My band: Wil Hendricks (electric guitar)

(Thanks to Craig at Songs:Illinois for the heads-up!)

My band: Jim Becker (guitar, violin, keyboards), Amy Domingues (cello, keyboards), Ryan Hembrey (electric bass, backing vocals), Adam Vida (drums)

I did backups, along with Carla Torgerson of the Walkabouts, on almost all the songs.  A slightly different version was released in Europe on Glitterhouse, on September 25, 2000.

Reviews:

"With last year’s Mojave, Willard Grant Conspiracy solidified its reputation as one of the major comers in a second wave of alt-country that champions story and literate wit in song as much as it does straw cowboy hats and Tecate. On Everything’s Fine, the Conspiracy continues with an 11-song steamroller of confused hearts, pretty guitars and the kind of bittersweet jubilance that has already made the band such a critic’s favorite. Here the group makes the most of its expanded lineup, for a lushness that rivals even that of Lampchop, and anchored, as always, by Robert Fisher’s husky reveries. (Edith Frost fans listen close: She’s in there, too.) With just a few albums under their belt, the members of Willard Grant Conspiracy come off with the weary charm of old pros as they quietly but self-assuredly build a catalog of unbelievably honest American music." (CMJ)

"�’Everything’s Fine" is a majestic affair, the first WGC album where Fisher and guitarist Paul Austin’s frequently epic vision fully translates into a concrete song-cycle, a holistic masterpiece as opposed to the episodic collected sketches comprising its predecessors." (Uncut)

I did backups, along with Carla Torgerson of the Walkabouts, on almost all the songs.  This is the European version — a slightly different version was released in the U.S. on February 20, 2001 on Slow River / Rykodisc.

Reviews:

"With last year’s Mojave, Willard Grant Conspiracy solidified its reputation as one of the major comers in a second wave of alt-country that champions story and literate wit in song as much as it does straw cowboy hats and Tecate. On Everything’s Fine, the Conspiracy continues with an 11-song steamroller of confused hearts, pretty guitars and the kind of bittersweet jubilance that has already made the band such a critic’s favorite. Here the group makes the most of its expanded lineup, for a lushness that rivals even that of Lampchop, and anchored, as always, by Robert Fisher’s husky reveries. (Edith Frost fans listen close: She’s in there, too.) With just a few albums under their belt, the members of Willard Grant Conspiracy come off with the weary charm of old pros as they quietly but self-assuredly build a catalog of unbelievably honest American music." (CMJ)

"Everything’s Fine" is a majestic affair, the first WGC album where Fisher and guitarist Paul Austin’s frequently epic vision fully translates into a concrete song-cycle, a holistic masterpiece as opposed to the episodic collected sketches comprising its predecessors." (Uncut)

Junebug’s really sick.  Me and John got home from the Chestnut show last night (it went well by the way) and found June sprawled on the couch, sick as a dog.  All glassy-eyed and floppy as if she’d been drugged.  This was around three in the morning — we took her to the emergency vet and he said she had an abcessed tooth.  Freaky because Elsa (John’s kitty) just had two teeth pulled, about two weeks ago.  Of course June is at least ten years older than Elsa and I guess it hit her harder.  Sure came on suddenly — one day she’s her normal lazy self and the next she’s a zombie.

So anyway the emergency vet sent us all home and I took her to McKillup Animal Hospital in the morning.  My old vet Dr. Boin (who took care of Boo Boo Kitty before she died) is on vacation — they have a substitute vet but they couldn’t take Junebug in a hurry like that.  So I took her to McKillup this morning (after three hours sleep).  They gave her fluids and took her temperature — it was 105, which was one degree less than when I brought her in to the vet last night but one degree higher than it was when I took her home.  That’s bad.  Anyway she’s staying at the vet’s this weekend and let’s all hope they’re able to pull her out of the fever and healthy enough to pull the rotten tooth.  I’ve been crying and I’m very very worried because I’ve never seen June act that way, barely responsive and barely able to stand.

All this has cost so much money already — the emergency vet was $250 or something and the estimate for everything at the normal vet is $550.  Of course I’m worried about the money but what am I gonna do, I have to at least try to get her better.  It’s reminding me a lot of when Boo Boo died.  A whole tonload of money just to prolong the agony a few weeks.  I’m hoping it’s not as serious this time — jesus it’s only a rotten tooth, not a total kidney failure like Boo Boo had.  ::sigh::  Poor baby June.  :-(

ANYway, besides all that I had a show to play today with the Willard Grant Conspiracy, in Schuba’s parking lot.  It went well, though hardly anybody was there to see it, since we were the first band to play on the outside stage.  Lotta people showed up later for John Wesley Harding, who struck me as sort of an English version of the Mountain Goats.  It was great to see Robert and Paul, and of course sing with them again!!  It was just us plus David Curry on the fiddle, which sounded fantastic.  Peter Linnane wasn’t there, he got sick and couldn’t go on the tour.  Lord have mercy, we’re all falling apart at the seams one by one!!

But that’s not true really.  Brett and Rennie were there, they both looked really good.  Brett’s lost a lot of weight and looks healthy as a horse — he complained that it was due to some bullshit VITAmins Rennie is putting in his food.  Haw haw!!  They were playing later but me and John had to go home and crash out.  That’s what we’re doing now, just sort of lazing around with the TV on and the couch folded down flat.

Had a free band dinner with Robert and John in Schuba’s restaurant.  So we had a chance to talk a bit and let Robert get a gander at John and vice versa.  That was cool.  We’re all meeting up here for breakfast tomorrow morning before they head off for the next tour-stop in Madison. Sure is good to see those guys. Robert’s a true friend, I mean a true friend.  I have a lot of friends but not very many that I could say that about.  John is my #1 true friend of course, followed by Rian Murphy, Ryan Hembrey and I dunno who else.  I have so many dear friends that I just don’t talk to or see all that often, like Deborah Moore and Amy Domingues.  (Notice I have no friends that aren’t musicians!)

POPnews is a cool French webzine, and this was their first compilation.  My song "Follow" (the original 4-track demo) appears, along with tracks by The Apartments, Ashtray, Brian, Burzinski, Dakota Suite, Idaho, Lenola, Paloma, Saloon, Splinter, Steph Sonotone, Vera Clouzot, Willard Grant Conspiracy, and William Pears.

I did backup vocals on all the songs — "Color of the Sun" (radio edit), "Work Song" (radio edit), "Love Doesn’t", "Sticky" (alternate version), and "Massachusetts".

I’m not sure of the exact release date for this.  It was only sold at shows, and sent to radio stations when the album MOJAVE was released.  That was in September 1999 for Europe, and January 2001 for the United States.

I did backup vocals on the songs "Another Lonely Night," "Color of the Sun," "The Work Song," "How To Get To Heaven," "I Miss You Best," "Love Has No Meaning" and "Right On Time"

I’m not sure of the exact release date(s).  The album was released in September 1999 in Europe, and in January 2001 in the United States.

I did backup vocals on the songs "Color Of The Sun" (Acoustic Version) and "Mercury Rising"

I’m not sure of the exact release date(s) for this.  It was offered to mail-order customers when the album MOJAVE was released, which was in September 1999 in Europe, and January 2001 in the United States.

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin), James Apt (drums)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

Photos by Laurent Orseau. More pics from this show are available on the Willard Grant Conspiracy site and on Laurent’s site.

Me and James Apt before the show

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)

My band: Peter Linnane (vocals, accordion), Dick Dykman (vocals, mandolin)