Council

I recently had a chance to sit down for an interview with Doug, Pat, and Andy Reeves to discuss the band, their plans, and how they got the opportunity to play at Citi Field.

ANTHONY CANTIELLO, METSTALK.COM: Tell us a little about yourselves… Who is Council? When and how did you guys get started and how would you describe your sound?

DOUG REEVES: Council is made up of myself, my twin brother Pat, and my year younger brother, Andy.

We are farmers on our family farm and just looking to find a way out. It is a fruit and vegetable farm. We have everything from strawberries, sweet corn, peppers, squash, tomatoes, to gourmet peppers, pumpkins, gords and blueberries.

PAT REEVES: Such a tragic life we lead [Joking and referring to Doug’s answer]

DOUG: Our band was formed in the same manner as the way we write music and do anything else together, arguing. Pat picked up Andy’s guitar that wasn’t being used and decided to learn to play some chords. Andy didn’t like Pat using his guitar, so he decided he was going to learn to play guitar.

ANDY REEVES: And we’re all lucky I did.

DOUG: Pat would have to settle for the bass. However, he was quick to claim lead singer after losing out for guitarist.

PAT: And we’re lucky I did.

DOUG: I was never interested in either, I always liked the drums, so I just bought sticks and played on pillows till I could afford a set. Even though we all decided to play instruments, it wouldn’t be for some time before we would all agree to be in a band together. We had no other options anyway, but no one wanted to give in too quickly.

Whenever answering the question, “How would you describe your sound”, your inevitably going to fall short in some aspect. The simple answer is driving bass and drums with big melodic guitars.

METSTALK.COM: You’ll be playing at Citi Field on September 27th before the Mets take on the Cincinnati Reds. How did the band get the chance to play there and at what other venues and with what other bands have you played?

PAT: Well it’s really Lori Martini that gave us this chance. We met her at our Sullivan Hall show in March and realized very quickly we were all huge New York Mets fans. She proposed the idea of our band making a rock version of her song, “Believe.” [--Editor's Note: Mets fans may recognize that song as one of Justin Turner's walk-up songs.]

We thought it was a great idea and that got the ball rolling for us to be playing at Citi Field.

ANDY: We have played most of the club staples in New York City like Kenny’s Castaway and Sullivan Hall among others.

DOUG: We also played Trash bar in Brooklyn and The Annex. And we played a lot of shows in Hawaii including, the Pipeline Café, with The All American Rejects, The Kooks, The Toadies and The Presidents Of The United States.

METSTALK.COM: Okay, before we go any further, are any of you guys actually Mets fans? Is so, who are your favorite Mets players of all-time? And God help you if you reveal yourselves to be Yankees fans or worse — Phillies fans — coming to play Citi Field!

PAT, DOUG, & ANDY: Absolutely, we are Mets fans! They’ve been our favorite team in any sport since we were kids.

DOUG: My favorite Mets player of all time…I would say it’s a tie between Nolan Ryan and the 1986 New York Mets team. I just loved the whole team and probably couldn’t narrow it down.

PAT: For me it would have to be Gary Carter. Number 8. I started out as a catcher in baseball because of him and really loved watching him and his Mets teammates.

ANDY: Gary Carter and Nolan Ryan, yes… But without sounding too diplomatic, I think I can say truthfully all Mets players past, present, and future mean a lot to us.

METSTALK.COM: As a New York-based rock band, do you guys view being able to play at a major metropolitan area venue like the Mets’ Citi Field as a special opportunity?

PAT: Of course we do. We would be crazy not to. Not many bands get this kind of opportunity. Being from New York and lifelong Mets fans, this will be a very special night for us.

METSTALK.COM: Not to put any pressure on you guys, but since Citi Field opened in 2009, the stadium has hosted concerts by both Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews Band. Are you up to the challenge of being the next band to play there? Which songs will you be playing?

DOUG: When someone says, “Not to put any pressure on you,” usually that means there is a decent amount of pressure already. I was not aware that only two bands have played Citi Field since 2009. Having said that, yes our band is up to the challenge!

We will be playing, “Welcome The Change,” and “Believe.” It should be a high energy show.

ANDY: I think in some respects we play better with more people. The songs seem to translate better and we feed off the crowd.

METSTALK.COM: Most Mets fans are probably wondering this, so it might as well be asked… Why Citi Field and not Yankee Stadium? Have you been to both and which one do you prefer?

PAT: We chose Citi Field because if our relationship with Lori Martini and the New York Mets.

We wouldn’t be opposed to playing Yankee Stadium. It just worked out that we get to play our favorite teams stadium.

DOUG: We have been to Shea Stadium but because of our other occupation, farming, it makes it hard for us to take time off to go to either stadium. If I had to choose to play either one I would chose Citi Field everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

METSTALK.COM: Besides being home to the Mets, Citi Field has quite the collection of culinary delights. Have you guys ever eaten there and what’s you favorite food at the stadium? If you haven’t, please allow me to recommend the BBQ ribs at the Blue Smoke stand!

ANDY: We have not been to the stadium so therefore we have not been lucky enough to taste the extraordinary food that is there. However, I will take your recommendation for BBQ ribs at Blue Smoke and definitely make sure to stop by and try them.

PAT: I do love ribs so I can guarantee I’ll be stopping by Blue Smoke.

METSTALK.COM: How can Mets fans — or anyone else who enjoys your Citi Field performance — listen to your music and find out about your upcoming shows?

DOUG: You can find us online at CouncilBand.com, follow us on our Facebook page, and at ReverbNation.com.

METSTALK.COM: Thanks for taking the time out to talk to Mets Talk today. What’s on the horizon for Council that fans can look forward to? Anything else you’d like to add?

PAT: We remade the song “Lithium” for a 20 year anniversary tribute album coming out in late September. It will span 5 continents and we are the only American band on the album, which is very humbling.

ANDY: We also have new songs we are finishing up in preparation to record this fall.

PAT: Our next goal for our band is to obtain a major label recording contract.

DOUG: Major MAJOR recording contract!

PAT: Hopefully drop farmer from our resume, at least temporarily. Thank you for the interview, it’s been a pleasure.

DOUG, ANDY: Yes, thank you very much.

Come see Council perform in a pre-game concert on Tuesday, September 27th at Citi Field. Arrive early before the Mets take on the visiting Cincinnati Reds to catch the performance.

I will be doing an interview with the band that will appear on MetsTalk.com and BicoastalBaseball.com (as well as re-posted here) that should be up within the next few days.

I’m excited to find out more about the three-brother band and how they view their upcoming appearance at the stadium. Look for it to be published very soon!

[If any other Mets-related blogs are interested in republishing the article (with proper credit) please contact me through the comments or email me.]

Awesome show! DMB’s first concert at Nassau Coliseum.

CBS made this show from a Twitter account? What accounts will they use for show ideas next?

CBS’ new sitcom $#*! My Dad Says starring William Shatner is based on the Twitter account of Justin Halpern, who lives with his 89-year-old father. The show’s premiere brought in 12.5 million viewers last week.

Maybe that’s why CBS is planning another TV show based on a Twitter account, @shhdontellsteve. That one is about a guy writing about what his roommate does and is currently being made into a pilot called “Don’t Tell Steve”.

Now I’m not too familiar with that second Twitter account, but if CBS is so intent on making shows from Twitter accounts, I might as well share a list that the network’s execs can use for future pilot ideas:

1) @WolfBlitzerCNN – Come on, Things Wolf Blitzer Says is sure to be a hit. Watch out William Shatner, Wolfie’s gunning for you!

2) @JohnCMayer – A show about a musician who connects with viewers through Twitter? That could be cool. Oh wait, just like John Mayer’s Twitter account, this show has also been cancelled.

3) @PerezHilton – Sure Perez Hilton initially got famous by drawing penises on photos of Lindsay Lohan and then blogging them, but a show about a gossip blogger becoming famous for his celebrity news tweeting would be cool.

4) @50Cent – I guess its not totally surprising that rapper 50 Cent employs no filter while he tweets, but between all the retweets of half-naked, booty-showing photos of fans he retweets, plus gems like the following, I would actually watch this show: “This b*tch is a super freak for real @beautydiorxz yal want some p*ssy follow this b*tch she crazy as hell look at her page.”

5) @KBurkhardtSNY – Kevin Burkhardt is the New York Mets’ on-field reporter who happens to tweet in the same way that he reports on the baseball team  — in a timely, relevant, and totally original manner. I’d love to see a show about an on-the-field reporter who covers baseball from unique angles and eventually earns his way into the broadcast booth.

6) @MollieWestie – Mollie the Westie is just one of thousands of Dogs Who Twitter. And let’s not forget cats who tweet, like @sockington who loves writing about his kibble! How about a show called Paws to Tweet, CBS?

7) @LilPecan – Speaking of pets with twitter accounts, Lil Pecan is a self-described “social media guinea pig” from Boston with over 3,500 followers, that is often snarky while defending the fact that her human doesn’t write her account, like some other animals. A talking-and-typing guinea pig right there on your television?!? Instant ratings!

8) @ev & @biz – Evan Williams and Biz Stone are the creators of Twitter. Could you imagine a show about the guys responsible for the newest way the world communicates these days? Hey, they made a movie about Facebook…

9) @AplusK – Ashton Kutcher helped put Twitter on the map with his competition to 1,000,000 followers against CNN and his straightforward tweeting. How about a show that focuses on  a celebrity’s struggle with what to share and what to keep private and how it affects his family? Sort of part-reality, part-entertainment? I’m sure MTV has a time slot or two open still.

10) @YOU! – Maybe you are the next tweeter that would make a good subject for a show because you use Twitter in a unique way that is also entertaining. Hell, if I’d follow you, why wouldn’t I also wanna watch a show about you too? At least CBS thinks I should…

What other tweeters/tweeple do you think CBS should consider for their own TV shows based on their twitter accounts? Share in the comments below!

This past year has been both amazing and exhilarating. We’ve traveled and we’ve spent time together at home. We’ve both seen new places and met new people that have made our lives better. We’ve learned just how great helping each other feels. We’ve enjoyed being in sync and seen more than enough signs of “446″ together.

We’ve tweeted, blogged, and dailyboothed. We’ve used thousands and thousands of cellphone minutes.

She’s inspired me to express myself again in word and photographs. We created a baseball blog together about our favorite MLB teams, the Dodgers and the Mets.

We’ve shared new foods together and enjoyed new experiences. We both loved going to the movies and listening to music together. We’ve decided on and then watched our television shows together.

We’ve shared our love of dinosaurs and history together. We’ve traded baseball stats and players our teams have shared.

We’ve heard our song, You & Me by Dave Matthews Band, many many times, just about everywhere:

And we’ve laughed, cried, joked, debated, discussed, lived, and loved together more than either of us every have before.

And all of that is exactly why our relationship works so well and why she means so much to me.

I’m looking forward to what the next years will bring! Love you, sweetie! <#

That includes the Irish rock band’s show at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, which I happened to have tickets to see with my U2-loving family.

So much for my big summer concert plans.

A dramatization of how Bono might have injured his Irish back.

I really was looking forward to seeing U2 perform at the brand new football stadium in July, too.

And so far, all that us ticket holders have been told is that the tour will be rescheduled in 2011… sometime. Gee, I sure hope I’m free whenever that is…

Overall the show was pretty good, a lot of funny jokes from host Aziz Ansari (“Parks and Rec”) and some typical MTV-ish moments, like Sandra Bullock’s kiss with Scarlett Johansson, but the real moment of the night was Tom Cruise’s attempt at remaining relevant.

He was back as his alter-ego Les Grossman, dancing around the stage like a lunatic, and then eventually with Jennifer Lopez for some reason.

Man, Tom Cruise has really let himself go…

Oh well, Katie Holmes didn’t seem to mind. She really enjoyed Tom’s moves…

Check out this video from the NYU Inter-Residence Hall Council of Lady Gaga singing and playing piano  at the NYU Ultraviolet Talent Show. She ended up coming in third place.

The first song is called Captivated and the second one is Electric Kiss.

The best part is that one of the judges said she thought Lady Gaga would be the next Norah Jones. Perhaps you could see why she said that, but uh, no, not exactly Norah Jones…

The original:

And then the second chorus was heavily sampled in Jason Derulo’s “Watcha Say”:

And of course “Hide and Seek” made an appearance on Australian Idol in Season 5 by contestant Ben McKenzie:

What really made the song famous was it’s inclusion in a scene of the (now-defunct) teen drama The O.C.:

That inspired a Saturday Night Live Digital Short parody of The O.C. finale, called “Dear Sister”…

Check this out here (it was playing automatically).

And then someone parodied the parody on YouTube:

And then, of course, there are parodies of the parodies and parodies of the parodies of the parodies. And parodies using Lord of the Rings scenes and parodies using The Office, etc.

So what does Imogen Heap think of the sampling, at least in Jason Derulo’s hit version of the song?

She spoke about it recently with the BBC:

Finally, I have to ask you about Jason DeRulo’s single Watcha Say – which samples Hide and Seek. It seems to have split fans right down the middle: Some love what he’s done and others are literally out for his blood. What do you think of it?

I really believe a song has a life of its own, so when I heard his version, I actually thought it was pretty good.

Even the first time? I found it took a bit of getting used to…

First time I heard it, yes. I understand that for some people, it’s their favourite song and it feels like he’s butchered it and butchered their memory of it. But, to me, I’ve heard it in so many contexts – by a choir, by a marching band – I loved that it was completely different.

You just can’t keep a good song down!

Thanks for listening along!

In New York, concrete jungle where things are made of… there’s nothing you can’t do… Now you’re in New York… these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you…