A month ago, John Plymale asked me if I would be interested in playing Joey Ramone at the Be Loud! Sophie charity show. I’d get to cover the Ramones with Jody, Norwood, and him–all from the legendary southeast rock band the Sex Police. And last night, the show happened. It was incredibly fun.

I have no idea how long the live stream of the show will be up, but if you read this in a timely manner, you can probably see it here.

We ran through the set a total of five times before the performance: four times at a rehearsal space and once during the actual soundcheck. I’m glad we did a run through with wigs and glasses. The jacket and wig made things much hotter than I’m used to. The sunglasses and lights made it almost impossible to see on stage.

The Be Loud! event was a great success. If you haven’t checked out the Be Loud! website to see what the organization is all about, you can access it here.

Gabba Gabba Hey!

On Saturday, September 24, 2022, at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC, I’ll be helping out with the Be Loud! Sophie ’22 charity concert. My job is to pretend, to the best of my ability, to be Joey Ramone.

Several bands are contributing to recreate full cover sets of classic bands. Preeesh will be performing as The Police. What Peggy Wants will be performing as The Cure. The Sex Police & Friends will be performing as The Ramones. All proceeds go to benefit Be Loud! Sophie, a charitable organization dedicated to helping teen and young adult cancer patients.

I’ve participated in cover show events like this in the past. The Cult and The Lemonheads are two bands I’ve enjoyed recreating at other cover shows. It’s a real joy to step back and pay tribute to a great band in this way.

I’ve been familiar with The Ramones my whole life–I think everyone had a copy of Ramones Mania growing up–but, this past month I immersed myself in their records and live shows. Their arrangements and songwriting are much more complex than I imagined. Just about everyone of the songs we’re doing has either a meter change, a key change, or both.

This will be the best show in town, so be sure to get your tickets while you can.