11/21/11 - Tour Stop at MasterMix Studio - Minneapolis

Soundcheck / warmup:

| Please Please Me [The Beatles] | Destiny, She Drives a Rolls |

Set:

| Beards | Fluffy Little Hands | Give Yourself | Destiny, She Drives a Rolls |

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This was our second time doing Tour Stop at MasterMix. The first one we did was the first one ever. So, as I understand it, there were a number of after-the-fact technical difficulties which prevented the completion of the materials. This led Student Run Records to ask us to do a second session, which we were more than happy to do.

This one overall went more smoothly. You could tell that the crews have done a few of them since the first one. Everyone has sort of fallen into their positions, and those in charge have a working knowledge of how it goes, rather than just a theoretical one.

After arrival, setup and soundcheck, the band all convened for an on-camera interview with host Eric Bull of Student Run Records. We talked about our music, the studio experience, Beards, and Teletubbies. We then went into the performance space for another short introduction and interview which preceded the playing of a few tunes -- all of which will appear on Beards.

The session flowed like a live performance. We were told ahead of time that there were no second takes. We perform this like we perform a show. If we mess up, we keep going. It was cool like that. It was pretty laid back. There were a couple slip-ups here and there, but we're human and we love it.

The whole time we performed, there were two camera guys in the space. Jose stood stationary to the right of drum kit and swiveled his camera, and Tanner moved around the space. There were also two stationary cameras getting different shots of the room. In the control booth, Peter and Paul (no sign of Mary -- but there was a Mike) captured pro audio. It will all be edited together into a video program and an audio EP. No word yet on how all that will work, but it will.

After the performance, we went over to the other building with the video guys to get some B-roll shots of us walking down a hallway. It sounds less than riveting, but trust me, it'll look cool.

Tour Stop at MasterMix is a cool thing they've got going over at Student Run Records. We're glad to have done it twice, and we hope to do it again if they'll have us.

Photo by Kate Waterloo. See the whole set here.

10/11/11 - Tour Stop at MasterMix Studio - Minneapolis

Tour Stop at MasterMix

Set:

| Beards (partial) | Destiny, She Drives a Rolls | Mystic Princess | Hell-Bent Woman | Beards (partial) | Handlebar Mustache [not recorded] | Beards (partial) | Funky Jam [not recorded] |

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Tonight was the recording of the inaugural TourStop at MasterMix. Using us as their guinea pigs, Student Run Records and IPR launched this new series which caters to local and touring bands. The band comes into MasterMix and plays a short set while engineers record it and shoot video and still photography. There are interviews, and refreshments, and it is a somewhat exclusive event with a limited number of people able to attend. Stuff will be edited together and released online. Good stuff all around.

So this was really a really cool thing. We weren't really too sure what to expect going in. The whole of event was kind of a mystery to us. The way it sounds, since it's brand new and this was the first one, it was kind of a mystery to everyone. All we really knew was the basic idea that we would come in and play four songs and that both audio and video were being recorded.

I arrived around 4:45 p.m. and as soon as I walked in, people were giving me the rockstar treatment. Now, keep in mind, I attend IPR. These are people I see at school daily, people I sit around and shoot the breeze with on a regular basis. But in this context, I guess I was part of "the talent." When I walked in, everyone seemed really welcoming and happy to see me. About five people at once asked if they could help load gear into the building. Of course I took them up on it. All my drum gear was loaded in in about three minutes. It was fabulous.

I then helped Anthony carry his gear in, and by that time, the engineers had already gotten a solid start on setting up my cymbal stands. I just had to basically put my gear in place and then I was free to mingle with the guests.

Eventually, we started a sound check with the recording engineers while the videographers set lighting. Midway through the sound check, we got pulled away to do interviews. We were split into two groups: Anthony & Dustin, and me & Dillon. Dillon and I were interviewed first by Keenan Sattler, a student at IPR. Then, the others were interviewed by Megan Schueller, another student. Then, we all joined together for a final couple questions. It'll all be edited into the program smoothly. In retrospect, I kind of wish that the interview would have been all of us together. Our vibe and sense of humor usually comes from playing off one another in a group setting. And furthermore, with the nature of the questions, Dillon ended up being pretty quiet, due to him being a completely new addition to the band. So, our segment was a little dull, I felt. But I'm confident that it will all play pretty well when it's put together. Anthony and Dustin, however, knocked it out of the park.

After the interviews were taped, it was time to play some music. We gathered in the performance area of MasterMix and the guests crowded into the control room and lounge area to watch and listen to our performance.

Once we got the word that both audio and video were rolling, we opened with "Beards." However, midway through, we completely lost Anthony's guitar. The first of a few technical difficulties reared its ugly head. I think it had something to do with one of his pedals, but I'm not sure. The engineers got it figured out and we moved on in the set.

"Destiny, She Drives a Rolls" was next. It was a solid performance. We've already recorded most of this song in the studio, so it is pretty well established, and pretty fresh in our minds. Piece of cake.

The next tune was one we intend to record basic tracks for this coming weekend. It's "Mystic Princess" and we did an okay job of it. It went pretty well. We closed the set with "Hell-Bent Woman," which Anthony dedicated to his girlfriend Katie, which I found humorous and laughed about heartily.

When it was over, we got the go-ahead to try to re-do "Beards," since we didn't make it through. About halfway through the tune this time, we were stopped by the audio engineer because they ran out of disk space. So while we waited for that situation to be worked out, we played "Handlebar Mustache" in an effort to entertain the guests through the technical difficulty. We're not sure if they could hear us through the whole song, since I think the system was reset, but we played through the whole thing anyhow. It was not recorded.

They got the disk situation under control and gave us the go-ahead to try the tune again. We did. We got it rolling again, and it was a good take. But alas, it was not meant to be. There was another unspecified technical difficulty and we got the word that "that's a wrap." We celebrated by playing a funky, funky jam (which was not recorded) and were then sent out to mingle with the exclusive guests.

There were snacks and beverages, and general frivolity. There were many compliments, and some photos taken, and lots of good-time schmoozing.

When it was all said and done, the four of us went to Stadium Pizza for some beers. Katie joined us as did a couple of the engineers, Bill and John.

We had a great night. This was a lot of fun and I think that IPR and Student Run Records have a good thing going here. It would be fun if we could return sometime later down the road, when some of the kinks are ironed out.

Thanks for having us, IPR!