tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90471711761310547572024-03-13T23:45:21.915-07:00So Many Dynamos touring/recording/all-purpose bloginformation regarding to the activities of St. Louis group So Many Dynamos, which includes, but is not limited to, recording and touring.Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994483222314203282noreply@blogger.comBlogger188125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-75759605785652566672011-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:002011-10-27T11:52:29.632-07:00Fall Foam Residency week 1<center><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ub-JOwHimBfycEqZb32BuA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xgg_fAYSgj0/TqmaduK7qqI/AAAAAAAAATU/vSf9KGN5gzU/s800/smd_rez_web.jpg" height="800" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drumnorm/October272011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">October 27, 2011</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Tonight, after the Cardinals and Rangers duke out World Series Game 6 at Busch Stadium, a wonderful gathering of good natured, intelligent, socially conscious St Louis-ans are going to rally!!! No, I'm not talking about <a href="http://www.occupystl.org/">Occupy Stl</a>. I'm talking about fans of <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11232-to-serve-with-love/">Black Spade</a>, and So Many Dynamos. Anyone who's had a conversation with a member of SMD in the past year has probably had to listen to us gush about the absurd talent of Veto Money. Hold on a second, Veto Money? Yup, Black Spade's legal birth name is Veto Money! And that's not even why we love him! Mostly, we love his music, and his good company. But we're also addicted to performing with him. He has the rare gift of ALWAYS making a musical situation better. It's not uncommon to see us giddy as school children when it's time for Veto's verse, or when he delivers a melody in a way none of us could ever have ever expected. Every time we play together we learn something, and this of course co-insides with the entire idea of playing a residency in St Louis. We are hungry to learn, to get better, to take some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inrEPapTtMM">chances</a>, and most importantly to have fun! Tonight also marks the first of a series of shows with guest Dynamo performer Joe Winters on <a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71JV1TJ9SRL._SL500_AA300_.gif">Percussion</a>.<br /><br /><br /></center>Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994483222314203282noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-91156760474020372012011-10-13T07:51:00.000-07:002011-10-13T08:27:10.757-07:00We're Not Above ItOh Hey Internet,<br /><br />I know it has been pretty silent in the So Many Dynamos department over the last few months. We have not been touring, or releasing records, or even managing our blogs very well. Lame, and boring...we know, we know. Well, what have we been doing you ask? The short story is: We've been growing. A lot. Musically, and as people. Or is there a difference? Either way, seasons are changing for So Many Dynamos. Here in St Louis, we have beautiful leaves, a new guitar player named Travis, and lots of new songs!!! <br /><br />This one is called "We're Not Above It".<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2-jusz6a5Hc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" width="450"></iframe>Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994483222314203282noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-90469723560470308762011-06-09T22:55:00.000-07:002011-06-10T21:08:54.366-07:00Turn and Face the Strain<p class="MsoNormal">Hello friends, it’s been a while. I know we moved to <a href="http://somanydynamos-band.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> but I thought this entry warranted double posting.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> A lot has been going on ‘behind the scenes’ as they say. Aaron & Norm and the rest of the Secret Sound Society along with a slew of other like minded people have been working hard on organizing the <a href="http://www.stlartproject.org/?page_id=40" _mce_href="http://www.stlartproject.org/?page_id=40">SLAP conference</a>, taking place Thursday June 16th through Sunday June 19th. The first two days are free. For the price of a few beers at the bar you could instead get tickets for Saturday and Sunday. Save yourself the hangover and click <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/173004" _mce_href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/173004">here</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some of you may recall I spent last <a href="http://griffinandnicki.blogspot.com/" _mce_href="http://griffinandnicki.blogspot.com/">summer in Alaska</a> with my girlfriend. While there she became my fiancé. This weekend we are tying the knot in a small ceremony here in St. Louis and I couldn’t be happier about it.Somehow amongst all the wedding planning I was able to nerd out with Jon Scorfina who writes the column "<a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2011/06/griffin_kay_interview_so_many_dynamos.php" _mce_href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2011/06/griffin_kay_interview_so_many_dynamos.php">Last Collector Standing</a>" for the RFT. He said his interviews normally last about 25 minutes, but we ended up talking for nearly 3 hours. When it comes to vinyl I tend to get excited and ramble on (and on and on and on...).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Where was I? Oh yes, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ZnaLbzYAk&NR=1" _mce_href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ZnaLbzYAk&NR=1">marriage</a>.Whenever people get married things are bound to change and my situation is no different. In August my wife-to-be will begin working towards her PhD at University of Colorado Boulder. Before we head west Dynamos are playing a show on July30th. This is going to be my last night as a member of So Many Dynamos. I’ve got a mountain of thank you’s and sentimental shout outs, but that’s a different blog entry for another day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>For now I’ll just stick with the facts. We’ll be sharing the stage with <a href="http://racailum.bandcamp.com/" _mce_href="http://racailum.bandcamp.com/">Ra Cailum</a> and King Arthur. In an attempt to send me off in style, the fine folks in <a href="http://kingarthurtheband.bandcamp.com/" _mce_href="http://kingarthurtheband.bandcamp.com/">King Arthur </a>will entertain my dreams and play a few songs from their previous band, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thelaketheband" _mce_href="http://www.myspace.com/thelaketheband">The Lake</a>. This is not to detract from how incredible King Arthur is. If you were at their show at the Old Rock house last month then you understand what I’m talking about. It’s more about entertaining my fan boy fantasy because I think The Lake is one of the best bands I’ve heard in the last couple of years ( I may have mentioned this <a href="http://musicofthehour.com/so-many-dynamos" _mce_href="http://musicofthehour.com/so-many-dynamos">somewhere</a> before). It’s going to be a special evening to be sure. Cicero’s isn’t the biggest venue, so there’s a chance it might sell out. I would suggest getting tickets in advance. I would hate for anyone who really wants to come to be left out because they didn’t get a proper heads up. Once tickets are available we’ll be sure to let you know. Until then, be sure to get your SLAP tickets and wish me luck!</p>Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-35689385131571269322010-12-06T23:58:00.000-08:002010-12-07T00:02:45.293-08:00Movin' On UpListen blogspot, we've had some great times together. You should've known we were growing apart when I didn't tell you about the tour that started today. Now, this isn't the last time we're gonna talk, but for now I need a little space form you. If you need me I'll be over on <a href="http://somanydynamos-band.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>.Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-78438316633721672162010-11-13T22:20:00.000-08:002010-11-14T22:04:19.489-08:00What We've Been Up toSo here's something from left field. "Artifacts of Sound" is featured in the new video game "Power Gig : Rise of the SixString."<br /><br />Check it out:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cInWkoYG-9M?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cInWkoYG-9M?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><br />(It's like Guitar Hero, but the controller is an actual guitar)<br /><br /><br />So let's ketchup real quick...<br /><br />We had a blast playing and hanging out at LOUfest. Our set was early in the day but we had a sizable and excited crowd. We got to play a few new songs, one of which included an appearance by members of <a href="http://www.funkybuttbrassband.com/">The Funky Butt Brass Band</a>. One of the brighter highlights of the day came while watching Built to Spill form the side of the stage. At one point in their set Doug Martsch dedicated a song to his mom, who was sitting right behind us.<br /><br />The week following LOUfest saw our luck take a turn for the worse. While riding his bike home one evening Nathan "dynamo'd" his knee cap into a few different pieces. The doctor and his contemporaries describe these types of wounds as "B.T.S." or "Beat to S***." It was really really bad. Three months and lots of physical therapy later Nathan is back on his feet and back and we've been getting into the full swing of things. He's been a real trooper.<br /><br />The building Norm & Aaron live in also houses a studio and our current practice space. We've spent a few long days demoing a few new songs with Will, the owner of the building and Aaron & Norm's landlord. It's been lots of work but has really helped us become a better group as we continue to write for a new full length.<br /><br />Last month we played the inaugural <a href="http://stlsss.org/">Secret Sound Festival</a> on Cherokee Street. Our show was on the first night with Jukaboz and <a href="http://adastraarkestra.blogspot.com/">Ad Astra Arkestra</a>. By the time we took the stage my mind was completely blown. The downside to playing with amazing bands is sometimes they, well I wouldn't say they made us look bad, but they set the bar pretty high and prove to be a tough act to follow.<br /><br />We've got some tour dates coming up next month and a show unlike any we've ever played before coming up on black Friday. We'll post more details on all that soon.<br /><br />Glad we could talk and catch up.Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-78057142385439141812010-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:002010-08-25T09:00:08.770-07:00STL - This Saturday + Sunday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Design by Katie Foppiano</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">We'll see ya'll there. </div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-18599639029399643682010-08-15T21:57:00.000-07:002010-08-16T00:11:10.438-07:00This Day in Dynamo History<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/95/l_6de6c794631b467297da81ca4694e4c4.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Hey friends, I know it's been a while. I had one of those reflective moments thinking about where I was a year ago today . I thought I'd share before we catch up...<br /></div><br /><br />We first met Harvey Danger on their "reunion tour" in 2006, an endeavor inspired by their sizable and die hard fans. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but HD fans proved themselves to be, as Stan Lee would say, true believers. They are album buyers, obscure songs requesters, completists - the kind of people who really support the artists they love. Every band should be so lucky to have even a few fans like theirs. Luckily we managed to convert a few. In fact we met one of our most ardent supporters that night at Schuba's. The tour was only 2 weeks long but it produced a lot of good times, great (fuzzy) memories, inside jokes, and embarrassing anecdotes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/95/l_6de6c794631b467297da81ca4694e4c4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 432px; height: 691px;" src="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/95/l_6de6c794631b467297da81ca4694e4c4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />After a few years of playing a scattered shows here and there they announced they were calling it a day, along with a short string of final shows. We were asked to play the only Midwest date. One of the more memorable things about the evening was <a href="http://www.thaxdouglas.com/">Thax Douglas</a> wrote and read poems about each group. If you've been to a well attended show in Chicago there's a good chance you've seen him before. His poem went like this<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyNXzcRwv0-sI6hza-tsb5ucWlVfT7j7N09r6MfuMVIlcvH91caPrXAZQjl-yNa8arpF0cmIfsc8hdA5AxW5w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I felt it was very fitting.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/TGjTJZIw5rI/AAAAAAAAAYo/k7hjRTzFFqk/s1600/CIMG1413.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/TGjTJZIw5rI/AAAAAAAAAYo/k7hjRTzFFqk/s400/CIMG1413.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505882702780360370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div>This show was also Ryan's last night as a member of So Many Dynamos and/or our last show without Nathan in the band, making the evening all the more bittersweet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">So what have we been up to?<br /></div><br />After our European tour we decided to take a little time out to catch our breath, catch up on our bills, and just take it easy. I spent the <a href="http://griffinandnicki.blogspot.com/">summer in Alaska</a> and came back <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY">engaged</a> to my girlfriend. Aaron moved in with his girlfriend and got an adorable kitty named Miso. He's been hustlin' at <a href="http://www.mississippimudhouse.com/contact.php">Mississippi Mud House</a>. Norm moved in with his girlfriend and they took care of my cat while I was away. Soon they will have a few little furballs of joy to call their own. He did a medical study and is teaching kids to be awesome drummers at Mojo's Music in Edwardsville. Nathan made and delivered a lot of sandwiches and spent some quality time with his puppy, Tiny Lee.<br /><br />We've all had time to decompress and process what's gone down over the last year and appreciated not having our lives being completely centered around the band. But now we are back in the saddle with our eyes on making another record. We've got a few new songs, one featuring my debut on keyboards. We'll be performing them at the end of this month at <a href="http://www.loufest.com/">LouFest</a>. We're playing the same day as Broken Social Scene and Built to Spill!<br /><br />Things are looking up for us.<br /><br />We'll be in touch.Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-19606768340667126592010-03-20T18:50:00.000-07:002010-03-20T18:50:46.459-07:00UK / Euro Tour: Mar. 8th - Mar. 14thYou know how you can wait and plan and prepare for something for a REALLY long time and within a blink of an eye it comes and goes? That's how I'm feeling as I write this post and upload these photos. <br />
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From the food, to the languages, to the roadways and the architecture, I know I can speak for all of us when I say our trip to Europe was surreal and filled with many moments of culture shock. However, on the other side of things, there was a moment in Paris where I felt like we could have been in San Francisco. We were outside the venue, and there were young people drinking and smoking and laughing and I had this realization that no matter where you are and how different places and people seem to be, there's comfort in knowing that everyone is working towards the same common goal - and that's enjoying life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzTbmmJtI/AAAAAAAAAGg/PdG7uStHtRs/s1600-h/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzTbmmJtI/AAAAAAAAAGg/PdG7uStHtRs/s400/IMG_0869.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Gent, Belgium</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzWl9PuvI/AAAAAAAAAG4/XlJOKXFIumM/s1600-h/IMG_0876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzWl9PuvI/AAAAAAAAAG4/XlJOKXFIumM/s400/IMG_0876.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Belgium Chocolate Cake with Espresso </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzXp7q_MI/AAAAAAAAAHA/Ytc1ilAjmrU/s1600-h/IMG_0877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzXp7q_MI/AAAAAAAAAHA/Ytc1ilAjmrU/s400/IMG_0877.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We found this kitteh peaking over the stairs in the café.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzYj8S_uI/AAAAAAAAAHI/uOI4btwox4c/s1600-h/IMG_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzYj8S_uI/AAAAAAAAAHI/uOI4btwox4c/s400/IMG_0882.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Café Video - Gent, Belgium</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzZ4lPJVI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/aNI5xvVGzpY/s1600-h/IMG_0892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzZ4lPJVI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/aNI5xvVGzpY/s400/IMG_0892.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam, Netherlands</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzexQwIoI/AAAAAAAAAHg/dW_XhBYlq7Y/s1600-h/IMG_0897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzexQwIoI/AAAAAAAAAHg/dW_XhBYlq7Y/s400/IMG_0897.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Clock Tower in Amsterdam</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VziZGYuoI/AAAAAAAAAHo/Lf0_L3xUFbg/s1600-h/IMG_0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VziZGYuoI/AAAAAAAAAHo/Lf0_L3xUFbg/s400/IMG_0900.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzkNStZxI/AAAAAAAAAHw/Q4v06sS0kbQ/s1600-h/IMG_0903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzkNStZxI/AAAAAAAAAHw/Q4v06sS0kbQ/s400/IMG_0903.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Luxembourg City, Luxembourg</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6Vzl91KX_I/AAAAAAAAAH4/CCbFC3tB8Gc/s1600-h/IMG_0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6Vzl91KX_I/AAAAAAAAAH4/CCbFC3tB8Gc/s400/IMG_0906.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The French Countryside</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzorvBCBI/AAAAAAAAAIA/TkAkrsEDCR8/s1600-h/IMG_0908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzorvBCBI/AAAAAAAAAIA/TkAkrsEDCR8/s400/IMG_0908.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Window Decal Inside of a Café - Paris, France</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzpkV9MsI/AAAAAAAAAII/JGRf-OxbQzQ/s1600-h/IMG_0913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzpkV9MsI/AAAAAAAAAII/JGRf-OxbQzQ/s400/IMG_0913.jpg" width="357" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I was SUPER stoked to get a picture of this. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzrB64BrI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/wRoZkucjYgg/s1600-h/IMG_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzrB64BrI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/wRoZkucjYgg/s400/IMG_0916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On the Way to The Eiffel Tower</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzsB_U0lI/AAAAAAAAAIY/0FEgSxjGnGY/s1600-h/IMG_0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzsB_U0lI/AAAAAAAAAIY/0FEgSxjGnGY/s400/IMG_0925.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Arc de Triomphe</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6Vzxv5iHNI/AAAAAAAAAIo/J_BsOszheNw/s1600-h/IMG_0934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6Vzxv5iHNI/AAAAAAAAAIo/J_BsOszheNw/s400/IMG_0934.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Eiffel Tower</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzzQkN5gI/AAAAAAAAAIw/6jSvw2-Sh-c/s1600-h/IMG_0940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6VzzQkN5gI/AAAAAAAAAIw/6jSvw2-Sh-c/s400/IMG_0940.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Underneath the Tower</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6Vz03UvX0I/AAAAAAAAAI4/7ZqxmlpD7zQ/s1600-h/IMG_0945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6Vz03UvX0I/AAAAAAAAAI4/7ZqxmlpD7zQ/s400/IMG_0945.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Courtyard Next to the Tower</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6V0pQOINnI/AAAAAAAAAJA/HLVgJSuB55A/s1600-h/IMG_0946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S6V0pQOINnI/AAAAAAAAAJA/HLVgJSuB55A/s400/IMG_0946.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Proof That We Didn't Make Any Of This Up</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I feel we learned a lot on this trip; and not just about other people and different cultures, but about ourselves. We came to many realizations during the course of the month, some that may bring forward big changes to Camp Dynamo in the near to immediate future. (Don't worry, it's nothing bad.) If anything, we're more excited and more inspired to do what we've always wanted to do, and that's making music that we love and that other people can enjoy. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm sure we'll be chatting soon.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-31294913530942515852010-03-16T10:05:00.000-07:002010-03-16T10:05:48.051-07:00USA! USA! USA!We made it back to St. Louis yesterday at 7:30pm CST. The weather is ABSOLUTELY wonderful. St. Louis looked marvelous from the airplane yesterday. Seeing the Arch and Busch Stadium made all of us ready for baseball season.<br />
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So, we're headed down to Austin tomorrow for SXSW. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#%21/event.php?eid=370283259827&ref=mf">Here</a> are the details on our showcase.<br />
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We'll be posting more pictures from the Euro portion of the tour within the next week or so. <br />
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We're stoked to be back home! Let's hang! Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-65769128337845631162010-03-11T01:25:00.000-08:002010-03-11T01:28:59.083-08:00UK / Euro Tour: Feb. 22nd - Mar. 7th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We've been to a lot of places over the course of eighteen days. It's weird getting in the van and driving somewhere and then waking up the next day and being in another country. Back home, it takes eight hours to drive from St. Louis to Atlanta; while in that amount of time over here, you can drive through about three different countries. Most of the pictures below were taken during The UK portion of our journey. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eZp9DPUBI/AAAAAAAAADQ/ejPnX79IatQ/s1600-h/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eZp9DPUBI/AAAAAAAAADQ/ejPnX79IatQ/s320/IMG_0724.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">China Town, London.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eaPH7hDKI/AAAAAAAAADg/7Hto-nBOny0/s1600-h/IMG_0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eaPH7hDKI/AAAAAAAAADg/7Hto-nBOny0/s320/IMG_0739.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The British Museum.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eaUDv6Q1I/AAAAAAAAADo/nfYa357fOQE/s1600-h/IMG_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eaUDv6Q1I/AAAAAAAAADo/nfYa357fOQE/s320/IMG_0742.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ceiling Inside the British Museum.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eazyRmi1I/AAAAAAAAAD4/n-ooGI6DC_Y/s1600-h/IMG_0772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eazyRmi1I/AAAAAAAAAD4/n-ooGI6DC_Y/s320/IMG_0772.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">London Eye.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ea8LrIWxI/AAAAAAAAAEI/d3afvSdb6bU/s1600-h/IMG_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ea8LrIWxI/AAAAAAAAAEI/d3afvSdb6bU/s320/IMG_0789.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebAs5pjhI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/o7FSDr2EngU/s1600-h/IMG_0808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebAs5pjhI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/o7FSDr2EngU/s320/IMG_0808.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We've tried to make food as much as possible. We've made Dal twice now.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebKqeaM7I/AAAAAAAAAEY/AecfGilk8WE/s1600-h/IMG_0822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebKqeaM7I/AAAAAAAAAEY/AecfGilk8WE/s320/IMG_0822.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">We made some new friends who let us stay at their seven-bedroom house out in the English countryside for four nights. They had chickens in their backyard. Nathan is vegan. This is funny. </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebPZtO_FI/AAAAAAAAAEg/TI-ZkaMEPig/s1600-h/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebPZtO_FI/AAAAAAAAAEg/TI-ZkaMEPig/s320/IMG_0826.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tour Manager, Daniel Pooley.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebgd8GSrI/AAAAAAAAAEo/ufvdg3z0Usk/s1600-h/IMG_0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebgd8GSrI/AAAAAAAAAEo/ufvdg3z0Usk/s320/IMG_0834.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">New Friends.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebqEThaKI/AAAAAAAAAEw/_VcaLRRT0TM/s1600-h/IMG_0836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ebqEThaKI/AAAAAAAAAEw/_VcaLRRT0TM/s320/IMG_0836.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">In The UK, instead of a bunch of cattle along the side of the road, they have sheep.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eby8laIzI/AAAAAAAAAE4/YaI_Slqlrvw/s1600-h/IMG_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eby8laIzI/AAAAAAAAAE4/YaI_Slqlrvw/s320/IMG_0850.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Dover Cliffs, southeast coast of The UK.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eb3ID4GFI/AAAAAAAAAFA/7NVi_wVOw5A/s1600-h/IMG_0851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eb3ID4GFI/AAAAAAAAAFA/7NVi_wVOw5A/s320/IMG_0851.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I still have never seen <i>Titanic, </i>but I imagine it would look something like this...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ecMrOl8EI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/w4XLoojjvnk/s1600-h/IMG_0855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5ecMrOl8EI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/w4XLoojjvnk/s320/IMG_0855.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was aboard the ferry from Dover to Calais, France.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eb-n3UJWI/AAAAAAAAAFI/SZ9SYXsn__k/s1600-h/IMG_0853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5eb-n3UJWI/AAAAAAAAAFI/SZ9SYXsn__k/s320/IMG_0853.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo by Dan Pooley. </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
Today, we're leaving Amsterdam. I'm writing this from the bar in the hotel where we played/stayed last night. We only have three shows left of this tour and then the long journey back home will take place. We'll be getting back to St. Louis on Monday evening and on Wednesday morning, we'll be making the thirteen hour drive down to Austin, TX for SXSW. We'll post pictures of the Euro portion of the trip soon.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-23954998658421506102010-03-07T15:49:00.000-08:002010-03-07T15:52:05.508-08:00Waffles, Beer, and Chocolate.BELGIUM RULES. We've only been here for less than a day and the fair city of Brugge has already been too kind. I'm writing this from a hostel in said city. We're sharing a room with a Spanish couple. At least I think they're Spanish. I overheard them talking to one another and that was the assessment that I made. I wonder how the two of them felt when they thought they had the room to themselves, and then five un-showered doods came strolling in. Sorry to ruin the moment guys. I can't think of anything less romantic than sharing a room with us. <br />
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Tomorrow begins the first day of our European portion of the tour. I know I can speak for everyone when I say that I wish we could have planned more shows over here and played less in The UK, but now we know what to do for next time. <br />
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Oh, I'm not sure if we've mentioned, but we're playing SXSW this year. We're playing at Emo's Jr. on Thursday, March 18th with our VERY BEST BUDS, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mapsandatlases">Maps and Atlases</a>. A lot of other really great bands are playing, too. If you plan on being in Austin that week, you should come out. T'will be a hoot. <br />
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And like I said before, UK photo blog coming soon. I just have to change out the batteries in Alison's camera - the one she was gracious enough to let me borrow for this trip - before I can upload anything. Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-46214684705300006892010-03-07T04:36:00.000-08:002010-03-07T04:36:32.271-08:00Peace Out, UKRoughly two hours from now, we'll be taking a Ferry from Dover, UK to Calais, FR. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5OdjKghg_I/AAAAAAAAADI/WTi1ewmOWUk/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-03-07+at+12.31.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5OdjKghg_I/AAAAAAAAADI/WTi1ewmOWUk/s320/Screen+shot+2010-03-07+at+12.31.24+PM.png" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Euro tour starts tomorrow in Belgium.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">UK photo blog coming soon!</div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-39336660783621386912010-03-04T05:28:00.000-08:002010-03-04T06:02:31.986-08:00So Far, Soooo GoodSo...it's been a few days. We've been a bit preoccupied; basking in the lap of luxury. For the past three days we've been making curries, sleeping in individual beds, showering frequently, baking cookies, retrieving eggs from actual chickens, and watching classic Harrison Ford films projected onto our new friend (or shall I say, mate) Brent's wall. Brent lives in the most Dickensesque village we have seen so far, a part of Kent county. He's been to several of the shows, and with this crucial stay, has single-handedly boosted band moral tenfold. Thank you Brent.<br /><br />The shows have been prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay...good. We played a nice early evening in-store in Kingston the other day. We were a bit concerned that we would be playing only to cynical record store clerks and large posters promoting the new Alkaline Trio record (advertised as "sounding like the old records"), but there was actually a line of people interested in hearing us play. Heartening indeed. The night before we played with our new BBFs (Best Band Friends) Tubelord and Tall Ships in Leeds, a show that we had been looking forward to for the entirety of the trip. These are two bands worth checking out (I would link their name but I'm in a hurry, so you'll just have to do the Google work yourselves). Putting on an amazing show for us was enough, but the hospitality made us feel like King Henry VIII himself. Homemade chilli, tea and biscuits, pizzas, beers, a bottle of scotch, and a floor to sleep on....thank you Leeds.<br /><br />All in all, the shows have been good, but the stays have been better. The U.K. is frigid, its beers are watery, its djs are ubiquitous, and its chips and salsa aren't free at its Mexican restaurants, but its people are fantastic.Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428429214338583277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-11626633939642394042010-02-24T06:08:00.001-08:002010-03-11T04:27:45.930-08:00Mr. Pooley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5jhoSBhHZI/AAAAAAAAAFY/iLs5xF5_r6A/s1600-h/26100_347846807516_60522497516_4156164_1142039_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S5jhoSBhHZI/AAAAAAAAAFY/iLs5xF5_r6A/s320/26100_347846807516_60522497516_4156164_1142039_n.jpg" /></a></div>We are spending our first day off in London, eats in China Town and a trip to the British museum (a very free way to spend our afternoon). Right now, we are getting our shower on at our tour manager Dan's friend's flat (note: this blogger is not actually in the shower whilst blogging, as this is potentially dangerous). Speaking of Dan Dan the tour managing man, I'd like to share an anecdote about him, who himself is the King of anecdotes.<br />
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The venue which was the sight of our first London show provided a lift (British for elevator) for the bands, thus, simplifying the process of loading. Loading into the show was a breeze, this was no coincidence, thanks to Dan Dan the tour managing man. In fact, Dan has been such a tour-managing force on this trip that it has prompted a running joke between us (bear with me here, I realize that "band on tour inside jokes" can be painfully boring to anyone outside of the van) that Dan "tour manages the shit" out of situations. It's really a play on the absurdity of having a tour manager, which is still such a new concept to us. For instance, last night, Dan "tour managed the shit" out of finding us delicious Kebab and Falafel, a few nights before he "tour managed the shit" out of pulling a lodged earplug out of Clayton's ear with pliers, etc.<br />
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Anyway, loading out was a bit of a different story. Dan was too busy "tour managing the shit" out of something more important, and wasn't able to "tour manage the shit" out of loading our gear back into the lift. Feeling confident as men in our mid-twenties, we decided to take it upon ourselves to load the lift. Doing ANYTHING without Dan proved to be a mistake. When we reached the top floor, we were unable to open the accordion style door. We had thrown our gear into the lift willy-nilly and were paying the price, the door was jammed, and we were trapped in the elevator! Just then, Dan delivered this classic line: "You guys really have So Many Dynamoed the shit out of this situation". Eventually, with Dan's aid of course, we shifted some gear around and escaped from the lift.<br />
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To borrow a line from the PBS ad campaign: Dan, we need you now more than ever.Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428429214338583277noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-68762274666501601862010-02-20T21:04:00.001-08:002010-02-20T21:38:00.535-08:00UK / Euro Tour: Feb. 18th - Feb. 20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S4DAkWJn5hI/AAAAAAAAACY/KYtBObs96ww/s1600-h/IMG_0657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S4DAkWJn5hI/AAAAAAAAACY/KYtBObs96ww/s200/IMG_0657.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>We arrived at London Gatwick Airport around 7am GMT on Wednesday. After getting about an hour of sleep on our 7 and a half hour flight, we were met and greeted by our new pal/tour manager/all-around-sweet-dude, Dan. His van, The Great Red Shark, is our means of transportation for this tour. It's been kind of different getting used to riding shotgun on the left side of the vehicle. We've definitely all made the mistake of trying to get in the van on the wrong side.<br />
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Once we left the airport, we embarked on what would be one of the longest days of our lives. We've been told that trying to power through jet-lag is the best thing you can do, and I'm glad we did. However, lack of food and lack of sleep made the whole day feel like a dream.<br />
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We spent the day running errands and picking up the amps and drums we've borrowed from Vagrant for the next month. You wouldn't believe the keyboard stand I was given to use. It seriously looks like it was developed by NASA. It's HUGE, COMPLETELY impractical, and looks like something that once belonged to Rick Wakeman. Luckily, at our first show in Glasgow - more on that in a bit - the sound guy, Dougie, sold me his old two-tier keyboard stand for a mere £15.<br />
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I'll give you one guess as to who has the worst luck in the world with vehicles...<br />
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Answer: We do.<br />
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After finishing our errands the first day, we embarked on a four hour drive to Leeds, UK, where we would stay with friends and promoters, Matty and James. On the way there, in the middle of the highway, the clutch on the Shark went out, and we were left stranded in the middle lane with cars whizzing by and no chance of getting over to the shoulder. Within four minutes of us blocking the lane and slowing traffic, a miracle occurred and man in a van pulled in front of us, hopped out, opened his back door, pulled out a tow-rope, hooked our front end to his back end, came rushing to the window and asked if our brakes still worked, and pulled us off to the shoulder. Honestly, it happened so fast, none of us could believe it.<br />
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Once we were off on the shoulder, we tried to come up with ways to express our gratitude, but nothing other than "Thank you soooo much," could be muttered in our shocked state. The man stayed only long enough to tell us that he had broken down in nearly the same spot a week before and that another motorist had plowed into him from behind. I still have NO idea what we would have done without his help.<br />
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Luckily, Dan has the UK equivalent of AAA, and after standing on the shoulder in the cold for approximately 35 minutes, we were joined by a repair van. In cases where the repair is easy, it's these guys' job to actually fix it on the side of the road. Unfortunately, that was not the case for us, and we had to be towed to a garage for the night.<br />
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Now, normally in cases where we've been towed to a garage in The States, we've had to wait until the next morning to have anyone even look at the van. But, because everyone is overly-friendly and everything is incredibly convenient in The UK, we had the van in the garage and repaired in under a half hour. It was 11:30pm.<br />
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The first show of tour was what every first show of tour usually is: rough around the edges. While setting up for sound check, we had a scare with some blown fuses and blown power adapters. Luckily, Dougie - the most helpful sound guy we've EVER had the pleasure of working with - came to the rescue again and sent Dan on his way to pick up a magical box that would provide us with the correct voltage we needed to run our American plugs into the UK outlets. (The next day we dropped £40 and purchased our own magical box.)<br />
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After the show, we drove to Sterling, Scotland and The Miniature Dinosaurs treated us with some real hospitality. Upon or arrival, we were greeted with drinks and snacks and Musical Trivial Pursuit: 90's - Present. I answered a couple of questions correctly and disappeared upstairs to catch up on LOST, while Griffin, Nathan, and Clayton stayed downstairs to hang tough.<br />
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The next morning, we awoke and stepped outside, and realized a giant castle was looming in the distance on top of a huge hill. The general consensus was, "Well, we have GOT to go see what that looks like up-close."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S4DBqxd7ELI/AAAAAAAAADA/0ISKj5Q05FE/s1600-h/IMG_0668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S4DBqxd7ELI/AAAAAAAAADA/0ISKj5Q05FE/s400/IMG_0668.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The view was absolutely breathtaking, and honestly, the pictures don't do it justice.<br />
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It's Saturday now and I can't believe we've only been here for four days.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
More posts to follow...</div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-10515310957342679402010-02-16T13:45:00.000-08:002010-02-16T13:58:12.233-08:00Back in CharlotteRight now we are taking a breather in the Charlotte Airport (CLT), enjoying our three hour layover. If you're interested you can see where our plane is as we pass over the Atlantic by clicking <a href="http://flightaware.com/live/flight/USA732">here</a>. I should also note that the novelty of drinking a beer while 30,000 feet in the air is overshadowed by the principle that a can of Budweiser is not worth $7 anywhere ever. After we check in it won't be long before I am completely consumed by my craving for buffalo chicken strips.Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-46781441679806601892010-02-15T10:08:00.000-08:002010-02-15T10:22:20.583-08:00UK / Euro Tour Starts Thursday!So, we'll be flying out of Lambert International Airport in St. Louis tomorrow afternoon at 12:55pm, where we'll grab a connecting flight in South Carolina that will then take us to London, UK by 7:10am GMT. <br /><br />Today is being spent scrambling around and making sure we have everything we need. <br /><br />It's hard to believe the time has finally come.<br /><br />We're going to make the biggest effort, ever to keep this here blog updated with pictures, video, stories and the like.<br /><br /><a href="http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows&friendid=2387421&n=so+many+dynamos">Here's</a> a list of all of the shows we'll be playing while over there.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-40039741248061656592010-02-02T15:16:00.000-08:002010-02-02T15:19:27.623-08:00This Friday...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S2iyksArbDI/AAAAAAAAABI/XYR5Jafcbr0/s1600-h/OldRockhouseflyer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/S2iyksArbDI/AAAAAAAAABI/XYR5Jafcbr0/s320/OldRockhouseflyer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433789293781543986" border="0" /></a><br />We'll be debuting a new song at this show!<br /><br />Also, this is our first time playing at The Old Rockhouse - located on 7th Street in Historic Soulard - and we're just as excited that there is yet another place to see great ALL AGES shows in St. Louis. If you haven't been there yet, this is your chance!<br /><br />This will also be our last hometown show for a while, as we'll be taking time off after our UK / European tour to work on a new record.<br /><br />Join us in the celebration!Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-19558461734222720282010-01-08T11:12:00.000-08:002010-01-08T11:24:49.798-08:00UK / EUROPEAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED!We'll be traveling across the pond in February and March for a string of dates.<br /><br />We look forward to making new friends!<br /><br /><table bg="" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" width="440" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"><table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 18 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625802">Captain’s Rest</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Glasgow</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 19 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625803">Uncle Albert’s</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Middlesbrough</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 20 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625804">Stealth vs Rescued</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Nottingham</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 21 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625805">Firebug</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Leicester</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 22 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625807">The Flapper</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Birmingham</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 23 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625808">Buffalo Bar</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >London</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 25 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625809">Jam</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Brighton</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 26 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625811">Bullingdon</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Oxford</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 27 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625812">Unit</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Southampton</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Feb 28 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625813">Brudenell Social Club</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Leeds</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 4 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625771">Blå</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Oslo</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 5 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625774">Blæst</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Trondheim</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 8 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625776">Café Video</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Gent</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 9 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625777">Hafenklang</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Hamburg</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 11 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625779">Rotown</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Rotterdam</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 12 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625780">TBA</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Esch-Sur-Alzette</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="120"> <table width="120" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"> <tbody><tr> <td width="85"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Mar 13 2010</span></td> <td align="right" width="35"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >8:00P</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="191"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.showDetails&friendid=2387421&Band_Show_ID=38625782">Flèche d’Or</a></span></td> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" bg="" width="115"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" >Paris<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-41342776942193714632009-12-23T22:18:00.000-08:002009-12-23T23:07:20.748-08:00Hey, St. Louis!Spend the day after X-mas with us and our friends, The Natural Selection and The Makeshift Gentlemen<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Firebird</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/SzMQENQFLCI/AAAAAAAAABA/0Pu1-8bkcyM/s1600-h/05-atxl1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYDtdAuLqso/SzMQENQFLCI/AAAAAAAAABA/0Pu1-8bkcyM/s320/05-atxl1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692441119468578" border="0" /></a><br />Saturday, December 26th<br />Doors @ 7:30<br />Show@ 8:30<br />$8 (21+) $10 (-21)<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br />We'll be playing some songs we haven't played in a while and some that we've never played live before. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />For more information, go <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#/event.php?eid=222814641759&index=1">here.</a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>We hope to see you there!<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-20381175172044163212009-11-30T19:26:00.001-08:002009-11-30T20:05:13.019-08:00Coming soon to a music blog near youOur buddy <a href="http://policeteeth.blogspot.com/">James</a> complied some of Fugazi's best stage banter into a collection he entitled "Having Fun on Stage with Fugazi." As he <a href="http://www.publiccollectors.org/FugaziLiveBanter.htm">explains</a> it "Many people cite the scene when Guy calls a particularly macho audience member an "Ice Cream Eating Motherfucker" as a highlight of Instrument... I knew that there would potentially be very many Ice Cream Eating Motherfuckers out there to have been admonished by the band. Also, I found that the band had natural aplomb for jokes and storytelling."<br /><br />I can't help but feel icredibly vindicated hearing Guy and Ian calling out douche bag moshers for not knowing a good dance move if it floor punched them in the face. If only we had this while touring with hardcore bands...<br /><br />On an unrelated note, how are your Best of 2009 lists coming along?<br />Let's share after Christmas, ok?Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-27797553765443502412009-11-23T13:17:00.000-08:002009-11-23T14:08:51.110-08:00Well, I guess we're gonna have to take control.Hey, everyone. We apologize for the lack of updating recently. It's been a long couple of months for all of us. We've all been working diligently to keep up the momentum of SMD, while at the same time, teaching and having to learn old songs for a new member. And on top of that, we've still been trying to find ways for the four of us to make money personally, so we can keep affording to do what we've always wanted to do. It's been a test of will at times, but I can honestly say that having Nathan around has been such a breath of fresh air. He's a positive attribute to this group, and I can't imagine it being any other way. <br /><br />ANYWAY...Things are going REALLY well around here. With this year coming to a close, some exciting things are in store for us next year. Most notably, we've recently been picked up by The CODA Agency, in the UK, and our first trip overseas will be taking place in February/March. We can't even begin to describe how stoked and ready we are to finally be making this journey. <br /><br />The other great piece of news is that "The Loud Wars" will finally be released on vinyl, via <a href="http://www.hellosirrecords.com">Hello Sir Records</a>, just in time for that UK/European tour.<br /><br />With the exception of a couple shows here and there, we'll be hibernating over the winter and working on new songs so we can record a new album by next year. We're all looking forward to what the four of us can create, while having an appropriate amount of time to take an objective look at what our strengths and weaknesses have been over the past seven years of us being a band. A lot of things have happened and a lot has changed in that time, and hopefully we can harness all of those feelings and turn it into something that we can all be proud of.<br /><br />Speaking of shows, we're got several of them coming up. <a href="http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows&friendid=2387421&n=so+many+dynamos">Check them out.</a><br /><br />We'll try to keep up with this here blog, alright?<br /><br />Alright.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637222520285756925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-8886558935440430782009-10-26T10:27:00.000-07:002009-10-26T11:41:53.659-07:00and I'm so disconnected....I'm never gonna check back inI can recall looking down and realizing last night as our last song was ending that it wasn't my butt on the drum throne; it was my feet. Maybe things got a little out of hand. eh..maybe not. Its been one hectic week.<br /><br />Since we last talked, we've had some of our best shows in Boston and Troy, NY, we've made tons of new friends and we played a show in a bowling alley where they have tiny balls and mini pins. We also got paid 7 more dollars at CMJ '09 than we made @ CMJ '08!...maybe that should read: We made 7 dollars @ CMJ '09. (Sin)emechanica also served us pretty hard yesterday in an EPIC drive-by mooning. Flawless execution...<br /><br />Oops, almost forgot.... our van's front end got destroyed last night by a car in front of the venue. Everyone is ok. Griffin was behind the wheel and Aaron saw the whole thing so I'll let them give you more details. After realizing G was ok I became a private dick taking lots of candid photos of the other driver removing several scandalous items from his vehicle's steering column and trunk before and after the cops arrived.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y6pIUlwLgWEYRmdKv6pxvA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-67OcYV3-UY/SuXhvlH4BqI/AAAAAAAAARc/OMm_C1FFblQ/s400/IMG_2566.JPG" /></a></span><br /><br />Luckily after abandoning gear and eating a moral boosting Denny's meal, I was able to sleep last night in Double Chinemechanica's spaceship outside the motel where the other 8 guys crammed into one room. We're currently figuring out our van's situation. We're fortunate enough to have insurance and to be in the best of company, so we will not be cancelling any shows on this tour! All trouble aside, this has been one of my favorite trips in a very long time. See you tonight Columbia, SC.<br /><br />p.s. to the owner of the red, white, and blue "free spirit" bicycle parked outside of the NYU radio station, I feel terrible and am sincerely sorry for backing our van into your ironically bitching ride. I'm sure someday I'll either pay for my crime or make it up to you.<br /><br />ClaytonNormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994483222314203282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-84744969000483574142009-10-21T16:38:00.000-07:002009-10-21T16:39:33.394-07:00Chili in Beantown<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/St-VEfuInkI/AAAAAAAAAHI/wa1UzN4bD6E/s1600-h/DSCF1143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/St-VEfuInkI/AAAAAAAAAHI/wa1UzN4bD6E/s200/DSCF1143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395194783080160834" border="0" /></a>Like most tours, ours was preceded by many last minute errands. Before hitting the road I had to register our van in Missouri and get new license plates. On my way back to my car I picked up a life-affirming pork steak (for only $4!) from a stand operated by a father/son team on the corner of Market & Tucker. I took this as a good omen.<br /><br />Now we are on day 3 of our 13 day tour with <a href="http://www.myspace.com/cinemechanica">Cinemechanica </a>and we already need an oil change.Last night we drove all night from Cleveland to Boston, stopping only for gas and a complementary breakfast at a Holiday Inn Express. We are now taking it easy in <a href="http://www.myspace.com/hoagsobject">Matt & Kristina's </a>apartment. They got married over the summer and we are currently enjoying the wonder of one of the wedding gifts,a kettle corn maker. While I stuff my face, there is a vegetarian chili cooking party going on in the kitchen. Normally I would scoff at the thought of putting cauliflower in chili (AND NO MEAT!) in chili, but it smells too good.<br /><br />One of most noticeable changes of having Nathan with us is how it is affects our eating habits, since he's vegan. In an effort to accommodate his diet, spend less money, and eat healthier we've been stopping at grocery stores instead of fast food joints. So far it is working out pretty well. I'm eating lots of spinach, but it's only a matter of time before my meat-loving instincts take over and I reach for the biggest rarest cheeseburger(s) I can find.<br /><br />While refueling in middle-of-nowhere Ohio we actually saw a Truckers Chapel, not unlike the one in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvpnSKCQ0gk">Relgulous</a>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/St-aahspP2I/AAAAAAAAAHw/GCgJwEfWA50/s1600-h/god+is+a+supersition"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/St-aahspP2I/AAAAAAAAAHw/GCgJwEfWA50/s320/god+is+a+supersition" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395200659126042466" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/St-aapRUxFI/AAAAAAAAAH4/qGjVhEM5B_M/s1600-h/and+i+am+a+false+prophet"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Li_Y6Al1qGk/St-aapRUxFI/AAAAAAAAAH4/qGjVhEM5B_M/s320/and+i+am+a+false+prophet" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395200661158937682" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With two shows under our belt it is apparent that following Cinemechanica is one of the biggest challenges we've ever been faced with as a band. For the last two nights they've got on stage and just annihilated. While we can hold our own, they set the bar pretty high. Nathan is holding things down on his side of the stage and has received resounding stamps of approval from people who have been come to our shows for years. He's taken so quickly to our dynamic on and off stage that it's weird to think tonight will only be his seventh show with us.Tomorrow will be his first visit to New York City.</p>Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047171176131054757.post-43458948616808454762009-10-04T09:34:00.000-07:002009-10-04T09:47:24.295-07:00Staying BusyI want to pour one out for some of our homies. 2009 is not the easiest time to be in an independent touring rock band so you can't blame anyone when they realize they want to move on to other things. In June, our friends We Vs. the Shark played their last show. They are all still friends with us and each other, so we still get to hang out with them when we are in Athens, which despite the many things that make Athens great, that's what really gives it that home-away-from-home feeling. In August we were honored and fortunate enough to play once more with Harvey Danger in Chicago on their final run of shows. Well done gentlemen, and best of luck adjusting to the real world.<br /><br />And then of course Ryan <a href="http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/Article/I-Lived-the-Dream-and-the-Dream-Won.html">quit the band</a>. At first I didn't think that we could exist with out him, since he's been at the center of a lot of what we have done as a band. Then Nathan's name came up when discussing people to replace him and it seemed too perfect. Now that we have four shows with him under our belt things are coming together. Our first tour with him is coming up, as is the Cardinal's post season. There's lots to look forward to in our camp. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Despite his departure from Dynamos, Ryan will still be pulling duty as 2<sup>nd</sup> lead guitar in our triumphant instra-metal side project,<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thoraxe"> Thor Axe</a>. We're playing our first show in months tomorrow night at a new venue in town, </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Antarctica (5226 Gravois, St. Louis, MO) w/ The Bronzed Chorus. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's $5 and they've got an i<a href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=132494794104">mpressive beer list</a>, ranging from PBR light and Lonestar(!) for those feeling the recession, to imports and micros. Did I mention the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thebronzedchorus">Bronzed Chorus</a> is playing?<br /></p>Griffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15338122587639160105noreply@blogger.com9