Brooklyn, NY

Days off are usually few and far in between when touring, but the way it worked out this time we had a couple days off early on. Since we were in Manhattan, we decided to create a new temporary residency in Brooklyn NY. We crossed over the Williamsburg bridge and pulled into a parking spot that would accommodate us down on North 7th and Driggs Ave.

We spent the day walking the streets; one of our favorite low cost pastimes. New York is beautiful in the fall and the rainy weather we had the few days before had turned into sunny skies.

In the evening we made dinner in the bus and then walked over to our friends' apartment and temporary neighbor. We went out on the town for a bit and then called it a night. It was a low key day but certainly nice to take advantage of the time off when you have it.

Cheers,
Ross

Manhattan, NY

Last night was an interesting night. We arrived in Manhattan, NY around 6pm. The show start time was 8pm. This gave us enough time to make some food in the bus, load in gear and have an ice gold Naragansett (our great sponsor)..plug...

We were the first band on which is always a little difficult especially when it's an early start time like 8pm. A big part of touring is routine and when you play real early or real late, it can make you lose your bearings a bit. Another issue with playing real early is that the room is typically less than full.

Five minutes before we hit the stage, we were all alone in the venue. Right when we hit the stage the room started to fill up which is always encouraging. We were at Arlene's Grocery last month and the room sounded great. This time was no exception. The sound guy did a top notch job and the room mix was right on the money. We're even contemplating releasing a song or two as a live session

What do you do when you have friend on the tour bus? Have them take photos of you.

After the show we spent some time talking to new fans and old friends. One of Keith's old high school friend's was in the area and we spent some time catching up in the bus. We had to get up early to move out of our parking spot so we turned in around 2am, instead of the usual New York 5am night. We were up and out of Manhattan today by 9:30am. We have today and tomorrow off so we decided to relocate to to Brooklyn temporarily for the next couple of days. We're parked at the corner of N 7th and Griggs Ave if you want to come by and say hello

Cheers
Ross

Northampton, MA

After a stellar show in Boston, we were looking forward to playing The Elevens in Northampton, MA. Northampton is a beautiful little city in Western, MA. One of my favorite places to visit. If you've never been, I'd highly recommend it. Bustling with friendly people, eclectic arts and a world class food selection.

We arrived plenty early and were met with our normal hardest task of the day; where do you park a 27 foot vehicle in the heart of a city? Well, after a couple loops in the rain we were able to get a spot only a block a way. After settling in we sat back and enjoyed the first 2 acts. The show was a fundraiser for a new Northampton-based record label called Sonic Strawberries. Not surprising, all of the bands and bar staff were very friendly; a staple Northampton personality trait.

Long view of the bus. Keith working on the computer. It's not all rock & roll all the time.

The show went well. We made some new friends and made our way back to our home on wheels for the night. The next morning we spent some time taking in the Northampton scenery and ate at my favorite burrito joint of all time - Bueno y Sanyo. After filling our stomachs we did the next few days of  grocery shopping. A very important money saver when on tour. Grocery shopping on a full stomach. You're always better off running out of food, after all you can always drink beer if you're hungry.

We just arrived in NYC, by far the hardest place to maneuver the bus but at this point I think we're getting used to it. We're getting ready for our show at Arlene's Grocery. Until next time.

Cheers,

Ross

And so it begins...

After a long summer of regional gigging and a grueling September packed with festivals and block parties (i know.. tough life) theWANDAS are back on tour. This time we're hitting the entire U.S. We'll be dropping about 10,000 miles on our new (to us) RV..err... Tour Bus..

The tour officially started on Oct 1st at the Brick House in Dover, NH. Our first time playing the venue and I think our first gig in New Hampshire. For being our neighboring state we don't make it north that often.

The venue was a perfect start to the tour; nice vibe, good layout, good sound, friendly staff. Some of Brent's family made it to the show along with Danielle (our booking agent) and our good friend Jinsen from 28 Degrees Taurus. Gathered in with the local crowd it's always nice to see some familiar faces.

After the show we spent our first night sleeping in the bus. It's a bit more spacious than last tour. Keith and I are still sleeping next to each other, but out of choice, not necessity. Well it's a queen size bed... what would you do?

The next show was on our home turf; Tommy Doyle's in Boston, MA (Harvard Square). The venue has become our go-to spot for good times and raucous shows. We shared the stage with our friends the Jeddo Stars. They played a killer set and really set the mood for the night. They're a great band, with great fans.

The night was truly special. It was great seeing all of our friends and fans who have been coming to shows for years in conjunction with all of the new fans who have been gathering with the latest release of New Wave Blues.

Brent & Keith taking a page out of The Beatles book at Tommy Doyles. Photo by Jesse Power

The set was fun because we played a lot of the newer songs, but when pressed by the crowd for "one more song" we decided to play Promised Me Then; something Will has always wanted to do for an encore since joining the band. After the show we walked across the street to one of our favorite last-call spots; Noir. We spent the rest of the night with friends and loved ones as we won't be seeing them for a couple months.

We're on our way to The Elevens in Northampton, MA one of my personal favorite cities; after spending 4.5 years living in Western MA. I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun tour stories for you. We're just getting warmed up. See you in NOHO.

Cheers,
Ross

'New Wave Blues' Reviewed in - San Diego Entertainer Magazine

Heading into our U.S. Tour it's nice to get some press around the country. Mary Leary from San Diego Entertainer Magazine gave New Wave Blues a thorough listening and rave review. Here's and excerpt below. You can read the entire review here (it's the 3rd review down the page).

...the sudden energy of “Trepidation,” which is absolutely brilliant. It makes me want to go see these Cambridge-based young men live. It gets me excited about living even though I’m frustrated ‘cause I don’t have anything like the budget to run to Boston for a Wandas show, to see what kind of scene generated, and is supporting, this phenomenon.

theWANDAS will be performing live at The Ruby Room in San Diego, CA on November 5th.

Welcome Hype Machine Visitors - Download Album For Free

Someone just pointed out that "Thank You Note" is in the top 100 on Hype Machine. It's always nice to see music spreading to new listeners.

You can download theWANDAS entire album New Wave Blues, featuring Thank You Note from smirp. Simply click here and set your price to download the entire album. If you don't have any dough, set the price to $0.00.

If you haven't seen the video for Thank You Note, it was featured on FUSE TV on demand last month, you can view it below.

Friends of Fort Point Channel

Hi All

Our friend Danielle McNally recently got us involved in the Friends of Fort Point Channel, a nonprofit organization committed to making the Fort Point Channel an exciting and welcoming destination for all of Boston’s residents, workforce and visitors.

The Fort Point Channel is home to residents, artists, offices, well-known cultural and Harbor destinations, a growing Harborwalk and much more. Though still undergoing a dramatic change, the Channel is already emerging as a virtual "Boston Common on the Water" and one of Boston’s best places to live, work and play.

All of Friends of Fort Point Channel's events are FREE and open to the public! Events are held seasonally and include the Annual Flower Give Away, Annual Taste of Fort Point Channel,Waterfront Summer Concert Series, Pumpkin Pageant, Northern Avenue Christmas Tree Lighting, and much, much more!

Visit their website for more information and if you'd like to get involved,

please contact:

Danielle McNally
Marketing and Events Associate
Friends of Fort Point Channel
212 Northern Avenue, Suite 304W
Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 617-451-9239
Mobile: 207-838-9137
Fax: 617-451-0496
Email: Events at friendsoffortpointchannel.org

Thanks and hope to see you at one of the many events this summer!

Ross's iPod featured in Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Worcester, MA newspaper, Telegram & Gazette is running a feature on what musician's are listening to. They chose to examine Ross's iPod to see what he was rocking out to. Check out an excerpt from the article below or read the entire article here.

“New Wave Blues”? The title of the theWANDAS’ new CD sums the band up nicely. Both poppy and emotional, the veterans of the Worcester and Boston music scenes cut straight to the core with gorgeous harmonies, startling earnestness, and a sense of indie pop cool that makes the band one of the more fun local listens.

We're looking forward to reading more on some of the featured artists.

Read the entire article here

More Shows & FUSE TV

Hey Guys,

It's been a quite a whirlwind for us over the past few months. We finished up a great tour, are back in Boston playing our usual circuit of MA, RI, & NYC shows. We have some good shows coming up; most notably our Gig this Friday at Tommy Doyle's in Harvard Square. For those of you who have seen us there in the past, you know it's always a fun time. Get there early as the show starts at 9pm and there is only one supporting act. Be sure to stay up to date in the Tour Section.

We just got word that the Thank You Note video has been picked up by FUSE TV on Demand and will be featured for the month of July. That means you can pull it up whenever you want for the entire month. FUSE TV is free for most cable providers so if you have cable you probably have FUSE TV. We don't have cable so we'll be coming to your place to watch it. And for those of you in the video, there's nothing cooler than firing it up casually at a party and pretending you didn't know it was on.

That's all for now. We've got some other tricks up our sleeve that we'll be unveiling in the coming months.

See you at Tommy Doyles,

Cheers,

theWANDAS

theWANDAS are a complete 4 piece once again!

As many of you know we recently were on the quest for a new drummer. When we were in our audition process a few months back, we found a great drummer by the name of Will Bierce who has been playing with us ever since we met. After testing the waters on various gigs, a full tour, and extensive background search we couldn't find any dirt on him; very dissapointing.

Nonetheless, we're happy to announce Will Bierce as the official new drummer and member of theWANDAS. For those of you who haven't met him yet, bet sure to say hello at an upcoming show.

 Will enjoying a roasted dog around the camp fire

Tour - Day 18 - Jacksonville, FL

I don't think we could of drew up a better last show for the tour. After a wild night in Atlanta and a long drive to Jacksonville, we were pretty beat. With a long journey and a Sunday night show, I think we had some doubts as to how lively the night would be.

We were very happy to be meeting up with some of Ross's old friends/roommates from his days in Amherst, MA. We arrived in Jacksonville around 5pm and headed straight to a bar on the beach where Ross's friends were hanging out. To say we stuck out was an understatement. Everyone there was in beach attire with smooth tan skin. We were sweaty, pasty-white, unshaven, and just worn out looking from being on the road for almost 3 weeks. It didn't matter though, nothing was going to rain on our parade. We were so happy to be at the beach we were all smiles. We hadn't been experiencing much sunlight on the tour because we were driving for most of the day; so this was heaven.

Ross & Keith pasty white on the beach w/ friends Mara & Nell. Jacksonville FL

After hanging for a bit we headed to Ross's friend Jay's place to get situated and cleaned up before the show; a real shower never felt so good. The show was on the earlier side which was nice because it was a Sunday night, but we did have to rush a bit to get there on time.

The band who played before us, Longfellow Street were great. They had a bluegrass/country feel with an awesome pedal steel player who played a modified guitar so he could play standing up. They were a great band and great people. I really hope we keep in touch with them.

theWANDAS at Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville FL

Another bonus to the night was that Brent's Dad and step mom were in town visiting their Uncle Jack and they all came out to the show. Having our friends and family their was such a big boost we were so pumped to play.

It's was awesome playing to the other band's fans who really seemed to dig us right off the bat. They were dancing along to our songs and even had a great group embrace / sway with lighters in the air during Lose You. The band who played after us was great too: Johnathan Appleseed. They had a classic rock sound reminiscent of Black Sabbath. The whole night was amazing we didn't want it to end.

theWANDAS & Danielle (booking agent) at Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville FL

The tour in general couldn't have gone any better. We made so many new friends, met so many great bands, played at awesome venues and saw a bit of the country. We were invited back to every venue and will certainly be through again. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our shows and all of our fans who made this possible in the first place. You guys are the best, we love you!

-theWANDAS

WANDA Nation - theWANDAS, Fans, members of Longfellow Street and Johnathan Appleseed: Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville FL

Tour - Day 17 - Atlanta GA

We had a solid 5 hour drive ahead of us from Charlotte NC to Atlanta GA yesterday, so we headed out in the afternoon. The trip moved along pretty smoothly until the last few miles. Atlanta was exploding with people yesterday. Aside from the normal activity, it was national record store day and there were a few record stores right in the area that we were playing. There were also a bunch of other events going on in Atlanta that had the streets flooded with people. It took us 45 minutes just to make it the last half mile.

When we finally got there, it was a mad house trying to park. The lot behind the venue was completely full with a line going in and out because of all the night life activities. We had the bus double parked while we unloaded our gear. This wasn't ideal for the people trying to get through the lot, but we managed to get in and out pretty quickly. 

The next task was trying to find a parking spot anywhere in Atlanta. We were jammed up with so many cars around us by the time we were moving we were in a bit of a frenzy. Brent was hopping into the back door of the bus while Ross was running up to the front door to hop in. After Brent stepped in, Ross pushed the door shut on his way to the front. Instantaneously Brent shrieked out in pain. The door had gotten jammed shut on his finger and was actually stuck in the door. Ross popped the door open from the outside to let Brent loose. Before we could see what finger it was we thought we were going to have to cancel the show if not go to the emergency room. The door had caught the tip of Brent's right middle finger and almost certainly broke it. Luckily (if you can call it luck) you don't need to use your right middle finger to play guitar. Anything on his left hand would have been a disaster and his thumb or index finger on his right had would have been equally as bad.

After soaking his hand in some cold beer-cooler water, we rigged up a splint made out of the side of a swiss army knife and tape, found a parking spot and got ready to play the show. Rock & Roll. After settling in at the Star Bar and enjoying our free Keystone Light beer, we could tell right away it was going to be a great night. The event was put on by Team Luis which is headed up by a promoter in Atlanta who really knows his stuff. The lineup was great including local favorites Y-O-U and Athens' own Radiolucent (both put on killer shows) and the club was packed.

theWANDAS at Star Bar in Atlanta GA

We went on second  and the crowd was primed up after a night of enjoying the beautiful Atlanta weather and atmosphere. We had a great time playing and were covered in sweat after the first 30 seconds. They don't call it Hotlanta for nothing. After the set we made a bunch of new friends & fans. Including a bunch of people who were working across the street at an outdoor Scion demo who heard the music and came in and got the whole crowd dancing. We definitely owe them one for their enthusiasm. We couldn't have asked for a better time in Atlanta.

New Fans of theWANDAS. Star Bar in Atlanta GA

We're heading to Jacksonville FL for our last show of the tour :(... sigh. However, we're really looking forward to the show because we have a bunch of friends and family who are going to be there, which will make it a great send off.

See you tonight in FL!

Tour - Day 16 - Charlotte NC

It's was tough leaving Athens yesterday after having such a great time. It would have been nice to see the city a bit more; nonetheless Charlotte was calling our name. Danielle has a friend who lives in Charlotte so we were looking forward to spending some time in a house too. The weather keeps getting better everywhere we go. Things are really going great.

We pulled up to Snug Harbor, a cool neighborhood bar with a pirate vibe; totally awesome. Once again, everyone in the south has been extremely friendly. They welcomed us, got us loaded in and gave us a sound check. The sound guy did a great job. He was really on top of his game.

theWANDAS at Snug Harbor in Charlotte NC

Keith was wrestling with a soar throat and some allergies for most of the day so things were a little iffy going into the set, but once we got on stage all of the ailments were wiped away. It was great hearing shouts of encouragement from the new crowd throughout the set. It was an awesome time all around. We definitely want to go back.

theWANDAS at Snug Harbor in Charlotte NC

We were playing with one other band, who is really popular in Charlotte: Bruce Hazel and Some Volunteers. They were a vibrant 7 piece band (usually 8 but they were missing their trombone player). They had a great sound reminiscent of The Boss & Joe Cocker. They brought in a great crowd who they had captivated from the first song. It was great because they were really receptive to us as well. It was a great matching bill.

theWANDAS & Bruce Hazel (right) and Some Volunteers. Snug Harbor in Charlotte NC

After a night of much needed rest; half of us slept in the house which made room in the RV for the others; it's back on the road for the last two shows of the tour. We're heading back down south to  Atlanta tonight and the last show on Sunday Night in Jacksonville.

See you in Atlanta!

Tour - Day 15 - Athens GA

We had a long drive from Richmond VA to Athens GA yesterday. We pulled into town around 7pm just in time to enjoy a couple hours of sunny weather. We had a streak of rain so the 70 degrees & sun combination was beautiful.

We were playing at a nice live music venue, called Caledonia Lounge, right on a strip of bars and restaurants. Athens has a decent college population so the streets were filled with people enjoying the nightlife.

 Caledonia Lounge - Athens GA

Everyone was in great spirits going into the night. Unfortunately the first band, who's CD release it was, didn't even show up. Maybe they never got their CDs. Even with the first band bailing we were still happy to play. We were playing with a great band who was made up of two other bands called The Interns and The Futureheads. So we were psyched to watch them after we played.

 theWANDAS @ The Caledonia Lounge - Athens GAWe went on a little earlier than expected because the first band didn't show up, but it was great to see the crowd fill in as we started playing. We met a lot of new fans who walked in right off the street because they heard the music. Everyone was very hospitable and supportive. The guys in the Interns / Futureheads were awesome and put on a killer show. I really hope we can get them up to Boston with us.

New Fans of theWANDAS - Athens GA

 After we played we took a stroll down the street to get a bite to eat. While we were out Keith made another new friend.

Keith's Newest Fan - Athens GAWe'll be in Charlotte NC tonight. Looking forward to the show!

Tour - Day 14 - Richmond VA

Yesterday marked the end of our mini stay in Virginia. As we mentioned before we had an unexpected day off so we were in town a bit longer, which was nice. We had time to hang with our friends from Pendleton and make a bunch of new friends as well.

As of last night it was back to playing gigs with no more days off for the rest of the tour. It was nice taking a break but the fast pace seems much more suited to playing on the road. We played a show at a cool bar called The Camel right in the heart of Richmond, VA. The venue had some awesome photograhpy on display, on all of the walls.

theWANDAS at The Camel: Richmond VA

Alan and JP from Pendleton put on an acoustic set before us which was great because all of their friends came out that we had been hanging with for the last couple days. Our Converse rep, Lee, also lives in Richmond so he came out as well. It was great to catch up, especially since Converse was so generous with us before the tour.

Richmond VA Friends. Left to Right: JP, Joe, Ross, Keith

We had an 8+ hour drive from Richmond to Athens GA, so we wanted to make a dent in the trip and head out right after the show. We drove for about 3 hours into North Carolina. 2 hours into the drive, Ross got pulled over for the 2nd time this tour. The cop asked if he was tired because the RV tends to drifte a bit from side to side; mostly caused from the winding roads and gusts of wind. Nonetheless the cop asked to talk to Ross in his vehicle; causing the rest of the crew to sweat it out for a good 30 minutes.

Ross returned with good blessings from his new North Carolina police officer buddy. The two talked about the tour, where we've been and where we are going. After taking note of the officer's sirius satellite radio presets; the Christian Station being #1, Ross volunteered to swear on the bible that there were no illegal substances in the bus. The officer loved it, wished us luck, and sent us on our way.

We drove for about another hour pulled into a Kmart parking lot and called it a night. We're on the road to Athens GA right now; the hometown of REM and Of Montreal. Looking forward to the show tonight!

theWANDAS Music - Now Available on smirp

smirp is a new online distribution tool to help artists get their craft out to the masses. Following in Radiohead's footsteps, smirp allows artists to let their fans set their own price. You'll notice in the Download-Music section all of our music is now available through smirp and itunes. 

smirp was created by the same guys that brought you Flickaday; Ross's long time business partner Jeff Durand spearheaded the operation and used input from Ross & theWANDAS to craft a very artist friendly system. If you're an artist you'll most likely enjoy what smirp has to offer. If you just want to get your hands on our music, you'll find there's no easier way than smirp. 

Tour - Day 13 - Petersburg VA

With the unexpected day off we decided to head to a campground yesterday, so we could enjoy some trees and greenery instead of the usual streets & parking lots. We found a nice place just south of Richmond. It had all the amenities; a pond with canoes, hiking trails, open fields, even horseshoes. 

The Main Cabin. Petersburg VA

We setup camp, used the showers, and made a campfire. The place was very relaxing. Once we got the fire going, we played some pitch. After teaching Will how to play and refreshing Keith's memory, we had an intense game between Brent and Ross and Will & Keith. Will & Keith got off to a fast lead but Brent & Ross pulled out the victory by the skin of their teeth.

After the game we cooked a late-night dinner and enjoyed some food by the camp fire. After quiet hours at the campground (didn't want to disturb our new neighbors) we set up some jam space in the bus. We rigged it up using Keith's computer and midi controller so that we could plug in Brent's electric guitar using the portable Bose system. Once we had everything going, we threw in the acoustic guitar and Keith laid down some vocals.

Camp WANDA - Petersburg VA

I think the end result was more fun than any masterpieces that may have arose from the jam session. After that we packed up and got a good night sleep so we could get up early and head back to Richmond for our show tonight. It was a nice couple days off, but it's going to be nice to perform again tonight.

No more days off for the rest of the tour!

Tour - Day 12 - Richmond, VA

Yesterday was a very relaxing day off. We spent the day exploring Richmond VA. We got a tasty breakfast together in the morning at a quaint eatery, then sought out a laundromat to wash some of our long overdue clothing.

Keith and Will held the fort down while Brent and Ross went for a stroll through Richmond in search of an ATM. The area we were staying in was smack between a few colleges; VCU & VT campuses were right in the middle of everything.

After laundry we kicked it for a bit and watched some movies. Then we made a nice dinner together and decided to check out the Richmond night life once again. This time we headed for a bar that had $1 PBRs, so we were right at home.

Brent at the laundromat in Richmond VA

We spent the night in the RV on a random street yet again. The street was quiet in terms of foot traffic but the cars and busses were whizzing by all night. The vehicles created a gust of wind that would actually rock the RV from left to right, so it actually felt like we were on a boat. When the big-rigs would drive by it felt like we were going to capsize. We were used to it at this point though. The movement just puts you to sleep.

Today, with the day off, we decided to seek out a campground to park the RV so we could enjoy some trees instead of streets and parking lots.

We're enjoying our unexpected day off but it will be nice to get back on stage tomorrow.

Tour - Day 11 - Easter on The Road

Yesterday was a low-key day filled mostly with traveling from Delaware to Virginia. We had filled in a last minute show in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, but we got word yesterday afternoon that show had been cancelled after all. Luckily we hadn't already headed to Pittsburgh because it's about a 5 hour drive out of the way. Instead we decided to head to Virginia early for our show in Richmond on Wednesday. Since our friends in Pendleton live in Richmond and we were playing with them on Wednesday, they offered to let us hang at their place for a few days.

We arrived around 9pm and they were nice enough to let us use their kitchen to make a late-night Easter dinner. Danielle & Keith prepared some ham steaks, mashed potatoes, corn and yams.

Easter on the road : Richmond VA

After dinner we decided to see what Richmond was like and we went for a walk down the street. We're staying right in the middle of a few colleges so there was plenty going on. We went to a bar near by and just relaxed for a bit. It's weird seeing people smoking in bars still. It's been so long since they banned smoking inside buildings, in MA it feels like you never could in the first place. It's a bit of a bummer, but luckily the bars weren't that smokey.

So now we're just hanging around Richmond until Wednesday. After that it's all the way down to Athens Georgia.

Ross & Will breaking the law in Richmond VA