Tag Archives: Five Iron Frenzy

New Year’s Fuddy-Duddy

I’m kind of a New Year’s fuddy duddy. Last night on Twitter I made this comment:

I can never get that excited about New Year’s. It’s like watching an arbitrary cosmic odometer rollover. Woohoo?

And it’s a sentiment I shared 11 years ago. That about sums it up. Last night we sat in bed watching The Office until we got tired and went to bed. We grunted happy new year at each other as we drifted off to sleep.

I think in 2008 we were in bed by 10:30.

In 2007 I was actually in California ringing in the New Year with a few thousand teenagers, though it was part of my job and not necessarily my choice. I also had to get up at 3 a.m. to catch my flight home, so I wasn’t so thrilled about staying up until midnight.

Apparently in 2004 I watched Star Wars.

I remember a short-lived fondue party New Year’s trend we did for a few years, but I think when kids came along the boiling oil and midnight party didn’t seem like a good combination.

In 2000 I was on my honeymoon. I remember ordering take out and watching “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Pop-Up Video Edition.”

In 1999 my then soon-to-be fiance and I were babysitting for a couple that came home early, woke up the kids we’d been working half the night to get to bed, and rang in the New Year at 10:00 p.m. We ended up back at Abby’s parents’ house watching replays of the Millennium celebrations on TV because no one bothers with a live countdown for the Central Time Zone. Yes, New Year’s in the Central Time Zone is kind of lame.

In high school I remember staying up with my girlfriend’s family to ring in the New Year and being surprised at all the finger-food appetizers that seemed to be their tradition. I don’t think my family had a New Year’s tradition.

I vaguely remember my youth group having New Year’s Eve lock-ins, but I don’t remember actually counting down to midnight. I do remember playing laser tag one year and they announced in the middle of the game that it was midnight. But c’mon—you don’t interrupt laser tag. I do remember sleeping all day on New Year’s Day and waking up in the late afternoon to go see the Insyderz and Five Iron Frenzy. A snowstorm struck and the show got moved from Clutch Cargo in Pontiac to some random church or school in Livonia, but we still made it and rocked out.

I remember another high school New Year’s when we aimlessly turned on the TV to watch the countdown because we couldn’t find anything better to do.

Yeah, I know how to party.

I’m not too big on New Year’s resolutions either.

Top 5 Christmas Songs

Christmas music is playing everywhere, but it’s not always good. Every year I find myself on the elusive search for truly good Christmas music. Here are my top 5 Christmas songs:

1. “You Gotta Get Up” by Five Iron Frenzy (Buy it: CD on Amazon)
(Not sure why this song isn’t more widely available. Not sure if it’s legal, but you can grab an mp3 download here)

2. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Sixpence None the Richer (Buy it: CD on Amazon)

3. “Last Christmas” by Leigh Nash (Buy it: iTunes/Free on Amazon)

4. “Oi to the World” by No Doubt (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon)

5. “O Holy Night” by Justin McRoberts (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon)

And special nods go to the Songs for Christmas boxset by Sufjan Stevens (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon) that is so awesome you just have to buy the whole thing, as well as Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God (Buy it: iTunes/CD on Amazon), which gets distinction for doing an entire song about the genealogy in Matthew.

I should also admit that my favorite Christmas song from my childhood is “Jesus is Born Today” by the Oak Ridge Boys (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon). It used to be on a Christmas tape my dad made, but he bumped the record player when it was dubbing and scratched horribly. Rather than starting the tape over, he just started the song again so the tape had the song one and a half times. Awesome.

What’s Five Iron Frenzy Up To?

Five Iron Frenzy FIF logoEvery year or so I like to follow up on the members of the lost but not forgotten ska band, Five Iron Frenzy, and see what they’re up to. It usually happens when iTunes shuffles across a Five Iron track and I slip into a day-long ska fest and play their entire catalog. You can guess what happened today.

So what are they up to?

  • Brave Saint Saturn – Third and final album due out late July and a little web site.
  • Hollyfelds – Former FIFers go alt-country?
  • Hearts of Palm (formerly Nathan & Stephen) – Lots of bearded men and a girl named Jeff. Oh, and a free download.

And if actual FIF alums isn’t enough for you, how about other bands singing tribute? Relient K has not one, but two tracks on its brand new The Bird and Bee Sides release paying tribute to Five Iron:

“Five Iron Frenzy / They were good, they were good / They were really really really good.”

You can grab the normal version or the ska mix. Reminds me of the hidden track on the W’s debut album thanking Five Iron Frenzy.

Where’s My Five Iron Frenzy?

About a week ago I popped in an old Five Iron Frenzy CD while I painted the basement and remembered how much I loved FIF. Loved the music. Loved the lyrics. Loved the concerts. They were my favorite band in high school and college, and if they hadn’t broken up they’d still be my favorite band (well, they could wrestle U2 for the top spot–which would be quite the battle: 8 on 4 in favor of FIF, and while Bono probably talks big but wouldn’t put up much of a fight, Larry and Adam look like they could crack some skulls).

I realized after enjoying a little nostalgia that I’ve yet to find my new Five Iron Frenzy. Aside from U2, no band has really come along where I enjoy their music as much as Five Iron Frenzy. I’ve discovered plenty of great music that I do like, but no group like Five Iron where I can devour every song on every album (OK, so FIF had a few duds, but I love most of their music).

I wonder if it’s because I’m getting old.

Continue reading Where’s My Five Iron Frenzy?

What’s the Best Five Iron Frenzy Ever?

This is too much fun. Squidoo just added a voting/ranking functionality (I learned about it because CFCC/CMS is ranked among the top 59 smartest organizations online, currently at #5 (!?) in the voting). So let’s try it out, shall we? (click through to vote)

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Update: Doesn’t look like their widget is working very well. If you can’t see the list above, you can go to my Five Iron lens to vote.

Leftover Reese Roper

Reese RoperLast week I interviewed Reese Roper, the former lead singer of the now defunct Five Iron Frenzy and current front man for the new pop-punk band Roper. The band released their debut album, Brace Yourself for the Mediocre (see my review), on October 19, managing to sell over 3,000 albums in the first week, earning them a spot on Billboard’s Heetseekers chart.

Below are some segments from the interview I probably won’t be able to use elsewhere:

Continue reading Leftover Reese Roper

Our Best FIF Ever

Yesterday I finally got around to posting my self-indulgant, retrospective Five Iron Frenzy article. In honor of that article, and in a previous tradition, I present my choices for a Five Iron greatest hits collection: The Best FIF Ever.

As usual, I had a hard time making up my mind, so I went with 2-disc set. The first set is the very best. The second set I’m calling B-sides, but it’s really all the other songs I like a whole bunch.

FIF. (photo by Kevin D. Hendricks

The Best FIF Ever
1) FIF Tribute (Fourth from the Last by The W’s)
2) One Girl Army (Proof That the Youth Are Revolting)
3) Cool Enough For You (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
4) Cannonball (The End is Near)
5) Me Oh My (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
6) Handbook for the Sellout (Our Newest Album Ever)
7) Beautiful America (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
8) See the Flames Begin to Crawl (The End is Near)
9) A New Hope (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
10) Banner Year (Our Newest Album Ever)
11) It Was Beautiful (The End is Near)
12) A Flowery Song (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
13) World Without End (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
14) Anthem (Proof That the Youth Are Revolting)
15) Old West (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
16) Litmus (Our Newest Album Ever)
17) Farsighted (Electric Boogaloo)
18) Giants (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
19) Something Like Laughter (The End is Near)
20) Blue Comb ’78 (Our Newest Album Ever)
21) Dandelions (Quantity Is Job 1)
22) Every New Day (Our Newest Album Ever)

FIF

The Best FIF Ever B-Sides
1) These Are Not My Pants the Rock Opera (Latin Pants) (Quantity Is Job 1)
2) My Evil Plan to Save the World (Quantity Is Job 1)
3) Combat Chuck (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
4) At Least I’m Not Like All Those Other Old Guys (The End is Near)
5) Most Likely To Succeed (Our Newest Album Ever)
6) Pre-Ex-Girlfriend (Electric Boogaloo)
7) Where is Micah? (Our Newest Album Ever)
8) Marty (Cheeses of Nazareth)
9) All That is Good (Quantity Is Job 1)
10) The Greatest Story Ever Told (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
11) Farewell to Arms (The End is Near)
12) 451 (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
13) Get Your Riot Gear (Quantity Is Job 1)
14) Where the Zero Meets the Fifteen (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
15) The Untimely Death of Brad (Quantity Is Job 1)
16) Mayonnaise Taco Monday (Cheeses of Nazareth)
17) Suckerpunch (Our Newest Album Ever)
18) You Gotta Get Up (Happy Christmas)
19) Oh, Canada (Our Newest Album Ever)
20) Arnold & Willis & Mr. Drummond (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
21) Far, Far Away (Electric Boogaloo)
22) Amalgamate (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
23) On Distant Shores (The End is Near)

Proof That the Youth Are Revolting

As I mentioned the other day, I went to my last Five Iron Frenzy concert ever. What a show.

I interviewed Keith and Micah before the show, which was fitting because I’ve interviewed both those guys several times before. The interview went OK and I think I got some good stuff. The opening bands were acoustic guy James Cameron, and rockers Holland and Bleach. I actually wore ear plugs for those three acts (I guess I’m like all those other old guys now). They were OK, but I wasn’t too impressed.

Five Iron rocked. Lots of between-song banter, lots of hilarity, lots of fun. They had a video screen behind the stage that played old school video clips during some songs, like shots of Canadian celebrities during “Oh, Canada.”

It was fun to sing a long one more time. I wish I could have been on the floor in the midst of the crowd, jumping around with some friends. Or maybe yo-yoing off in a corner. Instead I had to go by myself and found a seat in the front row of the balcony, which gave me an easy seat to save and a good place to take pictures.

As part of the interview, I did ask the guys what songs they would put on a Five Iron Frenzy hits collection (which they did say would be an inevitability). They basically answered by saying the songs they like to play live. They did say there would need to be a b-side with stupid songs (i.e. “Kitty-Doggy”), and they would probably need to balance out goofy songs with serious songs (i.e. “Oh, Canada” vs. “Every New Day”).

Of course only later did I discover they cheated. Their live set included an 11-song medley. Here’s the complete live set:

1) “The Old West” (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
2) “Handbook For the Sellout” (Our Newest Album Ever!)
3) “Where Zero Meets Fifteen” (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
4) “Cannonball” (The End is Near)
5) “Blue Comb ’78” (Our Newest Album Ever!)
6) “At Least I’m Not Like All Those Other Old Guys” (The End is Near)
7) “You Probably Shouldn’t Move Here” (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
8) “Oh, Canada” (Our Newest Album Ever!)
9) “See the Flames Begin to Crawl” (The End is Near)
10) “Vultures” (Electric Boogaloo)
11) “You Can’t Handle This” (Electric Boogaloo)
12) “When I Go Out” (Quantity is Job 1)
13) “American Kryptonite” (The End is Near)
14) “Phantom Mullet” (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
15) “Mayonnaise Taco Monday” (Cheeses of Nazareth)
16) “Pootermobile” (prefaced as being the best song they’d play: “You can go home now.”) (Cheeses of Nazareth)
17) Medley (including “A Flowery Song,” (Upbeats and Beatdowns) “Suckerpunch,” (Our Newest Album Ever!) “One Girl Army,” (Quantity is Job 1) “My Evil Plan to Save the World,” (Quantity is Job 1) “Pre-Ex-Girlfriend,” (Electric Boogaloo) “Combat Chuck,” (Upbeats and Beatdowns) “Dandelion,” (Quantity is Job 1) “Superpowers,” (Our Newest Album Ever!) “Cool Enough For You.” (Upbeats and Beatdowns) There were also two other songs in there I didn’t recognize. The first had lyrics along the lines of “We both break down and cry,” and the second sounded like “Goodbye you, you, you,” almost like a take on “We need you, you, you,” at the end of the Blues Brothers.)
18) “A New Hope” (All the Hype That Money Can Buy, originally appeared on Proof That the Youth Are Revolting)
19) “World Without End” (All the Hype That Money Can Buy)
20) “Every New Day” (Our Newest Album Ever!)
21) (accapella praise song ending)

Quite a show. I’ll have to post my pictures once they’re developed (yeah, I went old skool). I’ll also have to work on my choices for Best FIF Ever.

All of the Ska that Your Money Can Buy

Tomorrow night I’m going to my last Five Iron Frenzy concert ever. It’s the first of two shows in Minneapolis, on their farewell Winners Never Quit tour, which winds up in Denver on Nov. 22.

For those of you who don’t know, I have fond memories of Five Iron. I saw them live for the first time on January 1, 1997, braving a snow storm and a last minute change of venue. Since then I’ve seen them more times than I can remember.

I have two favorite concert memories, including yo-yoing at an outdoor festival in Michigan and a hot, sweaty concert in Minneapolis. At the festival I was in a full-on yo-yo frenzy when I realized a photographer was taking my picture. I tried to play it cool and pretend I didn’t see him, but then my string broke, sending the yo-yo 30 feet through the air. Thankfully, no one was killed. The Minneapolis show stands out because a bunch of my friends went, including my Mission Control co-host Josh Lewis, my self-proclaimed best man ever Tim Yenter, and my soon-to-be-wife-but-not-even-girlfriend-yet. If I remember, this was one of the many crowded and unbearably hot New Union shows where Jeff the Girl twisted her ankle while lunging for the door to get some cold winter air (assumably prompting the line in “Superpowers”: “Everyone in the band can’t stand me / just because I fell off the stage / and kind of by accident, I broke the / promoters legs.”

Ah, the memories.

Before the show I’ll be interviewing the band one more time (I’ve also interviewed them more times than I can remember), and hopefully writing a sappy retrospective piece for ReALMagazine.com (or anywhere that will give me some cold, hard cash for my troubles). I’m trying to develop some killer questions for this final interview. Let me know if you have any brilliant ideas. My best question right now is what songs would you include on a FIF greatest hits collection, should such an album ever be compiled. I’d have a hard time answering that one myself.

The End is Near

On Monday Five Iron Frenzy announced the end of an era. They’re calling it quits. It’s kind of sad when your favorite band from high school throws in the towel. But they’ve had a pretty long ride, especially considering that they burst on to the scene with a specialized style of music that really didn’t last long. But you gotta love ’em.

Of course, Five Iron is going out in style. They’re planning to have one final hurrah in 2003 and call it quits at the end of the year. In the spring they plan to release a B-sides of album of goofy songs. The tentative title is “Cheeses of Nazareth.” In the summer they plan to release their final studio album, and then go out one last tour, which will be called “Winners Never Quit: The Farewell Tour.”