NEWS
January 09, 2012
Love notes from underground
We're establishing a tradition here - one of mostly staying off the road in January and February - but wanted to check in with the fans. Since our ill-fated 2010 attempt to outrun the cold by touring the south in January (the shows were great, but the temperatures were record-setting lows all through TN, AL, and LA), we've taken these months as a chance to rehearse, write, and chill a bit. At least in Chicago you expect it to be cold.
We miss the shows - personally, I miss
December 28, 2011
Free Live Sampler
What a year we've had! A trip to SXSW; tours out East; opening slots for George Clinton, Fitz & The Tantrums, Orgone, & Kings Go Forth; great headlining shows in Chicago; and memorable festivals like Summerfest and North Coast.
To demonstrate our love and devotion to our fans, we're giving away a free live EP recorded at Martyrs' on November 11, 2011. Big ups to our live sound engineer Joe Shambro for making it happen. Download it, listen to it, and feel free to share it!
August 31, 2011
Coming Up Next, Part 3
At the moment, half the band is in an airplane heading home from L.A., and the other half (including me) has already been home for a few days. But feelings of awe and revelation - as well as a few celebratory phone calls - have been uniting us. It'd be easy to convince us that the sessions at Killion Sound were a dream if there weren't some amazing recordings to prove it was real.
After the months-long preparation process, it was
After the months-long preparation process, it was
August 15, 2011
Coming Up Next, Part 2
We left off the last blog entry with a premonition from John Smillie, our soft-spoken drummer. Smicks isn't the most outspoken member of the band, but when he offers up an opinion it's usually right on the money. After we cut demos in January, Smicks mentioned that we should find a well-known bad ass producer to do our record. Ideally this would be someone that believed in our music and was looking to help us out. I thought it was a pipe dream. But it turned out that Smicks was right. Enter
July 15, 2011
Coming Up Next, Part 1
Ah, summer in Chicago. Getting older means complaining a lot more about these cold ass Chicago winters, but also reveling in the glory that is a Chicago summertime. It's a communal thing. We all suffer through the six month long deep freeze and rejoice once June hits. So what if Spring just flew by in a week or two? Summah summah summah time!
For the first time in a few years, TRN's summer tour schedule is incredibly light. Why, you ask
For the first time in a few years, TRN's summer tour schedule is incredibly light. Why, you ask
May 31, 2011
FANterview with Stefanie
Hey friends! Stefanie here with the whole crew behind me :) We are at the tail end of our east coast visit. Good times were had and great shows were played. We are currently in hour two of our fourteen-hour to St. Louis for an exciting show with LA's Orgone and these questions that flowed in for our first ever FANterview are going to be a slice of saving grace. So che
April 16, 2011
Record Store Day is here!
Today is the day, folks. It's Record Store Day! We just heard from the fine people at United Music Distributors (our vinyl distributor) and we've got a partial list of where you can buy our 7". There are plenty more stores, both in the U.S. and overseas, that will have it as well. Any way you slice, you should try to get out to your local store and buy some vinyl today.
March 30, 2011
An Interview with Steve Shirk
We recently sat down with Steve Shirk, producer of The Right Now's upcoming single "If I Wanted To" c/w "I Am Who I Say I Am." Fans on the band's mailing list got the tunes for free, and the 7" single comes out on Record Store Day, April 16. These songs are a slight departure for us, a fun dip into some blues-rock and a nice yin/yang of messages (on one side, Stef's character is acting pre
March 28, 2011
Preview the new single!
Hot off the presses -- well, the vinyl is still on the presses as we speak -- but one side of our next 7" single ("If I Wanted To") is available for free download exclusively here at therightnow.com. Grab it and enjoy! The single will be released as a vinyl 7" and as mp3s on April 16th, which is Record Store Day. Coincidence? Not really.
PRE-ORDER THE VINYL
PRE-ORDER THE VINYL
January 20, 2011
Getting into it
Chris, guitar
So I'm nuking some lunch and getting my gear packed up to go to The Right Now's rehearsal spot, which we're using as a recording studio for the next few weekends, in preparation for Album Number Two. Tonight marks the beginning of pre-recording....basically making demos to bring to the studio(s) and producer(s) where we'll make the actual album.
There's a lot of excitement in the band, for a few reasons. It's been a while since our last gig, and still two more weeks until we return to the stage (
So I'm nuking some lunch and getting my gear packed up to go to The Right Now's rehearsal spot, which we're using as a recording studio for the next few weekends, in preparation for Album Number Two. Tonight marks the beginning of pre-recording....basically making demos to bring to the studio(s) and producer(s) where we'll make the actual album.
There's a lot of excitement in the band, for a few reasons. It's been a while since our last gig, and still two more weeks until we return to the stage (
January 09, 2011
WXRT's Local Anesthetic Best of 2010
We're honored to be part of the Best Of 2010 show on WXRT's Local Anesthetic. Listen tonight in Chicago at 93.1 WXRT, or online at www.wxrt.com.
December 20, 2010
2010: The year in words
Hi everyone. This is Chris the guitarist with a look back at 2010 in
TRN-land. It's a tall tale, and if you're not into reading, Brendan assembled a nice Year In Photos album on facebook.
But for those of you interested in the whole story...
We started the year with a southern tour, aiming to outrun the northern cold and bask in southern balminess. Well
But for those of you interested in the whole story...
We started the year with a southern tour, aiming to outrun the northern cold and bask in southern balminess. Well
December 16, 2010
TRN's Best of 2010 List
It's been a great year for music. Brendan, Chris, and Stef weigh in with their favorite picks of the year.
Leave a comment with your choices! One lucky person will get a free download of "Carry Me Home."
Brendan:
Aloe Blacc- Good Things
Fitz & The Tantrums- Pickin' Up The Pieces
Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs- God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
Black Dub- Black Dub
Orgone- Cali Fever
Band Of Horses- Infinite Arms
The Black Keys
Leave a comment with your choices! One lucky person will get a free download of "Carry Me Home."
Brendan:
Aloe Blacc- Good Things
Fitz & The Tantrums- Pickin' Up The Pieces
Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs- God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
Black Dub- Black Dub
Orgone- Cali Fever
Band Of Horses- Infinite Arms
The Black Keys
November 22, 2010
CONTEST and Evolution of a Song: I Could Really Hold On
I really enjoyed writing about the evolution of "Nobody" so here's another post in the same vein...and a contest! Leave a comment on this post and you'll have a chance to win 2 tickets to the Chicago Blues & Bluegrass Festival on December 3-5. It's a killer three day festival at three venues with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Grace Potter, The Skatalites, and more. We kick off the fest at the
November 15, 2010
A Conversation with Mark Michaels of United Record Pressing
I met Mark Michaels, CEO and Chairman of the Board of United Record Pressing, after our show with Bettye LaVette at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music in October. Mark greeted me at the merch table after our set and asked where we'd had our vinyl pressed. When I told him United, he said, "That's my company!" We got to talking and Mark kindly agreed to meet me for an interview.
I headed downtown on a rainy fall day last month to meet Mark in his office.
I headed downtown on a rainy fall day last month to meet Mark in his office.
November 02, 2010
The Evolution of a Song: Nobody
One of the more engaging topics we cover during interviews is the songwriting process (you'd be surprised how many times we hear boring stuff like, "So where does the band name come from?"). Songwriting is an intensely personal and particular process, but it's at the core of what musicians do. I love to talk about it and I love to read about how my favorite songwriters do it. Hence, this blog entry.
I'd like to walk everyone through the evolution of one of my favorite tunes on Carry Me Home, "Nobody." I started writin
I'd like to walk everyone through the evolution of one of my favorite tunes on Carry Me Home, "Nobody." I started writin
September 14, 2010
Needle's about to drop
A week from today, we're officially releasing Carry Me Home as an LP - like, an actual 12" record made out of vinyl. (Sorry, most people know what I'm talking about, but I had to take a minute to explain to my folks that people do still listen to records and that we're actually putting one out.) We're covering Facebook with announcements about the pre-orders, and there are a fe
August 23, 2010
Part Three: Best Tour Ever?
New York! Man, if our East Coast Tours could be week-long engagements in NYC, that would be fine by me. Playing a show in New York is usually a personal highlight of these tours because I get to spend time with my friends in Queens and get the hell away from TRN. Don't get me wrong; I love this band and each its foul smelling members. But space is a key to any healthy relationship, and I use our time in New York to get a bit of distance from my TRN family.
We all arrived in NYC on Thursday afternoon after a brief sto
We all arrived in NYC on Thursday afternoon after a brief sto
August 20, 2010
Part Two: Best Tour Ever?
Previously on The Right Now's tour blog: The band kicked off a
week-long east coast tour with a blockbuster show in Chicago, followed
immediately by very little sleep and a long drive to Williamsport PA,
where they played two nights at the Bullfrog Brewery. All three shows
were remembered mega-fondly, and the band was gearing up for 3 days off.
Williamsport friends Mike and Wade extended an offer to host the band
at a riverfront cabin, which the band accepted happily.
So we'd stayed a
So we'd stayed a
August 15, 2010
Part One: Best tour ever?
Y'know, I'd love to say I'm writing this from the banks of the
Susquehanna river, enjoying the arguably-best tour experience this band
has ever seen (which is really saying something - we've seen and done so
many things on tour). It'd be sweet to say that, but the fact is
it's almost two weeks after the best tour experience we've
ever had. You ready to read about this shit? Here we go.
July 19, 2010
A Tribute To Summer: Win Lincoln Hall tickets and free Evol burritos!
Ah summer. How we love ya. Too hot to wear suits onstage, but we wear 'em anyway.
Folks, we're looking for your all-time favorite song lyrics about summer. Leave 'em in a comment here, and we'll pick our favorites on Thurs 7/22 at 5pm. Check out these sweet prizes:
We'll give away a pair of tickets to see The Right Now,
Folks, we're looking for your all-time favorite song lyrics about summer. Leave 'em in a comment here, and we'll pick our favorites on Thurs 7/22 at 5pm. Check out these sweet prizes:
We'll give away a pair of tickets to see The Right Now,
July 14, 2010
Lincoln Hall Preview: Chicago and Texas Soul
TRN has played quite a few club dates in Chicago in the past few years but none as exciting as the upcoming show at Lincoln Hall on July 31st. Sure we're going to bring the same high-energy show that we always do--with a few surprises. The supporting acts (JT & The Clouds and Dan Dyer) ta
June 17, 2010
Chris DeRosa talks
Chris DeRosa began filling in on bass with The Right Now in 2009, and
has played dozens and dozens of TRN shows since. Deep in the annex of
the Ramada in Marquette, MI, Chris shared some thoughts on bass, the KFC
Double Down, and being called The Breeze.
June 01, 2010
Win VIP passes to Metronome Fest in Chicago
Oh, this oughtta be fun. Come up with a caption for the photo below, post it as a comment, and we'll pick our favorite on Thursday June 10th. The winner gets two VIP passes to Metronome Festival in Chicago on Sunday 6/13, which include free beer and food all day, and a copy of our CD Carry Me Home. Metronome is seriously a great festival - good artists, well organized, fun vendors and act
May 17, 2010
DB talks
We were supposed to camp in the mountains of Kentucky yesterday, but it was raining all day and wasn't gonna let up. So we posted up at a hotel, and I took the opportunity to interview Dave Berecz, TRN's right-hand man on the road. -Chris
CC: Dave, what's your role in The Right Now?
DB:
My role is to
get you guys to each venue
May 14, 2010
TRN on XRT: The Podcast
93 XRT! For a guy raised in the burbs of Chicago (this is Brendan), hearing my voice and our music on that station was pretty surreal. But that's what happened last Sunday when TRN was featured on Local Anesthetic with Richard Milne, a weekly show dedicated to the Chicago music scene. Check out the podcast of the episode:
The Right Now on XRT
Or view it on XRT's site h
The Right Now on XRT
Or view it on XRT's site h
April 27, 2010
Download exclusive live sessions from Hearya.com
Oh, it was a gusty February night, the night after Valentine's Day. We were so young.
We gathered at Steve Shirk's studio in Chicago to tape a session for indie music blog HearYa.com, and were lucky enough to have Vijay Tellis-Nayak join us on keys for this session. Vijay co-produced, mixed, and played a lot of the keyboards on our a
We gathered at Steve Shirk's studio in Chicago to tape a session for indie music blog HearYa.com, and were lucky enough to have Vijay Tellis-Nayak join us on keys for this session. Vijay co-produced, mixed, and played a lot of the keyboards on our a
April 21, 2010
An All-American Contest
Alright folks! We're giving away a pair of tickets to a MONSTER r&b show in Chicago: Maxwell & Jill Scott at the United Center on Tuesday May 25, 2010. Now for the details...
Ever wondered what we eat on the road? Gas station hot dogs, beef jerky, and an assortment of Jonny Hats' cuisine aside, we need some new ideas. So send us the most artery-clogging, bubble-butt forming meal you can think of and you'll win a pair of tickets to an amazing soul show!
You can post your answer in the comments below or
Ever wondered what we eat on the road? Gas station hot dogs, beef jerky, and an assortment of Jonny Hats' cuisine aside, we need some new ideas. So send us the most artery-clogging, bubble-butt forming meal you can think of and you'll win a pair of tickets to an amazing soul show!
You can post your answer in the comments below or
April 16, 2010
Welcome to our Website! Write a haiku and win some stuff.
Madon', look at this place! I feel like we just moved into a new house and are having company over for the first time. Except instead of pouring wine and giving you the full tour, we just have a nav bar on each page. All right, pour your own wine, wander and enjoy.
So this is it; this is the new website. We figured that it's worth having a web-home to call ou
So this is it; this is the new website. We figured that it's worth having a web-home to call ou
