Hi everyone. Big important things have been happening in Blue Diamond Bandland since we last updated this website... relatively big important things, anyway. As important as global economics? Military coups in the Middle East? Tsunamis and earthquakes and swarms of bees and packs of dogs with bees in their mouths so that when they bark they shoot bees at you?
The answer: Yes.
For one, we're heading into the studio Saturday for several days to record our upcoming debut LP! We haven't named it yet, but it's going to be a split release on ADD and Dead Broke, and it'll be out by Gainesville Fest XI (which we're playing). We're all really excited and I personally am still a little nervous. I think this is the best batch of songs I've ever had, going into a recording, and I'm really happy we get to work in a great studio (Sound Gallery) with our good buddy and engineering maestro Jacques Waite!
And we had a great time playing with Australian legends-five-years-from-now Royal Headache, who are also really sweet dudes. Make sure you check them out, you won't regret it - they have an LP on RIP Society Records which I've spun over and over.
Last but not least, keep an eye out for us if you're in the upper Midwest. We'll be playing in your town soon, I bet... especially in August, for which we're putting together a week-long tour around the Great Lakes region.
Allright, that's all for now. See y'all soon,
-Nato
PS: Hello, this is the BBC. I'm Nigel English, with News-ahhh!!!
Banda Macho!
L to R: Sam, Mike, Luke, Nato, Matt
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Quick Update
Hi there, readers, Nato here with a quick update of the blog for ya. There isn't too much news in Blue Diamond Bandland, but here's a summary of What's Going On:
1. Mother, mother, there's too many of you crying.
2. Brother, brother, there's too many of you dying.
OOPS. Wrong "What's Going On". Let's try that again...
1. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us at the Triple Rock the other night - of course, many of you were probably going to be there anyway, since the mickeyflippin' DILLINGER FOUR were playing their amazing first album in its entirety (Midwestern Songs Of The Americas). And the excellent Big Eyes played, and of course the ridiculous six-guitar Slow Death set (they actually sounded really tight somehow...). But during our brief incandescent moment under the lights, we had an absolute blast, and I hope you all did too.
2. We've booked the studio time, lined up the special guests, and are all set to record our first album. This is exciting! And it's scheduled to come out in time for Gainesville Fest, so we'll see you there if not beforehand.
3. Speaking of Fests, we are definitely playing Awesome Fest 6 in San Diego this year. This time it's going to be the actual Blue Diamond Band lineup - Kyle, Sam, and Mike. Our beloved west coast bass-replacement Matt Braun will not be filling in for Kyle this time around...
4. Also, the Used Kids will be playing a reunion show at Awesome Fest 6. (sound of crickets chirping). You're welcome? Anyway, if you liked that band but never got a chance to see us when we existed, well now you have another shot.
That's about it. If you live in the Twin Cities, keep an eye out for us playing shows. We've got some really good ones coming up - in particular, don't miss us playing with Royal Headache on June 9th! They're an amazing Australian band, and they promise not to savagely attack you and take your gasoline.
Later,
-Nato
1. Mother, mother, there's too many of you crying.
2. Brother, brother, there's too many of you dying.
OOPS. Wrong "What's Going On". Let's try that again...
1. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us at the Triple Rock the other night - of course, many of you were probably going to be there anyway, since the mickeyflippin' DILLINGER FOUR were playing their amazing first album in its entirety (Midwestern Songs Of The Americas). And the excellent Big Eyes played, and of course the ridiculous six-guitar Slow Death set (they actually sounded really tight somehow...). But during our brief incandescent moment under the lights, we had an absolute blast, and I hope you all did too.
2. We've booked the studio time, lined up the special guests, and are all set to record our first album. This is exciting! And it's scheduled to come out in time for Gainesville Fest, so we'll see you there if not beforehand.
3. Speaking of Fests, we are definitely playing Awesome Fest 6 in San Diego this year. This time it's going to be the actual Blue Diamond Band lineup - Kyle, Sam, and Mike. Our beloved west coast bass-replacement Matt Braun will not be filling in for Kyle this time around...
4. Also, the Used Kids will be playing a reunion show at Awesome Fest 6. (sound of crickets chirping). You're welcome? Anyway, if you liked that band but never got a chance to see us when we existed, well now you have another shot.
That's about it. If you live in the Twin Cities, keep an eye out for us playing shows. We've got some really good ones coming up - in particular, don't miss us playing with Royal Headache on June 9th! They're an amazing Australian band, and they promise not to savagely attack you and take your gasoline.
Later,
-Nato
Friday, March 30, 2012
We're Home, But Not In Hiding
Hello, everyone out there - I hope you're all having a great spring. Up here in Minneapolis, it seems like everything's greening all over the place. Just the other day, I had a great afternoon hangout with a couple of friends on the patio at Grumpy's Nordeast. I walked there. I walked home, too. But I walk places all year long, including during the depths of winter, so that's not particularly noteworthy. What was noteworthy was that as I strolled down the streets and avenues, I passed by many other pedestrians. I haven't seen those for awhile (other pedestrians). I guess Minnesota Spring is here. Time to dust off "Alone In The Springtime" I suppose...
Now it's time to make a record. A full-length, long-playing record. I can't divulge details just yet, but look for the first Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band LP to be out by Gainesville Fest XI. I know that's far in the future, but seriously, we're already chomping at the bit to make this happen.
But hey! The Blue Diamond Band had a great tour! This one was absolutely bonkers. Thanks to everyone who set up shows, and came to the shows. I've been telling people who ask me "how was tour?" that this one is in the top 3 of my life (along with the first Used Kids tour, and the Modern Machines "Taco Blessing" tour). And then thanks to everyone who danced and sang along. And naturally, thanks to everyone who bought and/or bartered 7"s and t-shirts from us along the way. We ran out of everything on the last day of tour. Trust me, that's the kind of problem a band WANTS to have.
Here's a quick recap of the tour:
Friday March 9th - Horseshoe Tavern in Chicago, IL. We played with a bunch of cool bands we've never heard before. Classic rock'n'roll moment when the bemused and vaguely eastern European-sounding owner asked us (and apparently the other bands, individually) to turn down. No dice. Great crowd for the Windy City.
Saturday March 10th - Now That's Class in Cleveland, OH. We got great burritos as we left Chicago, and hauled ass to Now That's Class. What a great bar! I really recommend this place to any bands coming through northeast Ohio. Paul takes good care of those who believe in the rock and/or roll. Also, Two Hand Fools were really good, and they and the other people who live at Dag House on the edge of the Cuyahoga River flood plain probably have the coolest house I will ever stay at.
Sunday March 11th - Lulu's in Brooklyn, NY. Zach Rapport has still got it - Mr. Liarbird's new band, the Now People, rocked my socks. They even played "Snow Emergency" - tight! This show was one of the best of tour. I miss my old Brooklyn home. Not enough to move back, but it's always lurking on the back of my mind.
Monday March 12th - Mr. Beery's in Bethpage, NY (Long Island). A really fun show in a cool LI dive bar. Afterwards, we went back to Mike Dumps's house and ate taco bell and pasta.
We also watched horror movies where it looked like zombies were eating pasta... but it was really braaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiinnnssss......!!! If you'd like to see some of the best pictures taken of us anywhere, check out our friend Gaelen's flickr by clicking here: Flash! Snap!
Tuesday March 13th - The Zoo in New Brunswick, NJ.
While the show was packed and outta sight, the cops came during the last song of our set (our cover of "Streams Of Whiskey" by the Pogues - "...jumped bail and landed up in jail..."), which meant that we didn't get to see Kicking Spit! That sucked. At least we got to play with our friends from Carbondale, Parlor and Autonomy. Awesome sets by both.
Wednesday March 14th - JR's Bar in Philadelphia, PA. Another fun night down at everybody's favorite sketchy Passyunk palace. Earlier in the day, Sam had bought a battery-powered tape recorder-player, so after the show, we walked from our buddy Steve's house to Pat's for cheesesteaks (no nos gusta de Geno's), and the walk featured Tenement's Blind Wink album blasting off the bricks of Philly into the late night air.
Thursday March 15th - Church of Abram in Richmond, VA. It was awesome to get to see Sundials again!
They're such a tremendous band, and a definitely sleeper favorite to keep your ears out for. We stayed up with them at their southern manor listening to records and shooting the breeze on a mild Virginia night.
Friday March 16th - Carabar in Columbus, OH. Another perfect example of a Blue Diamond Band kinda night of rock'n'roll as far as this tour goes, the Carabar can do no wrong in my eyes. Both bands we played with (Shut Up and Sleep Fleet) were really good, the crowd was wonderful, and afterwards, we went to Troy's (from Tight Bros, and hey, New Creases too!) new house.
Saturday March 17th - FUBAR in St Louis, MO. Woke up and spent too much at Used Kids Records. St Louis was a little weird - our show was us and the Chill Dawgs, tacked on to a kinda Casualties-influenced bill. However, a bunch of our friends showed up and we all had fun, the sound was great, and the Chill Dawgs are still stuck in my head! We partied late into the night and had a great time. The guy in the red shirt is Biff.
Sunday March 18th - Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal, IL. Woke up and went to the City Museum. The guy in the parking booth was listening to Tenement. Anyway, Kyle was wearing a t-shirt of a band we played with called The Fuckers - the design read: THE FUCKERS/FUCK YOU. I was wearing my In Defense "Tacos Up Your Ass" shirt. And we both got kicked out of the museum, and didn't get our money back!
I understand Kyle's shirt was a little over the line, but people say "ass" on prime time, ok? Mike got to go down the slide, though, so it wasn't a total loss. Anyway, then we went and spent too much money at Vintage Vinyl. The show in Normal was really a perfect end to the tour. The bands were really cool. Mike discovered that people will mistake him for the drummer of Fallout Boy if said actual dude is playing in a hardcore band across the street. And then we went to our friends' Austin and Kristen's house and drank really nice beer, and played with kittens until dawn.
THE END
Now it's time to make a record. A full-length, long-playing record. I can't divulge details just yet, but look for the first Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band LP to be out by Gainesville Fest XI. I know that's far in the future, but seriously, we're already chomping at the bit to make this happen.
But hey! The Blue Diamond Band had a great tour! This one was absolutely bonkers. Thanks to everyone who set up shows, and came to the shows. I've been telling people who ask me "how was tour?" that this one is in the top 3 of my life (along with the first Used Kids tour, and the Modern Machines "Taco Blessing" tour). And then thanks to everyone who danced and sang along. And naturally, thanks to everyone who bought and/or bartered 7"s and t-shirts from us along the way. We ran out of everything on the last day of tour. Trust me, that's the kind of problem a band WANTS to have.
Here's a quick recap of the tour:
Friday March 9th - Horseshoe Tavern in Chicago, IL. We played with a bunch of cool bands we've never heard before. Classic rock'n'roll moment when the bemused and vaguely eastern European-sounding owner asked us (and apparently the other bands, individually) to turn down. No dice. Great crowd for the Windy City.
Saturday March 10th - Now That's Class in Cleveland, OH. We got great burritos as we left Chicago, and hauled ass to Now That's Class. What a great bar! I really recommend this place to any bands coming through northeast Ohio. Paul takes good care of those who believe in the rock and/or roll. Also, Two Hand Fools were really good, and they and the other people who live at Dag House on the edge of the Cuyahoga River flood plain probably have the coolest house I will ever stay at.
Sunday March 11th - Lulu's in Brooklyn, NY. Zach Rapport has still got it - Mr. Liarbird's new band, the Now People, rocked my socks. They even played "Snow Emergency" - tight! This show was one of the best of tour. I miss my old Brooklyn home. Not enough to move back, but it's always lurking on the back of my mind.
Monday March 12th - Mr. Beery's in Bethpage, NY (Long Island). A really fun show in a cool LI dive bar. Afterwards, we went back to Mike Dumps's house and ate taco bell and pasta.
We also watched horror movies where it looked like zombies were eating pasta... but it was really braaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiinnnssss......!!! If you'd like to see some of the best pictures taken of us anywhere, check out our friend Gaelen's flickr by clicking here: Flash! Snap!
Tuesday March 13th - The Zoo in New Brunswick, NJ.
While the show was packed and outta sight, the cops came during the last song of our set (our cover of "Streams Of Whiskey" by the Pogues - "...jumped bail and landed up in jail..."), which meant that we didn't get to see Kicking Spit! That sucked. At least we got to play with our friends from Carbondale, Parlor and Autonomy. Awesome sets by both.
Wednesday March 14th - JR's Bar in Philadelphia, PA. Another fun night down at everybody's favorite sketchy Passyunk palace. Earlier in the day, Sam had bought a battery-powered tape recorder-player, so after the show, we walked from our buddy Steve's house to Pat's for cheesesteaks (no nos gusta de Geno's), and the walk featured Tenement's Blind Wink album blasting off the bricks of Philly into the late night air.
Thursday March 15th - Church of Abram in Richmond, VA. It was awesome to get to see Sundials again!
They're such a tremendous band, and a definitely sleeper favorite to keep your ears out for. We stayed up with them at their southern manor listening to records and shooting the breeze on a mild Virginia night.
Friday March 16th - Carabar in Columbus, OH. Another perfect example of a Blue Diamond Band kinda night of rock'n'roll as far as this tour goes, the Carabar can do no wrong in my eyes. Both bands we played with (Shut Up and Sleep Fleet) were really good, the crowd was wonderful, and afterwards, we went to Troy's (from Tight Bros, and hey, New Creases too!) new house.
Saturday March 17th - FUBAR in St Louis, MO. Woke up and spent too much at Used Kids Records. St Louis was a little weird - our show was us and the Chill Dawgs, tacked on to a kinda Casualties-influenced bill. However, a bunch of our friends showed up and we all had fun, the sound was great, and the Chill Dawgs are still stuck in my head! We partied late into the night and had a great time. The guy in the red shirt is Biff.
Sunday March 18th - Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal, IL. Woke up and went to the City Museum. The guy in the parking booth was listening to Tenement. Anyway, Kyle was wearing a t-shirt of a band we played with called The Fuckers - the design read: THE FUCKERS/FUCK YOU. I was wearing my In Defense "Tacos Up Your Ass" shirt. And we both got kicked out of the museum, and didn't get our money back!
I understand Kyle's shirt was a little over the line, but people say "ass" on prime time, ok? Mike got to go down the slide, though, so it wasn't a total loss. Anyway, then we went and spent too much money at Vintage Vinyl. The show in Normal was really a perfect end to the tour. The bands were really cool. Mike discovered that people will mistake him for the drummer of Fallout Boy if said actual dude is playing in a hardcore band across the street. And then we went to our friends' Austin and Kristen's house and drank really nice beer, and played with kittens until dawn.
THE END
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