In Stereo Utah's Finest Rock Band

Gig Report - Canyon Inn July 24-25, 2009

2009-07-26T17:24:00.005-06:00

In Stereo played at the Canyon Inn in Salt Lake city this past weekend. It was a good weekend overall even though the crowds were smaller than we would have liked. Ted was back playing with the band after battling a severe ankle infection for the past 3 months.

Ted did a great job and was able to last the entire weekend without giving out. It takes a lot of stamina to drum for 4 hours a night but Ted pulled it off and the crowd really seemed to appreciate it.

Heidi came and sang with us both nights. The crowd really loves it when she gets up and sings some songs with us.

We will be playing the Canyonn Inn again in August. Watch here and Live Musician Central for gig announcements. We will also be playing a festival with Heidi in September so keep an eye on the Blog and websites for announcements.

We had a lot of friends and family show up to support us and we really appreciate all the support we get from all of you. Thanks for coming out to see In Stereo whenever we perform.

And now...some pictures!

Pictures of In Stereo at Canyon Inn July 24, 2009

2009-07-26T17:00:00.000-06:00

In Stereo at Canyon Inn on May 29-30, 2009

2009-05-25T10:23:00.003-06:00

In Stereo will be playing at the Canyon Inn on May 29-30. Show starts at 9:00 PM and ends at 1:00 AM. It should be a really fun show. Frank will be filling in for Ted again while Ted continues to heal up following a very serious ankle infection.

Canyon Inn is located at:
3700 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Salt Lake City, UT
801-943-6969

Don't miss this show as you never know what's going to happen at an In Stereo gig!!

Gig Report - Canyon Inn April 3-4, 2009 Frank Lee Fills In For Ted

2009-04-05T17:09:00.009-06:00

From In Stereo at Canyon Inn on April 3-4, 2009

In Stereo played an excellent live gig at the Canyon Inn in Salt Lake City, Utah the weekend of April 3-4, 2009. We really had a lot of fun this past weekend even though the weekend started with an extreme low point for In Stereo. We had practiced on Wednesday night and Ted (our drummer) seemed to be doing fine and we got some excellent new songs ready to go. So when I got a call about midday on Thursday from Ted to tell me he was in the hospital with a severely infected ankle it was a complete surprise. Ted had his ankle's fused about a year ago and the screws in the bones had started to come out and caused bleeding inside his ankle, which in turn became infected. Needless to say, he would be unable to make our scheduled gig. Luckily, we were able to secure the drumming services of Frank Lee who is the drummer for Shufflin' Noah and also the original drummer for In Stereo before he left the band and Ted took over the drumming. It turned out to be really fun for all of us to have Frank come and drum although our thoughts were with Ted all weekend.
On Friday night we got all set up to play and all the equipment was working fine which is really the first hurdle at any gig. It's amazing how quickly equipment problems can kill your show. We were all jittery with excitement and nerves as we quickly decided what we were going to play before taking the stage. We hadn't had a chance to practice with Frank and he hadn't played with In Stereo for a couple years so we were all winging it. In Stereo uses a computer sequencer on about 25% of our songs and it's up to the drummer to stay with the click track to keep the band together. It's extremely challenging and the drummer has to be very disciplined and focused to be able to pull this off. Luckily, Frank has had experience working with sequences and he was able to keep it together on every sequenced song we did. Heidi Nedreberg was also there on Friday night with a good contingent of friends and we had her come up and join the band on several songs. She sang extremely well and only continues to improve as a live singer. She got some huge cheers from the audience. The audience was lively and seemed to really enjoy the show all night long. We had a lot of extra energy because of the extra stress of playing with a new drummer. It really turned out to be a lot of fun and the night went off without a hitch. We really missed Ted because we are so familiar with his style. We know where his drum breaks are so we're able to predict the songs from his drumming. Frank did a fantastic job and it was challenging and fun to try to stay tight and keep the music rocking. Plus, he's got some great fills with a really hard, rocking style. Frank sang lead on AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Dirty Deeds" which both filled the floor. Heidi totally rocked on Journey's "Separate Ways" which got a lot of screams from the audience! It was a great night for the band and hopefully for everyone in the club. (continued below...)

From In Stereo at Canyon Inn on April 3-4, 2009

Saturday night, things went even better because we had all the experience of Friday night to draw on. We'd played better overall as we became more familiar with the way our styles were fitting together. We had a bunch of rowdy girls in the audience that were really having a good time. Saturday night, Kyle "Bill" Johnson sang Journey's "Separate Ways" and the audience ate it up! It was like a rock concert instead of a dance club because everyone was facing the stage and screaming like crazy while we played. It's a great feeling when the audience is so into what you're doing up there onstage. Saturday it seemed like every song we played just rocked! The 2nd night of two-night gigs are always tough to keep the energy flowing for the whole 4-hour show and if you lose your energy onstage the audience can feel it too. But we really kept it from start to finish and we finished the night strong being called back for 2 encores. The audience kept yelling for more Journey so we played "Separate Ways" again and they went even crazier the 2nd time. All in all it was an excellent night and the entire weekend went well onstage.
Word on Ted is that he will get better and hopefully he'll be back behind the drumset soon. Watch the In Stereo Blog for updates on Ted's progress and we'll try to keep the news current. Thanks to Frank for filling in for Ted, you rock man!! And thanks to all our family, friends and fans that came out to see us play. As always, it's seeing people we know that makes the gigs a lot more fun for us.

From In Stereo at Canyon Inn on April 3-4, 2009

Canyon Inn on April 3-4, Frank Lee fills in for Ted Townsend

2009-04-02T19:48:00.003-06:00

It's going to be a very intersting weekend at the Canyon Inn for In Stereo. Ted has come down with some serious ankle problems and it looks like he won't be able to play the show. But, the show must go on!! So Frank Lee, the drummer from local rock group Shufflin' Noah is going fill in for Ted this weekend. If you want to see a rare and interesting In Stereo lineup, you better be at the Canyon Inn on April 3-4, 2009.

In Stereo at Canyon Inn on April 3-4, 2009

2009-03-30T09:19:00.002-06:00

In Stereo will be playing at the Canyon Inn on April 3-4, 2009. We've been practicing and sounding really good lately. We will be playing some new songs this weekend. Come out to the show and listen for these new songs:
Weezer - Troublemaker
Jimmy Eat World - In The Middle
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long

and possibly a very original version of The Monkees - Stepping Stone.

The Canyon Inn is located at:
3700 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Salt Lake City, Utah
801-943-6969

Hope to see you all there!

Gig Report - Canyon Inn February 13-14, 2009

2009-02-15T19:00:00.002-07:00

My live band, In Stereo, played at the Canyon Inn in Salt Lake City this weekend. It was a decent gig and a lot of interesting things happened. It was also interesting because it was on a Friday the 13th followed by Valentines Day. You would think that would give us a lot to work with from the stage but we didn't really come up with a lot of good jokes. I think the Friday the 13th effect was in full force though because I totally lost my voice after about 5 songs. Let me start at the beginning.
Friday night started out pretty well even though the club only filled up about two thirds of the way full. It wasn't too bad because the crowd had a lot of energy. Earlier Friday I felt a cold coming on and I was getting a sore throat but I figured I would be okay to sing if i didn't push it. I sang okay the first two sets but I could feel the power slipping out of my voice. By the time I sang Vertigo by U2 I totally lost my voice. That has only happened to me two or three times over the course of my 27 year career and it's never fun. Luckily Tom's daughter Heidi Nedreberg was in the crowd with a bunch of her friends and she came up and sang a bunch of songs with us. That took a lot of pressure off of us vocally and she did really well. The crowd gave Heidi a lot of applause and she even picked up a guy fan that wouldn't leave her alone. You're a good sport Heidi. Another funny thing that happened on Friday happened when we played our usual Birthday song for whoever is having birthdays in the club. Some guy with a bunch of Tattoo's got up and proceeded to bend over, grab his ankles and invite everyone in the club to come give him birthday spankings. So for the entire length of The Beatles - Birthday, everyone came up and spanked the guys ass. He seemed to enjoy himself though so it was all good.
Saturday morning I woke up and my voice was completely gone. So I called Tom and told him we'd need Heidi to cover some vocals again. Unfortunately she had a previous commitment and wasn't able to make it. So Tom, Kyle and Ted handled all the singing for the entire night. They did really well too and I was proud of them. I felt bad that I couldn't carry my usual load of the singing. I don't think about all the little harmony parts I sing in a lot of the songs as well as doing my share of the stage banter with the crowd. I did have some of our regular fans come up and give me love and tell me how much they missed my singing. So that made me feel a little better anyway. I have to admit that it was fun to only have to worry about playing awesome guitar parts. I definitely played better than usual on the guitar and I had several people compliment my playing. The club wasn't full again on Saturday night which was kind of a bummer. We like to play to a packed house every time we play. The people that were there seemed to have a really good time though so that made things a lot better. Overall it was a pretty good gig and it taught me not to take my voice for granted.
We'll be playing the Canyon Inn again soon so keep an eye on Live Musician Central for upcoming gig announcements. -Matt-

In Stereo at Canyon Inn on February 13-14, 2009

2009-02-09T08:45:00.003-07:00

In Stereo will be playing at the Canyon Inn on February 13-14. The show starts at 9:00 P.M. both nights. So come check us out, we'd love to see all our fans there!

In Stereo Gig Report - Canyon Inn January 9-10, 2009

2009-01-11T22:42:00.003-07:00

We had an excellent gig this weekend at the Canyon Inn. Friday night we were a little rusty but once we got going things clicked back into place and we ended up finishing strong. The club was pretty slow on Friday night.

Saturday night was a much better night all the way around. The club filled up and we played a whole lot better than we did on Friday.

For a more in-depth report, read the full gig report write-up on Live Musician Central.

Gig Report - Canyon Inn Nov. 7-8, 2008

2008-11-15T15:51:00.002-07:00

We had an excellent gig at the Canyon Inn on Nov. 7-8. We had a lot of friends show up and got a ton of great compliments. To read the full write-up just pop on over to Live Musician Central and check out the In Stereo gig report.

In Stereo at Canyon Inn on November 7-8

2008-11-03T08:55:00.001-07:00

In Stereo will be playing the Canyon Inn on November 7-8 from 9:00PM-1:00AM. Cover is $5.00 and the place can fill up so make sure you get there early if you want a table. We haven't played for about a month so it should be interesting to see how things go.

See you all there!

Gig Report - Canyon Inn Sept. 12-13, 2008

2008-09-14T18:13:00.002-06:00

In Stereo had a great weekend at the Canyon Inn. We have been playing a lot of shows lately so the band was very tight and our voices were strong. Friday night we had a full house and the people were up and dancing early. Friday was another night where we didn't play very many slow songs. The crowd just wanted to dance and party all night long. There were a couple birthdays and the mood was really good in the room. Kyle had some family show up and it's always good to see them out there in the audience. It was just a good solid show and we put a lot of energy into it. By the end of the night our fingers were sore and so were our throats.
Saturday night the crowd was a little slower to get going and the room filled up a little later. But once the crowd got going, wow! We got some of the loudest cheers we've heard in a long time. We had some good friends and family show up again and Tom's daughter Heidi Nedreberg got up and sang with us. She knocked the crowd out with killer renditions of Folsom Prison, Rock-N-Roll, You Oughta Know and she really knocked it out of the park with I'm The Only One. Heidi sang I'm The Only One really well and the band played great on it too so it was an over-the-top performance with all the elements clicking together extremely well. It was truly a case of live musician energy putting a song over the top. It's something you just can't get from a recording. By the end of the song the crowd was right up against the stage and when we hit that final note, the crowd went wild! Ted's son Alec and his buddy Dane showed up on Saturday as well and it was good to see them. It's always a great feeling onstage when you see your friends and family out in the crowd.
All in all it was a great weekend and we're looking forward to playing the Canyon Inn again really soon.

In Stereo at Canyon Inn on September 12-13

2008-09-08T22:41:00.005-06:00

Matt, playing guitar for some fans at Canyon Inn!

We will be playing our favorite club, the Canyon Inn on September 12-13. The show starts at 9:00 both nights and the cover charge is $5.00 . Make sure you're ready to have some fun!

Canyon Inn is located at:
3700 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Salt Lake City
for info and reservations call 801-943-6969

Club 90 Gig Report August 29-30, 2008

2008-09-01T00:24:00.002-06:00

We had a really good time at Club 90 this weekend. It was by far the best gig we've played at Club 90. Historically we've gotten booked on bad weekends when we play Club 90 and we've never really had a great crowd crowd. This weekend was looking like it would be another lame weekend because it was Labor Day Weekend but with gas prices keeping people close to home, we had a good crowd both nights.

Friday night the crowd had a lot of energy and I think people were ready to celebrate the start of a 3-day weekend. The night started out with people dancing right from the get go and that always makes it easier and more fun to play. Kasie and her friends came to see us and it was great to see her. We got the crowd going with oldies at the beginning of the night and as the night went on we pulled out our more current and heavier rock songs. We played really well as a band and closed the night out with The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again which really got some people fired up. It's nice feeling the love from the audience with the compliments and the high-fives. We put a lot of energy into Friday night and were beat by the end of it. I actually did have blisters on my fingers which never happens when I play guitar. I personally played really well and the power at Club 90 was excellent so my guitar amplifier sounded excellent and had incredible response to my playing. It's funny how important good power is to your sound on the guitar.

Saturday night the crowd started out a little smaller but the place filled up well as the night went on. The crowd didn't have as much energy as Friday night but there were some real high points. We filled the floor a lot with the slow songs like Wicked Game and Wonderful Tonight. As the night went on we pulled out our heaviest songs and they went over well. Metallica - Enter Sandman, Nine Inch Nails - Closer and Def Leppard - Rock Of Ages all really got the crowd fired up. We ended with Won't Get Fooled Again which we played much better than we did on Friday.

Tom's daughter Heidi Nedreberg was there both nights and got up and sang with us several times. The crowd responded really well to her and they filled the floor every time she sang. If you're lucky enough to see Heidi sing Led Zepplin - Rock-N-Roll with In Stereo it's really something. Heidi sang the song both nights with Saturday being the best of the two performances. It's nice to have that youthful energy up onstage with us to give the band a little extra life up there.

So we'll see what happens with this latest Club 90 show. Historically we only get asked to play there on off weekends when they can't seem to line up another band. Hopefully we did well enough that we'll get some more consistent dates there. Time will tell I guess but either way we had a great time and it was nice to finally have a couple good nights at Club 90.

In Stereo at Club 90 Aug. 29-30

2008-08-25T13:45:00.002-06:00

In Stereo will be playing at Club 90 on August 29-30. Show starts at 9:00 PM both nights.

Club 90 is located at:
9065 S. Monroe St.
Sandy, UT
801-566-3254

It's been a while since we've played there so it would be great to see all our fans come out and support us.

I put up a picture of Kyle "Bill" Johnson the last time we played Club 90 for your enjoyment.

Canyon Inn Gig Report

2008-07-29T21:13:00.000-06:00

In Stereo played the Canyon Inn in Salt Lake City this weekend. It was a lot of fun to get out and play. We've had about a month off and the break has been nice but I start getting restless to get out and play when we sit for so long. Overall the weekend went really well and it was a good success.

On Friday, the crowd was up and dancing from the very first song. We changed up our setlist to spread the singing out between the various band members and we also put hard rocking songs in every set. Our setlist has gotten full of really strong songs and it's nice to have great song after great song to play. We also didn't play a single slow song the whole night which was an In Stereo first. It was really fun to keep everyone up and dancing but I have to admit it's kind of a break for the band as well to play a slow song every hour or so. Still, it was pretty cool rocking out all night long. The highlights of the night were probably the 80's hair metal that we played. We played Poison - Nothin' But A Good Time, Motley Crue - Girls, Girls, GIrls and Def Leppard - Rock of Ages to a really packed and wild dance floor. We ended the night with The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again which was a big success as well. It was about 102 degrees hot in Utah so we were wearing shorts and shades onstage and the crowd seemed to dig the summer look. Our regular fans that showed up gave us some great compliments.

On Saturday the crowd was a little smaller but they were loud. They didn't get up and dance right away but they cheered really loudly after every song. Kyle had some friends and family in the audience and that made it fun to play. It's always easier to play to people that are going to like you no matter what. We actually played some slow songs on Saturday night! We played two and they both went over extremely well. We played Chris Issak - Wicked Gamd and Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb for the slow stuff. I always get really loud applause and a bunch of compliments on my guitar playing on Comfortably Numb and this weekend was no different. One interesting thing that happened during Comfortably Numb was a when a guy came right in front of the stage and was rocking out like it was a punk rock song. I guess he was just really feeling the music. Being moved by music can really cause some interesting behavior! He did come up and high-five me after my guitar solo which was cool. Saturday we played some good punk rock. We played The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop, The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go and a punk rock version of the Rolling Stones - Paint It Black. It was a a lot of fun on Saturday as well.

The crowd was really good both nights and we got a bunch of compliments. The club manager told us she was really happy with how we had changed up our setlist and several people came up to the band to find out where we were playing next. We didn't have any fights or rowdy hecklers and we saw a lot of our regular fans at the Canyon Inn. I'm really looking forward to playing again. Thanks to everybody that came out to see us! -Matt-

In Stereo at Canyon Inn July 25-26

2008-07-18T15:45:00.000-06:00

Hi everybody, In Stereo will be playing at the Canyon Inn on July 25-26. We're looking forward to a fun extension of the July 24th holiday. So bring all your friends and let's have some fun!

Matt's Blog - Live Musician Central

2008-07-18T15:35:00.006-06:00

I'm now writing a blog for musicians called Live Musician Central. It's all about my experiences playing in bands for 27 years. I will be discussing my life in In Stereo and sharing a bunch of experiences related to In Stereo as well. So if you're a fan of the greatest rock band in Utah, come check out Live Musician Central.

http://www.livemusiciancentral.com/

In Stereo at the Green Triangle, Pocatello Idaho May 30-31

2008-05-26T20:35:00.001-06:00

We'll be playing at a club called the Green Triangle in Pocatello, Idaho on May 30-31. It's the first time we've played in Idaho so we aren't sure what to expect. Hopefully we'll see somebody we know up there.
I'll be posting a full write-up on the gig when we get back.

-Matt-

Canyon Inn Review for March 7-8

2008-03-14T12:13:00.003-06:00

We had a really great time at the Canyon Inn last weekend. There was only one really obnoxious heckler on Friday night that came closer to getting his ass kicked than anyone ever has at an In Stereo gig. We don't know the guys name but if we do see him again, we PITY THE FOOL!! ha ha, gotta love Mr. T.. Let's just say we don't take kindly to being bitched out at the side of the stage because we're not fitting in with your fantastical delusions of grandeur. The guys main bitch was that we weren't playing simple enough songs. I guess he expected a barn dance type hoedown or something. Believe me, if you can't dance to our song list then you must be one crappy dancer.

Anyway, that was Friday night which was very crowded but had a sort of strange vibe. We still had a really good time though. Saturday night was very crowded as well and the crowd was a lot more responsive which made it the better of the two nights for us. We really pulled out all the stops and were able to play most of the requests we got. It looked like everyone there was having a great time on Saturday night. We had some blond chick from down the road get up and sing Led Zepplin's song Rock-N-Roll with us. She was pretty good but I kind of felt like we were doing a glorified Karaoke show. She was easy on the eyes though. :-)

Tom was sick both nights but pulled it together enough to do a kickass job of singing and playing. He didn't spit up too much blood or anything.

Our new songs went over very well. We played Nothin' But A Good Time, Girls Girls Girls, Sweet Emotion and I Will Follow. We got a lot of compliments on the '80's hair metal. We were actually able to satisfy a lot of requests and the new songs helped a lot with that.

We want to give a shout out to our fans that showed up. Especially Kasie and her crew, Julie and her bunch, Denise and the family, Lori and Eric. I know I always say this, but it is so nice to see friends in the audience. It makes it sooo much better to play. So thanks guys and I hope you all had a great time!!

See you next time,
Matt

In Stereo at Canyon Inn March 7-8

2008-03-04T16:16:00.001-07:00

Come see us play in our native land, the Canyon Inn! We should have several songs worked up by then so if you come out, you'll hear us play some things we haven't done before.

Teazers Review

2008-03-04T16:12:00.002-07:00

Teazers new concert hall is really awesome! It's got a great stage and a fantastic lighting setup. We had a great time playing with all that room onstage. The downside is they've only had live bands for about a month and instead have been bringing in DJ's to play Hip-Hop music. It's a different crowd and word obviously hasn't gotten out that there are live rock bands on Friday night. Needless to say the crowd was small but those that understood live music really enjoyed it. The hip-hoppers that showed up on a Friday night seemed confused and tended to send text messages on their phones while we played.

Oh well, we'd like to play there again sometime.

In Stereo at Teazers 2-29-08

2008-02-27T09:59:00.004-07:00

We will be playing at Teazers on 2-29-08. Teazers is located at 366 36th St. Ogden which is located just off of Washington Blvd. We will be playing from 9:00 to 1:00 and will be playing some new songs. It's been a few years since we played Teazers and we've always had really interesting experiences there in the past. What will happen this time? Who knows, but I think our fans owe it to themselves to come out and find out. It could be very memorable....

Matt

New Songs

2008-02-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

We're currently learning some new songs. We're working on: Nothing But A Good Time by Poison and Girls, Girls, Girls by Motley Crue.

We're trying to decide between two Aerosmith songs: Sweet Emotion and Love In An Elevator. So here's your chance to help decide what In Stereo should play. Should we do Sweet Emotion or Love In An Elevator.

Leave your vote in the Comments below....

Canyon Inn Review

2008-02-04T09:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the Canyon Inn last weekend. The crowd was really into it and we had a lot of energy onstage. Having Bill back in the band was a lot of fun. Bill said he had a great time even though he felt a little rusty. I couldn't tell. It seemed like he just jumped right back into it without missing a beat. When he sang Rock Of Ages the crowd really responded well.

Ted gave Bill a really nice "I love you man!" speech that got a nice round of applause from the audience as well. It was really beautiful to see the bonding going on between those two. ;-)

It was great to see so many friends and family at the show. Thanks to all of you for coming out and giving us your support. There's nothing better than looking out from the stage and seeing a lot of friendly faces out there!

Matt

Kyle "Bill" Johnson returns to the fold.

2008-01-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's confirmed. Kyle "Billy Muffin" Johnson is returning to the In Stereo lineup. This will be a return to the band lineup that played the 2002 Olympics. This lineup also opened for Joan Jett, Little River Band and Quiet Riot (R.I.P. Kevin Dubrow). Bill will be playing Guitar, Keyboards, Singing and running the light show. Make sure you come to the gigs to find out where he's been and see if he still has any of the old rock-n-roll magic left.

We've had a great few years as a 3-piece band and loved playing as a 3-piece. We are very excited to have Bill back in the band. It's great to have a 4th person to help with all the work (and there's a lot of it!) Bill brings a special energy to the band and it's a whole different experience.

So come out to the shows! We love our fans and we need your support. You guys are the ONLY reason we play live.

Rock ON!!!

Matt

In Stereo Update 8-10-07

2007-08-10T15:59:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's been a while since we updated the Blog. You know how it gets in the summer and all you want to do is get outside and enjoy the sun. We've all had a great summer and have played some excellent shows.

The one exception to that was in Kemerer, Wyoming. We had a crazy night out there. It was messed up from the start. There was road construction on the way out there and that delayed our arrival by about an hour. That came back to haunt us at the end of the night. Ted was the first to arrive at the club and went to the owner to confirm that we had 3 rooms for the night. The owner gave himself a hillbilly whack on the head and said, "I plum fergot!" which of course he didn't, he just didn't see why a 3 piece band needed more than 3 bed slots. So he got us 2 rooms. One with a double bed and one with a single bed. By hillbilly logic that means each person in a 3 piece band had a bed space to sleep in. Needless to say that we, not being hillbillies ourselves, were not amused. I mean, I refuse to share a bed with Tom or Ted. We get enough of each other just playing onstage together a couple weekends a month. It's one of the reasons In Stereo has lasted so long is that we're not sick of each other.

So Ted called Tom and I to tell us what he had found out. By that time we were far enough away from Salt Lake that I decided to stop in Evanston and get my own room. That was going to add an extra 90 miles worth of gas for me driving back and forth from Kemerer to stay in Evanston.

Once we got to Kemerer we found out that the stage was less than half the size of the Canyon Inn. So basically all that would fit on the stage was the drumset and the mixer. So Tom and I set up on the edge of the dance floor which would later prove disastrous. As we were setting up, the friendly customers were swearing at us and threatening to kick our asses if we didn't play "real good music" for them. So we just ignored them and finished setting up. We ended up starting 1\2 hour later than we had originally planned because of the road construction delay and the crappy stage setup. But we went on amid pissed off looking bar patrons and proceeded to kick major ass.

We played with fire and attitude, and within about 5 songs we had the crowd won over. They loved us! They danced all night and it got crazier and crazier. To make up for starting late we played an extra 45 minutes and everybody stayed and bought another round of drinks. The club was rolling in the money from the drink sales.

I have to admit I'm a little at fault for what happened next. We were really getting the crowd worked up and we kicked into Metallica followed by The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop". During that song girls finally tripped on the monitors we had to set up on the dance floor and sent my microphone tumbling to the floor. We kept playing while I set things right and I finished playing the song out in the middle of the dance floor playing the guitar and yelling out the lyrics in the middle of the crowd. So we should have called it a night. But the people were worked up and they wanted more! So I called out "Let's play The Who" and we launched into Won't Get Fooled Again. Well this time when some fat lady fell on the monitor it got completely flipped upside down and Tom's mic stand and mine both collapsed. Then some guy, trying to be help out picked the monitor up and set it down on the wrong side smashing the audio jack. So that put an end to the show. But the people lined up to tell us how great we were and to let us know they'd be back to see us the next night.

We figured out a plan for the following night to avoid some of the problems we had on the first when the hillbilly owner walks up and says to me "You gonna have a problem playin' a all-nighter t'morrow?!?" He didn't mention anything about how well we did, how much money he made, how satisfied his customers were or anything. So, I politely informed him that we normally contract for 4 hours a night and that we were planning on playing from 9:30-1:30 but that we may be able to work something out. At that point he turned beet red and said "Well you all started late t'night!" I politely told him we played an extra 45 minutes to make up for the 30 minutes we lost at the beginning of the night. I also explained that the crowd was bigger at the end of the night than the beginning and that they didn't leave until we had finished playing. He then stammered and said "But that weren't long enough!" to which I asked "How many hours did you want us to play because we played 4.25 hours total." At which point he turned an even deeper crimson red and stormed off.

At this point we realised we were fighting a losing battle with the owner and that we would be in for major trouble if we came back the following night. So we approached the owner and told him that the accommodations were wrong in that we got stiffed out of a room, the stage was too small and the hours he wanted us to play were not the hours that we normally contracted. So in everyones best interest we decided we would cut our losses and pack up our stuff and call off the following night. So the hillbilly owner said that would have to do and promptly cancelled our 2 rooms for the night and stiffed us $100 on the night for "Startin' late!"

Man what a crazy, bad, messed up night. Tom and Ted decided to drive all the way back to SLC at 3:00 in the morning and I went back to Evanston. Needless to say we all lost a bunch of money and learned some valuable lessons about gig details and hillbillys. I'm just glad it's behind us and we're back home in SLC!!

Matt

Good Spirits was Great!

2007-04-23T14:43:00.000-06:00

It was a really good show at Good Spirits on Saturday night. Heidi came out and sang with us again and did a really good job. The stage there is really small, in fact it's the smallest stage we currently play on. So it was tight up there when Heidi came up but we got up really close and just let it rock.
We did have 3 women from the audience join us up there onstage for a song. That was interesting to say the least! It does make it quite a bit harder to concentrate but hey, we're professionals so we made it through it and had a really great time too. Although Ted did say it made him feel a little uncomfortable. He's a really upstanding guy and did offer his hand to help this one really drunk lady get down off the stage. Tom and I took note and tried not to laugh at the other lady that fell off the stage.

Matt

Good Spirits Saturday April 21st

2007-04-20T10:55:00.000-06:00

We will be at Good Spirits at 999 W. 3300 S. on Saturday April 21st. We played at Good Spirits a month or so ago and all had a great time. We're excited to be back there again and hope to see all our fans there.

Matt

In Stereo Update

2007-04-11T15:47:00.000-06:00

Hi everybody! We had a great time at the Canyon Inn. Heidi came out and sang with us on Friday night. As usual she knocked it out of the park. It's been really fun having her come up and sing some with us.
The club being smoke free was really interesting. I didn't think we got so stinky with sweat ha ha! I always thought that bar sweat must just smell like cigarette smoke.
We played a song by The Doors called Soul Kitchen on Friday night. We did pretty well with it. Tom and I used to play it in Excalibur back in the day. In Stereo rocked it a bit harder though and I think that added to it.
Our next gig will be April 21 at Good Spirits. We played there last month for Kasie's birthday party and just had a great time. Make sure and come out to see us if you can.

Later,
Matt

Canyon Inn March 30-31

2007-03-21T20:45:00.000-06:00

Everybody mark it down. Canyon Inn is now SMOKE FREE! So if the smoke has been keeping you from coming to see the band, now's the time to come.

Successful at Club 48

2007-03-21T20:32:00.000-06:00

Hi everybody, the gig at Club 48 went very well for us. On Friday night Heidi brought some of her friends out to hear us and Heidi got up onstage to sing with In Stereo. It's always a treat when she sings with the band and she is just getting better and better. Heidi's version of Led Zeppelin's song Rock-N-Roll got the loudest applause of the night. So we'd like to say thanks to Heidi, Brittney, Amy and Veronica for filling up the front row at Club 48 and cheering us on. You guys are great!
Ted's brother Steve and his wife Cindy brought their daughter and her fiance' out on Friday night as well. It was great to see them because it's been awhile.
The only funky thing that happened on Friday was some lady that kept bugging us to play a line dance. In Stereo play a line dance?!? I don't think so!!! She finally went away after we ignored her long enough. Thankfully Tom had a line dance on the iPod to placate the lady until she went away.
Saturday was a lot of fun too. There were a few more people overall and our biggest fan Heather came out to see us. She said the band that Good Spirits had this week just wasn't as rockin' as In Stereo so she came and spent the evening rocking out with us. Our agent, Ruth Orr, came out to see us as well and make sure we were alive and well and not duking it out with each other onstage and what not.
All in all it was a very successful weekend and we look forward to playing Club 48 again sometime in the future.

Matt

Kasie's Party at Good Spirits

2007-03-11T16:07:00.000-06:00

We had a fantastic time playing Kasie's party at Good Spirits on Saturday night. Kasie's one popular girl and there were a lot of her friends there. There were quite a few people that showed up out of the blue just to have a good time as well. All in all it was a very successful evening for In Stereo and we just wanted to give Kasie a big Thank You for getting us into Good Spirits.
Next weekend we are at Club 48 located at 16 W. 4800 S. in Murray. It's our first weekend playing at Club 48 and it always makes a new club easier to play if we see some familiar faces in the audience. So all you In Stereo fans come out and let's have a great weekend!

Matt

Kasie's Birthday Party at Good Spirits

2007-03-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Kasie has hired us to play her birthday party on 3-10-07 at Good Spirits in Salt Lake. Door Crashers are welcome so come on in and party with Kasie!

In Stereo Update

2007-03-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, it's been a while since we put anything up on the Blog so I figured I'd update you on In Stereo. We're still going strong after 10 long years. Matt, Tom and Ted have been flying as a 3-piece for about a year and a half now and it's going really well. We get the comment "I can't believe you're only a 3-piece!" all the time. We do have our secret weapon in HAL (our computer) but it only plays on about 1\3 of our songs now. Most of the time it's just guitar, bass and drums pounding out the rockin' tunes.
Some of you might remember our old keyboard player, Kyle "Bill" Johnson. He finally got in contact with us again after about a 6-month hiatus in which people were telling us he was home crying on his pillow. It's sad that he had such a severe bout with depression but he seems to be doing much better now! He still has the occasional tear roll down his cheek but he's hoping to someday play in a real rock-n-roll band again.
Ted's still in charge of updating our website so leave a comment on this Blog if you want to see anything changed or updated.
We love all our loyal fans and it's always a big lift for the band when we see people we know at the gigs.

Rock on!!
Matt

Jack's River Pub in Evanston, WY

2006-03-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

All I've got to say about Evanston is that it's one cold place. We got up there on Saturday, March 25 and it was sunny, semi-warm and seemed to be basically nice. We had a great gig. It's a small room to play in but the sound is great in there and it's fun to have people dancing really close to you. But, when we were finished playing, it was snowing outside and the snow was coming down, if you want to call it down, sideways. It was cold outside but it was warm inside and that's where we had our fun. We look forward to playing up there again during the Bike Rally on Memorial Day Weekend. We are going to be there on Main Street on Friday night. It's going to be fun to let it all out on a stage that's outdoors in the middle of downtown.

BTW, I just thought I'd mention that we are playing at the Canyon Inn this coming weekend, March 31 and April 1. If it's like the last few gigs we've had there, we are going to leave it all on the stage because the people at the Canyon Inn are so great. We look forward to seeing you there.
Tom

It Might have been a Snowy Weekend but it was Hot in Magna

2006-01-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Gigs during the winter are always a bit of a worry for me. When you have to travel a long way and the weather isn't that good you wonder if you're going to make it or what kind of problems you might run into. It was kind of like that this weekend at the Filling Station. There was supposed to be a big storm on Friday and then again on Saturday night and it looked like it was going to happen. There was some snow and it was cold but the gig at the Filling Station was anything but.....

After being off for a month it was good to strap on the gear, fire up the PA, and Rock. The crowd both nights was bigger then expected and even though it wasn't crazy on the dance floor all the time, it seemed that the music spoke to people there because we got a lot of complements. Some people even said they came both nights because they liked what they heard and wanted more. I hope we left them with enough......

One more thing, we keep getting comments about being a three piece band and how it doesn't sound like a three piece band. It sounds so much better. That's been the whole point of us going three piece. There are three singers, three part harmony, and three players that fill the spaces in the groove without having to worry about stepping on anyone else in the band. The song is the most important thing and we can each throw everything we have into each song. That makes it good.

Finally it was great to see all the folks from Fidelity. You made Friday evening a real treat. Tom

Filling Station Jan. 27-28

2006-01-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, In Stereo is making their triumphant return to the Filling Station in Magna this weekend. We've had some really fun gigs here in the past and the club has doubled in size in the last year. It's really a pretty fun place to come hang out. It's an especially good place to come show off any new tattoo's or Harley Davidson's that you have!
The address is 8987 W. 2700 S. Magna, UT.

Seeya there...

2005

2006-01-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great 2005 with In Stereo. We played some really good shows and, more importantly, had a lot of fun. The funnest gigs for me were at the Canyon Inn. The Dec. 23rd show was just a blast! In every band I've been in there's always been a club that seemed like playing at home. Sort of like a band home base. In 2005 it was definitely the Canyon Inn.
For 2006 we are already booked for the Filling Station in Magna for a weekend a month for 6 months. We're also booked at the Canyon Inn a weekend a month for 6. We're going to be playing at some familiar old clubs and hopefully some new ones.
Keep an eye on the website and the Blog for gig dates. It's been great to see the same people showing up for In Stereo shows.
Here's to a great 2006!!!
Matt

Christmas at the Canyon Inn

2005-12-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

We basically had a Ying/Yan experience this last weekend, Dec. 22-23 at the Canyon Inn. Thursday all we could do was keep asking ourselves, what was wrong. It wasn't that it was a bad crowd, it just wasn't very big and very few of the few that were there danced. We just had the occasional guy get out on the dance floor and let 'er rip for a song or just part of a song and then guys kept coming up and singing with us. It was an interesting harmony mix to say the least. Friday though was great. We had Dori sing a few songs with us and that was great. We got to see a lot of our friends, Sonya, Jerry, Reece, and many others and we all had a good time getting ready for the holidays. The dance floor was always packed. There was a lot of love in the air and a lot of energy going back and forth around the room. We ended at 1:00 but the crowd wouldn't let us stop so we ended up playing 3 extra songs and ended at 1:20 then everyone seemed to just hang out and we couldn't get out the door with our equipment until 2:00. Still it was fun and is one of the reasons we like to play. We'll be back there in February, which is a little long to wait but we'll be playing some other places in the mean time. We all hope you had a great Christmas and that your new year will be all that you deserver and more. Tom

Canyon Inn Thursday Dec. 22 and Friday Dec. 23

2005-12-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

We will be at the Canyon Inn on Thursday the 22nd and Friday the 23rd. Since Saturday is Christmas Eve we will be playing Thursday instead. Hopefully some people will show up on Thursday. See you there!

Matt

Canyon Inn (by Matt)

2005-12-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

We had a total blast at the Canyon Inn last weekend. It was packed with people and there was a really good mood in the room. It reminded me of a time I saw Jane's Addiction play at the fairgrounds the week of Christmas when they were at their prime. Nothing but good feelings all around. Thanks to everyone that was there for making it such a great time for the band because when the audience loves it, we love it!

Rock On!
Matt

The Canyon Inn - Oh What a Weekend!!

2005-12-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Matt and I were talking about the gig at the end of Saturday night and how tired and exhausted we felt and he said "We left it all on the stage." You know we did and what a feeling to be able to do that and to have such great crowds that get into it so much. I know it makes my day. It was great to have the dance floor filled, to watch people dancing by the pool tables and in the isles. It was great to celebrate number 50 with Jerry and to see Sonja again with all her friends from JetBlue. She's kind of the last connection we have with Bill, may his musical soul rest in peace. We miss Bill but being a three piece band and playing every night with everything we have has taken what I feel about playing music to a whole new level and it's great. We look forward to playing there again on Dec. 22-23. Who knows what it will be like that close to Christmas but just being able to get together and play music will be good. BTW, if you haven't seen the movie "Walk the Line" let me recommend it to you. I know that's an off the wall comment but it was a great movie that I could really relate too. Until next time, Tom

Canyon Inn Dec. 9-10

2005-12-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

We're going to be playing at the Canyon Inn this weekend. I'm sure it will be a great time and the place should fill up since ski season is here. We play from 9:00-1:00 so arrive early if you want to get a table close to the band.
The Canyon Inn is at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon at 7200 South and Wasatch Drive. It's next to a 7-11 and the Porcupine Grill.

Seeya there!
Matt

On Being 3-piece (By Matt)

2005-11-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say I've really been enjoying being a 3-piece band. We have to work a little harder but we've really been getting our sound together. The last couple of shows we've had people telling us how amazed they are that we sound so big and there are only three of us. We had one guy ask us if we were using vocal enhancements like a harmonizer (he was a musician) and we told him no, that we sing all harmonies live.
Which brings me to our new awesome version the old Sly and the Family Stone classic Everyday People. We've totally reworked the music for the song and it has a very heavy, layered echo guitar part. Plus Tom, Ted and I sing 3-part harmonies for most of it. If you haven't heard us do it yet then get to a show!

Matt

Thanksgiving Weekend at the Barbary Coast

2005-11-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

What a weekend at the Barbary Coast!! They have remodeled the club a bit and changed where the door to get in the club is and I like it. The people that go there are just great. I mean we learned a lot of things like all guys need to wash their hands when they go to the bathroom not just the 1 in 6 that do. We always wash our hands but evidently some guys don't and when a big biker with a beard and leather tells guys that's what you're supposed to do, I hope they listen, we didn't need to but we heard what he said. We also learned that we don't know many songs. On Saturday we had a guy keep asking us for songs from Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Jane's Addiction, Coldplay, Everclear, and about 20 other bands and we just didn't know the songs. I mean, we play about 682 different songs, have 9000 songs on the iPod and we just didn't have what he wanted. We told him that a lot of the songs we play have many of the same notes but they might not be in the same order. We had a good time with him and our ignorance though. Finally there were a couple of very educational anatomical demonstrations by some ladies that really enlightened us. It makes playing music a lot of fun and really that's what the Barbary is all about and we loved it.
Tom

Barbary Coast Nov. 25-26

2005-11-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

We're going to be at the Barbary Coast Nov. 25 and 26. It's at 4242 S. State in Salt Lake. Hope to see some familiar faces. If not, then hope to meet some cool new people.

Rock On!!!
Matt

UofU MBA Banquet

2005-11-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

We just got finished playing for some of the MBA students at the University of Utah. There was a nice dinner, great converstation, and then we got to play a few tunes for people to dance too. These kind of gigs are both fun and hard to play. You're are never sure what to expect. Coming together in situations like these can be stressful. So I'm sure many come to make their apperance, share something, eat and then get back to their own lives. We look at it as a chance to play music, which is a big part of our lives, and we want everyone to share the happiness we feel when we are playing but we know when they come to dinners like this, music may not be what they are there for. We did have fun though because we always meet people that love the music we're playing and have fun with it. That's why we play, well that and it makes us feel good. I just thought I'd share that.

Ted

2005-11-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Take no prisoners, leave no evidence, drive it all night long.

Tom

2005-11-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

I love letting it rip on a 5 string bass. There's nothing like the low B to add bottom end and shack things up.

Matt

2005-11-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

You'll never know what I see when I close my eyes, sing and play my guitar.

The Three Piece Band

2005-11-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Beginning of the Instereo Blog

2005-11-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Instereo was started about 1994 by Matt Rushton. What began as a five piece dance band with a couple of girl singers has evolved into an irreverant trio of guys playing music that moves them and they hope moves you. Matt Rushton is on Lead Guitar, Ted Townsend on Drums and Tom Nedreberg on Bass. They all sing.

This blog though is not a history of the band. You can get that on our website. This blog is where we are going to talk about our gigs and our music. We hope you have some comments about those things as well and share them with us and everyone else who follows the band.

Our last gig was at the Canyon Inn in Salt Lake City. Actually most of our gigs are in Salt Lake City but...... we've played all over Utah and Wyoming and are up for anything. Anyway, the last gig was Halloween weekend at the Canyon Inn. If you weren't there, you missed something special. There was the usual costume party and contest and there were some great costume (I loved Little Red Riding Hood's outfit). After the contest we started our third set and when we got to the end of the set, we didn't feel like stopping, so we continued playing until closing time. I think I lost 5 pounds, I couldn't see because of the sweat in my eyes and at the end I was exhausted. It was great. People came up and danced on stage with us, people screamed, and no one would leave at the end of the gig. It felt good. I think if all our gigs were like this last one, I know I'd want to quit the daytime job and just play music. I guess the gigs make everything else in life tolerable.

We'll let you know what else is happening. Tell us what you think.
Tom