8:18am, June 18, 2010
UPDATE

HEY ALL,
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING OUR WEBSITE!!!
IF YOU’RE NOT ALREADY, PLEASE BE OUR @FACEBOOK FRIEND!!!
THE HELIGOATS SPENT THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR ON THE ROAD
AS A FULL BAND IN SUPPORT OF “GOODNESS GRACIOUS.” CROSSING
THE COUNTRY TWICE, ONCE BY THE SEAT OF THEIR PANTS AND ONCE
SUPPORTING CLEM SNIDE. FOR NOW, THE DUDES RETURN TO ULYSSES S. GRANT, AND CHRIS SPENDS THE NEXT FEW WEEKS PLAYING IN CLEM SNIDE ON THEIR TOUR THROUGH SPAIN, INCLUDING ONE STOP AT FARADAY FESTIVAL.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SPAIN DATES AND INFO


THE HELIGOATS’ SUMMER TOUR CONTINUES IN JULY ON THE EAST COAST
WITH CLEM SNIDE. SOME SHOWS WILL BE SOLO, SOME SHOWS WON’T.
HERE ARE THE DATES:
Jul 8 2010 7:30P
Galactic Pizza Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jul 10 2010 12:00A
Piper’s Alley Building Chicago, IL
Jul 14 2010 7:30P
Cosmic Charlie’s Lexington-Fayette, KY
Jul 15 2010 8:00P
Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 16 2010 8:00P
City Winery New York, NY
Jul 17 2010 8:00P
Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub Cambridge, MA
Jul 18 2010 9:00P
Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, Massachuse
Jul 20 2010 8:00P
IOTA Club and Cafe Arlington, VA
Jul 21 2010 8:00P
Grey Eagle Asheville, NC
Jul 22 2010 8:00P
The Earl Atlanta, GA
PLANS ARE ALSO CURRENTLY BEING MADE FOR THE AUTUMN MONTHS.
WE WILL START POSTING THOSE SOON.
RECORDING. TOURING. GARDENING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. SEE YOU SOON!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
— chris
10:27pm, March 29, 2010
update
With 10,500 miles logged and nearly 200 hours behind the steering wheel 30 states, 34 shows in 38 days, an amazing time was had by all on our winter tour this year. The trip would not have been possible without the support from our caring fans, friends and families. Stories and propaganda from the trip will start to trickle out in the coming weeks, but we’re not through with the adventure just yet.
We released a record called “Goodness Gracious” this year and that is exactly what it was. There was a beautiful, collective effort by many wonderful people across the country that helped make this record and tour happen, graciously offering their goodness. It was a lot of hard work, but it was a thrill to represent everyone’s efforts and hand-deliver a record we are proud of to our friends scattered in weird places across the U.S.A. We enjoy writing and playing songs, thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you for the show at The Heart of Gold, Shirley. That was where we met Erik Rasmussen and Ami Saraiya. That is also where Tugboat volunteered Ulysses S. Grant to be the Heligoats band. That was Chicago, February 2009. When this trip started. The Heligoats were me and a guitar. Clem Snide took me and my guitar on a trip March and April 2009. I returned to Chicago to rehearse and record with Tugboat and the dudes in Harry‘s Auto Shop just outside of Chicago. We recorded at Heart of Gold June and July 2009. Johnny Ludwig recorded and mixed some by the airport in July. I then moved to Washington. Our friends Carly and Kevin designed and printed the record sleeves at their shop in Bellingham. We sent the record to Andrew Chavez in Arizona. He mastered it at his lab in October. He sent it to Todd Berry at Greyday Records in Portland, OR. He sent it to Team Clermont in Athens, GA and they sent it to some cool college radio stations all over the country. I spent November, December and January in Robert Blake’s office space booking the tour, listening to nothing but Archeologist. On January 26, 2010 the three dudes; Steven Mitchell, David James and Michael Mergenthaler, left their homes and jobs in Chicago and drove to live and rehearse with me for a week at my apartment in Washington. We played music in the print shop and assembled Cds in the living room. We were treated with love and support by our neighbors Dylan, Skye, Corey, Anna, Amanda and Kelly. We printed shirts with the amazing INNATE company in Bellingham, coasters and posters with Bison Bookbinding and were treated to a marvelous tour kick-off show by BuildStrong Productions with the Endorfins and Cara Alboucq. The goodness only continued from there.
There really is a beautiful system of humans working together across the globe all in the name of good ol’ fashioned strangecraft. Driven by art and expression and fueled by their passions and a clairvoyant connection that, somewhere else, not too far away, someone might be feeling the same thing. I could ramble on about how strongly I feel about abstract art and how storytelling helps us learn and make sense of the world and how deliberate art and reality will inspire us to think new ways and explore infinite new paths and what these paths could be and reveal, but I won’t. That’s for me to get geeky with myself. I will say there is a lot of power in being open to art on this mental level and connecting to others who are as well. It isn‘t anything you can do in an afternoon, but when you’ve found yourself tapped into something true, there is a flood of inspiration and energies. The empowering thing is getting to choose which energy to pursue. Sometimes it is a lonely place, but it is nice when like-minded people can get together. We were lucky enough to see it happen right before our eyes every night on this tour. Seeing people, places, and things, meeting new friends and playing songs. There is a great scene out there and a little support goes a long way. It was nice to travel around this winter.
Some special thanks to our friends; Dr. James, Ralf Japan, Carl Beakman, Erika Valenciana, Dylan, Corey, Innate, Kelly, Austin, Buildstrong, Joe Kaiser, Erik Rasmussen, Ami Saraiya, Shirley Cean, Carly, Kevin, Bison Bookbinding, Robert Sarazin Blake, The Webelos, Malicious Discharge, LARRY YES, Joel, Ivy, Todd Berry, Corey Gingerich and Slanty Shanty Records, Drew Carey, Kris Kerry, Tucson Radio, Jimmy, Colton & Chris, David, Michael, Alex, Gibby, Austin Tetris friends and the Story Of, Matt Robinson, American Strange, The Robinson family, Sissy Cross, Spike Lee, Mrs. Mitchell, Becki Carr, Patrick Hill, Team Clermont, Alyssa, Steve, Nelson, Alex Miller, David Cloud, Ben Martin, Eef Barzelay, Danny at Triple, Veins, Shart Attack/Sports Bar, Jaybird, Rich at the Space in CT, Jon Lithgow, Natalie Lowe, Cleveland, OH downtown Mall, Leia Alligator, Manny, ACRN, Trin, Wounded Jukebox Sean, Zach, Trains Across the Sea, Nickesh, Mike Grimes, Logan Kissane and Family, Sean Moeller, Gregory Markus, the Vagabonds, James Family, Chris Marshall, Matthew Levin & friends, Patrick from PCC, Ami Saraiya, Shirley Cean, Cousin Jim, Jim Linneman, Scott Hanson, JJ, Barrett, and Jason at Indie Coffee, WSUM, House Café and Torque Padroni, Marina at Galactic Pizza, Reese and Brian of Camel of the Sea, Danny and the Chord and the Fawn, The Vegetarian Librarian, Rich Salamander and John Misfit, our families, our label and dude Todd Berry at Greyday Records for just being a few sets of helping hands across America. Thank you to everyone for picking up the new record and helping us along.
We’re taking the next few weeks off, but have plans to record and spend the spring and summer crossing the country. We will again be supporting our new record, Goodness Gracious and have the wonderful opportunity to open for Clem Snide on their May tour. They are champions and we could not be more flattered. It’s going to be a great show and we are so excited to head out again when the weather is warm!
For now, Tugboat is currently back in Chicago working and recording with Slayride. After winning the Valentine’s Day Massacre Trophy on this trip, Romulous continues to push the limits of timed spatial physics through a dedicated and arduous daily schedule of professional Tetris training. Yer Boyee Mergmaid took his sticks and buckets and jumped back into the Lake. He takes occasional trips to a nearby lighthouse, climbs to the top and stands proudly in the beacon light. With drumsticks in hand and arms crossed valiantly he assures the lake folk Spring is on it’s way. Keep tabs here: www.mikemerg.com Chris returned to Washington in time for halibut season and is playing songs with his Librarian friends. The Sandwich Odyssey has landed, for now. We resume May 12th in Ft. Wayne, IN. Check out the upcoming tour dates, tell your pals that it’s going to be lighter later, summer’s coming, and it’s fun to see shows. Come support your local watering hole that supports weird bands like us, it’s a cool cause.
New shirts and another run of the “Seeds” EPs now available in GOODS.
Goodness Gracious now available on Itunes
Be our Facebook friend and get updated frequently
Lots more news on the way. Thank you for your support!
— chris
11:00pm, January 21, 2010
NEWS/UPDATE/SHENANIGANS
The Heligoats are on tour this Winter/Spring 2010 with the latest full-length, “Goodness Gracious,” now available on Greyday Records. The CD packages were hand printed and assembled by Bison Bookbinding and Letterpress in Bellingham, Washington and look marvelous! You can order one by clicking GOODS to your left, or by coming to see a show. The first half of the tour is posted on the SHOWS page. Stay tuned for regular show updates and contact us if you’d like us to swing through your parts. We will be spending February and March crossing the U.S. and then again in May and June. Stay tuned for cool tour news and information on another new record this Summer.
For now, be our friend on Facebook if you aren’t already. We will be regularly updating from the road.
Tell NPR you’d like to see The Heligoats on their SXSW stage in Austin, TX this year by posting on this blog.
Listen to “Goodness Gracious” streaming @ www.absolutepunk.net for the first week of it’s release, starting January 26th.
Dig on a recent Daytrotter Session
Thank you for your support.
— chris
4:31pm, October 31, 2009
news
Hello dear friends of the Heligoats! It has been exactly one year (to the day!) since the release of The End of All Purpose EP. We were able to venture around the U.S. a few times with it this past year. NPR and Idolator had a few nice things to say about it, we made a video and we were thrilled to be a part of Clem Snide’s Spring/Summer 09 touring. Thank you to everyone who came out to the shows and bought the record. If you would like to attain a copy, just click right here.
We are excited to announce that the follow-up full length is sated for January 26th, 2010. It is called “Goodness Gracious” and it was recorded between tours this year in Chicago, IL. Erik Rasmussen was the lord of the board, John Ludwig provided some added sparkle and Andrew Chavez ran the entire project through his laboratory. I was able to convince the Chicago band, Ulysses S. Grant, to be my backing band for the record, and the entire project was a tremendous effort from everyone. Hence, Goodness Gracious. We’re very excited to have the record coming out with Portland, OR’s Greyday Records again and to spend the better part of the new year touring around with it. Full band shows will start early in the new year and take us in every direction on the map. Please let us know if we should arrange to happen through your parts, as shows are already being set up!
The Heligoats will also be pressing more of the “Seeds EP” if you were not able to get one of the first run. New shirts and posters will be added to the STORE in the coming weeks too.
In the meantime, stay tuned to the website, myspace, and/or facebook page for regular updates and winter survival tips. You can find Chris currently playing a November residence at the Green Frog in Bellingham, WA with The Librarians. Ulysses S. Grant are playing around Chicago and we will be combining forces again in a couple months.
Thank you for your support. More soon!
— chris
8:46am, March 8, 2009
hello
Hello friends. This is a website for the Heligoats, the solo project of a fellow named Chris. The big news of the hour is that The Heligoats are currently on tour supporting the magnificent Clem Snide. The Spring tour should be all kinds of fun, and now that we’ve got our own little house in the web, we can keep you updated along the way. See the shows page for all the dates. Stay tuned to this new website as we will be starting to regularly update it with cool stuff.
We’d like to say right away that this snazzy oasis would not have been born without the assistance of the brave and wildly inspiring Diona, Joe, Ralph and Jon. So, thank you to them, and thank you to you for stopping by.
It has been a busy year for me, with a lengthy tour this past Fall in support of The End of All Purpose – the colossally produced Heligoats full-on, full band 6 song EP Released by Greyday Records Oct. 28th 08, as well as sporadic shows to all corners of the country and simultaneously getting a new record started.
2009 started off with a bang, and has a lot more to offer. West coast dates with Clem Snide have just been posted. Summer plans are being set and they include finishing some songs I’m recording and having them posted and out this year.
Some new audio, video and items will be posted in the weeks to come.
Thanks for stopping by, keep in touch!
— chris