Xerus News

11:11

2009-10-09T23:09:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, MT here.
I'd like to introduce you to what I'm up to now.

I'm singing in a band called 11:11 out here in Los Angeles.
We've played a couple of shows and are going to start recording
our full length debut this next month.
Its been a lot of fun getting to know and develop
these songs with these 4 guys. The chemistry
was there from the moment I walked into the tryout.
Since then things have been moving along.
I've only been in the band for about 2 months now
and already it seems like many things are happening.
We currently have a film crew following us,
with interest in making a documentary of a struggling
LA band and the recording of their first record.
Our next show is at the Knitting Factory on
Saturday, October 24th with LA Guns.
If you're in the area please come check us out!

Here is a video sample from our first show:

For those who are curious about this band and want further info,
please check out www.facebook.com/1111rox or www.myspace.com/1111rox
or follow us on www.twitter.com/1111rox

You can also follow me at www.twitter.com/mtletsinger

A clip of the rise and demise...

2009-06-13T00:54:00.000-05:00

A Fine Farewell

2009-05-14T18:48:00.002-05:00

Hey Xerus fans.

Well, we did it.
We had the last show and we had a blast doing it.
Thanks to everyone who made it out to witness
what will be a very important moment in
my life for many years to come.

I do plan on posting video from the show on
You Tube, once I sort through all of it.
Please check back here for the links.

As far as this website and the future of Xerus
I guess we will have to see.
I do plan on keeping this site active for
quite awhile and will probably flip it
over to the new band site in the coming
months.

That does not mean that I already have a
band waiting for me in LA or anything,
I just like having this as an archive of sorts
for anyone who still gives a shit about
Xerus and/or what Im up to.

I dont really see me using the Xerus name
in LA at first...or ever. It was a great time
and I have learned so much but I think
it might be best to leave it in Minneapolis,
where it was born.

Even though I do own the name
and the rights to all the songs,
I really want to start fresh.

Well, thats the end of this rant for now.
When I get the video(s) done from the last show
I shall post the link here.

Thanks again everyone.
For everything.
And please,
stay tuned.

M.T. Letsinger

The Rise And Demise of Xerus

2009-04-06T19:09:00.003-05:00

Well, it all seems to be coming down to this:
The first, last and only show with our new drummer
before M.T. makes the move to Los Angeles.

On Saturday May 9th, all who attend will get
to witness first hand the
Rise and Demise of Xerus.

More information to come...

Things Have Been Brewing With Xerus Lately...

2008-12-07T16:48:00.004-06:00

After more than a year since they last played a show,

Xerus is happy to announce they will be playing out in early '09.
Finding themselves without a drummer last November

the band began the process of trying to find the right fit for the kit.

After a years time and 24 different people

the band decided to go with

a long time friend, Eric Vinyard.

Along with a fantastic ear behind the board,

Eric has been in many different projects through out

the US over the years. MT and Scott have no doubts

this new blood will bring about a more open,

rock sound while keeping the unique vibe of Xerus in check.

In other Xerus related news:
Singer/guitarist M.T. Letsinger will be releasing

a solo effort soon. Titled "So Far...The Best Of M.T. Letsinger,"

the full length CD will feature previously unreleased

live Xerus tracks, select tracks from M.T.'s

side project MYKO and various other projects

he has been involved with over the last decade.

Check back here for updates on upcoming

Xerus shows and the release date for "So Far..."

Whats up with Xerus lately?

2008-05-25T12:22:00.002-05:00

So, whats been up with Xerus lately?

To fully answer that we must head back to 2007.
That year Xerus seemed almost unstoppable:
they played the Red Gorilla Music Fest
during SXSW in Austin, TX, which lead right into a nation
wide college radio campaign, then they came in second
place in the Whiskey Wars battle of the bands
and finally, they locked down solid
transportation so the dream of touring could become reality.

Unfortunately, the same old thing that happens time
and time again when a band gets as far along as they have:
a key member of the band decided to quit.
As much of a shock it was to see Travis leave after five years,
two CD's and hundreds of shows,
Scott and M T knew they just couldn't give up.

So they started trying out drummers.

As anyone in the Twin Cities music scene will tell you,
finding a drummer is a mountain of a task.
Wading through all of the jobbers, teenagers, addicts,
and weekend warriors has taken months,
still with no one solid behind the kit.
The biggest hurdle?
Finding someone who doesn't just want to play
around Minneapolis on weekends,
but wants to get out on the road and get
Xerus into the ears and hearts of all who will listen.
That continues to be the curriculum as they continue to write,
practice and audition for drummers.

We hope that you will continue to check up on us here.

We do hope to be back on stage, for you, as soon as possible.

MT's Interview with DARKLAND

2008-03-12T22:17:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!

I was recently interviewed by an indie 'zine
out of New York called DARKLAND.

Here it is...enjoy!

Tell me about the CD Outside the Design.

It started off as a concept record but has now shifted to more of a centralized theme. That theme is the choices we make and how it affects our lives and the lives of those close to us. With all that has happened to both me personally and the band this year the story side of things started to fade away and the theme of choices seemed to rise to the surface. We are looking at tracking the CD in the spring with our producer, Chris Mara (www.chrismara.com), at the house that we practice in, which is owned and occupied by Scott (bass). Kind of like the Red Hot Chili Peppers "bloodsugarsexmagic", we would live in the house and pretty much eat, sleep and breathe this record. With the recent addition of people downloading entire CD's off of websites, its making less and less sense to us to sink a ton of money into duplication of thousands of Cd's. We are looking at alternate ways to get our music out there thats exciting and new to the music listener.

What is your attraction to progressive metal?

It's what Ive always felt inside. Its the best platform for a release. Not just the release of ideas, but the emotional release writing and preforming these songs brings with it. We don't always play shows to sold out audiences or make tons of money, but one thing that is always there when we get off that stage is that feeling: like someone just emptied the bin of emotional garbage. I think we all need this in our life because with out it we would slowly submerge into the cracks of society.

Was this the first time you played the Red Gorilla Music festival?

Yes it was, and hopefully not the last! Travis (X-drummer) and I attended SXSW in '04, so we had a pretty good idea of what to expect as far as people and vibe. It was fantastic, a really great experience all around. Playing that show helped pave the way for us to do a national college radio campaign which then lead into some licensing opportunities on cable television.

What would you like to see more/less of in American metal?

I think Metal is in the best state its been in awhile. Id like to see more bands push themselves musically to create something unique and amazing. Otherwise we risk the chance of diluting our scene with crap and it becomes harder and harder for new Metal fans to find and be turned on to great stuff.

How is the scene in Minnesota?

Its a pretty good scene. Theres a lot of fans of live music and bands playing metal. I moved here in 2002 from Madison, WI, a place that saw few metal bands in the local scene. Then once Xerus got out and started playing shows, I couldn't believe how many talented bands we wound up playing with. For the most part everyone gets along great and theres very little attitude, were all in it for pretty much the same reasons.

Ready to Rock!

2008-02-23T11:36:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone!
Theres some interesting news on the Xerus front
I feel is worth updating you all about.

Travis has returned behind the kit,
rejuvenated and ready to rock.

We are now concentrating on getting the songs for the new
CD as tight and amazing as they can be.

We have also begun booking shows.
At the moment the only one we have is Thursday,
April 3rd at Club Underground with Screaming Blood Skull
and someone else TBA.

We hope to have shows in all parts of the
Midwest booked soon, so stay tuned!
We might be comin' to your neighborhood!

Back On The Hunt

2008-02-17T16:32:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that
we are once again on the hunt for a drummer.

Mark is a great guy with amazing chops,
things just were not meshing the way we had hoped.
We wish Mark nothing but the best!

We are currently in talks with a few people,
we hope to announce whats next soon.

More to come...

The search is over! We are complete!

2008-01-08T22:43:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody.
Hope everyone is having a good '08 so far.

Xerus is once again a fully functioning three piece!

We have found ourselves a drummer
by the name of Mark Steffens.
Mark has played in many projects that
have taken him all over the country.
Most recently he was rocking the
skins in a band called Zion Tribe.
Before that he was in a cover band called Drive Time.
The change up of drummers will of course
change the very core of our sound.
With that said, we think Mark will fit nicely and
bring a new vibe and feel to Xerus
while still honoring our sound.

We are ready to get back on track with
everything we have always been up to:
writing, practicing, playing shows
and recording our next CD.

We hope to be back out on stage for you
by the spring with the new CD to follow soon after.

Thanks again to all who have supported us
during this "downtime" in Xerus.
Its that much more fun to get up on stage and
do what we do knowing that there
are people out there who want to hear it!

Thank you.

2008 Is Goan Be Great

2008-01-01T18:33:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year Xerus fans!

Well what a year 2007 was for Xerus! Without a doubt our "biggest" year to date: Getting the chance to play the Red Gorilla Music Fest in Austin, TX during SXSW in March, having over 150 college radio stations nation wide put us in rotation, finishing second place in the Whiskey Wars in May, getting "..this impossible everything" licensed to four cable television shows in August...it was a helluva year.

Much of this wouldn't have been possible without help from many different people. Our producer Chris Mara, Jon from Tinderbox Music, Brian and Kevin from Dreamscapers and Rae from Soup Music Company, we thank you all so very, very much for your help in making 2007 the amazing year that it was for us.

Our focus lately has been on the auditioning of prospective drummers, which has been going well. We are close to announcing who will be sitting behind the kit in the coming weeks. We cannot thank all of you enough for your words of encouragement during the last couple of months. It has meant so much to us. We hope to be back on stage by spring with a new CD soon to follow.

We'd also like to thank all of the bands we shared a stage with in '07. There is some great talent here in the Midwest and we feel lucky to be a part of a scene that supports one another like we all do.

We hope you all will stay tuned to what we are up to in 2008 and continue to support local music!

Much more to come!

The Future of Xerus

2007-11-05T19:54:00.000-06:00

Hello Xerus fans!

I have an important update to notify all of you about.
After almost five years behind the kit with us,
our drummer Travis has decided to leave Xerus for personal reasons.
The band wishes him the best of luck on all of his future endeavours.
As sad as we are to see Travis go, thats how the music business
goes at times and there is no time to waste.

We have had a tremendous year and hope to capitalize
on all of the hard work we have done.
Our main focus now is to find a drummer and record
our next CD with a tour to follow asap.

A little bit about us and where we are headed:
Our overall goal is to gain a national fan base
while using the Internet and touring as means of financial stability.
Most of us know that releasing Cd's is not the best
way to make money in this business.
With the slow inevitable death of that medium
it has opened up the doors for us and every artist to release
music in new and unique ways.
Record labels as we know it are almost dead and practically
everyone is accessible through the Internet.
Through our college radio campaign and playing the
Red Gorilla Music fest during South by Southwest
we have set the ground work for a national audience.
Now its time to capitalise on this by doing those things again
(and much more) with the next CD and then extensive touring behind it.
We have transportation and connections throughout
the nation so its just a matter of putting in the work
that needs to be done and making it happen.

As far as what we are looking for in a drummer:
A highly motivated and high energy individual
who is ready to make a career out of music.
Our ideal candidate will be willing to put in the time
and money it takes to get the name and sound of Xerus
into every set of ears all over the world.
We are proud of the songs we create and are serious
about making this a career.
Musically were looking for someone who wants
to do whats right for the song.
Please check out our myspace and our website for a sample
of past songs and to get an idea of what we sound like.
I can get you a CD of newer stuff and live tracks as well.

I also wanted to take a moment and thank
each and everyone of you who have seen us live,
bought a Cd or not turned the station when we come on!
We appreciate each and everyone of you out there
and you are the main reason we keep on keepin' on.
We hope that you all will continue to support us
and are as excited as we are for this new phase of Xerus!

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

--
M T Letsinger

Whiskey Junction Bow Out

2007-10-30T18:15:00.000-05:00

We are very sorry to announce that we will not be performing
at the Whiskey Junction on November 8th.
Drummer Travis has taken a hiatus for an indefinite amount of time.
As sad as this is we do wish him all the best.

Scott and myself are continuing on with Xerus.
We are looking for a drummer and are currently
working on songs for a full length release sometime in 2008.
Please contact us via email if you are interested
in getting together and jamming with us.

We will continue to update you on the
progression of this next phase of Xerus.
Thank you so much for being our fan...
we promise you wont regret it.

Farewell Pluto's CD Release Party

2007-10-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

Many of you might recognize this line up from
previous shows...and that is no accident!
We love playing with both of these bands!

The shows are always unique and entertaining as hell
and we have so many mutual fans that everyone
in attendance has a great time.

With that being stated, it's looking like this one will
be superbly amazing since it's Farewell Pluto's
CD Release Party!
We do hope you all can make it!

Thursday, November 8th
Whiskey Junction
Farewell Pluto at 9pm
Xerus at 10pm
Autonomy at 11pm
21+

Cable TV, wallpaper and mobility

2007-10-10T22:37:00.000-05:00

We have some exciting Xerus announcements to make
but first we wanted to thank all of you who came out
on Saturday night to the Uptown.
We had fun trying out some new material on all of you!
Thanks again for making it!

On to the announcements:

We recently landed some licensing deals with four
separate cable television shows! Whats that mean?
Basically it means that any songs from our "...this impossible everything" e.p.
might be used in some way or another during
one of these shows. Now, just because they have licenced it does not mean
that they will definitely use it, but they usually
don't go through the trouble unless they've heard something they like.
The shows are: The Dr. Steve-O Show on USA;
Road Rules on MTV; The Bad Girls Club on Oxygen
and America's Physic Challenge on Lifetime.
If we do wind up getting used we will send an
email out to all of you once we know!

We now have FREE wallpaper and songs that
you can download to your cellular phone!
Be the first kid on the block to rock your phone
with the hottest tunes from Xerus!
Wow was that cheesy!
Check it out:
http://www.myxertones.com/artist/2854856/

And finally, after many years without it,
Xerus now owns transportation!
We have something that can get all
three of us and our gear to gigs!
When we have played out of state in the past
we have typically rented a van or SUV
to get us around since none
of us had anything that would work.
We are very excited to have this taken care of!
This will free us up to come out and
play anywhere at almost anytime!

That's about it.
We are continuing to work on the songs
for our first full length release.
It's looking like late December we will be beginning
preproduction once again with Chris Mara.
We hope to have it into your hands by the summer.

Thank you all for your support and for listening!

Uptown Again

2007-09-21T14:28:00.001-05:00

We are happy to announce our return to the Uptown Bar!

Saturday October 6th
Dumpster Juice
The Engagement
Xerus

10pm Music
21+ $5

Come hear some of the new songs from our upcoming CD
and see some of the most intense rock n roll bands
our Minneapolis scene has to deafen you with!

Update

2007-09-19T19:51:00.000-05:00

Just to update everyone on what is going on with Xerus:

We have been spending most of our time working on material
that will make up our next CD, tentatively titled
"Outside the Design."
We hope to begin preproduction in December with
a release date in the spring.
The man behind the board on our last e.p., Chris Mara,
will once again be producing.
This will be our first full length release.

On September 8th M.T. Letsinger's mother
passed away after a 3 year battle with cancer.
M.T. would like to thank everyone for their
kind words during this most difficult time.

On September 16th a close friend of the bands
went into a coma after a drug overdose.
All of the member's of Xerus would like to
send the family its deepest sympathy.
We continue to hope that all will work out as best as possible.

It is times like this that can cause people to get a
different perspective on life...and how fragile it truly is.
There is no time to delay or waste.
This band has many goals in sight and all will be attained.
There is no other option.

MT's Interview with the Independent Stream

2007-08-24T15:16:00.000-05:00

I was recently interviewed by Gary from the
Independent Stream Podcast for his MN #18 episode.

You can check out the interview with the link below or go and download it off of itunes:

http://independentstream.podomatic.com/entry/2007-08-23T04_28_59-07_00

There is a lot of great music on this podcast plus
Gary has featured Xerus quite a bit in the past.
So, if you're not already subscribed to this podcast then you should.
You really, really should.
Its a great way to stay on top of all the great music
going on in the Twin Cities plus he's funny and entertaining as shit.

On this podcast, you get to hear me ramble on about the 35W collapse
that happened three blocks from my home,
what Xerus has going on right now
and some great music by all kinds of Twin City artists.
The interview comes around minute 47 in this mammoth 2 hour episode.

Gary and I have talked on the phone quite a bit in the past
and I had just finished a few drinks so I kind of forgot
I was being recorded and just began to ramble...
I think the whole thing is like 15 minutes long or something!

Check it out if you dare and let me know what you think!

M T

www.myspace.com/xerus
www.myspace.com/boptown

Whiskey Wars Thank You Party

2007-08-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

Sunday August 19th the Whiskey Junction
is throwing a Thank You Party for the Whiskey Wars.

Since we came in second in the College Clash
we get the entire evening to ourselves!

From 7-9 there will be a FREE BUFFET
From 9-10 we will be preforming

There will be drink specials, prizes and
giveaways all night!

This is an all ages event, open to anyone and
everyone! So please spread the word of Xerus!

Minneapolis Mayhem!

2007-07-31T14:41:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!
We are really looking forward to our next show.
We return to Club Underground with some of our favorite
bands to share the stage with!

Opening the show will be our pals in Farewell Pluto,
who we have played with quite a bit in 2007.
Always awesome!

This is our first time with Sirens Of Titan
but from all that we have heard
its going to be great!

The mighty Autonomy rocks a stage like nothing
you have ever seen. Seriously, if you're a fan of power trio's
and you haven't seen them yet, you are missing out!

We will be closing out the evening with a new set list
which will contain a new song!

We hope to see each and every one of you out at this event!

Whiskey Wars : The Final Outcome

2007-07-12T12:08:00.000-05:00

My apologies for this update taking awhile, it's been a helluva week for Xerus so far...

Just wanted to say thank you to all who made it out to the Whiskey Wars last Sunday. We had a great time and had a lot of fun throughout all of the rounds. Unfortunately it once again became a numbers game (like so many "battles" do), and its tough for the three of us and our 21+ crowd to compete with five others and their extended families at an all ages show. Regardless of the outcome we made some solid connections with some industry types and will definitely be going back to the Whiskey to play again.

Right now we are concentrating on new material that will make up our next CD, some of which you will be hearing at our next gig on Friday August 10th at Club Underground. Once again thank you to all who made it and thank you to all who wish they could have been there, we hope to see all of you at our next show!

Whiskey Wars : The Final

2007-06-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

We just wanted to re-post this so everyone
out there knows what's up with the
Whiskey Wars Final:

Sunday July 8th at the Whiskey Junction
we go head to head against Bookreader
for the Whiskey Wars Final!

We need everyone to attend this one!
Your attendance could be the thing
to push us to victory...seriously.

Like never before
WE REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!!

So, with all that said,
6pm on Sunday July 8th we hit stage at
the Whiskey Junction.
This show is all ages and
will only set you back $3!

We really hope to see you there!

Club Underground

2007-06-17T18:19:00.001-05:00

This Saturday night (6/23) at Club Underground

Murder Oil Music Presents:

Xerus

Vicious Aloysius

Xhaust

Under None

9pm 21+ $5

Last time we played at Club Underground
we had a great time!

Last time we played with Under None and
Vicious Aloysius we had a great time!!

If you're looking for some great music and
a unique place to hear it then
we'll see you this Saturday!!!

Whiskey Wars : The Final Battle

2007-06-13T16:36:00.000-05:00

The date is set:

Sunday July 8th Xerus goes head to head against
one other band in the Whiskey Wars final round!

We are up first and set to hit stage at 6pm.
This is once again an all ages event and we really,
REALLY need everyone to come out and vote!

So please mark your calendar:
Sunday July 8th
Whiskey Junction
6pm

College Radio Update!

2007-06-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that we have been involved
in a nationwide college radio campagin lately.
We are currently in rotation at 128 stations around the country!
Here is a list, if you happen to be in the
listening area of one of these stations,
please contact and tell them to keep playing Xerus!

We here at Xerus would like to thank all of
you for your support over the past year.
We are currently laying the ground
work to become a national act.
This will not happen without your love and support...
we cannot thank all of you enough.

WCCX Waukesha, WI
WCSR Milwaukee, WI
WHQS Philadelphia, PA
WQRI Bristol, RI
WRFT Ambler, PA
WSOE Elon College, NC
WSRI Eau Claire, WI
WTBU Boston, MA
WUMM Machias, ME
WMCN St. Paul, MN
WMTU Houghton, MI
WPMD Norwalk, CA
WPNR Utica, NY
WPPJ Pittsburg, PA
WPSC Wayne, NJ
WGBK Glenview, IL
WGLS Glassboro, NJ
WIIT Chicago, IL
WIPZ Kenosha, WI
WKKL West Barnstable, MA
WKNH Keene, NH
WLJS Jacksonville, AL
WCRD Muncie, IN
CLC Grayscale, IL
KDHX St. Louis, MO
WDUB Granville, OH
WERW Syracuse, NY
WEXP Philadelphia, PA
WFCS New Britian, CT
M3 Radio New York, NY
Rainy Dawg Seattle, WA
SFR Boston, MA
WAQU Grand Rapids, MI
WARC Meadville, PA
WBKE North Manchester, IN
WBTY Waltham, MA
KSTM Indianola, IA
KSVR Mt. Vernon, WA
KDUR Durango, CO
KUMD Duluth, MN
KUNI Cedar Falls, IA
KURA Ourey, CO
KVDU Denver, CO
KYVT Yakima, WA
KZMU Moab, UT
KKSM San Marcos, CA
KMSU Mankato, MN
KPSU Portland, OR
KQAL Winona, MN
KRUI Iowa City, IA
KSMR Winona, MN
106 VIC Ithaca, NY
BearCast Cincinnati,OH
KALA Davenport, IA
KAOS Olympia, WA
KBBI Homer, AK
KBTL El Dorado, KS
KCAC East Camden, AR
KDIC Grinnel, IA
KDNK Carbondale, CO
KDWG Dillon, MT
KFAI Minneapolis, MN
KGAR Lemoore, CA
KGRG Auburn, WA
WVUD Newark, DE
WWSP Stevens Point, WI
WXAC Reading, PA
WXJM Harrisonburg, VA
WXVU Villanova, PA
KHNS Haines, AK
KMSA Grand Junction, CO
KNSU Thibodaux, LA
KOPN Columbia, MO
KRFC Fort Collins, CO
KRNL Mt. Vernon, IA
KRSC Claremore, OK
KSHU Huntsville, TX
KSJS San Jose, CA
KSTO Northfield, MN
KULV LaVerne, CA
KUMM Morris, MN
KWAR Waverly, IA
KWSB Gunnison, CO
KXZY Stillwater, OK
Lasell Newton, MA
WAUG Rock Island, IL
WBAR New York, NY
WCBG Staten Island, NY
WCCS Norton, MA
WCDB Albany, NY
WCGR River Forest, IL
WCHC Worcester, MA
WCUA Washington, DC
WDWN Auburn, NY
WFNM Lancaster, PA
WFNP New Paltz, NY
WFSE Edinboro, PA
WGCC Batavia, NY
WGXM Dayton, OH
WHRV Norfolk, VA
WIDB Carbondale, IL
WIRE Norman, OK
WKNC Raleigh, NC
WKWZ Syosset, NY
WLCA Godfrey, IL
WLRA Romeoville, IL
WLTL La Grange, IL
WMWM Salem, MA
WNTI Hackettstown, NY
WONC Naperville, FL
WPHS Warren, MI
WPTC Williamsport, PA
WPUB New York, NY
WRFM Blue Bell, PA
WRLC Williamsport, PA
WRSK Slippery Rock, PA
WSAM West Hartford, CT
WSCW Worcester, MA
WSIN New Haven, CT
WUTS Sewanee, TN
WVAU Washington, DC
WVBC Bethany, WV
WVCW Richmond, VA
WVOF Fairfield, CT
WWHR Bowling Green, KY
WZMB Greenville, NC