Cassavettes

The night before I started recording my solo album, wandering off into the expansive, lonely wilderness without my friends, I serendipitously watched “Into the Wild.” It was not planned, but it hit home and made me relate in a cheesy fashion. Before this tour? “The Perfect Storm.” Again, seemingly apt, considering that there’s a lot of teary goodbyes before the ragtag group of misfits hits the open sea (or road, in our case). However, considering the ending, hopefully it’s not a harbinger. Then again, the end of my recording process wasn’t at all like the end of “Into the Wild.” So I think we can write our own ending to these stories.

Last Toad Tuesday tonight. I’m pretty pumped because I think it’s going to be pretty darn wild. Lots of good times, lots of good friends. I want to start early, and stay late, and make sure we soak up as much time with the important folks as possible before we hit the road. I know it’s not a long tour, but this is our LAST local show until our CD release on November 6 at the Middle East Downstairs (speaking of, tickets just went on sale and the first 50 people to pick them up get a special prize — I mean it. So, I just want to enjoy this one.

Here’s where we’re headed, starting with a stopover in Buffalo, NY tomorrow. And since I got a new phone yesterday, you can follow this whole shebang on TWITTER — whoo!

9/24 Javier’s, Cincinnati, OH (Midpoint Music Festival)
9/25 Brand X taping @ Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
9/25 Al’s Bar, Lexington, KY
9/26 Barley’s Taproom, Knoxville, TN (w/ The Tenderhooks)
9/28 Hi-Tone, Memphis, TN (w/ The Tenderhooks)
9/29 WDVX Blue Plate Special (radio taping), Knoxville, TN
9/30 The Pinhook, Chapel Hill, NC (w/ The Tenderhooks)
10/1 The Milestone, Charlotte, NC (w/ The Tenderhooks)
10/4 Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC
10/6 Khyber Pass, Philadelphia, PA
10/7 Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY
10/8 The Oasis, New London, CT
10/9 The Dive Bar, Worcester, MA

Good show Friday at the Dive, on the outdoor patio no less. Not much to say about it — standard set, we played everything normal except “Trouble From the Start,” “Seasons” (you could make a case that that is no longer normal), “Lightning in a Bottle” (ditto), and “Like Secrets Beneath.” Surprisingly, we got a great response to “It’s Gonna Be Alright,” and even better, we sold a few CDs! This was, after all, the first show that “Shake Down the Sun” was available. Weird, eh? Playing that late on the patio caused that weird morning dew to build up on my amp and my satchel, and when I wiped it off, at first I thought some jerk spilled beer on it. Then, my senses caught up, and I drifted in memory back to sleeping in my backyard as a kid and waking up to find myself covered in dew. Oddly enough, at that time, I remember usually thinking that the sprinklers had turned on. Always looking for something to blame…

Anyhow, the only other news is that I quit stalling and joined Twitter (be our friend…or follow us or whatever it’s called) so that we can update from the road on tour and post about shows and what not.

Here’s the big post I sent out to fans about tonight’s shindig (not on Twitter, obviously):

Hello friends,
In June, we played a FREE show Toad in Cambridge’s Porter Square every Tuesday as part of a residency — what we deemed “Toad Tuesdays.” Well, we here at Camp Cassavettes, as well as the staff at Toad, were so pleased with everyone’s party attitudes each week that we’re doing the residency again this month! Starting TONIGHT, Cassavettes will play for FREE the next three weeks at Toad — until we leave for tour! Tonight, we are playing the late show, starting at 10 p.m., but every week after we will be back to the early show, at roughly 7 p.m. Excited? I thought you might be!
 
Cassavettes at Toad
1920 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
Porter Square stop (Red Line T)
9/8 (late show, 10 p.m.), 9/15 (early show, 7 p.m.), and 9/22 (early show, 7 p.m.)
21+, and TOTALLY FREE!
http://toadcambridge.com/
 
And……….. as if a FREE show at Toad each week weren’t enough to get your tail wagging (and maybe it isn’t), how’s this:  We’ll be selling advance copies of our new album, “Shake Down the Sun”…for…wait for it…FIVE BUCKS!!! So come on out!
 
Also, the cold air is already starting to sweep into Boston. My, my, my, that was a short summer, wasn’t it? Well, before it chills out TOO much, come toast summer one last time, with our annual Bash at the Beach, this Friday, September 11, at The Beachcomber in Quincy! Also on board are our old pals Ette and The Rambling Souls — it’s gonna get nutty. Go here for all the details: http://beachcomberquincy.com/
The next day, September 12, we will play a day-time show in New London, Ct., as part of the annual I Am Festival with Deer Hoof and a slew of other great acts. Should be fun!
 
Finally, since the CD is out, we are taking this baby on the road. We will depart after our last Toad show on Sept. 22 and not come home until the thick of fall — Oct 10. Here are the full dates (more may be added), so mark your calendars, out of town folks – we hope to see you out there on the road!
 
9/24 Javier’s, Cincinnati, OH (Midpoint Music Festival)
9/25 Brand X taping @ Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
9/25 Al’s Bar, Lexington, KY
9/26 Barley’s Taproom, Knoxville, TN (w/ The Tenderhooks)
9/28 Hi-Tone, Memphis, TN (w/ The Tenderhooks)
9/29 WDVX Blue Plate Special (radio taping), Knoxville, TN
9/30 The Pinhook, Chapel Hill, NC (w/ The Tenderhooks)
10/1 The Milestone, Charlotte, NC (w/ The Tenderhooks)
10/4 Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC
10/6 Khyber Pass, Philadelphia, PA
10/7 Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY
10/8 The Oasis, New London, CT
10/9 The Dive Bar, Worcester, MA

That ought to do it! Make sure to keep an ear to the ground for “Shake Down the Sun” — mark your calendars:  the official release party is November 6 at the Middle East Downstairs with Cassavettes, Quixote, You Can Be a Wesley, and Movers & Shakers! In the meantime, we hope to see you at Toad…or on the road!

Whoops, put my work email on here. Ignore that (I just deleted it, but if you’re seeing it in RSS, disregard)…

Most depressing part of canceling this tour: How long it took to book it — and how short it took to cancel it.

For perspective, I started putting this together in late November, got slightly busy in December, and then really hit it hard in January. I was making calls and sending emails as recently as earlier this week. But it only took about 10 minutes to draft an apology to all the clubs and send it out. Dang.

Anyhow, on to sunnier matters, tomorrow I’m working an EARLY shift (OK, that’s not a sunny matter), then going straight to Todd’s place to finish some vocal recording. Wednesday through Friday we are finishing the initial mixes, so it’s really the last minute. I’m still dealing with a brutal cold that made singing nearly impossible on Thursday and Friday at The Atwoods and The Dive, so it might be a struggle. I’m going to sleep soon to the All-Star game, so hopefully I can beat this thing before recording some vocals. Otherwise you might hear some flemmy hacking on the record. It’ll be “experimental.”

Well, so much for the tour. For the last few days, I’ve been taking the temperature on whether it’s actually feasible for us to go down to Texas next month (hell, I already have it off work, so it looked pretty darn certain). But it’s just not. We can’t afford it. And it’s smarter to stay put and really make sure this record is everything that it can be.

Without a product to push and a guaranteed SXSW showcase (we still may get one, though we’ll likely withdraw soon), it’s fairly pointless to me. Yes, it would be cool to play a giant venue in Nashville with our idols Superdrag (but then again, we’re playing back to back dates with them in April). Yes, it would be cool to play a huge hometown show in Dallas (that’s really the biggest show I’ll miss). And it would be good to see all those friends and family, of course. But it’s not fiscally responsible. I can’t find a way to rationalize going on this tour, especially with us being knee-deep in this record, me personally now being ridiculously in debt from this record and my project (everyone’s hurting), and with only two shows that would really be worth playing at this point. It just doesn’t add up. Plus, the van probably needs work before we hit the road and put 5,000-7,500 more miles on it, which obviously I can’t afford. Everyone’s hard up for cash. Matt’s strung so thin, he hasn’t been able to put in a dime for the record yet. How’s he (how would any of us?) going to live for a month on the road, especially when we’re not making guaranteed money or have anything in reserve? After conversations with Creamer, Todd, and Jeremy, I figure it’s best to just stay here, and finish this record the RIGHT WAY, which is what those three have been preaching all along. It just seems foolish to rush it now, especially with it being such a huge (and currently uncertain) financial commitment. So, that’s how we reached this decision. Luckily, everyone took it pretty well, and actually there was a sense of relief in the band, since I think everyone has been quietly scratching their heads as to how this was going to go down.

We’ll stay here and keep playing Worcester (played there last night, just doesn’t seem right to talk about it when this is a far bigger issue), Boston, and other areas to build up some cash, and really make sure this record puts us over the top. When we have a product to push, and are in the right place to do it, we’ll hit the road in earnest. In the meantime, we’ll keep building on the homefront.

I’m sorry we won’t be able to see you all back in Texas, Nashville, DC, Kansas City, and more next month. I was really looking forward to seeing Shaela’s newborn baby, to playing Rubber Gloves, and to Nashville. But unfortunately, we can’t afford it. This tour would have been more about fun than about the future, when touring is really supposed to be about the future and building an audience. Those things will come, as we do this right. It’s coming. I promise, as best I can.

Hello faithful friends,
This Saturday, Jan. 31, just may be the best day of this young year. It is the 7th annual RODFEST at the Paradise Rock Club — a night of good-natured debauchery and relentless fun. The evening features some of our personal favorite bands and closest friends: Three Day Threshold, Girls Guns and Glory, and the last-ever show by old pals Rogue Heroes. Plus, starting at 9 p.m., there will be acoustic sets from Sixteen on Center, Shays Rebellion, and Cassavettes’ favorite Colin Toomey.

This is one not to be missed — and is a definite sell-out every year, so get tickets in advance or early. All proceeds will again go to the Greg “Rodney” Moynahan Memorial Scholarships. Full info on the charity here.

Make sure to get there early: Cassavettes take the stage at 9:55 and keep the party moving until 10:30.

Get your tickets here TODAY ($15 advance, $20 day of)!

On another note, for those of you outside of Boston, fear not: Cassavettes is hitting the road for the entire month of March (hopefully with advanced copies of our new CD in tow). Upcoming highlights include opening for Superdrag at their CD release at Exit/In in Nashville on March 14, a hometown show on March 17 at Rubber Gloves in Denton, Texas, some fun at SXSW, and more. Keep your eyes on our MySpace for complete tour dates as they continue to come together.

Also, Cassavettes singer/guitarist Glenn Yoder’s solo CD, “Okono Road,” was released last week. Pick it up here.

Cassavettes hasn’t practiced in awhile. Something keeps coming up. We took breaks, Matt had a gig, Ward took the PA out of the space. Whatever the reason, I’m wondering how we’ll sound in Kingston, NY tomorrow. It may be batting practice. Luckily, we’ll have a couple days to get back into the groove this weekend, on a four-date swing. The van ought to hold up after its massive reconstruction.

More than anything, we need to practice to start exercising some new songs and getting a final list of 15-18 songs ready for the record. Once we’re there, we can trim in the studio down to 10-12 songs, depending on how things come out, how they feel, etc. We’ll focus on tone and groove, two important concepts that we have not gotten across yet. I have a couple newer ideas that I think would fit on this record — a ROCK record, our first. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be aggressive all the time. There’s always a place for a good ballad or midtempo change of pace. But as always, the best songs win. I’m not attached to any particular tunes right now — or have such a strong allegiance that I’d let it negatively affect the true focus of this record: to make a great rock record. We have to be completely open to criticism, from the inside and the outside. I’m ready to get started, and I’m sure the guys are too, but we have to get ready together first.

Anyhow, this will be our final big exercise, it appears, before we record. We’ll have a couple short trips, but as it stands now, we’re looking to get started in December or January, and I’m not setting much else up. So the band’s tightness depends not on touring anymore, but listening to each other and working hard in practice. So here’s to hoping this swing gets us to a good place:
Oct 16 – The Basement, Kingston, NY
Oct 17 – The Mean Fiddler, New York, NY (MEANYfest)
Oct 18 – The Rusty Rudder, Dewey Beach, DE (Americanafest)
Oct 19 – The Fire, Philadelphia, PA

This week is the first week we’ve had off in about seven weeks. In that time, we played 14 shows. It’s nice to get a little break, even if it feels less like a break when you’re away from your work.

Actually, we also took a break from practice last Thursday and this Monday, just to decompress a bit. The band is playing pretty well — not at the high level we were at when we returned from tour last year, which was my hope for this seven-week stint — but still solid. We still have off nights, consistency problems, and for some reason, have recently been told by several industry folks that our “swamp rock” style of being dirty and loose is cool. I hesitantly agree… to an extent. Either way, we intend to keep hitting the following markets, hopefully in clumps: New York, Washington DC (canceled show last month was a big drawback), Philadelphia, Providence (working on it, and playing there on the 30th is a good start), New London (just because it’s so much fun), Portland, Burlington (we need to break into this). I’ve been talking to a couple folks about getting shows together up north, but really I need to hit these markets hard.

We’ll see if the van can take it. On Monday, I took it in for a $1,400 tune-up. Ouch.

The band will head out next week for four shows in as many nights, before finally quieting down again. As we move toward the record, the key is to refine our song list and really work to tighten the song structures. Right now, we’re eyeballing December as our recording date (March as our release date).

But we’ve got a couple of big things on the horizon, and November should be a landmark month for us. I’ll fill you in more on that later, as the details surface. But suffice it to say, we’re pleased with where things are at.

It’s been awhile, but I haven’t given up on this blog.

There’s plenty going on in Camp Cassavettes, so let’s start with this weekend: We will be opening for THE ALLMAN BROTHERS and BOB WEIR (of the Grateful Dead — know him?) and his band Ratdog this Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass. How the hell did that happen? We’ll be on the side stage, doing a quick set to get the party started at 5 p.m. before the big shots take the stage at 6, so get there early. And yes, there are still seats available (and some good ones circulating on Craigslist). Get them here: http://www.livenation.com/event/getEvent/eventId/320908/

Next week, we’ll be back in Boston playing a birthday party for our buddy Quinn Strassel at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge (between Harvard and Porter Square). It’s only $5 in advance ($7 day of) and features The Prigs and Frank Ciampi. Doors are at 7:30 p.m. and we’ll take the stage a bit later in the evening, so come by for a drink and buy one for the birthday boy while you’re at it. Link: http://www.lizardloungeclub.com/main.html

Also, for those of you outside Boston, we haven’t forgotten about you. Cassavettes is hitting the road, weekend-warrior style, for the next six weeks. Keep an eye on myspace.com/cassavettes for the latest tour dates (there are plenty more to come!), but here are a few of interest just to get you excited:
8/22- The Beachcomber, Wellfleet, MA
8/23- Olive’s, Nyack, NY
8/29- Googie’s Lounge (above the Living Room), New York, NY
8/30- The Beachcomber, Quincy, MA
9/5- One Longfellow Square, Portland, ME
9/6- The Oasis Pub, New London, CT
9/10- The Parkside Lounge, New York, NY
9/11- Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY
9/13- Grog & Tankard, Washington, DC

Finally, please congratulate our very own guitarist and singer Mike McCullagh and his new wife, Julie, who officially tied the knot last Friday! Word from the wedding was that the dance moves were hot, the bride was beautiful, and the MC never learned to speak correctly. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. McCullagh!

Plenty going on, not plenty of time to really talk about it. The band is just a week and a half away from the biggest show of our career thus far. Headlining the Paradise. Honestly, who would have thought?

We’re doing a little bit of promotion leading up to it: this Sunday, we’ll go on “New England Product” on WNFX 101.7 FM to talk about the new record and the big show, on Tuesday we’ll appear on Fox 25 Morning News for the second time, and I’m doing a quiet solo show at the Lizard Lounge to spread the word on July 2. But as focused as we should be on the Paradise right now, we’re really not (though a number of people outside the band have been positively stoked about us getting a featured spot in the Live Nation mass emails, nestled betwixt Feist, Chicago, Devo, and Alejandro Escovedo — see screengrab below).

Practices have been focused on new material lately, because it’s dawning on us that recording time is RIGHT around the corner. We just signed on with a booking agent for the first time last week (who, like Creamer, allows me to work in tandem with them, rather than usurping any responsibility — a HUGE plus), and when I filled out our availability for her, it became achingly clear that we don’t have much time. After July 5, we’ve got one week together, before nearly a month off (Matt’s on tour, Mike’s on a pre-marital retreat, Scott’s back in Texas, and finally, I’m in the Berkshires and then recording this solo album in Rhode Island). By the time the dust settles on Aug. 17, Mike will be wearing a wedding ring and we’ll have eight weeks to get an album together. Therefore, from the end of August through October, we’re touring more than ever before to tighten up. We’ll only be making two long trips, and just doing 3-day weekends the rest of the time. But that ought to get us tight. Then, we can focus on new material in a practice or two a week. Think about it, that’s basically playing together 4-5 times a week for 6-8 weeks. Yeah, that ought to do the trick. And, hey, this is what we live for.

The question, of many questions, is: Who produces the record? When do we do it? We’ve looked at mid-October for months, but it might be smarter to push back to the first two weeks of November, just to make sure we are comfortable with the material. Not even just playing-wise, but making sure we are really putting forth the right songs. This album has to be big for us. It’s a must.

So plenty to think about as the big day approaches (that is, for the band and for Mike).

You know, it’s strange. I was a lot more nervous about the night we were leaving for Leg 1 than I am on the eve of Leg 2. Maybe Leg 1 calmed my nerves, and it was so great that I believe Leg 2 can be no worse. Realistically, it probably won’t be as good, in fact far different, and we’ll probably at times wish we were home (a lot more since this tour is a lot longer). Or maybe it’s the fact that we are just driving four hours south to New York City for the first show which we’ve done countless times before, rather than 10 hours east into a vast expanse we’d never penetrated (this also means we don’t have to wake up at 5 a.m. again). Either way, for now, I’m calm. I just have to pack up and go.

I’m trying to figure out a way to use Bluetooth to get wireless Internet in the van. I’ve researched, and I’m ready to try. If so, not only can I keep up with this blog, but we can do a lot more to promote and stay in touch with those in the cities to which we’re headed. I also bought a few supplies for the road this morning, so I feel like we’re prepared. Plus, TD thankfully did my laundry for me (what a relief). There’s still work to be done, but it will get done. But first, for our last night in town, we’re going out for drinks with a couple friends.

In the odd item of the day, Hillary Clinton stopped by the office today. I looked up and saw a swarm of people around her, just roughly 20-30 feet away. At first, I stayed put and observed, and then I decided I’d regret it if I didn’t go over and meet her. Just my luck, as I got up to her, the crowd broke and she was ushered away. Still, it’s exciting, I suppose, even if she’s not my top choice right now among the Democrats.

Finally, to end on a positive, band-oriented note, we got yet another blog write up about our show on Sunday, this time in TownOnline (the TAB company). Enough preamble:

Surprisingly, it was a good show and well worth the trip to Allston. Local band Casavettes (mind the extra “t” since deleting it turns them into a band from Georgia).

Cassavettes was impressive, with their free-wheelin bassist (who liked to roam around stage and on the floor), the guitarist who took on triple duty with the keyboards and harmonica, and the ridiculously thin Coyote Scott Jones singing the band’s more poignant songs.

I believe the writer is the same one who said he wanted to beat up Mike in the 52shows post. If so, this time, he’s fairly more restrained and complimentary to boot, even if he gets Mike and “the ridiculously thin Coyote Scott Jones” mixed up, it seems, and misspells our name by leaving out the extra “s” after noting the extra “t.” That’s fine by me. Our name lends itself to misspellings and mispronunciations. That’s just the way it is.

I hope to write soon, and I’ll try to keep up with pictures as much as possible. In the meantime, take care of yourselves.

Love, Glenn & Cassavettes