Alright folks, this is probably the last post I’m going to make on this site before everything moves over to the new band website, mercutiomusic.com. This is exciting news! It means more updates, a better picture of what’s going on with our music (since it’s never been just me or just Michael), and a sexy new appearance… I think we look good in red. So don’t fret. </guitar joke>

Meanwhile, we’ve been playing in places that look like this:

As always, we’re busy with shows and promotional chores. We’re sending out scores of CDs for review by music blogs, radio stations, and the like. It sounds like drudgery, but after enough Sharpie fumes and envelope adhesive on your tongue everything feels great. We’ve got one more show this month and it’s tomorrow, October 28th, at Charley’s in Lynchburg. After that, we officially begin playing as “Mercutio” and selling our new music. Wish us luck, or better yet come out and see a show!

As a closing shot, here’s an anecdotal photograph of the free food we received at a recent performance, titled “Playing for Peanuts.” Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll keep up with me at our new website, http://mercutiomusic.com. See you on the other side!

Our 100th show at Byers Street Bistro turned out to be quite a party, after a relaxing day strolling around Gypsy Hill Park and a fun stop by Huss & Dalton guitars– thanks to Jeff for the great tour of the factory!

The highlight of the month so far has been the 2011 Wine & Garlic Festival at Rebec Winery. I’ve been going to the Garlic Festival since I moved to Virginia and this year was the largest turnout I’ve seen. We met a ton of people, saw familiar faces from shows in Lynchburg and Charlottesville, and had an awesome time tasting wine and strolling around enjoying the food and music. I’m already getting excited for next year!

We’ve also hit up a few new venues this month (thanks to Tori at Weezie’s, Patrick at Clare and Don’s, and June at Milano’s for making us feel welcome!) and there are a few more on the way. For now, our focus remains on getting the CD out– it’s being pressed now and it’s on the way, but there’s still a lot of set-up work left to do. We’ll be previewing a few tracks and playing a couple more live this Tuesday night, October 18, at midnight on WNRN. We went on Dave’s show The Localmotive when we released our solo CDs (the music that’s on this site) in 2009, and I’m stoked to be back on the air with some new tunes! Listen in live (you can stream from WNRN’s site, too) and let me know what you think of the new sound!

This month of September marks a couple of pretty big achievements for me: one being that I write now on the eve of our 100th show of the year, and it also marks a full year since I started paying the bills with music. I think those are two things to feel pretty good about!

It’s also been a wild month– we performed at Rebec Winery’s first Wine and Music Labor Day Fest as well as Charlottesville’s second Midtown Street Fair, tried out a couple of new venues, made some great new connections, ate tons and tons of delicious food– and we’re not finished yet. October is going to be even busier for us, with the Garlic Festival and other winery shows, six new venues, and a pre-release show in Lynchburg on the 28th.

Of course, I had to save the best news for last:
The release date for our EP is set for November 1.
Mike and I have put so much planning and preparation into this, weathered a hard drive failure and a deported drummer among other dramas, and now it’s here. Michael has been hard at work on our new website, for which I’m also very excited– no more bouncing between our two pages!

Finally, here’s Mike with a kitten:

I had a very refreshing vacation in upstate New York. I won’t make anyone jealous by describing all the incredible food I experienced, but here’s a shot of Lake Ontario:

I also had the chance to attend almost a full week of concert and checked out acts like Stone Temple Pilots, Bright Eyes, Dropkick Murphys, Seether, Sick Puppies, Barenaked Ladies, The Mountain Goats, Airborne Toxic Event, and a bunch of other great show. I guess I picked the right time to go north!

Mike arrived back home hours after I did, via Hogwart’s Express, and we kicked off our return with a mini-tour encompassing Virginia Beach to Lynchburg, Fredericksburg to Fredrick, Maryland. Friends were made and strings were broken.

Also, I have a new, hand-built amp, courtesy of Oz Osborne and NY Amps. This is definitely gonna come in handy when I’m recording…

Mike & I have had a blast this July.

The weather’s been sweltering and we’ve been outside providing the soundtrack, from the farmer’s market in downtown Roanoke to a national barbeque competition/antique car show nestled in the hills of scenic Louisa County. Just yesterday morning (specifically, 4:30am) we returned from an 11-day jaunt that crisscrossed the state and brought us to some fun, new spots and a handful of our old favorites. Thanks to everyone who graciously donated a couch, a meal, or anything else– Terry and Roberta, Bryan, Kyle, Jay, Pete and Mark and the gang, Hayden, Luke and Chelsea, and thanks to Al and Rhonda for the drinks!

It’s time for summer vacation! We’re incredibly happy to be so busy this year, and even though we love playing, me and Michael need some time to recharge our batteries from all this hustling. (We’re people, too!) Mike will be going with his family to the beautiful shores of New England and I’ll be between the Great Lakes and the Finger Lakes in the great state of New York. I’ll toss up a post while I’m vacationing if I think of it, but otherwise– see you in August!

I suppose I owe an explanation for not writing about the 21 shows I’ve played since I last checked in 33 days ago… the short answer is, I was having fun.

We two gents from Lynchburg have had a marvelous spring, traveling down to North Carolina for a few days of bar shows and festivals, bopping around the heartland of our homestate, over to the beach, three different Capitals, all the way up to the marinas by D.C. and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. I don’t often get to sit and reflect on how busy Mike and I really are, but I’m happy to report that business is good. Getting busier, too– as we finalize a few musical details of our next release, deadlines start to appear, with crazy names like “CD ships off to press” and, “possible release party?” I’m only hoping that the new gas grill sitting in the backyard will come in handy soon…

Summer 2011 begins tomorrow, and we’ll not slouch until our next weekend of performances in Charlottesville, Baltimore, and Richmond. I’m updating the events page as well– check it and come out to a performance to see what all the fuss is about!

Our performance at the State Championship Chili Cook-off in Roanoke was better even than I’d been expecting. Of course, the chili was delicious, and the old flatbed car-turned-stage was a fun setting for our show. We played in between two other excellent bands, then explored Roanoke for the afternoon and finished up with an evening show at 419 West. Speaking of billboards:

Here’s an especially creative attempt to transform my name and Mike’s into one performer, the so-called Michael Jeffeory. Think of it as Captain Planet, but with music.

Our performances at JM Randall’s in Williamsburg and Maya in Charlottesville both went uncannily well. We got a huge response from both crowds and more generosity thrown at us than usual, signs which I take to mean that we’re improving as performers.

The adventure continues shortly after I post this update, as we head to three performances in Staunton, Fredericksburg, and Charlottesville, followed by a two-day jaunt at the 2011 Art on the Vine Festival, with one performance in Raleigh in between. We’ll have a day or two to catch some rest (and perhaps the end of the air show?) before we head out again next Wednesday. Until next time!

We had a great time performing at the White Hart in downtown Lynchburg this past weekend, thanks to all our friends who turned out to show their support! I always look forward to performing here, there’s something very relaxing and familiar about hometown shows. Look for us at the Neighbors Place this July!

May is underway, and I’ll have plenty of chances this month (along with Mike) to sample the art and culture of the near South, beginning this Saturday, May 7, with the VA State Championship Chili Cook-Off in Roanoke. It is a fact well-established by those close to me that I am a man who loves all foods, yet I cannot over-emphasize how excited I am for a bloated afternoon of free chili and beer. I’ve even got until 8pm that night to get myself in shape for a post-chili performance at 419 West.

The waning days of May will find in Mebane, North Carolina, for a two-day performance at Art on the Vine 2011 (May 21-22), a fantastic event celebrating all types of arts and skilled crafts, live music, and of course plenty of handmade, local wine. The after-party following the opening festivities on Saturday the 21st is in Raleigh at Ruckus Pizza, which is always a raucous good time. Naturally, we’re playing about 500 other shows from Staunton to Baltimore, so check out my events page for the full scoop on where we’ll be. Lastly, don’t forget to go outside and revel in the glory of spring!

I’ve met many people who have never heard of a “Geoffrey” before (not even Geoffrey the Giraffe, literary mega-star Geoffrey Chaucer, or clothier Geoffrey Beene), and in our many travels I’ve seen a few creative spellings of my own name. I find it more amusing than irritating, and sometimes they’re just downright comedic:

It’s been a crazy, crazy couple of weeks since my last update. Michael, unfortunately, has had to deal with several personal tragedies in a row, while we maintain our busy touring schedule. Last Saturday, North Carolina was sacked by 62 separate tornadoes, the same day that we were scheduled to play at our favorite Raleigh bar, Ruckus Pizza. We decided to take a chance and drove down on the very tail-end of the storms, though we didn’t avoid seeing the aftermath:

Yesterday morning, a grease fire broke out at Four Courts in Arlington, where we were supposed to perform that night. No one was hurt and according to the GM, our friend Dave, they’ll be up and running again in a week. For us, the wait will be a little longer, but our next show at Four Courts will be even sweeter. I also received the sad news today that The Whistling Oyster, where we were scheduled to perform this Saturday and again on Thursday, May 5, is closing its doors for now. Not all is doom and gloom, though; we’ve still got three excellent performances lined up for this month, and the fun really begins again in May. Check out the events page and come see us play!

Well now, I’ve been all over with Mike in the last two months, including our first (and second, third… fifth) time playing in Baltimore. The people we’ve met so far have all been really great, charitable folks and generally fun to be around. We’re going back for three more shows this month, and I can’t to check out two new venues. We’ve actually got quite a few shows lined up this month:

• 4/8: kybecca wine bar (Fredericksburg, VA)
• 4/9: The James Joyce pub (Baltimore, MD)
• 4/15: 419 West (Roanoke, VA)
• 4/16: Ruckus Pizza (Raleigh, NC)
• 4/20: Ireland’s Four Courts (Arlington, VA)
• 4/21: Byer’s Street Bistro (Staunton, VA)
• 4/22: Leadbetter’s Tavern (Baltimore, MD)
• 4/23: The Whistling Oyster (Baltimore, MD)
• 4/30: The White Hart (Lynchburg, VA)

We’re ending a great month with a hometown show at the White Hart (as seen in the New York Times) before May’s outdoor festival madness hits. Spring is definitely in the air, and on my car, and sometimes in my eyes, but at least it’s finally warm enough to ride my bike.