Tagged: 2/3 goat

March 5, 2013

[Tour Diaries] 2/3 Goat – The Road to SXSW

Hey all! We’re 2/3 Goat, NYC metrobilly band and strong friend & strong advocate of What’s Protocol.

Been a while since I’ve checked in with the good readers of WP! It’s my pleasure to bring you my Tour Diaries for our March jaunt. We’re currently on our way down to Austin, TX, for the annual SXSW Music Conference. It’ll be our first time visiting SXSW or Austin, for that matter! I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures the Weird City brings us.

Where we’ve been so far:

This time out, we’ve already made stops in Morgantown, WV; Wytheville, VA; and Knoxville, TN. Last night we played in Nashville, at Mercy Lounge for BMI’s 8 Off 8^th Showcase.

To follow our shows, see what we’ve been up to, and to see photos & videos from the road, you can find us at all the main hubs:

3.5.13 – GOAT GIRL’S GRAZINGS…

Writing & playing music are only one aspect of being a touring musician. Being from NYC, you hear the phrase, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” I daresay that principle is also true of The Road. It requires an immense amount of patience, faith, and a different kind of strength to find yourself in a different city everyday, practically living out of your car as well as depending upon that vehicle to get you where you need to be, when you need to be there.

We are still touring in a 2002 Two-Door Honda Civic. It’s only the two main members of 2/3 Goat this time: myself and my co-bandleader (-slash-fiancée) Ryan Dunn. We’re pretty sure this is the last haul for the Nighthawk, our beautiful Honda with the moonroof & spoiler. She’s got a great attitude, but hitting 200,000 miles by a certain point of this tour takes its toll on the best of us. We expect to be upgrading soon.

**TOUR TIP #437: Don’t spill Fix-A-Flat in your car.

This is the result of a can of the stuff having somehow spilled (luckily only underneath the trunk) and leaving a fresh stank that we thought for about an hour could be gasoline. Thank the Gods of Touring, it wasn’t! Ryan called the Honda dealership just to check if it was even possible (it’s virtually impossible) and what color gasoline really is… more of a pee color, as opposed to our milky white substance that greeted us once we started investigating the smell.

Stay tuned to see what else the road throws our way, and how we dodge proverbial bullets in a (hopefully) graceful, stealthy manner. Goats are nothing to be fooled with.

Annalyse McCoy

2/3 Goat

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July 31, 2012

Tour Diaries: Work-cation!

Ah, the Outer Banks of North Carolina… one of our favorite places, and 2/3 Goat’s latest tour destination. We headed down in mid-July for a week of shows & fun. This was one of our favorite weeks of adventures yet, because we were surrounded by unending beauty and great friends.

Ryan & I started out from NYC to pick up our other third, Mr. Guerra, in Norfolk, VA, and stay with our friends Patrick & Kendal on our way down. I’d never been over the Chesepeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel before, and as soon as Ryan told me how long it was and that it was comprised of bridges AND tunnels, I wasn’t all too sure this would be an enjoyable day…

Who knew this was possible?? But it was great! The CBBT is truly a triumph of human innovation.

We continued on down and arrived in Hatteras, NC, for our first stop on tour: Teach’s Island Bar & Grill.

What a great venue!! We had a blast here.

Hatteras is across the water from the island of Ocracoke, so we headed over there on the ferry the next day. Unlike most of the Outer Banks, which are connected by bridges, there is no other way to get to Ocracoke than by ferry. Some beautiful birds and glorious weather greeted us.

Ocracoke is a tiny town on a wild island. The beaches are gorgeous and the water’s clear. The mosquitos are also ravenous on the island, so make sure when visiting that you either bring a bottle of bug spray or a zen attitude. Both are preferable; the zen just works for this island, where no one is in a rush and the amalgam of bicycles, pedestrians, cars, and golf carts create the most peaceful traffic jam you’ll ever find yourself in. We rented bikes, and after our shows we would drive our instruments & gear back to our home base, the Rickers’ rental house,* and started out on bikes. Every night was an adventure, from witnessing the phosphorescence in beautiful Silver Lake, to gazing at the night sky – which is UNmatchable to any that I’ve seen; the Milky Way literally stretched across the entire sky!! – and enjoying the night life at a few great bars/restaurants on the island.

The first time I ever went to Ocracoke was last year to visit our friends The Yes Team (a band we know from NYC, now based in San Diego and killin’ it out there!!) and Aaron Lavigne (another awesome musician who I actually attended college with; he’s now on Broadway in Spiderman, also killing it). Aaron & the folks in The Yes Team have played shows in Ocracoke these past couple of years, and after visiting last year, we decided 2/3 Goat should spend some time building some fans and enjoying the beautiful beach there. (Here I am, enjoying the beach a little too much.)

*We would not have been able to stay this whole week if it hadn’t been for Chris & Judy Ricker, great friends who opened up their temporary home to us. MANY THANKS to them, as well as the Dudleys, an amazing family from Charlotte with roots in Ocracoke, who we really got to know this time around.

SHOWS IN OCRACOKE!!

The two venues we played on the wild island were Creekside Cafe and Jolly Roger.

These were both 3 hour shows. Long shifts! They went great, though. Exercises in endurance. We were totally prepared and even came out stronger artists & entertainers, I think. Clearly, the scenery helped keep us engaged. I think Guerra may be swatting off a mosquito in this photo from Jolly Roger.

Another activity we participated in on the island was clamming. Here we are in action.

The Rickers, the Dudleys, and the Goats went out into the marshes one day, and among the three parties, we collected about 250 clams!!

Needless to say, we had a feast. These were our clams!!

Photo shoots also need to happen from time to time for a band. We chose the Rickers’ giant red hot tub for this shoot. Just add water, bubbles, cigars, and some champagne, and you’re in business.

<– Me, Ryan, & Ryan

Us & the rest of our island gang–>

We’ve had enough adventure this past year to afford some time at home base. So we’re taking a couple of months to do some shows closer to home & spend some time writing. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer!!

In the meantime, CONNECT WITH US on:

Facebook. Twitter. YouTube.

TWOTHIRDSGOAT.COM

‘Til the road calls again,

Annalyse

2/3 Goat

**Tour Tip #5: Get in touch with nature. As much as we may try and separate ourselves from the earth, it’s where we came from – So it’s what is in us. So much creativity occurs naturally, and we can all draw from it in our own artistic endeavors. As Carl Sagan said, “If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.”

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June 25, 2012

Tour Diaries: June 2012 Tour Wrap-Up!

WOW… Back in the City now. Still reeling from June 2012 tour… It was a TRIP for sure!!

I think I left off telling you about my chance meeting with John Prine at Kroger in Nashville. The guys and I were so excited as we drove back, that we forgot to take our groceries in once we got back to home base (the Hallworths’). $7 of Chobani yogurt was made inedible, but Mr. Prine is worth more than $7 of my favorite breakfast item to me.

We continued that night to our first show in Nashville this time around, the BMI-sponsored 8 off 8^th showcase at Mercy Lounge on Cannery Row.

So much fun. Among others, we got to hear the newest project some of our talented friends are a part of called The Lost Maples. Awesome Americana/Alt Country!!

The next night, we played a small party at one of the hottest new venues in Nashville: The Sanctuary. Our friend Mikie recently bought this place and converted it into a multi-functional music space.

Seems like there’s a trend of buying up old churches and creatively putting them to some other use. In this case, it was a great decision! The Sanctuary is already used as a rehearsal space & mixing studio, and we “Christened it” with the first live performance!

It was a great time!!

A couple days while we were in town, we took advantage of the pool in our gracious hosts’ community. Ryan, Ryan, and I are all very driven people and like to stay in shape. When we’re in NYC, we attend classes at Mark Fisher Fitness, an awesome gym in midtown Manhattan. If you’re in NYC and are looking for a great workout spot and supportive community, look no further. MFF makes you hot, healthy, and happier.

Nothing can take the place of classes, but when we’re not in the City, we find our ways. Here we are staying fit by the pool in Nashville:

———————-

Our last show in Nashville this time around was at The Tin Roof. It was the Summer Solstice, a night jam packed with music to ring in the longest day of the year! We all had some good food beforehand, graciously provided by The Tin Roof. We sat at the booth, family style, with our Nashville drummer Andy Wilmoth (who has helped us break into the scene in Music City) and Stephen Hopkins, who played bass with us this time.

We seem to be getting into the habit of having shows that are on back to back days in cities that are hours apart… Not necessarily a bad thing, just makes the journey even more interesting (in a good way…as long as we make it in time!)

We started out from Nashville on the night of the 20^th right after our show at Tin Roof, and started our drive to Charlottesville, VA, for our last show: Artists for Appalachia, an event commemorating 15 years of existence for Appalachian Voices, an awesome organization that works to alert communities & citizens of the coalfields & beyond of issues that impact them; and does work in Washington, DC, to fight for environmental & human justice in these communities. We were so proud to be a part of the lineup for this event. Here are just some of the folks who we were on stage with:

Kathy Mattea

Daniel Martin Moore

Michael Johnathon, of WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour

The Honey Dewdrops

Trent Wagler of The Steel Wheels

Clara Bingham, esteemed filmmaker & producer of “The Last Mountain”

Jeff Goodell, acclaimed author*

*Jeff wrote a fantastic article that inspired me to write a song, “Green Paper Mountains,” that’s on our latest album. HERE’S THE ARTICLE.

Here are some pics from backstage at this amazing event:

Annalyse & amazing singer-songwriter Daniel Martin Moore!

***We are proud to say that our new friend Ms. Kathy Mattea decided to join 2/3 Goat on stage as we sang one of our favorite songs, the Darrell Scott classic “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” One of my FAVORITE 2/3 GOAT MOMENTS SO FAR!!***

It was a very special night, culminating in the whole lot of us coming on stage and singing “Jubilee” by folk legend Jean Ritchie, led by Daniel Martin Moore and Kathy Mattea.

As I said, I’m still reeling from the amazing time we had. This tour will go down in the books as an absolute favorite. I really couldn’t ask for more. SO grateful.

Til next time,

Annalyse

2/3 Goat

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May 15, 2012

Tour Diaries: Mini-Tour May 2012

Wednesday, 5/9/12

Back on the Road, for a very special mini-tour weekend. Our plan was to start out from NYC right after our taping for Balcony TV at 6pm on Wednesday. But here was the weather in the City on Wednesday:

Needless to say, our filming had to be postponed to a later date. Bummer, ‘cause we were really looking forward to it. But we were able to get a much earlier start on our journey. We made it to our hotel in Chambersburg, PA, with enough time to swim in the pool a bit and go to Ruby Tuesday’s. This was so exciting for us!! Living in NY, we don’t get to see chain restaurants a lot because we mostly avoid the overpriced ones in Times Square, and even those of us who do have a car often don’t have the energy to drive out more in the direction of Long Island. Ah, Shrimp Fondue and a Strawberry Sangria…

Thursday, 5/10/12

Thursday night we kicked off our weekend Goat grazing with an appearance at the Acoustic Coffeehouse in Johnson City, TN. I have to say, this was one of the most fun nights I’ve had at a show in a long time!! I don’t have any pictures from performance because so much was happening I didn’t even think of having someone snap any. Co-band leader Ryan Dunn dubbed the Acoustic Coffeehouse “the Wild West of Coffee Shops.” And I think he’s right! If you’re looking for a good time with folks of all walks, go to the Acoustic Coffeehouse. (They also serve food and have lots of beers on tap.)

We had some friends from different places come out and see us – two that surprised us, and one with flowers for me fresh from his garden.. J

Good to see old friends! This is me & Joe Clark. Thanks Larry, Joe, & Tommy T!

We had some folks who were really grooving to our songs. The Acoustic Coffeehouse has a very interactive crowd, they’re right there with you and they become an integral part of the night. There was even an artist who expressed his support for us in a drawing of a beautiful Goat. Thank you Epifanio!! (*At the suggestion of the artist, we’re hopefully getting a hi-res digital version of this awesome drawing soon, so stay tuned on our website/FB/social networks for the final product.)

We ended up back at our hotel at almost 2am (surprisingly later than we normally get in while on tour since we’re usually so exhausted). Great first night of playing!!

Friday, 5/11/12

Next day: Knoxville. Preservation Pub is an awesome venue located right in Market Square, one of the coolest areas in the city. This place has 3 floors, the third being a balcony bar. Very cool. We played on the second floor, also known as the “Speakeasy.”

Our drummer Andy Wilmoth came over from Nashville and joined us. He’s the best. (This is him, to the right.) A modest combination of djembe, bass drum, and snare that he provided fleshed out our otherwise acoustic sound for this tour, really nicely. Thanks Andy!

The Preservation Pub is a really great time, and has some really great listeners. We so enjoyed playing for and meeting everyone!!

Saturday, 5/12/12

Last stop before NYC: Wytheville, VA! We played at the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre, out back in their Matterhorn Lounge & Bier Garten. The Wohlfahrt Haus is full of great times, great people, and so much talent. This show went so well! Thank you so much to all of the people who helped make this show possible.

It was a magical night with lots of love and support coming at us from all directions. The overcast sky held out for us and we were able to play the whole show outside. Here are some photos of the night. (2nd photo here taken by David Manley.)

A sign made & hand-painted by our good friend Larry was brought from a garden on his beautiful farm property, to sit at the front of the stage during our performance. It contains a line in “Tunnel Vision,” a song I wrote for our first album.

Larry graciously offered us spare rooms at his house at Flat Rock Farm to crash on Saturday night. It’s a place where we’d love to stay for a week. This is actually the very farm where we filmed our music video, “Stream of Conscience.” The project would not have happened as amazingly or run as smoothly as it did, were it not for the folks at the Wohlfahrt Haus & the community at large. We were given full access of any costume pieces or props that we needed to borrow, had so much help from many talented actors at the theatre, and felt so welcomed with open arms the entire time we were there. We felt that same warmth in our return this past Saturday. Wytheville and Bland, VA are just filled with GOOD PEOPLE.

After tons of fun (and some spirits), we slept soundly for a few hours amidst chirping crickets and without cell phone reception. The Farm is literally “off the map.”

So 2/3 Goat’s May 2012 tour weekend was… A smash! We had tons of fun, met some great people, and saw some old friends too.

**TOUR TIP #3: Do You. We’re all different in our own way. Embrace what is unique about you, and capitalize on it. That’s what we try to do as 2/3 Goat, every show, every tour, and everything else we do. Like this cow to the left that we saw at Flat Rock Farm, you may be a different color than the rest of the herd. You may want different things. If you want a drink from the creek, don’t be afraid to go out and get it! Whatever your dream is, go and get it – and do it without compromising yourself. Others will eventually look up to you.

Til next time,

Annalyse

2/3 Goat

twothirdsgoat.com – Like us on Facebook – Follow us on Twitter

April 24, 2012

Tour Diaries: That’s a wrap…for now

Back in NYC now… It was a whirlwind of a week. Here’s a map of all our travels for our April 2012 tour:

4/18: WASHINGTON, DC!

Our nation’s capitol has some great venues. Here’s the one we played at this time around: The Wonderland Ballroom. Very cool joint, with a bar & food on the first floor, and on the second floor there’s a music venue. The first act of the night was Oh! My Blackbird, a really talented folk trio from NYC.

Then 2/3 Goat took the stage. We got a pretty great crowd out, especially considering our out-of-townness and all. Thanks to everyone who came and supported!!

4/19: DAY OFF! – RICHMOND, VA

We awoke the morning of Thursday the 19^th to a hunger that could only be quenched by a little joint called the International House of Pancakes. Luckily, there was one closeby.

Our friends, the Kennedys, moved to Richmond, VA about a year ago from NYC. After breakfast, we ventured a couple hours south of DC to visit them there, see their new house, and their new gorgeous dog, Greta.

What a glorious day off it was. The weather was perfect! We spent it at Belle Isle and Greta swam in the James River.

Then grill, and bonfire!! And, of course, rehearsal.

Thanks Brendan & Meghann Kennedy for accommodating us in your beautiful house and your beautiful town!!

4/20: CHARLESTON, WV!

It was 2/3 Goat’s second time playing at Capitol Roasters Café in Charleston. Such a cozy venue right in the heart of downtown. Aside from our crowd, a few Friday nighters who were out and about rolled in thanks to the open-air feel of the giant windows at Capitol Roasters.

4/21 & 4/22: THE PURPLE FIDDLE in THOMAS, WV!

We had a great time at the Fiddle, as we always do. The Purple Fiddle is a regular stop for 2/3 Goat. We’ve played on their stage about 6 or 7 times in the last year and a half. What keeps us coming back? The Music is always great, but the venue is also on the main strip of the town of Thomas, a small town nestled in the heart of the West Virginia mountains, at an elevation of 3,035 feet. With such a quiet, relaxed vibe, Thomas was the perfect place to wrap up our tour before heading back to the big bad City.

…AND IT’S BACK HOME…..

Directly after the second afternoon show we played, we hopped in the car and started our journey back – a drive that would usually be a painless 7 hours, especially on a Sunday. But this Earth Day definitely reminded us of the power of the big, beautiful Lady that it celebrates every year. A huge rainstorm kept us company the entire ride back. It was basically a nor’easter, but with rain. (Thomas was expecting snow though; we just missed that…:(..)

2/3 Goat’s April tour was a success, and it’s all thanks to our awesome, supportive fans. It’s always an adventure too, being on the road. We’re back in NYC now, but the coming months will provide more stories I am sure. We’ll see you in May!

**TOUR TIP#2: Earlier in this post, you saw that we did some rehearsing in Richmond. Although I’m the first to say time off is great, it’s always best to be prepared when you’re on tour (and off, really). As the sign below reminded us in a gas station during our travels, you never know what circumstances you might come across.

Until Next Month,

Annalyse

2/3 Goat – Facebook – Tw: @TwoThirdsGoat

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April 18, 2012

Tour Diaries: Days 1 & 2!

On the Road! We LOVE this drive. Here’s a shot of one of many cool places on the route from NYC to West Virginia. This is Sideling Hill in Maryland:

Yesterday we made our first stop: Black Bear Burritos in Morgantown, WV. We rolled into town a couple hours early and hit up Sozo, a great coffee shop. Ryan & Ryan sipped on lattes and talked about how lovely the drive had been.

…And then on to Black Bear! We LOVE this joint, both for their awesome clientele and their amazing food. The amalgamation of college students and folks of all ages living in the community, provides for a very cool vibe. Consequently, with the great energy we got from our crowd, we rocked out.

They also appreciate great bourbon in Morgantown. Buffalo Trace, sponsor of our show in NYC at Arlene’s (see my last blog post), provided us with awesome t-shirts for our fans, some of which were given away at our NYC show. We had a few left over, though, so we’ve taken them on the road and are giving them to some loyal fans.

And now on to DC to play The Wonderland Ballroom tonight! We’re sharing the bill with Oh! My Blackbird, another NYC band with an awesome sound & vibe. We’re excited!!

Oh! My Blackbird opens the night up at 8:30pm, with 2/3 Goat going on at 9:30pm. Super psyched!!

***A big THANK YOU to the Wilmoths in Fairmont, WV, who always welcome us with open arms, a nice place to stay, and perfectly proportioned omelettes in the morning. Thanks so much to our Nashville drummer Andy Wilmoth for helping us out here!

**TOUR TIP #1: A big part of being on the road is saving your energy inbetween shows. That’s why I’m letting Ryan drive today and chillaxing beneath my hood for a few hours.

Talk soon,

Annalyse

2/3 Goat – Facebook – Tw: @TwoThirdsGoat

April 16, 2012

Tour Diaries: 2/3 Goat – Metrobilly Music Comin’ Atcha

Annalyse McCoy of 2/3 Goat here…we’re a metrobilly band based in NYC. In this, our first blog entry, I’ll take a second to catch you up on us.

We formed around the beginning of 2009, one of our first public performances being in MR King Productions’ Singer-Songwriter competition held at Don’t Tell Mama’s in midtown Manhattan. We took home the prize that night, which led us to performing at Tainted Blue Studios in their monthly Artists Loft Series, a podcast featuring new and up & coming New York City artists. We kept up with Tainted Blue, later recorded our first EP there, and after months of playing NYC venues such as The Bitter End, Sullivan Hall, and Banjo Jim’s, we started touring down the east coast.

The Music led us to Nashville, where we started playing at venues such as Mercy Lounge & The Basement every 3-4 months. We recorded our second album there (also an EP) at Welcome to 1979 Studios, an all-analog studio run by tape-machine refurbisher and all-around analog genius Chris Mara.

At about the same time, with the help of Visualanties Productions, we shot a Music Video of the title track of this soon-to-be album, Stream of Conscience. We had raised funds on Kickstarter for this project. We could not have accomplished this project without our amazing fans! The song has to do with our stance against mountaintop removal coal mining, a devastative practice occurring in my hometown of Inez, KY, and surrounding areas of Central Appalachia. To find out more about mountaintop removal, you can Click Here.

The album Stream of Conscience and our music video both debuted on AOL Music’s homepage in November 2011 (see our website), and got some great press from the likes of The Huffington Post, Greenpeace’s blog, and Stated Magazine. For more great press, you can view our Facebook page.

And so here we are, about to begin our first mini-tour of 2012!! Thursday night, we had a sendoff show at Arlene’s Grocery, with Buffalo Trace Bourbon sponsoring. It rocked!

(Thanks Jennifer Marie, for this photo.)

After spending about 6 months of 2011 on the road, we’ve decided to consolidate and make our out-of-town stints shorter for now. This makes it easier for us, especially when we travel in one of these:

Honda Civic, 2002

For now…

Okay… so we don’t travel with the full band in this, it would be impossible!! When we tour, a lot of times we scale it down to three musicians: Me (lead singer, mandolinist), Ryan Dunn (other lead singer, guitar player), and Ryan Guerra (master fiddler).

This week we will be out and about at The Wonderland Ballroom in Washington, DC (Wednesday!) and various venues throughout West Virginia!! (Black Bear Burritos in Morgantown, WV, tomorrow night!!)

A look at our April tour schedule:

Stay tuned for adventures in the week ahead!

Annalyse McCoy

2/3 Goat - Like us on Facebook - Follow us on Twitter: @TwoThirdsGoat

Top photo of 2/3 Goat: Mike Bradley, Visualanties.com

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