I thought I should fill you all in on what happened with us this past weekend, because it was half good, half bad and certainly exciting in all regards.
We played at Spilln the Beans coffeehouse in Troy on Friday. It was quite good to return to troy and play in such a nice place. Until they cut back on music, the best Cafe to play in the collar city was, by far, the Daily Grind, but seeing as they don't really have music besides the open mike there anymore, there was a great gap to be filled. Spilln the Beans has stepped up quite nicely. They have a large area they clear out for a stage, a separated sitting area that works quite well as a sort of listening room where people there specifically for the music can sit, and the blender is of a medium volume (compared to some so loud all music is drowned out while smoothies are being smoothed). Everyone there (which wasn't very many: apparently summer is slow for these sorts of things) seemed to like us a lot, including our good friend Megan and my parents. I don't know about Dave, but I personally had a lot of fun! Also, the staff is really great, and Nick, the owner, watched attentively for the entire show. Most places the booker isn't even there, and the owner doesn't watch. That's not a criticism of other venues, as I have no problem with that arrangement, it was just a happy surprise when this wasn't the case on friday.
After the show, all of us (Myself, Dave, Megan and my Parents) attended the Harry Potter book release party at the amazing Market Blcok books, next to Spilln the Beans and also on third street (roughly across from the atrium) I won't go into details about the event, but i should go into details about Market Block, because it's pretty much my favorite bookstore in the world, although i do like Lyrical Ballad in Saratoga, since the books are so old and pretty, and another place in Saratoga whose name i forget, but has an excellent tarot card selection. Anyway, they sell our CDs at Market Block, along with many bestsellers and lesser known books that the staff thinks are particularly good. There are lots of hand written staff book reviews and reccommendations around the store, and all of the booksellers are quite knowledgable and ready to help or have a lively conversation with you about whatever you or they are reading. They also have many local authors works, books concerning the area, and self-published titles from area writers. All this promoting of the store itself aside, you should also come to see us play there on the last friday of September......
Anyway, i read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on saturday, and Dave attended the bachelor party of a friend of ours who also happens to be a local musician. He lost his keys while there (falsly claims to have been wasted, really just deposited his keys on a store counter and found them today) and had to get a ride home with our other local musician friend, Maurizio. Needless to say, without the car or the PA which was in it, we were unable to play the Cambridge farmers market. It was sad!
The end.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
This is a very large screen
I don't think i've ever put a link in the link section before, so there it is. I have done it. I've crossed the great barrier that is link-putting.
This is a very large screen though, as the title suggests. It's my dad's computer screen. And you are reading a blog.
Ha! I caught you red handed.
Tomorrow Dave and I are playing at Spillin the Beans, as previously noted, and I expect you to be there, because it's good for your health, and you are, undoubltedly a Harry Potter fan, since all our songs contain backward masking in which you are brainwashed to read young adult fantasy novels in a ravenous manner. So, given that, and given that you are also an adult, we can presume you are attending the Harry Potter book release party next-door at Market Block Books and are popping in for a coffee or tea before the fun begins. We'll be there from 7pm to 10pm...after which we're headed to the party. Much to Dave's (possible) dismay, i shall be in costume for the entirety of the evening.
And, given that you have listened to our albums a sufficient number of times, so will you.
*poof*
C
This is a very large screen though, as the title suggests. It's my dad's computer screen. And you are reading a blog.
Ha! I caught you red handed.
Tomorrow Dave and I are playing at Spillin the Beans, as previously noted, and I expect you to be there, because it's good for your health, and you are, undoubltedly a Harry Potter fan, since all our songs contain backward masking in which you are brainwashed to read young adult fantasy novels in a ravenous manner. So, given that, and given that you are also an adult, we can presume you are attending the Harry Potter book release party next-door at Market Block Books and are popping in for a coffee or tea before the fun begins. We'll be there from 7pm to 10pm...after which we're headed to the party. Much to Dave's (possible) dismay, i shall be in costume for the entirety of the evening.
And, given that you have listened to our albums a sufficient number of times, so will you.
*poof*
C
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Rochester is Rochester-like
We were in Rochester for less than 24 hours, about 20 hours, actually, and about one hour of that was spent in Henrietta, if you want to nitpick.
The show went well, although it was much more passive audience-wise since there were few University of Rochester students around to be recruited into attendance. About 4 people specifically came to watch us, all the same, and a number of other heads turned. We also did not run into the problem of free vs. paid granola, or me ingesting banana chips hidden in granola this time. My ears did hurt to the point of Dave suggesting we give up Almost Awake altogether, but not to fear, this notion has passed for the time being.
The drive to the Flour/Flower city seems to short now. Just one 2-hour shift each. Since the 14-hour-not-including-stops Asheville venutre, anywhere less than 8 hours is pretty much nothing.
We recorded vocals for Alive yesterday and Also worked a bit on Tuesday. I'll be recording lead vocals for that one either tomorrow or Thursday.
Friday we are playing at Spillin the Beans in Troy at 7pm, and heading over to the Adults-only Harry Potter book release party at Market Block Books. I'm going in costume, which is quite exciting. Now all I have to do is manufacture it and secure some interestingly colored hair dye.
I sign off with a headache, from a cold library, with little left to say.
Oh yes, we're playing at the Cambridge farmer's market on Sunday. That's Cambridge NY, not Mass. I hope i don't end up with my microphone stuck inside a speaker this time.
Goodbye.
Casey
The show went well, although it was much more passive audience-wise since there were few University of Rochester students around to be recruited into attendance. About 4 people specifically came to watch us, all the same, and a number of other heads turned. We also did not run into the problem of free vs. paid granola, or me ingesting banana chips hidden in granola this time. My ears did hurt to the point of Dave suggesting we give up Almost Awake altogether, but not to fear, this notion has passed for the time being.
The drive to the Flour/Flower city seems to short now. Just one 2-hour shift each. Since the 14-hour-not-including-stops Asheville venutre, anywhere less than 8 hours is pretty much nothing.
We recorded vocals for Alive yesterday and Also worked a bit on Tuesday. I'll be recording lead vocals for that one either tomorrow or Thursday.
Friday we are playing at Spillin the Beans in Troy at 7pm, and heading over to the Adults-only Harry Potter book release party at Market Block Books. I'm going in costume, which is quite exciting. Now all I have to do is manufacture it and secure some interestingly colored hair dye.
I sign off with a headache, from a cold library, with little left to say.
Oh yes, we're playing at the Cambridge farmer's market on Sunday. That's Cambridge NY, not Mass. I hope i don't end up with my microphone stuck inside a speaker this time.
Goodbye.
Casey
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I know i'm alive...
so, my cheezy post title is a self-serving lyric quote from the Almost Awake song "Alive".
We are though, Alive, that is, after weathering yesterdays dangerous weather from the Normanskill Farm. No trees or lightning hit Casey or Dave and none of us were blown away. Dave's sister and her dog were also present and are also uninjured and fully accounted for.
With that in mind, we are staying close to home this evening, only venturing out to Uncommon Grounds in Albany for a relaxing and vexing game of Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot. This is an event of note for Almost Awake fans due to the fact that Dave taught me that game the night before we became a band (see bio for more details). It really should be checked out though. Bunnies is a cult favorite as far as deranged card/dice games are concerned. We here at Almost Awake would like to spread the gospel of the Magic Carrot to you all however, as you've been deprived for far too long. Learn more about it here.
If you are wondering, we are playing two out-of-the-area shows this weekend...
Thursday 3pm-6pm at the Manchester, VT Farmer's Market and
Sunday 8pm-10pm at Spot Coffee in Rochetster, NY.
Also, AA headquarters has recently been attacked by a militant band of fascist fruitflies. They must be defeated with the power of love, so please meditate on the image of fruitflies perishing in mass quanities if you are able and so choose. We appreciate your support.
With qualitiative analysis...
C
We are though, Alive, that is, after weathering yesterdays dangerous weather from the Normanskill Farm. No trees or lightning hit Casey or Dave and none of us were blown away. Dave's sister and her dog were also present and are also uninjured and fully accounted for.
With that in mind, we are staying close to home this evening, only venturing out to Uncommon Grounds in Albany for a relaxing and vexing game of Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot. This is an event of note for Almost Awake fans due to the fact that Dave taught me that game the night before we became a band (see bio for more details). It really should be checked out though. Bunnies is a cult favorite as far as deranged card/dice games are concerned. We here at Almost Awake would like to spread the gospel of the Magic Carrot to you all however, as you've been deprived for far too long. Learn more about it here.
If you are wondering, we are playing two out-of-the-area shows this weekend...
Thursday 3pm-6pm at the Manchester, VT Farmer's Market and
Sunday 8pm-10pm at Spot Coffee in Rochetster, NY.
Also, AA headquarters has recently been attacked by a militant band of fascist fruitflies. They must be defeated with the power of love, so please meditate on the image of fruitflies perishing in mass quanities if you are able and so choose. We appreciate your support.
With qualitiative analysis...
C
Friday, July 06, 2007
I am ranting like a fool
Ladies and Gentlemen, Don't forget to brush your teeth. And don't forget to come see Almost Awake at Red Square TONIGHT! 5pm! We're playing for happy hour. We haven't played at red square in about 20 hundred ages, so we're quite excited. Also, we can walk to the show!! How awesome is that? You should come, because we love you, but not in a sexual way, unless you buy us gifts and become our groupies. ::cough:: anyway.
Tomorrow we're playing in Spencertown, NY for the hidden garden tours which benefit Spencertown Academy. They have a little craft and local goods market for the event, which is where you can find us, because we are, afterall, the farmer's market band. Dave and I wonder how this happened, but then we remember that we went on a 31 town farmer's market tour, and the wondering is quickly extiguished.
Oh, you should come to that show too.
We're not recording on monday because our engineer/co-producer is being swallowed by a bubbling tar-pit of corporate beauracratic poo, in which he is forced to be on call 24 hours a day in a quite undesirable manner so that some higher-up somewhere can relax on a Carribean beach, i'm sure. So, there you are. He's being crushed under the clown-shoe of Capitalism to the point that he is powerless even to stick it to the man (like Jesus did).
Think about that while you eat your tobacco-comapny-owned morningstar black-bean veggie burger in the name of degreasing your carbon footprint.
Why is it now cool to be eco-friendly? It's like when you buy a band's CD and a song is your favorite and then it becomes a single and then you feel as if it was stolen from you, and you're now just part of the mainstream with no claim to the fact that you were there first. That's how I feel about the recent 'being green' development in this country. i should be glad that my favorite song is popular, but instead i'm sulking over the fact that it's no longer special, just a flavor of the week on the top 40 station.
Apparently i have things to talk about that are un-related to music, and you are reading this because you want to know about Almost Awake's shows and general activities as musicians...so I'll try to get back to that.
We sat in with Sirsy on te 4th of july at Christies on the Lake in Lake George (don't try to park in lake George on the 4th of july if you have to lug equiptment, because Guatemala will seem like a short stroll away compared to the distance you'll have to walk from your car to your destination). It was pretty much a dream come true. I don't have much to say because i'll just gush, and i don't want to gush. The summary is that Dave and I played three songs with Melanie and Rich: Sirsy's "Waiting for Rain", "Round Here" by the Counting Crows, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis. I got to sing leads on "Waiting for Rain", which was pretty intimidating with Melanie right next to me playing drums, and I goofed the ending, but everyone in the audience was really drunk and really enjoying themselves, so it was ok, and you wouldn't have known unless you knew the song. "Round Here" and "Wonderwall" were both interesting because Dave played drums and Mel's kit for acoustic shows is really minimal, there aren't any toms, and almost all of the fills dave expected to include in the songs involve the toms, so he had to think on his feet and be creative. It was definately a cool experience to figure out how to play the songs together was we went, seeing as none of us had practiced them in advance. It was entirely a team effort, and the first time i'd played with a full band in a just singing type of arrangement. I'm still not really over it. Also, Rich showed me how to play the bridge to "Waiting for Rain", so in theory Dave and I are going to resume working on covering it.
In othe news, I'm seeing fireworks three times this week. And playing Bocce. And Sirsy rocks. And you should come to our shows. And rain can't spoil the fun unless the fun is in the form of an outdoor sugar sculpture.
Twinkle.
C
Tomorrow we're playing in Spencertown, NY for the hidden garden tours which benefit Spencertown Academy. They have a little craft and local goods market for the event, which is where you can find us, because we are, afterall, the farmer's market band. Dave and I wonder how this happened, but then we remember that we went on a 31 town farmer's market tour, and the wondering is quickly extiguished.
Oh, you should come to that show too.
We're not recording on monday because our engineer/co-producer is being swallowed by a bubbling tar-pit of corporate beauracratic poo, in which he is forced to be on call 24 hours a day in a quite undesirable manner so that some higher-up somewhere can relax on a Carribean beach, i'm sure. So, there you are. He's being crushed under the clown-shoe of Capitalism to the point that he is powerless even to stick it to the man (like Jesus did).
Think about that while you eat your tobacco-comapny-owned morningstar black-bean veggie burger in the name of degreasing your carbon footprint.
Why is it now cool to be eco-friendly? It's like when you buy a band's CD and a song is your favorite and then it becomes a single and then you feel as if it was stolen from you, and you're now just part of the mainstream with no claim to the fact that you were there first. That's how I feel about the recent 'being green' development in this country. i should be glad that my favorite song is popular, but instead i'm sulking over the fact that it's no longer special, just a flavor of the week on the top 40 station.
Apparently i have things to talk about that are un-related to music, and you are reading this because you want to know about Almost Awake's shows and general activities as musicians...so I'll try to get back to that.
We sat in with Sirsy on te 4th of july at Christies on the Lake in Lake George (don't try to park in lake George on the 4th of july if you have to lug equiptment, because Guatemala will seem like a short stroll away compared to the distance you'll have to walk from your car to your destination). It was pretty much a dream come true. I don't have much to say because i'll just gush, and i don't want to gush. The summary is that Dave and I played three songs with Melanie and Rich: Sirsy's "Waiting for Rain", "Round Here" by the Counting Crows, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis. I got to sing leads on "Waiting for Rain", which was pretty intimidating with Melanie right next to me playing drums, and I goofed the ending, but everyone in the audience was really drunk and really enjoying themselves, so it was ok, and you wouldn't have known unless you knew the song. "Round Here" and "Wonderwall" were both interesting because Dave played drums and Mel's kit for acoustic shows is really minimal, there aren't any toms, and almost all of the fills dave expected to include in the songs involve the toms, so he had to think on his feet and be creative. It was definately a cool experience to figure out how to play the songs together was we went, seeing as none of us had practiced them in advance. It was entirely a team effort, and the first time i'd played with a full band in a just singing type of arrangement. I'm still not really over it. Also, Rich showed me how to play the bridge to "Waiting for Rain", so in theory Dave and I are going to resume working on covering it.
In othe news, I'm seeing fireworks three times this week. And playing Bocce. And Sirsy rocks. And you should come to our shows. And rain can't spoil the fun unless the fun is in the form of an outdoor sugar sculpture.
Twinkle.
C
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