Saturday, May 24, 2008
Knickerbockers
performed with: "Backseat Bandits" and "The Lowdown"Setlist:
Sonic Overdrive
Can't Quit
Run Away
(some songs in the middle here)
FHG
Me And My Girl
Take Me Back
Review:
It had been awhile since we played Lincoln, and it showed. Have we run our course in that town? Perhaps...but it's still a lot of fun to play Knickerbockers so we're still going to do it. Like two more times next month.
The set was good, even though we had some things working against us. First, Connealy learned that he got dismissed from UNL a semester before he's supposed to graduate. Now, hopefully it was just a mix up with a grade that got entered as a No Report, but if he can't signup for his summer classes, then he's screwed like a Red Bull girl. And he'll have to work a crappy job to put himself through another semester of college...like a Red Bull Girl. Dude, maybe Connealy should become a Red Bull Girl...
It was also hot in Knickerbockers. Louisiana Bayou hot. And Paul came straight from a wedding, so he looked like a hitman...a hitman with a see-through shirt. But the drum riser was up, so that made up for everything.
posted by Stein # 12:33 PM
Friday, May 23, 2008
Shea Riley's
performed with: "Thousand Houses" and "Vago"Setlist:
Me and My Girl
1:52
Tonic
Don't
Take Me Back
American
Wave Goodbye
Please Baby Please
I Say
Virginia's Waiting
Indecision
Can't Quit
Satisfied
Sonic Overdrive
Review:
Well, I believe Ryan can die a happy man now. He's not only played a show with Rhett Lee of Carolyn's Mother (who actually rocked the CM tune "Back Porch" with us!), but he's also played a show with Matt Banta (and covered one of his unreleased tracks, "American," right infront of him!). Now hopefully he can stop writing songs about them because it's getting harder and harder for me to keep explaining how he's a normal guy who just really liked Blue Moon Ghetto, the Matt Banta Band, and Carolyn's Mother.
The show was pretty good, and we busted out about 5 new tunes that only the diehards have seen us play live before. It was definitely good to rock with Vago again and Thousand Houses for the first time, because it made for an entire night of enjoyable music. Oh, and best line of the night was by Danny from Vago: "Be sure to stick around...because you're probably playing." Freakin' hilarious! I wish we could have had more people out for them early in the night, but then again, if there were more people we never would have heard that killer one-liner.
posted by Stein # 11:59 PM
Friday, May 09, 2008
Sokol Underground
peformed with: "Blucymon" and "Kyle Harvey"Setlist:
(It was written in pictorial hyroglyphics, so I'll scan that in first chance I get.)
Review:
Well really, where do you begin with this show. How about at the beginning...
We showed up at 6:45, ready to start loading onstage and begin a soundcheck. Then things went awry. We were told that we were supposed to play first, up promptly at 8pm for the early show, but when we got there they told us that we'd be playing last...headlining a show that we didn't book or promote as our show. I mean it was Blucymon's CD release party for crying out loud. But, whatever, headlining meant playing at 10:15, so it wasn't that big of a deal...we called the people we knew were coming and told them to delay their arrival. Unfortunately Todd didn't get that message and spent $10 to walk in the door and then walk back out...we owe you many many beers, buddy.
Now, for a tense change...
So we unload the gear, setup the merch, and then head to Burger King for a quick bite. When we make our way back, it's close to 8pm, and we expect to hear music from Kyle Harvey, who is not playing music because there's no one at the venue. Now, this doesn't bother us because almost everytime we've ever played Sokol, there has been no one there, but Blucymon swears that they've never played to less than 150 people at Sokol. There are a lot of numbers between zero and 150. But, we find out that Harvey is only doing a half-hour, acoustic set...so start time is now 8:30pm. So we head over to the bar and watch the NBA playoffs for 30 minutes...still no people...still no music.
Start time is pushed back to 9pm, you know, when a real show usually starts. A few dozen people roll in, so Harvey takes the stage. But, a song and a half in he stops playing because "something's just not right with his guitar." So after a 10 minute break that somehow fixed the string buzzing, he plays three more songs and gets off the stage.
Now Blucymon is up and they play their "classic rock" music that sounds eerily similar to real classic rock music...like same chord progressions verbatium to Stairway to Heaven, All Along The Watchtower and The Devil Went Down To Georgia. But whatever...they brought about 70 people, which is more than we usually pull there. So they get done and thank the crowd for being oh-so-very-awesome...keep this in mind as you read on...
I head back stage to start bringing my drums up and they decide to do an "unplanned" encore...which is totally fine, it's their CD release and they brought a lot of people. So now we're all backstage, waiting to go up next, Blucymon gets done with their encore and says, "We'll be back here July xx with Swizzle Tree...hope to see you then." Not once did we get a "stick around, Ten O'Clock Scholars are up next," or a "thanks to Kyle Harvey and Ten O'Clock Scholars for playing tonight." We can feel it...no one knows there's another band about to play...and why would they, they came out for Blucymon's CD release party...why on earth would there be a band after them?...
So we try to setup as fast as possible...then the house lights kick on...a sure sign that music is over, right? The people that were there head for the door and as we're setting up we know that we're getting Omaha'd like never before. But this is the best part of the story...one of the Blucymon guys goes up to our buddy, and former bass player, Derek and asks him what he thought of the show. Derek's response, and I quote..."I think it's pretty shitty that you didn't thank the other bands who played with you tonight." Classic.
So now, the Blucymon guys, realizing that they f'ed up, are kissing our asses, apologizing and buying us beers and shots to make up for it. (They really wanted us to party with them down on 16th and Leavenworth too, which was a bit strange.) It wasn't the end of the world, so we were cool about it. The show actually went well...a glorified practice for 12 of our friends and family...which turned into 4 of our friends and family...but we did bust out some new stuff and had a killer setlist...not in terms of songs, in terms of penmenship. Ryan and Connealy decided to make pictorial hyroglyphics for all the songs...so if you can figure out the setlist, then you're a better band member than I.
