Friday, April 30, 2010

Getting From Point A to Point M

I woke up in the back of the van in a dreamy panic. I had fallen asleep on the mattress we had in the back. I woke up to an explosion and a very intense vibration under the right side of my face... Luckily for me it wasn't one of my bandmates. During a routine overnight drive home from Bloomington where we had performed the night before at the Illinois Brewing Company with The Branded and Cavalry, we were greeted with our first ever tire blowout. As it usually goes we were only 13 miles from home. The clock ironically read 4:20 and we didn't have a spare. Thankfully we have a friend who knows somebody who knows somebody who drove Vincent and I 97 miles round trip in a little over an hour. To put it simply... we were protected and served.

Our friend Gavin later said "Thats the road picking a fight with you". He wasn't kidding. We had been half way across the country and drove just over 3,000 miles roundtrip and during that time performed 17 shows in 17 days. Outside of the back passenger side door breaking (doesn't open from the inside any longer) we had virtually no van problems. That is if you don't want to count the "check engine light" that came on from our brand new engine 10 miles into it's 100,000 mile warranty that we purchased right before tour. Or the battery that was shorting on us while we were doing 75 mph into Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming and EVERY other state we played. In actuality, none of those problems would keep us from getting from point A to point M.

With the friendly officer's assistance we were able to retrieve our spare from our rehearsal spot. When we arrived back at the van we found that we didn't have the correct pieces for our jack. It ended up taking us nearly an hour of using a wrench to manually prop the jack up high enough to change the tire. So here we are,  sweating whiskey in our rock gear on the side of the road at dawn taking turns getting jacking the van up. The tire was demolished and we were lucky the trailer stabilized us. By the time we were finished it was 7:30 am and we finally had the spare on. We had to still unload the trailer, load back up the van with our equipment, inventory the refill order of shirts and 7" vinyl records that arrived in our absence, shower, and somewhere in there rest before the biggest show of our tour....

The homecoming record release show!

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Thank her holy body of music that tours aren't defined on how many things go wrong or right. I don't even think in the end they are about how many records and tee shirts you sell or how many people that like you. It is much more about getting up in the first place to put yourself in a position to be liked and to sell more records and tee shirts. Are you hearing me? So your tire blows out and you had 12 people at your last gig you start feeling a bit down...the next show there is a bad electric ground that continuously shocks you every time your lip touches the mic. The 'sound engineer' is bobbing his head while you perform and suddenly your internal dialouge reads words that bounce in your skull like with the pounding of the bass drum behind you - staggered - "I would like to shove this guitar up that guys tiny arse hole for his club's shitty ground and these crappy monitors". Then you wake up, and despite drinking 5 gallons of water you are still dizzy from the elevation and your poor drummer just can't get seem to get a working monitor so your all your vocal cues have to be accompanied by an obnoxious "stare of death" that he claims is serious but is only there as a 'just in case reminder'. OR perhaps you have 1 night left before the biggest show of the tour and the club you are playing literally has NO monitors and you are slotted to sing for 1.5 hours. Your only hope is to catch your pitch is from the reverberations off the back wall and as you start your set you wonder if you will have a problem performing the next day "when it matters".

As I get my miles in this is where I feel the focus needs to be if I plan on doing this for a long time. I am not going to get weighed down and bitch about it too much. I am on the road touring with my band, meeting people and playing rock and roll. I am going to focus on getting up and doing that!

Let me tell you that every day matters. You just can't get up and do a half ass job just because you did a half ass job promoting or had a half ass club owner whom didn't put up your posters or a half ass local act that bumped you because you were the touring act. Basically, everything I focused on in this exactly the type of nonsense you have to deal with every day when you tour on this indpendent level. Part of me thinks that some of it, but not all of it goes away. This too will eventually pass and I will look back and love this shit.

Our first few tours were exciting just because we were touring and the last few were more exciting because we were touring smarter (thank you Martin Atkins - buy his book HERE) but this tour was more challenging than the others. It was longer, with longer sets, and more traveling.

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The van was loaded up, cooler was cleaned out and it took me under an hour to get home. It was now 10:30am  and I still hadn't had any sleep. The checklist of "things to do" still had some lines that weren't crossed out and I was so exhausted that my fight/flight response wasn't functioning correctly. I had crossed that point of exhaustion and there wer only 8 hours left until load in for the album release show. I ended up laying down and catching 4 hours of rest. When the alarm went off I popped up, hit the most heavenly shower, grabbed my clothes and went to the show.
When we arrived at the Cubby Bear the anticipation for us was brewing in the air. The room was vibrant and even at an early onset I could tell it was going to be a great night.
This release show was the finish line to an expedition that started as far back as December when Vincent, Kevin, and I sat down and laid out a calender to map our game plan for this record and tour out. It took us 3
months to record "Dreams & Bones" and book this tour that ate up most of April. This homecoming was a glorious end to a rewarding adventure.

As the lights on the stage dimmed and the production manager told us it was time to go, we crossed our personal finish line. The second Model Stranger took the stage that night we were already doing our personal victory lap.


Stephen Francis


P.S. I want to give my deepest gratitude to our manager and everyone else that took extra time out of their lives to contribute to this record, tour, promotion, and attendance. A special thanks to the bands 20 Mark Helga, Verona Red, Cavalry, The Flavor Savers and every other band whom performed with us along the way. And a special nod needs to go out to Julia Ciaccio and Neil Danaher for their brilliant contribution to the artwork and design of our merchandise and album covers.
Plans for a fall tour are underway.

To anyone that caught us on tour or made the release show - Any highlights or places you would like us to return or visit to?

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Interested in picking up some Model Stranger merchandise?
Visit http://www.modelstranger.bandcamp.com/ to pick up a copy of the debut release "Dreams and Bones", the Limited Edition 7" vinyl "What you are Looking For", or a brand new line of Tee shirts and Tote Bags!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

The Last Leg - Familorado, Kansas and Home Sweet Home

I woke up this morning in an open field. I was in a borrowed sleeping bag and the couple that had invited us camping and their giggling friend Paul had abandoned the fire. Model Stranger and Damen, another gentleman whom had joined us on the 2 am adventure into the woods remained around the embers that remained. I felt revived and confused during my first breath of the morning air. The first thing I heard was Vincent mumble a bit about raindrops and soon realized it was time to roll. I picked up the bottle of Makers Mark that Kevin was grasping like a milk bottle and we were on to the next.


"Hello Cleveland"

Last night we were in Lawrence, KS. It was our third night in Kansas. Hays, Lawrence, and Good Ol Topeka were amongst the towns we hit. This was a lovely stay and we managed to meet some spectacular people along the way. No lie, our most devoted fans in the whole country live in Topeka and we love going there. We were fortunate to make some fans in Topeka from Lawrence whom came out the next night in Lawrence and proceeded to invite us to camp on some of their families land.

So imagine us on a gravel road searching for this campground and hitting a dead end... with the trailer attached. Unfortunately Vincent had to reverse a half mile down this road until we got to a driveway.

We ended up gaining a signal and were led in to the correct property. Allie and Martin led us through the forest down to this beautiful landing where their friends had started a fire. We grabbed sleeping bags and made sleeping quarters around the fire - talked about music, drank whiskey and looked at the stars. The open air and stars were a liberation from the familiar grey shades inside of our van and at one point, although my demeanor would have expressed differently (calm and collected), I contemplated taking my clothes off and dancing around like an Indian. I remember screaming "Hello Cleveland" into the darkness because we were in Cleveland, MO.

"Familorado" - The Heart of our Tour

We spent four days in Colorado. If there is one thing worse than alcohol, cigarettes and lack of rest that will weigh down on a vocalist (admist an 18 show in 18 day tour) it would have to be an elevation change!  This struggle for me started in Laramie, WY - which is 7,651 FT above sea level and continued for the next 4 days through Littleton, CO.

Amongst the Model Stranger camp we have friends and family spread across Colorado.. so at the heart of our tour we found just that, a much needed love and affection. We had the chance to visit with some family in Ft. Collins at the Cork Lounge and then again at The Open Tap in Denver. Our show in Boulder at The Dark Horse following our record store day binge was attended by my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Frank who took us in to their lovely home for three days fed us and let us shower as well. They brought friends, and a bunch of Boulder friends came out including some people we met at Radio 1190 during our interview there the day before. Lastly our Sunday show was followed by a visit from more family. At the Littleton, CO show at The Toad Tavern we were greeted with a pleasant surprise in 'Viretta', fresh from their high school prom, who put on a great set.

Long end short this was the section of the tour where we shopped, slept under a roof and focused on getting some rest and relaxation - even if it was only 4 hours at a time. In 4 days we spent 7.5 hours on stage with 4.5 of them being within 15 hours of each other. With commuting and our radio interview at 1190 we barely got the rest we probably required but we sold a lot of merchandise and made quite a few new fans in Colorado. More importantly we visited with family and enjoyed ourselves.

The elevation messed with me through and through. I was low energy and had to drink water by the half hour to keep hydrated. A new and unexpected challenge of the road that I now know how to combat. Rest and water. Noted.

Our Triumphant return to Topeka

Although there was no red carpet placed for our arrival when we showed up we felt good pulling into Topeka at The Boobie Trap. Shortly before we arrived we received a phone call from the Washburn Review. The local university were doing a piece on us and we spent a majority of our evening discussing our tour and music with Kate, a local journalist whom was tipped off by some local fans that she may be interested in covering us. Another reason for this feeling of worthiness was the two ladies that tipped off Kate, our biggest fans Leslie and Beth were communicating with us all the way in to the door step.

Throughout our raucous and loudest show of the tour at the we had photo and video cameras following us around the stage and had a decent crowd to perform for. This is where we met Allie and Martin from the campground.

The night was a blast and followed by us getting to check out the Calamity Cubes, a great Psychobilly band from the area that ironically knew some friends we had made on our previous tour who go by Larry and His Flask. We spent the rest of the night enjoying their set and visiting with Kate, Leslie and Beth.  They fed us and gave us a place to shower and sleep. Thanks!

Lawrence was a simple show with a quaint patio set at The Gaslight Tavern. We enjoyed this town very much. Despite a freakish "allergic eye infection" that Kevin developed, it was a great time.

Tonight we are in Kansas City. We have 2 days until we release the record to the Chicago market. Tomorrow we are sharing the stage with friends "The Branded". It will be nice to see some friends from home.

Well... Thanks for reading. And a special thanks to our family and friends throughout the midwest that took us in and lifted my spirit when I was feeling bogged out.

Thanks for reading!

Stephen Francis

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Kevin James' Tour Beer Blog: Part 1

The people that know me can tell you that one of the first things I do when entering a pub is see what local brew they have. Let me put this disclaimer out there…I am not a drunk, I am a beer connoisseur. I thoroughly enjoy the taste of a fresh local brew. Well, when we set out on tour I thought it would be neat to share some of my opinions on local beers along the way so here are a few.

Brewer: Odell Brewing Company
Brew: 90 Shilling
Type: American Amber/Red Ale


I had a pint on tap at The Cork in Fort Collins, CO. I’m not the biggest fan Red Ales but I certainly enjoyed this one. It was presented to me with a nice frothy head, copper in color and had a nice carbonation that kept consistent throughout the duration of the beer’s life. It was hoppy for a Red Ale and I personally am quite keen of hops. It had a slight citrus spice flavor but not in an overwhelming manner and had a hint of smoky malt flavor. The combination was just enough to leave the tongue wanting another sip when hitting the bottom of the glass.
GRADE: B+

Brewer: Spilker Ales
Brew: Hopluia
Type: English India Pale Ale


I had a pint on tap at Duggan’s Pub in Lincoln, NE. Let me just say I am a hop fan. The more hops the better so the name of this beer alone was enough to lure me in. It is a dark red/orange color. Upon receipt it had a wonderful aroma of pine, minty hops and I was looking forward to the first sip. To my disappointment it tasted like watered down beer. I thought I might have been insane so I asked Coate and Vincent to try it as well to decipher whether it was me or the beer. It was the beer. I was very unhappy with this and thankfully “The Mole” gave me this one on the house. I will try this beer one more time if I come across it again due to some of the reviews I’ve read giving it many compliments.
GRADE: D

Brewer: Left Hand Brewing
Brew: Haystack Wheat
Type: Hefeweizen


I had a pint on tap at The Dark Horse Tavern in Boulder, CO. Wheat beers are a personal favorite of mine, especially in the warm weather which we have been enjoying on the road. This beer was pretty good. It is golden orange in color and not cloudy at all. I was very happy with the hints of lemon, clove and banana. They were subtle enough to not make me feel like I was drinking fruit in a cup. Some wheats are far too fruity for me. All in all it was a refreshing beer and I enjoyed it.
GRADE: B-

Brewer: Odell Brewing Company
Brew: Easy Street Wheat
Type: American Pale Wheat Ale


I had a pint on tap at JJ’s Bar in Laramie, WY. To reiterate my beer review above I am partial to wheat beers. I personally enjoyed this wheat the best out of the ones I’ve had on the road. It pours a dark golden haze with a nice white head. At first sip it has a light banana malty taste. Following up that is the fine taste of yeasty wheat. It has a slight wheat cracker taste but nothing offensive. The drink itself is dry and it contains great carbonation. If you’re looking for a refreshing summer beer this is it.
GRADE: A-

Thanks for reading about my beer reviews and if you come across any of these let me know your thoughts. Do you have any local brews that you suggest whether it be in your town or one you've come across that you dig?  If so, why?  I’d love to hear about them!

Kevin James

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

NOmaha, NObraska

I want to give a special thanks to Chris (from Chicago), Michaela, Elliott, Shannon, Tony, Ryan, Dodge, Phil, and the others whom names I can't remember.... for such a special evening in NOMAHA, NOBRASKA Monday night.

 "Nomaha" as we have called it in the van for the last few weeks actually started out as a promising city for us as a tour stop. Back in January while we were working on “Dreams and Bones” we began booking this tour and at first Omaha looked like it was going to be a great night. Vincent had a list of over 25 venues to contact and from the research we have done we are well aware how great of a music scene is there. We figured that with that many music venues, 3 months and bands around whom we could show swap with, that we would be able to lock something down for Omaha no problem.

Fast forward to late March and we still were unable to lock down a date. Most of the venues were either booked since December (?) or just flat out ignored our emails and phone calls for 3 months straight. How did Omaha become Nomaha for Model Stranger? It began with around 200 Nos that came in many different forms - both from bands and venues.

After being shot down or ignored by every venue we reached out to in the greater Omaha area we went into overdrive determined to lock down a date. On April 3rd on our way down to Western Illinois University we  pulled up a website that listed every bar in Omaha and started at the top. We figured we would call each bar to see if we could perform the old fashioned way. Set up a PA, put out a tip jar and go for it. For about 3 hours of our 4 hour drive we took turns calling each bar on the website. Out of actual music venues to reach out to each conversation went something like this in a nutshell.

“Hello. Do you have live music?” - “No”. “Do you want some?” “No”. 

Some people just straight hung up on us without even answering our questions.

Occasionally we would be humored and were asked to call back but after this first stint we officially renamed Omaha, - Nomaha. Over the course of the next 4 days we contacted an estimated 124 bars, this isn't including the initial list we had started with in January.

In addition to all of these venues/bars we reached out to, over the course of our research there were also 60+ bands whom we reached out to between our social networking sites for either suggestions or help. Not only did every band that replied say NO to trading shows, most of them didn't even reply.

Finally, lucky phone call 125 came. Vincent made a connection with a place called "The Rusty Nail” where we eventually ended up performing. When we locked in the “The Rusty Nail” we were so relieved and glad to find that we even were guaranteed some pay. Unfortunately this didn't work out either for there was a misunderstanding that the 12th was a Saturday and not a Monday (?), so on the 10th we found out that we would be playing for $0, or NO pay. Hahahaa

This didn't bother us much. It isn't the first time we rolled into town without guarantee. As a band you just have to make sure to have fun, perform well and sell pretty much anything you can!

We aren't the first band to go through this, and Nomaha isn't this hard for everyone. Just as there are  certain venues for certain bands – there are certain cities for certain bands too. This one took a bit to crack for us. Longer than any other city. In the 28 states that we have performed, Nomaha took the most effort. We really had no friends there and did everything we can do. The important thing is that we didn't give up. YAR!

So the night wasn't spectacularly over the top in attendance (despite 800 messages via myspace) and we had no guarantee, but Omaha turned out alright. The patrons and staff at The Rusty Nail were super cool and very helpful in giving us contacts and insight for our next time through town. Chris, the Chicago Native, bought us some shots and traded stories about being a Southside Irishman. Ryan and Shannon fed us Hot Wings and gave us some great insight on what to expect where in Omaha, and Dodge - the biggest mouth in the bar - begged us to shave our precious moustaches off of our faces. We performed two 1 hour sets with a nice relaxing break in between. In the downtime I took my first shot at KENO and lost miserably.

Our biggest achievement for the evening was selling a piece of merch to every person in the bar. For a city that Model Stranger relearned the humbling word NO from, these folks sure like to support bands whom they enjoy.

Now I know you are thinking.. what were there 5 people there? Actually NO, there were 12 and I can remember most of their names and faces.

So, was it easy getting into Omaha? NO
Were the bands we reached out to helpful? NO
Did anything go smoothly or according to plan? NO
Was worth it in the end and will we give it another shot? YES.

Thank you for reminding us just how small and insignificant we really are Nomaha. We will see you soon.

Say Yes.

Stephen Francis

Monday, April 12, 2010

Knockin' on Yabba's Door: Harrisburg, South Dakota




We pulled into Sioux Falls, SD at  7am yesterday morning. I didn't know that at the time because I was sleeping in the back of the van on a mattress we borrowed from a friend before we left.  Coate had taken it upon himself to drive us out of the desolate – yet insanely fun – Oakland, IA and drive straight to South Dakota overnight. When I awoke I was hot and bothered from the sun and partially confused on where I was. I must have been sleeping longer than the others because everyone else slept sound as I let myself out of the dry and hot van into the fresh air. I was greeted by a cart boy with an iPod who looked at me like I was a scumbag. I smiled at him and slowly buttoned up my shirt wondering if he had seen the others that I was sharing sleeping quarters with. As I wandered into the “SuperCenter” to use the washroom I giggled to myself on what he must think of us.

I paced the parking lot making phone calls and trying not to smoke cigarettes. My voice is feeling very strong and I have 12 nights to go so I have to behave, relatively. I visited the Barnes and Nobles to grab some Starbucks and keep myself occupied until the others woke up. Kevin and Vincent awoke first and met me in the Barnes and Nobles w/laptops and droopy eyes ready to get the day's promotions started. The next few hours were occupied doing band work and discussing our remaining show dates. We hid behind a bookshelf and plugged into the wall to charge the laptops and sit in the air conditioning, sipping on our coffees and promoting the show to people shopping for books.

When Coate awoke we met him in the parking lot and had lunch. Like the day before, lunch consisted of V8 Fusion drinks and some tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made out of the side of the trailer (our kitchen). Customers from the Barnes and Nobles gazed at us while we wiped our bodies and faces down with baby wipes and did all morning duties including the brushing of our teeth out of an Aquifina bottle. An  employee of the local Jazz Festival came up and introduced herself, hip to the fact that we were touring through town, she assured us she would be at our show. Sure enough, when we took the stage later that night, she came with a friend in tow. Both fantastic people who hung out through both sets and even treated us to a round of Jameson!

After lunch we headed over to two separate music stores and put our new record “Dreams and Bones” on consignment with each. This was very pleasing and worked out exactly as we hoped. Both stores were willing to carry the record and even took promotional posters to help push the album.  The only mishap we had was Kevin and I discovering vinyl in a stored called “Ernie November” where we were putting the CD on consignment.  We ended up spending a fair amount of time thumbing through random vinyls and discussing music before heading to the venue. We both ended up spending some money on some vinyl. Mmmmm.

When we arrived at The Phoenix Lounge in Harrisburg, South Dakota - to our surprise, Turk, the owner, wasn't expecting us. After some research and phone calls we were able to get to the bottom of the confusion and verify that we were in fact on the bill for the evening. The band Harriet Tweed, local Harrisburg/Sioux City favorites, had done us a favor and with a little help of the contacts they gave us, sorted out the mess in a matter of five minutes.

As we were originally told we were slotted to play with an artist named Yabba Griffiths. To our surprise Yabba was a reggae legend and ironically from our hometown of Chicago. This happened all last minute of course. We had been slotted to play a different venue in South Dakota but we had to seek an alternative route when we discovered the venue had burnt down.  When we posted this series of unfortunate events via Twitter, Harriet Tweed reached out and gave us suggestions and contacts which led us to landing a fill-in slot with Yabba at The Phoenix. This was an amazing gesture and we are very appreciative for their assistance.

While we were at Barnes and Nobles during the day we were taking turns telling patrons and employees about the show in Harrisburg hoping to recruit some last minute show goers. This actually ended up working out with 6 additional people ended up coming out to the show, in addition to the 10+ group that Harriet Tweed brought with them! This was a “flyer free” endeavor that actually worked to our favor. It turns out that taking time to actually meet someone and informing them about your show is more beneficial than handing them a 3x5 flyer. In addition, it is better for the environment too. Leave your flyers at home and take the time to talk to someone.

The show kicked off smoother than most of the nights before. Actually performing on a stage can contribute to that. Up until tonight most of the shows we have played we have done our own sound and in comparison to the gravel pit we performed in while visiting Creston, IA, anything is an upgrade. It felt great to be back on a stage in a room where we could actually turn our amps up and be the band we are. We performed well and received a very encouraging response from the small crowd that was gathering at the front of the stage. Our set included nearly every track from the new record and a few older numbers. We were tipped off to a few of the tables being partial to Pink Floyd so we threw in a cover of “Time” in our set.

The post show conversation was amazing. Throughout the remainder of the night we were busy making new friends and engaging conversation with every patron in the bar.

Yabba Griffiths took the stage shortly after us and lived up to every ounce of promise that his name preceded.  His band was solid and Yabba himself sang with soul, passion, and enjoyed himself throughout their first set. In addition to great performances and great vibes, Yabba had many hypnotizing rants that got my wheels turning. In between sets we sat out back discussing touring and learning that we actually don't live very far from each other in Chicago. In addition we learned that both Yabba Griffiths and Model Stranger will be down the street from each other on the 22nd in Kansas City!

At the start of the second set Yabba invited Model Stranger to jump on stage and enjoy an impromptu jam of the Bob Dylan classic “Knockin' on Heaven's Door”. We had allowed Yabba and his band to use our gear and they wanted to share some music with us. You can view that video HERE.



Although South Dakota was not necessarily a convenient stop, it turned out to be a very rewarding experience. When you are on the road and touring independently the idea is to make the most out of every day and night. You can never tell what will be rewarding and what will be worth it so wasting your energy on false anticipation just isn't worth it. It turns out that selling a dozen records and sharing the stage with some fellow musicians and performing for new friends can be just the rejuvenating shot a band that has been canceled, rerouted from a burnt down venue and redirected to a gravel pit needs to keep the morale up.

Thanks for reading.

Stephen Francis

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Small Towns, Big Hearts & Bigger Creeps



*NOTE: This blog is best viewed on Model Stranger's Official Website - ModelStranger.com. Not all links/photos/videos may show up correctly on other sites*

So Model Stranger rolled into the quaint and beautiful town of Greenfield, IA yesterday (4/9/10) for a show at a place called Wrangler’s Pub & BBQ. As we drove into the town square (literally a square) it seemed as though we were zapped into “Pleasantville.” Architecture from the late 1800’s lined the streets and people shot us some glares, as though we were from outer-space. However, the glares soon turned to smiles and kind greetings. After we filled our bellies with hashbrowns and ketchup we thought we should head over to the venue for the evening.

When we got to Wrangler’s we saw it wasn’t open yet...but it wasn’t until we read the sign from the Iowa State Department of Health that we realized we were up sh*t creek without a paddle. We called our contacts at the venue to find out that the previous day they had been shut down for not renewing their liquor license. What were we to do?

We were walking back to our van to organize a plan-of-attack when a very nice girl named Lindsay approached us. She greeted us, “Hey, I recognize you guys from your posters.” We responded with the story of the Wrangler shutting down and not having much to do that evening. She was such a sweetheart and immediately began calling all of her contacts in the immediate and surrounding areas (she just so happen to be in the service industry and worked at multiple establishments in the area). After about 15 calls we still had nowhere to play. Then off of a whim we called a placed called The Pub in Creston Iowa (a biker town about 20 miles south of the celestial Greenfield) and we were told we could play, but outside.

We arrived at The Pub and were greeted by Randy, a badass biker and owner of The Pub. He was the kindest and most inebriated man in the joint, but immediately gave us a tour of the small-one-room pub. He then brought us outside to what seemed like a dog-fighting pit and told us to play loud; he expected to go to jail that night. We were definitely out of our element but didn’t feel like it until we were setting up.

A brooding character in a long leather duster, black leather cowboy hat, sporting hair down to his mid-back and a beard to match decided to hang out on our trailer and van. He was a lurker, the epitome of a creep; leaving us very uncomfortable and just confused. Would we be robbed, beaten, hassled, gutted…who knew? After all, we were completely off the grid; no GPS signal, low cellular signal and in a town of rowdy people who like to party. 

Check out THIS VIDEO about our experience...

We locked up the van and trailer and started to play some rock n’ roll hoping that we hadn’t gotten ourselves in over our heads. The man in the duster lurked a bit more and even followed
us into the bar; but soon after we started playing, the crowd was loving it and the lurker was MIA.

Model Stranger played throughout the night and the crowd grew warmer and warmer. A nice lady even decided to do some PR work and rounded up all the people from the surrounding bars and clubs (the ones that wouldn’t cancel karaoke for us). Even the club owners that wouldn’t have us came over and voiced their regret. One bar owner even bought "Dreams & Bones" to place in his jukebox at the bar! Some people came out from their homes and bonfires because they heard us playing - we were THE attraction for Creston, IA that night.

People were dancing and just having a good time; some even tipped us with flashing their body-parts (thank you Austen). The night actually turned into a success and we made the most in merchandise of any date on the tour yet. Not to push our luck we decided to split from town that
night before the lurker returned.

Oakland, Iowa - you're up next.


-Vincent Joseph

Thursday, April 8, 2010

"Disappear Like A Setting Sun..." - She Don't

*NOTE: This blog is best viewed on Model Stranger's Official Website - ModelStranger.com. Not all links/photos/videos may show up correctly on other sites*

Just settled in at the Washington in Burlington, IA. Last night was a good night for a Wednesday in Springfield. A nice long 3 hour set to knock off the studio rust was the perfect way to start. In fact, the few extra shows we did  in March and April really helped us get this material in the right spot.   

So I hope you all find time and have a chance to check out "She Don't" our first single off of the upcoming full length record "Dreams and Bones". It was made available for listen last night as a preview of what to expect. The song is streaming for free right now on our ReverbNation page HERE  or if you're on our Facebook page, just click the "MyBand" tab and it's right there. "She Don't" will be available for download after our CD Release Show at The Cubby Bear on April 24th. Please take a listen and let us know what you think.

About "She Don't":

"She Don't" was written relatively quickly over the course of 2 short practices on September 10th and 11th, 2009 before a show at Chicago City Limits. I had been playing around with this riff at a much slower tempo for the better half of a year or two! Occasionally we would play around with it at rehearsal but nothing ever came out of it. It was played waaaay back beat with a "bonahmesque" groove. I still have original demos of it and they are really cool but I could never find a vocal that worked with it. Thankfully I never let it go and it eventually all came together as what you can hear now. 

As it went - randomly one afternoon while I was waiting for rehearsal to start I began chugging the chords for it in a different way and at a much faster tempo. These adjustments seemed to really make the riff swing better and immediately I was in love with the feel of it. After I found the pocket I was able to put the rest of the song together no problem. Shortly after the band arrived we were able to work out most of the song including melodies and lyrical context in that rehearsal. 

The next day Thomas Miller and Aaron Hosek of Bullet Called Life came to rehearsal to prepare for the show we had scheduled at CCL. "Day of" rehearsals were common with them due to all of our demanding schedules. They learned the song in a few runs and we actually performed it that night - only a few hours old! At the time I only had the chorus lyrics set and everything else I improvised. I have a recording from that show and a lot of what started as working lyrics remained. Perhaps I will dig it up and post it here if I hear a request from you all for it!

Vincent, Kevin, and I had a chance to develop everything more during preproduction for "Dreams and Bones", finalizing arrangement and tempo. I also had a chance to sit down and add some harmonies and pen final lyrics. 

"She Don't" really comes to life when we play it live and I am happy with the way it turned out on record. Tracking it live really helped. The demos from preproduction were a lot of fun but they didn't work out as we had thought they would for the record. It wasn't until we realized that in order for it to work on record it required the original arrangement we had developed as a five piece. After tracking the main tracks we called in Thomas Miller to put down the keys from the live fall/winter arrangement we had used at CCL that night and for our other winter shows. In addition to adding some keys to the verse, you can find a really nice honkey-tonk style piano solo before the guitar solo. Once the piano was tracked and the mix was completed I found myself very happy with the decision to bring Tom back for the record. We thank him for his contributions to this record. 

Check out "She Don't" HERE and let us know what you think.


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Stephen Francis

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

New Tour, New Song!

*NOTE: This blog is best viewed on Model Stranger's Official Website - ModelStranger.com. Not all links/photos/videos may show up correctly on other sites*

TOUR
Model Stranger is officially on the road! We departed late afternoon on our way to our first show in Springfield, IL as part of an 18-show-in-18-day tour culminating with our CD RELEASE SHOW on April 24th at The Cubby Bear! We're just about to go on, but wanted to fill you in on a few things first.

Our tour schedule is posted below. If anyone knows someone (friends, relatives, other bands) nearby any of our shows give us a shout at ModelStranger.com or modelstranger@gmail.com. Let them know we'll be coming through town and if they're on Facebook, have them find us HERE!

Now, for all of you who will have to wait until our CD RELEASE SHOW at the Cubby Bear to see us, that doesn't mean you can't have any Model Stranger in your life! We'll be blogging every day from the road on ModelStranger.com and we'll have pictures and video for you too.

And now that we're off and going on this tour to promote our new album "Dreams & Bones", we decided to give you with a taste of what's to come.....

NEW SINGLE UP
"She Don't", the new single off "Dreams & Bones" is now streaming for free HERE. Enjoy and make sure to let us know what you think by posting on ModelStranger.com!

TOUR SCHEDULE

Apr 7 20109:00P
The KegSpringfield, Illinois
Apr 8 20109:00P
The WashingtonBurlington, Iowa
Apr 9 20109:00P
Wrangler’s PubGreenfield, Iowa
Apr 10 20108:00P
NZone BarOakland, Iowa
Apr 11 20108:00P
The Phoenix LoungeHarrisburg, South Dakota
Apr 12 20108:00P
The Rusty NailOmaha, Nebraska
Apr 13 20109:00P
Duggan’s PubLincoln, Nebraska
Apr 14 20109:00P
JJs BarLaramie, Wyoming
Apr 15 20109:00P
The CorkFort Collins, Colorado
Apr 16 201011:30A
Radio 1190 KVCU - On-air Interview at Radio 1190 KVCU BoulderBoulder, Colorado
Apr 16 20109:00P
The Open Tap & Grill - w/ SaintsDenver, Colorado
Apr 17 201010:00P
The World Famous Dark HorseBoulder, Colorado
Apr 18 20101:30P
The Toad Tavern - w/ VirettaLittleton, Colorado
Apr 19 20108:00P
SemolinoHays, Kansas
Apr 20 20108:00P
The Boobie Trap Bar - w/ The Calamity Cubes & The AtlanticGoogle, Kansas
Apr 21 20108:00P
Gaslight TavernLawrence, Kansas
Apr 22 20109:00P
Riot RoomKansas City, Missouri
Apr 23 201011:00P
Illinois Brewing Company - w/ CavalryBloomington, Illinois
Apr 24 20109:00P
Cubby Bear - w/ Verona Red, 20 Mark Helga, Flavor Savers and CavalryChicago, Illinois

If you're viewing this on ModelStranger.com, enjoy this nifty tour map below:



And don't forget to watch THIS VIDEO.



Stay tuned!

Model Stranger