The Spring Tour is coming quickly and we’re bustling about to prepare for departure. New pins are being made, the website is being revamped and even a new shirt design will be featured at our first show at the Strutt in Kalamazoo. In addition, we’re trying a new vehicle for selling music in the form of download cards, available for the “Leaving Town” single. The focus of this tour, rather than the Field Recordings Project from the previous, seems to be Valentiger promotion and general camaraderie with the cities. We’re setting a minimum of hands to shake (literally) for each of us, with respective free singles to distribute. Therefore, if you come find us in your city, we’ll give you free music. But at any rate, SPREAD THE WORD FOR US IN THESE CITIES! It’s almost hard NOT TO, with the Facebook and what-not.

5/12 – The Strutt – Kalamazoo, MI
5/13 – The Crofoot – Pontiac, MI
5/14 – Boulder Coffee Company – Rochester, NY
5/15 – Arts at the Armory – Somerville, MA
5/16 – Union Pool – Brooklyn, NY
5/17 – The Court Tavern – New Brunswick, NJ
5/19 – Tealove – Baltimore, MD
5/20 – The Red and the Black – Washington D.C.
5/22 – Annabell’s – Akron, OH
5/29 – Uncommon Ground – Chicago, IL

In personal news, Kehoe has finished up his undergraduate studies at Grand Valley State University this week. Come on out to a show and welcome him into adulthood by buying him a “man shot” such as straight whiskey. In additional, more boring news, I’m currently growing a lawn and Rider is able to do 100 consecutive push ups. He frequently does this during the breakdown of “In Your Head.”

The continual progress of the record steams forward with a dusting and test run of the new recording equipment, including and eight-track to half-inch tape and recently modded Oktava 319’s. We’re all excited to get new material out there and it’s more frequently popping up at live shows. Because it’s so damned nice outside today, I think I’ll post a very live a Capella take of “Strangely Arranged” from the Cottage Demos in February. Kehoe is just now editing the video footage from the debacle and hopes to have it posted soon.

“STRANGELY ARRANGED” COTTAGE DEMO 2.10

Friday was mostly dedicated to the intense set up of moving furniture and connecting recording equipment. Even if these songs come out in a mess of pieces, they will definitely be the band’s best sounding demos to date. Perhaps you’ll hear them in some future box set (pffft…). Despite a slew of computer problems, we got things up and running in good time. Time enough even to record a few drafts that night before dipping into booze. But we are also smart enough to realize one of these nights is going to REQUIRE a good time to get through the weekend alive. So, Friday was “fun night,” consisting of light writing and recording, pizza and the endurance test of crossing the frozen lake somewhere near 1AM. This was one of seven “team building exercises” (most of which were made up on the spot) which also included making breakfast strata and tacos.

Saturday morning found us burning our mouths on strata. Kehoe was gracious enough to get up and shove them in the oven, referring to some rickety instructions I had written out before we finally went to bed somewhere after 5AM. Following the feast and dishes, we played back some of the recorded material from Friday night and found a song called “Sun Shines Through” to be the best. However, this was not what we thought was best last night. It’s always interesting how a little bit of time can change one’s mind. But what we were really impressed with was a session where we all sang around one microphone to my guitar while Rider kept rhythm on tambourine. These takes of “Strangely Arranged,” “Into the Sun” and the tentatively titled “I Hope You” could be the best and most interesting gems mined from the weekend.

For most of the day we were in a very stripped down, acoustic set up simply straightening out the details of the various demos we had been listening to. An oddly appealing track, “Oh, to Know,” was giving us the most trouble, given it’s sheer complexity. And from there on out, it was a matter of remember what happened in any number of these 20+ songs. Before I knew it, the guys were telling me it was 10PM and we knew it was time to give all the numbers a final run before calling it a night. We then celebrated with a few beers while struggling to keep the fireplace lit – a task that had plagued us since Friday afternoon. We were realizing this particular cottage session was different than any before. It had always previously been about making great recordings of songs we already knew fairly well. If we happened to write something in the midst of this activity, it was a bonus. However, now that we’ve built a personal studio, this weekend had almost the opposite intent. We wanted to make passable recordings of songs we really didn’t know yet. Around midnight or so, Kehoe turned in while Rider and I stuck it out through more therapy over a few more beers.

It was now “no holds barred Sunday.” Throughout the weekend we had officially worked on and gotten through 16 songs – and we were dead-set on getting them all to tape. After isolating the amps in separate rooms and sound checking all inputs, we began the debacle. There were no second takes and we still barely got through all the songs before 5PM. Kehoe’s tubes were burning out, Rider’s brain was malfunctioning and my voice was wearing thin. Not to mention, this place now smelled like three days’ worth of dudes, beer and trash. We were proud of all it. And even after hearing these songs countless times all weekend, we listened to the final takes while cleaning up an impressive mess of cords, dishes, blankets and boxes.

We accomplished a lot for a Sunday, and even did it before twilight hit. We finished loading the van and trekked out onto the frozen lake one more time before the sun sank beneath it. It was a peaceful and sunny way to end a weekend of laborious events.

Kehoe took video throughout the majority of the sessions and hopes to have an edited product soon, featuring a few clips from the demoed material. I wouldn’t be surprised to find one of the late-night a Capella sessions posted on this website either. Stay tuned as to the progress of new songs and the record. Look and listen for any of these tentatively titled songs from the sessions at upcoming shows:

Oh, to Know
All I
Strangely Arranged
Sun Shines Through
If It Was On Film/Here It Comes
Into The Sun
Oh My God this Weekend
Hard Earned Gold
You’ve Been Hungry
Another Cool Move
Goodday Goodnight
I Hope You
Parts
Love To Forgive
Days Are Not Wasted
Why I’m Not Great

This sense of returning to form has Valentiger back in full stride after the holidays.  New songs, new videos and new tours are all in the works for 2010.

Rider is hard at work, booking another tour set to launch in May.  The band is looking to combine Midwest dates with a few select cities on the east coast.  Washington D.C. is slated to be the newest “unmade” stop under the Valentiger belt.  Dates will be posted as booked – keep an eye on yer Faces, Spaces and Tweets.

Kehoe has recently purchased a fine HD camera for all new additions to the Field Recordings Project.  Due to popular demand, we’ve decided to keep the videos coming with installments consisting of new spins on vintage “Happy Hour” songs and eventually including new ditties as well.  Again, watch yer Social Studies…er…Networking sites.

Myself, I am in the process of sorting through scraps from Power Lines To Electric Times, as well as organizing newer demos for submission to the other two characters in this team.  I feel like there are a lot of solid songs that have seen set list time – perhaps you  might recall a “Days Wasted,” “Strangely Arranged” or the aptly titled “New One.”  And just last night the three of us worked on these songs, preparing for newer live and record material.  There’s a lot of music waiting to be filled with words, jumping from tape to digital format and begging to break dormancy.  We’ve fought off a good number of ninjas from the roof of the studio who wish to leak this stuff.  At any rate, they’ll never find us at the Valentiger retreat up on Hess Lake in Newaygo (er), where we’ll spend a weekend trying to polish a bit of this raw material.

So, there you have it – all we have to offer for the moment.  Until further notice and/or entertainment, enjoy this live cut of “Never Ready” from the studios of 88.1, The Escape.

Goodbyes in the Wind – 6th Street Bridge, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Bonus Video: The first field recording of the tour features Valentiger in their hometown, busking for runners, bikers, walkers, and the like.

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Lament – Amtrak Station, Kalamazoo, Michigan

About Lament: After deciding against scaling the roof of the now-closed Kraftbrau, Valentiger crossed the street into a field divided by railroad tracks. The process was kept as simple as the song itself, as it was the first recording of the tour. Kehoe filmed as Shirey and Rider streamed a tender performance from the active tracks. From here, the boys would only top themselves daily, but the over-sized Midwest scenery seems perfectly fitting for the laziness “Lament.”

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Daybed – Lincoln Park Formal Garden, Chicago, Illinois

About Daybed: As they often did, Valentiger let the city “tell them where to go” for the filming of “Daybed” in Chicago. A decent parking spot and a bit of walking led them to Lincoln Park’s Formal Garden on a windy, yet warm Thursday. The idea was to shoot Shirey walking through the park, which led to Kehoe managing a mobile audio unit consisting of a laptop in a shoulder bag and the condenser microphone on a boom. Shirey did his best to sing well while walking, and take one was lent to figuring the other two’s path of backward walking. Sandals needed to be removed. However, the second take captured the spontaneity of a child who was simply drawn to the music and followed Shirey throughout the stroll. Improvements could have been made, but nothing would top the purity of this take.

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Hard To Let Me Down – Rooftop, Indianapolis, Indiana

About Hard To Let Me Down: Acting on their rooftop fantasy, Valentiger scaled this closed-down Taco Bell near a busy intersection. Halfway through setup, a concerned citizen pulled into the vacant lot and interrogated Rider, with Shirey already on the roof. He did his best to explain but the man still took down Valentiger’s license plate and, rightfully so, called the police. The man then left and Valentiger worked quickly. Kehoe couldn’t quite monkey his way up the building as Shirey had, so the band settled to have him play the song solo with his gutiar. Even though the arrival of cops was invariable, they did two takes on account of the wind. Afterward, they quickly lowered the equipment from the roof and fled the scene. Though they had escaped the law at this point, Rider had told the vigilante the band was to perform at Melody Inn later that night. They expected to find police waiting for them upon arrival.

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Man on Fire – Abbey on the Park, St. Louis, Missouri

About Man on Fire: The band had originally intended to film under the Gateway Arch, but plans changed when they made way through town to their quarters for the night. Staying with a friend of the band, they were awestruck as they walked into his home at Abbey on the Park, an old church converted into apartments. The gigantic pipe organ lurked over his dining table, the sun shined warmly through the stained glass windows, the reverb was fantastic and the band knew they must record the dramatic “Man On Fire” right then and there. Sticking with their primary instruments, the band fed from the room’s energy while Phil agreed capture the event as it took place in his own loft.

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The Girl That Everyone Forgot – Waffle House, Memphis, Tennessee

About The Girl That Everyone Forgot: When out on tour, Valentiger usually visits at least one Waffle House along the way. However, this time around was not to dine but to record an uber-quirky rendition of “The Girl That Everyone Forgot.” Shirey managed to work the arrangement on Autoharp, while Kehoe took backing vocal, harmonica and spoon/mug duties. The song didn’t seem quite right without the guitar hook from the original recording’s introduction, so the boys vocalized the melody. Performance began only after the till had been counted and even though they had finished eating, patrons stuck around to watch and listen. Employees called in their friends and loved ones to witness this truly odd event, inciting Valentiger to play another song. The unrecorded gem, “Phil,” was performed. Afterward, Shirey showed a few people how to play the Autoharp and the band disappeared back into the night.

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Under the Gun – Shelby Pedestrian Bridge, Nashville, Tennessee

About Under the Gun: Though Valentiger had a slew of ideas before they began the tour, often times they let the city “tell them where to go.” For the filming of “Under The Gun” it was decided that Rider would play his djembe along with Shirey and his guitar, so the three of them strapped on these items and began walking from Music Row. The great, white pedestrian bridge crossing the river against the clear, blue sky looked mighty fine to these gentleman, and they climbed its height to find a train on the tracks below. It was creating quite a humming sound, so they decided to wait for it to depart and possibly catch it in the video. After a while, however, the train powered down and they needed to begin the recording as the time neared for them to be at Edgehill Studios for the night’s performance. The scenery proved to be pleasing enough as Shirey and Rider softly plunked out the fitting ditty, complete with joggers in the passing. With a careful ear (and perhaps headphones), one can hear the train fire back up as the music rests just before the third verse. They knew they’d see that train taunting them, shrinking off into the distance as they scaled back down the bridge.

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