sagittarius moon and other delights
as we slip into sagittarius and the run-up to the solstice, we enter that time of year when we celebrate our brother, Paul, the original van Gogh Brother, a maestro and a mensch. the van Gogh Brothers would not be what they are without Paul, and Paul has been my personal musical foil for almost 30 years. his influence informs everything i write and, with Clay, determines what we record. within a few short years of my return to music in 1992, i was introduced to Paul by drummer and percussionist Jim Treacy, by way of my childhood bandmate, supporter and imprimatur, Mark Zamcheck (another maestro). it was very clear very fast that Paul and i were simpatico, with identical musical lexicons, influences and leanings. Paul leaned heavier while i lived in myriad genres. we found our common language and it thickened over time. today this bond, borne of common love and respect, defines the centrality of our sound. join us as we celebrate Paul on December 9 at Vincent’s Worcester, home of the van Gogh Brothers.
fun facts: at 5 years in, Paul and i were co-producing our records and decided we needed a name for our production team. Mick and Keith had “the Glimmer Twins,” Steven and Joe had “the Toxic Twins,” so i said to Paul, “hey, we each have one good ear, why not call ourselves “the van Gogh Brothers?” and that became our production moniker. i never liked the name, “the John Cate Band”, and a couple of years later after Clay joined, the chemistry made it obvious that we should all be van Gogh Brothers, and so it was. at 14 years in, we were standing at the bar at Vincent’s one night and i turned to Paul and said, “hey, did you ever realize that we’re the van Gogh Brothers and this is VINCENT?” a drunk at the bar scoffed and said, “you guys didn’t see that? HA, HA, HA!”
as we wrap up 2023, we continue to create. we’ve selected 3 additional songs to record at Woolly Mammoth with David Minehan producing, and we’ve booked time in January to continue on album 17. 2023 has been a difficult year with band health issues taking us out of commission for about 1/2 the year. the album we started in 2022 will stretch into another year but this has given me time to get my writing legs again, after exhausting the creative well with “Backroads.” we return to pop with 2 Jeff Lynne-infused tracks, “Only Lies,” and “As Life Goes By,” both of which will get basic tracks in January, God willing. we add a 3rd- “Shoot a Little Love” which digs deeper into the Delta sound we’ve mined over the years, and, finally, if time permits, we will track “Open Hands,” a Nick Drake-inspired tome about not seeing what’s in front of you. i think we’ve got a good slate, and this will push us near the finish line.
finally, a public service announcement: YOU CAN DO YOUR XMAS SHOPPING WHILE YOU DRINK AT VINCENT’S! we have about 30 signed prints left of Donna Green’s fantastic van Gogh-inspired rendering of Vincent’s bar. this will be the last run at $20. get ‘em while they’re hot!
happy holidays all. we hope to see you in the weeks ahead.
love,
jc