Meat Castle

"Play the fuck out of your instruments"

-Voice in crowd, 11/15/2013

The newly minted "Duck Helmet" continued their residency at The Turf Friday night. Check out a few highlights below. They'll be back for more on Thanksgiving Eve, 11/27- be sure to come on out.

11/15/2013

The Turf, Waterbury, CT

Cities

Fairies Wear Boots>

On the Run

Sanford*

Tube

Off the Record

Crosseyed & Painless>

Where is My Mind?

Black or White (1)

Sabotage (2)

Show Notes
* First time played, original
(1) Contained "Split Open and Melt" (Phish) jam
(2) Played by fan request, featuring Erik on vocals

Opened for Fight the Fear. Bass fire=negative.

I Promise, Everything's Fine.

"And they said we'd never make it"

- BC 11/9/2013

In the midst of our daily trials and tribulations, it's important to remember that with a little endurance, at end of the day, everything is fine.  With a little courage, try to remember that everything is fine. With some confidence, know that EVERYTHING IS FINE.

Sometimes it takes a power trio to remind us of these things.

My apologies for all the positive chatter, but as GM played tonight, I sincerely had a "look to the cookie" moment:

Time and time again, this band never fails to bring a group of people together and help us remember the things we truly value- the company of our friends (and "Whale" jams). I'm pretty fucking thankful for that periodic reminder.

 End rant.

11/9/2013

The Shamrock, Waterbury, CT

Set 1

Frankenstein>

Psycho Killer>

Better Than Before>

Easy Tiger

Wave to the Future

Shame>

Tush>

On the Run>

Tush

Happy Birthday Paula

Everything's Fine*

Irene

Against Me>

Cry

Eye to Eye

Set 2

Third Personality>

Got a Grip> (1)

I Can't Go For That (1) (2) (3)

Helter Skelter (4)

Already Gone*>

Baba O' Riley>

Maneater (1) (2)

Chameleon (1) (5)

Whale (Slow)>

Rant>

Ooh Child>

Whale (Slow)

So Far Gone>

The Impression

Show Notes
*First time played
(1) Featuring Josh Bruneau on Trumpet
(2) Featuring Jim C on lead vocals
(3) Contained "In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt)" (Edvard Greig) tease
(4) Featuring Bill C on lead vocals
(5) Contained "Wolfman's Brother" (Phish) tease
"Everything's Fine" and "Already Gone" were debuted. No bass fires were reported at this show.

All dick sucking bullshit aside, the following jams are supremely badass and should stay in your rotation for quite a while. If you don't agree, we don't have much in common and you should stop reading my blog.

Chameleon (with Josh Bruneau)

Whale> Rant> Ooh Child

Baba O' Riley

Rock on, Guy Malone!

troll me @brasscitymusic

I Saw It With My Own Two Eyes

I am currently 1 for 12 on "Cover Me" requests. I'll take what I can get.

Isaac, Brett & Matt

10/23/2013

The Turf, Waterbury, CT

Set 1

On Your Way Down

Down by the River

Into the Great Wide Open

Cities

Tube

Manic Depression (1)

Fire (1)

Straight Up

Black or White (2)

Set 2

Viscera Eyes> (3)

Fairies Wear Boots

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)> (4)

Roses

Crosseyed & Painless>

Where is My Mind

Show Notes
(1) Featuring Bill on lead vocals
(2) Contained "Split Open and Melt" (Phish) jam
(3) Instrumental
(4) Intro only

These two jams are definitely worth a few listens:

From the Arguyves: This is Your Moment, Surfer Dave!

"Do you guys know any Bad Company?"

-Surfer Dave, 3/10/2012

This archive release takes us back to March 2012, a Saturday night where a guy named Surfer Dave just wanted a few hours away from the wife and kids to listen to some Bad Company and enjoy a few beers.  He left the bar that night with much more than he bargained for- a lifetime legendary status within the GM camp.  He will wear that badge of honor proudly until his last days.

Click the blue text to download or listen to this show.

3/10/2012 SIDE STREET BAR AND GRILLE, HAMDEN, CT

Cheers, Surfer Dave!

Number Forty Two

"A moment of silence for Mariano Rivera"

-BC, 9/27/2013

Playing for one of the most beer-soaked audiences I've seen in quite a while (that's saying a lot for your usual GM crowd), Waterbury's hometown heroes played some all-out smokers with "Whale", "Baba O' Riley" and "Dragging Me Down".  But they set the bar at an all new level with Friday night's awe inspiring "Burn"(posted below). I post a lot of versions of this tune on here, and there's a good reason for that-it never ceases to kick major ass. Right around the 9 minute mark, the tune changes pace from it's usual dark and dirty to some bright and beautiful jamming. If you don't like "Burn", it's pretty clear that this is not the blog for you. There's the fucking door.

9/27/2013

The Shamrock, Waterbury, CT

Set 1

Cry(1)

Lost on Me (2)

Little Bit of Soul

Dig a Pony>

Psycho Killer>

Against Me

Without a Trace

Easy Tiger

Demon Theory

Tell My Muse

Holy Ghost

Whale (slow)>

Enter Sandman*>

Whale (slow)

Set 2

Baba O' Riley(3)

Althea

So Far Gone (4)

Burn!

Mookie Wilson

Bring it on Home

Dragging Me Down (5)

Shame

Dragging Me Down (6)

Whipping post> (7)

Hot For Teacher> (7)

Whipping Post (7)

Show Notes
*first time played. Played in honor of the great Mariano Rivera
(1) Dedicated to Modeen
(2) Featured sections of "Lion's Mane"
(3) Contained the ending section to "can't you hear me knocking?"(Rolling Stones)
(4) Alternate lyrics "I watched baseball history..." The band took a moment of silence for Mariano Rivera
(5) Aborted
(6) Contained a "Spirit of Radio" (Rush) tease
(7) Featuring Bill on lead vocals

"Enter Sandman" (Metallica) was debuted. No bass fires were reported at this show.

Bravo, Guy Malone!

We're now on Twitter! Troll us @brasscitymusic 

Spin Me!

Newtown's The Screw Ups

Connecticut Transit Authority

A few vids from Saturday night's performance. How is my family so talented? I'm a half-assed blogger, at best.
Thanks for a great weekend!

Listen

Lowdown

Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?

I'm in a Fall State of Mind

"We're a Guy Malone tribute band"

-BC, 9/20/2013

Waterbury's favorite sons, GM and Uncle Sonny performed at the "So Long Summer" Festival Friday night at the Ponte Club. I don't know about you guys, but as far as I'm concerned, Summer ended about 4 weeks ago. I knew Summer was really over when a student pissed all over my classroom and played around in it. But that's a blog for another time.
Some highlights from both bands can be found below. I'm lucky to know these guys.

9/20/2013

So Long Summer Fest, Waterbury, CT

Holy Ghost

Shame

Against me

Tell my Muse>

Better Than Before (1)

So Far Gone> (2)

Tush>

On the Run>

Tush

Burn>

Rant>

Ooh Child>

Burn

Show Notes
(1) Contained an "Easy Tiger" tease
(2) Contained alternate lyrics "it's 8pm, I can't find my debit card", "Michael Vick only scored me 19 fantasy points. Fucking asshole!", "I'm in a Fall state of mind"

This set was played at the So Long Summer Festival. The band shared the bill with Uncle Sonny, Lazy Way Out, Fight the Fear (when asked the name of the band, Merc replied "I think they're called "Fear my Balls, or something") and Twin Berlin. No bass fires were reported at this show.

Burn>Rant>Ooh Child>Burn

Valley of the King

Against Me

Big Grown Woman

Tush>On the Run>Tush

Don't Stop Lover

Thumbs up, Guy Malone and Uncle Sonny!

Your Crystal Ball Ain't So Crystal Clear

"I don't sing that shit. You Sing it."

-BC, to bartender's frequent "Wonderwall" requests

The artists formally known as "The Foreskins" unleashed a bevy of choice cover songs on the Brass City Wednesday night and taught us all one very valuable lesson: learning to play Oasis and Gotye songs will undoubtedly get you laid.
Highlights include the MJ classic "Black or White" (Aunt Dor's personal fav), Matty's vocal debut on "Sabotage", "Down Rodeo" (video below) and some solid jamming in "Moma Dance">"Tomorrow Never Knows" (also below). Did this band just cover Ray Lamontagne and The Butthole Surfers in the same set?

Isaac, Brett, Matt

9/18/2013

The Turf, Waterbury, CT

Set 1

On Your Way Down

Cities

Trouble

Pepper>

Loving Cup

Somebody That I Used to Know (1)

Black or White (2)

Down Rodeo

Where is My Mind?

Set 2

Fire

Down by the River>

Helter Skelter>

War Pigs>

The Moma Dance>

Tomorrow Never Knows> (3)

Manic Depression

Wonderwall (1)

Up on Cripple Creek

Sabotage (4)

Set 3

Wonderwall (1)

Somebody That I Used to Know (1)

Psycho Killer>

Mellow Mood

Shame>

Taxman

Show Notes

(1) Played by bartender request; unfinished

(2) Contained a "Split Open and Melt" jam

(3) Contained a "The Moma Dance" tease

(4) Matty's vocal debut

The Moma Dance>

Tomorrow Never Knows

Down Rodeo

"I'm Just Looking for that Beef"

"You guys make me feel inadequate"

-Guitarist from opening band, to GM, 9/7/13

Today, I sampled 12 varieties of chili, took in 2 sets of Guy Malone and 2 sets of Uncle Sonny. I'll be sure to post pics of the toilet bowl tomorrow morning, stay tuned! 

Much congrats to Dave, Becky, Jake and Liz. Very glad to have some live GM back in rotation. The Summer wasn't the same without you. Something very cool about having the little ones at the shows.

John's Camera

9/7/2013

Winding Trails, Farmington, CT

Set 1: Chili Verde

Movie Star

Cry

My Way Gone (1)

Baba O' Riley (2)

Against Me

You're the Sun

Cold Roses>

Better Than Before > (3)

Tush

Set 2: Red Chili

Shame

Wave to the Future (4)

John's Camera (4)

Frankenstein

Show Notes
(1) Contained an "On the Run" tease
(2) Contained the ending section to "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" (The Rolling Stones)
(3) Unfinished
(4) Played for John C.

This show was GM's second appearance at the International Chili Society Festival sponsored by Abilities Without Boundaries. No bass fires were reported at this show.

Dom's second chili fest!

Movie Star

Also, be sure to check out videos from UNCLE SONNY'S post-Brass City Brew Fest performance. This band gets better and better every time I see them- tonight was no exception. Brett swung by to shred on "HLB":

Crosstown Traffic

Red Head Lady

Thumbs up, GM and Uncle Sonny!

Spin Me!

Loving this song. Bout to start an Uncle Sonny blog.

Rockin' The Suburbs

"I'm Barry Bonds. I've done good things for baseball."
-BC 7/19/2013

Guy Malone was destroying jams (re:Cry) like this basketball did to Mama Fratelli's head:

7/19/2013

Private Party, Watertown, CT

Set 1

Jam>

Alibi>

On The Run>

Alibi

Omega Man (1)

Against Me> (2)

Easy Tiger

The Er>

Will of the Working Man>

Hagman (3)

Corrina* (1)

Cry

Set 2

Pepper*> (4)

Tush>

Baba O' Riley (5)>

Fire on the Mountain*(6)>

John's Camera>

Drive>

Better then Before

Show Notes

* First time played

(1) played by fan request

(2) "Against me"was unfinished

(3) Brett and Dave did not switch instruments during Hagman

(4) Incomplete
(5) Isaac and Brett on drum solo
(6) Dave on Guitar and lead vocals

Corrina (Taj Mahal), Pepper (Butthole Surfers) and Fire on the Mountain (Grateful Dead) were all debuted. No bass fires were reported at the show.

Thumbs up. Guy Malone!

You've Got to be Badass

Excerpt from a recent interview with Dave Grohl:

Q: Now, thinking about where the music industry is headed — subscription services instead of downloads, and the whole idea of making money off a record really being challenged – how does that fit into your “do it yourself” philosophy? What would you tell four guys in a garage with a good batch of songs today?

A: To go play it live. Just play live. Honestly, if you’re good at what you do, people will recognize that. I really believe that going out and playing good songs live as a great live band will make you successful, and it doesn’t matter if you’re at the shit hole down the street or you’re on the side stage of Bonnaroo or you’re headlining Lollapalooza. If you’re a great band with great songs, people will notice it. That’s it. It’s that fucking simple. Fuck product placement and fucking labels and A and R people and all that bullshit. It doesn’t fucking matter, I swear to God. And if you back that up with the idea that just playing those great songs in your great live band is enough reward for you, then you’re fucking set. But you’ve got to be badass. You just have to be really good.

As a drummer, I never felt like I was going to be on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine because I’m the best fucking drummer in the world. I just knew that if you put me on stage without a fucking PA or floor monitors in a small club, that I would beat the fucking shit out of my drums so much that people would go, “Damn, did you see that fucking drummer?” And I’d walk away from every show like, “There you go. I just beat the fucking piss out of those things, and people saw it.” So, by my thinking, at the end of the show I was a successful musician because I had achieved what I wanted to achieve.
I know lots of musicians that went down to South by Southwest and heard my speech and said, “Well, it’s easy for you to say.” I’m like, “Man, I was in the same fucking position you are in 24 years ago.” I worked in a fucking furniture warehouse, and I wanted people to like my music. So I played out as much as I could. And I really believe that if you are honestly passionate and driven and focused in what you do – if you’re really fucking good at it – people will take notice. That’s basically it. I don’t understand the industry. I don’t understand where music is headed. I don’t really understand technology. I just know that when you walk into a club and you see a band that blows you away, you are going to follow that band. You’re going to either buy that CD, or you’re going to find them online. Or you’re going to see them the next time they come to play, and that’s what it takes. You don’t have to stand in line at the song contest on TV to become a fucking popular musician. I mean, to stand in front of some judge who doesn’t even play a fucking instrument on their own damn records and have them tell you, “No, you’re not good enough?” Fuck that. Go blow people away in front of their face. I honestly believe it’s that simple.

Cover Me!

Spin Me!

Beck - Midnite Vultures (1999)

Showing No Mercier

"Show yourself, pussy"

-Brett and Dave, to heckler

For the first time in about 5 years, I was not present for a GM set (attended a wedding). While I was able to make it over for Set 2, I definitely left with a case of blue balls.  While the band was ripping through my personal favorites "Enemy" and "Cold Roses", I was stuck at the singles table watching bridesmaids perform the "Cha-Cha Slide".  Luckily, Melissa and the Merc Dog were able to pinch hit, giving me up-to-the-minute setlist updates and photos. By the time I walked in, people seemed to be having a blast:

Click HERE for audio downloads of most of the show from our archive page and check out videos below.

"Where We Bleed"

"Birds of a Feather"

6/7/2013

The Shamrock, Waterbury, CT

Set 1

Better Than Before

John's Camera>

Demon Theory (1)

Against Me

Wave to the Future

Enemy (2)

Bring It On Home

Fire (3)

Helter Skelter (3)

Cold Roses

Set 2

Shame>

The Er>

Birds of a Feather (4)

Tell My Muse

Pity with a Vengeance>

Whale (4)

Where We Bleed> (4)

The Impression (4)

Show Notes
(1) Brett and Dave challenge heckler (he didn't show)
(2) Contained a "Theme from Mission:Impossible" (Lalo Schifrin) tease
(3) Featuring Bill C on lead vocals
(4) Featuring Mercier on keys

Thanks to Melissa and Mercier for setlist and photos. No bass fires were reported at this show.

Thumbs up, Guy Malone!

Cover Me!

Boston - "Foreplay/Longtime"

Spin Me!

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (2006)