the motions

Summer plans.

2010-05-18T02:12:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

It's going to be a summer full of shows and sweat. We're lining up some pretty solid dates for the summer, so come check us out somewhere. We're going to begin writing some more songs once everyone gets out of school.

I'd like to let everyone know about the Independent in Auburn, AL. It's one of our favorite venues to play. We were fortunate enough to play there last Saturday night. It might've been the best crowd we've had, and we've had some great ones. Thanks to Heath for getting us down there. We'll be back soon Auburn folk.

Sunday night brought the end of our favorite television series; LOST. It's both heartbreaking and relieving that it's gone. It was really something special.

Be sure to check out our tour dates please.

I don't have a whole lot to say, so I figured I'd put up my top 5 records of the year so far, it's almost half-way through the year.

Here you go:

1. "High Violet" - The National

2. "This Is Happening" - LCD Soundsystem

3 "Transference" - Spoon

4. "Contra" - Vampire Weekend

5. "Brothers" - Black Keys

Keep in mind, these could very easily change by the end of the year. I also feel I'm forgetting something. I really do like "Teen Dream" by Beach House too. We'll see.

My biggest disappointments so far are:

1. "Heaven Is Whenever" - Hold Steady

I'm really just not digging the production style on this at all. The back-up vocals almost sound auto-tuned, which doesn't fit with the Hold Steady. Franz's absence is noticeable.

2. "Infinite Arms" - Band Of Horses

These songs are just not nearly as good as their last two records. I hate that, because I'm a huge fan of their last two records.

3. "The Big To-Do" - Drive-By Truckers

At first I thought this record was awful, now it's growing on me a little bit. However, I don't think it's nearly as good as anything they've put out in the past 10 years, even "A Blessing And A Curse".

I'm not saying these 3 records are awful, I'm just disappointed by them. I really like the Hold Steady, I guess I was just waiting on another "Separation Sunday."

I'm out.

-toby

It was a pretty crazy weekend.

2010-04-25T20:55:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

I'm really trying to get more consistent in updating this thing.

What does everyone think about the new picture? You should see it right above this post. I'm kinda digging it. FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS. Thanks to Elliott McPherson for taking the picture.

So on to this past weekend, Friday night was the much anticipated return of Moonlight Towers to the Golden Triangle. It was a fun show. I thought they played great. I was really happy with our performance as well. James even joined us for Rockin' In The Free World. So that was cool. It was most definitely an interesting night. We sold some CD's, which is always a plus. Thank you to each and every one of you who came out.

On Saturday, we had to wake up early in the morning and get our asses to Memphis for the next show. The thing we played at was called a Rock'n'Romp. It was an incredible event. Honestly, I was more impressed by this thing than anything we've been a part of. I'm not sure of all the details, but apparently some Memphis musicians/parents started this thing to get their children involved in the local music/arts scene. Which is a brilliant idea. They treated us incredibly well. Over 500 people were in attendence, even though there was a thunderstorm happening. The fact that it's only 5 dollars to get in and you get to see some great music, eat food, and all kids get in free make this a great time. Really, thank you Memphis. We'll be back, I assure you.

Now, it's 9 o'clock on Sunday night. I've got our new copy of "The Moon and Antarctica" from Record Store Day on the turntable. I hope everyone is doing well.

We play Egan's this coming Friday, there's nothing like coming home.

-toby

Currently listening: "The Moon and Antarctica" - Modest Mouse.

I already said this. But this is a phenomenal record. Give it a chance.

On the eve of the big day...

2010-04-22T20:38:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

First off, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who's ever come to a show, bought a record, heard a song, or anything. We've been at it about 3 years or so and really appreciate all the support we've had over these years. I feel we have a ton of years left in us. We couldn't do it without y'all, and we are very thankful of it.

Last Saturday was Record Store Day. Now I think this thing is a wonderful idea for the independent music community. It gives me, at least, a sense of feeling like I belong to something special. We celebrated the day at Oz Music in good ole Tuscaloosa, AL. Roll Tide. We got to pick up some really cool exclusives, including a sweet John Lennon singles thing, and got to watch some killer bands play. Actually, we played also. It went great. The crowd was phenomenal, there was a good amount of people there, we got to play to a ton of new faces. Just a very cool experience and event. I'm sure it will keep growing also. That excites me.

This night is the eve of two very big events in my life.

The first one is we're going to be sharing the stage with Moonlight Towers at the Ritz Theatre in West Point, MS. This is a big deal for a few reasons. James Stevens, the lead singer for Moonlight Towers, produced our first record over a year ago in Austin, TX at EAR. He also happens to be a West Point native. Now being from the Golden Triangle myself, I take great pride in it's music scene. I think it's great that we'll be playing a show together. Almost two years ago, we played with the Towers at Zachary's in Columbus, MS. We were a completely different band at that point. I apologize to everyone at that show. I swear we've gotten better. James took us under his wing and helped us grow into the band we are today. We couldn't thank him more.

Again, this show is at the Ritz Theatre in West Point, MS. Doors open at 8. 20 dollar cover. We should start around 9, with Moonlight Towers following us.

Another reason tomorrow is special:

I'll be turning 20 years old. As Mr. Bond says, "You're leavin' your teens behind." Now, the feelings I have right now are kind of odd. It feels weird to be leaving my teens behind. The oldest member in the band besides me is only 17. So I guess I just feel like I'm leaving something behind. I am excited about what my twenties will bring. I'm hopeful that I won't go too crazy. Someone today told me, it's all downhill from here. I refuse to believe that. I'm going to make it bigger and better.

Also, our next record might be called "Military Road." I'm positively thrilled with how the songs are coming along. I hope you all like it too.

-toby

Taste of the day:

Neil Young - "Tonight's The Night"

I've never been the biggest Neil Young fan, but this one turned me into it. Listen to it yourself and hear why.

Thank you all so much. We love you.

It's been far too long.

2010-04-13T17:54:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

It's been a little over a month since the last post. I hope everyone's doing pretty well.

We're doing well as a band.

We have a few updates.

Max got a new drum kit. It's pretty damn cool. Covered in houndstooth. Roll Tide.

We've been demoing a lot of songs for our next record. We've got 5 done. We'll put out a new record before the year's out. I guarantee it. They're sounding really good. Pretty different for us. Really Southern. But good Southern.

SXSW was a great time for us. We were honored to play there and our show went really really well. Moonlight Towers killed it as well. We were lucky enough to see some great shows that week. My favorite band by far was the Morning Benders. Exceptional band, as well as being really nice guys.

As much fun as we had that week we were also devastated by the news that Alex Chilton had passed away. Chilton is best known as the voice of the Box-Tops and Big Star. Alex Chilton was a musical genius in every way imaginable. When I first heard a Big Star record, I was literally blown away. He wrote what I consider to be the greatest power-pop song of all time, "September Gurls." The music world suffered the loss of an irreplaceable figure. It's a shame more people don't know about Chilton and Big Star. I could rave and rave about him/them, but it won't do any good till you go out and buy one of their records. It doesn't even matter which one, "#1 Record," "Radio City," and "Third/Sister Lovers" all show what an incredible band they were. Mr. Chilton, we will miss you deeply.

This Saturday is Record Store Day. Everyone in the general area should come to Oz Music. We'll be playing around 3. Also, I believe every other band on the Hackberry Records roster will be playing as well. It should be a fun day. Exclusive releases look to be pretty good. Fuck Super Bulldog Weekend Starkville, drive an hour down 82 and throw down for A Day in T-Town.

The next weekend will be really cool for us as well.

Friday, April 23rd we'll be playing at the Ritz Theatre in West Point, MS with Moonlight Towers. This will be Moonlight Towers' first Golden Triangle show in 2 years. We're thrilled to be sharing the stage with them yet again. This show just happens to take place on my 20th birthday and there's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be. So come out. Throw down.

On April 24th we'll be playing at a Rock'N'Romp in Memphis. This will be our first Memphis show in a long time, so we hope to see all you guys come out. This is geared towards toddlers and parents so it should be quite interesting.

Thank you all.

-toby

Taste of the day

"Third/Sister Lovers" by Big Star. It's a shame about the passing of Alex Chilton. Listen to this record and revel in his genius.

More updates....

2010-02-26T10:00:00.003-06:00

Hello friends and family,

We're excited about a lot of things coming up.

For one, we're playing at Mellow Mushroom tonight for SweetDog's birthday with Baak Gwai, River City Tanlines, and Jeff Evans and his Southern Aces. I'm telling you, this will be a phenomenal concert. PHENOMENAL. I promise.

Tomorrow night, we'll be playing at the Heritage Academy Beauty Review. Now this event is ironic for me as I have previously vowed never to step foot in my former high school again. But I will be there. We're only playing for 15 - 20 minutes so we'll play some interesting things.

Our big news of the week is that we will officially be at SXSW.

It's the Pop Culture Press party at the Dog and Duck Pub on Thursday, March 18th. I believe we'll be playing around 1 p.m.

Other bands on the bill include, Moonlight Towers, Service Industry, and the Meat Puppets. This will be our first show in Austin since July, so we're very very excited to be playing. It's an honor for us.

New Record news:

Still writing songs. We have almost 7 done. I believe that we will solely release our next record on vinyl, with options for digital downloads and what not. There's no point in putting out a CD when all people do is just buy it, then put it on their computer, then lose the CD. So yeah, that's my take on it. I plan on having it out by the end of the year.

Thank you all,

-toby

Currently Listening - "Hardwire Healing" by Dexateens. Southern rock'n'roll. Listen to it. See them live.

New Things....

2010-02-16T16:15:00.002-06:00

Hello all,

I apologize that it's been 2 months since the last update. My top records of the decade list was shit. I'll admit it. I have no idea what I was thinking I feel like an idiot.

We've been playing shows left and right. Writing new songs. Getting beaten up by women.

Some new song titles:

Don't Know What You Want

I Think I Want To Love You

Out At Sea

58 Degrees With Sprinkles

Baby, I Need You

Those 5 are done. They're evolving more and more with every show. I forgot how exciting it is to play new material. The reaction so far is great, but I wouldn't tell you if it was bad. So you'll have to form your own opinion.

I'm really wanting to record soon. We've got to finish up 5 or 6 more songs then we'll hit the studio. This record will be very different. A lot of keys. A lot of background vocals, but not in the same way as the last record. More textures. Not as simple as the last one. Hopefully, we'll be able to better capture our live performance on the new record. Our punk influence is so far nonexistent on these songs. But who knows? My favorite is "I Think I Want To Love You." Prepare to hear some profanities this time round. Nothing too bad. But some of these songs are very angry lyrically. I really hope people like it. It'll be different for us. I'd like to have a new record out within the next 5 or 6 months. Maybe sooner. This album will definitely mesh better than the last one, not that the last one was erratic. These songs perfectly portray our recent emotions about life.

We'll be playing SXSW in Austin this year. I'm not sure of the exact place. I believe we're playing with the Meat Puppets, Moonlight Towers, and the Service Industry. I love Austin with all of my heart.

We're playing Sweetdog's birthday on Friday, February 26th at the Mellow Mushroom in Tuscaloosa. There's some great bands on the bill, so make sure to come out.

We're playing at the Heritage Academy Beauty Review in Columbus, MS on February 27th. Yes, the Heritage Academy Beauty Review. It'll be hilarious to put my feet in my former high school again. We're going to open with "The Road." Whether it'll be extended or not, I have no idea.

We're all trucking away through high school and college. Or trying to truck through I should say.

Our grandfather, Jimmy Jordan, joined us onstage for "Rockin In The Free World" last Saturday. Never has that song been so powerful.

We love each and every one of you.

Hope all's well,

-toby

Currently Listening -

"Transference" by Spoon. Goodness, this record is phenomenal. It's on the turntable at Coleman's house right now actually. If you haven't listened to this, go do so now. Don't read the pathetic review in The Reflector. It sounds great.

The Motions' top records of the decade...

2009-12-20T18:19:00.003-06:00

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....

2009-11-18T12:00:00.002-06:00

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....

2009-10-16T12:13:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-10-10T19:06:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-10-09T12:19:00.004-05:00

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.....

2009-10-02T11:57:00.002-05:00

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....

2009-09-30T12:02:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-09-28T12:11:00.002-05:00

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....

2009-08-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

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....

2009-07-16T15:02:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-07-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

New blog coming soon.

End of high school.

2009-04-21T21:09:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-04-19T16:30:00.002-05:00

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....

2009-04-15T11:54:00.002-05:00

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....

2009-03-02T23:38:00.002-06:00

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...

2009-01-25T21:44:00.003-06:00

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.....

2009-01-14T02:19:00.002-06:00

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....

2009-01-09T14:23:00.001-06:00

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...

2009-01-08T00:26:00.002-06:00

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

Tracklisting....

2008-12-10T23:25:00.002-06:00

I've got to settle on this. I guess I've never actually tried to sit down and sequence an album.

Here's what I got so far.

1. Little Bit Of Fiction

2. Free Again

3. Off Guard

4. Drink Away Your Pain

5. Goodbye

6. Friday Night Girl

7. The Way It Is

8. Fallen

9. Intertwined Mind

10. The Road

How is that?

That might be how it ends up.

We've got a tentative release date of January 20th. Whether that will stick or not is beyond me.

I'm going to try and not let this turn into a Chinese Democracy type deal but I'm not promising anything.

I'm going to start on liner notes.

Toby

We're trying to get things done...

2008-12-07T23:25:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone.

Sorry it's been a bit since we posted anything. Not much has happened lately. We played a crappy acoustic opening set at Dave's Friday. I broke TWO strings. Not one, but two. Never in my life has that happened. I wish I could drink away that pain. But bands always have a bad show at some point. Hopefully we'll redeem ourselves at our next show. We're still working on getting our CD mastered and pressed. We've just got to come up with some money.

I've actually been writing quite a bit lately. But the songs are just kinda old sounding folk songs. I think they sound really great. I've been listening to a lot of Avett Brothers and Neil Young lately so that could be the reason. One day we'll probably record a folk album. Maybe just an E.P.

I've started my year end list but I keep changing it so I'll post it up here at some point before the year's over. Christmas is also coming up. I love this season. Not the fact that everyone gives gifts or anything. I just think it's a wonderful time of the year.

Well, ok guys. Keep it real. Ha.

Toby

Our 1st Record is complete.

2008-11-29T19:36:00.002-06:00

God. It feels amazing to be able to say that. 2 years of writing and we finally accomplished our dream. The "tentative tracklist" is as follows:

1. Little Bit Of Fiction

2. Fallen

3. Off Guard

4. The Way It Is

5. Drink Away Your Pain

6. Goodbye

7. Friday Night Girl

8. Free Again

9. Intertwined Mind

10. The Road

We're incredibly happy with the results of all our hard work. We're kinda broke right now so it might be a bit before we get it mastered. But that's a necessary thing. We're going to try to work something out with Hackberry Records to help us release it. They're some really great guys from Tuscaloosa. I think the title of it is going to be "Little Bit Of Fiction". It's a pretty consistent record I think. Made on energy from Aranda's breakfast tacos and coffee. I hope we channeled some of our Southern influences. I'm really happy in particular with "Drink Away Your Pain." I really put some emotion into that one. We might work on a music video here sometime soon. Chase and Miles have been getting into stop-motion animation lately so that's a possibility. We're heavily considering adding an "s" to our name. "The Motions" sounds a little better to me. We're working on some shows. It's hard to really do anything during the school year because of school and things. But there's definitely some summer tour plans being talked about. Well ok. I've said a lot. We hope to have the record out by February or so. So thanks for the support!!!

Toby

Well boys and girls, it's almost Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T13:28:00.003-06:00

I was supposed to update this the other night cause I told Toby I would, but I forgot...ehh.

owel.

Anyway. Well Toby and the rest of the boys get back from Austin today, so it'll be a good homecoming reunion for them. We're all pretty excited here to hear exactly what all they've got accomplished. They finished the other five songs to complete the cd so it's good to finally get everything together and finished up.

welp aside from that, Turkey Day, as my dearest mother calls it, is comin' up, so y'all better be puttin' together all the things you're thankful for. We know we sure will be.

I already know what we're thankful for: all of our adoring fans.

aww ain't that sweet.

Anyways, ya'll have yourselves a wonderful holiday and ya'll will be hearin' from us soon.

, Chase

I've got some free time...

2008-11-20T16:02:00.002-06:00

So I made it safely to Austin. God I love this city. It's beautiful. First thing I did this morning was go to Waterloo Records. I blew some money on The Hold Steady and The Black Keys records. What the heck. They could use it I guess. Next I got some delicious breakfast tacos from Arandas. Then I headed over to the studio to set everything up. It went well. We begin recording tomorrow. We're excited. Max and Miles should arrive any minute. As I sit here in the hotel room I'm listening to the free stream of Chinese Democracy on Myspace. Wow. I'm pretty underwhelmed. I don't really know what I was expecting though. There's some pretty cool Buckethead solos if you're into that kind of thing. But the album kinda sucks. Come on Axl. Call Slash. Well ok guys. Wish me luck for tomorrow. And I hope Chase is enjoying Mississippi.

Toby

Getting ready for the trip...

2008-11-17T16:52:00.002-06:00

While I am not near the master with words as Mr. Shaw is, I am going to try to put into words my excitement for our upcoming trip to Austin.

There is no other city I've ever had the pleasure of visiting with the culture of Austin. It's got all the bases covered. Great food, great people, and AMAZING music. Our first trip up there was truly a lifetime experience.

The studio we call home is known as EAR (East Austin Recorders) Studios. The main tracking room is huge. It is really great. It's housed some incredible bands. The owner operator is named James Michael Stevens. He really helped develop our sound and gave a certain Austin flavor to most of the songs.

The 5 songs we will be recording this time are all pretty new. I'm certain that the finished products will be vastly different than the way they sound now. We unveiled one new song Friday at the Princess and got a pretty good reaction. Two of the songs are ones we did a year ago in Memphis (don't get me started on that trip). I guess the closest I can describe our new sound is kind of a mixture of folk and Kinks type garage rock. We're starting to really embrace our Southern influences in our music. Chase has been an amazing addition on the guitar. It's nice being able to sit back and just play some rythymm. After we get back from Austin I plan on immediately starting to write some more and to really integrate everyone into the writing process.

Well I guess this is long enough for now. I'll write something tomorrow as well. I'll probably be ready to explode from excitement. Breakfast Tacos!!! Here I come!!!!

Toby

Everybody's leavin' me for Austin...

2008-11-16T23:23:00.005-06:00

Well it seems that no other member of the band is going to update this, so I suppose it's up to me to pick up the pieces again (this is Chase, by the way). But no, I'm only kidding.

So the show Friday night was a blast. It turned out really really good. Our good friend Johnathan Bell jammed with us a bit on a few songs, so we just had a lot of fun with friends that night. It felt good to be back rockin' out with guys, I must say. Heck it just feels good to be back playin' some good ol' rock n' roll.

This week the rest of the crew is headin' to Austin, Texas to record five more songs and finish up the cd. I would've been going with them, but alas, college work is a lot more important than that silly high school stuff, so i've got to stay home and tough it out with my curriculum. I wish the best of luck to the rest of the guys though, and i'm sure they'll come out with five more great songs.

Welp, I think this has been a long enough post, so i'm going to get some rest for the upcoming week. Ya'll take it easy, and we'll be seeing you soon.

, Chase

It ain't the size of the ship guys

2008-11-12T21:09:00.002-06:00

So uh, we have a show this Friday. This will be the first show I (Chase) have played in a long time with The Motion. The last time I played with this band they were called Motion Sickness. What a dumb name. Just kidding. So yea, it's been good to be back playing with all the guys again. I used to play keys, but now i'm back on the git-fiddle. Feels good to be runnin' them strings. I'm excited for this weekend. It looks to be a promising show, so we'll see how it turns out. Everybody come out, you'll have a lot of fun.

This blog looks like crap. I'm in the process of messing with some HTML to fix it up and whatnot, so bear with it for a little longer and we'll have it lookin' nice in no time.

, Chase

I guess I should be the first person to post one of these....

2008-11-11T18:28:00.002-06:00

Yeah. I might be the only one who ever posts here. But that's ok I guess. The last few months have been incredibly productive as a band. We've gotten a saxophone player, a new guitar player and we've written some great new songs. We're heading out to Austin TX next Thursday to finish recording our debut record. We've already finished 5 songs and I for one am incredibly proud of what we accomplished. These next 5 songs we will be recording I like even more than the old ones. The new songs have a definite sense of southernness which we've never really embraced before. Chase has added some sweet slide parts as well. Yep. I think this is a pretty good 2nd post. I'm proud of it. I won't always talk about the band on here. Today was just a good starting point.

Toby

In the beginning.....

2008-11-10T13:16:00.002-06:00

This is where we'll all be able to post our thoughts on whatever we please. It'll start pretty soon. This will keep you up to date on all the happenings in our lives. I've been meaning to set one of these things up for a while. Just keep reading and comment if you feel like it.