The Garages

Kimberly: Hey there blaseball fans. You are listening to Take Me Out To The Blallgame, the world's most musical blaseball podcast. I'm your host, Kimberly Dauber, and I use She/her pronouns. Today, I am so excited to be talking to two members of blaseball's very own band - The Garages. But first, a word from our splonsors.

Kimberly (Splonsorship Segment): Today's episode of Take Me Out To The Blallgame was splonsored by The Garages. If you love blaseball and you also love music and you haven't heard of The Garages? Boy, do I got some great news for you. The Garages are an anarcho-syndicalist blaseball band from the fictional location of Seattle. They make songs about being gay, the apocalypse, and fighting the gods. You can check out their music at thegarages.bandcamp.com or find them on Spotify. Best of all, they're always looking for new musicians to join the band. So if you're interested, go ask around in the Garages discord channel, or check the show notes for a handy dandy link. Once again, go to thegarages.bandcamp.com to hear more Garages music. And now, back to the episode.

Kimberly: Hey there listeners, thank you so much for tuning in. You are listening to Take Me Out To The Blallgame. I'm your host Kimberly Dauber, and today we are here talking to some people from the Seattle Garages. I know, we've had to do a Garages episode for a while now. So i've got a couple of people from the band here with me, and I would love for them to introduce themselves. So let's start with rain.

rain: (slight audible gasp)

Kimberly: So rain, what is your name, what are your pronouns, and is The Commissioner Doing A Great Job?

rain: Uh, hi there. My name is rain. I am the label manager for the band, The Garages, named after the team, the Seattle Garages. And... yeah. The Commissioner Doing A Phenomenal Job as far as I am concerned.

Kimberly: Alright, thanks for coming on, rain. And then we got Zack! Zack, what should we call you, what are your pronouns, and is The Commissioner Doing A Great Job?

Zack: (laughter) Yeah, my name's Zack. I use He/him pronouns. I am a regular contributor to The Garages and a little bit of moral support as well. And The Commissioner Doing A Great Job.

Kimberly: Alright, well thank you both so much for being on the show. Just to start off I wanna ask, for anyone who's involved in blaseball and somehow has not figured it out yet, what is The Garages? Who are The Garages? What is this nonsense? One of you maybe explain, or attempt to.

(moment of silence)

How about rain?

rain: You cut out from me.

Kimberly: Oh! That's okay... yeah, my wifi cuts out sometimes. Um, but that's alright, i'll just edit this bit out, it'll be fine. So just to start us off, can one of you... how about rain, can you explain who are The Garages for anyone who is into blaseball but somehow hasn't figured that out yet? What is this nonsense?

rain: Um... so within the lore of blaseball, the real sport, the Seattle Garages are not only a team but also a band. And we, The Garages, are the music of that band of the team, the Seattle Garages. So that's who we are.

Kimberly: (audible expression of exhaustion)

rain: We are twenty... seven...?

Kimberly: Huh.

rain: Members?

Kimberly: Wow!

rain: I say with a question mark, because i've fully lost track of how many members are in the band at the moment.

Zack: And counting.

rain: And by the time this goes live, it might well be more. So who knows how many members The Garages actually have, honestly? Because anyone can join. There's no requirements that we keep for members of The Garages. So that's what we do. We've been going since blaseball started and we have released our eleventh record last week.

Kimberly: Oh my gosh... wow. Wow. Zack, what's it like to make and release a record for The Garages?

Zack: Yeah, it's a pretty wild process because it's so quick compared to other music projects. And we're kind of operating on a pretty intense timeline most of the time because... You have like, these intense, already packaged storylines that happen in any given season.

Kimberly: Mmm-hmm.

Zack: And you want to make sure that you're getting out the narrative, the stories, and the music that corresponds with those latest seasons so that you're not falling behind. So there's just constantly demos, lyrics, and stuff, thrown out...

Kimberly: Wow.

Zack: ...to team members, band members. To bounce ideas off of each other, to collaborate. But yeah, it's a very quick process. Usually from going from initial idea for a song, to finishing the writing, to recording, it can usually take like two days to four days.

Kimberly: Oh my gosh, that's so fast.

Zack: Which is a crazy turnaround.

Kimberly: That's incredibly fast.

Zack: Absolutely crazy turnaround.

Kimberly: Do you try to get an album for every season, or like every other season or something?

Zack: I think we've done one for every season besides one, right rain?

Kimberly: Holy cow!

rain: So the way it had worked is... because there wasn't the same number of members or anything, the first Garages release encapsulates Seasons 1-3 and it has six songs. But by the time this latest blaseball break is over, we will have caught up to the number of seasons that there has been, and we will have outpaced it.

Kimberly: (laughter)

rain: Because we will have released twelve things to the eleven seasons so far in blaseball. So we will have officially, officially outpaced the game if we take each release to be one season's worth.

Kimberly: That's amazing. So how did this get started?

rain: So people were talking about doing fan music in the Discord channel for the team. Someone had posted a version of Nirvana's "About a Girl" and made it about blaseball, and it was called "About a Squirrel".

Kimberly: (laughter)

rain: I think there were other bits and pieces floating around at the time. But then I came in and within the first two hours of joining the discord or whatever, I registered the email address...

Kimberly: (laughter)

rain: I'd made the Bandcamp page.

Zack: (laughter)

rain: And yeah, we just got to uploading and sharing stuff. And at pretty much every step of the way it has been received way beyond our expectations as to how many people would engage with it.

Kimberly: Oh yeah. People love The Garages so much. It's such a huge part of blaseball at this point. It's honestly mind-boggling.

rain: Yeah it's pretty weird and thanks to algorithms, and Youtube recommended videos, and Spotify algorithmic playlists, we do get people now who joined the discord or the community that are like: "I found out what blaseball was because of the music." Which is absolutely bizarre in my opinion. Very strange.

Kimberly: Zack, how did you get into the whole Garages thing?

Zack: Yeah, I came in later. So it was actually... I came into blaseball during Season 5 and kind of rode out that week just getting a handle on it. Cause it's a lot to get a hold of at first. I have so much compassion for the people jumping in now.

Kimberly: Yeah.

Zack: When there's so much to keep track of. Jumping in pre-Necromancy was a huge blessing.

Kimberly & Zack: (laughter)

Zack: But the Necromancy was actually what kind of fully inspired me to write my first song. After I heard some of the other Garages music, I was like: "This is absolutely wild, there's so much to work with here. I have to write music about it."

Kimberly: What was your first song?

Zack: My first song was "(don't) stay null"

Kimberly: Mmm-hmm.

Zack: Which I look back on and... it was also outside of my normal song writing style, but I was like: "This is The Garages - we're punk, we're grunge, we do like... edgy music!" Of course it didn't turn out that way cause that's not exactly who I am. But it was a great inspiration and like exercise almost, for me to practice making music like that. And now I just... it's like... i'm fully hooked and cannot stop doing it.

Kimberly: Alright, well thank you both for telling us all about The Garages and your experience on it. It's been amazing and fascinating. Listeners, we will be right back after this short break to tell you about how you can get involved in The Garages and their current projects if you are interested, and to find out what these two, Zack and rain, are love about blaseball. Stay tuned.

Kimberly (Intermission): Hey there listeners, this is Kimberly. No episode about The Garages would be complete without playing some of their amazing discography. So I asked Zack and rain what do they think is one of the most underrated songs from The Garages. What's a song that needs a little more love? And they suggested a song about everyone's favorite resurrected pitcher, Jaylen Hotdogfingers. So please enjoy "number 14", by riley.

("number 14" plays here, lyrics present on the Bandcamp: https://thegarages.bandcamp.com/track/number-14)

That was "number 14" by The Garages, specifically riley. I love it so much, I cannot stop myself from dancing whenever I listen to it. If you liked it too, you can go get it at thegarages.bandcamp.com. It is on their album "in the feedback". So go show them some love. In the meantime, back to the episode.

Kimberly: Hey there listeners, you are listening to Take Me Out To The Blallgame. I'm your host Kimberly Dauber, we are here today talking to members of The Garages band. I got rain and Zack here on the podcast with me. We are having an extremely chill time talking about The Garages band music and how they got started and stuff. And now we want to talk about how people can get involved. So I think the Garages are really cool, if you've been listening to this podcast you know that I play ukelele at least a little bit. I wrote an incredibly short song about blaseball, just like go back through the backlog. I won't tell you which episode, just listen to them and find it.

(laughter)

I wrote very short song about blaseball. And so i'm wondering... is there, are there Garages projects happening right now or anything that I could get involved with if I want to?

rain: Well... boy geeze, if only there was something cool and collaborative that was happening just within the next few weeks.

(everyone else is giggling incessantly and making questioning hmm sounds)

Kimberly: Hmm... this question wasn't planned at all!

Zack: Wow, I really wish someone would come up with that concept, and make it a thing.

rain: Well I have this really great concept...

Kimberly: What's the concept?

rain: It's a collaborative album with all the teams in the league. And it's called "Blattle of the Blands". And what it's gonna be, hopefully, fingers crossed... is at least one song from every team in the league, including the Garages, on one big release.

Kimberly: That's very ambitious, I have to say.

rain: We nearly pulled it off once before. We didn't get all the teams, but we did get twenty six tracks on an album called "Away Games", so we're looking to try the and do the same thing again but just a little bit more. So yeah, that's called "Blattle of the Blands" and you can find the information on that in the Discord if you come along and check out the pins and the announcements. And also we'll make sure...

Kimberly: In the main discord?

rain: In the main blaseball discord, yeah.

Kimberly: Nice.

rain: And we'll also make sure to tweet out some links and some information around the time that this episode comes out. So you can check out the Seattle Garages twitter account for that, which is @TheSeaGarages.

Zack: I also want to say, in the pins in the Garages channel in the main discord we also have a link that is an open invite to the Big Garage, which is the Garages side server. And we have a community jam sessions channel in there. Where if you are looking to make music and don't quite know where to start, or are looking for other people from your team who might be interested, or just looking for collaboration cause you have an idea but don't know how to bring it to fruition, then that's a great place to come and ask questions and get some help.

Kimberly: Cool, cool. Okay, so if I want to get involved in a specific project that's coming up soon, I should check out "Blattle of the Blands", and you're trying to get songs from every team. And I can find out information about that on TheSeaGarages twitter and in the main discord pinned in announcements and pinned in the Garages channel. And then also it sounds like separately from "Blattle of the Blands", there's just hang out and jam stuff that I can do? Do I have to be a Garages, like a Seattle Garages fan in order to get into that or is it open to people from all the teams.

rain: Totally open to everyone. We have a... I believe it's a "Tour Mates" role... is what it is in the server?

Kimberly: Aww...

rain: But the Big Garage is open to fans of every team.

Zack: That's right, the doors of the Big Garage are always open. The jam session is not... there's no exclusivity.

Kimberly: It is eternal, I assume?

Zack: It's not a VIP club.

Kimberly: It is eternal and open. (laughter)

rain: Yes.

Zack: The jam session never ends, it is true.

Kimberly: Aw, i'm gonna have to hop on in there.

Zack: But yeah, people have been posting little snippets of songs, their work-in-progress demos, getting opinions and feedback on how their songs are going. Or if they need a guitarist or a drummer or a bassist. Someone to sing a song or whatever it is. So yeah, it's very much in the same spirit of collaboration. But open to everybody, not just The Garages.

Kimberly: Alright, well that's very cool. So everyone, listen up, you're invited to come make music with The Garages. Do it! I bet it's gonna be really, really good. Ready, set, go!

rain: I should say that the date that record is coming out is the thirteenth, Friday the 13th of November.

Kimberly: Nothing bad could possibly happen because of that!

rain: Very spooky day. But that means that if you're listening to this, you will get a taste of what it's like to work on an actual Garages record, because you'll be turning around a song in a week.

Kimberly: Depending on when I get the episode out! (laughter)

rain: So enjoy a little taste of what it's like.

Kimberly: Alright, alright. Well very, very cool. I'm excited to maybe get involved in the "Blattle of the Blands" myself and maybe make some more future blaseball music. We are almost out of time, but before we go, there is one final question that I like to ask everybody who comes on the show and that is: "What are you love about blaseball?" Cause we're all love blaseball but everyone is love it in their own special way. So how about Zack. Go first, what are you love about blaseball?

Zack: I think I am love about blaseball... what has been deeply inspiring to me has been seeing not just the creative energy present in this community, but also the direct activism and commitment to doing good. There's that commitment already evident in the stories that people are telling in pursuing diversity and showing off the full spectrum of experience, but they take that one step further in doing fundraisers. So like, York Silk's Birthday Fundraiser for the Hawaii Special Olympics was incredible. And the Blaseball Cares causes that are picked. It's been really, really inspiring. And I think, a needed source of hope this year to see that people aren't just passively consuming this, but turning it around to give back.

Kimberly: Yeah, yeah that's amazing. It's so good, it's so good. We got time for one more. rain, what are you love about blaseball?

rain: I am love about blaseball how gay it is. And I will just...

(Zack and Kimberly laugh)

Kimberly: Yes.

And gonna, just gonna throw my hat on that ring.

Zack: I'll agree with that too.

rain: It's just been truly lovely...

Kimberly: Yep, there it is.

rain: ...to see how open people have been able to be in the community. The variety of experiences and identities. It's just been super nice to see. It's been a incredibly welcoming environment. And I am just gonna make the claim that we are the biggest queer band that exists. We have the most LGBTQ+ people I think.

Kimberly: That seems likely.

rain: Purely just because there's so many of us, it's a ludicrous number. So...

Kimberly: Somebody call the Gluinness World Records.

rain: Yeah, if anyone does know of a bigger gay band than us, than i'd love to hear it.

Zack: Let us know, I wanna hear it!

rain: I do genuinely want to hear it.

Kimberly: I really wanna hear it.

rain: We do need more things that are gay to put on playlists. But yeah, i've found it an incredibly welcoming and open place for all that kind of... people working out their identities and finding it a safe place to do so. Which is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you think about sports.

Kimberly: Nope.

rain: But thankfully it is the thing that comes to mind when people talk about splorts. So long may that continue.

Kimberly: Long may that continue. Alright, this has been rain and Zack. Thank you both so much for being on the show. That is all we have time for today listeners, as we wrap up here. Garages, where can our listeners find you if they want to check out your music.

Zack: If you'd like to check out the Garages, you can find us on all streaming platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play. You can find our Bandcamp at thegarages.bandcamp.com. You can get the merch at fourth-strike.com/merch. And follow the label twitter account at @StrikeFourth. One thing I would like to shout out is we did a live set online at Heckdang's Halloween Show, they're a great band and the entire lineup was fantastic. And we have put up our live versions of four hit Garages songs, and the proceeds of that are going to the ACLU. So if you go to our bandcamp, it's pay what you want, and we'll be donating everything to a pretty important cause. Especially given currently what's happening in the US, so please do check that out.

Kimberly: Alright, well thank you so much, both of you again for coming on the show. Listeners, remember to subscribe to Take Me Out To The Blallgame wherever podcasts are found. Follow us on Twitter at @blaseball_pod. Check out our website at https://blaseballpodcast.com and email us at blaseballpodcast@gmail.com. You can send us in a question, or dedicate a soulscream, or suggest something that we should interview you about. And if you know someone who would like to have a blaseball podcast in their life, tell them that there is this blaseball podcast that could be in their life. I bet that they'll be glad that you told them. I'm Kimberly Dauber, this has been Take Me Out To The Blall Game, and thank you for participating in the cultural event of blaseball.