Can it really be September?
Seems the last time I looked we were getting ready to launch “These Are The Days” on the first day of summer back in June.
Well, I guess the calendar doesn’t lie but it sure does like to be cagey. Right now it’s 90 degrees and I’m wearing shorts and a tee shirt. But that’s the way it goes.
We have some great shows coming up this weekend that I want to talk about right off the bat.
First up is Easthampton on Friday, September 7. The place is Luthier’s Co-op on Cottage St (one of the best places to see music anywhere). The night kicks off with the pop music of The Prestons at 7pm. The duo of Bill Catalde and Rick Murnane perform as Liam and Chard Preston and who—according to their Bandcamp page bio “write cheerful songs about death and dead people . . . and on rare occasions come out and sing them to the living”. Colorway goes on at 8pm and we’ll play a 90 minute set of tunes spanning all three albums and maybe even throw in a Tom Petty cover if the time is right. Closing out the night with a set beginning at 9:30 is Sly Fox and The Hustlers, a trio from Albany, NY who play “Heavy voodoo blues over swampy, funky, grooves”.
The show is free, all ages and always a good time. Luthier’s has two rooms, two bars, hard and soft drinks and the country’s best water (for real) on tap. Oh, and you can buy a guitar, bass, banjo or amp while you’re there. 🙂
Saturday. September 8 sees us back in the comfy surroundings of TOAD Cambridge right in the heart of Porter Square. This has quickly become our go-to place to play in the Boston area. This 21+ show is a no cover affair and we go on nice and early (7:30) and will play until 9:15pm. They have great food, too!
Sunday, September 9 we are thrilled to be part of the Narrows Music and Arts Fest in Fall River, Mass. This is my hometown and I’ve played the amazing venue (The Narrows Center For The Arts) before both with Drunk Stuntmen, the original Colorway lineup as well as opening shows, solo, for Ian Hunter as well as Quinn Sullivan. But this is the first time the trio of me, Riley and Matt will be performing onstage. It’s a full day and early evening of music on two stages. Colorway will play indoors from 1:10-2:10. Scroll down for the full lineup and more info.
Looking ahead to Friday, September 14 we will head back to Troy, NY to play at Dinosaur BBQ. This will be a full-on three hour show beginning at 9pm. It’s absolutely free and the barbecue–as Matt would say–is bananas.
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So, if you’ve made it this far I might as well share some more stuff with you. We had a great album release party at New City Brewery. Tom Adams from Reelife Productions took some great videos of us (with sound from Bob Humphreys). You can check one of the tunes “Want To Be Everywhere” out right here. We have other vids on our Youtube channel. Be sure to subscribe while you’re there so you don’t miss out on fresh new vids.
You can pick up the new album at any of our live shows as well as via our webshop and Bandcamp. We’re also on iTunes and all the other streaming services that they talk about in the news.
Reviews have been all positive. The Valley Advocate’s Chris Goudreau said “‘These Are The Days’ will give you hope for humanity”. You can read lots more reviews right here. It makes us all so happy to know our hard work has made even a bit of difference.
We were so lucky to have Easy Weasel as part of our album release. Thanks to Chris Collingwood, Rick Murnane and Brad Thayer for putting on such a harmonious set. There are also some amazing photos from that night taken by Julian Parker-Burns as well as our set at Transperformance 28 where we performed as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. You can check those out here and see the full Tom Petty set here.
I’ve been playing a lot of solo shows lately. And to go along with this I was blessed with a great session of portrait photography by the incredible Jim Gipe at Pivot Media right here in Florence, Mass. You can see some of the pics here. I’m a lucky guy and am happy to be able to find a place for this music all by my lonesome.
I’ve been putting up some small snippets (60 seconds or less) of my guitar playing on our Instagram page. If you haven’t checked us out there why not head over and follow us.
There’s been a lot that’s happened this summer. So many great shows and so much amazing music. We love it that you are on board with what we do but we can’t do this all ourselves. So if you like what you hear and see please share us with a friend who might not know who we are. Forward this to somebody in Boston or Troy or Fall River who digs the rock and roll.
We’re all in this together. Let’s have some fun!
On behalf of Matt and Riley I’ll say a collective “rock on” and we hope to see you at the shows,
~FAJ
Friday, September 7, Colorway Performs at Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, MA
Come join us as we play one of the best rooms for live music in the valley. Early and free!
This amazing lineup includes:
7pm: The Prestons (Bill Catalde, Rick Murnane)
8pm: Colorway
9:30pm: Sly Fox and The Hustlers (Albany)
When: Friday, 9/7
Where: Luthier’s Co-op
108 Cottage St
Easthampton, MA
Directions.
What time: 8-9:30
Phone: (413) 527-6627
Email: info@luthiers-coop.com
How Much: Free (tips appreciated)
Join the Facebook Event Page here!
Saturday, September 8, Colorway Performs at TOAD, Cambridge, MA
Colorway performs a full hour and forty five minute set at one of the best and most intimate venues in the Boston area.
When: Saturday, September 8
What time: 7:30-9:15
Where: Toad
1912 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
Directions
Toad on Facebook
Public transit: Red line to Porter Square
Ph. (617) 497-4950
Cost: No Cover!
21+
Join the Facebook Event Page here!
Sunday, September 9, Colorway Performs at The Narrows Center Arts Fest, Fall River, MA
2018 LINEUP: THE IGUANAS, NEAL & THE VIPERS,
MATTHEW STUBBS & THE ANTIGUAS, JOHN STEIN TRIO,
THE TELEDYNES, ZOINK ZULAG & THE GALACTIC SHAG,
COLORWAY, and SCHOOL OF ROCK ALL STARS.
When: Sun, 9/9
Where: Narrows Center For The Performing Arts
16 Anawan St
Fall River, MA 02721
Directions
What Time: Colorway will play from 1:10-2:10pm on the indoor stage
Phone: (508) 324-1926
How much: FREE!!
Join the Facebook Event Page here!
The Narrows Festival of the Arts has emerged as one of the premier music and arts festivals in New England. Ideally located on Fall River’s historic waterfront, the free festival features a wide variety of high-quality art and music. Musicians will be rotating through all day long on both an outdoor and our indoor stage. There will be twenty art vendors present, sharing and selling their original work. Food trucks and lemonade will be onsite, as well as exotic animals as part of the Children’s Museum tent. Come on down for a fun day of music and art!
Friday, September 14, Colorway Performs at Dinosaur BBQ, Troy, NY
Excited to be heading back West to Troy to perform at one of the best live music venues in the area: Dinosaur BBQ.
When: Friday, September 14
Where: Dinosaur BBQ
377 River St
Troy, NY 12180
Directions
Dinosaur BBQ on Facebook
Phone: (518) 308-0400
What time: 9:30-12:30
Cost: FREE!
All Ages!
Join the Facebook Event Page here!
“GREAT guitar throughout these nine, tight, non-overproduced songs. Very fluid and imaginative playing and Alex isn’t afraid to take chances. An excellent album.” —Tom Guerra, Vintage Guitar Magazine
“These Are the Days shows Colorway’s breadth, without stinting on depth […] a rock-solid collection of songs with catchy hooks, taut riffs and hard-won wisdom.” –Eric R Danton, Listen, Dammit(Paste/WSJ/Rolling Stone)
“This record sounds f*cking great! Sounds like you’re channeling Golden Earring . . . which is f*cking sweet.” –Chris Collingwood
“Their third album is their strongest yet . . . songs you want to drive to on a summer day . . . songs to put a smile on your face.” —Lauren Daley, Southcoast Today/The Boston Globe
“Alex’s guitar playing is exceptional, and the whole vibe is positive and fun–well done!” —Morgan Fisher, Mott the Hoople/Queen
“The nine tunes here showcase his ability to craft hooky pop-rock tunes and fill them with his always inventive guitar work.” –Sheryl Hunter, Greenfield Recorder
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Remember, our music is available at www.colorwaymusic.com on CD and 180gram vinyl (for The Black Sky Sequined) and any of the following valley stores. Thanks for shopping local:
Turn it Up
5 Pleasant St
Northampton, MA
Platterpus Records
28 Cottage St
Easthampton, MA
Electric Eye Records
52 Main St Suite 6
Florence, MA
Mystery Train Records
178A North Pleasant St
Amherst, MA
“No music, no life.”