Sunspot Road Mania

Sunspot Road Mania Ep. 174 - NAMM 2012 Day 4

2012-01-23T07:41:00.002-06:00

Sunspot at NAMM Day 4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 173 - NAMM 2012 Day 3

2012-01-23T07:36:00.002-06:00

Sunspot at NAMM Day 3!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 172 - NAMM 2012 Day 2

2012-01-21T10:44:00.001-06:00

Sunspot at NAMM 2012 Day One

2012-01-20T11:49:00.001-06:00

Prozac Girl - The Slingshot Effect Release Party - Erika Dedication

2011-12-30T12:15:00.001-06:00

"Prozac Girl" by Sunspot from the release party for "The Slingshot Effect" - November 18th, 2011. A little bit of Semisonic's "Closing Time" snuck in the middle because the idea was to travel back in time to 1998 when "Prozac Girl" was first performed.

Also, it's a special dedication to one of our favorite people, Erika!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 170

2011-11-16T10:50:00.002-06:00

We get our MAXMas recording on and Mike talks about the things he would change if he could go back in time.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 169 (Countdown to The Slingshot Effect)

2011-11-11T11:13:00.003-06:00

We talk about our favorite songs with the word, "time" in the title. And of course we keep counting down to the release of our new album, "The Slingshot Effect"! (http://sunspotslingshoteffect.eventbrite.com)

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 168 (Countdown to The Slingshot Effect)

2011-11-04T02:36:00.002-05:00

Updates from our extra spooky Halloween weekend shows at the Mud Run in Verona and in Ridgeway, and a wrap-up from rehearsal! 17 days until the CD Release Party for "The Slingshot Effect"!

Direct download at http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm168-3802166.mp4

Happy Halloween - New Sunspot Song and Video!

2011-10-31T10:01:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween! To celebrate the holiday as well as the upcoming release of "The Slingshot Effect", here is a special Halloween horror movie video mash-up to our brand new song, "We Are The Darkness".

Have a great All Hallow's Eve!

Download "We Are The Darkness" directly right here.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 167 (Countdown to The Slingshot Effect)

2011-10-26T10:01:00.001-05:00

We talk about our favorite time travel movies and keep counting down to the release of our new album! (http://sunspotslingshoteffect.eventbrite.com)

Direct download at http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_167.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 166 (Countdown to The Slingshot Effect)

2011-10-19T11:24:00.001-05:00

We light the Eternal Flame at Capital Brewery for a literally solar-powered show, experience some supernatural happenings at the Fillmor in Wausau, and start counting down to the release of our new album! (http://sunspotslingshoteffect.eventbrite.com)

Direct download is here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm166-3751817-10381.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 165

2011-09-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

Taste of Madison, Sunspot rocking live, Crash Test Dummies, didgeridoos, our new CD, and more! Mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm, it's a good time this month!

Download the podcast directly here.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 164

2011-08-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

We penetrate deep into the heart of Pittsburgh and bring the rock to The Smiling Moose, find maybe the coolest toy store on the planet, and then head back home!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 163

2011-08-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

We give Philly the cheese steak and run away from Hurricane Irene!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 162

2011-08-26T13:19:00.001-05:00

Rocking the Mad Hatter with some killer bands and scarfing down some chili as we hit the Cincy area again!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 161

2011-08-25T13:22:00.001-05:00

Our first time at Reggie's Rock Joint in Chicago! Also Mike and Wendy sing some karaoke with Liquid Courage (literally, that was the band name!)

Sunspot Road Mania- Ep. 160

2011-08-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

We eat everything in sight at the WIsconsin State Fair, rock the Barneveld Luau, and go back to the studio.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 159

2011-07-15T11:16:00.001-05:00

Sunspot in the Racine 4th of July parade, some classic cars in Reedsburg, and then hanging out in The Bastard Den.

Download the SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_159_sd.m4vv

Sunspot Road Mania - EP. 158

2011-06-09T11:06:00.001-05:00

Rocking out and hanging out in Chicago and Milwaukee for our first podcast of the summer of 2011!

Download the SD version of the podcast here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadManiaEp158SD-3270121-10381.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 157

2011-05-11T12:20:00.000-05:00

Adventures in Madison, Racine, Merrill, Elcho, and Marshfield. Hoyer Guitars, motorcycles, special videotaping to make sure that Ben can still make it to our La Crosse show, recumbent bicycles, tornado damage, all our love to Sean Kingston, and a special appearance by Leo Laporte from This Week in Tech!

Download the full SD version here.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 156

2011-04-20T21:23:00.001-05:00

A recap of the events of the past few weeks, including the Deus Ex Machina EP release party, a battle of the bands in Milwaukee, and some heavy metal welding of the trailer!

Direct download is available here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_156.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 155

2011-03-31T07:58:00.000-05:00

5 shows, 3 days in Austin, 48 hours in the van. Our most epic Road Mania yet as we journey to SXSW 2011 to play showcases for Tourbinder.com, WeAre78704.com, GoGirls.com, Good Day Austin on Fox 7, tour the Texas State Capitol, get destroyed by Nuclear Tacos, hail a pedicab, eat free on Rachael Ray, have some death metal pizza, and drink enough Lone Star and whiskey to kill a horse.

Download the SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_155.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 154

2011-03-18T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here we are, getting ready for the annual pilgrimage to Austin, records new songs, attends a MAMAs seminar at the Frequency, and checks out the action at the Wisconsin State Capitol building.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 153

2011-02-23T21:05:00.001-06:00

Some highlights from our February Milwaukee and Janesville shows, a little rocking from The Everyday Motive, plus getting ready to record the first new Sunspot studio songs since 2009!

Download the SD version directly here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm153sd-2846375-10381.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 152

2011-02-10T11:07:00.000-06:00

Check out the action from last weekend's triple-header: Merrill, Polar, and Middleton after the Packers won the Superbowl... with the Udder Run snowshoe race in Athens as a special bonus!

HD version available for download here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-152.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 151

2011-01-26T20:38:00.001-06:00

Van troubles in Rochester? Say it ain't so! Minneapolis rockers, Packers championships, Sunspot rehearsal- it's all here in the first Road Mania of 2011!

Download the full SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_151.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 150

2010-12-23T11:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays from The Sunspot Christmas Party and Major Arcana DVD Release at The Frequency in Madison!

Download the SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm150sd-2578837-10381.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 149

2010-12-15T16:05:00.001-06:00

Sunspot survives Snowmageddon 2010 with a show at Sugar River Lanes in Belleville, Saturday, December 11th. Our heroes also gives you a little peek at the making of Major Arcana, released this Friday, December 17th, at The Frequency in Madison!

Download the SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_149_sd.mov

"Perfect" - Major Arcana

2010-12-10T15:05:00.000-06:00

Sunspot performs their previously unreleased song, "Perfect", as featured in their upcoming live concert DVD, "Major Arcana".

A combination of theater, audience participation, multimedia stage show, and rock concert party, they hired local actors to film scenes in between songs and provided a story that linked the songs to each other as well as a tarot card for each track (hence the title, "Major Arcana".) The idea is that the main character was getting an online tarot reading and the cards represented the themes of the songs as well as where the character was going in the story. The band premiered the show during SXSW in 2010 and took it on a tour of America's East Coast, Midwest and South in the Summer.

This DVD is the culmination of the tour and stage show. Recorded at The Annex in Madison on the last night of their tour, "Major Arcana" is the complete live production specially recorded for the DVD, along with tour videos, deleted scenes, a commentary track, and other special features. It will be available for purchase December 17th, as well as on their website, www.sunspotmusic.com

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 148

2010-11-27T15:49:00.000-06:00

Daleks, spankings, naughty cakes, clever cakes, and a ton of birthday shenanigans!

SD version available for download here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadManiaEp148SD-2475265.m4v

Major Arcana Trailer

2010-11-27T11:27:00.000-06:00

Sunspot's "Major Arcana" tour was about creating a completely new type of experience that's personal like a rock concert has the emotional weight of a musical, that's dynamic visually like a film, and has the depth of great literature. The band premiered the show at SXSW in 2010 and took it on a tour of America's East Coast, Midwest and South in the Summer.

This DVD is the culmination of the tour and stage show. A complete live concert DVD, along with tour videos, deleted scenes, a commentary track, and other special features. It's released December 17th and available for pre-orders at http://store.sunspotmusic.com

SD version here at : http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/MajorTrailer480p-2474491.mov

"Prozac Girl" and "Pretend" Sunspot on Late Night Madness April 1998

2010-11-18T21:07:00.000-06:00

Hey, goatees are cool!

This is the first televised appearance of us as Sunspot, as well as the first ever time we played "Prozac Girl" and "Pretend" in front of a crowd! April of 1998, and we'd just finished writing the bridge of "Prozac Girl" that day!

I thought this would be the perfect day to put it up since we're doing a Major Arcana sneak preview tomorrow!

Download the video here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot%20LNM%20April%202008.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 147

2010-11-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

It's a Super Halloween Weekend as the Super Sunspot Bros. party in Madison and Rockford with Josh Dupont Band and The Goodyear Pimps!

Download the SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/RoadManiaEP144-2250957.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 146

2010-10-28T15:21:00.001-05:00

Watch Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 146 in Celebrity & Showbiz | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Partying in Elcho, saying goodbye to Bambi, and getting ready for this week's big Halloween parties!

Download the SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm146-2344667.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 145

2010-10-14T19:38:00.000-05:00

Sunspot has the weekend off, but Mike gets himself six feet under the Zombie Pub Crawl in Minneapolis while Wendy Lynn performs with rocker Mark Mallman during his epic 78-hour music marathon at The Turf Club in St. Paul. It's a Twin Cities rock/horror party!

Download the SD version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadMania145-2281103.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 144

2010-10-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

Sunspot video shoot, hanging out at old haunts, and discussing the extraordinarily talented musician, Jibbs.

SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/RoadManiaEP144-2250957.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 143

2010-09-30T22:41:00.001-05:00

Mike and Wendy visit the Rock Band Creators Workshop at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago.

Will you be able to play some Sunspot on your Xbox soon? Watch the video to find out!

YouTube Video

SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm143sd-2215237.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 142

2010-09-29T04:37:00.000-05:00

Rock show and dance party at Victory Lane in Merrill!

SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_142_sd.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 141

2010-09-21T08:34:00.001-05:00

Sunspot fights the good fight in Waukesha!

YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ0veq3diIo

Download SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm141-2163861.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 140

2010-08-25T01:09:00.000-05:00

Madison. The Annex. Last day of the tour. No titles on this one because I need to reinstall iMovie, but you'll get the point. The real highlight is the entirety of "She's A Ho" live by Government Zero. I didn't want to put this up because it kinda made me sad that it's all over. That's alright, more adventures to be had soon.

Download the SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm140-2164065.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 139

2010-08-15T01:15:00.000-05:00

Defying deadly rains in Rockford, performing in Freeport, and returning to Wisconsin!

SD Version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm139-2164487.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 138

2010-08-15T01:13:00.000-05:00

Sunspot vs. Food at Waffle House!

SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadManiaEp.138-2164337.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 137

2010-08-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

Living on Tulsa time. A man on a bed of nails, three-point-two beer and some rocking!

SD Version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadManiaEp.137-2163743.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 136

2010-08-13T12:05:00.000-05:00

Hanging out in OKC, Iguana's Taco Tuesday Funeral, Tecate with our man, Elmo, high strangeness at the Hi-Lo, Styx party, Captain Eyeball and more!

SD Version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadManiaEp.136-2163405.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 135

2010-08-13T12:03:00.000-05:00

Sunspot invades the Big D and Willie Nelson's Truck Stop!

SD version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm135sd-2186419.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 134

2010-08-13T12:01:00.000-05:00

Oh, Austin!

SD version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm134sd-2186413.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 133

2010-08-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

Causing trouble in San Antonio at Augie's and then hanging out with 3 Kisses.

SD Version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm133sd-2186407.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 132

2010-08-06T12:06:00.001-05:00

Hanging out with Madalyn from GoGirls and performing in Houston.

Download the SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-132.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 131

2010-08-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

Wild in Little Rock!

The SD version is right here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-132.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 130

2010-08-06T12:02:00.001-05:00

Day 3 of Tennessee! Live from Memphis. It's hot out and we make it hotter!

The SD version us right here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-130.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 129

2010-08-03T11:46:00.000-05:00

Hanging out in Nashville on our day off. Jem from Outrageous Productions gives us the first Big Elebra Award. We go out to see some bands and shenanigans ensue.

SD version is right here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-129.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 128

2010-08-02T14:21:00.001-05:00

Nasty in Nashville!

Download the SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/'sunspotrm128sd-2400937.mov

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 127

2010-08-02T14:20:00.003-05:00

Play By Play Cafe in Cincinnati, a terrifying hotel in Kentucky, and our introduction to Cincy's Hudy Beer.

SD version is here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-127.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 126

2010-08-02T14:20:00.001-05:00

Losing our West Virginity in Wheeling!

SD version is here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-126.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 125

2010-08-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

Sunspot misadventures in New York City!

SD version is here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-125.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 124

2010-08-02T14:17:00.001-05:00

Summer Day at Two Boots in Bridgeport!

SD version is here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-124.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 123

2010-08-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

It's raining men at Harper's Ferry!

SD Version is here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-123.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 122

2010-07-27T14:51:00.001-05:00

On the way to Boston!

SD version is here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot-Road-Mania-Ep-122.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 121

2010-07-27T14:50:00.001-05:00

Alright, I think I'm finally getting the hang of editing and shooting on the iPhone 4. We had a really fun day but kind of a weird night at our Pittsburgh stop.

Download the SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm121sd-2400911-10381.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 120

2010-07-27T14:47:00.000-05:00

Flat tire on the trailer! Tragedy on the freeway! Acoustic "Soundcheck Song"!

Download the SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm120-2400963.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 119

2010-07-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

Major Arcana Tour Day 3 from Delavan, WI and a little night riding in the van.

Direct download at http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm119-1881109.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 118

2010-07-23T11:35:00.001-05:00

Some behind the scenes from Shank Hall at last night's tour kickoff during the Great Milwaukee Flood of 2010. I'm still working out exactly how best to shoot with the iPhone 4, so sorry if it doesn't look great yet, but we'll be shooting every day on this tour, so hopefully by the end I'll have it figured out!

Direct download is right here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm118-1877155.m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 117

2010-07-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

A little bit from Concerts on the Square in Wausau and an explanation of what the Major Arcana tour is all about.

The direct download is right here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SRM117-1873183.m4v

Sunspot Prehistoric Video : "Bleed Me Free" and "Young Love" - Shine 97 Concert

2010-06-25T14:26:00.000-05:00

Pleather, mohawks, sequins, and braces(?!) - Eat your heart out, Fashionistas! This may be the earliest video that we have on the web. It's from March of 1997 at a benefit concert in the Stock Pavilion at UW-Madison. This is before we called ourselves Sunspot and we hadn't even been playing together for a year yet. The sound quality is a little rough, it's a transfer from a VHS copy of a Hi-8 tape, and our friend, Kyle, had to keep coming onstage to help Wendy fix her bass drum (Hey man, thanks for that.)

Thinking back on that show, it was a pretty awesome experience. That was the first show that we ever played with BoRd and we got to share the stage with Pet Engine (who I thought was the coolest band in Wisconsin in the 1990's.) Originally, the organizers advertised the show as being headlined by The Gufs, but something happened and they had to cancel (which caused Ben to have a grudge against them for years, ha. Since it was a benefit for Camp Heartland , Ben's response when anyone used to bring The Gufs up was "Those heartless bastards hate kids with AIDS", in fact he still might say that.) We were all about 20 years young in this video and for some reason, I was determined that a beard made me look more like a badass, especially with a bandana. Yeah, I was wrong about that.

These are two songs that don't make it out at live shows anymore, either. We hadn't seen it (or thought about it) in over a decade, and when you see how many ridiculous chains I'm wearing, we thought you'd be glad we shared it.

Anyway, next week we'll start seeing new Sunspot Road Manias as we kick off the next six weeks, which is going to be our busiest season ever! Brand new live show, new songs and we'll be bringing it all around the country and then doing a final Homecoming show in Madison on August 14th to make our first live DVD. So, this will be a pretty short trip down Memory Lane because we're in the process of making a lot of new ones.

"Summer Day" (Longest Intro Ever) at WYOU

2010-06-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

We're taking a break for the next two weeks as we get the July shows ready to roll and we finish our preparations and production for the Major Arcana Tour, but we don't want to deprive you of the deep, deep, borderline nasty love that we have for you in the meantime. So, here's another video (this one's not Old School because it's not even a year past.)

It's probably the longest intro to Summer Day we've ever done. We just kinda rolled with it because, well, we could. It was for WYOU's telethon in October 2009. We were introduced by Darth Rokker from Maximum Ink and we played that night with our good friends in Axiom. The sound quality is great, thanks to Kasper from Ghost Town for doing the mixing.

WYOU is an awesome community access station in Madison and they always need support because keeping crazy people on the air is important AND they support local and independent music. www.wyou.org

Sunspot Old-School Video : "Prozac Girl" WAMI Awards 2004

2010-06-10T16:40:00.000-05:00

To tide you guys over this week between Road Manias, let's take a little trip in the Wayback Machine all the way back to the Aughts, all the way back to April 26th, 2004 at a a live performance for the 2004 Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards. Picture Northern Lights Theater at Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, WI. Picture a good deal of Milwaukee's music scene all dressed up, hanging out and getting lit up in one place. Picture a ton of old ladies smoking cigarettes and seducing the one-armed bandit. Picture us- young, fresh-faced, and beautiful.

And yes, we did bring a different set of clothes to go between the stage and the ceremony.

We also included some of the footage of our deep and poignant acceptance speeches for Rock Band of the Year!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 116

2010-05-21T09:19:00.000-05:00

Sunspot visits The Buzz Bar for their first show in Watertown, WI! Special thanks to Terrence (who apparently had a baby at the show) for the footage of us playing.

The high quality direct download is available here (~38 MB):
http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_116.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 115

2010-05-12T11:21:00.000-05:00

This episode includes a zen-like drive to Edgerton, Saturday MAMAs festivities, and the roaring after-MAMAs party with Government Zero and John Masino at The Annex!

The high quality direct download is available here (~110 MB):
http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_115.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 114

2010-05-04T18:50:00.001-05:00

Another action-packed weekend with shows at Legends & Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison, and with Caroline's Spine at Howie's in La Crosse. This episode also includes backstage interviews with our friends in Sexy Ester and Shinobi Ninja! Special thanks to our friend Terrence for the Mifflin footage of us playing!

The high quality direct download is available here (~73 MB):
http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_114.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 113

2010-04-28T23:24:00.000-05:00

Weekend of April 23-25: Recap of shows at the Dry Bean in Fitchburg and a test run of Major Arcana at Hog Creek in Mosinee, WI! Special thanks to Mike Shiffler for taking footage at Hog Creek!

The high quality direct download is available here (~83 MB):
http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_113.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 112

2010-04-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Weekend of April 8-10: Tales from Waukesha, Racine, and Wisconsin Rapids. Learn the origin of the venue name "4 Stools Short"; learn how the band got their Thanksgiving turkey early.

The high quality direct download is available here (~100 MB):
http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_112.mp4

Sunspot and Broadjam on Channel 27!

2010-04-14T00:49:00.001-05:00

Here we are featured on Channel 27 WKOW with the very cool Madison music company, Broadjam, as they get an award for being a "Business To Watch" in Wisconsin for 2010.

Thanks to Jeff Angileri and check out the full story right here!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 111

2010-04-02T08:14:00.001-05:00

A weekend complete with two Sunspot "all-nighters": Kathy's Pub in Rochester, MN and Siemers Cruise-In in Walworth, WI.

The high quality direct download is available here (~55 MB):
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_111.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 110

2010-03-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

Day three of the 2010 Austin Adventure features a Broadjam.com Photo Scavenger Hunt, bonus show at Hoek's Death Metal Pizza, a GoGirlsMusic showcase at Trophy's, and the final, bittersweet load-up of the van before the drive home. Special thanks to Swami & Terrence for photos and footage!

The high quality direct download is available here (~74 MB):
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_110.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 109

2010-03-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

A recap of Friday 3/19/10 in Austin: Nuclear Tacos, fun on 6th Street, and bMUSEd Music Fest!

The high quality direct download is available here (~100 MB):
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_109.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 108

2010-03-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

Another update from the 2010 Austin trip. More van talk, Whataburger, footage from the 3/18 show at Aussie's, and an uff-da with Axiom and our Austin friends!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 107

2010-03-18T10:18:00.000-05:00

The first leg of our Fifth Annual trip to Austin during SXSW, this episode may not be the most eventful but it's a real view of life in the van during an extended (21-hour) drive. Join us in the van as we roll through Iowa and Missouri, whilst doing some final preparations for our shows tomorrow & Friday. Note, the resolution is intentionally lower for this episode so we could upload it from the van.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 106

2010-03-15T14:35:00.000-05:00

A short, sweet update from our show at Neighbors Social Club in "The Sha" (Waukesha, Wisconsin) on 3/13/2010. This episode includes show footage from both on-stage and audience vantage points, a quick discussion about upcoming travel plans, and an end-of-night "Uff-Da" sendoff!

Special thanks to Charles Waschbisch for sending us his audience footage of "Mr. Foff"!

The high quality direct download is available here (~50 MB):
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_106.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 105

2010-03-09T17:25:00.000-06:00

This episode is chock full of music! Featuring excerpts from March 4th, 5th, and 6th shows, this episode highlights many of the bands with whom we shared the stage(s) last weekend.

The high quality direct download is available here (large file! ~79 MB):
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_105.mp4

Old School Sunspot: "Freakshow" in Milwaukee, WI 8/21/2004

2010-02-26T08:12:00.000-06:00

I recently unearthed this video of us performing at Shank Hall in 2004. We opened for Chicago band Redshirt and had a great time performing at the legendary venue. Interestingly, the two shows we have done at Shank Hall were both in 2004; the other show being on Valentine's Day with our friends Rainy Day Crush. Hopefully we'll get back there again one of these days because it's a nice stage with great sound... and who doesn't love playing in front of the wee Stonehenge?!

You can download the full video here:
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_2004_shankhall.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 104

2010-02-18T10:31:00.000-06:00

Sunspot travels to Rochester, MN and Richland Center, WI. Mike, Ben, and Wendy discuss hoarfrost, the van runs out of gas, and more!

The direct download is available here:
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_104.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 103

2010-02-14T19:09:00.000-06:00

Sunspot returns to central Wisconsin: This episode features footage from the Udder Run snowshoe race in Athens, WI, clips from the 2/6 show at Victory Lanes, and Viewer Mail.

The direct download is available here:
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_103.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 102

2010-02-06T17:38:00.000-06:00

A quick update from rehearsal!

The direct download is available here:
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_102.mp4

Old School Sunspot Video: "Step On It" at Harley Fest in Thiensville, WI 6/24/2000

2010-01-29T08:41:00.000-06:00

That's right friends, we had to put the Wayback Machine into overdrive to get this footage. It was taken when we played at the Harley dealership in Thiensville, WI for Milwaukee Bike Week.

Watch carefully to see a special appearance from our friend "Spider", who repeatedly told us to turn down and ultimately unplugged us because he "didn't like music". Such sweet, sweet memories!

You can download the full video here:
http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_2000_harleyfest.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 101

2010-01-22T01:06:00.000-06:00

The first Sunspot Road Mania of 2010! We're taking press photos and hanging out at Market Square Theater (thanks to them for letting us shoot there, see a movie there soon!) Thanks to Devious for taking the shots, being patient, awesome, and a very talented friend!

Old School Sunspot Video: Wyatt's Torch Aurora, CO Jan. 7, 2007 "When The Revolution Comes"

2010-01-13T20:18:00.000-06:00

Sunday night in a Denver suburb at the beginning of January? You bet we'll be there.

Thanks to Barb from Sweet Revenge Management for taping the show and sending it to us and thanks to the dearly departed Wyatt's Torch for hosting a great night to finish off one of our most fun tours.

You can download the full video here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_wyatts_torch.mp4

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 100

2010-01-04T07:48:00.000-06:00

At long last... We proudly present the 100th episode of Sunspot Road Mania!

This episode features a retrospective of the past year. We had so many exciting and fun events that it was honestly very difficult to boil down to a 10-minute episode. But the process of reviewing the year was great and reminded me just how lucky we are to be surrounded by incredible people and places!

Enjoy the video and feel free to comment with your favorite Sunspot moment from 2009!

If you want, you can download the complete file here (warning, it's about 116 MB).

"Path of Most Resistance" Pop-Up Video

2009-12-22T16:11:00.000-06:00

It's "Path of Most Resistance" all done up VH1-style. You can download the song, purchase the album, and check out the full lyrics at http://sunspot.bandcamp.com/track/path-of-most-resistance.

You can download the Pop-Up at http://www.sunspotmusic.com/sunspot_path_of_most_resistance_popup.mp4 or view it on YouTube directly at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CqKGemQeKo

If you're looking for the original video, you can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOucORr1ks

A Holiday Greeting from Sunspot

2009-12-11T11:57:00.001-06:00

Sunspot wishes you a very happy Holiday Season this year!

And don't forget that you can find Sunspot gifts for your loved ones at store.sunspotmusic.com.

You can watch our message directly on YouTube or download the movie file here.

Old-School Sunspot Video "Prozac Girl" 2001

2009-12-01T23:07:00.000-06:00

That's right, friends, the hits just keep on coming. This is the third week in a row we've brought you "classic" (classic, ha, there's nothing classic about the peroxide blonde in this video and did I steal that bowling shirt from a Big Lebowski convention?) Sunspot songs that have been sitting on VHS for the past few years.

This one's a live performance of "Prozac Girl" from the James Madison Memorial High School Arts Week in 2001.

Next week, we'll be back with some newer material (maybe another pop-up video if we can work up enough jokes this weekend) but since we're reaching the end of the Aughts, I thought it would be fun to check in on where we were at the beginning of the decade. We have hours and hours of tape from Sunspot concerts, tours, and television appearances over the past few years so we'll be putting up videos from all throughout our history on the weeks in between podcasts. By the way, we'll be coming up on our 100th podcast soon and I promise we'll do it before the end of the year, we'll definitely be featuring the highlights from this year's Sunspot Christmas Party on the 19th!

Old School Sunspot Video: Meat Market

2009-11-25T00:59:00.000-06:00

This one's even older than last week's, but just in time for the holiday, here's another one from the vaults. "Meat Market" is the first actual music video we ever released (thanks to our man, Steve Concotelli for putting it together!) from our first album, Radio Free Earth. Live, we usually dedicate it to Bullwinkle's (a wonderfully sleazy dance club in Madison that the aforementioned Steve introduced me to on underage night when I was still in high school), and we didn't know at the time that years later, Sunspot would host two CD release parties there and before it was full of butt-shaking, sweaty, oversexed young adults dancing to techno (and my favorite, 80's night!) it was a club called Headliners that hosted everyone from U2 to Sonic Youth to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

The footage from the club we're playing at in this video is the fondly remembered and long-lost O'Cayz Corral and funny enough, the studio we're recording in is Cactus Studios, which was in the basement of the building that now holds O'Cayz' successor, The High Noon Saloon.

This year I'm thankful that I no longer sport that goatee (or that wicked gut!) but I'm also thankful for the fact that we've had over a dozen excellent years of writing songs, playing shows, traveling, and generally carrying on in the most ridiculous fashion possible. And we're positively thankful that we've got a lot to be really excited about what we've got in store for 2010.

Change The World Old-School Video

2009-11-18T14:21:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot we had this one. Wendy's first video editing project was a mash-up of some of our live performances throughout the late 90's set to "Change The World" from our first album, Radio Free Earth. We sent this tape out to booking agents right around the turn of the century and I thought you guys might enjoy a trip down Memory Lane with us.

I just got a decent Elgato video capture card, so I'll be going through the VHS collection and putting up "classic" stuff as I find it!

I think I have at least 4 different hair colors in this video as well.

"More Than My Degree" Pop-Up Video

2009-11-06T01:18:00.001-06:00

Here's our version of Pop-Up Video for "More Than My Degree" off the Singularity album.

"Grand Guignol" Pop-Up Video

2009-11-06T01:11:00.000-06:00

For all the people that missed their World Premiere on the WYOU telethon awhile back, here's our version of Pop-Up Video for "Grand Guignol" off the Singularity album. Let us know if you enjoy them and we'll make some more soon

Radio Ad for Max Ink Halloween Spooktacular 2009

2009-10-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

Check out the radio ad for this year's Halloween party at The Annex! You might recognize the songs they use. ;)

No cover, free food, and FREE BEER! With us, The Skintones, Axiom, and Lords of Discipline. It's gonna be the most fun Halloween show we've had for a long time.

Thanks to Rokker and Paul Schluter from Megatone for putting together the ad!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 99

2009-09-29T12:00:00.001-05:00

Some September snapshots with Sunspot stopping by Eau Claire, UW's Engineering Hall in Madison, and Cudahy - with some music by Velvet Dog from Milwaukee.

Download it here.

No Place Like Home

2009-08-13T08:01:00.000-05:00

Everyone wants to escape their small town, everyone thinks they're a fish out of water or a man out of time.

But sometimes the last place you want to be is the place where you belong the most.

This one has a Police meets U2 meets Weezer vibe.

Lyrics and download available at: http://sunspot.bandcamp.com/track/no-place-like-home
Or download the full video by clicking here.

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 98

2009-08-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

Sunspot at McAuliffe's in Racine and Liquor Sweets in Milwaukee with Billy Orphan, The Andes, and Cynergy 67. Special guest: JJ McAuliffe, himself!

Full download right here!

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 97

2009-07-28T14:53:00.000-05:00

Sunspot performing at Noah's Ark, hanging out at Memorial Union Terrace, and East Towne Mall the weekend of July 25th, 2009.

Direct download link: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/Sunspot%20Road%20Mania%20-%20Ep.%2097%20(Medium).m4v

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 96

2009-07-22T17:15:00.000-05:00

Sunspot from Merrill, Wisconsin Rapids, and Madison hanging out the weekend of July 17th. Plus, a two-nosed cow from the Lincoln County Fair, a graveyard walk in Wisconsin Rapids, and see the new WSUM studios!

Direct download at http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspot_rm_96.m4v