A Holiday message from the band...

Happy Holidays from our family to yours...

 Wishing you all a healthy, safe and happy 2013

Thanks to our fans, we will be heading down to the Aura Music Festival in February. The festival is set on one of the most beautiful camping spots in the South; Live Oaks, Florida at the Swannee Music Park. Our set is Saturday, February 16th and we hope to see many of you there. To purchase tickets you can go to Aura's website here:

http://www.auramusicfestival.com/

In order to make the this happen, we have launched our Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds for the road trip down there. We are preparing to drive to Florida and back to Connecticut, without missing too many classes. It's going to be a quick Florida minute for us, we have to keep our grades up, (we love you McMoms), but we are so excited to bring our music this part of the country, there is no way we would pass up this opportunity.

In other news, we are in the process of recording new tracks for an album with songs you may have heard before and some that we haven't even finished yet. This one should be our best one yet! In addition, when visiting our KickStarter page you can see a glimpse of our first video. Perhaps you have also noticed our new logo? We are excited to announce that you will be seeing a new merchandise line rolling out this spring. 

We are mixing it up here at the McLovins camp and we are not ashamed to shout about it! You can access our KickStarter campaign here. If you are unable to contribute to the campaign, you can still help us by sharing the KickStarter link as much as you can, passing it along to those you think can give a few dollars. We know times are tough, and we appreciate all that our fans do for us. The more exposure we can get, the more possibilities we have of reaching our goal and getting our music out there. 

Thank you for your continued support. We Love our McLovers and cannot wait to see our hard work and your help pay off. Please keep in touch with us through our social media and we'll see you on the road,

Atticus, Jake, Jason and Justin

Three of a kind beats two pairs...

The past couple weeks have brought three new YouTube performances from The McLovins. Nightshades, 8 Dogs and Yankee Rose were all born of a solid summer of festival stops and touring. . All three new compositions show the influence that a more solid touring schedule has had on the band, bringing to the mix much more nimble and supple pocket jamming, and showcasing the increasing songwriting skills of the quartet.



Nightshades is a loving tribute to Levon Helm and the band, wrapped in a quirky mélange of wordplay and allusion, served up hot and fresh.

8 Dogs, a sharp shock to the system, a jazzy throwback dirty as hell and not suitable for mixed company.

Yankee Rose, probably the most thoughtful of the three new songs, built on a brick foundation of cowboy psyche rock, more Dead than Allmans, a bit of NRPS and a slippery shot of Quicksilver. Mighty tasty and it goes down smooth.

   

Cut out from your magazine...

   I'm back to reality after a couple weeks of feeling under the weather, and imagine my surprise with waking up and finding this waiting for me!   Day to Day was the first song of the McLovins 2.0 era that had 'that" sound..  Falling firmly in the middle of being a jam anthem and a more thoughtful and mature piece for the band, it was for all intents and purpose the most balanced cut yet from this quartet.

                                                          Day to Day by The McLovins  

                                      

  Hot on the heels of the band's return for a 20 day road trip which saw them venture

down into North Carolina for 4 shows last month, the influence of the road and the discipline of playing gigs night after night have produced this new delight; Samson/Nightshade. This song and video showcase the impact that the double shot of The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead has had on this still evolving band. Fondly familiar yet curiously fresh, this one is a keeper!

                                                   Samson/Nightshade by the Mclovins

Tar Heel prelude..

We're just a day away from the great McLovins / Flux Capacitor North Carolina mini-tour, so to tide you over, here's a guest piece I wrote for LostInMyMind.com, a community forum for fans of The Head And The Heart. 

A Tale Of Two Shows

So after this weekend we can talk about the great North Carolina Expedition.



Last night the band traveled down to Sullivan Hall in NYC and the start of a two-week trip that will see them down in North Carolina with stops in Pennsylvania before returning to Connecticut.  Here's a peek at the rundown:

Aug 10, 2012 9:30pm Sullivan Hall, New York, NY
Aug 11, 2012 10:00pm Triumph Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Aug 16, 2012 9:00pm Emerald Lounge, Asheville, NC
Aug 17, 2012 8:00pm Blue Bourbon Jacks, High Point, NC
Aug 18, 2012 10:00pm Shakedown Street, Raleigh, NC
Aug 19, 2012 7:00pm Chop Shop, Charlotte, NC
Aug 21, 2012 8:00pm World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA (FREE SHOW)
Aug 23, 2012 7:00pm Reverb, Reading, PA

Here is Ink Design Studio's poster for the North Carolina leg of the tour..

And my poster for the rest of the tour, personalized for each stop along the way..

So if you've wanted to catch the band live and you live in Pennsylvania or North Carolina, now is your chance to jump on the bus...

The McLovins Ticket Giveaway for Sunday @ Gathering Of The Vibes

The McLovins are playing again at Gathering Of The Vibes this year, and Gathering of the Vibes and the band have teamed up to give away a pair of Sunday Day passes to a fan of the band.  Please check out the band's Facebook page for all the information on this fantastic promotion!

Emo Side Project & Little Kingdoms

So the band is sitting squarely in the middle of a summer lull before the upcoming Gathering Of The Vibes next weekend, and another round of SportsNation appearances on ESPN2, so Justin has come around with a little something to tide you over. 

 Back home in Pa, Justin has been part of Little Kingdoms, a nice diy indie band that I think is just great! I've posted the band's Home ep before, but here's a nice split featuring a new Little Kingdoms single and Emo Side Project contributing 2 tracks.  The kicker is this beauty is free so download, kick-back and enjoy.

I was thinking, might as well load up the Home ep as well, love this disc, "Colorado" is my favorite track off of this one.

Check out the band here on their bandcamp page

One and One and One and One make ESPN2

Yesterday was a hectic day of rehearsal and practice, getting a feel for the ESPN studios.  The band quickly found their footing and things started to click.  Live television is much different than performing live.. the pace is much quicker, jump in, jump out, hit your marks, short and sweet.Today is the real deal, they're recording the ESPY Nomination Special which will be broadcast tonight @ 11:00 pm Edt on ESPN2 and will be rebrodcast constantly during the month of July on the ESPN networks and on ABC Sports, leading up to the ESPY broadcast itself.  I'll have some more pictures posted after today's taping, so set your DVR's and catch the show; the McLovins' first national television broadcast.

Big doings are coming this week, first off the news is out; The McLovins are guest starring as the house band for ESPN broadcastings SPORTSNATION show.  Their first 3 shows are this week, Wed, Thurs and Friday @ 5:00 pm EDT on ESPN2, with frequent rebroadcasts throughtout the upcoming weekend.  Friday night June 29th the band performs in a concert at The Ridgefield Playhouse to benefit the Mystic Bowie Cultural Center to help provide funding so that the MBCC can continue their ongoing mission of providing scholastic and arts education to the children of Jamaica.  Saturday night sees The McLovins return again to the warm and inviting confines of INFINITY HALL for another epic show featuring 2 full sets of music. Tons of chances to catch the band as the summer ramp-up is in full effect. 

Looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces this week

and making a bunch of new friends!

1 and 1 and 1 makes a triptych..

     I've been collecting Avalon and Fillmore rock posters for years, and one of my favorite designs is a series of three posters designed by Rick Griffin featuring photos by Herb Greene, the last poster was finished up by Robert Fried instead of Griffin. 

   The Charlatans were one of the first and easily one of the mot influential of the early San Francisco psychedelic bands.  In June 1965, the Charlatans began an extended residency in Reno, Nevada at the Red Dog Saloon.  This six week gig was notable for the fact that the poster created for this series of shows is undoubtedly the first psychedelic rock poster, and the band experimented with LSD during this stint. Returning to San Francisco, the band adopted their signature late wild west garb and the rest is Haight Asbury history. Although never achieving the success of contemporaries Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead or Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Charlatans still hold a warm spot in the hearts of psyche rock fans.  This set of three posters were for a 1967 stint at The Avalon Ballroom.

   I had been interested in creating an homage to this triptych for years, the hardest part being finding a series of 3 local shows that could be easily promoted.  I got more than I could have asked for when Jake mentioned a series of three consecutive upcoming dates.  

ARCH STREET TAVERN
The Mclovins w/s/g/ Midnight Snack
Thursday, June 7th 2012  doors open @8:00 pm
the show kicks off @ 9:00 pm.

High Noon Saloon
The Mclovins w/s/g/ Midnight Snack & ROO
Friday, June 8th 2012   @8:00 pm

Litchfield Parks & Recreation
June 9th 2012 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Litchfield, CT Center Green

Yesterday, after expecting a Sunday afternoon practice, I resigned myself to the
fact that for one reason or another, it had fallen through.  Later in the evening I
was getting some work done, and checking in with Facebook and anything else
that would help keep me from accomplishing anything productive, and then up
on the McLovins page popped a new cover video.  Not just a new cover, but a
cover of "Ripple," easily my favorite song off of The Grateful Dead's
"American Beauty,” arguably the band's best studio effort.  I was blown away
when I read that this was in fact for Mother's Day and as a birthday
gift for me.  My daughter Kayla had been speaking to Justin and he and
Atticus thought this up.  I thank Kayla and all the guys for such a moving tribute
and in my typical fashion, I will now take a sweet and simple gesture and make
it much more complicated and deeper than it probably is, but it's my job;
another stab at declarative writing 101.

The "American Beauty" album followed hot on the heels of "Workingman's Dead"
itself a reaction to The Grateful Dead moving away from their more psychedelic
experimentation phase, to the reality of their loss of their San Francisco innocence
and their job as a full-time touring and working band. A conscious decision was
made on band's part in focusing a little more closely on their vocals and working
with a more spare instrumental sound was a result of working collaboratively with members of The Jefferson Airplane and David Crosby in Wally Heider's studio.


 


The late '60's were the true start of the alt-country movement. The Byrd's had
paved the way with their "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," The Dead chimed in with
"Workingman's Dead" and American Beauty" while the influence of Gram
Parsons had been cutting a swath through recording sessions all over America.
Psychadelia had given way to roots rock/americana and this sound would come
to rule the airwaves for the next half-decade. This change in style had occurred
rapidly for The Dead, less than 2 years before they were still ensconced in the
middle of the San Francisco hippie scene, and this musical change seemed very
much in step with what was happening in the modern music scene.
 
 
There is a legendary story told by Robert Hunter. He was able to take a rare
tour day off sitting in an apartment room in London. Receiving a case of retsinsa,
he went walking about and spent the ensuing afternoon writing the lyrics to
"Brokedown Palace" and "Ripple" as he polished an entire bottle of wine off.
These songs, along with his "Box of Rain", "Friend of the Devil" and "Truckin''"
provide the backbone to an insanely well polished and musically diverse album. For
me the gem of this album and this renaissance of the Grateful Dead is and will
always be "Ripple".



For those who are interested in a deeper essay on the magic that is "Ripple",
please check this out.       

Happy Mother's Day.. McMoms all.....

 Thank you all so much for all you've done..

Look out of any window
any morning, any evening, any day

Maybe the sun is shining
birds are winging or
rain is falling from a heavy sky -  

What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?

Walk out of any doorway feel your way, feel your way like the day before

 

Maybe you'll find direction around some corner where it's been waiting to meet you -

What do you want me to do,
to watch for you while you're sleeping?
Well please don't be surprised
when you find me dreaming too

Beardlovin or is it Keylovin...

  Birthday wishes go out to our very own Beardlovin, Atticus Kelly.  Atticus works as hard as anyone I know and his drive and desire is a big part of The McLovins success.  His decision to play keyboards as well as guitar has added musical texture and allowed the band to really grow.  Happy Birthday Keylovin!

"Happy, happy oh my friend.. blow out candles once again.."

Turning a Corner...

The first show with the new 4 member configuration of The McLovins was on New Years Eve, at Arch Street Tavern.  We now have a band who in a little over 100 days has turned a corner, actually they're sprinting at the moment, piling on technique and expansive jamming with their new compositions while at the same time having a healthy respect for their back catalogue.  They are adding new songs to their repetoire at a prodigous rate, tightening up and loosening at the same time.  I knew this time was coming, I had seen it before with this band where in a matter of weeks they took giant leaps forward, and the first inkling of this new growth spurt was at their show last month at Keene State.  The addition of Atticus alternating between keys and guitar has just caused the band to explode as each member is locked into the band as a whole; at the same time a bit more free to improvise but also aware of their place in this musical stew.  So free up a couple hours to listen to this Main Pub show, easily the best show so far in this 2.0 era of The McLovins.. through hard work and tireless practice, they are now in a perfect position to roar through a solid summer of festival and main stage performance, taking no prisoners and leaving audiences stunned and satisfied in their wake.. if there was any question about hopping onto the bus, do it now; it's a brand new day. 

The McLovins Live @ The Main Pub 04/13/12

In loving memory of Levon...

   So as the word came out yesterday that Levon Helm, longtime singer and drummer for The Band had lost his battle with cancer, The McLovins gathered last night to pay homage to this incredible man and his music.  Since the addition of Atticus Kelly and Justin Berger at the beginning of the year, a Cripple Creek->Jessica double had become a staple of most McLovins sets.  The guys felt a perfect way to honor Levon Helm was to record one of their performances of The Band's classic Cripple Creek.  After a couple practice runs, they final recorded version was perfect in tone and tenor, the legacy of this mans music and his spirit lives on, as long as his music is being played, he will live on. 

I don't have to speak, as she defends me

A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one


 
  Here's some photos from the night's set-up.. so nice to see the band was able to honor such an important influence on their music in such a respectful way...

Three from last summer's Main Stage

On one of the hottest days of the summer last year, The McLovins opened Saturday's "Gathering Of The Vibes" with the first main stage set of the day. "Gatheirng Of The Vibes" put up these three videos today, a couple weeks in advance of this year's line-up announcement, just to remind folks of what happened last year. A couple of the faces have changed, but the excitement is still here, and the band and the fans are waiting for this year's set.

The set starts off with a bang, insane energy and excitement from Jeff, Jason and Jake.

This next one had only been part of the McLovins repertoire for a couple months, Jason just kills it with some thick bass funk.

This a classic version of Virtual Circle, Jeff and Jake just tear this up.

So we should have a couple weeks, probably three until Vibes makes it's line-up announcement and we get to see when The McLovins will play this year!

Making of the "Man In A Blue Coat video..

Some shots I took during the recording of the Man In A Blue Coat video. This is the 2nd video the band has released since the addition of Atticus and Justin.

You can see the finished product HERE

No we got nothing in common.. no we can't talk at all ..

Just a quick shout out forJustlovin,
Happy Birthday on your 19 year.. livin' the dream.