Happy Halloween! Been a few months since we've posted on here, but rest assured we haven't been just sitting around doing jack squat. First of all, we played a fun as hell show in September--a release party for our good friend Laura Lionello Popelka's book Panic Kit, and were joined by The Columbines and Begin By Gathering Supplies. The tireless awesome dudes of Caffeinated Recording have uploaded videos to youtube of that show. Our set can be found here. Laura's book is a wonderful read, and you may recognize our own Rich Fessler on the back cover, providing his glowing review.
And this is only 66% Mayor For Life-related, but this past Friday, Rich and I had a blast performing in two different one-off Halloween bands for the Columbines "Monkey Problems Exposition." After rollicking good time Halloween sets by The Columbines (performing Bitter Tears songs), Whales (performing covers of such songs as "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters), and Begin By Gathering Supplies (performing covers of such songs as "Godzilla" by BOC), I joined most of my old band Wind or Ghost (sans Emily) in performing a few Wipers covers, which was so goddamn much fun I think we're going to do it again some time. Then Rich joined the band Red Denizen on vocals, and they performed an entire Dag Nasty album. There should be videos of this up on youtube soon from our pals at Caffeinated. It would probably help if you got pretty drunk before watching them, to immerse yourself in the whole experience.
OK, now for the near future. First and foremost, our Sinking Feeling/Snowmobiling 7" is in the process of being pressed and sent to us right now! Once we have it in hand, I'll update the bandcamp page with purchasing details if you don't live nearby to Chicago and want to order via mail. It's going to be a limited edition of 300 copies, and will include high quality digital download, as well as screen printed artwork by Erin Page of Kill Hatsumomo Prints. We're pretty stoked that this thing is finally coming to fruition.
And to celebrate, we're playing a show on Saturday Nov 12th at Quenchers, with Marmora and Cmn ineed yr hlp, in a show we're dubbing "Reunion Rock Yards" due to the fact that we are the three remaining currently active bands that practiced at Union Rock Yards. Here's a link to a facebook event page. Marmora features our old drummer Uli behind the kit, and if you are reading this and don't know who our best buds Cmn ineed yr hlp are, I'd be pretty surprised, and you should be ashamed. The show's going to be great--we might even bust out a new song or two if we get them fully ready to go by then. So if you only see us once this year, this is probably the show to do it.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Show July 29th at Quenchers!
Friends! We are going to be playing another show with a couple of great bands we've already played with, and another band we haven't yet. Hope you can make it out!
Friday July 29th, 2011, 9PM
@ Quenchers (2401 N. Western, Chicago IL)
Slow Witch
$5, 21+
We're playing first, so get there early. Looking forward to this one. It's been a few months. Time flies when your bass player is jet setting to Europe for a month to tour with Bear Claw, your guitar player starts a new job, and your drummer's busy for a little while making a Sequoia record at Matt Talbot's studio. But we are coming back to rock you right in your faces yet again.
Oh and also, we're putting the finishing touches on that 7" and hope to have it pressed and ready to go pretty soon. Hooray!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Scott (of Bear Claw)'s Going Away Show - April 9th @ Quenchers
Hey all, just wanted to post about a very special episode of Blossom rock show we have coming up on Saturday April 9th @ Quenchers, with Bear Claw and Trophy Wives.
As most of our friends should already be aware of by now, Scott Picco, the drummer in Bear Claw, is leaving in a few weeks to live in Germany for a period of at least 18 months, due to a job-related offer to relocate and work there. We're all super excited for Scott because it will be a great opportunity for him, although we'll be bummed that it means Bear Claw will be on hiatus that long. As you know, our own Rich Fessler rocks nearly identical Ernie Ball Music Man bass guitars in both Mayor For Life and Bear Claw.
As for me, I've been going to their shows since pretty much the beginning, and I think I might hold either #1 or #2 on the list of "most Bear Claw shows attended by a non band member" if anyone had been keeping tabs on such a thing. For years, when seeing Bear Claw rock the hell out of tiny places, I've been the one guy that knows exactly where to nod his head to the nonstandard beat, and when not to clap yet and go "WOOOO!!" because the song isn't actually done yet. Hell, a few times I've been the one guy in attendance who isn't in one of the other bands playing that night, I'm sure--buzzed up, shouting "I WANTED YOU TO DIE!" along with Rich, wondering why the hell so few other people were around to enjoy it.
So it's been pretty great to see them put out three records and slowly build up a small yet devoted following and a fair amount of respect from their peers and even some of their heroes. All of a sudden in 2008 they're touring Europe. Then in 2009 I'm seeing them open up for Shellac at what I think was a sold out show (or if not, a nearly sold out show) at the Bottom Lounge, which is a decently sized venue--something they'd done at different venues quite a few times at that point. Now they're planning a second Europe tour in May of this year, while Scott is living over there.
And I'm definitely no longer the only one standing in the crowd, buzzed up, yelling "I WANTED YOU TO DIE," correctly nodding along to the odd time signatures, and not falling for the false endings. What's so endearing about that is that Bear Claw managed to carve out their little niche more or less out of spite, and because of a solid work ethic. They know that what they do isn't pop music--it's abrasive, there aren't any guitars, and these two pissed off guys keep shouting at you. They don't care. It's what they do, and they do it well. In person, they're three of the nicest guys I know. They're what I love about living in Chicago--it's at times loud and menacing, jarring you out of your sense of complacency, while being altogether interesting as all hell and friendly. I know not everyone wants to live here because it's balls cold almost half of the year, but that's fine with me, because I don't really mind the cold.
Here's the part where the cliche Nelson Algren quote comes in whenever anyone talks about Chicago: "Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real." I think it definitely fits Bear Claw's music too.
So of course I called in a favor to my friends to let their little brother band open up for Bear Claw once before they head off to Europe for a month, then go on an extended break. I'm pretty excited that they acquiesced and I get to once again share a stage with one of my favorite Chicago bands ever. Make sure you get there early, not only because you might miss us, but also because you might not get in. Quenchers is a small place, and it'll be full of all of the other people who aren't falling for the false endings any more.
-Todd
As most of our friends should already be aware of by now, Scott Picco, the drummer in Bear Claw, is leaving in a few weeks to live in Germany for a period of at least 18 months, due to a job-related offer to relocate and work there. We're all super excited for Scott because it will be a great opportunity for him, although we'll be bummed that it means Bear Claw will be on hiatus that long. As you know, our own Rich Fessler rocks nearly identical Ernie Ball Music Man bass guitars in both Mayor For Life and Bear Claw.
As for me, I've been going to their shows since pretty much the beginning, and I think I might hold either #1 or #2 on the list of "most Bear Claw shows attended by a non band member" if anyone had been keeping tabs on such a thing. For years, when seeing Bear Claw rock the hell out of tiny places, I've been the one guy that knows exactly where to nod his head to the nonstandard beat, and when not to clap yet and go "WOOOO!!" because the song isn't actually done yet. Hell, a few times I've been the one guy in attendance who isn't in one of the other bands playing that night, I'm sure--buzzed up, shouting "I WANTED YOU TO DIE!" along with Rich, wondering why the hell so few other people were around to enjoy it.
So it's been pretty great to see them put out three records and slowly build up a small yet devoted following and a fair amount of respect from their peers and even some of their heroes. All of a sudden in 2008 they're touring Europe. Then in 2009 I'm seeing them open up for Shellac at what I think was a sold out show (or if not, a nearly sold out show) at the Bottom Lounge, which is a decently sized venue--something they'd done at different venues quite a few times at that point. Now they're planning a second Europe tour in May of this year, while Scott is living over there.
And I'm definitely no longer the only one standing in the crowd, buzzed up, yelling "I WANTED YOU TO DIE," correctly nodding along to the odd time signatures, and not falling for the false endings. What's so endearing about that is that Bear Claw managed to carve out their little niche more or less out of spite, and because of a solid work ethic. They know that what they do isn't pop music--it's abrasive, there aren't any guitars, and these two pissed off guys keep shouting at you. They don't care. It's what they do, and they do it well. In person, they're three of the nicest guys I know. They're what I love about living in Chicago--it's at times loud and menacing, jarring you out of your sense of complacency, while being altogether interesting as all hell and friendly. I know not everyone wants to live here because it's balls cold almost half of the year, but that's fine with me, because I don't really mind the cold.
Here's the part where the cliche Nelson Algren quote comes in whenever anyone talks about Chicago: "Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real." I think it definitely fits Bear Claw's music too.
So of course I called in a favor to my friends to let their little brother band open up for Bear Claw once before they head off to Europe for a month, then go on an extended break. I'm pretty excited that they acquiesced and I get to once again share a stage with one of my favorite Chicago bands ever. Make sure you get there early, not only because you might miss us, but also because you might not get in. Quenchers is a small place, and it'll be full of all of the other people who aren't falling for the false endings any more.
-Todd
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Show: Sunday Jan 9th 2011 @ Darkroom
Hey everyone! I hope your holidays have been all that you dreamed they could be. Mine have been great. Working up a nice gut so that I can pretend like I'm going to work it off as a new years resolution.
Just a quick note that we're playing another show with our best buds Cmn ineed yr hlp from the same rehearsal space we use and the excellent Canyons Of Static from Milwaukee. I saw these two bands play together a few months ago and it was pretty, pretty, pretty good. You don't want to miss this one. Also, since we're all old and plan on going to work the next day, it's starting early and ending not that late.
Sunday 1/9/11, 7PM
@ Darkroom, 2210 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL
Mayor For Life
Canyons of Static
Cmn ineed yr hlp
$8, 21+
Hope to see a few of you there!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Show: Weds 11/24/2010 @ The Empty Bottle
Hey everybody! We've got another show coming up 11/24/2010 at the Empty Bottle. That's the night before Thanksgiving. Come on out and celebrate the fact that all you have to do the next day is not work and eat like crazy, maybe watch some football, deal with/enjoy your extended family, and nap a lot. Hope to see a crapload of you out!
Wednesday, November 24th
Chatty Cathy
Mayor For Life
Fleshbroker
Dj Dave Mata (spinning before/between/after bands)
9:30pm; $4 advance (buy tickets here), $8 at the door
21+
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Lots of stuff has happened and continues to happen! (by our standards, at least)
OK first of all, that show in September was tons of fun, as always. It appears as though Quenchers has taken over as our home venue after the demise of Union Rock Yards, and why not? That place rules. Thanks to all that came out and had a good time, and to the dudes in Nonagon and Maple Stave for helping us supply the rock. Also each of those bands had a poster made for the show, and they're totally sweet ass.
Then, we played the PRF Auktoberfest BBQ on Saturday at Klas in Cicero on October 16th. I could go on and on about the back story of this whole thing and why it's totally awesome, but it's just one of those things where if you don't know about it, you won't quite get it. It involves a message board for Steve Albini's studio, and a lot of like-minded people that know how to throw a party just for the sake of throwing a damn hell ass party. Not to mention, it's become your only chance to see the best live band karaoke in the world. (Do yourself a favor and visit that link to see our friend Kevin, aka the guy that made my prized possession, totally rock the shit out of "Under Pressure." Both the Bowie and Freddie Mercury parts!)
But specifically, the day that we played was at this amazing Bohemian restaurant in Cicero called Klas. This place was a sight to behold--it looked like it was carved out of one giant piece of wood. There were rooms all over the place, and of course many were rumored to have been used by Al Capone for all sorts of illicit purposes. The room to be used for the band performances was full of plaster, chandeliers, and recording equipment, and there was a view behind the stage through large windows out into the beer garden area, where attendees were smoking a goat supplied by our friend John of the Columbines. It was amazing how great this room sounded! Usually these sorts of places are a mess of echoes and walls shaking when you get loud bands playing in them. Perhaps it was because the windows behind the stage were angled out in Chicago Bay Window style, and because the walls had thick coats of plaster on them, or because Rich has become a damned magician with live sound, but it sounded nearly perfect.
The bands were all amazing, and many performed in costume. The Infrasonics were all dressed as airline pilots, and were served shots by a very Randy stewardess. We busted out the shirts that we purchased back in the All Limbs Intact days from Alcala Western Wear on Chicago Ave and added some sweet ass cowboy hats and fake mustaches (that lasted about a half a song for Rich and I, while Dan was able to keep it together for the whole set).
Not only were there performances from a few of our friends' bands, but we were treated to some reunions of note. First, a band I have recently become acquainted with, Zoom--they played their first show in 16 years! Then, a little bit later on, Five-Eight graced the stage. Closing the night out was the mighty Big'n, who, besides playing my friend Wayne's book release party in 2006, haven't been a band since somewhere around 1998. All bands were amazing. I'm pretty sure that both Zoom and Big'n are actually playing some more shows as a result of this thing.
As I mentioned, the room was full of recording equipment, both video and audio. Rich was toiling away all weekend doing live sound for every single band that participated--the man's a machine--but also, our friends Matt and Jim from the Infrasonics had set up cameras and microphones all over the place to document all performances. Many of them have started popping up on Jim's youtube channel, and he's working away at getting everything online soon. Shout-out to our bestest buds cmn ineed yr hlp for their ass-kicking set on Friday, by the way. Ours should be online sooner than later. We're also getting the multitrack recording from Matt and we're going to mix it and do something or other with it. Stay tuned!
And as if all of that isn't enough, we already have another sort of last minute show this weekend, the Columbines Halloween Gopher Rodeo, at Quenchers yet again. We'll be reliving the glory of the cowboy way with a short and blistering set of our original tunes (we didn't quite have enough time to put together a covers set, although I totally want to do the hell out of that some day) and some fresh fake mustaches. Friday 10/29/2010, 9pm. Be there!
Also we're working on setting up some other shows in the coming months (nothing confirmed but we'll post about them if/when they are), and have begun brainstorming about doing some damned serious recording already. For real, we are playing for keeps, we are recording this shit, and not taking no for an answer on that, so put it in your pipe and then smoke it.
Love and smoking goats,
Todd
 |
| Courtesy of Maple Stave |
 |
| Courtesy of Nonagon |
But specifically, the day that we played was at this amazing Bohemian restaurant in Cicero called Klas. This place was a sight to behold--it looked like it was carved out of one giant piece of wood. There were rooms all over the place, and of course many were rumored to have been used by Al Capone for all sorts of illicit purposes. The room to be used for the band performances was full of plaster, chandeliers, and recording equipment, and there was a view behind the stage through large windows out into the beer garden area, where attendees were smoking a goat supplied by our friend John of the Columbines. It was amazing how great this room sounded! Usually these sorts of places are a mess of echoes and walls shaking when you get loud bands playing in them. Perhaps it was because the windows behind the stage were angled out in Chicago Bay Window style, and because the walls had thick coats of plaster on them, or because Rich has become a damned magician with live sound, but it sounded nearly perfect.
The bands were all amazing, and many performed in costume. The Infrasonics were all dressed as airline pilots, and were served shots by a very Randy stewardess. We busted out the shirts that we purchased back in the All Limbs Intact days from Alcala Western Wear on Chicago Ave and added some sweet ass cowboy hats and fake mustaches (that lasted about a half a song for Rich and I, while Dan was able to keep it together for the whole set).
 |
| Cowboys For Life |
As I mentioned, the room was full of recording equipment, both video and audio. Rich was toiling away all weekend doing live sound for every single band that participated--the man's a machine--but also, our friends Matt and Jim from the Infrasonics had set up cameras and microphones all over the place to document all performances. Many of them have started popping up on Jim's youtube channel, and he's working away at getting everything online soon. Shout-out to our bestest buds cmn ineed yr hlp for their ass-kicking set on Friday, by the way. Ours should be online sooner than later. We're also getting the multitrack recording from Matt and we're going to mix it and do something or other with it. Stay tuned!
And as if all of that isn't enough, we already have another sort of last minute show this weekend, the Columbines Halloween Gopher Rodeo, at Quenchers yet again. We'll be reliving the glory of the cowboy way with a short and blistering set of our original tunes (we didn't quite have enough time to put together a covers set, although I totally want to do the hell out of that some day) and some fresh fake mustaches. Friday 10/29/2010, 9pm. Be there!
Also we're working on setting up some other shows in the coming months (nothing confirmed but we'll post about them if/when they are), and have begun brainstorming about doing some damned serious recording already. For real, we are playing for keeps, we are recording this shit, and not taking no for an answer on that, so put it in your pipe and then smoke it.
Love and smoking goats,
Todd
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Mayor For Life @ Quenchers on Sept. 25th
We'll be playing with our friends in Nonagon at Quenchers on the 25th of September. Also on the bill is Maple Stave from North Carolina. Fair warning, bring some earplugs! This is going to be a great show, I can't wait!!!
Rich
Rich
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