Denver, CO @ The R&R House

We've been getting bored of playing the same old songs. I remember, when I wasn't in Sundance Kids, that hearing a Sundance Kids song was always a treat. No matter how often Shelby played music at my house, the songs were exciting to hear. But now, as a member of the band, I find that the songs are wearing themselves thin. Shelby and Erin feel the same way. That's why, in Denver, Colorado, we tried something different. We completely changed our sound, and we didn't use some clever alternate name to present our experimentation as a joke. No. The Sundance Kids have found a new musical direction.

Shelby now plays didgeridoo. Granted, it's not a real didgeridoo; it's just a Christmas wrapping tube, but it still works. He mics his didgeridoo and sends it through a loop effect pedal, to create a very weighty ambient sound. I play Gameboy on stage. This instrument choice was hotly debated within the band, but I fought for it. The deciding factor was this: the game Samurai Showdown includes a sound effects test menu, so that any of two hundred fight SFX can be chosen and played at will. They sound good. I run a chord from the Gameboy headphone jack through a wah-wah pedal and into Erin's bass amp. Erin sings and plays drums, as usual, but she plays much more aggressive beats and sings much more than usual. I don't always like her singing voice, because she screams a la Yoko Ono or Yamantaka Eye -- I prefer a more controlled singing voice -- but I cannot deny that her screaming fits the tone of the music with its oppressive, layered didgeridoo and wailing punching and grunting sounds.

The R & R House in Denver was the first crowd to experience this new incarnation of the Sundance Kids. They loved us. I'm excited to play Olympia. I think our old fans will love our new sound.