adam svec’s enemy swimmer

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/33611149.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Star Tribune wrote a little blurb about the release of the Cities 97 Sampler.  I believe “The Glad Version – Make Islands” should now be available in local Target stores.

Adam

So, The Glad Version just returned from a fantastic trip to New York for the 2008 CMJ Music Festival. Draw Fire Record’s biodiesel bus adventure was a success. The trip started with a night of apprehensive sleep in uncomfortable positions. However, as soon as the bus landed at our hotel in beautiful Elizabeth NJ (just outside of Newark), the good times started rolling. I decided to go for a walk and see if I could get some beer for the boys. Apparently the apocalypse preceded my stroll through the neighborhood near the hotel. The streets were lined with broken glass, syringes, garbage, and shopping carts. Absolutely every establishment (including McDonald’s) was surrounded by razor wire atop ten foot fences. When I did finally find a liquor store, I started to wonder if walking back to the hotel with a bag full of booze was such a good idea. Fortunately, Newark let me live.

The bus delivered us to the Ivy Brown Gallery late Friday afternoon. We loaded our gear into the space, and then Kyle and Justin were kind enough to set up all of the sound equipment so that it would be ready for the show. Travis, Tor, Chris, Jenn, Holly and I walked up the block to get CMJ badges and dinner. With sets by Stook!, Sam Keenan, us, Aviette, Bill Mike Band, and Kid Dakota playing to a full house at the Ivy Brown Gallery, DFR swung and swayed through a night in Manhattan. Full of Surly, I accidentally dropped the keg down the stairs as were leaving. For some reason, my mind decides to get inappropriately emotional in certain really benign situations… the “keg dropping” was one of these situations… I guess that’s why I write songs.

The bus trip home was filled with better sleep, episodes of The Office, and podcasts. Andrea, Jenn, and Eric were doing their best to document the trip. You can find blog entries, podcast highlights and pictures at the following links:

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/minnesota_does/

http://howwastheshow.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennbarnett/2967615844/in/set-72157608310752153/

School: I’ve started the Audiology grad program at the U of M. It’s hard. I study a lot. However, it’s so much more fulfilling than a 40 hour work week in front of a computer.

Shows: I’m playing St Kate’s University tomorrow (9/12). I’m playing Bethany Lutheran in Mankato next Thursday (9/18) with Cataldo. The Glad Version is playing the 400 Bar next Saturday (9/20).

Songs for Money: I recently found out that The Glad Version has a track on the “Cities 97: 20th Anniversary Sampler.” Chris, Karen, and I played “Can’t Wait For October” in Studio C earlier this year, and it made the cut. Apparently, “The Glad Version” records will be for sale on all of Target’s end caps during the promotion of the Cities 97 sampler beginning mid-November.

…It’s really weird to have this happen… cool… but really weird… seriously. i bought some new jeans and they smell like puke. anyway, have a good evening.

First of all, my favorite comedy duo The Mustache Rangers have featured some “fan art” that I composed last year on their site (www.mustacherangers.com).  Their podcast is seriously the best twelve minutes of my week.

Second of all, I’m starting grad school at the University of Minnesota in seven days.  In 2013, I’ll presumably be a Doctor of Audiology.  It’s been a solid six years since I’ve even thought about a notebook or a pencil, so I’m curious to see how I fare in this first semester.

Third of all, The Glad Version is playing the Minnesota State Fair Kare 11 Stage on Saturday (8/30) around 5:50.  The Wapsipinicon is playing the Kitty Cat Klub later that night around 10:00.  If you love spending money and you love driving, you should come to both.  Otherwise, I’ll see you some other time.

Forever,

Adam

Tor and I will be playing a set at Caroline Smith’s CD Release show this Wednesday (8/13) at The Entry.  I’m not sure what the order is yet, but I will update this when I find out.  Caroline is a fantastic young songwriter, and her band is unstoppable.  You should come down to the show if you’re not busy.

1)  On Friday morning, Dale Connelly and Jim Ed Poole played “747″ on MPR’s Morning Show (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/morning_show/).  I landed a spot between Lucinda Williams and Peter, Paul, & Mary.

2)  I found out last week that both “Make Islands” and “Enemy Swimmer” are going to be added to the special collections series at Preus Library (Luther College) courtesy of Rene Donlan.  It is quite an honor to be added to the circulation of my alma mater, and I’d like to thank Rene tremendously for this great surprise.

So, I’ve been out of town for a couple weeks.  On 7/25, I played a solo show opening for Cataldo in Moscow ID.  I flew into Seattle on 7/23, hopped in a van with Michael Morris, Steve Kang, and Haakon Nelson on 7/24, and drove to Moscow.  We rehearsed three times in two days, played the show, got up the next morning and drove back to Seattle.  The show was really great.  A really impressive crowd showed up to the Kiva Theater to celebrate the release of “Cataldo – Signal Flare.”  If you haven’t heard this record, you should count yourself unlucky.  The next show was in Olympia WA on 8/1.  I opened the show once again in front of about 30-40 people sitting on the floor of The Finger Complex.  Both crowds were superbly attentive and kind.  In between these two shows, I went camping in Canada with my friends Ben, Brenda, and Betsy.  I swear to God I heard a grizzly attack a trash can outside of our campsite on Cat Lake, but none of my camping compadres seem to believe me… even though I returned from using the facilities at 3:30AM with a new bear skin coat.

Um, by the way… in case you want to order “Adam Svec – Enemy Swimmer,” you can pick it up at www.drawfirerecords.com.  There were only 300 printed, so there aren’t a ton to go around, but I would imagine they’ll last a while.

Well, that was a hell of a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who came out to the show last night. I’m sitting at my computer, sweating my eyeballs out, listening to the the new Headlights record while I type this. 1) Michael Morris and the Community Chorus started off the night with a beautiful and haunting set. As they were wooing those of us standing up next to the stage, a surprising crowd gathered behind the bar and filled up the room. By 10:50, the Kitty Cat Klub was alive with buzzing and friends. 2) The Daredevil Christopher Wright coaxed my head into a pop frenzy somewhere between the very best bubble gum and Jeff Mangum. I thoroughly enjoyed the harmonies, the twists/turns, and the enthusiasm. I was engaged. 3) The boys and I took the stage around 1:00AM, which was a touch later than expected. My friends Brenda and Nathan spent 24 straight hours in the car to make it to the show on time. To see them standing front and center at 1:00AM after no sleep and no breaks was the high point of my night. Chris and Tor played a gorgeous set, and I tried to keep up.  Travis sat cheek to cheek with me for Sailors in the Harbor, and Holly held Chuckles for Kids on the River.  By the time I packed up the car, drove back to St. Paul, unloaded the gear, dropped off Chris, and returned to my house it was 4:30AM. Now, I’m not saying I’m old, but my body is not meant to stay up until 4:30AM anymore… so I guess I must be a little old. I woke up at noon trying to figure out how to get coffee out of my so-called “coffee maker.” I eventually gave up and went to Caribou. I’ve decided that I need to watch Bruce Lee’s “Enter the Dragon.”… That’s the only other decision I’ve made to day… I’m drained… good night.

http://www.citypages.com/2008-07-16/music/adam-svec-searches-for-the-music-inside/

Holy Crap… I had a meeting with Andrea Myers last Tuesday, and I guess I figured it would be an “A-List” blurb or something.  I guess I didn’t realize that it was going to be the City Pages Feature this week.  In case you didn’t catch the full page article, you can read it at the link above.  Also, Chris Bahn wrote a nice little spot in The Onion this week about the show tomorrow night.

Sidenote:  Yesterday morning, I played my first out-of-town solo show at NDSU’s Memorial Union in Fargo.  It was pretty entertaining.  For 90 minutes, my guitar and I faced half a cafeteria full of people eating lunch.  11:30AM to 1:00PM is not typically the 90 minutes designated for “rocking” in a usual day, but I enjoyed myself.  The listeners were very kind, and they put up with me.

Details for the show tomorrow night: