Yesterday, the California Public Interest Research Group joined a growing number of consumer watchdog groups and independent promoters in protest of the proposed merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
They created a nice template that anyone (living in California or elsewhere) can use to send a letter to Attorney General demanding this deal be stopped. Now it’s easier than ever to at least have your voice heard in this matter—simply go to http://www.calpirg.org/action/consumer/stop-ticketmaster-merger and fill out the template.
This merger will only lead to higher prices in an already ridiculously priced concert market, so have your voice heard, our 8 blog reading fans!
For the latest ticket merger news, check out:
http://www.ticketnews.com/ticketmaster_livenation_merger_news
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
How to Start the Decade
Well, it's 2010. And that means it's time to make all these resolutions and whatnot that you will keep for a week or two, but forget about shortly after. However, I make this resolution to the 8 of you that read this blog... there will be more posts about music this year, and less posts about buttons and hiking. Why? Because 2010 is going to be a great year for music (and the start of a great decade).
You might say "You're just saying that because you are hard at work on a CD that will be released this year". True. But that's not the only reason.
We're just 4 days into a new decade and our friends The Steelwells are kicking off a month long residency at the Silverlake Lounge. Each week the show is free, and showcases a pretty sweet lineup of bands both local to LA, and to the pretty damn kickin' OC scene. If you saw them play after us at the last Hotel Cafe show, you know you want to catch at least one of the residency nights. Details are on their page.
As if that's not enough-- next Tuesday Magnolia Memoir kicks off a residency at Molly Malone's. If you've had the pleasure of seeing them live, you know that you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll pretty much have your face melted off by jazzy pop goodness.
I would advise all 8 readers of this blog to check out a night of both these residencies, so you can tell friends you saw these bands back before they blew up, and then of course get all elitist and turn on them once they have great success, which is totally my plan.
Anyway, just one way to kick off 2010.
Kisses!
You might say "You're just saying that because you are hard at work on a CD that will be released this year". True. But that's not the only reason.
We're just 4 days into a new decade and our friends The Steelwells are kicking off a month long residency at the Silverlake Lounge. Each week the show is free, and showcases a pretty sweet lineup of bands both local to LA, and to the pretty damn kickin' OC scene. If you saw them play after us at the last Hotel Cafe show, you know you want to catch at least one of the residency nights. Details are on their page.
As if that's not enough-- next Tuesday Magnolia Memoir kicks off a residency at Molly Malone's. If you've had the pleasure of seeing them live, you know that you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll pretty much have your face melted off by jazzy pop goodness.
I would advise all 8 readers of this blog to check out a night of both these residencies, so you can tell friends you saw these bands back before they blew up, and then of course get all elitist and turn on them once they have great success, which is totally my plan.
Anyway, just one way to kick off 2010.
Kisses!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
A Fond Farewell to a Friend... (Hotel Cafe, 9/12/09)
I know this is about a month late, but I figured we should post the gigography from Jeff's last show with The Quiet. It was definitely a fun one... and a great note to go out on -- as perfectly captured by this video. Here's to all the great memories Jeff.
Set list:
Live Life Now
Change Your Heart
She Will Have Her Way
Company You Keep
Summers Gone
On The Sideline
Another Heartache
I Do
Just a Friend (Biz Markie Cover)
Friday, September 11, 2009
The "Why".
As we inch closer to the halfway mark on our kickstarter fundraiser project, I figured it might be the right time to address a question I know a number of our friends and family might be asking themselves which is "why keep doing this?".
Over two years ago, we released our first CD. Did it bring us fortune? No. Did it bring us thousands of fans? No. Did the major labels come calling? Yes. Did anything come from it? No. And yet here we are gearing up to do it all over again.
So why are we doing this?
After the last CD came out, we did have interest from various labels. Interest to the point we got pages of notes from some of the executives, and feedback from some others, that left us looking at our music in ways we hadn't really thought of before. While some of the stuff was shallow record industry stuff we scoffed at (always act single and don't mention girlfriends on stage), some of it hit a nail on the head that we didn't even know needed hitting... which was: it's about songs, songs, songs. We had a CD with a number of good songs on it, and a number of other songs with really good parts... but then we'd go off and do things that were interesting to us as musicians, and not really interesting to an audience member listening. We had a tendency to do things because we thought it would sound cool, not because the song needed it.
When we sat down to look at the songs we had recorded on that CD, we suddenly saw them in a new light... deconstructing and reconstructing the way we played them. The two most popular songs from the CD-- I Do, and Everything & Nothing, remained mostly unchanged. The other songs ended up with new bridges, new solos, and suddenly they fit comfortably along with I Do, and Everything and Nothing.
This then began to bleed over into the new material we were working on. Suddenly we were writing songs with the idea that everything needed to be there for a reason. The songs finally became about every part working together, playing off each other, as one piece, not 5 musicians playing parts.
And the funny thing that happened was... suddenly the band that was playing out in support of the CD... wasn't the band represented on the CD. And it was at that point we realized, we needed to record again.
And this brings us to the "why" question we mentioned about 500 words ago. Before even launching this kickstarter project, and thinking of going into the studio... we had to each go and individually think about why we were doing this, and what this meant to us. For some of us, it was easy. It came down to a quote from Van "the man" Morrison: "When you make music, not doing it is not an option.”
However, the nature of being in a band does take a toll on many other aspects of your life... it's like having a 2nd job with no paycheck really, so friendships suffer, relationships suffer, your free time suffers. For reasons such as this as well as others, we lost Jeff, a founding member of the band.
Personally, I knew that even if I wasn't in this band, I would be sitting at home writing songs, playing to an audience of my girlfriend, or my cat. The idea of not having music is something I couldn't deal with. Music has been an important part of my life since I was younger, and is something that is going to be a part of my life as long as I can still do it. And the fact I can get up on stage with friends, playing music that we've created, and the fact we can play that music for an audience that supports us, no matter how big or small it is... well that is reason enough to keep doing it. That's why.
Over two years ago, we released our first CD. Did it bring us fortune? No. Did it bring us thousands of fans? No. Did the major labels come calling? Yes. Did anything come from it? No. And yet here we are gearing up to do it all over again.
So why are we doing this?
After the last CD came out, we did have interest from various labels. Interest to the point we got pages of notes from some of the executives, and feedback from some others, that left us looking at our music in ways we hadn't really thought of before. While some of the stuff was shallow record industry stuff we scoffed at (always act single and don't mention girlfriends on stage), some of it hit a nail on the head that we didn't even know needed hitting... which was: it's about songs, songs, songs. We had a CD with a number of good songs on it, and a number of other songs with really good parts... but then we'd go off and do things that were interesting to us as musicians, and not really interesting to an audience member listening. We had a tendency to do things because we thought it would sound cool, not because the song needed it.
When we sat down to look at the songs we had recorded on that CD, we suddenly saw them in a new light... deconstructing and reconstructing the way we played them. The two most popular songs from the CD-- I Do, and Everything & Nothing, remained mostly unchanged. The other songs ended up with new bridges, new solos, and suddenly they fit comfortably along with I Do, and Everything and Nothing.
This then began to bleed over into the new material we were working on. Suddenly we were writing songs with the idea that everything needed to be there for a reason. The songs finally became about every part working together, playing off each other, as one piece, not 5 musicians playing parts.
And the funny thing that happened was... suddenly the band that was playing out in support of the CD... wasn't the band represented on the CD. And it was at that point we realized, we needed to record again.
And this brings us to the "why" question we mentioned about 500 words ago. Before even launching this kickstarter project, and thinking of going into the studio... we had to each go and individually think about why we were doing this, and what this meant to us. For some of us, it was easy. It came down to a quote from Van "the man" Morrison: "When you make music, not doing it is not an option.”
However, the nature of being in a band does take a toll on many other aspects of your life... it's like having a 2nd job with no paycheck really, so friendships suffer, relationships suffer, your free time suffers. For reasons such as this as well as others, we lost Jeff, a founding member of the band.
Personally, I knew that even if I wasn't in this band, I would be sitting at home writing songs, playing to an audience of my girlfriend, or my cat. The idea of not having music is something I couldn't deal with. Music has been an important part of my life since I was younger, and is something that is going to be a part of my life as long as I can still do it. And the fact I can get up on stage with friends, playing music that we've created, and the fact we can play that music for an audience that supports us, no matter how big or small it is... well that is reason enough to keep doing it. That's why.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA, 8/15/09
A loud and energetic audience fueled the latest Quiet stop at the Hotel Cafe. The second to last show before Jeff leaves the band saw us leaving the horn section and light up vest behind, but the rambunctious crowd more than made up for it. We rolled out the newer songs with style, and the audience ramped up Another Heartache to an 11 with our forced arena rock moment of shouting "HEY!" on the designated breaks. We got to feel like Green Day for a shining moment. September is just around the corner, with the big farewell to Jeff show, so we'll make sure it's one for the books.
set:
Caravan (Van Morrison)
Come November
Everything and Nothing
Let it Fall
The Company You Keep
One More Chance
On the Sideline
Another Heartache
Live Life Now
Oh Darling! (The Beatles)
set:
Caravan (Van Morrison)
Come November
Everything and Nothing
Let it Fall
The Company You Keep
One More Chance
On the Sideline
Another Heartache
Live Life Now
Oh Darling! (The Beatles)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Band News
Jeff Kaptain, founding member of the band Plan-R, which eventually became The Quiet, will be leaving the band next month. He's going to be with us for two more shows, so if you haven't rolled out for awhile, you should come on out and say goodbye with us this weekend. The details and a note from Jeff follow:
Jeff's First (of 2) Goodbye Show!
Hotel Cafe - 10PM (sharp)
1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
21+, $10 cover
And from Jeff:
Hello, Everyone.
I am writing to let you all know that I have made the incredibly difficult decision to leave The Quiet. I am sure many of you who have followed us through the years must know just how hard this decision was for me. However, in looking at my life right now in the broadest possible scope, I am confident that this is the best decision for me to make at this time.
For all of you who have supported the band and the music for the years of my life I have dedicated to it, you have my deepest gratitude for the love and support you have given. I will always consider myself part of The Quiet family, and I don't believe there are better people than the current group of guys to carry on what we all have put so much into.
My final two local shows with the band will be our August 15 and September 12 Hotel Cafe shows. Thank you again for all of your support...looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming shows.
-- Jeff
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Gigography - Lestat's, San Diego, 8-5-09
San Diego twice in one year? Christmas came early for The Quiet!
If that was the kind of thing you wanted for Christmas.
By leaving the full band at home, Brendan and Matt ensured that the 5 people in the crowd outnumbered the 2 band members on stage. The loud, appreciative, and small group was treated to a completely earth shattering acoustic debut of the first ever Quiet Wham! cover.
She Will Have Her Way
Torquemada
It Would Be Funny
Everything and Nothing
On the Sideline
Summers Gone
One More Chance
Another Heartache
Careless Whisper (Wham! cover, first time played)
If that was the kind of thing you wanted for Christmas.
By leaving the full band at home, Brendan and Matt ensured that the 5 people in the crowd outnumbered the 2 band members on stage. The loud, appreciative, and small group was treated to a completely earth shattering acoustic debut of the first ever Quiet Wham! cover.
She Will Have Her Way
Torquemada
It Would Be Funny
Everything and Nothing
On the Sideline
Summers Gone
One More Chance
Another Heartache
Careless Whisper (Wham! cover, first time played)
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Hotel Cafe, 7-17-09
We built this show up as if Jesus himself was going to return in the middle of it. Luckily, it was a good show, so no one formed any sort of disappointment/hate mob after the show. Two new songs, and a new cover, a horn section, a backup singer, all mixed in well to create another solid entry in our monthly visits to the Hotel Cafe.
Live Life Now
Torquemada
Stranglehold
I Do
One More Chance
Another Heartache (new, first time played)
On the Sideline
Let it Fall (new, first time played)
Change Your Heart
Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel, first time played)
Live Life Now
Torquemada
Stranglehold
I Do
One More Chance
Another Heartache (new, first time played)
On the Sideline
Let it Fall (new, first time played)
Change Your Heart
Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel, first time played)
The OC State Fair
Nothing beats rocking out sandwiched between beers of the world, funnel cakes, and a sand sculpture of Weird Al's head. Also, nothing beats following a senior citizen balloon hat contest, and self-censoring anything that remotely resembles a swear word in your songs because there's a family with their little daughter dancing to your music in the front row.
Our good friend Edgar documented the festivities, so we will have pictures and video uploaded soon.
Our good friend Edgar documented the festivities, so we will have pictures and video uploaded soon.
Monday, July 13, 2009
BUTTON BLOG!!! 2.0
In an attempt to have some measurable progress for the band... a Quiet button was placed in the visitors log case at the top of Mount Baden-Powell yesterday at approximately 12:30PM. Now the highest known elevation a Quiet button resides is 9,407 ft above sea level.
Brendan loves it when I post my "Robert Frost, Walden bullshit." ~Matt
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Mint, Los Angeles, CA 7-9-08
After years of playing out in LA, we played The Mint for the first time last night. We followed Kevin Hearn, multi-instrumentalist extroardinnaire for Barenaked Ladies. We were lame enough to actually cover a Barenaked Ladies song in honor of the evening-- but we think it went over a-ok. And Kevin's crowd was nice enough to stick around for our set, which isn't typical of an LA gig, so thanks to all those lovely people for giving us a listen.
The set:
Live Life Now
Change Your Heart
Stranglehold
Everything and Nothing
Break Your Heart (BNL cover)
One More Chance
The Company You Keep
On the Sideline
Torquemada
I Do
The set:
Live Life Now
Change Your Heart
Stranglehold
Everything and Nothing
Break Your Heart (BNL cover)
One More Chance
The Company You Keep
On the Sideline
Torquemada
I Do
Friday, July 3, 2009
Quiet Button Reaches New Heights
Yesterday, around 3:30PM, a Quiet button was placed in one of the "Visitor's Record" tins on the top of the Cucamonga Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains -- about an hour from Los Angeles. As far as I know it is the highest place where a Quiet button resides at 8,859 feet above sea level.
Not that anyone really cares. I just thought I would share... (that is the essence of blogs though, right?)
~Matt
Monday, June 29, 2009
Gigography - Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ 6-26-09
A drive out to the 100+ degree desert for our first out of state show. There was a lot of sweating. A big thanks to local AZ band The Great Migration for giving us a backline and saving us a trailer rental.
You Can Have it All
Torquemada
On the Sideline
The Company You Keep
One More Chance
Everything and Nothing
Change Your Heart
Caravan
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Setlist Renaissance Hotel, Hollywood, 6/25/09
We went out in style at the Renaissance. Thanks to everyone who came out and made it such a fun show!
Live Life Now
Nothing is Forever
Come November
It Would Be Funny
Summers Gone
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
Beauty in Sadness
Torquemada
I Do
Sir Duke
She Will Have Her Way
Change Your Heart
Stranglehold
Suit Yourself
The Rapture
Let it Out
I've Just Seen a Face
On the Sideline
One More Chance
Everything and Nothing
Caravan
encore:
The Company You Keep
I've Got A Woman
Live Life Now
Nothing is Forever
Come November
It Would Be Funny
Summers Gone
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
Beauty in Sadness
Torquemada
I Do
Sir Duke
She Will Have Her Way
Change Your Heart
Stranglehold
Suit Yourself
The Rapture
Let it Out
I've Just Seen a Face
On the Sideline
One More Chance
Everything and Nothing
Caravan
encore:
The Company You Keep
I've Got A Woman
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Gigography - Saint Rocke, Hermosa Beach, 6-21-09
Jeff, Matt, and Brendan rolled into Hermosa Beach to soft rock the crowd with some acoustic shenanigans.
Images of Jeff, Matt, and Brendan from the show and setlist below:
Matt rocked guitar: Jeff played upright bass (naked): Brendan on vox/piano:
She Was Like Yesterday
It Would Be Funny
Everything and Nothing
On the Sideline
Summers Gone
One More Chance
Please, Please, Please (The Smiths)
The Beauty in Sadness
Torquemada
I Do
Images of Jeff, Matt, and Brendan from the show and setlist below:
Matt rocked guitar: Jeff played upright bass (naked): Brendan on vox/piano:
She Was Like Yesterday
It Would Be Funny
Everything and Nothing
On the Sideline
Summers Gone
One More Chance
Please, Please, Please (The Smiths)
The Beauty in Sadness
Torquemada
I Do
Friday, June 19, 2009
Renaissance Residency Setlist, June 18th, 2009
Week two of our residency went off without a hitch, and on time, thanks to the Lakers victory that left Dana sobbing for days. A few shakeups in the setlist to keep things interesting.
Live Life Now
Come November
It Would Be Funny
Summers Gone
I've Just Seen A Face
Torquemada
Crowing (Toad the Wet Sprocket cover, first time played)
The Rapture
I Do
Stranglehold
Patience (Guns N Roses)
Too Late to Cry
Don't Let it Bring You Down (Neil Young, first time played)
She Was Like Yesterday
The Beauty in Sadness
She Will Have Her Way
Let it Out
On the Sideline
One More Chance
Everything and Nothing
Change Your Heart>So Lonely (The Police)> Change Your Heart
Live Life Now
Come November
It Would Be Funny
Summers Gone
I've Just Seen A Face
Torquemada
Crowing (Toad the Wet Sprocket cover, first time played)
The Rapture
I Do
Stranglehold
Patience (Guns N Roses)
Too Late to Cry
Don't Let it Bring You Down (Neil Young, first time played)
She Was Like Yesterday
The Beauty in Sadness
She Will Have Her Way
Let it Out
On the Sideline
One More Chance
Everything and Nothing
Change Your Heart>So Lonely (The Police)> Change Your Heart
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Overdue Gigographies
Ok, we've played a number of shows, and haven't reported on them. Obviously that has caused an uproar, and we can set it right now by saying, we played shows, and most of them were mostly awesome. Accurate setlists would be hard to come up with, especially since in two cases, we ended up switching all kinds of things around from what we had written out. But here's some highlights:
The Hotel Cafe, June 5th
We played The Beauty in Sadness for the first time in about a year. Then the Hotel Cafe apparently had to replace the roof, because we tore holes through it with a loud audience enhanced cover of Good Lovin' by The Rascals.
The Renaissance Hotel, June 11th
The first night of a 3 week residency kicked off in a rather late fashion, due to the Lakers going into overtime, and us not wanting to disturb the rabid fanbase gathered in the bar to watch. Once we were sure we weren't going to get our asses kicked for interrupting the game (and Dana was done crying over the Lakers winning), we launched into a 100 minute acoustic set full of songs we don't get the chance to play all that often, including fan (Vince) favorites Come November, as well as lesser played album tracks The Rapture, and Let it Out.
Malibu Winery, June 12th
Our first outdoor show in quite some time took some getting used to, but once we settled in we delivered a 110 minute set of full on The Quiet rocking. Our second full set in a row saw a few other rarely played fan favorites (Vince and Stacia) like Go it Alone, and thanks to an amp delay, the first She Was Like Yesterday since 2006. Key learning: if your fingers are cold and slightly numb, it's not easy to try pulling off Sir Duke.
Life on Wilshire, June 15th
Matt and Brendan showed up and played 3 songs acoustic-- Summers Gone, One More Chance, and On the Sideline. These aren't highlights, it's just what happened.
The Hotel Cafe, June 5th
We played The Beauty in Sadness for the first time in about a year. Then the Hotel Cafe apparently had to replace the roof, because we tore holes through it with a loud audience enhanced cover of Good Lovin' by The Rascals.
The Renaissance Hotel, June 11th
The first night of a 3 week residency kicked off in a rather late fashion, due to the Lakers going into overtime, and us not wanting to disturb the rabid fanbase gathered in the bar to watch. Once we were sure we weren't going to get our asses kicked for interrupting the game (and Dana was done crying over the Lakers winning), we launched into a 100 minute acoustic set full of songs we don't get the chance to play all that often, including fan (Vince) favorites Come November, as well as lesser played album tracks The Rapture, and Let it Out.
Malibu Winery, June 12th
Our first outdoor show in quite some time took some getting used to, but once we settled in we delivered a 110 minute set of full on The Quiet rocking. Our second full set in a row saw a few other rarely played fan favorites (Vince and Stacia) like Go it Alone, and thanks to an amp delay, the first She Was Like Yesterday since 2006. Key learning: if your fingers are cold and slightly numb, it's not easy to try pulling off Sir Duke.
Life on Wilshire, June 15th
Matt and Brendan showed up and played 3 songs acoustic-- Summers Gone, One More Chance, and On the Sideline. These aren't highlights, it's just what happened.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Old Friends
Over the years we've had the pleasure of playing with many a fine band. We've also played with some bands that aren't worth remembering, and some bands that are worth remembering for all the wrong reasons-- but this post isn't about those bands (though we should come up with one for later-- there was a band I remember calling "Death Wedding" in particular that I would love to track down as a where are they now kind of thing)-- this post is about a couple artists we played with over the years that have some music out that you should check out if you have the time or money.
Until June has released a follow up EP to their debut album from 2007. We've played with these guys more than any other band in the LA scene, and they are great guys, and deserve all the success they can get, so show them some love!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=314331214&s=143441
A few years ago we were booking one Wednesday night a month at the Derby in Los Feliz-- there was no cover, no typical industry BS, and we got to book bands WE wanted to hear play and not worry about getting people through the door and all that. Even though I don't know this for sure-- Until June showcased one of those nights, so I'd like to think that was the ngiht they got signed. Anyway, through those nights, we were introduced to Diane Birch, who I remember seeing and thinking "if this girl doesn't make it in music, there's no hope for any of us."
Well today, she is the free download single of the week on itunes, and her album is available for pre-order. From the clips on her myspace, this is going to be a damn fine album, so congrats to her, and check it out for yo' self, yo.
free single (this week only):
album pre-order:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPreorder?id=315660531&s=143441
Congrats to both these guys. Now it's time to look up the real name of that Death Wedding band.
Until June has released a follow up EP to their debut album from 2007. We've played with these guys more than any other band in the LA scene, and they are great guys, and deserve all the success they can get, so show them some love!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=314331214&s=143441
A few years ago we were booking one Wednesday night a month at the Derby in Los Feliz-- there was no cover, no typical industry BS, and we got to book bands WE wanted to hear play and not worry about getting people through the door and all that. Even though I don't know this for sure-- Until June showcased one of those nights, so I'd like to think that was the ngiht they got signed. Anyway, through those nights, we were introduced to Diane Birch, who I remember seeing and thinking "if this girl doesn't make it in music, there's no hope for any of us."
Well today, she is the free download single of the week on itunes, and her album is available for pre-order. From the clips on her myspace, this is going to be a damn fine album, so congrats to her, and check it out for yo' self, yo.
free single (this week only):
album pre-order:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPreorder?id=315660531&s=143441
Congrats to both these guys. Now it's time to look up the real name of that Death Wedding band.
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