LAST CHANCE HONEY (C'MON YEAH!)

NYE
So it's no secret by now to Chicagoland that we, Model Stranger, are headlining the famous Elbo Room tomorrow night for New Year's Eve. Anyone lucky enough to attend (we mean you!) will be helping us kick 2009 in the ass and send it on its way and help us extend our hand to 2010 and say, “Nice to meet ya. Treat us right.”

If you're planning on being in Chicago for NYE and you still haven't taken advantage of the cheaper package online by order in advance (8pm-1pm OPEN BAR, champagne, party favors, US, etc) then you better do so right this second by following this link. It's okay. We'll wait!

FREE SONG

So every year, Richard Milne of 93.1FM WXRT in Chicago does a “Local Christmas” show which basically features a bunch of holiday greetings from local Chicago bands. We've decided to send ours from this year along to all of you for free. It's nothing fancy but it's our wish to all of you. Go ahead and listen to/download it here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/song_3054255

NEW VIDEO

We've also added a new video to “them Internets” (as a friend of our named Toby Jones would say):

It's a performance from this summer's I AM FEST and we think you'll love it. Watch it HERE:

NEW PHOTO SLIDESHOW

For those of you who missed our big Cubby Bear show last week with Our Lady Peace, we had some awesome photographers take some awesome shots for your enjoyment. See them here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/modelstranger/show/

STAY TUNED

We'll have a post coming up in another day or two to recap 2009 and preview some exciting things we have on the horizon for 2010!!

Love,

Model Stranger

(Stephen Francis, Kevin James, Vincent Joseph)

The Only Place You Should Be On NYE....

...is at The Elbo Room, drinking shots of Jameson with me.

Or us...but that would ruin the awesome rhyme scheme.

So here's the DEAL folks. Yes, the DEAL. That one, two, three, four capital letters - so you best pay attention.

You have only 2 days left to purchase your tickets in advance to share a magical evening with us. Help us end this year and decade on a positive note (pun unavoidable) and start the next year and decade off right!

If you buy your tickets online now by clicking this link, the price is $60 versus the $75 it will cost at the door. This event has sold out the past 4 years, so get 'em now!

The package includes an OPEN BAR from 8pm-1am. You'll get a champagne toast and party favors as well. There will be a DJ spinning all night upstairs, and downstairs, the set will be as follows:

Dan Tedesco and the Long Haul (9:00pm-11:00pm)

Model Stranger (11:30p-1:30am)

We'll be busting out all sorts of fun covers with our originals too! This is truly your last chance to see Model Stranger this decade!!!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THURSDAY'S CUBBY BEAR SHOW!!!!

Hey Everyone!

So if you didn't know, we're playing The Cubby Bear Thursday, opening for Our Lady Peace with our good friends Bullet Called Life (Facebook Event HERE)!

It's The Q101 Twisted Christmas After Party Show and tickets are just $10 unless you actually went to Twisted Christmas, in which case they're just $5.

The Cubby Bear told us this week that tickets are already close to 70% sold, which means this one looks like it's going to be a sellout!!

That said, GET YOUR TICKETS NOW SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT. It's going to be a huge show for us and we'd love to have you there!

Our set starts at 10:45pm. We were originally scheduled for 10-10:15pm but found out today that all of the sets have been pushed back. Make note of this is you were already planning on coming!

Afterwards, our good friends over at the Elbo Room are throwing us an "After After Party" as Tracy Jordan would say on 30 Rock.

Here's the Deal:
Free Admission and Drink Token (for 1 Bud Lt Draft) at Elbo Room with Cubby Bear Ticket Stub/Stamp on the 17th. 

It’s in the neighborhood and will be a lot of fun, so join us for that as well!

Bye Bye Birdy - A Requiem for Reverie and "So Whats in Store for Model Stranger?"

Bye Bye Birdy - A Requiem for Reverie

2 Year drummer of Reverie, Brad Elliott, commonly referred to as 'Bird' by his closest of friends, left 'the nest' for good on Dec. 2 2009.... Ummmm.

I was going to write this like an obituary but the truth is nothing has died. Brad is alive, his playing is alive, our friendship is alive, and Model Stranger is alive.

Although Brad waited until this week to announce his departure, he had intentions of moving on from this project earlier this fall and stuck around to help Kevin and I out until we found an interim or replacement. This we are grateful for and appreciate. It was a stand up gesture.

The truth is that sharing music temporarily is kind of like a one night stand. Capabilities are attractive features that bring musicians together and eventually, as in relationships... these things go numb. After 2 years, 53 shows, and a whole lot of traveling together, we slowed down and regrouped to make a new record. This is when it was realized that we had different intentions for our futures.

Personal details aside it needs to be known that this doesn't mean that we love each other any less than we did before but to put it simply we realized that we 'want to see other people'. This was an amicable split and we wish Brad the best of luck with his future endeavors and career as a drummer.  I personally started playing with Brad in a different project as early as high school and we have shared the stage more times than most. We have memories that can stack as high as a mountain together and I am glad we had an opportunity to work together on developing Reverie, touring, and contributing to the independent art and music scene.  If you see that man out, slap his ass and buy him a shot of Jameson. And to my dearest -

"You can be a fuck up. You can be a Big Big star"

Walk as you vomit silly.

- Stephen Francis

Model Stranger

So what is in store for Model Stranger?

Model Stranger is alive and well.   Kevin and Stephen have been joined by the very promising and talented drummer,Vincent Joseph, previously of Midnight Vendetta and Tonight the Prom.

Despite posting ads on nearly 20 sites, and sifting through about a dozen candidates, low and behold Model Stranger came to find the right fit for a replacement via...Facebook.

It wasn't until after the initial try out rehearsal that the band was informed of this ironic occurrence.

During a routine promotional push Kevin James requested that a new Facebook friend of his be a fan of 'Model Stranger'. This new friend turned to her boyfriend and exclaimed.... "Why does this band keep asking me to be a fan!?!"

Vincent Joseph sat down at the computer, Googled Model Stranger, and saw that there was a position open.

Vince then contacted Model Stranger, set up a tryout and since has been preparing for his debut as the new drummer of Model Stranger. His first performance will be on Dec.11th @ the Metro in Chicago.

Despite the annoying nature of promotion (on both ends) and incessant bass players that really want you to hear their band, friending your girlfriends on Facebook.... Social networking saves bands everyday and for musicians and music listeners worldwide.

For this we should be thankful.

Model Stranger

AND

Pre-sale tickets for Vincent Joseph's debut are available HERE

Type the promotional code MODEL (use all caps) for a discounted $6 ticket.

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES! RIP "Reverie". Meet "Model Stranger".

So we've hinted at big news, at coming changes, and now it's time to fill you in.

REVERIE IS NO MORE.

No, the band you've come to know and love has not broken up! We've just changed.

Reverie is now "MODEL STRANGER"

Now, you're probably asking. "What's the meaning of this? Why the name change?"

Well, the answer is simple: timing. We have grown a lot and our sound has changed. There was a new beginning for us that has been happening since the recording and release of "A Boy & His Crown" in 2008. Since we were so focused on touring and pushing that record, however, it was difficult for us to make an overall transition into a new mold at that time.

Now, given another opportunity, it felt like the right time to start with a clean slate. Thanks to our wonderfully dedicated and constantly growing fan base both  in Chicago and all over the Midwest, we feel this name change will not slow us down a bit. In fact, in has the opportunity to help our growth expontentially. In the Internet age it's important to be noticed online, and despite our successful efforts at building online fan bases on sites like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and others, it was still difficult to find us because of how common the word 'reverie' actually is. Well, we're not common and this helps us stand out even more!

This is a time of opportunity for us. We have some of the best material we have ever worked on happening now and some of our older Reverie material has recently found new life. Being able to take the best of what we were and add to what we are is a great opportunity for us to make a good record.

WHY 'MODEL STRANGER'?
When push came to shove, we chose the name Model Stranger because it was a name that is both light and dark, similar to our music. We like to think of it as an action too, but people can take it how they want. The special significance is the name represents a band that could be ideal to meet, but can also be doing things in their own way, something that may not be "same old" or "familiar".

MORE CHANGE ON THE HORIZON
There are a lot of really great changes that will go with the new name in the coming months. We're currently in development of a new brand/logo for the first time ever, and we will have a completely new website that will offer us a home base for everything we will be doing to promote from here on out, and will have increased social media integration.

NEW RECORD
Our new record is coming along great. We are taking more time on the back end than we usually do, so a lot of this awesome tension is building that will be great when it is time to perform live. This record is exciting and we are going into it with a lot more confidence that any other record we have done. We have a clear vision of what we want and who we are. How long it will take to finish is really to be determined by how badly we want to finish it.

WHAT NOW?
Well, we've referenced a lot of changes coming, but you don't have to wait on everything! You can begin supporting us in our new endeavors by interacting with us on the following sites:

LAST.FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Model+Stranger
Last.fm is a very cool music discovery site. It recommends music, videos and concerts based on what you listen to. We have A Boy & His Crown up there under the name Model Stranger and have had listeners from all over the world tuning in in just a short period of time! You can help add to our fanbase and listening numbers and also discover all types of new music as well. Download the FREE Last.fm application to your computer, and when you listen to music on your iTunes or iPods, Last.fm will track it and make "charts"! It's pretty awesome. You can help us by downloading this application, and then in your current iTunes or iPod music folders, changing "Reverie" to "Model Stranger". Then, when you listen to us, it shows up! If you want to see how a personal profile on Last.fm looks, check out our manager Coate's profile HERE.


THESIXTYONE 
http://www.thesixtyone.com/modelstranger/
This may be our new favorite music discovery/sharing community on the whole Internet. It's fantastic, really. We can go into a whole description of it, but it might take a while. The gist is that you join for free and the site starts introducing you to new music! The more you listen and "heart" (or like) a song, the more the site learns about your interests and suggests music for you. It's like Last.fm and Pandora but with more interaction among users. We've had some songs up here for a week or so and the response has been fantastic. Our song "Monster" was actually featured on the home page a few days ago! You can help us get featured and noticed even further by signing up and "hearting" our songs! It's worth it. :-)

OTHER SITES
And of course you can connect with us on all your favorites!
FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/ModelStranger
MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/modelstranger
TWITTER
http://www.twitter.com/modelstranger
ILIKE
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Model+Stranger
PURE VOLUME
http://www.purevolume.com/modelstranger
BANDCAMP
http://www.modelstranger.bandcamp.com

We're going to be changing our blog site as well. Over the coming weeks we'll be adding some pics and videos and audio from our recording sessions. We'll be leaking certain bits of this information to a variety of the sites listed above, so we recommend that you show the widest support possible and become a friend/fan on all of them so you can make sure to be completely up to date!

On our new Model Stranger Facebook Page we've set up a discussion tab. Tell us what you think of all this. Leave us comments on all our profiles listed above as well! We're looking forward to having you along during this exciting transition!

Big Pain in the Higher Brain

Murphys Law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". Given infinite time all possible occurances will eventually take place. This mathematical law cannot be dictated by any human and while I sit down to share my thoughts I have to admit that I do not wish it away. After all, what is life without variable? Change is the same whore dressed in different clothes. One day she will love you and the next day she will leave. Whether or not you want to, you always take her back.

So these last few weeks have been ironic, comedic, and tragic. The holy trinity of art. So for the record I am not complaining.

Things are moving along as well as they can be for us right now. We have hit a few road bumps which will hold us back a week or two in getting started full swing on this record, maybe more. In no particualr order of annoyance there have been quite a few things that have kept us from getting traction...

Outside of the obvious frustrations of recording a record, there also is the self humiliation process and the different beast that the studio is compared to the live setting. On top of this there is the relationship of the band to deal with and the relationship with yourself.  Going from the stage to the studio is similar to crawling back into the womb. It can be quite unenjoyable on the journey back up the canal but sure is nice once you are back. We currently are elbow deep at best. Our live show obligations that remain, Murphy's law (see above) and our lives in general have their hands gripped on our ankles saying... "No No No... Not yet".  We have discussed our goals for this record and made a rough track list and started kicking these monsters in the face. I personally cannot wait to be inside.

On our second day of recording my speaker on my amp blew. This was a drag but a minor hiccup in my opinion. We weren't actually going to be doing actual takes for awhile and the damage was hardly noticeable unless I pushed the amp to hard.

While setting up to do pre-production, on only our 5th day of working on the record,  I noticed a strange burning in my right ear... I didn't think much of it and proceeded to try and lay down scratch vocals. The vocal takes were wretched and over the next few days as things progressively got worse.  I had come down with my first ear infection! Although I was able to perform live with it this past Saturday (you can read about that show HERE), I have been unable to get going on the vocal front in the studio. My vocal confidence is down and my stamina is worthless for the schedule we are running. Too worsen the already delayed progress I woke up on Sunday my chest, nose and throat were all clogged up. It will be at least a few more days before I am well and a few more after that until I get my voice on track. Regardless of my health in the vocal area we have been getting into the studio and putting down scratch tracks, analyzing, feeling, adjusting, and it is going well but has been slowed down at nearly every turn.

This past Friday, before our show on Saturday, we were doing an overnighter in the studio. This way we are able to get twice as much time in compared to our weeknights. Our warehouse where we are working on pre-production has some issues with heat so it was quite cold. Already having an ear infection these conditions were not ideal for me to spend 14 hours in, but I am into doing this record as much as anyone in our camp. I still  have not figured out how this happened but in between guitar takes my amp suddenly stopped working. No power was getting to the tubes and the next thing I knew I was playing my guitar through Kevin's bass rig!  We woke up stiff and cold and got back to work on doing some pseudo mixes to hear how our arrangements were working out, packed up and headed off to the show.

Big changes are coming and the obstacles that continue to appear are nothing that will keep me or anyone involved in this record up at night. My intuition tells me that a broken voice, a broken amp, and a broken plan is the perfect starting point. This is a downward spiral, the worst part isn't over yet. After all possibles occurrences take place we will be provided with new tools to make a better record than the one before, getting the downswing out of the way now is just perfect. After all, what is life without variable.

I hear talking in the clouds... surprisingly I am almost tapped in. I have been dizzy for days and WE have been tired for months. We will push and we will push and we will push and we will push and we will push.

Thanks for Reading!

~Stephen

IMPORTANT NEWS: THE LAST CHANCE to See Reverie in Chicagoland for a Loooooooooong Time....

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Reverie will be performing this weekend, on Saturday September 19th, at Chicago City Limits in Schaumburg. These shows are always packed with great people and the sound at City Limits is always fantastic. We are playing with 3 great bands. The show starts at 9:00 and goes all night.

It is a great way to go out for 2009. That is right, this will be LAST REVERIE SHOW IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I'll say it again. SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH is REVERIE'S LAST CHICAGOLAND SHOW.  It is not that we will not be performing live, butbecause we will be performing on the road.

Also performing at Chicago City Limits this Saturday September 19th: From The Broken, Moxxy (last show of 2009), and The Innocent - three very different and very good bands. Please come early and stay late!

BELATED BIRTHDAY FOR BRAD
Last weekend we spent traveling and performing out of town so Brad missed a chance to celebrate his birthday with ALL of his friends, instead of just us. Sadly we didn't do anything other than a bunch of shots of whiskey for him, so we are going to use this show as a celebration for Brad turning 27! Please come by City Limits and give Bradley a birthday hug and kiss and send him his most favorite thing on stage.... Whiskey!!!

BUT WHY, REVERIE, WHY?
People all day have asked me, "Why are you not going to play for so long in the Chicagoland area?" There are quite a few reasons for this. First of all, we have a great fan base and local band support in Chicago and I hate to continue playing if we don't have new material to offer them. They have been more than devoted and most wonderful to us in 2009 and really if we continue to drill these songs and this set in, I fear it will get old...because it will. At this point we already have some shows booked out of town and will continue to hit the road into the winter. Just no more Chicagoland shows.

OTHER THINGS ON THE HORIZON
Outside of those shows a majority of our next few months are going to be put into writing and doing pre-production for our upcoming full length release.  Since last August we have sold over 1000 copies of A Boy and His Crown and we cannot wait to finish what we started with our next release!

There is a lot of NEW coming and we are excited to bring it to you... Many opportunities are brewing and when we come out on the other side, we hope our fans are ready for everything that comes with this next transition! Keep your eyes on this blog for updates on Reverie from the road and in the studio. Video, pics and music will be posted occasionally through the process of this upcoming record!

We hope with all of our heart to see as many of you as we can on Saturday Thank you for such a great year and thanks as always for reading!!

Stephen Francis

A Return to Springfield and our first visit to Little Rock, AR. Happy Birthday to BRAD ELLIOTT!!!

This past weekend we did a short run down to Springfield and Little Rock. When we were invited to perform down at Midtown, a  late night billards bar in Arkansas, we were slightly hesitant because of the distance from Chicago to Little Rock. After deciding that it was worth it, we set up a show on our way down at the Keg in Springfield on Friday. Brad Elliott decided to spend his birthday performing. A beautiful sacrifice! Happy Birthday Brad!

When we arrived at the Keg it was great to see that almost everyone that had seen us when we played there in July was present. We had a 34-song set list put together for them and ended up performing a very long and hot 3 hours. Overall, the show went very well and Brad was feeling nice and loose from all of the Birthday shots that were being delivered to him.

To our surprise, on top of all of the return clientele, we also had quite a few people from Chicago and also some of Coate's friends. A few very devoted fans drove down from Chicago not only with a birthday gift for Brad but also with an open hotel room floor.  In addition, Coate had invited some of his friends from Illinois State University to watch us perform. Very nice sized crowd and great energy throughout the night. Thank you for a fantastic night Springfield, and thank you to new friends Alyssa, Adam, Matt and Craig from ISU and to old friends Vince and the ladies (you know who you are)!

After the show we headed over to the hotel room that was provided to us by our dear fans/friends and we were able to catch some  sleep on the hotel floor rather than the van floor.

When we woke up, we had a 7.5 hour drive ahead of us. It was at this moment that I thought... We are out of our minds. We were literally driving about 20 hours round trip to do 2 shows. In my gut I knew it would be worth it, though. Not only had I heard great things about Midtown, but I also knew that a late night crowd would be fun and rowdy.

Poor Brad got a ticket on the drive down. Happy Birthday Brad Elliott... Here is a speeding ticket. We arrived at the venue at about 9:30 pm, and still had 4 hours until we performed. We had a burger and a beer and set up our merchandise. Coate sent me around the venue to put down matches and at one point a drunk and angry patron took the book of matches I just put down and threw them at the back of my head. Just on par for an after hours bar. Drunk and rowdy.

See, our set was from 1:30 am to 4:30 am which had new implications - playing to a crowd of people already hammered and performing when we are usually getting off stage. This was going to be interesting.

Brad, Kevin, and I laid down in the van and took a nap until midnight when Coate woke us up. It was time to sound check...

The crowd was nice and full when we started. The previous night we came out with some 'softer material', but after I had been assaulted I figured we could come off with our 'heavier' (which is a funny word in Reverieland) material. This worked well! We performed some of our earliest songs in our catalog first. By the 5th song of our first set we had the crowd engaged, and over the next 2 hours we ended up winning them over. Many shots were delivered to the stage, the tip jar was hefty, and we sold a good amount of merch. So in the end we made new friends, we performed well, and came home with some cash in our shallow pockets. Not to mention, most importantly, the booker was satisfied.

We finished loading up at 5:30 am. Coate had stayed sober and somehow energized enough so he could get us on the road and back to Chicago promptly. With the sun coming up and 10.5 hours of driving ahead of us I layed down to get some rest. Shortly after hitting the road we had to pull over just once so Brad could puke up some whiskey, but before I knew it we were about half way home. I got up and took over the wheel bringing us the rest of the way home. I finally made it to my house about 6:00 pm. I was asleep by midnight.

Long weekend. Lessons Learned. Thanks for reading.

Stephen Francis

ROAD TRIP PLAYLIST:
So with a 10.5 hour drive ahead of them, what tunes does a band listen to?

COATE DRIVING, KEVIN SHOTGUN:
The Dissociatives - some tracks from their Self Titled album
Mute Math - "Armistice" album
Radiohead - "OK Computer" album, "Kid A" album
Foo Fighters - first few tracks of "Skin and Bones" live album
Phoenix - "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" album
Stereophonics - few tracks from "Pull The Pin"
Kenny Loggins - "Danger Zone" and "Footloose" tracks (Kevin's choices)

STEPHEN DRIVING, BRAD SHOTGUN:
Bright Eyes - "Fevers and Mirrors" album, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" album
Derek & the Dominoes: "Bellbottom Blues" and "Layla" tracks
Fleetwood Mac - "Don't Stop", "Go Your Own Way", "The Chain" tracks
Harry Nillson - "Without You", "Coconut" tracks
Lou Reed - "Transformer" album
Muse - "Black Holes & Revelations" album (Much to Coate's delight)

LATER ON DURING THE DRIVE:
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Nina Simone - Greatest Hits
One Black Tooth - Ball Coffee

Interview with Stephen Francis for Bandcamp.com

Taken from http://www.bandcamp.com

Stephen Francis on "A Boy & His Crown":

WHAT INSPIRED THIS ALBUM?
I was personally shedding skin at the time and spending a lot of time listening to a lot of David Bowie, Beatles, Radiohead and other ambient pop formats. I wasn't consciously going for anything when I was writing other than not repeating what we had done with our previous album "Shaky Coma", which I was not very happy with. I wanted to shed musical skin also and 'get to the point' in our songs. Not in a pop way but avoid excess instrumentation and have stronger arrangements overall so the songs could be played with just an acoustic guitar if need be.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
The EP is kind of a short narrative, not in any chronological order, but the themes represent innocence and power.... A Boy - Is the youth/delusion/hope and the Crown - represents entitlement from age/responsibility/power. And in the end the message is to hold onto what you believe. The perversion of innocence is a painful experience that most of us never truly get over.

For example 'Sound the Sirens' is about this make believe king in this make believe kingdom who suffocates everything he loves, but he doesn't know any better. "... karmic horses are changing courses..." - He is delusional believing that inevitably those who do not love him back will pay for it. You put a person of power into a situation of love and he doesn't view it the same as a young and naive boy.

IS THERE A THEME?
Yes. The theme is a more of a question of whether or not we, as humans, can hold onto our peace of mind when we are put into unwilling positions of power. Some people are not ready to grow up, some people do not want to lose their innocence. It is a rite of passage that we all go through worthy of us studying as a collective. Take 'Monster' for example.. The music is jangly but the message is dark. Every adolescent goes through these trials and I still haven't decided if I am okay with the things that were taken away from me.

WHERE DID THE NAME COME FROM?
I had this crazy idea that had something to do with a childrens book. Anyways, I was peeking around in libraries looking at childrens books and I wanted something that would be simple but say a lot. A Boy and His Crown... the innocent and the jaded. The angels and the monsters. Very simple themes that both children and adults could understand.

WHO DESIGNED THE COVER ART?
The cover art was done by Neil Danaher. He had assistance from Dick Thorn whom illustrated the boy and the crown. Neil did the formatting, layout and design with his graphic work and Dick's illustrations. Very great work.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU (FROM FIRST IDEA TO FINISHED PRODUCT)?
We actually were gifted some studio time so it took a lot longer than it needed to. It was not our time so we were only able to record when the studio was available. In addition our original drummer left after we recorded the first two tracks on the record. In the end we did it in three sessions... all on analog at Fat Recording in Mundelien, IL. David and I became very good friends when we met a few years back. I had sent him a few songs and he was supposed to pick one that he wanted to record.. He ended up liking them all so much that he offered to do the whole EP. We were in line to record a full length but do to the opportunity and the quality of his work and gear we went with doing only 4 songs as kind of a preview to what is coming next for Reverie. We ended up mixing it at our warehouse in Schaumburg, IL.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN RECORDING IT?

After doing "Shaky Coma" on our own we were well aware of the dangers and pitfalls of working in the studio. We spent a lot of time doing pre-production and trying the songs out at different tempos, thus eliminating the challenges we had our first few times through the studio. The biggest challenge was the transition of bringing (drummer) Brad Elliot in and basically starting over while we were still moving ahead. We went from doing a 14 song record to doing a 4 song EP that we virtually had no control or idea when we would be recording. For example, we were practicing one Saturday when my phone rang and David (FAT Recording) called me. He explained that it would be a good day to do a song. We then had to rush out and do all of the album takes for 'Monster'. Not being in the studio mindset and then being thrown in can really be a challenge, but in the end I feel we rose up to the occasion pretty well for the circumstances at hand.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RECORDING PROCESS ON THIS ALBUM AND IN GENERAL:

Our recording process on this record was very different than previous sessions. Because our studio time was limited I did a lot of extra keys and guitars as 'just in cases'. So our arrangements were very crowded at the original mix. When we took it back to our warehouse Kevin, Brad, and I were able to take away from the mix and build the songs from the bottom up. Previously we had always figured out our arrangements before recording which left us always adding more.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE FINAL PRODUCT?
Yes and no. For the circumstances that we were under we did a really good job. Essentially these are very good demos, however if we could afford the allotted time to do these songs with some more time and not so '1 take' mentality we possibly would have performed with a bit more confidence. It is a bit safe for my liking, but sonically and arrangement wise it is the best work we have been part of. The songs are fun and interesting. On my satisfaction chart I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.


WHO ELSE PLAYED ON IT OR WAS INVOLVED (MIXING/MASTERING)?
'Morning Paper' was mixed at FAT Recording. Everything else was mixed at our warehouse in Schaumburg. I also added some backwards guitar and synth to 'Monster' post production. Bruce Breckenfeld put down a really nice B3 solo. I basically told him my idea and he shredded it. Matthew Kittner (Reverie's previous and original drummer) played the drums on 'Morning Paper' and 'Hang On To Yourself'.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
It is a preview to a really exciting and colorful record that will be coming out near the end of the spring 2010. We have already sold a little over 1000 copies of "A Boy & His Crown" touring and through live shows... which shows me that this music translates better live.

PEOPLE WHO LIKE (INSERT ARTISTS/ALBUMS HERE) WILL LIKE THIS ABLUM:
People who like indie music will like this album.

ANY OTHER THANKS?
Thanks to David Martorana for his gift of studio time and his endless stream of brilliant advice.

--

REVERIE'S "A BOY & HIS CROWN" IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT:
http://www.reverie.bandcamp.com

--

FURTHER BOOKING/PRESS INQUIRIES CONTACT:
Andrew Coate - Collaborate Management
collaboratemanagement@gmail.com
708.259.4372

In Case You Missed The Elbo Room Show...

Watch a live performance of "Time Machine" HERE:

'Birthday Suits for Bender' - Sept 5th @ the Elbo Room

This past year I have made many new friends in the 'industry'. A lot of them have been made by attending shows, others have been made when touring, but a majority of these new friends came out of my experience working with Chicago Noise Machine. It is easy to make friends when you are joining a group of like minded individuals, but I never thought I would get so close to so many bands and individuals! One of the closest friends I have made in these experiences is Brian Bender.

I first met Brian booking a show at the Elbo Room. I was upset to find that good ol' Skip Warner had moved on from talent buying and this new guy, Brian Bender, would now be handling the shows. He vibrated at a higher frequency and his laughed creeped me out. Needless to say our first conversation turned out pleasant and I looked forward to working with him again. The date has slipped away from me. It was sometime last year...but ironically enough the first bill we booked with Brian had one of the bands cancel. In order to not leave a gaping whole in the night A Birdsong Valentine, a band that Brian sang in, rushed over from an earlier gig and filled up the slot. That was a really stand up thing to do and also gave me a chance to meet Brian face to face and for Reverie to melt his face off.

Later on in August of 2008 we joined forces with Chicago Noise Machine and ever since I have been working with Brian (and many other lovelies) on a day to day basis. Even without Chicago Noise Machine I would have seen Brian out at shows or on stage, but Chicago Noise Machine keeps us REALLY close. We have since had the opportunity to work closely on all Chicago Noise Machine endeavors. I probably spent at least on hour on the phone with him daily and had endless number of emails shared during the grueling creation of the first I AM FEST.

Every year Brian has an annual birthday bash. If you have ever seen the flyer it says "Brian Bender's ______ Annual Birthday Bash" and there is a picture of Brian's face smashed up against a pane of glass (example from last year HERE or to the right if you're reading this on Blogger). This will be the third year he is having it at the Elbo Room. I was surprised to recently find out that Brian has never seen the Elbo Room sold out. This is surprising because he WORKS really hard with the bands he books and on the Elbo Room. This man deserves a sold out show. Usually A Birdsong Valentine performs at Brian's Birthday Bash, but unfortunately the band has decided to move on to new opportunities, thus leaving a gaping hole in the night of Sept 5th. When Brian offered the slot to Reverie I couldn't resist. Not only would I love to perform at my friends birthday party, but if you can recall from earlier REVERIE owes A Birdsong Valentine a solid.

I want to sell out the Elbo Room for Brian and I want to be part of the first sold out show since Brian has been at the Elbo Room. Brian is an integral part of the 'scene' or 'industry' if you prefer, and any and all bands, other industry folk, and friends should help make this happen! Reverie is making the ultimate sacrifice. Say goodbye to cool jackets and tight jeans....

In order to give Brian his ultimate birthday wish we (Reverie) have agreed to play naked if the Elbo Room sells out on Sept. 5th (Brian Bender's 3rd Annual Birthday Bash). Lets give this man what he wants. After all.... It is his birthday!

'Birthday Suits for Bender' - Sept 5th. @ The Elbo Room.

Exciting News from Reverie!

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Hey Everyone!
We wanted to take the time to thank all of you for the fantastic support you have given us over this past year – and oh what a year that has been for Reverie!mTo take a look back on the year we have highlighted some of our favorite moments.

August 2008: ‘A Boy and His Crown EP’ release party at the METRO!

September-November 2008: Creation of
Chicago Noise Machine and massive sold-out Launch Party at the Cubby Bear!

January-February 2009: Filming and release of official music video for “MONSTER”.

March – May 2009: Creation of the I AM FEST

June 2009: Performance in the I AM FEST at the Congress Theater, Reverie signs with Andrew Coate from Collaborate Management

July 2009: Taste of Chicago show, NASCAR Chicagoland Speedway show, 15-show-in-16-day tour!




JULY TOUR FOLLOW UP
What a wonderful year it has been! Outside of the many numerous 3 day runs and one off shows in college towns, Reverie spent 2 weeks on the road this past July. This tour was full of both triumphs and trials, it served as a great time of growth, both as a band and as individuals. Overall it was a huge success for Reverie. For those of you just becoming familiar with Reverie or just joining our various groups spread across the vast and magical Internet-land, we kept a journal of our adventures – complete with pictures and video that you can access right here (just scroll down the page after reading this entry!)

Please take some time to read our entries and share in our experiences with us. We would absolutely love to hear your feedback on what’s here, and also on what you would like to see and hear from us as we move forward! We’ll continue to update that site regularly.


BRIAN BENDER'S 3RD ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH @ THE ELBO ROOM
Speaking of moving forward, now seems as good a time as ever to announce our first big “homecoming” show in Chicago! Mark your calendars right now because here’s this info: (seriously – stop reading this and grab a pen to write this down. We’ll wait…………..)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH
Reverie @ ELBO ROOM
(2871 N. Lincoln Ave)
9PM

We’ll be playing with some very talented artists named Mason's Case, Digital Mindy and Band Called Catch (Matthew Alfano of Mason's Case and Digital Mindy played with us at I AM FEST!) The show starts at 9pm and is also a birthday bash for our good friend Brian Bender. For those of you looking to catch up with us since we toured, and anyone else who has yet to catch us live, this show will absolutely be for you. So….BE THERE!

MA – MAAH – MA – MONNN – STERRRR!
OH! And if you haven’t seen our official “MONSTER” music video, view it as part of our brand new video playlist (complete with some live clips from I AM FEST and our tour) HERE:



OUR GRATITUDE!
If you’re still with us here, thanks for reading all this! We appreciate your time. We look forward to hearing from you all and seeing you on September 5th! Check back often, as we’ll be adding quite a few new shows and have many more exciting updates in the coming weeks.

REVERIE:
Stephen Francis – Guitar, Vocals
Kevin James – Bass, Vocals
Brad Elliott – Drums
Also Featuring:
Aaron Hosek – Guitar
Thomas Miller – Keys



In the meantime you can keep up with us here:
http://www.youtube.com/reveriechicago
http://www.facebook.com/reveriebandchicago
http://www.myspace.com/reverieone
http://www.twitter.com/reverieband

*It has come to our attention recently that some of you have been receiving requests or messages from other sources claiming to be connected to Reverie. We want to apologize for any confusion caused by this and let you know we don’t condone such actions. We won’t tell anyone else to message/spam you on our behalf, we promise.* :-)

Reverie...Acoustic? Really? Really.

Way back on August 1st, we arrived back in town from our tour and played an acoustic set at our good friend Jacqueline's "Cosmic Circus" Art Opening (you should check out her art. It's fabulous, and it's right HERE.) at Star Lounge in Chicago. A great time was had by all. Below you'll find a few pictures we stole from people's Facebook pages and two videos taken by Kevin's brother Chris of the set. Enjoy!

MONSTER [ACOUSTIC]

SYCOPHANT [ACOUSTIC]

1,000 Lighters, The 'Real'Job In My Life, and An Ordinance That Kept Me from From It

Here is a brilliant concept and stolen idea...

I am in a band.
I need to get my band's name heard.
I have no money to buy materials and flyers suck. (Yes, I hate them too...
Get away from me band guy! You AND your lame ass flyer! Nice flyer dude...get a job...Do you really think that helps? Buy me a beer and I will show up?
Or my favorite... "Thanks. I am in ______ and we are playing this day. See you there.")


Nearly 30,000 Reverie flyers a year are trampled on and blown away by the wind. No one actually holds onto a flyer anymore, ESPECIALLY at a festival. How can you hold onto a flyer when you have to hold two beers and get your cigarettes out of your pocket?

Even if you put the flyer in your pocket you keep pulling it out thinking you have more money...but you don't...just someone asking you to spend money that you don't have. I hate that. I really do.

Sometimes these flyers go into the sewers where the feces and urine of my neighbors bleeds the ink that once used to spell REVERIE across the cheapest paper the Uptown Kinko's could sell us. And no one is at the show... not even the guy that told me about his show. He seemed nice. Maybe they didn't remember? Maybe they are waiting to come to the next one? Maybe people DONT LIKE FLYERS.

Last year I received a lighter from a friend. Okay, scratch that. No one gives away lighters. Lighters are stolen only. Suckers pay for lighters. People hate buying lighters. I hate buying them too. I ALWAYS lose them...ask Brad, Kevin or Coate....sometimes moments after I buy them, even. Hey, they all look the same!

So anyway, this friend's lighter said 'Thinner Teed". I lost it a few times, but then I would find it. And when I found it in a friends hand I said, "HA! That is my lighter!" Then they would agree, hand it back to me, and in the process ask, "What is 'Thinner Teed'"?

Eventually, curiosity killed the cat.

Like any good kid of the 2000's I went to Google and I typed in
T-h-i-n-n-e-r (Space) T-e-e-d

Voila! Boom.

Thinner Teed is a band. (That is the last plug I make for that band. After all I did have to Google them.)

What a great idea. I mean, why haven't we done this? They cannot be that expensive. Wrapping them cannot be that hard, and lighters go through hands as much as money. What if I could find a way to get my band name on a dollar bill? That would rock.

So low and behold when Lollapalooza came roaring around the corner and all of these music fans were going to be in Chicago ALL hanging out together, I was convinced we should do something to tell the Lolla folk who we are. Introduce ourselves via lighter.

We should gift them like that band but we should put our web address. What a great concept!

I told this story and discussed it a bit. It was decided that we were going to hand out 1000 lighters to see how it would work.

We ordered the lighters while on tour Thursday. We got home Saturday. The lighters came in on Monday. We remembered that we had agreed to wrap 1000 on Monday. We freaked out on Tuesday. We called our friend Jeffrey in California on Wednesday. We misunderstood his design on Wednesday. He resent folding lines on Thursday. We wrapped half of them on Thursday. We finished the other half on Friday. We handed them out all weekend. 1,000 lighters... and let me tell you, they went fast. People love free lighters.

Remember... No one buys lighters... They steal them... like the way kids and lazy twenty somethings steal music and the way artists steal marketing ideas... The files sizes get smaller, and the marketing ideas get shared and improved and shared. Squeeze it in. Not too much.. Just enough... Put peanut butter on both sides of that bread and the jelly won't leak through.

We put our band name on 1,000 lighters, wrapped them by hand and made them with love. We upped that band that I stole this awesome idea from simply by adding our website and leaving out the super groovy tie dye that made it impossible to read at a first glance. No one will ever have to Google REVERIE and NOT find us again!

Late Sunday I was feeling tired and I had some things to do for my 'real job'. I am a musician to the people that know and understand me but to the rest of the world I am only a guy on the 9th floor who plays in a band. I had to work on things for these people too, because they are good to me.

So I left Lollapalooza early. I had to get up for work early and it was almost 9:30 already. I still had band work to do and real work to do and other work to address. I walking out when suddenly I saw a glimmering sign in the distance. It said..

"The Chicago Promoters Ordinance Kills Indie Music"

I walked quickly up to the gentleman and I said. "You are god damn right it does. I have been looking for you. Aren't you with Jagoff?" and he said, "Yes I AM! Who are you?"

So I gave him a little background about how I am this guy in a band (Stephen Francis of Reverie), this is what we do (we play hard), this is what we are part of (independent music,Chicago,)this is what we are creating with friends (Chicago Noise Machine), blah blah blah and YOU should come speak at our next event about this ordinance!"




We chatted about a lot and I learned a lot. Gary is a hell of a guy with a heart of gold. For nothing in return this guy is sitting outside of the Lollapalooza gates sweating his nuts off in the heat. At this point he is trying to educate people on the dangers of the CPO. After all it does take away both the 1st and 14th amendment from Reverie and all of our favorite independent bands. At least in Chicago... for now.. if it happens. I can tell you if we do not stand up for our rights as artists, musicians, and more importantly as fans it will happen.

I ended up standing outside of Lollapalooza holding up this sign for nearly 2 hours, despite my previous engagements. What would another night lacking sleep do to me?

I got home an hour after my friends whom I left to get home early and no one believed my story.

"What?" I said, "I am not lying. They are going to tag me on facebook holding up the sign.... YES since I left. Why would I make that up? I have to get that work done now. Why are you laughing?"

I slept 3.5 hours last night.

We handed out 1000 lighters, I went rushing back to my 'real job', an ordinance got in the way.

If you don't know about this ordinance...Watch this documentary.

And this panel discussion.

Thanks for reading.

Stephen Francis

What Happens When You Break Your Own Rules of the Road

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMtkHQai-EE

Glory be to Gus's bar and all in Lansing

We almost made a big mistake today. We considered not playing a show for about 15 seconds. Thankfully we made the right decision.

When we showed up at Gus's Bar in Lansing I walked in to find out that we had been canceled. I was never notified that we were canceled. From what I knew we were still on to play "Happy Hour" at 4:30 for $XXX.XX, and now the club is telling me that they had no idea we were coming anymore. Mary, whom was helping us figure out the dilemma, had mentioned that at one point we were scheduled, but had been canceled. She called the gentleman who handled this show and came back and offered us half the money to play "Happy Hour". This show was set up third party, so from where we stood taking half the money was better than making no money at all. For all we knew we never were supposed to make the money we thought. It could have been pure miscommunication. Mary said, "If you guys want to play, you can start loading in, I apologize for the confusion". I felt like we weren't wanted and was feeling so tired that getting in the van and making it to Chicago by night seemed enticing.

I went outside and talked with the band explaining what had happened. Keep in mind that at this point we have played 13 shows in 14 days... We have played REALLY big stages, and we have played REALLY small stages. We have been asked to turn up, and we have been asked to turn down. Our last 3 shows... i.e. Pittsburgh, Annapolis, Cleveland we decided (based off of the crowd, feeling in the room, and size of the room) to play so unusually quiet that it was really messing up who we are as a band.

This was hard on Brad, and especially hard on my guitar tone. Guitar amps, especially tube amps, do not sound good at 1. So venturing once again into the unknown seemed intimidating. It takes nuts to lay yourself out there to a room full of strangers, especially when the elements are against what you usually do. Trust me when I say, and have been told, THIS WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER BAND. Playing outside of your element will force you to alter everything. Sometimes you find something you wouldn't have in a song or a move.. or how to move more with less space... or how to sing softer without sounding lame. "Stretching" as James from Union Pulse calls it. The life of an independent touring band is all about venturing into the unknown.

When I initially walked into Gus's I thought... "Here we are again". Small stage, older clientele, and no sound system. From previous shows this translates to... "Can you turn down?", or possibly and eventually some people taking offense to the volume of the band and leaving. Either one is bad for a rock band. We are not an extremely loud bands by any means. We play very dynamic... but when you are in a neighborhood bar... The locals decide what is loud not you.

Do not let this falter you. Like the note in my previous blog: Do not alter your performance based off of crowd analytics. The day after I wrote that note in my blog we played in Cleveland. A majority of the crowd had their backs turned and we sold only 1 cd. This was the down from the previous up in Pittsburgh when we sold a good amount of records and were tipped out very well by a lot of the patrons. Same scenario in Cleveland and completely different results. Sometimes, no matter how well you perform, you will not win over the room. This is a lot harder "Half - Staff", when you have even less control of how you are selling yourself.

With all of thougts on my mind; the heat, the thought of setting up the PA, loading in, and the thought of singing with a tired throat, I was ready to just say... "lets go". We discussed it and quickly my mind was out of the lazy and cowardly gutter. Reverie drove from Cleveland to Lansing... We are playing this show regardless of the outcome.

We set up quickly and got to our first set at about 4:30. The first 10 minutes or so I was unsure if these folks were just clapping because they wanted to be polite. Every performer has this insecurity. I just like talking about mine. Once again, I was wrong. By midway through the set a lot of the bar had changed their seating arrangements and moved closer to the stage. By the end of the set we had men and women from 21 to 60 whistling and cheering us on, not only between songs but while we were mid-song. Our set concluded and we were happy to see many of these bar patrons buying tee-shirts and CDs.

One of these patrons happened to be one of the owners. Ray was a co-owner and was just stopping in to have a drink. He ended up calling his friends and relatives and helped fill up the room for us. Ray and then Ralph, a regular, tipped us some extra cash and offered us money to do another set! I said.. "No way I can take that, but we can talk about doing another set with the bar". I can't take money from a stranger like that!

Ray assured me that we needed to stick around and perform again at 9:30. He offered us some more pay, some food and free drinks to do it all over again.

In all the years I have been playing, I have never come across a group of 20 people that wanted to hear the same 2 hours of music... again. Sheepishly, we agreed. Almost everyone in the bar stuck around for the next 3 hours until we played again and to our surprise more people showed up.

We did almost the same exact set, with some new covers thrown in and a few other originals we hadn't performed the first time. Once again we had the crowd lit up and when we finished all of the people that weren't there before, got in line to buy CDs and Tee shirts. We were happy to sign the tee shirts and CDs for them. We spent some time meeting a lot of these people... Ralph, Ray, Justin, DJ, Kaitlyn, Candance, and Doug to name a few! Thank you for a wonderful afternoon and night. I am so grateful for your support.

I am SOoooooooooooo glad that we made the right decision. Our final night out of town proved to be not only our biggest lesson learned but also our most lucrative venture. Making new fans and pleasing them is glorious.

Glory be to Gus's bar and all in Lansing.

Stephen Francis

Tour Summary Stats - Immeasurable

Miles driven - 3,119
States visited/played - 10
State Capitols visited/played - 7
Load - ins and Load - outs - 30
Shows performed - 15 in 16 days
Songs performed - 240
Guitar strings broken - 1
"Free Bird!" shouted - Lost count
"Free Bird" played - 0
Hours on stage - Over 27
Hours in van - Over 70
Nights in van - 3
Times Van Battery Died - 3
Gas + Oil - $423.52
Pounds lost - 26
MySpace/Facebook friends gained - Over 450
Tee Shirts sold - 20 (out of 29)
CDs sold - 52 (out of 56)
Boobs signed - 3
Random floors/couches/futons slept on - 12
Total pairs of pants worn between Kevin and Coate - 2
Showers - 5
Hot meals - 2
Chipotle burritos - 7
Deli sandwiches made out of back of van - 22
PB&J sandwiches - 32
Peanut Butter jars spilled - 1
Bottles of water - 72
Red Bulls - 24
Coca Colas - 36
Bags of ice for cooler - 14
Shots of Red Stag - 16
Shots of Jameson - Lost count
Beers - Lost count
Bottle of wines opened - 2
Bottle of wines opened with a corkscrew - 0
Vomits out of windows - 1
Genitals drawn on Brad because he fell asleep with his boots on - 4.5
"Jiggle Joints" visited - 1
Civil War graveyards visited - 1
Russian Mobsters met - 1
Stores Coate visited in search of "Throat Coat Tea" for Stephen - 17
Pockets Coate used to store money in - 9
Extra time spent in Pittsburgh trying to find the right exit - 36 minutes
Head injuries - 1

Memories and lessons learned - immeasurable

Final Stretch

Hey everybody reading this in cyberland. Thanks for reading our ramblings about the road and following our fun times. We appreciate each and every single one of you. Almost done on the road. What an adventure it's been! We've met so many great people, made so many new friends, seen so many new places, had so many great adventures and I cannot wait to get back out again.

The last couple of days were fun. We played in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at Cappy's Cafe. It was quite the quaint place. Both very friendly staff and locals. We had some fun conversation about the Pirates and Cubs. I was talking about the disappointment I've had over the years and I'd rather the Cubs don't even get my hopes up only to get swept right out of the playoffs. They said they'd rather still have a reason to watch baseball in October. Ohhhhh there's always two sides to the sword. After some people started coming through the door we ended up playing the quietest electric set that we have ever played. Stephen's "playing at half-staff" post is by no means facetious. This was due to the size of the "stage" and venue. I thought it went pretty well considering we have never done this before. Afterwards we went back to a couple of the staff's pads and partied for a while. Sarah, Jason and Meadow took care of us at Cappy's and even offered up couches/floors/futons. Some great eggs, toast and tea cooked by Sarah were had to get the day running. Unfortunately the van wasn't running so it was not the start we all hoped for. Sarah lent us her car so we jumped the van and returned it to her residence. Then we scooted off to Cleveland.

The Barking Spider was our Cleveland destination. That place is awesome. If you ever go to Cleveland stop in and have a pitcher. They are excellent people and run a neat place. It was more of a laid back, acoustic hippie jam feeling place but we don't know anything about that. Just rock and roll. So that's what we did. And we did it well. And then we hung around for a bit and made yet more new friends. Melissa and Eileen hang out at The Spider and complimented us on our set, introduced us to Melissa's shy dog Sophie and then we took left to hit our next destination...with a small pit-stop ahead.

We're playing in Lansing, MI shortly (I'm typing while we're driving there). We crashed at Jinan's, an old friend from home, last night. It was great to have a feeling of home on the road. She took us in and we all had drinks and convo to catch up.
I watched all 3 episodes of South Park's "Imaginationland," of which I laughed my ass off to. A mini keg of Oberon Wheat, Black Box of wine, fun with Nina (8 week old boxer...such a doll), great breakfast consisting of french toast, eggs, strawberries and array of drink options (non-alcoholic), showers and laundry we set off to Lansing. And that's where this ends for now...

Kevin James

Brand New Video Playlist

Hey all.

This playlist comes from our Official Reverie YouTube Page. Once the tour ends we'll be updating it more steadily with video from the road and upcoming shows, etc. Thought you might like to get an early look though!

New Boo Boo Pic

Steve's Boo Boo