Friday, February 29, 2008
Glacier
performed with: "Third Frate" and "Chronic Bliss"Setlist:
Run Away
Tonic
Satisfied
Wave Goodbye
Laid
See You Again*
Don't
Virginia's Waiting
American
Indecision
Smile
Take Me Back
*= guest harmonica by Natebass
Review:
Well, whenever you can help celebrate someone's 6th Birthday at a bar in North O, you know it's going to be a good show. What, it's true...and definitely not bad karma...she's a Leap Day Baby! The show was a lot of fun, highlighted by the guest performance by Natebass on harmonica...or mouth organ...
We really should work on writing more songs rather than jokes like that.
posted by Stein # 11:51 PM
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Knickerbockers
performed with: "Deep Blue Something" and "Greater Good"Setlist:
Indecision
Smile
I Say
1:52
Wave Goodbye
Please Baby Please
Thank You
Laid
Don't
Take Me Back
Review:
Well, we can now say that we've opened for Deep Blue Something...you know, the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" guys. And it's probably a good thing we did because I don't think there would have been as many people there if we hadn't. I'm not gonna lie, but I think we had a bigger crowd watching us...which is fine because they had a bigger bus. Our set was pretty fast and pretty early in the evening, so not a whole lot of drinking had been done by the crowd. Connealy made up for that, however, and was perfectly content to drink Jaeger Bombs, Car Bombs, Super Bomberman, and whatever else came his way. Ryan, on the other hand, was not ready to drink anything that wasn't out of a thimble.
Right. Back to the show. Well I was pretty stoked because they had the drum riser up and I actually got to use Deep Blue Somethings kit, which was very nice of John to let me do because if I couldn't have used his, I probably would've had to setup on the floor in front of the stage due to the lack of space. So thanks for that, man. The show went pretty well except for a slight botching of "Wave Goodbye," due in part to the fact that I glanced over and thought my stack of monitors was going to topple over. After we finished, Greater Good took the stage and they were, well, good. Then Deep Blue Something took over and played a variety of songs from all their albums. I do have another claim to fame now, as I played tambourine with Deep Blue on one of their tunes because the girls who had stolen the tambourine we just not cutting it. I know, believe me, it was tough to keep from fainting. Then after the show, Ryan and Justin got a tour of their tour bus from Toby Pipes while I was loading equipment and trying to sell merch...and then we chatted with the Greater Good guys for a bit.
And in case you were wondering, they did play "Breakfast at Tiffany's"...they're intelligent people, so they closed with it. And oddly enough there were no d-bags shouting out "Breakfast at Tiffany's" all night long. Tim, we could've used you.
posted by Stein # 11:45 PM
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Cunningham's Journal
performed with: "Third Frate"Setlist:
Run Away
Tonic
1:52
I Say
Laid
Satisfied
Indecision
American
Wave Goodbye
Please Baby Please
Hey Ya
Tenacious D
Smile
See You Again
Thank You
Sit Down
Virginia's Waiting
(New Song)
Don't
Ball and Chain
Cry, Cry, Cry
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Take Me Back
Review:
Well, I'll have to preface this by saying that the second day of the "Onken-Stein Records Labelmates Mini-Tour" was much more interesting...I'm not saying better, just more interesting. You'll have to judge if it's better for yourself.
So, the day after the CD release party, we packed up and headed to Kearney for your gig at Cunningham's...well, we packed up in waves. Paul headed out to Kearney early because he was heading on to Colorado after the show so he needed his own car. I went and picked up Natebass, of Third Frate fame, in the Bruiser and then we headed out to Fremont...after Natebass found his keys. On the way to Fremont I had a Deja Vu around 87th and Dodge, which would not be the only Deja Vu I would have during the course of the weekend, and may have set the tone for things to come. Nothing much happened on the way to Fremont. We listened to Seume's 2-song sampler disc...but that only lasted for a few minutes so then we had talk, which was uncomfortable to say the least. I mean conversation, expressing our thoughts through spoken word?...screw that...give me silence any day of the week.
Eventually we made it to Tim (of Third Frate fame)'s house and hooked up the big old 6x12 trailer, which I've dubbed "Killer," to the Bruiser, and we were on our way to Lincoln to get Justin and Ryan. Now this is where things got interesting. Ryan was planning on meeting us at a truck stop off of NW 48th St. near the interstate. Originally, we were going to pick Connealy up...then Connealy was going to go to the NU basketball game with Ryan and they were going to go to the truck stop together...then we were going to pick up Connealy at his house...then he was going to meet us and Ryan at the truck stop. You see what's happening here? Well, turns out I thought they were at a different truck stop that's roughly at 48th St and I-80...which means I was incorrect. So we had to stop for gas at the 27th St exit while Ryan went to Connealy's house and picked him up, then went to his work which had become the new pickup spot. And $83 dollars and a full tank of gas later, we were there, had all six of us in the van, and were ready to go.
By this time it was about 5:45pm and we needed to be at Cunningham's by 8pm, so we were pushing it, needless to say. And after we were a few miles outside of Lincoln and already down a quarter of a tank of gas, it started to look bad. But we started drafting behind some semi's and picked up the gas mileage a little bit, which allowed us to make up some time...which may come in to play later in the show. We rolled into Kearney about 7:45pm and saw a little smoke coming from under the hood, but we hadn't had any problems prior and figured we were just burning a little oil with the trailer in tow. Paul had checked into our hotel for us, so we went straight to the venue and started to unload. For those of you who've never been to Cunningham's, you should really go because it's one cool place. I can see why they get some bigger regional acts coming through there these days. It was at this time that Connealy discovered that his old boss at Skeeter Barnes (the restaurant) owns Cunningham's...and that we could've gotten a show out there a few years ago if he would've followed up on it. Bass players...
Well, we got all loaded...in...loaded in...that's what I meant...we had all the gear unloaded...and we soundchecked (with soundman extraordinaire, Mark), setup the merch, and played some T2 Pinball. Third Frate hit the stage at 9pm and I'll be damned if they don't have a following in Kearney, even though they've never played there before! After they started rockin' for awhile, it dawned on me that if we wanted any after hours beverages, we'd have to make a run before the show was over...otherwise the stores would be closed. So, I informed Jeremy that Ryan, Justin and I were leaving, not because we didn't like their music, but because they were going to need this run as much as we did. The three of us decided just to walk around the town and see if we could find a fine establishment selling alcohol. And we did, not more than two blocks from where we were playing. Conveniently located next door was a Hardee's, so we swung by to get a quick burger. But we should've known it wasn't going to be that easy as soon as we walked in the door. Right in the entry was was a picture...no not a picture, that doesn't do it justice...a family photo of three kids who looked like they were being forced to take this picture at gun point. Fake smiles, weird hand positions...just all around creepy. And there was another right beside it. Weird, we thought, but we order our food from the one employee that appeared to be working at the Hardee's. So we're waiting for our food. I get mine, Connealy gets someone elses food, and Ryan waits...and waits. Finally he gets his two small cheeseburgers, which I didn't know where even an option at fast food establishments these days except for White Castle, and as we're sitting there, we notice that there's two more creepy pictures over on the wall by the pop machine. And these kids are frightened. It's about this time we decide to get the hell out of there and go to the liquor store. Connealy wants us to get some Whiskey, but we pass on that, grab some rum, coke, and a 30 pack of Stones, and walk back to Cunningham's.
In the meantime, we missed about 30 minutes of Third Frate's set, but when we got back there were tons of people up dancing and hanging out by the front of the stage, flashing people and throwing bras...I mean it was Mardi Gras weekend...and we just chilled by the merch stand and drank our free draws and wells that the band got all night. Yeah, I know...nice. So Third Frate ended their set and we took the stage 15 minutes later. People seemed to be enjoying themselves, but we never know after we follow Third Frate. Paul set the groundwork for the crowd by letting them know when we played our first cover, "Laid," that we play more obscure covers so people don't know when we screw them up because we're not as good as Third Frate. Seemed like an acceptable answer to me. And we had a good set and got some of the dancers back up to the front by the end of the night. Truth be told we sold more CD's than Third Frate anyways...3 to 2, but who's counting...I know Soundscan's not with those type of numbers.
Last call came and went and we finished up our set with most of Third Frate on stage for "Cry, Cry, Cry" and "Knockin'" before we finished with our old staple, "Take Me Back." Just a really fun evening. But it's not over...not even close...
So we got everything loaded in the trailer and decided it would be a grand idea to play a drinking game that Ryan played while canoeing in Colorado where you hot potato a beer around a circle of people. Then we left in search of food. There was some breakfast buffet that we couldn't find because there was no address on the flyer, so we thought about McDonald's, but I didn't want to take everybody's drunk order as I was the only one that was drunk. So we stopped at a gas station...honestly, that's what drunk people deserve at 1:30am anyways. And, after trying to microwave all the breakfast sandwiches we were trying to buy in the world's worst microwave, we went out into the parking lot and played "Hot Potato Beer" again.
From there, we headed to our hotel and met up with Sarah and Beth, we were staying at the same high-class First Inn Gold that we were. We were definitely the only people staying in our wing...possibly the hotel. I'm not sure it would've mattered to the drunk people anyways, but it was probably for the best. So this is basically what happened. We roll up, barge into Sarah and Beth's room, and then chaos ensues. I do have to say that it's pretty rockstar when you can trash somebody else's hotel room. I did no trashing...I have the videotape to prove it, but when "Hot Potato Beer" works its way into the hotel room, people are drinking rum and coke from a coffee pot, and there's drunk people singing karaoke, well...things happen.
Now I'm not sure that you understand the depth of the singing that was taking place in this hotel room. Everyone, sans myself, is singing...as loud as they can. Sometimes it's just random and one person busts out a tune and then everyone joins in the fun, other times someone has a iPod going and is singing along with the music so everyone else can sing along. We even tried to play Musical Catch Phrase, but Ryan kept messing that up when he would either; sing the song that he was supposed to hum for us to guess, or just start singing "Breakfast at Tiffany's." That went on for about an hour before we thought Ryan was going to pass out...but that little guy is a fighter. With the covers from one bed securely on him, and the mattress showing, propped up by two pillows, Ryan was conducting everyone's singing as if he were dying and it was his final wish..."Sing one for me!"...oh, man...when Tim and I discovered how much Ryan looked like a sick and dying person in a hospital, conducting a little carol just for him, we lost it. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time.
Not only was the singing impressive, but so was the snow and subsequent things in made people do. Jeremy and Beth made snow angels in the parking lot...but they were too close together so Beth just kept getting hit in the face. Then, after the monumental signing of Third Frate to Onken-Stein Records, there was a trip out in the snow that left one wounded and three others cold...Tim claim he must have hit a crack in the sidewalk and that's the only reason he fell over. And just about the time you thought the party was winding down, people started playing 5-string guitars and playing musical Catch Phrase again. It was about 4am that I decided to head over to our room and watch some TV...and soon after Jeremy, Tim and Beth followed suit and came over. It was actually nice that Sarah and Beth had their room because six of us in one room with two beds would have been crowded. Instead, everyone got to sleep or pass out with who they wanted to...Nate and Sarah, Tim and Beth, Ryan and Connealy. Jeremy and I did share a bed, but I slept on top of the covers and he was under them so it wasn't awkward...and yes, it was freezing and I may have gotten sick because of it, but it's a small price to pay not to have my leg brush up against Jeremy's crotchless panties.
I had set my alarm for 8:30am, a mere 3 and a half hours after I went to bed a 5am, because Connealy had to be at work at noon. I texted Connealy at 8:30 and asked him if we were leaving...I got no response so I went back to sleep for an hour. At 9:30, I heard a knock and the door and it was Connealy ready to roll. Problem was that no one else was really ready. Most were awake, but no really ready to roll. So while everyone was going their stuff together, Nate and Justin went and stole the continental breakfast buffet...the whole thing. Now I'm not lying, they brought the boxes of food to our room, but they didn't really steal it...the girl working there said they could take it all. So we at, got packed up, cleaned up Sarah and Beth's room a little bit, and hit the gas station.
Now, if you'll remember, when we rolled into Kearney we had a little smoke under the hood, which we thought was burning oil. Naturally, when we gassed up before we left, I checked the oil to make sure everything was fine...and it was. And with that, we hit the open road for Lincoln, which we were never going to make in time for Connealy. We would have only been 10 minutes late, but things happened outside of Grand Island. While on the way home, some people were sleeping while others were using the Bruiser's sweet entertainment center to play some Nintendo 64. It was about this time that driving stopped becoming a relaxing way to fall asleep. First there was the sound, which could be mistaken for "gunning it"...then the thought the I was doing something to be funny like throwing the van into neutral on the middle of the Interstate (which isn't all that funny)...then the billowing smoke coming from underneath the van.
It was about this time that I decided to pull over. And when we got out and saw the transmission fluid pouring out from underneath the van, we realized that we were not just burning oil the night before, but we were burning out the transmission. Information that could've been useful to use yesterday, right? So now we're stuck on the side of the road, with a broken van, a 6x12 trailer full of band equipment, and six dudes who haven't showered since playing a rock and roll show the night before. Quite the scene. So Natebass calls Triple A, Connealy calls his boss, not only to tell him he's not going to be to work, but to ask him if he can bring his truck 58 miles outside of Lincoln to pick up our trailer. Someone calls Beth and Sarah, so they stop for moral support, and now there's 8 of us just hanging out in the Bruiser, waiting for a tow.
When life hands you lemons, what do you do? You create musical fusion...sort of...so we decided to get some footage for the impending Third Frate music video for "Hang On (Let Go)." But, even spelling HELP in the snowbank didn't get anyone to stop for us...it got a few honks, but nothing more. And, after pilling back into the van, we tried to get more people to stop by pretending to put baby feet on the frosted over car windows. Still nothing, but an hour and a half later we finally got our tow. Ryan and Justin went back to Lincoln with Connealy's boss; Tim, Nate and Jeremy made it back to Fremont with Sarah and Beth; and I rode with the tow truck to Lincoln. At first I thought I had ruined the tow truck guys Superbowl Sunday, but come to find that Jason (our tow truck guy) didn't even really like football...though he did like the movie Dazed and Confused...didn't like country music, but did like fixing cars...you get the idea. We rolled into Lincoln about 3pm and I gave him a Third Frate CD as a peace offering. Then I waited for my dad to come pick me up in Lincoln and about 3:15 we headed back to Omaha, leaving the Bruiser, in all its dead glory, behind.
Talk about a crazy weekend...oh, and did I mention I have almost all of it on tape? Well I couldn't tell you until the end, otherwise you would've stopped reading and waited for the "Made For Internet" movie.
posted by Stein # 11:22 PM
Friday, February 01, 2008
Barley Street Tavern (Onken-Stein Records Comp. CD Release Party)
performed with: "Third Frate," "Seume" and "PG-13"Setlist:
(New song)
1:52
I Say
Don't
Virginia's Waiting
Laid
Smile
Please Baby Please
Thank You
Tonic
Wave Goodbye
Take Me Back
Indecision
Review:
Well, it's been determined that the best way to throw your record label's first compilation CD release party is in the winter at the Barley Street Tavern. Talk about one hell of a party! Though I did have my doubts at first, because after all the 89.7 radio interviews, song spins, and City Weekly ads, at 8:15pm the evening of the show it was just me and the bartender in the old BST. With the show starting at 9pm, and no other bands in sight, I thought perhaps, like Gob Bluth, I'd made a huge mistake. But, eventually other humans showed up and we got things setup and underway.
Kicking off the evening was PG-13, which at the time this comp. CD was conceived of was less of a band and more of a song. Basically, we took an old song that was written by Paul that never really made it into the Scholars catalog and laid it down this past summer with the infamous Jeremy Francis on vocals and lead guitar. And, the song kicked so much ass that we had to put it on the CD. Nevertheless, Paul and I decided that we might as well open for ourselves at our own CD release party. So we recruited Natebass (from Third Frate) to play some bass for us, and thus three pieces of a thirteen piece puzzle were put together. Kicked off that set with a song that Paul wrote awhile back called "Me and My Girl" and then had Richard Lewis (best known for his work in Summer of George) come up and guest vocal for a tune called "Casualties of Sex." We only had a short time on stage, so I'll fast forward to the last two songs. We busted out a cover of Social Distortions "Ball and Chain" with a little lead guitar work for Jeremy and then we ended the set with "Cry, Cry, Cry," the song that's on the new disc...except we switched it up quite a bit from the recording and I sang, while Tim "Fast-hands" Francis played the drums. Always good to confuse the buying public when you're trying to sell them a CD with the song you're playing, except that is recorded completely different (hey, I think it sounds better on the disc!).
Next up for the evening was Seume, the man with an acoustic guitar that came all the way from KC. I had met him a few years back when I was at KU, and decided that he needed to come up here for a show with us so we could go down there for a show with him. Now mind you we're a half hour into the evening when Seume takes the stage and I think we're already breaking fire codes at this point. But no need to worry, that cool cat Seume cooled everything down with his smooth, acoustic guitar sounds. If you get the chance, you should check out what he's doing with Grassland Records.
Third Frate rocked the stage next, and let me tell you, they turned the heat up in there like a million degrees. People up and dancing right in front of the stage, singing along, dancing with crazy, drunk, mayoral canidates...you know that equals a good time! The boys were gracious enough to record their tune, "Hang On (Let Go)" for the compilation disc, which turned out great. And they dressed in ties and vests that night as well, so right there you know they're quality gents. They had a great set and busted out some new tunes, so hopefully they'll be willing to work with us some more so we can try and snake more of their fanbase!
And, last but not least, we took the stage, ready to take the evening on home. Big thanks to everyone who came out early and stayed all the way until the end with us. It makes us feel all piggly-wiggly inside. We busted out a brand new tune right off the top, which is currently without lyrics, but we just felt like getting it out there. I think it's got the potential to be huge for us, so keep coming to shows because eventually it'll have words. We also played a few new songs...sort of. We reworked "I Say" and "Virginia's Waiting," and also played a new song Ryan wrote called "Thank You." Probably my favorite part of the evening is when I had what I'd like to call a "Holy Shit" moment. Now we've been playing around for years, and there are certain songs that I do expect that the crowd will get into...a la "Indecision"...but when Ryan started singing "Smile" and the whole crowd was singing along with him...loudly, mind you...well, that was just pretty badass. It almost made me forget that I was going to pass out because of the 100 degree temperatures on stage...though really I have no one to blame but myself because I unplugged the fan in the back of the room to plug in my huge neon "Onken-Stein Productions" sign...now that's badass!
