Song Lyrics-

Just posted a bunch of songs below: Six Degrees, Don't Look Back, Consider Me Gone, Princess, and Not That Bad. There will be more later... I promise. :)

Six Degrees

Six degrees separate the ceiling and the floor
You and me, bodies broken from the heartache and the score
That needs to settle from all the feelings we've become
Through the years and the pain

Passed out cold, hands are shaking from the sleep dep and the blow
Yes we'll learn, but we can't do it ourselves we've got to take turns
Looking through telescopes to the future that we hope
Will someday make some sense

I'll be right here
Waiting for you
Don't be so scared
I'm not going anywhere

Lucky me I found you
Lucky you you found something new
Cross your heart and kiss it
I swear we'll make it
Through

I'll be right here
Waiting for you
Don't be so scared
I'm not going anywhere

Don't Look Back (Ice Scream Song)

Oh I feel like shit and I'm constantly wondering why (oh, oh, oh, oh...)
So sick of this fucked up shit in my face all day, God I want to die (oh, oh, oh, oh...)

Chorus:
Take your shoes and run
As the rocks fly by, don't look back
We'll sit and watch the sunset
Your hand in mine as our feet fall through the sky

All this endless stimuli makes me feel like I'm insane (oh, oh, oh, oh...)
Years wasted as time ticks by, if only I'd learned to be something (oh, oh, oh, oh...)

CHORUS

I scream, you scream, we all scream oh, oh, oh, oh...
I scream, you scream, we all scream oh, oh, oh, oh...
I scream, you scream, we all scream oh, oh, oh, oh!!!

CHORUS

Consider Me Gone

How can I be friends with you when you won't be friends with me?
How can I talk to you when you won't talk to me?
Why should I visit you when you never come visit me?
Why should I play with you when you won't never play with me?

I miss you still and I always will
I like to think it's not done
But you can consider me gone

It's been a long time coming now, we saw the signs long before
You are my greatest casualty of this stupid, senseless war
Yes, I wish things were different than they seem to be
But I'm so tired of defending myself when everyone else picks on me

I miss you still and I always will
I like to think it's not done
But you can consider me gone
You can consider me gone

Princess

I love how you make me feel
Like a princess in a fairy tale
Like everyone else is insane
And being this way is ok

Chorus:
You don't have to say to me
Anything at all
Cause it's the way it was meant to be
So sit back and watch the stars fall

When I'm with you I can say anything
You bring out the best in me
And the bad stuff doesn't seem so hard
You taught me how to follow my heart

CHORUS

I'm normal around you
Like this is what I'm supposed to do
Not clamped up or quiet or weird
Just silly and funny and real

CHORUS

Not That Bad

It's never been this way before
I don't know what to do
Hard enough getting out of bed
I didn't need this too

At least I didn't get a parking ticket
At least I'm not dead
As much as I wish I was right now
I know it's all in my head

It's not that bad
I've been telling myself for years
It's not that bad
But why then is my cocktail soaked with tears

December 7th @ Fontana's

You know it's a good show when afterwards you can't talk, you can't hear, and you're in so much pain that you want to die. You know it's a good show when you look out and see all your friends dancing and having a great time. :)

The first thing I thought when I got there was, "It smells like fish and I look like I'm on crack." It's not just that I've been sick (that only really started yesterday,) but I was running around all day and I was feeling a little delirious by the time 8 o'clock hit. I know that I should take it easy... but sometimes I can't help myself.

For example, I knew that I shouldn't be dancing but it's so hard not to dance. I've seen Victor Bravo three times now and every time Saysha and I just dance our little hearts out! Dance, dance, dance, it's so much fun to dance. :) They rocked so hard that they blew a fuse. Seriously. We love Victor Bravo- they are some of the sweetest people I've ever met. Thank you guys for playing with us and being our friends and for helping put this night together- it was truly incredible.

Marla Hooch came on after us- they were great too! Very Sleater-Kinney/Bikini Kill sounding. I'm sorry I didn't dance to them more, I just really felt like shit and couldn't do it. But they are awesome. If you haven't checked them out yet, you totally should.

What can I say about our set? I think I lost my voice before we even started, but I really couldn't sing by about the fifth song. After that... it was just instincts. I also lost one of my ear plugs before we started so I now can't hear out of my right ear. I know, I'm so lame, I wear ear plugs. But I actually want to be able to hear when I'm fourty. :)

I don't know what to say- tonight was just the best night ever. I thought we played really well and everyone seemed to really enjoy it- right guys? You had fun? I know I had a really amazing time at least. I don't really know what to say, other than thank you. Thank you to everyone for coming out. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. *grin* I guess it really was a day of infamy after all...

I'm so weak I can't even blow my nose... time for me to go to bed and die now. :)

Set List:
-Without You
-Ice Scream Song
-Real Dreams
-No More Jealous Girlfriends
-Not That Bad
-This Happens
-Consider Me Gone
-That Girl
-Stuck In My Head

November 17th @ Club Midway Update

Not only were we the last band on but we were (sort-of) the first band there.

I got out of work at 5, made it down to the rehearsal space, loaded everything out of the closets and hailed a cab. My cell phone talking, African French speaking driver and I had to ride around the block once first and he seemed pretty pissed at me when I said I had to load up the car, but after he saw a.) how little stuff it was, b.) how it was all ready to go, and c.) that I was doing it by myself, he lightened up a little.

"Do you play music?"
"Yeah, I'm in a band. We have a show tonight."
"Oh, what do you play?"
"Guitar. And I sing. It's fun, I think."
"What kind-of music do you play? Is it rock music?"
"Yeah, I guess they call it pop punk, but it's rock music."
"That's very nice."
"Thank you."

Sean and Debi were there to greet me and help me unload. Here's the thing though- my Mom and her friend Lynn came to New York to see this show. Right before all this stuff happened I called her and asked if I could join them for dinner (free food! woo-hoo!) Unfortunately, this meant missing most of the benefit myself, but you do what you have to. They were in Little Italy, so I took another cab down and had a lovely time.

Actually, I had such a lovely time that I didn't want to leave. Lynn and my Mom have been friends since college and I've heard all these great stories about her (Lynn), but I haven't seen her since I was 5. Maybe less. So we're at Benito One, I finish my wine and my gnocchi and we're talking about politics and geography and life in general and finally I realize that not only do I have to leave, I shoud have left over an hour ago.

Shit. Why do I always do this to myself?

I get on the train, I get home, it's something like 9:45 and I'm supposed to pick up John at 10 and I'm no where near ready. Fortunately he called (because he's good like that) and I said,

"Ok, I'll be there at 10:3- let's make it 10:45 so I actually get there when I say I will instead of having to call at 10:30 and say, 'I'm not there yet.' "

I leave my house at 10:45. Shit shit shit. As I'm running down the stairs I realize that we go on in about an hour, it takes me 15 minutes to get to John's house, 30 minutes (at least) to get to the rehearsal space to get the rest of our stuff, and another 10-15 to get to the club and find parking. Which gets us there at about... let's see... 11:45. And we go on at midnight. Right.

I get lost going to John's because I'm trying to take "the fast way" which I don't really know that well yet. John and I get on the road and instantly hit traffic. Bad traffic. Traffic that's so slow I decide to pay a toll and go a way that I've never been so I have no idea where it actually goes because that's how much I don't think we'll make it. So I jump out of our lane and drive like a motherfucker towards the tunnel, just as I realize that the traffic is only happening because everyone's merging and just past the merge point the road is clear.

"Oh... should I be an asshole? I don't want to be an asshole, but I think I have to. Just this once... oh I hate it when I do this."

And I cut in front of EVERYONE. And I NEVER do shit like that, because it's just annoying, and that's exactly WHY the traffic was so bad... but... it worked. We got there. We got there and Crashbox started at about 11:20(?) so we were fine.

My Mom is so cute- "You can tell you practice a lot." I love my Mom. Her and Lynn were so sweet to say all the things they said afterwards. They forgot their ear plugs, I have to call them and make sure their ears aren't bleeding or anything today...

I also have to ask Sean how much money we ended up raising. That doesn't matter so much, because it was an important thing to do and I hope we do more things like this in the future. Just because. It's good to do nice things for people in need. Right? I think so. :)

And again, a big hug and kiss and thanks to Sean of Nefarious Bovine Radio, Ren from Insomnia NY, and Debi from... (where is Debi from again?) for organizing everything and making this event possible. And thank you to everybody who came out and showed their support, you guys fucking rule and we love you all! :)

Now... because of all of this I missed Battlestar last night, so if you'll excuse me, I have to go do something about that.

Set List:
-Without You
-This Happens
-Don't Look Back (Ice Scream Song)
-Not That Bad
-Six Degrees
-Guiltless
-Longest Time
-Stuck In My Head

October 18th @ Club Midway

Ok... so... my internet connection is gone so I've only been able to log on in tiny spurts here and there and therefore haven't had a chance to post this blog yet. But now (thanks Mark and Jacob!) I'm just putting up what I have and I'll fix it later.

Here goes.

So. Here I am. It's 2 am and I'm eating a tuna fish sandwich. Why? Because I'm a Tarka. And we Tarka's enjoy tuna fish when we've had a long night of drinking and general rowdiness.

Where to start? There are so many "first of all's" that it's hard for me to know where to begin... first of all, thank you so much everybody for coming out! Especially when there's a Mets game on! Especially when there's such an important Mets game on. :) Go Mets! And I'd like to give a very special thank you to Mr. Chris Neal (should I not be using your real name Christopher?) for coming all the way from fucking BOSTON to see us. (Yes, you have reclaimed your number one fan status. *grin*) Now, it's not just that Chris drove down from Boston. It's that Chris drove down from Boston, saw our show, then drove BACK to Boston. I thought I was the only one crazy enough to do such a thing, but no. No, I was proven wrong. It's good to have friends. :)

Have you ever been to Club Midway? It used to be "Scenic," but now it's Club Midway. It's really nice, I think. It's one of the many clubs nowadays that has a bar upstairs and a stage downstairs. What do you guys think about that? I kind-of like it. It makes me feel special for seeing the rock show, to be honest. Like I know a secret and feel cooler for knowing such a thing. *shrug* Probably just me.

We spent the first hour or so chillin' in the back room, hanging out, and just sort-of wasting time. John and I got there first with the majority of the gear. Poor Frankie had to bring hardware, even though they had some there, because I told him the wrong thing. *sigh* It's always something.

Well, if you weren't at the show tonight, you missed quite the performance. We had not one, but three, count em', THREE female fronted bands. We were joined tonight by the very lovely Spanking Charlene and our good friends Stephanie and the Ghost Town. Who played one of my favorite Misfits songs ever. YES! Sweet!

What is there to say really? It was fun. My guitar broke. I was drunk. Good times. :) I've decided I like being drunk. We'll see if I still feel that way tomorrow...

Set List:
-Without You
-This Happens
-Don't Look Back (Ice Scream Song)
-Princess
-Guiltless
-That Girl
-Longest Time
-Stuck In My Head
-Try So Hard

October 13th @ WPUB.org

Thanks everybody for watching and listening! Well, I know at least one person was watching and listening. (Thanks Chris Neal!!! *grin*)

Guess what?! Saysha and I were on the radio yesterday! How fun is that?! First, I'd like to thank our friend DJ Max for having us on The Boxed Set. We had a REALLY great time and can't wait to go back. (Next month maybe?)

We were meeting at Pace at quarter to 6 and I, thanks to the wonders of public transportation, was very hungry and cranky when I got there. Here's the deal- I was just coming from work and I had PLENTY of time so I figured I'd just grab something to eat when I got there, because I knew I was probably going to get lost. So I get on the 6 train and I make the mistake of not transferring to the express train at Union Square. I just wasn't paying attention and didn't notice until it was just about too late and I thought, "eh, why bother? I'll still get there and I've got time."

HA! So the 6 train decides that it wants to stop, repeatedly, for long periods of time, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. ! I was passed by THREE express trains on my way. Three. Not including the one I missed. Damn I felt stupid. But anyway, I got there, Saysha and Max found me because I was at the wrong building, I bought a pretzel which calmed me down considerably, and then we went on. Yay!

We got to go through the CMJ collection and pick out some bands, I got to play "Insomniac" by Echobelly and Saysha picked out an older R.E.M. song, "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" from "The Best of The I.R.S. Years". Good times!

We played our recorded version of "Try So Hard" which everyone's heard because it's the one from our myspace page. We recorded that in our rehearsal space, what do you guys think? Because we're contemplating recording a whole album like that, but I don't know if it's too lo-fi for everyone... I think it rocks, but that could just be me. :)

Did everyone see Saysha doing all her fancy yoga poses? She did a headstand and "The Phoenix". Sick. Did you see? She's so talented! I love her.

I played two songs, "Not That Bad," which we played once before at The Continental, and "Consider Me Gone," a brand spanking new song that I've never played outside of our rehearsal space before.

That was actually pretty special because that's a little glimpse into how Stewart songs become Stewart songs. They almost always start off as me playing some song on my guitar in my room (which is also an electric by the way, I don't own an acoustic guitar), recording it on my computer, and then I give copies to the band, we speed it up, rock it out, and there you have it. It's fun to hear the difference I think. I like both ways, but of course, the Stewart way is the better one.

And yes, it wouldn't be a musical event without everyone picking on me for my pop culture ignorance. *sigh* It's ok, I know it's because you love me. And yes, I really didn't know who Keith Moon was. (I still sort-of don't, but, let's pretend I remember... he's a drummer right? *grin*)

WPUB.org

Stewart on WPUB.org tonight at 6!!!

Saysha and I are going to be in the studio with our friend, DJ Max from "The Boxed Set", tonight from 6-7:15ish. They even have a WEB CAM! To check it out go to:

http://www.wpub.org/

And click on "Tune In" in the bottom left corner.

"Put on your ripped fish-nets and crank it up to 11 cause we're gonna rock in the WPUB studio for ya." -DJ Max

October 3rd @ Sin-e

Why am I so short? I was just looking at all the pictures from the show, and I'm SHORT! Why didn't anybody tell me?! I mean I know I used to be short, but apparently I'm tiny and I didn't even realize. Huh.

Last night. Hm... We had a SOUND CHECK! A real, honest to god, all to ourselves SOUND CHECK! Crazy! Frankie and I were there first- he's such a cutie. He was all ready to go, outfit on, hair done, drum bags unpacked. I pulled around the corner with my hair all frizzy, in my jeans and t-shirt, sans make-up, looking clean, but mildly disheveled. Exit the Ordinary showed up and I thought they were John. "I bet that's John!" But then it was them. They're from Detroit and I really liked their set.

Saysha arrived in her yoga pants and John showed up straight from work. I don't know what happened because at the end of our sound check I was so happy because it sounded so good, but then we went on and it's as if we were all deaf suddenly because we couldn't hear anything. And I do mean anything. I guess I could hear my vocals, but other than that, we couldn't hear anything. Poor John was going off of instincts alone. :) And I apologize if my guitar went out of tune, I really couldn't tell, cause as I said, couldn't hear it at all. But everyone who saw the show seemed to think it sounded great, so I'm still sticking by my "sound checks are a good thing" philosophy. Seriously. I like sound checks. *grin*

Frankie and I ate. John and Romeo hung out. Saysha went home to change. It was such a chill night. I felt like we were on tour, even though we were home. Just because we had so much time to putz around with nothing to do. It was nice I thought. I may be alone in thinking that, but I like taking my time and doing nothing. It makes me calm and happy. And a happy Andrea is a good thing, believe me. Ask the band- I've been in a foul mood lately and the poor things have all been very supportive, even in my crankiness. GR! Cranky! :)

We did some new songs, including the ever popular "That Girl" which... I have to say, is probably the best song I've ever written. And I didn't think it was going to go over that well, because it's so mean and angry, but I'm glad everyone seems to be finding the humor in it. I mean it's supposed to be funny, but it's also just so angry it's hard sometimes to know if people are going to be able to see that as funny. But how can you not like a song where you get to say, "Yay whores" ?

We had to wait for the Laborers to finish up with my amp so we had a little impromptu party in our rehearsal space. (Sorry Geoffrey! That's why I disappeared... ) It's right around the corner. I went in to put some stuff away and it turned into this whole hanging out and taking pictures and drinking 40s thing. That's not true, we were joined by the Strictly Platonic crew (minus Imogen unfortunately) and they were drinking 40s. I kind-of think of Strictly Platonic as our little brother who's always getting himself into trouble, but is so cute. :)

You wanna know what the best part of the whole night was though? It was John running on the big cable wheel in the street. I actually SCREAMED it was so cool!

For anyone who doesn't know, John's from Arkansas and is one of the coolest people I know. He was walking down the street and saw this huge metal wheel that they wrap cable around (I think) and jumped on it and started running! Sick! People in the buildings next door were cheering him on and clapping and telling him to keep going. I tell ya- it was pretty amazing. I wish I grew up in Arkansas.

That's it I guess. (Happy now Joe?! I had class and a quiz today and I was good and went to bed last night when I got home instead of writing about this nonsense. *grin*) We had fun, but that's pretty typical. I hope you guys did too. It's always nice to see you and I really really really do appreciate all your love and support. It really means the world to me, you have no idea. :)

Until next time...

Set List:
-Try So Hard
-Don't Look Back (Ice Scream Song)
-This Happens
-Princess
-That Girl
-Guiltless
-Longest Time
-Stuck In My Head

Stewart now on Garageband.com!

Are you bored? Do you love us? Do you want to find yet another way to discover new and interesting music?

Then please check out our new profile on garageband.com! For all those who haven't been there, it's a fun way to make your opinion count, "where you can not only discover great music but also influence which artist will become tomorrow's hit." And also to be nice, honest, and/or mean to people you don't know. Good times! :)

We're listed as "Stewart (NYC)" because some bastards from Missouri already took Stewart... Nah, just kidding. (I mean, they did take it, but I don't know if they're bastards...)

Here's the link:

http://www.garageband.com/artist/stewarttheband

Thanks everybody!!! You're the best!

Love,
Stewart

September 12th @ The Continental

Thank you so so so much to everyone for coming out to the see the show tonight! And thank you to all the other great bands, especially our new friends Face First, Skelter, Phosphates, and Maybe the Welders, and all the amazing things you said! Wow. Seriously, wow.

I REMEMBERED THE WORDS TO LONGEST TIME!!! All of them. Ha ha!!! So there! I knew I knew them... I would just get nervous or distracted or something and then forget. But not tonight! Ha ha. Yay! :) That made me happy.

What can I say? That was just the perfect end to all our experiences at the Continental. We felt great. You were all great. Greatness and drink tickets, what more can you ask for out of life?

I guess that's all I have to say really. I'm so completely humbled by this whole experience that I'm speechless...

Set List:
-Try So Hard
-Don't Look Back (Ice Scream Song)
-Guiltless
-Longest Time (Ha! *grin*)
-Stuck In My Head

September 9th @ The Pussycat Lounge

This might not make any sense because it's 5 o'clock in the morning and way past my bedtime. So be it.

I've been wanting to do this show for a long time because I wanted to see what it felt like. I wanted to see how it was different and see how far we've come. The last time we played Pussycat was the first time we played ever, and it's so funny to think how much has changed since then and to see how those changes have manifested in the band and who we are and how far we've come.

I remembered getting lost last time- VERY lost. Pussycat is super easy to get to by subway, but a bitch by car. I remember driving around downtown with Joe in the rain listening to classic rock and driving forever and ever down countless one way streets all headed in the wrong direction. This time I only made one wrong turn. Progress.

I was the first one there. I unloaded, listened to Cementhead (who are awesome by the way, very poppy, but very cool,) and set up our most grandiose merch table yet. After them and before us was a solo artist by the name of "Tah phrum da bush" (Pronounced: "Tai from the bush." I think.) He was a free style artist with a DJ and lovely woman named Demo assisting him. This dude was amazing. Quite the show. I don't know what it is about strip clubs, but they bring out the potty mouths in people. :)

Speaking of which, Saysha and I wore as little as possible in honor of the occassion. Y'all missed quite the outfits if you weren't there. :) And afterwards John and Frankie went downstairs to check out the strip club, but came back in less than 20 minutes. I don't think they were impressed.

I really wasn't kidding when I said, "I forgot all our songs," right before we went on. :) I think most of the set went amazing and I think my mistakes were my favorite part. Right? I guarantee none of you will forget me forgetting all the words to For The Longest Time. Yet again. Seriously- next time, I'm fucking taping the fucking words to the fucking floor. Seriously. *grin*

I think this was probably the most fun I've ever had playing a show in my entire life. Just because. Having all of you there, seeing everybody having such a good time- it was amazing. This show and June 15th at the Continental, (the night we got our tatoos), those have been my two favorite shows yet. Thank you so much everyone for coming out and making all this possible. We really do love you!

I will post some pictures up here in a little bit. After I consult with the rest of the band as to what is appropriate and what's not. We had WAY too much fun with my digital camera after the show. WAY too much fun. :)

We're playing again Tuesday night at the Continental for one of their farewell shows. It's an early one, 8:30 PM, and we're only playing 5 songs, but it's still going to be fun. Come by and help us say good bye.

Set List:
-Stuck In My Head
-Don't Look Back (Ice Scream Song)
-Princess
-This Happens
-Six Degrees
-Guiltless
-Longest Time (HA!)
-Try So Hard

August 16th @ The Delancey

I'm way too tired to be doing this right now... but if I don't write it now, I might forget something...

Picture this- me driving the Land Shark backwards down Clinton street trying to avoid oncoming Williamsburg Bridge traffic, then backing over and subsequently smashing a bottle of some sort, just to pull up on the sidewalk so the honking cars could make it past and stop being so angry with me. Sick.

First of all- congratulations again to Ms. Stephanie Hooker for getting married! She is an amazing woman and we wish her all the happiness in the world. :) And thank you to her for inviting us to be part of such an amazing event. This woman throws a mean fucking party! Tonight we were on with Cori Yarckin, Stephanie and the Ghost Town, and The 80's Ladies. I love Stephanie and the Ghost Town, and anyone who hasn't checked them out, totally should. Word. The 80's Ladies- DUDE! Sick 80's cover band! I was so tired and feeling so crappy, and I just couldn't help dancing. I couldn't help it! I went downstairs to get my water and spent the next 25 minutes in ecstasy. Saysha and I scared everyone off the dance floor, her with her leg kicks, and me with my head thrashing, and Frankie wouldn't stop yelling, "Free Bird!" :) He's so cute.

Sean of Nefarious Bovine Radio stopped by to say hi. Dude, this guy is awesome. If you haven't heard his radio show yet, you totally should. It's sick! In a good way. :) In a perfect "sit at home and listen to music because that's what we like to do" kind-of way. Awesome. Not only was he was nice enough to let me talk him into lugging half our gear 4 blocks from our rehearsal space to the club, (Ha ha! Sucker. :) Nah- I'm just kidding, thank you again, that was really sweet of you to offer,) but he also single handedly built a guitar stand with no instructions or coaching. This man is a genius!

But yes, the show. I got really sick this weekend (and am still pretty under the weather), and my voice sounds pretty shitty, so that was fun. In fact, we didn't even rehearse before this show because I just couldn't, so we just sort-of wung it. (Wung? Who the fuck uses the past tense of the word "wing"? That's just wrong...) I think I started having to blow my nose after the third song, so anyone who noticed the profuse sniffling throughout the entire last half of the show, sorry about that. :)

I think it went really well though, right? No tuner mishaps, no amps breaking, no guitars catching on fire (although that would have been pretty cool.) I thought it was fun anyway. Even though I felt like I was going to pass out and die when we were done. :) Did it show? Could you tell?

Ok, now I'm going to bed because I can't keep my make-up stained eyes open anymore. I love you all and thank you for coming and starting this journey with us. We don't know where we're going or how we're getting there, but we're certainly having a good time doing it and hope you are too. :)

Set List:
-Without You
-This Happens
-Don't Look Back
-Stuck in My Head (oops.)
-Six Degrees
-Guiltless
-Longest Time
-Try So Hard

August 5th @ The Continental

Thank you to everyone for coming out to the Continental on Saturday! It was a great crowd and it always means so much to us to see you all there dancing and smiling and being so wonderful in general. Yay! You guys rock. :)

Was my skirt short enough? I was chastized before because my skirt wasn't short enough, so was it? I hope so. Saysha and I went shopping specifically for those tiny little pieces of cloth we called skirts. I hope you liked them.

Yes, there was celebrating to be done. The world is different now. We rocked our hearts out, we rocked the shit out of our instruments (and it showed) and then we were tired. Such is rock and roll.

This was so far the longest Stewart set in history. Not only did we play 13 songs (instead of the 12 we planned on) 3 were new and 2 were songs we haven't played since January. I hope you liked them. I even got to play an impromptu version of "Princess," the only love song I've ever written. And "Try So Hard"- I've never sang that song so kick ass in my entire life. RAH! *grin*

For all those who didn't make it- don't worry, we're back again at The Delancey next Wednesday and the Pussycat Lounge in September. Should be fun. Should be more than fun, should be a life changing experience. :)

Until next time, as my beloved Frankie would say, keep on rockin' in the free world.

Set List:
-Without You
-This Happens
-Don't Look Back
-Real Dreams
-Never Again
-No More Jealous Girlfriends
-Not That Bad
-Six Degrees
-Princess (solo performance)
-Stuck In My Head
-Guiltless
-Longest Time
-Try So Hard

Tragedy and Triumph Indeed

When I first moved to New York I got the same fortune in three separate fortune cookies from three separate restaurants over 6 months time. They all said, "Follow your heart."

Since moving here three years ago I've become an entirely different person. I've been forced through discomfort and stress to discover the most disturbing aspects of myself and my personality, as well as learning how to accept them, and on the flip side my greatest strengths and the extent of my potential and capabilities. It has been the most challenging and difficult time, but also the most rewarding and the most profound.

I used to feel so lost all the time. But now- everything is different now.

Part of living is growing and trying your hardest to become the best person you can possibly be. Part of that is accepting who you are, being honest about your wants and your needs, and challenging yourself to do all the things you never thought you could. Another part is accepting when it's time to change and time to say goodbye. Change is inevitable. It's how we choose to handle it that defines who we are and how far we've come.

Time passes and these things get easier and we learn so much, it's just a matter of opening our eyes and opening our hearts and knowing what may seem like the most painful experience is actually the greatest lesson in disguise.

So... you may be wondering why I haven't written. Actually, that's not true- if you're on our mailing list you'll know why- I just finished my first final and my project, had class, rehearsal and flyering to do yesterday, and spent about 10 hours in the car on Sunday not to rest my head till 5 AM or so Monday morning... but if you're not on our mailing list, that's why. :) (Speaking of which, anyone who wants to be on our mailing list, should let me know...)

Anyway. Saturday. Jammy Jam.

It all started way back when my friend Mav decided to be born, move to Pittsburgh, and throw parties every year for his birthday. I haven't seen Mav and the Pittsburgh crew in about 7 years. (I think.) And I also hadn't seen my big brother Tommy's new house, also in Pittsburgh. Or my Grandma (who doesn't have a myspace page) who lives in a tiny little village about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. So... lots of reasons for me to go to Pittsburgh.

Mav throws a yearly birthday party called "Jammy Jam" where he hosts a costume contest (for the best pj's and/or lingerie), with drinking, dancing and general debauchery included. This year Tommy and I had a couple of additions-

Tommy's idea: Live Music
Brilliant! How much fun is it to have live bands play at your party? So much fun.

My idea: Kissing Contest
Also brilliant, but I must admit Steph and Mav definitely improved on the original idea which was just that I would get to kiss everyone, and changed it so that everyone got to kiss everyone. Which, I admit, is a much better idea. But either way I got to kiss lots and lots of people, so I win. :)

I asked the band if they wanted to go- Frankie had another show and then we figured since I'd be driving and making all these familial pit stops it probably wouldn't be a good idea to bring John and Saysha. (Just because I was gone for about 5 days and they'd both have to miss work.) So I decided to fly solo. That's when Tommy came up with the idea of him playing bass for me and us finding a drummer.

That drummer was Shane- and the three of us rehearsed 3 times, including once about an hour before the party started. HA! Funny stuff. I've gotta hand it to these boys- they did a great job, especially considering the short notice. Although, if the truth be known (no offense guys) I missed my band. It's not the same without them. I've said this a million times before and I don't mind saying it again- it's the combination of all of us, I think, that makes what we do so much fun. :) Yay!



After us, Max impressed us with his project Naked Friday, a hip hop set with his Wartar. (War-tar? Max, what was it again?) Followed by a rockin' set by Gladstone Ruckus. I have to admit (and please don't take this personally) I was pretty wasted by the time they went on, so I know they were good (because I heard them before when I was sober), but I can't say for sure how much of their set I saw or how much of it I actually remember... sorry guys...

What I do remember is getting to see my friend George again for the first time in forever. George is a girl. She's actually one of the most amazing girls I've ever met. And that's not just my opinion, everyone loves George. How can you not love George?

We headed out to the porch, stole Mav's 40 and tried to see if we could finish it before he would notice, which we did. HA! And I think that was right after I had 2 other beers, so I think that's why I was drunk because I just drank really fast.

Anway- I came in 2nd to George on the girl's half of the kissing contest. (Yay me!) But 4th overall- bested by my brother. How did this happen? I was incensed. I insisted on comparisons afterwards to see who was better and the few girls we got to do it said it was me- I demand a rematch. :)

By 2 or so in the morning I wandered back downstairs because I decided it was a good idea to start playing drums. Pink PJ wearing Ben accompanied me on guitar, then Tommy from Gladstone Ruckus joined us on Bass, and Paul (also from G.R.) took over on Guitar. It felt REALLY good to play drums again, and I was better than I remembered. (Probably only because I was drunk and not nervous.) We had at least 8 people dancing around the pool table. That was probably the best part of the night. Well... second best.

I walked myself home at 4 something. How did it get to be 4 something? And Tommy came home shortly thereafter. I had the rest of the pancakes from our breakfast feast with our cousin Joey and his girlfriend Laura. (Joey is now an official chef and we made: pancakes, eggs, home fries, bacon, and strawberries. It was amazing.) And Tommy had a tuna fish sandwich. We didn't get to bed till 5 or so, but it was good.

Sunday I dragged my feet all day- I didn't want to leave. I love my big brother. He is amazing and I had so much fun just hanging out and spending time. Sunday afternoon it was POURING, like trees blowing sideways and water drenching the streets kind-of pouring, and we sat on the front porch and just watched the rain go by. It was really really really really nice.

But I had to leave. I eventually got on the road, got lost, got food, went to Mom and Dad's, got my laundry and more food, got stuck in traffic, took a nap, and eventually rolled into Brooklyn at about 2 AM. I didn't get to bed till 3, then I couldn't sleep till 5. Messed up. I forgot how angry I was, and the second my head hit the pillow it all came back.

Ah well. It was a nice weekend and I can't wait to do it again. Next time I'm bringing the band with me.

Set List:
-Without You
-This Happens
-Don't Look Back
-Stuck in My Head
-Real Dreams
-Six Degrees
-Try So Hard

July 24th @ Crash Mansion - Part One

Yes, I'm sober now... but I won't be in a few hours. Hopefully less if all goes well...

I have so much to say about this show. So so so much to say.

First of all- thank you to those who came out tonight. You are the best. And I hope you could hear everything ok.

Second of all- Saysha, no worry, I come home, I unload, and NOW I get drunk. :) But no worry. Vodka. *grin*

Third of all- I have to leave now so I can go get wasted and find my way home again. You know what I've eaten today? A muffin. I had a muffin at like, 10 o'clock this morning, and now I'm gonna go get wrecked. It'll take two seconds. It'll be great. Good times.

Ok... more to come...

July 24th @ Crash Mansion - Part Two

Ok, so... yes. Ok, now, I'm not drunk per se... but I'm not necessarily sober either... where to begin.

I got to Crash at about 6:03. Why? Because I was nervous and I like to get to shows early when I'm nervous because it gives me time to get ready and stop being so nervous. Or in this case to stress more.

The doors weren't open. Not only were the doors not open, but the bar wasn't open. Tragic! I will not bore you with my 40 minute freak out while waiting for the club to open. I will not bore you with my frantic attempts to contact friends and loved ones to let them know about this show which was the most poorly promoted Stewart show ever. I'm sorry everybody- I didn't even send out an f-ing bulletin till 2 hours before we went on. (Thank you Kristepher!!! :) You life saver you.)

So yes, not surprised that on a Monday nobody wanted to come to a show that they didn't know about and pay $8 to sit around and wait 45 minutes for us to go on. Not surprised at all. :) To all those who did come- serioulsy, thank you. And to those who couldn't make it- I totally understand, please know that my grumpiness is not aimed at you.

We began the evening with a fashion show. I brought 5 outfits, but only tried on 3. And although my sparkly flapper dress won the most enthusiastic accolades, it was my new tank and denim skirt that won the competition. As much as I love the sparkly dress- so hard to play in. So very hard.

We previewed a new song tonight- Guiltless. I'll post up the lyrics later. It's one of my new favorites. (But here's a secret- the new ones are always my favorites... *grin*) And we did a new cover. *hee hee* Which was very fun. I had my own private after party with Jay Green in Brooklyn:

JG: "How was the show?"
Me: "Can I have a drink please?"

Such a good bartender he didn't even need to ask what, he just knew. The mark of a true friend. :)

The good news is that it was fun. (I hope it was fun for you guys too.) The other good news is we're playing again soon. (2 weeks actually) Saturday, August 5th. The Continental. This one is in honor of so many things- triumph and tragedy. Love and... well, you know.

Set List:
-Without You
-Don't Look Back
-This Happens
-Real Dreams
-Six Degrees
-Stuck in My Head
-Guiltless
-Longest Time
-Try So Hard

Live Music

O'Death last night at Bowery- oh my god! So great! For anyone who hasn't checked out this band- they have to. Saysha calls it "Appalachian Punk". Brilliant!

http://www.myspace.com/odeath
www.odeath.net

There's something about watching live music- so you're standing there, right- and you're not really doing anything, but... you feel like you're part of this bigger thing. Like just by standing there, you're participating in life in such a way that is so important, so necessary, and so good, that how could you possibly picture spending any other second of your day?

And then it's over and you feel like a better person for having done it.

Two years ago I saw The Dead Milkmen play a memorial show for their bassist, Dave Blood, at the Trocadero in Philadelphia. My brother called me on my way to work and sent me and an email that said, "The Dead Milkmen are playing, you've got to call me back." 8 hours later I was 10 feet from the stage in a mosh pit trying to get a black eye. (I got elbowed, but not punched. Ah well.) That was literally the best show I've ever been to in my entire life. I laughed, I cried, I danced so hard I couldn't breathe- it was amazing.

I hope we can bring that kind-of joy and happiness into people's lives. That's what we try for. To have so much fun that by extension all of you can spend one moment, one half hour, one evening existing in a place where you can laugh and dance and sing and feel really good about yourself because you deserve it. You deserve to feel important and happy.

June 15th @ The Continental

Thank you to all the wonderful people who came out and thank you for all the kind words you said! Tonight was truly our best show yet!

Before the show (and I mean right before the show) John and Saysha and I all got the S logo tatooed on our forearms. YES! I've never gotten a tatoo before, so this is my first one and I love it more than anything! It was John's idea. Next we're getting flaming guitars on our shoulders. *hee hee*

Between the time it took me to go downstairs and start setting up to the time we got on stage a huge crowd filtered in, and I'm completely flattered, stunned, and amazed that you guys were all there to see us! Wow!

The show was amazing. I couldn't stop looking at all of you and smiling at how wonderful you people are. Seriously. Imogen (of Strictly Platonic) made a special guest appearance. As did Danny and Walter of The Bullies. We even did an encore! How crazy is that? Thank you for dancing, thank you for drinking, and thank you for making tonight one of the best nights I've ever had. Yay!

I'm sure there's more- I just can't really think right now. It's late (early) and I have to be up in a few hours.

OH!!! And I can't believe I forgot this, but I did, You'll Never Know did not win the vote, so we won't be playing that one anymore. But stayed tuned... new songs soon...

Good night everybody!

Updates From the Silence

If I were to tell all of you what was going on- I think you'd be bored out of your SKULLS! :) But, just because I've been so quiet for so long I feel you all deserve an explanation.

We now have merch! Buttons, stickers, Tshirts on the way- all will be sold at our next show and if you don't see the table set-up, come find me and I'll get you stuff. I'm very excited about this part- just because. The buttons are so cute! They're like candy- I want to eat them up!

Our demo- oh our demo. :) I guess no one really tells you how long it's gonna take for an album to get made, and it's funny because even suspecting the worst I'm always wrong and it always takes even LONGER than I thought it would. Unfortunately, our demo seems to be sort-of a lost project, but I'll get some new songs up here as soon as I can.

Oh there's more... much much more. But for now you have to be happy with that. :) On a brighter note, it's been absolutely gorgeous here in New York and I hope you all have been enjoying this weather. It's the perfect combination of sunny, but not hot, and breezy, but not cold. Hoorah!

Happy Sunday everyone- take care and see you on Thursday. *grin*

Poll

Ok. Here's the deal-

We have this song called "You'll Never Know" that some of you may or may not know, and after rehearsing it religiously for our first show way back in January, I made a decision that I didn't want to play it. Not only that I didn't want to play it, but that I would never play it ever ever ever again, for reasons that I won't go into right now.

However, there has been some debate over the past few weeks. (Actually, ever since I made that declaration.) And so, as much as I hate to do this, I'm leaving it up to you, the people who love us, to help us decide if we should or should not abandon this song forever and ever. :)

I just added it to our mp3 player. Please send your votes to stewarttheband@gmail.com and they will be counted and I'll let you know what the outcome is at our show next week at The Continental. Also, if you'd like to be added to our mailing list, please let me know in the email and I'll add you to our list.

Thanks everybody! More soon...