Deck The Halls with Jon Bon Jovi
December 11, 2007 -- And so it seems there was some sort of error. vee device did not end up garnering a Grammy nomination after all. We can only assume that the academy mistakenly marked Bon Jovi, when they meant vee device. It is an understandable mistake. You may have won this battle, Mr. Bongiovi, but you shall never win the war...
In other news, we will have a special Christmas-time surprise for you in a couple of weeks. Check back for that.
Do The Hustle
October 24, 2007 -- After receiving their Grammy ballot in the mail, your fearless friends, vee device, have issued a proclamation:
"Instructions for the balloting process read as follows: 'Judge by quality alone. Do not be influenced by personal friendships, company loyalties, regional preferences, or mass sales. Do not allow your choices to be suggested or directed by other than your own conscience. Do not accept money or anything of value in exchange for your votes. Do not make any agreements with others on how to vote. Let only your high standards of artistic and/or technical expertise be your guide.'
"This is all well and good, but there are 610 entries in the 'Album Of The Year' category alone - many from people we've never even heard of. If we're supposed to be directed solely by our conscience, how can we in good faith make a choice without hearing those albums first? The simple answer is: we cannot - and neither can you. Thus we are issuing the following challenge to all voting members of the Recording Academy: DO NOT VOTE UNTIL YOU HAVE LISTENED TO EVERY ENTRY ON THE BALLOT.
"With ballots due by November 7, listening to every entry in its entirety will be impossible. Temporal constraints aside, we urge voters to pick ten, twenty, or fifty of the albums they've never heard and give them a spin. Recognizing that some voters may have trouble digging up the more obscure releases, we make the following offer and encourage others to do the same: ANYONE WHO CONTACTS US IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF OUR ALBUM."
vee device = Charley's Pride
October 2, 2007 -- What do a robot and his friend do for fun on a Saturday night? If you guessed "record acoustic mashups of Charley Pride and the Scooby-Doo themesong," you're right. Your friends vee and &roid had some fun last Saturday. Enjoy the fruits of their recent labors - four lovely songs - in the A/V Dept.
And yes, lest you fret, the recording of the opera is still progressing. They're still aiming to be done with Acts II and III before the year is out. 92 days and a wakeup.
Vote Early, Vote Often
August 28, 2007 -- We are proud to announce that vee device's #1 hit album, Love Will Tear Us To Shreds - Act I: And Quiet Flows The Dawn, is now afloat in the Grammy process. After album entry comes nomination, after nomination comes victory. Being the critical darlings they are, vee device fully expect to garner a full-fledged nomination by the time the new year rolls around. What's more, they expect to win in at least one of the following categories: "Album of the Year" or "Alternative Album of the Year."
So, if you are a Recording Academy voter, you know what to do. Vote for vee device. If someone you know is, you still know what to do. Have them vote for vee device. Come on, all of your friends will be doing it. Richard Daley would be proud.
Let the experiment begin. (National news outlets - please contact vee with any questions, comments, or concerns.)
First Nations People
June 29, 2007 -- Your pals in vee device currently have some out-of-town visitors. Lewis Mayhew and Chester Rothchild Ignatius, otherwise known as the Igloos, are in town to lay their age-old folk tunes to tape. The Basement Studios v2.0 is their venue; the floor provides their humble bed. Iggy and Lewis are from Canada, you see. As luck would have it, they live above the Arctic Circle. The current heat in Colorado is wilting them.
Never fear though, they are a hearty folk. Whilst they are hiding from the blazing sun, they wanted to let you know about a protest taking place today in their native land. Since they have no website on which to post their alert, vee device have offered them this space. Learn more about the plight of the First Nations People here. Alternatively, to learn what Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper is reading, click here. The Igloos hope their music will bring more attention to the Great White North.
Serious issues for serious times. vee device stand united with their Igloo brethren. You should too.
Animal Magnetism
May 8, 2007 -- Two-hundred-thirteen years ago, Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, met his fatal end at the hands of an angry Parisian mob. To quote Msr. Lagrange: 'It took them only an instant to cut off that head, but France may not produce another like it in a century.' You will know why this is relevant by year's end.
Until 'The Genre of Silence' reveals its secrets, content yourself with a song written and recorded by &roid. We shall most likely be posting recordings of our Cinco de Mayo show someday soon as well.
Pilgrims
May 3, 2007 -- The more observant among you have probably noticed that the message board is no longer functioning. Our bitter battle with the spammers will never be over it seems. We currently are working on a newer, more robust system.
Until then, come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us in Denver. Or if you can't afford the price (or environmental cost) of petrol, help us celebrate Elder Abuse Awareness Day in June at Everyday Joe's.
What Do Mayflowers Bring?
April 2, 2007 -- According to the popular rhyme, Mayflowers bring pilgrims. In this case, that is not true. Mayflowers will bring a show at Cricket on the Hill in Denver with the Grant Gordy Quartet and the Blackthorn Project. If you're always perplexed as to how to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, let this be your solution.
Meanwhile, ensconced in the rainy season known as April, your favorite band is holed up, laying down tracks for Acts II & III of Love Will Tear Us To Shreds. Good things come to those who wait.
Punxsutawney Pandemic
February 2, 2007 -- The new year is now a month old, and yet, this is only the first update we've posted. We apologize for our sloth. We should've known better than to expect a sloth to run a website -- they are notoriously slow typers. Despite our lackadaisical website-maintenance attitude, there have already been several newsworthy items of 2007.
- It has been extremely cold in Fort Collins this January. Snows have been on the ground for well over a month. Can a groundhog from Pennsylvania stand up against the harsh mistress that is winter? Time will tell.
- Love Will Tear Us To Shreds: Act I - And Quiet Flows The Dawn was named one of the best local albums of 2006 by our good friends at the Rocky Mountain Chronicle. "Though a fair degree of intellectualism flows through Fort Collins' veins, few Choice City bands boast lyrics that approach the term 'literate.' With this, the first installment of their three-part indie-grass/chamber-pop/rock opera based on the life of Russian rabble-rousing journalist Issac Babel, vee device entices listeners to don spectacles while digging their brainy, down-home pop."
- In his first podcast of 2007, Gordon McIntyre, of ballboy fame reads an email from vee and dubs it to have "the best P.S. [he's] ever read in any email or letter, ever." If you haven't heard this Edinburgh-based band, do yourself a favor and check them out. They're certainly one of our favourites.
- vee, &roid, and The Cannone have united with local pianist Dave Wisbon to form a band called Juice of the Barley. They will be playing a string of shows around Fort Collins during the week leading up to St. Patrick's Day. Come out for a dose of celtic-y goodness: hits ranging from "The Mason's Apron" to "If I Should Fall From Grace With God." Oh yes... this will be a blast.
Until we meet again.