Steve Goldber and the Arch Enemies

As the polarity principle (PP) tells us, there can be no good shows without bad shows. Non-functioning monitors and recurring feedback steered tonight's Trenton performance into the latter category. But it wasn't a total loss, as we got some nice free beers and our second crying audience member. I was certain she'd received news of a death in the family during our set, but she told us afterwards that it was the music that got to her. Fancy that! Big thanks to Will and Bridgette and Katie for coming.

Looking forward to Connecticut tomorrow.

On an unrelated but possibly shocking note, I've reversed my long-held position and decided that Pinkerton is superior to the blue album.

Incredible show in Williamsport last night, during which we were blessed by the presence of good vibes and free Yuengling. We got some great pictures which will go up soon. And this tour (henceforth known as The Cheesy Western Tour '07) is now officially profitable! Huzzah!

Also, Alexander King is now known as Slick Don the Duke of Milan, or just The Duke for short.

We've just added a very special Rock You Gently acoustic on Sunday, 7/1, at Coffee Works in Voorhees, NJ, after which we'll take a much needed day off before heading to NYC.

Now we're off to Trenton!

We played in Scranton tonight. Phil and his friends came. Thanks to Phil and his friends!

We've been lax about putting up pictures these past few days, but there are lots of new ones up now. Click on them to browse the flickr account and see the ones that don't show up in the sidebar. And don't forget to join the Junior Arch Enemies! The ranks are swelling.

Also, Eric Ericsson is henceforth known as Mink Shoals. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Last night was the best I've ever felt playing a show. One mightn't suspect Kiva Han could be rocked so hard, but one would be wrong. Thanks to Ceci for dueting with me on In the Aeroplane, thanks to Wayne Beck for playing a great opening set, thanks to all the cool cats who came out. Don't let anyone ever tell you that Pittsburgh isn't a happening place.

If it sounds good it is good, and by that standard we had a fucking awesome show last night in Charleston. And based on our brief survey of Charleston, there wasn't anything better going on anywhere, so if you weren't at the Empty Glass, you missed out.

We're still adding more shows, so keep checking the live shows page. We've most recently added a 7/6 show at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge, MA.

Tonight's the big hometown show in Pittsburgh! See yinz there.

We had a great time in Leonardtown, MD tonight. The show marked the first dancing of the tour, which is surely a cause for celebration. Thanks to Lea and Fred and everyone who came out. Keep feeding the rock machine.

Setlist:
February Third
The Road
Julia
Artichokes
23rd Century
Fake Palindromes
To Jane Gallagher
Please Please Me
Buttermilk Buiscuits
Agincourt
Hideaway
Spy 1
Spy 2
Time of the Season
Summer's Ending

Well, it was another one of those nights. I'd like to take this opportunity to say a big fuck you to people who book touring bands but don't find it necessary to promote, pay, or give us food or drinks. That's right, I'm talking to you, KC's Music Alley. Is one out of four really so much to ask for? At least Marley's Dog House gave us beer. Also, the bass leaking in from the oldies band playing in the next room didn't exactly complement our sound.

But so it goes, and we didn't let that stop us from putting on a rocking show. Thanks to Bryce and co. for hanging out. Next stop, Maryland!

Q: If a band plays a show in West Virginia and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

A: Yes, and that sound is rocking.

Well, you win some, you lose some. Sometimes the whole audience is the sound guy, and sometimes you drive all night after the show to get to the next stop, and sometimes you lose your camera. We found the camera, though, so here are some pictures.

First, we drove for a long time.




We got to the venue, but nobody turned up.



So we followed the only reasonable course of action.



And then this happened.



Next stop, Fredericksburg.

Thanks to the citizens of Raleigh, North Carolina, for an excellent show. We had a lot of great pictures from the show, but I got drunk and accidentally deleted them just now. But believe me, they were sweet pictures and it was an awesome show with lots of friendly friends and Sierra Nevada. Thanks Nancy, Don, Jay, Christine, Jonathan, Mary, Jenn, and Greg.

We played in Charlottesville tonight. There weren't many people there, except for Jeyon (apply directly to the Jey) and the waitress and sound guy. They fed us, though, so that was cool. We rocked out pretty hard. That's about it, man.

We were booked at the Bourbon Room in Fredericksburg last night, but due to last-minute problems involving the foundation of the building crumbling, the show was moved to Fife Restaurant and Lounge, a place that didn't look like it sees too many rock and roll shows. Which didn't stop us from rocking and rolling, mind.

Setlist:

The Road
Julia
Feb 3rd
23rd Century
Jane
Artichokes
Fake Palindromes
Spy 1
Spy 2
Buttermilk Biscuits
Time of the Season
Hideaway
Eleanor Rigby
Summer's Ending

We kicked off the tour last night with a show at the Drowsy Poet in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was an excellent inaugural show. We set up outside, but the Fates had other plans, and caused us to move indoors when it started to rain. We proceeded to rock a packed room. It was a seated venue, so we had to sweat a little harder to make up for it. And sweat we did. We even made a few CD sales. One young gentleman inquired as to whether we would pay him to take a t-shirt. He seemed crestfallen when we informed him that this is not the way of things. Sorry, bucko! Unfortunately the camera was left behind, and so we have no photo documentation. But rest assured, it was sweet. Now we take a brief break and then jump headlong into a 12 day run of shows.

In other news, you can check out an in-depth interview with me about the new album at Tsuru Radio. Thanks to Aaron for setting it up.

We have t-shirts! You can see one being modeled here. They'll be available for purchase via the intertubes soon, but for the present moment the only way to get one will be to come see a show. Which is a fine idea in itself.

Speaking of shows, this Saturday will be the first of the tour. The fellows and I boarded the official Arch Enemies zeppelin this morning and travelled the first 376 miles of our pilgrimage, bringing us to Lynchburg, Virginia, where we're currently doing some final sharpening our face-melting rock and roll chops. The tour schedule is almost finalized, but a few things are still in flux, so be sure to keep an eye on the live shows page.

More to come soon.

Hi there. It's nice to see you again. Have you been working out? You look good.

Just a quick update from Arch Enemy HQ. Tour preparations are proceeding. Houses are being cleaned, sleeping bags purchased, guitars restrung. There are fresh batteries in our cameras and shirts on our backs. As of this writing, 14 shows lie ahead of us. 14 groups of people separated from us only by a bit of time and distance. But time and distance are weak against the force of our onslaught. Oh yes, we are ready.

In other news, the album has made the Top 20 spins at Desolation Row CDs in Pittsburgh. Exciting! So stop in the next time you're on Craig Street and show them some love.

See you soon.

As you may have noticed, we've rolled out some brand spanking new features over here at stevegoldbergmusic.com. And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?" And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"

But don't panic! I'm here to explain everything. To the right, you'll find the photo stream, which displays the most recent images of the Arch Enemies at work. Check back often for new action shots.

If you head on over to the band section, you'll find instructions on how to become one of a newly-formed elite group of field agents: The Junior Arch Enemies Club. It's simple: just send in a picture of yourself with something Steve Goldberg-related, as well as your chosen title and caption, and you'll be added to the gallery. A few fine lads have already volunteered - won't you be next? Of course, your options for photo composition may seem somewhat limited now, but never fear - in another week the t-shirts will be ready. And they're going to look totally sweet.

Cruise on down to the live section to find that we've announced some dates for our 2007 Summer Tour Spectacular. That's right, the Arch Enemies will be hitting the road in just a few short days in a four-piece incarnation that's just itching to rock you with the force of a thousand contrabassoons. Featuring the pummelling rhythm assault of Donald Norman on the lead bass guitar and Eric T. Ericsson on the drum kit, combined with the lightning licks and mellifluous melodicism of Joseph J. Josephs on the violin, these Arch Enemies have come to kick ass and play Xbox, and they're all out of Xbox! We will be accompanied on all dates by the fine gentleman of ciao roma.

And finally, as is probably apparent by now, this here news section is now fully web 2.0-compliant and ready to provide you with all of the latest updates from the road. Watch this space once the tour kicks off for up-to-the-minute information on the misadventures of SG and the gang as they traipse across this fair land in search of their musical destiny. Feel free to share your musings, prognostications, and refrigerator magnet poetry with us and with your fellow fans via the comments section.

And a special thanks to mefi's own Matt Haughey for help with the web site.

That's all for now, friends. Until next time...