My Sunday Feeling on a Thursday Morning

Last night was about as epic as you get within the limits of the law and reasonable human behavior. We rocked the house at The Saloon at NC Music Factory with our good friends Wood Head and SnuffalufaFUNK.  We made some new friends and had a blast.

I was lamenting the other day that no one has dollar beers any more. It turns out The Saloon has dollar mystery beers every day.  They're not really "mystery" beers because they totally straight-up tell you which beers they are and you're allowed to choose.

We arrived around 6:30 and unloaded, finding The Saloon packed wall to wall with business folks in suits. By the time Wood Head took the stage, most of the pre-show crowd had started to drift off from their happy hour networking session. Until the rain came.

We actually retained quite a few people from the happy hour crowd due -- a bit of a captive audience. We made some fantastic new friends and met some wonderful people. At least one guy was able to find something danceable about every one of our songs. Which is impressive since some of our time signatures are questionable if not entirely ill-defined.

The band, the other bands and the audience all expressed that they believe it was quite possibly our best show ever. The sound was fantastic and the energy was high. We're very much looking forward to returning to The Saloon at NC Music Factory in March for our show with The Sexual Side-Effects.

Once again, we'd like to thank Matt the Sound Guy, Callie the bartender (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong) and the entire staff at The Saloon for a wonderful evening.

I'd also like to extend a personal "just wait until next time" to Jasmine (one of the servers) to whom I seemingly lost an extended battle of got-you-last due purely to attrition.

An End to the Battles

This Saturday is the final round of the Gorilla Records Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall.  We really need your help. Once again, our time slot is based on ticket sales, so we really need you to buy your ticket from us ahead of time. Tickets are $10 and you can buy yours by going to www.mattstache.com with your credit/debit card or PayPal. Alternatively, shoot me an email at matt@mattstache.com and I'll coordinate with you to get you your ticket.

So, how did this past weekend go?

We had a fantastic time rocking out The Saloon at NC Music Factory. We met Bryan Peterson of Peterson Productions (the company hosting the show) and hung out with some great musicians. The band I had initially worked with when I moved to Charlotte, "BAKKWOODZ" played immediately after us and put on a great show filled with some fantastic country rock.

Although we won't be going on to the next round of Peterson Productions Battle, we look forward to working to Bryan again in the near future with his other Charlotte bookings.

At the end of the night we loaded up our gear (the parking valets at NC Music Factory are world-class dicks), and headed over to Mattie's Diner for some post-show grub. Mattie's recreated for me the infamous "Stache Dog" that I'd grown to love at Voodoo Dog in Tallahassee. It's basically a Chicago dog (mustard, lettuce, tomato, onions) with guacamole, cucumbers, jalapenos, cheese and chili.

After such an energizing weekend, the Barbers look forward to rocking your ass once again for fun and profit at Tremont Music Hall on Saturday.

Upcoming shows in January

It feels weird saying "We have shows coming up in January," because it doesn't quite bear the same emphasis as "WE HAVE SHOWS IN JUST A TWO WEEKS!"

The first show is Saturday, January 5th -- the Peterson Productions Battle of the Bands at The Saloon at NC Music Factory (AKA, Charlotte Battle of the Bands).  Our time slot is some time around 9PM. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at our website: www.mattstache.com

I'll hand-deliver your ticket or mail it to you.

The second show is the very next Saturday on January 12th. This is the one we really need your help on. This is the second round of Gorilla Records Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall and once-again, our time slot is based on pre-sale tickets, so we really need our fans to buy tickets NOW.  "NOW" means immediately after you finish reading this blog post. Or even sooner. Seriously. Go buy a ticket now and then come back to finish reading the rest of this blog.

Are you back? If so, that's because you purchased your ticket for $10 at www.mattstache.com.  I'll hand deliver it to you as well.

To review:

Saturday, January 5th @ 9PM
Peterson Productions Battle of the Bands
The Saloon @ NC Music Factory

Saturday, January 12th @ TBA
Gorilla Records Battle of the Bands
Tremont Music Hall

Get tickets for either or both shows at www.mattstache.com

Finally, as an aside to our existing and loyal fans. We won't be playing any further battles of the bands after these two. We promise. No more pestering you for pre-sale tickets. Or begging you to help us get a good time slot. We will be playing real shows with real "doors open" times and the only thing we'll be pestering you to do is to show up, pay the cover at the door, and have a good time.

I speak for all of The JackKnife Barbers when I say that we're looking forward to a wonderful 2013 and continuing to entertain your ass for fun and profit.

Epic Weekend Update

The JackKnife Barbers had an epic adventure this past weekend.  Playing two shows back to back isn't an experience that I'm unfamiliar with, but the excitement of having our first official gigs since moving to Charlotte was rather energizing.

Our first stop was Spindale, NC for a show at The Ultimate Basement with Red Band Mercenaries, Pinko and (Snuff)alufaFUNK.  The Ultimate Basement is sort of an all-ages club/game room with a huge stage and rather massive sound system.  We had a blast exploring Spindale and rocking out with the aforementioned bands.

We even had time to drop by Plaza Barber Shop in Forest City for a photo shoot.  Plaza Barber Shop is a nearly 100-year-old barber shop with vintage chairs and decor.  You can see the photos on our Facebook page.

Our second show for the weekend was the Gorilla Records Battle of the Bands. Facing some fierce competition, we still managed to come out on top and make it to the second round.  I'll keep everyone posted on when the second round will be.

So what's up next for The JackKnife Barbers?

We'll be playing the first round of Peterson Productions' Battle of the Bands on Saturday, January 5th at The Saloon at NC Music Factory.  Tickets are just $5 and can already be purchased via PayPal or your credit/debit card at www.mattstache.com

Beyond that, we'll be working on two brand new original songs for you at our next rehearsal, and even muddling through our first cover song as well.

We'd like to thank all of our fans and friends for making this weekend such a success. We're looking forward to a great new year and further opportunities to rock your ass for fun and profit.

Of Battles and Broth

If you didn't already notice, The JackKnife Barbers left everyone relatively alone during the Thanksgiving weekend. Our fans were free from incessant posts about "buy tickets now" and "please help us now." We hope you enjoyed your short reprieve because I've returned now with the resolve of a musk ox in free fall and the passion of a short-haired house cat.

You are running out of time to buy your ticket for the Battle of the Bands on Dec. 8th at Tremont Music Hall. Our time slot is based on OUR pre-show ticket sales. The more tickets we sell before the show, the better our time slot.  If you're planning on buying a ticket at the door, you're an asshole because you're not helping anyone. Get your ticket now at www.mattstache.com or send me at email at matt@mattstache.com.

Seriously. If you buy your ticket at the door at 10PM, it's likely that you've already missed our set because we ended up going on at 5:30PM because you didn't buy a pre-show ticket.

Now that I've made that clear, I'd like to say that I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was lovely and that you binged on an obscene amount of turkey (or tofurkey for our vegan friends) and copious amounts of stuffing and potatoes.  What should you do with the leftover turkey? Make turkey sandwiches like a goddamn American! Pick that carcass clean!

And then...

..make turkey broth out of the carcass.

I smoked my turkey, so the carcass has a lovely hickory aroma to it.  Simply follow this recipe:

1 turkey carcass
5 carrots
1 onion
3 stalks of celery
1 head of garlic (yeah, one FULL fucking head of garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste (you can taste, can't you?)

Fill a stock pot with enough water to thoroughly submerge your turkey carcass, bring to a boil. Add the rest of the aforementioned ingredients and cover the pot. Let it boil for four or five hours or until the bones of the turkey fall apart in your hands.  Continue to add water as necessary.

Strain out the bits and pieces and store in your fridge.  You can also pour it into ice cube trays and make turkey broth ice cubes.  You can use these cubes to quickly add flavor to soups or to simply whip up a quick cup of broth when you're in the mood.

Alternatively, turkey broth ice cubes add a fun element to any party when mixing cocktails for that guest that has overstayed their welcome.

Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall

Gorilla Music has booked The JackKnife Barbers to play a Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall on Saturday, December 8th. Our time slot is based on how many tickets we sell. The more tickets we sell, the later the time slot.  The show starts at 4PM and runs until mid-night, so you can see how important that is.

We will be reporting our ticket sales to Gorilla Music one week before the show, and that is when we will be able to tell everyone what time slot we'll be playing.

It's incredibly important that you get your tickets early.  The tickets are $10 pre-sale and $12 at the door on the day of the show.

You can either get your ticket by emailing me at matt@mattstache.com or by going to www.mattstache.com and ordering online.  You can pay online via credit/debit card or PayPal.  I'll be happy to mail you your ticket or hand-deliver it.

Please check out the Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/492592080771790/?fref=ts

Upcoming Shows in Charlotte, NC

You've been missing your JackKnife Barbers. Where can you see us perform next?

When: Friday, December 7th @ 7:00PM
Where: The Ultimate Basement in Spindale, NC
With whom: Red Band Mercenaries, Pinko, and SnuffalufaFUNK
How much: All ages - $5
For more info: http://www.facebook.com/ultimatebasementstreetteam

When: Saturday, December 8th (time slot to be announced)
Where: Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, NC
With whom: Battle of the Bands by Gorilla Music
How much: All ages - Presale $10, Day-of-show $12
For more info: Our time slot is based on ticket sales. You can order your tickets on our website at www.mattstache.com via PayPal. Please include either your mailing address or other contact info in the comments section when ordering.

When: Saturday, January 5th (our time slot is between 9:00PM and 10:00PM to be announced)
Where: The Saloon at NC Music Factory in Charlotte, NC
With whom: Battle of the Bands by Peterson Productions
How much: Presale $5
For more info: You'll be able to pre-order your tickets for this battle of the bands from our website about three weeks before the show.

Don't forget to check our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mattstacheband) for continuous updates, and check out our website (www.mattstache.com) for pre-ordering your tickets. As always, follow me on Twitter @mattstacheband for my repetitious rantings in 140 characters or fewer.

The New JackKnife Barbers

If you've seen the website lately (www.mattstache.com), you know that something is afoot. What you might not be able to immediately tell, is that I've moved to Charlotte, NC. The Tallahassee-based JackKnife Barbers are no more, and I've re-formed the band in Charlotte with all new members, save myself -- I'm still the same Matt Stache.

Several things to note:

1. The band is no longer "Matt Stache and The JackKnife Barbers," but rather we are simply "The JackKnife Barbers."  This fits onto flyers and whatnot much easier, and is easier for consistent branding. I reassure once again that I am still Matt Stache.
2. We're back to being a power trio. Drums, keyboards and guitar.  I'm doing the old left-hand bass routine again and routing the bass out to my trusty 200-watt keyboard amp with the big boomy 15" speaker while the rest of the keyboards go through the rotary amp.
3. It's considered really bad form to make a numbered list and not have a third item. So, here's a third item. Suck it.

Charlotte is mostly a cover-band town, and it has been a sincere challenge to put together an original band. While Tallahassee was 90% original, in Charlotte, the mantra is "You'll never make it as an original band. Here, join my cover band instead."  Thankfully the new Barbers don't agree with that sentiment.

We've played a handful of open mic nights and open jams here, and the response has been incredible. It does seem like this town really needs a fresh sound and is actually hungry for something unusual.

We've got a number of shows coming up soon, but I'll post about those in a subsequent blog entry.

Vox Toddy

My new band, Matt Stache and the Public Option, is my first experience as the only frontman for a band. That is to say, in the past, I've shared the role as lead singer. As a result, I've been spending long practices as the only person singing and doing so with no relief.

We have a show this Friday at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack, and I'm starting to feel a bit of scratchiness in my throat. I'm not sure if it's the crud that has been going around or whether I'm simply experiencing vocal fatigue, but I'm not experiencing any secondary symptoms.

What follows is my own recipe for vocal-chord-soothing tea. Use green tea if you're planning on staying awake for a bit, use chamomile if you're planning on sleeping within a few hours.

1 teabag of the desired tea
4oz. of hot water (not quite boiling, of course)
1oz. of coconut rum (NOT optional)
1 tsp. local honey
Zest and juice of 1/4 of a lemon

In an appropriately sized mug, combine rum, honey and lemon juice. Place the zest in a teaball and drop into mug with teabag. Add hot water, steep 3 minutes and enjoy.

My Band Dad offers this advice pre-stage. Despite what any classically trained vocalist will tell you, hot coffee and alcohol are not bad for your vocal chords before singing. For the perfect rock singer preparation, drink a hot cup of black coffee 30 minutes before stage and follow it up with a cold draft beer immediately before your performance.