End-of-Summer Recap

It’s been two months since we last updated you on Eureka happenings.  First of all, we regret to inform you of some unfortunate news: our guitarist, Dave Rogoza, has retired…to home ownership.  We did not anticipate this would change the dynamic of the band, until the other day, when Dave said that a guitar part for a new song must be even and dependable, much like a “TrafficMaster Benson Oak laminated wood plank.” I took umbrage to this, and argued that a sturdy guitar part wouldn’t complement my bass line, which was jumpy and unpredictable, similar to the late-night delivery times of India Tandoor.  An epic bachelorhood vs. domestication battle ensued.

We have played three gigs since our recording session: Frederick, Annapolis, and Baltimore.  Our Baltimore show featured a huge stage and an amazing view of the Middle Branch River.  It was truly a great show…for the ten people that were in attendance. Hey, it was 2 in the afternoon, there are only so many non-hungover friends you can convince to get in their cars and come watch us.

After the show, a thunderstorm swept in immediately. We lent our drums out to the next band, so we had to jump on stage and pack them up in record time.  Clarification:  Dan, Dave, and Justin jumped on stage and packed the drums.  I was sitting in the van eating barbeque chicken.  It was barbeque chicken made by Russians, which really confused me.  As a guy who knows Russians all too well from a couple of scandalous nights spent in Moscow, I never thought they could make good southern cooking, but hey, they do funk all right apparently.

In other performance news, we’ve been surprised at the positive support we have received at our two Annapolis shows. We were skeptical initially, because the city is not known for having an indie rock scene, so we into the gigs with tempered expectations.  Playing there, however, has opened up a new audience with different song preferences.  Two of our new tracks, Spaceman and Fastest, went over particularly well with this Annapolis crowd, and our performance of Fastest may actually be the first time there were multiple people non-ironically dancing during a Eureka Birds live show. Also, this crowd got into it when we jammed out some of our songs, like a generally underappreciated baroque indie pop (thanks, Baltimore City Paper!) version of 1972 Live Europe-era Grateful Dead.

 Also, to the frat guy at the Annapolis show who approached up to us and requested a Bill Withers song: mad props.

 Next week, I’ll have a preview of our upcoming recording trip, which will be October 4-8th.  Until then, I wish you good health and tongue tacos.