In an attempt to stick to my inter web word and Blog every day in june i write from drews phone outside of the lovely club we just played here in seattle....

Washington...

I write this rainy Sunday morning from the corner of Columbia and 8th in Vancouver, Washington. Mike and Drew spent all night driving while Nick and I comfortably caught up on sleep in the back two rows of our newly lent home. It is crazy that we are already here in Washington and I can't wait to see what the next few days have in store.

For some reason this was on my mind when I woke up:

Wild Yaks: "River May Come" from cutandpaste on Vimeo.

In a brand new whip On the 5 about 50 miles from the capital of of our fine state. Good to be here again...more soon!

Thanks!!!

Thank you Hot Hot Heat for having us at one of the most enjoyable and unique shows we have ever played, thank you for introducing us to The Bootleg where magnificent people work and thank you finally to introducing us to people who have loved your band for a really long time and are super excited about what you are doing...it was a pleasure and we were honored to play. We can't wait for the record>>>:

We will be leaving Saturday on our Futuresounds Adventure, we can't believe it is already June and we can't believe we are doing a Rumble Tour, something we have wanted to be a part of since the day we met the fine people at Futuresounds.

We spent the later half of the day today rehearsing after fighting miserable traffic this afternoon in a location very familiar to us but somewhat far from home. It seems that everytime we go we have some of the most productive things happen in preparation to play out...we can't wait to share these new songs with cities we have been wanting to play for a long time. We start things in Seattle and we are still figuring out our wheels but we'll be there this Monday with Motopony and we can't wait.

Watching hot hot heat soundchecking now. pretty neet canada...starting with a new one tonight, come early!!!

Hot Hot Heat

This Wednesday, June 2, we will be opening for Hot Hot Heat.

It will be our first trip to the Bootleg theater and I could not be happier supporting one of the first bands I ever really understood and loved and am honored to be opening as they promote their new record.

We leave for a short run of shows up the coast this Saturday and would love your support before we head out.

Here is a link to Pre-Sale Tickets

Here is a link to Facebook Event

-Matt

Rabbit, Rabbit?

I will be making an entry every single day in June on this here blog. Each post will have things worth sharing. I know that in the past I have neglected this blog and I would like to change my pattern so here it goes...

Goodbye friend, you were a fine machine(a photo tribute to our beloved van)

We are very excited to be playing this evening at The Silverlake Lounge, we have spent the last few weeks preparing some new songs that we are beyond excited to be playing tonight. This really should be a fantastic night of music at one of our favorite venues in town...nice and cozy and very good food next door.

Tue Eve

Hello all, we are pleased to announce that we will be playing in support of an amazing cause tomorrow evening April 20 in Fullerton. For those of you that are in the area please help contribute to an amazing event that will surely be a fun one.

Hope everyone had a great Coachella weekend...for Drew and I it was all business. We have been tirelessly working on writing a slew of new songs that we hope to play out in the coming weeks.

In the meantime our "resident" artist/photographer/video specialist helped us put together this rendition of one of our songs that we shot a couple weeks ago in our practice space...we had never played the song quite like this before so it was a joyous occasion to say the least....below is the video-enjoy. Many thanks to Tessa Neustadt for her time and patience.

T Pain just told the crowd I'm standing in that in 2008 he was two number one singles away from beating the beatles in number one singles. Good to know.

Hello Again

It has been far too long yet again since I have gathered myself in front of this silly screen to think of something to post here. Sometimes I tell myself I am going to do it but then I start playing my guitar or listening to a record or driving somewhere or "looking for a job" which seems to be one of the strangest most intimidating processes in life, yet I desperately need one, I would like to go to the movies again and buy beer and avocados and pay bills and tickets, and unfortunately I don't exactly know how to save money so I am presented with a big problem.

So as I ponder my financial woes sitting in the sun with fresh coffee in a well used somewhat antique looking mug on a beautiful Thursday morning I realize that I am one of the luckiest people on the planet...this makes no sense to me. Not really sure why I am writing all this but normally when I sit down for these little sessions I have some type of plan...not this time. Today I positioned my computer on my lap (I cant really put it on a desk or it wont work as it has a really intense warp on the bottom) and just decided I would write...or type, whatever this is. Anyway here is to relevance-

+_+_+_

Things have been going well for us in the past couple of weeks, we have been writing loads of songs, we re-decorated our space in Venice, played a fun one at the KSCR fest at USC and filmed and recorded a bunch of songs in our newly decorated space.

We have some exciting Los Angeles shows planned in the coming weeks and we hope to start working on a record here in this time that we are not out on the road. We really want people to hear these new songs and if you are around...

!!!!!!!!!!

If you happen to live or enjoy vistiting the Westside of Los Angeles we are playing a show this evening at a lovely venue called The Stronghold (1625 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA) we love this place and we are thrilled to be playing. We go on at around midnight BUT it's normally just a donation to get in and I believe there is some sort of free alcohol situation but don't quote me if you do decide to join us.

We will also be playing a FREE show this Saturday April 10 at The USC Springfest Festival Main Stage at 2:45 PM. There are loads of other artists playing including Sr. T-Pain himself and we are always excited to be playing outside so you feel like hanging Pre-Coachella (which I unfortunately can not attend this year and was debating disguising myself as a police officer to make my way in) this should be a mice one.

!+_+_+!+_+_+!+_+_+!

Sorry I don't have any visual stimulus this post and if you have made all the way through this ramble then I feel I should tell you that the video now on the top of the page was given to us by the kind people at the Fader Fort in Austin and we thought we would share it with everyone.

Enjoy the sun, it's nice

-Matt

Incredible night at The Bunkhouse Las Vegas with Kid Theodore. To Everyone who helped out with gas money, you are the most amazing human beings we love you

Neet O

Finally the opportunity to blog blog has smoothly struck, I write from the Schwartz residence here south of Tucson on a lovely Arizona morning after nearly 14 hours in the van yesterday. Tonight: The Bunkhouse Las Vegas with Kid Theodore.

Our first trip to Austin went incredibly well and we sincerely thank all of our families for helping make the trip a success, all of our new friends in Austin helped introduce us to an incredibly receptive town and we can not wait to return. MANY THANKS!!!

pet area-somewhere on the 10 between Austin and Fort Stockton

Levi's/Fader Fort

although I look very upset in this photo I was actually quite happy-this is after we did a quick last minute interview at east village radio-everyone there was very very nice they broadcasted the entire week

Drew-"Fort Stockton" Burrito-Dinner
Julios tortilla chips-a Texas Staple
Drew-Happy Belly
Motorhead stage set-up at the outside stage at Stubb's-Marshall Stacks

Stubb's BMI Howdy Texas Party

Boredom in Van=Red photos of everyone looking very

Day 3-of these days that is

THIS PLACE IS TOO OVERWHELMING

BLOG TO COME SOON....MUST SLEEP NOW EARLY MORNING YET AGAIN TOMORROW. SO MANY SHOWS....SO MANY PEOPLE. PICTURES TO COME SOON.

Day 1-of these days that is

Tuesday March 16 2010

12:30 AM- Leave U.S. Border Patrol station after 5 hour stay....learn both singing and "Marco Polo" playing is prohibited while in the cells.

12:31-3:59- Mindless driving on the 10 East.

4:00- Somewhere in West Texas I tell Drew who is keeping me company in the front seat that I'll drive for another hour then he has to take over.

5:00- Switcheroo

5:01-9:00- While Drew and I are passed out in the back two rows Nick and Mike finish the drive to our hotel just outside of Austin.

9:05- I innocently scare the kind woman behind the front desk at the hotel when I stumble in looking like a crazy person....Nick and Mike eat breakfast....Drew and I close the blinds and pass out again. Never underestimate the power of a mattress.

9:30-Noon- Listen to The Bowerbirds, fall asleep very quickly, somewhere in a dream remind myself that their new record is indeed as amazing as I knew it was when I was conscious.

1:00 PM- Depart for Austin, we stopped here for gas once, but this is will be our first time setting foot downtown. The clouds proclaim their emphatically peaceful presence over the traffic that has gathered on the freeway around Exit 234.

3:00- Drew and I eat some delicious sandwiches at Stubb's BBQ...we discuss how irritably well we have eaten since we left Los Angeles...get the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw if you are ever at Stubb's (Nick told me the potato salad was better, but I'm a sucker for cabbage)

5:30ish- Watch Caitlin Rose (Nashville) play an amazing set...Motorhead was next door sound-checking very loudly but she still sounded great.

6ish- Watch Rey Fresco (Los Angeles) play an amazing set

6:30- Have the good fortune of playing our first show in Austin at Stubb's BBQ-yeahhhh!!!

8-9:30- Wander around Austin looking for shows/beer/food. This place has what seems to be an endless amounts of venues. Good Pizza. Good Chips too. "ritas".

10:30-Midnightish- Hang out at "Rusty Spurs" watch Foster The People play outside on the patio.

12:30 AM- Collectively realize we need to get some sleep-on the way back to the van run into Britt Daniel-no big deal--he gives us veteran tips on how to sneak into his show tomorrow night-now we comprehend that this time of year in Austin is fucking insane-we are thrilled for what lies ahead.

-Matt

Hello there inter web. I write from my phone here in downtown austin, we got in at 9 this morning after a long stop with the border patrol last night, more soon

Ah Ha Fa Fa

We have had a very enjoyable last 48 hours since we left Los Angeles en route to SXSW . We carry on this evening with a show here in Phoenix, Arizona.

Things...

The Troubadour last night was an unbelievable treat, it had been quite a few months since the last time we were fortunate enough to be a part of a show there. We realize the time was strange and we sincerely appreciate everyone at The Troubadour helping us out and especially those of you that were kind enough to spend the early part of your Monday night with us.

This Thursday we will be departing for Austin, which we are anticipating to be one of the most awe inspiring experiences of our time together, we begin our trip with a show in Las Vegas at The Bunkhouse as part of The Neon Reverb festivities happening all weekend. We will be sharing the stage with our friends Kid Theodore who we were fortunate enough to meet last week in Long Beach and we anticipate it to be a remarkable night.

-Here is a nifty poster for the event-

Plenty more to come in the next 12 hours. Thanks again we are incredibly excited for the upcoming weeks and hope to plan another Los Angeles show towards the end of March. The last week here in town has been great.

KSCR-RAD-THANKS-

Oh Mew Sack

wish we were here

but we were indeed here...although it does not feel as though it was real

Tuning An Electric Piano

One of the greatest instruments to have ever been made is the Wurlitzer Electric Piano. Its complicated approach on amplifying the sound of a key striking a tine is unparalleled and nearly untouched. Quite possibly the most intriguing intricacy of this instrument is its innate ability to lose its tuning. Many things can cause this phenomenon...such as: hitting the keys too hard or jarring the instrument with a tough bump amongst many other things. Placing all these unique factors on an instrument can take it's toll and truly require an expert hand to salvage maintain its unscathed state. I was in a very un-unique position as the owner of one of these fine instruments when one of my keys went a bit flat a couple months ago. I at first ignored the problem and continued to play my parts as normal....as the problem persisted the note continued to get further and further out of tune. Following this I was forced to find different ways of playing many songs and this was a bummer.

Today I had the great fortunes of visiting one of the great keyboard technicians ever, he has built himself an incredible space with awesome help and is the deepest lover of vintage keyboards I have ever met. Watching my instrument get worked on was an unbelievable thrill and I wish that I had a comparable level of expertise .

Earlier today I was very concerned about being forced to play out of a computer this evening in Long Beach at one of our favorite hangouts-the one and only DiPiazza's. Instead I am thrilled to be fortunate enough to have the help of a really talented technician of sound. Thank you Mr. Rich

Also we have been working on a very interesting set for our show tomorrow evening at The Hotel Cafe. We will playing a couple songs that our very important to us that we seldom get the opportunity to play. If you are up to the challenge of staying out late...we would love to share the evening with you.

-Matt