Hey all - our debut album "Line 'Em Up" is now out!
You can purchase it online at digstation.
http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000032311

We're still waiting to get on iTunes and get the hard copy into a few stores, but for now you can go to digstation and download it for THE LOW PRICE OF $5!

Thanks to everyone who supported us and made this CD possible.

Much love,
The Band

Line 'Em Up...

...Throw 'em down!
We're really excited to tell you that at long last, our debut CD is just about ready to come out.  We just got the master tracks back and we're about ready to send them off... when they come back not only will we have hard copies of the CDs, but we'll also be available for purchase and download from iTunes.

We want to thank everyone for supporting us so far, and we hope that you'll enjoy the songs we've been putting together and working hard on for the last few months.  As soon as we have a definite date. we'll let you know!

-Sweetbriar

Hey team,

Really positive show this past Saturday at Charlottesville's best new local venue, IS (formerly Starr Hill Music Hall). Our boy Jeyon always takes really good care of us there, and we always have a good time. Free drinks never hurt!

We want to thank everyone for making it out to see us - you know who you are. For everyone who saw us for the first time: thanks for coming out! We hope you had as much fun as we did. We really just tried to throw a party up there; if you were dancing at the end of the set with "Shout," you know what we're talking about.

We changed our live show routine a little bit this time, incorporating more covers than we usually do. We haven't stopped writing songs - in fact, we played a few original tunes that aren't even going to be on the EP we've been working on! - but we felt a little bit of a different approach could be a good thing. We want you to hear our original songs, but we also want to make sure you can rock out to songs you know and love. Thanks for the positive reception all around - from Weezer to Marvin Gaye to our old standbys "Senorita" and "Baby, Don't Say Goodnight." A lot of action, all around!

Here's what up ahead: we're playing at The Cellar, on campus at the University of Richmond. We've been there a few times in the past, but we usually have our founding member and occasional drummer Matt Coppock with us. Unfortunately, his schedule up at Penn State grad school won't let him play - but we've got our bases covered with Mark Benson, our UVa drum technician. It's always a party when we play at The Cellar; a highlight of our last show was first-time Sweetbriar fans dancing on tables!

Hope to see you out there, and why not continue the tradition? Do what you do best - get rowdy and dance!

-Sweetbriar

Hey boys and girls,
I know you've been missing your favorite boys in Sweetbriar. Well, don't worry. We're back.

The last month has been a little bit slower than usual - but we've been working feverishly on on debut EP, scheduled to come out within the next month!
We're all very excited about it, and we've got about 10 solid songs that we can't wait to share with the world. If you've checked the site recently, you'll notice a couple of new demos from this recording session - these are still rough mixes, but we wanted to give you a little taste. The final versions will have that polish that only James Gammon can provide.

So here's the deal: this Saturday, March 21st, we're gonna be turning IS into a good, old-fashioned, kick-ass show... at least thats our goal. The music will be loud, the booze will be plentiful, and don't forget to bring your dancing shoes!

A couple of important points to note:
- The show is 18 and over
- Tickets are going to be $9 at the door
- HOWEVER - we have advanced tickets for $5!

Bottom line, get out to IS Venue, the old Starr Hill Music Hall, located on Main Street in Charlottesville, this Saturday to come see us perform with Whiskey Business and headliner Farm Vegas. If you can contact us before hand, we can get you the tickets for almost half price - too good of a deal to pass up!
So keep your eyes on the site, keep your ears out for the debut EP, and keep coming out and dancing - this Saturday at IS... is... your best chance!

Sweetbriar

WELL, LOOK WHO IT IS...

It's you guys, checking up on dear ol' Sweetbriar! Too bad for you, for one night only we are Stormy Steve and the Teardrops. That's a lie, but I'm pretty sure we'll start making cracks about changing our band name. Chances are, we'll tailor the band-name-changing joke to whoever we're playing with at the time.

Possibilities include:
Steve Be Told
The Always Favorites
Fathers of Bill
7 Day Bender
The U.S. Coalition

The list goes on and on! Yep, we're a clever bunch of kids. You're just lucky you get to benefit from it. Speaking of benefit, I want to invite everyone to come out to our show... later today - Thursday, April 24, at Satellite Ballroom: Benefit concert for Students Helping Honduras. Come check us out with a couple of other local favorites (Tim Be Told and Sam Wilson from Sons Of Bill, among others), all the while supporting the increased funding of education for students in Honduras. Sounds like a good enough cause to condone getting rowdy with your favorite local musicians, including us.

Here's some good news: we rolled with a late-night practice on Monday and came up with two brand-spanking-new songs that we might even play for you if you come out to the Ballroom. I'm beginning to notice a trend... the last time we practiced was a little over a month ago, before opening for Virginia Coalition - and that practice yielded two new songs as well!
Imagine if we practiced once a week...

Anyway, try to get out to Satellite and see us, but if not, high-tail it over to Pi Kappa Phi, where we'll be doing the frat thing deep into the night (you heard right - two shoes in one night!). And if you still can't catch us, feel free to attend the annual SAM pre-Foxfield party on Friday night, with music provided by yours truly.

I've got to tell you, it's an exciting time for Sweetbriar. This month has been the busiest we've ever been, with no less than a dozen shows. Add the two new songs to the mix, along with the fact that we've got three or four more in the mix, and it's shaping up to be a pretty productive effort when we finally make the plunge and record a full-length debut. Keep an ear out for updates - we'll be sure to make our progress known.

Stay beautiful, keep dancing, and (why not?) have a beer or two.
See you at Satellite, Pi Kapp, or SAMMY.

Sweetbriar

Oh, well hello there, Sweetbriar Army. How are you tonight? Oh? Well that’s simply magical. I’m doing splendidly as well.

So we had a hell of a good time on Wednesday night at the Satellite Ballroom and I want to personally thank each and every person who came out to see us play. Since I can’t do that, I’ll just say thanks. You guys keep us going.

It was a huge night for us. The biggest number of original songs we’d played at a show before Wednesday was probably four or five, but thanks to all the hard work writing and rehearsing in the last month or two, we were able to play eight original songs, four of which are brand spanking new. From the sound of the audience, they were pretty well received, most notably "Time, Sweet Time." We dusted off "Carolina Days" and spiffed it up with a new piano arrangement, and a couple of our originals were definitely classier thanks to the newfound prolific piano playing of Jon Drols.

The best part? Both Virginia Coalition and their touring opener, Alexa Wilkinson, had nothing but positive things to say about our music. We were also approached by quite a few first-time Sweetbriar listeners asking us if they could buy a cd. Well, don’t worry. We’re hard at work recording songs in Byrnes’ home studio, and we’re slowly but steadily making progress. Keep an ear out for updates, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a new song or two found their way to the site in a week or two.

March is winding down, but April is gonna be a gigantic month. We’re starting off with a bang on the 4th, playing Pi Kapp’s chili cookoff during the day and finding our way to The Cellar at the University of Richmond the same night. We’ll be waking up and "starting the day early" at the Pig Roast the next morning on the 5th, so if you’re in the area, come to Sig Ep for some early morning debauchery.

Once again, thanks to everyone who came out to Satellite - we’ll see you soon.

Sincerely,
The Band:

"The Foundation of the Sweetbriar Nation" - Jon
"The New York Nightmare" - Byrnes
"The Secretary of the Brotherhood" - Dando Softon
"The Mighty Mighty Mark Benson" - Tummy
"The Dean of the University of Musical Perversity" - Stormy Steve

Hey friends,
I wrote up an article about the band to be featured in the weekly U.Va newsmagazine, The Declaration. It hit stands last Thursday, so go grab one before they're gone! If you're lazy, or don't go to U.Va, here's the article for your reading pleasure.

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Big Band Theory: From Frat to Phat

A few Saturdays ago my band played in the U.Va Battle of the Bands, presented by UPC (I wish I got paid for that plug). We got second place for the second year in a row. There's not much we could've done to win it, though - Tim Ouyang, the front man for winning band Tim Be Told, has a voice like an angel; our sound has a much harder edge, more rock than pop. Be that as it may, I didn't mind losing to a band that deserved it. The battle was the tenth show we've played this year, and eight of those have been in the last three weeks: four frats, one sorority, and two legitimate shows, besides the battle. It hasn't always been like this. Last year was a turning point for us.

We started by playing at Coupe DeVille's Bar & Grill, better known simply as Coupe's to the kids who frequent "bars" on the corner. We played Coupe's about every other week for a couple of months, more for the publicity than anything else. We ended up with a sweet payout of about $10 each per show once parking was paid. At that point in our musical career, though, we didn't care: free drinks and the chance to fine-tune our sound were enough. As a band we whored ourselves out to the friends we had in fraternities, begging them to call their social chairs to book us for parties. A popular frat gave us a shot, and we were grateful for the chance to move past basement bars and into bigger parties. Frat gigs used to be a lot less frequent for us, but they're much better pay and publicity. The best part about frat parties is word of mouth. Well, that and all the free beer you can drink. And the adulation of drunk first years. And the girls.

The week before the battle, we played at Tuttle Lounge. That was a weird show for us. Our lead singer Stephen is, among other things, a chain smoker. Smoking isn't allowed in first year dorms, I can't imagine why. John Byrnes, one of our lead guitarists, walks a happy medium between stone-cold sober and a fifth of bourbon whenever we play. Alcohol isn't allowed in first year dorms, I can't imagine why. On a Friday night, one of the most popular nights to go to frat parties and bars where they serve alcohol, only thirty to forty people came to see us at Tuttle Lounge, I can't imagine why. Playing to a huge crowd of intoxicated, dance-hungry, horny frat studs and srat stains is a lot different than playing to a seated and well-behaved audience in a clean, pleasant-smelling room. We got through the show fine thanks to a couple of devoted friends who become dance Nazis and got the party started, as well as my antics on stage. When Stephen isn't comfortable, he doesn't talk, so I did enough for the both of us. I toed the line between entertaining and obnoxious as it's never been done before, all in the name of converting the crowd to the Sweetbriar Army, our affectionate term for fans/groupies/band-aids.

The next night we played at a frat that has booked us consistently for the last couple of semesters. By all accounts, this should have been an amazing show. Coming off of a tame performance in first year dorms, we were ready to rock out with our cocks out, so to speak. Add to this desire to rage uncontrollably the fact that our original drummer and founding member was coming down from grad school at Penn State to play with us, and was bringing along a couple of college buddies to boot. We were so excited to play with Matt (because it only happens once in a blue moon) that we all started drinking heavily. A homemade gin bucket and a fifth of bourbon later, the frat show turned into a shit show. Byrnes took it a little too literally when we aspired to "rock out with our cocks out" – he drank the entire fifth of bourbon himself, aptly named Fighting Cock. After doing so, he could barely see straight, much less keep rhythm on guitar. The damnedest thing of all was that he could solo fine – he even melted a few faces – but he couldn't play chords or keep rhythm to save his life. One benefit of playing to a room of drunks: they don't always notice when you screw up. Just because we're getting more shows doesn't mean that they always go well. We've made an important discovery, though: we're usually at the top of our game as long as we're not A) sober or B) blackout.

Another great part about being in a band but not being famous: roadies don't exist. It's true. I wish that I could chill in a green room or a bus, drinking with the guys while the event sets itself up in anticipation of our musical odyssey. Unfortunately, that's not the case. We pack up all of our crap from our apartments – speakers, monitors, PA head, full drum set, five amps, at least five guitars, three mic stands, five mics, two speakers stands, and between fifteen and thirty cables & wires of different lengths (not to mention tuners, guitar pedals, picks, harmonicas, capos, extra drumsticks, etc. ad infinitum) – and throw it all into the three-car-dromedary we have instead of a van, and roll up to the gig a couple of hours in advance. Nine times out of ten, we set it all up ourselves. A good night is one where we can leave all the equipment there until the next day. A bad night is when we don't get to leave until an hour and a half after the last notes of "Shout" ring out.

You can't brag about being runner-up in a competition for two years running. It just doesn't work like that. However, I take comfort from the fact that the judges came up to us shortly after the decision was made and informed us that, if it were possible, they would have announced a tie. Unfortunately, when they asked UPC if they could do this, their idea was rejected. We could've used some free studio time, but we aren't complaining. Byrnes just got a new iMac, and with his soundboard and mixer, we're quickly mastering GarageBand. We're writing more than ever, with about half a dozen new songs on the verge of completion. We're engaging in heated debates about what sort of songs we should add to our repertoire of covers. Apparently we're played every Friday night on 106.1 The Corner… which I've never noticed because we're usually playing a frat at the time. Our next big show is March 19 at the Satellite Ballroom (opening up for national act Virginia Coalition), which I'm pretty stoked about. That, and the fact that Sons of Bill guitarist Sam Wilson told us he "dug" our music. That, and the fact that we'll be playing shows with Tim Be Told pretty regularly in the future. That, and our ongoing relationship with another local kick-ass band The Sometime Favorites. That, and the fact that we're starting to get a fan base in Richmond and Harrisonburg as well.

I realize the chances of "making it" are slim, if that. The chances of us being as big as Maroon 5 are next to none. Still, dreams are dreams, right? I'm finishing up my third year, and they tell me that means I need to start thinking about "the real world," and somehow I don't think they're talking about that God-awful MTV show. I want a desk job less than anything in the world. I want to be a Dilbert about as much as I want a hole in the head. If there's gas left in the tank, I'm gonna ride this ride as far as it goes. Sweetbriar isn't about three-part vocal harmonies, dueling guitar riffs, mind-exploding solos, and tasty bass licks – although those are a big part of what we do. Between getting drunk and dancing in an embarrassing fashion, including head-butting each other on stage, the bottom line is that we're having fun. At the very least, I've watch Spinal Tap enough to know that I can prolong the life of a couple of pairs of jeans I "outgrew" in high school.
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Thanks for reading, and I love you all.
Also - we're in the process of recording FIVE BRAND NEW SONGS!

I'm especially excited about these two:
"About Love" - an AC/DC-esque rocker from Byrnes with a big crunchy guitar sound...
and "Time Sweet Time," a sweet singalong written by Jon with some cool harmonies.

So be on the lookout for those and a few others in the near future!

Peace&love,
Dando Softon Brandao

Well its been a long time coming for another blog post so I figured I might as well get the ball rolling.  There are a few very exciting developments in the life of Sweetbriar.  We have been pursued by East Coast Management and Red Light Management to play whatever shows they throw at us.  It is great to be recognized as one of the top bands in the Charlottesville area and we hope that we will slowly work are way to more gigs outside of the fraternity house.

The biggest news is that we will be entering the studio starting October 20.  We will be working with producer/engineer Dave Stipe of Little Rhodie Productions out at his studio in Crozet.  We have realized that in order for us to advance as a band we need a quality recording of a few songs that can be used as a demo and sold st shows to those interested.  The long term goal is to record a quality 5 song EP.  What this means is that we will be focusing a lot of energy on writing and reworking originals!  Its so exciting since we have been playing the same covers for about a year now.  So be on the look out for the new recordings, a new myspace site, and possibly a documentary on the band!

Hope all is well with everyone and hope to see all of you soon.
Matt

Hey Y'all.
Dando Hardon Brandao at your service, trying to escape from my English lecture for a few minutes. I figured I'd post an update on the current state of affairs for our little band.

We've got three or four new songs in the works... we have to resolve a couple of conflicts though, such as Steve's hatred for some of Jon's lyrics involving car allusions/metaphors, and our inability to focus on one until completion, but there's some cool-sounding stuff coming up in the near future.

There are currently about three different production/recording companies/studios courting us toward the purpose of recording a professional EP; we haven't yet made a decision as to whether or not we're going to go through with this. We do realize our original recordings in Matt's basement aren't as good as they could be, but right now our priorities are primarily with playing more shows and getting the word out on Sweetbriar. We'll keep you updated as we figure out what we're doing.

Jon and Steve have been rubbing elbows with James East and Adam Long from The Sometime Favorites for the past week, and it looks like a very promising relationship between the bands is starting to form. We had already planned on playing shows together at Starr Hill and the Gravity Lounge, but it looks like we might have a few more shows with them in development besides those. As soon as there's anything concrete, I'll post it here.

Peace easy, keep listening, tell all your friends.
-Dan