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

The first installment of songs was stuck in some alternate world of rock and acoustic folk, but sounded good until Shirey’s botching of “Heart of Gold.” It was at that point the band decided to go either the acoustic route or to risk pissing people off with rock and roll. And so starting the second set with “The Girl That Everyone Forgot” brought loud(er) Valentiger to Kalamazoo around the time friends began showing up to cheer the boys on. This worked for the 45-minute run, but the band then found themselves at square one in set three. They then decided not much mattered at this hour, and dove into almost exclusively new material debuting “Oh, to Know,” “Love to Forgive,” “Oh My God this Weekend” and many others. Kehoe stated, “We just wanted to make it fun for ourselves at that point in the night. We couldn’t stand playing The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” again.” And the response to the new, virtually unrehearsed material was validating for the band. “Sometimes those three-hour nights can be long for us,” says Shirey. “We’re just not a cover band and we try to make that apparent from the beginning of the engagement. Sure, we do play covers, but you’re probably not going to get a Seger out of us. Maybe a CCR tune if people are ready to dance. But to hear some of the best responses from our newest songs was great. I think it’s possible for the audience to tell when we’re excited.” And the band looks forward to having some of those newer songs polished upon their next return to Bells - stay posted.

Do you prefer another over Founders? Let’s hear about it…

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.

By Terry Deboer | The Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND - Lemonjello’s is a downtown Holland coffee shop celebrating its seventh anniversary Monday by staying true to its mission. The venue is hosting a concert featuring five local music artists.  Whether you pronounce it straightforwardly “LEM-un-JEL-ohs” or use the French-sounding “la-MON-juh-lohs” (either is correct), owner-manager Matt Scott said music has been a key for his business since day one.  “The whole concept for me came out of my former band playing a lot of coffeehouses,” Scott said.  “Some either had a great music set up but a bad product, or had a great coffee bar but were bad at the music part of it.”

The upstart business owner decided to himself try to fashion a coffee spot with sufficient income to stick around, yet consistency in supporting the local music scene.  True to his original plan, Lemonjello’s (in a building that formerly housed the bakery for the Til Midnight restaurant) is remaining in the black and continuing to host live music each week.  Scott, 29, has handpicked Monday’s birthday lineup, saluting those area artists who have “built into the place” over the last number of years.  And artists seem to appreciate the venue.

“There’s a real sense of community there, and it’s a place that has something going in a conservative town,” said Brandon Muske, guitarist of The Wallace Collective, an eclectic band on Monday’s bill. “It’s great to have live music that’s not in a bar setting so younger people can come and get exposed to good music,” he added.

Alex Karpicke of The Meadowlarks said Lemonjello’s patrons actually come to enjoy the music - not just to drink coffee.  “And Matt is a good guy to work with - really organized, which makes it easier for us to do things,” said Karpicke of his Grand Rapids-based indie-folk duo.

Also invited to perform at the birthday celebration is Valentiger (formerly Happy Hour), also from the Grand Rapids area.  “They are one of my favorite Americana bands, local or not,” said Scott of the Grand Rapids area trio. “They’ve become some of the best songwriters I know.

In the early days, the shop had a 15-seat capacity, making live music challenging. But a 2005 expansion allowed Lemonjello’s to accommodate 80-120 for music events.  Scott recalls the “biggest” artist ever to perform at the venue - Sufjan Stevens.  “He played back in the first year we were open,” Scott said of the former Hope College student who is now a nationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter. “He was an opening act, and it was right when his ‘Michigan’ record came out. In a few months he was all over the place.”

Birdgang opened up the night with a fairly mellow and tasteful set, filled with warm sounds from their great equipment.  Folky ballads accented by stomping drums and punch guitar riffs provided the perfect segue for Valentiger.  Provided with great house-sound the trio sang and played their hearts out.  Kehoe stated his choice of Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and “A Ghost is Born” as his number one and two picks for best albums of the 2000s.  I’m sure there were a few other jokes about Smash Mouth and the like, but that’s not important.  What’s important is Valentiger played a great set with a pair of nice bands from the D.  For some reason, Shirey was having a sober, Coke night and so he was the obvious driver through the snow storm that had come upon Michigan during the show.  The boys prepared to leave after a closing set from the quirky and folky Scarlet Oaks.  Kehoe stayed in his native Southland, while Shirey and Rider penetrated the storm, as Shirey had to work in the A.M.  It was a long and brutal ride, fueled by McDonalds and Red Bull, and the duo made it taking double the time.