Greetings readers! Let's make up for lost time....
The other day, in passing, a friend asked "How's the band?" I paused for a moment before I offered my response. "This is the busiest we've ever been without the word 'busy' meaning we're playing tons of shows," I said. Later that day I realized how contradictory my reply seemed. Naturally when we think of bands, we think of shows. Busy bands must be busy playing lots of shows, right? Well, not exactly.
In late 2007 we started our quest for NACA. Insanely long and complex story made more digestible: NACA is an organization divided into geographic regions affiliated with all universities and colleges that functions as a marketplace for providing schools with entertainment of all kinds including: comedians, poets, motivational speakers and (you guessed it) BANDS. Upon discovering NACA, thanks to our Producer and friend Eric, our minds were blown. We quickly realized how many opportunities could be around the corner and frankly, how much WORK needed to be done. We were in the middle of recording our 'Signature' EP and were behind schedule. We actually had to start over after all of our initial tracks were lost in an unfortunate hard-drive crash. As excited as we were to get involved with NACA, the delay caused us to miss our submission deadline and forced us to wait a year.
During that time we finished the EP and began planning how best to position ourselves in terms of entertainment viability within a flourishing college music market. Conversations bubbled in person, percolated over conference calls and flooded hundreds of emails about things like image, logos, photography, artwork, fashion and it all felt so weird. September 6, 2008 (1/778) we had a CD release show for the 'Signature' EP at our beloved Spark Lounge and that was the last 7k show where anyone saw the old logo, the big purple drumkit or the three of us perform without our now-familiar matching ties and vests. Fittingly, that is where this story truly begins.
The months following that show were different. The holidays came and went. Emails generally had MP3 attachments of rough song ideas or artist renderings of things in different color schemes. We entered the studio with new songs that came to life as they were being recorded. We decided on a new logo after consulting attorneys. We went shopping together on Rodeo Drive in search of a 'new look'. Things were different and they were starting to feel a little less weird. Not unlike a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, we had transformed.
One thing we realized is that in this day and age very little happens by accident. When you turn on your TV or listen to the radio everything that you're experiencing was designed to give you that experience. In our time since creating and releasing the 'Signature' EP we had started actually designing 7k.
A key element in our design for NACA was shooting a music video for our then-new single "My High Life". Not only is it a submission requirement, a music video is the most complete modern time capsule marrying everything NEW: music, image, fashion, etc. Making the video was a fun and labor-intensive venture. Seeing the finished product was sort of our collective 'a-ha' moment...and no, I'm not referring to the 80's band that played 'Take On Me' (though that is another cool video).
Our applications and submissions were under review. Everything was in place and then (cue dramatic music here) it all hit us:
David- "Does it hunt?"
Jeff- "Will they buy it?"
Corey- "Can I play drums in this?"
It was time. In June of 2009 we were finishing a new recording (7k) and so began 'The Summer of Test Shows'. We played ten shows that summer which featured new music and unveiled the new look. June 20th at Harry O's was the first time anyone saw us in our matching ties and vests or heard live versions of songs like "Little Bit More" and "My High Life". Between shows we were like mad scientists. We tinkered with everything from the setlist order to subtle changes in our individual versions of 'the look'. Meanwhile, our NACA applications had been accepted and we were planning our first National tour which would span 7 weeks and take us as far East as Hartford, Connecticut. The new look and the new music, here at home, were a hit. Now it was time to take the show on the road....lots of roads, actually.
October 3, 2009 we had a CD release show for our new record '7k' at Spark Lounge in Anaheim. The next day we packed the trailer and slept in our beds for the last time until Thanksgiving. October 5th, we kissed our loved ones and cried as we climbed onto the bus.
The triumphs and tribulations of any band's first 'real' tour were well-documented throughout my blogs. When we got home, after rebuilding our personal lives, it was time to leave again. In February, we were flown to Indiana for one show at Valparaiso University which I also blogged about. By April, you guessed it, it was time to leave again. For Jeff, David and myself it was truly exciting to hit the road for our second National Tour. A 5 week tour which started in Oklahoma, ended in Connecticut and spanned over 8,000 driving miles was truly the pinnacle of 2010. There are blogs extensively detailing all that too. Upon returning home, we couldn't bring ourselves to rest. Less than two weeks past before local summer shows were booked. Then, emails started choking my inbox with MP3 attachments of new song ideas.
The summer came and went. On October 23, 2010 (777/778) we entered the studio to begin recording our new single "I Will Hold You Up" and the very next day 7k performed at the wedding of some of our dearest friends. Through this era we played a total of 45 shows, 19 of which in our home state of California. What an amazing journey this has been thus far, and we feel like we're just getting started.
Each of us loves each of you. Thank you for being what you are to us.
Love,
David, Jeff & Corey
THE SHOWS:
09/06/08 Spark Lounge- Anaheim, CA
06/20/09 Harry O’s- El Segundo, CA
06/24/09 Blue Café- Long Beach, CA
07/10/09 Paladino’s- Tarzana, CA
07/12/09 Blue Café- Huntington Beach, CA
07/14/09 Gallagher’s Pub- Huntington Beach, CA
07/29/09 Blue Café- Long Beach, CA
07/30/09 Cat Club- Hollywood, CA
08/03/09 Skinny’s Lounge- Hollywood, CA
08/09/09 Blue Café- Huntington Beach, CA
08/11/09 Good Hurt- Los Angeles, CA
10/02/09 Back Alley Bar & Grill- Fullerton, CA
10/03/09 Spark Lounge- Anaheim, CA
10/08/09 KOB TV “Good Day New Mexico”- Albuquerque, NM
10/08/09 Monte Vista Fire House Brewery- Albuquerque, NM
10/09/09 Mooney’s Pub & Grill- Norman, OK
10/10/09 Joe Momma’s- Tulsa, OK
10/15/09 NACA Mid-Atlantic Conference- Lancaster, PA
10/22/09 Wander Inn- Mishawaka, IN
10/23/09 Scatz Nightclub- Madison, WI
10/26/09 Kingstead- Bloomington, IN
10/27/09 Max’s Place- Bloomington, IN
10/28/09 Vernon Club- Louisville, KY
10/29/09 NACA Mid-America Conference- Covington, KY
11/07/09 Campbell Room- Worcester, MA
11/12/09 NACA Northeast Conference- Hartford, CT
11/20/09 Scatz Nightclub- Madison, WI
02/06/10 Valparaiso University- Valparaiso, IN
02/26/10 Back Alley Bar & Grill- Fullerton, CA
02/27/10 Spark Lounge- Anaheim, CA
04/09/10 Mooney’s Pub & Grill- Norman, OK
04/10/10 Joe Momma’s- Tulsa, OK
04/15/10 Adrian College- Adrian, MI
04/17/10 Marietta College- Marietta, OH
04/20/10 Wander Inn- Mishawaka, IN
04/22/10 Ohio Dominican University- Columbus, OH
04/23/10 Jake’s Nightclub- Bloomington, IN
04/24/10 Vernon Club- Louisville, KY
04/28/10 Alvernia University- Reading, PA
04/29/10 Penn State University Berks- Reading, PA
05/01/10 Central Connecticut State University- New Britain, CT
06/26/10 Back Alley Bar & Grill- Fullerton, CA
07/24/10 Back Alley Bar & Grill- Fullerton, CA
08/28/10 Back Alley Bar & Grill- Fullerton, CA
10/24/10 Hacienda- Santa Ana, CA
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
UPDATE: Dark Side of the Moon
Howdy 7kers! I know, I know....long time no bloggy blog. I'm truly sorry and promise to check in more regularly. In case you're new to the blog I'm Corey, the drummer/avid blogger, go back and read through my 'tales from the road' series for a chuckle as well as a detailed play-by-play from various points in both of 7k's US Tours. I am climbing the walls over here and thought I'd blow-off some steam in our beloved blog. Cool?
The three of us are in the 'valley' in terms of any traditional album cycle. The 'peak' in that cycle for me personally is a two-way tie between recording and touring since I love both equally. For now though, we're in that 'dark side of the moon' phase where we rarely see one another which is really tough since we were basically joined at the hip for 30 days on tour in April. Imagine being in the same room with your two best friends for five weeks straight...720 hours in a row! Then POOF! ...nothing (insert queasy feeling here). We played a 4 hour show a couple weeks ago in Fullerton (see new pics) and that was quite literally the most time we'd been together since early May! I had seen Jeff and David in person just TWICE before that show since getting home from tour. We had a post-tour meeting over dinner (said with sarcasm: complete with spreadsheet analysis) and one rehearsal to knock the rust off before the show. That hardly constitutes as satisfactory for me. I suppose there are hundreds of reasons to be in a band, but some of my favorites are the musical bond, the camaraderie and the friendship. What I'm sayin' here is: I MISS MY BAND; I MISS MY BOYS!!
Admittedly, 7k got lucky. We had the opportunity to see much of this country TWICE in support of our most recent CD. That was really cool, and a pretty rare occurrence for a band at our level. Getting re-acclimated to home-life was certainly tougher this time around knowing the 'valley' was upon us, though I don't mean to paint such a grim portrait- each of us has been busy.
For David, it has meant time to dive into something he really enjoys: producing loops. David is the mastermind behind all things soundscape. Between you and me, it's a gigantic can of worms that most professional bands have to come to grips with at some point, and let's just say that 7k is TRULY STOKED to have a Jedi Master-Ninja Guru-Super Hero like David Neil Black!! Long story short, he busts his butt creating additive musical ingredients that are lightly sprinkled into every 7k live performance. And by 'lightly' I mean, you may not even know they're there...but if they weren't there you might find yourself furrowing your brow wondering 'hey, what's missing?'. And, not to burst your bubble or anything, every band you've seen perform live in the past 5-10 years is doing this unless they're actually paying additional musicians to play with them onstage (or just offstage so you don't see them). Want proof? YouTube Green Day from their 'Bullet in a Bible' tour. All those cool songs you loved from 'American Idiot' are being reproduced flawlessly thanks to...ooooopps....extra musicians onstage. Anyhow, with that little newsflash out of the way....David has also been busy being a rockstar. He did a SPECTACULAR promotional photo shoot with Paul Rivera with all of his beloved Parker guitars and H&K amp. The photos are stunningly bitchen and find David smiling wider than ever. As if that weren't enough, the folks at Brace Wireless have a new product (which Jeff & David helped to beta test on tour) about to hit shelves that feature a live photo of David rocking right there on the package!!! Seriously, it seems like his face should be plastered on a Wheaties box month. Kudos to my brother David.
Jeff has been a busy fellow too. As of this blog, he's currently enjoying Jamaica with his lovely wife. Before he left, and when he gets home, Jeff can be found writing new music, or writing new music, then writing new music, or doing yard work, tackling various home improvement projects and hanging with his menagerie of animals...and friends, for that matter. Enter 'traditional'. When a band gets home from tour, they traditionally write new material, record new material, do a promo push for new material, then tour. Traditionally, much of the genesis of a great hit song comes from the experience of one individual that can be universally translated to many individuals (Ex. 'Every Breath You Take' The Police or 'With or Without You' U2). That said, Jeff regularly keeps track (by voicenote in his phone usually) of life's little incidents that he finds particularly inspirational. On a side note, if you drop Jeff's phone JUST RIGHT, it'll actually start playing all those voicenotes loudly on speaker phone. It is as uncomfortable as it is hilarious. Anyway, Jeff sits down, not unlike a painter selecting colors from a pallet for his next painting, and combs through all his ideas, then starts to paint....err...write. Enter 'unorthodox'. One thing we've grown accustomed to within 7k is an unorthodox approach to songwriting thanks to a concept introduced by our Producer, Eric Rathgeber. Generally speaking, David and I aren't exposed to the song ideas until we reach pre-production. In a sense, we are musically ambushed by dozens of musical ideas at once (since we've never heard them before). The process keeps us unbalanced and on our toes. We are sharp as we constantly try to grasp new things and we relish in the organic, ever-evolving flow of giving life to new songs. For Jeff this is arguably the busiest time in the cycle as he spends MOST of his time locked away writing and writing and writing and writing. Typically, our goal is to enter pre-production with 30 song ideas, so as a songwriter, maybe this is Jeff's favorite time...but you'd have to ask him. :) We look forward to hearing all the neat little things swimming around in Jeff's head and adding all the things swimming around in ours. My guess is Jamaica will inspire tales of love and sunshine...sounds great! In any case, the initial writing phase is a herculean task to be sure. Kudos to my brother Jeff.
As for me, life has been full of surprises. The first (and biggest) surprise technically happened while 7k was still on the road, but the day after I got home, we welcomed a bundle of joy, an 8 week old black lab pup. She has certainly kept me busy as her 'ball of raw energy' puppy craze is in full swing. I'm a proud dad even though she was apparently stuck in fast-forward over the past 2 weeks, gaining almost 10 pounds and morphing into a small dog rather than a puppy. Why do I get the feeling she'll be pleasantly ginormous? Another surprise came in printed form, published, that is. Months ago I sat down at my computer and typed a document outlining some of the drum-related injuries I've had over the years and what I recently discovered to avoid further injury. On a whim, I emailed the document to the managing editor of Drumhead Magazine. I was flattered to read in an email that they planned to publish my document as a featured article in the 'avoiding injury' section. To hold a physical copy in my hand (pg. 74 of the issue with Greg Bissonette on the cover) was truly thrilling. I am proud to be a member of that community and would jump at the chance to reach out to help my fellow drummers...so it was truly a delightful surprise. I've also kept myself busy behind the drums too, a pre-requisite for my personal sense of balance. If I'm being particularly snarky (yep, that's a real word) those around me generally recommend some quality drum time. My other outlets to reduce snarkiness, as many of you know, are video games and sports as I am 7k's resident gaming junkie and selective sports nut. Since my beloved PS3 died on tour, my hockey team made an early exit from the playoffs and we're in the midst of the excruciating drought before football season begins, I've discovered new levels of quality drum time. Needless to say, I've tinkered a lot, rebuilt my mixer box and added some new 'toys' to my drum set-up. In the coming weeks I'm set to be joined in the studio by Chuck, a drummer buddy, to start reviewing ideas for our drum/drum project and by Jeff to revisit rhythm section rehearsals...but to me it all just feels like chomping at the bit.
I sit here finishing off this blog, looking down at my feet. As I click my heels together three times, I wish to look up and be playing drums somewhere...anywhere. This evening, I'll blissfully blast away behind the kit for a few hours and as many times as I can squeeze in before the next show, and the next. All the while I'll be thinking about regular rehearsal schedules, pre-production and wondering 'are we there yet?'
Love.
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
The three of us are in the 'valley' in terms of any traditional album cycle. The 'peak' in that cycle for me personally is a two-way tie between recording and touring since I love both equally. For now though, we're in that 'dark side of the moon' phase where we rarely see one another which is really tough since we were basically joined at the hip for 30 days on tour in April. Imagine being in the same room with your two best friends for five weeks straight...720 hours in a row! Then POOF! ...nothing (insert queasy feeling here). We played a 4 hour show a couple weeks ago in Fullerton (see new pics) and that was quite literally the most time we'd been together since early May! I had seen Jeff and David in person just TWICE before that show since getting home from tour. We had a post-tour meeting over dinner (said with sarcasm: complete with spreadsheet analysis) and one rehearsal to knock the rust off before the show. That hardly constitutes as satisfactory for me. I suppose there are hundreds of reasons to be in a band, but some of my favorites are the musical bond, the camaraderie and the friendship. What I'm sayin' here is: I MISS MY BAND; I MISS MY BOYS!!
Admittedly, 7k got lucky. We had the opportunity to see much of this country TWICE in support of our most recent CD. That was really cool, and a pretty rare occurrence for a band at our level. Getting re-acclimated to home-life was certainly tougher this time around knowing the 'valley' was upon us, though I don't mean to paint such a grim portrait- each of us has been busy.
For David, it has meant time to dive into something he really enjoys: producing loops. David is the mastermind behind all things soundscape. Between you and me, it's a gigantic can of worms that most professional bands have to come to grips with at some point, and let's just say that 7k is TRULY STOKED to have a Jedi Master-Ninja Guru-Super Hero like David Neil Black!! Long story short, he busts his butt creating additive musical ingredients that are lightly sprinkled into every 7k live performance. And by 'lightly' I mean, you may not even know they're there...but if they weren't there you might find yourself furrowing your brow wondering 'hey, what's missing?'. And, not to burst your bubble or anything, every band you've seen perform live in the past 5-10 years is doing this unless they're actually paying additional musicians to play with them onstage (or just offstage so you don't see them). Want proof? YouTube Green Day from their 'Bullet in a Bible' tour. All those cool songs you loved from 'American Idiot' are being reproduced flawlessly thanks to...ooooopps....extra musicians onstage. Anyhow, with that little newsflash out of the way....David has also been busy being a rockstar. He did a SPECTACULAR promotional photo shoot with Paul Rivera with all of his beloved Parker guitars and H&K amp. The photos are stunningly bitchen and find David smiling wider than ever. As if that weren't enough, the folks at Brace Wireless have a new product (which Jeff & David helped to beta test on tour) about to hit shelves that feature a live photo of David rocking right there on the package!!! Seriously, it seems like his face should be plastered on a Wheaties box month. Kudos to my brother David.
Jeff has been a busy fellow too. As of this blog, he's currently enjoying Jamaica with his lovely wife. Before he left, and when he gets home, Jeff can be found writing new music, or writing new music, then writing new music, or doing yard work, tackling various home improvement projects and hanging with his menagerie of animals...and friends, for that matter. Enter 'traditional'. When a band gets home from tour, they traditionally write new material, record new material, do a promo push for new material, then tour. Traditionally, much of the genesis of a great hit song comes from the experience of one individual that can be universally translated to many individuals (Ex. 'Every Breath You Take' The Police or 'With or Without You' U2). That said, Jeff regularly keeps track (by voicenote in his phone usually) of life's little incidents that he finds particularly inspirational. On a side note, if you drop Jeff's phone JUST RIGHT, it'll actually start playing all those voicenotes loudly on speaker phone. It is as uncomfortable as it is hilarious. Anyway, Jeff sits down, not unlike a painter selecting colors from a pallet for his next painting, and combs through all his ideas, then starts to paint....err...write. Enter 'unorthodox'. One thing we've grown accustomed to within 7k is an unorthodox approach to songwriting thanks to a concept introduced by our Producer, Eric Rathgeber. Generally speaking, David and I aren't exposed to the song ideas until we reach pre-production. In a sense, we are musically ambushed by dozens of musical ideas at once (since we've never heard them before). The process keeps us unbalanced and on our toes. We are sharp as we constantly try to grasp new things and we relish in the organic, ever-evolving flow of giving life to new songs. For Jeff this is arguably the busiest time in the cycle as he spends MOST of his time locked away writing and writing and writing and writing. Typically, our goal is to enter pre-production with 30 song ideas, so as a songwriter, maybe this is Jeff's favorite time...but you'd have to ask him. :) We look forward to hearing all the neat little things swimming around in Jeff's head and adding all the things swimming around in ours. My guess is Jamaica will inspire tales of love and sunshine...sounds great! In any case, the initial writing phase is a herculean task to be sure. Kudos to my brother Jeff.
As for me, life has been full of surprises. The first (and biggest) surprise technically happened while 7k was still on the road, but the day after I got home, we welcomed a bundle of joy, an 8 week old black lab pup. She has certainly kept me busy as her 'ball of raw energy' puppy craze is in full swing. I'm a proud dad even though she was apparently stuck in fast-forward over the past 2 weeks, gaining almost 10 pounds and morphing into a small dog rather than a puppy. Why do I get the feeling she'll be pleasantly ginormous? Another surprise came in printed form, published, that is. Months ago I sat down at my computer and typed a document outlining some of the drum-related injuries I've had over the years and what I recently discovered to avoid further injury. On a whim, I emailed the document to the managing editor of Drumhead Magazine. I was flattered to read in an email that they planned to publish my document as a featured article in the 'avoiding injury' section. To hold a physical copy in my hand (pg. 74 of the issue with Greg Bissonette on the cover) was truly thrilling. I am proud to be a member of that community and would jump at the chance to reach out to help my fellow drummers...so it was truly a delightful surprise. I've also kept myself busy behind the drums too, a pre-requisite for my personal sense of balance. If I'm being particularly snarky (yep, that's a real word) those around me generally recommend some quality drum time. My other outlets to reduce snarkiness, as many of you know, are video games and sports as I am 7k's resident gaming junkie and selective sports nut. Since my beloved PS3 died on tour, my hockey team made an early exit from the playoffs and we're in the midst of the excruciating drought before football season begins, I've discovered new levels of quality drum time. Needless to say, I've tinkered a lot, rebuilt my mixer box and added some new 'toys' to my drum set-up. In the coming weeks I'm set to be joined in the studio by Chuck, a drummer buddy, to start reviewing ideas for our drum/drum project and by Jeff to revisit rhythm section rehearsals...but to me it all just feels like chomping at the bit.
I sit here finishing off this blog, looking down at my feet. As I click my heels together three times, I wish to look up and be playing drums somewhere...anywhere. This evening, I'll blissfully blast away behind the kit for a few hours and as many times as I can squeeze in before the next show, and the next. All the while I'll be thinking about regular rehearsal schedules, pre-production and wondering 'are we there yet?'
Love.
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Tales From The Road: Rewind, Reese's, the Hobbit Bridge and the Home Stretch
Well, here in New Britain, Connecticut the scent of blossoming trees is on the breeze and Spring is poised to be in full swing. Before I get into the most recent of shows, there are two tasty tidbits I mistakenly left out of my last blog. That said, allow me to 'click' the rewind button, just for a moment.
1. Back at the KOA campground in Madison, PA I did a cool thing. As you may remember, we had been there 6 months earlier and I enjoyed a solo hike where I snapped a few nice pics of rainy, wintery, fallen leaves, etc. Anyway, while doing so (last year) I had my iPod with me and enjoyed Gavin DeGraw's record 'Free' while I hiked. I thought it would be fun this time around to listen to the very same record while starting my hike from exactly the same spot. I did, and was continually amazed by the beautiful changes a new season had brought to my path. The soundtrack highlighted different things this time, like the sunlight shimmering off the surface of a nearby lake. I noticed horses grazing everywhere and beautiful flowers. It was such a neat way to see the same place in two different seasons....a place far from home that I may never find myself in ever again. :)
2. While at Ohio Dominican University, in Columbus, OH I sat in the student center and sipped coffee while I prepared for a unique morning. We were set to play in Bloomington the next night for Little 500 and one of the most popular Bloomington radio stations, B97 had scheduled a live radio with ME to discuss the show. There were all these specific instructions....one minute before nine, text '7k' to this number, then call immediately after....I felt like James Bond. Although before my spy mission was to begin, I had to make a call of a different sort, since that day was my nephew's 6th birthday. After he and I chatted about pool parties and tee-ball, I proceeded to call B97 for the interview. It was a blast, as Josh probed about 7k and plugged the show. As it turned out, Josh from B97 broadcast live from Jake's that night as I made my second appearance on the radio. It was great fun.
"Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter," is sort of the famed Reese's quote and honestly, that's how we all feel about Pennsylvania. There is a really special blend of New England and Midwest that exists that we've never seen anywhere else. Admittedly, when traveling Eastbound INTO this gorgeous state, everyone must endure the four tunnels of death (see last year's blog) but it's WELL worth it. Obviously those tunnels wouldn't be a problem for the average vehicle, but maneuvering a 40ft bus and trailer through them feels like trying to shove a tennis ball through a McDonald's straw. Anyhow, the weather was DROP-DEAD-GORGEOUS and truly epitomized Spring. The people were very sweet, helpful, easy-going and receptive. The shows were two of our favorites so far.
Show #9 we rocked Alvernia University in Reading, PA with our friends SAFETYSUIT. The show was held in a very large gymnasium and the students flooded the stage when we asked for dancers. It marked our first time performing in a gymnasium and were pleased by the arena-like sound and light show. Afterwards, we were famished, so we went to an all-night diner with friends and headed for the hotel. Each of us where wiped-out and went to our rooms to dump video and crash. Oh yeah, with 4 cameras rolling at every show, we all have cameras that need to be charged while video is saved to our hard drives. The only time we have time....is when we're sleeping. We met in the lobby for a delightful breakfast and didn't have to check-out, for a change, since show #10 was also in Reading, PA at Penn State University Berks.
The PSU Berks performance was their VERY FIRST concert and we feel VERY fortunate to have been a part of this special event. Just like the previous night, we were on the bill again with our friends from Nashville, SAFETYSUIT. We pulled the bus up behind the outdoor stage and were met by a gaggle of friendly students. After hugs and handshakes the entire group headed for our pre-show dinner. It was great to relax, laugh, answer questions and sign autographs with the other patrons of the restaurant wondering who the heck we were. Arriving back at the stage, it was time to load-in and soundcheck. Both went off without a hitch and we were ready to hang on the bus for a bit....just then we were told of a bunch of contest winners that were anxious to meet us after the show. A 'meet & greet' had been arranged for those students to get on the bus after the show to hang-out, get autographs and photos. Wow. As we took the stage, a beautiful Spring night breeze whisked by and the lights came up to reveal a seemingly endless crowd. From the very first note, they were wide-eyed and cheering...but then the fun REALLY began. After getting a handful of students onstage to dance and sing along, it was clear that the audience had been stirred into a frenzy of fun. One gal in particular had her iPhone and took a few videos that can be viewed on our FB page and on YouTube. As we stepped off stage, a line formed at our merch table. We posed for photos, sold merch and signed autographs for two solid hours. Police officers stood by for safety and ended up using their flashlights to illuminate all the stuff we were signing. It was bananas. The 'meet & greet' on the bus was fun as we answered questions, shared concert stories, argued about pro football and took photos. We returned to the hotel and collapsed. Whew!
The setlist was the same for both shows:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
WRONG GIRL
REMEMBER ME
BAD ROMANCE
I GOTTA FEELING
HOT IN HERRE
DISPENSE
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
Our trek toward Connecticut was a seemingly simple 4ish hour drive. Thus far, Emily (our Brit-tinged GPS) has set our course pleasantly through farmlands and outskirts. Well, not this time. In hind-sight, it would've been wise to choose a model that had a 'truck' or 'rv' or 'bus' mode. That said, obviously, ours does not. So, in not accounting for our vehicle HEIGHT (which is a whopping 13 feet, by the way) we were led down the path of doom. I was behind the wheel and David was my faithful navigator. Shortly after passing through a bit of New Jersey, we were darting through a bit of New York. Following Emily's route we took a ramp that clearly said 'PASSENGER CARS ONLY'. I thought it was odd, proceeded with caution and noticed a narrow roadway ahead. With clenched jaw and David's encouragement, I 'threaded the needle' as we like to say and all was well. We all figured the 'passenger car only' thing referred simply to the narrow passage and for 20 miles or so, we were right. With Jeff in the back and David grabbing a snack, I noticed a white sports car in the lane next to me. He was going the exact same speed as I was, flashing his lights, honking his horn and screaming at the top of his lungs. I could only look over at him very very briefly as I drove, and I couldn't decipher what he was trying to convey. His sunroof opened and his fist pumped repeatedly skyward, then my stomach sank. I thought maybe I had mistakenly cut him off and he wanted to attempt to kick my ass. Freaked out, I yelled for Jeff and David to come up and look over my shoulder to try to figure out what was up. Jeff thought maybe the guy was trying to tell us there was something wrong with the bus. Just then, the guy sped up and swerved in front of me. We saw his hand poke up out of the sunroof again, only this time he was frantically pointing toward the side of the road. I was still thinking maybe I had irked him in someway by mistake. Then I saw it in the distance, the ominous yellow caution sign. As the numbers came into focus, I stopped breathing. The sign warned that an upcoming bridge had a low clearance of 8ft. 8 inches. Oh, so THAT'S what 'passenger cars only' means. The road made a gentle bend and another identical sign came into view. I also noticed an exit sign and hoped with every iota of faith it was BEFORE the low bridge. I honked my horn twice and waved as if to say "Oh, got it. Thanks SO much!" and then I saw the bridge. It was a beautiful stone archway with a stereotypical Hobbit vibe. Seeing Frodo and Sam trotting across it wouldn't have surprised me one bit...but enough of my daydream....there was the exit ramp ONE HUNDRED FEET before Frodo's death trap. We exited into two-way, rush-hour traffic further exacerbated by road construction and noticed our savior pulled off to the side. We pulled behind him, still holding our breaths and sweating bullets. Jeff hopped out to hug and thank him and I overheard him in his uber-stereotypical NY-meets-Joe Pesci voice say, "Yous guys almost freeakin' died back there." He continued almost as if it was a Saturday Night Live skit with directions back to the REAL interstate. Personally, I had a knot in my stomach for 3 hours. It was horrendous and stressful...and needless to say, this will be Emily's last tour with 7k.
Tonight marks the last show of the tour and the beginning of the home stretch for us. We perform a 4 hour show in the student center of Central Connecticut State University tonight, head to the hotel and begin our COAST-TO-COAST drive tomorrow morning. So far, this tour has been the experience of a lifetime...AND we are excited to return home to loved ones, the beach, showers.......the list goes on and on.
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
1. Back at the KOA campground in Madison, PA I did a cool thing. As you may remember, we had been there 6 months earlier and I enjoyed a solo hike where I snapped a few nice pics of rainy, wintery, fallen leaves, etc. Anyway, while doing so (last year) I had my iPod with me and enjoyed Gavin DeGraw's record 'Free' while I hiked. I thought it would be fun this time around to listen to the very same record while starting my hike from exactly the same spot. I did, and was continually amazed by the beautiful changes a new season had brought to my path. The soundtrack highlighted different things this time, like the sunlight shimmering off the surface of a nearby lake. I noticed horses grazing everywhere and beautiful flowers. It was such a neat way to see the same place in two different seasons....a place far from home that I may never find myself in ever again. :)
2. While at Ohio Dominican University, in Columbus, OH I sat in the student center and sipped coffee while I prepared for a unique morning. We were set to play in Bloomington the next night for Little 500 and one of the most popular Bloomington radio stations, B97 had scheduled a live radio with ME to discuss the show. There were all these specific instructions....one minute before nine, text '7k' to this number, then call immediately after....I felt like James Bond. Although before my spy mission was to begin, I had to make a call of a different sort, since that day was my nephew's 6th birthday. After he and I chatted about pool parties and tee-ball, I proceeded to call B97 for the interview. It was a blast, as Josh probed about 7k and plugged the show. As it turned out, Josh from B97 broadcast live from Jake's that night as I made my second appearance on the radio. It was great fun.
"Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter," is sort of the famed Reese's quote and honestly, that's how we all feel about Pennsylvania. There is a really special blend of New England and Midwest that exists that we've never seen anywhere else. Admittedly, when traveling Eastbound INTO this gorgeous state, everyone must endure the four tunnels of death (see last year's blog) but it's WELL worth it. Obviously those tunnels wouldn't be a problem for the average vehicle, but maneuvering a 40ft bus and trailer through them feels like trying to shove a tennis ball through a McDonald's straw. Anyhow, the weather was DROP-DEAD-GORGEOUS and truly epitomized Spring. The people were very sweet, helpful, easy-going and receptive. The shows were two of our favorites so far.
Show #9 we rocked Alvernia University in Reading, PA with our friends SAFETYSUIT. The show was held in a very large gymnasium and the students flooded the stage when we asked for dancers. It marked our first time performing in a gymnasium and were pleased by the arena-like sound and light show. Afterwards, we were famished, so we went to an all-night diner with friends and headed for the hotel. Each of us where wiped-out and went to our rooms to dump video and crash. Oh yeah, with 4 cameras rolling at every show, we all have cameras that need to be charged while video is saved to our hard drives. The only time we have time....is when we're sleeping. We met in the lobby for a delightful breakfast and didn't have to check-out, for a change, since show #10 was also in Reading, PA at Penn State University Berks.
The PSU Berks performance was their VERY FIRST concert and we feel VERY fortunate to have been a part of this special event. Just like the previous night, we were on the bill again with our friends from Nashville, SAFETYSUIT. We pulled the bus up behind the outdoor stage and were met by a gaggle of friendly students. After hugs and handshakes the entire group headed for our pre-show dinner. It was great to relax, laugh, answer questions and sign autographs with the other patrons of the restaurant wondering who the heck we were. Arriving back at the stage, it was time to load-in and soundcheck. Both went off without a hitch and we were ready to hang on the bus for a bit....just then we were told of a bunch of contest winners that were anxious to meet us after the show. A 'meet & greet' had been arranged for those students to get on the bus after the show to hang-out, get autographs and photos. Wow. As we took the stage, a beautiful Spring night breeze whisked by and the lights came up to reveal a seemingly endless crowd. From the very first note, they were wide-eyed and cheering...but then the fun REALLY began. After getting a handful of students onstage to dance and sing along, it was clear that the audience had been stirred into a frenzy of fun. One gal in particular had her iPhone and took a few videos that can be viewed on our FB page and on YouTube. As we stepped off stage, a line formed at our merch table. We posed for photos, sold merch and signed autographs for two solid hours. Police officers stood by for safety and ended up using their flashlights to illuminate all the stuff we were signing. It was bananas. The 'meet & greet' on the bus was fun as we answered questions, shared concert stories, argued about pro football and took photos. We returned to the hotel and collapsed. Whew!
The setlist was the same for both shows:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
WRONG GIRL
REMEMBER ME
BAD ROMANCE
I GOTTA FEELING
HOT IN HERRE
DISPENSE
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
Our trek toward Connecticut was a seemingly simple 4ish hour drive. Thus far, Emily (our Brit-tinged GPS) has set our course pleasantly through farmlands and outskirts. Well, not this time. In hind-sight, it would've been wise to choose a model that had a 'truck' or 'rv' or 'bus' mode. That said, obviously, ours does not. So, in not accounting for our vehicle HEIGHT (which is a whopping 13 feet, by the way) we were led down the path of doom. I was behind the wheel and David was my faithful navigator. Shortly after passing through a bit of New Jersey, we were darting through a bit of New York. Following Emily's route we took a ramp that clearly said 'PASSENGER CARS ONLY'. I thought it was odd, proceeded with caution and noticed a narrow roadway ahead. With clenched jaw and David's encouragement, I 'threaded the needle' as we like to say and all was well. We all figured the 'passenger car only' thing referred simply to the narrow passage and for 20 miles or so, we were right. With Jeff in the back and David grabbing a snack, I noticed a white sports car in the lane next to me. He was going the exact same speed as I was, flashing his lights, honking his horn and screaming at the top of his lungs. I could only look over at him very very briefly as I drove, and I couldn't decipher what he was trying to convey. His sunroof opened and his fist pumped repeatedly skyward, then my stomach sank. I thought maybe I had mistakenly cut him off and he wanted to attempt to kick my ass. Freaked out, I yelled for Jeff and David to come up and look over my shoulder to try to figure out what was up. Jeff thought maybe the guy was trying to tell us there was something wrong with the bus. Just then, the guy sped up and swerved in front of me. We saw his hand poke up out of the sunroof again, only this time he was frantically pointing toward the side of the road. I was still thinking maybe I had irked him in someway by mistake. Then I saw it in the distance, the ominous yellow caution sign. As the numbers came into focus, I stopped breathing. The sign warned that an upcoming bridge had a low clearance of 8ft. 8 inches. Oh, so THAT'S what 'passenger cars only' means. The road made a gentle bend and another identical sign came into view. I also noticed an exit sign and hoped with every iota of faith it was BEFORE the low bridge. I honked my horn twice and waved as if to say "Oh, got it. Thanks SO much!" and then I saw the bridge. It was a beautiful stone archway with a stereotypical Hobbit vibe. Seeing Frodo and Sam trotting across it wouldn't have surprised me one bit...but enough of my daydream....there was the exit ramp ONE HUNDRED FEET before Frodo's death trap. We exited into two-way, rush-hour traffic further exacerbated by road construction and noticed our savior pulled off to the side. We pulled behind him, still holding our breaths and sweating bullets. Jeff hopped out to hug and thank him and I overheard him in his uber-stereotypical NY-meets-Joe Pesci voice say, "Yous guys almost freeakin' died back there." He continued almost as if it was a Saturday Night Live skit with directions back to the REAL interstate. Personally, I had a knot in my stomach for 3 hours. It was horrendous and stressful...and needless to say, this will be Emily's last tour with 7k.
Tonight marks the last show of the tour and the beginning of the home stretch for us. We perform a 4 hour show in the student center of Central Connecticut State University tonight, head to the hotel and begin our COAST-TO-COAST drive tomorrow morning. So far, this tour has been the experience of a lifetime...AND we are excited to return home to loved ones, the beach, showers.......the list goes on and on.
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tales From The Road: Jaws Soundtrack, Rockstar Parking Battle & Tennis Skirts.
With lots of catching up to do, I'll skip the set lists in this blog, as by now I'm sure you've discovered our magical pattern. On that note (pun fully intended), our version of Lady GaGa's 'Bad Romance' is continuing to blow minds and we're still quite amazed by the unexpected response to our version of Cheap Trick's 'I Want You To Want Me'. Since my last blog, we've played 98 songs over the course of 4 rockin' shows, another good reason to skip typing the set lists for each into this blog. :) Oh, and if you're like us, keeping track so far, we've played a grand total of 215 songs this tour. Cool!
Show #5 found us in our favorite, small neighborhood bar called the Wander Inn just outside South Bend, in Mishawaka, Indiana. We discovered the stereotypically Midwestern watering hole during our tour last fall and were elated to return. Oddly enough, the routing of this tour originally had us missing Mishawaka until I saw a forwarded email out of the blue from a guy named Rich. Apparently, after having a BLAST last fall with us he took it upon himself to track us down and lobby for our return. He visited our website right about the time our spring tour dates were announced and started the ball rolling. He sent an email to us and also emailed the bar owner requesting another 7k performance. From a business perspective, with the demand in place it was time to get our supply in gear but honestly, our hearts led us to book another show at the Wander Inn. Our experience last year is still one of our fondest memories and we simply cannot say enough about the AWESOME people that frequent the decidedly Cheers-like small town bar. We saw many familiar faces and were surrounded by many new friends at the merch table during every break. Like last year, the crowd begged us to finish off the night with ANOTHER SET of our original songs. We were more than happy to oblige and continue to feel lucky about being asked back. Having the chance to spend more time at the Wander Inn on this tour (and not breaking my foot this time) was a treat we'll cherish until next time.
Show #6 was at Ohio Dominican University, or lovingly 'ODU'...almost a displaced Garfield reference everytime I say it. Another show on another breath-taking Midwestern college campus on another gorgeous Spring day...WOW!! We arrived Wednesday afternoon for our show Thursday night in the Student Center. A campus safety officer escorted our bus as we pulled into a long row of empty parking spaces near the fitness center reserved for school athletes. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, with a delightful lunch in the student center after a tour of the building and some show planning. Sitting on the bus, adjacent to the beautiful tennis courts we happened to notice the ODU Women's tennis team about to begin practice. There is something pleasant about tennis skirts, sunshine, ladies playing tennis and an overheard comparison between teammates about strapless bras and sports bras. After reading a book for a bit, I curled-up for a nap to the sounds of quickly skidding sneakers and the unmistakable chorus of tennis balls bouncing from racket to clay to racket to clay to racket....and so on. We woke the next morning, show day, and the lads hit the gym while I strolled around campus clicking photos of architecture and flowers. I also got a guided tour of one of the main academic buildings and an exquisite theater. We began our load-in about 3pm, set-up, set lights, soundchecked and headed for dinner. The students in attendance had a ball as we blasted our way through a 3 hour show. They sang and danced, had fun onstage and cheered loudly after every song. Although the student center was supposed to be closed and vacated by 11pm, the students flocked to the merch table to get their hands on their very own 7k gear, or have a photo taken with us, or get an autograph....or, most commonly, ALL THREE. ODU showed us a great time and a ton of school spirit!! Columbus, Ohio was beautiful and the students ROCKED!!
Show #7 is where the rockstar parking battle took place....well, kind of. Jake's Night Club in Bloomington, Indiana was a hot bed of inebriated merry-making during the uber-popular 'Little 500' weekend. The entire downtown scene bubbled with non-sober shenanigans as our bus pulled-up in front of Jake's. On a weekend like that, many popular acts roll into town, many of whom require a space to park a tour bus. In this case, 7k was added to that list and had previously arranged the City to cone-off a 60ft area at the front curb of the venue. As it turns out, Snoop Dogg was set to perform nearby and the after party was scheduled to be in Jake's just as we were finishing. Presumably, his audience was fun, gigantic and intoxicated although I'm not sure where he got to park his pimped-out bus as we beat him to the prime spot. As I stepped out of the bus, I was informed Snoop Dogg's bus maybe parked there too. I surveyed the PACKED curb, our sexy bus with trailer and replied with a smile on my face simply "Not today." Ding, thanks for playin' Snoop. We proceeded to load-in and the crowd proceeded to bump and grind, onstage during our SOUNDCHECK! Little 500 is to Bloomington what Marti Gras is to New Orleans and everything was CRAZY right from the get-go. The show was a blur of music, dancing and onstage sing-alongs. Everyone had so much fun and there were even a few that had too much fun. It was truly a night to be remembered and marked the VERY FIRST TIME 7k concert tickets were available through Ticketmaster. I will be framing mine for sure. What a memory and a milestone.
Show #8 was our third show, in a different city and state in three days. We arrived at the Vernon in Louisville, Kentucky and were tired. Walking through the door, though, gave way to excitement as we saw the venue. You may remember last year's tour we played at the Vernon and were set up straddling a bowling lane in the popular bowling alley upstairs. We played as bowlers flanked us- it was awesome. This time, however, we were the featured headlining act downstairs in the very Sunset-strip-in-its-heyday club. After our soundcheck we were met by my Godfather for a tour tradition of sorts- dinner a block away at Sergio's. Boasting thousands of different kinds of beer you've never tasted, much less heard of, Sergio's is an experience not to be missed. For Jeff and I it's like giving a chocoholic keys to the Hershey factory. For David, his true rockstar status was honored as he sipped a bottle of his favorite wine...a bottle he WALKED IN with. The food and drink were the perfect preamble for a memorable show. Serpent Wisdom, a talented local, eclectic, super-fun act brought their crowd and set the tone for a great evening. We took the stage and played a spirited set of originals with two slammin' covers, 'Life is a Highway' and Prince's 'Kiss'. At one point, Jeff came toward the drums and scooted back near me to rock-out. In the dark, his shin unknowingly gave my mixer/click station a gentle nudge (a bit of 7k humor) and it nearly toppled to the stage. Hurriedly I reached over, mid-tune, to catch it and everytime Jeff trotted toward me for the rest of the show I was overwhelmed with the music from 'Jaws' as I anticipated my gear hitting the deck. LOL. The crowd enjoyed the show, clapping and singing along....many of whom were familiar with 7k from last year's performance. After the show, Nick (famous producer, Louisville resident and sound guru at the Vernon) informed me that he had recorded our performance in what he called "an insane set". The digital files should be waiting in our inboxes when we get home....with any luck, we'll have a few great live tracks available in the not-too-distant future. Sound cool?
We enter the home stretch this week, with three HUGE college shows on the East Coast. Before we do, however, we are taking care of our bodies (and our laundry) recouping in our favorite KOA campground for a couple days in Madison, PA. We were here last year and we fell in love with the grounds. This time around, it's rainy and a bit chilly, but we're making the best of it eating Jeff's famous chili, drinking David's jet-fuel coffee and enjoying two care packages from my loved-ones. One included the movie 'I Love You, Man' (hilarious...a must see for sure) and the other, a fine bottle of Four Roses Small Batch (the REAL crown jewel of Kentucky). Here's to no alarm clock, no driving, no loading......at least for a couple days.
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Show #5 found us in our favorite, small neighborhood bar called the Wander Inn just outside South Bend, in Mishawaka, Indiana. We discovered the stereotypically Midwestern watering hole during our tour last fall and were elated to return. Oddly enough, the routing of this tour originally had us missing Mishawaka until I saw a forwarded email out of the blue from a guy named Rich. Apparently, after having a BLAST last fall with us he took it upon himself to track us down and lobby for our return. He visited our website right about the time our spring tour dates were announced and started the ball rolling. He sent an email to us and also emailed the bar owner requesting another 7k performance. From a business perspective, with the demand in place it was time to get our supply in gear but honestly, our hearts led us to book another show at the Wander Inn. Our experience last year is still one of our fondest memories and we simply cannot say enough about the AWESOME people that frequent the decidedly Cheers-like small town bar. We saw many familiar faces and were surrounded by many new friends at the merch table during every break. Like last year, the crowd begged us to finish off the night with ANOTHER SET of our original songs. We were more than happy to oblige and continue to feel lucky about being asked back. Having the chance to spend more time at the Wander Inn on this tour (and not breaking my foot this time) was a treat we'll cherish until next time.
Show #6 was at Ohio Dominican University, or lovingly 'ODU'...almost a displaced Garfield reference everytime I say it. Another show on another breath-taking Midwestern college campus on another gorgeous Spring day...WOW!! We arrived Wednesday afternoon for our show Thursday night in the Student Center. A campus safety officer escorted our bus as we pulled into a long row of empty parking spaces near the fitness center reserved for school athletes. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, with a delightful lunch in the student center after a tour of the building and some show planning. Sitting on the bus, adjacent to the beautiful tennis courts we happened to notice the ODU Women's tennis team about to begin practice. There is something pleasant about tennis skirts, sunshine, ladies playing tennis and an overheard comparison between teammates about strapless bras and sports bras. After reading a book for a bit, I curled-up for a nap to the sounds of quickly skidding sneakers and the unmistakable chorus of tennis balls bouncing from racket to clay to racket to clay to racket....and so on. We woke the next morning, show day, and the lads hit the gym while I strolled around campus clicking photos of architecture and flowers. I also got a guided tour of one of the main academic buildings and an exquisite theater. We began our load-in about 3pm, set-up, set lights, soundchecked and headed for dinner. The students in attendance had a ball as we blasted our way through a 3 hour show. They sang and danced, had fun onstage and cheered loudly after every song. Although the student center was supposed to be closed and vacated by 11pm, the students flocked to the merch table to get their hands on their very own 7k gear, or have a photo taken with us, or get an autograph....or, most commonly, ALL THREE. ODU showed us a great time and a ton of school spirit!! Columbus, Ohio was beautiful and the students ROCKED!!
Show #7 is where the rockstar parking battle took place....well, kind of. Jake's Night Club in Bloomington, Indiana was a hot bed of inebriated merry-making during the uber-popular 'Little 500' weekend. The entire downtown scene bubbled with non-sober shenanigans as our bus pulled-up in front of Jake's. On a weekend like that, many popular acts roll into town, many of whom require a space to park a tour bus. In this case, 7k was added to that list and had previously arranged the City to cone-off a 60ft area at the front curb of the venue. As it turns out, Snoop Dogg was set to perform nearby and the after party was scheduled to be in Jake's just as we were finishing. Presumably, his audience was fun, gigantic and intoxicated although I'm not sure where he got to park his pimped-out bus as we beat him to the prime spot. As I stepped out of the bus, I was informed Snoop Dogg's bus maybe parked there too. I surveyed the PACKED curb, our sexy bus with trailer and replied with a smile on my face simply "Not today." Ding, thanks for playin' Snoop. We proceeded to load-in and the crowd proceeded to bump and grind, onstage during our SOUNDCHECK! Little 500 is to Bloomington what Marti Gras is to New Orleans and everything was CRAZY right from the get-go. The show was a blur of music, dancing and onstage sing-alongs. Everyone had so much fun and there were even a few that had too much fun. It was truly a night to be remembered and marked the VERY FIRST TIME 7k concert tickets were available through Ticketmaster. I will be framing mine for sure. What a memory and a milestone.
Show #8 was our third show, in a different city and state in three days. We arrived at the Vernon in Louisville, Kentucky and were tired. Walking through the door, though, gave way to excitement as we saw the venue. You may remember last year's tour we played at the Vernon and were set up straddling a bowling lane in the popular bowling alley upstairs. We played as bowlers flanked us- it was awesome. This time, however, we were the featured headlining act downstairs in the very Sunset-strip-in-its-heyday club. After our soundcheck we were met by my Godfather for a tour tradition of sorts- dinner a block away at Sergio's. Boasting thousands of different kinds of beer you've never tasted, much less heard of, Sergio's is an experience not to be missed. For Jeff and I it's like giving a chocoholic keys to the Hershey factory. For David, his true rockstar status was honored as he sipped a bottle of his favorite wine...a bottle he WALKED IN with. The food and drink were the perfect preamble for a memorable show. Serpent Wisdom, a talented local, eclectic, super-fun act brought their crowd and set the tone for a great evening. We took the stage and played a spirited set of originals with two slammin' covers, 'Life is a Highway' and Prince's 'Kiss'. At one point, Jeff came toward the drums and scooted back near me to rock-out. In the dark, his shin unknowingly gave my mixer/click station a gentle nudge (a bit of 7k humor) and it nearly toppled to the stage. Hurriedly I reached over, mid-tune, to catch it and everytime Jeff trotted toward me for the rest of the show I was overwhelmed with the music from 'Jaws' as I anticipated my gear hitting the deck. LOL. The crowd enjoyed the show, clapping and singing along....many of whom were familiar with 7k from last year's performance. After the show, Nick (famous producer, Louisville resident and sound guru at the Vernon) informed me that he had recorded our performance in what he called "an insane set". The digital files should be waiting in our inboxes when we get home....with any luck, we'll have a few great live tracks available in the not-too-distant future. Sound cool?
We enter the home stretch this week, with three HUGE college shows on the East Coast. Before we do, however, we are taking care of our bodies (and our laundry) recouping in our favorite KOA campground for a couple days in Madison, PA. We were here last year and we fell in love with the grounds. This time around, it's rainy and a bit chilly, but we're making the best of it eating Jeff's famous chili, drinking David's jet-fuel coffee and enjoying two care packages from my loved-ones. One included the movie 'I Love You, Man' (hilarious...a must see for sure) and the other, a fine bottle of Four Roses Small Batch (the REAL crown jewel of Kentucky). Here's to no alarm clock, no driving, no loading......at least for a couple days.
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tales From The Road: me-o-MI-OH
After an abbreviated and rare spell of post-show insomnia I'm here once again blogging a fun-filled, jam-packed update...this time from my very own huge hotel room in Marietta, Ohio. Today's magic number is 67. That's how many songs we've cranked through (two shows) since my last blog and doing so has afforded us a couple days rest in East Sparta, Ohio (about a hundred miles from here) at one of the most beautiful and picturesque KOA campgrounds we've ever seen. You may remember reading about it in my blogs from last year's tour. One word: WOW! Jeff, David and myself are truly looking forward to taking it easy and catching up on life a bit (it's one of the things that seems to disappear while working out here on the road).
Before I describe the shows, I have to say that pictures don't even begin to do justice for either of the beautiful campuses we found ourselves on this week. None of us had even BEEN to the state of Michigan before parking the bus in the sports complex parking lot on the campus of Adrian College in Adrian, MI. The campus, which boasts many buildings from the 1880's alongside state-of-the-art buildings fashioned with an old school aesthetic. Everything intermingled with beautiful trees, spring flowers blooming and sprawling foot-paths. The other campus we marveled at was that of Marietta College in Marietta, OH. We strolled through campus late Thursday afternoon to find a good spot to park the bus and were simply AMAZED by the architecture. The brick work and attention to detail of every building was staggering. The school logo, an elegant M C, is chiseled in a crest atop each building and the grounds are laced with fairy tale-style green grass, rolling hills and small bubbling brooks. Both campuses were simply breath-taking and, with no offense to our respective alma maters we agreed that if we had to do college over again, it would be a toss-up between the two campuses.
Show #3 at Adrian College had a neat twist. We were put-up the night before and the night of the show in a two bedroom guest house on campus behind the Admissions Office. With the bus parked on the other side of campus in the sports complex lot, we got a ride to the house with our luggage from campus police. What a sight it must've been to see three road-weary rockers helped into a campus police SUV by a uniformed officer. LOL. After a good night's sleep, we all explored the campus. Jeff and David got in a workout in the gym while I sat under a tree to read a book. It was peaceful and really prepared us for a hectic night. With narrow streets and smallish parking lots, our load-in distance was long (which means we had to carry, push, stack & pull all our stuff a long way). We were perfectly cool with that and decided to get an earlier start than normal. Incidentally, that distance always seems twice as long AFTER the show, so we woke up the next morning being sore in places we didn't know existed. LOL. Anyway, back to the show...we were in this giant ballroom which sounded like an arena. The bass swelled. The guitars and vocals soared. The drums sounded huge and epic. Students shuffled in and weren't shy about having a good time. Darting right to the front of the stage, they sang, jumped onstage, danced and had a blast! At one point, a campus dance group showed up and stirred everyone into a frenzy with coordinated dance routines to nearly every song we played. It was bananas. Here is the set list:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
THIS LOVE
HOLIDAY
BAD ROMANCE
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
AUTHORITY SONG
KISS
BILLIE JEAN
AMERICAN GIRL
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
I GOTTA FEELING
BEVERLY HILLS
I KISSED A GIRL
WALK THIS WAY
SUMMER OF 69
I WON'T BACK DOWN
STARLIGHT
USE SOMEBODY
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
WHAT I GOT
LOVE SHACK
CLOSER
BROWN EYED GIRL
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
HOT IN HERRE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
SWEET CAROLINE
Show #4 also had a twist, well, many twists actually. Playing DURING THE DAY is always a trip. I remember heading to dinner afterwards wondering how it could be possible that everything was packed-up and that we were done already. Truly an odd sensation. The show, though, was extraordinarily fun as it marked the first official outdoor festival-style show 7k has played since reforming as a trio. It was cool (and a bit jarring) to look out and SEE everything: the grass, the huge inflatable slides, the beer garden, the food tents and padded jousting......yes, American Gladiator-style huge-Q-tip jousting. It was awesome. Earlier in the day there was a 34 team mud volleyball tournament, so muddy people were running around having a great time. The festival, called Doo Dah Day, kicked-off with fellow SoCal rockers We Shot The Moon (from San Diego). They rocked the college students, who were clearly in party-mode for about an hour, and then we took the stage. Students everywhere in brightly colored Doo Dah Day T-shirts, with the obligatory mud spatter of course, rallied near the front of the stage throwing frisbees and footballs while singing every word. It was a little cool and windy at first, but as the show went on, the wind died off, the temperature warmed to perfection and the crowd roared in a way only made possible by a combination of a beautiful spring day, a couple cold drinks and fun rock music. Here's the set list for that show:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
THIS LOVE
HOLIDAY
BAD ROMANCE
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
BEVERLY HILLS
I GOTTA FEELING
I KISSED A GIRL
USE SOMEBODY
STARLIGHT
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
WHAT I GOT
CLOSER
BROWN EYED GIRL
HOT IN HERRE
SWEET CAROLINE
Well, I'm off to meet the boys for breakfast and then we'll push on to our beloved campground. We're stoked to finish off watching the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy while munching on leftovers from yesterday's healthy and GORGEOUS catering table. With a sincerely satisfied sneer, I'll just say this doesn't suck. :)
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Before I describe the shows, I have to say that pictures don't even begin to do justice for either of the beautiful campuses we found ourselves on this week. None of us had even BEEN to the state of Michigan before parking the bus in the sports complex parking lot on the campus of Adrian College in Adrian, MI. The campus, which boasts many buildings from the 1880's alongside state-of-the-art buildings fashioned with an old school aesthetic. Everything intermingled with beautiful trees, spring flowers blooming and sprawling foot-paths. The other campus we marveled at was that of Marietta College in Marietta, OH. We strolled through campus late Thursday afternoon to find a good spot to park the bus and were simply AMAZED by the architecture. The brick work and attention to detail of every building was staggering. The school logo, an elegant M C, is chiseled in a crest atop each building and the grounds are laced with fairy tale-style green grass, rolling hills and small bubbling brooks. Both campuses were simply breath-taking and, with no offense to our respective alma maters we agreed that if we had to do college over again, it would be a toss-up between the two campuses.
Show #3 at Adrian College had a neat twist. We were put-up the night before and the night of the show in a two bedroom guest house on campus behind the Admissions Office. With the bus parked on the other side of campus in the sports complex lot, we got a ride to the house with our luggage from campus police. What a sight it must've been to see three road-weary rockers helped into a campus police SUV by a uniformed officer. LOL. After a good night's sleep, we all explored the campus. Jeff and David got in a workout in the gym while I sat under a tree to read a book. It was peaceful and really prepared us for a hectic night. With narrow streets and smallish parking lots, our load-in distance was long (which means we had to carry, push, stack & pull all our stuff a long way). We were perfectly cool with that and decided to get an earlier start than normal. Incidentally, that distance always seems twice as long AFTER the show, so we woke up the next morning being sore in places we didn't know existed. LOL. Anyway, back to the show...we were in this giant ballroom which sounded like an arena. The bass swelled. The guitars and vocals soared. The drums sounded huge and epic. Students shuffled in and weren't shy about having a good time. Darting right to the front of the stage, they sang, jumped onstage, danced and had a blast! At one point, a campus dance group showed up and stirred everyone into a frenzy with coordinated dance routines to nearly every song we played. It was bananas. Here is the set list:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
THIS LOVE
HOLIDAY
BAD ROMANCE
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
AUTHORITY SONG
KISS
BILLIE JEAN
AMERICAN GIRL
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
I GOTTA FEELING
BEVERLY HILLS
I KISSED A GIRL
WALK THIS WAY
SUMMER OF 69
I WON'T BACK DOWN
STARLIGHT
USE SOMEBODY
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
WHAT I GOT
LOVE SHACK
CLOSER
BROWN EYED GIRL
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
HOT IN HERRE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
SWEET CAROLINE
Show #4 also had a twist, well, many twists actually. Playing DURING THE DAY is always a trip. I remember heading to dinner afterwards wondering how it could be possible that everything was packed-up and that we were done already. Truly an odd sensation. The show, though, was extraordinarily fun as it marked the first official outdoor festival-style show 7k has played since reforming as a trio. It was cool (and a bit jarring) to look out and SEE everything: the grass, the huge inflatable slides, the beer garden, the food tents and padded jousting......yes, American Gladiator-style huge-Q-tip jousting. It was awesome. Earlier in the day there was a 34 team mud volleyball tournament, so muddy people were running around having a great time. The festival, called Doo Dah Day, kicked-off with fellow SoCal rockers We Shot The Moon (from San Diego). They rocked the college students, who were clearly in party-mode for about an hour, and then we took the stage. Students everywhere in brightly colored Doo Dah Day T-shirts, with the obligatory mud spatter of course, rallied near the front of the stage throwing frisbees and footballs while singing every word. It was a little cool and windy at first, but as the show went on, the wind died off, the temperature warmed to perfection and the crowd roared in a way only made possible by a combination of a beautiful spring day, a couple cold drinks and fun rock music. Here's the set list for that show:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
THIS LOVE
HOLIDAY
BAD ROMANCE
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
BEVERLY HILLS
I GOTTA FEELING
I KISSED A GIRL
USE SOMEBODY
STARLIGHT
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
WHAT I GOT
CLOSER
BROWN EYED GIRL
HOT IN HERRE
SWEET CAROLINE
Well, I'm off to meet the boys for breakfast and then we'll push on to our beloved campground. We're stoked to finish off watching the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy while munching on leftovers from yesterday's healthy and GORGEOUS catering table. With a sincerely satisfied sneer, I'll just say this doesn't suck. :)
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tales From The Road: The Sequel
From our bigger and better bus at one of our favorite KOA campgrounds in Joplin, Missouri, I offer a kind 'hello' while launching this blog series. 1,737 miles and 50 songs under our belts we've reached our first official day off. In so many ways this tour is 'the sequel' and in others it most certainly is not. By this time during our last tour we were already knee-deep in bus troubles, ready to chuck our GPS unit into the nearest lake and I had already earned a Master's Degree in the fine and intriguing art of duct tape repair.
So far, the new GPS has been refreshingly accurate and quite pleasant actually with our GPS voice choice: Emily- the quaint Brit. It's decidedly strange to be so far from home and to recognize so many people and places. We find ourselves in various states of deja vu as our 'road blur' begins to take hold. One quick stop found us standing in the very same Braum's in Amarillo. For those who don't know, Braum's makes the best chocolate malts on planet Earth and their ice cream cone logo, neon sign is nearly irresistible. The 'blur' has us second-guessing what the actual day of the week is and will certainly get worse as the tour progresses. Soon enough, we'll actually have to have lengthy discussions to try to pinpoint what day it is. That sensation is becoming more familiar...and that is weird.
Show #1 at Mooney's in Norman, OK was fantastic as everyone showed up wearing their 7k gear from last fall. We realized it had been six months to-the-day since we had rocked Mooney's. WOW! Many familiar faces came up to us smiling in anticipation of another fun night with 7k. Our new merch display bubbled with fans before the show and then it began- an epic show:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
THIS LOVE
HOLIDAY
BAD ROMANCE
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
AUTHORITY SONG
KISS
BILLIE JEAN
AMERICAN GIRL
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
I GOTTA FEELING
BEVERLY HILLS
I KISSED A GIRL
WALK THIS WAY
SUMMER OF 69
I WON'T BACK DOWN
YOU REALLY GOT ME
STARLIGHT
USE SOMEBODY
SWEET HOME ALABAMA (OKLAHOMA)
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
WHAT I GOT
LOVE SHACK
CLOSER
BROWN EYED GIRL
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
HOT IN HERRE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
SWEET CAROLINE
TAKE IT OFF (AGAIN)
Show #2 at Joe Momma's in Tulsa, OK was also exactly six months later and it too was a blast. We shared the stage with good friends The Parakeet Chiefs right after enjoying the best pizza in Tulsa. Joe Momma's friendly staff treated us like kings and made our pre-show tummies very happy! Tulsa is a notably progressive and diverse lot and the downtown area buzzed with the start of their local Tulsa Drillers baseball season. After the game ended, folks poured into Joe Momma's for some grub and some rock n roll. We happily delivered on the latter:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
WRONG GIRL
REMEMBER ME
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
We pulled into Joplin this afternoon for some relaxation and weren't here ten seconds before an Olympics-style sprint to the showers. Certainly, a good hot shower remains the most highly sought after commodity on the road. After cleaning up, we bounced around, strolled through the beautiful campsite and marveled at the drop-dead-gorgeous spring weather. Tonight, dinner, a couple cocktails, laundry and a movie...........oh, and a trip to the fireworks stand next door. Last time we were here, we were chilled to the bone but this evening we plan to take advantage of a fun spring night.
Flip flops, sore muscles and shorts- this drummer's a happy camper. :)
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
So far, the new GPS has been refreshingly accurate and quite pleasant actually with our GPS voice choice: Emily- the quaint Brit. It's decidedly strange to be so far from home and to recognize so many people and places. We find ourselves in various states of deja vu as our 'road blur' begins to take hold. One quick stop found us standing in the very same Braum's in Amarillo. For those who don't know, Braum's makes the best chocolate malts on planet Earth and their ice cream cone logo, neon sign is nearly irresistible. The 'blur' has us second-guessing what the actual day of the week is and will certainly get worse as the tour progresses. Soon enough, we'll actually have to have lengthy discussions to try to pinpoint what day it is. That sensation is becoming more familiar...and that is weird.
Show #1 at Mooney's in Norman, OK was fantastic as everyone showed up wearing their 7k gear from last fall. We realized it had been six months to-the-day since we had rocked Mooney's. WOW! Many familiar faces came up to us smiling in anticipation of another fun night with 7k. Our new merch display bubbled with fans before the show and then it began- an epic show:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
THIS LOVE
HOLIDAY
BAD ROMANCE
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN ON A PRAYER
AUTHORITY SONG
KISS
BILLIE JEAN
AMERICAN GIRL
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
I GOTTA FEELING
BEVERLY HILLS
I KISSED A GIRL
WALK THIS WAY
SUMMER OF 69
I WON'T BACK DOWN
YOU REALLY GOT ME
STARLIGHT
USE SOMEBODY
SWEET HOME ALABAMA (OKLAHOMA)
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
WHAT I GOT
LOVE SHACK
CLOSER
BROWN EYED GIRL
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
HOT IN HERRE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
SWEET CAROLINE
TAKE IT OFF (AGAIN)
Show #2 at Joe Momma's in Tulsa, OK was also exactly six months later and it too was a blast. We shared the stage with good friends The Parakeet Chiefs right after enjoying the best pizza in Tulsa. Joe Momma's friendly staff treated us like kings and made our pre-show tummies very happy! Tulsa is a notably progressive and diverse lot and the downtown area buzzed with the start of their local Tulsa Drillers baseball season. After the game ended, folks poured into Joe Momma's for some grub and some rock n roll. We happily delivered on the latter:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
WRONG GIRL
REMEMBER ME
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
We pulled into Joplin this afternoon for some relaxation and weren't here ten seconds before an Olympics-style sprint to the showers. Certainly, a good hot shower remains the most highly sought after commodity on the road. After cleaning up, we bounced around, strolled through the beautiful campsite and marveled at the drop-dead-gorgeous spring weather. Tonight, dinner, a couple cocktails, laundry and a movie...........oh, and a trip to the fireworks stand next door. Last time we were here, we were chilled to the bone but this evening we plan to take advantage of a fun spring night.
Flip flops, sore muscles and shorts- this drummer's a happy camper. :)
Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey
Monday, March 29, 2010
A Rambling Astronaut
The rocket sits, idle on the launchpad. To onlookers it appears as such, but for the three soon to be thrust into orbit it appears differently. For David, Jeff and myself we share a certain calmness inside our chaotic pre-launch week(s).
Our routine gets thick right about now while each of us 'gets in the zone' and attempts to juggle more flaming bowling pins than we're used to. We have our usual rehearsals which tend to be more labor-intensive along with everything from buying a new GPS to reconstructing our new touring merch display and launching our online store to fine-tuning our brand new touring PA system. David has been a busy bee finishing the production of new loops and climbing 'tax mountain' trying to get 7k's tax-related business affairs settled early (since we'll be mid-tour by tax day). Jeff discovered his 'band nutritionist' hat again and has begun meal planning for the entire tour while doing merch organization/inventory and memorizing complex vocal arrangements. I hunted for our new tour bus and finalized insurance and pick-up details last week, all while sketching the alterations I'm making to road cases this weekend before our big loading day.
We've added a few new, top secret cover songs to our ever-expanding pool of fun covers for this tour, and we've revisited some older 7k material in hopes of clearing some cobwebs. A revived version of 'Wrong Girl' surprised us and has made its way onto the setlist for a few shows on the tour- we're excited. The new cover songs are as challenging as they are a BLAST to play!!! We keep thinking outside the box, trying our very best to bring an extraordinarily fun, interactive rock show to everyone. Four cameras and a beautiful digital audio recorder will follow us around this time, so we hope to have some fun stuff to show you all when we get home.
The weather on the last tour, found us bundled-up, buying jackets, sporting beanies and cursing our wiper blades. This time around, in addition to the usual I'll also be packing shorts, flip-flops and keeping my fingers crossed. Our bus, is bigger, better and newer which should hopefully limit the number of mechanical challenges we faced last year. See any reference to St. Louis in previous blogs, LOL. Incidentally, new wiper blades were installed on our new beast last week. Aside from the chilly, wet weather and mechanical difficulties the only other element we're aiming to reduce on this tour is a faint sense of aimlessness. Last time around, we might as well have been orbiting the moon. It was a brand new experience. It was our first time in a rocket. We'd never been to most of the places we played. We determined where to sleep some nights totally on the fly. That sensation is both freeing and restrictive. In planning the logistics for this tour, we've plugged-in target cities and sleep cities for every night. Because of that, this tour is more concise and well-planned.
With everything I've said, I am now officially, completely freaked out. Until writing this, it hadn't really hit me that a week from tomorrow we'll be rolling for our target sleep city: Tucson, AZ. Now I have the frantic urge to start jotting lists of things to pack, things to be sure not to forget, things that I need to buy before leaving (my Mom's voice now: don't forget your vitamins...oh and buy some airborne). Yikes!! I re-realize every-other nanosecond, that packing for a month-long road trip is almost entirely different than the junk you fling into a duffel for a weekend in Vegas.
Oh, and one more thing. A conscious choice I make about two weeks before leaving is to really flip my memory bank in my brain to 'record mode'. I photograph stuff that I normally wouldn't. There's my bed--click. Here's the street I live on--click. Look, a beer on the counter in my kitchen--click. Mid-hug, no matter who it is, I close my eyes and tell myself 'remember this'. Special moments when sun shines, slight perfume, brief eye contact, a kiss and hair grabbing onto my somewhat unshaven face like velcro as we pull away to say 'goodbye' for the day, the little voice in my head screams 'are you recording this?'.
When I was a kid, I thought orbiting the moon was going for a ride in outer space and being in a touring band was simply playing a bunch of shows.
"7k rocket, you are cleared for launch. Initiate launch sequence on my mark in T-minus 192 hours and counting."
Our routine gets thick right about now while each of us 'gets in the zone' and attempts to juggle more flaming bowling pins than we're used to. We have our usual rehearsals which tend to be more labor-intensive along with everything from buying a new GPS to reconstructing our new touring merch display and launching our online store to fine-tuning our brand new touring PA system. David has been a busy bee finishing the production of new loops and climbing 'tax mountain' trying to get 7k's tax-related business affairs settled early (since we'll be mid-tour by tax day). Jeff discovered his 'band nutritionist' hat again and has begun meal planning for the entire tour while doing merch organization/inventory and memorizing complex vocal arrangements. I hunted for our new tour bus and finalized insurance and pick-up details last week, all while sketching the alterations I'm making to road cases this weekend before our big loading day.
We've added a few new, top secret cover songs to our ever-expanding pool of fun covers for this tour, and we've revisited some older 7k material in hopes of clearing some cobwebs. A revived version of 'Wrong Girl' surprised us and has made its way onto the setlist for a few shows on the tour- we're excited. The new cover songs are as challenging as they are a BLAST to play!!! We keep thinking outside the box, trying our very best to bring an extraordinarily fun, interactive rock show to everyone. Four cameras and a beautiful digital audio recorder will follow us around this time, so we hope to have some fun stuff to show you all when we get home.
The weather on the last tour, found us bundled-up, buying jackets, sporting beanies and cursing our wiper blades. This time around, in addition to the usual I'll also be packing shorts, flip-flops and keeping my fingers crossed. Our bus, is bigger, better and newer which should hopefully limit the number of mechanical challenges we faced last year. See any reference to St. Louis in previous blogs, LOL. Incidentally, new wiper blades were installed on our new beast last week. Aside from the chilly, wet weather and mechanical difficulties the only other element we're aiming to reduce on this tour is a faint sense of aimlessness. Last time around, we might as well have been orbiting the moon. It was a brand new experience. It was our first time in a rocket. We'd never been to most of the places we played. We determined where to sleep some nights totally on the fly. That sensation is both freeing and restrictive. In planning the logistics for this tour, we've plugged-in target cities and sleep cities for every night. Because of that, this tour is more concise and well-planned.
With everything I've said, I am now officially, completely freaked out. Until writing this, it hadn't really hit me that a week from tomorrow we'll be rolling for our target sleep city: Tucson, AZ. Now I have the frantic urge to start jotting lists of things to pack, things to be sure not to forget, things that I need to buy before leaving (my Mom's voice now: don't forget your vitamins...oh and buy some airborne). Yikes!! I re-realize every-other nanosecond, that packing for a month-long road trip is almost entirely different than the junk you fling into a duffel for a weekend in Vegas.
Oh, and one more thing. A conscious choice I make about two weeks before leaving is to really flip my memory bank in my brain to 'record mode'. I photograph stuff that I normally wouldn't. There's my bed--click. Here's the street I live on--click. Look, a beer on the counter in my kitchen--click. Mid-hug, no matter who it is, I close my eyes and tell myself 'remember this'. Special moments when sun shines, slight perfume, brief eye contact, a kiss and hair grabbing onto my somewhat unshaven face like velcro as we pull away to say 'goodbye' for the day, the little voice in my head screams 'are you recording this?'.
When I was a kid, I thought orbiting the moon was going for a ride in outer space and being in a touring band was simply playing a bunch of shows.
"7k rocket, you are cleared for launch. Initiate launch sequence on my mark in T-minus 192 hours and counting."
Thursday, March 4, 2010
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ...TOUR!
First and foremost, Jeff, David and I would like to thank all of you for coming out to the shows last weekend, clearly you had as much fun as we did. You may have noticed cameras everywhere at both shows, and then again, you may not have noticed since our new HD cameras are literally the size of an iPod. Film director Sam Lembeck offered his expertise and vision to help us test different camera positions for use in our next music video. We plan to shoot many hours of performance footage on our upcoming US Tour. Who knows, maybe even a bit of footage from last weekend will make the final cut.
We've officially shifted gears into tour-prep mode, although preparations for this tour should be a bit less intensive as our last experience taught us SO much. We're adding a few more songs to accommodate some of the longer shows and I'm determined to completely overhaul the 40 song set list we took on tour last year. We're also excited to be taking out a bigger, newer bus this time. We've got quite a few dates booked at various university campuses and we're stoked about being able to play in places we've never been. In about a month, the rubber meets the road as we depart April 6th. Again, we'll be playing all the way to the East Coast with our last show of the tour in New Britain, Connecticut. Click 'tour' for a complete list of dates.
When we get home in May, our plan is to have a big, fun summer filled with lots of shows!! We had so much fun playing at Back Alley and were overwhelmed by the crowd and management response. Currently, a regular gig there throughout the summer is one thing being discussed. Another branch of that discussion involves doing many other similar shows in venues throughout Orange County. So, bring your sunscreen for your summer days on the beach and your thirsty singing voices for your summer nights with us at the shows.
Last weekend's power-packed shows also marked a few milestones for us. In back-to-back nights, we played 49 songs!! I can only think of maybe ONE other time we've done that in Orange County (just before the last tour). Two milestones within that, though, really made last weekend special for us. One, was that we were joined onstage by our dear friend Carlos Rivera, Jr. for an improvised funk jam and blistering version of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'. It was a heartfelt blast as each of us sported Cheshire Cat-like grins. The other was, I performed a dueling drum duet with comedic twist, alongside my good drummer friend Charles Wiley to open the Spark Lounge show. It was truly a thrill for me to think outside the box and explore some new sonic territory. In doing the drum duet, my total for the two nights jumped to 52 songs. That was certainly a first for me in Orange County and Spark Lounge added another diverse opening act to its list of performers. Incidentally, you can watch the 3-part drum duet video by clicking 'video'.
Seeing all the familiar faces along with all the new faces, it's obvious the 7k family is still growing. As per usual, we had a blast and again, we have YOU to thank. We're so glad you all had fun and we look forward to doing it again this summer!!
Love and rock music.
Til next time,
Corey, Jeff & David
SETLIST FOR 7k's MILESTONE WEEKEND:
-fri-
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
I KISSED A GIRL
THIS LOVE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
LET'S GET IS STARTED
BEVERLY HILLS
STARLIGHT
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER
I WON'T BACK DOWN
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
IMPROV FUNK JAM (w/Carlos Rivera, Jr.)
BILLIE JEAN (w/Carlos Rivera, Jr.)
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
HOLIDAY
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
BROWN EYED GIRL
HOT IN HERRE
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
LOVE SHACK
WHAT I GOT
SWEET CAROLINE
-sat-
DRUM DUET SONG 1
DRUM DUET SONG 2
DRUM DUET SONG 3
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
SOLID WALLS (acoustic)
WRONG GIRL
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
STARLIGHT
THIS LOVE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
HOLIDAY
WALK THIS WAY
WHAT I GOT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
HOT IN HERRE
SWEET CAROLINE
We've officially shifted gears into tour-prep mode, although preparations for this tour should be a bit less intensive as our last experience taught us SO much. We're adding a few more songs to accommodate some of the longer shows and I'm determined to completely overhaul the 40 song set list we took on tour last year. We're also excited to be taking out a bigger, newer bus this time. We've got quite a few dates booked at various university campuses and we're stoked about being able to play in places we've never been. In about a month, the rubber meets the road as we depart April 6th. Again, we'll be playing all the way to the East Coast with our last show of the tour in New Britain, Connecticut. Click 'tour' for a complete list of dates.
When we get home in May, our plan is to have a big, fun summer filled with lots of shows!! We had so much fun playing at Back Alley and were overwhelmed by the crowd and management response. Currently, a regular gig there throughout the summer is one thing being discussed. Another branch of that discussion involves doing many other similar shows in venues throughout Orange County. So, bring your sunscreen for your summer days on the beach and your thirsty singing voices for your summer nights with us at the shows.
Last weekend's power-packed shows also marked a few milestones for us. In back-to-back nights, we played 49 songs!! I can only think of maybe ONE other time we've done that in Orange County (just before the last tour). Two milestones within that, though, really made last weekend special for us. One, was that we were joined onstage by our dear friend Carlos Rivera, Jr. for an improvised funk jam and blistering version of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'. It was a heartfelt blast as each of us sported Cheshire Cat-like grins. The other was, I performed a dueling drum duet with comedic twist, alongside my good drummer friend Charles Wiley to open the Spark Lounge show. It was truly a thrill for me to think outside the box and explore some new sonic territory. In doing the drum duet, my total for the two nights jumped to 52 songs. That was certainly a first for me in Orange County and Spark Lounge added another diverse opening act to its list of performers. Incidentally, you can watch the 3-part drum duet video by clicking 'video'.
Seeing all the familiar faces along with all the new faces, it's obvious the 7k family is still growing. As per usual, we had a blast and again, we have YOU to thank. We're so glad you all had fun and we look forward to doing it again this summer!!
Love and rock music.
Til next time,
Corey, Jeff & David
SETLIST FOR 7k's MILESTONE WEEKEND:
-fri-
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
I KISSED A GIRL
THIS LOVE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
LET'S GET IS STARTED
BEVERLY HILLS
STARLIGHT
DISTURBIA
TWIST & SHOUT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER
I WON'T BACK DOWN
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
IMPROV FUNK JAM (w/Carlos Rivera, Jr.)
BILLIE JEAN (w/Carlos Rivera, Jr.)
YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
HOLIDAY
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
BROWN EYED GIRL
HOT IN HERRE
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
LOVE SHACK
WHAT I GOT
SWEET CAROLINE
-sat-
DRUM DUET SONG 1
DRUM DUET SONG 2
DRUM DUET SONG 3
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
SOLID WALLS (acoustic)
WRONG GIRL
DISPENSE WITH THE PLEASANTRIES
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF
STARLIGHT
THIS LOVE
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
HOLIDAY
WALK THIS WAY
WHAT I GOT
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
HOT IN HERRE
SWEET CAROLINE
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Airplanes, Taxis and Vans...Oh my!!
4:40am my alarm went off one week ago today. I admit it, I had no idea where I was at first. Then it hit me, I slept in David's living room, on his beautifully modern red, surprisingly comfortable couch after Jeff and I arrived late the night before. The three of us zombies scurried around gathering our luggage and gear, then darted for LAX. After checking luggage and a few flight cases with gear, we made our way to Starbucks for some much needed caffeine. After spending $14 on a cup of coffee and a water, I believe I began talking in complete sentences for the first time that morning. Anyhow, we hopped on the plane and were pleasantly amused by the comedic delivery of the usual emergency exit, seat belt mumbo-jumbo. The three of us drifted off into iPod land and ripped through a few free snacks. Although I've seen 'Fletch Lives' upwards of 40 times, I watched it again on my iPod and laughed almost to the point of an accidentally empty bladder. It was spectacular. As the landing gear touched-down at Chicago-Midway, we knew our adventure was JUST beginning.
We met each other at the Baggage Claim (a little 7k humor for ya) and grabbed all our stuff. We flagged down a large taxi van and were ready to head for the van rental place. Interesting that a large taxi charged more...for fuel apparently, as the driver stood there and WATCHED me load and unload the entire taxi. We got our big van, plugged in our GPS (which we now officially despise) and made our way into downtown Chicago where S.I.R. is located. They've got locations all over the country and they rent gear to bands. When Muse comes over from England to play one TV show, Saturday Night Live for example, S.I.R. provides all their gear. We got there and each of us nearly drooled 8 gallons as we looked around to see all the immaculate, cool and vintage gear. Thankfully, the only thing preventing us from drooling was the temperature in Chicago....it was freezing cold, so each of us had a big icicle hanging from our lower lip. A staging area had all our gear in road cases. We initialed the invoice, loaded the van and set-up our rental gear return drop-off time.
Tempted as we were, we didn't smash the GPS to bits. It continued 'acquiring signal' convinced we were near Disneyland, so we wisely switched to Google Maps on Jeff's Blackberry. We headed down the same highways we did late last year on tour and all agreed it was nostalgic. The skies were cloudy, but dry, as we made our one hour trek to Valparaiso, Indiana. Arriving at our hotel around 5pm, about 5 minutes from the Valparaiso University campus, our stomachs rumbled simultaneously with hunger. Luckily there was a Red Robin in the same parking lot. We each went to our own rooms to freshen up, met in the hallway and went to dinner. After enjoying a great meal, relishing in smooth travel and a couple beers, all the exhaustion caught up with us. Personally, my head hit the pillow well before 9:30pm.....I know, I know....very UN-rockstar.
Friday morning we all slept-in, a very rare occurrence for we three lads. I flipped on the TV to catch the local forecast...gulp...snow was on the way. After a flurry (pun intended) of text messages, we headed for a local favorite breakfast spot (thanks to a tip from our waitress the night before). We ate a gloriously-Midwestern meal that totally eliminated the necessity for lunch and then ran some errands on the way back to the hotel. One stop was at the Harre Union where we were scheduled to perform that night. We walked through the Union and saw lots of 7k fliers for the show, located the HUGE ballroom where the show was to be and then found the ever-important freight elevator and loading dock. At this point, the sky was no longer dry as a light snow began.
We drove back to the hotel frantically making phone calls to adjust our load-in, sound-check and dinner times in preparation of potentially dangerous driving conditions. After shuffling times around, we returned to the hotel for a couple hours before load-in. While in my room, my eyes ping-ponged between Law & Order: SVU on TV and the snowflakes continuing to fall outside my window.
We walked out to the van for our quick but snowy drive and load-in at the Union. At this point, Jeff was boyishly fascinated by the snow, shuffling his feet to make that winter sound and gleefully giggling with wide eyes. He looked at us, David glared back with an almost-puzzled smirk and I simply growled like a caged badger.
Our load-in went beautifully as we set-up on the largest stage any of us had ever been on. Rental gear is always a challenge due to lack of familiarity, so everything took a bit longer, but after everything was set-up we were pleased. The sound company arrived and set-up a gigantic sound system. We ran a sound check, made some tweaks, ran another check and were floored by how epic everything sounded. The wonderful Valpo (that is what the students call it) staff took us out to dinner, where we enjoyed some warm pasta. It was a fitting meal, as the snow continued to fall. Grrr. Then we briefly returned to our rooms to shower and change. One hour til showtime.
We arrived back at the Union, stepped onstage and plowed (pun intended) through 23 songs. The students sang along and danced their hearts out. It was truly a sight. We challenged the students to see how many of them would get onstage with us to sing the last song of the night. Much to our surprise, nearly 30 students came up and joined us, making it impossible for me to see Jeff or David. With all visual cues out the window, we played the last chorus multiple times and every time the students cheered more loudly..."Sweeeet Caaaroline.....Bah, Bah, Bah...." After the show we signed autographs, took tons of photos and hung out with all our new Valpo friends. In short, everyone had a blast...Oh my!! We hope to see our Valpo friends again soon.
Saturday morning, we started our journey home. For details, start with the second sentence of the third paragraph...and read backwards. Well, that's how it felt anyway. LOL.
Til next time,
Corey, Jeff & David
VALPO SETLIST
little bit more
california is the end
what you do
my high life
dispense with the pleasantries
turnin' it up
take it off
i kissed a girl
this love
pour some sugar on me
let's get it started
beverly hills
starlight
disturbia
twist & shout
life is a highway
livin' on a prayer
authority song
billie jean
are you gonna be my girl
hot in herre
love shack
sweet caroline
We met each other at the Baggage Claim (a little 7k humor for ya) and grabbed all our stuff. We flagged down a large taxi van and were ready to head for the van rental place. Interesting that a large taxi charged more...for fuel apparently, as the driver stood there and WATCHED me load and unload the entire taxi. We got our big van, plugged in our GPS (which we now officially despise) and made our way into downtown Chicago where S.I.R. is located. They've got locations all over the country and they rent gear to bands. When Muse comes over from England to play one TV show, Saturday Night Live for example, S.I.R. provides all their gear. We got there and each of us nearly drooled 8 gallons as we looked around to see all the immaculate, cool and vintage gear. Thankfully, the only thing preventing us from drooling was the temperature in Chicago....it was freezing cold, so each of us had a big icicle hanging from our lower lip. A staging area had all our gear in road cases. We initialed the invoice, loaded the van and set-up our rental gear return drop-off time.
Tempted as we were, we didn't smash the GPS to bits. It continued 'acquiring signal' convinced we were near Disneyland, so we wisely switched to Google Maps on Jeff's Blackberry. We headed down the same highways we did late last year on tour and all agreed it was nostalgic. The skies were cloudy, but dry, as we made our one hour trek to Valparaiso, Indiana. Arriving at our hotel around 5pm, about 5 minutes from the Valparaiso University campus, our stomachs rumbled simultaneously with hunger. Luckily there was a Red Robin in the same parking lot. We each went to our own rooms to freshen up, met in the hallway and went to dinner. After enjoying a great meal, relishing in smooth travel and a couple beers, all the exhaustion caught up with us. Personally, my head hit the pillow well before 9:30pm.....I know, I know....very UN-rockstar.
Friday morning we all slept-in, a very rare occurrence for we three lads. I flipped on the TV to catch the local forecast...gulp...snow was on the way. After a flurry (pun intended) of text messages, we headed for a local favorite breakfast spot (thanks to a tip from our waitress the night before). We ate a gloriously-Midwestern meal that totally eliminated the necessity for lunch and then ran some errands on the way back to the hotel. One stop was at the Harre Union where we were scheduled to perform that night. We walked through the Union and saw lots of 7k fliers for the show, located the HUGE ballroom where the show was to be and then found the ever-important freight elevator and loading dock. At this point, the sky was no longer dry as a light snow began.
We drove back to the hotel frantically making phone calls to adjust our load-in, sound-check and dinner times in preparation of potentially dangerous driving conditions. After shuffling times around, we returned to the hotel for a couple hours before load-in. While in my room, my eyes ping-ponged between Law & Order: SVU on TV and the snowflakes continuing to fall outside my window.
We walked out to the van for our quick but snowy drive and load-in at the Union. At this point, Jeff was boyishly fascinated by the snow, shuffling his feet to make that winter sound and gleefully giggling with wide eyes. He looked at us, David glared back with an almost-puzzled smirk and I simply growled like a caged badger.
Our load-in went beautifully as we set-up on the largest stage any of us had ever been on. Rental gear is always a challenge due to lack of familiarity, so everything took a bit longer, but after everything was set-up we were pleased. The sound company arrived and set-up a gigantic sound system. We ran a sound check, made some tweaks, ran another check and were floored by how epic everything sounded. The wonderful Valpo (that is what the students call it) staff took us out to dinner, where we enjoyed some warm pasta. It was a fitting meal, as the snow continued to fall. Grrr. Then we briefly returned to our rooms to shower and change. One hour til showtime.
We arrived back at the Union, stepped onstage and plowed (pun intended) through 23 songs. The students sang along and danced their hearts out. It was truly a sight. We challenged the students to see how many of them would get onstage with us to sing the last song of the night. Much to our surprise, nearly 30 students came up and joined us, making it impossible for me to see Jeff or David. With all visual cues out the window, we played the last chorus multiple times and every time the students cheered more loudly..."Sweeeet Caaaroline.....Bah, Bah, Bah...." After the show we signed autographs, took tons of photos and hung out with all our new Valpo friends. In short, everyone had a blast...Oh my!! We hope to see our Valpo friends again soon.
Saturday morning, we started our journey home. For details, start with the second sentence of the third paragraph...and read backwards. Well, that's how it felt anyway. LOL.
Til next time,
Corey, Jeff & David
VALPO SETLIST
little bit more
california is the end
what you do
my high life
dispense with the pleasantries
turnin' it up
take it off
i kissed a girl
this love
pour some sugar on me
let's get it started
beverly hills
starlight
disturbia
twist & shout
life is a highway
livin' on a prayer
authority song
billie jean
are you gonna be my girl
hot in herre
love shack
sweet caroline
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