I know… it’s 2012. I apologize, but I sort of made a pact with myself that I would finish these moments up. I’m sure most of your holidays were as busy as mine, so you understand how this all goes. :)
First of all, greetings from Breckenridge, CO. We’re back out and at it, creating new moments and rocking the ski towns this week… but enough about the present, let’s relish in the past, shall we?
This little doozy of a moment will be hard pressed to NOT be my favorite of 2011, as far as Tonka things go. Apologies for the audio quality…
Outdoor festivals are some of my favorite events to play. There’s always an energy that you don’t get anywhere else. The people are there to see music and have a good time no matter the conditions. I remember when we played the main stage at the Sundance Film Festival in ‘08, it was snowing… and yes, we were outside. Outside in Park City, UT… in January. They set up heat lamps on stage to try and keep us warm while these huge gorgeous snowflakes wouldn’t stop for anything… but the crowd, they stuck around and had a blast.
ACL was pretty much the opposite. No rain in months, effing hot out and no sign of relief. The people though, they came ready to get down and it was one of the most amazing times I’ve had playing music for people. There was a point in the set where we did the a cappella tune, and for the first time nearly all summer, it started pouring rain. The crowd went absolutely insane, and we of course made use of the situation by claiming that we had brought the rain as a gift from the homeland of Missouri. Whether they fell for it or not, the whole set was truly a magical time, and one I won’t soon forget.
Oh, I also snuck backstage and met Win Butler of Arcade Fire.
There’s sort of two parts to this moment… one includes the year 2010, so sue me. :)
In December of last year we got a call from one of the producers of “No Reservations” saying they wanted us to be a guest on the episode they were filming in the Ozarks. I’ll be honest here, and I might get chastised for this later, but I didn’t really know much about Anthony Bourdain and the previously mentioned show. I’ve only had basic cable for a while, so his whole deal had slipped under my radar. My dad however flipped a lid when I told him what was up. “Oh, son… you’ve GOT to do this one!” We of course did.
Spending time with Tony was a very unique experience. He’s EXACTLY as he is on the show. Very intelligent. Very much his own person. To himself when he should be, and interactive when it’s appropriate. It was so much of a “real” experience that it seemed like we all sort of forgot their were cameras around… until they made us film the music section 3 times. Even with that our stint with Mr. Bourdain was really incredible. Everybody involved with his crew was as pro and down to earth as they come, so never once did anything feel forced. We just got to be who we were, and he just got to be him.
Fast forward a few months. We’re on the West Coast leg of the DoaD tour. Our manager Frank Hill and I stop in to grab a quick coffee at our favorite local shop, “Starbucks”, and he sees that he has an email from the producer. So, he opens it and finds the following video.
Again, it’s been MONTHS since we’d filmed the show, and I just knew we were somehow going to make ourselves look like fools… but when I saw this clip for the first time with Tony’s voice over atop our music (forgive me if you have to hear “Usual Suspects” too many times over the course of this series) … woah. Talk about a jaw dropper. What a feeling of satisfaction and relief it was to see that we DIDN’T look like fools. We actually looked and sounded pretty damn good! Needless to say, those 7 minutes or so we got on screen have done more for us than we ever thought they would. That full day of filming and that brief moment of seeing the footage for the first time was something special, and easily one of my VERY favorite moments of this past year.
Side note :: We have to attribute our being on the show to one Langhorne Slim, a former tour mate who was actually asked by the producer if he knew any bands from the Ozarks. He very kindly pitched us…
Side note pt 2 :: When the full episode aired, we all huddled in a bar in Portland, OR and begged the bartender to turn the TV for us. She did. We had beers, and basked in our “fame”. Nobody in the bar noticed that the people on TV were sitting at the table next to them. :)
This year held a lot of firsts for Ha Ha Tonka. Not only was it the first time we got to bring other bands out on the road with us, but it was also the first time we sold out multiple rooms on a tour. What a humbling feeling both of those things are. There is (of course) an immediate raise in expectation from all parties involved once those things happen, and that’s a very intimidating thing… but it’s also a sign that the tour package is there, and things are coming together the way they should. It’s nice to know when it’s on track, but it’s also something that should never be taken for granted. This business is a scary and fickle beast that should be treated with respect, cuz she can turn and bite your ass at any moment. :)
I’ve always had the most fun touring when we’re out with someone else, and for the “DoaD” tour we were able to take out two incredible bands; Hoots and Hellmouth on the West Coast and The Spring Standards on the East/Midwest run. We had never played with either act, but knew going in that they were going to give us a run for our money… and run they did. It’s such a great feeling to know you have to give a little more because your tour mates are going to be on their game every night, and such a healthy challenge, I think. Especially when you know at the end of the night everyone’s going to be hugging, high-fiving and enjoying each others company rather than bitching and picking each other apart behind their backs.
Quite possibly my favorite night of the tour was the St. Louis show. On our way back to the venue from an in store performance at a local record store, we heard a tornado had touched down not too far from where we were driving. Next thing we knew, the airport had been hit and a huge portion of one of the main terminals had all of the windows blown out. We got back to the show, and the place was packed. It turned out to be the 6th sold out show that run, and the energy was very different that night… it was like the storm, rather than keeping everybody away, had sort of brought us all together. The Spring Standards absolutely lit the place up, and the crowd was just lights out amazing. Needless to say, we had an absolute blast on stage during our set, and found out later that certain audience members had even lost their houses while they were at the show. I feel lucky that theirs even a tiny piece of footage from that evening floating around on the internet, because that’s a night that I won’t soon forget. My heart goes out to those that lost their homes or possessions during that storm, and I feel completely honored that we had some of those very people there kicking ass and drinking beers with us while it all hit the fan.
We walked away from that tour having made friends with what are now some of my favorite people, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity we had to share so many stages with both of those bands.
Now, I’ve been to Sun Studio’s before as a tourist. I did the whole deal. Bought the T-Shirt, took pictures in front of the old mic’s, blah blah blah. I never in a million years thought I would be able to record there.
Toward the beginning of the “Death of a Decade” tour we were asked to be featured on a PBS show that has bands come in and do sessions at the legendary space, using a lot of the same old school gear that tons of incredible and historic artists have made magic with. The kit that I’m playing in the video was actually brought in by U2 when they recorded a few songs from “Rattle and Hum”. It still sits there, open to anybody that comes in. I had the option to use my own drums, but there was no way I could refuse playing a piece of rock n’ roll history…
This day definitely turned out to be a very cool highlight to the year. The full episode is due to air sometime in early 2012.
I hope I say it enough. I’m SO lucky to do what I do. To travel the country and play in front of so many great people throughout the year, to get to make so many new friendships and work with so many amazing musicians… the company I keep seems to continue to get better and better, and that’s such a wonderful feeling.
Right now my body is reacting like it typically does during the holiday season. Tired. Not even close to being ready to hit the road again, and looking forward to what little time it has off. But, I’ve realized how easy it is to forget about all the cool things that I’ve gotten to be a part of over the course of 2011. It’s far and away been our most exciting year yet, and I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite moments from now until we ring in 2012. I won’t do this daily, but as often as I’m able. These are somewhat chronological, and are in no way meant to be seen as any sort of bragging rights. This is just as much to remind me how fortunate I am, as it is to share with you how happy it makes me to get to do these sorts of things. Not that I need to explain myself to you all, this is MY web space. :) I kid.
Our year basically started off at SXSW, prepping for the release of “Death of a Decade”. We did some 12 shows/promotional sessions over those few days, and they were all a blast… but there was something about this gig we did for Grooveshark. It was the first performance of the festival for us, and nothing more than a simple acoustic set up on a bus. The interviewers were really friendly and professional, and it happened to be the moment it clicked for me that we were finally promoting something new, and something that we all were all very proud of. There was certainly an energy to this session… an undertone that you may not sense through the video, but I think something that we were feeling as a group. It felt like a sort of pride in what we had accomplished, and a sense of excitement about what we had in store for the year. This may not have been THE highlight of 2011, but I remember it distinctly as one of my favorite moments of SXSW.
… and what a year it’s been! Sorry for my absence the past few weeks. I’ve been on the West Coast with the Tonk and sort of neglected my internet presence more so than the last tour. I’m currently in my office working on a few things and trying to get my home legs on for around a months worth of free time.
I wanted to say a HUGE thanks to all of you that have purchased my new album. I’ve been getting a lot of kind comments, and it’s very humbling. For those interested, I’m planning on doing a hand full of shows with these tunes. The first one will be in Kansas City at the Record Bar Dec. 28th. If you’re around, I’d love for you to come out. I’m thinking hard on a fun way to present the material in a more solo or duet manner. Should be a good time!
Okay, work to be done. Just wanted to touch base. More soon.
My new album “Lost/Accolades” is HERE! You can download it from this link. I’m doing a VERY limited run of 100 hard copies for now, and they’re moving quick… so get ‘em if you want ‘em. Thanks. :)
I’ve got an album coming out soon! Here’s a little bit about it.
There will be a limited amount of hard copies available for order at the Sharp County Records Bandcamp site. Order the hard copy on 11.15 and receive an immediate download of the album. The hard copy will then be delivered in mid December, just in time for Christmas!
I feel really lucky to have some very talented people involved in this little project, including members of The Spring Standards, Via Audio, The Carter Hulsey Band and of course some of my favorite people from the Sharp County Records family. I certainly hope you enjoy, and please feel free to spread the word however you can. Every little bit helps! I’ll be posting another free tune next week, so stay close!
