So there hasn't been a lot to post about lately. We got off our last tour over a month ago and we haven't played any shows since. In fact, we don't have any more tours planed for the rest of the year. So what gives?
Well first off, a few of us are taking this time to focus on school. Actually 3/4 of the band is focusing on school so that's taking up a lot of time. The other reason (and the one you're probably more interested in) is that we're taking this time to write new material for our next album. With school and having one member living on the other side of the state, it's a slow going process(Thank God for Garage Band and Ichat!) but we're working it out. I have to say I'm personally pleased with the music we've written so far. It may catch you off guard. We'll see.
The tentative plan is to record early next year. We'll be going back to Boston to work with the one and only Jim Siegal, and then the record should be out in the spring. Will we finally release something on vinyl? Maybe...
Our other order of business is finding a new bass player. For those of you who didn't catch us over the summer playing as a four peice, Kyle had to leave the band at the beginning of the summer. Nothing dramatic or anything. He's just up to his eyeballs in debt and can't afford to be in a band that doesn't make any money, so now he's got a 9-5. We still love him and wish him the best in his battle against the credit bureau. If you're interested in trying out send us a message on the myspace. Here's a few of the requirements:
-Loves Jesus -Straight Edge -Able to tour full time -Lives in Florida or willing to relocate -Good attitude!
And these aren't required but preferred:
-Pro gear (and it has to work too) -Good taste in music (subject to my opinion) -Into The Office, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Friday Night Lights -Can quote most of Waynes World, Zoolander, and Airheads -Ability to skate is always a plus -You don't wear stupid shirts that are sold at truck stops. We already got one of those. -You gotta be able to hang! That's it for now kids. See everyone in a few months.
Up until two days go we were on tour with one of the heaviest bands in the world. A band called Advent. We traveled across the Southern United States with them, playing in states including Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and finally ending in the great state of Florida, where we would have beach parties by day and play hardcore by night. Here's how it went. Last July after playing the world famous Cornerstone festival we met up with Advent and did a short tour through the north and the midwest. During this time we found we really like touring with each other. And not just a little bit. Like a lot! You couldn't really ask for more from a band to tour with. They all like good music, they're always down to hang out, and they all have really cool hair (seriously, it's perfectly quaffed.) We decided we needed to do it again. Fast forward to the end of August and we were driving to Birmingham to meet up again on part two of the ADV/CTP tour. The month we had in between tours Advent had lost their old drummer Chris and found a fill in named Jordan. Pretty much right when they got to the first show Joe from Advent pulled me aside and told me that their new drummer was a little strange and socially awkward. He told me Jordan was homeschooled and was very sheltered, so he was almost frightened to go on tour. He was even paranoid he'd be beaten up by some rouge straight edge gang. Being the Gulla Bull that I am I believed him, and it seemed right to do so because that dude WAS super weird. He introduced himself to me about three times while never making eye contact. He grumbled to himself and always looked super paranoid and uncomfortable. It was like having Rain Man around. I even asked Joe later if he was autistic, which became super awkward when I saw Jordan peaking around and staring at me from behind the corner. As it turned out Jordan is not autistic. In fact he's pretty normal guy and I had believed one of many crazy untrue stories that Advent would tell me over the next couple weeks. The tour started in Alabama and winded its way through Nashville, where we played with the ultra gritty and ultra heavy Mankind, and on to Oklahoma where we played with our buddies in Take it Back! Further into tour we made it to Mcallen Texas, a small border town that always has sick shows. Not only was the show amazing, but we spent some time exploring the roof of the local VFW hall, much to the dismay of the bartender at the VFW. Me and Mike and three of the guys from Advent are up on the roof for about a 30 minutes with no one noticing, just being goofballs and reenacting scenes from the Matrix. When we decide to get down a guy in his 60's and a security guard walk outside looking at us like we're crazy. At the same time a mafia looking guy drives up in Cadillac giving us the same look. It's like if there were two Robert Deniros and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson looking like they were ready to rough you up. Quickly Johnny makes up a story that we were goofing around and someone's wallet got thrown onto the roof and we came up to retrieve it. The mafia guy got real concerned. "Well did you find the wallet?" We assured him we found it and he seemed relieved and we all got off the roof without getting a beating from the Mcallen VFW mob. After a grueling 16 hour drive into Florida, we played our next show in Freeport. A little rural town on the gulf coast. It's pretty much the last place you would think to have a hardcore show. We got to the show, which ended up being in someone's backyard in the middle of nowhere, thinking this was a big mistake and we're all going to get murdered. But kids literally came out of the woodwork and the backyard was packed out. It was a fun little show in a place that could've been the site of folk festival. Or a chainsaw massacre. Or both. The next day was followed by some down time hanging out in the gulf of Mexico. Jumping off channel markers. Swimming with sharks. You know, the usual. Wednesday we played a sold out show in Jacksonville with a little band called Have Heart and our friends we met in Canada, Cruel Hand, along with some other amazing bands like Crime in Stereo and Foundation. We got to open and the place was nuts from our set up until the last note played by Have Heart. I don't know what else to say except it was seriously one of the best shows I've ever been to. I'll leave it at that. The tour ended Saturday night in Lake City with kids going wild pretty much the whole night, and us ending the set with a pretty horrible American Nightmare cover. Still fun none the less and it was a great way to end the tour. It's been a couple days and we miss those Advent dudes. Already. They're great guys who have their heads in the right place and are one of the heaviest hitting bands out there. By the way, go check out their new album "Naked and Cold." It will blow your mind. That's it for now. Check back for a bunch of videos. Later!
Check out this dude rant about our CD and hate on our brand of "Christian Metal."
The funniest thing about this video is his distaste for the song Shameless, which he seems to think is written about atheists, when in reality the song was written as a response to other Christians. Hope you have a nice little laugh over this.
In case you were wondering, we're still in Canada, and we've been here for just over a month. After we left Horizons in Winnipeg we headed east through the Canadian Wilderness towards the province of Ontario where we've been ever since. We've been on the road since March 26th and I'm almost too fatigued to give a full detailed account of everything that's happened since we've been here, so instead I'll leave you with a few details and as many pictures I can find. There may possibly be a post-tour blog in full detail of everything that happened, but until then here's the liner notes:
- We didn't see one Moose, Bear, or Mountie. What's the deal? -We played a lot of house shows. House shows are always fun. -When we were in Quebec we played a show in an elementary school. Then we stayed the night there and skated through the school all night. -We had some shows fall through, so we hopped on a few dates with Madball, Cruel Hand and Wisdom in Chains. Fun couple of days! -During those few days, Madball taught us a game called Mafia, and now it's our favorite thing to do especially on days off. -Up here it's way too cold to be May. At home it's 90 degrees! -Food is expensive so I'm always hungry.
Now enjoy these photographs!
A number of video blogs are coming soon. See you soon America!
So there is this whole other country that is a lot like America, and it's even really close to America, but it's not America. You would only know it's not the U.S. by very little things. For one thing It's a lot colder. Also there's no Taco Bells, everything is measured in the metric system, and their currency has silly things on it like polar bears, kids playing hockey and the queen of England. This place is called Canada and we've been hanging out here for the past week or so. We first arrived in this strange, yet somehow familiar country last Sunday. After a miserable drive through a very wet and cold Washington state, we arrived at the border eager to explore and receive our free pancakes and maple syrup (the guys in Rebuilt told me this was a common occurrence during customs and for some reason I believed them). We expected to spend at least an hour at the border, especially after hearing horror stories from other bands trying to cross into Canada. Strip searches, interrogations, being taxed for all your merch, that kind of stuff. Though we were asked a few seriously worded questions, such as if we were "into civil disobedience" we got by unscathed and headed in. No joke, as soon as we drove in the skies opened up and welcomed us into the new land. We pulled into Vancouver somewhat awestruck at this big city juxtaposed between cloud covered mountains and blue ocean. The show that night was in a small loft that is currently a sort headquarters for anarcho-punk kids who are super pissed about the Winter Olympics coming to Vancouver next year. Not a huge turnout, but fun none the less. After the show we made our way to Kelowna, which meant driving through lots of mountains and lots of snow. Coming up here I really assumed "Hey it's April, how cold can it get?" Apparently enough to drive through snow for a few hours.
After having a belated Easter dinner at Dustin's from Horizons in Kelowna (which was amazing btw) we had another long drive through more snow covered mountains, but this time the weather was much better and it was daylight, so we were able to enjoy what was probably the most epic drive we have been on. The scenery on that drive was insanely beautiful and I've never seen anything like that. That night we played Edmonton, which we heard was going to most likely suck, but it ended up being a lot of fun, especially since Grave Maker played and hung out, and Todd from Means was there and let us stay with him in his cramped little apartment.
The next night we played Calgary in the most Canadian bar you've ever seen and then proceeded to party into the night with Horizons. We ended up at this party after the show where within the first ten minutes of our arrival there was a dance party, almost everyone got half naked, and a fight was super close to breaking out. The party was followed by all of us getting into Horizons' van and moshing/ stage diving inside, until all the mosh spilled out onto the side of the highway. It was one of those nights where you just had to be there. Most of the shows so far have gone pretty well. There's been some good and some bad. The show in Winkler the other night was unreal and it was cool to see everyone get into the new stuff. Winnipeg wasn't so great but the beatboxing in the street with the locals afterwards made up for it. Horizons have been great guides on this tour, teaching us about the best parts of Canada such as poutine (french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds), "Good Gods" (attractive Canadian girls) and the very Canadian show known as Trailer Park Boys. The Winnipeg show was our last night with them and we're bummed we had to say goodbye. We'll see if we can survive the east coast on our own. I'm sure we'll be fine as long as we don't hit any moose.
Much has happened since our last update. I don't know why it has been so difficult to write in this thing lately. But I promise that will change very soon. Until then here's an update about everything that has been going on. Way back in March we did a two week tour with a band called Madball and a band called Reign Supreme. I don't really know what else to say about except for that it was an awesome experience and we wish it had never ended. Sometimes as a band you sit around and think what would be the perfect tour lineup to go out with. It usually consists of one of your favorite established bands you've been listening to for a while and a younger band that you're getting into that will most certainly blow up very soon.
Usually these kinds of tours don't happen, except this time it did and we couldn't have been happier to be apart of it. The shows were crazy fun and just seeing a band like Madball play every night was a treat, and getting to see Reign Supreme for the first time was quite intense. Those dudes are incredibly heavy! We made some great friends on this tour and we want to thank both those bands for being such good guys and fun tour mates. Also thanks to all the kids who came out and supported us and weren't afraid to sing along for us in a room full of really big dudes!
After the madball tour ended we went home for a week to relax, skate, go to the beach and practice occasionally. We prepared a new setlist and we've been throwing in a couple songs we hadn't been playing before, so keep an eye out for that.
Our journey back on the road started by doing a few dates with our friends Take it Back! and The Red Baron, as well as our new friends Venia and We Still Dream. These shows were tons of fun and we got to try out that new set, which seems to be working like gangbusters! Later on we were lucky enough to play to shows with Energy and Defeater, two bands that blew us away. We were privileged to be able to play with those guys and I definitely suggest checking them out!
This past weekend we played Facedown Fest, something we look forward to playing every year because of the friends, the food, and of course all the fans that come. I think this was the most different Facedown fest for us by far. For one thing our friends xLooking Forwardx weren't there and our dudes in Seventh Star and Means are no longer making music, and they were missed dearly (although I'm sure Drew wasn't thinking about Facedown Fest. He got married this weekend! Congrats dude!) We did make a lot of new friends like the dudes in My Epic and still had so much fun with everyone.
Our set was also cut short for some strange reason. We had played for about 11 minutes when they told us we had one song left, when were allotted a 25 minute set. We played 2 songs anyways and the stage managers were steamed. I don't know why that when the show is dragging late it's usually our set that they decide to cut, but I guess we made the best of it. Maybe it was a sign though, Because let's be honest. Most of those kids were there for IMPENDING DOOM.
This week we start our Cali/ Canada dates with Horizons so please check those out. It's going to be tons of fun! Apr 7 2009 6:00P CHINA TOWN YOUTH CENTER w/ Horizons & Rebuilt Fresno, California Apr 8 2009 7:00P MASONIC LODGE w/ Horizons and Rebuilt Oakdale, California Apr 9 2009 6:00P SUB-MISSION ART SPACE w/ Horizons & Rebuilt San Francisco, California Apr 10 2009 7:00P FRIENDS CHURCH w/ Horizons & Rebuilt Citrus Heights, California Apr 11 2009 6:00P 3RD ST PIZZA w/ Horizons & Rebuilt Mcminnville, Oregon Apr 12 2009 8:00P ANTI POVERTY COMMITTEE OFFICE Vancouver, British Columbia Apr 13 2009 7:00P THE HUBB w/ Horizons Kelowna, British Columbia Apr 14 2009 7:00P AVONMORE HALL w/ Grave Maker Edmonton, Alberta Apr 15 2009 7:00P THE NEW BLACK ART CENTER w/ Horizons Calgary, Alberta Apr 16 2009 7:00P U OF L BALLROOM w/ Horizons Lethbridge, Alberta Apr 17 2009 7:00P THE LYRIC w/ Horizons Swift Current, Saskatchewan Apr 18 2009 7:00P THE CLUB w/ Horizons Regina, Saskatchewan Apr 19 2009 7:00P THE BUNKER w/ Horizons Winkler, Manitoba Apr 20 2009 7:00P WAR ON MUSIC w/ Braindead Winnipeg, Manitoba Apr 21 2009 7:00P BLACK PIRATES CLUB Thunder Bay, Ontario Apr 23 2009 8:00P TBA Barrie, Ontario Apr 24 2009 7:00P THE REVERB Toronto, Ontario Apr 25 2009 7:00P THE CHUBBY PICKLE Windsor, Ontario Apr 26 2009 7:00P THE POLISH HALL Sarnia, Ontario Apr 27 2009 7:00P MOON OVER MARIN London, Ontario Apr 28 2009 7:00P SESSIONS AT 73 St. Catharines, Ontario Apr 29 2009 7:00P ST PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH Milton, Ontario Apr 30 2009 7:00P EMMANUEL PENTECOSTAL CHURCH Port Perry, Ontario May 1 2009 8:00P TBA Montreal, Quebec May 2 2009 7:00P ECOLE DE L’ODYSSE Gatineau, Quebec May 3 2009 7:00P PETIT PAVILLION AGRICOLLE Rimouski, Quebec May 4 2009 8:00P TBA Moncton, New Brunswick May 5 2009 8:00P TBA Charlottetown, Prince Edward May 6 2009 8:00P TBA Halifax, Nova Scotia May 7 2009 7:00P THE PARAMOUNT Moncton, New Brunswick May 8 2009 7:00P SALLE SCOUT Victoriaville, Quebec May 9 2009 7:00P THE SHARON TEMPL Sharon, Ontario
We love you and probably miss you! See everyone soon!
We are a band full of procrastinators. Just ask every promoter we've ever worked with. This is why you are about to watch a video from our tour that ended almost 3 weeks ago. I don't really have an excuse accept for that I've been trying to do normal non band things lately like working, riding my bike, and riding my bike at work. Plus I lost about an hour of footage while working on the video that included a sick skate session in palm springs and an awesome house show in Tuscan. It seriously bummed me out and I thought about just walking away from this one. But alas! I mustered the courage to finally finish this beast and it's not half bad. Check it out!
Lately it seems these videos that last no longer than a few minutes end up having their own soundtrack. This one is no exception, and incase you were wondering, here's the list of all the music used in the video.
James Taylor- "Mexico" (the bus ride)
Kid Cudi- "Day 'N' Night (Crooker's Remix)" (dance sequences)
Sufjan Stevens- "Say Yes! To Michigan" (the birds scene)
Since our last tour we've played one show in Kissimmee. It was a pretty epic show though. The Red, Baron, Take it Back! and Wrench in the Works also played. It was ill to say the least:
We've got one more Florida show before we leave for tour on the 28th: (I hate it when they call us A Call To Preserve) Come out it's gonna be dope. Also here's some other flyers for upcoming shows. There's a couple new ones so check 'em out! Yes, that last one is Canadian date. We'll be there with Horizons in April. We're pretty much touring the entire continent of North America in the next few months, so be ready to see us real soon!
Just another 2 weeks till the Madball tour! Get stoked! I know I am. -Harbor
These are the dates we're doing with Madball(!!!) and Reign Supreme. Please try to be in attendence. There will be an abundance of new memorabilia available at all these shows.
Mar 6 2009 6:00P FORWARD HALL w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Erie, Pennsylvania Mar 7 2009 7:00P UNCLE PLEASANTS w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Louisville, Kentucky Mar 8 2009 7:00P NEW DAISY THEATRE w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Memphis, Tennessee Mar 9 2009 7:00P CAVE 9 w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Birmingham, Alabama Mar 11 2009 7:00P VOLUME 11 TAVERN w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Raleigh, North Carolina Mar 12 2009 6:00P THE SOAPBOX LOUNGE w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Wilmington, North Carolina Mar 13 2009 7:00P THE MASQUERADE w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Atlanta, Georgia Mar 15 2009 7:00P JAVA JAZZ w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Houston, Texas Mar 16 2009 7:00P THE MAX w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Dallas, Texas Mar 17 2009 7:00P RED 7 w/ Madball & Reign Supreme Austin, Texas
So I've been kind of neglecting the blog lately, almost a tour without a post actually, and I apologize for that. We made it home safe from the Gravemaker tour, but just barely. After a short break for the holidays and michael almost dying from the flu, we met up with Folsom and CDC in Corpus Christi Texas a few days later than we had hoped. We've been out now for a couple weeks and it's been just great. We've been staying warm by hanging out in states like Texas, California, and even crossing the border to Mexico. I'm working on our first video blog of the new year as we speak, but for now here's just some random shots of what's been happening. Well the video will be posted soon so keep looking out. In the meantime there's another review of "From Isolation" for you to check out at pastepunk.com.
Oh and one more thing! You may remember this picture from the last post: It appears that someone at somethingawful.com got a hold of our souvenir pic and slightly altered it to look like this: Can you believe the audacity! Well everyone have a good weekend. Check us out on the road!-Harbor
