West Indian Girl

pc: ted mills

So playing at the precious little Mercury Lounge (best kept secret of SB/ Goleta) turned out to be a surprisingly fantastic night full of crazy emotions, debauchery, and the usual suspects that partake in the makings of a successful NYE (we’ll leave out the gory details of what ensued in the early morning of 2009).  It took some time to figure out our stage plot given the itsy-bitsy stage, but with Fran finding his primo spot afoot my moog case blocking the fire exit, the makings for a HOT evening were set.  Love was felt on stage and throughout that intimately packed room.  A bed of musical energy and love encapsulated the little lounge as 2009 rolled in with flowing champagne and all sorts of goodies .  Pics will be up soon as evidence of that wild night (including a hot kiss  on Q’s lips by an avid fan).  My highlight, however, was listening to Nelly in Rob’s veggie-converted Mercedes while eating blackberries minutes before the show.  How random was that?  Yet quite enjoyable I have to say….

The beauty of the sextet is the 6 different beautiful personalities of which the outfit is comprised.

Happy 2009!!!  I know this little sextet is excited for the year!

amy

Random Quotes:
Fantastic night! Thanks to all the beautiful people who made our New Year’s show at the Mercury Lounge. Dawn, you have a wonderful place up there in Goleta. Let’s do it again! – robert james

. . . it was a great way to begin the new year. . .- mark lewis

Man, am I glad I didn’t have to drive that night!  Zoiks! –nathan

Thanks for leaving the tamales in the van for me eat and then get sick on – tony

yup – tweet tweet – fran’s got a twitter account now. if for some reason you want to know when im in a car with a transvestite, at a show, at our rehearsal, walking my dog, posting a blog or sitting on the can taking a twit you’ve now got the direct link. so do what my mom wished she could have done when i was in high school…add me. see you on the grid – i’m now an official microblogger. mom, my twitter name is FrancisTen.

je t'aime!

I inevitably become obsessed with one -or if lucky, two – albums that I keep on repeat for months in my car, soothing those long traffic-infested hours that make up 18% of my day.  I usually don’t coincide with what popular culture deems to be the best album of the year, but this year, I am happy to admit that one of my obsessed albums coincides with the tastes of Jon Pareles (NY Times), Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, & Spin (to name a few): Dear Science, 

The production (the talent of band member extraordinaire, David Sitek) is a perfectly crafted explosion of styles that still manages to reveal TVOTR’s unique essence.  Any outside producer would have misinterpreted the sound that so genuinely seeps through every note and lyric.  Sometimes outside producers are essential to help a band release and own their musical style, but these kids have the talent, focus and style embedded in their bones…

Another album that’s received some heavy petting from my cd player (and will probably stay in my car forever) is Saturdays = Youth.  Can I just say that I’m totally in love with both Anthony Gonzalez and Morgan Kibby (the voice with the haunting resemblance to Kate Bush)?!  This album kinda permeates me right in the gut, driving me into a nostalgic haze of wanting to be in love and living in Europe again. 

Oh to be living in Paris…merci m83!

happy holidays.

amy

I got this video emailed to me the other day. “Here’s a video of my three-year-old son Max singing and dancing to your song Miles from Monterey. He’s been a fan of yours since he was two, and has been singing this song almost since he began talking! He actually used to know it better, but he’s a little rusty in this performance. 🙂 Enjoy! -Ollie in San Diego”

How can you not love this?

Yesterday KCRW named Nynex’s remix of “To Die In LA” their top tune of the day. This is more great news concerning our volume 2 remix project which is going to be released on itunes on the 23rd. Click on the picture below to check out the link – I believe this track is now a free download for a limited time.

Got a funny call from my friend Grant “Monster” Gordon today. Grant never really calls me so when I saw his name on my cell I figured it must be important. Turns out he was in Santa Monica driving behind a bus that happened to have my face on it. HAHAHAHA – he was laughing so hard and all I kept saying was “take a picture of it monster and send it to me”. He got close enough to the bus to take these fine shots that I present here for your approval. These are part of the KCRW ad campaign – they were nice enough to have Q and I on some of their ads.

Words can’t really describe the feeling of seeing your face on the back of a bus. Below is the actual ad. 

Side note – writing this post reminded me of The Replacements’ song Kiss Me On The Bus which I have been listening to this whole time.

how we draw em up in the locker room

oh what a sad farewell it is. our third and final night of the residency went down last thursday. this night was probably the most fun of them all…but only by inches though. i was really impressed with tremblexy and loved the polyamorous affair. that’s them in the pic (below) with me after the show. nynex who remixed the first track on our vol. 2 remix record was spinning throughout the night. it was a great time, probably because we got to play our  newest, coolest and freshest material. these new songs are more of a singular collective mind space and feel great when we play them. the next cd is gonna be hot, dark and dirty. once again, i want to thank all of the bands that played with us during our residency  as well as all the fans that came out. it was a very special set of shows that probably won’t ever happen again. im very glad we did this because it made us a better band and actually brought us all closer together. holy shit im gonna cry 😉

eddie and sissy of the polyamorous affair

So the advance copies of new remix cd’s arrived yesterday and as it turns out I messed something up that deserves a public apology. Strangely enough when I cracked open one of those puppies and looked at the credits I was joking with our drummer Mark that they spelled his name with a “c”. He didn’t fall for it but seconds later Nathan looked at it and said that they had in fact spelled his name wrong. DOHHH! His last name is Van Hala, not Val Hala as it was printed. Val Hala happens to be a word in Norse mythology that literally means “hall of the slain” but more commonly refers to the viking heaven. HAHA…um…shit…sorry Nathan, i feel terrible. I mean it could be worse though…at least they spelled 2 words in your name right…you’re the only one with three….and it’s only one letter. Plus, Val Hala is kinda cool. Maybe it’s a sign it’s time for a name change….or not…or maybe it’s time for a public apology from the guy that should have caught the mistake. Me so sorry, Nathon.

bummer

The show last night was good, strange, sad and ugly at times. Good because there was once again a room filled beyond capacity to see the bands. Strange because we have never played that selection of songs all together without ever incorporating our signature material. Sad because we dedicated a song to my friend Brett – i guess emotional would be more apt than sad….but it was almost overwhelming. Ugly because we weren’t exactly as transitionally smooth as we would have liked..ie starting to play song 5 instead of song 4. No matter how you look at it though, in retrospect it was a success. The songs came across and the exit polls supported that this show did in fact kick ass. check out the photo gallery for pics from the show.

I would like to thank Mere Mortals, Mondo Domingo, Klum and DJ Pants Off for bringin’ it. They were a big part of why the evening was so successful. Looking back on it, the one thing that bothered me about the set was the lighting. I hate playing in red light. Not sure if it’s a vision problem I have but when I’m in red light I can’t see the fretboard on my guitars and it really fucks with the ease and naturalness of my playing. My eyes have always been like that. It’s almost like playing blind, and unfortunately I’m no Stevie Wonder.

set list for show 2

As u can see from the list we did play 2 new songs, honey money and shangri la, from the next cd. I think this next show will consist of the first 5 songs as brand new ones and the next 4 as “hits”. The evening should be intense. We’re playing a song called dirge which happens to be one of my favorites.

I just found out one of my old friends died in a motorcycle crash the other day. brett smith was one of a kind – he was one of the most charismatic people i have ever known. he moved to florida around the time i moved to california. even though we havent talked much over the past few years our friendship was the kind that would shift back into it’s natural place when we saw each other. brett and i had history. plain and simple…we were both from the same town in mi, were roommates in ann arbor, and we were also both bass players.  we were great friends thru some some pretty crazy times there. brett was a tough dude…he lived on the edge. brett was one of those people that i really didnt have to say a word to – it was understood that we would always be friends.  he was the kind of guy that had your back. seems like those people are few and far between. i wish i had a chance to talk to you again brett.

The first night of our residency at Spaceland was a complete success! I would like to thank all the bands that played with us…Roll The Tanks, Casxio and Hearts of Palm (UK) – they were all great.  In case you missed this show our set consisted solely of songs off our first record: 1. Visions 2. Miles From Monterey 3. Trip 4. Dream 5. Hollywood 6. Still Lost 7. Northern Sky 8. What Are You Afraid Of? 9. Encore: Honey Money (new song). Thanx again to all of our friends that showed up, it was great sharing this special evening with you. Be sure to check out the pictures up now in the photo gallery.  I would also like to remind everyone that next Thurs the 13th we will be playing songs just off of our second record “4th & Wall.”  Again, if you along with any of your friends would like to go, just email info@westindiangirl.com to get on our guest list. These shows are a way of giving back to our fans in Los Angeles who have supported the band for the past couple years. Please spread the word and join our party…it’s on us.

i’m very happy to announce that filter magazine will be presenting our upcoming residency at spaceland for the first 3 thursdays in november. what’s special about this residency is the fact that each show will be entirely different from the other. on nov. 6th we will only be playing songs off of our first record. on nov. 13th our set will consist only of songs off of 4th & wall, and on nov. 20th we’re only palying brand new material from our third record due out in ’09. how about this- a special gift for west indian girl fans: if you’re on our guest list you get in for free! yup, you heard right. if you want to go and get in for free email info@westindiangirl.com and put the date of the show(s) you want to attend in the subject heading. links: spaceland and filter magazine

Saturday June 14th – we’re gonna make our first ever appearance at the scene bar in glendale. we’ve neglected you for 5 years glendale and we’re sorry. hopefully this show will patch things up. it’s pretty last minute and it’s pretty random but come on – it’s summer and we’re trying to hash out new songs that we are in the midst of writing and recording. imagine us playing in your living room….that’s what this show is gonna be like – like the good ol days when a show was just a show. we play at 11:30.

The Scene Bar
806 E. Colorado St.
Glendale, CA 91205
818.241.7029
http://www.thescenebar.com
http://myspace.com/thescenebar

This thursday june 12th – art and music collide for a special event in downtown los angeles. we will be playing a show right after (and above) the la artwalk. this party is gonna go off….bands, art, djs, beer…all for a 5$ donation. how can you possibly go wrong at that price? you cant. please check out the 533 studo site and  downtown artwalk site and make plans on making this bash. special note for all you chess junkies out there – the indie rock chess federation is also gonna have a table set up for exhibition blitz try outs.

special thanx to kampy for kicking out this event poster.

we’re gonna be playing san fran, sacramento, santa barbara, and solana beach this june. details about each show can be found on our tour page. ashkahn rolled out the poster for the sf show and drew newbold took care of business with the sacto poster. thanx guys…great work. both of these shows are headline shows. in santa barbara we will be playing with los amigos invisibles and in solana beach with bebel gilberto.

Below is a letter the band has sent out all the major oil companies. it’s getting ridiculous that we sweat just going up to sf because gas prices are too high…that’s just plain wrong. right now the farthest east we can travel without losing money is tucson. yeah its great to be on the west coast but it kinda sucks when it comes to touring because so many major cities are spread out. on the east coast you can hit a ton of markets without too much pain in the gas. oh well, and to think that their are reports that alaska has the largest oil reserves in the world. imagine, if we tapped into that the gas prices would be less than a buck! wait, did i say something bad. im not sure….drill in alaska and regain our oil dependency freedom. hmmm tough call, i own an 89 landcruiser and i really really like driving it. are we really contributing to global warming or is it a fact that the sun is getting hotter. it’s true – but dont take my word for it, go ask your friendly scientist

ok, here’s the letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing on behalf of my band, West Indian Girl but also on behalf of the hundreds if not thousands of independent bands in the United States who cannot afford to pay the rising gas prices necessary to get on the road and tour the country to promote their music and art.

With the ever-changing music industry, the most effective way to become a successful band is to play live shows, but it’s becoming more and more difficult as gas prices continue to climb. While gas prices skyrocket, we don’t make additional money from the clubs we are playing in. Increasing our ticket prices would only penalize the consumers who are also feeling the pressure from rising gas prices on their own. In addition, the clubs cannot afford to pay us more money so independent musicians and bands are forced to only perform locally, which stunts the spreading of music and art.

We would like to ask the major oil companies to help subsidize bands so that we can tour and spread our music to our fans. As musicians, we are investing our lives in spreading our art to people and would like to ask for your help in offsetting the price of your gas so that it does not single-handedly sacrifice our efforts.

I write to you to urge you to help subsidize my band’s touring but also to urge you on a bigger level to help the many bands in the U.S. who are in the same situation that we are in.

The long-term solution is to aggressively pursue and develop realistic alternate forms of energy and we strongly urge you to do that as well to not only save our music, but to save our planet, but as independent musicians, we need your help now!

Kind regards,

Crazy when u think about it but we are playing in malibu for the first time ever next week. we’re playing with a cool band called film school. kampy designed the poster for the event which is pretty rad. nice work kampy – glad to have you on the creative team. im personally looking forward to this show…im planning on checking out the view at el matador beach at some point that evening and depending on how crazy it gets i might end up checking into one of the posh rehab centers just to kill 2 birds with one stone and save on gas

In order to make up for the indie rock chess federation’s sparse membership we will have plenty of cool logos, t shirts and buttons. the first of what im sure will be many official logos (designed by joe from lusso lab) is below and it’s ILL. some people in the federation believe my motto: chess is war – take no prisoners show no mercy is a bit harsh but it’s really kinda of apros pos wouldnt you say. right now official membership is at 5 – myself, joe puleio (lusso), robert james (west indian girl) adamn labov (our sound man/jupiter productions) and honorary coach IM jeremy silman. remember first tournament is this friday and maybe even saturday.

i got this email today-
Dear West Indian Girl Fans,
We cordially invite you to two very special private party performances on Friday, March 21st and Saturday, Mar. 22nd at a secret location in Culver City. Due to the intimate nature of the venue, only the first 150 people to RSVP will be on a guaranteed entry list, so please respond immediately if you intend on coming.  
You must RSVP to westindiangirltickets@hotmail.com in order to be on the guest list to purchase tickets at the door. You may only respond for yourself +3 guests per night. Please indicate which night(s) you would like to attend. You will promptly receive a confirmation email that includes all important info for the night including the address of the venue.

Studio Blue is equipped with a great sound system, a free parking lot, lots of comfy seats, an outdoor smoking lounge, and good vibes all around. Special surprises each night. Please join us for this memorable weekend….

Cover at the door is $10. Cash only please
Cash only bar of selected beer, wine and special mixed drinks
Doors open each night at 9:00 p.m.

*please note – on both nights the Indie Rock Chess Federation will be hosting a speed chess tournament  for cash prizes.

Poster design by Ashkahn of Dont Stop Studio ASH ROCKS – thanx for making this great poster for us ash. copies will be available for sale at the shows.

West Indian Girl in conjunction with Lusso Lab, LLC have formed the Indie Rock Chess Federation. The IRCF was established and inspired by the positive HHCF (hip hop chess federation) which is currently kicking some serious ass. my goal with the ircf is to one day gain enough momentum to get to face off in some sort of tournament against the hhcf. their current champ is RZA. i think the showdown between the two musical chess worlds will be epic. those guys have it going on….their own blog hip hop chess federation’s blog and a slew of sponsors. i suggest watching this current tv spot called wu-tang chess masters to get the real deal on the hhcf – its really great and in many ways is operating on a much higher level than the ircf at this point (that’s an understatement too).

To become a member of the IRCF you must be affiliated with the music industry in some way. presently there are only 4 official members but expect that number to increase slowly. As of now there are no yearly dues but i’m sure there will be because we are gonna have some t shirts to make as well as replace my temporary makeshift logo above. the one great thing the IRCF has going for it is the blessing and approval of IM jeremy silman. jeremy will officially serve as our unofficial consigliere/mentor/hero and coach. obviously he wont be playing in the tournaments because he would wipe our asses pretty quickly but he WILL be showing his face and loitering at our events and maybe even playing a few exhibition games. hopefully he will guide us on our spiritual chess journey like yoda.

The first tournaments are taking place this weekend at our secret shows in culver city. it’s gonna be ncaa bracket style best of 5 in 5 minute speed/blitz games. these initial IRCF “events” are most likely gonna start off pretty slow. im talking about one table, 2 chess boards, one fan, and some pretty horrible chess playing but it’s a step in the right direction. obviously, in the true spirit of speed chess, betting is highly encouraged. until we take this to the class room anything goes. long live the IRCF – chess is war: take no prisoners, show no mercy.