Additions, Changes, and Sundry Observations from Rose

This here's the "what's new" file for the new 'n' improved site. The saga of the original version can be read here. It's actually quite a good read.

Jump straight to the latest entry, or read the chronological history...

30 November 1997
Well, whaddaya know... Wesweb 2.0 is up and running. (Wesweb 1.0 was never actually called that, but never mind.) It's still the same one-stop shop for JWH info that you know and love, only slightly spiffier. We enter the wonderful world of columns on the front page. The tape trade board finally makes an appearance. The lyrics to Here Comes The Groom have made it down the aisle and pulled along a party of itty-bitty album covers.


6 January 1998
The upcoming album has a name and a release date, and tour information (Europe and North America) is coming in at a good clip. And if you receive the WesWeb Dispatch, you'd know this already! If you'd like to receive occasional updates on JWH, WesWeb, gangsta folk, etc., just send us a note at dispatch@wesweb.net and we'll sign you up.

The next issue of the Bastard Sun will be chock full o' info on the new album, so if you haven't joined the RSPCJWH yet, now would be a good time. The next issue of the Bastard Sun will also be the first issue edited by yours truly, which should make things especially interesting...


1 March 1998
As you might have surmised after reading the News 'n' Notes page, WesWeb email suffered a bit of a meltdown a few weeks back. I think I've recovered a good portion of what was lost when an unsolicited 24 MB file (and a corrupted one at that, so I couldn't even figure out why the hell someone would be sending an unsolicited 24 MB file in the first place) wreaked havoc on the quotas--but if you signed up for the WesWeb Dispatch and haven't received #2 yet, you may need to resubscribe. (And if you sent me any pressing email that I haven't answered, I'll blame that on the meltdown as well!)

Thanks to those who let me know that the lyrics to "Kiss Me, Miss Liberty" had disappeared--they did get lost in the move, and have been restored.

Less than two weeks till Awake comes out. Tangential information to hold you over: The Yiddish for "awake" is "oyfgevakht." Slightly less tangential information to follow shortly...


16 March 1998
So the album is out, the info is up, and the in-stores and tour dates are coming in (and often being changed!) at a furious clip. Everything now officially reflects the latest information I have, after it collected for a couple of days while my computer was disassembled. Yes, folks, Rose is entering a period of residential fluidity. Anyone in the L.A. area who commits to helping me move again in a couple of weeks or so gets free admission to Caleb and his Sisters at The Next Stage in Hollywood, running Fridays and Saturdays through April 4 (technical director as of three hours before the March 6 opening performance: Rose Auerbach). Aw, c'mon. Anyone?

The Awake-centered issue of The Bastard Sun will (hopefully) be out in a couple of weeks. And for those of you with Comedy Central and a strange yen to see me learning a lesson in what not to wear on television, the episode of Win Ben Stein's Money on which I appeared is scheduled to be repeated -- fittingly enough -- on April 1. Check local listings.


6 June 1998
Lots of updates today (notably a couple of late-June UK dates and a couple of chat transcripts on the Awake page), and an issue of the WesWeb Dispatch due out as soon as I finish my latest (and hopefully last for a while) move. A tour wrap-up edition of The Bastard Sun will follow at some not-too- distant point. Good seeing so many of you at the in-stores in Santa Monica and Torrance and at the Troubadour date -- hope to see you all again next time round!

If anyone's going to be in Las Vegas the weekend of June 12-14 and wants to try to get together for a drink or something, drop me a line. I'll be there for a family wedding (those of you who have read the epic "Cousin Dean Got Married: Fear and Loathing at the Ventura Club" on my web site will recognize the bride as Dean's sister... talk about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!) and to do some coverage of the Soap Expo for my employer. (How I ended up working for Soap City is a story that deserves a Fear and Loathing title of its own... I still don't get the fascination with daytime dramas, but that fascination pays my bills, so there you go.) Then it's back to L.A. to finish preparations for the July 10 opening of a sketch/improv show I'm doing. Make travel plans now! (Whether they're towards or away from L.A. is up to you...)


20 July 1998
Upcoming West Coast (US) dates have been posted, so some of you you (and you know who you are) can stop asking me when I'm going to put them up! (For the record, I pass along confirmed dates as soon as I get them -- "confirmed" being the key word.)

In completely different show date news, my latest and greatest sketch show is up and running -- so if you're going to be in Hollywood any of the next few weekends, check out the flyer. (Yeah, that's me in front.)


7 October 1998
Whew! A whole slew of additions, chief among them the Awake lyrics and a new list of merchandise available through the RSPCJWH. And more on the way. Happy birthday to me!

Some of you have written to ask what's up with The Berubians, the Hollywood-based theater troupe I'm mixed up with. So, here's the schedule: October - children's sketch/improv/music/etc. show Saturday afternoons; "Isle Be Home" (a play) Friday nights; "Shut Yer Cakehole" (sketch comedy) Saturday nights. November - "Huh?" (sketch comedy and improv featuring yours truly) followed by a sketch show to be named later, Friday and Saturday nights. December and January - not sure of the schedule, but it'll be good. February - "Hamlet" (yes, that "Hamlet"; I'm assistant- and technical-directing, so be nice). And that's the information I have right now. If you are one of the people who asked, there you go. If you didn't ask, there you go anyway.


21 October 1998
Would you believe Dynablob 2 lyrics? Believe it! Plus a bunch of dates for November and December are posted, and we'll have a dispatch (#4 since we started -- when we say occasional, we mean occasional) going out just as soon as I can string together a few consecutive moments and take care of the actual dispatching. To hasten this process, if you know any HTML programmers in the Los Angeles area who might be interested in joining the programming team at Columbia TriStar Interactive's Soap City (which at the moment consists of, uh, me), please have them drop me a line for information about how to apply. They'll be happy for the lead, I'll be happy to get out of the office at fairly reasonable hours, you'll be happy about getting your dispatch, and everyone will laugh and dance and hug and sit down together for Happiness Pie. Don't you love symbiosis?


8 November 1998
Sales of certain RSPCJWH-brokered items have been so swift that they've sold out, so the RSPCJWH merchandise listings have been altered accordingly. Meanwhile, a word of advice to anyone who works in television: never get involved with a show that opens in the middle of sweeps. But I am gamely putting in long hours both at the office and at the theater -- so if anyone is going to be in L.A. on a Friday or Saturday night from November 13 to December 12 and would like to see my latest sketch comedy endeavor, drop me a line...


30 November 1998
With the addition of information about the Wellesley College gig (on the JWH Live page), you now know what there is to know about the show. Sounds like a gooder -- Wes and Amy Rigby for a mere five bucks, and home in time for a good night's sleep (assuming you live in the immediate Wellesley area). We never got anyone so cool at UCSC. Once Jane's Addiction was supposed to play, and another time Primus was supposed to play, but I don't think either happened. If they did, I was probably writing papers or something. The Flying Karamazov Brothers do play at UCSC on every tour, seeing as they started out there, but I never managed to catch them. I had a rather traumatic experience with Dostoyevsky during adolescence, which was probably enough to keep me away. (Pause for reverie... ick.) Speaking of shows, mine still has four performances left, so come on up to The Next Stage in Hollywood (mail me for info on how to do that) and have a laugh or three. Me swearing in Hebrew should be good for at least one of those. Cheap beer, too! End of shameless plug.


4 December 1998
To the delight of many (for various reasons), the discography has been updated -- and will become outdated on 23 February 1999 with the release of JWH's next album (also to the delight of many, for various reasons). We will of course post all sorts of nifty details about Trad Arr Jones as the release date nears; for now, suffice it to say that the title gives you quite a lot of information about the album...


18 December 1998
Yes, the info on the RSPCJWH xmas single is up, as promised on the CD. You probably noticed this already. Please note that the CD is going out to all current RSPCJWH members -- if you join now, you may still be able to get one, but we didn't go much over the current membership roll in the printing run. (Those things ain't free, you know!) So join now if you haven't -- at the very least, you'll get future xmas goodies and that oh-so-spiffy newsletter that comes out several times a year and contains wonderful tidbits that aren't repeated on the site or in the WesWeb Dispatches.

Happy Chanukah to all -- keep the cat away from the menorah, would you? We now return you to your regularly scheduled crises.


3 January 1999
The first of the aforementioned nifty details about Trad Arr Jones is now up, in the form of the press release. Hope everyone continues to have a happy new year (or starts to have one if it hasn't been happy so far, or starts to have a new year if they haven't already). If anyone's really bored, they are cordially invited to swing by Yahoo! Chat on Wednesday, January 6 at 9:30pm Eastern / 6:30pm Pacific, when I will be co-hosting the webcast of the cocktail party that The Young and The Restless are throwing themselves, live from CBS Television City in L.A. Yes, if you learn to code and end up working on a soap opera web site, you too may end up co-hosting webcasts. If anyone has the slightest idea what I should wear, please mail me ASAP. This entry has been brought to you by the letters I and F and by the number 42.


22 January 1999
New show date up, the first listing of what promises to be a slew of them over the next little while. Keep an eye out for dates, album information, etc. as it comes in. Oh, and the Next Stage production of Hamlet is on indefinite hold, for those asking.


18 February 1999
You want info on the new album? We've got info on the new album! Set aside some time to take a look at the Trad Arr Jones section, which besides the usual press info contains the (if I do say so myself) lovely Trad Arr Jones Songbook -- featuring the lyrics, Wes' notes on the songs, and Shelley Jackson's absolutely stunning illustrations. Lots o' U.S. dates going up on the JWH Live page -- and don't miss out on the Minstrel in the Galleries coverage. Trust me...


20 March 1999
Dates continue to be added to the "TRAD R US" tour, so keep an eye on that JWH Live page. The artwork cover competition is now over -- congrats to Kate, Eileen, Leisa, Gerry and Randall, who each won a large print of the Trad Arr Jones cover art, autographed by Shelley Jackson and JWH. The RSPCJWH inventory department (all one of him) reports that we are now out of copies of Why We Fight, Xmas single #2, and the Cathy's New Clown CD5. Speaking of the RSPCJWH, I'm off to make copies of the next newsletter, which includes lots of tidbits you can't find anywhere on this site (including extended Trad Arr Jones song notes). So if you haven't joined, or your membership is almost up, now's a great time to join or renew! (Check the RSPCJWH page for details.)

Anyone have any advice for getting a nine-month-old kitten to stop upsetting her water dish, messing up the counters, attempting to drink out of glasses (and subsequently breaking them), and generally behaving like your average destructive nine-month-old kitten?


6 May 1999
More dates in, including the second and third comings of the Minstrel in the Galleries in early summer. Not to be missed if you're in the Seattle area!

Thanks to all who sent in advice for dealing with the kitten. Fortunately, she has decided that knocking things off of counters isn't nearly as fun as it used to be, and has turned her attention to finding new places to nap. She seems to be facing the age-old kitty delimma of whether 'tis nobler in the mind to figure out how to work a doorknob, or to get a human to do it for you. However, she still tips over her water dish, no matter what kind of dish we're trying on a given day. Could it be that she is one of those rare cats who likes playing with water? That would explain why squirt-gun discipline doesn't seem to faze her. Oy!


24 June 1999
Yes, you read right, if you read the JWH Live page -- Wes and CvS are touring Japan in late September. If you live in the geographic region, here's your chance to experience a JWH show, and if you were contemplating a trip, perhaps this will be a deciding factor. (And if you do visit, exercise extreme caution around that fermented bean curd stuff. You'll know it when you smell it.)

Kitty update: The little dear now receives her water in a saucepan, on the floor of an enclosed porch, where she can tip and slosh to her heart's content well out of the way of foot traffic. So far, she has not succeeded in completely overturning the pot, though I suspect it's only a matter of time. Good thing she's easily distracted by shiny things.

3 September 1999
Dates are starting to roll in for autumn, on not one but two continents. (Yes, I know Japan is an archipelago, but it's still part of Asia.) New RSPCJWH newsletter is about to be published -- there's all matter of goodies in there, so if you're not a member now would be a really good time to join. (And if you are a member, have you renewed within the past year?)

And now, I'd like to take the time to answer some questions I've been getting a lot lately:

Where can I get JWH's earlier releases (Groom, Title, etc.)?
Try your friendly neighborhood used-cd dealer. If they don't have what you're looking for, odds are they'll be more than happy to search it out for you. If they aren't much help, or if you don't have a friendly neighborhood used-cd dealer, try ebay.com -- you never know what people will have for sale. And if that doesn't work, drop me a line -- I can put you in touch with the lovely people at my friendly neighborhood used-cd store, who are just the gurus of search.

Why doesn't the site have any information on Robert Lloyd or David Lewis?
Ah, the benefits of RSPCJWH membership! Both Robert and David have been profiled in recent issues of The Bastard Sun. If you've joined since those issues were sent out, mail the RSPCJWH at rspcjwh@wesweb.net and request a copy. Info on joining up can be found at www.wesweb.net/rspcjwh.html.

What's up with the cat?
Still sloshing away. Just now she got the water to go halfway across the porch. I think that's a new personal best.

6 October 1999
More dates up for October, with more stuff expected. The Fall 1999 issue of The Bastard Sun is trickling its way to RSPCJWH members. I'm writing a (roughly) biweekly column for www.DeadLaszlo.com, if anyone's interested in that sort of thing. And -- my, look at the date! I do believe my birthday's tomorrow! While gifts and cards are not necessary, I am partial to chocolate and just about anything from the Archie McPhee catalog. *blink*

1 December 1999
So, you looked at the calendar and thought, "My, Chanukah starts early this year, on the solar calendar anyway." And then you thought to yourself, "Self, what would make a great Chanukah/Christmas/Solstice/[your favorite winter holiday here] gift for that special person in my life?" And then, "Hey, isn't it about time for a new JWH Dynablob release?" Why, yes it is, and it's available just in time for holiday gift-giving! Dynablob 3 - 26th March 1999 is a live concert recording, and it's just like being there, except you can pause it and replay it and stuff. And if that weren't enough, we've got revisions to the FAQ, new links to the outside world, and an updated discography, in all the usual places. Whew!

12 March 2000
So have you heard "I'm Wrong About Everything" yet? What do you mean, "no"? All the cool kids have heard it already! You want to be one of the cool kids, don't you? Sorry, wrong tactic. Anyway, you can hear it at http://hollywoodrecords.go.com/highfidelity/index.html, along with other tracks from the soundtrack of the forthcoming High Fidelity. Not much excitement here besides that, but now that the Soap Opera Digest Awards are over and I can devote serious time to the important stuff, much coolness will be coming your way. (Especially if you're an RSPCJWH member...)

3 May 2000
If you're an RSPCJWH member, the MPfreeEP won't come as a shock to you. But if you're not -- yes, WesWeb.Net is moving into the newfangled world of mp3s by offering three previously unavailable tracks, absolutely free. Woo! Combined with the above, it's a veritable free music bonanza! Okay, it's not like we're giving away solid gold ingots, but then again gold ingots don't really do anything. They just sit there. Now, mp3s, those you can play and burn to CDs and share with your friends and actually put to use! Who needs gold? We've got music. Right? Right!

28 July 2000
Well! What a summer this has been and shall continue to be. Wes on Conan, reissues of Awake and Trad Arr Jones, shows all over the country, and there's still a month to go yet before The Confessions of St.Ace comes out on Mammoth. While you're waiting, gaze upon the photos that have emerged from the recording of the album -- we'll be posting more as the album release draws nearer. Once you have done that, make sure your RSPCJWH membership is up to date. Trust me on this. There's some serious goodness on the way to members in good standing. Now, wish me luck on surviving the upcoming Democratic National Convention traffic and subsequent appearances in full Victorian garb over the last two weekends of August! (If you're in L.A. or Orange County and want to see what the heck I'm talking about with the garb, keep an eye on berubians.com for info on the "The World Ends Tomorrow" program of one-acts. Or don't. But do make sure your RSPCJWH membership is current.)

5 October 2000
First off, I was so busy with the section for the new album that I utterly forgot to post anything here about it. My bad. Here's a link to The Confessions of St.Ace.

Secondly, fall and winter gig info is starting to roll in. The dates which have been confirmed have been posted. So, um, stop emailing me and asking when they're going to be up, okay? Pretty please? Thankyouverymuch...

18 November 2000
See? New dates have been put up and are continuing to go up. Told ya!

And along with the new dates, we have the JWH Road Diary 2000 - now with set lists. Go see a show, and then see it as JWH and the Radical Gentlemen saw it. Updated roughly daily.

There's a new tape trade board! You can still access it via the same page, but it will take you somewhere entirely different. It's cleaner, nearly ad-free, and seems to work well all of the time. Yay!

I had a minor email meltdown recently - I think it was something to do with getting so many messages so quickly - big ongoing news events tend to do that to me - but I think most of those were about the tape trade board, which as I just mentioned is back up and running. The one that I remember as not having to do with the tape trade board was about my infamous water- sloshing kitty, as descripted in previous entries. Jinx is doing wonderfully, thanks for asking. We moved her water bowl to a carpeted area, and she has apparently decided that it's not fun to slosh water there. I guess it soaks up too quickly for her to play with. Anyway, she's got other things on her mind - especially Seven, our recent feline addition. Seven is three or four months old, and appropriately playful. For a previously only kitty, Jinx has been surprisingly tolerant. Though I suppose it helps that she's figured out how to get in and out of the apartment by herself (provided we leave a certain window open), so she can escape when she wants to. So far so good... although last night I caught Jinx showing Seven how to open the kitchen cabinets, climb the shelves, and nest among the pasta... Which is either really clever, or really scary. Maybe a little of both.

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Copyright (c) 1996-2000 Rose Ellen Auerbach/Sometime Yesterday Productions