BORDERTOWN

Back In The Saddle Again

2010-03-17T15:15:00.002-05:00

After a two week break we are back at it again. Learning new songs. Getting ready to record a few songs for a promo packet. Here are some of the new songs we will be working on.

Hammer To Fall - Queen
Learning To Fly - Tom Petty
My Hero - Foo Fighters
Point Of Know Return - Kansas
Roll With The Changes - REO Speedwagon
Walkin' In Memphis - Mark Cohn

Visit our Facebook page to get the latest info and see photos from shows.

Second Street Live Wrap Party Rocked

2010-03-12T00:38:00.002-06:00

We had a blast at the Second Street Live Wrap Party! This is a great facility with an equally great sound system. Tom Ware did a great job with the sound and Brennan did a great job with the lighting.

Special thanks to Dick and Suzanne Renko, the SSL Board, and the contractors who worked so hard to give us this fantastic venue.

Please support Second Street Live by going to see the artists they bring in. I promise you they will be top-notch artists who will give you more than your money's worth.

Check out some pics from the show on our Facebook page.

-- Steve

This blog has moved

2010-03-12T00:22:00.001-06:00

This blog is now located at http://bordertownband.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://bordertownband.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Second Street Live Wrap Party This Saturday!

2010-02-23T23:21:00.003-06:00

Bordertown will be playing for the Second Street Live Wrap Party this Saturday at 7:30 pm. Second Street Live is a new visual and performing arts theater located in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas. For a chance to win a pair of tickets to this closed event, visit the Bordertown Facebook page and become a fan before 5:00 pm this Friday.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T00:47:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year from Bordertown. We are excited about what 2010 will bring and we hope it will be a great year for you, too.

Rehearsal Room Pics

2009-10-28T23:18:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pics from our rehearsal room. Yes, it is tight and loud but we like it that way. :)

Mitch's Bass Gear (He just replaced it with a rockin' new Mesa-Boogie rig.)

Kirk's Practice Kit

Bill's Keyboards and Aaron's Acoustic Guitar

Steve's Assorted Guitar Gear

Mixer, Amp Racks and Community Stack in rear

Back In Rehearsals

2009-10-28T23:12:00.002-05:00

We're back in the rehearsal room learning new songs. The first five we're learning are:

Running Out Of Days - Three Doors Down
In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins/Nonpoint
Wind At My Back - Spock's Beard/Neal Morse
Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band (we're bringing it back)
King Of Pain - The Police (another one from the closet)

"Running Out Of Days" just rocks unbelievably!! I am so glad Aaron picked this song to do.

We're working on our own arrangement for "In The Air Tonight."

When I first heard "Wind At My Back," I didn't care for it. Now, it is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. I sincerely get chills just playing it. Neal, you are awesome, brother!

We started "Fly Like An Eagle" a few months ago, then dropped it to work on a specific set list. Now it's back.

Ditto on "King Of Pain."

Oktoberfest Rocks!!

2009-10-28T22:51:00.002-05:00

Oktoberfest was a blast!! This was Bordertown's very first gig. The crowd was responsive and we had to do an encore. We had so much fun. Thanks to everyone at the Gregory Kistler Center and Knights of Columbus for making us welcome.

Oktoberfest - October 10 at 6:00 pm

2009-09-23T00:11:00.002-05:00

Bordertown will be playing at Oktoberfest on October 10 at 6:00 pm to help raise money for the Gregory Kistler Treatment Center For Children. Come out, have a good time, and help support this worthy organization. They make a big difference in the lives of many children.

For more information go to the Gregory Kistler Center web site.

Bill Rebsamen Sitting In On Paperkid Reunion

2009-08-19T18:59:00.003-05:00

Bordertown keyboardist Bill Rebsamen will be playing with Paperkid for their reunion concert on September 5 at The Rib Room. It has been 22 years since Paperkid last walked on the stage. The reunion concert is a Benefit for Developmental Wings which helps children with autism.

If you live in the Fort Smith area, please come out and help support this worthy organization. I can promise you Paperkid will give you your money's worth and more.

The House Is A Rockin'

2009-08-19T18:52:00.002-05:00

The last couple of Bordertown practices have rocked!! A lot of songs are coming together. BGV's are sounding better. We're even learning new songs in 1 or 2 practices that we've never played before. Some of the new songs we've added are:

Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
Ask The Lonely - Journey
More Than Words - Extreme
Hangin' By A Moment - Lifehouse

Stay tuned for more news!

Bordertown Recording Rescheduled

2009-07-13T22:28:00.002-05:00

We were scheduled to record today but something unexpected prevented it from happening. We are rescheduling for next week. As soon as the songs are down and can be processed, we will post them on this site, MySpace, and Facebook.

Studio Is Up And Running

2009-07-11T13:31:00.003-05:00

The new studio is up and running. We hope to have everyone in there within the next few weeks to get some music down. Be watching this site for some tunes being posted.

Two More Songs For Week Of 6/29

2009-07-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

We have the final two songs picked for this week.

Home - Daughtry
Shame On The Butterfly - Jughead

If you have ever watched American Idol, you know the Daughtry song. Chris Daughtry was one of the few singers I've really like on AI. If you've never heard of Jughead, it was basically a supergroup including Ty Tabor of King's X, Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater, and Matt and Greg Bissonette who've played with a lot of artists you know.

New Songs Week Of 6/29

2009-06-30T22:19:00.002-05:00

We've really been hitting it hard with our new singer, Aaron. Since he has so many songs to learn we stopped adding new songs for a while.

Since Aaron is doing so well with the songs we decided to go ahead and drop a few ones in this week.

Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts
She Sheila - The Producers
What I've Done - Linkin Park

We will have at least two more songs to add to this list in the next day or so.

Bordertown Announces New Lead Singer

2009-06-16T13:45:00.002-05:00

We are proud to announce our new lead singer, Aaron Scroggins. Aaron has been a friend of ours for many years and we are happy to have him singing for us. He has a great voice and really adds a great dynamic to the band. Thanks for joining the posse Aaron.

Another Good Practice

2009-06-09T09:55:00.002-05:00

We had another good practice last night. More songs are starting to come together. So are our background vocals. Background vocals are something you don't notice unless they are bad or aren't there at all. We're trying to avoid both.

Kirk is really nailing "Separate Ways". It's not an easy song to sing. "Fly Like An Eagle" was really fun to do. We stretched the end out some and had fun. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - How can a guitar player not like that song? "Panama" was a blast, too, but the timing between the guitar and drums is really weird. That's something we'll have to tighten up before it's ready for prime time.

Don't forget - We would like your song suggestions. You can submit them here. Have a great day!

PS: Go out and buy the Chickenfoot CD or download it. My favorite tune so far is "Soap On A Rope." We may have to add that one to our repertoire.

Patrick Neal Leaving Bordertown

2009-06-01T23:51:00.002-05:00

Patrick is leaving Bordertown to spend more time with his family. We fully support his decision and wish him the best. He is very, very busy and it is good that he wants to make sure there is time for his family. That is far more important than this band. He may drop in occasionally to since a few songs with us and we welcome him.

We hope to be announcing a new singer soon. The announcement will be posted here and on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Splitting Up The Vocal Chores

2009-05-28T23:07:00.003-05:00

We've decided to spread the vocal work around a little so one person doesn't get worn out after singing every song for an hour or two. None of us would get past the first round on American Idol but we have good, solid singers. Kirk sounded really good on "Separate Ways" by Journey and Bill did a good job on "Let It Be" by The Beatles. Mitch did a solid version of "Jammin' Me" by Tom Petty and I (Steve) tried to sing the Toto version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" but it needs work.

The good thing is this puts all of us in the habit of working on our lead vocals which will help us with our background vocals.

Linnie Hice Band

2009-05-24T11:30:00.003-05:00

Mitch, Bill, and I went to check out the Rib Room and see the Linnie Hice Band last night. The band is Linnie, Lance Thompson, and Shane Bailey. They sounded great. You should check them out. Ran into a lot of old friends.

The Rib Room is a great venue as long as the weather holds out. The center of the building is open so rain can be a problem. However, the stage is covered. We hope to be playing there this summer.

New Songs: Week Of 5/18

2009-05-18T14:57:00.004-05:00

We still have our nose to the grindstone learning songs. Here's a list of songs we are adding this week.

Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band
Gone - Sevendust
King Of Pain - The Police
Panama - Van Halen
To Be With You - Mr. Big
Wind At My Back - Spock's Beard

It has been a blast learning a few old and a few new songs. We can't wait to get on stage and perform them live!

Song Suggestions

2009-05-16T15:34:00.003-05:00

In addition to playing songs that we like, we want to hear from you. Hop over to our Song Suggestions page and tell us what songs you would like to hear Bordertown play. If we use your suggestion, we will email you and you'll get something from the Bordertown saddlebag.

Thanks for your input.

Almost Ready To Rock 'n Roll

2009-05-10T17:10:00.002-05:00

It's been a short and grueling three months since we formed this band but Bordertown is just about ready to take the stage and play some music. We have all been woodshedding, learning songs and sharpening our skills.

If you are interested in having Bordertown play at your venue, special event, wedding, birthday party, etc., jump to our Contact page and send us a message. We will get back to you quickly. Thank you.

Why Bordertown?

2009-05-10T16:56:00.002-05:00

The name Bordertown was chosen to honor our heritage. All of the members of Bordertown grew up here either in or near Fort Smith, a town that sits on the border between Arkansas and Oklahoma, separated by the Arkansas River. As a matter of fact, we have band members from both states.

Fort Smith is known historically for being the outpost from where the Indian Territory was managed. It was also the home of the famous Hangin' Judge Isaac C. Parker. If you ever saw the movie True Grit with John Wayne as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, then you got a little insight into old Fort Smith.

Downtown Fort Smith still has many historic buildings and home. Soon Fort Smith will be the home of the Federal Marshal's Museum.

If you are ever by this way stop and take a look. Fort Smith is a town full of history.

Welcome To Bordertown

2009-05-10T15:01:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Bordertown blog. On this blog you will find a variety of information - information about who Bordertown is, what we do, why we chose the name Bordertown, a little about each band member, jokes, poetry, photos, and who knows what else.

We hope you enjoy your visit here and please feel free to leave a comment. Remember, comments are moderated and we want to keep this blog family-friendly so comments that we deem to be inappropriate will be rejected. Thanks for your understanding.