Last chance for the Infinity freebie!!

Tonight is the last night for the free poster giveaway for Pre-Sale tickets. Eve Windebank's poster is the prize for all who purchase their tickets for the May 7th performance by The McLovin's at legendary Infinity Hall in Norfolk. You can buy on-line or at the box-office, and if you buy before the night's over, you'll receive one of these limited edition posters when you arrive for the show. If you've been waffling about attending, maybe this will help make the choice a little easier. As if there's really any question.. you can't miss this one.

Buy Tix, Buy Tix, Buy Tix, Buy Tix, Buy Tix,

Infinity Hall Pre-Sale is over April 30th!

Feel it's time to make a final push and give you all a quick reminder that the ticket pre-sale for The McLovins at Infinity Hall ends on Friday, April 30th. If you purchase your ticket on-line or at the box-office, you will receive a free copy of Eve Windeback's poster for the May 7th show.

Tickets!

Eve is a very talented artist and I feel her poster really captures the vibe of the band. I asked Eve for some biographic information and here it is.

A Nouveau Bohemian, Eve is a graphic designer in Hartford Connecticut. She graduated magna cum laude from the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford. She holds a BFA in visual communication design, a minor in Art History and intensive French concentrations. While in school, she established UHA's Student Chapter of AIGA and was the student representative on the HAS Board of Trustees. Since graduating, she has been contracted by GO media – an ad agency in Hartford – as their "master of media" and works with clients such as UConn Division of Athletics, Max's Restaurant Group, and Hartford Restaurant Group. In her free time she volunteers her design skills for the CT Lupus Foundation and loves to sing and dance and analyze package design in the liquor store. She also began a side gig with a dear friend called "Ashley & Evelyn," an all-in-one creative studio offering custom design, craft and cake services. She is a huge fan of the the Mclovins and the Groove Smugglers of which her boyfriend, Dan Ogrodnik, is a member. You can find more of her design work at: behance.net/EveWindebank.

Eve Windebank Portfolio

Also on the bill with The McLovins on May 7th are The Groove Smugglers. A drumming trio comprised of Dan Ogrodnik, Mike Lamagna and Dan Tyler, they'll open the show for the band and work the audience into a suitable frenzy. I checked YouTube and couldn't find any video from this group, but I'll take Jake's word for it that they know their stuff so make sure you're on time to catch their set.

The Groove Smugglers

Festival Summer! "Plan Your Jams!" ©

This past Saturday, on a sunny day at Keene State in New Hampshire, Jake let the cat out of the bag by confirming that yes, the band has been again asked to participate at The Gathering Of The Vibes, and that they would be taking part in the inaugural Nateva Festival. Over the winter the decision was made to put forward a serious effort to try and make the most of this summer's festival season and with an impressive summer schedule including stops at Strange Creek, Mountain Jam, Nateva and Gathering of The Vibes, it looks like they're set to run the table.

Strange Creek!

Mountain Jam!

Nateva!

Gathering Of The Vibes!

Keene State SolarFest 04/24/10 A panoply of color..

Many thanks to McLovin family members Steve and Nancy H, they're the ones who put together this amazing piece, if you like this, they have much more here.

We pulled into Keene State at half-past noon, and managed to find a parking space in one of the faculty lots. Wandering down and into the central common at the Student Center, I quickly realized that the color theme of the day was green and tie-dye. We set up Team McLovin’s base camp just behind the large solar collector that would be providing all the power needed for today’s event and started to take in the event. The music was already flowing as the band jamAntics was already well into their set. From what I caught of their set, they play an infectious, dancey, jazz-jam stew that had many in the crowd on their feet and bopping along.

As their set finished I was pleased to see Papa-Bear George Barber set up with an acoustic band just to the right of the center stage. Elm City Orchestra is a quintet comprised of Barber, Morgan Little, Adam Hogue, Marc Perreault, and Corey Stein. An acoustic guitar trio with banjo and percussion, they were playing a selection of their original folksy songs while bands were breaking down and setting up all day. Nicely harmonizing vocals along with very nice guitar work mixed with Hogue’s banjo make for a potent blend of roots music. Barber’s main focus for now seems to be on his band The Lake and The Lion, but I hope he finds the time to continue his work with ECO.

Company Green took the stage next, another regional band with members from several local colleges. The lead vocalist said that the last time they played together was at last year’s Solar Fest. Playing a straight ahead jammy rock, plenty of covers songs with a couple originals thrown in. Musically they are a tight and talented unit and if circumstances would provide them the ability to perform more live, I think they would easily develop a larger following.

The McLovins ran through a quick 2 or 3 minute soundcheck and as they launched headlong into Conundrum while a throng of dancers formed in front of the stage, urging the band on. Deep Monster Trance was just the ticket to throw the set into overdrive as Jeff really started to test the limits of his new pedalboard. The band’s sound was pitch perfect right out of the gate, with fantastic separation and power from both Jefff and Jason as Jake settled right into the middle. I was very pleased to see how many people actually knew the words to so many of the new songs, this was The McLovin’s second trip to Keene and they were being welcomed with enfolding arms. Tokyo Tea kept the meter running into the red as bodies shook and limbs were all akimbo. Milktoast Man was a last minutes set addition and is always a welcome chill down, it allows the audience to catch its breath and sets the stage for the mayhem to follow.

The band then started into an almost 30 minute long Purple Trees, just ripping the song’s structure to shreds, just when the train seemed to be off the tracks, some split second transitions brought things back into the main theme. This truly was a revelation as this song has seen some altering in its basic structure in the past few weeks, mostly as a breather with the chance for band intros. Today though, they went for broke and chose to slide straight into Rapper’s Delight, turning this epic on its ear and creating Purple’s Delight. Bryan called the 20 in A 35 that came next which was followed by the new ballad This Town. The set was winding down as Jeff switched to his other pedals while Jake introduced the following tune as a nice little song about butterflies… Killing Time is one of my favorite songs to see live and really tests the stamina of an audience with its ending aural assault, but the crowd was very receptive and totally with the band at this point. Beadhead CrystalBugger closed out the set on a high note, the perfect capper on a sun-splashed New England spring day.

Barefoot Truth, a Mystic Connecticut band on their way up followed The McLovins. The group features a former member of Dispatch and sounds like a hybrid of Jack Johnson with a little DMB and State Radio thrown in. All in all it was another great day for the band, they met a ton of new friends and saw some old ones so I'm sure they'll be back up @ Keene State again very soon.

Big thanks to Dan Tyler who taped these.. it was an awesome day!

Homework and reminders....

A very big weekend coming up for the guys which caps off a very productive week of work. All the recording is done for the next album GOOD CATCH which we should see very soon, and tons of promo work for their upcoming New York shows. I won't have anything to post until after Saturday's show, so here's some homework for you all:

First up, Friday April 23rd is the deadline for getting a FREE limited

edition poster signed by both The McLovins and Max Creek by

purchasing your tickets to their May 14th Bearsville Theatre show.

Keene State SolarFest - Keene State, New Hampshire
Saturday 4/24/10 from 1:45 until 3:45

Meriden Daffodil Festival, Sunday April 25th 3:30 - 5:00

Order your tickets for the Infinity Hall May 7th show by

April 30th and recieve a FREE signed Limited Edition,

Signed by the band, Eve Windebank poster!

Just click on the pictures, they'll link you to where you need to go. Now get out and enjoy the shows, the seasons just starting!

In addition to cranking out their sophomore album, The McLovins are making the most of their spring break week by doing some promotional carpet-bombing in support of their upcoming Infinty Hall, Keene State, Bearsvill Theatre and Mountain Jam performances. First up is a nice podcast interview with Emily of Inifinity Hall from the other day where Jake, Jason and Jeff discuss their music and performing in this classic setting.

Today they're visiting WKZE in Red Hook NY

and this afternoon they'll be dropping by WDST in Woodstock NY

HUGE weekend coming up with Keene State SolarFest on Saturday and then The Meriden Daffodil Festival on Sunday, it's McLovin's season, go out an catch what you can, there's no limit.

4/20 So the question is about legalization?

Every so often this subject comes around, and for some reason today 4/20 seems to be no different, should there be legalization or not? Now I'm not saying it should be a crime, but it shouldn't be legal. I'm talking of course about the proliferation of shared/bootlegged music, what else did you think I was talking about? Hidden Track has a nice piece up today about the question of what an artist should do and can do about the control of their music and musician Ryan Holiday makes some interesting and valid points, but also makes some pretty broad assumptions.

click for the story

Seeing as The McLovins are in the studio this week, hard at work on their next album, which is completely under their control, they are not be-holding to any record company or under any outside creative control, we have to think a bit about how we support our independent musicians. Are we willing to put our money where our hearts are and go out and support their live shows and how at a grass-roots level do we encourage the creation of their new music. We have the benefit of being able to freely share their live shows, but we also have to be willing to support their studio work. The music can't be free, but the choice we have on what we share is a free choice and we have to exercise some discretion. So if you find yourself with a few extra bucks at their next show, buy a disc and give it to someone you think might dig it, don't think of the cost, think if it as a musical investment that will pay dividends for years.

man your toast is ready..

click on the pic to McLovinate...

thanks to Bryan Walter Riddell

another weekend with no show..

No shows this weekend, but next weekend is a two-fer. You get Keene State SolarFest on Saturday 4/24 and then the Meriden Daffodil Festival on Sunday 4/25 so we do have that going for us.

Eve Windebank Limited Edition Infinity Hall Poster..

Click On The Poster to order your tickets online...

This is the Infinity Hall Poster, by local artist Eve Windebank! This is the poster you will get (signed by the band) if you get your tickets online or at Infinity by 4/30!!

Guess what I got!!!!

Click on the pic to McLovinize

I got home from work today and was so excited to find what the Postal music fairy had brought me! Now I can in no way be objective about this show, you can read my review of it here, I feel this was one of the best performances the band has turned in, but I can comment on the package as a whole.


Starting off with the cover, we find Steve K. has done another incredible job. In a few short months he has helped The McLovins forge a visual identity, he again sticks with the skull theme which has proven to be a flexible identifier for the band. This image can be customized to suit the event or the occasion. The cover printing and the packaging are first rate, a quality double cd holder, nice labeling on the discs and hopefully, this is the first in a line of live archive releases.


The guts are next, Jake's setlist is a gem, a mix of favorites, future classics and a couple kick-ass covers. 7 of the songs on this release are on the forthcoming sophomore disc from the band, Deep Monster Trance, This Town, Tokyo Tea, BeadHead CrystalBugger, Milktoast Man, Virtual Circle and 20 In A 25. This Town, BeadHead CrystalBugger and Tokyo Tea in particular benefit most from this live remastering. This Town takes on a real life of it's own, this along with Beadhead premiered at this show, but it still is so rich both lyrically and musically. Beadhead and Tokyo Tea sound much beefier, a more full sound and super definition between bass and guitar.


John Dailey did the original recording, patching into Dave's soundboard during the show. Dave Colbourne then took the original and remastered it, creating a denser sound, much better separation and levels with richer vocals than a typical live recording.. If you buy the 2 disc limited release or the mp3 download, this show is a keeper, and should be a harbinger of great things to come from this band..but based on how seriously these guys take their craft.... I expected no less.

BUY COUCH TOUR VOLUME 1 HERE!

April showers and the next Big One...

I've learned a few things by watching this band for the last year. First is they will always show up mentally and emotionally for a show regardless the size and second, they always nail the big ones. April is set up to shower us with an embarrassment of riches, be it their closing set at The Meriden Daffodil Festival or a return to Keene New Hampshire for the SolarFest. But for the moment I'm going to jump ahead a month to a show on the first Friday of May, The Mclovins roll into Infinity Hall.




Infinity Hall is a gem of a venue, nestled in the quintessential New England town of Norfolk, Ct. This idyllic music hall, originally built in 1883, has been fully restored and features a full service bistro while seating 300, though I expect most people won't be sitting on May 7th. Musically this is a perfect place for the guys to play, a hardwood raised stage, a vaulted ceiling with exposed wood beam structure, intimate enough for the crowd to interact with the band tho expansive enough for dancing comfort. They won't really have a clock on their performance, they can turn in a nice 2 -3 hour show allowing plenty of jamming time which is right in their sweet spot. It's a home town show, 45 minutes from Hartford, a half hour from the valley, this is going to be well attended and tons of fan support.





They always nail the big ones.. they show this at the festivals, they prove it in the opening gigs, they're seasoned enough to know when to stretch things and savvy enough to know when the crowd is with them and willing to follow wherever they lead. The band has more than a couple surprises planned, so this will be an incredible night of music. Make sure you pick up your tickets early, this should be a sell out, a very special show with the combination of a classic venue, local fan support and a packed house. They will bring all the ingredients they'll need, all we need to do is mix well and let them cook for 2 hours.



The McLovins have added an incentive to grab your tickets early, as if you needed one, anyone who purchases tickets by April 30th will receive a free, signed by the band, limited edition Eve Windebank poster, Just click on the poster and you can order your tickets online.

The Mclovins catch the moe. show ..

Sometimes when The McLovins are not performing onstage, they are out walking among us, the mere mortals. Jake, Jason and Jeff managed to work their way over to Bear Mtn last Saturday after their triumphant set at the KI lodge @ Snoe.down and catch the afternoon Moe.set on the slopes. Thanks to Mclovin's family member Barry Blonder for these nice pictures, the capture a group of really excited guys getting off on some amazing music at an amazing festival.

A very nice picture of Carol and Holly, but look at the smile on that guy's face..

Thanks again to Barry for the pix, and next time I'll talk about May and the Next Big One...