#124 -- News Novela
Posted: 10.14.08

It’s time for the big one, folks. This is the news update of news updates. The missing key to that side door you’ve been trying to open for the last three months. The spring from your favorite pen that fell between the seat and your center console. Sweet resolution is here.

Coming out Swinging:

Happy Hour is now Valentiger.

I’m sure that most of you were keen to the name change issue, but we have finally settled upon this new name among many days’ worth of debate, brain racking and hair pulling. There were endless lists of word pairs and bad puns - some even worse than Happy Hour. Valentiger had come to all of us as agreeable upon it’s first time read and first time spoken. Other names sounded like either retirement homes or thrash-metal trash. However, Valentiger had a bit of mystery, required a tinge of thought and question and was something completely unique left for the band to define. This all came sounding as sweet delight after years of being defined by “happy hour” bar times and the premise of Buffet covers. No one quite knows what to expect from a band called Valentiger, except for those who have previously known us as Happy Hour.

The name change slowly became a prerequisite to growth for the band, as we became a national act. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, people have known us as Happy Hour for over 6 years. This large amount of time has compensated for the bad band name and that worked. It was not easy, to say the least, overcoming the first impression of such a name, but we did it. However, in other states and provinces where we are lesser known, it’s nearly impossible to do things right upon any first visit. Essentially, it would take six visits before a night would be completely successful with no complications. First visit we would explain to the bar staff about the name and why turnout was lackluster.

“Yes, they probably thought it was the bar time and not a band called Happy Hour when they read it in the paper,” we would say. “Yes, these people that came are a bit upset that there are in fact NO drink specials right now.”

Don’t get me wrong, plenty of shows go fine on the road, but this happens. Second visit, some people show up who are in the know about us. Third visit, the posters we send to the bar don’t work properly because patrons think we play Island Resort music. Upon the fourth visit, the local paper wants to make awful puns with our name and it ends up turning readers’ interest. We’re not even going to mention the fifth visit, but I think the problem is evident. It took us a long time to rationalize this decision with ourselves and we may have even wasted a little time trudging on through the muddy waters of the Happy Hour name. You can trust us in knowing we’ve made a good decision, diving into what I’ve deemed “band puberty.” Things might be a bit awkward for a while, but it’s a necessary part of growth and forward movement.

And so now we embark on the unforeseen future as Valentiger. We will perform live and record under the new name, but the music will remain unchanged in the way it is derived. If you must know the origin, I once gave a gift, which I had deemed the Valentiger. As for Happy Hour merchandise goes, everything is going at “garage sale prices” at all of our upcoming shows. However, this excludes CD’s which we will always have available as our back catalogue.

Rounding Third:

Well, believe it or not, during this great state of confusion over the new band name, we’ve been hard at work on our newest record. I realize that updates have been sparse since I personally dove into overdub season, but I promise my time has been spent wisely. The serious cuts have been narrowed down to about 17 songs. What’s mostly left to be done are a few backing vocals, one stand-up bass part, a couple guitar and piano chops and then the storm of possible woodwind, brass and/or string ensembles. I will be sad to see some of these songs cut from this album, but they’ll surface one way or another. B-sides are either released or reborn. No matter what tracks are chosen, they will all be mixed and mastered come next week via our long-time friend Steve, who has been with us all the way - through “Color” and “Magnet Heart Conveyor.” I’ve noticed that a buzz has begun to swell and I’m really excited to release our best work yet. I’ll keep the updates frequent now that we’ve made it over a few hills.

The artwork that will accompany this album is coming along, but is proving to be a bit more difficult than if we were to put out another album as Happy Hour. Different words have different “looks.” I originally intended to keep the design very simple and almost all black and white. However, starting fresh with Valentiger, I feel it deserves a more delicate touch. Nevertheless, it is still our next album as a group, but I want to get Valentiger off on the right foot. It’s a foreign word. Both to those who expect to see Happy Hour on the cover and to everyone who has never even heard it spoken before. I’m looking to keep the same feel, for we are the same band and the same music, but Valentiger will loan a different and better tone to the project as a whole.

Stark. Simple. Familiar. Those are my three goals thus far.

Now, with any new release comes a tour. And at this stage in the game, Rider is hard at work by phone, book and computer. For our initial journey as Valentiger with the new record, it looks as though we’re going to take a relatively short run of 10 days, staying primarily in the Midwest region. If you haven’t heard, the economy doesn’t look so hot and gas prices are skyrocket-equipped. And these clouds hang above touring bands. Still, Valentiger is a seasoned touring band, built from the ground up, and we’ve never shied away from or regretted a run yet. The road calls and the people listen.

A few special twists color the upcoming tour in February. First, there will be a short promotional run preceding the actual show dates. Rider will be taking his trusty Escort to a hefty list of record stores, while dropping off the new release. The goals: (1) Have the music physically available out of state (2) “Meet and greet” store owners, putting a face to Valentiger (3) Request placement for in-store listening stations. Tenacious? Tedious? Perhaps. But the cost equals the postage to send the CD’s to the store in the first place. Ah-ha!

Second, this tour will include Rider and myself only, as an acoustic duo. The focus is mainly on college gigs, while also utilizing radio and daytime shows. And speaking of focus, we will be debuting my Ford Focus Wagon as a tour vehicle. Don’t worry; I’ve tied up the parts that scrape the road. And so we embark on this quest of the great Midwest as a duo in light of Eric Kehoe’s absence. He will be traveling Europe, inevitably promoting the new disc as well. You may be asking yourself why Eric’s vacation is suddenly important…

Bringing it All Back Home:

If you hadn’t heard already, Schultz stepped away from the band in late August. He intends to continue work on his Anthropology degree while working closely with the local Hideout Brewing Company. There are no hard feelings in this decision and, in fact, it had become an apparent one over time. After putting in over five years with the band, as the “wildcard,” his contributions have so obviously helped us to get where we are today. The man has endured the song “Cold As Ice” far more than most men could stand. He was there on the infamous “Texas Toast Tour,” throwing down hotdogs and cold soup while driving hundreds of miles per day. The four outstanding handclaps at the head of “Joke” and an unmistakable bass line to “Julia” are to his credit. But every man, no matter how closely related or how long the history has his own life and decisions to make which complement it. And so his departure is bittersweet but befitting. However, fear not, as Schultz has already been sighted at recent Valentiger shows.

If you haven’t put 2 and 2 together yet, this is where Eric Kehoe comes into the picture. He is now the official third member of Valentiger, taking on bass guitar and backing vocals, primarily. His former band, Duffy, had also been disbanding and it seemed as though fate was on time. Eric and myself have played a handful of shows together performing both Happy Hour and Duffy songs, and toward the end of Schultz’s stint he occasionally filled in on bass. It was a pretty natural step and rather effortless decision to ask Eric and he accepted, bringing with him a wide range of talents and a not-too-unfamiliar style. Being a good friend of the band for years, the awkward transition period is skipped and we’ve not missed a beat. Most songs were granted an immediate upgrade with Kehoe’s vocal harmonies, sweetly caressing chorus and verse alike. It’s a Happy Hour sound you’ve not yet heard – it’s Valentiger. And luckily enough, Eric has joined just in time to be a part of the new record.

This may have been a bounty of new information for some and it may have been regurgitated jargon for a select few. But at the very least it’s a pretty solid block of type that offers a “go to” for clarity. Please, feel free to re-read, highlight, and or print this for circulation at work meetings. Simply leave it in the copier. I hope I’ve been informative in a tolerable manner and I thank all of you for the patience through this little transition period. We’re all awfully excited to get the new album to you and to perform the material live. May autumn treat you well and may our album also find you well in mid-winter.

Post Report:

Happy Hour is now Valentiger.
Yes, we’re still the same band and our back catalog will always be available.
We can be found at www.myspace.com/valentigermusic
Valentigermusic.com will soon be in effect as well as new merchandise.
The new album is set for release mid-winter, 2008.
Touring will follow the new release.
Schultz has stepped away from the band to further pursue education.
Eric Kehoe has joined as bass guitar and backing vocals, primarily.
As promised in July, Rider has shaved his head.

#123 -- Album Progress (3 of 20,219)
Posted 7.16.08

Hello all of you out there in the Internet. I've stepped in for just a moment to give a Happy Hour briefing:

We've come to the part of recording an album where no one has any idea what will happen next. Parts are being writen that have never existed before. These types of things include piano overdubs, guitar "solos," pedal steel melodies, etc. It never fails to be an interesting day of recording during this process because I'll usually get nothing done and it drives me mad enough to come up with something better, or I'll get a large mess of things going that really add to the song. Of course, then these parts might not sit right upon later listens. It's a constant game of catch up with no real foreseeable end.

The number of songs recorded and that are in some consideration to make the final cut for the album is 22. For now, I prefer to be discrete about disclosing the list and their titles while we're in such a state of indecision. But fear not, I will let it go soon! There are clear favorites in further states of completion that have actually dipped their toes into the mixing stage. We've worked out a system with our friend/producer, Steve, where he takes half of the songs for a week while we work on the remaining tracks, only to then synchronize our hardrives and then swap the songs for the next week. It's down to the messy and nitty-gritty. A lot of this work is yet to be done by myself, though Schultz still has yet to tickle his ivory and Rider has a bit of vocal styling left in him. We will be calling on some close friends for a bit of brass and perhaps light string arrangement. Wednesdays and Fridays have found myself sitting in nearly the same spot for seven or eight hours laying down ideas to tape and then erasing or keeping them. All sorts of instruments have been coming out of the stock room. On the other end of the spectrum, Rider has been spending his days at the coffee shop down the street hatching plans to release the record. Everything has come up from a hand-shake distribution loop to the CD release venue to time lines to tours. Of course, there's album artwork and website work to be done nearing the end of this project as well. But there is one thing that the band has near the very top of the to-do list.

We are very strongly considering changing our band name. I know, I know - it's hard to imagine us as anything but Happy Hour. However, the time has come. The bad puns, nightmares of being lost within bar advertisements and the sheer fact of being impossible to find anywhere must come to a slow halt. After all, we do not do Jimmy Buffett covers. There are a few ideas floating around in our brains, but we'd love to hear suggestions from anyone:
A] What do we sound like?
B] Any band name suggestions?
I know that Rider has posted something on FaceBook about it, so feel free to respond there or send us an email at happyhourmusic@yahoo.com.

Lastly, we've obviously cut down on our number of live shows while recording so make sure to catch us when we ARE out each month. We'll be playing a majority of new material and word is out that Rider is shaving his head come August.

#122 -- Album Progress (3 of 20,219)
Posted: 6.02.08

So it's looking like a post-per-month situation here, folks. But this means that Happy Hour is hard at work on more important aspects of the band. And this is true:

We're up to a total of 17+ tracks that have been recorded and are at some state of progress. I'll even go further to say that about 15 have guitars and drums, 13 have bass included and about 7 have vocals as well. Right now, we're nearing the very end of full-band sessions. There are just a few songs that either need to be revamped or to have a final order written out and then recorded. From there on out it's overdub season where I go to work on extra instrumentation and vocals. Schultz also has piano parts to write and Rider will have extra percussive work to do as well as some backing vocals. As of the last few weeks we've been "spinning" rough MP3's of the body of work so far and have been very pleased with overall sound, diversity, performance and feel. I think that we've been favoring a good number of mellow songs, but I believe it's because the "rockers" are a bit older. Once we hear them in their final mixes with added instrumentation, it's a whole different ball game. That's what I find to be one of the more strange things about making an album. A song that has been played a million times live can come out to be totally different in the studio setting. And also, a song that the band has never played live before can rival numbers they've been playing for years. It's a scary journey into the future of every moment - and we somehow come out with a stamp of music and time.

My SLR camera has been making multiple appearances at sessions for the record and I would like to get a few shots up in the photo section. I hope to do this soon, but I also would like to save a lot of them for possible artwork purposes (boo!). However, most importantly, the record is moving along at faster speeds than myself or anyone could have thought for this project. We're a more fluid band than we've ever been. Believe it or not, we actually have processes that make sense to us and have held up over time. They've been refined and it helps keep us on track. Just last week, we spent the whole day listening to the current state of every track we've laid down thus far. When the track was finished, the three of us and our friend/producer, Steve, would make notes on the opinions of the song and what it may need. Considering that we have a list of 20+ tracks to eventually finish, this process points us to the strongest tracks and we then concentrate our efforts in that direction. In about a week or two the sessions will be narrowed down to more specific and meticulous parts of the record. Vocals are the next big step.

Now, as for the "live" version of Happy Hour, we just spent a weekend in Chicago playing a pair of successful shows. Thanks to Northpilot for sharing a bill with us and also to everyone who came out to see us play. A very special thanks goes out to those who let us crash at their place and/or keep them up until 4:30AM. There was a coffee challenge and a beer challenge. However, the egg challenge has been postponed until further notice. If we are to talk of the future, we will be playing Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts on Saturday, June 7th on the Calder stage at 12:30PM. Our performances were "rained out" for the last two installments, but I feel lucky. After all, this year is my golden birthday! And lastly, I must mention open mic at Gardella's every Tuesday at 10PM. Rider and myself host, playing mostly material that isn't heard at regular Happy Hour shows. Two-dollar domestic bottles and a five-dollar burger and beer combo! C'mon, you know your Monday wasn't this cool.

- brent

#121 - Album Progress (2 of 20,219)
Posted: 4.27.08

So, probably last you've heard, we hadn't officially started tracking for the new album. Demos ONLY, right? Well, I type bearing good news. Thanks to Wednesdays being completely free of anything but buckling down and diving in, there are basic tracks of nine songs floating around on a few different hardrives. I'm reluctant to state which songs they are, but know that we are planning to record more than we will release. In addition, you may be able to narrow them down with me saying that they are probably the oldest songs in our current live show that haven't been previously released. That being said, it leaves Happy Hour in the difficult, middle section of preparing newer, more unfamiliar material to lay down. These are the songs that have not been played live before and that Rider and Schultz are still becoming familiar with. In addition, lyrics may still affect their structure and so on. Nevertheless, these are often the tracks that end up being more loose and stand out as unrehearsed gems on an album. Only time and tape can tell. And three pots of coffee per session can't hurt either.

Rider and myself wake upstairs and walk right down into the studio that was once a dining room. We eat, sound check instruments and prepare while longtime friend/producer Steve shows up along with Schultz somewhere later along the early afternoon. We'll try to tackle basic tracks (guitar, drums and bass) on at least one song for the day. It is inevitable, though, that we will be distracted by other factors such has alternate microphone placements, tape deck setting, intonation, tortilla chips and lord knows what else. At any rate, we have total control on the environment of the studio and most importantly the time we wish to spend on any given track and how many takes we might want to do. Though this seems like it may be counterproductive and could cause us to never complete the project, we're moving at a pretty quick rate and keeping cuts on second or third takes- sometimes even the first. We're constantly referring to our white board of songs, erasing and rearranging in attempt to keep a handle on our ever growing list to record. However, we also keep things in check by reviewing our own personal "top twelve songs." This helps us to think in album form and not to get overwhelmed by the material. In general, I'd say the three of us can agree on at least eight songs out of the twelve. Ultimately, though, we are all happy with how the sound of each recorded song has come out so far. I, myself, have a few new guitars, both acoustic and electric, that are molding songs nicely. Rider is constantly tuning his drums and switching between stick types, while sometimes recording to tape. Schultz also recently purchased a vintage Epiphone hollow-body bass that has allowed him to finally acquire the sound for which he has been looking. When it comes to Fridays, I'm working on wrapping up lyrics and stretching the brain over accompaniments for basic tracks we've done so far.

When it comes down to it, the three of us are officially sucked back into the recording phase of the band. It never leaves your brain. Even months after the project is complete, we're still haunted by choices and sounds and ideas. It's good, though. Trust us. If it were to be finished in a week, we wouldn't be the band we are. Just know we're hard at work and doing what we do best. I will most definitely be keeping all of you updated with news and pictures as much as I can. And as always, please drop us a line in some format, whether it be email, MySpace, Facebook or even the guestbook on this here website. See you soon.

Brent.

#120 - Album Progress (1 of 20,219)
Posted: 3.10.08

Hello readers. It's Brent here, checking in after a solid month off from live shows. Though worry not, for Rider and myself have been hard at work on the new record. Tuesdays have been our practice days and also when we run the open mic at Gardellas at 10pm. I guess it is at this point when I will mention something about that. This is all one needs to know: Big burger, fries and a pint of beer for $5. If not for that, then come on out to play some music or simply to enjoy it over $2 domestic beers. But anyhow, let's move on to Wednesday, our designated, weekly recording day. Starting at noon, rain or shine, Rider and I have been chugging through rough versions of almost all the songs we're even close to considering for the newest record...and there are alot of them. A few demos are holding up from their original takes in my bedroom and some are joining from our earliest sessions at "the cottage" and with Steve, our usual producer. Mostly, though, we are compiling dry runs of songs on our new system of our analog board, reel-to-reel and computer in order to test out our options of sound and setup before really diving in to takes-for-keep. Also, by doing this, we are actually able to hear our songs without playing them, allowing us to listen for new ideas and final touches before laying down the backbone of each song.

So far, things are going strong and at a pretty decent pace. We're learning a lot about how we want each individual song to sound. We've especially been considering doing completely live takes, including vocals for some songs that require the entire band's energy. These may be the likes of "Leaving Town," "Days Are Not Wasted," and "The Girl That Everyone Forgot." Now, don't jump to conclusions here. Me mentioning them does not mean they will necessarily be on the new CD, but I will guarantee they will be recorded. This may be the first time Happy Hour will end up with B-sides that come directly out of the studio, all polished nicely. If there were no B-sides, it would most definitely be a double album. AND, I'd love to give you a list of songs to potentially make the grade, but there are just too many to list and I'd had to get your hopes up on a particular track only to have it be cut. Just know that there are a lot of tracks that haven't been played live before - some not even heard by the entire band.

This week in the Happy Hour studio we will be finishing up all the bass lines on the demos so that they are at least ready for the listening/work stations that are our cars. Yes, we work while we drive. Steve is still a big part of this new record, loaning us some valuable equipment and stopping in on a session-by-session basis to make sure we're not doing anything detrimental. I myself have been scrambling to finish vocals for the demos and then it's on to refining some lyrics before we begin our more intense recording process. As of late I have had my entire Fridays all alone in the studio with everything set up to go with a pot of coffee. It's been some of the most productive time I've had on an album and just my songs in general. Last Friday, I played for 7 hours straight, sitting on the same drum stool surrounded by three condenser microphones. Take after take, words and arrangements - we're going to make a good record, I can feel it. Within the next week or two we will be starting our process of permanent takes to start building on. It's full steam ahead after that.

In other news, we're starting live shows up again in March. I just want to mention the show at UICA that we picked up on short notice. It's Friday, March 14 at 6:30pm. It should be a pretty cool show benefiting the Compass Film Academy. However, our more long promoted show is at Jukes on Saturday, March 22 with Duffy. It's FREE so come on down and hopefully catch some of our new material as well as just to see us out before we hole up to record some more. At the very least, stay updated here at happyhourmusic.com and please drop us a line either on our guestbook or via MySpace, etc. We want to know what YOU are up to and/or what your thoughts are on the new album or anything else we seem to be up to. As far as the website goes, there are new shows listed as well as some photos posted. I'll see you at the crossroads...

#119 - Yes, There IS News in 2008.
Posted: 1.24.08

Yes, it HAS been almost four months since the last news post here on happyhourmusic.com. Rest assured, the band has been busy. I will try to recap the last few months as best as I can.

The Fall Tour - This was indeed our most successful tour yet. Although we made a pretty good chunk of change, this was also the first time we put money into promotion up front. In some ways it helped and in others, it didn't. We managed to land a great article in the South Bend Tribune that led to a fantastic show at the ever-growing Ewing Cafe. Things started a bit rough for us through Canada, as we just couldn't catch a break with places to stay. We were fortunate enough to have incredible weather on our side, though. However, when we look at the success of this tour, it's easy to see how we can make things easier on ourselves in the future (i.e. budget for lodging). We book smarter shows, smarter drives and just better tours than we ever have in the past. I'll still grant it decent for three guys doing EVERYTHING. After that stretch of Canada, things did pick up as we played several day gigs including radio stations and coffee shops. Then, in the nighttime, we'd play bars, music venues and colleges as our main focus. The colleges, including Detroit Mercy, Rutgers and Duquesne, were a newer plan of attack to reach a popular segment of our listeners more directly. Plus, we were always taken care of. Nevertheless, it's impossible to avoid playing a Sunday afternoon in Hershey, PA or an open mic here or there. When it was all said and done, we learned a lot. If we promote up front again, we'll either use a different company or, like most always, do it ourselves. College shows really worked for us and venues that look good for writers and or industry staff to attend. Radio play, performance and interviews helped and we distributed our CD's to many more listeners. If this jargon is boring to you, get a much better and detailed insight into what kind of trouble we get into day to day by reading a few tour journals. It will start making either more sense, or less.

2007 Closes - After recouperating from tour for the remainder of October, Happy Hour got busy in November and December. I was coming off the annual sinus/throat infection to play a short, but compact stint of shows. This included a three day run of Kraftbrau, Lemonjello's and Jukes with the band Northpilot out of Chicago and then Jukes again with Duffy a week later. But bigger plans lay under these usual Grand Rapids activities. Rider and myself were moving to a house on the west side of Grand Rapids, and several ideas were already more thought out than the actual move itself. We were to build our own, specialized recording studio on floor one. But first, we felt the need to play the Stockbridge Pub. After that, the three of us brought in the New Year for drunks a plenty at the Hideout Brewery. It was the first time we'd actually been home for Christmas and New Years Eve in over 3 years. It felt strange, but good.

New Record - We've said it for a long time now, but I assure you all that we ARE beginning work on our next record in February and beyond. We've acquired a massive 24-channel analog mixing board as the basis of the project. From there, things are either running directly to digital or through an analog, reel-to-reel four-track and then to digital. Sound complicated? What about the delay between tape and direct when recording live? Oh yes, we've done ourselves in again with superb effort. Overall, the sounds we've been getting are rich and warm, which should compliment our newest songs, oh, so nicely. And so, with a new house and recording studio, Happy Hour takes on the challenge of self-producing their next record. We will be running all equipment, setting levels, placing microphones, running takes and...playing all the instruments. I really wouldn't have it any other way at this point. So be patient with us. I've got a whole list of 30+ songs that I'd love to put to tape. Some of which the band knows and others which the band has never heard. It's likely to be period of several sessions, countless takes and multiple versions of songs. I've bought a few new guitars, Rider's slapping new skins on the drums, microphones are on their way in the mail and Schultz found a Rhodes electric piano. Excitement, creativity and morale is high.

What ELSE? - As far as live shows are going, recently, we've been on a mission to expand our playing field a bit more. Of course, we've always been known to play several other cities, but it only seems logical to us to make more regular use of great cities that are a few hours away. But its a bit crazy to drive all the way to Chicago for a single show, though we just hit the Cadieux Cafe in Detroit and The Elbow Room in Ypsilanti. Therefore, we've come to a concept of weekend shots, where we randomly hit say Chicago or Detroit for a Thursday, Friday and Saturday run. In turn, this should compliment our recording focus, which will inevitably eat up incredible amounts of our time. But don't worry, we'll be playing sporadic, good shows in Grand Rapids as well. We just might not be at our three per week schedule. Also, don't forget that Rider and I are running the open mic at Gardella's every Tuesday at 10PM. Five dollars gets you a burger, fries and beer. After that, two-dollar domestics. It's really quite incredible, I'm not just plugging here.

Website - So, I've done my best to recap these last few busy months. Hopefully, we're all caught up and on the same page? In the photos section there are new pictures of the Fall Tour. I believe Rider is working on posting the video to YouTube under alias riderscott. Of course, the tour journals are now finished and I recommend giving a few of them a good reading if you've time to spare. I also got incredibly behind in show reviews, but am now fully caught up. That makes six consecutive years of every show documented (not including open mics and special appearances). Most of all, though, check back for shows that are already popping up in March and April and I will most definitely keep you all updated on the recording process.

#118 - Day Gigs?
Posted: 9.11.07

First things first. Though Happy Hour was accepted for the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, OH, they were forced to decline due to a previously scheduled performance at Schuler Books & Music in Grand Rapids, MI. So, please disregard the notation on our tour flyer that still reads "Midpoint Music Festival
for September 28 - we WILL be in Grand Rapids.

In other tour news, we are working "day gigs" for each city. This may involve a radio station, a college campus or perhaps even a music store. We've recently landed on radio spot on 91.7 WKDU, but if you can inform us of any other opportunities that may be worth our while in ANY city, please feel free to contact us. It would be greatly appreciated, and it could even be your backyard for your friends!

Now, as far as local shows go before we leave, we have four this weekend. This includes Grand Valley, which was just added recently, and The Hideout Brewery on Saturday. The Hideout is strongly recommended by Schultz, who works and brews at the local establishment. We will be playing a full-on set, but in the unique and intimate setting of the bar's balcony.

That should be all the news for now. Enjoy the cooler Fall weather and please check out our tour schedule!

#117 - Blips
Posted: 8.29.07

Well kids, we've done it! Happy Hour has waded their way through a messy, humid slew of numerous summer gigs here in Grand Rapids, and have also managed to finish booking The Fall Tour. We're ready to hit the road on September 27th.

It may be a redundant request from this website, but please check out our tour schedule. If you happen to live in any of the cities we will be visiting or know someone who does, come on out to see us and we'll have a guaranteed good time! Spread the word before someone steers the conversation toward Lindsay Lohan again. FYI, a recent addition in performances includes The Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, which we are pretty excited about. We're looking forward to hitting the road at a time when temperatures are cooling and colleges are actually in session when we visit.

In other news, our performance at Frederick Meijer Gardens was a milestone for the band. Playing through a most giant P.A. system, from an enourmous ampitheater to a crowd of nearly 2,000 people was a real treat amongst the dingy, smokey bars that make up a lot of our venues. A giant thanks goes out to all who came to see us and support us at such an occasion.

-a short blip-
Mandolin and pedal steel guitar have been sighted at recent shows, since I purchased these instruments in the last few months.

Lastly, before more short blips flash by my memory while typing, I leave you with our tour schedule of cities for review:

9.27 - Detroit, MI
9.28 - Cincinnati, OH (Midpoint Music Festival)
9.29 - London, Ontario
9.30 - Toronto, Ontario
10.1 - Rochester, NY
10.2 - Kingston, Ontario
10.3 - Montreal, Quebec
10.4 - Burlington, VT
10.5 - Montpelier, VT
10.6 - Cambridge, MA
10.7 - New Haven, CT
10.8 - New York, NY
10.9 - New Brunswick, NJ
10.10 - Philadelphia, PA
10.11 - Hershey, PA
10.11 - Harrisburg, PA
10.12 - Pittsburgh, PA
10.13 - South Bend, IN

For more information about the tour (venues, times, etc.), please refer to our shows section.

#116 - Summer is Ready When You Are...
Posted: 7.24.07

After nearly an entire absence of shows in June, Happy Hour is back on the map with an almost unfathomable amount of performances in July, August and September. This all occurs before they take off for their first ever Fall tour in October. Please check out our shows page for a complete listing, but I would like to point out a few specific dates, here:

Friday, August 10 - The Intersection (133 Grandville Ave.). Adam Pringle/Common Shiner CD RELEASE PARTY! 8PM. 18+. Only $5! Contact (616) 706-9344, email happyhourmusic@yahoo.com or AIM musichappyhour for tickets! Sunday, August 12 - Farmhouse Festival (Ann Arbor). CANCELED!!! Saturday, August 18 - Lemonjellos "We're Folkin' Awesome" Festival (Holland). Happy Hour headlines 10PM. The festival extends August 17&18. See shows for more details. Tuesday, August 21 - Frederick Meijer Gardens (1000 East Beltline). w/ Mantra & Creolization. 7PM. "Break up the week with our series of hot area performers, the Tuesday Evening Music Club. It’s FREE with the price of admission to Meijer Gardens every Tuesday evening in August." Frederick Meijer Gardens Friday, August 31 - The Black Rose (100 Ionia Ave.). 21+. 10PM. $3. Pitchers of Hoegarden!

The aforementioned performances are only a small taste of the next few months. Again, please refer to our full listing on the shows page to select a date that is right for you and your loved ones.

Now, as far as other band news goes, things are a bit scatterbrained. Currently, there is a lot on our figurative plates. Dayjobs are running steadily and often jangling along with the ways of busy musicians. New to the live setlists are a David Bowie cover and "Strangely Arranged," the newest Happy Hour original. The band has recently been bitten by the recording bug once again, and an initiative to "demo" many newer, unreleased songs is in the works.

Our first Fall tour is taking place in early September and through most of October. The usual trek has been laid out as a foundation, with the addition of some new cities including Philadelphia. It looks as though we are inviting some third party help into the mix for the first time, employing a promotions company to solicit radio, television and print. We're hoping to make this our best tour yet, as we will finally be able to play shows in college towns when classes are actually in session. Nevertheless, we'll definitely keep you updated on cities, venues and further details.

In conclusion, the summer is booked and the shows await YOU! Tour is the next biggest thing on our plate, but don't forget about The Intersection, Frederick Meijer Gardens and the festival in Holland. Lastly, enjoy all those weddings and summer obligations!

#115 -- Two Months!?
Posted: 6.1.07

Yes, it has been almost two months since the last news posting. Twenty shows have passed including The Intersection, our frist trip to Kraftbrau, another Earth Day, a wedding and one tour. All three of us are holding down part time jobs, while still trying our hands at the grittiest business portion of the independent music spectrum. Nevertheless, our stride is still stouthearted as we continue to roll onward.

So, let us get things up to speed. The "May Tour" has been our shortest yet. Although, we made almost as much money as we do on our longer stints. Only one night was spent in the van and we had a place to stay lined up for almost every city before we even left. Though no radio was involved this time around, we made the best we could of every city. One thing is for sure: St. Paul is Minneapolis' nerdy little sister. We found ourselves talking to at least one label representative that saw us play in Uptown and no one became sick after eating rancid "van mayonaise." All together: a success.

Now, as for the website goes. Rider has put together yet another video compilation of our latest adventure so please check it out. As always, feel free to check out the daily tour logs that I have kept as well. I try to keep them short, but I can't help thinking I'll want to know such details years down the road. Anyhow, they are there for anyone to read at work or on a Sunday along with forty-some pictures. Of course, the show reviews have been brought up to date and new shows have been added, too.

Speaking of new shows, I must start a whole new paragraph to inform you of the two that we are especially excited about:

Saturday, June 2 - Festival of the Arts (Downtown Grand Rapids).
Happy Hour plays 5:30pm on the Outer Fringe Stage. FREE!

Saturday, June 8 - The Intersection (Bless You Boys CD Release).
THIS IS AN ALL AGES SHOW ON THE FULL STAGE!
Tickets are only $3 for 21+ and $5 for minors.
Please contact us for tickets,
this will the best show The Intersection has seen in a while:
Phone - 616 706 9344
AIM - musichappyhour
EMail - happyhourmusic@yahoo.com

As of right now, I believe this to be all the Happy Hour news I can give. Enjoy the updates and drop us a line either on the guestbook, MySpace or elsewhere. Also, if you haven't checked us out on virb.com or last.fm, I would suggest it. They are pretty neat sites to join in on.

#114 -- April Snow
Posted: 4.5.07

Hello everyone, It's Brent again. We've been busy as of late, and it looks as though April will keep the up the pace. We have some ridiculous amount of shows, with four being in one week. This month will mark our first appearance at Kraftbrau in Kalamazoo, we've somehow finally made our way into that venue. Also, we have an Intersection coming up on April 10 with THE WHIGS. It's a Tuesday night, but check the band out and see if you would like to attend. It should prove to be a good time. Also to note, we're back at Aquinas College, Jukes and Lemonjello's this month. Then, frist thing in May, we are heading off on the Spring Mini-Tour, to which more dates have been added. Again, if you live in or are going to be in any of the areas, please come out and attend! Further, if you know of anyone in the tour cities, please refer them to come see us - it makes our jobs A LOT easier when we have to answer to the venues/promoters.

Okay, let's talk about some random notes. Recently, I have purchased a pedal steel guitar and I am learning to play. Look for that to pop up in future shows and songs. In academic news, Schultz has been accepted to a graduate school in New York. Also, Rider is now slinging coffee locally, and I am cooking. We're chugging along here in Grand Rapids while taking care of some long-put-off business.

Speaking of exactly that matter, the new press kit is finished and is being distributed across the nation as we speak. One of our first victims is ATO Records (Ben Kweller's label) who has requested a copy of "Magnet Heart Conveyor." Other labels are being shopped and finally contacted. It is time for Happy Hour to approach this circus full on.

As I sign off this latest post, I suggest a look at our most recent video post located in the music section. It consists of just myself playing "Bosses," though Rider mixed the video live with a 1980's mixer. The sight is quite hilarious if you have the time. Perhaps we'll see you out at some of the shows this month. If not, I'll tell you about them in the next post.

#113 -- Nice & Short
Posted: 3.22.07

Over a month has passed since our last news update. Though I felt I should make a post, there is not much to share. We've had a very busy month of March, including two visits to the Intersection (one being the Pete Yorn afterparty), a Founder show, a performance at Grand Valley's "Rock Against Rape," a trip to the annual WOSTOCK! in Holland and a Break Room and Space 222 show. It's been nice to be busy again.

The Spring Mini-Tour is coming along, but is proving to be harder to book, as we are shooting for larger venues than before. Happy Hour is always looking to take the next step forward, and booking bigger and better venues is one of them. On the same note, we have begun to shop a few select labels and management companies in an attempt to spread some of our ever-and-exponentially-increasing work load around.

There should be some new media floating around on this here website. Just last Sunday at Lemonjello's, Rider, myself and some other helpful friends mixed quite an entertaining video of a solo performance of mine. I am sure that a clip from the DVD will surface soon. It consists of three video camera shots fused with a 1980's mixer containing the most incredibly cheesy, rainbow-colored "swipes." You'll know what I mean when you see the video. I'll keep you all posted as to when it will be up on the Internet. In addition, I have been playing around with a streaming music player of "Magnet Heart Conveyor." As of now, it is listenable from our music section, but I am working on putting it into an exterior window so that one may listen continuously while browsing other pages. Stay tuned and Happy Spring!

#112 -- Kweller-Tour-New Song-Expense-Jammie Hysteria!
Posted: 2.12.07

Hello All! If you've been following our little show reviews and news blips here on the website, you've probably noticed that we have been getting lucky with some short-notice, bigger sized shows as of late. It's been a great run so far, topping it all with our latest performance with Ben Kweller at the Knickerbocker Theatre for a crowd of 500+ people. We hope to keep the string of luck going! I want to personally thank everyone involved in getting us on the Ben Kweller bill and also those who were hospitable to us at the theatre. ALSO, I MUST thank all those who attended the show and helped make such a great audience, allowing us to put on a great show for everyone. There are some great pictures of the show in the photos section that should be given a gander whether you were at the show or not. We were able to hang out with Ben before and after the show and came to find out that he is a completely awesome guy. Thanks Ben!

As for other business, Rider is hacking away at a Spring Mini-Tour, beginning May 3rd, 2007. I have posted the most recent additions to date in the shows section, and more will obviously be added as they come in. If you live in or around any of the areas on the calendar, please spread the word if you would be so kind!

The three of us made it up north to demo a few songs, as referenced in the last news update. As a result, I have posted a rough, live version of "Goodbyes in the Wind" in the music section. It was done completely live and fireside (you can hear it hiss in the beginning and throughout). Go ahead and check that gem out while it lasts.

The last couple weeks have been great for shows, but we've also encountered some costs as well. We had a large and costly alternator repair on our van, and we also needed to reorder 1,000 copies of "Magnet Heart Conveyor." It's okay, though. We're just starting fresh with a healthy van and spanking-new copies of our music.

So far, it looks like our next show is in March, so I guess we will see you then. Although, at the rate of how things have been going, we'll probably book a short-notice show for this weekend. If you have nothing to do on the night of Tuesday, February 13th, the WYCE Jammie Awards will be taking place at the Intersection. It's free to get in and you will be able to see several local acts play live, as well as witness the winners receiving their awards. In any case, we'll see you soon, but send us an email, MySpace message or sign our guestbook. Let us know how YOU are doing, seriously.

#111 -- Back in the USSR & Kweller Ville
Posted: 2.1.07

BREAKING NEWS: Happy Hour is to open for Ben Kweller at the Knickerbocker Theatre in Holland, Michigan on Thursday, February 8th. The show was booked less than two weeks before his performance, and we were added on with only a week's notice. Based on that knowledge, I believe tickets will be "going fast" so please contact Rider at (616) 706 - 9344 for tickets. They're only $15! Additonally, they are also available at www.hopetickets.com. We are very happy to be added to the bill and we recommend seeing Kweller or anybody at the Knickerbocker Theatre. There is theatre-style seating, great sound and a great stage. It will be a fun night even though it is such short notice and falling on a Thursday. If you're unfamiliar with Ben Kweller, check him out and decide from there.

Despite currently being "off tour," Happy Hour has still managed to make two trips down to Indiana. One was to play Valparaiso and the other to open for Margot and the Nuclear So & So's on the campus of Notre Dame. I must note that we all agreed to it being our best show to date. The crowd, and I quote the singer of Margot on this, "...went apeshit for you guys [Happy Hour]!" It was incredible fun and we were given a chance to party with some of the people who were at the show as well. A HUGE thanks goes out to Angela for getting us onto that bill.

Second, the three of us all made a trip up to our safe haven in Newaygo, Michigan this past weekend to start working on some newer tracks. We layed down half baked versions of "The Girl That Everyone Forgot," "Days Are Not Wasted," "1964," "Hard To Let Me Down," "Courses" and "Goodbyes in the Wind." Don't get excited, now, it was just an attempt to work on some additional parts and to have a fun night of cutting loose and playing music with each other. Usually, the only time we get to do that is when we're on stage, but we can't screw around and play uncharted material then. Nevertheless, it was fun and there may be some rough versions of songs floating around here and there.

Third, I would like to note that we are now on www.last.fm. There are two artists known as Happy Hour on there but we are the account with (indie rock from Michigan) in their subtitle. It is a pretty cool music tool/station that resides in the same family as Pandora and such. You should at least check it out...because, if not any other reason, it is free.

Also, it looks like we will be embarking on a short Summer Tour in May, so look for dates to be added soon. As far as shows go for Grand Rapids, we have The Break Room coming up. We have never played there before, so there are no expectations floating around for anyone. More importantly, though, we have another Founders date coming up. Additionally, we will be playing the Pete Yorn After Party around midnight, in the front room of the Intersection on March 10. It's free if you stop by after the show. Make sure to check out our latest shows and come out to have a beer with us. Winter weather has finally showed its face, which makes an opportune time to sit inside and share a beer with us.

Lastly, if you still haven't gotten a chance to check out our latest tour pictures, journals and video, take a second to feast your eyes.

#110 -- Post-Tour Trauma
Posted: 1.15.07

So, here we are again. Another tour is finished and we are back to post-tour booking and readjusting to normal life in general. I am glad to say that this latest Winter Tour was our best yet and it was releiving to see we are at least stepping in the right direction even if it is small steps. The tours are great fun and great help as far as getting our name out there, but money is slimmer than one might expect in such a venture (when done independently). Nevertheless, we had a great time and I want to thank everyone who came out to shows, housed us and/or was just nice to three, strange out-of-towners.

The Winter Tour has surprisingly been catalogued well even though we were lacking a fourth person to help document while we were busy. Rider has put together another fun video montage of some of our tour experiences to give you a pretty fair look into the adventure. That is located in the music section along with another video of us performing "In Your Head" live on CIUT, Toronto. The audio and performance are a bit rough since it was 8 AM, but it's still entertaining. Of course, there are 40-some pictures you can check out as well in the photos section. Lastly, the tour journals are finally completed if you wish to read a little less filtered version of the tour.

Now, after reviewing all of this tour documentation, I'll bet you're all wondering what we are going to do next. Well, we must get started on booking new shows for here in town. Undoubtedly, we will probably be practicing and just playing together in our free weekends (something we don't get to do very often). We are also in a state of coming up with a solid game plan of attacking the toughest of industries, here. Shopping labels, thinking about a new record, getting linked into online blogs and summer festivals are on the plate. A summer tour is still up in the air but we will keep you posted, as we will need to begin working on it soon if it is to happen.

But what about the band members personally? What are they up to? Well, Huckin will be finishing his last semester at Western Michigan in the Spring. After that, the three of us will all be graduated from college and working on a game plan for, gulp, life. Rider is making final decisions on his pool-building job and is working on booking/promotions for the band. As for myself, I lost my part-time job when we left for this latest tour, so my days are spent looking for replacement. I must admit that it is hard to find a job that will accommodate the band's needs, but it is a hunt that is soon to come for the band as a whole. With my time I am working on this here website, putting the new press kit together, working on songs and doing arts of other kinds.

There you have it, a month's worth of update. Obviously, things are more detailed and fun in the tour journals, photos, movies and other things. Check them out and we'll have more updates sooner than you can say, "Ice Cream!"

#109 -- Winter Tour
Posted: 12.13.06

Everyone, it is Brent here, speaking, typing. It is Wednesday and, yes, we are leaving for yet another installment of independent touring in two days. We are all very much excited and we hope to see familiar faces as well as many new faces and places. I am sounding like Dr. Seuss. At any rate, here is the schedule:

12.14 - 1055.5FM, WMMM (Madison, WI) 12.15 - The Corner Bar (Kalamazoo, MI) 12.16 - Skylight Coffee (Lafayette, IN) 12.17 - Monon Coffee House (Indianapolis, IN) 12.18 - Common Grounds (Mattoon, IL) 12.19 - Gourmand (Chicago, IL) 12.20 - The Urban Journey (Madison, WI) 12.21 - Cafe Montmarte (Madison, WI) 12.22 - 88.7FM, WLUW (Chicago, IL) 12.22 - Green Leaf Coffee (Aurora, IL) 12.23 - Lula's Cafe (Southbend, IN) 12.24 - Home 12.25 - Home 12.26 - The Belmont (Hamtramck, MI)

12.27 - Crabby Joe's (Woodstock, ON) 12.28 - 89.5FM, CIUT (Toronto, ON) 12.28 - Cadillac Lounge (Toronto, ON) 12.29 - Urban Well (Ottawa, ON) 12.30 - Maggie's Bar (Plattsburgh, NY) 12.31 - The Barfly (Montreal, QC) 1.1 - Radio Bean (Burlington, VT) 1.2 - The Space (Hamden, CT) 1.3 - Cafe Nine (New Haven, CT) 1.4 - The Annex (New York, NY) 1.5 - Court Tavern (New Burnswick, NJ) 1.6 - Cyber West Cafe (Binghamton, NY) 1.7 - Home

Make Sure to Check out the Shows Page for more Details!

Once again, if you're going to be in any of the areas, or know of someone who will be, come on out to the shows and support our ventures. As much fun as touring is, it is also hard being on the road. We like to party, hang out and enjoy music just like you! Let's do it together! You've probably already gotten one million random MySpace messages that have jaded you, but we will deliver like Meow Mix. If you get a chance, listen to us during our radio spots as well. I have links set up in the shows section.

On another order of business, we have a few new products I would like to introduce to all of you. First, is our newly remodeled, black edition of the Magnet Heart Conveyor sticker. I know how popular the black is with the young'ns, so here it be:

Next, we have received several copies of two compilations on which we have recently been featured. "Smitten with the Mitten State" and "The Grand Rapids Compilation" were both independently and locally produced, so help this fellas out if you're in the mood for a mix of local flavors and genres. Check these items out in our store along with the new sticker and new "youth medium" sizes in our black and yellow MHC tees (for the ladies who don't like baby tees - and petite and/or emo men - perhaps children).

Keep in mind that all the items in our store are great stocking stuffers and Christmas and/or any other holiday presents. Are we shameless? Thankfully, we'll be back in town to be with family during Christmas and to refuel. For now, I believe that is all the news you'll need on Happy Hour. I will be peridically posting journals and pictures from the on the road, so drop in and read/see how we're doing along the way. In advance, Happy Holidays everyone and we'll see you out there!

#108 -- Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!?
Posted: 11.16.06

Winter's coming and people are shooting things. As for Happy Hour, on the other hand, we are taking off on yet another winter tour. The newest addition to our tour belt would be the state of Wisconsin. We will be spending New Year's Eve in Montreal, QC and we have at least one radio spot in Toronto, ON. The tours are growing, no matter how little at a time. Rider has now confirmed all dates, which are posted on the shows page. Congratulations to Schultz, who actually booked the opening night for tour at the Corner Bar in Kalamazoo! Once again, if you are going to be in any of these areas or know anyone who will be, please spread the word and/or come on out to the shows! The addition of radio station appearances and news articles is a new thing on this winter tour 2007. I have been working on those and many are "in the works" - beside the one Toronto radio station already added. Make sure to listen online if you get the chance. Unfortunately, Happy Hour will be traveling without a "merch-aneer" on this trip.

As far as things at home are going, it is pretty much standard. Schultz is finishing up the first half of his last year at school. From what I collect, his schedule is pretty lax for the next half (with the exception of one hard class). Rider is finally done with his pool job -for good- and is spending his days working out and buying bubble hockey tables. For myself, I am still working my early morning, part-time job, though I will lose it when we leave for a month. Then, things will be back to red terror for me. It will be a crazy year for Happy Hour in all aspects. Also, people seem to be excited for a new album, already. It has not yet been a year since the release of "Magnet Heart Conveyor," though close. It may be due to our preference toward playing the newer songs at all our live shows. There is definitely enough material, but it still may not be the right time...just yet. Be patient with us while we figure our next few moves.

And so, let us move into another unpredictable Michigan winter. Our new van should prove to be much warmer this winter, now that we have a working heater. Don't worry, though, we're not getting soft on you. We will find a way to sleep in the van...somehow.

#107 -- Sweet, Sweet October
Posted: 10.2.06

Okay, folks, we've got Fall. This is a good time for Happy Hour, as the weather prooves to do something to their blood, getting them moving into some state of motivation. Tour is coming, photos are coming, songs are coming, shows are coming - we're "Bringing It All Back Home." The incense is lit, lamps are shining dimly and brains are churning. Rider has a handful of shows booked for the Winter Tour. We have a van with HEAT, so things may just go a little more smoothly for this run. Rider's working hard to beat the devil of gas and harassing club owners. Myself, I am mostly making meatloaf and diddling with a new-found reel-to-reel tape recorder that we have by way of loan. It is good fun and good sound. Schultz, I believe he is learning to sing at college and brewing beer. It is good, too.

There are a lot of new songs coming along and the three of us have joked about a double album (joked, don't get any ideas here). The most recent tracks that you can preview at our live shows are "Honeybee," "Hard to Let Me Down," and a cover of the Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man."

Well, as far as the website goes, here, I have posted a new track in the music section. It's a cover of Neil Young's "Harvest" from, you guessed it, his 1972 album "Harvest." It is one of Schultz's favorite songs and was, in fact, engineered by that cat himself at WMU. Check that track out and if you haven't seen the video from Jukes (located on the same page), check that out as well. It's pretty entertaining, thanks to Chris' editing work.

Yes, well, that seems to be about it for this week. Here are a few quick, last minute tidbits for you, though:
A} Happy Hour will have another live spot on 88.1FM WYCE's Annual Fund Raiser.
B} Happy Hour will be featured on two compilations released in October:
Adorable Records' Smitten with the Mitten State
The Grand Rapids Compilation
C} Eat some pumpkin pie w/ 2% milk (or whole, but nothing less than 2%).
D} Get out to Pulaski Days this weekend!

#106 -- Rain Brain
Posted: 9.12.06

A few quick announcements:

The Open Mic at Another Cafe, originally set to begin on September 20 has been: POSTPONED!!! We'll let you know when we know more.

Make sure to check this out:

OK, now that we have the formal business out of the way there, let's chat. Rider has begun working on the new Winter Tour, sticking his nose into the north wind that is American gas prices. His actual, paying job will expire in only a pair of months. Schultz has returned to Kalamazoo to finish his last year of college (Major: Anthropology, Minor: Music). Myself, I am steadily rolling along with a fixed income working on art of sorts. My life is comparable to that of an elderly person at this point. Right now, I am sick with the same old throat, sinus infection I seem to get twice a year.

Things are going well as new songs continue to grow in number weekly. Tour is in the works and a new press kit and photo session is near. Here are a few things you might want to check out:

We are on Amazon.com (the artwork is coming).
This is a neat, neat, neat internet radio. Type us into their serach.

Rider and myself are excited about this cooler weather and I'm not sure how Schultz feels about it. I think he likes Spring the best. And, lastly, I would like to apologize to the girl who came up to me in the Standale Meijer and asked, "Is your name Brent." Unfortunately, what I heard her say was, "You need bread?" I think I embarassed you as I straight-up told you "no" in a confused manner, and I certainly did not mean to lie to your face. I was going deaf in a Sunday funk! I hope you all can make sure to make it out to either Gardella's on September 14 or Black Rose on September 30...or BOTH!

#105 -- Sweaty Summer
Posted: 8.14.06

As you can tell by the frequency of these latest posts, there are not too many notable "happenings" in the news of Happy Hour. What may I tell you? Well, I have finally landed a part time job that should at least get me through to our next tour in December/January. Now, speaking of that, things may be looking a little grim for the tour due to the oil pipeline in Alaska. Gas prices are expected to skyrocket, thus making it about impossible for us to survive on the road. Though, we have not seen the prices take off yet so hope is still afloat. We'll let you know when we know. The new press kit is in the works, still, pending new photos. Huckin is finishing up his last couple weeks here in Grand Rapids until departure for Kalamazoo once again. He is excited about living alone. Rider is back into the pool business after a short-lived hiatus. New songs are still popping up and "Into The Sun" has become a band favorite - a slow, sweet summer jam. Needless to say, the summer had been slow - so has the music industry, in general. The three of us were just discussing how hard it was going to be to pick a best album of 2006. I, myself, have not evened purchased a new release this year. So, we're chugging along into September, where a change of pace will ensue with the cooler weather. Beat the Heat!

#104 -- So You Think You Can Dance?
Posted: 6.27.06

Until last Saturday, June 24, Happy Hour had not practiced together since February 11, 2005. It was a refreshing feeling of greatness to actually play music with my two band mates without the need to play "Have It All," "In Your Head," or "Julia." Instead we were free to jam free jazz and phat funk. We were free to work on new songs and to roam in my parents' back yard. We were free in attempt to finally tackle The Beatles' "Eight Days A Week" that we just can't seem to ever remember. I would say that the highlight of the day was bringing together a totally new song and almost completing it. There was no audience, no time limit and no requests. We played through new songs and just relaxed. We have quite a bit of new material that could complete a whole new record. However, please do not get your hopes up for another release already.

We are currently in..."the year of death"...I guess we'll call it. Schultz will complete his last year of college while Rider and myself contemplate the...real life? Basically, the band needs to get together and figure out a game plan for our post-college music careers. What kind of label do we want to sign on to? What are we looking for in a contract? What are the plans and timeline for a new record? Could we do it without a label? How long is the upcoming winter tour? These issues shall be sorted out and don't anyone worry...we'll keep you updated.

Lastly, summer shows are looking a little thin. THIS SATURDAY, JULY 1, we are at the Black Rose and that should be a good show to have some summer drinks and party. Unfortunately, we fell a little bit behind in booking for the summer since we were gone and on tour for the very beginning of it. Do know that we are trying our best to gather a big summer party show, if not this Saturday at Black Rose. Alright, I am tired of this computer screen, so I will leave you with a list of new songs (tentative titles):

1[Leaving Town] - 2[Bosses]
3[Courses] - 4[Good Day/Good Night]
5[Our Parts] - 6[Lament] - 7[Phil]
8[Girl!] - 9[Daybed] - 10[Into the Sun]
11[Days Are Not Wasted] - 12[The Girl That Everyone Forgot]
13[1964] - 14[Goodbyes In The Wind]

#103 -- Let's Make This Quick
Posted: 6.14.06

OK, so I am trying to make this a quick post. Huckin is back from Europe and his first show in about a month went well at Lemonjello's. He came back with several entertaining stories and gifts of Belgian chocolate. Rider is still working the pool gig and I have been finding small, odd jobs to gain cash while looking for a fitting job. In addition, all three of our birthdays are in June (9, 11, 25), so feel free to drop us all a happy birthday wish somewhere, anywhere. Finally, we are planning to book a few hometown shows at Jukes and Founders in the near future.

Now, for the website additions. I am excited to have posted new videos that Rider has brewed. One consists of footage from our latest Spring Tour and the other three are individual videos of the three of us in the studio while working on Magnet Heart Conveyor. I believe that you will find them all interesting in the music section. ALSO, the Spring Tour journals have finally been finished. It took me a while to gather all the thoughts and memories, but the end has come. Please make sure to check out these journals and the videos. I promised to make this as short as possible, so that is all for now.

#102 -- We're Back...
Posted: 6.2.06

So, indeed, we are back in town. We are back home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, only to find that the one promising show to be held at Ten Bells fell through. Dios (malos) canceled the show that we were to share with them. Other than that, it felt a bit strange to be home. It felt like we had been gone for a long time, though it was only 16 days. We hadn't been on a summer tour in a while either and Rider and I have no school to go back to. Things have changed but the tour was an overall success. We ended up on top with the monies and we also only had to sleep in the van twice. People generally enjoyed the music and we sold more copies of "Magnet Heart Conveyor" on vinyl than we could have imagined. Montreal, Burlington and Montpelier were among our favorite cities (and of course NYC). When it was time to come home the three of us had different lives to return to. Rider dove straight into his job of building pools, working Saturdays to make up for the time he took off for the tour. Huckin took off about two days later to fly over to Europe for another two weeks (that is his second trip over there). He states that he will be quite, quite frugal upon return to the States. I, myself, currently have no job and am also practicing extreme frugality in response. However, I am enjoying the time to work on new lyrics and music while trying to figure out exactly what I am to do.

As far as the website goes, here, there are a few new videos from the tour along with a lot of pictures. Also, I have kept a daily tour journal that always proves to be interesting (or serves as a time killer at work or on a Sunday). I am still working on getting the last few posted, so keep stopping in. In the future, Rider should be editing some footage from our time spent in the studio making "Magnet Heart Conveyor" as well as footage from this most recent tour. Look for that and a few new songs that might pop up.

Shows are being booked for Grand Rapids only as they are offered right now. Once we get used to the new schedules and as soon as Huckin returns from Europe, we should begin our regular methods and paths. What does that mean, exactly? I'm not really sure. So, in short, things are going well and keep in touch. Send us an email or hit us up on AIM (musichappyhour).

#101 -- GVSU Compilation/Tour
Posted: 4.17.06

The GVSU Women's Center Compilation project has been canceled. Don't worry, this actually might be good news for Happy Hour fans, for we will now be obtaining those gem tracks for use at our discretion. In other words, you most likely will not have to purchase the CD to hear alternate versions of "Julia", "Have It All" and "In Your Head" featuring banjo and organ. Really, there is no telling what we will choose to do with the tracks or when we will obtain them, but you will definitely hear them sometime in the future. In addition, a few performance DVD's should be coming our way shortly, including a Rubble's and Jukes performance. Look for clips in the future.

The Spring Tour is totally booked and confirmed. Please check out the shows page for complete details on all shows.

P.S. Don't forget about Happy Hour on WYCE - April 27, 9pm-12am.

#100 -- Battle. Tour. Europe. WYCE.
Posted: 4.10.06

With only myself and Rider in attendance, Happy Hour came out on top in the Rubble's Battle of the Bands. Winnings included free studio time, an opening slot for Yellowcard and a 2-tier, plastic trophy. I do believe we are most excited about the trophy and it is proudly displayed. Thanks to 91.5 Mt. Pleasant for putting on the event.

Secondly, the spring tour has been finalized and Rider is working on the fine details. As soon as I receive all that information, it will be posted on this very site. Until then, check out the dates and the subsequent websites for the venues. If you will be in the area come on out to a show...or spread the word if you know anyone in those areas. We should be purchasing a 1999 Ford conversion van in the next week or two, which should make touring just a little bit smoother.

Huckin is leaving for Europe again. This time he will be overseas from mid-May through June 1st. During that second half of May, Rider and Shirey will attempt to get their lives together post-graduation.

Lastly, Rider and Shirey will be making a live guest appearance on 88.1FM WYCE for their fund drive. Rumors exist of an on-air performance, but the two will be chatting and possibly selecting musical tracks at the least. Tune into WYCE from 9pm-12am on April 27th.

#99 -- Acoustic Mafie Canceled Indefinitely
Posted: 3.22.06

Due to a number of factors, Thursdays' "Acoustic Mafia" night at Ten Bells has been permanently canceled. Sorry if anyone doesn't quite see this in time and accidently shows up to Ten Bells! As most of you know, though, Rider and Shirey are continually on the search for acoustic/open mic nights to either run or perform at. So, keep your eyes and ears open for another event to pop up. As always, we'll keep you posted on our undertakings. Thanks to everyone who did come out and support the "Acoustic Mafia". It was a good idea that could have done well, but perhaps at a different location. Cheers to newcomers, Duffy, for sticking this one out with us - they'll still be around; check them out at www.duffyband.com.

Also:
www.myspace.com/relapserock
www.myspace.com/blessyouboys

#98 -- Journals = Completed!
Posted: 3.21.06

The fact that I have completed the Magnet Heart Conveyor Journals is the only real piece of news for this current week. Although, since it took me so long to complete them and since I promised so many people that I would complete them one day, I felt that this was a large enough piece of information to post in the News section. So, without further ado, please take a reading of the thought-to-be-lost journals. Also, check out photos of both our Rocky's and Lemonjello's CD Release parties that also got lost in the bustle.

P.S. Don't forget about our MHC vinyl. It may sound like I'm pushing it, but we really just love it and want to share the sheer joy!

#97 -- Vinyl & New Track Availability.
Posted: 3.15.06

1] Magnet Heart Conveyor Availability:

Vertigo Music (Division St.) - Vinyl & CD's
The Corner Record Shop (Chicago Dr.) - Vinyl & CD's
RiverBank Music & Books (Monroe Center) - Vinyl & CD's
Full Circle (Holland) - Vinyl
Lemonjello's (Holland) - CD's
Schuler Books (28th St. & Alpine St.) - CD's

See our online store for CD's, Vinyl, and digital availability. Also added: Vinyl preview.

2] GVSU Women's Center Compilation

On March 3rd, Happy Hour worked with Thomas Koziol in the GVSU studio to lay down 3 tracks for a compilation CD benefiting the GVSU Women's Center. As a result, alternate versions of "Have It All", "Julia" and "In Your Head" will be featured on the CD along with near 5 other GVSU bands.

Does this not sound special? Well, then consider that we used a $20 garage sale organ, banjo, guitar and a stripped drum kit to recreate these three songs in alternate tempos and structures. Yes, it sounds a bit on the crazy side, but the tracks came out astonishingly well and we are proud of them. There is a release show for this benefit set to land sometime before the end of the semester, so keep your eyes and ears open. And, of course, we'll keep you informed as to when the CD will be released, as I do believe we will have some copies to sell.

3] Spring Tour

The spring tour is still coming along quite nicely with Rider at the reigns. We've got multiple stops in Canada along with a lot of east coast. Check out the preliminaries in the shows section. If you know of anyone in the areas - or are going to BE in any of the areas - spread the word and come on out.

#96 -- VINYL!!!!!!!
Posted: 3.9.06

Really, all I want to tell the masses in this update is that the vinyl copies of Magnet Heart Conveyor are DONE! The wait has been long and stressful, but I just hope that you guys are as happy as I am that they are done. Please check out the details in our store, and make sure to stop by an upcoming show to check the vinyl out in person (they are a sight of pure beauty). ALSO, copies of the vinyl are available at Vertigo Music on Division St. and should be available at RiverBank Music and Books (Fountain St.) and Full Circle (Holland) in the very near future. I could go on forever about it, but I will stop here.

Othere news....hmmm....make note that the March 4 Rocky's show is BACK ON. We do regret to inform you that the ever-beloved bartender, Pat has moved on, which left some confusion in booking, but the show IS ON. Will we play Rocky's again now that Pat is gone? This I cannot say.

Rider and Huckin (and Krusher the Merchaneer) have made a quick trip to Virginia for no more than four days. They will be back for "Acoustic Mafia" on Thursday (3.2) at 10 Bells.

Shirey and Rider participated in yet another radio spot, this time on GVSU's student-run radio, WCKS 1610am. Though clips exist from the show, they are a bit poor in quality. I'm debating whether to put them up online or not. We'll see. Check the station out at www.wcks.org.

Speaking of GVSU, Happy Hour will be featured on an upcoming project. A compilation featuring Grand Valley bands is currently being constructed by an individual who is recording them one by one in the GVSU studio. It will then be sold to benefit an organization. We're not sure what songs we're contributing yet, but they will most likely be alternate versions of songs from MHC. Maybe banjo? Jaymar? I'll let you know.

Recently, someone made an online purchase of MHC from Spain and, better yet, we have also been asked to send a copy of MHC to a reasonably large UK zine, Bucketfull Of Brains, as well as to Leicester Bangs zine. As you can imagine, we're getting excited about overseas ventures.

That is a rather large update...and I'm sure there are things I missed.

#95 -- Jammies, Van, Tour, Practice...Gulp, 10 Bells?
Posted: 2.14.06

Magnet Heart Conveyor was nominated for "Best Local Rock Album" and "Local Album of the Year" at the 7th Annual 88.1 WYCE Jammies. Though we did not win a Jammie, we did give a subpar performance at the event. Due to an unexplained tuning problem, we stumbled through "Have It All" and "Leaving Town". Despite the disappointment, we managed to play it off well and still make a decent run at the songs. Our curse of being recorded lives on.

Although we still haven't purchased a new touring van, shows have been booked for the Spring Tour. So far, Rider has confirmed The Knitting Factory in New York as well as Toronto and Montreal shows. We will keep you updated as the shows are set in stone.

Alas, we have practiced as a band. Ever since we started recording MHC, there has been no band practice, but FINALLY, we got together on February 11 and jammed "the shit" out of my parents' basement. Several new songs are in an "introductory state" with tentative titles:

[Leaving Town]
[Bosses]
[Courses]
[Good Day/Good Night]
[Our Parts]
[Lament]
[Phil]
[Girl!]
[Daybed]

These songs will surely appear at upcoming shows, as we are now back to our schedule of one-to-two shows per week.

Rider and myself have embarked on yet another "open mic" project. However, this particular installment is a little bit different, and I do think it could be great with help from musicians, music lovers and, of course, drinkers. The Acoustic Mafia is taking place every Thursday night at Ten Bells, from 8pm-12am. Here's the deal: Acoustic performances from Shirey/Rider, BlessYou Boys (Chris Andrus Band), Relapse and Curt Hines. THEN, we get to invite 1 to 2 other bands to play each night. This way, things are kept fresh and the random "open mikers" are eliminated. SO, rare acoustic performances are made along with collaborations between all band members. ALSO, drinks are 1/2 OFF UNTIL 11PM! Still not good enough...alright...Admission is FREE with this pass (21+). Otherwise, it's $3 at the door, 18+. Basically, we have control of the entire bar for 4 hours...including the music! Come out to this one, we may have created a monster.

OK, lastly, I recently did an interview with a New York college paper, so look for that to be posted in Features at some point in time.