November 19, 2003

BEN CHAMPION: SUBVERSIVE CITIZEN

Ben Champion has taken part in some sort of event that criticizes the actions of George Bush and Tony Blair.  No, not their Anti-Vetivers legislation they are trying to pass, but that whole war thing.  You can see some more pictures of Ben, both before and after he was beaten senseless by the police, here.

October 13, 2003

KIEL JOHNSON IS NOW ONLINE

The genius behind the Twelve O'Clock In All The World cover now has his own web site, www.kieljohnson.com!  You can view his latest artwork and even buy some of his stuff, which is guaranteed to go way up in value once he dies.  As Vetivers fan(s), it is your duty to buy so much of his stuff that he can hardly keep up with the demand.  Vetivers guitarist Paul Solecki even plans to buy something, but first he must sell a Vetivers CD or two so he can afford it.  So buy a Vetivers CD, buy an original Kiel Johnson masterpiece, and while you're at it buy some good salsa and send it to Paul in Ireland.

October 2, 2003

BEN CHAMPION TAKES ENGLAND BY STORM

The pubs in and around Oxford have reported record shortages today and predict that the supply of all alcohol in England could soon be gone in a matter of days if newly arrived Ben Champion and the rest of the Rhodes Scholars keep up their frantic pace.  Ben arrived just this afternoon and he has already started to check out the legendary colleges and surrounding town, if you know what I mean.

"Shmm, hxrkmkslab," said the Vetivers drummer when asked about his experiences so far in Oxford.  "Ifquiom!"  He then hiccupped several times then fell flat on his face.

September 20, 2003

PAUL CROSSES IRELAND IN A TOGA

Today a small country got a little bit bigger, as Vetivers guitarist Paul Solecki travelled from Cork to Dublin wearing nothing but a sheet.  The occasion was the birthday party of friend Michael Rowan's dad and brother, but the party happened in more places than just that house in Booterstown, a Dublin suburb, thanks to Paul.  Pedestrians and cars in Cork City got the first glimpse of the once and future style, and passengers on the Dublin bound train were the next ones to get thrilled.  Nobody sat next to him on the train for some reason.  Upon arrival in Dublin, some kids started making fun of him at the bus stop outside Heuston Station, but that did not deter him.  A nice ride in the front seat of the Number 90 bus ended at the O'Connell St. Bridge, and Paul walked across the famous landmark to the DART station, his toga falling off a few times on the way.  Finally, the train ride to Booterstown and walk down the Avenue completed the over four hour journey, where he joined many other toga-wearing party-goers.

"This was a memorable evening," stated the sheet that stood between Paul and the elements until 9:00 that next morning.  "I had some wine spilled on me, but at least it wasn't white wine.  And I got to meet a lot of other sheets.  You know, when you first are manufactured, you have dreams of one day being made into a toga, but most of us are resigned to spending most of our lives spread out over mattresses or folded up in a closet.  I'm glad I got to live out the dream, at least for one night.  Thanks, Paul!"

September 16, 2003

PAUL STARTS A NEW BAND IN CORK

This evening, Paul and his new friend Barry had the first practice for their new band, a yet unnamed future supergroup.  Barry plays the drums and Paul is on guitar, and halfway through the first practice they enlisted the third member, Aoife, who also plays guitar.  More details will be known after their next practice on Monday, and regular readers of vetivers.com will be kept up to date on the situation.

Some have speculated that the forming of a new band with another drummer has something to do with the Ben Champion Scandal of recent weeks that you have undoubtedly heard so much about (our team of lawyers at vetivers.com have advised us against making any statements at this time), but Paul and Ben (and probably 13 or 14 future bass players) will remain The Vetivers, no matter where in the world we are.

PAUL FINDS OUT ABOUT FREE PROCLAIMERS CONCERT SEVERAL DAYS TOO LATE

Tonight Paul was minding his own business reading about the various musical acts scheduled to come to Cork in the near future, when he found out that The Proclaimers played a free concert in Mitchelstown, just 20 miles up the road, a few nights before.  He even said the word "shit" to himself, an act usually reserved for a losing tennis match against Bryan Ross.

"I can't believe I didn't know about it," said Paul in shock.  "The Proclaimers are one of my favorite bands, and I was even on their web site a week or two ago and it didn't say anything about this concert.  I would have gone!  And it was free too!"  Paul hasn't felt this way since February when he forgot to go to the Damien Dempsey concert that was just down the street from his house.  He remembered the next morning.

July 19, 2003

PAUL PLAYS 'CAHERSIVEEN' IN CAHERSIVEEN

Tonight, in the tranquil coastal town of Cahersiveen, Paul Solecki took the mic for two songs, Roseville Fair and Cahersiveen.  The latter, track 4 on the new Vetivers CD, is about hearing Roseville Fair at a pub in that town three years ago.  Paul's friend Michael Rowan was there to witness the big event.  And although no mob of people carried Paul triumphantly through the streets when he was done singing, they still liked it.  Next up, Paul will attempt to dig up the deceased ocean explorer and sing him Jacques Cousteau.

July 16, 2003

VETIVERS OF THE WORLD REUNITE

Tonight, Paul and Ben staged their reunion concert as the Vetivers played for a few blankets and lawn chairs full of people in Ben's backyard.  After opening the show by themselves, they were joined on guitar and bass by Erin Runnels for the rest of the show, and Jimmy March sat in with the band for an encore performance.  This concert marked Paul's debut on fiddle and Ben's on accordion.  Paul returned to Ireland the day after the concert and Ben will be in England soon, so the next reunion concert will be held somewhere other than America.

Who is this mystery musician that joined the Vetivers for this concert?  Vetivers.com has learned that Erin Runnels is a 20 year old pre-vet and animal science major at Kansas State University and has six more years left there.  She is from Overland Park.  Rumor also has it that she is fond of Ben!  Go figure.

July 13, 2003

THE VETIVERS REUNITE FOR PRACTICE

For the first time in almost seven months, Paul and Ben were together again for a small practice at the house of former Vetiver guitarist Jimmy March. Later on that evening, the two Vetivers continued their practice in Ben's backyard, where they will be having their reunion concert in a few days. They were joined by Ben's girlfriend Erin, who will be playing guitar and bass with the band for that show. Jimmy will also sit in with the band for the historic farewell concert, and Ben will make his debut on accordion! The day after the concert, Paul will go back to Cork to seek his fortune.

May 18, 2003

SIX YEARS OF THE VETIVERS

It's hard to believe, but it was six years ago today that Paul and Ben formed the band that was later to be known as The Vetivers!  They were the only members of the band then, and they still are today, but four other members have come and gone:  bass players Pat "Orlick" Danko, Jim Kelly, and Clyde Kim, and guitarist Jimmy March.  Those four chaps couldn't cope with the demands of fame that every Vetiver has to go through, but you can count on Ben and Paul to not crack under the pressure and keep delivering you the same quality music on the same semi-occasional basis that they have for years, no matter how far apart they live or how crazy Ben gets due to that craziness disease he has, I believe it's called insanity.

January 28, 2003

PAUL MEETS TEENAGE FANCLUB

Tonight, Paul saw his favorite band Teenage Fanclub for the second night in a row and even got to talk with Norman Blake for a few minutes.  Later on he had a few seconds to ask for autographs from Norman and his bandmates Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love, but only to see the proper way to behave in that situation in the future, when the Vetivers will hopefully get a fan or two.  In another twist of fate, Paul also briefly spoke with the famous Guitar George, who was with the boys from Glasgow!  Whether or not their paths will cross again is a mystery...

January 3, 2003

PAUL ARRIVES IN IRELAND

Vetivers mastermind Paul Solecki has arrived in the country of his dreams, Ireland. Over the next six months, he will climb mountains, swim in oceans, meet dogs, learn set dancing, drink Guinness although it's not that good, learn to play the fiddle, become a native speaker of Irish, write a million songs, go to a few classes a week at University College Cork, make regular appearances at Charlie's Pub, play darts, and turn all his white clothes blue. He will do much much more, of course, but I can't go into that here.