Well, we've been home for a week and a half and it feels like FOREVER! It's nice to be in one place with a shower, laundry, a kitchen, and other amenities, but we actually do miss the road already. Big surprise--we made it all the way through the North-Midwest out to Colorado and back without seeing snow and now that we're back in sunny North Carolina (I thought this was the South?!?) we have SNOW today!! I've included a picture in case you don't believe it. . .
We're gearing up for our big CD release party in Asheville at the Grey Eagle on Wed., Dec. 10th--let's just hope it doesn't snow then! We'll be recording that night, so keep an eye out for some new songs and sounds. . . until then, stay warm!

We're home! We made it through three shows and a late night-sleepy drive yesterday to round out our fall tour. Our first show of the day was an acoustic radio/tv show on WUGA--"It's Friday!" with host Rob Holmes. We didn't know it was a tv show until the day of, so we weren't prepared with clean clothes, tv hair, or anything like that, but we had fun! After that, we played a house concert (there was great food too; we stuffed ourselves with brie cheese and crackers, fancy-looking spreads, nuts, and tiny things). Then we took our hors d'oeuvres -filled selves to Tasty World --no pun intended--for our rock show to fill out the evening.
Our Thursday in Nashville was both fun and quite surprising. . . After a fun set at Cafe Coco we ran into an old friend from my [this is Melissa] high school who just happened to live in Nashville and coincidentally was hanging out at the venue for the songwriter showcase later in the evening. We hadn't seen each other for eight years; it's such a small world! So after some beers, pizza, and catching up, we started out on the long trek to Athens, GA.

So, now that we're home, our posts will be a little more sparse, but we promise to keep up the journal (practicing at home just isn't as exciting as playing for people all across the country. . .). However, we've got some exciting new sounds and songs up our sleeves that we'll be debuting at our CD release party at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC on December 10th. We will, of course, give you all in computer-land a taste; we'll have video posted shortly after the 10th!

Yesterday we got back out on the road on our way to Memphis. We didn't have a chance to see Elvis (at least not the real Elvis); by the time we pulled in to town we had to go straight to the P&H. We did, however, get a chance to meet some cool cats and catch up with fellow musician Jobu Babin, whom we met last time we were through Memphis.

We're getting ready for Nashville this evening, then tomorrow it's off to Athens, GA for our personal record of 3 shows in one day!

Last night in Indianapolis was a blast. We played at a really classy venue, Radio Radio with a show put together by the Indie Band Collective.
It was great to be back in Indy again, so many childhood memories. . . Folks in Indy came out and represented and we had a great CD Release show. We've begun booking for our next tour, we'll be heading to the Northeast all of February and looking forward to the lovely weather. Check our schedule soon and help us spread the word! Time for some time off... we're on our way home and will be picking it back up this Wednesday, see you then!

Last night we finished up a wet and soggy two day stint in MI -- it hasn't rained hardly at all this tour and now it has rained two days in a row. . .Kalamazoo last night was a lot of fun; Lulu from Hendersonville, NC was up in Michigan visiting friends and family so we got to feel a little bit of home on the road!

Michiganders sure do know how to rock; in Ypsilanti we played with the Ben Daniels Band and in Kalamazoo we shared the stage with the Total Blam Blams.

We got featured in the Kalamazoo Gazette-- click here to read the article by John Liberty. Today we're off to play in our old college town, Bloomington, IN. The nostalgia has yet to set in, but we'll see. . .

After a few days off around Indianapolis to shower, do laundry, eat real food, and catch up on sleep, we're off to Ypsilanti, MI today. We've kept ourselves busy practicing and getting to know some new gear. . . more on that later. . .

It's the second week of November and we still haven't seen any snow yet! Not that I'm complaining; our travels have been relatively stress-free and safe and there's nothing wrong with that. But, we still have our contest open and as our travels wind down (we'll be home in 10 days) your chance of guessing correctly increases! Send us your guess for a chance to win a free, clean t-shirt. . .

On our way through the Lake of the Ozarks area yesterday, we saw a strange juxtaposition. When we arrived at the venue, we were thrilled to see that we were playing on the same stage that $1 tacos! played just 3 days earlier; it's not every day that happens. . .

This awesome sign is behind the stage at Donna's Icehouse; it pretty much speaks for itself!

Yesterday we were in Kansas City, home of the big Musician's Friend distribution center. Our pal Rocco took us on a tour of the whole facility. It's difficult to really see how huge the building is from the picture, but it is HUGE.
It was incredible to see all of the boxes on conveyor belts whizzing all over the warehouse to pick up pieces of people's orders. The amount of musical instruments and gear in one place was just amazing; Marshall heads in boxes stacked up to the ceiling, guitars upon guitars, acres of every pedal, cable, speaker, and instrument you can possibly imagine. It was downright enchanting--a musician's North Pole.

Last night we played at Crosstown Station with Gerram Matthews and the Brilliant Geographers. Not only did we have wonderful sound, but we had a great light technician. We wish we could take them and their stuff with us everywhere! As promised, Chris without a beard. . .

Tonight we leave the metropolis and fancy lights behind and head for Linn Creek, MO, home of Donna's Ice House, a ridiculously fun small town venue that we can't wait to get back to.

Today we're in Nebraska. It's beautiful this time of year. So far today, we've seen a huge bicycle weathervane,

got free showers (we smell really nice now) and Chris shaved his beard! He said it "got out of control" and was "looking kind of creepy." We'll have pictures of the beard-less up tomorrow. . .

The weather has been downright balmy all through Colorado and even though it's windy here, it's still been pretty warm. So, in other words, we have not seen snow yet (although it has snowed in NC since we left). This means that we still have a FREE T-SHIRT!
So, when do you think that we will come across our first snow--either in the air or on the ground. Whoever guesses closest wins a t-shirt!!!

In case you're not the gambling type and you do want a t-shirt or perhaps a CD, our new and improved website has a fully functional online store. Come visit us!

Yesterday we enjoyed the outdoors of Boulder, CO before heading into downtown Denver for our show last night. We played across the street from the Fillmore, where Tenacious D and the Beastie Boys were playing a last-minute Rock the Vote concert. When the concert let out, about 250 people streamed into our venue and we proceeded to melt their faces. . .however, everything has a price--the price for playing for 250 people on a Monday night apparently is driving to and from Boulder twice right before showtime to get all the stuff we needed for the PA that we didn't know we needed until we got there. . .

Now we're on our way through Nebraska, quite lovely this time of year. Happy voting!

We've been enjoying ourselves so much in Colorado. We played a Halloween party on Friday night (we went thrift store shopping and dressed as evil doctors) and had so much fun. Last night we played at the Meadowlark Bar, a really awesome venue with a tiny stage in downtown Denver.

We played with Stereo Bones and the Longest Day of the Year featuring our pal t.Mule. The Halloween decorations were still up (it's only the day after) and Chris' guitar and my violin bow kept getting stuck in the fake cobwebs onstage, which really added to the entertainment value. . . We had a great time; Loy has really outdone himself creating such a great atmosphere for art and music. Thanks so much to Sean and Sarah for their incredible hospitality. We've really enjoyed our time out here in Colorado.

Tomorrow we'll be in Denver one last time before heading out to the Great Plains.

We made it to Fort Collins! So, on one hour of sleep, we played an hour-long radio show, Live at Lunch, on KRFC. Here, for your listening pleasure, is the show in its entirety. Thanks so much to Jeff and Dennis for helping us have so much fun on so little sleep.



So, instead of finding someplace we could nap, we decided to visit the New Belgium Brewery, home of the infamous Fat Tire.

Fort Collins is such a bike friendly city, as is the New Belgium company. In fact, this was one of many very full bike racks next to a relatively empty parking lot.

We had a great time playing at Road 34 last night. Towards the end of our second set, a big group of costumed bikers showed up, so we ended the night with a chicken leading a dance to Spanish Radio. Fantastic fun! We're on our way to having more Colorado fun today. . .

We're in the middle of our red-eye to Fort Collins, CO from Wichita; we've just crossed into Colorado, so we're over halfway! Yesterday (we'll call it that even though it doesn't feel like it since we haven't got to sleep yet. . .) we stopped at the guitar store in Wichita and saw this awesome car parked out front. The best part was the vintage Montana plates. Totally rad. Once we got to Kirby's after we'd done our laundry (right next door to the venue, conveniently) we met the newest addition to the Kirby's scene. We've learned to expect the unexpected there! This little guy took a liking to us, cuddled up, and then proceeded to walk all over the computer while Chris was trying to write emails. Once we started playing, she sat on the front of the stage, first watching and then curling up and going to sleep until we finished playing. Anyone who has a home for a sweet, music-loving cute cat in the Wichita area, contact Kirby's. . .

Right before we were about to go on, two bagpipers marched in playing. You never know what's going to happen next at Kirby's! We had a throughly enjoyable evening, both as listeners and performers. We'll be back through Wichita at Kirby's in no time. . .

Last night we were in Lee's Summit, MO, outside of Kansas City at Jerry's Bait Shop. This huge fish is Jerry.

After we played last night, we met Rocco, an electric guitar tech who graciously worked on Chris' electric. Now she sounds sweet as can be! We're on our way to Wichita for a return visit to Kirby's Beer Store. After the show tonight, we'll be driving all the way to Fort Collins, CO; we'll be doing an radio performance tomorrow morning. We'll let you know how the red-eye goes. . .

Last night we were in Lincoln, NE. We always have fun at the Box Awesome and last night was no exception. We got to the venue really early, in fact early enought to catch the second half of the early show, a metal band from Washington that came complete with fog machine. After the show, we headed over to the Hi-Way Diner (we found out about that place the last time we were in Lincoln--now it's a tradition) for some delicious hot food before socializing into the wee hours.

Thanks to Jake and Joey from the Jake Russell Band for snapping some shots of us onstage!

Today it's on to the outskirts of Kansas City then on to points west. . .

Yesterday on our way to Spencer, IA we got behind this cow trailer in Minnesota Once we got to Spencer, we were greeted by some of the Shaky Tree folks (literally, they came outside waving as we drove up!) and successfully rendezvoused with our CDs. Since yesterday was our first show with CDs and therefore our unofficial CD release show, they all got us a "yay CD!" cake, balloons, and sang "Happy CD Release to You"

We had a great time playing for everyone (it was awesome looking out from stage and seeing so many StereoFidelics sweatshirts in the audience!) and hanging out eating cake afterwards. So much fun; we can't wait to come back!

We had a great time in the Twin Cities, partly due to the fact that our NC pal Kendra's dad, and wonderful guitar player, Bill Hammond was kind enough to lend a shag carpet basement, futon matress, and loads of hospitality to the cause. We played some awesome shows in the cities and got to see some repeat listeners, which always makes us feel warm inside. . .

Also, another thing that makes us feel warm inside is this construction company's name. . .oh yeah. We found one of our scavenger hunt items, our huge plaster cow. Yippee!

Remember, if you'd like to add anything to our scavenger hunt list, please either comment to this blog or email tsf@thestereofidelics.com

Also, we haven't run into our first snow yet and there's a t-shirt waiting for an owner. . . take a stab at it and it could be yours!!!

Today it's on to points West of here; only a week and we'll be in colorful Colorado!

AWESOME CONTEST #1

Well y'all (I've been extra careful to get in all my "y'all"s to make up for all the "you becha"s up here in the North Country) we're in Minnesota! We're withstanding the cool temps just fine and the folks in Minneapolis tonight were downright warm and welcoming. We had a great time at our return to the Acadia (marvelous food and beer!) and are looking forward to the second half of our Twin Cities double-header tomorrow night at Club Underground. We got word that our CDs have been delivered and we'll rendezvous with them on Friday in Iowa. Watches are synchronized and everything. We're ready!

Chris and I have been placing casual 25c bets on when exactly we will run into our first snowflake and first sticking snow and we've decided to open the friendly wager to y'all as well. So, to take part in the first awesome contest of our fall tour and risk winning a FREE T-SHIRT!!!!! in your very own size, all you have to do is. . .

1. Look at our tour schedule (http://www.myspace.com/thestereofidelics)
2. Get out your atlas (Rand McNally preferred)
3. Decide at what point on our journeys you think we will run into snow* either by snowflake fall or pre-fallen snow still on the ground
4. Answer either by commenting this blog (make sure to leave a way we can reach you for your PRIZE) or by emailing tsf@thestereofidelics.com .

*snow must be current; no snowballs-in-a-jar in anyones basement freezer will be accepted.

Good night, and good luck.

On Sunday at the Alchemy in Madison, WI, we played our full setup on the smallest official stage yet. Somehow we managed to cram everything onstage and play without stepping on, tripping over, or otherwise make a mess, all the while having a blast! We got the news that our CDs have shipped today, so by the end of this week, we'll finally have CDs at our shows (it's only taken us over a year. . .) We're looking forward to our return to the Twin Cities tomorrow. Today will be dedicated to practicing and working up some new material; we can't wait to try it out on you all!

Last night in Beer City, USA was a good time. We had a great Milwaukee crowd and played with a really fun local band (Union Pulse). Tonight we're just down the road in Madison, WI returning to the Achemy. We're excited to get back!

Yesterday we got a healthy dose of the Midwest Great Lakes region on our way over to Milwaukee. Our interest was piqued when we saw an extraterrestrial cheese castle in southern Wisconsin which turned out to be a run-of-the-mill tourist trap. So much for false advertising.
On our way to check out the cheese castle, we passed a vintage car lot, complete with airplane fronts (on the left-hand side), fire engines, and a big metal gate so we couldn't actually see the cars.

Tonight is a big show in Milwaukee with Union Pulse as we return to Points East Pub, then tomorrow is a short jaunt over to Madison. . .

Well, we're at it again; another tour, another licence plate game (on our last few tours, we've had a 100% success rate on seeing all 50 states plus DC, so we've got a pretty good record heading into this one). We started out last night in Grand Rapids, MI at Founder's Brewing Co. with some GREAT beer and wonderfully enthusiastic folks. We shared the evening with Michael Beauchamp and Brandon Foote; both wonderful musicians (thanks for taking pictures!)

(sweet beard shot; note how nicely it's filled in since we were in New England)

By the way, we're starting a scavenger hunt with this tour, any and all suggestions for items will be added to our list. So far we've got only two items we're keeping an eye out for: a pink semi-cab and an enormous plaster/concrete cow. To add things to our scavenger hunt list, comment your item(s) to the blog or email them to us at tsf @ thestereofidelics.com.

Thanks for listening--if you're in CO or east, we hope to see you soon!

We're home! This weekend was fun, though not without the usual mishaps. . . We played in Johnson City, TN on Friday (right before heading home) and had a great time, as usual. While we were there, we heard a rumor that Johnson City was all out of gas. When we left, we saw that it was not only Johnson City. . .we ran out of gas by the time we got to Weaverville, NC (just north of Asheville, NC) and, inconveniently, so had all of the gas stations around. We gave up and decided to wait till morning for the tankers to come deliver, but not until we got out the phone book and called every 24 hour gas station within the our-gas-light-has-been-on-since-Tennessee-distance.

So, we wound up our Northeast tour by sleeping in a grocery store parking lot 30 minutes away from home. How appropriate. . .

Saturday was fun playing in Flat Rock, NC for a home-field crowd--it's great to be travelling, but it's good to be home too. We'll do our best to rest up for the busy week ahead; we'll be finishing up recording Only Sleeping!

Well we finally got out the new memory card for the camera before we got into DC, so get ready for lots of pictures. Going into Washington, DC yesterday we drove through Chinatown; I guess every Chinatown needs a Kung Fu Gift Shop. . . We took advantage of our taxpayer dollars (thank you all!) and visited the Smithsonian.

We came face-to-face with some straight gansters

and some serious bling (the Hope diamond). . . If you think this geode is big this piece of quartz is HUGE! (Chris obviously thought so too)

At the Air and Space Museum, I got to find out that I wouldn't have been a stewardess back in the day. Did you know that they only selected white girls between 5'2" and 5'4"? (I'm just barely 5') Hmmm. . .high heels?

I did get to fly a Cessna though--I was even making airplane noises!

And then we were going to storm the capitol but then we realized we were illegally parked. . . We had a great time last night at the Red and the Black on the H Street corridor (that's what all the locals call it) Chris even got solicited. . . The show was FANTASTIC though; we played with Alexis George and Whiz Bang Three, two really fun acts from DC. We haven't seen our friend Vitka in over a year and she and some friends showed up last night!

The crowd last night was so awesome--we had a blast playing for you all! We'll be back to DC in February if not before. . .

The last few days we were in rural Vermont, so our access to the internet was very limited--like almost none at all. So we have some catching up to do! On Saturday we played an acoustic concert in Post Mills, VT. The natural acoustics of the room were great, as was the audience and the refreshments (the flourless chocolate cake was amazing!) Here we are at the end of the concert with George and Pippa, our hosts. We had a great time and love the state of Vermont (great beer, ice cream, cheese, and chocolate--what's not to love?) so we decided to head over to Burlington to spend our two days off, then we'll start heading back down south. . .

We enjoyed our day off in the Adirondacks, swimming at a mountain lake, trying to get some more shows booked for our CD release tour (hint, hint--it's coming up!) re-organizing the car, and building a huge fire--complete with marshmallows and chocolate chip cookie smores!

So I guess in Montpelier, they're selling babies?? We almost got one, thought it'd be cool, but then we decided it'd probably be a good idea to buy a dog first, see how we do with that, and go from there. . .

Thanks to Sam Ganly, we have Orange Peel pictures! I'll post a few before we run out of internet. . .