Want a Free Beer T-ShirtOfficial Free Beer product available now at our on line store.
|
|
|
FIRST FRIDAY
|
Woodward DreAm Cruise
|
Free Beer News
First Friday is Back at Cowley's!
Steve Tocco takes over for Tommy on Drums
Free Beer is coming back to Cowley's for the First Friday concert series on Friday August 1st. To make it even more interesting than usual, Drummer Tom Daldin is going way Under The Radar and standing up in a wedding that weekend. This means we get to call on one of the best drummers in the USA (let alone Detroit) as his fill in, Steve Tocco. We're not sure why he loves playing with us so much. Just ask him during First Friday on Friday, August 1st at Cowley's.
Free Beer is coming back to Cowley's for the First Friday concert series on Friday August 1st. To make it even more interesting than usual, Drummer Tom Daldin is going way Under The Radar and standing up in a wedding that weekend. This means we get to call on one of the best drummers in the USA (let alone Detroit) as his fill in, Steve Tocco. We're not sure why he loves playing with us so much. Just ask him during First Friday on Friday, August 1st at Cowley's.
Free Beer 20 Years / Dream Cruise 20 Years ... Coincidence
We think not
Free Beer got the call from WRIF ... Are you open on August 16th to play the Woodward Dream Cruise? Yes, but where would we play, some back alley? Nope ... the huge DODGE exhibit at the Legendary Northwood Shopping Center at 13 and Woodward. There's a huge classic car show with a big stage, a live broadcast from WRIF ... what could be more perfect? We all remember hanging out at Northwood when we were kids, driving our cars, hanging out, flirting with girls. What a great whay to return. Come on out and check us out on the DODGE Stage for two sets from 6PM to 9PM. We'll be right in the thick of it!
It it weird that both the Dream Cruise and Free Beer started back in 1994? We Think Not.
More details as they become available.
Free Beer got the call from WRIF ... Are you open on August 16th to play the Woodward Dream Cruise? Yes, but where would we play, some back alley? Nope ... the huge DODGE exhibit at the Legendary Northwood Shopping Center at 13 and Woodward. There's a huge classic car show with a big stage, a live broadcast from WRIF ... what could be more perfect? We all remember hanging out at Northwood when we were kids, driving our cars, hanging out, flirting with girls. What a great whay to return. Come on out and check us out on the DODGE Stage for two sets from 6PM to 9PM. We'll be right in the thick of it!
It it weird that both the Dream Cruise and Free Beer started back in 1994? We Think Not.
More details as they become available.
Free Beer REPORTS
Friday And Saturday For Founders
Great Crowds both Friday and Saturday nights at Cowleys!
We always think we are ready for the Founders Day deluge, but then it happens again and we are amazed. Friday night there were a lot of our friends there ready to make us feel at home. It didn't look like there were many people outside so we delayed the start of our set until 10PM. Big mistake. The beer tent closed next store and BLAMMO! there was everyone ready to party and we still hadn't finished the first set. So we just kept on playing until we finished set two. That's just over 2 hours. Good news was that we didn't have to tear down our gear until Saturday. We came back and Cora had taken over a third of the bar with her birthday party. Out of nowhere Greg St James showed up from WDC. Then Steve Kostan came after his shift at WOMC. BLAMMO! The beer tent closes (this time in between sets 1 and 2). We cranked out the second set, got Kostan and St. James up on stage for Rockin' in the Free World and had a surprise visit from Maggie McCabe who sang Piece of My Heart from Joplin to finish the weekend with a flourish. (and we aren't even mentioning the young lady that tried to hump Scott's leg!) |
Free Beer ROCKED Cleveland AGAIN!
"Uncle Fester" Rocked!
Free Beer drove, then drank, then watched the almost all Edelman band "Uncle Fester" rock out a set, then got up on stage, then rocked out for 2 sets, then packed up, then stayed overnight then drove home. |
Free Beer to CelebrateD 400 shows anD
20 years at Cowley's on Friday June 6th
It was Twenty Years Ago Today ...
It was actually June 25th, 1994 when Free Beer (with Paul Sevigny on Bass and Kevin Yonker on Drums) finished 8 months of practice and decided to show everyone what we had learned by setting up our gear in Kevin's Garage in Royal Oak. We had a full set of music ready to play. We filled the Garage with fog and hit the opener as we kicked out the first beats of The Ramones "Rock & Roll Radio". It was AWESOME as the smoke and sound filtered all over South Royal Oak. Free Beer had officially begun. And only 6 short songs later, we saw the ROPD walking up the driveway to shut us down. Little did we know that 3 of the original 5 would still be at it 400 shows and 20 years later. Jim, Kurt and Scott have been joined by 6 drummers and 5 bass players over the years ... with our current lineup featuring Tom Daldin on Drums and either Dewey Larkin or Jeff Brookmyer on Bass staying solid for the past 8 years! FOR A LIST OF ALL OF OUR GIGS, CLICK HERE We are going to recreate some of the excitement of the first show at Cowley's on Friday June 6th during our 400th show. We'll be playing our first set verbatim to kick off the show and looking back at some classic video from our first gig along with pictures from the past 20 years. 
OUR FIRST SET LIST
For some reason, Bass Player #1 saved our autographed setlist from gig #1 back on July 25, 1994. We don't question his motives, just thank him for keeping it so we can post it here! Thanks Paul. Also, it will help you check and make sure we play the first six songs on this list on Friday. |
Free Beer with Eric Edelman in Royal Oak
Rocking the Star Lanes again on Friday May 16th
Gig #399 went swimmingly ... our should I say Bowlingly, thanks to Eric Edelman who sat in for Mike Wielgat who was sitting in for Jeff Brookmyer who sat in for Dewey Larkin on Bass. Eric rocked the lanes as we had a much less stressful time than last (lines / parking / etc). Plenty of Edelman's in the house and Scott's friends from the YMCA showed up too. Best moment of the evening was when Laura C and her friends from the bowling banquet came to catch the last few songs. Want to see the pics? Click here or go to Facebook and tag 'em. |
|
|
Free Beer "School'd" for the First Friday in May at Cowley'SFarmington School Of Rock and MSU Graduation make for an interesting evening!
This was a particularly strange evening that worked out GREAT for everyone involved. We had been talking with the Farmington School Of Rock about having their adult band open for us one First Friday. We got the Cowley's to agree to May 2nd and good thing. Scott found out that his son's graduation from Michigan State ended at 9:30P in East Lansing!! With the extra time provided by the great show put on by the School Of Rock, we were able to do two full sets with only 5 non Scott songs. Plus, all of the School Of Rock's friends stuck around and the place was jam packed all night long. We had Mike Wielgat on bass since both Dewey and Jeff weren't able to make it.
|
BackSeat Drivers? Naaah, it was Free Beer!
|
Free Beer celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Mustang with Ford!
Free Beer occasionally will play a "Corporate Gig" if we like the company and the idea of the event. Ford Motor Company asked us to be the "House Band" for their outdoor celebration of the 50th annivesary of the Ford Mustang so we said yes. It was a very cool event with 150 Mustangs parked in the front parking lot of the Ford World Headquarters and the entire company coming out to check them out, have a hot dog, win some prizes and even get up on stage and help us sing. Gues what song? Read on for the answer! Only issue with gigs like this is our name. You can't put the words "Free Beer" on a corporate invitation. So we went under the pseudonym "Backseat Drivers". We met the necessary requirements. We're fun. We know a lot of your favorite songs and we can play (answer to the trivia question) "Mustang Sally". We invited anyone up to be a "Sally" and sing the "Ride Sally Ride" chorus. They even had the words printed up on a keepsake laminated sheet if you wanted to sing lead (which one of the engineers did). Playing against the backdrop of the World Headquarters in front of all those Mustangs made for an unforgettable scene. But if we ever do, we can check out these pictures! |
Want to see 623 photos of all of the Mustang Festivities (and a couple of the band too)? Check out Ford's Flickr site here!!
|
|
|
ST Patrick's Day at Cowley's in FarmingtonMarcel Saves The Day!
This was our sixth annual appearance as the house band for John Cowley and Sons Pub's most important day. It did not disappoint, even if the calendar makers stuck it on a Monday. The Shawn Riley Band kicked off festivities at 10AM and played until 3P ... they loaded out and we loaded in with an extra member in our midst. Ron Jewell ... but where was Fiddle Flynn? Trapped at Work? On St. Patty's Day? No worries. Free Beer is lucky enough to have Irish (by way of the Far East) Fiddle pro Marcel Lim as a fan. Sure enough he just happened to have his fiddle with him ... and a kilt on. Marcel sat in for the Irish sets, and we alternated between Rock and Irish until 10PM. The house was still full when we quit. See the photos here. |
First Friday Fun at Cowley's on March 7th
We had a pretty good run there for the first of the year. So many gigs, so few days! First Friday in March is like the "8th Inning" when you know the closer (St. Patricks Day) is going to come in and strike out the side. We had a great early crowd and lots of first set dancers. Second set featured and impromptu guest singing stint by Janel Edelman and Buddah came and sang BOTH of the Rocky Horror songs without a script. Impressive.
Click here to see some photos of the festivities!! |
|
We had a Motown WinterBlast! |
The Fans surprise Free Beer with a wildly positive reaction!
Yes, you shocked even the battle hardened Free Beer with your raucous reponse to every song. We will tell you that we have not had a reception like this in a while and it really made us feel GREAT after a long weekend of loading and unloading our instruments in cold, ice and snow. Thanks to everyone who braved the elements and came outside to come inside the tropical Budweiser tent at Winter Blast. The large crowd and Budweiser "anti freeze" kicked in and people danced, screamed, passed liquor to us and cheered wildly after every song. Again from Scott, Tom, Jim, Kurt and Dewey, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. |
Fans fend off frigid frost for First Friday of February at Cowley's
Sharee and Janel Edelman celebrate birthdays with Free Beer
It was First Friday at Cowley's. It was Frigid. It was Sheree's Birthday that week. It was Janel's Birthday. Janel is Guitarist Jim's Sister. All of Janel's friends were there to dance. Only one thing missing. Janel. She was at a wedding. No biggie. Everyone still had a great time and then Janel showed up an the place went crazy. Full dance floor until the end of the night and plenty of people watched us pack up and stayed until the very bitter end. Which was still bitterly cold outside. It always amazes us when the fans brave the elements and show up in force on such a cold night. THANK YOU. |
|
|
|
Free Beer Lands at Plymouth Rock
ROCd' Plymouth on Saturday January 25th
Kurt's entire gang of friends converged on the Plymouth ROC to see what Free Beer has been up to over the past year. It was another great show with sound being provided by the house. There was a huge gang from Doyle's packed in the back and the dancefloor remained full most of hte night once things got underway. Check out the photos We hope to book a few more gigs there over the course of the spring and fall this year. |
Happy New Year in Port Huron!
|
|
We will also say this, Port Huron residents are big fans of Under The Radar Michigan, because Tom got recognized no less that 15 times during dinner! We started playing quietly at 9PM and progressively got louder until the finish. Bobby G was admiring Jim's guitars so we invited him up to play and he ROCKED. The countdown happened, we played another hour. Overall a great time and we are sure surprised how friendly everyone was in Port Huron. As promised, we bought breakfast for anyone who was able to come down by 9:30AM and have Breakfast with Free Beer on New Years morning. See the survivors in the pictures.
|
|
Hockeytown Winter Festival
|
BeerMas -- Mother Nature Fights Back!
We are not so sure what we did to piss off Mother Nature during 2013, but we hope the vendetta ends in 2014. This time, she dropped 6 inches of Snow on Ferndale during the day prior to the show, seriously messing with the commute to BeerMas for most. But our fans are hearty souls. Domino Effect kicked it off with even Mike singing a song. The Candy Band became the IGGY GIRLS featuring a set of Iggy Pop songs. Free Beer did 5 holiday songs including 3 brand new renditions. The new owners gave us a vote of confidence with an invite back for later this year. While more people could have come through the door, it was still the merriest time of the year. |
|
Nice Article By Gary Graff In the Oakland Press
We know good journalism when we read it ... Thanks to Gary Graff for digging up the dirt on Free Beer and putting it in the Oakland Press. Appreciate it!!
|
Uncle Fester VideoHere's video from the "all Edelman band" Uncle Fester featuring Eric on Bass, John and Jim on Guitar, Johnny III on Drums and In-Law Mark Crowley on Vocals
This is the Jim Carroll song "It's Too Late" as performed by the Band of Edelmans Uncle Fester on 7/13/13 at Spectators in Chesterland OH. |
Random Free Beer Related Stuff
Free Beer?Some people will go through anything to get some Free Beer!!
How to Catch A Canadian
|
Kurt does a Girly Shot!See what happens when Emily sticks something hard in Kurt's mouth, and then the end of it gets all creamy and white, so Kurt rears his head back and swallows all of it, wipes the residue off his chin, just to lean forward all satisfied.
Watch the video and see if we here at www.freebeernet.com have any part of this incorrect. Enjoy! |
Finally, Someone Sets The Numbers Straight!!
Can you Beer Me Now? Good!
|
