News

Cambridge Mayor's Celebration of the Arts

2010-06-17T03:21:48Z

We will be celebrating arts with the mayor of Cambridge ON for the 4th time in as many years and are excited to see some familiar faces and great friends. We are going to be sharing the stage with awesome community groups, choral groups, brass bands and a symphony or two. Also, there will be fantastic art work by area painters and sculptors add super great food and it's like a 16th century courtyard party...well but with Fender amps and PA.

Check our Facebook page for event details.

TFP

Mailbag

2010-05-08T20:16:28Z

It's always nice to hear from a fan. I love people. Here's a message I just received.

--msg begins here--

Your Name: Don
Your Email: mrdonmackie@-----.com

Subject: Your band

Message: The free press eh? your music is dreadful. You guys are a bunch of left wing, pro queer morons. You suck.

--msg ends here--

Hi Don,

Thanks for taking the time to write. It always nice to know that we can motivate people to act on how our music makes them feel. I'll address your points as they came in:

1. "The Free Press eh?" Yes.

2. "Your music is dreadful." Ok. We're probably not going to see eye to eye on this one but for the record, do you mean it actually fills you with dread..like fear...cause that would be kinda wicked OR do you mean unpleasant, distasteful or shocking? Shocking would be pretty rock and roll also. Frankly I like our chances here.

3. "You guys are a bunch of left wing" - Yes, like many involved in the arts, we too tend to trend left politically but I've never thought any of us were especially to one side or of the other. Well...maybe Len, he's kind of a pinko, commie, liberal bleeding heart pig. Kinda.

4. "Pro-queer" - Guilty. We support equality for all people, including mouth breathing homophobes...for example.

5. "Morons" - brother we're trying to make it in them music business...you think you're telling us something we don't know?

6. "You suck" - yes, but only the cock.

Thanks for taking the time to write and generate some good stuff for our blog. You've been a big help.

Good luck with your next divorce.
The Free Press

"the more fear inspiring, tolerant, left wing band in the world!" ~Don Mackie

Bon Jovi Contest

2010-04-26T06:41:14Z

Love that coiffe!

DISREGARD..READ THE FOLLOW-UP POST AT THE BOTTOM FIRST!

In a dramatic display of hypocritical behaviour and after weeks of railing about how we hate the kinds of contests that Bon Jovi is running that requires bands to harass their supporters to 'vote' for them, we are now going to ask you for your help because it turns out without even trying we're only 7 spots of out of making it to the next round.

As much as we find the idea of these popularity contests stupid, we also aren't so proud that we're going to turn our back on a chance like this considering it seems we actually have one.

Of 500 or so bands, we're currently number 37 and only the top 30 advance for consideration.

Annoyingly they don't make it especially easily for you to help but it's not super hard:

Visit http://www.ourstage.com/login
Login (existing members), register or use Facebook to sign-in.
Now check out: http://www.ourstage.com/profile/thefreepress
Click 'join fan club'
Now please click "Make This My Favorite Artist" (far right)

Believe it or not all you've done so far is made it so that our music shows up in the judging process...you haven't actually voted for us yet...we know...lame.

Now then, to actually judge the music:

http://www.bonjovi.com/ourstage
Scroll down to poorly and strangely worded "Bon Jovi's WANTED: A SuperBAND Tonight: Toronto, ON" <--seriously, what the hell does that mean? Anyway, click on it.
Now you'll be presented with 4 pieces of music that you rank 1-4 (duh: with 1 being your favourite and 4 being your least favourite)
You have to listen to 15 seconds of each before you can drag them into the 1-4 spots.
Once you have your 1-4, click submit vote.
4 more pieces of music will show up.
When you see The Free Press come up, go ahead and make us No.1, that'd be super.
Write a nice comment if you feel like it or right a bad one if you're friends are in another band...just like everyone else is doing :)
If after voting a bunch (20 times or more) and you don't see us come up, that's uncool, please email community@ourstage.com and tell them.

This dude is very annoyed by the process!Anyway, it's a small to medium sized pain in the ass for you considering you don't really get much out of it so we're really grateful for your time in helping us. Needless to say if we could win such a thing, it would be an enormous opportunity.

If we DO win this thing we get, count them, 3 free tickets and needless to say we'll have some manner of contest for our ourstage 'fan club' members to win these. It's literally the least we can do.

Anyway, thanks again, we know you didn't sign up to hear about self serving stuff like this or to be put to work...we get that. We won't make a habit of coming to you like this.

Thanks one last time. Once we're rich and stuff, we'll do things like close off streets and have free bbq and balloons for the kids and all of this tediousness will seem worth it when you're into your third hot dog and second pint of .

Two Headlights

2010-04-17T23:15:10Z

Sorry we haven't been able to send more footage and live broadcasts from down south here (or maybe that's for the best.) That was our intention after we discovered the technology on the way down a few days ago. The problem is that the hotel we're staying in has "balls" internet (and Alex Oliveira quote) and we haven't been able to find the bandwidth to get to you good folks. We did manage a brief broadcast last night @ 2 am from an ATM bank shelter (of course I'm serioius) and it looked as sketchy as can be (and felt even more so, particularly when three cop cars when screaming past us). Of course, that was after we walked into a nicer hotel and snuck around the darkness of it's really fancy and really expensive conference rooms looking for a wired connection. Had we really wanted to we could have stolen all the Gideon's video gear (and bibles), but we're good Canadian boys and we opted instead to just keep searching for internet. Alas...

Today brought new fun and excitement. The rain and humidity vanished and the temperature dropped 10-12 degrees. As such, it's pretty damned brisk outside (and that's where we're playing!) If anyone's ever wondered what it's like to play an outdoor rock and roll show at Snow Jam or Winterlude or Carnivale I can probably tell you in a few hours. We're looking at similar conditions because the hard way just seems to be The Free Press way.

I'm not complaining. Please don't think that. I'm not even complaining about the van which broke down as Alex was trying to (again) fix the tail light wiring for the trailer. This time he somehow managed to blow a fuse while repairing the lights. He replaced the fuse and had to take it to a mechanic. The mechanic said that we had probably effed the computer in the van. You know, the brain of the car. The thing that controls the brake lights, the fuel gauge, the turning signals, the odometer, the hazards. So, unless a miracle happens tonight or tomorrow morning, we'll be driving home with head lights (at least there's two of them...currently anyway), winning smiles and the best of intentions. I wasn't kidding about The Free Press Way. :)

So, say your prayers for us, think warm thoughts and keep your house lights on if we're driving past. With all apologies to the Earth, every bit will help tomorrow. Hopefully we'll come to you live from the van sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening. Dig it.

A Long Day at the Office

2010-04-16T09:41:42Z

You know you're up too late when Alex & Mick (who are both in bed) discuss and laugh like maniacs for 45 minutes about a fictional sign business they've just created and are working on slogans & business strategies for. You probably had to be here. And even if you were here, you probably shouldn't have been here.

You know you're up too late when you can hear people's doors opening and closing as they're most likely leaving the hotel since it's 5:45 am and they have work to do and places to be. I, however, had some sleep (apparently I slept through our first ever live webcast from the van - seriously!) and am just doing a bit of days end work so I can focus on the rock and roll tomorrow.

Today was eventful - as several of you heard when we broadcast from our hotel room a few hours ago. We had:

1 Forgotten Passport

1 Unamusing call to Homeland Security to ask about side-stepping Len's ignorance (see above)

1 Three hour delay (see above)

2 Drives past Mick's house (Mick took the subway to my house to 'speed up' the trip)

1 Live Webcast from a moving van (seriously!)

3 Border Crossings (they were so excited about the webcast that they blazed past our customs, had to return to get all of our gear properly id'd and inventoried and then return to the US border so we could continue the journey)

1 Border Detaining (when the gentlemen in the booth asks you to please drive towards the officer who will tell you where to park and where to go, things don't look good)

1 Hour of cold sweats as Homeland Security 'investigated' our plans

1 Near miss (we were allowed to enter with a fairly stern warning from a very nice lady)

1 45 minute delay while we repaired the lights on the trailer (we didn't want to risk another police incident)

1 3am arrival at a very nice hotel

1 Pantless webcast at 4am for approximately four people

3 Alcoholic beverages consumed (Mick insisted we keep it 'real')

1 New theme song (Alex & Mick went from conception to completion in fifteen minutes and it will be unveiled tomorrow)

4 Jerks going to sleep

Hope to see you all in the etherworld tomorrow.