Nick Edelstein » Tour Diary

Pros and Cons: My First Dragon*Con Experience

Nick — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:11:42 +0000

I had an awesome time at Dragon*Con 2011! My decision to attend was rather abrupt but I felt prepared, having seen the PBS documentary. I’ve also had my share of music and numismatic conventions . If you go, use their nifty iPhone app to navigate the plethora of panels and hotel maps. There were a TON of simultaneous events and over 40,000 people; you don’t want to get lost in the crowd. If you plan to buy merch, many dealers accept plastic but bring cash too – it’ll save you time. Also, you can save up to 50% by getting your badge in advance [online].

I thought my favorite part would be the celebrity guests – and seeing William Shatner, Carrie Fisher and more! was super cool – but I actually enjoyed cosplay and people-watching the most. If you haven’t heard, cosplay is short for costume play (think Halloween). The annual D*C parade – like most parades worldwide – is an excellent example of cosplay en masse. At first, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed donning my newly-acquired Starfleet uniform, complete with comm badge, pips and phaser. But once I reminded myself how much I’ve always loved dressing up in suits and tuxedos, it made perfect sense. See my modest collection of D*C photos on Facebook

If you have never been to a convention before, or don’t enjoy large crowds, I don’t recommend making D*C 2012 your first experience. Also, unsupervised kids is a bad idea. This is not a place to drop-off 12-yr-old Timmy for a few hours.

Now, I have seen many Con names hyped these past two weeks post-D*C. The pros (experienced Con-ners; Con-artists like myself) are all debating which Con to attend next – we need our fix! For my own sanity, I decided to compiled the dates and URLs into a chronological list. I only included those that interest me. I won’t get to most of them, but it’s fun to put it out there! Comment with corrections or additions:

Note: Don’t let distance prevent you from supporting the Comic and Sci-Fi Arts. Most Cons offer “Supporting Membership” packages for patrons who can’t attend.

Oct. 13 – 16 = NYCC, super mega huge comics event,
Oct. 28 – 30 = Vulcan Events (Orlando, FL) everything Star Trek!
Nov. 26 = Anime Day (ATL) check the site for other cities!
Jan. 28 – 29 = Wizard World’s Comic Con (New Orleans) comics!
Feb. 17 – 19 = Mega*Con (Orlando, FL) comics, Star Trek and Sci-Fi
Feb. 17 – 19 = Con*nooga (Chattanoogah, TN) Dr. Who and other Sci-Fi
TBA, Spring = Imagi*Con (Columbus, GA) Sci-Fi literature, TV and film
Mar. 16 – 18 = Wonder*Con (Anaheim, CA) huge comic con
Mar. 24 – 25 = Wizard World’s Comic Con (Toronto, Canada)
Apr. 20 – 22 = Trek Trax (ATL) everything Star Trek!
May 19 – 20 = Wizard World’s Comic Con (NYC)
May 25 – 28 = Mediawest (Lansing, MI) Memorial Day Weekend
June 1 – 3 = Wizard World’s Comic Con (Philly, PA)
Labor Day Weekend = Dragon*Con (ATL)

scenic-city.com/sfrg, awesome webcal of every Con that exists!
geekcal.com, another neat webcal
upcomingcons.com, another webcal

Regional Winner – Shure SM58 Give It Voice Tour

Nick — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:16:27 +0000

Tuesday, January 25 2011 @ Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN:

Nick and The Grooves performed second, between Michigan duo The Spektators and Nashville natives Ingrid Salas y su Grupo Black Shadow. Their first performance ever, it was quite the debut. Wildhorse is the largest non-arena venue in Nashville, located downtown across from the Hard Rock. The band received a strong ovation after every song from the hundreds of attendees on the floor and two balconies. Check out the photos by Sara Speert Photography.

Ryan Smith of Shure’s Artist Relations department announced the winner later that evening – us! Each member of the band received a special Shure SM58 microphone with the Give It Voice Tour logo imprinted upon it, and an official Tour shirt. After our win, we celebrated at a local restaurant and headed home. We were thrilled to find dozens of congratulatory emails on the home PC, including some from fans of the other bands. Thanks to all who supported Nick and The Grooves on their Music City outing – the first of many to come!

Event Horizon

Nick — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:51:27 +0000

Nick and The Grooves have arrived in Nashville for what has already become a momentous occasion. In less than 3 hours we’ll load our gear into the largest club in town – 66,000 sq.ft. known as The Wildhorse Saloon – and battle for a slot at SXSW. I’m writing from the van, where Bill and I are resting and recharging. Andy, Aaron, Tim, Bryan and Sara are exploring Broadway and thereabouts. As I sit here blogging, listening to street sounds, I can’t help but question if I made the most of this opportunity. Part of me wants to grab the local Indie Bible white pages and invite more booking agents. Part of me wants to visit Gruhn Guitars and play. My experience says I need to stop blogging and nap.

Choose Our Setlist for Shure

Sara — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:50:32 +0000

That’s right kids, we wanna know which song is your fave. We have five planned already but need a sixth, and it’s gonna be your Fan Favorite. Plus, we’re letting you decide the order! We’ll have 30 minutes to wow the judges at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon (this Tuesday, January 25^th) and want to open with the song that got us this far – “Foolin’ Yourself.” The rest is up to you! Leave a reply, tweet, Facebook post – whichever platform you fancy most. Click on a song title to stream it free via Bandcamp:

- Foolin’ Yourself

- Collusion Collision

- Daphne

- Tripping

- Steal Me

- Fan Favorite

What will the order be?!? Check back in a couple days to find out plus discover which song was chosen for slot #6 ~Nick, Aaron, Andy, Bryan, Bill and Tim a.k.a. Nick and The Grooves

PS: Thanks to Live Fix for being interested and inspiring creativity

Countdown 2 Shure

Nick — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:57:52 +0000

It’s 1/11, and we are officially 2 weeks away from the Shure “Give It Voice Tour” regional finals in Nashville, TN. It is also the 2nd day of “snowpocalypse” here in Atlanta. I am seeing signs of cabin fever in a few of my friends’ Facebook updates, but none of that here! Plenty of indoor chores for me on the ole’ PC. Especially in getting ready for this Shure concert.

Big concerts are a great excuse to invest capitol in sprucing-up the band’s appearance. What better way to do that than with a custom bass drum head, right? Aaron certainly agreed The company we chose is Vintage Logos and they’ve worked with all types of clients – Indie to Major to GRAMMY winners like Train.

Here’s the design, featuring our new logo from Andrew Reifman:

Nick and The Grooves

Sara — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:49:24 +0000

As many of you know, we’ve been trying to find a good band name for a long time. A very long time. I think we may have stumbled upon it. I can not take credit, because it was not my idea, but I’m going with it … as they say at weddings, “If there is anyone who has anything to say against [this] let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” haha! Actually the idea came from a student at UGA by the name of Austin, who approached us before our set last night at Rye Bar (in Athens, GA for the annual UGA vs. GA TECH football game!). Austin asked many questions and propsed “The Groovers” to which I replied, “The Grooves!” Please feel free to add comments (or suggestions) but know that we are all excited about this prospect.

Xmas for Sale

Nick — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:35:42 +0000

It’s that time of the year again – Holiday Season – and time to book Xmas gigs! Let the bidding war begin. If your office or neighbor is throwing a “holiday party” please keep this available Jew in mind. My bandmates and I are very experienced in the Fine Arts of livening up crowds, creating lifelong memories (aka The Slow Dance) and sending folks home with smiles on their faces

So far, available dates include Dec 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and many leading up to that grande finalé of finales!

After Karma

Nick — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:19:22 +0000

This venue [Karma] was really hard to find but worth the effort. Good beer for cheap, friendly staff, and a decent-sized stage with great sound gear and an engineer who knows how to work it. The road it’s on is dimly lit, however. Mixed commercial and residential buildings were not comforting as we pulled up. But less than 2 miles up the road, at the major intersection of Poinsett Hwy & N. Pleasantburg Rd., one can find numerous places to dine including a Subway with a drive-thru window!?!? Aaron and I could not resist this urge, and split a 12″ sub. Tim ate at the Greek place (I grabbed a steak fry and it was delicious). So basically what I’m saying is, even though Karma appears to be in the middle of Nowhere City, there is civilization right around the corner.

Now for the not-so-great aspects: the reason it was so hard to find? – no sign! Bands and fans BEWARE you will need your GPS. The owner, Kevn told us that he applied for his sign permit months earlier but it hadn’t gone through yet. Meanwhile he had placed a temporary marquis near the curb, and police made him take it down. I felt bad for the guy. He is a genuine enthusiast of Indie music scene. Basically, Greenville could use more folks like him. But on the plus side, there is a stripper pole

New Videos on YouTube

Nick — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:08:30 +0000

Uploaded brand spankin’ new videos on YouTube from the Dunwoody Music Festival, thanks to super-fan Scott Brown and my wife’s iMac!

Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/NickEdelsteinBand OK now, blast away!
IF YOU HAVE FAN FOOTAGE or FAN FOTOS to share, please do! You can upload photos directly on the Gallery page of this website! ~Nick

TMJ Announces Chanukah Show in Boca

Nick — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:10:29 +0000

Yes, that’s right! Ladies and gentlemen, The Moody Jews will descend upon Boca Raton, FL this December for a very special Chanukah concert. Why so special? Well, it’s the first TMJ concert since 2008 and is no longer your zeide’s sing-a-long … The 90-minute set consists of all-original music which we have worked, re-worked and fine-tuned to Rock perfection – except for the second-to-last song, “Light One Candle” (after all, it is Chanukah).

We’ve been practicing our tuchas off to bring an outstanding, world-class Rock show to the good folks of southern Florida and they won’t be disappointed.

The venue is B’nai Torah Congregation and tickets are on sale now. Contact information (for the synagogue) is available on the Tour page under the “Info” column – just click “view more info.”

Thank You …

Nick — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:03:44 +0000

for such a warm homecoming this Independence Day. Thanks to everyone who attended my shows up North – the “NE [New England] Tour.” You all clapped louder for my originals than covers; you danced and sang; you reminded me why I keep on keepin’ on.

New this week is the music player! Used to be on top of the page, now it’s below. I’ve had my eyes on Streampad for a while now. Everyone uses it, from major-label to Indie. Play some tunes and lemme know what you think!

~Nick