I bet you never thought you'd see another update here! I bet no one even reads this! If anyone does read this, however, he, she, and even you may be pleased to know that Park Bench will be "performing" 5 songs on some instruments on May 30, 2001 at Espresso Yourself in Chalmette, LA. We will start at 6:30.
"Explain yourself," you are thinking. And I will...
I haven't touched this site since April 11, 2000. That was when we decided to call it quits. Half of us were deciding where to attend school in the fall and I was writing songs that sounded nothing like Park Bench. In May, Donna, Todd and I recorded a new CD, and we called the project The Robinsons. Park Bench played its 2 last shows on June 8th and 9th of 2000. We continued playing my new songs in my garage all summer and added Allen Wagner on bass and Terrell for horns and stuff. At the end of the summer, we booked a gig at Cafe Brasil for us, Poly Cotton Blend, and I-12. We didn't know if that would be the only Robinsons gig in history or the first of many. Todd was going to school and Donna and I had a wedding coming up in November. Well, The Robinsons got back together in December and, if you don't know, we have been having lots of fun playing some punk rock. We're finishing our second CD today and have quite a few shows booked for the summer.
Next Wednesday, we will play 5 Park Bench songs at Espresso Yourself before The Robinsons' set at 7:30. After Park Bench, you can catch acoustic Poly Cotton Blend, Mike TV (Mike "I-12" Gullotta's new band, with Todd on guitar), and even a special performance by Mike Salinas. All of that will take place from 6:30-7:30. So, it's not really a Park Bench gig. It's just us hanging out, playing some old songs. But I hope you come. Hey, it's free.
Here's what we'll be playing...
- Downtown
- Sleepless Night
- Meant For Me
- Cousin Dave
- Shoes
OK, it is possible that this could be the last update made to this page for a while. We have decided to end Park Bench, rather than watch it fade. In August, Todd will be going to school 5 hours away. I am not ready to replace him, so rather than watch the amount of gigs slowly dwindle, we'll just call it quits for now. There are other minor reasons, but none of this really matters anyway, right? We'll play on June 9th at CoolFest and June 10th at a cancer benefit show at Hannan. After that, who knows? I'm sure special occasions will arise.
As some of you may or may not know, Todd is becoming a pretty good drummer. Therefore, we will put together some type of project with Todd on drums. However, any "gigs" we would play would probably be spontaneous. We may support I-12 or something. We won't have a bass guitarist, obviously, so don't expect anything great. It's just for fun. More than likely, it'll end up being a bedroom project. (There was a time when I said that about Park Bench. 18 months later we shared a stage with MTX.)
I have a bunch of songs written and we'll have a CD ready for CoolFest. It'll probably have 5-8 songs and will not be a Park Bench CD.
Finally, I would like to thank some people who have helped us during the last year and a half. (We have a "thanks" section on the misc. page in case I forget anyone...) First and foremost: Ryan. Josh was great and he helped us get started. But, Ryan's flexibility helped us move forward and we were able to play a lot more once he joined. My parents have helped us a lot, especially with transportation, and Chris has loaned us his PA a million times. Then, there's Ben. First he was the drummer. Then a web page consultant. Then a guitarist/web page designer. Then a fan. A big fan, I'd like to believe. Also, I'd like to thank some of the bands that we've played with. Bily from Tom's House gave us a chance to play numerous gigs with them, proving that not all rock stars are idiots. MTX and the Groovie Ghoulies were really cool (and both thanked us for the PA, unlike other bands). Morilla was one of the best bands you've never heard as well as some of the nicest guys. And, our favorite band that we've played with is the Pendletones. Wyatt has helped me and inspired me as a songwriter. I am so happy to play with them one more time at CoolFest.
I'll continue to check e-mail and I'll probably post info about ordering the new CD on this web page. I'll also continue to take orders for I Want 5,000. I have a few stickers left, but shirts and buttons are gone. Sorry. If there's anything we can do, let us know.
Mike
Pendletones to play at CoolFest!
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Although they weren't planning on starting their tour until mid-June, the Pendletones will start early with appearance at CoolFest 2K. Do NOT miss this band. Now you have yet another reason to come...
CoolFest 2K Line-up Announced
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OK, on June 9th, we will perform at the 2nd annual Chalmette rock festival known as CoolFest. We will take the stage at 8:15. The show will last from 5-11 and will be held at the VFW Hall near Chalmette High School. Here's the line-up:
- Broken Pick
- Penguin
- Birdfinger
- Poly-Cotton Blend (formerly Misunderstood)
- Park Bench
- Pendletones
- Interstate 12
- The Munx
Something New, Something Old
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In case you're wondering why we haven't been playing any shows lately, the main reason is because Todd is a now a big jock. Well, kind of. Hannan's basketball team lost about 7 players and Todd was asked to rejoin the team (he quit before his junior season). So, we've been letting Todd work on his scoring average. Meanwhile, he's getting quite popular! Check out his picture in the Times Picayune. To Todd's right are Kevin Showalter and Brian Ricard, 2 HUGE Park Bench fans. Good luck, guys... Oh, and to kind of quote Nada Surf, "When you see [Todd] in the hallway, tell him he played a great game!! Tell him you liked his article in the newspaper!!"
Also, we've come across some old pictures from the Mercury gig with Fraulein and Weasel (who have unfortunately broken up, by the way). They're on the proper tour page, but I'll also put links here for you. Here's a shot of the band and these are pics of Todd and Donna. Actually, Donna's pic is from the February show with Durian, hence the Mardi Gras beads. Thanks to Kim Nahmens for the pics!
Now that I Want 5,000 is finished, we've been getting some airplay. Listen for Park Bench on WUSM - 88.5 (Hattiesburg, MS) during its Synchronicity program from 10pm-2am, nightly. If you're not in the Hattiesburg area, click here to listen by using Real Audio.
This program is very good and they play a variety of alternative and indie rock. You can e-mail requests or feel free to call during Synchronicity at (601) 266-4287. Request Park Bench. We are important. We'll keep you updated on other stations that might play some Bench.
We now have buttons AND stickers for sale. For 50 cents each, you can prove to the whole world that you are a Park Bench fan. E-mail us and order some right now!
T-Shirts are in, so what are you waiting for? We have only a couple of L's remaining and quite a few XL's.
Go vote for your favorite PB song in the audience section. This is just a test to see how much participation it gets. If this works out, I'll have new topics every few weeks are so. Go vote.
Yes, if any of you are cool enough to know who Nada Surf is, go check the guestbook. Matthew Caws, Nada Surf's singer/guitarist, browsed the PB site and signed the infamous book o' guests. Maybe one day we can open for them...
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Have A Seat ranks in top five!
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In a recent poll taken among Seniors at Archbishop Hannan High School in Meraux, LA, Park Bench's Have A Seat was voted fifth most popular CD of the 98-99 school year. This poll will be included in the Hannan Yearbook. Although Park Bench was ranked behind Lauryn Hill and Shania Twain (both recent Grammy winners) and Garth Brooks, we managed to tie Tupac Shakur and beat big-name groups like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and even Everclear. Not bad for a 4-track demo! We'd like to thank all of the seniors who voted for us and hope you'll
come out to see us play!
since 7/7/99
