HORNS. ALL THE HORNS.

HANSON GOOD YEAH VIDEO WOO *inexplicable keymash*

(P.S. I'm sick. This is the best I could do.)

CLICK IT. Short Interview In This Link Too

Get More: Hanson, Top 20 Countdown

We're on a Freight Train of Soft Rock

I keep going back and forth between we and I . Most of these are shared opinions but we don't ACTUALLY share a brain. This might get a little confusing.  Sorry.

Like we said before, we started this blog because people seem to enjoy reading what we have to say about our favorite bands, our concert going experiences and life in general. So far, we've only blogged about our favorite bands.  We'll get to the rest of the stuff. As I started to write this post, I realized this isn't really about "hey, check out this band" like most blogs, but more of "this is why we love this band." This isn't an attempt to convince you to love our favorite bands...but if you check them out, and like them...fuck yeah! 

And now, for the real post...

Take a quick glance at our facebook/twitter/instagram feeds. You won't be surprised that our second post is about Luke Wade and his band Luke Wade & No Civilians.  We love that guy.  Obviously.

Photo Credit: Steve Watkins

 Photo Credit: Steve Watkins

I included this one because it makes me laugh

We were introduced to Luke Wade last year by a lovely friend we met in 2010 while crammed into our Tulsa hotel room with 14 other girls changing for a Halloween show/costume contest.  That's a fun story, but has nothing to do with Luke, so I'll save it for another time. 

Luke Wade & No Civilians is the name of his band, but he also plays a lot of solo, duo and trio shows with various members of the band and some of his other musical buddies (like the incredibly talented Chris Watson).  

I'm really bad at giving decent background info, so you can read all of that on his website. Seriously, read it.  The first paragraph of his bio is really amusing.

The members of Luke's band come and go, but the current line-up is

Luke Wade - vocals, guitar
David Wade - saxophone, flute, background vocals 
Al Todd - trumpet (who, unfortunately, is not in any of my photos of the band...YET)
Paul Jenkins -bass
Chris Glenn - drums, background vocals

How we fell in love...

It's weird how these things work.  Kim had been trying to get us out to a show as soon as she found out that I had moved to DFW and Tess and I were roommates (we ran into her at a festival in Denton last April).  We finally made it out to a show at Capital Bar towards the end of May.  We really liked what we heard, were super impressed with Justin's skill at playing trumpet and keys at the same time...but didn't buy any of their music...and didn't see them again for many, many months. At first, it seemed like it wasn't meant to be.  Their shows were always happening on nights when we couldn't go.  I'm pretty sure the first time we saw them again was in Dallas after Josh Weathers Band (you'll hear more about them soon) played at the Levitt...which means it was the end of September before we saw them again. We FINALLY bought his album at a show in October (most memorable moment from that show: getting yelled at by a drunk old woman because I wasn't dancing the way she thought I should dance.  I've had too many incidents like this.  LET ME SWAY AWKWARDLY IN PEACE!). We didn't really start going to shows on a regular basis until November...and on a weekly basis in December.  I don't even want to try to guess how many shows we've been to. I'd probably be a little horrified by the number.

For some reason, I'm having a really hard time trying to describe WHY I love this music.  So, I'm going to steal this from a review I read by Steve Watkins. "His songs are emotive, romantic, often embarrassingly intimate, and his vocals and musicianship are flawless. He has a certain melancholic Paul Simon quality that really sets him apart from most of the traditional Fort Worth songwriters."  The songwriting.  That's what it comes down to.  And the faces he makes when he plays.

On one of the Wednesdays during their 8 week residency at The Live Oak in Fort Worth (Dec-Jan), Luke brought in a camera crew to record 4 songs.  So far, we've seen two of those videos...and yeah, Tess and I are in them! They're good videos, but I still don't think they quite capture the magic of their show.  So, if this is how you're seeing them for the first time, take this awesomeness, and multiply it by 10.  Then you'll be a little closer to understanding why we go to so many shows. 

Cool Wind (will be on the new album)

http://youtu.be/0Hrk0-AiYCc  (this video refuses to cooperate)

Cover of The Police's Roxanne

After their last Wednesday night show at The Live Oak, I took a setlist from the stage.  Luckily, I decided to keep track of what they played that night because I'm not sure Luke ever sticks to his setlist.

I love to overload everyone with info, so here are a couple solo videos I love:

Normal Love - on Tomorrow's Ghosts

Save Some For Me - not on an album (yet) but one of my favorites

He wrote this one for an awesome website called Songwriter Weekly

AND some photos from various shows:

 Singing Happy Birthday to me & others at The Spice Rack
One of the other bday girls requested Let's Get It On...and we got to watch a super awkward lap dance.  Thanks for these memories, Luke. ;)

 Screaming Bennie & the Jets can be exhausting

 Kid solo and the cutest thing to ever happen on that stage

He plays at Woodshed every Sunday (lately with David and Chris Watson)

 Pre-show solo set for the earlybirds 

 He plays every other Tuesday at Fred's w/ a friend (here w/ David and Wesley)
NOTE: Don't go to Fred's with the hope of decent service while enjoying a show. Their service is consistently awful.

AND a couple of photos we took after their show at Magnolia Motor Lounge this past Saturday. They're kind of fantastic (the boys and the photos):

My favorite musical brothers

I'm really glad I decided to ask for photos

Somehow I've managed to get this far without mentioning the new album!  It's going to be fanfuckingtastic...and hopefully out "soon"!  They've been playing these songs live for awhile, but even if I hear every single one of them a million times before the album is released, I'm still gonna have crazy eyes when I finally get my hands on the recorded versions.  I may even do a little dance. Possibly even publicly.  Don't worry, folks, we'll keep you updated on the progress and release dates and such...EVEN if you don't care.

If all of this rambling has you even the slightest bit interested, you can find more info and keep up with the band on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and their Website.

If you liked what you heard in the videos above, and you want to support and help my favorite local artist to keep doing what he does best, then you can purchase Tomorrow's Ghosts on iTunes or Amazon.  If you're still not sure or you're short on cash, you can get a live sampler for FREE on Noisetrade.  You can also buy all of this, including an acoustic cd and other merch, at a show!

Awesome stuff and things AND THIS SET UP IS NOT GIRLY!

The band will be traveling a bit over the next few months in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.  If they are anywhere near you, please check them out! 

First Real Post with Real Words about Real Music

If you know us, you know we love Delta Rae.

A little background info:

Delta Rae is a six piece band of awesome with four lead singers and a kickass rhythm section.

Liz Hopkins - Vocals/percussion

Brittany Holljes- Vocals/percussion

Eric Holljes - Vocals/piano (and sometimes guitar)

Ian Holljes - Vocals/guitar

Grant Emerson - Bass

Mike McKee - Drums

At the beginning of last year, they were signed to Sire/Warner by Seymour Stein.  That story has been told a million times, but if you haven’t heard it, you can check it out here. Before getting signed, they put out a 5 song EP (no longer for sale), released some of my favorite original songs and covers during the 12 week long Graet Mondays in early 2011, raised nearly $30,000 on Kickstarter to make their first full length album, and recorded a live album in December of 2011 (which you can get for free at www.deltarae.com when you sign up for their newsletter).

Most of you know this story, but just in case you don’t...here’s how we fell in love with them:

During the summer of 2010, Hanson did an opening band contest with Ourstage.com.  Bands in and around each city on the tour submitted their music, and the fans voted for their favorite. Before each show, Hanson would interview the band, have them play a couple of songs, and stream it to all of their fan club members via livestream. Delta Rae won the opening spot at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. Tess and I weren’t there (at that time, we hadn’t even met in real life, and we didn’t travel as much as we do now), but we both tuned in for the livestream.  Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson interviewed Liz, Brittany, Eric and Ian, and then Delta Rae sang New Days (Liz lead) and Bottom of the River (Brittany lead). I don’t think there was a single person watching that day that didn’t fall in love.  If they didn't, their ears are broken. Even Isaac was having a moment after hearing Bottom of the River!  After the stream, I immediately bought their EP on Amazon and found them on Twitter and Facebook. A couple of months later, while on my lunch break at work, Delta Rae tweeted that they had shirts for sale.  I had to have one.  By the time my lunch break was over, all of my coworkers were already tired of hearing about how excited I was about the shirt I had just ordered. A few days later, the shirt came in the mail with a sweet, hand written thank you note and a promise that they’d be in Texas soon.

A few months after that, our pal Laura was at my house for...something...and I scared the shit out of her when I suddenly screamed something along the lines of “OMG! DELTA RAE IS COMING TO TEXAS! WE’RE GOING!”  There were probably a few more cuss words said, but you get the point. Oh...and I'm not psychic. I was on my phone, looking at facebook or twitter. I practically fell out of bed and onto Laura and her airbed in my excitement. AND THEN A FEW MONTHS AFTER THAT,  they were finally here!  Laura drove to my house in north Houston, we drove up to Dallas, and met up with Tess and Amanda.  We got to the bar (The Bone, which is sadly no longer around) a little (super) early, and awkwardly hung around while they loaded all of their gear in and prepared for soundcheck.  This is getting way too long...clearly I enjoy talking...so let me wrap it up. They knew who I was (thank you, Twitter), were super excited to meet us, and blew us all away with their talent and kindness. Since then, we’ve flown and road tripped across the country to see them around 20 times in 4 states.  We’ve been to a ton of awesome cities, met so many incredibly awesome people, seen a lot of magical shows, started their street team, and even made Delta Rae cry a few happily overwhelmed tears. Yeah, we did that.  Yeah, we’re awesome.

Photo Credit: VegaBlue Studios

Torches. Awesome. But why torches? Well...the album is called Carry the Fire. That lyric is from the song Is There Anyone Out There. We decided to make their hometown cd release party the most awesome release party to have ever been partied and with a lot of help from awesome friends and fans, and a few DR family members, we had the audience literally carrying (fake) fire when the band walked back out for their encore. It was nuts in the best way possible.

Me, Pam, Laura, Gabby, Tess and Deane w/ the band

Setlist of awesome (HORNS & STRINGS!)

If you’re still reading this, you’re a trooper and your persistence will be rewarded!  Check out the new music video for their latest single, If I Loved You featuring Lindsey Buckingham.

Awesome, right? Duh.

You should also check out all of their other videos, which can be found here.

If you like what you hear, you can purchase their album, Carry the Fire, on Amazon , iTunes, and at Best Buy.

AND DO YOURSELF A FAVOR...keep up with their touring schedule and see them when they’re playing near you.  Their live show is INCREDIBLE, and should not be missed.  

Tour Dates

A few photos of awesome...

Amanda, Tess, Laura and me w/ the band after our 1st DR show!

Little Rock, Arkansas March 2012

Best. Present. Ever.

Jesse, Tess and Me w/ the band in Austin, TX December 2012

P.S.  Yes, we're hugging a trashcan. Why?  That trashcan is famous!  The band gave it to us after their show at The Kessler last December.  Wanna know why we’re happily hugging a trashcan and why Delta Rae would have one to give?  See it in action on Conan and Billboard.


And there it is. Our first REAL post! Enjoy. The next one will happen...soon...and it will be about...something. <3

Introducing Teshley (again)

Hello wonderful people of the interwebs! We know that most of you reading this are people who already know us but we figured we’d introduce ourselves anyway. After all, after this post, we expect hoards of new fans to pile in by the droves overnight. And by hoards we mean, like, 5 people. And by overnight we mean over the next several months.

Anywho, we picked pictures that we thought best characterized ourselves. My name is Tess ( left) and I have trouble staying away from the computer and enjoy crawling around on the floor. Ashley (right) loves cats.

We’re starting this blog after being told several times over the last couple of months that people love reading our posts on Facebook & Twitter usually dealing with music and life through our eyes. So, we’re moving a lot of that onto here, in one concise place, for your reading pleasure. Or displeasure. Whatever floats your goat. Tickles your fancy. That kind of stuff.

Yep.

A Post About Posting

We started our blog just a few days ago on tumblr, and but in the middle of writing up our first real post, we decided tumblr wasn't going to work for us.  So...yeah. New home. Same nonsense.