Chicago: customers are advised to allow extra travel time

I remember that show! It was raining sharks and cats.

Guys can I be in yr scene? I play three instruments! Two of them badly!

The concept of a "fun show" as distinct from other shows is sort of alien to me. The two poles for us are usually money vs. prestige.

I'm leaving in a minute for a gig, because they give us $200 "extra" if we show up super early to soundcheck.

For me there's usually an inverse relationship between fun (club shows) and money (weddings, corporate, anything where the audience is captive but there for some other reason than to hear your band) gigs.

xp - Woe is you dudes.

I'm reminded of Baby Teeth Abraham's Reader letter last week, talking about the "creeping professionalism" of indie rock.

Now that I think about it, though, there are shows that are more fun to play than other shows. But I'm not sure the venue has much to do with it.

I guess Simon's is an example of a place that's really casual and fun to play in the same way that I imagine Mutiny or Hotti Biscotti is (never actually been to either), but I also can't imagine we'd ever play there if they didn't pay us like $300.

Then we must bring Funzone! to Hotti.

the "creeping professionalism" of indie rock.

Sort of an inevitability if you want to make a living at it, though. Which I don't, but some people do.

Well hopefully all of our shows are "fun shows." But some are fun because they are casual and playing with friends, and some are fun because we get to play somewhere exciting or with a band we like or for more people than usual. We almost never make any real money, so that generally isn't a consideration.

"Things were more awesome when everything sucked!"
T or F

Someone saw me playing a show at Phyllis's that resulted in playing a bunch of shows that were $250 for 75 minutes each in a coffeeshop (this was an XRT/Starbucks promo a while ago), and other house shows and little shows have been better other weird confluences and opporunities (and CD sales, etc.), so I'm of the mindset that one show is not better than the other.

i predict sh4rks will have a house party show at new sh4rks hq

Some friends of mine have had a band for years now, have DIY toured all over the midwest and northeast, and still can't get a show booked here because they don't have an agent, don't have a label of any kind (until very recently) and generally can't get a break. They've expressed their frustrations with this situation many times. This is the same band that rw and Max came and saw in a garage in Pilsen, and I know if they got a gig at the Bottle or Logan Square that people would love the shit out of them.

wait is this the hardcore band with the two drummers? i liked them!

I figure these are the good old days of seeing the Sh4rx and FFs playing bar shows, just as the good old days were seeing Neko and Andrew Bird play for their friends at the H-out in 2001.

xpost Yup. They've gone to the traditional 3-piece lineup for the most part now, but they still put both kits on stage for a song or two.

Simon's is a rare example of a place that pays extremely well and is also fun in the sense that they don't charge a cover and so your friends just come by and have a few beers and sing along. As far as other money gigs go, street festivals aren't too bad, either, especially if you can entice some of your fans to lead the crowd into paying attention. But private parties or corporate gigs or benefits are often pretty weird -- it's just hard to let loose in environments like that.

The best crowds to play for, though, are clubs where you're headlining -- and thus you know everyone's there to see you -- or where you're opening for a really big, well-drawing band and so there's already a good-sized audience out there when you go on and you have the potential to win a bunch of people over. That latter example is pretty ideal, because if you can win them over, you end up selling a bunch of merch, too, so it's like the trifecta of money, new fans, and prestige. (I'm thinking of us opening for Sloan at Double Door or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in Madison.)

I know I said "you" throughout this post, but this is just my experience.

wow, i just looked at the entertainment listing and def leopard + styx at the MN state fair costs $54! which is more than anyone else playing. doesn't that seem a lot for nostalgia?

Police tickets cost, what, $300-ish? People who get excited about Styx likely have real jobs by now.

<snooty voice>I assume you're referring to Def <i>Leppard</i></snooty voice>

Def LEPPARD

btw: I have come around to the Nerves version of "Hanging on the Telephone," and... I kinda like it better now.

I hate being wrong.

I'd still love to hear Sarah sing the "Blondie" version, though.

http://a4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/13/l_262623d6ed6b86afac54376a5aa599eb.jpg

beautiful

I know nothing about how catholicism works, but when my coworker told me yesterday about how she will have to take communion at her upcoming wedding, I felt retroactively guilty on recommending nature specials to her on the grounds that they focus on evolution. But I don't know that this is the right thing to feel.

I think it's completely unecessary and WRONG to feel guilty for recommending something that is based in science because there is a chance that she might believe in some fairy tale. Also, I met a lot of Catholics in NO and they were all pretty with it. They were mostly associated with Jesuits and Loyola though, so it might be a skewed sample.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index

Check out the Orchid Station orientation film.

I did. I can't imagine why you recommended it, though. There was panic because someone accidentally painted a rabbit...?

stop painting rabbits, you maniacs!

No, ding dong--they panicked because rabbit number 15 appeared in 2 places at once. And they talked about the shift. So apparently there was a problem and the rabbit was duplicated.

no, ding-dong -- this is stupid and will never have anything whatsoever to do with the show.

It's canon.

Carlton and friend have made clear that all the extras they do--The Lost Experience, books, other web stuff--are all canon. In fact they said so during the Comicon podcast.

The rabbit has to do with the time research they're doing.

you've been brainwashed. You may as well go sit in a hatch.

God loves me as he does Jacob.

You mean Job.

FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE WITH MY BELT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T TAKE A LIGHT BLUE LONG SLEEVE PERRY ELLIS SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

AND BRING ME AN ICED TEA FROM THE COFFEE SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No way, I'm short on button-downs, and I'd notice that. I do have your belt, though. I wore it to a dressy event while you were away. It's a dressy kinda belt. I never intended to steal it.

The coffee shop on Argyle ok with ya? I can come over now, if you're home. Put in your order, bitch.

OH!

Actually I have to get on the train at HOLY SHIT!! IN 10 MINUTES

we'll make it another time!

bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

you're impossible. Ok, soon. Very soon.

I already texted people whose numbers I had, but Kr and I are having people over for some snacks and drinking at my place tonight. Anytime after 8, really. We'll have some food and beverages ourselves, but feel free to bring your own. Call me if you need directions.

There is a coup in the works at my work.

Fucxk yoou

!