Family Force 5

Hey everyone,
Andre Allen Anjos, guitar player of the Silent Film is featured in an audio blog on The Family Force Five's myspace (www.myspace.com/familyforcefive). You can hear him plugging The Silent Film. Check it out.

-Jakob
The Silent Film

Currently listening : Business Up Front Party In The Back (Diamond Edition) By Family Force 5 Release date: 20 March, 2007

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Thanks for coming to the play:stl festival

Bars are such interesting places.  Everybody is trying to find something there, no matter how shallow or deep, but the problem is you can't hear a thing in them.  You can't smell anything besides cigarettes.  It's chaos.  A communication nightmare...and that's where people are supposed to "hear" music.   That's a joke.  Most bars don't care a rip about music.  They hire a booking guy/girl who really loves music, has social issues, is usually on some type of medication, and an insomniac.  Then they book bands soley to draw people to sell drinks.  They might book 7 bands in one night to draw off of each of the bands fan bases...but seven bands makes for a horrible show.  How can you truly listen to seven bands in one night?
         The Silent Film has played some fun bar shows.  One in Springfield, MO.  We actually only played for 4 people, but we were in this bar and felt so wild and raw, we were able to really let loose, and it felt great.  Another time we played a St. Louis show, and we actually got everyone in the bar to be quiet  We held everyone's attention in our hands.  You could just feel the eyes on you, and we were connected.  It was quite a feat.  That's really hard to do, and we are usually unsuccessful at it, but something clicked. 
          There's something rewarding though that happens at bars, that doesn't happen any place else.  A show happens where you feel like everybody's talking so loudly you can't hear the words you're singing.  You get slightly discouraged, because you're just being yourself.  You're not putting on any pretense, but you are worried that the real you isn't very appealing to some people.  There's obligatory applause (if you're lucky) and then you pack up.  But as you're standing in the back listening to the next band, which you can't even believe they're real because they are so bad, someone comes up to you.  They start out the same always, "Great set"  or "I really liked you guys".  I always think they're going to be one of those annoying kids that latches to people who are nice to them, but then it happens.  I look into their eyes, and we connect.   The noise of the bar is just background, and you can tell that this person is really grateful for your lack of pretense.  This person is truly thankful that you tried to be honest and speak about life the way you understand it.  And they recognize that I am truly thankful that they heard.  And then I do my best to hear them.  To listen to their story.  I always have to start with small talk, about where they're from or find out if we have any mutual friends, but 9 times out of 10 it goes beyond small talk.  Tonight it was Bryson and Eric.  Last show it was Kelly.  Who knows what Monday holds.  As one of my best friends says, "You are a fool, and I am a fool.  You are valuable and I am valuable".  I love finding those people in the crowd who just want to walk beside you, and finding the real desire within myself to just want to walk beside them.  Find out their pace, find out their loves and hates.  And we find that we are so different and yet we our all broken and need one another.
       Sometimes I love music for the sheer sound of it, but sometimes I love it as a vehicle to get me to connect with other people.  Cool.
        

Currently listening : Sky Blue Sky By Wilco Release date: 15 May, 2007

1:23 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

end of summer

The summer is winding down, and kids everywhere are hitting Wal-mart to buy cool locker caddies for the rat race that is junior high.  Me? (Jakob), I'm winding down my duties of working on a farm all summer.  Wheat, Corn, Cattle.  That's been my life.  Nathan has been living the high life in Texas for a little over a month now.  Relaxing with his family and taking some much needed time off.  Andre is working IT at Greenville College in Greenville, IL and saving up the funds to get married next summer.  Jon is living in St. Louis working at UPS.  I would like it to be noted that he is also living the high life.    We are all reuniting after a summer apart.  The reunion starts tomorrow.  We have a lot of practicing to do.  We'll see if my summer of writing was worthwhile, and hope to finish that full length album that has been sitting in the memory of Andre's computer for three or four months now.  I know a lot of people have been asking about the album, and we apologize for the delay.  It's coming.  Until then, we'll be playing shows around.  We would love to play for you, so please ask us to come to your town, and tell us of a good venue there.  We love you, and we love each other.  Tell us your story.  It helps us make better music.

-Jakob Ryan Lewis aka J Lew, Moonwalker, JB, Borat, Harold, Jake the Snake, Holy Roller, Hobbit, and some names too obscene for this blog. 

p.s. Our music is now on itunes.  Listen to us on your new iphone!  the end.

Currently reading : The Once and Future King By Terence Hanbury White Release date: 15 July, 1987

10:57 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

featured band on buzzgrinder.com

The nice people at buzzgrinder.com have chosen The Silent Film as the featured band for this week.  Check it out!  www.buzzgrinder.com.

6:28 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

a comprehensive tour blog thus far

Hey everyone, we've been on the road for 8 days now, but it feels like a really long time.  I would like to recap what happened so far.

Day before tour:
The minivan broke down, and the tralier we had did have the right hitch. The hitch was a simple fix, but the car I had to take to the shop.  The mechanic wouldn't have it done in time because they had to order a part.  I drove all over Illinois looking for an engine mount for a '98 ford villager.  I finally found one, and at 3:30 gave it to the mechanic.  At 5:00 when they were closing I got a call saying it was done.  Talk about a close call.

Day 1: We had a blow out 10 minutes from the venue (just after we went under the world's largest mcdonald's).  The blowout was on our trailer.  We tried to fix it ourselves, but the only lug wrench we had was from the van and didn't fit the lugs on the trailer.  Jon, our drummer, was like, "I"m a platinum AAA member.  I'll call them". He did.....guess what...AAA doesn't take care of trailers only cars, vans, and trucks.  STUPID.  So we had to call this "other" guy to come out and put our spare donut on for $75.  WE show up and play a fun but sparingliy attended show with Samantha Crain.  Then we spent the night at a friend's house in Tulsa.

Day 2:  Springfield, MO.  Before we left Tulsa we had to get our tire fixed.  When they were putting on a new tire, they realized that the reason we had a blowout was because we had the wrong wheel. We had to buy a whole new rim as well.  The people at Robertson's tire were very helpful and we gave them a cd:)  We went to the Outland Ballroom to play a show, and 4 people showed.  We did a poor job of promoting this show, so it was our own faults.  Plus it was finals week for the university in town.  Again we stayed at a friend's house.

Day 3:  Tulsa...again.  We played at a church in Tulsa....good show, good crowd, good time.  WE stayed at a friends house, and passed under the world's largest McDonald's once more. 

Day 4: Kansas City.  We didn't leave early enough from Tulsa and we hit some traffic in Kansas City, PLUS! Karl F Kling who is on tour with us, wasn't on the bill in Kansas City due to a miscommuication with the venue.  We got him on the bill just in the knick of time...and we barely made it.  We literally pulled up to the venue and he walked out with his guitar and harmonica on to the stage and played.  It was a good show that had a very good crowd.  We slept at the venue (mainstreet cafe) and left early in the morning.  We played with this band that night and they said that we could crash at their place in Arkansas, because that's where we were headed next

Day 5:  We drove eight hours down to Arkansas.  On the way down Karl practiced trumpet to play in our set in the car with an ipod and a pillow muffling the trumpet.  Then we got bored and played pep songs out the window to people that we passed.  We get there and there weren't many people yet again.  We played great, and then we drove to Conway Arkansas where these band guys lived.  We pull up to this "ex" frat house.  The guys weren't even there, but some other people that we didn't know were.  It was kind of scary, but we needed some place to crash.  We just tried to avoided some craziness that was gonig on in the house, but we made a few friends. It was a fun time, and we woke up and got out of there.

Day 6: was a day off, so we went to Memphis and walked the famous Beale Street.  It was a lot of fun, but Memphis is kind of dirty.  But we listened to Ryan Adams on the way so that was fun.  We got a hotel that night, but just as we paid for an econo lodge I get a call from my mom saying, "your dad has a bunch of points saved up to get a free stay at a quality inn".  So we snag a refund and head over to a much nicer room.  There we watched "survivor man" on the discovery channel and went to bed.  The next day we headed up to Nashville.

Day 7:  My girlfriend's brother is in a band in Nashville called The Biv (www.myspace.com/biv).  I call Dan burns up and ask for a place to stay.  He hooks us up to stay at Tyler James' house (www.myspace.com/tylerjames) and also the boys from Paper Route (www.myspace.com/paperroute). We hang out there and then go to a karaoke bar for a girl named Kate York's 30th birthday.  With this group of friends Karaoke was phenomonal.  The Silent film made a fool of themselves by singing a beastie boys song, and then this guy got arrested outside the bar, and this guy named Kevin got up and sang bad boys, while this guy was battling some cops outside.  The next morning we found out the girl that we were calling lee all night was actually Lee Nash from sixpence none the richer.  Wow. 

Day next:  We left Nashville and came to Jamestown, TN where I sit typing in the venue at 2:33 in the morning.  What an amazing show.  Great people.  My battery is about to die.  Love you all

-Jakob

1:13 AM - 5 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

AGAPE

Thanks for everyone that came to Agape.  It was an amazing time.  You made us all feel very loved.  If you have any pictures of the festival we would love to see them.  You can send them to thesilentfilm@gmail.com.  

9:05 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Joey Lemon, a record, agape, and a crown victoria...1986

Hello,
     1.  Joey Lemon of the amazing band Berry (www.myspace.com/berry) is mixing our new record.  We have 11 songs tracked, but don't know what all we want to use to make a solid record.
     The eleven songs are as follows:
          1.Mt. Fuji
          2. The Beautiful Walls of St. Pauls
          3. The American Mind
          4. Water
          5. The Bird Dies
          6. Love and Money
          7. Americana
          8. Birds of God
          9. The Call
          10. We Like You
          11. A song that does not have a name so for now we call it Bender's song

Joey Lemon is doing an amazing job, and deserves a lot of credit.  You should check out samantha crain, and caleb engstrom (www.myspace.com/samanthacrain www.myspace.com/calebengstrom) both of which he produced and mixed. 

2.  Don't forget we are playing on mainstage at the agape music festival in Greenville, IL on may 28th at 12:30ish.  It's going to be good, so come on out.

3.  We are using a 1986 Crown Victoria to tour with this summer.  We're awesome.

hugs and kisses,
-Jakob

Currently listening : Love By The Beatles Release date: 21 November, 2006

7:27 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

How recording is going

Hello beautiful ones,
     Yesterday we recorded for 12 hours.  We were tired at the end, but in addition to three songs already recorded before yesterday, we now officially have twelve songs officially tracked.  They need a few more parts.  Those songs tracked yesterday still need vocals as well.  We recorded the whole thing in Ladue Auditorium in Greenville College.  Ironically the class that I am in typing this blog from is in Ladue auditorium.  haha.  It went really well, we set up everything and tracked it live.  We also laid down the song the bird dies, which we didn't plan on doing, and it turned out really well.  Keep your ears posted for some new songs real soon.  Love ya?

-Jakob
www.myspace.com/jakoblewis
www.myspace.com/thesilentfilm

btw get Caleb Engstroms' new album "A Mountain, or a Bird, and..."
www.myspace.com/calebengstrom

10:01 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

March 31st

On march 31st The Silent Film will track their summer EP in Ladue Auditorium at Greenville college.  Wake up with happy thoughts on that day. 

-Jakob

2:55 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Touring van for sale

The Silent Film is getting a new van and we're selling "Tobias".

• It is a 1990 Ford Econline E150
• Power Windows
• Power Locks
• Power Steering
• Cassette Player
• Captain Chairs to seat 7
  
• 102,000 miles
• Wood Interior
• Very Spacious
• Luggage Rack
• Extra Tire
• Mini-table with 4 cup holders
• Runs Great

Currently listening : A Lesson in Crime By Tokyo Police Club Release date: 27 April, 2006

6:26 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment