CHRIS KOZA

This is going to be an amazing event! I’ve been working...

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:50:47 -0400

This is going to be an amazing event! I’ve been working on arrangements, along with Matthew J Olson and Joey Kantor. Lots of sound gonna be shaking the walls of one of the finest theaters in all of the Midwest!

Whether or not you are a shareholder, chances are you are a member of Facebook the website.. you can check out the event page here.

And if you’re just looking to get tickets, you can do so in person at the box office and save a few dollars in fees. The Fitz has an online deal with Ticketmaster, which is wonderfully convenient, and you can get tickets here online from the comfort of your own home, office, or mobile device…

A recent photo taken by the talented Jenn Barnett.. I look so...

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:20:36 -0400

A recent photo taken by the talented Jenn Barnett.. I look so folksy!

#MWMF 2012 … Happy 5th Anniversary Ed’s No Name...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:09:48 -0400

#MWMF 2012 … Happy 5th Anniversary Ed’s No Name Bar.

Reggie Watts after his performance at the Fitzgerald Theater. ...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:21:04 -0400

Reggie Watts after his performance at the Fitzgerald Theater. What a photogenic dude! We talked about our separate histories with Jeff Buckley’s classic heartwrencher “Last Goodbye.”

Stacy Schwartz caught me sittin’ around in the MIA..

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:49:33 -0400

Stacy Schwartz caught me sittin’ around in the MIA..

Spam By Southwest

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:46:57 -0400

For the first time in my life, I spent a night in Texas. I think I may have actually dreamed bigger than I normally do safe and sound in my little Midwestern bed. Texas is unlike other states in that if you’ve never been, it consists largely of legend. The famous slogan, “Don’t mess with Texas,” has done it’s psychological damage and other than a random stop at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Amarillo back in 2006, I’ve never set foot, nor spent a night.

My band, Rogue Valley, decided to brave the dusty trail and caravan through Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma to Austin, for this year’s SXSW music festival. What followed was a week of sensory overload on par with the scenes in Pinocchio depicting Pleasure Island: debauchery, indulgence, and unapologetic rambunctiousness. Most attendees still managed to leave without a donkey transformation, but I’m sure there were some stragglers.

Rogue Valley had five showcases and one interview; from Tuesday through Sunday, something each day. This schedule helped to keep us in check, and to feel like we had an actual purpose in Austin besides just loitering. We rolled into town Tuesday afternoon directly to the venue called The Hole in the Wall, which despite it’s name, was actually quite appealing. We immediately saw scores of Twin Cities musicians who were on the showcase with us. Luke Redfield, Gabe Douglas, Fort Wilson Riot, and Me And My Arrow were hanging around the venue, and over the coming week, these characters and us would populate many of the same scenes.

The next day was our interview and photo shoot for a new magazine based out of Austin called Austin Fusion. We drove through a residential neighborhood and happened on a huge lot fenced off from the rest of the houses. Cedar Creek Recording Studios was an audiophile’s oasis in a sea of clock radios. We parked and immediately upon entering the studio were greeted by the magazine people, who had also contracted hair and makeup artists to help the brutish bands coming through for interviews. We all took advantage of the fringe benefits, with Luke’s hair achieving new heights with the care and attention of professional stylists.

Thursday was our official showcase, which was being sponsored by Rock the Cause, and highlighted their compilation album Minnesota Remembers Vic Chesnutt. We performed a couple of the songs (Dave Simmonett’s version of Gravity of the Situation and Dan Wilson’s version of Soft Picasso), and spent the evening hanging out with many interesting and enigmatic artists, including Tommy Stinson, Corey Chisel, and The Melismatics, among others.

I heard from others that Minnesota was among the states most represented at SXSW this year. There were so many showcases that two Minnesota-themed day parties were happening simultaneously: the Vita.mn/IPR showcase, and the Gimme Noise/First Avenue showcase. We had been asked to perform at the Vita.mn day party, and we got to the outskirts of downtown Austin a couple of hours early, to allot ample time for load-in. We ended up lugging our gear over a mile by hand and hand-truck through throngs of daytime drinkers, and arriving at the venue sufficiently hungry and thirsty to partake of the complimentary food and drink. However, freebies go quickly at SXSX, and I made the best meal I could out of baked beans, white bread, and a Lone Star tallboy.

That night we got to see Built to Spill, The Drums, and the tail end of Alejandro Escovado. I tried to see Tia Carrere (of Wayne’s World fame), but it seems that there is a band by the same name who will not play Ballroom Blitz no matter how loudly you yell for it. This was the latest night of the SXSW adventure, and by the time we returned to our hotel rooms and clicked off the bedside light, the clock read 4:45am.

It was tough waking up on Day 5. Feet were sore. Chafing had occurred. Clothes were sticky. Bodies were ripe. We powered forth, spending the day taking in bands and day parties: the McNally Smith day party at The Liberty on East 6th street being our base for the day. We witnessed intense sets from Astronautilus and Peter Wolf Crier while seeing the likes of Adam Levy and the dudes from Night Moves lurking about. After a showcase of our own later that evening where we encountered Zoo Animal, the Half Hearts, and Pacific Northwest bands Laura Gibson and The Devil Whale, we persevered through the St. Patrick’s day crowd towards the Driskill Hotel to catch a haunting midnight set from The Pines.

On Sunday, I didn’t want to move, but I was well aware of just how far we were from Minneapolis. Everybody got up, repacked their bags, and we trudged down to a venue called the Whip-In for one last showcase. For me, it was my favorite show. It somehow felt so removed from the madness that pervaded over the previous week. The bar manager was super friendly and enthusiastic, and sent us home with a big bottle of Austin-brewed beer. When we finally left and got on the road, we were not the only ones. Stop-and-go traffic stretched for over 150 miles north of Austin. Eventually, we started cruising, and the lighted grids of the great Midwestern metropolises – Oklahoma City, Witchita, Kansas City, Des Moines – faded into the distant night as we unknowingly welcomed the slim sunlight of the coming morning.

Dustin Luke Nelson and Sam Osterhaut capture this performance of...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:10:01 -0400

Dustin Luke Nelson and Sam Osterhaut capture this performance of JoeyKantor and I rockin’ out in the lower east side at the Living Room.. Check out www.geocachersnyc.com for more web-episodes and music videos!

Don’t Go 4…. They’re really cracking...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:08:39 -0400

Don’t Go 4…. They’re really cracking down…

Radiation City destroying “it” at Homeslice Pizza,...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:15:08 -0400

Radiation City destroying “it” at Homeslice Pizza, SXSX 2012… Please check out this band from Portland, OR. They are on Tender Loving Empire, and really take pop music in interesting, fascinating places. www.Facebook.com/radiationcity

Walking through Austin with Rogue Valley on the eve of SXSW,...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:52:10 -0400

Walking through Austin with Rogue Valley on the eve of SXSW, courtesy of Youa Vang

Geocachers Video NYC with Sam Osterhaut and Dustin Luke Nelson!...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:29:45 -0400

Geocachers Video NYC with Sam Osterhaut and Dustin Luke Nelson! Watch Rogue Valley gets adventurous in the lower east side.

Hole in the Wall with Gabriel Douglas. #sxswfirsttimer Buckhorst...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:52:23 -0400

Hole in the Wall with Gabriel Douglas. #sxswfirsttimer

Buckhorst H1 Lens, Kodot XGrizzled Film, No Flash, Taken with Hipstamatic

Why the simplest tasks are the most complicated to accomplish,...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:15:14 -0500

Why the simplest tasks are the most complicated to accomplish, thanks to Rube Goldberg.

Indianapolis Indianapolis

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:21:56 -0500

Indianapolis Indianapolis

Oh Beloit… Sunsets here have their own special flavor;...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:20:09 -0500

Oh Beloit… Sunsets here have their own special flavor; cotton candy clouds drift above and behind the kale-green and rusted ochre facades of the downtown sky-skimmers. There is no scraping here.

The endlessly inspiring rain in Rock Island, IL John S Lens,...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:43:15 -0500

The endlessly inspiring rain in Rock Island, IL

John S Lens, Ina’s 1969 Film, No Flash, Taken with Hipstamatic

Merry Ann’s Diner in Champaign, IL John S Lens,...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:21:36 -0500

Merry Ann’s Diner in Champaign, IL

John S Lens, Ina’s 1969 Film, No Flash, Taken with Hipstamatic

From Saguaros to Snowfall

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:33:29 -0500

2/1/2012: Rogue Valley

El Centro: 77 degrees. Yuma: 78 degrees.

The dream of San Diego faded with every rotation of the tires on the Town and Country. Leaving the ocean behind is like giving back the finest gift to a giver who already has everything. We maintained a solid 79 mph through California and the desert en route to Phoenix, where we were set to play that night.

“The Rhythm Room,” written in a jolly script on a big sign planted near the street adjacent to an empty parking lot identified a building that otherwise looked vacant. We rapped on the door and waited for signs of life, which only took a few moments.

Inside, the venue was pretty classic. 8x10 black and white head shots of blues singers from another generation lined the walls. We set up our gear and after soundcheck, I chatted with the handful of friends and their friends trickling in while the rest of the band left to get tacos. The opener had canceled the day before so we were the only act. We could have used some local support, but we performed the best we knew how for the folks that made the trip.

Phoenix: 72 degrees. Tuba City: 44 degrees. Moab 40 degrees. Grand Junction: 34 degrees.

The next morning, we rose early to catch the saddest continental breakfast I’ve ever seen: six bagels, two chocolate muffins, and half a pot of room temperature coffee. Out of sheer negligence, this defeats the Capri Suns and Pop Tarts we once experienced. Yes, they were serious.

We bolted from Phoenix, covering nearly 575 miles and a 40 degree temperature difference. We drove through Arizona, past the Grand Canyon and Four Corners; some of the better flying saucer sighting spots in the southwest. Utah was a vast wilderness. When we finally arrived in Grand Junction we drove straight to the venue, discovering an open blues jam going on until 10:15pm. We were the 10:30pm show, billed on their dry-erase board as “Rouge Valley Blues.” The misspelling as “Rouge” is common enough, but the “Blues” tacked on the end… All you can do is laugh.

One thing I try hard never to do is judge anything about a pending performance in advance. Whether it’s an ornate theater or a husk with a makeshift stage. I don’t make assumptions based on the sign out front, the marquee, the bouncer, the clientele, the beer prices, the staff, or the other bands playing. The way I see it, I am a guest in someone else’s home, and I want to do right. We ended up having a jolly old time that night, and although we didn’t play blues, we powered through a double-long set, aided by a generous bartender, and afterwards met several unique, forthcoming, and good-humored folks.

The container of ibuprofen was in hot demand the next morning. We called in for late check out and treaded gingerly once on the road, keeping volumes and speed lower than on other days. Heading towards Denver, the temperature continued to fall, hovering around 36 degrees once we emerged from the winding, snow-speckled Rocky Mountains. We sat down in a coffee shop near the venue and were promptly warned by a young lap-topper there, that we were on the verge of a major storm-front. 12-24 inches of snow by the next morning. For all of the good-weather luck we’d cashed in on during this tour, our luck was soon to change.

From 7pm-midnight, Denver went from zero to nearly a foot of snow. Needless to say, this did not improve the attendance at the show. Text messages vibrated my phone, with apologies that the weather was too severe to navigate. Legislature and all schools and universities would be canceled the next day. But we would wake early to dig out the van, spin our wheels, and push on to make our final stops.

Tour Van in Lincoln, NE.. proof you can’t run forever.

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:40:57 -0500

Tour Van in Lincoln, NE.. proof you can’t run forever.

Tour Diary: Comfort Zone

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:06:00 -0500

Everyone slept in late the next morning, Portland was its grey, soaking wet, bone-chilling wintery self, but despite the uninviting weather, I felt compelled to put on my running shoes, a stocking cap, call my brother, and get a few miles in before anyone else was up.

That afternoon we headed north to Seattle for our show at the High Dive in the Freemont Neighborhood. If you don’t know where that is, just ask someone where in Seattle the giant statue of Lennon and the neon-swim-cap wearing-lady-diver convene. The sound man had it dialed in, and we ripped through our set, starting with False Floors and ending with Rockaway.

We made the late-night drive south to Portland after the show in Seattle, relying on Tom Petty and an episode of Arrested Development to keep our eyes open. I bought a bag of jalepeno potato chips which perked me up better than coffee ever has. Why people don’t start their day off with spicy crisps versus a boiling black beverage, I don’t know.

The next night we did our club show in Portland at a vibey new near the east waterfront called Bunk Bar. I had never heard of it, but when I checked out their website, Polica and Cursive were both on their schedule, so I knew it was legit. Since we had a long drive to San Francisco the next day, we played our set, saw some friends, and did a respectable job of behaving and getting to bed at an early hour.

Salem: 49 degrees. Mt. Shasta: 38 degrees. Sacramento: 61 degrees. San Francisco: 57 degrees. After a day of exceptional driving, we arrived in one of our favorite cities from our fall 2011 tour. We had a show at the same venue, Hotel Utah, and this time were sharing the bill with Safe (SF) and Butter (Missoula). All of the familiar faces were there, from sound man, to bartender, to audience. We all shared this strange sensation that right then and there, no time had passed; that there are different orbits coexisting and that minutes and hours, and details as such are relative and irrelevant.

The next day we found Baker Beach steeped in a fog so thick, it swallowed every man-made and natural landmark. The waves crashed violently over the cement-like sand, and the seagulls punctured the clouds with their shrill cries. I started taking some video footage that I had in mind for a music video but stopped after a few shots. Sometimes the lens gets in the way.