Majoring in the Arts

I'm really excited about how our new LP is turning out. I believe it's going to be our best yet. The songs are great, the band is playing great, and we're doing it on tape. We've also raised our own bar for making crazy music videos. At the moment, we're in the middle of making a 20 minute short film to go with the record. We're working with Jonathan Griffith and the Valley Video Services crew, and Amy Rosko and Adam Rosko of Atomic Arts. It's all top secret, but at this time I can tell you Midnight Callers, Blue Horns, druids, chase scenes, Von Hummer, a roller derby girl, a Hullaballoon and ice cream are all involved.....and that's only the start.

In the meantime, here's a video that we made for one of our new songs. The footage comes from our recording and touring adventures. The song is called Majoring in the Arts and it's going to be featured in our short film as well.

Witchita, KS Shakes the Clown!

Tuesday March 23rd from Kansas City, Missouri to Witchita, KS.

While driving across Kansas you sort of wonder, "What do people do out here?" Other then the couple big cities, Kansas City, Witchita, ect. there is a lot of open space. I saw some cows. I guess maybe it's too early for crops to start peaking out of the ground but..... One of the things I did this trip was buy postcards and send them out to friends as a way to pass the time. One of those Kansas postcards said Kansas is known for wheat and sunflowers.

VANessa, that's what we call our van, pulled up in front of Kirby's Beer Store about 5pmish. The "club" is right next to a laundromat and about the size of maybe a studio apartment. Looking around the room you see posters for old shows, beer signs, book shelves up high filled with old books, a jukebox filled with old 45's that people are still pumping money into, lots of locals, regulars, musicians. I believe one of the only things holding this place together maybe all of the stickers on the walls. Smoking in bars is still legal in Kansas so the room has the fresh scent of smoke as well as the stale smoke smell that you get in most clubs.

After hanging with the locals for awhile they start moving the tables off the stage so we can set up. People start filing into the small space as we begin to play. The room sounds great and feels great. The "tip" bucket starts filling up. By the sets end when we are playing Siouxsie Please Come Home the crowd is singing along.

Immediately after we stop I jump off the stage to man the merch. Tonight is good, we sell CDs and we've started this thing called the name your own price for a t-shirt. Our merch box exploded during load out one night and the one we bought before leaving Missouri is too small. In other words, we gotta move some tees. After things die down a little bit a man approaches the merch table. He's shorter, stocky, wearing a hat like mine and Buddy Holly glasses. He says, "You guys were great, I REALLY like your band."

I probably say something dumb like, "Cool man, thanks. "

He says, "My name is Bob.......Bobcat Goldthwait."

I take a closer look and through the glasses and the hat I start to see who he really is! Shakes the Clown, One Crazy Summer, Police Academy. What is he doing here! He doesn't really talk in his crazy voice.

I play it cool, "Cool, it's nice to meet you."

He turns around and I start freaking out. Pull out my phone and start texting everyone. I grab Pat and I am like, "Do you know who that is!?"

Bobcat ends up introducing himself to Pat as well and they begin to start talking about powerpop from the 70's and 80's, records he is looking for and music in general. Super nice cool guy. He says he's coming to Portland for something soon but can't remember. The next band starts up and Bob's ready to leave. I make sure he has a way to get hold of us because he wants guides to go record shopping or have drinks in a rock bar when he comes. Here's to hoping he e-mails us.

Witichita, KS, Bobcat Goththwait, a small hole in the wall dive bar. Crazy.

To Be Continued......?

VAC in Boise

It was the last stop. We stayed with our good friends, April and Travis. We laughed a lot. We had home cooked lasagne. We played with Low Fi and With Child. Low Fi is starting to stretch the old boundaries. It's exciting to see the expansion.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Pretty People
If I Wanted You Back
Your Hair Changes
Taking Advantage
Embracing the Modern Age
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Oh! I can't forget! Amazing and friendly audience at VAC. We will return soon.

Heading home to finish the next, as of now, untitled record.

the Pneumonia Story.......

When you pack for a long tour you know at some point you will need to do laundry. For this, "the 24 hours to Awesome Tour," it was pack for about nine days and do laundry when we get to Austin. The hotel in Austin had no guest laundry sevices and I was either too sick or too busy going from show to show to get to a laundromat. Needless to say, heading to Tulsa, OK, I was wearing clothes that had a couple days use out of them already. The plan, make it to Tulsa early, do laundry, change clothes and head to the gig fresh as a daisy.
The drive into Oklaholma proved difficult with a lot of construction delays and backroad detours. We were all worried we might not make it to the gig on time. It was about 8 or 8:30pm when we pulled up in front of the Sound Pony hungry and ready to GET OUT OF THE VAN! Myself, I had a fever and felt worse then ever. I just laid in the van trying to sleep. At some point after the guys loaded in, Pat came out to check on me and felt my forehead. We discussed what I had already started thinking, this "cold" that I had was possibly turning into pneumonia.
Band teamwork went into action. Pat took my health insurance card to find an urgent care clinic to take me to first thing in the morning. Mike walked up the street to grab something for me to eat. I took a swig off the Robitussin bottle that was rolling around in the van while being lulled to sleep to the sounds of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, whom were playing a couple doors down. The guys set up everything while I slept. I went in and out of consciousness tripping out on Robitussin dreams. The show went well from what I know through my haze. Finn Riggins was great.
Next morning, I check into the Warren Clinic about 9:30 am. Not too long of a wait, although my oberservations of the state of healthcare and what's going on these days are planned for a blog at a later date. Dr. Christopher Sorrels comes walking in; a younger doctor, maybe mid-thirties, a cool looking guy. I tell him I'm a musician on the road, I've had a cold for about 2 weeks, a fever for about 2 days and was begining to think it might be morphing into pneumonia. "Dr. Sorrels, life on the road isn't the healthiest what with the lack of sleep, proper food or regular schedule, alcohol, drugs, women....... you know." He gets excited and starts asking questions about the band and what kind of music we play. After examining me, he sends me to XRAY to confirm pneumonia.
I head back upstairs to await results and treatment. The doctor confirms my fears are true and says a shot of antibiotics are in order followed by pills for a week. The doctor asks a couple more questions about the band and shakes my hand reassuring me that I will be feeling better in no time.
About 5 minutes later the nurse comes in smiling at me. She says playfully, "I hear you are a rock-n-roll musician?"
"I am."
"The nurses and I were drawing straws out there to see who was going to get to come in and give you your shot, " she said in the same playful tone.
All I could think was here I am, about to pull my pants down for a shot in the ass, wearing underwear that is going on it's third day now. Some prize this woman is getting.

Knotty Pine in Victor, ID with Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons

After a long drive through desolate Wyoming, spotting deer, big horn, elk, antelope and moose, we passed through Jackson and over Teton Pass into Victor, Idaho. Jerry, Steve and Junior were already sound checking when we arrived. It was a real treat for us to open for these road dogs. I had the rare and awesome opportunity to watch them work out the second set backstage. I love the way they play off each other in order to whip up a massive sound that the packed in audience jigged and twirled to. Mike sat in and played aggressive second guitar with The Jackmormons on Golden American.

Thanks Jerry and Carson for taking care of us at the end of the night. And a big thanks to Jeff Lord Alge and Abbott for the killer sound.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Can't Fall in Love
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
A Wirld Without Love
Embracing the Modern Age
The More You Say You Know
Jenny and Steve
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Hi Dive, Denver

In order to avoid getting stuck in a snow storm and missing our show, we left for Denver very early, changed our route three times, and arrived four hours early. No problem, it gave us time to eat at the club, explore Broadway, and discover that Colorado, like California, is very progressive when it comes to their medical marijuana laws.

The Hi Dive staff is awesome. Friendly, yet full of the dry humor Blue Skies shares. The audience danced and wanted to talk about Portland after our set. We'll be back before too long.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Back to New Orleans
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
Your Hair Changes
Jenny and Steve
Embracing the Modern Age
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Kirby's Beer Store in Wichita, Kansas

Bobcat Goldthwait was in town performing. After his show, he came to ours. We hung out and talked about powerpop.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Your Hair Changes
Majoring in the Arts
The More You Say You Know
Taking Advantage
Pretty People
Here Comes the Rain
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Wichita was fantastic! We loved the club and the peeps.