Photograph Of The Year

This photo was taken at Co Op 87 Records in Brooklyn, NY. This is a real photograph, and it's ridiculous! Look at the records behind Ms. Swift. Have a nice day!

Home From Fest, Home From Tour

Well, that's it! We're home, and to remind us where we live, Minnesota has decided to move late December into mid-November on our behalf! That's right... snow, low 20's for high temperatures, the inevitable incursions by White Walkers (let's face it, this is Minnesota... most of the people walking around are white)... yep we've got it all! Thanks to everyone who came out and rocked out. Here's that great poster art from Arms Aloft, one more time:

We have no major tours planned for quite awhile now, just local and regional stuff. Keep an eye on the shows listed on the right-hand side of this page. The long-term plan is to finish the songs for our second album, and as far as that goes, I've written the basics for most of them, or possibly even all of them, but so much more happens when the band gets ahold of them that I wouldn't want to put an estimate on when that might be accomplished. Regardless, we have some GREAT stuff coming up in the Upper Midwest, so bundle up and walk on down to the rock'n'roll show - you're sure to see us there!

Tacos,
-Nato & the BDB

The Bummer In October Has Begun!

Hello from Nato HQ! I'm taking a quick break from tying up loose ends so we can hit the road for the next couple weeks with Arms Aloft to type a quick little update for ya... people, we're so excited for this one! Gainesville Fest XIII awaits us one week from today, and we all hope to see you there.

Our drummer for the non-Gainesville dates on this tour is Jack from Arms Aloft. He's a solid dude. He's a great drummer. He'll be playing two sets a night for most of this tour, so don't be shy about buying him some "medicine" to help those sticks thump them skins...!

The tour dates are posted on the side of this page, but here they are, one more time. If you're on the route... LOOKOUTE!!!

Fri 10/24 - Mankato, MN - Midtown Tavern
Sat 10/25 - Normal, IL - Firehouse Pizza PubSun 10/26 - Louisville, KY - Mag Bar
Mon 10/27 - Asheville, NC - The Odditorium
Tue 10/28 - Athens, GA - The Green Room
Wed 10/29 - St Augustine, FL - Nobby's
Thu 10/30 - Gainesville, FL (BDB at Lunchbox, Arms Aloft at Loosey's)
Fri 10/31 - FEST DAY ONE
Sat 11/1 - FEST DAY TWO - Nato Coles solo acoustic at Whiskey House at 2:10pm, Arms Aloft at Loosey's at 5:30pm
Sun 11/2 - FEST DAY THREE - our show is today! We play Durty Nelly's at 3:00pm
Mon 11/3 - Atlanta, GA - Wonderroot
Tue 11/4 - Chattanooga, TN - Sluggo's
Wed 11/5 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
Thu 11/6 - Cape Girardeau, MO - Pitter's
Fri 11/7 - Carbondale, IL - Lost Cross
Sat 11/8 - Cedar Falls, IA - The Black Hole

For info on any of these shows, please email natopaisano@gmail.com.

A Quick One (While We're Home)

Hello, happy September everybody. I wanted to update this site very quickly to keep the universe of folks who visit here every so often up to speed on Blue Diamond Band news.

First off, thanks to everyone who came out to the Rock'n'Roll Counterattack shows! We felt we had some of our best shows ever in certain places (looking at Missoula, Portland, Denver at the Larimer Lounge with Bud Bronson, Kansas City for starters - and Fayetteville, Arkansas was great! And we'd never been there! So technically it's our best show there ever by default, but for first times, it was a knockout!). And thanks for buying all our t-shirts and LPs! Now nobody in Minnesota gets to do that... for now.

Allright, you know we play shows all the time around here. But did you know that we're touring to Gainesville Fest with our buddies in Arms Aloft? We are! Check out the tour dates on the right-hand side of this page. We're getting back to a few towns we haven't been to for awhile, which rules. And of course, all our to-Fest-and-back favorites!

I really want to write more about the Rock'n'Roll Counterattack Tour, so expect something about that soon. I just don't have time to do that right now. Gotta wash the dishes, then go watch Yankees vs. Orioles at a friend's house. Salud!

-Nato

THE ROCK'N'ROLL COUNTERATTACK BEGINS

Folks, get ready, because the Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band West Coast Tour of 2014 is HERE! And this tour is a ROCK'N'ROLL COUNTERATTACK!!!

There have been some darknesses in the world recently - global, national, and even personal*. That's why our ROCK'N'ROLL COUNTERATTACK could not come at a better time! Songs will be sung. The righteous will stand tall. Shots will be done. Truth, peace, and the shaking of the ass will win the day! I PROMISE! We have our guitars, our guts, and Earth Van, and we roll out for Kansas City in the morning. Our ultimate destination is Awesome Fest 8, there and back. Here's the entire itinerary. See you on the road!

Fri. 8/15 - Kansas City, MO - The Vandal
Sat. 8/16 - Denver, CO - Lion's Lair
Sun. 8/17 - Denver, CO (afternoon BBQ show) - Larimer Lounge
Sun. 8/17 - Ft. Collins, CO - Surfside 7
Mon. 8/18 - Rock Springs, WY - Buddha Bob's
Tue. 8/19 - Salt Lake City, UT - Diabolical Records
Wed. 8/20 - Boise, ID - The Crux
Thu. 8/21 - Missoula, MT - The Palace
Fri. 8/22 - Seattle, WA - Victory Lounge
Sat. 8/23 - Portland, OR - The Know
Sun. 8/24 - Oakland, CA - World Rage Center
Mon. 8/25 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Rock Shop
Tue. 8/26 - Los Angeles, CA - 5 Star Bar
Wed. 8/27 - Los Angeles, CA - The Redwood
Thu. 8/28 - Pomona, CA (LA area) - VLHS Awesome Fest 8 Pre-Show Party!
Fri. 8/29 - San Diego, CA - Awesome Fest 8!
Sat. 8/30 - Tijuana, Mex. - this rules. At El Tigre, with Dead Bars!
Sun. 8/31 - San Diego, CA - Awesome Fest 8!
Mon. 9/1 - Tempe, AZ - Yucca Taproom
Tue. 9/2 - Las Cruces, NM - The Trainyard
Wed. 9/3 - Austin, TX - Beerland
Thu. 9/4 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
Fri. 9/5 - Fayetteville, AR - JR's Lightbulb Club
Sat. 9/6 - Lawrence, KS - The Replay

*RIP Jay Wolf. Thanks for everything over the years. This one's for you, man!

Western USA Tour Dates Are Up!

Yes! It's the moment we've all been waiting for... dates and venues for our Western USA tour are now up and posted on the right hand side of this page! Check 'em out!

You'll notice that we only posted the dates, cities, and venues. More info will be posted as we get it, but this far out, some things are still up in the air. But if you just can't wait, and you need any more info on the shows? Email natopaisano@gmail.com, I'll do what I can for ya.

If you play in a band and you live in one of these cities, and you're interested in playing any of these dates, please get in touch with us. Not every bill is completely full! (Some are.) Email natopaisano@gmail.com, or just find us in one of the many other ways which that can be done.

And as you are probably aware, we are playing Awesome Fest 8 this year. Still don't know if that'll be Friday or Sunday, but as soon as we know, you'll know.

See ya soon, Western USA! (And even Tijuana, Mexico! So cool.)

-Nato & the BDB

Home From Tour - Here's What's Up...

Hello, citizens of the rock'n'roll universe. Nato here, letting you know that we had a fantastic time out there on the road, travelling all around the eastern USA! And now we've been home for about a week, and we're just chillin' out, playing the odd record store show with a Modern Machines semi-reunion set thrown in for good measure, playing with Collective Soul in Mankato... you know, the usual.

We're headed out again on August 15th, for three weeks, to the west coast and back. We're playing Awesome Fest 8 this year (check the image on the upper right corner of this page), and the tour is built around that. We'll be going to a few new cities this time around, as well as some favorites of ours. I'll be posting the tour dates by the end of the week; for now, let me just say that the route outline (route-line?) is Kansas City through Colorado, across up to Seattle, down to San Diego, across to Texas, and north to home. With lots of shows in between all those locations, of course!

The second pressing of Promises To Deliver remains available - we can't sell 500 records THAT fast, we ain't THAT good - so if you're looking for it, check out the Dead Broke or the ADD website, or just come out to one of our shows and we'll sell ya one.

And for the future? This fall, look for the Blue Diamond Band in all the usual regional hellholes we love so well. We'll also be playing Gainesville Fest 13, and also playing a pre-Fest show in Gainesville the Thursday night before Fest officially begins (Halloween!). Perhaps a small tour right around then would suit us. We're also gonna have to make a second album sometime, eh? We should get going on that... busy days, my friends, busy days.

On The Road With The Blue Diamond Band

Hi y'all! We have departed dear old Minneapolis (late), and rocked Milwaukee (very late), and all is well! Our friend Corey made us amazing breakfast tacos (a chorizo mix, deep fried tortillas... yeaaah!), we've enjoyed Simpsons episodes, and now Mike Cranberry is doing the Mr. Burns walk at me! Argh!

So, if you're out there, east of here and south of here, maybe come see us? We're playing for the next two weeks, check out the tour dates on the right hand side of this page. Let's have a party like Wanda Jackson!

Also: CLONTARF! CLONTARF! CLONTARF!

Big Ol' News Dump For June

Hi everybody, first off we want to thank everybody who came to our shows at Grumpy's DT this May! You all rule the school, and now class is dismissed!

Now, on to the Big Ol' News Dump! Lots of things going on in Blue Diamond Land. First off, THE SECOND PRESSING OF PROMISES TO DELIVER IS NOW AVAILABLE! Oh, have we been waiting to announce that! You can order it online from Dead Broke Records and probably ADD Records, too. There are 100 on blue vinyl, and 100 on clear vinyl, so act now! Or reasonably soon. Anyway, this means you'll be able to buy them from us at shows, too, so why not come out to one or five?

Second item: much tour information is now up on the right hand side of this page! Scroll down to check out where we're going on our Cuando El Gato Duerme, Los Ratones Bailan Summer Tour. Look out, Northeast! Look out, Southeast! Look out, Midwest! All the venues are currently confirmed but one, and we're listing bands and other info as quickly as we can.

Here's a flyer you might see in the near future at your local fun spot:

Allright! Summer's here and the time is right for rock'n'roll in the streets, so look out for Blue Diamond Activity because it's happening! Party on!

-Nato & the BDB

Get Your Live Band Karaoke Requests In! (plus new link to cool article)

Hey everybody, the Grumpy's Residency is upon us. Every Saturday in May, we'll be rocking the side room downtown. Every night there are cool guests and friends and things going on. These residencies always kick ass! And they're always free. And they have beer. (The beer isn't free, but it's BEER.)

And the third Saturday, May 17th? LIVE BAND KARAOKE (hosted by noted local punk karaoke guy DJ Sinclair, infamous from his work at the Hexagon and the Seward Cafe)! Email three song choices to natopaisano@gmail.com, and we'll take a look and figure out which one works best for live band karaoke. Then we learn the song, and on Saturday May 17th, we become your band for that song! Trust me, it's way more fun than a little computer playing the music for you. Get your requests in now, because although we're not sure what the deadline is (it probably varies depending on how complicated the song is)... THERE IS A DEADLINE! The party starts when PerPlexed Fest (in NE Mpls) ends, around 10:30pm. Again, email song requests to natopaisano@gmail.com.

Last but not least, Nato is part of an article on Musician's Friend where a bunch of bands from across the stylistic spectrum talk about strange obstacles and events that have cropped up on tour. Click this link to read, it's good stuff: On the Road Again: Tips While Touring

See ya downtown, crazies!

-Nato and the BDB

It's Time For Another Grumpy's Residency! Live Band Karaoke (and more!)

Hi there! You caught the title of this post, right? Well, it's all true - we're doing another one of those every-Saturday-night-for-a-month residencies at Grumpy's Downtown in Minneapolis. Grumpy's is located at 1111 S. Washington Ave, and is one of the coolest places on earth, period.

Later in this post, I'll go into more detail on each individual night. But for starters, since it requires participation on your end, let's talk Live Band Karaoke, which will be happening on Saturday May 17th. You may have participated in this with us before, and if you have, you know the score and you know how awesome it can be. But if you've never sang Live Band Karaoke, Blue Diamond Band-style, here's the deal. You pick a song for us to learn, you email it to natopaisano@gmail.com (my email address) - and you sing it with us the night of the show! For a few minutes, we become YOUR BAND. Can you dig it?!?

I recommend picking three possible requests, and emailing them over (again, the email address is natopaisano@gmail.com). Then, we'll pick the choice that works best. This way, if one song just doesn't seem to be working, we can pick one that will be the most fun for everybody involved in the night's festivities.

Also, there are about 15-20 songs that we already know, for whatever reason (covers we learned for fun, or learned from previous LBK but haven't forgotten). This list will be posted up in several places around the bar, and you will be able to request any of these songs on the spot and sing them with us.

Last thing: anybody going to Perplexed Fest earlier this day? Don't worry, we won't start Live Band Karaoke until 11pm - after the final band of Perplexed Fest has wrapped it up!

Ok, that about explains things for Live Band Karaoke. So, on to the residency, in total!

Sat. May 3rd - Grumpy's Residency Day One will start at 10pm, and feature a quick opening set by Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band, followed by our friends Hot Rash and From The Midwest (feat. a real live Grumpy's DT food wizard!). Then, NC&BDB return to close it out.

Sat. May 10th - Day Two starts at 10pm with a short opening set by the Blue Diamond Band, same as Day One. Then our band-comrades-in-arms Lutheran Heat and We/Ours will hit you again and again. Last, Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band return to play one more set.

Sat. May 17th - Day Three is Live Band Karaoke night. We'll be doing two complete sets of Live Band Karaoke, and the first one will start around 11pm. No other bands are playing - it's just Karaoke, folks. So bring your singin' pants!

Sat. May 24th - Day Four will open with a special set from Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band feat. "The Killer" Terry Lee, who you may recall from previous Grumpy's residencies is Nato's dad! He plays a mean guitar. Then, up from southern Illinois, the band Hospital Job will rock it - that's Luke from The Copyrights's band. Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band then return for one more set to end the night.

Sat. May 31st - Day Five, the last night of our Grumpy's Residency, will start with Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band performing a set consisting entirely of Thin Lizzy covers! Then, the bands Toast and The Right Here (Luke De Beaumarchais's band) will play. And naturally, to close the night and our residency, NC&BDB will take the stage one more time and burn it down! And all will be right with the world.

So, friends, we do hope to see you at one or more of these. Grumpy's Residencies are so much fun, they should be criminal. Some of them are criminal! Enjoy your spring, and we'll see ya in May at the best damn bar in the Twin Cities! Salud,

-Nato

Live at The What's Up Lounge in Mankato MN 3/29/2014

Hey y'all, about two weeks ago we played a really cool show down in Mankato, Minnesota (yes, that Mankato, Lookout! Records fans). And when I say really cool, I mean it! The crowd was great, we played some newer stuff and really let loose, I think. Someone videotaped the whole thing. Now, this isn't high-level rock concert rockumentary quality, so no apologies for that. HOWEVER. If you want to see an entire Blue Diamond Band set online, with PRETTY GOOD SOUND, here are parts one and two of that What's Up Lounge show. Enjoy my good friends - Enjoy! (both videos by youtube user "migerana2")

Part One (click to watch)

Set list for Part One:
1. See Some Lights
2. Julie (Hang Out A Little Longer)
3. Listen To Her Heart (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
4. Standing On The Corner Alone (new unreleased)

Part Two (you know what to do)

Set list for Part Two:
5. An Honorable Man
6. Dangerous (new unreleased)
7. You Can Count On Me Tonight 

The What's Up Lounge

Sam Beer to have Hemingway Cat Hands operation, out for 6-8 weeks

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

Hi, friends and fans, some news... the BDB is taking a 2-month hiatus effective today. After a lot of consideration, Sam Beer is going ahead with the surgery he has been contemplating to give him "Hemingway cat hands" - i.e. seven fingers on each hand (it's named after the cats Hemingway bred with seven claws per paw). He feels this will dramatically improve his guitar skills, but the healing and training process will take at least a month and a half. So, the next time you see us will be early June... and you will NOT BELIEVE the things Sam will be doing with his guitar!!! Cheers!

Winter Is Leaving

Hi there, friends of the rock, Nato here. We've had a few developments here and there over the past month-plus, so I've decided to update this website and tell you about 'em!

First off, a rather fun announcement: We're playing every Saturday night in May, residency-style, at Grumpy's in downtown Minneapolis. It's our third year in a row doing this, and this time we have FIVE Saturdays to fill with Blue Diamond Land entertainment. So, look for special themed cover sets, another installment of Live Band Karaoke, and more! Grumpy's residencies are always so much fun, you know you'll want to make to every one! (Or at least one, heh.)

And I've posted the cities and dates of our June/July tour on the right side of this front page - venues and other details soon! This tour is going to be really exciting, because our lineup for this tour will be what should be considered the official BDB lineup: Sam Beer, Kyle Sando, Luke De Beaumarchais, and Mike Cranberry. Yes, you'll get to hear Luke's rocking keyboard styles, and yes, after taking over a year off from touring, Mike Cranberry is back to terrorize the highways of America!

It's been a colder-than-average winter here in the Twin Cities, but we're just about to break through that ice wall and let spring reign. Personally, these days I'm wearing Chuck Taylors with only one pair of socks underneath more often than I have in months, and it feels NICE.

See ya later,

-Nato

Little News, Big January

Hi there! Man oh man, this winter has turned a corner, eh? I think it might have been almost 26 degrees fahrenheit in the mid-afternoon, when I stepped outside to throw my empty bottle of Summit IPA (blue label)* in the recycling bin.

I haven't posted anything on this "website" for awhile, because honestly, we're just chugging along, doing Blue Diamond Band deeds. There's no real news to report that will matter soon. We're working on new songs and just having fun. I suppose we can announce that our Grumpy's residency this year will be in May. That's a fact. And it's pretty much a done deal that we will be touring to the northeast in early June. We haven't figured out how long that trip will be. If we can, we'll hit the road as a 5-piece, with Luke on the keys, and Mike Cranberry on drums. 

January was a very busy month for us, though. Ian's Party in Chicago was ridiculous! Great times at Quencher's, seeing Chicagoland friends and enjoying the fruits of the party. And then, of course, there was our tour to Texas and back. We had some great shows between here and there, but I want to personally pick San Antonio as a great time, not just for the show but also for the cool history and walkin' around and tacos and such. No, nobody peed on the Alamo... also, Braden Franklin drummed for us on that tour, and he is awesome! Last thing about that tour: Red Kate are GREAT tour guides and hosts in Kansas City, and a kick-ass rock'n'roll punk band! Besides recommending The Woodyard for BBQ (best ribs I ever had, no sauce required or even desired!), Shawn from Red Kate took us out for great Mexican food on the last day of our tour to a place called El Toro II which, like The Woodyard, was located not in KCMO but Kansas City, Kansas. And I suppose what I'm getting at here is this: Kansas City is one of the coolest and most fun and yet overlooked cities/metro areas in the country. Once you meet some good folks there who can show you around, you WILL have fun. Can't wait to get back to Kaufmann Stadium this summer...

And then, we did a fun little weekend road trip (with Luke and Mike! The "real" BDB hits the road together for the first time!) to Normal Illinois, and St. Louis. Normal is fantastic, and we spent a TON of money on records the morning/afternoon after our show, at Waiting Room and especially North Street Records (Mike hit a three-figure number at North Street). Then, in St. Louis, we played Nighthawk and Darron's "Stay Retardeder" show, and that was one of the most fun shows I've played in some time! FUBAR treated us nice, and despite the fact that we ran into a blizzard on the way home, forcing us to get a hotel room in Waverly Iowa for the night (where we watched Godfathers Part I and II), the weekend was a rousing success. Can't wait for the next one!

Allright, gotta run. It's Taco Night at the Gun Club. See you out there, folks,
-Nato

*I suppose it's not much of a secret to folks in the Twin Cities, but Summit makes some pretty damn good beer. My favorite variety is the IPA with the blue label (I don't like their other IPA - Saga - nearly as much, and actually prefer the plain old EPA to it). I like most of what they make, though - the Winter Ale, the Horizon thing... but, I guess all I'm saying is, I really like the blue label Summit IPA, and consider it my number one drinkin' beer. It's not heavy at all, but is still very flavorful, and it makes ya feel nice!