All posts by Jill

Jill's Blather

Band schwag

Other than our neat garage-made shirts, IJG has been relatively schwagless at shows. Sometimes folks don’t want to invest in the vestments as it were, so for this tour we’ll also have an assortment of IJG bumper stickers for sale.

You like those ovals with the three bold letters in ’em? Conveniently, our band name fits the three-letter acronym pattern quite nicely.

You like the traditional 3 x 10″ white bumper sticker (suitable for sticking on stop signs)? We’ll have those too, emblazoned with Phil “Sonny Rollins” Rodriguez’ pseudo-query: “What’s industrial jazz?”

One of these days I’ll be able to sell our schwag online, as soon as I am better able to make WordPress do my bidding. Until then, come to a show and visit Matt at our schwag table, or email me and we’ll tawk.

See you soon?

Jill-o

Jill's Blather, Shows

New Years Eve in Portland!

I’m sitting in hotel room in Austin Texas listening to the sleet bouncing off my window. Sleet! Actual ice pellets falling from the sky! (Sleet = Ice falling from the sky. Freezing rain = liquid falling from the sky but freezing on the cold surface on which it lands. Weathergirl Jill is here to serve.) This wouldn’t be strange at all if I were home in Philly, but it’s downright strange for Austin; it was balmy this morning. Odd weather in these parts.

To keep myself entertained, I’m nibbling on some single-origin chocolate from Trader Joe’s. I’m not terribly into chocolate (though I won’t turn it down, of course), but I was just kinda in the mood tonight. I should have been in bed an hour ago, but there are travel arrangements to be made.

Travel? Yes, travel! The Industrial Jazz Group is playing New Years Eve in Portland, at the very hip Mississippi Pizza Pub (more than just pizza; it’s a really neat venue), and I’m busy making travel arrangements for band members to get up there so we can rock out IJG-NYE style. There is a teeeeeeny part of me that is sad I won’t be enjoying my tradition of eating pudding in a bathtub as I am wont to do on most NYEs; but this seems like a worthy trade-off.  Besides, since I think we’re playing from 6-8pm (don’t quote me on that), if someone wants to hold a house party, I know of a band.

Have room in your bathtub?  I can bring the Snack Pack.

See you there.

Jill's Blather, Shows

Seattle and Eugene

I’m sitting in my Portland hotel room. Housekeeping is making their rounds and wondering why Matt and I have had the Do Not Disturb sign on our door for three days. It’s not why you think… it’s because we’ve been getting in so late every night (5:30am and 3:30am respectively) that sleeping through the towel changing ceremony seems wise. I’m not complaining; I’m a night-owl anyway, and this asleep-at-4am-awake-at-noon pattern suits me just fine.

Seattle
Tuesday night, Andrew and I crashed the WAA cocktail hour. I was in full stegosaurus regalia trying to drum up some audience members for our show that night at The Jewelbox, and also figured hobnobbing with some music promoters/booking agents couldn’t hurt either. We made some good connections, and I was very happy to tag along with Andrew to the event.

After some good Mexican food, We played at Seattle’s Jewelbox Theater on Tuesday night with Baby Gramps, with whom I am absolutely smitten. Holy crap, he is easily the coolest person I’ve met in the last 5 years, probably longer. If I lived in Seattle, I would love to be this guy’s pal, learning from him, and digging through his record collection. Holy cow– brilliant musician, wise (understatement of the year), and he exudes cool through every pore. He seemed to like us a bunch and gave us tons of people to contact (other bands, DJs, etc.), and we’re very grateful for that (second understatement of the year).

Anyway, it was a very small crowd, most likely due to everyone in Seattle being all Bumbershooted out, and also because the show was at 11:30 on a Tuesday night. No worries; the crowd we did have was very appreciative and fun. The soundguy even loved us and bought a shirt. (An aside: The new “Me + Your Mom” shirts seem to be getting a very good reaction.)

Eugene
We hit the road for Eugene around 6ish and got there by 8ish, got set up in record time, and had plenty of time for a slice or 7 of Cozmic Pizza and some beers (or some raisins and a ginger-lemonade if you’re me). The venue was really neat– it’s a very large venue with great tasty organic food, terrific beers, an attached coffee shop, bookstore and an internet cafe. Everything a college town needs, all under one roof! Plenty of room for jumping around, a nice sound system, and a stage big enough for our, um, bigness. We played really well, and I probably spent more time facing the back of the stage because the bones and trumpets were having such a good time– it was infectious! Have I mentioned lately how much I love this band?

Last night, Tany and Andrew debuted a hilarious new tune about John McCain called “Civility.” Sadly, this over-the-top satire upset [probably our only] two Republican fans, causing them to walk out after hearing it along with an F-bomb later in the set. I don’t like upsetting people, but at the same time, if the word “fuck” and a political joke gets you rattled in 2008, it might be time to lighten up a little.

Of course, this is easy for me to say. If folks were poking a salty stick at an issue I’m particularly sensitive to, I might be feeling differently.

Anyhoozle, it’s 2:30pm, and it’s time for a shower.

Tonight we play Olympia along with Baby Gramps again (wheee!) and we’re also joined by the fabulous Reptet.

Jill's Blather, Shows, website stuff

New site… again

Greetings, web denizens!

Ah yes, the site tweaking bug has bitten us again.  We decided to move the site over to ye olde WordPress platform– makes for much easier bi-coastal, multi-person updating, and it’s more Google-friendly to boot.  The previous version of the site was done quite manually and relied too heavily on all contributors boning up on CSS and web design.  This makes it easier, because easy is awesome and learning is for LOSERS.

So, we’re still tweaking some things, but the basic meat and potatoes are done.  Thanks again to Matt for suggesting WordPress in the first place and making things work all nice-like.  He’s a good’un!  Think I’ll keep him. (For a while.)  (Until he mouths off again.)

Anyway, we’re very excited to be preparing for the big PNW tour, and especially psyched to reunite with our beloved Reptet.  I love that band, and if you haven’t picked up their new disc “Chicken or Beef?” you’re missing out.   (Those links to go to very short and hilarious videos.  Mmmmmm… ham…. OM NOM NOM NOM!)   We’re also quite stoked to be sharing a bill with Baby Gramps.  When I told my Seattleite pal Chris that we were playing with Baby Gramps he almost choked on his sammich, so that’s a good sign.  If you don’t know Baby Gramps, just search on YouTube for him.  If you dig us, you’ll definitely dig him.

Next week, Matt and I are off to Burning Man— it’s my fifth year, and his very first.  Wheee!  No matter how much you think you’ve prepped yourself for it, you can never understand what it is until you go.  Sorta like jazz. Immediately after, we then head to Portland for our first IJG rehearsal and fwam— we’re off to rock your f-ing socks off, because we are classically trained to do so1.

There are rumors of a live radio performance on KMHD, Portland’s jazz station on Friday, September 5th (not sure what time yet).  I hope I don’t swear if they ask me to say something.  Growing up in NJ (and singing Durkin’s tunes) makes my mouf a little, um, colorful.

OK, this is reaching the blathering point now.  Buh-bye.

-Jill


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1 And don’t even think of robbing our house while we’re gone. We have housesitters, and they are surly.

Jill's Blather

Very important news. I mean, really super important.

Are you sitting down?  This news may come as a terrible shock to you, so you’ll want to have someone you love close by for support:   I’ve decided to be a stegosaurus instead of a bee for the Pacific Northwest tour.

I know, I know, this is all very sudden.  The bee hat is an IJG icon, much like the beloved hotdog hat.  Don’t fear, the bee isn’t gone forever, but the dinosaur lobby is very strong in the Mid-Atlantic region, and they’ve been demanding equal time.  As we enter the politically-charged autumn months, I can’t afford to let my Jurassic constituents down.  When the time is right (like when I get around to washing my stripey tights), the bee will be resurrected.

Until then, be strong, my children.  Have faith.  Now is the time for courage and bravery.

Smooches,
Jill