Junebug Show Diaries

Saturday, March 19, 2011

3/18/11 - Memory Lanes - Minneapolis

Tonight we returned to Memory Lanes in Minneapolis. In case you didn't know or guess by the name, Memory Lanes is a bowling alley. The stage is set up right over the lanes, and while we rock, you bowl. Rock 'n' Bowl? Maybe there's a future business venture in that. Anyhow, I have to say it's pretty interesting to finish a song, and before you hear any cheering or anything you hear bowling pins behind knocked down. And sometimes there's no applause at all. I mean, people are there to bowl after all. (For example, see the video below.)

We started it out with "Poet" and ever since we decided to switch it up a tiny bit, it's had more energy. It's now much better as a show opener. Next, I wanted our pal Robb to use my iPod to record video of our performance of "Come Together." But when it was time to start the song, I had no idea where he was. I couldn't see him. I thought maybe he stepped out for a cig or stepped in for a whiz. So I said to play "Modern Day" instead, which we did. Immediately after it started, I looked out and saw Robb directly in front of us with the camera rolling. Sometimes I truly am an idiot. As it turned out, we played it next and he got it. The video exists here on this page.

What is it with the drumkit technical difficulties lately? It happened again tonight. But this time it was the feet on my kick drum. Is it time for a new drum kit? Probably. Can I afford it? Probably not. Anyway, I was a pro and fixed it lickety split. I apologized for the technical difficulties and returned the bowlers to their regularly scheduled program.

After "On the Sidewalk," Anthony said, "That one's going out to Paul Simon, wherever he is." "He's on a beach somewhere, probably," I replied, "with James Taylor." Dustin added, "Didn't he just retire? Or was that Phil Collins? I get them mixed up." It was Phil Collins.

Tonight we debuted a brand new song that you've never heard before. It'll be included on the upcoming Beards project. "This next song we've never played," Anthony expained, "it's brand new. It's called 'Hell-Bent Woman,' it's about women -- how they make you crazy. It's going out to my girlfriend."

After "Jumpstart" tonight, Anthony informed our loyal cheering section that we love them, "like nylon loves the other side of nylon." "Did you mean Velcro," I asked. "Maybe. Either way I like it."

We closed tonight with the debut of our brand new rendition of the Beatles classic tune, "I Am the Walrus." It was a little shaky at the start, but we got into it and really got it rockin'. If you weren't there tonight, you'll probably get a chance to hear it later. We're not giving this one up any time soon. I really like this one.

Tonight we had a loyal cheering section sitting at one of the front tables. They were cheering and singing along, shooting video and taking pictures. These people are priceless. If everyone could be as enthusiastic about what we do as these fine ladies and gentlemen, life would be grand. Thanks for the love, people.

Photos by Rachel Blazinski
Video by Robb Main

Friday, February 25, 2011

2/24/11 - Nomad World Pub - Minneapolis

It was the Nomad's Minne-Series featuring the Twin Cities' own Pictures of then. This means that every Thursday night this month, Pictures of Then is showcasing and putting together other bands to play with them. Tonight was interesting because each of the four bands participating (Pictures of Then, Capital Sons, Tasha's Laughter, and Junebug) all have members who work at Apple Stores across the Twin Cities. So when Dustin was asked if Junebug wanted to play, we gave a mighty "uh-huh."

Junebug started off the show. According to the Pictures of Then guys, the best slots this month have been the first couple. So we gladly took on the responsibility of kicking things off.

Notably, tonight's setlist was derived by one Mr. Dustin T. Marks. This is notable, because Anthony is usually the brains behind the nights' programs. But Farmer D wanted to give it a go tonight, and it turns out that he didn't blow it. 'Twas good.

We kicked it off with a rockin' rendition of "Poet" and moved on to "Refrigerator." If you've been reading the Show Diaries, then you know the past few shows have been fraught with technical difficulties dealing with my kick drum pedal. There's a broken part on it that I'm MacGuyvered a couple times and another part that just plain comes apart relatively often. Well, tonight, that wasn't to be a worry since the Pictures of Then drummer graciously offered the use of his kit. So midway through the first chorus of "Refrigerator," the kick drum pedal stopped working. I must be cursed. I continued playing sans kick drum up through the half-time bridge. Then at the part in which I shout a count-off and we come back in, I motioned to the others that it would be a moment. As fast as I could, I jimmied the necessary hardware into place. Meanwhile, the other members of the band played the theme from television's popular police drama, Law & Order. Anthony narrated a brief mystery tale. When things were fixed, I joined it. When there was a natural break, I counted off "two, three, four!" and we kicked back in to finish "Refrigerator." That's live spontanaity, folks. I love it.

We played "M'Lady" and afterward, Anthony explained that Dustin is the reason that this song has 30% less sodium since the last time we played it. I added, "It's like 'The Biggest Loser' up in here."

We continued on with a solid, bangin' set, which the crowd responded to very well. We felt a good energy tonight. Furthermore, the other bands kicked ass, too. Overall, this was a great show, and it was a great lineup. We can't wait to play with these bands again.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

2/16/11 - Whiskey Junction - Minneapolis

Encore:
| Golden Girls Theme [Andrew Gold]|

Tonight we played at Whiskey Junction. Down the block at the Cabooze, nationally known Galactic was playing. Earlier in the night at the Junction, a band called Soap played a Pre-Galactic party. So apparently, it seemed that Junebug was playing the During-Galactic party... But that didn't matter too much. There were still people at our show. This included, I might add, my mother, sister Laurel and niece Angell. They completely surprised me. I was loading in and I heard someone say, "Hey, is Junebug playing tonight?" It was my family members, who live in North Dakota. They surprised me! Plus, this was my mom's FIRST Junebug show ever. It was a momentous occasion, and I'm glad they made it out.

I'm glad I made it out, too, since they were there. I've been getting pretty sick with a head cold and today it was so bad that if tonight had been simply a rehearsal night, I would have cancelled. But the show must go on, stuffy head, runny nose, sweaty hands and all.

We opened the show with "Pay the Toll" and my kick pedal technical difficulties reared their head again. The dang thing fell apart in the midst of the song, but I was able to jerry-rig it mid-song. MacGuyver strikes again, dudes.

Anthony let the crowd tonight know that rock and roll will never die. It doesn't rust. "You can leave it in the fridge and it won't mold." I added that if you want to, you can use a little bit of jewelry cleaner on it every now and then to prevent tarnishing.

We played "Destiny, She Drives a Rolls" again tonight. However, this was significant since it was the first time we have played it for a Minneapolis crowd.

After "Godzilla" tonight, Anthony warned the crowd to "hide ya kids, hide ya wife." "And hide ya husband," I added.

"We don't write a lot of songs about appliances. But when we do..." "They're winners."

Since my family members were here tonight, we had to oblige their requests. Laurel particularly wanted to hear "Downtown Liquor Store," so we simply had to give in. (I'll tell you a little secret; we were going to play it anyway.) I added a little commentary after the song. "You know that part where we say, 'Now I'm playing blackjack with a two dollar whore because I had the balls to rob the downtown liquor store'?" I asked. "I bet my mom was very proud of me." It seems I was right, since she gave me a big thumbs-up after that.

We played another tune, and then came time to honor the wishes of another family member. My niece Angell really wanted to hear "Dr. Phil," and since we originally had planned on playing it in the second set, we bumped it up for her since they had to turn in early. "This is going out to the three hottest ladies in the room," Anthony said, pointing at my family members' table.

An interesting phenomenon took place tonight that I like to call the reference portion of our program. Someone said something about words to live by. Then Dustin said, "one to grow on." I said, "Now I know, and knowing is half the battle," and then added, "The more you know." "After these messages.. we'll be right back." "The Lakewood Mall." "Sight on Sound!" "Country Furniture really wants your business!" If you know what any of that means, good on ya. If you don't, my apologies for wasting your time.

We played "Place" and then did a set break. It was pretty much okay, too. Because at this point, the crowd who had been there at the beginning had filtered out to the Cabooze for the Galactic show. There were maybe about fifteen people still there, including barstaff (!). Ouch, right? Well, we took our set break around eleven o'clock or so and decided that maybe we'd hang out, get some food, and wait until more folks filtered in. No sense in spending our gold on stage when no one's there to enjoy it. So I visited with my family and some friends that were there. The other boys got some wings, I took more cold medicine, and we laughed and enjoyed one another's friendship. My family got going, since they had an early appointment and driving ahead of them, and we got back onstage around midnight.

As we were getting ready to play, some dude yelled out, "Freebird!" Yeah. "There's always one guy," I said. So we played it. Well, what we know of it, which was the first verse or so and then it fell apart. We've never played it before. So as I said tonight, a lot of people ask for it, "and then we make them sorry." "Everybody begs for it till they get it," Anthony added.

"Casanova" was dedicated to sex tonight. "Bad Mamma Jamma" was dedicated to all the fat chicks in the house. "The Date" was dedicated to all the ganja in Jamaica. It was a night full of dedications.

As the evening went on, more post-Galactic folks were trickling in for a couple more drinks. People were dancing, we were having fun. It was all good. After we finished off the night with "Sledgehammer," the remaining crowd began chanting for one more song. So being the good friends we are, appreciating all of the wonderful people still there, we played the Golden Girls Theme to thank them for being a friend. At the end of the night, I was exhausted and still sick, but it was a darn fun night, in spite of it. Good times.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

2/4/11 - American Burger Bar - Saint Paul

Encore:
| Poet (Who Didn't Know It) |

Tonight's show was a bit of a last-minute deal. It was pitched, booked, and promoted in less than a week's time. But when we were approaced to play a Winter Carnival party for the Vulcans in beautiful downtown Saint Paul, we pretty much had to do it. For a little background on the amazing, artistic, partying, fun-loving group called the Vulcans, read this article from the City Pages: Meet the Vulcans: The Twin Cites' most controversial partiers.

We decided to re-hash our sports/workout theme from our previous show. It hadn't been done yet in the Cities, so we went for it. It was good except that there was a dude who felt Brandon's Track & Field shirt was no good. It should have been Hockey, he insisted. The man even bought us all drinks under the condition that we all pretended that Brandon's shirt in fact said "Hockey." Hey, it doesn't take much for us to do stuff. Free drinks? We'll take it. Thanks, guy.

We started out the night following a setlist, the same setlist from our previous show in Aberdeen, as a matter of fact. But we quickly abandoned it. These Vulcans really wanted to party and kept asking for different types of songs. "Something rockin'!" "Something slow so we can dance with our women!" Who needs a setlist when you're feeling the vibe of the folks? It was good. After rockin' a little while, Anthony asked the crew, "Are we partying hardy, or hardly partying?" The answer was clear. We were partying hardy. Partying so hardy that a Vulcan dude had a referee whistle that he was blowing in rhythm during our songs. Someone said they could have done without it, but I loved it. I think it belonged there tonight.

There was a bit of a lull while Anthony tuned his guitar and he was trying to fill time by talking a bit without saying much. A dude in the crowd yelled out, "Less talking, more playing!" "Yes!" I shouted. "That's what I like to hear."

We continued with the playing, keeping it diverse with "Stalker," "Downtown Liquor Store," "Refrigerator," "Crossroads," etc. Everyone was digging it, dancing, drinking and having a fantastic time. We partied ourselves out a little bit and needed to take a break.

During our break, some kind of magic happened and the bar which was pretty well hoppin' already packed in even more. So we kicked in with "Come Together" and "M'Lady" and the party was resumed.

One of the servers from the bar walked past us with a notecard stuck to her forehead which read, "Weezer or White Stripes?" So we played "Say It Ain't So." It's nice to be able to give the people what they want.

We kept it rolling and got a little funky with "Dr. Phunk," "Casanova," and "Bad Mamma Jamma." It was around this time that my mother-in-law Diane and brother-in-law Michael joined us virtually via the miracle of Skype. That's right. They were sitting in their living room in Aberdeen, South Dakota watching our show at American Burger Bar in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The wonders of technology. It has certainly got me thinking about the possibility of live streaming shows in the future for those out-of-towners who want to keep up with us. Is that something we should think about?

When we were to play "Next Episode" tonight, we were going to open with the first verse of "Runnin' With the Devil" by Van Halen. However, once we started it, it was clear that the crowd was WAY too into it to abandon it after just one verse. So we pretty much played it for the song's entire length, though I'm pretty sure Anthony didn't have all the lyrics. The crowd didn't care, though. They were totally getting down and singing the lyrics themselves. Then we kicked into "Next Episode" and the crowd surprisingly seemed to like it just as much. After we were done and basking in the cheers of the crowd, Dustin said, "American Burger Bar? Who knew?" Indeed. Who would have guessed that this place would have the amazing atmosphere that it does?

Sadly, the night had to come to a close. We played "Sledgehammer," announcing it as our last song. And while the people voiced sadness at it being the last of the night, they danced extra hard. After it ended there were consistent chants of "one more" and "encore!" After a brief deliberation, we decided to play "Poet." Again, the folks danced extra hard and enjoyed the final song of the night. After it was over, there were still chants of "one more" and "encore." But the management had turned on the lights and house music. In the biz, that means "it's over." I tried explaining this to the gal in the blue top and sunglasses, but she was adament about wanting us to play more, almost seeming to be on the very edge of anger. Ah, yes. Keep them wanting more.

Finally tonight, there was young spunky lady named Brianna who was totally into the show. She was dancing, getting her friends to dance, chatting with us and being an all around sport. She said that we should rename our band The Beardies. I let her play my cymbals and I gave her some CDs to reward her for her enthusiasm.

That's one of the things we like, folks. Hope to see you all at the next one!

Photography by Tony/Liza Kollman

Sunday, January 30, 2011

1/29/11 - Sixth Avenue Gallery - Aberdeen, S.D.

Encore:
| Eye of the Tiger [Survivor] (tease) | Say It Ain't So [Weezer] |

We had heard about the Sixth Avenue Gallery before. Some of us had been to shows at the Gallery, and some of us know some of the guys who are running the place. What we didn't know, however, was how much fun it would be playing a show there.

The Gallery is a little bit different from any other venue we've played, in the sense that shows go until 4:00 a.m. Not only that, but it's a facility that encompasses a mattress store, an art gallery, a bar, a tie-dye supply store, a tattoo shop, a music venue and more. It's very unique. The bar stops serving at 2:00, but the party continues all night long. When the other bars in town close, the patrons make their way to the Gallery and the good times keep rolling.

Rad Jackson got the party started a little after 10:00 and the night promised to be epic. After he pumped out the beats for awhile and got people's grooves rolling, it was our moment. Rad Jackson threw on some Jock Jamz and the announcer (me, tony) introduced "tonight's home team -- yourrrrrrr Juuuuuuunebuuuuuuuuug!" We sprinted out into the crowd in our athletic gear, high-fiving the patrons and shouting things like, "Let's do this!" All the while, the Jock Jamz were pumping and the lights where flashing. We jumped on the stage and ripped into "Pay the Toll." The event had begun.

We continued on with an uncharacteristically high-energy first half of the first set and Anthony told the crowd, "Rock and roll never dies. It doesn't rust." Dustin added, "But it does stay in shape!" and we encouraged more exercise from everyone. "Work out with us! New Years resolutions start now!"

Tonight Aberdeen heard "On the Sidewalk" for the first time -- a new version of "Chosen Ones." "Imagine if Paul Simon decided to do a Junebug song," Anthony explained. I added, "What if Junebug decided to do a Junebug song." "You're freakin' me out right now, man," Dustin responded.

Anthony introduced the next tune saying, "We're gonna take you to a place now. That's the name of the next song." He struck the first chord and abruptly stopped. After recoiling, I said, "Let me take you to a place where we're in tune."

After rocking a bit, we took a moment to address the die-hards that were present tonight. "I know a lot of you have loved Junebug for a long time," Anthony explained. "It means the world to us. So let's celebrate life and liquor stores!" Bam. Next song. Because we're that clever. Then, after the song was over, a voice from the crowd shouted, "Junebug is your mom!!" Whatever that means. Shortly thereafter, someone yelled out, "Wendy's!!" Anthony replied, "No, we don't play that song any more." A great sound of disappointment went up and it surprised me. First, it seemed that people believed it, and secondly, it seemed that people were truly upset. Classic.

We wanted to move on with the set, but sadly, my piece of crap kick drum pedal came apart and I had to perform some emergency maintenence. Being the pros we are, however, the others kept the show moving with an improvisational loungey jam. Lyrics included; "Has Tony figured out his technical issue? / He's really making me look like a jerk trying to kill some time / I gotta talk about something interesting." I fixed it, hooked it back up and joined the jam. When it finished, the crowd applauded, but Dustin forgave those who didn't, saying, "You don't have to clap for that. It wasn't actually anything."

After an impromtu Doors medley, we launched into a brand new song from our upcoming Beards project called "Destiny, She Drives a Rolls." This Aberdeen audience was the first crowd to hear this song. It's been awhile since Aberdeen has heard any new material from us. We hope to change that the next time we're in town (March!).

Before playing the last song of the first set, Anthony announced that he'd better see everyone back for the second set, because we are going to rock it to the next episode, possibly into next season. "See what he did there?!?" I interjected. "He referenced a song of ours!!" A collective "Ahhhh" went up from the crowd. "There are clues hidden everywhere," Anthony said.

Then we played "Bumblebee," and afterward, Anthony shouted "Don't go anywhere! This is a marathon!"

We returned for our second set at 2:00 a.m. Yes, that's right. The time in which we're usually finished and packing up was the time our second half started. This was actually pretty perfect, because the bars had just let out and people still wanted to party. Not to mention the bartenders. Those cats get off work and now they have something to do. And the local strippers. Don't forget them. They gots ta party somewhere, sometime as well.

The second set started with us jumping back onstage with a cry of "Are you ready to get physical??" Then, "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John was supposed to play, but it didn't work out. So we all ended up doing stretches and lunges on the foot of the stage in silence. But I think the effect still came off.

Further technical difficulties plagued my kick drum pedal tonight. It just broke. It literally broke. In a different place than the piece that tormented me earlier in the night. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Anthony was fully aware of the situation, as he attempted to perform "Dr. Phunk" even though I wasn't playing. It sort of fizzled out painfully. But being the resourceful S.O.B. that I am, MacGyvered that sucker with a safety pin. The drums kicked in and it made everything a-okay.

We were joined by a special guest tonight on "Casanova." It was none other than the Hub City's own ShubRock. The crowd was groovin' and we kept it going with "Bad Mamma Jamma," followed by "The Date." After all the dancing I reminded everyone to make sure to drink their electrolytes.

We played "Last Night" next, and it was a super-long extended jam out version. Our good friend Rory gave some important crowd participation tonight. It's our dream that someday everyone in the crowd throws up their middle fingers on the line, "Yeah, they stuck up the middle finger to gravity." Rory helped us out tonight. Won't you join him in flipping us off?

Next, Brandon wowed the crowd with the hottest bassline ever in rock and roll. That's right. We busted out "Runnin' With the Devil" by Van Halen. The HOTTEST and most intricate bassline ever. But it was all a ruse, as "Next Episode" reared it's ugly head. Isn't that just your luck? As "Episode" ended, however, an interesting and unplanned jam was born from the ashes of the previous tune. It was one of those beautiful, spontanous moments that comes from having such a great time in a great place with a great crowd. We jammed, we rocked it, the crowd danced, and rocked it. How far? To the next...? You decide.

After playing "Jumpstart" we noticed that we only had one song left on the setlist. But these people weren't in any mood to stop partying. I said, "If you want to keep rockin' we'll see what we can do." Many cheers. Then came the dilemma of what do we play, since we played most of our songs already. I turned to the audience for help. "Do any Junebug fans have any requests?" This was met with very loud laughter from one audience member. I didn't get the joke. But someone called for "Cake," which we then played. It was a little bit of a rocky start since we haven't played that song in ages, and I'm not sure Brandon has ever played it live. But we made it happen. Gotta keep the peeps happy.

After giving the people what they wanted with "Sledghammer" and an extended jam out version of "Moon Over the Water," we left the stage. But we were met with chants of "one more song!" So we decided we'd "slaughter one more," in Anthony's words.

So, in keeping with the athletic theme of tonight's show, we ripped into "Eye of the Tiger." This, of course, was not our true encore, as we don't actually know the song. So they got "Say It Ain't So" instead. They were satiated.

As the song ended, Anthony summed up the night. "Good night ladies and gentlemen, we love you. We are Junebuuuuuuuuug! Baseball, Football, Soccer and Track & Field, TOGETHER!"

It really was a magical night. We really loved it and we look forward to our Gallery show in March. This show was our latest running show in Junebug history. We ended at roughly 3:45 a.m. and after all the mingling and schmoozing afterward, I didn't get to bed until around 5:30 a.m. I love it. Aberdeen should have had a place like this when we lived there.

Fan video, uploaded by Marisa

Fan video, uploaded by Marisa

Photography by Liza/Tony Kollman

Sunday, November 21, 2010

11/20/10 - Sidestreet Grille & Pub - Fargo, N.D.

Fate brought us back to Fargo. That, and our various vehicles. Once again, we ended up taking three different vehicles, which you wouldn't think would make sense. But different peeps gots different plans. So it was.

We had never played the Sidestreet before, but I (tony) heard from some family members that it was a hoppin' joint. When we arrived, we were greeted by a big ol' Budweiser poster on the door advertising both that particular brand of beverage and our rock and roll show. (After the night was over, I grabbed it for our rehearsal space... because we never tire of looking at our own faces. Or maybe it's just me.

We ordered a tasty and zesty taco pizza which we enjoyed heartily with some lovely hoppy adult beverages. The San Haven Chuckle played some killer tunes, as usual, whipping out brand new, never-before-heard material. However, they opened the show with the beginning of our very own "Chosen Ones," after which we all needed new pants. Because, you see, we were so overwhelmed with our own egotism that we couldn't control our bodily functions.

There were many, many wonderful people in attendance. Two of my sisters and two of my nieces were present as well as many of their friends. Sarah and Katie were both there. So were the Trumbos. Plus, our old pals PJ and Bryan were both there. They're our buds from high school and they both live in the general vicinity of the Twin Cities... which makes it odd that they were at a Fargo show. But there were there and we are happy about that. In fact, PJ taped the show. A torrent link appears below. Aside from these amazing people were establishment regulars and tons of folks we don't know. The place was full and they seemed to be having fun.

Our set time arrived, so we donned our white shirts and wigs and stormed the stage. We broke out "Found My Boogie" right off the bat and got it started out right. Early in the set, we played "Back in the U.S.S.R." exclaiming that we had to celebrate the Beatles finally being released on iTunes. Later in the night, we played "Come Together" to keep the dream alive. "It's a big event," Anthony mused. "It's huge." "Just think," Dustin interjected, "of the money that isn't going to them."

We barreled on, right on through "Casanova" (no guest rapper) and when it was finished, Anthony asked, "Was there anybody having sex in the room during that song? If you were makin' love during that song, just imagine throwing some Wendy's fries into the mix. Hot fries!" Boom! We hit 'em with "Bad Mamma Jamma." That's the way it goes at a Junebug show.

We played "Refrigerator," by request of Travis from the Chuckle (though we were actually going to play it anyway... shhh, don't tell him). What happened next... we knew it was going to happen at some point. The Chuckle came to the foot of the stage and showed us their butts. "It's a full mooon!" Dustin shouted. Then, quite appropriately, we played "Moon Over the Water" (with the obligatory Chuckle lyrics).

After "Fargo Gypsy Girl" Anthony informed the crowd that we were actually IN Fargo, and that we can't play that song in Williston and have it mean the same thing.

We took a set break, had a drink, visited with some folks and then got back on the ol' sage. "We'll try to make this one good," I said. "We apologize for the first half of our portion of the show." Dustin shouted, "It's YOUR fault!" I'm not sure who he was talking to. It may have been me.

Anthony introduced the second set saying we were going to "get all fudged up, if you know what fudgin' means!"

A few more cool things happened tonight. We played a new version of "Chosen Ones" that we call "On the Sidewalk" for the Fargo crowd, and those who know the song enjoyed the newness. We had a guest vocalist on "Golden Girls" tonight. A gentleman by the name of Eden Parker is a Fargo/Moorhead musician and he performs the song as well. So why not? He nailed it. Good stuffs.

The fun-ness continued. We had a revival of an old self-help tune. Dr. Phunk returned tonight. We asked how far you wanted to rock it. "Outer Space" was the answer. So that's what we did, with a little Zeppelin thrown into the mix.

Even more fun times rolled on. We invited Bud and Travis up to perform Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla" with us. "Get ready for some audio sodomy," Travis warned. He wailed, Bud shredded, The Reverend jumped up and shouted some Japanese gibberish into the mic (says Bud, "it's not functional Japanese, but it is actual") and we brought down the house with that one.

And I can't forget the lone dancing girl, which is becoming more and more common as shows go on. This one even knew the words. Lone dancing girl, we salute you.

There was a winter storm rolling in, so as Anthony & Katie and Dustin & Sarah went to their lodging for the night, Brandon and I braved the ice and snow and got on the road back home to Minneapolis.

Torrent this show in its entirety at The Trader's Den.

Friday, November 12, 2010

11/11/10 - Merlin's Rest - Minneapolis

11:11, 11/11
Merlin's Rest
Minneapolis

Tonight was an incredible occasion. It only happens twice a year, both times on the same day. Tonight we were celebrating 11:11, 11/11. The eleventh hour, the eleventh minute, the eleventh month, the eleventh day. A day and time we like to call "Eleven Eleven Eleven Eleven." We arrived ready to celebrate. We distributed party hats, noise-makers, and general excitement amongst the crowd. We had clocks onstage so everyone could keep track of when the big moment was getting close.

After opening with a couple of old standbys, we revived our rendition of the Beatles' classic "Back in the U.S.S.R." We haven't played this one for years, but we felt like it belonged back in our repertoire. So there it is, for our enjoyment and yours.

"Casanova" had a guest vocalist tonight, which was Russ from the always entertaining Julie Puppets. It's a pity there was so sound engineer tonight. Maybe then we could have heard Russ's vocals a little better. They sounded like they were probably pretty amazing. *sigh*

We played "Bad Mamma" tonight, and at the end Anthony says "give it to me ___ times," I think he forgot that it was his line. He looked back at me as if he was waiting for something. He eventually remembered. But it was so wonderfully awkward, I needed to share.

I then announced that we had four minutes before 11:11, 11/11. We launched into "Poet" and luckily finished just in time to celebrate the big moment! We all put on our party hats, blew our noisemakers, took a drink, sang "Auld Lang Syne," all made a wish, and kept the party going.

After "Place," Anthony told the crowd and the dancing girl that they made him believe again. This elicited laughter. I'm not sure it's what he was going for, but so it goes. After "Aphrodite," Anthony called out, "THANK YOU, GOODNIGHT!" Of course, it wasn't the end of our set. So all he did was get the crowd's hopes up. But we dashed those hopes by continuing, because it's what we do.

Tonight, we debuted a new song of sorts. It's a re-worked version of our song "Chosen Ones," but done in our interpretation of the style of Paul Simon. Junebug covering Paul Simon covering Junebug. We call it "On the Sidewalk."

After that we ripped into "Sledgehammer." Afterward we all felt kind of pooped. I said that song really takes it out of me. Dustin replied, "In the words of Lethal Weapon, I'm gettin' too old for this shit."

Also appearing tonight were our friends in Yasen Marie. Cody brought some friends. Tony's brother-in-law also stopped by -- all the way from Denver. Wha..?

Tonight saw the resurgence of an interesting phenomenon. That is the occurance of the lone dancing girl. We've had this creature appear at shows in the past and I'm sure we'll have it again in the future. The lone dancing girl is a creature that is really into what we're doing, feeling our vibe, perhaps feeling the effects of some substances, and generally "celebrating life." This is how tonight's lone dancing girl, Alana said it. Another important characteristic is that dancing girl is doing this completely by herself. Alana was a perfect example. She was loving tonight and danced to our tunes for the entire second half of the show. After our set was over, she approached each of us individually, congratulated us on our performance, hugged us, called us either "baby" or "honey" and kissed some of us on the cheek. This was someone for whom 11:11, 11/11 obviously held a lot of meaning. We appreciate your deal, Alana the lone dancing girl! We'd like to see more of that.

Be sure to come out next year when we celebrate (say it out loud, now) 11:11:11, 11/11/11.