empire! empire! does America

BRAND NEW SONG FOR FREE DOWNLOAD!

2011-03-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

We are super pumped to get everyone a BRAND NEW AND FREE JAM called "What had taken years to put together was destroyed in one moment". You can download it at:

http://countyourluckystars.bandcamp.com/ and get the physical 7" for FREE at our CYLS/Topshelf SXSW Showcase, courtesy of Gotta Groove records (a totally awesome pressing plant!). Hooray!

SXSW TOUR DETAILS!

2011-03-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

Sick but Nasty March Tour w/ the Reptilian:

March 11th-Milwaukee,WI: The Borg Ward w/ the Reptilian, Living and Wrestling and It's Just Vanity

March 12th-St. Louis,MO: LEMP w/ the Reptilian, Joie De Vivre, Annabel, Family Might and At Yalta

March 13th-Aurora,MO: Aurora Community Center w/ the Reptilian, Lord Okkoto, Wolfmouth and Treebeard
FB Event Link

March 14th-Tulsa,OK: Tulsa Backwards w/ the Reptilian, Joie De Vivre and Annabel

March 15th-Ft. Worth,TX: 1919 Hemphill w/ the Reptilian, Joie De Vivre, Annabel, Caravels, Two Knights and Star Commander
FB Event Link

March 16th-Austin,TX: CYLS/Topshelf Records Showcase @ Plush w/ the Reptilian and many more!!!!
FB Event Link

March 17th-Austin,TX: The Diaz House w/ the Reptilian, For Want Of, Touche Amore, Innards, The Saddest Landscape and many more!!!
FB Event Link

March 18th-Houston,TX: Vinyl Junkie w/ the Reptilian, sleep bellum sonno, and Football, Etc.

March 19th-San Antonio,TX: The 1011 w/ the Reptilian and Sohns

March 20th-Hattiesburg,MS: TBA

March 21st-Nashville,TN: Belmont University w/ the Reptilian

March 22nd-Columbus,OH: The Carabar w/ Ethe Reptilian

March 23rd-Baltimore,MD: TBA

March 24th-New York,NY: The Party Expo w/ the Reptilian, Zona Mexicana and Miles Apart

March 25th-Troy,NY: Ground Zero @ RPI w/the Reptilian

March 26th-Philidelphia,PA: TBA

March 27th-Akron,OH: It's A Kling Thing w/ the Reptilian, The Ground Is Lava and Northwestern

March 28th-Kalamazoo,MI: The Strutt w/ the Reptilian, Pan and Binary Marketing Show

Change

2011-02-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

First of all, we would like to thank everyone for the support that everybody has been showing us lately. Some of the e-mails and comments, etc meant so much to us, and we wanted to say how much we appreciated you saying them.

While yesterday was an informal announcement due to a upcoming show we had to cancel, it was never meant to be a formal announcement. The formal announcement is that our drummer for the past two years, Jon Steinhoff has sadly decided to part ways with the band. We wish him luck in whatever he pursues next, and he will be missed.

That being said, we are going to still continue on with the SXSW tour, with our friends helping us fill in our missing pieces. Once that tour concludes, we are going into hibernation for a bit while we find a bassist and a drummer. Regardless of whether we are fully staffed or not, our next show is going to be April 24th with the Appleseed Cast at the Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan! This is one of my favorite bands of all time, so we are through the roof to be on the bill. We have tickets available for cheaper, so if you are coming, please contact us at empireempireband@gmail.com.

Also, next weekend we are heading into the the studio to finish the vocals for our upcoming ep coming out on Topshelf Records. We are very excited to show everyone these new jams, so get pumped for that!

In addition to that, a while back we recorded a song (some of you maybe remember it live) for a 4-way split with Joie De Vivre, the Reptilian, and Annabel coming out on CYLS, and all the songs have been finished, and we are just waiting on art before it is sent off to be pressed.

Again, thank you for sticking with us. Being in a band is a lot of hard work, takes a lot of time, but you guys make it all worth it. Hopefully we will you all during our SXSW tour with the Reptilian.

xoxo

Keith & Cathy

2010 Recap

2011-02-15T20:26:00.000-08:00

66 Shows

63 Venues

50 Cities

21 States (AL, CT, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, VA, WI)

10 Countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States)

11 Lineups (12 shows w/ DJ on bass, 9 w/ Nate, 9 w/ Andrew, 3 w/ Brandon, 3 w/ Dusten; 17 shows w/ Andrew and Dusten on guitar and bass, 5 w/ Ben and Andy, 5 w/ Chris and Brandon; 1 three-piece acoustic show (without Jon) w/ Chris and Brandon on guitar and bass; 1 three-piece acoustic show (without Cathy) w/ Nate on bass; 1 acoustic show w/ just Keith and Cathy)

6 Bassists (Dusten, DJ, Nate, Andrew, Brandon & Andy)

5 Tours (January (solo), April (Europe w/ Marionette ID), June (w/ Joie de Vivre), October (w/ Mountains for Clouds) & December (w/ Annabel)

3 Releases (The Switchboard Sessions, Early Discography & the Split 7" w/ Into It. Over It.)

3 CYLS Record-Release Show Appearances (E!E!(IWALE) / Football, etc. - Split 7", Some People Buy Scenery Like This & E!E!(IWALE) / Into It. Over It. - Split 7")

2 Mini-Tours (January (solo) & March (w/ It's Just Vanity))

1 Ridiculous One-Day Tour (A.R.M. Fest, July)

Friends we shared the stage (floor) with: Algernon Cadwallader, All Shook Down, Annabel, Ape Up, Ben Hendricks, Bike Tuff, Bogota Orkestar, Boleyn, Book Slave, Bows and Arrows, Boys & Sex, The Break Ups, Butt Babies, Cloud Mouth, Clovenhoof, Coney Island, Coping, Diving, Electric Courage Machine, Elliot Street Lunatic, Emo Side Project, Everyday/Everynight, Everyone Everywhere, Family Might, Football Etc, For Serious This Time, For Want Of, Fugue, A Ghost and The Theory, Glocca Morra, The Greek Favourites, Grizzly J Berry, The Ground Is Lava, Head Home, High Five Atom Bomb, Hightide Hotel, Homelife, Horned Crow, Hostage Calm, I Am Mute, I Know Everything, Into It Over It, It's Just Vanity, Jet Set Sail, Joie de Vivre, Just Die, Leach, Leaving Songs, Les Doux, Lemuria, Light Years, Living & Wrestling, Love Drug, Marionette ID, Martin Luther King, Mellified Man, Merchant Ships, Monument, Mountains for Clouds, My Heart to Joy, Options, Pansori, Pennines, Perfect Future, Plans Change, The Please and Thank Yous, Que Seurte, Ramming Speed, The Reptilian, Rika, Robbers, Single Female Lawyer, Sixteen, Sleep Bellum Sonno, Sleeper, Spirit Animal, Snakeosaurus Rex, Snowing, Stubborn Tiny Lights, Sundials, Summer Ends, SWTHRT, Temple, Texas Instruments, Two Knights, War Dogs of the Pacific, Warren Franklin, What Price Wonderland, Yearbooks, & Young American Landscape

empire! empire!/the reptilian SXSW tour dates!

2011-02-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

hey everyone! we are hitting the road down to SXSW in march with our good buddies, the Reptilian! Here are the tentative tour dates. if we are playing around/near you, and you have a venue/house/basement/art space/pizza party suggestion, holler at us! a lot of these dates are already confirmed, and we will be posting them soon. otherwise, feel free to e-mail us at empireempireband@gmail.com for places/contacts/good times!

see you on the road!

11- wisconsin/chicago,il
12-st. louis,mo
13-joplin/springfield,mo
14-oklahoma city,ok

15-ft. worth,tx
16-austin,tx
17-austin,tx
18-houston,tx
19-new orleans,la
20-birmingham,al
21-nashville,tn or louisville,ky
22-columbus,oh
23-baltimore,md
24-new york,ny

25-new haven,ct

26-philly,pa or lancaster

27-akron,oh
28-kalamazoo,mi

upcoming shows!

2011-01-25T12:42:00.000-08:00

upcoming shows:
fbe 5th, Midland, Michigan @ the Creative Spirit Center w/ Joie De Vivre, Mountains for Clouds (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104431679626015)
feb 12th, Grand Rapids, Michigan @ the DAAC w/ Cloud Mouth, Lights at Sea
feb 18th, Indianapolis, Indiana @ the hoosier dome w/ Native, the Reptilian

also, we are going to do a tour with the reptilian to sxsw in march, i'll post that route in a bit!

Show on 1/8 with Hightide Hotel in Flint!

2011-01-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

We are having a show on 1/8 with Hightide Hotel. Here are the details: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183285558363411

NEW TOUR DATES WITH ANNABEL!

2010-12-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

We are in the process of building an actual website, but until then, we will continue to use this one. As you have no doubt noticed, myspace looks completely awful now, and we won't be using it as frequently. Anyway, we are going on an awesome week-long tour with Annabel starting the day after christmas to the day after new years. Ben and Andy are filling in on guitar and bass, as we never seem to have a bassist, and Cathy can't get out of her real job. Lame! Anyway, this is the last tour we plan on having fill-ins EVER. Well. Maybe. Here are the dates, we will also have new shirts too!

Monday, Dec 27
Heirloom Arts Theatre[155 Main St. Danbury,CT 06810] with;
Fugue
Wess Meets West
Martin Luther King
+ 1more TBA

Tuesday, Dec 28
Boston, MA
@ O’Briens
w/ The Clippers, more tba

Wednesday, Dec 29
Bethlehem, PA
@ St. Bernards
331 Brodhead Avenue
W/ Snowing, For Serious This Time and U.S. Male

Thursday, Dec 30
Richmond, VA
@ tight house

Friday, Dec 31
Wilmington, NC
@ The Soapbox
w/SWTHRT (ex-Museum Mouth)

Saturday, Jan 1
Baltimore, MD
@ Charm City Art Space
w/ Monument, Hightide Hotel

Sunday, Jan 2
Pittsburgh, PA
@ Garfield Artworks
W/TBA

e!e!(iwale) lyrics

2010-10-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

as promised.. i proudly present to you the
lyrics and "who played what" for every empire! empire! (i was a lonely estate) song ever! ..except for jacob's song. that'll be up sometime. i hope you enjoy!
-jon

if we had found you any later, you would have drowned
(from the split 7" with into it. over it.)

keith latinen - vocals / guitar
cathy latinen - guitar
nate squires - bass
jon steinhoff - drums

all the streets had emptied, spilling forth like a parade, and you
were eighteen and i was eighteen. then, all of east lansing was
littered with collegiate speak and irony that slurred new beginnings
with tired speech. now, it serves as a constant reminder of how youth
is wasted on youth.

i knew this because as i drove, the hole that was me and my life was getting smaller and smaller and was being filled with new hampshire, or maybe it was the idea of new hampshire, but who cares, as long as it was filling up the hole.
(from the "early discography" cassette tape)

keith latinen - vocals / keys / trumpet

fold your arms like an aeroplane
cast over seas you could not navigate
for fear of an entry point

dear, do not go quietly!
do not go, do not go at all!
(you are needed here)

you were strong
but your body wasn't

and even if i know
it'll still hurt to hear it from you

so when you go
your arms will not part the sea
or even support their own weight

but it is time
(and even i know!)

but it will still hurt like hell when you go

archival footage
(from the cassette tape version of "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar

we have been watching you for weeks, getting weaker
this time next month you'll be gone

how do you say goodbye?
how do you spend time waiting for...
i should be home with you

documenting thirty days
(from the split 7" w/ football, etc.)

keith latinen - vocals / guitar
cathy latinen - guitar
dj degennaro - bass
jon steinhoff - drums

i wrote it down, in case i might forget how tall you make me feel-
like i was towering over trees and buildings
(and you made it sound so easy).

then, i would wear your strength like a bright badge pinned to my chest.
right there, you made me swear i would not forget.

i still remember that may, when a late frost taught me
that even the things we left for dead
can resurface, and
every step was magnified by the sharpest snap that seemed to say,
"your voice is still small, and will not carry anything."

and even the smallest words cling to the roof of my mouth.
and i broke my promise again and again!

it's all i can do, sitting here waiting,
hoping the words will just fall from my mouth
(like when you were around me)

and all i need is to read what you told me,
"everything else in the world disappears when your voice wraps around me"

so how many points do you have 'till you gain, you know, the ultimate power?
(from the import version of "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums
cathy latinen - guitar

oh, you had littered your clothes across the floor where we last met. l
ike a trail of things we never said- but what have we ever said?
still, it was 1998, and we had plenty of time to reconcile. b
ut i was
more concerned with what came next then i was of forgiving you.
but you had not forgiven me, and you would not allow your teenage heart time to mend or time away. o
h, what an ugly sight it was to see!
so you told them all about me- and all the things i hadn’t done. and the little white lies that birthed from your mouth turned into such an
avalanche.
then your voice became so small, or everyone else’s grew large. but it was far too late to pull the words back.
they were gone.
so no one will hear you scream, “no one will love you like i do…”

it was your heart that saved you
(from the cassette, import, and vinyl versions of "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / drums / trumpet

nurse your wounds, you are no soldier
we are not men of faith.
so that, when we die, the only thing that touches you
will be the worms of earth, turning earth over earth.

i have not forgiven you
i don't think that i will.

will you ever know how hard it was to say,
"you are a lost cause, and i can't save you now."

i have not come to set things right.
i have come to say goodbye.

actually, i'm just wearing your glasses
(from the vinyl version of "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar
cathy latinen - guitar
dj degennaro - bass
ryan stailey - drums

i watched your cheeks flush, colored by an air from a calgary cold front
your breath made ghosts spill into the night, and gather as if they might not disappear.

i had heard a rumor you were moving back home!

but even if it was true, i did not expect to hear it from you so bluntly.

so it hung in the air like a fever, or a slow moving front
and i would not find shelter here, so i braced myself

"out!" i cried, "out!
are you running to or are you running from?
or does it even matter if it won't change your mind?"

when you put you hand on mine,
i knew.

how to make love stay
(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums (second half)
cathy latinen - guitar
ryan stailey - drums (first half)

city lights graced interstates, the way you move your hands through your hair when you feel alone. remember the flowers you picked when we crossed over madison? you were so sure you found yourself that you branded it into an oak- the one you swore reached through the sky and swallowed the city line. you had yet to hit twenty-three (an age that would swallow you).

then, every breath made you confess you did not know what to do with your hands. this is a new side of you- so full of fear.

keep what you have built up here

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums / keys

cathy latinen - guitar / vocals

oh no! i thought you'd changed; take back all the things you said.

i remember thinking this evidence you left was damning enough

but you took all the words from my mouth and pulled them out.

how could i not see you for what you are?

but you turned all the words from my mouth into doubt.

and i wish i could tear your heart out!

break meter and release, and still the voice it keeps

and i wish that your lungs would give out,

and finally give air to breathe

but i know better now. no words could weed you out

when your back's against the wall, you'll be crying out,

"i'll take all the words from your mouth and leave them out."

and your hands are shaking.

finally, call out!

and the silence breaks your heart, finally.

oh, i almost pity you now (i almost pity you now).

finally, call out!

oh, i almost pity you now.

and i wish i could tear your heart out!

break meter and release, and still the voice that keeps

and i wish for you lungs to give out, finally.

what safe means

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass

cathy latinen - guitar

joe sak - drums

you settled into uneasy sleep, a subtle hint that things were changing

and every breath of labored rest brought new designs of old regrets.

and how they aged you! how they took your strength away!

(when they entered your body and pinned fear to weight)

pull out! pull out!

lead you weak cells to oxygen, and sew your skin to bone.

you can hold on! hold on!

lend dead weight to stronger hands.

you are not alone.

(you are not alone)

if you're weighed down, i'll lay your fears to rest

you are safe now.

(you are safe now)

it happened because you left

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - guitar

in fall, the year you grew to be six feet

i tempered my fear into haste,

a worry that dogged our mother.

she, the baby of three, asked how

so many things could take flight at once.

there are no easy answers, and even thirteen, i

could not think of a sure reply.

at the church where i was baptized,

our father refused to park near the crowd

at that time, i still believed in god, or faeries,

or that the air could catch on fire.

when you and your friends took off on separate routes,

i wanted to follow you.

but our mother said i was not allowed to.

you had not yet learned how to fill such a broad frame.

that winter you said you hated your body,

but when spring came, you'd learned how to speak,

and you moved west

to watch the ocean eat the coast away.

i can still remember that day you left,

thoughts spilling out from my chest,

like, "who will you be when you come back"

or even, "will you come back?"

rally the troops! poke holes in their defenses! line our coffers with their coffins!

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass

cathy latinen - guitar

matt brim - drums

it flew out your mouth, "you can drive me anywhere- just drive me anywhere but here."

tonight, the length of your neck is a lonely parapet; you are armed to the teeth and looking for a fight.

it was in your mother's dress that the temper showed signs of slowing down. your fingers traced the route of the seam (like a map of your body that landed just shy of your knees).

it fell the same way on your mother- as she was, at that age, the same height as you.

she never faced a fear quite as sharp, but her sister did and it broke her heart

what came out your mouth next was a series of mistakes- you had taken all you could take, and here tonight, the weight of their stares, well they could bury you alive. you are worn to the bone, and looking to disappear. and who could blame you?

it was in your mother's dress that the temper finally died out, and gave way to the fear that keeps its company with such a loud mouth! (like the sound of an earthquake tearing out terra firma's mouth).

you must not let it in, and keep your head up on top of your body. there are far, far worse things than this, so we must move with purpose and do what has to be done.

it's a plague, and you're invited

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - guitar

dj degennaro - vocals

all of this time i should have known, but we buried our hopes in our throats.

and though it spared us from honesty, it could not deny anything else.

after the air cleared and the anger left our bodies, we slept more soundly.

we slept more soundly!

on denton, where you realized the full weight of what you had done, you felt ashamed for the first time.

but still refused to admit that you were wrong!

i swore i would not carry your weight for you anymore when, at twenty-one, you cannot help yourself.

but in the time you were making up your mind, we still held our breath.

so history repeats, and the feeling that i will one day wake an old and empty man only drives me harder.

even if you will not sacrifice your youth, it will grow to resent you.

like a body of water, it will yield only to entrenched earth.

i swore i would not carry your weight for you anymore when, at twenty-one, you cannot help yourself.

but in the time you were making up your mind, we already knew.

everything is connected and everything matters (a temporary solution to a permanent problem)

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - guitar

dj degennaro - vocals

on a late spring day, when summer began to take shape, you lowered your head to bear an uneven compromise. how your voice held steel, make sharp by the sound of it aloud! you were drunk on each syllable; you could not even hear what it sang.

when you were young, you spent your summers in maine. and stripped of the friends you made, you gorged yourself on frost and hemingway.

when you came back to michigan, you would walk with words you did not speak and dress yourself with an air we couldn't reach.

so when you go back to maine, i hope that you stay (where you have corned truth and beauty). and each borrowed refrain you sing, you sing, you sing will sound the same to the lonely, lonely sea.

the next step to regaining control

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass

cathy latinen - guitar

matt brim - drums

i knew that you wouldn't change, but i bit my tongue and swore, resigned myself to carry on despite you.

but you would not match my stride and cried, "foul! foul! how could you expect me to care about somebody else?"

and after all, who would expect anything else from you?

you would not apologize for what you claimed you'd never do.

you guard your hand like there is something brilliant

waiting to play itself off.

and when you move to strike, everything will fall into place.

but i'll call your bluff. i know you're all talk.

and when the words come out

there will be nothing left but promises.

i wanted it to be different, to see truth where it did not fit.

but the harder i looked, the farther you seemed from it.

there is a cadence here, i guess, for every measured misstep.

i put one foot forward and you take two steps back.

so just say what you want.

with your greatest fears realized, you will not be comforted

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / banjo / cello / trumpet / percussion

you wore a hand-me-down dress that never fit quite right.

your mother's frame did not favor you.

the summer she passed you were born, and you father lost his job.

he could not handle it (or you).

you wore the saddest smile that never fit quite right.

your mother's smile felt that way too.

the summer she gave her life for you, and your father blamed you,

was the summer you began to blame yourself too.

i am a snail, and you are a pace i cannot match

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - guitar

the long days piled into weeks before you'd speak, as the storm crawled to meet the shoreline. and it began to rain at once!

i tried (i tried, i tried, i tried) to keep the awful things at bay from you.

but it was on the air and useless,

i might as well have tried to prove the words i fought to purchase would comfort you.

like, "there was nothing more that we could do."

or that i still loved you (when nothing could be further from the truth).

will your hand fall out of mine?

you shame lives on its own, trying to reach the depths down where it belongs.

will it find rest in your bones?

aching and pulling muscles to act out against you!

so stay your pity now.

if it reaches the heart, we all pull out.

and let the beat slow down.

(there's nothing that we can do you for now)

are you sorry or are you just scared?

there will be no false comfort here.

oh, i ought to tell you the truth! i did not come to plea for you.

where was your heart when your words led the truth anywhere else from you?

you're not sorry, you are just scared.

i have not come to calm your fears.

i am sorry i hid what you are.

but everyone else but me already knew! already knew!

and would not come to plea for you.

where was your heart when they never appeared?

anyone else would care.

but you would not shoulder the weight you should bear.

i will not shed a single tear.

an idea is a greater monument than a cathedral

(from "what it takes to move forward")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - guitar

matt agrella - vocals

will the same mistakes haunt you like they used to do?

or are you afraid that your body won't let you choose?

you are your father's son, and the same disease that holds you held him once!

and i know if you push this hard it will still take hold.

you cannot accept the things you can't control.

and i know your mind is young but your body's old.

and you can't forgive youself (though no one else could blame you for this).

but hold on! hold on! hold on!

and already i can't remember if the heart was ever aware

that the body it kept alive was wearing out, was shutting down.

and tonight, when it realized, you gave up, it cried out,

"only now i realize i always knew."

jacob's song
(from the "title it yourself" compilation)

keith latinen - vocals / keys / guitar / bass / drums

lyrics coming soon...

how to stay afloat in a sea of change
(from the "summer tour '09" ep)

keith latinen - vocals / guitar

you had made plans for the colder months ahead
and braced yourself for disappointment

michigan winters have such a way of isolating breath from your body

but they were such strong traits that your father passed down to you
and when they wore you out, they won out

so how could i look at you?
you are what you feared you'd turn in to
but if you change your mind, i will forgive you
(and all will be undone)

year of the rabbit

(from the 7" of the same name!)

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass

cathy latinen - guitar

joe sak - drums

don't say goodnight. is this your life, or are you holding on? dear it's alright to say enough! to let your body break down.

and they will never know what broke your heart. if only i could say how sorry i felt.

don't turn your head- it's hard enough to know it's all my fault. yes, i regret i laid myself out when your eyes cried, "please help me darling."

don't say goodnight! it's not enough to get me through this night. don't say goodbye, it's not alright to know you're hurting and i cannot help you.

and they will never know what broke your heart. and all the words escape from out of my mouth.

idk, my bff jill

(b-side of "year of the rabbit")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - guitar / vocals

will i ever understand how anything gets done? i tied a knot in my heart for you, thinking that's what you wanted. i tried to make my voice sincere (tell everyone how hard it was!) and anyway, i could never reach your ears, like the weight of it's wings were clipped when they hovered near you.

should i tie your arms afloat to its melody, and anchor my heart to you in hopes i'll climb out your mouth? i was so sure you wanted love, how could anyone find doubt? i tied a knot in my heart for you, though it's not what you wanted.

(wear your heart out for me).

our love has made us pariahs

(from "when the sea became a giant")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

oh, the city burns!
nero would be proud
my mouth fills up
a eulogy comes out
what a waste of breath!
spoke, but nothing else
my heart pours out
slow down
put your head in clouds
oh no! (i am alone)

you have to believe that life is more than the sum of its parts, kiddo

(from "when the sea became a giant")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

cathy latinen - vocals

oh sure, you can look for reasons
and try to be them, for a while
but you know you can't be her answer
she was never after truth
will your mother still blame you
if she knew all the words that she said
drove you here
a half a world away
destroying your body
to get back for every word she said
but it won't change the way she is
and it won't change a thing she did
so calm down
sleep now
forget all the things that she said

lilly, i have something important to tell you
(from "when the sea became a giant")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

found out how scared you were
to ask how i knew
everything
but not how i ever blamed you.
i know you were never aware,
so how could you say
"sorry, how could i take and take
and never think of you?
i'm not sorry i don't care about you."
found out how little i felt
when i stepped back and heard you say,"it's not my fault- i was raised
this way."
and i'll be damned if i pity you
like i used to do
when i still loved you.

they will throw us to the wolves
(from "when the sea became a giant")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums

your hands were broken
but you wouldn't cry out
as we tore your heart apart
should i thought of you with sadness?
or a small, small, price to pay...
but you should have known better
oh, i admit to no wrong!
you should have understood
i had no choice, no choice
all winter
you told me, "it's never enough to stay still"
i thought you'd be proud of me
should i spell it out, spell it out now?
you'll never be good enough
so i'm getting out, getting out now

k.o. k.o. (the most of my worries are the least of your concerns)
(from "when the sea became a giant")

keith latinen - vocals / guitar / bass / drums
cathy latinen - vocals

you were a secret kept
far from my heart
i know i should have wept
but no tears found their way out
you were an avalanche
a sharp decent with fast words, deliverance
(i will not be ashamed, i will move perfectly now)
and i, the minuet
kept time by sorrow spent
spoke soft, stood down
(step away, step away, i will hold in my place)
and i have been losing sleep
so i can't be trusted to know
every time you cry out
you say, "not enough, dear"
should i change pace?
move air through empty lungs?
oh, compose yourself
and know that all you'll be
is a secret kept upon my lips for now

2010-01-07T01:21:00.001-08:00

chris mother fucking simpson came out to our show in austin.

he was really nice and it totally made our life. the end.

-keith

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

2009 Recap:

Get ready to think I'm really dorky..

53 Shows

46 Venues

38 Cities

16 States (CT, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA & WI)

6 CYLS Record-Release Show Appearances (Each and Everyone, Boys' Life, Summer Months, Summer Fences, Perfect Future & What It Takes to Move Forward)

5 Lineups (23 shows w/ DJ on bass, 21 w/ Ahmad, 7 w/ Nate, 1 w/ No Bassist & 1 w/ just Keith and Cathy)

3 Releases (Summer Tour EP '09, What It Takes to Move Forward LP & Split 7" w/ Football, Etc.)

3 Mini-Tours (June, July & Thanksgiving)

2 Compilation Appearances (Title It Yourself & Almost Free Music)

2 Tours (March & August)

2 Ridiculous One-Day Tours (June & July)

Friends we shared the stage with: Ahmad Naboulsi, Annabel, Alco, Algernon Cadwallader, Brave Captain, Castevet, Cheap Girls, Continental Things, Death in the Park, Deer Friends, Definition Plexus, Eat People, Father Time, The Forecast, Freaky J & The Bears, The Gamma Foundation, The Give A Hoot, Grown Ups, Henry Gale, Husky Puppies, I Am the Branch, In the Clear, It's Just Vanity, Joie de Vivre, The Joint Chiefs of Math, Karate Christ, La Dispute, Lights at Sea, Moneen, Moving Mountains, мища, Native, New Brunswick, Noumenon, Orphans, Ossimer, Perfect Future, The Plurals, Prawn, Presea, Pswingset, The Reptilian, Run Forever, Sirdidymous, Sleep Bellum Sonno, Slingshot Dakota, Small Houses, Snakeosaurus Rex, Snowing, The Summer Pledge, Thought and Memory, Trisorta, Truncated Lions, The Usual, Victor! Fix the Sun, We Were Skeletons, & What's Good.

Clutch Performances: Keith graduated from grad school, Cathy got a sweet promotion, Jon became a substitute teacher & CYLS signed a bunch of sweet bands and put out a bunch of sweet records.

2010 Plans:

January Tour

Part I:

1/01 Fri - COLUMBUS, OH @ The Crackhouse w/ High Five, Atom Bomb
1/02 Sat - NASHVILLE, TN @ The Rabbit Hole w/ Leach
1/04 Mon - HOUSTON, TX @ The Mink w/ Football, Etc. (Unofficial Split 7" Release!)
1/05 Tue - AUSTIN, TX @ Trailer Space Records w/ The Reptilian, Cloud Mouth & For Want Of
1/06 Wed - FORT WORTH, TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/ Lemuria & O Pioneers!!!
1/07 Thu - Show Canceled. Help? (Oklahoma)
1/08 Fri - KANSAS CITY, MO @ Salt Water Taffy House w/ Emo Side Project
1/09 Sat - ST. LOUIS, MO @ Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center w/ My Heart to Joy & Hostage Calm
1/10 Sun - Help? (Indianapolis)
Part II
1/15 Fri - SOUTH BEND, IN @ The Cabana House w/ Merchant Ships & Leaving Songs
1/16 Sat - CHICAGO, IL @ Beat Kitchen (17+) w/ Joie de Vivre & Mountains for Clouds
1/17 Sun - Help? (Wisconsin)
1/23 Sat - EAST LANSING, MI @ The Small Planet for The Record Lounge's "Middle of the Mitten" Local Showcase (10 Bands)
Big thanks to everyone who helped us book those hot dates!
Bassist Situation
November & December were so crazy with work/school/shows/label stuff/family reunions/illnesses/booking tour/hanging with old friends that we literally have not had time to even begin to address this seemingly fundamental issue. So.. we haven't held any "tryouts" yet. To everyone who has inquired, we're sorry for taking forever getting back to you.. Our old bassist, DJ, will be filling in for January, and after that we will hopefully have more time to sort out this dilemma. We won't be booking any more shows until we find someone, so it's "Bassist by February or Bust", because:
We're Probably Going to Europe in April
This awesome band from Budapest, called Marionette ID, has invited us to go on tour with them overseas. We're really excited; however, this- coupled with our current lack of a bassist- means that our previous plans for a tour this March are officially defunct. Sorry, southeast USA.. I was really looking forward to Spring Break Tour '10.
Upcoming Recordings?
We have two new songs that are just about ready to be recorded. We'd like to lay them down soon after tour. One of them is going on a Split 10" with our CYLS label-mates Joie de Vivre, The Reptilian, and Annabel. The other will be a bonus track on the vinyl release of "When the Sea Became a Giant." After that? Maybe we'll be feeling really sassy. We might just pump out a new EP!
Other CYLS Releases to Look Forward to:
Joie de Vivre's "The North End" LP
Boris Smile's "Rockets" EP
Moving Mountains' "Pnuema" 2xLP
Colossal's EP on Vinyl
Full-lengths from Football, Etc., Snowing & Pswingset!
Brave Captain? Someday?
.. and Deer Friends?!

-Jon

E!E!(IWALE) Discography

2009-12-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

In case anyone was curious/confused, I think this covers everything.

-Jon

The Best of Temporary Kicks - 2010

CD - 67:53 - 1/2/11 - TKE 001

In Print - http://temporarykicks.com/

1. Pig Children - This Is For The Weak

2. Atom Lax - A Brief Moment

3. The Shady Civilians - Hallways

4. Aurorealis - Journeyman

5. Mountains For Clouds - Sounds On Paper

6. Megaskyfish - Gosh

7. Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - How To Make Love Stay

8. I Know Everything - My Heart Is Jerome

9. Air Is Watching - The Hand

10. The Lights - The Inception

11. Archana - Ink Blot

12. State Bird - Sunk

13. The Shout Aways - We

14. Joe Hertler - Carbon C14

15. Deadhorse - Last Night Of The World

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) / Into It. Over It. - Split 7"

7" - 9:00 - 10/12/10 - CYLS 023

In Print - 500 on Black, Clear or White

http://cylsrecords.com/

Available Digitally

iTunes

Amazon

SIDE A:

1. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - If We Had Found You Any Later, You Would Have Drowned
SIDE B:

1. Into It. Over It. - Buffalo, NY

2. Into It. Over It. - Brenham, TX

Early Discography

Cassette Tape - 33:35 - 8/24/10 - KIT 008/CYLS 022

In Print - 100 White / 100 Yellow

http://keepittogetherrecords.com/

http://cylsrecords.com/

SIDE A & SIDE B

1. Our Love Has Made Us Pariahs
2. You Have to Believe That Life Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts, Kiddo
3. Lilly, I Have Something Important to Tell You
4. They Will Throw Us to the Wolves
5. K.O. K.O. (The Most of My Worries Are the Least of Your Concerns)

6. Year of the Rabbit

7. IDK, My BFF Jill

8. How to Stay Afloat in a Sea of Change

9. I knew this because as I drove, the hole that was me and my life was getting smaller and smaller and was being filled with New Hampshire, or maybe it was the idea of New Hampshire, but who cares, as long as it was filling up the hole.

The Switchboard Sessions

Digital - 7:46 - 3/30/10

http://switchboardsessions.blogspot.com/

Available Digitally
Soundcloud

1. Lucky (Seven Mary Three Cover)

2. Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins! (Acoustic)

What It Takes to Move Forward (Cassette)

Cassette Tape - 59:43 - 3/16/10 - KIT 003/CYLS 012-T

In Print - 200 "Smoky" Clear

http://keepittogetherrecords.com/

http://cylsrecords.com/

SIDE A:

1. How to Make Love Stay
2. Keep What You Have Built Up Here
3. What Safe Means
4. It Happened Because You Left
5. Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins!
6. It's a Plague, and You're Invited

SIDE B:
1. Everything Is Connected and Everything Matters (A Temporary Solution to a Permanent Problem)
2. The Next Step to Regaining Control
3. With Your Greatest Fears Realized, You Will Not Be Comforted
4. I Am a Snail, and You Are a Pace I Cannot Match
5. An Idea Is a Greater Monument Than a Cathedral

6. It Was Your Heart That Saved You

7. Archival Footage

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) / Football, Etc. - Split 7"
7" Split - 10:17 - 12/15/09 - CYLS 014/SNCL 019
In Print - 1000 Mixed

http://cylsrecords.com/
http://sncl.collective-zine.co.uk/

Available Digitally
iTunes
Amazon
eMusic

SIDE A:

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - Documenting Thirty Days
SIDE B:

Football, Etc. - Fightin' Phoenix

Almost Free Music - A Compilation
CD - 60:48 - 12/15/09 - PP 105
In Print - http://thosephoenixproductions.com/

1. Banana Convention - Taking Back the Fun
2. After the Dust - Hollow
3. This Level Is Clouds! - Syracuse
4. Annadelle - Get Away
5. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins!
6. Sean Stout - Little Pirouettes
7. Fail - Could Be You (live)
8. After the Dust - Heartsick Lullaby
9. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - What Safe Means
10. Fail - Sick (live)
11. This Level Is Clouds! - Now You Really Are
12. Sean Stout - French Sister
13. Annadelle - Dissonance
14. Banana Convention - Don't

What It Takes to Move Forward (Import)
CDLP - 62:13 - 2009 - STSL 038
In Print - http://www.stiffslack.com/

1. How to Make Love Stay
2. Keep What You Have Built Up Here
3. What Safe Means
4. It Happened Because You Left
5. Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins!
6. It's a Plague, and You're Invited
7. Everything Is Connected and Everything Matters (A Temporary Solution to a Permanent Problem)
8. The Next Step to Regaining Control
9. With Your Greatest Fears Realized, You Will Not Be Comforted
10. I Am a Snail, and You Are a Pace I Cannot Match
11. An Idea Is a Greater Monument Than a Cathedral
12. It Was Your Heart That Saved You
13. So How Many Points Do You Have 'Till You Gain, You Know, the Ultimate Power?

What It Takes to Move Forward
CDLP - 55:39 - 9/29/09 - CYLS 012

2xLP - 67:25 - 9/29/09 - CYLS 012/SNCL 015
In Print - 500 Pink / 500 Grey

http://cylsrecords.com/
http://sncl.collective-zine.co.uk/

Available Digitally
iTunes
Amazon
eMusic

CD:
1. How to Make Love Stay
2. Keep What You Have Built Up Here
3. What Safe Means
4. It Happened Because You Left
5. Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins!
6. It's a Plague, and You're Invited
7. Everything Is Connected and Everything Matters (A Temporary Solution to a Permanent Problem)
8. The Next Step to Regaining Control
9. With Your Greatest Fears Realized, You Will Not Be Comforted
10. I Am a Snail, and You Are a Pace I Cannot Match
11. An Idea Is a Greater Monument Than a Cathedral
Vinyl:
SIDE 1A:
1. How to Make Love Stay
2. Keep What You Have Built Up Here
3. What Safe Means
4. With Your Greatest Fears Realized, You Will Not Be Comforted
SIDE 1B:
5. It Happened Because You Left
6. Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins!
7. It's a Plague, and You're Invited
SIDE 2A:
8. Everything Is Connected and Everything Matters (A Temporary Solution to a Permanent Problem)
9. The Next Step to Regaining Control
10. An Idea Is a Greater Monument Than a Cathedral
SIDE 2B:
11. I Am a Snail, and You Are a Pace I Cannot Match
12. It Was Your Heart That Saved You
13. Actually, I'm Just Wearing Your Glasses

Title It Yourself
Cassette Tape - 93:42 - 9/14/09 - KIT 002
In Print - 100 Black / 100 Red
http://keepittogetherrecords.com/

Available Digitally
KITR Bandcamp

SIDE A:
1. Victor V-B - It's Not You, It's Me
2. Brown Bird - Lake Bed
3. Death Metal Steve - Remember Love
4. Eric Ayotte - Wavin' Flag (by K'naan)
5. Wabash - Here To Learn
6. A.P. Swearengin - Find
7. Toby Foster - Speech Patterns
8. Perpetual Dusk at Curtsy Caverns - Likewise, Spinning Wheels
9. Paul Baribeau - Things I Wish
10. Big Spirit - Cryin' Shame
11. Ghost Mice - The Alcheist
12. Y Lime? - Faries
13. Dustin and the Furniture - Intruder
14. Plumwife - Green Stone, Slight Moan
15. Ben Block - Italy or Sorrento
16. Spoonboy - Gerald Lee Palmer
17. Teeadora - Sharing Chairs
18. Jenny Is A Boy - Eggs
SIDE B:
1. Amo Joy - Diggity Doom
2. Joie de Vivre - Salt
3. Get Rad - It's Not A Fire
4. Loose Lips Sink Ships - Duck Funk
5. Erfert - Cross Your Fingers
6. The Burnside Fountains - Thinking of You
7. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - Jacob's Song
8. Suffix - Brutal Knowledge
9. Pianos Become The Teeth - Creatures of Habit
10. Monsters Armed With Scissors - We Are All Spiders
11. Sleep Bellum Sonno - Hunter
12. One Win Choice - Where My Allegiance Lies
13. Arkansas? - Hashbrowns
14. Victor! Fix The Sun - Paper Thin Feather Fuck

Summer Tour EP '09
CD-R - 17:30 - 08/12/09 - Self-Released
Out of Print - 150, Hand-Stamped

1. Everything Is Connected and Everything Matters (A Temporary Solution to a Permanent Problem)
2. What Safe Means
3. Rally the Troops! Poke Holes In Their Defenses! Line Our Coffers With Their Coffins!
4. It Was Your Heart That Saved You
5. How to Stay Afloat in a Sea of Change

Year of the Rabbit
7" - 8:56 - 2/19/08 - CYLS 001/SNCL 011
Out of Print - 50 Black, Hand-Labeled / 500 White

Available Digitally
iTunes
Amazon
eMusic

SIDE A:

Year of the Rabbit
SIDE B:

IDK, My BFF Jill

When the Sea Became a Giant
CDEP - 19:27 - 01/16/07 - CYLS 000
Out of Print - Available Digitally

iTunes
Amazon
eMusic

1. Our Love Has Made Us Pariahs
2. You Have to Believe That Life Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts, Kiddo
3. Lilly, I Have Something Important to Tell You
4. They Will Throw Us to the Wolves
5. K.O. K.O. (The Most of My Worries Are the Least of Your Concerns)

Oh yeah...

2009-08-26T21:16:00.001-07:00

After driving from 2 am to 5 pm on Friday, we are back in the Great
Lakes state! The show Friday night at the Black Shamrock was great. We
got to play Sleep Bellum Sono again, and those guys are amazing.
Thought and Memory also rocked the house. Ahmad raised the roof during
their entire set. We had a lot of fun, but not too much fun... we knew
what was ahead of us. Because of Jon's craziness and wanting to run
the Crim on Saturday morning, and my needing to be at work, we decided
to drive right from the show in East Meadow (Long Island) all the way
to Michigan. So drive we did. Keith and I took turns driving from 2 am
to 8 am, and then Jon and Ahmad took over until we got home.
We made a slightly random stop in Toledo after finding out that
Keith's parents and grandpa were in town (also from Michigan). So we
hung out, and got lunch at a yummy eatery with delicious waffle fries!
.
Jon kicked ass in the Crim (which is a big race in Flint where he ran
10 miles).

I heard he earned a gold star. And before we knew it, it
was Sunday and we had another show at the amazing Maruma open house
('09). We partied hard. Really hard. We watched some Guitar Hero
prodigies, and ate cake. We left the night with a seemingly 30 lb bag
full of meatballs. What more could you ask for?
All in all, the tour was great!

cathy

I thought we were tight, CT. I thought we were like THIS (fingers crossed).

2009-08-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Despite Tony and Jeff's best efforts to put on a good Tuesday night show at Cousin Larry's in Danbury, we were simply out of our element. The place sounds amazing, but unfortch no one came out, and winning over bar crowds isn't exactly our strong suit. We even had a heckler or two. I personally enjoyed Failure's Art and Supervolcano, but on the whole, Connecticut can suck it.

So for Wednesday, it was back to the basement, where we belong. Thanks to: Sam's parents, for letting us be loud in their home; Karate Christ, Along the Way, and In the Clear for letting us on the bill; and Joseph and everyone else who came out to watch us and/or bought a shirt and/or EP. I hope those disposable camera shots surface at some point. My only regret is that we didn't have time to partake in the rope swing / pond activities, which sounded scary but awesome.

BIG THANKS to Keith's sister Amy and her boyfriend Jeff for letting us stink up their living room for the last three nights. We had a blast sweating it out with you in the van at 60 mph on the way to and from the show.

Today, we wave a final goodbye to Providence, RI. On the way out, I will make sure to keep an eye out for Harry's Mutt Cutts van. Maybe we'll even stop at Freda Feltcher's in Cranston for some French tickling. Hopefully we don't have to trade in our van straight up to some kid for his moped.

I will now leave you with some assorted tour photos and maybe even a few videos of us being ballers in Philly.

-Jon

Feel better Hampton, thanks for the brownies!

2009-08-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

What a day! After a long drive from Erik's in New Brunswick we finally made it to Hagerstown, Maryland for an awesome afternoon show at Hampton's. Sadly, Hampton is insanely ill and fighting for his life against an unnamed ailment (probably the flu). But he's still young and spry, feel better buddy!

The show was totally awesome. We played with local badasses Eat People and мища(pronounced Mischa), as well as The Usual and Sunlines. Because it was an afternoon show in a garage, it was hot as hell and my bass is now covered in delicious sweat streaks. COOL! But it was totally awesome anyway and can't wait to get back to Hagerstown.

Post show, we realized that we had no where to stay! So instead of staying in Maryland, we decided to supplement our 4 hour drive from New Brunswick to Hagerstown with a (supposedly) 6 hour drive to Rhode Island where Keith's sister Amy lives. So we said good bye to Hampton and thanked his mom for the yummy brownies and Gatorade and hit the road around 7ish. It is now 3:20am and we are still only in Connecticut. Why? Because being from Michigan, we underestimated the severity (and smelliness) that is I-95 traffic in New Jersey. Tolls are now the arch nemesis of Empire! Empire!. We are now about 2 hours behind schedule and $12.10 poorer. New York City tolls were no help either. So in short, thanks, tolls. You're a douche.

Here's a video from Hamptons! Enoy!

-Ahmad

So hot...

2009-08-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

alright, it's finally my turn to update this beast!

where to start? i'm going to go back and touch on the algernon show and say that it was amazing, but it was also a total bummer because we ran into some technical difficulties in the first time for like two years. bad timing! so we scrambled around during our set and tried to figure it out, and we tried every option we thought it might be until we finally figured out that it was cathy's cab. which is pretty random because those things hardly ever are the problem. but joe from algernon let us borrow his cab (thanks!) and we barrelled through three more songs for a short but fun set. sweet redemption.

after that, we hung out with jon and ross from snowing, and heard how they mispronounce "tour". also had an invigorating chat about gilmore girls, which is an amazing show if you didn't already know. rory is a hottie! and kirk is now doing those kgb commercials! bill buckner!

in the morning, jon and his parents totally made us waffles! heck yeah!

then we set up for new jersey, but we had some time to kill, and it was jon's birthday so we decided to take a little detour to philly. i am not going to lie, philly cheese steaks were the motivation, and it was all worth it.

there was a basketball court right across the street and jon had brought along a ball, so he grabbed it, and we proved to all philly we had absolutely no game. fresh prince eat your heart out!

after that, we fulfilled jon's life-long dream of running up the steps of the philadelphia art museum ala rocky, and it was an epic moment for all of us. except for maybe cathy because she was far too lazy to run up the steps and follow him. tsk! tsk!

i'm going to go on a small tangent here to explain one of the reasons it was such an epic moment. jon, for whatever reason, is not a fan of sleeping bags. the man refuses to take one with him, and to everyone else, they are tour essentials. last time we brought and extra for him, and it never left the van. he is a anti-sleeping bag semite.

at any rate, in leau of a sleeping bag, jon instead dons a fantastic gray sweatsuit to sleep in. and he just lays on the floor and goes to sleep. i imagine in his dreams he is sweating to the oldies and jazzersizing like there is no tomorrow. richard simmons eat your heart out!

so what could more perfect for jon's ascension to rocky-like status than wearing this magnificent jumpsuit? complete with incredible rocky impressions and gray glory, jon pumped his way to the top. my heart almost stopped when he reached the top, and if i had seen the movie in the last ten years, i might have cried. ahmad did.

thinking of sylvester stallone reminds me of rambo as well, but more of the nintendo game than the movie. for those of you foolish enough not to know of the glory of this nintendo game, you should seriously reevaluate your lives. i am tempted to post nothing but screen shots of the action as opposed to actual video, but since it was jon's birthday, i will pass. still, it might be a good time to buy stock in nintendo, because after this blog post i am guessing stock will rise at least 10,000% solely from people purchasing this game.

then it was time to head back to the hot, hot, sauna-like van. let me take a minute to appreciate this glorious piece of machinery: there is no air-conditioning and all of the sudden this very mild summer has taken a turn for the worse and actually decided to grow some balls.
bad timing! to make matters far worse, the driver's side window is a total jerk and refuses to roll down, and all the windows in the back only open a crack, which does little to nothing to cool things down. all of this is a dreaded combination for august, and it is safe to say we have all sweat off like five pounds already.

while cathy and i took a nap on the way to jersey, ahmad and jon were stuck in a good ol' sunday night traffic jam. all of which meant we missed our good friends deer friends set, as well as sad zombie. we were totally bummed. all the kids at the show told us that it was probably beach traffic of people coming back to jersey, but i would rather believe it was a conspiracy designed to make us late for the show.

after we got there, we immediately did some surgery on cathy's cab, and got that bad-boy back in action and had a great time rocking out in a hot, hot basement. though it was debatable which was hotter: the basement or the van.

after the set, we hung out with jersey's finest people! erik, my friend, you are an amazing guy, and we had a good time talking music and maps. we will forever cherish the map you gave us, and as we speak the m and m's are melting to a glorious mess in our van.

next stop, maryland!

xoxo

keith <3<3<3<3<3<3

with a cartridge like that, you are already getting a boner. even if
you are a chick.

...and now you are spent!

i am in the van right now so i can't upload the video's, but they will
be up soon!

-Keith

From the Galm Household ..

2009-08-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight's show was RAD! We got to hang with the Algernon dudes, Paul and Marco from Great Friend of Mine, and Ross and John from Snowing. In fact, I'm writing this from the Galm household, where John's parents have generously allowed us to crash (on beds even!). So in the spirit of kindness, touring, and pop(not soda) a huge shout out to The Galms for being awesome human beings. This blog post is officially dedicated to them.

We still haven't managed to get pictures or video footage from our shows. We actually had a bit of a technical mishap tonight, so you may not have even wanted to see us in 10 minutes of "shiiiiiiiiiiit". But we still have goodies.

Here's us post late-night dinering with John and Ross:

And here's 19 year old John on the front of a local magazine, reping AUDIO RECORDING CLUB. There are pics floating online, but this is the original from the guest bedroom.

LOL.

Also, happy birthday to our Jon. He turns 24 today! We're taking him to a movie.

YEAH!

-Ahmad

I felt pretty good about it.

2009-08-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

So first off, thanks to Presea, Ossimer, and Orphans for playing with us last night. All the bands sounded ridunkulous. Also, thanks to Tony, Cassie, and Eli from Stay Young House for all your hospitality / vegan pasta / multitude of cats to play with. We are all very jealous of your humongous low-rent, no-noise-ordinance house, located in an only mildly scary neighborhood.

We are currently on our way to Bethlehem, PA's Secret Art Space to play with (OMG) Algernon Cadwallader, along with the Joint Chiefs of Math, We Were Skeletons, and Great Friend of Mine. We're pretty excited for this one- as in 'spend 10 extra minutes picking out your outfits' excited. Will Keith continue to stubbornly wear tight jeans in 90 degree weather, or will he finally break down and sport his more practical, yet less fashionable 1997 Umbro soccer shorts? Find out tonight at 7 p.m ET.

...I am now contractually obligated to embed this youtube video of us with Annabel outside a Toledo Big Boy on Thursday night:

-Jon

Going to Pittsburgh!

2009-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

YO. Finally we've gotten a chance to update this thing! The past couple nights have been pretty awesome. Wednesday we had our kickoff at the Montie House in East Lansing with Cheap Girls, The Give A Hoot, and our pals The Plurals. A good time was had! But we missed Tenement and The Used Kids, who were stuck in Columbus. Shout outs to Mac for loaning us his speakers and my buddy Nate Papi-Wark for helping us set up the show.

Last night we played in Toledo with Annabel, Husky Puppies, and Slingshot Dakota. For reasons we won't go into, the show ended up running super late and a couple sets were cut short. It was a slightly shady, but otherwise, awesome show featuring Slingshot's rad as hell Fugazi cover. We also met two lovely animals, Molly and Dodger. I'll put a picture of our late night Big Boy excursion when it's up.

Today we're driving to Pittsburgh and are armed with Vitamin Water and cream soda. See you all there!

Here are a couple videos to tide you over.

-Ahmad

Summer Tour '09...

2009-08-11T22:41:00.001-07:00

8.12 East Lansing, MI

8.13 Toledo, OH
8.14 Pittsburgh, PA
8.15 Bethlehem, PA

8.16 New Brunswick, NJ
8.17 Hagerstown, MD
8.18 Danbury, CT
8.19 Centerville, MA
8.20 East Meadow, NY
8.24 Lansing, MI

Let the fun begin!

-Ahmad