Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 150

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 142

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

Sunspot fights the good fight in Waukesha!

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

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

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 140

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

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

Sunspot vs. Food at Waffle House!



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

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 137

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

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

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

Oh, Austin!



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

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 133

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

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

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

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

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

Nasty in Nashville!



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

Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 127

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

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).