Bosses in their Offices – Dinosaur World, Cave City, Kentucky
About Bosses in their Offices: After painting Nashville with Ponhattans the night before, Valentiger was lazily making headway toward Louisville when they spotted a 50-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex just off I-65. They knew what had to be done and pulled into Dinosaur World to set up for filming of the song “Bosses in Their Offices,” which would feature both Shirey and Kehoe on guitar. The late night before and the Southern muggy weather made for a soft, intimately lazy rendition from the duo with Rider filming from the other side of the off-ramp. Take one found Shirey missing a section of the song, though Kehoe gained ideas from improvisation. But on take two, the boys had captured the honest Tuesday afternoon croon heard here. The boys speculated they could have filmed all the videos here, in Cave City, as they noticed an advertised haunted house up on the hill. But just then they noticed they were standing in a drainage ditch, the home of the Kentucky rattler, and skedaddled. They furthered toward Louisville to play Browning’s Brewery, attached to The Bats’ minor league baseball park.
About Courses: Though it was not planned to have “Courses” land on this date, Valentiger definitely knew they would be filming in this specific elevator. As they often pass through Ohio, the band frequents a friend’s floor in these Williamson Lofts, developing a strange admiration for the quirky elevator they’ve deemed “the cage of death.” So during the Wednesday hours when most were at work, the three of them loaded all the recording equipment and Shirey, with his guitar, into the tiny box. Rider’s bell set was waiting for him, already set up on the third floor. Take one was scratched, as Shirey figured out how to concentrate on lyrics with people coming in and out of a moving elevator. Take two was credited to planning the movement of the members in and out. But by take three, it seemed to flow perfectly with a flawless bell solo by Rider, played while filming himself in action. Upon a second viewing, you’ll probably recognize Shirey snickering while Kehoe manages otherwise belting vocals in such a confined space. Only one person witnessed this filming as Rider exited the elevator into the parking garage below.
Never Ready – Original Gravity Brewery, Milan, Michigan, July 24th, 2009
About Never Ready: The band began this Thursday after a long bar night, getting up at 7AM in Cincinnati. From there, they drove to Cleveland for a radio spot on WCSB and then ended up in Milan at Original Gravity Brewery with just enough time to throw down one of their delicious sandwiches and taste a sampler of all 12 beers on tap. After nearly a two-hour performance, they finally got around to making their field recording for the day, the mellow and contemplative “Never Ready.” Valentiger decided to record inside the brewery itself after the patrons had all left, as they noticed its warm reverb while playing as a full band. Favoring the vocal harmonies in the third verse, Rider was deemed camera man, leaving Kehoe to pick up the slack on some kick and hat “boom-chicks.” But that wasn’t enough, as the boys were determined to incorporate the Roll-A-Piano that had been used in the original recording. So Kehoe stepped up to the challenge of doing these three things simultaneously, nearly in the dark. Highlights include the “tap wagon” on which the Roll-A-Piano rests, a large, neon “BEER” sign and Kehoe’s claps resonating in verse three. www.ogbrewing.com
If you haven’t noticed yet, we have begun to make our weekly postings of The Valentiger Field Recording Project. Residing in several sections of the website as well as YouTube are the first two installments, “Aboveboard” from Point Laundry in East Lansing and “Leaving Town” from Summer Camp at the Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Off to a good, rolling start this project presents quite unusual renditions of the songs from Power Lines To Electric Times. Kehoe takes the verses on “Aboveboard” while playing a harmonium and fifty screaming, dancing kids accompany “Leaving Town” from a jungle gym bandstand. As for the next video, “Never Ready,” I will only mention the use of a Roll-A-Piano from within a brewery. These videos post weekly on Mondays, so keep tuning in!
Now, outside the realm of Internet, the band has a slew of exciting shows coming up in the next few months. On the short list are Schuler Books (9/25), Lager House in Detroit (10/3), Goose Island in Wrigleyville (11/13) and the ever-intimate Hideout Brewery (11/21). And in real-world-news-soon-to-become-online-news, Valentiger is planning to do a video shoot for the director-selected “Never Ready” next month.
In personal news, all three of us are looking fondly toward Pulaski Days weekend for the chance to blame bad polka dancing on booze. I have recently been surveying the housing market, while Rider has been contemplating local band community. Kehoe has his sights set on finishing school strongly, while fishing around for a new bass amp. I might also predict that Fall will bring the band to work on new material as well as the feat of putting together a strong, two-part tour in December. Look out east coast, we’re back for better or worser. Randomly, check out our friends over that way, The Waylons.
So, get out your light jackets and squeeze in your last rounds of golf. The street claims Rider to be shooting a 42. I’ll meet you back here on Monday to view the next release from the Field Recordings Project. Honestly, I haven’t even seen it yet!
Leaving Town – Summer Camp at the Center, Dearborn, Michigan – July 25th, 2009
About Leaving Town: Kehoe previously worked at this day camp years ago, and his boss recently requested he come back to perform for “Music Week.” The band conveniently worked this opportunity into their travels and consciously planned “Leaving Town” to land on this date. Free CD’s were given to the top five dancers of Kehoe’s liking, the band signed “Music Week” plastic flutes and then were coerced to sing a special, live version of “Rule Song,” written by Kehoe for the camp.
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