Roger Williams University is located along the water and across a really cool bridge in Bristol, Rhode Island. The day was kind of rainy out, so the show got moved from a field outside to the gym inside the rec center. It was a lower turn out because of it, but it was still a good show!
When we got there, we unloaded and then went to the dressing room to hang out. They stocked it with all kinds of food and (non-alcoholic - damn!) drinks for the bands. There was also a poster for the event sitting there with markers. I figured it was implying for the performers to sign it, so I asked the guys to. :P
Grafton signing it.
Jake signing it. (He signed and moved too fast :P)
After we were done hanging out, we got to unpacking and setting everything up.
That was a flashing sign near the band's dressing room advertising the show.
The table set up with free stuff that was next to the merch table.
My merch set-up.
The lighting in the gym was so great! A lot of the staff had gushed about the band, saying they were listening to their CD all week, and it showed when the band hit the stage. Everyone was dancing and having a good time (if they didn't choose to sit in the bleachers, ha).
Oneside.
Chris.
Jake. (This picture came out AMAZING, no?!?! It's my favorite shot from the night!)
Grafton.
Ned.
No artsy pictures from that night, and also, we never ate a meal together since we all went straight home, so no Ned's chicken sandwich review for this blog either! Sorry to disappoint. At least I gave you some pretty pictures to look at until next time. :)
Here's a video of "Into The Night" from the show!
All of the pictures from the night can be found here: http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n280/musiclover224/Oneside%20Tour%202008/Sept%2014th%20Bristol%20RI%20at%20Roger%20Williams%20University/
If you're reading, comment with your thoughts! What do you like? What do you not like? What do you want to see pictures of the band doing? Let me know!
Check 'em out here:
www.onesidemusic.com
www.myspace.com/oneside
cross posting of the blog is here: www.theywillrockyou.com/blog
We got up kind of late on this day since we only had under a two hour drive to the venue from where we stayed. When we were finally all awake, we got clean, went out for breakfast. We got two tables in the corner, acted like idiots the whole time (which is probably why they stuck us in the far corner, we joked) and by the time we left the whole place probably hated us, but we didn't care! We had quite an entertaining breakfast. Then it was time to get on the road!
The views off of the briges in Maine are really pretty!
We got to Camden in no time, and searched for a hotel. We ended up staying in one that the guys stayed in last time they played there. It was a cute little hotel that was right on the Maine coast. We got a room with a "partial view" of the ocean, and it had a wet dog smell. (Just felt that needed to be mentioned. :P) I really don't think hotels should allow pets after this.
Looks cute, eh? :)
Theres a shot I snapped of Chris from down the hallway. I think he was admiring the partial coastal view. ;)
After a few hours of down time, AND Ned writing his chicken sandwich review, it was time to do a little practicing before heading off to the venue. They all played their instruments in the hotel room, although the only one you could really hear was the banjo since the rest of them need amps and Jake obviously couldn't set up a drum set in the room. :P Ned practicing.
Chris practicing. Photo credit to Jake, he took these last 2 with my camera.
the whole band practicing. :)
Once they were done practicing, we sat around the hotel for a little longer watching a Rocky marathon. Rocky is not my favorite movies to watch, but the guys made it so funny! They were making comments about everything the whole time and cracked me up.
We headed to the venue, which was only about ten minutes from our hotel. It was raining again as we loaded in, except not as much as it was the previous weekend!
There's the sign and outside of Gilberts.
After we loaded in, Grafton and I decided to play ping pong for a little bit before he unpacked his stuff. I honestly don't know the rules, and Grafton didn't enforce them, so really we just hit the ball back and forth, ha. :)
Once they were all set to go, the guys played some ping pong too, but actually played by the rules. Jake and Grafton playing.
Ned played the winner which was Grafton.
After playing a few more games, they had to hit the stage. Here are some of the pictures from the night!"
Oneside. That pole placement on the stage was kind of awkward. At the end of the night Ned wrote "oneside" on the back of that pole in chalk. :)
Chris.
Jake.
Grafton. Ned.
Ned and Chris.
In the middle of the show, guys who had been dancing all night disappeared for a bit, then returned looking like this:
THAT was my favorite part of the night! ;) The guys sure didn't know how to feel about that, but i LOVED it. Ha.
There was a disco ball running for almost all of their set too, so of course I took the opportunity to take a shot of that.
After they were done playing, we hung out for a bit and then played our usual van Tetris with the gear after packing it up. We got back to the hotel and went to sleep not too long after, considering we were all exhausted! At 7:30 AM, there were kids running up and down the hallway making a ton of noise and waking us all up. It was quite frustrating, and we really wanted to find their parents and teach them a few things. :P So, if you're reading this, keep your kids quiet at 7:30 am in a hotel hallway on the weekend, geez!
I took a few photos before we left of the coast a little closer up: That's my favorite shot. :)
And here's the moment you've all been waiting for, Neds chicken sandwich review of the day!:
The Black Bull, Camden Me Margarita Chicken Sandwich
Very clean, subtly sneaky sandwich, with a long finish due to ample fresh pico de gallo sauce . The fresh ciabatta was a good choice of bun, if they were looking for something not to interfere with the sandwich's subtle flavors.( But I doubt much thought was giving to that) The bread could have been slightly warmer.Not very innovative but flavorful, light and refreshing 7.8 out of 10
and again, your guide to the ratings: 5-6 gut rot 6-7 does the job if your starving and really craving a chicken sandwich 7-8 pretty satisfying choice if nothing else on the menu looks good 8-9 worth a try even if you are not particularly in the mood for a chicken sandwich 9-10 must haves
And I shall leave you with a few videos I took that night!:
Got To Go.
You Can Call Me Al.
All of the pictures from the night can be found here: http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n280/musiclover224/Oneside%20Tour%202008/Sept%2012th%20Camden%20ME%20at%20Gilberts/?start=0&mediafilter=images
Leave me some comments! And be sure to check out the band! I'm gonna keep reminding you like I said I would! :)
My second night of touring didn't involve buckets of rain like the previous weekend, but it was still equally as exciting! These guys are so much fun to be around, and their music is so fun and enjoyable! I love spending time with them!
Alright enough of my gushing, I'm sure you came to see my blog told mostly by pictures, so here we go!
We hit the road a little later then expected, and ran into some traffic on I-93 along the way.
The traffic didn't help, considering we were already late and crunched for time!
There's Grafton driving the van. They take turns driving it. I'm the only one who can't! I have no idea how to drive a van at all, and they say they'd never ask me to anyhow.
There's Chris in the van. He's reading a book called "This Is Your Brain On Music", which I actually read a little of during the weekend. It's really interesting, it kind of dissects the way we listen to music. It's scientific, but if you have ever played an instrument, you would totally understand the technical lingo in it. :)
Ned, Chris, and I hadn't eaten yet, so once we got to the venue and loaded in and had everything set up, we went out to dinner down the street. Ned told me he ordered a chicken sandwich every place they went, which eventually turned into us joking around about writing a review. Eventually that joke turned into a reality, and we have made it a goal of the tour for Ned to write a review of the chicken sandwiches he eats. We might even start taking pictures of them, we'll see! Later on in the blog, you will get his review of the food from that night.
They played close to where they had played last month (I believe it was) at someone's wedding, so I got to meet a lot of the people who had been at the wedding who came to see the band again. Everyone was really sweet, and they were fun when Oneside hit the stage. It was cool standing in the very back and watching every single person in there dancing. It was a good size crowd too, so it was amazing to see that everyone was into it!
Here are some of my pictures from the show: Oneside.
My attempt at getting the people dancing from almost the very back. :P
Chris.
Jake.
Grafton.
Ned.
After the show, we hung out for a bit before packing up. The bartender offered to help us find a hotel outside of Portland, which was wicked nice of him. Yes, I used wicked in that sentence. That's my Boston accent coming out in text form. :) Once we were packed up, we waited to get the hotel booked on the phone and hung out on the empty stage.
Chris chilling on the empty stage. Don't mind the crappy quality, I took this one with my point and shoot.
Ned on the empty stage. Again, ignore the quality.
Once we had the hotel booked, it was time to load the van up with the gear. They play Tetris pretty much every night when packing the van.
Oh and Jake raises his hand when volunteering to do things! Don't ask. Haha. :P
All of the pictures from the night can be found here: http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n280/musiclover224/Oneside%20Tour%202008/Sept%2011th%20Portland%20ME%20at%20The%20Big%20Easy/
And, the moment you've all been waiting for! Neds chicken sandwich review of the night, written and e-mailed to me by Ned himself!:
Sabago Brewery, Portland, ME Big Daddy's Hot Chicken Sandwich
Not so hot. The chicken was reasonably well cooked and tender. The bacon added some much needed crunch and smokiness. This sandwich could have benefited from some avocado to give the texture some fullness. No spice up front and a fairly bland finish too. Tangy but forgettable sauce. Not unenjoyable but fairly boring. 7.2 out of 10
And here is your rating guide: 5-6 gut rot 6-7 does the job if your starving and really craving a chicken sandwich 7-8 pretty satisfying choice if nothing else on the menu looks good 8-9 worth a try even if you are not particularly in the mood for a chicken sandwich 9-10 must haves
So, there you have it!
I leave you with a video of "The Letter" live from the show that night. :)
Leave me some comments! And be sure to check out the band! I'm gonna keep reminding you! :)
I just started working with a new band called Oneside, and I am going to be touring with them and selling their merch, as well as photographing and recruiting for their street team that is up and coming. With this being said, I decided to start tour blogging for the site! You can see what it's like to hang with this band through my perspective, and hopefully it will help you get to know them and love them!
Last night was the start of my touring with Oneside, and man what a night it was to start on, with Hurricane Hanna bringing torrential downpours and strong winds! It makes for a good story now, though!
After traveling from Boston to Hartford against the rain, we finally arrived at The Half Door a little later then we expected. As soon as we walked in, we discovered they had put a new gaming system in! We just HAD to test it out. There's Chris taking his turn bowling. Grafton taking his turn bowling. That machine was so fun! It took me a while to get the hang of it, but soon after I was hitting strikes over and over! I didn't win the game, but it was a fun little competition. We DID beat high scores, so Grafton put "Oneside" for all of our names! :)
After eating dinner, it was time to load in. This would be a challenge, considering Hanna was bringing down buckets of rain! We stood outside with Grafton's giant umbrella until we came up with a game plan. In the end, we tied a tarp from the van and attached it to the ceiling of the bar.
Here's (from left to right) Grafton, Ned, and Chris underneath the tarp.
And here's the whole band (from left to right again) Grafton, Ned, Chris, and Jake.
Once everything was loaded in, it was time to get down to setup. I setup and organized the merch while the guys got ready to go. Below are the pictures of my merch setup!
One half.
The other half! Ta da! :)
oh, and just to throw this in here, I couldn't help myself and took a sweet picture of the candle on the table in front of me.
Jake and I loved that picture.
They took the stage around 10, and people all around were into them instantly. It was really great to see that people actually came out during the hurricane rain and saw the band! At first people were reluctant to dance, or they danced right near to their tables and seats, but eventually people migrated to the front of the stage and danced. I even got suckered into dancing with people. When someone comes up to you with their hands out asking you to dance, you can't exactly say no! :)
During one of the band breaks, Jake decided to take a nap on stage...
Here are a few pictures from their set:
Oneside.
People dancing to Oneside. :)
Chris.
Jake.
Grafton.
Ned.
And of course, my favorite shot to take, a view from behind!
All of my pictures from that night can be found here:
They played until about 1:30 am, we hung out for a bit, and then packed up. Thankfully by the time the show was over, so was the rain! The wind was a little bad coming back, but other then that it was smooth sailing!
I hope you enjoyed this first installment of my tour blog! Be sure to leave comments, and make sure you check out the band (especially since you're getting to know and love them through my blog!)
Music is my passion in life. It's the one thing I can do with my heart and soul 100%. The atmosphere of a live show is like nothing else for me, really. I love being around like-minded people because I feel like we understand each other better then anyone else. You dig? :) Cheers!
