Hey! I'll be playing two gigs this weekend, the first tonight as the drummer for Smokesum N Jammsum of Flint. If you've ever wondered whether I can play the drums to Pantera songs, or wanted to listen to an original song titled "Vlad the Inhaler," then this is the band for you to see! We go on late tonight as part of the festivities at the Corunna Road Bar in Flint. Our set is at 1230, but there are two other bands (Amica Mea and Saneless!) playing before us, so it's a whole night of music!

Tomorrow evening Robb and I from Static Factory be playing the dinner sets (6-8) before the weekly open mic in Holly at Andy's Place. The open mic starts at 830, come early, bring that guitar, watch us play Fingerstyle Stinkfist to close the sets, and request songs that we haven't rehearsed for this! It'll be hilarious!

SNJ have a few more gigs lined up, and I'll be playing drums for them for the foreseeable future, so check out their FB page if you want to see me smash things with sticks like the caveman that I am!

Cheers!

-Merlin

I'm looking forward to another Static Factory show with my old friend Brook Pridemoore, currently on tour from his home in Brooklyn, NY. We'll be following Brook acoustic, as this is night of folk and acoustic acts, with a Bangladesh-inspired psychedelic prog band to finish it out! My buddy Matt and his band Poor Player are opening up, and that's not all. A group I'm not familiar with, Brightside, are coming in second and come highly recommended by our old pals from the Phoenix Cafe in Hazel Park. Be at the Korner Bar in Hamtramck` by 8PM on Friday, April 6th to see all these cool bands for a paltry $7 cover. It's going to be sweet. 

We were planning on playing full electric at the show, but our drummer Tommy Blair has decided to part ways with us. He's got a new prog project called The Itch with his friend Alex and some other blokes, and by all accounts they're doing some really cool stuff. I missed their opening show at the same venue in Hamtramck just this past Saturday, but I'm sad I didn't get out to see them. We wish Tom the best, he's been a cool dude these last 12 months. 

That said, we're in the market for a new drummer, it seems. In related news, I think I'm joining a local Flint band playing the drums soon, myself. I'll put up more info if and when things get more "official," but it feels pretty good to slam the tubs again, that's for sure. 

Robb and I will be playing acoustic covers of songs from the 60s to the 90s (it's pretty much classic rock or grunge, though I've been adding 80s tunes lately. . .) at Andy's Place in Holly from 6-8 on Saturday, April 21st. There's a great open mic there every Saturday after these dinner sets, and Daniel from Flash Records & Music Company runs a nice show. Come out and see the local talent, and bring your axe if you want in!

Lastly, the cover image for this post is a new logo I slapped together on an app, and I'm enjoying it, though it isn't quite my ideal vision for SF logos. I've been working with some local artists, but thus far these projects haven't born any fruit for us to post, so I've had to take matters into my own hands. Let me know what you think. 

Until next week, Cheers!

-Merlin

Starting at 8 PM tonight we will be blasting some rock and roll at the newly remodeled Maidstone Theatre! I'm excited to see how the venue has changed, and we'll be joined by Bud Slawter Band, Beastula, and JDY Band. 

In other news, we've been working on some new tunes, and we've got our newer drummer, Tommy, up to speed on some stuff that's not on Serenity is Far Away, so when you see us live you might catch some of that newer or unreleased material. There's a few songs up on our Youtube if you know where to look, but come see it in living color when you get a chance. 

Merlin (and perhaps Robb?) will be playing some acoustic covers in Holly at Andy's Place in March. Stay tuned for more details on that, and come request Pearl Jam songs, because I'm going to be playing them anyway! Cheers!

Static Factory is kicking off the 3rd round of the battle of the bands hosted by The Local Scream Radio show! Come see 5 bands blast some rock and roll, and come by 8PM to see us get the ball rolling! Hope to see you there!

We've also got some new videos coming to youtube, beginning with The Fixers live at the Phoenix Cafe in Hazel Park. I've got our full set from that show, so there's more coming where that came from. Check it out and be sure to subscribe and like it and all that whatnot. 

Static Factory is headed out to the Detroit Art Convention tonight! It's an amazing lineup of artists and performers, all starting at 5PM at the Phoenix Cafe in Hazel Park. I'm super pumped for this show.

Robb and I are rehearsing some 80s, 90s, and classic rock tunes to play at an upcoming gig at Andy's Place in Holly, on October 14th. We will play from 6-8, and there is always an open mic on Saturdays from 830-11(?), so be sure to bring your axe and your talent if you come to see us, so you can sign up to play afterward. Daniel from Flash Records and Photography runs that open mic, and he always takes a nice pic of each performer while onstage as a bonus. It's an awesome night of music every time I go (and I go quite a bit since I've discovered it). 

If you have a particular request let us know, so I can try to learn it up before then, and if you want more original music be sure to tell us, since we can play a whole bunch of it acoustic if the topic comes up. . .

We had a blast at the Local Scream Radio show in Flint playing acoustic versions of a few of our songs. While we were there they asked us if we wanted to join their series of Battle of the Bands in November, and we said yes. So we'll be performing with 4 other sweet bands in Ortonville at the beginning of November. I'll post more details about that show when I know them. You can see us posing with the Local Scream crew of Rev. Four Names, Heather Metal, and producer Marc in the pic above. 

Continue Being Awesome,

-Merlin