2013: A Year to DO STUFF!!!

Happy New Year. Or Happy Old Year. Or Happy The-World's-Not-Over Year.

picture coutesy of Avant Greensboro.com I bet either Jessica Loer or Katei Cranford took it..

So it's New Years Day. Many of you have seen us around our fair city of Greensboro, NC, but many of you are not within the vicinity. We are not the most publicized band and often end up being like the quiet kid sitting in the corner of the classroom. I never did like to talk and this band has always been a helping hand hand in having to talk to people. The uncomfortableness I feel being rewarded with lasting friendships and memories. But people always ask me what is going on with the Leeves. Always an enigma. The usual joke is that I'm spending entire weeks sitting in a dark room mixing an album over and over and over. Most times this is accurate. The story of the Leeves involves our friends' bands: Dumpster and Damn Frank. Two "D" bands that I am recording and being kept busy with since the Leeves have been mostly hibernating this winter after finishing our tape "Monaural Vision". Which has answered the nagging question "Do people still buy tapes?" No. No they do not. Your friends will and then they'll search to the ends of the earth for a tape player. They're sweet. But the average person will not. Especially without the digital copy. Which I have been putting off ever since mastering the tape. The digital version of Monaural Vision will be out soon and all who bought the tape previously will receive the digital version. So maybe that will make people want the mp3s and a paper weight. The paper weight does look great. 

The biggest news on The Leeves front is 1) we all moved into a new house. This means Jon's is out of his family's house, I cease being homeless, or rather homeofmyownless, and Doug moves one street over, after last year moving one street over. We started the lease with the greatest landlord. A sweet man that became our friend. But 2 months in we find ourselves with   no landlord for our friend and landlord Lee died 2 days before Christmas. I would say there has been a fair amount sorrow floating through the house. On a brighter note our Leeves news item #2) Jon, along with our friends Dallas and Sam, are now proud fathers of the greatest food truck to cruise the streets of Greensboro. The Great Escape has insanely good food that comes to the show and other assorted places. He's been pretty busy with the endeavor. Doug's news might be his donkey kong machine. An original Donkey Kong Jr. Arcade Cabinet. It stands proud in the corner of our living room. Even I have video game fever for the first time in life, beating Maniac Mansion like I always wanted to do as 8 year old Jerrod. And I discovered emulators. All the games I wanted as a kid but didn't get..... are terrible. Sega CD..... terrible. But I digress. 

We are gearing up for a huge show with THE SLACKERS. You should come. We all love them dearly. I'll probably make a fool of myself. Talks are in the works for a Corporate Fandango horn section for a super ska set but no confirmation has been received. Stay tuned. 

We are eventually going to record with our friend Randy at On Pop of the World studios. It will be the first Leeves recorded analog. And that will probably be accompanied with more recording of some sort because we always have enough songs for at least 2 and a half albums. Hopefully something will find its way to vinyl. 

To do that we must remind everyone, or inform them, that we've got a big tub of merch (shirts, tapes, cds) we'd like to turn into other merch (new album or ep on vinyl). A new batch of the Greensboro NC Heart shirt was done so lots of new t-shirts. Digital copy of Monaural Vision will be done by next week but tapes are already available if you want to steal your grandmothers tape player. We still have copies of the self-titled CD. I can't remember but I think the first ep's are free right now on Bandcamp. You can now buy stuff on this site if you can't wait until a show or don't live here or go outside of your house. But you don't have to buy anything. Just remember to listen to our music constantly and spread it like a disease. Please let the infection grow. 

We are playing with awesome Richmond heavy weights Sports Bar and Warren Hixson Jan. 3 at the Flat Iron in Greensboro. And also remember the show that Jon has been working hard to make happen for years: The Slackers in Greensboro! That is at the Blind Tiger Feb 10. Get tickets!Click This. And a tour with Dumpster is being planned for the end of March. So if you want us in your town: tell us now! We would love to come to your home. Literally and figuratively. 

Doug's band Jack Carter and the Armory has an awesome new album out and soon a Daytrotter Session online. Me and Jon have the new Matty Sheets and the Blockheads ep coming out in the near future. And soon I will start with Brandon to make the epic first Dickwolf full-length. That is pretty much  the past 5 or 6 months in a nutshell. I left most of the depressing or scandalous stuff out. Also, all of the sexy stuff. Enjoy the new year and thank you for actually caring about what we love.