Speaking of bands I write about incessantly.
Check out this very cool video interview with the lead singer of that band....I think they are called Birdmonster (or so someone told me). It's from a new music blog Rock Induced Labor that also has an interview with The Kooks. Maybe the blog should be called Bands With Good Hair? Nora would agree.
Anyways. Check it out. And if you live on the West Coast Birdmonster is playing New Years Eve in San Fran. I wanna go!
Holy craperoo. Our blog show is getting to be quite the talk of the town. Even if everyone is whispering, we are hoping they are saying nice things.
This week we sat down in my comfy apartment to record the show, so that's perhaps why Nora sounds like she falls asleep half way through. It could be the dayquil. I giggle a lot (surprise) and we say goodbye to one of our most favorite (favoritest?) bands.
Oh, and both of us play awesome awesome music.
PLAYLIST!
Thursday – Asobi Seksu
Strawberries – Asobi Seksu
New Years – Asobi Seksu
Don't Make Me Wait - Locksley
She Does - Locksley
All Of The Time - Locksley
Pretty Pet – Aberdeen City
Sixty Lives – Aberdeen City
Mercy – Aberdeen City
On The Dance Floor - Levy
Rector Street - Levy
Squeeze - Levy
So Hard – Levy
Listen in at www.breakthruradio.com
I've been on my sickbed for far too long. I'm back and going to make up for the last two times I’ve missed by dancing around like an idiot and playing fantastic songs.
Come. See. Witness.
10-4 at the skinny
w/ nora and rachael
174 orchard street @ stanton
no cover+cheap drinks+smoking upstairs = awesomesauce.
It's cold outside, but oh so hot on Thursday nights.
What's better?
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's new hoodies?
Or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's new songs?
I'd take the hoodies. But ask me again later.
Ryan Adams is sober.
I know this now. I didn't believe him last time I saw him, as his neurosis and honest-to-god- cracked out sensibilities were still prevalent. Last night was much of the same. The same mumbling, rambling, and paranoia. And yet he wore six inch silver platform go go boots for the entire two hour set.
That, my friends, is not an easy feat, or easy on your feet. It takes a certain skill, and I must say a certain level of sobriety. Good on you Ryan. You've done us all proud.
I love Ryan. It's no surprise, and really no secret either. If he just stood up on a stage and mumbled for two hours I would have left saying it was the best show ever. I just can't help it. He makes me laugh. He makes me awkward. And I love him for it.
But damn, can he sing.
Last night's set was a nice collection of his entire catalogue, from Heartbreaker to some newbies with his band The Heartbreakers. All of his old work was given a country makeover, most notably, "New York, New York" which sounded like a completely different song. (And in my opinion, much better). Highlights included "Dear Chicago" (!) "Peaceful Valley", "Let It Ride," "Nightbirds" and "To Be Young". They even played an amazing Grateful Dead cover in honor of a speedy recovery for Phil Lesh. Twas amazing.
Complete setlist:
Magnolia Mountain
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Dear Chicago
Peaceful Valley
Mockingbird
Tears of Gold
Night Birds
Cold Roses
New York, New York
Arkham Asylum
Kiss Before I Go
Let it Ride
Bartering Lines
To be Young
Blue Hotel
Beautiful Sorta
The End
Expressway to Your Skull
Whart Rat (Grateful Dead cover)
Shakedown
I See Monsters
Every time I see Ryan play I am convinced that all of his work has been consistent, despite what some of you may say. And last night, at the very comfortable and crystal clear sounding Town Hall, he proved that he's one of our generations most prolific and talented musicians. Hands down.
Sadly, he did not rap. Although there was a lot of "oh snap." Good enough for me.
When Wes asked me to a show last Wednesday, he prefaced it with the fact that this was not, in fact, and indie rock show. He figured that's all I can handle, or at least choose to participate in. While I do have a certain weakness for catchy tunes by skinny boys with floppy hair, I do venture out to other genres of the musical spectrum from time to time.
Sometimes I just need to be asked.
So off I went to Nokia Theater, which was completely overtly commercial (as anticipated), but quite comfortable and rewarding. The sound was spectacular. And there was even a technology display of sorts in the lobby, which provided a brief distraction. But we were there to see NYC based artist Alice Smith, who was opening up for Citizen Cope, and who Wes promised would blow me away.
And well, he was right.
Alice Smith has one of those voices that you almost want to hate. It's so natural and rich, that you know that even with the world's best training, you'll never quite sound like that. At the beginning of her set, she almost looked embarrassed by her own power. It took her until half way through the set to feel comfortable on that stage, but once she got it - she owned it. She kicked the tempo, kicked up her black converse sneakers, and the crowd was feeling it.
She's got enough soul for a person twice her age, with songs that I've been playing on repeat since I heard them live for the first time. By the end of the set I wanted to hate her for having that much talent, but I just couldn't. I was too busy clapping along with the crowd to care.
Hear more on myspace and purchase her debut album For Lovers, Dreamers, & Me here.
Holy shite. Just when I was forgetting how much I actually do, in fact, love Editors, they come out with a remix album that is, well....bonkers. (In a good way of course)
Now I'm remembering how nutty I would get when I would see them play, especially at that first NYC appearance at Rothko (RIP). Feels like ages ago, doesn't it? Well, they are still going. And going strong.
All of The Back Room was just screaming remixes from the get-go, so I'm glad to see we now have a nifty little collection. You can buy the whole EP on iTunes. This remix of "All Sparks," while not on the EP has gotten me wide awake at 8 AM. I'm having fun dancing around my room. It has replaced coffee...for now.
You can bet I will be spinning this on Thursday at The Skinny when I finally return to the dj booth. It's been since Halloween since I've last djed. Can you believe it? I can't. Well, I'm back. So get ready.
Saturday night started out innocent enough. It was to be a full night at Bowery Ballroom and then a stop by at a birthday party and then home in one piece. And yet half way through the night I remembered why I try and stay in most weekends. No, it's not just that the lower east side is awfully packed and you can't find a bar to sit comfortably at. It's more so the fact that I realize I don't have to get up for anything the next day, and that, in itself, makes me a little bit crazy.
I'll spare you the details of the alcohol infused ridiculousness that ensued after Bowery Ballroom. Let's stick with the music, eh? And make this a family blog.
So it was the second time those A Brief Smile boys have played Bowery Ballroom, which in my book now makes them experts and superstars. I probably sound like a broken record every time I post about this band, but I couldn't be more proud of how they have progressed over the years. Their live show has really become something quite professional, and their songs are the real star. Donned with two Christmas trees up on stage, the young fivesome came out to a quickly filling crowd. While they may look young, and are indeed quite are, they play like they've been doing this their whole lives.
It's a rewarding experience to bring someone to see a band you love for the first time. Especially when it's a band like A Brief Smile, who I have seen more times than I should probably admit to. I'm always nervous that I've been biased after all this time, but when they share the same enthusiasm as you...it's nice reassurance.
The set in itself was what I've come to expect: layers upon layers of sound melding into each memorable tune, filling up Bowery Ballroom with its grand themes. The boys debuted a brand spanking new song in which I had to ask both Vanessa and Sean whether it was a cover or not. It was instantly familiar, and completely unpredictable at the same time. I hear a self-produced EP is in the very near future. I can't wait.
The Stills were, in a nutshell, a complete surprise. I, of course, was freakishly obsessed with Logic Will Break Your Heart. I initially liked Without Feathers, but hardly with the same intensity. Without ever seeing the band live before, I expected a good show, but something that could be a bit mundane. It was completely the opposite as The Stills brought a high-energy playful rock to a very enthusiastic crowd. I remember jumping up and down and singing at the top of my lungs. That was unexpected.
As soon as they lashed into "Lola Stars and Stripes" as their second (second!) song, I was convinced. The Canadians bounced back and forth between old and new, and there was never a dull moment. Although they left out my favorite "Animals + Insects," I let them off the hook.
Perhaps that total excitement from the show is a reason for the anarchy that followed. I'll never know for sure.
I'm embarrassed to say that I had never seen this film in its entirety until this morning. I woke up at 8 AM, after sleeping 13 hours nonconsecutively the evening before, and had finished my other netflix (I'm currently working through Scrubs from the beginning.) So I popped it on, knowing that this time I wouldn't fall asleep (I seem to have this problem with movies).
Of course I knew going into this film how extraordinary it is. A friend of mine who knows all things theater had been yelling at me to watch this film for years. She told me I'd love it. I told her I probably would. But life gets in the way of things sometimes. I promised her I get around to things eventually, and that's all that counts.
This is a film that counts.
I watched with wide eyes, completely mesmerized from beginning to end. And when those final credits appeared, I felt a sudden desperation for more. There's only one thing that I could say is wrong with this film: there just isn't enough. There isn't enough Hedwig, enough music, to fill my appetite. It's beautifully inspiring, albeit sad and whimsical at the same time.
And to think, I've run into John Cameron Mitchell. If only I could run into him again, I'd have something worthwhile to say.
I keep thinking I'm living in the wrong time period, and this film only solidified that feeling once more. When I look at what New York is now, it seems to have lost that spark, that culture that once drove it into groundbreaking material. I think of when Hedwig premiered at that theater in the Meatpacking District and what a different place this city was. And that was only a decade ago. What do we have now?
John Cameron Mitchell is a gifted actor, writer director, to say the least. But it's really the music that resonates with me. It was fascinating to watch the making of, and see how the character, the story, and the music transpired. Stephen Trask proved that rock music can be personal, and once again can touch every one regardless what the subject matter.
We can all identify with Hedwig, and that's the real charm.
I always get just a little bit excited when Aberdeen City comes to town. Their live shows always reaffirm my love for the band, and I leave with many songs stuck in my head. I welcome that. The Freezing Atlantic has been a staple album for almost a year now. It's one of those that you venture back to on a regular basis and each time it feels like you are listening to it for the first time.
But this is about their live show.
Nora and I ventured to Mercury Lounge with a few minutes to spare. I was day dreaming about my new flannel sheets and the fact that I really wanted to nap. Nora was upset she had to leave half way through Gray's Anatomy. But I told her, this would be worth it. And yes, it most definitely was.
I've seen this band a handful of times, and yet I always forget just how intense their live show proves to be. This is greatly credited to their guitarist Chris McLaughlin, who not only is a trainwreck on stage, but my own personal choice of eye candy. After seeing him last night I've decided that he could in fact be our generation's Sid Vicious. From the spitting of the beer to the hazy eyes, this skinny guitar player proved that sometimes you need an entertaining band member, even if your music speaks for itself. Nora had to take a break half way through the set. She couldn't handle the chaos. I say, more power to you. That's rock and roll.
Aberdeen always has a packed crowd in New York City and it was nice to see them at Mercury Lounge, a venue that is just perfect for their noisy melodies. The band played some new tunes that excited me for their next album. And of course my favorites, "Pretty Pet" and "Mercy" were the highlights. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: this band is on to something big.
