4th of July, Part II: McBand

Current Conditions
Temperature: -33F
Wind Chill: -41F

Introducing. . . McBand!!:

Jim Ruppel: guitar, feedback
Stephen Kish: bass, guitar
Brian Nelson: vocals, guitar, bass
Tom Murphy: drums

and featuring:
Jen Rhemann: vocals
Jason "Jaybird" Solis: bass
Dave Barud: congas

After the 4th of July festivities, it was our job to bring the noise. We covered all your favorite rock 'n roll dittys; from Johnny B. Goode to Yellow Ledbetter. The picture was most likely taken while Jen was belting out Zombie.

In only two weeks we managed to scrape together 15 songs to fill almost 2 hours. It was a lot of fun to play loud, scream and yell. Not the type of music I usually listen to anymore, but it's still fun to play. I recorded the show, of course, but we'll be playing again in a couple weeks for another party, and I hope to get a better recording then. I'm learning a lot about this live recording thing, mostly by trial and error. Anyway, McBand should make it to Surlyjam soon.

A big kudos to Jeremy for making this banner for us:

I didn't even know we had a banner until I showed up to help set up the stage the day of the show.

After our set, Level 5ive got up and jammed out their "all original Antarctic ska/punk" set. This is Kish's brainchild of fast-paced and extremely danceable madness. I like it more every time I hear it. I had the opportunity to run the soundboard for this part of the show, which is something I've always been curious to learn about.

Part III: Half Done Run
In the mid-morning on Sunday, about 30 people gathered for a 1.3 mile run to mark the midpoint of the winter season, hence the name "half done run." The weather was nasty and getting worse, -30F with an awful windchill pushing -60F. We ran out to Hut Point and back, in the dark. On the way out the wind was at our backs and the running was relatively easy (except that the terrain was difficult to discern), but as soon as I rounded the back side of Discovery Hut it was a wicked blast to the face. Every inch of skin needs to be covered in conditions like that; frostbite can take less than ten minutes. Most runners donned balaclavas and goggles. It was frigid, but I was layered just right for the 15 minutes it took me for a 7th place finish.

Frost nip is a strange thing, because your skin is numb before it appears, so you don't know it's happening unless someone else spots it for you. I think I got a slight nip on my right earlobe, through my hat. The only way I know is that it felt like a minor, itchy burn once it warmed up. That's my second nip, the first was a tiny white spot on an otherwise rosy cheek, a few months ago. Once you nip, that spot will be more susceptible to future nippage. There were four or five runners with noticeable frost nip on cheeks and noses. One runner came in with two nipped cheeks and a nose that was entirely white and frosted, bordering on byte. Ouch!

The weather worsened throughout the week, and we had another Condition II storm, but still no Condition I in town. There's a pool on when the first will come. My guess is it will wait until the typically stormy springtime in August or September, but I have no vested interest.