Not So Blue Thursday

3 days after Blue Monday and I have a reason to smile. For the most part it
seems the winter has granted the band that balance we had been trying to

wrestle down in the late fall. Before we knew it we woke up and were in the

thick of another long winter. The Chicago air had begun bleeding its agents

of lethargy into our enthusiastic spirits and we were left disoriented with

not a clue on what to do next. It seems that if no one had anywhere to be

our world would come to a complete halt and everything else would continue

moving. A collective drag, the hangover of the holiday season was in our

bones.  Then suddenly it all made sense.

With such a shady despositon of the last month why would I have a reason to

smile?  I am comforted that there is a mutual relief amongst the band as of

late. Last years plans for us have seemingly completed their cycles and

soon enough we can get back to doing the things we intended. “The plate”

has cleared itself and now we are left to start creating again, get back on

the road and continue selling records.

What is next? We ask ourselves… Where are we going? Who is expecting us?

We don’t know much of anything in certainty at this point but we know that

we are anxious to work on some new music and hit the road more than any

previous year. Suggestions of 100 shows hardly made us flinch and the first

few batches of new music we have been working on hardly resemble our former

efforts. This is exciting and terrifying, yet intriguing and motivating;

the seed of imagination. Who knows though we could just pop out a rock baby

overnight and hone this stuff out.  Either way when it is ready you will

get a taste.

Plans for a short spring tour are in full swing and we will begin testing

out our new material live before we head into the studio in the coming

months. From the depths of my deepest hibernations I wish anyone reading

this the brightest day.

For those of you who want to chime in: What would you like to see Model

Stranger do in 2011? Where would you like to see them play? What can Model

Stranger do for you?

Go away? Nah.. We have been gone for long enough. It’s party time.

In the meantime here are a couple shows we do have booked. 

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! 

Idiocy, Murphy's Law & Officer Campbell

 Friday night was an interesting night for Model Stranger to say the least. We were slotted in Lansing to play at Gus's Bar for a long set that was supposed to start at 9 pm. So when we didn't show up until 10:15pm and still had a P.A. to set up, we were left with no choice but to play from 10:45pm to 2:30am instead - with no breaks.

Playing 3 hrs and 45 minutes is just nutty. I can't decide...either I hate it or I love.

Now the question is - "How exactly does a band end up starting 1 hour and 45 minutes later then they are the only band playing?" I can let you in that it was one of the rare times in our careers that it wasn't the bar's fault.

First of all, we left 1 hour later than we planned. This was no ones fault and not worth explaining - just 10 minutes here, 1 forgotten key forgot there, confusion everywhere and suddenly we were an hour behind schedule. Next we forgot that there was a time change between Illinois and Michigan.....no comment. Then our distraction with trying to beat the clock was trumped by the new distraction that we were running out of gas. Once again....no comment.

Yeah....we ran out of gas.

Vincent and I went sprinting down the side of the highway to the next exit leaving Kevin and Coate to watch the trailer. I96 is a highway has no lights and the term 'pitch black' applies. Part painful from running in rock boots - and exhausting because running 2 miles is tiring in general. When we finally arrived in Olivet, MI, huffing and puffing, we were happy to see a gas station sign down the dark road.

2 random acts of kindness would soon happen. First, the attendants at the gas station lent us a gas can, and next a young couple by the name of Ben and Sarah actually drove us back to I96! Thank you guys for this. You saved us time and our legs.

When we arrived, the 'nicest police officer ever' Officer Campbell had been staying with Kevin and Coate to make sure they were safe on the side of the dark highway.

By the time we filled up and made it to the venue it was already 10:15pm. We unloaded the trailer at a frantic pace and were started by 10:45.

As if being sick in the first place wasn't enough, the 2 mile jog to the gas station and late start were quite draining. Our set was loose and...interesting. It included impromptu medleys and space jams fueled by free whiskey and the 2 am crowd. At one point I recall Kevin and Vincent taking over lead vocals for me on "Fire Fire". This show also marked the first time we played the same song two times in a row - at two different tempos and two different times! You do what you have to do to fill a set like that. Not to say that this is bad but sometimes it isn't good. At Gus's anything goes, and is the perfect place to do 1 verse and chorus of "Helter Skelter" before wanking on a guitar solo.

Upon conclusion of the show I lay on the dirty stage and stared at the ceiling contemplating our journey to Gus's, the 1 tee shirt and the 5 cds we sold and the trainwreck of a set we played. Murphy had nothing to with this one.

Idiocy. There is no question.

One last act of kindess....

Mike, a new friend, and his wife took us to their house, fed us and put us to bed. Thank you Mike for allowing us into your home... your couch is very comfortable.

Stephen Francis

Plug: WATCH NEW MODEL STRANGER VIDEOS on YouTube and Vimeo.

Recording Update 01/16/2010

Day #...We're Not Really Counting

Ever wonder what a band does for/during their recording process?  I mean, there's obviously your standard protocol but we all have our own little quirks.  Well here's a sneak peak into Model Stranger's recording world.

We have been at it in our personal practice space for quite some time working on pre-production to make sure everything is just right so that when we go into the studio we are 110% prepared.  How can someone be over 100% you ask?  Well, Vincent, Stephen and I have had some long, long, loooooong nights so we know we're going to reach beyond that 100%.  Hell, I fell asleepsitting up on the couch a few nights ago and awoke in a daze at 6am and had no clue what was going on or where I was and Stephen's snoring was rattling the walls.  It was brilliantly nerve wracking.

Vince has been quite the addition to Model Stranger's recording process. (Yes, that IS in fact Hustler on the piano bench.  We're a bunch of young men, what do you expect?!?!?!).

Stephen and I recorded Shaky Coma at our studio and did all the pre-production and overdubs there for A Boy and His Crown as well.

Well, we now have another interested person to record with which is just another weapon for the Model Stranger army.  Vince will get this funny face while listening to a take and look at me with a 3 year old's smile and say, "Man, I REALLY want to put a vibraslap there!"  I smile back :).

We have been working on rearranging some familiar songs as well as writing and preparing new ones.  Not only are you going to hear a new Model Stranger album but there will also be some demos and alternate versions of songs that will be exclusively released with certain promotions.

We will be having long nights from here until January 22nd when we actually go into the studio to start recording all of the rhythm tracks.  But that doesn't mean the long nights end there.  We have deadlines to meet and I'll be damned if something is going to stop us.  Here's a picture of me completely

delirious at 2am from Thursday night's LONG session.

We are extremely excited about this record and the
progress that we are making.  If you know where our recording studio/rehearsal space is at we'll be locked in until Monday evening.  Come drop in, say hello and have a laugh with us.  Or a beer.  Or some pizza. You may want to bring both of the aforementioned just to be safe.  We are hungry and thirsty young lads. Much love and more updates on the recording process as it moves along.

`Kevin James


--
Make sure you've become our Facebook Fan, MySpace Friend, Twitter Stalker and Website Junky. Why, it's more fun that way of course! Invite your friends to do the same...no Bogarting Model Stranger!

Vince's First Blog Entry. Yay!

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.