Junebug Show Diaries

Saturday, January 17, 2009

1/16/09 - Memory Lanes - Minneapolis

January 16, 2009
Memory Lanes
Minneapolis, Minn.

Bowling alleys: they're not just for bowling and drinking any more. No, no. In today's world, bowling alleys now mean good ol' rock and/or roll as well as the above mentioned joys. Tonight, Junebug descended upon Memory Lanes bowling alley in Minneapolis to mix the sound of funky rock and roll with the satisfying sounds that a bowling alley provides; balls rolling, pins falling, drunken people shouting and hooting... It was beauty in its truest form. In fact, the evening was so beautiful that some dude bowled a 298 just before the bands went on. He was two pins short of a perfect game, which is awesome.

After The Alrights performed and before Jon Wayne and Pain performed, the 'Bug took the stage in triumph, riding that dude's 298 energy. Being fans of The Big Lebowski, it was kind of a no-brainer that we'd have to play something tonight that related to it. The verdict was "The Man in Me" by Bob Dylan, which is the opening credits song in the film. The entire alley felt the magic. We had additionally worked up "Dead Flowers," which is the closing credits theme, but we had to unfortunately cut it for time. Maybe next time we play a bowling alley, we'll work up "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)." No promises, by it's my (tony's) favorite piece of music used in the film.

So there we were, playing rock music in a bowling alley. It was pretty awesome the way they set it up. They turned off three of the actual lanes and set up the stage right on top of them. That way, we could more easily distract those bowlers who were trying to concentrate. But why would you want to, with us on stage? I had said that I wished people could bowl right under us. But I suppose the bowlers need to see the pins at the end of lane, huh.

There was a great crowd tonight. Every lane was full as well as the bar. There were also people there just to see the music. There were probably a couple hundred or more people there.

I guess that's all. It was really awesome and we look forward to playing Memory Lanes again.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

1/13/09 - KARE 11 Studios - Golden Valley, Minn.

January 13, 2009
KARE 11 Studios
Golden Valley, Minn.

Set:
| M'Lady |

We woke up bright and early this morning Well, early for most of us. Nick apparently can't sleep past six, which is odd behavior for a rock star. We were scheduled to arrive at KARE 11 studios at 8:00 a.m., but the roads had other ideas. The wind chill was -33F, all the moisture in the roads had turned to black ice and cars had gone off the road every hundred yards or so. Not to mention it was morning rush hour. So traffic was crazy. I (tony) arrived at about five after eight thinking I was late, but it turned out I was the first one there due to the roads/traffic. It wasn't a problem though, it all worked out.

We drove into a little loading dock to unload the gear and we moved it into the actual KARE 11 studio. It was a huge room that contained all the sets you ever see on local KARE 11 programming. The news desk was there, the "Showcase" coffee table set, the kitchen set, and right outside the window was the KARE 11 Backyard, where weather segments are shot.

We set up and had a good visit with the sound guy, who just happens to have gigged regularly in the Jamestown and Aberdeen areas in the Eighties. We swapped show stories and musician jokes.

We did a typical sound check, exactly like those we do at gigs. "Can I get the kick drum, please? ... Okay, snare... Thank you, first tom..." etc. We played through "M'Lady" in its entirety to set levels and such. Then after about ten minutes, the editor came in and had us shoot three segment teasers to show throughout the program. We only played about thirty seconds of each song, and that was good. He then told us we had about an hour and a half until we were needed again.

It was about this time that we learned to our dismay that Jenny McCarthy was not actually appearing in studio, but rather via satellite from New York. Sadness ensued, but we got over it. We were cheered up by the fact that in the green room, there was, on the bulletin board, an autographed photo of Jared from Subway. Yes, people. This is how far we've come.

Anyway, the time for our segment came. I just barely made it, due to a poorly timed restroom visit, but I was there in time. The commercial break came on and we hustled over to the band area and got ready to rock! Rob Hudson conducted an interview with Anthony which was really good, and then we went for it. It was really awesome knowing that all across the state of Minnesota and into Wisconsin, people were watching us. There were probably tens of thousands of people, if not more, that heard us today. It was by far the biggest audience we've had and it was definitely one of the coolest things we've done so far.

This is just the start, however. It is by no means the pinnacle.

Friday, January 9, 2009

1/8/09 - Bunkers - Minneapolis

January 8, 2009
Bunkers
Minneapolis, Minn.

Soundcheck:
| Good Vibes |

Tonight was our first appearance at Bunkers in Minneapolis. We opened for The New Congress, the Thursday night house band at Bunkers. This was a gig we were kind of looking forward to. It had the potential of being a brand new crowd that would most likely dig what we do. As it was, most of the crowd didn't fill in until after we were done, but those who came early felt the flow.

Before we went on, we were told that we actually had longer to play than we had initially planned for. So this stands as the first show in long time that we had to actually add to the setlist.

It was a pretty typical Junebug show. Nothing really too notable or crazy happened or anything like that. The venue was sweet and the groove was solid. We ripped through our set like pros.

Then The New Congress kicked all our butts. 'Cuz they're really good and stuff.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

1/2/09 - Whiskey Junction - Minneapolis

January 2, 2009
Whiskey Junction
Minneapolis, Minn.

Tonight was a special night. It was the first Junebug show of 2009, the year which Nick has designated The Year of the 'Bug. It was also special because our dear old friend, Vanessa C. was in town from Seattle. It was the first time she'd seen us play since the days of playing acoustic in friends' basements. Having her in the crowd was great. This was the first time we have played Whiskey Junction. It was definitely a fun venue. The stage wall was decorated in the club's winter motif, with sticks arranged as bare trees and snowflakes scattered about. It looked pretty cool.

We wanted to bring in the new year the right way, so we played a doozy of a set, chock full of bangers. It was non-stop energy from start to finish. "Bad MammaJamma" was dedicated to Anna D. and though we forgot to mention it from stage, "Jumpstart" was dedicated to Vanessa tonight.

Tonight, Anthony announced to crowd that we're going to be on Oprah really soon. To his chagrin, we had to correct him and let everyone know that it's actually KARE 11's "Showcase Minnesota" that we'll be on. What can we say? The boy loves Ms. Winfrey. But who doesn't? Other than that, the show was pretty typical. Except I (tony) tried to hit on the collective crowd, asking it if they come here often and what their collective sign is. When there was absolutely no response, I dejectedly started the next song. Furthermore, we later gave a shoutout to all those who went to high school in North Dakota (we know there were some there). It was again met with complete silence.

*sigh*

Also appearing tonight were Afterall and Casual Confusion.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

12/15/08 - Trocadero's - Minneapolis

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

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.

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.