Gambiza has a new face on bass.  We're excited to welcome Andy O'Brien into our weird llittle band, and we hope you'll welcome him, too!

We met Andy at a show we played almost a year ago, long before we knew we were going to need a new bass player.  We hooked up on facebook around that time, and a couple weeks ago, I happened to notice in a wall post that he was looking for a new project.  I invited him to audition, and the rest is history.




As a professional musician and a Berklee guy (he's an alumnus), we're sure he'll fit right in.  And best of all, he's really into wearing bunny ears.

If you see Andy around town, please give him a hug or a handshake or a high-five and welcome him into the epic cosmic weirdness that is Gambiza!

Next show:  Gambiza's CD RELEASE PARTY!  5/28 at The Middle East Upstairs

RG

Gambiza made some progress on the new album over the weekend.  We recorded rhythm guitar tracks on 3 more songs for the album, plus two cover songs for a video later on.  I didn't think to bring my camera this time, so I drew a picture of what happened at the session.



That's Gambiza's guitarist, Michael Johnson.  The lines around his guitar represent the awesomeness emanating from his guitar.  And that was just the rhythm tracks.  When we record lead, I'm going to need a bigger piece of paper.  And even then, the lines will likely have to extend off the page.

The 2 animals near his feet are his two cats.  They purr a lot and they like to lick people.

Gambiza's next show is March 9th at The Rosebud in Davis Square, Somerville.  But I'm also going to put in a plug for Michael Johnson's faculty concert Feb. 16th at 7:30 pm, at The David Friend Recital Hall, Berklee College Of Music.  You can be sure there will be plenty of lines of awesomeness.

RG

Happy New Year, everybody!  I'm really excited about what's coming up in 2012 for Gambiza.  We've begun recording a new album!  I don't want to give too much away too early, but I know you're going to love it!

Meanwhile, our debut full length, Gambiza, is slated to be released in March. Gambiza will have all the songs on the Mr. Shiny Pants EP, plus 2 more, all remastered. We'll also be starting a youtube campaign in 2012.  You can look forward to more videos and more awesomeness from Gambiza, right in the comfort of your living room!

And in case you just can't wait, here's a peek at the drum session for the new album, featuring Gambiza's drummer, Francisco.



Thanks for reading, and best wishes for a wonderful 2012!

RG

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to ask the important questions.  Should I have kids?  What if I never succeed?  What is my purpose in life?

And then, there comes the most important question of all.

What is a Tala Dala?



I went home over the summer.  And here we are in November, and I still can't get this thing out of my brain.  It looks like a phone booth.  Yet, there's no phone.  It's also extremely colorful.  Why would a phone booth with no phone ever need to be so colorful?

My first thought was that it was a time machine, a la Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure.  But I went inside, closed the door, and was transported...  precisely nowhere.  Then I thought, okay, maybe it has a weight limit.  Or a height limit.  So we found a random little girl wondering the streets, put her inside and watched with fascination as she was magically transported... nowhere.



Okay, so maybe it's a broken time machine.  A gratuitously colorful broken time machine.  With no phone.  Or maybe it's a Star Trek "Beam me up, Scottie" kind of thing.  But I didn't think of that at the time, so I didn't have a chance to check.

If anyone knows or has a guess as to what this thing is, please feel free to shed some light.  Or at least find a phone and put it in.

RG

Until now, with only a couple of exceptions, every time I’ve written a new blog entry, it’s been about one of Gambiza’s shows.  This show was awesome.  That show was awesome.  Let me sum it up for you—ALL OF GAMBIZA’S SHOWS ARE AWESOME.  Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to be making some changes in the blog. 

From now on, I will be writing about whatever the fuck I feel like writing about, Gambiza-related or not.  Think of it as a blog about everything.  Or a blog about nothing.  Kind of like Seinfeld, but without any Jewish people.

Ink, solar eclipses, the nice homeless man who hangs out by the liquor store and reminds to smile, my styrofoam collection, the political agenda of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer… whatever I feel like writing about. Sure, I’ll still throw in the occasional plug—btw, Gambiza’s rockin’ Precinct every Monday in November—but all in all you can look forward to a very varied, and hopefully, interesting blog.

Tune in next time when I write about a). How I never go to bars alone because creepy people have a way of finding me, b). What Einstein REALLY meant with his equation E=mc², or c). Yo mama.

RG

So, now that I'm famous and all (or at least somewhat well-known... okay, slightly well known... in my apartment), I've decided to take a look back to thank all the "little people" who've helped me to get to where I am today.

First off, I'm sending out a big "Thank you" to the actor who played Mini-Me.  You were awesome in Austin Powers.

Seriously though, even though I'm neither rich nor famous (yet), I love what I do.  I love singing.  I love writing.  And I love performing. (But, as many of you already know, I don't like swiss).

Not that long ago, I was finishing up my time at Berklee, and just beginning to see the first little glimmer of what I'm supposed to be doing with my life.  When I first started at Berklee, I didn't have a clue.  Before that, I was working at a fucking tux shop in Nebraska.

I've always known I wanted to be a singer.  But I had no idea that writing songs would lead my way.  And if I hadn't taken that first leap, perhaps I would still be living in the Midwest, tipping cows on the weekends for fun.  (Don't do that, btw, cows are your friends!)  Or perhaps I would have started a meth lab.  Who knows?

What's my point?  I don't know.  Take a leap, I guess.  Never too late to take a leap.  Just not off a building.

RG

Our first time at TT's and Gambiza was the headliner.  One guy asked me to autograph his cheese.

Another good show by F Nice Records.  Played with some rockin' bands last night:  Cougar Bait (you gotta love the name), Prima Primo (a very theatrical duo out of NYC), and Life On Mars.  Great venue.  Definitely want to play there again.  We received compliments from audience members, the F Nice Records people, and even the very cool bartender.  Thanks to everybody who came out!

And thanks to nice lady who gave me a bandaid after I ripped off some skin on my index finger trying to get the bathroom stall to lock.

2 Boston-area shows coming up in September.

Wednesday, Sept. 7

We're back at Precinct with Justin Purtill + The Sewer Rats, and our friends from a previous Precinct show, Choose To Find.
Music starts at 8:30; we're on stage at 11.
70 Union Square
Somerville, MA
$7, 21+

Thursday, Sept. 22

Back at McGann's for another F Nice Records show with Amos Blood, Sputnik, and Hope Lies Within.
Doors at 8:30.  We're headlining again--on stage at 11.
197 Portland St.
Boston, MA
$10, 21+

Thanks for reading, everybody.  ROCK ON!

RG

Good show yesterday.  Our first time playing Tammany Hall.  Really nice venue, but the first thing I noticed when I walked in was the stage.  Big stage.  Not talking stadium-size, but definitely bigger than most we've played.  Which is great, because I love having some room to move around.  It was a 2-day festival put together by Rotten Records and The Shell Agency.  A lot of great bands, and it was a very well-run event. 

Saturday was rock and Sunday was metal.  Because of a scheduling conflict on Saturday, we played Sunday with the metal bands.  I'm sure it came as a surprise to some when we got up on stage and didn't play metal.  But it didn't seem to matter.  We had a very enthusiastic crowd, and even had audience members rushing to pick up the cheese from "Rock 'N Roll Star" and the disposable glove I threw out during "Pills!"  I wonder what they plan to do with all that cheese.  And 1 glove.  2 gloves would make sense--you could clean your bathroom with them.  But one?

Anyway, thanks to Andy and Michelle from The Shell Agency and to Ron from Rotten Records for putting on this 2-day show, and for letting us be a part of it.  And as always, thanks to the other bands who participated and to everyone who came out for the music!

If you're in the Raynham, MA area, you can catch us at Peddler's Loft this Thursday night, Aug. 11.  Playing with Suspense Machine and Nero Complex.  Doors at 8, we're on stage at 10:30.  $5, 21+, 1 Judson St., Raynham.

And coming up August 22, we're at T.T. the Bear's!  Playing with Life On Mars, Primo Prima, and Cougar Bait.  Doors at 8:30, on stage at 11. $6, 18+, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge, MA.

Until next time.  Rock on!

RG

I wrote a love song today.  The fastest I've ever written a song, by the way.

One of Gambiza's band members is always saying, "Rachel doesn't write love songs."  Let's examine this for a moment...  Fishies?  Check.  Cheese?  Check.  Dudes in shiny pants?  Check.

He's right.  No love songs.

So I told the guys at rehearsal last night that I'm going to write "A Love Song To A Monkey."



I've had this idea in my head for a while now, but until today, I hadn't started the process of lyrics, chords, or melody.   I guess part of me wanted to prove that if I wanted to, I could in fact write a love song.  But with my own Rachel Gambiza twist, of course!

So here's the thing.  I wrote the song, and the part about the monkey comes out in the chorus.  But I realized as I was writing it that all I have to do is change 3 words in the chorus (and I already know what I would change them to) and the song would be an actual legitimate love song.  And it would involve only the most humanesque of the primates (in other words, no monkeys invited!).  Then I could easily (with the right connections) hand it over to someone like Enrique Iglesias to sing, and I could instantly make millions off the songwriting royalties.

So do I keep it as my silly little monkey song?  Or do I take the millions?  And in the meantime, does Gambiza perform it as the monkey song or the non-monkey song?  Or do I simply save it for Enrique?

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

RG

Come on, is it really that uncommon to throw out slices of cheese during a rock show?

Apparently, according to our audiences' reaction, it is.

A good show last night at Precinct.  Our first of 3 Monday nights in July.  We were fortunate to play with some other cool bands--Side Of Ranch (out of NYC), and 2 Boston based bands--Eric French And Mr. Hyde and Sierra And Andrew.  And for the first time ever, an audience member returned some of our cheese (layed out quite nicely on a  plate) at the end of our performance of "Rock 'N Roll Star."

There will be more cheese throwing at our next 2 shows at Precinct.  And bunny ears.  Everybody needs bunny ears.  BYOSP.  (Bring Your Own Shiny Pants).

July 18 and 25th at Precinct.  8 pm.  Some more rockin' bands.  And....  NEW SONGS!

See you there!

RG