We just got back from playing Springfest out at University Park. The crowd was great - thanks for braving the cold and being so damn awesome! Thanks to Rhombus Guys for having us and to HB for doing a great job running the sound and stage, as always.
If you saw the show, stop by the comments section below and let us know what you liked (or didn't like). If you want to hear us play again, please tell your friends about us and be sure to ask for us at the local music spots.
And while you're at it, add us to your myspace and Facebook friends!
Our next show is June 3rd in Devils Lake, backing Alyson Gilbert.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Two big shows
Still Fighting It has been booked for two rather large shows right here in Grand Forks:
The first is when we open for Lovesick Radio at XL93's April Fools Fest at the Alerus Center's Plan B club on April 1st. The show starts at 7:00. We're on first, before Whiskey Vaccine and finally Lovesick Radio. Tickets can be purchased for $11 at the Alerus Center Box Office or through Ticketmaster.
The second is Springfest, at University Park on May 9th from 2:00-4:00 PM. $5 cover. We'll share the stage with Reconcile, Colie Paulson, and the North River Ramblers. Thanks to Rhombus Guys for putting this on!
The first is when we open for Lovesick Radio at XL93's April Fools Fest at the Alerus Center's Plan B club on April 1st. The show starts at 7:00. We're on first, before Whiskey Vaccine and finally Lovesick Radio. Tickets can be purchased for $11 at the Alerus Center Box Office or through Ticketmaster.
The second is Springfest, at University Park on May 9th from 2:00-4:00 PM. $5 cover. We'll share the stage with Reconcile, Colie Paulson, and the North River Ramblers. Thanks to Rhombus Guys for putting this on!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Still kickin'
Hey all, I'm not dead - quite the opposite, in fact. SFI has been taking time during this brief hiatus to get in the studio to record some of our favorite songs. We're about halfway done, but now comes the fun part of post-editing (blah). In the meantime, we have a show coming up this Saturday at the UND Memorial Ballroom from 9-11:30. There is a freewill donation at the door, after that it's party time.
Dr. Jim Popejoy, director of bands at UND, and I have been performing a vibes/keys jazz chamber duo at Archives coffee house. You can catch us the first Tuesday of every month from 8:00-10:00 PM.
On the side, I'm teaching private lessons two nights a week as well as individual lessons at UND, which is keeping me plenty busy. If you're interested, drop me a line; I have a few slots left.
Also, the past two weeks I've been filling in for trombonist Tom Wogsland in the River City Jazz trio, while he is recovering from a bug. I actually get to pick up my sax, which is a blast to play again. You can see myself, along with Kris Eylands (guitarist of Jazz on Tap fame), and Steve Carriere (basso extraordinaire) at L'Bistro this Thursday at 8:00. Too bad there isn't a monorail to get you there...
There are other SFI shows coming up, including a reprise of the Alyson Gilbert gig, on tap for this summer.
I've also been playing at church and having a lot of fun doing it. Playing at church was my first gig on keyboards, back in 1997 and if you're on my facebook, you can see pictures to that affect.
And no, I haven't been struck by lightning... yet. :)
Dr. Jim Popejoy, director of bands at UND, and I have been performing a vibes/keys jazz chamber duo at Archives coffee house. You can catch us the first Tuesday of every month from 8:00-10:00 PM.
On the side, I'm teaching private lessons two nights a week as well as individual lessons at UND, which is keeping me plenty busy. If you're interested, drop me a line; I have a few slots left.
Also, the past two weeks I've been filling in for trombonist Tom Wogsland in the River City Jazz trio, while he is recovering from a bug. I actually get to pick up my sax, which is a blast to play again. You can see myself, along with Kris Eylands (guitarist of Jazz on Tap fame), and Steve Carriere (basso extraordinaire) at L'Bistro this Thursday at 8:00. Too bad there isn't a monorail to get you there...
There are other SFI shows coming up, including a reprise of the Alyson Gilbert gig, on tap for this summer.
I've also been playing at church and having a lot of fun doing it. Playing at church was my first gig on keyboards, back in 1997 and if you're on my facebook, you can see pictures to that affect.
And no, I haven't been struck by lightning... yet. :)
Friday, December 26, 2008
With the highs, come the lows
As many of you may have read on Herald reporter Tu Uyen Tran's blog, Suite 49 has closed. Still Fighting It laments this loss as it was the venue of our first show on June 18, 2005. Moreso, it is a loss of a current, valued place to play. There is a more ominous undercurrent to this, though.
In about October of 2007, I was blogging weekly about all the live music one could hear and it got to be too much for me to keep track of it all. That got me wondering if the conucopia of live music I'd been seeing was excessive - too much, too fast, too much of a short-term promotional stunt in a world that obviously needs long-term stability and growth. Could owners sustain the specials that were enticing crowds? Could bands keep it fresh while playing in a town of 50,000 3-4 times per month? Would the nationwide slowdown and impending economic crash affect the booming local economy? Would Canadian tourists continue to line the pockets of local merchangts? These were all musings of mine during that time - call it cautious optimism.
Well, the excess of 2007 is certainly gone, and in its wake are owners struggling to keep the doors open. I have noticed that, unless I'm missing something, bookings have fallen by about 50%. Unfortunately, this trend is spreading at an alarming rate, both locally, and nationally, according to musicians I've spoken to.
So, who is to blame? That's a tough one and we could pontificate on this for a while: the economy, gas prices last year, bad venue management, bad bands, indifferent crowds, market saturation, bad overall music climate in the world, rise of the iPod, home entertainment systems... What is it that causes a music scene to fail so spectacularly? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter: Have you heard any good live music lately? Have you noticed a drop-off in live bookings? What do you think about it or do you have enough to think about already?
As for Still Fighting It, well, we're still fighting it - we're a band mostly made up of guys that love music and aren't leaving Grand Forks any time soon. We'll still play, maybe not quite as frequently for now, but we look at this as more available time to rehearse, learn new material, maybe even record some stuff.
That said, come check us out with our horn section on New Year's Eve at Sanders! The show starts at 10:00 and we'll be playing all your favorite soul and rock hits.
In about October of 2007, I was blogging weekly about all the live music one could hear and it got to be too much for me to keep track of it all. That got me wondering if the conucopia of live music I'd been seeing was excessive - too much, too fast, too much of a short-term promotional stunt in a world that obviously needs long-term stability and growth. Could owners sustain the specials that were enticing crowds? Could bands keep it fresh while playing in a town of 50,000 3-4 times per month? Would the nationwide slowdown and impending economic crash affect the booming local economy? Would Canadian tourists continue to line the pockets of local merchangts? These were all musings of mine during that time - call it cautious optimism.
Well, the excess of 2007 is certainly gone, and in its wake are owners struggling to keep the doors open. I have noticed that, unless I'm missing something, bookings have fallen by about 50%. Unfortunately, this trend is spreading at an alarming rate, both locally, and nationally, according to musicians I've spoken to.
So, who is to blame? That's a tough one and we could pontificate on this for a while: the economy, gas prices last year, bad venue management, bad bands, indifferent crowds, market saturation, bad overall music climate in the world, rise of the iPod, home entertainment systems... What is it that causes a music scene to fail so spectacularly? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter: Have you heard any good live music lately? Have you noticed a drop-off in live bookings? What do you think about it or do you have enough to think about already?
As for Still Fighting It, well, we're still fighting it - we're a band mostly made up of guys that love music and aren't leaving Grand Forks any time soon. We'll still play, maybe not quite as frequently for now, but we look at this as more available time to rehearse, learn new material, maybe even record some stuff.
That said, come check us out with our horn section on New Year's Eve at Sanders! The show starts at 10:00 and we'll be playing all your favorite soul and rock hits.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Alyson Gilbert with SFI
Hey all,
I just wanted to let you know Still Fighting It will be backing Nashville Star finalist Alyson Gilbert at the Empire Theatre on Wednesday, November 26th at 7:30 PM. We're very much looking forward to playing with such a talented musician.
She will also be doing sets with special guests Mark Proulx and Kris Eylands.
Alyson's bio (from her website):
[deleted picture of poster]
I just wanted to let you know Still Fighting It will be backing Nashville Star finalist Alyson Gilbert at the Empire Theatre on Wednesday, November 26th at 7:30 PM. We're very much looking forward to playing with such a talented musician.
She will also be doing sets with special guests Mark Proulx and Kris Eylands.
Alyson's bio (from her website):
Born in Texas and raised in Minnesota, Alyson Gilbert now lives in Nasvhille, Tennessee where she is a singer and an animal science student (favorite animal: pig).
Since arriving in Tennessee in 2002, Alyson has been singing with bands, doing acoustic gigs, and recording songwriters' demos. She was lead vocalist for Southbound, sits in with The Grove, and does acoustic gigs with Wes Henley, former guitarist with Carl Perkins. Aly has played and written with Jonathan Singleton.
One of Aly's favorite gigs was a USO tour to Japan. "If I could, I would sing for troops all the time - they're by far the best audience."
In the studio, Aly has recorded with musician/producer Mac MacAnally in Muscle Shoals and with Wes Henley in Jackson.
Aly comes from a creative family. Her father is the painter, Chris Gilbert. Her parents met in college theater, and her mom, Phyllis, has been doing theater ever since. Aly's cousin John Hagen is the cellist with Lyle Lovett.
Alyson and her husband Brian, a mechanical engineer, are active in animal rescue and respite work. They share their home with several cats and dogs.
[deleted picture of poster]
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Gotta vent
It amazes me that there are still musicians out there giving away their music, playing for free.
Thanks for devaluing things for the rest of us.
/sarcasm
Thanks for devaluing things for the rest of us.
/sarcasm
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Women's show
SFI played the Women's Show at the Alerus today. I thought we played well, but we were kind of stuffed into a corner where nobody was. If you saw us and liked what you heard, please let us know! We are available to do pretty much any kind of event.
On another note, my lessons schedule is filling up fast. If you're interested in jazz bass, sax, or piano lessons, give me a shout before I run out of slots.
On another note, my lessons schedule is filling up fast. If you're interested in jazz bass, sax, or piano lessons, give me a shout before I run out of slots.
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