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! 

Model Gladiator Party

This weekend we made a trip down to Champaign to perform at the final Illini event for this semester. Shortly after our set the were able to join in on the Illinites' festivites which included Jousting, Human Bowling and Mechanical Bull Riding.

The Illinites hold weekly events at the Courtyard Cafe to give students a chance to mingle and participate in different activities while enjoying live music. This week the students were able to hang out with Kevin and see how their gladiator skills held up against his. Kudos for the bravery on this U of I student for stepping into the ring (there was a sleight height advantage for Kevin).

Wet Dreams and Big Boners?!?

It’s 2:45 in the morning on Sunday Nov. 6 and the owner of the Café, ‘Shadow’, walks up to me and hands me an envelope with our evenings wages. We share a laugh when I look down at the envelope to see how he has marked it up. I thank him, we exchange thoughts about shows for the Spring semester and I get back to loading up the trailer.


We had been slotted for the duration of the night at the Café in the desolate yet charming Macomb, IL. Macomb is home to many but mostly the crowd is made up of WIU students many of whom have started frequenting Model Stranger shows when we make the 250 mile journey due Southwest.

Our set for Saturday evening had begun shortly after 9 pm and wrapped up around 1:30 Sunday morning just before last call. It was an enjoyable evening that was unfortunately cut a tad bit short due to an unseen attack of the killer migraine.


Shadow decorates our payment envelope.. hmmm.

  Needless to say this is how we do it in when we are in Macomb. It is an all night affair every time. Although it is a taxing endeavor to take on the undeniable amounts of free alcohol and lengthy set obligations, we are tested in different ways then with a normal 45 minute set.



We remind ourselves at the onset of the night that these are marathons not sprints.

The night before we had performed in Springfield on our way down. This gig we also performed 4 hour set. Following our performance we drove to Macomb and arrived at 4 am. We parked in the Walmart parking lot and took a nice rest in preparation of the nights festivites. It was chilly in the van and I woke up with a nasty headache that later would develop into one of the worst migraines I have ever had.

The majority of our Saturday day was spent inventorying and reorganizing our Model Stranger Merchandise in the parking lot of the local Walmart. We now have this extensive selection of Model Stranger tees since we back filled our older designs. Also added some hoodies to our arsenal this time around!

Taken from the back of the van.. Blurry, we know.

The first 2 sets were great and were highlighted by the debut of some new Model Stranger songs. Many patrons crowded the dance floor and showed us how to do the twist. Wish I had more pictures of that but I was busy rocking.  Other highlights included the Fressos' sending us a Jameson shot nearly every 4 songs. Biggest regret of the night.. not drinking a Quaalude.

It was during the 3rd set of the evening that I was attacked by the previously mentioned killer migraine. Singing with a migraine would be enjoyable if I was a deranged masochist who loved bringing pain to myself by singing to others… Although I guess it is better than bringing pain to others by singing to myself. Every beat of the drum, line of a verse, strum of my guitar and the the thumping of the bass was a nauseating trigger that eventually caused us to end the show 2 songs early. My oh my. What a night.

We are rounding up some dates and planning a healthy and valiant return in the Spring! Thank you to all our fans in Macomb for a fantastic semester and a load of great memories!