the tonedef blog

Shot:30 is super busy right now. We actually have people asking us to come and play. Kenn’s been in the band for around a month and has played more shows than we’ve had practices. After playing Theta Xi‘s Greek Week wrap party last Saturday, the CalU Greeks have been trying to book us. We’re back at Theta Xi this friday night and then next Saturday we’re going to play Acacia. If our schedule would allow (or if the school year wasn’t ending soon), I think we’d have a few more shows there.

Also Band Mom talked to someone who has been blowing us off for like 5 years, and this time he’s all like, “When can you play?” and “I had a band cancel on such and such a day would you be available to fill the spot?” I won’t mention the place, because we have not offically booked any gigs there, but WOW! All of a sudden, we are moving in a forward direction again as a band.

So make sure you check the gigs page on our site or our MySpace ’cause we seem to be adding shows daily right now.

Well hope to see you this weekend for at least one of our shows. Friday we’ll be back at Theta Xi at CalU starting at 9 and going to around midnight. Then on Saturday we’ll be at The Alameda Inn in Hopedale, OH with special guest Lady & The Tramps. That show goes from 10 -2.

See you there!

Talk about a fun day…

The day started a little slow. Band Mom and I got up a little later than planned. Nicolozake’s is a late night. When I did get up, I got some breakfast. Then I took Pooh, Thing1 and Thing 2 over to my parents. I got back home and took a quick bath and got ready to go. Band Mom and I headed over to Rocky’s (behind schedule…) and Bill and Keyser were waiting. We transfered all of the equipment from the Rock DeVille to Band Mom’s van and headed out to Cal. We couldn’t find the Theta Xi house and had to call Kenn to come and fetch us from campus and show us the way. When we got there it looked like rain was on the way so we were trying to decide if we were going to set up inside or out. The Theta Xi brothers found a big tarp and attatched it to the roof of the house and we extended it out over the parking lot and tied it off on top of Bill’s van and Band Mom’s van. We got all set up and kicked things off around 4 o’clock.

Backburner got up first. These guys were a lot of fun. Its the first time I’ve seen them and they did not dissapoint. With songs ranging from Led Zeppelin to Guns N’ Roses they kicked the show off with a bang. Hopefully we’ll be doing some more shows with those guys.

While they were playing the party started picking up. Also we had a chance to take advantage of the free food and beer. As we were changing from Backburner to Shot:30 Keyser noticed that my filler music was only coming out of one of the mains. UH-OH! While Rock and Keyser were tuning up, Bill and I figured out the problem was only a speaker cable so we replaced it and were ready to go. We played about a set’s worth of tunes for the folks who came out.

After our set, Lady & The Tramps took the stage. I can’t tell you how fun these guys (oh and girl) are. They were surprised (as were we) at how well recieved their set was. Lady & The Tramps play a cool mix of 80′s chick tunes: Cindy Lauper, Pat Benetar, The B-52′s, Madonna, etc. We weren’t sure if the college kids would be old enough to really get these tunes, but they loved it. Unfortunately about halfway through the set we blew both subs. Don’t know why or how, but it happened. They finished there set “without their big bottom end”, but it all worked out well.

After Lady & The Tramps, the original plan was to move the equipment inside so Shot:30 could rock for a while longer. After the blow outs though we were a little hesitant, so we made a deal the the Theta Xi brothers to just do a quick 5 song encore set outside. This was great! The people at the party were finally pretty tuned up and made us feel like frickin’ rock stars they were rushing the stage, singing along and dancing to everything we played. Band mom and some of the brothers actually had to move the crowd back (becuase they were spilling beer on the monitors).

After our little encore, we gave away the goodies that were supplied by some of our supporters. The Miller distributer gave us over a dozen T-shirts and a few ball caps to give away. Also Kathi from Kutter’s Edge Body Piercing and Jewelry, gave us a mystery box. I say mystery box, because I never did get to see what was in it.

Anyway, we had a ball (even though we blew the subs)! We couldn’t have asked for a more fun day. We would like to thank the Miller reps and Kutter’s Edge for the give aways. We would also like to thank the other bands, Backburner and Lady & The Tramps for their great sets. And finally we’d like to thank the brothers of Theta Xi for having us out for the big top off party for Greek Week, and for the free food and beer.

Can’t wait till Saturday. This Saturday we are heading to Hopedale, OH to The Alameda Inn with special guests Lady & The Tramps (that is if Jim and Paul ever left the party at Theta Xi). Hope to see you all there!

This weekend got off to a bang! Friday night we played Nicolozake’s in Fairpoint, OH. So quick after work I got a little dinner and headed to Rock’s to load up. We loaded up and got on the road. We got to Nicolozake’s and still beat Keyser there (surprise). Anyway, as we were unloading the members of Fingered started showing up. We got all set up and a little after 10 (sorry Mike) Fingered took the stage. They definitely rocked the joint. After a few songs where I was getting some feedback problems they sounded great. Kathy’s still got the voice I remember from when Black Tooth Grin opened for us at May’rz Inn a few years ago.

After Fingered’s set we took the stage a little before 11:30. This was Ken’s first real show. One where we were the headliner and playing more than a single set. He did not disappoint. There were a few minor hiccups here and there, but those won’t be there after a few more shows. The only real problem for the evening was the Mt. Dew King was flying behind the kit. We killed our first set of material a little quicker than we figured we would and we were worried that the second set wouldn’t be long enough to get us to 2 o’clock. So we threw in a few extra songs and made it to 2 without much problem.

Hopefully everyone that was there had as much fun as we did. It was cool celebrating Keyser’s birthday in his backyard as well. After the show we packed up and headed home. Luckily there was no unload since we had a show on Saturday as well.

Next Post: Saturday @ Theta Xi

Well folks we’ve got a busy weekend ahead of us. Tonight (Friday April 21) we’ll be heading out to Nicolozake’s in Fairpoint, OH. We love playing Nicolozakes. This is a fun bar that treats us good. Also this show is Keyser’s birthday party. So come on out and wish the boy well. Tonight we are also featuring special guest Fingered, so be sure to show up early enough to see them. The show starts at 10pm.

Tomorrow is a long day. We will be playing at the Theta Xi house at CalU in California, PA. This is an all day kinda thing for Greek Week. Also with us tomorrow will be Backburner and Lady & The Tramps. This should be a fun show. I think Backburner will be kicking things off around 3 o’clock or so and we’ll be going outside and in till who knows when. I’ve heard 10 or midnight, I don’t have a clue. I do know we will be rockin’ for however long they need us.

So be sure to get out to one or both of the shows this weekend and wish Keyser a Happy Birthday, and check out new singer Kenn. Also if there are any MySpacers out there be sure to check out Shot:30‘s MySpace to hear two rough demos of originals that we are working on. Also be sure to add yourself as a friend.

See you at the show!

Hey all head on over to our MySpace and check out our two new originals. Keep in mind these were just recorded in the basement at Rocks on Friday night and have not been polished. But take a listen and let us know what you think with a comment here or on our MySpace.

This weekend was Easter weekend. I hope you all had a happy one!

Well Friday night the band got together for practice. Band Mom came for the first little while to get some new promo pics with new singer Kenn and to discuss some potential bookings and other interesting things. After Band Mom left, we got down to business and worked on some songs for the upcoming shows. We now comfortably have enough material with Kenn to handle the next month’s worth of shows. Make sure to come out and check out Kenn. We have 4 shows in the next 3 weeks all of which should be a ton of fun.

Friday April 21 we will be at Nicolozakes Cafe with special guest Fingered! This is Keysers birthday show so be sure to come out and wish the lowly bass player a happy birthday. He needs to feel loved!

Saturday April 22 we will be playing the Theta Xi house at CalU. This show is for Greek Week and and also features Backburner and Lady & The Tramps. All three of us will be playing outside from 3 till 8 and us (and maybe Lady & The Tramps) will be playing inside after 8.

Saturday April 29 marks our return to The Alameda Inn in Hopdale, OH. We will have a special guest at this show as well. We will be introducing Ohio to Lady & The Tramps, so come out to support Shot:30 and Lady & The Tramps.

Then to round out the next few weeks we will be heading back to RPM’s to kick of the night for our friends in Black Dog Hollow. This will also probably be a Band Mom birthday party, so come out to see us and BDH and to show Band Mom some love!

Saturday, Thing 1 had a couple of birthday parties to go to. First she had a roller skating party from 10:30 to 12:30. Then she had a party at the park for one of her classmates from 1 to 3. After all of that Band Mom the young’nz and I headed up to visit Band Mom’s Mom and Aunt and took them out for dinner for Easter.

Since my folks went down to visit my sister for the holiday and we did Easter on Saturday with Band Mom’s Mom, Easter was just a day at the house. Thing 1 and Thing 2 got some candy and little toys from the Easter Bunny, and the Easter Bunny brought some bubble toys for the whole neighborhood. So the kids were outside playing and Band Mom was baking away on a cup cake kick and I just lazed around and played some poker on the PS2. A nice way to spend Easter if you ask me!

Well keep an eye on the downloads section of Shot:30′s site and on our MySpace becuase tonight I will be ripping a couple of originals that we recorded at practice on Friday night. Check out the songs and let us know what you think. One is a song that was written by Kenn and one was written by Rock (see if you can guess which is which).

Band Mom has been busy. With the addition of Ken to the lineup of Shot:30, Band Mom decided it was time for a change to the web site. She is trying a new look and feel for the site. So go to www.shot30.com and check out her work. Its still a work in progress so check back often. Then come back here and drop a comment on how you think it looks and I will let her know. Also she’s gettin’ busy on the booking front. She is talking to new venues and some cool bands so Shot:30 can start expanding out of our comfy little rotation of venues so be sure to keep an eye on the site or our new MySpace site to keep up with our schedule.

Well, it looks like Band Mom found her new minivan. She’s getting an ’05 Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow ‘N Go. The Stow ‘N Go is pretty cool, I must admit. It would have been nice to have this ride when we were traveling back and forth to Maryland every week and moving her mom.

If you’re in the market for a minivan, check out Solomon Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in Brownsville. They have a nice selection and were nice folks to deal with.

Band Mom is one of the funniest people when she is shopping for a big ticket item like a car. Its hard to explain but she gets an idea of what she wants to spend, then tries to fit the best thing she can find into that budget. It works for her. Me, I go find what I want and then try to figure out if I can afford it. But Band Mom pulls it off the other way. Most of the vans we looked at on and off-line were okay but would be missing this or that in the budget. The one Band Mom finally settled on had everything: Stow ‘N Go, triple climate zones, overhead storage, keyless entry, the overhead thermometer/compass thing, powered drivers seat, CD and cassette player, power rear windows. I mean the only options this bad boy doesn’t have is leather seats (which we didn’t want anyway), power sliding side doors and lift gate (who cares) and Sirius Satellite Radio (which if we really want we’ll add later).

Oh well, that’s all I’ve got right now.

Friday night we played RPM’s in Bridgeville. We were the first of 3 acts to play that night. This was Ken’s trial by fire. He has practiced with us a whole 2 times. And just so his nerves were really ragged, he was battling a pretty nasty cold. Well, none of it showed. We played a great 45 minute set and had a lot of fun doing it. The crowd seemed to enjoy themselves as well. We definitely want to thank our friends and fans for coming out to support us in our first gig with Ken. Also it was cool seeing some of Ken’s former band mates from Altered State come out for his debut with Shot:30!

The second act of the evening was Lady & The Tramps. This band consists of our old friends Ryan and Shannon. They were a ton of fun to watch. Band Mom had a ball. They played a set full of songs she could sing along to. They play a cool set of “chick” songs. Things like Cindy Lauper, Madonna, The Bangles, Blondie, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, etc. We are looking forward to playing some more shows with these guys. It was cool hangin’ with Ryan & Shannon after so long.

Finally we want to thank the nights headline act, Noizy Neighbor for having us out. We had a blast, and an opening set was a great way to get Ken out there and start performing with us.

Our next show is April 21 at Nicolozakes, so we are going to be able to get a few more practices under our belt, so look out Ohio! Also that night at Nicolozakes, we will have a special guest opening for us. (If I ever get the name of Kathy’s band from Keyser, I will be sure to get it up)

Well, that’s all for now. To keep up with our schedule you can check the gigs page at Shot:30′s official web site or at our new Shot:30 MySpace.