Guess What?!

The Feelies are going into the studio this Saturday and Sunday to start recording their new album!
I will be there probably Saturday night and maybe Sunday too to take pictures and hang out.

And here's an old picture of the Feelies playing the Peanut Gallery in Haledon!

This Past Week...

I put my first listing up on my new etsy shop for vintage clothing that I started with two of my friends, my boyfriend turned 21, aaaaand the Feelies played at Maxwell's all weekend.

Hah, anyways, I didn't go to the first show because my boyfriend's roommate also turned 21 and had a huge party.

The next day, I had to go into work early, and then pick up my friend Melissa and take the train over to Hoboken. We watched the soundcheck, and Melissa, who as an avid metalhead, may not have liked the Feelies, but she did!

We ate dinner, and then went and sat on the ground by the Hudson River in beautiful weather with my family. Around 9:30, the show started.

Yes, there were two (I think?) new songs that will be on the new album. I know there were five total, including covers I hadn't seen them play before. They were, as I have described before, very much in the same vein as the new songs that have already been played live. And it was really great to hear them completed after hearing the very minimal demos. It was a fun show and there wound up being three encores. Also, there was this Australian guy, who was actually named Guy, who started talking to me and one of my cousins. He said he was on a business trip in New York and got a call from a friend in Australia telling him about the show on Saturday, and he stayed in America a bit longer to see the Feelies. Then he mentioned that they should play in Australia, and I said that almost all of them have day jobs, and so the band can't tour all that much. But he seemed nice.

The 4th of July was REALLY insane though. My cousin, Michael, picked me up to take the train to Penn Station at noon in order to shoot a video for Speed the Plough. We met up with his parents and Marc, Dan and Ian at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Why? Cause there was this exhibit of pianos scattered around the city that anyone could play and it was ending on the 4th and my uncle wanted to play it while everyone else played acoustic instruments. Plus, it's pretty at the cathedral. If you want you can see one of the videos here.

Other than it being 95 FREAKIN' DEGREES, it was a nice time. After the shoot, Michael and I caught a PATH to Hoboken and met up with my brother and my friend Tubbs. We headed back to Maxwell's for the soundcheck and my boyfriend met us shortly after.

The street fair on Frank Sinatra drive, I must admit, was pretty lame. It was a little too controlled, and there weren't that many stalls when I went there around 7ish.

The show, again, was great. There weren't as many people as the night before though, but it seemed that the more dedicated fans came out for this show, so there was no shortage of enthusiasm. There wound up being four encores.

So as for the future of the Feelies, if you didn't see them this past weekend, you may be out of luck for a while. They will be focusing on recording their new album (which my dad still says will be called Stanley), but at least that's something to look forward to!

Also, sorry, I don't have pictures of the shows this year. I did take a few, but on an analog camera, so if they come out well, I'll scan them and post them.

What I Have to Say About the Demo Tracks...

So my dad played some demo tracks for my family and me with only guitar and drums. There were about 5 tracks that I had not heard before, and they, not surprisingly, sounded good. They are definitely in the same vein as the new songs that have been played live (listed in a previous post). The classic jangle is still there, but I think the guitar lines are maybe a teensy bit more complex than previous albums. The new demos seemed to be a logical progression, a bit different, but not so much that fans of the old stuff won't like it.

I am really exited for the Fourth of July Feelies shows this year. It's just an exciting time of year and I love Hoboken in the summer. I love how it's a sort-of tradition and how the Forucha's become something a lot bigger for my family than just a small barbeque and going to see fireworks. And when the new album is released eventually, it'll be even better.

I have some more news as well. Speed the Plough will be playing at The Living Room in New York City on June 26th at 10:00 PM and the performance will be recorded for the show "From The Living Room to The Loft” on XM radio. They will also be playing at The Cake Shop (which is actually just a few steps from The Living Room) on July 23rd. I may be taping one/both of these shows. So check these shows out too!

New Feelies Album Update

So told me that the Feelies went into pre-production for their new album today!

And I'd like to call attention to the cooking blog I started with my boyfriend. It's called Poor College Kids Cooking and it can be found here: http://poorcollegekidscooking.blogspot.com/

All of our recipes are vegetarian and awesome! :D

Speed the Plough Show and New Album

Speed the Plough released a new album called Swerve and it's pretty great. My dad even plays some percussion on it.
It's available on the iTunes store and CD Baby and I think a few other places in the internets. Check it out!



Also, as I said before, Speed the Plough is also playing a show at Maxwell's on May 26th and Brenda's band, Wild Carnation, will be there too. So come see my Uncle John, my Aunt Toni, my cousin Michael, and our friends Marc, Dan, and Ian Francia play!

New Feelies Album and Other Fun Stuff!

So if you guys haven't heard yet, the Feelies are definitely recording a new album. My dad says they have 6 or so songs, not all of which have been rehearsed enough to play live. He also said the album will be called "Stanley" or "Stanley is the Greatest Drummer in the World" (and yes, he was joking). Anyways, the Feelies are talking about starting to rehearse for the new album this June sometime.

I did go to the show in Connecticut in March and it was a lot of fun, and I'm quite jealous of those who got to go to the show in Philly yesterday. The will also be playing on July 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at Maxwell's.

Anyway so the new songs that the Feelies have played live will be on the album, such as "Time is Right," "Bluer Skies," and my favorite, "Nobody Knows."

Also, please come out to see my aunt and uncle Toni and John Baumgartner, cousin Michael Baumgartner, and our family friends Marc, Dan, and Ian Francia play in a new incarnation of Speed the Plough at Maxwell's on May 26th I believe. Check the Maxwell's website in the future to be sure as the show is not listed there yet. It'll be fun!

So here's the Speed the Plough Website:
http://www.speedtheplough.com/

And some links to 2 of the new Feelies songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zghaziQzhw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7pHGeQnA_A

My mom will also be updating www.stanleydemeski.com relatively soon, so check that for updates too!

Superyes!

My dad said this was taken at a rest stop at around 4 in the morning coming back from Boston. Andy Peters, the Feelies' sound man took it.

Feelies Promo Videos!

Today, I happened to be at home for the night. So my dad had this idea: I was to tape him practicing rudiments, "The Last Roundup", and "Tiger Lily" (a Luna song) in order to promote the Feelies' upcoming tour dates.

So here are the videos:

Overload

So about the last 3-4 posts, I had to write a blog in Russian for my Russian I class at the end of last semester.

Anyways, I started the new semester, and I'm taking Photography, American Poetry to 1940, Pursuits of English, Intro to Film, and Russian II.
So far, Photography is stressful, but rewarding, American Poetry is nice and relaxing, Russian's eh... I may not take it again, Intro to Film's pretty cool, and pursuits is the boring requirement for all English majors, but my professor's nice.

I'm so busy that it's been really hard to keep up with my friends, and I enjoy my down time so much more. Which was why the snow day we had today was so awesome.

So I've also found a religion. It's a form of paganism in which the female aspect is focused on. Goddess worship, basically. It's really loving and accepting and, unlike some of the world's most popular religions, which makes you feel like you're a sinful piece of shit, it supports self-love. Also, Goddess worship is extremely old, much older than Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Anyway our "services" are just little rituals twice a month (unless there's a holiday). Then we eat and chill and have fun. It just... feels right. :]

These next few months are going to be packed though: Valentine's Day, possibly seeing Vetiver, Wicked Faire, countless photography projects including going to the city, friends' birthdays, Easter at my boyfriend's grandparent's, my cousin's bridal shower and then wedding in which I'm a bridesmaid, possibly the Steampunk World's Fair, trips with my Goddess sisters, etc.

I've been thinking about posting a few recipes here because, at least among my family and friends, my peanut noodles and hummus are known for being the best around.

As for the Feelies, here are some tour dates for the spring!
March 19th: The Middle East - Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 20th: Daniel Street Club - Milford, Connecticut
April 17th: World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Also, I'm sure the usual shows at Maxwell's the start of summer will also take place.