Surfin’ Sandy Tour – Day 3: Frederick, MD @ Guido’s Speakeasy – 11/3

This was a last minute fill in which we were lucky enough to get.  Our friends in Vinny Vegas hooked us up with their friend John who runs his own promotion company.  This was our first time through Frederick so we didn’t know what to expect.  We were greeted quite kindly by John and his wife and they accommodated us in any way that they could which included great beer (the Flying Dog Brewery is in Frederick) and tasty food.  Before our set we were approached by a gentleman who was a diehard Local H fan and after seeing we have opened for them a couple of times he decided to come check us out.   We hit the stage around 11:30 and played a set of pretty much nothing but straight rockers.  The crowd really enjoyed us and bought us some rounds of shots after picking up some Model Stranger gear.  We got to talk with John before we left and he assured us we will be booked again in Frederick as well as Baltimore so we look forward to heading through again.

Surfin’ Sandy Tour – Day 1: Muncie, IN @ Be Here Now – 11/1

Who would’ve thought Muncie, IN would be such a cool place to play?!  We’ve played there a couple of times now and made sure to kick off the Surfin’ Sandy Tour right which Muncie was perfect for.  We got into town a little early, Kevin stopped at the same craft beer store he goes to every time for some choice picks, had some dinner with the owner Whitney, who is a super human being, along with some Strangeloves and headed back to Be Here Now to play.  The energy was right for a Thursday night and the crowd danced and enjoyed our set and stuck around to chat with us after the set.  Some students at Ball State are putting together a documentary on the Muncie music scene and stopped in to interview us and get our opinions on Be Here Now.  Once we were done and all loaded out we wandered over to Whitney’s where he let us hangout, have some late night conversation and crash for the evening.  After getting solid rest we hit the road again to head on over to Columbus, OH for our next gig.  All in all Muncie was a great start to the tour.

Appropriately Titled: Craft Beer

     For those who haven’t met me before I must confess something to you... I have an affinity for beer. Not in an alcoholic drink a case of Bud Light a day kind of way but rather enjoy a couple unique beers on a suave sailboat (okay, so maybe I don’t own a sailboat!). Craft beer has been on a steady rise for several years now. Who ever imagined that they’d wait in line for an hour just to try and get a limited release beer not to mention only ONE bottle?! Liquor stores that carry these types of beer are becoming the Toys R Us for adults with Great America caliber lines.

     So why do you care about my ramblings on craft beer? Well, maybe you don’t and I won’t force you to read any further. If you do you may find a common interest with my hobby. I collect and brew beer. Not necessarily the most “logical” hobby but nonetheless a wonderful one. I started brewing a few years ago and my first beer was a Holiday Ale, appropriately named, “The Grinch’s Christmas Ale” (This sums up my liking for Christmas). Some of my close friends received a bottle along with some homemade wine as their holiday gift. Since then I’ve gone on to brew several different kinds of beers: Oktoberfest, IPA and a Heavy Hopped Wheat to name a few with my latest being a Hefeweizen for the hot summer ahead. If you’re interested in following my brewing adventures feel free to find me on Instagram (kev_james) or Facebook.

     



Tagging Beers before they make their way into my storing cellar



The other half of my beer hobby is collecting. I’ve been asked many times why because people think beer is made to be consumed upon purchasing. This is not necessarily true. Some beers can age for quite some time. I have a few that I plan on aging for 10 years. Yes, you read that correctly. Lately I’ve found myself purchasing more beer to age than I have to drink immediately. While this is not a lucrative investment it is a delicious one that I intend to continue! Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to be invited over to my humble abode for some tastings.



     As I’m sitting pondering the thought of what color I want to paint my bedroom I receive an email titled, “Model Stranger – Craft Beer Festival.” Clearly this captured my attention. Upon reading it we received an offer to play this year’s Craft Beer Street Festival in Chicago. My immediate response was, “Hell yes!” Then I realized I have two other band members that may want to be informed first. Needless to say we took the show and are excited to be performing this coming Saturday, June 30th at 3:45 sharp followed by Empires, Civil Twilight and Shiny Toy Guns. If you dig craft beer you should really look at the lineup of Breweries and plan on attending this festival. And while you’re at it make sure to wander over to the music stage and catch us sweating profusely while pouring out our hearts and souls. Then come up, say hello and let’s drinks some delectable beers together. See you Saturday.

Recent Beers I Suggest:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
Bell's Hopslam
Three Floyds Zombie Dust
Lagunitas Imperial Red
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

-Kevin James

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

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!