FREE BLOOD

So, in an effort to give the reader/listener an in-depth, behind-the-backstage-bathroom-door no-bars-held view of Free Blood and its intimates we will regularly be reporting on shows immediately after-the-fact, hence our new feature “Post-Show Wrap-Up”.

August 22 we played a free show at the clunkily-titled Music Hall Of Williamsburg (formerly the succintly-titled North 6) with the unflappable Professor Murder and Philadelphia bell-crackers Pink Skull (featuring the guitarwork of Little Rock, Arkansas native Sam Murphy). Kingdom manned the CD decks throughout the night, soundtracking the slow migration of folks from the lazy summer streets into the cool, purplish environs of the club. This was a free show, so the night had a take-it-or-leave-it vibe that seemed to permeate every corner of this miniature Bowery Ballroom. It was as if whoever operates as the parental figure at the club had taken the night off, and everyone from the bouncers to the bar backs were happily goofing off. Not in a “fucking around not doing your job” way, but just a laid-back joke-cracking with your co-workers way. Free Blood likes a relaxed atmosphere. It means people have their defenses down and are ripe to get pounced on when the singers flop into the audience. And flop we did. Both John and Madeline left Eric to his own devices (notably guitar and computer), and created a traditional Soul Train strut line in the crowd. This is always our favorite part of the show, mostly because we get to interfere with the people who are chattering with their friends not realizing that the band they are trying so hard to ignore is creeping up behind them with a sweaty microphone clutched in their white-knuckled fist. Sorry, don’t mind us, please continue, I’m just going to drool a little bit over here while your friends pretend they don’t know you. We also like this part of the show because it gives us an opportunity to hear the magic our secret sound engineer (Mr. Scott Adamson, on loan before he is whisked away on multiple tours) is wielding through the house system. It always sounds like a different planet completely on stage, so it’s refreshing to get some insight into what the audience is hearing. Someday we will invite you all on stage and give you an impression of just how deaf we will all be in ten years. You might also note the lovely carpeting on stage, that, while adding a comfy den-like atmosphere (and cutting down on drum kit slippage), leaves a harsh rug-burn on the knees, elbows, forehead and any other body part one happens to be grinding against it. When you get down to it, this Hall Of Music Of Whatsit is a just a big living room. Decorated by Lex Luthor and his “life partner” Black Manta.

Free Blood was happy to leave our proverbial wet spot on the night ( not mention the piercing feedback ringing in your ears ) after which we peddled our wares in the atrium. Tonight we had leftover T-shirts from tour and fresh, homemade soap cooked up in our kitchen that very afternoon. The soap is organic and infused with blood orange essence and black pepper oil. Each soap is shaped like a heart (not heart-shaped mind you, but shaped like a real human heart) which can be confusing for folks who look at the shrink-wrapped hearts and think we are peddling black market organs. No, we are just trying to keep you clean. You smell. If you are interested in purchasing some official Free Blood merchandise, keep your modem dialed to this page. In the meantime we will have some available at the next show.

That’s it for this first installment of “Post-Show Wrap-Up”. Join us next week for the second installment: Free Blood in Norway!

Zines use too many trees and precious staples, and web sites require some modest amount of technical savvy, so on this 16th day in August Two Thousand and Eight, FREE BLOOD has embarked on a expedition into self-publishing. Also known as a blog (but we don’t like to use that word), we hope to load this space with every bit of Free Blood ephemera a human mind can digest in one sitting. This page will function as information desk, police blotter, soap box, jukebox, sweat box and gallery for those seeking the Free Blood experience beyond the stage and stereo. We intend to not only keep you abreast of the life and times of Free Bleeders, but also bring you reports on subjects not necessarily Free Blood-related, but still relevant to our sensibilities.

For those of you who have read this far and are still wondering what a FREE BLOOD is…We are a who, not a what. We are a musical group founded in 2003 in Brooklyn, New York. We play music you can dance to, though folks generally cling to their loved ones when we play in front of audiences. We are not trying to freak you out…wait, scratch that. We are trying to Freak you out, but not in a malevolent way. We want you let go of a little clenchedness and solve that lower back pain problem you’ve had since junior high school. We want you to thank that special person in your life that played you that special song that was too racy to play on the radio or within earshot of any parents. We want you to disregard all that hubbub on stage and continue making out/arguing with your sweetheart. We want a tequila gimlet before the show, and a dj that plays “Got To Give It Up” after the show. We want to play you some new songs we wrote, and we will as soon as we figure out how to record them and post them on this page…Bear with us.

MUCH MORE IN THE FUTURE.

KEEP YOUR EARS PEELED.