Appendix E-J

Let’s keep this brief, shall we?

This month at Everyday Joe’s, we are taking part in No Words November. It is a month to use less words and see what comes out of that. Hopefully listening to each other & hearing more than we normally might. It is exciting to imagine what we could hear.

This idea has been brewing in the head of a member of the Everyday Joe’s family for some time now, inspired by some of the themes of Sleeping At Last’s latest album Storyboards. For the month of November, there will not be any music played on the house speakers that contains words. This is a practical application of the idea of No Words November, encouraging the volunteers to listen to what is happening in the building and to see what they might hear. I wonder what customers think, or if they even notice.

Here is an idea for participating in No Words November that we would like to pass on to you…

Pick one day this month to fast from unnecessary words. Do not ignore others. This is not a vow of silence, but a vow to quiet down. To listen more and see what we hear. Perhaps this one day will translate to two days and then a week and then a month and then it could keep going. I think we may love each other more through it.

The coffee house is a place meant for conversation and relationship. But, we often sit on the other side of the table, calculating what we will say next. Let’s listen more.

Popularity: 1% [?]

It seems good art attracts good art…makes for some good collabos. That’s some lingo for collaborations. Good collaborations.

The new music video for Sleeping At Last’s “Green Screens” of their new Storyboards album is actually a great collabo. One that makes the beauty of the visual and the auditory and compounds them towards emotion shaking heights. It is a collabo between Sleeping At Last and Javan Ivey. I have never heard of this Ivey sir or lady before now, but I’m very into it.

Hopefully the Sleeping At Last fellas and their lovely mother will return to Everyday Joe’s in 2010. Until then, dig the video below.

Popularity: 2% [?]

If the music entering my earholes this year gets any better or even continues to be streamed at me at its current rate, my sensory chambers are going to explode.

Sleeping At Last (one of Everyday Joe’s favorite bands/group of favorite people) has been working hard over the past few months on their new album. Rumors have been swirling and swirling and swirling over the past few days via tweets and the like that they were planning on a special immediate release. Well, compadres, that swirling has been put in the fridge and solidified into a beautiful digital download jello mold.

If you head over to the official Sleeping At Last site, you can pre-order the album for $14. You get a digital download immediately (mine will be complete in 2 minutes) and the physical disc mailed to you once it arrives from the factory…assembled ever so gently by cherubs and winged lions. Not really…but maybe.

Here, perhaps this explains things a bit better:

See how easy that is? Do it. My download just finished. Off to spend some quality time in my headphones.

FURTHER:

• Pre-order “Storyboards”
• Official Sleeping At Last studio blog

Popularity: 72% [?]

Over on the NPR All Songs Considered blog, they recently asked readers to submit the name of the band they consider “theirs.” The band that you tell people about as soon as you get the chance, regardless of if they’ve heard of them or not.

For me, that band is Sleeping At Last. I would say I gush over them. I gush over them. The reasons are two fold:

1. I never seem to tire of their music. It has been in constant rotation in my headphones since 2006.
2. They are some of the nicest fellows I have ever come across ever and their mother is a diamond.

The band is currently putting the finishing touches on a new album (excitement overwhelms me here), and as a way to celebrate they are offering their 2006 effort, Keep No Score, as a free download for the month of June. This one of MAYBE two or three albums that has changed the way I think about things/has brought me to tears. The download is available over on NoiseTrade, which you can get to by clicking here.

Download this album, people. Then we can converse about it and I will buy you a drink. On the real. Let me know when you are available.

Sleeping At Last at Everyday Joe's, October 2008 ; Photo by Christopher Dahlman

FURTHER:

• Download Keep No Score
• Sleeping At Last studio journal
• All Songs Consider Blog Post “The Band I Love Is…”

Popularity: 67% [?]

To me, there is not much better than when a musician’s voice is as good an instrument as the one they happen to be playing. You’d think this would come naturally, but it very often does not (names could be mentioned…but I don’t want to start any scuffles). Names that do fit the “voice is as good an instrument as any” category are Ryan O’Neal (Sleeping At Last), Matthew Perryman Jones, Nathaniel Rateliff (Born In The Flood), Karen Peris (The Innocence Mission), and Glen Hansard (The Frames). There are more, but I need to get to making my point.

Two whose voices are smooth like a nice glass of whiskey and warm my innards just the same are Aaron Espe and Gregory Alan Isakov. And looky here, they’re both playing at Everyday Joe’s on Saturday night:

I have been fairly giddy concerning this show for several months, as have you I am sure. To increase that excitement exponentially, our friends over at The Mountain Tempo have posted a new song by Mr. Isakov over on their fine, fine blog. To hear it, click on his lovely South African face below.

Further:

• The Mountain Tempo
• Aaron Espe on Myspace
• Gregory Alan Isakov on Myspace

Popularity: 68% [?]

Everyday Joe’s likes things from Chicago.

Primarily, we like two things from Chicago: Intelligentsia Coffee and Sleeping At last.

Thankfully, we drink the former everyday. Also thankfully, there is new music coming down the pipes from the latter.

Sleeping At last is entering the studio this weekend to record their follow-up to 2006’s Keep No Score. Here is a tasty treat from rehearsals:

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All that and more can be found at the band’s studio journal, which can be found by clicking here. It also seems the band has found a drummer for the studio sessions, and I dig the economy of his movement.

Further:

• Sleeping At Last studio journal
• Sleeping At Last official site

Popularity: 39% [?]

In 2007, Eveyday Joe’s decided to give away a digital-only release compilation CD. That album – Love, Everyday Joe’s – Vol. 1: No More Gloom - was well received by all you wonderful people. It was so well received, in fact, that we’ve decided to do it again.

Enter Love, Everyday Joe’s- Vol. 2: …and a little child will lead them

20 of our favorite musicians have donated songs for your listening enjoyment and overall betterment of being. The album is our Christmas gift to you. We love you very much. Download it, burn it, give it to friends. Cover art is available for all those DIY fiends out there. Click the image below to be taken to the download page.

click here to go to the download

Popularity: 94% [?]

The recurring theme around Everyday Joe’s and in my life this year seems to be transition and people moving on and new people showing up and so on and so forth.

Today, one of our favorite bands – Sleeping At Last – made this announcement concerning drummer Chad O’Neal:

Hello Everyone,

We hope that each of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family, friends and incredible food!
(the best combination!)

Unfortunately, today we are writing to you with some very, very sad news for us here in the Sleeping At Last
camp. After much careful thought, time and consideration – our drummer Chad O’Neal has made the decision to move on from Sleeping At Last to pursue his other interests in life. As we all already know, Chad is such an amazing and gifted drummer and although we are extremely sad to see him go, we know that he will succeed in anything and everything he pursues. We would like to thank him so much for all of the incredible contributions he has made to this band and our music. We love him so much and we feel so completely honored and privileged to have shared the past many years with him as our drummer, web-master, computer guru, amazing chef, halo warrior, and most importantly, our brother and friend.

Chad will still play drums on a few songs on our upcoming album, so we’re very excited for that! Again, we
are so thankful for everything that he has done for Sleeping At Last and feel so honored and blessed to have
shared so many incredible memories and experiences together. For those of you that wish to contact him, say hello and/or keep in touch, here’s a link to his Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500464151

Love, Sleeping At Last

So, this appears to be somewhat of a bummer. All the guys from Sleeping At Last are some of the nicest you will ever meet, and so is their mom. There comes a time for everything to reset and new things to grow and flower. That may sound like it is full of cheese, and it is. But it is also the truth.

Chad- Everyday Joe’s is excited to see what you do next…perhaps move to Colorado? It’s awful nice out here. We love you.

Further:

• Sleeping At Last Official Site
• Sleeping At Last Myspace

Popularity: 15% [?]

Everyone once in a while, an album comes along that causes my heart to break right before it jumps for joy. Keep No Score by Sleeping At Last is one of those albums.

The exciting thing is that Sleeping At Last is taking the stage at Everyday Joe’s on Thursday night (10/23). In order to make sure that you don’t miss the best concert you’ve ever seen, some listening is in order. Two samples are available for your earholes:

First, something on the mellowish side of things that could make you cry or at least want to take a walk. Please enjoy “Needle & Thread.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Just in time for seconds, something to make you play air guitar in your kitchen. “Envelopes.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

That should do the trick. Now, tickets are still available and are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. The show starts at 7 pm. Eva Holbrook will begin the evening, followed by The Dowry and then Sleeping At Last. PLUS…there will be live painting during Sleeping At Last’s set by our good friend Bryan Collins. Fantastic!

Buy your tickets by clicking here or at Everyday Joe’s. There should be plenty left at the door.

Further:

• Buy Tickets
• Sleeping At Last Myspace
• Sleeping At Last Official Site
• Bryan Collins Official Site

Popularity: 22% [?]

So this is exciting. Our good friends from Chicago -- Sleeping At Last -- will be returning to Everyday Joe’s on October 23. Here’s a quick looky-loo at the poster for pertinent info. Click it to buy some tickets:

In other Sleeping At Last news…the band loves animals. In fact, they love them so much that they recorded a song for them. It’s all part of a campaign by the Humane Society of the United States called “All Creatures Great & Small, which aims to raise awareness about our responsibilities to all animals, including those raised for food as well as to understand the importance of compassion towards them.”

Compassion makes for tasty foods and friendly dogs.

You can watch the band perform the song “All Creatures Great & Small” below. THEN, and here’s the special thing, you can download the song by clicking here. Holy fantastic!

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Further:

• All Creatures Great And Small Campaign Page
• Official Sleeping At Last Site
• Download the song

Popularity: 24% [?]