News Archives 2003
11-06-03
Hello Setheads of both M, and Vinyl variety! We just wrapped up a week long stint playing the grand opening of The Ritz in Idaho Falls! Wow, it was as exhausting as it was fun. Before arriving, we spent an eve with Eug's sister in Twin Falls at their wonderful hot springs. We hung out under the stars and soaked in the natural spring water. Very nice.
The next day we drove off to Idaho Falls. It was fairly uneventful, except my ear was freaking out because I have a condition that doesn't always block water from getting in there and I was miserable for several hours. But, 4 rounds of ear drops and an ear candle later, I was better (there may be pics of this on the Vinyl Set site).
To give you full details of the 5 nights would turn this into a novel, so I'll hit the highlights. The first night..there were none. PA problems abounded. Ugh. The next few nights we stretched our wings and jammed, met some incredibly hot women (you know who you are), and ate tons of fast food. We got hit with the cold weather like you did in Seattle, only it was much colder...with snow. Windchills fell to below zero.
Friday night was Halloween and BOOM the whole town turned out. I'm guessing there were 600 or so people. All of them stuck around and drank until they had to be near forcibly removed. It was one of the grander halloween shows we have had the privilege to be involved with. Big ups to the costumes (Hot Genie, Hot Nurse, Hot School Girl, Hot Flapper, Hot Kitten, Hot Fairy, Schreck, Death, Mormon Missionary, etc).
By Saturday we were beat. We played our final show with our vocal chords hanging by a thread. We tried to summon up an after hours party, but soon found we were too beat to truly get motivated.
Sunday we were supposed to drive straight through to Seattle, but as we were crossing the Blue Mountains, our lights started flickering on and off. As you may imagine, driving an icy mountain pass with intermitent lights is not recommended by the state patrol. So we drove a grueling twenty miles and limped into Pendleton, Oregon. I was super pissed because I had a test to take on Tuesday and this put me one day behind schedule, so I was sulking. Eug put an end to my sulking by handing me a series of double scotches and a batter platter to die for (onion rings, fried mushrooms, fries, mozerella sticks, etc).
By the end of the night I was 2 1/2 sheets to the wind and stumbled across a horse trailer with two friendly horses. Eug and I must have spent a half hour spilling drunk happy talk to the horses. They didn't seem to mind.
So now we're back and it's time to jump back on recording. If you can't tell, we are taking a kind of hiatus from M-set shows while we finish this record up. It is coming along SO well. I can tell you with all honesty that this will be our greatest record to date...hands down. So keep your eyes peeled on the site...and come on out and see Vinyl Set sometime. We crank out some of the best classic rock covers to dance/party to in the state! Peez Out Y'all.
-Scojo
09-07-03
Scojo throwin down the 411 for ya - This weekend was the debut of "Vinyl Set" - the "cover band" alter-ego of your boyz from M-set. A "cover" band is a band that plays versions of songs that were previously written/performed/released by other artists. "Vinyl Set" (for example) plays "covers" of classic rock party tunes from bands such as The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Cars, etc.. It's a lot of fun and typically pays a lot more than playing original music. And hey, we have an M-set record we have to finance, so we need all the $$ we can get.
The debut show of Vinyl Set (pictures) was at the biggest club in Seattle, the newly remodeled Fenix Underground. A multi-million dollar, multi-level club that is a sight to behold. A rave-esque DJ party on the bottom floor, a live rock and roll party on the middle, and a bar (one of many) on the top floor.
We brought back one time M-set member Andrew Nelson to play keys/guitars for us. He was better than ever. We played three sets to a healthy crowd that danced, screamed, and drank until well after last call. There were 3 bachelorette parties, 2 birthday parties, and a ton of pretty faces amongst the crowd that night. We managed to pull a couple bachelorettes up on stage for their "last dance of freedom".
By the end of the night we were all exhausted, sweaty, and already getting excited for our next show. Which, by the way is September 19th at The Swiss in Tacoma, followed by an ORiGINAL M-SET show on September 20th at The Rocksport...a kick ass "Rock and Sport" bar in West Seattle. We'd love to have M-setters come out and see Vinyl Set, we guarantee to put on a level of show that hopefully you've come to expect from us. And to all you new Vinyl Setters, come on out and check out our TRUE passion...M-set. Thanks y'all for a great weekend!
-Peas, Scojo
08-03-03
Yo Set People! Scojo coming at you again after a long weekend of drunken misbehavior, getting a year older and sleeping less than what is considered "healthy". We played at Doc Maynards on Saturday (pictures). It was the annual Scojo Birthday Bash. Common Heroes opened the show. They are one of my fav's in this city. Great band, and a great bunch of guys too. Record labels should be checking these guys out.
Post Stardom Depression got an INCREDIBLE opportunity to showcase in NYC, so they couldn't play our show. So the "Gun Street Girls" threw an old fashion blend of burlesque and naughty language at the crowd. The place was throbbing with people. One of the biggest shows we've played in Pioneer Square. By the time we hit the stage the audience was well lubricated with Jager, beer, or whatever else smacked their pallet.
We played two sets of triumphant rock and roll and sent Jason off with a bang. For those of you that don't already know, Jason is moving to Portland to pursue other opportunities and we wish him well. Thanks Jason for your years of commitment, comradery and extreme mild alcoholism.
The night ended with us playing "Superstitious". I realized I was more drunk than I've been on stage in a long time. Usually I don't like playing and drinking...but for some reason, that night it didn't seem to bother me at all. We did a "post party" back at the house. I remember stumbling into my room at around 4:30 and writing in my journal so that I could sober up before going to bed. The knock came on my door at 9:30 a.m. telling me it was time to head out on the boat for our Seafair Extravaganza. I was still drunk. So I decided the best idea was to ward off the hangover by "the hair of the dog". It worked. Well, I guess that's about all for now...we are KNEE DEEP in the new album and I am very excited. It's sounding great. Keep your eyes on the website - Jason leaving us does not mean that we are going out of site. We're too addicted to rock and roll for that. Peas Owt
-Scojo
07-16-03
Howz it? Scojo coming at you again with a smile on my face and a slightly chaffed butt crack. Don't ask why. We played out at The Sterling's Full Moon BBQ in Hoquiam last Saturday. It was a kick in the ass. When we first arrived, we wondered if we were going to get our ass kicked. You gotta understand, North Seattle and Hoquiam are a bit different culturally. But our concerns were quickly dismissed because everyone there was very friendly.
The rain came down for a good part of the day. The band "F-line" played a smoking set right before us and fought off a whipping drizzle. I grabbed a beer (or three) and headed for the stage. I knew that the host of the party really liked us, but didn't know what to expect from the rest. They did not disappoint. The crowd really took to us right away. I saw several people that heard what was going on and wandered quickly up to the stage. There were a lot of smiles and great responses from the crowd all night. We closed with "Superstitious" and got called back for an encore.
After the show, we all hung out and acted like buffoons. We do that well. I weaseled my way around a handful of beer cups and even took a few shots of this wonderful homemade concoction. Jason and some other guy cranked into one of the longest "acoustic guitar around the fire" jams I've ever witnessed.
Finding myself thinking, "I either need another drink, or I need to go to bed" - I opted for bed. I'm a puss (I mean Wuss). I opened up the back of the van and rolled into my sleeping bag. No pad. Big mistake. My body still feels the repercussions of that one. But oh well. The next day we headed out for "Gamber's" for breakfast, said goodbye to the Grays Harbor area and headed for home.
Don't forget that we have our biggest show of the summer on AUGUST 2nd at DOC MAYNARD'S in Pioneer Square. It's my annual "SCOJO BIRTHDAY PARTY" and last years was a sell out. This year we're playing it with Post Stardom Depression (two thumbs for these guys) and Common Heroes. Come one out and ridicule me for evading death for yet another year.
-Peas, Scojo
07-06-03
S'up Set Heads? It's a good thing that the M-set news is written, not spoken, because I can barely talk right now. We've had a long, kick ass week(end) and my vocal chords are lying in waste. The slow death of my voice began last Monday when we began tracking drums for the new record. I needed to sing a "scratch track" for the recording, so I ended up singing for two solid days. I thought my voice would recover in time for the weekend, I was wrong. By Friday I was sounding alot like Demi Moore after a pack of Camel Menthols.
We kicked off the M-Dependence Day Weekend at "The Freedom Fair" in Tacoma. 250,000 people were predicted to cycle through during the weekend. We hit the stage at 3:00 p.m. to a good sized crowd...lots of fine lookin' sites wandering around, I must say. There were F-18's, F-16's, and stunt planes flying around during the show...we thought we were under attack. Actually, during "Weekend Girlfriend", I DID come under attack from a 90 year old woman who apparently thought we were too loud. That killed her chances of being my girlfriend for THAT weekend...let me tell you.
Next, we were off to The Emerald Queen Casino for a 4 hour performance comprised of dancers, drinkers, free hot dogs, a Tom Hall appearance (our savior engineer) and some great new fans. New Set Head "Joyce" put Ricky to shame when she went on a personal mission and sold over 10 CD's all by herself. I just stood there and watched her sell wave, after wave, after wave. It was a thing of beauty. After the show we went down one deck and checked out The Valley Dolls, an all female 80's Metal cover band who were a tasty eyeful. After cashing in our meal voucher on a crab louie salad (yummie), it was back to Seattle and off to bed.
The next morning I woke up with virtually no voice left, and the cold reality that I had another 4 hour performance ahead. I took a quick trip to Chris's hot tub, then to the store for lozenges, bananas, lemons and everything else I could think of to rehab my ailing chords. We played three one-hour sets and I don't think there was a moment of comfort the entire time. But the discomfort was overtaken by a great crowd, and some old dear friends showing up unexpectedly. (Carrie, Joel...great to see you guys again - let's do it again soon). Once again, we went down to see The Valley Dolls. This time, yours truly got up on stage and performed with the band during "You Really Got Me". High fives from drunk fans were in abundance after exiting the stage. Ricky and I hung with the gals for a while after the show. Big thanks to Alicia (lead singer) for trying to change clothes while we were there, and did a half assed job of covering herself whilst she did it. Kick ass.
The night (for me) ended with a breakfast buffet with the boys, Jen, Jen, Alicia (different one), and Corrina. The two Jens came back for a post party that I was only a partial participant in. 5th wheel-idis and exhaustion sent me to the sack pretty quick...but it was still 4 a.m. by the time I crashed. I guess that pretty much sums it up. Be sure and check out the pics from this weekend and don't forget about my big birthday bash show at Doc Maynards on August 2nd...Seafair Weekend!!! Peas and Carrots
-Scojo
07-03-03
Recording of our 4th album (over 20 songs) began on Monday at the Hall of Justice studios which has quite a history of bands recording there like Nirvana, the Posies, Harvey Danger and more.
-Chris
06-11-03
Correspondent Scojo De La M-set reporting from the Casa De La M-set -
Dateline June 7th. I'm here at Lake Samammish State Park where we just got off stage for the annual Tastin' and Racin' event. Goll Dern it was hot. The day started off with us running behind schedule and sitting in I-5 traffic wondering if we were going to make it to the gig on time. Well, don't you fret my little Setheads. M-set is NEVER late and of course, the entire music industy NEVER runs on time, so we got there with plenyy of time to spare.
The band before us was Dana Osborne, an Elton John tribute band that was fun to check out. Of course, during part of his set we had to do the obligatory walk around. Check out all the people who were sweltering in the 90 degree heat...most wearing little, but since the sun hasn't been out lately, they were...ugh, pale as hell. Not pretty. We had to resist temptation when we walked by the SPAM booth and they were offering free samples. Nothing says Sunny Day like a nice hunk of salted fat.
Before we hit the stage we had already broken a sweat. It was around 90 degrees out, and the stage had a tent cover to keep out rain (just in case). Instead it served as a heat catcher, shooting the temperature of the stage to over 100 degrees. It's a challenge to get physically into a show when every time you move, you start to get light headed. But we pulled it off. We were cheered on by the beer garden attendees and several attractive ladies up front. You know who you are.
After the show we hung out in the beer garden and chatted
with many of the complimentary fans. The fans weren't complimentary as in
"free", they were complimentary as in "you guys kick ass!".
I just wanted to clarify. ;-) The sweltering heat and cold beer was a nice
relaxing way to while away the rest of our Saturday before heading off to
Jamie and Daniel's house warming party. We were scheduled to perform there,
but circumstances beyond our control were afoot and instead I found myself
over Scotched, over fed, and over run. Sleep didn't come quickly that night,
but when it did...ahhh yeeeaah.
Don't forget that we are playing Doc Maynard's this Saturday! It will be
our last Seattle show until August, so come on down and party with us! Hope
to see y'all there. Peas.
-Scojo
05-28-03
Salutations and greetings from Sethead Central! We kicked out the jams this weekend with a huge M-set barbque and celebration of Jason becoming an old codger! God, he's SO old. We actually kicked off the day with Jamie puking in our bathroom from the set-up/pre func the night before. So that was a good sign.
The first group arrived around noon and there was a slow steady increase from there on out. Rain threatened, then it made good on the threats in a big way for about 20 minutes. We tarped stuff off, ran for cover and drank a beer while God made arrangements for it to stop. Soon to follow was The Northern Souls, who rocked the house and inspired me to crack my first brew of the day. Thanks to The Northern Souls for braving the rain and still kicking ass.
Next came Smooch Knob. As you may recall, they played our barbque last year. They were one guitar player short of a full band, so Jason sat in and faked his way through the entire energetic, quirky, three hundred pound Cranko American set. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Smooch Knob kicks ass. And Pauly? Good lord, what a nice rack.
The only way to truly follow a Smooch Knob set is with Jello Wrestling. We delivered. Amanda, who we were partially throwing the party for because she's heading off to the Army, was the first one to dive in the sweet, tasty dessert. She managed to take on two women and my pants were beginning to get shorter, but then Jason jumped in and even Bob Dole couldn't save me. Jason managed to give Amanda a good rodgering, but her fake "injured quail" maneuver paid off in spades.
And then came your boys of M-set. By the time we hit the stage (porch), the crowd was decent size and we had a great time. Our friends from Streets Of Blood (the indie movie we appeared in) were there to video tape some footage for an upcoming "She Likes To Hit" video. Part of that footage included me having to get my ass handed to me by Leanne with a wiffle ball bat, then Amanda joined in and tackled me, and then I was polished off by some woman with a squirt gun. I was so blinded by jello, grass clippings and wiffle bats that I couldn't tell who "she" was. The rest of the set was a kick in the ass, but after the beating I took, it was a bit of a blur.
As promised, there were fire dancers. Amazing sight to be seen. Three women slinging fire in rhythm together. Hopefully some Setheads were taking pictures of that event. We'd love to see them. They had three bowls of fire each attached on chains. They slung them around in incredible configurations and even had a few amazing solo performances.
We managed to tap out THREE kegs by about 9:30 p.m., but it didn't seem to slow things down. People were making grocery and liquor store runs left and right. No one wanted to stop because next was the Wet T-shirt Contest! Whoohoo! Guys and Gals alike circled around the 8-9 contestents. All worthy of the crown. Pauly from Smooch Knob was eliminated fairly quickly because it was discovered that he had a penis. But my God, I don't know if I've ever seen such a great line up of contestants. I truly had a hard time figuring out my favorite, so I cheered for all of them. Congrats to "Isis" for taking the coveted crown.
The party managed to continue until it was light...but I had to call it quits at about 2:00 a.m.. Which is actually fairly admirable considering I'd been preparing, drinking, screaming, getting beat and chatting since 9:00 a.m..
This party was an unqualified success. Well, we did miss Amber in her full glory this year, but such is the way of life. The primary debt of gratitude for everything goes to SHAWNA for organizing and financing the blow out. She did a kick ass job. Everybody? One! Two! Three! THANKS SHAWNA!
If you have pictures of the party, please email them to chris@m-set.com and we'll put them up right away. Don't forget our show at Doc Maynards on June 14th, oh and and we've had a last minute addition to our schedule out in Issaquah on June 6th. Keep your eyes on the website!!
-Peas, Scojo
05-22-03
Here We Go Seatheads! - I'm gonna recap the events of our assault of Capital Hill last night. First of all, legend has it that M-set is not really a "Capital Hill" band. Most Capital Hill bands are apparently artsy-broody, or techno...basically not "happy/party" music as we have been described. But I have to say that things went quite well. Chop Suey is a cool club. It's got that red & black chinese mafia restaurant feel to it.
We played with two cool bands. "Rudda" started the show. They are a hard rocking three piece who actually used to be called "Lit", needless to say they changed their name, but not after cashing in. Northern Souls closed the show with their brand of punk pop with piss and vinegar. Look for them to grace our porch this weekend.
Our show was a blast. It was good to see Susan and her gang there, Mike and the Raindancer rockers, Rosanna and a good handful of other familiar faces. It was actually quite a good crowd. Eugene had a major allergic reaction right before the show and we literally were about ready to send him to the hospital and cancel the show. His eyes were so swollen that he looked like Rocky Balboa. He frightened me on several occasions. But Eug would have to be in a coma in order to not go on stage. Trust me, one day he will be.
I'd have to say that our first assault on Capital Hill went better than we expected. Can your "happy" boys of M-set be breaking new ground in a foreign land? Keep your eyes on the website y'all. We have a lot of shows coming up...mostly out of town, but we want to see YOU at the next one!
-Peas, Scojo
05-19-03
Hello-dee-ho Setheads! Scojo coming at ya once again with the 411 on M-set. Or is that 711? Or 311? Who cares?! This past week found us on the road twice. Thursday we played a showcase at The Swiss in Tacoma that featured ALL cover bands, except us. A booking group called 3CI has recently been hooking us up with shows that are half original/half cover shows. The showcase was an opportunity to showcase our M-setness for a group of talent buyers throughout the region.
We kicked off the 1/2 hour set with our version of "Paperback Writer". That's all it took to hook the crowd in. All eyes were on the stage. We blazed through our best covers and even played a few originals. By the time we kicked into "Get The F**k Out!", we had completely won the crowd over. People were smiling, dancing and singing along. Apparently the promo packs that we brought all disappeared within the first ten minutes.
The next night we hopped the ferry to Bremerton and drove to Port Orchard for a show at J.A. Michaels. The pictures we took tell the story (go to "live pictures" part of this website). Lots of drinks, a wonderful club owner and a great sound system. The attendance was light since it was our first appearance there, but we hit it off with Doug (the owner) and created some new Setheads. We spent the night in Port Orchard and managed to finally NOT get a noise complaint or get kicked out. YEEEHAH!
After the show we all went back to the hotel and embibed. Jamie (sound guy) had enough tequila, coronas, and martinis that he decided he could do a handstand at the waters edge. Whoops. Needless to say, the morning revealed Jamie with a MASSIVE hangover and sand all over the bathroom. At about 7:00 a.m., Eugene sat up in bed and grunted, "Hey Buddy! You better..." and then a bunch of unintelligible words as though he was bitching someone out. Then he paused, put his head down and went unconscious. He has no memory of the event.
I'm STILL exhausted from the weekend. But no rest for the wicked. This Wednesday we play at Chop Suey and then our big shindig this weekend with Smooch Knob and Northern Souls. I know, it's only rock and roll...but I like it.
-Peas, Scojo
05-11-03
W'assup Setheads?! Got two shows to recap for ya. Well, 1 1/2 shows...in my book. We played at Tropical Tides on Cinco De Mayo. The club is actually very cool...big stage, great PA, but it was one of the most miserable gigs in my recent memory. I won't say much other than ROSANNA KICKS ASS...thanks for coming out and supporting us, girl!
Moving on to The Central on Friday night. Actually, the night started at The Lake Union Cafe. We went to the private party that the wonderful folks from Honey Tongue (thanks Graham and Jen) were throwing and played a short acoustic set. There were great drinks, great food and great people. Crab and Johnie Walker...heaven in my book.
On to The Central. It was a good night. Blurred Fixation opened the show with one of the better female rock singers I've heard in a long time. Good band. Northern Souls (whom we'll be playing with on Wednesday, May 21st at Chop Suey) played the middle slot. They are a great band and also great guys. We are looking forward to playing with them again.
Since our show earlier in the week was a bust, I was VERY much looking forward to playing that night. I stepped up to the mic fired up, ready to rock, and I believe we delivered. We opened with our brand new song, "Get Up"...it is a barn burner that never lets up. Kind of a "Ted Nugent meets AC/DC" type of song. Throughout the night we played several new songs and a couple classics. If you haven't seen us in a while, you need to come out and see us again. Lots of new stuff.
Well, I guess that's all for now. Shoot me an email at scott@m-set.com and let me know your favorite songs, and email me your favorite M-set related photos for possible use on the website or album cover art.
Peas - Scojo
April 2003
Tour Diaries by Scojo in chronological order:
1st day 04/08/03
Herein lies installment one of the M-set road journal. We just left Weed (California) and it’s blowing like a $2 whore. We left Seattle at 12:30 pm (only 90 minutes behind schedule) with Ashland, OR as the final goal. As we headed out of Seattle it became quickly obvious that containing our gaseous explosions was going to be a futile effort. The stank of myself, Chris, Eug, Jason and Ricky collided in battle with the ferocity of The Two Towers…only there were 5 Towers and all of them contained the foul stench of generations of cured meats, starbucks, doritos and carrots….that, plus crap.
The ride itself was fairly uneventful. We didn’t have the "trailer of certain death" behind us this tour, so driving was fairly smooth. Along the way we created fodder for future inside jokes, said things that will never be repeated outside the van, and stared in awe as we passed through the land of Bruce Campbell – the man who begat us all at the beginning of the Big Begat some 4 plus billion years ago. I know that last statement doesn’t make sense to anyone but myself and possibly 4 other people – but it’s my journal – so piss off.
We got into Ashland at about 10:00 pm and went straight to the bar that we’ll be playing at on Wednesday. I wrapped my lips around a couple of pale ale’s and "hippie watched". Eug took the video camera throughout the bar to document the evening and ran into an agro-hippie who pulled a Tommy Lee or Sean Penn-esque paparazzi attack on Eug and the camera. We don’t know why he freaked out – we could only speculate that perhaps he had showered and used deodorant earlier that day and didn’t want it documented on film that he "sold out to the man". Ironically, his name was Happy.
As the evening came to an end, we went back to our hotel to have a mixed drink and see what’s happening on the Saddam scene. I stretched out on the floor just in time for Ricky’s "French Horn with diarrhea" style snoring. Just as I drifted off, Shawna called Jason (who was sleeping in the van) on his phone…twice. I muttered a few choice words that begin with F, S, & GD then popped in my earplugs.
The morning found Ricky massaging Chris, organic coffee, postering and staring at hippies on the agenda. Now we are on the road and headed for Chico. We are all psyched to play the gig and yes, we are all farting in the van.
04/9/03
We’re saying goodbye to Chico as I write this and I’m wearing the same clothes as I had on stage last night and I think I’m on day #3 of the same underwear. We played Riff Raff last night (formerly The Red Room which we played twice on our last tour). Once again, over indulgence or pizza, jager and various brands of Ale was the theme of the eve. Our friends Burke opened the show (the band we befriended in San Fran on our last tour) with their definitely quirky insanity. Ill Gotten Gainz played the middle slot. They had a Soundgarden meets Rev Horton Heat vibe that was fun and worth a listen to.
04/10/03
Well, I started to write the journal for Chico, but my exhaustion got the best of me and now we’ve played our Ashland show and I need to get caught up. Basically, the end of the Chico story is as follows:
Our friends Lisa and Lindsay let us stay at their house for the night, so we proceeded to move the party to their place. We ended up busting out acoustics and playing a handful of Beatles songs, then proceeded to do the various activities that are associated with touring bands like bible study, environmental awareness seminars and we spearheaded a bake sale for disenfranchised young beauty school drop outs. I spent the majority of the evening with Moby – Lisa’s dog. Does anyone know how to get peanut butter stains out of clothing?
Okay, the next day we headed out for Ashland. A five-hour drive consisting of over priced gas, junk food, carrot juice and the now patented M-set stench. We were booked at The Ashland Creekside again on their College Night. The night when every college student in town over the age of twenty one comes out to drink and practice the age old tradition of "getting some sugar". We played two sets to a good-sized crowd consisting of some fine looking ladies (see Pics) and more dreadlocks than a Bob Marley family reunion special.
After the show we were invited to hit the local "alternative" club with Dillon, Eileen and the rest. I snagged a Chivas and proceeded to dance like the soulless suburban 80’s child that I am. Note to self: You’re a dweeb. Move on.
The post party was very interesting. That’s all I’m gonna say. If you want to hear more about it, email me. But in order to protect the innocent, I will wrap up this journal entry by singing the theme to Sanford & Son and shouting YAY!
04/11/03
The M-set machine powers on with stop number one of two in Portland. Last night found us at The Tonic Lounge, which is kind of our home away from home. It was good to see familiar faces like Steve, Tim, Myk, Paulie and Jamie. We played with several friends last night: The Ditty Twisters and Hypothetical Beth. It was a very solid night of music. Once again the "beer flowed like wine and the salmon instinctively flocked like the salmon of Capistrano" and a good time was had by all.
Early yesterday we found out that our show was canceled for tonight, so we scrambled to find another show and luckily found one at The Twilight…our serious home away from home for breakfast whenever we play Portland. They now have live music and we are stoked to find out what happens when you combine M-set, a crowd full of drunks and full plates full of grease and gravy into one room.
Alright, I’m trying to type while the van is bumping out of control, so I’m gonna keep this one short. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.
04/12/03
Well, we’re down to our last drive and our last show.
Last night we played a pick up gig at The Twilight. We were told it was
a "punk" club, which can mean one of two things. One, that it’s
a club that likes up tempo music and high energy…. which fits perfectly
for us (i.e. Riff Raff in Chico); or Two, that it’ a club full of
Kurt Cobain Wannabees who think that knowing how to play your instrument
and smiling are signs that you are "selling out". We encountered
the latter last night.
The highlight of the night was our fans. We had a good core of fans, some
of which had driven from Eugene to see us. I felt GREAT when I looked out
and saw a good handful of pretty ladies singing along with me on "I
Lie To Girls". And it didn’t end there. They sung along with
almost EVERY song. Ladies….that was the highlight of the tour for
me. Thanks.
We’ve spent the last two nights staying at Steve’s house. His hospitality is yet another highlight of this tour. We had a place to hang out, shower, partake in immoral activities and play more ping-pong than Forest Gump night at The Happy Palace. Thanks Steve…I’ll be back in a few weeks with a sharper forehand….then I’m gonna whip your ass!
The post party at Steve’s house was a spectacle. Ping-pong, chicken, tofu and hot lesbians were on the menu for the eve. At one point, Jason was walking around playing guitar to that mexican "aye yay yay yay" song. Well, as a college kid I learned a drunken version of that song where everyone improvises their own lyrics. So we all joined in and invented some dandys:
"your mother does cartwheels on doorknobs"
"I shaved my sisters back and shoved it in her crack"
"I’ll put this light bulb in my rectum"
So that gives you the general idea of how things went. We definitely play in the shallow end of the pool in the M-set culture. If you want profundity, go climb a mountain in Tibet. If you want to laugh and act like a dork…come see M-set.
We’re on the road to Eugene now. One more night. Phew. Of all the gigs on this tour, the one in Eugene with Pocketface has been my most anticipated. Tonight, we’ll have two ska bands, a punk band and us. We’ll have pale ale and friends. Jager and profanity. Cigarettes and dirty hobos. Tonight we play like Gods…then we go home and get our first good night’s sleep. That..plus crap.
Thanks Steve, Steve, Tim, Chris, Stephanie, Kurt, Shane, Shane, Natasha, Paulie, Jamie and all the rest for making Portland kick ass. Donnie…we’ll catch you on the next one.
04/13/03
Well folks, here it is…the final installment of the M-set tour journal. I have Jack In The Box in my belly, we are on the road home and Seattle is only about 4 hours away. Only 4 more hours of stench. Yesterday on the way to Eugene we ran into a lightning and rainstorm that was incredible. I swear one of the bolts damn near took us out. Wouldn’t that be rock and roll? M-set wiped out in freak lightning strike. We’d probably sell a lot more records. I got nervous because I realized that we had millions of volts of electricity dangerously close to the M-set van, which has become the world’s single largest source of natural methane on the west coast.
We played at The Wetlands Brew Pub last night with Pocketface. My vocal chords were shot from the night before, so I was sucking down throat lozenges like Larry Flint pops balloon knots. (yes, once again I know that I’ve made reference to something that few people would understand, but for the last time…it’s my journal, so piss off). The Ted Dancin Machine opened the show with their brand of ska rock. Great talent all around. Pocketface then stepped up and dished out their seasoned ska, punk, rock blend with authority…until the PA blew up. That kinda put a temporary damper on things. We made a mad dash to find out what was wrong with the PA, and found that the source of the problem was an excessive level of alcohol in the sound guys blood stream.
When we hit the stage I reached down into my vocal chords and found almost nothing. Six days of driving, partying, screaming, farting, and excessive body odor were catching up to me. But, your M-set boyz are professionals and we all stepped up and put on a good show. The crowd was great. The boys from Pocketface were dancing tough in front of us and a pleasant time was had by all until 2.5 seconds after we finished when the headstock on my bass decided to collide with my eyebrow. I thought everything was fine until I felt warmth all over my face and figured out I was bleeding profusely. I made a hasty exit and proceeded to spend the rest of the night with one hand applying pressure to my wound, and one hand in a glass of soda water trying to clean blood off of my new Bob Ross shirt. No sex, drugs and rock and roll for Scojo. There is no God.
After the show we were hosted by Tony from Pocketface. He offered us a place to crash and we were happy to oblige. We got to Tony’s apartment and were served glasses of homemade beer that packed a mean punch. I think we all wanted to party hardy, but were only capable of sitting on the couch and cracking Michael Jackson jokes. Last I saw, it was about 5:30 and I was fading fast. So yours truly passed the f**k out.
We are all ragged right now. This tour has been exhausting. We are all ready for our own beds. We now get to look forward to our return show at The Central on May 9th. That, and beginning the process of recording our new album in the next couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone who made this tour a success. See you on the next one!
-Peas, Scojo
03-30-03
Scojo coming at ya with the 411 - Friday night was our return to Doc Maynard's. It was long time Set-head Janette's big birthday bash and there was mucho vibe in the house. Happy Birthday Janette and congratulations on your recent nuptials!
Jodie Watts opened, and as always, did not disappoint. Great energy, catchy tunes and always a spectacle to be had. Next came your boys of M-set. The crowd pulsed up to the front of the stage and off we went. Honestly, I basically channeled most of the show because it all is essentially a blur of smiles, laughs, and jokes about my inability to not be a Wuss. As always there were pretty ladies in the house, lots of dancers and of course a triumphant performance by Yuri B. was observed by all. Peepshow closed the show with it's pop rock stylings and great energy. Their crowd is great and it was fun to meet so many new people.
We are about to embark on tour and we are all psyched.
Hopefully all the names we added to the Set-head mailing list on our last
tour will find their way out to cheer us on and buy us shots of Jager. Check
out the schedule for shows near you.
Finally, we will be starting our new record soon after we return from tour.
We are going to take our time on this one and make sure it is the quintessential
M-set record. So keep your eyes peeled for updates and pics of the recording
process. Thanks everyone for being so supportive and making our performances
such a kick ass thing to look forward to.
-Peas Owt, Scojo
03-16-03
Howdy Ho Setheads! We headed on up to Snoqualmie Pass for our final show of the year at Alpental Ski Area. Alpental is a second home for M-set. Helen and Rex at the bar see us coming and line up the Bloody Marys and shots of Jagermeister in anticipation.
It's been a bad ski season this year, and when we arrived it was raining, so we weren't expecting a huge St. Paddy's Weekend crowd. But though the numbers weren't staggering, the party atmosphere was in full swing from the get-go. Even yours truly found his way to a shot of Jager, a Brain Hemmorage and a glass of Bass Ale before hitting the stage.
The highlights of the night were plentiful. Lots of dancers, lots of cheers, lots of nipple rubbing on my part. And once again, I realized just how much of a piece of ass I am while on stage. I'm mean, I'm REALLY hot. The women swoon, the men turn green with envy (which is good for St. Paddys) and God himself smiles and says, "Yeah, that Scojo is a real piece of ass". I feel sorry for the rest of the guys in the band who have to act as human shields between me and the throngs of female admirers.
I am SO looking forward to our show at Doc Maynards on the 28th. Early returns indicate that we may have a good showing of Setheads at that show. Not only that, but the other bands on the bill are quality bands. We get to play middle slot, so after we're done, we can come out and dance with y'all until the cows come home...or until last call, whichever comes first.
Be sure and check out the "Shows" listing on our website. The dates of our upcoming tour are now posted. After the tour....that's right the rumors are true....we begin recording a NEW ALBUM!!!! Take care y'all.
-Peas, Scojo
02-22-03
Howdy Ho Setheads! Well, it's time once again for an update from Camp M-set. We had an amazing night at The Timberwolf Pub up at Snoqualmie Pass. I have to admit that early on, I had my doubts. The place had an "upper crust" vibe that is very contrary to Alpental (our normal home base at the pass). You know, the "my Jaguar is in the shop, so I have to suffer through the week with a Mercedes loaner car" type of vibe.
But OH MY GOD! The next set EVERYTHING turned around and by the end of the night the staff and patrons were hailing it as one of the best shows ever to hit The Timberwolf. There were Jagershots flying left and right, beer of every make and model crossing our gullets and dancers who were singing, shaking their butts and body passing each other from end to end. The icing on the cake was THE WOMEN. Holy God, there were some cuties in the audience. I attracted a small group of hotties in front of me who were grabbing various parts of my "equipment", but in true "I'm a total Wuss" form, managed to sleep alone. ;-)
By the end of the night I was exhausted and my vocal chords were toast. But we managed to play TWO encores...nearly a third. Chris found out what it's like to be fully in the bag and try to keep a groove. It wasn't pretty...but damn it was funny. The great thing about Chris is that he's like a "Weatherman of Drunkness"...you know, one of those guys who always has to TELL you how drunk he is.
Big UPs to the Alpental crowd who meandered over to Summit Central. It was good to see Rex, Helen, Leif, AJ, Stimbuck and the rest there cheering us on.
Well, that's all for now. Keep your eyes on the website because our TOUR is nearly completely booked. (Hint: Chico, here we come!) Our next show is at Doc Maynards in March and we are shooting to begin recording our new album very soon. Thanks everyone for your support. We are blessed with the best fans, with the best livers, in the world.
-Peas Owt, Scojo
02-10-03
How-dily Hoe-dily Setheaderinos! After spending a blissful Sunday night of watching The Simpsons (real life) cast on The Actors Studio and at commercial breaks, flipping over to watch the "actual" Simpsons - I decided that perhaps I should take a moment, pause, touch myself, and then tell you about the wonderful show this past weekend! I need a cigarette...wait, I don't smoke.
M-set made their triumphant return to The Central in Pioneer Square this last weekend. It was 10% more triumphant than other triumphant brands. I don't know if you could have lined up a more seamless bill. "Combover" opened the show with a well crafted, ass kickin' set that caught us all by surprise. Honestly, I was told that Dick Rosetti (DJ from 107.7 The End) was the lead singer - and often times DJ's who are trying to be rock stars doesn't work, but it worked and it worked overtime. Dick is one of my fav DJ's on The End, so I'm glad I can honestly say that his band kicks ass.
Next up was this band called "M-set". A bunch of posers who play happy, "pussy" music. It's f**king sickening. All smiles, and laughs, and irreverence. Who the f**k do these guys think they are? They don't seem to realize that for art to have "substance" - it has to be depressing. Sheesh. Well anyway, when they went on there was hardly a soul in the place. By the 3rd song into the evening, the place was SWARMING...and it was good! Thanks to Chris from Pabst for the free Jager! It was good to see some familiar faces, and some that we hadn't seen for a while. I was verklempt.
To close the show - "Jodie Watts". Rick Freil and his band of freaks. I love these guys. Solid drummer, awesomely tasty guitar and of course, Rick...up there making an ass out of himself. It makes me proud. My only complaint is that Rick is so accomplished at being an unabashedly tweaked frontman, that I prefer for them to play BEFORE us, because he inspires me so much. Then again, getting off stage to a cold Jager-bomb, some pretty ladies and a full set of Jodie Watts is nothing to complain about. So I digress.
Fans have been VERY good to us lately. The energy from the crowd at our recent shows has been electric. Please keep it up! We're playing up at Snoqualmie Pass later this month, then off to Doc Maynards in March - then hopefully ANOTHER TOUR in April! Take care Setheads! I love you all....well, there's a FEW of you that I think suck.
-Peez Owt, Scojo
01-22-03
Salutations all Setheads! Gosh, golly and jeepers! The Sit & Spin show was an unequivocal blast. The whole night was flawless. Jodie Watts opened the show with their typical kick ass sound and vibe. If you have yet to see them, make it a point. They are da bomb...a cross of early 80's punk and new wave. Hell yes. After being inspired by Jodie Watts, we (the boyz of M-set) took the stage and had an absolute blast. The crowd was a big, loud and in the zone. I've noticed a particular vibe coming off the crowds lately. There's almost literally a "buzz". Eyes focused, ears open, and smiles on their faces...and of course the cheers. I love the cheers, I must admit.
I'm constantly amazed at just how much of a piece of ass I am on stage. I mean, I am really hot. T he chicks dig me at a level that's hard to fathom. I had my shiny pants on Saturday night and I was a sex God. Tons of women were hitting on Jason, Eugene and Chris in hopes of getting to me...I think. Hmmm... Anyway, besides how hot I was...there was The Fighting Machinists who put on a great set after ours. Great, great band. Once again, if you have yet to see those guys, make it a point. We'll likely be playing with them again soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Oh, and I should mention that we were on THE BJ SHEA SHOW on Friday! They are doing a local version of American Idol and we got called to be the first guinea pigs for it. It actually went quite well and we appreciate all the comments from Bad Girl Jen and The Ricker from KISW. Give the station a call (9am - 12pm weekdays) 206-421-1007 and tell 'em you want us to win!!
Alright, time to drink too much Vodka and forget about life for a while. Luv you Pheather!
-Peez Owt, Scojo
01-14-03
Yo Setheads! Scojo once again coming at you with all the latest and somewhat greatest in the lives of M-set. We played an unannounced show at Doc Maynards this past weekend. We got called in at the last minute and since we didn't want to take away from our show THIS WEEKEND AT THE SIT & SPIN - we decided to keep it on the down low.
Doc Maynards is a very cool club. Nice atmosphere, cool staff...the only downside is if you are planning on going, BRING CASH, cause it's a "Cash Only" bar. No debits, no credits...only the Benji's baby. But tie me up, paint me purple and call me Kylie Minogue cause it was a great time that night! The crowd was into the show, we were into the show, there were even rumors that God was into the show too...though I hear that Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed and Krishna were a bit annoyed by my falic gestures toward Eugene with a pink balloon animal that someone threw onstage.
It was kick ass to have Yuri B in the house again. A night without Yuri B is like...day. And of course his newly betrothed and lovely Diane (soon to be Diane B) was in the house too. Leah and Tony made the trip up north, and admittedly, one of the highlights for me was watching Leah sing along word for word to "Weekend Girlfriend". It always feels good to see someone else as into one of your own songs as you are.
Speaking of Weekend Girlfriend, Amber (mine) will be in town for the show at THE SIT AND SPIN THIS WEEKEND, so everyone come out and say hello and give her a quick pinch on the ass too. Oh and keep in mind the following piece of wisdom.........I am a serious piece of ass.
-Peace (of ass), Scojo
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