soon became her breakout hit (“Inside”) in unaltered-from-the-deno form on then thriving alt-rock radio and MTV also appearing on her debut long-playing record Between the 1 And The 9 released by none other than EMI after a major label bidding war…
…which led to subsequent world tours and appearances on Leno and Letterman and opening slots for ‘80s/‘90s superstarz like Pat Benatar, Chris Isaak, Paul Westerberg, The B52’s, and many others also performing at NYC radio station Z100’s “Girls Rule the Yule” at Madison Square Garden in 1996 with the likes of Sheryl Crow but then EMI’s US division went belly up and Patti was left label-less not putting out another record until the aforementioned Candelabra Cadabra on short-lived indie label Cropduster…
…and ever since then Patti Rothberg has kept at it–writing and recording music, playing live and even publishing a book–which is exactly what’d you’d expect from a real NYC rock ‘n’ roller known for “keeping it real” whilst simultaneously pursuing her artistic pursuits and frequently appearing in various musical combos and/or on her own at venues like Otto’s Shrunken Head which as we’ve said before is basically a Tiki-themed CBGB’s and much like that benighted shrine, The Deli will be celebrating the tenacity and talent of NYC’s independent music scene (except we ain’t movin’ to Vegas!) and the talented individuals who keep it goin’ year after year with a New Year’s Eve Ball at Bar Freda (talk about keepin’ it real!) in Ridgewood, Queens, paying tribute to down ’n’ dirty New York City rock ’n’ roll all for the LOW LOW PRICE OF $15…
…with Patti’s current band Hole In One headlining and a lineup otherwise full of local legends/lifers including sets by Rotten Eve, The Serontonians, and Gene Pool Lifeguard so come check ‘em out and get a little history lesson in real NYC rock ’n’ roll and to close things out here we got some insight into the other legendary members of Hole In One from none other than longtime friend-of-the-Deli Jimmy Gunz which follows (nearly) verbatim below so you’re welcome and Happy New Year’s to youse all and see ya tomorrow night let’s kill some time and have a ball y’all…
The story is that I played in Patti’s friends’ bands so me and Patti did the same line-ups together in different bands. And I photographed Patti even 10 years ago. Two years ago [me and Patti] started to more hang out together having seen each other at different gigs. Then we went golfing together after her Ramones tribute gig (singing as Joey in the well loved Ramones tribute Rockaway Bitch). Patti is a pro golfer so she got a HOLE IN ONE at the last hole
HOLE IN ONE features one of New York City’s best loved guitarists, Jimmy Gunz (Rew Starr, Validation, Cheri Dahl, Snake Monsters). He is also a photographer and captured Patti scoring a hole in one at a punk rock themed miniature golf course. Other Hole in One members include Mick “Crash” Oakleaf (The Nothing, Disturbed Furniture, and too many others to list) on drums and backing vocals. He is also a NYC recording studio audio veteran (Unique, Howard Schwartz, Sony, Kampo Studios), and the resident professor of Hole in One.
In addition, Matt DeSilva, is on bass and backing vocals (Toast, Custard Wally). He was manager of the Guitar Department at Manny’s Music on 48th street’s Music Row in NYC and used to write for Bass Player magazine. Listen to Hole in One and have a ball!