Miles driven - 3,119
States visited/played - 10
State Capitols visited/played - 7
Load - ins and Load - outs - 30
Shows performed - 15 in 16 days
Songs performed - 240
Guitar strings broken - 1
"Free Bird!" shouted - Lost count
"Free Bird" played - 0
Hours on stage - Over 27
Hours in van - Over 70
Nights in van - 3
Times Van Battery Died - 3
Gas + Oil - $423.52
Pounds lost - 26
MySpace/Facebook friends gained - Over 450
Tee Shirts sold - 20 (out of 29)
CDs sold - 52 (out of 56)
Boobs signed - 3
Random floors/couches/futons slept on - 12
Total pairs of pants worn between Kevin and Coate - 2
Showers - 5
Hot meals - 2
Chipotle burritos - 7
Deli sandwiches made out of back of van - 22
PB&J sandwiches - 32
Peanut Butter jars spilled - 1
Bottles of water - 72
Red Bulls - 24
Coca Colas - 36
Bags of ice for cooler - 14
Shots of Red Stag - 16
Shots of Jameson - Lost count
Beers - Lost count
Bottle of wines opened - 2
Bottle of wines opened with a corkscrew - 0
Vomits out of windows - 1
Genitals drawn on Brad because he fell asleep with his boots on - 4.5
"Jiggle Joints" visited - 1
Civil War graveyards visited - 1
Russian Mobsters met - 1
Stores Coate visited in search of "Throat Coat Tea" for Stephen - 17
Pockets Coate used to store money in - 9
Extra time spent in Pittsburgh trying to find the right exit - 36 minutes
Head injuries - 1
Memories and lessons learned - immeasurable
Friday, July 31, 2009
Final Stretch
Hey everybody reading this in cyberland. Thanks for reading our ramblings about the road and following our fun times. We appreciate each and every single one of you. Almost done on the road. What an adventure it's been! We've met so many great people, made so many new friends, seen so many new places, had so many great adventures and I cannot wait to get back out again. The last couple of days were fun. We played in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at Cappy's Cafe. It was quite the quaint place. Both very friendly staff and locals. We had some fun conversation about the Pirates and Cubs. I was talking about the disappointment I've had over the years and I'd rather the Cubs don't even get my hopes up only to get swept right out of the playoffs. They said they'd rather still have a reason to watch baseball in October. Ohhhhh there's always two sides to the sword. After some people started coming through the door we ended up playing the quietest electric set that we have ever played. Stephen's "playing at half-staff" post is by no means facetious. This was due to the size of the "stage" and venue. I thought it went pretty well considering we have never done this before. Afterwards we went back to a couple of the staff's pads and partied for a while. Sarah, Jason and Meadow took care of us at Cappy's and even offered up couches/floors/futons. Some great eggs, toast and tea cooked by Sarah were had to get the day running. Unfortunately the van wasn't running so it was not the start we all hoped for. Sarah lent us her car so we jumped the van and returned it to her residence. Then we scooted off to Cleveland.
The Barking Spider was our Cleveland destination. That place is awesome. If you ever go to Cleveland stop in and have a pitcher. They are excellent people and run a neat place. 
It was more of a laid back, acoustic hippie jam feeling place but we don't know anything about that. Just rock and roll. So that's what we did. And we did it well. And then we hung around for a bit and made yet more new friends. Melissa and Eileen hang out at The Spider and complimented us on our set, introduced us to Melissa's shy dog Sophie and then we took left to hit our next destination...with a small pit-stop ahead. We're playing in Lansing, MI shortly (I'm typing while we're driving there). We crashed at Jinan's, an old friend from home, last night. It was great to have a feeling of home on the road. She took us in and we all had drinks and convo to catch up.
I watched all 3 episodes of South Park's "Imaginationland," of which I laughed my ass off to. A mini keg of Oberon Wheat, Black Box of wine, fun with Nina (8 week old boxer...such a doll),
great breakfast consisting of french toast, eggs, strawberries and array of drink options (non-alcoholic), showers and laundry we set off to Lansing. And that's where this ends for now...Kevin James
Brand New Video Playlist
Hey all.
This playlist comes from our Official Reverie YouTube Page. Once the tour ends we'll be updating it more steadily with video from the road and upcoming shows, etc. Thought you might like to get an early look though!
This playlist comes from our Official Reverie YouTube Page. Once the tour ends we'll be updating it more steadily with video from the road and upcoming shows, etc. Thought you might like to get an early look though!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Playing "half - staff" - Pittsburgh gets a gold star!
I haven't slept a wink.
These late nights and early drives are really starting to wear me thin. A few more shows left and then sweet home Chicago. Anyways, Pittsburgh rocks. Last night we played at Cappy's Cafe, in Pittsburgh. Cappy's cafe is not accustomed to having electric acts but they were really cool and helped us fit into the cafe so we could perfrom as an electric act. We played super quiet which was a really cool challenge. We now have coined that as playing "half - staff". Trying to have energy and still sing/play quiet is like trying not to .... when you are really excited. It is the smallest stage/area we have ever performed and I had to do kung fu dogding to avoid getting slammed in the face by Kevin's bass.
The crowd was similar to what the crowd would be if we were playing in the Chicago neighborhood Andersonville. Very well dressed, polite, and kind people. After the first few songs I was getting the impression that they really were not digging Reverie. To my surprise after the set I discovered that I was, thankfully, way wrong. Cappy's is a place were friends go to drink, eat, and talk. Since we were able to play at a relatively quiet volume a lot of the clientele continued having their conversations. This would leave a musician to believe that there is no interest coming from the crowd. I have now learned that this cannot be assumed.
People can be digging you enough to drop a $50 dollar bill into your tip jar, buy a CD and have their backs turned the whole time.
Note to self: Do not alter your performance energy if you "think" that people are not into it. Stick to playing music, not crowd analytics.
After our set many of the cafe patrons came and greeted us with warm welcome and deposited money into our tip jar. We ended up selling a couple records and meeting some really kind folks. Two of the gentlemen that we met were Pat Clark, a local music advocate, whom is devoted to the Pittsburgh independent scene. We were fascinated with his accomplishments and dedication to distressed areas of Pittsburgh and their music community. We were also accompanied by Shadyside's councilman, whom also is a big supporter of the music scene. Very great insight about Pittsburgh. Thank you.
The scene in Pittsburgh from what we gathered is strong and growing because of extra effort being put in by local musicians to continue feeding the scene. I find it interesting that we are finding a lot of the same uneasiness with music scenes in other cities like the ones we have in Chicago. Chicago Noise Machine is part of a national movement. A lot of cities are conscience on making sure that they are centralizing their finest. Very inspiring.
We made many new friends in Pittsburgh. They are similar to Chicagoans... easy going and loud. Sarah, Meadow, Jason, Pat, Brian, Clair and Bill were some of the people that we met during our 18 hour visit to Pittsburgh. Thank you for your insights and hospitality.
I have to say that Pittsburgh gets a gold star.
Tip: Make sure you have 3 people looking at the same map. Pittsburgh is quite confusing to navigate around. In fact every city we have been through in the East is one way streets that run on angles and turn around. Very confusing! :)
Stephen Francis
We hope to make it back soon.
These late nights and early drives are really starting to wear me thin. A few more shows left and then sweet home Chicago. Anyways, Pittsburgh rocks. Last night we played at Cappy's Cafe, in Pittsburgh. Cappy's cafe is not accustomed to having electric acts but they were really cool and helped us fit into the cafe so we could perfrom as an electric act. We played super quiet which was a really cool challenge. We now have coined that as playing "half - staff". Trying to have energy and still sing/play quiet is like trying not to .... when you are really excited. It is the smallest stage/area we have ever performed and I had to do kung fu dogding to avoid getting slammed in the face by Kevin's bass.
The crowd was similar to what the crowd would be if we were playing in the Chicago neighborhood Andersonville. Very well dressed, polite, and kind people. After the first few songs I was getting the impression that they really were not digging Reverie. To my surprise after the set I discovered that I was, thankfully, way wrong. Cappy's is a place were friends go to drink, eat, and talk. Since we were able to play at a relatively quiet volume a lot of the clientele continued having their conversations. This would leave a musician to believe that there is no interest coming from the crowd. I have now learned that this cannot be assumed.
People can be digging you enough to drop a $50 dollar bill into your tip jar, buy a CD and have their backs turned the whole time.
Note to self: Do not alter your performance energy if you "think" that people are not into it. Stick to playing music, not crowd analytics.
After our set many of the cafe patrons came and greeted us with warm welcome and deposited money into our tip jar. We ended up selling a couple records and meeting some really kind folks. Two of the gentlemen that we met were Pat Clark, a local music advocate, whom is devoted to the Pittsburgh independent scene. We were fascinated with his accomplishments and dedication to distressed areas of Pittsburgh and their music community. We were also accompanied by Shadyside's councilman, whom also is a big supporter of the music scene. Very great insight about Pittsburgh. Thank you.
The scene in Pittsburgh from what we gathered is strong and growing because of extra effort being put in by local musicians to continue feeding the scene. I find it interesting that we are finding a lot of the same uneasiness with music scenes in other cities like the ones we have in Chicago. Chicago Noise Machine is part of a national movement. A lot of cities are conscience on making sure that they are centralizing their finest. Very inspiring.
We made many new friends in Pittsburgh. They are similar to Chicagoans... easy going and loud. Sarah, Meadow, Jason, Pat, Brian, Clair and Bill were some of the people that we met during our 18 hour visit to Pittsburgh. Thank you for your insights and hospitality.
I have to say that Pittsburgh gets a gold star.
Tip: Make sure you have 3 people looking at the same map. Pittsburgh is quite confusing to navigate around. In fact every city we have been through in the East is one way streets that run on angles and turn around. Very confusing! :)
Stephen Francis
We hope to make it back soon.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I Have A Boo Boo On My Head.
Thank god for Spongebob band-aids. Two nights ago we played in Charleston, West Virginia at a fine place called Sam's Uptown Cafe on Capitol Street. For some reason or another this seemed to be the longest period of downtime we have had on this tour, but Sam's fed us twice, and comped our drinks. We spent a majority of the day promoting online and doing other productive things... like getting Brad on Facebook. From what I can understand Sam's is an after hours bar and
our friends Union Pulse, whom are playing acoustic on this tour, thought that we would connect to the later crowd. Union Pulse and Reverie alternated sets back and forth, (i.e. Reverie at 10, Union Pulse at 11, Reverie at midnight, and Union Pulse at 1 am). This was interesting and fun. The show concluded with an impromptu jam of "What I Got", featuring every musician in the room, including Dave, the bartender, on the washboard. Outside of Sam's we met two super nice people named Karen and Ali, two Chicagoans whom happened to be traveling through Charleston and randomly came into a bar we were playing. Naturally this was a funny coincidence.
Unlike most of the shows on this tour, the crowd was a bit thin. It was a Monday night in Charleston but like always, there was an upside to this. We were able to meet everyone in the bar and perform just for them. Despite the thin crowd we translated well and sold some merchandise. To our surprise, it turned out that Ali and Karen were on their way to Annapolis, our next stop. We said our goodbyes and started loading up.
For almost two weeks we have gone without hurting ourselves, outside of the occasional hangover. I have learned now that the reason you have roadies is to protect yourself from injury, to save energy, and to set your gear up. It is exhausting when you are fully clothed in the summer heat loading out gear. After a 2 hour performance and a lot of alcohol you feel rubbery, drained and the last thing you want to do is lug the band's gear down 24 stairs... and walk back up and walk back down and back up, and back down, and back up... There were 24 stairs at Sam's.. I know because I counted.
During our load out from Sam's I whacked my head really hard on the back of the van. I was inside of the van loading gear in, pivoting from facing out of the van and back into the van. On one of my many turnarounds I must have stopped crouching and lunged back into the back of the van to put in a pedal board. In the process I managed to catch my forehead on the latch that sticks out the back of the van. I fell to my knees and began moaning every curse I know. There was barely blood, but the welt was good sized and it was throbbing. Luckily, our manager Coate knows something about hitting his head on things and after making sure I didn’t have a concussion patched me up with what first aid supplies we could find at the moment (i.e. 2 napkins, some sanitzer and a band aid). 2 days later it is still tender so we stopped and I got some Cortisone cream and some trusty Spongebob band-aids. 
Ali and Karen ended up making it to Annapolis with their friends that they were meeting in the first place. It was nice of them to bring some extra people out and watch us two nights in a row. Luckily for them we played a slightly different set, filled with humor and sarcasm.
This show was similar to the night before, not only because we were playing with Union Pulse, but because the crowd was a bit thin again. This does not bother us. We are well aware that thin crowds are often a part of touring independently, but we are noticing that our performance changes when there is a big crowd compared to a smaller crowd. James from Union Pulse reminded me that it has to be enough playing with your band despite the size of the crowd... I replied by explaining that we aren't used to it and that it affects me sometimes, not because of an ego issue, but more because we are “spongey” people. I love feeding off the energy of the crowd, and sometimes when the crowd is thin it is hard to perform. For our style of music it feels rather aggressive. However the sarcasm and humor must have worked because we sold some tee shirts and cds, and signed some autographs (which is still weird to me but fun)!
It is enough playing with Brad and Kevin every night. I wouldn't be out here doing it if it was not. We have made a lot of progress as performers and entertainers on this tour. Playing 2 hours a night (sometimes 4 hours) will tighten you up and Murphy's Law will be in full effect on stage. After our show at Sam's, Brad and I nearly stabbed each other due to poor communication during the set. These things can get frustrating but we were able to figure out some signals and new rules to avoid us throwing any verbal or physical blows.
In the end I do miss Tom and Aaron. I cannot lie about that. For those of you who do not know, Tom and Aaron play in Bullet Called Life. For our Chicago shows and a few out of Chicago,Tom and Aaron play with us.
Days become days become days...
Hey again...Kevin James reporting from the rainy road. We're driving to Pittsburgh right now and it's raining. Nothing like the drive to Lexington though. I was driving and it was pouring so badly that the majority of cars pulled over onto the shoulder. While this seemed like a sound idea I was not fond of it. Either go 20 mph and bear it or pull over and be a sitting duck ready for a car to plow into one and start the domino effect. Passed on that option. Since I already gave you my recap of Lexington I'm moving on to the past couple of days.
We had a day off on Sunday and decided to camp and unwind. Yet another great sounding idea except for the fact that it was hot and damn humid. Waking up in a tent that feels like an incubator sucks. Regardless, we worked on getting a wine bottle open for a good 20 to 30 minutes with no opener. Who the hell brings 2 bottles of wine and no corkscrew?!?! One speaker monitor screw, screwdriver and electrical box thingy later it came to. Got to enjoy some wine over band conversations with our manager Coate. Love Coate.
Monday we were off to Charleston, WV to play Sam's Uptown Cafe. Pretty wicked little joint. We got there way early to do some work and promote. Krista, the bartender at the time, brought us some fabulous grub while we chugged away. She was kind enough to come back and catch our set after her shift and 3 hours of sleep the previous evening. The bearded monster Dave was our bartender upstairs in the venue. His beard would eat people. All these beards are making me want to bring mine back. Another grand meal, drinks, and a couple sets later we were done at Sam's. During Union Pulse's set we all got on stage and had a nice little jam to
Sublime's "What I got" - Dave (yes, the bartender)on the washboard, Brad on tambourine, Stephen on acoustic gitfiddle and myself on drums. Then Jaqueline, an older bar local, told us we could crash at a pad she was housesitting for a friend. It was pretty interesting. The front yard was a graveyard. A bunch of old old gravestones, i.e. 1817-1843. We picked out the parents, their children and the grandchildren. Probably sold the house at that point. Stephen and I crashed in a twin together and he informed me that I was sawing some serious logs (for those that don't know...snoring) and Jaqueline was laughing at me and talking to the cat. West Virginia. Done.
During the venture to Annapolis, MD our van started giving us some serious shit. Go figure. The fluttering sound coming from the serpentine belt mechanism sounds like a pretty muscular mopehead. We tried to get it fixed but the noise went away and check engine light off. The mechanics can't really diagnose something that doesn't exist to them. Shitty. I decided to splurge and get myself a nice real meal at the Federal House Bar (place we played). Blackened Salmon covered with lemon butter sauce from the East Coast. Sick! One of the best bits of fresh fish I've ever had. I got to enjoy that while Union Pulse entertained us with great tunes, jokes and logic puzzles. Then we hit the stage. Fun show, Lydia was a superfan and danced away up front to Reverie tunes. I have yet to mention but we met some
amazing people in West Virginia from Chicago, Ali and Karen. They just happened to walk into Sam's and were roadtripping with no real destinations in mind. They followed us to Annapolis for another Reverie show and offered up their hotel room for crashing quarters. This was music to our ears as Annapolis was the damn most humid place we've been so far. I must say though, it was pleasant to walk along the bay and smell the salty Atlantic Ocean air. Made me miss the days of living in Southern California. The front desk at the hotel did not have a corkscrew so yet again we had to come up with another innovative way of opening a wine bottle. One screw from a shelf, screwdrive and hanger top later we all had a glass to enjoy. Here we come Pitt!Kevin James
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Longest day EVER!!!
Two days ago we were in Champaign, IL. We were slotted for 2 shows, one aquired on Tuesday, the other was our original slot. Seeing that the sets wouldn't conflict we each other we agreed to do both and hopefully double our exposure. It really wasn't the longest day ever, but the first time I have ever played four very long sets, 2 shows in one day. For our particular slot times and set requirements this meant 42 songs, and 5 hours on stage. In college towns this could also mean twice as many shots are brought to you on stage.After a long but rewarding night in Springfield we awoke and made our way to Champaign. Our first show was at the Phoenix, a local pool hall that usually features metal acts. The owner is a kind man with a hell of a grip. A visit to the Phoenix the next time you are in Champaign would be worth your while, if you like kind people. The crowd was really open minded and took in our original music with ease. We did pretty well in merch and hustled our way out of the door.
We had loaded in and performed two 1 hour sets and had to promptly load out in order to make our load in time at Joe's. Now this seems simple in theory. 1.5 hours from our set end to load in at our next show. But when you are meeting your new fans, coordinating a van pack, and trying to corral all band member and managers in a timely manner it is always a challenge. Also, packing the van has become a science, just recently we found the correct way to do it efficiently every time, but as of Thursday we were not so consistent at it. In addition, Curtis, the forementioned bar manager, was kind enough to lend us another main so the crowd at Joes would be able to hear me during our set. This main happened to be the biggest speaker I have ever used in my life. I rode from the Phoenix to Joes with my knees at my chest, wondering if we would be able to get the speaker back after our set at Joes before the Phoenix closed.
Upon arriving at Joes we had to have a drink and eat some food before we set up. Our first show was hot, and I personally was pretty drained. Knowing that I had to sing another two hours, I kept my water bottle close and my mouth shut. An old friend, who happens to be a general manager at Joes took care of us by giving us free reign on the menu. We stuffed our faces with the first hot meal we have had in days and got back to work. We set up and proceeded to follow through with our first set quickly and with no difficulty. Now on our 6th show of the tour I found that as a cohesive unit we were firing like a machine. Usually when we do 1 off shows in the city or the surrounding suburbs of Chicago you have to prep mentally to get into "machine mode". Playing every night makes this neccesity disappear, therefore leaving you with more energy to perform.
Playing college towns is always tricky. The crowd is usually too drunk to stand and very hard to please. At Joes in particular, the crowd is kind, but are passing time until all of the other students show up... which is usually about 1 half hour after we finish. The music has to stop (it is outside in the beer garden) at 11 o clock, and a lot of college kids don't go out until 11:30. Therefore you usually get the early drinker crowd, whom are usally shit hammered by 7 o clock. Naturally, groups of "day drinkers" will chant or clap their hands in unison if you get them at the right time. About the 5th time someone calls out "Free Bird!", you know it is time to really start turning it on... Just never actually play "Free Bird". I was in a band once that covered that song every show (I was 14 don't judge). I have found that regardless of how well you do that song, you will attract the drunkest guy in the room, who will insist that is the best version of "Free Bird" he has ever heard, the whole time knowing that he most likely won't remember seeing you at all. Instead you should continue playing original music and get that same guy to buy a record. At least this way he knows who he saw the night before.
During our 4th set of the day we were welcomed with a lot of new faces walking through the door. I was running on empty, but the crowd was starting to get it. We finished strong and prompted to leave our equipment set up so we could socialize with some of the college folk, and get some more free drinks.
After we finished loading up we got paid and pulled across the street so we could rest our weary heads. I decided to try and sleep across the two seats in the back and let Kevin try the floor. This was a bad idea, for when I awoke, not only was the van 105 degrees, but my spine was all out of whack and felt like a sideways "U".
Attached is a picture of an edited set, with last minute adjustments and new covers added. If you do the math, the opportunities are really mind boggling. With the amount of songs you know, the amount of songs you can play, and in which order... Sometimes adjusting the set spot of one song can totally alter the ebb and flow of a performance. This may be obvious to most people, but for those of you who have never considered what it is like coordinating the order of songs for a 3 hour show, you should not take for granted that bands like Pearl Jam and Metallica, whom sometimes play for these lengths, and somehow it never gets boring. Then you walk into another show and the set is so terribly arranged a half hour seems like an eternity. There are keys, tempos, dynamics, and endurance to take into consideration. There is quite a science to it... From the picture you can see that we are still learning.
Stephen Francis
I Don't Have An Interesting Title For This
First and foremost, this is grand! We are having one hell of a time on the road and loving every minute of it. There is a slight misconception though to a posting I made online earlier that said, "Drive...Play...Drink...Sleep..." I received several responses, some of the likes of "you boys live a tough life...lol." So to clarify that post...Drive, 3 to 7 hours while the other individuals in the van do work for the band online...Play, anywhere from 1 to 4 hours depending on the time and atmosphere...Drink, depending on if we have a rider worked out or the locals are game to buy us drinks...Sleep, unless someone is kind enough to give us a couch/floor to crash on we have a van crammed with equipment, bags, and other various items to try and squeeze 4 gentlemen in, comfortable or not...and it's certainly not. Ahhhhh the life.
Recap: Champaign,IL, Indianapolis, IN, & Lexington, KY - the last 3 days.
Champaign was one long day. We played 2 sets, one at the Phoenix and one at Joe's. Both were lengthy and fun sets. Cliff, the manager at The Phoenix was kind enough to lend us a speaker to use at Joe's for our P.A. And Dan, the GM at Joe's and an old high school friend, fed us a great meal and took care of our drinks. We really have run into a ton of great people along the way!
Indianapolis was awesome. Doug of the band Henderson, who we met previously while playing at The Cafe in Macomb, IL, invited us over to their band house for some chill time before the show. Luke, a resident of the home whom I quickly developed beard envy for, went out and got some Coors for everyone and told us about the Miller High Life guy (that you've all seen in the Livin' the High Life commercials) that was at the store and told him to, "Enjoy the Kers." No, that is a not a typo. And that we did, prior to and post the show until the wee hours of the a.m. Met some really cool people at Birdy's and the afterups. Then I awoke to the smell of homemade biscuits and gravy with some bacon and coffee cooked up by Luke, got supplied clean towels for a shower from Tennison, and jetted out. Mmmmmm...what a way to be sent out of Indy.
Next was Lexington. Oooooohhhhh Lexington. I'm very sure we'll be back there sooner than later. Nick, who quickly introduced himself, was a rad local that we met right when we walked into Cocktails and he gave us a tour of his sweet pad right behind the club and generously offered up some Woodford Reserve. The night only got better and better from there. Instead of giving you a lengthy description on one of my most favorite nights so far I'll phrase it up like this...locals drunk 3 hours pre-show time, $1.50 Amber Bock, whiskey for Brad, Girls blatantly, uhhh..."enjoying each other" during a Reverie set, Metallica requests, more whiskey for Brad, great staff, Sam Adams, Red Stag in beer, industry locals rockin', even more whiskey for Brad, impromptu covers, Brad puking and speaking gibberish, after party after after party, hitting the bar that's closed (with the manager and keys of course) to get more beer, and ending with drawing on Brad who passed out in the back of the van on the floor with his boots on (see Brad's rules of the road #4).
The only thing I did not like from the above was the Red Stag in beer.
Kevin James
Recap: Champaign,IL, Indianapolis, IN, & Lexington, KY - the last 3 days.
Champaign was one long day. We played 2 sets, one at the Phoenix and one at Joe's. Both were lengthy and fun sets. Cliff, the manager at The Phoenix was kind enough to lend us a speaker to use at Joe's for our P.A. And Dan, the GM at Joe's and an old high school friend, fed us a great meal and took care of our drinks. We really have run into a ton of great people along the way!
Indianapolis was awesome. Doug of the band Henderson, who we met previously while playing at The Cafe in Macomb, IL, invited us over to their band house for some chill time before the show. Luke, a resident of the home whom I quickly developed beard envy for, went out and got some Coors for everyone and told us about the Miller High Life guy (that you've all seen in the Livin' the High Life commercials) that was at the store and told him to, "Enjoy the Kers." No, that is a not a typo. And that we did, prior to and post the show until the wee hours of the a.m. Met some really cool people at Birdy's and the afterups. Then I awoke to the smell of homemade biscuits and gravy with some bacon and coffee cooked up by Luke, got supplied clean towels for a shower from Tennison, and jetted out. Mmmmmm...what a way to be sent out of Indy.
Next was Lexington. Oooooohhhhh Lexington. I'm very sure we'll be back there sooner than later. Nick, who quickly introduced himself, was a rad local that we met right when we walked into Cocktails and he gave us a tour of his sweet pad right behind the club and generously offered up some Woodford Reserve. The night only got better and better from there. Instead of giving you a lengthy description on one of my most favorite nights so far I'll phrase it up like this...locals drunk 3 hours pre-show time, $1.50 Amber Bock, whiskey for Brad, Girls blatantly, uhhh..."enjoying each other" during a Reverie set, Metallica requests, more whiskey for Brad, great staff, Sam Adams, Red Stag in beer, industry locals rockin', even more whiskey for Brad, impromptu covers, Brad puking and speaking gibberish, after party after after party, hitting the bar that's closed (with the manager and keys of course) to get more beer, and ending with drawing on Brad who passed out in the back of the van on the floor with his boots on (see Brad's rules of the road #4).
The only thing I did not like from the above was the Red Stag in beer.
Kevin James
remember rules #1 and #4?....
so this morning i come to in the van, with my boots on, and some new artwork on my body. i broke rule #4 and its on film...which means I broke rule #1 too... good, great, grand, wonderful. oops.
Brad
Brad
You Never Know.
I wish you all could see this in person! We're in a small, but packed bar (at least 40-50 people) that was just blown away by Reverie. I'm watching 10 people walk around sporting their brand new Reverie "Monster" tees and Stephen, Kevin, and Brad might just be Lexington, Kentucky's newest celebrities....
This night began as many have on this trip - walking into a tiny place with locals staring at us awkwardly, wondering what the hell our booking manager James was thinking. This night ended as each of those many have - many new Reverie devotees. We've sold more merch and found more enthusiasm from unknown hole in the wall dive bars in what I call "Forgotten America" than we could ever have dreamed of.
`Coate
This night began as many have on this trip - walking into a tiny place with locals staring at us awkwardly, wondering what the hell our booking manager James was thinking. This night ended as each of those many have - many new Reverie devotees. We've sold more merch and found more enthusiasm from unknown hole in the wall dive bars in what I call "Forgotten America" than we could ever have dreamed of.
`Coate
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Managers Blog Indianapolis: The Story of Generous Hendersons and Housing Prices
NOTE: For those of you viewing this on our Facebook or MySpace pages, the original post can be found HERE
I am a man made for the road. I adjust well to new circumstances very quickly and with ease. I don't mind waking up and not recognizing my surroundings. I don't mind cramped spaces, terrible sleep, body odor and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every meal. Not only do I not mind any of those things, I crave them if it means I get to have a conversation every night with a new set of people about what drives them and makes them go where they go, do what they do, and be who they are. While I can't say I would willingly stay in every place we've been for much longer than the length we were there, I can say I have been able to consciously soak in every bit of each minute of these days on tour with Reverie.
One of the greatest things about this adventure has been the absolute generosity we've experienced at every stop. People we barely know and others we have just met have offered us food, drinks, gas money, and even their homes (and showers!) in exchange for some friendly conversation and a night of entertainment.
Our benefactors yesterday were a very talented Indianapolis indie (Indy Indie?) band called Henderson. Band leader Doug had met Reverie a while back and after liking their set very much struck up a friendship with them (I'll let Stephen fill in the background if he chooses).
We arrived into Indianapolis mid afternoon and after gassing up next to Birdy's where we'd be playing that night, Brad called over and got direction to The Henderson band house which happened to be just blocks away. As we pulled up in front of the address given to us, out walks Luke, a person who I've found to be one of the kindest and funniest people I've come across in a while.
Once I get our video camera in working order (COATE'S RULES OF THE ROAD: RULE #14 - IF YOU HAVE BAD LUCK WITH TECHNOLOGY LIKE I DO, BE PREPARED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT BACK LUCK...) Brad and I filmed a pretty funny "MTV Cribs" Episode, and I also have some cool clips of Henderson practicing their MJ tribute songs.
As more people streamed over to the house, the afternoon became one of relaxation and discussion about topics ranging from guitar pedals to the state of the music industry to how to brew your own beer (I'll pass on that one for now). Regardless of what was being talked about the cool part was these four Chicago kids hanging out in a place geographically close to them but quite different in many ways but feeling exactly in the right place with the right people.
Eventually the time came to head over to Birdy's for the show. Apparently there was some sort of sudden unforeseen epidemic in Indy of missing drummers and bassists because 2 of the 5 scheduled bands had been stripped down to solo guys playing an acoustic guitar calling their bandmates assholes on stage or something like. This predicament bumped Reverie back from the #2 spot to #4 out of 5 bands for the night, right before the amazing headlining Henderson. The show we were there to play was actually Henderson's farewell show, and for his final set on stage with this band, the very cool Doug Henderson chose to wear a Reverie "Monster" shirt on stage. That to me was one of the most amazing gestures I've seen in my years seeing shows and being around music.
Both Reverie and Henderson killed it and for once I actually have some fun video for you here:
After the set we made our way back to The Henderson House for a night of more music, discussion, bonfires and Brad hustling everyone in the place with his foosball prowess. Upon waking up this morning, Luke had cooked us some yummy biscuits and gravy!! Once again we had a roof to sleep under that wasn't also a mode of transportation and once again we experienced kind words and kind souls. I could get used to this.
More soon.
`Coate
I am a man made for the road. I adjust well to new circumstances very quickly and with ease. I don't mind waking up and not recognizing my surroundings. I don't mind cramped spaces, terrible sleep, body odor and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every meal. Not only do I not mind any of those things, I crave them if it means I get to have a conversation every night with a new set of people about what drives them and makes them go where they go, do what they do, and be who they are. While I can't say I would willingly stay in every place we've been for much longer than the length we were there, I can say I have been able to consciously soak in every bit of each minute of these days on tour with Reverie.
One of the greatest things about this adventure has been the absolute generosity we've experienced at every stop. People we barely know and others we have just met have offered us food, drinks, gas money, and even their homes (and showers!) in exchange for some friendly conversation and a night of entertainment.
Our benefactors yesterday were a very talented Indianapolis indie (Indy Indie?) band called Henderson. Band leader Doug had met Reverie a while back and after liking their set very much struck up a friendship with them (I'll let Stephen fill in the background if he chooses).
We arrived into Indianapolis mid afternoon and after gassing up next to Birdy's where we'd be playing that night, Brad called over and got direction to The Henderson band house which happened to be just blocks away. As we pulled up in front of the address given to us, out walks Luke, a person who I've found to be one of the kindest and funniest people I've come across in a while. Once I get our video camera in working order (COATE'S RULES OF THE ROAD: RULE #14 - IF YOU HAVE BAD LUCK WITH TECHNOLOGY LIKE I DO, BE PREPARED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT BACK LUCK...) Brad and I filmed a pretty funny "MTV Cribs" Episode, and I also have some cool clips of Henderson practicing their MJ tribute songs.
As more people streamed over to the house, the afternoon became one of relaxation and discussion about topics ranging from guitar pedals to the state of the music industry to how to brew your own beer (I'll pass on that one for now). Regardless of what was being talked about the cool part was these four Chicago kids hanging out in a place geographically close to them but quite different in many ways but feeling exactly in the right place with the right people.
Eventually the time came to head over to Birdy's for the show. Apparently there was some sort of sudden unforeseen epidemic in Indy of missing drummers and bassists because 2 of the 5 scheduled bands had been stripped down to solo guys playing an acoustic guitar calling their bandmates assholes on stage or something like. This predicament bumped Reverie back from the #2 spot to #4 out of 5 bands for the night, right before the amazing headlining Henderson. The show we were there to play was actually Henderson's farewell show, and for his final set on stage with this band, the very cool Doug Henderson chose to wear a Reverie "Monster" shirt on stage. That to me was one of the most amazing gestures I've seen in my years seeing shows and being around music.
Both Reverie and Henderson killed it and for once I actually have some fun video for you here:
After the set we made our way back to The Henderson House for a night of more music, discussion, bonfires and Brad hustling everyone in the place with his foosball prowess. Upon waking up this morning, Luke had cooked us some yummy biscuits and gravy!! Once again we had a roof to sleep under that wasn't also a mode of transportation and once again we experienced kind words and kind souls. I could get used to this.
More soon.
`Coate
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Our Home State's Capitol...where Blagojevich refused to stay and boy did he miss out!
After a 6+ hour drive through towns with a population of 83, 20 mph winding backroads, going from Kansas to Mexico to Louisiana to Illinois in a matter of 30 minutes, and eating lunch (i.e. making sandwiches in a truck stop parking lot) we finally got to The Keg...which turned out to be a real tavern! Of all the options we came across online under one club name in our state's capitol (see previous post for options) it ended up panning out to be the one that was most desirable for a band...although I personally kinda wanted to play at a scooter & motorcycle repair shop but that's neither here nor there. Upon our arrival at The Keg we were greeted with warm hellos from locals, cold beers from the owner Becky and an absolutely adorable 10 week old little English Bulldog named RJ.
The Keg was more of a tavern and less music clubby but it was certainly a rockin' atmosphere. The "stage" was quite compact so we had to find a way to make our equipment and killer PA (see previous post for description) fit. After moving and experimenting with different positions, ;), we came up with a practical means of performing for the Springfield locals while leaving ourselves room to play. Prior to even striking one chord we were handed shots of "tekweela" by the infamous Clyde to start the "show off right." That started things off and they continued that way throughout the 2 hour set filled with crowd participation, more shots, and several dry but great shout outs from the peanut gallery. Showing face in Springfield was our wonderful friend Mandi from Chicago. We sure had no problem getting along with the Springfieldians and the feelings were mutual on their behalf. "Anytime you guys want to come back" is what we left The Keg to and Becky will probably be taken up on that. Now it's off to Champaign to play two shows in one night; The Phoenix from 5 to 7 and Joe's from 9 to 11.
Kevin James
The Keg was more of a tavern and less music clubby but it was certainly a rockin' atmosphere. The "stage" was quite compact so we had to find a way to make our equipment and killer PA (see previous post for description) fit. After moving and experimenting with different positions, ;), we came up with a practical means of performing for the Springfield locals while leaving ourselves room to play. Prior to even striking one chord we were handed shots of "tekweela" by the infamous Clyde to start the "show off right." That started things off and they continued that way throughout the 2 hour set filled with crowd participation, more shots, and several dry but great shout outs from the peanut gallery. Showing face in Springfield was our wonderful friend Mandi from Chicago. We sure had no problem getting along with the Springfieldians and the feelings were mutual on their behalf. "Anytime you guys want to come back" is what we left The Keg to and Becky will probably be taken up on that. Now it's off to Champaign to play two shows in one night; The Phoenix from 5 to 7 and Joe's from 9 to 11.
Kevin James
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
More Rules of The Road By Brad Elliott
RULE #5-pay your phone bill before you leave for tour.
RULE #6- bring a flyswatter, trust me.
RULE #6- bring a flyswatter, trust me.
Were not in Kansas anymore!
Topeka, Kansas... Known for two things according to locals, The Wizard of Oz and a hate mongering far right wing preacher known for disrupting military funerals. Do not be alarmed though, that particular Topeka resident does not reflect the everyday Topekan and we were lucky enough to miss any tornadoes that would take us to Oz. Like our last time through Topeka, we found friendly faces to greet us at every turn and made new friends. The conversations were fun, the drinks were stiff and our fans in Topeka were excited to have us back.
The last time through town we performed at the Boobie Trap, another local Topeka bar, and had a blast. Considering they were booked on our slotted date, our good friend James from Union Pulse set us up at The Brass Rail.
When we were informed that we were playing for tips and would receive a free meal we were scratching our heads trying to figure out how we could make the most out of it. I personally went as far to ask if we were able to show some skin to increase our pay. Luckily the answer was "No. Our clientele is 80 and grey and probably wouldn't appreciate it."
About two hours before showtime, Rob, the owner of the Brass Rail, approached our table asking if we were in the mood for BBQ. About 25 minutes later we were delivered Ribs, Rib Tips, Hamburgers, and probably the best batch of potato salad I have ever swallowed. The food was delicious and Rob was sweet as pie.
Shortly after we set up, our 3 fans in Topeka showed up at the venue. Yeah, I said it.. 3 fans. In fact 1 of these of these fans/friends was aquired on Monday night before we even played. When you are unkown band, this is how it works. You go to new towns and you meet people. If you decide to not be a "super rockstar douchebag", you may have 1 more person at your show and make a new friend... who may or may not become a fan of your music. Worst case scenario, you pass the time learning about Kansas or high school football initiation rituals. Best case scenario, there is one more person watching you pour your little heart onto the pavement outside the backdoor of the Brass Rail where we performed our well received 2 hour set.
The perks of these intimate shows is that there is a true 1 on 1 performance going on. These are challenging, but rewarding. Beth and Leslie, Reverie's 2 biggest fans in Topeka, are more enthusiastic than most fans of anything. Such big fans that we played 2 encores. Beth requested we play "Morning Paper" twice and Rob, the owner of the club, asked us to dig out some old material. We obliged by first doing "Morning Paper" again and performed a REALLY old song "AMF" off of Shakey Coma. I know a lot of bands who wouldn't do that, but we are not a lot of bands. We will drive 500+ to play for tips and make a few new fans. A truer statement has never been made that... "you have to start somewhere", in band language that can translate to... "you have to play anywhere you can". For if we would have decided to blow off the show and sit in a bar and spend money, we would have done nothing as a band. I would rather play for a dozen kind people who are actually listening than not play at all.
Off to Springfield to play "The Keg". This is going to be interesting, we have no idea if this "venue" even exists. Google searches have yielded: a steakhouse, a tavern, leather retail shop, and a scooter and motorcycle repair shop...ALL at the same location, ALL with the same telephone number. It also comes up in searches as "The Pony Keg".
I called last week to verify we were booked and to verify that it was not a steakhouse. Answering to my inquiry, the voice on the other end said "No, this is not a steakhouse, we are a tavern". Very excited that we were not playing a steakhouse I said, "Great, you have bands there right?". A moment of silence on the other line, "Err, um NO, we do not have bands right now". I quickly thanked her for her time and prompted to call our psuedo booking manager and explained to him what I discovered. He laughed and said..."Yeah they don't have bands. (Enter managers name here?) is trying you guys out to see how bands would go over there."
"F*@k me! Okay cool, thanks. I will call you later." "Ha ha ha, Bye Steve".
Okay. Round 5 of the unknown. Armed with 1 PA speaker, 2 microphones, bass, guitar and drums, Reverie has to gently introduce their sonic assault and themselves yet again to an now unfamiliar, possible unwelcoming crowd at a local tavern full of Springfield locals. :) I love touring.
Stephen Francis
The last time through town we performed at the Boobie Trap, another local Topeka bar, and had a blast. Considering they were booked on our slotted date, our good friend James from Union Pulse set us up at The Brass Rail.
When we were informed that we were playing for tips and would receive a free meal we were scratching our heads trying to figure out how we could make the most out of it. I personally went as far to ask if we were able to show some skin to increase our pay. Luckily the answer was "No. Our clientele is 80 and grey and probably wouldn't appreciate it." 
About two hours before showtime, Rob, the owner of the Brass Rail, approached our table asking if we were in the mood for BBQ. About 25 minutes later we were delivered Ribs, Rib Tips, Hamburgers, and probably the best batch of potato salad I have ever swallowed. The food was delicious and Rob was sweet as pie.
Shortly after we set up, our 3 fans in Topeka showed up at the venue. Yeah, I said it.. 3 fans. In fact 1 of these of these fans/friends was aquired on Monday night before we even played. When you are unkown band, this is how it works. You go to new towns and you meet people. If you decide to not be a "super rockstar douchebag", you may have 1 more person at your show and make a new friend... who may or may not become a fan of your music. Worst case scenario, you pass the time learning about Kansas or high school football initiation rituals. Best case scenario, there is one more person watching you pour your little heart onto the pavement outside the backdoor of the Brass Rail where we performed our well received 2 hour set.The perks of these intimate shows is that there is a true 1 on 1 performance going on. These are challenging, but rewarding. Beth and Leslie, Reverie's 2 biggest fans in Topeka, are more enthusiastic than most fans of anything. Such big fans that we played 2 encores. Beth requested we play "Morning Paper" twice and Rob, the owner of the club, asked us to dig out some old material. We obliged by first doing "Morning Paper" again and performed a REALLY old song "AMF" off of Shakey Coma. I know a lot of bands who wouldn't do that, but we are not a lot of bands. We will drive 500+ to play for tips and make a few new fans. A truer statement has never been made that... "you have to start somewhere", in band language that can translate to... "you have to play anywhere you can". For if we would have decided to blow off the show and sit in a bar and spend money, we would have done nothing as a band. I would rather play for a dozen kind people who are actually listening than not play at all.
Off to Springfield to play "The Keg". This is going to be interesting, we have no idea if this "venue" even exists. Google searches have yielded: a steakhouse, a tavern, leather retail shop, and a scooter and motorcycle repair shop...ALL at the same location, ALL with the same telephone number. It also comes up in searches as "The Pony Keg".
I called last week to verify we were booked and to verify that it was not a steakhouse. Answering to my inquiry, the voice on the other end said "No, this is not a steakhouse, we are a tavern". Very excited that we were not playing a steakhouse I said, "Great, you have bands there right?". A moment of silence on the other line, "Err, um NO, we do not have bands right now". I quickly thanked her for her time and prompted to call our psuedo booking manager and explained to him what I discovered. He laughed and said..."Yeah they don't have bands. (Enter managers name here?) is trying you guys out to see how bands would go over there."
"F*@k me! Okay cool, thanks. I will call you later." "Ha ha ha, Bye Steve".
Okay. Round 5 of the unknown. Armed with 1 PA speaker, 2 microphones, bass, guitar and drums, Reverie has to gently introduce their sonic assault and themselves yet again to an now unfamiliar, possible unwelcoming crowd at a local tavern full of Springfield locals. :) I love touring.
Stephen Francis
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Manager's Blog: Coate's Thoughts on Last Night
We were mostly spectators, but let's just say Topeka townies, a man named Monty Fisher, a place called the Booby Trap, whiskey, 4 rounds of Bud Light, a "jiggle joint", $42.17 of instant sandwiches purchased for us at a gas station, and a 6'7" totally legit Russian ex-mobster were somehow involved...and I'm not making a single bit of that up.
`Coate
Quote of the night: "This guy might want to kick my ass...I'm not sure though..."
`Coate
Quote of the night: "This guy might want to kick my ass...I'm not sure though..."
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Rules of the Road by Brad Elliott
Brad here.
As we embark on our second tour in a year I've picked up a few little "rules" of the road one should keep in mind while touring. Here they are.
RULE #1- Don't do anything you dont want posted on the internet by your jerk band mates.
RULE #2- Keep a small tool kit in the van.
RULE #3- Make friends with the people at shows that dig your band. People are more likely to check you out next time you roll through town if you're not a dick to them...and their floor or couch is better than your van to get some sleep.
RULE #4- NEVER,under any circumstances, fall asleep with your boots on.
More later.
As we embark on our second tour in a year I've picked up a few little "rules" of the road one should keep in mind while touring. Here they are.
RULE #1- Don't do anything you dont want posted on the internet by your jerk band mates.
RULE #2- Keep a small tool kit in the van.
RULE #3- Make friends with the people at shows that dig your band. People are more likely to check you out next time you roll through town if you're not a dick to them...and their floor or couch is better than your van to get some sleep.
RULE #4- NEVER,under any circumstances, fall asleep with your boots on.
More later.
Des Moines, Doors, and Dirty Dan
We arrived in Des Moines in the late afternoon on Saturday. With 25 hours to showtime there was really not much to do other than promote and do some research in the Des Moines area. After a short visit to a local mall, Brad and I stopped and printed up fliers at a Hyvee. A majority of the night we spent watching Gabe Cordova, a bartender at "The Mews" (Vaudeville Mews) sing folk music for us. Shortly after to a nearly empty room. Reverie caught a fantastic set from Larry and His Flask out of Oregon. This band really delivered "Thrash-Grass". For all of you out there that are unaware exactly what that means, it is Thrash Punk Rock done in the standard of Bluegrass and YES...IT ROCKS. God help me for I cannot remember one of their names, but they all rocked and they all were sweet as pie. Upon conclusion of their set we headed out and did some heavy promoting and seeking out any rockers that we could find that may be interested in our show on Sunday.
When we returned to Vaudeville Mews, Larry and His Flask were setting up in the alley. Disappointed by the lack of an audience inside of the club they decided to deliver another fantastic set which yielded much better results. 40 or 50 people gathered around the band, knee slapping, dancing and screaming out random "YEAHs". It was quite fantastic. Make sure to check them out if they are coming through your town. We drove back to Wal Mart and crashed in the parking lot. There are some short videos of our living quarters that can be seen here:
Sunday we revisted the mall and hit up every teenage boy and girl we could find who looked like they may enjoy a set from Reverie. This being our only all ages show it was important for us to try and reach out and let Des Moines kids know that Reverie was in town. It was fun and yielded great results.
When we arrived at Vaudeville Mews we were given the option by the in town bands to take a later slot so we could get some exposure. This is A. usually unheard of and B. everything a band on the road can hope for...naturally we obliged. The first two bands both rocked hard and their shared group of friends decided to stick around and check out the set. The set was high energy and translated well to the crowd. It was rewarding when a bunch of the kids signed up for our mailing list and bought some merch. The Thundertones were sweet to give us a slot and it is much appreciated. You can check them out HERE.
We would like to throw out a special shout out to Kiki, our bartender at Vaudeville Mews, for taking care of us and grabbing a MONSTER tee. She had one of the best selections of "pre-show" music that Reverie has ever heard (Coate wouldn't stop drooling over her musical taste) and her fiance performs in the Autumn Project, a local Des Moines favorite! Thank you Kiki!
After our show we loaded up and proceeded to meet up with some fans we had made last year when we came through town and played at the now closed down "Shooters Hideaway." Mandi and "Dirty Dan" whom works at The Lift and The Mews took us out for quite an evening that involved, Karaoke (Brad sang "Walk" by Pantera and I nearly pissed myself you can view that video below), a lot of PBR, Jameson, Coffee and Cake. "Dirty Dan" offered up his house to us and we took up his offer. Coate and I slept in his 6 year old daughter's bed and Kevin and Brad took up the couches. We left promptly when we woke up. Sadly, we passed up an opportunity for Bloody Marys on the beach, but Topeka was awaiting our arrival.
When we went to load our luggage back into the van we discovered that one of our back doors would not open. This was very upsetting considering that it is nearly impossible to get our equipment out without both doors being opened. We had to disassemble the van door and manually unhatch the door. For now we are going to continue open and close the door manually until we can decide whether or not it is a worthy investment to bring the van to a "rape my pocketbook" dealership. More on this fiasco later.
Only on day 4 and almost nothing has gone according to plan. Everything you have ever read or hear about touring is true. Every turn holds an unexpected surprise, which may or may not be your manager hitting an illegal immigrant in the parking lot with an oversized van and having the other car drive away before you can get out and apologize. It may include 18 year old punk rock kids asking you the difference between a groupie and a fan. It may include waking up in a 6 year old girls bed still covered in plastic sheets in case she wets herself and noticing that her father painted a rain forest on her walls and hung a bunch of fluorescent colored butterflies to keep her distracted while she falls asleep at night. On occasion it could mean that you want to punch your best friends right in the balls for being pushy, controlling, or down right oversensitive. YES... I love every minute of this.
But the most rewarding part of this tour is performing for strangers and connecting to them. Learning about new towns and telling people why Chicago is the best place to reside in the Midwest. It is about selling a piece of merch to some excited new fan and feeling like Reverie won the lottery because we only lost $17 dollars on this particular show. Tomorrow night we are playing for tips. Now we can officially sell video footage to MTV. "True Life - I am a professional musician part time stripper". Can't lose money on that one.
Thanks for reading.
Stephen
When we returned to Vaudeville Mews, Larry and His Flask were setting up in the alley. Disappointed by the lack of an audience inside of the club they decided to deliver another fantastic set which yielded much better results. 40 or 50 people gathered around the band, knee slapping, dancing and screaming out random "YEAHs". It was quite fantastic. Make sure to check them out if they are coming through your town. We drove back to Wal Mart and crashed in the parking lot. There are some short videos of our living quarters that can be seen here:
Sunday we revisted the mall and hit up every teenage boy and girl we could find who looked like they may enjoy a set from Reverie. This being our only all ages show it was important for us to try and reach out and let Des Moines kids know that Reverie was in town. It was fun and yielded great results.
When we arrived at Vaudeville Mews we were given the option by the in town bands to take a later slot so we could get some exposure. This is A. usually unheard of and B. everything a band on the road can hope for...naturally we obliged. The first two bands both rocked hard and their shared group of friends decided to stick around and check out the set. The set was high energy and translated well to the crowd. It was rewarding when a bunch of the kids signed up for our mailing list and bought some merch. The Thundertones were sweet to give us a slot and it is much appreciated. You can check them out HERE.
We would like to throw out a special shout out to Kiki, our bartender at Vaudeville Mews, for taking care of us and grabbing a MONSTER tee. She had one of the best selections of "pre-show" music that Reverie has ever heard (Coate wouldn't stop drooling over her musical taste) and her fiance performs in the Autumn Project, a local Des Moines favorite! Thank you Kiki!
After our show we loaded up and proceeded to meet up with some fans we had made last year when we came through town and played at the now closed down "Shooters Hideaway." Mandi and "Dirty Dan" whom works at The Lift and The Mews took us out for quite an evening that involved, Karaoke (Brad sang "Walk" by Pantera and I nearly pissed myself you can view that video below), a lot of PBR, Jameson, Coffee and Cake. "Dirty Dan" offered up his house to us and we took up his offer. Coate and I slept in his 6 year old daughter's bed and Kevin and Brad took up the couches. We left promptly when we woke up. Sadly, we passed up an opportunity for Bloody Marys on the beach, but Topeka was awaiting our arrival.
When we went to load our luggage back into the van we discovered that one of our back doors would not open. This was very upsetting considering that it is nearly impossible to get our equipment out without both doors being opened. We had to disassemble the van door and manually unhatch the door. For now we are going to continue open and close the door manually until we can decide whether or not it is a worthy investment to bring the van to a "rape my pocketbook" dealership. More on this fiasco later.
Only on day 4 and almost nothing has gone according to plan. Everything you have ever read or hear about touring is true. Every turn holds an unexpected surprise, which may or may not be your manager hitting an illegal immigrant in the parking lot with an oversized van and having the other car drive away before you can get out and apologize. It may include 18 year old punk rock kids asking you the difference between a groupie and a fan. It may include waking up in a 6 year old girls bed still covered in plastic sheets in case she wets herself and noticing that her father painted a rain forest on her walls and hung a bunch of fluorescent colored butterflies to keep her distracted while she falls asleep at night. On occasion it could mean that you want to punch your best friends right in the balls for being pushy, controlling, or down right oversensitive. YES... I love every minute of this.
But the most rewarding part of this tour is performing for strangers and connecting to them. Learning about new towns and telling people why Chicago is the best place to reside in the Midwest. It is about selling a piece of merch to some excited new fan and feeling like Reverie won the lottery because we only lost $17 dollars on this particular show. Tomorrow night we are playing for tips. Now we can officially sell video footage to MTV. "True Life - I am a professional musician part time stripper". Can't lose money on that one.
Thanks for reading.
Stephen
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Productive Promoters
So we dropped by The South Ridge Mall in Des Moines to do some promoting this afternoon for our all ages show tonight. I sent the three stooges out in the mall with some fliers. Stephen reports back a little later and this was his update for me:
Real cute, guys.
`Coate
Real cute, guys.
`Coate
Who Wants A Beard Ride?
So tonight was quite an adventure in Des Moines. We headed into the main strip around 10 or so to do a little promo for our show at Vaudeville Mews Sunday night. So we swung by Vaudeville Mews and met a band that was playing there tonight called Larry And His Flask. They're from Oregon and in the midst of a midwest tour as well. The first thing we appreciated about them was their amazing mustache hair. If you're not sure why we appreciated that, you might want to check this out.
Later on in the night, Larry And His Flask took their gear out to the patio/beer garden area for an impromptu performance and put on quite a show. We want to you get a taste of it, so here are some clips Kevin took on his phone:
There are more photos to upload, but in the meantime take a look at one of their shirts:
Later on in the night, Larry And His Flask took their gear out to the patio/beer garden area for an impromptu performance and put on quite a show. We want to you get a taste of it, so here are some clips Kevin took on his phone:
There are more photos to upload, but in the meantime take a look at one of their shirts:
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Manager's Blog: Great Things From Our Past and Great Things For Our Future
Well,
Coate here, welcoming you to the very first Reverie update from the tour.
We hit Milwaukee's BBC Upper Level good and hard last night, though we found a few CDs and a camera bag missing by night's end. The joke's on the camera thief though because I had the actual camera on me at the time...unfortunately that means you still need to wait a few days until I can come across a charger for it and can post some of the video I have for you. Sad.
As I'm typing this we're somewhere in Iowa on our way to Des Moines. We have a show at Vaudeville Mews tomorrow night. We decided to head into town today and do some promotion work for the show and dig up some more information about the scene there for future reference.
Aside from letting you know what we're up to, I wanted to fill you in on an interesting conversation we were just having in the van, regarding Reverie's achievements so far this year, and in particular how amazing it was to be a part of something like I AM FEST. For anyone out there who's unfamiliar, Reverie cofounded The Chicago Noise Machine back in November 2008, as one of 9 bands who decided to create better unity in the local scene. Kevin was actually interviewed in a Paste Magazine article about it HERE.
After the overwhelming success of that (sold out) show, the group got even more ambitious and decided to produce I AM FEST which featured 25 bands on 2 stages plus 25+ visual artists and filmmakers as well and saw over 2800 people through the door.
The reason I bring all this up is because Stephen was actually just sitting in the back reading Martin Atkins' fantastic Tour:Smart book and brought up a segment about Jeffrey Swanson who created Gothicfest a while back. When asked by Atkins if the event was successful, Swanson replied
, "A major success! We made history and did something that many industry people thought could never happen. There were over 1,000 attendees..." He also mentioned the event was a year in the making. In a later interview one of the filmmakers at the event described that 1,000 number as a bit inflated when considering the bands, crew and vendors made up about a third of it. However the event, was also considered a success by the filmmaker because SPIN Magazine did a write up on it and from there the event has blown up.
Looking at that, without meaning any disrespect to Swanson and the other organizers, the four of us - Stephen, Kevin, Brad and I - couldn't help but point out the numerous ways that I AM FEST was a far greater accomplishment - considering we put it together in a third of the time, with far more elements and people involved to take care of, and that we did it all completely by ourselves!
That got me reflecting on how exciting of a year it's been for my personal creative endeavors in the Chicago music scene, but moreso how exciting it is to be working with Reverie right now. Here we have a band who not only has had an amazing year themselves, playing a huge Metro show last August, putting together Chicago Noise Machine launch party and I AM FEST, playing the Taste of Chicago (video here) and Chicagoland Speedway NASCAR event a few weeks ago, all the while playing small weekend out of town shows across the midwest. Add in the tour we're currently on and any shows ahead of us in 2009 still, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to be a part of what's next, eh?
All right, s
o it took me long enough to write this, we're in Des Moines. It's time to wake up Brad and I need to pee. More later!
`Coate
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Coate here, welcoming you to the very first Reverie update from the tour.
We hit Milwaukee's BBC Upper Level good and hard last night, though we found a few CDs and a camera bag missing by night's end. The joke's on the camera thief though because I had the actual camera on me at the time...unfortunately that means you still need to wait a few days until I can come across a charger for it and can post some of the video I have for you. Sad.
As I'm typing this we're somewhere in Iowa on our way to Des Moines. We have a show at Vaudeville Mews tomorrow night. We decided to head into town today and do some promotion work for the show and dig up some more information about the scene there for future reference.
Aside from letting you know what we're up to, I wanted to fill you in on an interesting conversation we were just having in the van, regarding Reverie's achievements so far this year, and in particular how amazing it was to be a part of something like I AM FEST. For anyone out there who's unfamiliar, Reverie cofounded The Chicago Noise Machine back in November 2008, as one of 9 bands who decided to create better unity in the local scene. Kevin was actually interviewed in a Paste Magazine article about it HERE.
After the overwhelming success of that (sold out) show, the group got even more ambitious and decided to produce I AM FEST which featured 25 bands on 2 stages plus 25+ visual artists and filmmakers as well and saw over 2800 people through the door.
The reason I bring all this up is because Stephen was actually just sitting in the back reading Martin Atkins' fantastic Tour:Smart book and brought up a segment about Jeffrey Swanson who created Gothicfest a while back. When asked by Atkins if the event was successful, Swanson replied
, "A major success! We made history and did something that many industry people thought could never happen. There were over 1,000 attendees..." He also mentioned the event was a year in the making. In a later interview one of the filmmakers at the event described that 1,000 number as a bit inflated when considering the bands, crew and vendors made up about a third of it. However the event, was also considered a success by the filmmaker because SPIN Magazine did a write up on it and from there the event has blown up.Looking at that, without meaning any disrespect to Swanson and the other organizers, the four of us - Stephen, Kevin, Brad and I - couldn't help but point out the numerous ways that I AM FEST was a far greater accomplishment - considering we put it together in a third of the time, with far more elements and people involved to take care of, and that we did it all completely by ourselves!
That got me reflecting on how exciting of a year it's been for my personal creative endeavors in the Chicago music scene, but moreso how exciting it is to be working with Reverie right now. Here we have a band who not only has had an amazing year themselves, playing a huge Metro show last August, putting together Chicago Noise Machine launch party and I AM FEST, playing the Taste of Chicago (video here) and Chicagoland Speedway NASCAR event a few weeks ago, all the while playing small weekend out of town shows across the midwest. Add in the tour we're currently on and any shows ahead of us in 2009 still, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to be a part of what's next, eh?
All right, s
o it took me long enough to write this, we're in Des Moines. It's time to wake up Brad and I need to pee. More later!`Coate
Follow us on Twitter and check out our YouTube videos as they're posted!
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