ShellE On Tour!

Total Debauchery Tour

2011-05-14T22:11:00.001-07:00

Amsterdam, The Netherlands:
The Killing Moon @@@@@ *****
Du Hast @@@@@ ****

Tijuana, Mexico:
Adam's Song @@@@@ *****
Aliens Exist @@@@@ *****

Las Vegas, NV:
20th Century Boy @@@@@ *****
Cold as Ice @@@@@ *****

Rio, Brazil:
Ballroom Blitz @@@@@ *****
Monsoon @@@@@ *****
Young Americans @@@@@ *****

Long Drive South

2011-04-27T22:40:00.001-07:00

Seattle
Walk of Life ***** @@@@@
Need You Tonight ***** @@@@@

Portland
Everybody Wants to Rule the World ***** @@@@@
In a Big Country ***** @@@@@

San Francisco
Oh My God ***** @@@@@
Here I Go Again ***** @@@@@
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before ***** @@@@@

Los Angeles
The Power of Love ***** @@@@@
Good Vibrations (Live) **** @@@@@

San Diego
Fly Like an Eagle **** @@@@@
Rehab **** @@@@@
Rock Lobster ***** @@@@@

TBA - M

2011-04-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

M has done a ton of awesome stuff switching off on vocals, guitar, bass, drums and mostly focusing on keys since we started our Rock Band 3 adventure. Because of that, she gained a lot more fans than I did in previous tours. Today, she was busy with some other stuff so I went out and did a quick run through some personal Downloaded Song goals. Here's how it went down. I completed each of these challenges:

The Trinity:
D.O.A.
Laid to Rest
Hair of the Dog

Download Populist:
All the Small Things
Move Along
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Buddy Holly

Hello Daddy, Hello Mom:
Cherry Bomb (100%)

Shameless Self-Promotion:
Special Effects

Rare Music Finder:
I Don't Like You
Mica
Headknocker
Hell Hole
Where's Gary?

I also unlocked The Customizer goal by playing through and getting more than 2* on over 100 downloaded songs!

TBA now has 85,131,480 fans. Thanks!

Triumphant Return

2011-04-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

TBA played to sold out crowds in the south last night. Here's how it went down.

First we went down to Memphis, Tennessee and played a two song set:
This Bastard's Life ***** @@@@@
In a Big Country ***** @@@@@

Next, we rode on to Chapel Hill, NC, where we played a random metal set:
Flag in the Ground ***** @@@@@
Dawn Patrol ***** @@@@@

Onward to Atlanta, GA where we played another two song set:
The Power of Love ***** @@@@@
Portions for Foxes ***** @@@@@

And finally to Austin, TX where we played a random novelty set:
Pylo the Pylon ***** @@@@@
Demon Woman ***** @@@@@
Business Time ***** @@@@

During this tour, we became Hall of Famers due to how huge volume of fans and great performances. We're practicing up for our big hall of fame induction gig sometime in the months ahead!

After the Austin show, we played a brief after tour gig of random songs and closed out the night with the Journey classic Don't Stop Believing.

We're back...

2011-04-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

TBA has been on an extended leave of absence from touring but we've missed our fans!

Tonight we played a "warm-up" gig with M on vocals for our opening song and then on keys for the rest of the set. I rotated back and forth on guitar and bass and we had a great time sharing all new tunes with a fun crowd.

Never Let Me Down Again *****
Policy of Truth ***
Blue (Da Ba Dee) ****
Don't You Want Me ****
Total Eclipse of the Heart ***
Jerk It Out ***
Modern Love ****
The Only Time ****
Head Like a Hole *****

Rock Band 3: Into the Great White North

2010-11-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

Through the Wilderness, Eh?

Vancouver, BC:
Whip It ***** @@@@@
Foolin' **** @@@@

Winnipeg. MB:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World **** @@@@@
The Beautiful People **** @@@@@

Montreal, Canada:
Break on Through (To the Other Side) ***** @@@@@
Crosstown Traffic ***** @@@@@

We achieved the rank of Road Warriors after this tour and then went back and redid the Hell Freezes Over tour to unlock the gold medal in that one. After the replaying of those five gigs, TBA are now a Headliner! We also got a notice that we have completed all of the van challenges. I guess all of our traveling will be by air now!

Rock Band 3: Local Favorites

2010-10-29T00:05:00.001-07:00

Wicked Awesome Trip:

Portland, ME:
Midlife Crisis **** @@@@@
The Con ***** @@@@@

Manchester, NH:
The Look **** @@@@@
Whip It ***** @@@@@

Providence, RI:
Living in America ***** @@@@@ (First attempt was **** @)
Get Up, Stand Up **** @@@@ (First attempt was **** )

Boston, MA:
This Bastard's Life **** @@@@ (First attempt was *** @@)
Midlife Crisis ***** @@@@@
In The Meantime ***** @@@@@

After the Wicked Awesome Trip, the fans in New England love us and we have become Local Favorites!

Hell Freezes Over:

Cleveland, OH:
Werewolves of London ***** @@@@@
The Look ***** @@@@@

Detroit, MI:
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before **** @@@
The Beautiful People **** @@@

Indianapolis, IN:
Killing Loneliness **** @@@@
I Need to Know **** @@@
Centerfold ***** @@@@@

Milwaukee, WI:
Riders on the Storm ***** @@@@@
Break on Through ***** @@@@@

Chicago, IL:
Combat Baby ***** @@@@@
Don't Stand So Close to Me **** @@@@@
Heart of Glass **** @@@@@

We got enough stars and spades to earn a bus and we're now Cross-country tourers!

I even leveled up again in Chicago to Support Act!

Rock Band 3: It has been a while

2010-10-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

We've been gone from the road for a long time, but TBA hasn't stopped the rock. M has started to learn a new instrument, the Pro Keyboard. I've stuck to the guitar but can play some infrequent orange notes now. Our library of songs has grown to approximately 2000 that we can play and we decided it was time to hit the road once more.

We started out on the Subway route playing local gigs. Here's how those worked out:

Hometown Throwdown:

Basement Show, 18 W. 7th Street:
I Love Rock N' Roll ***** @@@@@
Last Dance **** @@@@@
Total 19 @ earned

Weeknight Show, Cranky Bill's Dive Bar:
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt.1 ***** @@@@
Oye Mi Amor **** @@@@@
Total 18 @ earned

All-Ages Matinee, Vexx Nightclub:
Werewolves of London ***** @@@@@
Heart of Glass **** @@@@@

After Heart of Glass, our lead singer poured a gallon milk jug out into the crowd while we proceeded to smash our instruments.

We got enough stars and spades from the Hometown Throwdown to get a gold medal and became regional tourers from it. We also won a van!

Off the Beaten Path:

La Pesadilla Mexican Restaurant:
Just Like Heaven ***** @@@@
Low Rider **** @@@@

Bowling Alley:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World **** @@@@@
Don't Stand So Close To Me ***** @@@@@

Fun Street Arcade:
Space Oddity ***** @@@@@
Walking On the Sun ***** @@@@@

Tattoo Andy's Skate Loft:
Whip It ***** @@@@@
Heart of Glass **** @@@
Just Like Heaven **** @@@@@

We got enough stars and spades from the Off the Beaten Path to get a gold medal and become an Opening Act!

We've completed the Subway Road Challenges.

[LEGO] Brickton Manor

2009-11-29T21:46:00.001-08:00

Brickton Manor:

Girls & Boys (Good Charlotte)

Purchased Music Video Director (40,000 studs)

Check Yes Juliet (We the Kings)
Garden (Pearl Jam)

Rock Power Challenge #2 Shock Band: Ghostbusters (Ray Parker Jr)

All Are Bored:
Grace (Supergrass)
Girls & Boys (Good Charlotte)

Purchased Speedboat (100,000 studs)

Unlocked Sea Legs

Going Mobile (The Who)
The Feeling (Kutless)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)

Unlocked Twinkle, Twinkle

The Time is Wrong (Tickle Me Pink)
This is a Call (Foo Fighters)

Crystal Mine:
Dig (Incubus)

Mine Over Matter:
Dig (Incubus)
Check Yes Juliet (We the Kings)

[LEGO] Rebuilding TBA

2009-11-27T23:23:00.001-08:00

TBA have reinvented ourselves as Legos and have acquired a Camper Van.

We're headed to LEGO City Station for three gigs.

Grace (Supergrass)

Unlocked: New to the Scene

Ride a White Swan (T-Rex)

Unlocked: Local Legend

Inspiration!

We Will Rock You (Queen) (Live from Wembrick Stadium played as Brian May and Freddie Mercury)

Free Fallin' (Tom Petty)
Nightmare (Crooked X)
29 Fingers (The Konks)

Bill Ditt Construction Co.

Swing, Swing (All American Rejects)

Unlocked: Roadie Revolution

Acquired: Three free roadies

Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams)

Rock Power Challenge #1 Wreck 'n' Roll: Tick Tick Boom (The Hives)

Unlocked: Rock the House Down

Hot Connections: Crocodile Rock (Elton John)

Unlocked: Pencil Pusher

Manager Hired

Acquired: Parrot

Spent our first 50,000 studs on a:
Minibus

Spent 20,000 studs to hire a Street Team Boss
Spent 20,000 studs to hire an Intern

Dreaming of You (The Coral)
Ashes to Fire (Ghosthounds)

e Unlocked: Flawless Fretwork (for 100% on the song)

I Get By (Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives)

[Rock Band iPod App] e- Solo Tour

2009-11-09T18:57:00.001-08:00

I just got back from a five night world tour. Here's where and what I played:

Boston:
Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Hanging on the Telephone (Blondie)
Attack (30 Seconds to Mars)
Mystery Song: Sabotage (Beastie Boys)

Unlocked:
Make Some Noise (Complete all events in Boston)
Got Wheels (Unlock New York)
Speedy Fingers (Hit 150 notes in a row on guitar)
Zero to Hero (Make a comeback from a low crowd meter)

New York:
All the Small Things (Blink-182)
Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood and The Destroyers)
We Got The Beat (Go-Go's)
Mystery Song: Ladybug (Presidents of the United States of America)

Unlocked:
Open Road (Unlock Seattle)

Seattle:
Take the Money and Run (Steve Miller Band)
Hymn 43 (Jethro Tull)
Move Along (All-American Rejects)
Mystery Song: Lazy Eye (Silversun Pickups)

Unlocked:
Jet Setter (Unlock Paris)
Still Kicking (Complete 15 events in the Solo Tour)
1000 Fans (Reach a total of 1000 fans)

Paris:
Learn to Fly (Foo Fighters)
Bad Reputation (Joan Jett)
Give It All (Rise Against)
Mystery Song: Debaser (Pixies)

Unlocked:
Worldwide Sensation (Unlock all cities)

Moscow:
Ace of Spades '08 (Motorhead)
Everlong (Foo Fighters)
Cherub Rock (Smashing Pumpkins)
Mystery Song: Girl's Not Grey (AFI)

Unlocked:
Road Dog (Complete all cities)
Strumaestro (Hit 150 notes in a row on bass)

Statistics from the tour:
Favorite instrument: Lead Guitar
Obsession Level: Nicely dedicated
Solo Tour Completion: 100%
World Tour Fans: 2018
Average Difficulty: Medium
Longest Note Streak: Bass: 235 Guitar: 275
Highest Score: 67890 Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups (Lead Guitar)

Gone Away?

2009-10-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

We played another eight songs in quickplay tonight on Rock Band 2. The Music Store feature is great online and we already have close to 100 downloaded songs in addition to Rock Band 1 and 2 tracks. I'm really looking forward to playing more in the months ahead.

Hysteria (Muse)
I'll Stick Around (Foo Fighters)
March of the Pigs (Nine Inch Nails)
More Human Than Human (White Zombie)
My Generation (Live from Leeds) (The Who)
Black (Pearl Jam)
Jesus Christ Pose (Soundgarden)
Gone Away (The Offspring)

Back to Rock Band 2

2009-10-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

We invested in some new songs and played a quick set on Rock Band 2 to close out the night:

Ring of Fire (Social Distortion)
21st Century Digital Boy (Bad Religion)
Wonderwall (Oasis)
The End (Pearl Jam)

(GHVH) Might as well jump!

2009-10-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

Today in the mail we received Guitar Hero Van Halen from the fine folks at Activision. We played a quick set of six songs:

Best of You (Foo Fighters)
Dope Nose (Weezer)
Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) (The Offspring)
Semi-Charmed Life (Third Eye Blind)
Stacy's Mom (Fountains of Wayne)
Jump (Van Halen)

Not the greatest game on earth, but hey, it was free.

Backspacer

2009-09-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

ShellE played through the entire Pearl Jam album that came out this week, getting five stars on 10 of the 11 tracks and four stars on Speed of Sound.

1. "Gonna See My Friend"
2. "Got Some"
3. "The Fixer"
4. "Johnny Guitar"
5. "Just Breathe"
6. "Amongst the Waves"
7. "Unthought Known"
8. "Supersonic"
9. "Speed of Sound"
10. "Force of Nature"
11. "The End"

(GH5) Plugged In Baby!

2009-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight, TBA played a quick three song set in Ireland:
You Give Love a Bad Name (Bon Jovi)
In The Meantime (Spacehog)
Plug In Baby (Muse)
UNLOCKED MATT BELLAMY!!!

(GH5) Sideshow

2009-09-13T16:00:00.001-07:00

Sideshow:
Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry)
Fame (David Bowie)
Under Pressure (Queen and David Bowie)
Sex On Fire (Kings of Leon)

EMG FTW Challenge:
Sex On Fire (Kings of Leon)

(GH5) Club Boson

2009-09-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

TBA played Club Boson in Switzerland for quite some time this afternoon. M is rehearsing her vocal abilities and I figured I would take the time to tell you what we played:

Club Boson:
Hurts So Good (John Mellencamp)

Sideshow:
Ex-Girlfriend (No Doubt) (e- solo just to get the song overwith)

Club Boson:
Blue Day (Darker My Love)
Gratitude (Beastie Boys)
Sowing Season (Yeah) (Brand New)
Blue Orchid (The White Stripes)

Audio-Technica Seeks Vocal Talent Challenge:
In My Place (Coldplay)

Rags to Rich's Guitars Challenge:
Hurts So Good (John Mellencamp)

(GH5) Shirley is teh queen!

2009-09-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

TBA got back together with M and I working with some new musicians, Pandora on drums and Lars on bass guitar for a quick jaunt through Activision's new Guitar Hero 5. After some technical difficulties resulting in a deceased XBox 360 and a returned defective copy of the game, we're on track and we've already achieved greatness.

The 13th Rail:
Song 2 (Blur)
They Say (Scars on Broadway)
Gamma Ray (Beck)
In My Place (Coldplay)
Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz)

Club Boson:
Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs)

The 13th Rail:
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones)

ESP Wants You! ...Maybe Challenge:
Song 2 (Blur)

Club Boson:
Only Happy When It Rains (Garbage)
UNLOCKED: SHIRLEY MANSON!!!

[Unplugged] Song List

2009-06-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the tracks TBA played as a part of our Rock Band Unplugged Tour (on the Sony Playstation Portable):

AFI - "Miss Murder"
All-American Rejects - "Move Along"
Audioslave - "Gasoline"
Black Tide - "Show Me the Way"
Freezepop - "Less Talk More Rokk"
Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle"
The Killers - "Mr. Brightside"
Lacuna Coil - "Our Truth"
Lamb of God - "Laid to Rest"
Modest Mouse - "Float On"
Queens of the Stone Age - "3's and 7's"
System of a Down - "Chop Suey!"
Tenacious D - "Rock Your Socks"
3 Doors Down - "Kryptonite"
Alice in Chains - "Would?"
Blink 182 - "What's My Age Again"
Foo Fighters - "Everlong"
Judas Priest - "Painkiller"
Lit - "My Own Worst Enemy"
Lush - "De-Luxe"
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "Where'd You Go?"
Nine Inch Nails - "The Perfect Drug"
Nirvana - "Drain You"
The Offspring - "Come Out and Play (Keep 'em Separated)"
Pearl Jam - "Alive"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Today"
Social Distortion - "I Was Wrong"
Soundgarden - "Spoonman"
Weezer - "Buddy Holly"
Billy Idol - "White Wedding Part 1"
Bon Jovi - "Livin' on a Prayer"
Dead Kennedys - "Holiday in Cambodia"
Motörhead - "Ace of Spades"
The Police - "Message in a Bottle"
Siouxsie & the Banshees - "The Killing Jar"
Boston - "More Than a Feeling"
Jackson 5 - "ABC"
Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
Kansas - "Carry on Wayward Son
Rush - "The Trees"
The Who - "Pinball Wizard"

While it is a fun game with a diverse setlist, it is now time to return to the XBox360 rock!

[Unplugged] Immortals

2009-06-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

So TBA have played the last shows of our Unplugged Tour in Shanghai. First we tested the waters with a new cover of Painkiller, then we played the Rolling Stone Immortal List Marathon which consisted of the following five songs:

Pinball Wizard
Kryptonite
Everlong
Carry On Wayward Son
Livin' On A Prayer

Then we had our names added to the Rolling Stone Immortal List!

TBA has made it once again!

The credits rolled for around an hour and afterward we were awarded a new Backbone Guitar because we have a lot of time on our hands.

Hopefully we will fill that time on our Rock Band 2 World Tour in the near future!

[Unplugged] Final leg before immortality?

2009-06-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

We played some more shows debuting some new songs in both Europe and North America:

Stockholm (Mjolnir Lodge)
Less Talk More Rokk
De-Luxe

Amsterdam (De Magische Tuin)
3's & 7's
Kryptonite

Rome (Il Grande Teatro Della Roccia)
What's My Age Again
Spoonman

Dublin (504 Cypress)
Move Along
Chop Suey

Berlin (Das Krapfertheater)
Rock Your Socks
Laid To Rest

Montreal (Chronos Club)
Aqualung
The Middle

Chicago (The Rails)
Our Truth
The Killing Jar
Carry On My Wayward Son

Now we head to Shanghai for the Rolling Stone Immortal List Marathon!

[Unplugged] TBA Unplugged in Europe

2009-06-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

We played several shows, starting in Spain and ending in London:

Madrid (Teatro Fantasma)
Everlong
The Perfect Drug

Roadie Rockathon:
Drain You
Carry On My Wayward Son
Kryptonite
Spoonman

We earned ourselves some roadies from the Roadie Rockathon. Then we headed to Paris for the NAAM Convention.

Paris (La Salle de Bal Royale)
Come Out and Play (Keep 'em Separated)
Would?

NAAM Convention:
Pinball Wizard
De-Luxe
Carry On My Wayward Son

We hired ourselves a sound guy before heading to London for a huge showcase show.

London (Penfold Dome)
Holiday in Cambodia
Ace of Spades '08

Global Promotion Showcase:
3's and 7's
Move Along
Less Talk More Rokk
Everlong

We signed a contract with a worldwide promoter and will be playing a few more dates in Europe before heading to Shanghai for the Rolling Stone Immortals List Marathon!

[Unplugged] Los Angeles

2009-06-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

TBA flew from Seattle to Los Angeles where we played a one off show. We played a three song set for the first time on medium difficulty, consisting of:

Gasoline
Buddy Holly
I Was Wrong

We're amped and geared up for our first tour through Europe!

[Unplugged] More in New York and Seattle

2009-06-04T21:48:00.001-07:00

TBA played a bunch of quick gigs in New York, where we played the following songs:
Aqualung
Mr. Brightside

Today
The Killing Jar
De-Luxe

Chop Suey

Today
Where'd You Go?
Livin' On A Prayer

Then we flew back to the West Coast and played in Seattle:
White Wedding (Part 1)

After the Seattle gig they informed the band that we were too good to keep playing at the Easy difficulty level and in order to gain huge amounts of fans we'd need to play at a more challenging level.

[Unplugged] In New York

2009-06-02T23:36:00.001-07:00

Played a huge gig in New York and got a plane out of it!

At the Empire Square Garden:

The Trees (Vault Edition)
Gasoline
Pinball Wizard

Then the No Pain, No Plane Challenge:

Everlong
The Middle
Pinball Wizard

Now we're off to play gigs in Europe and beyond.

[Unplugged] Boston by way of Montreal

2009-06-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Played a quick one song set in Montreal at Chronos Club as a warm up to a big Boston show. We played Drain You which proved to be popular with the Quebecois. In Boston, we played at the Hancock Theater:

Mr. Brightside
Show Me The Way
Where'd You Go?

Then we were invited to play a Merch Search Showcase and played:
The Killing Jar
De-Luxe
Alive

We've got ourselves a merch girl and a trip to New York in hopes of winning a plane to take this tour all over the planet!

[Unplugged] West Coast Tour

2009-06-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Our first West Coast tour started with a Mystery Setlist of one song at home at Alice's Free Love Cafe in San Francisco. We played ABC.

For our Make a Setlist, we played Livin' On a Prayer.

Then we headed to Seattle (The Sealth Theater), where we played:

White Wedding (Part 1)
Message in a Bottle
Today

A mystery setlist of:
Float On
Livin' On a Prayer

Next was Austin (The Bison Room), where we played:
ABC
Miss Murder
Buddy Holly

A mystery setlist of I Was Wrong

Then onward to Los Angeles (Wilshire Forum):
More Than A Feeling
Float On
Alive

Then we were entered into a three song Bus or Bust Competition.

We played:
Float On
Gasoline
Livin' On A Prayer

We won ourselves a nice bus, and now have a ton of staff. We've got promoters on the East Coast, West Coast, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, a marketing guy, a street team, an intern, a stylist... we're almost big time.

We went home to San Francisco and played our last hometown gig for awhile, a Local Artist Spotlight cover of Holiday in Cambodia.

It has been a fun first leg out.

[Unplugged] TBA Unplugged Tour Begins!

2009-06-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there ShellE and TBA fans! I know it has been quite a long time but I've got good news! TBA is currently on an Unplugged tour sponsored by Sony Playstation Portable.

We've played a show at Alice's Free Love Cafe in San Francisco, with the following songs:

Livin' On A Prayer
I Was Wrong
My Own Worst Enemy

Then a Battle of the Vans which got us our first tour van:
Float On
Today

We've got a manager and gigs being booked in Seattle and Austin as well as more hometown gigs if you want to check us out in San Francisco. It is good to be back in the smaller clubs with this tour!

(GHWT) e's Journal Part 3 (80-100% Complete)

2008-12-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

Ozzfest (Germany)
A fun gig, with Ozzy Osbourne himself joining us on stage for Mr. Crowley and our Octopus stage malfunctioning and picking up two fans who had the ride of their lives during Crazy Train.

Love Removal Machine
Our Truth
Antisocial
Prisoner of Society
Mr. Crowley
Crazy Train

Book Your Own Gig:
AT&T Park (San Francisco)
I brought out some of my friends to play a big hometown show. Thanks to Hayley and Hendrix for a great night under the stars at the ballpark.

Livin' On a Prayer
Misery Business (w/Hayley Williams)
Monsoon
Mountain Song
Our Truth
The Wind Cries Mary (w/Jimi Hendrix)

Times Square (New York)
This was a big New Year's Eve concert with the biggest band of my life. Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Sting on bass, Travis Barker on drums and e on guitar.

Re-education Through Labor
Scream Aim Fire
Overkill
Trapped Under Ice
B.Y.O.B.

I had to switch to Beginner level for the final track of the game, an encore of
Hot for Teacher

Unlocked Solo Artist achievement

Then the credits rolled while I played
Pull Me Under

And then another gig unlocked?!? And it cost $3000...

Sunna's Chariot (Asgard)
Ozzy, Sting, Travis and I played our final gig together on Sunna's Chariot in the sky in Asgard.

Love Spreads
Never Too Late
Weapon of Choice
Pull Me Under
Satch Boogie

And with that I have 100% completed Guitar Hero World Tour as a solo artist.

Would I do it all again with a band or as another instrument? Probably not. Not much replayability for me as it didn't draw me into the game like Rock Band and Rock Band 2 have. I'm happy to have played through all 86 songs in the game as a lead guitarist and it was worth spending a lot of time over the holiday to play through the whole game. There are some fun songs and some great moments throughout the game, but those moments are past and it is time to get TBA back on the map in Rock Band!

(GHWT) e's Journal Part 2 (44-79% Complete)

2008-12-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

After some sleep and completing some errands and then some more sleep, I revisited my World Tour in pursuit of becoming a true guitar hero.

House of Blues (Los Angeles)
The band returned home to California for a very eclectic set. It isn't normal that you hear The Mars Volta, MC5, Sublime, Willie Nelson and The Doors at one show. It went over pretty well. And the show was sold out too!

L'Via L'Viaquez
Kick Out the Jams
Santeria
On the Road Again (Live)
Love Me Two Times

Our next show is another one of those gigs that we pay to have the priviledge of playing, which is in Tahiti. I guess we could do a bit of vacation/business for this one.

Ted's Tiki Hut (Tahiti)
I was introduced to all new music on this one, a bunch of Indie bands. I really liked playing Monsoon by Tokio Hotel. The rest were kind of a blur and I was happy to get paid afterward. It was worth the $2000 tickets to play in Tahiti.

Monsoon
Aggro
Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)
Good God
One Armed Scissor

Will Heilm's Keep (England)
A giant festival in front of a castle with a big bonfire and hundreds of thousands of fans. How do we respond? Sting plays Demolition Man with us and we close with an encore of Michael Jackson's Beat It.

The Kill
Shiver
Rebel Yell
Demolition Man (Live) (w/Sting)
Beat It

Recording Studio (Canada)
We recorded an EP of covers to sell at our next set of REALLY BIG gigs. We're actually going home to San Francisco for our next show!

Lazy Eye
Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Float On
Nuvole E Lenzuola
Pretty Vacant

Yes, we did a song in Spanish. We're going to California next. There's a large population of Latinos there. We need their money!

AT&T Park (San Francisco)
This was the gig of a lifetime. Hometown crowd, legendary songs! I played a 99% accurate version of Muse's Assassin and an apparition of Jimi Hendrix taking the stage in my place!

Are You Gonna Go My Way
Sweet Home Alabama (Live)
Assassin
Escuela De Calor
The Wind Cries Mary (w/Jimi Hendrix)
Purple Haze (Live) (w/Jimi Hendrix)

Unlocked The Experience achievement

Tesla's Coil (Australia)
Another $2000 cost for this gig, which was actually inside a giant Tesla Coil that was converted into a night club in Australia. A bunch of tracks I was unfamiliar with before the gig. Nothing groundbreaking, but a fun visual to watch the sparks literally fly.

Toy Boy
Hail to the Freaks
Winternoll2
Hollywood Nights
Soul Doubt
---
Two days down and 79% complete. Not too bad. Again a fairly short game as I didn't spend that much time playing today. Only two big gigs that I know about left. Our next one is at Ozzfest in Germany, then our final gig hypothetically will be in New York City at Times Square. We'll see... tomorrow.

(GHWT) e's Journal Part 1 (0-43% Complete)

2008-12-25T23:55:00.000-08:00

So today being Christmas, I started out on a solo journey through Guitar Hero World Tour. In my trials and travels, I've kept a bit of a journal. Here's the first part of that journal.

Phi Psi Kappa (USA)
We played a dorm common area and literally set the place on fire after a beer pong cup spilled on an amp cable and sparks flew and hit the curtains.

Livin' On a Prayer
About a Girl (Unplugged)
Mountain Song

Wilted Orchid (Sweden)
We played a goth club but a bunch of non-goth songs. The kids loved it.

Beautiful Disaster
Obstacle 1
The One I Love

Bone Church (Poland)
All I can say is "Wow!" Billy Corgan surprised the band and joined us on stage for a cover of his band's "Today" and then told NME that he thinks we are "Out of this world."

Some Might Say
Today (w/Billy Corgan)
What I've Done

Pang Tang Bay (Hong Kong)
For this show we played on a floating stage, they even set off fireworks before No Sleep till Brooklyn. We're headed home next.

Band On The Run
You're Gonna Say Yeah!
Up Around the Bend
No Sleep Till Brooklyn

Amoeba Records (Los Angeles)
It was our record release show at Amoeba Records and we had a special guest in Hayley Williams join us on a cover of Paramore's Misery Business. That wasn't what got the crowd's biggest reaction. That went to our lead singer throwing a copy of our album out to one lucky fan. The rest of them had to wait until midnight and the official release of the record.

The Joker
Freak On a Leash
Misery Business (w/Hayley Williams)
Hotel California

Tool (USA)
On a whim, I paid $8,000 to play Tool. It was basically Tool torturing me with their visuals and no camera on the band or the crowd. Scary eyes and imagery and strobe lights where it would be hard for me to see the part I'm playing. I somehow survived.

Parabola
Schism
Vicarious

---
I managed five stars on each of the tracks mentioned except for Schism. Tool's stage really wore me down!
---
Swamp Shack (Louisiana)
We played a couple of songs I don't ever want to play again at this gig and I held my own against Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society in a guitar duel.

Eye of the Tiger
Spiderwebs
One Way or Another
Do It Again
Zakk Wylde Guitar Duel
Stillborn (w/Zakk Wylde)

Rock Brigade (The Pacific)
In a benefit for our troops, they flew the band out to an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Travis Barker of Blink 182 joined us in a cover of Dammit and it was a great thrill to play for such a good cause.

The Middle
Hey Man, Nice Shot
Feel the Pain
Dammit (w/Travis Barker)
Everlong

I unlocked the Band on a Mission achievement.

Strutter's Farm (Kentucky)
This was the Kentucky State Fair and a big deal for the fine folks at Strutter's Farm. They got to see my band play with a legend. I got owned 96% into a huge guitar duel with Ted Nugent. After completing the track on the second go round, Nugent joined the band in a cover of his classic track Stranglehold. Sadly a disaster struck shortly before the encore, and the ferris wheel came loose and destroyed the big top tent. No circus tomorrow I guess.

Heartbreaker
American Woman
Ramblin' Man
Go Your Own Way
Ted Nugent Guitar Duel
Stranglehold (w/Ted Nugent)
---
With my earnings, I've now got an awesome band outfit. It is a ninja gi. It rocks!

Tomorrow I'll tell you more tales of becoming a Guitar Hero on a World Tour.

Mothership Q in San Francisco

2008-12-24T23:59:00.001-08:00

I went off and played a bunch of covers of The Who after our shows in Los Angeles. I was so excited to have the band back together that I guested on 13 more tracks after the TBA shows with the cover band Mothership Q.

I got five stars on all but Summertime Blues.

amazing journey
leaving here
who are you
My Generation (Live at Leeds)
Baba O'Reiley
Going Mobile
Behind Blue Eyes
Won't Get Fooled Again
Young Man Blues (Live at Leeds)
Summertime Blues (Live at Leeds)
Real Good Looking Boy
Sea and Sand
Eminence Front

TBA at El Ocho (Los Angeles)

2008-12-24T23:56:00.000-08:00

TBA played through a scorching set at El Ocho in Los Angeles, earned ourselves a street team and unlocked the You're Hired achievement. Here's how we did it:

Beck - E-Pro
Panic at the Disco - Nine In The Afternoon
Cheap Trick - Hello There

Simple Mystery Setlist
Mississippi Queen
Hole - Celebrity Skin

Achievement Unlocked - You're Hired!

Make a Setlist
The Killers - When You Were Young
Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly

Our blue-haired British bassist came back for our Make a Setlist!

T.B.A. Holiday Rehearsal

2008-12-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

T.B.A. got back together tonight with vocal, drum, bass and guitar practice between M and I. We did the following tracks:

Gimme Shelter (M on Vocals e- on Guitar)
Say It Ain't So (M on Vocals e- on Guitar)
E-Pro (M on Vocals e- on Guitar)
Capital G (M on Drums e- on Guitar)
Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) (M on Drums e- on Guitar)
Hysteria (M on Drums e- on Bass)

It is good to be back! We've exported the original Rock Band songs into Rock Band 2 and now have a huge set of songs to pick and play. The adventures of T.B.A. are just beginning and we'll be playing in a town near you really soon.

ec/dc

2008-12-21T01:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the rare opportunity to come out of semi-retirement and play some exciting live songs with AC/DC. The shows have got a bug stirred up inside me that means that Doctor What? or ShellE or T.B.A. may be back soon.

Here's the 18 tracks I guested on guitar on this weekend:

"Thunderstruck"
"Shoot to Thrill"
"Back in Black"
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be"
"Heatseeker"
"Fire Your Guns"
"Jailbreak"
"The Jack"
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
"Moneytalks"
"Hells Bells"
"High Voltage"
"Whole Lotta Rosie"
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
"T.N.T."
"Let There Be Rock"
"Highway To Hell"
"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"

I scored ***** on all of those tracks except for Fire Your Guns which I scored **** on, and ended up with a total score of 1,262,793 after all 18 songs were complete.

TBA at The Quarter Hole (San Francisco)

2008-09-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

We got invited to play a big gig at The Quarter Hole to win a van. We rehearsed a bit with some one off songs.

We played PDA by Interpol and then Drain You by Nirvana.

The Battle of the Vans was:
New Kid in School (The Donnas)
We Got the Beat (The Go-Gos)
Today (Smashing Pumpkins)

We got five stars on every track, though we did rehearse Drain You a couple of times before our show. I got 100% on Today.

We've now got a van and can go out on the road! (We unlocked the Got Wheels Achievement)

TBA has also hired a manager who we can call for advice to find out what direction we can take on tour.

TBA at Alice's Free Love Cafe (San Francisco)

2008-09-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

We started our career with a set that included five star performances of:

Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
-after which we unlocked our first achievement, West Coast Performer
My Own Worst Enemy (Lit)
-unlocked the ability to play at The Quarter Hole
Pretend We're Dead (L7)
-unlocked Hello Cleveland! achievement
Float On (Modest Mouse)

Then we did a two song Mystery Simple Setlist:
Drain You (Nirvana)
New Kid In School (The Donnas)
-Invited to play the Battle of the Vans
(the background image is a skeleton with tentacles and horns)

If we win the Battle of the Vans, we get a 1975 Econowagon Van!

We played our first song at The Quarter Hole before we called it a night:

Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran)

All night, five star efforts! So far we have 35 stars and 1,226 fans.

After the show, I worked up a TBA band logo and we got the Needs More Umlaughts achievement.

Presenting TBA!

2008-09-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

ShellE became Rock n' Roll Hall of Famers in Rock Band. Tonight we start our first tour in Rock Band 2 and we've changed our band name. We're now known as TBA, short for To Be Announced. We play a lot of opening gigs for people already, before we've even started touring.

I'll be updating the blog as we progress through Rock Band 2's Local Tour mode.

Just for the sheer scope of it, a look at the complete Endless Setlist:

2008-07-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here’s the full Endless Setlist:

29 Fingers
Say it Aint So
In Bloom
I Think I’m Paranoid
The Time we had
Mississippi Queen
Here It Goes Again
Creep
Blood Doll
Wave of Mutilation
Should I Stay or Should I Go
Maps
Gimme Shelter
Brainpower
Sabotage
Blitzkrieg Bop
Celebrity Skin
I’m So Sick
When We Were Young
Black Hole Sun
Wanted Dead or Alive
Learn to Fly
Seven
Orange Crush
Main Offender
The Hand That Feeds
Day Late, Dollar Short
Epic
Suffragette City
Ballroom Blitz
Dead On Arrival
Pleasure
Train Kept a Rollin
Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Paranoid
Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld
Welcome Home
Go With The Flow
Dani California
Nightmare
Don’t Fear the Reaper
Reptilia
Electric Version
Vasoline
Detroit Rock City
Can’t Let Go
Next to You
Cherub Rock
Tom Sawyer
Enter Sandman
Green Grass and High Tides
Outside
Highway Star
Foreplay/Long Time
Flirtin With Disaster
I Get By
Run To The Hills
Won’t Get Fooled Again

Legendary Status! (Endless Setlist COMPLETE!)

2008-07-04T18:49:00.001-07:00

We've done it! We've completed the 58 song Endless Setlist and have officially become Rock Band Legends. After a hard fought and well-played really long marathon of a concert, ShellE have driven our way into the hearts of 550,000 fans and earned 1036 stars in the first world tour of our lives. Overall, we earned 279 out of 290 available stars during the Endless Setlist, and just finished off with two of my favorite songs to play, Run to the Hills and Won't Get Fooled Again!

Thank you to all of ShellE's devoted fans. We'll be back on the road later this year (when Rock Band 2 arrives in stores and in our home)!

Foreplay/Long Time

Flirtin With Disaster

I Get By

Run To The Hills

Won’t Get Fooled Again

Working through the Pain... (Endless Setlist Part 4)

2008-07-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

We're now 53 songs into the Endless Setlist, and with five songs left to go, my left hand fingertips are pretty much broken. I've made it through all of the songs that are difficult for me... we've got just one more challenge for M on "I Get By" coming up and we should be tasting victory very soon!

Enter Sandman
Green Grass and High Tides
Outside
Highway Star

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it includes a bucket of ice for my poor fingertips...

I didn't fail Vasoline! (Endless Setlist Part 3)

2008-07-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

The tension built as we played through some more songs in the Endless Setlist. We started out with Reptilia and Electric Version, then I struggled through Vasoline and we coasted along all the way through song number 49, Tom Sawyer. We have just 9 songs left to play... and the scary one is next, Enter Sandman!

Reptilia
Electric Version
Vasoline
Detroit Rock City
Can’t Let Go
Next to You
Cherub Rock
Tom Sawyer

I hope to be back in an hour or two to let you know how it went... if my fingers don't fall off first.

Dead or Alive? (Endless Setlist Part 2)

2008-07-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

We've played through the second part of our Endless Setlist in Moscow, with songs ranging from Wanted Dead or Alive to Don't Fear the Reaper with some Timmay! and some songs we've barely ever played before in between! Only 17 more songs to go...

Wanted Dead or Alive
Learn to Fly
Seven
Orange Crush
Main Offender
The Hand That Feeds
Day Late, Dollar Short
Epic
Suffragette City
Ballroom Blitz
Dead On Arrival
Pleasure
Train Kept a Rollin
Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Paranoid
Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld
Welcome Home
Go With The Flow
Dani California
Nightmare
Don’t Fear the Reaper

Stay tuned...

Happy Independence Day! (Endless Setlist Part 1)

2008-07-04T14:51:00.001-07:00

ShellE are performing live at the Dynamite Palace in Moscow today, filming the legendary Endless Setlist. We're currently on our first set break of the day, having completed 20 songs ranging from 29 Fingers to I'm So Sick with Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun rounding out the first part of the set. We've switched out the wireless battery packs and ran our fingers under some cold water and we're about to get back into action.

29 Fingers
Say it Aint So
In Bloom
I Think I’m Paranoid
The Time we had
Mississippi Queen
Here It Goes Again
Creep
Blood Doll
Wave of Mutilation
Should I Stay or Should I Go
Maps
Gimme Shelter
Brainpower
Sabotage
Blitzkrieg Bop
Celebrity Skin
I’m So Sick
When We Were Young
Black Hole Sun

More later.

drum-e in the city of lost angels

2008-06-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

drum-e played our second gig tonight at El Ocho in Los Angeles. My drumming sophomore effort went pretty well. I played through five more songs and got a Vater sponsorship out of the gig. We're headed to Seattle next.

Tonight's set:

Gimme Shelter **** 56,925
Wave of Mutilation **** 20,700
Celebrity Skin ***** 30,914
Mississippi Queen ***** 32,687
Here It Goes Again **** 35,475

drum-e lives!

2008-06-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

From the depths of the deepest darkest pit in San Francisco, drum-e made their debut at Alice's Free Love Cafe tonight in San Francisco. I used some of the money I made on ShellE's world tour and bought some Universal Rock Band Drum Silencers and just played through my first five song set on drums. Fun stuff!

Say It Ain't So **** 38,075
Creep *** 23,175
I Think I'm Paranoid ***** 41,250
Wanted Dead or Alive **** 25,650
In Bloom **** 40,875

Drumming is a lot more of a workout than playing guitar! My Vic Firth hoodie and I are going to retire to the bus for the night now.

Chick Rox

2008-05-06T22:08:00.001-07:00

Boston
Creep
Wanted Dead or Alive

New York
Here It Goes Again

Chicago
Maps

Tokyo
March of the Pigs

Afterward, she went off and practiced a bit with:
Learn to Fly
The Collector
When You Were Young
Enter Sandman

ShellE return to Boston!

2008-05-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

ShellE came out of a long break off of the road to play several shows in Boston tonight.

Charles Pub
Make a Setlist
Pleasure (Pleasure)
Sabotage

Mystery Requests
Dani California
Wave of Mutilation

The Establishment
Paranoid (Sabbath)

Chops Proving Marathon
Celebrity Skin
When You Were Young
Black Hole Sun
Wanted Dead Or Alive

Wicked Awesome Local Showcase
Wave of Mutilation
Foreplay/Long Time
Train Kept A Rollin'

Make a Setlist
Epic
Blitzkreig Bop

Now, M is off on some solo drum excursion with her drum project "chick". More later!

ShellE off hiatus!

2008-04-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

ShellE played a whirlwind world tour through many places we'd never played and some we've been to many times before:

Reykjavik
Highway Star

Heavy Hitters Marathon:
Paranoid
Welcome Home
Enter Sandman
Run to the Hills

Stockholm
Headliner Marathon:
Learn To Fly
Orange Crush
Main Offender
The Hand That Feeds

Rome
Stage Igniter Marathon:
Epic
Suffragette City
Ballroom Blitz
Dead on Arrival

Fender Showcase:
In Bloom
Gimme Shelter
Won't Get Fooled Again

Boston
Wanted Dead or Alive

We're on to some really fun marathons, like an 11 song 90's marathon and eventually... the endless setlist.

Doctor What? Secret Show in Tokyo

2008-03-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Doctor What? played a secret show at the Gorilla Dome in Tokyo, playing all of the new songs we've been rehearsing for the big show in Moscow and the many shows beyond with ShellE.

Tonight's set included three songs by Nine Inch Nails, one by GLaDOS and one by Garbage.

March of the Pigs **** 17,935
Still Alive **** 39,445
The Collector **** 14,399
The Perfect Drug ***** 85,471 (100%, Perfect Score!)
Why Do You Love Me? ***** 78,907

Stay tuned for more updates soon!

Last couple of gigs in Seattle...

2008-03-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

ShellE has taken a bit of time off from the road to go exploring around the West Coast and stopped off The Sealth Theater tonight to finish up our tour commitments. We managed to unlock The Endless Setlist after two sets:

Say It Ain't So
I Think I'm Paranoid
In Bloom

Pleasure (Pleasure)
Tom Sawyer
Cherub Rock
I Get By

Afterward, we were greeted with these words:
"You can now play The Endless Setlist. Our prayers are with you."

Next stop... Moscow?!?

Seattle

2008-03-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

We've decided to go back to the states and play some gigs in Seattle, which is like a second home to M and I. Literally. Seattle is so much like San Francisco, except that there is more rain.

Jimmy Astros:
Next To You
Electric Version

Gas Works Tavern:
Orange Crush

Say It Ain't So
In Bloom
ITIP
Mississippi Queen

Say It Ain't So
In Bloom

Black Hole Sun
In Bloom
Learn To Fly

The Sealth Theater:
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Maps
Gimme Shelter
Orange Crush

We earned 79 out of the 80 possible stars we could have gotten during those gigs. That just leaves 27 to go before we can play our marathon Endless Setlist in Moscow.

ShellE enshrined forever in the Hall of Fame!

2008-02-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

We've played our biggest gig ever at our induction ceremony into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame at the Dynamite Palace in Moscow.

We started with a five star warm-up of Won't Get Fooled Again, and then played through a marathon eight-song set, including band debuts of Tom Sawyer and Flirtin' with Disaster.

Here's how it all played out:

Won't Get Fooled Again

(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Foreplay/Long Time
Enter Sandman
Highway Star
Tom Sawyer
Flirtin' With Disaster
Run to the Hills
Won't Get Fooled Again

We've been enshrined in the Hall of Fame and now we've even got clear instruments to prove we're there.

Now we're over one hundred stars away from our next big task... the endless setlist!

Finishing up our European Tour...

2008-02-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

ShellE played our last few gigs this week on our way to Moscow and the Dynamite Palace. We needed to earn 49 stars on this trek, and got 50. We've been invited to play our Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame induction next!

Rome - Il Blue Dive
Dani California
Learn To Fly
Creep - 100% M

Highway Star
Reptilia - 99% e

Amsterdam De Magische Tuin
Celebrity Skin
Gimme Shelter

Orion Lounge
Enter Sandman - 100% M
Maps
Go With The Flow
Electric Version

I have gotten much better at Enter Sandman, and my new Gibson Xplorer is a shred monster!

We've got a one song warm-up gig in Moscow and then it is on to the Hall of Fame!

Doctor What? finishes up in Moscow!

2008-02-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

I'm now the proud owner of a gold Fender! I finished up the last five songs of my solo tour in Moscow!

Highway Star **** 68,742
Filrtin' with Disaster **** 48,685
Train Kept A Rollin' ***** 63,620
Run to the Hills ***** 60,478
Green Grass and High Tides **** 117,935

Being a solo artist was fun, but it is definitely time to regroup with ShellE and go onward to the Hall of Fame!

-Ingame note: The end credits were a lot of fun, with the Harmonix team in different onstage band poses... especially the girl with the bucket of chicken, that was so Rock Star!

Practicing... the road to the Hall of Fame...

2008-02-17T02:01:00.000-08:00

We're just 49 stars away from playing our biggest gig ever as we are inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. We've unlocked 56 out of 58 of the game's songs, leaving only Molly Hatchet's "Flirting with Disaster" and The Outlaws' "Green Grass and High Tides" to go. We have tons of open gigs available all over the world to earn those 49 stars, so it won't be long now until you will hopefully see ShellE's name enshrined forever.

We just have a lot of practicing left to do to get us there!

Doctor What? in Berlin and London

2008-02-17T01:51:00.000-08:00

Doctor What? has played a couple more gigs today. The first was in Berlin at Das Krapfentheater. The typical five song set, with Vasoline taking me seven tries to nail it in at least a passable fashion. These five songs opened up a spot for Doctor What? to play in London at the Penfold Dome.

Ballroom Blitz ***** 42,812
Dead on Arrival ***** 58,488
Vasoline *** 18,134
Next to You *** 18,031
Won't Get Fooled Again ***** 65,935

The later in the night gig at the Penfold Dome was also a five song set, taking three tries for Enter Sandman solo on guitar. I did get to play a few new songs in this set though!

Tom Sawyer (Rush) ***** 49,181
Foreplay/Long Time (Boston) ***** 76,750
Cherub Rock ***** 76,028
Enter Sandman *** 31,151
Welcome Home (Coheed and Cambria) ***** 78,765

I also changed out of my Doctor What? outfit for the London show and into a post-apocalyptic road warrior outfit I won during the Berlin show. On to the last five song set of the solo tour, in Moscow...

Sweet Home San Francisco...

2008-02-16T22:06:00.001-08:00

As our whirlwind tour races across the world to get the 73 stars that we need to unlock the Hall of Fame Induction, we stopped over and played our hometown of San Francisco. We earned 24 new stars playing three of our favorite hometown venues!

Alice's:
say it ain't so
in bloom

Mississippi Queen
Sabotage

Quarter Hole:
Electric Version
Creep

Bay City Theater:
Run To The Hills

Highway Star
Don't Fear The Reaper
Gimme Shelter
Won't Get Fooled Again

Shark! Shark! Shark!

2008-02-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

After the infamous "shark incident" held M up at customs for 48 hours, we finally got to play the Saville Row gig tonight to win a PR Firm, which was much needed to help us recover from said incident and a couple of hotel room trashings. Our next big gig will be the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction, but for now we've got to focus on playing more shows around the world as the huge rock band we've become. We played a five star set of five awesome tracks for the Saville Row gig:

Dani California
Paranoid
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Epic
Won't Get Fooled Again

Doctor What? at the Swedisphere Theater

2008-02-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

Doctor What? played our first European gig in Stockholm with what the local press called the best rock gig they'd seen since ShellE! We played a normal five song set with a mostly five star performance:

Are You Gonna Be My Girl ****** 69,963
Dani California ****** 96,968
(Don't Fear) The Reaper ***** 58,144
Paranoid **** 43,326
Wanted Dead or Alive ***** 52,563

Up next is Das Krapfentheater in Berlin. I've never been to Germany and I'm very intimidated by the setlist they've requested us to play. Mostly new stuff and a couple of tracks I'm not very good at playing.

Doctor What? conquers America...

2008-02-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

Reporting on the flight to Stockholm, here's what Doctor What? did on tour this evening:

Los Angeles El Ocho
Blitzkrieg Bop **** 30,700
Wave of Mutilation **** 29,956
I Think I'm Paranoid **** 29,286
Orange Crush ***** 34,444
The Hand That Feeds **** 37,043

Seattle Gas Works Tavern
Sabotage **** 37,355
Say It Ain't So ***** 43,148
Learn to Fly **** 48,477
Go with the Flow *** 25,502
Detroit Rock City ***** 59,562

New York Ramp Arts
Creep ***** 47,657
When You Were Young *** 29,689
Celebrity Skin **** 30,897
Electric Version **** 36,486
Gimme Shelter **** 65,858

Chicago Palace Hotel Ballroom
Suffragette City *** 31,800
Black Hole Sun ***** 64,783
Main Offender ***** 27,769
Reptilia **** 36,021
Epic ***** 64,241

I'm anxious to be able to play Europe with this band. I'm much more excited to being the leader of this guitar based project than I was as a solo artist in a "Rock Band" tee shirt as e-. I definitely miss collaborating with M though. She was detained at the border with some kind of passport issue in London. So I've taken advantage of the time away by plugging along with my side project. Up next, Doctor What? takes over Europe!

Hello London!

2008-02-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

We stopped over in Rome and played Epic at Il Dive. Then we headed to The Underground in jolly old England's city of London and played four songs:
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Suffragette City
In Bloom
Maps

They've invited us to play a gig to win a PR Firm at Saville Row. We have to play a five song set and who knows what songs they will throw at us. We're going to practice up a bit tomorrow night and possibly play the gig then.

Thank you all for coming out to see us play across Europe and hopefully soon beyond!

Down in Amsterdam

2008-02-14T23:15:00.000-08:00

We played Amsterdam as ShellE tonight. Some big shows.

First up:
Dead On Arrival
Electric Version

Two song set:
When You Were Young
Say It Ain't So

Four song set to win bodyguards:
Paranoid
Go With The Flow
The Hand That Feeds
Enter Sandman (Metallica) (I failed this one miserably before M even got to sing one word!)

So, retake four song set to win bodyguards (e on bass):
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Sabotage
Here It Goes Again
Enter Sandman (I still struggled on bass but not quite so bad)

We won some bodyguards and are now on are way to go after a PR firm!

e and Dr. What? debut gig

2008-02-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I did a five song set with my new band, Dr. What? at Alice's Free Love Cafe. I played through what critics called a ***** set. I've decided to abandon the e- solo project and focus on playing with the guys and gals in Dr. What? when I'm not playing in ShellE.

Here's the setlist:
Should I Stay or Should I Go **** 26,278
In Bloom ***** 50,415
Maps ***** 32,249
Mississippi Queen ***** 18,390
Here It Goes Again ***** 60,598 (100% score)

Rockacabana Guitar Festival

2008-02-10T22:29:00.001-08:00

I just played as the lead guitarist on the Bonus Tour as a solo artist in a secret gig in Rio de Janeiro at The Rockacabana. It was a thirteen song indie showcase, which had the highlight of my guitar playing career thus far... playing with Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld!

I also played 12 other songs, with my other favorite being Seven with the band VAGIANT. I think I may even check out their work online. They were very fun to play with. I earned a silver stratocaster for my troubles. The whole show was a blast and a good way for me to practice my chops. It was quite a challenge to play so many different styles and with so many different bands. It did make me miss my own band though. We will be off to Amsterdam sometime this week as ShellE.

It was quite fun being just E for the night though.
Rio de Janeiro - The Rockacabana
Time We Had (The Mother Hips) **** 36,700
Day Late, Dollar Short (The Acro-brats) *** 25,431
Seven (VAGIANT) **** 90,763
29 Fingers (The Konks) *** 36,854
I'm So Sick (Flyleaf) *** 22,494
Blood Doll (Anarchy Club) *** 13,557
Nightmare (Crooked X) ***** 48,730
I Get By (Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives) **** 49,044
Outside (Tribe) *** 46,424
Brainpower (Freezepop) *** 14,205
Can't Let Go (Death of the Cool) **** 31,063
Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld (Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld) *** 14,822
Pleasure (Pleasure) (Bang Camaro) **** 30,795

ShellE in Stockholm

2008-02-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

We played a few important gigs in Stockholm tonight. When the dust settled, we earned ourselves a sound guy!

Synthdrome
Maps
Creep

Swedisphere Theater
Vasoline

Train Kept A Rollin'
Cherub Rock
Orange Crush
Highway Star (Deep Purple)

Don't Fear The Reaper
Electric Version (The New Pornographers)

We also rehearsed Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers for our next gig.

Chick rocks!

2008-02-09T23:49:00.000-08:00

M's band where she plays the drums "Chick" is on an East Coast tour. Here's a recap/setlist of their shows thus far:

Boston - Charles Pub
Say It Ain't So ***** 47,025
Creep **** 44,375
I Think I'm Paranoid ***** 51,025
Wanted Dead or Alive **** 35,075
In Bloom ***** 48,550

New York - Heebie Jeebies
Gimme Shelter **** 52,875
Wave of Mutilation **** 22,600
Celebrity Skin ***** 35,160
Mississippi Queen ***** 36,885
Here It Goes Again **** 37,225

Chicago - The Salt House
Suffragette City **** 33,400

e- Solo Gig #5

2008-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

Tonight, M goes on the road as the drummer for the band "Chick". They started their tour off in Boston and I'll be getting her called in report later. My solo gig tonight was in Chicago at the Palace Hotel Ballroom. It went a little something like this:

Suffragette City *** 24,993
Black Hole Sun **** 46,343
Main Offender ***** 27,955
Reptilia **** 28,472
Epic ***** 50,703

I've been invited to the Swedisphere Theater in Stockholm for my next gig.

e- Solo Gig #4

2008-02-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

I just finished a solo gig in New York at the Ramp Arts.

I played five songs on guitar again:

Creep ***** 42,991
When You Were Young *** 32,173
Celebrity Skin **** 22,582
Electric Version *** 29,986
Gimme Shelter *** 40,481

Now I've got a gig in Chicago at the Palace Hotel Ballroom.

e- Solo Gig #3

2008-02-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

While we were in Stockholm, I picked up a bootleg vinyl "ShellE: last of the good ones -the very best of-" I played it on my stereo when I got to the hotel in Seattle. I practiced hard for my solo show, and I kind of think it paid off. I played a gig at the Gas Works Tavern. Five songs. Just how I like it.

Sabotage **** 30,023
Say It Ain't So ***** 45,843
Learn to Fly *** 36,154
Go With the Flow *** 21,449
Detroit Rock City (Kiss) **** 22,819

New York is next, with a solo show at the Ramp Arts.

Europe Part 1

2008-02-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

We started off with a stopover at The Underground in London. We played David Bowie's classic "Suffragette City" before heading to Stockholm in search of a steady sound guy. In Stockholm, we played the Synthdrome and did two songs, "The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails and "Go With the Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age. There was so much strumming on Go With the Flow that my thumb almost came off! We attempted "Vasoline" by Stone Temple Pilots and I failed it badly. M scolded me and I went back to the states for another solo gig to try to recover in Seattle.

e- Solo Gig #2

2008-02-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

I just played a solo gig at El Ocho in Los Angeles. Five tracks:

Blitzkrieg Bop **** 42,375
Wave of Mutilation **** 21,082
I Think I'm Paranoid **** 27,044
Orange Crush ***** 33,603
The Hand That Feeds **** 29,267

I've been invited to the Gas Works Tavern in Seattle for my next gig and got myself some great pedals and gear from a new sponsor. I may use some of that gear for ShellE on our European leg. Now I'm going to hop on the private jet to catch up with M and the band.

ShellE Rock Empire State Garden!

2008-02-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

Holy Shit!

We just played a killer set at ESG. The contest promoters saw what potential we had and gave us pretty much the hardest mystery set possible so far. We did three songs and survived to win ourselves an Aerostream Private Jet! Now we can fly to eleven more cities for gigs. We're looking for a sound guy to tour with us on our badass world tour in the coming weeks.

Tonight's set:
Run to the Hills
Gimme Shelter
Train Kept a Rollin' (Aerosmith)

Back to Heebie Jeebie's

2008-02-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

We played another gig at Heebie Jeebie's tonight and got entered into a Worldwide contest, where we can win an Aerostream jet tomorrow night! We're playing the Empire State Garden (Madison Square Garden)! Fucking awesome!

Tonight we did a two song set:
Say It Ain't So
Maps

Tomorrow night is our biggest gig EVER!

Boston

2008-02-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

We only got to play one song here and it sucked! We debuted Celebrity Skin (Hole) and I didn't know the chord progressions on it, so I fucked up a lot. Thankfully, M knew the song very well and covered enough for me so that we still ended up with a four star performance in the end.

I <3 NY

2008-02-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

We played our first gig at Heebie Jeebie's in New York City tonight. Debuted two new songs to our regular repertoire:

When You Were Young (The Killers)
Sabotage (Beastie Boys)

I know I'd sung Sabotage before, but this time M sang and I played guitar. We wowed them enough to get invited back after we do a quick stop off in Boston. The east coast is awesome! We can take trains just about anywhere!

e- Solo Gig #1

2008-01-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

I got tired of sitting around waiting for our big trip to NYC. So I played a local gig here in the city at Alice's Free Love Cafe. I scored two 4 star ratings and three five star ratings on the following set:

Should I Stay or Should I Go **** 25,916
In Bloom ***** 48,093
Maps ***** 36,045
Mississippi Queen ***** 20,929
Here It Goes Again **** 32,387

I've been invited to El Ocho in LA for another big five song set, and I've also been offered the opportunity to play Rio de Janiero's Rockacabana! Maybe I should just quit ShellE and go out on my own...

...or we could just go to NYC and make some money! I'm starving here!

Bay City Rockers...

2008-01-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

We played our biggest gig yet tonight at the Bay City Theater. We did a five song set, basically four of the songs that put us on the map, and one song we'd never ever attempted before:

Say It Ain't So
In Bloom
I Think I'm Paranoid
Mississippi Queen
Run For the Hills (Iron Maiden)

We earned $1600 for the show and we're off to New York next, where we hope to debut When You Were Young by The Killers.

While we were away for the past week, we did try out some other band members. The world-renowned "Player 3" did a great job as a practice session drummer on Say It Ain't So and Creep, and not so well on Here It Goes Again. She didn't try the vocal mic or the guitar, but seemed pretty amused with the experience.

Tonight, before our big show, we had Rad Ricky on drums and he even tried out the guitar and bass parts on such tracks as Say It Ain't So, In Bloom and Creep. M and I have decided to just stick to being the creative forces behind our band when we're touring, but it is great to collaborate with friends from such faraway lands as Brooklyn and Reno when we have the opportunity.

Now we'll be hopping on the bus to NYC...

Triumphant Return Home!

2008-01-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for coming out for our three-song mystery setlist at the Bay City Theater!

Tonight's set:
Maps
Wave of Mutilation
Should I Stay or Should I Go

I apologize for not being in my best form, but we're excited to be working with an actual drummer. We're just rehearsing with "Player 3" for some fun, but it gives us some experience collaborating with another musician. Our mystery setlist got us a "return engagement" next week for a five-song town songs set. Hope to see everyone (and their friends!) there.

Warming Up

2008-01-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

Before we boarded the bus for our trip home, we decided to warm up a bit. We traded our instruments. I grabbed the mic, M took the guitar and we played through a late night 4 song set, debuting Sabotage by the Beastie Boys, just for fun. It was a really fun gig, which ended up earning us a ton of money because some corporate big wigs were at the club for a party and we became their entertainment for the night. I guess I was an adequate vocalist, and I know M can play guitar. I think we're ready for the hometown celebration tomorrow night!

After our celebration, we have to go the entire way across the country to New York for a big label event. I can't say I'm really looking forward to that one. M is practicing a new instrument for that event.

Roadies!

2008-01-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

We won ourselves some roadies after a random setlist that included Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Here We Go Again by OK Go and Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones, a song that I messed up pretty badly and had to walk off the stage in shame. It was my biggest on stage embarrassment thus far.

After winning ourselves some roadies, which allows us to play in larger arenas, we played a set of local Chi-Town favorites:
Cherub Rock (Smashing Pumpkins)
Dead On Arrival (Fallout Boy)
Here We Go Again (OK Go)

That gained us our last 10 fans that we can earn on the medium skill level. We've earned the respect of 260,000 fans and tomorrow night we've got a special surprise for the folks in our hometown of San Francisco!

That's right, we're going home for a really big show at the Bay City Theater (Fillmore)!

We're playing a five song mystery set of local favorites. Drop by and see us before we head to the East Coast to conquer Boston and New York.

Our midwest debut!

2008-01-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

We got a great reaction from the crowd in Chicago, and we played some new stuff once again. We added Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden) and Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet) to our growing repertoire. Tomorrow night we've got a big battle of the bands against Dethwish or some other shittily named band... we can earn some roadies out of it.

We also went shopping today at this awesome rock shop! I got me a Doctor What (Who?) jacket and scarf combo, some kickass gray jeans and a pair of bad ass leather boots. I went to this salon and they convinced me to get rid of my Nightcat 80's rock hairdo. I've got me a knit cap now and I found this great steampunk set of glasses at a boutique. I think I'm set with my new threads for the tour. M got herself a leather jacket and some warrior princess boots. She's definitely the rock star!

The people in Chicago seem to really like us, but I sure do miss home...

It looks like we're going to Boston, then New York, then home again...

Two gigs, two cities, one day!

2008-01-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

We played at 2:15 today in LA, and won ourselves a tour bus. Rode north to Seattle and played a short set debuting Learn to Fly (Foo Fighters) and now we're on the road to CHICAGO! I've become the full-time lead guitarist, and M is handling to vocals full-time now. We had fun trading off in the beginning, but for now it looks like I'm going to be earning my chops on the axe!

Live from The Snake Pit

2008-01-18T23:38:00.000-08:00

We've been invited to a huge gig to win a tour bus! Tonight we debuted Main Offender (The Hives) and Pleasure (Bang Camaro). Our big LA send off gig is tomorrow night and hopefully we will be riding in style to Seattle!

Mini-Tour

2008-01-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

We've gone back to our roots and played a gig at The Quarter Hole. Tonight we breezed through a set that included I Think I'm Paranoid (Garbage), Paranoid (Black Sabbath) and Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi) and we're headed back to LA for a gig at The Snake Pit (Viper Room)! Maybe some of you can drive down and give us some support! We'd really appreciate it.

The Ocho!

2008-01-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

We've played our first SoCal gig at The Ocho. Again added some new songs to our set and I think at least one record label dude was impressed. He mentioned something about practicing a bit more and then we'd talk. We debuted Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones and Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi tonight. I don't think I care too much for the Stones...

Seattle...

2008-01-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

We played our first gig in Seattle tonight. We added a bunch of new songs to our set:

Wave of Mutilation (The Pixies)
Creep (Radiohead)
Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Should I Stay or Should I Go (The Clash)

Fun stuff... great show... cool crowd! Now off to LA...

Things are moving fast

2008-01-14T23:29:00.000-08:00

We played a couple of sets at The Quarter Hole tonight, and we've won ourselves a van! We've got a gig lined up in Seattle and some record label bigshots want to take a look at us in Los Angeles later this week. Things are happening SO FAST! Being in a band rocks!

Tonight, we played five songs:

Say It Ain't So (Weezer)
I Think I'm Paranoid (Garbage)
Mississippi Queen (Mountain)
Here It Goes Again (OK Go)
In Bloom (Nirvana)

Thanks again to all of our Bay Area fans! We'll see you soon, but now we're on the road to somewhere, hopefully!

Rocking Out at Alice's

2008-01-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for joining us for our first gig!

We played a set consisting of:
Say It Ain't So (Weezer)
I Think I'm Paranoid (Garbage)
In Bloom (Nirvana)

The crowd went wild and we've got a gig at The Quarter Hole (Bimbo's 365) lined up for tomorrow night!

One day soon, I'm hoping we can play the Bay City Theater (Fillmore)... I can dream, can't I?

Our First Gig

2008-01-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

We're hoping you can join us for our first gig, an open mic at Alice's Free Love Cafe (Amnesia) on Valencia in the city! It is our first time playing live and we've only really got three or four songs, but it should show us how a crowd (no matter how small) reacts to what will soon be the hottest rock band in the Bay Area! The show begins tonight at 9:30, don't be late or you might miss us. We only have a three song set!

Are you ready to rock?

2008-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

We've started this blog to document our (hopeful) rise to stardom (or bankruptcy) as ShellE goes on the road (in a video game called Rock Band) and covers the hits of some of the best artists in the world from yesterday and today.

You can follow us on the road right here at ShellE On Tour!