Hey everybody, we're gonna be on the radio on July 2nd!
WEFT 90.1 FM is hosting our wonderful sounds from 10:00-11:00 P.M. on Monday, July 2. Make sure to tune in and check us out!
I'm not sure about online streaming, yet, but if they don't have it already we can set one up manually with our digital tricks - so you can't use the "i don't have a radio" excuse!
(i don't sound sick anymore do i? must be because i'm advertising...)
-t
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Dog Days
Well, sorry for not posting in a while, but I've been kinda sick. I don't get sick very often - in fact I don't remember the last time I was sick. It must have been over a year ago, but shit this really sucks. I feel really really really bad, comparatively, of course.
So we played our first two shows and we changed history - now what?
Well, we've got a lot of options, like most bands. I have started setting up a show at IMC and talking with other bands (over the series of tubes) about playing at the Highdive or Cowboy Monkey. Dave, on the other hand, is setting up a WEFT session for us on the 2nd of July (last I heard, at least).
Other than that...well, I think we should probably record something even if it is just a quick demo on the 8-track. We need something that embodies our band as a whole, which would probably prove to be very difficult seeing as we haven't really defined ourselves, yet.
Outside of that, Dave wants to make some merchandise of some kind, which I agree with, but I don't know much about making stickers. I suggested we spray-paint our logo around town because it looks like a footprint, to which my roommate declared: "If you do that then I'm not going to a single one of your shows".
Merchandising can probably wait until we get the core of the actual band experience out of the way - the music. I'd like to work on some more originals and getting some more shows. I also mentioned to Dave the possibility of doing shows out of town, but I have yet to receive a reply from him about that.
There are two guys downstairs talking about the repairs they need to make because of the damage the exploding jeep caused. The jeep, for whatever reason, is still down there.
"We're gonna need seven four by fours, and... let's see.....five....six.....i dunno how long of that railing we will need."
Little do they know that a certain pet rat of ours is running around the building...maybe I should take him in.
Speaking of pet rats, I also mentioned to Dave that we should take advantage of our connections with WPGU and try to either play live on the station or make a recording and start putting it in regular rotation.
Well, I'm gonna go back to sniffing and sneezing.
-t
So we played our first two shows and we changed history - now what?
Well, we've got a lot of options, like most bands. I have started setting up a show at IMC and talking with other bands (over the series of tubes) about playing at the Highdive or Cowboy Monkey. Dave, on the other hand, is setting up a WEFT session for us on the 2nd of July (last I heard, at least).
Other than that...well, I think we should probably record something even if it is just a quick demo on the 8-track. We need something that embodies our band as a whole, which would probably prove to be very difficult seeing as we haven't really defined ourselves, yet.
Outside of that, Dave wants to make some merchandise of some kind, which I agree with, but I don't know much about making stickers. I suggested we spray-paint our logo around town because it looks like a footprint, to which my roommate declared: "If you do that then I'm not going to a single one of your shows".
Merchandising can probably wait until we get the core of the actual band experience out of the way - the music. I'd like to work on some more originals and getting some more shows. I also mentioned to Dave the possibility of doing shows out of town, but I have yet to receive a reply from him about that.
There are two guys downstairs talking about the repairs they need to make because of the damage the exploding jeep caused. The jeep, for whatever reason, is still down there.
"We're gonna need seven four by fours, and... let's see.....five....six.....i dunno how long of that railing we will need."
Little do they know that a certain pet rat of ours is running around the building...maybe I should take him in.
Speaking of pet rats, I also mentioned to Dave that we should take advantage of our connections with WPGU and try to either play live on the station or make a recording and start putting it in regular rotation.
Well, I'm gonna go back to sniffing and sneezing.
-t
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Cool Dude
Today was a critical day for Shoelove, not because we practiced our music or performed any shows, but because our 3-camera-TV system was completed. I soldered one of the camera cables back together because Jan chewed through it, and I went to WAL*MART and bought two RF modulators, each costing twenty dollars (although they were advertised online as ten dollars...).
I will make sure to put a picture up soon so everyone can get all excited and wet their pants at the mere thought of being at our show tomorrow.
Almost as meaningful and definitely more mysterious, I had a bizarre encounter with someone today. I was walking down the alley behind the Courier Cafe to unlock my bicycle and go home when a man came into the alley and said "Hey!"
"Hi" I replied, and continued to unlock my bike.
He started to give me the thumbs up.
"You're a cool guy" he said.
At first I didn't understand what he was talking about - I didn't know him, and I don't think he knew me. Maybe he was just missing a few screws.
"You're a cool guy?" he said, again. This time I could tell he was ASKING me - "are you a cool guy?"
"Uh, yeah." I said.
He nodded and proceeded to unzip his pants and start peeing in the white bucket in front of him.
I decided to let him be and go back home - there were more pressing issues at hand than public urination outside my workplace.
I will make sure to put a picture up soon so everyone can get all excited and wet their pants at the mere thought of being at our show tomorrow.
Almost as meaningful and definitely more mysterious, I had a bizarre encounter with someone today. I was walking down the alley behind the Courier Cafe to unlock my bicycle and go home when a man came into the alley and said "Hey!"
"Hi" I replied, and continued to unlock my bike.
He started to give me the thumbs up.
"You're a cool guy" he said.
At first I didn't understand what he was talking about - I didn't know him, and I don't think he knew me. Maybe he was just missing a few screws.
"You're a cool guy?" he said, again. This time I could tell he was ASKING me - "are you a cool guy?"
"Uh, yeah." I said.
He nodded and proceeded to unzip his pants and start peeing in the white bucket in front of him.
I decided to let him be and go back home - there were more pressing issues at hand than public urination outside my workplace.
Everything is fun in TV Land!
Today Nick and i picked up the organ from restore/homeworks, and it was pretty awesome outside of a few things not working (after my first organ i wasn't surprised). I *was* surprised, however, by the sheer complexity of this organ. It was definitely a world of difference from the other organ in terms of the number of features and the general quality (and it has a leslie built in!). I'm sure it would be a freakin' awesome instrument if it were working %100. A pretty awesome deal for 50 bucks.
After that Dave called and said he was "bored", so we went and picked him up like a hot chick dancing on the pole at Joe's. After he proceeded to perform lap dances for Nick and I (individually, of course), we drove over to the edge of Champaign on Springfield avenue to pick up our (maybe) final TV for the band.
Before we even got there I knew there was something weird about this apartment, because it was labeled "Y3".
Y? Who the hell has a "Y" in their apartment number?
Well, when got there it started to make a little more sense. Sort of.
It was a large complex with multiple buildings, each one marked with a letter of the alphabet. Why they didn't go with the rest of the world and use numbers to mark the buildings is beyond me - but it didn't end there. The buildings were organized in such a manner that "building D" was on the other side of the complex from building "C", and half of the buildings you couldn't recognize because their letters weren't facing the road.
Hmmm. Bad planning. It's probably engineers like Nick and Dave that cause this sort of shit.
So Nick did a half-ass parking job after almost hitting some hippie girl on a bike and then we walked in. Hmmm, that's odd....there are buzzers outside, but the door is unlocked. Oh, well. Then things got really confusing. None of the doors were marked.
"Well, shit. How do we know which one is which?"
"Well, obviously the first one is number one, the second one is number two, and the third one is number three." Dave said.
Following this questionable logic, Dave and I walked up the stairs to the third floor. Nick stayed downstairs, telling us he was going to buzz the 3rd buzzer.
"We'll knock and buzz at the same time and tag-team this shit" I said.
We waited for the buzz, and then I knocked on the door. A moment later Dave and I heard Nick talking to some women downstairs, so we started walking down. As we reached the first floor we realized our mistake: the unmarked doors weren't for apartments - they led to hallways...which led to apartments.
We followed nick into the first apartment on the right and were greeted by a somewhat cozy cream colored living room and kitchen. In the right corner was a flat screen TV on a stand.
"Is it that one?" Dave asked, pointing to the flat screen.
I looked around and saw another TV on the floor.
"No, it's this one" I said, moving over to pick it up.
Then the lady walked out with a THIRD TV, this one even bigger than the one I was about to pick up. I handed her the 10 dollar bill, told her thanks, and then we walked on out - Nick carrying the TV, Dave just walking, and me holding the cable.
As we drove back to my apartment - TV sliding around the back of the truck the whole way - we discussed The Greytones (I like to call them "The Gr8ones") and their current situation.
I knew from the beginning that Garrick was part of the problem - he always was - but I guess what I was trying to find out from Dave was why they weren't fixing that problem (which in my eyes, is the REAL problem). I suggested that they get a new drummer, and he said "we thought about it". He seemed to think that no one in the band was enthusiastic enough to work hard and find a new drummer. He also mentioned that the "downfall" of the gr8ones was one of the reasons he wanted to start Shoelove, which makes sense. Hopefully, we can, in a sense, learn from the gr8ones mistakes.
Dave brought the TV up to my apartment, and we discussed my bike trailer (which is still far from completion). He left with an IBC from our fridge as I told him the story of the stolen DDR mat adapter (quite an exciting tale, if i may say).
He and nick departed and I went back upstairs to check out the TV. It was indeed a little blurry, as advertised on Craig's List. I fixed it later, however, and it didn't require opening the TV or unscrewing anything. I just had to turn a knob....I guess the lady was too lazy to look it up in the manual. Oh well! Her loss, our gain.
I walked outside and saw Cyrus arriving on his bicycle...
"Hey, Cyrus!" I shouted down to him, "You just missed dave!"
"Yeah, he just gave me the middle finger!" he replied.
After that Dave called and said he was "bored", so we went and picked him up like a hot chick dancing on the pole at Joe's. After he proceeded to perform lap dances for Nick and I (individually, of course), we drove over to the edge of Champaign on Springfield avenue to pick up our (maybe) final TV for the band.
Before we even got there I knew there was something weird about this apartment, because it was labeled "Y3".
Y? Who the hell has a "Y" in their apartment number?
Well, when got there it started to make a little more sense. Sort of.
It was a large complex with multiple buildings, each one marked with a letter of the alphabet. Why they didn't go with the rest of the world and use numbers to mark the buildings is beyond me - but it didn't end there. The buildings were organized in such a manner that "building D" was on the other side of the complex from building "C", and half of the buildings you couldn't recognize because their letters weren't facing the road.
Hmmm. Bad planning. It's probably engineers like Nick and Dave that cause this sort of shit.
So Nick did a half-ass parking job after almost hitting some hippie girl on a bike and then we walked in. Hmmm, that's odd....there are buzzers outside, but the door is unlocked. Oh, well. Then things got really confusing. None of the doors were marked.
"Well, shit. How do we know which one is which?"
"Well, obviously the first one is number one, the second one is number two, and the third one is number three." Dave said.
Following this questionable logic, Dave and I walked up the stairs to the third floor. Nick stayed downstairs, telling us he was going to buzz the 3rd buzzer.
"We'll knock and buzz at the same time and tag-team this shit" I said.
We waited for the buzz, and then I knocked on the door. A moment later Dave and I heard Nick talking to some women downstairs, so we started walking down. As we reached the first floor we realized our mistake: the unmarked doors weren't for apartments - they led to hallways...which led to apartments.
We followed nick into the first apartment on the right and were greeted by a somewhat cozy cream colored living room and kitchen. In the right corner was a flat screen TV on a stand.
"Is it that one?" Dave asked, pointing to the flat screen.
I looked around and saw another TV on the floor.
"No, it's this one" I said, moving over to pick it up.
Then the lady walked out with a THIRD TV, this one even bigger than the one I was about to pick up. I handed her the 10 dollar bill, told her thanks, and then we walked on out - Nick carrying the TV, Dave just walking, and me holding the cable.
As we drove back to my apartment - TV sliding around the back of the truck the whole way - we discussed The Greytones (I like to call them "The Gr8ones") and their current situation.
I knew from the beginning that Garrick was part of the problem - he always was - but I guess what I was trying to find out from Dave was why they weren't fixing that problem (which in my eyes, is the REAL problem). I suggested that they get a new drummer, and he said "we thought about it". He seemed to think that no one in the band was enthusiastic enough to work hard and find a new drummer. He also mentioned that the "downfall" of the gr8ones was one of the reasons he wanted to start Shoelove, which makes sense. Hopefully, we can, in a sense, learn from the gr8ones mistakes.
Dave brought the TV up to my apartment, and we discussed my bike trailer (which is still far from completion). He left with an IBC from our fridge as I told him the story of the stolen DDR mat adapter (quite an exciting tale, if i may say).
He and nick departed and I went back upstairs to check out the TV. It was indeed a little blurry, as advertised on Craig's List. I fixed it later, however, and it didn't require opening the TV or unscrewing anything. I just had to turn a knob....I guess the lady was too lazy to look it up in the manual. Oh well! Her loss, our gain.
I walked outside and saw Cyrus arriving on his bicycle...
"Hey, Cyrus!" I shouted down to him, "You just missed dave!"
"Yeah, he just gave me the middle finger!" he replied.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Cheeseburger!
Today we rocked it hard, playing our whole set for practice. We sounded pretty good (you know, except for ben sucking so much - GAWD!) Heh. Just kidding. Not really. Well.....i guess.
Today I got my free TV, but as I feared, it has an RF connector, so I need to get a modulator from walmart or some place to make it work with the cameras......hopefully that won't be too expensive.
It's taking forever and a half to get my bike trailer finished....mostly because i don't have a drill and I have to resort to make holes in the PVC pipe with a screwdriver. Yeah, that's my dedication! One of my English tutoring students who works at U of I said he has some tools in his lab i could use, so maybe I can finish it tomorrow.
I still don't have any photos to put up, or any real video. Well, I guess I have some crappy 15 second video of everyone saying "Hi", but that's about it.
I bought this organ yesterday:
I don't really have room for it, and I don't have a vehicle to transport it, so I think I'll just let nick have it, since he really wants one. I'm sure he can put it to better use than I could, anyway.
We noticed during practice today just how much *stuff* we have. Ben's set is pretty large by itself, then keyboards, bass, two guitars, congas, DDR mat w/ laptop, drum machine and various effects pedals. That's just how AWSUM we are, I guess.
I think we are ready to rock out on Thurs and Fri. I'm more excited about the Iron Post show, personally, because I know there will be more people from central there....and just more people in general.
It's gonna be one of the historic moments when the world is changed by the ideas of just a few people. Or something like that.
Cheeseburger!
-t
Today I got my free TV, but as I feared, it has an RF connector, so I need to get a modulator from walmart or some place to make it work with the cameras......hopefully that won't be too expensive.
It's taking forever and a half to get my bike trailer finished....mostly because i don't have a drill and I have to resort to make holes in the PVC pipe with a screwdriver. Yeah, that's my dedication! One of my English tutoring students who works at U of I said he has some tools in his lab i could use, so maybe I can finish it tomorrow.
I still don't have any photos to put up, or any real video. Well, I guess I have some crappy 15 second video of everyone saying "Hi", but that's about it.
I bought this organ yesterday:
I don't really have room for it, and I don't have a vehicle to transport it, so I think I'll just let nick have it, since he really wants one. I'm sure he can put it to better use than I could, anyway.
We noticed during practice today just how much *stuff* we have. Ben's set is pretty large by itself, then keyboards, bass, two guitars, congas, DDR mat w/ laptop, drum machine and various effects pedals. That's just how AWSUM we are, I guess.
I think we are ready to rock out on Thurs and Fri. I'm more excited about the Iron Post show, personally, because I know there will be more people from central there....and just more people in general.
It's gonna be one of the historic moments when the world is changed by the ideas of just a few people. Or something like that.
Cheeseburger!
-t
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Preparation
We didn't have practice today, but I thought it was a good time to post an update about how things are going with the band. We have been practicing for our first two shows this week on Thursday and Friday at the Canopy Club and Iron Post respectively. We've worked out about 9 songs to play including the "four originals" ("Surefire/bleah" "Nagej/Jenga/Cardboard" "Schreiberism" and "Toolish".) Yes, I know - those are very creative names. We like to consider ourselves to be a veritable fountain of creativity.
Dave mentioned creating a band fund yesterday (no, not "band fun".) This seems like an interesting idea, especially if we are going to get those platinum chains around our necks like I was talking about. Gotta look like a playa to be a playa.
Today our band performance was thrown into jeopardy as my playstation to USB adapter was stolen. Under Cyrus' genius plan, however, we retrieved it. That will be a story for another time (probably during a show this week). Cyrus, we salute thee.
I am in the process of collecting televisions for our show (to use with the security cameras). I already have one, but I need two more. I'm picking one up tomorrow, the other I'm not sure when. You must be wondering how I, a car-less college student, could possibly pick up a TV and transport it. That's where the bike trailer comes in.
That's right. When you go to see the Shoelove show and you see those awesome TV's....they will have been brought to you by a handmade PVC bike trailer. If that isn't hardcore then I don't know what is.
-t
Dave mentioned creating a band fund yesterday (no, not "band fun".) This seems like an interesting idea, especially if we are going to get those platinum chains around our necks like I was talking about. Gotta look like a playa to be a playa.
Today our band performance was thrown into jeopardy as my playstation to USB adapter was stolen. Under Cyrus' genius plan, however, we retrieved it. That will be a story for another time (probably during a show this week). Cyrus, we salute thee.
I am in the process of collecting televisions for our show (to use with the security cameras). I already have one, but I need two more. I'm picking one up tomorrow, the other I'm not sure when. You must be wondering how I, a car-less college student, could possibly pick up a TV and transport it. That's where the bike trailer comes in.
That's right. When you go to see the Shoelove show and you see those awesome TV's....they will have been brought to you by a handmade PVC bike trailer. If that isn't hardcore then I don't know what is.
-t
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