War Games

[wargamestheband]

Backstage. @5stargator #photo cred @tedgoodz from our show at #TheMet #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland Friday w/ @zeroholds, @brianmarquis, & @thevarsity_club #Wargamesband #WarGames #WarGamesMusic #Bands #Live #LiveMusic #Music #Concert #rock #rockshow #Orange #Fender #gibson #guitar #vicfirth #vicfirthsticks #orangecounty #orangecountydrums #orangecountypercussion #massachusetts #alternativerock #wbru #instaband #likes #follow #beards

[wargamestheband]

F is for #friends who do stuff together. @sicvitaofficial &#WarGames hangin in the @greenvans last weekend for #NorthsideFestival in #Brooklyn #NewYork #Bands #shows #tout #poppunk #rock #indie #guitars #sicvita #wargamesband #wargamesmusic #concert #live #livemusic #followers #instagold #instagram #bae #musicians #music

[wargamestheband]

#Rocking out at #TrashBar #Brooklyn #NewYork as part of #NorthsideFestival w/ #SicVita last #weekend. What an awesome weekend! Photo cred: Liz Keating #Greenvans #SwitchbitchRecords #Rockerstalker #Live #LiveMusic #Liveband #bands #rock #rocknroll #concert #wargames #Wargamesband #wargamesmusic #KyleTherrien #BehindTheCurtainsMedia #WarpedTour #ArteryRecordings #ArteryFoundation #CircaSurvive #AnthonyGreen #waffles #friends #friendship #hashtag #TommyBoyEntertainment

[wargamestheband]

#Regram of us in our natural habitat munching #pizza after last weekends show at #TheMet. Thank you to everyone who came out to witness @kyletherrien drunkest #performance to date. shout out to @commuterma #HalfHeartedHero and #Michel. Shout out to #94HJY for playing our #music this weekend to! #photo cred: our #TourManager @rachaelmermaid #livemusic #concert #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland #Massachusetts #TheMetRI #GreenVans #rock #poppunk #indierock #alternative #bands #localmusic #localbands #warpedtour #brothers #friends #friendship (at THE MET)

[wargamestheband]

Making memories w/ @sicvitaofficial it's been real #Brooklyn #NewYork! We'll be at @TheMet tomorrow #doors 7pm #show 8pm #goodpeople #rollerbladers #bands #sicvita #wargames #brodown #bros #chancesarewemadefunofyouwhilewhileinthevan #freerangechickenclownposse #rock #livemusic #orange #amps #fender #guitars #greenvans

[wargamestheband]

5 days until our #show at #TheMet #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland w/ #HalfHeartedHero #Commuter & #Michel. Come out and #SupportLocalMusic #RI / #Massachusetts! The #event page is in our bio! #poppunk #rock #rocknroll #music #live #livemusic #bands #band #concert #concerts #indie #indierock #pizza #wargamesband #wargamesmusic #circasurvive #anthonygreen

[wargamestheband]

New #shirts exclusively for our #shows this weekend at #northsidefestival2015 in #Brooklyn #NewYork & #Saturday #June 13th at #TheMet #pawtucket #rhodeisland courtesy of @allaboutrecords Don't miss an opportunity to pick one up next #weekend before we run out! #Music #band #bandmerch #NorthsideFestival #themetri #live #livemusic #merch #merchendise #AllAboutRecords (at New Bedford, Massachusetts)

[wargamestheband]

#Brooklyn #NewYork we are coming to you in 9 days at #NorthsideFestival. #June 11th @ #TheTrashBar w/ #sicvita then June 12th @ #Matchless courtesy of @switchbitchrecords & #behindthecurtainsmedia! #NewYorkCity #Bands #festival #live #livebands #livemusic #music #hipsters #Brooklynlager #beer #L&Bpizza #pizza #punk #punkrock #rock #concert #NYC #NY #GreenVans #vans #bandsinvans #wargames #wargamesband #instaband #instagram #instagold #followers #love #AgainstMe

[wargamestheband]

Hey all you #Friday night #Party #animals, just wanted to remind ya's that we, #WarGames have a local show coming up! #Saturday, #June 13th at #TheMet #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland w/ #HalfHeartedHero #Commuter & #Michel #doors 7pm #AllAges it's gonna be a blast! Tell your friends! #RockBands #PopPunk #progressive #Indie #liveMusic #localMusic #Massachusetts #music #warpedtour #wargamesband #wargamesmusic #WarGames #concert #event #Flyer (at Westport, Massachusetts)

[wargamestheband]

16 days until our #show at #TheMet #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland w/ #HalfHeartedHero, #Commuter and #Michel. it's #AllAges #Doors at 7pm come out and #supportlocalmusic! We need your #support!

[wargamestheband]

Had so much #fun at our last #TheMetRi #Show that we are doing it again! #Saturday, #June 13th w/ #HalfHeartedHero, #Commuter and #Michel. Come out and #SupportLocalMusic & #drink w/ us! TICKETS ON SALE NOW #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland #Providence #Massachusetts #NewBedford #Bands #TheMet #TheMetPawtucket #venue #live #livesshow #wargames #wargamesband #wargamesmusic #local

[wargamestheband]

We announced a #Local #Show a few days ago! This is not one your gonna want to miss! #Saturday #June 13th at the one and only #TheMet In #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland w/ some great #bands #HalfHeartedHero #Commuter and #Michel Doors 7pm show 8pm come out and support! The #facebook event page link is in our #instagram bio! #supportlocalmusic #providence #massachusetts #music #poppunk #etix #absolutepunk @punknews #AlternativePress (at Ray's of New Bedford)

[wargamestheband]

@kyletherrien & @mattdilecce fan girling over one of our musical influences @aaronmarshmusic of @copelandband. We've grown up to the sweet sounds of this gentleman's voice, piano, and guitar. Thank you Aaron! #WarGames #WarGamesband #WarGamesMusic #Copeland #AaronMarsh #Paramore #Band #Music #Vinyl #Indie #Rock #IndieRock #Progressive #KyleTherrien #MattDilecce #HandsomeMen #Men #Bands #HoldingPatterns (at Wang Theatre)

[wargamestheband]

The touring band's cuisine guide: England!

We recently toured England in support of our new album Holding Patterns. While touring we decided what better way to celebrate than sharing reviews of English food! England, known for its tea, royalty, cider, castles, football is also unfortunately labeled as having bland, tasteless cuisine. On a DIY touring band’s budget we set out to discover some of the best dishes around...

Fish & Chips!

One of Great Britain's most notorious dishes, fish and chips! We arrived in England in the afternoon so Fish and Chips were a must have for dinner. The first fish and chip shop in England was said to be opened in London by Joseph Malin in 1860 and the first British chips were fried in Oldham in 1860. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the earliest usage of "chips" to mean deep fried potatoes was by Charles Dickens in his 1859 novel 'Tale of Two Cities'. Having visited before, my absolute favorite place to get fish and chips is in the small town of Brigg, Lincolnshire at a small shop called 'The Hungry Fisherman'. The battered fish is super crispy and melts in your mouth. As Brigg is roughly 20 miles from the North Sea (and famous fish & chips hot spot Grimsby) the fish is always fresh and delicious. Traditional English fish and chips are often served with delicious Mushy Peas. If you are a fan of malted vinegar I highly suggest drowning your fish, chips and mushy peas in it. Also, while at 'The Hungry Fisherman' ask for a side of curry sauce to dip your fish and chips in.

The Full English Breakfast

But, if it's breakfast you long for while in England I highly suggest you go for the good old fashion English fry up, also known as The Full English Breakfast. Consisting of ; bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread and hash browns, this is not a culinary experience you want to miss out on. The place we chose to indulge was the hidden gem of The Tea Cosy in Caistor, a small market town in Lincolnshire where we were residing for the majority of the tour. Set up like someone's kitchen and front room, it was a cosy and homely experience, thoroughly living up to its name.

The Mighty Cheesy Chips

The culinary experience we found ourselves returning to throughout the tour was the mighty cheesy chips. Chips with a mound of melted cheese on top may sound simple, but something about this combination creates magical taste sensations. Topped off with a sauce of choice, gravy, curry, baked beans or just left plain.

We really like cheesy chips...

We soon became cheesy chip connoisseurs, with a tattoo to mark our pledge of allegiance to the almighty cheesy chips. A great experience was after our Leeds show, we walked into the city to an Indian restaurant and take away 'Zam Zam' which provided us with the best cheesy chips and curry sauce experience, with authentic thick curry sauce. Another great place is M&M's in Jesmond, Newcastle. Who offer a sea of melted cheese and curry sauce with chips swimming within. Beautiful.

Pudding... like a snack pack?

Now for desserts, if you don't already know the British refer to their hot desserts as 'puddings'. Being from the United States, when first asked if I'd like a pudding I thought of jello or snack pack. I was in for a pleasant surprise when they rolled out a list of delicious hot desserts served up with custard, ice cream and a number of delicious choices. English puddings consist of favorites such as Bakewell Tart, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Apple Crumble and my personal favorite Treacle Sponge. The Treacle Sponge is a small, sweet sponge-like cake cooked with a magical golden syrup. The dessert usually comes with an accompaniment option like custard or ice cream; I highly recommend drowning your Treacle Sponge in Custard.

The Carvery

Lastly comes the Carvery, the English Sunday dinner. This meal is usually the first or last on our eating agenda (or sometimes even both!) when it comes to touring England with my band 'War Games'. There are even restaurants and pubs devoted to this absolute marvel of a meal! When you walk into a carvery like one of my personal favorites "Toby", you order your drinks and then walk over to the buffet line. First you're greeted by a chef where you choose either Turkey, chicken, gammon, ham, beef or a little bit of each accompanied with the one and only 'Yorkshire pudding'. I usually pass on the meat because I am a pescatarian, but double up on the 'Yorkshire puddings'. 'Yorkshire Puddings' are not typically served as dessert, but always with a Carvery and look like small pie crust. They are hard to explain but absolute perfection. Once you've received your meat and Yorkshire puddings you now can pick your bottomless amount of sides to which range from various vegetables, mashed potatoes, cauliflower cheese, stuffing, roasted potatoes and a long list of traditional sides followed by the gravy bar. The 'gravy bar', to which I think is a term I've coined, is a table with various types of gravy set out for you to pour all over your meal. The gravy bar also includes every sauce under the sun; apple sauce is always a firm favorite.

So, to conclude my English culinary adventure, while there are dishes far and beyond what I can discuss in a short piece it cannot be ignored that these mentioned will remain foods that I return to each time I make a trip across the pond. I hope this blog may cause you to question your possibly negative preconceptions regarding English cuisine, and that it will inspire you to try something new and wonderful if you happen to find yourself on the Queen’s land.

Cheers!

[wargamestheband]

#AlternativePress is premiering our unreleased record "Holding Patterns" right now FREE! Go to their website now to stream the entire album right now! #Altpress #music #rock #AlternativepressMagazine #HoldingPatterns #Wargames #Wargamesband #Wargamesmusic #bands #warpedtour #alternative #Alternativerock

[wargamestheband]

It's snowing today, but it won't be tomorrow so we expect to see you at #TheMet supporting us! It's a really important show, as we are trying to raise money to pay for our vehicle rental on our #England #Tour starting next week! We will also have these shirts available in America only at tomorrow's show! doors 7pm Show 8pm w/ special guest @sicvitaofficial #Northernmost and @thevarsity_club #instagood #instamood #statigram #iphonesia #twelveskip #igers #instadaily #tweegram #instagramhub #follow #bestoftheday #igdaily #picstitch #followme #instagramhub #jj #picoftheday #life

[wargamestheband]

This Friday we are playing a very important headliner at #TheMet in #Pawtucket #RhodeIsland we need your #support so come out and bring your #dancing #shoes! #Doors at 7pm #show starts at 8pm special guest includes #Northernmost, #SicVita & #TheVarsityClub