Photo by Patrick Calder
We’re not going to forget Saturday night for a long, long time.
If you haven’t been following along, this past Saturday, we had a banner event– we’d joined with Crooked Crow to put together a dual CD release party. They were releasing their new EP, Long Story Short, alongside us and our EP, Aurorae. And… just wow.
We all got to the venue as the previous show was wrapping up, and began loading in. The Jammin’ Java crew cleared the room to prepare for what would be their third show of the day– things had been going since 10:30 that morning, I think. Once everything was in the building and Crooked Crow was setting up on stage, we stepped out into the front of house… and saw the door. There was already a big crowd outside the doors waiting to get in.
There wasn’t much time to gawk, though– we had a couple things left to prepare before the set, and Crooked Crow was beginning the sound check. We ran around getting things into place and feeding the members of the band who’d forgotten to eat, and pretty soon after, the doors opened and people began to stream in. Almost immediately, the place was buzzing with conversation, and we could already tell the crowd had a great energy to it. It was going to be a fun show.
A couple of us went up to the merch table to talk with folks as they came in. As we’re standing there, before Crooked Crow’s set even began, we got the news: the venue was at capacity and they couldn’t let anyone else in! Crooked Crow and Since Antarctica would be playing their release show to a sold-out crowd. It’s a wonderful feeling, as a performer, to play to an enthusiastic full house, and we owe each one of you who came out a big thank you for making that possible. Just… wow. Thank you guys.
Crooked Crow played a great set– their newest songs are incredibly energetic and fun, and a little harder-edged than their last disc. We stayed out front for as much of their set as we could before it was time to step into the green room to prepare for our set. We had a Band Moment or two– shared with our fantastic engineer & co-producer for Aurorae– and then, before we knew it, Crooked Crow was streaming back into the green room with big smiles on their faces.
And then… we were up.
I can personally say that the set that followed was one of the most fun sets I’ve ever had the privilege of playing. From the first rumbles of the intro track to the last crash on the encore, the crowd energy was palpable. People were moving from the very first notes. Every song felt like it was coming to life as we played it. It was an incredible night.
As an aside, I have to say that Jammin’ Java’s sound and lighting engineer that evening was absolutely superb. We’re very thankful to have been in such skillful hands!
After we left the stage, DJ George K got on up to keep everyone moving with a pretty sweet electronic set. I’m not sure if the guys loading out got to hear it, but it kept me moving at my spot up by the merch table.
In addition to this being our very first CD release show, there were also a couple of other firsts that evening. We played a brand-new song, “Breaking Control”, for the first time. Holly R. was kind enough to take video during that number, which you can see right here:
This was also our first full-length all-original set. No worries, though, I’m pretty sure you’ll once again be able to hear our special take on the work of pop starlets in the very near future…
Photos and videos of the night have already begun popping up– for example, Patrick Calder’s beautiful set on Flickr, and a video of “Dissolution” from Kier, the man behind Presence @ Durosia.com, who’s also incidentally responsible for the fantastic redesign this site underwent just about a week ago. If you have photos or video of the night, we’d love if you shared– if you’re on Flickr, you can add your photos to the Since Antarctica Flickr group, and if you’ve got video on YouTube, please let us know so we can like and favorite it from the Since Antarctica YouTube channel.
If you weren’t able to get a copy of the EP at the show, don’t worry! We’ll have copies available at every show we play. You can also get your copy via CDbaby (or just click over to our music page where there’s a large, shiny button of awesome), and you’ll soon be able to find it on Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, &c, &c. Although– if you can make it to a show, we promise to rock your face off personally while you purchase your copy. Also, it’ll come with gorgeous album art that way.
So, once again, thank you to everyone for coming out, to Crooked Crow and DJ George K for the co-release and sweet beats, and thank you to everyone who helped make this EP and this night a reality. You are the most fantastic fans and fellow musicians. Thank you.
