On Wednesday the 26th, we stumbled into the Liquid Lounge around 10pm, and amidst the people that had come to watch some amateur stand up comedy sit three gentlemen in a booth patiently awaiting for their debut show in good ol Boise, Idaho. If you weren’t in the bar for comedy you would have no idea that this grandeur band, Bear Crossing, was about to take the stage. With only a small Facebook invitation for promotion, Bear Crossing took the stage to beat the odds and win us over with their power ballots and incredible anthems.
Bear Crossing is on their first tour, and decided to bless us with their new album “Our Friend, Hope.”. This album is filled with political messages hidden within their face-melting metal beauty. With lead singer Jason Eure exercising his wide range of vocals, it’s no wonder this band is regularly compared to such bands as Muse, and Mars Volta. As soon as Liquid was graced with their first song, it was apparent that this band will soon be greeted with a much larger venue in the near future. After closing with their single “Kings”, we got to meet these gentlemen from Virginia. “13 shows in 13 days…”. This is what Jason explained to me, after apologizing if he sounded a “little off”, which he didn’t. Like most up and coming bands, this humble trio is touring on their own, selling their own merchandise hoping to make it to the next town. I recommend you snag their album at a steal of a price of seven dollars… that is if you are into good music. I wish you good luck Jason, Mason, and Robbie. We hope to see you back in Boise in the near future, until then, good luck winning others over, although I don’t think you will have too much trouble. Check out their website to give them a listen or you can right below as well. www.bearcrossingtheband.com
We were fortunate to have our good friends over at Proof Eyewear invite us out to the Knitting Factory to enjoy the always entertaining Tegan and Sara. We've seen them before once at Sasquatch in 2008 and knew from then that there performance would be a commanding presence in a smaller venue like the Knit. In a packed house you could sense the anticipation as the crew set up their equipment. From the time they took the stage to when they ended their encore, they had the crowd at full attention, listening and following their every move on stage. The show was a collection of their hits including; "Alligator", "Walking with A Ghost", "Where Does the Good Go", among the others, but the real treat to the fans was the introduction to some of their new stuff of their upcoming album "Heartthrob" being released in January. The crowd was introduced to four new songs, their first single "Closer" (which you can get off iTunes), "Now I'm All Messed Up", "I was a Fool", and "I'm Not Your Hero". The crowd was very receptive to these new tunes and if the album as a whole is similar to these, "Heartthrob" will be a huge success with their fans. There new stuff is very melodic and really allows you to embrace the more synthesized side of Tegan and Sara. It's a direction fans may not be used to but after talking with them, they believe it will allow their fans insight on another side of their music that fans haven't had the full experience of enjoying yet.
We got the pleasure of meeting Tegan and Sara backstage after the show. One of the main questions we had for them is "Why Boise?". They wanted to do a headlining show before they hopped on tour with other bands such as; The Shins, Black Keys and The Killers. It came down to a choice between Boise and Salt Lake City. When they chose to come to Boise most of the people around them questioned their decision. They told us that the last time they played in Boise in 2005 the fans provided them with such good energy and open arms, that they knew they had to make it back. Overall, the concert was a great time for everyone in attendance and not one person left the building with an ass, as they had all been danced off on the floor, including ours. Thanks again for all the hospitality from Tegan, Sara, and their whole crew. Also a shout out to the our friends over at Proof Eyewear for helping promote how lucky we all are to live in a place like Boise.
We wanted to share with the world an amazing project that one of our good friends, Steve Clark, is involved in. It's called Bang Zoom Pow and comes from the creative mind of Ty Mabrey and it will keep you entertained and laughing for hours. They are currently working on putting out two weekly projects, as well as some monthly features as well. The first is a video series called "Best Vs. Worst". This weekly series puts into perspective the the best and worst case scenarios for some everyday and somewhat unusual life situations, like zombie attacks, home invasions and more. This series has just started but each one has had that laugh out loud moment you look for. I can't wait to see what else they come up with for "Best Vs. Worst".
Characters of "Gamer Scores"
What happens to a group of
friends online (that have never met in person) when they have to face the
real world? "Gamer Scores" is an animated series that follows a group of characters from various walks
of life, who find camaraderie playing games together online and learn how to live
their lives fully offline. Then when they do make it into the real
world their goal is to unlock real life "achievements". A really great concept that will relate not only to anyone
that has ever played video games but also to anyone that has had that gamer
friend. The first "Gamer Scores" will be released this weekend so
make sure to Like their Facebook page to be one of the first to watch
it when its released!
Everything so far the Bang Zoom Pow team has put out has
provided me with that source of entertainment you crave when you just wanted to
put something on you know is going to make you laugh. Make sure to subscribe to
their YouTube page as well to have easy access to
these moments of laughter we all crave when scouring the internet.Here is also a link to their website that will lead you to all the various ways to follow them and what they are up to. www.bangzoompow.com How else
will you know what the best case scenario is to eating radioactive leftovers.
We are excited to be a part of an event going on this Thursday night down at Boise's coolest new bar, The Silly Birch. The Birch is located where Mac n' Charlie's used to be and for you old ballz, The Hanger. The event is a promotional event for Payette Brewing Co. who will be shelling out some koozies and pint glasses for people who purchase a pint or can of Payette Brewing craft beer. There will be live music from Jac Sound starting around 8pm.
In addition there will be a t-shirt contest, where local creative types can design a t-shirt for The Silly Birch. The deadline for this is tomorrow (9/25) so head over to the Facebook event page for more details on how to participate.
Last but definitely not least, The C.O.T. shop will be at the event and is fully stocked with locally inspired merchandise, including our brand new WOMEN'S TANK TOPS. The ladies have spoken and they want tank tops, so we have delivered.
The event goes from 7pm to 10pm and is Thursday 9/27 so skip Seinfeld, Friends, and ER and head down to The Silly Birch and get silly with us.
So we got a a little bit of slower weekend with no real big events going on, but there is always something exciting to do in this city. Friday: I already showcased the Washed Out show going on at the Reef, but wanted to throw out another suggestion for Friday night if that isn't your cup of tea.
Les
Misérables will be playing at the Morrison Center throughout the weekend.
If you have never had a chance to see this musical I would highly recommend
it. Les Misérables comes to Boise as part of the Broadway in Boise
Series. Les Misérables is considered on of the greatest Broadway
plays and ran for 18 years(over two different stints) in New York. If you
haven't already gotten a chance to see it(the musical started here in Boise on
the 19th) make sure to go out to one of the few showings left this weekend.
Check out this calendar for times, prices, and to buy tickets.
http://mc.boisestate.edu/calendar.html
Saturday:
Head
down to the Visual Arts Collective on Saturday to catch an interesting and unique
variety show. The Red Light Variety Show presents "The End Is Near
Here" Red Light Variety Show's fall 2012 performance commemorates the
expiration of the Mayan calendar. Since these are the last days of existence,
RLVS is exploring the apocalyptic theme through their Rapturous blend of aerial
arts, belly and ballet dance, burlesque & boylesque, hooping, acroyoga,
song, and pole acrobatics. Prepare yourself for Armageddon (again). This time
it's for real! Head down to the VAC for a Saturday night you won't
remember. Here is the Red Light Variety Show's website for more information and tickets. www.redlightvarietyshow.com
These
are some of the highlights of the weekend. What ever you decide to do, enjoy
the beautiful state we live in.
Hi everyone, we have a great show coming into town on Friday. If you have nothing already going on you should try to make it down to the Reef. Washed Out will be playing, with our friends Shades opening up for them. Ernest Greene(Washed Out) is considered one of the pioneers of the ever growing chillwave movement. This will be great night to just come out the the Reef, enjoy the music and let it take you over. Also, our local friends Shades will be opening up and just seeing them perform their version of Notorious B.I.G. is worth the price of admission alone. The show is on Friday at the Reef, it starts at 7:00pm, and costs $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Check out Washed Outs website to listen a little and here is a couple Shades songs for your listening pleasure. www.washedout.net Hope to see you all on Friday as I know we will be there.
Hello everyone, so we have a big weekend for events, including three that are going down all weekend long.
For all the wine lovers we have the Sunnyslope Food & Wine Festival out just past Caldwell. The event starts Friday and runs through Sunday, 12-5pm each day. This event will be taking place at four exceptional wineries in the Sunnyslope wine region. This is a great event to go outdoors, enjoy some delicious wine and food and get away from the city for a little bit. The cost is just fifteen dollars per day and will be a great day tasting wine, eating food, and enjoying the picturesque Sunnyslope region. They do have shuttles if you don't want to drive out there, here is the website for more information. www.sunnyslopefestival.com
Next up for the sports fans, the Boise Open will be in town.
It actually started on Monday but will be running through this Sunday(Don't
worry the good stuff usually happens in the last few days). Located at Hillcrest
Country Club, the Boise Open is more than just
great golf, the Boise Open is a community-wide celebration, providing
family-friendly entertainment and providing more than $13 million for hundreds of deserving local charities in its history. So go out
support these up and coming golfers while also supporting local charities.
Tickets for the weeklong event run $25. www.albertsonsboiseopen.com
Finally, we have the Hyde Park Street Fair, also running Friday thru Sunday. Another great event to take the kids out enjoy the vendors and food, while enjoying another beautiful weekend in Boise. Admission is free and there will be live music playing throughout the event. Attached below is the schedule for the weekend live music.
Friday-9/14
5-5:45pm- AKA Belle
6-6:45pm- Like A Rocket
7-7:45pm- Finn Riggins
8-9:30pm-Voice Of Reason
Saturday -9/15
12-12:45pm-Chris Gutierrez & Friends
1-1:45pm- Jumping Sharks
2-2:45pm- Thomas Paul
3-3:45pm- New Transit
4-4:45pm-Jonathan Warren & The Billygoats
5-5:45pm- The jimmy bivens Band
6-6:45pm- Rebecca Scott
7-7:45pm- Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles
8-9:30pm- Sherpa
Sunday-9/16
11:30-12:15pm- The Ben Burdick Trio
12:30-1:15pm- Blaze & Kelly
1:30-2:15pm- Reilly Coyote
2:30-3:15pm-The Brian Bateman Blend
3:30-4:15pm- Jeff Crosby & The Refugees
4:30-6pm-Bill Coffey & His Cash Money Cousins
These are some of the highlights of the weekend. What ever you decide to do, enjoy the beautiful state we live in.
