Live on the Radio

Last night Kousefly had the great opportunity to co-host 92/7 FM's Highway 97 Show, a local music show in Central Oregon. We took it a step further by playing two songs live in the studio. Very cool experience to say the least.

Originally we were going to bring in our PA System and have an out to their board, but it turned out to be a little more complex on their end. We ended up singing into the studio mics with both of our amps turned up just a little bit. It's a small space, so Chris ended up sitting on his amp.

First song we played was Roundabout, Chris with his electric, on back up vocals and me with the acoustic guitar, signing. Then we had a short interview, ending the show with an ELO, Chris with an acoustic guitar, signing and me with acoustic guitar, harmonica and on back-up.

It's really misleading when you are playing into a radio station's mic. Such a small space with such a huge audience. The reality didn't hit me until I was walking outside the station with my guitar and a security guard service guy rolled down his window saying that we sounded good and asked us when our next gig was.

So a big thank you goes out to 92/7 fm for the opportunity!!

Published in The Source

I submitted an article about M&J Tavern's open mic night.

It got published ---> Check it out!

Shipwreck

I've always been a believer that things happen for a reason. I can see how it can be hard for some to continue on when things don't exactly work out the way the had planned. But what exactly is the plan anyway?

Cory is out. It's a small planet and even a smaller industry, so there's no doubt I'll run into him or one of his projects again. I'm just going to start thinking positively and move on. I hope we meet up with a good drummer during the summer for a tour in the fall. I've already got a few calls out to some potentials.

Good thing, as of late I've written four really good songs that I know will blossom with the band later on. I've already been performing one song at M & J Tavern for the past couple weeks and people seemed to really like it.

EP time! EP... EP

The journey rebegins.

....And Then There Were Two

Kousefly has officially split up, but we are still alive. We are back performing in our original setup as signer/songwriters duo. It's sad for both Chris and I, especially after working hard and achieving a really tight live sound as a full band. I guess what hurts the most about the situation for me is actually experiencing a friendship go sour. All is well that ends well... this one didn't end well at all.

We have to start from square one on our first EP, re-recording the drums on five tracks that we've already produced with Cory. We decided to record all of the tracks with fake drums and then hire a professional drummer to do some studio time and record all ten tracks. We are hoping that the new drummer wants to perform live to help promote the EP (crossing fingers).

This all is going to take money... lots of it. So Chis and I are going to be performing an acoustic duo set all over Oregon to raise the needed funds to complete the project. I'm looking forward to it. Wine bars, small taverns, coffee shops and martini bars... here we come.

Video of "Leaving Alone" Live @ Reed Pub

Reed Pub got ROCKED into Spring

Last night we played one of our tightest, most emotional and untamed rock shows. We opened for MakeShift and House of Thorns at Reed Pub, and like the shifting of the seasons we roared in like a lion.

It's so cool being a four-piece, now with Cory and Elliot locomotive rhythm sounds almost forcing people to dance. We all feel great about our performance and hopefully we surprised a few people last night. I think that we're developing a very original sound that tends to mislead people when we play live. Chris and I break out our Acoustic guitars and I dawn a harmonica around my neck, a few people say that that they think we're going to be one of those mellow-folky bands. HA!

We do use a lot of organic elements, wood-block, tamborine, harmonica, budda-chimes but I try to contradict the imagery of those elements with a heavy metal rock attitude. Seems to work. I guess? It was kind of funny when we ended a song where I went all out I looked at the audience and they seemed kind of stunned, I said "this is a rock show... right?"

MakeShift did a great job, definitely an in-your-face rock band that we'll all see a lot more of them. They've expressed interest in gigin' with us in the future and we're all about it.

House of Thorns has the gear made for heavy metal rock kings. A huge drum kit, wireless guitars and mics, an incredible PA system, my god these guys aren't fucking around. Their show is very metal and very tight.

Over all great show. Thanks for all who came to support it.

Show at REED PUB, Saturday 03/08

In the mood for some Rock?

We are playing a show with two other bands, MakeShift and House of Thorns at Reed Pub Saturday night. Show starts at nine and there's a $3 cover.

Hope to see you there.

Opening for Kaddisfly and Afantomlym

Saturday afternoon I got a call from our drummer, Cory, who said that we were invited to be the opening act for both Afantomlym and Kaddisfly last night (Sunday) at the Domino Room.

It was definitely a shoot-from-the-hip gig. We didn't have time to get a good full practice in nor did we have our bassist. We made the most out of it knowing that there weren't going to be that many people there when we played.

When we were loading in I introduced myself to the Kaddisfly group explaining that, "no we didn't copy your name," explaining that we didn't even know about the band when we came up with Kousefly. They were all really cool , enjoying their tour that ends in New York City later this year.

We performed our set to the folks coming into the venue for music. Great experience being fully mic'ed. I couldn't hear the floor monitor that well. Probably need an ear-piece or a plexy glass shield around cory's drums. I think we did a good job and were happy to warm up the building for the two acts.

Afantomlym was great, their music is really entrancing and mystic. They put out an incredible amount of sound and their talent is noticed immediately.

I didn't have a chance to stick around for Kaddisfly, but I watched them warm up. They are a great full band, playing a post-grunge sound. I was inspiring to see them click both on and off stage. So many band have tension between them, veering away from each other the first possible minute they can, this band is a clickin' possie enjoying their rock and roll experience.

Eff the Formalities Tour 2008

We all are amazed how tight we've become over the last few practices and open mic sets. It's a great feeling, almost like sitting behind the wheel of a V8 hotrod and revving up the engine, knowing that all cylinders and circuits are in perfect timing. Yeahhh! This is Rock and Roll.

I spent the afternoon going to various pubs in Bend, dropping off our demo, seeing if we could do a free set. No dice. I wasn't expecting to land a gig on such short notice but I thought I'd try. It was a real eye-opening for me to discover how limited the live music scene is in Bend. I philosophized with the band last night guessing that there's probably a lack of bands in the area that need a place to play. The few places available have a line of performers. But it mustn't be long enough, causing the people in the back to start complaining. (actually I think that's more of a economics thought than philosophy ponder).

I joked that we should do a "fuck the formalities" tour, continuing doing last minute approaches until a venue says yes. I understand the whole promotional thing, getting posters hung, getting media exposure and the whole bit that comes with a gig. But what if you just want to do a surprise gig. Doesn't seem to be so far fetched. Chris brought up a good idea to see how we can get the stage at Drake Park. I'm going to check on it. Betcha there's going to be a lot of "permit" formalities on that one.

We ended up practicing at Chris' studio. Sounded great, felt great and was reinforced once again on how cool it is to be in a project that has such good chemistry, talent and balance. We are in it for the long haul folks.

Across the Street from Pinback

We performed one of our better acoustic sets at our favorite tavern. We knew it was going to be a busy night because across the street Pinback was set to play at the Domino Room. A lot of folks have a few drinks at M and J's before they head across the street to see the main act. We thought that it'd be a great time to perform our set and get some exposure to some discriminating indie music fans.

I think we're almost to the mastering stage of the tricky acoustics at the M and J tavern. Unlike other venues where the floors, ceiling and walls absorb the sounds this place reflects it like a mirror. That's why we go acoustic only there. Cory tapes up his drum sticks and doesn't bring his tom, Chris simply plugs his acoustic guitar into the PA and Elliot and I do our usual set-up with our own amps.

There were some troubles at first, mics cutting out amps getting accidentally unplugged, but we worked through it quickly and kept the music flowing. As expected, there was a big crowd. They we're a little cold, mainly because it was so early people were still unwinding from their day. It was a good feeling though to help lighted the mood and make the average mid-February Wednesday feel a bit more special. It sure was for us.

After the set Chris and I headed over to watch Pinback play. MC Chris, Pinback's opener was still doing his show. He was fun, with his alto raps. Pinback was good, the lead singer stated he was suffering from the flu, the audience appreciated his performance and a few flasks made their way up to the stage, with who-knows-what type of spirit, to easy his fever. He said he was looking forward to coming to Bend because his favorite brewery is here and was bummed he couldn't enjoy it.

Overall, it was a great night and was a good feeling to merge our way into then night's music scene.