THIS
MONTH IN LHS HISTORY June 2003 On
June 22nd, LHS rocks with the Spin Doctors in Seattle, Washington. Fun is had
by all. May
2005 On
Tuesday, May 10th, 2005 the winners of the Seattle Weekly Music Awards are announced
and Left Hand Smoke is voted Best Band in the Pop/Pop Rock category. The awards
ceremony is covered in the 5/11/05 issue of the Seattle Weekly and LHS is given
a placard to commemorate the honor. APRIL
2007 The
LHS track 'Can I Get a Witness' off of the LHS album "At the Hotel"
gets picked up for a national cable TV ad promoting the Rhapsody Digital Music
Subscription Service. The ad is runs on cable channels like MTV, VH1, Comedy Central,
FX and more.
MARCH
2005 The
LHS song "Down the Road" is licensed to Pangolin Pictures to be used
in a show for the Discovery Channel. FEBRUARY
2001 "So
Many Faces" was released at the Showbox in Seattle. The show sold out in
advance. JANUARY
2005
LHS Canadian Airplay on CKIA-FM in Quebec. The station starts spinning "Song
for Sadie" from latest LHS release Nonsense Parade. LHS sends it thanks to
CKIA's Mike Rochette. DECEMBER
2005
LHS Rocks in snowy Leavenworth for New Year’s Eve. NOVEMBER
2002
Songs from the album “So Many Faces” begin getting spins on radio stations
around the world, including stations in Argentina, Germany, Belgium, and Slovenia OCTOBER
2005
Left Hand Smoke
& The North Mississippi All-Stars rock hard at the Showbox in Seattle. SEPTEMBER
2004
LHS performs at Bumbershoot on the backyard stage for a crowd of 2,000. Also on
the stage that day are Nick Lowe and Sam Roberts. August
2005
Ben
Mish opens for Lost Highway recording artist William Topley at the
Crocodile
Café in Seattle, WA on August 3rd. July
2002
LHS rocks the Gorge at George with the Counting Crows and headliners the Who.
The backstage passes provided by the concert promoter are successful in getting
the band past the initial security outpost. At the second outpost, LHS is stopped
by the elderly security guard who asks them to state their purpose. When they
say they are the band, he asks “Are you guys the Who?” They politely
inform him that they are the opening band. After processing this, security directs
them to the appropriate trailer.
June
2005
LHS rocks at high school graduation in Washington State. Fun is had by all.
Teenagers
are pumping fists as LHS performs a Beastie Boys medley at the end of the evening.
May
2005
LHS wins the award for Best Band in the Pop/Rock category at the Seattle Weekly
Music Awards.
April
2001
LHS headlines the Crystal Ballroom in Portland on April 20th. This is an important
national holiday for many, and for Portland in particular, as it is deemed an
official 420 show. March
2005
LHS does a series of stripped-down, Fan-Appreciation shows that feature one set
of acoustic material and one set of rock. February
2006
LHS releases “At The Hotel” and has the CD release party at Neumo’s
in Seattle.
January
19999
LHS releases the eponymous debut album.
December
2005
LHS
rocks in snowy Leavenworth, Washington for New Year’s Eve.
November
1999
LHS
rocks the Showbox and sells the joint out.
OCTOBER
2003
LHS
releases their third album, Nonsense Parade.
SEPTEMBER
1998
LHS
puts the finishing production touches on their self-titled debut.
AUGUST
2005
The
entire LHS catalog becomes available on iTunes.
JULY
1999
KMTT
103.7 FM "The Mountain" adds the song "Step Outside" to the
regular rotation. JUNE
2005
LHS
rocks the Showbox with Ian McFeron and Handful of Luvin’. Fun is had by all.
MAY
2005
LHS
begins recording demos for “At the Hotel.” Actual recording does not
take place till May 2005.
MARCH
2003
For
reasons that aren't completely clear, Holstebro 97.4 in Denmark begins spinning
Paradise Blues from LHS's "So Many Faces", much to the delight of Left
Hand Smoke. The band dreams of launching a European tour.
FEBRUARY
2002
LHS
does a live performance and interview on Eugene, Oregon's KRVM today at 4:15 PST.
The station added "So Many Faces" to its rotation.
The station successfully
squeezes the five-piece ensemble into a room the size of a closet. The intimacy
comes across in the performance. JANUARY
2000
LHS
rocks the Showbox in Seattle. This is the third headlining show they play in four
months, after headlining shows in October and November of the previous year. NOVEMBER
2001
LHS
headlines the 1,500 capacity Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR for a Thanksgiving
Weekend show. Fun is had by all.
OCTOBER
1999
LHS
records early versions of Temporary Lovin’, Roll Away, and Annie. After listening
back to what they had recorded, the band decides to scrap the recording and then
returns to the studio the next year. The band spends most of 2000 in the recording
studio. The album was released in February of 2001, titled So Many Faces.
AUGUST
1998
LHS
plays a private party at the UW. The show rocks sufficiently, until the
sound
system goes out and there are no guitars, vocals, or keyboards.
However, the
LHS rhythm section uses the time to wow the crowd with their
chops until the
band can start up again.
AUGUST
1998
LHS
plays the Garlic festival, the Owl n' Thistle, and the Tractor Tavern in the same
week that they record their debut album. The album is basically recorded in 4
days, with two different drummers, but it is not officially released till January
1999.
JULY
2003
Ben
Mish appeared on the Danny Barnes album entitled "Dirt on the Angel."
Ben
sang back-up on the song "Oh La-La." The album was recorded at Garey
Shelton's studio, where LHS was recording their album Nonsense Parade. It featured
some music giants, such as guitarist Bill Frisell and one of Ben's heroes, piano/organist
Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers, etc.).
JUNE
2004
Ben
does a solo, opening slot for Gavin Degraw at the Neumo's in Seattle,
WA.
Michael Tolcher is also on the bill.
MAY
2002
LHS
does an extensive tour through Washington, Oregon, and California.
APRIL
2003
LHS
plays a festival in Pullman, WA. An estimated crowd of several thousand is driven
away from the festival by inclement weather and the show is nearly deemed a rain-out.
LHS band members help themselves to complementary cheeseburgers, hotdogs, and
beer. As the band drinks and sulks in their van, a reporter from the WSU paper
poses a poignant question: "So, when you guys are expecting to play to a
big crowd and no one shows up, what does that feel like?" LHS struggles to
dignify this question, then answers: "It sucks." The show does go on,
though, and LHS hits the stage and plays for a hundred diehards in rain slickers.
LHS is glad that beer is on the house.
MARCH
2003
LHS
rocks the Sweetwater in the Bay Area, CA. The month also takes them to Tahoe City,
CA and the far reaches of Eastern Idaho, where they encounter the Paris Hilton
of Idaho Falls. FEBRUARY
2004
LHS
rocks LHS rocks arenas as the opening act for Maroon 5 during their Northwest
Tour.
JANUARY
2002
LHS
rocks Dudley's in Pocatello, Idaho. The establishment is owned by Dusty and his
band of fire-breathers. The subtleties of this time-honored craft are passed on
to LHS bassist Andrew Scaglione, who learns to blow kerosene onto a flaming staff
while the rest of the band builds the tension with dramatic music. After the act
wins over fans in Pocatello, the band brings the act to Seattle for the next show,
where this Gene Simmons gimmick tanks. DECEMBER
2003
LHS
rocks the Bell-Harbor Convention Center in Seattle for the Absolut New Year's
Eve bash. The show sells out and a crowd of 3,000 attends. NOVEMBER
1998
LHS
does its initial CD release party at the Owl n' Thistle for their
self-titled
debut on a Wednesday night. The album isn't officially released
until the
following year, but the party goes off and a line stretches around
the block
as the show is deemed a certified sell-out.
OCTOBER
2001
Left
Hand Smoke performs a Halloween show in Tahoe City, CA before a sold crowd at
the Sierra Vista. LHS band members are costumed as follows: Hugh Heffner, Billy
Idol, Afro Man, Militant Dictator, and Jimmy Page.
SEPTEMBER
2000
Left Hand Smoke performs for the first time at Bumbershoot in Seattle,
WA on the esteemed Bumbrella stage and rocks the crowd of an estimated 2,000 to
3,000 people.
AUGUST
2002
Left Hand Smoke performs a showcase show at the Mint in Hollywood,
CA.
Through a surprising turn of events, popstar Jewel is put on the guest
list.
The guest list reads, "Jewel + 1". Sadly, Jewel and guest
do not show. JULY
2003
Left
Hand Smoke plays the Fourth of Jul-Ivar's bash at
Myrtle Edwards park down on the Seattle waterfront. Also on the bill are the North
Mississippi All-Stars. Fun was had by all. JUNE
1997
Ronan and
Ben record a five-song demo titled "Mackadoshis." The inexplicable name
does not catch on and the band goes through seven name changes before settling
on Left Hand Smoke a year later. MAY
1997:
Ronan and Ben do their first gig together
at the Rainier Brewery. The band is named "Shane's Brother's Band."
Ronan's brother Shane comes up with this name because he organized the show and
needs some way to bill the entertainment. (NOTE: The large "R" on the
historic building would later be changed to a "T" when Tully's bought
the place). APRIL
2003:
Ronan bumps into Dave Matthews in the
Wallingford area of Seattle. Ronan says "Dave?" and Dave raises the
signature eyebrow, then
acknowledges Ronan. Ronan passes a copy of "So
Many Faces" to him and urges him to listen. The two shake hands and move
along.
MARCH, 2001:
The
So Many Faces Tour Began, where we eventually played WA, ID,
OR, MT, NV, CA,
& UT. It was a long tour. In Sun Valley, ID; Tommy Moe showed us his Olympic
Gold Medal for downhill skiing, bought a copy of “So Many Faces”, signed
it “You guys rip. - Tommy Moe, Gold”, and gave it back to us. FEBRUARY
2, 2001:
"So
Many Faces" was released at the Showbox in Seattle. The
show sold out
in advance.
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