the and company

Today is Tuesday

2010-04-27T12:37:00.001-07:00

All day today, I thought it was Wednesday. But its Tuesday.

Here are some reasons why I am glad it is actually Tuesday, and not Wednesday:

1. Game night tonight.... catch phrase (the sexes face-off for a re-match), taboo, wii mini-golf, and the planet earth dvd/board game (I have no idea what this involves... but I'm excited)

2. And Co. practice tomorrow morning.... coffee from Diesel, general hilarity that ensues due to early morning brain, and maybe some new tunes (if we're lucky!)

and finally...

3. My 4:30 date this afternoon with two amazing ladies.... laughs, gossip (not really), a run-down of all the good concerts coming up this month and just general hang out time with two of my favorite people in all of the world.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Love,
Mal

Invest in the Process

2010-04-16T23:13:00.001-07:00

This speech is awesome. If I were you I'd watch the entire thing...

http://www.ted.com/talks/srikumar_rao_plug_into_your_hard_wired_happiness.html

...but if I weren't you, it gets really good around 11:13 where the guy accidentally drops his pencil on the ground.

The end reminded me of a song I wrote in 2007 called "Learning to Walk".

(thanks to Bergel for the link)

love, Tav

Update on Life:

2010-04-11T18:21:00.001-07:00

Loving it. The worst of my concerns are struggling with new LOST theories and random minor injuries I don't remember inflicting on my body on any given day (like my mysteriously swollen K-typing finger). The And Company just played another Open Mic Challenge at the Lizard Lounge and lost (speaking of LOST).

But we "lost" to DAN BLAKESLEE.

www.danblakeslee.com

This guy is an incredible artist. A true Renaissance Man (as self-described in a hilarious bio on the website). I immediately want his involvement someway, somehow, in The And Company.

Also, if time permits, you really must check out the winner of last night's competition:

Dietrich Strause (his Diet is Rich with a whole lot of fucking talent)

www.dietrichstrause.com

Now going to watch old LOST and prove my latest "John Locke has been flashing from alternate universe to the island this whole time" theory.

I love my life.

(internet real estate note to self: must buy ilovemylife.com from loveletters.com, no matter what the cost)

May 4th, why can't you be today?

2010-03-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Reactions to 3 previews of tracks off Broken Social Scene's upcoming release:

Forgiveness Rock Record (samples below, or http://www.brokensocialscene.ca/)

"Forced to Love" : just made me wish I was drumming on that recording...goddamn you Justin Peroff.

"All to All" : don't know if I absolutely love it or totally hate it...probably a good thing. (until the end where Charles Spearin-like production brings me to yet another ridiculously-emotional state of listening)

"World Sick" : simply gorgeous.

Nice job guys and gals of Broken Social Scene. Cannot wait til May 4th.

forced to love, Tav

New York and a letter to Iceland

2010-03-18T08:40:00.001-07:00

Mally and I are on a Megabus heading back from Manhattan....don't know if we'll make it. We took the top floor of a double-decker on the way there--instantly decided on the way back to take the bottom floor...yes, less wobbly, but safety is ultimately in the driver's hands. Sir, are we that "behind schedule"?

Anyone in New York City should go see Fuerza Bruta (www.fuerzabruta.com). Inspirations galore. Mally and I are already working on our own dance/music collaboration show...but instead of incredible use of water like aforementioned show, we will light the entire audience on fire at lights down just to make the intensity palatable.

The Big Apple is, for the most part, an incredibly efficient working system. When all of the parts of the system are functional, the visit is quite nice. When the system is flawed (ahem...Guy and Gallard) it can be a downright train wreck. No, that bagel is not hers, it's mine...no, coffee is not supposed to taste mostly like water...no, I haven't got my food yet...yes, I have given you my money...yes, I should have had coffee before coming here to put me in a better mood...yes, I have an addiction problem...yes, I still blame you for your flawed system.

But thank you to the rest of New York for yet another amazing time.

In other And Company news, Alle and her s.o. Mark are galavanting around Iceland as I type. Before leaving, she explained to us that many of the mountainside roads in the country are without guardrails. This, alongside the fact that Mark has incredibly poor eyesight...not to mention he's the only one allowed to drive their rental car since Alle's drivers license doesn't exist...leads me to write this letter:

Dear Alle and Mark, I hope you two are OK. Please make it back soon so we can keep making music together.

love, Brian

The And Company is now in the hands of a cool dude named Mark and a maniacal Megabus driver, who looks as if he would be named Rodney. Let's hope 100% &co will be in front of you on Sunday the 21st...

The And Company is ready to spring forward.

2010-02-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

It’s the last day of February. Tomorrow is March, and that means that April is coming soon…. and THAT means spring is right around the corner!

I’m all about positivity.

February has been a very good month to The And Company, though, despite all the wintery mix we’ve had. We got to play a show every week this month, which was awesome!

Right now, we’re working on a new song that I’m really excited about. Its sort of a folkie mashup… with some electronica mixed in. We’re starting to use this synthesizer type thing called a Micro Korg…. I don’t know too much about it yet, but I do know that the possibilities are endless and can definitely get overwhelming. Luckily we’ve got each other to reign it all in, in case any of us go too crazy! Anyways, I think the song is turning out to be something really cool and different. It still has the And Company querky charm, but with an electronic flavor mixed in and some interesting layered lyrics… I’m excited to see what happens to it as we keep working!

You’ll be able to hear our new mashup song, plus other new tunes, at our shows coming up this month…

Sunday March 14th at The Midway Café in Jamaica Plain
Sunday March 21st at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston
Monday March 22nd at Radio Bean in Burlington, VT (Know anyone in VT?? Tell them to come check us out!)

To see our full show calendar and to listen to some tunes from our live album, check out our website: www.TheAndCompany.com

Happy March!

The And Company can now perform INSIDE YOUR BRAIN!

2010-01-07T05:20:00.001-08:00

IT HAS BEGUN. (this MUST be said like Shang Tsung says it in the movie version of Mortal Kombat or it just doesn't work)

The And Company 's first full-length album is in print as of yesterday, and thanks to the efficiency of modern technology, it looks like (fingers-crossed, three hail marys, knock-on-wood, etc) we will have it for our JANUARY 17th performance at THE BURREN in Davis Square.

It will be called "Poppy's World". The tracklist is below:

1 Slacker

2 Spider

3 Roadkill

4 Come Home

5 Adultery

6 Passing Out the Instruments

7 Bones

8 Mulberry

9 White Dress

10 Up/Down

11 I'll Make It Easy

12 Hey Breakdown

This project was an insanely new experience for me, which is always good (if for no other reason, than for building character). The entirety of "Poppy's World" was recorded in one day towards the end of a tour the band went on in the Fall of '09. We organized a house party...the best of house parties...you know, dark foamy beer served in snifters and unforced conversation. People coming together to laugh with each other. I wish you were there, because the evening is hard to put into words.

But that's why we set mics up and recorded it.

The sole purpose of "Poppy's World" is to transport you to a cozy couch, spirit of choice in hand, directly in front of The And Company as we enjoy the night right along with you. Think of it like you're Bastian from The Neverending Story. You're not just listening to "Poppy's World"...you are in "Poppy's World".

I couldn't be more proud of our first album as a band--it embodies everything we are about. The audience is a part of the band. Every time we play, we are the exact same as you, we just have instruments in our hands (except for tracks 6 and 7 on "Poppy's World" when EVERYONE has instruments).

Try not to think of "Poppy's World" as a live album. Try to think of it as a group of humans in a room collectively enjoying the simple things in life. Grab some headphones and you can be right there in the middle of it all...

Join us on JANUARY 17th @ THE BURREN, Davis Square, Somerville, 9pm for the real thing. Then take "Poppy's World" home with you for the virtual And Company experience!

[many more live shows coming up...check www.theandcompany.com for details!]

See you soon (hopefully somewhere in your ear canal).

-Tav

Toad in a Hole

2009-10-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night Brian and I surprised Alle by showing up at Central Kitchen, the restaurant where she works, for dinner and drinks. We tipped her pretty well I think… I hope. Alle is what you would call a top-notch bartender. She is speedy and sassy and smart… plus she makes a mean martini. Well, actually I didn’t have a martini – I had some lavender something that was delicious! But I can imagine that she makes a mean martini.

Central Kitchen is not only the workplace of our dear Alle, but is also the home of an unbelievably delectable traditional english dish. Highly highly recommended.

We are playing a show in Central Square this Sunday, on the first day of November at The Cantab Lounge. The night is full of some seriously awesome local talent. The line-up goes like this:

7:15 Danielle Doyle

8:00 Dietrich Strause

8:45 Garlic and Moonshine

9:30 Flightless Buttress

10:15 The And Company [that's us!]

There is no cover fee, but there will be CDs for sale and a tip jar of sorts. It’ll be the perfect place to ease your post-Halloween blues/continue the festivities!

So on Sunday night, go get yourself some Toad in a Hole and then come on down to the The Cantab and listen to some awesome tunes!

see you then!

love and foie gras,

mally

adventures in blogging

2009-10-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

an email conversation with alle about my extreme fear of inadequate blogging:

dear alle,

blogging scares me.

i am at work and trying to write something for the blog and i've started and re-started about 5 times. each time i only wrote about a sentence. i don't know what to write or how to write it! i'm not particularly witty when i write.. or when i talk... unless i trip. but thats not even witty, its just funny cause i'm so clumsy. but i don't know how to transfer the hilarity of my clumsiness into writing. hmm.

-mal

dear mally,

blog away!!! don't worry about being witty, just be you! your magic will shine through.... :)

-alle

[yes, she did say "your magic will shine through"]

brian's blogging advice:

you can't force a blog.

so i should let my magic shine through, and not force it. okay. here goes.

so we just got back from a two week east coast tour last weekend, and i am already itching to get back on the road. its a little bit ridiculous how much fun we all had.

for the past year the three of us have been hanging out, playing music, eating goldfish, gushing about how much we adore each other, etc etc... being from massachusetts, i have been lucky enough to have my family around - they've met Alle and Brian, they've come to lots of shows, they've pretty much become super fans. thanks to the little tour, we were able to recruit more familial super fans! the tour brought us down the east coast to Asheville, North Carolina and Valdosta, Georgia, Brian and Alle's hometowns [respectively]. in Asheville, we watched old home videos of Brian's theatrical feats and consumed a ridiculously tasty breakfast of pancakes and bloody marys. in Valdosta, we learned exactly where Alle got her musical brain/heart and ridiculously speedy post-song burst of chatiness.

if its possible, even after two weeks of hanging out with them 24/7, i like my bandmates [FRIENDS] even more than before.

Burmese Tiger Trap

2009-10-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

All hail the impulse buy! I snagged Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. II at Newbury Comics yesterday for $11.88! (Which came out to actually be $13 out of my wallet, and more change in my pocket that I already lost due to an unfortunate hole in my right pocket...damn you Express). So I'm sitting here questioning one thing...if Wile E. actually succeeds at trapping a Burmese Tiger (Surprisibus! Surprisibus!) after reading "How To Build a Burmese Tiger Trap", then why doesn't he just go and pick up "How to Build a Road Runner Trap" by the same author, in lieu of dangerous ACME Rocket Skates or Leg Muscle Vitamins? Then again, he paints a picture on a canvas that trucks and road runners alike can pass through, yet he cannot...so maybe I shouldn't take his predicament so seriously. It's the expressions in his eyes that make me side with the guy. Go get 'em Wile E., I got your back.

Music appreciation

2009-10-05T23:06:00.001-07:00

So, like, recently, we drove around for days. And by "we drove around", I mean Mally and Brian drove around while I chimed in every twenty minutes about local obituaries and random math theory music magic. Beautiful cities, ridiculously wonderful people and comical sound checks aside/included/whatever, I think I speak for us all when I say: we want to do this forever.

Thank you Tom for the lovely open mic you host every Monday night at the Lizard Lounge. We just won 72 dollars. I promise that we will spend it on finger puppets.