Banda Macho!

Banda Macho!
L to R: Sam, Mike, Luke, Nato, Matt

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

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

Monday, April 21, 2014

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

Friday, April 11, 2014

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

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

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!