A Year In Review

Model Stranger: 2010

Photo Courtesy of Mike Hari

For those of you that follow us or actually read these blog entries, it is no news that we had a busy 2010. As the New Year is upon us we would like to put the year in review for nods of nostalgia and to thank the many of you that opened up your ears, hearts and sometimes homes to us as we were making our way through your town. New places, new faces and a million words exchanged about where we each came from, where we were going and here... is where we have been. - Model Stranger

Jan:  Starting Off On The Wrong Foot 

2010 technically started for Model Stranger with a mistake. The band began playing music on stage at the Elbo Room. Oddly this was only their third show and ironically the only coherent mistake of the night happened in the first few minutes of 2010.

A few weeks prior to this show Model Stranger had their first show together at The Metro with friends Lucid Ground and 5 days later played The Cubby Bear w/Our Lady Peace. At the time they had been a band for less than 30 days when they took the stage on New Year’s Eve. 

Vincent had the task of learning 38 songs in just under 23 days in preparation for the show. 

Our Lady Peace w/Model Stranger by Mike Hari

Our Lady Peace w/Model Stranger by Christie LaMountain

- On the New Years Eve Show - 

"We were stressed about what to play at the actual turn of the clock. Feeling that none of our original music had the quality to bring in the New Year we chose to do a cover of “What a Wonderful World” to close out 2009 and wanted to start 2010 with a cover of “Time is On My Side.” After the clock struck midnight Vincent clicked his sticks four times. Unfortunately for the crowd this song is supposed to be played in 3.

Elbo Room - New Years Eve 2010

We laughed hysterically as we partially train wrecked the first live song of 2010 for those present. In hindsight the audience was so drunk and happy no one noticed but it is one of the funniest memories of our time on stage together thus far. I recall turning around and yelling at Vincent saying “IT’S IN 3!” He smirked at me and screamed “I KNOW, I CAN’T STOP NOW!” We still laugh about it to this day." -  Stephen Francis 

Feb: A Moment With Model Stranger

During the recording of "Dreams & Bones" the video series, “A Moment with Model Stranger,” debuted.

"This series was put together by our manager Andrew Coate. We have tons of footage lying around from late night rehearsals, touring and recording. He took it upon himself to start compiling some of this goofy footage into short clips of film and titled it, “A Moment with Model Stranger.” - Kevin James

Mathematics Genius

Jan - Feb: Making of Dreams & Bones

It was during this time Model Stranger worked on their debut record "Dreams & Bones." The record was recorded live and overdubbed/mixed in a very short time. Here are some videos from the recording.

Making of Dreams and Bones

Guitar Sounds

Feb - Apr: Shows? Yes...Shows Upon Shows.

Overall, the Winter of 2010 was  light on shows having only performed twice between January and March. In February Villain vs Villain and Model Stranger were invited to play a One Man(no) show at Angels & Kings.  In March Model Stranger was invited to perform at the Roadhouse in Elgin with Local H. 

"Outside of those two performance almost every minute of our time was spent tracking, writing and recording Dreams & Bones as well as booking our April tour.That time period all happened so fast. We hardly recall the meetings we had with Miss Julia Ciacco and Mr Neil Danaher for the artwork. They did such a great job on everything! In hindsight we probably didn’t even need to meet because when the time came they got the job done." - Stephen Francis

Local H w/Model Stranger by Mike Hari

Breathe In, Breathe Out...

In April Model Stranger hit the ground running. The three months they had spent isolated led to this bodacious tour they mapped out and booked independently. The band ended up doing 20 shows in 30 days…18 of them in a row.

Model Stranger April 2010 Calendar

04/3 The Café Macomb, IL

04/7 The Keg Springfield, IL

04/8 The Washington Burlington, IA

04/9 Montgomery Street Pub Creston, IA

04/10 N’Zone Bar Oakland, IA

04/11 The Pheonix Lounge Harrisburg, SD

04/12 The Rusty Nail Omaha, NE

04/13 Duggan’s Pub Lincoln, NE

04/14 JJ’s Bar Laramie, WY

04/15 The Cork Fort Collins, CO

04/16 The Open Tap Denver, CO

04/17 The Dark Horse Boulder, CO

04/18 Toad Tavern Littleton, CO

04/19 Semolino Hays, KS

04/20 The Boobie Trap Bar Topeka, KS

04/21 Gaslight Tavern Lawrence, KS

04/22 The Riot Room Kansas City, MO

04/23 Illinois Brewing Co Bloomington, IL

04/24 Cubby Bear CD Release Chicago, IL

04/30 The Day Old Basement Macomb, IL

*This was the start of the long runs of shows Model Stranger performed in 2010. They performed 68 shows total with 65 of them being between April and December hitting 14 states independently.

Dreams & Bones Release Show by Christie La Mountain

Dreams & Bones Release Show by Bill Whitmire

- On Touring and Joining the Band -

“At this time last year I was still feeling out Stephen and Kevin to make sure they weren't going to steal my organs and leave me in a cornfield in Indiana. Now I know that they would never take my organs without politely asking. But touring with those two fellas has been a highlight of my 2010.

Meeting people from all over the country opens your eyes to the reality that the world is not really a big place at all. We are all connected to a certain degree and we all must learn to share this world with one-another.

It has always been implanted in my head that the world is filled with crazy-creepy-serial killers; but once you're on the road you realize that there are a lot more warm hearts than there are Devils Rejects.

This year I have built an unbreakable bond with Model Stranger, as well as, the people we have met along the way. There is no way I could pinpoint my favorite memory of 2010 but if I had to choose, it would be Stephen and Kevin allowing me to sing my heart out to my own iPod playlists while I fist pumped and head banged to Man Man… and sometimes Corey Hart's, “I Wear My Sunglasses At Night.” - Vincent Joseph

Jun - Aug: Summer of Strangelovin'

The Summer was filled with a lot of festivals and weekend warrior trips. It was a great time for Model Stranger and it was great to see fans getting involved in what we were doing. In June Model Stranger's Website was launched while the band started working on new material. 

Festival Filled Summer in 2010

"So many new fans and faces were around and it was very exciting. Erik Oldman, of Beneath the Stares, suggested “Strangeloves”as the name of the Model Stranger Fan Club and it was voted highest by MS fans. Shortly after, sometime in July, Model Stranger was voted the Deli Chicago Magazine "Band of The Month." A lot of cool stuff happened over the summer." - Kevin James

Festival appearances at the Taste of Chicago, Taste of Lincoln, Windy City Ribfest and the Tribune Fest were all well received. At the onset it was interesting for Model Stranger to learn how to perform during the day. 

In mid-August a bunch of Strangeloves gathered in Vincent’s backyard to film a music video for the live favorite “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Sunday Morning Party. 10:30 am call time.

On Lollapalooza:

"I'd have to say this past year was quite a rad year.  We started off getting the album out and spent the rest of the year playing shows while continuing to support local music.  That's one thing we enjoy and stay as dedicated to as we can is getting out and keeping up with the Chicago scene.  Although it's far from local, it's in our backyard and Lollapalooza is quite the large event that has given us an opportunity that we appreciate...so many music fans in one place.  One great memory I have from this year is actually promoting there, as silly as that sounds.  We went the DIY route and hand-wrapped 1,000 lighters to hand out.  

1,000 Homemade Model Stranger Lighters

Sure it's a pain to design, print, cut and wrap that many lighters but that's a minuscule amount compared to the number of people that attend everyday.  Stephen and I went so we just hung out front before going in and it was like handing out money.  Vincent didn't go to Lolla this year but he did show up to hand out lighters and meet people that attended from all over the world.  It's random things like that that end up being great memories.  I've really had a blast this year and I'm looking forward to the adventures ahead." - Kevin James


Sept - Nov: Guinness, Oysters and T.V. Auditions

"Our favorite festival appearance of 2010 came in the Fall. We had a lovely opportunity to perform at the Guinness Oyster Fest w/Neon Trees, The Last Vegas and Scott Lucas & the Married Men. A week or so after this performance we attended an audition alongside 8 other Chicago Acts to be part of a new Red Bull show called “Rock the Route." Unfortunately for us the excitement stopped there! We weren't selected for the actual show but it was an interesting experience and unique opportunity. We did end up with a killer version of Route 66 for our live set!" - Stephen Francis

Guinness Oyster Fest by Sarah Scott

Fellow Chicago acts Brighton, MA and Young Jesus were the two bands selected to compete against each other across the country, down Route 66, from Chicago to LA. You can view webisodes and learn more about that show at The Red Bull Website, on The Brighton, MA or Young Jesus’s Facebook pages.

Model Bowie

Stephen Francis as David Bowie

10 months following their New Year’s Eve show Model Stranger returned to the Elbo Room alongside their dear friends Bullet Called Life and The Fireship and they performed as “Model Bowie”. Apparently it was a good decision from the response "Model Bowie" received. The bad decision came when Stephen confusing himself with David Bowie decided to jump into the house kit at the Elbo Room. 

"Awwwww! Wham Bam Thank You Maam!"

The Elbo Room’s General Manager Brian Bender had this to say about the incident:

"Who the fuck does this guy think he is... NEVER again! Where the fuck is my Long Island?" - B. Bender

The Cafe

"Out of all the places we have traveled this year The Cafe makes the highlights for us. Having only visited 3 times over the course of the year doesn’t really sum up what it feels like. To perform at the Café you have to be ready to party, deal with a rowdy crowd and be able to cover 4 hours of time. Long story short we spend a lot of time down there when we go. The group of friends we have made and the way they have opened up themselves to us and our music has been wonderful so far. Every visit was more and more interesting.

Don’t knock Macomb until you try it. The kind of crowd you have to earn." - Vincent Joseph

Dec: You're A... Where Do We?

December is highlighted with the release of the music video for “Where Do We Go From Here?” Although it was released on Dec. 22nd the video still was able to sneak in on the INCLINATION Top Ten List of 2010.

Where Do We Go From Here? Music Video Directed by Peeler

For Christmas Model Stranger treated fans of their mailing list to a version of "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch". Want to have a listen? Head over to the Model Stranger Website before the Holiday Season is over.

Lastly there was news that “Turn of the Century” was a featured download on Windows Media Guide home page. Thousands of downloads were generated by that feature!

Thank you for allowing us to share our music with you and for continuing to put energy in our direction. We want to give an extra shout to all of the talented musicians, photographers, directors that worked alongside Model Stranger in 2010. If we missed linking anybody just let us know!


We are so excited for 2011 and have so many ideas that we can’t wait to put into action. Everyone have a wonderful New Year and be sure to stay safe! 

Model Gladiator Party

This weekend we made a trip down to Champaign to perform at the final Illini event for this semester. Shortly after our set the were able to join in on the Illinites' festivites which included Jousting, Human Bowling and Mechanical Bull Riding.

The Illinites hold weekly events at the Courtyard Cafe to give students a chance to mingle and participate in different activities while enjoying live music. This week the students were able to hang out with Kevin and see how their gladiator skills held up against his. Kudos for the bravery on this U of I student for stepping into the ring (there was a sleight height advantage for Kevin).

Wet Dreams and Big Boners?!?

It’s 2:45 in the morning on Sunday Nov. 6 and the owner of the Café, ‘Shadow’, walks up to me and hands me an envelope with our evenings wages. We share a laugh when I look down at the envelope to see how he has marked it up. I thank him, we exchange thoughts about shows for the Spring semester and I get back to loading up the trailer.


We had been slotted for the duration of the night at the Café in the desolate yet charming Macomb, IL. Macomb is home to many but mostly the crowd is made up of WIU students many of whom have started frequenting Model Stranger shows when we make the 250 mile journey due Southwest.

Our set for Saturday evening had begun shortly after 9 pm and wrapped up around 1:30 Sunday morning just before last call. It was an enjoyable evening that was unfortunately cut a tad bit short due to an unseen attack of the killer migraine.


Shadow decorates our payment envelope.. hmmm.

  Needless to say this is how we do it in when we are in Macomb. It is an all night affair every time. Although it is a taxing endeavor to take on the undeniable amounts of free alcohol and lengthy set obligations, we are tested in different ways then with a normal 45 minute set.



We remind ourselves at the onset of the night that these are marathons not sprints.

The night before we had performed in Springfield on our way down. This gig we also performed 4 hour set. Following our performance we drove to Macomb and arrived at 4 am. We parked in the Walmart parking lot and took a nice rest in preparation of the nights festivites. It was chilly in the van and I woke up with a nasty headache that later would develop into one of the worst migraines I have ever had.

The majority of our Saturday day was spent inventorying and reorganizing our Model Stranger Merchandise in the parking lot of the local Walmart. We now have this extensive selection of Model Stranger tees since we back filled our older designs. Also added some hoodies to our arsenal this time around!

Taken from the back of the van.. Blurry, we know.

The first 2 sets were great and were highlighted by the debut of some new Model Stranger songs. Many patrons crowded the dance floor and showed us how to do the twist. Wish I had more pictures of that but I was busy rocking.  Other highlights included the Fressos' sending us a Jameson shot nearly every 4 songs. Biggest regret of the night.. not drinking a Quaalude.

It was during the 3rd set of the evening that I was attacked by the previously mentioned killer migraine. Singing with a migraine would be enjoyable if I was a deranged masochist who loved bringing pain to myself by singing to others… Although I guess it is better than bringing pain to others by singing to myself. Every beat of the drum, line of a verse, strum of my guitar and the the thumping of the bass was a nauseating trigger that eventually caused us to end the show 2 songs early. My oh my. What a night.

We are rounding up some dates and planning a healthy and valiant return in the Spring! Thank you to all our fans in Macomb for a fantastic semester and a load of great memories!


 

 

 





Starting 'Rocktober' On Our Backs

October started off so hot that I am going to rename it to Rocktober. We kicked off opening weekend to ‘Rocktober’ with two very exciting shows. On Friday Model Stranger had a chance to play the inagural Southside Oktoberfest in Bridgeview just outside of Toyota Park. This show was some of the most fun we had during this festival season. For starters we were playing at night for the first time at a festival and it was during a carnival of sorts. To add to the awesomeness of playing in the middle of a bunch of amusement rides, the crowd was enthusiastic and interactive throughout the night. The stage was ginormous and the weather was perfect. Kevin and I had no problem using it up. At one point I bummed a smoke from a man in the front row. He tossed it into the air and the wind took it well over my head. Without hesitation I turned and ran after it, simultaneously leaving my feet I dove and caught it shortly before crashing to the ground. It was a good cigarette.



1:28 am The Café Macomb, IL Oct. 2nd Kamikaze mission failed. Drummer still breathing.

 In the morning we made our way to the Qualude Mecca of the world… The Café in Macomb, IL. Qualudes are a drink that they serve at the Café. We indulge heavily on this fine concotion when we stroll through town. Macomb doesn’t come off as anything special at a first glance but like most smaller towns it is the crowd and energy that really defines our experience when we perform here. Macomb has been a home away from home for us this year. The fans keep growing and getting wilder and wilder with every visit.


These shows we are left sometimes at our wits end to fill a four hour slot. We dig deep into our catalouge and play some really interesting covers to achieve this and it is always a martathon. The last set always yields the most energy. The show attendees are usually mouthing off and dancing their asses off by this time. I love being mouthed off to. This particular visit our last set climaxed with launching myself into the drumset, as you can see from the pic above. Battlewounds on our bodies are present but the equipment made it out unscathed. We return to the Café on Nov. 6th to close out our appearances for this semester. Can’t wait to get back.


In the meantime Model Stranger will be putting final touches on their music video for “Where do We From Here?” and playing some shows in the Chicagoland area.

Thanks for Reading!

Stephen Francis

Unnamed Road

Never thought we would end up here.

Desperate?

When you're in a bind on a Saturday night and really need a moustache to tie everything together...worry no more. Just find one of these Fuzzy Face Moustache machines and you're golden.

Model Stranger Graffiti

A fan took a picture of this graffiti in the Elbo Room bathroom. We sure hope so!

How does C3 Radius Clause Benefit Local Chicago Bands?

That of course assuming your band isn’t at the level to play Lollapalooza. By this time you may have heard a bit about the investigation into C3 Presents, the coordinator of Lollapalooza, being an anti-trust. There is a

great review by Jim DeRogatis here for your reference.    

C3 is being investigated for what seems to be a far too rigid radius clause in their contracts with artists hat perform at Lollapalooza. These clauses keep the artists from playing in Chicago and 300 miles round for a good portion of the year. C3's attempt to protect their investment in the festival has caused negative repercussions to midsize venues in Chicago, however has created voids that local acts can use to their advantage.

Of course if you are a concert goer in Chicago it has been noticed less national acts are touring through during the summers since Lolla arrived.

At a first glance a dipping economy, reported lacking concert ticket sales and high gas prices seem to be the reason less bands are touring and less music is in Chicago. With a closer look you will find that those factors are only a small part of what is happening and this radius clause is affecting the city’s music scene. This is the obvious part. A not often noted aspect about this whole situation is the affect this has had on the indpendent market in Chicago.

Consider that the 120+ bands that are being kept from performing within 300 miles of Chicago for most of the year are leaving a whole lot of vacant slots stacking up in some of the midsize Chicago venues. This is now giving a lot of independent local and touring acts shots at clubs they never would get a shot at. This void in the touring market though Chicago has increased the opportunity for a flourishing independent market and changed the climate tremendously both for the good and the bad.

Touring Smarter

So yesterday Kevin and I had a chance to visit the Tour Smart Plus seminar at Invisible Records. Being a big fan of  the Tour Smart book we had to stop by and see what the seminar would entail. Unfortunately we were only to attend one day but the topics covered were more than enough to get our heads spinning. Gary from Jagoff covered SEO marketing and social media. The classic 7-11 panel included talks on copyright, guerilla marketing and accounting. Also covered breifly was basic video editing, sponsorships and screen printing basics. I wish I had my camera on me to share more shots but I didn't bring one! WHAT A MISTAKE!

I did have a second during the 'Packaging' coverage to shoot some photos of this fantastic example of creative packaging from my phone. 'Marrow', a San Fransico based band, did this creative and custom packaging for their "Sunshine Enima". Not included in these pictures was the prescription that had been filled out custom to Martin whom pulled this from his personal collection for display. The band prescriped this pill to it's fans and when you open the pill you find a USB drive that you can pull the record from! How CREATIVE! :

These pictures are just a fine example of Martin Atkin's outlook on being independent and more importantly creative through every facet of your brand. The quote of the day on packaging for me was when Martin said  something along the lines of... "You never hear about anyone getting off on unwrapping cellophane off a new CD. Be original and find a way to package your product to be consistent with what your band is doing".

I would love to share more about this weekend but there is much work to be done today. I reccomend this seminar to anyone in the music/film/art industry. The concepts and philosophy are applicable to artists. For more information on the seminars you can visit the Tour Smart Plus website here.
Winner of the Model Stranger Fan Club naming contest to be announced later this week!


Until next time!


Stephen Francis

In Just 2 Clicks You Can Vote MODEL STRANGER for ARTIST OF THE MONTH!

Hey!

MODEL STRANGER has been nominated for Chicago artist of the month over at The Deli Chicago, a great Windy City scene resource!

We typically don't ask for things like this, but this one's a great opportunity for you to help MODEL STRANGER!

Vote for FREE (no signup or name required) for MODEL STRANGER as Chicago Artist of the Month HERE: http://chicago.thedelimagazine.com/snacks

It's FREE, you don't have to sign up for anything or input any personal information, two clicks and you're done!

If you have 30 seconds, this is a great way to show your support! Makes sure to leave MODEL STRANGER a shout out in the optional comments as well!

Thanks for helping out!

Stephen Francis

Kevin James

Vincent Joseph

Vote at http://chicago.thedelimagazine.com/snacks

Memories...I AM FEST....

NOTE: This blog was originally posted to Model Stranger's Official Facebook Page on Monday, June 14th.

One of the most memorable days of my experience as a musician came a year ago.... yesterday. This glorious day of achievement came on June 13th, 2009 when Chicago Noise Machine hosted the largest independent music festival held in Chicago at the Congress Theater.

In addition to procuring serious sponsorship, recruiting 25 bands, 25 artists and 8 short films "CNM" was able to bring in just over 2,800 people through the door to experience a 13
hour extravaganza of music, art, film and lifestyle vendors. It was a very special day for me and the dozens of people that assisted in making the event the success it was. The I AM FEST (Independent Art and Music Festival) was special due to the dedication of many interns, artists,
directors, musicians, technicians and mostly importantly the fans, whom all dedicated themselves to our cause.

If you aren't hip to it and are curious - just how do 9 bands from Chicago end up putting on a festival at the Congress Theater? The endeavor started as a local band collective which we self titled as "The Chicago Noise Machine". CNM was made up of a wide range of 9 musical acts whom had something other than a sound of music in common. Having grown bored with opportunities at each band's disposal this collective found unity in dedicating themselves to trying to put a shot of excitement into what they collectively felt was a tired scene. In a nutshell the concept was simple:

Success in a trying scene could be achieved through joint promotional efforts, collaboration on creative ideas, sharing of networks, and a serious DIY work ethic.

With these core values as our creed, the concept quickly became the agenda. Compilation CDs foreshadowed band collaborations both on and off the stage and within a few months we were a fully functioning machine.

On November 24th, 2008 Chicago Noise Machine hosted its first event. The results were impressive. This 9 band sold out showcase at the Cubby Bear proved our efforts and philosophy to be true. This small showcase was an exciting event for both fans and bands.

Following this one-off and very successful show CNM's ambitions were high and it was decided that we should go bigger for our next event. For the next 6 months CNM put their minds and time into building the I AM FEST, concept and format, from the ground up.

I AM FEST would feature "Lifestyle vendors, bands, artists and directors", primarily rooted in
Chicago. It was painstaking, frustrating, exhausting, educating, fun, exciting, surreal, impossible and brilliant experience. I made many special friends and built relationships that I still have until this day. Love.

As you may have noticed, the format for live and recorded music is continuing to change. Having played a significant role in the development of both the Chicago Noise Machine and the I AM FEST, I am happy to know that alongside many of my peers, we built and shared in something beautiful. To co-create something of this magnitude independently was rewarding and of worth more than words can describe. Our actions were a direct response to a changing business model and our success was in direct relation to our creative perspective, hunger, and work ethic.

As record labels and live music continue to flutter I am pleased to know our joint instinct was not in vain and that our timing was impeccable. I would hope that any individual involved in the development took the same lessons away from the experience. For those of you that were involved, my deepest gratitude goes out to you.

Here are some videos of performance clips and media from last year:
I AM FEST COMMERCIAL

I AM FEST 2009 DOCUMENTARY/HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

MODEL STRANGER AT I AM FEST

I AM very proud to announce that the I AM FEST will be happening again this year!


The date, format, and place have changed since its inception last year, but the philosophy lives on. When given the option to either let the I AM FEST go to the wayside or allow it to live on, the choice was simple.

There couldn't be a more worthy host who could have asked permission to carry the torch. This year's festivities will be hosted by The Elbo Room. It is going to be another great year.

Q: Where/When is MODEL STRANGER playing again? A: Read on, friend...

***NOTE, THIS BLOG POST IS BEST VIEWED AT MODELSTRANGER.COM. NOT ALL PICTURES/LINKS MAY SHOW UP CORRECTLY ON OTHER SITES***


Hello friends/fans/Strangers!

Today's a good day. It's Friday. Those exciting Blackhawks are ready for their revenge in Game 4. And Model Stranger is prepped for an exciting show tomorrow night at Chicago City Limits with our friends The Branded and My Morning Driver!

That's right!

Saturday, June 5th

MODEL STRANGER

THE BRANDED

MY MORNING DRIVER

Chicago City Limits

1712 Wise Rd. Schaumburg, IL

SHOW STARTS 9PM

SEE YOU THERE.

For those of you wondering where to find information about the show, and about all of Model Stranger's other upcoming shows, you can look for our ReverbNation "widgets" posted on Modelstranger.com and our Facebook and MySpace pages.

They look something like this:

ModelStranger.com - on the right hand side of the page in the first column, labeled "SHOWS":

Facebook.com/modelstranger - On the left hand column of the home page:

Or you can click the "MyBand" tab at the top of Model Stranger's Fan Page:

Or you can click the "Events" tab at the top of Model Stranger's Fan Page to see all upcoming events like this one:

On MySpace there's a nifty widget that even has a show map that look like this:

Now that you know how to find out about upcoming Model Stranger shows, we'll see you there!