The Roosevelt: News

It's been a while since we've done much of anything publicly, so here's what we've been up to.

Chris has moved off to San Francisco, and is loving it. We miss him, but real life happens to the best of us. Our friend Don has graciously stepped in to take over drumming duties.

We spent the entire spring recording our first full-length -- almost entirely in my apartment in DC. Surprisingly, it doesn't sound like absolute p'poo. So that's good. It is now being mixed in NYC at the Bunker Studio. We'll have a better idea as to when it will be released shortly, and we'll be sure let everyone know all the details.

In the meantime, we're back to practicing and ought to be playing live soon enough.

Jon

Hey, kids –

If you're like us, you mostly use the interwebs for illegal stock trades and maintaining your fantasy bocce team. But there are some other good uses too.

One is KEXP, the independent NPR radio station out of Seattle (we think they're affiliated with UW, where our cousin plays in a band called The Taft). KEXP streams their content daily, and it's always outstanding music, very heavy on the indie rock. We listen to it frequently. You should listen to it too – you might like it.

Anyway, KEXP is doing a big fundraising drive, to reward their listeners around the country. You can read about it on Instrumental Analysis, a local music blog that's featured us a few times.

Here's the skinny, courtesy of Joe at IA:
"For the current pledge drive, they are having a city to city challenge to see which city pledges the most and will then broadcast there for a few days, as a reward. Washington, DC is very high in the running and needs your help to bring a great independent radio station to our home town."

So, all let's do our part: They seem to be tracking it based on numbers of contributions, so even a $10 contribution goes a long way.

We're counting on your effort. AMERICA is counting on your effort.

Also today, DCist published an interview with Jon. Read up, read up:

http://dcist.com/2008/01/25/concert_preview_23.php

A DC-area music blog, Instrumental Analysis, took time to chat bid'ness with Scott. Read up, read up:

http://instrumentalanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/01/return-of-roosevelt.html

Fans --

Saturday, 1/26, at The Rock & Roll Hotel is going to be something of
a throw-down. We've got advance tickets for sale, here:

http://www.ticketalternative.com/Selection.aspx?item=3220&sch=9194&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Details...
doors: 8pm
show: 830pm
ages: all
price: $10

The Roosevelt, with
Gary B & The Notions
Kitty Hawk
The Beanstalk Library
and Alfonso Velez (solo)

So grab those tickets today. We'll see you at the show.

The 'Velt

Kids -- tune in tonight to Radio CPR, 97.5 (Washington DC). We'll be on air from 8:00 -- 9:00pm for a little bit o' chit chat, performing some songs live in the studio, and other what-have-you. Should be fun.

'Velt here...

Four score and negative-78 years ago, we sent out an e-mail urging
friends, family, well-wishers, and random people we wanted to make a
few bucks off of to come see us play our very first show as a rock
band, at the storied Grog and Tankard bar in Washington, DC.

In that inaugural e-mail, we included a short band biography to
explain our unique origin and diverse talents. That biography was
subsequently posted on our web site, and has become the subject of
some confusion. We'd like to take this opportunity to clear up a few
misunderstandings:

1. We're not brothers. That was... well, we were just lying about
that. The fact of the matter is we're not really even friends.
2. We finally found out Chris's real age. We can't remember exactly
what it is off the top of our heads, but it's older than Scott, so
that part is wrong, too.
3. Sam's guitar solos make peasants cry both back in time AND in the
future. We should have said that at the outset.

Given that much has happened in the two years since our first show,
we thought we'd provide a few updates as well:

1. We played a bunch of killer shows, made tons of lifetime friends,
and made even more mortal enemies.
2. We toured to such far-away and exotic places as Boston,
Philadelphia, and Northern Virginia.
3. If you haven't received or read our last 37 e-mails, we recorded
an EP (which isn't gonna buy itself, by the way).
4. Stupid Chris decided to move to San Francisco.

Sadly, as a result of the information contained in update item number
4, our beloved, enbearded Chris will play his final show with The
Roosevelt on January 26 at the Rock N' Roll Hotel. As a result of
the need for you to purchase the product mentioned in update item
number 3, your attendance at that show -- along with your sweet,
sweet money -- is required.

Yours truly,
The Roosevelt

April 21 -- Dozens of children the world over are taught about this
date.

They know that April 21st is no D-Day, VJ-Day, or MLK-Day... No, April 21st is deserving of no such acronyming. It claims no requiem for heroes lost, no parades for victories no one living was there to see. April 21 is the day on which nothing happens. Ever.

1836: Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas independence. But no one really cares and, little doits residents' realize, Texas is not in-fact a sovereign nation.

1910: Samuel Langhorne Clemens died in Redding, Connecticut. Yeah, we were thinking the same thing: who the fuck's Samuel Clemens?

1977: 'Annie' opened on Broadway. We know...

Well we -- The 'Velt -- think it's about fucking time someone had the jalopies to say "No more!" We're putting April 21st back on the calendar, bitchez! This date shall forever be known as the day The Roosevelt rocked DC9.

9:30 PM, Saturday, April 21 Final Night of the The Six Points Music Festival, featuring:

Two if By Sea
The Roosevelt
Bridges and Powerlines
A.E. Valez (Monopoli)

DC9 | 1940 9th Street, NW
www.dcnine.com

Don't call us 'heroes,' cuz you know... what's a hero? We'll settle for a parade and flower strew avenues.

Rock,
The 'Velt

Dear Fans:

Sheesh! Been a year and all that. Time to roll out the fond memories (Scott! Cue the warm and fuzzy montage!!)...

Remember our first show? At that seedy bar in Georgetown? Little did ye know how rock-tacular we would grow up to be.

Sure, we've had some ups and downs -- like when we released our record last summer to rave reviews and you showed up with so many friends that The Velvet Lounge had to turn people away at the door? And that was a friggin' LOW point for us. Life's pretty sweet in The Velt.

And here's another kick-ass rock show...

Press accolades galore... We know. We're pretty awesome in print too.

More kick-ass rocking... (skip ahead, Scott)

Anywho, you get the idea. So to celebrate The Velt's birthday, and its wobbly first-steps into toddlerdom (that's a baby reference for you kid-lovin' chicks out there), we've got a show this Sunday at The Red & The Black.

We'll be in our usual spot. And we'll give you a little sign during the show, just so you know how special you are to us.

Rock,
The 'Velt

We would like to announce the winner in the "Best Search-Term By Which One Has Discovered TheRoosevelt.Net..." sweepstakes:

"blowing antler for sale music"

Just outstanding. The creativity of our Google-using fanbase is... I don't know. It just warms the soul.

It was a close heat between the eventual winner and "estate tax zagreb." Really a difficult decision for the judges. But let's be honest, the use of "blowing" and "antler" in succession was... just breath-taking. Thank you. Thank you all.

The 'Velt

Dear fans:

We don't have much time, so we'll be brief. Here's the deal: on the
way back from our recent gig in Boston (which rocked), the band's
minivan was hijacked by terrorists. I don't have time to give the
details, but they've strapped us to a nuclear bomb, and a second bomb
filled with anthrax, and they're going to detonate both if you don't
come to our show next Thursday. Oh, there's also a third bomb, which
we're also strapped to, that will somehow release killer bees.

I know you're all probably a little confused, but this is no time for
questions. These guys are dangerous, and they mean business. I don't
know why they picked us (though it could have something to do with our
incredible music-writing and playing abilities), and I'm not sure why
they specifically want tons of people to show up next Thursday, at
Rock & Roll Hotel, to watch us play with The Payola Reserve from
Baltimore (though it could be because we're going to blow the place
to smithereens with our rock), but they do.

Come to the show, and bring everybody you know. I'm not kidding:
Bring. Fucking. Everybody. The fate of your favorite band and quite
possibly the future of music on planet Earth depend on it.

That's all they've allowed us to say.

The 'Velt

8PM :: Thu, Jan 25 :: Rock & Roll Hotel :: WASH-DC :: $10
The Payola Reserve :: TheRoosevelt :: saving the world together

P.S. I forgot to mention that they've planted bombs rigged with
killer-bee-releasing mechanisms in each of your houses as well.

Welcome to the latter part of the decade. 2007... Yeah, we don't feel any different either.

Anyway, it's a new year and The Roosevelt has returned to the studio to begin work on a new record. Yes, this will indeed be our debut full-length. We hope it will be available this year, but won't have an idea on a concrete release date until later this Spring.

But stay tuned, loyal fans, and perhaps you will be rewarded with periodic demos of new tracks.

Dear fans:

We've finally done it. Having started from meager beginnings, we've
reached that milestone at which every band gets to say they've hit
the big time. That's right -- we're going on a World Tour.

We considered going really huge, and playing a show in every world
capital on successive nights, from Accra to Zagreb. But we figured
that was a little gimmicky, so we scrapped that idea. And we didn't
want to be cliché, so we crossed off all the lame cities that bands
normally hit -- New York, London, Tokyo, L.A., etc. Then we hit a
few minor speed bumps -- Scott's afraid of planes and boats, Chris
hates the stench of Canadians, we only have $27 in the bank -- so
long story short: we're going to Philadelphia!

And then we'll have a big show back here in Washington at the Rock N'
Roll Hotel to celebrate our return from our globetrotting ways, and
treat our travel-weary bodies to some beers, some pals, and some rock
music.

And to cap it all off, we get to play with -- and if you come out,
you'll get to see -- a couple incredible bands that have for some
reason agreed to let us ride their coattails for a couple days:
Phonograph, from Brooklyn, and These United States, from right here
in DC.

So if you're inclined to make the trip to Philly (or if for some
godforsaken reason, you live there), we'd love to have you along for
the ride. And if you're going to be holding down the fort while
we're out on the road, come see a fantastic show at R n' R Hotel when
we get back.

If you were in an awesome rock band, we'd come see you.

-- The Roosevelt

P.S. To members of The Roosevelt Fan Club, Zagreb Chapter: don't
despair. Our EP is still available on iTunes and, God willing, will
soon be for sale in many Croatian bazaars.

Wed. 12/20 :: The Khyber, Philadelphia :: $8.00
Thu. 12/21 :: Rock N' Roll Hotel, WashDC :: $10.00

We're on iTunes! Which, you know... pretty cool.

So the EP can now be purchased by several means. Buying a copy from CD Baby is still an option, but for you crazy MP3 kids out there you've got options. Grab a copy today!

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=203664940

'TIS THE F*ING SEASON: 'VELT TUNES AVAILABLE ONLINE AND ON ITUNES!!!

Break out the Yule logs! Don the snowflake fashioned sweaters! Fire
up the "James Taylor At Christmas" LP! And spike the ole' eggnog,
'cause we got one more season of awesomeness to go before the year's
out!

What's that? A little early for Christmas-themed celebration, you
say? Well, excuse us for living, jerks. Our fault. We didn't
realize you hated Jesus Christ, fun, and/or the laid back musical
stylings of James Taylor.

Pardon us for being a bit excited about the next couple of months,
we're SO SORRY. We only have a little thing called "unadulterated
fame and untold riches" to look forward to. You see, we have some
very big news to report:

** FIRST, we have plans for a HOLIDAY-SPICED MINI-TOUR; our first
foray beyond the beltway. We'll stop by Boston, Philadelphia, and
maybe even New York and Baltimore before it's all said and done.
It's been a while since we've made it out and about, and shared our
unparalleled brand of rock with the good people of the world. Stay
tuned for details (and see below for our confirmed dates thus far).

** SECOND, and perhaps most exciting, our newly released EP (cleverly
titled "EP") is available on the World Wide Web AND via the iTunes
music store.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/theroosevelt
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=203664940

(Those are active links, geniuses -- click on them!)

So share with us this pre-holiday toast. And if you don't drink,
celebrate by buying some tunes! (Also do that if you do drink.)

Here's to having sweet-ass music for sale!

And here's to having a small spate of tour dates a-comin' up!
http://theroosevelt.net/calendar.html

And here's to fuzzy antlers!
http://image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/4_1880.jpg

Shit yeah, it's gonna be a sweet winter. Rock bless us, everyone.

Dear registered voter:

TheRoosevelt is proud to announce its candidacy for U.S. Senate. We also understand that Washington, D.C., has no U.S. Senate seats and that most, if not all, of us fail to meet the Constitutional age requirements for Senate service (we're not sure how old Chris is). But we've faced long odds before, and we've always come out on top. Well, not always. But a LOT of the time.

We're going to run on a comprehensive platform. We're going to fight for principles with the strength of our convictions on matters ranging from commonsense reform to protecting deeply held values. Here's where we stand on the issues:

Terrorism: If we let the terrorists win, then the terrorists have won. Therefore, we support elevating strategic responsibility.

Education: We need to unlock the keys to learning. For that reason, we support giving back conventional opportunities.

Lobbying reform: Politics make compelling bedfellows. Let's cut back on malicious deception.

Gay rights: Rights shouldn't be special. If elected, we'll block gay threats.

Estate tax: We support permanent, but responsible, estate tax reform, which can be accomplished by setting the individual estate tax exemption at $4 million per individual ($8 million per couple), and taxing estates whose value is above the exemption level at a 40-percent marginal rate. This approach would ensure that 99.9 percent of estates pay absolutely no tax while ensuring that the federal government isn't burdened by hundreds of billions of dollars in added debt just as the baby boomers are about to retire and at a time when Medicare costs continue to soar.

Abortion: Ummmmmm, not sure.

And of course, you all know our position on Rock. We're for it. But in case you need a refresher on that point, we'll be conducting a demonstration next Thursday night at The Red & The Black on Capitol Hill with our running mates the Deleted Scenes and Gary B & The Notions.

Vote TheRoosevelt. America deserves awesomer.

For those of you who were lucky enough to take home copy of "The Roosevelt | Bonus Disk" from Friday night's show, the track list is as follows:

1. American Drunk
2. Tranquilizers
3. Feels Good to Me
4. Mistress & The Lipstick
5. Blank Sheets
6. When I'm Good
7. Blind Man Sprinting
8. Yellow Dancer

Enjoy...

So... uh... it turns out the Release Party was in-fact sold out. A thousand apologies to those who weren't able to get in to celebrate with us.

And a million thank yous to all who crammed their way in. We feed off of your energy at each and every show, and we were very well-fed on Friday.

For those who are still hoping to pick up a copy of the EP, it's going to take a week or so to get everything set up with the distributor (copies will eventually be available via iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, etc.), but if you'd like a copy TODAY please send us an email and we'll be happy to get one in your hands ASAP.

Thanks again for all the support. It truly means a ton.

D'Im just kidding! (you guys are easy...)

But seriously, and this time I mean it, this place is friggin' tiny and risks reaching that gotta-stop-lettin'-folks-in critical mass early on. Late-comers beware.

Word on the street is the Velvet Lounge holds about 150 rabid fans. To entice the most die-hard, and I mean fucking crazy-huge fans out there to show up early, we will be handing out free -- FREE -- shit to the first 150 fans through the doors.

Be there: 9pm Friday @ Velvet Lounge for The Roosevelt's CD Release Party!!

(Yes, the CDs have arrived!... They look pretty sweet, thanks for asking... Oh, sure, you'll be able to buy them online, like, real soon and all... yeah, iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, and all them, but that's not until... Right. AFTER the release show. You'll have to actually COME to the release party to pick up a copy... 6 bucks... I know, it's a fucking STEAL... What? Why would you say that??... Of course we think it's good. We fucking WROTE it!... Yeah, alright cool... See you there...)

As some of you know, we were recently featured in the Washington Post "Nightlife" podcast. Here's an excerpt:

"[The Roosevelt] is really a band without a gimmick. They don't have any flashy playing. They're not dressed in crazy clothes. It's just four guys up there depending on the oldest gimmick of all, which is just solid songs with good hooks, good vocal melodies, and good lyrics. It was refreshing to see people focus on song-craft. It reminds me of Neil Young, maybe a little Wilco. Kind of Americana-tinged folky poppy stuff... It's weird that there are maybe some people who do the music thing that aren't trying to get chicks." (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/podcastfront.htm)

We were honored to be featured in the Post's podcast, and we really appreciate all the positive feedback. We agree that we're refreshing; we're constantly refreshed by ourselves. And we are focused with laser-like intensity on song-craft. I mean that's pretty obvious.

But let's be absolutely clear about something: we are also in it for the chicks.

Next Friday, we're having a huge party at Velvet Lounge to celebrate the release of our new EP. If you're a chick, please come. If you're a dude, tell as many of your chick friends to come, but don't actually come yourselves, because you'll be taking up space that could be filled with more chicks (you can order the EP online later). We'll be playing a whole bunch of chick-centric songs for and about chicks, and when we're not on stage, we'll be trying to talk to chicks.

If you have any questions, feel free to let us know, but the answer will always be "more chicks."

Ladies, we hope to see you there! Fellas, we hope you have a fun night wherever you end up (seriously, please come).

Chicks,
TheRoosevelt