Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There’s more to the picture than meets the eye
Hey hey, my my
Great snakes! What a crazy weekend. How good can a Sunday night in Barrie be? Pretty damn good when you put RFU, the Noolands, DieSci Fi and The Therapists together. The Noolands, from Barrie, are the best indie band we’ve ever played a show with; DieSci Fi play a brand of true punk rock that Frankie Venom would approve of; and what can I say about The Therapists, from Sudbury, except that they are RFU’s favourite group both as players and as people. Fun, insane, heavy metal. EPIC.
The previous night was our Sudbury Saturday night adventure at the Asylum; a venue which should soon become Sudbury’s newest and greatest live music spot. I mean they had a 1979 'Invaders From Space' pinball machine. And unbeknownst to me who immediately jammed a handful of coins into the slot, it was FREE. I played over one hundred games and then George plays one game and gets the highest score. Sigh. The night was pure psychedelic mayhem lol. People really let loose and dig good music up in Sudbury. Jimi would’ve approved.
Let’s rewind to Thursday at This Ain’t Hollywood, one of Hamilton’s premiere venues and our second home. I’ve often said that if you can impress a Hamilton crowd than you can impress anyone in the world lol. It’s just a tough city. I love it. Every band on the bill played pure unadulterated rock and roll. RFU approved! Flamingo Bay, The Lad Classic and Towers. Awesome sauce.
Before that show RFU rolled into Niagara Falls and Windsor (RFU’s favourite city). The Phog Lounge in Windsor has a reputation as being one of Canada’s greatest spots for live music. It is. Every time we play there we see the same faces and a bigger crowd. We sell tonnes of merch. My Neighbour My Neighbour, local group, was incredible. We’re back there in October with Abide By The Few and this show will certainly sell out. Dig.
So what’s up next for RFU? Glad you asked. This Tuesday night we play a headlining show at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto for Canadian Music Week. Hell yeah! Our second CMW show; awesome stuff. Toronto shows are always incredible. The city sure knows how to party. Our home away from home. Finally, our tour ending show will be a CLASSIC. We’ll be playing a rooftop concert on Dr. Disc (record store) at 7pm Friday May 13. It will be during Art Crawl; even more epic. Art Crawl is a wild ride. Every second Friday Hamilton’s art community puts on a street party downtown and everyone has a good time. One of the best events the city boasts. We couldn’t have planned a better way to end this incredible tour. We’ve met the most amazing people and bands you can possible imagine.
Rock and roll: hey, it’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it!
Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.
Neil Young
#PrematureEvacuation lives on
MS
Reply
Tales from the Road
Premature Evacuation tour is under way and of course it's been full of adventure and mayhem.
Our show at Cherry Colas was, as per usual, EPIC. Our friends at Music City North always put on great festivals; this one resulting in a 4am last call at the club (one hour later than our friends in Quebec).
All the bands kicked ass, notably our friends BS101 whose singer was dressed as a giant banana! Awesome. George’s voice was in fine form and we ended up setting an RFU record for merch sales that night. A good start to the tour.
Then it was off to (my favourite city) Montreal. The road trip was a classic. Our trailer hitch was busted so we didnt’t leave Hamilton until 2:30pm. Uh-oh. We hit Toronto in rush hour causing us to get to the show after 10pm. Just in time! The club was like nothing I’ve ever seen: it was a skateboard club with an actual half pipe inside where boarders were flying through the air all night. Amazing. And the TRH-BAR was packed. Ryan got to see some local titties almost immediately as the Montreal girls were definitely in good spirits that night, I’m sure he didn’t mind lol. Our producer Glen Robinson was there and he and I got to shop talk about guitar porn (pedals, gear etc). Always a fav topic for me. Anyway, no one knew but I had an old Japanese Strat with me in which I planned to use for the last song of the night ‘Six’ and I absolutely destroyed the guitar at the end of the song. Smashed it to bits. Awesome! Pete Townsend would have approved. Of course the good people of Montreal loved it! This show has been the highlight of the tour so far.
After crashing for a few hours (poor Ashton had to feed the parking meter at 8am) we tripped around town then headed to Ottawa to play the legendary Rainbow Bistro with Tribe Royal, Masters Of Nothing, and the Reed Effect. Probably our best played set we’ve ever done. After the show we tripped out to my cousin’s place in Morrisburg. A bit of a drive but we were greeted by Diesel (best dog ever) and two bottles of the finest moonshine in the world. Let the party begin! The drive home was a RIOT and of course we hit a random snow storm just as we rolled into Toronto. Please note: driving through snow storms is an RFU tradition. It never fails! Looking at the broken Strat I realize that it is beyond repair. RIP.
More road tales to come.
Rock N’ Roll to y’all
Reply
6 Must Have Items When Going On A Tour:
As we in the RFU world are about to embark on our #PrematureEvacuation Tour, there are certain items that we MUST bring along for the ride:
1) Duct tape
If you can’t duct it, chuck it! Sometimes you’ll need duct tape for small items such as mic stands, setlists or mic cables but when emergencies arise (and they always do) duct tape can save the day. For example, a few years back I was going on tour and as we were starting the old van but it wouldn’t start. There was a hole in the gas line! Since time was of the essence we decided to duct tape the hole. It worked! And away we rode (after pushing the van to a gas station!).
2) Personal hygiene products
Yes seems obvious but I can guarantee that someone in the band will forget something important. Remember toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant and enough clothes to avoid doing laundy (if possible). In fact, make a list a head of time.
3) Air Mattress
VERY IMPORTANT. Sleeping on the dirty floor of a stranger’s basement a few nights in a row can get old fast! Getting a decent sleep is essential to putting on a high-energy kick ass rock show!
4) MERCH MERCH MERCH
Selling merch is the key to success. It’s how touring bands make money. If possible, bring a merch person/roadie.
5) Great music
I believe that touring helps bring a band closer. It’s called bonding! I love being on the road with the band and playing my favourite Pixies album or putting together a KILLER road mix. Yes the trend is to bring earbuds and be lost in your own world with your music but you can do that at home. Going on tour should be social. And good bands listen to music together. Period.
6) Killer weed
Hey a good joint can really take the edge off a sticky situation, especially when there’s a long stretch between shows. Having a case of beer never hurts either.
Yeah I didn’t mention phones and many other items but hey it’s time for another beer so I’m keeping this brief. The fun is learning this stuff for yourself.
Reply
Our 'Premature Evacuation' tour (that's right we changed the name, whatcha gonna do??) is almost upon us so here at RFU headquarters we are getting ready to hit the road.
*'Why Premature Evacuation' you ask? Good question: as many of ya's know, RFU is set to release our new album 'Casa del Diablo' and we can't wait to go out and tour it. So we are! Slightly ahead of schedule!
*Will we have copies of said album?
Hell yeah! Hence: 'Premature Evacuation'.
New album won't 'officially' be out but if you are coming to our shows you can get an early copy.
Cool.
Here is a list of RFU's upcoming shows:
March 30, Toronto ON @ the Painted Lady
April 1, Toronto ON @ Bovine Sex Club
April 8, Montreal PQ, @ TRH-BAR w/ In Saigon, Keychain
April 9, Ottawa ON, Rainbow Bistro w/Tribe Royal, Masters of Nothing
April 21, Niagara Falls, @ Taps on Queen
April 22, Windsor ON, @ Phog Lounge w/ My Neighbor My Neighbor
April 28, Hamilton ON, @ This Ain't Hollywood w/ Flamingo bay, The Lad Classic
April 30, Sudbury, @ the Asylum w/ Temple, the Therapists
May 2 3 or 4 Toronto Canadian Music Week 2016 (date and venue still pending.
*Here's the RFU noodle scratcher of the day:
Where's the best breakfast diner in Montreal, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, Windsor and/or Sudbury??
Email us with some good stories/pics and we'll publish some of them (if they're not too naughty!)
*send us an email at radiofreeuniverse@hotmail.com
*To check out our slightly provocative and highly suggestive tour poster go to:
www.facebook.com/radiofreeuniverse
And be sure to check us out on Instagram for all our highlights and misfortunates happening on the road! www.instagram.com/radiofreeuniverse
CHEERS
-RFU-
Reply
Our Sinful Spring tour is just around the corner. We've just added Canadian Music Week to the tour. Stay tuned for the dates...Kick ass. RFU
Reply
psssst we have a secret, can't you yet but stay tuned. Very cool news on the way! #LemmyisGod
Reply
That's right. Our hard work and all around ass-kicking has paid off. The good folks @T-MAK World put Radio Free Universe in the top 10 indie Rock list for all of Canada. Hell yeah eh! Read it here: http://tmakworld.com/2016/01/top-10-indie-bands-of-2015.html
Reply
Hi ya. and welcome to our new phone app ya. Thank you for helping us get to the top of the heap in da Hammer. We fully intend on moving this mulch further.
We have a must love approach and would love if you joined that attack on the monster class. At present in the country we are 74....(we used to be 140,000th.) thats a long way baby!!... We fully intend on top ten in the next year... so share, wear, and dare your friends to help us get to the end of the bend.... Much love and keep your ancient suicide skills at bay. BAM!
Reply
SO! Get your ganja hand suicide happy attitude out and shine the little light that is RFU... Currently we Have made number 1, sometimes number 2 (but they cheat the bastards)in the Hammer And 74th in the country... and really were are just beginning the mad gas mask music attack on your thresholds. Peace and lovely things... RFU
Reply
We finished a track called Happy. We've been playing this tune lately at shows. Real heavy White Stripes kinda thing. Sounds GREAT.
Reply
Radio Free Universe / Blog
Beers Cheers and Rock N' Roll
Hey hey, my my Rock and roll can never die There’s more to the picture than meets the eye Hey hey, my my
Great snakes! What a crazy weekend. How good can a Sunday night in Barrie be? Pretty damn good when you put RFU, the Noolands, DieSci Fi and The Therapists together. The Noolands, from Barrie, are the best indie band we’ve ever played a show with; DieSci Fi play a brand of true punk rock that Frankie Venom would approve of; and what can I say about The Therapists, from Sudbury, except that they are RFU’s favourite group both as players and as people. Fun, insane, heavy metal. EPIC. The previous night was our Sudbury Saturday night adventure at the Asylum; a venue which should soon become Sudbury’s newest and greatest live music spot. I mean they had a 1979 'Invaders From Space' pinball machine. And unbeknownst to me who immediately jammed a handful of coins into the slot, it was FREE. I played over one hundred games and then George plays one game and gets the highest score. Sigh. The night was pure psychedelic mayhem lol. People really let loose and dig good music up in Sudbury. Jimi would’ve approved. Let’s rewind to Thursday at This Ain’t Hollywood, one of Hamilton’s premiere venues and our second home. I’ve often said that if you can impress a Hamilton crowd than you can impress anyone in the world lol. It’s just a tough city. I love it. Every band on the bill played pure unadulterated rock and roll. RFU approved! Flamingo Bay, The Lad Classic and Towers. Awesome sauce. Before that show RFU rolled into Niagara Falls and Windsor (RFU’s favourite city). The Phog Lounge in Windsor has a reputation as being one of Canada’s greatest spots for live music. It is. Every time we play there we see the same faces and a bigger crowd. We sell tonnes of merch. My Neighbour My Neighbour, local group, was incredible. We’re back there in October with Abide By The Few and this show will certainly sell out. Dig. So what’s up next for RFU? Glad you asked. This Tuesday night we play a headlining show at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto for Canadian Music Week. Hell yeah! Our second CMW show; awesome stuff. Toronto shows are always incredible. The city sure knows how to party. Our home away from home. Finally, our tour ending show will be a CLASSIC. We’ll be playing a rooftop concert on Dr. Disc (record store) at 7pm Friday May 13. It will be during Art Crawl; even more epic. Art Crawl is a wild ride. Every second Friday Hamilton’s art community puts on a street party downtown and everyone has a good time. One of the best events the city boasts. We couldn’t have planned a better way to end this incredible tour. We’ve met the most amazing people and bands you can possible imagine. Rock and roll: hey, it’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it!
Hey hey, my my Rock and roll can never die There's more to the picture Than meets the eye. Hey hey, my my.
Neil Young #PrematureEvacuation lives on
MS
Reply
Tales from the Road
Tales from the Road Premature Evacuation tour is under way and of course it's been full of adventure and mayhem. Our show at Cherry Colas was, as per usual, EPIC. Our friends at Music City North always put on great festivals; this one resulting in a 4am last call at the club (one hour later than our friends in Quebec). All the bands kicked ass, notably our friends BS101 whose singer was dressed as a giant banana! Awesome. George’s voice was in fine form and we ended up setting an RFU record for merch sales that night. A good start to the tour. Then it was off to (my favourite city) Montreal. The road trip was a classic. Our trailer hitch was busted so we didnt’t leave Hamilton until 2:30pm. Uh-oh. We hit Toronto in rush hour causing us to get to the show after 10pm. Just in time! The club was like nothing I’ve ever seen: it was a skateboard club with an actual half pipe inside where boarders were flying through the air all night. Amazing. And the TRH-BAR was packed. Ryan got to see some local titties almost immediately as the Montreal girls were definitely in good spirits that night, I’m sure he didn’t mind lol. Our producer Glen Robinson was there and he and I got to shop talk about guitar porn (pedals, gear etc). Always a fav topic for me. Anyway, no one knew but I had an old Japanese Strat with me in which I planned to use for the last song of the night ‘Six’ and I absolutely destroyed the guitar at the end of the song. Smashed it to bits. Awesome! Pete Townsend would have approved. Of course the good people of Montreal loved it! This show has been the highlight of the tour so far. After crashing for a few hours (poor Ashton had to feed the parking meter at 8am) we tripped around town then headed to Ottawa to play the legendary Rainbow Bistro with Tribe Royal, Masters Of Nothing, and the Reed Effect. Probably our best played set we’ve ever done. After the show we tripped out to my cousin’s place in Morrisburg. A bit of a drive but we were greeted by Diesel (best dog ever) and two bottles of the finest moonshine in the world. Let the party begin! The drive home was a RIOT and of course we hit a random snow storm just as we rolled into Toronto. Please note: driving through snow storms is an RFU tradition. It never fails! Looking at the broken Strat I realize that it is beyond repair. RIP. More road tales to come. Rock N’ Roll to y’all
Reply
6 Must Have Items When Going On A Tour
6 Must Have Items When Going On A Tour:
As we in the RFU world are about to embark on our #PrematureEvacuation Tour, there are certain items that we MUST bring along for the ride: 1) Duct tape If you can’t duct it, chuck it! Sometimes you’ll need duct tape for small items such as mic stands, setlists or mic cables but when emergencies arise (and they always do) duct tape can save the day. For example, a few years back I was going on tour and as we were starting the old van but it wouldn’t start. There was a hole in the gas line! Since time was of the essence we decided to duct tape the hole. It worked! And away we rode (after pushing the van to a gas station!). 2) Personal hygiene products Yes seems obvious but I can guarantee that someone in the band will forget something important. Remember toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant and enough clothes to avoid doing laundy (if possible). In fact, make a list a head of time. 3) Air Mattress VERY IMPORTANT. Sleeping on the dirty floor of a stranger’s basement a few nights in a row can get old fast! Getting a decent sleep is essential to putting on a high-energy kick ass rock show! 4) MERCH MERCH MERCH Selling merch is the key to success. It’s how touring bands make money. If possible, bring a merch person/roadie. 5) Great music I believe that touring helps bring a band closer. It’s called bonding! I love being on the road with the band and playing my favourite Pixies album or putting together a KILLER road mix. Yes the trend is to bring earbuds and be lost in your own world with your music but you can do that at home. Going on tour should be social. And good bands listen to music together. Period. 6) Killer weed Hey a good joint can really take the edge off a sticky situation, especially when there’s a long stretch between shows. Having a case of beer never hurts either.
Yeah I didn’t mention phones and many other items but hey it’s time for another beer so I’m keeping this brief. The fun is learning this stuff for yourself.
Reply
Premature Evacuation
Our 'Premature Evacuation' tour (that's right we changed the name, whatcha gonna do??) is almost upon us so here at RFU headquarters we are getting ready to hit the road. *'Why Premature Evacuation' you ask? Good question: as many of ya's know, RFU is set to release our new album 'Casa del Diablo' and we can't wait to go out and tour it. So we are! Slightly ahead of schedule! *Will we have copies of said album? Hell yeah! Hence: 'Premature Evacuation'. New album won't 'officially' be out but if you are coming to our shows you can get an early copy. Cool. Here is a list of RFU's upcoming shows:
March 30, Toronto ON @ the Painted Lady April 1, Toronto ON @ Bovine Sex Club April 8, Montreal PQ, @ TRH-BAR w/ In Saigon, Keychain April 9, Ottawa ON, Rainbow Bistro w/Tribe Royal, Masters of Nothing April 21, Niagara Falls, @ Taps on Queen April 22, Windsor ON, @ Phog Lounge w/ My Neighbor My Neighbor April 28, Hamilton ON, @ This Ain't Hollywood w/ Flamingo bay, The Lad Classic April 30, Sudbury, @ the Asylum w/ Temple, the Therapists May 2 3 or 4 Toronto Canadian Music Week 2016 (date and venue still pending.
*Here's the RFU noodle scratcher of the day: Where's the best breakfast diner in Montreal, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, Windsor and/or Sudbury?? Email us with some good stories/pics and we'll publish some of them (if they're not too naughty!) *send us an email at radiofreeuniverse@hotmail.com
*To check out our slightly provocative and highly suggestive tour poster go to: www.facebook.com/radiofreeuniverse And be sure to check us out on Instagram for all our highlights and misfortunates happening on the road! www.instagram.com/radiofreeuniverse
CHEERS
-RFU-
Reply
Sinful Spring Tour '16
Our Sinful Spring tour is just around the corner. We've just added Canadian Music Week to the tour. Stay tuned for the dates...Kick ass. RFU
Reply
the world of RFU
psssst we have a secret, can't you yet but stay tuned. Very cool news on the way! #LemmyisGod
Reply
RFU makes the top 10 list for 2015
That's right. Our hard work and all around ass-kicking has paid off. The good folks @T-MAK World put Radio Free Universe in the top 10 indie Rock list for all of Canada. Hell yeah eh! Read it here: http://tmakworld.com/2016/01/top-10-indie-bands-of-2015.html
Reply
Topper Most of The Popper most
Hi ya. and welcome to our new phone app ya. Thank you for helping us get to the top of the heap in da Hammer. We fully intend on moving this mulch further. We have a must love approach and would love if you joined that attack on the monster class. At present in the country we are 74....(we used to be 140,000th.) thats a long way baby!!... We fully intend on top ten in the next year... so share, wear, and dare your friends to help us get to the end of the bend.... Much love and keep your ancient suicide skills at bay. BAM!
Reply
UMPA LOOMPA
SO! Get your ganja hand suicide happy attitude out and shine the little light that is RFU... Currently we Have made number 1, sometimes number 2 (but they cheat the bastards)in the Hammer And 74th in the country... and really were are just beginning the mad gas mask music attack on your thresholds. Peace and lovely things... RFU
Reply
new RFU album coming
We finished a track called Happy. We've been playing this tune lately at shows. Real heavy White Stripes kinda thing. Sounds GREAT.
Reply