LIVE at GLASSLANDS with the ACME STRING QUARTET, 11/28/10

You might remember when we played that Very Special String Quartet Show a couple months back - it was at Brooklyn's Glasslands Gallery, whose stage all 9 of us somehow fit on, with the highly esteemed ACME String Quartet. Matt Teacher and Mike Lawson were amazing enough to drive up from Philly to record it, and some higher power put Brian Stollery in our realm, who brough Sean Smith and Arlen Cooke to help him shoot the video (seriously, ginormous thanks to all of the above). There's more coming, much more, but for now, look at "Dear Author," which is an exclusive over at RELIX.

dreams, they're for those who sleep

part two:


Thanksgiving in Rhode Island


This one's called "Sitting on the BQE in Brooklyn at sunset, still trying to make it to Baltimore in time for our set."
Not "A relaxing drive through the woods."


a backyard


Delta Spirit, Ottobar, Baltimore


proud artist




Christmas in Laramie








photos by will

live through this

And now, selections from the remainder of the film from Ye Olde Britannia Tour, circa June 2010. Relive the summer fun:




on the Irish Sea






Irishmen


North Sea. You'd think we spent the whole tour at the beach.




Bob & Laura. They've since eloped.








on Dean's farm, Leighton Buzzard


Band of Horses, Wolverhampton






tour photo. Featuring our most gracious hostess Elaine, and the Brothers Lynch (far right).



photos by will

through the dark wicket

Croquetmania has bitten the band. We'll be importing it to the states - namely, Elysian Park - in short order, to be played on one of the days we're not already meeting at Burger King at 7 am to play gin rummy 500.


croquet

Stayed 2 nights at our new friend Dean's honest-to-Jehu farm in semirural Leighton Buzzard (which is a town, and somehow not the name of a forgotten 70's British metal band). Made peace with cows, played sherpa with sheep, grilled mackerel and pork shoulder and adopted croquet, or our own version of it, until long after dark, and again at the crack of dawn. Didn't watch any World Cup. It made us feel good.


good morning!

Now we're in Wolverhampton, scene of our last show with Band of Horses. They're dudes of the best variety - genuine, beer-battered country-fried ones - and we wish them the best of luck on their journey.


Roundhouse


for Keith

Down in Monterey

Everyone deserves a break and since William "Wilibald" Canzoneri does most of the heavy lifting around here, it seems about time for one of my bi-annual posts.

So the week before last we got a chance to spend some quality time with some very special people. At the time most of us were too disgruntled or agitated to realize how lucky we were.

We set out Thursday morning up the 101 freeway (good call Will) headed for Santa Cruz. There we were to meet and rehearse with Andrew Granelli. That's right. It was just like old times. The jokes flowed, the cymbals crashed, laughs ensued. After two practices, one interaction with the local cops, three boardwalk fastballs at 49 mph and three trips to Taco Bell, we headed down to Monterey for the fabled Sea Otter Classic.

We couldn't help but dream of John Phillips cruising up the coast in his Rolls-Royce getting ready for the Monterey Pop festival. Maybe tomorrow our show will be like that? Maybe Jared will light his guitar on fire? The future was wide open.

Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey:

We got to the Best Western, knocked off for a few hours and then our day started.
Sean Paul and Jessica showed up, and Jessica took these awsome photos.


Having a blast in the Sierra Nevada beer garden..


Jared looked sharp per usual...


Got time for a little game of catch?


Sean gives the signs to the pitcher...


The pitcher nodzzz yes...


Here's the pitch!


>


Emily was having fun (or, “what your mom looked like in 1972”)


Thanks Jessica!!!


Let's go home.

Stay tuned for info on the new record.

Europe: Days 1-15

Won a sweepstakes for a free monthlong trip to Europe for you and your 4 closest friends, so to make some extra spending money we put a band together and made up some songs and played a buncha shows with a band called White Lies in many old European theatres for many European teenagers and/or their European parents and the rest of the time did this:


Day 1: Amsterdam. Killing time until it gets dark so we can go to sleep.


Day 2: Driving to Eindhoven. First show. Late.


Day 3: Paradiso, Amsterdam. Still trying to learn songs.


Day 4: Jail, Rotterdam. This was where we figured out that we don't like putting sheets on our own beds.


Day 5: Dan makes a friend in Alkmaar (celebrating 750 years!)


Our picnic in Alkmaar. Thanks to the fine folks at Subway.


Day 6: Teylers Museum, Haarlem. Working hard.


(see above)


St. Bavo's Cathedral, Haarlem. 10-year old Mozart played that organ. So did Handel, except he wasn't 10.


Day 7: Brugge (Bruges). Frites'ed up before we even left the train station.


Brugge Cruise


Day 8: de Noordzee in Oostende, where Marvin Gaye wrote "Sexual Healing." You can see why.


French hackin', outside McDonald's, somewhere in Picardie (look closely).


Day 9: us in like 5 years.


Day 10: Paris. Tim thought the housekeeper stole his iPod. Turns out she didn't.


Day 11: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris, home of Jim.




Parisian bum eating McDonald's

Day 12: previously documented here


Day 13: Luxembourg


Day 14


Halloween in Luxembourg


Band photo, featuring unknown creepy guy, possibly Gene Simmons (at left)



photos by Will