On Monday, I had the pleasure/duty/honor of selling our band van, Blanche, to a private individual, who will remain unnamed. It was a bittersweet moment in my life and the life of the band. It was sweet because Blanche liked to imbibe in la gasolina a bit too much. It was bitter because as much as we (or maybe just I) were afraid of the wheels flying off and causing a horrific accident, Blanche became more than a van to us.

It’s funny how bands anthropomorphize their vans. I’ve seen many bands do it. I guess that it comes from spending so much time in their respective vans and building a working history with them. The same was true of Blanche. She crossed the northeast so many times, I don’t even think I can remember or count them all.

Sadly, shortly after we bought her, Blanche developed cancer. It ate away at her fenders, wheel wells, and floorboards. She passed inspections before, but this year there was no possible way that she could pass, so we decided to put her to pasture.

So despite not having Blanche anymore, we now have much cheaper gasoline tabs. We are currently borrowing a vehicle in the interim until our next vehicle comes along. The one question that remains is, will the new vehicle be male or female?

Blanche
1993-2008
Rust in Peace

Google is this band’s weapon of choice. For example, if it weren’t for Gmail’s ability to track email ‘conversations’ and the fact that all 5 members have Gmail accounts, we would probably have a lot more interpersonal issues than we do right now. We also utilize the calendar for scheduling (conflicts) and we share nice spreadsheets of where we want to send press releases to, so that everyone can contribute. It really is a life-saver.

In addition to the aforementioned services that The Google offers, we utilize one other secret, secret weapon: Google Analytics. With Google Analytics, you are able to track hits and other stats for your website. One of my favorite features lets you see the search strings that people used that lead them to your site.

So, to blatantly steal and idea from PittGirl and Land of Yajeev, I’m going to list my top 5 search strings to date (by number of hits). Here they are… (more…)

So, All morning I’ve been mulling over a growing list of things that I have to remember to pack in the car to take to the Garden State. Of course there are things like underwear and socks, but more important stuff, too, like the vinyl test pressings that came in the mail on Wednesday, and the tiny, two octave synth that I will be playing at the show in Nyack, NY.

I seem to always put things off until the last minute and think that I can hold the list of everything that I need to pack in my head, but inevitably I forget at least one thing. You think I would learn to pack the night before or make a list on paper, but no, I’m too stubborn or lazy to do practical things like that. Someday I will mature into a person who is not a procrastinator and gets his lists on paper.

I really am excited about the show tomorrow night. Like I said previously, I get to play my parts on a 2 octave synth. It has been fun practicing (I’m not much of a piano player) and creating the synth bass sounds. It’s also been refreshing to see the songs in a new way.

I’m also excited that we can fit everything that needs to go into our teeny tiny VW Golf. Being the pack-master that I am, it will all fit and have enough room leftover for 3 of us to ride comfortably on the 6-7 hour trip. Should be a rockin’ time on I-80.

Driving the Golf is a relief because every time an out of town show looms near, I start to tremble with fear because of our ailing van, Blanche. For a long time I have been concerned that the wheels will simply fly off when we’re on the road because of the way she looks and feels on the road. It’s also got more rust than most abandoned Pittsburgh factories. I refuse to let anyone else drive because I somehow believe that due to my past employment as a professional school bus driver, I will be able to handle Blanche safely in case her wheels actually do come off or all of our gear fall through the growing rust holes on the floor of the cargo area. I know it’s ridiculous, but I’m also a bit of a compulsive control freak. Maybe someday I’ll grow out of that, too. It will probably happen when we get a new van.

The strong mug of gunpowder green tea that I drank and the Field Music album that I’m listening to is getting me excited to drive on I-80. The caffeine may explain my stream-of-consciousness style post.

Apologetically yours (for the rambling post),
Trevor

Have you noticed the tiny change we’ve made to our site?

We’re massively excited to have our new album, Short Films on Self-Control, available for preview and download on our site.

We’re also putting the finishing touches on our new, full-featured site. Keep your eyes peeled for that. We’re pretty excited about it!

Until then, kick back and let the warm analog synths on Short Films on Self-Control wash your cares away. We hope you enjoy it!

Here is the info for the shows this weekend.

Thursday, December 13th: Roustabout! Sweet 69 @ Chronic Town, State College, PA
224 W. College Ave, 16801 (MAP)
10PM, All Ages, www.roustabout.net

Friday, December 14: Circle Of Hope, Philadelphia PA
1125 South Broad Street 2nd Floor, 19147 (MAP)
8PM, All Ages, www.circleofhope.net

Saturday, December 15: Burlap and Bean, Newtown Sqare PA
204 South Newtown Street Rd, 19073 (MAP)
8PM, All Ages, www.burlapandbean.com

We hope to see you there singing along with the new songs!