The Silent Comedy

2011-12-27

Top Five Shows of 2011

1. The Gorge – George, WA Sep. 3^rd 2011:

We were extremely excited when we got asked to play the Dave Matthews Caravan at The Gorge in Washington. It was an honor to be on a bill with so many amazing bands, including Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, Devotchka,Josh Ritter, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Gogol Bordello, The Belle Brigade and more! The Gorge is truly a special place, and the entire weekend was AMAZING!

The shots of the show at the top (L to R: Justin rockin the banjo, Josh screaming with our custom keyboard stand by Mike Maxwell in the foreground, Chad gets into the beat) were captured by David Conger. Backstage after the show, we toasted a good life with some of Dave Matthews’ new Dreaming Tree wine with The Gorge crowd in the background.

2. Bowery Ballroom – New York City, NY Oct. 19^th 2011:

One of the highlights of 2011 was our first trip to New York City for CMJ Music Conference and Festival. We played several awesome shows in New York during our three days there, but the sold out show at Bowery Ballroom was definitely our favorite. Bowery Ballroom is a very special venue, and the crowd was incredible! We joined our new Australian friends Boy & Bear for the second time in 2011, and became even bigger fans of their music.

Our good friends Kevin and Rebecca Joelson flew to New York to join us, and shot these amazing photos!

3. Gibson Ampitheatre – Los Angeles, CA Dec. 17^th 2011:

We got a last-minute call to open for the Brian Sezter Orchestra at the Gibson Amphitheatre on the grounds of Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The show, sold out at over 6,000 people, was the biggest show we’ve ever played indoors. The Gibson is beautiful, and we made a ton of new friends after the show. It was an amazing experience, and we were very grateful to Brian for having us.

We were again joined by our good friends Kevin and Rebecca Joelson who documented the night beautifully. The shot at the top shows us playing to an empty amphitheatre during sound check. The middle shots show each of us lounging in the dressing room before the show (L to R: Justin, Chad, Josh, Jeremiah).  The bottom photo shows us performing to the full room with the video screens and show lights in full swing.

4. Fm 94.9 Independence Jam 2011 – Oceanside, CA Jun. 5^th 2011:

We have played FM 94.9's Indpendence Jam three times. Each one has been special, but this year’s was probably our favorite. After traveling all over the country in the spring, it was awesome to return to San Diego for such an awesome show. The show had been sold out for a month, and the crowd was ready to rock! We rolled out some new songs for our hometown crowd, and had a generally awesome day right on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Photos by the amazing Joelsons!

5. The Roxy – Los Angeles,  CA  May 7^th 2011:

LA used to be our least favorite place to play. For the first few years we were a band, we had a hard time finding our type of people there, and hated playing to small groups of jaded music industry types. In 2010 and 2011 we started finding our comfort zone, and getting to know a group of friends that we really love. Our first headlining show at the historic Roxy on the Sunset Strip was the official moment when LA became one of our favorite tour-stops in the country. The crowd was primed and ready for an old fashioned hoedown, and we brought the gospel to the City of Angels! The rowdy show ended with Josh riding around the room on the shoulders of our manager, and things got downright crazy.

We were once again joined by the incomparable Kevin and Rebecca Joelson, and the lovely Marta Zaludova on violin.

We can't wait to share 2012 with you! 

2011-12-19

Top Ten TSC Family Photos of 2011

We've had an amazing year in 2011, and have been fortunate to share it with you! Our extended TSC Family captured some moments throughout the year that we really love. We selected 10 of them (although there were a lot more that were great) that represent some of our favorite shows, and towns, from our travels. Enjoy!

1.  Rhiana Keiser caught this shot of Jeremiah’s shoes during a quiet moment in a set at Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar. Detroit Bar has made us look forward to stopping in Orange County, which is probably why we played there four times in 2011!

2.  The second time we visited Boise, ID this year, we did an acoustic in-store performance at the Record Exchange. This store is incredible, and we had a blast showing our new Boise friends another side of our songs. Shaun captured this moment with his phone.

3.  Sacramento has always been one of our favorite tour-stops, and our show at Harlow's during our Summer Sweat Tour was no exception. We had a blast with so many of our Sac-Town friends, and the night was really special. Thanks to Biscuit Barrios for this shot that captured the vibe of the show perfectly.

 4. Our most unique show environment of the year was the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. We performed with our good buddies Saint Motel in front of Chris Burden’s installation art sculpture “Urban Light” that is comprised of 202 restored street lamps. Marissa Mortati captured a contemplative Chad in front of the sculpture and Wilshire Blvd. behind.

5. Keith Lyons caught all the glory of Justin’s mustache during the San Diego Music Thing conference and festival. Our show at Sunset Temple during the conference was a rowdy ordeal that harkened back to our early San Diego shows.

6. We played a lot of stripped-down “acoustic” sets in 2011, but this benefit show for the San Luis Obispo Bike Coalition was one of the most interesting. We were happy to support a good cause while bringing a different flavor to our central coast audience. Thanks to Riley Pall for this shot from the balcony of The Creeky Tiki.

7. Marissa Mortati caught this freeze-frame of a hair-flying, sweat-slinging, moment at another Detroit Bar Show! 

8. We love playing on a big stage, and this outdoor stage on the San Diego Bay for the America's Cup Village gave us plenty of room to move. Still, Josh and Justin couldn’t resist joining each other to yell on one mic. Andy Bartotto caught this shot of that collaboration in action.

9. Each of our four Detroit Bar shows this year was unique. From joining our new Australian friends Boy & Bear before heading to the east coast, to a rowdy night for our friends The Gromble's residency, each one has had some special moments. Rhiana Keiser caught another one of those moments as Josh and Jeremiah rile up the crowd.

10. 2011 is the first year that we have gone international. We played in Canada with our buddies Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, and journeyed south of the border for a show in Tijuana this December. Edeath Coffey caught Josh writhing on the floor of Bodega Aragon in Tijuana during one of the rowdiest versions of “Road Song” we have ever done.

This year has been absolutely incredible, and we thank everyone that we have shared these wonderful memories with.

Join us on December 31^st for a celebration of this year, and a look toward 2012! Get your tickets HERE

2011-12-15

BETA Records TV Interview

We were up in LA for a secret show at Villains Tavern Recently, and stopped by BETA Records for an acoustic session. We also did an interview about the band, and our upcoming performance at NAMM 2012 in the Taylor Guitars Room! 

2011-08-01

Acoustic "Prince" from On-Airstreaming in Austin Texas

We did an acoustic session with the good people at On-Airstreaming in Austin, TX during SXSW. The entire crew is amazing, and they do wonderful work. Take a look!

2011-07-08

Surprise LA Show tonight!

We are having a wonderful time so far on the Summer Sweat Tour! Last night at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was incredible, so we thought we would stay in LA for an extra day! We're doing a sneak-attack on The Satellite (formerly Spaceland) in Silverlake tonight with Vinnie Ferra, our good buddies The Howls, and Them Howling Bones! Come hang out in one of our favorite LA clubs tonight!