Blue Island Tribe

BIT 2009 Summer Tour Blog #3

2009-07-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-12-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

"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!!

2008-10-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

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.

NEW ALBUM INFO

2008-10-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

10/1/08
NEW ALBUM/NEW MYSPACE!!!

We are very proud to announce that our new album, "The 5 Hits of Ecstasy" will be released 10/14/08 exclusively on Itunes. It will be released everywhere else 11/25/08.

Here is the track listing:
"The 5 Hits of Ecstasy"
1. Down
2. Drop Out
3. Jump and Shout
4. March On
5. Ecstasy

The Ep was recorded this past summer immediately after the band returned from Japan and Korea. It was recorded in Des Moines, IA at Sonic Factory Studios with Nadas' members Jon Locker, Tony Bohnenkamp, Ross VanderWerf, and Sklyer VanWalbeek all helping out. The Ep was mastered by John Mailoux (Sugar Ray, Dispatch, State Radio) of Bongo Beach Productions. We would like to thank Crystal Ryan for the front cover artwork, Nick Nemmers for the back cover artwork, and Chris "Gnar" Holz for the cd label artwork.

We will be "leaking" a few songs on Myspace before the 14th.... www.myspace.com/blueislandtribe .....Down is currently up and remember to check back often as we will be putting up new songs every couple of days leading up to the 14th. While you are there please sign up for the mailing list and check out the new video for "Endless Summer" shot this past summer in Okinawa, Japan and we hope to see you all at a show soon!!!

BIT

Gnar - New Video

2008-09-16T12:19:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone, we'd like you to meet Chris Holz. Everyone, Chris...... Chris, Everyone.

Now that no one feels awkward, lets move on. Chris, or Gnar (pronounced nar) as we call him, has been a friend of the band's for a long time and before he moved to LA he could be seen at the band house or with a member of the band much of the time. We were fortunate enough to have him on tour all summer making sure everything went according to plan. He filled the role of sound man, lighting guy, photographer, videographer, babysitter, prankster, question asker, chef, badass, and many, many, more. He definitely worked harder than anyone this summer, so for that, we say THANK YOU!!!

He has also been hard at work since we returned home putting together the following video. Enjoy!

Click "Here" to watch the video. (make sure to watch it in High Quality)

New Album

2008-09-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Ok.

First, sorry for the lack of updates. We have been busy working on the record and getting everything in order to release it. Not the glamourous side of being in a band, but possibly the most important. I guess you could call this the calm before the storm. In the coming weeks and months you will be hearing much more from us for sure!

Second, We have the Master to the new album in our hands!!!! The cd has been recorded, mixed, mastered and will be released this fall. We've got to keep it all under wraps for now but keep checking back for a big announcement soon.

Sign up for our new mailing list on the side of our myspace page for the latest details. (if you were already on our list, please sign up again) We have completely revamped the list and lost some names/addresses in the process.

Until then.....

BIT
"Too rad to b-randon" Clark
Mike "i'll lead the way" Schminke
"Jameson Frizzlesticks" Frey
Kelly "The Haunch" Powers
"Johnny Python" Schminke
Garrett "Theilkepidia" Thielking

Lake Life

2008-07-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, for the lack of updates....we have been super busy.

Lets go back a few weeks now....

We spent all week in the Warehouse practicing before loading up the bus, driving 3 hours in the hardest rain most of us have ever seen, and finally arriving at the Thielking's house at Blackhawk Lake on Thursday night. We ate tons of food, had beverages, and sat on the porch enjoying the view while being stuck on land due to the rain. Friday morning we woke up, ate one of the most delicious break"feasts" we have ever had before heading out on the jet-ski and boat. We spent most of the day on the lake before hopping in the bus and heading to Lake Okoboji.

We arrived at Okoboji around 5pm, loaded in, grabbed some food, said hellos to old and new friends and started the show around 7. This was one of the funnest shows we have played in years. 1600 crazy lake people having the time of their life. We did as well. We ended up playing until 11 and we didn't want to stop. We loaded up and headed "downtown" where we wandered around and checked out what Okoboji had to offer.

Saturday morning we all woke up in a shady hotel, loaded into the bus, and started out on one of the longest 4 hour rides we have ever had. It was early, hot, and we had to get back to Cedar Falls in time to take care of some business before sound check that night.

We arrived in Cedar Falls, loaded in, sound-checked, and hung out until the show started. Cedar Falls is always a blast for us. The Hub takes good care of us and no matter what is going we always have fun there.

Sunday we all went our own ways before meeting up in Des Moines around 7pm. John, Mike, and Brandon loaded into the recording studio and got everything set up before hitting up the 10 pm showing of Batman. Go if you haven't.

Recording, Recording, Recording!!!!

2008-07-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

We promise to update you all on the happenings of the last week soon.... this summer just keeps rolling and we are having WAY too much fun.

For now though, we are recording for the next few weeks and you can watch it live at:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-sonic-factory

enjoy!!!

We're still here!!!

2008-07-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're all ok and still alive. Thank you to EVERYONE who has sent us messages or talked to us in the past few days and commented on the blog. We have been amazed at the response so we will continue to update it as long as people continue to read it.

After we arrived back in Des Moines we all scattered until Thursday night when we got together for dinner and a band meeting. The trip was an amazing experience for us so hopefully you can imagine the colorful discussion around the table when we all reunited. I'm sure people sitting in the restaurant found out more details about some of us than they ever wanted to.

Friday night we headed over to Friday after 5 in Independence to play our first show back in the states. Fun times were had by all once we got going but it took us a while to get going. Our bus didn't start, apparently we broke some things such as microphones and instruments while overseas (that was fun to discover 5 minutes before a show starts), and we forgot some things (we were rushed to cram everything in vehicles when the bus failed to fire up). All in all the night went great and we got through all the surprises. We loaded out and headed to a welcome home party thrown for us by our good friends Troy and Laurie Creery. We had a blast and were very flattered.

For the lack of updates and pictures we have put together some pictures of Kelly's eye throughout the trip. To eliminate any of the rumors we have already heard:

Kelly and Mike were running up a hill in the pouring rain to get back to our hotel while we were in Yokosuka, Japan. Kelly lost his footing and faceplanted into the street.

or:

Kelly and Mike got attacked by 9 Ninjas in Roppongi and fought off all of them. They were coming from all angles and lost in the excitement, Mike got confused and accidently punched Kelly in the face.

We'll let you decide.

The Chronicles of Kelly's Eye.
The night of....

The next morning....

a few days later the color showed up....

finally it rounded all the way around...

and by the time we arrived to Okinawa it was gone.

AFE Tour Blog Day 18: Heading Home

2008-07-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

This morning our bus came at 9 a.m. to pick us up and take us to the airport. We loaded up and spent 45 minutes discussing the stories from the night before. When we arrived at the airport we realized we got there without Mike's luggage. Shit!!! Our wonderful "guide", Ai Shears, in Okinawa called the hotel and had the baggage delivered to the airport with minutes to spare.

We were borderline late for the flight and we were the last ones to board the plane about 30 minutes late. When we arrived in Tokyo we had to re-check all our baggage and go back through security. Awesome! We got seperated due to customs lines and Brandon had to deal with airline hassles. Finally John and Brandon ended up running to catch the plane and were the last two people allowed on board. Phew!

After a few drinks, a few movies, several short naps, and 12 hours later we landed safely in Chicago. Again we had to re-check all the baggage and go through security. 3 times in one day! And with all our equipment/drums/guitars, it's extra fun.

We had a 5 hour layover in Chicago so we all passed out on the floors and caught up on a little sleep. Pretty soon we were back on a plane and landing in Des Moines. We arrived, got all the baggage/equipment, said our goodbyes, and at 9:30 pm all headed home.

awww.....sometimes brothers gotta hug.

Kelly: 0
Road in Japan: 1
Coral in Okinawa: 1
We'll see who wins next time.

AFE Tour Blog Day 17: 4th of July!!!!

2008-07-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

This morning our bus call was for 8:30 am. Ouch!
We all joined BIT so we didn't have to be up before noon, now we are having to get up and do stuff before 9..... we'll deal with it.

We headed to Kadena Air Base, which was about a 15 minute trip, where we hung out for a while, looked at some amazing planes and helicopters, and then soundchecked. Eve 6 showed up, said hellos, and soundchecked right after we got done. After sticking around for a few minutes we headed back to the hotel where we all took naps, checked emails, and finished up writing postcards.

Around 3 p.m. the bus came back and picked us up for the show. We arrived about 3 hours before showtime so we had ample time to walk around the festival and see all the cool booths. Each branch of the military was represented as well as tons of other booths selling anything and everything from workout equipment to fried oreos. We wandered around for about 10 minutes before we all evaporated. Did we mention it was hot in Okinawa!

At 6 p.m. we hit the stage, played 13 songs, and then signed autographs and took pictures for a half hour. Eve 6 came up around 7:30, it was their first show in a few years but they were very good. Their guitar player broke one of his guitars and ended up using John's for about 5 songs. They finished and about 8:45 the fireworks started.

Filling up a diesel tour bus this summer, $ 183.00
7 meals twice a day, $250.00
7 hotel rooms for one night, $665.00

Playing for US Troops on a military base in Okinawa, Japan on the 4th of July. Priceless!

soundcheck

Eve 6 guitarist using John's guitar.

AFE Tour Blog Day 16: Camp Foster

2008-07-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

After a few hours of sleep we had a bus call at 9 am to head over to the venue and soundcheck. Okinawa is HUMID!!! And to our surprise we were playing outside, we were drenched after playing three songs in soundcheck. Completely soaked. After soundcheck we headed back to the hotel where some members decided to go shopping for souveniers and the others headed to the beach.

The first beach we went to didn't have water. What???? We were all pretty confused by a beach that didn't have water so we walked about a mile to another beach.....it didn't have water either. The areas you were allowed to swim in were very restricted because of jellyfish and other hazards. We then took cabs to the Sunabi Seawall, a favorite scuba/snorkeling site of the locals. We spent about an hour getting beat up by reef and coral, getting sunburnt, and seeing some of the coolest fish ever up close and in person.

After the beach we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the show. We headed to the venue about 6 pm, ate some dinner, did an interview, and then played from 8-10ish. This was one of the hottest shows we have ever played. Frey's wireless mic quit working and upon taking off the cap we realized why. There was about 12 ounces of sweat inside the microphone. After the show we were exhausted. We went back to the hotel, did some laundry, and crashed.

AFE Tour Blog Day 15: Travel day to Okinawa

2008-07-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

After getting dropped off at the hotel at 2 a.m. last night, the 8 a.m. bus pickup came awful early. We headed over to load out all of our gear at a warehouse, said good bye to Mr. Hwang (bossman) and Mr. Yi (our comedian/bus driver) and then hopped back on another bus to catch our flight to Okinawa. We arrived at the airport, grabbed some interesting tasting burgers (when I say interesting I mean bad), said good bye to Mr. Tae (our other bus driver), checked in with out any problems, got through customs and said goodbye to Korea. We had a lot of fun there but Okinawa was waiting.

After a short layover in Taipei we arrived in Okinawa. We were greated by our guide Ai Shears and THE HEAT; one by one we all asked Ai, "is it always this hot here?" She replied, "this is warm, not hot". After a couple minutes we loaded onto the bus and headed to the hotel. On the bus ride there we received another large packet of very usefull info about the island, our itenarary, and lots of other cool stuff. We also heard a radio commercial for our 4th of July show with Eve 6. We stopped at a restaurant, ate way too much food, and checked into the hotel around 10 pm.

AFE Tour Blog Day 14: Camp Awesome

2008-07-02T07:33:00.001-07:00

Actually it is called Camp Eagle but.....wow!!! What a day!

We got picked up by the bus at noon, drove two hours, and pulled into Camp Eagle. At the gate 1st. Sergeants Verella and Brown hopped in the bus and right away we knew we were going to be having some fun. They gave us a quick tour of the place before walking us threw a hangar and out onto the airfield.

We got as close as you could to flying an Apache without actually doing it. We spent about an hour watching "birds" take off and land before we all actually hopped in one and got to see the controls first hand. We thought that was awesome but it only got better. From there we headed over to a flight simulator where we all got to spend 15-20 minutes piloting and gunning from an Apache cockpit. Unbelievable! We think Garrett and Chris might actually sign up after today. They spent a long time in there blowing stuff up and Garrett actually "hovered" the Apache which we are told is very hard to do.

After a few hours of standing in awe we got to play a show for these guys. And they were ready to rock. Probably the rowdiest crowd we've had yet. Clearly, Camp Eagle knows how to have a good time. Since this was our last show in Korea we got to hang out for a while after the show before we headed back to Seoul and those were a couple of hours we know we won't ever forget. We had a blast and we hope they did too!!!

Gunfighters!

AFE Tour Day 13: Day off in Korea

2008-07-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Today was our first and only day off in Korea. We woke up, ate lunch, and then ventured out into Seoul.

First, we went to the "Electronics Market", which everyone told us had super cheap electronics. The electronics market we found had pretty average prices but 8 floors jam packed of cool gadgets, tvs, computers, etc.... After 4 floors we were lucky to get out of there with out anyone spending a dollar.

From there we wanted to see the Yongsan Market. After wandering around for awhile we stumbled upon a bunch of streets with vendors in the middle of them selling everything from clothes to pig's heads.

Then came the big excursion.......

Garrett came as close as anyone ever has to getting fired from the Blue Island Tribe. He had this wonderful idea for the band to find a buddhist temple somewhere in Seoul. He found it on a map, looked it up on the internet, and sold us all on the idea.....We thought sure that doesn't look that far away, it'll be cool............All we have to do is find Yonsei University because it is on the school's grounds, everybody there will know where it is.

We took 4 trains, walked atleast 6 miles uphill, asked 10 people for help, and bitched and moaned for about 6 hours before we miraculously found this temple. Finally, we arrived, and we were all glad we did. It was very, very cool.

The long trek back was not near as hard. First, we found a place called "chicken and beer" which we thought suited our needs at the time just fine. Then we found a bowling alley, which again sounded like a great idea, before heading back to say goodbye to our friends at Club Kaboo. We hung out for a bit before heading home for our last day in Korea. Our day of rest and relaxation was anything but that, but all in all we had a blast.

sorry!!!!!!

AFE Tour Blog Day 12: Camp Casey

2008-06-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today the bus came at 3 pm. We arrived at Camp Casey around 4:30......loaded in, soundchecked, and headed to the PX. We bought more airborne, cough drops, vitamins, energy bars, etc..... they are definitely working. Everybody is feeling better but we are trying to take all the precautions we can.

We went back to the venue, played to another great crowd, hung out, signed some stuff, took pictures, and loaded out. We drove back to Seoul and CRASHED.

After 6 days and 6 shows in Korea we have all had a BLAST!!! The shows and days have all kind of run together but we're fine with that because they have all been amazing. Tomorrow is our first day off here and while our bodies probably need it, we are all going to miss playing a show. They have just been too much fun.

BIG blog tomorrow........lots of plans for our day off.

AFE Tour Blog Day 11: Camp Red Cloud

2008-06-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today we got up, ate lunch, and wandered around Seoul for a few hours before the bus picked us up at 3:30. The trip was pretty short and we arrived at Camp Red Cloud around 4:30. We quickly loaded in, soundchecked, and ate some dinner.

Show time was at 7 pm and at 6:55 we were the only people in the venue. People gradually started coming in and by about 7:30 we had a GREAT crowd. Seriously, this crowd was one of the funnest crowds we have ever played for. They were rowdy and ready to rock. We can't describe the feeling we get when an entire room of people sing acapella in unison, and do it well. This show was awesome!

After the show we hung out for an hour or so, met lots of great guys, took some pictures, and reluctlantly had to load out and head home.

Here is what happens when you send a sleep deprived band to a nightclub in Seoul.

AFE Tour Blog Day 10: Camp Humphreys

2008-06-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

The bus came and picked us up from the hotel around 10 am. Another 4 hours later we arrived at Camp Humphreys. The venue was a pretty large nightclub that was perfect for us. We loaded in, soundchecked, and then went to dinner. One thing is for sure about this trip.... the food has been amazing. We have been eating lots of great food and tonights meal was no exception. After dinner we all headed over to the PX (the base mall).

The bands receipt looked something like this:
airborne
vitamins
knee brace
cough drops
energy bars
more airborne
more vitamins
vicks vaporrub
more airborne and
more vitamins.

Several members are slightly under the weather. No one is really sick...everyone is just on the verge and we are taking all the precautions we can.

The show went great!!! The crowd was LOUD!!! They were having an awesome time which helps us to have an awesome time too. Camp Humphreys knows how to get it done! We were impressed. After the show we hung out, signed some cds/pictures, and loaded out. Midway through our load-out we were approached about playing another show at the same place a few hours later for more troops. We were all for it and would have been more than happy to do it but after some confusion and analysis we realized it would not be possible. Camp Humphrey's we hope to see you again!

We headed back to Seoul where we checked back into our hotel from a few nights ago and met up with some friends. We also received the poster for our July 4th show in Okinawa today. We will be playing directly before Eve 6.

real mature guys......real mature.

Freebird!!!!

We are still a little worried about mike!

g-money in flight school

AFE Tour Blog Day 9: Chinhae Navy Base

2008-06-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today the bus came and picked us up at 9 am. We ate breakfast and messed around until we left for Chinhae Navy Base. We spent another 4 hours in a bus wasting time before we arrived. When we arrived, we immediately went in and checked out the venue. It was just like a live music club you would find in the states. We loaded in, soundchecked, and hung out with some troops that we are pretty sure were supposed to be doing something at that time. We had a blast and hoped we helped them get out of some work.

After soundcheck we went to the hotel. And Wow!!!! The hotel was amazing; flat screen tv's, oddly shaped beds, computers, mood lighting in the ceiling, 8 head showers that could also turn the shower into a steam room, blacklight lit hallways, and much more. It was a trip for sure.

When we finished playing with all the buttons and gadgets in the rooms we headed back to the base for dinner. We devoured mongolian bbq and decided to walk to the club in order to lose some of the 12 pounds we had just gained.

The show was lots of fun with a great crowd that knew how to have a good time for sure. We made lots of new friends, loaded out, and headed back to the hotel.

sometimes we worry about mike

Frey Being Frey

AFE Tour Blog Day 8: Kunsan Air Base

2008-06-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up and hopped on the bus around 10:30 am, spent 4 hours watching movies, reading, and sleeping before arriving at Kunsan Air Base around 3 p.m. We checked into our rooms, took showers, checked email, ate, walked around and then headed to the venue. The show was in a huge room with a big stage. We got everything loaded in and set up before meeting several people who were nice enough to show us around and tell us where everything was.

The show went very well. We have started throwing in several of the new songs regularly which is exciting for us. It is always interesting to get raw, real, reviews of the new songs and the ones so far have been received very, very, well.

After the show we headed over to the bowling alley and hung out until it closed at 11. Then we watched softball for a while where we met our first Iowa serviceman, Levi, from Algona came strolling along with a Hawkeyes shirt on. We stopped him, realized how small the world was, and then proceeded back to the rooms to call it a night.

AFE Tour Blog Day 7: Camp Bonifas

2008-06-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

The bus came and picked us up at 8:45 this morning. We drove a few blocks to a USO facility where we got our Military ID’s and then headed over to pick up our equipment for this leg of the tour. After that we went back to the hotel, grabbed some lunch, and spent the afternoon taking naps, doing paperwork, trying to learn Korean, etc....Around 2 p.m. the bus came back and picked us up. We drove north to Camp Bonifas which is located about a mile and a half from the North Korea/South Korea border and the DMZ. We had to go through all kinds of security checkpoints and roadblocks to get there but we arrived safely. One of the first “eerie” moments of the trip happened as we all exited the bus to the sound of gunfire in the distance. We never did find out anything about it but we are assuming it was just practice.

We loaded in to the venue, set up, sound-checked, ate dinner, and then were informed that there was a scheduling conflict on base and the show was going to be moved back awhile so more people could come. That allowed us about an hour and a half to hang out. This hour and a half proved to be the most informative hour and a half this band has ever experienced. Sgt. Shattuck and Staff Sgt. Mitchley gave us a presentation on the history of the area, the conflicts between North and South Korea, Camp Bonifas, KPA Bob, and much, much, more. This was the first time I have ever seen this group of guys dead silent and focused on one thing. It really was amazing.

We played the show to one of the most attentive and enthusiastic groups of people we could ever ask for. After the show we took pictures, signed some autographs, and just hung out with really great people. They all had to be up at 3:30 a.m. and still hung out til we were forced to leave. We loaded out, drove back to Seoul, and got ready for day two in Korea.

Quote of the Day:
"You smell like Rock!!!" (after John apologized for being sweaty and smelly after the show)