I'm pretty jazzed to get down to Ashland this weekend!

We're playing a show at the Caldera Tap House, which is a bill booked by Mr. William Kennedy (of Skip's CD World fame; yes that Will Kennedy), and includes Portland songster Earl Patrick. 

I think that a lot of Oregonian hearts keep a special place for the town of Ashland.  It's beautiful and cozy, and has some of the best breakfast and coffee spots in the Northwest (Morning Glory's Oatmeal Pancakes with Walnut Butter, anyone?)

The van is running tip-top (knock on wood), and I've heard the price of gas should be up, Up, UP by Friday!  The higher price means it's more efficient, right?  Here's to hoping!

This day in age is a funny time for music, and it has me wondering this:

How do you want the new songs to come out?

I like to put a new CD or a record on the player, clean off my glasses, and read everything about the album; lyrics, who worked the faders, where it was recorded, who played the shakers, all that stuff. 

But I realize that I'm in the minority these days, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to release this next batch of songs (which we've been playing live and I'm REALLY excited about). 

Maybe this next record will just be a download code on a t-shirt tag or something. 

If you have any opinions, please share!


There's a guy here in Eugene that has recently started a cool local music Podast called Alpine Empire.  Check it out -- he's featuring lots of great music, and our tune Barrel Rolling is featured in Podcast #3



These podcasts are also free downloads on iTunes!

Thanks all!

2012 has started off pretty fun here at Stagger HQ, beginning with a having our photo taken on the MOON!  (Thank you Paper Moon Photo Studio)



We played a new McMenamins location in Wilsonville, OR )the Old Church and Pub), where we met several cool folks.  One of which is Brian Burke, a photographer who snapped some great live shots and shared them online.

That same weekend, Brian Miller hosted a party where we took the opportunity to bust out a bunch of the new songs we're working on.

I'm really surprised at how quickly some of these tunes have come together (Half a Mind, Awake in a Sleepy Town).  I'm loving playing a tune called Fun & Games as well as Downpour and Watch the Time.

I always think I'm going to wait to play these songs live ... I tell myself, "just wait until the album is ready" or something like that, but these tunes are FUN, and I'm chomping at the bit!

So you'll probably hear us road testing some of these numbers at our upcoming shows.  Sam Bond's tonight, Cornucopia next weekend!  See you soon!

Mike

When we play live shows, I'm often asked who my influences are ... and I'm always surprised when folks don't know some of these bands I rattle off (especially Uncle Tupelo!).

So this is the first in a series of living room recordings; stripping down some of my favorite tunes by some of my favorite artists. 

Jay Farrar, Jeffy Tweedy, Mike Heidorn ... these guys are certainly Rock and Roll Heroes of mine!

Enjoy!

Mike

We've written into Jerry Groove's contract that he can only go on vacation every 3 years :)

I'm giving him guff because we've had to turn down a few really cool shows for October and November.  Which honestly, is a great problem to have, and Mr. Groove deserves to enjoy the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, and whatever hobbit hole he can find to hide out in for a month or so.  

So, we have three more shows until we take a little break, and I hope you'll come out and wish Jerry safe travels!

Each show is kind of it's own animal, and they're all FREE:

1)  On Wednesday night (9.28) we have a chance to win a new PA system at the Whiskey River Ranch in Springfield. 

This could be super awesome, because our PA JUST died on us, and now we sing through something that makes us sound like old transistor radios!

2)  Jerry and I will do an Acoustic Duo show on Friday (9.30) at the Cornucopia (Downtown).  

I do have fun playing these Acoustic Duo's ... takes me back to when the Stagger got started.

3)  Friday October 7th, we're back at the Cornucopia.  This time, FULL BAND!


We'll sing a "Cheerio!" to Jerry, as he packs his togs to naff off at a Sparrow Fart.  And that's all the New Zealand slang I know. 


After that short break, we'll have a handful of never before heard tunes for you to check out in Cottage Grove, the Day-After Thanksgiving!

Kenjamin is not MY Drummer.

Maybe I'd like to think he is, but in reality -- if anything -- I'm probably HIS songwriter, or HIS singer. 

We had a lot of fun with this past busy week, and a couple of times someone mentioned something about "...your Drummer..." or whatever. 

That's fine; that's the way conversation rolls, but whenever I think about saying that, I shrink at the notion of calling any one of these guys "mine."

I may write the songs, but we arrange these tunes as a band, and I wouldn't have it any other way (and by the way, Jerry's been contributing witty lyrics for some new tunes recently!)

I lack the guitar-geek vocabulary to tell Brian what I want him to play (other than making guitar noises with my mouth here an there). 

I don't think like a Bass player. 

I've played drums for longer than I've been writing songs, so I COULD tell Ken what to play ... but I don't have to!  He usually plays what's in my head, or something cooler than I would've thought up myself. 

We all workshop tunes -- we share ideas, and we're open to each other's input. 

The point is, I'm really lucky and really stoked to play with a group of musicians who naturally envision these songs the same way I do, and that we all have fun putting the energy into it. 

I'd love to be a genius, but there's no Paul McCartney-style micro-managing happening here!

We got a lot of feedback at the Eugene Celebration about how we look like we're having a ton of fun on stage.  Well, we are! 

We LOVE the LIVE SHOW!  And I think all of this has a lot to do with how much fun we have performing. 

To everyone at the EC, thanks for the feedback!  Next live show is Luckey's on Sept 22nd ... see you then!

Mike

Photo by Faliesha Linebaugh

I'd heard that Gregg Volstedt's annual Barn Party at the Fall Creek Blueberry Farm is always pretty friggin' awesome, but I really didn't know what I was getting into.  The high roofed, woody structure resonates such a warm sound, all the bands sounded great!

I'd missed the early afternoon open jams, but got to the country-side just in time to hear Barefoot Leroy's 2nd tune -- a cover of the Dylan classic "I Shall be Released." 

If you haven't heard this band yet, they're a great folk foursome with a guitarist / vocalist, mandolin, aux. percussion/ vocalist, and an awesome accordion player holding down the low-end.  Well, the accordion player does a lot more than that, really ... it's a great full sound.  Lea Jones is a hell of a songwriter, and I've had his tune "Lesson 1" stuck in my head since Saturday night.

I was really stoked to see that Tara Stonecipher has put together a hell of a band!  She's got Gregg Volstedt playing Pedal Steel, Willis playing drum-kit and a tricked-out wash board, and Whopner County's guitar-slinger, Matt Alpert -- fresh back from Austin -- on electric guitar.  Tara's got an amazing voice, which you can tell is backed by an equally amazing ear for pitch and tempo. 

Whopner County Country All-stars played a couple of sets -- one with a guy named John Barley on lead guitar.  I hadn't seen him before, but my friend John Shipe says he's been around for quite a while, and folks who have been in the Eugene scene for longer than I have were excited to see him hop up on the Barn stage.  I don't know why I haven't seen him before ... the guy is pretty damn incredible!

Our guitarist, Brian Patrick, couldn't make this show so we had John Shipe filling in on lead guitar for the set.  We tried to throw him for a loop a couple of times, but you just can't shake a guitarist like Shipe! 

Also, Gregg played a wicked Pedal Steel on our first 5 or 6 songs.  Some of the new tunes we tried out that night just BEG for pedal-steel, and it sounded so good, we're bound to have some on this next record. 

Here are a few pictures that Faliesha Linebaugh took:

with John Shipe and Gregg Volstedt


John Shipe with an on-the-spot solo


the Stagger & Sway with John Shipe and Gregg Volstedt


I hear that our friend Brendan caught most of this set on his handheld recorder, so I'll upload one of these new tunes once I get the tracks from him!

I hope everybody had just as fun a weekend!

We've had a lot of fun playing some really cool, off-the-wall type of shows lately.  Such as: 

the Lostcreek Jubilee, where we added a couple of back-up dancers!





... and the SUN came out for a few days of Music!





We played a Prom at Studio East 8th ... but your Prom was NEVER like this:











and hung out in a BEAUTIFUL Garden for a few hours, playing at the KLCC Garden Walk

Pandora's got the Stagger and Sway station tuned into some cool stuff!

I'm listening to Son Volt rock "Voo Doo Candle" Live, and digging some new discoveries Collin Herring and Jonathan Segel.  Good stuff!

You can add "Break Til You Bend" from the Stagger and Sway right into your own Pandora station!  Or listen in to the Stagger and Sway station on Pandora.

Wow, have I been slacking on this BLOG!  But luckily, it's not due to a general overall slackitude.

In fact, we here at the Stagger and Sway hideout have been pretty busy with the release of Break Til You Bend.  While I may have failed to secure a record contract  to bailout the failing EMI label , we're pleasantly surprised with a few early wins! 


Radio Play
We've been getting a great response from the DJs and Radio Stations that received the CD.  It's getting regular airplay all around the world, and after just a few short weeks, Break Til You Bend debuted at  #19 on the FAR Chart!

The great thing about the FAR Chart, is that it's truly freeform (no playlists).  Real DJ's play music that THEY want to play.  That said, I'm incredibly thankful for all these DJ's that spend their time and energy surfing through piles of CD submissions they receive, and feel really honored to have some songs listed on their programs!


Pandora
Pandora's Music Genome Project really has earned the titile of "Most Comprehensive Analysis of Music Ever."  It's a concept I've wanted to be a part of since discovering their project, so I'm really proud to say "We Made It."  

That is, Break Til You Bend has been accepted into Pandora's Music Genome Project, and will be available for public plays SOON.  First, they analyze all the tracks to tag their specific musical "genes."  It's pretty cool :)


Coffee-shop Plays
Our Spiritual Advisor / Beer-Technician, Brendan McCloud, thinks it's really funny that so many of our songs reference coffee.  Well, perhaps it's all been toward a purpose ... Starbuck's has asked to play two of our songs throughout their chain of coffee shops!  And only one of those songs mentions coffee!  :)

So, if you think you hear  "Arpeggio" or "Sam Bond's Garage" while you order your next Venti Peppermint Java Chip Frappuccino, then it may actually be because you hearing the Stagger and Sway in a Starbucks!

For the record, my drink is a Vanilla Americano with a little bit of steamed half-and-half ... don't let them tell you that it's a flavored Breve with water :)


Best new Bands.com
Best New Bands has us Featured in their BackStory Segment.  This feature shares the Story-Behind-the-Song of "Sam Bond's Garage," as well as the lyrics, and of course the music video!


So that's the update for now!  Keep the good vibes coming, and I'll be sure to share the news as it continues to unfold!

Mike

Hey Everybody!

I hope you've all just about made it through the whirlwind of the Holidays, ready to bring 2010 to a close and dive into all the great music that's bound to happen in 2011!

I've seen a number of great shows this past year, and if you've been following the Blog, you've probably seen some write-ups on a few!  The newest write-up I contributed to the Register-Gaurd was coverage of the Y La Bamba and Horse Feathers show at Sam Bond's Garage mid-December.  It was great show and you can read all about it right here.

Claire Flint took some awesome photos of both bands, so go check it out!

Enjoy!

Mike

Working Stiff Music is all about doing what we can, however limited by life's mundane events, to spread the word about what's a-happening musically in the community. 

Part of those efforts is submitting occasional writing contributions to on the Music happenings around the Eugene and Portland area.  Here's a review of last weekend's Built to Spill Show at the W.O.W Hall that I wrote for the Register-Guard, Entertainment:

100 Years of Rockitude: a Built to Spill show review

Also, if you missed the review on Jealous Butcher's release show for "The Land of Ice and Snow," then you can also read that at the Register-Guard, here:

Led Zeppelin through the Indie Filter

Claire Flint -- ahem, the Eugene Weekly's "Best Visual Artist of 2010" -- took the photos for both articles.  Tons of more pictures from both shows are available through the links at the bottom of the article.

Enjoy!

Hey Folks,A couple of things are going on tonight.� First, We're playing at the Wandering Goat with Barefoot Leroy at 9pm tonight.� He's recently relocated here from the East Coast Folk scene, and I'm...

Wow, I'm surprised at how many cool shows are happening tonight!Sam Bond's Garage $10: Dead Kenny G's, Jazz/Punk: Anytime you can see Skerik, well, it's probably a really good idea.Sea Bell is liste...

Wow, I'm surprised at how many cool shows are happening tonight!Sam Bond's Garage $10: Dead Kenny G's, Jazz/Punk: Anytime you can see Skerik, well, it's probably a really good idea.Sea Bell is liste...