A few weeks ago I went to the Duck Inn, to see the local hard rock band Calling Corners.  They were nice enough to take the time and provide an e-mail interview.  Please check it out below.

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You guys put on an awesome show a few weeks ago when I saw you at the Duck Inn.  It was very refreshing to see live music in Evansville that hits as hard as you guys do, I'm a big fan of face melting-high-energy rock and you guys delivered.  It was so intense that the people on the other side of the bar had to come see what all the awesome was about.

Thank you for the compliment and we appreciate you being there.

I think it's very refreshing to hear original music from a local band,instead of the tried and true covers.  There is also a lot to be said for a band that can create a very entertaining show, even though a listener may not be familiar with their songs.

That's really one of the main things we focus on, is our stage presence.  For two reasons, one...we're living in a visual world now-a-days.  And two, because most people go to a local bar/venue to see a cover band, a person may get bored with an original set until they know your material.  So no matter how good your songs are, you have to keep them entertained with your energy on stage.

At this stage in your career do you prefer to play original songs live or do covers?

Original music most definitely.  Matt (our guitar player) and myself spent a number of years in a couple of local cover bands and it's a great time, and there's money to be made.  But doing your own music, hearing people sing YOUR songs back to you, that's more rewarding than all the money in the world.

We know from your MySpace Page that your influences are Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, etc..  But explain to someone who has never heard your music before what it sounds like, in 3 words.

Heavy Melodic Rock

Where is your favorite place to rock in Evansville?

There's a couple of favorites actually.  We love Woody's and we appreciate everything Zack has done for us so far.  Great staff, great P.A., with national after national coming through.  And then, we love O'Brian's Sports Bar as well.  That's a bar with a great vibe, just relaxed.  You feel like you can do anything there and people are gonna love it.

You say you guys got to share the stage with Theory of A Deadman, how has that experience motivated you as musicians?

I think it's motivated us to really keep working like we're working.  The "dream" is very much a possibility, and the fact that on our level we can get on the same stage as bands like Theory, or any of the other bands on their level that we've played with, definitely shows that.  Hard work definitely pays off.

We talked a little bit about internet popularity playing a part in getting signed to a record label.  Do you personally think Friend Count equals popularity?

I'm not sure if it can define your popularity, but I think in the beginning it definitely helps you gain that popularity that you're looking for.  Because if you can pull 50 of your closest friends to every show, it sends the message that you have something going on, and that someone besides you believes in your music and what you're doing.  From there, other people get curious, come see your show, talk about your show, help build your show, and that's how you build your following.

You mentioned your MySpace Page and Facebook account numerous times throughout the night, does that generate a noticeable jump in online presence after every show?

MySpace not so much, we have a few friend requests here and there after the show so we keep plugging it.  But I think MySpace has went numb for the most part.  But our Facebook page definitely has.  We went from 3 fans to 200 plus in a matter of days.  And the cool thing about Facebook, it's honest.  Same goes with Twitter.  And what I mean by that is, you can't send friend requests from a FB band page or a Twitter account, so those are 200 plus people (on the FB page) that have searched us out because they liked the band and became a fan.  So those are the people that are gonna keep coming to shows and buying tickets.

Big name acts like Nine Inch Nails have embraced BitTorrent as a means to distribute music freely, assuming fans will be more inclined to buy your music if they like it.  Do you think there is any weight in that or considered this as a business model?

Ya know, I do think there's a lot of weight in this.  When this band first started we were so focused on how much money we could make once we got something recorded, or t-shirts, or whatever.  You're almost blinded by it, and by the time you see in front of you again, you're frustrated because you've only sold 3 cd's or whatever.  But I actually saw an interview with Trent Reznor a while back and he talked about this business model and giving stuff away and it makes alot of sense.  And we actually do that now.  We'll burn some songs to a spool of cd's and hand them out at our shows.  And then when people wanna hear more, they buy the actual disc.  And not only that, but we're looking at cheap things we can put our stamp on and hand out at shows as well.  People love free.

Where do you see Calling Corners 5 years from now?

Hopefully on the road doing this for a living.  We have a lot in the works right now and people should expect big things from us.  Because it's gonna happen.

Thanks a ton for your time, I look forward to catching you guys live again
soon.  Good luck.

Thank you.

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I can't stress enough how great these guys are live, it really is worth the cover charge.  Also, be sure to buy their album, which is available at Joe's Record Shack.

Lastly, be sure to add them as a friend on your MySpace and Facebook accounts.  And, if you twitter, be sure to follow them there as well.  Their next performance will be at Woody's on October 28th, see you there!

Calling Corners MySpace Account

Calling Corners Facebook Account

Calling Corners Twitter

The Evansville, Indiana Tea Party is schedule for April 15th at 5:00 PM to correspond with national Tax day.  The even will be held downtown at the Civic Center Complex, out on the front steps.  This will be a peaceful demonstration, in response to local, state, and federal government actions.

For those who fell asleep during history class, the original Boston Tea Party was a protest to Taxation Without Representation.  Many feel that we are again in a similar political environment where the elected leaders are not accurately representing the wishes of their people.

I'll be there, since it's an actual protest after work hours, for the working people who feel unfairly treated.  Let's represent, be vocal and make sure the biast Evnasville Courier doesn't scew what its' really all about.  See you there.

Evansville, IN 33rd Frog Follies

My absolute favorite event that comes to Evansville was here last week.  The 33rd Frog Follies was at the Evansville 4H grounds and it looked like it was a huge success.  I was out there on Saturday from around 10:00 to 3:00 and I could not believe how many cars and people there were.  I've been every year for the past 8 years (unless it was rained out) and it seemed like there were more people this year than ever before.

For example, at 10:30 I decided I wanted to beat the lunch rush and get me a hotdog to snack on.  Pfft.  Forget about it, every food line had what seemed to be over 50 waiting feverishly for some substanence.  Thankfully, there were vendors for drinks only, so refreshments weren't a problem.  Needless to say, I went hotdogless though.  Perhaps the very reasonable prices is what draws so many people to actually eat on site at the Follies or maybe the food is just that good.  At any rate it wasn't a loss, with my $1.25 RC Cola I was ready to see some hot rods.

With so many cars on display a person could spend all 3 event days browsing around and still not see everything.  And while I did come away with some pictures of the Frog Follies, I didn't get nearly enough, since I was too busy rubber necking all the vehicles.  Enjoy what I did walk away with below.

Evansville 33rd Frog Follies Flickr Album

University of Evansville

University of Evansville professor Elizabeth Hennon is looking to help raise awareness and support for children with Autism and Down Syndrome.  Through her work at U of E she has developed a program working with Psychology students to further student developing children with Autism and Down Syndrome.

Elizabeth has designed activities to test the abilities of a child with Autism.  By observing how a child reacts to fun activities and playing games she hopes to show that these children are capable of much more than previously thought.

"When a child succeeds on a task that a parent would have thought impossible, it can help the parent to see other skills that their child might possess as well."

Please read the press release from the University of Evansville on what Elizabeth Hennon is doing for the children in the community.  Elizabeth is looking for participants, which can contact her through the U of E website.

I'm getting really tired of the old people in Evansville stealing away my future and my kids future.  The decisions and road blocks that they are throwing up to keep Evansville from growing keeps getting worse and the largest example is Roberts Stadium.  For some reason the elderly would rather set back and keep throwing wads of cash at the renovation of a failed stadium design than start over and start bringing in some real entertainment revenue.

As it stands now we struggle to get any big name bands or events to come to Evansville due to our lackluster attempt at a stadium.  We have plenty of hotels and now with the Executive Inn in Owensoboro closed we'll be even busier, if we can take care of those that do decide to come around.  It doesn't take an Advisory Board to tell you that we are gonna piss off more people if we can supply them with what they need, like a safe stadium with up to date rafters at the very least.

Lastly, it looks like our only option for a new Stadium will be one that will only hold a few thousand more people.  Come on, we need one A LOT bigger to draw in any kind of crowds and give Evansville's economy a much needed boost.  Also, please don't think that by placing this thing down town you'll solve Evansville's River Front problem, that's the last thing we need.  Please use the location where Robert's Stadium is at, tear down, rebuild, and remember the drainage problems in advance this time please.

And yes, I'm kicking myself for not attending the open meetings on this, but I'll be there next time.

Tis the season, the time of year when road construction crews come out in droves to tear up our roads. I can almost deal with it, if it were done in an organized fashion, but this year so far has been ridiculous. One lane is closed on both the East and West bound sides making it a virtual standstill at places like the intersection of 41 and the intersection at Green River road.

What angers me the most is that none of the barrels are even. The crews have the lane blocked off at different intervals, where sometimes the barrels hang out into one of the two open lanes. Expect slower traffic and an increase in the possibility of an accident, without warning. How does this sound like a good idea? Also, who was the guy who decided to only notify of closing of the left lane, on the East bound side, right before Highway 41? That intersection is a death trap the way it is and it's only worse in the summer construction heat.

What say ye?

You may have noticed by now that I am an Evansville Otters fan, even after the lack luster season last year. Today they announced their schedule for the 2008 season, with the opening game being on May 21st. I can practically taste the Thirsty Thursday events. mmmmm

Game times for the 2008 season will be similar to years past, with a few exceptions. The Otters will host two 12:05 PM games--on Tuesday, June 24, and Monday, July 28. There will also be three 1:05 PM games--on Friday, July 4, Sunday, August 24, and Monday, September 1. Standard game times Monday-Saturday will remain at 7:05 PM, and Sunday games will remain at 6:05 PM. One major change, however, will be the entry times into Bosse Field. Beginning in 2008, gate times will be one hour prior to game time, as opposed to an hour and a half as it has been in years past.

In addition to announcing their 2008 schedule, they are also offering discounts on all their Evansville Otter merchandise. According to their website most of their products have been marked down 50%, making them perfect for a Christmas gift. Head over to the Evansville Otters Merchandise store.

Well, doesn't look like anything happened to me, these pictures were taken at around 2:30 PM the day off the 'supposed' raid. I'm still on the fence about how many of these supposed allegations actually happened.

Nothing suspicious here, hell there weren't even any local news teams there reporting one way or the other.

Was it really an election? Was David Nixon really the best Republican candidate we could find to run against John? It's elections like this that make me strongly consider running for some sort of public office, because hell, if he can do it, so can I.

My biggest problem with John's campaign up until the mediocre election the other day was that he prided himself WAY too much for doing what he should. Every commercial focused on how great he was at creating a task force for the flooding problem on the South side of Evansville. Excuse me, I thought this was his job and something that really should have been done years ago. Another thing that really pissed me off, in this vein, was how much money he has supposedly allocated for the job, it's actually over the next 5 to 10 years, not during his term in office.

Doesn't seem so Rosy through my glasses, but hey, who else are we going to vote for? Now I'm not saying John is not a competent Mayor, he is just mediocre.  Evansville needs someone who will actually bring about change and not hang their hat on things that should be done anyway. Evansville needs an election that brings more than 15,000 people out to the voter booths. geesh

Well, I survived Halloween with no toilet paper decorations, egg catch, or too many pesky trick or treaters. In stead, my wife and I enjoyed a nice leisurely trip to Spencer County where we visited my parents  and hers. Yes, it was my babies first Halloween, and we celebrated it as such. So instead of collecting candy, my little girl collected cans of Lipil formula.

At any rate, it's November and the temperatures here in Evansville feel like fall. Finally. Now to figure out the best way to get rid of all the leaves falling on my lawn. Last year it took more than 30 HUGE bags to get about 3/4 of the mess, not something I'm looking forward to doing this year. Maybe it's time I go ahead and invest in a new mower that will mulch for me. mmmm, something to ponder on a cool evening in front of an outdoor fireplace.