Last night the Carnie Bums braved the cold and headed up to Westminster to play Blitz Sports Bar. Blitz used to be the site of Captain Jack's, an old regular stomping ground for the Carnie Bums. Since it changed hands, the new place added a nice, much larger stage and new lights and PA system. From the stage, the sound was great and the Bums had a fun time on a Saturday night.
This show allowed us to spread out and play some tunes we haven't played in a while. We played a few songs that haven't seen stage time with us in over a year and still allowed us to rock some standard Carnie tunes. We closed the show with our newest cover, Amy Winehouse's "Rehab." Not necessarily a tune that fits our style, we gave it the Jane's Addiction treatment and added a long tribal bass and drum solo in the middle. Still a bit of a work in progress, it definitely has the potential to shine. Blitz also has a great sound guy, John, who was amazing to us all night long. He even let Spazz borrow his wool "breasts" scarf that sure looked interesting on Spazz during a little hippie segue that occurred in the second set. Speaking of hippie segues, it sounded like a jamband show for a little while as we jammed our way through a segue of three songs with plenty of impromptu jamming in between. We sandwiched a cover of Psycho Killer between Conspiracy Theory and Heinz 57 Blues with lots of open ended jamming in between. The fun part about long gigs like this is that there is time to stretch songs out, and we certainly took advantage of that.
Up next are two great shows at the Oriental Theater and the 12 Volt Tavern. Details are available at www.facebook.com/carniebums and you need to check us out at one of these shows. We are going to have some promo offers for these shows and we will make sure we try to bust something unique out at both shows. For now, we need to sleep off the late night with an afternoon nap.
2.9 Blitz Sports Bar
Set 1: Tramp Stamp, Western Dreams, Me and My Uncle, Roses are Free, I Will Survive, Let the Dice Fly High, Colorado Burning, Like a Rolling Stone, London Calling, Travelin, Hypocrite>Undertow, Teen Angst, Colfax, Sabotage
Set 2: Ace of Spades, Conspiracy Theory>Psycho Killer>Heinz 57 Blues, Roadhouse Blues, Vacuum Tubes, Seven Nation Army, Are You for Real?, Rehab*
*first time played
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
New songs, new instruments, new headaches?
The Bums went up to the mountains to play Mary Jane ski resort. This gig has become a regular winter time event. This is the 5th time the Bums have gone up to Mary Jane to play at Pepperoni's, the pizza shop at the base of the Jane. We normally run these gigs without a set list, instead we write up a song list of available songs and call things on the night. We can then call songs based on the crowd, based on how tired we are, or in yesterday's case, the importance of the bass in a song.
Poor Doc Treble. He spent the morning skiing, set up the stage, was on little sleep and was rewarded with a bass that failed him. His bass kept cutting in and out and lacking any power. We changed a 9-volt battery, we changed cords, we put his bass through the PA; nothing really worked. By the end of the night we had to stop the set early because his based simply stopped working. The flaws of an electric instrument, sometimes the gremlins of electronics rear their heads and change our plans.
It didn't keep us from having some fun and trying new things. Before the Bass took a dive, we introduced a Doc Treble original into the Carnie canon. "Colorado Burning" made its debut to a positive crowd and a fairly flawless first time played. In addition, Doc Treble took lead vocals on the other new song plays, Operation Ivy's "Knowledge." Dr. Spazz introduced the mandolin to the Carnie Bums as he played his new mandolin during "Dynastar Man." The gig also brought the Mayor of Mary Jane out to dance. He brought the band some of his stickers and danced to several songs before requesting "Mary Jane's Last Dance." While the band had never played that, we figured out most of the right chords and the Mayor helped us with the lyrics, so we got through a verse and a chorus and promised that next time we visited the Jane we'd have it ready. We also promised to bring a bass that worked and to play much longer than the two hours we played.
Set list
Pepperoni's at Mary Jane Ski Resort
Sabotage, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Sympathy for the Devil, 40 Gate, Colorado Burning*, Gin and Tower, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Godzilla, Ball and Chain, Knowledge*, Dynastar Man#, Jumping Jack Flash@, London Calling, Colfax, Teen Angst, Seven Nation Army, Ten Sleep, I Wanna Be Sedated, Mary Jane's Last Dance&, Roadhouse Blues, Fight for your right, PBR
* first time played
# Spazz on mandolin
@ with Mini Smitty on Drums
& Unfinished
Poor Doc Treble. He spent the morning skiing, set up the stage, was on little sleep and was rewarded with a bass that failed him. His bass kept cutting in and out and lacking any power. We changed a 9-volt battery, we changed cords, we put his bass through the PA; nothing really worked. By the end of the night we had to stop the set early because his based simply stopped working. The flaws of an electric instrument, sometimes the gremlins of electronics rear their heads and change our plans.
It didn't keep us from having some fun and trying new things. Before the Bass took a dive, we introduced a Doc Treble original into the Carnie canon. "Colorado Burning" made its debut to a positive crowd and a fairly flawless first time played. In addition, Doc Treble took lead vocals on the other new song plays, Operation Ivy's "Knowledge." Dr. Spazz introduced the mandolin to the Carnie Bums as he played his new mandolin during "Dynastar Man." The gig also brought the Mayor of Mary Jane out to dance. He brought the band some of his stickers and danced to several songs before requesting "Mary Jane's Last Dance." While the band had never played that, we figured out most of the right chords and the Mayor helped us with the lyrics, so we got through a verse and a chorus and promised that next time we visited the Jane we'd have it ready. We also promised to bring a bass that worked and to play much longer than the two hours we played.
Set list
Pepperoni's at Mary Jane Ski Resort
Sabotage, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Sympathy for the Devil, 40 Gate, Colorado Burning*, Gin and Tower, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Godzilla, Ball and Chain, Knowledge*, Dynastar Man#, Jumping Jack Flash@, London Calling, Colfax, Teen Angst, Seven Nation Army, Ten Sleep, I Wanna Be Sedated, Mary Jane's Last Dance&, Roadhouse Blues, Fight for your right, PBR
* first time played
# Spazz on mandolin
@ with Mini Smitty on Drums
& Unfinished
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Reintroducing the Carnie Blog
What the hell happened? Basically life and laziness. After a long fog of not bothering, we are going to try to bring back the Carnie Blog as a way to say hi and update everyone. We will try to get some pics up, set list updates, etc. In the mean time, what did you miss?.....
The original Carnie Bums went from four to two.
Stevie McSilk AKA Smitty joined the band on drums.
We played as a three piece, it was fun but not full enough.
Doc Treble brought the low end.
We were happy.
Now we totally rock.
Seriously, if you haven't seen us in a while, we are a lot different than what you may remember. We have a full sound, a pounding rhythm section and the C-dawg and Spazz focus just on guitar (well Spazz is trying to bring the mandolin in to the fold). Our set lists are growing and changing. We are up to over 20 originals and countless covers. Many old covers we used to do are retired (sorry Substitute, I've Got a Feeling, What I Got and more), some came and left (About a Girl, Highway to Hell, Thriller) and many have replaces them. For our show next week we have 50 songs on standby and will play the whole show without a setlist and the Carnie Wheel. The Carnie Wheel spins and we play a song in that genre. Good times are had. We have more than 50 songs in our show list, but we didn't feel like practicing all of them. Also Doc Treble sings, so we have three singers again. Really it's like a whole new band or the first few minutes of putting on clean underwear after wearing the old pair for too long. It's a nice feeling.
We have a lot of shows, so here they are:
1.26 Pepperoni's (base of Mary Jane ski resort)
2.9 Blitz Sports Bar Westminster
3.23 The Oriental Theater Denver
4.13 12 Volt Tavern Arvada
Check us out soon and let us know what you think.
The original Carnie Bums went from four to two.
Stevie McSilk AKA Smitty joined the band on drums.
We played as a three piece, it was fun but not full enough.
Doc Treble brought the low end.
We were happy.
Now we totally rock.
Seriously, if you haven't seen us in a while, we are a lot different than what you may remember. We have a full sound, a pounding rhythm section and the C-dawg and Spazz focus just on guitar (well Spazz is trying to bring the mandolin in to the fold). Our set lists are growing and changing. We are up to over 20 originals and countless covers. Many old covers we used to do are retired (sorry Substitute, I've Got a Feeling, What I Got and more), some came and left (About a Girl, Highway to Hell, Thriller) and many have replaces them. For our show next week we have 50 songs on standby and will play the whole show without a setlist and the Carnie Wheel. The Carnie Wheel spins and we play a song in that genre. Good times are had. We have more than 50 songs in our show list, but we didn't feel like practicing all of them. Also Doc Treble sings, so we have three singers again. Really it's like a whole new band or the first few minutes of putting on clean underwear after wearing the old pair for too long. It's a nice feeling.
We have a lot of shows, so here they are:
1.26 Pepperoni's (base of Mary Jane ski resort)
2.9 Blitz Sports Bar Westminster
3.23 The Oriental Theater Denver
4.13 12 Volt Tavern Arvada
Check us out soon and let us know what you think.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Transitions
Transition has been the name of the game for the last few months as the Carnie Bums have been initiating Doc Treble into the band. Songlists are growing, some songs are fading, others are rising; it's a pretty fun time. We've been playing a bunch of shows lately, private parties, bars, ski resorts, and real rock clubs to get some chops. With new members in a band, you gotta test it out and see how it drives. This version drives pretty well. We are pretty stoked.
We are in transition about venues to play as well. We are looking to move into some of the ski towns and take advantage of the great love and support we get from the skiers. In addition, our old staple, Capt. Jack's is no more. It's now Blitz. They've got a great new owner and the place is working it's way into being a successful sports bar in Westminster. Not sure how/if we fit into the plans of the new atmosphere, but we played for the new owner last night and had a great time. If it was a send off, then it was a good one.
2.4 Blitz
I: Gin and Tower, 40 Gate>Old Habits, Should I Stay or Should I Go?, I Wanna Be Sedated, PBR, Roadhouse Blues, Big E, Ten Sleep, Roses are Free>Colfax
II: GODZILLA, Psycho Killer>Heinz 57 Blues, Travelin, Seven Nation Army, Carnie Bums, Chocolate>Are You For Real?>Born on the Bayou, Killing in the Name of
III: Tramp Stamp>Punks in Oklahoma, Ball and Chain, Jumpin Jack Flash, Undertow*, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Middle Ground, London Calling>Rocking in the Freeworld>Teen Angst
* New song/First time played
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Great Weekend
NOTE: For some reason this never posted and I just realized now.... When the Carnie Bums have a great weekend, we really have a great weekend! The other week we threw down almost 4 hours of music over two days, drank plenty with old and new friends, and gained a bunch of new fans. You can't have a better weekend than playing at two cool and very different venues. First, we played the Buffalo Rose in Golden. This is probably the largest stage we play on and was probably the best performance we have ever done there. We did a very tight 45 minute set and had our old friends the Mean Toad play before us. We had old friends in the crowd and had a buddy film the show with a high def. camera. We can't wait to get the final results and when we do we will post it. On Sunday, we then played Pepperoni's at the base of Mary Jane for their closing of the season. The place was packed and we had a great ovation. We played with no set list, took requests and played whatever style the crowd wanted. We gave out shirts, go lots of tips and had a ton of new people come up to us and compliment us on our playing. We have literally become the house band for Pepperoni's and plan to make more trips into the mountains to play next ski season. Even better, we got a new member of the Carnie Bums to sit in with us. Smitty's son (mini-Smitty) has come to a few practices and is a drummer himself. We were able to have him sit on the kit for Jumpin Jack Flash while Daddy Smitty shook a tambourine. He did pretty good and got a huge ovation from the crowded bar. A new rock star in the making. Set lists-Buffalo Rose 4.840 Gate, Western Dreams, Carnie Bums, 7 Nation Army, Middle Ground, Punks in OK, PBR, Colfax, Jumpin Jack Flash Pepperoni's 4.10 (set list is an approximation as we had no list and just played songs as called from the stage) |
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sorry 'bout that
This blog has been inactive for a while, but the Carnie Bums have been very active. Sorry about that. It isn't out of malice or spite, simply laziness. We will update soon. Sorry 'bout that.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Poetry and the Luck of the Irish on St. Patty's Day
Normally the typical revelry of St. Patty's Day does not include a poetry open mic and folk acoustic set in a coffee house, but that is what Spazz did to celebrate St. Patty's Day. I booked a gig following a poetry open mic and got spend my day being Irish with a Guinness and some acoustic tunes.
I played Five Leaves Coffee house which is a cool little place in Englewood. Their large latte's are HUGE and the place feels very inviting. The poetry was very well done....I half expected a bunch of beatniks with sub par rhymes, but the poets they had were true craftsman of their trade. I enjoyed it. My set was a lot of fun. Most people stuck around and gave me the time of day. Good banter from the audience and I even got heckled when I played John Lennon's "Luck of the Irish" for St. Patty's day. A true Irishman took exception to the line "Wish they were English instead." Fair enough.....they aren't exactly allies. With my buddy Dave in the house, the obligatory Tramp Stamp>Everlong>Tramp Stamp was thrown into the mix to his delight and my wife's chagrin.
I should be booked there again, once they do their next round of bookings I should be receiving an email. A mighty fine St. Patty's day and no hangover for work the next day.
Five Leaves Coffeehouse 3.17- Ryan Shane Spazz
Somewhere Between, American Slang, You Don't Deserve Me, Simple Lines, Luck of the Irish, Atlantic City, Goodbye (Doesn't Mean the End), Tramp Stamp>Everlong>Tramp Stamp, I Saw Jesus>Long Black Veil, Everyday Hero, This Land is Our Land
I played Five Leaves Coffee house which is a cool little place in Englewood. Their large latte's are HUGE and the place feels very inviting. The poetry was very well done....I half expected a bunch of beatniks with sub par rhymes, but the poets they had were true craftsman of their trade. I enjoyed it. My set was a lot of fun. Most people stuck around and gave me the time of day. Good banter from the audience and I even got heckled when I played John Lennon's "Luck of the Irish" for St. Patty's day. A true Irishman took exception to the line "Wish they were English instead." Fair enough.....they aren't exactly allies. With my buddy Dave in the house, the obligatory Tramp Stamp>Everlong>Tramp Stamp was thrown into the mix to his delight and my wife's chagrin.
I should be booked there again, once they do their next round of bookings I should be receiving an email. A mighty fine St. Patty's day and no hangover for work the next day.
Five Leaves Coffeehouse 3.17- Ryan Shane Spazz
Somewhere Between, American Slang, You Don't Deserve Me, Simple Lines, Luck of the Irish, Atlantic City, Goodbye (Doesn't Mean the End), Tramp Stamp>Everlong>Tramp Stamp, I Saw Jesus>Long Black Veil, Everyday Hero, This Land is Our Land
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Non-traditional Venues
While every musician loves the big stage, nice venues with lots of lights shining down on you; sometimes the non-traditional venues offer a much more enjoyable show. For the Carnie Bums, our first show was playing a friends party and one of our best gigs ever was in a giant tent in a parking lot for climbing convention. This past weekend we played another great non-traditional venue, at a pizza place/bar at the base of Mary Jane ski resort. We were the first band to play there in over a decade and we had to make our own "stage" and set up our own PA. None of that mattered once we started playing. We played a covers heavy set and the people stopping to get food in between runs loved us. Lots of energy, lots of cheers, lots of beer flowing in gratitude. We had a high energy set and played one of our favorite shows. So much fun.
In addition, we ran most of the set without a setlist. Set lists are good, but sometimes you just need to call shots as you see them. Someone asked for "Talking Heads" so we played Psycho Killer, someone asked for Punk, we gave them a block of punk music. Over 2/3 of the set was called from the stage without a set list. It felt very liberating and is something the Bums will explore again in the future. Until then, here is what (we think) we played and some pics to show the energy....
Set list
Pepperoni's- March 12, 2011
Jumpin' Jack Flash, Roadhouse Blues, Seven Nation Army, I've Got a Feeling, Gin and Tower, 40 Gate, Dynastar Man, Four Kicks, I Wanna Be Sedated*, Colfax, Fight for your Right, Psycho Killer, Sympathy for the Devil, London Calling, PBR, Ball and Chain, Punks in Oklahoma, Chocolate, Rockin' In the Free World, Watchtower, Old Habits, Sweet Jane, Hey Hey My My, Are You For Real?
* First time played
In addition, we ran most of the set without a setlist. Set lists are good, but sometimes you just need to call shots as you see them. Someone asked for "Talking Heads" so we played Psycho Killer, someone asked for Punk, we gave them a block of punk music. Over 2/3 of the set was called from the stage without a set list. It felt very liberating and is something the Bums will explore again in the future. Until then, here is what (we think) we played and some pics to show the energy....
Set list
Pepperoni's- March 12, 2011
Jumpin' Jack Flash, Roadhouse Blues, Seven Nation Army, I've Got a Feeling, Gin and Tower, 40 Gate, Dynastar Man, Four Kicks, I Wanna Be Sedated*, Colfax, Fight for your Right, Psycho Killer, Sympathy for the Devil, London Calling, PBR, Ball and Chain, Punks in Oklahoma, Chocolate, Rockin' In the Free World, Watchtower, Old Habits, Sweet Jane, Hey Hey My My, Are You For Real?
* First time played
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Gigs, gigs and more gigs
A lot of times you go a few months without getting many gigs, and then all of a sudden gigs are raining on you. I never worry when we have a small amount of gigs planned because I know soon it'll rain. Between Carnie Bums and solo Spazz shows, we have added 6 gigs in the last two days. Lots of different shows for you to dig your teeth into.
Upcoming Shows:
CARNIE BUMS
3.12 Pepperoni's Winter Park
4.8 Buffalo Rose Golden
5.13 Captain Jack's Westminster
10.29 Captain Jack's Westminster * will be our Halloween costume party
Ryan Shane Spazz Solo
3.17 Five Leaves Coffee House Englewood
4.16 Michelangelo's Denver
8.16 La Dulce Vida Arvada
Upcoming Shows:
CARNIE BUMS
3.12 Pepperoni's Winter Park
4.8 Buffalo Rose Golden
5.13 Captain Jack's Westminster
10.29 Captain Jack's Westminster * will be our Halloween costume party
Ryan Shane Spazz Solo
3.17 Five Leaves Coffee House Englewood
4.16 Michelangelo's Denver
8.16 La Dulce Vida Arvada
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Unexpected Awesomeness
My favorite part about playing live is the unexpected awesomeness that can occur. It's why I liked touring with jambands for a while...you never know what might happen. Last night, turned out a lot different than what we had ever anticipated.
With the unexpected, sometimes it's good, sometimes not so much. Upon arriving at Captain Jack's, we had a giant scare. Our bass' electronics went bad and our bass was DOA.. Instead of driving back and getting our acoustic bass, we flew to a local guitar center and convinced them to stay open to let us buy a bass. Instead of buying El Cheapo, we got a kick ass new bass that will be our permanent bass. It SMOKED!
Maybe it was the new bass, maybe the thrill of dodging a bullet, but we rocked out three fun sets. Lots of good energy in the bar, lots of friends, and lots of Captain Jack's patrons who stuck around to hear out set. A good night all around. Old friends came out of the woodwork to surprise Spazz with a visit, new fans checked us out and added their names to the mailing list and lots of people came up to say hi and compliment our playing. It was one of our best shows in a while.
Going with the theme of the night of doing everything on the fly and by the seat of our pants, we got an awkward request. One of the bartenders asked to sing with us. As a bar band, requests like this happen often. We had someone shake a shaker on stage with us, someone sing happy birthday to their friend, other band's members join us on the fly, but never had someone ask to do a song of their choosing. Furthermore, to choose a song we'd never practiced before. Spazz got to teach the chords to Radiohead's Creep to C-dawg just before the song started and Smitty fit right in with the tempo. Overall our guest singer was pretty good and we followed her like we had actually practiced the song. Can't fool the CARNIE BUMS!
Three hours of hot music and partying. We have some video and some pics a friend took, we'll get them up soon. Until then, here is what you missed or were too drunk to remember:
Captain Jack's
2.19
Set I: Gin and Tower, I've Got a Feeling, Western Dreams, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Colfax, 7 Nation Army, Punks in Oklahoma, Jumpin Jack Flash, Are You for Real?
Set 2: 40 Gate, PBR, Captain Jack's, Sympathy for the Devil, Carnie Bums, Big E, Roadhouse Blues, Four Kicks, Tramp Stamp, Sweet Jane
Set 3: Watchtower, Middle Ground, Dynastar Man, Fight for your Right, Money, Old Habits, Creep*, Psycho Killer, Chocolate, Rockin' in the Free World
* by request with Sarina from the bar. Never been played or practiced before.
With the unexpected, sometimes it's good, sometimes not so much. Upon arriving at Captain Jack's, we had a giant scare. Our bass' electronics went bad and our bass was DOA.. Instead of driving back and getting our acoustic bass, we flew to a local guitar center and convinced them to stay open to let us buy a bass. Instead of buying El Cheapo, we got a kick ass new bass that will be our permanent bass. It SMOKED!
Maybe it was the new bass, maybe the thrill of dodging a bullet, but we rocked out three fun sets. Lots of good energy in the bar, lots of friends, and lots of Captain Jack's patrons who stuck around to hear out set. A good night all around. Old friends came out of the woodwork to surprise Spazz with a visit, new fans checked us out and added their names to the mailing list and lots of people came up to say hi and compliment our playing. It was one of our best shows in a while.
Going with the theme of the night of doing everything on the fly and by the seat of our pants, we got an awkward request. One of the bartenders asked to sing with us. As a bar band, requests like this happen often. We had someone shake a shaker on stage with us, someone sing happy birthday to their friend, other band's members join us on the fly, but never had someone ask to do a song of their choosing. Furthermore, to choose a song we'd never practiced before. Spazz got to teach the chords to Radiohead's Creep to C-dawg just before the song started and Smitty fit right in with the tempo. Overall our guest singer was pretty good and we followed her like we had actually practiced the song. Can't fool the CARNIE BUMS!
Three hours of hot music and partying. We have some video and some pics a friend took, we'll get them up soon. Until then, here is what you missed or were too drunk to remember:
Captain Jack's
2.19
Set I: Gin and Tower, I've Got a Feeling, Western Dreams, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Colfax, 7 Nation Army, Punks in Oklahoma, Jumpin Jack Flash, Are You for Real?
Set 2: 40 Gate, PBR, Captain Jack's, Sympathy for the Devil, Carnie Bums, Big E, Roadhouse Blues, Four Kicks, Tramp Stamp, Sweet Jane
Set 3: Watchtower, Middle Ground, Dynastar Man, Fight for your Right, Money, Old Habits, Creep*, Psycho Killer, Chocolate, Rockin' in the Free World
* by request with Sarina from the bar. Never been played or practiced before.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Solo Spazz and Acoustic Carnies
What a fun time last night at Michelangelo's Wine Bar. Great place, great service, and great times. I (Spazz) got to do a rare solo gig and got some help from my Carnie brothers. It was a really fun time. I got to play songs that sit around my house and only get heard by my four walls in my music room. Everyone was really receptive and I added my Carnie charm to the night. The band played out first ever acoustic gig and it sounded pretty good. Four rehearsed songs, then we did 3 unrehearsed at the end of the night. It just felt like we have some more business to attend to. In fact, Smitty started everything in motion by spontaneously jumping on stage while I was doing "Come Together" by the Beatles. Soon the C-dawg joined us and we were taking requests. Good times. Most of the songs on the set list are unfamiliar to the Carnie Bums world, but some of the original tunes might start showing up in the Carnie Bums Cannon, so be forewarned.
Ryan Shane Spazz
Michelangelo's Jan. 28
Set 1: Out on the Weekend, Somewhere Between, Goodbye (Doesn't Mean the End), Just Like Old Times, Simple Lines, Blackbird, American Slang, Conspiracy Theory, I Saw Jesus, Long Black Veil, Tramp Stamp>Everlong>Tramp Stamp
Set 2: Sweet Jane*, Dynastar Man*, Middle Ground*, Big E*, The Wrestler, You Don't Deserve Me, Keystone, Karma Police, Demented Country Song, Everyday Hero, Vanilla Skies, Come Together#, Gin and Tower*, I've Got A Feeling*, Colfax*
* with C-dawg and Smitty
# with Smitty jumping up and joining in
Ryan Shane Spazz
Michelangelo's Jan. 28
Set 1: Out on the Weekend, Somewhere Between, Goodbye (Doesn't Mean the End), Just Like Old Times, Simple Lines, Blackbird, American Slang, Conspiracy Theory, I Saw Jesus, Long Black Veil, Tramp Stamp>Everlong>Tramp Stamp
Set 2: Sweet Jane*, Dynastar Man*, Middle Ground*, Big E*, The Wrestler, You Don't Deserve Me, Keystone, Karma Police, Demented Country Song, Everyday Hero, Vanilla Skies, Come Together#, Gin and Tower*, I've Got A Feeling*, Colfax*
* with C-dawg and Smitty
# with Smitty jumping up and joining in
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Eck's and Requests
Friends coming to see you play is always nice. It makes you feel good, you tend to be more relaxed and have more fun when there are people you know personally who came to see you. Often friends come to shows a few times to fulfill the "friend" duty. Sometimes though, friends actually dig your stuff. I have two great friends who have a particular song they love to hear. Whenever they come, I feel like the band needs to play their song, I mean they come out often, they should be rewarded. So, even though the band hadn't worked on "Tramp Stamp" in over a month, weren't planning on playing it, and we had to review intros/transitions/endings before we played it, when I saw my two buddies come in to say hi, I knew we were re-writing the set list. And we did. "TRAMP STAMP."
Eck's Salon 1.12
40 Gate, Western Dreams*, PBR, Fight for your Right, Chocolate, Punks in Oklahoma, Are you for Real?, Tramp Stamp, Colfax
* first time played
Here is the first full band shot of the new band with Smitty at the reign of the drums
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Old Curtis and ramblings from stage right
I am a little late on reporting on our Old Curtis Street Pub gig, so I thought I would do something a little different. I am going to write some observations from the stage and while many of them directly reference the Old Curtis Street Pub show, I am not going to directly review that show. Instead you can check out the set list at the bottom. Hopefully we play there again soon.
- There is nothing better than having strangers compliment you on an original or having strangers dancing while you are playing your originals.
- Playing originals is more rewarding, scary, and mentally draining than doing covers.
- Playing covers is fun though too.
- The worst feeling is indifference. Cheer, boo, whatever, but indifference cuts through
- Making it in the music business means you have a roadie.
- Cleaning up after a gig SUCKS.
- Monitors that work are amazing.
- Jager is the best shot for a stage. It goes down quick, doesn't leave a horrible feeling in the throat/stomach and works quick.
- Jager is not good for a flawless gig. The number of errors late in a set increases proportionally to the number of shots of Jager early in the set.
- It's hard to jump, dance, play and sing. You do get out of breath. There is no question most people who dance and sing lip-sync. I am sure of that.
- Denver has a cool local scene, anyone who claims otherwise doesn't go out much.
- PBR really is the best beer to drink on stage. Dark beers/IPA's are not good to chug quick between songs. PBR fits that perfectly.
- We really do have as much fun as it looks. It's the time we get to act like kids.
Set list Old Curtis Street Pub 12.10.10
Colfax, Seven Nation Army, Middle Ground, Psycho Killer, 40 Gate, London Calling, Tramp Stamp, Punks in Oklahoma, Are you for Real?, Jumpin Jack Flash, Rockin' in the Freeworld
- There is nothing better than having strangers compliment you on an original or having strangers dancing while you are playing your originals.
- Playing originals is more rewarding, scary, and mentally draining than doing covers.
- Playing covers is fun though too.
- The worst feeling is indifference. Cheer, boo, whatever, but indifference cuts through
- Making it in the music business means you have a roadie.
- Cleaning up after a gig SUCKS.
- Monitors that work are amazing.
- Jager is the best shot for a stage. It goes down quick, doesn't leave a horrible feeling in the throat/stomach and works quick.
- Jager is not good for a flawless gig. The number of errors late in a set increases proportionally to the number of shots of Jager early in the set.
- It's hard to jump, dance, play and sing. You do get out of breath. There is no question most people who dance and sing lip-sync. I am sure of that.
- Denver has a cool local scene, anyone who claims otherwise doesn't go out much.
- PBR really is the best beer to drink on stage. Dark beers/IPA's are not good to chug quick between songs. PBR fits that perfectly.
- We really do have as much fun as it looks. It's the time we get to act like kids.
Set list Old Curtis Street Pub 12.10.10
Colfax, Seven Nation Army, Middle Ground, Psycho Killer, 40 Gate, London Calling, Tramp Stamp, Punks in Oklahoma, Are you for Real?, Jumpin Jack Flash, Rockin' in the Freeworld
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A late report from Captain Jack's
Lots of crazy things happened this weekend and it's taken some time to report on them. I can't quite put all of them into an organized train of thought, so here is a rambling post to cover them all.....
First: We bought a digital recorder to critique our live shows. The recordings are also (hopefully) going to be used to give to fans. What would everyone think if you signed up for our mailing list and we sent you a copy of the show you attended? Does that sound cool? I think it does. We are looking at how to do it. Rock on.
Second: The show. Man, we just love playing Captain Jack's. The lead up to it felt a but jumbled, but when we got there we just had a ton of fun. People buying us shots, people in good moods, we played pretty good. We muffed some stuff and got a little too happy on stage, but overall it was a successful night. We debuted some new covers and hopefully the next few shows we will be debuting some new originals. The lineup change has really been liberating because we have three really committed musicians who want to get better/tighter together and learn as much as we can. A catalog of 100 songs that can be pulled out at any show? Sounds like the band we want to be. We are motivated to get there. We think our fans will dig this too because they will hear different things every time they come and see us. And we can take requests and roll with them.
Third: It never ceases to amaze me that people whom we don't know enjoy our music. We meet several people at the show on Saturday who loved our originals and loved our show. We had strangers declare to us that they are Carnie Bums groupies and that they tell their friends about us. That just feels good. It's a cool side to playing music. You want to play music to make the crowd that night happy. The longer they stay, the more drinks they buy, the better you did your job. But to have those people come to shows to see you specifically and brag about you....well shit. So thanks.
The set list
Captain Jack's
11.20.10
Set 1: Tramp Stamp, Seven Nation Army*, Captain Jack's, 40 Gate, Dear Mr. Fantasy*, Raspberry Beret#, Colfax, Chocolate, Rockin in the Free World
Set 2: Gin and Juice^, Jumpin Jack Flash, Roadhouse Blues, Middle Ground, Carnie Bums, Ball and Chain, Sweet Jane, PBR, Watchtower, Are you for Real?
* First time played
# per request by audience, options were "Talking Heads or Prince"
^ never been played or practiced by Smitty. Was requested during set break and Smitty learned the song while on stage.
First: We bought a digital recorder to critique our live shows. The recordings are also (hopefully) going to be used to give to fans. What would everyone think if you signed up for our mailing list and we sent you a copy of the show you attended? Does that sound cool? I think it does. We are looking at how to do it. Rock on.
Second: The show. Man, we just love playing Captain Jack's. The lead up to it felt a but jumbled, but when we got there we just had a ton of fun. People buying us shots, people in good moods, we played pretty good. We muffed some stuff and got a little too happy on stage, but overall it was a successful night. We debuted some new covers and hopefully the next few shows we will be debuting some new originals. The lineup change has really been liberating because we have three really committed musicians who want to get better/tighter together and learn as much as we can. A catalog of 100 songs that can be pulled out at any show? Sounds like the band we want to be. We are motivated to get there. We think our fans will dig this too because they will hear different things every time they come and see us. And we can take requests and roll with them.
Third: It never ceases to amaze me that people whom we don't know enjoy our music. We meet several people at the show on Saturday who loved our originals and loved our show. We had strangers declare to us that they are Carnie Bums groupies and that they tell their friends about us. That just feels good. It's a cool side to playing music. You want to play music to make the crowd that night happy. The longer they stay, the more drinks they buy, the better you did your job. But to have those people come to shows to see you specifically and brag about you....well shit. So thanks.
The set list
Captain Jack's
11.20.10
Set 1: Tramp Stamp, Seven Nation Army*, Captain Jack's, 40 Gate, Dear Mr. Fantasy*, Raspberry Beret#, Colfax, Chocolate, Rockin in the Free World
Set 2: Gin and Juice^, Jumpin Jack Flash, Roadhouse Blues, Middle Ground, Carnie Bums, Ball and Chain, Sweet Jane, PBR, Watchtower, Are you for Real?
* First time played
# per request by audience, options were "Talking Heads or Prince"
^ never been played or practiced by Smitty. Was requested during set break and Smitty learned the song while on stage.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Smokin' Hot
We just got off of practice and damn, I think we lit C-dawg's house on fire. We are quickly becoming a fine tuned machine as a three piece and things are rolling smoothly. In one practice we hammered down a lot of loose ends and brought some power to areas of songs that needed it. We also added a new song to the list in one practice. Get ready for the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" to be unleashed on the Carnie world at a show near you. Once Spazz gets the lyrics down things should be alright.
Smitty is fitting right in and we are re-exploring the back-catalog while learning new songs. Tramp Stamp has a new buzz to it as a power trio as does Carnie Bums and Are You for Real?. Next week we are going to work on some new originals that are coming your way soon and finally get to our Led Zeppelin Medley.
You really need to see us at the next few shows, we are sounding super hot. You will be impressed or your money back.
Rock on-
Spazz
Smitty is fitting right in and we are re-exploring the back-catalog while learning new songs. Tramp Stamp has a new buzz to it as a power trio as does Carnie Bums and Are You for Real?. Next week we are going to work on some new originals that are coming your way soon and finally get to our Led Zeppelin Medley.
You really need to see us at the next few shows, we are sounding super hot. You will be impressed or your money back.
Rock on-
Spazz
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Starting to mark history...
When the CARNIE BUMS first started as a band, we posted the gigs and set lists on myspace. Besides the fact that myspace is completely lacking in people over the age of 12 and it completely sucks, it also changes features regularly and many of the old gigs were lost. So, I decided to start a blog about the band. In addition, we have just changed lineups and it is time to start promoting our new look.
For those of you who were not in attendance at Captain Jack's on Friday October 22, may I tell you the Carnie Bums sound better than ever. That is not bs either. Only two practices in and Smitty, our new drummer, has given a whole new feel to the band. As many people there commented, there is a whole new energy to the band. We are having fun and enjoying this new transition in the band and can't wait to see where it goes. We are hoping to completely retool our set list. We are setting our sights big, lots of new covers, lots of new originals, tweaking our classic tunes. Many of our old songs have a new life in them. Colfax has a new feel to it that is a lot of fun, as do many of our other originals. The covers have a different life to them as well in the transition from two guitars to one. This is going to be a very tight band in a few months and you will want to check out our shows in that time because you will never know what will happen. Three songs entered the Carnie Bums world on Friday and we hope to debut at least 1 new song at every show for a while. We will see how that goes!
This blog will host pics, videos, comments, set lists, etc. about the Carnie Bums. It will give you a little insight into the band and what we are thinking. Right now we are all pumped. We loved the show on Friday and expect more of the same down the road.
Rock on-
Spazz
Set list-
Friday October 22
Captain Jack's
Set I: Icky Thump, Chocolate>Are you for Real?, Raspberry Beret*, Jumpin' Jack Flash*, Old Habits, Ball and Chain*, Fight for your Right>Colfax
Set II: Captain Jack's, 40 Gate, Hey Hey My My>Psycho Killer, PBR**, Sympathy for the Devil, <ondon Calling>Sweet Jane>Rockin' in the Free World
* First time played
** with kick ass new drum solo
For those of you who were not in attendance at Captain Jack's on Friday October 22, may I tell you the Carnie Bums sound better than ever. That is not bs either. Only two practices in and Smitty, our new drummer, has given a whole new feel to the band. As many people there commented, there is a whole new energy to the band. We are having fun and enjoying this new transition in the band and can't wait to see where it goes. We are hoping to completely retool our set list. We are setting our sights big, lots of new covers, lots of new originals, tweaking our classic tunes. Many of our old songs have a new life in them. Colfax has a new feel to it that is a lot of fun, as do many of our other originals. The covers have a different life to them as well in the transition from two guitars to one. This is going to be a very tight band in a few months and you will want to check out our shows in that time because you will never know what will happen. Three songs entered the Carnie Bums world on Friday and we hope to debut at least 1 new song at every show for a while. We will see how that goes!
This blog will host pics, videos, comments, set lists, etc. about the Carnie Bums. It will give you a little insight into the band and what we are thinking. Right now we are all pumped. We loved the show on Friday and expect more of the same down the road.
Rock on-
Spazz
Set list-
Friday October 22
Captain Jack's
Set I: Icky Thump, Chocolate>Are you for Real?, Raspberry Beret*, Jumpin' Jack Flash*, Old Habits, Ball and Chain*, Fight for your Right>Colfax
Set II: Captain Jack's, 40 Gate, Hey Hey My My>Psycho Killer, PBR**, Sympathy for the Devil, <ondon Calling>Sweet Jane>Rockin' in the Free World
* First time played
** with kick ass new drum solo
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