Banda Macho!

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

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

News For September Gurls (and everyone else)

Hello, folks!

I know it's been quite awhile since we had some news for you, so I'm happy to say it's finally time to announce a pretty big piece of news:

WE HAVE FINISHED OUR SECOND ALBUM.

That's right - it's in the can*! So, within the next couple of weeks, we'll follow up with a little bit more information on the whole process, but rest assured, although the wait is not over, the big push is over and all that remains is the process of getting our tunes into your hands, ears, and the music centers of your brains! (And wherever else you choose to experience them! We don't presume to tell you what to do with our stuff, except no white supremacist action, ok?)

We've also got a few local rock'n'roll parties coming up. In Minneapolis, our only *official* show is our regular appearance at Indeed Brewery's Hullabaloo party on October 14th... however, stay tuned, because very soon we will be announcing a TRUE BANGER of a show for November here in the Twin Cities! Trust me, you'll want to be at this one.

Now, as it's September, it's also worth noting that Gainesville Fest is coming up, as it always does. Well, sad to say, this year the Blue Diamond Band will not be appearing at that sainted party - we chose to take a break this year. However, do be sure to catch Sam Beer's other band Dingus... and all the usual and unusual suspects! And while you're there, take a moment to raise a lukewarm plastic cup of PBR towards the direction of Minneapolis... and we'll raise one of those ridiculous Mpls-size shots in the direction of Gainesville back atcha!

Last thing: you may be aware that Mike Cranberry and Bill Rohla play in the excellent punk rock band The Chinchees, based out of Minneapolis (naturally). Recently, they finished a music video for their song "Your Life Is A Waiting Room". Watch it - it's amazing! Space-age post-apocalyptic hi-jinks (and a dog!)... CLICK TO WATCH!

Allright, have fun out there - be excellent to each other!

Cheers - Nato

*as in, 'completed', not as in 'the toilet'

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Short Nights, Short Update

Hi everybody - up here in Minnesota, it's not exactly the land of the midnight sun, but the hours just around midnight are pretty much the only fully dark ones... the "last pale light in the west" is still visible after 10pm, and the birds do get going right around the time the bartender's taxi is pulling up to take them home. These shortest nights of the year also, for some reason, tend to be the craziest ones around here...

So, a quick update! Work on the new album continues, and continues well. Only a couple more times into the studio and we should have it (and more). Once it's finished, we'll have a big announcement regarding its release.

Check out all those shows we have in July! Of special note, our night at the Viking Bar in Minneapolis on Thursday July 20th. The entire band will be taking turns DJing before and after our set, which will be a lot of fun for us. I promise it won't all be mainstream country from the 80's!

We'll be announcing more shows soon - a couple weekend runs around the area, something up in Duluth/Superior... we'll keep ya posted. Cheers!

-Nato


Thursday, May 4, 2017

May The Fourth Be With This Update

Hi there, y'all, it's a beautiful Minneapolis-style May afternoon (no, it's not snowing, our last snowfall was three days ago so shut up), and since it's been awhile, here's an update as to what's been going on in Blue Diamond Land!

First off, we have a TON of shows just announced in the Twin Cities, and all of them are pretty ridiculously awesome. They are, in order:

1. Friday May 5th - A great little punk rock'n'roll party at the 331 Club with The Right Here (Luke's other band, absolutely great country-inflected punk rock'n'roll), Partial Traces (sort of a new-wave Minneapolis supergroup), and Cory Call (from Denver - member of Arliss Nancy, great singer-songwriter).

2. Saturday May 13th - Beer & Bacon Fest at Stanley's Bar in Northeast Minneapolis. The name sorta says it all, but check out the link to learn more, and note that we play between 4pm and 7pm. Beer and bacon - two arguments against the eradication of humanity, should aliens ever arrive and be required to make a decision...

3. Saturday May 20th - Indeed Art-a-Whirl! YES! For what I believe is the third year in a row, Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band grace the stage at our favorite* brewery in town for a good healthy hoppy performance. Come down anytime, the whole day is great... we play at about 6pm.

4. Sunday May 28th - Memory Lanes Block Party Afterparty, at which we will be mixing in some live band karaoke and some of our own tunes round about the time Dillinger Four (you've heard of them, yes?) finish playing outside, where they're headlining that portion of things. Email your live band karaoke requests to natopaisano@gmail.com! Please email two or three songs you might like to sing, so that we can pick the one that works for us the best. Deadline for requests is May 20th.

5. Saturday June 3rd - 7th Annual St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Fundraiser. This, if you don't know, is a fundraiser for one of the best causes around. Ben Nichols (Lucero) and Lydia Loveless are playing! That alone is worth the price of admission (we play right before Lydia, on at 3:45pm) but the fact that it's for St Jude's makes this a must. Also playing: Bill Patten Trio and Alicia Corbett

How about that, folks? Much, much rocking in the Twin Cities over the next month-plus! And as usual, keep an eye out for us on the road, as we will be showing up in random Midwestern cities all summer long!

Last... in case you were wondering... we spent five days in the studio, banging out tracks for our new album. A few more dates are scheduled, but the results are pretty damn positive so far, so continue to regard our second studio album as ON TRACK! 

Salud!

-Nato

*Well, certainly one of 'em! Hard to play favorites when there are so many good ones. Can we just say that Indeed was the first Minnesota brewery to ask your humble friends the Blue Diamond Band to play one of their events? Ok, we'll just say that. Also: Let It Ride is amazing.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Pi Day Update

Hi, y'all, it's been a couple months since the last update here. So, let me get some news items atcha!

First off, the band will be laying low for a couple weeks while Mike and Bill's other band - The Chinchees - hit the road for a two-week west coast tour! You really should check them out, click here to visit their bandcamp and rock the heck out! They're out from March 17th through April 2nd so keep your eyes and hearts open, Western USA (and Texas, too)... you can see some mostly-correct tour dates (and a cool video! It's really cool!) at this link.

Meanwhile, the Blue Diamond Band itself will be entering the studio in April and recording our second studio album. Very exciting stuff, people! There will be more news as it is warranted, but it's gonna happen, folks. Get ready - there is no release date set, but when the record is recorded we'll have more info for ya!

Rum Bar Records is having a Storm Sale, out there in Boston (where I think they technically avoided much snow... but hey, they have devotees who live inland too!) - check out their facebook page, everything is 25% off! And meanwhile, look, our live album made Pop Geek Heaven's Best Of 2016 list! Check it out!

And of course, we have shows... currently nothing too far from home, but this spring and summer we will be hitting the road for weekends here and there. I know that's not really "news" considering the fact that announcing that the Blue Diamond Band is careening around the Midwest is about as stunning as announcing that the sky is blue or the grass is green or that beer is good for you, but I'm still saying it!

Last: THANK  YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TO OUR GRUMPY'S RESIDENCY! WE LOVE YOU, YOU BEAUTIFUL SO AND SO'S!

Cheers,

-Nato

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Our Annual Grumpy's Residency Approaches (and Live Band Karaoke too!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hello! Happy New Year, friends! We had a great party on New Year's Eve, raised hundreds of dollars for Planned Parenthood and Midwest Animal Rescue Services (M.A.R.S.), and I want to thank ALL OF YOU who participated in any way, shape, or form. So... thank you!

Our January is going to be kind of quiet, with the notable exception of opening for Har Mar Superstar and P.O.S. at Kathy's Pub in Rochester, Minnesota this Saturday January 14th. That's a crazy bill! We're stoked. Anyway, that show and a Nato Coles solo Saturday afternoon acoustic performance at Trollhaugen Ski Hill on January 28th are the only Blue Diamond Band-related activities in January, but hold on because...

February is coming - and that means our Grumpy's DT Saturday Night Residency returns! We love these - every Saturday in February starting at 10pm, Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band play a free show, always with great guest bands (names will be announced soon, a few spots are still in play). It's the most fun you can have in Minneapolis on a Saturday night in February, believe you me! And on the third Saturday of the month, we switch over to Live Band Karaoke.

LIVE BAND KARAOKE

That's right! Saturday February 18th! You guys may already know how this goes, but we do a set of live karaoke covers once or twice a year, every year, and always one during the Grumpy's DT residency. Those who have participated in years' past can attest to how awesome and fun this is!

Here's how it works: you pick two or three songs that you might like to sing, and email those choices along with your name to natopaisano@gmail.com. The band will pick one of them, learn it, and then on Live Band Karaoke night, Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band will be YOUR band as you perform the most killer version of whatever dang song we end up settling on! So what are you waiting for? Email your song choices today! Or at the very least, get them in as quickly as you can, the deadline is the afternoon of Saturday February 11th unless we fill up - and we usually do fill up.

Oh, and there is also a master list of the 20-30 songs we know how to stumble through already - those can be requested the night of.

Allright! See you out there, Twin Cities... take it easy and be excellent to each other,

-Nato/BDB