Appendix E-J

Ever since I (Chris) started booking the shows here at Everyday Joe’s, I have made sure to try & listen to every band that asks to play here…whether on a Myspace page or a demo CD or even the act coming down to the shop and playing for me personally. Part of this is courtesy, and part of this is driven by not wanting to miss the act that makes it in the music business.

Well…after 5 years…it happened.

Close to 3.5 years ago I can remember a demo CD coming across my desk by a band called Chairlift. I can’t remember what I thought of it, but I do know there wasn’t any contact info included so even if I did like it I couldn’t do much but just enjoy the CD.

Over the past year, I’ve started to hear rumblings on various music blogs and even from Everyday Joe’s volunteers about a band named Chairlift. They had a song on an iPod commercial (the one about doing handstands). The lady vocalist has a beautiful voice. “Coincidence,” I thought. “No way that’s the same Chairlift who left the demo at the coffee house with song names scribbled with Sharpie on a CD-R & no contact info.”

Yesterday, I was going through a drawer in the sound booth and I found this:

Wanting to settle this suspicion once and for all, I popped it in my computer to give it a listen and along came the first clue that I’d missed the boat: iTunes recognized the album. Apparently, this demo is also known as Let’s Turn L.A. Back Into A Forest. I couldn’t find anything via the Google that tied that album name with the now electro-pop darlings, but after I pressed play I immediately recognized the voice as the same that told me it would do handstands for me.

Junk.

Subsequent research revealed the following:

• Chairlift formed at CU in 2005 and moved to Brooklyn a while later.
• The first track scribbled on that demo – “Don’t Give A Damn” – is track number nine on their latest Sony BMG released album Does You Inspire You. Some of the other tracks may have made it on to their self-released Daylight Savings EP. Or perhaps this is the EP.
• Quotes like: “According to Caroline, the young Chairlift played a variety of small local venues in a concerted effort to generate interest in a new music scene in a Colorado festooned with myriad jam bands but precious few neo-popsters on the edge.”

Damn.

I suppose this was bound to happen and I’d even say I find it somewhat comical. As a music nerd, I feel I have uncovered some mystical artifact. I hope Chairlift enjoys their summer, playing sets at Bonnaroo and All Points West with various stops at hip spots in between and drinking cold ones with friends MGMT and Yeasayer and Grizzly Bear.

Of course, they did drop off their demo in hopes of playing here, so you never know. Stranger things have happened in this building. They could bring their friends here. We could drink hot ones. We’re a hip spot too… I mean, our walls are dark grey now with so-mod green accents in places. Let’s do this, Chairlift. Better 3.5 years later than never, correcto?

I leave you with the demo version of “Don’t Give A Damn” (though “Doves Of Summer” is the demo’s standout track). If Chairlift is your positive favorite band of all centuries and you NEED this demo for your collection, let me know and we can talk.

Don’t Give A Damn (demo version) by Chairlift

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FURTHER:

• Chairlift official site.
• Chairlift MySpace

Popularity: 71% [?]

We don’t do many product/service endorsements here on the Appendix (i.e. none) but there is a first time for most things.

If you ever have a bagel purchased at Everyday Joe’s, that bagel has been delivered via bicycle ridden by Rob. Rob is a good man with many good jokes. Today’s belly-acher:

Q: What did the life guard say to the drowning hippie?

A: I can’t help you…you’re too far out, man.

ZING!

You may have seen Rob riding his bike around town in any weather, hauling a custom-made trailer covered in canvas (that’s where the bagels live) or a trailer full of brown glass (a service he performs for New Belgium). You should know that he also performs various other bike courier services that you can learn about at www.robsbike.com. He can take things places for you and you can rest peacefully knowing it was done on two wheels powered by one man.

We dig Rob. You should too.

Further:

• Rob’s Bike Courier Service Official Site
• New Belgium’s Ad Featuring Rob

Popularity: 64% [?]

Well hello.

First things- apologies for the 6 days of silence. It has been a week full of recovery from an exciting and exhausting first half of 2009 and a week full of the beginning stages of special surprises that are no less exciting than the first half of 2009. Plus, we covered the skylights with some burlap to help keep the room cool during those days of hotness…and it works. You will no longer sweat while sitting in Everyday Joe’s. Unless you just sweat a lot, in which case I can’t help you but I will give you a hug.

Back to the first half of 2009…

At Everyday Joe’s, we tend to operate on semesters. This is the result of being in a college town. When I look at a calendar, I see semesters and breaks…though I have been a college graduate for 5 years now.

This past semester (January – May 2009) has been a special one to me & I believe probably most folks at Everyday Joe’s. Our volunteer base (love them) continues to grow and improve as they continue to take more and more and more ownership of the place. Diana Sitzman (EJ’s assistant director whom I call Boss) is due most if not all of the credit for this. She loves the volunteers like lion cubs…and as a result they make superb drinks but more importantly they believe in 144 S. Mason and what happens here.

Our board/leadership team/synergy directive ambassadors (we’re not sure what to call it) has also taken ahold of things like the things had horns. A bar redesign is in the works (shhhh….it’s a secret) among other special surprises all aimed at being able to serve our community – that we hope to become our family – better.

Really, I am lacking proper words right now. Perhaps you should just believe me when I say that you – our peoples – have made the first half of 2009 mighty fine. Thank you.

We love you so much.

love.

chris & everyone at Everyday Joe’s

Popularity: 58% [?]

People continue to say nice things about Elephants, the new album from our old friend Aaron Strumpel. This time, it’s the folks over at RELEVANT.

“The album title is fitting as most tracks are interlaced with deep drum stomps, rough-skinned backing loops and Aaron’s own trumpet. The sound is experimental, but with purpose, folk rock based but uniquely integrated with a variety of instrumentation; it carries an element of abstraction to it with soul that bleeds through the vocals.”

You can do yourself a favor and read the rest of that review here, then buy Elephants here. I find it to be the best album of the year so far. It’s what I listen to when I need something wrenched out of me and when I need something poured into me. Delightful.

Popularity: 62% [?]

This installment of “Other People’s Coffee” holds a special place in our heart…and the reason is two-fold:

1) It is written by Nick Hamilton – a good friend/man and former Everyday Joe’s regular whose job took him & his family to Knoxville, TN.

2) Remedy Coffee is a shop managed by David Teten – another former Everyday Joe’s regular that called a few months ago and said, “A shop with the same heart as Everyday Joe’s is opening in Knoxville and I’m going to run it. Here are a lot of questions.” They even made the choice to buy beans from Intelligentsia.

We get a lot of phone calls like Dave’s, and rarely does a shop open after the conversation. It is good to see it happen, and having the man at the helm be a part of the Everyday Joe’s family is even more exciting. Things are happening and Remedy is making a difference. Please support them.

Coffee Shop: Remedy Coffee

Location: Knoxville, TN

Drink: Double Americano

Drinker: Nick Hamilton

I’m not accustomed to early mornings. Five months of fatherhood under my belt and I still cringe at 7 a.m.  I meant to get to Remedy Coffee at the crack of opening.  Crack of grand opening I suppose.  Missed it.  Rolled into The Old City at 7.45, parked, paid for parking, walked from parking to door.

The first time I stood at this door was January of this year. I heard about Remedy Coffee through the power of the interwebs.  Being a recent transplant to Knoxville I had been looking for good coffee.  My friend David and I headed to The Old City to give it a whirl only to find it closed.  Disappointed we began to head down the street to see what else was around when a woman from inside Remedy asked if we’d like to check the place out.  We said sure and she proceeded to give us the “grand tour.”  Turns out that Remedy is the brainchild of a local church called Knoxlife Church.  The church met there on Sundays but the hope was to open up the space to the surrounding community during the rest of the week.

It’s quite a space.  Set in The Old City the feel as you walk in is industrial.  From the outside you might expect Rocky Balboa to be tenderizing a half slab of beef just inside.  Fortunately for all involved this is not the case. Their motto is “coffee and conversation” and this atmosphere is successfully achieved.  The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about their product without making the untrained palette such as my own feel inferior.

I am mostly a black coffee kind of guy, but enjoy the occasional espresso.  So, I decided to give an Americano a go.  Four delicious shots later I was quite satisfied. I was told my Black Cat espresso had a “chocolate covered cherry taste,” which was easily discernable. Maybe just because it was mentioned, maybe because they pulled some good shots, whatever the case it was still delicious.

Remedy has chosen to use Intelligensia Coffee as their go to and ‘tis a delightful choice.

Hand made mugs from a local artist cover the brick walls.  An acceptable music mix tickled my multiplying ear hairs (comes with fatherhood, I think…).  The various tables and chairs set about make for comfortable, uncramped atmosphere.

All in all I’m grateful to find a place that serves a mean Americano, a comfortable environment, and a welcoming feel where one might even become a regular.

FURTHER:

• Remedy Coffee Official Site

Popularity: 100% [?]

Starting this evening, we will be holding special hours through Wednesday night to encourage studying or feeding the studious with the snacks you will bring down. Observe:

Popularity: 48% [?]

Part of working at Everyday Joe’s is talking to people…whether you feel like it or not. It usually seems the most fruitful conversations are the ones you didn’t want to start or actually tried to avoid. Communication with others is important.

Recently, our friends at Beet Street were kind enough to feature Everyday Joe’s in their weekly re:Beet e-news letter as the subject of “Beet Street Burning Questions.” Chris sat down with a microphone in front of his face to talk of things Everyday Joe’s & otherwise. He almost cries, which is par for the course. Listen below and check out what the rest of re:Beet has to offer here.

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FURTHER:

• Beet Street Official Blog
• Sign Up for re:Beet

Popularity: 55% [?]

We receive a lot of samples at Everyday Joe’s. Some are surprisingly good and some are good as expected and some are what you’d expect from a sample.

The most recent sample to arrive on our desk: the instant latte. We decided to give it a go, stacked next to a latte made in-house. Watch the results below.

Popularity: 63% [?]

Danielle Ate The Sandwich is a lovely young lady that makes things with her needles and music with her voice. She’s had a cult following on YouTube, with a subscriber count close to 10000 and growing. That is where she releases her new songs, played from her living room or kitchen or bedroom.

Part of my morning is usually spent perusing various other blogs…one of which is Westword’s Backbeat Online. Backbeat has taken considerable note of Danielle as of late, introducing their readers to the lovely young lady we’ve known & adored for years. She won Westword’s Best Singer-Songwriter Of 2009 (odd because it’s only May) and she’s nominated in the Best Singer-Songwriter category for this year’s Westword Music Showcase.

Yesterday, Backbeat posted a piece about her fame on the internets. You can read that piece here & watch her latest video below.

If all this coverage has piqued your interest beyond containment, you should know that Danielle will be playing two sets on May 1 at Everyday Joe’s during the Handmade Militia Spring Craft Market. She’ll play at 1 & 3 pm. You will love it.

Further:

• Danielle Ate The Sandwich YouTube Channel
• Danielle At The Sandwich at MySpace

Popularity: 44% [?]