| a little update |
[Sep. 24th, 2007|11:09 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | CT | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | creative | ] |
What are we DOING?! I never know what we're DOING back there!
Hey everyone!
Just a little update to let you know what we've been up to in the past few weeks and what the upcoming months hold:
- We put "My Weakness," off the New Fiction EP, on our Myspace player. You guys voted, we counted all the votes, then recounted and left no chads hanging. It's definitely a different feel for us - check it out and let us know what you think!
- Speaking of new songs, we've been writing A LOT. We're determined to make our next release a full length of 10-15 songs, and the new stuff is all over the place. Louder, quieter, more intense, more eclectic - it's going really well in many directions and we're excited with the results so far. We're essentially devoting the next 3 months to finishing this record, and we'll keep you posted on demos and all that goodness.
- We're not going into hiding until 2008, though. We're be playing a handful of (mostly northeast) shows, including 2 big ones in the NYC area: CultureFest (10/13) and our CMJ showcase at BAM (10/20). Expect us to play some new material. Thanks to everyone who made our little college tour a success - we'll be back on the road as soon as possible.
- We'll be posting a video within the next few days. It's funny. That's all I'll say.
- We're involved in some contests, and we'd love to have your votes! The links can be found on the left side of our Myspace page!
- Watching the Iron Man trailer. Half the band is excited.
See you all soon!
Love,
NickAriChrisDoron & Chaz Reinhold |
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| TN - GA |
[Aug. 10th, 2007|11:22 am] |
Here's a quick summary of the next few days:
We spent the entire day driving from Madison to Nashville, TN. We got in late and stayed with a friend and her new dog, a tiny canine terror that could have easily been on ritalin. In the morning, we did some much-needed laundry and generally took it easy before checking out the trendy sushi spot downtown. As one local put it, parts of Nashville are trying to be New York or LA, and this seemed like one of them (but the sushi was good, something you don't find too much down south).
We took our time setting out for Athens, and we stopped to introduce Bob to the wonders of Waffle House. Unfortunately, the one we chose was tiny and next to a creepy graveyard, but the waffles were good. Bob was not impressed. We got to Athens and explored a bit before the show - very cool city with a lot to do and an amazing restaurant called the Pita Pit. Easily the best place I've eaten on this tour. The show at Tasty World went well, and we'll be back in Athens as soon as possible.
Bob's best friend:
D's best friend:
-Ari |
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| Ole Wisc and Bratz |
[Aug. 8th, 2007|10:10 pm] |
We arrived in good ole Madison, Wisc around 5:00 pm and the city has never looked as fresh. Last time we were in town we played at a good ole rat’s spot (Mr. Greg Ney). We met up with an ole dog name Dan who loathes Billy Mitchell just as much as I. As soon as we arrived we unloaded the gear at the Klinic and we knew we were in for a special night as the flyer explained we would be headlining a metal show. Mmm. We love metal. It was more hardcore then metal but nonetheless all the bands hated their parents and god. All in all it was a good night - we had our Madison friends there watching and listening to our 12:45 am set. After the show we all went back to the old drinking hole which is Dan’s apartment and had good times. The next morning we had to bring Nick, I mean Clous, to the movie theater. (I will let Clous take over from here)...
Nobody knows this, but the only reason this tour came about was so I could watch Bratz in the movie theater on opening night, a thousand miles from home, unidentified. It was everything I had hoped for.
I could barely contain myself on the way to the theater. I kept telling myself that if it was as good as Clueless I'd be satisfied, little did I know it would make clueless look like Gili, on meth, without J-Lo, and no budget. While en route it started to rain, but not even the greatest thunderstorm known to the Atlantic could drown out my giddy excitement and determination.
The movie poster on the side of the theater taunted me as I sped by the crowd to claim my rightful spot among the thirteen year old girls and their disapproving mothers. Everybody shot me a questionable look as I took my seat in the middle of the center row. They were obviously jealous I came armed with a jumbo Sour Patch Kids and a large Coke. Suckers.
From start to finish Bratz was like a wonderful dream. Surpassing all my expectations, it told tales of jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, loners, mean girls, and a group of friends just trying to find their way in this crazy play called life.
No matter what this life throws at me from here on out, I will be able to take it in stride, knowing that I have witnessed something so great, so powerful, so inspiring, that I will always have the will to carry on... To carry on.
- Clous Logz
Ari, Bob and I went to see the new Bourne movie. It was pretty sweet. Doron saw Hotrod and said there was like 4 funny parts. After we got back Bones, Dan, and AC cooked up a feast of feasts! We had a serious Taco bar goin down. We ate like kings and then started playing land mines. Land mines is one of the finest drinking games on this fine earf. As I was playing land mines, Nick and Ari were quaffing fine cognac and cigars enjoying the day off as well as watching fine movies all eve. We new the eve was going to be very special when Bones (Tommy) was getting ganged up on in the fine game of lands mines as he puked out the 3rd floor window onto a motor bike. I have never seen anything performed with such accuracy, grace and precision. GOOD FORM indeed. So then Bee-O-bee and I left for the bar with those rats and Ari, D and Nick stayed back at the spot. We headed to a place called the “Blue Velvet” where I will sum it all up. Multiple body shots, beverages, ridiculousness, and Bones and Dan almost getting arrested. Then we headed back to this “A bar” as they call it in Madison and we were instantly kicked out. After that lovely 5 minute stay we headed to Bones' spot and marinated with some bevs and at 3am we decided we needed to jump in Lake Mendota one last time. This lake is the new fountain of youth as well as a good friend of mine. As we exit the spot we realize wow its thundering and lightning like crazy. It still had to be done, so we ran down the street down the stairs over the hill and off the dock into the fresh dark waters that is Mendota and oh it was delightful. As the lightning was flashing everywhere I realized Dan was dead! On the dock with his foot in his mouth. I’m kidding. We all jumped out went back to the spot had some more bevs and I passed out in a hallway. Woke up and ate a delicious leftover taco. And onto the next state. Tennessee.
Peraf snacks.
- Dr. B
Match made in heaven:
Madison, Ole Wisc:
The freshest rat Katz host in all the land:
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| Holland, MI |
[Aug. 6th, 2007|02:20 pm] |
Before Ole Wisc, we had to hit the Park Theatre in Ye Olde Holland, MI. We started the day early with an interview at the local radio station, where we were greeted with day-old donuts and coffee-flavored water. We promoted the show, then got directions to the Holland State Park - an ultra-fine sand beach on Lake Michigan. We still had some wet clothes from Cedar Point's water park, so we put those in the dryer (the top of the van), and went for a dip. We met some potential showgoers, including a 70-something named Harold and his wife. He rated the band's sound as better than his trashy beach novel, but not as good as a bacon and tomato sandwich. Add that to the presskit.
After the beach, we made our way into town and loaded in at the Park Theatre, a historic building in the center of town. We soundchecked and took off to explore Holland, a little town which has a bit of everything. When you're tour, there's a lot of time to kill. I usually spend most of that time in coffee shops (preferably local with free wireless), and stock up on an excess of caffeine. We made our way back to the theatre in time to catch some local breakers do their thing on a linoleum mat. D and I have become inspired to take some classes when we get back, so be expecting some uprock moves in the live show.
The show was good, thanks to our man Drew in The Fair Divide, who opened and brought some friends to see us. We've added a Pac-man tourney to our merch table when we have enough room, so anyone who wants to challenge Chris, please prepare yourself. The show ended earlier than usual, so we decided to drive to Evanston, IL, to stay with my sister Lena. We made it to the Chicago suburb in a couple hours and slept soundly on camping mattresses. In the morning, we followed Lena's hand-drawn map to Starbucks and the local bagel shop and took off for Madison. Old Wisc. The Land of Fresh Cats and Ratty Rats.
Doesn't get greener than this:
Lake Michigan:
The Park Theatre:
Challenge him! You might get embarrassed:
The poppers pop:
And the breakers break:
-Ari |
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| cedar point, OHIO |
[Aug. 5th, 2007|12:42 am] |
Now, D wants nothing to do with Cedar Point, Bee O bee has never gone on a roller coaster, Ari is down, Nick is skeptical but down and I, Dr. B, have been waiting seven years 2 hours and seven skoshes to witness and experience the deliciousness that is Cedar Point.
The Millennium Force - Do not quote me on this but 310ft about 82 degree angle on the first drop top speed about 95 mph. We waited in line for about an hour only because we insisted on being in the very front. Bee O bee has some shakes but he has never been on a coaster before. So I was laughin hard as he is jumping up and down tryin to get the blood flow through his body. Then the coaster pulls up and it’s our turn. He turns to me and says “Do it!” I knew exactly what he meant. I smacked him right in his face and we hopped on the ride. The view was ridiculous as we were slowly heading for the top. The first drop felt like it was never going to end. It was amazing it gave me a feeling in my stomach that I never have felt before and never would again, or so I thought...
After a few smaller rides and some tasty treats Bee O bee conquered the rope challenge and won a huge Dragon who is now the new merch man. Next to the water park...
The water park was pretty fresh. We went on some sweet water slides and cooled down. As we were headed to the top of one big slide ride, we realized that there was a rip cord and this would have too be done for the tale.
We pay the fee and head over to the harness area. As Bee O bee and I enter we see Nick and Ari already in the harness ready to makes power moves. I am realizing that this is going to be more serious then I thought. Ari and Nick went and had the time of their lives. Bob and I head over to the spot and as we are slowly being lifted we realize Jesus Christ this is ridiculous. We reach the top Bob rips the cord and BAM! GOOD FORM JACK! It was amazing and now we plan to go all the way; sky diving before the end of the tour. It must be done.
So now we are all ready to leave. The park closes in about 10 minutes and we are just talking about how ridiculous this day has been. And we stop look at each other and all make a move to the park to catch the Millennium Force one last time before we head to Holland Michigan. The only setback we can’t find the entrance! I know it sounds lame but there was this secret entrance under a freakin bridge. We are running sweating our faces off trying to figure out where to go. Finally we meet a park watchman guy who knows nothing at all - don’t get me started I’m just gonna get mad again. After a serious jog (soft J) we realize we have it ALL wrong. Forget the Millennium Force there has been a creature hiding called “ The Dragster” - 420 ft straight up and then down 120 mph, 17 seconds of madness. OH MY SWEET JESUS. We ran to the end of the line, just made the cut off point and we jumped on. People, stop reading this and go to Cedar Point right now and hop on this beast. As soon as we got off the park closed and we bounced for Holland. We arrived about 530 am and we slept in the radio station parking lot where we had an interview at the local station. That’s where the fun ends for now. Next is Ole Wisc. Good times ahead talk to you soon. Peraf. And good form.
– Chris aka Dr. B aka the Good Form Ambassador aka Power Moves Imperioli
Sorry for the lack of authentic pictures, these will do for now:
Millennium Force:
Top Thrill Dragster:
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| Cincinnati and Detroit |
[Aug. 2nd, 2007|04:58 pm] |
So we played in Cincinnati at The Poison Room for the first time. It was sweet. The bartenders were really nice. One of em offered me a free shot, so I got a free tap water. And I think one of the girls that worked there teamed wit Chris on a game of beer pong. Two young ladies drove like a hundred miles from Cleveland to come see us, which was utterly touching. We couldn't sell em any cd's cause they had em already. Then we retired to the hotel room, fell asleep and completely neglected to touch the pool. Durn shame, you ask me. Cause it was hot.
In the hotel breakfast room, a guy tried to pour orange juice from a pitcher with saran wrap on it. Succeeded only in soakin the floor in vitamin C. Me and Chris tried real hard not to laugh when his daughter started makin Wookie noises in the back of her throat. "I got my tonsils out yesterday," she said between bites of pear. Not the best post-op meal, but alright.
In Detroit, we met a kindly tree-cutter who was fresh from the ER after bein hit by what I think was his own truck. In his newfound fervor for life, he offered me and Chris free drinks at the Belmont. Bombs for Baghdaddy, water for me. He showed us the shiny new stitches in his back and then I left. Meanwhile, Nick and Ari were bein molested by a forty-somethin woman in a wi-fi zone down the block. "She was sniffing the back of my neck," Nick shuddered. "I felt chills of disgust." She proceeded to sniff Ari as well, which I can only guess was to verify nationality. Ask him to tell you what she said after that.
We spent some time on the Belmont patio with the kind and talented Grey Level and the Landry Brothers. Check them both out on Myspace right now, cause it was a beautiful night. We stayed with Grey's drummer Kenny, for which we're eternally grateful. We awoke in the morn and headed for Sandusky, OH's Cedar Point. I hate roller coasters.
- D |
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| brooklyn - ohio |
[Jul. 31st, 2007|11:35 am] |
New York, no matter which borough, is always an amazing time. The first show of our summer tour happened to be in Brooklyn, in a venue called The House of Yes. We saw some familiar faces and met a lot of new ones, including a girl on stilts with a bass drum,
a half naked glass walking lady,
and the monster from Where the Wild Things Are.
All of them were very hospitable and the crowd was filled with some of the most insane dancers we've ever seen. After we played around 3am, Chris, Ari, and our awesome tour buddy Bob crashed in the van, Doron went to his girlfriend's, and I found the only sofa in New York that seemed to be made of nails. I've started yet another tuna binge, and I'm very excited to have discovered canned tuna with a pull lid, thus eliminating the need for a can opener. Nobody else in the band seems to share my enthusiasm. As I write this, we're driving through Western Pennsylvania on our way to Cincinnati. The name of that city makes me wonder what "e" did that was so bad to deserve such a negative title pointed at it, twice!
-Clous Logz
PS - Chris wore a unitard.
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| home. |
[Oct. 20th, 2006|07:07 pm] |
tour is over - we're back in rainy connecticut. we decided to make the 10 hour trek back from ohio last night on some of the darkest roads in the country. this tour felt more like a 2 week vacation with a few shows on the way, mostly due to the amount of days off we scheduled (and florida. that helped). where do we go from here?
we have new music on the way, we just have to finalize mixing and all that fun stuff. we're hoping it will be released in very early 2007, and we'll definitely put a track or two online before that. a couple new songs have made their way into the set, so let us know what you think.
in more definite news, we have an awesome halloween show coming up in NYC. it's part of the CMJ music marathon, so we're very excited to be sharing the night with such an amazing lineup of bands. check out cmj.com/marathon for an extensive list of all festival participants. we'll be playing at the delancey for the afropunk portion of the marathon. and we'll be dressing up...
-ari |
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| it's been a few days. |
[Oct. 17th, 2006|02:58 pm] |
hey everyone,
it's been a few days and a few shows, but we're still alive. we're in the beautiful city of nashville, and the only downside of this city is that the laser tag place is closed on monday and tuesday. our 2 days in daytona beach were very relaxing and refreshing - we played a show minutes from our beachside hotel, enjoyed the last of the summer sun and sand, and almost had to defend ourselves against a certified crazy woman (ask D for the reenactment). also, daytona is the only place where you can get a "kentucky roll" at its one japanese restaurant - fried chicken, onion, mayo. of course i tried it.
after driving across florida, we got to a deserted tallahassee. although it's the home of FSU, the city was dead. we played the bar where creed played its first show, so upon learning that fact and being put on a punk/goth bill, we didn't get the best response. that left ample time for the 8-hour trek to nashville, which took us through the entire state of alabama. after getting a few hours of rest, we headed to a suburban mall and tried to sell cds to kids who were there for fall break. not too much luck there either. we're heading over to the belmont university campus in a few minutes to promote tonight's show and see if we can turn around our southern luck.
-ari |
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| down south. |
[Oct. 12th, 2006|05:33 pm] |
so we're officially down south now, as i write to you from the same spartanburg, SC library we spent 6 hours in last tour. it's air-conditioned, has free wireless, and a huge selection of graphic novels and comics for D. we're playing ground zero tonight, where we previously opened for an undeniably tight band called the sex slaves. we'll see what happens tonight...
we spent last night in charlotte, NC, where we sold a few cds at a mall, then explored downtown. selling stuff at malls is definitely an interesting experience, and you have to put all shame aside, engage a potential customer, and try to make it happen. we'll probably be doing that a few more times within the next few days. not too much was happening in charlotte on a wednesday night except for the city's hottest model contest at coyote ugly. the classic film pretty much dictates all behavior at the chain of bars, and we fondly remembered playing to a crowd of zero at the boston branch. we couldn't decide whether to be amazed at how the bartenders dance so precisely on a 2 foot wide piece of wood, or that guy at the bar who knew all the words to "pour some sugar on me." the jukebox didn't play any of D's selections, but i think the whole bar knew every word to "cowboy" by kid rock.
earlier that day, we wandered around charlottesville, VA for a bit. the city has a great main street plaza where only foot traffic is allowed, and a great venue called atomic burrito, where we played the night before. its greatness comes from the fact that it pays the bands with free burritos, so we were happy with our earnings that night.
we'll be spending a few days in florida, and three of us hope the water's warm enough to swim in.
-ari |
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| DC |
[Oct. 10th, 2006|06:48 pm] |
hello from DC. a few facts:
-DC's rich/poor problem is just as bad as philadelphia's, and what makes it worse is that this is our nation's capital.
-arrested development is a funny show.
-the departed was about 40 minutes too long.
-we're playing a venue tonight called the atomic burrito, so needless to say, we're all excited.
that's about it. everyone's staying sane and relatively clean.
-ari |
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| fall tour, day 3. |
[Oct. 8th, 2006|09:34 pm] |
hello from brooklyn.
we've played 2 shows on this tour thus far, and both were good. asbury park NJ in october is a little surreal and creepy, but we had fun and saw some friends at the show. we were guests at a wedding party at a hotel down the boardwalk and had a good time with the family, then slept near the beach and enjoyed the cool weather. we drove down to philly the next day and made our way to the north side of the city, which is one of the most destitute parts of the country i've ever seen. on the ride to the previous show, we had been talking about the lack of government funding, support, and compassion for the victims of hurricane katrina, and a similar scene showed itself in north philly. it's a little depressing, but the show was cool and i really hope the venue (the boiler room) gets people there every night. after going through about 5 plans of action after the show, we decided to get a hotel room somewhere in south jersey. 15 hotels later, no exaggeration, we chose to drive up to brooklyn to stay with friends. it was worth it for the amazing homemade breakfast we ate this morning. wow.
we're all gonna go see 'the departed' tonight, the new scorcese movie, then drive down to DC tomorrow.
now back to 'eternal sunshine...'
-ari |
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| day #24. |
[Aug. 24th, 2006|12:33 pm] |
it's half past midnight, and we're heading to the airport in 3 hours to catch a 6:30 flight back home. it's the perfect way to mess up our east coast clocks. i honestly can't believe this recording process is coming to a close - i've gotten used to california and will definitely miss it, but it'll be nice to be back home for a bit. we've had an amazing time and we're looking forward to getting the post-production side of things rolling. for now, time to head home to jobs, seasons, more shows, practice, and the atlantic...
-ari
here are a few shots from the first couple of days:
first lady of ghettocrush. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 19th, 2006|08:19 pm] |
its saturday about 5:18pm and my body hates me. Nick, Ari, and myself went on a adventure to the pacific and we found 10 foot+ waves and a family of dolphins swimming around which was freakin amazing. These waves were BEASTS throwing us around like nothin it was hilarious and a little scary especially when we were body surfing and BAM front flip on the ground, however, it was delish. I just had to get that off my chest.... bbq time. peraf-chris
the show on thursday was great. we opened with a new song that will be on the record, and it was fun to hear it on stage. the stage sound itself was the best we've ever had, and playing on all of ben's gear was exciting. the turnout was more than expected - thanks to everyone who came and hung out at the merch table with us. we met a lot of new people and saw some familiar faces from the june show. kilmore followed us with a dj set and some crazy visuals. a few days ago, we had a preview of those images before the show on his movie theater tv screen, which was probably 30 feet long and 10 feet high - insane, sort of like that ride in the original charlie and the chocolate factory. ben, ash and sekou killed their set. we shared a rehearsal space with them leading up to the show, and they blew those practices out of the water. there should be a video surfacing soon, and we'll try to get that up somewhere as soon as possible. after the show we ended up at a restaurant that served banana-chocolate chip-peanut butter pancakes with a delicious caramel sauce. chris and i enjoyed those. heavily. our night ended at 5:30 back here at ben's, where everyone was happy with the night.
we can't wait to get home and play the space on saturday - we'll be playing some new stuff, some old stuff, some in between stuff... it'll be a good show.
-ari
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| tomorrow. |
[Aug. 17th, 2006|11:00 am] |
so the big west coast show is tomorrow. we rehearsed for 2 days in hollywood and we're trying to get our show legs back. touring definitely helped us, but lounging in camarillo for 2 weeks has made us a little rusty. we put the recording process on hold for a bit to prepare for this, but by friday D will be back to his tracks and the rest of us will be back to killing time on myspace and playing basketball. then we'll go see snakes on a plane.
-ari |
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| election day in ct. |
[Aug. 8th, 2006|05:51 pm] |
hey everyone,
i'm being really quiet as D tracks some vocals. drums are done. this week is all about guitars and vocals, and we'll be working with ashley since ben has some "work" to do in jersey for vh1. we've been having a lot of fun out here and getting a bit of recording done in the process. a few nights ago we drove up to ventura to hang out and found a carnival where we all went on a cool anti-gravity-spaceship-house-music ride, and got an extra turn on another ride because some "mouthgirl" (as chris would say) thought their safety harness was broken. last night we took a ride on the pacific coast highway which is pretty amazing. the pacific definitely has an allure that the atlantic lacks, although the balance between the two -traveling one end of the country to the other- is the greatest thing of all. it's funny that 6 guys from connecticut and new jersey are holed up in a house in california making a record. two cops wanted to get us for loitering but we used the "these guys are from ct and don't have the pacific" excuse, which worked.
musically, we're really letting go of some of our parts and letting ben and ash produce. we've never had strong outside voices to criticize/help us, so this is a nice and semi-difficult change. we've simplified some parts to let the songs grow, instead of writing impressive instrumentals suited for vocals.
we saw "ricky bobby" (highly recommended), and grilled (without murph, sadly). we've watched this for inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0djZ-naC_s |
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| byaw! |
[Aug. 4th, 2006|08:31 am] |
it's about 8 a.m. here in camarillo, where everyone is sleeping like babies. our schedule theoretically has us waking up at 8 and starting drum tracks by 9, but so far we've been taking our time with that. leisurely recording was not how monsters on maple street was produced, so we're already experiencing a different vibe out here. i personally think it's great. we've got 2 solid drum tracks and are planning on 3 more today, which should give us enough material to work with for a few days. the amount of possible sounds and tones here is endless, ben and ashley's input is always creative, and everyone is having fun doing this.
besides recording, we've taken some photos with ben's brother mike, eaten more food than we're all used to, enjoyed the cool weather, used myspace way too much, and have gotten amped for this movie. things are different and good. i'm still excited.
-ari
byaw! |
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| show! |
[Jul. 31st, 2006|12:21 am] |
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