Archive of the Diary of an Amish Man

The Amish Outlaws Diary

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Now it is officially summer. According to the calendars, the scientists, and all that jazz. June 20th (Friday) at midnight it hit (unless I am mistaken, which is a good possibility, as I often am). Luckily our summer isn’t as crazy as the last two. We spent the first two years we really got into “the scene” going anywhere and everywhere they’d have us and we’ve had enough of not sleeping at all and not having any sort of non-band lives so we are taking it a tiny bit more easy these days. Still loads of shows though, and plenty of chances for you to come see us and let us see you.

We’ve made a lot of friends and met a lot of people over the years, but every once in a while someone shows up at one of our shows that really throws us for a loop. That happened this Thursday at The Inn in Long Beach, NY. I was in the rest room (not resting, but going number one) when Hez walked in and said, “You need to come with me right now!” Well, I finished. Then washed my hands (which is what I always do after), and THEN followed him out front and there was Bobby Hambel. Now, the lay person may say “Bobby Hamwho?” but to anyone with an interest in heavy music, you will know Bobby as the guitarist for the legendary hardcore/metal band BIOHAZARD! Turns out his friend John (a real nice guy who lives a few blocks from the club) had seen us at The Inn before and told Bobby he “had” to see us, so he did! Well, Hez and Jakob and I are BIG time BIOHAZARD fans and have been for YEARS AND YEARS, having seen them live countless times. They are actually one of the first bands I became a big fan of when I left the Amish world behind. And here he was! AMAZING! Bobby was very very cool, hung out with us, and enjoyed the show and said he’d be back. He also posed for a picture with us.

Ish, Hez, Eazy, Bobby, Abel and Amos.

It was an honor to meet one of our favorite musicians!

We also recently had our friend, the great comedian Jim Florentine, show up at one of our gigs at The Borgata Gypsy Bar with a bunch of friends including Robin Quivers from the Howard Stern show! Likewise, Jim has seen us before and told his friends and Robin that they “had” to see us also (we like this trend!). They were/are a great bunch of people and hung out and danced and laughed the night away!

Jakob. was apparently infected with the “rage” virus.

Our run of good press continues! We recently had a write up in The South Bergenite!! Check it out:

You can view the whole article (and others) on our press page. Oh, and speaking (writing, actually) of press, Hez and Amos did an interview for German radio at The Inn this past week! We are not sure when it will air, but it was recorded for ARD German Radio & TV, the largest public broadcasting network in Europe. They serve over 50 radio stations with about 35 million listeners every weekday in German speaking Europe. As Brother Big John Owens would say, “Whoohoo!”

So this week it’s back to The Inn on Thursday, where we will be just about EVERY Thursday this summer for ladies’ night, which means all you ladies get in free all night and summer long! Friday is our first summer show at the one and only Bar A in Lake Como, NJ and then Saturday we are back at PJ Whelihan’s in Cherry Hill, NJ, one of our favorite new (to us) places to play for our second show there. Then 4th of July weekend is on us like nobody’s business. Except ours. And yours. For all the details, go to our shows page. Oh, and we do have Amish Outlaws t-shirts back in stock, so if you want to get one, don’t hesitate to ask one of us at a show, or keep an eye out for Sister Melody. She’s our promo and merchandise goddess.

Well, it’s Sunday. I’ve spent the last 4 days working out in the sun so I am actually going to rest today. I am thinking about watching the entire extended Lord of the Rings series of films back to back. Let’s see how I do.

We leave you with further evidence that you never know who will show up at an Amish Outlaws show. You just have to come see for yourself:

Well, you know Hez will be there. But our friend on the right... that’s just special!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Friday, June 6th, 2008

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

AOOOGA! Summer is here in full force, that’s for sure. How do I know? 10 shows in the past two weeks. It’s been a fun run of great gigs and lots of good food. With a heat wave coming in this weekend, we can expect to lose a few pounds of water weight at The Keltic House in Fishkill, NY tonight (our first weekend show there!) and The Tiki Stadium in Keansburg, NJ tomorrow for Big John Owen’s birthday bash. It’s Luann’s birthday too!

So how are things? Why, that’s very nice of you to ask, thank you. Things are good. We’ve had some good new press recently (see below) and have played fun shows, and even got to spend Hezekiah’s birthday in Ocean City, MD with a rare DAY OFF at Seacrets between two gigs we did this week. We slept late, BOB-b-qued (which is what we call it when our sound guy, Bob, runs the barbeque, which he is REALLY good at), and got to hang out with each other, our friends Mike and Alex, and our new friends in Big Bang Baby and old friends in The Benjamins. We also got to see BOTH bands perform. Oh, and even more remarkable... we were able to watch Bob get drunk for the second time in the two or so years he’s been working with us. Bob, you deserved it. We love you and Val.

Our sound guy, Bob, hard at work as always.

We’ve done a few more shows in Rockland at the Horse and Jockey and they have all been great. Check out photos from the last one here. We’ve also played close to home in a new club called Social @ Dunwoodie in Yonkers, NY and that was a blast too. Can’t wait to be back in both locations! Oh, and we can’t forget The Black Bear in South Norwalk, CT. We had our debut there last weekend and LOVED it. Good to be in a new CT market in front of lots of new people and some old friends who came all the way from NH and NJ!

Here’s shots of some recent press from The Record and Suburban Trends. You can check out the full articles and more on our press page.

Hey, did you know Big Daddy Abel is half zombie? Don’t worry, just the good half:

If you can’t laugh with yourself, no one else can. They’ll just laugh AT you.

Life’s crazy, folks. Gigs. Travel. Time. Work. We go about our days, often with little sleep, but always remembering to stop and reflect on all the good things and people in our lives. The ones we love, and the ones that love us... the most important things in the world, that we must never take for granted. So, everyone be safe, be good to one another, and eat well and often. Please, come see us and say hello on the road, won’t you? See our full schedule here.

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Again, I am guilty of not updating the diary nearly enough. I am just a guilty sort of fellow, I guess. Especially guilty because April was such a quiet month for us, with just 8 shows, but we certainly made good use of the rest, especially considering we have 20 shows in May! What a way to gear up for summer... diving in head first, no regard for the depth of the water or if there’s anyone in the way.

Kaboom.

Though quiet, April was a good month. We got some great new press, which you can view here. We’ve added some new songs. Taped a TV show (The Vinny Vella Show!), and played a lot of great gigs. I also put someone’s glass eye in my mouth.

Yes, I really put the eye in my mouth. Thanks to the guy nice (crazy) enough to let me do so (I did ask permission). And YES, I really WAS that sweaty. Gross, huh?

A part of the article from The Record that ran in April.

Also of note, we FINALLY played here in Rockland County, NY again where the band got its start, but at a new club called Horse and Jockey. It was good to see so many familiar faces, and we had such a great time (and so did the great folks at the club) that they added an extra show in May, so we’ll be there TWICE, on Thursday, May 8th and Thursday, May 29th!

So two more gigs (Bent Elbo this Friday, Rookies this Saturday) and it’ll be May. We can smell summer. Taste it. Memorial Day Weekend is the kick off of summer, in our minds, even though the “official” start of summer isn’t until June 20th, it’s when it’s warm out and we do 5 shows in one weekend that we REALLY feel summer is upon us. May is a good month, with a few weddings and parties (congratulations to you all, and thanks for having us as a part of it!), some outdoor shows (Towsontown Spring Fest, Meadowlands Race Track), some new clubs (Social @ Dunwoodie in Yonkers, NY and Black Bear in S. Norwalk, CT), plenty of familiar clubs (Dexters, Green Room, The Works, Bar A, and plenty more) and travel to many states, including CT, PA, MD, and all over NJ and NY. Come hang out with us a bit, will you? See our full schedule here.

So, we’re working on getting bikini-ready. Shaving odd spots, growing hair in odder spots. It’s going to be a heck of a summer, friends. We can’t wait!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Once again, I am guilty of not updating the diary nearly enough. Sign of the times, I suppose. Life is crazy. Things are all upside down and turned about, but these are productive times. Sometimes you’ve got to shake things up a bit before they can get good and messy, then sorted out again.

Lots has been happening here in Amish Outlaws Land. First off, Brother Big Daddy Abel has joined the family. Those of you that have seen us, and met our new friend, know that he’s a fun-loving, talented fella with absolutely no shame, and fits in like one of those square pegs. We are excited to have Abel on board! Here’s a picture of the brother:

All this talk of time passing, things shaking and all that stuff is making me a bit nostalgic. Looking back through some old photos of our adventures, I realize how many there have been. How many friends we have made along the way. There are some great stories from years back that many of you may not know, and sometimes a picture tells a story in and of itself. So, I decided (at the suggestion of Brother Neal) to go back and look at some old pictures. Some will take a bit of explaining. Some will do the explaining themselves.

This is a photo from our good friend Joe’s block party on July 2nd, 2005. An Elvis impersonator from the neighborhood sat in with us. That doesn’t happen every day, though we often wish it did!

Brother Amos riding the mechanical bull outdoors at The Castle in Greenwood Lake, NY on August 18th, 2006. Amos is a regular whiz at riding mechanical bulls. Especially when he had that beard.

It’s been quite an adventure out here in the Devil’s Playground. This was the first time some of us saw a “thong” up close. At first we thought there was something wrong with this nice young lady’s underwear. Turned out we were the ones that were wrong.

This is Sister Mandy (aka ‘Hamburger’). She made me a beautiful cake for my birthday back in January of 2006 at Chubby McGuire’s. We miss Chubby McGuire’s. And Mandy too! Still have plenty of Munchkins though...

Back in mid to late 2005 we were lucky enough to be on WDHA a bunch of times, performing live and doing stuff like judging the GILF contest (you can figure that one out). Yes, all the ladies we are pictured with above are Grandmothers!! Can you believe it?

We never imagined the celebrities we would meet being in The Amish Outlaws. Few have been as humbling and accommodating as Barney, pictured here with me at Bar A in June of 2005.

Ishmael (pre-goatee) got to meet Barney too!

This is Brother Jakob at the Tribecca Rooftop in June of 2005. We played an event for our good friend Charlie and were amazed by the view.

This sad photo is of Dirty Diana, and is from the first fraternity party The Amish Outlaws played in April of 2005 for our friends in Sig Ep at Bucknell University, many of which (like Andy, Big Mike, and Luke we are still in touch with). For the full sordid Dirty Diana story, click here.

So, there you have it. A short trip down photographic memory lane. Perhaps we’ll take another one soon. I’ll try to stay more on top of the diary from now on. We love you all, thanks for helping to make our dreams of playing music and making you guys laugh and smile come true!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Boy, has it been a while. Apologies to anyone that noticed. This holiday season has been a crazy one, and this week coming up is busy for the band as life in general has been of late. But we’ll get to that later.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all! Hope they were/are as much fun and full of food as mine have been! In the spirit of the holidays, we’d like to take some time to recognize some of the good people that work with the band who you are likely to see at our gigs. These are the cogs in the wheels that keep this big dumb bus rolling right along, often into the other lane and crowds of innocent bystanders, but rolling nonetheless!

BOB:

This is Bob (on the right). Bob is our sound guy. If we sound good, he’s the reason why. If we sound bad, he’s not the reason why... that is our fault and Bob is doing whatever he needs to do to fix it. You can usually see Bob smiling and sweaty. He loves what he does, and we love him, and he is damn good at it. Bob always goes above and beyond in every way in the work he does for us. Here is another shot of the side of Bob you are most apt to see at our gigs:

Bob was a plumber in a previous life.

VAL:

This is Val (on the left). Val works with Bob. Val is the person that lugs and sets up all of our gear with Bob. In addition to that, she also controls the monitor mix on stage. The monitor mix is what we in the band hear while we are playing. Val also doubles as “Band Mom.” She feeds Amos cookies throughout the night. If one of us gets a cut, she is there with a band-aid. If our tummies hurt, she has Rolaids. And, yes, she even knits stuff for us. Val is great!! Despite having seen every gig we have done for the past few years, Val has STILL seen The Grateful Dead more times than us, and will probably have to work with us another 20 years to come even close to that number evening out. Pictured with Val is Neal, but more on him later.

MELODY:

This is Sister Melody. Melody is our Goddess of Promotion. The person responsible for our t-shirts, stickers, posters, beads, tags, proofreading, postcards, decorations, and just generally kicking our asses to make sure we stay on top of things, and looking damn good while she does it all! It is a phenomenon called the “Fear of Melody” that keeps us towing the line and doing the right thing much of the time. We owe Melody big time, so if you see her at a show, give her milk chocolate and ask if she needs a drink.

KEVIN:

This is Kevin. Kevin fulfills the dual role of making sure people don’t bump into and spill drinks on Melody at shows, as well has helping her transport promo stuff and getting it all done. Kevin also takes pictures for us at a good number of our shows, especially when the following guy either can’t be there, or drinks too much to take pictures. (Oh, and behind Kevin is someone you are apt to see at our shows as much as one of the band: Brother Big John Owens, who holds the record for having seen The Amish Outlaws in the most states!)

NEAL:

This is Neal. Neal is one of our oldest friends. Not oldest as in age, but oldest as in we have known him for a long time. Neal is the official Amish Outlaws Photo Guy. He takes the pictures at our shows that you see on our web site. He also breaks balls, falls down, and sometimes sleeps on couches outside of clubs in sub-zero weather. You can look Neal up at: http://www.myspace.com/manowarior if you want to make friends with the guy that may photograph incriminating evidence of you at an Amish show.

There you have it, friends. The basic rundown of the people behind this big green monster we call The Amish Outlaws! Soon we’ll have a report on some other folks that are friends of the band, like the aforementioned Big John Owens, and also Matt, Stephen, JStew and more.

Now, on to this weekend!! One of the biggest in our history! Thursday night kicks off our new Thursday night at The Ringside Pub!! For ages now we’ve been hearing, "When are you guys going to play the Ringside Pub again?" Our answer: "EVERY THURSDAY!" And there will be $6 Pitchers of Bud and Bud light until 1 AM and $2.50 Bud and bud light bottles from 7 - 11 PM!

Friday we are at The Borgata Gypsy Bar for the first time in MONTHS!! Saturday, we are at Seacrets for the first time in months! Sunday we are at The Borgata Gypsy Bar for the second time in DAYS!! Can you tell we've missed it? Then Monday, the mother of all gigs... NEW YEAR'S EVE with THE AMISH OUTLAWS and DJ PRIME at THE GREEN ROOM in Seaside Park, NJ!

Speaking of The Green Room, tickets are on sale for New Year’s Eve with The Amish Outlaws and DJ Prime! $35 gets you a THREE HOUR open bar, hot & cold appetizers, champagne toast at midnight and continental breakfast! Hotels are within walking distance, right across the street! Click here for tickets and more info (oh, and tickets will be available at the club night of too).

Go to our shows page for this week’s details. Happy New Year to you all!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Tuesday, December 3rd, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Lordy, is it cold out there! December has arrived and appropriately, so has winter in full force. With long underwear, heavy coats and gloves, we venture forth into the world, bringing our special brew of music and idiocy to you, the good people.

Last week was our second show at Dexter's and it was even more ridiculous than the first. DJ Prime finally joined us on stage and we combined DJ and band to an effective end. You have to see and hear this to understand. We're like a Transformer without all the weapons and budget! We are back at Dexter's this Thursday. Remember... ladies get in free and drink 1/2 price until 11 PM. There are also $2 Coronas, Miller Lites, and Bud Lights or EVERYONE 'till 11 PM, and then $2 Coors Lights, $4 Martinis, and $3 shots of Jagermeister for EVERYONE all night long. Lots of fun stuff happens at Dexter’s on Thursdays, usually including me falling down:

Friday we broke new ground at the Tiki Stadium in Keansburg, NJ. We didn't know what to expect, but what a great night it turned out to be. Really nice club, excellent crowd and very friendly people that were in attendance and work at the place. We have some dates there next year that we are already looking forward to. Saturday was our second show at Willie McBride's in Hoboken. Despite the frigid cold, the crowd was excellent, very receptive and responsive, and I drank a lot of Blue Moon beer. What a night!

This week is our THIRD Dexter's show on Thursday. Friday we are back where we spent most of this summer at The Inn in Long Beach, NY. We've missed you, The Inn. We've missed you long time. Saturday we are back at The Rambling House again. Yes, we know we were there two weeks ago, but Hez left his keys there so we had to go back.

Good times were also had in recent weeks at places like The Green Room. This is Brother Hezekiah X being challenged to a "Samurai-style" duel at The Green Room. Folks, you just never know what is going to happen at an Amish Outlaws show:

Hezekiah lost the duel because he wasn’t looking.

Go to our shows page for this week’s details. Be warm, friends.

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Thursday, November 15th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Dismal weather here right now. Cold, rainy... feels like winter is starting to knock on the door. Hope you are staying warm and dry. We holed up in the rehearsal studio last night working on new songs. We have one ready for this weekend, and three more that should be debuting by the end of the month. Fall, for us, is all about learning new songs. Some ridiculous. Some just plain good. Some... well, some you are just going to have to hear to believe, and hear them you will!

Last week was a good ‘un for sure. Wednesday night at Pennant East in Bellmawr, NJ. Yes, WEDNESDAY is the big night at this club, and it is just insane... like someone took spring break, poured beer all over it and crammed it into a night club. Friday was the Colorado Cafe and that was just phenomenal. Great crowd, so many friends, and really really good times. Here is a video from the evening for you to enjoy of our good friend Stephen cutting a rug with us. Yes, Stephen looks like Albert Einstein. And, yes, Stephen is actually a Harvard-alumni, and a scientist, and (believe it) the person who invented the CRUNCHBERRY!:

Saturday at Bar A was a blast as well. Again, so many friends, so much fun, too many drinks. The complete Bar A experience!

Tonight marks the launch of our new Thursday nights at Dexter’s in Riverdale, NJ. Well, somewhat of a launch as we are off next week for Thanksgiving, but we are cracking the eggs tonight and will be making the omelet every Thursday from here on in, returning on the 29th with the one and only DJ PRIME at our sides. Loads of great drink specials, an early start time of 9:30 so you have plenty of time to party in case you need to get up early and more. The details are all in the ad that ran in Steppin’ Out this week as follows:

Now does that sound like FUN or what? And if “or what,” then what IS “what?”

Friday we scoot on up to Rookies in Cromwell, CT. Many folks have been asking us when we are coming back to Connecticut. Well, now you know! This time I am going to stay away from the "Wings of Death" before the show so I don't have burning hot lava belches again. That was scary.

Saturday we are at Murphy's Third Rail in Dover, NJ. We have a LOT of history with Murphy's. Not just illicit children, though that may be part of it, but we played not only the grand opening over two years ago, but also their 2nd anniversary bash in September. We've come a long way together, Murphy's Third Rail. We've got your back.

Go to our shows page for details.

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Monday, October 29th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

That was some weekend! Three great shows. Thursday at The Red Lion, Friday at The Bent Elbo, and Saturday at The Works! Each night exceeded our expectations which is doubly impressive because our expectations were pretty flippin’ high. On Friday at the Bent Elbo, despite the torrential downpour, people were basically spilling out of the room. Here is a photo of about 1/4 of the bar (keep in mind, the whole room was jam-packed like this). We are going to be back at The Bent Elbo on Thanksgiving Eve. All we can say is: GET THERE EARLY!

Not only was it an amazing show, we finally got a picture of the famous SUPREME FILET SANDWICH from the Bent Elbo to share with you. I also broke down the sandwich, with each delicious item that comprises it, like a symphony of flavor! Here it is:

Saturday at The Works. We think the folks at The Works put it best when they wrote us the next day and said, “THAT WAS SOME SICK HALLOWEEN PARTY. I AM UTTERLY SPEECHLESS.” People turned out in droves, almost all in costume! Plus, the good folks at The Works did an amazing job decorating the place Amish-style. Here are a few shots from Saturday:

The top level bar at The Works.

The back of the stage at The Works.

In other news, we finally locked down our New Years Eve! We will be at The Green Room in Seaside Park, NJ! We are still working out the final details, but know there will be an open bar for several hours, and we’ll be sharing the stage with the one and only DJ PRIME! More details to be announced soon, plus advance tickets! Keep an eye on our shows page for developments.

This is a light week for us, with our good friends Sharon and Bryan’s wedding on Friday, and a very special show on Saturday: our weekend NYC debut at STOUT on West 33rd Street! Check our shows page for details.

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on Billboards EVERYWHERE for Brother Ishmael L. Cool J’s new endorsement deal*!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

(* Endorsement is not real, so Movado... don’t sue us. Though, really, you should endorse Ishmael. He has a watch right now with no numbers on it that he really can’t read. Plus, he has a hard time seeing in dark clubs with his trademark sunglasses on. Do you make any “big type, easy-to-read” watches? Or maybe a watch where you can press a button and it actually SAYS what time it is? Maybe with a calculator too?? That’d be SWEET!)

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Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Helloooo friends! Have you heard about Superman? Superman is great! He protects the weak and the innocent. When you're sick, he makes you un-sick! When you're scared... he makes you UN-SCARED! Yay Superman!

Superman.

Speaking of Superman, it was so good to be back at The Keltic House last week. We saw many old friends. The Keltic House expanded the stage, added lights... we missed a lot while we were gone, eh? To all of you that came... THANK YOU. We had a nice turnout, and with all those smiling faces it was like coming back home. Friday we were back at The Inn. As if a good crowd, the greatest staff in the world and very delicious chicken fingers were not enough, there is also BEACH BAGEL right down the road, an amazing 24-hour deli that is Mecca for post-gig eats. Amen to Beach Bagel, and amen to The Inn! Saturday we played our first show at Jenks, where good times were had by all! A beautiful club, and we were tickled to be playing there for so many people. Plus, the pizza was delicious. We also debuted a NEW SONG this week that went over well... "What song?" you ask? Well, Johnny, you're going to have to come and see... and by this coming weekend, we'll have added ANOTHER new one too!

Speaking of this weekend, we are back at BLEND on Thursday. To our local folks here in the county of Rockland, Blend is just about 20 minutes out of town, so it's a rare chance to see us so close to home and in a club that is beautiful like no other. No no, not just because the bathroom is clean and WE'LL be there... Blend also has a huge stage, great lighting, great sound and is just all-around top class.

Speaking of class, on Friday it is out first show of the season at O'Donoghue's, our home in Hoboken. We heard that OD's recently renovated the joint, and we are eager to see the new decor. Saturday we venture off down the NJTP to Bellmawr, NJ and the one and only Pennant East, which is basically like spring break inside a club, if someone used a cannon to shoot pudding everywhere. You'll just have to come experience it for your self...

Speaking of experience, on to our PHOTO OF THE WEEK. This is a special one, a rare look at the Mayor of Awesometown, our own Jakob the Pipe Layer:

Usually a very solitary hunter, Jakob is seen giving the rare "Double Thumbs Up" at Seacrets!

Speaking of Jakob, a lot of folks have been asking about my ankle lately. It’s healing up quite nicely. I have been keeping the air cast on and (much to my dismay) trying hard NOT to jump around at shows. Here is a relatively recent image of my foot as it looks. Again, for those of you who don’t like bruises, or looking at feet, don’t click here. Thanks to everyone for the “get well” wishes and concern.

Speaking of concern, it’s off to the rehearsal lab to learn new songs with the rest of the Brothers and to eat, yes, even more pizza. Be good, and we’ll see you this weekend.

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

The fall is upon us. Cooler weather is finally here so we are back in our long pants, which is a relief for those of us with a rear view of Hezekiah’s short shorts every night. The fall also means less travel and more time spent at home, but no shortage of gigs, with 20 in September alone.

It’s been a fun week. Wednesday night we were back at Stout, and the people proved to be as wild as last time, and the mini-burgers just as delicious. Thursday we returned to the Whiskey Bar, where we were joined by a great band, The Reservoir Doggs, who opened the night. Definitely check those fellas out! Great band and great bunch of guys. It was spectacular to see so many old friends in Hoboken, including Andy and Luke from Bucknell, and a special surprise visit from the one and only Cynthia, who we were blessed enough to see two nights in a row. It’s like having two suns in the sky!

On Friday we were back at The Colorado Cafe... I am not one for profanity, but all I can say is ‘holy heck!’ What a night that was! Our friends in NJ came out en masse, and were so enthusiastic that it hurt... literally. I saw members of the audience covering their ears between songs because the crowd was screaming so loud! They were louder than the band! Speaking of pain, as many of you good peeps in attendance at the Colorado know, I twisted my ankle pretty bad while going about the tomfoolery on stage. Thanks for all the well-wishes! My foot is now much like Barney... big and purple. Here is a picture taken with a very not-good camera. For those of you with a problem seeing bruises, or that just do not like looking at feet, I am putting the picture in a link instead of right on this page so you don’t have to see it unless you want to. Click here. It will open up in a new window. You can close that window to return to this page.

Man, sharing photos of injuries seems to be a trend lately for me, huh? The foot still hurts, but I am going to take it easy this week and hope it is recovered enough for me to jump around again on Wednesday when the gigs fire up again. Speaking of the Colorado, here are some choice pics from the evening, taken by Neal, the band photographer with his new camera.

When it comes to making faces, we certainly fall into the special “Rain Man kind of special”
category, but without all that burdensome genius to weigh us down.

When cameras meet... and rumble in a dark night club!

If you’d like to see all the photos from the Colorado that night, click here.

Saturday we were back at Vintage, one of our original haunts and favorite places to play, and we had a great turnout and the people gave the Colorado a run for screaming volume. So many old friends came out, and some young friends too and the response was just great. We are truly blessed... thank you all!

We’ve got another 5 shows this week, starting Wednesday for our first show at Pennant East of the season. Thursday we celebrate my birthday at Blend, Friday we are playing a private event, and Saturday we are at Dexter’s for our FIRST weekend date there. Then, Sunday we are at the Rambling House for Columbus Day evening. Remember... no work Monday for those of y’all with 9 to 5ers! For all the details, visit our shows page.

Okay, it is Sunday. There is a steak out there somewhere with my name on it, and I tend to get it into my belly. See you next week!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

# # #

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Things are good here in Amishland. Amos and myself went on a little mini-vacation with a few of our crew to Weirs Beach, NH to play classic video games at Fun Spot, the world's largest arcade. When we left the Amish faith, video games became a fast passion of both of ours, especially all of the "old school" arcade games we missed out on when we were living back home. Fun Spot has hundreds of video games from the 1970s and 1980s like Time Pilot, Gorf, 720, Space Invaders, Kangaroo, Crossbow, Spy Hunter and more. It was a blast, though some of the newer, more complicated arcade games were confusing to me.

Ezekiel confused by “Beach Head 2000” which is apparently
played inside a plastic ball and has way too many buttons.

We had a great time though, got to hang out with some old friends and eat lots of BBQ. Just before leaving for the sabbatical, we played a great batch of gigs at Murphy’s Third Rail with THE NERDS, The Red Lion in NYC, The Bent Elbo in Fort Washington, PA and Rookies up there in Cromwell, CT. All are clubs we weren’t at over the summer, and missed dearly, so thank you to all the friends and staff that made the weekend so great!

Amos’ half slab of ribs he had for breakfast (not kidding) in NH at JT’s BBQ.

We’ve been getting some good press lately. Blender is one we told you about already, but there have recently been great articles about The Amish Outlaws in the Ocean County Observer and the Sandpaper. You can check them out on our press page here, and here is a scan of the top of the article from the Ocean County Observer:

It’s been a great weekend so far, and one of the lightest we have had in months, with only three shows! Thursday at Blend was excellent. We are going to be doing a lot of Thursdays at Blend in the coming months and are VERY VERY happy about it. Friday at The Green Room (wow, that was last night) found one of the most responsive crowds we’ve had, and still remains the home of the biggest slice of pizza. Tonight we are back at Murphy’s Third Rail for our first headlining date there since the winter.

On that note, I have some leftover Chinese food and a couch with my name on it. See you out in the World!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Friday, September 7th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

It is over... we made it! Summer has officially ended, and what a high note it was. The busiest weekend of our career... 7 shows in 5 days, traveling to 4 states. Thursday and Friday we were in Ocean City, MD at Seacrets. Saturday we were at The Green Room in Seaside Park, NJ. Then it was off to the annual Bruno Family Labor Day BBQ in PA, then back to NJ for an INSANE night at Bar A, then to the Meadowlands Race Track for opening day of the Thoroughbred Races, then to Hampton Bays for a fun night at Tom McBrien's Pub. At the end of it, we were all loopy and sweaty, but still smiling. This summer was a GREAT one for us. So much happened, so many shows... there were good times, bad times, good burgers, bad pizza... but through it all, one thing remained constant: YOU. Our friends, that come to see us all over the place and make it possible for us to do what we love. It is from the bottom of our hearts that we thank you. You can check out the latest photos from our weekend adventures here.

The good people at the Green Room doing good things.

In other news, photos from our performance at the Colorado Cafe last month were featured in last week's issue of Steppin' Out Magazine and a lot of our friends made it in! Here it is:

And now... on to the fall! This week we were OFF Thursday night for some much needed rest. On Friday we venture off to the Borgata, then during the day Saturday play the wedding of Donnie and Dawn, some very special friends of ours that had their first date at one of our shows, got ENGAGED at one of our shows, and are having us play their wedding! Saturday night we have our debut show at Willie McBride's in Hoboken, NJ. The perfect chance for our North Jersey and Rockland friends to see us after a long summer on the road. Then Sunday we are playing a private performance in upstate New York. Another long weekend, but there's nothing else we'd rather be doing...

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Labor Day weekend hath arrived, and it is one of the busiest we have ever had. Thursday and Friday at Seacrets, Saturday we play a special "End of the Summer" bash at The Green Room with the one and only DJ PRIME! Sunday we have a private event in PA, then venture off to Bar A for the Labor Day Evening show! Monday during the day we are playing another private event, then Monday night we are doing a special Labor Day performance at Tom McBrien's Pub in Hampton Bays, NY. Click here for details.

Remember the Amish Fat Club? Those of you who witnessed it shall never forget it, I am sure. Those who did not should really check it out on our web site here (start on that page and they go in reverse chronologically from the link at the bottom). Brother Hezekiah X used to be very... rotund, would be a nice way to put it, and we put him to the task of shedding the weight and he DID IT and we documented it al in the Amish Fat Club! It was a glorious time in our past, and one of the funniest things we have ever done. Here is just a taste:

How I Stopped Being A Great Big Fat Ass - By Hezekiah X

Last week was a good 'un. We played our debut at STOUT in New York City. What a great place! Huge bar, loads of rooms, great food and they treated us really well. A lot of good friends came out to see us. We can't wait to be back in September. Thursday we had our last summer night at The Inn and it was like a culmination of all the insanity of the entire summer crammed into one night. Shots, hats, laughs... we were fool enough to start a battle with the great staff at The Inn when it comes to throwing napkins and shooting each other with silly string and they DESTROYED us on Thursday. Once a bottle of Jack Daniels makes its way to the stage, you know trouble shall ensue! Friday we ventured down to beautiful Avalon, NJ to play Jack's Place and it was one of the most fun shows we have had in recent memory. Then Saturday we played our home on LBI, the Sea Shell, where the people are as friendly as they come.

See you guys this weekend!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Sunday, August 19th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

Big news! The new issue of BLENDER Magazine with a little article about The Amish Outlaws is out now and available wherever magazines are sold (except CVS, Eckerd and 7-11, apparently... I had to go to Barnes and Noble to find a copy). Here is the article, for your enjoyment. It’s a quick one, but we are excited and honored to have been included!

You have probably noticed our new “Hoe Down in the Sand” Summer Tour shirts at our shows. We are just about sold out, so if you see and want one, get up on it and talk to one of us or the wonderful Melody at a show. Here is a picture of Amos modeling the shirt. As you can see, the shirt was designed to be extra-slimming:

I just got back from 10 days off. We played the beautiful Captain Nick’s in beautiful Block Island, RI last weekend. It was beautiful. We biked all over the island, visiting small beaches and big lighthouses, one of which we walked along a very hot and long beach to reach only to find closed. I scowled fiercely, but it was still closed:

I stayed on the Island for a few more days, then ventured off to beautiful NH for another few days, where there was much lake-swimming, eating of steak, sleeping, and reading. Here is a photo taken on Old Hancock Road in New Hampshire, the location of many many relaxing walks:

Note the lack of a scowl.

Back in the saddle and ready to rock, we have 4 shows this week, starting off at a new club in New York City called STOUT. It is a special Wednesday night performance with an early start of 8 PM so you can still get up for work the next day! Then, Thursday we are off to The Inn for what is sadly our LAST Thursday of the summer. I can’t believe it is already over, but we already have dates at The Inn on weekends in the fall and already have our fingers crossed that we’ll be back again next summer. Friday we go WAAAAY down to Avalon, NJ to play at the great Jack’s Place, then Saturday we return to one of our favorites... The Sea Shell in Long Beach Island, NJ.

Summer is almost over... hard to believe! The fall will be just as much fun, though, so shed no tears!

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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Monday, August 6th, 2007

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

It hath arrived! Our other "busiest week of the summer." Though, to be honest, compared to last summer, this one right here has been a relative cakewalk but no less well-endowed in the "fun" department. Last week found us at The Inn for another unforgettable Thursday night. The good people there make every Thursday feel like a Friday, which (from what I hear) are the new Saturdays! Speaking of Friday, we spent it at The Colorado Cafe playing for some of the most enthusiastic good people in the wide world. There is no show like a Colorado show. We leave ears ringing from the screams (the good kind). Saturday we broke new ground at The Beach Bar in Hampton Bays, NY, where we were honored to be the first live band to play there in four years! This is a big and beautiful club with an outside patio and more people than you can shake a stick at, not to mention a staff that was accommodating and friendly beyond compare from the second we walked into the room. We'll be back at The Beach Bar next summer!

The fun you missed at The Colorado Cafe on Friday (if you weren’t there).

So this week? We travel state to state, show to show, nary a moment's rest in between. Tuesday we storm the Borgata for a nice early show, starting at 9:30 in the PM. Wednesday we return to The Middlesex County Fair for the second of what we hope will be many years. This is your chance to see The Amish Outlaws PG-13, sans profanity, and Hezekiah may even keep his shirt buttoned up for a whole gig! Thursday... yes, that's right! Back at THE INN for another hot summer night. Friday and Saturday we venture to one of the most beautiful places in the world: Block Island, Rhode Island where we spend two nights playing at Captain Nick's, and two days soaking up the sun and gorging ourselves on seafood and other delicacies. There really is no place like Block Island. It is like stepping back in time, with all the quiet and peace of the olden days, and all the modern amenities like hamburgers and soft-serve ice cream. Just take a look:

A view of Block Island from the fire escape of the building where the band stays.

As many of you know, with some bands playing rock and/or roll is all about the booze and partying. For us, it is all about the FOOD. The best part of being on the road is getting to eat in lots of different places. You may not be aware that our own Amos has a blog called THE DEVIL’S KITCHEN about the many many meals in our travels, and he has been keeping busy eating and updating it of late. To read about our culinary adventures, just click the image below.

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. We usually look towards the fall like the start of the “easy” season, but with 20 shows so far in September, it doesn’t look like there will be much time to rest, but we are grateful to be so lucky that we get to play as much as we do, and will never forget that it is you good people that make it all possible.

Hugs and kisses,
Brother Eazy Ezekiel

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