Tuesday, December 16, 2008

12/15/08 - Trocadero's - Minneapolis

Set:
| Pay the Toll to Ride the Junebug Flow | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | M'Lady | Downtown Liquor Store | Last Night | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Damn the Man | Gamma Ray [Beck] | A Junebug Christmas | Jumpstart My Rocket |


We were asked to play tonight by our friends in My Lady Four at Trocadero's in Minneapolis. When I (tony) first walked in, I thought this was a really classy looking joint. There were white columns and what looked like a marble floor. Upon first impression, I thought it might have been too upscale a place for us. But then I saw a Brett Michaels 'coming soon' poster on the wall, and all my concerns were assuaged.

That type of awesomeness continued when the door person called me over and asked me who was in charge. I asked what she meant and she said, "Who's the promoter of this show?" I said there wasn't a promoter, and her mind was blown. Apparently, we were supposed to provide someone to run the door. They would check IDs and our person would collect money. This was news to us, so we just cancelled the cover. It turns out that it didn't matter. There wasn't much of a crowd at all, and by the time we were on, the only people there were Liza, Katie, Rory and the My Lady Four guys. We blame the snow, which was really comin' down.

As the reader may or may not know, we were scheduled to play a show in Fargo a couple days ago, but there was a nasty blizzard that put the kibosh on it. So tonight we decided we'd play the setlist that was intended for Fargo. Our Fargo set was intended to be a bit longer, so we picked and chose from it.

Included on that set was a Junebug rarity entitled "A Junebug Christmas". Many years ago, Anthony and I decided that since so many bands were writing holiday songs at the time that we should as well. So Dustin played a riff similar to "Happy Trails" and Anthony and I wrote some lyrics. What resulted is our own holiday song that only rears its head once a year, if even that often. Those present tonight were treated to it.

Furthermore, we played our new edit of "Downtown Liquor Store". We've been working on condensing it, since it's a pretty long tune, and I think our new version works.

They gave us free pizza and beer tonight, including a cheese pizza for Liza and me, which was very great. The band room was very large and spacious, with a bathrooom, which is always nice. The hallway leading to the band room was lined with 8x10 portraits of the various artists who have played there. Newest addition - Junebug? Not likely. Rock and roll.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

12/3/08 - 400 Bar - Minneapolis

Set:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | Last Night | I'm a Bad Mamma Jamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | M'Lady | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Clone You | The Date | Chosen Ones | Good Vibes | Aphrodite | Jumpstart My Rocket |


We had a show last night and we had a show tonight. There's a bit of a personal story that goes along with tonight. My (tony's) family is in town for awhile, but not for anything fun. My niece is undergoing some pretty serious surgery and everyone's here for that. Well, we (my family and I) spent all day at the hospital while she was in surgery and the plan was that at about seven o'clock or so, I would leave the hospital, grab a bite, load my drums and head the 400 Bar. My body had other plans though, you see.

Many of you may or may not know that I have had a history of recurring testicular pain issues. Well, today while I was at the hospital, I got hit hard by it, and out of the blue. Each step I took felt like a kick to the groin. The pain was so bad, I nearly vomited. Normally, when this happens, if I sit completely still, it subsides and eventually goes away. Not today.

Well, what better place to have a medical issue than in a hospital? I sat in a wheelchair and my wife and mother accompanied me to the emergency room. I sent my mom back up to the rest of the family, and Liza stayed with me. I looked at the time and realized it was getting pretty late. I was really cutting it close if I wanted to play the show. The doctor thought he knew exactly what it was. After an examination, he diagnosed me, but said that I would need an ultrasound to determine whether it was something more severe and urgent. The clock kept tickin'. I texted the guys and told them what was up. They were really cool about it, saying that they'd make it without me and wished me luck.

Long story short, I underwent a scrotal ultrasound and everything checked out. It just turns out that one of my guys has a tendency to twist and the doctor gave me some tips on that and remedied the pain without drugs.

Anyway... enough about my balls.

After I was discharged, I got into my van and called the boys, who were obviously at the 400 Bar. I said I was on my way, but I had to stop at home for the setlist and my sticks. I asked if it was possible to use a drum kit that was there, since there was no friggin' way I was going to be able to load and set up mine in my condition or this amount of time. Nick talked to Burnin' Hyder who was onstage at the time of the call, and worked it out.

I pulled up to the 400 Bar, found some parking (which may have been illegal parking) and booked it into the venue. By the time I got there and got inside, Dustin, Anthony and Nick were all onstage, finishing up their tuning and nearly ready to go. I hopped up on stage, took off my coat sat behind Burnin' Hyder's kit and was ready to go.

We ripped through an energetic "Poet" to start out the set and I addressed the crowd. "I just had my testicles ultrasounded. What did you do tonight?" Anthony added that this was not a sexual euphemism. I further added that this was correct. "I actually had the blue goo on my balls while the dude at the machine ran the instrument over them."

But... enough about my balls.

We played a killer set tonight. We really did. It was full of energy and you would have never known without seeing the hospital bracelet on my wrist that only twenty minutes previous I had been a patient in the ER. We ripped it down something fierce and everyone had a good time.

I'm a professional, dang it. Ain't no twisticle gonna keep me from rockin'.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

12/2/08 - Turf Club - St. Paul

December 2, 2008
Turf Club
Saint Paul, Minn.

Set:
| Good Vibes | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | M'Lady | Last Night | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | The Date | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Aphrodite | Jumpstart My Rocket |


We returned again to the Turf Club. The Turf is a weird place. It's a really fun venue and we love playing there, but it's kind of hard (for us) to draw a crowd in that room. But play we did. And loud.

Currently, my (tony's) niece is in town for a surgery, so I was somewhat distracted tonight, because at about 6:00am she'll be going under and we'll all be there. So we all said a little prayer for Angell tonight. But in the meantime, it was time to rock and my sisters Wendy and Laurel were there to join in the frivolity. "Poet (Who Didn't Know It)" went out to them tonight.

My distractedness manifested itself early on. We started the set with "Good Vibes" and in the midst I dropped a stick. No biggie, though, because no one even noticed it. In fact, I think that was my only major mishap, so this whole paragraph is pretty well worthless.

After Bad MammaJamma, in a James Brown voice, Dustin said, "Heh, Just the tip!" Take from that what you will.

Anthony's guitar was not cooperating tonight in the sense that between nearly every song, he had to retune. This was unfortunate because it slowed down our typical live flow, but what can you do? We still rocked it.

After "Chosen Ones", Dustin informed the crowd that "You were chosen to listen to that song right now... by the fates!" Then went on to say something about Morgan Freeman cussing. It didn't make sense to me, but I'm sure someone somewhere got it.

That's about it for this one.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

11/19/08 - Big V's - St. Paul

November 19, 2008
Big V's
St. Paul, Minn.

Souncheck:
| Clone You |

Set:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | Last Night | M'Lady | Aphrodite | Moon Over the Water | Chosen Ones | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Clone You | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Jumpstart My Rocket |


Tonight was our first time at Christensen's Big V's in Saint Paul. It was good. Before the show started, Cody arrived with his laptop and held the world premiere for our "Last Night" music video shot earlier this month. About twenty people huddled around his screen and applauded when it was over.

Right after the showing of the video, Cody and I experimented with the coin-operated cologne dispenser in the men's room. You put in a quarter and pull down a lever and cheap cologe literally squirts out, like a child's water gun. If you're not standing in the right spot, it could go all the way to whoever is washing their hands at the sink. It was strong and cheap. And classic.

Well, we took the stage, which we shared with a tree (no one, including the staff, was really sure whose it was or why it was there). We opened with Poet and afterward, Dustin said, "I think we've got time for one more?" Just kidding, silly. We played longer.

The comedy stylings seemed to be flowing tonight, apparently. Dustin announced that he had to pee. He then asked for a bottle... specifying "something little." Anthony ranted about hump day (since it was Wednesday) and said that this crowd didn't want to be mistaken for a Thursday crowd or just sit in a chair like all of those lazy Tuesday #$@&s. Dustin interrupted and said, "those lazy Tuesday farts. My mom doesn't like that kind of language." To which, Anthony bafflingly replied, "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."

You know on the album, on the song "Aphrodite," when that girl sings the background part. Well Dustin sang that tonight. The girl's part. In her octave. I informed that crowd that I literally had his balls in my pocket and he'd be getting them back after the show.

And speaking of giving, Anthony told everyone that we were giving back to the community tonight. He said we were all donating plasma at the end of the show.

During a particularly rocking version of "Clone You" tonight, Dustin's guitar went sourly out of tune and everyone noticed it. Afterward, he explained that he accidentally bashed his guitar against the wall during that song, which caused the out-of-tunage. "But," he went on, "that's rock 'n' roll."

So true, old friend. So true.

Friday, November 14, 2008

11/13/08 - Stasiu's - Minneapolis

November 13, 2008
Stasiu's Place
Minneapolis, Minn.

Set:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Clone You | M'Lady | Last Night | The Date | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Jumpstart My Rocket |


Once again, the members of Junebug become victims of our own punctuality. What I mean by this is that we almost always show up on time in a world in which virtually nobody else does the same. When we're told load-in time is 8:00 p.m., we show up at 8:00 p.m. Crazy, right? We were left sitting in wait for some time.

At any rate, when it was our turn to rawk, we didn't hold back. We melted some faces and took no names. Because that's what we do. When we go on an hour and a half late, and all that makes up the crowd are our ladies and Cody and his buds, we may be discouraged, but we hold up our end of the deal. And we have fun doing it.

This set was made up of all "bangers," as our dear Nick calls them. High energy, rockin' vibe and a couple of beers are all we need to provide a damn good time that everyone else is sorry they missed.

Stasiu's was an all right venue, though. In a better situation it could have been a great show. We definitely wouldn't mind playing there again sometime. But like I said, we didn't let it keep us down. We had a lot of fun.



11/13/08 - Cheapo Discs - Minneapolis

November 13, 2008
Cheapo Discs
Minneapolis, Minn.

Soundcheck
| Clone You |

Set:
| Spring Fever | I'm a Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | M'Lady | Moon Over the Water | Place | Chosen Ones | Good Vibes | Aphrodite | Jumpstart My Rocket |


Our first performance at Cheapo Discs in Uptown Minneapolis went swimmingly, as they say. Sadly, there was a miscommunication and the camera crew was not there to tape for the television broadcast. He is on vacation, we were told. However, we were told it would be totally fine to reschedule another show, since the taping was one of the main reasons we wanted to play this particular show. So be on the lookout for that.

Cheapo Uptown is kind of like a giant four-walled warehouse, with the stage set up in one of the far corners. It's pretty sweet. We were able to play at our normal volume, but customers could still shop at their liesure. It was pretty interesting playing in a retail setting. Most of the people weren't there to see music, they were there to purchase it. However, a number of customers came up to the stage to watch us for awhile. We also had friends there, which was nice.

Our set consisted mostly of Share tracks, since we were promoting our album at a store that sells our album. We also threw in Bad MammaJamma and Jumpstart My Rocket. Because face it, they rock.

An observation I (tony) had was that good, energetic, fun sets are pretty much the rule now, not an exception. It seems that probably 95% of the time we come off stage and congratulate each other on how great the show felt and how awesome the energy was and how much fun we had. Even when there aren't a lot of people in attendance. Each time this happens, it feels as if this show was an oasis in a desert of suck, when in reality, they all have been feeling great. It was just something I noticed, based on my own feelings, of course.

On to Stasiu's in just a few hours, to play a second show in the same night.

How "rock 'n' roll" are we, right?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

11/11/08 - Uptown Bar - Minneapolis

November 11, 2008
Uptown Bar
Minneapolis, Minn.

Set:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Last Night | M'Lady | Place | The Date | Aphrodite | Good Vibes | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Jumpstart My Rocket |


We returned to the Uptown Bar tonight. We were slightly worried about turnout since the news was reporting that the roads were treacherous and slippery, when in reality they really weren't bad. Turnout was actually pretty decent for a Tuesday night.

We shared this show with Laundromat Vacation, a local instrumental sort of "Midwest Surf" band. Because, you know, the surfing is good in Minnesota. These guys like to prove it to you. Fun stuff. I pictured that it would be great underscoring in a movie or television show about high school or college kids.

There was definitely some good energy tonight. The folks who were present were feeling the groove, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that everyone was enjoying their adult beverages. After all, in the words of the alcoholic, fired Santa Claus from the classic holiday film, Miracle on 34th Street, "A man's gotta do something to keep warm!" So, in short, Junebug benefits from alcoholic Santa's philosophies.

The set was good and solid and held the attention of the crowd. People actually cheered, rather than just applauding politely. People clapped along during "Place". And when it was all over, they demanded one more song. Did we give it to 'em?

Nope.

Keep the masses wanting more, we say.

Monday, November 3, 2008

11/2/08 - Station 4 - St. Paul

November 2, 2008
Station 4
Saint Paul, Minn.

Set:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Last Night | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Aphrodite | Jumpstart My Rocket |


This was Junebug's first time at Station 4 in Saint Paul. I (tony) had never even been there before. So when I first walked in to the bar it seemed very small, with a diagonal wood floor back in one corner. I mistakingly thought that was where we would be playing. So I was pleasantly surprised when I was led into the actual venue area. No, it's not just a corner of the room, it's a fully functional show space.

There were a lot of bands on the bill and we were a last-minute addition to replace someone who had dropped out. This was an all ages show, and that mixed with all the other bands provided a great new crowd that has never heard us before. They seemed to dig it, too. One thing is certain - Junebug has never played a gig so LOUD.

Our set was compact and concise. We had about thirty minutes, so we just threw together our sure-fire crowd-pleasers. We ripped through them with vigor so as to embolden those assembled in their expression of enjoyment. Or something.

At any rate, we had fun. The sound guy did a nice job too, with monitor mixes and house mix and such. And Carp, the drummer for My Lady Four, said that my kit sounded really good. My kit doesn't usually sound good...so kudos to the sound guy for that. And personally, I love playing on a stage that has an actual drum riser.

We had a brief photo session before the show in the alley behind the venue. Some good shots were had. Finally, Nick's brother and niece were at the show tonight so they deserve a "shout out." Holla!

Friday, October 31, 2008

10/30/08 - Neisen's - Savage, Minn.

October 30, 2008
Neisen Bros.
Savage, Minn.

Set:
| Last Night | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | M'Lady | Soul Shaker | Good Vibes | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna | Clone You | Aphrodite | Jumpstart My Rocket | La Bamba [Ritchie Valens] |


So it was that Junebug decended upon the southern suburb of the land, the town of Savage. The gentlemen of Cryptic (who are close personal associates of Nick's) invited us to play with them at Neisen Bros. Sports Bar & Grill. Well, we did. I (tony) was talking to Liza and Katie and we both agreed that it reminded us a bit of Aberdeen. If we were to combine the Eagles and Lager's, it might be close to Neisen's. There was a pretty fun crowd there, too. There was a table full of what I imagine are bar regulars who had evidently had a few drinks and were ready to rock. And as we were finishing up, the bikers descended. Pretty amazing.

Our set was delayed a bit by numerous technical difficulties. There were issues with mics and monitors and balance and all that. But Anna and her brothers assured us that it sounded fine in the crowd - at least better than it did in our monitor mixes. I mean, people were dancing and hollering, so it couldn't have been that bad.

On one final note, there was a dude that was requesting "La Bamba" all night long. Well, after our final song, we did the whole "Thank you, we are Junebug, CD for sale" bit. As we were getting ready to walk off stage, the dude yelled "La Bamba!" one more time. We figured, "what the hell." We've never played it before, but you have to keep the public happy, am I right?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

10/28/08 - Turf Club - St. Paul

October 28, 2008
The Turf Club
Saint Paul, Minn.

Set:
| Clone You | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Last Night | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | M'Lady | Moon Over the Water | Chosen Ones | Aphrodite | Jumpstart My Rocket |


Junebug returned to the Turf Club tonight, but this was Nick's first time there. We played this show with the Brutes and Droners. Junebug has played with the Brutes before (July 1, 2006), but when we tried to reminisce, we found out that three out of four of the guys in the band were not in the band back then. Anthony and I (tony) each went through them one by one and we each got three strikes. Funny stuff.

There were decidedly more people at this show than at our last show. Some of them Turf regulars, some came to see the other bands. At the very least we were exposed to some new people who may not have heard us before. We decided to go full on and play a solid rockin' set, with a little "Moon Over the Water" thrown in for good measure.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Anthony's voice tonight. He called in sick to work because of some major sinus and cold issues, and it was clearly evident in tonight's performance. There was some scratchy, croaky vocal stuff going on, but we powered through like the rock stars we are. A couple of times, Nick and I (Dustin's mic was accidentally set up in Nick's spot) sang along so the vocal line could actually be heard..

No matter, though. We all had fun and we rocked the Turf like you might expect us to.

Friday, October 24, 2008

10/23/08 - Eclipse Records - St. Paul

October 23, 2008
Eclipse Records
Saint Paul, Minn.

Set:
| Spring Fever | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Last Night | M'Lady | Moon Over the Water | The Date | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Aphrodite |


Junebug with Jason, the owner of Eclipse RecordsTonight was interesting indeed. It was by far the smallest show we've ever played. It was honestly just the bands (My Lady Four and Haroh), the girlfriends/wives, a couple parents, and a few others. But that didn't stop it from being fun. Oh, not at all.

First off, Eclipse Records is a pretty fun little space. It's a local record store which has a small video arcade and a show venue. The room is completely black and it's concrete and brick. And it's loud. Quite.

We played a set that was pretty indicative of what we've been playing lately. Mostly tracks off the album with a couple strays thrown in as well. Those present really seemed to enjoy it. I know we did.

As a further comment on the attendance of this show, it was interesting to notice that between each band, the audience area was completely empty... because everyone in the audience came back to the backstage/band room area. At one point, I (tony) stepped onto the stage to an empty room, pumped a fist into the air and triumphantly shouted, "Hello, Saint Paul!" I expected to hear the comforting chirping of country crickets, but instead the sound guy peeked out from behind a speaker and chortled politely.

It was fun, though, and that's the reason reason why we play shows. Sure, it's nice to have crowds like we did at the Fine Line or at the Ramkota before we moved out of Aberdeen, but it's sort of a rite of passage, isn't it? To play a show to almost no one? It was fun and funny and all that. We actually look forward to playing Eclipse again. It was a cozy, neat little place. It'll be even more fun to be there when there's a crowd.

Nick was shooting some video tonight of the bands and of the backstage antics. When we were onstage, his buddy Carp (the drummer from My Lady Four) filmed us. So we'll see if anything ever comes of that footage. Ah, well. Y'know.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

10/17/08 - Fine Line - Minneapolis

October 17, 2008
Share CD Release
The Fine Line Music Cafe
Minneapolis, Minn.

Set:
| Last Night | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | M'Lady | Share | Place | The Date | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Good Vibes | Soul Shaker | Clone You | Aphrodite |


If we thought the last show was fantastic, we didn't know what was coming to us. This Fine Line show trumped all Twin Cities shows thus far. We had been looking forward to playing the Fine Line for a long time and it really was a blast. We had people from Aberdeen drive out for it and some friends from college and high school were there as well. Gabe and Hannah even flew in from Kentucky to be there. Awesome. We had the benefit of having the crowds of Love in October, Jon Wayne and the Pain and My Lady Four there, too...which didn't hurt at all.

The energy was high and the crowd was diggin' it. We managed to pull it off with only a couple flubs, but no one seemed to notice at all. Except when Dustin executed a rockstar leap and kicked the mic away from Anthony's amp, causing his guitar to go silent. If I (tony) could have, I would have held up a card giving him a score of 9.0. It was a good leap.

Tonight Anthony told the brief version of the story of how the album came about, saying that Gabe had heard our demo version of "Place" and decided he wanted to make it sound good. We then invited Gabe onstage to sing "Place" with us. It was kind of a cool gesture to say thank you for all the work he put into it and the strings he pulled to get our album made. Very fun.

One of the cool things about the Fine Line is that in the band rooms downstairs, many of the bands that have performed there in the past couple years have written their names on the rafters. I saw Wolfmother, Shiny Toy Guns, Paddy Wagon and others. Pretty cool. Needless to say, we left our mark.

We loved the Fine Line. The staff was all excellent and the sound guy was amazing. We heard from a number of people that it was the best live mix they'd ever heard.

Anthony's description of Share: "Sometimes when you're in a dark alley and there's a ninja there, you gotta share that lollipop with that ninja! You're not going to fade into the darkness! Kill him with kindness."

Guy overheard on a fan video: "They're not too bad, are they?"

Thank you, guy. We appreciate it.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

9/26/08 - Centerfield - Minneapolis

September 26, 2008
Centerfield
Minneapolis, Minn.

Set:
| M'Lady | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | Last Night | Share | Good Vibes | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Aphrodite |


Yes!

Tonight was the kind of show we love to play. It was concise, it was extremely high octane and we all had a blast. In talking to Dustin afterward, I (tony) compared this particular performance to Altoids breath mints. It was "curiously strong."

After the musical stylings of Section 30 and Sunshine Behavior, we took the stage, hurrying our butts off so the crowd didn't completely exit before we began. It was a tightly crammed stage, but we didn't let it stop us from putting it all on the line. My drum setup didn't even quite fit properly, but I made it work in the end. Because everything was so tight, I misjudged the placement of my drums and cymbals a few times, and ended up with a bloody knuckle and perhaps a small blood spatter on my snare drum. I haven't looked closely enough yet. But that just goes to show you, we give our blood for our art. Or something.

Tonight's show was shot in part by Sidenberg/Tesnow (Six-Ton Productions) for a music video that will be coming your way before too long. Tonight's shots were the live performance portion of the video, with more scripted shooting to happen later on. But just so you know when you see it, it was shot tonight.

Lastly, and most importantly, tonight was NICK WOSIKA's first show with Junebug! The energy was high, and everyone was feeling it. Nick felt it too, and we felt him. Then we played music together. Haha. Get it?

But seriously, Nick is an excellent addition to Junebug. We're totally glad he's with us, and anyone who has ever been into Junebug will have to agree. We knew it already and tonight's performance proved it. Phooey to you to missed it, suckas!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

8/29/08 - Red Rooster Coffee House - Aberdeen, S.D.

Set:
| Spring Fever [pre-recorded] | Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | Share | Last Night | Found My Boogie | I'm a Bad Mamma Jamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | M'Lady | Moon Over the Water | Place | Breathe You In | The Date | Chosen Ones | Lady Madonna [The Beatles] | Jumpstart My Rocket | Jammin' Out in a Soundproof Room | Good Vibes | So True / Summertime |


And so we returned to the Red Rooster Coffee House for the second time since we moved away, and the first time since our album Share was finished and printed. Our Twin Cities CD release party isn't until October. But we decided we wanted to celebrate with Aberdeen first.

This is our first show since the addition of bassist Nick Wosika. However, he was not able to join us for this show, since he was playing a farewell show with his other band, Stereoscope in the Twin Cities. So we played sans bassist tonight, just like the old days at the Red Rooster. Also reminiscent of the old days was the opening lineup, made up of The Blue Orange and Fed By Doris. Both of these bands used to play with Junebug regularly at the Rooster, and I happen to also play drums in both these bands.

We took the stage and Dustin welcomed everyone, saying, "Dear our people, we are pleased to meet you again in this certain time and place that has predestined to be here and now again." I (tony) then announced, to great reception, that this is our CD release party. "Here's our CD," I said and pressed play on an onstage CD player. We listened to "Spring Fever" in its entirety. I was in favor of just letting the entire CD play while we sat/stood onstage, but the other dudes were not keen on that. So I left it up to the crowd. "Do you want us to actually play, or do you just want to listen to the album?" Jeremy Storly shouted out, "Leave the CD on... I've heard you live." Everyone else wanted us to play. We've got to keep the masses pleased, you see.

Since we had no bassist tonight, we asked Jeremy Burckhard to come up and play bass on a couple of our older tunes, "Found My Boogie" and "Bad Mamma Jamma".

In the middle of the band intros during "Bad Mamma Jamma", Jeremy and Dustin spontaneously broke into "Deuling Banjos" and it kind of blew my mind a little bit.

Some of you may have noticed Anthony's unique style of dancing at shows. He tends to bounce a lot. Tonight he mentioned that "a Junebug show is like a workout for me." I added, "If he's not doing the limbo, he's not working hard enough." He returned with, "It's called JAM-ercizing!" I think he may be on to something.

We then played "Moon Over the Water" off the album, a song which has never before been heard in Aberdeen.

Our dear old friend, the violinist Elizabeth Andrews, joined us on three songs tonight; "Place", "Breathe You In" and "The Date".

Tonight, I dedicated "Breathe You In" to Vinny and Barb, who are getting married tomorrow. This song was actually played by Junebug at my wedding, so it's good for those who share the loves.

During some downtime on stage, when Anthony was messing with his settings or something, I decided to fill some dead air with jokes provided to me by our old friend, Rory Behrens, who was no in attendence tonight. Q: What time do you know you need to go to the dentist? A: Tooth-hurty. Q: Where does patio furniture go when it dies? A: To the cement-ery. It should be pointed out that nobody laughed. I was just trying fill the dead air. Someone from the crowd asked what kind of cheese was not mine. Dustin emphatically replied, "That's nacho cheese!!" Then we played a song.

Anthony put me on the spot, by saying he had to tune and it was up to me to come up with some witty banter. The best I could muster was to talk about my hat and say that I was not even modest about it. I furthermore added that "Tony" and "witty" do not belong in the same sentence.

Tonight we debuted our version of The Beatles' "Lady Madonna". It's very rockin' and we like it. The kids in the crowd really seemed to dig it. "Jumpstart" was next, and the energy was good. The crowd was clapping in rhythm to start it out and in the middle breakdown. They were jumping and dancing and it was all good. This is why we keep coming back to Aberdeen. This is good stuff.

We got a request for "Jammin' Out in a Soundproof Room" tonight, so how could we deny the fans? It was one of the better performances of that song, and Anthony said it really took it out of him.

We closed the show out tonight with "So True" playing right into "Summertime", which is what closes out the album. It's a fitting ending, I suppose, for the CD Release party.

We thanked the Red Rooster for always being good to us, and we thanked the staff for staying late while we played long. Thank you, Aberdeen. We shall return.

Monday, July 14, 2008

7/13/08 - Clebergs - Aberdeen, S.D.


Fallout 1k Run
Prelude:

| Chariots of Fire [Vangelis Papathanassiou] |

Set:
| Downtown Liquor Store | Fargo Gypsy Girl | Cake | Place | Rocky Raccoon [The Beatles] / To the Next Episode | Good Vibes | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Casanova |Share | Bumblebee | Rockin' Out in a Soundproof Room | Crystal's Answering Machine | Like a Spy| Spring Fever | Last Night | Jumpstart My Rocket |



The Fallout Creative Community put together the Third Annual (even though it was only the second time they did it) 1k Run. The concept was involved the participants meeting at the Red Rooster Coffee House and running a daunting one thousand meters to the Clebergs' house. Since it is such a gruelling race, there were rest checkpoints set up where participants could chug a Mountain Dew and smoke a cigar. Anyhow, when the race was over, the runners were met by Junebug at the finish line playing our rendition of the epic "Chariots of Fire."

This show was pretty informal. We had no established setlist, but rather took requests and took songs as they came to us. We played a number of older songs that haven't been heard in awhile. This included "Downtown Liquor Store" and "Fargo Gypsy Girl," among others. Happily, "Fargo Gypsy Girl" was supplemented by the talents of our old friend Bruce Likness.

We didn't have a bass player booked for this show, but a guy we know named Brian Hoesing sat in on a few tunes for the beginning portion of the show. Add another name to list of bassists who have played with us.

At this show, we announced that this was the start to the Junebug backyard tour. We may be coming to YOUR backyard soon, but the catch is you can't ask us to come to yours or you're out of the running. It's just random backyards. Yours may be the one. Or not.

We pretty much HAVE to mention the fact that we played The Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon." Or at least part of it. We played our own version of it, totally Junebug-ized, but then after the shot rang out, "To the Next Episode" took over. Jeremy Burckhard was visibly upset.

The show continued much in the same fashion, ending with a special performance of "Jumpstart My Rocket" dedicated to a departed fan by the name of Denae.

To illustrate the magic and power of Junebug;
Anthony: "This band is going to make you believe again."
Audience member: "I'm not afraid any more."

Saturday, July 12, 2008

7/12/08 - Great Aberdeen Pigout - Aberdeen, S.D.

Set:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) | Modern Day Fairy Tales | I'm a Bad Mamma Jamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Refrigerator | Clone You | M'Lady | Spring Fever | The Date | Last Night | Chosen Ones | Jumpstart My Rocket |

Encore:
| To the Next Episode |


Today was the Great Aberdeen Pigout in downtown Aberdeen. It was also the first time we've played in Aberdeen since moving to the Twin Cities nearly a year ago. We were asked a while back if we wanted to play this show and we took a long time to work out schedules and see if it would work. Luckily, there was still room for us. However, we were scheduled to go on at the same time (different stage) as Snakebeard Jackson. This was a problem, because Snakebeard's mandolin player is Josh Rieck, our former bassist who would be guest performing with us today! Well, the scheduled conflict was fixed and it all worked out.

That's right, Josh stepped up on stage with us after having not played with Junebug for nearly a year -- rehearsals included. No practice, just Josh's musical and muscle memories taking over. He didn't skip a beat. It was as if he had been with us all along.

We performed on the South Stage, which was set up near the Capitol Theater on Main Street. I (tony) was allowed to pull my van into the restricted area so I could unload my gear conveniently. Although I brought my entire kit, I found out that I would be using a backline kit. It wasn't a problem, though, since it was nearly identical to mine. It was the same brand, color and finish, just a newer model. It was a very nice day, but it was quite windy as well. When I was setting up my cymbals and stands, a gust of wind came along and knocked one of my cymbals to the asphalt below. The cymbal is dented, but still usable, thankfully.

Outdoor shows are always fun. There's something really fun about the sun shining down on you as you play, with the breeze in your face. We took the stage and Dustin welcomed the crowd saying, "We're happy to be here! We're happy to be anywhere."

We had this idea that it would be funny if, after our triumphant exit from Aberdeen, we returned and sounded absolutely horrible. So we started the set with "Poet", but intentionally played the intro horribly. I have to admit that it was pretty amazing, though I fear it was lost on some.

When our set was over, there was still a little time left and the people wanted to hear more. So we played a nearly impromptu version of "To the Next Episode". We hadn't rehearsed it, so we didn't know what Dustin was going to do in the middle portion. He usually teases a well-known song and then we kick back into "Episode". He played "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, but we were all horribly off. It was the epitome of trainwreck. We completely fell apart. So Anthony just yelled, "EPISODE!" and we all kicked back in. So we bookended it. We started horribly (intentionally) and ended poorly (unintentionally).

The Pigout was a lot of fun. It's nice to see a local festival with local and regional bands get so much support. We hope to be a part of this again. This support for local bands and bands with ties to Aberdeen is invaluable to the Aberdeen music scene.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

6/17/08 - Turf Club - St. Paul

June 17, 2008
Turf Club
Saint Paul, MN

Set:
| I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | M'Lady | Last Night | Like a Spy | Damn the Man | Clone You | The Date | Good Vibes | Chosen Ones | Jumpstart My Rocket |


The Turf Club in Saint Paul was a great venue to play. City Pages named it the best music venue of 2008, so it was pretty great to be able to play there. We were contacted by a local band called Morning Society (we have a mutual friend) to fill an empty slot in their show.

Kai Catudio played bass with us tonight, as we ripped through a solid set of groovers and rockers. Some tunes were a little shaky, but it certainly wasn't bad at all for our Saint Paul debut.

PJ was present at the show, and as usual had his recording equipment on hand to capture a live recording that turned out pretty decent. A number of other friends were on hand to cheer us on, thankfully. Understandably, the crowd wasn't huge. It was a Tuesday night, after all. But all in all, the Turf was a fun venue to play. We look forward to playing there sometime again.

Friday, June 13, 2008

6/12/08 - Uptown Bar - Minneapolis

June 12, 2008
Uptown Bar
Minneapolis, MN

Set:
| Poet Who Didn't Know It | I'm a Bad MammaJamma (Who Works at Wendy's) | Last Night | M'Lady | The Date | Like a Spy | Chosen Ones | Jumpstart My Rocket | Sledgehammer [Peter Gabriel] |


So tonight was our first "real" show since moving to the Twin Cities. By that, we mean of course, that it was an actual booked show rather than just on a contest roster. We played smack dab between Ah, Venice and Morning Society at the Uptown Bar in Minneapolis. It was a nice, cozy rock and roll venue, with a real good sound guy.

Kai Catudio played bass with us again tonight, and we all tend to agree that his onstage energy and attitude is always welcome whenever he can contribute. He's pretty darn good.

We had about forty-five minutes to make a good impression, and based on our post-set response, it seems we accomplished just that. The whole set was energetic and in-your-face, and we rocked up a good sweat.

Tony's in-laws drove all the way from Aberdeen specifically for this show, and they said they were blown away. The official report from Mr. and Mrs. Johnson is that it was "really, really fun and the music was just unparallelled." So, that's good. (On a related note, we recently received word from Aussie Danny Ch. that his parents also delighted in the 'Bug on a drive from Sydney to half-way across the continent. Apparently parents love us.)

Both Ah, Venice and Morning Society were great and we were quite pleased to be sharing the stage with them. Lookin' forward to more of that.

Monday, May 19, 2008

5/18/08 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis

May 18, 2008
Gorilla Productions
Battle of the Bands

Varsity Theater
Minneapolis, MN

Set:
| Poet Who Didn't Know It | M'Lady | Last Night | Moon Over the Water | Good Vibes | Chosen Ones |


After focusing these past few months exclusively on our upcoming album, Share, Junebug finally played a show! This was the latest installment of Gorilla Productions' Battle of the Bands series. We sold some tickets and played with a few other fun Twin Cities bands at the famous and historic Varsity Theater in Dinkytown.

The show started at 4:30 and we went on at 6:00. We kept the set short and sweet, due to a thirty minute time limit, and all the tunes we played tonight were off the upcoming album.

Our bassist tonight was the incomparable Kai Catudio, who recorded bass with us on ten of twelve album tracks. Kai's energy and musicianship were perfect for our live show and we truly loved having him play with us.

Though we didn't win the "battle," we got a lot of really great feedback from audience and musicians alike. The Varsity was a great venue to play. In fact, it was voted as City Pages' top music venue of 2007. It was great to be included in an event that took place in the Minneapolis music scene. We look forward to possibly playing shows with these or other bands in the near future.

Finally, we got to see an old friend at this show -- the mighty and elusive P.J. Pearson! Of course he bootlegged the show with his fancy schmancy audio equipment. Because that's what he does.

So, anyway. Fun show. It was a good start to what we hope is a successful run in the Twin Cities.