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Looks like I’m playing a gig at a GAP. And they’re paying me in jeans. Seeing as how my fat ass split my last decent pair, I’d say that this is a good deal.
I’ll be playing a stripped down set with an acoustic guitar. I may or may not have my guitarist, Dave, play with me. Depends on how he likes being payed in apparel, I suppose.
Anyways, here are the relevant details:
Where? The GAP at Vinnin Square, Swampscott
When? August 20th from 7-9pm
How Much? Free. If you don’t choose to buy yourself a new pair of pants, that is.
I believe that there will be drinks and nibblies, but I’m not entirely sure. I will have CDs for sale.
Please go here and vote for my song. You can vote once a day for the next month. I’m currently in second place, but I anticipate that changing soon as the contest literally opened like 10 minutes ago.
Any gig that begins with me getting electrocuted usually ends in tears and unhappiness. But, last night’s gig at Sally O’Briens was a ton of fun.
It started with a scheduling mixup, it ended in broken equipment and we had a blast the entire time.
Things that went wrong last night:
- The headliner somehow decided that “headling” means going on first. Because headlining usually means going last, but last night was apparently opposite night. I went second instead of first. My poor, pregnant sister was a total trouper in staying late to see most of my set.
- My guitarist, Dave, was so totally awesome and tuned up my guitar for me last week. He brought it to the gig for me to use. I admired his handiwork, picked it up to start playing… and promptly broke a string.
- I grabbed my microphone and felt something rather… shocking. Being smart, I grabbed it again. Yup, it was definitely electrocuting me. Mike (my bassist) was getting shocked by his mic as well. The sound guy’s solution? Don’t touch the mic. Ouch.
- Things started going better, the crowd was into it, people were dancing, everyone was super into it… and all of a sudden Dave stopped playing. Well, Dave didn’t stop playing. But is amplifier stopped making any noise. He was frantically checking cables, changing plugs, doing everything that he could to get the music going again. Mike and Matt (my drummer) turned to each other and gave each other a look that said “well, at least Hope is still playing.” I think we all know where this is going…
- While Dave was trying to get his amp going again, he accidentally knocked over his microphone. It fell over, hit me in the face, bounced onto my mic knocking it over and then wrapped itself around my guitar, preventing me from playing a note. Amazingly enough, I managed to not miss singing a note. But we definitely ended that song with only bass and drums playing.
You’d think that I would have been miserable at the end of a night like (getting shocked and hit in the face is usually not so much fun), but I had a blast. I love it when the audience gets into the music. And I love it when the other bands are fantastic (scheduling issues not-withstanding, it was a great bill). We all pretty much said, “Fuck it, who cares that stuff is going wrong. Let’s just play the hell out of this music and have a good time.”
I think that we succeeded.
I’d love to have all of my gigs go like that in the future… but maybe with a little less electrocution.
If facebook fans aren’t real friends, does that make facebook fans not real fans?
I’ll have to think about that one.
At any rate, I have a facebook fan page. Which, up until a couple of days ago, had a respectable but not overwhelming number of fans. It was a little under a hundred. My ego was slightly caressed, but nowhere near inflated. I started putting my gigs in facebook and it was more effective than sending emails out to my mailing list. I was thoroughly satisfied with my facebook fan page experience.
That is, until facebook started letting people have vanity URLs. So, instead of being www.facebook.com/pages/Hope-Roth/33965014123, my facebook page could be www.facebook.com/hopeISsoTOTALLYfuckingAWESOME. Much easier for putting into emails and whatnot.
Except that you need to have 1,000 fans to get one of them thar fancy web addresses.
If I had 1,000 fans, I don’t think that I’d be so concerned with how easy/difficult it was to find my fan page.
Anyways, I posted something on my wall about how I needed 910 new fans to get a fancy URL. And some folks took it as a challenge.
I’ve already doubled my fan base.
Sure, 2x a pretty damn small number isn’t so impressive, but it’s only been about 32 hours. And this was all friends and fans taking the initiative to get the word out all on their very own.
Very little nudging on my part.
I barely even used the cattle prod.
For someone who claims to be an egomaniac, I always find myself incredibly touched when people go out of their way to do things on my behalf.
Anyways, I now see it as a personal challenge to get myself 1,000 fans on facebook. The fact that some of them might accidentally click the play button and listen to one of my songs and then consider buying Beer and Pie is just an added bonus.
So, yeah, won’t you be my fan?
I hope that I never reach the point where I don’t get giddy when people say nice things about me online.
I got a really nice write-up on Free and Flawed yesterday. Check out Jen’s site. Especially if you enjoy humorous drawings created in MS Paint (which I do enjoy! exceedingly so!) I think that you should follow her advice and go out and get a copy of my CD. Even if you already own one. You can’t have too many backups.
Check out the nice interview with me over at Jim Sullivan Ink. Jim is a local rock critic and an all-around great guy. I’m honored to get a write-up on his site.
If you have a blog and want to show me some love, please feel free!
My CD release party keeps getting closer and closer, despite my best attempts at procrastination.
It will be at the Middle East Upstairs on June 21st at 1pm (doors). Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 and all of the money will go to Students for a Free Tibet and the Shree Mangal Dvip School. There will be plentiful amounts of pie (free, with any donation) graciously provided by Petsi Pies.
It’s an all ages show, so bring the kids. Get them all sugared up on pie and then I’ll rock them out with my awesome Madonna cover and songs about cats.
I will be joined by Eddie Japan, Jeddo Stars, VulGarrity and some extra special guests. So extra special I’m not telling you who they are. You’ll just have to come to the show and see (hear) for yourself. It’s not my Mom, I swear. Although she will be there.
And, yes, the giant cat will be dancing on stage.
The deets:
Who: Me + the Mysterious Band of Mystery (I’m not even sure who’s playing with me)
What: An awesome show of awesomeness
Where: The Cantab Lounge in Central Square
When: Tonight at 9pm (doors open around 
The show is 21+. Bring $8 or they won’t let you in.
It’s your last chance to see me before I flee the country! (I’ll be back at the end of May)
It’s totally cool to have a CD Release Party six months after your album comes out? Right?
I mean, if it takes you eight years to get your act together and record said album, that just stretched out the timeline.
I’m like an unknown Guns and Roses.
Except, you know, Beer and Pie kicks ass and Chinese Democracy was kindof meh.
Also, none of my recording budget went towards hookers and blow.
Anyways… the CD Release Party finally has a date. And that date is Sunday, June 21st from 2-5pm. I don’t have any info on the other bands that will be playing, but I’m sure that they’ll all be totally fabulous. Why wouldn’t they?
Also, this will be a benefit for Students for a Free Tibet and a school in Nepal. I could use the Karma.
More info to come, but for now… save that date!
Also, I am currently taking applications to wear the cat costume at the show.
For those of you who read my personal blog, you’ll know that I cut my finger up pretty badly on Wednesday night. For those of you who don’t read my personal blog, well, I cut my finger up pretty badly on Wednesday night. I’m just so thankful that I’ll eventually heal with no permanent damage. The first thing that went through my head after it happened (well, after the words “oh” and “crap”) was complete and utter terror at the idea of not being able to play guitar.
No worries, I’ll be playing the guitar (badly) in no time. And! Now I’ll have an excuse for why I’m so terrible!
Of course, this leaves me with a show on the 30th that I may or may not be able to play for. According to my old friend Murphy and his stupid Law, there is a good chance that my finger won’t heal up in time.
Django Reinhardt was able to play brilliantly with the use of only eight fingers. I, however, am no Django Reinhardt. And he had the luxury of using his index finger. I don’t.
I’ve never cancelled a gig in my life and I don’t intend to start now. Does anyone know of a good rhythm guitarist who would be available on the 30th? My songs are ridiculously easy to play. I’d buy them a drink and everything.
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