Note from Jeff:

This is my original "Gig Diaries" page from the Famous Last Words site. I'm in the process of making it more clickable and easier to navigate, but in the meantime, you can check it out in its past glory. There is some writing in here of which I am quite proud, certainly prouder of than the way this sentence is awkwardly turning out...to be (or not...). Ay, there's the rub! Anyway, as I said on the original page, the writing starts to take off as the time goes by, so scroll down liberally and sink your teeth into the later meaty goodness. And enjoy!
...JZ

"Our Emails are Educational"
(fan suggestion for our band slogan)

Thanks for all of the positive feedback on our highly creative gig announcements! Someone came up with the bright idea of archiving them for you to peruse and share with your loved ones. Hence this page. They're in chronological order so you can follow the concomitant evolution of the band and emails. What I mean is, the emails get freer and more creative right along with the music. I've just been trying to sneak the word concomitant into casual conversation ever since my T.S. Eliot thesis.

Anyway, read 'em all or pick and choose. Novices might want to scroll all the way down to the latest or start with fan favorites "everything's alright" (12/3/2000), "rock and roll jeopardy"(6/1/01), "acoustic at the Utah" (2/26/02) or the legendary Kingfish story (1/28/04).

And even if you don't want to do any reading, scroll down for more photo fun...

(6/9/2000) Gig this Saturday!

Hey everybody:

Famous Last Words is playing electric at the Bistro in beautiful downtown Hayward (at the corner of B Street and Main) this Saturday June 10 (which is tomorow but since we're sending this out so late by the time some of you are reading this it will be yesterday...).
Anyway, we play from 9-12. There's no cover. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Hope to see you...

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar and vocals Kate Burkart: vocals and tambourine and rare egg Zack Fleitz: bass and vocals Brian Kent: drums

Viva la Revolution...(7/11/2000)

Hey Everybody:

If you're just hanging around tonight (Tue.) between midnight and 2 am and are looking for something to do, flip your radio to 104.1, and listen to Berkeley Liberation Radio. Jeff and Kate will be in studio performing some tunes as promotion for a benefit show that will include Famous Last Words this coming Sunday at Ashkenaz to support the Oct. 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality.

We'll send out more info on that show later in the week. Berkeley Liberation Radio is a small station that you may not be able to pick up if you're not actually sitting in the studio with us. Well, it reaches farther than that, but not too far outside of Berkeley.

Anyway, have a good week...

Famous Last Words

Save the World (7/14/2000)

Greetings comrades:

Famous Last Words is playing a benefit show this Sunday July 16th at Ashkenaz in Berkeley (1370 San Pablo Ave, Gilman St. Exit). The show is a benefit for the Oct.22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality.

And hey, even if you support police brutality, you can come out and hear some good music. Other performers are Resin, Caesar Myles and the Dreaded Truth, Rebecca Riots, Erika Luckett, and Liz Anah. Doors open at 3:30 pm, show starts at 4:00, we go on from 5:00- 5:45. There is a sliding scale cover of 8 to 25 $. Ashkenaz is an all-ages venue so bring the kids!

We will be playing acoustic and joined by master percussionist Stan Ginn which makes our sound pretty hip.

Hope to see you...

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals, harp Kate Burkart: vocals Stan Ginn: percussion

Gig! (7/20/2000)

Hey everybody:

Famous Last Words is taking time out from our busy political action schedule to play a show on Tuesday night, July 25 at the very hip Hotel Utah, located at 500 4th St. (at Bryant) in San Francisco. Come check out our new drummer, the amazing Stan Ginn, in one of his last days before tying the knot. We start at 8:30 and play for an hour, and then you can stay for the Broun Fellinis who are a cool funky acid jazzy trio.

We are also continuing our summer tour of pirate radio stations on Monday night, July 24, when Kate and Jeff will be in studio at San Francisco Liberation Radio (93.7 on your FM dial) from 8-9 pm. If you're out of range, which you probably are, you can listen in live on the web at http://www.interzone.org/radio. Tune in for all the shenanigans including Kate's olive escapades...

Hope to see you...

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: vocals, tambourine Zach Fleitz: bass Stan Ginn: drums

Test (8/25/2000)

Hi everybody:

Jeff has recently acquired a Mac G4 "supercomputer" so powerful it is used by the military and cannot be transported across international lines...or something. He is planning on using it for relatively benign purposes, however, such as creating a new Famous Last Words mailing list.
Hence this email.

This is a test. This is only a test. If this were real, you'd be told where to go and what to do, etc. (Just as a suggestion, though, you might want to go to the Hotel Utah next Friday, Sept. 1 to see Famous Last Words rock the house...more info on that in a later email).

Anyway, hopefully this worked and wasn't too time-consuming to read...
Have a good weekend...

Famous Last Words: (yes, you're starting to need a scorecard...)
Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: vocals, tambourine Stan Ginn: drums, percussion Zbynek Bozbezh (but you can call him "ZB"): bass

Fri. at the Utah! (8/29/2000)

Hey everybody:

Famous Last Words is playing the fabulous Hotel Utah Saloon in San Francisco (500 4th St. at Bryant) this Friday, Sept. 1. We are the second of 3 acts and we go on at 9:30 pm. Come and see who is the latest player to be voted out of the band at the last tribal meeting!

I will send this out before the brand new "super" computer pulls any more flakiness...

Incidentally, if you do not want to be on this mailing list any more, just reply back and tell us to take you off. (Mom, this does not apply to you...)

Hope to see you Friday!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: vox ZB: bass Stan Ginn: drums

C'mon Get happy! (10/8/2000)

Hello World (there's a song that we're singin'):

Famous Last Words is playing HAPPY HOUR at the Paradise Lounge in San Francisco this Thursday, October 12. The Paradise is located at Folsom and 11th streets, south of Market, and for those of you old enough to remember, is the site of the famous Esme's Dream band photo shoot. Happy Hour is from 6 to 8 pm, it's free, and it's fun, so, as the Partridges used to brazenly enthuse, "c'mon get happy!"

For this show, we are proud to announce the addition of drummer Doug Stringer, (somewhat) fresh off a tour with Natalie Merchant where they opened for one Mr. Bob Dylan.

In other band news, we just played a successful acoustic trio show at Borders Books in SF, where we went on after Branford Marsalis rode off into the sunset. The thrilled crowd was happy that we premiered two new songs at that show and they may make their way into the electric show at the Paradise (the songs and the crowd). We promise to try to learn all the words.

And in sports news, a shout-out to Bay Area baseball fans who had a rough Sunday, but an exciting season. Perhaps Kordell Stewart's 2nd consecutive triumph, in which the Steelers dominated the previously unbeaten Jets, will grant us all some sense of victory over New York.

Anyway, hope to see you at the Paradise!

Famous Last Words:
Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: vox, tambourine ZB: bass, vox Doug Stringer: drums (but absolutely no tambourines)

(10/20/2000) Fwd Pres.Debate Transcript

Hey Everybody:

The show at the Paradise went well, and it looks like we'll be there again in December, but this time on a downstairs stage. For those of you not in the rocking throng that was there, highlights included two new originals plus a surprise sizzling cover of "Love Me Like a Man" , an old chestnut that hadn't been performed on stage for close to a year.

On another note, here at Famous Last Words, we believe that democracy is best served by an informed electorate. With that in mind, we offer up the following forwarded email.

See you soon...

Subject: Presidential Debate Transcript        Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000

Forwarded message begins here:

For those who didn't have time to watch the presidential debate Wednesday night, we have prepared this transcript of what was actually said:

Jim Lehrer: Welcome to the second presidential debate between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush. The candidates have agreed on these rules: I will ask a question. The candidate will ignore the question and deliver rehearsed remarks designed to appeal to undecided women voters. The opponent will then have one minute to respond by trying to frighten senior citizens into voting for him. When a speaker's time has expired, I will whimper softly while he continues to spew incomprehensible statistics for three more minutes. Let's start with the vice president. Mr. Gore, can you give us the name of a downtrodden citizen and then tell us his or her story in a way that strains the bounds of common sense?

Gore: As I was saying to Tipper last night after we tenderly made love the way we have so often during the 30 years of our rock-solid marriage, the downtrodden have a clear choice in this election. My opponent wants to cut taxes for the richest 1 percent of Americans. I, on the other hand, want to put the richest 1 percent in an ironclad lockbox so they can't hurt old people like Roberta Frampinhamper, who is here tonight. Mrs. Frampinhamper has been selling her internal organs, one by one, to pay for gas so that she can travel to these debates and personify problems for me. Also, her poodle has arthritis.

Lehrer: Gov. Bush, your rebuttal.

Bush: Governors are on the front lines every day, hugging people, crying with them, relieving suffering anywhere a photo opportunity exists. I want to empower those crying people to make their own decisions, unlike my opponent, whose mother is not Barbara Bush.

Lehrer: Let's turn to foreign affairs. Gov. Bush, if Slobodan Milosevic were to launch a bid to return to power in Yugoslavia, would you be able to pronounce his name?

Bush: The current administration had eight years to deal with that guy and didn't get it done. If I'm elected, the first thing I would do about that guy is have Dick Cheney confer with our allies. And then Dick would present me several options for dealing with that guy. And then Dick would tell me which one to choose. You know, as governor of Texas, I have to make tough foreign policy decisions every day about how we're going to deal with New Mexico.

Lehrer: Mr. Gore, your rebuttal.

Gore: Foreign policy is something I've always been keenly interested in. I served my country in Vietnam. I had an uncle who was a victim of poison gas in World War I. I myself lost a leg in the Franco-Prussian War. And when that war was over, I came home and tenderly made love to Tipper in a way that any undecided woman voter would find romantic. If I'm entrusted with the office of president, I pledge to deal knowledgeably with any threat, foreign or domestic, by putting it in an ironclad lockbox. Because the American people deserve a president who can comfort them with simple metaphors.

Lehrer: Vice President Gore, how would you reform the Social Security system?

Gore: It's a vital issue, Jim. That's why Joe Lieberman and I have proposed changing the laws of mathematics to allow us to give $50,000 to every senior citizen without having it cost the federal treasury a single penny until the year 2250. In addition, my budget commits $60 trillion over the next 10 years to guarantee that all senior citizens can have drugs delivered free to their homes every Monday by a federal employee who will also help them with the child-proof cap.

Lehrer: Gov. Bush?

Bush: That's fuzzy math. I know, because as governor of Texas, I have to do math every day. I have to add up the numbers and decide whether I'm going to fill potholes out on Rt. 36 east of Abilene or commit funds to reroof the sheep barn at the Texas state fairgrounds.

Lehrer: It's time for closing statements.

Gore: I'm my own man. I may not be the most exciting politician, but I will fight for the working families of America, in addition to turning the White House into a lusty pit of marital love for Tipper and me.

Bush: It's time to put aside the partisanship of the past by electing no one but Republicans.

Lehrer: Good night.

Gig This Friday! (11/6/2000)

Hi Everybody:

Famous Last Words is playing a return engagement this Friday, Nov. 10, at the always hip Hotel Utah Saloon in San Francisco. The Utah is located south of Market at 4th and Bryant Streets. We go on in the coveted middle slot at 9:15 pm.

Don't miss the opportunity to look at the stage and say "Now who's...That Drummer?" It's not Marlo Thomas, but Rich Snider, Bay Area longtime drumming fixture who will definitely flex a jazz chop or two in the course of the musical proceedings.

The Utah is a great venue and a lot of fun so come on out, swing a mug, and say "hi"!

Hope to see you...

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: vocals, tambourine ZB: bass, vocals, power play forward Rich Snider: drums

p.s. And in the saving/destroying the world dept...

Nader? Gore? Bush? Flutie? Remember the immortal words of Bob Weir, just before walking off the stage of Berkeley's Greek Theater 8 or 12 years ago, after a particularly rousing set closer: "Don't forget to vote..."

Everything's alright, everything's fine (12/3/2000)

Brothers and Sisters:

Let us all recall in this email subject heading those soothing words of Yvonne Elliman as she tried to comfort Ian Gillan's Jesus to give him a good night's sleep. They were famous last words as well, of course, since not long after he found himself hung out to dry and cried out some famous last words of his own, which perhaps we've all felt at one dark time or another: "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He did have time to modify this to "Forgive them; they know not what they do"( which, while pretty memorable, are still perhaps less profound than Oscar Wilde's looking up from his deathbed and saying "Either those curtains go...or I do" as he expired.)

What (in God's name) are we rambling on about here, you wonder? Is Famous Last Words pulling a Bob Dylan circa 1979? (ie, You gotta serve somebody...)

No, but in the spirit of the season, we are playing a show at the Paradise Lounge next Thursday night, Dec.7, right after a production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" on the main stage.

You think crucifixion of the Western Savior figure is a tough act to follow? Well, they didn't want to follow us, either.
Anyway, Jeff promises not to set his guitar on fire and, in the words of Jimi Hendrix, "sacrifice something I love" in order to compete.

We'll just play a good show.

Thursday, Dec.7
11:00 pm. (!)
Paradise Lounge
Folsom and 11th, San Francisco

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: vox ZB: bass, vox Rich Snider: drums

Gig this Friday! (1/22/01)

Hey Everybody:

Hope you are enjoying the start of the new millenium. If not, another one will begin in a short 1,000 years. It'll fly by, really...

In the meantime, you can kill a couple of hours this Friday, January 26th, when Famous Last Words plays a show at what has become one of our favorite digs, the (eternally hip) Hotel Utah Saloon, on 4th and Bryant Streets in San Francisco.

Going on before us, at 7:30 is the Greg Howard band. Greg Howard played with the Dave Matthews band and his instrument of choice is the Chapman Stick. This is a cool instrument which will make you sound very musician-ly when you talk about it.

Never ones to be outdone, Famous Last Words is instituting an upgrade at the bass position. We will have sitting in with us local bass luminary Uriah Duffy. Mr. Duffy is a real virtuoso, and we don't toss that word around lightly here. If you dug us before, you will really dig this. We go on at 9:00 pm.

Come on out, have a beer, and say hi!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: vocals, percussion Rich Snider: drums Uriah Duffy: bass

Headlining at the Utah! (3/3/01)

Hello Everybody:

Next Saturday March 10, Famous Last Words will be HEADLINING at the Hotel Utah Saloon on 4th and Bryant Streets in San Francisco. Opening up for us will be a Ted Hoagland cd release party and Blue Max. We go on at about 10:45 pm and play until closing...

In our continuing interest in exploring our own bottom end (...um... don't think about that too much...) we will have David Duenas sitting in with us on bass. David is a local musical fixture best known for his classical guitar excursions, and he adds some serious modes and expression to our sound. Plus he rocks.

Come on out and say hi!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: vocals, percussion Rich Snider: drums, attitude David Duenas: bass

p.s. We may be bothering you with another reminder of this show next week. As always, if you would like to be removed from this list, reply back and ask us (nicely) to remove you. (As always, mom, this does not apply to you...)

a (short and sweet) reminder (3/8/01)

So here's the reminder we warned you about last email... We're headlining at the Hotel Utah (4th and Bryant St. in SF) this Saturday, March 10. We go on at about 10:45 pm.

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals, plate juggling Kate Burkart: vocals, percussion, visual pleasure Rich Snider: drums, attitude David Duenas: bass, modes, and expression

Unplugged gig Monday Night! (4/22/01)

Hey There:

Tomorrow night (Monday, April 23) Jeff and Kate will be performing as a duo in an "unplugged" acoustic show at the "Brokedown Opry", Kimo's ultra-hip Americana showcase.

This is your chance to experience the incredible depth and soulful quality of the band's songwriting and musicality in an intimate setting without the mindblowing jamming pyrotechnics that fuel the electric shows...
Plus we don't have to lug around as much equipment.

The show starts at 8, and we go on at 9. (The Penguins will have dispensed with the Capitals by then...)

Kimo's is located at 1351 Polk St. (at Pine) in San Francisco, with ample parking.

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: vox, Fender P-bass

Uhh...Gig Rescheduled! (4/23/01)

Hey everybody:

As Butt-head might say: "uh....huh huh...the gig tonight has been...like, rescheduled or something..."
"Yeah, yeah, rescheduled...with chicks and explosions!"
"Shut up Beavis, it'll still be...like, huh huh, an intimate acoustic evening"
"Yeah, yeah, intimate...that's what I said...chicks and explosions! Heh heh!"

Forgive us, it's early and we are trying to get this late-breaking info out to our loyal community before they show up at a closed venue and start a riot. It was festival seating, also...

The scoop is that Kimo's needs to do some extra soundproofing and it was pushed to this week. Therefore their music has been put on hold for the week. We have been tentatively rescheduled for Monday May 14th. Just 3 short weeks away. We will keep you informed.

We hope this is not screwing anyone up. Rock and roll can be a cruel and unforgiving mistress (and although in San Francisco people pay good money for that, in this case please accept our apologies...)

Famous Last Words: Beavis: air-guitar, vox Butt-head: air-guitar, vox, remote

An intimate acoustic evening this Monday...(5/10/01)

Hi Everybody:

This time we're serious... The Kimo's Americana show which was postponed from last month is happening this Monday, May 14.
Jeff and Kate will be playing as an acoustic duo. Now's your chance to experience the subtleties of songwriting and performance that sometimes get lost amidst the pyrotechnics of electric shows.
We go on at 8:45. After us will be "Doug Blumer and Friends." Kimo's is still located at 1351 Polk St. (at Pine) with plenty of ample parking. (which is better than only a little bit of ample parking...)

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: vox, bass

p.s. go pens!

Gig this Friday June 8! And rock and roll jeopardy (6/1/01)

Hello Everyone!

For your entertainment, we invite you to take a moment to play rock and roll jeopardy. Remember, the answer comes first:

1. Answer: Talking Heads, the Feelies, Throwing Muses, Belly, the Bellyachers, the Giblet Dribblers.
Question: What bands have a chick bass player?

2. Answer: Famous Last Words
Question: What band can now be added to that list?

3. Answer: Well, this one is sort of rhetorical, but the answer could be "extremely".
Question: How cool is that?

4. Answer: If you look on the bottom of the stool she brings to acoustic gigs, you'll see her initials are "K.B."
Question: Who is this mystery woman?

That's right. Following in the grand tradition of Genesis replacing Peter Gabriel in 1975 by going within the band, our new bassist is none other than vocalist Kate Burkart. As Robert Plant said when asked why he and Jimmy Page did not invite John Paul Jones to the Led Zeppelin reunion, "One million divided by two is more than one million divided by three."

And now you can come witness the new Famous Last Words Experience this Friday June 8 at the Hotel Utah Saloon ( at 4th and Bryant) in San Francisco. We have secured the coveted middle slot and will go on around 9:15.

But wait, there's more! Joining us on drums is drumming maestro and New York transplant Kevin "Moose" O'Brien. A New Yorker named Moose: Do NOT try to break into his car.

All of this would be an incredible value, but there's STILL MORE! Sitting in on "rhythm" guitar is Dan "the man" Carr. For those of you old enough to remember Shirking Violet (more a legend than a band, really... apologies to the Flatlanders), you know why "rhythm" is in quotes. Along with monster grooves, Dan can create sounds that were born on a different planet.

So anyway, to recap:
Cool chick bass player Kate.
Big New York drummer Moose.
Psychedelic groovy rhythm guitarist Dan.
And Jeff.
Hotel Utah Saloon
Friday June 8th. 9:15 pm.

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Kevin O'Brien: drums Dan Carr: guitar

p.s. Jeff and Kate are also playing a duo acoustic show on Monday June 11 at Kimo's "Brokedown Opry" Americana Showcase. More on that later... p.p.s. Due to the extreme length of this email, it may not be suitable for all recipients. As always, if you would like to be removed from our list, simply reply back and ask us (nicely) to remove you. thanks.

Gig Monday June 11 (6/10/01)

Hi Everybody:

You can give your ears a rest when Jeff and Kate play an acoustic duo show this Monday June 11 at Kimo's "Brokedown Opry" Americana Showcase. Kimo's always gets really good bands for these country/folk/bluegrass hootenannies so we recommend all three acts for the night. We get a chance to do some other kinds of material plus new arrangements of your favorite FLW classics.

The music begins at 8:00 pm. We go on at about 9:00.

Kimo's is located at 1351 Polk (and Pine) in San Francisco.

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart (#22 on your scorecard): vox, bass

Web Site! (7/18/01)

Hi Everybody:

Famous Last Words has finally crossed that bridge into the 21st century and we now have a presence on the web. We have a site; therefore we are.

After the frustration of dealing with unreliable "pro" designers, we took matters into our own hands and done did it ourselves.

The "D.I.Y." attitude enabled us to experience the unique thrill of watching random files get uploaded for no discernible reason and other fun computer mishaps, and after a few panic-stricken phone calls Jeff concluded that the computer test makes the acid test a veritable walk in the park (and there's some famous last words that are primed to come around and bite later on...).

Still, mucho thanks to the people on the receiving end of those phone calls, Dan at Dan Carr Designs, Henry at Huge Media, Kari, and Robin. As Joe Quirk said in the acknowledgements to The Ultimate Rush, "Anything stupid about this book is entirely their fault, and I take credit for all the cool stuff."

Hope you like our web site. Any comments are appreciated. Remember, the web is the epitome of our ephemeral existence. A site is not a static thing. It is continually being updated and tweaked. As the reissued double cd I just bought emphatically muses: "All things must pass."

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: vox, bass Kevin O'Brien: drums

Gig this Friday! (7/30/01)

Hi Everybody:

Famous Last Words is playing this Friday, August. 3 at the way cool Hotel Utah (4th and Bryant Streets) in San Francisco. This will be our last full band electric show until the fall, so come on out and celebrate the end of summer school. You don't want to spend the end of your summer jonesing for a Famous Last Words electric gig and kicking yourself over the missed opportunity...

A band called "5 AM" opens the show, and then us and "Snufkin". We'll go on at 9:45 pm. Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: vox, bass Kevin O'Brien: drums

check out our website! http://www.famouslastwordsband.com
Let us know what you think! We'd like to purge our email list, so if you would like to be removed from this list, please reply back and ask us (nicely) to remove you. No questions asked and nobody gets hurt. Thanks.

Gig and Thoughts (9/23/01)

Hello Friends:

I hope this email finds you all well. The past 12 days has been a shock which is still hard to put into words. I feel the need to say something though. If you don't want to read my ramblings, feel free to skip to the bottom for our gig info.

One thing which really helped me was an email forwarded to me by my friend Margie saying the country (and world) has gone through a collective near-death experience. This can actually bring about positive change.

I'm looking for that: Trying to get some respite from the news I turned to ESPN, and was struck by the dignity and depth of responses of everyone from Randy Moss to Vinny Testaverde. NY Giants coach Jim Fassel said he would never feel sorry for himself after a loss again.

My friend Nick emailed me from Brooklyn just a day after the attacks, saying "I'm praying for some form of enlightenment to come out of all this, a maturity in world relations...Be positive. And help in any way you can."

How does this relate to the surge of patriotism? My sister Laurie, a university professor in international relations and expert on the Middle East, had this take on the Friday night telethon: " [I felt proud that ] here we suffer this horrible attack and while we prepare to fight back with one hand (hopefully in an efficient, surgical and responsible manner) we are singing songs about hope and love and reading poems and celebrating ordinary heroes with the other. No surging crowds in the streets or hyped up artists screaming for blood."

And the way I am looking at that telethon, while the American hero Clint Eastwood may have ended the actors' roles with a necessary hard-nosed resolve and dignity, it was the American hero Willie Nelson, famous for his voice of gentleness and compassion, open enough to sensitivity to spend years playing the simplest heart-wrenching beautiful solos on an acoustic guitar with a hole in it, who closed the evening with "America the Beautiful."

Tom Hanks began the evening by quoting the passengers on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania: "We're going to do something."
Which is some serious resolve. Which we should be able to pay heed to.

I'm thankful for the thoughts of family and friends and strangers who have all said "Practice acts of kindness."

Aside from that, what I do is teach and play music. Since most of you will not be attending my classes, I invite you to hear some music.

love,
Famous Last Words

Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: vocals, bass Pete Gilroy: percussion, vocals

Kimo's Brokedown Opry
Tues., Sept. 25 (Happy Birthday Mike Niber!)
1351 Polk St. at Pine San Francisco 8:30 pm (with the fabulous Jenny Kerr Band)

we'll be full band electric at the Paradise next week also...more on that to come...

"Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
And the poet and the painter far behind their rightful time
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing...
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse
And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing"

Paradise This Wednesday! (10/1/01)

Hi everybody:

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Kimo's show last Tuesday. It was a great vibe and included the surprise treat of former FLW bass player Chris Jones joining the band onstage to sing harmony on a rousing rendition of "Bank Robber."

We are playing a special mid-week show this Wednesday, Oct. 3 at the Paradise Lounge in San Francisco (308 11th St. at Folsom ). This will be very cool since we are playing on the big Main Stage. Come see us before we get too big for our britches. (Yes, there is an "r" in that last word).

Anyway, the Main Stage is a lot of fun with great sound and visuals. The show starts at 8:00 and we go on at 9:00 so you don't have to worry that it's a school night. Also appearing are local fixtures the Kuntry K's and the Jenny Kerr Band, both of whom are great.

Come on out and meet our newest band member, the drumming maestro groove machine harmony vocalist all -around good guy Pete Gilroy, whose resume includes stints with Spencer Davis, Steve Kimock, Carmine Appice, and his brother.

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Pete Gilroy: drums, vox
http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

p.s. Yes, we are still thinking about the state of the world. In the interest of trying to make it a better place, we would like to tell you about a website that does a nice job of promoting various progressive causes. It is easy to get involved.
If you're interested, you can check out:
http://www.workingassets.com
Thanks and have a nice day!

Kimo's this Tuesday! (10/22/01)

Hello Everyone:

Famous Last Words is playing at Kimo's ultra-cool Brokedown Opry this Tuesday Oct. 23 (tomorrow night if you're reading this today, tonight if you're reading this tomorrow, and, um, last night if you're reading this on Wednesday...)

Also appearing will be "Drag the River" a band which includes members of the legendary bands The Descendents and ALL. Pat Johnson opens and we go on at 9:30. Kimo's 1351 Polk St. (at Pine) San Francisco

We'll be doing the electric trio thing, complete with drums and Jeff's SG. For those of you who are gear-heads and care about this kind of stuff, Kate will be using her SWR amp.

Hope to see you there! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Pete Gilroy: drums, vocals

East Bay Gig This Friday! (11/12/01)

Hi Everyone:

Famous Last Words is playing an electric East Bay show this Friday Nov. 16 at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. The Plough is a great venue and we're looking forward to seeing all our east bay friends. (If you're not from the east bay we still look forward to seeing you, too. If you're from the east bay and not our friend, then you should still come, but we must admit we probably wouldn't technically be looking forward to seeing you.)

The Starry Plough is located at 3101 Shattuck Ave., just south of Ashby. "Stumbling distance from the Ashby BART," as they say. We go on at 9:30. This is our only east bay show of the month, so now's your chance!

Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words:
Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox
Kate Burkart: bass, vox
Pete Gilroy: drums, vox

Gig this Saturday 2/9! (2/3/02)

Hello FLW friends and fans:

It's been over a month since we've been in touch but we're back, and with a vengeance, I might add. Before telling you about the upcoming gig, we'd like to fill you in on the wise ways in which we did not waste our winter break:

1. Jeff and Kate played a highly successful duo acoustic show at the legendary FILLMORE AUDITORIUM in San Francisco for the LEFTOVER SALMON/members of LITTLE FEAT show on Jan. 25. We got a great response, had a blast, and just generally enjoyed rubbing shoulders with the rock and roll mythology that permeates that venue. Very cool. We'll be back. (Jeff's Kordell Stewart jersey went over big as well, certainly bigger than it would have gone over on Jan. 28...)

2. We've also been working/playing hard with newest band member, drummer Jason Bartulis. Jason did session work in LA for 8 years and is now pursuing the life of the mind as a grad student in English and Philosophy at Berkeley. This means he actually listens to some of our lyrics. But as a former graduate student myself, we're also keeping him away from the mind and in the body and spirit as we all entrain to the intoxicating FLW vibe. This guy is good and we sound good with him. As Mark Knopfler would say, "Check it out..."

Here's a grand opportunity: This Saturday night , February 9, at the Hotel Utah (4th and Bryant) in San Francisco. We go on at 9:30 pm. We would love to see you there. It'll be worth your while! For our friends in suburbia, see you at the Roundup on Thursday February 7!

Rock on,
Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitars, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jason Bartulis: drums

p.s. Check out the new, updated website! Recording photos, new bio and bandmembers page, links, etc etc. Let us know what you think! http://www.famouslastwordsband.com p.p.s. If you wish to be removed from this email list, just hit reply and ask us (nicely) to remove you. Graceful Distancing and we each go our separate ways. Everything is cool.

East Bay Gig: Blake's 2/24

Hello FLW friends and fans:

Now's your chance to help us rock the East Bay when we amble into Blake's this Sunday night. Blake's is a very cool club located at 2367 Telegraph Ave. in the heart of Berkeley's hip college district. Good food, good beer, good tunes, good deal! We go on at 9:15 pm. (So for those of you for whom it's a school night, everything is cool...) This will be our last electric show for a while, so don't miss your chance to come out and rawk!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Utah last weekend. A special shout-out to old friends Chris Jones (former flw bassist) and Jim Clark (drummer for Absent Iris and the Personal Demons) who made surprise appearances, Jim coming all the way up from San Luis Obispo. Come on out and support local music this Sunday! If a tree falls in the forest and no one comes to hear, it won't get booked again. We're looking forward to seeing you.

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums, classical ethical theory http://www.famouslastwordsband.com (we've finally got some music up there on the music page! tell us what you think...) As always, if you want to be removed from this list, simply reply back and ask us (nicely) to remove you. No fuss, no muss...

Acoustic at the Utah Tues. 2/26!

FLW friends and fans:

This message comes to you from the midst of a haze, after a whirlwind and sleep-deprived 24 hours, but the news must get out, so clear thinking and typos be damneddd.

Why the whirlwind? And whither? Well, we whipped through a wonderful show at Blake's last night, thanks to all our friends who came out and helped to people the audience. We appreciate your support as an audience with no people may as well be an empty room. Highlights included Kate's secret divulgence of where on her person she got poison oak last week (and why she was scratching...or itching there) and Jace's spontaneous drum solo in "Maggie's Song" after Kate's mike mysteriously went silent and Jeff's guitar mysteriously went horrendously out of tune. "Something always happens when we play that tune" whispered the ghost of Mick Jagger portentously, yet before anything ominous could be captured on documentary film, Jace held the ship aloft with a jazz roll or ten, the technical demons were defeated, the band recovered, and rock and roll lived to conquer another day. Anyway, after a thrilling and spontaneous after-hours party hosted by local novelist, agent provacateur and purveyor of witty banter Joe Q., (no relation to John) during which much steak, tomato juice and cheese and crackers were graciously offered and consumed and then the requisite unloading of equipment along with the requisite passing from night to dawn the brave soldiers of FLW caught a wink or two and then stumbled into the duties of the newborn day.
Hence the haze.

Whither the haze? It should continue at least until Tuesday, when FLW continues this mini-tour of our beloved Bay Area with an acoustic duo show at the Brokedown Opry Americana showcase, which has moved from Kimo's to the Hotel Utah. We'll miss the goth rock nightmare paintings which graced the walls of Kimo's, but the Utah offers wood grain interiors and a long and storied history of San Francisco musical inspiration. It's perfect for the harmonies, harmonica, and folk vibe that permeates our acoustic shows.
Anyway, in a clearer form:
FLW acoustic duo Hotel Utah 4th and Bryant, San Francisco 9:00 pm This Tuesday 2/26!
This will be our last "normal" show for a while, as we are melding into the weird and wonderful Borders circuit for the next month or so.

Hope to see you!
Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, harp, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox

Blake's this Saturday 3/9!

FLW friends and fans:

This is an unexpectedly earlier greeting than we thought we'd be sending. Due to our stellar show at Blake's last month (thanks again to everyone who showed up and showered the place with good vibes) we've been offered a great show this weekend. We are excited to be playing with super guitar maestro Will Bernard and his latest jazz/funk/groove/jam project "Motherbug." In honor of the extreme musicianship of the night, Kate has procured a new bass and we have all gone down to the crossroads and joined Robert Johnson in selling our souls in exchange for new musical inspiration.

Not that we were previously chop-less. Our acoustic duo show at the Utah last week was quite well-received. The leader of the blazing rockabilly trio that headlined the night remarked to Jeff as we were heading off stage (read this with a very heavy twang) "Nice pickin' partner" and the guitarist that opened the show told us he said to a friend during the solo on "Playing Heaven", "now what were we doing when that guy was practicing?" As Hugh Grant said to Jay Leno, "I don't want to blow my own horn..." but , hey, if your horn gets blown at a gig and no one else hears, does it make a sound?

I apologize for that last paragraph. Now might be a good time to restate our usual disclaimer that if anyone wants to be removed from this email list, go ahead and ask us (nicely) to do so. And we will nicely comply. Although (Hugh Grant warning again) none other than musician/dancer/mastercraftsmanartist/philosopher and supershaman Steff Moody has enthused "You have the best spam in the universe."

Anyway, here's the info: Famous Last Words Electric Trio with Will Bernard and Motherbug Saturday 3/9 Blake's 2367 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley 9:15 pm. It's the East Bay! It's a Weekend! It's with a Great Second Band! Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: Brand spankin' new Fender P-bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com
p.s. Don't forget to vote! And, if you're politically (and environmentally) inclined, check out http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1123 just tryin' to do our part...

Gigs! (3/18)

FLW Friends and Fans:

Two gigs: This Thursday, March 21, Famous Last Words is doing the bar-band thing at the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette. There's good drinks and pool. We play all night. We do our originals plus kick out the jams on classic covers that you won't hear us play anywhere else unless you stop by our rehearsal space right before a Roundup gig.

Roundup Saloon 9:00 pm - 1:00 am 3553 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Take Hwy 24 East past Orinda, do your best to ignore the evil SUV's, and get off at the Oak Hill Road exit. It's right there in front of you!

Also, next Monday, March 25, Jeff and Kate are playing the very hip Monday Night Hoot at the Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco. This is the place to see and be seen as all the local luminaries come out and shine in an atmosphere that really appreciates the music. A variety of quality acoustic acts get up and play short sets of quality songs in a quality venue to a quality crowd. Robert Pirsig would be way down... (Now that Dennis Miller has been replaced by John Madden (which, while not as depressing as the Senate cowardice on fuel efficiency standards, is still a small portent of a decaying culture), someone has to take over the task of injecting semi-erudite references in inappropriate places...)

Now what was I writing about? Oh yeah, the music!

Cafe Du Nord 2170 Market St.
Coming from the East Bay: Bay Bridge - Stay on 101 toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Get off at the Mission St. exit. There is a light at the exit. Drive straight through the light and that road will end at Market Street. Turn left on Market Street and Cafe Du Nord will be on the right side of the street one block past the Safeway. If you're coming from somewhere in SF, it's on Market past the Safeway... 9:00 pm Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Gig Reminder (3/23)

FLW friends and fans:

Just the other night we were told once again to keep the emails comin', so here's a reminder that Jeff and Kate are doing the acoustic duo thing at the Cafe Du Nord, this Monday night (March 25). It's a showcase called the "Monday Night Hoot" during which local bands or members thereof get up and do 3 songs as the stripped-down uplugged thing. It's not an open mic, the quality is consistently high, and if you like the mellow, Americana (read: drinking, the road, heartache, sin and redemption) songwriter vibe, you will like this. The show starts at 9:30 and we'll go on about 10:30. Cafe Du Nord 2170 Market St. (at Sanchez) SF

On a different note (ouch), thanks to everyone who came out to the Roundup in Lafayette the other night. The all-night jamming on covers bar band thing can be cool, also. It was one of those nights where after fulfilling an audience request by ripping up a smoking "Folsom Prison Blues" someone remarked "What can you do after THAT?" Jeff responded by pulling an even bigger gun out of the arsenal (no Jim Morrison visions, people, this is a metaphor for a song...), and the band launched into "Turn On Your Lovelight" and proceeded to, as they say, "turn that mutha' out." Couples were dancing, people were yelling and for the length of one song and two chords all was finally right with the world. Somewhere the two Bobbies, "Blue" Bland and Weir, tipped their hats and the 1st set ended.

Other highlights included a Hendrix-y (if I do say so myself) interpretation of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" a swinging version of Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and the debut of the BoDeans' "Still the Night" which popped along enough that the audience was singing along, which was a good thing since we were forgetting the order of the verses and could surreptitiously get the words from them, like a sea of human teleprompters. Anyway, Monday will be more introspective, but still HAPPENING... Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, harp, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

For those who like to plan ahead, we'll be at the Hotel Utah on Friday April 5 (less than 2 weeks) with notoriously partying funky rock jamband "Shady Lady" closing and Austin Americana songwriter Nathan Hamilton opening up. We'll bridge the gap between the two...

Utah this Friday 4/5!

FLW Friends and Fans:

Hope you can join us for a great gig at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco this Friday April 5. Austin-based Americana Singer/Songwriter Nathan Hamilton is opening up and Bay-Area-Favorites- Hard-Partying-Chick-Fronted-Funky-Jam-Band Shady Lady is closing the festivities. We are sandwiched cozily in between and will provide the crucial musical bridge between Americana-songwriting and party-jamming over which you can hop, skip and dance your collective ears.

...an image of which Dali might be proud...

Hotel Utah Saloon 4th and Bryant, San Francisco Friday Night 9:15 pm Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums, vocals coming soon http://www.famouslastwordsband.com For those of you planning ahead, we'll also be back at the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette Thursday of next week (4/11)...

Roundup this Thursday

Hello FLW Friends and Fans:

The jammin' bar band experience hits the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette this Thursday when we take off the gloves and rip up three sets of smokin' covers along with your old FLW favorites. Those of you who were present or at least take the time to read these gentle missives will remember that last month's Roundup show smoothly hit cruising altitude and then went a nice distance...furthur...

So come on out and help us, um, tear the roof off the sucka...

Roundup Saloon 3553 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette (Take Hwy 24 East past Orinda, do your best to ignore the evil SUV's, and get off at the Oak Hill Road exit. Turn right and it's right there in front of you at the next light!) 9:00 pm - 1:00 am Good drinks, good tunes, good times... Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums, vocals (coming soon!) http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Blake's This Saturday

FLW friends and fans:

Mark your calendars for our return engagement at Blake's this Saturday 4/20 (and if you're hip to that set of numbers you don't need me to mention it...) We're playing with LA jamband Pseudopod . As of now, this is our last electric show until mid-June so come on out to get your FLW fix!

Thanks to all who came out to the Roundup last week! We had two Doctors John, which is not something you see everyday, and they helped lead the dancing and festivities, particularly during the epic jam on a cover of "Lay Down Sally" a jam which increased its epic-osity when Jeff broke a string and with everyone dancing deduced it made more sense to continue the jam on this song rather than finish and then have to take time out to change the string before beginning the next song. People kept dancing, the band kept playing, the cycle of energy increased and it turned into a game of musical chicken, neither side wanting to stop first. Drummer Jace even opened his eyes to glance at the clock midway through, briefly thinking about the philosophy paper he had to write the next morning, and Kate shifted arm postions as her left hand began to cramp but still the jam continued. Sally would lay down, dammit, if we had to be here all night! Eventually both band and audience came to an unspoken agreed upon mutual ending as the dancers needed to rest their legs as much as the band needed to rest their arms. The set break gave Kate time to down a few shots of Jack, which, as she said "didn't necessarily help my playing but it sure improved my stage banter." Other highlights included a "Playin' Heaven" so tender that one of the doctors John remarked "that brought a tear to my eye" and a solo on "Sweet Old World" that bravely ventured into a sweet new world causing the other doctor John to enthuse to the rest of the bar "now that's some serious shit!"

These quotes and many others can be found on the newest addition to our webpage, the Reviews section. Check it out...you may be on it... And come on out to Blake's! Saturday, 4/20 Blake's 2367 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley 9:00 pm. Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com Let us know what you think of the updated web page including the new "Reviews" section!

p.s. Jeff and Kate will also be rubbing shoulders with the jamming elite when we play as an acoustic duo in the Poster Room of the legendary Fillmore Auditorium this Tuesday night, with Robben Ford and the Derek Trucks Band on the main stage!

Blake's This Saturday 4.20

FLW friends and fans:

Here's a reminder that we're playing tonight (Saturday 4/20) at Blake's on Telegraph in Berkeley. We start at 9:00 pm and LA jamband Pseudopod goes on after us. As of now this is our last electric gig until mid-June, so come on out!

In other exciting band news, our duo acoustic show at the Fillmore Poster Room last week got a rock history shot in the arm when none other than Carlos Santana happened by and watched some of our set. He was there as a surprise guest to sit in on a couple of songs with Robben Ford. When talking to him afterwards, did I remember to tell him that I think "The Swing of Delight" is one of the great underrated albums of all time? No, but I did shake his hand and say something and Carlos told us that our set was "lovely." I think by that he meant that it was one of the great underrated sets of all time. He was just a little tongue-tied.

Anyway, hope to see you at Blake's! Blake's 2367 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley 9:00 pm. Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals Jace Bartulis: drums, no vocals till finals are over http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Acoustic at the Opry 6.4

FLW friends and fans:

Hey there! We're doing our acoustic duo show at the Brokedown Opry at the Hotel Utah (4th and Bryant, SF) this Tuesday night, 6/4. For those of you who did not read the feature in the Bay Guardian a few weeks ago, the Opry is a showcase for Americana, bluegrass, alt-country, and twang. That's why we play acoustic and I bring my harmonica. The Opry is cool and always gets good bands.

This is true for our night. Also appearing on the bill with us are the Real Sippin' Whiskeys and the Circle R Boys, local bands both with a bit of a buzz, in both senses of the word. We start things off at 8:00 so get there early! This of course is good news for those of you for whom it's a school night...

We have not been idle over the past few weeks. We played the Fillmore Poster Room for the Steve Kimock Band this week and more importantly made an emergency recording of our Tanya Donelly covers and presented them in person to Tanya after her show at Bimbo's last month. We hung with Tanya, took some pictures, and then got on the freeway and calmly discussed the evening until we realized we were at the airport and had been driving for 15 minutes in the completely opposite direction from where we wanted to go, the Bay Bridge. The result of a "Tanya tizzy" as Kate called it. Well worth it, I say.

Anyway, hope to see you at the Utah, where we'll probably be a little less giddy... Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox http://www.famouslastwordsband.com (with a redesigned photo gallery) p.s. For those of you planning ahead, we're doing the full electric jammin' band thing at the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette the following Thursday, June 13. Mark your calendars!

Roundup this Thursday 6.13.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

It's been a while but we're finally back at everyone's favorite friendly neighborhood tavern, that cheery place where everyone knows your name and a happening psychedelic jamming rootsy rock band sets up in the corner and in the course of the evening inspires much dancing, drinking and carrying on so that good vibes are spread to all, life and music are much appreciated, and for at least a few hours the world is a better place.

Okay, back from Mars... We're playing at the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette this Thursday. It's free, we play all night and we pull out some fun covers you won't see at our regular gigs. Stay around long enough to witness Kate get tipsy after a few between-sets shots and reveal all kinds of personal things into the microphone. Jace is out of school so his alter-ego-lampshade-on-the-head-life-of-the-party-personality has emerged (that is to say he's not obsessively contemplating Conrad), and your humble narrator, on the eve of collecting 40 final papers to grade in the next week, will be thinking, as Blue Oyster Cult quoted (and cleaned up) the MC5, "Kick out the Jams, brothers and sisters!"

This might be our farewell to the Roundup show...Come help us kick its ass goodbye!

Thursday, June 13 Roundup Saloon 3553 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette (Take Hwy 24 East past Orinda, do your best to ignore the evil SUV's, and get off at the Oak Hill Road exit. Turn right and it's right there in front of you at the next light!) 9:00 pm - 1:00 am FREE!

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals, interesting stage banter Jace Bartulis: drums, still no damn vocals http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Blake's Saturday JULY 6!

FLW Friends and Fans:

Come join us for a very special show this Saturday JULY 6 at Blake's on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. The date is important in birthday history, for both George Dubya and your humble narrator. One of us is the other's evil twin; you decide.
I'll probably be louder though.

This will be a rare electric show for us this month. Among other odds and sods, in a couple weeks we'll be doing a special acoustic duo performance in the psychiatric ward at SF General Hospital for the "Bread and Roses" foundation, but we don't expect to see any of you there...

In our most recent rock and roll celebrity shoulder-rubbings, we had the good fortune of jamming at a party last weekend with, among other venerable players, the keyboard player from Spinal Tap. His amp did not go to "11" but he sure could play. Now there's a unique addition to the resume. We will however not start covering any Tap material, although "Lick My Love Pump" has some nice intertwining melody lines. And of course Kate wanted to play the bass showcase "Big Bottom"...

Hope to see you at Blake's! Catch us electric while you can!

Saturday JULY 6 2367 Telegraph Ave. (near Durant) Berkeley 9:00 pm

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums

p.s. RIP to the Quiet One, John Entwistle... We incorporated a tribute into our acoustic shows this weekend and may surprise you at Blake's...

Blake's This Saturday 7.6.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Just a quick reminder that we're playing at Blake's on Telegraph tonight. It's a double birthday for George Dubya and me. He got a colonoscopy for his birthday; don't let us get similarly screwed!

Blake's 2367 Telegraph Ave (near Durant) Berkeley 9:00 pm Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums

Jerry's Birthday Celebration 8.1.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

For those of you wondering how you'll mark Aug. 1 this year, we suggest an evening of music at the Tongue and Groove, located at 2513 Van Ness in San Francisco. Mood Food and Groove.Org will be playing as full bands while Kate and I opted to not lug around so much equipment and will open the show as our famed acoustic duo. The show is a celebration of Jerry Garcia's birthday (he was the guitar player for a local Bay Area band) and a portion of the proceeds will go to the very worthy REX Foundation. (http://www.rexfoundation.org)

We'll be doing a very Jerry set in honor of the occasion. And for those of you jonesing for the full FLW electric experience, we've got our Last Day Saloon debut in SF on Thursday Aug. 22. Make room in your busy social calendars now!

Until then, walk together little children...

Famous Last Words Acoustic Duo
Jerry Birthday Show
Tongue and Groove
2513 Van Ness San Francisco
Thursday Aug.1 9:00 pm (remember, we're on first...)(...I don't know's at third...)

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Last Day Saloon 8/22/02

FLW Friends and Fans:

You are chordally invited to an FLW "Double Debut" this Thursday Aug. 22 at the Last Day Saloon in San Francisco. This will be our first show at the very cool Last Day, which is a great club with a great stage and sound system, and great selection of drinks. It should be... great. We are also excited to announce the debut of new FLW trapmaster Rocky Vogler. Like Jason, Rocky is a thinking man's drummer and he notices the cleverness and deep profundity of the lyrics in the FLW oeuvre. But he's also got his own unique big strappin' energy infusing every beat he plays. We will settle for nothing less. It's time to rock.

Thursday Aug.22 Last Day Saloon 406 Clement (at 5th Ave) San Francisco 9:00 pm We're on first (what's at second) and funky jamband Homunculus is coming all the way from Indiana to play after us...

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox  Kate Burkart: bass, vox  Rocky Vogler: drums, Fred http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

8/22/02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Just a quick reminder that we're playing full band electric at the fabulous Last Day Saloon this Thursday 8/22. We'll be doing a show in Fairfax in 2 weeks and some assorted acoustic shows but not another local full band electric show until the end of September. So come on out and see us now. Life is too short for regrets. This email is too short for any more witticisms.

Last Day Saloon 406 Clement (at 5th Ave) , San Francisco (conveniently located near Dan Carr's apartment for those of you living in that particular space...) 9:00 pm (we're on first...I don't know - THIRD BASE!)

hope to see you! Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate "Killer Dana" Burkart: bass, vox Rocky Vogler: drums, seeing http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Brokedown Opry 8.27.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Last Day Saloon last week! Special mention and props to the Quirk Contingent (which I hearby submit as a title for the next Robert Ludlum novel-turned motion picture starring Matt Damon), "Shakey" Shane and Bob all the way from our drunken bar-band nights in Lafayette, and the Pat Harmon extended family...thanks!

The circle surrounding new drummer Rocky Vogler allowed me to actually croon "Lisa it's your birthday, Happy Birthday Lisa" in my best Bart Simpson/Michael Jackson imitation, but I did it from my knees on the stage as I was changing a string and Kate and Rocky's more traditional "Happy Birthday" sentiment was more prominent (and that's probably a good thing...). The string had broken smack dab in the middle solo of "Matter of Time" and I spent the rest of the song debating whether or not to abort the Santana "Gypsy Queen/Soul Sacrifice" jam that segues out of the end jam. "Adapt and improvise" John Cleese once said on Monty Python as he went in to rob a bank and found out he was in a lingerie store. "Uh, yes...two pairs of panties, then..." he demanded, and I decided to do the same. Alas, no panties, but we did make it into the Santana jam not limping, but rather gracefully lurching along on 5 strings (9 total if you count the bass...and Kate did play all 4 of 'em...)

Anyway, the Last Day is a great stage with great sound. We're looking forward to a return engagement...

In the meantime, Kate and I are doing the duo acoustic thing at the Brokedown Opry Americana Showcase this Tuesday night, 8/27. Jeffrey "Luck" Lucas opens the show at 8:00 with his singular style of songwriting influenced by (to my ears) the heroin-country tradition, followed by Uncle Boyde's Sawmill and the Borracho Wranglers whose name is so long I have no room to describe their music although I suppose I could have used that space to do that, and then yours truly close out the show with our introspective heartfelt harmony-drenched country/folk flavorings at 10:00.

Brokedown Opry Hotel Utah Saloon 4th and Bryant, SF 8:00 pm (we're on at 10:00)

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Once again, we are purging our list. If you would like to be removed, please reply back and ask (nicely). We will then take it under advisement, send copies to appropriate parties, introduce the request at our next board meeting, adopt a resolution, establish committees, submit further studies, and then call you at home to ask you to reconsider.

But seriously, we will simply remove your name and you will no longer be bothered. We want to be lean and mean. He travels the fastest who travels alone...travels alone...

Gig in Fairfax 9.5.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Come help us make our Marin Debut this Thursday Sept. 5 at Peri's in Fairfax...Peri's is a very cool bar which gets very cool bands. So it should be... very cool. Rocky is still on the traps for us which is certainly an epic amount of longevity for a drummer and is causing our sound to come together right now over me. As an added bonus, Marin singer-songwriter Darren Nelson, NOT from "Nelson" but from legendary Marin band "Jumbo" (who would have made Aerosmith's "Behind the Music" seem quite wimpy) will be opening the show for us at 9:15. We then get to play until after midnight when we're gonna shake your tambourine... It's all gonna be peaches and cream...

...anyway...

Famous Last Words (full band) Thursday, Sept. 5 Peri's 29 Broadway Fairfax 9:15 pm

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Rocky Vogler: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com p.s. For those of you planning ahead, our next East Bay full band show is Saturday Sept. 28 at Club Muse in Albany...

Jupiter 9.7.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Enjoy the acoustic jazzy all-instrumental stylings of the FLW ensemble at the Jupiter Lounge tonight in Berkeley. That's right, the Jupiter has a noise policy which prohibits vocals and prefers jazz trios. We at FLW are proud of our ability to adapt and improvise and our show at the Jupiter in July was a lot of fun. We sit down, we jam, and I have a mike next to me which I only use to talk between songs so I get to feel like a totally respectable cool jazz player. The Jupiter's at 2181 Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley. We play outside, there's good food and beer, and it's free. What more do you want, other than, uh, more advance notice? Rocky's out of town so our good friend Jace will be sitting in on drums for a reunion.

By the way, my computer lost our entire emailing list and I had to recreate this in painstaking fashion. As difficult as this is to say, some mistakes may have been made. For those of you who shouldn't be on here I apologize and just reply back saying you would like to be removed and I will do so. For those of you who aren't on here but should be...it's a little trickier. Try to contact drummer Rocky Vogler in Non-Ordinary Reality please, and let him know you need to be put back on the list.

Thanks, and happy trails... Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: acoustic guitar, harp, between-song-banter Kate Burkart: bass Very Special Guest Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Beckett's 9.12.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

They're coming fast and furious now...But this time the late notice can't be blamed on me. This is a last minute fill-in for another band...who you gonna call...famous last freakin' words.
For this engagement we get to become a drunken Irish band...Beckett's Pub in the heart of downtown Berkeley has lots of good beer and paintings of famous Irishmen adorning the walls, such as James Joyce and their namesake, but not Dan Rooney, particularly after last night...and it's free admission... It's an intimate and lively atmosphere so we'll be playing acoustic, but we'll be strumming hard and singing this time...though it may be somewhat slurred...

For those of you who've missed the last few gigs, a particular Rev. Gary Davis tune has lately been asserting itself as a show-stopper. Its ascendency was hinted at way back when at a Borders' show when Borders manager Robert observed, quite correctly: "Death Don't Have No Mercy - the feel-good song of the night!" Perhaps this says something about my state of mind these days, staring into the abyss with Samuel Beckett. Or maybe I just shouldn't read the news before bedtime. Or I should just follow Drew Carey's lead when he said "I don't have to watch the news, I just read the book of Revelation"...

Well, Ireland at least may be on the way to peace...Come on out to Samuel Beckett's Good Time Pub for some good times...Have a beer, swing a mug, and laugh the past (present, and future) away!

Famous Last Words (acoustic trio) Beckett's 2271 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley 9:00- 11:00 or so... hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, harp, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Very Special Guest Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Club Muse 9.28.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

We'll be doing the full electric thing at the Club Muse in Albany on Saturday Sept. 28. Opening the show will be Chester, a band we checked out last weekend who sounded to my ears like a very cool cross between Little Feat and Neil Young (and Wilco for all you young 'uns...)

Now a story: (If you want just the facts, ma'am, on the Muse show, just scroll down to the bottom):

To update the band-brushing-with-greatness chronicles, we went to see the always depthful Eliza Gilkyson in Pt. Richmond last week. When I saw her on "Austin City Limits" last year she had a full band including the brilliant Nina Gerber on lead guitar, but she has been touring recently as a solo act, which is still quite moving and powerful. I saw her before the show and told her I had my guitar in the car if she wanted someone to sit in with her on a few songs. Lo and behold, a couple of songs into her second set she announced into the microphone "I don't know this guy but he says he can play guitar...and he looks like he can play guitar...so he's gonna come up and join me...is your name Mark?...no... Jeff!"

I sat down and she launched immediately into the title cut from her classic cd "Hard Times in Babylon" which luckily Kate and I had worked out ourselves to perform at the Brokedown Opry last month, so I knew the changes, although the bridge seemed slightly different than we had worked out...nevertheless I wisely deferred to her interpretation of her own song.

The song ended and there was no awkward dead silence broken only by someone saying "I paid good money to see Eliza ! What the hell is that guy doing up there like he thinks it's an open mike?" On the contrary, there was applause and Eliza, placing her hand on my knee, said "That was fun, how about "Love Minus Zero"?" She proceeded to play the old Dylan chestnut which I know, but in a different key and, if you know anything about me, you know I also play it with my own arrangement...but I adapted and improvised and at the end of the solo our guitars were starting to sound like they were dancing into one voice, which drew more applause.

Things were warming up. "Do you want to do another one?" she asked and I said "How about "Twisted"?", which is a bluesy original of hers. I'd never played it but she said it was a pretty straightforward blues. "The changes all make sense" she said. "So it's not all fucked up?" I said, making a clever allusion to the chorus in which she sings "I'm fucked up." "Get it?" I said. "Yeah, I get it" she replied, probably pining for Nina. Then she went into the song, which actually wasn't that straightforward at all, and since I was sitting slightly behind her I couldn't watch her hand for the chords. I began pining for Nina myself, but then switched from chords to adding blues riffs behind the vocals. We got cheers and some "whoo's" during the solo so it sounded pretty good. "You're all I ever wanted in a man" she sang and I tried to hold up my end of the bargain.

It was nice to get some positive feedback from people after I sat down, including Irv and Joan Koffler who were there with their daughter Kathy and said "You seem like a seasoned player, certainly doing more than just winging it!"

So...another musical stepping stone...thanks for listening...

Anyway...back to our show! It'll be a good one!

Famous Last Words Saturday Sept. 28 Club Muse 856 San Pablo Ave. (next to the Ivy Room) Show starts at 9:30 (we go on at 10:30) Hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, mouth organ Kate Burkart: bass, vox Rocky Vogler: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

p.s. My hard drive crashed and I have recreated the mailing list yet again. If you know of any errors (ie you're on here and don't want to be, or you know someone who should be on here) my apologies, and I'd be happy to correct them. Well "happy" might be an overstatement and not a word I'm associating with computers right now, but certainly "willing" would be appropriate. Yeah that's it...I'll be willing...(just give me weed, whites, and wine...)

...and you didn't think I'd be able to circle all the way back to the first paragraph where I described Chester...

Beckett's 10/10/02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Do not be alarmed by the strange sending name on this email. I am sending this from the alias of our bass player as my computer and dsl service have combined to make my own account inaccessible. You may blame the uncreativeness of this email on the fact that I am sending it from a bizarre and unfamiliar place. Oh well, as Hunter Thompson famously opined: "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro..."

Anyway, we're back at Beckett's Irish Pub this Thursday Night, Oct. 10. We'll be playing from 9 to 11 or so. This is a hybrid of our bar band and acoustic shows. We play acoustic but Jace will be sitting in on drums and we'll be keeping it lively with some fun covers you won't hear at our regular electric shows. Beckett's is a fun place with good beer and no cover conveniently located in the heart of downtown Berkeley at 2271 Shattuck Ave.

In other (name-dropping) news, I rapped with John Doe after his performance with Kristin Hersh at the Great American Music Hall last weekend. What an inspiring guy. Brilliant singer, great songwriter, real emotion and intelligence, and totally authentic and cool. He's really living out his punk roots, too, as he told me he was heading home the next day "to get the kids back to school." He signed my program and I put it in my newly acquired X "See How We Are" cd. Someone asked us at the Muse show if "Smells Like Candy" was an X song, which was a high compliment and pretty perceptive, too, as I've been playing X's "True Love" for drummers to explain the feel I want on that song. I guess we're doing something right...

For those of you who plan ahead, we'll be back at the Last Day Saloon in SF with our regular electric project next Thursday, Oct. 17. Also appearing will be Liza from Zuba (whose latest recording is with Billy Nershi from the String Cheese Incident) and special guests from JGB and Box Set.

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Special Guest Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Last Day Saloon 10.17.02

FLW Friends and fans:

You get a little more reaction time on this one... We are extremely happy to be making a triumphant return to the Last Day Saloon in SF this Thursday Oct. 17. The Last Day has a great stage and a great sound system so it's a great place to come see us do our full electric thing.

Going on after us is Liza from Zuba. Her latest recording is with Billy Nershi of String Cheese Incident and she will have some friends from JGB and Box Set sitting in. So it should be a very jamming double bill.

As an added incentive to our hard-core fans, we've got a new song which we introduced at the Muse show but which we will now know all the words to when we play it on Thursday. I call it a cross between Bob Weir and the Pretenders...but then I'm in the band and have a limited perspective. You'll have your own take. As Ice-T once said, "You should never think everything I'm thinking because then only one of us is thinking." (Ice-T also obsessively tells people who disagree with him to suck his d**k but I like this quote better...)

Moving on... We've got a very cool and well-written review of the Muse show up on our website. You can check it out at: http://www.famouslastwordsband.com/reviews

Nothing else too creative, funny or profound to say. The Steelers destroyed the Bengals. Organic food really tastes better and lasts longer. The world's a mess it's in my kiss (still on an X-kick after meeting John Doe).
Come on out to the Last Day!

Famous Last Words Last Day Saloon, San Francisco 406 Clement St. (at 5th Ave) Thursday Oct. 17 9:00 pm

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Rocky Vogler: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Metro 10.26.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

Our full electric band will be playing a late-night show this Saturday 10/26 at the Metro in Oakland.

Here is the press release for the show:

"On Saturday, October 26, 2002 The Oakland Metro is hosting three Americana/Rootsrock bands for an evening that promises to be enjoyable for all. Headlining is Famous Last Words, an Americana Jamband power trio that's been playing the local Bay Area scene for 3 years. With great guitar work, cool double vocals, happening original songs and transcendent jams, FLW evokes echoes ranging from X to Dylan to the Dead with shades of Santana and Pink Floyd. "Jeff's deep, soulful voice and Kate's clear alto create a primordial, earthly harmony. You get the sense that you've been here before." Also on the bill are the Trailer Park Rangers, a band truly like no other and capable of amazing live performances. The band is fronted by David T. Carter, of Australian origin and nature, and who contributes excellently crafted songs with his baritone voice shining through the guitar, violin, pedal steel, dog-house bass and drum strains that surround. Opening up the show will be fan favorites Jasper Thresh, playing wonderful, rock and roll extravaganzas in your living room, your bar, your secret, little world. Thundering arena rock to moody, jazz-inspired contemplations to down south soul. Summed up, this is an evening not to be missed."

The Metro is a cool theater/warehouse type space...The show starts at 9:00 pm and we'll go on at 11:00 or so...

If you can't make the Metro or are simply jonesing for our acoustic trio doing the bar-band thing, we'll be back at Beckett's in downtown Berkeley this Thursday 10/24. We'll be downing pints and playing upbeat and familiar yet cool covers along with some of our originals. At our last Beckett's show a couple of weeks ago we debuted both "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Lodi" but not at the same time..."oh lord, tangled up in blue again..."

FLW acoustic trio Thursday 10/24 Beckett's 2271 Shattuck Ave. 9:00 pm

FLW electric band Saturday 10/26 The Metro 201 Broadway (at 2nd) show at 9:00, we go on about 11:00

hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, harp, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Rocky Vogler: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Two Gigs! 10.28.02

FLW Friends and Fans:

We'll be on the other side of the tunnel at Dan's Bar in Walnut Creek this Saturday Nov. 2. This is one of our electric bar-band gigs so along with our originals we'll be pulling out, dusting off, and setting on fire many of our favorite jammin' covers. Kate will also be downing her customary shots of Jack between sets which always lends an extra air of danger to the proceedings and is an event not to be missed for those with any sense of adventure, which is of course a commonality amongst the FLW-minded crowd.

Then on Tue. Nov. 5, come on out to the Hotel Utah's Brokedown Opry Americana showcase in SF where we'll be doing our acoustic duo with very special guest Paul Bonanos (veteran of local bands Petrol and the windily named Here are the Facts You Requested) sitting in on pedal steel and perhaps some other assorted and sundry instruments. Paul is a supremely talented musician and our songs will sound extremely cool with the new flavors added in the Utah's intimate setting. Also on the bill are the Trophy Husbands and James Apollo Trio. We've got the coveted middle slot at 9:30 so it will fit right in between voting and getting to bed since it's a school night.

Speaking of which, FLW AT THE MOVIES recommends "Bowling for Columbine."
Really.
Jeff-Bob says "check it out."
See the film, see us, and don't forget to vote...

FLW Full Electric Band Dan's Bar, Walnut Creek 1524 Civic Dr. (at Main) Sat. Nov. 2 9-1

FLW acoustic duo plus pedal flippin' steel Hotel Utah Brokedown Opry, SF 500 4th St. (at Bryant) Tue. Nov. 5 with Trophy Husbands and James Apollo Trio 9:30

hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox, Jack Rocky Vogler: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

FLW Friends and Fans:

Just a quick reminder that we're playing at the Hotel Utah's Brokedown Opry Americana Showcase this Tuesday, Nov. 5. We'll be doing the intimate and sensitive yet powerful and heartfelt acoustic duo thing. Plus joining us on pedal steel (and mandolin, egg, and trumpet) will be Paul Bonanos, local jack-of-all-instruments luminary, sitting in with us before he gets flown out to record an album in Chicago. Come hear your favorite FLW songs in a new context, plus a song or two you probably haven't heard before. We are sandwiched in the middle of the night between the James Apollo Trio and Trophy Husbands, so you have time both to vote and get to bed early.

Speaking of which, don't forget to exercise your power while we've still got some semblance of a democracy. A drummer/poet/painter/artiste/philosopher-king friend of mine sent me an email after my last gig announcement urging me to be more specific about telling people who to vote for. However, I generally prefer the Jerry Garcia think-for-yourself black t-shirt statement, ie. "ascribing dogma to me?...don't even go there..."

Jerry did of course speak out to try to save the rainforests and the always valuable work of the Dead's charitable Rex Foundation, however.

That being said, I will say this:

"Save Pepperland, people! Don't let the Blue Meanies take over! (and it's pretty clear who they are...)"

Tue. Nov. 5 Famous Last Words acoustic duo with special guest pedal steel Hotel Utah Saloon 4th and Bryant, SF 9:30 pm

hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox Special Guest Paul Bonanos: pedal steel, mandolin, trumpet, egg http://www.famouslastwordsband.com p.s. For those of you planning ahead, we'll be full-band electric next Friday 11/15 at Peri's in Fairfax...

Peri's, Jupiter, Fillmore 11/15

FLW Friends and Fans:

In keeping with the times, we are continuing our pursuit of world domination with a whirlwind three-day tour of the Bay Area next weekend. Foremost amongst the dates is next Friday 11/15 at Peri's in Fairfax. Peri's is a cool rockin' bar that gets lots of jambands. Opening the night for us at 9:00 pm is Natural Selection playing "homegrown rock" with influences from Linda Ronstadt to Eric Clapton. We'll go on at about 10:30 and play until we've had our way with the place. This will be our last electric show for a little bit so come on out and help us, um, turn the motha out.

The following night, Saturday 11/16, we'll be doing our all-instrumental acoustic jazz impersonation at the Jupiter in downtown Berkeley from 8 to 11. And the next night, Sunday 11/17, Kate and I will be doing our acoustic duo in the Poster Room at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium playing before the legendary Leo Kottke and Phish's Mike Gordon do THEIR acoustic duo on the main stage. Once again, in keeping with the times, shall we consider this a war of the acoustic duos? "Yeah yeah war! Heh heh! Battles...Battles!" Dubya Beavis chortles in the odd zeitgeist of the age. No, I live in Berkeley where progressives have boldly retaken control of the city, so in homage to hope we will play as a compliment to Leo and Mike, not as a short-sighted power struggle. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

Sitting in with us on drums for the first 2 shows is our friend Jace Bartulis.

FLW full electric band Friday Nov. 15 Peri's 29 Broadway, Fairfax 9:00 pm (we're on at 10:30) FLW all-instrumental acoustic trio Saturday Nov. 16 Jupiter Berkeley 8-11 pm FLW acoustic duo Sunday Nov. 17 The Fillmore Poster Room San Francisco 7:00 pm hope to see you!

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Road trip to the Old West with FLW 12/7

FLW Friends and Fans:

Leave your good job in the city workin' for the man and join us in beautiful Pt. Reyes Station this Saturday Night 12/7 when we'll be rockin' the famous Old Western Saloon from 9 to closing. Are you ready for the country, baby 'cause it's time to go...

Pt. Reyes is the kind of extremely picturesque little Western town that looks like it would get painted red in a certain cool Clint Eastwood movie. As the Let's Go guidebook (hey, it got Hank Sobel through Europe a generation ago) states:

"Pt. Reyes is a paradise for birdwatchers and mountain bikers (and doubly so for mountain-biking birdwatchers). If you happen to be around in the evening, by all means mosey on into the Old Western Saloon, at 11201 Rte. 1 in the middle of town. (663-1661. Open daily 10:30am-2am.) It's an old brothel from Pt. Reyes's days as a bustling railroad town, and though the prostitutes have moved on, it can get pretty raucous, especially on weekends. IF FAMOUS LAST WORDS IS PLAYING YOU'LL HAVE FINALLY FOUND HEAVEN ON EARTH."
[Last sentence emphasis mine.]
[Actually the entire last sentence is mine.]

Anyway, come enjoy the beauty of California before the Bush administration cuts down the trees, kills the animals, drills for oil and unilaterally and pre-emptively bombs the "eco-terrorists" and the poets and painters far behind their rightful time.

(What have they done to the earth? What have they done to our fair sister? Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her, Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn and tied her with fences and dragged her down...)

What can a poor boy do, 'cept to sing for a rock'n roll band... (I'm going to forego my first Steelers game of the season for this...it must be worth it)

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

p.s. As usual, if you would like to be removed from this mailing, just hit reply and ask us (nicely) to remove you...Go ahead, make my day. (Just getting in the Old West spirit, where men were men and Clint ruled...Yeah I know the quote is from a later Dirty Harry but it's the archetype I'm referencing) Speaking of which, the 5th email to name the 5 music allusions in this email(don't worry about the film and politics) gets put on the guest list!

Acoustic Trio at the Kingfish, Friday the 13th

FLW Friends and Fans:

Looking for something to do on Friday the 13th besides watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns? Then look no further: We'll be doing our acoustic trio bar-band thing at the Kingfish Bar in Oakland from 9-12. The Kingfish is conveniently located at 5227 Claremont (at Telegraph). I'll have my acoustic guitar but Jace will be sitting in on drums and we'll be doing a Beckett's-type show, meaning lots of fun covers and spirit-imbibing.

Speaking of which, Buffy is over at 8:00.

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums, impressions of people laughing http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Beckett's 12/19

FLW Friends and Fans:

Thanks to everyone who came out to our debut gig at the Kingfish last weekend. That wasn't just rain that was pouring down, it was extreme weather conditions resulting from the freezing over of hell as even my old college buddy Henry braved the elements and made it to the show. It was fun to kick it in the cozy confines of the cool Kingfish, downing brews and playing tunes. As we relaxed over pints at the end of the night with friends new and old we were treated to the spectacle of some patrons actually dancing on the bar. The place has some character. The Slaughtered Lamb it ain't. We'll be back there next month.

In the meantime you can check out our final show of the year this Thursday, Dec. 19 at Beckett's (2271 Shattuck Ave) in downtown Berkeley. We'll be doing our acoustic trio bar-band thing from 9:00 to 11:00 or so.

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

p.s. We spent a productive couple of days in the studio this past weekend and are aiming to have a good-sounding cd of choice elements of our electric set ready to go by the end of next month. Hang on tight and we'll keep you updated. In the meantime let's just enjoy Trent Lott's latest time in the spotlight...

Electric at Pat O'Shea's Fri. Jan 3

FLW Friends and Fans:

Hope the holidays are treating you right...We will be kicking off the new year with a full electric bar-band show at Pat O'Shea's in San Francisco this Friday Jan. 3. Coincidentally my grades are due on that day so I will be emerging from a mass of papers on death, fate, sacrifice and tragedy, and therefore as you might imagine, ready to kick out the jams. "It's only by the music..." sang Pete Townshend on his underrated first solo effort, "...I'll be free".

And with that word bandied about these days in service of all kinds of questionable actions, let's remember what freedom really is...

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words electric band Pat O'Shea's 3848 Geary Blvd (at 3rd Ave.), SF 9:30 pm Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

p.s. Searching for moral clarity? Take comfort in this wisdom:
"Fire bad. Tree pretty."
Buffy

Starry Plough 2/13

FLW Friends and Fans:

After our successful acoustic duo show at the Fillmore Poster Room on Saturday night, where we kept the hungry crowd satisfied between sets of David Lindley/Wally Ingram and the Blind Boys of Alabama who turned the place into an old-time Gospel Revival, we will be picking up our drummer Jace and heading to the Starry Plough for a full electric show this Thursday Feb. 13. In between we'll be checking out Blue Oyster Cult at Slim's,(I've decided to keep reliving my high school days...until I get it right) so who knows what sounds we'll be conjuring at the Plough from the eclectic influences of the week. Don't Fear the Preacher? GOD-zilla? Anyway, you don't want to miss it.

The Plough is a great East Bay venue with a cool stage and sound system. Come check us out electric!

Thursday Feb. 13 Starry Plough 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley with 7th Direction and Pocket show at 9:00, we go on at 10:00

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Plough

FLW Friends and Fans:

Just a quick reminder that we're playing full band electric at the Starry Plough in Berkeley tonight (Thursday 2/13)! The Plough is a great east bay venue, easy to get to and park, and with a cool stage and sound system. It's located at 3101 Shattuck Ave., just south of Ashby. There are 3 bands and we play in the coveted middle slot. The show starts at 9:00 and we'll go on at about 10:00.

And yes, we're still working on our cd. For those of you who want a preview, right now there are 3 songs in good ol' G, one in E, one in E minor, one in open D, and one in the very daring key of B flat minor.

Hope to see you at the Plough! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Beckett's 2.20

FLW Friends and Fans:

Thanks to everyone who came to the Starry Plough last week! It was a good crowd and a lot of fun so hopefully we'll be back there soon. Those of you there were afforded the added spectacle of witnessing me stuck in equipment hell for a while, which culminated in all of my sound going out right at the dramatic solo guitar break in "Faith in the Dark." This is a literal solo guitar break, where the rest of the band stops playing and all you hear is the guitar. Or would hear, if it was making any sound. That's right, I turned into Marcel Marceau for an agonizing eternity, playing a guitar that was suddenly a true air guitar. Amazingly enough, and this could be seen as good or bad, the crowd was with us so they were silent too, the whole room just staring at me frantically hopping back and forth on foot-switch buttons to no avail. As impotent as Spike with a chip in his head, if I'd been naked it would have been the classic cliched nightmare. Suddenly however, I noticed the problem and stuck my cord back into my wah. (That's no risque metaphor, by the way, it's "gear talk.") Knowing my sound would be back,I flashed on the classic Buck Dharma move I'd seen a few nights before at the BOC show: I looked at the sea of expectant faces, and slowly and deliberately cracked my knuckles...and then launched into the solo riff and the rest of the song. Yay. FLW lives to fight another day.

Which will be tomorrow, Thursday 2/20 at Beckett's in Berkeley. We'll be doing our acoustic bar-band trio. Lots of covers, drinking, and good times. 2271 Shattuck Ave. 9-11:00.

Hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox Jace Bartulis: drums http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

p.s. Whatever your take on the current world situation, it's heartening to me to see we haven't lost our sense of pun and humor. In that spirit FLW presents:

Top Ten Signs at the SF Protest Rally:

10. Duct tape the White House with Bush inside
9. Jews for Burning Bush
8. Don't Enron our Worldcom!
7. BU**SH**
6. Got Oil? (With a Picture of Bush with a black oil mustache...looking like Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator")
5. Bush as Ashton Kushner saying "Dude, Where's my War?"
4. Weapons of Mass Distraction (with a picture of a tv with Fox and CNN)
3. This is Worse than Reagan! (other side: "This is worse than Nixon!")
2. Drunken Frat Boy Drives Country Into Ditch

and the #1 sign (actually on a t-shirt)

1. My country took away all my civil liberties...and all I got was this lousy t-shirt...

Opry 3.11

FLW Friends and Fans:

We're bringing our duo acoustic show to the Hotel Utah's "Brokedown Opry" Americana Showcase this Tuesday, 3/11. The Opry always gets quality acts and this time we're playing with the Jenny Kerr Band and Steve Owen. We go on about 9:15. This is your chance to see us do our beer-drenched harmony-laden authentic acoustic folk-country songwriting and soloing...um, thing. There might even be a couple of new songs...

Hotel Utah 500 4th St. (at Bryant), San Francisco 9:15 pm

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate Burkart: bass, vox http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Opry 3/11

FLW Friends and Fans:

Just a quick reminder that we're bringing our duo acoustic shenanigans to the Hotel Utah's "Brokedown Opry" tonight, Tues, March 11. The Opry showcases great Americana acts. And these days it's good to remember there are some things about America that you don't have to be embarrassed by. What is the true American Sprit? (Why in the world are we here? Surely not to live in pain and fear.) See us and reclaim the flag! Also appearing are the Jenny Kerr Band and Steve Owen. We go on far between sundown's finish and midnight's broken toll...um, that is, about 9:15.

Hotel Utah 500 4th St. (at Bryant), SF 9:15

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, vox, harp Kate "Hot Pastrami" Burkart: bass, vox http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

"I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am, I been hidin' out in a rock 'n roll band..."

Jupiter 3/15

FLW Friends and Fans:

If like many of us you've been racking your brains to come up with something special to commemorate the Ides of March this year and celebrate the birthdays of both H. Eisenberg and T. Montgomery, then look no further than the Jupiter in the heart of downtown Berkeley. We'll be doing our all-instrumental acoustic trio set, acting like a cool jazz band and exploring the stellar regions of our repertoire, sans vocals. The Jupiter has good food and good beer and there's no cover.

Incidentally, we got many of our lyrical ya-ya's out at the Brokedown Opry this week. I knew we were making a deliberate statement by opening with Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" but then realized in the middle of "Sloe Hank" that the originals were also timely and relevant. "Is the artist truly a conduit for his historical moment, consciously or not, just as T.S. Eliot asserted in his landmark essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent"?" I pondered...and then remembered I better concentrate on the lyrics of the song. "Yeah!" I said into the mike, infusing the word with all of the affirmation-in-the-face-of-the-void meanings it asserts.

Just thought you might want to keep this in mind as our ship of state continues its hard-right Poseidon Adventure veer and the Senate once again debates opening up our Alaskan veins to feed our ugly oil addiction.

What would Buffy do?

"Shadow-boxing the Apocalypse and wandering the land..."

Famous Last Words all-instrumental acoustic trio Jupiter Lounge Saturday March 15 2181 Shattuck Ave (at Center), Berkeley 8-11 pm

hope to see you! Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, harp, no vox Kate Burkart: bass, no vox Jace Bartulis: drums, why are you even reading this there are never any vox here http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Rabbit Hole, Portland OR, 4.11.03

FLW Friends and Fans:

For those of you who want a change of scenery we will be playing a very special acoustic duo show at the Rabbit Hole in Portland, Oregon this Friday night. We go on at 8:30 pm followed by Heavy Petting Zoo. For those of you not familiar with the Portland area, the Rabbit Hole is at 203 SE Grand Ave.

After that we continue our trek north to Vashon Island, Washington where we will commune with the legendary singer-songwriter/Rumpus-frontman/super-shaman/clown-care-worker/self-descri bed-American-mutant Steff Moody and perhaps perform at the Experience Music Project in Seattle.

Why this northward push? Let me answer by quoting Thoreau's timeless 1849 essay on "Civil Disobedience":

"They who know of no purer sources of truth, who have traced up its stream no higher, stand, and wisely stand, by the Bible and the Constitution, and drink at it there with reverence and humility; but they who behold where it comes trickling into this lake or that pool, gird up their loins once more, and continue their pilgrimage toward its fountain-head."

Don't worry - next email I'll go back to quoting Buffy. In the meantime, gird up your loins and meet us at pure truth...uh, that is at the Rabbit Hole...

Famous Last Words: Jeff Zittrain: guitar, harp, vocals Kate Burkart: bass, vocals http://www.famouslastwordsband.com

Kingfish 4.25.03