Patience Is A Virtue, Liberty Is A Statue.

2010-10-16T23:44:00.001-07:00

Looking for new music? Music and film combined for the first time ever! A Punchline song called "21 Forever."
http://tinyurl.com/2ug2aol

Vintage 1977 40 Watt Fender 2x10 Vibrolux Reverb Amp - EXCELLENT

2010-09-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

I have a Vintage 40 Watt Fender 2x10 Vibrolux Reverb Amp in EXCELLENT condition for sale. It is in great working condition and has NO MODIFICATIONS other than a replacement RCA cable. It has all of its knobs and reverb pedal included, plus the original speakers! The silver face over the speakers has one small snag.

It's dimensions are 24.5 x 18 x 8.5

I'd prefer to not have to ship this, but it's not out of the question so long as buyer covers shipping costs.

Contact me at stevepunchline@gmail.com if you are interested!

hey banner

2010-05-20T18:22:00.001-07:00

3/7

2010-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

In one week it will be 3/7. We must be prepared. You must be present. Theories will be explored. Answers will be revealed.

3/7 in "Little" California, PA @ Jozart Studios:

PUNCHLINE (Modern Short Stories)
Useless ID (from freaking Israel!)
Nightbeast (for President in 2012)
Experiment 116 (your gracious hosts)
The Catastrophe (tough guys)
The Spiffies (Belle Vernon rock)

6 PM. $10.

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP!

What lies in the shadow of the statue?

2010-02-27T21:43:00.000-08:00

I noticed a similarity between these two pictures. The picture on the left is of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning and was the background of my iPhone. The picture on the right is the mysterious statue from Lost, which was Chris Fafalios's background on his iPhone. I kept looking at my phone and seeing the statue in the Cathedral, so I decided to share this with you.

What lies in the statue of the Cathedral?

Thanks for viewing.

x
steve

Six FREE songs from Punchline's N I G H T L I G H T S here: www.punchkids.com

Never been said.

2010-02-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

1) I hate it when the pope borrows my gap hoodie. (by Eric from New York City)

2) The rhinoceros plays a guitar solo like no other. (by Jimi from Pittsburgh)

3) Let's make a pact to never leave this shrimp bonanza. (by Me from My house)

4) Tomorrow I had a wonderful beef-heart soup. (by Pencil from Pencil Box)

5) Robert Henry Bison decided that enough was enough, and that today he was finally going to shave that "area" on grandma. (by Dustin from Sandy Lake, PA)

6) My father finally has finally taught me how to drive a tree with my pancreas. (by yeah me again from it's my blog I can do what I want)

7) I'm gonna take my shoes off and fly to Jupiter. (by Mark Haney from New Castle, PA)

8) I wish korn could fly, too. (by Dylan from Dallas, TX)

9) Fireballs can be basketballs for people who wear fire retardant gloves. (by John Oliva from Bombers, NY)

9) Man, The cinematography in that Carrottop movie, Chairman of the Board is breathtaking.
(by Nightbeast from probably somewhere tropical)

10) That grandma in the Seahawks jersey is giving me the willies. (by Tony Hartman from Whistle Pig, OH)

Jonorable Mentiones

I wanna go to Mississippi for a vacation. (by Braxton from "Little California")

I had food daydreams at preschool about my Lair of Minotaur. (by Andie from Chicago, IL)

Please enjoy your complimentary tickets to John stossel's new theme park, Walter Kronkite land. (by Kirk from Rochester, NY)

Dijon mustard makes for a terrible lubricant. (by Alex from Portland, OR)

Steve soboslai has friends. (by Mike from Pittsburgh, PA)

Whilst attempting this jump, I shall not depend on the theory of the hypothetical megastructure that could solve the energy problem for all 37 solar structures! (by Mike from Santa Rosa, CA)

THANKS FOR WRITING.

SEE THE NIGHT LIGHTS.

My next mlog will be called "my shortest friends."

January is gone and we apparently won.

2010-02-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

One twelfth down, eleven twelfths to go!

When I am ninety years old, I will use my iPad to log into my Blogger account and reflect on January, 2010. Education, earthquakes. mushrooms, and more. Here was my month!

Señor

I am finishing my senior year at Pitt. After three tours in the back half of 2009, I figured I'd have some time to finish my education whilst writing/recording our new album. I am a college student for the first time in a long while. My classmates are nice, but timid. Some of them are like Super Mario Bros, minus the "Mario". I was invited to a frat party last week. I haven't decided yet if I'll be attending. I would guess probably not.

Quake!

There was a devastating earthquake in Haiti, leaving my brother's girlfriend's brother in law's two sisters stranded without food/shelter/water/orphans. Ashley and I followed the CNN and the grapevine closely. The grapevine consisted of the blog ThatsChurch.com and my brother's text updates. It was mostly Anderson Cooper and Mike Soboslai. Luckily, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell stepped in to help with the rescue of the girls/orphans. They rescued around 50 of the little and not so little tykes and brought them back to Pittsburgh. I donated some clothes to a Haitian friend of theirs, who returned home also on that mission. He now has a plethora of Bayside and Less Than Jake shirts to wear. I hope he likes ska-punk.

I stayed at Ed Rendell's house once, because his son was in a band we used to tour with (Don't Look Down was the band). I just remember the picture in the living room of Ed Rendell and Bill Cosby. I like to think that his lifelong dream was to have his picture taken with Bill Cosby; becoming mayor was only a piece of the puzzle... a puzzle of Bill Cosby riding a unicorn with Rudy dancing soulfully next to it.

I'm glad that Jamie and Ali are safe. I am also glad that they appeared on Ellen. I really like Ellen. I want to go. Let's go. Let us go.

The Great Divide

Late night television fans were split between Cone and Jay, with most of my generation favoring Cone. After a long debacle, Conan O'Brien stepped down as the short lived host of The Tonight Show. Mr. O'Brien delivered a very moving farewell speech.

Shrooms

I picked up Infected Mushroom from the airport and took them to their show in Pittsburgh. My good buddy Nick said he was in a jam, so I grabbed our van from home and went to the airport! They are an Israeli psycho-trans sensation! They were very nice and happy that Heinz ketchup comes from Pittsburgh. I took them to Primanti Brothers where we applied this principle.

We also played some sick shows in Cleveland, Edinboro, Buffalo, and Morgantown! Maybe I'll update this with pictures and video once I find some.

Thanks for reading.

x
steve
I love Twitter.

PS It's official. Punchline are recording a new record in the merry month of May.

PSS I once wrote a song about January, (not this January, but last January). We almost went into the studio to record it, but the project fell through. Hopefully you will hear this song next January. It has a sweet time signature change and parodies Auld Lang Syne. I wonder if that song is public domain?

Vintage Fender Vibrolux Reverb Amplifier for sale.

2010-01-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have a Vintage 1977 40 Watt Fender 2x10 Vibrolux Reverb Amp for sale. It has all of it's knobs and reverb pedal included, plus the original speakers. There is one small snag in the silver face and minimal scratches. Condition is good. Contact me at stevepunchline@gmail.com if you are interested.

N I G H T L I G H T S... Read all about it!

2009-12-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Tracklisting:
01. Heart of Gold
02. Changing Lanes
03. Pretty Petty
04. Over You
05. She Always Leaves
06. Castaway (punk version)
07. I Live A Lie
08. Behind The Scenes
09. Downtown
10. Let A Lion
11. Battlescars (acoustic)
12. Coldest of Calendars (piano version)
13. Getting There Is Getting By (acoustic)
14. A Trip To The Other Side
15. Icicles
16. All Hopped Up On Jingle Bells
17. Don't Try This At Home (acoustic)
18. Greenlight (acoustic)
19. Pretty Petty (2005)
20. Punish Or PJ

Below you can read a track by track synopsis of our release Night Lights: A Collection of Previously Unreleased Songs!

1. The music and basic melody for "Heart Of Gold" was written while I was in Texas working with Barely Blind on songs that would later become their EP, My Life With A Giant. I was in the hall of their practice space with my trusty little voice recorder, which was sitting on a pile of boxes. Within two minutes of the original idea, I had written the melodies for the verse and pre-chorus. I wrote most of the lyrics while making my way from Texas to New York City, hence the references to Brookyln, the L Train, and the Roosevelt stop. "Heart Of Gold" was recorded the following spring at the Hazlett Theater on the North side of Pittsburgh. We also filmed a concert of ours in the same venue with the plan to release it on DVD. That along with footage from the past few years is in production, we're hoping to have something ready to release for the Spring.

Us performing "Heart Of Gold" at the Hazlett Theater.

2. "Changing Lanes," like most of these B-sides, was recorded at Innovation Studios in Steubenville, OH under mastermind Mike Ofca. I wrote the basic ideas for this song and "Green Light" both in the same night, which must have been a joyous day in my life for both songs are incredibly upbeat. This was the only new song recorded after Action with Paul. To this day, "Changing Lanes" is one of my favorite songs of ours. We recorded this song for Geppetto's Secret, which was a sort of prequel to Pinocchio that never quite made it.

3. Maybe someday "Pretty Petty" will make it onto one of our albums. I'm not sure why it didn't make the cut on either 37 Everywhere or Just Say Yes. Is it too late to change my vote? I'm pretty happy about the 2Pac reference.

4. "Over You" was recorded in the same session as "Pretty Petty" and a demo version of "The Hit," which was the only song to actually make it onto Just Say Yes. There is nothing I would change about the first three tracks of this album, but in my opinion, "Over You" is a true B-side. I would love to hear what YOU think!

5. Now I gotta find your ass. "She Always Leaves" might be the most pop-punk song of all-time. Recorded by Vince Ratti of Zolof The Rock and Roll Destroyer at The Skylight Studio in Fairless Hills, PA, "She Always Leaves" sings about wet paper sticking together. My favorite thing about this song is the mid-song 2 BPM tempo change... can you find it?

6. We also recorded this punk version of "Castaway" with Vince in the same session as "She Always Leaves." This was after the recording of Just Say Yes - some have asked if we changed the song to ballad form after originally formulating it in punk rock fashion - no, we did not.

7. Now we get into the Salad Days sessions. In 2005, thanks to some wonderful string pullin', we spent two weeks at Salad Days Studio in (I believe) Beltsville, MD. Engineer Oliver Chapoy's internship was at it's end. Studio owner Brian McTernan let him have the studio for a few weeks to test out his skills. We became the guinea pigs. Guinea pigs that threw 13 songs together and hauled crass on down to Maryland. Most of the songs from this session ended up on 37 Everywhere. I'm glad that "I Live A Lie" finally gets to see the (night) light of day. That's your boy Greg Wood singing the second verse.

8. I regret that "Behind The Scenes," also recorded at Salad Days, never made it onto an album outside of demo fashion. Don't mind the Lord Of The Rings reference, I was going through a phase.

9. Chris wrote the lyrics to "Downtown" and I think they are pretty intense. This is our first song that sings about monkeys. This song is so Bad Religion. It was also part of the Salad Days session.

10. I don't even remember writing "Let A Lion," but I remember recently recording a poem from Whistle Pig over top of the music. Let a lion defuse what the prey gets confused. Yep, another Salad Days guy.

11. Back to Innovation Studios for the acoustic version of "Battlescars" I'm not exactly sure when we did these Action jams. I remember it being cold. I remember how good the drums sounded for two microphones. This song was once part of our 7" TDR Records release, which was a split acoustic 7" record with Over It. Good band!

12. We need to do more piano songs like this version of "Coldest of Calendars." I added the line "It just takes a little time" after the first chorus. I wish it had been like this on the album recording.

13. The acoustic version of "Getting There Is Getting By" was done in the same session as tracks 12 and 13. We slightly changed the lyrics to this one. That's always fun.

14. We debated adding this one to the Night Lights collection. It is the only song that wasn't recorded in a studio. It was put down on my Boss 8-track inside the apartment we lived in while recording 37EV in New York City. The song is about our friend John "Beatz" Holohan, who died in a tragic van accident on Halloween 2005. He was the drummer of Bayside and a great friend to everyone who knew him. I fell asleep the previous night, which was my 25th birthday, to Bayside "Blame It On Bad Luck" on repeat. I'll never forget Nightbeast calling me at 7 AM to tell me the horrible news. Chris and I got together and wrote this song later that week.

15. We hear "Play Icicles!" shouted out at every other show we play. Our response, "It's a Christmas song!" I remember finding out on a Thursday that we were picked to be part of the "A Santa Cause" punk rock Christmas compilation. We played that Friday and Saturday, I'm not sure where but I think Saturday was in Allentown with Ritter (PJ put a staple through his finger that night for fun). We rushed home Sunday to write a Christmas song that we would then record on Monday. "Icicles" was written in about 3 hours. We had zero ideas going into the practice space that day, which at the time was in McKees Rocks (we shared with A Week In July). Chris and Paul took the reins on "Icicles." I sat back and watched it come together, although I did contribute the confusing line, "I'm working on another list." People always ask me what I'm saying there, because it sounds like "I'm working on a nautilus." Aside from the "Carol of the Bells" riff, this song isn't very Christmasy sounding. I can't believe that Christmasy is a real word, at least according to my trusty spell check. Maybe it isn't that trusty. Anyhow, "Icicles" was also done at Innovation Studios.

I found this on YouTube. Someone made it with their own two hands.

16. When we had the chance again to write a Christmas song, we tried our hardest to make music that actually had elements of Christmas music. I think we did just that with "All Hopped Up On Jingle Bells." Twas recorded in November of 2007 at The Playhouse in Pittsburgh by Mike D. It took writing this paragraph to get him to finally decide on a name for his studio. I think Belan had written the basic idea for this song back when he was in his old, old, old band Chimney Sweepin' Jack. We wrote the lyrics together. I remember being happy about working in the thought of stealing fake reindeer. I've always wanted to steal all the fake deer from my town and put them on my back deck as a Christmas present for my mom. I would return them. I promise.

17. Once more we return to Innovation Studios for some 37 Everywhere acoustic songs. I've always been really happy with how "Don't Try This At Home" came out. It features John Lopez on the harmonica. He's clearly the man.

18. We never posted this version of "Green Light" until now. I'm not exactly sure why. I haven't even listened to it in years, but I know the gist of it. It's supposed to sound like we're at a party with our friends and everyone is singing along. Do we say something about a Sidekick phone in there? Probably a reference to Chris's longtime Sidekick 1. He finally got rid of it and got an iPhone for all of you who stalk Chris. We also did a piano version of "For The Second" time in this session, but I don't think it will ever see the light of day.

19. The 2005 version of "Pretty Petty" is much shorter and much more confusing! We always felt like the song needed more of a chorus, which is why it was revamped and re-recorded in 2007. This version, however, features Greg Wood on the lead guitar, opposed to the latter which has Belan (aka Snarl). We love having different guitarists. Yep, also recorded at Innovation Studios.

20. And finally, "Punish or PJ." We originally demoed this one during the Salad Days session (I love that there are two versions of this song) and used it as the soundtrack to our short film "Mr Shrimpley's Sandwich." I didn't have lyrics or melodies for the second verse, so I scribbled down the first thing I could think of (on a napkin I believe) and handed it to PJ and told him to go sing it. The lyrics came out like this...

She's got some sexy moves (yeah), that'll really get me in the mood (alright), she's got some killer curves, and I'd like to give her my ring.

I enjoy the implication that, to become engaged, a man must give a woman a ring from his own collection. This is the Just Say Yes album version of "Punish or Privilege," but we brought PJ in to track this now sweet alternate version. Versions, I love 'em.

Thanks for reading!

x

Steve Soboslai

.

2009-08-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Love Thy State.

2009-08-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

My favorite sketch comedy show of all time was MTV's THE STATE, which aired four seasons in nineties. Below are some of my favorite sketches. The cast went on to star in such shows and movies as Reno 911, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer, Michael and Michael Have Issues, and I Love You, Man. You should appreciate this incredible cast.

TACO MAN

BLUEBERRY JOHNSON

CUTLERY BARN

THE BEARDED MEN OF SPACE STATION 11

PORCUPINE RACETRACK

LOUIE & THE LAST SUPPER

Justin Oliver "For Rose" album cover!

2009-08-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

bloggenstein

2009-06-23T08:39:00.001-07:00

This tour has brought us major (minor) success. That was all we were asking for. Morale is high. Socratic is a cool band to tour with for sure. Their concentration on musicianship is impressive - the way it should be.

We kicked off this run in Toledo, where one of the opening bands, The Light Ahead, covered our song "Getting There Is Getting By." They asked me to sing it. I was flattered. It is so cool to see someone inspired by something you've been a part of writing. We didn't get pulled over after the show this time, but did get a good look at the "No Left Turn 7 AM - 9 PM" (or close to that) sign down the road from the club. We were pulled over last time for making a left at that sign at around 2 AM. Thanks guys man. Here's a video of us playing "My White Collared Shirt."

The second show was in Hazel Park, MI. I felt bad because it was belittled by the Stanley Cup with our Penguins vs. their Red Wings. We obviously won. We obviously had cupcakes thanks to Amanda Huey. Talked to David Harris and his mates for a bit about ink and holes. I wanted to get my lip re-pierced that night, but Fish didn't make it out to the show. Fish is my "piercist," as if I have several. I have none but wanna make it one.

Show 3 was in the windy city. That's what they call the Chicago. The windy city nickname was actually coined from the political wind and not the wind wind. Do you know what I mean? We played at Reggie's, which is a beautiful club. Just Left, Scissors, and Thrillage were on the billage. Two of the guys in Thrillage had been in Spitalfield, with whom we toured with in late 2006. I actually think that was Belan's first tour with us. It was. JD is a good drummer. The girl from Scissors is going to fill in for Heather on some upcoming Teen Idols show. Very cool. I remember this show in Missouri somewhere with Less Than Jake and the Teen Idols where Heather said she'd make out with the first guy that came up on stage.. Kyle Baker was the man for the job. Heather was intimidating. After the show we tried to find a watering hole to have a drink with the odd array of women we had with us. I don't know where our guy friends were in Chicago that night! We had a drink with about 12 women including Amanda Yu and Kris and Michelle from Fearless Radio. You can listen to our interview on Fearless Radio via this podcast. Speaking of Chicago, I am listening to This Is Me Smiling right now. Click here to see us play "Heart of Gold."

Day 4. Cleveland. This was possibly the best show of the tour. Peabody's offered us to play a show which was basically free to the public. Who would turn that down? Good times with good bands. Man, I love The Promise Hero. Me and Dan are good at having an awkward conversation every time, haha. Saw some old faces. My apologies to Herbee & crew, who had some trouble with getting into the show. Here's a video from that show,

Day 5. Lemoyne, PA @ The Championship. Good times with our old friend Blag1. I love to call people by their tenured online aliases. Sidenote - this bridge makes me dislike our nations first president. I think I'll tweet that now. I support the Championship because it is SDIY. "Super Do-It-Yourself" for those of you who thought I meant "Stupid Do-It-Yourself. "

Day 6. Baltimore. We hadn't played Fletcher's in years. I really like that club. I guess it's down the street from where I'll be in August when I'm co-producing the new Spontaneo record with my good buddy Kory Gable. There's a bread factory near Fletcher's. I totally recommend everybody to make a point to smell that out next time your in B-more. The band Left Hand Out has a great style. Their singer has a voice that you wouldn't expect to come out of him. Kinda like Gilbert Gottfried, but not at all.

Day 7 (I am really stuck on this format at this point). Johnstown. Ghost town. I love the people that come to our shows in this area. They have been there for us for a long, long time. Troy and his little brother's band opened up the show. They were invited to play the show as the band Arc, but showed up to play as Noah's Bark. Perfectly fine. Spontaneo played second - got to see the songs post pre-production . They are brilliantly constructed jams which remind me of old Brand New meets Lola Ray meets Pinkerton. We went to Denny's after the show with some great Johnsfolk. Three guys gave me directions to a hotel that was visible from where we were standing.

D-eight. Vineland, NJ. We were late to this show. So what if you show up a little late? No. We're late. We're having a baby, Carlito. The sound at the club was incredible. Made this show very fun to play. We let some of our fans pretty much write our set list. He picked all the right songs!

Nine. New York City. I love NYC. I used to kinda hate on it, but then I went there on foot. So many friends that I'd call family. I had dinner and a beer with Timmer and Matt the Hat. You should listen to Timmer's band - www.myspace.com/smilefromtokyo. I sing on one of his songs. Some of the FBR crew came out to the show. Always a pleasure. John Oliva came out and even bought me a drink on his own birthday! We went out with him afterwards along with some other great all stars. Jack O'Shea even made an appearance. He and I have had zero conversations that make any sense in the last few times that I've seen him. I love it. Our band stayed up 'til sunrise together. Something that our band hasn't done together in ages. Symbolism.

Tenn! Day off in Jersey. Kevin from Socratic had us over to his house for a lovely barbecue with games and drinks and good company. I was wicked tired all day, didn't have the energy to drink even an energy drink. Kevin's dad made fun of me, but I'll bet it's because he was jealous?

Evelyn! Jersey just. Woke up and haggled with the hotel manager about the cost of a night's stay. I inquired of the Sunday rate because hotels are generally more expensive on the weekends. He told me that it cost $25 more than what I was originally quoted for a Friday night. Everything is negotiable in New Jersey. They don't have prices. They completely make them up as they go along. Yes sir, I like to buy this Tropicana Orange Juice. Ehhh, give me 2 bucks. Some guy tried to sell Belan crackers for $1.50, and they were actually marked 75 cents. That really grinds my gadgets. My girlfriend calls me to tell me that she just met Jason Segel at a park in London. A sunny celeb filled day in London. A towel-less overpriced hotel room in Jersey. Hmmmm.... Anyhow, we played at a snazzy venue in Teaneck called Mexicali. Try the chicken burrito with the sweet potato fries! Thought about this one song all day that Chris wrote. I can't live without your love.

Day one to the two was in Danbury, CT @ a club called Billy Baloney's. Listen to the podcast to hear about this one...

In other vibes...

I am pretty excited about this iPhone update. I've been doing nothing but copying and then pasting. Then I cut. Copy. Paste!

I want to listen to nothing more than Superdrag, Nada Surf, and the Phoenix.

I am excited to go to Europe in less than 2 weeks. London, Venice, Barcelona. I won't even know what to do. I think I'm playing a radio show in Spain. I will have been to the two most bridge filled cities in the world after visiting Venice. And London, what can I say.

I get to meet my newest niece when I get back from Europe. I had a dream last night that I had a baby that was the size of a hot dog bun. My friend Seth just had a baby. I wonder how big it is. Both of these bigger than bun babies live in North Carolina. Maybe they'll be friends.

I am producing the Spontaneo record in Baltimore in August. So, so excited to give this record everything I have.

Maybe working on the new BTE record as well after that?

This fall we are heading out on tour with Between The Trees, Farewell, and Action Item. It feels great to have it all lined up. I don't know if I'm supposed to announce this yet, but it's all over the internet. What's the BD?

Word count. 1 million.

Life is good.

x
steve

PS WE NOW HAVE AMAZING 6 INCH BUTTONS, TSHIRTS ARE FOR THE BIRDS!

"Ghostie" Music Video Premier & Live Punchline Chat Sun 5/3 @ AP.net

2009-04-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Video Premiere/Chat with Punchline

A good old fashioned fruit fast.

2009-04-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

I told my brother that I was thinking about fruit fasting. I read about it on the net from a few sites, including this one. This is his response, which I find both informative and hilarious...

Steve,

Nothing against your fruit thing but where did you get that? I think vegetables would be better cause they aren't filled with sugar. Fruit has a lot of sugar even though its not sugar like you would think in a candy bar it can have the same effects. For instance bananas have been processed to taste so good they have evolved basically into a sugar cube. That's not to say you can't eat a banana but you wouldn't want to build a diet around them. Sugar is almost like a drug. That means its bad. Excess sugar turns into fat. Berries are very good. I always eat blueberries. They are a great food for you along with almonds. Not salted almonds just plain boring almonds. The best carbs are whole grains. Whole wheat pasta, 100 percent whole wheat bread. Frozen meals and anything processed is terrible for you. They are really high in salt which causes your body to store excess water especially around your midsection. Eating a lot of protein is great for you even if you aren't working out. High protein and lower carbs is good for burning fat. I drink a 40 gram protein shake in the morning with a bowl of chex cereal and maybe a piece of fruit. Lunch is two chicken breasts with broccoli and carrots. Two protein bars as snacks during the day. Dinner is a steak or chicken with brown rice and broccoli. Late snack is almonds, blueberries or cucumbers and a protein shake. Water is probably the most important thing though. It is a natural antioxident. Not vitamin water either, which has more sugar than a can of coke. Just regular water. If you want to clean your body out nothing works better. Its the best supplement and yet most people disregard it. Fasting for 24 hours but just drinking water would be a good start to get all the toxins out of your body. Then you could switch up your eating patterns. Food is like drugs. They all contain different chemicals ehich cause your body to react different ways. By giving your body the right food it changes the entire chemistry of your body for better or for worse. You wouldn't inject heroin so why live off of frozen pierogies and pizza. If you are going to do that you may as well do heroin.

-Mike

This is fruit.

This is my brother (with a framed picture of Chris Cooper).

Today is the 5 year anniversary of Action.

2009-02-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

Chris informed me that Action came out 5 years ago today. I thought I'd pick up the guitar and bust out this acoustic version of "A Beautiful Green" before I head to DC to see Jimmy Eat World. Click on the links below!

ACTION

1. Open Up

2. Not Afraid

3. The World

4. Heart Transplant

5. Time In A Picture

6. Coldest Of Calendars

7. Getting There Is Getting By

8. Why Is He Right

9. Battlescars

10. A Sharp Is A Flat

11. A Beautiful Green

12. Just Getting Started

Chet Folds

2009-02-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

Chet, from the Real World Brooklyn, recently interviewed us in New Jersey. He was very nice and made it a point to slip in that he is a virgin. Good for you Chet, good for you. I hope you find that lucky lady soon!

I was lucky enough last night to get to meet Ben Folds. I gave him a copy of Just Say Yes with and told him that I had bought www.BenFolds.me... Hopefully he'll check out the site and bookmark it! Here's an awesome Ben Folds Five live video.

I watched two special movies this past Valentine's Day- "Walk Hard" and of course "The Break Up." Here's a really funny scene from Walk Hard. I love to support small films by spreading the word!

I am off to the costume store to rent a lion costume!
Pretty pumped to make a video for Ghostie.
See y'all on the internets.

x
steve
www.twitter.com/modernshorties

I'll make this quick.

2009-02-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

I am branching out into professional photography.

2009-02-13T07:56:00.001-08:00

I have finally decided to get more serious about my photography. I realized that I was born with a gift the other night after taking pictures at the Bayside/TGUK concert. Please contact me if you are interested in licensing my work or hiring me to take pictures at your wedding, funeral, etc.

3/7

2009-02-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Go to this show and celebrate 3/7.
Chris made a commercial for this show.
He makes a lot of videos, this one is an instant classic!

x
steve

belan hates

2009-02-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's hard to notice all the little quirks your friends have. When Greg Wood joined Punchline in 2006, he entered our humble community with a fresh perspective. A circle of friends that consisted of basically guys from Belle Vernon, who have been hanging out together since the early nineties. At the time, Belan was slanging' our dise (merchandise) and keeping wonderful company with us on the road. He told stories, sang songs, and helped us out a lot even before he was in the band. That's what friends are for. After a tour or two, Greg picked up on a particularly hilarious characteristic of our beloved Belan- he is a hater. Every so often he would casually (or not so casually) mention the things he hated. Greg started keeping track in his sidekick. PJ and I followed suit and continued the list even after Greg was gone. Belan busted us about a year after we'd started keeping track. Here's the list!

belan hates
being on a plane for a longtime
talking to people
depending on people
earplugs
take off your shoes houses
when people ask for blair's number
when his dad comes home from work
flava flav
the song blue by eiffel 65
the greg wood west hartford term "budgie"
when he offers someone a food that's in a bag, and the person doesn't grab the bag and just reaches their hand in
when teachers are real serious about fruit break
how its socially acceptable to dress like a freak
how every college student is against the war
when fast cars weave on the hi way
loading equipment in the street
his phone
sharing food
dark chocolate
apple computer stickers on cars
when people don't call you back
when people try to grow up
new wave baby names
drunks
say anything
falling asleep sitting up
when math teachers won't let you use a calculator
bowling shoes
when cars beep at you but don't let you in
when people cheer at the movies
bobby brown
when you lose internet connection while driving down the highway
nelly furtados voice
when people like books
myspace noises
car bass
loading into the charleroi italian club
the thought of living in chicago
tina
midget league fumble rules (in 6th grade he weighed 112 lbs.)
When people look at his set list on satge
bringing out character in his voice
brook hogan
when people call him from a weird number

"if a girl either has a dirty room or dirty car,
then they definitely hate their dad." -Jon "Snarl" Belan

x
steve

i wouldn't mind reliving today over and over one bit.

2009-02-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

2009 has thus far been quite memorable, life changing, and very exciting.

1) The Steelers won the superbowl last nite.

2) Barack Obama is president.

3) PJ Caruso has quit Punchline after playing drums for us for 11 years.

3) I am a part of releasing a book that my friends wrote called "Whistle Pig."

4) My grandma recently turned 86 and is the sharpest knife in the drawer.

5) I have been on the edge of my seat watching the first 4 seasons of Lost. What a great show.

6) A plane crash landed into the Hudson River last week after being struck by a giant flock of birds. The plane landed safely and everyone lived.

7) I am working on writing a collection of 35 songs to be used for the next Punchline album as well as other musical adventures in the making.

8) Today is my brother Mike's birthday. He recently told me, "I hope that if we become estranged, we still keep in touch."

9) We are doing 3/7 right this year by playing a Punchline show at Diesel in Pittsburgh.

10) I am going to leave this last one open for wherever 2009 may take us.

Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them.

2009-01-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

In very sad news, drummer PJ Caruso decided last week to leave Punchline and go his own separate way. It is going to be very hard to not look back and see him beating those drums with all his heart. We will all miss him very much, and wish him the best of luck. We are all still friends, and we're sure we'll still be seeing him every day...we just won't be playing in a band together anymore. The remaining three of us will continue to write, record, and perform music.

Jeff Kopanic (Anti-Flag Warped Tour drummer, Voice In The Wire) will be filling in at our currently scheduled performances. We are excited to play with him as he has been a good friend for a very long time.

Some have assumed that we will stop playing music as we have been "pushed aside" in the music industry and forgone several member changes over the years. Our intention has always been to write and perform music, throwing in the towel would just prove otherwise. Although it would be great, we are not interested in platinum albums or competing with the Jonas Twins. We want to continue to write and record songs that we like. We will most likely be a band for another 10 to 20 years, and most likely release another 10 to 15 albums. Music is what makes us happy, and its what we're into.

Look for Punchline on the road this srping with a new DVD and a new full length album this year.

just say yes.

x
steve

Here's a note from Peej himself:

Hi everyone! I just wanted to take a second here and thank everyone for everything they have done for us over the years; whether it was coming to a show, letting us sleep on your floor, bringing us cookies, or just listening to one of our cds. Walking away from the band was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made in my life, but I felt like it was time for me to move on and try something different (not musically just in life in general). I'm going back to college and I have taken a full time job, you know, settling down. Being in Punchline has filled me with incredible memories that I will cherish forever. I always had a great time playing for everyone and made more great friends than I could have ever imagined. I'm going to miss all of you, but if you want to talk to me just come find me on the facebooks… I'll be around. I'm not giving up music. I'm still going to play my drums, but now it's just going to be on the weekends. Thank you all again for helping me have the time of my life.

Your friend,
PJ

from ye ole christmas party...

2008-12-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

Punchline "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer" Live from Joshua Bakaitus on Vimeo.

Wonderful iPhone Pictures.

2008-12-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

I learned Tom Petty's "It's Christmas All Over Again" for the Christmas party this year. Pretty excited for that, Belan and I need to go over our 20 song set! I have been tweeting a lot. We are playing Indianapolis tonite, it is Pj's birpdah. He finally got his wall back. I am very proud of him. Ok, check out the pictures.

This was in a bathroom in Grand Rapids, MI. Amazing.

Who is that, Ralph Nader?

My awesome birpdah pumpkin roll.

Ashley and I at my first ever Steelers game! Box seats baby.

did you hear? punchline xmas sale

2008-12-06T14:36:00.001-08:00

PUNCHLINE CHRISTMAS SALE

37EV

2008-12-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

not sure why but i put this together just now...

37 EVERYWHERE

1. Flashlight 3:07

2. Don't Try This At Home 3:40

3. The Getaway 4:01

4. Green Light 3:34

5. Caller 10 3:36

6, For The Second Time 4:13

7. The Fake, the Snake and the Birthday Cake 3:32

8. How Could You 2:15

9. Wars Will Always Happen 2:52

10. They Are Strong Hands 2:57

11. Exactly 4:45

12. The Dane Song (Japanese bonus track) 3:17

ringtonez!

2008-11-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

go download yourself a free punchline ringtone! "somewhere in the dark" is free just to get you hooked. then you will pick up the whole album of ringtonez. just say yes?

these are my shows!

2008-11-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

dear judge judy,

2008-11-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Judge Judy,

My band, Punchline, hired artist Lisa Alisa to design and deliver the album cover/artwork for our latest album entitled "JUST SAY YES". After a few exchanges of communication, she stopped returning emails and calls. We paid her a deposit of $400 to do a service which she did not do. She has said countless times that she will refund the money, but has yes to do so in the last 6 months. We are a struggling rock band and she took advantage of us. We want our money back!

What a (ten hour) trip.

2008-11-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

True Or False...

Chris did his first ever beer bong on Less Than Jakes' bus on his birthday.

We once fled a girls house in Missouri after her enraged baby's daddy/ex-boyfriend show up unannounced interrupting us passing out to Forrest Gump.

Chris once puked on screen in front of 20,000+ people.

Paramore opened for us while touring Japan.

Tommy Tutone (singer of 867-5309 Jenny) once called PJ and asked him to play drums for him.

When Belan was younger he thought that PJ's name was "Sancho".

Shortly after seeing Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), we found our van broken into by what a witness called "a red-haired freckled-faced freak who lives in a cave and sells wild flowers."

I made Katie Holmes laugh from across a crowded room.

We were killed in Denver by a gay zombie.

Chris Carraba watched our entire set once and then told us that we sing very well.

The singer of Unwritten Law warmed up his voice in our van and then drank a beer and smoked a joint five minutes later.

I was on stage singing with the Get Up Kids at the very end of their last show ever in Hollywood.

Chris once danced on stage in his underwear in front of 1,000 people.

We stayed at the governor of Pennsylvania's home.

Just Say Yes was recorded in the same studio as tracks from Nirvana's Nevermind.

We walked by Paul McCartney's English home and saw him standing barefoot on his front porch waving goodbye to the car that was leaving.

THEY'RE ALL TRUE!

It would have made so much more sense for us to just tour with the Aggrolites.

Frozen dudes section.

Belan just wants to fit in.

New disturbing graffiti from the block!

This is my friend Damien. He wants to be your friend. I told him I would find him a lucky lady.

what a wonderful world.

2008-11-05T08:31:00.001-08:00

i woke up at 8 am this morning and made this collage to welcome our new president Barack Obama.

a serious read

2008-10-31T06:48:00.001-07:00

To anyone that is willing to listen...

For those of you that do not know me my name is Steve Soboslai (pronounced Sub-Oz-Lee). I play guitar and sing in the band Punchline, which I have done so for the last 11 years since the 10th grade. I learned to play guitar with this band and have a more complete understanding of what music is alongside my band mates.

Maybe we musically jumped the gun on getting national attention? I think we scared some people away with what I feel was premature pop-punk... Some people say that this was our best music - I disagree. How could it have been, especially with having so little experience and seeing so little out there in the world. There is finally a story to tell.

We've been lost in the streets of Japan. We've stayed at the governor's house. We've lost band members to extreme serious issues that I'd rather not get into. Seen awful bands rise through the ranks by just saying what people want to hear. We've even written over 100 songs as a band. There is no doubt that it has taken 10 years for us to make our best album.

Just Say Yes was self released last month on our own label called Modern Short Stories. It was written and recorded from the heart. No record label was telling us when and where to record it or what to shoot for. The album is real and without a doubt the most genuine album we've ever made. I see right through so much of the music that comes out of this scene! Maybe when they turn 28 they will understand.

Getting to the point...

Outside of reviews from the critics (which have been quite amazing), we have had less feedback from fans and listeners of music than I had anticipated. The feedback from those who HAVE given it a chance and listened have had excellent things to say about it, but it seems as if most people just aren't hearing our music.

Money is tight. Music is easy to find for free for those who want it badly enough. Thus, I have decided to give out 100 copies of our downloadable CD for free today ALONG WITH a few extra songs - some songs you have definitely never heard, some that people have been wondering why they didn't make the cut, and some that people have been asking us to put into circulation just so they can have them on their ipods.

Please give this album an honest listen. Play it for your friends when you find the song that moves you. Please let us know what you think of the album by emailing me personally at steve@modernshortstories.net.

Thanks for your time,

Steve Soboslai
::PUNCHLINE::

Here you go - http://www.sendspace.com/file/yw8rfk enjoy.

I feel good. I knew that I would.

2008-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

MY BIRTHDAY WISHLIST

1) Read the post above this.

2) I want more followers on Twitter! www.twitter.com/modernshorties

3) I want you to listen to Justin Oliver's "There Is A Rug" on his Myspace page and make it your profile song! www.justinolivermusic.com

4) I really want the 2nd season of Lost. Once I finish The Wire I am going to get started on that.

5) I want this artist Lisa Alisa to refund us the $400 she took from us after hiring her to do the album art for Just Say Yes. She completely flaked on us and refuses to refund our money. Thief! www.lisa-alisa.com

6) These headphones.

7) Some free studio time would obviously be incredible.

8) Complete restoration of the 400 or so contacts I accidentally deleted on my iPhone.

I don't think that's asking for too much!

Chris made this for me last year. He is my good buddy...

new york twitty

2008-10-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

i started a twit: twitter.com/modernshorties

we signed Mae! Well...

we encountered a Greg Wood look-a-like this weekend in Allentown. I took a picture of him from the distance. We will from here on out refer to him as Evil Greg Wood.

i met duncan sheik. he was speaking along side other creators for the play "spring awakening" to which he wrote the music for the soundtrack. my question to him in front of an auditorium half full was "how did you approach writing for theater for the first time, because i know if someone handed me a guitar and said "write a country song" that i would mimic themes and chord progressions from what i've heard on the radio." i was so nervous that i don't remember what he said. an empty stomach on red bull. my nerves were a plenty.

i sat on a panel of speakers at CMJ discussing what not to waste time with on the internet when promoting your band via web 2.0 elements. i don't know if the crowd took anything away from our comments, but i made them laugh, and i can live with just that.

I met a street musician that covers the gin blossoms and freedy johnston. he goes by "laust cauze". if you see him in the subway system you should request "bad reputation" and give him 2 bucks. I had a free pass to see 400 or so bands last week and i only saw one: Recover. I didn't see any famous people unless you consider Laust Cauze to be famous, but I don't think he's there (yet). I am now back home and hibernating. bears.

x
steve

fcp

2008-10-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

i really wanna get final cut pro... and the new beck album. that is all. x steve

barrel full of blippits

2008-10-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Justin Oliver is the new artist on Modern Short Stories - his new album will be released in early 2009. Please go listen to "There Is A Rug" on his myspace page, its incredible.

We bought a fog machine this weekend. We used it at the show, the after party, and we'll keep it on full blast for all upcoming Punchline practices.

I just booked my train ticket to NYC for next week. I'll be there Monday evening thru Friday morning for CMJ.

I sold my telecaster. Case closed.

I am finishing up season 3 of The Wire this week, it is an intense show. Why do I like police detective based entertainment so much? It all started with the Commish. I watched the Departed last nite... definitely in my top 10.

Oh, Halloween. What a strange, strange holiday. October is the month of strange holidays. Happy Columbus Day. I hope you all got what you wanted. My mom got me a barrel full of spices.

sneak peak

2008-10-05T08:35:00.001-07:00

here is a sneak peak at the new artist we're signing to modern short stories!

he is a singer/songwriter. he was once hit by a train and has lived to tell all.

x
steve

2008-10-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

...more like nick and norah's infinite urban outfitters commercial.

yeah.

these are the some good memories....

for halloween

2008-10-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

I think this year I'm gonna be a dog dressed up like yoda. Yeah, that's it.

x
steve

self untitled

2008-10-01T11:48:00.001-07:00

we headed to the studio, 15 minutes late. i hate being late. we are on the northside in the hazlett theater recording a cover of "what a wonderful world". pj and dave our engineer are setting up the drums in the middle of the actual theater. chris just explored the basement and found the best part of the theater which is the room in the basement that just has a desk and an old woman sitting at it putting a puzzle together. why do I have so much energy? before the guys picked me up I was able to clean up my house. I feel really good about it. I get in the van and they are listening to derek white and the monphobics. good band. Saturday night was so much fun. I wish I had taken pictures from the after party. special thanks to the travelers - amanda yu, gabe, katy, jodie, sara, melanie, erin, linda, courtney, marci, mike, hilary, the indiana crew, and anyone else who made the voyage.

chris - "dude cheaters wasn't on last nite!"
belan - "yeah i know i was pissed"

i just saw a story on the news about police looking for a group of guys from arizona who were chugging milk and then throwing up on moving cars. i need to get the triggers album and the matt pryor record.

i think i'm gonna sell my telecaster. not the semi-hollow one - the one pictured below... email me if you're interested. steve@modernshortstories.net

x
steve

i heard you were talking hit

2008-09-25T22:14:00.001-07:00

the hit is here.

snug as a thug on a drug.

2008-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

VIBES

You can now watch the Punchline video for "The Hit" over at www.absolutepunk.net!

The Mod Squad made its television debut 40 years ago today.

When is Pumpkin Pie day?

I still need to see the season premier of Heroes.

My jam of the week is: Superdrag - "Feeling Like I Do"

We went to visit our friend Eric Mikula in the hospital yesterday and he's making great progress! He was in a very serious car accident 1 month ago today.

I really don't think people change. That was a quote from ER today that I agree with. Ok some people do, but for the most part nah brah.

we saw an amazing infomercial the other night for The Best Of Guy Penrod. Amz.

this is us from one of our recent shows. what a good time!

this is pretty cool although i think ac/dc is totally overplayed... even in my blog!

you're probably driving

2008-09-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

driving from philadelphia to pittsburgh, pa. i wonder how many times we've made this trek? we just listened to the bayside album, now we're listening to the whole valencia album. good dudes. chris is driving. belan is petting his beard. pj is laying down. there are sparks flying off of the back of the truck ahead. not sparks the alcoholic energy drink. that would just be too good. i mean, i don't think i've ever had that drink, but i love free drinks as much as the next guy. this is why i'm pretty happy about having a house full of free cases of vitamin water. i like orange. i don't know what its fancy name is... probably "health juice". i think they should just call it orange. i enjoy the relation between fruit and colors. this thing tastes blue. now its time for nada surf. here are the songs i've fancied the most so far this year...

1 nada surf - "do it again"
2 the killers - "when we were young"
3 ben folds - "you don't know me"
4 justin oliver - "heaven and breakfast"
5 the avett brothers - "murder in the city"
6 bob mould - "stupid now"

The one thing I learned tonite is that Barack wears a size XL Punchline hoodie.

bout damn time.

2008-09-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

its finally here. and you know it feels good.

papyrus

2008-09-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

i went to the baseball match today. the pirates just might have the worst record in the league.. but they won. actually i left before the game was over so i don't know if they did, but they were up 7-2 in the 7th. yeah i know my lingo.

this store at the mall specializes in scary life-like fake babies.

asm poster by Brian Reddy. Thanks Brian. Well played.

Apple Honeypot

2008-09-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

i love the names of networks that i pickup around my house. like "SuckMyBalls" for instance... I always wondered what it would be like to be connected to the "Apple Honeypot" too.

Mark Green dies tomorrow.

New Barely Blind is gonna give you chills.

I played my new guitar tonite at our surprise show in California. Rides like a dream.

lean on me.

2008-09-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

this is a sea crow. he's been pretty cool lately.

i finally made a good video to put on my youtube page.

steve

well look what we have here

2008-09-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

i just got my copy. when are you gonna get yours?

http://www.punchline.me

sundys really make you think

2008-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

my friend Eric Mikula was in a really bad car accident two weeks ago and we're all staying positive and keeping strong that he will make a full recovery. he's the one in the picture above wearing the punchline shirt. he is one of our biggest supporters! go to his facebook group and leave him a message! do it.

sneak peak at the new bayside video behind the scenes. i love how a lot of bands i'm friends with shoot their videos in pittsburgh. they used mostly the same crew as we did for our video for 'the hit' which we're going to post soon.

go steelers.

here is a good song from the late 90's. me and pj had the biggest crush on the singer.

ladies and gentlemen, the strangest video i've seen in a long while.

one of my favorite songs.

steve

9 days until Just Say Yes.

the world is a plate

2008-09-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

i went to eat breakfast with nick today. greg used to make fun of him saying that 'the world was his plate' because he would set a sandwich down on the curb to tie his shoe. i finally have proof of this. toast on an outside table. the world is indeed his plate.

on a complete whim i buckled and decided to to buy my dream guitar yesterday after seeing a good deal on good old craigslist. it is in perfect condition. hopefully i can keep the scratches to a minimum. just say hell yes.

we played the longest set of our careers last friday night at sweet briar college in virginia. we played 20 songs.

i played with my roommates band gene the werewolf this morning on the pittsburgh classic rock station WDVE. i got to play bass. i got to get up at 6:30 am. silly morning show. too early for rock music.

ok i'm gonna go somewhere else thats not here.

steve

before the one

2008-09-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

just what do they mean by 'speed enforced from aircraft'? really?

just say yes. 2 weeks from today.

i know i'm late on the blog scene, but i just had to do it...

steve