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There is a theatre in Plymouth (6 mile and 275) that is one of the most intimate and lovely places to play we’ve seen. Their literature says it’s like a big living room, and the truth is that’s not too far off the mark. Not only does the room sound great, but it’s comfortably lit and every seat is fantastic. The place is called Trinity Theatre, and it’s a venue that all kinds of “folky types” love to play.

The Ragbirds opened for Paul’s Big Radio, and they knocked it out of the park. It was a fantastic show to an over-capacity crowd. What a great night!

Since the theatre has its own sound guy, I was able to roam free and do my photo thing after getting all our gear loaded in and set up.

The Ragbirds opened with “Believe It”, which is one of my favorites. It features a great accordion riff (believe it or not…):

Erin playing her mandolin:

Adam singing “Better”:

Not sure quite what Randy and Erin are up to in the costume room….but I bet that’s not Banana Juice in that flask…!

Here are some more pictures from the Ragbirds show at TCs Speakeasy that we recorded for a live CD. We’ve been in the studio working hard on mixing it…and it’s getting down to the wire, since it will be released (come hell or high water) at the Blind Pig show on February 25th. If you haven’t seen the Ragbirds live, (and you still consider yourself my friend [wink]…and you live within any kind of reasonable driving distance…) you should DEFINITELY come out for that show. It’s gonna be a riot.

But anyways, back to the TCs show. This is Rachel from the Hummingbirds, who opened the show:

And the Ragbirds songstress, Erin Zindle, fiddling up a storm:

The multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Adam Labeaux…playing the shaker…even though he’s most often seen with the six string axe:

Percussionist, drum instructor, sometime Deadhead and all-round very cool guy, Tim Dziekan (how do you pronounce that, Tim…?):

On the drum kit and djembe, the manic show promoter, booking agent and manager of the Ragbirds (got enough hats there, buddy…?) Randall Moore:

On the fretless bass, layin’ down a groove that’s way funkier than his shirt, it’s The Secretary of Weird (and trust me, that’s not an idle nickname either…) Jeff Stinson:

Consider the introductions accomplished. Now all you need to do is come to a show!

In the meantime, if you’re interested, you can go to our myspace link where there are a few (kinda low-res) samples of our stuff.

And here’s the link to the Ragbirds’ official site.

I’m back. I’ve been busy.

Like, crazy-ass busy. Back in December, I started hanging out with Dan Worley at his very cool recording studio, Good Noise. We bonded right away on our love for Wilco, Son Volt, good bourbon and hand rolled cigarettes. ( ! ) So, after hanging out during some of his sessions, I started learning my way around the studio…and now I work there! Funny how that happens.

This is Dan on the night of our live recording gig at TC’s Speakeasy a few weeks ago:

Interesting connection: when I was running my own studio, my last client was Erin Zindle of the Ragbirds. At that time, the band had not yet come into existence, but she was intent on recording the songs that had been bubbling to the surface for her. And what a great bunch of songs they are, too. You can hear some samples here. The first and ninth tracks on the final Ragbirds record (Yes, Nearby) were done in my studio. Primarily because of my corporate gig I was not as available as Erin needed me to be…so they ended up connecting with Dan and finishing the record at Good Noise.

Here’s a photo of the bar and a bunch of the “regulars” at TCs on the night of the Ragbirds live recording:

A country/folk band called The Hummingbirds opened the show. They were a pleasure to work with, and a pleasure to watch.

Here’s Erin singing the Ragbirds’ anthem “Believe It”:

Adam (foreground), Erin and Randy (on the drum kit):

Whew…..