User:Ggk8345

History
Beginnings (December 2007) The idea of The Seven Year Plan actually came about in December 2007. On a drive home from work, Gary had a vision come to him at random. He suddenly had an idea to bring back the feelings and memories of freshmen year at the University of Rhode Island’s Providence Campus, in Fall 2001-Spring 2002. But even more, he suddenly had the idea to create and design a concert plan in which he could put these feelings and emotions on display. Gary had grown tired and frustrated of his concert performances and music by the end of 2007, the last straw presumably coming after a very poor performance in the Halloween Concert (October 31, 2007). And while his concerts, and music, improved after that night, during November and December 2007, the frustration from the poor outing on Halloween night became a motivator to his Seven Year Plan design.

The Seven Year Plan (January 2008) On January 3, 2008, Gary debuted The Seven Year Plan. Only three days into the New Year, Gary made the decision to debut the plan on the first Thursday night of January. During New Year’s week, Gary set up and decorated his side of the basement under the stairway with green light bulbs, orange lighting, a siren, a bulletin board, posters, and carpeting. This was to get it ready for the debut night. The bulletin board consisted of album covers that were relevant to the plan. He also set up a microphone stand and mic, and also amplifiers to give the illusion of a stage. The debut night on January 3rd would go on to be one of the most memorable concerts of the year. Gary’s first song was “Doperide” by Saliva, a southern rap-rock song that he felt would make an energetic opener. The song itself wasn’t the memorable part of the initial performance, but rather it was Gary’s appearance and energy on stage that produced a very electric performance. For his guitar, he used a real electric guitar, but with the strings taken off. He was dressed in dark brown corduroy pants, a black long sleeve shirt, a long-haired wig, and black gloves with holes at the fingertips. He also wore sneakers during the performance. To make the day even more memorable, Gary left a Seven Year Plan concert ticket on Andy’s car seat before leaving work that morning. There were several minutes of delay before the debut song, as Gary experienced difficulties with the audio and lighting just before the performance. He often stated leading up to the debut night that he “hoped” he could “get everything in” that he had planned for that night. Why the Seven Year Plan was developed and performed is a question often asked from time to time. Gary still states that the plan came at random, but that the feelings associated with the spring and with the Providence Campus have lived with him for years.

The Providence Campus Phenomenon The Seven Year Plan was centered around a phenomenon that exists with the Sheppard Building in Providence, RI. The building has held University of Rhode Island classes since the year 2000, and was the only building that Andy and Gary were allowed to take courses during freshmen year (2001-02). The building is dated, and was originally a Providence high school during the 70’s and 80’s. Starting in the late 90’s, the building became the College of Continuing Education (CCE), and offered adults and elderly the opportunity to finish college even years after they had dropped out. Gary believes he has a psychotic connection to the building. His mind will periodically bring up certain memories of the building, subconsciously. Certain rooms and locations within the building bring upon different memories and feelings. He states the darkened hallways are especially memorable, and remind him of Third Eye Blind’s album Blue. The darkened colors of the paint on the walls and tiles, the old smells Not all the music of The Seven Year Plan was listened to or downloaded during time spent at the Providence Campus in 2001, but a majority of it was. Bands like Green Day, POD, Saliva, and Third Eye Blind were significant artists during that year. The Stone Temple Pilots were also significant. Gary believes the two Third Eye Blind concerts he went to at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel during April 2007 and May 2008 re-energized his emotions of the Providence Campus and the music he listened to during time spent there. The Third Eye Blind concert on April 19, 2007, Gary says especially started his re-imagination of the year 2001-02. This could be seen as the subconscious birth of The Seven Year Plan, but it didn’t occur until a year later for The Seven Year Plan to even come about.

Hiatus (February 2008) By February 2008, The Seven Year Plan had clearly fatigued and was reaching the end of its initial momentum from the debut night. Seeing this, Gary captioned its official ending by suddenly diving into an electronic drumset on the other side of the basement, during a concert, enacting Professor Gary Buttery’s “death”. This ultimately signaled the end of The Seven Year Plan. Professor Gary Buttery had been a crucial and integral part of The Seven Year Plan, serving as the plan’s “teacher” of the imaginary MUS320 course. During the hiatus, Gary fell ill and was sick for a week and a half with muscle sores, congestion, dizziness, sore throat, and fever. Also during this time, Andy and Gary discovered new entertainment on YouTube, when they stumbled upon The Angry Video Game Nerd and The Irate Gamer. Known for their over-exaggerations and toilet humor, the two middle-aged men record video game reviews of old NES and Atari games and post them on YouTube. The popularity of the videos would lead Gary to create his own T-shirt online, and on the T-shirt, displaying one of the trademark lyrics to the Angry Video Game Nerd Theme Song: “He’d rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in his ear”. Gary changed the wording around to accommodate the first person: “I’d rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in my ear”.

The Spring Sound (March 2008 – April 2008) On March 20, 2008, Gary debuted his second concert plan of the spring, this one he called The Spring Sound (aka The Seven Year Plan II). The Spring Sound utilized a new concert prop: the strobe lights. The strobe lights were first used during the first song of the debut night of The Spring Sound, during the bridge of Third Eye Blind’s song “Losing A Whole Year”. The Spring Sound debut night was different than The Seven Year Plan debut, but was still considered a success. What was unique and well-timed was that The Spring Sound debuted on the first day of spring (March 20th). The Spring Sound lasted longer than The Seven Year Plan. The Spring Sound debuted on March 20th and ended in early May. The entire month of April involved the plan and is considered to be the height of the spring sound and spring season, according to Gary.

The Spring Sound surpassed The Seven Year Plan musically, and in some ways, energy-wise. But the surprise factor was not as strong as this was the second go-round with a concert plan in a short period of time. The strobe lights were remembered to be one of the best features of The Spring Sound. During The Spring Sound, Gary changed positions multiple times. He began next to the blue “sum pump” in the far corner of the basement, and then moved to the opposite side of the wall, and then eventually ended in May back under the stairs.

The May Finish cancelled (May 2008) A trip to Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on May 6, 2008 for a Third Eye Blind concert, right in the height of spring, seemed to be a perfect situation and timing for Gary to finish “The Seven Year Spring” with The May Finish, but that would turn out not to be the case. Only a week after that concert, Gary announced he would be cancelling The May Finish to move into a new direction in concerts, and in music. Andy and Gary switched sides in the basement, with Gary moving under the stairs. He set up a new area, and took all the spring and Seven Year Plan material down and put it away. The basement looked much more bare and basic as a result.

This change in concert plans did not stop Gary from still playing music that he felt was perennially May-June type music. It’s just that this time he didn’t have a “plan” to go with it, as like The Seven Year Plan and The Spring Sound had been. Gary played songs from perennial May-June artists Duncan Sheik, REM, Semisonic, Theory of a Deadman, and Third Eye Blind. Duncan Sheik and REM became substantial parts of the May and June concerts. It was the first time Gary had played REM on a full-time basis in concerts, but he claims that REM had been with him for years prior to May 2008.

Gary’s May and June 2008 concert performances were much less energetic and lively as in the spring. But they were not any less on spirit or morale.

The Space Plan (September 2008) On September 13, 2008, Gary debuted his third concert plan of the year, this one he called The Space Plan (aka the You’d Prefer An Astronaut Tour). Artists played during The Space Plan: •	Autolux •	Failure •	Hum •	Ken Andrews •	Year of the Rabbit