Category Archives: Blog

Ipso Facto

The in-store acoustic show last night went well. I’d say that just the right amount of people showed up. The store was nicely filled, but not too packed. It was good to see Bob and Terri, from Ipso, again. We also saw Gary and Dach, both of whom I know from way back when at KUCI. It was a good crowd all the way around.

It was cool to see Audra perform acoustic. Bart borrowed Ryan’s steel string guitar, which sounded quite nice with Bret’s voice. After the show we were talking with them about doing a show together in Arizona. Bart was saying that we should have played a song together, so I suggested we do that in AZ. Today it occured to me that Bret and I could do one of the duets together; maybe “You are the Gun.” That could be cool.

What a drag…

My old iMac really bit the dust, so I had to get a new one. That’s actually a pretty cool thing, except that I can’t import my contacts into this new email program. So… getting the email list back together is going to be a real pain in the tush! I can’t tell you how many times I have recreated the Lovespirals mailing list since joining the band. Sheesh! Computers!

Man, being in a band is certainly not all glamour. Its more like non-stop work with a little bit of fun thrown in when you’re lucky.

Email List Overhaul

Lovespirals are currently attempting to recreate their fan email list, due to yet another computer meltdown at Lovespirals’ Headquarters (boo hoo). Anyone who has signed up since the new site launch (April 2002) should still be on the list, but older listees may have been lost in the shuffle. To make sure that you receive official Lovespirals updates, please go to the
CONTACT US page to sign up now!

Back from the road

It’s been a week since we got back for our week on the road, and it’s taken me this long to finally have a chance to write here about it. Anji and I had a great time and want to thank everybody that came out to see us. And also big thanks go out to Mira for getting us off our “we’re too busy to tour” butts and on the road. Mira rocked each night, and whether or not your familiar with them, I highly recommend seeing them. Plus they are nice and friendly people.

We’ll be doing at least one more show, and that’ll be in Los Angeles on October 2. Check our news page for more info on that.

KPSU Interview

While in Portland, we hooked up with Carolee, a new DJ at Portland State University’s college radio station. She was nice enough to burn us a CD of the interview and acoustic set. I edited the interview down from a half hour to 14 minutes, and added in backing music, to put up on Mp3.com for everyone to hear. That should go up pretty quickly, so keep your eye out at http://www.mp3.com/lovespirals. Maybe later I’ll try to put up one of the acoustic songs we did, too.

Poor Carolee was so nervous having us up! I guess we were the first band she’s had to the station, so it was all new for her. I’m used to college radio from my 3 years at KUCI. Ryan’s been at quite a number of college stations (including KUCI) that it’s old hat for him, as well. So it was probably good that we were the band to break her in. : ) Oh yeah, she mentioned on air that she’d read our journal, so if you’re reading right now, Carolee — HI!

Jerk "Reviewer"

There was one downer moment in the tour I forgot to mention… In Oregon, the Willamette Weekly printed the most preposterous preview of our show possible! We were stunned to read this guy’s outrageously incorrect summation of our sound:

Lovespirals evolved from it’s former incarnation — Love Spirals Downward[sic], a perfectly listenable Cocteau Twins clone — into a shimmery, soft-focus New Age monster who think Kenny G saxophone and smooth-jazz piano are signifers of a newfound maturity. No dice.

What???? We don’t even use piano in our music – unless you count the one song with funky Rhodes electric piano, which hardly qualifies as “smooth-jazz” or “new age”!!! Doron is certainly not like Kenny G., and he wasn’t on the tour, anyway… Gads! Even the promoter of the Portland show was expecting the worst after reading that review; he came up to us right after we finished playing to say that we were much, much better than he expected, and we “didn’t sound jazz at all!” Haha!

Man, you drive all the way out from L.A. to do a special performance, and get totally panned before you even arrive. Thanks a lot, John Graham, you jerk!!!

Back from Tour

Lovespirals have returned from their West Coast mini tour with Mira, and are busy scheduling additional dates for this year. So far, Los Angeles has been added for October 2nd, at the Knitting Factory. The band plans to include saxist, Doron Orenstein, for this date.

DJ Victoria Star, of KZSC in Santa Cruz, CA wrote the following review of the first show date:

San Francisco Projekt fans were given a spectacular treat last night when artists Mira and Lovespirals joined together for an evening of musical bliss at The Pound.

Once again changing musical directions, Anji Bee and Ryan Lum presented their lush new sound as a taunting and swanky invitation to sing along. Taking the stage with a smile that never left her face, Anji’s vocal mastery was particularly poignant on new tracks “Oh So Long” and “Swollen Sea.”

Back home from tour

The mini tour is over, and boy, are we exhausted. So much driving! The shows all went well, as did the radio interview and show. We saw a lot of friends and family along the way, and made a few new friends. Some CDs were sold, fans made, sights seen, and the like.

Sadly, when we returned home, my beloved iMac would not power up. I do all the band work from my iMac, so this is very bad news. We took it to the local Apple store, and we’re praying that the Geniuses there can mend it back to health. If not, we’ll have to have the data transferred out onto another computer… But let’s keep our fingers crossed that it doesn’t come to that! Send my iMac your prayers!

Anji Bee Online

Mp3.com continues their strange love affair with Anji this week, as they’ve added a link to her on their front page, along side Eve and Alicia Keyes.

A Real Audio file of the recent interview with Anji for the Outsight Radio Hours is now online at Music Sojourn . She and Tom Shulte discuss Windblown Kiss, jazz, vinyl collecting, and more.