Bill Bateman link-o-rama

Going through several saved links, I found all kinds of great info on Bill Bateman. Some of this may be old news, but it’s new here, and compiled in this convenient linkdown:

• Bateman returns to The Blasters after a 15-year absence. Bateman re-upped with the group in summer 2008, replacing Jerry Angel.
• King King Club working on a Bill Bateman documentary. Apparently, this thing’s been in the works for awhile.
• Doghouse Lords release “Diggin’ at the Doghouse,” with Bateman, fellow Blue Shadow Jake Matos and Scott “Chopper” Franklin from The Cramps. Purchase or download on Amazon.com.

Bateman spills all in the August 2008 Blasters newsletter American Music. Some highlights:

AM: What happened to the Bill Batemen documentary that was shot at the King King?
BB: I don’t know? I barely talk to King King owner, Mario anymore. When I do, he mentions that it’s the next thing he has to do. I say: “Okay, give me a call.” But then I never hear from him. It’s on the back burner. It’s in the back, waiting to get to the back burner (laughs).

He fired (director) Steve Olsen because he was too busy and planned to hire another director. The cameramen were supposed to be professional, but it turned out they weren’t focused right. Mario was pissed and feels he has to re-shoot some of it. So he was so overwhelmed that he had to put it on the backburner.

AM: What is the status of the Blue Shadows?
BB: Big Jake (Javier Matos) has moved to Minneapolis and settled down – so any future tours would have to be planned with precision. If we had management and a booking agency, we could just hook up on the road and do a tour. It might just happen eventually. Jake keeps writing songs and they keep getting better. We recorded our finest song this year at my house with Chopper’s recording studio and it’s the most rockin’ thing we’ve ever done. We have music, but no one gets to hear it.

Chopper moved in with me and has a Pro Tools studio in the house. He’s real good with it. Whenever Jake comes to visit, we record songs. So the idea of having that band has not died. It’s out there – it’s just 2,500 miles from being convenient.

AM: What do you see for the future of the Blasters?
BB: I think another Blasters record and some more touring and try to run the Blasters business tighter. We need a new kick-start. A record would do that. It would be bitchin’ if Dave would write some new songs for his brother. And what if Dave Alvin produced it? It would take something along those lines to get things going. Maybe I’ll get Dave Alvin back in the band (laughs). It was always my job to get the guitar players anyway. I got Dave in the first place, then Fats, and when he died, I convinced Billy Zoom and then I got Hormel. Then I was out of the band. So we’ll just have to see what happens.