Things have been wild and crazy in the world of Big Sister. Andy sprained his wrist and so he and Seth switched instruments for our show on May 15th at the Heirloom Theater in Danbury, CT. Thank god we have a talented rhythm section. I finally finished my senior thesis and graduated from college. Actually, we all recently finished school, giving us an absurd amount of free time, which we fully intend to fill up with shows and recording sessions and songwriting attempts. You’ll be hearing from us a lot.

We recently had an excessively fun recording session at Andy’s, laying down gang vocals with C-Rex, Dennis from The Vibe Machine, and Bread and Terry from The Jukebox Romantics. It was the coolest gang ever. We're finally wrapping up recording and moving into the post-production stage. Now to mix. We’re going to be having listening parties in the basement to make sure our mixes don’t hurt people’s ears. If you want in, give us a shout. Whether you have years of engineering experience or are just a fan looking to get a sneak preview, we’d love your input. We want to make sure the record turns out well. I mean, seriously, we’ve been working on it too long for it not to rock stupid hard.

In regards to stuff that you can own one day:
We did another pressing of our way old E.P.—come out to a show if you want your copy. I made them myself at Kinkos. They’re still cool and DIY-looking and only three dollabills.
We got cleaned out of our b-sides E.P. but we might press some more. If you want a copy, simply demand and I will (eventually) supply. They are also made at Kinkos, but they are free.
I resolved in January to reignite my career as a zinester. I didn’t really stick to it. But now that I am an ex-scholar, I’ll give it another shot. Look out for silly zines about things I should have gotten over in high school stacked on our merch table. Probably, they will be one dollabill, depending on how much I spend at Kinkos.

Kinkos is punker Mecca. It’s 24-hours, pretty cheap, and I recently discovered that you can drink beer in there. Well, I mean no one bothered me anyway.

We have shows coming up in June:
June 4 | Paulie’s, Pleasantville, NY
Close to home! We haven't played so near our hometown of White Plains for a long while, so this one had better be packed with friendly faces or we might start to think you don't love us anymore. I will probably cry and make everyone uncomfortable.

June 5 | Doverpalooza, Dover Plains High School, Dover Plains, NY
This is going to be a good one. All the proceeds will go to the high school’s music program. Come out and support local music and the future of music simultaneously! Email bigsisterband@gmail.com for tickets.

TWO-DAY SNAPPER MAGEES TOUR!!! with The Jukebox Romantics and Am Rev II
June 11 | Snapper Magee’s, Torrington, CT
June 12 | Snapper Magee’s, Kingston, NY
Two days of highway driving and nights of motel mayhem, oh yeah, and rock & roll. Follow us on the road and join the party.

Each of these shows will also feature our old pals, The Jukebox Romantics. I think our bands are on the verge of having some sort of musical lovechild.

In addition to these shows, I will be doing an acoustic set (possibly with some accompaniment) on May 29th at the Born in a Cent CD release show at Bushwick Music Studios in Brooklyn. This should be interesting as I haven't played an acoustic set in forever. It could be magical. I'll be playing some staples, Big Sis stuff, and new new new stuff. Come hear it.

Andy’s wrist is healing well, the album is starting to sound like real music, and I am still having dreams about revising my senior thesis.

We need a harmonica player. Calling all harmonica players.

UM WHAT ELSE. Topical nonsense.

This BP oil spill travesty keeps me up at night. People should be going to jail. And BP should be fined one American dollar (dollabill) for every ounce of oil in the gulf. Or their CEO and assorted major executives should have to go live underground prematurely.

That art heist at the MoMA is insane. I mean, don't the pieces take quite a dent in value once you take them out of the mainstream art market anyway? It's all about the work being canonized by people with money. And "aura" and "provenance" and crap. I'm pretty sure it's all hypothetical, like the U.S. economy.  And yeah, maybe you're some big mob boss who is willing to buy stolen art to show off in your home. But people will know it's stolen; these are really famous works. So you're not really impressing anyone with your staggering wealth since you got it for, you know... a steal.

I totally watched the Lost finale. And you used to think I was cool.

This concludes the topical nonsense.

Come out to the shows, kids. It's summer. Time to leave your house.

So much love,
Lauren

I had this revelation recently that to the average outside spectator, and sometimes even to me, Big Sister is a highly inconsistent and unpredictable entity. I don’t know how I missed this, how I failed to realize it earlier, with our many breaks and reunions, lineup changes, and those patchy eras of shows and no-shows.

However, I can only hope that those days of inconsistency are over and that we have finally settled down and entered the painfully sane world of the predictable and boring. I hope.

I do know that Big Sister has taken on a firmer sense of being a permanent fixture in my life. Maybe it’s because I am only tip-toes away from that cliff’s edge known as graduation and I am searching around frantically for something to grasp onto to delay the plunge into the “real world” (whatever that is). But it could also be the new leaf we’ve turned over as a band, our new attitude of commitment and taking pride in the work we do instead of “just having fun.” It’s amazing how something actually becomes more serious when you start to take it seriously. Who knew it worked that way? Why didn’t anyone tell me before?

Now, I don’t know if our new attitude of commitment and seriousness is the cause of our constant activity or if our constant activity made it necessary for us to develop a new attitude of commitment and seriousness, but either way it is clear that being committed and serious and being predictable and boring go hand-in-hand. To clarify, “boring” isn’t necessarily bad. Really I just mean, “stable” or “permanent” or even “reliable.”

Maybe you have noticed our constant activity recently. Maybe you are reading this as a direct result of our constant activity recently. Playing show after show after show has taught me something: I love playing shows. I fully anticipated losing my voice after a full straight week of shows. But I was good about drinking water and warming up and down and taking it easy when I wasn’t on stage and, lo and fucking behold, my voice was still in perfect shape at the end of the week. This is encouraging. This means I Can Do It. I just have to behave.

Speaking of our constant activity, here’s what we have coming up:

Saturday, Aug. 22 – The Cliffs, Valhalla, NY TBA
This show is not confirmed, just rumored. But if we do play it, it’s sure to be extremely cool. I’ve heard good things about this venue. If it falls through, Seth said he might have a backup show, so check back for an update on the sitch. For sure.
*UPDATE ON THE SITCH: We are no longer playing at The Cliffs in Valhalla. Details about backup show to follow.*

Tuesday, Aug. 26 – Iggy’s, NYC, NY
I am excited for this show. And nervous. Nervously excited. I’m going to be starting off with a solo acoustic set and then, after a short break, we’re going all out. Full capacity. This will be followed by heavy drinking and KARAOKE. Come on. Everyone loves karaoke. Also, I think this is the first time Big Sister will be playing in Manhattan. Manhattan is alright.

Wednesday, Sep. 2 – Korova Milk Bar, White Plains, NY
This should be very cool. We play Korova pretty frequently, so we’ll have that hometown-comfort vibe going. And I am going to be guest bartending after the set. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. Sorry in advance for messing up your drink.

Thursday, Sep. 3 – Broadway Bar, Amityville, NY
The triumphant return to Long Island! Our friends Born in a Cent set up this show which is a benefit for a scholarship fund for undocumented students. You can read about the cause HERE. Come out and donate money for human rights while seeing an awesome punk show! Win, win.

Saturday, Sep. 12 – Binghamton University Union, Binghamton, NY
We keep talking about how excited we are for this show. We’ve never played upstate before, to my recollection, so this is the chance for all you northerners to get your Big Sis fix. Also, we plan on staying the night and throwing ourselves head-first into a one-night-only debaucherous abyss.

Friday, Sep. 25 – An Beal Bocht, Riverdale, NY
I’m excited for this show simply because a) I have no idea what it’s going to be like but b) the name sounds super Irish.

And we have a few things in the works for October.

So, yes. We have a lot going on.

Did I mention that, on top of all of this, we are recording an album? Oh yeah, we’re doing that. I want to tell you all about it and how it’s going but I also don’t want to ruin the surprise. We have been playing a lot of songs from the new record at our shows, so that is yet another reason to come check them out.

Something cool about playing shows is that, every once in a while, you’ll get paid to do it. And money is good for buying things like a van and t-shirts and CD packaging and gas and equipment. Of course, we haven’t made enough to afford any of these things yet. We’re planning on reissuing the E.P. and trying to get some silly t-shirts made up to sell at shows. People will buy band merch, apparently. I didn’t even know. And of course, donations are the same as paying for a hug (or a smile if you’re not into human contact).

But, seriously, when you see these shirts… you’re not going to be able to go home without one. Andy is scheming up a design that is somewhere in between ridiculously marvelous and marvelously ridiculous.

And now for some old-fashioned begging:

1. Where are the artists/graphic designers? Our website needs help, we need cool-looking t-shirts, and we might need someone to do album art as well. Who wants to help us? We can offer you a little bit of money and a lifetime of gratitude in return.

2. Our esteemed cohorts The Jukebox Romantics are looking to set up a record release show in October, ideally the weekend before Halloween and ideally in Westchester. We’ve been helping them out by asking around for venues, ideas, etc. Anyone got any? We’ll be playing at the record release show, so you’d be helping us too.

3. Leads on affordable tour vans. We need them.

4. We're teaming up with Terror Rising to throw together a Misfits cover side project, probably. Just for fun. A Halloween show is imperative. Send us tips, leads, etc. and we'll play your requests.

Thanks, kids.

Fondly and Faithfully,
Lauren

I am not very good at keeping the updates coming. It's another one of these things that I continuously resolve to do but never follow through with, yet another plan carefully devised but ultimately unexecuted. Damn.

Earlier this week, I resolved to no be so hard on myself. Case in point.

Blah blah blah. What's up with Big Sister?

LINEUP
Back in the days of Marissa Feldman, when basically everyone we knew was “sort of in the band,” the word ‘lineup’ was more or less a joke. (In fact, after a while, so was the word ‘band.’ We often said “Marissa Feldman is a lifestyle, not a band.” I think Tim said it first, but after a while, it became our motto/default excuse.) With that said, we now finally have a firm (in comparison) lineup, though you might see why our mentality tends more toward the malleable end of the lineup spectrum. With that said, I am happy to report that we have been joined by Rob Peralta on lead guitar and Seth Nicholson on bass. Tim Robbins (former/current bassist of Marissa Feldman if/when it is resurrected) is our “bassist-on-call” and honorary member as Seth’s job takes him away from us with the worst timing (i.e. whenever we have shows).

Who is unfamiliar with Marissa Feldman? Ask your parents. Little bit of trivia for you.

SHOWS
We've been playing shows here and there, when they come to us. We're focusing on getting our first full-length record finished, so we're not actively booking as a policy, but we're still available if/when something comes up. Throw a party, grab an extension cord, and ask us to play your backyard. We will. That's our favorite kind of show.

On Friday, June 19th we played a benefit show at Sinclair's Pub in West Babylon, NY (our first show in Long Island!) with our most excellent buds The Jukebox Romantics. Good vibes, nice folks, minimal weirdness, and a fun set. We aim to play more show with bands we know and love. Next to house parties... well, it's a toss-up.

We played a show in Brooklyn on Saturday, June 27th. The band that had booked us for the show dropped off the bill (bad sign) and, I'll admit, we were a bit out of our element surrounded by accordion players and scarf-in-the-summer wearers. Could have been better. Could have been worse, too. But definitely no comparison to house parties. Interesting venue, if not a little… poorly ventilated. Lesson learned.

We have another show coming up on Saturday, July 18th at Paul's Bar and Bowling in Paterson, NJ. Andy has to miss this one, but Seth will be taking over the drums and Tim will pick up the bass. This one should be excellent, and we’re playing with a very rad band called The Von Ghouls. It comes with free bowling and I hear good things about the food. It’s all old-fashioned and you have to keep score by hand, so bring someone who’s good with numbers.

Where we could use YOUR help:

Our friends The Pryde have been trying to put together a show for July 24th. It was planned that we’d be on the bill, among several other bands, but the venue fell through, so now we’re looking around for other options. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know or contact the guys in The Pryde. We’d all be eternally grateful.

We were maybe sort of planning an end-of-summer tour to the Midwest. We’re looking for venues in Allentown, PA (8/17), Pittsburgh, PA (8/18), Cleveland, OH (8/19), Chicago, IL (8/21), Madison, WI (8/22), and Milwaukee, WI (8/23). Surrounding areas are also acceptable. If you have any ideas, connections, whatever, give us a shout.

If that doesn’t happen, which is somewhat likely considering the last-minute nature of all of this, we’ll probably go to Rhode Island and be beach bums and play in parking lots and maybe in a surf bar. This is why everyone loves summer.

Finally, I have decided that we need to be playing in more living rooms and things. We played an acoustic set in Andy’s basement last night for a few friends and I realized that I missed acoustic sets and the low-key feeling of it all with the participatory banter and the ample room for fuck-ups and the not hitting my teeth on a microphone every 5 seconds. So I have decided that we will be going around from living room to basement playing acoustic sets that will rock your world the way only a hollow-body can. And this might only be for a while—until we finish recording the new album. Novelty!

If you want us to play in your living room: call us or email us, give us chairs and an outlet and, most importantly, invite people over for the show.

NEW MATERIAL
It's hard for me to figure out exactly what constitutes "new" material. For me, the new material is the stuff I'm working on now, the stuff Andy and I have been hammering out together with the new record in mind, the lyrics I've been writing over the past weeks like a little lyric-writing fiend. All or most of this stuff will be going on the record.

But there's also material that's "new" to my band mates and even newer to audiences but very, very old to me. Songs I wrote in high school, but have never done anything with, but always kinda sorta wanted to. The stuff of old conflicts, resolved or forgotten long ago. Lyrics that seemed poignant back then, but make me roll my eyes now. How do these songs make the cut?

We've been talking about retiring "Buzzkill" because it's so old. I wrote that when I was 14 and every time we play it—at shows, during practice, etc.—I feel disconnected from my body, from the action of playing those chords and singing those words, because all I can focus on is my utter disbelief that I am still playing this song. It's different for songs that I wrote after I started playing in front of living people and very different for songs that were collaborative efforts. But "Buzzkill," "Go!" and even some songs we're planning on putting on the new record come from a totally different part of my life, when my notions about what I was even doing with music had nothing to do with where I've actually ended up (from an artistic standpoint, I guess. if you're into that kind of thing).

I'm using a lot of run-on sentences that don't maybe don't make sense, but this is a difficult point to make. It's different for every song. I'm not a great lover of nostalgia, and I especially don't like the idea of playing songs purely for nostalgia's sake. But for all intents and purposes, I still think "Buzzkill" is a good song for a 14-year-old songwriter (catchy, at the very least) and I'm proud of it in that sense. At the same time, it's not at all indicative of the direction I'm taking my writing. And yet, it's "new" to most people.

I guess I'm feeling torn between putting out a record that represents everything—my writing, the band, my various neuroses—as it is at this moment in time, or everything as it has evolved over time. But would I reflect that in the track order? Or can the record just be a smattering of this and that—a song from 7 years ago here, a song that we finished writing the same day we recorded it there—and still sound cohesive? If I don't use this material now, when will use it? These questions have gone from whisper to megaphone volume in my head. But maybe this is TMI. Artist’s mystique and all.

Anyway, I was just going to say that we’ve been playing a lot of this “new” material which is to be featured on our upcoming record at shows. And you should come see the shows so you can hear the “new” songs as we premiere them. Okay?

RECORDING
As I mentioned above, the record will feature a ton of material you've never ever heard before. We’re carrying over 3 songs from the E.P. (but re-recording them) and I think the final tracklist will be 14-15 songs. We had to do a fuckton of narrowing down to get it to that number.

Recording is a funny process for Big Sister. We spend hours talking about it, planning it out, and working out the details with each other and then we end up getting the most done when we make no plans to record at all. We are a band that thrives on impulse.

We are planning to have the record out by the end of the summer. We will at least have the recording done by then. I am confident. Packaging, artwork, “label” logistics, setting up a release show, and I’m sure a ton of other stuff I’m forgetting may take some extra time to get together. We don’t do deadlines, officially.

However the details work out, you can definitely look forward to lots of new Big Sister everything to feast your eyes and ears on. For our part, we’re making progress and having fun. Simultaneously!

Fondly and Faithfully,
Lauren

So, it's been about a month and a half. That's only really six weeks, and when you put it that way, it doesn't seem like that long. Suffice it to say that Big Sis has been on hiatus for this period of time. But reconnection has been recently initiated and, by the summer, I'm sure you will be seeing us out and about once again (slightly reincarnated, revised, and recharged).

Plans for the full-length were put on hold but it seems like we're going to go ahead with it now, no matter what.

School is an interference. I love school sometimes but I also can't stand how much time and energy it requires. We need jobs and hobbies, too, or we cannot survive among the normal others. The good news is that school is almost over. The bad news is that school has a tendency to cram all the big time-consumers into the last few weeks of the semester. You know the drill; unless you don't, in which case I am giving you fair warning, future college-goers. Anyway, my point is that we're not coming back in full swing until school is wrapped up and we get our shit together with something resembling focus.

I apologize to all those people who have been asking what the hell happened to us. Sometimes these breaks badly needed and the best thing for everyone. No need to die young from some kind of stress-related corornary catastrophe. That shouldn't happen until you're much older, Americans.

In the words of one of my favorite cheesy dialogical exchanges in the history of cinema:
"Where were you? I was so worried..."
"I'm here now."

Fondly and Faithfully,
Lauren

15 Things. Things 1-14 were written about a week ago.

1. In theory, I am trying to make a zine but I keep forgetting that I am supposed to be making it. I don't know what to put in it, I guess? I have art and writing and stuff to compile but, depending on my mood, it always seems like too much or not enough.

2. I am supposed to be finishing the lyrics/melodies to old songs but instead I keep writing new songs by accident. This kind of feels like some big metaphor that sums up the story of my life.

3. Having to write new lyrics means I need some topic to be weighing on me, or demons to exercise, and it is very, very tempting to stir up some drama somewhere, somehow, just so I can get nice and inspired.

4. I always say I'm going to do that when I'm trying to write, but I never do.

5. Maybe I will write a song about my failure to follow through on things. That seems nice and metaphorical; potentially conducive to layered meanings. Good, good.

6. I think like this, but I do not write like this in the end, probably.

7. Enough about songwriting.

8. We are still making a full-length. Get ready. Summer 2009.

9. DIY! Hard work that's worth it. We have decided to record the album DIY-style in Andy's basement thus meaning we can do whatever the fuck we want. I think there's no way around being stressed when recording album, and I'd rather have my stress coming from the fact that we have be working hard to do everything ourselves, rather than the fact that we are faced with time constraints, money constraints, artistic constraints, etc. because someone else is doing it for us.

10. School is weird. I like my classes but they make my head spin in that "what-does-it-all-mean" way. Like, why am I learning these things? I like learning about them, but why do I need to? It seems so silly sometimes. What is the practical benefit of debating over whether or not Velvet Goldmine is a cinematic musical or deciding if defining "cult cinema" is primarily a sociological problem or an art historical one? Sometimes I wonder how I came to attend liberal arts school. I suppose that is the side of my dual personality that won out. Though, oddly enough, it was also a decision of financial practicality. Sometimes the two sides work together.

11. What the fuck am I going to do when I graduate? The capitalist system has seen to it that I, nor any other member of my generation, will be able to get a job. I think I will move to Portland and become a street vendor of some kind instead.

12. I am going to be meeting Michel Gondry (director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind) in March at the Focus on French Cinema Festival I intern for at my school. Really, really, looking forward to geeking out and making an ass out of myself in front of one of the most creative human beings ever to walk this planet.

13. I sent my acoustic guitar in to be set up and oh my god it's so frustrating not having that thing around. I don't think it's even been a week, but I'm going crazy. It's weird because I've been using my electric as an alternative and I keep writing these more low-key-sounding songs which you'd think would be better on an acoustic. I don't make sense.

14. I have today and tomorrow to accomplish a lot of things and I can do is procrastinate. This happens a lot and to lots of people, so at least I don't feel alone in my slackerly habits.

15. Big news regarding the band is on its way. In the meantime, we are playing a show on 2/28 at Archbishop Stepinac High School. It's a food drive run by an Eagle Scout. We may be making an announcement of the major variety. You should come.

I told myself I'd try to update this thing a minimum of three times a month and I've already failed miserably. Not to avoid taking responsibility, but it's really not totally my fault. (I am actually being facetious. I don’t know if that really lands on blog, so I feel the need to be lame and explain myself.)

I have started writing updates several times over the past two months, but I continuously ran into the problem of not having very much to say.

I don't know if that necessarily means there isn't much going on with the band. There is plenty going on with the band from where I'm standing. It’s just that a lot of it is very self-explanatory. Shows, practices, the futile efforts to book venues and plan a tour, the seemingly perpetual bad timing and lack of funds.

We are getting serious about drawing up plans for a full-length record. The plan is to record some demos at Andy’s and take them to some tricked-out, posh studio in the city where we will record them “professionally,” which really just mean “not for free,” in hopes that the tracks will sound shinier and better. (Let me just say that I think Andy does a bang-up fucking job with the resources we have; I mean have you heard that demo?!) I have also been musing about releasing a teaser E.P. with acoustic versions of a few of the songs either right before or with the full-length. Big dreams, I know.

I can’t help but wonder at times who exactly it is we are doing this for. The grand full-length album with the novel little bonus acoustic record… who wants to buy that? I can see a band with a tangible fan base pulling it off but coming from us—an unknown positive-punk outfit from Westchester who (technically) played their first show just barely over two months ago--it seems a little... I don't know... pretentious? But we don't want to be pretentious. We just want to make as much music as possible to share with as many people as possible as immediately as possible. The root problem is the instability of the scene around here. It makes cultivating a fan base very tricky and challenging. And so there is a certain feeling of futility involved in our creative efforts. A kind of "who-do-we-think-we-are?" vibe.

We're a "new" band but I'd like to point out that we're also semi-seasoned veterans when it comes to being involved in "the scene" and playing music. "Buzzkill" and "Go!" were written when I was 14 and "Expecting" when I was 15 (I'll be 21 in a week or so), so it's not as if our repertoire and sound and ideas haven't been years in the making. We've also been playing music together for years. So it's frustrating for us--at least for me, because I suppose I should speak for myself--that the timing of our emergence from the woodworks happens to coincide with a serious dry spell for the Westchester scene.

I feel like I complain about this all the time. But it also bothers me all the time. So this isn't necessarily an over-represented concern.

Although, although! There is hope yet. We were featured on a compilation for Tapeworm Records. The comp was given out at a show where all the Tapeworm bands played and a bunch of kids came out to dance and act really punk rock together. The whole Tapeworm family was there--and I really like that I can put it that way because I sometimes feel like the sense of family and community has been completely sucked out of this place. But every once in a while something like this will go down and hope is restored that the scene can be revived. Tapeworm is hope. At the same time, I wonder if these little events that feel like a revival are just death rattles to some extent. I'm pretty sure these things occur in waves. Maybe the tide is rising again. I have hope. Positive!

Sometimes I feel like it's because we're not working hard enough or something. But I feel like we work really hard. But we seem to work really hard at coming up with lots of Ideas and Plans and then when it comes to Execution... maybe we don't work as hard. Too many obstacles? Discouraged? Afraid of failure? Or are we just not working hard really? Do other bands look at us and think we're a lazy band? A band that only cares a little bit? A band that has other things going on and can only occasionally be bothered to book shows and make up flyers and work on new material? I know sometimes I judge other bands for being like that, but how would I judge Big Sister if I didn't know what went on behind the scenes? Sometimes I think everyone cares a lot more than they let on, even us. Especially us?

It's hard to wrap up a rant like this, for lack of a better word. I guess I'm trying to say that we all should have Hope and we should all Care and we should all Work Hard and Keep Doing Things because that is how keep the Sharing going on. And I guess that's why we're all going to shows and making music and publishing zines and taking pictures and drinking 40s and dancing together... because we want to Share. Life is more fun when you Share, I've found. Positivity + Sharing!!! Do it!!!

Anyway. Mad love, trusty readers. Keep up the Caring.

Fondly and Faithfully,
Lauren

P.S. - Happy New Year!

So, it is November 6th and that means that one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history has finally ended. Suffice it to say we were all pretty pleased with the results.

Perhaps this goes against my roots in the anarcho-punk counter-culture, but let me just say that VOTING IS COOL. If you did it, you know how awesome it feels. If not, shame on you. I get that you had your reasons, but I mean... truly, you've missed out. If you are not old enough to vote, take solace in the fact that you will be one day. And hey, you can help to finally vote a woman into office in 2016! (I think 2012 will be reserved for reeelecting Obamz.)

"Do it because your friends are doing it."

This is a phrase I use often in an ironic way, but I always half mean it. Let's be realistic. We are social creatures. Peer pressure happens and you are not above being affected by it, nor imposing it. Peer pressure maybe not be totally punk rock, but then again, by my understanding of the term (or at the least the definition I have carved out for myself), something that is "totally" punk rock is actually not really all that punk rock at all. I'm not going to get all philosophical on you guys. That is a waste of everyone's time because I think that, ulitmately, as humans we like to work these things out on our own. But I will say this: I do not hold any pretension that I know what punk "is." But I know how it makes me feel. And voting made me feel that very same way. Thus the conclusion...

Voting is punk rock.

Hey, I know I'm using some shaky inductive logic here. But let's just say that I had the same feeling the voting booth as I've had in a mosh pit, minus the fear of bruising.

Sidenote: Inauguration day also happens to be my 21st birthday (talk about reasons to celebrate!). I will most likely be planning a bash that will remain unmatched in awesomeness for centuries to come. There will be news about this as the date approaches, I assure you.

---

In other, not as globally significant news, our show in Croton Falls, NY is this Friday, November 7th. Also, also. We will be playing at the famed Korova Milk Bar in White Plains, NY on Tuesday, November 11th. This show will be fairly late in the evening, but if you're in the area, it is vital that you come for a few reasons:
a) You MUST check out the diggs at this bar. It is indeed a real-life replica of the fictional Korova Milk Bar depicted in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. There are naked mannequins in neon wigs, weird, made-up words on the walls, and alcoholic milk shakes. Plus Big Sister. We will be there too.
b) That wasn't a typo. They really do have alcoholic milk shakes.
c) I know you've been meaning to pick up a copy of our E.P., which we will have in stock and available for (cheap) purchase that very evening.
d) The bar is having us play to test out the idea of having bands there. They are also looking for "house bands." This could become a fairly regular gig for us if the evening is a success. Supporting us would be super nice of you. They might even pay us money, which is good, because we could really use some of that.
e) If there is a good turnout, they will most likely start booking bands there regularly, which means another Westchester venue can finally be added to the very sparse list that exists right now. In other words, you would not only be supporting us, but also the entire Westchester music scene. How generous of you.
f) MAD GOOD MUSIC.

See you there!

Proudly and patriotically,
Lauren

Hey, kids,

Let me start off with some recent news...

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10/28/08 | New shows!

We have been added to a show in Croton Falls, NY for Friday, Nov. 7th at 6:30pm. It's in the basement of that church on Route 22. Westchester scene kids, you know the one. Non-Westchester scene kids, you'll recognize it by all the drunk punks hanging around. You definitely have to be there. Rumor is, there is going to be heinous after party with all the bands and fans and friends and grandmas. Other bands on the bill include No One and the Somebodies, Lion Party, Yesterday's Trash, and more.

Also, we have been looking for a show to play on HALLOWEEN because we are nerds and have no other plans. We've been teased a couple times with offers that seem to have fallen through, so we are currently stuck with nothing. SO... if you know of a show or are throwing a party and want some living, breathing musicians for entertainment, rather than blasting your iPod shuffle through a stereo, let us know and we'll show up with our instruments and play whatever you want (that includes all the Misfits covers your little heart desires)!

We are currently on the hunt for shows galore, so hit us up if you hear of any, and I mean ANY opportunities. You can get us at bigsisterband@gmail.com or booking@bigsisterband.com.

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10/27/08 | #&%@! is OUT!

For you slowpokes who haven't realized yet, our E.P. was released a couple of nights ago. The show/release all went really, really well and we're already in desperate need of a second printing! (This just means have to get my lazy ass to Kinkos.) We still have a few physical copies left, so if you want to order one from the store, please do. We'll let you know if the order is on hold at all. We'll also be bringing copies with us to shows, so come see us in the flesh and pick one up.

You can also download the E.P. for free by clicking here. Share it with your friends and spread the word!

Thanks SO much to everyone who came out on release night and grabbed a copy and gave us money and hugs! And to everyone who has downloaded the tracks and given us feedback and love!

And finally, let's not forget to thank Ben from Tapeworm Records. Ben is rad. And so is Tapeworm. And so are you.

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Alright, then.

I have to say that I am completely friggin' thrilled with how things have been going since the E.P. was released. I think the only semi-negative criticism I've heard about it so far is "How the hell do I pronounce the title?!" (You don't, by the way. You just say "the E.P." or whatever you feel like calling it. There are no rules.)

Sure, it could just be people being super nice, but I'll keep telling myself that the record's reception is genuinely positive and enthusiastic. I have no real reason not to believe that.

Random thought: That "how do I pronounce the the title" thing might be something to throw into the FAQ section. My friend who helped me build this website suggested I create a FAQ page even though I had nothing to put on it because "it makes it look like you're really engaged with your fan base." At the time, I thought "what fan base," but now that the record is out and we're actually getting some groundswell going, I suppose I should start adding to it. So, of course, that means that I need you, yes, YOU to send me questions to answer. They can be random and vaguely personal, even; I just need content. Send questions to bigsisterband@gmail.com, por favor.

The title, if you wanted to know, was a random decision made at the last minute. I liked it for a couple of reasons. It is only vaguely a title, as it is unpronounceable, so we can still refer to the record as just "the E.P." (because, even though I insisted on doing it, I've always thought that titling an E.P. was a little cheesy). Also, it has a darling back story.  I was trying to think of my most shining moment as a big sister (that's correct, I am an actual big sister in real life) and I came up with the first time my little sister heard me use a four-letter word. She heard me utter the invective, and as if I had flipped some emotional switch, she immediately burst into hysterical tears. I decided to use this as inspiration because, as I explained to Andy, I thought it would be nice to immortalize that traumatic moment for her.

I'm not really a very mean big sister, I hope. If I am, it's definintely not on purpose. Though, I suppose you'd have to ask my little sister for the truth on that matter.

In other news, here's a cool thing: Andy recently discovered that we were somehow in The Ergs! "top friends" on MySpace (no longer, unfortunately). We're pretty sure it was a totally random, serendipitous occurrence, but we were excited and geeked out pretty hard nonetheless. The Ergs! are way cool. Unfortunately, their very last show is fast-approaching (November 15th at Asbury Lanes). We'll be there. You should be there too.

I'm also pretty excited about this show coming up in Croton Falls on Nov. 7th. It's gonna be pretty throwback. I haven't been to that venue since I was super-scene-active, back in high school. Things were different back then, but people always say that about everything. Oh, how long for the days of the 2005 Westchester scene. Good times. But enough of my old-lady nostalgia. What I'm really excited about is seeing all the fresh young punks dancing their asses off and, lest we forget, the rumored bodacious after party. You're gonna hate yourself for missing it, so don't.

Everyone have an epic Halloween, and thanks again to everyone who has been giving our record a listen and letting us know what you think!

Fondly and Faithfully,
Lauren