hello everyone. the day i’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: death head wed(nesday).

tonight is the release party for our second album, Death Head (side A) at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. it isn’t available online, and won’t be for the next few weeks, while we wait for iTunes to put it up. in the meantime you’ll have to come out to a show and pick up a copy for yourself.

that is a picture of the handmade Death Head CD and case. It comes with a handmade booklet and a replicated discmakers compact disc (future coaster), all in a handmade screenprinted floppy disc case from the 80s. Daniel and I cut, stapled, stripped, stuffed, and screenprinted everything by hand, and it took about a million years, but it was worth it. that being said, we will only make this first limited run of handmade Death Head (side A) discs, so come get them on this tour. there is definitely sweat, if not blood and tears, in them.

Death Head (side A) comes with five of our most treasured and lovely songs on it. you will enjoy them all. keep an eye out later in the week for a post on here with the official lyrics. until then, just try to decipher what i’m saying. you’re probably right.

we also made new posters!

that’ll go right on your mother’s wall. she’ll love it. each one is numbered (220) and handmade by the band. we screenprinted them on black speckletone recycled french paper, and they are incredibly badass.

we also made some t-shirts, dudes!

these three items are part of our Death Head package, which also comes with a button and a little handmade Death Head patch for your jacket or messenger bag or elbow.

and of course, that’s not everything. we also made twenty big back patches, for the hardcore kids out there.

i made use of one, so there’s only nineteen left. sorry bro.

for those of you not cool enough to have hardcore nerd vests, we’ve got hoodies as well. we also have antique postcards that are rad. you can send them to us, or we’ll send them to you.

oh yeah, and we have a full band. for this whole tour.

devin king, zach ellis, and ryley crowe have played with us before, but never together (except for the one bon iver tribute show). we’ve been getting ready for the show and having a blast.

ONE LAST THING: if you download the Bard app I talked about in our last blog post, and show us at the merch table that you’ve downloaded it, we will give you a discount on your purchase (whether you use cash or credit card on our square card reader). your phone should look something like the picture below. see you all tonight, 8pm sharp. <3

this is something i’ve been wanting to do forever, and spotify is making it easy for me.

starting today, i will be posting spotify playlists of the actual songs we listen to on the road in a series called VAN LOL RADIO. today’s playlist, for example, was one Daniel and I listened to on the way to and from Baraboo (we had to pick up screen printing supplies). each playlist will contain songs that we actually listened to, and actually like (even if they’re bad songs).

so, without further ado, here is VAN LOL RADIO volume 1. enjoy <3

A hallowed hello to all of the interwebs! Jimmie here, back in the real world after spending many weeks in record-making-land (which is filled with instruments and apple tacos). Death Head (side A) is complete.

I’m sitting on my couch here in madison, thinking about all the things that have changed lately, and how many more will change very soon. It’s been a fast paced winter and spring, and the only thing giving me some sort of foundation in this rocky time is Battlestar Galactica.

Sadly, I’m on the last few episodes. Which means that I’m gonna have to survive on a lean diet of Sunday-only Game of Thrones. I’ll make it somehow, I promise! Now, announcements:

THANK YOU SO MUCH for donating to help make the record. I’m proud to announce that Death Head (side A) is done and will be released at a record release party on May 16th, 2012 at The High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI. Of course, those of you who donated will get the new songs first. The second half of Death Head (that is, side B) will be released on August 1st, and there will be a corresponding release tour following that show as well. Each side will be distinct and unique, yet part of the whole. Each will have its own artwork, each its own sound. Then in the fall, we hope to make a vinyl with both sides slapped together, and all things will be the good news juice.

I am also very excited to announce our Death Head release tour dates. Below I’ve listed all the dates for the upcoming release tour, and I’ll post them on our tour page as well. This will be our furthest tour yet, playing from Omaha to New York to Nashville, and everywhere in between. We’ll have all new merch and songs at these shows, so y’all had better come out and hang. Gon’ be a VAN LOL partay.

DEATH HEAD (SIDE A) RELEASE TOUR
(more info is available on the tour page here)

Death Head Release Show: Wednesday, May 16th – Madison, WI @ The High Noon Saloon w/ Bello, Elsinore, 8PM
(purchase tickets in advance here)

Thursday, May 17th – Milwaukee, WI @ Kam’s Corner Tap, 5:00pm

Thursday, May 17th – Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi w/ Jeanna Salzer, Greatest Lakes, 9:30pm

Friday, May 18th – Rockford, IL @ The Adriatic, 10pm

Saturday, May 19th – Chicago, IL @ The Hard Rock Cafe w/ Simpleton and Cityfolk, 10pm

NEW SHOW ADDED: Sunday, May 20th – Galena, IL @ The Grape Escape, 2pm

Monday, May 21st – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar w/ Crooked Mile, David George, 10pm

NEW SHOW ADDED: Tuesday, May 22nd – Omaha, NE @ Caffeine Dreams, 8pm

Wednesday, May 23rd – Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theater, 8pm

Thursday, May 24th – Terre Haute, IN @ The Verve w/ The Yearbook Committee, 9:30pm

Friday, May 25th – Cincinnati, OH @ Baba Budan’s w/ Molly Sullivan, Indigo Wild, 10pm

Saturday, May 26th – Cleveland, OH @ The Barking Spider w/ The House Popes, 6:30pm

Sunday, May 27th – Louisville, KY @ TBA

Wednesday, May 30th – Nashville, TN @ The Basement w/ Tendoor, 8pm

Thursday, May 31st – Dubuque, IA @ The Bank, 8:30pm

Friday, June 1st – Wausau, WI @ Malarkey’s, 9:30pm

Saturday, June 2nd – Oshkosh, WI @ Becket’s, 8pm

Friday, June 8th – Appleton, WI @ Fox River House, 8pm

Thursday, June 14th – Green Bay, WI @ Ledgestone Vineyards, 6pm

Thursday, June 28th – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 1), 8pm

Saturday, June 30th – Annapolis, MD @ Red Red Wine Bar, 10:30pm

NOTE: I will be blogging a lot more now. please come check this page out every couple days. we’ll be releasing new songs and such. life is good. i missed you guys.

hey everyone. we’re taking a five day break from facebook and blogging because we’ll be in the studio. we’re working on our next record, which will be titled Death Head, and, as much as it sounds and looks like it, it will not be a metal record. thank you for your continued support. if you want more in depth updates, donate $1 or so to the making of the record here. for now, here’s a tentative track listing, in no order and with no promises. see you all very soon. <3

DEATH HEAD

Forever
Paper Dove
Good Reason
The Dark Red Waltz
Lavender
Death Head
Down in the Dark
On Berlin
Need You
Flash Flood

well hi. so we’re going on tour again, but this time there is a special mission. one that, if successful, will be remembered for eternity. i am going to attempt to fist-bump the president.

that’s right. we’re going to Washington DC so that i can fist-bump the prez. cause we’re bro like that. pretty simple, really, and then we’re gonna play some shows in wisconsin and brag about it. wish me luck; we’ll keep you informed of our progress right here. come out to a show and we can discuss strategies. <3

THE PRESIDENTIAL FIST-BUMP TOUR
(check our tour page for more info.)

Friday, March 9th – Annapolis, MD @ Red Red Wine

Saturday, March 10th – Pasadena, MD @ Coconut Charlie’s

Saturday, March 17th – Dubuque, IA @ The Bank

Saturday, April 7th – Green Bay, WI @ Ledgestone Vineyards

Saturday, April 14th – Shawano, WI @ Classic’s

Thursday, April 19th – Madison, WI @ Dragonfly Lounge

Friday, April 27th – Wausau, WI @ Malarkey’s

Saturday, April 28th – Oshkosh, WI @ Beckets

oh man, i’m just giving them away lately. you’d think i’d keep some of our secrets, you know…secret. but i’m feeling generous. so here’s a good one. the secret to daniel and the lion:

it’s the daniel. you know, the guy who plays piano and doesn’t talk. and right now he’s driving the van and it hasn’t rolled once. so let me tell you just five reasons why this man is the secret to daniel and the lion.

1.) he taught me everything i know about music. before daniel came along i was writing songs like “Ocean Bound” and “Galt.” do you know how bad those songs were? you hopefully don’t – i don’t play them.

i dropped out of my first music course of my life. it was in college and i pretended like it was because i didn’t like the way it was taught, but the truth is that i just didn’t get it. and it wasn’t until daniel came along that i even knew how the songs i wrote were constructed. but daniel has the unique ability to communicate very advanced levels of musical theory with people who don’t even know what a “key” is, and he never sounds condescending. and he used that skill to help me hone my songs into what they are today.

2.) he is a mechanic. no joke, the van has broken at least 10 times, and it seems he always knows the inexpensive method to fix it. we’ve saved thousands of dollars this way. it all stems from an innate interest in cars that dates back to his childhood when he used to build models. guess that hobby paid off, dad.

3.) he always drives. i am 25, and i don’t have my license. i should be ashamed, but it’s never made sense to get one, because i have to spend hours on my computer each day in the passenger seat, and daniel is just really, really good at driving. and he loves it. LOVES IT. and if daniel didn’t drive to every show, every time, i wouldn’t have the energy or time to book them. pretty perfect setup we have here, eh?

4.) daniel is always early. you have no idea how important this is until you realize that almost every band is late to their gigs. but when daniel worked for the university, it was his job to get there hours early and set everything up – percussion instruments, chairs, music stands – for the whole orchestra.

when you’re the band that’s always on time, you win points with the venue, and with your fans. daniel is a professional, through and through, and because of that, we have never been late to a show.

5.) daniel trusts me. i think this is, for me, the biggest thing.

see, i’m kind of a nut case. i have big ideas, probably too big a lot of the time. and as an artist, i need to execute most of those ideas quickly, and without a snag.

there have been plenty of times where we were hurting for money, and i felt we needed to make a decision that left money on the table, and quite directly made our lives a bit worse in the short run, for the eventual gain of artistic freedom, or even just integrity. and he trusted me. we’re in this 50/50, and we need to make the risky decisions sometimes, the ones that are untested, in order to succeed.

a lot of times this means giving things away for free that we slaved over, or driving to the middle of nowhere for a first time show. trust is the most important thing in a relationship. there is no substitute.

so there’s five reasons daniel is the secret to daniel and the lion. hope they gave you some insight into the mystery marimbist. and the next time we play a show, chat him up. cause he talks, just not on the mic. <3

so often, as a musician, you’re confronted with the struggle to make ends meet. and now more than ever it can seem overwhelming. digital sales are stagnant, and with the tidal surge of music listeners toward streaming services that pay a fraction of a penny, it can be difficult for a musician to figure out a way to make any money from digital music. but i think i found the solution. here it is:

don’t.

now, i’m not saying this is the only possible choice. i’m just suggesting it. and i’ll even tell you how. because what’s akin to “letting go” is a lot easier and feels a lot better than trying to strangle a dollar out of someone on the internet. here’s my blueprint for success (and it works: we make very little money off music on the internet!)

0.) make amazingly good music. this is the hard part.

1.) put your stuff on bandcamp. make this where you release music. make it “pay what you want.” most people will pay 0, and that’s totally fine.

2.) if someone at a show tells you they don’t have money to buy a CD, tell them to go to bandcamp and enter $0 for all your music. tell them you want them to. and actually want them to. because they don’t have money. and not only that, they liked you SO MUCH they were willing to walk up and admit it to you at the merch table. that takes courage, and should be rewarded.

3.) put your stuff on iTunes for the moms and dads.

4.) put your stuff on spotify IMMEDIATELY. you get paid nothing. doesn’t matter. this is where people are listening to new music.

5.) put your stuff on YouTube. don’t fake it, make it real live recordings. take your time. make your videos good, and fun. and once you have enough views to put commercials on your channel, don’t do it. they’re REALLY annoying.

6.) put your stuff on pandora for fun.

that’s it. now, you can sell your CD at shows for $10 or whatever, but that’s different – eventually everyone will know they can get music for free online, but they will still buy your CD at a show.

and if you need to get into the studio and you’re broke, you can fundraise online to your fanbase, friends, and family. just keep your target low (recording is cheap enough), and be transparent about what you’re spending the money on. if your fans believe in you, and CAN afford to support you, they will. remember this: if someone gives you money for music, it is because they want you to make more. people aren’t stupid – they know they can get any music in the world for free. but they can’t get it if you can’t record it. so just be honest in everything you do, make great music, and give it away for as long as you can. and go get some boots of spanish leather. life’s too damn short.

HI EVERYONE.

i am now lying in bed, feeling sick to my stomach. guess what else? we’re going on tour again. this time we’re heading down to Nashville for a show at the Basement, and the new full band will be joining us on the trip. they’ll also be joining us when we end the tour with a big show at the High Noon Saloon, in Madison, WI on March 1st. We’ll be joined by our friends in Phox, as well as Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts. what a SMASH! be there, or angelica huston will come looking for you.

below are the tour dates. also, below those is a preview of the album art for our next record.

THE NASHVILLE TOUR
(check our tour page at datlband.com/tour for start times and such)

Friday, February 10th – Milwaukee, WI @ Lo Cash Live w/ Jesse Frewerd

Wednesday, February 15th – Green Bay, WI @ Terry Naturally

Thursday, February 16th – Wausau, WI @ Malarkey’s

Friday, February 17th – Shawano, WI @ Classics

Saturday, February 18th – Green Bay, WI @ Ledgestone Vineyards

Thursday, February 23rd – Chicago, IL @ The Celebration of Smiles Convention w/ America’s Toothfairy

Friday, February 24th – Champaign, IL @ Cream and Flutter w/ Ryan Groff of Elsinore

Saturday, February 25th – Terre Haute, IN @ The Verve (FULL BAND)

Tuesday, February 28th – Nashville, TN @ The Basement (FULL BAND)

Thursday, March 1st – Madison, WI @ The High Noon Saloon w/ Phox and w/ Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts (FULL BAND)

i’m back home, and derek (our roommate) is watching this show on netflix called “the colony.” essentially, it’s make-believe post-apocalyptic new orleans with a bunch of random real-world idiots trying to get water, food, and shelter. it’s the worst show ever, but derek’s interactive commentary is golden. as they struggle to dig a hole, he shouts at the tv “OH, YOUR MODEL MUSCLES AREN’T HELPING?”

now we’re watching “never say never.” jesus.

i found this at the museum of natural history in new york. i put it on my blog because i’m a nerd and i’m totally going to make an epic level druid that rides one of these things, and hunts with javelins.

hi guys. we went to new york city. here it is.

yeah, i know. you want a crazy epic skyline picture. well, it rained all three days we were there, so you’re gonna have to google “New York City Skyline” if you want something less grim. we played two shows while we were there, saw the members of dr. dog, and went to a bunch of museums, but the one thing i took away from the city more than anything is that you really can’t experience it in three days. it’s flippin huge. we had to travel on giant underground earthworms made of steel just to get anywhere.

i don’t look too enthused. probably someone farted. but we had just played a wonderful show the night before at rockwood music hall, and we were going to the NERD MUSEUM, so i’m sure i was.

that’s right. we went to the museum of natural history. see, daniel likes rocks, i like space, and aleesha likes dinosaurs. the nerd triforce. MEET SOMEONE AWESOME:

this is aleesha. she’s awesome. she’s a painter and and a dinosaur nerd, and was kind enough to accompany us on this tour as our resident anthropologist/photographer/extra driver. yeah, i’m pretty bad at driving.

our day at the museums started off really lucky. check this note i found at the subway stop.

you can’t plan that. fate is a lovely thing.

i could post the thousand pictures daniel and aleesha took that day, but instead i will just post my favorite, and tell you to go to the museum of natural history yourself. it’s worth it, i promise.

no further explanation needed.

we capped our tour off with a show in brooklyn at pete’s candy store. of course, it’s not a REAL candy store, but a bar with a stage in the back. and i have to say, aesthetically, it’s been my favorite stage yet.

first impression of new york: pretty much awesome. i didn’t meet a single mean person. i dunno, big cities feel very similar to me, but new york did have something special about it. my guess is it’s the people.

oh, and we got signed. check it out. <3