Random FB chat with Amanda from PA

That's Amanda on your right, don't worry I'm drunk on pure holy spirit:)

What’s up Centrevol Universe. Just a quick little bit of fun from my online social network. Amanda, a friend and fan from Eastern University near Philly stirred up ye old chat on Facebook… the convo got a little funny so I decided to post it!!! You may NOT forget about our local show Thursday night at Que Sera in Long Beach, if you promise to not forget, you may read this post.

Amanda

How are you, friend?!

6:11pmKai-Ping

chillin what you doing?

6:14pmAmanda

oh im just getting back into the swing of school

whats centrevol been up to>

6:15pmKai-Ping

We are working on our next album + promoting a huge local show coming up Thurs

Oh how I miss eastern

6:16pmAmanda

that’s awesome

oh please. you’re just saying that!

6:16pmKai-Ping

WHAT!?!? Why would I just be saying that??@!!

I’d freaking give up my left toe pinky to get out there again!

6:18pmAmanda

oh!! I would give my left fourth toe for you guys to come back

6:18pmKai-Ping

Oh, shoot, are we in a body part bidding war?

6:19pmAmanda

im glad to hear that the eastern-centrevol relationship is mutual

no no. just trying to be honest

6:19pmKai-Ping

Yeah, I’d like to up the ante, but since I’m a guitarist I can’t give up fingers, and there aren’t any other appendages I’m willing to give up.

6:21pmAmanda

ah, that’s okay. i still feel the dedication

Oooh Schnookies, it’s time for a local show!!!

Centrevolians unite:

It’s our first local show of the new year! We have been blessed blessed blessed (that’s 3) with a residency gig at “Que Sera” a cool vibey bar in Long Beach. We’re pulling out the big guns for you this time, guys. Not only is the place awesome, the drinks cheap, the location magnificent, the parking fantasmic, but the line up is also bullet proof. Ann Lynn is a band that we’ve played with before that makes for some moody intense rock; Shaimus is a band we met on the road that is the heir to ben folds and some skilled hardworking mofos. Plus the door is cheap, $5 on a Thursday night, let’s do this!

Back in the War Room

Greetings Centrevolians:

After a brief break for us to be with our families, we are back in the war room working on our new album! Above you can see Petey managing our recording apparatus (aka, operating the missile launcher), our producer Eric on the right is trying to look cool playing the bass and Jonny G is on security. We’ve been hard at work spending hours in this little room trying to make some delicious tunes to sweeten your earbuds. I’m going to do my best to post some rough demos of new songs as they come up to get your opinion on them. So far we have 9 songs to choose from and we only get to choose 6, so your input is appreciated.

Until I can post some new songs, here is a fun fact about the rehearsal space:

“Nate’s drumstick graveyard”: Nate shaves through a pair of drumsticks per rehearsal. If you look closely at this pic, you can see that his hi hat foot pedal rises up from a graveyard of vanquished shavings. Large pieces of wood commonly fly at band member’s faces mid-song.

Merry Christmas to all the Centrevol Fans!!!

Hello, kai here. I’m on vacation now with the wife hangin with the parents. We will be heading up to Tahoe tomorrow and doing the laborious chore of ski/snowboarding in Heavenly Valley this week (my wife’s from the east coast repping the skiers, I’m repping the west side with my board). Just wanted to drop you guys a quick line to tell you about the lovin from the fans.

Every holiday we all get a few text messages from friends saying “happy turkey day” or whatever. This year, I got 3 (three) texts from friends we have met on the road and only ONE text from a “local” friend, (and that friend happened to be in the band, more on that later). So, this is not only a celebration of all the lovely Centrevol friends I’ve met, but also a chastising of my local friends who didn’t effing text me to wish me a happy birthday to Jesus (I’m not bitter).

Anyway, on to the hall of fame of all the friends accross the land who love me: Leah Widdekind from MSU Northern, Havre, MT wrote: “merry christmas have a wonderful day ” probably a group text but I’ll take it! My friend Allie from Carroll College in Helena MT wrote “Merry Christmas Kai ” affirming that it was just to me, hell yes wife-clone! And the complete spaztastic mexi-afro mascot of Salt Lake Community College Jesse Sanchez wrote: “Kai baby! Merry Christmas! Hope it was good.” So to all of you I say Merry Christmas back, and thanks for the shouts.

Now, to my local friend, it happened to be none other than the Jonny G, bassist for Centrevol, who, in his excitement texted me “Merry Christmas!”, but forgot to account for the time change and it woke me at 6:52 Christmas morning!!!! WTF!!!! Jonathan, the earth rotates, and after a certain age, ppl become ok with trading a little sleep in exchange for ravenously opening presents at the ungodly crack of dawn.

So, now I want to leave you with this delicious little random embarrassing tidbit: My mom bought me this wonderful Nike jumpsuit which, although is highly practical and useful, is entirely antithetical to what I normally wear so I thought in my stupidity I would play air guitar for you all in centrevolian land to show you what an idiot I am. I uploaded it at an absurdly low quality so not only can you not quite see how stupid I look in it, but how absrudly horribly embarrassing I look playing air guitar is also distorted. (btw, you can catch a sneak preview of the song “Warranty”, one of our fav songs on the upcoming album). Enjoy:

Good Deals for the Holidays

This blog once again goes out to all you ski/snowboard enthusiasts! One of my housemates Mark introduced me to these cool sites for finding deals on equipment, though they only do one deal at a time so stay on your toes…can save ya a lot of mooola!

Brociety

Tramdock

Steep and Cheap

CENTREVOL 2.0 (two point oh)!!!

Yo Centrevol nation! Check out video featuring one of our new songs Shine a Light, LIVE!! Watch it in full screen high def cuz we look good and sound above average!!!

As you can tell, we have been trying to reinvent ourselves as a band… this so called “2.0″ version of us really accentuates a pop sensibility, although not at the same time eliminating our intensity and energy as musicians. Of course, as a Californian band, there is an amalgam of styles, but the point is we are maturing, and we’re satisfied with what we are producing. We hope you like you’re little taste of it!! Go to our youtube site and post your rating and responses!!!

Check It Out // An Art Auction for a Good Cause!

painting by Brian Bello

Premier Winter Art Auction 2009
For Long Beach Rescue Mission
Presented by Long Beach Art Werks
Saturday, December 12th
Opening at 12:00, auction at 5:00

2nd City Council Art Gallery
435 Alamitos Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802

Long Beach Art Werks community action group, is teaming up with local artists, the Long Beach Rescue Mission: At night, most of us experience the streets in transit or through a window, but for some, the streets are home. Long Beach Art Werks is dedicated to inspiring social justice through public art engagement. Struggling against the odds, we have the chance with this event to transform our compassion for humanity into community action and extend our hands to the less fortunate.

You’ve dropped coins into rattling cups, but now is a chance to give them change.

Featured Artists — Kelly Campanella, Jamie Karson, Dave Wrathall, Travis Ott-Conn, Katie Reinman, Eydie McConnell, Stephen Sotnick, Andrew Cortes, Kevin Flynn, and more to come!

Current Sponsors — Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach Rescue Mission, Roll Up Long Beach, KBeach Global Radio, Long Beach

Union Weekly, Associated Students of Comparative Literature, and Jaguar Press.

Full Program Schedule

December 1st             – Deadline to donate art
December 9th and 10th    – noon-5 p.m. Prepare gallery/hang art
December 11th            – noon-5 p.m. Meet and greet, LBRM and LBAW
December 12th            – noon-7 p.m. Art viewing, auction at 5 p.m.
December 13th            – noon-5 p.m. Art viewing, take down at 3 p.m.

LB.Art.Werks@Gmail.com

Marketing/General Info        Art Donations            Sponsorships
Kyle Veremans            Michaël Veremans            Ryan Smith
310.908.3177                310.426.0347            714.650.6577

For more information on sponsorships, get in touch with Ryan.
The Jaguar Press

Show This Week: Pseudo Rebels CD Release Party!

More Info @ the Pseudo Rebels Site.

Night croquet on my night off!!

Hello Centrevol Nation! Right now we are in the midst of an era of songwriting intensity, that is we’re rehearsing 3x/week at a grand total of around 12 delicious hours in the rehearsal space every single week (that’s more than the total amount of time you undergrads are in class, admit it)! So, when we get a night off, it’s time to live it up!!

On Thursday, when I’d normally be at rehearsal, my wife, my roommate Tyson (the phantom Korean guy in picture #2) and I celebrated my night off by playing a little night-croquet in my backyard. Tyson supplied the cigars, and I supplied the beat down, by knocking balls with precision expertise FTW! (The term “knocking balls” cannot possibly sound clean, so get over it, and FTW stands for “for the win” in case you are web-illiterate).

We are prepping for my best friend Matthew’s man-shower to celebrate the coming of his half Mexican baby where night-croquet, scotch, cigars, and hilarity will ensue. Look out for the blog post about that one! Until then, we are making up for our night off with an even more delicious 7AM (that’s right, seven in the morning) practice on a SATURDAY.

Whatever will be… will be (Our local show residency!!!!)

Let me get you some back context with us and local shows… actually let me zoom out and commentate on local shows in general. Bands are often slain by local shows, it can be the most difficult and draining endeavor for a young band. I have known touring full time bands who can only draw 2 people in their hometown. I know of bands who have music placed on TV, radio, video games, you name it, and they turn down local shows because it just take too much energy… Local shows can be a merciless and self-defeating beast.

That being said, Centrevol has done relatively well when it comes to this subject. We have paid our dues and played in front of like 10 people, but we have also packed venues and taken names. Local shows is not like touring in the sense that you really need to reinvent yourself; it’s hard promoting to a fan-base that knows if they miss a show they can just go to the next one!

So we didn’t know what to do with the show we played at Que Sera a few weeks past. The band we booked with “Lady Danville” was bumped from the bill, and we were wondering whether we should just throw the show and have a remote rehearsal on their stage… well, we decided to kill it and blow it up on the promo. Two groups in particular really came out in mass quantities: The Bubba Gumps and Boeing crew! Big shouts to you guys.

In fact, and this is the most exciting news, the owner of the venue was there and she loved our music and our crowd so much that she decided to offer us a monthly residency! Now, residencies are super cool because you can start building a crowd, you can bring in other bands promoting a scene, and you don’t have to worry about booking in that area!!! It’s a big step for us to get a regular local gig at a respected venue, and we are thankful. Please keep checking back for more info on our residency every 3^rd Thursday of the month beginning January 21^st!

Photos courtesy of Haytham Elmasri, you’ll need to be logged into FB to see the rest of the photos…