Junebug Show Diaries

Thursday, April 30, 2009

4/30/09 - Choppers - Mankato, Minn.

April 30, 2009
Choppers
Mankato, Minn.

Soundcheck:
| Like a Spy (Not the Stalker) |

We headed back down to Mankato for the second time in five days. This time we played Choppers for the first time to open the show for Mankato boys, Parallax. The bar was loud, and the crowd was energetic and pumped.

We put together a set of bangers for this one, since Parallax are known for their energetic rockingness. We knew that's what the crowd would dig. And dig they did. The bar was pretty well packed when we started, and it only filled up as the night went on. Folks were dancing and grooving and having a gay old time. My (tony's) remark was that "You Mankato bastards know how to party." It was affectionate of course. And I hope they got that.

Musically, it was pretty much a great Junebug show. No major mishaps or happenings, just a good, solid set. After we were done, Parallax pretty much brought down the house. We'll play with them again any time.

So, yeah. Short this time, but not much more that needs to be said. Awesome crowd, great show.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

4/25/09 - What's Up Lounge - Mankato, Minn.

April 25, 2009
What's Up Lounge
Mankato, Minn.

Tonight we returned to the What's Up in Mankato for reunion celebration of sorts. Apparently, a few years ago there was a bar in Mankato called the Albatross or the 'Tross. Tonight was a reunion of people that worked there and loved to hang out there. Leep 27 was a band that used to play there regularly back in the day, and though they haven't been doing much lately, they reunited for this occasion. Nick had been a part of that whole scene and we were invited to play on this bill. So there we went.

At first I (tony) felt kind of odd, myself. It seemed like a sort of "family" affair that I had not been a part of. But everyone made us feel welcome. We had a couple drinks with some folks before the show and visited a bit and it was all good. When we went up to play, however, it was discovered that the stage lights were out. We had thought they were just down pre-show, but they were actually out. The sound guy and another worker man began trying to solve the problem, but we said we were fine just playing the dark while they worked on it. We didn't though. We each took another round with the restroom and grabbed another beverage and by the time that happened, we were ready to roll.

The show started a bit low. Obviously, no one there knew us, so most folks were just visiting amongst themselves, which was obviously fine. But that didn't stop us from putting on a good show, even if there was absolutely no applause between songs. Because we're professionals, dang it!

We had the burden of announcing some sad news tonight. Comedienne and actress Bea Arthur passed away this morning. So in celebration of her life and commemoration of her passing, we played the Golden Girls theme tonight. Nick had never played it with us before, but he's a pro so he faked it for the sake of common good. It's a good thing we did play it, too, because aside from "Found My Boogie" and "Bad MammaJamma" this seemed to be the thing that grabbed everyone's attention and get them up to the stage.

It's too bad that once we had everyone's attention, we went and bungled up "Chosen Ones". And bungle it we did. We don't know if it was the tone on Anthony's guitar or the monitor balance or what, but when he starts the song with only his guitar, we could hear no definition in the sixteenth notes. It was just one big "bla" sound. So we didn't do to well starting it out. It was actually a disaster. I even considered just stopping and restarting, but then it somehow jumped back on track. Yikes.

At any rate, there probably weren't many new Junebug fans born tonight, but we had fun and kicked butt, regardless of any circumstances.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

4/10/09 - Whiskey Junction - Minneapolis

April 10, 2009
Whiskey Junction
Minneapolis

Tonight, One World Productions presented "Twin Cities Tonight" at the Whiskey Junction. Three bands, two comics, one helluva good time. Comedian Gabe Noah started the night, then Sunshine Behavior, Junebug, comedian John Conroy, and Parallax.

When it was our turn to play, as we were gearing up, a girl from the crowd yelled, "Blow us away!" We told her that it wasn't even a question. I don't know if we "blew her away" but she ended up buying a disc and enjoying us. So what more can we ask? Also, to introduce the set, Anthony informed the crowd that we had intended to burn the place down with our rock, but the manager of the place said insurance wouldn't cover it. He asked if we could blow the roof off the place, but that wasn't covered either. So he said that we would provide the best time we possibly could without causing any real property damage. It's a bummer, but we stuck to it.

Tonight's set was devised by our very own Nick Wosika. We said that if you hate it, it's Nick's fault, but if you love it, yeah, we're geniuses. We opened with "Pay the Toll" and truly rocked it proper. Afterward, it was so successful that Anthony announced, "That song really pooped us out. We've got one more for ya, this one's called 'Last Night'!" But he was just kidding, silly! We played a full set.

At the end of "Bad Mamma" tonight, Anthony said, "Give it to me negative one time!" We hit once. We are mathematical geniuses, in case you didn't know. We can do the simplest of arithmetic formulas in our heads on the fly.

Anthony had a problem remembering John Conroy's name tonight (the second comedian on the bill). He referred to him as a few different things, but the final time he mentioned him, he called him John Oliver. Dustin and I feigned excitement at the prospect of seeing the Daily Show's John Oliver. But he wasn't there, it was D.C. native John Conroy. Still funny as hell though.

We closed the show with "Chosen Ones" before handing the stage over to John and then Parallax. It was a high-octane, energetic show all around. The Whiskey has been good to us and we look forward to continuing that tradition.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

3/28/09 - The Aquarium - Fargo, N.D.

March 28, 2009
The Aquarium
Fargo, N.D.

Last time we wanted to play Fargo, we were glued to weather reports, wondering if we were going to be able to make it because of a monster blizzard. We didn't make it, so we rescheduled for March 28. No blizzards then, right? Exactly. However. Mother Nature had other plans and apparently really didn't want us to play in Fargo/Moorhead. This time, we were glued to the flood reports. People had been sandbagging all week and the river was going to crest on this very day. Businesses were shut down, people were evacuated (including our good friend Kelsey and her daughter). Was Junebug going to play this show? You're damn right we were. And we did, Mother Nature be damned. We all drove to Fargo from Aberdeen (where we played the previous night) and rocked the heck out of them. And we heard from many of them that they were glad to have just been able to relax for an evening.

But none of this happened before I (tony) threw out my back. It was honestly the worst back pain I've felt in my life, but I did my best to power through. My sister had to help me down the stairs because I couldn't walk or even stand up. Thankfully, my bandmates helped me with all my drum gear. If not for those guys... sheesh. So, I'm not really that intense, Fargo. That wincing while playing and baring of teeth with tightly closed eyes and head down, not looking at the crowd isn't actually my playing style, I was actually in excruciating pain. That being said, the show was rockin' and heavy duty.

Tonight was Junebug's official Share CD Release show in Fargo. Yup, seven months after its release. Sharing in the festivities this night were the San Haven Chuckle and the Mind Funk Allstars. It was a glorious gathering and Nick said his new favorite band is the Chuckle.

After a kickin' version of "Found My Boogie", Dustin addressed the crowd. "Flood Relief '09. Thank you for having us here to relieve you from the flood. You're welcome, by the way. If we had decided not to come, who knows what would have happened." This of course goes to the fact that last time we planned a Fargo show, there was a blizzard. This time there was a flood. We're planning a tornado for June. Stay tuned.

During "M'Lady" Dustin accidentally knocked over a mic stand with his guitar. This threw his guitar sorely out of tune. After the song, while he was tuning it, Bud, Travis, and Paul decided to kill some time by coming up to the stage and showing us their rear ends. Bare, with no clothes on them. I made a comment about the real Moon Over the Water. Thanks folks, I'm here all week.

The San Haven Chuckle has a song called "May They Wake". There's a portion of it that sounds almost exactly like the chorus of "Moon Over the Water". That's something that could be expected, since Travis and Anthony have been known to spend late nights jamming and sharing songs they've come up with. Intentional borrowing happens from time to time. Well, when they played "May They Wake" this night, they sang lyrics from "Moon". Likewise, when we played "Moon", we sang their lyrics at the same part. We are friends. We have a good time.

Tonight was fun. A lot more people came out than I expected. Laurel and Wendy (two of my sisters) were there, as were a number of people we know from the Jamestown days who now reside in Fargo/Moorhead. I would also like to say that my back pain had me kind of out of it. Iwas not being stuck up. I know there were people there that I haven't seen in awhile, so if it seemed that I snubbed you, it was not intentional. Catch me next time we're in town (in June).

Great show, Fargo. We were glad to take your mind off things for an evening!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

3/27/09 - Red Rooster - Aberdeen, S.D.

March 27, 2009
Red Rooster Coffee House
Aberdeen, S.D.

Encore:
| Crossroads | Clone You |

Oh, Red Rooster Coffee House. How we love you.

Every time we come back to Aberdeen it is more rowdy and more fun. As people know, we used to live in Aberdeen and Dan at the Red Rooster gave us our first real show. So Aberdeen will always hold a special place in our collective heart. In fact, when I (tony) said we were from Minneapolis, Dustin said, "Boo. We'll never be from Minneapolis. We're from Aberdeen, South Dakota!" Cheers erupted. But Nick actually is from the Twin Cities, so there it is. But the sentiment was correct. We love Aberdeen's Red Rooster Coffee House and we always feel at home there.

The show started out right with "Pay the Toll," continued with "Spring Fever" and then brought it up again properly with "Bad Mamma" and "Found My Boogie." After "Refrigerator" I heard a guy proclaim, "I love refrigerator!" I can only assume that we made him realize how much he loves his own household fridge. You, see, we're all about the goodness here. Now they'll live happily ever after.

The crowd at this show was incredible. This is the first show in which I've really noticed people singing along to nearly every song. Specifically during "Last Night" during Anthony's vocal breakdown, the whole crowd was singing along in a chorus of awesomeness and ego-building wonderfulness. Anthony said, "I loved that chorus effect on the breakdown." I felt obligated to tell him, "It wasn't an effect, people were actually doing it!" "No need to fake it," Dustin added.

We really veered from the setlist at times tonight. People kept shouting out requests, and they were songs we actually felt like playing, so we rolled with it. Except "Freebird." We didn't play "Freebird." "Not the Stalker" and "Downtown Liquor Store" weren't on the setlists, but we played 'em.

A question that's in my mind, however, is whether we've really been away long enough that people have forgotten the "Next Episode" routine. After "Place," I said "Did we rock it? How far would you say we rocked it?" Anthony and Dustin began asking the question too, but it took a good thirty seconds for anyone to shout it out. I guess it's possible that we're not quite as clever as we think.

Our show closer tonight was supposed to be "Damn the Man." Well, the Red Rooster is a family place, and there was a certain six-year-old young lady named Cora right down front rockin' out. Anthony made a judgement call that perhaps "Damn the Man" wasn't necessarily appropriate, so we played "Darn the Man". At the part where Anthony usually says, "that sunofabitch," I offered, "like an old pair of socks." Because to my knowledge, that would be correct usage of the word darn. Sadly, my little lesson was lost underneath Anthony's cry of "Everybody!" In retrospect, some things are better kept to myself.

When our set was over, after we had thanked the crowd, everyone started chanting, "encore, encore!" As Dustin noted, we're easy. They talked us into it. Even though we were pooped out, we gave it our all for two more songs. Because you're worth it, Aberdeen!

This was definitely one of, if not the best Rooster show we've ever played -- and that's saying something. Nick had heard a lot of stories about this place, but when he finally got to experience it first-hand, he loved it. He said, "This place rocks. You guys are sweet!"

A few special shout-outs are in order. First of all, Dan Cleberg is our guy. Secondly, Fed By Doris stepped up to play a spontaneous set when two of the booked gigs had to cancel. Thirdly, Butt Mugly was the winner of the 48-hour Bands and they opened tonight. And finally, Jeremy Burckhard ran sound, and he ran it well, like he always does. So we'd like to thank him specifically for that.

So, to sum up: Aberdeen rocks.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

3/21/09 - Big V's - Saint Paul

March 21, 2009
Big V's
Saint Paul

We descended upon Christensen's Big V's in Saint Paul once again to bring the mighty rock. There was a much better turnout this time around. Last time we played Big V's it was during the week if I remember correctly and we played only to the other bands a couple regulars at the bar who were more interested in the ball game on television than in the music in the immediate vicinity. This time, the crowd only increased as the night went on. Also in the crowd were Cody M. and Ji-Yeon all the way from Aberdeen.

Before the show started, Tony, Anthony and Anna were quoting lines from '80s movies. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure came up in the game and so I (tony) decided that I was going to open the show by reciting Abraham Lincoln's San Dimas address (also known as the speech Lincoln gives at Bill & Ted's history report). In case you forgot, the speech ends with "Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!" Then bam, right into "Bad MammaJamma." They didn't know what hit 'em.

There was a shortage of microphones tonight, so I had one in back, Nick went without, and Anthony and Dustin shared a mic in the style of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. There's always that question of "will they accidentally touch mouths? If so, does that mean they kissed? And what if someone's breath is bad?" Maybe other people never thought that, but I did. And no, Dustin and Anthony did not kiss. Not tonight, anyway.

Remember the theme from Top Gun? So does Dustin. And tonight it showed up in the solo sections of two different songs: Last Night and Moon Over the Water.

We played "Clone You" by request tonight. I asked, "Have you loved anyone so much that you want two of them so you can have a little fun? Huh? You know what I mean, right?" Anthony emphatically responded, "SEX!" But I was talking about Scrabble^® brand crossword board game. Sickos.

Also by request tonight was "Downtown Liquor Store." Before tonight we hadn't played this song (even in rehearsal) since December. When we had rehearsed it, we made all these great edits and made it more awesome. But we forgot all of them, so we played the old long version. But whatever. It doesn't matter because the song kicks ass, long or short.

Also appearing tonight were Velveteen, Good Luck and Godspeed and another act, the name of which I did not catch.

Lots of times at shows, I bring along my little low-end Hi-8 video camera for the purpose of documenting shows for my own records. Not good cinematography, just a static camera set up to capture what's going on. Well, tonight, a guy from the crowd we don't know asked Liza if he could film us. There's some interesting footage, lots of close-ups. More interesting than a static shot for sure. And he zoomed in on my wife's butt twice. So... thanks to that guy.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

3/7/09 - Tiffany's - Saint Paul

March 7, 2009
Tiffany's Sports Lounge
Saint Paul

What a crazy awesome night. First things first, we played this show tonight with The Isles and Nathan Miller & Unstoppable Company. These two bands are HOT. You need to check them out. You will not be disappointed. It is because of these incredible acts that Tiffany's Sports Lounge was packed tonight. It's always a party with The Isles.

We opened the show and our set was solid. This is the kind of show we like to play. Full energy, people enjoying drinks and free-spiritedly dancing. This was a crowd that had not been exposed to us previously (for the most part), so it was a chance to impress. Who knows if we did. The point was we had tons of fun. We played the regular Junebug standbys, plus "Stalker" and "Crossroads" which are both starting to flirt their way into our regular repertoire. Not surprisingly, both went over well. Other than the great vibe, nothing really too notable happened at this show. We distributed a couple discs, a few booties shook, connections and friendships were made, and the rock was good.

After our set, Nathan Miller and his guys shredded it and The Isles took all of our names so they could continue kicking asses even after the night was through. Hopefully we'll play with both of those bands more in the future.