The Beekeepers' Blog

A whole year

2011-03-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well it's been an entire year since there's been a post on here so I guess there's a lot to talk about

Oh wait.

No there isn't.

this year was boring.

see you next year.

This Blog will not die.

2010-03-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ok it might die.

But til then here's some Beefcreeper news.

We'll be playing a show at the end of the month down in Maryland!!
A sweet looking little venue called Beans in the Belfry.
We would love to see any and all Maryland peeps down there.
So come on out!

Also The Repeating Ep if now available online at The Rooftop!

Be sure to check it out if you want a copy and haven't been able to catch us in the Filthadelphia area!

Love
Owen

Owen's Goodtime fun post!!

2010-01-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow The Beekeepers got something in the mail today!

We can now sell live killer bees at shows!!

Ok this time I'm actually just flat out lying.

But holy cow our good friends The Mechanicals made it to the finals of the 104.5 battle of the garage bands!!!

Go see them win at the River Rink at Penns Landing in Philly on the 31st!!!!

In Beekeeping news we've found yet another rehearsal space. Clearly the Beekeepers just need some space ok. We've begun working on some new material, and even started brainstorming more recording plans. But until any of that madness happens be sure to catch us at one of our upcoming shows!!

Next one February 13th at The Coffee Club in Media PA.

This is our one year anniversary show so come hang out, and drink coffee.

Opening act will include the one and only Chris (the Pfish) Wall.

Sure to be a good time!!

did i write a new song, Owen?

2010-01-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

sure did. called Moving Slow. who knows if it'll make the cut.

i keep reading about these really prolific songwriters (Jon Foreman, Ryan Adams, Joshua James) and how they write about a song a day, if not more. this affords them the blessing/curse of choosing from hundreds of songs for an album. wish i had the time. the perks of full-time musicianing. wish i had the creative wealth. that would be a challenge. maybe i'll take that on for a month or so, see how it goes when the Beekeepers sign a multi-thousand dollar contract.

until then, i won't write a song until i'm thoroughly inspired and i have the time to procrastinate. that's right: the time to procrastinate. it's a fine art figuring time you can offer up on creativity's altar. most of my songs are written when i should be doing something else. i'm most creative when i'm the busiest... just lost my creative spark. must not be busy enough. i'm going to go do... something.

ps - thanks to all of you who made our CD release party at World Cafe Live such a huge success. i hope you're enjoying the new Repeating EP.

hmmmmm

2010-01-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

Dave did you write a song?

the really big show is coming up and i'm excited.

We got some sweet beekeeper goodies for the party. Should be a blast.

and as you can see I'm taking serious H1N1 precautions as is my good friend sir ian of clarksmith.

Buy tix.

They be selling fast.

O

hm...

2009-12-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

think i'll write a song now.

Mid-Life Crisis Early

2009-12-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hey people!

A New Song from the soon to be released Repeating EP was just posted online!!

Check it out on our facebook page

Or on our myspace

Enjoy

Owen

P.S. Come to the CD Release show/party/stravaganza!

January 16th at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

BEEKEEPERS INVADE PHILLY UNLEASH BEES/NEW CD!

2009-12-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hey kids!

Be sure not to miss this jam in Philly on January 16th!

WORLD CAFE LIVE!!!
Buy Tickets now

RIGHT HERE!!!

Love
The Beekeepers

Owen's Guide to Communal Living Part 1 ( in a 300 part series)

2009-12-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

Part 1: Communication

Communication is KEY in any successful living situation.
The use of a chalk or white board can be extremely helpful.
When one roommate voices a public concern or comment please respond in a respectful and timely manner.

For example.

I hope you've found this helpful.

O

2009-11-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd do a quick update about nothing particularly relevant to The Beekeepers

So Here are some silly photos.

This is Matt Urquhart Looking quite smashing at 1 am in the market east station in Philly.

Here is Dave Applegate looking equally as splendid.
He was sleepy and got quite grumpy when a man woke him to ask for a dollar.

And here we have another good friend Ms. Ashley "Crashley" Jayne.
She was also quite tired and had just stolen this CD from the BOMB show at Connie's Ric Rac.

BEEKEEPERS SHOW DEC 5th at the GRYPHON IN WAYNE PEOPLE DON'T MISS IT.
The Mechanicals will open for us with a special Mechanical Lite show.
Here is the link to buy tickets online ahead of time.
BUY!!!!

Esther

2009-11-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

turns out not many people buy paint the day after thanksgiving (happy holiday, bytheway). black friday shoppers have little interest in my part-time trade, apparently, which gives me ample time to sweep out some of the cobwebbed corners of my brain. but who has the energy for that!

so, instead, on this thanksgiving weekend, i will lament my loss to you: Esther has fallen and broken her pretty, slight neck. i am now without a guitar. my former's head fell off when i clumsily tried to adjust my gigbag from my left to my right hand and she fell *crack* flat on her face. poor Esther. poor, poor Esther. and now, poor me. even poorer after i buy a new guitar (still on the lookout).

but i have many things to be thankful for (one of which is not the health of my ex-guitar). my own health, a loving family, Rachel, love, music, means to live well, friends, and a good God. we can always ask for more, but we should never forget what we already have.

2009-11-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hello there folks

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures from the Tobin's Coffee House Friday night.

Open Mic at the Gryphon 11/23/09

2009-11-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

Fun night last night at open mic. This was the first Gryphon open mic with new host Chris "Pfish" Wall(the P is silent).

The Night started with a few solo acts

The Mechanicals were there to play a few numbers half plugged in and belting out chorus lines.

things got somewhat crazy during The Beekeepers set as we were joined by Billy O'meara for an energetic version of Photo in California.

following us was a delightful sing along with the Hummingbirds.

but my personal favourite tune from last night was Noah Young of The Mechanicals performing his song "Down We Go" solo.

I have a short clip of the song audio is bad but the song is fantastic.

The Night ended with Pfish playing a classic original he wrote called "Cards." Billy and myself backed him up to finish things off. It was classic Pfish.

Open mic was, as always, a great way to kick off another week and to punctuate the crazy weekend preceding it. but more about that later

O

2009-11-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

As you can see it was time for yet another exciting practice with The Beekeepers. Business as usual here. First I hit some things. Then Dave posed for the camera. Then graham took more joy than I have ever seen a man take while eating a sandwich. Following this amazing sandwich adventure Graham collapsed in the corner and immediately became homeless. Will someone please take him in.

TALK! SOMEONE TALK!

2009-11-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

Already... already a shambles.

No not really a shambles. I don't know what I'm talking about. I've been trying, since this blog went up, to get my cohorts to start writing things. Apparently after that monster of a first post Graham feels he has completely fulfilled his obligation to the blog. (not really he's just been busy as of late)

Apparently Dave is too busy carting little kids around on big yellow school buses or something.

So for the time being you're stuck with me.

The Beekeepers will be playing tonight, as they do every monday night, at the Gryphon Open mic. I strongly encourage anyone who actually sees this blog to come on out. It's always a good time at the Gryphon.

Seriously Come out.
Get something to Drink.
Get Cozy
Listen to some great music.

As usual the open mic will be hosted by our good friend Bill O'Meara.
Be sure to check out his page his band has a couple shows and Bill has a few solo appearances happening in the near future.

that's all for now.

O

2009-11-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

First Beekeepers rehearsal in quite a while.
And the first in the new space at The Music Workshop in Manayunk.
Here's a few pictures of us adjusting to the space.
Here's also a short clip of dave working something out. If you watch closely towards the end you can see dave thinking... it's very exciting.

2009-11-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Spread the werd.
Re-emergence of The Beekeepers 12/5/09

Open Mic Night

2009-11-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

The Beekeepers Had a Blast hosting the Gryphon Open Mic last night.
Thanks to everyone who came out and played, read, and told jokes.

Also be sure to check out our good friends
The Mechanicals on myspace.

Check back for Show updates.

Love
The Beekeepers

Band Meeting

2009-11-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

As designated idiot of the band I felt it would be appropriate if i completely disregarded everything in that last post, and give an update.

Currently the band is in Dave's Room at the Sugartown Estate having a very serious meeting.

This is what it looks like

Welcome! (and the story so far...)

2009-11-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Beekeepers' Blog! Most likely, you've come across this page from a link on our website, or through our MySpace, or our Facebook page, or some other online property that helps to make an independent band like us feel legitimate in this cluttered and chaotic worldwide music scene we've decided to become a tiny speck in... But if not, you might be wondering, "Who are these Beekeepers?"

The Beekeepers are (in alphabetical order, chronological order of joining the band, and reverse order of importance to said musical group) Dave Applegate, Graham Osborne, and Owen Osborne. These three musicians struggle hard every day to write, arrange, perform, and butcher songs that make the people of the world (or at least one small section of it) laugh, cry, dance, scream, clap, cry some more, and have a good time.

First, there's Dave on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. Dave makes a habit of writing songs that intrigue the rest of the band enough that they're somewhat interested in learning to play them. And sometimes, they even do so in front of a large(ish) group of people. Dave's been writing these types of songs for as long as I've known him, and as far as I can tell, he's going to keep doing it, no matter how I threaten him.

Then, there's Graham (that's me) on bass guitar, backup vocals and occasional keyboards. It's his job to be the responsible adult of the group and keep the other two members acting mature and focused on the task at hand. At this job, he is predominantly a failure.

Lastly, there's Owen on drums, percussion, and random shrieks and yelps from behind the drum kit. Being the Beekeeper with the most formal training in his instrument and music in general, his advice is largely ignored by the rest of the group.

But how did these three vagabonds, this trio of ragamuffins, this triad of handsome young men become The Beekeepers?

It all began on a Wednesday. Graham was in his front yard brushing his hair. Dave rode by on a girl's bicycle, delivering newspapers to people who didn't want them. Owen just happened to be hovering above the scene in his private helicopter. The three took one look at each other and said, "Might as well join up." And The Beekeepers were born.

Since that time, the boys have played regularly at countless venues around Philadelphia, and far across these United States.

In February of 2009, The Beekeepers spent Valentine's Day making their debut at Coffee Club in Media, PA. They wore flowers and fumbled through new renditions of several songs. The turnout was impressive, despite the hefty cover charge. And Dave and Graham only began to verbally abuse each other six times. All in all, the show was a success.

In March, the band was invited to play a show opposite local guitar hero Bill O'Meara and his band at "The M Room" in Philly. Despite their bassist falling ill with a nasty cold, The Beekeepers rocked out from midnight to 1 AM and thrilled the half-dozen people who came out to see them. Also on the bill was legendary singer-songwriter Johnny Cash's Son's friend John Francis, who thrilled the crowd with some fantastic bluesy, folksy, old-fashioned strummin' and a-singin'. His performance later inspired Owen to write the John Francis classic "Fire Escape."

In April, the Bees took a few weeks off while Graham traveled to England in a misguided attempt to book a European tour for the group. He returned with no prospects.

May saw three shows on The Beekeepers' schedule. They impressed the crowds at Milkboy Coffee in Ardmore with the addition of a melodica to the act, and were joined by the West Chester Orchestra for a ripping rendition of "Copier Repair Man" in their encore. Shortly thereafter, the guys hoofed it down to Maryland to play at a 30° angle for a friend's graduation party. The month wrapped up with the opening band slot at that years Back Yard Music festival at Snipes Farm in Morrisville, where they were joined on stage by a red wire rooster and discovered what a P-Mate is.

June was declared national recording month by Dave, and so the fearless threesome made thrice weekly trips to eMpTy bUcket recording studios in Newtown, where their good friend Matty U helped them cut their first EP and even produced a promotional video. (Both are set for release in the next few months.) But, the boys in the band couldn't stop a-rockin' and gladly accepted an offer to reintroduce music to the Gryphon Cafe in Wayne. They did so with a new, electronic intro to "Beautiful Me" and an exhausted, sweaty smile at how much fun it was to perform as a full band in one of their favorite acoustic venues.

When July rolled around, the Bees kicked into high gear, mixing their CD and then hitting the road for a 10-day, 4200 mile tour of our great nation. The first stop was the Hops and Clocks festival at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, PA. There they sampled some tasty local brews, marveled at the in-house timepieces, and worked their darnedest to herd the masses into the auditorium and away from all that booze and food.

The next show found the guys in Lexington, KY, at a little coffee shop called Common Grounds. After the show, they were given a brilliant tour of the Keeneland Racetrack, and even went for a "Good Run." The boys left Kentucky bright and early, two days after their show, and started toward Amarillo, TX. On the way, they stopped to play on a street corner in Nashville, TN because... well, that's just what bands do.

In Amarillo, The Beekeepers joined The Penniless Tune for their last night in town, hosted by "The 806." They drank Newcastle Ale, ate pizza bagels, and slept that night in an empty ranch home before packing up and heading toward Denver.

In Denver, little music was played but much fun was had. Many of the details of those two days are classified by the Denver PD and not allowed to be talked about freely. Suffice to say, pool was played, drinks were imbibed without the city's elevation being taken into account, and someone woke up on the bathroom floor with a sore skull.

From there, The Beekeepers worked their way home, stopping in Kansas City, MO for a tasty burger and a root beer float, Mt. Vernon, OH for some more burgers and a healthy dose of Ohio hospitality, and just outside of Pittsburgh, PA for a third helping of burgers and even more hospitality. The Beehive landed back in West Chester, and all three band members slept for several days.

August was not supposed to see any action, but somehow The Beekeepers landed in the semi-finals of the Beta Hi-Fi music festival at the World Cafe Live. Thinking they hadn't a prayer of winning, our heroes trudged out on stage and proceeded to do what they always do. Somehow, the crowd enjoyed it enough to vote them the winners of the first night, so they came back the following Friday, and ended up judged in the top three! This earned the boys some more recording time, at the renowned MorningStar Studios in Spring House, PA. (They've yet to set foot in the building.)

In September, The Beekeepers rocked a sold-out crowd at the Tin Angel as part of local songstress Suzie Brown's CD release party. Despite a rousing game of Graham vs. the parking meter, no parking tickets were issued and a splendid time was had by all.

October saw another hiatus as one of the bandmembers got hitched and headed off to Michigan for his honeymoon.

November is yet to come, and so is the future of the band...