11/28/11

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday weekend!

Before I headed to my home turf in Southern Indiana for turkey, I lent a hand with sound for the Moonshine Mason and the Rot Gut Gang and Afro-Disiacs show at the Knickerbocker last Wednesday night. As is the norm in downtown Lafayette, the show was full of great performances and music!

In IND news...

I lucked out & the FedEx fairy delivered the Whistle When We Break Down CDs last week!! There are 9 tracks total (3 versions each of "Guilt that Keeps on Giving," "Out of Our Hands," and "Pocket and Soul") written/performed/recorded by this guy at IND HQ in Lafayette, IN and mixed by Grant Mohrman at Method House Studios in Detroit, MI. The art features a lyric sheet and a lengthy 'thanks list'. Perhaps you're in there...

I only did a short run. So, if you like to hold your music in your hands, grab it from me for $5 before they're gone. Hit me up via the Contact or the Fan Page to arrange a swap. Also, if you follow me on Twitter, I'll mention when I leave the studio with them.

If you missed it last week, The Journal & Courier had some nice things to say about the songs...

As a reminder: the main versions of the songs are still available for digital download for $.99 each on iTunes and Amazon. You can also preview & buy for $1 per track on my Bandcamp Page. In addition to the Fan Page, you can now stream the tunes on Spotify too.

Speaking of jamming the CD, I'm pretty excited for tomorrow!

Yes, Tuesday, Nov 29th is the 'Add Date' for Whistle When We Break Down on college radio. My buddies at Tinderbox Music are jazzed about the tunes and are working with me to push them nationwide. My fingers are crossed that stations pick it up. If so, I'll spill the beans on chart positions, etc. as the info comes in.

There's the weekly update.

I'm off to take care of some booking & to get some work done on the "Out of Our Hands" video.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Over and out

11/21/11

I've been pounding coffee and losing sleep for a couple of days while shooting the new video for "Out of Our Hands."

But... since it's blog day, I'm taking a short break from that.

Some coolness happened over the week. Tim Brouk at the Journal & Courier said some cool words about my new jams. You can check the article out HERE (at JConline.com).

Thanks Tim!

Also, remember way back (July, I think) when I mentioned something about going to the WBAA studio to chat & play some songs for the Local Music Show?

Well, the podcast is up! <--Follow the link to listen

It's fun to look back on. Sure, there are mistakes/bugs and things I'd say differently now, but such is life... and such is rock 'n roll. :-)

Thanks Bitsy & Shea!

Now, onto last week's recap:

I got out to catch some sweet sets by Joe Peters, Hillary Tribbett, Nick Berkshire, etc. at Lafayette Live on Wednesday night. As always, it was good times & great tunes.

Thursday I went over to the Applebee's Open Mic in Frankfort to hang with Jason Wells and jam a little.

Here's the set:

"Dear Reason"
"Settling"
"My Rx"
"Pocket and Soul"
"Before it Gets to Me"
"Nutshell" - Alice in Chains cover

I should mention that my wing man, Clayton Smith, took lead on the last song. If you're unfamiliar, Clayton and I founded the band Adrenaline back in '98 & caused trouble with the group until around '03. Since Thursday night's shindig coincided with his trip 'back home' from his new stomping grounds out West, we decided to spend a couple of nights practicing via internet & share the stage like old times.

The post-show debauchery was both a blast and NSFB (Not Safe For Blogging). Sorry to leave you hanging. You should hang out more. :-)

The fun continued on Friday night when I lent a hand with sound duties for a stacked bill at the Knickerbocker. Dirty Rotten Sunshine, The Vallures, Green Room Rockers, and The Half Rats had the place packed & moving. Great bands make running sound simple! Great show, dudes!!

Now for more shameless self promo:

If you have any holiday commuting to do this week, I strongly recommend picking up Whistle When We Break Down for the trip. It can be had for $.99 per song on iTunes or Amazon ($2.97 total) or for $1 per song at Bandcamp ($3 total). It's a steal!!!

Disclaimer: be careful with "Guilt that Keeps on Giving," it'll make you drive fast.

Speaking of fast, I gotta cut it short & get back to biz.

Thanks for stopping by, I'm off to do more work on the new video.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!!

Over and out

11/14/11

I had a blast last week; celebrating Veterans Day, my birthday, and playing 3 shows.

I'm still a little slow from all the happenings. Here's the recap:

As always, Wednesday nights are for Lafayette Live and Drew joined me in some stage-stompin'.

Here's the set:

"Dear Reason"
"Something Else is Something More" - Adrenaline cover
"Before it Gets to Me"
"Pocket and Soul"

The goal was to try and get some 'live time' introducing some different tunes/arrangements to the set to try to get good vibes. This continued in Frankfort on Thursday night for the Open Mic at Applebee's.

Here's the set:

"Dear Reason"
"Something Else is Something More" - Adrenaline cover
"My Rx"
"Pocket and Soul"
"Before it Gets to Me"

Since the open mic formats tend to be a little laid-back, I got up & jammed on some fun covers by John R. Butler, Bloodhound Gang, Cee Lo Green, NWA, Chef, & Lonely Island later in the night too.

Sidenote: I know some of my music buddies are reading this every week, you dudes should check out the open mic links & try to make it out to jam!

After a month+ of organizing & promoting, the Veterans Day show at the Knickerbocker went off without a hitch. Attendance was awesome and my bros Jason Wells & 9LB Gun threw it down.

On my end, it was great to have Chris & Drew with me on stage again. If it was the dirtiest and meanest we could be unplugged, then mission accomplished.

Here's the set:

"Dear Reason"
"Something Else is Something More" - Adrenaline cover
"My Rx"
"Feed Me a Lie"
"Settling"
"Before it Gets to Me"
"Pocket and Soul"
"The Shadow I Will Leave"
"Guilt that Keeps on Giving"
"Bed Intruder" - Auto-Tune the News cover
"Out of Our Hands"

By the way, I'm in the process of collecting video & pics from last week to get up on YouTube & the Fan Page. If you have it, I want it. Shoot me a message.

After a little recovery time, I got out to catch some shows on Saturday night. First up was coffee & chill music by Evan Ryan & Arch Drive Goodbye at Java Roaster. I'm big fans of these dudes' songwriting. My fingers are crossed that I can share a bill with them soon.

After they wrapped up, I ran around the corner to catch Echovox & Why I Like Robins at Black Sparrow. I've known some of the Echovox dudes for quite a few years, but this my first time hearing their new tunes. It's earworm city!

I'm very happy for Bart, Scott, & Jonny for what they have going on. It won't be long before I have their CD worn out, for sure!

Also, Why I Like Robins is my favorite rock band in town. It should be a crime to miss their shows...

That does it for the weekly update.

Kudos to everyone involved in making this week a success! It made for a great birthday present!!

I'm off to hit it hard promoting Whistle When We Break Down, getting ready for the "Out of Our Hands" video, and lining-up more shows.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have some really cool things to drop on you over the next couple of weeks, so don't be strangers...

Over and out

11/09/11

Happy Fall Back on DST! I've been feeling extra productive being up an hour earlier...

Last week was a whirlwind of art & biz. Unfortunately, I ended up skipping out on some sweet shows: Evan Ryan at Java Roaster and Snorb! at LBC. On the other hand, I did make it out to catch Lafayette Live and jam at an open mic in Frankfort.

Drew tagged to Frankfort with me and jammed on some original tunes. Later on, I ended up playing some covers too. Here's the set:

"Settling"
"Before it Gets to Me"
"Pocket and Soul"
"Faithfully" - Journey cover
"Long Day" - Matchbox Twenty cover
"Zzyzx Rd" - Stone Sour cover

Thanks to Jason Wells for putting the Frankfort Open Mics! I look forward to stopping in again this week. If you're in the area, it's at Applebee's on SR28 in Frankfort from 8-11pm on Thursday.

Speaking of Jason Wells, we'll be joining forces with him & our buddies in 9LB Gun to fill the Knickerbocker with good tunes on Friday night (11/11/11) at 9pm. In celebration of Veterans Day and to give thanks, a military ID gets you in free. Check out the Event Page for more info and to RSVP.

Did you get the word last week?

The Whistle When We Break Down EP has landed at iTunes and Amazon. I'm super jazzed about the feedback! The digital release features 3 tracks ("Guilt that Keeps on Giving," "Out of Our Hands," and "Pocket and Soul") recorded at IND HQ here in Lafayette and mixed by Grant Mohrman at Method House Studios in Detroit. I've had the first track on the Facebook Fan Page for a few weeks and added the other 2 last night. It's still 'like' for listen, but I think it's worth it. :-)

Go check them out and if you dig them and/or support the IND cause, I'd love for you to own them.

3 songs for less than $3 is a pretty sweet deal, you know...

That does it for the weekly update. Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I'll see you at the shows this week!!

Don't forget to go vote tomorrow (Tuesday, 11/8/11).

Over and out

10/31/11

Happy Halloween!

I'm already feeling Halloween-ed-out from celebrating it for almost a week...

First, apologies for having to reschedule the show that was supposed to happen last Monday at Nate's House. I'll let you know when we get a new date on that.

Drew & I stopped in at Lafayette Live on Wednesday night to jam a few tunes. Here's the set:

"Settling"
"Before it Gets to Me"
"Pocket and Soul"

We were excited to be sandwiched between Little Boxes, Hillary Tribbett, and Evan Ryan (where are you online?) for the night. Great sets, dudes!

Friday night I helped run sound at the 2nd annual ZombAid show; benefiting Food Finders / Feeding America. The stage was set up in the middle of Main St. between 2nd & 3rd in front of Black Sparrow and IT WAS ROCKING! Despite the cold temps, Why I like Robins, Dino DNA, & Broken Light had peeps (dressed as zombies, of course) dancing all night. Kudos to the dude in the Wilfred costume. That gave me a good chuckle!!

Saturday turned into a rock n' roll endurance run...

While warming up early in the day for (what was supposed to be) our first club show that night, we got a call to fill in at HomeGrownBikerTV's Monster Halloween Party at Eagle Harley-Davidson. Hybrid Glitch got things warmed up nicely (pun intended: this was an outdoor show & it was chilly).

Here's the set:

"Stuck" - Adrenaline cover
"Feed Me a Lie"
"A Veil Lifted"
"The Shadow I Will Leave"
"Settling"
"Dear Reason"
"Guilt that Keeps on Giving"
"Pocket and Soul"
"Out of Our Hands"

Big thanks to Doug & Scott for taking care of us. I'm down for helping out whenever I can!

Apologies to the lady in the port-a-potty that I exposed to the crowd prior to playing. I'm guessing she'll either never use one again or never forget to lock the door. :-)

After powering down, we hurried up & packed/loaded to head to LafayetteMetal's shindig at Jerilee's. The great tune-age of Our Albatross and Colasi's Omen (along with costume and scream queen contests) made for an awesome time as we got ready for round 2.

Here's the set:

"Stuck" - Adrenaline cover
"Feed Me a Lie"
"A Veil Lifted"
"The Shadow I Will Leave"
"Settling"
"Dear Reason"
"Before it Gets to Me"
"Guilt that Keeps on Giving"
"Pocket and Soul"
"Out of Our Hands"

Thanks to all that came out for 'Opening Night,' especially Chris & Drew. It couldn't have happened without those dudes! I don't think any of us expected to close two shows on our first night out... or for things to go as well as they did.

We're switching gears to prep for the Veteran's Day show at the Knickerbocker with Jason Wells and 9LB Gun. To show our support for the troops, anyone with a military ID gets in free. Also, since this show is on November 11th, my birthday antics will start at midnight. LOOK OUT!!

Before I go, I'll let you know that all of the masters for the Whistle When We Break Down EP got back over the weekend & it should go live on iTunes this week. I'll give the heads up on the Fan Page or @ChrisJuneIND when it's up.

Now, don't eat too much candy! I'll catch you back here next week.

Over and out

10/24/11

Hey, the blog surpassed 1,000 views last week! Wait, there's no award for that? Oh well...

Remember, if there's content that you're not seeing on the blog that you'd like covered, let me know.

Ready for last week's breakdown? Here we go...

On Tuesday I helped run sound at Black Sparrow for the Psychic Twin, Love of Everything, and Common Loon show. Not one of these bands had more than 2 people and all sounded huge! I was especially digging on the electronic elements of Psychic Twin & Common Loon. Overall, it was an awesome show!

I made my regular stop at Lafayette Live on Wednesday night. There wasn't anything crazy to report, but it was fun and, if you're reading this, you should start checking it out. :-)

I got a nice treat on Thursday; getting to listen to a mix of "Out of Our Hands." The acoustic guitars I tracked last week really beefed (and pop-ed) up the choruses. I hope the guitar solo for this song kills people.

Literally...

Imagine spending your entire weekend designing & assembling a merch display.

That's what I did.

Although it should be very useful, this is one of those thankless, time-consuming efforts that you have to do to make 'playing rock 'n roll every night' work.

There's not really anything there that's not on the site, but it's in-your-face & QR crazy.

I'm still trying to figure out how to pipe in subliminal messages to get nearby folks to get out their wallets. :-)

Looking ahead...

Tonight's show at Nate's House on the West-Side is canceled. We're trying to reschedule it for a later date. Apologies to those of you that were ready for an early-week hellraiser!

On Wednesday night Drew & I'll be throwing it down unplugged-style for Lafayette Live at the Lafayette Theater (6th & Main St, downtown). The show runs from 7-11ish pm and I think we'll be in the middle somewhere. Lafayette Live at the Theater is a free all-ages event with a bar area for 21+.

The show on Saturday at Jerilee's has had a bit of a line-up shift. While Our Albatross and the IND crew are still good to go, Draekon has been swapped out with Colasi's Omen from up North. Josh (their bassist) and I did several shows together back in the Chemcoma/Driven period. I'm looking forward to catching up & rocking out!

Outside of shows, this is my heavy week for guitar lessons and I need to book some more shows for the group. Also, if things pan out, I should get to proof the mix of the final track for the Whistle When We Break Down EP tonight! WOOT!!


I'm SOOOO ready to get this puppy done & out.


Thanks for stopping by! It's busy-time.

I'll see you at the shows & back here next week!!

Over and out

10/17/11

Hey all!

I was a tad reclusive last week since I had to finish up a new song with the quickness. Though I'm digging on it, it totally didn't turn out how I expected. My tunes usually take their own path, no matter what direction I steer them in...

Despite keeping myself mostly locked up, I was treated to a few awesome distractions throughout the week.

The Arch Drive Goodbye crew stopped over at IND HQ midweek for some hanging/scheming. They're still hip to letting me cover one of their tunes for the live set. I'm a bit behind schedule on making that a reality, but I should be able to knock it out quickly once the production phase of the new EP is completed. I really cannot wait to get all of that done & get it out there.

I was ecstatic to participate in Operation Freedom Foam on Friday. To summarize, my little brother is serving in Afghanistan with the USMC. After asking what it would take to get some sweet Dog N Suds root beer shipped over to him via their Facebook Page, the company started a campaign to raise funds to pull it off. So, an event was held on Friday at their location on SR 52 to load up palettes of root beer to be shipped off. The best part was getting to see my little bro's face & chat with him on Skype. While the day was an over-all success, I am semi-bummed that I didn't realize the Purdue Basketball team was helping load the van up, so I missed an opportunity to wish some good mojo on Robbie Hummel's knee. :-)

Saturday I got an offer to help out with sound for the People's Brewing Fall Bash 2011. Since I was a bit indecisive on how to spend my day, it was a no-brainer to go get some great beer & food while watching sick pickin' from Woodstove Flapjacks & Root Hog. To all involved: great job!

Switching gears...

Much appreciation to those of you that contributed to my Facebook Fan Page surpassing the 100 'likes' mark! I hope I see you cats out at the shows coming up!!

The first club date is coming up next Saturday (8/29) at the Jerilee's in Lafayette with Our Albatross & Draekon. This will be a very diverse show. Plus, it's a Halloween shindig! To get more details & RSVP, check out the Facebook Event. Please share!

That's gonna do it for this week's update. I have a long list of duties to complete before the next blog entry.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!!

Over and out