The Half Racks have disbanded

The subject says it all. The Half Racks have disbanded, and we will not be playing a farewell show. We have parted on good terms.

Justin Combustion has been wanting to move to Portland for some time now, and he's going to do that now that he has sold his house. We had hoped to play a farewell show or two, but balancing everyday life, school and preparing for the move has proven to be very chaotic without adding practices and shows to his schedule. Something had to give, and in this case it was the band.



'Coffee Now' will not be released as a CD, but free mp3s of the songs will be made available when they are finished. I'll try to make the completion of this album a higher priority in the near future.

On behalf of the band, I would like to thank anyone that ever came to a show to see us play. It was fun to share the stage with these guys.

If you'd like to keep up with any of our future musical escapades, feel free to check out our individual Myspace profiles:

Glenn Case
Justin Combustion
Will Brock

Thanks again, y'all. It's been a good run.

:)

ROCK!

Glenn Case

11:21 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The thoughts of a frustrated musician.

I had a gig last night that was great, and it was also horrible.

It made me remember why I love playing live, and it helped me to remember why I am looking forward to focusing on being a basement musician that places his music online instead.

I am in a band called the Half Racks. Many of you who would read this blog entry already know that, but maybe a few of you don't. The Half Racks were asked to step in for a band that cancelled a gig on fairly short notice, and we agreed to do so. We didn't have much of a chance to promote this particular show, but we have promoted the heck out of some shows in the past only to have the same result as what happened last night.

It is my opinion that the Half Racks and the Jonny Forest played GREAT sets yesterday to a VERY small handful of people. It was fun to play and hear them play, but it was also an incredibly embarrassing experience that we have been through before. We really didn't do the Jonny Forest any favors by playing the show, and it CERTAINLY didn't benefit the Caterina Winery either.

The Half Racks try to play the same show for 5 people that we would play for 5,000, but let's face it: we tend to work off of the energy of the audience. It does makes me appreciate every person that DID show up, and especially the familiar faces. The two people I did recognize in the audience made a world of difference to me. I saw them, and it made me happy and it energized me in a big way.

I just HATE feeling like I should be apologizing to the venue because my band could not draw a crowd... again! If nothing else, I wish I could gain a gigantic local following just so I could make it up to artists and bands like Adrian and the Sickness, Levi Weaver, Rory Stitt and Soho Vamp by inviting them back to Spokane to play for more than the few people that showed up when we played with them.

But, I have to admit that I am a part of the problem. With the possible exception of Kite, I rarely go out to see live local bands myself. I'm really just getting exactly what I have given to the local scene, which is not much. Some of my friends already had plans, and I don't hold anything against them. I appreciate the times when they have been able to show up. Of course, with $4 a gallon gas prices, I can't say that I blame people for staying home either.

The Half Racks will disband at some point. Right now it completely revolves around our drummer, Justin Combustion. He's beyond ready to move to Portland, but he has to sell his house first. So our band might last for another week, or another year. There's no way of knowing. We will definitely play a couple of farewell shows when it happens.

But, once the band is finished? My live performances are probably going to be very, very rare. I've been getting a LOT more out of creating songs when I feel like it, and sharing it online with anyone that cares to hear it.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

1:40 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Well, I’m a mushroom cloud laying motherf&*ka, motherf&*ka!

Yep, it's a shameless plug for an upcoming show this weekend. Truthfully, you won't have to endure these plugs from me much longer because the Half Racks will cease to exist in a few months. You can check out the blog for more information on that front.

This plug was not without some entertainment value, however. If it's the Pulp Fiction reference that caught your attention? There's still something fun for your eyes and ears. Check these out if you like:

http://whereismysupersuit.ytmnd.com/
(NSFW version)

http://whereismysupersuitbeep.ytmnd.com/
(Clean Version)

(These may not work properly in Firefox. If you're not hearing audio, it's not funny, and you will want to try a different browser.)

If you can come to the show? Come to the show. It's one of the last chances you will have to see the Half Racks.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

7:47 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

A show, the CD, and the end of the Half Racks

Hey y'all,

As usual it's been a while. Here's what's up.

1. It's out first show in like FOREVER! The Half Racks are going to be playing at the Grail on Saturday, February 9th along with Flying in a Tin Can and Kite. It should be a very fun show. You should buy Travis a drink or two while you're there, because he's the one that set up the show for us, and it's basically his birthday weekend.

2. "Coffee Now..." WILL be completed, but you will not be able to buy it. You'll have to settle for downloading it for free instead when it's done. This ties into the third announcement.

3. Justin Combustion is the drummer for the Half Racks, and he's moving to Oregon this summer. When this happens, the band will cease to exist.

We are definitely going to play some shows before it's all over so keep your eyes open. I'm also hoping to put together a final farewell show some time this summer.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

1:51 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Will this album ever come out?! Here’s the answer:

Hey all,

It's been FAR TOO LONG since I have given you an update on status of the first Half Racks CD. The fact is, most of the recording is done, and the main thing holding up the completion of this album is me. I am busy with too many freaking things as usual.

This album has been recorded a few times now and I have suggested that we scrap it and start from scratch every time. The life and energy of the songs just never seemed to be there in the end. Well, now I think we've finally come up with a magic mix of recording techniques to get some really good performances out of ourselves. I'm elated with how it is coming along.

Nothing is mixed and mastered yet, but we have some exciting things to offer to your ears and eyes now! A good friend of ours had a gigantic photo session day with us today, and there are roughly 100 new pictures on our Myspace page, and on top of that you will also find FOUR new demo mp3s to listen to. They are not mixed or mastered, but the performances you hear on those demos should not be much different from the ones that will appear on an album.

"Coffee Now..." IS going to be completed. I'm not sure exactly when, but I am still hoping that it will see a 2007 or early 2008 release.

For those who have been waiting: Thank you for your patience. It really shouldn't be that much longer.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

9:09 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Hempfest cancelled

    The Half Racks will not be playing at Hempfest this weekend, because Hempfest has been cancelled.

As is stated in a Myspace bulletin from Hempfest organizer Ryan Ballou:

" DUE TO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED BY RIVERFRONT PARK WE ARE CANCELLING THE EVENT.Many people in this country and locally are involoved in making this event happen. We are very saddened to have to make all the worries come true with this message. I personally have sold my soul to make this event happen but with all the fraud that occurred this year and the new imposed park fees at literally a day before our event we just decided to pull the plug. One love everyone- see ya next year-Ryan Ballou (Event Director/founder Spokane chapter founder.)"

ROCK!

Glenn Case

6:55 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

48 more YouTube clips

Hey y'all,

The Half Racks played at the Comet in Spokane, WA on 9-14-07, and I have 48 YouTube clips for your eyes and ears.

Go here to see them:

http://www.glenncase.com/liveshows/091407-comet/index.html

The Half Racks are:
Glenn Case - Vocals and Guitar
Justin Combustion - Drums
Rachael Layne - Vocals
William Brock - Bass and vocals



http://www.myspace.com/halfracks

I feel like I had some shaky vocals here and there, but it's not a half-bad set of clips.

We should have clips from the 9/15 show up in the near future, and I can't wait to see how they turned out. I used earplugs on stage for the last two sets, and I was able to hear myself a LOT better than usual. It will be interesting to see if those recordings sound as good as I think they will, because it felt like I was pulling off some of my greatest vocal performances to date. Keep in mind that this is coming from a guy that's not crazy about talking about how good my band is (or isn't.)

Personally, I just hope it wasn't a fluke one-time thing, or way better in my imagination than it was in reality. We will see.

In the meantime: Thank you for your taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoy any of the clips you decide to watch.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

11:12 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

COMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMET!

The Half Racks are not really known for playing long shows, but in recent history that's exactly what we have been doing at the Comet.

This weekend marks your last chance to see us play a 3 to 4 hour set for a while.

Flying in a Tin Can is the opening band for Friday's show.



Our last couple of gigs at the Comet were a fairly rough experience, so I would genuinely appreciate seeing as many friendly, familiar faces as possible. There's no cover charge, the music should start at or around 9pm, and we will give you the best show that we know how to give.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

1:16 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

THIS weekend

Burr Martin is definitely one of my favorite people, and that's not just because he makes killer flyers for my band's live shows. (But it helps!)

The Half Racks are playing two live shows this weekend at the Comet in Spokane.
5028 N. Market
No cover charge
Music starts at 9pm
Ages 21 and up
Be there!

ROCK!

Glenn Case

3:11 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

First 32 videos from the 8-3 show

Hey y'all,

The first 32 videos from the 8-3 Half Racks show at the Comet are now up on YouTube

ROCK!

Glenn Case

4:39 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment