Tuesday, April 26, 2005 

Knickerbockers

Performed with: "The Von Ethrics"

Setlist:
    See You Again
    Don't
    Tonic
    Follow
    Drive Just To Sleep
    Run Away
    Satisfied
    Sit Down
    Knockin' On Heaven's Door*
    Omaha
    Midnight
    Indecision
    Take Me Back
    ------------
    Save Us

* = not on the original setlist, but added for fear of a riot during one of Ryan's tuning sessions

Sidenote: We were told to retire after this show because it was our best set ever. Not quite sure how to take that...

Review:

So we get to Knickerbockers and find out that we're headlining a show that we thought we were opening. On one hand that's good because we get more stage time, but on the other hand we have to call all the people that were coming to the show at 9:30 and tell them that we aren't playing until 11:00. Eh, what do you do?

Pretty much, you get up there and play when they tell you to. So we followed the Von Ehrics (who rocked a kickin' country/punk vibe) and started rockin' from the get-go. See You Again now has a much different feel then in did when we debuted it at Shea Riley's, and it's always fun to watch Connealy try and memorize his lyrics minutes before the show starts.

And if you came looking for crazy "antics" that help the band rock out, but don't start the building on fire, then this show was for you. Prior to the show, Stein hid four shots behind the bass amp and during the musically break in Run Away, he brought them out to, in essence, "help the band along." And fortunately it worked because after our set was finished, the crowd actually made us play another song...and though we had played all of the songs we'd practiced, we still busted out Save Us to put an end to our outlandish fun.

But that didn't put an end to scoring chicks...that never really got started in the first place. Apparently Paul and Superfan aren't as good looking as we thought...giving out CD's to girls who aren't lookin' to party. What's wrong with you two?

posted by RICK  # 10:00 PM

Friday, April 22, 2005 

Battle of the Bands!

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Setlist:
    Indecision
    Tonic
    Don't
    Omaha
    Take Me Back


REVIEW:

We started the evening by parking the cars, unloading them, then parking again. It was at this time that Paul gained his new title of "Lift Operator," because we were messing around with the loading dock lift and service elevator to get our gear up to the second floor ballroom. Once we got all the stuff up there, we waited, and waited, and waited, then learned there was going to be no soundcheck's prior to the show, which meant we had to wait around even longer.

But that's OK, because that's kind of what you expect at a battle of the bands. So some of the bands start playing and we start wondering if we're the oldest band there (which is weird because we're not that old, but some of the bands looked and sounded like high school bands that needed a little more garage time). Our fans start rolling in, in various states (some
bored, some excited, some angry at "The Man," some...well, use your imagination, and some looking to get the inside info. about the songs we're playing. So we divulge that info. only to Superfan, pretty much so he won't make a scene.

Fast-forward: Ryan, Stein, Connealy and Superfan leave during the third band and go walk around downtown Lincoln because we were the second to last to play. Connealy and Superfan go back to the ballroom to see if we're supposed to be playing. Ryan and Taylor go further away from where they're supposed to be.

Rewind: Paul has no idea where his band is, or what's going on.

Fast-forward, fast-forward: Everyone is back in the ballroom waiting for our turn in line, we catch Emery Park (who rocked with an 11-year-old bass player who must be a genius if he's in a college rock band) and then something happens right before we go on. The band before us, Last One Standing, pulls out the biggest, lamest, faux pas that you can do at a battle
of the bands...they play a cover song. And not just any cover song, but "Since You've Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson...a goddam American Idol winner. And the crowd (not our fans), and judges, love it. And we're like WTF, man.

So we get on stage, planning on not playing any gay covers, and rock out for five kickin' songs. The crowd was great, our regular fans were great, and Take Me Back was rocked to new levels with Stein throwing his hat, his sticks, and his cymbals at the end. Hooray for us, right? We win the day, no?

No. We didn't win the day. We didn't even place. In fact, we lost not because of our music, or because we went over our time limit (because our set ran 18:36), but because they were pissed that our own flyers were posted all over campus two days before the show. Whatever. We break rules and we don't care. We're rock and f'in roll. Deal with it.

(At least that's what we tell people.)











posted by RICK  # 10:00 PM

Tuesday, April 05, 2005 

Knickerbockers

Setlist:
    Indecision
    April
    Don't
    Satisfied
    Drive Just To Sleep
    See You Again
    Sit Down
    Tonic
    Omaha
    Run Away
    Midnight
    Take Me Back

Review:

Before we played a note of music, Ryan gave some props to Rick*, informing the audience that it was from him we learned to "give the audience what they want early." So we did, and started the set off with Indecision. And that seemed to work, rock, speak topeople in melodic form, what have you. And, of course, we had to play April at at least one of our shows in the month of April, so we did that too.

But enough about music, because that's not what we're about. Wait, that's all we're about. Well...we we're glad to see that were getting sizeable draws to our shows these days (especially in Lincoln), which makes it all the more fun to play new stuff and old stuff that people recognize. We only played one of our newer songs at this show, and are waiting to debut Erin's Song probably at Knickerbockers on the 26th. Ryan did talk to someone from Orange Whip Productions after the show, which could lead to future gigs, so that's good. Hopefully Stein accidentally taking a beer outside when he was talkin' to some of Ryan's "peeps" (not the marshmallows, because then he shouldn't have been drinking in the first place) won't negate all the good that came from this show.

Oh, and apparently people liked the merchandise (or they just liked Beth because she sold way more stuff than Derek did when he tried to pimp some merch.) because we're nearly out of t-shirts...but we've got plenty of CD's left to sell! Oh yeah! High Five! Can you Cross-town it?

*Editor's note: Rick? I'm Rick. He must have been talking about me? Me!

posted by RICK  # 10:00 PM