christmas eve, reflection on the year

in January, Hugo (our manager, business partner, and dear friend) coined the phrase "no stress 2010!"
it quickly became 15% recurring joke (we'd shout it out anytime anything would go particularly wrong on the road) and 85% band mantra (spoken aloud when weighing the options of an important split-second decision and trying to keep a positive attitude). i've laughed several times about it, since it's actually been the most stressful year Sonos has ever had.

in hindsight, i'm quite certain we needed the expression (psychologically speaking) to weather the storm of the last 12 months.

i do not mean for a moment that it has been a bad year. quite the contrary. it has been an extraordinary year! all the stress of the year was a result of the band's growing pains. our sound, our image, our live show persona, our over-all attitude; all were forged by the challenges of the year on the road, the unpredictability of venue or travel conditions, the extremely limited time and resources to make our holiday album, etc. each aspect has bounced or broken against the hard surface of life on the road. i've come to know myself better in the last year than i have since before college, and i could not be more grateful for my closest friends whom i get to sing with almost every day in the van and every night in the venue, or for the saintly support system of people (from close family to complete strangers) who've reached out from every corner to help us keep going.

i am weary from the year, but i'm smiling about it. i'm vibrating with excitement about how hard we've worked, all we've accomplished, what we've become, and where we're headed next...

A Christmas Carol

So I guess it's time for me to start one of my family's Xmas traditions. Reading Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. We used to read this after dinner every night leading up to Christmas. Literally, my parents are the cutest thing ever!! Can't wait to see them at Christmas. They'll be so glad to know that I kept up with Bob Cratchit this holiday season.

Has anybody read it? Or am I the only one? It's sooo good. Such a good read to get you into the Christmas spirit. If you haven't read it, do and we'll be keeping the tradition together ;)

work work work!!

it's killing me. and not softly, at all. can't wait for you guys to see all the cool new stuff we're preparing...jeez, i hope i'm still alive by then... :} aidiosmio!!

ho ho hotel cafe

thanks to our friend greg dale for these great pics of our show 12/1 at hotel cafe! xo

LINE 6 :) :)

We love Line 6!!!! They are literally the best tech company EVER! How do we get a sponsorship??

the sonos mascot, and his big brother, paul

Just rode in a real live Woodie!! :D

So Chris' dad has a "Woodie"!! And we went for a jaunt in it up and down the coast today :) I've never ridden in one, but I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty much the shit. And apparently his car's a big deal down here in San Diego. They have a club and everything. One of the highlights of my Thanksgiving Break :)

new merch??

Whadaya think?
It's a wrist cuff or bracelet :) or could be a patch. very versatile ;)
Stay tuned for more handmade Sonos merch stuff. We're also gonna design some new t-shirts!! Woohooo!
Happy Thanksgiving :) (I figure I can fit in a week of wishing people "Happy Thanksgiving" cause it's officially "the Holidays". Right?)
Loveyoumeanit!!
Rachel from Sonos

puma: first round

so i'm addicted to these shoes.

is that stupid?
this is pair number three...

SoJam

= the absolute bomb

"Winter Album's coming the goose is getting fat...

Please put a penny in the Sonos hat
If you haven't got a penny a million bucks will do
If you haven't got a million bucks it sucks for me and you."

I hope you recognize that old carol cause if you don't then the joke doesn't work one bit. Hahaha!

Hi! December Songs is almost out!!! woooohooooooo! But you can pre-order it on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/December-Songs-Sonos/dp/B0047B0AM6 and listen to clips of the songs. Check it out and write a review - those really make a big difference. You, the fans, make the biggest difference. So tell your friends and coworkers and lets get this buzz going!!

Loveyoumeanit!
Rachel from Sonos

sitting back stage with gallagher

yup
THE gallagher
he's got all kinds of food and the sledge-o-matic on a cart, ready to go
we go on right before him, at the very end of the line-up

we've... made it? =)

sonos: some terms invented on the road

frinternet:
complimentary internet frequently offered at inexpensive motels

shiternet:
when said complimentary internet is far too slow or inconstant to be useful for any sort of internet activity

starget:
the beautiful and perfect union of a Target and a Starbucks

tarbucks:
see "starget"

Kettering, OH

we wanna come back again and again and again and again

wow. i honestly had no intention of making a stupid song-pun just then.
...until i got to the fourth "again". by that point, i feel like it was probably inevitable.

tonight we played a show in Kettering, OH.
with like 2 days notice, they rally'd and filled the place. so many mega-supportive fans under one roof!!!
so awesome. definitely one of my top 10 gigs ever.

thank you Kettering. bring us back soon!!! =)

about to leave Columbus, OH

did a showcase this morning at 9am (a GREAT time to sing!) and are now about to leave for Kettering, where we're sing at an awesome High School where we played once before to a super-excited, very friendly audience.

also, i'm going to attempt video blogging, or "vlogging" (please punch me if i ever use that word with out quotation marks, on the page or in the air)

here's a link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d__LcYVBS2k

i tried to check it and got an error message. am i getting old enough that simple computer technology is beginning to elude me?
...i think no. i am thinking it is, instead, that it is still early and i am tired.

this next piece of info is included in the "vlog" (ahhh!) but just in case it never finishes loading or whathaveyou, we shot a music video for "Come December" two nights ago, directed and edited by Paul. it was fun and it will rock. =)

ok. check out is in one minute. i'm leaving. but i love you.
-chris/sonos

HO HO HO!

Lots and lots is happening and wow it's been forever since anyone but chris has blogged! way to go chris!!

As you have probably seen on our various other social networking sites, we are proud & excited to announce that our holiday album, December Songs, which we recorded this past summer in the smoggy LA heat, is being released on Nov 9th!

You can pre-order it through Amazon, right here, right now :) do it!

http://www.amazon.com/December-Songs-Sonos/dp/B0047B0AM6/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1287600049&sr=1-4

also

IT'S DARK IN HERE!

(backstage in a theater, in a hotel, in Lancaster, PA)

we've got the "MC slot" at this particular NACA conference, which means the audience of college folk get to hear us in delicious bite-sized chunks, 4 minutes at a time, separated by the other acts. it would seem to me this would be the absolute BEST way to let people get to know our music. hearing 10 or 15 straight minutes of our show when you've no idea what to expect, and there are straight-ahead bands on either side of our set, i think it's hard for us to leave any impression other than "...huh?"

wish us luck!

singing at NACA

in Lancaster, PA.
where they pronounce it:
"lang kister"
which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
but!
everyone here's super-nice, and our hotel was one of the schmancy'est we've stayed at in a long time.
on another note, everyone go to hulu and watch BOTH versions of 30 ROCKs live show from last night.
those people are rad.

the road makes one tired

got home last night, slept on a friend's couch.
excited to sing with miz bareilles tonight!

also, the folks in Bartlett take amazing care of their visitors.
also-also, the folks at Saint Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana are the coolest people ever.

just saw mike white at starbucks.

i tip my hat to the man.
were it not for "school of rock", where would "i carly" be?

but, for serious, that movie is awesome and what a talented dude!

back on the road!

in the Comfort Inn & Suites in Boston.
brought these toys with me...



hoping to recapture the happy, loose, fun spirit of music writing and playing after so much super-focused under-the-gun work on the xmas record (which i am quite proud of! just wait...) =)


love from the road!

they got pretty good water here in Boston

that's all. it's nice to fill my water bottle with tap water that doesn't taste like metal. :) weeeeeeeee!

ben and the ladies, ice cream in boston

being a grown up musician

i am officially a grown up musician. just signed up for an ASCAP publishing company. Priscilla Ray Music. named after my grandmother. of course we share the same name practically so it works out nicely :) let the royalties begin!! :D

THE CHRISTMAS RECORD IS DONE

it's 4:30 am, i'm home from a 3 hour spell in the recording studio with a college group.
i have not properly slept in many nights.

but the record is done!
and it's good, which i think counts for something. =)

so now, instead of going straight to bed, i'm blogging and listening to Julian Casablancas (if you haven't yet, do it! http://www.juliancasablancas.com/)

(while we're on the topic, listen to this too. don't think about it. just do it. www.myspace.com/dawestheband)

ok. sleep. it's a real thing.

new music does a body good

http://www.iheartradio.com/cc-common/ondemand/music.html?apid=6846

go to the link above to preview sara bareilles' new album, kaleidoscope heart, officially released this coming tuesday. she's a huge inspiration and waking up to a whole new stash of sara songs to obsess over is is like christmas morning!!!!!! my favorites so far are gonna get over you, basket case and breathe again, though they will all end up being my favorites as with her last album.

speaking of christmas, chris is working like the wizard he is on final mixes of the holiday album! i believe it'll be done in the next day or two, and i know i speak for all of us when i say we are so thankful and inspired by all of his extra work & talent that really brings all these recordings to the next level. WE LOVE YA CHRIS!!

i've been listening to a lot of new music in the past few days and wow does it feel good. a lot of it has been the music of good friends or friends of friends, and that makes it even more special :) now off for a walk in the neighborhood and some arranging with ms. katharine hoye

back home

and sitting with a bowl of chicken noodle soup trying to kick this sore throat/cold in the pants. working on the ablum. well, i'm more watching i guess. trying to soak up as much mixing technique as possible. chris doesn't know but i'm going to steal all his secrets MUUHAHAHAHAAHAA! yeah, that's the best evil laugh i could come up with. rather pathetic really. gotta go, chris needs some food/coffee/back rub. so much for learning technique guess i'm just a studio bitch for now. not for long... :)

i just organized

what feels like my whole life in a spreadsheet on the plane ride home.

wow.


i now have a step-by-step breakdown of:

-what i'm going to do to finish the Sonos Holiday record

-transferring automated bill pay out of my name (i just moved)

-how i'm going to develop music ideas for Sonos Record #2

-getting back to clients at the studio

-returning calls/texts/emails from weeks ago

-throwing specific things away that i never use and have saved out of a weird sympathy for inanimate objects

-how i want to develop visual ideas for future albums, live shows, etc

-how fast i'm going to read the next few books on my list

-making a doctor's appointment



...bla bla bla...


...and it's all sorted neatly on googledocs!


if google ever goes down, i'll immediately revert to age 17 so far as organization is concerned.

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong by Will McGarvey on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 8:12pm 10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong (reposting Mitchell St

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Re-post this if you believe love makes a marriage.

pedals are cool. shut up.

one must keep it real, and lest we forget, represent.

Holiday Album Cover Art

Just got back to the hotel in Philadelphia (or 30 minutes outside of it). It is VERY warm here. Not hot. Just warm. And very much so. Humid, I suppose. The weather is hugging me tightly.

With a few days between now and our next show, we're charged with deciding on the cover art for our holiday album. At the moment, we're torn between a wintery photo of us (which is hard to get in August), a photo of something else wintery, like a tree in snow er somethin, or my idea today; a photo of some of our stage FX wrapped in christmas lights.

thoughts/feelings/suggestions/votes?

Playng the philly folk festival

With the likes of
Richard Thompson, Bonnie Prince Billy,
and Taj Mahal!!

Awesome. =)

Playng the philly folk festival

With the likes of
Richard Thompson, Bonnie Prince Billy,
and Taj Mahal!!

Awesome. =)

well rested!

85% moved out of my old apartment (and into a storage space)
and ready to resume mixing.
wish us luck...

putting in the hours

tracking+mixing fast as i can with 2 days left on the clock

i need sleep

a snippet of Janette Isabella...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0ZHWw4hZIc

recording a Christmas Record

...is stressful!
perhaps because it all must be done in the summertime in order finish in time for a reasonable release date.
weird to sing about snow and whatnot when it's too hot for long pants.
maybe that could be the title "Sonos: Too Hot for Long Pants (A Christmas Record)"

...maybe not.

my pops sailing toward an island

my boys at their dress rehearsal

christmas record...

i was quite skeptical when we first decided that we would follow the ultimate a cappella protocol: make a christmas album.

but now that we're more than half way through it, i'll sheepishly admit that i'm pretty excited. today we tracked more than half of an original song of Ben's and even though i just logged about 10 hours with it, i'm brimming with ideas i'm anxious to implement. looking forward to opening up the Pro Tools session and diving back in.

...stay tuned.

a strange and sexy piece of gear i saw in a thrift store...

adventure tour

it is now officially sunday (because it's 12:10am)
we're in Bend, Oregon which has become one of our famous places on earth.

in review, this tour has consisted of:
-a 2am arrival at a hostel (which we thought was a hotel) whose check-in time ends at 10pm, where in which we woke the security guard who found it in his heart to check us in anyway
-rachel slicing her foot open in a sorta-dirty river in Tennessee
-paul getting his wallet stolen (same river)
-the 4am check-in at the Budget Inn on Holloway in Durham, NC, which turned out to be a crack/whore house, where in which rachel was propositioned by a gentleman from his car who thought her a prostitute, and Ben was grabbed at the shoulder by a cop who told him "do not stay here. you do not belong here. it is not safe here".
-the girls discovered a live scorpion in their room here at the Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend, which ben and i promptly trapped with a glass and a cutting board, and relocated it back to nature (our backyard).

in light of these events, i'd like to designate this tour, "adventure tour".

Today

We had an amazing home-cooked breakfast at "ye olde house of pancakes", watched about a dozen butterflies getting buzzed on a small pool of Coca-Cola in the middle of the woods, swam at a competely gorgeous spot along a river, complete with rapids and a big rock to jump off of, rachel sliced her foot open, and paul's wallet was stolen.

T'was a mixed day.

north carolina

it hot, muggy, and everyone is really really nice.
the sound guy knows what he's doing, and even HE is nice!

not a fan of hot and muggy, big fan of nice.

also it's incredibly beautiful.

also-also, i broke my 99¢ sunglasses today, tried to fix them with superglue, and now there's a little bit of white cheap-sunglasses paint stuck to my finger until further notice.

Ascap film + tv awards

Paul Wlliams just thanked Sonos by name.

Milestone, check.

FRIDAY @ The Ford Amphitheatre in LA!!

Don't miss the premiere of "GODS & MARIONETTES" this Friday, June 18th at the Ford Amphitheatre! We've been working non-stop on this unique dance+music+theater extravaganza for many months - please come support us & the many other talented people that have worked to bring this show to life!! See ya there :)


DATE: Friday, June 18, 8:30 PM

LOCATION: Ford Amphitheatre 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., East Hollywood, CA 90068

TICKET PRICES: $25 general admission, $12 for full-time students with ID and children 12 and under. $75 VIP tickets, reserved preferred seating and a pre-performance cocktail reception

http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=1007&perfcode=AA0618&perfsubcode=2010

Colorado airport

Rach is arranging, Paul and Kathy are Vlogging (perhaps my favorite 21st century quasi-word) and I am missing LA a little. I miss Sterling and Sunkrish and all their ridiculous antics, Mani's Bakery Cafe, Swingers, Venice Beach, Govinda's, Enzo's, Diddy Reese, (not that I can indulge in those whilst I'm no-bread-no-sugar'ing), let's see... What else?

I miss a quiet space to write, arrange, and mix. I miss Jesse, Carly, Will, Kate, and David.

I do, however, absolutely love that my internal clock has completely unwound. I can no longer feel what time it is or accurately guess what day it is. The 24 hour day, the 7 day week, the 30.42 day month, have all been replaced by two measurements of time:

On-the-Road & Off-the-Road

My internal calendar now follows two inconsistant, ever-fluctuating units of time that represent performance and rest. It should probably make me feel crazy (and eventually might) but for now it feels like I've rid myself of an outdated system that is useless to me, and I'm now running on a custom christopher-clock.

Hooray for tour!!!

driving through all 3 time zones!

hello friends :) an update for you!

On May 2nd, we celebrated one Katharine Anne Hoye's BIRTHDAYAYAYA! We had the day off in Cedar Rapids, IA after a great gig there the night before. Unfortunately my camera was out of commission until the evening, but we spent a lovely day in Mount Vernon - brunching, shopping and marveling at some pretty cool chalk art @ Chalk the Walk, a yearly chalk art extravaganza!



Our crazy night in Cedar Rapids began with a 9pm search for dinner. We searched far & wide, for any food of any kind, and couldn't find it. Naturally this game of "Hungry Hungry Sonos" happens a lot on tour, late at night in random places, and we end up last resorting to fast food. Not good times. That said, we had some birthday Wendy's and found these statues on the way..



With full bellies, we headed back to the deserted streets of downtown Cedar Rapids & found the best place in the whole city to be in - a crowded piano lounge hosting a national drag competition!! It. was. awesome. Power ballads, sequins, fake eyelashes, best friends and $4 grey goose shots all in one - what more could you ask for?!







It goes without saying that we had an AMAZING night!



The next day's 8 hour car ride was not so fun for us....blegh....but at least it was a beautiful drive! Iowa to Colorado, stopping in Ogallala (yup), Nebraska overnight. If you ever have to make this drive, don't be hungover & take lots of pictures.













Goodnight from Denver :) If you have friends in Boulder, Colorado Springs, or Washington state, tell them we'll be rolling through in the next days before we spend a month or so back home! xo

tried to stay awake

until at least 9pm as so to stay on a regular sleep schedule... which will be irrelevant come tuesday night. and while i am a delicate flower when it comes to the effects of sleep deprivation, i am always, absolutely, no matter what, completely effing thrilled that this is my gig.

k, g'night.

=)

ahoy there!

in a few days we'll be back on the road and boy are we excited!!!! being back on tour can mean so many things...happiness, sadness, laughter, tears, yelling, long drives, rude flight attendants, long security lines, crappy food, amazing food, songs about grocery marts, haunted houses, motels, hotels, long-lost family and friends, snow, sun, people who love us, people who yell at us to shove off stage....i could really go on for a whole page but that would be stupid.

the last couple weeks have provided us with some much needed time at home to relax & regroup, but i think i speak for everyone when i say we are excited to get back on the road :) it's a lifestyle we only recently discovered, yet have adapted to relatively quickly. crazy to think what our touring "life" might be like in a year from now. home is always lovely, but there's something invigorating about bouncing from place to place, not knowing what or who to expect. even though it all becomes a blur, it's a pretty awesome blur.

i leave you with this - our next album cover, designed by our good friend andy lange (who besides being an incredible graphic designer is also an awesome musician. check it! http://www.myspace.com/andylangemusic)

messy rooms

Why is it that every time I come home from off the road my room is a disaster zone? I'm in the process of cleaning and I'm discovering items in the corners of my room that I didn't even know I owned! Good thing I like surprises :)

The good part of cleaning is that I always listen to a new album when I'm tackling my personal pig pen. Imogen Heap's Ellipse is the choice today cause I finally purchased it!! Wooohooo! If you haven't yet. Do it. Put it inside you. On your insides.

Speaking of suprises. Found one I'd really like :)
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/-JamMan-Looper-Pedal?sku=156600
Hoping to score some sessions while I'm home so I can take this on the road and start playing with it in live shows. Am already basing some arrangements around it :) You'll see.....

XO
Rachel

spriiiiiing is coming

Back home in LA for a few weeks and woooow is it beautiful here. The more time I spend outside of California, the more beauty I see in it & the more I feel that I might never leave. Two nights ago we returned from the chilly midwest to 80 degree weather here in southern California...SPRING IS IN THE AIR!!! As are beach days, a lady gaga cover, sonos originals, more US tour dates and some awesome collaborations...like this..


photography by begley & clark


If you haven't already caught this on our facebook page, here's a treat for you :) A sneak peek video of a collaborative project we're doing with the incredible L.A. Contemporary Dance Company. Follow the link below to watch the vid

http://vimeo.com/9394225

"Gods & Marionettes"
created by LACDC, Sonos & David Bridel
music+dance+theater
premiering at the Ford Amphitheatre on June 18 2010. Don't miss it!

Taking A Break?

Yo yo yo. 'Tis been a while since last I blogged. Truth is, I've been driving a lot. The last few days have seen us Cleveland to Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor to Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids to Evanston (that was one day); then we drove today to Chicago and ended up in Milwaukee, WI from where I write to you now. I've had a lot of fun on this leg of the tour. Playing my home town of Cleveland was a blast. A lot of people - family, friends, former classmates - provided a fantastic energy. It was easy to let go and just play up there. Some great gigs in Michigan and successful meetings in Chicago have added up to be a solid trip. But this past week has found me tired, unmotivated, restless. I'm not sure why to be honest. It seems as though all is going well and yet I'm left feeling a bit... underwhelmed. A small sickness as reappeared in my throat, which always brings me down a notch, but it's more than that; there is work to be done and I can't seem to tackle it. Forgive me if this sounds negative. It's not meant to be a pitying plea, but rather an honest glimpse at the less glamorous side of life on the road. It's that intangible quandary one sits in from time to time - the unknown, the variable x factor. This impasse at which I stand is all that stands between me and my arrangements, or the new video project, or an original melody to accompany lyrics I wrote three years ago. The Oscars just happened, and as Sandra Bullock accepted her [well deserved] award she said something that struck me while thanking her mom: "She said to be an artist, you had to practice every day." It seems such simple advice, yet I maintain it's one of the hardest things to do. Being creative seems to be, by definition, an act of inspiration captured and recorded in some way. Doing it by rote, habitually exercising the same muscles seems almost counter-intuitive. Much like a trip to the gym, it's in creating such habits that the act itself becomes easier, and until then it will feel as a chore to a child who'd rather watch Saturday morning cartoons, or in my case, Hulu. I'm not making excuses - though illness and fatigue are fair ones - but rather I'm examining the hole I'm in with the hope of finding my way out. A lot is on the horizon for Sonos and I eagerly await it. Maybe I just need to take this week to myself before beginning the next journey. Lewis and Clark took a break once and while.
Didn't they?

some bedtime stories

little miss muffet, as recounted by paul peglar

little miss muffet sat on her tuffet
eating her curds and whey
along came a spider, it sat down beside her
and she freaked out...




humpty dumpty, as recounted by paul peglar

humpty dumpty sat on a wall
humpty dumpty had a great fall
all the king's horses and all the king's men
...they didn't know what the f*&% to do.

On a lighter note,

We're back on the road, we've been flying with American, and this time around they've been nice. =)

...

Look I don't wanna make this a thing, but I just got on another AA flight, and the gate attendant told me I have too many carry-ons. A bag, a back pack, and a guitar that is literally exactly the size of a tennis racket.
"It's a musical instrument" I said.
"It doesn't matter. You have to check one of your bags."
"I didn't have to check one on the way here.
It takes up less space than a coat" I countered.
"It doesn't matter. You have to check one of your bags."
"Alright then. Is there any way you can mark this fragile or something? AA bag throwers dropped a piece of my luggage in jet fuel two days ago."
(Attendant shakes head "no")
"Fantastic. Thanks."

I'm beginning to feel like a bitter jackass, so this will be the last of these blogs.
For a while. =)

AA = poop: an epilogue

We've just picked up the bag. The jet fuel (or whatever smells exactly like jet fuel) that had soaked the bag is now dry, so no harm, no foul, feels the airline.

Don't let George Clooney fool you. American Airlines doesn't give two shits about you, or at least, your stuff. They've transformed a regular bag into a highly flammable bag, all for the cost of "sorry, there's nothing we can do". Remarkable.

American Airlines = HORRIBLE

AA strikes again.
Rach has a brand new bag. It is a carry-on. As she was carrying it onto the plane, the attendant at the gate suggested she check the bag to leave more room on board. She complied. We arrived an hour ago in White Plains, NY to find her bag on the carousel, the lid soaked in an oily (perhaps flamable) liquid. The lid was soaked through, damaging two pieces of clothing and perhaps also the $400 of FX pedals inside. In speaking with the local representative, we were informed that they assume no accountability. That they're sorry but there's nothing they can do.

Maybe the folks creating policy for American Airlines are vindictive. Maybe they're greedy and apathetic towards their economy customers. Perhaps they are border-line retarded. At any rate, their Zero Accountability attitude regarding destruction of a passenger's property makes me throw up in my mouth.

Stay tuned for more AA bullshit behavior, certainly yet to come...

where we're goin and where we've been

Hello Sonos followers of the world :) It's been far too long since we gave you a real solid update of our whereabouts and whatabouts. We've been going strong for over a month now, with the exception of a few sunny days at home in LA filled with sleep, homecooked food, exercise and lots of laundry. The past month has taken us all over the country (and the UK!) - Charlottesvile VA, Washington DC, Park City UT for the Sundance Film Festival, London, Glasgow (funny story here for another time), Seattle, Northampton MA, Boston and NYC!

Because our most recent photos aren't on my computer at the moment, let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start :) In mid-January we were honored to have the opportunity to do a live session on NPR's Weekend Edition. What a cool experience to be in the NPR headquarters in DC!! Everyone and everything in there seemed..well, important. It was pretty surreal to think about the fact that in a few weeks, we would hear ourselves on a show that millions of people tune into. Everyone there was so welcoming & had some very nice things to say about our album. Not to mention the studio was baddddaaaassss. We each had some awesome headphone mixers so we could hear ourselves & each other better than ever, and did a performance+interview with host Liane Hansen. We performed White Winter Hymnal, I Want You Back, and a newer addition to our rep, Chris Issak's Wicked Game, as a bonus track for their website. Woo!







Big thanks to NPR & everyone that tuned in to listen for us :) If you missed it, check this link!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122899502

As you can probably guess, we fly on airplanes a lot. A lot. Sometimes we're lucky enough to fly around so much that we somehow pass through 4 states in one day, or eat what feels like 5 meals a day because of time changes. We also sometimes have to wake up very early and sleepwalk through the airport. I'm not sure where this was, or why I wasn't sleeping, but here is everyone else napping somewhere in the world. Aren't they cute???



The next blogworthy stop on our tour was performing at the ASCAP Music Lounge at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Talk about a beautiful place!! Not to mention lots of beautiful people and beautiful films, though we didn't get to see any of the latter :( There were few celebrity sightings but of the 3 famous people we saw, 2 were actors from the HBO vampire extravaganza show TRUE BLOOD (which Kathy is a gigantic fan of) so that was pretty exciting! The drive from our hotel in Salt Lake to the festival in Park City was beautiful - majestic snow covered mountains everywhere which we will post pictures of later. It snowed most of the time we were there so we had a lot of fun frolicking around outside. Hats, mittens, free hot chocolate, snowflakes that stayed on our nose and eyelashes..wow didn't I already reference Sound of Music in here??

Anyways we had two gigs while at Sundance, both of which were lovely & led to us meeting a lot of great people. Thanks to Loretta & ASCAP for inviting us to the event!!





badass picture of just paul...just because..



After Sundance we sprinted off to the United Kingdom - and that is where my story ends! Someone better pick up where I left off soon, because there are so many great stories & photos from our days in London & Glasglow, as well as the past couple weeks back in the US. Don't want to leave you hanging for too long :)

peace & love to all our fans!! xo

on a ship

well, a ferry actually. on our way to Martha's Vineyard. Kathy and I are a bit sick, but what can you do? =)

Happy Valentines Day!

So yah, we're not great at blogging on the road. We always talk about great ideas and then are tired from the road. We promise to work on this and bring to you readers (all 16 of you...?) some classic Sonos shenanigans (Sonoshenanigans) soon! The backlog of useable material includes stories about:

-Paul losing the rental van; finding it; then breaking it; then fixing it for $28
-getting lost in Kentucky at 2am... on empty
-Jess getting hit on by Santa at LAX
-the Russian guy who changed his flight just to hear us in London
-our sold out show in Seattle and the debaucherous costume party that followed
-rehearsing/vocal jamming with the LA Contemporary Dance Company
-Ben saying he'd "slice your tits off" on stage*
-Drunk Scottish Heckler

So many more. But we're leaving NYC on our way to Boston. In the car will commence our first annual Sonos Valentines Day Celebration. We all bought candy and cards like 3rd graders and plan on exchanging them tonight. Cuz we're rock stars.

In the mean time, here's a quick video from our rehearsal with Young @ Heart. So many stories from this day. And so many videos on the way.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=945555766526&ref=mf


*He was following orders

Bad movies that you love

Sonos is sitting in "Souper Bowl" in Amerst, MA, trying to think of movies that we know totally suck, but that we love.

A list from Kathy Hoye to follow...
=)

Help

So...I'm a kind of addicted to tetris. And let's be honest, who isn't? I mean, I'm just saying I'm spending a shit ton of time in the car...perfect time for tetris. Do me a solid and let me know how to get it on my phone.
Love you mean it!
Mmmmkaaaay, byeeee!
Bachel

Life is Better with Music

I exited the Circle Line tube station with Cornish pasty in hand. Under my arms hung a box of cds and a pedal board, journeying with me to gig number two of our London leg. My iPod shuffled its way from Turnpike Lane thirteen stops to South Kensington and waited with me the six or seven minutes I stood in the cold awaiting my train. We had reached our pinnacle point; intellectually I leapt from the hurried tunnel out into the busied light of day. High Street Kensington was bustling: lanes of scurrying traffic, double decker buses pushing their right of way through; sidewalks of shoppers and well-to-doers; store fronts aglow with earnest yearning; and finally, me. And my iPod. Oscar Peterson’s “Fly Me To The Moon” began. The perfect serenade to the beginning of a lovely day. Despite the rush around me – the honking horns, the foot steps and the chatter – I found peace. My hands were full, my feet sore and tired, hunger pangs begging me to eat the pasty, and yet I was serene. I had a soundtrack. My life was larger than simply because I was being accompanied. My heart was full of song indeed, as were my ears. Perhaps they’re one in the same. I am in London to create music. I could not ask for a better life.



*Video from Sundance 2010

snuggled up in the airport

There are two things I cannot do. Control the weather and fly airplanes. Ahhh must add to my to do list.

So the six of us are sitting on the floor @ the Burbank Airport (weather delays in LA???) wishing we were en route to Vegas where we would then toast to a safe flight, waste money on the slots in the terminal and hop on another flight to snowy Salt Lake City for two gigs at Sundance!! Instead we're waiting in the airport....an activity that transcends time and space, where only the most pleasant emotions swirl around in the air...anxiety, anger and boredom. Did I mention boredom?

In all seriousness, we are in great spirits :) I really just wish I had a pink Snuggie right now.



** Disclaimer: This Snuggie is not mine...though I wish it was!! Why do they get such a bad rap? They are amazing. This Snuggie was generously provided by Ben's brother Lincoln who we stayed with in DC, and as he pointed out, it's really just a robe worn backwards. Duh. I want one.