The Motions' top records of the decade...

With the decade coming to a close, here's my personal picks for the top 25 records of the decade.

25. "The Rising" - Bruce Springsteen

24. "The Body, The Blood, The Machine" - The Thermals

23. "Stankonia" - Outkast

22. "Diorama" - Silverchair

21. "The Argument" - Fugazi

20. "Kill The Moonlight" - Spoon

19. "Hail To The Thief" - Radiohead

18. "Boxer" - The National

17. "Rubber Factory" - The Black Keys

16. "Z" - My Morning Jacket

15. "Amnesiac" - Radiohead

14. "Chutes Too Narrow" - The Shins

13. "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" - Drive-By Truckers

12. "Funeral" - Arcade Fire

11. "Boys And Girls In America" - The Hold Steady

10. "Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

9. "Illinois" - Sufjan Stevens

8. "Is This It?" - The Strokes

7. "Neon Bible" - Arcade Fire

6. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" - Spoon

5. "The Moon And Antarctica" - Modest Mouse

4. "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" - Wilco

3. "Young Modern" - Silverchair

2. "Kid A" - Radiohead

1. "In Rainbows" - Radiohead

Yeah, it's an odd list I guess. I know everyone is either going with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Kid A as record of the decade, but personally, I just find In Rainbows more enjoyable. Maybe not groundbreaking, but not all great records have to be groundbreaking. If you haven't listened to Young Modern, do yourself a favor and check it out. That record is incredible, from start to finish. There you go.

-toby

We're on tour....

Yeah, I'm just going to consider this a tour. We're playing 5 shows in 8 days. It's been an interesting little experience. We're touring while also being full-time high school and college students. I think we're pulling it off quite well.

Our remaining tour dates are:

November 19th - The Mellow Mushroom in Tuscaloosa w/ Callooh! Callay!

This will be our first show at the Mushroom. We're tickled pink to be doing it.

November 20th - Gov't Street Grocery in Ocean Springs, MS w/ Blaine Duncan & the Lookers!

November 21st - The Blind Mule in Mobile, AL w/ Blaine Duncan & the Lookers!

This is our first coast run. We're excited to be doing it. Hopefully we will meet some new people. Just to keep things interesting.

We hope to see all your pretty faces out at any of these shows.

This blog was strictly about informing of tour dates. Bigger blog to follow at a later date.

Shout-outs:

Matt Patton - You're a killer. Thank you for jamming with us the other day on RITFW

Wes Frazer - Thanks for the sweet photo you took of us at MCW. We appreciate it.

Taste of the day -

"Marquee Moon" by Television. Incredible record. Go listen to it right now. The title track is particularly phenomenal.

-toby

News....

Hello all,

I've got some exciting news for anybody who follows this thing.

Over the past few months, we've gotten quite a few requests to put our record out on vinyl.

Well, I've got good news.

We will be putting out our first single within the next month or so.

The 7" is going to have "Little Bit Of Fiction" and "Goodbye" on it.

We're excited to be able to do this with Hackberry Records.

I've always wondered how our music would sound on the ole black circle.

Once we get them, you'll be able to buy them at our shows, as well as some music stores, such as OZ Music.

When you purchase it, you'll also get a code for a high quality uncompressed download of the single. That way you don't sacrifice quality.

We're working on shirts also. Give us time.

60 day tour coming in the summer.

SXSW submission is in.

We're working our asses off.

We're playing at "The Depot" in Tuscaloosa tomorrow night.

Come out. Throw down. Roll Tide.

Within the next week, I'll put up The Motions' picks for the top albums of the decade.

Shout out:

Josh Sahib - Otherwise known as DJ Bin Rockin. You're the man.

Sarah Walker - We haven't seen you in quite some time. We're excited to get to be in your presence again.

Egan's - The greatest place to play in the South.

James Stevens - Not only produced our record, but still helps us out whenever we need something. You're a genius.

Taste of the day:

"Brutal Youth" by Elvis Costello. A lot of people I talk to don't like this record. I, on the other hand, think it's brilliant. He spits out those words like no one else.

-themotions

Taking a month off was a ridiculously stupid idea...

Hello,

I've come to a realization; playing shows is what we're meant to do. With free time on my hands I'm bored and unhappy. So for anyone who reads this: if you come across any possible shows this month (or any month, for that matter) let us know and we'll play it. This includes house parties and anything else. Miles is out watching Wilco at the Orpheum in Memphis tonight. Sweeeeet.

Everyone else is in Columbus doing nothing productive.

In three years, we're going to buy a van, hit the road, and never look back.

I hope you all will stick with us by then.

Taste of the weekend:

"Wild Young Hearts" by Noisettes. This group is really great. Go check out their performance of "Never Forget You" on Letterman if you don't believe me. I would marry the lead singer.

Bye,

-toby

This is the only one for the week...

Hello all,

I apologize for the lack of updates this week.

It's been the most turbulent week of my life. I'd like to say my Fall break was enjoyable, however it wasn't. Maybe next week shall be better. I believe it will be.

The Motions are on an extended break right now. I don't know what the future holds for us. I'm writing songs. Whatever that means.

We have some shows in the next month. So we'll see what happens.

We're submitting to SXSW this week. Get ready Austin. We will rip that city wide open.

College is getting unbearable. It's hard to do the band and college. However, the band takes priority over college. I apologize to anyone who thinks otherwise.

Contrary to popular belief, The Motions ARE NOT breaking up. The thought hasn't even crossed our minds.

We're very young. Watch us grow up.

You can download our debut single for free at:

www.themotions.bandcamp.com

Taste of the day:

My record of the day would have to be "#1 Record" by Big Star. Big Star might be the most underrated band ever. They are incredible. "Radio City" is awesome as well. Go listen. You will be pleased.

See ya soon,

-toby

Another blahggggg.....

Hello,

I just wanted to let everyone know that we're playing a couple of shows tonight. That's right. Two shows in one night. We're like Phil Collins at Live Aid.

We're gonna kick things off at the Princess Theater in Columbus. Get there around 8:30 or so to see the full lineup. It's killer in my opinion. We'll be playing a shorter set than usual. Consider it a greatest hits set, without the hits.

Later in the night, we'll be playing at the Booth in Tuscaloosa. This place has history. It's our first time to play there and we're like a bunch of star struck kids. We're thrilled to be playing here.

We'll be playing with fellow Hackberry Records artists Callooh! Callay!. They'll kick things off around 10:30 and we shall start whenever we can get there and get everything set up. It'll be a good one ladies and gents. Come out. We adore you Tuscaloosa.

Random Thoughts:

Thom Yorke and Flea are now in a band together. Could be incredibly cool. If we have any Los Angeles readers, their first show is tonight at the Echoplex. Go check it out and report back to me. It should be phenomenal.

Taste of the day:

"The Argument" by Fugazi. Might be there best record. Definitely in my top 25 of the decade. Let's hope they put out another record. Ian McKaye, you're a genius.

No shout outs today.

Sorry.

-toby

More updates....

I have recently come to the realization that it is very convenient to update this thing while sitting in English class.

College....

I'm pretty underwhelmed by college at this point. But that's a different story for a different time.

As far as the motions go,

We're still kicking away. We've got some exciting new song ideas that I am thrilled to release to the world. The band is tighter than ever. We've started doing some weird things in a couple of old songs just to keep it interesting. Hopefully you all will enjoy it.

We're playing at the Princess Theater on Friday with a slew of bands including Winston Audio. Come see this show. They're a really fun live band.

We'll kick off around 9:30, being that we're the opener. It should be a delightful evening. Also, just because we're opening doesn't mean we will tone anything down. Expect a solid 45 minute set from us. We'll also close with a song that we haven't played in 11 months. So it should be interesting. Come by and tell us hello. I promise we will, more than likely, not hate you.

Shout outs:

Callooh! Callay! - The newest addition to the promising Hackberry Records roster. We're proud to be labelmates with these guys (and girl).

Reed Watson - For keeping the T-Town scene alive. Do it big Mr. Watson. Do it big.

Jimmy Jordan - For being the most interesting Twitterer that I follow. Check this man out. His intelligence is only rivaled by his wittiness.

Taste of the day:

"Brighten The Corners" by Pavement. This is my favorite Pavement record at the moment. I'm sure you will like it to. I'm pretty excited for NYC on September 23rd, 2010. Hell yes.

Hope all's well.

-toby

Ladies and gentlemen...

How's it going? It's been over a month since I updated this thing. I need to get better.

Some things have happened that I shall fill you in on.

I had laryngitis last week. It wiped out any sort of practice and it was pretty rough.

We played a house party in Tuscaloosa a couple weeks ago. I believe it's known as "The Depot".

It's DJ Bin Rockin's house. His real name escapes me at this point. I believe it's Josh.

What Josh does for Tuscaloosa is important. It's an incredible thing to be able to play at a party like that. We're truly grateful for that opportunity.

To the asshole who stole a bunch of stuff: You're a burden to society. You're lucky we didn't kill you.

Josh, we'd love to do a benefit show for you. If you're up for it, get in touch with us.

We played at Boondocks in Tupelo the Friday before that with a band called Lindale Circle and Cameron Moore. They're great. The show was great. We actually sold some shit. Thank you Tupelo, Lindale Circle, and Cameron Moore.

We're going to be taking a 4 week break during October to collect our thoughts and write some new songs for all you folks.

The ideas we're working on are really great. Kinda laid back. We're integrating the keys a lot into our new stuff as well as our old tunes. I think you will all be pleased.

Before our break, we'll be playing at the Princess Theatre in Columbus, MS with Winston Audio and Lindale Circle on October 2nd (this Friday). Come to this show. It'll be a good night of music.

Our next show after that will be, more than likely, a Halloween show with the Jarheads in Starkville. We're looking for dress up ideas. Throw them at us folks.

We'll be at Zachary's in Columbus on November 6th for Max's, our drummer's, sweet 16. He's 16 years old so come see him. He'd love it.

We're now on Hackberry Records.

Check it out at: www.hackberryrecords.com

There's also a sweet T-Town blog that Reed Watson is running at:

http://15thstreetdinah.wordpress.com/

There's a mini-interview with me on there somewhere.

He's doing a great thing, so keep informed.

Also, check out all our label mates.

We're privileged to be on a label with some really great acts.

Hopefully y'all will be able to hear some new tunes soon.

No word on when we will begin to record.

I really want to put out a cool 45". I don't know if it will actually happen or not, but it's nice to dream big.

A few shout outs:

Mikey and Mary (Shoestring Galleries)- Great photographers from the T-Town area.

Mary Margaret Alexander- Great artist from the Starkville/Columbus area. She painted our bass drum and it looks sick. Thank you from all of us here.

DJ Bin Rockin - For doing what you do. You're a beast.

Nick Cave - For writing a kick ass book in "The Death Of Bunny Munroe"

Also, my recommendation for the day is:

"Summerteeth" by Wilco.

I know everybody talks about "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", but to me "Summerteeth" is just as good. Go give it a shot. It doesn't get mentioned enough.

Hope all's well.

-toby

The new school year has begun....

What's up everyone? Quite a bit has happened since my last entry. The biggest thing probably is that we embarked on our first tour in late July. We went all the way to Austin TX while on the road. My personal favorite show of the tour was at the Continental Club in Austin. It was truly an honor to be a part of that show. We played with Moonlight Towers and Slowtrain and they both put on killer shows. So in short, the tour was a success. It was exhausting. But it was also enjoyable.

We've been playing shows pretty consistently for the last few weeks as well. We played in Starkville last Friday with the Jarheads at the Shop. Really fun. Pretty much a house party. Reminded me of something Minor Threat would've done.

Last Saturday was our big return to Egan's. And we did it big. We played with our good friends Dark Knights Of Camelot and had a huge turnout. I think we both played killer shows.

This Friday we'll be at Little Willie's in Tuscaloosa. Come out if you're around.

Check our myspace for dates and songs and things. Funnnnn.

We've also recently purchased a Nord keyboard. Be ready for some new things. We're currently in the writing process for our next record. No telling when it'll be recorded but we are working on songs.

Keep it between the ditches.

-toby

What we've been up to....

So, lately things have been busy. But that's no excuse for me to forget about this thing. We have been playing quite a few shows lately and are heading out tomorrow on our first mini tour. We're really excited. So check our myspace for dates and if you're in the area stop by and say hi. We've been writing a lot lately and shall be playing 1 or 2 new songs on the tour. I'm looking forward to getting these songs road tested. So yeah, we're headed to Austin on July 23rd to play at the Continental Club. Hell yeah. We're gonna be ready.

thanks,

toby

I'm terrible at blogging...

New blog coming soon.

End of high school.

It's pretty crazy to think that a month from now I will be a high school graduate. I'm really ready to be done. Maybe college is in the future, I'm not too worried about it yet. I saw the Dark Knights Of Camelot in Tupelo last night. They tore that place up. I'm telling you, these guys are going big places. Mary Margaret and I are headed off to see Wilco in Oxford on Thursday. Thursday just happens to also be my birthday. Then Max and I are headed to see Springsteen in Atlanta on Sunday. Yep. It's gonna be a good week.

Everything is still going good with the record. It sounds really great. We cut it to tape so it has a very warm sound. We're getting shows set up for the summer. It's looking really good for us so far. The record launch is going to be a really fun night. Hopefully we can get some people to show up and pack the place.

Until tomorrow,

-toby

Record Store Day and Prom on the same day?

So yeah, yesterday was both Record Store Day and Prom for me. I'm a firm believer in prom being the most overrated experience of high school but, much to my surprise, I did have quite an enjoyable time once me and my date for the evening arrived (thank you Mr. Watson). I managed not to waste too much money as I did not rent a tux. The funniest part of the night was the limo ride to the prom, we were treated to the pleasure of watching a Ludacris DVD on the TV screens. Apparently it was purchased by one of my classmates. That's one of the reason's why I don't get too worried when my classmates don't come to our shows. But the highlight of the day for me was RSD at Oz Music in Tuscaloosa. Me and my date woke up pretty early to drive there and purchase various items and see Baak Gwai. A fun time was had by all and we got some really great stuff. I myself got the new Wilco DVD and an Elvis Costello CD and I bought Max the My Morning Jacket vinyl and the new Hold Steady live record. Everything was fun. Baak Gwai was very entertaining as well. 

So our new record is still scheduled for May 1st. It's gonna be a good one folks. All of us here are incredibly excited to put this thing out there. The record release show is shaping out to be a great time. The Engineers and Speedball Widow will be joining us for the evening's festivities. We're working on merch at the moment with our good friend Blaine Garrard. The designs he's coming up with look really great. 

Now I've got a science thing to work on for school. Two more weeks then I'm outta there. Thank you.

Two posts in the same week? What what? I'm getting the hang of this. Check me out on twitter.

www.twitter.com/tobyhartleroad

Thank you and good evening.

-toby

I'm god awful at this....

Our record is officially coming out on May 1st. Our record release is at the Princess Theater on the main stage. I think that's a pretty cool deal for us. We'll have a bunch of merch and stuff so it'll be pretty delightful. We've been playing quite a few shows lately. We did a run of shows in Alabama last weekend. We played this place called Egan's in Tuscaloosa that was killer. They loved us so we're playing again on May 8th. By that time we'll have our record ready to push. So yeah. It's a pretty cool feeling when the crowd is enjoying what you're doing. There's no better feeling to me. I got a little sick when we came back home. I guess I caught a bug or something. I've been digging the new Mastodon record, The Dark Knights Of Camelot E.P., and The National Trust's most recent album. All those have been in my rotation lately. They're all great and I encourage everyone to look them up if they haven't already. So yeah. I've been reading American Psycho lately. Crazy book. I've been trying to refine my writing skills by writing us a press kit. It's not terrible I don't think. Yeah. We've got some great shows in the works so stay tuned for info and stop by a show sometime.

-toby

I haven't gotten any better....

What's up everyone? How's life? It's been over a month since I last posted. I apologize. 

We're still trying to get this record out. I swear we are. We're working on artwork and packaging right now. It's mastered so that's great. You can check out some tunes on the myspace. I put my personal favorite song up(The Road). All the songs up are mastered.

Some recent things I've gotten into are:

the new Dan Auerbach solo album, "Keep It Hid." This thing is fantastic. I like it a lot better than "Attack And Release," even though I thought that was pretty decent.

"Being John Malkovich." This movie is crazy. Go watch it.

So yeah. I'm just ready to release this record. We'll have a cool record launch party with stickers and t-shirts as well. It should be nice.

The guy who's designing our stuff is great. His name is Bryant Worley. The things he's showing me so far I'm really diggin.

I'll post something else later this week.

I'm probably going to get a Twitter soon as Max keeps talking about it so be on the lookout.

Until then,

Toby

I've got to get better at updating this...

Since the last update quite a few things have happened.

Last week we got a new president. I am incredibly happy and excited about this. I will remember that day for a long time.

We've gotten a few new shows.

Mastering has been completed.

We've still got to work up artwork and things.

I'm getting excited about this record coming out.

I'm realizing more and more how much I love playing music. I mean even in practice, I have a blast. That feeling has yet to be matched by anything. 

Ok.

I'm going to go watch a movie.

Toby

He shoots coca-cola.....

So yeah. It's late. I have nothing to do so I'm writing a new blog. 

We're still trying to get things done. We've got a show at the State Theater in Starkville later this month. If you can make it you should most definitely come. It should be sweet. The myspace got a much needed overhaul. Go check it out if you haven't already. You could also listen to a song or something. That might be cool.

I've been listening to a lot of Beatles lately. I don't really know why. They are probably the greatest band of all time. They have a ton of timeless classics. The White Album still blows my mind every time I listen to it. Album still should be out sometime around February/March. I think I said that already. Well ok guys. 

Keep it real.

Toby

Best Of 2008....

After buying the new issue of Paste at Oz Music one Friday I have finally got a chance to sit down and read their list. This has inspired me because I have quite a few issues with it.

Top 10 Albums of the Year 

10. Kings Of Leon - "Only By The Night"

9. She & Him - "Volume One"

8. Colour Revolt - "Plunder, Beg, and Curse"

7. The Raconteurs - "Consolers Of The Lonely"

6. The Whigs - "Mission Control"

5. The Hold Steady - "Stay Positive"

4. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"

3. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "Real Emotional Trash"

2. My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"

1. Drive-By Truckers - "Brighter Than Creation's Dark"

Honorable mentions - 

The Black Keys - "Attack And Release"

Of Montreal - "Skeletal Lamping"

10 Best Songs of 2008

10. Drive-By Truckers - "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife"

9. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "Dragonfly Pie"

8. The Hold Steady - "Lord I'm Discouraged"

7. The Raconteurs - "Consolers Of The Lonely" 

6. Silver Jews - "Candy Jail"

5. Fleet Foxes - "Ragged Wood"

4. Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - "As Tall As Cliffs"

3. The Whigs - "Right Hand On My Heart"

2. My Morning Jacket - "Highly Suspicious"

1. Avett Brothers - "Murder In The City"

There's my list. It might suck to you. But personally I think this was one of the best music years I've had the pleasure of living through.

Sorry. I haven't been good at keeping this up to date...

So we've changed the name of the new record.

It's going to be self-titled. That seems easy, as well as convenient.

Track-listing  will be a bit different than originally intended. But it will be quite similar.

Just put a new song up on the myspace. Check it out yo.

We've set up a couple shows for 2009. We're in the process of setting up a couple with The National Trust. So when those get set in concrete yall need to be ready to come to a genuine rock show of which the world has never seen.

We're doing band pictures January 17th. That should be quite interesting.

We've been writing quite a bit as of late. Chase got a banjo. That's freaking dastardly.

Hope everyone had a beautiful time over the holidays.

Toby