Junebug Show Diaries: 2014

Saturday, September 27, 2014

9/27/14 - Secret Circus Music Festival - North Branch, Minn.

Set:

Poster provided by
Secret Circus Festival

We piled into Tony's in-laws' Suburban and headed up North. It's not often that we all head out in one vehicle. It makes sense, obviously, but it rarely happens. This time it did. Band bros on the road. Or something like it.

Outdoor festivals are always a fun gig, so we were looking forward to this one. There were folks camping on the grounds, which meant that we were just part of the soundtrack of their day. Roll out of the tent, grill up some food, pop a cool one. Hey, there's some music happening. Sweet. We were one of the many musics.

When we got there, we pulled up to the fest, got our VIP passes and proceeded to the artist area. Snacks, beers, shade, chairs, like-minded musician-folk. It was glorious. There was even a sweet elderly dog. We were warned that the dog would bite, but I would be surprised if it even had any teeth left to do so. The dog was awesome and really just laid there. Good mascot.

Junebug poses with their spikiest fan.

When we took the stage, we noticed that our biggest fan was right down front center. Yes, that coniferous tree that follows us from show to show was there in its full glory. We even posed for pictures with it afterward. Our entire set was dedicated to the tree, who stayed right down front for the whole performance. Dedication is what we look for in our Junebuggers. The tree's got it.

It's always a good sign, and you know you've made it, when you're playing a show and you can clearly hear someone shout out, "Who are you?" "We're Junebug!" Dustin replied. That's a christmas tree!" he said, pointing to our biggest fan.

We played a good set. The sunshine and the breeze really bring out something good in us. And seeing concertgoers enjoy it all is good too. "A cemetery's a perfect place to... raise your kids," is a line which was uttered today. There was also a hearty belch after the "pudding's in the proof" line. Furthermore, today we unveiled the live debut of "Rush Hour," a newly recorded song off the upcoming album Stan.

Friday, August 29, 2014

8/29/14 - Honey - Minneapolis

Set:

Poster by Tony Kollman

It was a weird night. It was a fun night.

I always like descending the dark staircase that leads to the Honey dungeon. Although I know that good times, music, and beers await, something in the back of my psyche says, "dungeon, Will Robinson!" It's a nice place. I dig it.

You know how you have one of those nights? Where, like, a lot of stuff just goes wrong? Our pals in the opening band had one of those nights. I felt bad for them.

In addition to arriving right at start time due to circumstances beyond their control, one of their members didn't have his instrument. He quickly left to get it. Spoilers: by the time he got back, their set was pretty well over. There weren't many folks there to start out the night either. Like I said, I felt bad for them. They're good folks. I mean, they have their own comic book, for pete's sake. We don't have a comic book. The good news was, they cut some dude's hair on stage.

(fig 1.1) Night's beginning.

Ours was a short set, but sweet. We started tonight with "Modern Age". We've never really seen that as a set opener before. Change is good, though, and it worked out well. It ends with a great energy which was a good way to get the ball rolling.

We continued the trend of playing some of the new stuff ("7 Eleven" right into "Stan") as well as what are becoming some old Junebug standards ("Destiny," "Mystic," and "Fluffy"). We almost, almost played a brand new one from the upcoming album called "Rush Hour," which we've been working on for an upcoming recording session. Anthony nixed it for time. Don'choo worry. It's coming.

As the set began and as it went on, more and more folks filtered in. It was a decent-sized house by the end. The applause got louder as the night proceeded. We were pleased and surprised with how it filled up as opposed to how sparse the population was just before the night began (see fig 1.1).

This was our last in-city show for awhile. We have one more show left, out of town. We'll be buckling down and focusing on the recording of the next album.

Until next time, Junebuggers...

Thursday, August 7, 2014

8/7/14 - Amsterdam Bar & Hall - Saint Paul

Poster by Tony Kollman.

We descended upon the Amsterdam in St. Paul for the first time tonight. Great atmosphere, great stage, great beer, great staff. We've become pretty good band-friends with What Tyrants and Moving Parts. It's always good to get together with those guys and make the music happen. We did so on the brightly colored stage of the wonderful Amsterdam Bar & Hall. I did so with Heineken in hand. The bar is called Amsterdam, after all.

We hit 'em with the new stuff right off the bat. The first two we played tonight are the first two on the upcoming album we're working on. It's a decent flow. Give 'em a taste and leave 'em wanting more. I don't know how many times I've typed those words in this archive. But there it is again.

All the pretty lights, as seen from
behind the drum kit.

We didn't have a lot of time to fill tonight, so we made sure to hit some of the favorites: the typical Destiny, Mystic, Fluffy, you know. We tried out our new arrangement of "Chosen Ones" again. It's okay. It's definitely fun to play. I hope it translates well to the listener.

We closed 'er out with "Veronica," which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I heard Anthony's acoustic demo for this song years ago and I couldn't wait to get it into our repertoire. Now that it's here, I consistently advocate for its inclusion in our setlists. Tonight it served as a great closer.

Random notes: What Tyrants was kind enough to offer the use of their drum kit tonight. The Amsterdam frites are delicious. There was a woman in the crowd that looked eerily like the girl I dated my freshman year in college. It wasn't her, but Dustin and Anthony knew exactly who I was talking about when I mentioned it.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

7/19/14 - Christensen's Big V's - Saint Paul

Set One:

Set Two:

Postlude:

| Post-Show Jam |

Poster designed by Tony Kollman

It's not often in the Twin Cities that we'll play a show just us, no other bands. But that's what tonight was. Just the 'bug. Only the June'. This did mean that we got to pull out some tunes we don't always play, and it allowed us to freely jam a bit and experiment.

The crowd wasn't very big tonight, but we made the most of it and had fun. We have to give it to our die-hard fans. I'm gonna call these ones out by name. Becca, Monica, and Robb are almost always there. They were definitely there tonight, cheering us on as always. We kind of threw caution to the wind and gave those who were there our all. And they got to hear some stuff night that no other crowd has or will.

Shoulda been there #lastnight

I've gotta say, even though the crowd wasn't big, we still put on a good show. At one point, the sound guy even came out from behind the board and started dancing. Dustin (an occasional sound guy himself) noted that "it's hard to get a sound guy out on the floor."

During a lull, when someone was tuning or something, Dustin mentioned that one of his favorite businesses on Snelling just closed: Affordable Coffins. "Now I don't have a coffin guy," he lamented. "Who's your coffin guy?"

As I mentioned above, there were some experiments and new things tonight. Firstly, we approached "Soul Shaker" in a different way. It was a little laid back and a little more groovy. "Chosen Ones" was different tonight. We've been working out a new, more upbeat and driving arrangement and we debuted that tonight. Then there were some things that only tonight's audience will hear. For example, at the end of "Veronica," we just kind of kept on going with a unique jam. Furthermore, at the end of the second set, Dustin, Dillon, and I all remained onstage and finished out the night with about fifteen minutes of an ambient jam. It felt fantastic.

At the end of the night tonight, our buddy (and superfan) Robb really came through for me. When I was breaking down my hardware, I dropped a nut that goes on my hi-hat. I could feel it roll on the wooden stage, but I didn't see it. I feared that it may have rolled off the stage, into the narrow crack between the stage and the wall and onto the floor, where I feared it would be lost. I was trying to peer through the crack to no avail. Dillon asked what I was doing and approached from a different angle. He got on the floor and lifted up the skirt of the stage and was using his iPhone light to try to help me. He thought he saw it under there. I wasn't so sure. What I was sure of was that underneath that stage, where there is about a foot and a half of clearance, there was a lot of stuff. Setlists, broken (and whole) drumsticks, guitar picks, beer bottles, plastic cups, dirt, spider webs. I knew I was going to have to crawl under there and get filthy. But I had to in order to have a complete hi-hat for the next time I play. As I was contemplating my impending journey into the abyss, Robb comes up and says, "I can do it if you want. I'm smaller than both you guys." And while I would have been perfectly capable of doing it, I was also damp and sweaty from having just played two sets. Filth would cling. I took Robb up on his offer. He borrowed Dillon's phone as a flashlight and became my own personal tunnel rat. When he emerged from his journey, he presented me with not one, but TWO nuts like the one I lost. He said, "I didn't know which one was yours, so I grabbed both." Not only did he rescue my own hardware, but he came up with a spare. What a guy. Thanks, Robb.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

6/28/14 - Minnesota Saloon - Saint Paul, Minn.

Set:

Poster designed by
Tony Kollman

Today was one of those few-and-far-between occasions in which we've played two shows in one day. We've done it before, but not often. Earlier today, we were at the Twin Cities Pride Festival in Minneapolis, and this evening we were at the Minnesota Saloon in downtown Saint Paul.

We shared the night with That's My Uncle, The Doohickeys, and Precursor. It was a bit of an eclectic and diverse lineup. In addition to having never played this venue, we also had never played with any of these bands. They were a lot of fun. There were a lot of dirty jokes told and filthy innuendos made. My kind of night.

The set we played tonight was pretty similar to what we played this afternoon. Why mess with what works, right? And those guys that were country dancing like they were riding bucking broncos through our whole set didn't seem to complain.

Before "Mystic Princess" tonight, Anthony did warn people that they should be touching appropriately during that song. He said, "We're stopping the song if it's inappropriate." Evidently everyone complied. We did not end up turning the bar around and going home. But then some guy yelled out "Freebird!" I almost turned it around myself.

We closed the night with "Heaven's" and ended up rocking and jamming the end in our normal way. While it was happening, I noticed that one of the buckin' bronco guys was seemingly in a trance. Afterward, he approached the stage as we were tearing down and said, "That was a f***in' journey."

All in a day's work. But be advised: we don't play "Freebird."

6/28/14 - Twin Cities Pride - Loring Park - Minneapolis

Set:

We were asked back to Twin Cities Pride again this year. This is the fifth time in six years that we've played this festival and we love it every time. There's always such a positive air of love and inclusion hanging over Loring Park during this festival. And that's what we've always been all about: unity and good times. We're always happy to be a part of that atmosphere.

We played the Loring Stage again and this year it was emceed by the fabulous Foxy Tann, the self-proclaimed Boss of Burlesque. She started by welcoming the crowd and she said, "I'm so glad to see the youngsters here blowing out their ears so they're ready for their teenage years!" Touche, Ms. Tann. She later went on to talk about how she would be shepherding us through our debauched weekend. Love it.

We kicked off the set with "Please Please Me": that old chestnut written by some youngsters in Liverpool. Afterward, Anthony welcomed the crowd to the show and said he hoped there was somebody pleasing somebody behind some bushes somewhere. Keepin' it classy as always!

We kept rockin' it - another solid high-energy set filled with rockers. It was mostly tried and true Beards material, but there were some offerings from Stan. In a rare occurrence, we underprepared our set and were told we had more time that we had originally allotted. We happily added on. People were loving it. There were people dancing, individuals both of grown-up and child variety. Our crowd seemed to grow as the set went on, which of course is a good thing. It seemed the crowd energy maybe lulled a bit during "7 Eleven" but we brought them back with "Modern Age," I think. We closed out with "Stan," the title track from the new album we're working on. I'd call it a success.

The weather was beautiful -- at least for our set. Later on, there was a huge downpour of rain and some of the musical performances ended up cancelled, but the weather for our set was perfect.

If I had one criticism it would be this: I wish that, as in years past, they had asked us for lyrics to provide to the American Sign Language interpreters onstage. Each year, they have ASL interpreters onstage and I love watching them to see what our songs look like. This year, just moments before our start time, I spoke briefly with one of the interpreters and she asked if we happened to have any lyrics printed out. Sadly, the answer was no, so she asked if she could at least have a setlist with song titles, which I happily provided. However, I did notice there were a number of times in which it seemed she couldn't necessarily make out the lyrics well enough to sign them. So that was a bummer. On the bright side, she did seem to catch most of it and it was fun to watch as always.

The crew on this stage is fantastic. It's been pretty much the same crew every year if I remember correctly. I recognized all their faces and they are always so kind, helpful, professional, accommodating, etc. Any words you would use to describe an excellent stage crew works on this team. The mixes in both the monitors and the mains were fantastic. I thanked them after the show and being the consummate professionals, they turned it around on me and said I was the one who was good. I know the truth, though. Working with professionals feels good.

Happy Pride, Twin Cities! We hope to see you again next year!

Friday, June 6, 2014

6/6/14 - Nomad World Pub - Minneapolis

Set:

Poster provided by
ItMusic

Tonight's show was put on by the music site ItMusic.us. In some corners of the inter-webs it was promoted as "June for Junebug," because, well, our band name has the word June in it. We have taken advantage of this coincidence in the past ourselves (e.g., Junestravaganza and Junetacular).

We have often had this idea, when we've played the Nomad in the past, to play a short, sweet, energetic set. We had that idea going in tonight, too. It would have worked if we hadn't been plagued by minor technical issues. There were a few breaks for tuning, and most notably, at one point Dustin had to go to the mic and announce, "Our drummer fell over."

The troll under the banner

Yes, boys and girls, sometimes drum thrones fall apart. And sometimes drummers fall down. The first clue was when Anthony counted off a song in which the drums come in first and nothing happened, because, well, I was literally on the floor. But being the consummate professional I am, I repaired my equipment on the spot and everything was all good. Anthony told the crowd that we'd send an apology card in the mail at a later time. He then backtracked and stated that this was just the extended intro to the song. But then, we nailed it. We rocked it good.

Rockin' the Nomad.

Aside from those issues, it was a pretty solid little set. I do like playing the Nomad. The space seems very conducive to rock and roll as long as there are people there, like there were tonight.

Tonight was a special night because we all got to meet Dillon's mom who was in attendance. Mary was a welcome guest.

Also appearing were Aitas, The Dang Ol' Tri'Ole, and Little Star - a really fantastic guitar and cello duo.

'Til next time, Nomad, Thanks and good night.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

5/24/14 - Sidestreet Bar & Grille - Fargo, N.D.

Set One:

Set Two:

Encore:

| Handlebar Mustache |

It seems hard to believe, but this was the first time we've played in Fargo since Beards was released. I actually went back and double-checked, because it didn't seem right. But alas it is correct. We had neglected our beloved Fargo for far too long before tonight.

So we called up our ol' pals The San Haven Chuckle and said, "Whaddaya say? Shall we do this thing?" They said "Sure, I guess," and we united to do that thang.

The Chuckle played first and wetted the collective whistle of the audience. Or maybe they whetted the audience's appetite for more rock. Wet/whet, it doesn't matter. They were magnificent as always and left the crowd wanting more. And by design, we were there to give them more right away. We're so clever.

Selfie with Dillon!

When they were done, we made our way onstage and ripped into it. It was only fitting, since we hadn't been here since the release of Beards, that we start the show with "Beards," which we did. It got 'er started out right. We also pulled out our new-ish cover of "Don't Let Me Down" by the four lads from Liverpool. Anthony introduced it by saying, "If you know this one, sing it. That's what your lungs and vocal chords are for, dummy!" Dustin and I backed him up by both saying, "Yeah, you turkeys!"

Since this was the first time we've had Beards CDs in Fargo, Anthony and I took this opportunity to advertise: "All these songs are available to purchase! Five dollars for a CD, three CDs!" I interjected, "Now I would expect to pay upward around forty dollars for a product of that value." "That's what I would think too, Tony," he replied. "But every purchase now comes with a Ginsu Knife!" There were no takers. We still have a truckload of Ginsu Knives in our garage. Pity.

Selfie with Anthony!

Some lascivious person couldn't control their desires and shouted out, "Anthony! Show us your dick!" All faces in the establishment immediately turned to Anthony. He let it go in awkward silence before saying, "Somebody wanted to see my penis! There was a request out there." But luckily, he kept his tallywhacker to himself. There were no public exposures.

It's been so long since we've been in Fargo that not only did we release an album, but we began working on a new one. So we played the first song off the new project "7 Eleven." During said song, the gentleman from the Chuckle, along with their/our friend Jack gave the traditional showing of the full moons. As usual, we acknowledged this with grace and gratitude. "I want to give a special thanks to the fine young gentlemen," I said, "that show us what we want to see every time." Anthony added that it is a prerequisite to playing a show together.

Selfie with Dustin!

Tonight we repeated what we did in Aberdeen a few weeks ago. We played "Angel" by Aerosmith and incorporated our long-lost hit "To the Next Episode" into it. And much in the "Episode" tradition, I even through a little bit of another song into it by singing "teenage wasteland, it's only teenage wasteland" over the "Angel" chord progression. Classic Junebug. Though, it may have been lost on our audience since our "Episode" antics have somewhat dwindled in recent years.

We took a brief break and returned to rock them proper. But first, we opened the second set with a new one from Stan, "Veronica." After that, we pulled out "Bad Mamma Jamma" - an old Fargo favorite. The rock continued. The dancing happened. During "Mystic Princess" we got even more Chuckle Butt (with Jack's butt included), one-by-one-by-one.

Selfie with myselfie.

I had several family members there tonight. Many of them live in Fargo. But we called out my niece Allisyn in particular because as of midnight (technically May 25) it was her golden birthday. In honor of this, we busted out a rare a capella version of "Happy Birthday." This was much in the style of our barbershop performances of "Hello Ma Baby" from years ago. I think it went well, though a few people in the crowd may have mentioned that it was a little "off." You'd have to ask them. I gave her a hug and told her I love her. And we moved on.

We introduced our last song, "Heaven's Just a Mystery," in which Anthony described it as a song about "where does our soul go when you die? It doesn't go to Dunkin' Donuts." "Speak for yourself," I interjected. We played the song, with the extended jam at the end; ethereal, ambient, dreamy, with a long, live fadeout. When it was evident that the song was over, the sound engineer turned on the house music. We awkwardly remained on stage. Anthony went to the mic and addressed the engineer. "Sorry, we planned on doing an encore. I know we said it's our last tune, but then the house music came up." He paused. "Now we seem like that ex that's calling after you broke up." We finished with "Handlebar Mustache." For real that time.

Don't break up with us, Fargo. We love you, baby.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

4/29/14 - Honey - Minneapolis

Set:

Poster by Tony Kollman

I had heard of Honey, but I had never been there before tonight. There it is, kind of hidden away on Hennepin. There's a door with a bee on it and the word "Honey" below. You go in the door and go down the long stairway to a wide open, dark, dungeon-like basement. There's a bar, there are tables and seating, and a stage. It's a perfect little hideaway for some drinks and music.

I got there before any of my Junemates and just chilled for awhile, observing the people and the vibe and exploring the space. It was really laid back. I liked it. Everyone got there and we got a drink, hung out, visited, set up. I helped the drummer of Turn Back Now set up his drum kit and he let me share it. The Mercellas drummer used his own stuff, which included a kick pedal hooked up to a suitcase. It was pretty cool.

Tonight's show was a good solid little set of Junebug favorites and it was pretty indicative of where we're at. We played stuff from Share, stuff from Modern Day, stuff from Beards and even some stuff from the forthcoming Stan. That includes the debut of a brand new song from that project, "Veronica." "Veronica" is one of my favorites from the new album and I'm glad we have now shown it to the world. It was a good, solid performance. Good energy, good vibe. The people there were diggin' it. And I dig that.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

4/12/14 - Acadia Cafe - Minneapolis

Set:

Poster designed by Tony L. Kollman

We returned to the warm and friendly Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis. It's a cozy little place with a tiny stage, but we always feel welcome here and the staff has always been wonderful. It's a charming little joint and we dig it.

This was a solid little set for us, including mostly Beards stuff with a couple pieces of Stan thrown in for good measure. Oh, and there were a couple little hellos from Share and Modern Day too. It was a pretty good show, and pretty typical of our shows lately.

Dustin enjoys a drink, but then...
SQUIRREL!

I mean, nothing too notable happened. Nobody fell off the stage. Nobody's guitar burst into flame. Nobody's amp melted. It was just a good solid set.

Also appearing were Dustin's choice for "band name of the night," Jesse & the Full House, and the Disiacs who lent me the use of their drumkit for the night. Everyone was beautiful and wonderful and we had a great time staying late and chatting with everyone from die-hard fans to girlfriends to bar staff to fellow performers all the way down to complete strangers.

And we enjoyed beverages. A few beverages were had. And it was a success.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

4/5/14 - Slackers - Aberdeen, S.D.

Set One:

Set Two:

Encore:

| Handlebar Mustache / Champagne Wishes Jam |

Poster designed by
Tony L. Kollman

Every time we play in Aberdeen I end up typing the same thing into the show diary -- something to the effect of "it's always so great to come back to Aberdeen." It's true. So here is my traditional expression of that: It's always so great to come back to Aberdeen.

We played again at Slacker's for the first time. Meaning, we've played at Slacker's before, but they have moved and this is the first time we've played in the new location. In the old space, there was no stage. Bands would just set up on rugs in front of the big front window. In the new space, there's a stage and the drum set ends up being set up in a display window. So people outside can come within a foot of the drummer and stare at him/her if they so choose. I felt like a zoo animal. And I liked it.

Playing with us tonight were our pals Honest Engine, featuring a member of the Junebug family on guitar. Our former bassist and old friend Brandon Johnson now calls Aberdeen home and it was really good to see him again. The way things had worked out, we hadn't even really seen him at all since he left Junebug a couple years ago. But he came right up to me, gave me a big ol' bear hug, and it was like no time had passed. And he and the Engine boys killed it on stage. What a fantastic show, complete with a hard rockin' version of "Royals." I mean it. It was good.

From Instagram: @JunebugMusic

We got started in our typical fashion, noodling around while the levels get set. Dustin greeting the crowd saying, "Hello, Aberdeen. It's your hometown zeroes." Anthony interjected, "Don't call it a comeback." "Because it's... it's not," Dustin replied.

We kicked into high gear off the bat with a couple of older favorites from Share. Again, in typical Junebug fashion, the top of the show was plagued with technical difficulties. I mean, it wouldn't be Junebug if there wasn't some kind of issue, right? Anthony's gear was messing up and while he went to work on it, the rest of us kicked in a bit of the ol' "Law & Order" theme. Always appropriate. Never gets old. No debate. When it was done, we heard a request for the "Gilligan's Island" theme.

It's been no secret that the main riff in "Hell-Bent Woman" was inspired by Stone Temple Pilots' "Vasoline." Therefore tonight, we decided to pay tribute to this fact by mashing the two together. Did it work? It was surely fun. I'll leave it there.

Let me take you to a place...

We kicked off the second set with a slow jam which ramped up into Bad Mamma Jamma, much to this Aberdeen crowd's delight. We continued with some more solid tunes of our own. We wound down that stretch with "Fluffy" and just as it ended, Anthony's mom shouted out "Bad Mamma Jamma!" Well, we already played it and we let her know. She wasn't satisfied. She wanted to hear it, dang it. And she's Anthony's mother. Anthony said, "My mom wants to hear 'Bad Mamma Jamma' so we're gonna play half of it!" A look of great insult descended upon Mrs. Bergman's face and she shouted, "AM I HALF YOUR MOTHER?!?" So in an unprecedented move, we played "Bad Mamma Jamma" a second time in the same set. But with a twist. We played it in its entirety, but twice as fast. It was a workout. And a success.

As sad as it may sound, there are some Junebug tunes that have sort of retired themselves. Some songs only get played in Aberdeen for the die-hard, longtime fans. And then only sometimes. Tonight we got a request for "Downtown Liquor Store" by one Mr. Scott Waltman. Though we haven't played this song probably since the last time we were in Aberdeen, we obliged Mr. Waltman happily. It's a song of triumph and inspiration. Why wouldn't we?

We unveiled some tunes tonight from the next album we're currently working on, Stan. Aberdeen got to hear "7 Eleven" for the first time tonight. They also got to hear "Stan" for the first time since our going away party at the Ramkota in August 2007.

We closed out the night with a jam on "Heaven's Just a Mystery" from Beards. But when it was complete, boy oh boy, Aberdeen wanted more. So we appeased their appeals for "one more song" with "Handlebar Mustache" dedicated to our good pal Wade.

You can't describe how we feel in Aberdeen. It's like coming home. It's like we never left. As Anthony said tonight, "There is no place in the world like Aberdeen, South Dakota." So many beautiful people. So much love. 'Til next time, my friends.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

3/6/14 - Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater - Minneapolis

Set:

Show poster provided
by Moving Parts

We haven't played a show since September. We've been learning, rehearsing, and beginning the recording process of our next album. But tonight we broke our silence. Our friends Moving Parts were releasing their new EP tonight and we played with them to celebrate.

We had never played the Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater before (and I had never even been there before). It's this great, cozy little black box cabaret theater attached to a restaurant/bowling alley. The space was great and the staff were lovely.

People packed in the place pretty quickly. We definitely had our share of folks there, but I suspect most people were there to celebrate Moving Parts. The place was nearly full just fifteen minutes after the doors opened. We knew there was a very strict cut-off policy at midnight due to other tenants in the building. So with that in mind, we kind of wanted to start a little early to give moving parts as much time as possible. However, it seemed they had a strict start-time policy too. We went up at about 9:45, but were told to wait until ten.

But we were so excited and just couldn't wait. So Dustin and Dillon started some really cool ambient atmospheric sounds that were kind of just background noise, setting the mood. I kept a close eye on the clock and kicked in with the drum intro to "Beards" exactly when the clock struck ten.

Place packed. Rearin', ready to go.

I would like to make note that at this time that I am actually quite clean-shaven. I shaved my beard when my newest son was born in February. So playing "Beards" was admittedly a little odd. I mean, practice what you preach, right? I felt like a bit of my wisdom and power had left me. I considered wearing (and actually brought along) a fake beard specifically for this song. But I decided against wearing it. I gotta represent me, smooth-face flaws and all.

A little later in the show, we unveiled some brand new material from the new album. It was the prelude to and first song from Stan, introducing the character and his job at the convenience store. It went over very well, which was a good sign.

After the new original, we decided to throw in a new cover. We recently worked up "Don't Let Me Down" by the Beatles. It too went over quite well. While playing, I realized that we've done a number of Beatles tunes in our time. Wouldn't it be nice to throw together an EP? Just a thought. Not a plan.

Tonight's set was a nice, tight, energetic, and accurate introduction of Junebug to anyone who may not know us. It was also good for us to get our feet wet again after all this time. We're coming out of hibernation, folks. We've got a few more dates lined up. Join us, won't you? It's gonna be a good time.

Junebug Show Diaries

Saturday, September 27, 2014

9/27/14 - Secret Circus Music Festival - North Branch, Minn.

Friday, August 29, 2014

8/29/14 - Honey - Minneapolis

Thursday, August 7, 2014

8/7/14 - Amsterdam Bar & Hall - Saint Paul

Saturday, July 19, 2014

7/19/14 - Christensen's Big V's - Saint Paul

Saturday, June 28, 2014

6/28/14 - Minnesota Saloon - Saint Paul, Minn.

6/28/14 - Twin Cities Pride - Loring Park - Minneapolis

Friday, June 6, 2014

6/6/14 - Nomad World Pub - Minneapolis

Saturday, May 24, 2014

5/24/14 - Sidestreet Bar & Grille - Fargo, N.D.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

4/29/14 - Honey - Minneapolis

Saturday, April 12, 2014

4/12/14 - Acadia Cafe - Minneapolis

Saturday, April 5, 2014

4/5/14 - Slackers - Aberdeen, S.D.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

3/6/14 - Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater - Minneapolis

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