How to run 5 miles the right way
Take it from the guitar rock band; you should learn how to run your ass off.
I chose yesterday to go for a run for the first time in months and months. Yesterday, Tuesday the 6th, I laced up my big puffy shoes and lugged my ass up and down the Genesee Riverway Trail, forgetting that later in the day, I’d be driving to Syracuse to stand on concrete in Blundstones for a couple hours to see a band that I was really into in 2019.
Cheekface is an airtight band with a very enthusiastic and loyal fanbase. Looking around The Song and Dance, a pretty barebones venue in the basement level of a commercial property in Syracuse, I saw plenty of folks who I would maybe expect to see eagerly awaiting Reel Big Fish to take the stage. Excited dorks of all ages, and there I was, one of them.
My fiance and I became fans of Cheekface in 2019, and realized a couple minutes into the show that we hadn’t really kept up with their output since the early 2020’s. That became super clear when every song had a call-and-response section that we had no response for, or a singalong section that we didn’t know the words to, or an inside joke that really hit hard with the folks in the first three rows. FOMO! But regardless:
It’s very heartening to see this type of enthusiastic loyalty to a band play out in real time, even if you’re ten rows back and not really in on the joke anymore. Cheekface and their signature stream of consciousness tweet-adjacent lyrical offerings probably speak directly to a lot of these folks’ fears and anxieties, by design. Good for them; catharsis is a function of live music, and there was some real catharsis going on in that room.
I feel like it’s rarer and rarer these days that you see this type of earnest camaraderie at shows, and I think it was really cool to watch an audience meet their hero and do all the dances, looking around the room to make sure that each and every one of them was safe in the company of their fellow Cheek Freaks. The power of rock, baby. I’m glad we went, even though every part of our sojourn to Syracuse was deeply cursed, I didn’t know many of the newer songs, and I was in pain most of the time from an ill-advised run. That’s Real Hardcore.
The lads and I are still working on our deep-groove breakbeat radio rock song of the summer. I’m listening to our demos, getting used to singing without playing guitar at the same time, and reassuring myself that it’s not weird to just have my little voice hanging out there. I think we have one more rehearsal before it’s completely L.T.F.I. (locked the fuck in), then we got one more new one to learn before the next gig.
The next gig is on Wednesday, June 4th at The Bug Jar with World’s Greatest Dad and Jerry Big’s World Famous Band. Sure to be a good time; every one of these bands rips, and we’re thrilled to be on this one. Tickets on sale here.
I’ve been making ambient music that is sure to find its way onto the sampler at a live show at some point. I’m using the Elektron Digitone and my voice notes. We’re talking lo-fi field recordings from my phone that I EQ in Logic and make a sound collage out of. AND, I have to say, this is the first time I’ve actually gone and DONE the thing where I use the field recordings I make on my phone. Growth! Here’s a snippet from De Studio.
In related news: Comfy has a show this upcoming Sunday (Mother’s Day, call your Mom!) with Remember Sports at The Bug Jar. Another one that is not to be missed. I’ll see you there! Many pals to be In The Zone with. Grab tickets here.
And you know what? That just about does it. It’s beautiful outside and my motorcycle is STILL in the shop. The chuckle-heads at the mechanic where I store my bike for the winter have been really fuckin’ me up since I started trying to…retrieve my motorcycle from them. Tried to get that shit out of storage THREE WEEKS AGO!
What do you mean I got “lost in the shuffle”? Why are you TELLING ME THAT and then doing nothing to make it up to me? I’m a nice guy and I wanna ride! Come on dudes! And it’s always dudes. Different dudes every year. I’m sure it’s an insane place to work.
Still, if you’re askin’ me? Deeply annoying.
ANYWAY! Hope y’all have a great rest of your week.
With love,
Jake + B.N.