We're getting on the road about 4am tomorrow morning and heading north for a much-anticipated return to Colorado. Watch out for a few twitter frenzies and some random internet insanity to keep you as close as you ever want to get to being on the road with us...at least for now.
Wednesday (tomorrow) night we're going back to Current's Steakhouse (@currentssalida) in Salida, CO. Last time, they were filming some public access tv broadcast and the place was packed, so help us out and tell your friends and we'll do our best to pack it out again.
Thursday we head back to Doloros, a quaint little town that's home to the Doloros River Brewery. The beer is resplendent and the company is impeccable. It's a very intimate venue and we had a helluva time on our last trip up. Doloros is also host to a reportedly haunted Native American museum, which you can rest assured I'll be dragging Biggie (@notTHEbiggie) to at some point.
Friday night we're in Montrose at the Turn of the Century Saloon, and we cap the run off Saturday night at Little Bear in Evergeen, CO. It'll be our first time in Evergreen, so if you happen to know anyone in the area that might enjoy the show, give them a nudge and we'll make sure they don't regret it.
Catch you all soon, a longer and more enthralling blog post is coming. Check out www.thedamnquailsBAND.com for details and tickets. Thanks a ton.
Bryon White/TDQ
10/29/2013
10/02/2013
Headed Up North
Howdy all you faithful Quail followers. Just letting you know that we're heading back up North to make up for a few dates that got cancelled on our big Northern run earlier this year. We're starting out by hitting Missouri this weekend, then we're on our way to Chicago and a couple of Springfields next week.
This Friday night, we're at Knuckleheads in Kansas City, Missouri. This is one of the most unique venues we've ever played. They've got lots of memorabilia, good food, and an awesome sound system, adding up to one of our favorite spots in the Mid-West. Last time, Biggie and I took a Taxi through the park and had a lively little conversation with the cabbie about how dumb it would have been to walk through the park like we had originally planned. I'm pretty sure the phrase "much killings" was bandied about, but we made it back to the bus with a few cartons of cigarettes and much needed 7-11 fare to keep us all fed. Then we encountered a group of 12 year olds on skateboards with a Shih Tzu that was less terrifying and more "what the hell" inspiring. Eventually I got lost in an abandoned side of the hotel we were at, had to Twitter my way back to civilization, and shot the shit with Goolsby for a while. Always a good time in Kansas City.
Saturday night, we're back to Columbia, Missouri at The Snorty Horse Saloon. Last time we were in Columbia, we were opening for Josh Abbott Band and we had a helluva time in Columbia. Some sports team from there had won some sports competition and the place was on fire, so hopefully we can recreate that energy and folk some brains out. Yay sports!
Check out our schedule and more at www.thedamnquailsBAND.com and keep an eye on the social media whatsits for minute by minute information. @thedamnquails on twitter and instagram, or just follow @notTHEbiggie for a daily dose of hilarity.
This Friday night, we're at Knuckleheads in Kansas City, Missouri. This is one of the most unique venues we've ever played. They've got lots of memorabilia, good food, and an awesome sound system, adding up to one of our favorite spots in the Mid-West. Last time, Biggie and I took a Taxi through the park and had a lively little conversation with the cabbie about how dumb it would have been to walk through the park like we had originally planned. I'm pretty sure the phrase "much killings" was bandied about, but we made it back to the bus with a few cartons of cigarettes and much needed 7-11 fare to keep us all fed. Then we encountered a group of 12 year olds on skateboards with a Shih Tzu that was less terrifying and more "what the hell" inspiring. Eventually I got lost in an abandoned side of the hotel we were at, had to Twitter my way back to civilization, and shot the shit with Goolsby for a while. Always a good time in Kansas City.
Saturday night, we're back to Columbia, Missouri at The Snorty Horse Saloon. Last time we were in Columbia, we were opening for Josh Abbott Band and we had a helluva time in Columbia. Some sports team from there had won some sports competition and the place was on fire, so hopefully we can recreate that energy and folk some brains out. Yay sports!
Check out our schedule and more at www.thedamnquailsBAND.com and keep an eye on the social media whatsits for minute by minute information. @thedamnquails on twitter and instagram, or just follow @notTHEbiggie for a daily dose of hilarity.
9/04/2013
Surprise Surprise Surprise!
Howdy there folks and folkettes. I have just returned from a much needed week cruising around the Carribean with my girlfriend and happy to report that vacation was exactly as it should be...relaxing and fun. It was the first consecutive 7 days I've spent without a cell phone since `99 and it was quite liberating to say the least. Not that I didn't miss all you kind and charming internet peeps, but it was extremely therapeutic being able to spend a week as a humble tourist and getting drunk in foreign countries. I got to hear a bunch of Texas Country cover songs, gamble, tour the brewery for the national beer of Belize, drink said beer, take pictures, eat good food, compare facial hair with a sea lion, and, in a word, relax.
But I'm back now. And shit...is...happening.
Originally, we were supposed to have both last weekend AND this weekend off, but fate and the country music gods had other plans. Instead of a big empty spot on the calendar for this weekend, we're going to be takin' the show to a few Oklahoma casino's to open up for...
Wait...are you ready for this?
Bocephus. The bouncing baby boy of one of my favorite songwriters of all time. Friday Night at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, OK (about an hour west of OKC down I-40) and Saturday Night at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, OK, we Damn Quails will be opening for Hank Williams Jr. It's going to be a hellaciously cool couple of nights and you'll be kicking yourself if you miss out.
We're pumped about this show, folks. There's lots of folks coming out to these shows, so get some tickets and get your asses there. Find out details on www.thedamnquailsBAND.com, the Absolutely Positively Most Officialest of Official website of the Damn Quails ever to exist on the internets.
See what I did there?
In other big news, Biggie finally got a damn iPhone, which means Biggie is finally on the damn Twitter. I've been after him for years to start one, and the day has finally come. Now you can get the inside scoop on the innermost personal thoughts and Indiana Jones references of our beloved and kick ass harp guru. Follow him up on Twitter @notTHEbiggie and prepare yourself for hilarity. Biggie and I took it upon ourselves to record the very first Damn Quails podcast in true Red Leader/Blue Leader style...driving down the highway on a damn iPhone. It should be up in the next week or two, and you definitely don't want to miss this low-rent gem of 30 minutes in the car with two weird bastards.
Next week, we're heading back to one of our very favorite cities in Texas for a show at the Office in Lubbock. The crowd and the staff never disappoint and we're always pumped about getting another night there. I'm totally hitting up the Buddy Holly Museum again. I'll try and convince Biggie to roll with me and see what kind of iPhone internet shenanigans we can get away with before they kick us out. Then we're driving all the way out to Queen, New Mexico for a private event and hopefully a chance to palaver with our old pal and New Mexico resident and singer/songwriter extraordinaire Don Conoscenti. Looking forward to getting back in the groove and on the highway. Keep an eye on www.thedamnquailsBAND.com for more updates and shows and other whatsits. As per usual, you can find us online at Twitter (@thedamnquails) Facebook (facebook.com/thedamnquails) or Instagram (@thedamnquails) as well.
Catch you all down the road.
Bryon White/The Damn Quails
But I'm back now. And shit...is...happening.
Originally, we were supposed to have both last weekend AND this weekend off, but fate and the country music gods had other plans. Instead of a big empty spot on the calendar for this weekend, we're going to be takin' the show to a few Oklahoma casino's to open up for...
Wait...are you ready for this?
Bocephus. The bouncing baby boy of one of my favorite songwriters of all time. Friday Night at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, OK (about an hour west of OKC down I-40) and Saturday Night at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, OK, we Damn Quails will be opening for Hank Williams Jr. It's going to be a hellaciously cool couple of nights and you'll be kicking yourself if you miss out.
We're pumped about this show, folks. There's lots of folks coming out to these shows, so get some tickets and get your asses there. Find out details on www.thedamnquailsBAND.com, the Absolutely Positively Most Officialest of Official website of the Damn Quails ever to exist on the internets.
See what I did there?
In other big news, Biggie finally got a damn iPhone, which means Biggie is finally on the damn Twitter. I've been after him for years to start one, and the day has finally come. Now you can get the inside scoop on the innermost personal thoughts and Indiana Jones references of our beloved and kick ass harp guru. Follow him up on Twitter @notTHEbiggie and prepare yourself for hilarity. Biggie and I took it upon ourselves to record the very first Damn Quails podcast in true Red Leader/Blue Leader style...driving down the highway on a damn iPhone. It should be up in the next week or two, and you definitely don't want to miss this low-rent gem of 30 minutes in the car with two weird bastards.
Next week, we're heading back to one of our very favorite cities in Texas for a show at the Office in Lubbock. The crowd and the staff never disappoint and we're always pumped about getting another night there. I'm totally hitting up the Buddy Holly Museum again. I'll try and convince Biggie to roll with me and see what kind of iPhone internet shenanigans we can get away with before they kick us out. Then we're driving all the way out to Queen, New Mexico for a private event and hopefully a chance to palaver with our old pal and New Mexico resident and singer/songwriter extraordinaire Don Conoscenti. Looking forward to getting back in the groove and on the highway. Keep an eye on www.thedamnquailsBAND.com for more updates and shows and other whatsits. As per usual, you can find us online at Twitter (@thedamnquails) Facebook (facebook.com/thedamnquails) or Instagram (@thedamnquails) as well.
Catch you all down the road.
Bryon White/The Damn Quails
7/26/2013
From the Texas Music Theater to the Royal Theatre
First of all, thanks to all you people out there in interweb world for taking the time to visit our relatively new website over at www.thedamnquailsBAND.com If you're wondering if something you run across on the wild and untamed expanse known as the world wide web is legit or not in regards to the Damn Quails multiverse, just check out the website above and ye shall not be lead astray. You can see our official tour schedule as well as some pics and video, link to this here blog you're reading, feed from our Twitter account (@thedamnquails) and lots more stuff to come in the next few months.
The podcast is still happening, we're just trying to work out some hardware logistics so as to bring you our voices in as high quality as humanly possible. We'll also be doing quite a bit of jammin' around at random points throughout the podcast, so be prepared to hear some new tunes, old tunes, and tunes written by our many multi-talented comrades from across the globe.
We're doing some sort of Kubrick-esque private party tonight (at least that's Biggie's theory) in Tulsa, then heading on to a very public performance at the Royal Theater in Fairview, OK. Dr. Peaches (@shmignasty on twitter) has already gone ahead and made a place for us, so be sure and come see us if you're one of our fans in Northwestern Oklahoma. I've still got quite a few buddies around Fairview and the surrounding counties from my time in Lower Middle Class way back when, so I'm looking forward to seeing some of the old LMC crew around the Royal on Saturday night.
Next weekend, we're heading back to Austin for another show at the infamous Antone's nightclub. We had a blast last time and doing our damnedest to pack the house this go-round, so do us a favor and spread the word about the show to your friends and family. This band was founded on the fact that fans are our lifeblood, and simply chatting up your buddies about what kind of plans they've got on August 2nd and kindly suggesting they blow them off in favor of coming out for a debaucherous night with us at Antones instead is the kind of thing that truly helps us out the most. Throw up a status update on Facebook, Tweet it to hell and back, blog about it if you feel it's deserving of a place in your writing, anything to help us get as many bodies as possible through the door and getting their ears folked. Get your tickets early here...
After Antones, we're heading out to Conroe, TX (about 30 minutes north of Houston) to play Dosey Doe, so tell all your Houston peeps to come catch the show. We had an incredible time at the Firehouse Saloon last time we came to Houston, so here's hoping you folks don't mind a short drive up to Conroe to hang out with us again.
Once again, I have to take a moment and thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day to read the BS I come up with when I can't sleep or when I just feel like typing out some of the odd little details about our adventures since the last blog. Speaking of which....
I'm just going to make a little list of some things that have happened since the last time I blogged...bullet points and such. Here goes.
- We rocked the hell out of our gig on the 4th of July at Gruene Hall and especially at our show at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth on the 5th of July. The turnout at both shows was fantastic and we really needed a weekend like that to keep things positive. We had Cody Angel (@gitsteelca) sitting in on Pedal Steel, pictures were being flashed, and the people danced like teenagers at a high school prom. Fort Worth was the first market we hit way back before "Down the Hatch" came out and we were just beginning our foray into the great state of Texas. Texans welcomed this ragtag band of Okies with open arms and we are infinitely appreciative of every single one of you. In particular, our friendship with the incredible staff, on-air talent, listeners, and Wall Bangers at 95.9 The Ranch played a huge part in inscribing us in the hearts and minds of people from the Red River all the way south to Hillsboro. 95.9 The Ranch is living proof that it IS possible to be successful with a Texas Country/Red Dirt/Homegrown/Anything You Wanna Call It format and we're so glad they put up with our insanity. Thanks to everyone that made it out to Legendary Texas Venue weekend, we're looking forward making the same parlay again sometime.
- @JeffDuckley, our little feathered friend is alive and well and growing like a weed. He can't make every show, but keep an eye out for him around the feet or general vicinity of @jonknutz from show to show.
- We're still writing and messing around with tunes for the next Damn Quails record, so make sure and keep an ear out for some new songs at upcoming live shows. We still have a ways to go before we can get the follow up to "Down the Hatch" recorded, but we can assure you that it's going to be well worth the wait. We're tighter as a band than we've ever been before. Which brings to mind a story...
- A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...We played this gig at this place where we had some stuff happen during our soundcheck that, in spite of our best efforts, had us a little bit shaken up when it was over.
- It happens to the best of us.
- We finished sound check, ate some stuff, smoked some cigs, and watched Biggie play some impossible PC War Game that Napoleon Bonaparte himself couldn't win. When it came time to take the stage, we did so with a force and fury that was a few steps beyond other performances. It was one of those gigs with the fabled "seventh man" that symbolizes the band as a whole being absolutely and totally in sync with one another. When the set was over, a fan that had witnessed the events earlier in the day approached a few of us and was astounded at how well the show went. It almost didn't make sense to me that he pointed that out, until I stepped out of myself a bit and looked at it from an audience member's perspective.
- Since you can never really know how a thing appears to someone that isn't you, this little bullet point is completely and totally irrelevant. I have absolutely no idea how we appear to an audience member. We're an insane collection of insane people that make insane music in an insane world that just gets crazier by the minute. Lord only knows what people think of us. I mean, have you met Biggie? Basically, itt seemed like the audience member had this idea that bad vibes and negative experience would logically have a negative impact on the show. However...
- As a band, we've always had a unique ability to tap into nearly any one emotion and wring every single drop of life from it during the course of a 45 minute or a 90 minute or 240 minute set. We're a band that was born on feel, raised on groove, and are constantly growing and changing based on the things we go through as a band as well as on a personal level. Knowing how to turn emotions inward and use them to our advantage is how we turned a potentially shaky and distracted show into one of the most intense and well-played nights of our career. Adversity breeds tenacity, and tenacity breeds character. We're plowing through our fair share of adversity over the past several months. Things are still a little nuts for us right now, but they're getting a little better every day.
Thanks for helping us build this thing and thanks for your patience with all the craziness. It's a long road, but we're still a band and we're still making shit work. Come see us when you can.
Regards,
Bryon White/The Damn Quails
6/20/2013
From the Firehouse Saloon to Bono's Saloon...
Heading out for Houston tomorrow to play the infamous Firehouse Saloon in Houston. We've been through Houston several times but we're really glad to finally play the Firehouse. Given all the tales we've heard of it's infamy, it's sure to be one hell of a show. Not that we won't miss the chicken wire and Jager Bombings of the old Hardy Street Tavern shows of old...that place holds all kinds of fuzzy memories and terrible drunken Youtube videos all its own. (YEAAAAHHHH!)
That's what the internet is for. Right there.
By popular demand and barring any unfortunate or uncontrollable circumstances, our little pal Jeff Duckley (@jeffduckley on twitter) will be accompanying us on this particular run. Little Jeff has been growing a fairly substantial little fan base all his fuzzy own self. If you haven't heard, Jeff Duckley is the teensy little duck protege of our own Jon Knudson (@jonknutz on twitter) and has already begun showing signs of genius. He can play a pretty wicked little fiddle already and promises to move on to pedal steel once they can come up with a duck-sized version. Give Jeff a follow if you want to see what we're like through the eyes of a duck.
After Houston, we're heading on to Decatur and picking a little for the folks at Bono's Saloon. We haven't played this particular venue either, so it's a weekend of firsts for the Quail crew. Come out and see us at either venue and we guarantee a good show and a good time or at least a free high five or two.
While we get our little podcast mobile unit set up, I've decided to get our account over at Soundcloud up and going. Look for some new tunes, hotel recordings, and a bit of insanity over at our Soundcloud account.
Next week, we're heading to Lawrence, Kansas to play The Granada Theater, then on to Lawton for a show at Brewskie's dance hall. Don't forget to the check out the official Damn Quails Website over at www.thedamnquailsband.com for all updates and schedule info. See you guys on the road.
Bryon White/The Damn Quails
That's what the internet is for. Right there.
By popular demand and barring any unfortunate or uncontrollable circumstances, our little pal Jeff Duckley (@jeffduckley on twitter) will be accompanying us on this particular run. Little Jeff has been growing a fairly substantial little fan base all his fuzzy own self. If you haven't heard, Jeff Duckley is the teensy little duck protege of our own Jon Knudson (@jonknutz on twitter) and has already begun showing signs of genius. He can play a pretty wicked little fiddle already and promises to move on to pedal steel once they can come up with a duck-sized version. Give Jeff a follow if you want to see what we're like through the eyes of a duck.
After Houston, we're heading on to Decatur and picking a little for the folks at Bono's Saloon. We haven't played this particular venue either, so it's a weekend of firsts for the Quail crew. Come out and see us at either venue and we guarantee a good show and a good time or at least a free high five or two.
While we get our little podcast mobile unit set up, I've decided to get our account over at Soundcloud up and going. Look for some new tunes, hotel recordings, and a bit of insanity over at our Soundcloud account.
Next week, we're heading to Lawrence, Kansas to play The Granada Theater, then on to Lawton for a show at Brewskie's dance hall. Don't forget to the check out the official Damn Quails Website over at www.thedamnquailsband.com for all updates and schedule info. See you guys on the road.
Bryon White/The Damn Quails
6/07/2013
Back to the Blogger!!
It's been far too long since I've taken the time to sit down and blog about anything and I've decided it's finally time to get back in the swing of things. Writing these first few blogs before we transferred over to the old website blog were a source of great joy and entertainment for me and I'm looking forward to getting back in the proverbial saddle and doing the thing I love most about my job...writing. I'll be doing the blogging here and linking up to our brand-spankin' new website over at http://www.thedamnquailsband.com. That's the only official website of the Damn Quails and contains CORRECT information regarding our touring schedule, upcoming events, new pictures, videos, etc. Please visit the site, bookmark it, and delete the link to the old website as it's no longer under our control. The reason? Read on....
I know a lot of you have questions about just what the hell has been going on with us over the past few months regarding the unavoidable (and pain in the ass) business side part of our little traveling band and I sincerely wish I could answer all of those questions with brutal and indignant honesty. Alas, now is still not the time for me to do so, but as soon as I am able to discuss the whole thing, I'll write a blog long enough to rival a good Stephen King short story and everything will be fully explained. For now, all I can say is that we are still working through some business and management issues, but we're definitely still a band and still dedicated to rocking the ever-loving shit out of your town, home theater system, and car stereo. Wacky Mac is still one of our closest confidants and we love him more than ever no matter what you might have heard through this devil's grapevine we're all caught up in. Most importantly, thank you from the bottom of all of our tiny Quail hearts for sticking with us and for understanding (or at least accepting) the vagueness and overall lack of information regarding our current situation. Thanks, thanks, a billion times thanks. On to lighter news...
Those of you that have been kind enough to come out to a Damn Quails show over the past few months have already gotten a sneak peak at some of the material we're going to be recording for our eagerly anticipated second record. Gabriel has been playing "Tightrope Walker", "Give it Some Time", and "Streets of LA" nearly every set, and I've recently been bringing out "Las Vegas March" and a super new song that I've yet to officially give a name to. In my slightly off-kilter little songwriting universe, I generally don't give titles to songs until they've been tracked out, slapped on the ass, and sent kicking and screaming into the world, so forgive me if you're the kind of person that absolutely must have a name for something...I'm an odd duck...er...quail.
Speaking of ducks, our resident multi-instrument playing genius Mr. Jon Knudson has a new pet that some of you have already had the pleasure of meeting. His name is Jeff Duckley and he is most definitely a duckling that's traveling with us in a cardboard box or sometimes upon the shoulder of his equally mischievous owner. You can keep up with our exploits through his tiny little ducky eyes at facebook.com/quacknicholson or follow him @jeffduckley on twitter. Jeff is going to be having a few little contests here and there that the band will be taking part in, so make sure you follow him up and keep and eye out for those.
Another spiffy new feature we have in the works is our upcoming foray into the new and exciting world of podcasting. I've been obsessively going through Matt Pryor's various podcasts in which he interviews fellow singer/songwriters from his particular genre and shoots the breeze about songwriting, touring, and fan funding records. Matt was the lead singer of The Get Up Kids, one of my absolute favorite bands growing up, and he has a very unique perspective on the world and plight of the touring musician. We in the Texas/Oklahoma scene have our own set of unwritten rules and social mores and it's really interesting to see the similarities and differences between our genres. On a similar note, check out http://www.downwrite.com/. These guys have taken songwriting to an intensely personal level by featuring a rotating cast of writers and giving fans the ability to request a song written specifically about whatever they want, pay a fee, and whichever DownWrite artist they want will write that fan his or her own song. Imagine being able to drop $100 or $200 (depending on how polished of a recording you prefer) and have me or Gabriel write a song about your significant other or your life-long crush or your first car. Essentially, you feed info, pictures, or stories to your favorite DownWrite artist and they write and record a song just for you and email you a copy in a matter of weeks. They're doing really great things so please take a sec and visit their respective sites and take a gander at what's going on outside of our little niche in the universe. But I digress...
I'm doing some research and getting pumped up about recording the very first and very official Damn Quails Podcast! That's right folks and folkettes. In the next month and change, I'm going to be recording an official TDQ podcast once every few weeks that you'll be able to subscribe to and listen to at your own convenience. I'll be talking with the members of the covey you know as well as a special guest or two from time to time as well. The official TDQ Podcast will essentially exist to keep everyone updated on shows, give us a chance to talk about our personal lives a bit, and let you in on general band-related stuff straight from the bird's mouth. We're all pumped about getting it going and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we're going to enjoy recording it. In addition to the Official TDQ Podcast, we're also working on a separate (but infinitely more hilarious) podcast featuring everyone's favorite drunken harmonica maestro, Biggie. I'll be doing the moderating as Biggie answers YOUR questions about life, love, harmonicas, battle tactics, music, French cooking and cuisine, rugby, video games, and most anything else you want to ask of the man himself. It's going to be like an Anne Landers type column, only with more alcohol and cursing. Prepare yourselves for "Get Your Shit Right with Biggie". We've already set up an email address, so email any and all of your questions for Biggie to getyourshitright@gmail.com. You can also tweet your questions to @thedamnquails #getyourshitright or just post 'em up to facebook.com/thedamnquails and I'll make sure he gets them.
Thanks for sticking with this fairly long blog post. I hope you cats that followed the blog over the past few years will pick it back up again and share it with your friends and fellow fans. Before I sign off, I want to thank everyone that's lent us any level of support during the past few years, from the supportive social network messages to the phone calls and handshakes and general having of our backs. We honestly would not have made it through without the support of you fans that are really putting food on our plates and paying our rent and bills by coming out to shows, buying merch, and having a good time with us. Our fans are the best fans on the planet and you all deserve a billion high fives for being so incredible. If you guys and gals keep sending us the love and making it out to gigs, we'll continue to make music that we believe in and rock the fuck out for you every chance we get.
Until next time....
--Bryon White/The Damn Quails
I know a lot of you have questions about just what the hell has been going on with us over the past few months regarding the unavoidable (and pain in the ass) business side part of our little traveling band and I sincerely wish I could answer all of those questions with brutal and indignant honesty. Alas, now is still not the time for me to do so, but as soon as I am able to discuss the whole thing, I'll write a blog long enough to rival a good Stephen King short story and everything will be fully explained. For now, all I can say is that we are still working through some business and management issues, but we're definitely still a band and still dedicated to rocking the ever-loving shit out of your town, home theater system, and car stereo. Wacky Mac is still one of our closest confidants and we love him more than ever no matter what you might have heard through this devil's grapevine we're all caught up in. Most importantly, thank you from the bottom of all of our tiny Quail hearts for sticking with us and for understanding (or at least accepting) the vagueness and overall lack of information regarding our current situation. Thanks, thanks, a billion times thanks. On to lighter news...
Those of you that have been kind enough to come out to a Damn Quails show over the past few months have already gotten a sneak peak at some of the material we're going to be recording for our eagerly anticipated second record. Gabriel has been playing "Tightrope Walker", "Give it Some Time", and "Streets of LA" nearly every set, and I've recently been bringing out "Las Vegas March" and a super new song that I've yet to officially give a name to. In my slightly off-kilter little songwriting universe, I generally don't give titles to songs until they've been tracked out, slapped on the ass, and sent kicking and screaming into the world, so forgive me if you're the kind of person that absolutely must have a name for something...I'm an odd duck...er...quail.
Speaking of ducks, our resident multi-instrument playing genius Mr. Jon Knudson has a new pet that some of you have already had the pleasure of meeting. His name is Jeff Duckley and he is most definitely a duckling that's traveling with us in a cardboard box or sometimes upon the shoulder of his equally mischievous owner. You can keep up with our exploits through his tiny little ducky eyes at facebook.com/quacknicholson or follow him @jeffduckley on twitter. Jeff is going to be having a few little contests here and there that the band will be taking part in, so make sure you follow him up and keep and eye out for those.
Another spiffy new feature we have in the works is our upcoming foray into the new and exciting world of podcasting. I've been obsessively going through Matt Pryor's various podcasts in which he interviews fellow singer/songwriters from his particular genre and shoots the breeze about songwriting, touring, and fan funding records. Matt was the lead singer of The Get Up Kids, one of my absolute favorite bands growing up, and he has a very unique perspective on the world and plight of the touring musician. We in the Texas/Oklahoma scene have our own set of unwritten rules and social mores and it's really interesting to see the similarities and differences between our genres. On a similar note, check out http://www.downwrite.com/. These guys have taken songwriting to an intensely personal level by featuring a rotating cast of writers and giving fans the ability to request a song written specifically about whatever they want, pay a fee, and whichever DownWrite artist they want will write that fan his or her own song. Imagine being able to drop $100 or $200 (depending on how polished of a recording you prefer) and have me or Gabriel write a song about your significant other or your life-long crush or your first car. Essentially, you feed info, pictures, or stories to your favorite DownWrite artist and they write and record a song just for you and email you a copy in a matter of weeks. They're doing really great things so please take a sec and visit their respective sites and take a gander at what's going on outside of our little niche in the universe. But I digress...
I'm doing some research and getting pumped up about recording the very first and very official Damn Quails Podcast! That's right folks and folkettes. In the next month and change, I'm going to be recording an official TDQ podcast once every few weeks that you'll be able to subscribe to and listen to at your own convenience. I'll be talking with the members of the covey you know as well as a special guest or two from time to time as well. The official TDQ Podcast will essentially exist to keep everyone updated on shows, give us a chance to talk about our personal lives a bit, and let you in on general band-related stuff straight from the bird's mouth. We're all pumped about getting it going and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we're going to enjoy recording it. In addition to the Official TDQ Podcast, we're also working on a separate (but infinitely more hilarious) podcast featuring everyone's favorite drunken harmonica maestro, Biggie. I'll be doing the moderating as Biggie answers YOUR questions about life, love, harmonicas, battle tactics, music, French cooking and cuisine, rugby, video games, and most anything else you want to ask of the man himself. It's going to be like an Anne Landers type column, only with more alcohol and cursing. Prepare yourselves for "Get Your Shit Right with Biggie". We've already set up an email address, so email any and all of your questions for Biggie to getyourshitright@gmail.com. You can also tweet your questions to @thedamnquails #getyourshitright or just post 'em up to facebook.com/thedamnquails and I'll make sure he gets them.
Thanks for sticking with this fairly long blog post. I hope you cats that followed the blog over the past few years will pick it back up again and share it with your friends and fellow fans. Before I sign off, I want to thank everyone that's lent us any level of support during the past few years, from the supportive social network messages to the phone calls and handshakes and general having of our backs. We honestly would not have made it through without the support of you fans that are really putting food on our plates and paying our rent and bills by coming out to shows, buying merch, and having a good time with us. Our fans are the best fans on the planet and you all deserve a billion high fives for being so incredible. If you guys and gals keep sending us the love and making it out to gigs, we'll continue to make music that we believe in and rock the fuck out for you every chance we get.
Until next time....
--Bryon White/The Damn Quails
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)