Happy birthday to our album! As of today, December 6, it is live on streaming services, downloadable, and arriving as an old fashioned CD! Take a look at our music page and visit the liner notes to get a preview.
And it turns out that tonight we’ll celebrate with a gig at Lighthouse Lounge (~9:00 – Midnight, 21+, $5 cover) here in Ogden. We’ll bring CDs as well as our live selves.
Next week we get to play along with The Proper Way at Funk N Dive in Ogden. It’s one of those late night $5 cover gigs for us — the “big time,” as they say. (Details here.)
But sometimes we play consignment stores, too. Not just any old consignment store, mind you, but the big lofty ones in historic districts while the rain is pouring down outside. Brigham City had us playing for their final farmer’s market of the season, but Mother Nature made sure to sweep in with a tumultuous cold front. Not a problem: just move with the market into the expanse of space whose wood floors supported old couches and bar stools, artwork on the wall and an old organ under the staircase.
That staircase led up to a loft that overlooked everything, facing the street and keeping sentry on all those who would come and go: vendors, tomato buyers, some enthusiastic dancers, and a few high schoolers dressed up and on their way to homecoming dance. Best of all, it sounded great from that elevated stage. We’ve played fancy platforms with sound boards and monitors, and they didn’t compare to the space behind the banister and up against the antique ceiling.
Caryn introduced the gig, inviting people to come out with a call to Facebook and uttering the phrase I’ll cherish forever. “We’re going to serenade the crap out of this consignment store,” she proclaimed. And she was right. We all had a good time, and we went home with fresh bread and tomatoes.
We’ve joked that we provide the Jonas Brothers this professional courtesy of improving upon their song. In particular, Ian takes something that was intended to be a very straightforward, uncomplicated rhythm into a pile of syncopation on the drums. Caryn* layers coy vocals on top of this and Tim lays a foundation with the bass line.
The piano is just along for the ride on this one. When you play with a great quartet, you continuously get to be immersed in the work of 3 really amazing musicians. This feels like an entirely new song.
And also, we really, really had a fun time playing here on the outdoor patio of UTOG. It was like playing in a back alley and a backyard at the same time.
*And doesn’t Caryn look like she’s an angel with a halo from the backlight here?
So, we’ve played at some stuff and we have more stuff up and coming. Coming up next: A gig at Lighthouse Lounge on Sept. 6. And, you should know that you have to bring your i.d. and $5. (We hope the fans don’t desert us when they realize they have to start paying a cover to see us.) And another couple of things outside are planned while the weather is still good; and we get to share the stage with our 2nd favorite Ogden band later in the fall. Details to come, so stay tuned.
For now, here’s a few samples of what we’ve been feeding into the YouTubes on our channel here.
It’s fun to get the message that the recording you did in the cold and dark on a Friday night in February is now out, and you go back to that and listen to that fun time in and out of a van, next to a fire pit, just playing music and getting interviewed at the up and coming Monarch. It makes us feel like a real Ogden band.
Check it out here, and subscribe to Banyan Collective, especially their #VanSessions for more local music. Thanks to Brandon and Todd for the fun night and the recording!
Standards & Substandards 