Anti-Arpaio protest at Arizona State University

In our own small way, we’d like to help maintain the anti-Joe Arpaio momentum that’s been building in the wake of his latest mis-deeds, incompetence and general evil-doing. So we’re offering a free download of our song “Sheriff Joe.” Share with your friends, enjoy, and let’s boot this bastard out of office!

Click here to go to our Facebook music page. Once you’re there, click the blue “Download free music…” button.

Although we snuck into Canada in 2010, this will be our first real tour outside of U.S. borders. If you live in the Benelux (or know someone who does) here’s our schedule. Come get a taste of live punkgrass and say hi!

Wed. 11/02 – Geel, Belgium – Bacchus Cafe
Thurs. 11/03 – Turnhout, Belgium – Keizershof
Fri. 11/04 – Helmond, Netherlands – Muziekcafe
Sat. 11/05 – Aalten, Netherlands – Oerkroeg Schiller
Sun. 11/06 – Evere, Belgium – Jacques Brel (first show)
Sun. 11/06 – Hulshout, Belgium – In De Gloria (second show)
Sun. 11/06 – Schoten, Belgium – La Cantina (third show)
Mon. 11/07 – Day off
Tues. 11/08 – Antwerpen, Belgium – Cosmopolite
Wed. 11/09 – Deventer, Netherlands – Burgerweeshuis
Thurs. 11/10 – Olen, Belgium – Mc Boll
Fri. 11/11 – Middelburg, Netherlands – Cafe Het Hof
Sat. 11/12 – St. Jozef-Rijkevorsel, Belgium – Cafe De Vriendenkring
Sun. 11/13 – Tavigny, Belgium – La Truite D’argent
Mon. 11/14 – Gierle, Belgium – Den Eik
Tues. 11/15 – Brussel, Belgium – Cafe Merlo
Wed. 11/16 – Brielle, Netherlands – Cafe Honky Tonk
Thurs. 11/17 – Boekel, Netherlands – Cafe Tielemans
Fri. 11/18 – Wageningen, Netherlands – De Zaaier
Sat. 11/19 – St. Lenaarts, Belgium – Willem Tell
Sun. 11/20 – Rumst, Belgium – Ace Cafe

So begins PETA’s awesome blog post about our guerilla video for “Down On The Farm,” our song about the horrors of factory farming. Check out the video — there’s a music, a dancing chicken, a crying baby, a polite but insistent KFC manager, and a quick getaway.

Now Facebook, that’s another story. We’re on there more than your mom and sister combined. So come over and say hi sometime.

We’re playing with the amazing Jason Webley on Friday, Jan. 7 at The Trunk Space (1506 NW Grand Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85007). Fans of Devotchka and Gogol Bordello will not want to miss this performance. And it’s our only January show, so we hope to see you there!

Check out this video of Mr. Webley in action.

Hillstomp: Twangin’ electric blues punk (Portland) http://www.hillstomp.com/

McDougall: Wild-eyed troubador (Portland)  http://mcdougallmusic.com/

Dia Uno: We didn’t know what to expect when we rolled in to Silver City, N.M. The first surprise was how different New Mexico is from AZ. Some of us imagined that the Land of Enchantment was just like home, just a little further east. But NM has its own desert vibe, and there seems to be way more vegetation. Silver City’s a cool little town with a historic downtown that’s teetering between “vibrant” and “insolvent,” like many mining towns in the West. We played at Javalina Coffee, located in a historic building and seemingly the hub of alt-culture in town. By the end of the night we had a crew of dancers laughing and singing along, some of them proudly sporting Squares tees. Tenacity, Jason and Kate treated us to dinner afterwards. We could get used to this…

Dia Dos: After our Albuquerque show was cancelled, we remembered our buddies in Sundown Songs (great New Orleans band) telling us about a little town near the New Mexico/Colorado border, where the bar owner loves music and treats bands well. Chama, N.M. (alt. 8,000 feet) turned out to be all that and more. We played at the High Country Saloon for a audience that included a couple of retired Chicago union leaders, a custom motorcycle builder and the local postmaster. Everybody had a good time and we sold a bunch of CDs and shirts. The bar kept the drinks coming, fed us, and put us up in a local hotel. Oh, and they gave us extra money to pay for our speeding ticket. Is this that “rock star treatment” we’ve heard so much about?

Dia Tres: Today was the longest drive of the tour so far, but we saw some beautiful country rolling north from the New Mexico border. Nothing like 9 hours in the car to remind you of the immensity of the West. As we rolled into Ft. Collins, we were excited to see the cars nearly outnumbered by bicycles. Granted, we stayed and played near Colorado State, but there were people of all ages pedaling in wide, well-marked bike lanes. (Take heed, Phoenix!) The show was in a former mechanic’s garage that epitomizes DIY. It’s a tool co-op, residence and venue rolled into one. We played with some local folks performing together for the first time (Silly Strings) and with The Taxpayers from Portland, OR. Those guys & gal are awesome! By the end of their set the crowd was naked and dancing the Bobsled, a Taxpayers-created move that involves lots of running in place, crouching and flailing. And we managed to keep the energy going, ending the night soaked to the skin and hugging everyone in sight. So far, so good!

Our epic 16-show tour kicks off on Monday, August 9 in scenic Silver City, New Mexico. (At least we hear it’s scenic — only John has actually been there.) From there we wind 4,000 miles in a giant counter-clockwise circle around the western United States. Here’s a quick summary of our itinerary. Click on the tour dates in the widget thingy at right for more details.

8/9 – Silver City – Javalina
8/10 – Albuquerque – The Kosmos
8/11 – Ft. Collins – Warehouse show (location TBA)
8/12 – Denver – 3 Kings
8/13 – Salt Lake City – Burt’s Tiki Lounge
8/14 – Missoula – The Palace
8/15 – Seattle – Molly Maguire’s
8/16 – Vancouver – Spartacus Books (with The Gram Partisans)
8/17 – Olympia – with Hail Seizures (location TBA)
8/18 – Portland – The Woods (with Fast Rattler)
8/19 – Eugene – Bad Egg Books Infoshop (with Low Tide Drifters)
8/20 – Arcata – Jambalaya
8/21 – Sacramento – Old Ironsides
8/22 – Anaheim – The Juke Joint
8/23 – Hollywood – The Green Room
8/24 – San Diego – Ruby Room