tour journal

2009-07-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

i don't know why, but i'm pretty over blogging. if you'd like to see what i'm up to, follow me at www.twitter.com/brendanvalencia and i will also update www.valenciamusic.net very frequently with my video updates, photos and blog posts!

Maybe i'll post stuff on here sometime, but for the time being it's going to be put on hold!

hope to see you all at shows because that's where it all counts, thanks!

-brendan

YES!

2009-06-02T11:37:00.001-07:00

2009-05-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hello regional friends,

We are putting together a video for the song "Carry On" and we need some help from you. The last part of the video is going to be a show and we need an audience. That's where you come in. The first 100 people to e-mail will be able to come and be featured in the video.

The shoot will take place in Center City Philadelphia on Monday from 7-10 pm. Make sure you have your parents' permission and you WILL attend. Please don't respond unless you plan on coming!

So if you are able to make it, are ready to have a good time and help us make a great video send us an e-mail to VALENCIABAND@GMAIL.COM Subject: Carry On Video. Also be sure that your full name is in the body of the e-mail. We will respond to the first 100 people with the information about where, when, what to wear, etc.

Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you all there!

-v

i forgot all about this one

2009-05-26T22:09:00.001-07:00

the end is incredible

2009-05-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

i really want to make a music video or video update that is a parody of this...

former valencia crew members

2009-05-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

quinn, scoot, ian, hodge and delicious. they were all assembled at bamboozle and got together for one last harrah. such a funny picture

2009-05-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

this is the book i'm reading now. didn't realize it was the same guy who wrote blink until today, but it has come to my attention that this guy is really good.

the book is about success and how people come into their success. most of these stories are about thinking outside of the box and noticing that the road to the top isn't always what it seems. most times the obvious answer of why someone is successful is not always the reason. it's pretty interesting (as are all of malcom gladwell's books) and i recommend it.

2009-05-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

i can't be sure but i think i want this really bad

2009-05-11T23:03:00.001-07:00

if this is real.... it's amazing

2009-05-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

2009-05-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

i want a camera that can do this so badly

I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

2009-05-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a video that i put together of our weekend that we spent at Bamboozle, etc. It was an incredible time and we could not have asked for anything to go smoother. Thanks again to everyone who came and watched and helped. Check it out and spread it to your friends. This is what our summer is going to be like everyday, can’t wait!

2009-05-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

alex sent me this, it's pretty awesome, check it!

new tour dates posted!

2009-05-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

Jun 25 2009 6:00P The Mixtape Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jun 26 2009 6:00P Xtreme Wheelz Buffalo, New York
Jun 27 2009 6:00P Diesel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jun 28 2009 6:00P Crocodile Rock Allentown, Pennsylvania
Jun 30 2009 6:00P Recher Theatre Towson, Maryland
Jul 1 2009 5:00P Highline Ballroom New York, New York
Jul 2 2009 6:00P The Trocadero Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jul 3 2009 6:00P The Chance Poughkeepsie, New York
Jul 5 2009 6:00P Eldolyn Terrace Altoona, Pennsylvania
Jul 6 2009 6:00P Norva Norfolk, Virginia
Jul 7 2009 6:00P The Brewery Raleigh, North Carolina
Jul 8 2009 6:00P New Bklnd Tavern Columbia, South Carolina
Jul 10 2009 6:00P The High Ground Metairie, Louisiana
Jul 11 2009 6:00P Java Jazz Houston, Texas
Jul 12 2009 6:00P McAllen Creative McAllen, Texas
Jul 13 2009 6:00P White Rabbit San Antonio, Texas
Jul 14 2009 6:00P The Door Dallas, Texas
Jul 15 2009 6:00P The Marquee Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jul 17 2009 6:00P Boney Junes Evansville, Indiana
Jul 18 2009 6:00P Turner’s Fort Wayne, Indiana
Jul 19 2009 6:00P Peabody’s Cleveland, Ohio
Jul 20 2009 6:00P Bulldog Cafe Louisville, Kentucky
Jul 21 2009 6:00P Rockettown Nashville, Tennessee
Jul 23 2009 6:00P Jack Rabbit’s Jacksonville, Florida

2009-05-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

check out the photoblog at www.valenciamusic.net

this was my favorite part of bamboozle '09.

2009-05-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

what a sweet day. so much fun, so wet, so loud, but i couldn't have asked for a better time. thanks to erica dagley, jason hradil, ryan wapner, sean mundy, johnny lam and whoever else made balloons, sold merch, handed out post cards, shot off confetti, played bass (while george stood on people's faces), sang, held balloons, watched, crowd surfed, moshed and whatever else completely rejuvenated my love for playing music.

2009-04-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

check out this commercial i made for Diplo and the new Mad Decent iPhone app:

Mad Decent iPhone App from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

you can check it out at Mad Decent's blog

2009-04-29T17:20:00.001-07:00

saw this on strike gently... HAD to repost it. it's so good

Rest In Peace Satan
by strikegently

2009-04-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

very cool time lapse stuff

Eclectic 3.0: The Roads Less Traveled from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

sick to my stomach from tonight's events.

2009-04-26T22:26:00.001-07:00

Tonight at the Bamboozle Road Show I witnessed the worst case of police brutality I've ever seen. I'm not sure of the exact story of what happened, all I know is that I walked downstairs and was ready to leave the venue only to see Chris V being pushed back into the venue (from the alley) by 3 cops with billy clubs. They were screaming and pushing him to the ground, threw him down onto a glass bottle that he hit his head on, split it open. He was bleeding everywhere and they still continued to beat him with clubs. They would not stop, even when he was compliant. Everyone was screaming for them to stop, I just could not stop yelling, I was so angry. I wanted so bad to have us all go over and pull them off of him, but no one could or we'd be next. Finally they stopped and dragged him outside after a pint of blood left his head and was all over the stage of the TLA. After everything was calmed down a bit, I saw my good friend Ian Planet being shoved inside, slammed into a brick wall, his cell phone thrown across the room and his face shoved onto the concrete floor all because he wanted to go outside and finish his job. The same happened to T-Fair right out back as well.

I honestly felt like I could throw up from the utter lack of respect for humanity and compassion. I couldn't believe what i was seeing. Ian Planet is the last person who would ever instigate or start fights, plus he weights about as much as me... why did they need 3 cops to throw him around and beat him? The answer is: they didn't. It was all unnecessary. All of this was just examples of cops abusing their power. They wanted the bands to move their busses and vans, even though they weren't finished loading up. They really just wanted to start fights and write tickets and make some money. The wanted to be the heroes of the police station that ticketed all these busses and made the city a few extra dollars from some "dumb punk kids" or however they get their kicks. It didn't need to go any further than them walking away or even just giving the ticket and walking away, but they had to be on a power trip. The kept keep instigating until it escalated into them using their power to get their rage and anger out on people who didn't deserve it.

After all of this happened and it was clear the cops weren't going to be reasoned with and people were to "stay out of the alley for get arrested" I made my way back home. The ambulances were on their way and no one was to go near the detainees. I went to go get my bike (that was less than a block away from where this was all happening) and it was Stolen. My bike was stolen off of busy south street because the cops were too busy beating up innocent people behind the TLA to protect & serve right out front. I was even more angry and fuming on my walk home, when I heard my name being shouted. It was Ian Planet sitting in the back of a cop car. He was so upset and it was such a heartbreaking thing to see your friend, who did nothing wrong, handcuffed in a cop car. I wasn't even allowed to talk to him. The cops were shoo-ing me away. Not allowed to talk to my friend and let him know that I gave his cell phone to his friends and they were on their way to bail him out. Not allowed. I couldn't believe it. I got halfway home and was even more upset about it that I turned right around and went to get Ian or at least make sure he knew what was going on. By the time I got there they had taken him into the station. I really felt so awful. It was the 4th time in one night when there was nothing I could do or even say to help a friend.

What I want to know is how these cops can justify going home to their wives and telling them the story of how they beat these kids senseless for no reason. The bigger issue is that I'm sure they can spin it someway to make sense in their head that it was okay to beat up a weaponless, defenseless, kid just trying to do his job or to hospitalize someone. They can also somehow justify continuing to hit someone with nightsticks who has a serious injury and needs medical attention OVER A PARKING TICKET. The serious flaw in the system is that it's okay for this to happen. The law works so that this can happen and that it's illegal to "disobey an officer of the law" even if his orders are out of line you have to follow it or you will get arrested. It's just crazy that people with such a complex (that needs to be using their power this way just to feel important) can be given so much power and that it's almost a never ending cycle. You see this stuff all the time on tv, american cops using their power to get their jollies and channel their stress from work or their rage out onto innocent people. It's horrible and I wish there was a way to screen these people. A way to figure out their rage issues and find out if their stress can manifest itself into an incident like this instead of just hiring anyone and giving them so much power and hoping for the best. I guess it would be extremely difficult to predict things like this but, it happens far too often and needs to stop, something should be done.

What a night. Sorry for such a long post but I couldn't let this go. I've been sitting here seething and had to let everyone know. Such an awful thing to witness, I never want to see that again. Tonight I am ashamed to be a part of this city.

2009-04-24T10:40:00.001-07:00

here's a really cool video of graffiti in new york. graffiti is such a cool art form, i wish the subways still looked like this... but no such luck there.

i suck at blogging

2009-04-23T12:09:00.001-07:00

i'm getting so bad at this blogging business

but this this is pretty weird:

also if i were to get a tattoo (which i wouldn't) it would be something like this:

2009-04-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

free ep

2009-04-17T00:21:00.001-07:00

Saturday is a crazy day, it is called RECORD STORE DAY and it's all about free stuff. We are going to be giving away our new EP (We All Need A Reason To B-Side) for free at select record stores.

MAKE SURE TO GO TO YOUR CLOSEST STORE AND PICK ONE UP - IT'S FREE!!!!!!!!

Here is the list of the stores it will be available in:

Eagle Valley Music - Vail, CO
Surf Brothers - Raymore, MO
Kiss The Sky - Geneva, IL
Record Connection - Ephrata, PA
Flat Black and Circular - East Lansing, MI
Sound It Out Records - Traverse City, MI
Musicmania - Austin, TX
Decatur CD - Decatur, GA
Everyday Music - Portland, OR
Dig! Music - Ukiah, CA
Disc Go Round - Corpus Christi, TX
Newbury Comics - Brighton, MA
Cheap Thrills Records - San Luis Obispo, CA
Euclid Records - St. Louis, MO
Mad City Music Exchange - Madison, WI
Music Box - Newport, RI
Majors Records and Video - Staten Island, NY
Amoeba Records - Hollywood, CA
Amoeba Records - San Francisco, CA
Value Music - Marietta, GA
Vertical House Records - Huntsville, AL
Rockaway Records - Los Angeles, CA
J&R - New York, NY
Any Frequency - Monticello, IL
Hoodlums - Tempe, AZ
Vinyl Renaissance - Shawnee, KS
Galaxy CDs - Hamilton, OH
Everyday Music - Farmington, ME
Laurie's Planet of Sound - Chicago, IL
CD Warehouse - Springfield, MO
Redscroll Records - Wallingford, CT
Aquarius Records - San Francisco, CA
Wooden Nickel Music - Fort Wayne, IN
Dave's Music Mine - Pittsburgh, PA
Lunchbox Records - Charlotte, NC
Lost Weekend Records - Columbus, OH
The Groove - Nashville, TN
Scratch N Spin - West Columbia, SC
4000 Holes - Spokane, WA
The Great Escape - Nashville, TN
Sweat Records - Miami, FL
Princeton Record Exchange - Princeton, NJ
Cheap Thrills Records - Princeton, WV
Sgt Peppers Music & Video - Moab, UT
Southwest Sound - Durango, CO
Bananas Music - St. Petersburg, FL
Creative Leisure - Havre, MT
Rock-It Man - Flagstaff, AZ
Record Time - Roseville, MI
Freakbeat Records - Sherman Oaks, CA
Tunes - Marlton, NJ
Karma - Plymouth, IN
Soundwave Music & Movies - Summerville, SC
Avalon Music - Bellingham, WA
Last Record Store - Santa Rosa, CA
The Beat - Sacramento, CA
Soundcheck Records - Lehighton, PA
Harvest Records - Asheville, NC
Newtown Book & Record - Newtown, PA
Mojo Books & Music - Tampa, FL
R5 Records - Sacramento, CA
Scotti's Record Shops - Summit, NJ
Co-Op Records - Clinton, IA
The Long Ear - Coeur D'Alene, ID
Strictly Discs - Madison, WI
Reckless Records - Chicago, IL
Albums on the Hill - Boulder, CO
Exile on Main St. - Downtown Champaign, IL
Bull Moose Music - Portland, ME
Cat's Music / Pop Tunes - Nashville, TN
Dimple Records - Sacramento, CA
Gallery Of Sound - Wilkes-Barre, PA
Rasputin Music - Berkeley, CA
Zia Record Exchange - Phoenix, AZ
Independent Records - Colorado Springs, CO
Graywhale - Salt Lake City, UT
Silver Platters - Seattle, WA
Sound Garden - Baltimore, MD
Slackers - Glen Carbon, IL
Vintage Vinyl - Fords, NJ
The Exclusive Company - Milwaukee, WI
Sunrise - Scarborough, Ontario, CA
52.5 - Charleston, SC
BOO BOO RECORDS - San Luis Obispo, CA
CD CENTRAL - Lexington, KY
CRIMINAL RECORDS - Atlanta. GA
CULTURE CLASH - Toledo, oH
END OF AN EAR - Austin, TX
EXILE ON MAIN ST - Branford, CT
GOOD RECORDS - Dallas, TX
GRIMEY'S - Nashville, TN
GUESTROOM RECORDS - Norman, OK
HOT POOP - Walla Walla, WA
JACKPOT RECORDS - Portland, OR
LANDLOCKED MUSIC - Bloomington, IN
LUNA MUSIC - Indianapolis, IN
M-THEORY - San Diego, CA
ROCK-A-BILLYS - Utica, MI
SHAKE IT - Cincinnati, OH
SLOW TRAIN - Salt Lake City, UT
SONIC BOOM - Seattle, WA
STINKWEEDS - Phoenix, AZ
VINTAGE VINYL - St Louis, MO
VINYL FEVER - TAMPA - Tampa, FL
Cactus - Houston, TX
CD Connection - Jacksonville Beach, FL
CD World - Eugene, OR
Central Square - Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Disc Exchange - Knoxville, TN
earX-tacy - Louisville, KY
Earshot - Greenville, SC
Easy Street - Seattle, WA
Electric Fetus - Minneapolis, MN
Finders Records - Bowling Green, OH
Fingerprints - Long Beach, CA
Homer's - Omaha, NE
Indy CDs - Indianapolis, IN
Kief's - Lawrence, KS
Lakeshore Record Exchange - Rochester, NY
Looney Tunes - West Babylon , NY
Lou's Records - Encinitas, CA
Magnolia Thunderpussy - Columbus, OH
Music Millennium - Portland, OR
Off The Record - Yakima, WA
Park Avenue CD - Orlando, FL
Plan 9 - Richmond, VA
Pure Pop - Burlington, VT
Rainbow Books and Music - Newark, DE
Record Archive - Rochester, NY
Record Exchange - Boise, iD
Rhino/Mad Platter - Claremont, CA
Rockin' Rudy's - Missoula, MT
Salzer's - Ventura, CA
Schoolkids - Raleigh, NC
Streetlight - San Jose, CA
Twist and Shout - Denver, CO
Uncle Sam's - Miami Beach, FL
Waterloo Records and Video - Austin, TX

Also, we have added a show on Saturday, April 17 at Arcadia University in Philadelphia. It's an all day festival but we play last, around 5 o'clock, hope to see you all there!

-v

SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE REUNION

2009-04-15T16:13:00.001-07:00

just found out that this is a possibility and it got me pretty stoked, thanks to a link to absolutepunk.net via luis dubuc. what a chain of events... but diary was one of my favorite albums throughout high school and i would love to see them live again, such classic music.

new video.

2009-04-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

2009-04-14T23:43:00.001-07:00

BEST music video of all time. hopefully our next is as good!

2009-04-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

shannon made this sweet egg for easter!

Harry Kalas dies at 73

2009-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

What a sad day in Phillies history. Harry Kalas died today. He has one of the most memorable voices of any announcer, ever. Watching the Phillies won't be the same now as when I was a kid and listening to AM radio to Harry Kalas tell us what the Phillies were up to. The 93 World Series, the Joe Carter/Mitch Williams bummer home run, many lazy afternoons spent listening to 1210 AM the 'big talker'... no more of that, what a sad day!

2009-04-11T13:52:00.001-07:00

2009-04-11T12:08:00.001-07:00

Here's a video that some of our friends shot of us at the Chain Reaction on the Say No To Neon Tour, check them out!

2009-04-10T12:07:00.001-07:00

this video is so old, but it's still pretty funny.

new mewithoutyou song

2009-04-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

not so sure how i feel about it. i'm going to wait for the whole album to judge... but something seemed a bit boring about it, maybe i just need to get into the lyrics and see what's really going on here. i dig the sounds and all but it seems to drag a bit. aaron's usual quirkiness isn't really shining through. i was also expecting more from the bridge.

on second listen. the song is great for the first 2 minutes but it doesn't go anywhere from there... i was hoping form more of a build, get to a place where mewithoutyou really shines... in the chaos. aaron shouting and convincing me that he means every word he says, the drums filling space with huge fills and interesting beats and the guitars really whaling. i didn't really get any of that from this song. seems like a song that will grow on me when put in context of the whole album, but i just hope the whole album isn't like this.

despite what seems to be a negative review here, i'm REALLY excited for this new album. they ahve been one of my favorite bands from the first i ever heard of them when i borrowed their cd from a high school girlfriend, never to return it. i loved even more when i saw them live (we played our first show ever with max with this band and owen at the tla in philly). I also grew to love them more with both of the albums passing, seeing how they grew and morphed into something more mature in the same sort of time frame that i was going through. hopefully this album keeps on the same plane and doens't dissapoint. needless to say, i have high hopes for this album. cant wait to hear it all!

2009-04-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

here are a few random photos that have been sitting on my desktop for a bit that i meant to post, so i decided today was the day!

here's a vector of me that mika did! - pretty sweet

my vacuum shop, me and jiordos have started.

a turtle burger.

sweet.

me, dill and bryan, post-aquarium... pre-going to see this guy:

the man.

2009-04-08T16:27:00.001-07:00

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

such a cool video. wish i had this much skill.

2009-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce our string of shows in Japan this Summer for the BEYOND[THE]BLUE TOUR! We couldn't be more excited to travel across the globe with our good friends Hit The Lights, There For Tomorrow and Every Avenue. The shows are listed on the flyer below.

It's been almost 3 years since we last were in Japan and we are so pumped to get back. We hope to see some old friends and farmiliar faces at the shows! See you in June!

<3Brendan, George, Jd, Shane & Max.

2009-04-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

video update from the end of the say no to neon tour... what a fun tour!

2009-04-06T15:10:00.001-07:00

confetti! at like 3:50 or so

2009-04-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

http://twitpic.com/2ws9x
hell yes.

2009-04-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

such a cool video. wish i had this much skill.

2009-04-05T22:35:00.001-07:00

perspective is way off... that elephant is an idiot.

if this can make it. why can't valencia?

2009-04-01T23:01:00.001-07:00

this was so bad. i don't get it. whatever.

anyway... in a few hours i will be flying over this great country and headed for la. we're going to be doing a photo shoot and hanging out with friends and then of course bamboozle left. couldn't be more excited for it. we'll be seeing lots of friends and great bands. i think i'm most excited for the get up kids. i'm bummed i won't get to see 50 cent or the deftones... but it'll be fine. overall i think the first day is better anyway, maybe i'm just biased because most of our friends on that day. who knows. either way i can't wait. see you there if you're going.

2009-04-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

taken from a great website

hey people that read this blog

2009-04-01T07:51:00.001-07:00

head to: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/hanginout.html#valencia

to see shane play a cover of 'reason to believe' the song that inspired our album title.

2009-03-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

can't wait!

i want to go so bad.

2009-03-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

how can bamboozle left honestly expect there to be anyone there when gallagher is going to be in philly the night before? everyone from la who likes rock music is going to be flying to philly for the gallagher show and won't make it back in time for bamboozle left on saturday. maybe the second day... but that's a big maybe. there will probably be a big gallagher after party that will go 24 hours... from early saturday morning to early sunday morning and people won't want to leave till monday at least. i propose they just cancel bamboozle and save some face.

2009-03-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

perspective is way off... that elephant is an idiot.

Synecdoche, New York

2009-03-30T22:31:00.001-07:00

"Now it is waiting and nobody cares. And when you're wait is over this room will still exist and it will continue to hold shoes and dress and boxes and maybe someday another waiting person. And maybe not. The room doesn't care either."

I just random heard about this movie in passing and decided to check it out. It was definitely worth it and eventually could become one of my favorite movies. The writing was amazing, the acting was spot on and the whole thing was very surreal. I would like to go into depth about it but it would just confuse everyone who hadn't seen it. The point here is that you NEED to see this movie. It really makes you think and feel. Haven't seen a movie that made me think so much recently. Check it out if you get time.

All text taken directly from online Christian fundamentalist forums.

2009-03-30T01:06:00.001-07:00

what's crazier than the video is the the comment wars going in the youtube video

if this can make it. why can't valencia?

2009-03-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

2009-03-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

i was bored on a thursday night. the office was over, 30 rock was over.. so we took a few photos. here are some of them:

a gas mask that was in a bag that i bought at army navy... could come in handy

making a weird face. listening to marilyn manson?

more gas mask.

bq holding it down with hodge - attempt #1.

attempt #2 --- attempt #1 wasn't hard enough bq, try again.

the hardest holding it down shot yet. with john from the grog shop in cleveland.

so there you have it, i guess.

i've said it before and i'll say it again: twitter is ruining blogs.

2009-03-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

ever since twitter started i haven't actually written a blog of my own. i've just been doing twitter-style one line blogs with a video or a picture attached. it's kind of sad. i always thought the blog was a great place to say what i needed to say and keep up with writing. a place to actually do something of thought and of value. i guess i could still do both, it's just hard to find the time to update valencia's blogs, valencia's twitter, my twitter, video updates, friends or enemies pictures and whatever else there is to update on the internet on top of writing thoughtful/meaningful blogs.

long story short, i've got some time right now so i wanted to share something actually relevant and thought out.

today i wanted to share a random memory of this cd. i remember someone handed me a burned cd in about march of 2003. all it said was 'emo meets techno'. that cd was the postal service's 'give up'. i remember being so dumbfounded by the concept. i had no idea that it was ben gibbard or jenny lewis or james scott tamborello. i probably had no idea who any of those people were. the best part about it was that it opened my mind up to a whole new way of looking at songs. this all may sound pretty cheesy and stupid, but it's true. the postal service was really something that hadn't been done much before, especially the concept of it. sending things back and forth and taking your time with things and creating when it was time to... not because you thought you should or because people wanted another album that sounded like the last. it was fresh and new and because they felt like making music.

in any event, it's a great album and i enjoy listening to it. i've since grown to love dntl, death cab, rilo kiley and all of their respective bands and associated projects. it definitely opened up my world a bit. the point i guess i'm trying to make is that burning cds and downloading music is one of the greatest inventions ever. even though i had to investigate on my own to find all that other stuff out, it all started with one burned cd with a cryptic message on top.

________________________________________________________________

in other news, i haven't written a full song in a very long time. i need to get on that. i've been writing riffs and parts, i need to sit down and put it all together. - that's my twitter-esque ending.

2009-03-26T11:11:00.001-07:00

adam green is such a weird guy.

why can't my posts be like this

2009-03-25T11:17:00.001-07:00

mullen's got a way with words.

2009-03-24T11:26:00.001-07:00

2009-03-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

recently played folder. what a weird mix of things to listen to.

2009-03-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

australia videoooooo. i made it weeks ago and it's taken forever to get things rolling but it's up and i hope you enjoy it

2009-03-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

i want a shirt with that on it

2009-03-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

rob hitt just twittered about this.. but seriously, remember these?

such great commercials

2009-03-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

i used to like this song until i saw this video. now i LOVE it.

2009-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

THEREALSHAQ is the best twitterer there is!

2009-03-13T17:25:00.001-07:00

i love this: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1606914/20090312/radiohead.jhtml

2009-03-10T18:04:00.001-07:00

photos from australia up at www.valenciamusic.net go!!!

2009-03-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

photos from australia up at www.valenciamusic.net go!!!

2009-03-09T03:54:00.001-07:00

great.

2009-03-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

NIN: Burn Live from on stage, Melbourne 2.25.09 [HD] from Nine Inch Nails on Vimeo.

i was there. it was awesome.

Australia Update part 3

2009-03-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven’t updated in a bit. Things have been crazy! We played Sydney Sidewave, Melbourne Sidewave, Medlbourne Soundwave and Adelaide Soundwave since we last updated. We’ve been all over this fine country since we last spoke. We Just got into Perth. I finally saw Trent Reznor, he was on our flight. Also, Pharrell is staying at our hotel so we tried to get a holding it down picture with him, but he flew away too quick.

On the Flight from Sydney to Melbourne we saw the fire wreckage. I can’t believe how devastating it is has been there. People were saying that it has destroyed entire cities. I also heard from a guy on the plane that the flames move so fast that if you see the flames at all you are probably going not going to make it, even if you’re in a car. It is pretty sad. We ended up doing a signing everyday to help raise money for the Red Cross and their relief efforts. Wish there was more we could do but we haven’t had much time. I just hope everything works out.

When we arrived in Melbourne, it was a mad house in the lobby. Literally every band were hanging out and waiting to check in. A lady who worked for the hotel came up to me and asked what was going on. I told her about Soundwave Festival and everything. Her response was, “Oh gosh, well I don’t think I’ve neve seen so many alternate people. So many alternates!” I thought it was pretty ridiculous. Never heard band guys described as “alternates.”

That night, we played a show with Goldfinger. Our rider was one of the best we’ve ever had. It was just random like gourmet like breads and delicious guacamole and the best fruit tray ever. This fruit tray had so many good fruits on it and 2 kinds of fruit that I never saw before, so I asked around what they were. One was Passion fruit and another was a spiky fruit called Rambutan. The Rambutan one wasn’t that bad, but the Passion fruit was pretty incredible. I never had one before and most people I know probably haven’t, but I recommend it!

The venue was in a pretty cool area and Kelly from Goldfinger showed us around. We went to all these sweet vintage shops and wished everything wasn’t so expensive here. We tried on some hilarious things and Kelly bought a sweet old school police jacket so he could pull people over.

The show was pretty fun, Mike Herrera dedicated a song to Shane. We played and it seemed like kids liked it. I didn’t have high expectations that Goldfinger fans would like us but it seemed to go pretty well both nights.

The next day was Melbourne Soundwave. It was definitely tied with Sydney for my favorite show of the tour. So many kids knew the words and were singing along and having an all around good time. It was definitely way crazier than I had ever expected it would be halfway across the world. We’re so grateful to be on this tour, it has been incredible.

During the day we decided to make a video of kids at the show to see who could do the best American accent. The most people things kids would say in their American accent was ‘I’m going to Wal-Mart’, something about guns or about us ‘silly Americans’ calling it MelBOURNE instead of Mel-Bin. People think that’s all we do in America, and they’re definitely right.

Later in the night we watched NFG and there were thousands of people on stage. Hodge was holding it down with mike Herrera and Chad (pictures to come) and it was an all around fun night. After them, we watched some good old Alkaline Trio and Saves The Day. Both bands played amazingly and picked some sweet songs. The setlist said they were going to play Stupid Kid twice. Unfortunately it was just a typo and they didn’t actually do it.

After the show I thought it’d be a great idea to stay up until the flight and sleep all the way there… it definitely wasn’t. I was tired allll day. Needless to say I won’t be doing that again. The show still went very well in Adelaide. Not as many people as the other shows, but still lots of fun. Everyone who was there was enjoying themselves and it was definitely cool. I also watched Nine Inch Nails full set and they definitely blew me away. They put on such a great show. They definitely copy us a lot, but I think I can forgive them. After the show I was so tired so I just sat on the web for a few minutes and then went straight to bed. I was so tired and needed to catch up on sleep. Today was yet another flight, over to Perth. It is really strange how standard flights have become to us. It’s like the normal thing that every other day we’ll be on a plane for a few hours. It’s very strange, but pretty cool at the same time.

Today we arrived in Perth and just kind of hung out at the hotel. Aside from a food run, we really have just been sitting around and taking it easy. We’re pumped for the Soundwave tomorrow, I hear it should be a good show and that Perth usually brings the rock.. NERD is staying at our hotel. We wanted to get a holding it down photo with Pharrell but we couldn’t because he ran away with his cape on.

Anyway, once the show is done tomorrow, we will have only a short time left in Australia before continuing on the Say No To Neon tour in the states. We’re sad to see this tour end but we are excited to get back and see all our friends in America. Wish us luck on our flight home, so that we don't land on the island from Lost.

-Brendan

P.S. Photos and videos are coming soon. It's just too slow on this internet here to do anything of the sort! ...adios!

Australia Update part 2.

2009-02-24T23:47:00.001-08:00

Sydney proved to be an incredible show. We had some crazy technical difficulties but it didn’t matter because the kids were incredible and everyone just had an all around good time. We’ve been really surprised by how many people have known us here. We have had so many people singing along and jumping and just have a good time with our music and it’s the best feeling in the world. Another amazing thing was to see our friends from Texas who had flown all the way from America to see Australia and the Soundwave Festival. It was great to see familiar faces in the crowd! Amazing thing #3 is that I received a few Starbucks and I’m halfway around the world. What an amazing thing the internet is.

The other thing that has been really cool is our new phone. We’ve never done something like this where we have a phone and kids can call us. We’ve been overwhelmed with text messages and phone calls from kids in Australia and even all over the world calling just to say hello and talk. It has been really cool… so much better than just a myspace comment to hear people’s voices and know who I’m talking to. So if you like, call us, we love it!

After the show we took a shuttle back to the hotel and rode with In Flames. Literally the nicest dudes we’ve ever met. Two worlds were colliding between Swedish metal and American pop punk and it was awesome. The best part was when they were leaving and they didn’t know we were… so the tour manager yelled at them to come say goodbye to us in Swedish. Just heard them yelling a whole mess of Swedish and then our name right in the middle. It was great.

We finally settled in at the hotel and worked out the room situation and decided to go out. Hodge, George and I. the Three amigos!! We walked all around Sydney looking for something to do. We must have walked like 6 miles. Finally we got back to the hotel and found out that everyone was going to the after party. We got lost on the way to the after party and asked these people who also had no idea. Fortunately we ended up talking to these Norwegian people for about an hour. Hodge fell in love and we parted ways. 20 minutes later, Hodge realized that he loved this girl and made us walk all over Sydney and knock on every hostel looking for this girl. Little did we know there are like 50 in the same area and there was no chance of finding her. Needless to say we came home empty handed and ended up just going to the after party and hanging out with friends. Hodge is still heartbroken.

The next day we headed down to Sydney Central Station to take the train to the harbour. We had planned on going to the zoo and seeing the sites. We went down and saw the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It was really cool to see the things that I’ve seen so many pictures of and in movies. We took the ferry across with the intention of heading into the zoo. Unfortunately the zoo was closing in about 45 minutes so we didn’t want to spend the money for such a short time. We ended up just taking a nature walk that was really cool and got some great views of Sydney. We were taking pictures of these Iguanas that we saw. We thought it was so unique and cool until we realized that it was actually something similar to squirrels in America. Then we saw like 10 more and realized we were fools… but it was still cool no matter how silly and touristy we are.

After another 6 mile walk we headed down to the sauna in the hotel and sweated as much as anyone ever should in 50 degree weather. 50 degrees and we were sweating like pigs… I think they’re thermometer was broken. Next we went to an internet café to eat some internet and use some coffee and snacks for information, it was very strange, the guy next to me was watching Journey live videos for the entire hour we were there. I also overheard some foreign girl trying to spell something on the phone and she was like ‘ok it’s on john street… J as in George, O as in Ernie, H as in elf and N as in myspace’…. It was pretty sweet.

Next stop was the bloodhound gang show. We left a note for our buddies in Biffy Clyro. They are playing there in a few weeks and I hope they receive our message. The show was short and afterwards we caught wind of another afterparty going on. Of course, we got lost again. We ended up walking about 5 more miles and 10 miles round trip. We came back and hung out in the lobby. I think my favorite part about this trip is that we’ve on tour with a bunch of really cool bands and they are all really cool and just hang out. We’ve hung out with some bands that we never though we’d be on the same tour, let alone hanging out together. It’s pretty great and we’ve loving it.

The next day we went to the Featherdale Wildlife Reservation and hung out with some of Australia’s crazy animals. We got to pet some koalas, feed and pet kangaroos, play with dingos and wombats. We held snakes and lizards and whatever else there was for us to do; we did it. I took soooo many pictures and they will surely be up once I can get internet that is fast enough!

At night we went to hang out with our friends Andrew and Ben. Ate thai food. We walked heaps of miles (my great Australian slang!!) to the New Found Glory show. We got some Neighbours dvds from our friends and we are going to watch EVERY EPISODE EVER!! Okie from Houston calls went absolutely insane and was doing Aretha Franklin moves and the Macarena on stage. Chad from nfg picked him up and threw him into the crowd. It was just an overall silly night.

After the show we went to a weird casino bar and everyone hung out. It took FOREVER to get everyone together to go to the bar. The guys from new found were getting cleaned up and by the time they came down no one wanted to go to the one bar. Then no one was sure which way to go and which bar was which. We finally got there and it was silly, but we still all had a good time. Everyone was together and just having good conversations and good hangs. It ended up to be a pretty good night.

We ended up having some local Australians show us the real way to eat Vegemite and I MIGHT be coming around on it… but I might not be too. I’m still on the fence about it. And when I say ‘the real’ way to have Vegemite, I mean they took their finger and dipped it into the jar and just ate a teaspoon full. Bold.

Tonight is the show with Goldfinger and Riverboat Gamblers and Mike Hererra. I’m pretty stoked. I hope you guys are too. I’m sure you’re not as stoked as we are. It’s about that time to load in, but I hope you’ll call us and hope to see you soon.

INTERNET IS HARD TO COME BY IN AUSTRALIA :(

2009-02-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

So far everything has been brilliant. We have loved (almost) every last minute of this trip so far. The flight was probably the only uncomfortable/unenjoyable part thus far. The flight was packed with all the bands and it was a good time, but it just sucks to sit in a seat for 15 hours and have the blood pool in your ankles and swelling feet. We transferred in New Zealand and landed in Brisbane 18 hours in the future. I can’t tell you what happens in those 18 hours, but, trust me you don’t want to know. I was determined to stay awake until midnight so I didn’t get jet lag. We didn’t have any internet, so I couldn’t do much at the hotel. Hodge, George and I walked around for hours just seeing what Brisbane was all about. We walked down to this little known shop called ‘STARBUCKS’. It is a really sweet little coffee shop indigenous to Brisbane. If you’re ever hear, come check it out! Even though the dollar is worth less than the American dollar it is still very expensive. We decided to stop spending money and head to this little hole-in-the-wall Australian shop called ‘TARGET’. It was a cool little place and we picked up some swim suits so we could take advantage of our rooftop pool. We ended up heading to the pool and enjoying the summer heat of February by swimming and then falling asleep by the pool to get some sweet tank top tans. The view was insane from up there and I took a ton of pictures that I hope to upload and show you when I finally get better internet. The first night was fun because everyone was just acquainting and reacquainting themselves with each other. We were just hanging with old friends and meeting new ones. It was great to see Bayside, as always, they were doing “regular”. Its crazy how many bands we know on these festivals and we’re stoked to meet some new people too. We are doing our side shows with Goldfinger so we met those guys who were very nice and we’re stoked to do those shows with them. I’ll have to ask John about his vegan recommendations in Australia. It’s pretty rough here as far as vegan food goes. At least ‘vegemite’ is vegan. Another great quality that vegemite has is that it’s DISGUISTING. I guess I haven’t tried it in the right sense (apparently you’re supposed to eat it with butter, which I can’t eat) but still. It was not unlike eating a handful of salt. Pretty gross. The other food has been aright except for the surprise mayonnaise in my sushi that I had to throw out after one bite.

Other members of Valencia dropped off and went to sleep at like 3 or 4 in the afternoon and definitely messed up their sleep schedule pretty bad. However, I made it until about 10:30 and I am really glad I did. I woke up at 9, a really good night’s sleep , and I think I’m on schedule. We headed to the show and watched some bands. We saw Mke Hererra, Saves The Day, Houston Calls, Say Anything, Inner Party System, Alkaline Trio, Underoath, Bayside, etc. etc. There are so many good bands on this festival. We’ve excited to be a part of it. We played around 5 o’clock and it was so much more than I could have expected. There was a ton of people that I NEVER thought would have known who we were. We are in freakin Australia. Our cd isn’t even out here and all thse people knew the words and were having a great time. It was really a lot of fun.

After the show George and I took a shuttle back to the hotel with Face to Face and Chiodos. On the way, a drunk man jumped in front of the van and wouldn’t move. Immediately, Face to Face’s TM jumped out an started screaming at the guy and telling his ‘mate’ to get him out of the way. He was ready to fight him. Finally he got out of the way and told us that that happens a lot and that’s just all a part of Australia’s wildlife.

Right now I am in the airport terminal waiting to head to Sydney. We get to the show at around 2 o’clock and play at 5. It was so crazy to fly and play all in the same day, but it seems like we’re going to be doing a lot of that over the next 2 weeks, so hopefully we’ll get used to it.

Oh and one more thing before I go. In the hotel room, you had to put your hotel key in a slot by the door in order to use the power of the room. I thought it was a pretty genius idea to save power and make sure that people don’t leave their tvs and lights and whatever else on in the room while they’re not there. So, it really had nothing else to do with anything except that I applaud your effort ‘random Australian hotel!’

Time to fly. More updates to come.... tons of pictures and video when we get home!

-Brendan

2009-02-20T01:19:00.000-08:00

so far tons of funny/crazy things have happened and we're excited. can't wait to play tomorrow. my ankles and feet still are swollen from being seated for too many hours. either way, it's going great, i'm on the worst internet ever so far and i can't do too much but just know it's so far so good.

also about the fires, definitely crazy and it's a huge deal, i actually was planning on saying something tomorrow about it, i also think there's a bunch of relief stuff going on that we may be able to help with. we are definitely hoping to be able to assist in any way we can.

anyway, time to go get our laminates (that cost 250 dollars to replace if lost) and tour books and stuff, more to come soon.

2009-02-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

HEADED DOWN UNDER!!!! hopefully i don't get the clap from a koala bear, which apparently is a possibility in this crazy day and age that we live. i'm going to wrastle a kangaroo and eat as much vegemite as i can. i'm going to talk in an australian accent and try to perfect it, watch the road warrior the entire flight, climb to the top of the syndey opera house, NOT go to a nude beach and of course do the obligatory 'hold a koala' picture. i can't wait.

see all of you aussies there, we are so excited.

2009-02-17T02:00:00.001-08:00

new viddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

2009-02-16T02:10:00.000-08:00

now that's a photo that needs no explanation.

tonight's show in anaheim was completely incredible. we couldn't have asked for a better group of people to play for here and everything just went well. thanks to everyone who came out and hung out afterward, etc.

tomorrow we're playing in victorville for our last show in america until we head to australia. we couldn't be more excited to go and have the time of our lives halfway across the world. you should definitely be jealous.

2009-02-15T02:19:00.001-08:00

GET THAT CORN OUTTA MY FACE!

i still need to see this movie

2009-02-14T11:46:00.001-08:00

WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE? A MATH MAGICIAN?!@

URAQT

2009-02-13T04:40:00.001-08:00

it's 6:40 in the morning and i haven't slept yet, so i'm going to make this quick:

i had a dream that george, hodge and i worked at starbucks and after a thorough investigation it was found that hodge gave hundreds of people hepatitis c. it was a weird dream, but an accurate start to our almost 24 hour van ride. we drove 5 hours last night and had a crazy warning and had to add oil to the van at 2 am... only to wake up and drive another 20 hours and we're still not there!

needless to say, we got pretty delirious. at one gas stop we were looking at the personalized license plates for our names and it took us 5 minutes of wondering why they had the name 'uraqt' (we were pronouncing it 'your-act') and not george

anywho. what a crazy day. time to sleep

STICKERSSSSS!!!

2009-02-11T17:09:00.001-08:00

NEW VID

2009-02-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

listen to it

2009-02-09T08:38:00.001-08:00

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
Uploaded by IgnitionVM

awesome video. i had this same EXACT idea once but i guess i was too slow (except for the end... that was pretty silly, i'd never do that)... dammit.

2009-02-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

Head to www.valenciamusic.net for more photos like this one and a sweet blog!

2009-02-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

first person who can tell me what this is in reference to gets my love

2009-02-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

hilairous...

a bit out of tune and weird structure... but we had never really done more than half the song ever so we had no idea what we were doing... just thought it'd be fun. check it!

2009-02-04T12:44:00.001-08:00

we did a radio show today and i said fuck in an angry rant against the cold weather in south carolina. it was all a joke but i felt bad that they could get in trouble for it. apparently tim and eric did the same thing like a week ago and they said it like 3 times and asshole a few times and they didn't even bleep it, so that was pretty good that i wasn't the worst... but then again to describe tim and eric as the worst would be insane because they are the best.

here's a great video by them:

word!

wish my hair was back to this

2009-02-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

2009-02-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

here is an interesting article that i agree with.. i definitely have become too dependent on google. i hate it. check it out and see if you agree too...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10154371-16.html?part=rss

song recommendation

2009-02-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

so today the song that i'm going to be putting up is 'mahgeetah' by my morning jacket.

this is a band who really can play. live they are sooo good. i got into this band when i saw conor oberst play with jim james (of my morning jacket) and m. ward in about 2004. or maybe it was 05, i can't be sure. either way... it was a really great show. i just remember being blown away by all of the parts of the show with jim james, he has such a unique voice. it's so high but still full and always sounds huge no matter what he's singing. since that show i have listened to 'it still moves' probably about 1000 times. i even listened to Z tons of times when it came out. the band is just incredible. the new album, i will not give credit for, i didn't really enjoy it except for the song 'i'm amazed'.

i feel like i'm rambling and we have to be headed to richmond but i wanted to show you all this song... listen and check out the rest of 'it still moves' if you get a chance!

2009-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

charles bukowski is quite a guy. he's cynical and pissed off at the world and i love it. i've been reading a lot of his poems these days. i hated poetry as a kid but this has been sort of a revelation for me. i was at the bookstore and had an hour to kill while waiting around and i decided to check it out. modest mouse and the good life and tons of other bands that i love have mentioned his poetry and i figured it was time i actually checked it out and loved it... its easy to read and think about while i'm sitting in the van. the great thing i've found with poems is that it forces you to stop and think about what the author was trying to mean in each particular poem. rather than sitting and reading a story where it's cut and dry and you just have to follow the concrete ideas this is way more abstract and gives you a chance to think.

in any case, i hope you'll do the same as i did and give poetry another chance. i really hated poetry as a kid but it is coming back around for me, so give it a shot, the same might happen for you.

2009-01-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

first day of tour = success. there were tons of kids with glowsticks, mosh pits, crowd surfers and friends. long island never disappoints. hopefully tomorrow and the next day and the next day and so on and so on go as well. we're really excited to be back on the road and all the bands are really cool and can't wait to see you all! check out our sweet ass laminates and our fun times loading the trailer in the freezing cold sliding on the ice.

see you all soon,
brendan

SNOW!

2009-01-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

2009-01-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

this band is incredible. we played one of our first shows that max was in the band with them at the TLA in philly. the show was with snake the cross the crown, owen and mwy. at the show i bought 'i do perceive' by owen and the only cd that mewithouyou had which was A B life. both of which became a soundtrack to what i remember of most of my freshman year of college. it's interesting music with thoughtful lyrics and an even better life show that just enhances it all. there are tons of crazy stories that people have about aaron weiss, but he's a really smart and involved in good causes which is a great thing. i need to get more into this kind of stuff.

anyway, today we signed a drum head for 149 pieces and just made me think that we need to get more into it... also i was on the train listening to mwy and needed to share it with everyone.

i'm embaressed that i'm 3 days late on this.

2009-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

on january 22nd david berman announced that the silver jews are no longer. i really wish i could have seen them on the last tour. the silver jews were always incredible but american water was by far the best. possibly one of my favorite albums of all time. the lyrics are genius, the music is simple but well put together. there's tons of emotion and thought put into this music. i recommend that everyone reading this go and check out at least the song 'random rules'. one of my favorite songs of all time and really great lyrics.

not much else to say but that this will be sorely missed, can't wait to see if david berman starts another great project soon.

we're half awake in a fake empire

2009-01-23T00:39:00.000-08:00

Today at 5pm we will be playing on radio 104.5 and you should listen. If you live near Philly, listen via radio frequencies and if you live in somewhere not as good as Philadelphia you can listen at www.radio1045.com and I strongly suggest it! We're going to be playing 2 songs from our album and a cover. The cover is 'Close To Me' by The Cure. I love the cure and they do a great job of writing songs so it will be a fun one to cover. I also get to play tambourine with my foot for the song so that will be a fun part too.

Also... I get my camera back tomorrow so I'm really excited. I have been really busy lately, which isn't a bad thing... but it's just crazy! I have been working on artwork for some stuff we're about to do, working on some new songs, working on learning my lines for a role in a movie that I'm auditioning for on Monday, getting ready dfor tour and way too many other things! I think the last one is the one I'm most stressed about... I haven't memorized much in a long time. I memorize music all the time, but that comes very natural... words and expression definitely doens't come natural to me... but I'm definitely excited to try something new. Wish me luck!

2009-01-22T17:40:00.000-08:00

So, many of you know about our Say No To Neon tour. As it appeared before, we were only going to be touring the east coast and bottom half of the country. We told you we were going to be adding more dates, and indeed we are! After we get back from Australia, we will be landing in Los Angeles and headed back to our home area via the north and northwest of the country! We are going to be joined by 3 sweet bands - Fight Fair, Meese and You, Me and Everyone We Know. We are really excited for the rest of the tour and we hope to see you all at the dates!

March 6, 2009 - The Venue w/ Houston Calls, Fight Fair - Los Gatos, California
March 7, 2009 - Satyricon w/ Houston Cals, Fight Fair - Portland, Oregon
March 8, 2009 - The Viaduct w/ Houston Calls, Fight Fair - Tacoma, Washington
March 10, 2009 - Kilby Court w/ Houston Calls, Fight Fair - Salt Late City, Utah
March 11, 2009 - Marquis Theater w/ Houston Calls - Denver, Colorado
March 12, 2009 - Jackpot Music Hall w/ Houston Calls, Meese - Lawrence, Kansas
March 13, 2009 - Mojoe's w/ Houston Calls, Meese - Orland Park, Illinois
March 14, 2009 - The Shelter w/ Houston Calls, Meese - Detroit, Michigan
March 15, 2009 - Grog Shop w/ Houston Calls, Meese - Cleveland Heights, Ohio
March 17, 2009 - Xtreme Wheels w/ Houston Calls, You, Me & Everyone We Know - Buffalo, NY
March 18, 2009 - Harper's Ferry w/ Houston Calls, You, Me & Everyone We Know - Allson, MA
March 19, 2009 - Webster Underground w/ Houston Calls, You, Me & Everyone We Know - Hartford, CT
March 20, 2009 - The Note w/ Houston Calls, You, Me & Everyone We Know - West Chester, PA
March 21, 2009 - Eldolyn Terrace w/ Houston Calls, You, Me & Everyone We Know - Altoona, PA

2009-01-22T12:17:00.001-08:00

this dog expresses how i feel right now

dreaded politics!!!!

2009-01-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

i've had many people tell me not to post things about politics but yesterday was sweet and i'm excited so here's more!

also... my thoughts on lost. i rate episode 5/10 there is too much science fiction going on. i would watch star trek or some random science fiction show if i wanted to hear about moving islands and time travel. not that i have anything against time travel... it's just not what i signed up for when i started watching lost. i can maybe blame myself... the polar bear and the black smoke should have been an indication, but the rest of the show was too good to pass by. it's been good up to this point, let's hope they don't blow it!

brendan.

2009-01-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

i thought this was a great quote... not sure i agree with it entirely, but it is interesting to think about. the things we create, say or do are all just a collection of our experiences melding into one and coming out as your 'own' creation. where is the line between influence and theft, and it also begs the question: does it really matter? that's the part of the quote that i disagree with, i think it does matter. i can't tell you how mad i was looking at those videos comparing coldplay to the songs they 'stole' and avril lavigne, etc. what i DO agree with, is that you need to be a consumer and take in art, music and any other creation and really soak it up in order to be able to create your own. inspiration is key in creation, an uninspired piece of art can easily be exposed.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

in other news... the inauguration was today and it was a pretty great speech. not really much left to say that wasn't said on the 7 hours of coverage on EVERY channel on the tv. so i won't say much else, other than i got chills watching it all today... might even re-watch the speech tonight.

2009-01-18T22:54:00.001-08:00

i really want to see this movie when it comes out:

this clip doesn't really do it justice. don't want to see it for the story, but the animation is insane! it's not clay mation or computer generated... it's all stop motion. they made all of the models and there is a lady who knits all the sweaters and clothes out of these threads as thin as a hair.

if you head to www.coraline.com they have some really awesome videos on how they made it and the amount of work that went into it. it's really epic, i can't wait to see it.

2009-01-17T21:15:00.001-08:00

SeeqPod - Playable Search

how great would it be if they reformed?

bummer.

2009-01-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

this music industry/whole world industry stuff is just getting out of control, when will it end?! such a bummer to hear about people losing their jobs right now.

thankfully all of our friends still have their jobs. but who knows what's coming next...

in other (more light-hearted) news. this week's pun cartoon contest is up at OUR WEBSITE go vote... for me, of course!

here's mine:

head to valenciamusic.net to see the competition and vote for yourselves!
b

2009-01-15T23:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Alex and I have been making music together randomly for years. Not much usually comes of the music we make together... usually it's just for fun. Today I found out that a song that I played some guitar on that he did is being pressed to vinyl. The song came out really well and you can hear it at the remix myspace - RESTIFORM REMIXES - It is the second song "Consumer Culture Wave Rx Remix".

Check it out and let me know what you thought!