About Me

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Long Island/Brooklyn, New York, United States
Exemption is a three-piece aggressive progressive rock outfit that started on Long Island in 2004 when the members were only 13 and 14. In 2007 they put out their first full-length, "The Rabbit Hole." In 2009 they released the "Harmony of the Spheres EP," and in October 2010 they put out their second full-length "Public Cemetery Party." Their sound has evolved into something truly their own, combining progressive metal, stoner rock, pop, blues, and alternative ambiance once earning them the title of the "bastard children of the Beatles (The Metal Den)." Check out http://exemption.bandcamp.com to hear some music, all the releases are available on iTunes and Cdbaby.com. This blog is for the members to share stories and news with their friends and fans.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

sad news...

*deep breath*

There’s no real easy way to start this, so I’ll just do it the simple way by hitting you with the facts: Tom has made it clear to Ray and I that he will be leaving the band after the Charleston show on March 10th.  While we are sad that this day had to come, it’s not a total shock and while Ray and I have been very lucky to have a singer and bass player as talented and unique as Tom for the past eight+ years, we understand his reasons for leaving.  In no way does it diminish our friendship or love for him.

The three of us have been playing music together since we were thirteen and in the ten years since, our musical palates have all expanded by leaps and bounds.  The biggest difference is that Ray and I have never lost our drive to push our creativity further into the extreme, heavy, and odd side of music.  On the other hand, Tom became more interested in writing great songs in the traditional sense and less confident in his role as the singer/bass player in a band like Exemption was becoming. 

This leaves Ray and I with some pretty big question marks floating above our heads.  The first is obviously: how and with whom do we replace our vocalist and bass player? Despite the situation, Ray and I have continued to write some pretty insane music since Tom told us.  Tom leaving is bitter/sweet in the writing process because it opens up a world of possibilities that didn’t exist before because of differences in taste, but we don’t have his brain to help us transform all our raw material into an actual song.  I will say that our new ideas are pretty vicious and we hope to push what we did on “Public Cemetery Party” into the stratosphere with what comes next.  We are struggling to decide whether or not to finish writing the majority of our new album first and then go on a quest for musicians, or to find some new heads first and take it from there.  The idea of open-auditions seems way too stressful and time consuming at the moment, but we hope to be approached by interested parties anyway.  Just give us time to figure out what steps we want to take first but it would be good to know who wants to jam!  Vocalists, bass players, maybe guitarists or keyboard players?  Keytar anyone?  Glockenspiel?! 

The other big question to answer is what we do about the name.  Ray and I haven’t decided 100% whether or not we want to remain “Exemption” or use this as an opportunity to start fresh as a new band (which we will unavoidably be; with a new singer, bass player, and overall sound).  Exemption was a name chosen by kids in middle school starting a rock band that stuck for almost ten years!  The idea of changing it came up a lot over the past few years, but we always came to the conclusion that it was merely a name and to the people who really gave a shit about us, it was the music that they cared about, not what word we chose to refer to ourselves as.   We also didn’t want to alienate anyone who had supported us thus far.  Plus a name change can be the kiss of death.  Ray and I are definitely leaning towards “new band/new faces/new sound/new name” right now.  Trying to keep going as “Exemption” with someone else singing Tom’s parts and lyrics seems like a one way road to stagnant city where fun goes to die.  No.  Start fresh and be excited.  Don’t run something good into the ground out of pride and fear…

At the end of the day, we remained the band we were for as long as we did because of the love and support we got from our close friends, families, and fans who genuinely took interest in our music.  Without the love we received from you all over the years, I don’t think we would have made it this far.  Exemption’s music belongs to you as much as it belongs to us and we could never thank you enough for everyone’s individual help and support.  I couldn’t imagine creating a list of people to thank at this point.  There are just way too many people and bands that have lent us their ears or their companionship.  You know who you are and we know who you are and we love you and thank you from the grimy bottom of our black hearts.
We will keep everyone updated on the progress of our new music.  We hope you understand where we are coming from and won’t hesitate to follow us into whatever we do next.  We’re truly sorry to be a disappointment to everyone that is saddened by this but we promise that we are not done melting faces by a long shot.  

One door closes and a new door opens.  This is merely the end of a long, important chapter in our lives and we have so much more music and energy to give you in the next!  Don’t give up on us!

With love and gratitude,

-Nick Lee & Exemption

P.S.:  The live film we shot at Centerville is still being put together now, it looks and sounds amazing, and we can’t wait for you to see it.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

June 2011 Update - Whashappenin'...

Blogs be with you.

We're beyond psyched to announce that we are nominated (and currently winning!) The Deli Magazine NYC's Artist of the Month Poll!!  It's right on the top right of the main Deli NYC Blog or you can go right to the poll itself by clicking here.  As of early afternoon on June 26th, the results:



Thank you guys so much!!  Please vote and share the contest on facebook/twitter/etc... There's an event page for it if you wanna invite people to that. I think I can speak for the three of us when I say that we've been overwhelmed by the amount of support we've been getting on this so far.  We have some good friends, man.

The Deli Magazine NYC also gave us spot on their main blog: NYC artists on the rise: Exemption w/ a picture of us at Hank's Saloon taken by James Damion (Unite Webzine) and an awesome review of "Public Cemetery Party" written by Mike SOS (316 Productions).

Also as of today, June 26th, we're actually #14 in The Deli Magazine Metal Web Buzz charts!  We're right ahead of Acrassicauda and right behind Hull & Early Man. Crazy!! Check it out:


Since the last time I've updated this we've just been out playing our asses off any chance we got.  We just did a really fun show under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on June 21st thanks to Make Music New York & 316 Productions. Here's a pretty hilarious short clip of what that looked like (taken accidentally by TTH's Gavin Spielman):


and a badass picture taken by our friend John Carbone (check out his tunes - Son Abrenoc & Rice Cultivation Society):

Mike SOS worked his ass off to put on a great show and make sure all the bands (on two stages) had everything they needed.  Thinning the Herd, La Otracina, Wizardry, Gods Green Earth, SOS, Prostitution, Men Like Gods, Krystaleen, & Cue the Sun were all awesome!  It was a fitting start to the Summer.  Last year on summer solstice we played acoustic in Central Park.  This was louder and sweatier.

Right now we have no local shows booked (which will soon be remedied) but we do have what's shaping up to be a pretty nice tour in July!:

Only unfortunate circumstance that happened with this, thus far, is we had a show BOOKED at The Great Scott (awesome venue in Allston, MA) with TRUCKFIGHTERS! (seminal stoner rock band from Sweden w. new documentary coming out) for July 14th thanks to awesome hard rocking Black Thai from Boston.  First another venue in Worcester, MA some how got Truckfighters for that date instead of Great Scott and we were planning just doing the show with Black Thai for the last few weeks but I just found out that they dropped and the venue is giving the night to someone else.  Oy vey.  We were really excited for that show for obvious reasons, but I'm sure we'll get a chance to rock the Great Scott eventually *single tear*.  Anyone reading who can help with that please get in touch!  music.exemption@gmail.com

Gonna get a mailing list together for this tour.  Anyone interested please send us an e-mail with "Mailing List" in the subject or something along those lines: MUSIC.EXEMPTION@GMAIL.COM

Our good friend Kristin Kraemer took some cool pictures of us the other day. The rest are all on our facebook, but here's a few:

Okay so that's probably more than enough stuff.  When we go out on tour I'll try to update this once for each show, instead of just an entirely too long entry at the end...if I remember.  Lastly, here's a pretty decent video of us playing "Birds" at Party Expo (Brooklyn, NY) back in April shot by Gavin Spielman:


Enjoy your Summer guys!  Cheers!
Nick Lee & Co.
Exemption
<3

Friday, December 24, 2010

Public Cemetery Party (Lyrics)

EXEMPTION

PUBLIC CEMETERY PARTY (Lyrics)

All lyrics written by Thomas Moran & Nick Lee

All music written by Exemption (Thomas Moran, Nick Lee, & Ray Marte)



1. Hyperspiral

Enslaved to the combine.
White tongues taste my third eye.
These gears that always grind.

My name is John Doe
and my mind's an open window.
Please try to climb inside.

Taken by hands to be cradled in fear.
But not today...

Cuz instant karma's not so simple now.
Love and instant karma's not so simple now.

Deaf ears hear all lies but
Blind eyes fuel this combine
and when I get out I'm gonna change your mind.

Come stay for awhile
in our Hyperspiral
Just don't let it steal your style

Taken by hands to be cradled in fear
Bred by the force to be shed through the gears
But not today...

Wo-oh




2. Blood Heaven

I may not understand
Understand the half of what this means…
This means to me.
The birds in the forest sing
The pleasure and the fear the darkness brings…
It brings to me

You can put me at your altar
Fill the veins behind my eyelids with your love
You can kiss me while the ghosts are watching
And they’ll bleed into our blood
Heave into our blood

And I wanna die here with you
For the very first time, in the night
When the wolves are crying
I begin to feel it’s just a matter of time
And there’s just no logic left in pain

You came in through my door
From a subway train with a reason to get high
Then you were mine.
The days they build and fall
We wait so long to say the things we want.
What do we want?

You can tie me to emotions
Tie the rope around my heart until I talk.
You can look ahead and keep on walking
Though you’ve been around that block
At least a thousand times.

And I wanna die here with you
For the very first time
In the night with the angels sighing
I begin to feel it’s just a matter of time
And there’s just no logic left in pain
Tell me there’s no logic left in pain. 




3. Mutating Skulls

Take me to my place in the wasted underground
Cuz nothing is working out. Out…
Fuck the world! 
Hey! Hey Hey!

We’re floating out in space
(Pluto) They’re on the floor.
And aliens exist. 
Yes I swear.
Yes I swear.

Take me to my place in the wasted underground
Cuz nothing is working out. Out…
Fuck the world!
Hey! Hey Hey!




4. Hounds of Sound

It sleeps within my shedding skin
Beneath the veil, light awaits
Buried in the massive chains
Of fallen gods and ripping hail
Hands possessed gripping at the great machine
They turn our eyes, we pull our time
Standing at the altar where the maker states
And with our faith we sympathize 
You’ve chosen your demise

All around me 
Substance clowns and the 
Hounds of sound are
Building rhythms 
Aesthetics bind them,
Gag them, blind them,
Turn on all your privilege
Into bondage. 

Dismantle crooked lies 
And drown in hidden spies
In a space behind your eyes
Before it chokes what still survives. The light
that sleeps within your shedding skin
And choose to feel
Then ride the wicked wheels

All around me
Substance clowns and the
Hounds of sound are
Building rhythms
Aesthetics bind them,
Gag them, blind them,
Turn all your privilege
Into bondage.
Lured by scent of infant blood,
Under laboring moon
Night hags are prowling.



5. Godzilla

On my own
Far from home
I, I…
Long I roam
Far from home
I, I…

Time warp into your mind boat
Sinking too fast…
Your wise horse
Shifting in colors
Gone is the past.

I found the surreal 
Between the moon and the sun
I found the surreal, I found the surreal

GODZILLA! LIVE MONSTER! GOD KILLER! GODZILLA!

Belly to belly
Conceiving hourly
On the ocean floor.
Fend for yourself. Run.
Or have another look
And take your final rest with me.

GODZILLA! LIVE MONSTER! GOD KILLER! GODZILLA!


6. White Animal

Before his eyes are buried by flies
Before we say our last goodbye
While you’re still alive
The holes get covered up
By the insides, yeah…
Before we cross that finish line

Savor your soul. Savor.

I could lay down
Falsehearted 
I could turn away
I could calm down
Let my pain out
And tell myself
I’m gonna change
This is gonna change
We’re gonna change
I’m gonna so…
Don’t crack under the pressure.
Don’t crack under the pressure.

Savor your soul. 
Savor your soul.
Savor your soul.



7. Birds

Holding my head, there’s nothing that I know
Fine you told me so…
My head is a hive, and so be it that’s why
Fine and I suppose
Your holding my hand, there ain’t nothing to hold…
…Yet!

So don’t let it get to you now.
No don’t let it get to you now. 

Over my head and everywhere I go
Fine you told me so…
My head is inclined to old and sinking boats
Crimes and chemicals
Holding my head 
There ain’t nothing to know
…Yet!

So don’t let it get to you now.
And don’t let it get to you now…
Now…



8. Cold Bodies

Year of nine
We learned through wine
Not to sing
The hymn of swine

Through vacant words
That fall like birds
From cloudy skies
Our teachers and drug dealers
Take time to eat our minds

Year of ten
We fall again
Failure born
From hidden hands

To the black surface of Kiwanis
Cold bodies rise
Mothers and fathers
Are forced to try…
Identify

Cold bodies rise
Identify…
Cold bodies rise
Identify…



9. Tasted By Love

Bees swarming in the breeze
Feeding on a seduced soul
Sown by your mind alone
Seated at a psycho’s throne

Drawn in, weakened,
By the shapes she makes
Dancing slowly
In cemeteries…

Young blood is often tasted by love,
Then often wasted,
And poured back into you.

I look in to where it all begins
Now I know why you must go
So you found my wasted underground
Tell me why dos it wear off so slow

Drawn in, weakened,
By the shapes she makes
Dancing slowly
In cemeteries…

Everybody come to the public cemetery party tonight!

Young blood is often tasted by love,
Then often wasted,
And poured back into you.

I found my place
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo, Zoo
In my dismay
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo, Zoo
I found my place
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo, Zoo
In my dismay
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo, Zoo
I found my place
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo, Zoo
In my dismay
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo
Zoo, Zoo Zoo Zoo, Zooooooo...

Sunday, December 12, 2010

We are today's "New Band To Burn One To" on HeavyPlanet.net & we have new home movies kid!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010

New Band To Burn One To-Exemption

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is Exemption.


















"Exemption is a three-piece aggressive progressive rock outfit that started on Long Island, NY in 2004 when the members were only 13 and 14. After putting out multiple demos in their early years, Exemption put out their first full-length in the form of 2007’s “The Rabbit Hole.” The band has played hundreds of shows since then, some with bands such as The Misfits, Byzantine, Dry Kill Logic, and LA Guns, and toured the East Coast. In 2009 they put out the “Harmony of the Spheres EP” and continued to play all over NYC, Brooklyn, and LI. The band has just finished completion of their second full-length, “Public Cemetery Party” at Killingsworth Studios. Their sound has evolved into something truly their own, combining progressive metal, stoner rock, pop, blues, and alternative ambiance once earning them the title of the “bastard children of the Beatles (The Metal Den).”

Exemption has definitely caught my ear. The band is very tight, writes great melodies, and combines a hodge podge of musical influences ranging from The Beatles to Boris. The musicianship of this band is stellar and is evidenced on their newest CD "Public Cemetery Party". These guys have been playing since they were in their early teens and now have progressed into this huge groove inspired progressive psychedelic rock monster. The music somehow manages to sooth you and punish you at the same time, either way this band is one that shows tremendous promise. Go listen to their CD now, it is being streamed for free on their Bandcamp page. 

Link: http://www.heavyplanet.net/2010/12/new-band-to-burn-one-to-exemption.html
-----

We're proud to be featured on a great Stoner Rock blog like Heavy Planet and we hope you take their advice and "burn one" to "Public Cemetery Party" right now!!   If you don't have it yet you can order real deal copies here or look that mofo up on iTunes.  Or if you're as broke as me we still have it streaming for free at exemption.bandcamp.com.  
We have some great shows coming up.
Free show at Bar Matchless in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (557 Manhattan Ave) this Wednesday, December 15th w/ our friends in Thinning the Herd, Dogs of Karma, and Vultus!  Starts at 8.  Exemption's on at 10.
Last minute show with some great local metal bands like Wool Over Eyes, Praetorian, and Demovore at B.C.'s Pub in Bellmore, NY (Long Island) on Saturday, December 12th.
The 6th Annual Vision Through Sound Christmas show at Broadway (198 Broadway Ave. Amityville) w/ lots of friends on December 23rd.
We're also playing our buds in Midnight Mob's CD Release show at Crash Mansion in NYC January 21st.  We have tickets for this - $10.  
& lots more in the works right now!
----

We have some funny new home videos up.  I just finished part 2/2 and I'm gonna start editing all that great footage I got from tour.  Check 'em out on the last two blog entries.

Exemption - Home Movies 2010 Part Two: Public Cemetery Party

Exemption - Home Movies Part 1 - Completion of Public Cemetery Party

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Public Cemetery Tour Part 1 - Tour Diary

11/6 - 11/18/10

I’m writing this en route to Oneonta from Philly in the passenger seat of the van.  Currently almost all the way through Volume 4, debating whether or not to put on another Sabbath album after it’s over.  The tour so far has been simply a good fucking time.  We’ve done three shows thus far.  The first in Chesapeake Beach, MD was the best of the three.  It was a house party (mostly alcohol free!) with a bunch of cool local bands and there were a lot of kids there.  They called it The Foster Home, after the family that lived there.  Non Grata, Tigerscout, and Teens and Trucks were awesome and all really nice guys.  The house was on a very narrow road so before the show even started the sheriff came by to tell us to unblock the road because he was already getting complaints and was definitely going to continue to get them all night for the noise.  The show itself was set up in this enclosed backyard patio area for the first few bands.  There were, I believe six bands playing total and for each the kids there were moshing and jumping on one another and crowd surfing/being carried around.  There energy was great and totally positive and fun; no goons or fights or singling people out.  Around 9 a cop finally showed up to tell the Fosters that they had to quiet it down or they were getting shut down asap, but instead of quieting the bands and stopping the show they opted to move it from the backyard into their living room for the last three bands.  Tom and I helped them move one of their couches into the backyard.  Needless to say I was and still am very impressed by how cool and supportive they were of keeping the music going even if it meant having close to 40 kids plus loud ass bands in their living room, in front of their fire place, below the mounted deer head.  We were really grateful too, because for awhile we were getting increasingly nervous that the show was going to get shut down before we got to play. After driving six hours down there and then getting denied playing a full house of enthusiastic people by the popozows like we have so many times at home would have sucked quite hard.  The show wound up being awesome though.  I’ve been waiting for a show like that for so long.  Free, totally DIY show/party with people pushed up until they were a foot away from you, all of whom were pumped.  A lot of people there had already checked us out on Myspace and shit when they heard we were coming out and were into it, which was really encouraging.  We played a short set: Hyperspiral, Blood Heaven, Mutating Skulls, Cold Bodies, and Tasted By Love, so as to not take up too much of the last band’s time.  It was really rewarding to be right in people’s faces while they danced and rocked out however they felt suit.  We sold a good amount of CDs and a few shirts and our new friend Cornelius was cool enough to collect tips for us for gas money (so far the only compensation we have received!).  Really can’t thank the Foster Home, the other bands, and Pierce of Teens and Trucks for having us on such a badass show.  We’ll definitely come back whenever we can.  My only regret is that I forgot to set up my camera to film any of it but so it goes… 

Our awesome friend Jackie drove down from DC with a car full of friends to see the show and after the party was over we drove back to DC and had some beers at her place before crashing.  The next day was the Delaware show but before we left we did some tourist shit with Jackie and her friend Brittany.  Paid our second visit to the Lincoln Memorial and National Monument and our first to the Capitol Building and got I got some funny footage of our disrespectful shenanigans and us riding a carousel amongst small childrens.  We forgot to take note of where we parked (reoccurring theme in unfamiliar cities) so after getting some food we speed walked about until we found it.  Left with very little time to get to Wilmington, DE for the show at Mojo 13 but it didn’t wind up mattering much.  Mojo 13 is a cool crazy-clown-themed bar/venue with a nice sound system on the Philadelphia Pike.  Unfortunately Sunday night is apparently not a very popular night to go out for Wilmington and we closed the night to two guys from the band before us and the guys that worked at the bar.  We had fun playing to them though, and talking to them between songs.  It also gave us a chance to practice songs in the set we’re not 100% comfortable on yet like “Hounds of Sound.”   Incidentally, we played really tight to those two dudes!  After the show we drove straight back to Brooklyn to drop Tom off and then back to Long Island for me and Ray.  Left two days off for each of us to work before we went back out.  I think we all shared the sentiment of not wanting to go home but we weren’t gonna just chill in Delaware for two days at the creepy clown bar. 

I guess I should make note that I’m no longer in the van on my way to Oneonta.  I am in the van but now it’s on it’s way to the last show of the tour in Rochester so it’s six days later from when I started writing this.  Woops.  Didn’t want it to be broken up so much but honestly never had the time/brain cells to continue in the days that have passed until now.  Ray is driving again and we’re listening to new Cee Lo Green album “The Lady Killer” which is quite smooth.  We’re on I-90 W and just had our second Trooper on our ass since we started our trek from Boston to Rochester; not that we have anything to er… worry about but still they are scary…like sharks.  Anyway, the first show after our little break was at The Fire on W. Girard Ave in Philly.  I’ve wanted to book Philly for awhile, not because I know anything about the scene there, but because it is home to my favorite record label: Relapse, hence my excitement to hopefully play with some original metal bands.  Our long time amiga/photographer/Ray’s boo, Alli Murphy joined us for the trip to Philly.  The GPS must have been set to “whack routes” cuz that drive took way longer than it should have but regardless we arrived to the show on time after picking up our friend Adam at his place.  The Fire was a cool dive bar on one side, venue on the other type of deal.  We played with a very cool stoner band whose riffs were very Sleep-ish called Twin Temples.  Our set went well, played most of the new album.  Alli got plenty of pictures.  Went back to Adam’s and drank a 30 rack of Labatt Blue with him, mad grits, slept like drunk baby lambs.  We woke up and went to the “bitch diner” (titled such because “as soon as you get your food you just gotta bitch about it”).  Parted ways with Adam and went down to walk around South St. in Philly, which is a beautiful city.  The best part of that was the Magic Gardens, which if you’re ever in Philly you should definitely go see.  It’s essentially a house that was turned completely into a work of art with glass, ceramic, bottles, statues, junk, bicycles, etc…  that at first appears endless.  It was a very beautiful and chill place to hang out and kill time.  Alli got a lot of great pictures there and I may or may not have got some funny videos.  Afterwards, dropped Alli off at a bus to Boston where we would eventually rendezvous again.  From there we started driving to Oneonta (where this journal started).  “Upstate” PA or wherever the fuck we were driving was beautiful, probably my favorite drive so far. 

Got to Oneonta the night before  our show there so we met up with our friend Justin (Dutch Masters, Samurai Pizza Cats, Casual Sweater Tuesday), whose dorm we were staying it until the show.  Parking situation on campus was fucking stupid; had to get multiple parking passes, move car off campus just to move it back on early in the morning.  The night we got up there we went to General Clinton’s Pub, where we would be playing the next day, to see this blues/classic rock cover band from the school and to get drunk and bullshit.  After awhile at the bar we went back to one of Justin’s friends houses nearby to jam for a little while; which was a really fun time being it so late and us being so lifted.  We took a cab back to the dorm, slept for a few hours and then had to get up to move the car off campus before 9 or we’d get a ticket (which we got -$15).  This doesn’t sound like such a big deal but Oneonta is essentially just one big fucking hill after another and some of those things are steep, so don’t get wasted, sleep for three hours and then get up and walk up and down steep ass hills for fifteen minutes if you want the rest of your day to feel normal.  When we got back, Ray passed out right away on Justin’s couch for the rest of the day.  Like an idiot, I watched the first season of Louis (C.K.) on Netflix all day while Justin was at class.  That show is hilarious by the way, but sleep would have been smarter.  Anyway, spent most of the day lounging and bullshitting, waiting for the show.  I couldn’t help but laugh at how Ray’s snoring; slumbering person on the couch reminded me a lot of “the guy on the couch” in Half Baked. 

General Clinton’s Pub was pretty packed out by the time Samurai Pizza Cats opened the show that night.  Justin fought for the show to be 18+ which worked despite the bartenders being unhappy.  SPC was fun, they played some good covers and the crowd seemed to be having a really good time with them.  Next was Justin’s hip hop group, The Dutch Masters who also did a great job controlling the crowd and put on a great show.  We closed the night which may have been the only flaw in the show, seeing as how basically none of these kids knew our music and we don’t currently have any covers on reserve.  The first half of our set went pretty well though and I saw some bouncing, head banging, and dancing which makes us very happy chaps.  Unfortunately the majority of the crowd was underage and drinking anyway, and as Friday night became Saturday morning they got worse at hiding it and many of them were kicked out in droves.  So our crowd that we played our last song to had decreased significantly from the one we had opened to, which was honestly disheartening at first, but the kind words of the kids who stayed and learning more of what had happened to many of the departed lifted that weight a bit.  Still though, heckling calls like “play a song!” and “play something good!” from the collegiate/fuckhead/goon/Bro/dawg/roofie-dropping/future pedophilic gym teachers in the audience really got my blood boiling.  I get that they don’t understand where we’re coming from with this style of music, and that they really just wanted us to play “Don’t Stop Believing” so they could finally put a move on their dog-faced dates but seriously FUCK YOU, EAT SHIT, IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE (howaboutbackupyourmother’sass?)!  Okay..sorry, got that out of my system now.  We made some decent gas money which was definitely very helpful.  Gotta thank Justin 100x over for his help with getting us the show and actually getting us some money for a change and thanks to his bandmates for being cool to us and helping us out. 

The next morning (Saturday 11/13) we got some pretty good breakfast outside campus at this little bagel shop and we took our time heading up to Albany for our show at Bogie’s.  Bogie’s is a kick ass metal venue.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone in or out of the genre.  Thanks to In the Pit Productions for having us on the show!  The sound guy Dave, who also plays guitar in the band Marauder, was a very chill dude and talked to us for awhile about his label, touring, and sound engineering.   Unfortunately while we were loading in Ray came to the realization that he was missing his snare drum.  Luckily he had brought a backup snare, but not unluckily a little bit later he realized he was missing his double bass pedals as well.  After an hour or two of internal freaking out, we finally got the call back from Justin that some of his band members had mistakenly/drunkenly packed up his shit.  Sucked but at least they were not lost/stolen anymore.  The drummer of one of the bands we played with, Breathless by Dawn was nice enough to let Ray use their double-bass pedals for our set.  We opened the show and played pretty well except a few hiccups.  The first being that Ray completely busted the bottom-head of his backup snare drum (lol), making it sound like a fisher price toy snare.  The second was when I went to step backwards off the drum riser at the end section of “Blood Heaven” I lost my footing and fell ass-over-tits from the back of the stage to the front, somehow managing to slam my back into my monitor and fuck up my knee simultaneously.  I did manage to start playing again before the song was almost over and I was sure I hadn’t broken anything.  Besides those goofs, we played really tight and got a pretty good response.  The majority of the bands we were playing with us were admittedly much heavier than us.  Several had a very NYDM groove meets hardcore/breakdown kinda stuff.  Breathless by Dawn, and the two bands that followed were really tight though and there was surprisingly no bullshit machismo sitting in the air, making everyone grumpy and hostile like at similar shows at home.  Maybe it’s cuz we were the out-of-town band but mostly everyone we met was overtly friendly and supportive so we’ll definitely be trying to head back to Bogie’s on our next upstate run.  (Side note: found out I really enjoy Guinness at this show).

Unfortunately we couldn’t stay for the whole show.  Our original plan was to meet up with our good friend Megan and Alli in Boston at Meg’s apartment where we would be staying the next few days but since Ray’s pedals and snare were still in Oneonta we had to drive back down that way first and decided to just crash there for another night.  We went to a party that was pretty fun.  Found out that Rock-Paper-Scissors makes for an excellent drinking game.  You start to feel like you’re reading the other person’s mind.  The excessive beer-drinking may have started to take a (noticeable) toll on our organs this night but meh…still had a good time.  Our cab driver home had a very Lawnguyland-souding accent and I had to ask him.  Of course he was from Lake Ronkonkoma or something and his name was Nick too. 

The next morning in Oneonta was eerily the same as the one before.  It took us about five hours to get to Boston.  Parking in Brookline was also a bitch, but parking anywhere in an Astro van filled to the ceiling with equipment and bags is a bitch.  We arrived at our long time friend Megan’s apartment around 6 or 7 I think where Alli had been chilling since Philly.  Megan took the pictures of us that are on the inside of “The Rabbit Hole” album art and we were friends way before that.  She’s an OG and coincidentally a great host as well.  Her and her roommates (also really awesome) made us a big Italian dinner: chicken parm, eggplant parm, pasta, and garlic bread.  Definitely the best meal of the tour by far.  Eating sucks on tour.  You eat what’s in front of you when you’re hungry, which is usually pizza and hopefully not fast food, and you’re constantly pissing away money on food that sucks and makes you feel like shit just because it’s the only thing around, so having said that, a home cooked meal was God, son.  Boston was a lot of fun this time around.  The day of our show at the Midway CafĂ© in Jamaica Plain (Mon 11/15), Ray Tom, Alli, and I took a free tour of the Sam Adams Brewery.  That was awesome, got to eat barley seeds, smell fresh hops, and a got a few glasses of free beer, plus nice glass beer pints to take home.  Thank you Sam Adams…for everything *single tear*.  The show at the Midway was fun but unfortunately the only local band on the bill dropped last minute (another reoccurring theme) so we shared the bill with Nowhere Fast who were from Kentucky.  They were a really good melodic punk band and really nice guys also.  We traded albums and will hopefully play together again someday.  Besides a few of our new and old friends who were nice to come out on a Monday night, we played to the other band and the bartenders.  We still had fun though and rocked out pretty hard.  I have videos of most of these shows that I’ll be cutting up and posting soon.  The next day we ate burritos, dropped Alli off at the bus terminal, and Megan was gonna show us some Boston attractions in the downtown area, but first we got turned around a few times and spent a good chunk of time looking for parking.  We walked through Boston Commons park which was very purdy, as was the rest of the city.  Tried to hit up this historical cemetery where (who else but) Sam Adams was buried but we got there a little late and it was closed (cemeteries close?).  We still had a good time walking around and just chilling with Megan that night.  Gotta thank her again for being such a long time good friend to us.  M@d luv grl. 

So this morning was our last in Boston.  Another of our OG friends from back in the day, Liz Pelly (pellytwins.blogspot.com), was cool enough to have us on the morning show of WTBU (Boston University Radio).  We played four songs off the album (“Hyperspiral, Blood Heaven, White Animal, & Tasted By Love”) and talked about the tour and recording of the album, amongst other things like our friends from home.  That was very awesome of Liz to have us on the show last minute.  We are definitely blessed with some very gracious and awesome friends.  Listen to her show at WTBU.org and check out pellytwins.blogspot.com! 
Since leaving Liz at eleven this morning we’ve been driving to Rochester, as I mentioned earlier.  Sadly, tonight is the last show of the tour at the Bug Jar in Rochester.  It’s been a great time, and we’ve been waiting awhile to finally get out there and do this again.  If I weren’t so completely depleted of funds (and shows) I would want us to just keep going for as long as we could, but sadly I am a broke ass.  I’m gonna wrap this up after the show tonight and on our way home tomorrow.

11/18/10
So…I’m home now.  We got to our friend Kristin’s house in Rochester around 6 last night and headed over to where we were playing – The Bug Jar - at 8.  The Bug Jar is a really cool place.  They have a lot of crazy paintings and big fake bugs everywhere.  The side with the stage in it has furniture like refrigerators, tables, and fireplaces hanging upside down from the ceiling as if you are a fly looking down on a room from the ceiling.  The show was only us and one other band, Psychopath from Oswego, who were a pretty tight tech-death metal band.  We didn’t have high hopes for the turnout, being that it was a Wednesday night with no local on it, but we were just going to have a good time with it and put on a good show for Kristin, her friends, and the other band.  Luckily though, right before we played, seemingly out of nowhere, a crowd of around twenty people added themselves to the room and they hung out for our whole set!  We met a few of them and sold a couple CD’s and it wound up being a great way to end the tour.  Needless to say we were fucking psyched to go out like that.  We met the owner of the Bug Jar, Bob, who bought us a round of beers and shots of Jager (bleghhergh).  We talked to him for awhile before we left about bands that had played there before they got big (i.e., White Stripes, Ted Leo, Arcade Fire..).  He talked to us about all of the 60’s psych bands he was into.  There are some really nice people upstate.   Went back to Kristin’s and crashed pretty early.  Took us about 6 and a half hours to get home today (worst part was getting through Manhattan to Brooklyn to LI). 

I’m happy to be home, but already anxious to get out again.  Hopefully it won’t be long until we’re on the road again.  At least I can eat something nontoxic today.  Lots of love to everyone who helped us out the last couple of weeks, everyone who bought a copy of the new album, and everyone who took the time to read this.  Friday, November 26th we’ll be playing the Third Annual Black Friday show at Broadway in Amityville!  That’s gonna be a great time. Hope to see you there. 

-Nick Lee
Exemption