West Indian Girl

you know who rules….Mick McCarthy rules. yup, that’s him on the right. Mick is the reason we ended up playing at the SURF benefit last night. mick was my next door neighbor at my last place. we ended up becoming friends and then ended up helping each other out on this benefit. jennifer dawson who is the head of the event was also really great. the party was cool mix of art, film and music. it was fun playing outside to a crowd that we might normally not play in front of. as for the show itself…well it was interesting to say the least. i was playing drums and i use the term “playing” very loosely. let’s put it this way, i really wish i could play drums. i was a pretty tentative percussionist…actually i sucked. next time we should plug in and do a full electric set.

dressing room and rider wrap up:i gotta hand it to these guys. they even gave us a little room in the back corner of the building as a dressing room. it was great but i was only back there for like 2 minutes cos all the action was outside. there was no kind of rider for this gig but they did gave us free food and drink. it was all good and since this really wasnt a proper type venue i refuse to subject it to my usual number rating system.

drug free thanx to: mick and jennifer of course, aaron chang for donating a picture and randy from dakine for hooking them up with raffle gear. hang “F”ten

this saturday on 8.26 we will be performing a 7 song ACOUSTIC set for the surfers united recovery foundation in venice. the S.U.R.F. mission is simple – surfers helping surfers and surf industry employees achieve and sustain recovery from alcoholism and or drug addiction. you can read all about it as well as get all the details about the event right here: S.U.R.F Benefit we will play 2 songs off our next record as well as one from the first record that has never been played live before. since lewscious is out of town it’s basically gonna be rob and q with a little nathan on moog and even less of me on a shaker . hope to see you there.
F10

Im happy to announce that our remix record — aptly titled “remix ep” is now available in stores and online for purchase. there are some pretty sweet remixes on this ep. richard fearless from death in vegas did a sitar-infused version of trip, gabin (my great musical friends from italy) did an incredible bossa nova version of hollywood and los angeles’ own l’arsen gave us a blissly dubbed out version of monterey. we are honored to have some other great remixers such as king britt (philly), dert (la), mercir (seattle) and mark sgarbossa (sd) also appear on this ep. i want to thank all of them for their hard work and creativity. its great to hear these songs interpretted in such a variety of new ways.

BUY IT NOW AND SUPPORT THE ARTS IN LOS ANGELES

F10

i am a dj, i am what i play

we finally got to hang out at our first la based radio station yesterday and INDIE 103.1 was the one to invite us. isnt that weird…we go play and do interviews on radio stations in tons of other cities but have yet (until last night) to be on one in la. anyway, we ended up on TK’s Coup De’tat show sort of by chance. when we were at st scene in san diego last week he was broadcasting from a mobile van which was parked near our trailor. proximity usually breeds love as we ended up doing a quick spot on the air with him that afternoon. he also mentioned that he had heard us on midori’s show in san diego the night before and thought we were fun thus the invite to indie 103. hey, i cant thank tk enough. the dude is rad and i had a blast. we just plugged in our powerbooks and were ready to roll. it was awesome. i need to have my own show on the radio someday – i want a live call in one though. hey indie 103 we just added you to our friend’s list – see ya when our next record comes out.

here is the link to our show’s set list. if you click on pic 12 you will see me, q, and tone in the studio.

tk and q

F10

view from our stage at street scene 8.5

hi everyone! just wanted to let you know what’s ahead on the blog – show reports from tucson, tempe and street scene along with blogs about our in-studio dj fun at 94.9 in san diego and indie 103.1 in los angeles.

speaking of radio we have been getting plenty of action as of late in the so cal area with our remix record – a few plays this past week on kcrw (morning becomes eclectic with nic harcourt and metropolis with jason bentley) as well as from indie 103.1 and 94.9 . last friday we were guests on midori’s big sonic chill show. we were there for 3 hours! yesterday we were TK’s special guests on his coup d’etat show. both shows were a blast – we have pics and blogs about all this stuff coming soon so check back in the next day or two.

sorry the blog hasnt been updated the past 2 weeks but we have been pretty busy – the record is also taking shape – robert james is leading the charge in the studio and burning the candle at both ends. i dont know how this guy can stay awake so late at night. insane. indian ocean is still my favorite new song. remix record comes out next week too.

talk to you soon – F10
phot credit – julio m

kicking ass at street scene 8.05

Fran’s Flashback
san diego st scene was awesome. when we played our set at 5pm and had a real nice crowd there to check us out. i was proud of how we did…for the most part we nailed it. rob’s friend julio sat in on percussion for a few songs as well. it was a power set and i thought we especially nailed songs like hollywood, indian ocean and what are you afraid of. there were a bunch of photographers in the front row taking pics and here are some links where you can check out some of their pics. 1. webmoment (great pro pics in here) 2. st scene community board (scroll down to see us) 3. wire image (you can search for anything on here) 4. VH1.com News (no pics but cool mention of Q in last sentence)

dressing room and rider wrap up: in honor of fellini im grading out st scene with my all time high score of 8 1/2. a large part of this score is due to the simple fact we had our own trailer (see picture). not only did the trailer have ac but it had a bathroom. it was kinda small for the whole crew to be in there at once but it was a godsend nonetheless. there was plenty of drink and food available for us too. none of the staff or stage hands or security were dicks at this festival…in fact they were all really nice. plus they even let tony in so i was down with their whole program from the jump. festivals are always hectic with getting bands on and off stage quickly but these guys were super cool – no attitudes and no probs. i even got drove around in one of those carts with josh. how can getting to cruise around in one of golf carts not make your day?

parking lot thanx to: every fan that came out to see us, the promoter for inviting us and all of our friends that found us backstage. extra special thanx goes to julio for sitting in with us for a few songs and taking some great pics. artist mark sgarbossa and kampy are pictured left while music journalist alexander laurence is seen below. alexander goes to see more shows than any one i know. talk about being current – check out his blog called the portable infinite which i have perma linked to our sidebar friends section. a san diego trip wouldnt have complete without doug, walt and tim showing up. once again it was great to see all you guys who are like family now. hmmmm im trying to think of who else i invited but i think i covered it. oh yeah, thanx to kevin for doing our sound that day. you did a great job bro!

Tony’s Take
some days are definitely better to be a dog than most. this was not one of them. it was HOT and since there was absolutely no fucking grass in this parking lot festival my paws had to rough it on the burning cement. thank god for that little trailer dressing room they had. i was mostly in there chilling with the likes of lewscious and q and nathan in the hours leading up to the show. after the show i got to walk around not only with fran but the other guys took me for a while too. it was pretty cool because i was literally the ONLY dog at the festival (just like it should be). i met tons of hot chicks cos that’s just what i seem to do when i go out. they never seem like they can get enough sometimes. i tried eating the food that was dropped but never really got a hold of anything under fran’s watchful eye. he fed me at night under the stars. it was groovy. around 11pm we all drove back to the double tree and i jumped in q’s car for a more comfy ride home. i like san diego and the fact that no one gave me a hassle there.

nothing like a great view
rob and julio before sound check
walt and doug helping us move equipment
q with brian on the indie 103 bus
lewscious et all
looking for a dropped kielbasa

Dear Midori, We Love You – West Indian Girl.

i should just end this post here but i wont. midori is probably the biggest reason why san diego is one of our best cities. she has played us regularly on her big sonic chill show and that has been invaluable to our growth and popularity in san diego. san diego radio is a microcosm of how the power of radio can change a band. they were the first commercial fm station to take a chance on us and it has really paid off. midori is the best. so anyway, we went down to sd a day early just to hang with midori on her show for 3 hours. what a total blast, i could have stayed there for her entire show. it was great cos we even got to take calls. i think i liked that the best. we (actually rob and q) played monterey live and we also got to play a bunch of our favorite chill out songs. i want to thank everyone that called in and listened that night, midori’s fanbase is real cool.

Tony’s Take
finally a decent hotel room…the double tree in san diego. these guys are finally starting to live it up for once. we went to a radio station and all the people there were nice to me…yeah i know, par for the fucking course. josh watched me for a bit but mostly i just chilled out in the studio with all of them. after the show i got to run around off leash in the parking lot. we were out in some office complex but it was grassy so it was good. i couldnt wait to get back to this hotel though….im not used to sleeping on such big comfy beds.

mic + chair + itunes = guest djthe good life at the double tree

really, it’s nothing personal tempe 8.2

Note From F10 – writing a blog is about being honest. with that simple fact stated , i dont believe in always having to, or trying to put a postive spin on our lives or what we do. read it and weep

Fran’s Flashback

we played in tempe at a bar called the sets last night. i had a hunch this gig was going to suck for a few reasons…the main one being that it was booked way too late. the odds are going to be against any band playing a midweek show in a market they’ve never played before with very little time to promote. sure it can be good for the money and the rehearsal but psychologically it exacts a somewhat bigger toll from a band that is not only struggling to make ends meet but at the same time trying to keep morale up. in an ideal world shows get booked with 6 weeks lead time in order to properly promote. i mean its not really the promoters fault because he was at least cool enough to get us in the market for the first time and pay us well but the club was just wrong. i wish our agent cared a bit more because this shouldnt be happening. our show and our effort and our collective life is too good to be taken for granted of like this. but hey, if you arent a big band you arent a big priority and thus you end up getting shitty gigs that sometimes dont make any sense. these are the times when i find myself questioning what im doing.

dressing room and rider wrap up: im giving the sets a score of 2. this now “sets” my all time low (since i have been scoring). unfortunately for this bar it reminded me of the bars i used to avoid when i was in college. the place was basically a sports bar with a big generic lifeless room attached to it for bands to play in. the dressing room was a closet…as far as the rider goes – the promoter bought us out which was cool. dont get me wrong, the people at the club were cordial but they were all very detached. the house sound guy steve was nice enough. the lights were stagnant…just the same few spots on the whole time thus adding the empty feeling i had in my stomach. the promoter’s employee was nice too but it was again it was all very business like and detached. it was just a fucking weird place for us to play. not a weird place to watch sports at though. it probably would have been better if the main room where the sports were on was actually the room we were playing in. that would have at least added to the life in the room and the feeling that we were actually engaging people. depressing depressing depressing.

100 degree thanx to: the 5 people that were actual fans in the crowd, 3 of whom saw us at the high sierra a little while ago. thanx for showing up guys.

Tony’s Take
i woke up in tucson, had breakfast and checked out of the room around noon. fran took me over to a parking lot where i took another shit and ran around off leash. i spent the next hour staring at a pigeon while the band was having lunch at the outside cafe. i really wanted to get at that fucking bird but fran kept pulling that cesar milan stuff on me. after lunch we went back into the club where i pissed on a pole just to mess with fran’s head. anyway, tempe….so damn hot it was killin me. i couldnt even put my paws on the pavement without them getting burned. i got to hang out in the club while the band sound checked. i mostly sat next to my girl q while she played this videogame thing she has been playing all tour. i also got to hang out on stage during the sound check. i liked the bar more than everyone else just cos the ac was crankin and i wasnt always on a leash. after fran ate dinner we went back to the van and he made me dinner and then we both took a nap. fran woke up right before his show and left me in the van with water and the windows rolled half way down but it was still hot as a mofo up in that bitch. i sat in the drivers seat and stared out the window for a while and finally decided to lay down and take a nap and wait for fran to come back. once he came back i took a piss and went back into the club and hung out with q while the band loaded up. when she wasnt looking i wondered off for a bit and got pet by some strangers. now its back in the van for a 6 hour drive and i have to share a seat with fran. im sick of sharing my seat with him.

Mariqueen’s Mind

The City: tempe reminds me of yorba linda, CA circa 1998. take it how you want.

The Venue: if you like going to big sports bars that let underage kids walk everywhere which in turn, restricts you from moving around with a drink in your hand, which in turn confines you to an area that is sectioned off with caution tape, then i guess the sets is right up your alley.

The Show: it was depressing. i was pretending i was having a nightmare the whole entire time…

What Were You Thinking While Playing: i was counting down the end of our set by each song, hoping that mark would miraculously up the tempos to every one of them so we could get out of there.

Interesting Things After The Show: well at the end of our last song, the bartender, who was a really cool guy, stood on the back of the bar and blew fire. after wallowing our depression in drink, the boys packed up the van as i got lost in my nintendo ds.

seeing the best parts of the countryif only he could really drive

note: out of sheer boredom from being on the road tony, my dog, started writing his own section for the blog…im glad he did.

Tony’s Take
we left la at 4am the morning before. fran drove the whole way. the car ride was a bitch because when he drives no one else will share a bench with me so i have to sit on the cramped floor right next to him…it sucks. i had a pretty rad time in tucson which seemed to be pretty dog friendly. the band stayed at the hotel congress and i loved it cos their employees welcomed me with open arms. they didnt even make the band pay extra for me like most of the classless hotels we stay at do. during their soundcheck i stayed in the club and met a bartender named jessica who would play with me and bring me water every time i saw her. before west indian girl’s show i was feeling kinda sick -i ate my dinner but then threw it all up. fran, (whose no dumb shit) picked it up and left it out for me cos he knows i’ll eat it again….which i did and it was actually better the second time around. i didnt get to see the show cos fran left me in the room during their set. he came back to get me when they finished and seemed pretty happy about things. i hung out in the club while they packed up all the gear and then went for a walk around tucson with lewscious and q. i pissed on a ton of cacti, took a huge shit outside a train station and then walked home. needless to say i slept like a baby…wag wag

Fran’s Flashback

dressing room and rider wrap up: im giving the hotel congress an 8 for many reasons. everyone who worked there was super cool – no attitudes at all. the house sound man, ken (pictured) was the one of the best we’ve had period. he gave us plenty of time for a sound check and was really easy to deal with. i cant stress this enough….i love working with cool sound men. another plus was being able to leave our gear in the club over night and load it out the next day. this rarely happens. as far as rider stuff goes they gave us dinner tickets which were good for any meal at the cafe before 1pm the next day which came in very handy. there was a cooler of beer on the side of the stage but it was for both bands so i didnt really see much of it. there wasnt really a backstage just sort of a curtained off area to the side of the stage that opened out onto the st. this was actually kind of cool. as far as dressing rooms go your hotel room was a minute away from the club downstairs so that was your dressing room. congrats club congress you get an 8 and are now tied with dante’s in portland for my high this year. way to be.

mexican thanx to: mexico for letting us have tucson (which it was once a part of) and the year of acceleration – all those guys were all really great and i hope we get to play more shows with them in the future.

Mariqueen’s Mind

The City: tucson is my favorite city in arizona — quaint, kitschy and picture perfect.

The Venue: i fell in love with the hotel congress. i dont even remember what the actual venue looked like… all i can recall was how awesome the hotel was. the ambience, the great restaurant, wonderful staff [except for a tall, bald bartender in the small bar — he’s a prick] and rotary phones everywhere, i thought i was dreaming it seemed too good to be true.

The Show: i gave it a seven and a half… ken, who was our sound guy for the evening was outstanding and a really great guy to hang out with too… bonus.

What Were You Thinking While Playing: well, since we were in AZ, in the middle of the summer, with no air conditioning and bright lights were a shining, i was incredibly sweaty on stage so i kept worrying about my eye liner bleeding down my face… just because there are only 50 people in the crowd doesnt mean you have an excuse to look like a hot mess.

Interesting Things After The Show: hung out with the cutest band in AZ, the year of acceleration… then got caught up at the bar and got really bored watching my band minus rob pack up the gear. i watched everyone’s favorite boxer run around for awhile, then went on a 3am walk around town with fran, mark and tony. i watched ants crawl on the ground and witnessed tony taking a huge dump… to top off the evening i watched mark and fran eat hard boiled eggs. i know, right? wild night. try hard not to envy my life.

lewscious…post show bliss
q and nathan before the showq and tony after the club closedthe year of accelerationtony working on the blog