SongFight! Tour 2008: Moscow, April 7

mkilly · Post by **mkilly** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:19 am

KUOI Presents Song Fight! Live 2008. April 7, circa 8:00 PM, Student Union Building International Ballroom. Corner of 6th and Deakin in Moscow, Idaho, home of the Vandals.

Booked! Featuring Theophilus Monk, the Primitive Screwheads, Octothorpe, Mike Siemens of This Kid's Not Supposed to Be in the Family Portrait, and Milo Duke. The latter two are local dudes who are not Song Fight!ers, but it's my show and I booked 'em.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:36 pm

Hey, I might be coming too.

mkilly · Post by **mkilly** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:58 pm

I should write some more. I've been very busy volunteering and working for the University of Idaho's jazz festival.

So, it's going to be in the ballroom. I'm not sure what the configuration is going to be. It's a pretty generous ballroom, and if there isn't a great turnout it'll look kind of empty. So it might be a sequestered portion of the ballroom. In any case...

My boss at the radio station, Andy Jacobson, is a long-time employee of SPL. SPL stands for Sound Production and Lighting. It's the joint that does sound (duh) and lighting (duh) for events (duh). The SPL chief, Ben Aiman, is the guy I've been working for during Jazz Fest, and really doing him a favor by doing so. So, anyway, the punchline here is that SPL is going to be donating their services--which means everyone can leave mic stands, microphones, mic cables, snakes, and mixers at home, because we're going to have more SM-57s and SM-58s and condensers and so forth than we'll know what to do with. It will be a professional production, run by professionals.

There might be a piano available. Anyway, beyond that, I have a Squier Stratocaster 25th Anniversary Edition that's decent; a decent banjo; bongos. Stu, my bandmate, has an Epiphone something, and a good acoustic/electric. Might have to bring in Primitive Screwheads or Octothorpe's drum kit. Probably will have to find a keyboard. Will need a bass and a bass amp. I have a Fender Frontman 25R, and my bandmates both have amps, which are likely better than my amp.

MOVING ON

Andy and Ben are anxious about the gig. Andy's concerned about the multiple bill, setup/teardown time, that kind of thing. He wants to cap it at five, and I'll have to really, really work to get that changed... so fluffy, glenn case, or anyone who hasn't yet spoken up wants to join, I need to know pretty soon so I can get to work convincing Andy to allow me to let more bands in. I have the venue booked from 8-11 PM, which should allow enough time for probably twenty or thirty minute sets. I think most of the bands will less than that, but there it is, anyway. Practice-wise I have a friend with a drum kit and a piano, if we want to get some practice in beforehand. So, that's all I have to say right now.

Post by **Spud** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:04 pm

The number of band things is always a sticking point for venues. They are used to real tear-down/set-up issues, with sound checks in between and all that.

I always sell it as being more like one big band with rotating members, which has some truth to it, and that usually makes them less nervous.

Post by **Spud** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:08 pm

Also, "Octothorpe" will likely be just me*. Guess I better buy a loop pedal, eh?

*fluffy will help out, if present. Other volunteers are welcome.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:07 am

And Sockpuppet will be just me and my loop pedal. Basically no setup/teardown (although I find I get better sound from the loop pedal if I run things through a mixer first, so I will of course bring a mixer as well).

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:44 am

So like you could just claim that Sockpuppet and Octothorpe are a single band called Socktothorpe.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:45 am

Socktothorppet?

Post by **Spud** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:08 am

That would hardly bring out the huge fanbase that MK has built up by playing us on the radio now, would it?

SPUD

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:24 am

One member each of Octothorpe and Sockpuppet

Octothorpe with special guest Sockpuppet

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:25 pm

The Spud and fluffy show

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:44 pm

Yeah, having a permanent backline helps the sound guys' sanity greatly

p++ doesn't really have a drumset up north, more a collection of random drum-like things that converge into an illusion of one, heh. We borrowed parts for last year's tour's stop in Portland

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:06 am

Spud wrote:*fluffy will help out, if present. Other volunteers are welcome.

Word to that, yo.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:17 pm

Octothorpe and a Sock

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:52 pm

fluffy wrote:So like you could just claim that Sockpuppet and Octothorpe are a single band called Socktothorpe.

My work here is done. Good day gentlemen.
.....I said GOOD DAY!

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:15 pm

I'd just like to throw out that I'm very willing to help anyone out instrumentally if you need an extra musician to play something. I have an electric/acoustic and two electric guitars (one hollow body, one solid), and a nice tube amp. The apartment has a keyboard, but it isn't mine and I'd have to ask if we could use it.

GlennCase · Post by **GlennCase** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:39 pm

If there is room, Rachael and I could play this.

Sorry for not speaking up earlier. I just started reading this thread today.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

GlennCase · Post by **GlennCase** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:42 pm

mkilly wrote:so fluffy, glenn case, or anyone who hasn't yet spoken up wants to join, I need to know pretty soon so I can get to work convincing Andy to allow me to let more bands in.

Sorry, I just read this today.

Rachael and I could definitely be there for this if time permits. Possibly supported by the Half Racks.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

mkilly · Post by **mkilly** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:55 pm

I'll see what I can do, but I'm not optimistic. Which I'm sorry about, but it's become a real sticking point with my boss, who would actually rather have 4 bands than 5, and then he's concerned about how long the show's going to go, and since the only "maybe"s besides myself were Octothorpe and Primitive Screwheads, I decided to invite a couple local guys, etc., etc., I could go on, but the point is I'm sorry about it but I'll do all I can. Which may not be much. I'm sure we could squeeze in "Need Stilts" at least, and it'd be cool if you could come to the show.

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:45 pm

Just tell us how long the set is and we'll hit that mark.

I mean, if you need to shorten sets to squeeze in Glenn and mollify the boss, we're totally behind that. Glenn's fun to see.

Nice poster, BTW. Waiting for Alfred Hitchcock to make his cameo

Post by **Spud** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:53 pm

Let this thread be a lesson to all of us. Never mix business and pleasure.

The Moscow gig is very problematic for Octothorpe, but we were willing to give it a shot. On the other hand, we would be more than willing to give up our spot so that Gleen and Co. can play. No skin off out back, whatsoever. However, that DOES leave Sockpuppet out in the cold.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:59 pm

I hate to be selfish, but if I'm not playing, I'm probably not coming. It's rather a long trip at the end of a lot of fervent activity.

I would love to have others accompany me except I'm arranging my songs around guitar+voice+loop pedal. But at least two of the songs will be totally amenable to collectively spazzing out. I would love, for example, Glenn to do bass on Gin Or Ginseng. (Sorry Spud.) You know how the Super Mario Bros. theme goes, right?