Saturday, March 31, 2007
Barley Street Tavern
performed with: "Third Frate"Setlist:
Don't
Run Away
Indecision
Satisfied
Laid
Smile
Please Baby Please
Wave Goodbye
See You Again
FHG
Sit Down
1:52
Hey Ya
Omaha
Pennsylvania
Tonic
Take Me Back
Review:
So the show started off with Third Frate opening up for us, even though they booked the show and were the headlining band. In a weird bit of circumstance, I convinced the band to open for us because I wasn't going to be able to make it to the gig until 9:30...and the gig started at 9:00. Needless to say, I had to bring them a peace offering of Tequila...and, because I delivered it in shorts with black socks and black penny loafers, they accepted my gift and the night moved forward.
The place was packed...we're talking standing room only, which, at the Barley Street, isn't like standing room at the Qwest, but I'm sure we still crammed more people into there than we supposed to be allowed. It's safe to say that this show was better than the previous day, and we hadn't had an hour and a half set for a long time, so we busted out a bunch of tunes we hadn't played for a long time, which was fun.
But, this show wasn't without its share of controversy...during Third Frate's set, the decided to "show off" and play the opening riff to Indecision, something "friends" should never do. So, to get them back, during our set we played the opening riff to Today? to also show off...and to say, "We'll battle you bando y bando...us playing your stuff and you playing our stuff...and see who comes out on top."
Then when we played Indecision, things got awkward...and creepy between Ryan and Justin.
posted by Stein # 11:43 PM
Friday, March 30, 2007
Shea Riley's
performed with: "Outside Reality," "Odeon," and "A Tomato A Day"Setlist:
Don't
Wave Goodbye
Indecision
Satisfied
Save Us
Please Baby Please
Pennsylvania
See You Again
Smile
Tonic
Take Me Back
Review:
It was our first time at Shea's in a few months and we played an unbeleivably good set. We hadn't played Pennsylvania in months and it rocked harder then the actual state. Something about playing first for 15 of your closest friends and another 10 people who are waiting for you to get off stage so that they can play. But, the set didn't suffer, and we took the number one spot on Erotic Photo Hunt, Monkey Bash, Office Monkey, and Chug Monkey in the 2007 version of the electronic bar game at...the bar...
posted by Stein # 11:36 PM
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Northgate Music Festival
performed with 100 bands, including: "Sister Hazel," "Ingram Hill," "Flickerstick," "Green River Ordinance," "Phil Pritchett," "Damesviolet," "The Feds" and "Dirtfoot"Setlist:
Indecision
Smile
Run Away
Satisfied
Laid
Wave Goodbye
Tonic
1:52
See You Again
Don't
Take Me Back
Review:
So, like any good band roadtrip, this adventure starts at 7 AM at a U-Haul dealership. But don't let that mislead you...it's not like we didn't think about how we were going to get all our stuff there until the day we left (though that does sound like something we would do)...we had one reserved and were picking it up. Now this would be the first time that we were big time enough to have a van and tow a trailer with all our gear in it. It's well documented that I'd recently had enough trouble driving the van (See post titled: "The Bruiser"), but now we had a trailer attached to it. Sweet right?
Right. So we get the trailer, get it hooked up, and head back to the house to load up the Ged 'N' Stein half of the gear and head down to Lincoln. It's right around this point that Paul notices the "Do Not Exceed 45mph" sticker on the back of the trailer. I had already looked into this because there was no way that I was driving to College Station, TX, not exceeding 45mph. The guy at U-Haul told my dad that 45 is just "the recommended speed." But, me not thinking clearly in the morning (I'm used to going to work at 2pm for crying out loud), not more then ten minutes prior I had passed on the insurance on the trailer because I wanted to save the $5 per day (equating to a whopping $15 total extra cost). So, not wanting to start the whole damn thing off on the wrong foot, Paul and I went back to the U-Haul place and resigned some papers for the extra insurance because we could just picture a wheel rolling off while we were cruising at 70mph.
So we get on the road to Lincoln and about ten minutes in, Paul was already hooking up the PS2 to our freakin' sweet entertainment center that we had going...10" color TV, PS2, VCR (that we had previously gotten a copy of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me stuck inside), and a boom box for all our stereo needs...because in '92, Chevy Winnebago's cames standard with two tape decks and zero CD players. Everything's working good, and we roll up to Ryan's to load all the other stuff up into the trailer.
Now like the go-getters they are, Ryan went into work that morning (prior to us showing up at his house at 9:30AM) and Connealy went to class that morning. While we were loading up the gear, I vaguely remembered a conversation I had with Connealy at 1:30 in the morning the day we were leaving...I was sleeping, Connealy was rambling on about have to go to class and something about extra credit. Long story short, I didn't know where Connealy was...but he showed up not long after that, which is pretty much what the rest of us hope any time we have a show anywhere.
So we load up and hit the road for York, NE...well, Highway 81 to be more exact. Once we get to I-80, Connealy says he's going to sleep. But, the PS2 starts calling his name and pretty soon we have a dynasty going in NCAA 2006 Football as Texas A&M and Paul, Ryan and Justin are all in the back having a grand old time while I feel like a little league soccer coach hauling them around. A few football games later, we're passing the last Runza before we get to Kansas and Paul is sobbing uncontrolably in the back (that dude likes his Runza). But, we press on and arrive in Salina, eat some Taco Bell, switch drivers, and head off towards Oklahoma. Basically there was a lot of Playstation football being played in the van (whether it be PS2 or PSP) and nothing out of the ordinary happens until we stop to get gas in Oklahoma.
Of course, since we were stopped, I busted out the camera and started shooting band members doing various things...like checking oil, for instance. Then some car honks at us and we look over to find this sporty lookin' car full of girls and one of them fakes like she's going to flash us. I mean the camera was rollin', but we got nothing for a "Girls With Low Self-Esteem" video. Then we had some fun in the RV park before heading back on the road.
At this point, Ryan busts out his guitar and starts changing his strings. Now I had had some lyrics in my head for a new song, so I started writing them down and we Ryan was done changing his strings he busted out the baby amp and we started writing a song. That's right, we're rollin' down the street, not smoking indo...but writing a song. I took care of the lyrics and some of the melody and Ryan and Justin took it from there. So, with any luck, if we ever find time to practice again, someday we'll be able to say, "We wrote this next song in a van on the way to the Northgate Music Festival. It's called "Virginia's Waiting."
So now we arrive in Texas, and, fun fact, the first thing you see when you arrive in Texas is a porn store...no joke...you cross the river and see a porn store. We stop at the rest area to switch up the driving and head towards Dallas. More Playstation was played and we roll up to Dallas and as we hit the downtown, we notice our exit as we drive by it because we can't get over the three lanes of traffic in the 100 feet from the sign to the exit. Fuckin' Dallas. Luckily, Ryan is a civil engineer, which to the rest of us means cartographer...so he grabs the map and re-routes us. We get back on track but then make a horrible decision to stop at a Dairy Queen somewhere near the interstate, but probably closer to a Texas Chainsaw Masacre. The food...not good...and to upset the old stomaches even more, we pop in "Saw" (the movie) because Ryan brought a bootlegged copy along and wanted to watch it. Paul and I got to listen to it from the front seat while driving through backroad highways to get to College Station. If you've never been to College Station, it's seriously in the middle of nowhere. Our "street team" who headed down for the show can attest to that. They were a 20, or so, miles from College Station and someone rolls up behind them and is flashing their lights...continuously...and then they almost hit some dude on the side of the road working on his car in a "small town" consisting of maybe 6 houses. The light flashing turned out to not be a guy with an axe, but rather some jackass' who thought it would be funny to mess with the Nebraska people. Fuckin' Texas.
But alas, we arrive at the Super 8 Motel we booked, and kick my parents out of the room. That's right...we're so rock and roll we kick our parents out to the van and make them sleep there...nevermind the fact that my parents are there in the first place. But, it's time to get a good night's sleep, so through a series of "you've known eachother longer," we settle up on beds and Connealy and Ryan get one and Paul and I take the other. Now Paul and I have known eachother for awhile, so we are well aware of the fact that we need to keep a one foot, empty barrier straight down the middle of the bed that neither of us are allowed to touch. Ryan and Justin apparently didn't have the same ground rules, so we found out in the morning from Justin that Ryan's a "good cuddler." (Which will come into play later in the story.)
So we get up and around in the morning, grab some complimentary breakfast, wait for Connealy to get his ass up, and decide to walk to the Northgate district and scope out where our show is going to be. It was a longer walk than anticipated, and there's quite a few areas that don't have sidewalks and other areas that have street poles in the middle of side walks...which will piss off a civil engineer (just so you know). Eventually we get to Northgate and it already looks like it's going to be sweet. Main stage looks cool, all the bars are seriously within' a block of oneanother, it's right across from campus...looks good.
We can't check in quite yet, so we head to the Dixie Chicken and grab a bite to eat. If you're ever there, I recommend the Patty Melt. Also, we checked out some of the local music publications (a la The Reader or The City Weekly) and there's all sorts of stuff about the Festival...and one of them has a write up of all the bands...including US. It says something to the affect of: "Omaha, NE is the mecca for indie rock, and the Ten O'Clock Scholars found themselves in the right place at the right time. Paul Gedbaw and Ryan Kosola draw from such areas as folk, classical, emo and pop to create their unique brand of indie rock. It's this sound that has made them into one of the Midwest's top acts." Now that's freakin' cool.
So after all this coolness has worn off, we start the long, 2 1/2 mile trek back to the hotel so we can rest up and get ready for the show. On the way back we stopped at a music store to do nothing but look and annoy the non-band people that are with us...because no one has fun in music stores unless you're in a band. We finally made it back to the hotel, but opt to play frisbee instead of rest. Then Connealy decides he needs some shorts to play in (because he's an idiot and left for Texas without any shorts). So, we have our new Superfans, Jeff "Freeride" VanRoy and Lacey (insert last name here...I'm sorry Lacey!) take us to Old Navy. That's right, true Superfans travel 850 miles to see a band play and take them to Old Navy on a moments notice.
Just so you know, Old Navy in College Station is about like Old Navy anywhere else. Though throughout our one day stay there, we did see a lot of girls wearing ridiculously short shorts and high heels...which gets a big old fashion "hell yes!" from your Ten O'Clock Scholars. While Connealy was picking out a new wardrobe, Paul and I tried to buy two "Super Bouncy Balls," but only ended up getting one because the machine at our quarter. Fuckin' Texas. Though we did get some good fun out of that bouncy ball...we invented a new "try and roll the ball into the umbrella hole in the table at Sonic," and then tried to see if we could bounce it as high as the roof of our hotel, which eventually led to the ball bouncing off the roof, off of a power line, and into someone's backyard.
That ended the fun for some of us, as Paul, Ryan and Justin headed back into the hotel, with Connealy's mangled guitar case (the only real damage we had during the whole trip), while Keegan and Jeff and I played Frisbee. We only lost it over the fence once, and Keegan risked life and limb by tresspassing in Texas, which is a crime punishable by shotgun in Texas.
About a half hour later, after devising a setlist in the hotel room, we loaded everybody up and headed for check-in. So we roll up to Fitzwilly's and there's some band playing on the main stage that we can't decide if their sound checking or actually playing a set. We get checked in and start unloading our gear...from the trailer like a real rock and roll band...and then head off to start passing out flyers about the show. Passing out flyers goes ok, as most people are there to hear some music, but probably already know the music they want to hear. But we pound the streets nonetheless and over the course of the evening hand out about 50 or 60 flyers. Of course we had to get some beer and watch the first part of the Kansas game, so that was taken care of at a bar called O'Bannon's (which would become Ryan and Connealy's favorite bar for "unknown" reasons). Jeff and Lacey head off to get some sushi, like the high class fans that the Ten O'Clock Scholars like to associate with, and we go get some pizza at a local pizza joint. We kept bumping in to my parents and the dogs throughout the evening, and they all four seemed to be having an equal amount of fun.
Show time drew near, so we headed back to Fitzwilly's, which, in our opinion, was the best stage we could have played other than the main one. It was outside, in a high traffic area, and had a great sound system...doesn't get much better than that. So we sound-checked and the "street team," made one last push to get us some more people there. Then came the rock.
The set was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. We started rockin' from the get-go and people seemed to be into it. It's kind of a weird thing playing outside at a festival because people are just kind of coming and going as they please, and the ones that like you or don't have somewhere to be will stick around, and others will listen for a song or two and then head on their marry way. I'd say we played for about 60-70 people during the course of the entire set and I don't think we've ever been more amped to play a show that wasn't a CD release party...I know Paul hasn't...that dude was ready to bounce out of the non-existant building we were playing in. I was pissed at myself because I missed a snare hit at the beginning of Indecision...and we determined that we should have played Please Baby Please instead of 1:52 because Ryan forgot the words to that one and was making them up as he went (which to most people, they wouldn't have even known the difference). Oh, and I butchered the shot taking part of Run Away. How, you ask? Well here's how. Ryan announced that this is the part of the set where we like take shots...and I look over and Paul doesn't have one...then I see my dad looking like he's going to run one up for Paul, but can't because there are people in the way. So I say, oh well, we'll take the shots later and do my drum fill and come in...but Connealy and I are the only one that come in...rhythm section for life...and the other two are like, "What the fuck was that?" So I just keep playing, hoping that the other guys will just take the shots and then come in...but they just come in...awkwardly...
But the rest of the set was great. People seemed really into Satisfied, Laid, Don't and Take Me Back. And after the show was over we realized that we'd actually made some fans. One guy bought a CD, and loved us so much that he gave us a $10 tip. Now that's badass. We ended up selling about 5 CD's and a T-Shirt after the show, and were feeling on top of the world. Then the rains came...
Actually, there was no rain, but the story really would have been better had there been some rain right there. Basically, we spent the rest of the night like rockstars...eatin' free food, drinkin', watchin' bands (Equal Access: "C-" for stage antics, Dirtfoot: "A" for giving crowd beancans to rock with and having a rockin' good time, Sister Hazel: "A" because I like their music, The Feds: "C-" because they weren't as good as I remembered them, Mysterious Ways: "A" because even though I didn't see them and they were a cover band...the dude looked like Bono and people almost saw boobs.)
The ride home was great because the "Get Stein Drunk Fund" obviously didn't work, and I was driving all the other drunk people home...and there were some drunk people. Once we got back to the hotel, we kicked my parents back to the van (again)...not because we're mean, but because they didn't want to spend money on a hotel room...and got ready to pass out. But before everyone went to bed, Connealy goes, "Is this a key? Cool. I'll be right back." About 15 minutes later we're all asleep...and by we all I mean everyone but Connealy...who isn't in the room. In fact, I keep waking up during the middle of the night and Connealy is nowhere to be found, which causes me to have various states of dreams involving Connealy bringing back a posse of people that we don't know to party in the hotel room; Connealy going swimming with a bunch of chicks; and Connealy going to a house party in College Station without telling any of us, getting lost, and then passing out on the street.
While I was dreaming, I was hoping that none of these were actually true, but we woke in the morning to find that Connealy was nowhere to be found. So, naturally, I called his phone and moments later we heard the unmistakable sound of AC/DC...which meant that Connealy was MIA without his phone. Fuckin' Texas. So I call VanRoy, thinking maybe he crashed there, or at least knew what happened to Justin...no answer. So Ryan and I head down to their room to knock on the door and see if we can get an answer. At first, no luck, and then we remembered that Connealy had mentioned something about looking up porn in the hotel lobby...so we thought maybe he got kicked out...so I go check outside and then Ryan gets the..."I'll be up in a minute" from a voice behind the locked door.
Luckily, that voice was Connealy, and come to find out he went down to the vending machine to get some Sun Chips, and Superfan Lacey coarsed him to come and eat a pizza in their room. Well, the pizza never showed and Connealy passed out in their recliner. A less then glorious story, but we all knew that it was a scheme that he had hatched much earlier to get out of sleeping in the same bed with Ryan.
And that's where the story gets boring. We start the long-ass, 14 hour drive back to Omaha. There's a lot of Playstation played, a lot of sleeping done, and not much in the way of talking. But, that's what happens when you drive 1700 miles and 29 hours in basically two days....
So goes life on the road...what'd you do with your weekend?
posted by Stein # 11:58 PM
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Barley Street Tavern
performed with: "Louder Than Love," "Echobliss," "The 5150's," and "Microphone Jones"Setlist:
Tonic
1:52
Satisfied
Sit Down
Indecision
Please Baby Please
Wave Goodbye
Take Me Back
Review:
Well, if it looks like we played a short set, it's because we did. Not by choice. We were rockin' out and like 4 songs left to play, but we had to cut it down to 2 because with five bands on the bill, I guess the band who starts the earliest gets screwed on time! No biggie, though, because we had a good time and a good crowd. I don't think the Barley Street has ever been so packed...except for when Third Frate's playin'. We busted out Sit Down for the first time in awhile, and this was the first time we'd seen Connealy in months, so that was good. Also, St. Patty's day went far better than our last show at the Barley Street, when half of the drums were left in Lincoln.
posted by Stein # 11:43 PM
Friday, March 09, 2007
Scrumpy Jack's
Setlist:Run Away
Don't
Please Baby Please
Wave Goodbye
Laid
1:52
Folsom Prison Blues
Pennsylvania
See You Again
Satisfied
Tonic
Smile
Sit Down
Save Us
Elderly Woman Behind A Counter In A Small Town
Hey Ya*
Hide Your Love Away*
Song For The Civil Engineer*
Omaha
Drive Just To Sleep
I Got You
Back Porch
Take Me Back
*= Ryan solo
Review:
This was our second attempt at an acoustic show, and this time we left Connealy at home. Actually, he couldn't get it off work, so Paul and Ryan played...duet style (which is lovely by the way) at Scrumpy's and I ran sound for my own band. The show itself was decent, and we had some people interested for a little while. The banter inbetween songs (and during some songs) was the highlight for me because I see those guys play all the time. Though it was sweet to see them bust out "Elderly Woman" without ever practicing it together. Perhaps we should do that with the whole band. And I hope the groupies are happy...because they got their 1:52.
posted by Stein # 11:24 PM
Saturday, March 03, 2007
The Bear Trap
performed with: "The 5150's" and "Split The Difference"Setlist:
Tonic
Satisfied
Smile
Indecision
Laid
Don't
F Her Gently
Please Baby Please
See You Again
Run Away
Wave Goodbye
Take Me Back
Review:
Well, we were a little disappointed because for a bear trap, there was a definite lack of jagged steel contraptions and no trip wires anywhere to be seen. But, since the show was so awesome, we got over it. Saw a lot of familiar faces out, so that was great...and what was even better was the craziness that ensued...from plugging our extension cord into a power outlet that was 12 feet up the wall, to shots of tequilla (what else is new), to band photos in the bathroom...from girls being hit on by people twice their age, to a glory hole the size of your head between the mens and womens restrooms, to bringing Burger King into the bar and leaving the extra Whopper Jr. in the mint jar, to a loud girl eating the burger and throwing up, to tiny shirts...it was one heck of a good time. Where the hell were you?
