The Outward Spiral

Phish Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Matt Thomas from 13th Sun texted me the other day, telling me to check out Phish.com. That's right, Phish is back together, at least temporarily. I had a feeling they'd be back together sooner rather than later. I won't be able to make it to any of their shows, but tix will be probably be nearly impossible to get anyway.

The funny thing is, it's not really much of an exaggeration

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:10:00 +0000

Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Well, it seems like all I've been writing about lately is deaths. I guess there's no avoiding it. As they the say, the only sure things in life are death and taxes, and since tax season is over (unless you filed for an extension)...But seriously, over the past couple months, it seems like people who were role models or icons in my life have been leaving this planet more often than usual.

A while back, acting legend Paul Newman revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, and it seems that the illness finally got the better of him yesterday at the age of 83. Newman wasn't exactly from my generation, as he did most of his work before I was even born, but to me his films have a timeless quality, perhaps because he represented the old school, but with a modern flair. Newman had the cool swagger of the great actors that came before him, such as James Dean, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart, but behind it all, there was a sly charisma that let you know he didn't take himself too seriously. Of course, that just made him even cooler.

I can't say if it's possible to truly mourn someone you didn't know personally, but Paul Newman, if nothing else, gets my utmost respect for his amazing talent and class. If I were to make a short list of my favorite films of all time, The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Slap Shot would all easily make the list. Sitting at the very top of that list would be Cool Hand Luke. I must have seen Cool Hand Luke a couple dozen times, and it still entralls me.

Terrapin/Nashville Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:11:00 +0000

We'd like to thank the folks at Terrapin Hill Farm for having us this past weekend at the Harvest Festival, and thanks to everyone at the festival who came to check us out. It was a blast to play for such an enthusiastic crowd. For anyone interested, here's our set list, or what I remember of it anyway:

9/20/08 at Terrapin Hill Farm (Harrodsburg, KY)

Mourning Dancers
Atlantis Vacation
Memphis Blue
Laurette
Idioteque (Radiohead) -->
Firefly
Across the Universe (The Beatles) -->
Melancholy Collide
The Sleeptalkers
Spun
Blowin' Up

We also just played to an empty room in Nashville this past Monday. Why was the room empty, you ask? Apparently, nobody in Nashville has gas for their vehicles. Don't they have gas stations, you ask? Nope, the gas stations are out of gas. I only bring this up because (a) most people I've mentioned it to didn't know about the situation, which is very strange considering the nature of the issue, which is that a whole city ran out of gas, and (b) because the reason why it happened is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Truly a study in mass hysteria and the mob mentality.

So here's what happened. Somewhere, somehow, this rumor emerged that the entire city of Nashville was about to run out of gas. Sounds familiar, right? Hold on, it gets stupider. Anyway, as with most rumors, it wasn't true, and nobody knows where it started. In this age of text messaging and phones with internet service, it probably only took a day or less for this rumor to spread citywide. Suddenly, everyone in the whole city decided they needed to hoard as much gas as possible to prepare for this fake crisis. People packed themselves like sardines into every gas station in sight, filling up their cars and as many spare gas cans as they could carry. Cars were waiting in lines a mile long at gas stations across the city. Guess what happened? The city actually did run out of gas. The article I linked to was published last Friday, so over the weekend the situation only got worse.

If I met the guy who started that rumor, I don't know whether I'd be angry or impressed. In a roundabout way, the crisis did affect us, since any audience we might had was more concerned with conserving their precious gasoline stash than going out to see a show. So that sucks for us. Then again, you have to be somewhat awed by the way something that sounds like a second-rate Dr. Evil plot from an Austin Powers movie could punk an entire city. Between this and the power outage chaos that's still going on here in Louisville, I'm starting to think that maybe Canada really is the place to be.

Paradigm Was Here

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:18:00 +0000

Too much rock for one car:
Always wear a seat belt, seriously.

Colorado Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:54:00 +0000

You can check out some pictures of our recent tour of Missouri and Colorado on Flickr. We'd like to thank everyone who helped us out along the way: the venues who hosted us, the bands that let us play with them, and the friends who put us up. There's so much to talk about that I literally don't know where to begin. Evan kept the LEO music blog updated throughout the trip, so you can read about it in more detail over there, although so far they've only published two of his entries. Hopefully the rest will be up soon. Colorado, which you'll see in many of the pictures, is an incredibly beautiful state. We hope to come back real soon.

R.I.P. Richard Wright

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:40:00 +0000

Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright died of cancer yesterday. I had really hoped to have the opportunity to see this legendary band in concert during my lifetime, and after they reunited for the first time in over 20 years for a one-off at Live 8 a couple years back, it seemed possible. Wright penned the song "The Great Gig in the Sky" off the Dark Side of the Moon album (among many others), which definitely ranks on my short list of the most amazing songs ever.

In light of this news, now seems like the right time to announce that Paradigm will be performing the music of Pink Floyd for a special Halloween performance on Oct. 31. There will be lots of guests and other surprises, so be sure to keep an ear to the ground, as we'll be announcing the details very soon.

Tour Diary

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Evan checks in from the road for the LEO Music Blog.

Road Bloggin'/New Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:41:00 +0000

We've got a new podcast up for your listening pleasure. This month's contribution, DigmCast #4, is another sampler of highlights from our live recording archives.

Paradigm hits the road today for a two-week jaunt through Missouri and Colorado. See our website for all the dates and info. Normally, I would be updating this blog (wherever internet access allows) with little tidbits and info about what's happening on tour. This time around, we've been asked to do a tour blog for the Louisville Eccentric Observer, so, for the next couple of weeks, you can read about our progress over there (again, as internet access allows). I'm sorry to say I'm not sure exactly where it'll be posted, but I believe, and don't quote me, you'll be able to find it at the LEO Music Blog (that would make sense, anyway). If that's not the case, I'll be sure to point you all in the right direction.

See you out west!

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:52:00 +0000

Back in 1981, Talking Heads front man David Byrne and ambient music pioneer/legendary producer Brian Eno released their ground-breaking masterpiece My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Now, almost 30 years later, the two have reconnected for a new album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, which hit the market last week.

Somewhat following the model Radiohead used for the release of their latest album, the new Byrne/Eno record has been made available on their website prior to it's eventual worldwide release, which will happen at some point in the future. The album can't be downloaded for free, as was the case with Radiohead, although you can stream it for free (and purchase it if you so choose) at the album's website, everything that happens.com. They have made one song available for free download, but all it took was hearing the first few tracks on the streaming player for me to throw down $8.99 for the download. It's really good. It's too early for me to make any comparisons to Bush of Ghosts. I haven't listened to it enough yet, but so far my favorite song is the fifth track, "Life Is Long."

Byrne and Eno talk about the new album here. The article is definitely worth a read, if for no other reason than to hear what two music legends have to say about the creative process. It's particularly interesting if you're a fan of these two guys, as I am. They also have tour dates lined up for the fall, including a show at the Palace Theater in Louisville on Oct. 21. Awesome. I'll be there.

LeRoi Moore (1961 - 2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Saxophonist LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews band passed away last night at the young age of 46. He was in a severe ATV accident back in June, and reports say that complications from the injuries he sustained were responsible for his death. Moore had been absent from the Dave Matthews Band's current tour while recovering from his injuries (including a recent show in Louisville). He died in Los Angeles, where he was to start an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

I'm a big fan of the Dave Matthews Band, so this news hits close to my heart. I always thought they had one of the more interesting sounds around, due largely to Moore and violinist Boyd Tinsley, as both saxophone and violin are somewhat rare in rock music. Moore, therefore, was an integral part of their sound, and was extremely versatile. He regularly played the full range of saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone) as well as various other wind instruments, such as flute, bass clarinet, and penny whistle.

I suggest you listen to some Dave Matthews Band today in remembrance. You can start with this live clip of the tune "Stay"

Albany and Boston...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:36:00 +0000

...were fun. We have a habit of running into our friends from Louisville in random parts of the country. We ran into Ben Sollee on the streets of Bloomington, IN last year, where we were both playing shows on the same night. Matt Yarborough, who plays the baddest trombone in Louisville, met up with us in Charlotte, NC last month and sat in during our set. This past weekend in Boston, Funk Out honcho Curtis Lewman happened to be in town, and we jammed some tunes with him at the Lizard Lounge. The 'Ville is taking over the world!

Playing with Charlie Hunter's trio with Albany was a blast. Frankly, It was amazing just to be there and watch him play. Charlie sounds better and better every time I see him. He's always sounded fantastic, don't get me wrong, but he's also a cat that's constantly striving for improvement, and it shows. The whole band was killing it, and they're some of the nicest guys you'll meet. Charlie was on a tight schedule and had to bolt after the show, but chilling and talking shop with drummer Tony Mason and keyboardist Erik Deutsch was great. Both of those guys are monsters. Check them out for sure if they come to your area.

Recent Passings

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:31:00 +0000

I was sorry to hear that both Isaac Hayes and the comedian Bernie Mac had died over the weekend.

The 65 year-old Hayes was found dead by his wife just yesterday. The cause of death was unknown or hadn't been disclosed yet. Hayes was a pioneer of funky, "Southern Soul." He was well-known in his own right, but Hayes also wrote many of the hits that came out of the recently revived soul label Stax Records, for which Booker T. and the MGs were the house studio band (much like the Funk Brothers were for Motown). He also scored films, and, in fact, the world at large will probably remember him most for his theme from the blaxploitation film Shaft. That, and the fact that he was the voice of Chef on South Park. I'll remember him as the man who wrote some of my favorite soul grooves, including "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'," both of which were performed by Sam and Dave.

Two days ago, on August 9th, Bernie Mac passed away at the age of 50 from what was declared complications of pneumonia. Mac was a comedian from the Red Foxx school, with a gruff delivery that, at the same time, echoed the sing-songy rhythmic cadences of a Baptist preacher. He had plenty of movie roles and a popular sitcom (The Bernie Mac Show), but to me his stand-up performances will go down as his most memorable work. His set from the Original Kings of Comedy is a classic, as were his appearances on the old Def Comedy Jam on HBO.

Charlie Hunter Appreciation

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 08:56:00 +0000

In honor of our upcoming hit in Albany (Aug. 14), where we'll be sharing the stage with guitar great Charlie Hunter, here are some primo snatches from YouTube to help set the mood.

Here's Charlie rocking a solo version of the old traditional tune "Just A Closer Walk with Thee."

This next one is cool and/or surprising for a couple reasons. Firstly, some of you out there may remember that MTV was actually related to music at one point before it became a reality show wasteland. I don't even remember the last time I saw a music video on this so-called "Music Television," but I digress. Not only was MTV somewhat relevant, sometimes they would actually push the envelope and serve up little musical gems from acts not named Nirvana, Madonna, or U2. So check out this clip of this clip of the Charlie Hunter Trio performing live on MTV (complete with douchebag host) back in the day. The second cool thing is that the drummer for this performance is none other than the great Mike Clark, perhaps best-known for being the man behind the beats on Herbie Hancock's groundbreaking fusion albums in the 70s.

Radiohead!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:39:00 +0000

Just got home from seeing Radiohead in Indianapolis. Yours truly was lucky enough to score an orchestra pit ticket, so I was all up in the band's grill. For most of the show, there were just two people between me and the stage. Well, between me and the barricade that was about 5 feet in front of the stage anyway. I could actually hear the sound coming from the band's amplifiers on stage. Actually, the pit is a bit of a dead zone acoustically, because you're sort of behind the main speakers. I'm sure the sound wasn't as good as it was back in the seated area, but I'm not complaining. I'll make that trade-off any time.

It was amazing to be so close to the action, to actually see what's happening on stage up close. For instance, I saw that on "15 Step" Ed O'Brien uses the same Boss sampler that I have. He also uses a Line 6 delay to loop Thom's voice on "Everything In Its Right Place," while Jonny Greenwood uses a Kaoss pad to capture and manipulate bits of vocals. Jonny is a hell of a multitasker as well. He's always bouncing around, playing guitar, piano, synths, and whatever else, often within the course of a single song. There was even a point (I forget which song) where he was playing his guitar and a keyboard simultaneously by using the guitar's headstock to push down the keys.

So many good tunes were played. Click here to see the set list. One last thing I have to mention is the lighting. My God, the lighting! Sigur Ros had previously set the bar for me in terms of the total experience, but Radiohead just might have them beat. Whoever designed Radiohead's lighting for this tour is an absolute genius. The version of "The National Anthem" they played now easily ranks as the most intense thing I've seen live in concert. The song is bad ass enough on its own, but the lighting was jaw-dropping. The lighting engineer clearly pulled out all the stops on that one, as if to say "if you thought what I've done so far was cool, check this shit out!" I could seriously go on and on about the lighting. It was that amazing. Musically, Radiohead kills it live, but with that lighting it could have Barry Manilow singing "Copacabana" for two hours straight and I still would have been mesmerized.

Now, off to bed.

Hideaway Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:17:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came out the Hideaway last night. Touring is great, but there's nothing like playing to a packed house of energetic music lovers in your own backyard. Normally, this is where I'd post our set list, but to use a football term, we called a lot of audibles and ended up deviating quite a bit from what we had planned out. I can't remember the last time we played exactly what was on the set list anyway, but last night we kind of let the music dictate where it wanted to go (more so than normal), and consequently, I don't have a solid memory of the order of the tunes we ended up doing.

I do remember some key moments, however. We played some tunes that are fairly new: Atlantis Vacation, Wifi, and Memphis Blue. Actually, this was just the second time we've attempted Wifi, which is a toughy for sure, and it ended up sounding pretty good. We also played some tunes that aren't new for us exactly, but have been on a bit of a hiatus, like Smoky, Come Together (the Beatles), and I Wish (Stevie Wonder).

A highlight for me, and I think everybody in the group, was having our old bass player Will Roberts join us for Freak Nasty, which, incidentally, is the oldest tune in the Paradigm canon. It felt really good to reunite with Will for a tune, since we had all played together for so long. Since the beginning of the group, really. We got to dedicate a special encore set to Katie Brown, who will be departing from Louisville soon to further her edu-ma-cation. She's been a great a supporter of our music, and we'll miss seeing her face at our shows. Good luck Katie!. Our friend Matt, better known as Diddy, was also in attendance, having made the trip from Columbus. Wherever Diddy goes, good times follow. All in all, it was a ball.

Next up for us is a brief return to the northeast in the middle of the month, where we'll be supporting Charlie Hunter and also hitting Boston.

New Podcast and Forecastle Recording

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:19:00 +0000

DigmCast is back with another installment of Paradigm Radio. Download some ear candy for your morning drive. We're still looking to collect your questions for an upcoming "fan interviews" podcast, so if there's anything Paradigm-related that you're curious about, shoot an email to submit@digmcast.com.

Our friend Brent Stober was kind enough to record our recent performance at the Forecastle Festival. Check it out at the Live Music Archive.

Photos Galore

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:56:00 +0000

Actually, it seemed like I took hundreds of photos, but I ended up with around 60 pictures combined from our northeast tour with Club d'Elf and our trip to perform at All Good. Unfortunately, with me being the one holding the camera, there are no shots of us in action. We were a little too busy performing to take pictures of ourselves, but if any of you out there have taken pictures of us, we'd love to see them. Anyway, you can check out the pictures here.

I also added a few more photos from our show with the Lee Boys that were chillin' on my phone.

In other news, we'll be performing with Charlie Hunter (that's right, the Charlie Hunter) in Albany on August 14th! Paradigm will open the show, then play late-night after Charlie's set.

Backstage with Nigel

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:38:00 +0000

This is Spinal Tap is one of those movies that I simply have to watch every so often. I must have seen it close to fifty times, but it never seems to lose anything for me. It came out over 20 years ago (1984), but the humor is as fresh today as it ever was. In fact, I can't think of any other comedy off-hand that defies dating as well as this film does. Anyway, I recently gave the movie one of my periodic viewings, and it inspired me to share a couple favorite scenes involving the Tap's lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, played by the hilarious Christopher Guest. Enjoy!

By the way, the obscure cable I need to get pictures off my camera to my computer is on order, so pictures from All Good and our northeast tour will be on the way shortly.

All Good Report

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:11:00 +0000

Just got home from a fun little weekend jaunt through Ohio and West Virginia. We hit Cleveland on Friday night, where we did a show at Wilberts, which is literally spitting distance away from Progressive Field, where the Indians play ball. We played a with a super band led by drummer Paul Stranahan, who can do some mind-bending stuff with polyrhythms.

Then it was on to Masontown, WV for the All Good Festival on Saturday. The Ropeadope people took great care of us, and the crowd gave us a lot of energy on stage. It seemed like we all really connected with the music. Maybe it would sound average if you listened to a recording, but it felt amazing while we were playing. That feeling is indescribable. It was also really a trip that people were asking for autographs after the show. We've been around the block a little bit as a band, but we're still at the level where if someone asks you for an autograph, the first thought is, "really?" It feels like such an honor. Like everything else, that feeling probably wears off once you've done it a thousand times, but when you're not used to it, it takes you by surprise. I hope we can make those signatures worth something someday.

Tom Cleary, a former piano teacher of mine who I studied with for four years while doing my undergrad degree at UVM, recently started playing with ex-Phish bassist Mike Gordon's band, and luckily enough, they were performing on the same day as us. I've learned lots of things from lots of people, but Tom was the one who turned me from a novice pianist into a real musician. As far as Phish goes, let's just say that I literally own hundreds of cassette tapes of bootleg Phish shows, and at one point, you could've blindfolded me and popped any random tape in the player and I'd be able to tell you exactly what show it was. While I'm not the Phish-head these days that I once was, they're still basically "musical gods" to me, as well as the other guys in the band. It was great to see them play together, and later on, Tom and Mike came to check out our set. Unfortunately, neither myself or the rest of the guys had the chance to talk to either of them very long before we were rushed on stage, but I've gotta say it was really cool just to shake Mike's hand and exchange a few words. My heart was definitely beating a little faster on stage knowing that one of my musical idols was backstage listening. Also, as a student, you never get over that feeling of wanting to perform well in front of your teacher, even if that person isn't technically your teacher anymore. See, Tom, I've been practicing!

I have plenty of pictures from this weekend, as well our recent northeast tour, which I promise will be up soon.

Home Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:00:00 +0000

We're back home in Louisville now after an all-nighter drive from Philly to Louisville after the show on Saturday. Crash Mansion in New York City was great, although our turnout was likely affected by the fact that it was July 4th, and there was a fireworks show going on just a few blocks from the venue. As many times as I've been to NYC, this was the first time I've actually driven in the city, and gotta say it was a nightmare. I don't know how people get around in that place. Due to the sheer number of roads and highways crammed into such a small area, our GPS was freaking out most of the time, not knowing where to send us. I guess it probably gets easier once you get to know the area a little bit, but I've lived in Louisville for 5 years now, which is nowhere close to NYC in complexity, and I still have to hit up Google Maps to get places fairly often.

World Cafe Live in Philly was a cool venue as well, and the show was a lot of fun. Great food there as well. Two words: eggplant fries. One word to describe them: amazing. Fela Kuti's son Seun was playing with his incredible band on the downstairs stage while we played upstairs, and the great drummer Calvin Weston, who has played with everyone from Ornette Coleman to DJ Logic, was sitting in with Club d'Elf for that show. In short, that was an awesome night to be at the World Cafe.

We toured for a little over a week, and I think we were all feeling a little run down by the time we got to Philly. I've gotta hand it to bands who tour for months at a time, because the process of playing in a new city every night takes a lot out of you. Maybe it's like running, where after a while your body perks back up and you get that second wind. For me, the major downside is that you never have time to actually spend any time and explore the cities you visit. You drive all day to the venue, set up, sound check, play the show, sleep, wake up, and drive to the next city. At most you might see the couple blocks in between the venue and wherever you go to grab a bite to eat between sound check and the show. That is, if the venue hasn't already provided food. We had a good time, though, and listening to Club d'Elf play every night was a real treat. It's easy to see why some of the country's top musicians jump at the chance to work with them. If you live in or near any of the cities we played and didn't make it out, you really missed some special music.

Pictures will be on the way soon!

Northeast tour, Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of updates, but internet access can be tough to come by on the road. At this point, we're on our way to New York City to play our fourth show with Club d'Elf at Crash Mansion.

The Burlington and Portland shows were both fun, and gave me the chance to see some old friends and family. We did a TV spot on the local NBC affiliate before the Portland show, which was really neat for me, because local television is part of your culture when you grow up, especially when you grow up in a small town. It probably meant nothing to the other guys in the band, but I thought it was cool to see news anchor Pat Callaghan and sports reporter Bruce Glaser coming out of the studio as were going in, since our show was taped in the same studio used for the news broadcast. I've seen those guys on television as long as I can remember. Of course, our eight to ten minute tunes aren't exactly tailor-made for television appearances either. They wanted us to play two songs, each under three minutes in length. We were also limited by studio space, which meant we wouldn't be able to use the whole the band. So it was a little restrictive, but you have to be flexible in this business. It was a good experience nonetheless, and we appreciate the 207 show for having us. Video of our performance and interview is available on the website, and you can click here to get directly to it.

Last night's show in Albany at Red Square was, in my opinion, the best show of the tour so far. Considering the upcoming holiday weekend, we had a solid turnout. The management at Red Square were surprised at the number of people we were able to bring out, as they're usually closed for the week leading up to the fourth of July due to lack of business. Even though we had been hoping for more people, it's good to know that we were successful under the circumstances. This was Evan's hometown gig, just like the Portland one was for me, so he was able to see his family and friends, which I'm sure was nice for him. The room sounded great as well, so we're looking forward to returning to Red Square in the future.

That's about it for now. NYC and Philly still to go.

2 Shows Done...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:46:00 +0000

Finally able to get internet access here on Day 3 of the tour. I'd love to post some pictures, but unfortunately I don't have the proper accessories needed to get the pictures from my camera to the computer. I'll definitely put them up when I get home.

Anyway, we've done shows so far in Charlotte, NC and Thomas, WV. We've played the Double Door in Charlotte before, and just like last time, we had an easy go of it. There were no unexpected issues, the other band playing (East Coast Dirt from Asheville, NC) was cool and friendly, and we got some great feedback from people in the audience. A stunningly beautiful ride through the mountains took us to Thomas, WV for our gig at the Purple Fiddle. This one was one of those "wild card" gigs, where none of us had any idea what to expect. As I said, the ride was extremely scenic, but along with scenery comes a lack of civilization. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone service, no houses around, nothing. Eventually, we reached Thomas, a little oasis in the middle of the mountains. It's about as small a town as you'll see, but because of that, there's a sense of family in the air that you only get in a small town, where everyone knows everyone. The gig itself was a lot of fun as well. Everyone from senior citizens to small children came out to enjoy the music.

Both gigs were great, and we hope to return to both venues in the future. Overall, everything has gone smoothly. In other words, the exact opposite of our previous northeast tour. Right now, we're heading to the White Mountains in NH to enjoy a day off before meeting up with Club d'Elf in Burlington, VT for the first show of our five-night tour with them. More updates to come, so stay tuned!

And So It Begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:12:00 +0000

We're saddling up this morning to set out on a week-long tour, where we'll be returning to some cities, and playing in others for the first time. It's refreshing, in a way, to be in situations where you don't know what to expect from day to day, but at the same time, it's a little unsettling for a couple reasons. Firstly, we all know how ridiculous gas prices are right now, so obviously that works against anyone needing to travel. Secondly, we haven't had the best of luck with vehicles on past tours. This time around, we're not expecting any van trouble...because we're not taking a van. We found out at the last minute that there were still some nagging issues with the old lady as a result of the problems we had on our last trip. We'll get it fixed, but it was too late to do anything this time around, so we decided not to take the risk. We fit all of our gear nicely into two cars, which will mean spending more money on gas, although the van didn't exactly get the best gas mileage anyway. At any rate, we'll be pretty comfortable.

Tonight, we'll be in Charlotte, NC playing a show at the Double Door with a great group out of Asheville called East Coast Dirt. We've never met these guys before, but we're looking forward to having a fun show and making some new friends. After that, we'll be traveling north to the Purple Fiddle, located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in Thomas, WV. From there, we'll meet up with Boston legends Club d'Elf in Burlington, VT for the first show of a five-night run in the northeast. We're thrilled to be hooking up with such a killer group, and I personally guarantee that every one of these shows will be kick-ass. If you live in any of the cities we'll be playing, don't miss out.

I'll have limited internet access on the road, but I'll try to keep this blog updated as much as possible with news, anecdotes, and whatever else relating to the tour. Paradigm out!

Paradigm/Lee Boys Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:11:00 +0000

Thanks to all who came to our show with the Lee Boys at Headliners this past Friday. Myron and I had a blast joining joining them on stage for an impromptu jam, followed by a cover of "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. I'll tell you, those guys just exude energy. It was intense. Our good friend Matt Thomas snapped a few photos of the jam, which you can view by clicking here. Thanks Matt! Here's what we played during our set:

6/20/08 at Headliners w/The Lee Boys (Louisville, KY)

Blowin' Up
Particles
Paranoid Android (Radiohead)
Atlantis Vacation
Laurette
Spun
Melancholy-->
Apollo Loops-->
The Sleeptalkers
Grover