Drums and Thumbs

Hello folks!

Sadness filled the Werepire Day cup when we learned that Neal was moving.  Lucky for us all, he worked on some new songs with me and went in to put them to tape before going.  Those tracks will be part of the still-progressing next Werepire Day record.

Twin moons aligned, however, and our sadness morphed into excitement and panic;  last week we held our first practice with new drummer, Ryan, who is joining our treasure trove of radical skinsmen.  Ryan also plays in the punk band Nard Voris, and the metal/grind outfit We the Prey.  Additionally, he just got back from a European tour drumming for Juicehead as they opened for the Misfits.  So, a few practices in, and Ryan knows 9 songs, and tomorrow night (Friday the 13th) this version of Werepire Day is born into the world as we open for the Forecast at their record release show in Peoria!  If you are free, please consider venturing out, as this will be a fantastic show filled with friends.

If you can't make it to that show, you will have a couple of other opportunities to see this version of Werepire Day as we are playing a couple of big shows over the next month (info in the Shows section).

Lastly, some video of Neal's last set with us at Township (formerly Panchos) in Chicago should be showing up soon!

Stay sweet,

Chris + Werepire Day

Go West, Young Man

Thanks to the McLean County MissFits roller derby league for having us play their fundraiser last week!  We had a blast doing songs by Screeching Weasel, the Mummies, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Police, the Replacements, and the Ramones (that's a LOT of "the" bands), along with a handful of our own.

Two of the remaining shows we have this month will be must-sees.  The reason for this is that they will be the last two shows (for a long time at the very least) we play with our friend Neal behind the drums.  The first show is in Bloomington, IL this coming Saturday, and the other is Thursday, March 29th at Township (formerly Pancho's) in Chicago.  All info is in the shows section, but note that we'll be playing with lots of our buddies: Jared Grabb, Witch Feet, Rollo Tomasi, Nard Voris, A Hidden Agenda, and the Drop Dead. These shows should be festive, and kind of nuts.  Neal is moving to the Pacific NW very shortly after that Chicago show.  Please come to one of these two dates and wish him well!

The last bit of news is that Spring is coming, and that's rad.  This next few months should finally bring our debut EP, Redefiner, on vinyl, not to mention further movement on our full-length follow-up! The web page has been updated with photos from several of our shows this year thus far.  Also, wheels are in motion to keep the three-drummer tradition that we've employed going with the possible, eventual welcome of another drummer into our fold!  Check back soon for an announcement of sorts.

Thanks and such,

Chris + Werepire Day

Leapt Year

Greetings, friends and eventual friends!

This winter has been mild in terms of Midwest weather, and anything but in terms of Werepire Day!

We played several great shows to start the year, including the third anual Mates Fest in Peoria. With the combined efforts of 8 other bands/performers, we were able to raise nearly $400 for TAPS (Tazewell Animal Protective Society), a great local no-kill animal shelter.  On a side note, this show featured our buddy Tom on drums.

One week later, Werepire Day made its Castle Theatre debut in Bloomington.  Despite sleep deprivation, we rocked that place along with our friends, the Devout Sinners, and Midwest punk rock institution, the Pimps. This one featured our friend Tim on drums, and hopefully we get the chance to play that stage again soon!

Lastly, a couple weekends ago we played a top-notch show at the Firehouse in Normal.  We played alongside Pretty Boy Thorson & the Falling Angels from Minneapolis, and The Textbook Comittee, a spectacular Guided By Voices tribute band out of Chicago.  We performed this set with Neal on drums. This was a killer night; needless to say, we all slept quite late the next day.

The show at Firehouse came on the heels of the start of recording for the full-length follow-up to our debut EP, Redefiner.  Neal, Bri Guy, and I went into Earth Analog Studios in Tolono, IL with engineer Matt Talbott, and cut the basic tracks for 7 new songs.  Soon we'll head back in to finish those up, and hopefully shortly after go in with our other drummer(s) to do even more songs.  It will be a little while before you get a chance to hear these recordings, but let me say that thus far they sound huge!

Okay, thanks for stopping by.  We have a few cool shows lined up for the month of March (check them out in the Shows section), including the last two (for quite a long time, at least) with Neal on drums (he is moving West in a month).  We are also working on setting up a benefit show for Equality Illinois in the name of marriage equality on Saturday, April 28th.  Be on the lookout for that information soon!

Peace,

Chris + Werepire Day

Do you remember December?

Yes, and it happens every year.

Hey folks, we hope 2011 has treated you kindly.  We had a great year, seeing the release of our debut EP on cd.  We also played a bunch of shows with good friends, and we made some new friends in assorted touring acts.  "Werepire Day" also revealed itself (third person talk?!) to be a collective of sorts, playing with no less than FIVE different drummers between live performances and recordings.  We introduced Cody, our 2nd guitarist, in January, and he subsequently resigned in October after ten months of fun and great contributions.  We're closing out 2011 with the holiday version of Werepire Day (2 piece: Chris and Neal) on December 30th as part of a radical show at Firehouse Pizza in Normal (details in show section).

2012 will see "Redefiner" released on 12" vinyl, along with a limited cassette EP of all new songs in the first few months.  We also now have a couple of shirt designs available, and will have a couple more soon, along with buttons and stickers.  The cover image for Redefiner is below:

Thank you for visiting, and we hope to be on your stereo or computer, or on a floor or stage in front of you in the coming months.  Here's to a progressive 2012!

November progress report.

Two shows so far this month, and they were doozies!

Sad Family, D.S. Yancey, JFK Didn't Even See It Coming, and Lost in Time in Peoria?  It was an honor to play with that varied group of skilled performers, and they're all so kind.  And Champs West?  Welcome back to occasional venue-dome, banquet room!

Last night we had the pleasure of opening up for a double bill of Pennsylvania goodness at Firehouse Pizza in Normal.  The turnout was pretty good for a Wednesday.  We felt our set went exceptionally well, and then Luther (from Philly) solidy grooved me out of my mind.  They were great fun.  Luckily the killer pizza (made by Steven...thanks!) kept me in check.  Tom May followed.  He sings and plays guitar in the Menzingers, who seriously rocked me (and about 2,000 others) at Riot Fest in Chicago last month.  Solo, he's engaging, sincere, and very enjoyable.  He finished his set with Luther coming up and backing him. They bashed through a couple of covers, including Dancing in the Dark and Bastards of Young.  Good stuff, gents, good stuff.

Now, the two Thinker Thought Records Ten Year Anniversary shows are looming on the horizen. Saturday, November 19, and Sunday, November 20, we'll take our Peoria lineup and join up with a plethora of Thinker Thought Records artists.  Details are in the shows section. Needless to say, these are shows not to miss!  Epic stuff, you'll see.

The shows also celebrate the digital release of the compilation, Ten Years of Thinker Thought. Specifics of our contributions are in the last post.  Just grab it here, as it's an incredible bargain for a strong collection of songs by an eclectic mix of bands.  

Dig it!