News & Updates

Have you heard Drugwolf yet? It's track 2 on the upcoming album and it's been posted on Crime in Stereo's Myspace. I think it's a great song. Definitely helps people feel and hear what direction the new album is going in. 

Another song's going to be released in a few weeks too, before the album comes out. Should definitely give people an overall feel of the scope of the record.

I'm pretty certain that fans of Crime in Stereo, old and new, will be pleased this year.

Tour announcements!

 We're back on the road in March with support from Philadelphia's The Wonder Years. Check the tour dates section for the first batch. Only a few can be announced right now, but I'll be adding to it all the time as I get the go ahead to.

 This should be a good year.

The cover for Crime in Stereo's 4th full length album (due out on February 23rd, on Bridge 9 Records) was unveiled yesterday. Have a look.

That's Kristian, if you didn't know. This has me wondering what the rest of the layout looks like. No, I haven't seen it yet. In due time, I suppose. I can tell you this, however. I have missed hearing the album every day.

Here's the tracklisting for it:

1. queue moderns
2. drugwolf
3. exit halo
4. not dead
5. odalisque
6. young
7. type one
8. republica
9. I am everything I am not
10. dark island city
11. I cannot answer you tonight

If you saw Crime in Stereo on the Brand New tour, it was track 4 that they were playing off of this album.

Here's the upcoming shows they've got.

January
8 Montclair, NJ @ Meat Locker

February
16 London, UK @ Monarch - Rocksound and Club Fandango Present Crime In Stereo
18 London, UK @ Monto Water Rats
25 West Chester, PA @ The Note - RECORD RELEASE SHOW
26 NYC, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall - RECORD RELEASE SHOW
27 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East - RECORD RELEASE SHOW

After that we'll be out on the road extensively for most of the year. I'm excited. And anxious.

If you're just joining us, chances are that you saw Crime in Stero on this tour with Brand New and Thrice/Glassjaw. Welcome to the party. I'm Josh Spickler, your narrator, merch guy, and frequent drunk. If you talked to me or bought something, thanks. If you tipped me, thank you even more. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of Crime in Stereo, me, the shows in general, cows, bridges, rivers, the stupid Twilight movies, the healthcare dilemma, or 30 Rock (the greatest show on television). I'll appreciate all of it.

Today is November 25th. It's the last day of tour for a while. Wallingford, CT with Brand New and Glassjaw. The venue is the most giant concert hall ever. It's intense. I know I haven't updated much at all on this leg of things for us, but I just haven't felt particularly motivated to. It's a bit exhausting being on a tour like this. You load in so early and sit around all day and work till midnight-ish, just to do it all over again the next day. Granted we've had a bunch of days off throughout the whole thing, but on those days, we either like to take it as easy as possible, or we have to drive, or the band wants to practice. Despite what any of you may think, touring is not luxurious. Not on our level. Not yet at least. It's physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. I'm not going to try to explain this. You either get it or you don't.

So if you saw Crime in Stereo in Canada this past weekend, you may or may not have noticed that it was a shorter set and the drummer wasn't the guy you may have recognized. That's because they had a fill-in. Karl Hensel, former drummer of Holding On, and Martyr AD, former Label Manager of Bridge 9 Records, and who now works for Epitaph Records (quite the resume if you ask me), was awesome enough to offer his services as a fill-in for the weekend, because Scott had an emergency back home. Karl Hensel. Good dude. Backed hard.

I'm getting increasingly interested in the music industry. My mind wanders with where this path I'm on can take me career-wise. That's the end of that thought.

So tonight we head back to New York, and bright and early in the morning, I get to brave midtown to get on the Bolt Bus to DC. I didn't realize when I booked my ticket that it would be during the stupid parade. Hopefully I don't get trampled. I'm not looking forward to this, but at least I get to be in the comfort of my Dad's home for a few days, where I can watch every tv show ever and hibernate. Then on Tuesday the 1st, I get on a plane for Atlanta where I get to spend time with someone. Then somewhere around the 7th or 8th, I need to find a way to Orlando. I'm looking forward a bit to just acting like an idiot until 5am with my friends in my living room. And riding around on my scooter, of course. I'm gonna try to get in some kind of shape, too. We all know how difficult that can be, however.

Not quite sure what I'm really going to do until we head back out. I think that's going to be February. There are some crazy awesome options on the table right now for Crime in Stereo in the new year, but I don't know which is/are going to happen yet. So I'm a bit in limbo. I know I'm looking forward to being home and not in a van or at a show right now, but I'm expecting that to wear off shortly. I'm sure I'll be itching to get back on the road come February. There's also the readjustment period in the beginning. Last time I toured (many years ago), it took at least a week when I got back for me to feel slightly normal again. You feel like you don't belong, and that everything has changed, and there's no place for you in your own home anymore. And the last time I toured was only for a month. This has been four. Every single person's going to ask the same questions. "How was it!?" "What was your favorite city??"  "Have any crazy stories?" "How were the shows?" "Did you get laid all the time?" "How was Brand New?" Just thinking about it all is exhausting.

I wish I had something funny to say right now. Nope.

During the writing of this post, I finished reading the critically acclaimed comic books series known as Y - The Last Man, written by Brian K. Vaughn. 60 issues in about 52 hours. Not bad. The series is about a plague/disease/event that kills every male animal on the planet, except for Yorick Brown and his male capuchin monkey named Ampersand. Last males on a planet full of women. It was a great read with an intersting ending. Sad at times. Kind of touching. I'd recommend it. Here's a link to Amazon for the first trade of it. While you're at it, pick up Identity Crisis too. That's one of my favorites.

Crime in Stereo has a few shows lined up in December and January here and there. I'm sure either Gary or myself will update the site and let the internet know about them, as well as any upcoming tour information. I expect I won't be posting much else in that time though. Keep following Crime in Stereo on Twitter. Keep following me on Twitter too. I post more often. And I'm interesting. I swear.

Thanks for the memories. See you in season 3.

(I wrote this a few days ago and only just got around to posting it. Ooops.)
 
Sooooo.... that last post was a mushy one, eh? If you'll notice, I posted it at 6am. It was a very late night for me. I was pretty intoxicated. Glad it all came coherently. Since then, I've had some ups and downs, and am now teetering somewhere in the middle. I've got kind of an odd feeling over me most of the time. Feeling not myself. Sort of...out of body. I have some ideas on what's causing it. That's neither here nor there, however.

So we're on the Brand New and Thrice tour. Playing gigantic rooms every night to packed houses. It's a bit surreal. The guys seemed a bit nervous at first, but they're getting the hang of larger stages, barriers, professional sound, etc. It's working out pretty nicely. They've finally decided on an album title. I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone comes out February 23, 2010, on Bridge 9 Records. It was recorded by Mike Sapone, who did both Stateside and ...Is Dead, as well as some Brand New albums. They've started playing a song off of it live called "Not Dead". I think it's going over with the crowd pretty well. It sticks in my head. Then again, so do all of their new songs. I'm excited to see what next year has in store for Josh Spickler and the Stereos.

So I'm with another new group of merch guys, of course. For Brand New there's Mike, and for Thrice there's Dan. Mike does merch for mewithoutyou as well. And Dan was with 3Oh!3 all Summer I believe. Pro merch guys. I'm picking up some tips. One of Mike's signs says, "Think of me like a bartender, but instead of getting you drunk, I get you cloth. Happy Tipsgiving." A good sign is everything.

Which brings me to Merch Table Ettiquette. Here are some do's and don't's of the merch table:

• DO be aware of your surroundings. Don't ask me for Thrice merch. Don't ask Mike for Crime in Stereo merch. It's very simple. We stand in very specific areas and surround ourselves with just our stuff. All you have to do is LOOK.
• DON'T mess up my table. I understand you want to look at things. That's more than fine. Can you at least make some kind of effort to put things back the way they were? Also, quit putting your drinks down on my records.
• DON'T just point and expect me to know what you want. When you just point and say, "That one," it gets us both nowhere. I'm obviously looking at you, not behind me where you're pointing. AND it's pretty hard to tell which one you're pointing at anyway. Be descriptive. "The white one," "The one with the purple guy,"... that lets me know what you're talking about. "That one," does not.
• DO be aware of signs. Most of the time a merch guy will have sizes and prices listed. Look at them. Quit asking for a small when the sign clearly says "L & XL ONLY"
• DON'T ask me to hold the things that you just bought. You bought it. It's yours. Take responsibility for it. If you didn't want to carry your 3-foot poster, then you shouldn't have bought it right then. HOWEVER, should you tip me adequately, I'll be more than happy to watch it for you. This also goes for your coat or umbrella.
• DON'T ask me if we take cards. It's a merch table. Seriously. This is not Metallica. We are not in an arena. Most places have ATMs, but let's be real here. Cash is king. Always and forever. Were I doing merch for Dave Matthews Band or The Jonas Brothers, then yes, we probably would be taking cards. Shirts would also probably be $50, and you'd get a $5 service charge on top of it I bet.
• DON'T stand around and try to talk to me for 30 minutes. Yea, I get that you're being nice. And I'm fine with a little chit chat for a few minutes. But come on, man. If I don't already know you, I really am in no mood or position to try to get to know you right now. In fact, I'll probably forget your name when you walk away. I forget almost everyone's names. (I have a memory problem. That's another story.) I'm doing a job here.
• DO bring me treats. Books, alcohol, and candy would be my preferred treats. Not in that order.

So I've been trying to keep up with TV, but it's difficult. I'm at least on top of 30 Rock (of course). Loving it like always. The Peoples Gaypublic of Drugifornia is a great name. I'm catching up on Dexter which really is one of the best shows out there. It's right up near Lost in my book. Not parallel with, obviously, but it's up there at least. Loving John Lithgow so far. Need to see more of him. And I caught the premiere of Metalocalypse the other night. Goddamn that show is great. What the hell is up with the old guy that always used to say, "We waaaaaaaait...." all ominous-like??? What's awesome is that Adult Swim has proven that 15 minute programming works and can be EXTREMELY successful. I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing more and more of it in the future.

So we're driving to Baltimore right now. Playing at The Sonar tonight, and have tomorrow off. It's been raining for about 24 hours. I wish it would stop. Friday's Norfolk, and I've heard a lot about the venue, The NorVa. Clever name. Apparently there's a steam room though. I'm stoked.

Some shout-outs:

My man Jordan Lyon. Just because.
Brendan and Incendiary. On tour this December. Check it out. Mosh your heads off. http://www.myspace.com/incendiaryhc
Ryan Mac and Fat Scott. Love you dudes.
Bubba. Keep your head up.
The Redskins for winning a game.
Double entendres for being amazing.
Scottie Pippen.
And last but most certainly not least...
Tracky John John and Jimmy Mo.

Until next time...
Keep passing the open windows.

Updates have been infrequent on this tour. It was never my intention to fall off, but not having my own laptop to draft posts on made it a little difficult to get my thoughts out adequately. However, I now have a brand-spanking-new HP with Windows 7, courtesy of my father, who then sent it to my sister in Houston, who brought it and a box of some amazing BBQ to the show at Walter's on Washington. I love them both despite how little I say it to them. So here we are now. I can type up nonsense while we drive for endless hours again. It's too bad this tour's over for us tonight. We're driving through Florida right now, from Pensacola to Orlando. Today is the last actual show of this tour with Strike Anywhere, Polar Bear Club, and Ruiner for us. Tomorrow we all play The Fest in Gainesville, but only Ruiner is on the same show as us. So tonight we party. Or at least I will...?
 
This whole tour has been amazing. Ruiner impresses me more every night. The songs Part One and Part Two are really awesome. I'll have to pick up their new CD tonight I guess. Polar Bear Club is tight every night, and the songs they play off the new album sound really great live. And of course, Strike Anywhere plays everything you want to hear. Those guys work hard as hell. They've had endless transportation problems on this whole thing, and currently they're in a Ford F-150 extended cab, with their trailer behind them. 6 of them in a Ford F-150. Most bands would've called it a night if it came to that. I probably would have. All of you guys, if any of you decide to read this....I love you. You've been some of the best dudes I've ever been on tour with. Yes I know I've only been on tour for about 5 months total in my whole life, but I don't care. Whether I've been on tour for 5 months or 5 years, I still feel like these 3 bands have been some of the most fun dudes ever. Every show has been tight. Every show has been fun, whether the crowd made it fun or we made it fun. I want to keep going on with silly emotional bullshit, but I'm not going to. Ruiner, PBC, Strike....You guys are amazing. The end.
 
Moving on...

Hey, anybody want to design some more Crime in Stereo merch? We got some great designs last time and we're hoping there's more out there. E-mail me directly at jbspickler@gmail.com or leave a comment, and I'll get back to you.

Carly and Felicia and Becca (MY SISTER!). Thank you for the books! My sister brought me a book called Eat Thy Neighbour. It's about cannibalism, and I'm honestly really excited about it. Aimee, I've finished the John Irving books you gave me. They're both amazing. I really like his writing. Can't believe he wrote the Cider House Rules. And I can't believe how much David Sedaris I've read in the last two months. I feel like I could do that; be (like) him. Though...I'll need motivation, of course. If you don't know me, that has been my problem since kindergarten. I just don't care.
 

Now if you'll allow me, I'd like to take this moment to talk about cows. I mentioned them in my last (brief) post, but never got to expound on my thought. I'm convinced that cows are the most apathetic creatures on the planet, to the point that it's slightly making me jealous of how much more apathetic about things they are than me, but not enough for me to actually care about (wrap your head around that one). We've been all over this country in the past 3 months and cows are on the side of every single highway. You would think that being next to a highway all the time would be annoying or slightly startling, but it's like they don't even notice that anything's going on on them. We honked at cows and they didn't even look up. We stopped and peed on the side of the road one time, and I got out, went up to the fence, and yelled at a cow. And it barely even acknowledged my existence. I know they can hear me! They've got huge ears! It rains and they just stand there. It's hot as the 7th (most violent) circle of hell, and they just stand there. Even on those huge smelly cow farms where there's about 1000 of them all together, they still don't seem to mind. They go on laying there and chewing their cud. It makes me wonder whether or not they even care about the slaughterhouses. I have this vision in my head of a guy leading a cow into the slaughterhouse and the cow just going, "Oh. Ok." and going right along with him. Out comes a mallet or that bolt gun thing Anton Chigur had and the cow just stands there waiting for it to happen. Cows just don't give a damn. Moo.

(I control the comment approval. Don't even bother if you want to post some stupid crap about PETA or animal cruelty. I don't give a damn. Moo.)

It's the Matt Pond PA time of year. If you don't know what I mean, I suggest you look for Matt Pond PA's album Emblems. Start there. Try Winter Songs too. Great EP. What's amazingly wonderful to me is that I can not even know a person. Maybe we've met or hung out or been at the same shows a few times. And I (or they) can mention Matt Pond, and we're completely friends from then on, no matter what. Matt Pond PA is completely acceptable to everyone (or at least I feel this way...), and I feel that fans of Matt Pond understand that the beginning of Fall is when you start listening to them (him) again. Matt Pond PA is Fall and Winter music. Whatever....

I left Orlando July 29th. Today is October 29th. I can't believe it's been over 12 weeks since I left Florida. AND! I still have 4 more ahead of me. Hopefully I can see some more wonderful fall landscapes. Oregon was beautiful for that, of course. The Carolinas and Virginia should be pretty good for that too.

Current Playlist:

New Crime in Stereo
Matt Pond PA - Everything.
Brand New - Daisy
Silje Nergaard - At First Light
Nas - Illmatic
Heart Eyes - Demo 09

Anybody got any questions for me? Comments? Concerns? Complaints? Drop a reply here. I get lonely.
 
 
(Written after the show.)
 
Good night. I love you, my friends. I really do. Whether we talk all the time, infrequently, or not at all (and I just talk to you when I see you), I really love you guys. Take care.

I have a bunch of stuff I've been wanting to write down, but my laptop has shit the bed. So now I have to borrow Gary's or Alex's or some other computer if I can. It's all pretty aggravating and disappointing. I have so much to watch on my laptop, and now I can't :(
 
So let's see...
We're on the west coast. Here's a few quick things to go over since I don't have all that much time to just sit and write now.

• Alex wants to accordion America. Make the West coast 6 hours away from the East coast. Chicago right in the middle at 3 hours either way. I'm in agreeance.
• Cows are apathetic. I have so much to say about them, but not enough time right now. Cows just DO NOT CARE.
• Salt Lake City is very pretty. I could see myself living there if it weren't for the uh....interesting religious points of view.
• We saw Wee Man in Boise, ID. I have no idea why.
• Portland is pretty awesome. I hated on it for a while, but it really isn't all just hippies. Who woulda thought?
• Wear blazers. Drink wine.
• Don't talk to me about the Redskins.
• Do talk to me about football in general.
• Please visit http://freebubbasmith.bigcartel.com/. My friend Bubba is going through some bad legal problems right now and is selling things to help his bills. There's currently only a Nervous Breakdown shirt up there, but there will be more.
• Speaking of Nervous Breakdown, I spent most of yesterday on I-5. It is infinitely better than I-4. I'll write a song about it. The chorus will go, "NOT IN MY WAY! NOT IN MY WAY!"
• For Halloween (IN ORLANDO!) I'm going to wear a fake mustache and call myself Wosh. You know...like Wario and Waluigi. Yes.
• Celebrity suites are where it's at. If you're in a band and not staying in them, you're missing out.
• CALIFORNIA.
• Idaho is mostly yellow and brown. Very boring to look at.
• Buy me a drink if you see me. I will probably be your friend.
• Our friend Jason in Portland interviewed Kristian in the back of the glasses shop he works in. I invaded said interview. Check me out wearing a silly hat. http://mistergrossly.tumblr.com/post/216074316/finally-uploaded-crime-in-stereo-interview-with

Hopefully I can get some time soon to formulate more than quick thoughts.
 
Witty parting line here.

And we're back! Season 2, if you will.

Had two weeks off, so I really had nothing to update you people on. But there is GOOD NEWS in case you haven't heard. Crime in Stereo has completed recording of their next album, due out at the end of February. Still need an album title, because they don't seem to like the one I suggested: "The Life and Times of Doctor Spickler." I'm sure they'll think of something equally as amazing though. So far I've only heard a couple of the songs, but they're pretty great. I'll refrain from making any comparisons at this point in time, however.

So we're on the first official Bridge 9 tour right now with Strike Anywhere, Polar Bear Club, and Ruiner. We're about a week into it and so far it's been a ton of fun. Everyone on this tour is fun and the shows have had some pretty good crowds as well. We've got a bunch of new merch so come out and see it and talk to me and buy something. I'll try to get some pictures up when I can, but who knows when that'll be.

Make sure you follow Crime in Stereo on Twitter. I taught Alex how to tweet from his phone a few weeks back, and now he's even upgraded to an iPhone and is a tweeting maniac. He even knows how to reply to people now!

I'm in Chicago today. I love Chicago so much. Too bad Hot Doug's is closed.

Leaves are yellow.

Follow me on twitter.
@spickler