Recordings and Radio Airplay
In August of 2002, the Eggplants released their third CD on Coney
Island Records, "The Search for Eggplantis . . . or Glam on the
Half Shell." It is a seven-and-one-half song EP that includes the
songs "Badger in the Badlands," "Space Frog," "It's
a Worm's Life," "186,000 Miles a Second," and "Chapel
Under the Sea," as well as a cover version of Lou Reed's "Satellite
of Love."
The CD debuted at # 8 on the College Media Journal's "New Adds"
chart, and was subsequently added into rotation at more than 150
college and noncommercial radio stations in North America.
It reached the top 30 at thirty-three stations, including peaks at #
6 at WVIA (Pittston, Pennsylvania), # 3 at WIPZ (Kenosha, Wisconsin),
# 3 at KSFS (San Francisco), and # 2 at KEUL (in the sprawling
metropolis of Girdwood, Alaska). It also reached # 4 on the Indie
Music chart on www.amazon.com. According to BMI, the song "186,000
Miles a Second" was on the airwaves somewhere in the U.S. on an
average of twice a day for three months after the CD's release. The
semi-title track, "The Search for Eggplantis," was the # 25
song of 2002 on the Greasy Kid Stuff show on WFMU (Jersey City, New
Jersey). "Space Frog" belatedly triumphed in the "Oddest
Song" category at the "Best of Off-Beat 2003" Awards on
WPKN (Bridgeport, Connecticut). In the UK, the CD made the "Top
250 of 2002" on BBC 6Music. And The New York Post said, "This
disc is acoustic, garage-y and most of all clever, and after you hear
it you'll never look at eggplants - the vegetables - the same way."
The Eggplants' previous CD was "Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs"
(1998), which includes such songs as "Earl the Squirrel," "The
Kebab Shop," "Alien Love Song," and "Rambo Goes
Shopping," as well as a moody version of the Beach Boys song "Help
Me, Rhonda." The CD debuted at # 5 and # 10 on two "New Adds"
charts compiled by CMJ. It has since been played on more than 150
college and noncommercial radio stations in North America. The band
enjoyed watching the CD climb the radio charts in places they had
never set foot, including Wichita, Kansas (#6), Orono, Maine (#6),
Valdez, Alaska (#7), and Moorhead, Minnesota (#9). Closer to home, "The
Aye-Aye Song" was the #26 song for 1998 on the Greasy Kid Stuff
show on WFMU.
In subsequent years, "Earl the Squirrel" has become by far
the Eggplants' most-frequently played song on the Greasy Kid Stuff
show.
The band's first CD, "Even One Is Quite A Few" (1996) has
been played on more than 100 college and noncommercial radio stations
in North America. It reached its highest chart position at WQFS in
Greensboro, North Carolina, where it peaked at # 2 (behind a new Patti
Smith CD).
Seven songs from the first CD have received substantial radio
airplay: "My Dinner with Elvis," "Eddie's Apartment,"
"Randolph Got a Haircut," "Mommy is a Lawyer," "Fishcakes
and Spaghetti," "Savage Eggplant," and a semi-acoustic
cover version of the Devo song "Uncontrollable Urge."
According to BMI, combined airplay for these songs during the last
three months of 1996 resulted in the Eggplants being on the radio
somewhere in the U.S. more than eight times a day. Miscellaneous
Eggplants Items In 1998, Tom Robinson released a cover version of the
Eggplants' song "Mommy is a Lawyer" (re-titled "Don't
Make Me Go to Law School") on his "Live at Abbey Road
Studios" CD. The songs "Eddie's Apartment" and "Toxic
Swamp" were selected for compilation CDs released in the U.S. by
nationally-syndicated radio personality Dr. Demento.
Other Eggplants songs played by Dr. Demento on his radio show include
"Randolph Got a Haircut," "Mommy is a Lawyer," and
"186,000 Miles a Second." The Eggplants' song "My
Dinner with Elvis" was featured in the award-winning independent
short film "Soup or Salad" (1998, USA, dir. Mitchell Bard).
Other Eggplants songs (including "Fishcakes and Spaghetti"
and "The Career Song") were used in the soundtrack for the
independent feature-length film, "Mergers and Acquisitions"
(2001, USA, dir. Mitchell Bard). Early versions of "Eddie's
Apartment" and "Randolph Got a Haircut" were released
on a purple vinyl single in 1994 on Quixotic Records. Some early
versions of other Eggplants songs (including "Mommy is a Lawyer"
and "Savage Eggplant") appeared on two Brooklyn Beat
compilation CDs.
The Eggplants have played live on the radio in the U.S. many times,
including numerous performances on WFMU (Jersey City, NJ), WVIA
(Pittston, PA), WNYU (New York, NY) and WDST (Woodstock, NY). In 2003,
Kenny contributed a guest lead vocal on "Bee for Bass," a CD
released by virtuoso Scottish double bass-player Andy Hamill on Emu
Records. The song selected for Kenny was "Getting On,"
written by singer/songwriter Rebecca Hollweg.
For several years, Gil organized "Brooklyn Woodstock," a
benefit concert to help in the fight against AIDS. The concerts were
held in the backyard of his family's house in Midwood, Brooklyn.
Besides the Eggplants, the many performers included Lenny Kaye, Freedy
Johnston, Arto Lindsay, King Missile, Lach, and Michael Hill's Blues
Mob. A highlight for the Eggplants was the opportunity to perform the
Patti Smith song "Dancing Barefoot" with Lenny Kaye joining
in on lead guitar. In addition to their regular gigs, the Eggplants
have played at science fiction conventions in New York and Pittsburgh.
They have also played special kids shows at Madison Square Park in
Manhattan and on the historic Waterfront Museum Barge in Red Hook,
Brooklyn. |
