timblane's Journal
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I went to see Inglourious Basterds this past weekend- two thumbs way up.
It’s sad you can only see a Tarantino film for the first time once. I still remember seeing Pulp Fiction in the theater (we had to sneak in) and it blew my mind.
It’s been a chill month as far as gigging, so I’m psyched that we are starting our Rockwood Music Hall residency tomorrow in NYC (Thursday the 3rd if you’re scoring at home.) I’m hoping to be able to stream it on ustream.com. Just gotta figure out the technical stuff to make that happen. Fingers crossed. If not we’ll shoot for next week.
I also just discovered “Children’s Hospital” a web-only series featuring lots of funny people you already know. It’s pretty amazing. Apparently it’s from a year ago- not sure how I missed that one. But head to http://www.thewb.com/shows/childrens-hospital to check it out. Each episode is like 5 minutes long, so it’ll make for a good break from work.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Just finished up a great writing weekend with singer/songwriter/manabouttown Patrick Thomas, and got to hear mixes of a couple of his upcoming releases. They sound dope, not to worry.
We also recorded an episode of our new podcast, "Pat and Tim's Hodgepodge Podcast," which will be released as soon as we feel like it. Not sure what kind of podcast it'll be (hence the "Hodgepodge" in the title) but our thinking is that it'll be the two of us talking/singing/playing/interviewing and whatever else comes to mind. So, stay tuned for that.
What else have I been up to?
Well, for starters, I upgraded the dress code in my fridge to "Formal."
(The strawberries are the most enthusiastic so far, as seen below)
I also had a fun show opening for the talented Angel Taylor in Philly last week. It's always cool to have my own green room and fruit plate awaiting me, even if I'm still just "Opener." Now I've just got to get these guys back to my fridge for tuxedo and gown fittings.
That's it for now. It's Sunday, and I've got a crossword puzzle to finish. later!
-tim
Thursday, July 30, 2009
I'm holed up in my apartment with several bottles in front of me:
Bottle of Antibiotics for strep throat: Check
Bottle of Tylenol: Check
Bottle of Numbing Throat Spray: Check
Bottle of Ice Cream (Well a carton at least): Check
Bottle of Whiskey for fixing everything: Check
So now seemed as good a time as any to update the old blog. I had to cancel two shows today (Sorry MD and PA!) which is never a good option for a musician. But it had to be done.
Fortunately I didn't get sick until after a really fun string of shows this month since we released Side A of our new album, Trace. Still available 100% free at http://www.timblane.com/download
We got to play twice in DC at the Bullpen, a beer garden next to Nationals Stadium. One was before the Billy Joel/Elton John concert- I'm told that 10 minutes into that show Elton's piano was acting up, and he started complaining. So Billy jumped on stage and started looking under the piano to try to fix it. Here's a youtube link to a fan's video of that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HreiJNKKYyk&NR=1
We got to play the Acoustic Long Island Summer Festival, which included a trip on the LIRR from NYC. James, as you may know, has a tendency to fall asleep in pretty much any moving vehicle and usually in odd positions. So Reuben and I noticed that he was pointing down the stairs...
Then I headed into NYC for the 4th of July, and got to see the fireworks from the west side with some of my family and friends...
We had a great time in Rochester playing the East End Festival, despite the fact that a DMB cover band was playing with its speakers directly pointed at our stage. But life is short but sweet for certain, so we carried on. (A wink to the DMBophiles)
After the Rochester/DC trip, my car's transmission, as an homage to the current unemployment rate, decided to stop working. Nothing like going 10mph with your hazard lights flashing on a Massachusetts highway to cap off a 14 hour drive home.
We finished up the month with a great show at the Paradise in Boston. My favorite photo so far was this one taken by Fred Rupp. The best part is the girl yawning in the front row. We are truly a captivating band...
OK, that's all for now. Happy end of July!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hello blogosphere. It's Wednesday, July 8th, and I have new music for you. The FREE kind.
We finished our EP, "Trace (Side A)" and it's now available for download.
If you guessed that it's the first half of a full length album called "Trace," then you've got more smarts than your coworkers give you credit for. (And yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Don't get snooty on me, Smartypants.)
But, as I was saying, this new EP is ready for you to download. We so badly want you to download it, we put the word "Download" right in the link.
Observe:
www.timblane.com/download
And yes, you've got plenty of things to do this week...bills, tweets, laundry, and that picture of you and Uncle Murray at the lake that needs hanging. But we'd love if you took the time to also download the album.
AND...there's a feature built into the download page so that after you download it, you can enter all of your friends' email addresses, and they'll get an email directly from us!
So, in conclusion... I love you. And will love you even more if you download this EP and tell all of your friends about it. Even that creepy lady from Human Resources that smells like cough drops.
www.timblane.com/download
Good Talk- see you out there.
Current music: TRACE (SIDE A)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
If you are gonna take some time off from touring, it's nice to have a
good reason. So I'm happy to say that my November and December were
well spent, even if I wasn't playing shows. I got a chance to do a
really cool project for Apple. We filmed a bunch of beginner lessons
for learning guitar and piano that will come with each Apple computer
sold, as part of their recording software, Garageband.
The big unveiling was at the MacWorld Expo in San Fran, and I was
lucky enough to spend a couple days there soaking in all of the Mac
related fervor.
I got a shout out in the Keynote speech from Apple Sr. VP Phil
Schiller- here he is talking about our "Learn to Play" software.
Then we had a surprise performance by Tony Bennett, which was really
great- not surprisingly he sang, "I left my heart in San Fransisco"
I did a huge double take as I then walked over to the main convention
area, as I saw this giant poster of me (playing an E7 chord) that hung
above the entrance.
Inside was pretty wild. Apple had a giant presentation that included
rows of computers for people to test out their new software.
And 100's of other companies showed off their latest and greatest
goods. There were tons of iPhone cases, data recovery services, new
games, etc.
Even Berklee had a booth, where I got to reminisce with John and
Mike…I was an intern in their Berklee office for a while. They
admitted to being the only people laughing out loud during the Keynote
speech: "Didn't that Garageband guy used to make copies for us?"
There were some good ideas… who wouldn't want a SEXY laptop bag?!
Some bad ideas
And some that were seemingly at the wrong event, like this Delorean
pimped out to look like Doc Brown's time machine.
Oh, and Sinbad was there. Naturally.
Current music: Coconut Records
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
More than a year ago (3/30/07 at about 6pm to be specific) my friend Ben pitched me an idea for a music video for “Me Being Me” from our about-to-be-released album.
It was, I thought, a million dollar idea, and we agreed to get to work on it.
For various scheduling reasons, we didn’t start filming until this April in NYC. Ben then came up to Boston and we shot a bulk of it two weeks ago. And we are supposed to finish the shooting this month.
Things were looking great, and I was so excited to get the video out there this summer.
Then we got TOTALLY SCOOPED.
Weezer’s video for “Pork and Beans” came out today, and it’s almost the exact same thing as we are currently shooting. Same idea, same references, everything.
Eff.
I’m sure all of you will see the Weezer version soon, cause it’s about to spread like wildfire. But I guess I just wanted to assure those of you who read this that we arrived at the idea independently of them, (and most likely way before them.)
I love Weezer- they are a fantastic band. And I have no reason to think our idea somehow got floated to them.
It’s still frustrating.
But we are gonna put out our video anyway. And maybe in the end Weezer’s video will help spread ours on youtube. At least, here’s hoping…
Current music: Weez...oh dammit
Friday, May 2, 2008
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
Saturday, April 5, 2008
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
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
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…
Current music: Sondre Lerche
Friday, February 22, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
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...
Current music: Vampire Weekend
Thursday, January 31, 2008
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.
Current music: Who's That Pack
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
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.
Current music: Lupe Fiasco
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