Chicago:
Hogbutcher of the world, you were most strange last night. Acoustic listening room means what? Acoustic… we disobeyed a bit with that description… you disobeyed with braying laughter, loud exclamations about funny bits of life.
From underneath the floorboards the other bands vibrated and blasted their sonic wares… If you paid to see June Star, you got a bargain… two bands for the price of one! I’m not kidding… I could hear and feel them jamming out from the underworld. Hades himself was laughing.
Good Times!
I do like Chicago, though. I saw some old friends and we were able to catch up on a few items… marriages, births, and memories of the past blurry and focused. Emily Yeager and Morgan were in attendance! Very nice to see them… unfortunately my night was a bit off… as per the preceding paragraphs. My B game… that’s all I could muster. Sorry girls.
Tori, friend and host appeared! Good Times! Indeed… right now… as I’m typing I’m lookin’ at my empty plate that held eggs and pancakes! Thank you Tori!
Okay St. Louis… not East Saint Louis…
Grimm
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Midwest Tour Day Two 11/14
Michigan, we will call you a tie for several reasons.
1. We didn’t get paid.
2. We didn’t sell any cd’s.
3. Everyone was friendly.
4. We had one heckler at the start of our set.
5. Once the heckler realized:
a. We weren’t fazed by his screaming
b. We were really good at our stuff
c. Our stuff was well written
d. Heckling wasn’t really an option
e. He stopped.
6. The audience response was genuine.
7. Wolfie has the best name out of all sound men.
8. When we announced that our place to stay had fallen through:
a. People were genuinely concerned
b. People offered for us options (all 1 to 2 hours away)
c. People were pulling for us.
9. Late night sandwich at Fleetwood Diner:
a. Best Rueben I have ever eaten
b. Great late coffee
c. Sticker behind me read, “Sexfist.”
10. Doug Neal drove back from East Lansing to put us up.
11. He gave us beer.
12. His house is situated in a quaint postcard perfect Midwestern town.
13. We are ready for Chicago.
Grimm
1. We didn’t get paid.
2. We didn’t sell any cd’s.
3. Everyone was friendly.
4. We had one heckler at the start of our set.
5. Once the heckler realized:
a. We weren’t fazed by his screaming
b. We were really good at our stuff
c. Our stuff was well written
d. Heckling wasn’t really an option
e. He stopped.
6. The audience response was genuine.
7. Wolfie has the best name out of all sound men.
8. When we announced that our place to stay had fallen through:
a. People were genuinely concerned
b. People offered for us options (all 1 to 2 hours away)
c. People were pulling for us.
9. Late night sandwich at Fleetwood Diner:
a. Best Rueben I have ever eaten
b. Great late coffee
c. Sticker behind me read, “Sexfist.”
10. Doug Neal drove back from East Lansing to put us up.
11. He gave us beer.
12. His house is situated in a quaint postcard perfect Midwestern town.
13. We are ready for Chicago.
Grimm
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tour addendum
Waking up in Pittsburgh, I feel as though I was arising from some sort of a cocoon, a stasis; metamorphosis complete, I can set my wings to drying. Snow drops heavily, white dots, slow and blurred, against red clay bricks outside the window. It is cold. The top of my computer is icy, warming up, but the lithium energy only does so much.
I remember distinctly, in much younger years, that most of attention focused on butterflies. Delicate, patterned, and fragile, I liked to look at pictures of them flying, resting, emerging; one picture, in National Geographic, captured this woman (a scientist or grad school lackey?) in a remote forest surrounded by Monarch butterflies. I don’t remember the story or what she was doing there, but I remember thinking that that must have been an unparalleled experience, covered in butterflies. From one perspective, she appeared to be sitting on a throne of Monarchs. Read in to that one, please.
My father, a microbiology professor, seized on that opportunity, my interest in butterflies, and brought home a killing jar and a net. The intention was not evil, but now that I look back at it… it’s kind of funny. The idea was for me to capture butterflies and kill them. Use the net, gently trap them so as to not damage the wings and then seal them in a jar of ether. Sleep = death.
That’s what it was like waking up in Pittsburgh this morning.
We were Lazarus butterflies, cocooned in blankets and sleeping bags while flurries of ether gently landed, gathered outside the window.
On the show:
I shall be brief… It was fun! A long unsure wait to get into the joint but all worked out well… singer songwriters were up first, a trio of them… Mark Ceyler, Travis Shane, and our friend from Baltimore (a transplant) Treevahs. Each played according to his gifts… some particularly sad songs from Treevahs about cancer and the line “It’s only oxygen.”
Our set was beset by acoustic guitar issues but we won out… eventually… Timmy played baritone guitar on few songs… great times… Hadley, despite a wicked pisser of a cold, played great. Some old friends from Baltimore were there and requested some tunes which is nice… actually, I asked if there were any songs she wanted to hear… “Baltimore” and “Wedding Girl.” Good stuff.
Chet Vincent and the Big Bend provided an uplifting energetic set! Good to hear them in a bigger room… Tad broke a bass string and soldiered forth… very cool indeed…
Awight… tonight… here we go!
Ann Arbor!
Grimm
I remember distinctly, in much younger years, that most of attention focused on butterflies. Delicate, patterned, and fragile, I liked to look at pictures of them flying, resting, emerging; one picture, in National Geographic, captured this woman (a scientist or grad school lackey?) in a remote forest surrounded by Monarch butterflies. I don’t remember the story or what she was doing there, but I remember thinking that that must have been an unparalleled experience, covered in butterflies. From one perspective, she appeared to be sitting on a throne of Monarchs. Read in to that one, please.
My father, a microbiology professor, seized on that opportunity, my interest in butterflies, and brought home a killing jar and a net. The intention was not evil, but now that I look back at it… it’s kind of funny. The idea was for me to capture butterflies and kill them. Use the net, gently trap them so as to not damage the wings and then seal them in a jar of ether. Sleep = death.
That’s what it was like waking up in Pittsburgh this morning.
We were Lazarus butterflies, cocooned in blankets and sleeping bags while flurries of ether gently landed, gathered outside the window.
On the show:
I shall be brief… It was fun! A long unsure wait to get into the joint but all worked out well… singer songwriters were up first, a trio of them… Mark Ceyler, Travis Shane, and our friend from Baltimore (a transplant) Treevahs. Each played according to his gifts… some particularly sad songs from Treevahs about cancer and the line “It’s only oxygen.”
Our set was beset by acoustic guitar issues but we won out… eventually… Timmy played baritone guitar on few songs… great times… Hadley, despite a wicked pisser of a cold, played great. Some old friends from Baltimore were there and requested some tunes which is nice… actually, I asked if there were any songs she wanted to hear… “Baltimore” and “Wedding Girl.” Good stuff.
Chet Vincent and the Big Bend provided an uplifting energetic set! Good to hear them in a bigger room… Tad broke a bass string and soldiered forth… very cool indeed…
Awight… tonight… here we go!
Ann Arbor!
Grimm
The Midwest Tour Day One 12/13 Part I
the garfield artworks... fun times indeed... timmy and i played this place in february of 2008. it was snowy and cold... and not much is different from that fun time way back then.
the drive was dicey at times but with slow speeds and white knuckling the driving wheel, we made it at around 5pm... nestled into a great parking spot and spied the local vietnamese place...
tasty treats all the way around... okay... so i'm tired... and i'm cutting this short... a great show with more details to come... good start, everyone!
grimm
the drive was dicey at times but with slow speeds and white knuckling the driving wheel, we made it at around 5pm... nestled into a great parking spot and spied the local vietnamese place...
tasty treats all the way around... okay... so i'm tired... and i'm cutting this short... a great show with more details to come... good start, everyone!
grimm
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Tour Day Four and Five 11/18 and 11/19
ahh the blog sat stagnant and dank.
microbes formed, divide, formed again.
sorry.
i find it interesting at this point in my
musical outing that folks seem to read this
joint.
hmmmm.
Portland, Maine
I really love Portland. I love the feel, the spirit,
the hutzpah of the place. Most of New England has
a great independent, stand alone, "yeah, we're here"
type of sense to it. just covered in maple syrup or
served with lobster.
Dave and I pulled into town early... we actually went
to Newportsmouth first... drove around the town and
went to the maritime museum and spoke with Dorah? I can't
seem to remember her name... note to self... this is
why we blog some time within the vicinity of the event.
Anyhoo... we learned about the building that houses the
museum... pretty cool stuff... Robert Miller, America's first
architect, designed the place... two humongous bouys stood
outside, guarding... or accenting like steel geraniums.
After goofing around there for a while we slipped on up
to Portland. The Dogfish Bar and Grill was the venue...
we were certainly looking forward to the show, Lawrence...
whom maybe reading this very blog, and his sister were coming
to the show...
A note about Lawrence... you can see his wiry frame gliding
up and down Thames street, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes...
some sort of book review tucked under his arm... as Sir Thomas
Browne observed he is "a gem of the old rock."
Having Lawrence and his sister, Gretchen there allowed for warmth
and optimism. That was not the case with the show. The P.A. situation
was less than idea... I was getting shocked every line I crossed while
emoting lyrics... I really had to sing with my eyes open, that only
I could emote at a safe measured distance.
from 8-11 we were largely ignored by folks... kind of a let down
based on the anticipation we felt. not a failure... by anymeans...
however, that night we stayed in the attic apartment of Gretchen's
house. as she showed us the digs, she commented, "this is America's
cutest apartment." It was. Walls were a light blueish and the door frames
and trim were painted green, red, and golden... it ws as if
we slept in Richard Scarry book.
On to Dover, NH.
Do you sense my flagging attention to blogging?
We hung out in Portsmouth during the day... we met a neato
musician... Dave Talmage... he played banjo, guitar, and
accordian... we chatted and I drank arrogant bastard beer...
then we purchased some tasty, albeit expensive coffee... and shoved
off for Dover.
I had been to Dover several times over the years... usually at
night, for some reason... after lapping the town several times
looking for the venue, we found it... an old Mill? on the water...
Fury's Publick House... 25 foot ceilings... nice bartenders... stage and
PA were adequate... the food? superb... hand breaded wings with some
high end dipping sauces... mmmm... and sierra nevada celebration
ale on tap... oh and old speckled hen... scrumptious...
We were up first... so we threw our stuff up on the stage... and I went
to set up the merch... and so this guy comes up and introduces himself...
he says that he bought Sugarbird off of CD baby, liked it... and subsequently
bought our back catalog and everything we have put out since... he even mentioned
that he had been watching our website for updated info on the tour... he and his
wife drove up from Worcester, MA to see the show... I was floored... we talked
for a while... and by no means to I take Baltimore fans for granted... but
I was just kind of shocked that someone out there would buy these discs... like
them enough to come out... from an hour away...
Dave and I scrapped our plans to phone in the show... and instead decided to bring
our A game. Lil' joke there... we always have our A game on. :) Good times...
About 50 or more people there... and they listened to what we did... and clapped at
the appropriate pauses... I have to thank Jon Nolan for setting that show up! It was a great night...
The other bands on the bill, Whiskey Kill and the Molenes... both threw out some rocking sets! It's been a long time since I watched some bands, that I don't know at all, going for some type of big rock sound... Hopefully we can get those guys to Baltimore soon!
Okay... Money... Here's the final Breakdown
Total Money Earned (less cd sales): $304
Total Money Spent (less personal spending):-$243
-$55 Tolls
-$7Parking
-$112.00 Gas
-$69 Hotel
Money Paid to Band: $60/2= $30 apiece.
Short ride to financial independence. :)
Grimm
microbes formed, divide, formed again.
sorry.
i find it interesting at this point in my
musical outing that folks seem to read this
joint.
hmmmm.
Portland, Maine
I really love Portland. I love the feel, the spirit,
the hutzpah of the place. Most of New England has
a great independent, stand alone, "yeah, we're here"
type of sense to it. just covered in maple syrup or
served with lobster.
Dave and I pulled into town early... we actually went
to Newportsmouth first... drove around the town and
went to the maritime museum and spoke with Dorah? I can't
seem to remember her name... note to self... this is
why we blog some time within the vicinity of the event.
Anyhoo... we learned about the building that houses the
museum... pretty cool stuff... Robert Miller, America's first
architect, designed the place... two humongous bouys stood
outside, guarding... or accenting like steel geraniums.
After goofing around there for a while we slipped on up
to Portland. The Dogfish Bar and Grill was the venue...
we were certainly looking forward to the show, Lawrence...
whom maybe reading this very blog, and his sister were coming
to the show...
A note about Lawrence... you can see his wiry frame gliding
up and down Thames street, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes...
some sort of book review tucked under his arm... as Sir Thomas
Browne observed he is "a gem of the old rock."
Having Lawrence and his sister, Gretchen there allowed for warmth
and optimism. That was not the case with the show. The P.A. situation
was less than idea... I was getting shocked every line I crossed while
emoting lyrics... I really had to sing with my eyes open, that only
I could emote at a safe measured distance.
from 8-11 we were largely ignored by folks... kind of a let down
based on the anticipation we felt. not a failure... by anymeans...
however, that night we stayed in the attic apartment of Gretchen's
house. as she showed us the digs, she commented, "this is America's
cutest apartment." It was. Walls were a light blueish and the door frames
and trim were painted green, red, and golden... it ws as if
we slept in Richard Scarry book.
On to Dover, NH.
Do you sense my flagging attention to blogging?
We hung out in Portsmouth during the day... we met a neato
musician... Dave Talmage... he played banjo, guitar, and
accordian... we chatted and I drank arrogant bastard beer...
then we purchased some tasty, albeit expensive coffee... and shoved
off for Dover.
I had been to Dover several times over the years... usually at
night, for some reason... after lapping the town several times
looking for the venue, we found it... an old Mill? on the water...
Fury's Publick House... 25 foot ceilings... nice bartenders... stage and
PA were adequate... the food? superb... hand breaded wings with some
high end dipping sauces... mmmm... and sierra nevada celebration
ale on tap... oh and old speckled hen... scrumptious...
We were up first... so we threw our stuff up on the stage... and I went
to set up the merch... and so this guy comes up and introduces himself...
he says that he bought Sugarbird off of CD baby, liked it... and subsequently
bought our back catalog and everything we have put out since... he even mentioned
that he had been watching our website for updated info on the tour... he and his
wife drove up from Worcester, MA to see the show... I was floored... we talked
for a while... and by no means to I take Baltimore fans for granted... but
I was just kind of shocked that someone out there would buy these discs... like
them enough to come out... from an hour away...
Dave and I scrapped our plans to phone in the show... and instead decided to bring
our A game. Lil' joke there... we always have our A game on. :) Good times...
About 50 or more people there... and they listened to what we did... and clapped at
the appropriate pauses... I have to thank Jon Nolan for setting that show up! It was a great night...
The other bands on the bill, Whiskey Kill and the Molenes... both threw out some rocking sets! It's been a long time since I watched some bands, that I don't know at all, going for some type of big rock sound... Hopefully we can get those guys to Baltimore soon!
Okay... Money... Here's the final Breakdown
Total Money Earned (less cd sales): $304
Total Money Spent (less personal spending):-$243
-$55 Tolls
-$7Parking
-$112.00 Gas
-$69 Hotel
Money Paid to Band: $60/2= $30 apiece.
Short ride to financial independence. :)
Grimm
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