BIT 2009 Summer Tour Blog #3

After having a blast in Boulder we headed to Denver. Kate scored us a bunch of free tickets to a Colorado Rockies game so we spent a beautiful summer day at the ballpark enjoying $8 hot dogs, and $9 beers.... 

After the game we gave hugs and said goodbye to Kate. She took great care of us and we all had a blast. We can't thank you enough......We then met up with another old UNI friend, Heather Peterson. Heather showed us around downtown Denver, and let us crash at her apartment for the night. 

We spent the next day in Denver hanging out and getting band stuff done. Then we played at a very cool old venue called Quixote's. If you ever go there make sure you check out the live music archive in the basement. Its epic. Most of the band left the venue broke after spending all the nights money on live cds.

We were pretty excited to get to Arizona so we left immediately after the show in Denver and drove through the night. We went to sleep in the mountains and woke up in the desert. After around 17-18 hours in the RV we made it to Phoenix late Saturday night. We met up with Miss Jenna who had prepared a huge poolside bbq for us. We spent the night hanging out and having a blast with old friends and new ones.

 

Sunday we loaded into Crush Studios in Scottsdale and started working on all the new material. We need to thank Steve, Alex, and Kevin for putting us up and putting up with us for 10 days. We had a blast and can't wait to do it all again.

Trying to finish up some parts to the new songs.

listening to the finished product....

We recorded three songs; "Take It Easy", "Amazing", and "Take Me"..... we are extremely happy with them, can't wait for everyone to hear them, and will let everyone know when you can hear them. We have begun playing them live so the one way to hear them for sure is coming out and seeing us in person.

While we were in the studio we also took a little time off to play a show and have fun with all the AZ fans.

Garrett busted out a new look for Freebird!

After 10 days of recording, 3 kick ass new songs, a great show, and lots of good times with old friends we left Arizona for the long drive back to Iowa.

on the long road home.......

and we finally made it back to Iowa after 36 hours in the RV.

BIT 2009 Summer Tour Blog #2

We spent about a week at home before the road came calling. We packed up, got everything organized and prepared to be out on the road for almost a month. Luckily, for us, the first night was in Des Moines and so we piled in the RV for approximately 6 minutes before we arrived at the show. If only all road trips were this long.

Mike clearly won the cool photo contest for the night. From Des Moines we headed west to Lincoln Nebraska. As we approached the border of Iowa and Nebraska we were flagged down by a trucker. Immediately we thought we left the trailer door open or had a flat tire. Luckily it was just an open compartment door with nothing in it. We got to talking with the good samaritan and got a picture with him and his dog "Buddy"

After that little adventure we finished up the rest of the drive to Lincoln. We loaded into Knickerbockers, ate lots of $0.25 tacos, killed some time, and played a show. A very good band Conerstone Dub opened the night and Tim their trombonist joined us on stage for a good ole' fashioned jam. Overall a great first time in Lincoln!

Immediately after the show in Lincoln we loaded up and headed to Kearney, Nebraska. We didn't really know what to think of spending two nights in Kearney but they turned out to be two amazing nights. Apparently there isn't a whole lot to do in Kearney so everyone goes to the bar at night and parties. We were glad they did because we had a blast.

After our three days of fun in Nebraska we headed on to Colorado. Because we had 3 days off we headed to our friend Kate Veeder's farm in Longmont. We spent Sunday through Wednesday with Kate as our tour guide sight seeing, hiking, and of course we had to check out a few of the breweries in the area. 

This is Kate..... She's awesome.

This is Toni Frey with two of Kate's goats.

This is Toni and some ambitious BIT members trying to milk goats. Definitely a first for any member of this band.

This is John being a mountain man.

This is Mike when the Paparazzi showed up.

Brandon thought it would be a good idea to grow a mustache.

The breweries included New Belgium, Fort Collins, and Odell. 

This is John dreaming about hops and ......... things.

This is the whole group at Odell.

Mike thought he got so drunk he couldn't see. We told him he wasn't that drunk, he just had poker chips in front of his eyes. He laughed and finally stopped groping people.

This shot looks familiar????

Keep looking Mikey.... there has to be some in there somewhere.

And then we went to one of the coolest outdoor venues we've ever seen. We spent an afternoon at Mishawaka and had an impromptu photo session. You'll be seeing more of these pics in the future.

This is Chris.

Oh yea.... we also played a kick ass show in Boulder for a couple hundred crazy kids too! More to follow!

BIT 2009 Summer Tour Blog #1

Here we go again..... we've neglected our blogging obligations and so we are going to try and catch you up on all BIT happenings.

First, we took a trip down to Lawrence and Kansas City in May. The first night we played at The Bottleneck in Lawrence Kansas home of The Kansas Jayhawks. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!! We played with The Supervillians a great band from Florida that we hope to cross paths with again. We woke up hit up some continental breakfast and headed to Kansas City. We spent the day in Kansas City enjoying the new downtown area and checking out some of the city's fine entertainment options. 

While in Kansas City we had the opportunity to meet filmmaker Eric Saperston. He gave us a copy of his documentary "The Journey" and we all loved it. We highly recommend the film to anyone out there chasing their dreams as we are.  After Kansas City we had a few days off before heading to Iowa City. 

Iowa City is always a fun town for us and this time did not disappoint. We played a very fun show before heading to Des Moines to meet up with Ballyhoo and B-Foundation for a few dates. Since we have all recently relocated to Des Moines it is quickly turning into our favorite place to play. We grilled out, played some disc golf, and did the usual Friday afternoon stuff before heading to The House of Bricks. Both Ballyhoo and B-Foundation killed it before we got up and played. 

From Des Moines we headed up north to Cedar Falls. Cedar Falls has always been one of our favorite places to play and this night was no different. All 3 bands were on the bill again and again we were honored to close down the night. After Cedar Falls we were all worn out and welcomed 10 days off. 

 

The next weekend was one of the few weekends we had off this summer so we decided to hit up the sprint car races in Knoxville, Iowa. For most of the band it was the first time at the race track but everyone had a blast. If you have never been to sprint car races..... you should.

SXSW, 311, New House, New Logo, and Much More

Ok. Its been way to long since we last blogged so we are going to try and catch everybody up in one shot. Imagine this being last season's recap at the beginning of this season's premier.
Here we go:

1) In January our pictures were featured in Billboard, Pollstar, and Radio and Records Magazines. Very cool. (even one full pager)

2) In March we traveled down to Austin, Texas for SXSW and played 3 shows in about 42 hours. This was our first trip to SXSW and we already have it scheduled in for next year. Austin is amazing and if you haven't ever been we highly suggest you attend. Lots of fun, little sleep, great music, and lots of new friends. 

3) Also this spring, BIT has officially relocated to Des Moines. Mike and Chris (our utility player) moved back from LA, John moved back from Arizona, Garrett moved back from Cedar Falls, and the rest will soon be following. Everybody moved into a Victorian Mansion built in the 1800's. Although it took a while to get it all cleaned up and liveable its an amazing old house that so far has been great for creativity and production (Yes we know its haunted but so far all the ghosts/spirits seem to like our music.)

4) In April we had the honor of supporting 311. 311 has been one of our favorite bands for a very long time so when the opportunity to open for them was presented we jumped on it. We'd like to welcome all the new fans and say thank you to all the old fans that attended.

5) We have a new logo. You'll be seeing a lot of it.

6) We have some new merchandise. Our online merch store will be updated soon.

7) The summer is approaching quickly and we will be heading out in late May for a full summer of shows. We will be adding more dates soon so continue to check back for updates.

Hope to see you all at a show this summer.
BIT
James "jelly bean" Frey
John "jalapeno" Schminke
Brandon "bearclaw" Clark
Mike "meat pie" Schminke
Kelly "krispy kreme" Powers
Garrett "grapefruit" Theilking

winter happenings

Just to keep everyone updated here are some recent happenings in the world of BIT:

1: KCCI.com the Des Moines CBS station has posted our video from Okinawa, check it out here: http://www.kcci.com/localmusicvideo/17981198/index.html

2. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier just did a very nice story, check it out here: http://www.waterloocourier.com/articles/2008/11/25/features/lifestyles/10776435.txt

3. We received a great review from Boston Based Neufutur Magazine, check it out here:
http://neufutur.com/?p=5737

4. Mike was seen in an episode of ABC's "Samantha Who", check it out here:
www.abc.com

5. Mike was also quoted in an article by The Pier, a leading reggae website/news service, check it out here:
http://www.thepier.org/Bestof2008-01.html

6. Our Myspace page was listed as one of the "50 Majestic Myspace Layouts", check the article out here:
http://mashable.com/2008/12/01/myspace-layouts/ and check our myspace out here:
www.myspace.com/blueislandtribe

7. There is still time to sign up for your chance to win one of five BIT Holiday Packages... All you have to do is sign up on our email list.

March On - A Tribute to our Troops

"March On"
A tribute to our troops

As many of you know, Blue Island Tribe had the opportunity to go overseas and entertain the troops in the summer of 2008. At first it was seen by the band as a great way to see the world but as the tour continued, the trip became much, much more. When we started the tour I had no idea how the troops would react to our particular blend of music. Please excuse my ignorance but I really thought they wouldn't respond well to a bunch of peace loving liberals like we are. Much to my surprise, we were greeted with open arms and instant acceptance. It really touched me deeply that we were given accolades and even awards from the people we were entertaining. Speaking of the people, we met so many awesome people and heard so many stories about life in the military that it affected each one us in many ways.

So as the tour continued in Japan, Korea, and Okinawa we began to realize that this wasn't just an opportunity to take a really cool trip but it meant a lot to the troops. You see, some of the troops had not had any kind of entertainment for months, some of the troops would be shipped off to war torn areas in a few days, and others had been away from their families for months and even years. The troops we met were just hard working folks like you and me just trying to make a living and support families. Our show was just a chance for them to feel like they were back at home for at least a couple of hours.

Before I go on I would like to explain to you that "March On" is not advocating war by any means. This song was written as homage to all the excellent people we met and their will to simply "march on". I can see with new eyes that our military is an absolute necessity, not as a warring campaign but as a peace-keeping entity. With that in mind, we wanted to create a song that would reflect the inspiration of what the tour and the people we met meant to us. So, to all the troops past and present that put their life on the line to protect our freedoms, this one is for you. Thank you.
Frey

"MARCH ON"
AS WE MARCH ON DOWN THE ROAD
YOU CAN FEEL IT IN OUR SOULS
AS WE FORGE ON ALL THE WAY
THIS IS THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY

MARCH ON MARCH ON - THIS IS OUR MOVEMENT
MARCH ON MARCH ON - ITS TIME TO REPRESENT
MARCH ON MARCH ON - CAN YOU FEEL IT IN YOUR SOUL
MARCH ON MARCH ON - AS THE MUSIC TAKES CONTROL

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY
BUT TO MARCH ON THROUGH THE DAY
TRIBAL WARRIORS ALL THROUGHOUT THE LAND
WE MUST TAKE OUR STAND

MARCH ON MARCH ON - THIS IS OUR MOVEMENT
MARCH ON MARCH ON - ITS TIME TO REPRESENT
MARCH ON MARCH ON - CAN YOU FEEL IT IN YOUR SOUL
MARCH ON MARCH ON - AS THE MUSIC TAKES CONTROL

EVERYBODY IN THE STREETS NOW
AS WE HEAR THE CALL
FEEL THE RYTHMN OF THE DRUMS NOW
AS IT TAKES CONTROL

Weekend Shows!!

After picking "the brothers" up at the DM airport we headed up north to Cedar Falls for the night. We arrived around 5 p.m., loaded in, got the kinks out (practiced), and sound-checked around 8. We checked into the hotel and grabbed some dinner at the Pump Haus. Cedar Falls is always a fun town for us and with this being Homecoming weekend, it did not disappoint.

After a great night, we somehow managed to squeeze 8 people into one of the hotel rooms where no one got much sleep. We were up and back at The Hub around 11 to load out all of our gear, (the HuB is the only place that lets us do that thankfully), and we were on our way to Des Moines at Noon.

After a quick drive we arrived in time to catch a nap before we headed down for load in at 4. We couldn't have asked for better weather and a better night for an outdoor show. Upon arrival at the World Food Festival we were greeted with many friendly people all carrying walkie-talkies and looking important. We loaded in, did a quick mic check, said hello to lots of friends and family, and then kicked off the show. Festivals are fun but they always seem to breed chaos. During our set we, broke strings, broke a guitar pedal, lost a microphone, knocked over lights, and had to move the drums twice to prevent them from falling off the drum riser. All in all, it was an awesome show. We had a ton of fun, saw lots of old and new faces, and afterwards ate lots of really good "world" food.