Cassavettes

Hey folks,
We’re a few months removed from the final Cassavettes show (Dec. 18, 2010 at the Middle East Upstairs) and, as promised, we have some MP3s for you to download for free, if you like. We’re hoping to have video at some point, too, but that’s still pending. So, rather than wait any longer, here is the final show audio, recorded near the soundboard by Sooz and gently mastered by Ian Kennedy at New Alliance Audio in Cambridge. It’s pretty raw, but I like that about it. You can hear people singing along, laughing, climbing onstage, musicians coming unplugged by those onstage… it’s what happened. Download the full album here or track by track…

1. Empire Central
2. Ordinary Girls
3. Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This
4. Madeline
5. The Nadir
6. Golden Fleece
7. Alex Chilton (Replacements cover, with Josh Kiggans on drums)
8. Research Boulevard
9. Seek Cover
10. On the Lam
11. Lights On
12. Debts
13. Cedar
14. Shotgun Wedding
15. I Come From the Water (Toadies cover)
16. Shine a Light
ENCORES:
17. One of These Days (Neil Young cover, with Tod Shaffer, Noel Coakley, and Josh Kiggans)
18. It’s Gonna Be Alright (with a full stage of friends and fans)

Also, if you want to look at photos and weep while listening to the audio, check out Joe Buglewicz’s and those by Jeff from NH. Enjoy!

Much love,
Cassavettes

OK, this probably isn’t the last word. I will jump back on here occasionally to update you on the progress of the professional audio and video that was taken at the last Cassavettes show, which we are figuring out how to release, and some other goings-on as this thing wraps up in a neat little package. But for the most part, this is the sign-off.

The last show was simply incredible. There was so much love in the room, the crowd was deafening, and I’ve never sweated more in my entire life. Just wait until you see the video (“in the crowd” links included here) — there are moments when the audience is literally louder than the band. It was awesome. It also afforded us a few “rock star” moments, like letting the crowd take over the chorus of a couple songs and eliciting loud cheers by changing the lyrics to Neil Young’s “One of These Days” to reflect our own upbringing. Oh, and of course, a lovefest was the way the show ended, with friends, family, and fans packing the stage and singing along to the natural finale, “It’s Gonna Be Alright,” followed by about 10 minutes of sweaty hugging. What a memory. Jeff From NH captured the night with these nice photos, and we will have some more pro photos coming from old friend Joe Buglewicz very soon, which I will share right here.

There were also tears (I saw some of you crying) but onstage we were able to hold it together. For being such a long set (set list below), it really passed quickly and the feeling didn’t really sink in until the final notes were being played. For as long as I live, I will not forget the pang I felt in my stomach as everyone onstage for “It’s Gonna Be Alright” went crazy around us and I looked across the madness to lock eyes with Mike as the final note died out. We were probably looking at each other about three seconds total, but time slowed to a crawl — it felt like it lasted for over a few minutes. And it was a truly significant moment: we started this band together and I think, at that moment, we were both thinking the same thing. Well, that’s it.

OK, I know I’ve been pretty sappy about this whole thing as the band came to an end, but that is the one moment in time I will remember from that night above all else. Back to business (for a moment)…

You also helped us support a great cause, as our holiday food drive was an enormous success. We packed over five huge boxes full of canned goods (and were given some generous cash donations which we used to purchase the always expensive baby formula) and in return for your kindness, we handed out over $3,000 worth of Cassavettes merchandise: T-shirts, CDs, posters, etc. Stocking stuffers, anyone?

So yes, the holiday spirit was alive and well at the Middle East on Saturday night — it was all love in that room and it was an experience that I don’t think any of us will forget as long as we live. It was really special to do a final show in a place that means a lot and share it with the people that have been the most supportive of us. One of my favorite moments of the show was when longtime friend and super-fan Melanie got onstage to party with us — despite being eight months pregnant! It (literally?) reinforced the whole “family” aspect of how this band has felt since the beginning. And in addition to a loving sea of smiling faces, we got to share it with several of our favorite bands: The Luxury, Autumn Hollow Band, and Barn — all to an audience that sold the place out barely after doors opened!

As I mentioned above, we had two video cameras at the show, an audio recording, and a professional photographer (all friends, of course). So there is A LOT of documentation to come. But I also neglected to properly post the love that we got from the local press BEFORE the show, so please allow me to do so:

- Hilary Huges at the Weekly Dig talked to us and some “superfans”
- Kerri-Ann at Boston Band Crush wrote us a love note
- The Phoenix made us their Editor’s Pick of the Week
- Boston Music Spotlight asked Mike and I for a few of our favorite memories (warning: one’s not kid-friendly)
- MySecretBoston called us “one of the mightiest alt country bands to work the Boston circuit”
- Jay Miller of the Patriot Ledger on our “last note” and upcoming projects
- Local music scene bigwig Susan Scotti declared the show one of the best of the remaining days of 2010
- Boston Music Spotlight also was one of the early reporters of the last show
- Deli Magazine (correctly) predicted tears at the final show
- Kate at Pilgrims of Sound almost cried herself
- Anything I missed??? Please let us know and I’ll post!

Oh, and while we’re at it…
Cassavettes final show 12/18/10 set list:
1 Empire Central
2 Ordinary Girls
3 Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This
4 Madeline
5 The Nadir
6 Golden Fleece
7 Alex Chilton (The Replacements cover, with Josh Kiggans on drums)
8 Research Blvd
9 Seek Cover
10 On the Lam
11 Lights On
12 Debts
13 Cedar
14 Shotgun Wedding
15 I Come From the Water (Toadies cover)
16 Shine a Light
ENCORES:
17 One of These Days (Neil Young cover, with Noel Coakley and Tod Shaffer)
18 It’s Gonna Be Alright

So where do we go from here? Well, each of us will be continuing on with various projects. Matt Snow, our beloved drummer, will be heading to Nashville in February to join Scissormen and play some dirty, dirty blues. Mike McCullagh and Scott Jones will continue the resurrection of a surf rock band they founded when we were in high school called Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion! They’ve already been generating some good press and enthusiastic fans, so beware, indeed. And I will be continuing on with the solo sojourn I started in 2008 with my CD “Okono Road” under the project name, get this, Glenn Yoder. Be sure to click those links and “like” all those projects on Facebook. I think it will be well worth it.

A lot of people have already been asking me about a reunion, which seems strange considering the body is still warm in the ground, if you know what I mean. But I will say that the door will always remain open, as I can’t imagine NEVER playing with my three best friends onstage again. We all agreed that it’s something we’d like to do if it makes sense, but certainly not get in the habit of doing. Because then you just become the Eagles, constantly reuniting then breaking up again, except without the multi-million-dollar tours. But I could see a situation where Matt’s back in town and we are all down to do another show. If people want it, why not? So, until then, this was a proper goodbye. It felt right. Like I said, it was a loving atmosphere — the whole night was like one giant hug. The feeling is kind of hard to explain, but in the best way, of course.

So that’s pretty much it. Thank you, our loving fans, for five years of unbelievable support and making this band feel a lot bigger than the four of us. You made this whole thing possible, and for that, we are eternally grateful. To my fellow Cassavettes: I love you guys like brothers and I was so lucky to be able to go through this with you. There’s no one else I would have chosen. As Mike said, “the last five years will be remembered mostly as one hell of a party.” If I could go back and do it all again, I wouldn’t need to think about it. This has been the best experience of my life.

Much love,
Glenn & Cassavettes

The LSAT doesn’t scare me, but what it implies for the band does frighten me a little bit. I take the test in June. I would enroll in a law school (somewhere) next fall. I know that the demands of law school’s first year are so high, and that playing in this band simultaneously is nearly impossible. I also know that this plan may require a move. Does this all put an expiration date on the band? A ridiculously close expiration date? Well, I’m not giving up that easily, nor am I delaying my future. In fact, I think it should fuel us to work even harder than before. Look at it this way: We have one year to see how far we can get, and then re-evaluate (who knows what happens at that point? If things within the band are going great, then maybe I delay my first year — but it all depends on what we do now). That’s why my work ethic needs to change. That’s why we all need to recommit to the band. We owe it to ourselves and to each other. There’s a lot invested in this band, personally and financially, to not try to see what the potential pay-offs can be.

I suppose the good news about this LSAT prep class is that when I get busy, I keep myself even busier. This is true: the most productive years of my work in the band’s business side coincided with a hectic schedule of college classes, a part-time nights and weekends job, an unrelated editor’s job at the college paper, and, of course, the regular duties of a hard working, big dreaming rock band. This isn’t to say that my post-college life hasn’t been busy, but it hasn’t kept me fueled my passion in the same way. That’s for certain. If anything, I have just felt bogged down, and have found trouble mustering the mental energy to work my ass off again. Well, consider that changed.

This band needs to get back on track. That’s why on this day I’m blogging an original blog for the first time in months — not merely some show announcement or press release. The principles that we enacted very early on in this band seemingly worked: believe in yourself, in each other, in your hard work and, most importantly, put yourself in a position to succeed and see what comes of it. In this fickle industry, nothing is guaranteed. Talent and hard work are more often than not unrewarded. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Therefore, this is about getting the four members of Cassavettes back together.

This has been a difficult, weird few months and I think we all felt more estranged from each other, and our collective goals, than ever before. And it’s hurt us professionally. Despite putting out arguably our “best” work in November, we find ourselves at a crossroads just a half-year later. We started putting the pieces back together during our great SXSW trip this year, which was the result of a lot of hard work (by me, and by Creamer) and paid dividends interpersonally that I think we continue to enjoy. But a lot to needs to change still. We need to consistently play well — obviously, you may not play every note correctly, but that’s music. But we need to play for each other, and play for the band. The selfishness that hinders us is creeping back into our playing, and often makes me feel like this whole thing isn’t worthwhile. Anyone else? Playing these songs is about putting the song first, and everything and everyone else taking a backseat. We made considerable progress at that for awhile, but the problem is that bad habits sneak back in a lot. We need to get people excited about the band, and that starts with US getting excited about the band again. I’m there, and I trust that my cohorts can be as well. We need to diversify and show off our versatility at shows, if it’s indeed true that our live shows have grown stale. Fine. We need to increase our web presence, and also get back to the traditional means of promotion — word of mouth, flyering, flooding bloggers’ inboxes, Facebook invites. That’s how you get people through the door. That’s how you get people excited. It’s harder when you’re older, and out of college, of course, because there isn’t that “community” anymore. But it’s not impossible. We need to approach the schedule as a series of steps again instead of a random smattering of shows, as it has been. That one’s on me. I got it. We need to build up regionally, and the steps are being taken for that to happen. And finally, we need people to believe in us again. That’s the hardest thing to accomplish, but it comes from believing in ourselves. At one point, it was a top priority for me to have everyone who hung out with us and came to shows to feel connected to the band, as if they were in the band themselves. I think the fracturing within the band has led to a divide with our friends, fans, and audience. It’s not an impossible chasm to cross, but it will require another leap of faith. I’m willing to work for your trust again.

A lot of this is up to me, and I am willing to meet the challenge. But this is a band, and it’s not about what I do as an individual. It’s about how we work together, how we play together, how we dream together. Because this whole thing started as a dream. It’s time to start dreaming big again.

Hello friends,
This weekend we are coming home! During a two-week mini-tour we will be hitting our hometown of Lewisville (Dallas/Denton), Texas, as well as the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin. I’ll be blogging (and possibly filming) the whole thing for boston.com. So, come say hi! Here are all the details… we hope to see you out there!

Friday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m.
Cassavettes w/ Informant — hometown reunion!
At Tequila’s, 2300 Highland Village Rd, Ste 1100, Highland Village, TX
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=341819099762&ref=mf
Notes: This will be a flat-out fun time — as close to our old stomping grounds as I think we’ve ever played. Which means: Were they really our stomping grounds in the first place? Soon-to-be old stomping grounds, perhaps.

Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m.
NX35 Day Party
At Cool Beans (rooftop), 1210 W Hickory St., Denton, TX
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=391470522891&ref=mf
Notes: This show is the warm-up for the day’s headliner: The Flaming Lips! It’s also totally FREEEE!

Thursday, March 18 at 1:45 p.m.
Wente Vineyards Discover the Music Wine Bus (Glenn Yoder & Todd Thibaud)
At WFM (Whole Foods Market) gateway, 9607 Research Boulevard, Austin, TX‎
Link: http://www.wentevineyards.com/discover/promo/wente_at_sxsw/
Notes: This show will be simulcast live to the Whole Foods in Illinois on a 96 inch screen as well as on the Whole Foods website, Justin TV, and Blip FM.

Thursday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Show TBA
Notes: Sorry for the ambiguity. This one is taking a bit to nail down the specifics, but I wanted to give you a time and date, in case this is the only time and date that works for you. We should have this figured out soon!

Friday, March 19 at noon
Sonicbids & Planetary Group SXSW party
At Maggie Mae’s (downstairs), 323 East 6th Street, Austin, TX
Link: http://www.sonicbids.com/SXSWParty/
Notes: Two colossal powers, Sonicbids and Planetary, are throwing the biggest party of SXSW. Well, close to it. Please RSVP for this free show — even though it should be no problem for you to get in, they just want to know what to expect.

Friday, March 19 at 2 p.m.
SXSW Day party
At Guero’s Taco Bar, 1412 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=359433086536&ref=mf
Notes: This is a free day party, all ages, just come by and rock out, drink some margaritas in the Oak Garden.

Saturday, March 20 at 8 p.m.
Cassavettes w/ Girls Guns & Glory, Oh No Robots, Savage & The Big Beat!
At J&J’s Pizza, 118 West Oak Street, Denton, TX
Link: http://www.myspace.com/jjspizzaolddirtybasement
Notes: One last (free) show in our old hometown, bringing back our best buddies from Boston (GGG) and pairing them with an old friend (Rob of ONR) and new friends (S&TBB). This is what it’s like when worlds collide!!!!!!!

Howdy friends,
As many of you know, each year we play a musical event called Rodfest, which means quite a bit to us and several of our closest friends in the local music community. All the money that comes in goes to a Stonehill College scholarship fund established in the name of Greg “Rodney” Moynahan, the life of the party to many who died in an accident several years ago. His annual “Rodfest” event has been carried on literally in his name, and is a celebration of life that truly is the biggest party of the year. No joke — this night gets WILD. People, including us, have come to expect the best night of the year from Rodfest. This Saturday, Jan. 30 at The Paradise Rock Club will be our fourth Rodfest, and the eighth overall, and each year this thing just gets more spectacular. It ALWAYS sells out, so my suggestion would be to get your tickets early from either the box office (no surcharge), online (link below), or at the door (just make sure to be there early!!!). Full details, and the fine line-up, are below…

Rodfest 8 w/ Three Day Threshold, Cassavettes, Quixote, Death and the Dance Machine, Sam Reid and The Riot Act, Chatham Sessions, Colin Toomey & Kevin McDevitt
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 at The Paradise Rock Club
967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston (Green B Line, Pleasant St. Stop)
Doors at 8 p.m., $15, $18+
Tickets here
Directions and more info here

We hope to see you at this year’s Rodfest! Also, don’t forget that you can buy our new album, Shake Down the Sun, CHEAP on iTunes and Nimbit!

In the words of the immortal Fritz, responding to why he stopped maintaining his blog, “I got Twitter.” True, it’s faster and reaches more folks, which is why I’ve been lazy. So, here’s a little mass PR pitch…ahem, last minute plea…

Thanks for sticking with us, it’s the home stretch now! We’re not far off our huge CD release party — this Friday, Nov. 6 at the Middle East Downstairs with our good friends Movers & Shakers, You Can Be a Wesley, Quixote, and Jookabox (Asthmatic Kitty Records). It’s going to be a momentous occasion for us and a big celebration for everyone after a lot of hard work on our new disc, “Shake Down the Sun.” We really hope you are able to join us for the party!

CASSAVETTES CD RELEASE PARTY
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
Middle East Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave., Cambridge
w/ Movers & Shakers, You Can Be a Wesley, Quixote, & Jookabox
18+, $10 advance/$12 at the door

TICKETS…A friendly reminder: You can avoid needless surcharges by purchasing tickets from the Middle East Box Office, (617) 864-EAST ext 221. However, if you are one for instant gratification, you can buy them online here.

DIRECTIONS: Red Line T stop (Central Square) or click here.

Facebook invite.

To listen to songs from our new CD, please visit our MySpace page.

Thanks and we really hope you are able to join us Friday!

Hello, friends. I wanted to briefly write you for two reasons: 1) Our CD release on Nov. 6 at the Middle East Downstairs is lurching closer by the second, and 2) We are headed to New York City for the CMJ festival tomorrow, Friday. Read on for details…

On that CD release, we now have an extraordinary five-band bill: Cassavettes, Movers & Shakers, You Can Be a Wesley, Quixote, and Jookabox (Asthmatic Kitty Records). We’d love for you to be there, too, as this is going to be a big night for us. This CD, “Shake Down the Sun,” is hopefully a big step forward for us, and this release show is going to literally be a party to celebrate that monumental (at least in theory, as of now) step. Grab your tickets today, as this thing is gonna get nicely naughty in a hurry!

Also, see a cool CD release show poster, designed by Chris Cerrato (who did the CD design). Print some out, hand them to friends/family/strangers, hang it in your room and fall asleep looking at its intricate design, and wondering if Chris Cerrato is man or myth.

Now, as for this thing tomorrow at CMJ, we are playing Pianos at a Planetary Party headlined by (who else?) Superdrag, featuring some esteemed musicians, like Boston’s own Will Dailey. We play as early as the rooster crows for these musician types, 1:40 p.m. If you’re interested in coming out, give us a shout via email, cassavettesband (at) hotmail (dot) com. We’ll see what we can do. Full details, click here.

That’s about it. We hope to see you out at the CD release show, Friday, Nov. 6 at the Middle East Downstairs. It’s going to be fun!

Couple quick things, most of which are (oddly) now covered by Twitter (is this making the blog look long-winded, and perhaps obsolete? That’s what happened to Fritz’s Xanga, as you’ll recall).

First off, for those of you in the digital age who don’t like hard copies of CDs, or are partial to instant gratification, we now have our new CD, “Shake Down the Sun,” available in both MP3 form and CD form. Click here to buy for absurdly low prices (but it’s always cheaper if you come to a show!). Please support the cause!

Next up, we are for some reason (not ungrateful, of course — just surprised since we weren’t notified at all) up for Band of the Month over at Deli Magazine. You can vote for us here, and it would be much appreciated.

Final quick mention, we are close to re-confirming our Philly show at Khyber Pass for Oct. 6. The club switched agents and it was in limbo for a bit, but we are looking pretty good to go now. I will keep you posted as we get closer. For now, let’s plan on meeting in Philly Oct. 6 for a steak-and-cheese (that I can’t eat anymore, since I don’t do the red meat, but you can enjoy) and Shiner (in select places). Yuengling will be the backup.

Last night’s Toad show was looking rocky at the start, but really smoothed out over time. Mike’s amp had some serious issues and I’m still fairly certain, upon listening to the recording of last night’s show, that his overdrive pedal is shot. Lots of between-note squealing going on. Anyhow, after the first four songs or so were wildly unbalanced, we got the knack of things and, best of all, the place started to fill up. It was pretty packed by night’s end. Due to the delay caused by equipment problems, we decided to forgo the set break and play through. Good thing, too, because that’s when we really started “cooking.” Still a bunch of mistakes, and a lot more loudness and showboating than I would have preferred, but all in all, it was OK. Crowd was a bit quiet for being so filled out, but they seemed to enjoy it. And I enjoyed that, clearly. Either way, quote of the night goes to Creamer, explaining to a new fan that Grover does NOT live in a trashcan with Oscar the Grouch, explaining, “Don’t get me wrong, I mean, he’s all dirty and shit, but he doesn’t live in a trashcan.”
SET LIST (I’ll need to check this against the recording): Ordinary Girls / Debts / Research Blvd / Empire Central / Don’t Get Me Wrong / There’s a Reason / Whitewashed / Golden Fleece / Trouble From the Start / St. Anthony / The Nadir / On Our Own / The Devil’s Arms / Valley of Gold / A Hard Rain / Lights On / Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This / Madeline / Seek Cover / Cedar / I Come From the Water / Shotgun Wedding / Shine a Light

Our last Toad Tuesday before we leave for tour is Sept. 22 — so, yeah, next week is going to be nuts. All I’m saying is you better be at Toad next Tuesday, and early at that. We might just go crazy!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: A wee bit of blog and newspaper chatter, since I haven’t check in awhile, and confirmation that Sean Murray recalls his offer to book us once a month at The Oasis.

Cheap Thrills – For Toad, last night: “Wanted to go to Toad last Tuesday? Cassavettes and Mia returned just for you. From gig to gig, I’ve Cassavettes hit multiple points on the roots-to-rock meter. Who knows what mood they’ll be in, but the room size suggests they’ll be in an easygoing alt-country groove tonight.”

The New Haven Advocate, For I Am Festival, last weekend: “This year that includes New Haven’s avant-skate rock trio The Vultures (who drop their long-awaited, razor-sharp first full-length Chingus exactly a week after I AM) and psych-pop ensemble M.T. Bearington (who had to cancel last year’s festival but have continued to amass audience goodwill through 2009); Boston’s Cassavettes (a band Murray was so excited about “I promised them I would book them once a month — I definitely haven’t done that!”); and, from New London, ukulele-punker Brian Skidmore and his band The Weird Beards (“they’ve been getting a huge following as of late,” Murray says.”

Finally, I noticed in my scouring of the net, that we are mentioned on a couple Australian music sites, because we are playing next to Aussie Mia Dyson. I wonder if this exposure will finally make us big Down Under (and no, that’s not a member joke).

Crazy weekend. My buddy Jimmy is in town, so things have been hectic at work as I try to handle not taking off any time (since the band is going on tour next week) with actually seeing the kid and making the most of his stay. As a result, we burned the candle at both ends this weekend, starting with a show Friday at The Beachcomber.

Now, usually, when we play the Beachcomber, we have Girls Guns & Glory on board. They are from the South Shore and a reliable draw. Also, it’s usually summery weather, which is good, because this place is a beach joint and ALL ABOUT summer feelings. In this case, we didn’t have either, and while I was surprised and fairly pleased with the outcome, I’m not so sure the club was. The only thing besides an iffy draw that might have caused ire is that (despite my best efforts), we ran overtime by seven minutes. I know this because when I jumped off the stage, the detail cop grabbed me and said, rather disgusted “1:07 — you’re welcome.” I said, “Thanks?” Yes, a question. Regardless, we had a good time, and had some Alabama slammers and tooters. I’m pretty sure both are just juice. The band was sloppy, but didn’t I just tell you about the Slammers and tooters? We were probably getting a sugar high off those drinks. Besides, it’s the Beachcomber. It’s supposed to be wild. Jimmy had a good time though, and on the way home, begged for Burger King then fell asleep, woke up, and screamed into the BK intercom. Good night.
SET LIST: Ordinary Girls / A Hard Rain / Research Blvd / Lights On / Carolyn, Don’t Leave Like This / Madeline / Golden Fleece / Seek Cover / Trouble From the Start / Whitewashed / Cedar / Shotgun Wedding / Shine a Light

The next afternoon, we all met up in our old stomping grounds of New London, Ct. on a dreary day. Not the kind of day you want to play an outdoors show, but such was the case at the I Am Festival. Weird note: Since we’ve been going to New London, the great thing about it is that it is fairly constant. Nothing changes, and it’s always fun. This time, it seemed like EVERYTHING had changed, some for the much, much worse. Two divorces, one death, several coast guard guys shipped off to other remote areas (Bahrain?). It was a lot to take in. As for the show, it was an impressive set up, but I think the weather dashed any hopes of big crowds. And we may not have been right up most of the kids’ alleys — even if one dude was really into it, headbanging and nudging Jimmy repeatedly. We did sell a decent amount of merch, so maybe folks liked the jams more than I thought? It’s hard to read a crowd sometimes. After all, even when I’m really into something, I rarely act like it. It’s just a thing. A vibe thing, I guess. Anyhow, I officially started my experiment of recording all of live shows (fingers crossed) and have yet to dump the audio, but an initial listen sounded OK. Again, we were sloppy and I’m coming down with a cold, I think, and having some major trouble singing, but some songs were pretty on. So, we’ll see what happens as I undertake Cassavettes’ archives project.
SET LIST: Ordinary Girls / Lights On / Seek Cover / Don’t Get Me Wrong / Golden Fleece / Cedar / Shotgun Wedding / Shine a Light

After the show, Jim and I went south to NYC for a quick 24-hour whirlwind adventure. Some of the highlights: hanging with AJ whose new place and new life are equally fantastic; hanging with Joe Bug, L Ro, and Stephen (and Jimmy and AJ) at Pete’s Candy Store without having to play a show; doing the tourist thing at the Statue of Liberty (where we went through two security checkpoints, one of which inexplicably blows air on you in short, sudden bursts), Wall Street, Ground Zero, Times Square, and Central Park; seeing a dude in the park with a battery-operated blender, illegally mixing margaritas for customers out of a backpack he was carrying about; and finally, having some really good NYC food (sweet deli sandy, awesome late-night za). All in all, good, albeit brief, trip. Looking forward to the tour, as this seemed like an early preview in some ways, of both the good and the bad.

Tonight, we complete our costly, yet fun, tour of New England with a visit to the Patriots game (my first), which has Matt green with envy — making him look very Christmas-y when you add in the red hair. Tomorrow night, we’re back at Toad for week two of our residency. Ought to be a good one!

Finally, hard copies of our CD are for sale now on Nimbit (see below) and I joined Twitter to convince more folks to come to our shows (see right rail). Hopefully both are positive connections!

Quite a nice trip to San Fran and Napa. I enjoyed the trip thoroughly, up until the ride to the airport, in fact — TD and I completed a bike ride over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito just before boarding. As for the wine, I only went too far once — on a port wine called Caberet (not to be confused be cabernet sauvignon) from Nichelini (the most quaint, and in my opinion, most legit winery we toured). It was a bad combo of port wine and cigars, neither of which, I must admit, am I very experienced in. But for the most part, we spent the days traveling about, sampling at the vineyards, and spending more money than we should have. It’s funny how much that area of the country looks like central Texas. During my morning runs, I was really taken back to the time I spent in the hill country outside San Antonio last September. Perhaps I will post some photos shortly.

So, I have yet to reconvene with my musical kin, but tonight we shall. I’m excited because I’ll have copies of our new CD. One of the things this trip gave me perspective on may be quite huge, actually. I must have listened to “It’s Gonna Change” three times. Once, a relative put it on during dinner to embarrass me. That sucked. But later, I made peace with that record — no small feat, as any musician who has a back catalog knows. I have long looked at that record as a good stepping stone album, but also a missed opportunity. I fully believe, still, that it’s a STRONG record, writing-wise, but it just didn’t showcase the performances we wanted. It was rushed, perhaps — a lethal combination of not knowing any better and not wanting to overspend (sounds like the port wine/cigar combo, eh?). But listening back to it for the first time in a long time, it sounded refreshingly new. There were so many elements I had forgotten — not the least of which is how much pleasure we used to take (and the crowd used to take) in “It’s Gonna Be Alright.” The song fell out of favor when I stopped playing piano live, and our reworkings have never really worked. But, listening to a live recording of our two-year anniversary show, when Mike hits that opening chord, the crowd goes ballistic. A girl screams like it is literally the most exciting moment of her week — she actually sounds more terrified than excited, so maybe she saw a ghost at the exact same time that Mike hit the chord. It’s insane! I don’t recall that kind of response to the song, but see, memory forgets these things. Washes right over them. I’m not saying that we need to bring that song back all the time — that would be a step backward in our evolution of a band. But it’s also important to remember where you came from. I think this trip really gave me some perspective on that. I guess that’s what family reunions are for (even if that recollection was about music).

Also, listening to that same two-year anniversary live show (yes, I gave Cassavettes material a thorough listen), I noticed that we opened, of all things, with a song that we had not played but once before or really since, at least in a dog’s age (it’s called “She’s a Bright Light”). It’s funny, because I brought up the idea of resurrecting this song to the band about a month ago, and the response was better than I expected. Best of all, for being a “piano song,” and a “harmonica song” (like “Alright”), this one actually lends itself to the switch to a guitar-driven tune. I messed around with it at about 3 a.m. the other morning. I think it could work. Worth a shot.

Anyhow, the band has a busy month coming up, with touring and what not. This Friday, we’re back at The Dive for the first time in a long time. Next week, we re-start Toad Tuesdays (late show next week, 10 p.m., but 8 p.m. for the weeks after that), then my buddy Jimmy visits just in time for us to play The Beachcomber in Quincy again and the I Am Festival with Deerhoof in New London. We actually got a nice mention from the local paper, The Day.

This year, folk-rocker Tim Easton, who’s played with former New London- and now Los Angeles-based band Quiet Life, is on the card, as are up-and-comers Free Energy and Cassavettes.

Finally, a dilemma: The band has a weird offer right now that could possibly fund our tour. But it would require selling out…again, possibly. My thought: Is it selling out if there is no profit for us personally? I mean, yes, it’s generally selling out to give up intellectual property for any reimbursement — but then isn’t selling CDs sort of like selling out? Being somebody’s swag dog doesn’t interest me much, but if a small commitment, and doing something totally lame for a month, can bankroll our entire tour, save us from going way deeper in the red, and help us further our dreams (rather than our own bank accounts), should we do it? Or is it a deal with the devil either way? Ponder that one, my friends.