Gig Journal

Sunday, June 8th 2008

 

Gig Journal - The Lost Horizon June 6th

Hey everybody!!!!

Time for another entry in the gig journal. Friday we played at the Lost Horizon with the band Jack's Wasted Life and 27 Stitches. It was definitely the HOTTEST show we've ever played....

Now if you're someone other than central NY you may not know it but we had temperatures in the 90s on Friday. If you've ever been to the Lost you know that the temperature inside is typically 20 degrees hotter than whatever the temperature is outside. So it was about 120 degrees in the club. That's not an exaggeration, it was REALLY 120 degrees! While we waited for the show to start we had to keep going outside (into the 90+ degree heat) to cool off from being inside.

Eventually the show started and Jack's Wasted Life took the stage first. These guys are a really good and really fun band. They play more of a "college rock" style of original music. Really easy to dig with catchy melodies and interesting lyrics. These guys are worth catching if you're ever out in Albany or anywhere near the Capital region.

We took the stage for the middle slot and opened our set with a brand new original song called "The One". It's a heavier, riff-driven song that kinda feels like a car-chase scene from an action movie. It's something we've been working with on and off for a few weeks and it finally came together the last few practices leading up to the show. We followed up with a couple of tracks from the CD before tossing in another new sing called "Give me a Chance" which is more like a soulful rock-n-roll torch song... I know that sounds bizarre, but I can't explain it any other way. We hope to post some video of the two songs on our Myspace page, and link them on You Tube very soon. Keep an eye out for them.

27 Stitches took the stage after us and played a short set of heavy original music. These guys have been around for a while now and they are a great example of CNY's heavier edge scene. If you like METAL you'll like these guys.

By the end of the night we were either sweaty, tired, thirsty, or miserable... or some combination of those. But it was a great show and another great night at the Lost. Many more of those to come so keep checking the schedule for updates and the addition of our fall schedule which is coming together quickly. But first let's enjoy the summer - check our schedule and come on out to a show!

Next up were playing an OUTDOORS GIG on Saturday June 21st with Rocket Boys at the Grace O'Malley's / Hibernians summer concert. There will be food, beer, and live music from 1pm to 9pm. Then things move indoors at Grace O'Malley's for 4 more hours of live music to finish off the night. Our time slot isn't available yet, so just come out and spend the day! See ya there!!

Sunday, May 04, 2008

 

Gig Journal - May 3rd @ The Checkpoint

Howdy Rockfans! TC here with an update to the gig journal...

Last night we ventured across the lake to play at The Checkpoint in Cleveland. First off, this place has it all! In one building you can get groceries, gas (including diesel and kerosene), pizza & burgers, a fishing license, an oil change, all while stopping at the bar to listen to some local rockers as they rock the house. We did all of this and less last night at The Checkpoint (a.k.a. "The Cleveland Mini-mart").

You know you're going to be playing to a bunch of rowdy townies when you roll up on the place and you see a gas sign with most of the price numbers missing, and below that another sign that says "Milk $2.99 a gal / Live Music Tonight"

Yeah, it was a great time, and we even ran into a couple of dedicated Wishpool fans who made the trip out to Cleveland from a nearby town to come see us. Thanks Mandy and friends!

So last night we were part of a 3-band bill at The Checkpoint. The first band, S.O.S. (Sins of Society) was a darker heavier band that played some Slayer, Metallica, and other stuff that I didn't know but Dustin and Thom sure did. They rocked the house with a good mix of covers and a handful of original tunes. Good stuff!

Next up we played a set of mostly original tunes, closing with an extended version of Voodoo Child that seemed to last 20 minutes. The folks at the Checkpoint were definitely picking up what we were laying down, and there was a great energy, a great VIBE throughout the room. We love the in-your-face setup of the local roadside bars (and mini-marts) because with no stage-line the crowd can press right in and make the night that much more powerful.

After our set the Born Again Rebels took to the stage and rocked a good two hour set of their mix of heavy rock, metal, southern rock, and originals. The crowd reaction was amazing, they ate it up! This is the second of a three show stint that we're playing with the B.A.R. and it just keeps getting better and better!

Next up we're back to the Cato Hotel in Cato with the Born Again Rebels on Saturday May 17th. We love this place, it's another roadhouse on the BAR/Wishpool "Roadhouse Tour". We'll be debuting some new stuff for our Cato fans - like we always do. So get ready to rock out with us, Cato!!!!


Saturday, April 12, 2008

 

Gig Journal - April 11th @ The Lost Horizon

Howdy Rockers!! It's late afternoon as I write this, but hey... better late than later.

Last night we played at the re-opening of the "legendary" Lost Horizon. The same joint where bands such as Guns n Roses, Motley Crue, Ronnie James Dio, Trixter, Dokken, Muddy Waters, and many other great artists have graced the stage. Last night we were on the bill with local legends Brace & Caustic, as well as our good friends Crows Cage.

After a week of promotions by the bar, the bands, and the local music writers we were very satisfied with the coverage that this event was getting. It was awesome to see our name listed in several print and online articles. It's great to be involved in such a huge local event as this was.

Crows Cage started the night with a great mix of hard rocking originals that always impresses the hell out of the crowd. We have so much fun with these guys, and even at load-in time we were all immediately talking about when we were going to be able to play together again. If you haven't checked out Crows Cage then get crackin'. They're linked to our top friends.

We played the second slot of the all-star event. We played about 45 minutes, with a good selections of our originals. The crowd was absolutely digging it, which was great - we had a LOT of fun with this one. Be sure to check out the pics. Of course there was a great response, especially for Take My Hand and The Choice which seemed to be the crowd favorites. We ended up cutting our last original (supposed to be In Your Arms Tonight) so that we could close with a fun cover - and rocked out Baba O'Reilly to close out the set. OVERWHELMING response to that!! What fun, to have a few hundred hometown fans rockin' out and singing along to so many of our songs. We love our Syracuse fans, and even though we don't seem to play to the hometown crowd to often anymore with our running all over the state it was a great feeling to come "home" to the crowd at the Lost.

Brace and Caustic followed us. Brace features the hard driving guitar work of Mr. Darren Scott. That's right, you know him... guitarist from ex-Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna's band. Brace tears it up each and every show. It was great to see them re-open the Lost, they deserve it probably more than any other local original band. Caustic closed the night, with their hard and heavy original metal. These Syracuse rockers know how to whip the crowd into a frenzy and toss a little gasoline into the mosh-pit. They definitely brought the night to a memorable close!

All in all it was an honor to be a part of the re-opening of the "legendary" (or should it be the "infamous") Lost Horizon. Huge thanks to Joe Altier for giving us the opportunity to rock the opener - I really can't express our gratitude enough, brother. Also huge thanks to Chuckie Luv for cracking the whip back stage and keeping everyone on schedule. There's only ONE Chuckie Luv!

Next up, we'll see ya when we share the stage with our friends the Born Again Rebels at The Checkpoint in Cleveland. It should be another fun night!

Alright. So take care, drive safe, and be good to each other! -TC

Sunday, April 06, 2008

 

Gig Journal - April 5th @ Station 58

Good morning rocka-rollahs!! TC bringing you the news that matters... or something.

We’re back in Syracuse... and loving it! We played a return gig at one of our local clubs last night, Station 58 in North Syracuse, and had a great time. It was a triple bill, with local rock veterans SEPTOR headlining the night. These guys bring so much energy that you want to say, "HEY! Stop using up all of the ’AWESOME’ and leave some for the rest of us!!". It’s always a great time when we get to see these guys, and to share the stage with them was an absolute blast!

Starting off the night was a band we brought in with us from Buffalo NY, called Sixpin. Sixpin is a 3-piece original band that has a really unique sound and they flat out rock! Everyone was amazed at how tight their live show is, and they had the crowd screaming for more. We look forward to working with these guys in the future.

We played the middle slot of the night. We were dreading the moment that we took the stage knowing that we were playing between a brilliant band and a high-energy rock-show... but we just dialed it up to eleven and made it all work. We saw alot of our longtime fans and friends in the crowd and had a lot of requests for our newer originals such as ’Take My Hand" and "In Your Arms", and we had a good portion of the crowd singing along with our older stuff like ’Modern Day Hero’ and ’Bleeds’. Overall it was a great time and a great way to kickoff our hometown run.

Next up: We continue our Syracuse stay next Friday April 11th when we play at the legendary Lost Horizon! It’s the grand reopening show, and we’re on the bill with our good friends Crows Cage, Brace, and Caustic. Knowing how much has gone into this reopening it’s gonna be epic, so if you’re within a days drive we really hope you can make it out!!

Saturday, April 05, 2008

 

Gig Journal - April 4th @ Candy’s Roadhouse

Good afternoon rockfans!! TC here with the latest update for the gig journal.

Last night we brought the Wishpool show out to North Scriba where we played at a crazy little joint called Candy’s Roadhouse. Candy’s is a classic "side-of-the-road" country bar - with all of the atmosphere and charm you would expect in such a place. We got there early and met the owner and bartenders, played some pool, locked Dustin the the bathroom, and basically got to know the place and the people while setting up our gear.

We found a new bar-game. It was called "The Ring Game", and consists of a 3 inch diameter steel ring hanging from the ceiling (at about chest level, maybe 5 feet off the ground) by a piece of fishing line, and a large hook in the wall at about 6 foot from the floor. The object of the game is to get the ring on the hook through a combination of skills and pendulum motion. We tried to get a ringer for almost an hour and we came to the conclusion that either the game was absolutely impossible, or general physics just work a little differently the closer you get to Canada. It’s one or the other, we’re sure!

We took the stage at 10pm, and played a new mix of originals and covers. We’ve added a couple of originals to the set that many fans have not had a chance to hear yet. We also added a few covers that are "new to us" that seemed to go over real well. We had a lot of fun and agree that the new songs went over pretty well with our Scriba fans.

Speaking of Scriba fans, we saw MANY fans who came out to Candy’s after catching our shows at Cato Hotel and at Grace O’Malley’s. It’s awesome to see familiar faces at shows, especially when we’re playing a brand new venue. The response to "Take My Hand" and "In Your Arms" was overwhelming!! We totally encourage people to take a lesson from Scriba and feel free to sing along if you know the words!! :-) It makes our night when the crowd is singing along as loud as the PA. Please, lets have more of this!!

We wrapped up our set a little after 11:00, at which point the Born Again Rebels took over and rocked out with some Pantera, Metallica, and even a little Skynyrd. Good stuff!! We look forward to the future shows we’ve scheduled with them.

Next up - Tonight!! We’re at Station 58 with local rockers Septor and Sixpin (from Buffalo NY). Sixpin starts the night at 9:30 and we’ll be on from 10:30 to 11:30. Hope to see you there!!

Monday, March 24, 2008

 

Mar 21 Cato Hotel & Mar 22 Grace O’Malleys - Gig Journal

Morning Rockfans! It’s TC here with a Monday morning special - two gig reviews for the click of one! This past weekend we played the Cato Hotel on Friday and Grace O’Malley’s on Saturday. It was an amazing weekend, as we rocked northern CNY.

The Cato Hotel - always a great crowd and good people! Everyone was really rocking out, we LOVE playing Cato! Any band who isn’t playing this venue is really missing out. Every night is a party, with people rocking out right up front, and this time even joining us on stage to sing a little, dance a little, and having a great time! Something of an extra treat, the owner is mentioned putting our CD in the jukebox - that’s cool. Now we can provide the background music for all your good times at the Cato Hotel. Extra thanks to Caged for bringing us out. We can’t wait until we can get back there to rock Cato again and again!!

Grace O’Malleys - All we can say is WOW! A first for us at Grace O’Malley’s in Scriba, people who had never heard us before were singing along with the hooks in our originals by the end of the songs. That was very cool. We brought just 15 CDs with us and sold out before midnight. Great fans, we’ll be back asap to rock out with you again!! Huge thanks to The Rocket Boyz for letting us open for them, and to the owner for allowing a rare opening band! We really love these North Country fans and look forward to our next show out there.

Next weekend we’re taking some time off, then on April 4th you can find us at Candy’s Roadhouse in Oswego - and on April 5th we return to Syracuse to play Station 58 with local rockers Septor and Sixpin from Buffalo.

A little side note - We’re working on some new originals that we should be able to debut within the next few weeks. I’ll try to drop the hint in one of these posts if I know in advance when they’re going to make it onto our set list. I know, you’re just quivering with anticipation!!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

 

March 8th in Cato, NY - Gig Journal

Morning rock-fans! It's TC with another update for the gig journal...

There's something about Wishpool and blizzards. I can't really prove it, but I'm almost convinced that nature hates us - haha! We went out to Cato for a show last night at the Cato Hotel with the amazing local rock cover-band Reloaded.

For starters, we weren't even out of Syracuse yet and lightning struck so close to the van that the hair on my arms stood straight out for a few minutes. Not from fear - from actual static charge!! Crazy!! After some time (driving 20 mph) we made it to Cato, and stopped for gas and some water... and the power at the store went out! At this point we're thinking, okay - no power means no show but as soon as that thought was verbalized between Andy and I the power went back on, and other than a few disgruntled Megaball customers no one was worse for wear.

So we continue on down the road until we get to our venue, the Cato Hotel. Interesting side note, the Cato Hotel is not a working hotel. It's more of a "roadhouse", if you ever saw that movie you know EXACTLY what I mean. I was watching for Swayze to come outta nowhere and start kicking my ass for no reason! And STUPID me, I thought it was a great idea to wear a dollar-store felt cowboy hat, flannel shirt and aviator sunglasses... you know, to fit in! Lucky for us the good folks of Cato really do dress like that, so no one noticed when us city-boys came in.

Once we loaded in and set up we started our set, and the room immediately filled up. Blizzard or not, these people LOVE to party!!! Apparently they also enjoy Wishpool's brand of original modern rock because they were right up front rocking out with us right through the originals, and loving the few covers that we threw in. Thom and Dustin absolutely shredded, as usual. Tony, playing on a scaled down kit (just the right size for the scaled down drum riser) beat the drums like a madman, and Andy's voice (especially on The Choice) was dead nuts all night! I really love rockin' out with these guys, and I highly recommend coming out to a show - seriously!! haha!

By the end of the night we had sold about a dozen CDs and autographed half of them for our new fans. It's was such a great, supportive crowd! We can't wait until we get the chance to play there again! Special thanks to the band Reloaded for letting us rock the night with them - it was a great time! Also to Tommy, the owner of the Cato Hotel, for having us there.

The drive back was almost as scary as the ride in, but we made it back alive to rock another day! That day will be Saturday March 22nd at Grace O'Mally's in Scriba, NY. It's on 51 A just east of Oswego for those of you who know that area, just take rte 104 east out of Oswego about 5 or 6 miles until you get to 51a. Grace O'Mally's is just a mile or so down the road. Hopefully this time we'll avoid another weather catastrophe!!! ---See ya there

Saturday, March 01, 2008

  Hey everyone!
TC here to update all of our fans, both local and not so local, on what's going on in the world of Wishpool. We had our CD Release Party last night at Station 58 here in Syracuse, NY. And it wouldn't be a hometown show (gotta love February) without a blizzard and whiteout conditions making the night even more memorable!

We had a great time sharing the night with our good friends, southern rockers Whiskey Mae. For those of you not from "Central NY" (CNY) imagine taking the most talented and experienced individual musicians in your local music scene and putting them together in one band. That's Whiskey Mae, and every night with them is a party!

Our set was kinda bold considering that this town has no patience for original bands anymore... we played the entire CD (except for "Without" - too tough to transition to an acoustic song in mid-set). Then we peppered in a few classic rock favorites like Baba O'Reilly, Working Man, Mississippi Queen, Cat Scratch Fever, Come Together, you know, the stuff that everyone digs. The highlight of the night (for me anyways) was Thom's extended solo in Working Man that came outta nowhere and brought the house down. Thom may seem like your typical "john-deere-north-country-racoon-huntin-four-wheelin'-country-boy"... and that's because he is... but man he play some sick guitar when he gets down to it! We should have some video up soon, I'm sure Tony and Andy are already working on it.

We want to thank everyone who came out to support us and especially those who bought a CD - you're all awesome and we hope you had a great time! Also special thanks to Mike, Joe, Conan, and Joe for sharing the night with us, you can check em out at www.whiskeymae.com. Thank you Paul and Elise at Station 58, and of course Billy and Badger for awesome sound and lights.

For our out-of-town (and outside the US) fans - and those of you who missed the show last night, you can buy our CD directly through us (email us here or at wishpool@wishpoolband.com) or you can go to our official website www.wishpoolband.com and order it online through the "CDBaby" link.

One more thing, we're at Cato Hotel in Cato NY next weekend, on Saturday March 8th, with local modern rockers "Reloaded". This new venue for us, and we know it will be a great time. So if you're out near Cato next weekend (Where the heck is Cato??) stop by for some Wishpool.

Alright that's enough for now... I need a nap.

Later peeps,
TC

Monday, February 11, 2008

  Hey everybody!!

TC here, just want to post a review of our last show and an update on what's up with us.

First the show... Saturday we played Moniraes in P-Ville opening for our good friends Dead Rose. It was a great time, with a couple of random happenings that left us with a great story and memory of the night. For instance, most of you know that Saturday was supposed to be the release party for our new CD "Resurrected". Well on Wednesday we still hadn't received our shipment of CDs, so Andy called the company that is pressing the CD copies and found out that the CDs were backed up and that we wouldn't get them until closer to the Feb 20th. Great, a CD release party without CDs!! No big deal though, we've had more than one or two delays on this CD since we originally went into the studio back in spring 2006. So we took it in stride and still had a GREAT time playing Moniraes, and the official CD release will be changed to Feb 29th at Station 58 in North Syracuse.

We debuted a bunch of new songs, playing 9 of the 12 tracks that are on the new CD... a couple from the 2005 EP, and a half dozen or so covers including Mountain's 'Mississippi Queen', The Who's 'Baba O'Reilly', and Rush's 'Working Man'. The crowd seemed to dig it, and there was a good crowd considering that prior to our going on stage there was the local "Rock Paper Scissors Championships" from 8:00 to 10:00 at the bar. We went on a little early to entertain the RPS crowd, and they stuck around much later than expected to rock out with us. Check out the pics from the show that our beautiful photographess Trista took at our pics page when you're done reading this.

So what's up with Wishpool... We've been promoting the new tunes and playing here and there (Mac's, Station 58, Moniraes, etc) We have a few gigs that'll take us out of CNY over the next couple of months including a show at Toucan's in Oswego and one at Spenders in Rochester. So if you're looking for a reason for a road-trip check out the schedule and pick a show. If you're gonna make the trek out to Oswego or Rochester shoot us a myspace email and we'll hook you up with some Wishpool Street-Team creds.

We hope to have some new Wishpool gear and other merc for sale at upcoming shows after we've dealt with the upcoming CD release... it's gonna happen this time! You can hear more of these tracks on our Reverb Nation page - www.reverbnation.com/wishpool - that's right, hear it before you can buy it!!

If you want to contact us please drop us a line here on myspace.
See y'all real soon!!

Peace,
Wishpool