As promised here are a some previously released and some brand shiny new wallpaper images in wide screen format. I hope they look nice on your fancy monitor (Muj). If anyone has any suggestions, requests or ideas, please send us an e-mail to band@versustheuniverse.com.
Two shows this month mark Versus the Universe’s return to the stage in 2010. Come out on the 19th to the Regal Beagle Taphouse (36 beers on tap) at the oceanfront, and to Gil’s Bar and Grill at Holland and Shipps Corner on the 26th. Where we will be playing with The Gloom, City Voices and Revery. Both shows are $5 at the door. Check out our show fliers for more details.
Versus The Universe has hit our stride again. The cohesion of the group is at a place where it’s never been before, and the payoff is coming through in our music.
We are currently working on four new songs, and I have to say that they are awesome. I’m not saying that because I’m in the band, or because I’m one of the great group of people writing them. I’m saying that because it’s the god’s honest truth. It’s the kind of music you would want to hear when you turn on your favorite radio station.
Everything is evolving in such a great way in VTU right now. Nick has a bad ass new bass cab that has really enhanced his sound, Muj and I are experimenting with our effects in a more expressive manner, Travis is hitting a new stride vocally, and Zach is helping us experiment with synth elements in some of our songs. Everything has come together in such a way that inspiration is almost constant.
Yes it’s true… VTU has matured… We can’t wait for you to hear the results.
- Strange -
I think I might keep going with this until someone tells me to stop or my motivation wanes, whichever comes first. 
So it’s seems that people (2) liked the desktop images I whipped last night so here are a few more to peek out around the edge of your browser window while you surf the Internets instead of working. I promise I will create some wide-screen versions too.
I’m sorry, everyone who sits around you at work has told me they’re tired of seeing that tired image barely peaking out from that mess of file icons you call an organization system. Seriously spilled Cheerios look neater than that. So spiff up that electronic background with my newest desktop photo. A perfect compliment to VTU tunes.
As our first real practice came to a conclusion yesterday, every single one of us silently came to the same conclusion…
Something truly special has happened to VTU…
Seriously now! Those of you close to the band knew we were taking some time to reflect upon our desires, our lives, our focus…but who could have possibly understood the outcome of it? Who could possibly fathom that the group of us sitting down and discussing what we passionately wanted out of life would produce the outcome that it did.
Something truly special…
Getting into the practice room felt good, almost natural again. But there was something else…silent…unspoken…but lit by a fire that could be felt from within. It was the focus that VTU had been searching for all along. The realization, that as a group of individuals, we had achieved more than what we expected…but on a large scale of things…we had achieved nothing yet. We still have so much farther to go in order to achieve our goal of bringing a unique and passionate blend of music to virgin ears, and it’s time to start running. Caught up in our recent personal successes, we failed to reach our true potential…and yesterday…we began to open the door.
The music we began to create yesterday was driven, different, more mature. It symbolized the change that we had endured through our brief hiatus, and it was amazing.
We don’t have an official date on the studio, but we’ve already begun to discuss our plan for when we do…
We haven’t set up an official date to play out of the area, but we’ve already begun planning on when we do…
We haven’t officially written anything new, but the stuff we are is encouraging enough to get us excited…
It truly is an exciting era to be involved with such an amazing group of talented individuals…but we need your help. Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell a complete stranger!
Tell anyone with the ability to listen about what’s to come…
It truly is something amazing…
We all can’t wait for you to experience what we did when we walked out of rehearsal yesterday afternoon…can you?
The dust of 2009 has settled and the new year is well under way. We have made our plan for 2010, and we hope that all of you will help us make it come to fruition. Here is what you can expect from Versus The Universe this year.
First… We are going to go back in to the studio. We had a great time doing the Tragic Life of Karl Korbin, and now it is time for the follow up. There will be new material on this album that will blow you away. When you have it, you will love it. And feel free to let us know if there are any of our newer tunes you seen us perform that you’d like to hear on the album!
Second… We are going to give you more shows in more places. Our goal is to do our damndest to give you every opportunity to see us live. We are currently working to get into more venues throughout the area and beyond. Maybe you’ll even see us on some of those fantastic festivals that happen around here all the time.
Third… We are going to get some radio play. A new album means people need to hear it. What better way for people to hear it than to be on the radio? We hope all of you will be blowing up the phones of our local rock stations asking for some VTU.
And finally… We are always going to be giving you the best in local, regional, and even national original music. We can’t do it without all of you that are firmly behind us, and we hope you will continue this ride with us. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your co-workers… VTU is the band to see, and we promise to keep it that way.
Remember… Support original music! We will be seeing all of you at our next show not far away.
Happy New Year to all of our Friends and Fans! It’s a brand new year and a brand new decade and we can’t wait to rock the hell out of both! We have had great success over 2009 with the release of our first EP, and with the support of all of you!
2009 was an awesome year for VTU thanks to Gil of Gil’s Bar and Grill and Kevin Blair of Hell’s Kitchen for always having a venue for VTU to rock out in, all the bands we have shared the stage with including Blackout Seven, Deadpenny, The Tipping Point, City Voices and The Gloom… And of course our fans and friends.
For 2010 we are looking forward to writing new material and expanding our reach to even more places. We would love your support to get us on local festivals for 2010 like Harborfest, American Music Festival, and ECSC. We can’t do it without you and we hope you’ll continue coming out and rocking with us in this new year.
When requesting a song from the band, just say “play … my song!” We have chips implanted in our heads with an unlimited database of the favorite tunes of every patron who ever walked into a bar and all songs ever recorded so feel free to be vague, we love the challenge.
If we say we really don’t remember that tune you want, we’re only kidding. Bands do know every song ever recorded, so keep humming. Hum harder if need be… it helps jog the memory, or just repeat your request over and over again.
If a band tells you they do not know a song you want to hear, they either forgot they know the tune or they are just putting you on. Try singing a few words for the band. Any words will do. It also helps to scream your request from across the room several times per set followed by the phrases, “AW COME ON!” and, “YOU SUCK!”
Exaggerated hand gestures expressing disapproval from the dance floor are a big help as well, such as the thumbs down or your middle finger up put-downs are the best way to jog a band’s memory. This instantly promotes you to the status of “Personal Friend Of The Band.” You can bet your request will be the next song we play.
Entertainers are notorious fakers and jokesters and never really prepare for their shows.They simply walk on stage with no prior thought to what they will do once they arrive. We don’t actually make set lists or rehearse songs. We mostly just wait for you to yell something out, then fake it.
An entertainer’s job is so easy, even a monkey could do it, so don’t let them off the hook easily. Your request is all that matters. Once you’ve figured out what genre of music the band plays, please make your requests from a totally different genre. The more exaggerated the better. If its a blues band playing, yell for some Metallica or Slayer or Pantera. Likewise, if its a death-speed metal band, be sure to request Brown-Eyed
Girl or some Grateful Dead. Musicians need to constantly broaden their musical horizons, and its your job to see that it happens….immediately.
TALKING WITH THE BAND
The best time to discuss anything with the band in any meaningful way is at the middle of a song when all band members are singing at the same time. Our hearing is so advanced that we can pick out your tiny voice from the megawatt wall of sound blasting all around us. And we can converse with you in sign language while singing the song, so don’t worry that we’re in the middle of the chorus.
Musicians are expert lip readers too. If a musician does not reply to your question or comment during a tune, it’s because they didn’t get a good look at your mouth in order to read your lips. Simply continue to scream your request and be sure to over emphasize the words with your lips. This helps immensely. Don’t be fooled. Singers have the innate ability to answer questions and sing at the same time. If the singer doesn’t answer
your questions immediately, regardless of how stupid the question may seem, it’s because they are purposely ignoring you. If this happens, immediately cop an attitude. We love this.
IMPORTANT
When an entertainer leans over to hear you better, grab his or her head in both hands and yell directly into their ear, while holding their head securely so they cannot pull away.This will be taken as an invitation to a friendly and playful game of tug of war between their head and your hands. Don’t give up! Hang on until the singer or guitar player submits. Drummers are often safe from this fun game since they usually sit in the back,
protected by the guitar players. Keyboard players are protected by their instrument, and only play the game when tricked into coming from behind their keyboards. Though difficult to get them to play, it’s not impossible, so keep trying. They’re especially vulnerable during the break between songs.
HELPING THE BAND
If you inform the band that you are a singer, the band will appreciate your help with the next few tunes, or however long you can remain standing on stage. If you’re too drunk to stand unassisted, simply lean on one of the band members or the most expensive piece of equipment you see. Just pretend you’re in a Karaoke bar. Simply feel free to walk up on stage and join in. By the way, the drunker you are, the better you sound, and the louder you should sing. If by chance you fall off the stage, be sure to crawl back up and attempt to sing harmony. Keep in mind that nothing assists the band more than outrageous dancing, fifth and sixth part harmonies, or a tambourine played on one and three and out of tempo. Try the cowbell; they love the challenge.The band always needs the help and
will take this as a compliment.
Finally, the microphone and PA system are merely props, they don’t really amplify your voice, so when you grab the mic out of the singers hand be sure to scream into it at the top of your lungs, otherwise no one will hear what a great singer you are. Hearing is over-rated anyhow. The crowd and the sound guy will love you for it.
BONUS TIP
As a last resort, wait until the band takes a break and then get on stage and start playing their instruments. They love this. Even if you are ejected from the club, you can rest assured in the fact you have successfully completed your audition. The band will call you the following day to offer you a position.
ADDITOIONAL NOTES
Approach the band while they are setting up their equipment. This is a very boring time for musicians and having you on stage will give them someone to talk to. Ask them if they are “playing tonight? What time do you start? What kind of music do you play? Where else do you play?” Plus, this is the only exercise they ever get and those extra steps it takes them to walk around you will make for a better workout. Go ahead and turn on their amps and play their instruments. It will give them the opportunity to hear what they will sound like. A good sound check is an important part of the gig. And don’t forget the microphones! Give a good and loud, “Check, 1, 2,” in each mic about 20 times. That’ll also give you the chance to give a “shout out” to your buddies at the bar and tell that joke about the Jews.
Be sure to let the guitar player know that you have a guitar “exactly” like his. When he says, “Please, tell me more”, you say, “It’s brown, just like yours!” And don’t forget to tell everyone in the band about your cousin who has a 1955 Martin and a 1959 Gibson guitar. Every band member is fascinated by the fact that there are people in the world who own vintage musical instruments. The fact that you are related to one of those people will absolutely blow them away! You’ll be their new favorite fan and will have made life-long friends.
Nothing will boost a band’s ego more than having you dance to their music. Wait until the dance floor is empty and hop up there by yourself and start getting down! That’ll show the crowd what they’re missing. Be sure to position yourself right in front of the singer’s microphone stand. Every time your elbow bumps his stand, the mic will hit his teeth and the two of you will be moving in perfect sync. This looks great!
Buy a round of drinks for the band. A nice big shooter will get them rockin’&rollin’!
Five shots of Triple Sec won’t cost you much.
It’s hard for a band to compete with a televised sporting event. They probably want to watch that soccer game as badly as you. Remind them that they can take a break any time so you all can catch up on the latest scores and highlights.
Don’t forget to tip! A lot of musicians live on their tip money. Be sure to first wave the money in their face. You have to make sure they see you are tipping. It’s a good deal for you both since that dollar you dropped in the tip jar is worth at least 6 or 7 requests.
When you request a song and the band says he does not know the song, don’t you believe them. So, when told, “We don’t know that song,” reply, “Yes, you do!” This exchange will go on for a while:
“We don’t know it.”
Yes, you do!”
“No, we don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, we don’t.”
Now, hit them will the clincher:
“Yes, you do. I’ve heard you play it before.”
“No, you haven’t. It wasn’t us.”
“Yes, it was.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Yes, it was.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Don’t give up! Keep this up for 10-15 minutes until the band admits the are lying. It’s a well known fact that bands spend hours memorizing and rehearsing songs that they never intend to play. Your perseverance will impress them and they will gladly play the song.
- Author Unknown -
Laughed at by Versus The Universe