Hello Seattle
In less than a week we’re off to Seattle to start recording our 5th CD. We’ll try to post some pictures but mostly it’s a lot of sitting around and waiting which isn’t much to write about or see. Something worth seeing is this video which we stumbled upon. Nicely done!
Show Journal 2008-03-08
Here we are at our third consecutive year of Chaospalooza. The first one we played was pretty fun. The second one was not as much fun as it was very long and somewhat poorly attended. This one was however was a total blast. I’m not sure how they got Agent Orange and MDC on the bill but we are pleasantly surprised when they announced their addition to the lineup. In total there were 12 acts and we arrived during the 3rd band. We might have gotten there earlier but we must have spent a good 20 minutes watching Dave park and re-park in the no parking zone. Frankly I’m just glad the van ran ok. By “ok”, I mean it moves but with a broken turn signal, sketchy brakes and a new addition to the van’s charm which is actual mold around the windows. Nice. We caught a song or two of the Blanx and before we knew it we were on stage. I’m glad it went quickly because we hadn’t played a show in 3 months and I was feeling quite rusty and even a bit nervous. Not much of a reaction from the crowd but no real anger or hostility either. The biggest surprise of the evening was about two songs into our set when I looked over and saw our old drummer Bryan standing beside the stage. Bryan was in the band from our inception up until 1999 and recorded the first two albums with us. For about 60 seconds I was totally energized by seeing Bryan again and promptly got quite a bit more into the show. At about the two minute mark I became self conscious and realized I weigh about 20 more pounds than last time he saw me, I’ve got some gray hair, my guitar is going out of tune and worst off I’m having a hard time playing because we took three months off from shows. Man, I never thought seeing an old friend would cause so much pressure. Despite my mind games we finished off our set strong and loaded into the cold night. We caught a little bit of CLR (because they rock) and then headed off to a bar to catch up with Bryan, Kelvis, Sam and Chris. We reminisced for a bit and headed back over where they were finally 6 bands into the show. After a blistering set by Embrace The Kill, MDC took the stage. They were definitely not what I expected, but this is mainly to the fact that half the set was acoustic. The unplugged aspect was pretty cool though and I never thought I could so sincerely enjoy a song about chickens. Agent Orange was the reason we were stoked and they did not disappoint. We’ve been playing for 13 years. Those guys have been playing twice as long as us and were still energetic, tight as hell and totally entertaining. Most significantly I can finally say I saw “Bloodstains” performed live. After the show we headed back to Disgraceland and rocked some guitar hero until the wee hours of the morning. Pretty fun evening to say the least. Bri and Greg get honorable mentions but main thanks to the one and only Boss man.
Bloodstains, speed kills, fast cars, cheap thrills
So we lied. We actually do have one show between now and the studio and it’s in Seattle on March 8th with Agent Orange and MDC! We’re stoked! Recording is still on for April and May. We’ve been practicing, fine tuning songs and otherwise just trying to remember how this whole preparing to record thing works. Hard to believe it will have been 4 years since ‘Rise Again’. It’s been so long it feels like the first time. On another note, huge props to Broadway Calls on their continued success! It’s always nice when a local band does well, and it’s even better when it’s a band you know and love. They could quite possibly be the next big thing so go see them before they are huge!
Studio time confirmed!
Finally after 3 years of drummer changes, great shows, awful shows, a canceled tour and even childbirth we’re getting serious about making our 5th full length album. Studio time has been booked for April and May of 2008 at Egg Studios in Seattle. Why are we going to Egg again? Becuase we loved the last two albums and something seemed really appealing about making it a trilogy. With mastering and production we’re looking at a late summer release. Anyway, happy holidays to everyone!
Show Journal 2007-12-15
So last night was the feel good show of the year. I kept hearing everyone call it the family reunion all night which seemed pretty accurate. I saw people I hadn’t seen in years last night and I must admit it was pretty fun. The reason for the reunion was a show by The Secludes, who stopped playing back in 2003. I recall first meeting them outside of EJ’s and were impressed because they had played with a bunch of really big bands like Strung Out and I think even Bad Religion. They were always a great live band and totally nice dudes so we were stoked when they asked if we’d play this show. We were up first and I think it was easily the most people we’ve ever played to at the Ash Street. I thought we played well but no one moved, no one really clapped and only a few people even registered a facial expression. No one left though and that is the ultimate sign you are sucking so I guess we were ok. Nothing too spectacular to report from our performance other than Dave’s voice sounding like he had rinsed with some sort of battery acid. The Secludes were up second and I was stoked to see them again. The songs all came back to me as they started them and I can’t even describe it other than to say it was such a good time. Adam is still an amazing drummer and I still wish I could play as well as Jason. It really was the feel good night of the year and whether we had played or not I would have enjoyed it. The last band of the night was Bitchin’ Summer. As much as I love The Secludes I’m pretty sure Bitchin’ Summer is my new favorite Portland band. They were amazing. I don’t even really know how to describe them. They took some rock, some punk, some metal and merged it one amazingly energetic and enticing package. They were seriously awesome live and I will definitely check them out again. Thanks to Heather, Bitchin’ Summer and super huge thanks to The Secludes for asking us to hang out and play this show.
Show Journal 2007-12-14
Wow, what a long night. We started off on the wrong foot with Dave arriving an hour and a half late. Thankfully the van is running again, however the smell that has accumulated during the months of limited use was practically unbearable. At every stop handfuls of trash were extracted. Some loads were in bags and some just fell out on their own. Had a homeless person discovered the van they could had lived for a year off all the cans and bottles. Dustin and I played a five minute round of “find the duke” as we thought for sure there must be feces somewhere in the vehicle. No excrement to be found though. The worst offender was the McFlurry cap and spoon that was stuck to the floor. Another mixed blessing of being in the van was it’s size. On the way to show the winds in the gorge were so strong I honestly thought the van would flip over. We got gas and food in The Dalles. I got a milkshake and corndog because I am disgusting. At this point it also started snowing which would come back to haunt us later. At some point during the drive we sat and listened to ‘The Return’. It was kind of charming hearing it again and thinking back about the record and release of the album and songs. However the moment was short lived as by the 5th song we had decided that making fart noises was the best way to accent the music. It’s hard to believe I am technically an adult when the most humorous part of my day was watching three of my friends make elementary school noises repeatedly. Sadly that flatulent accompaniment continued for well over 30 minutes. Due to Dave lateness we arrived at Ray’s just after 10:00. We were annoyed because we were so late but the first band had just started. They were good for such a young band. The drummer couldn’t have been out of middle school and was rocking a mohawk that would make Rancid envious. Cab was second and sounded pretty good. Dreadful Children was third and holy crap they rocked it. We had seem them once before but they killed it tonight. Serious props and admiration from our end. We were last and started at about 12:45 (remember this was an all ages show). The set was pretty good. Dustin and I liked it, Dave and Justin did not. Dave was just embarrassed because he forgot how to play Radio after practicing it weekly for nearly 8 years. Justin didn’t like it because he preferred the fart noise version we had created in the van mere hours before. In all seriousness the show was a very good time. We left at 2 and made good time until we hit The Dalles. In the course of those few hours the snow had accumulated to a few inches and we had a mildly treacherous drive for about an hour. The last 15 minutes was a freakish downpour and finally by 5:45 we arrived at Justin’s. Longest night ever. Thanks for Dustin and crew, Dreadful Children, Kiah and everyone who chose to stay up late with us!
Last weekend of shows for the year
Tonight a show in Richland and tomorrow the Ash Street. Two of our favorite places to play all in one weekend. Ray’s should be rad because it’s Ray’s and Ray’s is always good. The Ash Street will be cool because it’s a reunion show for The Secludes which is one of our favorite Portland bands ever. We play first at that one so please show up early. In the meantime this has been amusing us, as well as this.
Show Journal 2007-12-07
Lots of surprises tonight. First was the start time and lineup. The web site said music at 11 and all we knew was that Drawback was the only other band playing. We show up to load in and there is already another band on stage setting up and ready to play. Waiting in the wings are The Royal Tees who are up second. So in a few minutes this went from a late two band bill to an early four band bill with one of our friend’s band opening. After unloading Dave and I went to park the van. If you’ve been to NW Portland on a weekend you know this is pretty much impossible. We drove around so long and parked so far away that when we returned the first band was on their last song. Never even caught their name either. The Tees took forever and a day to get setup. Not because they are slow but because the first band took forever (I hear it was their first show ever?) but more significantly there was no sound person or microphones. Turns out the first band were the only ones who had mics and stands. Fortunately they were nice enough to let the other bands share their equipment. Had they said no, we were fully prepared to “fix the glitch” and just go home. The Tees played well (as they always do) and ironically the PA sounded great thanks to the knob turning skills of the first band. Drawback was up third and they were damn entertaining. Don’t know if they’ll care for this comparison but they reminded me of a more technical Lawrence Arms. Fun to watch for sure and I definitely wouldn’t mind playing with them again. We started last (after midnight) and I guess it was ok. We played pretty well but there was lots of sitting. It’s hard to rock for people planted into their chairs. Eventually some friends of Drawback got up and got sort of rowdy almost knocking out Dave’s teeth at one point. Props to Jeff for checking out the show and forcing us to play ‘Still The Same’ for the first time in well over two years. We’d like to wish him luck in his move to Chi-town. Thanks to Drawback for hooking up the show, The Tees for being a pleasant surprise to our evening and the few friends that showed up and hung out.
Show Journal 2007-11-23
We arrived a little after 9 via pickup trick as the van is still dead. Watched the Peabodys, setup, played and were loaded out before 11. Dateless played last and the whole thing was wrapped up by midnight. I like late nights, but at the same time I also love a quick and timely show. The Peabodys were good and it amazingly was our first time seeing them despite having Dave’s roommate on bass. Our set was pretty good. It got a little rowdy there for a bit and I felt like a fight was going to break for a song or two. Cooler heads prevailed and thankfully there was no such incident. Dave said it best when he proclaimed “I don’t care if you fight or not, just don’t do it in front of my teeth.” My man gets enough microphones to the mouth when people are having a good time, an angry one would be far worse. It was all good and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Dateless was up third and despite listening from the back of the room they sounded pretty damn good. Kind of bubble gum pop punk, but a little too fast and a pretty raw. Very cool. Thanks to Eric and Jill for setting up the show. If you haven’t checked out their zine yet (called ‘Scene Not Herd’) it’s worth a look and listen.
No thanks to giving thanks
For those who don’t over eat this week or just want to escape family activities we’ll be playing a post-Thanksgiving show in Longview this Friday. It’s to support the Scene Not Herd ‘zine, but it can also be considered your excuse to drink your holiday blues away in a seedy bar filled with loud music.
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