Alternative / Progressive / Rock
SIGN UP FOR THE BRAZIL EMAIL LIST!
BUY "THE PHILOSOPHY OF VELOCITY" NOW!
Add Us To Your MySpace!
Default pic: 2006 nicholasroutzen.com
ALSO FROM IMMORTAL RECORDS
A Change of Pace
Agent Sparks
Brazil
The Escape Frame
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
The Bleeding Alarm
The Finals
Tyler Read
Waking Ashland
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Brazil hasn't posted any videos yet.
The Horrisonance Experiment Part Three
Day 13: Columbia, MO (City motto: Smack dab in the middle o Misery!): We were supposed to play at Mojos today, but the promoter cancelled due to inclement weather. This makes four cancellations on an already relatively short tour. Luckily, we were within shouting distance of our usual KC hospitality stop Aunt Lindas. Id venture to say that nearly every band has their own Shangri-La - a place where they can spend the night in luxury, resting and revitalizing those sore muscles and spotted livers, and padding their scurvied bellies. Aunt Lindas is this place for us. There is always plenty of food, entertainment, and privacy (a scarce commodity on tour!) at Aunt Lindas. Everyone gives a silent hooray when we find out we are staying there. It is a welcome respite on any day off, or in this case, a cancellation. Experiment Notes: Ah Kansas City / Going to get my baby back home / I'm going to Kansas City / Going to get my baby back home / Well its a long long time too / My baby's been gone
Day 14: Kansas City, MO (City motto: Dont let the rats eat your face.) So it seems like part of KC is being bombed for rats and other vermin after parents recently found the nose eaten off their newborn while it was sleeping in its crib. This actually happened weeks after we left, but I felt compelled to mention it here. A friend of mine acquired a rat as a pet not long ago, but I still find them hideous. They say rats will force weaker vermin of the pack to eat foodstuffs in question, to see if they die. Now thats just not American. As for the actual Day 14, we spent it almost entirely in the basement of Aunt Lindas playing Wii baseball and watching DVDs on a giant home theater screen with nary a rat in sight. Experiment notes: If it moves, kill it.
Day 15: Joplin, MO (City motto: We have nothing to do with Scott Joplin!): All this time, I was sure Joplin was named after the famous rag-tician Scott Joplin. I even went so far as to play bits of The Entertainer during our set at the Foundry. Turns out, Joplin was named after some reverend in the late 1800s. As for the show, it was nearly a repeat of the Omaha show near desertion on account of harsh weather. Not one to be taken by circumstances, I hopped off stage and provided the half dozen spectators with comfortable bar stools to observe our set. For our grand finale, I brought everyone onstage, bands included, and we had a bit of a chaotic percussion jam at the end of Strange Days. Actually, chaotic would be somewhat of an understatement. If youve ever seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, where all the monkeys go crazy around the monolith and start bashing rocks with bones, thats kind of a good place to start. Experiment notes: The only thing better than a Coca-cola bar is Christian rock climbing.
Day 16: Lafayette, IN (Overheard in dressing room: Its not really a college town.): Interestingly, we had played at Downtown Records five years ago. But it wasnt called Downtown Records. It was called Tazzmas Rock-o-rama. It was as if Spencers Gift Shoppe had thrown up all over a rock club. The new owners of the DTR have since done away with all that nonsense. And strangely, it seemed a lot smaller this time, probably the way everything seems smaller when you revisit it five years down the line. The show was great lots of kids, the promoter nice and cool. I did fall off the stage, maybe twice, and there is video out there. Feel free to do a Myspace search. Experiment Notes: Tone down the tambourine a little.
Day 17: Muncie/Indianapolis/Bloomington/Louisville (regional motto: Home Sweet Home): This is where the Horrisonance tour officially ended. We said our goodbyes to Wax on Radio and Forgive Durden the night before and went our separate ways. I cant remember much about coming home except that it seemed like home had suddenly become Hoth. We had apparently been dumped on (with snow) a few days before in ungodly amounts and the city was just now able to dig themselves out. Try to manoeuvre an 18-passenger van and a planet-size trailer between two six foot snowdrifts and you get the scale of our predicament. I cant remember what I did on the day off, but it probably involved baking bread. Because thats what I do when Im bored. Experiment notes: Salt inhibits yeast rising action.
Day 18: Indianapolis, IN (Indigenous architecture: box store): It was a cold and bleak midwestern winter Sunday. The kind Nintendo and the Sci-Fi Channel were made for. Its always hard coming home for a day, then having to get back up and belt it out again, but when the weather is like this, its really hard to get motivated to do anything. Theres nothing like freezing all day, then sitting in a freezing club waiting for the heat to kick on. It makes one feel like one would rather deal with hurricane weather. Our performance was, well, nice. We pulled out a few oldies like Aventine, and snuck a cover of Ziggy Stardust into the mix. I can never seem to remember the words. While not cramped, the crowd was a rather nice size, considering the weather and the day of the week. Experiment Notes: It goes screwed up eyes, screwed up hairdo. Like some cat from Japan.
Conclusion: While hindered by extreme weather conditions, the Horrisonance Tour of February was a modest success. We would like to thank everyone who allowed themselves to be a part of the experiment, including the extraordinary fellows in Wax On Radio and Forgive Durden. With a little luck, youll see us out and about again before the years over. If youre lucky.
THE HORRISONANCE EXPERIMENT PART TWO
Day 7: Chicago, IL (official city status: haunted): In the late 1800s, a Chicago sausage magnate was arrested for the murder of his wife, allegedly grinding her up in the sausage machines. He later went insane and died in prison. His lawyer also went insane and died in a mental institution. The factory was abandoned, then later partially turned into condominiums located on the southwest corner of Hermitage and Diversey on Chicagos northwest side. Also, the show was fun. Experiment notes: Avoid sausage. Stick with the noodle-houses in Wicker Park.
Day 8: El Paso, IL (town motto: Were not Normal. Get it? Normal, IL!): Lying on the far outskirts of major Illinois metropolii such as Bloomington and Peoria, El Paso is a quaint little depot town that Im sure has had some sort of 1930s gangster hideout history that Im too disinclined to discover. The venue was a small VFW with a watering hole attached containing a single pool table, an ex-Marine bartender, and three 2nd shift factory workers permanently stuck to the end of the bar. There was a sign on the juke-box informing everyone there was to be absolutely no playing of the Dixie Chicks, and to do so would result in the suspension of ones jukebox privileges. Needless to say, we spent most the night in the bar section hanging with the 2nd shifters, which tends to be far more interesting than talking to a 19 year old about the new Bloc Party record. (For the evenings lively conclusion, please see last weeks video blog on our Myspace.) Experiment Notes: Watch your back. You never know when you might get ambushed by a spunky 16 year-old.
Day 9: Muncie, IN (town motto: Were having a Ball! [Seriously.]) We spent the day taking it easy in a reflective stupor. There are some things that are more important than touring. There are some affairs that only happen once. Experiment Notes: Enjoy life. You only have one.
Day 10: Muncie, IN (most common brain drain migration pattern destinations: Chicago, Indianapolis, New York City): Spent more time at home, uneasily anticipating the brutal cold and snow foretold by the Weather Channel. Im not sure what everyone else did, but I made a delicious poppy-seed bloomer. It had a perfectly crispy crust and a deliciously fine crumb. Experiment notes: To give a loaf a great crust, add water vapor to oven.
Day 11: Ames, IA (town motto: Hi. Im in Ames.) I have a lot of good things to say about Ames (great food, nice people, enjoyable show), but I dont have a lot of good things to say about the day in general. For starters, I forgot my show shirt. Then I realized we forgot to refresh our CD inventory. My computer was knocked off the arm of a chair, rendering it unresponsive for a few unnerving minutes. The evenings misfortunes didnt end until a key was knocked off my piano and I fell on some stairs and bruised my back up pretty good. Experiment Notes: On certain days, do not leave bed.
Day 12: Papillion, NE (town motto: Tiens ce mec givr!): Monday night found us in the wild frontier of Nebraska, more specifically in the very Franco-sounding Omaha suburb called Papillion. I was initially inclined to call it Pap-ill-ee-ON, like every other American, but I decided to succumb to my cultural tendencies and refer to the area as Pappy-YOHN (with a slightly silent n). I did this, not to appear worldly, but because it felt better for my mouth to say. The concert, which happened to fall on the eve of the second major snow-blitz in five days, was sparsely attended, and if I had been a Papio-inhabitant on the wind-swept, drifting plains, I wouldnt have ventured out my front door, either. Experiment notes: The show must go on.
Next week: Part 3 of the Experiment!
ZERO TO SIXTY BELOW IN 6 SECONDS: A THREE PART TOUR JOURNAL FROM THE FEBRUARY HORRISONANCE EXPERIMENT
All in all, we seem to being doing it backwards touring the blistering South in the middle of August, followed by the Artic cold-front prone Midwest in the dead of winter. This is our second headlining tour in our nearly six-year band history, and like the one before it, it is an experiment in sociology and mass communication, as well as an open-ended inquiry into our influence on various population centers in North America. This is also the first tour Ive taken my vintage Yamaha CP70 electric grand piano on the road and I know if it were a person, itd be crying enormous tears right now. After seeing the wear and tear on it after just a week of shows, Im trying hard not to shed a tear myself.
Day One: Louisville, KY (natively pronounced Loah-vul): The last time we played the Louisville area was sometime around four or five years ago at the old Brycchouse with The White Octave and The Juliana Theory, except The White Octave missed the show on account of them breaking up. Unfortunately, the show was far away from the artsy Bardstown Road district and rather in an outlying suburb called Fairdale. Experiment Notes: The number of attendees at a given concert is conversely proportional to the venues distance from the city proper.
Day Two: Columbus, OH (official civic past time: The Pub Crawl): The Columbus show at the Basement was a modest (although I prefer to use the term cultish) turnout. The fans that are showing up to these shows are rabid ones, the ones we like to keep. They would follow us despite blowing snow and brutal cold fronts. These are the people that revel in the flecks of our sweat and clouds of confetti. Experiment Notes: Keep these fans.
Day Three: Altoona, PA (official state food: sandwich from Sheetz): We soldiered on to Altoona and found ourselves in a church basement in front of a crowd of dancing beautiful people. The love radiated off all our foreheads like a fever. Experiment Notes: Moms sometimes make the best promoters.
Day Four: Cleveland, OH (official civic disposition: like the weather - cold): The Superbowl was also today, encouraging yet another modest turnout. It didnt go unrecognized by us, however, that the people who were there, by the fact of their attendance, placed us a higher priority than the worlds biggest football game. Go Colts, by the way. The end of the night found me vomiting into a trash can, courtesy of the nasty bite of Black Velvet. We live and we learn, dont we? Experiment Notes: Keep eye on bar tab.
Dav Five: Warren, MI (civic motto: Not quite Detroit): The venue came complete with a three-foot baby alligator in a fish tank. Finally, someone actually reads our hospitality rider! Im kidding, of course, but I hope this thing never gets flushed down a toilet, because I can only imagine all the mayhem it might cause in the streets of Detroit. Actually, come to think of it, Detroit probably seen a lot worse. Experiment Notes: See Louisville Notes.
Day Six: East Lansing, MI (school motto: Theres a west Lansing?): An hour and a half down the highway we came to Michigan State University, playing the largest room of the tour thus far, in front of the largest crowd of the tour thus far. But despite being a relatively large crowd, the large room made it look like my grandmother in a bathing suit, which is to say, modest. A well-stocked dressing room awaited us, simply bursting with healthy snacks from our rider and all the bottled water we could drink. Carpeted concert halls always tend to make me a bit nervous. Experiment Notes: Touch metal object to de-electrify before touching lips to microphone.
Next week: Part 2 of the Experiment
Pixilated Dreams and 8 Bit Escapism
I was a poor kid. My first Nintendo was played on a used hospital TV long before gamers became an official pedigreed social group. Most of my friends got off on Tecmo Bowl and other sports they could just as well play in their back yard, but I wanted more. I wanted to slay giant turtles and snatch enchanted bling. Sure, I liked the big boys - the Super Marios, the Metal Gears, and the Zeldas but, like record hunting, I was always on the lookout for something a little off the beaten console. Here are a few of my favorite games from the era that never really caught on with the popular kids.
Rygar: My gym class buddy recommended this game to me one Monday morning while running laps to UB40. He said it was an Aztec adventure, even thought it wasnt, and I was intrigued. Rygar was a fantasy game without the usual fantasy standbys of swords, potions, and dragons, and you could duck into hidden mountain hideouts for a Zen moment with a chubby little demigod.
Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode Golgo 13 let you shoot enemy agents in the head, have sex to up your energy, and otherwise cause all sorts of mayhem years before outraged parents called for the banning of Grand Theft Auto. It was probably because the game never received anything more than cult status outside Japan, where newsstands routinely carry a veritable smorgasbord of taboo (thats putting it lightly) comics. Although I didnt know it until later, the game was based on a Japanese manga.
Monster party: Scraping the bottom of the barrel of cheap obscure games, Monster Party looked like something a couple of programmers threw together during a weekend LSD binge. Almost like an 8-bit Thtre de l'Absurde, the level bosses included a huge caterpillar, walking pants, a haunted well that threw plates, and a giant fried shrimp. (Note: for the longest time, I thought I dreamed this game. But I Googled it, and it does exist.)
NARC: Upped the ante on video game violence with rocket launchers that could blow up evil-doers into showers of flaming body parts. I dont remember hearing a lot of uproar over this game either, probably because its ok to blow the intestines out of people as long as theyre nasty drug dealers.
Wizards and warriors: A lazy comparison, I know, but I liken this game to a sword and sorcery Metroid, where you could choose your own adventure and pace from any manner of levels that scrolled up, sideways, and anywhere in between. Tasty lamb hocks kept your energy up and all sorts of keys and tools o magic kept the intrigue high.
I think the last game I ever played was Super Mario 3. That was on a Sunday. On Monday, I picked up a microphone.
Eatin Good in Your Neighborhood
In six years of touring, we occasionally get the rare opportunity to stumble across a great gastronomic find apart from the usual Taco Bell/Burger King/Subway Smorgasbord o Shit. I find some of the best places to eat are run by families, or at least by a small corporation whose CEOs are also the people taking the new menus down to get copies at Kinkos.
The past few months had us on the road out east and around the Midwest, so I was able to come across a few places in those regions that brought a satiated smile to my face and a warm tingle to my belly region. My single greatest criteria for an eating establishment to make one of my blogs is if I go in expecting a food-borne illness, and leave with a food-borne epiphany.
So heres a few places that stick out in my mind that I think are worth visiting if youre in the area.
Caf Piala 118 East 1st Street New York, NY 212-614-8900
Right across the street from the Mercury Lounge, Caf Piala serves up what I consider to be one of the top two Indian buffets in the country. I must admit, Ive only been to two Indian buffets in my life including Caf Piala, but still. Theres a place in Indianapolis called India Garden that has an excruciatingly delicious buffet for pennies on the rupee, so my standards were already high. Caf Piala did not disappoint, with buffet food that was always fresh, a friendly and endearingly non-English speaking staff, and naan that I could eat for days on end. And all this for the low price of $5.99 (lunch) and $6.99 (dinnger). Thats dirt cheap, even for Indiana. Open 24 hours.
Kabob Hut 13 Allegheny Avenue Towson MD 410-821-8005
I remember walking down the sidewalks of Towson in the freezing sleet on a Sunday evening being miserable because I hadnt eaten all day, we couldnt find anything open, and I think we were all getting on each others nerves. There were a few coffee shops around that were all closed, and the only thing I saw open at first glance were pricey TGIFridays type restaurants with eight dollar hamburgers. My face was numb by the time I walked in the door of the Kabob Hut. At that point, I didnt care if the food tasted like camel poo and cost me $15 a plate. I was cold, hungry, and sick of highway food. Eric and I were the only people in the place, which looked like it had been deserted for a while. I was expecting stale hummus with soggy, reheated pitas, but what I got was a veggie plate prepared as if I were the Sultan of Bruneior hell, even the Sultan of Swat. I couldnt eat it fast enough. The man behind the counter, who I assumed was the proprietor, was gruff, but it was a nice gruff like Coach Mickey. You just know that behind that stone-cold face is a man who is looking out for your bowels best interest. Kabob Hut is open all week.
The Great Wall 4228 East State Street Rockford, IL 815-226-0982
Chinese restaurants on tour are one-step away from being compatriots of the fast food league. Sometimes you find one thats really great, other times you find your noodles are covered in a substance that looks like dragon snot and your veggies are wilting worse than porn sausage at the end of a days shoot. The Great Wall in Rockford is the former. It was another scenario where we were the only people in the place and were expecting subpar Im on break service, but instead got fresh plates of crisp veggies and hot noodles, served with outstanding tea, and presented in a way that could easily demand a $100 tab, but fortunately for us was only about $8 a plate. The hostess was nice and made sure the vegetarians in our party werent ordering stuff that would make their heads explode. No buffet at The Great Wall, but the entrees more than make up for it. The Great Wall is also open all week.
The Best Steak House 516 North Grand Boulevard St. Louis MO 63103 314-535-6033
Right around the corner from the new Creepy Crawl, The Best Steak House is one of the best greasy spoons Ive eaten at in a long time. The House has been serving up gigantic steak and chicken sandwiches to St. Louians since 1964, and walking through the door feels like a step back in time. You almost expect to see an alligator-shoed John Lee Hooker sitting in the corner, softly croaking Boom Boom to himself while gumming a French fry. The setup is cafeteria-line style, and you can tell they get extremely busy from time to time by the way the grill cook barks like a drill sergeant. Nex! Ill have the chicken san- Nex! Ill have the stea- Nex! Ill have the grilled chee- Nex! Nex! NexNexNex! Anyway, they grill the buns, which is good, and the portions are huge enough to make you feel like that first guy that got killed in Seven, except maybe not so pukey. The Best Steakhouse is open all week and actually has a website, which is www.thebeststeakhousestl.com.
Brazil hasn't posted any shows yet.
Location: Muncie, IN
Members: aaron, newby, eric, nic, philip, james
The Philosophy of Velocity
Oct 03, 2006
A Hostage and the Meaning of Life
No release date
Dasein
No release dateImmortal Records
Waking Ashland
Rock / Alternative / Indie
Hot Rod Circuit
Alternative / Rock
immortalrecords
Alternative / Rock
Brazil
Alternative / Progressive / Rock
ALL GROWN UP
Long Island, NY
Break Away
Lawrenceville, NJ
stayover
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Unwanted Superheroes
Pembroke Pines, FL
Heirs
Port Huron, MI
Rock It Recordings
Valparaiso, IN
Blueturnswhite
Portland / San Diego / Anchorage, USA
TEXTBOOK
Chicago, United StatesMusic & More
Connect
Bland Info
nicky*palumbs
I\'ve waited since \"A Hostage and The Meaning of
Life\" for you to come to LI. The one time you do, I am
away at college. :-(
posted Feb 21
Jerico
Good
guys http://www.purevolume.com/okidoky_rock http://www.
purevolume.com/romobe http://www.purevolume.com/mxpx ht
tp://www.purevolume.com/strappingyounglad
posted Feb 11
mychemaiden
thanx for being a good band from my homestate...i
really love yoor music..<3333
posted Feb 09
noeyes4blindguys
yall are niffty
posted Dec 19
ASTRONOMER
Yes! I\'m from Indy, come to Indy soon! Love the music,
it kicks ass man!
posted Dec 13
calipsy
hi there! I have a question: why the name Brazil? Is it
the nick of one of the members or what? I couldnt find
anything about it in any of the links in your billboard
info...nice music! Couldnt hear it all yet, but Ill try
to visit this place more. Thanks :)
posted Nov 20