| (no subject) |
[Jul. 6th, 2003|02:33 pm] |
For our 5th of July celebration, our dear drummer William could not join us, but Adam Bach, Steve, and I set up in the Dutkiewicz's backyard for their backyard barbecue extravaganza. It was another hot and humid day, and I was very excited to play this show and jump in the pool afterwards.
Steve and Adam arrived around 5:00 and we setup on the lawn in front of the deck. There was quite a mix of ages, and people seemed to enjoy us. The bugs especially, enjoyed us immensely and I managed to squash at least two blood-filled bugs between my fingers and the keys as I was playing.
Bekah's grandmother was nice enough to spray down the band with OFF(TM) bug spray DURING our set. What star treatment! Steve also got to kick a soccer ball back in play. Two firsts for Smokejumpers shows.
Our setlist was:
YOU DO
THE GHOST
PROVIDENCE
MORNING CHILD
SILHOUETTE
MIRROR
RIGHT KIND OF MOON
FIREFLY
ELEVATOR
BITTER FINGERS
Steve and Adam left after the show, but I stayed and enjoyed a rousing round of pool volleyball. "Whatever it takes" was my motto, and I managed to go a little overboard a few times. It was, in fact, crazy.
Smokejumpers = Outdoor Backyard Barbecue Extravaganza Celebration Madness
- Matt |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 5th, 2003|09:58 am] |
"I heard it in the wind and I saw it in the sky. I thought it was the end. I thought it was the 4th of July."
It was a hot and humid day, and cars were parked everywhere for 4th of July celebrations, picnics, roasts, cook-outs, etc. Something about the independence of the United States screams out "hot-dogs, hamburgers, and beer" to a good majority of the U.S. and so it was decided that this would be a day. A day where you'd rent the big tents from Taylor Rental and have them erected in your backyard. You'd grill polish meats and serve them with dipping sauces. You'd drink beer or other libations, get together with friends and family. And damnit, you'd feel proud as hell to have been born in the United States of America. Perhaps, just perhaps, on this 4th of July outdoor celebration of yours, you'd hire a band such as Smokejumpers to come rock it.
One such person did that, and it was our own Adam Bach's father... for their 4th of July "Bach Block Party". Needless to say, we had an exceptionally good time playing music outdoors to the very welcoming Bach crowd. It was Bach-tastic. See, Adam lives on Bach Lane, as do many Bachs, so the 4th celebration is quite a large one. People everywhere, pools, and generally jovial summer times.
Bob, Stan, Anthony, and me (Mark) setup on the lawn by the clothesline in the hot summer sun. We were sweaty and gross even before the show started, and we all felt like Stalones ("Rocky"-era) with our towels around our necks. And like the greatest sporting event you've ever seen, we rocked that party hard.
Well, not THAT hard. I mean, it's Smokejumpers music we're talking about. Although many people remaked that our Iron Horse set was kind of rockin' Maybe with the 4-piece we're actually rocking out now.
We had a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants setlist:
Bitter Fingers
The Ghost
You Do
Blank Paper in Snow
Morning Child
Never Known
Skeleton
Right Kind of Moon
Providence
Perfect (Steve solo)
Lull (Steve solo)
Beach Song (Bill singin' and guitar / Steve on drums)
Exit Wounds
Mirror
Pictures
The Airport
Elevator
Everything is Gone
Looking forward to playing the Dutkiewicz's party today. Outdoor shows are so much fun. Ooh, except if you swallow bugs while singing... not that I did that, I'm just saying.
- Matt |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 29th, 2003|11:17 am] |
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Steve sang the national anthem at the Easthampton Fireworks last night. Damn. That kid's pipes treated the 40,000 + crowd to a rousing rendition. I love my cousin. He has so much talent. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 28th, 2003|12:37 pm] |
We were all so pumped for the Iron Horse show in Northampton, MA this past Friday night. We absolutely love the sound there, and the venue is nice, intimate, and just generally a great place to see live music. After a trip to the "Tri-Cha", Bekah and I arrived at the Iron Horse to meet Bill, Heather Rush, and Steve. Adam Bach soon showed up and it was clear that the 4 of us were ready to rock.
Met the guys from Canyon who were super nice. They had so much equipment with them, it was crazy. Needless to say it was obvious that we wouldn't be able to set our equipment up beforehand and allow them enough stage room. The put on a LOUD rock and roll set, and the crowd seemed into them.
Downstairs in the green room the band participated in Sharpie tradition and wrote our names on the ceiling... also Steve and Adam tried to "Indian Arm Wrestle" which is something that can't really be explained in words... but it involves 2 people standing next to each other facing opposite directions. You lock hands like you're shaking them. And put your right foot next to your opponent's right foot (but you know, opposite directions). Well, keeping in mind you can pivot but can't really move your right foot or unlock hands, you gotta get the other person to lose their balance and remove their right foot from the essential position. Once you do that, you are the reigning champion. Anyway, I believe that Adam Bach won this round.
I was out of the game cuz basically, I did something really dumb to my left toe... Answering the phone after taking a shower wearing a towel, I slipped on the kitchen floor and stubbed it, really hard. It still hurts. Maybe I broke it. How do you know?
Anyway, we took the stage, setup our stuff in record time, and started the show.
Our setlist was:
Exit Wounds
Mirror
Skeleton
Elevator
Everything is Gone
Providence
Firefly
Morning Child
Airport
The Ghost
You Do
Right Kind of Moon
Bitter Fingers
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Perfect (Steve solo)
Ending
Silhouette
This show felt really good. Steve's solo song was amazing. After the show, we said goodbye to so many lovely fans, friends, etc. and thanked the super cool guys from Canyon for sticking around.
Packed up the car, drove Bekah home and went home happy with our night O' Smokejumpaz music. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 27th, 2003|05:28 pm] |
Yesterday was an insanely hot day, and it made you just want to take all your clothes off and run through the sprinkers, or instead, play a show at the Java Hut in Worcester. Our good friend Dennis Crommett and his band Spanish for Hitchhiking were also playing there w/ us that night, and we actually wound up running into Max Germer at the MassPike toll booth in W. Springfield along the way. Our 3 car convoy headed to Worcester to the lovely little place called Java Hut, where they have some of the best damn desserts I've ever seen.
Bekah and I listened to the new Guster album 2 or 3 times on the way. I'm so into it. My temp. gage in my car was way out of whack and I thought the entire time that my car was going to overheat, so we wound up having to put the heater on to cool the engine down. Gotta love cars on hot days.
Got there w/ out a problem and unloaded the car, set up the P/A and sound-checked Dennis, Max, and Dave Hower (the drummer). Was a small but attentive crowd. Their set was awesome. Dennis's song, "Kitty Hawk" gets me every time.
Our set was:
Exit Wounds
Everything is Gone
Mirror
Skeleton
Elevator
Providence
Firefly
Morning Child
The Ghost
You Do
Right Kind of Moon
Bitter Fingers
After the show, we attempted to find Vinny Testas in Worcester but by the time we got there it was closed. We wound up going to Denny's in Chicopee for a late night meal before heading home to our various domiciles.
Pretty pumped up about tonight's show at the Iron Horse. The 4-piece is sounding better and better the more we play, and I'm way into it. |
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| Rockin it at the Jesters |
[Jun. 25th, 2003|11:31 am] |
What do all of these things have in common: Ice Cream. A Long Haired Metal Dude peering in the window. Fabulous Coffee. Kickass Music. Good times.
Why, The Smokejumpers show that took place on Friday, June 20th at Jesters in Westfield, the 'ol Whip City herself, of course.
After snagging a ride with Stevie and testing his driving skills braving monster potholes we arrived at Jesters, where the band (minus Adam B. who had a show that night in Northampton... and although the upright bass was definetely missed, I'm not quite sure how or where he would've fit onstage, as after set-up Matt realized he had to crawl under his keyboard to sit down... and he did that successfully with no mishaps, spillages, or bruises so props to you, matt) plus Bekah D and myself helped to load the equipment in. (note to self: Bill's bag of drum equipment *is* rather heavy.) It didn't take long to realize it would be a tight squeeze but a solution was made as the piano, mic stands and drums were arranged together, just as the opener, Flora Reed, was set to begin.
This was my second time seeing Flora Reed and I was blown away by her beautiful voice. Her cover of the Magnetic Fields "Book of Love" made me nostalgic and drift off into a daydream and smile, while her closing song, requested by Matt, was haunting and bittersweet. Her set was excellent, despite the painting that leaped off the wall behind her during the middle of a song.
Before the smokejumpers took the stage, I was treated to a rendition of my favorite song ever by Stevie, "Question" by the Old 97's, which is quite possibly the sweetest song in the world. That was an extra special treat as he had spent a good part of the day learning it, (ok ok mainly because he wanted to shut me up about it but still...) keep your fingers crossed that he plays it at an upcoming show, everyone will love it, I promise. The smokejumpers three took the stage and played an excellent, rockin' set. That night it consisted of a great balance of sweet songs that again made me drift off into a daydream and energetic ones that had me bouncing in my seat and humming along. (Ok ok I was slightly distracted by the ambulance and police cars across the street at one point with their strobe lights... and then again by the metal dude cupping his hands around his face and fogging up the glass by peering in the window.) The sound in Jesters was kickin', with special thanks to the whacky tech guy who ran the system.
Set List:
RIGHT KIND OF MOON
PROVIDENCE
BLANK PAPER IN SNOW
EXIT WOUNDS
ELEVATOR
SKELETON
Steve Solo-FEBRUARY'S MOON
MIRROR
EVERYTHING IS GONE
Matt Solo-ELEVEN
YOU DO
MORNING CHILD
PICTURES
THE AIRPORT
Bill had the audience play a game near the end of the show, having us pick the final three songs. I (loudly) made sure "Morning Child" got played, because frankly it's one of my favorites, as it always builds and winds itself dramatically. The set ended with "Pictures" that neatly, sweetly and rockin-ly flowed into "The Airport" which rounded out the night.
The perfect way to end the evening? Late night dinner at the Friendlys... Munchie Mania Madness, A Reuben (which I believe Bill enjoyed very much) and a Reese's Sundae.... after a great show on a warm summer night. What could be better?
Rock It.
-Heather Rush- |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 19th, 2003|10:04 am] |
It was a Wednesday evening and we wanted to rehearse anyway, so we figured we'd play a "surprise show" at Thirsty Mind. To our surprise, there were quite a few people there. We hastily threw together a setlist on the fly, but somehow it all worked out.
EXIT WOUNDS
MORNING CHILD
MIRROR
PROVIDENCE
YOU DO
FIREFLY
PICTURES
THE AIRPORT
THE GHOST
BLANK PAPER IN SNOW
EVERYTHING IS GONE
SKELETON
BITTER FINGERS
MANIC BLUE
FEBRUARY'S MOON
Beforehand we had the wonderful experience of getting some band photos done by Heather Rush at a couple of locations in Northampton. We'll post them up here when we get them. We've been needing to get pictures of the 4-piece band for awhile now. We stood on this rickety old railroad bridge and all got mud on our asses as we tried to look cool for the camera. In the background, Bekah kept making funny faces and saying, "look at me! look at me!" It was a fun time.
After the show we went to Denny's for wonderful late night experience. Had the nicest Denny's waitress ever. Gave each other high fives a lot. Watched Steve and Adam's friend Patrick try to leg wrestle in the parking lot. Had everyone stand in a line and high fived everyone as I was driving away. |
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| June 11th, Harry's in Northampton |
[Jun. 14th, 2003|12:38 pm] |
When Matt showed up at my house around 8:00, I realized that it was time to pack up the Jeep and head down to Harry's for some musical mayhem. I was very excited to be playing in the Smokejumpers quartet once again and was looking forward to the group's second appearance at Harry's.
It was a beautiful balmy night in Northampton and for once, it stopped raining. As most of you know, it has been miserable in this neck of the woods for some time. If anyone complains about a drought this summer, they have some severe issues. We met up with Steve and Adam but the main entrance was locked so we brought our equipment in through City Cafe. I resisted the urge to bust a move on the dance floor and instead concentrated on setting up my drum set. Props to the few that showed up early to keep us company and special thanks to Heather who had the camera in hand for the better part of the evening. If it weren't for that damn sun going down we could have taken some shots outside!
Philip Price opened for us and it was great to see and hear him again. I had played the same bill with him before (in the Poppo Smiley/Maggies era) so it was a bit of a blast from the past for me. We thoroughly enjoyed his solo set which spanned a little over a half hour. Soon after, the Smokejumpers took the stage and played through a rocking 15 song set....
SET LIST
EXIT WOUNDS
MORNING CHILD
MIRROR
YOU DO
PROVIDENCE
FIREFLY
ENDING
SILHOUETTE
THE GHOST
BLANK PAPER IN SNOW
BITTER FINGERS
PICTURES
THE AIRPORT
SKELETON
EVERYTHING IS GONE
I thought Exit Wounds was a great opener, and started us off on an energetic note. Other highlights for me were Providence, The Ghost, and Skeleton (I was worried about nailing my vocal parts but Steve and Matt made my voice feel welcome in the mix!) Throughout the show, all I could hear was Matt's piano in my monitor, and it brought back memories of the two of us playing music in my family's basement years ago.
Overall, I thought it was a solid show, and we appreciate those of you who made it out on a Wednesday evening.
Truly Yours,
Bill |
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| May 3rd, P.A.C.E. in Easthampton |
[May. 5th, 2003|04:11 pm] |
It was our debut as a quartet, so we had a lot of setting up to do. In fact, we were so unused to setting up as a quartet that we all got there at different times. First was Matt and Bekah, then myself, then Bill, our crazy drummer, and finally about five minutes after the show started Adam, our bassist, arrived. Lucky for Adam, however, he still arrived earlier than that bulk of our fans. But soon, he was set up and our fans, loyal as ever (ya'll really are such great troopers) were there and ready for the rock and roll show.
David Berkeley was our opener (though really we should have opened for him). He was incredible; such a smooth, velvety voice, and such incredible songs...and so dreamy. sigh. He put our fabulous fans in the mood for some Smokejumping.
Then for the first time ever, a Smokejumper quartet took the stage. We played some rock music for the people and even sang some "Happy Birthday" to Dave Oppenheim, the owner of the club who, for the record, just turned 17 (wink). It was a fun time and most of it went off without any hitches. I even got to play the drums and our good friend Bekah D. came up and played some beautiful songs.
Setlist:
THE GHOST
PROVIDENCE
BLANK PAPER IN SNOW
MORNING CHILD
SKELETON
MIRROR
BEACH SONG (BILL GUITAR & STEVE DRUMS SWITCHEROO)
UNTITLED (BEKAH & STEVE)
WARY OF MISTAKES (BEKAH & MATT)
CIRCLE SONG (STEVE SOLO)
FEBRUARY'S MOON (STEVE SOLO)
PICTURES (MATT SOLO)
AIRPROT
EXIT WOUNDS...
NEVER KNOWN
BITTER FINGERS
ENCORE: YOU DO
Everything sounded so great with bass and drums. Highlights for me were Ghost, Providence, Mirror, and Beach Song because i got to play the drums for the last one. We played our first ever encore which was way cool. We played the "You Do," which was so lovely of my cousin, because he could have suggested one of his songs, and i would have liked to, but he was like "Dude, 'You Do', let's go, right now." i should express that i love dearly my cousin matthew and there is no one i would rather make music with.
Thank you all for coming to our show. Playing with Bill and Adam was great, and don't be surprised if you see us all together again and dressed in women's clothing...wait, what? i mean playing music. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 20th, 2003|08:00 pm] |
On this gloomy, solemn, rainy day, it couldn't have been more fitting to pay tribute to Bob Dylan, one of the best songwriters who's ever existed. I had the lucky misfortune of picking "Masters of War" as my tribute song, and I suppose it couldn't get more topical than that for this night, the eve of the first day we attacked Iraq in wartime.
I talked to a lot of people that night about it, and I realized that though many people may have different opinions about what we're doing, that something goes above and beyond the point A to point B part of the war. That people are truly just... sad about it. That people are sad more than they are pissed off. That people feel a sense of hopelessness about it. A sad cynicism. And I think for the first time in history, people understand that whatever side of the political fence you're on, that the bombs we drop cause destruction. Vast destruction. And that the people who live in these cities are little pieces of ourselves, living in cities like New York, witnessing destruction like we did in September of 2001.
And for whatever agendas peolpe may have or be willing to align themselves with, the reasons don't really matter in a lot of ways to the every day U.S. citizen. It's the destruction that matters. And perhaps it was 9/11 that changed that, I don't know. And I know that even the people who support the war effort-- the reasons anyway-- are not "gung-ho" about the war. And that they're more mindful of the destruction this time.
And I do know that the first time I saw a building on fire in the city of Baghdad on my television screen, from a bomb that I partially paid for with my tax dollars, I was just.... sad.
I played 2 songs, Masters of War:
Come you masters of war.
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain
You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud
You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul
And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead
+ I also did "Mirror". The lyrics are:
My only consellation
Was the New York City Skyline
With one eye towards New England
The other is off in space
Change is for the better
But right now I couldn't feel worse
The New York City skyline
Is fading in my mirror
I've given up my dreams before
That is nothing new
But did you ever know that?
Did you even care?
Because you couldn't see me hiding
Though I never admitted I did
I won't forget the parking lot
Saw you crying in my mirror |
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| South Hadley, MA: Thirsty Mind |
[Mar. 14th, 2003|08:30 pm] |
What a fun night. It had been awhile since we played at the Thirsty Mind, so we were pretty excited. Plus, we got to try out our new P/A which we really only used once before at the Worcester show. The weather was pretty nice for this show, which made loading in absolutely wonderful since the last bunch of shows was either raining / snowing. We setup, did a quick soundcheck, and then headed to Carmine's for some reasonably prices grinders. Yeah, that's right.
Steve had the "GMC". That's grilled marinated chicken for all you Carmine's amateurs. Me? Oh I had the chicken parm. Nothing quite like loading up on cheese right before singing. We had some interesting discussions about beat-boxing and whather or not Steve could do it (I say he can, he says "Not so much". We have a big discussion about Justin Timberlake's song, "Cry me a river" and how incredibly good we think it is. And how most of it is beat-boxing and a capella. And he exclaims in the restaurant, loudly, "Justin Timberlake is my all-time hero". The guys behind the counter were less than impressed.
After stuffing food in our faces, we headed up to the Thirsty Mind again to get ready for the show. It was pretty packed and it was very nice to see such a good crowd. We had some loyal fans there and some new ones too. Thirsty Mind is a great venue. Plenty of places to sit, and people kind of have no choice but to sit nice and close to the band which makes it nice and intimate... We thought we'd do some Mad-Libs so we kept asking people for various nouns, verbs, adjectives throughout our set. By the end of the show, we were "Going on a Dig"... and this is what it was like.
GOING ON A DIG:
A "dig" is what archaeologists call it when a bunch of _muffins_ go to a desert and look for old bones and pieces of _light_ and fossilized _consensi_. _Talking_ and looking for dinosaur bones is really a _slimy_ way to spend a vacation. Last year I dug up the jawbone of a tyrannosaurus _guh_. The tyrannosaurus is my favorite _bagel_. It was _3.14...15926_ feet tall and had a huge _encroachment_ with hundreds of _super-duper_ teeth. It was carvivorous and would only eay _bologna_. The brontosaurus and diplodocus were herbivorous, which means they would only eat _pizza_ or sometimes, _turkey_. If you go on a dig, you might also find old pieces of _thespians_ or ancient Indian _quadrapolegiacs_ or pieces of _fuzzy_ pottery. You can sell this sort of thing to _horny_ museums for enough to pay for your trip.
Such fun at Smokejumpers shows, see?
The crowd also helped out with the "ah"s in You Do and the "na-na's" in the Airport. The setlist was:
The Ghost
Silhouette...
Never Known
Skeleton
Right Kind of Moon
Morning Child
You Do
Song for a Painter (Manic Blue)
Steve Solo song #1
Steve Solo song #2
Civil War (Guns N' Roses cover)
Never Bloomed (Matt Solo)
In the Abscence of Time (Matt Solo)
Firefly
Providence
Blank Paper in Snow
Bitter Fingers
The Airport
All in all, it was a damn fun night, and it reminded us why we enjoy performing so much and why our fans are so great. |
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| Worcester, MA: Java Hut |
[Jan. 31st, 2003|09:24 am] |
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Smokejumpers played with Dennis Crommett on this cold and rainy Winter evening. |
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| Easthampton, MA: P.A.C.E. |
[Dec. 6th, 2002|09:24 am] |
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Smokejumpers played with Flora Reed. They accompanied Flora on her song, "Wake Up Laughing" and in turn, she accompanied them on "Never Known". |
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| Worcester, MA: Java Jut |
[Oct. 12th, 2002|10:29 pm] |
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Smokejumpers rocked Central Mass. on this rainy but lovely evening in October. |
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| September 21, 2002: Capo's Cafe |
[Sep. 21st, 2002|10:30 pm] |
Matt Larsen solo show
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Jealous of Justin Timberlake, Matt set out on his own solo musical journey, opening for S.H.A.R.Q at Capo's Cafe. |
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| September 7, 2002: The Market at Open Square |
[Sep. 7th, 2002|10:30 pm] |
Music for a Cure Concert
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Raising awareness AND money for a great cause, Smokejumpers were joined by Stephen Kellogg, Philip Price, Flora Reed, Dennis Crommett, and Josh Shear as well as many adoring fans. |
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| Holyoke, MA: Square Cafe at Open Square. (by Matt) |
[Aug. 15th, 2002|10:29 pm] |
This show was great, because we had some great friends show up. Our friend Caitlin was up from DC, sporting a home-made "I (heart) Smokejumpers" shirt. We also had a ton of other superfans come out to support us. Also, this was the official "last night" of the Summer Singer Songwriter Series hosted by Josh Shear. Josh really did an incredible job hosting it, and we couldn't express our gratitude enough.
This show was just outside of the cafe, in the "market". Since it was a bigger space, it was a bigger stage, which meant we could invite our good friend Adam Bach to join us on upright bass for a few songs. It was a grand old time as a trio, which made us want to play with more musicians. Though it's bittersweet because we enjoy being a duo so much. It must be our desire to hog the spotlight.
Betsy Spivak, who was from Philadelphia, was a great opener, and Arjuna Greist from the Northampton, MA area was excellent also. Luckily her fans are as nice as she is, and they stuck around for our set too. She's really incredible. You should pick up her disc.
Our set was highlighted once again, but our cover song, and we've definitely started a tradition that can't be broken it seems. Steve's lip sync-ing abilities are second to none, as was shown during our cover of Elton John's "I Want Love".
S E T L I S T:
Exit Wounds
Right Kind of Moon
Everything is Gone
Skeleton
Rift
Pictures
Providence
Porcelain
Apology
I Want Love (Elton John cover)
The Ghost
Morning Child
You Do
Firefly
Blank Paper in Snow
Silhouette
Elevator
Special thanks go out to Bekah D, who once again went above and beyond the call of duty with being our merch chick. We had a bunch of new t-shirt designs that night, which should be available online shortly, and she was finding sizes for people, digging through boxes, and more. Whew!
Also, special thanks to Adam Bach for playing upright bass and adding a total new element of cool to our cover song, in addition to the 4 other songs after it. Way to go, man. Way to fricken go. |
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| Easthampton, MA: Capo's Cafe. (by Steve) |
[Aug. 2nd, 2002|10:29 pm] |
Well, this apparently was mine and Matt's sweet 16 party. Yes-- that is correct: Smokejumpers have played a whopping 16 shows filled with crazy folk n' roll, poppy goodness, and zany antics for you. And as far as sweet sixteen parties go, this one was great, seeing as how no one cried and we got everything we wanted and the really cute jock you've had a crush on for so long didn't end up kissing your cheerleader best friend, thus causing you strife and anguish at your own party. But it was our party, so we could have cried if we wanted to.
Anyway, our show was great. It was hot, and we were sweaty Smokejumpers, but we were also really excited to play a show. The band Fat Hands went on before and were very excellent. The crowd was wonderful and we knew that when we took the stage it was gonna be filled with goodness.
S E T L I S T:
Silhouette
Never Known
The Ghost
Rift
You Do
Girl (our boy-band break-through number...our love is whole)
Morning Child
Right Kind of Moon
Summer
I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher Cover)
Skeleton
Blank Paper in Snow
Providence
Pictures
Eleven
Bitter Fingers
The Airport
Hopefully I am speaking for both Matt and myself when I say this was probably our favorite setlist, and one of our more fun shows. We were really into our songs and the crowd was into it to. During my new song "Girl" (which is a half-joke) the crowd began to clap their hands to the bootylicious beat. Then they listened as Matt and I both forgot the words to "I Got You Babe," which if anything was just really fun. I got to debut a new song, "Providence" which was fun, and then Matt came back and we finished up the set.
By far the coolest thing that night was during our last song, Matt surprised me by telling the story about how he wrote the na-nas (which isn't about grandmas-- They are pronounced nah-nah). Then he went further and asked the audience to help us with the na-nas. We spent some time teaching all the parts to the enthusiastic crowd, then dove right into it. The first time there was a modicum amount of enthusiam... second time, yes, the crowd was getting it... the third time... well, really there is not normally a third time, but I thought there should be so the crowd could take a turn at doing the lead vocals, so after drawing out the song for about 12 minutes now, the crowd, and at full volume, I might add, rocked the nana's for the third unscripted time while matt and I provided the background music. It was awesome! It was a huge reminder to me and Matt how great all of our fans really are and how much we love doing this. We wish every bands' fans are as cool as ours.
Thank you guys so much. And I must once again thank whoever put the whoopee cushion in our tip jar... It is the best thing ever... EVER!
Slacks,
Stevie |
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| South Hadley, MA: Thirsty Mind. (by Matt) |
[Jul. 19th, 2002|10:29 pm] |
As excited as Steve and I were for this show, we could not have prepared ourselves for the amount of things that went wrong that night. Thankfully, we won over the crowd and ended up having a great time with our set, despite the shaky start. For the record, here's a short list of things that were somewhat eventful (in chronological order).
- Minor mishap involving tripping over carpet and banging piano into white walls during pack-up, thereby transferring white paint from wall to piano. Choice expletive shouted.
- Thunderstorm and flash flooding as cars get packed with gear.
- P/A System M.I.A when we get there. Something involving a locked space and the person with the key being on vacation. The whole time the crowd keeps packing in the venue, anxious to see a rock and roll show.
- Fire alarm pulled by little kid. Building evacuated. Still no P/A system located as of yet.
- Tok, guitarist for Flying Lessons, arrives with P/A and saves the day.
- Mic stand falls down during first song. Piano level very loud. Organ voice button is accidentally pressed mid-song.
- Steve breaks a string mid-song during "Exit Wounds". Matt quickly changes to piano voice and pounds out the rest of the song. Steve must now replace string. Setlist is hastily altered, and Matt plays an unrehearsed song called "Crooked".
- The rest of the night was great, and we were lucky to really be able to pull it off. I think the energy of the crowd and the fact that we had so many fans and friends there that night helped tremendously.
S E T L I S T :
Summer
Right Kind of Moon
The Ghost
Exit Wounds
Crooked
Firefly
Hero (Enrique Iglesias cover)
Morning Child
The Airport
You Do
Blank Paper in Snow
Silhouette
Never Known
Pictures
Eleven
Bitter Fingers
People came from all over the place to see us. It was really something. We really thought it was cool to see a lot of old fans and friends bring their friends to the show. We love to meet everyone, and Thirsty Mind is a nice place to just chill and shoot the breeze with everyone. Bekah (our super-duper merch chick) wound up selling a bunch of CDs and a couple of shirts, and people were friendly and kind to her, which is always a good thing. After the show, Steve, Bekah, and I packed up the car and headed to the Easthampton Diner. Of course, we were all so loopy by that point that we were laughing at practically anything. But it was good to celebrate another Smokejumpers victory with some diner-made fruit salad, black coffee, and colorforms from Taco Bell (Don't ask). And most of all, we learned (again) that sometimes the shows with the most difficult obstacles are the most rewarding. |
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| Hamden, CT: The Space. (by Matt) |
[Jun. 25th, 2002|10:28 pm] |
After packing Steve's dad's Oldsmobile station wagon, we headed down to The Space in Hamden, CT. Bekah D came along with us for the ride, which made it all the more fun. After some great "road trip games", we ate a fine fine meal at the Acropolis Diner. After we got to The Space, we convinced Bekah that she could overcome her incredible stage freight. Bekah D performed 2 of her original songs to a packed house. (kudos!) Smokejumpers soon took the "stage" and performed a short but energetic set. Hopefully we have some new Smokejumpers fans in CT now.
S E T L I S T :
Right Kind of Moon
Never Known
Exit Wounds
Pictures
Blank Paper in Snow
Morning Child
Firefly
You Do
Wait until you guys see the pictures from this show. We saw some pretty strange stuff along the way. |
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| Northampton, MA: Harry's. (by Matt) |
[Jun. 22nd, 2002|10:28 pm] |
This was really our first time playing at a bonafide rock club. Hopefully we have some serious rock cred. now even though we're not really a rock band. Harry's was cool. Mike Flood and Spouse were a great bunch of guys, and we met a lot of really cool people.
S E T L I S T :
The Ghost
Never Known
Exit Wounds
Firefly
Blank Paper in Snow
Morning Child
You Do
Toxicity (System of a Down cover)
Baby Got Back (Sir Mix-A-Lot cover)
Pictures
Silhouette
Bitter Fingers
Porcelain
It was nice to see some friends and family out there who were over 21. We only sold a few "Pictures" CDs but the crowd seemed to enjoy us, and besides -- we had fun. |
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| Easthampton, MA: Pulaski Club. (by Steve) |
[Jun. 1st, 2002|10:28 pm] |
Well, due to the fact that I had my panties in a bunch over the fact that Matt played a solo show at The Space, and since Matt was away the weekend this show was scheduled, I got to perform all by my lonesome. Wearing my adult diaper, (purely due to the excitement, I promise you) I embarked on my first solo act at a surprise graduation party for a Smokejumper super-fan who was earning her Master's degree (Remember kiddos, stay in school...cos then we play your surprise graduation parties). I provided the lunch-time entertainment and music for the "After-Awards party". The first set went off with several hitches.
SET 1
This Town (I broke my G-string halfway through, but kept playing...hey, stop laughing, I really did "break my G-string"!)
Never Known
Dear Anorexia
Wasteland
Letters
Please
Silhouette (During THIS song, I broke my A string.)
Despite the string breakage the first set was entertaining and the two year olds even put down their balloons (which served for weak forms of dodgeballs) to listen for a bit. Anyway, I ran out to pick up a new pack of strings, since I was adequately unprepared. I successfully purchased a new pack of strings and restrung the ones i broke (and yes, one of them was my G-string (Jeez...You're so juvenile...). After saying a "Prayer on a G-string", I went back out for my second set which went marvelously.
SET 2
Everything is Gone
Bitter Fingers
Morning Child
Icarus Pt. II
Porcelain
Rain Cloud
Apology
You Do
After the hazaardless second set, all strings in tact, there was applause. But mostly there was cake. Mmmmm...cake. Some "Pictures" CDs were sold, but mostly cake was eaten, and we all know, it's not about music or money, but getting cake.
Yes, it was chocolate.
Capris,
Stevie |
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| Westfield, MA: Jester's Cafe. (by Matt) |
[May. 17th, 2002|10:27 pm] |
Our trip to Jester's Cafe in Westfield, Mass was fun. We loaded up the honda once again, and setup in this great little deli and ice cream place (ice cream sandwiches?!). The sound system was great, we had plenty of help, and we knew that the crowd was in for one interesting show. It was small and intimate, and we felt like we knew everybody that night!
S E T L I S T :
Right Kind of Moon
Exit Wounds
Dear Anorexia
Never Known
Bitter Fingers
Street Spirit/ Fade Out (Radiohead cover)
Silhouette
Ending
The Airport
The Ghost
Apology
Rain Cloud
Blank Paper in Snow
Eleven
You Do
Firefly
Pictures
Porcelain
Weeds
Toxicity (System of a Down cover)
Elevator
Morning Child
It was the perfect place to debut some new songs and some new arrangements on old ones, namely "Right Kind of Moon", "Dear Anorexia", "Rain Cloud", and "Eleven". Tackling odd covers has always been Smokejumpers' modus operandus and this night was no exception. A Smokejumpers take on a metal song, System of a Down's "Toxicity" scored points with the metal heads in the crowd, and Steve got to exercise the pipes on his version of Street Spirit by Radiohead. |
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| Hamden, CT: The Space (by Matt) |
[Apr. 23rd, 2002|10:27 pm] |
With a zest for performing and a sense of adventure, I headed down to Hamden, CT with Stephen Kellogg and his cousin Jessica. Li'l Stevie couldn't come with me, which was unfortunate. We got lost along the way. We knew something was horribly awry when we reached the tunnel on the Wilbur Cross. But it gave me a chance to yell and Stephen a chance to "lolly-lolly" when going through it. After awhile, we finally found Dixswell Ave. (ha!) and found what we were looking for. I played a short 3-song set, drank some tea, got to check out this very cool venue, and of course got to also see Stephen Kellogg's set, which included Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer", which is always cool.
S E T L I S T :
Blank Paper in Snow
Firefly
I Don't Want Sympathy
Afterwards, when we hung out at the Acropolis Diner, Stephen Kellogg's star power really shone. That guy is SO rock and roll. Autographing someone's arm, ordering 2 sandwiches. Man-- it's about the rock and roll. The drive home was late, and I was a tired lad when I hit the pillow that night, but it was definitely a fun time and I hope to play there again with the other half of Smokejumpers sometime soon. |
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| Easthampton, MA: Capo's Cafe. (by Matt) |
[Apr. 12th, 2002|10:27 pm] |
Like parents of a newborn, we were gleaming with pride. Our CD Release Party was definitely something special, with Josh Shear & Geraldine opening the show for us. Before the show, Steve and I grabbed some grub down at Smokey Lil's, a new BBQ place down the street. With our enthusiasm as full as our stomachs, we headed to Capo's. People came out in full force AND brought their party hats, so we handed out some party favors of course. We played a pretty well rounded set that included "all the hits".
S E T L I S T :
Listen
Porcelain
Elevator
Exit Wounds
The Ghost
You Do
Never Known
I Want it That Way (Backstreet Boys cover)
Pictures
Everything is Gone
Blank Paper in Snow
Morning Child
The Airport
Firefly
Silhouette
Bitter Fingers
Steve, truly feeling the moment of boy-band stardom, paid homage to Michael Jackson and danced a bit during our cover of Backstreet Boys "I Want it That Way". A lot of people picked up our new CD, "Pictures", and some of them even got signed copies if they asked for it.
Our friends even drove up from Rhode Island to see the show. We really do have "superfans" and are greatful for every one. Good times. Good times indeed. |
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| Northampton, MA: Iron Horse Music Hall. (by Matt) |
[Apr. 3rd, 2002|10:27 pm] |
Our Iron Horse debut went over pretty well. We had an exceptionally nice crowd that night, which we were grateful for. It was definitely nice to be out on that stage. The Iron Horse is a great venue, and the sound system and sound person were great. Our setlist was hastily thrown together (for us anyway), but it all worked out.
S E T L I S T :
Silhouette
Never Known
You Do
Morning Child
Ending
Exit Wounds
Blank Paper in Snow
Pictures
Bitter Fingers
Firefly
Porcelain
Steve, always the eloquent Smokejumper, told the crowd that You Do was about "things", and Matt talked about this picture of him in a diaper on the piano at age 1. Kevn Kinney from Drivin' N' Cryin' followed, and played a very cool set. He was a hell of a nice guy, and we were lucky to open for him.
This show was also good because we got our CDs there on time. WHEW! Don't think for a minute that it was an easy task. I wasn't able to get the master from Adam until Wednesday of the previous week but promptly sent it out UPS style to New England CD in Nashua, NH. I drove there and picked them up on Tuesday evening and drove it back here that night so we'd be all set on Wednesday. Kudos to NECD for an unbelievable turnaround time, and to Adam and Heather Rush of Aster Designs for working with me to make sure this happened. It feels nice to have our disc out, and I'm sure the fans appreciate it too. |
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| Easthampton, MA: Capo's Cafe. (by Matt) |
[Feb. 2nd, 2002|10:26 pm] |
This was our second gig at Capo's Cafe, and we had a great time. It was a 3 band lineup. Dizzy Intellect opened up the show with a great power piano pop trio thing going on. Our buddies, Regarding Two followed, with a great set including their version of "All Along The Watchtower". Then it was our turn.
S E T L I S T :
Rug
You Do
Exit Wounds
Everything is Gone (with a little bit of Chop Suey! by System of a Down)
Pictures
Listen
Rainbow Connection (Jim Henson / John Denver cover from The Muppet Movie)
The Airport
Bitter Fingers
Never Known
Natural Woman (Carole King / Aretha Franklin cover)
Firefly
Hair (Stephen Lynch cover)
Morning Child
I Don't Want Sympathy
Porcelain
Blank Paper in Snow
Silhouette
After toiling over which cover tune to do, Steve and I decided on Jim Henson/John Denver's "Rainbow Connection" and Carole King's "Natural Woman". Steve also performed Stephen Lynch's "Hair" which was not exactly on the setlist. The turnout was great, and we played a pretty lengthy set. |
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| Easthampton, MA: Capo's Cafe. (by Matt) |
[Dec. 7th, 2001|10:26 pm] |
This was our first show at Capo's, which is an absolutely wonderful place to play on Cottage Street in Easthampton, Mass. There's a great stage, a good P/A system, and overall a good atmosphere. Steve and I played a duo set which included some new songs and some old songs.
The place was absolutely packed, too, which made for a fun time. We made promises to the audience that we'd have the CD done by the end of January. But of course, we were lying. Not intentionally of course. But sometimes optimism gets the best of us. Hopefully at our next show, nothing will be thrown at us.
S E T L I S T:
Bitter Fingers
Never Known
Ghost
Listen
Apology
Silhouette
You Do
Porcelain
Morning Child
Firefly
Gay (our cover of a Stephen Lynch song)
Blank Paper in Snow
The Airport
We had a cool opener, Chris Couchon, who among other things brought a playstation and a television to the performance.
Oh yeah, thanks to whoever took these pictures. |
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| Northampton, MA: Fire & Water Cafe. (by Matt) |
[May. 1st, 2001|09:24 am] |
Our third gig at Fire & Water, it was just Steve and I. Adam had another show with his other band Killswitch Engage. With a hastily thrown together setlist, mistakes were made and improvisation was evident. But overall, as a Smokejumpers duo, we did just fine.
S E T L I S T :
Crooked
Morning Child
Firefly
I Don't Want Sympathy
It's The End of The World As We Know It (R.E.M. cover)
Blank Paper in Snow
Never Known
Sit Tight, Hang On, Begin
Dear Anorexia
Bitter Fingers
This Year's Love (David Gray cover)
Elevator
The Airport
It was evident that Steve and I needed to shape up a bit for our next duo performance, though there were some real gems at this show. |
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| Northampton, MA: Fire & Water Cafe. (by Matt) |
[Mar. 20th, 2001|10:25 pm] |
Our second gig at Fire & Water, we played an extended set. Mark Erelli and Kitchen Table did not perform as scheduled, because of Mark Erelli's health problems. We got bumped up to the 8pm slot. Our set was highlighted by Steve and Adam's rendition of Blister in the Sun.
S E T L I S T :
Blank Paper in Snow
The Ghost
Elevator
Pictures
Morning Child
Godplant
Blister in The Sun (Violent Femmes cover)
Firefly
You Do
Never Known
I Don't Want Sympathy
Porcelain
Crooked
The Airport
It was a good time. Steve had his buddies show up, Matt got an nice origami gift from a fan, and Adam's parents showed up to support the band. |
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| Northampton, MA: Fire & Water Cafe |
[Jan. 20th, 2001|10:25 pm] |
Our first gig at the Fire & Water was also the first gig as Smokejumpers. Sure, Adam and I had been playing music for almost 10 years, but this was different. So we asked Steve to play to round out the sound. We didn't know that he'd join the band for good.
Family and friends came out to support us and eat some "damn good nachos". I lugged my digital piano there, even though it's heavy as hell. Adam had a small drumkit, his acoustic, his electric, and a bass. Steve had a tambourine and eggshaker only for this gig. We all had a fun time and we played a pretty good set for our first time.
S E T L I S T :
Never Known
Rug
Everything is Gone
Ending
Ice Block
Firefly
Elevator
Porcelain
The Ghost
Blank Paper in Snow
I Don't Want Sympathy
We took to calling Steve by the moniker, "Little Stevie", which has sort of stuck. You can even email him at littlestevie@thesmokejumpers.com if you want to. How bout that?
Oh yeah, Heather Rush was gracious enough to take photos of this show. Check out here site, Aster Designs. |
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