recording

heya

we had a fun time at the supermarket with hue last night. nice club.

in january we are heading into the studio to record some songs for our first digital ep.

it's been a while since we have spent any time in the studio. regardless we are excited and fearful. prime operating conditions i would say.

there will be audio, pictures and videos galore!

g

recording

But....

We are playing the Supermarket in Toronto on December 29th.
We have not played the Supermarket as of yet and we are all looking forward to it. We have heard great things about the venue.

Thanks
p.

But....

no go london

sorry to announce. the show in london on dec 27th has been cancelled.

the past post mentioning said show has been modified to reflect the new truth.

please conduct yourself accordingly.

happy holiday.

vacuity.

no go london

Merry Christmas everyone.



Thanks Mike.

p.

Blanket Sky review

Click here to read a wonderful review of 'Blanket Sky' from Fazer.ca

nice to know that people are listening. cheers!

g

Blanket Sky review

thank thank

Great time last night folks. Many thanks from all of us. And to our good friends in 'The Free Press'. It is good to be home for sure. What a welcome.

If you haven't already, please download our record. It's free.

"At the Command of the Blanket Sky"

We've had 300 some downloads already.

Enjoy and survive the holiday season.

happy happy.


g.

thank thank

The Record

Article from yesterday's Nightlife. Big thanks to Jason for helping with this.

See you tomorrow night.

g

The Record

i want to make music. not money.

As of today our album is officially free online. we've all been talking and talking and talking to figure out how to best begin adapting to the changes technology has brought into the music industry. we're not sure what to do still, but we're moving in new directions and that's important to get things started. the water is muddy - that is for sure.

i haven't slept in too many hours. emeri and i wanted badly to have an entire new website up and running in celebration of our 'worldwide distribution deal'. unfortunately fireworks went for a crap on us and natural Vacuity luck ensued. somehow the van's battery even died - typical band vehicle voodoo at work again. for now just the download is available on the site. the full site will be up and running by early next week. (here's hoping)

don't misunderstand the donation thing. we dont want to associate that too closely with the actual download of our album. Our music is free. this isn't an 'in rainbows' pay-what-you-like. we are merely putting out a hat on the digital merch table. if you want to toss in, thank you - but hey - no pressure. in fact, i would rather you come to a show. buy a shirt or a physical copy of the record if you really want to support things monetarily. even better, buy a patch or a tote bag our fiend elena handmade for us. the important thing to us is getting the music to people who want it.

too many of my musician friends are waiting for a record deal to release their albums, or worse, caught in a bad record deal with their hands bound. what's the obsession with the record deal? You don't need it. we're entering a time where the interaction can potentially be as simple as ARTIST to FAN. If you're a middleperson in there, you'd better be doing legitimate work or you're out of a job. someone said they would like to see an A&R guy go 'A&R' on a street corner for pocket change. i liked that comment.

and why shouldn't digital music be free? the artist needs to be paid in order to live. they need to live in order to continue making music. so compensation needs to happen. definitely. however we don't need 'rock stars' glamourized on tv. touring their mansions and checking out their pimped out rides. use super models, and the ultra rich as further examples - pop culture sells us this very small slice of reality as standard. most people are not super models, most people are not ultra rich, most musicians do not have 5 cars. you get the point. if technology enabled our civilization to make food and shelter free, would we resist with such strength? what's the goal here?

i've been awake for 30 hours. coming undone very much so.

enjoy the music. we're not beggars. point made.

g.

i want to make music. not money.

Onward, Downward: Episode VI

New episode!

- e

Onward, Downward: Episode VI

shows with Hue

We've been asked to share the stage with a great band from London called Hue. We will be with them for 1 date in late december.

dec 29
the supermarket
toronto

The ever so kind and cool Jason Schneider has put together an article about the band and the tour that you can find in this week's Nightlife (The Record). It will be out on Thursday.

Emeri gave us a silent screening of the next Onward, downward last night at rehearsal. You will get some insight into the sweet technology we use to produce our music. ;)

See you all on Saturday.

g.

shows with Hue

Onward, Downward - Episode V: Back to School.... Bus.

Hello there folks... guess what?

I finally got off my ass and edited a new video for you...we're going to start making these a weekly thing. So, if you're into it, there's going to be plenty more to get into.

Enjoy,

- e

Onward, Downward - Episode V: Back to School.... Bus.

Cross Country Championships

Hello Lovely Vacuitants.

Last night we played a show at the University of Guelph in a beautiful new building they have on campus. The cost of a post secondary education brings into question the true motives of such institutions. Outrageously priced textbooks in an age where digital copies cost almost nothing to make. Anyways...

We were brought in as dinner entertainment for the National Cross Country Championships. The celebration is in Guelph. As I understand it, they have a most promising team and have taken the top spot in the championships four years in a row. This is an unprecedented record. We were performing for future Olympians. The set was well received and we had an awesome time meeting everyone involved.

Setting up.



Rob plays some FF7 on his laptop. (best FF ever!)

Big thanks to Robert Zilles for asking us to play this show.

g.

Cross Country Championships

Way Back Machine

anyone familiar with the brilliant show 'News Talk Radio' will be privy to the title.

was going through the old disk drives today an stumbled upon some older goodies. enjoy.

g

Way Back Machine

302 redirect

Once again, Life in the Catacombs will suffice as our website while I get a new design created, tamed and ready for consumption.

Before we left for our last tour my laptop had been on the fritz. The road has claimed many a casualty and no doubt that my laptop was one of them. All of my source files for vacuity.net are on it - not to mention about 250 more pictures from the tour, a massive pile of recordings/song ideas/variations etc etc etc - most people have lost a computer at one point or another and I think the end result is similar - a pain the the arse. I have a plan for the recovery of these things that I will not bore you lovely readers with here. Nevertheless, a new website will be coming soon.

In other Vacuity news - we are in a fever of new material. The music is pouring out and coming together like never before. We are working on our next tour out west scheduled for March/April of 2009. This time we will have an itinerary prior to the day we leave, which will give us time to let you all know about the shows.

The next installment of Onward, Downward will be available soon.

Stay warm,

oberson.

302 redirect

sweet dwindling sanity

7:15am. cannot put down the guitar. new songs are a breath of fresh air.

must be 2 hours sleep.

we are playing at the boathouse on december 13th. our friends the free press will be joining us.




g.

sweet dwindling sanity

glimpse

g

glimpse

Recess is over...

The bell has gone and recess is officially over. Vacuity will be back into their jam space tonight and not a moment too soon.

We have been meeting and tapping outlets that will help us in the next short while to determine what avenues we will be taking… other words, figuring our shit out.

I know all of us are itching to get back at writing and booking some shows for the New Year. We will have some pretty big news for everyone in the coming weeks. I guess we'll just hit you guys with it and see how it flies.

Being back is a bit strange. I have not really left the house much, no real desire to. I still haven't really even turned on the heat. Maybe it's shell shock from the bus... Emeri and I did almost die that last night. However, I am starting to regain feeling and the mouse is moving on his wheel even faster then usual.

Oh and we really got a great response with the "Onward, Downward" videos that we did while on the road. So there might even be some more of those...

Keep checking back.
p.

Recess is over...

Backward Vision.

The tour has been done for a couple of weeks and we are already in the process of setting up more stuff for February and March-April. I want to thank everyone who frequents this blog for your interest, and to keep checking it out, because we are already working on new material, and setting up another tour(s). So stay tuned!

Here are some shots that encompass the whole trip. It is unfortunate that the last half of the tour had less pictures. It is the hardest thing to charge batteries in a bus parked in a vacant lot. Next time there will hopefully be a whole lot less vehicle problems to deal with, and a whole lot more shows and music related pictures. It was an adventure none the less....... enjoy!




Safe at home in the K-dub. Just outside of the Boathouse-still pimping Thor's ride. Showing him off before our K-W kick-off with our good friends 'The Free Press'
Set'n up for our Tour Launch at The El Mocambo.
Mr. Cutler even made it out for the gig. Unbelievable!
Chatting with friends and well-wishers while loading up for the trip back to Kitchener.
Cultural experiences in Marathon Ontario.More cultural experiences.The Starbuck's in Marathon. Grande Bold please.
The haunting face of auto-shops of yet to come. Oh.. Thunder Bay.
Taco Time eluded us the entire trip... yes this is a true regret.Another attempt at fixing the speed sensor in Brandon Manitoba. Shop #2.
Flat flat flat flat flat flat. The desolation of the prairies is actually quite beautiful.
Saskatoon. Buds on Broadway, just down the street from the much cooler 'Amigo's'
Oh my god it is my dream car! Seriously... this is sweet.
Shop #3, The death of Thor, the God of broken imported axles. Lloydminster, AB/SK
Rental Truck #1
Rental Van #2.
The 4th and final vehicle, the beauty that is Atlas. Chevy 30 = Lego mobile.The head on shot of the beast.
Packed to the brim.
This is Wilkie Saskatchewan. Home of Tim Lee, and the source of our rescue. Tim saved us when we were pretty sure there was no way to make the rest of the tour fly.
On the way to Slave Lake, Alberta. Freaking spooky ass highway.Our very short experience with Edmonton.
The Watch store in Stettler, AB. Biggest sign for miles around.

Atlas refuels... hot diggidy!
Mountains beckon. On our way into the Rockies.
Revelstoke! Oh my god.
Near Kamloops.. Insane surroundings.
The Lions Gate bridge in Vancouver. Our good friend Ryan Layfield was kind enough to show us around. Wicked city.
The Pacific Ocean. The furthest point of the journey
More Van-city.Coolant problems just outside of 'Hope' BC.

Seriously sunny but cold in the mountains.
Skip the prairies and we are back to north of Superior. This is between Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie.
Sleeping in a Tim Horton's parking lot leaves you weathered. An absolutely grotesque scene in Northern Ontario.
This is how to kill time while draining BBQ tanks into a bus tank.
So close yet so far in Ontario. Close enough to the end of our tour. After this our water pump broke. Atlas had been so good to us up until then. All the way through the rockies and back with only a trip permit, and the topping up of random fluids from time to time. Not bad for an '86.
It felt good to be home and clean again, surrounded by loved ones. Something strange happens after about a week though... there is this itch... like you need to be doing something... I have come to the conclusion that something might be booking another tour.

Backward Vision.

The 5th of November

Happy Guy Fox Day.

Read. More. Here.

g.

The 5th of November

Deadly Compounding

If you're like me and don't understand a goddamn thing about this 'economy crisis' that is unfolding, I highly recommend this video 'Crash Course' by Chris Martenson.

Not to be pushy, but it kind of directly affects your future so it might be in your best interest to make some time for it.

g.

Deadly Compounding

hey. you.

video.



enjoy.

-e

Tour Debrief

I've been home for a week now. Just over a week? I'm not really sure. My mind is still making it's way back from the west. I suspect my entire brain will never make it back. That's okay.

The final push home was a nightmare. Atlas had been having issues related to overheating since The Rockies. A phone call to my dad helped to isolate the problem. I don't know enough about motor vehicles. I am convinced that they run on a mixture of hope, magic, and will power. Just kidding, everyone knows they really run on two things; CASH and SOUL. Through cellular static my Dad explained to me that one of two things were wrong with Atlas:

1) Thermostat. Very cheap. Very easy to fix.

2) Water Pump. Not so cheap. Requires mechanic.

We replaced the Thermostat and lucked out. Atlas was eating up prairie highway faster than he had in weeks. Our tour schedule on the way home was pretty intense. We were driving 800km with shows at the end almost everyday. This isn't as much of a problem in a vehicle that can go faster than 90km/hr and doesn't require propane as a fuel source. Most places that supply auto propane don't have an employee certified to pump after 6pm. On fumes we arrived in Winnipeg and even made it to Thunder Bay where we were rewarded with an awesome night at Black Pirate's Pub.

Tim Lee (the wonderful man who sold us Atlas and arguably saved our tour) supplied us with a life line. It is a hose that allows us to transfer the propane from a BBQ tank into Atlas' tank. It is not a lot of fuel, but it will get you a little further down the road. The problem is that the road in Nothern Ontario is extremely fucking long. We went through a stretch of over 300km with no auto propane. We collected BBQ tanks and swaped them out whenever the chance arose. On our way to Sault Ste Marie for the evening's show at The Grande Theatre we ran out of fuel in Wawa. Unable to transfer enough fuel into the tank to make the show in time we were forced to cancel. This was unfortunate as Emeri's parents had driven from Kitchener to meet us for the show. However, thanks to them we discovered that the venue was not open on Sundays and regardless of our tardiness - there was no show that night anyways. Hmmm.

We slept in Atlas in a Tim Horton's parking lot. Their coffee tastes like dirt and nicotine but their parking lots are large and their washrooms are somewhat clean. The police banged on our door at 6am demanding to know what we were doing there and why we were doing it. After a brief explanation we hit the road, continuing homeward.

The next day Atlas' water pump broke. If you've been listening you'll know that is the other thing that could have gone wrong. That is a beautiful picture of our luck. After much fuckaroo we ended up separated and stranded. Thankfully the next day Emeri and Paul were able to get Atlas repaired. They picked Rob and I up in Sudbury. I honestly cannot remember how many more times we ran out of fuel on that last day. At least three. We made it home around midnight, disheveled, but intact.

Apologies to those of you in the east that were looking forward to a Vacuity fix. It wasn't in the cards this time around. Hopefully next time.

Now that we're home a little earlier than anticipated we have a few weeks until our rehearsal space comes back into our possession. It's time off. None of us are very good at taking time off for more than a few days. I have already half unloaded Fiver (our original van) into my basement. It is a cramped space that I share with 3 girls, a rabbit and a chinchilla. The company listens quietly and the melodies are coming out - all is well.

I will do my best to keep this blog updated and interesting. We're planning to write for the winter and tour again in the spring. With hopes of releasing our next album in the summer.

Oh plans!

g.

Tour Debrief