Sunday, May 18th, we are playing a benefit show in Leesburg, VA with none other than Smashmouth :-) Tickets are $15 dollars in advance, and $20 day of the show. The address is as follows: 41834 Bristow Manner Drive, Leesburg, VA 20175. Here is a link you can check out for more information. www. liveatbelmont. com
Mar
06
New photos from the journey
I wanted to let you know that I have posted some new photos from the Japan and Australia trips in my blog. Let me know what you think! http://mycontracrostipunctus.blogspot.com/
The trip was absolutely amazing and the Australians were kind, passionate, and wildly enthusiastic about music, art and fun. We could not have asked for a better trip. Thank you to everyone who came out and made it unforgettable.
I hope you all are well and I can't wait to do this US tour! We have really cool stuff coming together for it and I hope as many of you as possible can help us celebrate the remarkable five year journey that we have been on since Destination:Beautiful was released in Feb of 2003. I can't tell you how much it means to be able to live a life dedicated to celebrating beauty, music, art and community. Without you it doesn't exist.
Cheers,
Jacob
Feb
23
Greetings from Australia!
Hi friends, after 30 hours of airports, planes, buses and trains, we have arrived in the glorious city of Brisbane, Australia. Spirits are high and we began our time here with a trip to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Zoo where we played with Kangaroos and Koalas all afternoon. We have been here one day and it is already clear that we will never forget this trip as long as we live. Excitement is continuing to build as we plot and plan the details of our US tour and so many amazing things are coming together! We can't wait to see you and this promises to be one of the best tours we have ever done.
See you soon, Jacob
Feb
18
Back from Japan and off to Australia
Hello Everyone! We arrived back from Japan a few days ago, and I wanted to take a minute to extend my adoration to all of our fans there, we had an amazing time, refreshing and eye-opening....like always. The shows were a lot of fun, as was eating all of the great food. I know Jacob has mentioned the strawberry tomatoes, and with good reason. We also had seared chicken sushi which was a trip. In a few days we're going to get on a plane and fly to Australia for the first time, so I have some books to read and my I-pod will be fully charged. These long flights are ridiculous, but worth it. I've reading two books at the moment, and the books are totally different ("Notes From The Underground" by Dostoevsky, and a book about slavery and the emergence of blues music), so that way I won't confuse plots, which I could easily do..my train of thought is easily distracted. I posted some photos from Japan below, and more are to come soon, for some reason my photo program is acting silly. Thank you again Japan, we will be back as soon as we can. Australia, look for us in a few days. We will be the small group of giddy gentlemen with silly grins that stretch from ear to ear.
Feb
14
Greetings from Osaka!
Greetings from Osaka! We landed safely in Japan and were taken by van
through a maze of lights and bridges to our hotel. Our favorite
translator, Abe, is with us again and we have been wonderfully hosted
thus far. Every evening we have a dinner that is equal parts
adventurous and amazing. We have tried many delicacies in the past
including raw beef and horse but this time we had raw chicken! My
personal favorite so far has been this little tomato
called a strawberry tomato. I have never had anything like it. It
actually tastes like the best parts of a strawberry and a tomato. Hard
to imagine I know, but it was delicious. The flight over was long
but relaxing and I finished reading "This is Your Brain On Music" and
continued listening to my Allen Greenspan book on tape. I think
listening is the only way I could get through a book like that but I
feel like I am learning a great deal about the global economy and the
bigger picture of how money rules the world. The first show was a
lot of fun and the crowd was welcoming and enthusiastic! This is also
the time I have experienced snow in Japan. It is so beautiful here. We
are about to leave now to board the Bullet Train for Nagoya. Hope you are well, Jacob
Jan
22
Band of Horses and and unexpected adventure.
We had a really productive day today. It was spring cleaning in full
effect! Dave and I were cleaning out our storage space, organizing
merchandise, loading gear out of the trailer and setting up for
rehearsal and while Zach and Benji were sorting and getting rid of all
the recyclables accumulated from the Motion City Soundtrack tour. It
was a packed day and I am please by the amount of work we got done. Benji and I designed a tour poster for the 2008 spring tour tonight and I love it. Hopefully you will too. This house is buzzing with energy as we prepare for the year to come. Tonight
I took my lady to see Band of Horses at the Norva. In addition to the
excitement of the music, we were treated to an unexpected adventure
right after the show. My mom was having dinner near by and decided to
stop by the Norva to say hi to us. She was waiting right outside as
people were beginning to trickle out and head to their cars.
Apparently, right before we arrived to greet her, a very large drunk
man attempted to climb in the car with her and my younger sister
Alison. Quite a scary moment! He was pounding on the window and pulling
the locked door handle repeatedly trying to get inside. The staff at
the Norva noticed that things were not right and immediately came to
the rescue and my sister stepped on the gas to get away from the creepy
dude. As I came running out to see if they were ok, the main
security guard obviously exasperated with the beast smiled at me and
said, "At least we never have jerks like this at Mae shows." So, in
summary, thank you for being the kind of people that don't climb into
cars and scare mothers and daughters to death with your alcoholic
shenanigans. You have a reputation for greatness and we love you all. -Jacob
Jan
22
It may be long, but it's worth the read.
A friend of mine has done a lot of great things. When she feels convicted, she acts on it, and it has paid off. Here is a blog she wrote for Earth Echo International. I just wanted to post it to remind myself and everyone else, that progress can be made.
While environmental related organizations like Green Peace and the Environmental Protection Agency aid in offsetting and educating people on the large scale effects of the environmental damage caused by humans, the days of relying on these groups to reverse the negative effects of our careless actions have come to an end. We live in excess. We have the ability and means to indulge more so than any other country. As Americans, we account for 5% of the global population but stake claim to 20% of the world's global warming causing carbon emissions. So where will we these implications leave the population in, say, 50 years? Overcrowded? Buried in excess trash? Underwater? The relationship dynamics between energy and today's society are mind boggling. Most prefer convenience over sustainability any day regardless of the long-term impacts on our environment. BIG changes in standard business and industry practices must start being enacted in order to start seeing a BIG difference. While the green movement is doing a good job of educating and influencing the buying power of individuals, it is not addressing the main cause of much of our environmental problems: consumerism. Think about it. The green sector is developing and growing however we can not consume our way out of trouble. We definitely should try to buy a product that's been made sustainably but let's have the honesty to admit the truth: every product adds to our carbon footprint, even products that label themselves part of the "sustainability industry". (I can credit this idea of "greensumerism" to an article entitled "Desire and the Green Cure" by Richard Glover and I invite you to read it right here:(http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/21/4710/ ). Now, I'm not trying to radically disseminate the idea that in order to live sustainably we must build a hut out of found materials in the most desolate part of the woods and only eat grasshoppers and shrubbery to survive. However, I am trying to say that literally everything we do has an impact on the environment and the only way to make a visible change is to take a step back, give an honest examination of how you can personally make changes to become kinder to the earth, and enact that change. In turn, you will feel empowered and be motivated to engage people in what you have learned. I PROMISE! Quite frankly, it is absolutely frightening to think about how the human population has managed to initiate and establish a pattern of global warming in a mere 100 years. So what do you do about it? Well, you can continue to live your life in denial and give the excuse that "Life is short. If global warming doesn't kill me something else will" or you can empower yourself and use your "short life" to make changes that will hopefully give future lives a better chance to live on a more sustainable planet. I attempt to use every area of my life to educate anyone I come across about the truths associated with environmental degradation and global warming. From a young age, I've always been curious about nature and the interactions that humans had with it. It wasn't until I was a teenager that the curiosity turned to genuine concern for our future. It was easy to change things about my life in order to feel like I was living more sustainably and less impactful on the environment but, I was eager to do more. Fate came calling in late May of 2005. My boyfriend at the time showed me a post on warpedtour.com that stated they were interested in hiring two college students to come out on the road to implement a recycling program. I sent in my not too impressive resume and a statement on why I wanted the job along with a few potential ideas and hoped that I would somehow standout among the hundreds of applicants. One week later, I received an email from Kevin Lyman that simply stated, "I am interested in hiring you. Give me a call." The rest is history and with three Warped Tour's under my belt I can now say that I have planned, implemented, and successfully ran a recycling program for the Vans Warped Tour. The first Warped Tour was rough. Bad communication with venues and an attitude of "me vs. 12,000 messy concert goers/bands/tour workers" wasn't the way to make things work. The following year I knew we had to make big changes. The following summer, a partnership with "An Inconvenient Truth" gave use the opportunity to screen trailers for the movie within the new Warped Eco Initiative Tent, a biodiesel fueler was recruited to come out to every show to fuel 20 of the production buses, the backstage catering company, TaDa, began to use biodegradable, disposable dishware and also washable plates, and recycling crews of 10 to 20 concert goers were recruited to aid with the collection and sorting of recyclables. Warped 2007 proved to be the best year of all as we partnered with Earth Echo to offer those who participated in the Warped Eco Initiative the opportunity to win an amazing eco-educational trip to the Florida Keys as a reward for being kind to mother nature. Warped Tour is no longer a tour that comes into a city, puts on a show, and leaves an enormous mess behind. This "out of sight, out of mind" attitude is something that Warped Tour no longer stands for. This past summer, Big D and the Kids Table encouraged kids to clean up after themselves and collect recyclables and to literally "Try Out Your Voice" by expressing concern and enacting change. Luis from Energizer developed and implemented a tour wide battery recycling program, the Truth encouraged kids to collect recycling in exchange for free merchandise, etc. The list literally goes on and on and on. And with this coming year, better preparation and better communication with everyone associated with Warped Tour will ensure that even more sustainable practices can be put in place from the beginning of the summer and be actively practiced until the end. The success of Warped Tour has empowered me to access even more outlets in my life to educate people about both my experiences and how they can enact change. I've attended Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ for the past four years. My campus has had a recycling program for as long as I have been there. However, the inefficiencies of this program began to stand out more and more as I noticed the lack of outreach and student involvement that went along with the program. So rather than complain and merely accept the fact that Ramapo's recycling program was going down the drain, I took an (unpaid) position as a recycling collector where my job, along with several other students, was to collect the recyclables from the apartment buildings and dormitories on campus. Each building has an assigned day to put their recycling bins outside of their doors. We collect mixed paper, plastic bottles, cans, and glass then sort the materials into the appropriate recycling bin. We work efficiently, passionately (as passionate as one can be about drink containers and cardboard), and just plain get the job done. Other areas on campus where recyclables are produced get handled by maintaince and facilities workers . These other areas do not carry out their jobs as efficiently as we do because, understandably, they like many others don't hold recycling to the level of importance we do. I, at first, took this concern directly to the president of my college who initially ignored me until I sent him an email complete with a an examination of how Ramapo College was violating recycling laws that subsidized institutions (such as colleges) must follow, salary information of those responsible for implementing a structured recycling program, and other evidence of how inefficient this sector of the recycling program was. It's amazing how fast of a response one will receive when you present economic and legal variables into the equation. Anyway, I state this example not as an illustration of how being sassy gets you you're way but, as an example of how catching the attention of the right people and getting others involved can create positive change. My college has also recently signed The President's Climate Commitment ( http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/index.php). This is a high-visibility effort to address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions, and to accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate. While this is a HUGE undertaking, it is something that is totally possible if implemented correctly and carefully. Since I have been attending Ramapo College, I have witnessed the construction of 3 new buildings along with extensive renovations to existing structures all without any substantial attention paid to constructing a more sustainable college atmosphere. Wetlands on the property have been destroyed, trees have been chopped, and pavement has replaced plants and soil. However, now that Ramapo is bound to the Climate Commitment, every decision that is made must first be screened not only for cost efficiency but also for environmental efficiency. By pledging to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions over time, the involved college must: 1. Complete an emissions inventory 2. Within two years, set a target date and interim milestone for becoming climate neutral. 3. Take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-term actions. 4. Integrate sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience. 5. Make the action plan, inventory and progress reports publicly available. Ramapo College is in the developmental stage of this process as we have signed the Climate Commitment only 2 months ago. The potential for this program is limitless. Can you imagine a community where every individual, every group, every event, every decision made is based around the common goal that we utilize the precautionary principle and make our actions as sustainable and ecologically sound as possible? This will yield students into their own unique career paths with the mindset that they can incorporate social, economic and technological solutions to reverse global warming not only within their workplace but also within their daily lives. While the President's Climate Commitment seems like a total impossibility, it is, in fact, totally possible. The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine has become the nation's first "net-zero" campus for carbon emissions. Many other colleges and universities in America are also up for the challenge as 450 of them have signed the commitment. At this point you may be asking where exactly does one start in trying to achieve a carbon neutral campus. I, for one, will start by taking over as Head Recycling Coordinator at Ramapo College and will strive to improve and enhance our recycling program. Two student representatives have been appointed to oversee the outreach and educational aspects of the Climate Commitment. We have committed to a "Focus the Nation" ( focusthenation.org) teach-in, where on January 31st, 70 professors will put aside normal lesson plans and focus the full weight of campus engagement on the topic of global warming. The Environmental Alliance Club will be holding a series of events during February that highlight environmental awareness. All of these activities will be centered around a common "We DO IT in the Dark" campaign. This includes organic meals, a concert, an acoustic coffee house, and movies. I am only one person. A 21 year old, not so outspoken person, at that. Yet, I have been able to get involved and get my voice heard and actually listened to when matters I am concerned with arise. What is comes down to is informing people enough to inspire them to get involved, join together, and take action to fight for something they believe in. Cliché, yes, but in a world where we are bombarded by enough advertisements and bullshit distractions to be able to realize the problems we are attributing to, we need to inform one another of the truths associated with how we are impacting the environment regardless of how opposite it is to what society deems "normal".
Jan
21
First Shows of 2008
We have just returned from two days of long drives, great conversations, beautiful scenery, bad gas station coffee and two fun shows. Thank you to everyone who came out and made it a great beginning to a new year! A special thanks to Steel Train who joined us in Baltimore and Edison Glass who joined us at Bucknell University last evening. Both bands were stellar and made the trip that much more enjoyable.
We have so many exciting things coming this year and a very big announcement coming in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
Jan
03
Happy New Year!
Hey everyone, I know there hasn't been much going on at whatismae.com lately, and the only reason for that is the fact that we are all spread out over the country visiting friends and family. I am writing from Florida right now, and Jacob is in Hawaii. Either way, I hope everyone had a good New Year celebration, I didn't do much of anything. To celebrate the new year, oil rose to $100 a barrel, and I've heard that gas could go up to $4 dollars a gallon. Hey OPEC..get in gear! I wonder how high the prices have to go before people just stop driving. I saw Juno, I Am Legend, and Charlie Wilson's War over the break, and I'm pleased to say that each movie was worth the money spent...and I also watched Legally Blonde for the millionth time. Obviously, I have nothing to talk about, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. I'm sure this year will be exciting and torturous and wonderful and unforgettable all at once. Hopefully the economy won't go into a recession! We're excited to start playing shows again, and of course Japan and Australia are going to be a whole lot of fun. See you people then! - Zach
Dec
26
Let It Snow Acoustic Video Journal
Dec
26
Happy Holidays and thank you!
Happy Holidays everyone. We got home a few days ago, and had a lovely acoustic show in our hometown to end the tour nicely. Thank you for everyone who came out to the shows, thanks to all of you who brought toys, thanks to all of you who said hello. We had a very very good time on the tour. From kicking my shoe off on accident in Myrtle Beach to finally making some money playing poker in Denver...all of it was very refreshing. We were gone for over two months, but it didn't really feel that long. Thanks to Motion City Soundtrack for taking us out and thanks to Anberlin and Metro Station for being lovely, polite, and pleasant gentlemen. Now it's time to make the long drive from Virginia to Florida to spend some time with my family and see some friends for Christmas. All of us in MAE want to wish you a very happy holiday season and we can't wait to see you again. We will continue to post new webisodes, so please keep checking back when you get a chance, and don't forget to check the merch we have on sale for the holidays. Stay safe and continue to ask questions, if you ever think you have it figured out, you're probably not even close. Thanks so much, we appreciate everything you do for us.
Dec
15
Toys For Tots - Part II Video Journal
Dec
11
Dear Jack
It was exactly 25 months ago yesterday when I made the call. I was in Oklahoma City enjoying a day off from our headlining tour with Circa Survive and Mute Math. My good friend Andrew McMahon had been diagnosed with leukemia. We toured with his band Something Corporate in the fall of 2003 and had become close during the two months we spent traveling around the country. He is a fighter and I knew he would not let this disease take him without a war.
Brett (a.k.a. Benji) Brownell and I had formed a small film production company called Astorya Entertainment following the release of the Mae DVD and I wanted to be a part of telling Andrew's story if he wanted it told.
What followed that call was a long journey of our own to get the story onto screen. The details of Andrew's battle are worthy of a film. The layers of coincidence, the strength and unity of his family, the dramatic rise, fall and rise again of hope deserve an audience. His is a story of unrelenting hope and the battle to live, to love and to create.
Many talented and hard working people brought this movie to life and it is my pleasure to have been a part of that team. Here is a trailer for the film. I hope you find a chance to see it!
Jacob
http://www.dearjackmovie.com/index.html
Dec
10
Thank you SLC & Toys For Tots
Hey everyone, I'm thankful to be alive today. Last night we drove from Salt Lake City to Denver and it was not a fun drive. I'm from Florida, so any activities or jobs that have to be done in icy road conditions is a huge bummer, and I can't relax at all. I woke up at 7am this morning very tense...and I had good reason to be. Right before we hit I-25 the bus fishtailed a bit and I freaked out...I freak out just thinking about it. I don't know how you people do it. The show last night was amazing, as they usually are in SLC. It was an extra special night for us. First, we were given certificates of appreciation by the U.S. Marines for taking part in the Toys for Tots charity, thank you so much for those of you who brought toys...we had a whole lot of them. Also, after the show, we all went up to the Salt Air (a venue that is run by our old tour manager and good friend "Beef") and had a great time while watching the Kottonmouth Kings....yes, the Kottonmouth Kings. I can't say I'm a fan, nor can I say I was impressed by their show, nor can I say that they were "good for what they do"....but whatever, there were a lot of doobie rolling pot smoking kids there. That being said, we had an amazing time. The shows have been going great and as the tour winds down, we want to thank everyone for making it an awesome tour. We've been through some changes recently and you have all been amazing to us. Thank you. Below are some pictures from Salt Lake City and the festivities.
Nov
29
The Pacific Northwest
Hey citizens, we're making our way across the plains into Pacific Northwest. Watching the wheat fields turn into mountains, the muse of benign patriotism. This is indeed my favorite part of the country, all of the scenery seems more meaningful, and unaffected by all of the bad ideas in the country. We played a show in Moscow, Idaho a few days ago, had a good time in Seattle last night, and tonight we'll be in Portland. I took some pictures during our long drive out west and they are posted below, there are some other pictures that Jacob took and put up on his blog, so check them out..they are better than mine, but I'm updating this journal, so I'm going to post my pictures. Oh, big news in Pakistan; President Musharref handed over military command, and also.. Israeli PM Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas are in direct negotiations since 2000. I'm sure we all have our opinions regarding that topic, so I'll keep my mouth shut. We're going to be in San Francisco tomorrow, and from there we keep heading south. We're looking forward to the west coast run, we have great fans out here, and the shows are always a blast. We're playing the Warfield in San Francisco for the first time... I once bought a Slayer album, "Live from the Warfield"..it sucked. Anyway, I'm speaking non-sense, I just wanted to say hi. Also, don't forget to bring us toys for Toys for Tots! Zach
Nov
26
New Webisode: Toys for Tots
Greetings from the Iowa State University venue known as the M-Shop. Mae is headlining tonight while Motion City Soundtrack takes a three daybreak. We will join back up with them in Seattle on Wednesday November 28. In the meantime, here is a new video journal for you where Mae issues a new challenge and performs "Home" acoustic. Enjoy...
Nov
24
Thanksgiving Blog
I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks to our manager Steve and his family, we had the best one we could've possibly had, being so far away from home. We just sat around all day, ate food, and everyone watched in amazement as I brought the house down with my knowledge of useless facts concerning movies. There were three dogs roaming about the apartment bringing out the saccharine in everyone, how could we resist...they were so well behaved and inquisitive. Jacob, Benj, Josiah, Robert, Jenn and I went and saw Into the Wild in the evening, the movie is pretty intense, and the soundtrack makes it cut even a little deeper...there are many things to be said about the story, we'll leave that for our own internal analysis. We're headed to Milwaukee tomorrow, and onto Minneapolis from there. I still have yet to purify myself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka...I need to take care of that. Here are some pictures from our day.
1. Benj and Emmy Lou
2. Sierra, Emmy, and Rhody
3. They were cooking virtual turkies on their Macs.
4. Tom and Rhody...friggin adorable.
Nov
20
Halfway
Hey everyone, we've past the halfway point of the tour and today we had a day off in Columbus, OH. Although, most of my friends teach me to hate the Buckeyes, I do find myself enjoying Columbus whenever I come here. Today, I found a record store that was up a narrow set of skeevy stairs where I found this poster of us hanging up, promoting the show at the Newport in Columbus tonight. If you can't see the photo, I will tell you that everyone in it is defaced, except for me...and I don't understand that. Although, the most amusing thing about the poster is the fact that apparently we are playing with "shit blanket"..HA! I laughed hard when I saw that hanging up, although, that's not too surprising when the poster is put up in a record store full of bitter kids fed up because they can't find some kind of limited release of a My Bloody Valentine EP or something (by the way, apparently they doing some reunion shows). I myself bought this Pattie Smith record. I wanted it because it has the original version of a song I saw performed by the 10,000 Maniacs back in the day, a song called "Because The Night", it was written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith...anyway. I hung the defaced Mae poster up in the bus promptly. The tour has been going great, we were just in Toronto the other day, I ate at the Real Jerk, my favorite restaurant in the city. Thank you for coming out and saying hello, it means the world to us. See you soon. Here are some pictures from Baltimore, it was a dreary day.
1. eerie.
2. nice reminder of home
3. baltimore
4. an old man painting right on the street corner
Nov
19
Tour Photo Update
Hey everyone,
Here are some photos from recent days. Enjoy...
1) Dave on a 50 note Guitar Hero streak.
2) Jacob replying to Maeteam messages in the Starland Ballroom dressing room.
3) Zach taking a break from reading Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" in the Worcester Palladium dressing room.
4) The Lincoln Tunnel - New York/New Jersey.
5) My Office - The light board at The Rochester Cultural Life Center.
6) Jacob, Zach and Dave playing "The Ocean" acoustic on their headline show in Rochester.
7) Same as O
8) Robert and I taking over the Worcester Comfort Inn breakfast bar area.
Peace.
Brett aka Benji
askbenji@gmail.com
Nov
18
The New Faces Video Journal
Nov
09
Recycularity Video Journal
Here are some links to help you recycle.
Earth911.org
And some tips:
- Google "Recycling Center in CITY, STATE" -- that will usually point you quickly to very good websites that highlight recycling collector types and drop-off locations that are often open 24/7.
- Research/call the Town/City Office of the town where a recycling drop is needed. The Town Managers and their staff are often very helpful.
- Visit stores like: Whole Foods, some Wal-Marts, some Shaw's and Kroger's Supermarkets, etc. They often have recycling stations where you can hand dump yours into theirs. You just have to see if there's one in the town/city that you're in and check their hours.
Nov
01
Photos from the Road
Benji has been posting photos from the road on maeteam.com. Here are a few photos for you.
Look For The Dave-Carved "Mae" Pumpkin On Stage And/Or At The Merch Table
One Last Discussion/Meeting Before The Show (left to right: Josiah, Jacob, Dave, Robert, Zach)
Grand Rapids, Michigan - The Orbit Room (left to right: Robert, Dave, Zach, Josiah)
BEES!!! We started recycling on this tour. Sometimes you pay a price for trying to help the environment.
Beatle Mania John (aka Dave)
Paul & John (aka Josiah and Dave)
George (aka Zach)
Ringo (aka Jacob)
Yoko (aka Robert)
Batman, his henchmen, and The Beatles. POW!!! BAM!!! BOOM!!! PEACE!!! LOVE!!!
Oct
31
Halloween Costume Shopping Video Journal
Here are the details of Dave's "Trick or Treat" Challenge.
If you have some carving skills please bring a Jack-O-Latern to an upcoming show in the list below. Benji will meet you (and your Jack-O-Latern) at the front door at the time below. You'll get a chance to meet Mae and show them your work, and we'll try to get your pumpkin to share the stage with Mae during their set.
These are the dates and meeting times for Jack-O-Laterns.
10/30 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution 5:30 PM
10/31 Orlando, FL House of Blues 5:30 PM
11/02 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle 6:00 PM
11/03 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend 6:00 PM
11/04 N. Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues 5:00 PM
11/06 Norfolk, VA The Norva 5:30 PM
Oct
30
A dream (almost) coming true
After playing Guitar Hero all year in the back lounge of our tour bus,
it's been a dream of ours to be on Guitar Hero and this is the closest we've come.
Hello, I'm writing from a Best Western in Madison Wisconsin. I haven't done much of anything today, I think the weather is having an affect on people's moods. Everyone is kind of shape shifting around the bus, becoming a part which ever seat the sit in, it's all very languid and lazy. So, in my own efforts to break the inertia, I walked to the fitness center and lifted some 20 lbs. dumbbells and ran on a treadmill for like 10 minutes, a short burst of motivation that ended after I realized how bored I was. I've been reading a book called, "The Idiot", for a while....one of the problems I have when reading anything fairly involved is that I have a hard time retaining the information...it's frustrating. After I finish the book, if someone were to ask me what it was about, I would have a hard time recounting anything that goes beyond the basic plot...i always forget the metaphors, even if I am lucky enough to recognize them while reading. I remember vaguely, in first grade, a story we were reading and a question that followed...after the story was over, we were asked what the story was about, and I could not get the answer, and it became so obvious once the teacher told me what it was about...the story was about someone's birthday. Although, I couldn't figure it out until someone pointed it out to me...that event probably serves as a pretty accurate microcosm for how I work today. I have a hard time getting the point, so to curb that handicap, I recap each chapter with a visit to sparknotes.com and I make sure I didn't miss anything relevant to the plot, or to the character development. In this book, there are two characters (Myshkin and Rogozhin) who represent Christ and the Devil respectively, thanks to the sparknotes, I can make sure things like that don't slip by undetected. Anyway, whatever, the book is good so far. Jacob and Dave and I watched a TV show today that was about the M theory and the existence of parallel universes, which Jacob has recently touched on in his blog. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that kind of thing, it takes too much of a scientifically imaginative mind I suppose. I am more interested in the internal realm I suppose, more so than the external, maybe that's why I'm reading Dostoevsky and not Paul Davies. Dave is going to carve some pumpkins today, Robert and Josiah witnessed a hawk take out a rat, and tonight we'll probably order a pizza and watch the Red Sox do their best to keep themselves in the running...it's good to keep me distracted from myself sometimes. The tour started last night, and it was your typical first night of tour, everything was running behind, no time to prep..etc etc, ya know, good fun. Thanks to those of you who came out and sang with us, and tomorrow we will be in Duluth, MN. Oh, also, in the productive time I spent online today, I found a video of this news story about a woman who made a whole house made of trash, old street signs, old computer keyboards, street lights, here's the link..."http:// environmentalaction365.com/"...look down on the right, the video link is posted. Steven from Anberlin (it's good to hang with those dudes) really took me to town playing Halo 3 yesterday, I can't play that game, it's bad for my self-esteem and temper.
Oct
10
Jacob's Interview with Chris Parks
Hello friends. Many of you have told us how moved you are by the visual effects in our video for "Sometimes I Can't Make It Alone." These beautiful images were not concocted by a fancy computer somewhere in Hollywood, they are actually a unique, organic art form created on a farm in England by our new friend, Chris Parks. Chris is a revolutionary visual artist with an amazing story and creative process. It was my pleasure to interview Chris about his process and his thoughts regarding art, creativity and spirituality. Enjoy!
1. How did you first get into art and photography? What inspired you to dedicate yourself to this kind of work and was there a single moment where you realized you were committed?
Answer: I have been interested in photography since my father bought me my first camera when I was 9. He has spent his life filming wildlife and has won an Oscar and two technical achievement Academy Awards for his work. We have worked together on many projects over the last 15 years including several film expeditions to The Great Barrier Reef and Bermuda. Many of the techniques that we developed to enable us to film marine micro-organisms, I have used to enable me to capture my fluid paintings.
I don’t think there has ever been a single moment of realisation. Creating, exploring, discovering have always been very much a part of who I am. When I am creating is when I am most content. I get completely lost in what I am doing, the process, the creation, the development and the goal. I am sure you have the same thing with your music – when you are coming up with something new, when the creativity is flowing, it is effortless. You don’t stop to think of food, sleep or what you should be doing. You are totally taken up with the moment.
Tender Constraint Series
2. You have a very unique style of art that comes from an organic process called micro-fluid photography. How did you first discover such an incredible world of beauty inside these chemical reactions?
Answer: As mentioned earlier, my background is in wildlife photography and film. The process that I use for my art has grown out of this film work. Not only am I using the techniques that we used for filming marine plankton, but I am inspired by the marine organisms and how they use the liquid around them. On a microscopic scale liquids behave much more like solids. Plankton use this fact to control the water around them, to bring food to them, to move, to evade predators. If I was trying to create my work in a large volume of water, it would be impossible to control it to the degree that I need to. Working at the scale that I do, I am able to paint precisely, using the ‘fluid’ properties of the liquid medium to create my piece while not having what I am creating running away with itself.
I have always been captivated by the microscopic world. It has been a passion of my fathers all his life and this has rubbed off. The first lens that he bought me for my camera was a macro lens, and most of my early pictures were taken (badly) of the macroscopic world around me rather than of the world that I lived in.
3. Your work seems to posses a musical quality as it unfolds dynamically and colorfully in time and I am wondering if music has influenced your work at all? If so, how? And what do you listen to?
Answer: I love music and I listen to music when I am working. I am very eclectic with my tastes and resist purely going with the fashion of what I ‘should’ listen to. What I am listening to at any particular time depends on my mood and what I am doing and spans the gamut from jazz and classical through pop, folk and country to rock and dance – as long as it is good! I love the combination of movement and sound. I love dance and do a variety including latin, ballroom and street Jazz. For me, dance is a very basic thing – as old as drums and dancing round camp fires when we were living in caves – and this translates into my work. The inspiration for my work comes from different angles, but movement is a central theme to what I am doing. My most successful pieces, either static or dynamic, have a visual rhythm to them.
4. What has the artistic process taught you so far and what do hope to learn from it in the future?
Answer: This question can be answered on several levels. On a basic level it has taught me how to work with materials on a tiny scale, developing new techniques, exploring new materials, creating a way for me to be able to express myself.
On a personal level, It has taught me patience, taught me to take time and to observe, to look for beauty in what initially appears non-descript or movement in the apparently stationary.
I think the creative process can be very therapeutic – it certainly is for me. What I find in my work is akin to what others find in meditation, sport or yoga.
Valkyries Return Series
5. Since much of your work lies in exploring the beauty of the very tiny, do you feel like you are observing a universe that is ruled by chaos or order?
Answer: I definitely thing of it as a universe of its own. I don’t tend to see things in black and white. I see both order and chaos in my microscopic world. They work together and it is at the boundary between the two that the really interesting comes.
6. I am a huge fan of the great artist Wassily Kandinsky and your work shares a similar soul in my humble opinion. He wrote a book called Concerning the Spiritual in Art that has influenced me greatly. One main question we in Mae ask in our newest record and in our lives at this point is, "where does the physical meet with the spiritual?" In your work as an artist and in your journey as a human being, is there any insight you care to share?
Answer: The spiritual aspect is really interesting. There is definitely a spiritual element to the creative process – both conscious and subconscious – and to the appreciation of art. My spirituality is continually evolving but I see it much more as a soup than as a rigid, static thing. My ideas and musings aren’t fully formed and I don’t have conclusions – but I don’t feel a need for conclusions. I strongly believe that there is a lot more to ‘life’ than what we know, or can conceive but I am also confident that there are aspects that are impossible for us to comprehend because comprehension is based on our existing experiences. I think art can help one to express that which can’t be expressed in words – and at its best can help to communicate those thoughts to others.
7. What do you have coming up in the near future that we can all keep an eye out for?
Answer: The main thing that I am working on at the moment is further developing the moving versions of my art – both creating the artwork itself and developing a way to display this. The are digital picture frames available at the moment but I want to end up with something that feels and looks like a piece of artwork – but it is moving. It is very exciting and the technology is starting to be available – but it needs to be refined.
8. Is there something specific that you are wanting to communicate to observers of your art? Or in other words, are you leading the process or is the art itself leading the process? I know that I have experienced both in the creation of music so I am curious how it works for you?
Answer: My inspiration comes from different places but the main things that I am trying to communicate are my experiences under the ocean, whether while diving for pleasure or while on my film trips. Whether it is the sounds under water as in Poseidon’s Static or the way the creatures move either individually as in the Muybridge Motion series or en masse as with Centrifugal Flight.
Posdeidon's Static
Muybridge Motion II
For information about Chris and his artwork check out this website: ChrisParksArt.com
Stop by our message boards and let us know what you think!
Jacob
Oct
06
Music Downloading Lawsuit
Hey everyone! Quit downloading our record "illegally" or you will come under the swinging fury of the strong arm of the record industry!! BBC.co.uk This kind of stuff blows my mind. I guess it was kind of silly that this woman thought she had a chance against the record industry. I mean, even though I understand the desire to get music for free instead of paying $15 for (in most cases) a mediocre CD, it is still regarded as theft right? (as a member of a band, you might feel that skeevy smile forming..hoping that maybe people will start buying records again!) The article mentions that most of the cases have settled out of court, but this lady had the naive ambition, or audacity to go to court, and pay a lawyer to defend the fact that she did "steal" property. These kinds of cases, or this topic in general is so interwoven with legitmate concerns on both sides, it's just a little more hopeless for the working man and woman, when (after years of ripping of artists and consumers alike) the record industry can win a case and charge this lady almost a half million dollars. Man, I bet she's cursing the day she found out the ease and convenience of KAZAA, she probably thought it was too good to be true, and it turns out it was.
Certain people in certain places (in the past twenty years) have channeled and manipulated the way we purchase and gain access to music, the record stores (both chain stores and indie stores) have been the middle man, and with that middle man in place, all sorts of things could be done behind that firewall to make more money through clever marketing plans, offering extra material, visual additions, etc.(which, maybe to the music fan, is an awesome thing, something tangible, an art that extends beyond the music)...and oh! how the internet has thrown this whole system into a whirlwind. Everything is accessible now, the middle man has been cut out. The combination of flash in the pan marketing and flash in the pan success, in addition with a revolutionary change in youth culture, one of disillusion, indifference, nihilism as well as blind passion...the artists are having to adapt, and a lot of these artists can't fake themselves in to a relevant position, and kids can pick up on that. What is selling a million copies on year, is not even selling gold the next, which is strange when you think about, this is something new. Where are the music fans? They are out there, and they still care, they are just hard to see because they are being buried beneath the hot trash of shopping mall centered marketing, which probably just adds to the void anyway. It's as though the solutions thought up to solve these problems (problems like the decline in record sales) merely add to the problem. The artists and the fans have to find some way to communicate, to exist, to feed off of each other, and that will never be taken away by the courts, by downloading, or by record labels. The amazing thing about art is that there will always be a need for it, a desire for it. Anything that represents an escape from the grinding design of paycheck living, anything that breathes the beauty and clarity of a true existing soul into the air will never be ignored, destroyed or dismissed. And although there are vultures ready to exploit anything that shows potential to make money, they will never be able to take it completely away because somewhere along the way, they ceased to understand the essence of what makes art appealing to one's soul. Any kind of art (specifically music in this case) has to be able to stand up to much destruction in your typical mainstream. As rare as it is to find something worth your money (amongst the carbon copied stale that represent whatever trend is going on at the moment)..once something does show up on the viacom airwaves that transcends, it shines so brightly and it restores hope..just one artist, one band can do that these days. I'm sure that indie snob joe can go to town arguing how there is a whole scene brewing just below that surface that is chock full of culturally relevant artists, I think that test still has to be taken once the band that exists in an insulated scene is catapulted into a national and global arena and put up against the cynicism, scrutiny and indifference of a population jaded and exhuasted and over saturated with bullshit. It is very rare when a band cuts right to the core of a generation...the art is there, it just has to make its way through the trenches. Keep searching for it...find it, and embrace it. OK, I'm gonna go watch MTV..HA!
This is part of a review from pitchforkmedia.com...well put?
"Ten years ago, who would've guessed that emo would usurp punk as the genre du jour for angst-ridden teens. By the late 1990s, most fans of the genre's second wave were abandoning it. Many of the best bands had split up, while the handful that were left were moving toward a more straightforward pop rock sound. But just as it appeared over, the scene suddenly exploded, giving birth to an entire new generation of slick, generic, mall-store neo-emo. It's like the bartender yelled last call, the house lights came on, and then at the last minute, he decided to keep the club open all night serving Cokes."
So where does Mae fall in all this? hmmm, remains to be seen I suppose :-) Go get the new Foo Fighters and the new Iron and Wine!!!!
Bye byee! Zach
Oct
01
HORSE, Hangman, and a show at Valpo
Hey Everyone, we just got back into Virginia last night after spending our weekend in Indiana for a show at Valpraiso University. In addition to
A) a killer game of HORSE in the Hilltop Gym between Dave and me.
B) some uber intense rounds of Hangman, interviews here and there.
C) discussion circle with some fans and friends outside in the grass.
D) discussion about how clutch Bryce Drew is...(Bryce Drew on Wikipedia)
The show was definitely the highlight of the weekend and something we'll remember. It was a lot of fun for us and we need to extend a very warm and humble thank you to all of you who came out and hung out with us, clapped your hands, yelled, sang along, danced and had as much fun as we did. We've been through a lot as a band over the past few weeks and this show is something we really needed, it felt good to be on stage again. Thank you so much, we're gonna get back into a rehearsal space and start getting everything in line for the tour coming up with Motion City Soundtrack, Anberlin and Metro Station. See you on the road! Zach
Aug
24
help me kill my time
I'm in Dallas today and I'd like to talk about it. First off, I'm not a huge fan of Texas, and I mean no disrespect..I adore Austin, and Dallas has a special place in my heart for certain reasons, it's not Mark Cuban. Rob and I took a cab to the Cafe Brazil, which sadly is one of the only places still open down here. Trees closed, Gypsy Ball Room closed and apparently it's a pretty sketchy area. There are a whole bunch of buildings and businesses gutted out and I was talking to the cab driver on the way to Cafe Brazil and he concurred, apparently the area has been having a hard time. That bums me out because I love Deep Ellum, there's that one parking sign where the "L's" in the word "Ellum" are saxaphones with music notes flowing from them, the sign is by "Deep Sushi." I love playing in Dallas, especially the Gypsy Ball Room because they always painted big ads for the show on the wall. I always think of Elliott Smith when I see the sign for Denton, he grew up there for part of his life. So tonight, I'll probably listen to Elliott Smith, I'm actually listening right now. There's a song where he mentions, "old Dallas town"...it's nice. It's pretty hot today, ridiculously hot. I took some pictures today that were kind of bland and dead, but that's what Deep Ellum seems like to me, there's also a picture of "Flaming Lips Alley" from when we were in Oklahoma City last night. Anyway, we walked to a Starbucks and talked about conspiracy theories reguarding 9-11 (crazy shizz man) and also, I read an article about a company named John Galt Cooperation (or something like that) in which something happened that is very interesting when put in context of the book "Atlas Shrugged"...something about people disappearing, a fire...no record of it ever happening. I have to look it up. "The story of a man who said he'd stop the motor of the world, and did." Bye Byee.
Zach
Aug
13
Philadelphia...Jim's Steaks...new music...new book
Hey Everyone, we're in Philadelphia today and I want to go Jim's Steaks now..someone come pick me up. We're playing the Northstar tonight, so everyone should come out and have a good time. The tour is moving along well and yesterday we played in DC and I got some time to go see the Bourne Ultimatum and then I bought the new Okkervil River CD and then I bought a book called "Assasination Vacation" and also the new Rolling Stone issue about Guns N' Roses.. and for what it's worth, I'm a Steven Adler fan...I guess Matt Sorum is a good drummer, but still, I like Steven Adler. I hung out with a couple friends that I kind of grew up with, and the conversations were amusing because they were spurred by political debates, and after the night was over it was refreshing to realize that politics and differing idealogies could be discussed in a rational way without fights breaking out, and personal insults being thrown about. In two days our new record SINGULARITY will be released, and we in Mae would love it if you took time out of your day to ride your bike, driver your car, or walk down to the closest record store and buy it, because as convenient as I-tunes may be, there's nothing better than the tangible thing...although, at the same time, we in Mae are not picky and we would love for you to get your hands on it in anyway you feel inclined...just be a part of it, we love you for it.
...Zach
Jul
30
Zach from Japan
Hello Everyone, I'm writing you from Tokyo right now. Yesterday we played Fuji Rock and we had a blast...as far as festivals go, it was one of the easiest we had ever been a part of, and this is a big deal considering our gear and luggage was lost on the flight over. We arrived to the hotel three nights ago, and the next morning we got up and headed down stairs to eat some breakfast and then made our way over to the "white stage" to play a set in the early afternoon. The turn out was great and we would love to thank all of you who made an appearance and took time to watch us play a few songs. The festival is an experience in itself, and being able to be a part of it was unforgettable. After the set, I feel asleep in the afternoon and stayed that way until 9 pm or so, which put me in a pretty bad decision for getting more sleep that night. Today we're going to venture out and do some press and then we're heading home the day after tomorrow to continue rehearsal for our tour that is coming up in a little over a week, it's going to be worth every inconvenience you may face, standing in your way to an easy arrival. I'm watching Japanese TV right now, and I seem to be watching what appears to be some kind of high energy real estate commercial. I'm gonna get out of here, hope to see you people out on the road.
Zach and Mae
Jun
13
Reflections: Washington D.C. -by Jacob
As many of you know, we were invited to come to the Capitol and White House for some meetings about art and its role in the development of culture. The most important thing about about this experience was the oppotunity to learn. As a band we are just a collection of individuals and as individuals we have been divided in certain aspects of personal political ideology. We have never rushed to be a "political" band because of those differences of oppinion. While writing Singularity, we challenged ourselves to really explore the worldviews we each had and basically went under a drastic deconstruction of how we arrived at those foundational views and oppinions. The ability to see ourselves from a distance led to an amazing season of reflection and the beginning of a reconstruction based on what we learned. I say all of that to say this. We don't have the easy "answer." We have a lot of questions and some basic things that we are all unified on. Those things are foundational. Things like responsibitly for ones actions and decisions. Care for those less fortunate than ourselves. The poor. The orphans. The widows. The disenfranchised. The isolated. Care for our planet and the future generations that will have to inhabit this place when we are gone. Belief in something greater than ourselves and not rushing to put a label on what that is. Love. Hope. Compassion. Humility. Community. Beauty. Logic. Hard work. Respect. Asking questions and not being too easily satisfied with other people's answers. I am so blessed to a part of a family that loves me and it is devistating to think that love is something that is missing from many homes and families. I can't even begin to express how grieved we were over these Va Tech shootings and the lives that were ripped apart in the wake of that devestation. I can't help but think about what could have been done to avoid that. Would love have spoken a different perspective into that moment before the first shots were fired? I don't know but I can't help but feel like it would have made a difference. Isolation is a cold blanket to be wrapped inside of. We are all born into a complicated world. Life is a story that we are thrown into without a chioce and left to figure out as we go. Its hard to find our bearings. Everywhere you look someone is selling an "answer." But those answers leave me unsatisfied. They inevitably fall apart and leave a bad taste in my mouth. I believe in the search. I believe that we are meant to be here. I believe that there is more to our story than we are aware of. I celebrate the mystery that through us the universe has become conscious of itself. I have seen some amazing (and unimaginable) things along the way and I am grateful for the patience of those who took the time to teach me something. And as hard as it is sometimes (and I will humbly admit there have been times of extreme depression that I wanted to throw it all away) LIFE is truly a gift to be treasured. If this makes you feel something, let me know. I don't believe I am alone.
If you'd like to discuss or comment about this go here:
www.maeteam.com
You can find jacob's personal page by scrolling down to "featured member" or by loggin in, then searching for "jacob" under "member list".
Jun
13
Jax Beach
Greetings from Florida. It is hot. It is humid. I changed shirts twice today.
Mae has recently played Jacksonville Beach and now Orlando. While in Jacksonville Beach, we were reminded of our own Atlantic Coast beach town home: Virginia Beach. Surf shops. Skate shops. Shirtless dudes. Loud cars. Pedestrians in flip flops narrowly escaping passing cars.
We love Florida. It's been a great place to celebrate Rob and Zach's birthday! Today is the sandwhich in between the two epic dates.
Jun
13
Capitol Band, Capitol Hill
This morning was a unique and memorable one. Mae met with some government officials at the Capitol and at the neighboring offices of the White House while in Washington, D.C. I will simply let the band give details of the events and meetings from their POV:
•Jacob - www.maeteam.com
•Rob - www.maeteam.com
•Zach- www.maeteam.com
Meanwhile, I will provide you some visuals to accompany the stories...
Pix:
1) Our "very early morning drive" to the Capitol (8:00AM)
2) Is that Senator Elkins in the Capitol Building hallway?
3) "Patiently" awaiting our early morning breakfast meeting in the Senate dining room.
4) Ibid
5) The Senate dining area. Beautiful. Not pictured are two representatives from South Carolina and Pennsylvania, in the flesh, sitting off frame to the right. (The O.J. was amazing)
6) The underground "subway" from the Capitol Building to the congressional offices.
7) The Rotunda, inside the dome of the Capitol. I could describe it as somewhere between awe inspiring and breathtaking. It makes you proud to be not only American, but human.
8) "The Center of the United States?" If I have my facts straight this is the spot where George Washington picked to build the Capitol. This lies in the basement, directly under the center of the Dome.
9) Mae minus Mark standing at the entrance to the old Supreme Court room where, in 1844, Samuel B. Morse sent the first telegraphed message using morse code. "What Hath God Wrought!" he tapped out in his newly created code to a recipient in Baltimore, Maryland. And thus began a technological revolution that is still leaping forward toward infinity.
For more pictures go to www.maeteam.com and check out the "blog" section at the bottom right.
Jun
13
Rocket
It was a brisk May evening. Rochester was abuzz with the weekend's shadow looming over the night. Couples were walking the streets. Cars were exploding with loud music. Tour buses were growling outside the Water Street Music Hall. And Mae was about to come head to head with the police.
That's about as dramatic an intro I can give to our 15 second Big Event tonight...
After tonight's show ended, and the kids were gone, Rob gathered the video camera and all of us from the bus. It was like we were all 15 years old again. "Rob's got a rocket. Rob's got a rocket. Hey Benji, come see Rob launch this rocket. Hey Zach, come on man, Rob's going to launch a rocket!"
Now we certainly don't recommend trying this at home. But sometimes you're on tour, there's a big parking lot, yada yada yada... next thing you know you're lighting a fuse right when someone yells, "Cop!...Cop!...Cop!". But it's too late. The fuse is ignited.
BZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOM!!!!
The a trail of light climbed up into the sky...Right as the police car drove by. Most of our group scatterred like scared little mice...you'll see the video soon. But for the sake of the website and sharing the moment with you, I captured this image of our maiden (and idiotic) voyage. Haha. We are such punks, huh? And a special thanks to the Rochester Police, who obviously saw us, but let us get off with an effective angry glare.
Jun
13
Witnesses To A Great Show
Any of you who were at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio tonight were witness to a great show. After about a week off from doing shows with Relient K it was good to be back. Thanks to everyone who made this show just a little bit better than our shows at The Grog Shop back in the day.
Oh, PS...have you heard?
Mae's "Singularity" comes out August 14th. Get excited. We are!
Pix:
1) Cleveland loves their LeBron James - A sprawling 10 story Nike banner hangs across the street from the Quicken arena parking lot, just around the corner from the House of Blues. "We are all witnesses" it reads in 6 foot tall letters.
______________________________ -Brett aka Benji
Mae Tour Manager //& Documentarian
askbenji@gmail.com
maeteam name: yourfriendlymaemerchguy
(note: I am no longer mae's merch guy. but i'm still on tour. sorry for the confusion) www.whatismae.com www.myspace.com/mae www.maeteam.com
Jun
13
If you were in Denver tonight
If you were in Denver tonight (At the Fillmore), then you:
1) Saw a great show. 2) Were one of these 3,000 people: (see pic 1) 3) Possibly met Mae behind the coat check booth 4) Possibly took a picture with them that looked something like this: (see pic 2)
-Brett aka Benji Mae Tour Manager //& Documentarian askbenji@gmail.com maeteam name: yourfriendlymaemerchguy
Jun
13
Soundcheck in Denver
Greetings from Denver!
We are at The Fillmore. Simply put: this venue is awesome. It's a 3,500 capacity room with most of tonight's tickets already sold.
About 3 hours ago Mae had the chance to soundcheck. This doesn't happen every day. But when the doors are late, and load in is early: it happens. And it makes the band feel better about their performance later that night. So...I'll let you know how it goes!
Pix:
1) The Fillmore has had a few shows over the years.
2) See "1)".
3) Dave likes when "Waiting" goes to D.
4) Rob and Dave playing "Waiting" at soundcheck.
5) Rob and Dave discussing. Note: Dave's in ear monitors. A life saver. A performance improver.
6) Dave takes soundcheck seriously...real seriously.
7) Oh...and here is a peak from last night in Salt Lake City. Thank you SLC as ALWAYS!!!!!!!!
I'm in a hotel room, like I always am when I write these things. I walked out of the bus this morning into a nice cold piece of scenery. The northwest region of the US still seems mostly unaffected by the happenings of the rest of the country, in a good way. I feel like I'm in a foreign country when I'm here. Anyway, the last few days have been a tad hectic, we had a photoshoot and some border crossings to deal with, big hills, early bus calls and wet roads. Although I did manage to buy some music along the way, and in Seattle we got to hang out with some amazing friends and I saw my cousin too. I bought a book from the public market, dodged people as well as I could, and sat in a coffee shop for a bit. We have four more shows or so before we get a nice break and then we head back out for the last leg of the tour. Here are some pictures I've taken in the past week or so.
(1) Two goombas getting some teryaki burgers in San Francisco.
(2) This was a park outside the bus in San Francisco, seems inviting doesn't it?
(3) A colorful wall in Seattle. "Post no bills"
(4) Here's some guy telling everyone in line for the Relient K show that sexual promiscuity, male prostitution, pre-marital sex, etc will damn them to hell. Hey pyscho, know your audience. Why not go up the street to the strip club.
(5)This picture was taken today. Ugly right?
Jun
13
More From "The Bus Photo Series"
Here are some more photos from my series of shots looking out Mae's front bus window as we all travel across America. You can find more in the maeteam "News" section, this "Blog" section, and my personal maeteam page "yourfriendlymaemerchguy".
I found this on YouTube, yeah..so what, I searched our band on YouTube...anyway.. I love The Office. I have a crush on Jenna Fischer, along with one billion other men in the world. Watch the show, it's amazing. So this video is interesting to watch, I guess the music is supposed to fall in line with the "Pam and Jim" saga or whatever..anyway. Here it is.
Jun
13
Meet Mae!
Greetings from the parking lot of The Grove at Anaheim, tonight's venue where Mae is playing. It's great to be back on the West Coast of the U.S.
California, Oregon, Washington. Three gems to be thankful for. As we prepare for the show tonight, I wanted to let you know about a a sweet opportunity for anyone coming to the rest of our shows with Relient K:
You can meet Mae!
A few times on this tour the band has had the opportunity to come greet you guys around the merch table after they play. They have had so much fun doing it that they're going to do it every night! So come watch the show, and when Mae is done look for them near the Mae Base aka, the merch table. See you soon!
PIX:
1) Albuquerque, NM
2) Storm brewing in the desert
3) And the rain begins
4) A dark place.
5) Light reveals.
6) Meet Mae!
I just posted a new tour blog on the www.maeteam.com page. Check it out if you like. I'll leave you with an extra shot of sunset over Mexico from El Paso, TX.
LA is not one of my favorite places. That is not to say that I don't love playing LA, or that I do not have a good time while I'm there. Our fans in LA and California are some of the best, but it brings out the worst in me, it makes me anxious. I'm always wondering how much more LA can take, I look out the window of my hotel room--
traffic.
While driving in Hollywood....
...stuck in more traffic. Sucking exhaust, making the world warmer, and running late.
Anyway, on Thursday, Rob and I got to go down to Santa Monica and do some shopping. We dropped Dave off at the studio to finish up vocals, and then Rob and I headed out and to spend some cash. I don't shop for clothes much, I'm more of a music and book buyer (by the way, at Ameoba this time, I picked up Violent Femmes, The Beatles White Album, Radiohead's OK Computer, and Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot all on viny. I recently joined a website called Recordnerd.com, and I've begun to post my collection online, I have a lot to do, but you can check it out, my nickname on the site is "costello"). Every once in a while I have to buy some clothes, mainly jeans. See, I'm tall and skinny, so shopping for clothes is just a stupid, expensive, frustrating ordeal. Smalls are usually too short, but mediums are usually too wide, so I usually just end up getting shoes. I love Chuck Taylor's, this time I got the slipons (I sincerely hope my wife wears Chuck Taylor's, she'll have to). It's fun to walk along the 3rd street promenade or whatever it's called. Rob and I saw this dude playing his violin....
And we also saw a little 8 year old girl singing songs like Whitney Houston's, "The Greatest Love Of All", and she was also rapping, and being all cute wanting some money. Her dad, who was DJ-ing the event, would take it away promtply I'm sure. She was acting way too mature for her age. I also saw a girl trip and fall pretty hard. I just kind of kept walking, trying to hide my gasp and slight smile, and then the sudden sting of "awe" for the person. Here is a picture of me, bored, waiting for Rob to pick out what shoes he wants...
Here is another one of Rob.. I said, "Rob stand right there, let me get a picture", and he politely agreed.
Here are some boots I was going to buy for myself, should I pick them up later?
After shopping, Dave, Jacob, Mark, and I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Ken Andrews play a show at the Troubador. Now, we knew it was going to be an amazing show, but we figured he'd play only new songs (understandably so considering he just released a new record which you all should buy right now). So he and his backing band for the tour (First Wave Hello) opened up with "Stuck on You" and our jaws dropped. The set was a mix of Failure songs, Year of the Rabbit songs, ON songs and new songs as well. It was so good, it's nice to be taken back to a place of awe and excitement when seeing a small show. It was so incredibly good. Here is a bad picture, but a picture none the less... .
Whew, that was a long post, thanks for reading. Oh also, on the flight back to Houston, we saw "Champ" from Anchorman, and we were on the same plane as the LA Galaxy, a good lookin' group of dudes if I ever saw one. Anyway, here is a picture of me. Bye everyone.
Jun
13
Tour. Again!
A few more photos from the past few days.
Peace. -(Brett/Benji) & MAE askbenji@gmail.com maeteam name: yourfriendlymaemerchguy
Jun
13
Photos/Tour Update
Greetings world,
It's been fun out here on tour. We appreciate everyone's support. The shows with Relient K have been huge, and our headlining shows last week, while slightly smaller, were a blast as well. Here are some photos to give you a feel. My apologies for the lack of performance photos, but I've been at the light board, running lights. See you soon!
Hey everyone, we're out in LA again, recording a couple more songs we wrote after Christmas. So far it's going well. Rob and I are watching Southpark and Dave is recording some guitar stuff right now. Also, Rob just bought a song from i-tunes by Rich Boy called "Throw some D's" and I just bought a Tim Hardin CD on i-tunes. We have different tastes sometimes, but sometimes we have the same tastes. We both enjoy Rob and Big. Anyway, here are the pictures, all two(?) of them. (Perhaps I should say 'both pictures' instead, whatever)
The shows we've been playing have been a lot of fun, thank you boys and girls for coming out to see us. We hook back up with Houston in a few days, hope to see you there.
- Zach
1 - This is Rob. 2 - This is Mark. 3 - This is an unrelated pictures of Benj and I.
Jun
13
Nashville
Hey everyone, just writing in to say thank you for all the support you've been showing while we've been out on the road. Right now I'm in Nashville watching the Daily Show, Mark is next to me, and the night is shaping up to be a nice calming evening. I hope to see some of you kids at our next few shows, we're looking forward to playing them. In a few minutes, we're going to walk down the street to 2nd avenue and have some dinner, I love Nashville at night. I'll let you know where we end up going, also, keep checking out our maeteam site, our respective blogs, etc. We love communicating with you folks. Zach
Jun
13
A Set List
Greetings,
We just spent the last 2 nights doing shows in Chicago. They were so good. House of Blues is possibly the best set of venues ever. They are all around the country. So two nights in a row was quite a treat. Here is a sample set list from last night, the 2nd night in Chicago.
Pix:
1- It's still cold in Detroit
2- The beautiful Stage Theater in Detroit
3- Coldplay's poster from our Columbus venue, circa 2003
4- Columbus stage (indoor)
5- Columbus stage (outdoor)
6- Jacob and Dave on the bus
7- Gear
Jun
13
Relient M(ae)
Greetings from Canada!
We're coming to you from the top floor of our hotel in Montreal. It's Day 5 of tour with Relient K, and we sucessfully crossed into Canada about 3 hours ago. It's always stressful coming into Canada because it's a big hassle at the border. A big bus, trailer, and 11 grungy Americans are not simply waved through, free to do as they please. You have to have paperwork, passports, and if they want you to get off the bus at 6AM, or whenever you get there...you better do it. But we are happy to be here now in this beautiful country, home our friends to the North.
So far we have played NYC, Philly and Boston. The first 2 shows sold out, and last night's show was about 99% full. It's been is really great tour thus far. We have toured with Relient K before (Spring 2005), so we are all Bros already. Plus Relient K's new album came out last week. So there is a lot of worthy excitement being shared.
We're just getting started with this year. It's going to be a great one. Thanks for sharing it with us!!
Pix:
1) So long Norfolk. See you in a few (months).
2) Hello Harlem.
3) Hello Times Square. Home of our first show of tour.
4) Hello Nokia Theater. You are awesome.
5) Rob Sweitzer ladies and gentleman.
We are officially back! What a way to return to tour too. I am sitting in the backstage of the Nokia Theater in the heart of Time Square as Relient K finishes up their sound check so we can begin ours. I got my new drum kit today from C&C and it is absolutely beautiful. I will have to post a pic later. We mave been in meetings today with a lot of people from the new label and it went really well. I love New York :) - Jacob
Jun
13
Tour Has Begun!
Greetings world,
This is crazy. I'm laying in my bunk. On a moving bus. Passing through Washington, D.C. headed to New York City. We have been doing this for almost 5 years. But the first night rolling out of town always feels like the first night ever.
Zach is in the bunk below me, Rob is arms reach to my left, Dave and Mark are in bunks behind me, Jacob is perched on one of the top bunks, and crew are resting safely nearby as well. It's 3:58 AM Eastern Time.
Today was a whrilwind. But we are now on tour. 6 months of clothes hangers, cars, driveways, grocery stores, loved ones, birds, cats, recording. That's all officially traded in now for bumps, locks, ramps, hotels, luggage, stages, crowds, bright lights, and rock 'n' roll.
We have arrived home safely to our own beds in Virginia. Soon our beds will be on wheels. And our home will change each night. Tour starts in less than 2 weeks. Do you have your tickets?
Thanks to all who came out to see Mae perform at University of Florida and University of North Carolina this weekend. It was especially sweet of you folks at UNC to sing Dave Happy Birthday. Whoever started the sing-along, you are loved.
More soon. It's late (as usual), and I'm tired.
Here are some more photos from the weekend, and you can always find more at www.maeteam.com
Pix:
1- The birthday boy before the UNC show.
2- Jacob in the van, somewhere on I-95 in South Carolina.
3- A lovely shower caught during the drive.
4- Zach, a dude with a great laugh.
5- Mark working on some beats, Zach and Dave chillin' before the UNC show.
6- No words needed. Ok, maybe one word: AwYeah
7- Headed home.
Jun
13
It felt like a lifetime
It felt like a lifetime since Mae last put on a show. It was October of 2006. Now its the waning days of February 2007 and Mae is finally back to playing live, after a long break spent recording a brand new album (due out this summer).
It's 2:51 AM. Jacob and I are sharing a hotel room. He is in the other bed replying to messages on maeTeam.com. We're both exhausted, as is everyone in the Mae Camp, but we are all so excited.
We only take a bus on full U.S. tours. But this U of Fla show, and Monday's UNC show, are "one offs" before our big Relient K tour starts. So we packed up our silver van and white trailer and hit the road again. 700 miles. 13 hours. 5 states. 2 shows.
I'd love to write a novel about the past few days, but my eyes won't let me. So goodnight world. We expect to be seeing a lot of you.
We're about to go and listen to The record. I just wanted to give you an update. The record is all but done now. No more, "Dave has a little bit of vocals to sing on", or "Rob is going to add some final pad sounds". It's all but done. To be done is to have it "mastered", where the final levels are mixed, so it sounds exactly the way you'll hear it. But we are about to go drive in Dave's car and listen to the album, with the songs in the order they'll be on the CD, with Mae's instruments mixed by Dave Matthew's "Crash", The Wallflower's "Bringing Down The Horse", Third Eye Blind's "Blue", and Weezer's Maladroit mixer Tom Lord Alge. I'm not telling you about our listening to the album to rub it in, I promise. (Mae Teamers have been playfully getting on my case about rubbing it in recently, ha). I'm just letting everyone know that it is so close to being done.
I know we have not given out a date yet for release, but remember: Mae is only just now finishing making it. So what does that mean to you? Soon soon soon this album will be available for you to go in a drive with your friends and listen to it just like we are doing tonight.
Remember to check out our MaeTeaM site, if you have even the slightest interest in Mae. Because with www.whatismae.com, www.myspace.com/mae, and www.maeteam.com, you can complete your official online involvement with Mae. And all things Mae. Like old songs. New songs. New contests. New opportunities to see them live. New opportunities to meet them. And new opportunities to generally come and join the Mae party.
We may not have "talked" recently, but we are still here. And will see you soon.
We are excited. Very excited. About tour. About the new record.
Sending love your way, benji/Mae askbenji@gmail.com
Jun
13
Hello VA
Well, it's been since, like, LAST YEAR that we talked. But really it hasn't been more than a few weeks. Funny how that works.
Ok, so first things first: HAPPY 2007! It's going to be a big one. Not only because we are all still on Earth together for another year, but because Mae's album will be in your hands this year!
Apologies for not writing in a while, but I'm sure many of you have been taking vacations as well.
Since we last talked we have all spent a lovely holiday period with family and friends, and Jacob, Zach and I hosted a New Years Eve party at our house. We had lots of friends and comrads such as Jenj! and Eva! to bring in this exciting year.
Recently our days have been about relaxing, preparing for the Relient K tour, and the guys have been listening to "roughs" of the new songs while discussing changes they desire to make. Dave is headed to L.A. today (Monday) to finish vocals on some B-Sides, then up next it will be time to mix the songs and get them sounding even better.
In the meantime, we assure you that we have big plans, and exciting news coming soon. So keep in touch with all of our online outlets for briefings and greetings. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go watch The Godfather downstairs with Jacob. Cheers!
Pix:
1- We love Apple's PhotoBooth to bring in the new year. And we love our friends, such as Aileen. And we love Zach. Just look at him. How could you not.
Jun
13
Goodbye L.A.
It has been a long, long, long few months here in L.A. But a new album has been made.
In the past week Jacob has arrived from Hawaii, Dave has left for Virginia, Jacob has attempted to leave for Virginia, and Jacob has gotten stuck here in L.A...as have I, due to the ill-timed Christmas-time blizzard, which closed down the Denver airport and caused havoc throughout America's airports.
Meanwhile, Zach is resting comfortably in Florida, and Rob and Mark are doing the same in Virginia.
Two days ago Jacob and I both missed our flights out of here. Rather than wear our patience to the bone on an airport floor for 2 days, we talked the good people here at the Oakwood apartments on Sunset and Vine into letting us keep our apartment for a few extra days.
So it is now 4:41 AM on Christmas Eve morning. Jacob and I are finishing our last night here. It was filled with a few final longboard "runs" down the parking lot, as well as one last life-affirming climb to the edge of the 9-story billboard atop our apartment complex.
I suppose we should get some sleep before we hit the airplane mall tomorrow morning.
On behalf of Mae, thank you very much for your support and inquiry during our sometimes lonely and restless time out here. I would also like to personally thank you for checking in with me, as I do my best to bring you the daily life of Mae. There will be much more to come, donít you worry.
Merry Christmas
Happy Chanukah
We'll be in touch before the new year.
-benji/maeeam/ijneb
askbenji@gmail.com www.maeteam.com www.myspace.com/mae
Pix:
1- Goodbye studio: one last time
2- Goodbye apartment: one last time
3- Goodbye crazy bland hallway: one last time
4- Goodnight 9-story billboard: one last time
5- Goodnight terrifying-ladder-climb up 9-story billboard: one last time
6- Goodbye L.A.: atop 9-story billboard
7- Hello CRAZY AIRPORT!
Jun
13
Very very close
Hey everyone,
Just a quick note to say that Dave and I are probably less than three days away from leaving L.A. Dave only has one more day of recording- either Monday or Tuesday. Once that's done the record will be completely recorded.
I plan on shooting one more small video journal with Dave. So if any of you are curious about something Dave might be able to discuss on camera, or if there's something you really want to see, let me know, because after this it's back to Virginia where rest awaits.
Also,
Thanks so much to everyone who joined our Maeteam(dot com) site recently. We doubled our membership in the last few weeks, thanks in large part to members spreading the word about our contest. We will be announcing winners on Monday, but don't forget, you can still join our Mae team by going here: maeteam.com.
You would be in L.A. with me, Benji, always photographing and filming you. You would be thinking a lot about lyrics for the new Mae record. You would be singing a lot of lyrics for the new Mae record. You would see a lot of red in your vocal dome (ie, vocal booth). You would love wearing a blue Nike shirt with Steve Prefontaine on it. And you would miss your band mates.
If you were Dave this is what you would do during the day:
Pix:
1- Walk into the studio, stoked
2- Pass by the cute little water fountain on your way into the studio
3- Pose for one of Benji's pictures of you and the patio
4- Prepare for singing a song in the vocal booth
5- If you were Dave this would be your view for most of your day
6- Or this, if you looked down
7- Or this, if you looked at your lyric sheet
8- If you were Dave you would look like this, while singing for the new Mae record
9- If you were the vocal booth after Dave leaves, this would be you
If you were Benji you'd sign your message like this:
"-Benji/mae
askbenji@gmail.com www.maeteam.com www.myspace.com/mae"
(unless you had a different way of signing your messages)
Jun
13
Special Guest Photographer
Hey everyone,
Benji here as usual. However the photos you are seeing were not taken by me. They were taken by our special guest photographer Jacob Marshall, drummer for Mae. Jacob is alone in the non-Mae-recording Universe known as Hawaii. And that's the destination from where he sent these photos, so you can share the experience.
As you all probably know, the Recording-of-the-instruments-portion was recently completed. Rob, Mark, Zach and Jacob have no more keyboards, bass, guitars, or drums to record. And so, in Jacob's case, a trip to Hawaii was in order. For those of you in Hawaii, you may find his decision cliche', but take this into consideration: Jacob's two personal favorite bands who are still performing are playing a show IN HAWAII this weekend, together. And Jacob will be attending that show. (Pictures of the show coming tomorrow)
