Welcome to the Fan Club!
Howdy, stranger! We are called Rocknoceros (kinda like rhinoceros, only there’s a rock). That’s Boogie Bennie on the keyboard, and Williebob with the guitar. And who might you be? It's sure great to meet ya! And of course we'd like to thank you for being a fan of what we do. Thanks, partner.
Now, let's talk about having some fun here, right? If there’s one thing that a fan club newsletter ought to have, it’s some back-and-forth with the fans. Maybe you have questions about our music? We love to talk about music! Perhaps you'd like to share a story about a show you saw, a song you heard, a haircut you needed? Let’s hear about it! Just about anything goes, really. We don’t mind talking about ourselves, and we think that our fans are interesting people too.
How to contact us? Send a letter by electronic mail! Our address:
fanclub@rocknoceros.com
We won’t share personal information with anything or anyone.
Ask questions, make requests for things you'd like to see or hear in a future edition of the Report, tell us what floats your boat, maybe give us a good joke that we can say on stage, etcetera!
And don’t forget to check next month’s edition of the Report. Your name might be in it! So let's get the ol’ feedback loop goin’, shall we?
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the goodies in this month’s Report. Looking forward to hearing from you in the near future, and thanks again for being a member of the Fan Club!
One camera, one song, just for fans!
Stories and trivia about our songs
"Ain't Nothin' But a Fox", 2011
Track number 17 from our 2011 album, Colonel Purple Turtle, this recording is a rare opportunity to hear a guest vocalist sing with us. The opportunity to broaden the vocal sound presented itself this time during writing, with the octave’d singing parts in a friendly key for both female and male singers. We invited Alexandra Blasgen, friend of the band, to add her talents. Alexandra, though not a professional singer, has great experience with choral performance and we knew she could sing. However, it was her first “pro” recording session (quotes used because it was in a little converted bedroom in a small house) and there was some nervousness in advance. There was no need to worry; she adapted to the recording process with great speed, and knocked it out of the park in approximately two takes. Actually, she was complaining of having a cold that day, but it was barely evident throughout the evening and perhaps she would even say that she had fun. We know for a fact that she is quite proud of the result, and of course we were thrilled with it!
The lyrics of ‘Fox’ form part of the story that loosely threads across the album. In our make-believe land called Soggy Bog, the animals are in a hurry to ready themselves for a strong storm heading their way. The foxes, though they normally keep to themselves, are moved by the feeling of a community in need and decide to allow other animals to take shelter with them in their burrow.
We had the great fortune to work with several outstanding D.C. area musicians during the recording of the album. Jamieson Tobey is a drummer you don’t forget. We said, “Rollin’,” and he poured a 100-ton groove foundation for ‘Fox’ like it was nothin’. Thanks again, J!!
This song might contain Williebob’s best overall recorded performances to date, on both the bass guitar and lead guitar. For certain, the song was designed to give him a good try.
TRIVIA CHALLENGE:
Somewhere in this recording, there is a sly reference - it goes by quickly - to a classic hit song from 1971. Grown ups might catch it... tell us if you found it! We would love to give you a shout out in our next Song of the Month!
LISTEN to "Ain't Nothin' But a Fox" on Soundcloud:
LISTEN to “Ain’t Nothin’ But A Fox” from a streaming service you can select by clicking here
Good times, explained
Rocknoceros at The Kennedy Center, December 4, 2009
Photographer: Unknown
We do not recall who was on stage with us that evening taking photos, though almost certainly it was a staff member for Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Coach Cotton was on stage with us too, of course, probably shoulder-to-shoulder with the photographer when this shot was taken.
This was our first appearance at the Millennium Stage, which is a serious treat for D.C. area residents and visitors alike. Always free, and almost every night of the year! The stage sits on the far end of the Grand Foyer, which is aptly named as it can fit well over a thousand people comfortably wandering about.
By the time of this show, December 4, 2009, we were frankly exhausted (you can see that Boogie needs a bit of a shave, and you can be sure that Williebob was grateful for having already grown a beard). The release of our third album, PINK!, was in April, and we promoted it like crazy for many months; we played over 200 shows that year. In fact, we played in Manassas, VA that same morning! Rocknoceros plays every show like it’s a big deal, but Millennium Stage was actually a Very Big Deal for us. A little tired or not, once you get on stage it’s easy to forget everything else and enjoy the special pleasure you can only get from playing music!
Learn more about The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at https://www.kennedy-center.org/
Where you can find us playing in June 2022
EVERY Monday in June at 11am, One Loudoun Plaza, Ashburn, VA
Wednesday, June 8 at 11am, Tyson's Corner Plaza, Tyson’s Corner, VA
Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30pm, Vienna Town Green, Vienna, VA
Wednesday, June 15 at 10am, Stonebridge Kids Club, Woodbridge, VA
Thursday, June 16 at 10:30am, Martinsburg Rocks!, Martinsburg, WV
Thursday, June 23 at 11am, Duncan Library, Alexandria, VA
Thursday, June 30 at 10am, Summerfest Frederick, Frederick, MD
Event dates and times can occasionally change as they approach; for the latest, most complete scoop on our show calendar, please visit:
That’s all for June 2022! Drop us a line, stay safe out there, and we’ll see you soon with another edition of The Rockno Report!