Music Geek Speak
I noticed quite some time ago I mix very differently in the studio for a record than I do for a live show. It used to be we lacked the outboard gear to recreate the studio in a live environment, so that was a limitation. Also, so much compression on vocals (and other stuff) live is problematic due to compressed mics hearing themselves and casting awful feedback. Lastly, parallel compression, delays and reverbs in the studio can be very controlled, live we don’t have a traveling engineer with us due to budget constraints, so how to come up with a “one size fits all” solution? Nobody wants to hear delays when you try to speak between songs.
Threading the needle
Quarantine produced a variety of reactions from the music community. Some performers polished and completed projects long in progress. Others played nonstop on Facebook Live, while dreaming of an open bar. Some were too busy homeschooling their kids to write songs. And a few made creation a mission — like Stevens Blanchard, who decided to build a new record from scratch.
50 Businesses, 50 Solution: Lebanon band weighs financial and physical health when considering gigs
Each time that Stevens Blanchard has the opportunity to book a gig for his band, The Conniption Fits, he does a delicate mental tally. How many people will be at the gig? Will they be wearing masks and social distancing? How soon is the mortgage due?
"Forms in the Gaslight" - New Single!
Coronavirus Virus Sucks
We are now in the middle of what I’m going to call “the great pause”. I hope you see it as an opportunity for growth. That uncomfortable feeling you’ve been having, it’s the key to a deeper truth. Like you’ve suddenly realized you’ve been distracted for years.
The corona virus outbreak is horrible. It has cost many lives and will cost more. Trillions of dollars have been lost. Yet in the face of this disaster I see a silver lining. There is likely more creativity happening now than in any other time in our lives. The cycle of “Work - Eat - Sleep” has been broken. While it may be financially devastating, the bright side remains. The pause. The reflection. The questioning of meaning.
When we get back to normal, and we will, we will return to our livelihoods with new eyes. Does this job make me happy? Is this just a paycheck? Why do I do what I do? Is it only for money (necessary sometimes) or does this work complete my happiness?
Like many of you, I’ve found I truly love what I do. I feel very fortunate that I’ve made my life what it is. Still, I have found I could be even more efficient at accomplishing the work I want to get done as well as the work I need to get done. I’ve learned I don’t need more time. I need more freedom to use that time in the most efficient way possible.
Some of you will find you’ve just discovered a new talent or passion. Or have returned to work on a hobby or skill you abandoned. If you love it, why not take a shot? Start now. Put wheels in motion so when this is over, you can get started down the path you were meant to travel. Make it a second job until it works. Or fails. Either way, you be happier knowing you tried.
I ask myself all the time, “If I died tomorrow, would I be content with what I left behind?” Still the answer is no. I have more to do.
Now to keep busy working on this new album. So far we have 8 tracks in varying states of doneness. I’m really excited for you all to hear it. It’s been too long since I’ve spent days on days in the studio. Some cool things are coming together in the wake of this disaster.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. ~Stevens
NYE 2020! Time Travelers ball!
This year's theme is a "Time Travelers Ball"!
It's the last evening of 2019, the clock is about to strike midnight. 2020 is on the horizon and all the time travelers from every era have arrived to celebrate the moment at the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon New Hampshire.
Dress from any era you choose, even the future or steampunk! As long as it can pass as formal wear, we are all about it! Come straight out of the 80's... or the middle ages. It's up to you!
Available packages:
* Dinner and Show $85 includes Hors d'oeuvre's, Dinner, Show, Champagne toast.
* The Ultimate package for two people - includes Hors d'oeuvre's, Dinner, Show, Champagne toast, and a Room. $294 (covers two people)
Call the Fireside for tickets (603) 298-5900
End Of Summer Already?
Not quite yet… but soon enough. Too soon for our tastes. The “End Of Summer Dancefest” on the Lebanon Mall is tomorrow night as I write this and it occurs to me I’m just not ready. Still, the summer of 2019 has been one of our best yet! Work hard, play hard. It’s been said many times, yet we certainly live it. To all the fans, venues, wedding and parties we have performed for, thank you!
We’re not done yet!
We still have a ton of shows lined up for you this year as we head into fall. Check out the schedule, and we can’t wait to see you at a show!
If you’d like to book for 2020, let’s do it! Dates are filling up rather quickly, which is great, but we also want to make sure all our die-hard fans get a show near them. Let’s talk!
Cheers,
Stevens
MUD BALL to benefit The Haven
We are thrilled to be the musical entertainment for this year’s MUD BALL!
Brighten up your mud season with day-glo cocktails, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and a dance party with music by the Conniption Fits at this year’s NEON-themed Mud Ball!
Bid on unique auction items such as private cooking classes and luxury vacation rentals donated by local area businesses and individuals.
All proceeds directly support Children’s Services at the Upper Valley Haven. Make a difference to families in our community and ensure that all Upper Valley children have the best chance of future success.
Join us on March 23 in support of Children's Services at the Haven and enjoy a complimentary cocktail hour, dancing to music by The Conniption Fits, an exciting live auction featuring emcee Jamie Polli of GameShowsVT, and silent auction prizes like Dogsledding With Braeburn Siberians, dinner for 2 at Cloudland Farm, and tickets to the Lebanon Food Truck Festival!
We're excited to have auction prizes from Green Mountain Hypnosis, Lebanon Opera House, Morano Gelato Hanover, River Valley Club, Scratch, Zippity, and more!
Don't have your tickets yet? Grab yours now to support kids in the Upper Valley who need a positive place to learn and play after school and during summer vacation: uppervalleyhaven.org/mudball
Celebrate NYE with us!
Into fall we... fall.
The unofficial end of summer has come and gone. With it, a ton of fun and some great shows from the Upper Valley to the seacoast to Martha's Vineyard. We can't possibly thank all of you enough for your continued love and support. We will do our best to keep you entertained by keeping the setlist fresh at every show!
Next on the agenda: Autumn shows leading up to an all new theme for New Year's Eve!
A couple of highlights:
Frank Fest IV
Catch us at "FrankFest IV" taking place at the Tunbridge World's Fair on Saturday September 15th. We take the stage at 6pm, followed by Foreigners Journey (a Foreigner and Journey tribute band) and Wanted DOA (A Bon Jovi Tribute)! Free with your entrance to the fair.
Festival of Witches
An all out frightful halloween party in downtown Portsmouth, NH at the famous Portsmouth Gaslight! $1000 in cash and prizes up for grabs!
$12 advance, $15 at the door.
Ring in 2019 with us!
We are doing a 1920's 'speakeasy' theme!
Think mob bosses and flapper girls!
NYE is going to be a fun one as we try to raise the bar yet again. There is a bang of elegance about this speak-easy. Visualise rambunctious fun, glitz and excitement. We encourage you to dress-up but no need to spend crazy money on an outfit.
Fellas, sharpest of sharp suits. Waistcoats, fine ties, suspenders, hats, pocket watches, everything pinstripe, the works. If you’re feeling bold, maybe even find a decorative cane to complete the outfit. If you’re looking sartorially superb, the rest of the night will fall into place accordingly.
As for the women, it’s all about the flapper dress and feathered headpiece. Whether you go bright and vibrant or black and dangerous, the flapper dress is a prohibition staple. It’s light, it’s free-flowing, and above all else, it’s danceable. In fact, there’s your litmus test for any prospective outfits for the evening: if you can easily bust a Charleston in it, you’re good to go.
Right now, we are only selling The Ultimate package. $294.00 per couple. Includes: Room, Dinner, Show, Champagne Toast, Breakfast. Call The Fireside Inn, West Lebanon, NH, for tickets: 603-298-5900.
NEW MERCH! By popular demand: Female cut Racerback Tank tops! Head to our online store or get one at a show!
Plus, we will be performing many. many more shows all over New England. Check the schedule at conniptionfits.com for a full list.
Cheers!
-Stevens, Jamie & Jeff
End of Summer Tour 2018
Bittersweet News
2018 Booking up & New Live Videos
2018 is filling up nicely.
That's always nice when you work in a field with exactly zero job security. We've been working hard to freshen up our playlist, not that our "stand-by's" are not well loved, we just want to offer up something new for those of you who have seen us 50 times already. You know... we are trying not get lazy. We are really happy with the new covered we have added, they all seem well received and appreciated. The next step is to create some new original music... there are some big plans, but we'll wait until we actually take action before we release details.
As far as the gig are concerned, we can't thank our fans enough! You've been coming to more and more shows in greater and greater numbers. It is not lost on us, we are very appreciative! We've taken the liberty of recording a few shows, and will be recording more. Some of the vids have over 12k views on Facebook, however the YouTube views are really low. I guess that tells you where people are watching videos these days.
Masquerade
This year's date is February 24th!
We had such a great time last year, we absolutely MUST do it again! In C-Fits fashion we need to try and out-do ourselves, so get ready to push this one over the top!
Those of you who missed it last year, here is a collection of photos from last years event.
Radio Progress
Our radio campaign has been cooking along steadily. We have a total of 96 stations spinning the C-Fits so far. Check it out:
Here's the radio report for the new release by The Conniption Fits!
In Week 11, we show that 96 stations have Added your new release, which is 6 more than last week. At least 15 of those stations have your music in Heavy or Medium rotation. Plus, at least another 4 stations have it In Review, so we can expect more action soon!
CHARTS
#263 College Radio Charts (#288 last week)
#14 Relix/Jambands.com (#25 last month)
http://www.jambands.com/radio-charts/2017/10/26/ogogo-all-the-way
Powderfinger Radio Tracking Report 12/11/17, 10:18 AM
Powderfinger Radio Tracking Report Campaign: Conniption Fits
Heavy
KAFM - Grand Junction CO
#30 NACC. exit, gorgeous, monkey, a-yo
Heavy
KBBI - Homer AK
30 NACC
Heavy
KLCZ - Lewiston ID
NACC / 10 spins
Heavy
KSYM - San Antonio TX
the call, fall apart, need you, gorgeous, pays
Heavy
KWTS - Canyon TX
#26 NACC
Heavy
WDBM - East Lansing MI
i need you
Heavy
WIPZ - Kenosha WI
#29 NACC
Heavy
WMCO - New Concord OH
secrets, need you, title track, exit, until, gorgeous
Heavy
WRRW - Niceville FL
Heavy: 9
Medium
KALA - Davenport IA
Medium
KQAL - Winona MN
NACC. need you
Medium
WBGU - Bowling Green OH
Medium
WFCS - New Britain CT
secrets, may day, your hands, title track
Medium
WKKL - Barnstable MA
i need you, may day
Medium
WMFO - Medford MA
title track, until we fall
Medium: 6
Light
CFOU - Trois Rivieres QB
Light
CFXU - Antigonish NS
Light
CJSF - Burnaby BC
Light
KASC - Tempe AZ
Light
KBEACH - Long Beach
Light
KCRH - Hayward CA
Light
KCSS - Turlock CA
Light
KCUR - Kansas City MO
Light
KDEC - Decorah IA
Light
KDHX - St. Louis MO
Light
KEOL - La Grande OR
Light
KGRG - Auburn WA
Light KGUR - San Luis Obispo CA
Light KHOL - Jackson WY
Light KKFI - Kansas City MO
Light KMNR - Rolla MO
Light KOPN - Columbia MO
Light KRCX - Denver CO
Light KRFC - Fort Collins CO prayed
Light KRRC - Portland OR
Light KRVS - Lafayette LA
Light KTCU - Fort Worth TX
Light KULT - Cedar Falls IA
Light KUMM - Morris MN
Light KVNF - Paonia CO
Light WCCH - Holyoke MA
Light WCHC - Worcester MA
Light WCRD - Muncie IN
Light WCUR - West Chester PA
Light
WCXS--Steel Eagle - Orland Park IL
Light WCYT - Fort Wayne IN
Light WDUB - Granville OH
Light WESU - Middletown CT
Light WFIV - Knoxville TN
Light WGBK - Glenview IL
Light WGRE - Greencastle IN
Light WHRB - Cambridge MA title track
Light WIDB - Carbondale IL
Light WMFO - Medford MA
Light WMHW - Mt. Pleasant MI
Light WOUB - Athens OH
Light WRGP - Miami FL
Light WSCA - Portsmouth NH need you
Light WVUA - Tuscaloosa AL
Light
WXBC - Annandale-On- Hudson NY
Light: 45
Add CFMU - Hamilton ON
Add CKUA - Edmonton AB
Add KAMP - Tuscon AZ
Add KAOS - Olympia WA
Add KDNK - Carbondale CO
Add KDUP - Portland OR
Add KFSR - Fresno CA
Add KHNS - Haines AK
Add KHSU - Arcata CA
Add KMSM - Butte MT
Add KMSU - Mankato MN
Add KNAB - Orange CA
Add KRCL - Salt Lake City UT
Add KROK - Leesville LA
Add KRUX - Las Cruces NM
Add KSJS - San Jose CA
Add KTUH - Honolulu HI
Add KVMR - Nevada City CA
Add KXSU - Seattle WA
Add KXUL - Monroe LA
Add Pizza FM -
Add WARC - Meadville PA
Add WCSB - Cleveland OH
Add WFSE - Edinboro PA
Add WGMU - Fairfax VA
Add WHFR - Dearborn MI
Add WKNC - Raleigh NC
Add WMNF - Tampa FL
Add WPGU - Champaign IL
Add WPTS - Pittsburgh PA
Add WSOU - S. Orange NJ NACC
Add WSRU - Slippery Rock PA
Add WVIA - Pittston PA
Add WVRU - Radford VA
Add WWSU - Dayton OH
Add
WXAC - Reading PA
Add: 36
In Review
KCR - San Diego CA
In Review
KMUD - Redway CA
In Review
KUNM - Albuquerque NM
In Review
WICB - Ithaca NY
In Review: 4
Pass
CFUV - Victoria BC
Pass
KAXE - Grand Rapids MN
Pass
KBUT - Crested Butte CO
Pass
KDUR - Durango CO
Pass
KGNU - Boulder CO
Pass
KOTO - Telluride CO
Pass
KRCC - Colorado Springs CO
Pass
UMSL - Saint Louis MO
Pass
WBWC - Berea OH
Pass
WCBN - Ann Arbor MI
Pass
WORT - Madison WI
Pass
WTJU - Charlottesville VA
Pass
WYCE - Grand Rapids MI
Pass: 13
Resend
KYRS - Spokane WA
Resend: 1
Total Adds: 96
Misinformed Informant Video
We didn't have a video for "Misinformed Informant" to stream on youtube, so we created this form "Casablanca" scenes. We make no claim to the video rights. Hopefully we don't get in trouble, but there are worse abuses all over youtube. Mainly, we want you to just listen to the song!
Summer Show Lineup
So summer is halfway over... ugh. That said, we still have a lot of great shows coming up! Be sure to follow us on Bandcamp or just check back here often to see where we will be next.
Also...
We have a new CD out now! It's a compilation of our greatest work plus there are 5 all new tracks on it. We hope you dig it and share it with friends. We realized that we have so many songs going unnoticed that we want to share with fans. We also wanted to make it easy. One CD with all the music we are proudest of. Available everywhere NOW!
Completely Wasted
Words and music by The Conniption Fits
Here’s a story I’ve been meaning to tell to you
It’s kind of long and it’s boring
And sections of it don’t have any truth
But if you listen, intently, there’s message I need to share
Hopefully you get it, hopefully you care
Once I was ok with a casual affair
But before long, without love, it became all too clear
That to carry on was to ruin it all
And to bury it all was to burn it down
So I covered it all with gas, and I laid the burning match
Yeah, when you’re alone again
And lift to your lips a halfway empty glass
I can be a friend with benefits and cash
There’s a war inside, and it’s trying to guide
My choices, but I don’t listen to the voices
There’s a horse to ride, I could let her fly….I could make it
It just sucks that I’m completely wasted
Hey, I’m calling you, it’s late a night
I probably shouldn’t be calling, but I’ve had to much to think
Would it be a major imposition for you
To cancel your plans and waste another day with me
Won’t you just think about it please
Still, you are hard to beat
Like driving too fast you never cease to thrill
Yeah, when you’re alone again
And lift to your lips a halfway empty glass
I can be a friend with benefits and cash
Masquerade
Yes, we are hosting a Masquerade ball! I think the idea originally occurred to us about 4 years ago. Why has it taken so long to actually do it? Fear. What if people don't show up? What if they don't have costumes? This is expensive to pull off, what if we lose a lot of money? All valid reasons, but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Our Masquerade Ball will be held at The Fireside Inn & Suites on February 25th, 2017.
We have been working closely with The fireside to get the decoration, atmosphere and general ambiance just right. That said, we are still a rock / party band so this will be a rock / party Masquerade musically speaking. Everything else we will try to do as close to "right" as we can.
We realize dressing up for this is not "cost free". We would hand out makes if we could afford it, but so far we have not found masks that are affordable to buy in bulk. I'm going to have a great halloween costume for next year by doing this now, at least that's how I'm going to justify it.
So please dress up and get in the sprit of this event. As far as we know a masquerade has never been attempted in the Upper Valley, let's make it a success and show everybody that fun events like this for no reason CAN work here, not just in big cities.
Decorations & appetizers included, please come in costume, or at least with a mask for a reduced entry fee!
Details are still pending, but there will be a costume contest - prizes for best mask & best dressed.
Gothic, colonial styles encouraged.
Make your own mask, or buy one, just get in the spirit!
$20 advance, $30 the door.
Special hors d'oeuvres
cash bar
As far as we know this is the first time anything like this has been attempeted in the UV, lets make it great!
Some ideas here: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/masquerade-outfit/
----------------
UPDATE: Well it happened and it was... AMAZING!
Thank you so much for your spirit and costumes, masks, everything was so, so great!