Junebug Show Diaries

Sunday, July 2, 2006

7/1/06 - 720 Space - Minneapolis

July 1, 2006
The 720 Space
Minneapolis, MN

This was the much anticipated (by us) first appearance in the Twin Cities. We played at a new venue called "The 720 Space" in downtown Minneapolis. It's not immediately obvious by looking that there's a venue there. At first it just looks like an office supply company. The area around there is made up of old warehouses that have been converted into lofts for business and such. The Space is just one of many lofts in the building. While we were loading in (on a freight elevator) and setting up, we heard a band practicing in one room and while we were loading out, there was a rave going on in another. So the building is well used by businesses and other groups.

The show got underway roughly around 10pm with Junebug starting out the night. The crowd wasn't massive, but it wasn't entirely miniscule either. We opened the show with "Poet Who Didn't Know It" to a really good response. "Bad MammaJamma" was next and got screaming cheers afterward. We kept the set concise, rounding out at 50 minutes, and we made sure to have a diverse sampling of our work, ranging from "Spring Fever" to "Refrigerator" to "The Date". After the show was over, Anthony and Tony both referred to the set as "high octane". And it was indeed a very fun and energetic show.

Minneapolis bands The Brutes and Solid Gold and the Massachusettes-based Animal Hospital also performed tonight.

Special thanks are extended to Brandon from the 720 Space for hooking us up with the show. Also thanks to our friends who showed up at this show: Logan and Melissa, Chuck, Bryna, Heather and Isaac, and PJ. (And of course Sarah, Jenny and Liza!)

Sunday, June 25, 2006

6/24/06 - Red Rooster - Aberdeen, S.D.

June 24, 2006
"Junebug in June" Weekend
Red Rooster Coffee House
Aberdeen, SD

Tonight was the continuation of the Junebug weekend at the Rooster. The opening act was a reunion of the Dimbulbs, with Adam Hoox on guitar and lead vocals, Trevor LeBoo on bass and Floam Chomsky on drums. It was fantastic to hear that band again. They have been missed. The final number was "You're the One that I Want" from Grease, with Hobo on drums and Sierra on the female vocal part. Oh, such fun had by all. One fan was heard outside saying, "I wouldn't want to follow that." Well, follow that we did - and hopefully lived up to expectation.

After kicking things off with "Junebug Flow" and bringing the boogie with "Bad MammaJamma", Anthony said, "We've got a song that we should have written, but I think you will recognize it..." And boy did they. Junebug dared to play the old Fed By Doris standard, "Da Bomb". The crowd danced and sang along and we played "Refrigerator" and all seemed right with the world.

And then Anthony's guitar got cranky and stopped working. Not to worry, because Anthony and Dustin in their infiniate wisdom managed to figure it out. For a couple songs. It got grumpy again during a rockin' performance of "Chosen Ones". No matter. The set kicked ass anyway and the Rooster Rats seemed to love what we were bringing.

We kicked the second set into gear with one of the new favorites, "Poet Who Didn't Know It" followed by the title track from our forthcoming second album, Share. Then, since we didn't get the chance to play all the songs from last night's bucket show (or give away either of the two free CDs), we deviated from our setlist and had members of the crowd come up and finish it off. And it was a great decision. The very first drawing was "Casanova" and Adam Hoox did a guest spot freestyling. It's a shame his mic wasn't turned up louder, because as Dustin and Tony both agreed, it was probably the best "Casanova" guest spot to date. That d00d's got skillz.

After we finished off the bucket, Dustin launched into on of the most famous guitar licks in history - and we played "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. The looks on faces of the crowd were priceless when we whipped out that gem. And the looks were even more amazing when we whipped out the NEXT EPISODE. Yes, indeed.

It was high-octane from there on out with "Jumpstart" and "Found My Boogie". The next song on the setlist was actually "Clone You" but Ashton, a girl in the crowd really wanted to hear "Downtown Liquor Store". We put it to the crowd and the consensus spoke. And quite fittingly, during the song two uniformed Aberdeen Police officers came into the coffee house and eyed the band. After the song was over, Tony assured them it was only a song - just a story. They seemed satisfied.

For our show closer, we performed the Aberdeen debut of our cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". When it began, the crowd had varied looks on their faces - "could be?" "is it?" "I think it is"... I wanna be - your sledgehammer! ... "Yeah!" According to Paul Lundstrom, "It was the rockingest version of 'Sledgehammer' I've heard."

We want to thank the Red Rooster Coffee House for hosting this "Junebug in June" weekend. It was a total blast.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

6/23/06 - Red Rooster - Aberdeen, S.D.

June 23, 2006
"Junebug in June" Weekend
Red Rooster Coffee House
Aberdeen, SD

Tonight was the first night of the "Junebug in June" weekend at the Red Rooster Coffee House. Adam Hoox played tonight as well as a sort of reunion by the Blue Orange.

Tonight's show was a "Choose Your Own Show" show. After we started the show out with "Vacation to Oblivion" and "Modern Day Fairy Tales", there were song titles in a Country Crock tub. The members of the crowd were to come forward, draw one title out, read it allowed to the rest of the class and we would play it. And we did.

The experiment worked and it was fun. There was talk that it may become an annual thing: The Bucket Show -OR- as Anthony called it, the "Choose Your Own Show Show". The experiment worked well although "Bumblebee" showed up a little sooner than we usually play it, as did "Bad MammaJamma". But no worries we still rocked the rest of the show.

"Piper" was drawn out of the bucket and we all gave one another an imperceptible acknowledgment and started the song. In the middle of the number, "Next Episode" pushed it aside and took over! We played through the whole song, and when it was over, "Piper" took over where it left off. It was much like the "Episode" incident that took place on June 9, 2001. When it was done, Anthony explained to the crowd that you never know when that song is going to rear its head. Dustin referred to it as a "two-fer".

This show was kind of like coming home for us. The Rooster gave us our first show on May 6, 2000 and we have played there like crazy since then. In recent months we haven't played there so much, but this show was great and so welcoming - people in the crowd knew our songs, they danced, and when certain songs were pulled from the bucket, people cheered.

It was a fun, fun show.

Friday, June 16, 2006

6/15/06 - Nestor Bar - Fargo, N.D.

June 15, 2006
The Nestor Bar
Fargo, ND

Soundcheck:
| Like a Spy |

Thursday night at the Nestor. The bar was smokey, the crowd was sparse, and the bar staff was friendly. It was a pretty typical Nestor night. Totally Killer Nachos opened for us tonight. They were comprised of some guys we knew back in Jamestown: Travis (formerly of "Outpatient 13", Bud (formerly of Mediocrity and Meddle) and Chris (formerly of Meddle). Also on bass was a guy that Tony met once twelve years ago and actually remembered.

We opened our set with the newest incarnation of "Junebug Flow". That song keeps changing bit by bit. I think it's actually getting better. It was fun at any rate. Continuing the supercharged beginning of this show was "Underneath the Sweet Love" right into "Bad MammaJamma". Man, does it get any better?

"Casanova" had the groovy jazzy beginning tonight. It's been awhile since we've done that. "Vacation to Oblivion" made a brief appearance tonight as did our old friends the Golden Girls. Also tonight we debuted our NEW cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". We learned that the song happens to be a Totally Killer Nachos staple, so we invited Travis and Bud to sing with us on that tune, which was our show closer.

Tonight was Dustin's sister's 21^st birthday. But she couldn't come in to the show. She was so drunk they wouldn't let her in. Yikes. Poor Jennie.

Some old friends from Jamestown were there tonight. As was mentioned before, Travis, Bud and Chris were there as well as our old friend Clare Olson and old buddy Sam Mandan. Good times. Good times.

All in all, it was a pretty rawkin show.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

5/30/06 - Broken Axe - Moorhead, Minn.

May 30, 2006
The Broken Axe
Moorhead, MN

Soundcheck:
| Piper |

Encore:
| Black Betty [Ram Jam] | Bumblebee |

First off - the Broken Axe is a great venue. It's a new bar in Moorhead, Minn. that used to be part of a zoo built in 1939 by the federal Works Progress Administration following the institution of president Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" (specifically the so-called "Alphabet Acts") as a means of combatting the economic effects of the Great Depression, namely the loss of jobs, by hiring mostly unskilled blue-collar workers in various diverse construction projects. But less history lesson, more rawk.

The Broken Axe's stage is literally above the bar. All the gear needs to be hauled up a narrow staircase and the stage is on the open second story above the bar. If you were to drop something off of the front of the stage, it would actually hit the bartenders on the heads. Dustin even offered to stage dive if people called their friends. Long story short, it didn't happen. Anyway, there is a sound guy and a lighting guy and it all turns out looking and sounding really good.

The show started tonight with Kelsey Lee, an old friend from high school. She played the opening set and we love her as usual. We took the stage with "Found My Boogie" and rawked good and hard right off the bat. The first set consisted mainly of older, upbeat Junebug material that we had fun with. The second and third sets were more rawkin' and funky and the crowd seemed to really get into them. We sold a few EPs and ate some great food. We also watched half of "Roger Waters: The Wall Live in Berlin" on their TVs before the show.

The crowd roller coastered, big then small, etc. but it seemed pretty good for a TUESDAY night. We had a great time and the Broken Axe is certainly a venue we would love to return to in the near future.

NOTE: The cover of "Black Betty" was not planned. And we don't even know the song. It's just that Anthony was told we'd get free shots if we played it. I don't know if the shots happened.

Tonight's show was otherwise noteworthy on two counts: This is the first show we have ever played in the great state of Minnesota and we debuted a brand new song, "Share".

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

5/29/06 - 10,000 Skates - Aberdeen, S.D.

May 29, 2006
10,000 Skates Festival
Melgaard Skate Park
Aberdeen, SD

One month after the last outdoor Melgaard show we all got together for a second. This one was called "10,000 Skates" and was organized by Ryan Clay and Josh Andrews of YAPA, and our very own Anthony Bergman from the Donkey store in Aberdeen. There was a skate competition and bands played on a stage comprised of a flatbed trailer. There were concessions provided by Thatzza Pizza and the Coffee Smith. It was a great time. Young and old came out to enjoy this event and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.

Junebug took the stage around 4:30 p.m., just as the sun was coming over the trees and beating down on the area in which we played. The crowd was great and they were ready to boogie. There were a lot of familiar faces today (including Drew - ROCK ON) and many new faces to us as well. We even sold two EPs. Sweet.

We debuted two NEW SONGS today - "Aphrodite" and "Refrigerator". They both went pretty well and we're excited to show these songs to a Fargo audience tomorrow night.

We were joined by guests on two songs today. First, "Casanova" featured B.J. Clark with a little freestyle hip-hop and "The Date" featured our dear friend Elizabeth Andrews on violin.

What a fun show. Everyone should write letters to the editor of the paper letting the people of Aberdeen know that this kind of event is welcome and appreciated. Do it before the old people complain first.

See you in Fargo tomorrow night!

Sunday, April 30, 2006

4/29/06 - Nestor Bar - Fargo, N.D.

April 29, 2006
The Nestor Bar
Fargo, ND

Soundcheck:
| Underneath the Sweet Love |

Tonight was the longest show we've played thus far. We had the stage from 10:00pm until closing. We played three lengthy sets and rawked Fargo good and hard. Then we were pooped.

We broke out a couple oldies tonight. We opened with "Pay the Toll" and also threw in "Crystal's Answering Machine". The third set started with an oldie called "Rich & Poor" that was thrown out to Chris and Bud from the old Jamestown band Meddle, who were present tonight and really wanted to hear it.

Tonight we debuted parts one and two of a three part series about a particular man possessing eternal wisdom: Dr. Phil. The first was a free form jazzy sort of jam while Anthony read from a Dr. Phil book. The second was a little more sexy and a lot more funky.

At one point tonight, Dustin started playing "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" by AC/DC and a guy in the crowd yelled, "Play that! Don't tease us!!" Tony then explained that we as a band actually DO believe that rock and roll IS noise pollution. "We're gonna be bold and say that."

Later, while Anthony was tuning, the other three began playing "Another One Bites the Dust." We stopped and Anthony started "Poet" and the crowd was heard groaning in protest of our not continuing with Queen. Bam! Got 'em again!

Thanks go out to Seth the soundguy for being cool and making us sound good. Also, props and big ups to the faithful Junebuggers who came to Fargo just to catch our show. Your loyalty amazes us.