Dear Port Orange,
Thanks for being a ton of fun and for not raining on us.
We hope to see you again next year.
To everyone who talked to, hung out with, or photographed us on Saturday.... THANK YOU! Hopefully you'll all enjoy those shirts, and I apologize once again that some idiot left all the CDs in Orlando.
We had a blast. It was a great way to end our weekend. We couldn't have asked for more. Well, we could have, but we didn't want to be diva's.
I always thought that one day people would throw things at me while I'm singing, but I never thought it would come from my own bandmates.
The jury is still out on new Rhett Miller CD.
Winter Park this weekend. All Ages. Good times.
-Wes
Monday, February 27, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
I'm so behind on this thing. It's ridiculous. As usual.
As I'm typing this, I'm listening to Rhett Miller's new album called "The Believer" which is the follow up to his first solo CD called "The Instigator."
You can listen to it too at www.myspace.com/rhettmiller. It's the perfect background music for reading this posting. Rhett also sings for a little band called the Old 97's. I was hoping my pre-order of the album would get here before the weekend, but I'm looking forward to having the physical copy in my mailbox on Monday.
A quick rundown of the shows we've played so far: They've been crazy. The good, the bad, the ugly... it's all been there.
Thursday night we played Will's Pub in Orlando with Chris Metz, Time & Distance, and Big City Dreams. We were expecting to play second in an opening slot, however we ended up playing last. We played for our fans and the bands, really. I don't know why people didn't stick around. It was barely 10pm when we played. Regardless, it was almost like a little private show.
Dave from the band formerly known as Hawkeye graced us with his presence. Hadn't seen that character in ages. During the downtime we played one handed Fooseball where you have to be holding a beer in one hand at all times.
After the show the touring bands took off, and the few remaining people in the venue just sat around shooting the breeze. Good times.
Last night we were scheduled to play at Apopka High School. Upon arrival we were told we were next so we just loaded right onto the stage, set up as fast as humanly possible. As usual, we had planned to open with one of the Moog-powered songs. On my attempt to tune the beast to prepare for the song, I was getting no sound whatsoever. I immediately started panicking, but since we were so pressed for time we just played 5 or 6 of our straight ahead rock songs. The audience was good, they seemed to enjoy it. We were playing in a "Cafetorium" so there was crazy reverb everywhere. I could hear my voice bouncing off the walls. It made it sound like the audience was singing along. Were they? Nope.
Big thanks to all the kids who bought CDs. I always feel awkward when people ask us to sign them because I feel like I'm defacing our own disc. We did sign a napkin though. That was a first. Me and my awesome 3 letter autograph.
The rest of the band should be here soon and we'll be on our way out to Port Orange for Spring Music Fest 2006, of which we are a part. I believe we're playing around 3:45... third band to play. This should be a fun one since we have to fill about 45 minutes. We'll be playing almost our entire catalog. We also have a few people making the drive from surrounding towns to see us. I think that's amazing.
This is our third day playing in a row, so this has to be the good show, right?
The Moog has been coaxed back to life, the guitar strings have been changed, and I'm ready to hit the road.
Have a great Saturday.
-Wes
As I'm typing this, I'm listening to Rhett Miller's new album called "The Believer" which is the follow up to his first solo CD called "The Instigator."
You can listen to it too at www.myspace.com/rhettmiller. It's the perfect background music for reading this posting. Rhett also sings for a little band called the Old 97's. I was hoping my pre-order of the album would get here before the weekend, but I'm looking forward to having the physical copy in my mailbox on Monday.
A quick rundown of the shows we've played so far: They've been crazy. The good, the bad, the ugly... it's all been there.
Thursday night we played Will's Pub in Orlando with Chris Metz, Time & Distance, and Big City Dreams. We were expecting to play second in an opening slot, however we ended up playing last. We played for our fans and the bands, really. I don't know why people didn't stick around. It was barely 10pm when we played. Regardless, it was almost like a little private show.
Dave from the band formerly known as Hawkeye graced us with his presence. Hadn't seen that character in ages. During the downtime we played one handed Fooseball where you have to be holding a beer in one hand at all times.
After the show the touring bands took off, and the few remaining people in the venue just sat around shooting the breeze. Good times.
Last night we were scheduled to play at Apopka High School. Upon arrival we were told we were next so we just loaded right onto the stage, set up as fast as humanly possible. As usual, we had planned to open with one of the Moog-powered songs. On my attempt to tune the beast to prepare for the song, I was getting no sound whatsoever. I immediately started panicking, but since we were so pressed for time we just played 5 or 6 of our straight ahead rock songs. The audience was good, they seemed to enjoy it. We were playing in a "Cafetorium" so there was crazy reverb everywhere. I could hear my voice bouncing off the walls. It made it sound like the audience was singing along. Were they? Nope.
Big thanks to all the kids who bought CDs. I always feel awkward when people ask us to sign them because I feel like I'm defacing our own disc. We did sign a napkin though. That was a first. Me and my awesome 3 letter autograph.
The rest of the band should be here soon and we'll be on our way out to Port Orange for Spring Music Fest 2006, of which we are a part. I believe we're playing around 3:45... third band to play. This should be a fun one since we have to fill about 45 minutes. We'll be playing almost our entire catalog. We also have a few people making the drive from surrounding towns to see us. I think that's amazing.
This is our third day playing in a row, so this has to be the good show, right?
The Moog has been coaxed back to life, the guitar strings have been changed, and I'm ready to hit the road.
Have a great Saturday.
-Wes
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Oh...uh... This past Saturday we played at The Haven in Winter Park.
The set went by so quickly that I don't remember most of it. I played sloppily. Sorry. We saw a lot of familiar faces and I hope I didn't molest anyone while I was wandering around the room during 'Window.'
This week we have 3 shows in a row in Orlando, Apopka, and Port orange. Rockin. Our calendar for March is filling up nicely. We have our local Orlando gig scheduled for March 4th at the Island Oasis venue. We've never played there before, but it's becoming more and more popular, so we thought we'd check it out. Looking forward to playing somewhere new.
We'll also be revisiting Ocala, taking our first trip down to Sarasota, and hopefully returning to Tampa to see some old friends and make new ones.
It's gonna be a busy month, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Uh, yeah. Fun times ahead. This week is dragging. I have the urge to get back on stage to sing off key and play the moog and guitar like I'm blind. I might not be a great musician, but it's gotta be fun to watch me bumble around on stage.
Seriously though... this Thursday. Will's Pub. All Ages. 6pm. $6. BE THERE. There are 4 amazing bands on this lineup (us included, of course) and I haven't been this excited about a lineup in a loooong time.
Enough begging. You'll be there. Or you won't. Whatever.
I think I'm going to go take care of a sick girl. Cross your fingers that I don't get ebola.
-Wes
The set went by so quickly that I don't remember most of it. I played sloppily. Sorry. We saw a lot of familiar faces and I hope I didn't molest anyone while I was wandering around the room during 'Window.'
This week we have 3 shows in a row in Orlando, Apopka, and Port orange. Rockin. Our calendar for March is filling up nicely. We have our local Orlando gig scheduled for March 4th at the Island Oasis venue. We've never played there before, but it's becoming more and more popular, so we thought we'd check it out. Looking forward to playing somewhere new.
We'll also be revisiting Ocala, taking our first trip down to Sarasota, and hopefully returning to Tampa to see some old friends and make new ones.
It's gonna be a busy month, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Uh, yeah. Fun times ahead. This week is dragging. I have the urge to get back on stage to sing off key and play the moog and guitar like I'm blind. I might not be a great musician, but it's gotta be fun to watch me bumble around on stage.
Seriously though... this Thursday. Will's Pub. All Ages. 6pm. $6. BE THERE. There are 4 amazing bands on this lineup (us included, of course) and I haven't been this excited about a lineup in a loooong time.
Enough begging. You'll be there. Or you won't. Whatever.
I think I'm going to go take care of a sick girl. Cross your fingers that I don't get ebola.
-Wes
Friday, February 17, 2006
I was going to utilize this postas a public apology to my bandmates for not joining them on this fine Friday evening for fun, videogames, and random shenanigans, but I've decided not to.
We have a show tomorrow. We will all be in the same room playing the same songs, and having a blast. It's all about the balance.
I'm putting myself on a strict diet of good old fashioned Powerpop music in an attempt to centralize myself so that I can complete the writing of our follow up to "Sarcasm". As it stands right now, we have seven songs that are always being rotated within our live show to fill the gaps that the EP songs don't fill. Doug and myself have been talking a lot about recording lately. It's something we love to do and are eager to get back into that creative mindset. We aren't sure if our next release will be a full length or another EP, but we've been exploring a lot of options as to what we would record, where we would record it, and who might be at the helm of the project. It's definitely brought up a lot of interesting discussion, and I wish I had more to share, but unfortunately, I don't have all the answers right now. Balance.
We have a lot of other things we need to think about before the studio, such as shows... figuring out which towns we want to target, which venues, and when. It's getting to the point where we know which Central Florida towns will give us the best response. We want to explore new towns just as much as we want to visit places that we enjoy playing. Balance.
We're still planning a tour for July and assuming that it happens and goes according to plan, assuming that we survive such a feat, it will tell us a lot about where we're going as a band. Balance.
I've had a lot of time to think lately, but at the same time, I've been running around like crazy, working, writing, reading, and diving my time between all of the people in my life that I care about. For once, things are going well and it's usually right about now that something pops up and upends my world. I'm hoping that karma can just take a vacation and leave me alone. Balance.
But let's take baby steps here... It's Friday. Fridays are the best.
Enjoy it. Live it up. Go get a little crazy. Do something you've never done before even if you think you'll hate it. It might surprise you.
Everyone have a safe night, and if you're local, come say hello tomorrow at The Haven Lounge (9pm, $5, 18+).
-aWESome
We have a show tomorrow. We will all be in the same room playing the same songs, and having a blast. It's all about the balance.
I'm putting myself on a strict diet of good old fashioned Powerpop music in an attempt to centralize myself so that I can complete the writing of our follow up to "Sarcasm". As it stands right now, we have seven songs that are always being rotated within our live show to fill the gaps that the EP songs don't fill. Doug and myself have been talking a lot about recording lately. It's something we love to do and are eager to get back into that creative mindset. We aren't sure if our next release will be a full length or another EP, but we've been exploring a lot of options as to what we would record, where we would record it, and who might be at the helm of the project. It's definitely brought up a lot of interesting discussion, and I wish I had more to share, but unfortunately, I don't have all the answers right now. Balance.
We have a lot of other things we need to think about before the studio, such as shows... figuring out which towns we want to target, which venues, and when. It's getting to the point where we know which Central Florida towns will give us the best response. We want to explore new towns just as much as we want to visit places that we enjoy playing. Balance.
We're still planning a tour for July and assuming that it happens and goes according to plan, assuming that we survive such a feat, it will tell us a lot about where we're going as a band. Balance.
I've had a lot of time to think lately, but at the same time, I've been running around like crazy, working, writing, reading, and diving my time between all of the people in my life that I care about. For once, things are going well and it's usually right about now that something pops up and upends my world. I'm hoping that karma can just take a vacation and leave me alone. Balance.
But let's take baby steps here... It's Friday. Fridays are the best.
Enjoy it. Live it up. Go get a little crazy. Do something you've never done before even if you think you'll hate it. It might surprise you.
Everyone have a safe night, and if you're local, come say hello tomorrow at The Haven Lounge (9pm, $5, 18+).
-aWESome
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Ok so it has been way too long since anyone but Wes has posted on here so I'm pretty sure it's my turn. Today was Valentines Day....why. Who's idea was this. It's just a reason for girls to get mad at guys because we didn't get them flowers, jewlery and candy. Am I jealous because I don't have a girlfriend, no. Infact I would be more upset if I did because I would have to spend money on her.
Moving on, we have so many shows coming up that by the last one this month my arms might actually fall off, or at the very least my shirt. This Saturday we are playing at The Haven. Then next week we have 3 shows, 3 days in a row and all 3 are all ages, how cool is that?
One last thing, Wes forgot to mention that time we were in the recording studio and Doug decided he should fart as loud as possible. Actually that has happened a lot of times, but just ask Doug about that, I'm pretty sure he has his own list.
-bert
Moving on, we have so many shows coming up that by the last one this month my arms might actually fall off, or at the very least my shirt. This Saturday we are playing at The Haven. Then next week we have 3 shows, 3 days in a row and all 3 are all ages, how cool is that?
One last thing, Wes forgot to mention that time we were in the recording studio and Doug decided he should fart as loud as possible. Actually that has happened a lot of times, but just ask Doug about that, I'm pretty sure he has his own list.
-bert
Monday, February 13, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
What is up with MySpace lately? We've been lucky to break 10 plays a day this week. We were doing so well for a while. Is everyone too busy listening to Panic at the Disco? Where's the loyalty?
You can't get tired of us before you see what we're capable of.
I knew I should've written music that was even more generic and boring.
I heard a new Hawthorne Heights song on the radio last night. I wasn't aware that they even had more than one song, let alone multiple albums. It sounded just like the last single.
Why do bands think that every song needs a screamy part?
Next week I'm going to lock myself in a closet and just listen to 80's new wave tunes. Maybe some early 90's rock. Basically, any genre of recorded music that doesn't make me want to set myself on fire.
I hope that one day, one of our tunes will be the "Prom Song" for that year. You know, one of those obnoxious tunes that plays at every high school dance and takes over the radio. I also want to die with no credibility.
The truth is, I have a moderate to strong dislike for the music industry.
I'm sarcastic.
It's been brought to my attention that the term "Gal Pal" as used a few entries ago, has been dubbed as "queer."
Big thanks to my gal pal for pointing that out.
Oops.
WES
You can't get tired of us before you see what we're capable of.
I knew I should've written music that was even more generic and boring.
I heard a new Hawthorne Heights song on the radio last night. I wasn't aware that they even had more than one song, let alone multiple albums. It sounded just like the last single.
Why do bands think that every song needs a screamy part?
Next week I'm going to lock myself in a closet and just listen to 80's new wave tunes. Maybe some early 90's rock. Basically, any genre of recorded music that doesn't make me want to set myself on fire.
I hope that one day, one of our tunes will be the "Prom Song" for that year. You know, one of those obnoxious tunes that plays at every high school dance and takes over the radio. I also want to die with no credibility.
The truth is, I have a moderate to strong dislike for the music industry.
I'm sarcastic.
It's been brought to my attention that the term "Gal Pal" as used a few entries ago, has been dubbed as "queer."
Big thanks to my gal pal for pointing that out.
Oops.
WES
Monday, February 06, 2006
I'm systematically becoming worse and worse at updating this thing. A lot of our friends and family read it to stay updated on the progress of the band, and I really like that. I hate hate hate repeating myself (wow, there's hypocrisy for you), so if everyone can just take two minutes and read this, it saves me a lot of time and keeps my jaw untired. Sometimes I feel bad because everyone has to hear about our adventures from just my perspective. I feel that you tend to miss out on a lot of things. For instance, whenever I tell stories about our shows, nine times out of ten it's me telling stories about the other band members.
I'll be honest, I don't usually like talking about myself. I tend to be a pretty funny guy and yet, as soon as someone starts a video camera rolling, or someone talks to me at a show, the pressure is on and I become a boring pile of skin and bones. My apologies for that.
I think I have that disorder where you're afraid of people. I don't remember what it's called off the top of my head, and I don't feel like looking it up. It's hilarious to me that I don't like being in or around large groups of people, and yet I decided to make being in a band my goal in life. Sometimes I don't quite think things through.
If I go to a show and there's a lot of people there, you'll find me in the back hanging out at the bar with the soccer moms who brought their kids to the show.
Moral of the story? If you talk to me before or after we play a show, rest assured that I'm really nervous and may not understand why you want to talk to me. After we play, I don't always feel impressive. If I'm sweaty, I don't look impressive, and you can pretty much bet I don't smell impressive either. Just approach me slowly. Pretend I'm a wild animal. Okay, not in that way.
Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm a jerk because I don't like to stand around and chit chat for hours after we play. I'm not that guy. It's not that I don't like you, just know that I'm either trying to load out, sell merch, or looking frantically around the room for someone I know. In fact, just wait until I have two drinks in me before you even attempt conversation. I get really loud after a few, and at that point, I'll talk to you until you're blue in the face or dead.
I'm a shy person. When I'm on stage, I'm not always me. I don't know who I am, but it's not me. Stage-me talks too much and says things he can only get away with while on stage with a band. Normal-me makes the same bad jokes over and over and is generally uninteresting. Don't confuse the two.
See, even now. I don't know what to say about me. I'm squirming in my chair.
This is going nowhere.
Listen to Inkwell.
-Wes
I'll be honest, I don't usually like talking about myself. I tend to be a pretty funny guy and yet, as soon as someone starts a video camera rolling, or someone talks to me at a show, the pressure is on and I become a boring pile of skin and bones. My apologies for that.
I think I have that disorder where you're afraid of people. I don't remember what it's called off the top of my head, and I don't feel like looking it up. It's hilarious to me that I don't like being in or around large groups of people, and yet I decided to make being in a band my goal in life. Sometimes I don't quite think things through.
If I go to a show and there's a lot of people there, you'll find me in the back hanging out at the bar with the soccer moms who brought their kids to the show.
Moral of the story? If you talk to me before or after we play a show, rest assured that I'm really nervous and may not understand why you want to talk to me. After we play, I don't always feel impressive. If I'm sweaty, I don't look impressive, and you can pretty much bet I don't smell impressive either. Just approach me slowly. Pretend I'm a wild animal. Okay, not in that way.
Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm a jerk because I don't like to stand around and chit chat for hours after we play. I'm not that guy. It's not that I don't like you, just know that I'm either trying to load out, sell merch, or looking frantically around the room for someone I know. In fact, just wait until I have two drinks in me before you even attempt conversation. I get really loud after a few, and at that point, I'll talk to you until you're blue in the face or dead.
I'm a shy person. When I'm on stage, I'm not always me. I don't know who I am, but it's not me. Stage-me talks too much and says things he can only get away with while on stage with a band. Normal-me makes the same bad jokes over and over and is generally uninteresting. Don't confuse the two.
See, even now. I don't know what to say about me. I'm squirming in my chair.
This is going nowhere.
Listen to Inkwell.
-Wes
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
We play shows. We've played quite a few of them in the past couple years. We're over the 50 mark now, heading for 100. I've gotta say, that's pretty impressive. A lot of bands nowadays never get out of the garage. We've not done bad for a band that formed in just a couple days and I never expected to play any songs I've written in front of anyone, let alone to a couple hundred kids at our show with Gym Class Heroes. We've released a CD on our own and played all over Central Florida. We're not stopping any time soon and our trying to organize a summer tour along with many shows in many towns.
Whenever we do play shows and we talk to the other bands, one of the things we do is share road stories as it were about crazy things we've seen happen. Since I'm such a huge fans of lists, I'm going to do some top 5's about things band related. This could suck or be boring to read. Just warning you now.
TOP 5 CRAZY ON-STAGE ENY MOMENTS:
1. July 27, 2004 @ Calico Jack's - The singer in the band before us (who were buddies of ours) was going crazy and jumping on things while they played. He was walking across barstools and crashed, slicing open his toe and bleeding everywhere. He then tried to walk up the stairs to the stage and fell over. During our set, I mocked him while singing Window and jumped on stuff. When I tried to mock him falling up the stairs, I tripped over the mic cable and took my own spill.
2. October 22nd, 2005 @ Duke's Orlando - For whatever reason, Doug and I got really drunk before we played. There weren't many people at the show, so we got kinda weird. Bert had taken off his shirt earlier in the set, as he normally does. People in the crowd were yelling at Doug to take his off. I told him I wouldn't play the next song unless he did. He lost the shirt, and his pride.
3. August 10th, 2005 @ O-Zone CD's - For a while I went through a phase where I liked climbing up onto amplifiers during certain parts in songs. Sometimes I climbed onto mine, other times JoAnna's. At this show, during the breakdown of 'Girl Like Her' I climbed onto mine, totally forgetting that it was missing one of it's rubber feet. The amp started swaying and gyrating under my feet. Luckily I jumped off before I crashed down onto it. That would have been a mess.
4. November 18th, 2005 @ Univ. of Central Florida - This was the big show we played with Gym Class Heroes. This crazy moment happened during the breakdown of 'Girl Like Her' (where apparently most of our crazy moments happen) and I swung my guitar around me like you see the cool hardcore bands do, and I guess JoAnna was standing a little too close and the headstock of my guitar smashed into her playing hand, slicing it open. It was black and blue for a week after that. She never lets me live it down.
5. January 20, 2006 @ Duke's Orlando - Girl Like Her breakdown. JoAnna rocks out too hard. Runs off Stage. Pukes.
TOP 5 WORST ENY SHOWS:
1. October 12th, 2003 @ Stardust Coffee - Our first show ever. The place was packed for the last band and we blew it in front of a lot of people. We sucked bad. Bert, Doug, and myself all had songs so I don't think the audience ever knew who the singer was. The stage was too small and we had a really crappy amp setup. We don't talk about it anymore.
2. December 11, 2004 @ Sims Park - We were invited to play an annual festival held at Sims Park in New Port Richey. It was one of our first out of town shows so we were really excited. We ended up having to play at 10am to about five people after a two hour drive.
3. August 27th, 2005 @ Central Station - We played with our buddies Holidaysburg at a bar in downtown Orlando. They played and then we played. The promoter said we had to play another 30 minute set in order to get paid. I retook the stage being extremely drunk and we ended up playing a few new songs that bombed so we just proceeded to reprise half of our earlier set. I'll admit, it wasn't a terrible show, probably quite amusing if you were there, but that in combination with the fact that it took us two hours to get back to the venue to load makes it a show that still frustrates me to this day.
4. April 21st, 2005 @ The Club at Firestone - This was a second round for a battle of the bands. We had won the first round, but the event was held in a huge venue, and tickets were going for $12 a head. There were maybe 20 people in the entire venue. Due to a band showing up late for soundcheck, we got our 30 minute set cut down to 15 minutes with no advance warning. I think we only got to play four songs.
5. February 4th, 2005 @ Debbie's Bar - We played an acoustic show at a dive bar due to some drummer issues we'd been having. Quite a few friends show up to see us, but the bartender started kicking out everyone under 21 (we were told the show was 18+) after our 3rd song. After playing two more tunes we got fed up, packed it in, and walked out.
Honorable Mention: The Memorial Day Skatepark show where JoAnna fell deathly ill the night before.
MY TOP 5 BANDS ENY HAS PLAYED SHOWS WITH:
These are my favorite bands that we've played with to date. Listen to them all.
1. The Progress - From Cherry Hill, NJ. Played with them twice on separate tours they did. Awesome live band, the nicest of guys.
www.myspace.com/theprogress
2. Holidaysburg - From Orlando, FL. We've played with these boys plenty of times. My personal favorite local band. Not only do they put on an amazing live show full of energy, but they play some good alt-country tunes. Oh, and a ton of fun to drink with.
www.myspace.com/holidaysburg
3. Select Start - From Tampa, FL. Played with these fellas once in Orlando and once down in their hometown. Great shows both times. They're about the closest thing to our band that I've seen in a while and they have some amazing songs. They should have a CD coming out this year.
www.myspace.com/selectstart
4. Hey Nice Guy - From Ocala, FL. Doug and I actually drove 2 hours to Ocala to see these guys play based off of a demo we picked up at a show. I believe they're currently on a hiatus, but we've seen them play a bunch of times, and actually got to share the stage with them in Ocala last year.
www.myspace.com/heyniceguy
5. Fellsmere - From Orlando, FL. We've played a whole lot of shows with these guys. We both kind of came onto the scene around the same time, so we shared a lot of friends and stages as we all tried to make names for ourselves. They even released a CD right around the same time we did, so I feel like we've seen them grow as a band. Every show we play with them gets better and the crowds get bigger.
www.myspace.com/fellsmere
TOP 5 FUNNIEST BAND MEMBER MOMENTS:
Sometimes we do really funny things without meaning to, and those moments go down in infamy.
1. Upon taking a break from one of our weekend rehearsals, Doug and I go to step outside for some fresh air, and Doug walks face first into a glass sliding door he thought was open. He even leaves a faceprint.
2. During a recording session we all met up in the parking lot. JoAnna was the last one to arrive so Bert was standing in the last available parking spot he was saving for her. A car comes out of nowhere and tries to pull in where Bert is standing. Driver asks him to move, Bert replies "I'm holding this spot for the person behind you."
3. Doug getting really drunk at a studio session one night, ranting and raving into our video camera. He was really angry that Bert wasn't at the session since it was a band function and everyone should be present. He went on and on, making very valid points, but in the end, not really making a valid argument.
4. On day during practice JoAnna and Bert suited up in inflateable boxing gloves and helmets and proceeded to do what you always do when you just need to hit something... attack Doug.
5. During another recording session, JoAnna became obsessed with a broken drumstick she found and spent the rest of the night hitting band members with it at every opportunity. I don't think anyone made it out of that situation bruise-free.
And lastly, these are a few awards I'd like to give out based on our past shows:
The "I Just Don't Get It" award goes to: Speaking Of...
Orlando noise rock. I just didn't get it. I've never seen a stage so full of keyboards, noise boxes, and out of tune voices. I spent the whole performance wondering if they came to the show with only the bare neccessities.
The "Waaaaaaahmbulance" Award goes to: Doug McPherson
This award is bestowed upon the biggest whiner. Doug, the guitarist for Early Next Year set a new record for number of times he had the Waaaaahmbulance called on him at one show for incessant whining.
The "Please Never Play With Us Again" award goes to: Boxelder
I wanted you guys to win the "I don't get it award" but don't since you didn't I made up a new category. I'm not saying you guys weren't good... but your set was a little bit lengthy. Just a tad. In fact, during your set I zoned out at least seven times and that was while standing beside a speaker. I don't know if you noticed, but by your 50th song, people in the audience were sitting on the ground talking on their cell phones. You lost everyone. And then there were bongos!? What....? I guess it's just way over my head. Sorry. You do your thing. You might spend a little more time in the future catering to your target demographic. You know... Hippies, for instance.
The "If I See It Again, I'm Going to go Nuts" Award goes to: The Day hummer.
A bright yellow tank of a car with a picture of a 16 year old's face on the back window? Dear owner of said vehicle, you should have just put all of your money into a big garbage bag and then lit it on fire. I'm not saying the band is bad, it's just that I wouldn't ride anywhere in that mechanical eyesore. I'm sorry that you have to.
and finally, the "Best Irish Pub" award goes to: Ybor City.
We went down to the Tampa area to play with our pals Select Start and Half-Way Hero. This town was great and our neverending goal to find the best Irish Pub in everytown we play in did not miss a beat. Up some stairs off of main street we found a little hole in the wall place that had some great music, great atmosphere, and some strong beer. In fact, Doug and I really want to play in Ybor again simply to return to this bar. Another show there would just be icing on the cake.
This basically took me a whole afternoon to write. Wow, I wasted a LOT of time.
I hope you were there for some of these events, and if not, hang around us more. The weirdest crap happens all the time.
In a few months, I'll probably have enough stories to do another one of these monsters.
-Wes
Whenever we do play shows and we talk to the other bands, one of the things we do is share road stories as it were about crazy things we've seen happen. Since I'm such a huge fans of lists, I'm going to do some top 5's about things band related. This could suck or be boring to read. Just warning you now.
TOP 5 CRAZY ON-STAGE ENY MOMENTS:
1. July 27, 2004 @ Calico Jack's - The singer in the band before us (who were buddies of ours) was going crazy and jumping on things while they played. He was walking across barstools and crashed, slicing open his toe and bleeding everywhere. He then tried to walk up the stairs to the stage and fell over. During our set, I mocked him while singing Window and jumped on stuff. When I tried to mock him falling up the stairs, I tripped over the mic cable and took my own spill.
2. October 22nd, 2005 @ Duke's Orlando - For whatever reason, Doug and I got really drunk before we played. There weren't many people at the show, so we got kinda weird. Bert had taken off his shirt earlier in the set, as he normally does. People in the crowd were yelling at Doug to take his off. I told him I wouldn't play the next song unless he did. He lost the shirt, and his pride.
3. August 10th, 2005 @ O-Zone CD's - For a while I went through a phase where I liked climbing up onto amplifiers during certain parts in songs. Sometimes I climbed onto mine, other times JoAnna's. At this show, during the breakdown of 'Girl Like Her' I climbed onto mine, totally forgetting that it was missing one of it's rubber feet. The amp started swaying and gyrating under my feet. Luckily I jumped off before I crashed down onto it. That would have been a mess.
4. November 18th, 2005 @ Univ. of Central Florida - This was the big show we played with Gym Class Heroes. This crazy moment happened during the breakdown of 'Girl Like Her' (where apparently most of our crazy moments happen) and I swung my guitar around me like you see the cool hardcore bands do, and I guess JoAnna was standing a little too close and the headstock of my guitar smashed into her playing hand, slicing it open. It was black and blue for a week after that. She never lets me live it down.
5. January 20, 2006 @ Duke's Orlando - Girl Like Her breakdown. JoAnna rocks out too hard. Runs off Stage. Pukes.
TOP 5 WORST ENY SHOWS:
1. October 12th, 2003 @ Stardust Coffee - Our first show ever. The place was packed for the last band and we blew it in front of a lot of people. We sucked bad. Bert, Doug, and myself all had songs so I don't think the audience ever knew who the singer was. The stage was too small and we had a really crappy amp setup. We don't talk about it anymore.
2. December 11, 2004 @ Sims Park - We were invited to play an annual festival held at Sims Park in New Port Richey. It was one of our first out of town shows so we were really excited. We ended up having to play at 10am to about five people after a two hour drive.
3. August 27th, 2005 @ Central Station - We played with our buddies Holidaysburg at a bar in downtown Orlando. They played and then we played. The promoter said we had to play another 30 minute set in order to get paid. I retook the stage being extremely drunk and we ended up playing a few new songs that bombed so we just proceeded to reprise half of our earlier set. I'll admit, it wasn't a terrible show, probably quite amusing if you were there, but that in combination with the fact that it took us two hours to get back to the venue to load makes it a show that still frustrates me to this day.
4. April 21st, 2005 @ The Club at Firestone - This was a second round for a battle of the bands. We had won the first round, but the event was held in a huge venue, and tickets were going for $12 a head. There were maybe 20 people in the entire venue. Due to a band showing up late for soundcheck, we got our 30 minute set cut down to 15 minutes with no advance warning. I think we only got to play four songs.
5. February 4th, 2005 @ Debbie's Bar - We played an acoustic show at a dive bar due to some drummer issues we'd been having. Quite a few friends show up to see us, but the bartender started kicking out everyone under 21 (we were told the show was 18+) after our 3rd song. After playing two more tunes we got fed up, packed it in, and walked out.
Honorable Mention: The Memorial Day Skatepark show where JoAnna fell deathly ill the night before.
MY TOP 5 BANDS ENY HAS PLAYED SHOWS WITH:
These are my favorite bands that we've played with to date. Listen to them all.
1. The Progress - From Cherry Hill, NJ. Played with them twice on separate tours they did. Awesome live band, the nicest of guys.
www.myspace.com/theprogress
2. Holidaysburg - From Orlando, FL. We've played with these boys plenty of times. My personal favorite local band. Not only do they put on an amazing live show full of energy, but they play some good alt-country tunes. Oh, and a ton of fun to drink with.
www.myspace.com/holidaysburg
3. Select Start - From Tampa, FL. Played with these fellas once in Orlando and once down in their hometown. Great shows both times. They're about the closest thing to our band that I've seen in a while and they have some amazing songs. They should have a CD coming out this year.
www.myspace.com/selectstart
4. Hey Nice Guy - From Ocala, FL. Doug and I actually drove 2 hours to Ocala to see these guys play based off of a demo we picked up at a show. I believe they're currently on a hiatus, but we've seen them play a bunch of times, and actually got to share the stage with them in Ocala last year.
www.myspace.com/heyniceguy
5. Fellsmere - From Orlando, FL. We've played a whole lot of shows with these guys. We both kind of came onto the scene around the same time, so we shared a lot of friends and stages as we all tried to make names for ourselves. They even released a CD right around the same time we did, so I feel like we've seen them grow as a band. Every show we play with them gets better and the crowds get bigger.
www.myspace.com/fellsmere
TOP 5 FUNNIEST BAND MEMBER MOMENTS:
Sometimes we do really funny things without meaning to, and those moments go down in infamy.
1. Upon taking a break from one of our weekend rehearsals, Doug and I go to step outside for some fresh air, and Doug walks face first into a glass sliding door he thought was open. He even leaves a faceprint.
2. During a recording session we all met up in the parking lot. JoAnna was the last one to arrive so Bert was standing in the last available parking spot he was saving for her. A car comes out of nowhere and tries to pull in where Bert is standing. Driver asks him to move, Bert replies "I'm holding this spot for the person behind you."
3. Doug getting really drunk at a studio session one night, ranting and raving into our video camera. He was really angry that Bert wasn't at the session since it was a band function and everyone should be present. He went on and on, making very valid points, but in the end, not really making a valid argument.
4. On day during practice JoAnna and Bert suited up in inflateable boxing gloves and helmets and proceeded to do what you always do when you just need to hit something... attack Doug.
5. During another recording session, JoAnna became obsessed with a broken drumstick she found and spent the rest of the night hitting band members with it at every opportunity. I don't think anyone made it out of that situation bruise-free.
And lastly, these are a few awards I'd like to give out based on our past shows:
The "I Just Don't Get It" award goes to: Speaking Of...
Orlando noise rock. I just didn't get it. I've never seen a stage so full of keyboards, noise boxes, and out of tune voices. I spent the whole performance wondering if they came to the show with only the bare neccessities.
The "Waaaaaaahmbulance" Award goes to: Doug McPherson
This award is bestowed upon the biggest whiner. Doug, the guitarist for Early Next Year set a new record for number of times he had the Waaaaahmbulance called on him at one show for incessant whining.
The "Please Never Play With Us Again" award goes to: Boxelder
I wanted you guys to win the "I don't get it award" but don't since you didn't I made up a new category. I'm not saying you guys weren't good... but your set was a little bit lengthy. Just a tad. In fact, during your set I zoned out at least seven times and that was while standing beside a speaker. I don't know if you noticed, but by your 50th song, people in the audience were sitting on the ground talking on their cell phones. You lost everyone. And then there were bongos!? What....? I guess it's just way over my head. Sorry. You do your thing. You might spend a little more time in the future catering to your target demographic. You know... Hippies, for instance.
The "If I See It Again, I'm Going to go Nuts" Award goes to: The Day hummer.
A bright yellow tank of a car with a picture of a 16 year old's face on the back window? Dear owner of said vehicle, you should have just put all of your money into a big garbage bag and then lit it on fire. I'm not saying the band is bad, it's just that I wouldn't ride anywhere in that mechanical eyesore. I'm sorry that you have to.
and finally, the "Best Irish Pub" award goes to: Ybor City.
We went down to the Tampa area to play with our pals Select Start and Half-Way Hero. This town was great and our neverending goal to find the best Irish Pub in everytown we play in did not miss a beat. Up some stairs off of main street we found a little hole in the wall place that had some great music, great atmosphere, and some strong beer. In fact, Doug and I really want to play in Ybor again simply to return to this bar. Another show there would just be icing on the cake.
This basically took me a whole afternoon to write. Wow, I wasted a LOT of time.
I hope you were there for some of these events, and if not, hang around us more. The weirdest crap happens all the time.
In a few months, I'll probably have enough stories to do another one of these monsters.
-Wes
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