World Racketeering Squad News

Summer Ends - Summer Begins!

reedoliver@gmail.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:03:47 -0500

It's a week from now, on Wednesday. The sun was scorching all day, but now it's night, when the darker impulses emerge. You find yourself searching for something ... something, but you don't know what it is.

We'll be freshly back from the Kerrville Wine and Music Festival, so we'll be tan, strung out from lack of sleep, and probably hallucinating. Bruce may finally show his belligerent side, if you're lucky.

In other words, the perfect recipe for World Racketeering Squad's triumphant return to the Red Eyed Fly as we close out the Summer. We celebrated the beginning of summer in May, and now it's time for summer the season to take a hike - we want to focus on Summer Glau for a while.

The Squad brings back songs that were on hiatus for 3 months and knocks Red River on its ass with a reprise of our rock opera single, "Omega in Love versus The Supermonsters."

All that and the first 15 audience members get a free copy of our new demo CD More Needful Things, featuring a brand new recording of "Needful Things" ... and more!

See you soon,
Reed, Isaac, and Bruce

Wednesday Sep 3
Red-Eyed Fly
715 Red River

8 pm - Upper Echelon
9 pm - World Racketeering Squad
10pm - Wonderland Avenue
11pm - Black Bone Child
$5 21+ / $8 18+

It's Sunny's Birthday!

reedoliver@gmail.com — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:56:18 -0500

There are lots of folks who have been good to the Squad this last year as we grew from a 2-piece neophyte group to a 3-piece performing powerhouse (with a 4-piece barbershop quartet thrown in for flavor) and this Tuesday one of them is celebrating his birthday: Sunny!

Since the Squad is also celebrating the 1-year anniversity of our first performance ever (at Reed's All-the-Way Party), we're gung-ho about all things birthday, so were celebrating Sunny, revolving around the sun, and all things that happen but once a year in an all-star show Sunny's put together.

Let the Sunnyshine in on Tuesday, August 19th at Trophy's on South Congress. Things kick off around 10PM and there's no telling when the Squad will play our accoustic set in the happy mayhem. Update - looks like the Squad take the stage for our mini-set just after 10!

Guess you'll just have to party all night, again!

At Sunny's birthday
At Sunny's birthday
We'd like to wish you all what you would wish yourself
On Sunny's birthday
It's Sunny's birthday
And it's so good to have you back from off the shelf

Red-Eyed Fly gig a big success!

progressions@gmail.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:16:41 -0500

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Red-Eyed Fly last night to see us! We had a great time playing and having so many friends cheering us on was a big part of that.

Megan Allen sang tremendously on her debut performance of our rock opera "Omega in Love Versus The Supermonsters". We showcased some of our favorite covers, specifically "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Under My Thumb", the latter with Reed Oliver on keyboards.

Reed also played more bass than he ever has in our set, and demonstrated that all his practice is definitely paying off.

Oh, and we had a professional photographer in to document the whole event! We'll be sharing some of the photos when they come in.

Thanks to Jess, Irma, Sarah, Justin, and all the others who joined us last night. We'll see you in September!

Isaac

KITT, Cylons, and Red River Clubs

reedoliver@gmail.com — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:07:21 -0500

There's a few things in this world with red eyes. You might recall a certain talking car that used to bail David Haselhoff out of trouble, and Battlestar Galactica fans know that metal skin and a moving red light where the eyes should be means death on the move.

But to Austinites, red eyes, when they don't require visine and maybe cutting back on the herb before work, can most easily be found on Red River. That's where the Squad is headed on Tuesday, August 5th, for our Red River debut at the Red Eyed Fly. We play at 10PM, and there's a fine line up of folks both before and after us.

To celebrate, we're bringing back our rock opera, "Omega in Love versus the Supermonsters" with a new voice in the role of Christina: fan, friend, and sound gal extraordinaire Megan Allen!

Join our invasion of Red River, and we promise there will be red eyes enough for even your multi-faceted self!

See you there!

Tuesday Aug 5
    * Red-Eyed Fly ALL AGES
    * ALL AGES
    * 715 Red River
    * Austin, TX 78701
    * 10:00pm - 11:00pm $5 adults / $8 minors

In the meantime, here's a terrifying David Haselhoff video featuring KITT:

Double Dealing Triple Threat

reedoliver@gmail.com — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:27:04 -0500

It's true! The Squad has been hiding things from people who weren't a the last show, and we can't take it any more! It's been eating us up inside like chest-busting parasite, so before we set the acid-blooded offspring of our conspiracy of confidentiality loose upon the world, we must come clean.

We have a new bass player. His name is Reed Oliver.

I know. I know. You're saying, "Isn't Reed Oliver the name of the Squad's lead singer? The platinum-topped paladin of playfullness? The tin-whistling troubador?"

Yes, that's who Reed Oliver was. But he has been transformed into a man on the down-low, who reaches for the heights, but does it not a little down and dirty. Reed Oliver is ... a bass player.

Who sings, too.

See the emerging glory of this new identy, WRS as a Power Trio, at two, yes two gigs in the coming week:

First, return for a last hurrah to Solar Tuesdays. When a star dies, it either expands like a Red Giant into the ether, or it collapses, producing black holes, white dwarfs, or maybe even neutron stars. As the sun gods collapse from the effort of sustaining so much Rock and Roll, how will it all go down? Come find out! It's BYOB, free and easy, and a great stage to rock on. Jazz surfers Rusty Montana open!

Then, join the party as WRS kicks off the birthday celebration of the Barebones Orchestra at The Parlor. If you haven't seen BBO, you don't know the 12-member majesty of their sweet sweet jams and tawdry grooves. Lotsa folks will be there, so come early to get a table and a slice of The Parlor's truly excellent pizza.

See you there,
Isaac, Bruce, and Reed

Tuesday Jul 22

Solar Tuesday
Sustainable Waves Studios
4704 Cesar Chavez
Austin, TX 78701
Rusty Montana opens
8:00pm - 10:00pm

Wednesday Jul 23

Barebones Orchestra Birthday Bash!
The Parlor
100 E North Loop Blvd # B
Austin, TX 78751
9:00pm - 11:00pm FREE