jinners: why do you come here? and why do you hang around?
who is jinners?
why do you come here? and why do you hang around? ...it was just to see, just to see all the things you knew, i'd written about you... oh so many illustrations...
jinners is my nickname... hopefully in an affectionate sorta way.
The new band I am repping, Cheeseburger, is playing not one, but two shows this weekend. I would love to see you there. Let's have a beer. Let's dance. Let's scream at Joe Bradley and tear his shirt off.
To show you what I mean, here is a clip of them at their last show...
I also have two of my fave songs "Tiger" and "Gang's All Here" at the top of my imeem player above. Blow out your cubicle and turn the volume UP!
Plus, here's their video for "Tiger" which totally makes me fall in love with them.
Friday, February 1 Cheeseburger w/ Bang Camaro @ Maxwell's 1039 Washington Street Hoboken, NJ Set Time: 9pm
Saturday, February 2 Cheeseburger w/ Bang Camaro @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 66 North 6th Street Brooklyn, NY Set Time: 10pm
I have always been a fan of Jaymay the moment I heard her song "Gray or Blue." She also sings the title track on Dirty on Purpose's latest EP, Like Bees.
I loved all the quirky, endearing bits of her music -- the kind of music that unravels the soul of a songwriter/performer to reveal her hopes and disappointments and observations. It sounds simple, but if you tried to do it yourself, you would probably come off as terribly cheesy and forced. The trick is to write and sing and let it flow naturally -- a tough feat, but somehow Jaymay pulls it off.
Check out her new song, "Blue Skies," which is available for free download on Filter's site. Check it out here.
I added "Gray or Blue" and "Corduroy" to my imeem player above for your enjoyment.
She has a bunch of tour dates coming up with the likes of Nouvelle Vague, Ed Harcourt and The Bird and the Bee. Check her MySpace for specifics.
The Big Sleep recorded two live tracks from their upcoming sophomore album, Sleep Forever, on French Kiss Records, at a cabin upstate in New York. La Blogotheque features these live tracks, "Slow Race" and "Chorus of Guitars" with videos! It was all powered by a generator among the woods. Nice. Check it out here.
My new fave of theirs is the dreamy "Pinkies." Probably everyone's, eh? Download it for free here.
Come to their February 21 album release party at Mercury Lounge!
Band I Like: The People's Revolutionary Choir (UK)
I come across band submissions every day, but not too many quite catch my fancy. As you could probably see from my imeem playlist, I am sort of all over the place. I just like what I like, but there's usually a certain rhythm and feel to the songs I love. So I am starting this new feature called "Band I Like" where I talk about bands I like. Simple, eh?
Getting the early seal of approval from Jim Reid and Ben Lurie of Jesus and Mary Chain who produced their early demos, they went on to have their first single, "Elevate", produced by Brendan Lynch, collaborator of Primal Scream. Having recently come back from an acclaimed European sell-out tour with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, for which they recruited guitarist Will Fowles, the band went straight into the studio to record their second single "The Breeze that Blows" with Brian O'Shaughnessy...
I was pretty much jumping out of my skinny jeans on this one.
The New York Times just wrote an article about all things Korean, from foods to spa experiences. I was just wondering about those commercials for InSpaWorld in Queens!!! One of my friends went there and said it was cool, but not cool that he got his massage from an Asian man unlike all of his other friends who got Asian girls. Such is the gamble of life.
JellyNYC Presents... Valentine's Day with Band of Horses + Dirty on Purpose
JellyNYC is putting on a very special Valentine's Day concert with Band Of Horses and Dirty on Purpose! Dirty on Purpose has definitely been accused time and time again of inspiring many hot make out sessions, so this should be a good one. Details below...
February 14th @ The Brooklyn Masonic Temple 317 Clermont Ave. Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY
7PM doors 8:30PM show
Directions: Subway - G to Clinton/Washington, C to Lafayette
In 2003, I put on my first On the Moon Music show at Luxx (R.I.P.) with the Moldy Peaches. It was right after their "hiatus" and so everyone in the Peaches performed in their side or solo projects. One of my most memorable shows. I am so happy to see that Kimya and Adam have totally received the recognition they deserve. I can't believe they were on The View. So wild!
GBH Tonight: Amanda Blank and Spank Rock DJs @ Hiro Ballroom / Free with RSVP
At the GBH party tonight are Amanda Blank and Spank Rock DJs. I saw her with Spank Rock at Irving Plaza/Fillmore during CMJ and I really liked her 'tude. I can relate to any girl who can hang with dirty boys. (Ha.) I have her song "Take It Easy" with M.I.A. featured in my imeem playlist above, and in the past I featured a Robot Koch remix of her song "Get It Now." Get it now here. I'm looking forward to seeing what she releases on her new label, Downtown.
Amanda Blank Live & Spank Rock DJs Hiro Ballroom Thursday Jan 24 - Free with RSVP
We are very excited indeed to have Spank Rock DJs spinning for us at Hiro Ballroom... but to add to the excitement (we have to take a deep breath for this one) the highly elusive (and very hot) Amanda Blank will be performing. It's going to be a good one, and it's going to be late:
Doors open at 12 midnight.
Cheeky Bastard resident DJs Alex English and Peter Makebish will also be on the decks.
Drink Specials 2-For-1 Vodka Drinks from 2am-3am $4 Sparks All Night
Hiro Ballroom 371 W16th St. at 9th Ave Doors 12am. 21+ w/I.D.
8. Music Blogs We'll even put Pitchfork here too. This business was built by, and is sustained by, rabid fans. Rabid fans scour the Web for information on their favorite acts and new acts. Too many sites are started with the profit motive first, and that's why they're untrustworthy. Hell, that's why MySpace has got such a bad name. And Mark Zuckerberg is doing a good job fucking up Facebook too.
Music bloggers do it for the love of music. They can be trusted. Profit is secondary. Are blogs the new radio? If not quite, they show a pathway to the future, where it's about being turned on by love, not hype.
Jinners Note: I don't think all blogs can be trusted. Profit and other ulterior motives definitely drives some of them. However, objectivity was never the point of having a blog. That's why we're so sassy. Money muddies everything, in my opinion. At least that's what my experience in marketing and music writing has taught me over the years.
9. Pandora/LastFM/Net Radio I don't listen to any of them on a regular basis. I'm a firm believer in satellite radio. I like pros picking my music. But it seems that most of the public is not with me, they don't want to pay. If XM and Sirius merge, and they probably will, since the Whole Foods/Wild Oats deal went through, there's a chance satellite will become the new cable. Ultimately dominant over time. But right now, it doesn't look that way.
Traditional, terrestrial radio is toast. When it comes to music. It's not where the active music consumer goes. Because of the calcified playlists and the endless commercials. Sure, you can break an act on terrestrial radio, but that's the old model, that's payoffs and hype. It's not about the audience, but the powers-that-be. Those radio records have less impact than ever and the acts have briefer careers. Sure, it can be quick money, but it's not the future.
Jinners Note: I definitely agree that traditional, terrestrial radio is going down the tube, and yes, it's because they come off as less authentic. The passion of music is not felt through those airwaves. Internet radio is the future, and among them are the bold stations like WOXY.com, KEXP, KCRW and a handful of others who are willing to champion their favorite music in a sincere, not-so-pretentious/fake way. Stations who aren't afraid to play bands who don't have record deals yet or who are buzz starters, not buzz followers.
My Chinese horoscope on my Facebook page has given me very haunting and exciting scopes for the past couple days... Thank goodness, they weren't 100% accurate!
Tuesday, January 22 You'll feel the weight of anxiety without apparent reason. You won't entertain very good relationships with your close circle, particularly with members of the other sex. A probable inflammation of the bladder might cause you sharp pains. This day is ideal to introduce something new in your professional activities. Do what your conscience dictates you to do and don't let yourself be influenced unduly.
Wednesday, January 23 If you want to draw benefit from your various projects, act without delay. Don't attach too much importance to the small discomforts which your anxiety transforms into great sufferings. Cultivate optimism instead of regrets and then everything will fare better for you. There'll be a struggle for power but the balance will be positive if you persevere. Whatever you do, you cannot satisfy everybody; you must then make your choices.
Written by Seth MacFarlane. With Josh Radnor, Kat Foster, Nick Kroll, John Viener, Seth MacFarlane, and Eric Weiner. Directed by Bryan Carmel and Brendan Colthurst.
Hey Peoples, Cheeseburger is playing February 1 & 2 with Bang Camaro at Maxwells and Music Hall. Get ready to tear up groundhogs and whatnot. If you saw the 'Burger at my Knitting Factory show in December, you will know why I love this band so much.
Sam Champion & Jay "Good Times" Belin, In Effect, Y'all!
Oh this is gonna be just like old times. I can feel it.
I am giving you lots of warning time so you can write this down in that handy dandy planner of yours. Friday, February 15th -- Sam Champion will be headlining Bowery Ballroom! And playing with Drug Rug! And the dearest Jay "Good Times" Belin will be on decks to take you to funky town.
Nobody pull any Belins! Nobody culkin anybody. Show up and get ready to do tequila shots. Fiesta! OK, I'll shut up now.
To hear and download new Sam Champion songs for free, head over to RCRDLBL.com.
I think I turn into a 15-year-old girl at Kevin Devine shows. Maybe it's because I am surrounded by them, mouthing the words to the songs and bouncing back and forth from left to right... Yeah that's probably why. But it's also because many of my favorite Kevin Devine songs take me back to a period of my life that was much more depressed and longing... my teenage years. Sure, I didn't know him when I was a teen, but if I did, I would have worshipped him. Yeah, I'm so emo, whatever. His music is better than good, it has this ability to capture a moment in time without the bullshit or pretentiousness.
I am happy to report that he played many of my faves!!! Including...
Sorry to the Jealous Girlfriends -- I missed your set because I was catching up with an old friend!
Santogold @ The Fader Party, Studio B (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
I went to see Santogold, aka Santi White, for the third time last week at the Fader party. The lovely lady is gracing the mag's cover, and for good reason. She rocks the party. (FYI, I felt like I was at a high school dance in Harlem, and I was hoping the dance floor would turn into one of those crazy dance movies... at least people were dancing, not like those stiff indie rock shows I am usually bobbing my head at.)
I had previously seen her open for Bjork at MSG and play CMJ/Fillmore/Irving Plaza with Spank Rock. At MSG, I was mildy into it. At Irving, I was super into except for a few annoying stage antics. But at the Fader party, I was totally into it. She had these two amazing dancers on either side of her on stage busting out moves like the glamour boys they are. Sort of reminded me of Amy Winehouse with her Dapkings. This, I believe, is a better move than having a hype woman. She just doesn't need the distraction onstage like that.
I have been living in New York for 10 years now. Maybe I keep saying this in wonder over and over again, but I just can't help myself. I am in disbelief that the years have passed me by so quickly.
When I was applying to colleges back in the 90s, I knew there was only one city I wanted to go to. New York City, baby! I had attended a nerdy high school newspaper conference at Columbia University, and I instantly fell in love with the loud traffic blaring by, thousands of swift stomps from commuters, the anonymity, the small world-ishness. I connected with it in a New York minute. There was no other place, as far as I was concerned.
Now a decade later, my mind feels like it's starting to come full circle. I had arrived in the city with a lot of baggage (literal and figurative). I had been determined to lose said baggage here and peel away the layers until I had discovered myself, my true self. As you may have guessed, the city has a mystical way of handing you some epiphanies right away, and others are tucked away until the right time.
The other week while chatting with a friend about our complicated, crazy-ass family stories, I had a self-epiphany that I never thought I would have and it led me to a book idea. A book idea!!! If you know me, I have been waiting for this moment for a while. Yes, I manage bands now, but the music industry side of me snuck up on me post-college. Before I started promoting shows, I started a blog so that I could write about what I cared about. So that I could write about whatever I felt like writing about. True freedom. Almost too much freedom, one could argue.
So yeah, I guess I have been waiting for that one moment of focus, and then all of a sudden the book idea popped up. So I have decided to start writing my story, my saga, and I actually feel like I have a meaningful (though personally terrifying) tale to tell about my life and my family.
with Diplo, Blaqstarr, DJ Sega, Rye Rye, Diplo, Uenemployed Lloyd, Rocktakon Hosted by Pase Rock
10pm-4am, $7, Upstairs + Downstairs
It is a Klash of the Titans at 205. Diplo brings the force upstairs, flanked by DJ Blaqstarr (Baltimore’s finest), feisty little Rye Rye (“shake it to the ground and bring it on up”), and boy-wonder DJ Sega. These three kids - whose median age is something crazy like 17 – are the future. Seriously, take notes.
Meanwhile, the Big Fun duo (Lloydski and Roctakon) drop disco frenzy downstairs all night, and Pase Rock makes sure the festivities get out of hand. Who will come out on top with sound supremacy? The vote is in your hands, America.
I just got this email from one of my favorite modern comedians, Eugene Mirman's mailing list... SXSW sounds fun. Tell me more.
COMEDY CENTRAL PRESENTS 2/1/08 You can watch my Comedy Central Presents Friday night February 1st. Like a campaign rally, you can get together with your friends and watch my inspiring words. But unlike a campaign rally, I won’t be revealing my plan for America. Instead, I will be telling jokes for a half hour.
NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY COVERAGE WITH EUGENE MIRMAN I went to New Hampshire this last week and covered the primaries for 236.com. Here’s the video again, but on youtube. The video holds many treats, including Chuck Norris. Don’t forget to blog about it.
U.S. TOUR DATES SAN FRANCISCO, CA 1/19/08 The Eureka Theatre at 7PM Dr. Katz Live w/ Jon Benjamin, Andy Kindler, Eugene Mirman. 1/20/08 Mezzanine at 8PM, 21+ Jon Benjamin and Eugene Mirman's Fresh Faces of Comedy: W/ Bob Odenkirk, Tim and Eric, Michael Showalter, Short Film Contest with John Lehr from 10 Items or Less and much more!
NEW YORK, NY 1/29/08 Knitting Factory Comedy fundraiser for Barack Obama $25 (http://my.barackobama.com/Nyvote) W/ Eugene Mirman, Slovin and Allen, Heather Lawless, Whitest Kids U Know, Laura Krafft, Aziz Ansari, Andrea Rosen. Music: Shonali Bhowmik and Marcellus Hall. Plus much more! 2/6/08 Comix Comedy Club 8 PM I am headlining Comix. Tearing The Veil of Maya: Sunday Nights at Union Hall (unless I'm touring). Invite Them Up: Wednesday Nights at Rififi (unless I'm touring).
BOSTON, MA 2/28/08 Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts 7:30 http://www.mfa.org/concerts (617) 369-3306 (box office) Tearing The Veil of Maya with Michael Showalter, Eugene Mirman, Jon Benjamin and Wonderful Friends.
AUSTIN, TX 3/9/08 SXSW Web Awards Show I will be hosting the web awards for SXSW. 3/11/08 TBA w/ Michael Showalter and Mike Birbiglia. 3/14/08 TBA with lots and lots of lots of comics (part of SXSW). 3/15/08 TBA with lots and lots of comics and bands. (part of SXSW).
I was watching yet another model reality show (this one's on Bravo) called "Make Me a Supermodel" hosted by Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor. I don't know why I love watching these shows, but I just can't help myself. Call it a guilty pleasure.
Anyhoo, as they are narrowing down the contestants, they asked themselves outloud, "Is this person model hot or boyfriend hot? or girlfriend hot?"
I started running again a couple of days ago. My legs hurt from the unused muscles coming out of inactivity. Though I said I didn't make any New Year's resolutions, this life change just snuck up on me. I kind of love starting my day with a run now. I get to listen to some good music, mouth the words while I circle the track and come home with a clear head. What could be better? Hopefully I will be in tip-top shape for ruining my healthy lifestyle during SXSW this year. HA!
So I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year. Not that I typically make a habit of making them, but this year I was at a loss when I thought about what I wanted to change in my life for 2008. The end of the year is always a hurricane of emotion for me because my birthday is in late December. I turned 29. My blog turned 5. I've been a band manager for over 4 years. This past year also marked my 10th year in New York, which I think makes me a real Nyoo Yawker. How crazy? How quickly does life pass by? Does anyone else feel this way?
I remember when I first dreamed of moving to New York as a teenager. It was the only place I wanted to be, and I knew I would find something here for me... though admittedly, my life veered into a direction I never would have expected it to take. But I have no regrets so far!
I went to a few NYE parties this year, but by far the best thing to happen to me all night was going to see Les Savy Fav at Bowery Ballroom in the wee hours after the ball dropped. Everything else felt anti-climactic for some reason.
Of course, shooting confetti canons and watching Tim Harrington do a few amazing costume changes was enough to wake anyone up from their slumber. As he jumped into the crowd to sing on the floor, his fans, who seem to get younger and younger every year, barraged him with an intensity that you could only see at a good ol' fashioned punk rock show. Many people had on creepy masks and NYE hats that were given away so that it looked like some scene from Eyes Wide Shut.
There was definitely a feeling in the air of TROUBLE. I mean, why else would you come out at 3 in the morning to see the Favs? TROUBLE! There were girls stage diving and getting bloody noses. Mosh pits that were enveloping the entire center of the Bowery Ballroom. Everyone around me were shooting confetti canons that sprinkled the stage and the crowd with multi-colored strips of paper. It was truly a celebration and a perfect way for me to bring in the NYE. First rock show of 2008, and I think it may top my list already.
I enjoyed it so much I forgot about taking any pictures!
I was watching yet another model reality show (this one's on Bravo) called "Make Me a Supermodel" hosted by Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor. I don't know why I love watching these shows, but I just can't help myself. Call it a guilty pleasure. 