So it's been a while since this has been updated. Our summer tour ended a few days prematurely with Marty on the lam from John Law. After getting home, we decided to recharge our batteries, as we spent pretty much 95% of the first half of 2010 writing, recording, and releasing music, not to mention being on tour for a full month and a half.
Since the summer our relationship with Sis has soured, and like all good break-ups, this one seems to be taking a good few months to finally coalesce. Not to fear, though, because standing in the shadows of previous Silent Way full band lineups comes...(drumroll please), the new rhythm section. Featuring New Brunswick all stars like:
Phil. Phil is famous for his work with New Brunswick's own Slaw and his groundbreaking work in the Rutgers Computer Labs. Phil is a dude who plays bass who would, in continuing Silent Way tradition, never consider himself a bassist. Welcome aboard Phil!
We also have Eric from Brick Mower fame joining us behind the kit for a notable conflict of interest. Eric already spends the majority of his free time in the Silent Way basement as he uses it as a meth-lab disguised as a practice space for some of his Halloween cover bands. We've told Eric that we will take his drumming in lieu of rent money, and he has agreed to sit in.
Since getting back from tour in May, we've played one New Brunswick show, and we have two lined up in November:
November 11:
Silent Way
Neon Blud (Tampa)
Pollution (NYC)
Kicking Spit
November 19:
Radio Exiles (Record Release)
Libyans (Boston)
Silent Way
Big Eyes
With Eric and Phil, we will be writing and recording a new set of about a dozen and a half songs. Some will be on an LP, and the rest will probably find their way on to a split or two we are hopefully going to be able to put out in the first half of next year.
We are excited to be working on new stuff. Hope you enjoy!
-Drucker
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
End of the Line...
Tuesday June 8, Houston. Sticky Little Flowers.
A few days rest seems to pay off as Rob and I are able to work out some material and recharge our batteries (literally). Make our way to Walther's on Washington and meet up with a rather friendly sound guy. I guess we're going on first so we get to load in, set up, and sound check before we split for dinner.
The current plan of staying well fed and not miserably hungry for most of the day seems to be working wonders. Back at the club we meet up with Dave and Frank of PLF and the SFN crew. Rob's friend Megs, who we are staying with that night, also shows up shortly thereafter.
Rob and I also learn a lesson from a new local that you should never have a benefit show thrown for you if you only have an inoperable spinal-tumor. Apparently, his friends in DC weren't too pleased to find out that this wasn't killing him. And I always thought that DC was an anti-tumor town. Live and learn.
We played pretty well and traded some tapes and records. I unexpectedly got my foot stomped on by the only person in the circle pit during the second band's set. PLF played a great set as well as SFN. The show ends and we say goodbye to PLF and SFN. Back at Megs' home, we fall asleep to the Bill Pullman/ Madonna classic, A League of Their Own.
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Wednesday June 9th, Houston. Last Day off, hopefully.
Get up early because Megs couldn't get time off to hang out. Shortly after leaving, the van is pulled over for "someone calling in a suspicious vehicle." In all fairness to the police and concerned citizens, the van was wearing a black and white striped shirt and a little robbers mask.
Rob and I hop around a few record shops as well as an instrument shop to see if we can get one of the drum-machine amps fixed/replaced--turns out we can't. We pick up some groceries for dinner at a few local stores before heading back to Cypress Creek. Go swimming. Eat dinner. Watch the Blackhawks win the Stanley cup. Go to sleep.
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Thursday June 10th, Little Rock. Good Cat to Train-Hopper Ratios.
Wake up. Send off from the Ciriglianos. Lots of driving.
Arrive in Little Rock and are greeted by Baby Huey and Tara. I make time to play with the house cat while we do the awkward how long were you in prison/ what did you study in college introductions. Wait around a little bit before load in. Bit of a small room but we play pretty well and a few people take notice.
Odd thing about the turnout, a lot of train hoppers. I really wasn't aware that Little Rock was a hotbed of hobo-culture . Also, we were in attendance for Baby Huey's wedding to (should have taken better notes). No champagne but there was Mountain Dew. Sadly, I tied the tin cans to the wrong train--how embarrassing.
Outstanding local, Dan, was kind enough to feed and house us for the evening. I'm still kicking myself for not taking home one of his adorable kittens--but I wasn't sure how or if a kitten would be able to survive a week on tour with us. I'm starting to wonder how I've made it this far.
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Friday 6/11 Birmingham. It's a lot like the last town except there's a lot bugs instead of cats.
A few days rest seems to pay off as Rob and I are able to work out some material and recharge our batteries (literally). Make our way to Walther's on Washington and meet up with a rather friendly sound guy. I guess we're going on first so we get to load in, set up, and sound check before we split for dinner.
The current plan of staying well fed and not miserably hungry for most of the day seems to be working wonders. Back at the club we meet up with Dave and Frank of PLF and the SFN crew. Rob's friend Megs, who we are staying with that night, also shows up shortly thereafter.
Rob and I also learn a lesson from a new local that you should never have a benefit show thrown for you if you only have an inoperable spinal-tumor. Apparently, his friends in DC weren't too pleased to find out that this wasn't killing him. And I always thought that DC was an anti-tumor town. Live and learn.
We played pretty well and traded some tapes and records. I unexpectedly got my foot stomped on by the only person in the circle pit during the second band's set. PLF played a great set as well as SFN. The show ends and we say goodbye to PLF and SFN. Back at Megs' home, we fall asleep to the Bill Pullman/ Madonna classic, A League of Their Own.
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Wednesday June 9th, Houston. Last Day off, hopefully.
Get up early because Megs couldn't get time off to hang out. Shortly after leaving, the van is pulled over for "someone calling in a suspicious vehicle." In all fairness to the police and concerned citizens, the van was wearing a black and white striped shirt and a little robbers mask.
Rob and I hop around a few record shops as well as an instrument shop to see if we can get one of the drum-machine amps fixed/replaced--turns out we can't. We pick up some groceries for dinner at a few local stores before heading back to Cypress Creek. Go swimming. Eat dinner. Watch the Blackhawks win the Stanley cup. Go to sleep.
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Thursday June 10th, Little Rock. Good Cat to Train-Hopper Ratios.
Wake up. Send off from the Ciriglianos. Lots of driving.
Arrive in Little Rock and are greeted by Baby Huey and Tara. I make time to play with the house cat while we do the awkward how long were you in prison/ what did you study in college introductions. Wait around a little bit before load in. Bit of a small room but we play pretty well and a few people take notice.
Odd thing about the turnout, a lot of train hoppers. I really wasn't aware that Little Rock was a hotbed of hobo-culture . Also, we were in attendance for Baby Huey's wedding to (should have taken better notes). No champagne but there was Mountain Dew. Sadly, I tied the tin cans to the wrong train--how embarrassing.
Outstanding local, Dan, was kind enough to feed and house us for the evening. I'm still kicking myself for not taking home one of his adorable kittens--but I wasn't sure how or if a kitten would be able to survive a week on tour with us. I'm starting to wonder how I've made it this far.
_____________________________
Friday 6/11 Birmingham. It's a lot like the last town except there's a lot bugs instead of cats.
Wake up refreshed. Start the day off with a stack of pancakes and hash-browns followed by some more wholesome kitty attention. Dan takes me on a scenic tour of downtown Lil Rock before Rob and I head off.
Long drive to Birmingham. After finding the venue Rob and I head off in search of dinner. We end up settling on a hamburger joint named the Purple Onion. My order is screwed up but I take a "roll with it" approach and enjoy my meal the same. I think I overhear someone order a burger with no onion--I, too, let this slide.
Show gets off to a slow start but we eventually go on followed by us not playing. Kind of a diverse bill--metal, us, instrumental indie, and pop-punk. Whatever. The venue we played in used to be a fire-station. I feel there was a missed opportunity by not having a fire-pole for bands to use to get to the stage--it would have been a nice chance to rekindle my past dreams of the career I wanted before settling on this rock and roll lifestyle--being a Ghostbuster.
Post show we take off for Tampa. Long drive ahead. Sleep eventually found near Florida border.
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Saturday June 12th. Tampa. BIRTHDAY! Wrong Tour.
We want to get to Tampa at a decent hour so we get up early and drive quickly. Roll up to Carson's house where we're met with a hot meal and large grasshoppers. Feels like home. We mix with the good folks of Slavescene/Neon Blud/ and MLU before heading over to the show.
Storage space show where we headline. Tomorrow also happens to be Carson's birthday so a nice party atmosphere seeps into the crowd. Rob capitalizes on this by busting out the pinata he bought in Chicago--he ends on breaking it and his guitar during Feel the Same. Also, injures Carson's foot in the process. We end the night with Exhibition and head back to the house to continue celebrating.
I fall asleep after the late night to the sound of Rob watching classic Simpsons episodes too loudly.
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Sunday June 13th. Orlando. Don't stand so close to me or play that song.
Sunday June 13th. Orlando. Don't stand so close to me or play that song.
Wake up to Carson's birthday breakfast plans: Cuban Cafeteria. Been a while since I had fried plantains and yucca. We're able to spend time having fun at the ocean until the beach-cops show up. Time to go. Thanks Zack.
Say goodbye to everyone and take off for Orlando. Told to be there around 7. Get there around 7 and wait for three hours until things get going. To pass time Rob and I grab dinner and do some shopping. I pick up a new pair of sunglasses as the ones I had were accidentally left behind at the beach after having to make a hasty exit. Thanks Zack.
Local cool guy, Mark, from the Teenaged Softies, helped us get on the show and it was nice of him to come out in spite of having the flu. We are informed that we're playing first so we set up in front of the band that was supposed to play first--putting us very close to being in the middle of a small bar-room. We sound check and play all the while getting hassled by a rather drunk local. Don't know why the bar let his stay around since he'd been bothering a lot of people there. Whatever. He eventually gets (literally) thrown out. Thanks Zack.
SFN shows up to play and we're later informed that their band fund had been robbed a few days ago. Sucks to hear how a good tour can turn into a liability at a certain point. The show ends and we say our good-byes to Mark and the SFN crew who we were grateful to see again. Best wishes to all of them.
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Monday June 14th. Atlanta. East meets West.
Getting a bit of a late start on the way to Atlanta due to me accidentally locking us out of the bathroom with some of Rob's stuff still in there. Lots of driving but we make our way there with time to kill.
Stop off at a record store where some kid tried to convince us to come to the show we were playing. Joke's on him. Next stop was another record store where the two clerks were discussing how annoying it is to have Fred Schneider as a customer--I cannot imagine the nerve of that guy to think he can go to the same shop twice in the same year! The other inane conversation the folks behind the counter had was about how great Alton Brown is and how great it would be to work for him. No arguments there.
Show up to the WonderRoot and find out that the show had been double booked! I guess there were going to be two competing ska shows in town that night and that shouldn't happen so they were combined. Luckily Dave was there to keep us company while we waited for the madness to stop. We go on and play our two songs, take our cut of the door, and leave to finally eat.
Shop the local Kroeger and cook dinner and chocolate chip cookies back at Dave's place. I fall asleep, upright, while watching the Monks documentary, Transatlantic Feedback.
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Tuesday June 15th. Nashville. or as I call it: the Love-nasium.
I get up unreasonably early, possibly due to falling asleep in a chair, and mill about waiting for Rob and Dave to get up. Rob and I hit up a Trader Joe's before making the drive to Nashville.
We arrive mid-day and start looking for and through record stores. I'm not as keen on shopping in music stores as Rob is so I spend a good time analyzing the lyrics of a song overheard on the house PA. "If women ruled the Earth, there would be no more wars..." Still doesn't explain Bride Wars.
After lunch we make our way to Jesse's house. I play with the house cat while Rob makes phone calls. We then mill about a bit before heading out in search of dinner. Before dinner we hit up another record store that had just been flooded. There was a lot of damage to the vinyl selection; luckily, the pornography section survived. A used media superstore was next where I picked up a couple books and old Nintendo cartridges. I can't remember if NHL'95 was one of the good ones or not but I figured it was worth the $.25 to find out--also, could make a good coaster if it isn't.
Dinner at Cinco de Mayo just because we could and then back to Jesse's house. Two stage set up with us in the basement and another band upstairs--not playing at the same time--just to save time between sets. Load in and play second with Jesse joining us on second guitar for our cover of Big Black's Passing Complexion to close the set. Haven't done that one since winter tour but it seemed to go over pretty well with the crowd.
I duck out to the van for a few minutes and end up falling asleep. Rob wakes me up around 1am and I attempt to fall asleep on the couch. Not enough wine to sleep comfortably in a sticky, hot noisy living room.
_____________________________
Wednesday June 16. North Carolina and the states that come after.
Wake up and drive. I get a phone call detailing some bad news. Rob and I decide to cancel the last two shows and make our way to New Brunswick that night. Ending on a high-note in Nashville seems like the right thing to do as the next two shows weren't going to be attended by our friends and our very last show ended up not having a venue. Can't win 'em all. Gotta catch 'em all.
Thanks to everyone that was able to make this happen and made it worthwhile. It was exhausting but still very rewarding. I think we're going to hold off touring until next summer as we have a lot of songs to work on and want to focus more on that now.
Final Countdowns
Cats played with - 11
Toilets clogged - 1
Sunglasses - 5
Nosebleeds - 0
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tornado Alley in June.
Wednesday. June 2nd. Iowa City. Mo merch. Mo problems.
Get a jump on the day by leaving De Kalb with Burritoville in our bellies. Lots of driving. Lots of toll booths. Arrive in Iowa City and take up a table at a local coffee house.
Rob informs me that our shows in Austin and New Orleans aren't happening. Bummer. Was looking to get some good BBQ on our way to Austin--and isn't that really what all this is about?
Get to PS1 around 8. Cool basement venue formerly owned by the university then donated to locals. We wait around after load in and pass the time playing E.R.S. One band we were on the bill with seemed to have a lot of merch--variety of tee shirts, shorts, hooded sweaters, patches, etc--they even brought their own merch guy. Only thing I didn't see for sale was music. I guess they know what they're doing.
We go on second and play to a few folks. Most of whom ended up being on the bill as the rather talented These Needles--whom we end up spending the night hanging out with and crashing at their house. One of the members of Animal Mothers eats a can of olives instead of the food Rob cooked. I try to keep a good mood by playing with the house cat before turning in for the night.
_______________________________
Thursday. June 3rd. Liberty MO. How old am I? old enough to have to ask.
Geddupngo. Lots of driving to do. We end up passing a sign for a "modern" rest area and decide that we'll stop there to stretch our legs/ internet fingers. I hope the sign is "not twenty years old." Modern ends up meaning spotty WiFi and vending machines so we waste an hour or so off the highway.
Our host informs us that some local highways are closed due to construction. Luckily, this doesn't affect us too much and we make it to Liberty with time to spend (at a Panera Bread Co.).
Well fed, we arrive at the Venus Flytrap and are greeted by our host, Deto. Things get started by high-school aged band Trainbow. It's always fun seeing young bands because they're usually made up of kids of different tastes and musical ability and reasons for playing music. There always seems to be at least one member that looks like they'd rather not be in a band at all. They played their fun songs that don't drag out forever, not that I'm complaining.
We follow and play alright as people seem enthused to give us money, and in one instance, a guitar cable, for tapes and records. Jabber Josh played after us and the show was closed out by an acoustic set by a local song-smith (should've taken better notes). After a dinner of hot dogs, we take a bunch of the locals down to the store for cup-cakes as none of them are old enough to drink with us--or vote.
Rob and I don't want to get in trouble with any of their parents so we get to bed at 11PM sharp.
_______________________________
Friday. June 4th. Norman OK. Thanks to all the (box) fan that came out to see us.
Traditional Silent Way breakfast of pasta and peppers to start off the day before heading to Oklahoma. We get to town and are let into the house we're staying at and shown our bed. The house smells of spices--possibly Worcestershire.
House show at the Avery House where we show up and meet Avery. We find out we're the only band on bill before the promoter leaves for work. I don't remember the name of the other band that was supposed to play with us but it was some type of dinosaur thus I will boycott all future dinosaur-named bands until I remember the specific name of the band or forget the boycott. (Drucker Edit: Steogsaur, from Austin)
We play to no fanfare and leave. Spirits are lowered when we get news of another canceled show. Poorly run shows as well as low turnout have us talking of turning around and heading back to NJ. We could make it back to see The Wankys in New Brunswick if we left in the morning.
_______________________________
Saturday. June 5th. Fort Worth TX. Chicken fried unemployment form.
We decide to soldier on for no apparent reason--which is pretty rock and roll if you ask me. We make it to Fort Worth and meet up with local awesome guy, Rick, at his place of employment where we enjoy some local vegan foods (citation given) and beer. Rick gives us a key to his place and we spend the rest of the afternoon watching Simpsons tapes and napping.
Head over to 1919 and load in. Rob and I run to the local convenience store for nourishment--candy and "throwback" Pepsi. We go on second. Third billing was all around great one man act, Smile Full of Ale, who we were supposed to play with last year--but due to his good nature, helped us onto another bill and gave us a drum-kit instead.
The show ends and Rob and I head out to a local diner for some chicken fried whatever. Our waitress was, sadly, a northerner who seemed none too interested in faking southern hospitality--or getting us silverware--or the Texas toast we ordered.
We retire back to Rick's house and watch classic episodes of Futurama. I fall asleep in the jet stream of the air conditioner.
_______________________________
Sun/Monday June 6/7rd. Houston. Days off still get no fancy title.
Woken up by Rick's cat's meow. I think we watched more Matt Groening cartoons before leaving for Cypress. Good byes said, on the road. Thanks again to Rick for keeping our spirits up.
We almost make it to our destination before our trusted van has troubles. We had already scheduled an oil change at a local auto-chain and they're more than happy to fix whatever was wrong with the van--because that's how they make money.
Rob and I spend two days resting up, writing new songs at the Cirigliano homestead. Van is fixed and well fed. Not too much else to tell now but, hopefully, the worst is behind us. Stay tuned to see how wrong that last sentence is.
Get a jump on the day by leaving De Kalb with Burritoville in our bellies. Lots of driving. Lots of toll booths. Arrive in Iowa City and take up a table at a local coffee house.
Rob informs me that our shows in Austin and New Orleans aren't happening. Bummer. Was looking to get some good BBQ on our way to Austin--and isn't that really what all this is about?
Get to PS1 around 8. Cool basement venue formerly owned by the university then donated to locals. We wait around after load in and pass the time playing E.R.S. One band we were on the bill with seemed to have a lot of merch--variety of tee shirts, shorts, hooded sweaters, patches, etc--they even brought their own merch guy. Only thing I didn't see for sale was music. I guess they know what they're doing.
We go on second and play to a few folks. Most of whom ended up being on the bill as the rather talented These Needles--whom we end up spending the night hanging out with and crashing at their house. One of the members of Animal Mothers eats a can of olives instead of the food Rob cooked. I try to keep a good mood by playing with the house cat before turning in for the night.
_______________________________
Thursday. June 3rd. Liberty MO. How old am I? old enough to have to ask.
Geddupngo. Lots of driving to do. We end up passing a sign for a "modern" rest area and decide that we'll stop there to stretch our legs/ internet fingers. I hope the sign is "not twenty years old." Modern ends up meaning spotty WiFi and vending machines so we waste an hour or so off the highway.
Our host informs us that some local highways are closed due to construction. Luckily, this doesn't affect us too much and we make it to Liberty with time to spend (at a Panera Bread Co.).
Well fed, we arrive at the Venus Flytrap and are greeted by our host, Deto. Things get started by high-school aged band Trainbow. It's always fun seeing young bands because they're usually made up of kids of different tastes and musical ability and reasons for playing music. There always seems to be at least one member that looks like they'd rather not be in a band at all. They played their fun songs that don't drag out forever, not that I'm complaining.
We follow and play alright as people seem enthused to give us money, and in one instance, a guitar cable, for tapes and records. Jabber Josh played after us and the show was closed out by an acoustic set by a local song-smith (should've taken better notes). After a dinner of hot dogs, we take a bunch of the locals down to the store for cup-cakes as none of them are old enough to drink with us--or vote.
Rob and I don't want to get in trouble with any of their parents so we get to bed at 11PM sharp.
_______________________________
Friday. June 4th. Norman OK. Thanks to all the (box) fan that came out to see us.
Traditional Silent Way breakfast of pasta and peppers to start off the day before heading to Oklahoma. We get to town and are let into the house we're staying at and shown our bed. The house smells of spices--possibly Worcestershire.
House show at the Avery House where we show up and meet Avery. We find out we're the only band on bill before the promoter leaves for work. I don't remember the name of the other band that was supposed to play with us but it was some type of dinosaur thus I will boycott all future dinosaur-named bands until I remember the specific name of the band or forget the boycott. (Drucker Edit: Steogsaur, from Austin)
We play to no fanfare and leave. Spirits are lowered when we get news of another canceled show. Poorly run shows as well as low turnout have us talking of turning around and heading back to NJ. We could make it back to see The Wankys in New Brunswick if we left in the morning.
_______________________________
Saturday. June 5th. Fort Worth TX. Chicken fried unemployment form.
We decide to soldier on for no apparent reason--which is pretty rock and roll if you ask me. We make it to Fort Worth and meet up with local awesome guy, Rick, at his place of employment where we enjoy some local vegan foods (citation given) and beer. Rick gives us a key to his place and we spend the rest of the afternoon watching Simpsons tapes and napping.
Head over to 1919 and load in. Rob and I run to the local convenience store for nourishment--candy and "throwback" Pepsi. We go on second. Third billing was all around great one man act, Smile Full of Ale, who we were supposed to play with last year--but due to his good nature, helped us onto another bill and gave us a drum-kit instead.
The show ends and Rob and I head out to a local diner for some chicken fried whatever. Our waitress was, sadly, a northerner who seemed none too interested in faking southern hospitality--or getting us silverware--or the Texas toast we ordered.
We retire back to Rick's house and watch classic episodes of Futurama. I fall asleep in the jet stream of the air conditioner.
_______________________________
Sun/Monday June 6/7rd. Houston. Days off still get no fancy title.
Woken up by Rick's cat's meow. I think we watched more Matt Groening cartoons before leaving for Cypress. Good byes said, on the road. Thanks again to Rick for keeping our spirits up.
We almost make it to our destination before our trusted van has troubles. We had already scheduled an oil change at a local auto-chain and they're more than happy to fix whatever was wrong with the van--because that's how they make money.
Rob and I spend two days resting up, writing new songs at the Cirigliano homestead. Van is fixed and well fed. Not too much else to tell now but, hopefully, the worst is behind us. Stay tuned to see how wrong that last sentence is.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Something like that...
Saturday, May 29. Chicago. Don't call it that.
Wake up with plenty of time to waste today as our base of operations is only forty-five minutes away from the venue. Rob needs new shoes so we head into the city for some shopping. Dre, our liaison, accompanies us.
If you've never shopped with Rob before, you really aught to give it a shot as it's rather entertaining. I find myself saying very motherly things like "how do they feel? Is there enough room at the toe? Walk around and see how you like them. We'll get ice-cream later if you behave."
Shoe shopping ends and I can't find the van, mostly because I was looking on the wrong street. The right street is eventually found and the van is right where I didn't remember leaving it. We head back to the venue and play the waiting game by Parker Bros (or was it Milton Bradley?).
Not a great turn-out at the venue (possibly due to the first game of the Stanley Cup play-offs happening in town that night) but people seemed to be having a nice time. Friendly folk Mike, Abby, and Simone also made for pleasant conversation throughout the night.
We go on late-ish and admirably perform Feel the Same followed by Exhibition. Those there seemed to enjoy it. I think we might have even gotten rid of some pre-recorded material that's all the rage.. with the youth... and what not. I was later fed a free Vegan Tuna-Fish sandwich. I'm not vegan nor into tuna-fish sandwiches (i do enjoy tuna, just not mayo) but since neither of those things would come into play, I gave it a shot. Ugh. Maybe what it's made of doesn't matter and I just don't like anything called tuna-fish sandwich.
We retire after after the last band plays and rest up for our show in Milwaukee.
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Sunday. May 30th. Milwaukee. 2 Grape 2 Drank.
Spend the early part of the day watching cable TV, Adult Swim "ON DEMAND" to be more specific, before heading north to Wisconsin. I hadn't been to Milwaukee in a few years. Looks/ smells pretty much the same.
Jason and Eric welcome us to the city with a hot grill and cold Hamm's. Sometime during the meal, fellow bill mates and all around swell New Brunswickians, Big Eyes showed up. Rob, John, and I head out in search of more beer shortly, thereafter.
Along with another case of Hamm's, I snag a bag of Kruncher's potato chips. Bummed that there was a lot of shelf space dedicated to Jay's Pork Skins and not Jay's BBQ chips. I guess I'll have to get some of those before leaving the mid-west. We return to the house and meet up with the good folks of Milwaukee's own Ifihadahifi.
Rob, in his recent travels to the Canadian continent, heard that the Ifihadahifi were "uptight" and "act like they're better than everyone else." I really cannot express how silly that seems after meeting them. They even took my accidentally left-handed sounding compliment of "adult punk-rock" as the genuine compliment that I intended it to be.
We play third. I mistakenly thought it was a good idea to change my strings right before the set. Opened with Communique and then finished off with Feel the Same, the extended, continuous-tuning version. I ended up breaking the sunglasses Rob found in Canada that I'd been wearing. 0% UV protection awaits my eyes. I drink a bit too much and duck out of the house after Big Eyes plays to collect my spinning head.
I can't stress how fun this show was; all great people, music, and times--Thanks Milwaukee.
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Monday May 31st. Does a day off get a clever title? no.
Woke up in Milwaukee at 6AM due to rather loud thunder (not the English hard rock band) but was able to fall back asleep for a few hours more. I got to play with the cats of the house before heading back to Chicago. We then lost another beer from Grand Rapids to Jason for being an all-around nice guy.
We get back to Chicago at a decent time and are able to get some supplies for the next stretch of tour--including a surprise that Rob picked up that will go unmentioned as to not ruin it for anyone reading this (ha) that will be at the future show the surprise makes its appearance (ha).
We visit my high-school friend Jon and his wife and baby before packing it in for the evening. Good night.
_______________________________
Tuesday June 1st. DeKalb. 7th Street Space is the Place.
Good-byes are said and we make our way out to DeKalb, IL. First stop off in DeKalb is Burritoville followed by a trip to the liquor store where Rob picks up Canadian beer and three packages of expired candy--two things that I really wish to have no part off tonight.
We waste a bit time shopping, hoping we can pick up a cheap copy of the Metalica documentary, Some Kind of Monster. No such luck. We end up getting a headphone adaptor, a sociology book, and The Usual Suspects on DVD. Rob also snagged the latest issue of MaximumRocknRoll for their interview with Lotus Fucker's Kamikazi Dan. I can't say enough great things about Dan, who has helped us out tremendously as well as been just about the best friend any person could ask for. Best wishes for him, always.
We load into the Space and things start around 9:30. Mike and Sam were a great duo to watch followed by (names escape me) a one man drone act. Rob and I go decidedly short set in the interest of time and play for only 10 minutes. I thought it went over exceptionally well but once the show ended, people said they wished we had played longer. I like our short set. I'm a fan of quitting whilst ahead--and other kinds of quitting too. Also this gives us the opportunity to awkwardly push merch--which we failed at. Rob gets us on a bill tomorrow in Iowa City so that takes the pressure of trying to figure out where we're going tomorrow off our shoulders.
Overall fun show where we got to see friendly faces and meet new and interesting people. Thanks to Ryan, Mike, Mike, Sam, Lindsey for all the fun had.
Wake up with plenty of time to waste today as our base of operations is only forty-five minutes away from the venue. Rob needs new shoes so we head into the city for some shopping. Dre, our liaison, accompanies us.
If you've never shopped with Rob before, you really aught to give it a shot as it's rather entertaining. I find myself saying very motherly things like "how do they feel? Is there enough room at the toe? Walk around and see how you like them. We'll get ice-cream later if you behave."
Shoe shopping ends and I can't find the van, mostly because I was looking on the wrong street. The right street is eventually found and the van is right where I didn't remember leaving it. We head back to the venue and play the waiting game by Parker Bros (or was it Milton Bradley?).
Not a great turn-out at the venue (possibly due to the first game of the Stanley Cup play-offs happening in town that night) but people seemed to be having a nice time. Friendly folk Mike, Abby, and Simone also made for pleasant conversation throughout the night.
We go on late-ish and admirably perform Feel the Same followed by Exhibition. Those there seemed to enjoy it. I think we might have even gotten rid of some pre-recorded material that's all the rage.. with the youth... and what not. I was later fed a free Vegan Tuna-Fish sandwich. I'm not vegan nor into tuna-fish sandwiches (i do enjoy tuna, just not mayo) but since neither of those things would come into play, I gave it a shot. Ugh. Maybe what it's made of doesn't matter and I just don't like anything called tuna-fish sandwich.
We retire after after the last band plays and rest up for our show in Milwaukee.
_______________________________
Sunday. May 30th. Milwaukee. 2 Grape 2 Drank.
Spend the early part of the day watching cable TV, Adult Swim "ON DEMAND" to be more specific, before heading north to Wisconsin. I hadn't been to Milwaukee in a few years. Looks/ smells pretty much the same.
Jason and Eric welcome us to the city with a hot grill and cold Hamm's. Sometime during the meal, fellow bill mates and all around swell New Brunswickians, Big Eyes showed up. Rob, John, and I head out in search of more beer shortly, thereafter.
Along with another case of Hamm's, I snag a bag of Kruncher's potato chips. Bummed that there was a lot of shelf space dedicated to Jay's Pork Skins and not Jay's BBQ chips. I guess I'll have to get some of those before leaving the mid-west. We return to the house and meet up with the good folks of Milwaukee's own Ifihadahifi.
Rob, in his recent travels to the Canadian continent, heard that the Ifihadahifi were "uptight" and "act like they're better than everyone else." I really cannot express how silly that seems after meeting them. They even took my accidentally left-handed sounding compliment of "adult punk-rock" as the genuine compliment that I intended it to be.
We play third. I mistakenly thought it was a good idea to change my strings right before the set. Opened with Communique and then finished off with Feel the Same, the extended, continuous-tuning version. I ended up breaking the sunglasses Rob found in Canada that I'd been wearing. 0% UV protection awaits my eyes. I drink a bit too much and duck out of the house after Big Eyes plays to collect my spinning head.
I can't stress how fun this show was; all great people, music, and times--Thanks Milwaukee.
_______________________________
Monday May 31st. Does a day off get a clever title? no.
Woke up in Milwaukee at 6AM due to rather loud thunder (not the English hard rock band) but was able to fall back asleep for a few hours more. I got to play with the cats of the house before heading back to Chicago. We then lost another beer from Grand Rapids to Jason for being an all-around nice guy.
We get back to Chicago at a decent time and are able to get some supplies for the next stretch of tour--including a surprise that Rob picked up that will go unmentioned as to not ruin it for anyone reading this (ha) that will be at the future show the surprise makes its appearance (ha).
We visit my high-school friend Jon and his wife and baby before packing it in for the evening. Good night.
_______________________________
Tuesday June 1st. DeKalb. 7th Street Space is the Place.
Good-byes are said and we make our way out to DeKalb, IL. First stop off in DeKalb is Burritoville followed by a trip to the liquor store where Rob picks up Canadian beer and three packages of expired candy--two things that I really wish to have no part off tonight.
We waste a bit time shopping, hoping we can pick up a cheap copy of the Metalica documentary, Some Kind of Monster. No such luck. We end up getting a headphone adaptor, a sociology book, and The Usual Suspects on DVD. Rob also snagged the latest issue of MaximumRocknRoll for their interview with Lotus Fucker's Kamikazi Dan. I can't say enough great things about Dan, who has helped us out tremendously as well as been just about the best friend any person could ask for. Best wishes for him, always.
We load into the Space and things start around 9:30. Mike and Sam were a great duo to watch followed by (names escape me) a one man drone act. Rob and I go decidedly short set in the interest of time and play for only 10 minutes. I thought it went over exceptionally well but once the show ended, people said they wished we had played longer. I like our short set. I'm a fan of quitting whilst ahead--and other kinds of quitting too. Also this gives us the opportunity to awkwardly push merch--which we failed at. Rob gets us on a bill tomorrow in Iowa City so that takes the pressure of trying to figure out where we're going tomorrow off our shoulders.
Overall fun show where we got to see friendly faces and meet new and interesting people. Thanks to Ryan, Mike, Mike, Sam, Lindsey for all the fun had.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Are you sure it's cool?
As predicted, no daily update to the tour diary. I have been taking notes but internet access has been a bit more limited than I anticipated so I'm making use when I can. On with the anecdotes.
_______________________________
Wednesday, May 26. Buffalo. Another drive, another sound-person.
Left late due to a misplaced iPod. Couldn't find it so CJ lent us his, thus earning a thank-you in our next batch of those liner-notes the kids can't seem to get enough of. I try not to stay in a bad mood for too long.
We get to the venue in time and are informed by Cam that he and his friends have already been booted from the club for not being born soon enough. Doesn't bother me--I only want to play to people who are there for drinking. Another highlight of this bar was that the night was triple booked! Hardcore, funk, and cover-band enthusiasts rejoice, you have found your home.
While other acts were performing, Rob and I ducked outside to mingle with the fine people of Buffalo. While names escape me at the moment (should have taken better notes), we met a lovely (and smart) lesbian couple who had just moved in together. My inching towards the U-Haul joke was quickly spotted when I asked how long they had been together--a year and a half. Astrology became the topic de jour so I kept my words to a minimum.
After a quick jaunt down to the liquor store to buy candy (seriously), we were approached by a gentleman in a straw cowboy hat attempting to distribute anti-immigration literature. Things took a turn when the esteemed salesman threatened to fight me after I disagreed with him about what color most rapists and murders are. Things settled quickly when the clubs security staff figured out that the inebriated cowboy distributing racist literature and claiming to have gotten in 3 gun fights might be the one causing trouble and NOT the guy talking about Zodiac signs and eating English toffee. My calm behavior was rewarded with a hug from a girl that didn't like Rob's sign.
The School Jerks played well and we then took the floor to perform. We only played one song --the sound guy seemed to enjoy it, though. We loaded out and hung out with Brandon and a few locals before hitting up a Wegman's--who won't sell beer past 3Am. Rob and I are attempting to sample local beers so a day one setback hurt a bit. We retire to Brandon's home, formally a funeral home, and get some rest. My transformation to Danzig is really taking shape.
_______________________________
Thursday May 27, Cincinnati. More drive, more smell.
Woke up and found my iPod in my toiletries bag. Talk about starting the day off on high note--clean teeth and classic episodes of Car Talk await. Brandon sees us off and we make our way to Ohio.
A trip to a rest area for a quick break provides us Silent Waiers another opportunity to get some snacks from a vending machine. Rob goes with an ice-cream bar while I choose what I thought were M&M Crispies. Much to my surprise, they turned out to be some sort of pretzel M&M's. I'm try not to make a big deal out of the fact that these pretzel M&M's packaging is the exact same color as the M&M Crispies packaging. I was also surprised a day later when the familiar yellow package of what I thought were M&M Peanut turned out to be M&M Rye.
I wasn't going to bring it up now but I also bought M&M's from a vending machine on the way to Buffalo. After making my selection they got caught in the machine forcing me to purchase another package of them. I'm writing a strongly worded email to the M&M family once I'm back in New Brunswick.
After finding the Macabee we wait for other bands/ promoters/ patrons to show up/ let us in. Waiting proves to be too much for us so we end up driving around the neighborhood looking for anyone that knows anything about the venue. Luckily, the first person we ask for help points us 20 feet south to an ex-New Yorker, Jerome, the owner of the Macabee and the man running tonight's show.
I don't remember what time we wend on but it seemed pretty late. As a touring act, Jerome was able to provided us with two Milwaukee's Best. I'm not going to argue with a free beer but I don't know how Milwaukee feels about the situation. We opened with Feel the Same and transitioned into the second half of Everyone's a Photographer. I thought it worked but Rob disagrees. Pistols at dawn will settle the matter tomorrow.
_______________________________
Friday May 29, Grand Rapids. (long drives are)Rapidly(becoming not so)Grand.
I don't sleep in. Load up the van and head out.
We stop for lunch after a few hours on the road at a local coffee shop. Leaving Cincinnati at a reasonable time allowed us to waste a good amount of time on the road and not worry so much about driving non-stop. We pulled up to Ryan's home around 5 where we were greeted with a case of beer.
Rob and I have avoided fast food thus far and opt to make dinner for ourselves in Ryan's kitchen. His band is playing tonight and various band mates show up to load gear into their station wagon. Rob plays video games while I make calls. We head over to the venue afterward.
One thing I've noticed the last few days was how light it is late in the evening. I guess it's not that surprising since NJ is on one side of a time-zone and MI is on the other. I like it since it gives me a good excuse to wear my sunglasses far past when I need them.
Kind of a small crowd tonight. Culo shows up during our set. We played kind of poorly but I guess that's expected. Rob called an audible half-way through the set and we never recovered from it. Part of me wants to play the exact same set every night since we only have four songs and we could lock into a set more quickly, but I also enjoy the process of putting together a setlist--and I fear sinking into a routine out of convenience.
We lose a beer due Stephanie's bicycle. This prompts two locals to try and get all tough guy at me. I don't understand how some people are so thick. Who goes around wearing suspenders and a shirt that says "Skin Head" and expects anyone to try and explain anything to them? I'm pretty sure that kind of behavior/ garb pretty much clearly identifies someone that just ain't into logic. Prove me wrong, folks... I shouldn't let a few insignificant, lame people bum me out but it gets to me sometimes.
We eat some Burger King and then leave for Chicago. Much tiredness ensues but we make it there somehow.
_______________________________
Wednesday, May 26. Buffalo. Another drive, another sound-person.
Left late due to a misplaced iPod. Couldn't find it so CJ lent us his, thus earning a thank-you in our next batch of those liner-notes the kids can't seem to get enough of. I try not to stay in a bad mood for too long.
We get to the venue in time and are informed by Cam that he and his friends have already been booted from the club for not being born soon enough. Doesn't bother me--I only want to play to people who are there for drinking. Another highlight of this bar was that the night was triple booked! Hardcore, funk, and cover-band enthusiasts rejoice, you have found your home.
While other acts were performing, Rob and I ducked outside to mingle with the fine people of Buffalo. While names escape me at the moment (should have taken better notes), we met a lovely (and smart) lesbian couple who had just moved in together. My inching towards the U-Haul joke was quickly spotted when I asked how long they had been together--a year and a half. Astrology became the topic de jour so I kept my words to a minimum.
After a quick jaunt down to the liquor store to buy candy (seriously), we were approached by a gentleman in a straw cowboy hat attempting to distribute anti-immigration literature. Things took a turn when the esteemed salesman threatened to fight me after I disagreed with him about what color most rapists and murders are. Things settled quickly when the clubs security staff figured out that the inebriated cowboy distributing racist literature and claiming to have gotten in 3 gun fights might be the one causing trouble and NOT the guy talking about Zodiac signs and eating English toffee. My calm behavior was rewarded with a hug from a girl that didn't like Rob's sign.
The School Jerks played well and we then took the floor to perform. We only played one song --the sound guy seemed to enjoy it, though. We loaded out and hung out with Brandon and a few locals before hitting up a Wegman's--who won't sell beer past 3Am. Rob and I are attempting to sample local beers so a day one setback hurt a bit. We retire to Brandon's home, formally a funeral home, and get some rest. My transformation to Danzig is really taking shape.
_______________________________
Thursday May 27, Cincinnati. More drive, more smell.
Woke up and found my iPod in my toiletries bag. Talk about starting the day off on high note--clean teeth and classic episodes of Car Talk await. Brandon sees us off and we make our way to Ohio.
A trip to a rest area for a quick break provides us Silent Waiers another opportunity to get some snacks from a vending machine. Rob goes with an ice-cream bar while I choose what I thought were M&M Crispies. Much to my surprise, they turned out to be some sort of pretzel M&M's. I'm try not to make a big deal out of the fact that these pretzel M&M's packaging is the exact same color as the M&M Crispies packaging. I was also surprised a day later when the familiar yellow package of what I thought were M&M Peanut turned out to be M&M Rye.
I wasn't going to bring it up now but I also bought M&M's from a vending machine on the way to Buffalo. After making my selection they got caught in the machine forcing me to purchase another package of them. I'm writing a strongly worded email to the M&M family once I'm back in New Brunswick.
After finding the Macabee we wait for other bands/ promoters/ patrons to show up/ let us in. Waiting proves to be too much for us so we end up driving around the neighborhood looking for anyone that knows anything about the venue. Luckily, the first person we ask for help points us 20 feet south to an ex-New Yorker, Jerome, the owner of the Macabee and the man running tonight's show.
I don't remember what time we wend on but it seemed pretty late. As a touring act, Jerome was able to provided us with two Milwaukee's Best. I'm not going to argue with a free beer but I don't know how Milwaukee feels about the situation. We opened with Feel the Same and transitioned into the second half of Everyone's a Photographer. I thought it worked but Rob disagrees. Pistols at dawn will settle the matter tomorrow.
_______________________________
Friday May 29, Grand Rapids. (long drives are)Rapidly(becoming not so)Grand.
I don't sleep in. Load up the van and head out.
We stop for lunch after a few hours on the road at a local coffee shop. Leaving Cincinnati at a reasonable time allowed us to waste a good amount of time on the road and not worry so much about driving non-stop. We pulled up to Ryan's home around 5 where we were greeted with a case of beer.
Rob and I have avoided fast food thus far and opt to make dinner for ourselves in Ryan's kitchen. His band is playing tonight and various band mates show up to load gear into their station wagon. Rob plays video games while I make calls. We head over to the venue afterward.
One thing I've noticed the last few days was how light it is late in the evening. I guess it's not that surprising since NJ is on one side of a time-zone and MI is on the other. I like it since it gives me a good excuse to wear my sunglasses far past when I need them.
Kind of a small crowd tonight. Culo shows up during our set. We played kind of poorly but I guess that's expected. Rob called an audible half-way through the set and we never recovered from it. Part of me wants to play the exact same set every night since we only have four songs and we could lock into a set more quickly, but I also enjoy the process of putting together a setlist--and I fear sinking into a routine out of convenience.
We lose a beer due Stephanie's bicycle. This prompts two locals to try and get all tough guy at me. I don't understand how some people are so thick. Who goes around wearing suspenders and a shirt that says "Skin Head" and expects anyone to try and explain anything to them? I'm pretty sure that kind of behavior/ garb pretty much clearly identifies someone that just ain't into logic. Prove me wrong, folks... I shouldn't let a few insignificant, lame people bum me out but it gets to me sometimes.
We eat some Burger King and then leave for Chicago. Much tiredness ensues but we make it there somehow.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Lose Ends
So here is everything we are doing.
PRESENT
We leave for tour Wednesday. The route is pretty much the same as my last tour update, which is nice, here is where we are playing:
Wed May 26 Buffalo, NY @ Staples of Allentown w/School Jerks (Toronto)
Thu May 27 Cincinatti, OH @ Bunkwarehouse w/Egg Chef
Fri May 28 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Cage
Sat May 29 Chicago, IL @ Locked Out Collective
Sun May 30 Milwaukee, WI @ Ground Zero w/IfIHadAHiFi, Big Eyes
Mon May 31 DAY OFF/BOOK US AND BIG EYES IN MN, WI, OR IL
Tue June 1 Dekalb, IL @ 7th Street Space
Wed June 2 St. Louis, MO @ Mangia's (Late Show, after midnight)
Thurs June 3 Liberty, MO @ Detto's Barn
Fri June 4 Norman, OK @ TBA w/Stegosaur
Sat June 5 Fort Worth, TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/A Smile Full of Ale
Sun June 6 Austin, TX @ Moose Lodge 1735 w/The Creationists
Mon June 7 Houston, TX @ TBA
Tue June 8 New Orleans, LA @ Hey! Cafe
Wed June 9 Hattiesburg, MS @ 1126 House
Thu June 10 Little Rock, AR @ Schiller Street House
Fri June 11 Birmingham, AL @ Spring Street Firehouse
Sat June 12 Tampa, FL @ Heinrich's Workshop
Sun June 13 Orlando, FL @ Hoops Tavern
Mon June 14 Athens, GA @ Go Bar w/Utah
Tue June 15 Nashville, TN @ The Green Womb w/Marj!
Wed June 16 Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone w/Jacuzzi Boys
Thu June 17 Raleigh, NC @ Ahhh! Peele Art Gallery w/Slang, World Burns To Death
Fri June 18 Maryland/Washington D.C. TBA @ TBA w/Harco
FUTURE
Upon getting back from tour, we will be recording some new songs. These were written before Sis joined the band and were originally intended to make it onto our split with Lotus Fucker. With Kamikaze Dan at the kit, this plan will therefore become a reality. We plan on recording 8-9 songs in "old" Silent Way fashion with drums, bass, and two guitars. The two best will be on our split with Lotus Fucker, the rest released on tape just in time for school to start in the fall.
We have a few New Brunswick shows we will be playing, also, over the summer, here is the information on that:
Saturday July 17 w/SweetMeat, Suburban Smash (MO), The Book Slave (CT)
Friday August 13 w/Black Wine, Night Birds, Sun God (OH), This Moment in Black History (OH)
August TBA w/The Salad Days (VA)
At the end of July we are doing 4 dates with our good buds in Harco as part of their tour. The dates we will be playing are something like this:
Thursday July 29 New Haven, CT
Friday July 30 Portland, Maine
Saturday July 31 Dover, NH/BOSTON, MASS
Sunday August 1 Boston, Mass/NYC
...though none of this is in stone quite yet
Throughout the summer we will be writing songs for a new release with Sis (length TBD) and for a full length with a live drummer. Stay tuned, come out and see us this summer!
-Drucker
PRESENT
We leave for tour Wednesday. The route is pretty much the same as my last tour update, which is nice, here is where we are playing:
Wed May 26 Buffalo, NY @ Staples of Allentown w/School Jerks (Toronto)
Thu May 27 Cincinatti, OH @ Bunkwarehouse w/Egg Chef
Fri May 28 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Cage
Sat May 29 Chicago, IL @ Locked Out Collective
Sun May 30 Milwaukee, WI @ Ground Zero w/IfIHadAHiFi, Big Eyes
Mon May 31 DAY OFF/BOOK US AND BIG EYES IN MN, WI, OR IL
Tue June 1 Dekalb, IL @ 7th Street Space
Wed June 2 St. Louis, MO @ Mangia's (Late Show, after midnight)
Thurs June 3 Liberty, MO @ Detto's Barn
Fri June 4 Norman, OK @ TBA w/Stegosaur
Sat June 5 Fort Worth, TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/A Smile Full of Ale
Sun June 6 Austin, TX @ Moose Lodge 1735 w/The Creationists
Mon June 7 Houston, TX @ TBA
Tue June 8 New Orleans, LA @ Hey! Cafe
Wed June 9 Hattiesburg, MS @ 1126 House
Thu June 10 Little Rock, AR @ Schiller Street House
Fri June 11 Birmingham, AL @ Spring Street Firehouse
Sat June 12 Tampa, FL @ Heinrich's Workshop
Sun June 13 Orlando, FL @ Hoops Tavern
Mon June 14 Athens, GA @ Go Bar w/Utah
Tue June 15 Nashville, TN @ The Green Womb w/Marj!
Wed June 16 Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone w/Jacuzzi Boys
Thu June 17 Raleigh, NC @ Ahhh! Peele Art Gallery w/Slang, World Burns To Death
Fri June 18 Maryland/Washington D.C. TBA @ TBA w/Harco
FUTURE
Upon getting back from tour, we will be recording some new songs. These were written before Sis joined the band and were originally intended to make it onto our split with Lotus Fucker. With Kamikaze Dan at the kit, this plan will therefore become a reality. We plan on recording 8-9 songs in "old" Silent Way fashion with drums, bass, and two guitars. The two best will be on our split with Lotus Fucker, the rest released on tape just in time for school to start in the fall.
We have a few New Brunswick shows we will be playing, also, over the summer, here is the information on that:
Saturday July 17 w/SweetMeat, Suburban Smash (MO), The Book Slave (CT)
Friday August 13 w/Black Wine, Night Birds, Sun God (OH), This Moment in Black History (OH)
August TBA w/The Salad Days (VA)
At the end of July we are doing 4 dates with our good buds in Harco as part of their tour. The dates we will be playing are something like this:
Thursday July 29 New Haven, CT
Friday July 30 Portland, Maine
Saturday July 31 Dover, NH/BOSTON, MASS
Sunday August 1 Boston, Mass/NYC
...though none of this is in stone quite yet
Throughout the summer we will be writing songs for a new release with Sis (length TBD) and for a full length with a live drummer. Stay tuned, come out and see us this summer!
-Drucker
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Under the Roof
At the moment, we're scrambling to get our tape finished before tour starts in 1.4 weeks. My recording aesthetic is evolving as I try to find a balance between keeping the songs close to how they come across live, with just two people, while making sure that they don't sound unfinished. Obviously, the natural play in timing and dynamics that come from a live drummer don't really exist with the drum machine so I feel the need to compensate for our lack of forgivable sloppiness with a bit more grit on the other side of the microphone. I'm still unsure of how this all turns out; but that's not really anything new.
Wednesday saw us playing a full(ish) set for our last show in New Brunswick for a while. We'll be taking time off after tour to record full band songs in July for our Louts Fucker vinyl split. We've got about 8 or so songs ready for then and plan to release them all between the split and a tape.
I'm going to try and once again keep a tour diary. I'm hoping to update it daily on tour rather than afterwards but we'll see how well I stick to that. I'm guessing not so good.
--marty.
Wednesday saw us playing a full(ish) set for our last show in New Brunswick for a while. We'll be taking time off after tour to record full band songs in July for our Louts Fucker vinyl split. We've got about 8 or so songs ready for then and plan to release them all between the split and a tape.
I'm going to try and once again keep a tour diary. I'm hoping to update it daily on tour rather than afterwards but we'll see how well I stick to that. I'm guessing not so good.
--marty.
Monday, May 3, 2010
TOUR DATES
hey,
So for some reason our myspace is the broked when it comes to properly listing tour dates. So for those interested, here is the (pretty much) final list of where we are playing:
5/26 Rochester, NY @ HOUSE w/ LOVE PORK
5/27 Cincinatti, OH @ HOUSE w/ Egg Chef, more
5/28 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Cage w/awesome bands
5/29 Chicago, IL @ Locked out w/Culo
5/30 Milwaukee, WI @ Ground Zero House w/Big Eyes, IfIHadAHiFi
5/31 Minneapolis, MN @ Fecal Manor
6/1 Dekalb, IL @ 7th Street Space
6/2 St. Louis, MO @ ? w/Slang, Mind Eraser (hopefully)---also, late show at Mangia's?
6/3 Liberty, MO @ Drooling Barn w/Drooling Slits
6/4 Norman, OK @ Universe City TBA
6/5 Fort Worth, TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/A Smile Full of Ale
6/6 Austin, TX @ TBA House
6/7 Houston, TX @ TBA House
6/8 New Orleans, LA @ Hey! Cafe
6/9 Little Rock/Hattiesburg TBA
6/10 Little Rock/Hattiesburg TBA
6/11 Birmingham, AL @ Spring Street Firehouse w/ Vices
6/12 Tampa, FL @ TBA
6/13 Orlando, FL @ TBA
6/14 Athens, GA @ Go Bar w/Utah, Geitzerkatzen
6/15 Nashville, TN @ HOUSE
6/16 Charlotte, NC @ TBA House
6/17 Raleigh, NC @ TBA House
6/18 Washington, D.C. @ TBA (w/Harco?)
that's it! new music recorded soon. Lots of stuff happening. Also, a weekend with Harco later this summer. Killer.
So for some reason our myspace is the broked when it comes to properly listing tour dates. So for those interested, here is the (pretty much) final list of where we are playing:
5/26 Rochester, NY @ HOUSE w/ LOVE PORK
5/27 Cincinatti, OH @ HOUSE w/ Egg Chef, more
5/28 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Cage w/awesome bands
5/29 Chicago, IL @ Locked out w/Culo
5/30 Milwaukee, WI @ Ground Zero House w/Big Eyes, IfIHadAHiFi
5/31 Minneapolis, MN @ Fecal Manor
6/1 Dekalb, IL @ 7th Street Space
6/2 St. Louis, MO @ ? w/Slang, Mind Eraser (hopefully)---also, late show at Mangia's?
6/3 Liberty, MO @ Drooling Barn w/Drooling Slits
6/4 Norman, OK @ Universe City TBA
6/5 Fort Worth, TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/A Smile Full of Ale
6/6 Austin, TX @ TBA House
6/7 Houston, TX @ TBA House
6/8 New Orleans, LA @ Hey! Cafe
6/9 Little Rock/Hattiesburg TBA
6/10 Little Rock/Hattiesburg TBA
6/11 Birmingham, AL @ Spring Street Firehouse w/ Vices
6/12 Tampa, FL @ TBA
6/13 Orlando, FL @ TBA
6/14 Athens, GA @ Go Bar w/Utah, Geitzerkatzen
6/15 Nashville, TN @ HOUSE
6/16 Charlotte, NC @ TBA House
6/17 Raleigh, NC @ TBA House
6/18 Washington, D.C. @ TBA (w/Harco?)
that's it! new music recorded soon. Lots of stuff happening. Also, a weekend with Harco later this summer. Killer.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Update 4/13/2010
We haven't posted anything in almost a month, but a bunch of stuff has been happening or is ready to happen, so let's update you.
We have played only one show in New Brunswick since November, and we have two coming up in the coming weeks. April 23rd with Useless Children from Australia, The Book Slave from Connecticut, and Mattress! This is our last show for the foreseeable future with a live drummer, so get excited about it! We are going to play all the songs we play well, and it's going to kick ass.
The next Monday, April 26th we are playing with MLU (from Nashville!), Kicking Spit, and John Wilkes Youth. This will mark Sis, our drum machine's, live debut. So be sure to come out.
In other show news, our late-Spring tour is almost fully booked! Here is a look at where we are playing city-wise. If it says help next to it, we are totally open to playing anything. Otherwise, someone has booked or is booking the show:
5/26 Rochester, NY
5/27 Cleveland, OH (need help)
5/28 Grand Rapids, MI
5/29 Chicago, IL
5/30 Milwaukee, WI
5/31 Minneapolis, MN
6/1 Dekalb, IL
6/2 NOTHING (help help help)
6/3 St. Louis, MO
6/4 Norman, OK
6/5 Fort Worth, TX
6/6 Austin, TX
6/7 Houston, TX
6/8 NOLA
6/9 Little Rock/Hattiesburg? (help!)
6/10 Memphis/Pensacola/Mobile? (help!)
6/11 Birmingham, AL
6/12 Tampa, FL
6/13 Orlando, FL
6/14 Athens, GA (if you want to play with us, let me know!)
6/15 Nashville, TN
6/16 Indianapolis, IN (help!)
6/17 Athens, OH
6/18 Philadelphia, PA
We are very excited for this and can't wait to see awesome friends again.
In terms of music, we have a bunch of stuff coming out. Here is a short outline:
Demo Tape With Sis: we have a new batch of songs for our new lineup, and we will be recording these for a tape that we'll have with us on tour.
Split with Lotus Fucker: our best friends in Lotus Fucker and us will be doing a split. Marty and I will be taking some songs we had written but never got to practice as a 4-piece, and working on them. Kamikaze Dan, of Lotus Fucker, will be playing drums on the songs we have for this, and Marty and I, as usual, will split vocal/guitar/bass duties. We plan on recording probably eight songs, the best two of which will go on the split.
Tape with drums: all of the songs we don't use for our split with Lotus Fucker will go on one final tape that will feature our "old style" of songs.
We definitely will be playing some New Brunswick shows in the summer, and perhaps will even be doing another tour (short, 7-10 days) during August. That begs to be seen.
But we are very excited for resuming extreme levels of activity, and hope you will enjoy it, too! Thanks for reading!
-Drucker
We have played only one show in New Brunswick since November, and we have two coming up in the coming weeks. April 23rd with Useless Children from Australia, The Book Slave from Connecticut, and Mattress! This is our last show for the foreseeable future with a live drummer, so get excited about it! We are going to play all the songs we play well, and it's going to kick ass.
The next Monday, April 26th we are playing with MLU (from Nashville!), Kicking Spit, and John Wilkes Youth. This will mark Sis, our drum machine's, live debut. So be sure to come out.
In other show news, our late-Spring tour is almost fully booked! Here is a look at where we are playing city-wise. If it says help next to it, we are totally open to playing anything. Otherwise, someone has booked or is booking the show:
5/26 Rochester, NY
5/27 Cleveland, OH (need help)
5/28 Grand Rapids, MI
5/29 Chicago, IL
5/30 Milwaukee, WI
5/31 Minneapolis, MN
6/1 Dekalb, IL
6/2 NOTHING (help help help)
6/3 St. Louis, MO
6/4 Norman, OK
6/5 Fort Worth, TX
6/6 Austin, TX
6/7 Houston, TX
6/8 NOLA
6/9 Little Rock/Hattiesburg? (help!)
6/10 Memphis/Pensacola/Mobile? (help!)
6/11 Birmingham, AL
6/12 Tampa, FL
6/13 Orlando, FL
6/14 Athens, GA (if you want to play with us, let me know!)
6/15 Nashville, TN
6/16 Indianapolis, IN (help!)
6/17 Athens, OH
6/18 Philadelphia, PA
We are very excited for this and can't wait to see awesome friends again.
In terms of music, we have a bunch of stuff coming out. Here is a short outline:
Demo Tape With Sis: we have a new batch of songs for our new lineup, and we will be recording these for a tape that we'll have with us on tour.
Split with Lotus Fucker: our best friends in Lotus Fucker and us will be doing a split. Marty and I will be taking some songs we had written but never got to practice as a 4-piece, and working on them. Kamikaze Dan, of Lotus Fucker, will be playing drums on the songs we have for this, and Marty and I, as usual, will split vocal/guitar/bass duties. We plan on recording probably eight songs, the best two of which will go on the split.
Tape with drums: all of the songs we don't use for our split with Lotus Fucker will go on one final tape that will feature our "old style" of songs.
We definitely will be playing some New Brunswick shows in the summer, and perhaps will even be doing another tour (short, 7-10 days) during August. That begs to be seen.
But we are very excited for resuming extreme levels of activity, and hope you will enjoy it, too! Thanks for reading!
-Drucker
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Midwest March Tour Dairy
Saturday.3/13. Kick-off. Baltimore. etc.
Pulled the van up to Rob's place. Amanda turns out to be in deathly ill mode. With my birthday two weeks out, this tour was looking like my last real chance to join the 27 club; I start to fear I might be upstaged by Amanda's turn for the worse. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the van in for a tune up yesterday.
We collect Brick Mower after much directional confusion and head out towards Baltimore. New Jersey just happens to be engulfed by a wicked storm that makes driving incredibly stressful, add to the fact that the most direct route is closed. Static traffic and harsh winds push back our arrival time.
Luckily, we miss no bands' performances and take the stage after Brick Mower. Lotus Fucker took over the stage and put on one of the best sets I've seen them perform. We load up after the show and head out to hear some songs Chaos Destroy and Lotus Fucker just recorded. No one really wants to go out for food so we all head straight back to crash at Dan's place. Daylight Savings works it's magic as we fall asleep.
_____________________________
Sunday.3/14. Day-off.
We wake up late and meet up with Rob and Amanda's best friend at a diner. Amanda, still sick, is afforded the luxury of not having to eat most of her food since the wait staff decided to lose her mostly uneaten sandwich rather than wrapping it up to go like she asked. We absconded with a deep-fat fryer to rectify this misstep. We spend the rest of the day in Jeremy's care making funnel-cakes and playing video-games not of this decade.
_____________________________
Monday. 3/15. South Carolina.
Sun up. We leave Dan's and drive south for a while. Amanda finds a good BBQ place where we stop for lunch. Sweet tea, hush-puppies, sandwiches, and slaw are consumed before continuing to Greenville. Hours pass and we roll up to the hanger after a failed attempt to find the house we stayed at the first time we came through South Carolina.
Ryan and the Hanger crew were all great to us when we played there a few months ago and not much has changed. Super sweet fellows, those kids. We load in and play after Brick Mower--all hits; no covers. We pack up after the show and decided to get a leg up on the drive to St. Louis by leaving for Nashville immediately.
Progress impeded by a rock-slide. Go back three spaces. I drive until I can't see straight and catch a few hours worth of blinks. Wake up freezing cold, repeat the same maneuver. Need sleep.
_________________________
Tuesday. 3/16. St. Louis.
Roll into St. Louis exhausted. Meet up with Mike, a long-time e-friend (people still use that term, right?) of Rob's who we're staying with. Brick Mower takes the stage around midnight and clears the room--assuring that Silent Way will only get to play to a handful of people--too wrecked to actively ignore us. Load up/out, drop the Brick Mowers and Amandas off before heading back to the Club with Rob to dance and drink with socialites during the DJ set.
_________________________
Wednesday. 3/17. DeKalb.
Wake up and get sent off by Mike's staff. Business cards exchanged, deals made. Standard rock-n'roll stuff. The drive to DeKalb is mostly uneventful and pleasantly short by comparison to the 15 or so hours the drive to St. Louis took. It's a pretty flat, straight drive so I was even able to catch up on sleep between lane changes and toll booths.
We stretch our legs once we hit DeKalb by looking for a non-existent record shop and hanging around a guitar store. The guy working the counter tried explaining the advantages of buying relic'ed guitars while I looked over his selection. Sadly, we have to leave in a hurry when Rob demonstrates his trade marked neck stomp on the vintage 1966 Fender Jaguar for the store owner--I don't know what the guy got so mad about, the neck pocket broke pretty clean--nothing buying a new one and putting a belt sander to it wouldn't fix.
We ate dinner at local favorite Burritoville before heading over to a liquor store to buy our own booze for once. During load in, we get word that Alex Chilton has died. In a fit of inspiration, we decided add Big Star's In the Street to our set as a tribute to the Man. This idea is quickly scrapped in a moment of clarity when we realized that none of us could play or sing that song.
Brick Mower, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, played their all U2 songs set. That's a hard set to follow but we managed. I try not to make a big deal out of the fact that the electricity in the venue looks like it was about to go at any moment or possibly electrocute someone--luckily, that didn't happen until after we left.
Pulled into Chicago and hung out with some of my former room mates before settling in for the night.
____________________________
Thursday. 3/18. Chicago.
Eat breakfast/lunch. Head downtown for a live taping of Oprah, didn't make it on time so Amanda and Kristin had to settle on buying souvenirs from the Oprah TM store. Wander through a few record stores and a book store looking for an issue of MMR that we hear we're in. I don't find anything I need to get that day. I visit some other former room mates of mine before we make our way to Ronny's.
The crowd at an early show isn't as full as one might expect. I guess some people have to work at 5 pm on a week day in the big ol' second city. I get a little tipsy before drumming for Brick Mower but manage to keep it together. The crowd seemed pretty up for both Brick Mower and Silent Way. Sass Dragons and Granny Frost were both excellent.
We head out to the after party where I am left to my own devices while Brick Mower and the rest of Silent Way scavenge for food. Some point shortly thereafter, my drink is poisoned and I lose consciousness. I awaken in an ambulance where the EMT informs me that my heart would have stopped permanently had I not had such a massive dose of cocaine in my system at that time. Take that Mrs. Regan!
_____________________________
Friday. 3/19. Last day of tour. Wherever.
Wake up to a big breakfast of Bacon, Ham Steak, Eggs, and Potatoes followed quickly by a slice of Birthday candles. Good byes are said and the van heads off to Ohio. The van comes back half an hour later to collect the 5 people that should be traveling in it. Good van.
We meet up with Daemon at the venue and set up. Brick Mower plays first, then us, then other bands. Rob wants to leave immediately but is out voted. He informs us that we're in Ohio and voting there is pointless so shut up and get in the van.
____________________________
Saturday. 3/20/ Homecoming.
Rob and I drive over-night. Nothing eventful happens. It's good to be back in Jersey.
Thanks to Everyone who made this tour happen. Thanks to Kristin and Eric for playing for us/ with us. Full thank yous and new news coming after some sleep.
--marty
Pulled the van up to Rob's place. Amanda turns out to be in deathly ill mode. With my birthday two weeks out, this tour was looking like my last real chance to join the 27 club; I start to fear I might be upstaged by Amanda's turn for the worse. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the van in for a tune up yesterday.
We collect Brick Mower after much directional confusion and head out towards Baltimore. New Jersey just happens to be engulfed by a wicked storm that makes driving incredibly stressful, add to the fact that the most direct route is closed. Static traffic and harsh winds push back our arrival time.
Luckily, we miss no bands' performances and take the stage after Brick Mower. Lotus Fucker took over the stage and put on one of the best sets I've seen them perform. We load up after the show and head out to hear some songs Chaos Destroy and Lotus Fucker just recorded. No one really wants to go out for food so we all head straight back to crash at Dan's place. Daylight Savings works it's magic as we fall asleep.
_____________________________
Sunday.3/14. Day-off.
We wake up late and meet up with Rob and Amanda's best friend at a diner. Amanda, still sick, is afforded the luxury of not having to eat most of her food since the wait staff decided to lose her mostly uneaten sandwich rather than wrapping it up to go like she asked. We absconded with a deep-fat fryer to rectify this misstep. We spend the rest of the day in Jeremy's care making funnel-cakes and playing video-games not of this decade.
_____________________________
Monday. 3/15. South Carolina.
Sun up. We leave Dan's and drive south for a while. Amanda finds a good BBQ place where we stop for lunch. Sweet tea, hush-puppies, sandwiches, and slaw are consumed before continuing to Greenville. Hours pass and we roll up to the hanger after a failed attempt to find the house we stayed at the first time we came through South Carolina.
Ryan and the Hanger crew were all great to us when we played there a few months ago and not much has changed. Super sweet fellows, those kids. We load in and play after Brick Mower--all hits; no covers. We pack up after the show and decided to get a leg up on the drive to St. Louis by leaving for Nashville immediately.
Progress impeded by a rock-slide. Go back three spaces. I drive until I can't see straight and catch a few hours worth of blinks. Wake up freezing cold, repeat the same maneuver. Need sleep.
_________________________
Tuesday. 3/16. St. Louis.
Roll into St. Louis exhausted. Meet up with Mike, a long-time e-friend (people still use that term, right?) of Rob's who we're staying with. Brick Mower takes the stage around midnight and clears the room--assuring that Silent Way will only get to play to a handful of people--too wrecked to actively ignore us. Load up/out, drop the Brick Mowers and Amandas off before heading back to the Club with Rob to dance and drink with socialites during the DJ set.
_________________________
Wednesday. 3/17. DeKalb.
Wake up and get sent off by Mike's staff. Business cards exchanged, deals made. Standard rock-n'roll stuff. The drive to DeKalb is mostly uneventful and pleasantly short by comparison to the 15 or so hours the drive to St. Louis took. It's a pretty flat, straight drive so I was even able to catch up on sleep between lane changes and toll booths.
We stretch our legs once we hit DeKalb by looking for a non-existent record shop and hanging around a guitar store. The guy working the counter tried explaining the advantages of buying relic'ed guitars while I looked over his selection. Sadly, we have to leave in a hurry when Rob demonstrates his trade marked neck stomp on the vintage 1966 Fender Jaguar for the store owner--I don't know what the guy got so mad about, the neck pocket broke pretty clean--nothing buying a new one and putting a belt sander to it wouldn't fix.
We ate dinner at local favorite Burritoville before heading over to a liquor store to buy our own booze for once. During load in, we get word that Alex Chilton has died. In a fit of inspiration, we decided add Big Star's In the Street to our set as a tribute to the Man. This idea is quickly scrapped in a moment of clarity when we realized that none of us could play or sing that song.
Brick Mower, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, played their all U2 songs set. That's a hard set to follow but we managed. I try not to make a big deal out of the fact that the electricity in the venue looks like it was about to go at any moment or possibly electrocute someone--luckily, that didn't happen until after we left.
Pulled into Chicago and hung out with some of my former room mates before settling in for the night.
____________________________
Thursday. 3/18. Chicago.
Eat breakfast/lunch. Head downtown for a live taping of Oprah, didn't make it on time so Amanda and Kristin had to settle on buying souvenirs from the Oprah TM store. Wander through a few record stores and a book store looking for an issue of MMR that we hear we're in. I don't find anything I need to get that day. I visit some other former room mates of mine before we make our way to Ronny's.
The crowd at an early show isn't as full as one might expect. I guess some people have to work at 5 pm on a week day in the big ol' second city. I get a little tipsy before drumming for Brick Mower but manage to keep it together. The crowd seemed pretty up for both Brick Mower and Silent Way. Sass Dragons and Granny Frost were both excellent.
We head out to the after party where I am left to my own devices while Brick Mower and the rest of Silent Way scavenge for food. Some point shortly thereafter, my drink is poisoned and I lose consciousness. I awaken in an ambulance where the EMT informs me that my heart would have stopped permanently had I not had such a massive dose of cocaine in my system at that time. Take that Mrs. Regan!
_____________________________
Friday. 3/19. Last day of tour. Wherever.
Wake up to a big breakfast of Bacon, Ham Steak, Eggs, and Potatoes followed quickly by a slice of Birthday candles. Good byes are said and the van heads off to Ohio. The van comes back half an hour later to collect the 5 people that should be traveling in it. Good van.
We meet up with Daemon at the venue and set up. Brick Mower plays first, then us, then other bands. Rob wants to leave immediately but is out voted. He informs us that we're in Ohio and voting there is pointless so shut up and get in the van.
____________________________
Saturday. 3/20/ Homecoming.
Rob and I drive over-night. Nothing eventful happens. It's good to be back in Jersey.
Thanks to Everyone who made this tour happen. Thanks to Kristin and Eric for playing for us/ with us. Full thank yous and new news coming after some sleep.
--marty
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
SO HERE'S THE DEAL
I know there have been many a rumor floating around the world. And I can't sit by and let people worry/wonder anymore. That was my attempt at humor. Anyway, here's a quick update about our plans for the next few months!
So as we mentioned in the last post, Silent Way is saying goodbye to Adrian and Amanda. We are going on tour next week and doing anywhere from 5-6 shows at this point. Here's the tour itinerary:
S. MARCH 13 CHARM CITY ART SPACE/BALTIMORE, MD
S. MARCH 14 NORTH CAROLINA?
M. MARCH 15 THE HANGER/GREENVILLE, SC
T. MARCH 16 MANGIA ITALIANO/ST. LOUIS, MO
W. MARCH 17 THE SPACE/DEKALB, IL
T. MARCH 18 RONNY'S BAR/CHICAGO, IL
F. MARCH 19 THE HIDEOUT/ATHENS, OH
all dates are with Brick Mower, and Eric from the band will be filling in on drums! This will be our last tour for the foreseeable and likely future that we'll have a live drummer and be playing these songs!
Our final show playing the songs we already have/as a 4-piece is going to be with Useless Children (from Australia), The Book Slave (from Connecticut) and Mattress! It's going to be Friday April 23rd and it's going to be awesome, so be sure to come out.
After that we are switching gears. Silent Way will continue with me (Drucker), Marty, and our drum machine that we've named Sis. We've begun writing songs and hope to have at least ten by the time we embark on a late-spring tour. We plan on releasing a tape of the new songs, as well.
We still, as far as we know, have plans on releasing a couple of splits before too long, as well, and hopefully the bands we were going to do it with are still game, regardless of our change of sound.
As mentioned, we are doing our biggest tour from late-May to late-June, and here's the itinerary for it. Most of the dates we have good leads on, but I'll put a note if we're currently screwed!
MAY 25 New Brunswick tour kick-off (maybe?)
MAY 26 Rochester, NY
MAY 27 Cleveland, OH
MAY 28 Kalamazoo, MI
MAY 29 Chicago, IL
MAY 30 Milwaukee, WI
MAY 31 Minneapolis, MN
JUNE 1 Cedar Rapids, IA
JUNE 2 Nebraska? NEED HELP
JUNE 3 St. Louis, MO
JUNE 4 OKC/Kansas City? NEED HELP
JUNE 5 Denton, TX
JUNE 6 Austin, TX
JUNE 7 Houston, TX
JUNE 8 New Orleans, LA
JUNE 9 Hattiesburg, MS
JUNE 10 Mobile, AL
JUNE 11 Birmingham, AL
JUNE 12 Tampa, FL
JUNE 13 Orlando, FL
JUNE 14 Athens, GA
JUNE 15 Greenville, SC
JUNE 16 Chatanooga, TN
JUNE 17 Nashville, TN
JUNE 18 Raleigh, NC
JUNE 19 Washington, D.C.
JUNE 20 Philadelphia, PA
Marty and I are very excited for this tour, and hope you enjoy our new songs.
That's all we have going on right now, I guess. Thanks for reading!
-Silent Way
So as we mentioned in the last post, Silent Way is saying goodbye to Adrian and Amanda. We are going on tour next week and doing anywhere from 5-6 shows at this point. Here's the tour itinerary:
S. MARCH 13 CHARM CITY ART SPACE/BALTIMORE, MD
S. MARCH 14 NORTH CAROLINA?
M. MARCH 15 THE HANGER/GREENVILLE, SC
T. MARCH 16 MANGIA ITALIANO/ST. LOUIS, MO
W. MARCH 17 THE SPACE/DEKALB, IL
T. MARCH 18 RONNY'S BAR/CHICAGO, IL
F. MARCH 19 THE HIDEOUT/ATHENS, OH
all dates are with Brick Mower, and Eric from the band will be filling in on drums! This will be our last tour for the foreseeable and likely future that we'll have a live drummer and be playing these songs!
Our final show playing the songs we already have/as a 4-piece is going to be with Useless Children (from Australia), The Book Slave (from Connecticut) and Mattress! It's going to be Friday April 23rd and it's going to be awesome, so be sure to come out.
After that we are switching gears. Silent Way will continue with me (Drucker), Marty, and our drum machine that we've named Sis. We've begun writing songs and hope to have at least ten by the time we embark on a late-spring tour. We plan on releasing a tape of the new songs, as well.
We still, as far as we know, have plans on releasing a couple of splits before too long, as well, and hopefully the bands we were going to do it with are still game, regardless of our change of sound.
As mentioned, we are doing our biggest tour from late-May to late-June, and here's the itinerary for it. Most of the dates we have good leads on, but I'll put a note if we're currently screwed!
MAY 25 New Brunswick tour kick-off (maybe?)
MAY 26 Rochester, NY
MAY 27 Cleveland, OH
MAY 28 Kalamazoo, MI
MAY 29 Chicago, IL
MAY 30 Milwaukee, WI
MAY 31 Minneapolis, MN
JUNE 1 Cedar Rapids, IA
JUNE 2 Nebraska? NEED HELP
JUNE 3 St. Louis, MO
JUNE 4 OKC/Kansas City? NEED HELP
JUNE 5 Denton, TX
JUNE 6 Austin, TX
JUNE 7 Houston, TX
JUNE 8 New Orleans, LA
JUNE 9 Hattiesburg, MS
JUNE 10 Mobile, AL
JUNE 11 Birmingham, AL
JUNE 12 Tampa, FL
JUNE 13 Orlando, FL
JUNE 14 Athens, GA
JUNE 15 Greenville, SC
JUNE 16 Chatanooga, TN
JUNE 17 Nashville, TN
JUNE 18 Raleigh, NC
JUNE 19 Washington, D.C.
JUNE 20 Philadelphia, PA
Marty and I are very excited for this tour, and hope you enjoy our new songs.
That's all we have going on right now, I guess. Thanks for reading!
-Silent Way
Monday, February 22, 2010
Review In Johnsonville Press/News
Hey,
Our friend Dan Ball, all around good dude, wrote about us in the Johnsonville Press...check it out:
http://johnsonvillepress.com/2010/02/22/in-a-not-so-silent-way-dan-ball/
Reviews of LP/Wind will be posted once we have more.
In other news, here's the route our spring tour will be taking, all dates in March and with Brick Mower!
13. Baltimore, MD-CCAS w/Harco and others!
14. Raleigh, NC at TBA
15. Greenville, SC at The Hanger
16. St. Louis, MO at a Bar
17. Dekalb, IL at a House
18. Chicago, IL at a Bar
19. Athens, OH at TBA
20. Columbus, OH at the 15th House w/Death Rats and others
we are very excited about this tour.
In other less fun news, Adrian has called it a day with Silent Way as the evil being that is PH.D. studentry at one of those Liberal, northeastern thinktanks where un-Americans go to learn to be un-American. His fervent anti-patriotism will not be missed. (/jokes)
We are going to attempt to do one more show with him on APRIL 23rd in New Brunswick as we host Useless Children from Australia and The Book Slave from Connecticut. Should be very exciting!
For the purposes of the tour, all-around good guy Eric from Viking on Campus Records and more notably Brick Mower will be filling in on drums for us.
In the summer, we will embark on another tour, this one longer and so early in the stages of being booked I'm not going to bother posting information about it here. It is worth pointing out, however, that this tour will feature just two members of Silent Way at this point, as Amanda wants to like, grow up or something. We're not sure of the details, but we can confirm her departure from the band will have something to do with her sexuality. We wish her the best, and will have more information on the future sound of the band when we can confirm its existance.
I think that covers everything. See you at the raceway.
-Drucker
Our friend Dan Ball, all around good dude, wrote about us in the Johnsonville Press...check it out:
http://johnsonvillepress.com/2010/02/22/in-a-not-so-silent-way-dan-ball/
Reviews of LP/Wind will be posted once we have more.
In other news, here's the route our spring tour will be taking, all dates in March and with Brick Mower!
13. Baltimore, MD-CCAS w/Harco and others!
14. Raleigh, NC at TBA
15. Greenville, SC at The Hanger
16. St. Louis, MO at a Bar
17. Dekalb, IL at a House
18. Chicago, IL at a Bar
19. Athens, OH at TBA
20. Columbus, OH at the 15th House w/Death Rats and others
we are very excited about this tour.
In other less fun news, Adrian has called it a day with Silent Way as the evil being that is PH.D. studentry at one of those Liberal, northeastern thinktanks where un-Americans go to learn to be un-American. His fervent anti-patriotism will not be missed. (/jokes)
We are going to attempt to do one more show with him on APRIL 23rd in New Brunswick as we host Useless Children from Australia and The Book Slave from Connecticut. Should be very exciting!
For the purposes of the tour, all-around good guy Eric from Viking on Campus Records and more notably Brick Mower will be filling in on drums for us.
In the summer, we will embark on another tour, this one longer and so early in the stages of being booked I'm not going to bother posting information about it here. It is worth pointing out, however, that this tour will feature just two members of Silent Way at this point, as Amanda wants to like, grow up or something. We're not sure of the details, but we can confirm her departure from the band will have something to do with her sexuality. We wish her the best, and will have more information on the future sound of the band when we can confirm its existance.
I think that covers everything. See you at the raceway.
-Drucker
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tour Wrap-Up
Well we've written a bunch of mini-entries since the official half-way post...but I'll try to make this the official wrap-up post!
Tour went as well as it could have. We really feel that our playing really fucking took off and we are stoked to play a local show or two in the tri-state area in the next month. All of our future news will be below.
Tour went amazingly well. For a HUGE variety of reasons, from putting us up to booking us to entertaining to hanging to just kicking ass, the following people we are extremely grateful towards:
Adam/everyone at Stolen Sleeves Collective, Amelia ABC No Rio, The Book Slave Brothers, Brian from Fucking Discovery Zone, Terrordome Crew in Philly, Diana and Astrid in Philly, The Salad Days FAM (especially Meredith and Annie) who without them both of our VA shows would have been suck city--you both rule, Appalucia crew in Charlotte and Snug Harbor, The Hangar crew in Greenville, SPINACH in Sarasota, House Cat and Dom in Atlanta GA, the entire Static Age Records fam in Asheville, and of course the LOTUS FUCKER crew and Kamikaze Dan for being our heroes/mentors/best friends ever/etc.etc.etc. I feel like more people need to be thanked so feel free to let me know if I forgot you and I'll edit in in post...or something.
Our next tour will be March 13-20th across VA, KY, TN, MO, IL, and OH. Exact dates are up on our myspace thingy. This tour will also be with our good buddies in Brick Mower, who rule, and are in our top friends, and you should check them out. We also have a summer tour going from about late May to late June, exact route and dates of that are being figured out in the next few weeks.
We have two local shows coming up:
Jan 28th @ Shea Stadium Brooklyn:
Mattress (remembered how to spell it because of advertising)
Weird Fantasy Band (ex-Hunchback, RSO, lots others)
Brick Mower (aforementioned)
us!
and one more?
then in New Brunswick Friday Feb 5th is the official Wound LP Release show.
Nimdok
Kicking Spit
The Squid
us
that's all I got in me. We are releasing a split 7" with Lotus Fucker later this year. But we are also working on songs we hope to spread across a bunch of releases of a tape and CD-R variety. Hopefully a split with Brick Mower, too. We're stoked on life right now, and thanks for reading!
-Silent Way
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Two Days in D.C
The homestretch is upon us. Tonight and Tomorrow we'll be playing to our friends in Lotus Fucker; if that weren't reason enough to come out to Baltimore and DC, tomorrow celebrates Amanda's birthday--so we're expecting good times for all.
Long drives are done with. Things are looking better the closer we get to home.
--silent way
Long drives are done with. Things are looking better the closer we get to home.
--silent way
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Homestead Calling
Spirits remain in flux as the tour is wrapping up. Long drives are starting to wear us down. Bad news from back home doesn't help. Low temperatures and sicknesses are starting to pile on the stress points of us all. To cap things off, we're probably playing the best sets we've ever played. Rob remains positive-- this helps.
--Marty
--Silent Way
Friday, January 8, 2010
Midway Report Card
As my hands freeze in Jacksonville, and the rest of the band sleeps, I'll give you an update. Tomorrow the forecast calls for fucking cold weather . But come Sunday, it looks like we'll have warmer weather and sunny skies the rest of tour.
Individuals (and there are a lot) who deserve to be thanked will get a big heaping thank you in the blog post we do after the full tour. But tour has been nothing short of awesome. Day after day has been spent with good friends and good people and a slightly less than empty stomach, so we're doing well. Adrian's catching up on his reading after a bottle of Black Velvet whiskey did a number on him and his immune system. Marty's fixing more shit than we're breaking thus far. Amanda and I are holding it down as well, unlike the other two who are sick.
I wish I could say there has been a single highlight that I could point out, but there hasn't. The bar shows have gone awesome, we've played awesome houses, learned two covers without practice, so all things considered, tour couldn't be going better.
We have a week left which includes another show with The Salad Days, and two with Lotus Fucker. These will be our last two with them for a while unfortunately, so they are not to be missed. The 14th at WMUC studios in College Park MD, the 15th (Amanda's Birthday show) at Ruintown in Baltimore.
The next post will include shit about March tour, Summer tour, what we're releasing this year, a huge list of thank yous and other shit. See ya in a week. check out here to see what we've still to hit up on tour.
I'm cold and could either ramble on more or stop. I'll choose the latter.
ps. jan 15th at MY house in New Brunswick (the only one of us with one) is general interest, slaw, mattress, and brick mower. don't fuck up and not go.
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