 Next Show
Friday, May 23rd, 9:30 PM
The Bean [Web site]
Madison, Wisconsin [Map/Directions]
News: Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
Badger Bowl
Madison, Wisconsin
You know, when I first got to Badger Bowl about 6:15pm Saturday night, with a skinny triple venti mocha in hand, I just had the feeling that this was going to be a great night. I felt great, everybody was in good spirits, and I had managed to get all of my gear to the venue despite trading off my truck the day before.
To be sure, it was toasty warm inside and there were only a few people in the bar at that time. We propped the loading door open and Jeff set his fan back there to bring in some fresh air. It worked wonderfully though we knew it wouldn't last. By the time we hit the stage about 9:40pm, it was plenty hot and it went up from there!
People hit the dance floor right out of the gate and never left. I don't know how Badger Bowl sold any drinks because it seemed like everyone was dancing. Nick and I tried to go into the crowd during "Crazy Bitch" and could only manage to get a few feet from the stage before we were enveloped by the crowd. It was pretty sweet! The heat just seemed to intensify the energy and there were a lot of smiling, sweaty people having a good time!
We didn't have any new tunes for this show as our rehearsal schedule got thrown out of whack this last week. We have a couple of songs that are pretty fresh yet, and I have to admit I have been derelict of my duties in this regard. I always have said that if you recommend a song to us and we end up playing it, I would give you mad props in these fabled words known as "the news." Well, Brenda and Shara recommended "Fake It" by Seether to us and I neglected to give them credit for it when we debuted the song last week. My bad! Don't hate me! Actually, the girls were very sweet about it, and I promised to make up for it. So if you like our version of "Fake It," thank them.
As always, there were multiple events/parties taking place at our gig. Jacqueline was celebrating her 30th birthday and by coincidence, so was Buzz! Once midnight rolled around, it was our boy's birthday and since he is so shy and introverted, we didn't make too big a deal of it. His mom made a most fabulous cake that we devoured in the parking lot after loading out, and we thank her for that! There was also a bachelorette party in the house although I couldn't tell who they were. Usually the bride-to-be is costumed in a Suck For A Buck shirt or is drinking from a large phallus. I didn't see any such props, so we'll just have to trust that the rumor was true. Also, our good friends and huge local music supporters Bobby & Kristin came to the show with a group of 35 people. YOU RULE! Thank you so much, and we hope that everyone had a good time.
Alright kiddies, we have a few weeks to catch our breath and try and wrap up a couple more new songs that we have in the hopper. We'll be back at it on Friday May 23 at The Bean, home of the wildest shows in town. That starts a furious stretch for your LUBE boys, because that show is followed by Sunday (yep, Sunday) May 25 at the New Glarus Community Festival (I've heard this is a blast and you don't have to work the next day!), Monday (yep, Monday) May 26 at Brat Fest (the world's largest) at Willow Island by the Alliant Energy Center in Madison from 4-6pm, and then Saturday May 31 at Windsor Street Grille in Sun Prairie. It's gonna be a busy 8 days for us but provides you more than ample opportunity to get your rock on LUBE style! See you there!
News: Saturday, April 26th, 2008
Club Tavern
Middleton, Wisconsin
You know, ever since I got back from Hawaii, my ass has been seriously dragging. I've never dealt with jet lag like this. I wasn't sleeping well, never felt rested, and it was really starting to get to me. After getting home at 4:00am from our show Friday night (after a late night breakfast with Jeffy), I slept until almost 1:00pm, and when I woke up, I felt GREAT! Apparently my system had been deprived of LUBE gigs and that was the cause of my overpowering fatigue. Suddenly I felt like $1,000,000 and was ready to seriously throw it down at The Club!
Upon arriving, it seemed as though everyone had gotten a good night's sleep. We were all in great spirits and prepared for a thunderous show. Our beloved grunt Curt was celebrating his birthday, and as a token of our esteem, he was given the night off from his duties. That was a good thing, because by the end of the night he was squinty and in no condition to work!
As we started the show, I was a bit concerned that a bunch of the LUBE faithful were out doing other things. With Crazy Legs in the morning and some strong bands in the area, maybe the crowd was going to be a bit thin. How wrong I was! You were all just fashionably late with the exception of my wife who stunned me by her promptness. A very nice crowd filed in and rocked out with us, and we wholly appreciate that!
Once again, the local music peeps have shown that the LUBE gig is the place to be for birthday celebrations! Not only was it Curt's birthday but Kelly's and Terri's and a whole slew of other names I have forgotten. Drinks flowed, bodies were shakin', and it was jolly good fun. There were a lot of very talented dancers! Our boy Curt even got on stage during "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and did a little striptease. He is chiseled, knows how to shake his butt, and the ladies were eating it up. The pictures of that will be most excellent!
Be sure to join us at the hottest venue in Madison this next week, Badger Bowl, for a Saturday night extravaganza! The show kicks off at 9:30pm, and Curt will have his shirt on again and be back to work. We'll have a few weeks off after this gig, so make sure you come get your LUBE fix!
News: Friday, April 25th, 2008
The Riley Tavern
Verona, Wisconsin
Hello, LUBIES! It's me, Bartho, and I have returned to my official duties as the bass dude of LUBE! My vacation was very nice, albeit a bit spendy, and I returned from Hawaii seriously jonesing to play music again. The guys and I jumped right back into our practice routine and polished up a couple of new songs which we broke out at my first gig back, The Riley Tavern
It should come at no surprise to you that The Riley isn't any bigger than it used to be. We manage to cram all of our gear into the small back room but it leaves us with little space for high-flying stage maneuvers. Fortunately, there was a strong crowd on hand and we fed off each other's energy. We were joined by 30 or so people all traveling by bus in celebration of Chris's 40th birthday. That alone is enough to fill The Riley, but there were plenty of other people who came out to see us too!
As I mentioned, we put the final touches on two new songs that debuted Friday night. The first was "Into The Night" by Santana & Chad Kroeger from Nickelback. Jeff sings this one and it has an infectious dance beat. "Fake It" by Seether was our other new song, complete with distorted bass and Buzz's aggressive vocals. The LUBIES were definitely digging this tune! I guess if you listen to the lyrics, we all know of someone for whom the song could have been written.
Friday was a special night for drummer Steve as he and his wife Jenny celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. What better way to do that than by getting sweaty and smelly at a LUBE show?!? Congrats to them and we all wish them continued happiness in their marriage. That Jenny has got to be a saint...
After a replay of the much-requested "SexyBack," we tore down, loaded out, and wrapped up a long work week with another successful gig at The Riley. Murph and Katherine made sure we were well fed and hydrated, as per usual, and we had a great time. It was time to go home, recharge the batteries, and prepare for the next night at The Club Tavern. I gotta tell ya, about three songs into the show I noticed I had goosebumps on my arms...it felt good to be playing again! Thanks to everyone who welcomed me back and made this an awesome show!
News: Friday, March 28th and Saturday March 29th, 2008
The Bean and Windsor Street Grille
Madison and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
My dear friends and LUBEamaniacs, it is my sincerest pleasure to once again address you. I have finally returned to the mainland following a delightful Hawaiian vacation. As many of you do following a sweet LUBE gig, I checked www.luberocks.com to get the lowdown on the latest shows. The pictures are always my favorite part, as being on stage precludes me from seeing all the fun that is happening in the crowd. The pictures from the above shows are awesome and from what I've heard, the gigs were classic LUBE rock fests! I was somewhat distraught to see that no one wrote the news while I was gone, and since the news lets me connect with you, I just had to write something!
There are several reasons why these two gigs turned out as well as they did. Allow me to explain. My wife and I booked a 10-day Hawaiian island cruise Aug. 1, 2007 in celebration of our pending 5-year wedding anniversary. With my job, I have to schedule my time off essentially a year in advance, and I always try to arrange things so that it creates the least amount of conflict with the LUBE calendar. We have limited availability, again due to work reasons in the band. Anyway, an extended vacation by myself or anyone involved in LUBE can't help but affect our gigs, and in past years, shows were not booked when someone wasn't available.
After looking at our booking availability, I realized that if LUBE didn't find a replacement for me while I was gone, we'd have two full months between shows, and that's too long! I came to the band and suggested they find a guest bassist, and Steve and I both thought of Doug Skinner immediately. As you know, Doug is in Heartbreaker and had previously been in Monkeypunch/Bad Jack with Steve. Their experience playing together would make the situation much easier, despite the fact I had a rather impressive list of other viable candidates we could have asked. It wasn't an easy decision for anyone, but in the end, LUBE decided to take an unprecedented step and play two shows without one of the official band members. Some bands do this all the time, but for us, it was a big deal.
Everyone in LUBE made an extra effort to facilitate these shows. Rehearsals were modified so that both Doug and I could play with the band. Dan had to make changes to the front of house sound as Doug and I use different gear. And let's not forget that Doug had to go out and learn 45+ songs in order to pull this thing off! Beyond that, LUBE learned "Thunderkiss '65," so Doug could sing it at these gigs. It might not sound like much to those on the outside, but this was a large undertaking, and in the end, it turned out great!
I can't say that some or all of us didn't have mixed feelings about it. After I committed to my decision to make this happen, I started second-guessing myself. What if the band liked Doug better? What if my beloved LUBIES liked Doug better? The truth of the matter is that everyone came together for the sake of the music, band and fans alike. I know in my heart that while some of you might have noticed I was missing, you still gave Doug and the other guys your full support. For that, I thank you. One thing I can assure you is that I miss playing like you would not believe! Bring on The Riley, baby! I'm ready to tear it up!
Let me tell you what I was doing while you guys were rocking out with my boys. March 28 was my birthday, and I rented a bright red Charger and took my wife, mom, & step-dad to the summit of Haleakala, a dormant volcano on the east end of Maui. Maui is simply stunning, and the world is a beautiful place at 10,023 feet. We then traveled to upcountry and visited the Tedeschi Winery, again enjoying the scenery along the way despite the fact my driving made my mom car sick. Sorry about that. Later that evening, we had dinner with my Uncle Chris his family who live in Wailuku, in the foothills of the west Maui mountains. As you can imagine, we don't see one another very often, and it made for a special treat.
Saturday March 29 was a bit laid back. Tammy, her mom & sister Connie, and I ventured into the lush Iao Valley. The foliage is dense and has more shades of green that anyone ever knew existed. We then bummed around and visited the world famous Hilo Hattie store, stocking up on souvenirs and aloha wear. After returning the car, it was back to the Pride of Aloha, and we departed for our next port of call, that being Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. All the while, you were kickin' it at WSG.
Don't think that I didn't miss you! The Bartho doesn't like to go without his rock, and the past few weeks have taught me to savor the opportunities I have to play. Thank you for supporting LUBE while I was away, and please come back and see us again soon! Thanks go to Doug Skinner as well...we appreciate you helping us out, bro.
LUBE's next show is Friday April 25 at The Riley Tavern, followed by Saturday April 26 at The Club Tavern. After that, Saturday May 3 at Badger Bowl. Killer shows, all of them! I WILL see you there! Now please excuse me while I take my over-tired, jet-lagged carcass to bed.
News: Saturday, March 1st, 2008
Badger Bowl
Madison, Wisconsin
LUBE has been playing the Badger Bowl for a long time. Our first gig there was part of a local metal band showcase, and we were one of four bands to perform (Talamasca, Live Wire, and Nightmare's End were the others if memory serves me correctly). Clearly, you know and we know that LUBE is not a metal band, yet we can rock with the best of them. It just so happened that Barry Manilow was performing at the Coliseum that same night (definitely not a metal band!). In tribute to Barry, we worked up a cover of a cover of his song "Mandy," despite already knowing we didn't really fit in with the other bands. It was, however, a foot in the door, and after we dropped a punked-up "Mandy" on them, we were invited to book our own show there. That was the summer of 2000, and things have certainly changed since then!
One thing that's changed over the years is the band. Since that first BB show, we've changed drummers (from Todd to Steve) and added another guitarist (fan favorite Jeffy). Our song selection has turned over several times, although there still may be an "oldie" or two lurking around from time to time. Our production has changed, our logo has changed, and the temperature inside the Bowl during shows has changed. Sometimes I feel like a rotisserie chicken when we play there. It's hot before we even start!
If you'll look closely at the pictures, you'll notice that the band and the patrons look sweaty. The band is sweaty because we work hard to entertain you, and more times than not, we work up an aromatic froth without much trouble. I'd go so far as to call it earthy, even. The good people who come to shows dance, party, and have a great time, so they too generally moisten as the night goes on. But Badger Bowl creates the soupiest mess out of all of us each and every time. My friend Brian dared me to try and work a sweaty bean bag reference into this news, but I'm going to refrain. Let's just say that boxers are not the undergarment of choice at BB shows. Something more form fitting is far superior.
Since I have nudged my way toward the gutter, we are "family-friendly" so I'll stop at a PG-13 level. If, however, you are offended by words like "brassiere" or "phallus," please skip to the next paragraph. I have to tell you there were at least two bachelorette parties in the house with us Saturday night. Bachelorette parties bring out the wild animal in the ladies! Naturally, there was Suck For A Buck, which is always a fun way to earn/spend some money. There was also a large inflatable phallus full of graffiti roaming the bar. Thankfully Buzz didn't violate it the way he used to "have his way" with the Aflac duck! One of the bachelorettes, Molly, traded shirts with a young man in the crowd, and ended up on stage in her brassiere, much to the delight of the fellas in attendance. Now, despite the rather bawdy topics discussed in this recap, LUBE is chivalrous, and so we gave our very last "Back Stage Pass" t-shirt to Molly as a token of our esteem, allowing her to cover her assets and retain her innocence.
LUBE has a few weeks off until our next show, that being Friday March 28 @ The Bean, followed the next night at Windsor Street Grille in Sun Prairie. You know how fun and crazy these shows are, so just plan on being there! There will be something noticeably different on these two nights, something LUBE fans have never seen. I don't want you to get used to it, because it is for a limited time only. What is it? Fine, I'll tell ya. Doug Skinner, the Zombie-singing energy bundle that plays bass for Heartbreaker, will be sitting in with the band while yours truly is on a romantical vacation. I know how undeniably cool LUBE fans are, and I know you will show Doug all the love and support you show me. Don't like him too much, though, because your boy will be back with a vengeance come April! Not only that, I guarantee we will deliver you new tunes at the Riley Tavern show on April 25! So do me a favor...don't sit home and pout because Bartho is in Hawaii, come out and rock your asses off with LUBE and show Doug how totally awesome a LUBE gig is! Be there 3/28 @ The Bean and 3/29 @ WSG!
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