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timblane's Journal
Friday, May 2, 2008
4:11PM - We put the Van in Pennsylvania
The next week we had a quick swing out to Syracuse and PA. In Syracuse we played at Upstate Medical School and beforehand hit up our favorite roast beef joint and brewery, Clarks. We were sitting enjoying our roast beef sandwiches (touring rarely equals eating healthy, btw) when a dude walked in carrying a satchel of beers. Turns out he was entered into the world beer cup in San Diego, and he had samples of his beers. So naturally we made friends with him immediately and got to try the official entries. I don't know how he fared in the competition, but he came in 1st place at the Tim Blane Band beer cup.
The next day Adam had to fly back to Boston, but James and I then headed to Pennsylvania for a cool bus tour with the Clinton campaign. We started out at Central Penn College with a show at around 9am. And considering the common bond that musicians and college students share- late wake up times- I imagine it was a struggle for not only the band. But the Dunkin Donuts coffee perked us all up and after we played we got to hear Erika Alexander (Maxine from "Living Single" and Pam from the "Cosby Show") speak, as well as Jehmu Green (founder of Rock the Vote) and Chelsea Clinton.
Then it was on to Franklin and Marshall U. in Lancaster, PA. Here are Misters Franklin and Marhsall. 
By the time we played it was noon and sunny and warm, so there was a big crowd…
At both stops Chelsea spoke for a bit and mainly took questions from the students. She's already been getting rave reviews for her performances at these college stops, and I heartily agree. She was poised, funny, and clearly knowledgeable about all the issues and her mom's take on them. Well done, Chelsea. :)
Here's a pic from F+M.
Finally it was on to Philly, the site of the Obama/Clinton debate. Unfortunately timing issue meant our show was cancelled there, but we got to walk around the streets and hang with all the supporters of both candidates as they chanted and cheered and held up banners.
I'm not sure, but I don't think that's actually Hillary…
James doing his impression of the big inflatable arm guy…
Ted Danson working the crowd a bit…
And couple of other assorted photos from Philly..
Thursday, May 1, 2008
1:19AM - "Just sitting, digging all the scenes"
Man- a lot has happened since I last blogged. At the moment we are driving from Erie, PA to Buffalo NY as part of the Crocs tour with OneRepublic and Fabolous. I think I’ll wait until we finish our last date with them to blog about that. But suffice to say it’ been frickin incredible.
But let me backtrack a bit.
A couple weeks ago James and I headed for a quick duo tour through Illinois and Iowa. I’ve probably said it before, but I really love our shows out in the Midwest There’s a real appreciation for live music and everyone is always so laid back and nice to us. We had a couple great shows at Illinois College and Loras College. And perhaps most importantly had amazing donuts here:
And home cooked bbq at a small shack of a restaurant called Smokey Joes.
Here's me posing with a miniature smokey:
The restaurant next door had a tempting offer...
so we hit them up first for some free smells before actually eating at Smokey Joes.
It’s also great when you have some time in between gigs and can stop at some of the historical spots along the way. We stopped at the Abe Lincoln museum and library in Springfield, Illinois, which is actually quite impressive. It was amazing to see the walls of political cartoons completely tearing him apart. Guess some things never change.
This is not actually him. He’s been dead for a while now. 
Ok, more tomorrow.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
6:58PM - My Stolen Laptop
To whoever stole my bag with my laptop, iPod, GPS, and other assorted things...
I'd really like them back. There were also some non-replaceable things in there, so please send them to me. No questions asked.
Email me at info@timblane.com or just leave it on stage at one of my shows.
I'll put "Thief" on the guest list at the next 10 or so shows, so you won't even have to pay the cover. -tim
Thursday, March 13, 2008
11:38PM - Fortunately, your transmission has napkins...
I’ll share a story I’ve been telling on stage recently, cause I just get such a kick out of it.
My brother Kevin was getting his car fixed last week, and there were few enough repairs needed that he just waited in the lobby for them to finish.
At one point he sees the mechanic come out, so he figures his car is done. But the guy is out there to help another customer. So while the mechanic, (we’ll call him Bob) is talking to the other customer, he notices my brother also standing at the counter. Here’s the conversation they have:
Bob (completely straight-faced): “Oh…hey. Sorry for the delay. Your motor has fried chicken.”
Bob turns back to help the other customer.
Kevin: ????
Bob: (minutes later, now finished with the other customer): “Yeah, like I was saying, your motor has fried chicken, but it’ll be done soon.”
Kevin: “Um….I’m not really much of a car person, so I don’t really know the slang. What does ‘my motor has fried chicken’ mean?”
Bob: “It means there was a big-ass piece of fried chicken inside your car’s motor.”
Kevin: “umm…ok. How did it get there?”
Bob: “Beats me. I’d ask the last guy that worked on your car.”
Kevin: “Uh…ok.” (presumably looking around for Ashton Kutcher)
Too good. I really think that “Your motor has fried chicken” is gonna be my new comeback from now on. How does someone respond to that? It’s both seemingly mean and utterly random at the same time. Perfect.
Friday, March 7, 2008
2:23PM - Breakfast at Timmy B's
It was a fun week and a half of touring at the end of Feb. Johnny D’s was a great time as always. My favorite part was playing the funk classic “Pass the Peas” with our horn section taking sweet solos. Then we brought the opening band, our buddies Pie Boys Flat, back up on stage for renditions of “You can’t always get what you want” and “Dixie Chicken.”
If anyone has photos of us all on stage, please email them to me!
James and I headed to Waynesburg College in SW Pennsylvania, where we met a couple, Matt and Michelle, that had just gotten married and used “Drifting and Driving” as their wedding song. So they got up and slow danced to it while we played, which was extra great considering they were wearing workout clothes.
We also hit up IOTA in Virginia, opening for Deep Blue Something. You might remember them from their big hit in the 90’s "Breakfast at Tiffany’s." So that was pretty cool/weird. You could see the place perk up when they played that one. Say what you want about one hit wonders…all I know is that they showed up in a GIGANTIC tour bus. So obviously residual checks are still coming in strong.
Though it was pretty hilarious when, after they played the hit song, one drunk girl said too loudly to another, “THAT’S weird. They just covered Vertical Horizon.”
Awkward.
Anyway, while in DC, James and I did the downtown mall thing, which is always fun. It’s weird that I grew up in DC but didn’t do the cheesy tourist stuff much. I guess it’s kind of like now living in Boston and I’ve never walked the Freedom Trail. But I digress.
We spent most of the afternoon at the Natural History museum seeing the dinosaurs and stuffed modern animals.
Below is James getting eaten by a dinosaur. He got out ok.
Also, maybe I’m just childish, but couldn’t they have made this drawing look a little less like there’s some dinosaur sexy time going on?
On Friday we hit up the Cutting Room in NYC. Let’s just say that a night isn’t going to plan when you get bumped by a famous sock puppet. That’s right, Lamp Chop was in town for a benefit. Shown here with her handler, a ventriloquist and dummy, and for some reason, Janet from Three’s Company. 
The benefit was supposed to go until about 9 or 9:15, then my friend Erik was gonna play, then we were supposed to play at around 10:45. Well I guess the Chop got on a roll and did several encores, cause we didn’t get to start playing until almost 1am. Thanks to those of you who stuck around- my apologies for the lateness. And for those of you who left- I totally understand. We’ll be back to NYC in May, so please come back. ☺
Finally, we headed up to Loon Mountain for WBOS’s “Music on the Mountain” series.
It was a fantastic weekend there, despite the fact that because of the huge snowstorm we had to leave after the NYC show and drive through the night to New Hampshire. But we managed to play a couple sets on no sleep, and they set us up in a sweet lodge for the weekend.
And clearly I was going by my alias “Tim Blain” Bunyan. Sad that I’ll never be as big as my brother Paul.
They also hooked us up with lift tix and snowboard rentals, so James and I hit the mountain on Sunday. I’ve been a couple times, so I can at least get down the mountain. James has never skied or snowboarded. So, while I didn’t have a camera there, let’s just assume this image is him…
Friday, February 22, 2008
5:18PM - Trailer Trashed
It was a bittersweet "Who's That Pack" tour for me, as I struggled through the flu for the whole second half of the tour. So that meant not singing and/or missing 6 of the last 7 shows. Boo.
It also meant instead of partying afterwards with my boys, I was holed up in hotel rooms sweating through the chills. That's a good time.
But, here are a bunch of photos from the tour. (Mainly from the first half, since I wasn't in much or a picture taking mood during the flu times.)
And finally this one. We were driving along the highway in NJ when a girl in the car next to us started frantically pointing to our trailer. So we pulled over and found we had left the door wide open. Fortunately nothing fell out. Though, come to think of it, I haven't seen Chad in a while...
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
8:11PM - Putting the MF in WMFO
When I was younger, I always thought that doing an acoustic set at a radio station would be super-cool. I've done a few now, and each time it makes that giddy child inside me very happy. So I was understandably excited to play at WMFO Medford last week. We had a live show at the coffee house downstairs, an in-studio acoustic set, then an on-air interview.
"If you could come back as a kind of food, what would it be?" was one of the questions posed to us. I can honestly say that was a question I was not prepped to answer. I believe I said Honeydew melon. Which is lame, but I don't know if there's any good answer to that question anyway.
Here are some pics from the performance, dedicated to 13 year old Tim Blane.
What was funny was the "John Ashcroft is watching you" signs all over the studio. C'mon guys- get the signs updated. Mike Mukasey is the one watching us now...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
12:13AM - The Boys in the band ordered Boat Drinks...
I've now officially played my first gig in International waters….sort of. I went on the "Rock Boat" which sailed from Miami to Jamaica and back. It was a great 5 days of nice people, sun (some of the time) and great music. I wasn't an official performer (artists like me are known on the boat as "stowaways") so I had to resort to guerilla tactics like playing next to elevators (and sometimes in them.) Below is a pic of the beginning of one such show with my buddy David Andrew Smith.
It was overall a really cool experience, and I managed to avoid sea sickness, which is always a bonus.
My favorite band on the boat was the Alternate Routes (pictured below onstage with Stephen Kellogg, Kyle Riabko and the Sixers) and they killed it as usual.
I also heard a couple of new bands that I really dug… Sons of William and Bain Mattox.
And then of course there were the bigger headliners such as Sister Hazel, Matt Nathanson, Pat McGee Band, Josh Kelley, Stephen Kellogg, etc. All putting on pretty sweet shows each day.
Josh Kelley, clad in bathrobe and big sunglasses, hosted an open mic I played. He was hilarious. Below is our (seemingly electric) handshake…
Most importantly, I managed to avoid leaving with an attractive tan, cause I'm Irish and that's what we do. Oh well.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
1:34AM - Oh, 8!
Happy January, everybody.
It’s been a great first couple of weeks- spent the last two weekends rehearsing with the Who’s That Pack in Brooklyn. I’m more than a little excited about our upcoming tour.
Patrick conducted “Man on the Street” interviews with inanimate objects, Chad and Syd incorporated drums into our set, and Todd… well, let’s just say Todd is so dedicated to rehearsal he will literally sleep in the studio. (Sleep, of course, being a code word for “Passing out accidentally.”)
Shifting gears...
I generally like to keep my politics and music on separate wavelengths.
I don’t write overtly political tunes, nor do I use the stage as a pulpit. Just not my style.
But considering our first gig of 2008 was at a political rally in front of 3500 people, I’ll at least mention it. A friend of mine works for the Clinton campaign and she hooked us up with the sweet gig of getting to perform at the pre-election day rally for Hillary in Manchester, NH.
Now, I’m not taking full credit for Hillary’s win the next day, but I’m thinking that other campaigns should really pay attention to the patented Tim Blane Band bump….
Also, for those of you into comedy that’s a little bit out there, check out ‘Tim and Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job.” (The Tim is Tim Heidecker, not me.) They have a video podcast you can download for free, which will likely make you wanna buy “Awesome Show, Great Job” on iTunes. That and the Duchovny show, “Californication” are my current new obsessions.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
10:29PM - What a year
A few thoughts about this past year…
2007 was a great one for me and the band. We got to play 107 shows (give or take a few) in 21 different states. (That count doesn’t not include states such as drunk or confused. That’s for another list)
There were a whole lot of firsts for us:
First radio play ever (thanks WBOS!)
First album recorded with actual band members on the album (thanks James and Adam!)
First magazine cover (Thanks Metronome!)
First Boston Music Awards nomination (Thanks, voters!)
First Boston Music Award loss (Thanks a lot, Montbleau! I kid, I kid)
First festival performance (Thanks Earthfest!)
First radio chart appearance (Thanks Powderfinger!)
First Red Sox Rally performance (Thanks Mardi!)
First appearance in the Boston Globe (Thanks WBOS!)
First headlining shows at Johnny D’s and the Paradise Lounge (thanks, fans!)
Like in any year, there were downs too. One big down is that our fantastic keys player, Steve Mossberg, is gonna be leaving the band. It’s a completely amicable break, and we honestly wish Steve all the best. He’s gonna be focusing on teaching music and composing more music of his own. So it was just too difficult for him, schedule-wise. But he is a true talent and wonderful guy, so we will miss him.
Thanks to all of you who have supported us this year. I think everybody is aware of how hard it is to make it as a musician these days. So every time you come see us play, buy a cd, or even just tell a friend about our music… it matters to us. And we love you for it.
I’m so honored when people tell me they drove for hours to come see a show, or that they have been listening to our cd’s on repeat.
One fan emailed to say a tune of mine helped him get through difficult cancer surgery. One couple had lyrics from one of our songs engraved on their wedding rings.
And I literally started crying on the streets of NYC when our friend Vera G played me a voice mail of all the six year olds she teaches singing “Undone” at the top of their lungs. Amazing.
Maybe one day I’ll get jaded and these things won’t matter to me (God, I hope not). But for now they make the whole thing worthwhile. So, a heartfelt thanks to everybody.
Here’s to 2008 bringing more music, more fun, and more great people into our lives. ☺
Happy New Years!
-tim
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
7:09PM - Love that Dirty Water
Hmmm, wonder why I haven't heard from James and Adam in a while...
Fall has been great so far- nice being back on the road a bit, especially returning to colleges like Uconn-Avery Point, Bucknell, Wentworth, NEC and Salve Regina, and seeing some familiar faces there.
We've been lucky to have James join us on a bunch of college dates, if nothing else for his artistic interpretations of hotel sculptures.
Of course, in his defense- wtf is going on in that sculpture?
Yesterday we joined the Red Sox, Dropkick Murphy's, Mayor Menino and a couple thousand Sox fans in City Hall plaza in Boston for "Rally Monday." We got to play one song, and then join the Standelles and the other bands on stage for renditions of their Boston classis "Dirty Water" and of course Fenway staple "Sweet Caroline."
It was pretty amazing. My first summer in Boston I went to see Guster play at the City Hall stage, and always wondered what it would be like to play on it.
Maybe one day we'll have our own concert on it, but for now, Rally Monday was pretty damn cool.
Adam, a lifelong Sox fan, was pretty much giddy the entire day. He also brought a Standelles cd he got as a kid and had them sign it.
Here's a slideshow of the day...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
8:34PM - We're about to jump out of a plane...on purpose?
Other than Notre Dame being 0-2 so far, fall is shaping up nicely.
I went skydiving a couple weeks ago (Here’s my landing):
We did a backflip out of the plane at 13,500 feet. I’m pretty sure I either blacked out for that part or my mind is repressing it, cause I honestly don’t remember much of the first 20 seconds. But it was an incredible experience- it really only feels like you are falling for the first little bit (while you are still accelerating) after that it’s more of a flying sensation. I was a bit nervous going in, but my fears were generally allayed by the presence of a grandmother in our training class. So I figured if she (and President Bush 41 at age 80) could do it, I probably could.
We also played a really fun Booze Cruise with Chad Perrone and OSB. (Here’s the view from the boat.) 
It’s been nice hitting the road again as well- last week we played 4 colleges and a club in Philly. We’ve been bringing James along and for the college shows (which tend to be in coffeehouse settings) he’s been playing the Cajon. Don’t know what a cajon is? Well, head here, silly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajon
Thursday, August 30, 2007
3:04PM - WTP...WTF?
When I got back to the states I immediately went on tour with the “Who’s that Pack”- namely my buddies:
PATRICK:
SYD:
CHAD: 
And TODD:
What a week.
We hit up NJ, DC, Philly, NYC and Boston. With a day off in DC to enjoy some 4th of July festivities.
Ok, since I'm like a month or so behind at this point, I'll keep it short...
Suffice to say I have more to write about this past weekend, when I joined the 4 gentlemen above for another show and a skydive...
Saturday, August 18, 2007
3:19PM - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
More from my Turkey/Greece trip in July…
After hitting up Istanbul we headed down to Greece for about a week. The highlight for me was definitely getting to jam out with “Yargos” the street performer in front of the Acropolis. 
We played some blues, some Greece traditional stuff, and some tunes of the band I was traveling with, the Alfred James Band. He had tamborines taped to both feet (not sure how long it takes him to walk home each night, but that’s a different story…)
We saw all the standard Greek ruins, including at the Oracle at Delphi (she told me I was gonna be hot for the next couple of days. Turned out to be true- at one point it was literally 130 degrees out one day we were there.) Hit up the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon. All were pretty amazing.
Overall a great time- the kids, while as boisterous and clueless as you’d expect 13 year olds to be, were generally really cool.
In a somewhat related note- I’m pretty stoked for the return of “It’s always Sunny in Philadelipha." The first epsiode of season 3 is up on their myspace page (www.mypsace.com/sunnyfx)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
8:13PM - Are all five times mandatory?
It’s been a crazy few weeks since I posted last. I’ve been out of the country twice, toured with the Who’s that Pack, played a couple of CD release parties. And that’s the just stuff I can talk about.
(Doesn’t that makes us seems like such badasses?)
I’ll try to catch up over the course of the next few posts…
Let’s start with Turkey/Greece. I somehow finagled a trip to the Mediterranean as part of the musical accompaniment to the Philadelphia Boys Choir. It was a whirlwind tour- 3 days in Istanbul and the rest of the time in assorted Greek cities. In Istanbul we sipped the finest Turkish Coffee…
Shopped for the finest in Turkish pharmaceuticals…
And played a nighttime show for the Mayor…
It's a really cool city, and even the hagglers on the street were clever. One came up to me and said, "Hello! how may I help you spend all your money!"
Another said: Hello! May I interest you in cheap stuff you don't need?"
More tomorrow….
Monday, June 11, 2007
7:06PM - If you applaud, I'll give you more ice cream
In the words of Amy Winehouse, “They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said, ‘No, No, No’…”
I kid, I kid. That’s a shot of Patrick Thomas and Chad Perrone, two of my fellow “Who’s That Pack” members. I believe that's around 5am on Sunday morning. I'm sure they totally planned to fall asleep like that.
We rehearsed this weekend (read: Went out drinking in NYC and then played, hungover, on Sunday) and it’s sounding hella nice.
We’ve got the myspace page up now (http://www.myspace.com/whosthatpack07
Adam and I played the “Scooperbowl” this week, which is a charity for the Jimmy Fund.
As you can see from the photo, our demographic is skewing younger and younger these days.
It’s not everyday when your audience members have faces covered in ice cream, and several of them decide to start spinning around and around for no reason. (Ok, maybe when we play Burning Man, but that’s another story.)
I also really like the one kid covering his ears. A born critic.
A week from today I’m off to Greece for a 10 day tour with my friends the Alfred James Band. Naturally I’m pretty dang excited. So that’s why I don’t have any more June dates scheduled in the states, in case you were wondering.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
6:06PM - Nice Marmot
Headed back to Sidwell Friends in DC for another assembly last week. While there were no bras thrown on stage this time, (courtesy of a pre-show announcement warning everybody against it by the Dean of Students) it was still a lot of fun, and the students were all really enthusiastic, as shown below.
Adam was able to join me for the trip, and see where I got my formative education.
I exhibited it quite well when a student handed me a 50 dollar bill and said “$25, right?”
I said, “Wait, you are paying 25 or I owe you 25?”
She gave me a very strange look and quietly responded, “Well…both, Tim.”
Yeah, so it turns out I’m an idiot.
We did get to tour the new Middle School, which is completely Green. (In the environmental sense, not the Sherwin-Williams sense.) It’s all the rage in the architecture world. Like at This Site
That’s it for the moment. I’ll leave you with a sign I saw recently. I’m hoping this is a company or a band or something. Otherwise, whoever put up the sign is the most polite (crazy?) person ever. I’m wondering if their house is littered with signs like, “Welcome, Tax Auditors!” and “Beware of My Constant Hugging” and of course “Ask Me about Kicking Me in the Nuts!”
Thursday, May 31, 2007
3:18PM - We enjoyed our Fest
What a weekend!
We joined about half of Boston out on the DCR Hatch Shell for WBOS's Earthfest 2007. It was a gorgeous day, the free samples were flowing, and the Tim Blane Band, (titled Tim Blane and Human Development for the day, thanks to the suggestion of a 5 year old named Hersh) took to the "Boston Music Stage" to join in the fun.
Below is a slide show of a few pics from that day, ranging from Adam's mom and daughter (with the best hat of the day, obviously) to a shot from the side of the stage of KT Tunstall, to a screen cap of my live appearance on NECN the day before.
It was an exhausting and incredibly fun day. We got to meet the radio personalities of our favorite station (WBOS 92.9) as well as a few of the artists performing on the mainstage, like Guster and Grace Potter. That night we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for the afterparty to catch a set from rock legend Tim Finn.
Thanks to everyone that came out. Now get out there and recycle!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
1:29AM - Off like a what now?
Here’s a photo from a motel I stayed at recently. Notice the third starred item.
I’m not sure which scenario is worse…
1. The motel realized how amazingly shitty it is, and figured that it might take someone more than 5 minutes to figure that out. At which point they were denied the refund.
“Gotcha!”
2. The motel figured what exact time would work to keep people from, ahem, using the bed and quickly asking for a refund. I’d love to think that they originally had it at 8 minutes, but kept getting burned on the refund policy. “Dammit, Phil, I TOLD you that last guy to check in wasn’t gonna last for 9 minutes! That’s it…I’m taking it down to 5!”
We had a great show in NYC this weekend with Pie Boys Flat. We’ve been going with the “rotating band name’ thing lately, and based on Adam’s ruffled shirt, we were dubbed “Tm Blane and Prom Night.” Thus the photo below of me with our friend Joy
Apparently that’s how you pose at Prom. Somehow I missed that portion of my own prom, so I finally have that missing piece of memorabilia. For the record, Joy ditched me midway through prom for a football player. Apparently his parents were away for the weekend and his big brother “totally bought him 3 kegs.” Thanks a lot Joy. I had to cruise around alone in that limo with the driver for 3 hours.
Monday, May 21, 2007
3:16PM - Whoaaaaa, hanging tough!
And he’s back for more…
Did I mention I’ve got an album that’s nearly out? I’m quite excited.
(This is where you say, “YOU’RE excited? Check out these nipples!”
And yes, I know that’s childish. But if Bob Costas can say it in BASEketball, you can say it alone in your room. Although, bonus points for screaming it out at work. In any situation, really...
Reminds me of the “Penis Game” we used to play in High School. It was pretty simple. Basically, whoever yelled “Penis!” the loudest during class won.
Ahh, those were simpler days. Now you’d probably have to text “PENIS!” to your teacher to win.)
But I digress. The album is rapidly approaching completion, and we’ll hopefully have it ready for Earthfest in Boston next week.
Oh, did I mention we are playing Earthfest? I’m quite excited.
(You know what to do here)
It’s gonna be a really fun day and a great show- Guster, KT Tunstall, John Butler Trio, Mat Kearney, Vega 4 and Grace Potter. And some of my good music friends are joining us on the “Boston Music stage” as well (Chad Perrone, Mieka Pauley, Will Dailey, and Jake Brennan.) It’s a free show, so if you are in Beantown, come on out.
That’s it for the moment. I’ll leave you with a picture from my show at IOTA in Arlington, VA recently. Please notice the act at the bottom. That’s right, Danny Wood from new Kids on the Block. I think it’s safe to now say that I’m big time. Before long I'll be playing at the same venues as former "Flock of Seagulls" members.
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