http://virb.com/6kdesign Welcome to the VIRB Home for 6K Design and Altpad.com My name is Zack, I'm a graphic designer out of Iowa City. My passion for design is second only to my love of music. Music influences all the work I do, it is my inspiration. With out one the other would simply not be the same. I established 6K Design in 2004 and so far I have specialized in web development and logo creation. Saying that, I enjoy all aspects of design; typography, layout and especially photography. My passion for design continues to grow and I love to see what others are doing. If you like what you see, or think I might like what you've done, please let me know. One of my favorite Quotes: It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. -Theodore Roosevelt "Profile best viewed in Firefox"]]> Virb 2.0 (@6kdesign) en http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2166741 Wednesday 3/4
Po' Girl
The Mill
$10 admission
8PM

Toubab Krewe
The Yacht Club
Price: $10
9pm

Thursday 3/5
The Blend
The Mill
$6 admission
9PM

The Bridge + Gilbe
The Yacht Club
Price: $7
9pm

Friday 3/6
Grooveship
The Mill
$6 admission
9PM

Heatbox with Clawthroat, Roster McCabe, and Frankie Lee
The Yacht Club
Price: $7
8pm

Murder By Death with Fake Problems, Sam Lowry
The Picador
ages: 19 and over
doors at 9:00pm

Saturday 3/7
Dave Zollo & the Body Electric
The Mill
$7 admission
9PM

Dennis McMurrin & The Demolition Band
The Yacht Club
Price: $6

Lucky Boys Confusion with Blue Island Tribe, Heart Set Self-Destruct, Backdrop
The Picador
ages: 19 and over
doors at 9:00pm

Sunday 3/8
Watchout! There's Ghosts with After Midnight Project, Kidnap The Sun
The Picador
ages: all ages
doors at 6:00pm

The Beggarmen
Englert Civic Theatre
General admission
8:00 PM]]> Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:12:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2166741 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2146669 Miles Nielsen with Shame Train, Cameron Mcgill and Samuel Locke Ward
The Mill
Saturday, February 28
Price: $6
Doors at 9:00pm

Miles Nielsen (of the Wandering Sons) brings his rock n' roll party to the Mill. From his great originals to the occasional spot-on Beatles cover, Nielsen's shows are always a blast. Opening the show is acclaimed Iowa City country rockers Shame Train, Cameron Mcgill and local lo-fi wizard Samuel Locke Ward.

http://www.myspace.com/milesnielsen]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:16:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2146669 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2145739 Family Groove Company + The White Tornado Outbreak
The Yacht Club
Saturday, February 28, 9pm
Price: $7

FGC integrates the groove sensibility developed by funk/jazz crossover artists like Herbie Hancock and Medeski, Martin, and Wood, with thoughtful, tight song writing that takes cues from the likes of Steely Dan and the Beatles. The result? An infectious, fresh sound the band calls "groove informed jazz/rock." In April 2006, FGC released their second studio album, The Charmer, and delivered on this sonic vision with uncommon clarity and excitement. Jazz harmonic ideas encounter thick grooves, and improvisation negotiates tight song writing, as each track brings shape and contour to the band’s sound. A fierce attentiveness to composition complements FGC’s passion for improvisation, and the band offers a sound that captivates audiences ranging from the most casual music fan to the most critical musician.

Iowa City's favorite astrophysics fusion funksters, The White Tornado Outbreak compete with the hornsmen of the apocolypse goes first. Batten down the hatches!

http://www.myspace.com/familygroovecompany
http://www.myspace.com/white2rnado]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:00:11 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2145739 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2145738 Daylight Savings Account with BlackBloom, The Post Mortems
The Picador
Saturday, February 28
Price: $5 / Ages: 19 and up
Doors at 9:00pm

Daylight Savings Account combines the talents of Adam Hartig, David Pauly, Jesse Luke, and Jeff Gonzalez to bring an extremely imaginative presence, and mystical approach to the table through it’s ethereal delivery and otherworldly soundscapes on electric tracks ranging from lullabyes to labyrinths.

http://www.daylightsavingsaccount.com/
http://www.myspace.com/blackbloom
http://www.myspace.com/thepostmortems]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:00:05 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2145738 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2118819 Burlington St. Bluegrass Band
The Mill
Wednesday, February 25
Music from 7 till 10 $5 cover

The house band will include members such as Al Murphy, Bob Black, Dale Thomas, Joe Petersen, and Aleta "the Hammer" Murphy and other IC Bluegrass giants.

http://www.myspace.com/theburlingtonstreetbluegrassband]]> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:05:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2118819 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2117351 These Arms Are Snakes with Darker My Love, All The Saints, Private Dancer
The Picador
Wednesday, February 25
ages: 19 and up
doors at 9:00pm

This concert comes highly recommended by Altpad.com

I first heard These Arms Are Snakes in 2004 on their release “Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home”. Their newest album “Tail Swallower & Dove” which was released in Oct. 2008 averages 5 stars on Amazon.com. They move through ten songs with the cracked grace of bolted lightning, rolling and leveling, seeking a space to storm into. The result is more a coherent whole album than a cycle of individual songs. From the textural depth of the keyboards and guitar tones to the vocal delivery, the attention to detail is incredible.

How These Arms Are Snakes Describe themselves: Four men with a chronic black cloud overhead. bitter, bummed out, and bored. people call us a lot of things. most of them are inaccurate. wish we could write pop songs. then we'd be rich. Go see the show ... But don’t get too close!

http://www.myspace.com/thesearmsaresnakes
http://www.myspace.com/darkermylove
http://www.myspace.com/allthesaints
http://www.myspace.com/privatedancerparty]]> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:56:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2117351 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2107536 University of Iowa Jazz Performance
The Mill
Tuesday, February 24
$3 for students with ID / $5 for everyone else / 9PM

This is a classic monthly event at the Mill. Students and Staff from the University Jazz Dept. display their talents on stage with a variety of ensembles representing different genres in the vast jazz form. To see some of the best Latin jazz, classic jazz, bebop, fusion and more stop by this wonderful event.]]> Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:59:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2107536 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2105897 Waka Winter Classic Battle of the Bands with The Uniphonics, Cirrus Minor, Public Property, Dr. Z's Experiment, Ephraim Zenh, Insectoid
The Picador
Tuesday, February 24
Price: $5 / Ages: 19 and over
Doors at 7pm

The Uniphonics:
In May 2007, The Uniphonics formed out of the Iowa City music scene to compete in Euforquestra’s Battle of the Bands for a performance slot at the annual music festival, Camp Euforia. Since then, they have been well received in many venues across Iowa and in Illinois. The Uniphonics are quickly becoming a staple in many venues and festivals across in the Tri-State area.

Imagine a sound that consolidates a plethora of musical styles into a tightly wound booty groove. Innovative jazz-funk infused hip-hop combined with MC Animosity’s passionate content driven lyrics creates a dance party atmosphere for everyone. Expect an interactive high energy performance that breaks the barrier between the musicians and audience. Join the rest of The Uniphonics Family and become a part of the show.
http://www.myspace.com/theuniphonics

Cirrus Minor:
In a state where blues and metal dominate the musical landscape, a void was growing. Depressing and angry music was in such abundance that the happy "party time" vibe of concerts in the past became harder and harder to find. Fans looking for an enjoyable, feel-good concert placated themselves with cover bands as the music scene seemed to be changing forever. So, in early 2008, a band was formed to try to bring the feel-good vibe of the big festivals (Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, 10K, etc...) to life at venues around the midwest; and to do so with original music. This band is Cirrus Minor.
http://www.myspace.com/cirrusminorusa

Public Property:
“Tight band arrangements with soaring Hammond B-3, bass and drum, intricate intertwined guitars weaving through sweet harmonies from backing vocalists Margaret Larson and Mareva Minerbi, tasty percussion and even a dash of ukulele, Public Property has a sound that is full-tilt reggae even though they don’t try to sing in fake patois and write original material that actually sounds original. Lots of syncopated rhythm breaks, bursts of pure groove and passionate musical interludes flesh out songs written by various band members . . .” -The Beat Magazine
http://www.myspace.com/publicprop

Dr. Z's Experiment:
Dr. Z's Experiment describes their music best as, "A unique talent of the group is the ability to go into a free vocal jam at any time, switch instruments inside of a set, or make spontaneous segues from the middle or end of one song into another song, or something totally new," states guitarist and lead vocalist Ryan Phelan. You can expect that these musicians will escape into a meditative internal state, a state in which they can hypnotize the audience with their devolving sounds. Dr. Z's Experiment comprises the elements of jazz, reggae, Latin, funk, hip-hop, and Afro-beat.
http://www.myspace.com/doctorzsexperiment

Ephraim Zenh:
"IC's Jamtastically Psychedelic Prog-Rock Trio" = "The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an 'objective correlative'; in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula for that particular emotion; such that, when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked." ~T.S. Eliot The history of Ephraim Zenh is too long and complex to tell; ergo, listen to the music.
http://www.myspace.com/ephraimzenh

Insectoid:
Insectoid is a mind-controlled reproductive experiment being conducted by members of a race of extra-terrestrial insect-like creatures. These creatures will hereafter be referred to as “insectoids” for the sake of brevity. This experiment requires complex signal generators, powerful audio-band amplification, and close-proximity human subjects, so it has been cleverly disguised as an early-21st century rock band.
http://www.myspace.com/insectoidcontrol]]> Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:53:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2105897 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2098225 One of my all-time favorite bands is coming to IC March 18th ... 311 is in the house baby!! Can't wait for this SCOPE show, been a fan of 311 since way back in the early 90's. You should try at all costs to get to this show. After over 15 years of making great music 311 is still rocking hard.

What SCOPE has to say about 311:
311 hails from Omaha, Nebraska and consists of vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum, vocalist/DJ SA Martinez, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton, and bassist P-Nut. The group formed a unique alternative ska-funk sound and its creative and multi-platinum achievements are only rivaled by its large fan base. With hits such as “Down,” “Come Original,” and “Amber;” 311 cemented its place on the touring circuit, as well as maintaining current rock credibility with “Beautiful Disaster” which appears in the wildly popular Guitar Hero franchise. 311 will release its highly anticipated ninth studio album, Uplifter, in the late spring. It is the band’s first album in over three years. To date, 311 has sold over 8.3 million units in the U.S. alone, with five albums in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Sales Chart and seven singles soaring into the top 10 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Chart.

Tickets are $32.00 each and will go on sale February 25th at 10:00 AM for general sales. Tickets can be purchased at the University Box Office, located in the Iowa Memorial Union, where students may charge up to eight tickets on their U-Bills. They are also available at any official Ticketmaster location or at www.ticketmaster.com.

Listen:
Down
All Mixed Up
Amber]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:51:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2098225 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2096556 Tuesday 2/24
Waka Winter Classic Battle of the Bands with The Uniphonics, Cirrus Minor, Public Property, Dr. Z's Experiment, Ephraim Zenh, Insectoid
The Picador
ages: 19 and over
doors at 7pm

University of Iowa Jazz Peformance
The Mill
$3 for students with ID / $5 for everyone else / 9PM

Wednesday 2/25
These Arms Are Snakes with Darker My Love, All The Saints, Private Dancer
The Picador
ages: 19 and up
doors at 9:00pm
Burlington St. Bluegrass Band
The Mill
$5 cover / 7PM

Thursday 2/26
Capes of Lead with Mufntop, Keno
The Picador
ages: 19 and over
doors at 9:00pm
Bottom's Heavy/ Ideal Cleaners/ Brian Troester Band
The Mill
$6 admission / 9PM

Friday 2/27
Summercamp Battle of the Bands
The Yacht Club
Price: $5 / 8PM

1964: The Tribute - Back In 2009!
The Englert Theatre
$39 - Orchestra Center Rows A-H; Balcony Rows A-C
$34 - Rest of house
8PM

Nethervoid with The Horde, Larry "The Wizard" Seivers
The Picador
ages: 19 and up
doors at 9:00pm

Pokey Lafarge Duo
The Mill
$5 cover / 9PM

Alley Cabaret - The Vagina Monologues
The Englert Theatre
$10 - beginning February 23rd in the Englert box office
$5 - balcony overspill
Midnight

Saturday 2/28
Insectoid w/ Cirrus Minor and Jason Sturgis
The Industry
8PM
Family Groove Company + The White Tornado Outbreak
The Yacht Club
Price: $7 / 9PM

Daylight Savings Account with BlackBloom, The Post Mortems
The Picador
ages: 19 and up
doors at 9:00pm

Miles Nielsen w. Shame Train, Cameron Mcgill and Samuel Locke Ward
The Mill
$6 cover / 9PM
Alley Cabaret - The Vagina Monologues
The Englert Theatre
$10 - beginning February 23rd in the Englert box office
$5 - balcony overspill
Midnight]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:49:04 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2096556 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2080134 Andy Carlson and Casey Cook with guests from Big Wooden Radio and Burlington Street Bluegrass Band
The Mill
Saturday, February 21
8PM showtime-$7 admission

Get ready for a all star night of fantastic bluegrass with Andy Carlson and Casey Cook with some of the greatest bluegrass players the state has to offer.
Fiddler/Violinist Andy Carlson has twice been named the Georgia State Champion Fiddler and was the 200 Ohio Grand Champion fiddler. He has earned a BMUS and MM from The University of Georgia and a doctorate in Violin Performance from the University of Iowa. The New York Times described him as a "demon fiddler."

Mandolin/ guitar player Casey Cook was the youngest musician to ever be inducted into the Florida Country Music hall of fame. An active studio musician in Atlanta playing on bluegrass, gospel, and country albums. He has shared the stage and taught along side some of the greatest acts in the business such as Ricky Scaggs, The Del McCoury Band, David Greer, Mountain Heart,and Clare Lynch just to name a few.

They will be joined by guests from Big Wooden Randio and Burlington Street Bluegrass Band.

http://www.myspace.com/stringbreaker1
http://www.bigwoodenradio.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theburlingtonstreetbluegrassband]]> Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:21:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2080134 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2078633 William Elliott Whitmore with (FT) Shadow Government, T Wehrle
The Picador
Saturday, February 21
ages: 19 and up
doors at 9:00pm

Bio - Hailing from a horse farm along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, William Elliott Whitmore has developed an intense love and spiritual understanding of the land, which he flawlessly conveys through all of his records.

With live performances of a caliber to leave one completely stunned in silence, and albums full of songs not only from the heart but also from the heartland, William Elliott Whitmore is one of the most interesting contributions to today's diverse collection of musical ingenuity.

http://www.williamelliottwhitmore.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fttheshadowgovernment
http://www.myspace.com/twehrle]]> Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:27:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2078633 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2077372 Sublime Tribute/Bradley Nowell's Birthday w/Second Hand Smoke
The Yacht Club
Saturday, February 21
9:00pm/ Price: $10

This show was absolutely huge last year so you might want to get tickets in advance.

We are Secondhand Smoke, and we are dedicated to keeping the Sublime legacy alive by performing the songs live, and recreating the Sublime show experience. We AREN'T a business. We can't compete with Badfish (sadly, neither can Bud or Eric.). We don't want to try to BE Sublime. We are just a bunch of musicians that like to play a Sublime show once in a while. We play every song, no matter how difficult or obscure. We get a little wasted sometimes. We drive around in a smelly van. SEE OUR SHOW!

Secondhand Smoke is a trio, like Sublime. With every passing show, the sound becomes more and more like Sublime. You simply need to check out a show to get a taste! Flawlessly ripping out all of the best tunes, no matter how obscure.

Plus we just added a super cool Chicago ska band to open this one -

Order Tickets here: http://www.ticketweb.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jynxdmusic]]> Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:34:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2077372 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2069222 Chicago Afrobeat Project with Matt Skinner
The Yacht Club
Friday, February 20
9:00pm/ Price: $7

Afrobeat cannot stand still. As the genre’s tempting sounds continue a resurgence across the globe, Chicago Afrobeat Project (CAbP) remains true to its original vision of breathing the intensity of Chicago’s rich music scene into the infectious sounds of afrobeat. Rather than become caricatures of the genre, CAbP slips a reverent nod to the tradition while delivering an energized originality different from any other band on the afrobeat scene today. At each of its 100+ live performances a year, the group’s frenzied songs hit audiences with a big enough one-two punch to tirelessly knock them onto the dance floor time and time again. Afrobeat’s range of influences — funk, rock, jazz, afro-cuban, high life and juju music – settle into a hypnotic, dance-compelling pulse at the core of CAbP.

Listen:
"Superstar Pt. 7" - Live from High Sierra Mainstage '08

"The March of the Uninsured" - Live from Tahoe, CA - Summer '08

www.chicagoafrobeatproject.com/]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:12:05 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2069222 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2069219 Geeksaresexy.net posted some great lip dub videos the other day and I just had to share then with you. There has been a lot of copyright issue lately surrounding this genre. Many of the lip dub videos out there are disappearing from the internet on orders from the music industry. Do these type of videos hurt the artists? Should they continue to be take down from places such as Youtube and Vimeo? What do you think? Comment and let me know

The first is “Flagpole Sitta” lip dub video, created by the guys in the Vimeo office:




The second is a lip dub to Mika’s “Lollipop” by the students at the HEC business school in Paris:

]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:12:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2069219 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2067266 The Slats with The Wheelers, Liberty Leg, Teddy Boys
The Picador
Friday, February 20
ages: 19 and over
doors at 9:00pm

Original Slat Brian Cox (Vocals, guitar) has clearly found his song writing team with more recent Slat additions Jon Hansen (guitar, vocals) and Mark Tietjen (drums). The band is divided by distance with members in Minneapolis, MN and Iowa City, IA but the song writing process hasn't suffered. Instead, the result is a cache of songs, rich in pop sensibility, that turn on a dime into unexpected directions just when you think you have them figured out. Then, they trim off the fat, turn up the volume, and start throwing ideas at you as fast as you can take them. This happens within single songs, such as "Teena", an irresistible pop song that drives ahead as melodically as any radio-hit by the cars...until the quirky guitar solo comes in like a burst of Sonic Youth noise. This juxtaposition of sweet and sour can be heard from song to song, as well.

http://www.theslats.com/
http://www.bewarethewheelers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/libertyleg
http://www.myspace.com/theteddyboys]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:00:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2067266 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2065609 Joe & Vicki Price
The Mill
Friday, February 20, 8pm
Price: $7

Joe and Vicki Price catapult energetic country blues. This is finger style guitar in the Elmore James/Muddy Waters tradition, a bit rough and tons of fun. Joe has been performing his ruff and tumble blues for over 35 years; a one-man blues tornado who can pack, command and wring-out a dance-floor with the authority of an eight-piece show band. While Price inhabits classic blues standards as if they were favorite shirts, his own deep and varied bag of original music is so formidable that noted Grammy-award nominated singer/songwriter Greg Brown has long referred to Joe as “the Buddha.” Local guitarist Dustin Busch opens the show.

http://www.joepriceblues.com/index.htm]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:50:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2065609 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2056323 Red & The Eds with Substatic
The Yacht Club
Thursday, February 19
6:00pm/Price: $5

There was sweat dripping from the ceiling. Bodies bumped into more bodies and perspiration flowed as fast as the music. A house show turned into a full-blown dance party. Hands waved in the air and shouts echoed over the tops of bobbing heads.

The band responsible for the chaotic gyrations: Red and the Eds. Three guys, one bass, one drumset, one guitar, and the occasional tinkling from an electric keyboard produce the foot-stomping music. The inspirational roots of Red and the Eds explain their unique and intriguing sound. From Black Sabbath and The Who to the Pixies and Operation Ivy, Red and the Eds combines heavy metal and classic rock ‘n’ roll with an alternative ska/punk twist.

http://www.myspace.com/redandtheeds]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:36:02 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2056323 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2053444 I Am Ghost with Lower Definition, Driver Side Impact, Makeout Party
The Picador
Thursday, February 19
ages: all ages
doors at 6:00pm

Something dark has been brewing in Long Beach, CA for the past several years. Crawling, clawing its way across the country like a vampiric creature, leaving a trail of cult-like followers in its wake. A turbulent, menacing style of music that combines elements of metal, goth-rock, melodic-hardcore and screamo from the scene's most promising band, I Am Ghost. With the impending release of the group's second full length album, Those We Leave Behind, the hardest working band in the scene finds themselves in a dark place, reconnecting with their passion for music through tragic tales of loss and despair.





http://www.myspace.com/iamghost
http://www.myspace.com/lowerdefinition
http://www.myspace.com/driversideimpact]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:50:06 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2053444 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2053441 Could this be the end of NIN??
Trent Reznor hints at the end in the letter below. Say it ain't so Trent!

2.16.09: A note from Trent and a wave goodbye

Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.

Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE.

Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.

In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Are there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope. Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does. Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.

Trent]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:50:03 -0800 http://virb.com/6kdesign/posts/text/2053441