New England Tour Volume 3

We're home again after a long, long drive down from Vermont. We decided to leave right after our gig at the Langdon St. Cafe and drive all night. Thanks to Dan and Josh, we're back in Philadelphia and in one piece, despite the rain, fog, and fatigue. The show in Montpelier was a great time, and Driftwood's set was spectacular. They're awesome people and we had a lot of fun hanging out with them.

But the big event of the day occurred on the way to Montpelier on I-89. For added space in our van, we'd been touring with a roof-mounted cargo container. As we neared the exit for Montpelier, another van signaled us to pull over. The very considerate driver informed us that a black bag had flown out of our Ex-Cargo and onto the highway.

Dan immediately and valiantly tried to recover the bag from the side of the highway, getting soaked by rain and poked by brush in the process. Alas, the bag was never found, which we concluded contained all of our mic cables, microphones, and power strips. Not only that, but when we arrived at the venue, we discovered that Dan's bag of personal possessions had also disappeared from the carrier, and unfortunately contained his only change of pants! After a trip to Wal-Mart for pants and to the hardware store for locks (to hopefully prevent any more ex-cargo), we were able to play the show. Thanks go out to the Langdon St. Cafe for providing us with house mics and house beer.

No true adventure is complete without some hardship, and this was ours. But we're back home now, and overall it was a fun trip. We hope to see everyone in New England again soon - even as soon as this fall. Look out!

- Nick

New England Tour Volume 2

We're spending the afternoon in Burlington, VT before heading down to Montpelier for our show at The Langdon St. Cafe. We enjoyed some "authentic" Irish food at Ri Ra on the pedestrian mall (I like walking) and I made the band venture to the shore of Lake Champlain so we could look at the boats. We didn't go on the boats though. : ( Dan looked at comics, but didn't buy any - there was a nice cat who could've been Dan's cat reincarnated. Josh had ice cream because it's the only place he can get Ben and Jerry's in a cup! James is reading about the Rolling Stones in a book he "procured" at his favorite bookstore (which is the location of the inspiration for the song "Jaked".)
Our tour beards are getting itchy, but we're excited to play in the Vermont capital tonight! See you tomorrow!

- Nick

New England Tour Volume 1

We're in Sturbridge, MA, at the Comfort Inn, resting after finishing the first leg of our mini-tour of New England. Last night's show was tons of fun, and we thank all the family, friends, and guests that came out in the oppressive heat to enjoy the music. The staff of The Midway Cafe were great hosts, and Mass. locals Ashpark opened for us with a soaring set of tunes. We'll be hanging out with Ashpark again tonight, at Tammany Hall in Worcester.

Right now we're enjoying the break from travel by swimming, eating real food, and watching ESPN. For more, you can also follow James' thoughts about the tour or help us answer questions when we don't have the internet at James' blog, or his Facebook page.

See you in tonight in Worcester, and on Wednesday in Montpelier.

- Nick

Look Out! Rainbows!

So as I drove home from the musical this evening, Kanako and I were listening to Black Sabbath's Heaven And Hell, and we both laughed out loud whenever Dio screamed "LOOK OUT!" For those of you unfamiliar with Ronnie James Dio, he has two primary lyrical themes: 1) rainbows, and 2) caution. I began to wonder just how often Dio used the words "rainbow(s)" and "look out" in his lyrics, so I decided to find out. Thanks to darklyrics.com and my browser's Search function, I have compiled a list for you.

Black Sabbath songs with the phrase LOOK OUT

1. Children Of The Sea
2. Lady Evil
3. Slipping Away

DIO songs with the phrase LOOK OUT

1. Holy Diver
2. Rainbow In The Dark
3. The King Of Rock And Roll
4. Hide In The Rainbow
5. Why Are They Watching Me
6. The Prisoner Of Paradise

Black Sabbath songs with the word RAINBOW(S)

1. Wishing Well
2. The Sign Of The Southern Cross

DIO songs with the word RAINBOW(S)

1. Rainbow In The Dark
2. Breathless
3. Evil Eyes
4. Egypt (The Chains Are On)
5. Sacred Heart
6. Hide In The Rainbow
7. Dream Evil
8. I Could Have Been A Dreamer
9. Born On The Sun
10. My Eyes
11. Otherworld

If we extrapolate the data, we can see that without Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler looking over his shoulder, Ronnie James Dio will increase his usage of both phrases. We also find that rainbows are far more important than being cautious. We see 9 songs featuring LOOK OUT, but 13 songs featuring RAINBOW(S). Finally, there are two cautionary tales about rainbows in the Dio mythology: "Rainbow In The Dark", and "Hide In The Rainbow".

I have another hilariously metal post in the pipe, so stick around, and until then...LOOK OUT!

- Josh

NYC Release Show Wrap-Up

Thanks again to everyone who came out to the Sidewalk Cafe to see the NYC release show. It was great to see so many people, and we always love playing this room.

As is the case when we venture to NYC, it usually turns into a mini high school reunion for James and myself, and seeing all the old friends we saw last night was fantastic, as well as meeting new ones.

Some interesting points about out trip to NYC:

1) Apparently Chris Cornell did a record with Timbaland. I was dazed that this had happened and no one but Nick and Josh knew about it. It was a most captivating hour or so of the drive, as we all took turns trying to get our heads around it.

2) I finally found a good Japanese place near the club. Next time we come out, I'm going to round up more people and we can sit in those rooms where you sit on the floor and eat. Totally awesome.

3) There were just the strangest acts playing before us at the Sidewalk. There was a guy with a zither accompanied by a woman who simply sat their and typed on a typewriter. The following act was spoken-word with improv music behind it, and it also included the typewriter lady. We were starting to wonder if a) she was some kind of installment piece on the stage that night and b) if we would be booed for sending her off the stage when we came on. You never know what you're going to get when you come to/play the Sidewalk Cafe.

4) So they closed the Holland Tunnel last night when were were trying to go home. WTF??!! Josh had to detour up to the Lincoln in the new van that he had never driven before. It was a rather frustrating hour trying to get out of NYC.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who came out, bought a record, hung out with us, etc. We had a great time doing these CD release shows. Don't forget, end of the month is out mini tour up to Massachusetts and Vermont. Hope to see some new faces on the road as well as some old friends. Check thesobriquets.com for all the details.

Photos of the weekend coming as soon as we organize them, so stay tuned.

The Philadelphia Record Release Show- A short postscript...

Dan here.

First off, I am incredibly exhausted.

Secondly, and most importantly, thanks to everyone who came out to the release for "...Are Out Of Style" tonight. We had a great time, and we hope you did, too.

Our hugest thanks and appreciation to The Argonauts and Filmstars, who shared the stage with us. And big, huge props to The Stalking Horses, who came all the way up from Baltimore to share the stage with us once again. It was one of those great nights where every band that played was fantastic (this is not simply "professional niceness"... everyone who played was very skilled at their craft and played incredibly well).

Tomorrow night, we hit New York City for Part 2 of the release at the Sidewalk Cafe (6th St and Ave A in the Lower East Side), our home away from home when we're in Manhattan. We promise it will rock, and as always, this show is free (And we still get paid! How cool is that!).

Going to bed, but again, thanks to everyone who came out tonight. This would not be nearly as much fun without you.

-Dan