No Sleeper: The Energy Drink
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Sneak Peeks
From the marketing team that brought you The Chariot’s “Hot and Rumors of Hot” Sauce and August Burns Red Trading Cards comes Oh, Sleeper’s “No Sleeper:” The Energy Drink. Stay tuned for details on how to get your hands on one of these super limited edition cans!
P.S. Oh, Sleeper’s new album “Children Of Fire” available in stores and online September 27th!
Tooth & Nail Fantasy Football League 2011: Vol. 1
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Random Stuff
It was late September when I started working at Tooth & Nail. I’d just moved from Southern California and was immediately struck with rain, the turning of leaves and football season.
Having hailed from a college with a fairly notable program and growing up with a dad who spends his weekends flipping between games, I was well-versed enough in the sport of football – or so I thought. It was clear after only a few weeks in the office that I had absolutely nothing on the rest of the staff. I was dealing with a bunch of nerds…total football nerds.
I’d be lying if I said I knew much about fantasy football before my time at Tooth & Nail. I mean, I’d heard of it and knew of its existence, but anything more than that was a wash. All I really did know was that at the end of the workday on Mondays, there’d be a lot of strange yelling, running back and forth to computers, hitting the refresh button and then more strange yelling.
It was a mind-boggling ritual, to say the least. They were all in on something I didn’t understand – a part of some inner circle I could sense existed but couldn’t really pinpoint. Members of the exclusive and not-so clandestine club known as the Tooth & Nail Fantasy Football League.
That first season, it was hard not to learn via osmosis more than I ever thought I wanted to know about #2 receivers, goal line backs, special teams and bye weeks. By playoff time, I could actually follow the real-life and fantasy football conversations that were constantly taking place around me. And during the Super Bowl, I could actually contribute an opinion – granted, probably not a very good one, but an opinion nonetheless. In fact, by the time the season was over, I was actually looking forward to the next one.
So you can imagine my excitement that summer when I got The Call. The invitation to join the heralded Tooth & Nail Fantasy Football League.
In my excitement to accept the invitation I may have forgotten one minor detail: I had no idea how to actually play fantasy football. Knowing about a sport is one thing; being in a fantasy league for that sport is a whole other level.
Did I google “how to play fantasy football?” Yes.
Did I ask my dad for advice? Yes.
Did any of it actually help me? Eh.
This marks my third year in the inner circle. Beginners luck was never a factor for me – I’ve never won the league or even made it to the playoffs. But at least I’ve never been in last place? I will say though that being in the league has created a closer knit among a staff that already considers itself family, because what family doesn’t talk smack to each other or secretly hope another member forgets to pick up a kicker to put in on bye week?
I’m thinking about doing weekly blogs on the league? For those of you who have no interest in sports, maybe it will be a bunch of boring filler. But for those of you who enjoy some friendly competition and coworkers who like to beat up on each other, they should make for some good reads. And if anyone has any advice as to how I can weasel my way into the playoffs this year, I’ll take any tips you got.
I’m On A Boat!
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Random Stuff
Just wanted to say hello from Tooth & Nail Boat Day! Happy Friday!
July Burns Red
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Random Stuff
Why hello there! Long time, no see. My fault, of course. Sorry about that. Here at Tooth & Nail / Solid State, we like to work hard and play hard. So of course after the awesome craziness that was August Burns Red’s “Leveler” – which, if you haven’t heard came out at #11 on the Billboard charts – Scott and I decided to reward ourselves with a nice little 4th of July vacation with a bunch of our friends to sunny California.
Well who should happen to be in the Golden State at that exact time but our pals in August Burns Red! What a happy coincidence! The Warped Tour was posted up at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View the day we flew in. Obviously we had to make a pit stop to say hello and congratulations to the band on an absolutely face-melting new album.
It was a perfect day and the dudes absolutely killed their set. It’s maybe hard to explain the type of pride that comes along with being able to literally see the results of so much hard work and passion from people you care a lot about. We are so grateful for and appreciative of our bands and the effort that goes into creating an album and touring and all the things that comprise being a band.
Personally, I feel lucky every day to be able to do what I do, and it’s all because of people like August Burns Red. The least we could do was give them a small token of our gratitude.
So congratulations again to ABR and [shameless self-promotion coming] if you haven’t picked up “Leveler” yet, it’s available in stores and online now! Download it on the interwebs at iTunes or Amazon MP3.
The Great Taco Debate 2011
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Random Stuff
We’re rocking the suburbs here at Tooth & Nail. Literally. Our office is at the top of a suburban hill in Seattle, which means when it comes to lunch options within walking distance…well, options are limited. But we bring forward for your consideration a little taco shop that shall remain nameless.
Now having spent some some of my prime Mexi-eating years [also known as college] in Southern California, I’d like to think that I know a little bit about what makes good Mexican food. To be fair, I also love Taco Bell more than the average person, but when it comes to small mom-and-pop-type joints, I can definitely pick up what they’re puttin’ down, if you know what I mean.
Except Nameless Taco Shop.
For as long as I’ve worked at Tooth & Nail, there has been a heated debate over whether or not Nameless Taco Shop falls under the “good” or “not good” category. Lines have been drawn, arguments have taken place, fistfuls of guacamole have been thrown. Okay, maybe not that last bit, but for the most part, everyone in the office has an opinion.
So I suppose this begs the question: what do you think defines a quality Mexican establishment?
After some discussion between my anti-Nameless Taco Shop teammates and I, we’ve come to an agreement that the sign of a good restaurant is whether or not they make their own tortilla chips and salsa. That’s not so much to ask, right? You have to admit that there’s not much better than being served a nice basket of crispy fried tortilla chips with some chunky salsa – or maybe even an entire assortment of salsas! Not much indeed.
However, Nameless Taco Shop? They offer those generic yellow tortilla rounds that you could definitely buy at any grocery store in America. I’m also willing to bet that the salsa came from the same market as the chips.
Furthermore, upon arrival to the office in the morning a few days a week, there is a distinct spiced ground beef smell in the air. I’m not saying that I necessarily mind this smell – in fact, it smells quite nice and makes me wish I had more to eat for breakfast than a bowl of oatmeal. But curiously, this aroma is not present every day of the week, which leads me to believe that they don’t necessarily use fresh ingredients in your meal on any given day.
Interesting!
Not to mention, Nameless Taco Shop is cash-only, which is a serious “first world problem” for me.
Of course I understand the appeal of the place. It’s about 200 feet from door to door, the prices are low and if you don’t have the time or want to put in the effort to get in your car and drive somewhere, it’s extremely convenient [provided you have cash on hand]. Personally, I’d rather hop in the car and make a run for the border.
I guess the point of all this is to ask what you, our readers, think the tenets of a regular lunch-worthy taco shop are, and if you happen to live in Seattle or have ever visited, to suggest somewhere I should send the opposing team for comparison. Gracias!
Where The Magic Happens
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Random Stuff
Just wanted to give you a quick hello from our bi-weekly marking meeting. Say what’s up to the Tooth & Nail Braintrust! Plus our fearless leader Brandon Ebel behind the camera.
Please excuse Scott’s gnarly facial hair.
Happy almost-Friday!
Tooth & Nail TV: Episode 6 (Teaser Version)
Posted by Casey | Filed Under News, Sneak Peeks
I know you’ve been wondering to yourself, “hey self, when do you think the next episode of Tooth & Nail TV is going up?” Well you can stop wondering! Filming has begun on the latest episode of Tooth & Nail TV, which will feature the latest music videos from Underoath, I Am Empire, Emery, Write This Down, Hyland and more!
Our hosts Micah Dean and Adam walked back into the office not too long ago wet, barefoot and carrying inflatable life rings, so I think it’s safe to say this could be something worth watching.
Oh, and we might also finally be giving you the answer to that nice little teaser of a band we posted about last week. Until then, I’ll leave you with a couple of photos from the “set” of Tooth & Nail TV, also known as our office.
Happy (Early) Birthday Micah Dean!
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Art
A bunch of years ago tomorrow, the one and only Micah Dean was born.
As an early celebration, there are now a bunch of these tasty treats sitting in our kitchen courtesy of yours truly. If you want to wish Micah a happy birthday, leave a comment or hit him up on Twitter @Micahdean.
Welcome _____ To The Tooth & Nail Family!
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Artist News, Sneak Peeks
We have yet to make a formal announcement regarding the latest Tooth & Nail signing, but wanted to give you, our friends here at the Tooth & Nail Blog, a teaser of the newest addition to the family. Guesses are welcome, but if I told you at this point, I’d have to throw banana cream pies in your face or something.
Water Colour-ing
Posted by Casey | Filed Under Art, Random Stuff
Here at Tooth & Nail, we take some pride in being able to supply some pretty awesome pre-order items that come along with our already-awesome albums. So when Swimming With Dolphins decided their album would be entitled “Water Colours,” of course actual water colors seemed like an obvious choice.
In case any of you were wondering if you could really use these water colors for the actual purpose of painting – fear not! John, Micah Dean, Adam and I took it upon ourselves to prove that not only are they fashionable, but functional as well. Check out the gallery for the before and afters on our fine works of art. Personally, I think I totally showed those dudes up. Just sayin! Though to be fair, I did supply my own brush.
And for some shameless self-promotion, to order your own set of Swimming With Dolphins Water Colors + Poster, visit the Tooth & Nail Store.
