Feb 15^th, 2008
J Bucks
Bloomington, IL

This was the first show back for Ken after a two week long illness (over his birthday too goddamnit).  It was definitely a chill one as there were maybe 15 people there over the course of the night (including the bartenders). The night started off with Chris doing a solo acoustic set, and then moved into a semi-acoustic stripped down band setup.  The music (especially in the 2^nd full band set) was good even if the crowd turnout wasn’t.  In particular, “Catfish John” was one of the best versions I’ve heard in a really long time, and “Pin it On Me” definitely saw some new growth at this show.  Also, “27 Bones,” Justin’s new tune made a solid debut as a closer for the show.  All in all… it was a very chill affair, but a good show nonetheless. 

Jan 26^th, 2008
The Long Branch… Again
Cooksville, IL

Yet another Birthday show.  This one, in fact, was actually booked specifically for Teresa’s birthday.  Teresa is either friends or family with the people that threw “Danny and Tina’s Wedding Party June 3^rd 2006” if you want to reference that show.  If you don’t feel like back tracking, all you need to know is this:  These people are CRAZY and know how to have a party.  The bar was the only watering hole in the one-horse town of Cooksville, so as you can imagine, just about everyone in the whole town showed up.  In addition to them (all 15 of them) there was also the birthday crew.  With all of them put together, there was quite the crowd, and EVERYONE was getting down.

I think the best memory of the night was right at the beginning of the show.  When the band was setting up, a couple of elderly couples sat down at a table directly next to one of the speaker cabinets (which just happened to be next to the drum kit as well).  Just for reference, when I say “elderly” I think of my Grandma who is somewhere in her late 70’s or early 80’s (I think the latter is closer).  When I saw these couples park themselves, I made a mental note to watch and see how long they lasted.  The band started playing and about halfway through the second song (“Big Boss Man”) all four of them get up like they are about to leave, but instead they walked up in front of the band and started breaking it down like mad.  They ended up staying all through the first set and into the second, two-steppin,’ slow dancing, shit-kickin,’ stompin,’ and heel spinning.  I hate to say it, but with the way they were carrying on, I half expected one of them to drop dead of a heart attack in front of my eyes, but they ended up being more spry and energetic than most of the college students the band plays for.  12 cheers for you folks!

The other bit of excitement of the night happened towards the end when the bartender offered to show the band her “mammalian protuberances” in exchange for a rendition of Marshall Tucker’s “Can’t You See.” Well, she never busted out the titties, but the band played her song anyway (completely off the cuff mind you).  They even let her (Nicole was her name) sing a couple of “Can’t You See’s” on the mike.  I half expected it to turn into a drunken wank-fest, but to my surprise, the tune turned out really good.  It’s definitely a deep-cut worth listening to.  In fact, the whole show is a really great recording, especially for those of you with a sense of humor. 

This was another one of those small town bars I’ve been raving about lately that are the absolutely, topmost, super-coolest places to see The Dirty Hands Band.  I can’t even describe how off the hook and crazy the citizens of the boonies get.  We love you all!

Jan 12^th, 2008:
Illinois Brewing Co
Bloomington, IL

This show had a really experimental set list that turned out pretty interesting.  The band separated the rock tunes and the stomp tunes into two separate sets.  The rock tunes came first, and then after set break, the band came back out to do one long Honky Stomp.  I do have to say that it was a definite task in endurance, not only for the band, but also for the audience.  The theory behind the stomp set was that people could have a good solid time to get down.  With the rock tunes, the crowd tends to do more listening than grooving, and conversely, the stomp tunes get everyone, well… stomping.  The band figured that if they threw all the stomp tunes together it would get everyone dancing and not give them a chance to walk away.  As it turned out, the idea worked really well, but after about the fourth or fifth song, you could see the more enthusiastic stompers start to waver.  You could see them sweating and trying to hang on, desperately fighting off the urge to either pass out or go outside for a break.  Case in point, the theory proved well, but I think it would be better used in smaller doses due to the humanitarian impact that forcing people into a frenzy for such an extended period of time has.   

Also of note was the fact that it was Reggie’s (Jon and Chris’ mom) birthday, and there is a very nice dedication to her in the show.  There were also a couple of fairly new additions to the set list that night.  “Dark Hollow” and “Goin’ Down the Road” made their first appearances (electric anyway), and “T for Texas” (“Blue Yodel”) was “formally” busted out for the first time.  For the audio buffs, the recording for the show was a sound board, too, so as you can imagine… it’s really good.

For final props…
Chris was the super trooper of the night as he played with a serious cold which caused him to sound a little bit like a drunk Jim Morrison (at least by the end of the show… well, last half actually).  Cheers for being a trooper Chris!

Jan 4^th, 2008:
NV Ultra lounge
Normal, IL

Ahh, the first show of the New Year— and a good show at that.  I think the band was still reeling from the holidays that night, and I know that advertising was forgotten, so there really wasn’t much of an expected turnout for this one.  Happily, quite a good amount of people showed up, and everything turned out awesome.  The sound was surprisingly good too, even considering the absence of a sound guy.  After this show, I’m beginning to think NV is starting to look up in terms of cool places to play (and to see a show for that matter).  The only downside was that the band didn’t make any money, but hey, I guess you can’t have it all.  This is definitely a venue I suggest visiting the next time the band comes through, as it is turning out to be a pretty sweet place. 

As far as the show went, there wasn’t really anything new and exiting, but the band played extremely well, and the crowd responded enthusiastically.  In fact, there were a lot of random people in the bar that night who stayed the whole time, and even ended up in front of the stage getting down by the end of the night (you know who you are).  Over all, it was a pretty fantastic show that started out with pretty low expectations.  Such a case is always a happy surprise.  On top of it all, the recording turned out well too, so you collectors out there should scoop it up. 

Oh, and one last thing…
Thank you to Kemp for coming out to the show.  Everyone loves the chilled whiskey!  Can’t wait to be back on your home turf. 

Dec 29^th, 2007:
Paulies
Bloomington, IL

This was a pretty uneventful show, however, a startling amount of people showed up to see the band.  Unfortunately, DHB had the opening slot that night, and most of the crowd showed up right as the band was finishing up.  A lot of the people there were new faces, too.  At first I assumed that everyone was there to see the other band, but as the night went on, more and more people approached me asking when DHB was supposed to start (which, like I said, was much earlier, and well over).  It was one of the best DHB crowds I’ve seen at Paulies and the band was done playing by the time most of them showed up.  I think we can thank Tire Fire for the exposure we got at the Jamboree.  It seems to be helping out already.

Dec 23^rd, 2007:
Kemp’s Upper Tap
Lexington, IL

The boys were riding high off the success from the night before, and used that energy to produce a really excellent show which, unfortunately, only got partly recorded.  I would also like to take a minute to say what an awesome bar “The Upper” is.  The guy that owns the place (Kemp) is possibly the most friendly bar owner I’ve ever encountered, and definitely the only one who aggressively pushed the band into drunkenness by way of chilled Jameson shots (we love you Kemp).  The bar is pretty small, but it was packed to the hilt with just about every soul in town.  One of the highlights of the night was when Candy’s uncle turned his wooden leg upside-down to use it to hold his beer.  He was sitting right in front, and the expression on Ken’s face was priceless when he looked up and was encountered with the sight of a man with his leg screwed on the wrong way.

The band was feeling adventurous at this show too as they pulled “T. for Texas” and “One Way Out” out on the spot.  Unfortunately, these and other golden moments happened during the second set, in which the recording was sabotaged by the gremlin.

All in all, it was a stupendous show, and one that reminded me how much I love to see DHB in the small town bars.   

Dec 22^nd, 2007:
Backyard Tire Fire Winter Jamboree
@ Daddios
Bloomington, IL

The Tire Fire Winter Jamboree is an annual event setup by local giants Backyard Tire Fire which is a showcase of all the local acts, and also a sort of “family reunion” for all the area musicians who have been hanging around the scene for the last decade (and in many cases, even longer).  Tire Fire started out as a Bloomington/Normal band, who in the last five years or so, have managed to break out into the national circuit.  They set up the first Winter Jamboree a year ago as a way to get together with all the old crew and pay tribute to their grassy roots.  I can’t stress how much of an honor (not to mention a hell of a good time) it was to have DHB included in the lineup (we can’t thank you guys enough--- and it’s always great to have you around as well as having all the rest of the old faces in the same room).

This year, the event was set up with half a dozen or so local bands each doing half hour sets capped with Beatle’s tunes and including sit-ins with musicians from other bands.  After that was all said and done, Tire Fire put the icing on the cake with a long set that included many more guest appearances and tasty Beatles covers.  DHB scored a slot right in the middle of everything, which turned out to be an absolutely perfect seating (thanks again guys).  The band hit the stage with a new axe in Chris’ hands, a recent album to uphold, and a mindset to tattoo the brains of every soul in the room.

It was one hell of a barn-burner set if I’ve ever heard one:  “Paycheck,” “T. Whiskey,” “Skyline,” “Rural Rt,” and “Get Back” (with Ed Anderson on keys).  As soon as the band busted out of the starting gate, the crowd was sucked to the front of stage as if the music were a giant magnet tugging at their frontal lobes.  It was immediately evident that people have been listening to the album as there were many people audibly shouting lyrics over the din of the thumping sound system.  “Paycheck” and “T. Whiskey” were absolutely blazing, and then during “Skyline,” John smoked one of his strings in the midst of his fiery solo.  The B-N musical camaraderie immediately became apparent when Tim Wallis of the amazing Buddy Love Orchestra put his custom made (by himself) honky-tonk machine into John’s hands without missing a beat, and lending him the instrument for the remainder of the set.  By the time “Rural Rt” came along, the crowd was in full rowdiness, and people were answering Chris’ “Let it fly’s” on the chorus’ with such gusto that it could be heard over the band.  After that, it was all brought together with Ed playing the Billy Preston part on “Get Back.” Before I knew it, the show was over, and I, along with everyone else, was left hungering for more.

This show was a definite milestone for the band.  They got to strut their stuff in front of a lot of people that weren’t familiar with their music, and I think they won a lot of fans that night.  Thanks again Tire Fire, we (and I think I speak for all the other musicians in town as well) are eternally grateful.  The Winter Jamboree is the best thing since the old Lacrosse House to happen to the B-N music scene.    

Dec 6^th, 2007:  Brewe-Ha’s
Normal, IL

This was a fantastic show that will go down in history not for its prowess, but for the fact that this was the last time Chris’ Roadhouse Telecaster was heard.  Yes folks, Chris got his guitar ganked.  For those of you that follow the Myspace page, I’m sure you got a blow by blow account of the drama, but for archival purposes, and for those of you that won’t go near Myspace due to the fact that you haven’t yet realized that it’s more than a haven for thirteen year old high-schoolers and their pedophilic admirers, I’ll recount the story here.

Like I mentioned earlier, the show was a smashing success and was full of enthusiasm from both the crowd and the band.  As it usually is with Brewe-Ha’s shows, the band was very well liquored up as a result of the very generous staff, and shot-happy members of the audience who see it as their divine duty to make sure the band is as righteously intoxicated as they are.  By the end of the show, everyone was riding high, and Chris, in true Corkery style, was well into a tribute to the Budweiser gods.  It was particularly frigid and icy night that night, and loading the gear into the cars after the show was an extraordinarily difficult task (I saw Justin and Ken both eat shit on separate occasions).  Somehow during the load out, Chris managed to leave his guitar on stage where he was going to “get it later.” 

Due to his “Brewe” laden condition “later” ended up being a couple of days later, and by that time, the guitar was nowhere to be found.  Evidently, the bartender who opened up the next day saw it sitting on the stage, and put it in the back room to keep it safe.  It stayed there for most of the day, but disappeared sometime during the post-football drunkenness in the early evening.  By the time Chris realized that his axe wasn’t with one of the other band members, it was too late.  Some heartless fuck took it upon themselves to trespass into the back room, snatch Chris’ lovely guitar, and sneak out the back door under the noses of the busy bar staff.

A frantic search was mounted for the lost instrument, and ended with no results.  The guitar was never seen again.  I’d like to say that I hope that whoever took it is giving it a good home and playing it everyday, or at least was able to score some really good crack with it, but in all honestly, I would really like to believe they got busted with the crack they bought before they got a chance to smoke it, and that they are now in prison getting sodomized by a dirty, splintered, broom handle. 

Aside from the misfortune, this was an excellent show and worthy recording.  It was the debut of Chris’ new tune, “Pin it On Me” as well as the first electric version of “Goin’ Down the Road.” The band also dusted off the old number “Sad Day” which hadn’t been played in a long time (I can’t help but think how ironic this is).  All in all, a great show.  It’s too bad that it will be remembered as the night Chris’ guitar got ganked.  

Nov 10^th, 2007:  Bonkers
Bloomington, IL

The best way to describe this show was “Freakin’ BONKERS.”  This is one of those early drinker haunts that has peak business from about 7:30 to 11:30.  When we were loading gear in at 8, there were already drunks being kicked out.   Bonkers is a working-class type of place where people get out of work around five, party till they can’t stand (around 11 or so), and then go to bed so they can wake up and do it again the next day.  It was absolutely packed from the very beginning, and people loved every second of the show.   The band was accompanied by screamers, clappers, dancers, and drinkers all night long.  It was awesome.

It was also the first acoustic set the band’s done in awhile, which was really cool.  Ken played the washboard for the first time ever, and there were a couple of new covers broken out during the acoustic set as well as one during the second electric set.  Also, this show was the debut of some new audio gear courtesy of Chris’ father-in-law and hard-core Dirty Hands Fan (thanks Brian).  During the acoustic portion, we got to hear “Used to Love Her” (the Guns and Roses Tune), and “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” (a really old tune I don’t know who wrote).  Also, the electric portion brought us “Motherless Children” which sadly didn’t get recorded.  As a side note, the band was originally going to bring this one out at the IBC show, but figured that it was a little tasteless considering who the benefit was for (I think it would have been delightfully ironic, not to mention bad-ass). 

If you listen to the recording, you’ll get a little taste of what it was like to be there.  At times the crowd noise over-powers the band, the cheers are throaty, and there might even be a hee-haw or two toward the end.  Also, it was fun to notice how many people have been religiously listening to the new CD.  We had just as many people singing along with the Dirty Hands tunes as with the cover tunes.  In many instances, the enthusiasm was geared more towards the original tunes, which is really great to see.  I guess the album is really starting to work for us.    

Oct 24^th, 2007:  Illinois Brewing Co
Bloomington, IL

This was a benefit put on for the Baby Fold courtesy of Corey Hager.  The Band volunteered its services, as did The Chicago Farmer to play happy hour on a Wednesday.  All proceeds (which ended up not being much) went to the Baby Fold.  There might have only been about 10-15 people there, but those that did show up were very enthusiastic.  Cody played an awesome set, and Dirty Hands likewise reciprocated.  I actually had a really awesome time at this one.  The sound was really good, and everyone there was having fun.  You can’t ask for much more than that.  Also, it was really nice not to have everyone ushered out of the bar once the band was done playing.  Everyone got to hang out, have drinks and sandwiches, and shoot the shit without having to worry about getting all the gear packed up, and getting everyone shooed out of the bar. 

Also, the soundboard recording experiment came to true fruition for us this night.  Thanks to Brian, we got a pretty nice recording of the show, which is definitely scrap-book worthy.  I think we’ll be definitely doing board recordings at IBC in the future.  This was a really good chance to get all the bugs worked out of things, and I think that our next show there is going to be really killer (and with a good recording too). 

Oct 6^th, 2007:  Brewe-Ha’s (Outside the City Limits release party)
Normal, IL

The day has finally come, and it was well worth the wait.  There were a few sweaty moments when the printing took quite a bit longer than anticipated, but we now have the birds in hand—no more bragging about the little birdies in the bush!  It’s fitting too, that we ended up doing the CD debut at Brewe-Ha’s which has always felt like home-base to the band.  It was here that the band began its journey toward getting this album made, and it’s only right that it make its introductions here too. 

The band pulled out all the stops during this one.  There were almost 30 songs played over the course of the show, and a few new additions were added to the set as well.  The Allman Bros. tune, “Blue Sky,” The Beatles’ “Get Back,” and the blues number, “Key to the Highway” made their debuts into the band’s repertoire.  The show included three sets, with the middle set being Outside the City Limits. 

Needless to say, the energy was off the hook that night.  The crowd was amped from the very beginning of the night, and only continued to get rowdier as the show wore on.  At times, the crowd overwhelms the band on the recording.  After all was said and done, this raw energy culminated in some truly shameless male nudity, the like of which I haven’t experienced in some time.  It’s one of those things that once seen, you never have too see again, nor do you wish to.  I like to call these experiences “brain tattoos.”  This such tattoo, I have to admit, was just as funny as it was scarring, but even so, I hope I never have to see it again. 

The show was finally over, and the band was in the midst of packing up their gear, but the crowd was not done for the night.  Everyone was ushered out of the bar, but many of them congregated in the parking lot as they were not done partying for the night.  At this point, two guys (who shall remain nameless—you know who you are) decided to take it upon themselves to entertain the hangers-on.  It started off with some innocent, but lude dancing which gradually escalated into the aforementioned “brain tattoo.”  I was minding my own business and casually watching the two males bumping and grinding on each other, when they decided to up the anty on each other by taking off various articles of clothing.  Little by little, one tried to outdo the other, more and more skin appeared.  By the end of this macabre dance, one of the males (completely naked at this point) enacted the famous “Buffalo Bill Dick Tuck” scene from Silence of the Lambs.  I have no idea how these guys failed to get arrested for indecent exposure, but somehow they managed to walk away from the ordeal with nothing more than damaged pride (and I don’t think that they even suffered that). 

In any case, that was my last memory of the night.  I don’t know if it was plain shock, or if the booze finally caught up to me, but the rest of the night is a blessed black hole.  Three cheers for The Dirty Hands Band

Sept 22^nd, 2007:  Beerfest @ The Sale Barn
Bloomington, IL

Here we are a year later on the eve of a new album, and a whole year tighter.  This time we headlined the event, and had a little (well, a lot) more time to play.  The band played nice and precise, as can be expected, and the show went off in a mostly perfect manner.   Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about the sound in the gigantic tin shed that is the Sale Barn.  Fortunately, however, I don’t think that people really cared about the crappy sound due to the fact that their attention was focused on the plentiful and potent micro-brew selection.  Also, for those of you who like to peruse the show recordings, we took a stab at recording the soundboard mix.  It didn’t turn out too bad (especially if you like to hear lots of bass drum) and is definitely worth a listen.

The biggest letdown of the night was definitely that we didn’t have copies of the new CD to sell.  The Band did everything in its power to get them out by this time, and we were just a day or two short of getting copies in time for the show.  I know that they were all pretty bummed that they weren’t able to announce the long-awaited “now available,” but the built-up tension was definitely good for a rockin’ good show at the Brewe-Ha’s CD release.

All in all, though, Beer Fest was a good time (especially for those of us who got to enjoy the free beer, and not have to be on stage unable to partake properly).

Oh yes, and as a side note, my favorite hot dog guy had a stand set up there, which made the night even sweeter.  Three cheers for Vienna Beef!  

Sept 8^th, 2007:  Illinois Brewing Co.
Bloomington, IL

Well, I don’t really remember much of note during this show.  The crowd was really good, however, and the band played well, however unremarkably.  They tried to duplicate the totally awesome “Why Does Love” from the previous show, only to render a “pretty good” version.  I suppose it’s also noteworthy to mention that this was the first return to IBC for John since his alien abduction.  All in all, though, the show seems to lie in the shadow of the Show-Me’s experience, and has somehow been lost amongst the avenues of my overworked brain.    

August 25^th, 2007:  Show-Me’s
Bloomington, IL

This is definitely one of my favorite shows in a long time.  It was outside (which is always good), and the weather was absolutely perfect.  There was also a downtown music fest going on, which we weren’t officially part of, but ended up grabbing us a lot of walk-ins who ended up staying throughout the whole show. 

If you listen to the recording of this show, you’ll hear the enthusiasm of the crowd.  There were a group of guys that stopped by at the beginning of the show (around 3pm) that were going to have a beer and listen to a few songs.  They ended up staying the whole time (7pm), and getting absolutely plowed.  They weren’t the only ones that got pulled in like that either.  Throughout the day, people going to, or coming from the music fest got waylaid a Show-Me’s (about as unlikely as a live music venue as you’ve ever seen).  Many of the people who stopped are types that would never be caught dead in a “Hooter’s-esque” place like “Camel toes”… excuse me, Show-Me’s.  This brings me to my next point, and yet another bullet hole that has been put in the metaphoric foot of the Bloomington Music Scene. 

The band was petitioned to play for 6 hours (supposedly) for $400.  Normally, a place like Show-Me’s is not top on the list for places to play; especially for significantly less than they normally get paid (it’s usually $400 for two hours).  The owner of the restaurant is a family friend of the Corkery’s, so as a favor to him, and as a way to pirate our way into the downtown music fest we weren’t invited to, the terms were agreed to at $400 for four hours.  The times indicated were loose, sometime between 2:30 and 8:30.  The band started a little after 3:00 even though there were only about six people there at the time.  From that point, the band played almost continuously until around 7:30, with a couple of breaks (which added together maybe totaled 45 minutes).  The band played every song they knew, and then played a couple of them again.  The crowd loved it, and showed their appreciation by buying food and drink by the ton.  Despite the slave wages, though, the band and crowd were happy with the show.  Everyone had a good time, and the band had a chance to play for a crowd they wouldn’t normally get in the college bars.  At the end of the show everyone had a smile a mile wide.

Of course, that was until it was time to get paid.  Despite the fact that the bar was getting a deal that no band outside of a high school garage band would agree to, they decided that we didn’t play long enough, and that our $400 was now only $240, not to mention the fact that we owed money for drinks and food (both of which were consumed in more than reasonable quantities).  I have experienced the reluctant bar owner before, but usually it happens when you’re playing out of town and nobody shows up to the show.  The bar doesn’t make any money, so they try to cut their losses out of the band’s pocket.  In this case, the bar made a bunch of money from people who would not have been there if it hadn’t been for the band, and their way of thanking the band was to try to duck out on the pay agreement, which even if it might have been unclear, was more than fair.  I can’t think of any band that would agree to play an almost continuous 4 hours of music for $400 with no comp food or drink.  The only one you could possibly get for that price is one that wouldn’t bring in any people, and who still wouldn’t deserve to get hosed for $160.

I know that it’s a little tasteless to bitch about money after such an awesome musical experience (and it really was), but it’s shocking that any bar could be so blatantly stingy after such a great show.  I guess a bar/restaurant that tastelessly tries to earn money by exploiting the scarcely-covered mons pubis of poor college girls would be such a place.      

Again, I have to admit that this was one hell of a show, and that it is more than worth downloading from the site.  The sound quality is no less than excellent, and the band is no less amazing.  In fact, the “Why Does Love” toward the end is probably the best I’ve heard the band play in a long time, if EVER. 

Unfortunately, you’ll never see the band play at that venue again, despite the KILLER beer garden, so if you weren’t there you missed a one-of a kind show. 

August 23^rd, 2007:  Paulies
Bloomington, IL

On this Thursday night, the band opened for a really great band from Canada called “Superstacked.”  There was a little bit of behind-the-scenes drama that night, due to the fact that there was originally going to be a third band (who incidentally was the one to set the whole deal up).  Unfortunately, the guitar-player in the third band, “Steepwater” did something to his sciatic nerve, which caused the band to cancel something like 11 shows out of their tour. 

There turned out to be a decent turnout (for a Thursday night Paulies show anyway), and both bands played really good sets.  Dirty Hands played especially well as this show fell right in the midst of the studio recording, yielding a very crisp, precise, and reasonably in-tune show. 

I still don’t know if anyone got paid to play that night, though.  I know that DHB voided their payment (and requested that the cover charge be dropped) so that Superstacked could get the $250 that was guaranteed to Steepwater, but since they weren’t there, nobody at the bar seemed to remember their guarantee.  I feel really bad for the band that was on the road, and definitely did not make gas money, let alone room and board, but I’m pissed at the same time that this is another of many slams that have caused a bad reputation for the Bloomington music scene.  If you talk to any of the traveling bands about Bloomington, IL you’ll hear plenty of stories about missing money, empty bars, and outrageous cover charges that chase people away like plague declarations. 

Anyway, the music was good.  Once again, though, the band is reminded why they (and everyone else, for that matter) avoid certain venues.

August 18^th, 2007:  Hooligan’s Pub
Colfax, IL

This show was the band’s return to Colfax, and also John’s return to the stage after his almost month-long hiatus.  The crowd was more than enthusiastic even despite the unseasonable chill in the air.  John stepped up to the plate without missing a beat, and rushed to the occasion with a gusto that said “it’s been too long.”

It was definitely a high-energy, guitar-laden show.  For you guitar lovers, this was a show of noteworthy content.  Solos were long and intense, and despite a few travels into wankersville, right on the money.  This show was like a pent up monster released into a crowd of peanut butter covered virgins.

The band played two relatively short sets, the second cut even shorter by the friendly, but rigid Colfax Police Department.  This prompted a nice improvised tune by Chris at the end, which began to bash, then applaud (once the squad car pulled up) the local law enforcement. 

There were some really great moments at the show, and you can literally hear the crowd buzzing with enthusiasm on the recording (sometimes to the detriment of the recording).  There was one of the best “LWFH” versions that have been played in a long time, and a truly fantastic “Open Rd” right off the bat in the first set.  “Killing Time,” was a crowd favorite, and had people singing along and two-stepping until the rock section left them puddled on the floor wondering what happened to the nice, textbook-country tune they had just been listening to.  “Rural Rt. Blues” came off without a hitch, and then “Five Long Years” stretched into a 14 minute epic (due to the wanking mentioned earlier). 

The crowd spent the night hootin’, hollern’, dancin’, and air-guitarn’ with an almost unnatural enthusiasm.  The pumped crowd, coupled with the band’s excitement led to another great show in Colfax.  I can’t wait until the next one! 

August 12^th, 2007:  Illinois Brewing Co.
Bloomington, IL

Awesome Show.
That’s the best way to start this.  Unfortunately, John was still recovering from his “accident,” and wasn’t playing that night, but it turned out to be a wholly awesome show anyway.  Jaik Willis opened up the night, and brought a nice crew with him, which combined with the Dirty Hands people, ended up making a really great turnout (a much improved situation from the last IBC show).  As always, when the crowd’s hot, the band pulls out all the stops.

I love to see throw-back shows to the three-piece days.  It brings back memories, but at the same time, it shows how far the band has come in the past couple of years.  The same ol’ three-piece we all came to know and love was there, but there was also a new confidence and more developed sense of showmanship that has been developed since John joined the band.  This was clearly evident in Chris’ rowdy stage antics that included his in-your-face rock-god stance and flashy behind-the-head and with-the-teeth guitar abuse.  Yes folks, the “Dirty” was definitely out front and obvious during this show.

We also got to see some throw-back tunes such as “Don’t Do It” which hasn’t seen the light of day since the three-piece became four.  Some of the new tunes were seen in a fresh context too.  “River Take Me” went surprisingly well even considering the absence of John’s part which holds the main melody.  At the end of the show, Jaik joined the band on stage for “Five Long Years” in which he filled John’s gap with his signature vocal styling. 

Everyone definitely had a blast at this show, and it was one you should kick yourself for missing.

Hell Yea!

July 21^st, 2007:  Lexington Street Dance
Lexington, IL

Unfortunately, a minor tragedy beset The Dirty Hands band during the week leading up to the show.  Sometime after the IBC show the weekend before, aliens from a distant galaxy abducted John while sleeping on his mom’s couch.  We’re to assume that they wanted to bring him back to their planet as a kind of zoo oddity.  Investigative psychology has unearthed memories of being pelted with something resembling peanuts while exhibiting his guitar talents in front of an audience of what appeared to be ill-behaved school children.

John was not seriously harmed during the affair, except that during the jump into Hyperspace, his brain, ill-suited for such extreme modes of transportation, bounced around in his skull like some sort of biological game of Pong.  He awoke the next day with a severe headache, which was assumed to be a hangover.  When the pain didn’t subside after about 24 hours or so, he checked into the Emergency room where it was discovered that he had sustained traumatic contusions on his brain. 

Due to his condition, DHB had to perform the show as a three-piece.

On the up-side, the show turned out really well.  It’s always fun to hear the throwback performances with the old-school three-piece line-up.  Chris really stepped up to the plate to fill out John’s parts, and everything sounded really smooth and nice. 

The band played in the middle of Main St. Lexington on a flatbed truck.  Sister Groove’s sound crew (and system) was there, and the sound was absolutely excellent.  The weather was absolutely perfect that day, and just about the whole town showed up, as well as many people from the surrounding communities.  It was definitely a hoo-dang, hell of a time. 

There were excellent versions of “Knoxville,” “What you Want Me to Do,” “Feel Like Doin’ Time,” and the oldie, “Whatever it Takes,” which hasn’t been heard in some time.  During the last two songs, “Big River,” and “LWFH;” former member of the band, Rob O’Brian stepped up to lay down some guitar riffs. 

All in all, despite from missing John (and he was missed), this was a really great show which yielded a great recording.       

July 14^th, 2007:  Illinois Brewing Company
Bloomington, IL

This was one of those shows that the band was really stoked to play.  It was the first show back in the hometown after all the studio work, and everyone felt on top of their game, especially after the huge success at Hooligan’s.  All the Friends seemed pumped too, and it looked like there was going to be a great turnout.  Unfortunately, nobody came.

I’d like to blame a lot of this on the hot weather, and the new smoking law (which really is hurting the bar scene), but then again, who can ever tell what went wrong when you have a really dead night.  You know it’s bound to happen, but when it does, it sucks some serious ass.  It was especially hard this night because everyone was so primed for a great show. 

The band played okay, and the people that were there (it wasn’t completely dead) seemed to enjoy themselves, but it just wasn’t the blowout everyone expected.  It seems like this always happens when the band gets extra-pumped.  It might not have been as bad if we weren’t expecting a full house (there were probably 30-50 people there), but the anticipation made the let-down all that much bigger. 

Still, I give props to the band for performing as well as they did.  It’s easy to have a great show when you’ve got a huge amount of crowd energy to feed off, and it’s like trudging uphill in the snow trying to rock out a (mostly) empty room. 

Oh well, another flop for the files.

July 7^th, 2007:  Hooligan’s Pub
Colfax, IL

7-7-7 was a very lucky night to see the band in Colfax.  The band was fresh out of the studio from working on Outside the City Limits the up-and coming debut album, and was pumped to get on stage again.  They were set up outside in the beer garden, and blasted the town until after midnight, which is unusual considering they’re frequently told to “turn down” around 10 or so when playing outside.  The folks in Colfax, however, were having none of this and rocked harder than anyone anticipated.  

The show turned out great, and second set highlighted the tunes off the album nicely.  By the time “Paycheck” came around, there was a full on dance floor going on with couples grooving on the Rock N Roll and Two-steppin’ to the country numbers.  With every passing tune, the crowd got more pumped, and the band laid it on thicker.

By the end of the night, the crowd was screaming for more, and the band did two encores.  This bar turned out to be a really happening place, and I strongly suggest that you catch the next show there.  Drinks are VERY cheap and VERY strong, and you’ll get to groove with a truly colorful group of people. 

Also, for you show collectors, the recording turned out really good, and is definitely one to keep around. 

Hurray lucky seven!

May 27^th, 2007:  Brewe-Ha’s
Normal, IL

There was a small, but enthusiastic crowd on this night.  The band did okay, but I think they were pretty well lit up by the end of the night.  Ken destroyed a life-size cutout of a Corona model with his drumstick, and mounted her head on his bass drum for the remainder of the night.  I think everyone really had a good time at this show, but honestly, my memories aren’t all that clear about what specifically went on. 

All in all, it was a pretty typical Brewe-Ha’s  fun-fest. 

ROCK N’ ROLL.

May 19^th, 2007:  The Landings
Henry, IL

I’ll start off by saying that this bar definitely had a lot of character.  It is perched right on the banks of the Illinois River almost underneath the bridge that goes into Henry.  It has an excellent deck that overlooks the water and the bar area definitely has that down-home river town feel to it that is absolutely priceless. 

Unfortunately, the band didn’t play in either of these locations, but in the Shoney’s-like dining room attached to the bar.  I think this place would be really cool for a daytime show outside, but with the way things were set up for us, it was, to say the least, pretty lame.  The band played to a small crowd, which isn’t unusual for these sort of shows, but for the fact that the crowd was in the other room.  Also, there was a cover charged at the door, which is unheard of in small towns, and which subsequently chased out at least a handful of people.

The band played pretty unremarkably that night as well, except for probably the best “Skyline” that was ever performed.  There’s no recording for this show either due to a battery pack malfunction (it wasn’t charged before we left), but if you haven’t figured it out already, this is not really all that bad of a thing.

This was definitely one of those shows that will be happily forgotten.  Can’t win em’ all, right? 

May 5^th, 2007:  Gill St Sports Bar and Restaurant
Bloomington, IL

I will never understand why Americans consider Mexican Independence day a drinking holiday even in the heart of the United States, but I have to say that I’m thankful for the enthusiastic crowd it got us.  This was definitely a show for my “favorites” list.  The band played awesomely, the crowd had a great time, the venue was good, the sound was good, the weather was good, and the recording turned out good.

For those of you who are not familiar with Gill St’s beer garden, I suggest you check it out, but I’ll give you a quick description to peak your interest.  It’s a cabana-like outside bar with canvas walls that can be dropped in the case of rain or heavy winds (the latter of which we had to contend with).  Directly off the bar/dining area are two regulation size sand volleyball courts which can be lit up like midday once it gets dark.  It’s a great place to sit and relax with a drink, and as we’ve found out, a great place to have a show. 

This show was so good that it’s almost got me speechless.  It’s hard to pick out the highlights because everything was really good.  I have to say that John was in rare form that night, and just about every one of his guitar forays were pure gold.  Also, there were some really good cooperative solos between him and Chris that were really great.  “Carry that Load,” “Catfish John,” “Workingman’s Blues,” “Skyline,” “Five Long Years,” and “Good Hearted Woman” were my favorites, but like I said, the whole show was really good.  “Skyline” in particular was extra good, though, and I think that tune gets the honorable mention if anything.  It was one of those rare nights where the tune really took off and went someplace. 

I don’t really have much more to say about this other than the performance definitely speaks for itself, and for those of you who like to collect the recordings, this is definitely worth the download.  It’s truly fantastic. 

Hurray Dirty Hands!

April 14^th, 2007:  Show-Me’s, Spring Fest… (well, sort of)
Bloomington, IL

As always, playing downtown during a pub crawl is an interesting experience.  People who don’t usually drink or go to bars come out, and get more intoxicated than they really should during these events.  All it takes is the slightest excuse to really get hammered, and all these older corporate types pile into the bars to relive their college recklessness.  The college students, on the other hand, just come out and do their normal thing.  The only difference is that the college students come out to the bars around 10 or 11 o’clock and stay out until the bars close (and then find a party afterwards), where the older crowd comes out around two or three in the afternoon and end up puking and falling all over the place by eight or nine.  There are also a handful of younger folks that think they can make it the whole day (and through both crowds), but this always leads to disaster and a whole group of “that guy”(s). 

Show-Me’s wasn’t technically part of the larger Spring Fest activities, but that just meant that there was no cover, and that the band wasn’t advertised with the other Spring Fest groups.  However, the bar was located right in the middle of the busiest area of the festivities, and there were huge glass windows facing the street that the band played in front of.  So, as it turned out, the lack of advertising was not a problem at all.  The room stayed very steadily crowded all night and there was at least a handful of people there listening to the band at any given time.

The rest of the people in the bar were either too drunk to notice that a band was playing or too mesmerized by the “Show-Me” portion of the bar.  You see, the bar gets it’s namesake from the fact that there are scores of college girls sporting tiny pink shorts that shamelessly exhibit the “camel toe” look by riding up in just the right places.  It was fun to watch guys walk past the huge windows, see a band playing, come in to check it out, and then stop right inside the front door with their tongues lolling out over the barely legal meat on display.  Oh yes, and I’m told that the food is really good there, too.

As you can imagine, the above mentioned factors are the perfect recipe for bedlam. 

Upon entering the bar, I realized that I had some business to attend to in the little boy’s room.  I was pretty excited by the prospect of clean facilities due to the fact that the bar was less than a month old, but instead was greeted by the sick realization that men who have been drinking all day (or at all) are not very good at aiming.  Just as I had properly sanitized the area and settled myself down on the throne, I hear this girl bumble into the bathroom and start thrashing around calling out, “Mike! Where the fuck are you?  Goddammit Mike, I’m not fucking around, where are you?”  I hear her banging on the doors of the stalls silently praying that she doesn’t decide that I’m Mike, prompting her to kick down my door.  With a sigh of relief, I hear that she has finally found Mike in stall next to mine.  No sooner is she reunited with her friend then I begin to hear, “tap, tap, SNORT... tap, tap, SNORT…  Mike get over here… tap, tap, SNORT… tap, SNORT… Mike! Come on, get over here… SNORT… I’m…tap, tap, SNORT… not fucking around… tap, tap…  Oh shit, I just spilled the blow all over the toilet seat… aww fuck it... SNORT, SNORT… tap, tap, SNORT.”

At this point, I decide that I want to be out of there before the diva in the stall next door finishes and realizes that I’ve been sitting there listening to her little party and also adding to the already pungent conditions in the bathroom.  I finished up quickly, and then joined the band at the table they’d set up in the back of the room for the recording equipment.  I told them the story, and then said to watch for the girl coming out of the men’s room.  A very few minutes later, I was surprised to find a very googly-eyed fortyish woman stumbling out the door and gazing around the room like a deer caught in the headlights.  I’d pictured her as a twenty-something party girl, but watched in astonishment as a woman that could easily be a friend of my mom’s stumbled over to the bouncer and whispered something in his ear.  The bouncer cocked his eye at her, gathered one of the bartenders, and led him into the men’s room.  There was some pretty heavy commotion for a minute or too (accompanied by some shouting), and then the two bouncers appeared dragging a balding, white-haired man with his pants down around his knees out the back door where they deposited him in the alley and called him a cab. 

It was only 8:00 at night.

The band started playing shortly after that, and provided the soundtrack that saw people coming and going, falling and puking, on the street and in the bar as the night rolled on.  They played three sets that night, and actually sounded really good however overshadowed they were by the rowdy crowd at times.  The crowd was in and out all night, and changed over into completely different groups of people several times during the night.  Sometimes it was quiet, and people sat there eating and listening to the music.  Other times people were dancing and getting rowdy, and other times they were just getting rowdy and not paying attention to the music at all.  One constant, though, was the endless parade of camel toe that kept every male on the block at least glancing through the front windows from time to time. 

By the third set, the band finally gave into the liquor haze that permeated the room, and began to wrap things up as people in the bar began to drop like flies.  The first couple of tunes of that set were dedicated to the wild order of the night.  “Cocaine Blues” was for the woman in the men’s room, and “Whiskey to Ease the Pain,” was for the band (as the juke box was way too loud during the set breaks).  Other highlights of the night include “River Take Me” during the first set, and “Workingman’s Blues” at the end of the second set. 

All said and done, this was a night worth remembering (for better or for worse).

March 30^th, 2007:  Paulies (opening for Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Band)
Bloomington, IL

This was an early night set opening for Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Band.  It’s short, to the point, and the sound quality on the recording is great due to Paulies’ top notch sound system.  The engineer that night was also really great.  I can’t remember the last time that room sounded so good.  This show is a good one for those of you who like to download the recordings.  There’s nothing terribly exiting to say about it, but it does sound really good as all the instruments are miked and sounding pretty.  There was a pretty good crowd that night too.  Amazingly, they actually listened to the music, which seems to be a rarity in most bars these days.  People like to go to bars with live music, but nine times out of ten, they just treat the music as background sound unless the band happens to play their favorite song (in which case you’ve got their attention for one song).   It was refreshing to play for an audience that was there to hear some original music, and actually applaud it when it was all said and done.

Finally, I have to give three cheers to Rev Peyton for producing some of the most authentic, and at the same time, fucked up music you can see around.  I especially liked their tune “Your Cousin’s on Cops.” It was your standard stomp tune with the repeated lyric, “Your cousin’s on Cops,” lovingly (but forcefully) laid over top.  From what I understand, it was written while he and his wife were watching Cops on TV, only to find that his brother-in-law (wife’s brother) was a subject on the show.  Classic!   

Mar 27^th, 2007:  Brewe-Ha’s
Normal, IL

Unlike the last show here, the band managed to perform a (mostly) sober and fairly tame show.  This is not to say that it wasn’t good, though.  In my opinion, the band plays much better when they’re not half-cocked, but I do have to say that shows where there isn’t excessive debauchery doesn’t quite have the excitement (however good sounding they are) that shows like the St. Patty’s Day one have.  Also, this one fell on a Tuesday night, so the crowd was a little tamer than usual, but still, the turnout was really good. 

The most memorable fact of the night was definitely Pat’s (I’ll keep your last name out of it) 21^st birthday appearance.  He and his friends brought all the drunken rowdiness that was previously absent in the bar.  Most notable was that Suzanne (very cruelly) bought Pat a shot of Rumplemintz (probably not spelled right) that caused him to vomit quite liberally.  Pat showed his skills by making it outside before the eruption, though.  Way to go Pat!

Anyway, other than that, this was a night of good (mostly) clean fun, which unfortunately doesn’t give me a whole lot to write about. 

Mar 17^th, 2007 (St. Patrick’s Day):  Brewe-Ha’s
Normal, IL

This show was what I think could be called “double rowdy.”  First, it was St. Patrick’s Day, which is a famous excuse to get rowdy and drunk on green beer.  Second, it was also Chris’ birthday, and everyone knows that birthdays are another time-honored excuse to get plowed. 

Even as the band was loading their equipment into the bar, there were blacked out, drunken wastoids cramming the room from wall to wall.  Evidently, St. Patrick’s Day is an excuse to begin drinking as soon as the sun comes up, and everyone in the bar looked like they had taken full advantage of this.  In fact, everyone there was so drunk that I don’t think they noticed a band was playing until about halfway through the first set.  Due to the highly alcohol-soaked nature of the room, the crowd turned over several times throughout the night as people who had reached their endurance limit stumbled home, and fresh recruits stumbled in to take their places. 

As you can imagine, it wasn’t long before the band was swept up into the festivities themselves.  In addition to the normal amount of shots the crowd tries to get the band to consume, there were the St. Patty’s Day shots (and green beers) as well.  To further complicate matters, the crowd finally realized it was Chris’ birthday on top of it all, and more shots went round.  In fact, at one point in the show Ken orchestrated one of the famous DHB group drinks. 

By the end of the show, I was in no better shape than anyone else, so therefore don’t remember the night too accurately.  Upon listening to the recording, however, I was much surprised to discover that the band played a really great show despite the heavy liquor handicap they were working under.  As a matter of fact, the recording turned out really good (in sound quality and in actual playing quality).  This show was also the first appearance of Chris’ new tune, “Caroline,” which came off (mostly) without a hitch.  The whole first set was tight and energetic, everything you want in a show.  After set break, however, the handicap struck with a vengeance. 

There were shots passed around liberally during the break, and as soon as the band hit the stage again, the group drink was facilitated.  “Cocaine Blues” opened up the set, and it looked like the band was going to be able to hold it together.  “Cocaine Blues” went pretty well (although with some improvised lyrics), but by the second song (“killing time”) it was becoming very evident that Chris had achieved that special level of looseness.  The whole band began to wilt, but no one in the audience seemed to notice.  They were, in fact, way drunker than the band, and actually seemed to be digging the show even more as they felt some sort of drunk kinship to the wasted musicians on stage.

LWFH came next, and by the end of that tune, there wasn’t a coherent stare on stage.  Every member of the band was hidden away in their “special place,” but still doing everything in their power to plod along and keep everything together.  A super-loose “Whiskey to Ease the Pain” came up next, which for some reason, always seems to sound better when the band is utterly shit-faced.  As you can imagine, tonight would yield a GREAT version.  This success gave the band the illusion that maybe they weren’t necessarily as sloppy as they thought they were, and they trudged though a few more songs before the realization that the alcohol was winning the battle began to show it’s ugly head again. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, wasted or not, the show sounded really great.  I think the drunkenness added to its’ charm, too.  The energy (due to plenty of Red Bull and Gurana) kept up the whole night, and everything stayed pretty tight.  The “Big River” toward the end of the night was absolutely rockin’ despite being a little sloppy.  After that tune, however, there was ABSOLUTELY no hiding the level of wastedness any longer.  In fact, I think that the band might have even forgotten that they were playing a show at that point.

From out of nowhere, they rocked into a 10 minute version of “Highway to Hell” (sort of).  It started out being a tease, but turned into a drunken rock fest that went on and on…..   and on.  After that, the band began to wander off the stage and tend to their bathroom needs, get more drinks at the bar, and wander outside to smoke cigarettes.  At one point, during a huge 20 minute gap in the music, Ken found the microphone and decided to rap about “Dirty Thirty” and other assorted drunk ramblings.  The band was able to pull themselves back together for an 18 minute version of “Five Long Yrs” to close off the night, and then unceremoniously left the stage (after shouting at the crowd a little more, of course).

All in all, it was definitely a night not to be missed or forgotten (even though most people probably did).