OK, let’s be real for just a second. This an awesome opportunity, but we’re one of a ton of great local bands vying for our time to shine. That’s where you come in–we need your votes, your friends’ votes, your Mom’s votes. We need your yoga instructor, your grocery cashier, cat, dog, and favorite pair of shoes to vote for us in order to pull this off. When the dust settles and all votes are tallied, the top 3 bands advance, and the winner of the 3 finalists is selected by Rolling Stone.
Quick and dirty rules: you can vote once per day from now until 8PM EST SUNDAY, JANUARY 29. It requires an email address to make it happen, but it’s easy, we promise, and only takes a couple minutes.
With the show at the Vogue right around the corner, the interwebs runneth over with Borrow Tomorrow goings-on. To help bring you up to speed, and keep you from missing each and every chance to savor the Boto flavor (um…gross?), check out these wave-making links:
Borrow Tomorrow had the pleasure of appearing on this week’s episode of Indy X-Files, a weekly radio show on Indianapolis’ X103 that showcases some of our area’s local talent, and we couldn’t have been more pleased to be asked and to oblige. In case you missed the original broadcast (or even if you didn’t), we’ve gone the extra mile and put this little video together to help you put faces to those sexy voices.
Some notes:
–Robert loves impromptu wardrobe accessories.
–Yes, that’s Jennifer Aniston watching from on high. No, we don’t know why she’s there.
–”Andy” is hilarious.
–As we all learned during the interview, Shawn has a hidden talent. Who knew!
–A special thank you to Kimmy at the station for making it all happen. She rocks.
Well…72 hours ago, we were wondering what the hell we were going to do. Our New Year’s Eve gig got cancelled and for lack of a better word, we felt as if we were F-U-C-T. However, this band is like a fly that won’t go away. We knew we had to get the show on the road and send some of that Robert Newport, I might want to show you my hairy bare chest, vibe out for the big night!
Let’s bring you up to speed…for those of you following along at home. New Year’s Even gig got cancelled. We tracked down some amazingly fine people that were so kind and added us to the lineup for the Nuvo, Z99.5 & Stella Artois Masquerade Ball. We want to thank, sincerely and from the bottom of our hearts, Danielle Beck, Ricky Lee Potts and My Yellow Rickshaw for respectively adding us to the lineup, getting us in touch with the right folks and bending over backwards to let us spread a little NYE cheer BoTo style. Seriously – it was so incredibly refreshing to wind down the year playing a show and doing it with so many people that couldn’t have been any nicer to us. Thank you all…we hope our paths cross again sooner rather than later.
Ok, so the gig…you want to know what that was like? Ok…We played about 90 minutes of some hot and nasty rock and roll. Some originals that went over great like “One Foot Out the Door” which is on the new disc. We also had a blast playing some of our old favorites a gyrating mob of party-goers: “Billie Jean”, “Jenny/867-5309″, “Firework”, “Summer of 69″ just to name a few. Indy, you couldn’t have been any kinder to us. Special thanks also go out to Paul Poteet from Z99.5 for some fabulous props. If you haven’t had a chance to see My Yellow Rickshaw, we recommend them. They’re seriously a blast.
All right – a couple of reminders. Only 12 days left until the Vogue Show! Remember this little gem? Watch it, love it, and get your tickets quick! Shoot us an email and we can get them to you to save you on service charges or if you’re into the whole convenience thing (and who isn’t now-a-days with the interweb and all) you can get them at Ticketmaster.
P.S. Get on board – this train is rolling bee-yatch!
Oh loyal Botons, we’ve got some good news and some bad news. Bad news first:
As of about 5:30 pm today (Friday), we were informed that the Kessler Mansion/Hollywood NYE party would either need to be moved or cancelled due to some last-minute zoning issues that arose between the event organizers and the Kessler Mansion owner. We were as surprised as you are, no doubt. We can assure you that the issues were unforeseen and far beyond the control of your old friends, BoTo, Mardelay, DJ OhBeOne and friends. But, we were not about to let you down…or let you ring in the New Year without a little BoTo. So before we get to the good part, let’s take care of business first. Here’s the deal with the Kessler Mansion show:
- The show at the Kessler Mansion has been cancelled.
- Refunds will be processed through the Event Brite site and will be processed tonight (Friday night) and according to Event Brite, refunds may take up to 4 days to process depending on your financial institution.
- We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience.
So, that’s the bad news. The good news is that, we tried our best not to let you down. Our offices full of staff (that’s a massive exaggeration) have been working since we got the word to make sure that we could offer the BoTo loyal another good party alternative and a little BoTo. So…here’s what we’ve got!!!
We were able to track down (through some good old BoTo faithful) some of the fine folks that are hosting the Masquerade Ball downtown at Union Station. They were kind enough to find a home for us performing between 8:30 – 10:00 pm. Here are the details on this one:
- Tickets are NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC…but, organizers have held a limited number of tickets for anyone that wants to come to see Borrow Tomorrow.
- Tickets are available at the door, for $49.00 (cash or charge), but you have to mention that you’re coming to see BoTo to get access to the tickets set aside.
- Tickets include access to the party hosted by Dave Smiley, costume contests (with cash prizes), door prizes, face painting, a magician and in addition to Borrow Tomorrow, a number of other great bands!
- Unlike the Kessler party, the Masquerade Ball does not include drinks or food. However, the Masquerade Ball will offer reasonably priced drinks. We hear that food will not be available, so you’ll need to feast on BoTo.
- Learn more about the Masquerade Ball here.
Seriously, as much as we hate that there was a change in plans and we do apologize sincerely on behalf of all involved, we wanted to be sure that if you wanted to party, that we’d be there to help you. We’d love to see you there and want to thank you for a great 2011 and here’s hoping that we’ll be able to kick 2012 off on the right foot with you!!
We know what you’re doing. If you haven’t had your New Year’s plans dialed in for a while now, we assume most of your conversations with friends go something like this:
You: What are we going to do for New Year’s Eve?
Friend: Well, I don’t know. I think there is a party going on downtown that so and so is going to, but it’s like a $100 cover to get in.
You: Ya, I don’t want to pay $100 just to get in, then drop another $100 on drinks. And that’s only if I don’t meet some smoking hot young philly that I think I might kiss at midnight, drop $100 on her dirty martinis (that she orders to eat the olives and then drops the rest of the drink on the floor) that turns out has some cheap-ass Jersey Shore boyfriend that is too cheap to buy her drinks.
Friend: Hmm…seems as if you’ve put some thought into this. Ok, what else is on the table?
You: Well, I’m sure someone will have some friends over to their house, we’ll play board games until 11:45, watch the ball drop, kiss someone (maybe their dog) depending on how the night goes and call it a night by 12:30.
Friend: Ok, so what’s the alternative? What makes this NYE different?
You: Well I’m glad you asked.
There is going to be one swinging NYE party at the Kessler Mansion this year. Have you seen this place? It’s Ri-Donk. $75.00 gets you a full open bar, access to one bad-mutha style buffet, a champagne toast at midnight, entertainment by your favorites BoTo, Mardelay and DJ OhBeOne. Don’t forget, the theme is Hollywood style so dress as your favorite movie star, Hollywood hooker or Borrow Tomorrow member and be eligible to win prizes (we’re kidding about the hooker and BoTo parts). Also – there are deals available for designated drivers, so we’ll be sure that everyone shows up, eats plenty, has plenty of spirits and a safe ride home.
Check out http://NYEIndy.eventbrite.com for more details, to buy tickets, to arrange your DD and to get ready to rock!
You’re effing right that is short for Vogue/blog/update/disc/site. Let us explain…dial it in here, there’s an awful lot going on in the world of BoTo and if you haven’t been paying attention, then you best tune in.
First up. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and for the record, we’re supportive if you do), then you know that we’ve got a pretty exciting gig coming up. We made a little video, because that’s what bands do, to promote it. So before you watch it, we do feel obligated to tell you what it’s all about. We’re incredibly excited to headline the Vogue for the first time on January 13th. Also appearing on the bill will be our good friends the Jeremy Vogt Band and Chad Mills & the Upright Willies. We’re going to have a great time. Tickets are $7.00 ($10.00 day of show) and are available from any of the bands, by clicking here (we’re 84% legit by having a ticketmaster link) and of course at the door. Ok, so after you buy your tickets, check out the video for a preview. What’s that you say? you haven’t bought them yet? Ok, watch this…you’ll want to. We think. We’re pretty sure anyway.
So we’ve been very busy and as the update part of the blog title would suggest, we want to fill you in…We’ll save you some time and combine the update and disc parts together. The disc is officially finished. We couldn’t be any more proud of it. 13 songs which in our very humble opinions are pretty damn good, but as usual, we’ll let you be the judge. Below you can see a picture of the cover, filled with pictures that we took ourselves…looking for an excuse to reach out to us? If any of the pictures look familiar, give us a shout…we’d love to tell your story along with all of the others on this album. The most magical part of this album to us is that we feel like there is a story in it for everyone. Listen and find your place in this story. We’re confident you’ll find one.
This is what we've been working on...
The name of the album is Too Far to Feel. We’ll admit, we’re just teasing at this point. The album will not be available for public release for some time. We’ve got a couple of things that we’re working on, so if you want it…you’ll have to come to the Vogue and get it because it won’t be available anywhere else for an undisclosed period of time…we know, we’re asses. We’ll try not to make you wait too long!
What’s that you say? You want more ways to see pictures of our sexy singer (it’s wintertime ladies which means he’ll be growing his beard again soon). We are so thrilled to announce that our website has recently had an overhaul. Check it out…we’ll be making some continued updates, adding some more content, posting some new blogs (this being exhibit A), and doing everything that we can do spread the good word of BoTo. So check it out, share it on your Facebook profile, shoot us an email and tell us what you think. Hell, if you just go, that would be pretty badass. And of course, as soon as the album is released, it will be there as well. Check it out here, enter it manually into your browers at http://www.borrowtomorrowband.com, visit early and often and by all means, share it with your world.
This is where you can learn about us.
So that’s about it for now. We’d love to hear from you. Tell us what you’re up to. Tell us what songs you’re most hoping made the album. Tell us what you want for Christmas. Tell us how naughty you’ve been. You get the point.
People often ask me, “How’s the band going Robert?” I am always happy to tell them about our latest irons in the fire and our hopes and dreams for tomorrow, but by virtue of my open book personality I rarely refrain from giving my lighthearted questioner much more than they bargained for. I go on at length about how trying at times it can be to maintain a commitment to a dream that does not even pretend to offer any firm guarantee of financial security…or in other words, a future. To borrow from one of Chris’s lyrics from the new album: “I don’t ever want to give up, but I’m breaking down. Keep pushing when I’m fed up, now or never.” You get to some point where you start to relish the difficulty of it all. We all know the quote that goes something like, “the harder the battle, the sweeter the triumph.”
It’s sick how you almost start to enjoy being perpetually behind on the bills and not being able to even dream of buying a new pair of slacks or that sweet Kenny Loggins t-shirt at the stupidly overpriced vintage store. Before I finally sold my Oldsmobile Alero because of one too many mechanical break downs, the first dream I wanted to realize if we ever did make any amount of money worth writing home about was to fix the badly damaged front bumper. I mean, I’m not asking for much here. I’m asking for enough dough to pay the bills and to fix a bumper. (My bumper repair dream has since been replaced by the dream to maybe one day upgrade my cassette tape deck stereo in my newly acquired S-10…although I do somewhat enjoy playing the only cassettes I could find in my closet: Storm Front by Billy Joel and Skeletons in the Closet, The Best of the Grateful Dead.)
People often interject after I go on for a while, “But you love it right?” as if that’s all that matters. Well, love it I do, but reality falls somewhere in between the Beatles’ lyrics, “All you need is love,” and, “Your lovin’ sure gives me a thrill, but your lovin’ don’t pay my bills. Now give me money.” It would be quite a charade to postpone career and financial growth for the past 5 years for something I didn’t love. I do love it. I am nothing short of ecstatic to get up on the stage with the guys and do my best to pour it all out…to express all that hurt, anger, restlessness, and yes, occasional joy. I feel that I, along with my bandmates, were given gifts. I hope that you, the reader, have listened to our music and that you at least somewhat agree with me! It has been a challenge to make due sacrifices to be available to keep nurturing these gifts. I can only hope and pray that someday these gifts will make me money to live on, therefore making me feel less insane for dedicating so much time to them.
As I start to see the eyes in the poor fellow’s head that asked me about the band start to roll back in his head, I ask him about us. “How would you describe our sound?” I like to ask. “What does it make you feel?” I eat this stuff up. I love it when people have specific things to say about how we sound. It never fails to surprise me. I was delighted to hear my friend Andy describe Chris’s voice as, “a cross between the guy from Death Cab for Cutie and Chris Martin from Coldplay.” I’ve heard Wilco and REM comparisons. The more specific the descriptions, the more enthralled I am. I got a text from a good friend of mine, Bekah Proctor the other day after I gave her and her sister a couple copies of “Retrospective.” Bekah and her sis hooked me up with some Nyquil one evening that I was feeling pretty sick. Thanks Beks! Anyways, this is what Bekah’s sister Abby had to say about the record, verbatim straight from my text messaging inbox: “It’s a mix between Blink 182, Bright Eyes, and an Irish band. Sometimes the songs are mellow and other times I can’t describe the feeling but it’s a good one. I was with my best friend when I listened to it and she really liked it too. And she’s a pretty good judge of music I’d like to think.” That description was totally one-off. It’s different for everyone. I absolutely love how our music evokes different feelings and comparisons in each person that listens to it. Bekah said Abby couldn’t stop raving about us. Raving? Holy crap. I think that was the first time I’d ever heard “raving” and “Borrow Tomorrow” in the same sentence. We may not be on a fancy North American tour or even be making enough dough to make a living right now, but it’s words like that that keep me going. Honestly. I could tell that Abby had put some thought into what she thought of us. That meant that our music affected her. To see proof that we’re connecting gives me life! It makes me think, man…maybe we’ve got something special here. I’m going to get a little corny. It makes me think I should borrow tomorrow a little longer.
It’s been a trying couple of weeks. With music as our common bond, the source of joy that propels us to our highest of highs, so too does it provide solace in moments of despair. It is with heavy hearts that we’ve prepared for our next show this weekend, but rehearsals have not been short on fond memories and plenty of laughter. They say the show must go on, and I’m sure Randall would have wanted it no other way.
This Saturday, October 15, Borrow Tomorrow will be appearing at Local’s Only as part of the Broad Ripple Music Festival. Venues all over town are playing host to tons of local bands, and we’re thrilled to be sharing the stage with our friends in Mardelay for this cool festival. Also appearing later that night are Jascha and The Bonesetters. Tickets are $10. Doors open at Local’s Only at 9pm, and Boto will kick things off at 10pm. Full schedule and details here. And for the BookFacers, here is the event link.
Join us this weekend for an awesome night of music. If music isn’t your thing, they’ve got booze. If music and booze are not your things, then I’m not sure we can be friends. C’mon, let’s be friends.
There are many lessons in life. Some are harder to learn than others, but there is one in particular that, despite its relentless persistence and stunning pain, I never seem to grasp: life isn’t fair.
Our family, the tight-knit group of men and women whom have invested so much time, energy, and love into the hopes and dreams of our band, has lost a founding member. Randall has passed away. Whether you knew him as Randall, Randy, the Amazing Rando, or by countless other affectionate nicknames in whatever walk of life you happened to share with him, you were lucky. He was caring and compassionate, loving and warm, generous and thoughtful. He was, with uncompromising loyalty, a dedicated husband to his wife Amanda. In the nearly 5 years since he joined Andrew, Robert, and me to form Borrow Tomorrow, I have enough fond memories to last a lifetime, but that’s not to say I hadn’t room for many more. He was the glue, the sounding board, the handyman, the seasoned vet. He was a man you wanted on your team. For nearly 5 years, he was on ours, and call us selfish, it was far too brief.
Rando, you’ll forever grace the stage as a permanent fixture in our memories and in our hearts.
“We all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun…”
