Eight Year Anniversary

Hard to believe I've been at this for Eight Years now - time flies when you're having fun. Here are some more numbers.

200 - successful closings

25 - avg transactions per year

30 - most transactions in one year

3 - times I had thirty transactions in one year

5 - most transactions with one client

51,077,991 - total cost of the two hundred houses in dollars

4,598,296,168.68 - total cost in Japan Yen

255,389.96 - avg home cost per transaction

41 - cities I've had transaction in

70 - most transactions in one city (Minneapolis)

2 - states I'm licensed in (MN & WI)

1,061 - number of songs in my itunes library less than thirty seconds long

321 - different bands with less than thirty second songs

43 - most sub thirty second songs by the same band (Nasum)

0 - ideas for more goofy number listings

The $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit is Extended!
· Now, qualified first-time home buyers would receive their $8000 tax credit if they sign a purchase contract by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010.
· The home purchased must be their primary residence
· Buyer cannot have owned a home during the past three years
· Tax credit is up to 10% of the home value (not to exceed $8,000)
· Annual income caps to qualify for the tax credit have increased ($125K for single filers / $225K for joint filers). Partial tax credit can be granted for incomes up to $145K for single filers / $245K for joint filers.


PLUS New $6,500 Tax Credit for Current Home Owners Purchasing a Primary Residence
· Eligible home buyers must have lived in their current home for 5 consecutive years of the past 8 years.
· The new home does not have to cost more than the old home.
· Eligible for homes with purchase agreements signed between November 6, 2009 and April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010
· Annual income caps to qualify for the full tax credit are $125K for single filers / $225K for joint filers. Partial tax credit can be granted for incomes up to $145K for single filers / $245 for joint filers.

Buy a piece of Twin Cities Hardcore History Part 2!

You missed out on Jaysin's house in NE Mpls - someone with no idea of the hardcore significance swooped in and scooped it up. So now's your chance to keep Columbia Heights Hardcore. Jason Parker (and his wife Tracy) are selling their home and moving to Milwaukee. You probably now Jason from his many years of volunteering at Extreme Noise on Thursday nights, from hosting Out of Step on Radio K, from his days of putting out THD records or maybe, just maybe from his enormous dreadlocks that he had 20 years ago.

(this is Jason, but not at the house)

3827 Reservoir Blvd NE, Columbia Heights $204,900

Features

• Fantastic 3 bedroom 2 bath Columbia Heights home - truly move-in condition!
• Well maintained, stylishly painted & decorated throughout + many updates including: ceramic tile floors, copper piping, water heater, garage roof, carpet, chimney swept & duct work cleaned
• Mother-in-law apartment in the walkout lower level with its own kitchen and family room
• Large living room with cork floors, cove ceiling and access to dining room
• Good sized kitchen with new appliances, breakfast bar and plenty of cupboard and counter space
• 100 amp circuit breaker electric service, gas furnace and central air - both new 2002
• Large lot with tile patio, nicely landscaped w/ plants, shrubs & mature trees
• All appliances stay: 2 x refrigerator, 2 x stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer
• Attached garage accessible from kitchen plus additional off street parking
• Two bedrooms on the main floor, bedroom and nursery up, plus bathrooms on both main and lower levels
  

Additional HC Cred... Andy Hart of Holding On, The Real Enemy, Martyr AD and the Box Thieves lived in the mother-in-law apartment

Buy a piece of Twin Cities Hardcore / Punk History... sort of.

Jaysin - the original singer of Kill Sadie and Bodies Lay Broken and the only singer of The Real Enemy, Hope You Choke and Getting Even (so far) is selling his house!

It's a nice little house up in Northeast Mpls, on the hill near Audubon Park and it qualifies for the MPLS ADVANTAGE Program. Really, you'd be stupid not to buy it.

Features 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, nice large yard for growing vegan treats, dining room, nice living room and a good sized kitchen. All appliances stay including the ideal refrigerator to support you breaking edge. New furnace 2009!

All this and so much more $140,000

I Want Free Money! I Want Free Money! I Want Free Money! I Want Free Money!




Attention first time home buyers - the government wants you to buy a home. What are they doing about it? How about an $8,000 credit on your taxes? If you owe $500 at the end of the year - you get $7,500 refund. If they owe you $500 at the end of the year - you get $8,500!

• Buy between January 1st 2009 and December 1st 2009
• Any type of home (condo, townhouse, single family home) - must be your primary residence
• Must make less than $75k a year as single person or $150k as a married couple - above that money still available, just less - up to $95k and $170k
• First time buyer is a first time purchaser OR someone who hasn't owned in 3 years
• No repayment if you own for 3 years (recaptured on sale if sold before 3 years)

Of course there is fine print and you should consult a tax professional - but this is a significant improvement over the plan previously approved.

INTERVIEW YOUR REALTOR!!!


Let's face it, there are a lot of Realtors out there - some much, much, much better than others. Most people know a Realtor or know someone who knows a Realtor and they just go with them - whether or not that agent is a good fit. Make sure it's a good fit - INTERVIEW YOUR REALTOR!!!

Generally when a seller hires a Realtor, the Realtor performs a market analysis. Besides providing information about the pricing of the home, the Realtor should review how they will market the home. Typically more than one Realtor does a market analysis - so you've made a decent effort at an interview process. Here are some things you can ask (though the agent should cover these things while presenting the market analysis):

1. How long have you been a licensed realtor or real-estate agent?
2. How far does your area extend?
3. Do you live in the area?
4. How many homes have you sold in the past year?
5. What services can you provide, specifically, in terms of marketing my home? (flyers, ads, open houses, etc.)
6. What other services or individuals can you recommend to assist in preparing my home for sale? (repair people, gardeners, painters)
7. How quickly will my home appear in the MLS? How quickly will the photos be added after it goes online?
8. What is the average number of visitors you expect to get through my home?
9. How long do you expect my home to be on the market? Why?
10. How will you go about setting the price of my home?

One extra step I wish more sellers would take is to look at listings online that a Realtor has. What you can see online might shock you - misspelled words in the description and a lack of photos or worse yet - BAD PHOTOS!! There are so many bad photos out there that people have made websites dedicated to actual real estate photos.

Because of the market analysis process, most sellers interview their future Realtor. Very few buyers (especially first time buyers) interview their future Realtor though. You want to hire someone with experience and ability, but you want someone who you can get along with. Beyond that, first time buyers might need someone who can take more time explaining the process and setting some expectations. Here are some questions that perspective buyers recently asked me:

1. Are you a full-time agent?
2. Whom do you represent (buyer or seller)?
3. What is your office size, support staff, etc. ?
4. How long have you been an agent?
5. Do you have a salesperson’s license or a broker’s license?
6. Do you hold any professional designations? Any courses/classes taken recently? How do you stay current?
7. What is your understanding of my home buying needs?
8. What do you think of the other agents I am interviewing?
9. How many buyers or sellers are representing at this time?
10. Do you work in partnership or use assistants?
11. Can you provide references?
12. Could you provide us an activity report for the last 12 months – concentrating on the areas we are interested in?

• Property address?


• Property type?


• Sales price?


• Date of sale?


• Was the buyer or the seller represented?

13. What was the total dollar value of the property sold during the preceding 12 months?

Another question for both buyers and sellers in regards to an agent with a "Team" is - Who will I work with? You might be hiring the super star Realtor in your area, but never look at a house or negotiate an offer with that Realtor, instead you get assigned to their less experienced underling.
In the end you want someone who you're comfortable with. Comfortable that they'll do a good job for you and comfortable with their personality. You're going to be spending a significant amount of time with your Realtor, you should be confident that they're the right person for the job.

I'm confident in my skills and I'm happy to compete for your business.

Interest Rate Update

Wow, the bond market is soaring with the news Tuesday from the Federal Reserve. The Fed announced that it will initiate a program to purchase toxic mortgages from Government Sponsored Enterprises (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks). Purchases of up to $100 Billion in GSE direct obligations under the program will begin next week. Purchases of up to $500 Billion in Mortgage Backed Securities will be conducted with the goal of beginning these purchases before year-end. The ten year treasury just went under 3% today. Last time it was there might have been in the 1950’s. So rates are now in the 5.25 – 5.375% range. The question is ~ for how long? Usually these events have a short life span. So here is something to keep in mind:

a 1% rate drop equates to around a 10% payment drop for a buyer.

If you are on the fence, this could be the push you've been waiting for.

Perception vs. Reality

Between the media and campaign commercials we keep hearing that banks are in rough shape. There's no doubt that there are some serious economic problems going on - but many people have the Perception that it's impossible to gt a loan right now. The Reality is that there is plenty of money available for loans. People who could get a loan 6 months ago can still get a loan - and interest rates are better! Rather than assuming you can't get a loan, talk to a quality lender and take advantage of this STRONG buyers market! Don't know a quality lender? Get in touch and I can point you in the right direction.

Over 6 months without an update - WEAK!!! What can I say. I am actually busy - people really are buying and selling places. First time buyers, take note - this is a GREAT time to buy.

I'll ease back into this buy updating my, "bands I've worked with" list.

The Action Slacks
Amp 176

A Summary Execution
Attention
Autumn Leaves
Bellwether
Betty Gone Bad
Billingsgate
Bloodline
Bodies Lay Broken
Bombsite
Cliffhanger
Code 13
Complete Waste
Condominium
Damage Deposit

The Deaf
Defect
Del Toro
Destroy
Dillinger Four
Dink
Dog Day
Elks
Flounder
Formaldehyde Junkies

The Great Depression
Killsadie
Half Fiction

The Hang Ups
Hello Lonely
High Steppin' Nickle Kids
Holding On
The Holy Ghostriders
The Hoolies
Hope You Choke

The Hot
Icepick
The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group
Listen Up!

Martyr A.D.

Matt Marka
Menstrual Tramps
Model Children
Motion City Soundtrack
Naked Bob
Oswald Armageddon
Pandamonium
Pilot
The Real Enemy

Regret
Saddest Girls Story
Season of Fire
The Stereo
Stockpile
Three Minute Access
Teenage Remains
Unavowed
Working Classless

Erik and Gretchen Funk Interview



Erik is in Dillinger Four, he and his wife Gretchen own the Triple Rock Social Club - the BEST venue in the Twin Cities for seeing shows, eating 'Po Boys and drinking too much. Here is a little interview with the the two of them.

Hey Erik and Gretchen, it's been a year now since you've moved into your new place, after living in your last house for nearly 10 years - does this feel like home yet?
Gretchen: yep, it really is starting to. The neighbors are great, and we feel really comfortable, so that helps. Every bit of work we do on it just makes it feel more like ours!

Erik: For me it did pretty much right away.

The home you bought had gone into foreclosure - how was that experience from your perspective?
G: I thought it was really scary buying a house through foreclosure at first. I mean it had been left alone for what? Two years? That’s crazy. And who knows what was wrong with it. And there were no guarantees. Scary stuff. We had an inspection though, and really went through the house one more time, which always makes you feel more certain. We got really lucky too though, it turned out to be a real diamond in the rough.

E: The most frustrating thing was the wait time on responses back from the bank. The red tape at the bank really slowed things down.

What sort of projects have you taken on for this new house and what's planned in the future?
G and E: Well, we have painted just about every surface that will hold still. And put in a few new windows. We’re having the basement redone right now, like right now, like there is a guy hammering right now. Then I guess in the next year maybe we will address the garage? We’re not fans of moving the car for snow emergencies.

Was it tough for you guys to sell your first home - emotional attachment?
G: I was really surprised at how easy it was actually. We did not change neighborhoods, so everything is still familiar, that might have helped.

E: I agree, we were there for a long time and totally ready to move on.

Initially you were thinking of selling your home without a Realtor - what made you change your mind?
G: Well, knowing you… That helped. Because I’m not sure we would have worked with another realtor. I think 10 years ago, when the market was really different, it was a valid option. Now though, well, I think people are so wary of things, cautious. In a buyers market, people want to get the best. I’m not sure a hand written sign saying “for sale by owner” instills confidence. “Guaranteed by realtor” says be confident. It’s the edge you need right now.

E: When I looked at the online services available, saving a few bucks seemed attractive, but we decided it was more important to have a professional advising us and working on our behalf to make sure the house sold in a tough market.

What's going on with the D4? I'm sure you never get sick of people asking "Are you going to record something soon?"
G: nope, I never get sick of that question.
With all these reunions going on - is there a Billingsgate show on the horizon?

E: no, I lost touch with all those guys years ago. But I will gladly come over to your house and jam those records anytime. We were awesome.



How did the process of buying the Triple Rock differ from buying a home?
G: So much more debt!!! You can’t ask Erik, he was in Japan. It was possibly the most nerve wracking week of my life and I think I have blocked it out of my mind.
The home stuff was fun!

E: I was in Japan for the actual closing. Buying a house there are tons of options. Buying a bar, you may only see a few options a year that could work for you. So you have to move really fast.

What have been some of the highlights for you with the Triple Rock? And what are some of the frustrations of running the bar/venue?
G: Highlights: All the French fries you can eat. And we have a kick ass staff. Not working for someone else.

Frustrations: Insurance and liability, drunk people.

E: Highlights: Pride of keeping it going for ten years. Seeing some of my favorite bands in my own place. Lots of time to golf
Frustrations: Not enough time to golf. Finding out some of my favorite bands are jerks. The usual struggles of keeping a small business afloat.

You guys are both avid golfers (ok, Erik might be more obsessive than avid) what's punk rock about golf and who is the best punk golfer you know?
G: Steve, you have seen me golf. I’m not sure when you decided you could use the word “avid” with me. There is nothing punk rock about the way I suck at golf.

E:I agree that there is nothing punk rock about golf. I have not actually seen him play, but I have heard Fat Mike from NOFX is quite a golfer.

Pete from Holding On first dropped the bomb that they'd be playing a reunion show on this website - anything you want to shock the world with?
Nothing to report on this end.
The Holding On show is coming up though!
April, 25 2008 at Triple Rock
w/ Modern Life Is War (and Pandamonium!)
http://www.triplerocksocialclub.com/

CARCASS!!!

check out the trailer from 'The Pathologist's Report' DVD


The reformed Carcass have confirmed the following festivals this year:

Jun 06 2008 Sweden Rock Festival
Jun 20 2008 Hellfest (France)
Jun 27 2008 Tuska Open Air (Finland)
Jun 28 2008 Gods Of Metal Festival (Italy)
Aug 02 2008 Wacken Open Air (Germany)
Aug 29 2008 Hole In The Sky (Norway)

- let's hope these go well and there is a US Tour to come.

The State - of Real Estate 2008

We’re still hearing how the market has tanked. The media loves to present the doom and gloom. We are experiencing the natural cycle of a market - of course we couldn't have maintained double digit appreciation forever. Greedy lenders (coupled with ill-informed borrowers) and overly aggressive builders didn't help either - it was like a perfect storm for the market to slow.

No Illusions. The truth remains that this could be the best time in years to buy home – interest rates are lower than they’ve been in years and home prices are very competitive. Have things slowed down? Absolutely, it has definitely shifted to a buyers market. However there are great opportunities for a buyer looking for a first home and a seller could come out well ahead if they are looking to upgrade. The money saved on a discounted new house could make up for any reduced profit earned on the sale of a current home.

Crazy Shit - it's non-stop!

In the 5 years I've been in Real Estate I've sold 130 some houses. On average I'll show a client 30 properties before they find the one. So that's roughly 4,000 houses I've been through. 3,000 of those were normal, 900 were really nice and 100 are where insane people live - I never cease to be amazed by the crazy shit you see out there.

I really need to write these things down as they happen and carry a camera with me, otherwise today's oddity just get replaced by tomorrow's nutjob house. I've stumbled across prosthetic limbs, dildos and bongs. I've been in houses completely packed with creepy antique dolls, packed with cats that come popping out of nowhere and plenty of homes packed with filth. There are all kinds of decorating oddities as well - recently I saw decorative molding around a front door that was made from a garden hose, spray painted gold and screwed to the wall. Fairly common and ALWAYS unpleasant is the sleeping person, even in the middle of the day. Keep in mind, THESE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SELL THEIR HOUSE!!!

A little while back I saw one that I said was, "the worst house I've ever been in". To be fair, I've seen worse - homes that are trashed and even after being fixed up they'd still suck. This one will be nice when someone fixes it up - but at the moment it's pretty shocking.

Apparently this home went into forecloser and they never winterized the plumbing. Our guess was that a pipe (or several) burst and flooded the house completely (resulting in a $100,000 price reduction). Wall paper and plaster peeled from the ceilings and walls.

The wood floors expanded, buckled and ripped themselves apart. This soaked ceiling fan warped. And of course there was plenty of mold.

The great news is that I sold this house to some very capable clients who are going to fix it up and live here. It's awesome that this place is getting a second chance and I hope to see it again after they're done with it.

Neighborhoods...


Most neighborhoods have at least one house that residents feel should be better maintained, but those feelings traslate into action only rately. Mostly, people just put up with it.

63% say they have a sloppy neighbor
21% admit to being the sloppy neighbor
81% say action should be taken against the offender
64% say they haven't yet complained

source:servicemagic.com, based on poll of 900 home owners. From Realtor Magazine Oct 2007

Annual Bodies Lay Broken show

August 31stMinneapolis

w/ Black Market Fetus - Iowa

Archagathus - Winnipeg

Patisserie - Japan

JUHYO - Minnesota

this is all still tentative, but I'm hopeful

at the Alamo House e-mail me for an address

Homes sold by me

I mostly sell in Minneapolis and St. Paul - but I sell houses all over the place. Check it out...

Minneapolis
- Bryn Mawr
319 Washburn Ave
- Calhoun-Isles
3340 Blaisdell Ave S
3104 Pleasant Ave S
-Camden
3951 Bryant Ave N
3939 Emerson Ave N
4225 Newton Ave N
4404 Queen Ave N
4411 Queen Ave N
4023 Sheridan Ave N
3810 Upton Ave N
-Longfellow
3112 33rd St E3425 35th Ave S
3833 36th Ave S
-Nokomis
4225 2nd Ave S
4231 2nd Ave S
4901 5th Ave S
4037 11th Ave S
4525 16th Ave S
5756 27th Ave S
5114 38th Ave S
4712 Nokomis Ave S
4208 Nokomis Ave S
3845 Oakland Ave S
-Northeast
2545 4th St NE
2738 Buchanan St NE
2306 Fillmore St NE
1714 Pierce St NE
2958 Tyler St NE
2543 University Ave NE
-Powderhorn
4141 20th Ave S
-Philllips
2729 14th Ave S
- Seward
2305 25th Ave S
-Southwest
5515 Emerson Ave S x 2
3612 Pillsbury Ave S
6136 Vincent Ave S

St. Paul
-Como
1555 Almond Ave
801 California Ave W
1601 Cohansey St
761 Ivy Ave W
1880 Ivy Ave E
1465 Mackubin St
-Crocus Hill
642 Ashland Ave
656 Ashland Ave #10
294 Dayton Ave #1E x 2
892 Thomas Ave
-Dayton’s Bluff
1227 5th St E
-Highland
1407 Bayard Ave
1151 Colette Pl
663 Hamline Ave
1232 Juno Ave
1315 Niles Ave
1276 Randolph Ave
1516 Randolph Ave
1999 Sheridan Ave
-Mac/Groveland
1181 Edgcumbe Rd #112
1866 Palace Ave
1515 Randolph Ave
425 Snelling Ave
118 Wheeler
- Riverview/Cherokee
679 Bidwell St
-Town and Country
2301 Beverly
1618 Selby Ave
-West 7th
878 Bayard Ave

Afton
15785 Afton Hills Dr

Apple Valley
12683 Durham Way

Bloomington
9944 Cavell Ave S

Columbia Heights
5121 6th St NE
4215 University Ave NE

Cottage Grove
7141 Jocelyn Ct S

Crystal
6809 45 Ave N

Eagan
4362 Sandstone Dr

Eden Prairie
11272 Preswick Blvd.

Edina
4524 Brookside Ave

Golden Valley
2531 McNair Dr N

Inver Grove Heights
4681 Blaine Ave

Lakeville
18835 Inca Ave

Maple Grove
9006 Comstock Ln N x 2
9294 Holly Ln N
6256 Meadowlark Ln N
15304 W Fish Lake Rd
6231 Upland Ln N

Maplewood
2296 Dahl Court

Minnetonka
5533 Pompano Dr
3662 Shady Oak Rd

Mound
6316 Lynwood Blvd

New Prague
24389 E Cedar Lake Dr

North St. Paul
2673 5th Ave E
2815 Lake Blvd N

Oakdale
1197 Hillvale Ave N

Plymouth
11725 52nd Ave
3920 Harbor Ln N
3855 Glacier Ln x 2
4350 Trenton Ave N # 322

Robbinsdale
3613 Quail Ave N

Rogers
13898 Mallard Trl x 2

Rosemount
14802 Covington Ave

Shakopee
815 Ferdinand Dr
1196 Jackson St S x 2
8022 Stratford Circle S

Shoreview
3464 Chatsworth St N
3560 Cohansey St x 2

Shorewood
6090 Apple Rd

Stillwater
1214 Martha St N
501 Main St N #308

St. Louis Park
3220 Idaho Ave S
2625 Kipling Ave S
1600 Louisiana Ave S
3511 Sumter Ave S

White Bear Lake
2146 8th St
1610 9th St
2780 Riviera Dr S

Woodbury
2879 White Eagle Dr
7169 Windgate Rd

Hudson, Wisconsin
208 11th St S
519 Prairie Dr N
1904 Primrose Pl

Check out these houses!

Two great homes that I have listed, contact me if you want to take a look at either of them

Mac/Groveland - St. Paul
Camden - Minneapolis

House of the week it's small but it's nice, has potential, is inexpensive and it's in a great location

Updated: Bands I’ve Worked With...
The Action Slacks
Amp 176
Attention
Autumn Leaves
Bellwether

Betty Gone Bad
Billingsgate
Bloodline
Bodies Lay Broken
Bombsite
Dink
Code 13
Damage Deposit
Destroy
Dillinger Four

Dink
Dog Day
Elks
Flounder
The Great Depression
Killsadie
The Hang Ups
Hello Lonely
Holding On
The Holy Ghostriders
The Hoolies

Hope You Choke
The Hot
Icepick
The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group
Matt Marka
Menstrual Tramps
Model Children
Motion City Soundtrack

Naked Bob
Oswald Armageddon

Pandamonium
Pilot

The Real Enemy
Saddest Girls Story
Season of Fire

The Stereo
Unavowed

House of the Week - look familiar?

Mean Pete...

guitarist for Minneapolis' beloved Holding On as well as Hope you Choke and his current band the Holy Ghostriders, recently became a homeowner. Here's a little interview we did...

Hey Pete, how's the unpacking and moving in going?
it's going great, we've been living in the house for just about a month now and pretty much everything is unpacked and organized. we have just a few minor decorative projects left that we need to do.

We had talked for awhile about starting to look at houses, but it took awhile to get started. Once you guys decided to get started, you really went after it. What changed?
we had been thinking about buying for a while, i was ready to go for it, but kim had a few debts to pay off before she wanted to start looking. she paid off a big credit card late last fall and decided she was ready to go, so we just jumped in and started looking. just a few months ago, i was sure that we wouldn't even start looking for a house until spring but our timing turned out to be great and we found an amazing house in winter. i think with the combination of the time of year and the market being pretty good, we saved a good amount of money by buying when we did.

You guys were really strong buyers according to your lender - did that surprise you?
yes it really did. we don't make a lot of money so it was definitely our good credits scores that helped us out there.

Initially what was most important, location, price, style, condition? And did that change as you were looking?
when we first started looking i think our order of importance was condition, location, price, and style. condition was always important because we needed a house in good condition since we're not very handy. location became a bit less important as we were looking, at first we really wanted to find a place in northeast mpls. but as we looked more, we found that the houses in NE in our price range were pretty much crap, and we found we'd get way more for our money just a bit to the north in columbia heights, which is where we ended up buying. we still really like the NE neighborhood better, but the house we found in heights is so much better than what we could have got in NE, we can deal with it. it's close enough to minneapolis anyway, it's almost like an extension of NE. price was always important, we set a max early in the search and pretty much stuck to it the whole way through. we were willing to push our budget a bit to find a house that didn't need too much work and that's exactly what we ended up doing. style was a factor but was never a huge issue, kim and i have pretty specific design tastes, but we were willing to deal with whatever we could find due to our limited budget. but we ended up lucking out and finding a great mid-century house that we can easily adapt to our own style.

Any suggestions to someone thinking about buying their first house?
just go for it, you won't regret it. it's scary and a huge change but worth it. don't be afraid to stretch your budget, it really won't be as bad as you think, we're really poor and ended up buying a great house. and try not to think about how much money steve smillie is making off you (earning - edit), but make him buy you lunch because that almost makes up for it, right?

Any big projects planned for the house?
like i said before, just some minor design/decorative projects for now, and we'll probably get into the bigger and more outdoor type stuff in the spring after it warms up.

What's going on with the Holy Ghostriders? Are you going to record something soon?
yeah, we'll hopefully be getting into the studio within a month or so. we've been putting this off for a really long time and we need to get serious about it now and get something out.

I'm assuming you're excited for Naked Raygun at the Triple Rock. What do you think about a lot of these bands reforming?
yeah i'm really excited about that, already have my tickets to both shows. definitely one of the best midwest punk bands. for the most part, i'm totally fine with reunions as long as the band is genuine about it. the gorilla biscuits show last summer was one of the best shows i've seen in my life, and it was easy to see that they were having a great time, it didn't seem like they were doing it just to do it and make shit tons of money. but i'm sure the shit tons of money didn't hurt either. i got into GB probably about a year or two after they broke up, hearing them was a life changing event and they've been one of my favorite bands ever since, it was cool to finally see them in person.

Speaking of bands reforming... when is there going to be a Holding On reunion show?
it's happening soon, i'm announcing it right here first.

whoa! You better not be fucking with me. Will there be a $10 two song 7" with crap songs on it? Are you going to play in town or some damn fest far away?
no new songs. we've actually been talking about this for a while, we have it all planned out- we're going to play most every song we ever reocrded, in chronological order with each of the 3 lineups. so we'll start with the derek era doing the demo and split 7" with the real enemy. then we'll move on to the mike sonrode years for the self titled 7" (even though i think that was the worst thing we ever reocrded - sorry 1% records). and then of course we'll finish up with what came to be known as the "classic" lineup for the two lps. should be a fun time. as soon as we know more info, i'll have you post it here first.

What are you listening to these days? You're on a bit of a blue grass kick aren't you?
yeah i've been listening to a bit a bluegrass lately, a good amount of indie rock, classic alt-rock, and lots of 70s riff rock. and of course a lot of pop-punk like always. have to admit i'm totally out of touch with the current hardcore scene, all i listen to as far as that is the classics.

Who's you're favorite Realtor that's been a drummer in a grindcore band?
well, there are so many to choose from...

Thanks Pete!
thank me? naw man, thank you!

House of the Week - Peter Ave of course.