Official Record Release Show is Saturday April 24th, 2010 at Cubby Bear, Chicago
Model Stranger’s debut record release Dreams and Bones is set to raise the bar for the independent rock scene in 2010. An eclectic synthesis of psychedelic grunge and classic rock, the power trio will be embarking on a 16 day Midwest tour leading up to the official release of their debut full length record Dreams and Bones at the Cubby Bear Chicago on Saturday April 24th, 2010.
Model Stranger will take the stage at 11:00 pm on April 24th. Chicago native acts Verona Red, 20 Mark Helga, The Flavor Savers and Cavalry will also be on the bill. Tickets for the show are available for $8 presale and $10 the day of show on Ticketmaster.
Taking a live performance driven approach into the studio to record their debut record like so many of the great classic rock bands of the 1970s, the band captures an energy and excitement in their music vacant in most indie rock releases today. While the record exhibits an intoxicating raw and authentic quality in part thanks to an analog recording process, the band utilizes their production skills and chops to deliver a record with a twist of modern finesse.
While the phrase “making a record,” is usually used in a figurative manner these days in a digital world, Model Stranger is taking it literally. Following through on a record that began with an organic recording process, the band is planning a special release with select material to be released on vinyl as well as their full length CD.
Model Stranger is singer/guitarist Stephen Francis, bassist Kevin James, and drummer Vincent Joseph. During the recording of Dreams and Bones,Model Stranger was also able to play live shows with popular national acts such as Our Lady Peace and Local H.
AN ANALOG BAND IN A DIGITAL WORLD
For additional information on the Model Stranger Dreams and Bones record release party at the Cubby Bear visit www.cubbybear.com
Cubby Bear Chicago
1059 W. Addison St
Chicago, IL
773.472.7736
*Model Stranger performed under the name Reverie from 2005-2009.
Sooooo...Our album release date is no longer tentative...it's etched in stone and set for April 24th at the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville! This news leaves all of us in Model Stranger Land full of sheer joy and excitement!
We set a goal back in November to release the album in April and have stuck on schedule since, regardless of all of the speedbumps we have experienced along the way. We have spent countless hours preparing (see previous blog posts on ModelStranger.com) and still have a lot to complete before the ship can set sail.
While this may seem nerve-racking to have the date set and not be done, it's really not....Oh wait, yes it is! HOWEVER, we have a strict schedule and have stuck to it very well and will continue to do so (Example). We anticipate having the album mixed and ready to be sent off for mastering by March 1st. We cannot wait to get it back to see what the final product sounds like. In some cases mastering can make or break an album. It can take a great mix and ruin it. Some bands will send out their album and when they get it back are all,
"WTF...it didn't sound like this when we sent it. What happened?" Are you aware as to what mastering is all about? It is truly an art of the ear...an art that has long since been compromised for "louder" music. For example, take Metallica's most recent release, "Death Magnetic", which was virtually ruined by mastering. While I thoroughly enjoyed Metallica's effort to resort back to their golden thrash/speed metal days I had trouble enjoying the album due to the "distorted" sound that came along with it. Ted Jensen's (mastering engineer) colleague, Chris Athens, made a public statement to clarify that they did what was asked of them and do not like to be associated with the debate.
Guitar Hero's version of "Death Magnetic" is mastered at 10db less and sounds 40 times better than the retail release approved by Metallica. If you have not heard anything about this subject just Google: "Death Magnetic Distortion" and read away! I would talk more about it but then you'd be reading a lengthy essay.
Funny little personal story to throw in... Not too long ago my brother Chris was at the Apple Store and noticed a gentleman there that was having his brand new iPod looked at due to a "crackling noise" in the headphones. Curiosity got to Chris and he wandered over to find out what the gentleman was listening to. Sure enough he had "Death Magnetic" on his iPod. The door was wide open for Chris who then proceeded to give the Apple Store employees and that gentleman information on mastering/ruining sound waves. There was nothing wrong with his shiny new iPod.
Anyway, back to our album and mastering,. I absolutely love the way old albums were mastered. They have much more organic dimension than the majority of albums nowadays. It is extremely rare that I listen to a modern day album and think, "Wow, this is mastered wonderfully." I usually notice that it's mastered quite poorly or don't take note of it at all. Well, strangely enough, while listening to the most recent Silversun Pickups release "Swoon", I took notice to how much I enjoyed the mastering of this album. It allows the listener to hear the recording's dimension and color amazingly well. I have to turn it up slightly louder than other "crushed" records to listen to it. In fact, I was so impressed by it that I sought out the individual that mastered it, Stephen Marcussen, to inquire about having our album mastered by him. I emailed his secretary asking your typical questions (e.g. price, turnaround time, preparation requirements, etc) and shortly thereafter received a phone call from a 323 area code. Being that I lived in Huntington Beach, CA for a bit I recognized the area code as an L.A./Hollywood one.
To my surprise it was Stephen himself...the gentleman that mastered an album that ultimately got The Silversun Pickups nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist (which is a joke considering their single that put them on the mainstream map, "Lazy Eye" came out in 2006 on their record "Carnavas"). He just wanted to let me know his secretary was out and was asking for some information from me to clarify the project. Needless to say, as long as our budget calls for it we will certainly be using Stephen's services.
So to come full circle in my rambling...We're really, really, REALLY excited to release our new album and hope that each and every one of you will mark April 24th on your calendar for a date with Model Stranger. :)
So as the freshest ingredient in the cocktail that is Model Stranger, I see it fitting to share my first encounters and recent experiences with the band from 'Strange-land.'
Oddly enough, when we connected for our first rehearsal, it was actually our second encounter with one-another; something we did not realize until a week later. All three of us had forgotten a moment that we shared together in a little town called Austin, TX. Stephen and I contemplated the philosophies of life while Kevin nursed a $2 Corona and combed his beard with a boar-hair brush. All I remember is walking away from our encounter saying, "Those are good humans..." Fast forward 9 months and here I am :)
Ending 2009 with a show at the Metro, a sold-out show at The Cubby Bear with Our Lady Peace and headlining the Elbo Room on NYE seemed like a nice introduction into the band. A new record and tour seems like the perfect place to pick up in 2010.
I am now somewhere that I belong and I am happy to be; part of the Model-Stranger-machine. As this new decade begins, I look forward to seeing what the future holds with us. There is already so much in the works for 2010 and it has only just begun!
`Vincent
HELP MODEL STRANGER
If everything (or anything) that you read on our site excites you, we want you to know that you play a large role in Model Stranger getting further down this path. For it is only through the constant support of families, friends, and fans that we have been able to accomplish what we have - and only with the continued support from you can we reach the goals we've set before us. You have all been WONDERFUL in offering all sorts support such as kinds words, attending our shows and just being there in general. As of now we have a few very specific ways you can help us out using the fantastic resources the Internet provides. Sound good? Okay!
Here's what we need:
FACEBOOK
Invite your own family, friends and coworkers to become a fan of us on Facebook. Follow up! Let them know why you like us and why you think they should know all about us as well. Listen to our tunes on the "MyBand" tab on our fan page or our personal profiles. This is important in helping us gain exposure on the site that we'll explain next!
REVERBNATION
This site might be the most useful tool out there for artists like ourselves! It has TONS of tools that allow us to not only create a cool profile but to help us promote. Of those tools are these nifty little thing called "widgets". We have a few of them on THIS SITE along the side bar (the music player, show schedule and fan collector, etc) and our current music player on our MySpace page is a ReverbNation widget. How these work is that they provide cool ways to share information about us very easily. For all of you with blogs it's incredibly easy to add them and ReverbNation tracks our reach. The more widgets we have posted in more places viewed by more unique people - the better for us (both in general and in the rankings on the site)! Below we've placed a very easy tool that you can take these widgets from and post them on your MySpace pages, blogs, websites, etc! If you're viewing this on Facebook or MySpace CLICK HERE to see the original post and what we're talking about.
Ahhhh! 2010 has arrived. I cannot believe that 2009 is over. It was such a long year. A few months back we did a year in review and I would have never imagined (since most of it was unplanned and we planned on stopping) that things would have changed so much between September and December. New Rule - Never under any circumstances in your career say the word LAST. No LAST shows of 2009, no LAST line up changes.
Although unplanned, the show at the Metro with our friends Lucid Ground and Minus the Girl was a great night! Opening for Our Lady Peace with Tom and Aaron's band Bullet Called Life = really memorable evening. Growing up listening to those guys and being able to share a stage and taste their crowd was really awesome! Not a week later the Elbo Room asked us to play New Years Eve - It was the perfect way to end the year, and start the year - PLAYING MUSIC.
A LOOK AHEAD Model Stranger has so much already lined up for 2010. With a new record (which we are tracking in the next few weeks) and a Spring tour being booked, I personally am looking forward to hitting the ground running . A majority of our shows this year will be on the road. Chicago is one of our favorite places to play but after putting in 28 days on the road last year, Model Stranger has a new addiction. We make so many fans and learn so much every time we hit the road. Why stay home for long?
In addition to the new record we will be releasing a whole bunch of new merch including some interesting tracks like early demos and outtakes from Reverieland and first renditions of new material being released on the new record. The record is scheduled to be released April 24th.
Thanks for reading! Photos from our show and some other important Model Stranger information below.
PHOTOS FROM SOLD OUT CUBBY BEAR SHOW WITH OUR LADY PEACE
If you are on Facebook or MySpace click HERE to view them.
These photos were shot by the wonderfully talented Mike Hari and Christie LaMountain. Their names link to their websites. Check them out. Hire them.
OUR MUSIC FEATURED:
So a few months ago, some students from Flashpoint Academy contacted our manager Coate wanting to do a piece on him and Model Stranger for a TV Production class they were in. Coate obliged and brought the students up to our practice space to meet us one night. Impressed by their work and professionalism he later asked if they might be interested in doing some video work for him which eventually led to them wanting to be involved in filming us playing a live set. As it turned out, we had just picked up our December Metro and Cubby Bear shows (those link to photo albums of the shows by the way) so the students came out to film both sets for us in glorious HD. We haven't seen the footage yet, but we're quite excited.
Separately, a man named Tim Jahn reached out to Coate via Twitter to inquire about using our song "Sound The Sirens" as background music for a video he was doing for his website, Beyond The Pedway. On the site, Tim seeks to learn about the people behind Chicago's creative companies, what they do, and why they do it in Chicago. A song from a local Chicago band is featured in each video.
Tim sent us an email the other day letting us know he had just posted the video with our song, and much to our pleasant surprise, the company he profiled was none other than Flashpoint Academy! You should watch the piece (we've posted it below...or for those of you reading on Facebook or MySpace HERE), not just because our music is featured, but because Flashpoint is a pretty fantastic establishment!
Please Help us Broaden Our Reach!!!
If everything (or anything) that you read above excites you, we want you to know that you play a large role in Model Stranger getting further down this path. For it is only through the constant support of families, friends, and fans that we have been able to accomplish what we have - and only with the continued support from you can we reach the goals we've set before us. You have all been WONDERFUL in offering all sorts support such as kinds words, attending our shows and just being there in general. As of now we have a few very specific ways you can help us out using the fantastic resources the Internet provides. Sound good? Okay!
Here's what we need:
FACEBOOK
Invite your own family, friends and coworkers to become a fan of us on Facebook. Follow up! Let them know why you like us and why you think they should know all about us as well. Listen to our tunes on the "MyBand" tab on our fan page or our personal profiles. This is important in helping us gain exposure on the site that we'll explain next!
REVERBNATION
This site might be the most useful tool out there for artists like ourselves! It has TONS of tools that allow us to not only create a cool profile but to help us promote. Of those tools are these nifty little thing called "widgets". We have a few of them on THIS SITE along the side bar (the music player, show schedule and fan collector, etc) and our current music player on our MySpace page is a ReverbNation widget. How these work is that they provide cool ways to share information about us very easily. For all of you with blogs it's incredibly easy to add them and ReverbNation tracks our reach. The more widgets we have posted in more places viewed by more unique people - the better for us (both in general and in the rankings on the site)! Below we've placed a very easy tool that you can take these widgets from and post them on your MySpace pages, blogs, websites, etc! If you're viewing this on Facebook or MySpace CLICK HERE to see the original post and what we're talking about.
Our set starts at 10:45pm. We were originally scheduled for 10-10:15pm but found out today that all of the sets have been pushed back. Make note of this is you were already planning on coming!
Afterwards, our good friends over at the Elbo Room are throwing us an "After After Party" as Tracy Jordan would say on 30 Rock.
Here's the Deal:
Free Admission and Drink Token (for 1 Bud Lt Draft) at Elbo Room with Cubby Bear Ticket Stub/Stamp on the 17th.
It’s in the neighborhood and will be a lot of fun, so join us for that as well!
