NEW SHIRT!

Eulogy made a new design for us (that you can only order online). It comes in long sleeve and hoody, too. Pick it up!



(click here and go to merch to get it!)
EULOGY RECORDS ONLINE

Expect more updates soon!

Hey everyone!

So tour ended. Pierce flew back to Toledo, Ohio right after Ieper Fest. Dave and I went on vacation in Barcelona for a couple weeks, then came back to the states, got a new place in South Philly, then traveled around new England until a few days ago. I got to sleep in my own bed for the first time since June just a few days ago. And do you have any idea how great it feels to shit in your own toilet, at your leisure?!?! (It feels amaaaaazing.)

So now that we're back I will start writing about the 2nd month of the Euro tour, and give you updates about what the band is doing. Here is the news right now:

We're taking the rest of the year off. We're looking for a new bassist and drummer. We're working on songs for a 7" that we hope to record in the next few months. Plans have started for a South American tour early next Spring. We'll be putting up a merch store on our myspace in the next couple weeks.

That's all for now... check back for more soon!

(Zeger from Belgium. Just got this pic the other day... SERIOUS!!)

Pierce is no longer in Kingdom :(

Pierce (our bassist) has decided to leave the band. We're still all great friends, message boards will be sorry to hear that there was no epic battle or dramatic reason for him to leave, just the usual: needing money, wanting time with his family, etc, etc. No wait. Let's make a rumor about him leaving...

Ok... we were in Macedonia, Dave handed him a roasted corn on the cob, Pierce thought the corn looked kind of phallic and that the manner in which Dave was holding it seemed to be suggesting hand job exchange. Now obviously Pierce reacted- not out of distaste for Dave- but as my friend, since Dave is my boyfriend and was going behind my back, to one of my best friends, seeking an HJ. So Pierce grabbed the corn, threw it in Dave's face (which gave him second degree burns on his cheeks) then ran back to the venue and told me what happened. Dave CLAIMS he was just trying to give Pierce some corn. We're now in couples counseling. I'm trying to be forgiving, but Pierce is old school and doesn't condone that kind of deceitful hanky panky. He finished the Euro tour as a favor to me. His final words to me on tour were "I refuse to be in a band where band members are cheating on band members with other band members, so I can no longer be a band member." I said, "Well said."

Seriously though. Pierce has been with Kingdom in one way or another since our very first show in 2006 (he was one the first to buy our demo!), then he did merch for us on a 2 month long US tour in 2007, then he joined the band in 2008, we wrote and recorded a record together, and traveled around the world. He's one of my best friends, my little big brother, a multi-talented dude who can rap, breakdance, rollerblade, and shred the bass, and he will never not be moshing to Madball.

Kingdom will still go on without him, even though he's going to be awwwwwwwwwwwwwfully hard to replace. Ben (our original drummer) has still not been replaced (we've been touring with fill ins since he left), so we're still looking for a drummer, and now we're also looking for a bassist. If you're interested, vegan, straight edge, and able to get to Philly for practice, and able to tour a lot starting next year- get in touch!

And huge thanks to Pierce, I would give you all the chips in the world if I could.

-Davin

(At Pierce's last show with Kingdom- Ieperfest, Belgium)

Euro tour update #23 Prague, Czech Republic- Fluff after party/ my birthday!

After Fluff Fest we lounged our way to Prague in our new gigantic van with our friends from Richmond, Hate Edge and Mary. (Dead Vows and their mini-coop went back to Sweden.) We stayed up giggling late into the night and at some point someone realized it was my birthday. I am now 27 years old.

The next morning we went to my "birthday lunch" which was terribly coordinated and no one we invited came (I personally invited all of Fluff Fest during our set. After the set people asked me when and I shrugged. This kind of planning could have something to do with it being a bust.) I got what I had been set on ordering since March when we planned this tour. Vegetable needles with peanut sauce:



Then we walked around Prague:



This was my favorite show of tour. I'm asking Dave right now if it was his favorite as well and he can't decide, but says that it's in his top 3. Pierce is asleep in the loft so I can't ask him. Anyway, point is- this show ruled. It was us, Outrage, Wait in Vain, Reconcile, and a band from Portugal called Together. There were kids from Russia, Finland, Ukraine, and basically everywhere else in attendance. The room was so crowded I couldn't get close to watch the other bands. I played in my birthday dress and felt ridiculous, but that good kind of ridiculous like the kind you feel on Halloween. People laughed with (or at?) me, since I lacked anything to wear with a dress or time or place to do my hair, I paired my beautiful black satin dress with high top tacky-like-Jersey-Shore silver and gold fat-laced Baby Phat canvas sneaks, a plastic cake pin I got at Fluff Fest, and a backwards Wayne's World hat. But really, if any outfit was to sum up my 27 years of life- that would it.

A few words about Kingdom: We're not for everyone. (I think Trapped Under Ice is the only band that can actually stake that claim.) We don't draw huge crowds, we don't sell zillions of shirts, and we probably never will. We're vegan, we're straight edge, we only have 1 breakdown, I sing too fast for most people the learn the words- we're not an easy band. But whatever our appeal (or lack thereof), we're the band we want to be. Being ourselves has grown us accustomed to shows where a small group of people know us really well, the rest look on bobbing their heads. Our sets are rarely filled with Have Heart-style pile ons or Terror-esque mega pits. However, this night was not our average night. Due to Fluff Fest ending the night before and most people's flights leaving Prague the next morning, every kid that liked us in a 6 country radius was at this show.

Our set was amazing. An explosion of dives and sing-a-longs, with no air left to breathe in the humid little venue, and no room to stand anywhere- not even on the stage. At one point during our set I looked out at all the familiar faces from places we've been over the course of this tour and realized that the small group of people that knew us well was not-so-small. And as I watched our old friends, new friends, and those yet unmet all glistening under those green surface-of-the-sun hot stage lights, dancing to melodies written by my dearest friends, and screaming out lyrics I wrote in my tiny pest-infested bedroom... it became clear to me that my life had taken me to the exact point, to the exact place, that I've always wanted to be. And all the things I "sacrificed" to get there? (Going to school, making money, acquiring nice things, etc, etc) I never wanted those things. All I've ever wanted is nights like this one in Prague.




After our set a few kids approached with a chocolate cake that they had baked for me before the show. Out came a lighter and a single candle was lit, and in the company of total strangers, flattered and happy, my laughter blew it out. Then the dudes, some of the kids in the other bands, the kids at the show, and I all devoured the cake in a matter of minutes.




Together had been held up getting to the show and it was assumed they were no longer playing, but during our last song in they came, just in the nick of time. On stage the singer mentioned that it was kinda rad that the opening band playing last, how hardcore seems to have a hierarchy of "headliners" on top and then everyone else below. It was a perfect thing to say, especially as we all lingered in the after-glow of Fluff. This band had only been around for 3 months. This was their first tour. They tore up the stage, and kids tore up the floor. I stood at the back of the pit in my satin dress, smiling. "This next song is a cover..."

They played "New Direction" by Gorilla Biscuits. I have seen this covered one million times. I have seen this covered one hundred times on this tour alone. But the amazing thing about that song is that it never gets old. Dave ran from behind the merch table and I left my quiet observation behind as we charged the stage with everyone else. The band stopped playing and the crowd screamed together, "REBIRTH OF HARDCORE PRIDE!", then the guitars came roaring back in. I forgot that I was on tour, I forgot that my band had played just 15 minutes before- I was another kid at the show, screaming the words we all knew oh-so well, words that were the perfect way to end this evening.

The set ended, people filtered out of the show. Handshakes and hugs, circles of conversation grew smaller and smaller as people left, and eventually it was our turn. Back in the van, Dave spoke in an echo of my own thoughts. He said that during Together's set he had forgotten we were on tour, and felt like he was just another kid at the show, and that it felt great. That was the just kind of night it was. We don't get many of those, and don't think that we ever take them for granted. Thanks Prague.

Euro tour update #22 FLUFF FEST PICTORIAL

I wish Fluff Fest happened every month and I always had a way to get there. This is a perfect hardcore fest. It's where bands big and small from all over the world play in front of thousands of kids who are actually paying attention. Where as many people watch the opening band as the headlining band. People camp around the fest*, vegan food is available from morning to midnight for 1-3 euros and it's delicious, there are no fights, and after the shows end the merch/small stage tents are turned into karaoke and dance parties.

*Unless they are me. The only thing I wanted for my birthday was a hotel room for Fluff, Dave got it for me, and I enjoyed long, hot showers, toilet paper, a lack of insects, peace and quiet, and a soft bed with space to roll around. It was lovely.

(I only took about 5 photos because I was too busy having fun to grab my camera.)




















Rad bands that played:

Ray- Moscow, Russia
Glasses- Germany
To Kill- Italy
Zann- Germany
Death Is Not Glamorous- Norway
Fall Of Efrafa- UK
Reconcile- Argentina
Tesa- Latvia

Euro tour update #21, Bratislava, Slovakia

The venue, Obluda, was perfect. We arrived mid-day and waddled in, still full of pizza, to two merch tables covered in food for us. Everyone but me was able to pack some more in.

I loved this place. It was the ideal venue for everywhere. We should all have this place. It would be amazing. It was a room that any hardcore or punk band could play... some band of 15 year olds could play their first show here and it would be cool, or Bane could play a record release show and it would be sweet. The room was the perfect size, the benches along the wall were ideal for short people who wanted to be able to see over tall people's heads or headwalkers, the stage was the right size and height, the lighting was flawless, the bar had lots of soda for the straight edge kids, band graffiti covered the walls. I walked slowly around the room, reading notes from my friend's bands.



Dave and I sat outside and made this, and went back in when it was about time to play:



Our set was a lot of fun. A few people knew us, and those that didn't watched us anyway, heads nodding along. After we were done people hung around the merch tables talking to us, saying nice things, telling us about themselves. My friend Martijne from Belgium was very randomly there and I was so excited to see him, since I thought I hadn't seen him since our Bishop tour over the winter.

"Dude what have you been up to in the last 6 months?!?!" He stared at me. "Davin, I saw you a few weeks ago at Pressure Fest. We talked for 10 minutes." What? I scanned my memory. Nope. No way. Didn't happen. "You kept saying how tired you were." I remembered being tired. (See our first entry on this tour to read about our jetlag and how sleepy we were at Pressure Fest.) I apologized, asked him to forgive me, and to start over again since I was now awake and very curious about him, even though, apparently, he had already brought me up to date once. We talked for awhile, joked about Kingdom being zombies at Pressure (practically falling asleep between songs), and then he confessed that a friend of his had gone just to see us that day and said they were "disappointed" and "had expected more" from us. "Aw mannnn tell her to come see us again!"

I noticed that a lot of the kids at the show tucked their shirts into their pants. Bands shirts, wife beaters, boys, and girls. They reminded me of old men in public parks. I also noticed that the men in Slovakia were some of the most old-school traditionally handsome I had ever seen in my life. First, I caught sight of one Clark Kent by a record distro, then saw another by the bar, then I took a slow inventory of all the men in room and realized that I was at a show attended by absolute super-men- young and old, thin and thick. These guys were chiseled, square-jawed, stern eyebrowed, blue-eyed, dimpled-chin super heroes. It was almost eery. (I write this as an observation rather than a way to inter-flirt with an entire country- I am quite in love with my very own handsome American dude.)

After the show we split up with Dead Vows and stayed with a very nice kid at his Grandma's house. He, his Mom, and his Grandma all lived together, but to accommodate us staying there his Mom and Grandma were staying the night with friends. His Grandma had stayed up waiting for us to see if we needed anything- water, tea, extra towels, vegan snacks. She didn't speak a lick of English and mostly motioned and smiled at us. It was so cute. She whipped up some curried squash before she left, even though we had said we weren't hungry. Just goes to show that Grandmas are Grandmas no matter where you go. :)

We stayed up late swapping stories with the dude we stayed with and his friend (really I mean that I told Dave's stories about working as a mover in Philly- being ordered by his boss to stay in someone's house while they were screaming at him to leave, taking people's stuff hostage and driving off with it to get them to pay, getting chased down the road by said people, etc, etc, etc...) and slept deeply in nice, comfy beds.

Day 2- Slovakia

We arrived at the bar to be met by a huge pot of seitan stew that tasted like an all-in-one Thanksgiving. After catching sight of the people congregating in and around the bar we realized we were in for an interesting night. It looked as if a Slovakian Hot Topic had gone from being a store in a mall to being a store attending a show.

As soon as we set up merch, two thin, tall, long-haired metal dudes toddled over each bought one XL black shirt (these were the only shirts we sold all night.) Next to us a Jukebox offered a wide variety of "extreme" music. Dave pumped in some change and out flowed the sweet songs of Biohazard, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, and Fear Factory .... that is, until the hour-long song check started. Got to love the hour-long sound check....

...and love of course I mean hate. There are two things that drive me absolutely insane: sound guys at tiny clubs that take their jobs way too seriously and run around adjusting and readjusting mics for hours, and drummers of opening bands that play blastbeats for 45 minutes before their set. You probably agree that both of these types are annoying, but would argue that it's generally a forgivable offense as these people mean no harm. But imagine encountering these people on a nightly basis for a month and a half straight. While you're being fed dinner. While you're trying to catch up with your friends in your very limited time with them. While you're enjoying a few moments alone in a corner with a book. These people's intentions stop mattering. They are no longer eligible for understanding, acceptance, or forgiveness. You want to snatch all the cables and drumsticks out of their hands and hit them over the head with them. You want to scream, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY 'CHECK' INTO EVERY MIC 50 FUCKING TIMES... THEY'RE ON! PUT THEM DOWN!" or, "YOUR DRUMS WORK! STOP PLAYING!" But as much as you'd like to do that, you don't. Nope. You sit behind your merch table and you frown. You exchange tired looks with your bandmates. If you're Dave on this night in Slovakia, you furiously strain your ears, in vain, and eventually give in to the sound check and slump down in your chair, defeated.

While Dave and I grumbled about sound check, Pierce went walking around town. He decided to climb the fire escape of a building (don't ask me why, Pierce is a strange guy.) As he was on his way back down a man stood at the base of the ladder, yelling at him in Slovakian. He was a regular looking dude in normal clothes. Pierce apologized and started to walk back to the venue, when the dude grabbed him and slammed him against a wall. He then, still yelling in Slovakian, dragged Pierce to a room in an indiscreet building where 4 other plain-clothed guys were playing cards. The guy dangled handcuffs in Pierce's face, and flipped him back and forth against the wall, yelling in Slovakian all the while. The dudes sitting down all had guns and handcuffs. Pierce, with no fucking clue what was happening, who these people were, what they were saying, or where he was, gave up his, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have climbed that ladder!" to, "Does anyone speak English?", and when that was a no all around, to, "Um, ok... welll uh... I'm gonna go now..." The guy pointed to the door, and Pierce left.

W. T. F.

Our set was as strange as expected. Push mosh, twirling, and the two blackmetal dudes with one foot on the stage, one arm raised in the "metal" sign, heads twirling in time with our songs. People seemed genuinely into us and we had a ton of fun playing. Like I said before, it ain't home, so I've come to accept whatever is there to greet us when we get on stage. I pumped my fist to the bass drum, Dave added extra squeals, and as I looked out at the sweaty black-clad crowd, I felt like we were Guns N Roses before they got famous.

After the show girls tried to get Pierce to "go for a walk" with them. They also asked for his number. He had to explain over and over that he had a girlfriend and that he lived in America, his phone didn't work in Europe, and they couldn't really call him. In response, they asked him to sign their stomachs.

Back in the van we all laughed about Pierce's bizarre day, shared our final overnight drive with Dead Vows, to our last show with them, and a show we'd been eagerly awaiting- FLUFF FEST!!

Euro tour update #19, Kumanova, Macedonia

We spent half of the day driving through northern Greece, stopping here and there to pee at gas stations. They were nothing like the gas stations back home. Instead of Taco Bell/KFC combination Shells with a shitter around the back that's out of soap and filled with flies, these were privately owned, landscaped gas-and-snack resorts. Flowers bloomed along stone walkways that lead to huge, wooden doors, where upon entering you were swallowed up by a beautiful wooden room, bathed in sun, with baskets and barrels in every shade of brown and beige. Locally made delights took the place of name brand potato chips. Soft coconut candies. Halva. Huge sheets of baklava sat in oversized tupperwear containers on wooden tables. Buckets of nuts lined the floors. Shelves were filled with stuffed grape leaves, stuffed red peppers, stuffed fried eggplants. A cafe started inside and spilled onto a lush patio. Aging Greeks in loose but stylish clothing talked loudly and drank espresso. This much culture... at a gas station?

Macedonia. Where the hell is that? I knew nothing of Macedonia, had no idea what to expect. I imaged us playing in a perfectly preserved medieval fortress filled with knights and wooden wheeled buggies and probably dragons.

We met the promoter at his house. He was far more hardcore kid than medieval knight, which bode far better for our show than my imagination's Macedonians had. He brought out dinner- roasted potatoes, some kind of wheat-meat (which, btw, is very tasty and very cheap in eastern Europe- like .80 for a bag the size of a box of cereal), and a stew. I made myself a plate and sat on the stone steps beside his house, flowers bending in the breeze next to me, kittens playing at my feet. I took a bite of the wheat meat, and traveled back in time... back to... what was that flavor? I chewed in fog, scanning my memory bank for what I was eating. Ribs! Ribs so soft they're falling off the bone! I looked down at my plate. That was fake, wasn't it? It was stringy like meat. It smelled like meat. It tasted like meat. Oh no... But he kid had said it was vegan. Hmmm. Dave went to find out. "So, this stuff is really good... what's it made of?"

Wheat gluten. It was wheat gluten!!! Holy shit! I couldn't believe it. I scarfed the tender vegan ribs, the "chicken" stew, the roasted potatoes. Shit, this is one of the best meals I've ever had. The day was off to a great start. And it was going to get better.

Kumanovo is an interesting, culturally rich little city. Pierce, Dave, and I all wandered around town and all agreed that it was one of the nicest places we'd been in awhile. Buildings curved around corners, fell and rose with hills and dips, squeezed together so tightly they reminded me of a sandwich with too many things inside, like at any moment a building could pop right out of the ground and shoot up like a rocket (or like a pepper out of a Govinda's cheesesteak.) Old was crammed next to new, things distinctly Macedonian were smooshed in with things western. For example: next to the bright, modern venue teeming with punk rock kids was a blacksmith. Like literally, a single middle aged man with blackened hands in a sooty room with no floor, nails and axes and sickles that he had made hanging around him, and in the center of it all, an anvil. Then next to him was an ad for the new Ice Age movie (dubbed in Macedonian), next to kiosks selling little toys, crackers, pinwheels, next to a sprawling nike store, next to a small, Macedonian dress shop, so filled with women that I could hardly get around.

As we wandered around and back to the venue, next to the woman selling chocolate popcorn made in a movie theatre popcorn popper, Dave and I saw a man charring corn cobs on a tiny broken grill. We went to investigate. Vegan, 1 Euro. We were in. While our cobs cooked we talked with him and the popcorn lady in simple english. They couldn't believe that chocolate popcorn wasn't a common thing in America, the corn man was in a gypsie band. That was about all we could talk about before we ran out of words, and our corn was done. The man salted them and put them back in the husk, then handed them to us. I'm not sure how, but the grilling has almost made the kernels gummy, which sounds gross but was actually delicious. We munched all the way back to the venue, which had filled up, and after a few games of spider solitaire (a most addictive game that came with my computer), it was time to play.

The crowd was a mix of hardcore kids, alternative types, and other young, interested parties that I wouldn't be able to categorize. Surprising to us, some people knew the words. I felt really relaxed all day and hadn't bothered putting on a bra (which I always wear but this day I was like, "fuck it, I'm in Macedonia... I'll just air out."), which I hadn't thought I'd notice- and I hadn't as we walked around- but as I got to jumping around on stage... holy shit. I felt like they were going to bounce and break right off of me. It was painful, like running up the stairs in the morning before you get dressed... ladies, I know you feel me on this. By the second song I had given up being airborn in any way, even walking across the stage was done carefully. God damn.





It'd be awhile since some good ol' European honesty, so after our set we got a dose. "You guys are good..." Oh, thanks! "... but your drummer is killing you." Oh... thanks... (for the record our drummer was a fill-in)

After saying our thank yous and goodbyes we piled back in the van for another overnight drive, this time to Budapest- but before the van door closed, a little kid that is best described as a real-life Macedonian version of Bart Simpson, walked over to us with a smirk on his face that read "watch me fuck with these chumps", held his hand out demandingly, and shouted "MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!" Some people in van the van said no, some laughed, Dave told him that some people across the street looked like they had money, I told someone to close the door, but before any of this reached the kid or be done, good ol' Hell-Bent reached out and shoved him. I'm serious. He actually pushed a 9 year old.

"Dude did you seriously just push that little kid?" Silence. If I disliked Hell-Bent before, I fucking hated him now.

Next to the van, the seemingly unharmed Macedonian Bart Simpson lit a cigarette. We pulled out and drove silently into the night.