Don't blog about it, BE about it!

JUNE 10TH | Matinee w/ DJ Larry | Akron, OH

After grabbing some breakfast, we headed down to Sweetwater headquarters, where Matt gave us the grand tour. Sweetwater is a recording studio that grew into a pro-audio and musical instrument retailer, and they do most of their business online (90% of their orders ship same-day!), but we had no idea what we were in store for when we walked in.










We were especially fans of the “arcade” area…









We finally tore ourselves from the free arcade games and hit the road, headed for Akron, OH.

The Matinee


The super-tiny stage


DJ Larry, who provided the music trivia before and after our set


Our set was cut short due to a tripped breaker, but we weren’t too bummed, since the bar patrons didn’t seem too interested in live music (I guess they normally just have the music trivia). This guy thought we should change our name to “Auction Gentleman” and auction ourselves off as dates throughout the show. What a novel idea.


We spent the rest of the evening hanging out, having drinks, taking pictures, and then arguing with each other (which probably happens with most bands after a weird set and a few drinks)


The arguing ceased once we got back to the house we were staying at and got to play around with Our MVP of the Day, Cooper:


The Plaid O’ The Day®:


Seven Objects That Represent The Members Of Our Band:


Cheers,
Steve | GAH

Blump on a Blog

JUNE 9TH | Mid City Grill w/ Prabir & The Substitutes | Ft. Wayne, IN

The Mid City Grill in Ft. Wayne, IN


Prabir & The Substitutes


Seven Sit-Down Fast Food Restaraunts in Terre Haute, IN that Represent the Members of Our Band:


Our MVP Of The Day: Our friend Matt who put us up for the night on short notice.


The Plaid O' The Day:


Check back tomorrow for the news from yesterday!

Cheers,
Steve | GAH

You're my mate, and I will stand by you

JUNE 8TH | The Bluebird w/ Mates of State, Headlights | St. Louis, MO

It was nice to have a day in town to make sure we had everything packed that we need for the next couple weeks. Mike went out and bought two new trailer tires, thus securing the MVP of the day. Congrats, Mike. You better relish it, because you can only win once.

While Mike was buying tires, Kiley and I were chasing a house sparrow from the top floor of my apartment stairwell, through my apartment, and out my balcony doors. Here's a visual aid:


I guess now's as good a time as any to mention that I'm compiling a tour diary for Annie Z. at the Riverfront Times which I guess will be posted once we get back, so if it seems like any of these entries are brief or truncated, it's because I'm trying to avoid telling the same boring stories twice.

Moving on, the Mates of State/Headlights show was SO good. I could go on, but speaking of the RFT, I'll let Ryan Wasoba tell you about it.




Needless to say, we had a blast, and it was a real pleasure sharing the stage with such awesome and talented musicians. I'm really glad that they got such a good turnout, so we can keep bringing bands of their caliber back through town.

On a more personal note, seeing Kori & Jason perform together is kind of special for me, since Kiley and I really enjoy being able to perform together in our band. It's a little bit of an inspiration to see a married couple succeed as a band, and as a married couple. Kiley and I watched the Mates of State documentary Two of Us on our last tour, and it evoked the same feelings of inspiration, and in a way, reassurance. Sappiness and sentimentality aside, it made me realize that not very many people get to do this with their "mate", and a lot of people don't even have a "mate". So, I just wanted to take a second and let you all know, Right Said Fred has you covered.



Also, here's some photos and video of our set at The Beat Kitchen last Friday, courtesy of TooMuchRock.com.

And without further ado, I give you:

The Plaid O' The Day®:


and Seven Objects That Represent The Members Of Our Band:


Until tomorrow...

Cheers,
Steve | GAH

Well, we rock a house party at the drop of a hat...

JUNE 7th | Birthday Party | St. Louis, MO

We headed back home on Saturday to play at a birthday party for a friend of the band. We were about an hour out of town when this happened:


13" trailer tires (or at least the specific size we had) are apparently kind of a rarity. We know because the kind folks at the strawberry field just off of the highway helped us call every tire place in the area. They ended up having a friend drive a tire he had laying around over to the field to meet us, whereupon he promptly sold the tire to us for $20. Score! I give you our MVPs of the day:


So we had to take the newly acquired tire down the road to the Gas & Tire to get it fitted on our wheel. Another $20, and cheap beer next door. Score again!



We finally made it back into town to set everything up for the birthday show. Fattback kicked it off with a genre cornucopia, complete with a sweet cover of "Psycho Killer".



Our set was a blast, and we had some party guests twice our age dancing more than any of our audiences in recent memory. There was a congo line.

Plaid O' The Day®:


Seven things that represent the members of our band:


Stay tuned for "coverage" of our bonkers show with Mates of State and Headlights!

Cheers,
Steve | GAH

MATES OF STATE! HEADLIGHTS! BLUEBIRD! TONIGHT!

We can't contain our excitement for this show! Get there early! We go on at 8:00!

Blogger!? I just met her!

We've embarked our June tour, and though we're back in town tonight for the Mates of State/Headlights show (it's still part of the tour, I swear), we'll be hitting the road again tomorrow and remain out-and-about for the next couple of weeks.

In an effort to include you all in the many mundane moments that occur throughout a typical day in a GAH tour, I'm going to try and get some daily(ish) content up here. Probably not a good sign that I'm already a day behind, but hey, internet (and free time) has been scarce.

JUNE 6th | The Beat Kitchen | Chicago, IL

The venue:


The stage:


The Plaid O' The Day®:


MVP of the day: Liz, who bought us a round of drinks (DISCLAIMER: The minor is drinking ginger ale)


Seven Objects That Represent The Members Of Our Band:


Stay tuned for tidbits from yesterday (this is going to get confusing, I can tell already).

Cheers,
Steve | GAH

2008 RFT Music Awards

The RFT Music Awards are in full swing again this year, and there are a heap of sweet St. Louis bands nominated. Please take a second and cast your vote for all of your favorite bands, but remember, you can leave certain categories blank, so if you don't know who any of the bands in a specific category are, you don't have to pick the one whose name you like best. If you find yourself scratching your head while you skim over a bunch of bands you've never heard of, you should go out to more shows!

The RFT Music Awards Showcase is happening on Sun., June 1st, and we're scheduled to play the main stage at 3 p.m. It'll be a bonkers day of St. Louis music, so make sure you're there. You can check out the schedule here.

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE!

And on a more self-centered note, the night before (May 31st) is the Bluebird's BBQ Bash featuring yours truly, our friends in The Bureau, local power trio The Feed, Blind Eyes, and DJ Commiekay. Should be a fingerlickinggoodtime - don't forget the A1.

Everyone gear up, cause summer's a comin'.

Cheers,
GAH