Say hello again...to new reviews!!!

So it's been quite the fortnight (or bazillionight) since we've posted on here, but it's time we take a break for Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Sonic Bids, steadymacheteband.com, and whatever else I'm forgetting that we've been building up over the months, and post a blog.  We promise to do a better job at this, if you promise to read it.  Deal?  Deal.

Well without doing a whole since-you-last-heard-from-us type of post, let's just get down to business.  Our first, full-length album was just released.  Worldwide, I might add.  How so?  Tunecore.  They are a wonderful little company that allowed us to put our album on every single iTunes store in the world plus Amazon.com, PLUS Amazon On Demand.  All for less than what I spend on a good dinner.  So as of today, you can all go to one of the aforementioned stores, and purchase it.  Or, send us an email and we'll tell you how you can buy it directly from us.

Next up, obviously, would be the reviews.  Two came out today that we've been waiting for anxiously.  Nervously, even.  Being our first "real" album (complete with cover art and credits) we couldn't help but fear what the critics would say.  Luckily, they understand us and we them.

First up from SLUG (Salt Lake Underground) a certain Jon Robertson gives us the most sought after nod in the SLC scene.  The SLUG nod.  Sought after because, from what we've seen, they can be awfully brutal there.  Deservedly brutal, but brutal nonetheless.  So it really tilted our skirts to read his amazing critique.  Especially the one criticism he has, which, honestly we share 100%.  And we're working on fixing that for the next album.  See it here.

Next, also showing its pretty face online today, is the review from IN Utah This Week Magazine.  We love this publication so much.   We are not new to them and they have been giving us respect for some time now by a previous write up, and having us play at their "Scene In SLC Party."  Which was one of our best shows to date.  Spencer Sutherland goes a little further in the way of reviews as he tells his opinion of what we're good at.  We liked that a lot, and are taking that to heart.  You can find that here.

So now that we got the reviews we hoped for, we're now going to be taking an official band picture tomorrow which will complete our EPK.  This is vitally important since this is the final week to submit to South by South West music festival.  A dream since I first saw a documentary on it years ago.  I can't describe how amazing it would be to get chosen, and how well we'd fit in down there.  We truly believe that.  So wish us luck!!!

Our EPK

Sub Pop, Sundance, and EP update

A few weeks ago we were invited to play once again at the Star Bar in Park City, this time during the Sundance Film Festival. Of course our immediate expectations are playing to a full club after doing shots with Scarlett Johanson, and signing a million dollar record deal. Totally possible.

Star Bar is located at the very top of the hill on Main Street and in years past, has been the sole official music venue for Sundance. As we were setting up and sound checking for our last show there, the extremely friendly and capable sound tech was giving us glory stories about Slash and Scott Ian making impromptu appearances on the stage with other veteran metal bands. Playing in any venue that is rich in history is always a rare pleasure. Playing there again on a night that just might make history--at least for us--is just plain exciting.

The manager of the bar asked us to play on a Tuesday night, but thought better of it upon organizing a show Sunday with the Washington Film Society, and Sub Pop Records. Very kind of him to think of us to play when a record company throws a party during Sundance. Turns out we're playing with a band called, Handsome Furs who are, naturally, signed to Sub Pop Records. For those who don't know Sub Pop, think Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and more recently, Wolf Parade (singer/guitarist is the same for Handsome Furs), Postal Service, and a personal favorite, Band of Horses.

So we're working double time to finish up our "new" EP which will probably once again be called "Fisticuffs." Hey, it won best EP of 2008 according to like 20 people on PostFontaine's blog. Why fix it if it's not broke? The official line-up of songs will be as follows:

Fisticuffs
Adios
My Engine
The Cause
The Sun Rose in the West

These are all redone, and recorded by Tommy on his several-year old Powerbook using Garage Band. I hate to break it to the local studios, but so far, this mix sounds remarkably better than the $50/hour stuff. We're so excited to release this new disc. If it ends up sounding as good as we think, we're going to actually do the album art and have them manufactured as a real CD ready to sell. Now if we could just get Love Monkey 4000 to finish our t-shirts, we'd be in business. But back to the upcoming show:

We really just can't say how flattered and excited we are to be playing this show. Of course, often times we find out we're playing a show and we think, wow, there's gonna be TONS of people here, or we may get noticed/signed! But alas, we end up playing with really great bands for a handful of really great fans. Nevertheless, ScarJo could still find her way to the top of the hill--Ryan Reynolds in tow--and wonder, "what is this fantastic music I'm hearing?"