Shake, Rattle and Roll ( or Etch-A-Wretch! )

By now, we've all heard about the earthquake that stuck on August 23, 38 miles outside of Richmond, Virgina. It's a geographic anomaly described by the news organization Reuters as a "once a century" occurrence. The quake registered at a 5.8 on the Richter Scale [ link ], which is described as "moderate strength" by the USGS [ link ] and was felt as far away as Indianapolis and Detroit. Thankfully, there are zero reported fatalities but structural damage was reported in numerous places including the Washington Monument, which is currently closed. [ link ]

Reports of property or retail damage are varied and numerous, but no one is reporting on one of the more unfortunate cases of destruction wrought by the unexpected earthquake: The one-of-a-kind Etch-A-Sketch art installation at the Toys“R”Us® Times Square location in New York City, New York.

Edward VanDerMeek III, Etch-A-Sketch art curator

Edward VanDerMeek III, prestigious art dealer and Etch-A-Sketch collector/enthusiast said of the tragedy "the quake came on so quickly, it was terrible. All I could do was watch as the horrific shaking destroyed my only love: the beautiful Etch-A-Sketch art that was on display, hung with care and pride from these once gorgeous walls."

The unfunny after-math of a 5.8 earthquake.

"It was terrible," Mike Hearthwick, Toys“R”Us® Times Square employee said. "It was jibbling and jabbling, this way and that and then all of a sudden, I heard VanDerMeek yell 'Oh, me Etch-A-Sketchies!' and go running up the stairs to the gallery, tugging at his hair and screaming. He really freaked out the customer I was helping. He's a little strange. What's the big deal, you can just draw them again, right?"

One of the ruined Etch-A-Sketch works

While there are currently no plans for reconstructing the destroyed art works, the Etch-A-Sketch's are being removed from the walls and are being replaced with a series of modern art pieces done by Magnique, a 7 year-old abstractionist who works solely in the medium of MagnaDoodle. The installation is slated to be completed at the end of August and will be on display through the months of September and October.

Making it all up,

-Nate Bellon(bass)

The Top Five (or Lincoln Hall: Come On Down!)

If are one of the fine folks on our mailing list [ link ] or you keep an eye on our Facebook page, you know that the Empty Pockets going to be playing a rocking show on Wednesday, August 31 at Lincoln Hall [ link ] in Chicago. We're pleased to be a part of the Chicago Roots Collective Showcase XX. [ link ] You should come out and rock with us, it's true, but perhaps you're on the fence, and need a bit more convincing. Well, in that case, feast your eyes on the magnificience that is the Top Five Reasons Why You Should Rock Lincoln Hall on August 31:

#5: Chicago Show

The Empty Pockets love Chicago like Nate loves cake. It's a vibrant city filled with tasty food and cranking tunage. Which is why we're excited to be playing a show in our favorite town, our hometown on Wednesday, August 31. It's going to be one of our few select shows in the City of Chicago this year, so you really shouldn't miss it. Smeriously.

# 4: History!

The building which houses Lincoln Hall first opened in 1912 as the Fullerton Theatre, a nickelodeon. Since then, the building has housed a garage and machine shop, the Crest Theatre and, most recently, the 3 Penny Cinema. In 1934, FBI sharpshooters were stationed atop what is now Lincoln Hall to prevent John Dillinger's escape from the Biograph Theatre across the street on the night he was killed. After 20 years as owner/operators of Schubas Tavern [ link ], Mike and Chris Schuba opened Lincoln Hall in this historic building. Earlier this year, The Empty Pockets saw legendary musician/comedian Tim Minchin [ link ] on this stage for the Comedy Central Just for Laughs Tour and fell in love with this historic piece of Chicago.

# 3: Great Bands

There is going to be some awesome talent at this show, sharing the stage with the Empty Pockets. Briar Rabbit [ link ] has "sensitive, soul-searching tunes that don't activate the cheese filters," according to the Chicago Tribune. Band Called Catch [ link ] brings the thunder with the over-under to sunder your plunder. Snow 'N Charm [ link ] will make your head bop and your heart move. And they're all going to be there with the Empty Pockets, rocking it all night long.

# 2: 18+ Show!

We know it's a drag being a young music fan sometimes. Sure, you get all the awesome technology but it's hard to go see old favorites and discover exciting new music if you're under 21. Which is why we're excited to bring to your attention, young music fans, that the show at Lincoln Hall on August 31 is age 18 and over! Yes! Finally, you can bathe your ears in sweet music without worry. Oh yeah!

# 1: $8 Tickets

What can you get for $8 these days? It's eight downloads from iTunes, or two Five Hour Energy drinks. It's around the price of a footlong Subway sandwich with chips and drink. But instead of a tasty snack for your stomach, you could use that $8 to get a delicious snack for your ears and a full night of entertainment at Lincoln Hall on August 31, starting at 8 pm with Briar Rabbit, Band Called Catch, Snow 'N Charm and the Empty Pockets! What are you waiting for? [ link ] Buy tickets online now at Lincoln Hall [ link ]

Keep it funky,

-Nate Bellon(bass)

Evergreen or Bust: Road Blog! (Day 8)

We awoke at our Ramada, ate a nice breakfast and started our way across Nebraska, heading back to Chicago after a sweet week of Colorado delight.

There's lots of these wind-generators in Nebraska. You can even see them being trucked across the country via truck. It takes one truck to haul each one of the blades and the tower is in three pieces, each hauled by it's own truck. Even at our greenest, Josh points out, we're still using a whole lot of fuel.

Allen drove for the first leg, we stopped to gas up and let Greg take over the wheel as we coasted into our destination for the evening.

We stopped in Des Moines, IA to switch drivers again (this time to the lovely Erika Brett) and decided to check out a local street fair that was going on off a few downtown streets. The only problem is, we couldn't figure out how to get in. All the vendor entrances were sealed up and we couldn't find any pedestrian entrances on our side of the river. So we just turned around and headed toward Davenport for our evening rest.

Oh yeah, while we were in Des Moines, we saw this building. Some say it's the Capital Building, but we think it's the Iowa Vatican, housing the Pope of Iowa, ruler of all that is agrarian.

Our final evening on the tour brought us into the Ramada Inn in Davenport, IA, where we gladly rested after our day of driving and prepped up for our final day of driving, a short four hour stint back into Chicago and the conclusion of our run into Colorado.

Rippin' it up,

Nate Bellon(bass)

Evergreen or Bust: Road Blog! (Day 7)

It's always a sad day when you have to leave a place you've been at for a few days, and it's made especially sad when the area is so gorgeous and the people are some of the nicest you've met. We said our goodbyes to the Finebergs and thanked them for being so incredibly nice and hospitable. We had a wonderful stay! Thank you so much!

After I thanked Justin for buying me all the worms for fishing, we hit the road and headed off, leaving Colorado behind us and heading into the never-ending driving. We stopped for a lunch bite at Da Kind in Evergreen. Excellent sandwiches and really incredible soups. [ link ] Then, we drove and drove and drove some more. Oh, we also did some driving.

We stopped in Omaha, NE for some grub at California Tacos & More. Apparently, the chef who started the restaurant had no prior experience and just jumped in and started making tacos. They are fantastic, and one taco is big enough to be a meal. California Tacos & More [ link ]. Delish!

We pulled into our hotel (The Ramada Inn) in Kearney, NE and hopped into our rooms. We had poolside rooms for the evening, which proved to be pretty sweet when we wanted access to the pool and raised tiki-bar, but pretty noisy when the tiki-bar patrons got a little... rowdy. But we had to have a least a drink at the tiki bar, and then Dan, Allen and I got locked in the hot tub room with a handful of teenage girls, a dad and his two little girls and a few other little girls of indeterminate origin. It was fun until one of the little girls started crying, but Danny stepped in and kept the girl calm until someone walking by let us out. Then it was time for sleep and getting ready for our day of driving, destination Davenport, IA.

Bumpin it,

-Nate Bellon(bass)

Evergreen or Bust: Road Blog! (Day 6)

Friday, Day 6 began with some delightful sun and the beauteous landscape that Evergreen has to offer. The morning was spent reading, blogging, hiking, fishing and gathering the troops as we all convened for an excellent day finishing with a gig at the Little Bear. Excellent!

We headed out to the Red Rocks Amphitheater for some lunch at the Ship Rock Grille. It was delicious and we got to sit outside and enjoy ourselves in the majestic surroundings. After we finished lunch, we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the theater itself, but the officials of the park informed us it was closed due to a sound-check for a concert by Gavin DeGraw, Maroon 5 and Trane. Apparently, we aren't even allowed to peek. After some negotiations from the B-Sol and Erika, one of the employees let us peek in for a few seconds. It's very pretty.

We headed back to the Finebergs and hung out for awhile more, spending more time hiking, fishing and generally enjoy the outdoors while we have the time. Barry even fished and managed to catch a fish. Apparently, the fish spat the hook out before B-Sol could land it, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Speaking of fish, we headed into our gig filed with Sushi from the delicious Wildflower Cafe. As previously mentioned, they bring in a certified Sushi Chef in on Thursday evenings and serve tasty sushi.

After filling up on fish, rice and other various edible devices, we headed on over to the Little Bear for a quick sound-check and to get ready to rock Evergreen for a second night in a row. It was a great show and we would like to thank everyone who came out and supported us at our first indoor Evergreen show. Allen Cruz opened the night up and knocked it out of the park. The gentlemanly sound-guy and sassy-yet-sweet bartender were both delightful people to work with and we're certainly going to be appearing at the Little Bear again. So, if you're in the Evergreen area, expect us back. We love it.

We ended the evening eating pizza and partying a bit with the Finebergs before heading off to a much earned sleep. Day 6 was a successful wrap.

Free and easy,

-Nate Bellon(bass)