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November 16, 2004
Here is the final tracklist for the upcoming album, Big Top World:

My Only Friend
Big Top World
I Have Nothing
Free
I Cherish You
Argument's Sake
As Good As Never
Inherit the Earth
Somewhere in New York
My Only Friend (acoustic)
Free (acoustic)

The album is scheduled for release in early 2005. All of the latest news regarding the new album will be posted here at baitoven.com as soon as it is available. - Newsdesk

October 27, 2004
A Message from Patrick -

Many of you have been asking what ever happened to the My Only Friend CD-single that was planned for release this past summer. While working in the studio to finish the tracks for the single, we kept working, and working, and working, until we finally finished assembling our next full-length album, Big Top World. So the CD-single is cancelled, but the new album - Big Top World - is on the way. We'll have it out in early 2005.

Also, for those of you who are looking for a message board to heap either your praise, indifference, or derision upon us, the Artist Page on VH1.com has a nice one.

September 20, 2004
A Message from Patrick -

Hello everyone. I'm getting myself back into the discipline of writing some more personal updates for the website - just like the old days!

I don't make a habit of responding to record reviews, but for the benefit of our friends and fans in Holland regarding a recent review of the Cold album there, I thought that the point of view of the reviewer summed up perfectly the difference in the state of music in 1989, when we first recorded and released the album, and now in 2004, when the CD re-issue came out. I only wish to point out that the slickly-produced, big-budget pop that passes for punk today has nothing to do with the punk that existed in 1989, much less 1979. Once that is understood, change your yardstick and everything will make perfect sense. Otherwise, thank you for your kind words.

I'm reminded of the time a reviewer took a little, nerf-sized shot at my singing by comparing me on the scale of vocal affectation to Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas. With millions of Matchbox Twenty albums sold, it actually made the comparison quite flattering. Sales numbers like that speak volumes about the difference between opinion and reality.

Besides, I've always thought I sound like Neil Diamond with roid rage.

July 19, 2004
Here's a quick Q&A with taken from the questions we regularly receive from friends and fans of the band...

For a band that covers so many different musical styles, what is in your CD player?
Patrick: I'm listening to David Bowie's new album Reality. I'm a huge Bowie fan. Get well DB!

Joe: Tenacious D's eponymous album, the soundtrack to Spinal Tap, The Very Beast of Dio, and Metallica's Kill Em All, to name a few.

What was the last concert you saw?
Patrick: In June, I saw Van Halen at the Meadowlands and David Bowie at the PNC Arts Center in New Jersey. Van Halen was a LOUD, big-time rock show. Bowie's show was nothing short of what you'd expect from a legend.

Joe: Sting with Annie Lennox. We arrived too late to see Dominic Miller perform, which was a bit of a let down. Annie Lennox was phenomenal. Sting put on a better performance than he has on past tours, but he still lacks the "oomph" he had when he performed with Stewart and Andy. Here's hoping that they convince him to start a Police reunion tour!

Who are some of your musical influences?
Patrick: My list would be a million miles long as I am so immersed in all kinds of music and music history. As a songwriter, it's the biggies like the Beatles, Bowie, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, and Sting. As a guitar player, it is Eddie Van Halen first and foremost, although my earliest attempts at soloing as a kid came from copying Ace Frehley.

Joe: The Police, Kiss, Sting, Stryper, and countless 80s hair bands (since that is when I started to play drums). I have different influences for different types of music, so a complete list - as Patrick said - would be a mile long.

What is your favorite album of all time?
Patrick: I could never pick one. I have albums that to me are milestones along the road. Synchronicity by the Police is one. I could make the case for almost every Beatles album. Brutal Youth by Elvis Costello. Any Velvet Underground album. Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo. This could go on for hours...

Joe: I don't really have an all-time favorite. I really like Reggatta de Blanc, Abbey Road, Nothing Like the Sun, Alive!... my "all time favorite" seems to change with the tide! Ask me a month from now, and I may have a different answer.

- Newsdesk

June 28, 2004
The CD catalog is now available for purchase online as professional quality MP3's.

This month's featured service is eMusic.com. Here are the links for the bait-oven album pages:

September
Cold
Coming Attractions
Ugly Songs

- Newsdesk

June 11, 2004
are busy working on the release of their upcoming CD single for the track My Only Friend. In the meantime, here are some reviews to check out for the CD's that are already available...

Cold
September
Coming Attractions
Ugly Songs

- Newsdesk

May 7, 2004
Early this summer will be releasing a special edition CD-Single for the songs My Only Friend and Free.

The tracklist for this new release is:
My Only Friend
Free
As Good As Never (previously unreleased)
My Only Friend (acoustic version)
Free (acoustic version)

The single will be available at all of the major outlets that currently carry the catalog. It will also be available direct from the band at the live shows planned for 2004. Remember that baitoven.com will be the official source for all announcements and confirmed dates for live in 2004. Ticketmaster has added the band to their database and will also carry information regarding shows planned for venues they service.

Also, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the Artist Page at VH1.com - Newdesk

March 30 , 2004
Patrick recently sat down with the Newsdesk to talk about guitars:

What is your main guitar nowadays?
I have my purple Peavey EVH Wolfgang Special slung around my neck for at least 3 hours a day. It's the single greatest guitar I have ever laid my hands on. My model has a rosewood fretboard. I'd like to also get a Tobacco Sunburst model with a maple neck. I love the Wolfgangs.

Favorite bass?
Fender Sting Signature Precision. It's funny, because no matter what song I play on that bass, I always end up leading into "Walking on the Moon". The Sting bass is a beautiful instrument. API Records also has an amazing Fender Jazz at their studio that I used on a few projects there.

You've been customizing some of your guitars lately...
I picked up a beat-up Fender Strat over the summer, and took the neck off and matched it up with a Washburn body that I had lying around. I actually ended up swapping the Washburn neck from the 1st guitar back on to the Strat body, but it doesn't fit properly so I can't string it. My plan for the two guitars was to make Van Halen Frankenstrat copies from them. I have a pretty good version made from the Washburn body/Strat neck combo. That one is playable, and I have a Seymour Duncan pickup on it, with a Floyd trem, so it's a decent guitar. As for the other one, the body on the Strat has a huge crack in it, so even if I could get the neck to fit on that one, I'm not sure what it would sound like. Whoever originally owned the guitar seemed to have dropped it from a height of about 63 feet, as it is practically cracked straight through. It must have been Paul Stanley.

You're having a guitar built for you right now by Reverend Instruments...
Yes, I'm getting a Reverend Slingshot with the brushed aluminum hot-rod flames finish. I can't wait to get my hands on that guitar. Reverend has gotten great reviews for their instruments, and I'm sure the guitar will exceed my expectations. Expect to hear alot from that guitar once I add it to my collection.

Have you finalized your rig for the upcoming tour?
Well, I'll be using Marshall and Hartke amps, since I'll be switching between guitar and bass for different songs. I'll be using my Yahama acoustics, my Wolfgang, the Reverend, the Sting bass, as well as a few other guitars from the vault.

How about your 1983 Washburn A20V, which has been your main guitar in from the beginning?
That guitar is going into retirement for awhile. I used it on the Tim Keyes' Sketchbook record I did last year, but I don't plan on bringing it out for the live shows. Maybe it will make it's triumphant comeback in a few years. The guitar has earned a rest. It still has incredible action though. It's a great guitar.

What's on your wishlist?
I'm really into the Beatle guitars. Rickenbacker has the 325C58, which is the model that John Lennon used in the Hamburg days. They've reissued the guitar with the original specs. It has the huge stovetop dials on it for the volume and tone knobs. I'd love to get one of those. I was also looking at the Hofner violin bass. It's a very expensive guitar. Epiphone makes a viola bass copy that is among the better looking copies of the Hofner. As for my George Harrison wish, I saw a Traveling Wilbury's Gretsch on Ebay that I should have bid on. The Wilbury's guitar is more a novelty than a real guitar, but I'd love to get one. - Newsdesk

January 20, 2004
We'll start 2004 at baitoven.com with a few news items:

The band sends their regards to friends and fans who got their hands on the free Cold CD's that were available for a limited time at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ. Vintage Vinyl continues to carry the complete CD catalog, as well as periodic special offers from the band, (like the Music Is Freedom CD or the limited-time Cold giveaway,) so keep an eye out for bait-oven whenever you visit the store.

API Records have posted a new music video on their website for the Funhaus single "Leave My Tears Alone." With lyrics by 's Patrick Bamburak and music co-written with Tim Keyes and Michelle Aversano, Funhaus is project that Patrick has been involved in for a number of years now, playing guitar in the band in addition to songwriting. "We are starting to work on our second album, which should be out later this year," Patrick told the Newsdesk, " I'll be pretty busy as there are new recordings ongoing, we're going to be getting ready for some shows, and the Funhaus sessions will be in there somewhere too." Funhaus' self-titled debut is currently available on API Records.

Work has also begun on organizing the live dates targeted for later in the year. Patrick filled in the Newsdesk on the progress, "We're in the process of researching potential venues for the shows. It's looking like we'll have a mix of productions, where we'll do acoustic shows at some venues, and full-on electric shows at others." Remember to check back often here at baitoven.com for the latest information on the upcoming 2004 Tour. We've noticed some online ticket services are already listing in their artist databases. Your only source for confirmed information on tourdates will be right here at baitoven.com. - Newsdesk

January 1, 2004
As in past years, reflects on the year gone by...

How was 2003?

Patrick: Another busy, busy, busy year. I ended the year with way too many new guitars and amps, but what am I to do? It was also interesting to see the Music Is Freedom CD pop up in far-flung places all over the world.

Joe: For the most part, 2003 sucked and I'm glad it is over! It did have its good moments, though, but they were overshadowed by the bad at times...

Favorite album of the year?

Patrick: I really love Iggy Pop's new one - Skull Ring. He reunites with the Stooges for four of the tracks. I'd love to catch Iggy on tour, and I'd love to see a new Stooges album next year. Some people may know that I've had, for many years, a collection of skull rings that I wear among my many fingers, so the title of the album touches my heart! Quoting Iggy: "Skull rings, fast cars, hot chicks, money!"

Joe: If I had to choose a single album, I'd say it has to be Scream Real Loud...Live by 7 Seconds. Runners up would include Fishbone's eponymous CD, and Camper Van Beethoven's Telephone Free Landslide Victory. I know, they're all pretty old, but there wasn't anything released this year that I really liked. Sting's new release is really good, but gets some points deducted because it took a long time for it to grow on me.

Favorite movie of the year?

Patrick: I don't think I saw a single movie in the theater this year. Everything has been on DVD. I'm really into Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes series with the late Jeremy Brett, so I guess I'll name "The Hound of the Baskervilles" as my movie of the year.

Joe: That's a real tough one. Finding Nemo was really good, but I think my favorite would have to be Pirates of the Caribbean. Any movie that has a pirate yelling "Yaaarrrrr" wins in my book!

Favorite book of the year?

Patrick: I'm moving on to a zillion books this year... it's always so hard to pick a favorite. I'm reading Sting's memoir Broken Music right now. Bob Woodward's Bush At War was an interesting read. Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes, by Kenneth T. Walsh was quite good as well. What else... I Bought Andy Warhol, by Richard Polsky was excellent. I should probably try to wade through a Harry Potter book next year.

Joe: I read a few really good books this year. Ice Master, which chronicles the doomed Karluk's doomed Antarctic expedition (if I were on the ship, I'd be dead within the first nano-second that the ship became locked in the ice!); The DaVinci Code was a very interesting book, and a very quick read. I highly recommend it. If I had to choose an absolute favorite, it would have to be the Harry Potter series, with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire being the best of the four I've read.

Your personal high point of 2003?

Patrick: The reissue of Cold was a great project. I also enjoyed working on and in my recording studio.

Joe: I was able to keep one of my resolutions from last year: I broke 100 again playing golf, and came close to breaking it on several occassions. And I've finally gotten hold of a driver that I can hit off the tee. Considering how abysmal my long game is, that was a major win for me.

Your personal low point of 2003?

Patrick: The realization that most people take freedom for granted, and don't understand the price required to achieve it and to keep it.

Joe: With four deaths in my family this year, it is very difficult to choose a single low point. But if I had to, I would have to say the death of my grandmother, Cecelia Gutsick. Followed closely behind that, and in no particular order, are the deaths of my grandmother Josephine Messeroll, my aunt Patricia Connolly, and my uncle Frank Stabile.

2004, What is your New Year's resolution?

Patrick: LIVE in 2004!

Joe: Since it was one of my 2003 resolutions that wasn't done, I'll make it a resolution again this year: finally get the new version of baitoven.com finished.