Surfin' Sandy Tour - Day 9: St. Louis, MO @ The Crack Fox: 11/09/12

St. Louis has been a growing market of ours for almost two years now. We have never encountered foul people here, but this is based on the few kind souls we have collided with during our travels. This time around we had a much better/denser crowd and still the sweetness was in the air.

The Crack Fox is a really hip joint with some of the sweetest staff you'll ever find in downtown St. Louis. Remarkable still shots cover the walls; any pictures I could have taken would not do them justice. All the stills are in a burlesque-vain with beautiful women in beautiful poses; creates a great atmosphere for Rock n' Roll... and rock we did.

We were the last of 3 bands and seemed to capture the crowd quite well (Where's The Chief? and Living Room Lava were the first two)... but to be completely honest I did not notice the crowd while we were playing. It was just one of those majestic nights where I could feel the music through my bones and the band was all on the same page; speaking through our instruments and completely one with what we were producing. Stephen had a great solo during, "Balance" and we shared a great push-pull momentum during that outro. Kevin and I were a completely synced rhythm-section laying the ground work for the set which consisted of a lot of our darker, Stranger, tunes. It seems we pour our souls into every set we play, this one was just plain evidence of that concept.

-VinSauce

Surfin’ Sandy Tour – Day 8: Indianapolis, IN @ The Rock House – 11/8

Indianapolis is our home away from Chicago.  Lazy Hawk Promotions has done so much for us there and we cannot thank them enough.  This was another show that Will and Bebe from LHP helped us out with since the venue doesn’t typically have bands on Thursday nights.  We’ve played at The Rock House before and they treat us very well.  This show was no different except we played a longer set than our fans are used to seeing there so they got to hear some deeper cuts as well as covers that we got to pull out for fun.  After catching up with some fans as well as making new ones and selling some merchandise we loaded out and took off.  Will and Bebe let us crash at their place so we got a good night’s rest and had some lunch with their family before heading off to St. Louis.  

Surfin' Sandy Tour - Day 7: Lousiville, KY @ Hideaway Saloon 11/07/12

Of all the cities we hit during the Surfin' Sandy tour Louisville is the one I could most see myself relocating to. In my opinion, it is the Austin of Kentucky. They have everything I need: music, bourbon, good food and a lot of weird. On par for us, we hit another brewery before load-in, Bluegrass Brewing Company. The best part of the brewery for me... Vegan BBQ wings, flippin' delicious.

This was our second trip through Louisville and our reception was superb. The staff and patrons of The Hideaway Saloon were beyond kind our first time through and more than exceeded our expectations this second pass. It is very easy to play music and feel at-ease when you are playing to a room filled with music lovers whom love to dance... Simply awesome. The club has a great bohemian vibe with the crowd to match.

My favorite part of the evening was sharing the stage with The Pranksters. We have shared the stage with a lot of acts, however, these guys in particular were a VERY talented bunch and couldn't have been any sweeter. Tom Browning, their guitarist, was a phenomenal player and was the one kind enough to let us share the evening with them. He has played with the likes of Bo Diddly, players of The Grateful Dead, Stevie Winder and many more (it was obvious after seeing them play); Grade-A awesome.

Hideaway gives the touring bands a house to stay at; so we microwaved ourselves some grilled cheeses and got a good nights rest. The day after the show we had some time to kill so we wandered over to our favorite local leather shop, Leatherheads. This is a slice of heaven for me; kickass cowboy boots, belts, cowboy shirts and custom guitar straps. Nick, the master leather worker there, has a patented design for a guitar strap that takes the stress off of guitar players' back and trapezoid muscles.

He has sold these straps to many folks including: Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), My Morning Jacket, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Depp and more. We saw this spectacular strap our last trip through Louisville and Stephen was even fitted for one. This time through we pulled the trigger and bought Stephen and Kevin an early birthday/Christmas gift. Nick, then had me draw our Model Stranger logo next to Kevin and Stephen signature on his own personal straps that he keeps in the shop. It's cool to see their names surrounded with some of our idols... I dig it.

All-in-all, Louisville will always have a piece of my heart and I can't wait to get back.

-Vinny The Dominator 

Surin' Sandy Tour - Day: 4 and 5 - New York, New York

We left Maryland promptly after our show at Guido's Speakeasy.

Having never taken a trailer into New York City I was quite anxious to arrive at a time when traffic wasn't very high. The drive was just about 4.5 hours. We spent the evening listening to Jazz and sharing stories, talking fashion and playing pretend. We made sure to grab gas before we hit the turnpike. We were warned about the gas shortages throughout the state. After 60.50 in tolls into New York we pulled into Greenpoint around 6:16 am and to our surprise found parking right across from where we would be residing for the next few days.

I've heard nightmare stories from bands and gear gone missin' while in New York so I was particularly grateful to be able to stick my head out the window of my friend's apartment and check on the trailer at will.

Having driven over night we decided to take a good slumber but plans for rest were quickly interrupted as 1 PM drew near. Just because we were touring doesn't mean we should miss the Bears.

We spent a majority of our day at a Bar in the back corner cheering on our team with fellow transplants from the Windy City. After the game we took a brief rest before heading out to Cameos in Williamsburg.

At first we were confused because we couldn't find the club. This of course is probably nothing new for people that have never made the trip there as the club is really a back room in another club. The kind of place that looks like it would be perfect for a private party or a rave.

The recent hurricane had disabled most transportation from Manhattan to Brooklyn so the promoter and New York bands weren't expecting a huge night. We had anticipated this and were mostly grateful that the show was still happening. Although it wasn't the night the bands had hoped for the crowd that came was plentiful and stuck around for all four bands.

The night was opened by Shayna Sands, a very talented female who rocks the guitar quite well. We took the stage second. We were followed by "The Reckless Collected" which is really a band that had been assembled just a few weeks prior for this show. You'd never be able to tell that. Connor Grant assembled a stellar cast of musicians. Connor plays a mean guitar. Lastly, The Dharma Project, a project manned by Jason Boner, an exceptional singer and ambient musician closed the night.

I'm Analog.

Our set was highlighted by trying out some newer songs and interviewing the crowd from stage about them when I realized that no one really cares if a song is old or new. If I wrote it yesterday or today.. I mumbled into the mic.. "Like anyone fucking cares when I wrote this." The crowd had a giggle as I realized the truth in that.

After the show we took up our friend Connor's offer to empty the trailer into his loft as we had an off day the following day and wouldn't have to worry. We took up his offer and spent the night listening to R and B tracks, shooting pool and drinking PBR.  We stumbled into the New York streets to greet the sun and I took advantage of a 24 hour Deli on the corner.

Day 5 

Our off day was slightly wasted as we slept into the afternoon. When we awoke we made a quick decision to hop a ferry and make the trip to Manhattan.

Nice day for a Ferry Ride. Not really. It was cold.

We paid our respects to Mr. Lennon as we took a late night stroll through Central Park. Afterwards we stopped at Mc Sorely's and enjoyed some cheese and crackers. We capped our night at Downtown Pub and Grill, which Kevin had been hoping to do since we booked New York.

Respect.

Women weren't allowed here until the late 70's.

Our visit was the perfect mix of Rock and Roll and quality time with friends. Of course we would've loved to visit under different circumstances but we actually were quite lucky considering the timeline of the storm patterns. Unfortunately they got hit with another storm the day after we left.

Our best wishes to the city and the great people there. We look forward to making the trip again.

Goodbye New York

Thanks for reading.

Stephen Francis

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 2: Columbus, OH

We have grown quite fond of Columbus ever since The Moustache Bar Crawl brought us there in 2011. It is a quaint, yet progressive, oasis in Buckeye-Country chalk full of boutique bars, music clubs and (my favorite) great vegetarian-friendly fare.

Columbus had a lot to live up to after having a successful night in Muncie; and I didn't want my romanticized idea for the city to flicker out like a dull flame in the wind... It did not.

We were lucky enough to get into town a bit early and relax at a friends' posh digs while watching "Street Thief" (a great mock-u-mentary about a burglar in Chicago) before heading to the club for load in.
I knew I was going to have a great evening as soon as I walked into Circus. The walls were lined with vintage-esque sideshow posters and circus themed regalia... My favorite. The staff was extremely kind, as well.

We were billed with a good band from Columbus called Emily and The Complexes; I highly recommend checking them out. One song in particular that I enjoyed was ”I Don't Want To Brush My Teeth," awful title but great track. The turnout for our first show in Columbus was good, the response of the crowd was great. We couldn't ask for much more from a new market and the second day of Surfin' Sandy.

-Vinny Fresh

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.

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. 

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!

Vince-atarian Eating : An Altenate Lifestyle On-The-Run

Becoming a Vince-atarian

About 4 years ago I decided not to eat any red meat in order to maintain a healthier-lifestyle. I thought I would make the job as easy as possible so I set a list of guidelines. To make it easier, I decided Sunday would be my "cheat" day and I would only be able to consume red-meat on that day; the rest of the week I would eat healthy fare and limit my total meat intake to chicken or fish once-a-week, otherwise, no meat. Well I have ADD and forgot to eat chicken during the week and/or "cheat" on Sundays. So here I am today, I will eat fish about once or twice a month, however, no meat of any kind enters my body. Some call it an altered vegetarian, some call it being a pescatarian, I call myself a Vince-atarian. However, eating no meat and traveling frequently can be taxing if you don't know all of your options.

Tips for Life on the Go

Always plan ahead. The majority of my friends (and my entire family) eat meat. This might be difficult for some people to continue a healthy lifestyle around, however, the first thing you will learn is to plan ahead. I always bring along healthy vegetarian snacks so that if meat-alternatives are not available I am not left out of the feasting traditions. I highly recommend Cliff Bars; they are high in protein, vitamins and are made of all healthy-natural ingredients not to mention they are super tasty :) I recommend the "Blueberry Crisp" or "Peanut Butter Toffee." Hummus; also very high protein content as well as a good supply of lean fat and oil (simply mashed garbanzo-beans/chick-peas with garlic, lemon and a key ingredient (my favorite is the roasted red-pepper) compose this spread or dip-type food) and it can be placed in pita-bread, on sandwiches, in salads or bring along some veggie sticks to dip into the hummus for a healthy and quick snack. Crackers, mixed nuts or peanut butter spread on apples are other wonderful ways to collect nutrients through healthy snacks while being mobile. There are also websites to help you get a plan-of-attack on the road.

Keep an Eye Out For

Visit the Happy Cow website. The helpful website lists vegetarian and vegan resources; including restaurants by locality. Before your hitting the road, spend some time researching the various vegetarian places to eat on the road so you'll be prepared when hunger strikes. Otherwise, most cities have Natural Food Markets (i.e. Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc.) and/or coops that supply fresh fruit, veggies and other tasty delights for those of us who have nixed meat from our diet. If you are in an even bigger rush for fast healthy, or at least, meat-free food, you still have some really good options.

Burger King. Believe it or not I have eaten a lot of Burger King on the road. They offer a veggie burger which I pair with some onion rings and a drink (I also recommend asking for "Zesty Sauce" it has changed my life) for a very-fast, affordable, meat-free meal. Subway has been my savior for quite some time now, I love Subway. You can snag a Veggie-Delight (I prefer mine w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, green pepper, banana pepper, giardiniera peppers, sweet-onion sauce, light-mayo on honey-oat bread) and they even have protein patty's if you'd like; the patty's are composed of soy beans & veggies and look/taste like a chicken patty. Other options can be found at Quizno's, Taco Bell, Blimpie's, however, these options are not as healthy (more preservatives) and I recommend these (and Burger King) in dispersed moderation. Otherwise, there's always the ethnic restaurants.

Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Indian and Italian restaurants always have good vegetarian cuisine and help to recharge those batteries. Mexican: grab a quesadilla with some mushrooms followed by a chile-rellenos (stuffed with rice, cheese and veggies) for a good meal. Chinese: I'm a sucker for Kung Pao tofu with rice. Thai: I could eat anything from a Thai place like Pad Thai, Pad Se Ewe, Crazy Noodles, etc. They always have a lengthy and tasty menu for those of you looking for good meals that do not contain meat. Indian: peas paneer are my favorite paired with curried tofu. Italian: pasta, pizza and eggplant are great avenues at these restaurants. So if you really choose to embrace this lifestyle it is indeed possible to find tasty-healthy options anywhere.

Ask Around

I prefer to find one-of-a-kind restaurants and eateries along the road that aren't franchised out. You can always find a good diner or grill that will serve of fresh food and allow you to maintain your regimen. You should also talk with the locals and find a good place for your diet. While Model Stranger was in Lawrence, KS I spoke with a very nice man and women in their store, 3rd Planet; they referred me to Dempsey's Irish Pub. I know, this doesn't sound like vegetarian friendly place, but it was and all of Model Stranger agreed it was the best burger (or veggie-burger) that they have had. These tasty burger were paired with delicious fries that had been tossed in truffle-butter and parmesan cheese; it also didn't hurt that they had a nice beer selection :) You can read my full review of Dempsey's and other restaurants at Model Stranger's Yelp! page HERE.

Don't Try To Change Your Friends - Just Share With Them

Eating as a Vince-atarian I try to not impose my views or lifestyle onto anyone else, however, if they ask me about it I will inform them of the extreme health benefits and overall lifestyle improvements that come along with this diet. I have more energy, I have a clean and healthy body, I VERY rarely get sick, and it even affects my mental health and gives a positive outlook on life. I even got Kevin James to enjoy some hummus & avocado spread with me and I got Stephen Francis hooked on Veggie-delights from Subway & Sesame-Seaweed Balls from Trader Joes. However, this diet is not for everyone, some people just love their meat :) But whether you eat meat or not, we should all be concerned with maintaining a healthy diet. Especially while traveling!

Love,

Vincent Joseph

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!

---

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.

---

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?

-------
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!

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

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 2010 9:00P	The Keg	Springfield, Illinois
Apr 8 2010 9:00P	The Washington	Burlington, Iowa
Apr 9 2010 9:00P	Wrangler’s Pub	Greenfield, Iowa
Apr 10 2010 8:00P	NZone Bar	Oakland, Iowa
Apr 11 2010 8:00P	The Phoenix Lounge	Harrisburg, South Dakota
Apr 12 2010 8:00P	The Rusty Nail	Omaha, Nebraska
Apr 13 2010 9:00P	Duggan’s Pub	Lincoln, Nebraska
Apr 14 2010 9:00P	JJs Bar	Laramie, Wyoming
Apr 15 2010 9:00P	The Cork	Fort Collins, Colorado
Apr 16 2010 11:30A	Radio 1190 KVCU - On-air Interview at Radio 1190 KVCU Boulder	Boulder, Colorado
Apr 16 2010 9:00P	The Open Tap & Grill - w/ Saints	Denver, Colorado
Apr 17 2010 10:00P	The World Famous Dark Horse	Boulder, Colorado
Apr 18 2010 1:30P	The Toad Tavern - w/ Viretta	Littleton, Colorado
Apr 19 2010 8:00P	Semolino	Hays, Kansas
Apr 20 2010 8:00P	The Boobie Trap Bar - w/ The Calamity Cubes & The Atlantic	Google, Kansas
Apr 21 2010 8:00P	Gaslight Tavern	Lawrence, Kansas
Apr 22 2010 9:00P	Riot Room	Kansas City, Missouri
Apr 23 2010 11:00P	Illinois Brewing Company - w/ Cavalry	Bloomington, Illinois
Apr 24 2010 9:00P	Cubby Bear - w/ Verona Red, 20 Mark Helga, Flavor Savers and Cavalry	Chicago, 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