Tuesday March 25
Had a great time at The Bell House, this newish venue in Park Slope owned by the same people that run Union Hall. This venue is the perfect size and it's only a 10 minute subway ride from house. I saw two nights of Eugene Mirman's Comedy Festival there when it first opened in late summer 2008. While I had a ticket to see Okkervil River play there recently, I couldn't go due to already having plans and tickets to something else, a comedy/1930s movie shorts thing at MoMA—that turned out to be really awesome. As much as I love to Will Sheff, I think I made the right choice. Soooo, last night was the first time I actually saw live music there. It was a sold-out Camera Obscura show. I had an extra ticket and sold it through CL. The person I sold it to was super cool and I even hung out with her and her friend (who also got his ticket on CL) for the whole show. The sound was really great at this venue, there were plenty of good sight lines, and the crowd for the most part were ok. Camera Obscura saved "Lloyd I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" and "Teenager" for the end, which was perfect. I love their new album and I'm so glad I finally got to see them perform live—right in my neighborhood (AND meet two new cool people who are into going to shows.) All in all, Great people. Great band. Great time.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I haven't posted in some time!
Saturday July 19
Went to SirenFest, drank a lot, swam in the ocean, I only remember hearing Beach House and Broken Social Scene for a few songs. I think Siren is more about hanging out at the beach with old friends/new friends, eating hotdogs, and drinking homemade Sangria out of Gatorade bottles than it is about listening and viewing bands. The sound is never great and it's impossible to get close to the stage.
Thursday September 11
Went to two shows in one night. This is the first time I've ever done this, it was quite easy. Land of Talk had an early show and went on at 7:30 (i think it was still daylight out) at Mercury Lounge. They were great as usual and it was refreshing to hear new songs from Some Are Lakes. I absolutely adore Elizabeth Powell. It was a great show, the crowd was really into it.
After that I walked along Houston to this newish venue, Le Poisson Rouge. It's near NYU and the New Jersey/tourist scene and the 4th Street stop on the D,F subway line. I saw one shitty band I can't remember the name of and Crystal Stilts. Crystal Stilts were everything cool and awesome and untouchable. If they keep up their mystery and don't start bad inbetween song banter, I will love them forever.
Friday September 26
Another first in venues, Terminal 5. I had never been here before and I never want to go back. (Or if I did, I would want to be VIP or get there really really early to catch a good viewing spot from above——I am a railing leaner.) So I went here with my bf at the time to see Built to Spill perform their entire album of Perfect From Now On. !!! At the end they played "Carry the Zero". The openers were equally impressive and very 90s, Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr. I KNOW! Doug Martsch has been quoted as saying that J. Mascis influenced the way he played guitar. Now he has one of the guys he looked-up to opening for him. Some things good about the venue, nice bouncers/guards/security, seems like a fun place to get drunk and lost in, nice bathrooms, good sound, nice sight-lines on the main floor. Once I learn how to navigate the place, I'm sure I'll enjoy shows there.
Tuesday October 7
Okkervil River at Webster Hall. As much as I despise this venue, I will go to wherever and whenever Will Sheff is. This performance, holy shit, I love to see this guy perform. He puts it all out there. It's still as great as the first time I saw this band play at Bowery years ago opening up for Earlimart. Even though OR's new material is more polished, everything is still there, powerful well-written lyrics, varied instrumental sound, strong voice/delicate voice, melody, stage performance, soul, PASSION. Sheff must collapse back stage after every show. I have a feeling it won't be that long until I'm dragged out to Terminal 5 to see them again. Hopefully, by then I'll have figured out that venue.
This week is CMJ for 2008. I think only one year I really went to some CMJ shows, but like Siren it was all about hanging out with old friends, meeting new friends, getting quite tipsy, and maybe hearing a few bands you knew you liked already.
Saturday July 19
Went to SirenFest, drank a lot, swam in the ocean, I only remember hearing Beach House and Broken Social Scene for a few songs. I think Siren is more about hanging out at the beach with old friends/new friends, eating hotdogs, and drinking homemade Sangria out of Gatorade bottles than it is about listening and viewing bands. The sound is never great and it's impossible to get close to the stage.
Thursday September 11
Went to two shows in one night. This is the first time I've ever done this, it was quite easy. Land of Talk had an early show and went on at 7:30 (i think it was still daylight out) at Mercury Lounge. They were great as usual and it was refreshing to hear new songs from Some Are Lakes. I absolutely adore Elizabeth Powell. It was a great show, the crowd was really into it.
After that I walked along Houston to this newish venue, Le Poisson Rouge. It's near NYU and the New Jersey/tourist scene and the 4th Street stop on the D,F subway line. I saw one shitty band I can't remember the name of and Crystal Stilts. Crystal Stilts were everything cool and awesome and untouchable. If they keep up their mystery and don't start bad inbetween song banter, I will love them forever.
Friday September 26
Another first in venues, Terminal 5. I had never been here before and I never want to go back. (Or if I did, I would want to be VIP or get there really really early to catch a good viewing spot from above——I am a railing leaner.) So I went here with my bf at the time to see Built to Spill perform their entire album of Perfect From Now On. !!! At the end they played "Carry the Zero". The openers were equally impressive and very 90s, Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr. I KNOW! Doug Martsch has been quoted as saying that J. Mascis influenced the way he played guitar. Now he has one of the guys he looked-up to opening for him. Some things good about the venue, nice bouncers/guards/security, seems like a fun place to get drunk and lost in, nice bathrooms, good sound, nice sight-lines on the main floor. Once I learn how to navigate the place, I'm sure I'll enjoy shows there.
Tuesday October 7
Okkervil River at Webster Hall. As much as I despise this venue, I will go to wherever and whenever Will Sheff is. This performance, holy shit, I love to see this guy perform. He puts it all out there. It's still as great as the first time I saw this band play at Bowery years ago opening up for Earlimart. Even though OR's new material is more polished, everything is still there, powerful well-written lyrics, varied instrumental sound, strong voice/delicate voice, melody, stage performance, soul, PASSION. Sheff must collapse back stage after every show. I have a feeling it won't be that long until I'm dragged out to Terminal 5 to see them again. Hopefully, by then I'll have figured out that venue.
This week is CMJ for 2008. I think only one year I really went to some CMJ shows, but like Siren it was all about hanging out with old friends, meeting new friends, getting quite tipsy, and maybe hearing a few bands you knew you liked already.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
forgot to list some shows i've been to recently:
saw Fleet Foxes open up for this very terrible band, Blitzen Trapper, at Bowery on March 29th. most of the crowd wasn't there to see Fleet Foxes so there were a lot of rude talking-the-whole-time people to deal with, unfortunately. still, they put on a great show even though the lead vocalist (the one who sits down most of the time) had the flu. i missed their opener, Ola Podrida, again, unfortunately.
saw Love is All headline Bowery back on June 16th. they were really cool and sounded great. they played 3 new songs off their new album that still hasn't been released yet. i really loved the new songs.
here is a snippet of one that i recorded at the show:
also, Versus reunited and opened for them. absolutely loved their set. they remind me so much of the early 90s and The Pixies. i missed the Crystal Stilts that performed before them, heard they put on a good show that night too.
saw Shearwater a few days later at MHoW on the 19th. Frog Eyes opened for them. both shows were really good. i bought a tshirt from each band and the last Shearwater 7" they had. i missed the first opener, Evangelicals. that seems to be a running theme with me lately, missing the first band of three that play a show. i need to get on this and get to shows earlier.
a bit of Shearwater:
saw Fleet Foxes open up for this very terrible band, Blitzen Trapper, at Bowery on March 29th. most of the crowd wasn't there to see Fleet Foxes so there were a lot of rude talking-the-whole-time people to deal with, unfortunately. still, they put on a great show even though the lead vocalist (the one who sits down most of the time) had the flu. i missed their opener, Ola Podrida, again, unfortunately.
saw Love is All headline Bowery back on June 16th. they were really cool and sounded great. they played 3 new songs off their new album that still hasn't been released yet. i really loved the new songs.
here is a snippet of one that i recorded at the show:
also, Versus reunited and opened for them. absolutely loved their set. they remind me so much of the early 90s and The Pixies. i missed the Crystal Stilts that performed before them, heard they put on a good show that night too.
saw Shearwater a few days later at MHoW on the 19th. Frog Eyes opened for them. both shows were really good. i bought a tshirt from each band and the last Shearwater 7" they had. i missed the first opener, Evangelicals. that seems to be a running theme with me lately, missing the first band of three that play a show. i need to get on this and get to shows earlier.
a bit of Shearwater:
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
i forgot to write about some shows from the past few months...
i went to see Jens Lekman on October 28th at the new Music Hall of Williamsburg. the venue is really nice, maybe "too nice." also, all the bouncers/ticket takers/bartenders were super nice and funny, maybe "too nice and funny." the whole place makes me skeptical. i tried to picture the old Northsix set up. it was easy to do. the new layout is much better. there are more places to lean-n-stand and be a wallflower. but the chairs in the balcony (there were so many chairs) make too-loud fart sounds when you scoot them around. also, it's sweet that they kept the bleachers idea in the way-back balcony area as sort of an homage. there's a bar on every floor, and it kind of reminds me of Bowery's layout. it was so clean and nice that it made me feel like i was in a restaurant. i felt hungry for hot wings and french fries and burritos.
Jens was so charismatic and funny. it was an intimate fun solo show. he's less Swedish than i imagined. he seems very approachable and normal, down to earth. so cute. he played with just this older typically Swedish-looking woman on bongos and percussion, and he had just a guitar attached to a looping pedal. he messed up with the pedal a bit and told the crowd, "i'm new with this...i'm no Andrew Bird." when he said this, mentioning Andrew Bird like that, it made him seen so not Swedish for some reason. like, i saw him in this different light (it would've been cooler if he said Owen Pallett though...). i'm surprised the show wasn't sold out. i was in a really good mood too, i had a great view cos i got there early to scope out the new venue. he played a Paul Simon song, the one where Chevy Chase was in the video that was played on Vh1 ad nauseam in the 80s. Lens stage banter was perfect. also, there was audience participation, but it wasn't forced. vocal harmonizing that Jens set-up, the typical hand claps, but he brought a bag of those weird black long seed pods you see hanging from trees or on the ground around this time of year. he had never seen them before and called them little bananas. people passed the bag around and shook the pods but you could barely hear the seeds rattling inside. he made a funny comment on how that was a mistake, he thought they'd have more sound, he shook one rhythmically up to the microphone, but you heard nothing. later these annoying people showed up and sat near me. they were a buzzkill. like the girl screamed out, i want to have your baby! is that the new "i love you"? cos i hear it all the time now. how horrible. how banal. it's weird cos it forces you, the listener at a show, to picture the artist you came to hear burdened with offspring. and the offspring of a dickhead girl with a shitty shrill drunken voice, no less. i picture this fetal alcohol syndrome crying baby with a red face, probably autistic or with mild downs, and Jens, poor Jens....he has to tour incessantly to pay for this baby. he rarely writes new material and if he does it's sad and about mistakes one makes with their wiener on a rooftop in Brooklyn on a cold October night after a few too many Red Stripes. but buck up Jens! cos you said back to the screaming fan who interrupted your witty stage banter, "but i'm not ready yet," with a straight face. the crowd laughs. "maybe one day though........i think i would make a good parent," he remarks in his poetic and earnest way of talking, like he's telling just himself this fact, not a crowded, "too nice" music venue.
then i saw Film School at Mercury on October 24th. i love them. i don't care how uncool it is to love them. i also love Mercury Lounge. Land of Talk, another band i love, was supposed to perform too, but they had problems at the Canadian border. ugh, this has been the year of bands stuck at borders. missing shows. rescheduling. damn band terrorists. they played again the next night and then at Maxwell's (prob the best venue, crowd, sound, everything in the area) but i didn't get out to those shows. i can't remember, i was either too depressed or broke, or the weather was shite.
on November 8th, seeing Viva Voce at Union Hall was a bit of a disappointment and here's why...
i don't like them enough to see them perform live, but Liv "put me on the list" and how could i turn down a free show?? the drum kit was up front and it was just too loud. the female guitarist had bad fashion sense but her guitar playing looked and sounded impressive. i left after a about five songs, it just wasn't my thing. BUT i really liked the openers, Pseudosix, and i'm kicking myself for not supporting them and buying an album or EP or something. the way the lead singer's faced looked when he sang reminded me of Jeremy Enigk from the SDRE days, like in that video for Seven. that's the number thing that stuck out in my mind and made the night seem not so bad.
i went to see Jens Lekman on October 28th at the new Music Hall of Williamsburg. the venue is really nice, maybe "too nice." also, all the bouncers/ticket takers/bartenders were super nice and funny, maybe "too nice and funny." the whole place makes me skeptical. i tried to picture the old Northsix set up. it was easy to do. the new layout is much better. there are more places to lean-n-stand and be a wallflower. but the chairs in the balcony (there were so many chairs) make too-loud fart sounds when you scoot them around. also, it's sweet that they kept the bleachers idea in the way-back balcony area as sort of an homage. there's a bar on every floor, and it kind of reminds me of Bowery's layout. it was so clean and nice that it made me feel like i was in a restaurant. i felt hungry for hot wings and french fries and burritos.
Jens was so charismatic and funny. it was an intimate fun solo show. he's less Swedish than i imagined. he seems very approachable and normal, down to earth. so cute. he played with just this older typically Swedish-looking woman on bongos and percussion, and he had just a guitar attached to a looping pedal. he messed up with the pedal a bit and told the crowd, "i'm new with this...i'm no Andrew Bird." when he said this, mentioning Andrew Bird like that, it made him seen so not Swedish for some reason. like, i saw him in this different light (it would've been cooler if he said Owen Pallett though...). i'm surprised the show wasn't sold out. i was in a really good mood too, i had a great view cos i got there early to scope out the new venue. he played a Paul Simon song, the one where Chevy Chase was in the video that was played on Vh1 ad nauseam in the 80s. Lens stage banter was perfect. also, there was audience participation, but it wasn't forced. vocal harmonizing that Jens set-up, the typical hand claps, but he brought a bag of those weird black long seed pods you see hanging from trees or on the ground around this time of year. he had never seen them before and called them little bananas. people passed the bag around and shook the pods but you could barely hear the seeds rattling inside. he made a funny comment on how that was a mistake, he thought they'd have more sound, he shook one rhythmically up to the microphone, but you heard nothing. later these annoying people showed up and sat near me. they were a buzzkill. like the girl screamed out, i want to have your baby! is that the new "i love you"? cos i hear it all the time now. how horrible. how banal. it's weird cos it forces you, the listener at a show, to picture the artist you came to hear burdened with offspring. and the offspring of a dickhead girl with a shitty shrill drunken voice, no less. i picture this fetal alcohol syndrome crying baby with a red face, probably autistic or with mild downs, and Jens, poor Jens....he has to tour incessantly to pay for this baby. he rarely writes new material and if he does it's sad and about mistakes one makes with their wiener on a rooftop in Brooklyn on a cold October night after a few too many Red Stripes. but buck up Jens! cos you said back to the screaming fan who interrupted your witty stage banter, "but i'm not ready yet," with a straight face. the crowd laughs. "maybe one day though........i think i would make a good parent," he remarks in his poetic and earnest way of talking, like he's telling just himself this fact, not a crowded, "too nice" music venue.
then i saw Film School at Mercury on October 24th. i love them. i don't care how uncool it is to love them. i also love Mercury Lounge. Land of Talk, another band i love, was supposed to perform too, but they had problems at the Canadian border. ugh, this has been the year of bands stuck at borders. missing shows. rescheduling. damn band terrorists. they played again the next night and then at Maxwell's (prob the best venue, crowd, sound, everything in the area) but i didn't get out to those shows. i can't remember, i was either too depressed or broke, or the weather was shite.
on November 8th, seeing Viva Voce at Union Hall was a bit of a disappointment and here's why...
i don't like them enough to see them perform live, but Liv "put me on the list" and how could i turn down a free show?? the drum kit was up front and it was just too loud. the female guitarist had bad fashion sense but her guitar playing looked and sounded impressive. i left after a about five songs, it just wasn't my thing. BUT i really liked the openers, Pseudosix, and i'm kicking myself for not supporting them and buying an album or EP or something. the way the lead singer's faced looked when he sang reminded me of Jeremy Enigk from the SDRE days, like in that video for Seven. that's the number thing that stuck out in my mind and made the night seem not so bad.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
if i don't find it this time
last night i went to see PJ Harvey at The Beacon Theatre. it was perfect. just her and 2 beautiful guitars and a piano and keyboard and beatbox thing and cymbals and some echoy and grungey distortion pedals. wow, hearing her voice live! there is nothing like it. and she had these really cool sexy black strappy high heels and that dress from the White Chalk album cover. but the dress now has words and things stitched/sewn on it a bit, and what looked like spray paint. i could make out the words, "like" and "grow" and maybe some numbers near her neck? her in-between songs banter was good too, not too much and not corny, but just enough to seem polite and happy and witty with still remaining mysterious. i was so glad she played My Beautiful Leah. a week ago i listened to that song thinking, this is one song i bet i'll never hear her play live cos it'd be too hard to recreate. she did and it was so fucking good, better even. i never knew PJ Harvey was such an amazing performer as this. the time flew by, you'd get lost in every song, watching her, listening.....and the audience really wanted a second encore. everything seemed flawless and i was even able to block out the psycho yelling fans.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
you trust your insight
September 25th i saw Bat For Lashes at Bowery. it was a great sounding show. they're an all girl band. it's pretty much all about the lead singer, Natasha Khan. i think i read somewhere that she used to be an elementary school teacher in the UK. i thought about that while i was watching the show stand-leaning over the plastic barrier covering the soundboard pit in the balcony. i'm pretty sure i love every song on the album and the band sounded just as good live. the tracks eerily sounded exactly as they do on the album (which is a bit unusual, i think.) anyway, a lot of male bloggers are panning them....such dicks. they don't get it. i would kill to be in a band like that. is it music made by girls for girls only? i want to see NK on the cover of Bust then. no, fuck that, i want to see her on the cover of my magazine.
October 1st i saw Animal Collective at Webster Hall. i've never really gotten into them before, but this last album as a whole really made an impression on me. also, having Vampire Weekend as an opener sealed the deal (even though i didn't check out Okkervil River a few nights before cos Webster Hall is a shitastic venue for sound and reasonably priced drinks.) maybe if O.R. had a better opener, i would've gone. it heard it was a great show too. anyway, i really enjoyed Vampire Weekend but after awhile their songs sounded exactly the same. Animal Collective sounded good and the main singer guy had a lot of energy and passion, but after an hour into their set i got tired of standing. i craved lemonade and fresh air. something else i dislike about that venue is how stagnant the air is. smells like despair and fog machine smoke. when i got outside, no one was around except some people milling about at the VIP entrance/exit. when i passed by i glanced at a lot of familiar faces....mostly Brooklyn bands like Grizzly Bear and whatnot. BKLYN bands hooking each other up.
man, i gave no insight whatsoever to their performances other than a "good" and an "enjoyed." here's David Byrne writing something a lot better than what you just read--picture him typing.
October 1st i saw Animal Collective at Webster Hall. i've never really gotten into them before, but this last album as a whole really made an impression on me. also, having Vampire Weekend as an opener sealed the deal (even though i didn't check out Okkervil River a few nights before cos Webster Hall is a shitastic venue for sound and reasonably priced drinks.) maybe if O.R. had a better opener, i would've gone. it heard it was a great show too. anyway, i really enjoyed Vampire Weekend but after awhile their songs sounded exactly the same. Animal Collective sounded good and the main singer guy had a lot of energy and passion, but after an hour into their set i got tired of standing. i craved lemonade and fresh air. something else i dislike about that venue is how stagnant the air is. smells like despair and fog machine smoke. when i got outside, no one was around except some people milling about at the VIP entrance/exit. when i passed by i glanced at a lot of familiar faces....mostly Brooklyn bands like Grizzly Bear and whatnot. BKLYN bands hooking each other up.
man, i gave no insight whatsoever to their performances other than a "good" and an "enjoyed." here's David Byrne writing something a lot better than what you just read--picture him typing.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Sleepaway Camp
Angela's Theme by Frankie Vinci
yousendit mp3 file
Mr Middle, Frank did the three songs for the first Sleepaway Camp including what has been considered from silly to sublime, "You're Just What I've Been Looking For" (Angela's Theme). Ever wonder what it's like to make disco music for an 80's slasher? We caught up when I put him through the SCF routine. "I never knew there were so much sequels", he says. more...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
that man's a balloon
last night i saw The National at Bowery. the first night of five sold out shows. i thought it might be boring. it wasn't. very dynamic, they'd play a mellow new song then something like Abel or Mr. November where the lead singer would wail. i thought i'd get to hear Friend of Mine, i had that one song in my head all day looking forward to the concert. i bought a 7 inch at the show for $2 that was made just for these five nights. i didn't know until on the way home when i opened it up. nice surprise. anyway, missed the openers unfortunately, The Broken West.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
last night i went to see Final Fantasy and Beirut at Bowery Ballroom. the concert was sold out but i found a nice girl to sell me a ticket on CL. the show was so good. i got there early to get a prime viewing spot in the balcony. at one point during the encore there were 22 people on stage. i came close to taking pictures, but i was too wrapped up in enjoying it. i bought a FF 7"...cos i need a souvenir of the night. during Owen Pallett's set i was struck with an idea. one that combines art and music. one that will be so great and unique in the beginning, but could easily turn shitty due to greed and capitalism. anyway, the show was so amazing. it's my third time to see FF and first (and not last) of Beirut. AND i got this great idea that is now driving me to do something more in NYC than taking bad jobs in stuffy offices.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Friday, May 4, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
study suggests human immunity to bird flu possible
i'm in Nashville for the week. last night i saw Brazilbilly at Robert's Western World.
Basil Henriques And The Waikiki Islanders--sleepwalk
yousendit mp3 file
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
world's oldest newspaper goes digital
Blues Magoos--(we ain't got) nothin' yet
yousendit mp3 file
Blues Magoos--ad for Great Shakes
yousendit mp3 file
Monday, February 5, 2007
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Saturday, February 3, 2007
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