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!