Interpol NY!



Interpol will play 2 sets at Hammerstein Ballroom November 11th and 12th with The Secret Machines! Tickets go on sale to the public September 11 @ 9 AM. Set your alarms now.

Rough 24 hours

Since last night, I've:

*Poked myself in the eye with a screwdriver
*Had a permanent Sharpie explode all over myself at work, making a mess and giving me a headache
*Got slammed hard by the closing subway doors
*Pinched my finger badly with my keychain
*Ordered a cleaning lady to come tomorrow...Forgetting I have no cash to leave her cause I lost my ATM card.

Not to mention I was at work till 7, yet I still barely dented the work I need to do...How does this happen? And how does the city just DIE when the Repugs come to town...It's like they drive away all the culture and life in this place...It's midnight after the first day of classes at NYU, and the Central Village streets are DEAD...The only sound I hear outside is the distant rumble of a helicopter propeller...I mean where the fuck am I? Is this a dream?

I think I'm gonna drag myself to the Wrens tomorrow night at Bowery just so I don't have to sit here again getting depressed about the state of the city. I like The Wrens...and I've never seen them before. It'll be good I think.

Poor 50

Jeez, show a little respect...if you don't like an act, go to a different stage...nobody should get treated like that unless they directly and intentionally disrespect the crowd...it's just mean spirited and, honestly, makes the crowd look a bit racialist.

I also read that The White Stripes covered Maps?????? That's fantastic. When are they going back on tour?

A Weekend of Bests



I dunno why I'm so goddamn tired today...got a good night sleep, woke up regular time...dont get it. Anyway...had to fight through throngs of republicans this morning to get to work today...I'm already so sick of cowboy hats and American Flag shirts...They all look so smug...greedy, evil and ignorant the all of them.

Anywhoo...Friday I took a day off to sleep in and relax...Met some friends and went to go see Hero, which is prolly the best movie I've seen all year? I dunno what else I've seen in recent memory...but it's about as good as a movie can be in every aspect...story, visuals, action, love, politics and morals...just amazingly well done...I urge everybody to go see it in the theatres soon...

That night we went to Popeyes chicken on 13th and 1st to get some takeout, which is so much better than KFC. Service with a smile as well...Our friendly counter lady, in one of the most classic fast food moments of all time, not only told us upon entry that we had 4 minutes to order before she was "clocking the fuck out"...but proceeded to call some guy in the kitchen a "fucking homo" for not sending a biscuit up when she asked. It seriously felt like a skit from the Chapelle show. Bravo, Popeye, for keeping you hiring standards so low to the point of amusement. The Chicken was top notch, however.

That night we went to the dark room, which is a very nice bar, albeit actually a little too dark for my tastes...good music, nice crowd...can't complain.

Saturday was moving in day for the NYUers...and if there's one arrival Central Village residents dread more than the GOP, it's the new crop of freshman...wearing their "Class of 2008" T-shirts carrying books and posters and whatever. It was significantly less chaotic than last year, but the presence was noticeable. The highlight of the day was my Ashley Olsen sighting with parents and some brother/boyfriend character heading west down 10th st. Best sighting of the year.

Saturday night I had another great meal at Grand Setzuan...the new Chinese restaurant on St. Marks bet. 2nd and 3rd. Perhaps best Chinese meal I've ever eaten...Does not travel very well for delivery, but if you want Chinese food in the hood...it's the best, hands down. My favorite part is that all the waiters inexplicably wear these Chinese red army uniforms...weird, but fun.

Later on we went to Lit for a bit, and when when the rest of the crowd wanted to head back and play poker, I hopped into a cab and met up with my old college roommate and some of his friends at this miserable bar/club called One across the street from Pastis. I will give them credit for hiring one of the most wonderful bathroom attendants I've ever experienced...but thats about it.

Sunday was a big Chinese day...ordered Chinese for lunch and dinner, and watched Infernal Affairs and Shaolin Soccer. That night we watched a disappointing 6 feet and pretty bad Entourage...all the while keeping tabs on the VMAs...

Let me say first of all that it was the Worst VMAs ever...No host...No stage(???)...No A-Listers...No buzz...Best part was the emergence of my new favorite hip hop style...Conservative-looking suits...Kanye and Big Boi looked badass...bling and throwbacks are done...keep it professional.

Nothing nothing really doing this week...except for the US Open Thursday night...Something usually comes up tho.

A Nice Day for a Day Off

I stayed home today...cause I'm gonna be going into work all next week, and I wanted a lil three day weekend before all the madness and calamity of the RNC comes to town. I realized last night after all the work was done that I'd really just be missing a lot of champagne drinking and cake eating to celebrate the last day of one of our lawyers, as well as the completion of our reports...but still...it's nice to be able to sleep in and bum around on a Friday...

This Christina Barat-Casablancas blog is gone as fast as it arrived. By the time I woke up, all the pictures were down due to bandwidth whatnot, and once Gawker got to it, the whole thing disappeared. I'm leaning towards it being real, actually...mostly because she's been doing it for quite a while...if you checked the archives, it went back to April or May...and it stays pretty consistent with the whole schitck...That's a long time to pretend you're somebody interesting without anybody caring if you ask me...but who knows...now maybe we never will.

This weekend I will most likely go see The Bravery at Mercury...basically because I'm curious how they've improved since the Bowery set...In my mind, they took a step or two back that night...hopefully the lure of a major record deal will inspire them to tighten their shit up a bit...

Hero is getting rave reviews...and I think I'm gonna make it to this one...maybe this afternoon...tho prolly not the most ideal way to spend a beautiful day off in waning days of summer...

Without even noticing, I've become quite a Hong Kong/Chinese movie fan...Looking through my DVDs last night, I realized I have quite a collection...Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Killer, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow I and II, Crouching Tiger, the Infernal Affairs Trilogy and, most recently, Shaolin Soccer. These are all amazing movies...yet I never thought of myself as a huge fan of the genre...it's sneaky...That's how good they are.

I've been looking for a good way to play my iPod in my living room...and as much as I want it to, this prolly isn't gonna do the trick. The remote is nice, but are those speakers gonna be able to fill a room? Guess I'll have to wait and see a review...

Finally, in an amazing coincidence, my college homecoming is the same weekend as the Pearl Jam/Death Cab show in Reading, Pennsylvania...which means prolly no RJD2 that Saturday night in Brooklyn, but a much more convenient set of circumstances regarding PJ/DCFC...The first 14 days in October, with the addition of Kings Of Leon, the Beasties and the CMJ stuff, will be an unreal and unprecedented run of shows...I hope I'll be able to make it to them all.

Kings for a Day...



Been amazingly busy all day, but I finally got a lil break. Anyway...noticed that Kings of Leon are playing Bowery on October 6th, and tickets are on sale now.

I saw them play at Oxegen not really being that big a fan, but they ended up one of my favorite sets of the whole weekend. They sound great live, and the new songs (at least the ones I didn't recognize from the album) were some of the best.

Expect them to really blow up in the coming months...they've got this familiar, yet unique "classic rock" sound that appeals to the Bonnaroo crowd as much as the Glastonbury set. I strongly recommend checking them out at Bowery while they're still playing relatively small venues...Especially cause Rolling Stone is already yacking about their new album that won't be out till January...the buzz will only get louder from here.

Not just for idiots anymore...

Sorry about all the random Green Day news of late...but this is pretty interesting...

Apparently their new album is an anti-Bush political Rock Opera????? And two of the tracks are five part Operettas????? According to NME, the album "details the alienation and disillusionment of the American citizen under Bush’s post-War On Terror administration"

Holy Crap...now that bizz about them only playing their new album at the Irving show is a lot more interesting...

CentralVillage is most interested in part 2 of the "Homecoming" Operetta, entitled "East 12th St."...obvious reasons, of course...No word on whether or not it chronicles an evening at Gotham followed by 40s of Old English in the basement of Le Q...The riveting duality of the late 90's Central Village youth...

Here’s the track list:

• ’American Idiot’
• ’Jesus Of Suburbia’ (‘Jesus Of Suburbia’, ‘City Of The Damned’, ‘I Don’t Care’, ‘Dearly Beloved’, ‘Tales Of Another Broken Home’)
• ’Holiday’
• ’Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’
• ’Are We The Waiting’
• ’St Jimmy’
• ’Give Me Novocaine’
• ’She’s A Rebel’
• ’Extraordinary Girl’
• ’Letterbomb’
• ’Wake Me Up When September Ends’
• ’Homecoming’ (‘The Death Of St Jimmy’, ‘’East 12th St’, ‘Nobody Likes You’, ‘Rock and Roll Girlfriend’, ‘We’re Coming Home’)
• ’Whatsername’

Would that it were...


*Looked like a great interview on the Daily Show last night with Kerry...Sorry I missed it...

*Saw Rachael Yamagata last night...with a guy named David Berkley opening for her...He was like a much more talented John Mayer...I wish I had heard of him sophomore year in college when that kind of shit was all the rage...He was very very good. Yammers was terrific as well...On stage, she adds a stunning amount of emotion to her songs. I was totally sucked in. Don't think I've ever been more attracted to someone despite having no clue what she actually looks like...between the lights and her bangs, I honestly couldn't tell...and she was no more than 15 feet away from me...wild...and unbelievably sexy...yes.

*One caveat...the food at the Time Cafe is as bad as advertised...I didn't have time to eat before the show, so I grabbed something from the kitchen upstairs between sets...and It was really not good at all...I realize I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to eating, but I was expecting a mediocre meal I could deal with...and it was literally like airplane food with larger portions...so bad.

*Got Beastie Boys tickets this morning...but I'm still very confused on how the layout is gonna be...are there floor seats? Or is it gonna be a pit? Center stage or end stage setup? Either way I'm very happy with my seats, but if they bring back the old school center stage setup, I'll be perfect from where I sit.

*Speaking of uber-talented hip hop groups who went to private school in Brooklyn Heights...Nuclear Family is playing one of their biggest Manhattan sets ever at Mercury Lounge tonite...If you don't have any plans, come check them out...If you do have plans, work them around seeing these guys...It'll be the late set (11:15) and they are well worth it. I honestly can't say enough good things about them. Go check out their website and listen to some of their songs...Then come out tonight...and enjoy.

Central Village's own...

The Beastie Boys are playing the Garden on October 9th...I can think of about 100 places I'd rather see them, but I guess this is as good as it gets these days...Presale tomorrow at 10...Thighs says the password is "trouble"...


Just remember...they won't be doing this forever...so catch them while you still can.

Fun!



Pitchfork today has posted the upcoming tour dates for the band The Advantage.

These guys combine two of my favorite things growing up...videogames and gimmicks. They are an 8-bit Nintendo cover band, and apparently they pull it off incredibly well...

Their website looks like a Nintendo game before you blew in it...but it does have some MP3's to download...which is great...Here's the music from Double Dragon II...

The Advantage - Double Dragon II

Anyway...they are playing 2 shows in New York in November...one at The Knitting Factory on the 6th and one at Northsix on the 7th...I think it'll be fun. For a lot of us growing up...this was the soundtrack of our afterschool existence...each song brings back countless memories...If they pull it off as well as advertised, it should be a real trip.

"Beach Side Property" at the OC?...




The OC is back on my radar...

Modest Mouse, Killers, Walkmen To Guest Star On 'The O.C.'

Say what?

That's awesome...Even tho I've heard the rumors already...I'm actually more excited about The Walkmen spoiler about two characters who kiss and run off...Who is it??? Ryan and Marissa?? Theresa and Eddie?? Marissa and Oliver?? Summer and someone other than Seth?? Oh man...Haven't thought about this stuff in ages!

Anyway, regarding the music...it's nice to see that they're doing something to get bands like this more exposure...ya know...not totally unknown bands, but bands that, tho at different stages of their careers, are all are kinda working their way up the same path...
Great move, Schwartzie...Incorporating my favorite music into my favorite TV show is about as good as it gets these days...Lil things like this should keep me going till October 26th...

Sunday Notes...

*Really quiet weekend...went to bed early Friday night cause I was exhausted and had to go into work Saturday...that night, a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a while came over, and we drank a bottle of vintage Veuve and a six-pack of Mikes Hard Lemonade...after that we just decided just to stay in and watch Muholland Drive (she'd never seen it before). Was fun. Didn't make it out to Sea Ray...but maybe next time...

*This week will be a rough one for me at work...but it'll all be over Thursday...

*Tomorrow I was going to go to Spice Market for an early Dinner, but I will not be able to make it...a shame.

*Tuesday I will do everything in my power to get off work in time to catch Rachael Yamagata at the Fez...I haven’t been there since I was like 17 with a fake ID...used to go to see these guys called Synapse...which was Ari Hest's band while he was at Horace Mann...way back when he was just a rich, Jewish kid at an NYC prep school...and way before he was selling out Bowery Ballroom and making other rich Jewish NYC prep school girls swoon...

*Wednesday I will be at the Nuclear Family jawn at Mercury Lounge...This is really big for them, and I hope a lot of people come out to check them out...I will have more on them later this week.

*I dunno what the fuck I'm doing Thursday, but it's gonna be raucous, cause all this crazy work shit is gonna be over, and I'm gonna try and take Friday off...

*Friday night I may check out Rana at Mercury Lounge...I dunno what they sound like these days, but my freshmen year in college, I used to watch them jam in the basement of their off campus house...and they used to pull out an incredible cover of the Legend of Zelda theme song...that was a long time ago, however...prolly still pretty good.

*Then Saturday The Bravery are at Mercury Lounge...always a fun show...but next weekend is getting ahead of myself...I gotta get through this week first...

*I might be getting a little bit of webspace to host MP3's soon...this will do wonders to my "What am I listening to" section...letting me not have to rely on bands hosting their own shit...hopefully I'll get this set up before Wednesday, so I can put up some NukFam shit to get y'all excited to come check them out.

*BTW...I read that the Green Day show at Irving is just gonna be a play through of the new album...interesting, but not the nostalgia-fest I was maybe looking forward to...Tickets go on sale Sept. 17th at noon...4 days before the show itself.

Finally, I don't read his shit all that often, but Greg the Boyfriend gave a simple, yet dead-on explanation for the allure of New York to the rest of the world...

here is the deal. Magazines are written in New York. Most of them. So. They hire people. Those people write. They write about what they know. Which is New York. The magazine then gets read across the country. What is in magazines is what is hip. So then when someone from New York is like, I just did suchandsuch with soandso, a non-New York person is like, "Whoa!" I just saw that in a magazine.

Makes sense to me...

My Supergroup...and Sondre at Southpaw...

On the Gothamist "Sets in the City" interviews, they always ask the artists what their ideal supergroup is...and the artists usually balk at the question and give either a sarcastic answer or avoid it somehow...but I like it, and was thinking who I'd pick...This is what I came up with from what I'm listening to at the moment...

Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) - Vocals
Matt Bellamy (Muse) - Vocals/Guitar/Piano
Carlos D (Interpol) - Bass
I forget his name...(The Bravery)...Lead Guitar
Gary Libertines - Drums

At this show, by the way, I'd have RJD2 and DJ Snafu (NukFam) battle it out before and after the set...cause that'd be fun too.

Is that too obvious a list? Well..it's a SUPERgroup...so I'm not picking some obscure guy who plays the 8:00 set at Luna...I'm picking superstars...

See...that was fun...now your turn...

Also, I learned from BrooklynVegan that Sondre Lerche is playing one of my favorite venues in NY, Southpaw, on Oct. 19 for only $10...Tickets are on sale now...and the place is pretty small, so expect it to sell out fast. Sondre plays nice music...

It's the weekend...




I normally don't post anything on Saturdays, but I'm up...and I have to go into work today...so here's something...

Slunt, The female fronted, raunch-rock outfit led by my lovely and talented photographer/MTV VJ cousin, Abby Gennet, is playing a set at the Delancey tonite...so if that sounds like your kind of thing, go check um out. They are a fun band to watch...Think of them more like a chick-led, punkier Darkness, and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

Slunt - The Best Thing

I, however, will not be there tonight...Most likely going to check out Sea Ray and +/- (Plus/Minus) at Mercury lounge. From the songs I've heard off their websites, (and I may be way off with this...)Sea Ray sounds like Interpol meets Death Cab...and Plus/Minus sounds like Interopl meets Postal Service...Should be interesting...(UPDATE: Listened to more...and yeah...way off...still very good tho)

Sea Ray - Revelry

+/- - Suprise!

By the way...Here's what I'll be doing all day while waiting for my copy sets to be made:
TRASH-THROWING SIM

Enjoy.

Razorlight Burn

Pitchfork finally got around to trashing Razorlight's debut album...Calling it "this year's worst band ever."

After returning from England and Ireland, and hearing a lot of people talking about these guys, I got caught up in the Euro-Buzz ordered a copy off the internet...My initial impressions were generally positive to be perfectly honest, but the album for me quickly grew old and forgotten about. I still think Golden Touch is an above average pop song (Still lingering on the infrequently updated "What I'm Listening to Now" section), and the title track "Up All Night" still gets a listen every once in a while...Besides that tho the album is a dud. I'm well aware that negative Razorlight buzz isn't news to most people here...but coming across this review reminded me I wanted to put in my piece. If anyone's still curious to check them out, they'll be playing an early set (overrated British band trend?) at Sin-e on Sept 21.

Morrissey in New York

As I'm sure you've already read via Stereogum...

Morrissey
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
October 9 & 10, Radio City Music Hall
Tickets on sale September 10 @ NOON EST.

This was just about the best show I've seen all year...Easily top 5...I saw the Shins open for him at the beginning of the summer at the Apollo, and he was really really great. Go see him now, before he falls off the face of the earth again.

UPDATE: and Rilo Kiley Too

Tickets also just went on sale for Rilo Kiely at Bowery 10/7 and 10/8:

$15
8:00
Rilo Kiley
Now It's Overhead
Tilly and The Wall

Buy them HERE

UPDATE II: I also just read confirmation that .Hope of the States will be in town for CMJ Oct. 14...Venue is unknown as of now, but I'd put my money on a return to Bowery, since there is nobody scheduled for that day...I've regretted missing them in Ireland, and then again when they were in town last month. Their CD is fantastic, and I'll be looking forward to finally seeing them live

Drat

MoveOn screwed me...I click the presale the second 10:00 rolls around, and I'm already told there are no more tickets available...How the fuck does this happen?? Did they just run out of tickets with the fan club presale yesterday? Are there even gonna be any left for tomorrow when they go on sale to the public? So curious what went wrong...Guess I'll get up and try again tomorrow morning...

The Balance Beam is Boring...



But the rest of girls gymnastics rocks...is there a better name in sports than Courtney McCool??? Nope. I like the other Courtney best, tho.

That tall Russian...Svetlana Khorkina...BAD ASS...She does her thing...no sparkles, no smiles...looks like she is too old to still be doing this shit, and just wants to get it over with...Nasty.

I accidentally saw that one of the American girls won while flipping around on ESPN.com...I'm pretty sure which one it was, but I'm trying to fool myself into thinking it's still up in the air...

So this is what I'm doing for my Thursday night...Tricking myself into being excited about girls gymnastics...whatever.

It was another busy and late night at work...Didn't make it to Guided By Voices...but I was remembered going to see them a few years ago at Irving Plaza and not really enjoying it all that much...Would have liked to have given them one last chance to impress, but it's not the end of the world. It is, however, about the 15th time I've meant to go check out Ambulance Ltd and not made it...it seems like they play a free show in New York every other week, so I'm sure I'll catch them again sooner or later. Their CD is surprisingly persistent. Perfect music to listen to at work...pleasant, not too abrasive and consistently good...I feel the same way with The Elected's CD...liked both cds a lot when I bought them, but wouldn't have guessed they'd have this kind of staying power in my ever expanding rotation.

Looks like Sufjan is gonna be a No-Go tomorrow night...toughest ticket in town apparently...Too bad. I'll have to act faster next time.

Tomorrow @ 10AM the MoveOn presale for the Pearl-Jam/Death Cab show in Reading...I know it's a tiny arena they're playing, so it's doubtful there's a bad seat in the house...I just hope the Ten Club heads didn't take all the floor seats already.

That’s all for now...After the last few days, I'll need a night out tomorrow...

It's way too late...

Alas, work did not stop till 10:45...and hitting up Elkland was out of the question...I have no doubt they'll be around soon enough...and the idea of cramming into Pianos after a long day at work isn't ideal, but it would have been worth it to see these guys...oh well.

I got my MoveOn.org e-mail today about advance tickets for all those Concerts For Change shows floating around the middle of the country...Pre-sales begin tomorrow, and are staggered throughout next week...If you happen to be in the area, all these shows are worth attending, so if you're not on the mailing list, keep your eyes open for when they go on sale to the public. Here's a recap of the lineups:

Jackson Browne / Bonnie Raitt / Keb' Mo'
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band / R.E.M. / Bright Eyes
Dixie Chicks / James Taylor
Pearl Jam / Death Cab for Cutie
Dave Matthews Band / Ben Harper / Jurassic 5 / My Morning Jacket

I'm already planning a October 1st trip to Reading, Pa for the Pearl Jam / Death Cab show...Likely the only one I'll be able to make, but if it were more convenient, I'd see them all.

I can't stop listening to the new Rilo Kiley...pretty much non-stop all day at work...They are playing 2 shows at Bowery October 7th and 8th...tickets are not yet on sale.

Sufjan Stevens on Friday night is deceptively sold out...Mercury Lounge doesn't say so on their calendar, but the Ticketweb link says no mas...If anyone has an extra, lemme know...I never think to get tickets ahead of time for bands there...

I've significantly updated my upcoming shows over there on the right...lots of good stuff to see and hear throughout the end of the year...Already looking forward to the Keane, Pearl Jam, Death Cab, RJD2, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers(x2?) and Rilo Kiley(x2?) run over the course of about 10 days...Obviously there's more to come, but I'm content with a solid late summer/early fall outline for the time being.

That's of course not counting the Mega Mid-October 5-headed (and counting) Birthday Blowout that I've yet to actually get in motion...The original plan of having DJ Premier, Phantom Planet and The Strokes may not work out, but I'm sure there's a contingency plan around here somewhere...I'm more of the idea man...not too keen with the logistics.

No one wants to pay to see your happiness...

Libertines were a treat last night...Gary Powell is the best drummer I've ever seen in person...brutal brutal brutal...yet somehow he makes it look so easy...

I christened my new Real music store with a legal, online purchase of the new Rilo Kiley album for friggin $4.99...It's awesome, as everyone else has already said...automatic finalist for album of the year in my mind...such a perfect combination of everything...but the lyrics stand out above all else...get this album now.

Tonight I'm going to Elkland at Pianos if I get off work at a reasonable hour...You should too...they stole the show last month at Bowery Ballroom from The Bravery and Elefant...Big things for these boys in the future...be sure to check out their Gothamist interview too.

Welcome to Paradise...



I just read from my new favorite music blog, brooklynvegan, that Green Day is playing at Irving Plaza September 21st...

I might have to go...in fact I know I have to go...they were my first rock concert ever (save Simon and Garfunkel) at fucking Nassau Coliseum WITH MY PARENTS and a friend from grade school...I got Dookie for free from Chio the Hitman (Z100 DJ) when he MC'd my Bar Mitzvah...I listened to their first 3 albums almost exclusively
throughout 8th grade...ah, the memories are flooding back...

In all seriousness, Green Day (as well as Pearl Jam) are just about the most influential band on top 40 music of the last 10 years...Listen to every song on MTV these days, and you can draw a direct line to one of those two bands...I'm not saying what they influenced is good music...obviously most of the shit that came from them is horrible...but for better or for worse, they had a significant impact on the last decade of popular music...and that means something in the grand scheme of things. I plan on being there...

Here's a review from NY Newsday of the last Green Day concert I went to:

Green Day: Punk Rock With A Sense Of Humor
by Carol Cooper

In other news...I saw a fantastic Libertines set tonight at Bowery. More on that in the morning.

The Real Deal



I, as many of us, grew up hating RealPlayer...it always took over your computer, the sound was bad, it had pop-ups before pop-ups even existed...it completely sucked. It had to take a lot for me to even consider downloading their player on my computer again, but, alas, they have officially redeemed themselves...

First they come out with the groundbreaking and amazing Real Rhapsody, which lets you listen to almost any album in its entirety for a mere $10 a month...Then they figured out a way to get stuff downloaded from their store to work on an iPod...something nobody else has been able to do and at a risk of lawsuit from Apple...Now, they've cut prices of music online to $.49 a song...and half off on albums...They say limited time, so stock up now...

Congratulations Real...you have completely flipped your previously miserable image into my new favorite music source...keep it up!

Real Website
Rhapsody's Website

Killer

Quickly, cause I gots work to do...

*The Killers were great, as always...It's been fun watching Brandon's stage presence develop over the shows I've seen...he really works the crowd and plays the dramatic bit a lot more than he did a few months ago...which is fun. I do wish they played a longer set tho...hopefully when they go on tour to "officially" support the album this fall, they'll throw in the rest of the stuff off the album and maybe a cover or 2...I'd like that.

*re: the girl at Bowery in front of us with the slick Guido boyfriend who switched off between making out with him and covertly grinding her ass all up in my friends junk...what was up with that???

*re: the gay-baiting douchebags outside of Nevada Smiths...I'm not gay...I don't even look all that gay...so how long'd you keep that racket up before some actually gay dude took offense and beat the Speonk out of you?

*Tonight is The Libertines at Bowery. Never seen them...very curious to see what it's like...and what shape the band is in these days. I've been looking forward for a while now, ever since I missed them in Ireland (they were up against Muse...so no regrets there). I hope they still put on a good show.

Thats all for now...

Some call it "West-Central Village"...

The New York Times calls it "The Gold Coast of Greenwich Village"...

"between 9th and 13th Streets, between University Place and Sixth or Seventh Avenue"

So I'll start calling it the Gold Coast as well...I like that...one day I'll draw a map and label all the sub-neighborhoods of my sub-neighborhoods...It'll be fun.

Broken Stage

When I first heard that the Little Steven's Festival was supposed to have a rotating stage, I instantly thought they were going to have a big spinning stage, so that they can set up the next band backstage, then spin them out so there would be no wait...When I got to the festival, there was no such thing, and I thought I was just gullible, taking rotating stage literally...Now, I heard rumblings about a broken stage all day, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together...but it seems like this magical rotating stage DID actually exist, but it broke shortly before I got there...I dunno who's idea it was to bring out that collection of douchebags to keep the crowd warmed up, but it was a bad one...one that kept me, and most likely a lot of other people in attendance from having nearly as good a time as possible...but at least now I know that they didn't go into this thing planning to have them talk like that...which is somewhat refreshing.

With so much drama in the LDN, it's kinda hard tryin to find legal money to spend...

So I woke up this morning to see the New York Times more or less agreed with me regarding Lil Stevens...and I'm not sure how I feel about that...I did have fun all day and it was a great and cheap way to spend an otherwise quiet Saturday...I'd do it again in a second...but it was not without its flaws...

Anyway...this weekend I also gots my hands on the new Dizzee Rascal album, which has totally blown my mind. It is much more listenable than his first album for a casual fan, yet his trademark flow is still retained. I'd already call it one of the best albums of the year...and significantly better than his first album. It'll be out in England at the beginning of next month...so keep your eyes out for a US release date.

The highlight of the album is a song called "Dream". You may have heard it on FluxBlog about a week ago...It's some fun shit...listened to it about 100 times this weekend...and still not sick of it. Some say "most adorable hip-hop song of all time"...I say "Juicy" meets "Hard Knock Life"...you decide:

Dizzee Rascal - Dream (via Fluxblog)

On Sunday I trekked all the way uptown to try and check out Nas...and not taking my own advice, only got there about 30 minutes before the doors opened...needless to say, I didn't come close to getting in, and decided it wasn't worth waiting in the rain to listen...Kinda upset I didn't get to see him, but hopefully there will be a next time.

Six Feet Under was good...always fun to hear the Killers on TV...Entourage was the same...every week I go into that show thinking I hate it, but when it's over I always think it's good...still don't know where this show'll go after this season, but that's not really my problem I guess...Ali G has had 2 off weeks IMO since Borat and his song, but it's still worth watching...The bit at the end with Bruno at the gun show was great.

This it...gonna have a rough next couple of weeks workwise, but hopefully it won't be too bad...Tonight's the Killers and, apparently, The Hong Kong opening...Sure to be a good time. Till lata...

Dizzee, Diddley and The Dictators...

This weekend felt really long...not in a "long weekend" way, but I was up early every day and was doin shit nonstop...Friday seems a long time ago...

Anyway...I was totally prepared to pass out on my couch watching the Olympics opening jawn Friday night...long day at work...got everyone's voicemail when I called...knew others weren't gonna be around...so I kinda conceded staying in..when all of a sudden, in walks a buddy of mine (sans chammers...for the first time on Friday in months) fired up and ready to go meet some of his friends from work and head to Rothko...So I grab the remnants of a vodka bottle off my bar then pick up a can of red bull and a can of Sunkist from the epicurean downstairs...and it was on...

We went to a buddy of his place and hung out to watch the opening ceremonies... after a while we roll out to the bar to see what we can see...

Rest of the night was a bit of a blur...we got to Rothko right after The Soft Explosions were done...which was too bad cause I was looking forward to seeing them...and hung out for a while before I decided to turn in around 3ish so I could get up in the morning for...

Little Stevens Nostalgia Festival...

The day started off great...perfect festival weather, IMO...coolish and overcast, but no rain...but I quickly realized this shit was not made for people like me.

I liked the way the day was set up...with each band playing 2 or 3 songs then running off...It was just enough for me to say, "Oh, I know that song..." and then get ready for the next act...It was pretty amazing that Sil was able to get all these bands back together...but I mean...they all just didn't sound that great anymore. A few points:

*Hey...Kim Fowley and Martin Lewis...Shut the fuck up...seriously...Put on a CD or something between acts if you're worried about "dead air"...if you have nothing to say...don't force it...people can handle 2 minutes of silence from the stage...I swear...By far the most intolerable part of the day...those guys drove me nuts.

*I don't mind the sponsorship stuff at all...Sellout Schmellout...for a $20 ticket, do what you gotta do...It was very welcome for what they were able to put together.

*Y'all didn't have to introduce every band as if they were the the most important band of the last 50 years...I mean the schtick they gave about Pete Best was embarrassing...we know who he is...don't insult our intelligence by making it sound like the Beatles had no cred once he left...We know better.

*My biggest disappointment was that a lot of these bands just don't have it anymore...I was looking forward to seeing Big Star more than almost any other act all day...and they just didn't sound very good...Great band...but sounded like they hadn't played together in 20 years (have they?)...sad.

*The Strokes were depressing...playing in front of a crowd that couldn't care less about them...the band made it clear they were disappointed with the reaction...but there was nothing that could be done...90% of the crowd was there to hear their old favorite bands from when they were young...they don't know The Strokes. It didn't help that Julian looked bored, insisted that nobody wanted to hear them anyway, and went through the motions to get the set done. They clearly have been playing in Europe too long, where everybody loves them and still gets excited about seeing them for the first time...If the rumors are true that they are gonna slum around the Luna Lounges and the Lits for the next few months, it will do wonders for their rep and get people in NY excited for them again.

The two far and away highlights were The Dictators and Bo Diddley. The Dictators were just by far the most exciting and energetic band I saw all day...Handsome Dick Manitoba looked genuinely excited to be on stage in New York, and the result was an awesome set. Bo Diddley was unreal...I had no idea what to expect...but he sang his songs perfectly, and it was a genuine thrill to hear "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man" in their original form. If you ever see him playing a set near you, make a serious effort to check it out. It was an amazing surprise, and he truly made the festival for me.

Anyway...It's late and I'm gonna try and get to bed...I'll finish this shit up tomorrow re: Dizzie Rascal, Nas (or lack thereof) and HBO jabbering. Goodnight.

DECLARE THIS AN EMERGENCY!

I just read that Chris Wolstenholme, bass player for Muse, has broken his wrist, and the band is forced to cancel their final two stops on the Curiosa Tour. Its been a rough summer personally for the band, juxtaposed with an amazing surge of success due to their legendary live sets at festivals around the world. Hopefully Chris won't be out long and the band can soon continue their rise to power.

Extra Pixies Date!!!

After kicking myself for AGAIN not paying attention to the clock when the tickets went on sale and getting burnt on Pixies tickets, i got redirected to a page that said there was an extra date added...Wednesday, December 15th...and I got two tickets on the floor...hurry hurry before they all sell out as well...dunno the opener, but very well may be TV on the Radio...

INSTANT UPDATE:Looks like they added extra dates Saturday and Tuesday as well...Am I late to this?? Did they really sell out 4 out of 5 shows in like 20 minutes?

UPDATE II (1:47): All gone.

A Slow and Spooky Friday the 13th

The office is really quiet today...A little too quiet...

So last night I was a lil squeezed for time getting off work late, so I was unfortunately unable to make it down to Luna Lounge in time to check out The GoStation...I was, however, able to meet up with some friends, and some friends of friends, and check out the lovely and adorable Dawn Landes, who impressed me in so many different ways. I had countless conversations last night trying to explain why I liked her set so much and how she separates herself from the 25345648 other female singer/songwriters out there...but I couldn't put it into words. It's kind of like she does to chick acoustic guitar music what punk did to rock and roll...she keeps it very simple, and from that comes the brutal honesty and tenderness. The sound of a lonely drum backing up an acoustic guitar and a beautiful, yet sometimes troubled and apathetic sounding voice is a wicked combination that keeps your attention and makes you curious to hear what else is there...I know that sounds really lame and cheesy or whatever, but it's really the best way I can think to describe why she is so good. Go see for yourself at Pianos on the 24th...you won't be disappointed.

After my best attempts at getting my friends to drag their friends over to Luna Lounge to come check out Morning Theft, they ultimately decided to stick around The Living Room and catch up on old times...So I walked over by myself to check it out. They played a really strong set to an excited and interested crowd, and I walked out an hour or so later humming their songs that were stuck in my head. A better sign of a good show I don’t know what is.

After that I met back up with the peeps from Dawn's set on the street between Pianos and the Living Room and talked about a bunch of stuff that didn't really involve me...after a while I was tired after a long day so I headed home early. Fun night tho.

Tonight on Ludlow...

Lots of stuff to do in a 2 block radius...

*The GoStation and Morning Theft are playing Luna Lounge at 8:30 and 10:30 respectively...I don't know much about the GoStation, but what I hear off their website is good stuff...Morning Theft is awesome...I've talked about them plenty before...so just go see them if you haven't already...And it's free...So no excuses.

*If you're looking for a quieter evening, Dawn Landes is playing across the street at the living room at 9...I've never been to one of her shows, but her CD and the stuff off her website is really interesting...By that I mean interesting in a worth-checking-out-cause-it-sounds-awesome kinda way...It's plesant acoustic guitar music, but with enough twists to keep fresh and interesting...If you've ever heard Leslie Feist you know what I'm talking about. I'm really looking forward to finally getting a chance to see her do her thing.

*Finally, I hear murmurs of a new bar called the Dark Room opening right across the street tonight...there are pictures on CityRag that make it look like a pretty sweet space...Certainly worth a check.

How fast did the Pixies sell out?

Got to work and was swamped by shit the second I walk in...by 9:45 I remember about the presale, and tried to get 2 for The Mission of Burma show...no luck...then I try to get only one, on a whim, and somehow there was still a ticket left...2nd mezzanine...nothing for the other night...Bad move on their part allowing up to 8 tickets being purchased at a time...Scalpers are gonna have a field day with this...Not sure how I feel about the Second Tier...I've only been on 1st tier and the floor at Hammerstein...I don't think I'll mind being up there for a show like this...kinda stand back and watch from a distance...Especially if I'm gonna end up going by myself...

Mooney Suzuki Pre-Release?

I was just looking around Real Rhapsody for something to listen to this afternoon, and I noticed The Mooney Suzuki's new album, Alive and Amplified is available to listen to and burn...I was under the impression the street date for the CD was still next Tuesday, but apparently Real worked something out to release it early...If you have Rhapsody, you aughta go check it out. I really like what I hear so far...

Also, Check out the band on the soundtrack for the newly released Madden 2005 soundtrack, along with Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, and others.

Hip Hop Wednesday

Why not...Been listening to Biggie and Murs on Rhapsody all morning...thought I'd post about some of the upcoming hip hop shows around the city.

Tonight is the Guitar Center National Spin Off Finals at Hammerstein featuring Talib Kweli and The Roots...at first I was surprised these guys were doing a show and I hadn't heard anything about it...but it looks like they'll come out and do a song or 2, then turn the stage over to the finalists...not that that's a bad thing...since this contest is a pretty big deal, you'll be hearing some of the best unknown DJs do their thing...I may be stuck at work real late, so I might swing by afterwards cause it's right in the work hood.

Sunday afternoon, Nas is doing a free ($10 donation suggested) Summerstage set. If you're around the city, there's literally no excuse to miss this...Even if you hate rap music...this guy is just about the best living rapper around...If you were ever going to go out to see a hip hop show...this would be the one. Get there early cause its first come, first serve. Doors open at 1:30, set starts at 3:00.

I know its a bit in advance, but on August 25th, Nuclear Family (NukFam for short) is headlining a show at Mercury Lounge. I went to High School in Brooklyn with a few of these guys, and they have risen from a novelty "hey, I know those guys" act to a full fledged underground hip-hop powerhouse. DJ Snafu (Jimmy) is one of the most talented and creative DJ's I've ever heard, and the two frontmen, Baje One and Krayola (Mike and Justin) combine some of the smoothest flows around with intelligent and crafty rhymes. No joke...these guys are legit. If you've ever even bobbed your head to a rap song before, you owe it to yourself to come by and check it out. A good time to be had by all.

The Imaginary CentralVillage Music Festival...

First of all...Pixies Presale for Hammerstein tomorrow @ 9AM...The Datsuns or Mission of Burma?

Will prolly come to $50 after charges...but well worth it.

UPDATE: Um...presale's now Thursday I guess...and the openers changed too...

UPDATE II: If you clicked on the links recently, you'd see that they've added the presale password as well, which is "umass"...

Anyway...I was thinking...If I were to promote a weeklong music festival in New York City, what would the lineup look like?? I could only hope for something like this:

*The GoStation/Morning Theft
*Le Tigre/Chromeo/The Shut the Fuck Up!!(Stellastarr*)/The Soft Explosions
*Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival (The Strokes, Iggy and the Stooges, New York Dolls, Mooney Suzuki, Ravonettes, Big Star, etc...)
*Nas
*The Killers
*The Libertines
*Elkland
*Ambulance Ltd/Guided By Voices
*maybe Sufjan Stevens

Starting on Thursday this is my lineup...A perfect blend of all the musical genres I listen to...Some large acts, some small...some heavy stuff, some light...A complete representation of everything I love about music.

A lot of these shows are free, and the most you'll spend for any of them is $20...If you live in New York, do yourself a favor and try and make it out to some of them...You won't regret it.

Gothamist Interview

I'm real busy at work today, but I just got caught up reading the interview with Rob Sacher, Co-Owner of Luna Lounge. It's a really interesting look into the evolution of the New York music scene over the last 10 years and, in turn, the development of the Lower East Side...Worth checking out if you have a few free minutes today...

Franz Ferdinand Snafu

I got an e-mail from Musictoday...the people who did the Franz Ferdinand presale for the Roseland Show. They tell me that they oversold the concert, and I drew the short straw for not getting tickets...Sucks, right? Well...they apparently booked another show for Sunday, October 3rd...and because of the inconvenience, they gave me tickets to that show instead, and refunded me half of the total cost of my purchase...which is an awesome move on their part. Anybody else get this shit as well? So long as the Delays are still gonna open for them on the new date, I'm pretty psyched for saving a few bucks...

Prep is the New Punk

.

So...I was told at the door to Misshapes Saturday night:

"It doesn't matter what list you're on, in the coming weeks we won't be allowing anybody in wearing conservative dress"

Now...I don't think I need to point out the irony of shutting people out of a party that celebrates the differences in the way people look by only allowing people in who all dress a particular way...but whatever.

It costs too much and takes too much effort to look that poor and apathetic...I do my own thing...got no shame in rocking the Biz-Caj on the weekend. (Ironically, of course)

Anyway...Saturday I briefly went to Misshapes with a buddy of mine who was back home for the weekend...we got our money's worth from the open bar and then headed over and met up with some friends in the Lower East Side. From there we hiked back up to the East Village and bounced around a little more, then called it a night...fun, but nothing too eventful.

Yesterday I went to see Garden State and thought it was cute, but didn't sweep me away...The whole time it felt like the movie was a half step off...hard to explain, but it just never perfectly clicked for me...Not like Before Sunrise or Lost in Translation did at least...which is too bad, cause I felt it was so close to being an amazing movie...Hopefully Braff will nail it his next time out...hes on the right track.

I chase a bottle of Veuve with a Sparks...Three hours later I leave a bar in NoLiTa...


Chinatown, 1 AM 

Kinda bored, so I bounce...but I'm really hungry. Think Lombardis is still open, but to my dismay, they close at midnight. At this point, I realize what I really want is some dumplings...

So I wander south down Mott street...every storefront is closed...there's a foul smell all over the place...and shady characters lurk on every stoop...

I finally hit Canal street, and I knew there had to be a dim sum spot SOMEWHERE open past midnight...after a few blocks I see a bright light in the middle of the block just north of Bayard...and, of course it was an all night dumpling house...I was in business.

I walk in, and, natch, I'm the only white guy in there except for some coked out, Lou Reed looking photographer and his shaved head apprentice...I am seated at a table with 5 rough looking Asian motherfuckers...despite all the curious looks, they leave me alone.

At this point, I WISH I could say I stumbled upon the best dumplings I've ever had...but in all honesty they weren't that great...Fried...and better than your standard fare...but really nothing that blew me away.

So I eat and leave...walk up Bayard towards Bowery to catch a cab...and I pass a bumping karaoke joint with a sign outside claiming it was the place William Hung got his start...


Chinatown, 1:45 AM 

Now true or not, that place really put its balls on the line to stake that claim...I mean, is that something to brag about? Needless to say it intrigued me, but I wasn't about to bust into a karaoke bar in the heart of Chinatown by myself...simply not my style.

I grab a cab near the Manhattan Bridge and head home. An early night, but an adventurous one nonetheless.

The Zutons?

These guys seemed pretty popular when I was in England last month, but I just didn't get them when I caught part of their set in Ireland...They seemed like the kind of band you have to "get"...and I didn't have the patience to figure them out. Anyway...they are playing an early set at Mercury Lounge next Tuesday @ 7:00...if you get off work early and are curious to see what they're all about, it's prolly worth a check. I doubt they'll be around NYC again for a while.

He thought an Albertson's stir fry dinner would make his apartment a home...

Well, It's not something I'm particularly proud of...but I don't cook. It's not that I have anything against it...I just don't have the motivation to buy all the shit, then stand around and cook it...I just end up eating out or getting delivery at least 6 out of 7 nights...So...ok...since there's nothing particularly musical going on with me till next Thursday, so I thought I'd change gears and talk about the best delivery options in the Central Village. Not all of these restaurants are in the hood themselves...but If they deliver to me, that’s really all that matters...

Fresco Tortilla

The official old standby...It’s not really Mexican, but Chinese sorta...y'all know the story...there are versions of this place all over the city...but this one is the best. Two #1's, a #23, a 38, and a 39 (2 steak soft shell tacos, chicken quesadilla, and chips and guacamole) do the trick for under $10...and a bit of Peter Luger Sauce on the side for dipping tops it off...Solid.

Otto

It's impossible to name "The best pizza in NY” There are too many different styles...John's, Arturo’s, Grimaldi's, etc. The nicest pizza place in New York is far and away Otto at 5th ave. and 8th street. The idea of eating food created by Batali on my coffee table at home is too good to pass up...Furthermore... as is important with all these picks, the quality to cost ratio is through the roof...You're eating a world class meal for around $20...Pick a pizza (ask for the specials) and a Veggie dish (Eggplant Caponatina and Summer Corn dishes are favs) and you got yourself a meal.

One more for now...

Itzocan

Some say best food in New York, period. AND they deliver. The legend is the two guys in the kitchen used to be sous-chefs at some fancy French restaurant...and they left to open up their own spot. The menu is small, but there are always specials, and they are always good. There is literally not a bad thing to eat here...everything is done to perfection. For my money, the Mole Chocolate Cake is maybe the best dessert I've ever eaten. If they had a restaurant in the Time Warner Building, they could charge $30 an entree...but they have a hole in the wall in the East Village...so they keep it real...everyone who has eaten there can appreciate that.

Check these places out if you're looking for something to eat...all are highly reccomended...I'll do this again sometime if I'm ever bored and out of music news...

Ugh...

I feel like shit...not in a violent, headachey, sort of hungover way, but more of a floaty, dazed, no sudden movements please sort of way...but whatever

Last night was alot of fun...I think I've said all I need to say about DDIHC over the last few days...They play good music that I like...what more can I ask for?

Pity sing was sort of frustrating for me cause it was already getting late, and I knew I was kinda getting drunk and had to get up the next morning. I wanted to skip the consommé and get right to the rack of lamb, if you know what I mean. I also knew very little about them going in, so I didn't have much to go off of...and I guess I was never really able to get into it. Oh well.

I said my piece last night about Morning Theft, so I won't repeat myself...They're real good...go see them if you get a chance.

In other news, my buddy Dawn booked a set last night at Rothko to play with The Soft Explosions next Friday the 13th...should be spooky...and an awesome warm-up for Little Stephens. Be sure to swing by and check it out...it also fills out an amazing week for live music in New York...starting with Morning Theft and GoStation on the 12th, followed by Dawn and TSE, Little Stephens, Nas, The Killers, The Libertines, Elkland, Guided by Voices and Ambulance ltd and ending with Sufjan Stevens on the 20th. Phew.

30 Helens agree...

Quick drunk notes...

I really like Morning Theft...every time I see them I'm reminded why I like going out to see bands...these guys are just play good music...they don't try to rip off The Strokes or pander to the 80s revival crowd...sometimes solid guitar driven rock is the right way to go...and you guys fuckin nail it...Congrats.

FUCK THE HATERS...cause I like Dogs Die in Hot Cars...alot...and despite the negative buzz, they roccked their set at Rothko tonight. If you disagree, thats cool...but sometimes I wish Toto went ska...and these guys showed up and impressed. Well done.

thats it for now...more in the morning...

What All The Hot Fuss Is About

The Killers have just announced they will be touring across the US this fall..For all you suckers who slept on the Bowery show, there will be two shows at Irving Plaza October 4th and 5th.

9-Sep The Quest Minneapolis, MN
10-Sep The Eagle's Club Milwaukee, WI
11-Sep Metro Chicago, IL
13-Sep Mississippi Nights St. Louis, MO
24-Sep Culture Room Ft. Lauderdale, FL
25-Sep Masquerade Tampa, FL
26-Sep The Social Orlando, FL
27-Sep Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
28-Sep 40 Watt Club Athens, GA
30-Sep Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC
1-Oct The Norva Norfolk, VA
2-Oct Theatre of the Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
3-Oct 9:30 Club Washington D.C.
4-Oct Irving Plaza New York,
5-Oct Irving Plaza New York, NY
7-Oct The Roxy Boston, MA

Warm up the bus...

Pearl Jam / Death Cab for Cutie
Friday, Oct. 1 Reading (Pa)

Despite 4 years of college in Pennsylvania, I had no clue where Reading is...but according to mapquest, it's just a little over a 2 hour drive from New York...

This is as close as they'll get, suckas...but it's totally worth the trip. Just the idea of seeing Pearl Jam in some dinky minor leauge hockey arena gives me chills...Death Cab opening pushes it over the top.

I'll be there.

Rock Rothko Like a 1940's Abstract Art Groupie...




Well, I know I've been talking about tonight a lot recently because It's basically the only show I've set out to go to in the last two weeks, becides Curiosa. It'll be a nasty party, so be sure to make it out.

I, for one, really dig Dogs Die in Hot Cars...quirky enough to draw attention, but talented enough to hold it. I am very curious to see what they are like live...Worth showing up early to check out, IMO...

DDIHC - I Love You Cause I Have To

DDIHC - Godhopping

Pity sing I know very little about, except that the song from the video off their website is pretty good...Will be curious to hear them in person.

Pity Sing - Bleeding Hearts (video)

Morning Theft I've seen once before and was thoroughly impressed. Some say Pixies-esque, I see some early Jimmy Eat World in them...but what do I know...it's just good music.
They put out a new song yesterday on their website that is worth checking out if you're interested...

Morning Theft - 30 Helens Agree

Galapagos Tonite?



There was a time in my life when Galapagos Art Space was my favorite bar in the world. I was a junior or senior in college and I only normally came back to the city on breaks...I used to go out there to see a friend of a friends band called The Others that were really really good. They had good beer at fair prices and it was an incredibly cool looking space. The kind of place I could take friends from out of town to show them a hip spot.

Anyway...one weekend...It must've been the middle of last summer...I wanted to take some kids who were in the city for the weekend out to Williamsburg for a change of pace...we walked around for a while poking our heads into various bars...finally, after no luck finding something they felt comfortable at, I took them down to Galapagos...figuring it would be a chill place to settle down in...

The first sign of there being a problem was that the pool was drained...and this wooden pit just sat there with a sign saying something obvious along the lines of "pool drained"...So the bar automatically lost that *whoh* factor. My friends were not impressed...as we walk in, we realize there's something going on on the stage in the back of the bar. And of course...there stands some skinny guy talking in a sultry voice rubbing his nipples and staring blankly out into the crowd...It was a gay burlesque show.

Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm embarrassed by these friends...but there's no hiding the fact they are of the fratty, closed minded persuasion...and they got out of that place before I even realized what was going on. I was embarrassed...partly becuase they made quite the scene leaving, and partly cause I had taken them all the way out to Brooklyn to end up at a gay burlesque show. We got back on the L and headed back to the city...a good hour out of the night we never would get back.

That was the last time I ever went to Galapagos. Not cause I'm ashamed or embarassed of the place...I just havn't made it back...The band I used to go see wasn't playing there anymore, and its just no longer part of my scene. Every once in a while, when I'm with my idiot friends from college, they'll laugh about that "gay bar Jeff took us to once," but besides that, I hadn't thought much about the old spot till yesterday.

I read on Gothamist A&E an interview with an interesting sounding band, Soma, playing a set there tonight...and I really thought I was gonna head out and check them out...But I heard some of the songs off their website, and while they sound good, it wasn't enough motivation for me to round up a posse and trek out there...besides...if I was gonna go to billysburg tonight, It would prolly be to Northsix to see Sons and Daughters.

So why the fuck am I telling this story? Cause there are literally zero attorneys who work on my cases in the office today, and I am completely bored out of my mind. If you're reading this, and you run a blog, could you please for the love of god put something up for me to read?? Anyway...Hearing about a band that was playing there tonight made me remember the good times at this bar, and how I'd like to get back there sooner or later...But not tonight. At least I don’t think...

Here's some shit from Soma off their site...If you like it, go check um out.

Soma - The Latter Day

Soma - No Distractions

Something New

Last week, I was totally taken by surprise by the songs I heard off the Dogs Die in Hot Cars website. I went online to order it. Now, knowing it was an import, I expected it to cost some $$$, but $30.00 for the CD alone was waaaay too steep for me...so I went over to amazon.co.uk, and was surprised to see that DDIHC AND the much hyped Razorlight CD came to only 20 lbs, or ~$35 after shipping...which is really cheap considering how much imports normally cost...

Anyway...both the CDs are great on a first listen. I've got non-downloadable samples of both bands over in the "what I'm listening to now" section on the right. Razorlight isn't nearly as poppy as "Golden Touch" sounds, and DDIHC's isn't nearly as frantic as those two songs make them out to be. Both are consistently good albums that I am looking forward to hearing more of. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of these bands in the near future...

Dogs Die in Hot Cars is playing tomorrow night at Mercury Lounge, and then opening for Morning Theft at Rothko Wednesday. They will be worth your while to check out. Razorlight is currently playing a bunch of sold out shows in England (they are very hot over there right now), but I expect them to be playing in New York in the not too distant future...Be sure to keep a lookout.

Was gonna go see a movie tonight but couldn't get the troops motivated...I think I'll just throw on a DVD and call it a night. Tomorrow may be my triumphant return to Galapagos...we'll see tho. More on that in the morning...

10:15 on a Saturday Night...

How could I see my two favorite bands in the world play back to back on a beautiful summer day in New York and NOT leave the festival totally out of my head???

To start, I was in and out of one of the worst hangovers of the year...I dunno when it really started to get bad the night before...Ciaran and I killed a couple bottles of champagne on and empty stomach before we headed out to see Asobi Seksu...and yeah...I left my cell phone in a cab...and yeah...I forgot my ATM pin number...but I really didn't feel that bad at the time...

The band was awesome, by the way...as was that delicious orange flavored red bull substitute they serve at Mercury Lounge...yummy.

After their set, we went on a mission to get my cell phone back. I had called the phone earlier and the guy who found it said he was gonna be at the Village Idiot, so we headed over there...and proceeded to ask every single guy at the bar if they had my phone...with no luck...I STILL honestly didn't feel that drunk...finally I borrowed someone else’s phone and got in touch again with my phone-finder...he had gone home already, so we headed to his block in Tribeca...came out with his dog...really nice guy...got the phone, stuck around and talked for a good 20 MINUTES to a complete stranger...yet still I didn't feel like I was that drunk...

From there, we headed down to Rothko, where after a Sparks and a Jager shot, I finally started to feel it hit...It was a very aware kind of drunk tho...not a forgetful sloppy drunk...I tried to talk to Yuki from Asobi Seksu, just to say hi and exchange pleasantries...but I literally felt like I was watching somebody else make a fool of themselves...the Taurine and the caffeine kept me alert enough to be aware that I was a bumbling idiot...I don’t remember what I said, but I couldn't put together a complete sentence, even tho I had a clear idea what I was trying to say...Anyway...this was the point that I realized it was time to head home, so we left. And so the aftermath of this is a main reason why Curiosa didn't live up to my lofty expectations...

The next day I was in serious agony...all the revive in the world couldn't have helped me. Went to Steve’s' for a delicious brunch I wish I could have enjoyed more...took 3 Tylenol and it was off to the Show.

I was lucky enough to have a ride out to Randalls Island, cause the 34th street ferry sounded like a mess...why run the ferries AS the first bands begin...why not have them run closer to when the gates opened? Why not TELL ANYONE that the gates opened at 3:00? Sign #1 the festival was being run by nincompoops.

Sign #2 was that the food was disgusting...and I normally like festival food a lot...but everything they had was just sub par. It’s really not hard to get this right...and the Curiosa people kinda dropped the ball...and 2 beer tents for 10,000 people? c'mon.

The music was great...on the main stage, at least...It was a good setup, and the sound was really good for an outdoor space...The Rapture was significantly better here then they were in Ireland. I like the show they put on and everything...but listening to them on the record creates a totally different image for these guys...then again, I've only seen them outdoors in the daylight, so I can't say for sure what their club set is like.

Interpol was the clear cut highlight for me...they play such a tight set together...even when the bass goes out...and for those who think style doesn't matter in music...these guys just look badass...and it complements the music very well. The music stands out on its own, and the style adds something to the live show that puts it over the top...These guys are the best band in the world right now because their perfect music is complemented by their nasty look...and if you don't think that makes a difference, you're just wrong.

What about Muse tho??? Well...Beef #3 with the fete was the travesty of putting Muse on that excuse for a second stage...It was maybe suitable for a summer camp talent show, but for the greatest live act on the planet, it was completely unacceptable. They need a main stage...they need the flair and bombast of a massive field, arena, or football stadium to truly shine...The sound was horrible on that stage, and it was too small for the guys to be at their best. They should make a rule that if you can't fit Mat Bellamy's blinking piano on the stage, you gotta do bigger. For a short little set, they gave it all they could, but I know they could have been so so much more.

Finally...The Cure. Now, don’t get me wrong...I love The Cure and everything...but nobody could follow Interpol and Muse and be anywhere near satisfactory in my mind. I know I will have disagreements, but I can't get into those guys live. After 2 songs, the Tylenol wore off and my hangover came back in full force. I retired back a bit to sit on the grass and listen...and it was much better. They dragged on a little too much for me, but they still sound great...Just not a band I can stand in one place for and watch for 2 hours.

After that, I went home, got a quick bite to eat, and reluctantly went to bed... knowing I wanted to go out, but well aware I was in no shape to do so...All in all a fun day, but I still left feeling it could have been the best day of my life...Expectations are always hard to beat.