Turnin up that high lonesome sound...

A farewell to guitarms

2008-11-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

Alas...Alex has left us. Our favorite acoustic hero has been called to action in Central America for an undetermined length of time. His dedication to all that is rock has forever changed the face of Sid and Fancy and will live on in our hearts and our music for much time to come. Alex, we wish you the most amazing adventures and extend an open invitation to grace our stage in the future!
Do not despair, ye of much hope and joy, we march on! Tunes are already taking shape and a new dawn of musical adventure lies on the impending horizon, shedding it's shadowy forms and taking shapes that will astound and amaze! Transitions are a time of reflection and growth and we hope both of those will lead us to a place of greater musical fellowship, harder rocking, and more great friends and collaborators.
For now...
Sid and Fancy

Wanna see S&F in Eugene this summer???

2008-06-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Then you'd better come to LUCKEY'S Club and Cigar Store on JUNE 13th for our official CD RELEASE PARTY!
"I'll catch them next time 'round" says you...
"BEWARE!" Says we, as our crazy and kick ass drummer is hopping on a bike in Washington DC this summer and he aint getting off it until he rolls up to the Euge.
That's right, Beejus, bros and Dad are going cross country and that means ONE...and only ONE...Sid and Fancy show in Eugene until AUGUST.
Dry your tears though, as our brand new CD will hold you over...providing you scrape up $10 and grab a copy. Not to do too much tootin but we feel firmly that it's the best thing we've done to date. We're thrilled to have it and eager to get it to YOU so get yer butt down to Luckeys 6/13 to pick one up and pummel your neighbor.

Folk life recap

2008-05-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we don't do too well at getting all our thanks out after every weekend on the road but this last weekend was so much fun, with lots of great folks helping us along so here we go.

All around, HUGE thanks to Katie for coming out with us for the first time and cleaning out our shot glass and CD supplies, not to mention keeping a careful eye on s&f finance. Kate, Lindsay, as always, thanks so much for being you, for being up front or at our backs looking out for us and taking great photos.

Thanks to the folks who came out to the Glo Loca. That was a new bar for us and we were thrilled with the raucous response. As always, we had a blast with the Potato Famine boys and loved the shit out of Absent Minds. Thanks to Ben, too, for making it out to that show.

Of course, thanks a TON to the My Life crew and the friendly *staff* at the Whispering Spur (that's you Falco) for providing a space and drunken commradarie as well as for keeping half of us up until 8am. What a great way to head to kick off.

Folk Life was a freaking rip. Chervona, and Rum Rebellion, as always, were great to see and better to hear. Thanks to all those who stuck around despite the frightening turn and especially to those drunken and dancing up front. This show was HUGE and we had more fun than you all know.

Thanks to Rob from Williston for coming out and the fellahs from Meisce for making the trip over to see us. Travis, you drunken bastard, thanks for smuggling the goods and sharing the wealth, and for rockin boat times.

Of course NO trip to Seattle would be complete without a huge shout to the Hanta House crew. Iko, Jenna, Don, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU for your second-to-none hospitality. Thanks for coffee, breakfast, wall videos, beer, liquor, pickle ball, bocci, shouts at shows, and all around good naturedness. You are a rare breed of people and it does all of us good whenever we cross paths.

Last, thanks to Josh, Casey, and Jon from Oswald Effect for coming down and checking us out as well, emphasis to J-man for another great (tho brief) conversation. We look forward to your next trip to EUGENE *cough*.

Probably a million others, know weekends like this leave us sore, exhausted, unclean, and thrilled. Thanks to all you who made it work.

Folk life!

2008-05-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,

S&F is hitting the road this weekend for a tour de force that won't stop until Seattle has burned to the ground.

We start the weekend Friday night at a new bar in an old stomping ground, Portland OR.

The Glo Loca Bar is the place, we'll tear down the building with our good pals from Salem, Potato Famine, and play for the first time with Portland based Absent Minds.

We'll keep the Anti-Chrysler caravan pointed North and Saturday night we'll be finishing out the night on the Fountain Lawn Stage at the Northwest Folklife Festival benefit. This show is FREE BITCHES so if you live in Sea Town there is NO excuse! We play right after those Irish destroyers from Portland Rum Rebellion who take the stage at 7:35pm.

WE WILL HAVE OUR NEW CD, BARRELHOUSE ANGELINAS, FOR SALE AT FOLKLIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not even 'officially' available yet so think about how COOL you'd be if you showed up with one before our release party. Your friends would just DIE.

We finish ransacking Seattle with the crazy bastards from Chervona over at The Bit Saloon. The show also features the musical mussings of Verona so don't miss it!

Should be a hoot we hope to see all our good friends from the northerly tributaries of our beloved I-5!

SandfuckingF

Album...

2008-04-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Is done being mixed.

Damn straight bitches there are 10 studio recorded mixed tracks that we are all proud as hell of.

You can hear everyone, you can turn that shit up, as soon as we wrap up post-pro.

Stay tuned, thanks for your patience. We can't wait to show off what we've been working on for 3 years now.

A huge thanks to Bill Barnett at Gung Ho Studios here in Eugene. He is a consumate professional who knows how to preserve happy mistakes and creative fluidity while at the same time scrutinizing and improving all we do. This man is worth every penny.

New songs!

2008-03-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

Check it...2 new songs: Station and Starvation Creek are now up online. There are 8 more baddies where that came from so keep your eyes out for the NEW ALBUM!

GUNG HO!

2008-03-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

S&F are back in the studio once again and this time we’re playing with the big kids.
We’ve had some great past experiences with our pal Geoffrey at Soaring Heart but our 3,000 instruments were pretty snug in his cozy little studio. So we’ve headed out to SW Eugene to meet up with Billy at his spacious and super-pro Gung Ho studios.
We have 7 songs put together with 3 more to record and all to mix. Super excited about the new album..all this room and expertise is finally giving us the sound we’ve been hoping for since we started this cadre back in 2004. Stay tuned for NEW MUSIC!

s&f

SAINT FREAKIN PADDY'S DAY!

2008-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Well it's been about a score or so...time to update the blog.

The main reason is to plug the up and coming, Sid and Fancy St. Pat's Tour...OF FURY.

We're rolling out for 3 shows over the St. Pat's weekend and that means it's almost certain we're in a town near you. We kick off, Friday night, up in the P-Town with our favorite boozers at the Bitter End. Joining us are the incomperable WAGES OF SIN and the brawlers from Meisce. Both bands bring more Irish swagger than a Boston lager fest so get there early and bring your boots.

Saturday sees our happy band of travelers head north to the Sea Town to pick a fight with the folks at the Sunset tavern. Once again, The Wages of Sin are to blame for bringing our crass-roots blast furnace to town and we couldn't be prouder to stand by their side. Headlining the night? Seattle's own The Bad Things It will be all sorts of noise and crowd so get to there even if your mom says no.

We top off the weekend (or kick off the week depending on how you look at it) with a St. Pat's fracas right here in Eugene with our good friends down at Luckey's Club and Cigar Store. We had more fun than you can imagine last year and this year promises to be even better. Sharing the stage will be local boys and our new friends, Starboard Morning.

It's going to be a long, drunken, and weary road but it's our favorite time of year. Come on out and while your head may split come Tuesday we promise you'll be smiling as you chug the pepto.

s&f

Humboldt County, CA

2007-08-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been too long since we've upped the date and we are pleased as punch to announce that the Summer of Slam Sid and Fancy Seige is well underway. We kicked off our sprint of shows this last weekend with our good friends down in Humboldt County. The weekend started off with a date at the Boiler Room with The Objex from Las Vegas Nevada and the groovin' boys from Henpecker. Both bands were fun to see. The Objex provided brilliantly tight smash-mouth-shout punk with a psychobilly flair while Henpecker was a little more down-homey with songs filled with sarcasm and witty protest.

After an evening spent with Sean (and for alex, aaron, ruxton, and kyle spent unexpectedly sleeping on freaking thisstles) the band hit the coast to burn the day jamming at the beach capped off with an AMAZING home cooked meal provided by Debbie and Brett. It has been too long since any of us have had some real home cooking and good gawd can these folks cook. What a treat.

The next gig was with our long-time friends The Rubberneckers hot off their Everyone Hates the Eagels but Me tour with the PDX hitters My Life in Black and White. Needless to say the Six Rivers Brewery was the site of quite a gathering as Humboldt welcomed back their wayfarin' boys and we were thrilled to be in on the action. Another HUGE thanks to Greg of the 'neckers for running a tight ship sound wise...we always appreciate a steady hand on the board.

The highlight of the trip had to be our little send-off party with Ricardo and friends at the Jambalaya in Arcata. It was our second time playing there and as always it was a rip. Strong drinks, INCREDIBLE food, and great company We gotta thank all you folks who danced and stomped, shouted, and tussled. You sure know how to cap a great weekend. Once we riled everyone up the night's closers, Rooster McLintock, took the stage. If you like old-fashioned dirt-kicken folk/grass/rock than these boys are for you. Excellent harmonies and some stomping beats carry the gritty vocals, neatly plucked banjo and smooth smooth slide guitar. Folks from all over have been talking to us about these boys and now we know why. Fun as hell so check them out.

What's next you say? We turn the anti-chrysler north and head towards the Big Sky state. Up first we have some shows in Cottage Grove, Salem, and P-Town that we can't wait to get to. Most say that fall is in the air but we're looking to wring these last few months of summer dry...check out our calandar and give us a hand.

s&f

p.s. Thanks, Kate, for all the nifty photos that compliment the new Myspace look!

Rockin' with the Rubberneckers - S&F sack Cali

2007-05-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

A memorial day weekend of firsts for Sid and Fancy saw some killer busking going on at the Grants Pass Boatnik, our first all-in-one-vehicle trip, and we topped it off by crossing the state line to the south and rolling into Alex's native lands of the Cal. for the first time.

We, of course, have to give mad props to the Rubberneckers
for being such fine hosts and for inviting us down to the quiet but rowdy city of Arcata. They put us up at the Jambalaya for dinner and rockedness then drove us out to the coolest farmhouse we've ever seen. We slept splayed out in a 2 story building that must have been built a thousand years ago, replete with an old windmill and spooky spooky shed out back. All in all we couldn't have asked for more when it comes to a first impression of the Northern California potential for awesome.

If you're in the dark on the Rubberneckers then check them out quick! They have a down-to-earth, graveled sound that gets your boots stompin and can cause all sorts of ruckus amongst the right kinds of people. They write catchy songs of woe and whim that speak to anyone whose ever loved, lost, and drank it off. Great times, good people, check them out.
When says you? How about July 24th for all you Ashland rowdies and the following day for our friends in Eugene. We play a 2 show stint with them and our good good friends My Life in Black and White over the end of July so don't miss it! Check back to any of our sites for details!
Thanks again 'neckers...we look forward to the next time!
s&f

Punk rock sea shanties and appalachian death polka.

2007-05-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

We've waited a long time to get to post about the Wages of Fucking Sin so listen up.

Bringing some ripping mandolin, clambering bass lines ripped from one of the most incredible-looking insturuments you'll ever see and topping it off with gritty vocals, crisp banjo and stomping beats......the Wages of Sin can freaking play music.

We've met lots of great bands in our young career but not many hit so close to home when it comes to the music we look to spread all over the north west.

Don't miss the chance to see these boys play...they'll knock your socks off and pummel you into the ground with awesome.

s&f

My how time does fly....

2007-05-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah so it's been WAAYYY too long since someone has posted here so here's an update from s&f country and a promise to be more consistent here.

We've been gigging, writing, and plotting like freaking crazy. We had an amazing St. Pats show several months back with Circled by Hounds, and several other great shows have come and gone including a great set of gigs with the My Life in Black and White boys. Check back because as time goes on there will be reviews here of some of the many great bands we get to see on the road so stay informed!

We are plotting another set of demos to be released sometime over the summer all of which could culminate in a new EP sometime late winter. Keep your eyes peeled, come track us down, and keep the wagon rolling.

Cheers,

s&f

p.s. Check out the recent review written up in the Eugene Weekly!

Williston & Trees Fear Me

2007-02-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Back in Eugene this SuperBowl weekend and we were super thrilled to see our old Eugenite pals. We've missed the crew at Luckey's as well as Cody, Kai, and all the other loyal S+F chums so thanks SO much for making it out. If you havn't heard Williston yet then GET TO IT. These boys are all kinds of fun. Up beat, very stompable tunes from way up in WA and no matter what the cover, you won't miss the cash. They are a 4 piece acoustic gig featuring a Violent Femmes vs. the Corb Lund Band style that sounds down home and innovative at the same time. Some INCREDIBLY catchy choruses and great break downs make them too much fun live. DO NOT miss them if you see their name somewhere near you. While Trees Fear Me only sent one member, Jordan, we were fully satisfied there as well. The group's music on line is an interesting mix of americana/folk mix with a very peculiar layer of new acoustic rock. Jordan's tunes on Sat. night were laid back, catchy, and a great start to the evening. Thanks so much to both bands for making it down, and make sure you do it again. The EP has been shipped to the mastering/printing folks and is due back in a few weeks. Come see us at John Henry's on Feb. 24th for the debut! 'till then, keep your stick on the ice...

Photo Credits: Kai Huei - Yau

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KBJ!

2007-01-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

Crackin' open P-Town and Re-visiting the Hood

2007-01-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well we finally made our way up to the P-Town. After nearly a year as a band we have yet to noise up the City of Roses but thanks to our pal Kyle we got to play at the Ash Street Saloon with the always popular My Life in Black and White , (One of the first bands we met on the Oregon music scene) and the rugged crew from Humbolt, CA The Rubberneckers . Always a blast with good friends and thanks a ton to all you portlanders who made it out.

And how could we forget the rowdey bastards at the River City Saloon. Rapidly climbing the 'our favorite places to play' chart as after only 2 shows there we're finding folks with a similar taste for stout beer and loud 'grass. Great to get a chance to play there and we're looking forward to doing it again soon.

The new S+F Demo has a cover....and CD art......and is looking at a few hours of mastering, then some print work and you'll find it in the bars compliments of some long ass editing and recording sessions over with othe good folks at Genic Records . Keep an eye out!

No, we're not avoiding you...

2007-01-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

We're WORKIN!

The CD is en route....we swear to god. We promised by the new year, we promised by Jan...but these things take time. Aaron S. and Ruxton (the Shoe) have been toiling away on the post production phases and we know it's going to sound great when it's all said and done.

The recording phase is, for the most part, finished and all we have left is the mix-down and packaging which, thanks to our new kick ass pal over at Genic Records is going swimingly compared to the mish mash of botched efforts our last trip down CD land experienced.

In the mean time, the band took some time for trips home over the break and we're all getting back together tonight to plan out the next several months. We have several shows already lined up, we're all super eager for the demo to hit the web/scene and we're looking forward to having new merch to offer as well.

The long and the short of it is, it's been a long S&F drought, but we're here....lurking beneath the surface like a large.....lurking.....THING.

See you soon, and keep checking back as tracks will pop up here soon to preview our work in progress!

Photo credit: Kai Huei Yau

WOW Hall

2006-12-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

S+F tore it up at the WOW Hall on Saturday night. That does er for 2006 - stay tuned for much more in the way of mayhem, debauchery and our new EP in January!
Photo credits: Kai Huei-Yau

Layin' down the track!

2006-12-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been far too long in coming but we are finally in the studio again. Last night the gang met at Block E Studios, run by Aaron Smith here in Eugene, to lay down the scratch tracks that will ultimately become our new EP. We are still working on the title, design, and specifics regarding which songs will and won't be on the EP but we hope to have something to show for the effort (if not the EP itself) before the new year.

If you play music in or around Eugene and you're looking for a place to record, hit us up for Aaron's contact info. This guy has got some amazing gear, an awesome space and he knows the ins and outs of the biz - all in a very competitive price range. Not to mention the built in hospitality he showers upon his guests. We're still whining about the absence of a pool/fooseball table but nobody can be that perfect, right?

Anyhow, for all of you who have noticed our merch table housing everything but music...that little conundrum is soon to be worked out - STAY TUNED!
Photo credits: Kai Huei-Yau (top); Kate Nosen (bottom)

Amadan + The Happy Bastards

2006-11-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

So we FINALLY got to play with the Happy Bastards and thanks SO much to all of you who came out for that. We had a fantastic crowd at John Henry's and we couldn't have had more fun!

For those of you who don't know, the Happy Bastards are what punk rock was when it was fast as shit, loud as shit, and fucking awesome as shit.

The only real way I can describe their sound is to have you visualize Minor Threat, then make the songs longer, throw in some cool pauses and then some random hardcore hits. Oh yeah...and some crazy ass guitar licks.

Get wasted and find these folks in their element, because it will hurt and that is neat.

Right, in other news, we're toying with EP names and designs. We swear on all that is cussworthy we will have some new rocking tunes for download/purchase before (or shortly after) St. Nick can buckle his boots. We've jammed in the recording studio and we are waiting for the to schedule work itself out.

Last, we will be playing, once again, with the stout rowdies from Corvalis, Amadan and we simply cannot wait. They are too many kinds of cool.
Photo credit: Kai Huei-Yau

Halloween Stomp

2006-10-29T14:29:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Kai Huei-Yau

Right On John + The Dry County Cooks

2006-10-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well another gig at John Henry's is in the bag and we had a friggin blast.

We closed the night after two great performances by Portland soloist/journeyman Right On John and, one of our personal favorites The Dry County Crooks.

Right On John is a one man band to beat the band... can we say that? The self proclaimed 'electric vaudeville songwriter' mixes slick, thick riffs with some thumping beats provided by a brilliantlly jerryrigged drum kit that adds a great dimension to his solo show. He alternates between slide, rock, country, and blues styles with deft abandon and he's got a vocal tone that hints at Plant, but maintains an honest quality that many who shoot at the Zep frontman miss. A great, chill performer who is as much fun after the gig as he is during. If you get a chance, pick his brain about one-man-bands as he's got some great names. Check his shit out.

The Dry County Crooks are perhaps a bookmark in the gradually filling volume of alt/rock/country. These fellahs really set the bar for how to blend punk rock/traditional country (not that Toby Keith shit) and lyrics that speak to the folks with callused hands, broken hearts, and a forrest of empty beer bottles sitting before them on the bar. If you havn't checked out their site or tunes, you need to because they are great live, fantastic on the road, and kick ass fellas to boot.

We'd like to send a huge shout out to all the folks who came to see us and spend their early morning hours stomping it up in downtown Eugene. We love a good crowd and we can honestly say that this was one of the better groups we've gotten to hang out with. Keep your eyes peeled as we'd love to see ya'll again soon.

More news and reviews coming your way from Sid and Fancy land...stay tuned.

Celebratin Eugene

2006-09-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

We had a rip playing the Eugene Celebration. Huge thanks to Keith and all the folks at John Henry's for having us down to play with Cicada Omega , The Voodoo Organist and do not forget the fantastic nay immortal Hillstomp.

Cicada Omega teed off the night with an amazing mix of Old timey gospel, mixed with some DIY instrumentation tom-foolery all of which melted together to concoct a hard hitting, boot stomping, and knee slapping good time. We're hoping to meet up with these folks again really soon so stay tuned.

After we played, Hillstomp whipped the crowd into a froth and The Voodoo Organist closed out the evening with an eerie mix of rock, folk, and traditional undertones that kept everyone keyed in.

And now to the current items:
We're heading north, along the mighty Columbia to churn up Hood River with Blackbird Theatre (rockabilly blues), and Miles Before(indie rock). The show is sponsored by Kyle and the Mobius Records gang and you won't want to miss it if you're in the area.

Last but certainly not least, as mentioned above we are rocking Luckey's (one of our favorite places to play...make sure you raise a toast to Sommerfield and the gang when ya stop in) with Portland's My Life in Black and White. This crew can really churn up a crowd so if'n ya love hard hitting folk-punk with a healthy dose of western undertones this is yer show. We're super jacked to hook up with this group that we've been watching for awhile now so get there early!

Photo credit: Kai Huei-Yau