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.
My good friends and the band that got me into music management are saying goodbye, and it saddens me. What can I say other than I wouldn't be who I am today without them. I have learned so much over these past five years of working together, and all of the good times we've had on tour, through various releases, and just hanging out with each other. I hope you make it out to the NYE show.
DOP Go Bye-bye
Hello friends,
After six years of spending an unhealthy and unusual amount of time together, Dirty on Purpose is going the way of the dodo. We got back from tour about a month ago and sat down to talk about recording another record, and realized we didn't really want to record another record. Not now anyway. So we're going our separate ways. Our best friends and practice space sharers of many years, A Place to Bury Strangers, offered us the opening slot on their New Year's Eve gig at Mercury Lounge. We thought it was an appropriate way to wind things down and say goodbye to our friends and fans.
We're still playing music and we hope you'll come support our other projects: Joe and Doug harmonize sweetly in Neckbeard Telecaster; George shreds the bass in Coin Under Tongue; Joe helms Joe and the Flying Spoons; and Doug plays with Purse Snatchers and Black Acid.
Finally, we're all still buddies and live in the same town, so we reserve the right to change our minds and get back together in six months if we feel like it.
Um, for those of you who stuck around for the entire set from The New Year at Music Hall of Williamsburg, you know what I'm talking about when I say, they totally blew me away. As everyone stood rapt with wonder, the New Year built their set into a dramatic crescendo. I think my mouth fell open and my eyes were in a daze. I shook their hands right after the set with my head down, so humbled. George from Dirty on Purpose later said to me: "Watching the New Year, that is how sex is supposed to be." Which I think he meant, delicately heartfelt with an intense and passionate climax. Can I also say that I am kind of in love with the Kadane brothers? HUGS.
Dirty on Purpose also put in an amazing set -- of course I am biased, but every time I see them, my heart SINGS. I can't wait for them to step into the studio finally and record some of their new music. That new song "Ways to Drown" is mind blowingly good.
Tre Orsi opened the show with their heartfelt indie rock from Texas. Adorable.
Dirty on Purpose, Mahogany, Shooting Spires, Sisters @ Mercury Lounge
Here are some (admittedly) crappy photos from the night. When you're working at a show as a manager, you don't get to hang out in the front to take nice photos. Instead you are relegated to the back of the room to "work." That's my excuse! Thanks to everyone who came out to the show!
Sound Bites said it best so I won't even try to go into all the ins and outs for the Dirty on Purpose/Mahogany show coming up on Friday at Mercury Lounge.
I will just say, I can't wait for the show and I hope you make it out! It's $10 advance tickets!
Dirty on Purpose Release "The Thing About Getaways" Today on RCRDLBL.com / Download for Free Now!
Wii <3 U
Dirty on Purpose release their new song on RCRDLBL.com today called "The Thing About Getaways." It is the third song released from their digital-only EP, Dead Volcanoes, exclusively on RCRDLBL.com. They have previously released "Leaving" and "Hard To Tell You," and all three are currently available for free download here: http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Dirty_On_Purpose/music. The fourth and final song on this EP, "Canned Fumes," will be released next month.
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
Head over to RCRDLBL.com to download the new Dirty on Purpose song, free and legal download! The song is called "Leaving," which was inspired by girlfriends on tour.
Jinners.com is celebrating its 5th year as a New York music blog, and I would love to see everyone at this party! Since December of 2002, Jinners has been covering the New York music scene and cheerleading her favorite bands. This party is part of the Blogger's Delight free concert series at the Knitting Factory Main Space in New York.
Jinners.com Presents... Monday, December 3, 2007 @ Knitting Factory Main Space, NYC
Cheeseburger (dirty, fierce rock and roll) Neckbeard Telecaster (members of Dirty on Purpose/Shorebirds) The Big Sleep (psychedelic dreamy rock) Coin Under Tongue (aggressive grunge) DJ Dug (of Dirty on Purpose)
My weekend started early this past week with the Dirty on Purpose/Fujiya & Miyagi show at Bowery Ballroom. I always love being at Bowery so it was a great night overall and the first time I saw both bands play together on this tour. After the show, we headed over to Sweet & Vicious for the Devendra Banhart afterparty. The bearded wonder was there. Jeezus! So was the amazing Cameron, who I always love bumping into at shows. I feel like I have known him since the beginning of everything, and that is somewhat comforting! One constant in a world of swift changes.
Besides talking about all things Dirty on Purpose, I have been blabbing on about a couple things of interest lately... identity fraud and The Pick Up Artist. First off, yes, someone committed identity fraud on my bank account, wiping it clean in three easy transactions from an ATM in California. I almost couldn't believe it... just like in the commercials! Apparently this all happened because I have been using non-bank ATMs. Beware, Williamsburg hipsters! Do not use those ATMs in those bodegas. Only use bank-based ATMs. People can steal your info after you type in your pin code, take all your money and fuck up your credit.
Then I was just telling a friend about the VH1 reality show, The Pick Up Artist. I don't know who is hooking up with that show host and so-called "master pick up artist" Mystery, but his tricks seem to work for the geeky dudes on that show. I was beginning to wonder if I could apply these so called pick up and attraction tips to my life and career. It's basically all about body language and subconscious communication skills... Just as I was recounting this story to my friend, a guy walks up to us at the bar. He asks us if we're from the area because he's looking for something. We are. He reveals he is from the Upper East Side and doesn't know the area (SoHo) that well. The guy refers to his friends who are sitting at the bar. We acknowledge that he is not some desperate wallflower. I asked him what he was looking for, and he told us he was looking for trouble. That was a classic surreal moment right there. I started looking around the room for hidden cameras. Was this an episode of The Pick Up Artist?
On Friday, I got ready for the Dirty on Purpose/Fujiya & Miyagi show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The venue looks a little different in the light of day. I first saw the space during the opening week with Patti Smith and I thought it was really majestic. I still think it's majestic, but clearly not quite finished yet. The show was more fun than the Bowery show as there was more dancing and more friends at Music Hall show. Everyone wanted to check out the new venue. The sound system is amazing, but I couldn't really hear the band's vocals too much... But the thing was that they played really well and sounded really epic. It made my heart skip a beat. F&M sounded amazing as well -- I was totally grooving to their beats. In general the show took me to this great elated state. I liked Project Jenny/Project Jan a lot too with their interesting projections and energetic frontman.
I really liked the way Music Hall is set up. Sure, it's a lot like Bowery Ballroom, which is great, but it also has this wonderful lounge area at the back of the balcony section. And I really like the way the band dressing rooms are set up. They are located right above the stage so during the show, the rooms are rumbling with sweet music. The staff is amazing and friendly. The dressing rooms are all in a row so that the bands can co-mingle throughout the night. Can you tell that I love this venue? At least as a band manager, it's really great. I liked it as a fan and concert goer as well though. I can't wait to see and do more shows here...
random note: many of our friends showed up in flannel... that's so williamsburg!
On Saturday I wished my friend Mary a happy birthday. We hung out on the Great Lawn in Central Park. I accidentally wandered up Belvedere Castle, which was really beautiful. There was oldies music like The Carpenters coming from inside the Delacorte Theater. The day was breezy and perfect for a birthday picnic. Afterwards, a bunch of us ended up at Barcade in Williamsburg. Then we decided to take the party back to my incredibly tiny apartment and played a board game called Last Word (kind of like Scattergories).
My friend Katy is in town from LA and I met up with her on Sunday at her hotel, QT, in midtown, an appropriate name for such a "cutie" hotel. Katy bought a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, and we toasted the night with some bubbly. Yum... Then we headed over to Magnetic Field for the Gabby Glaser gig at the Atlantic Antic after party. She sounded really good, and there was a great (and handsome) crowd at the venue. This Park Slope area is full of intellectual cuties, apparently. After the show we went back in the city to feed our hungry bellies at Kate's Joint. I hadn't been there in a while, so it was absolutely awesome to be eating a satisfying meal of buffalo un-chicken wings and southern fried unsteak. holy moly. so delicious. so sinful... I recently met THE Kate at Gabby's Mercury Lounge show this past month. It's sort of like meeting a legend, no? I love working with Gabby because she is surrounded by people like this -- talented, driven and totally fascinating. Gab, herself, is full of stories of back in the day, and it's so amazing to hear those stories and compare it to how the music business is in the present day.
i have had several questions about this show. it is 21+. free admission, but on a first-come, first-served basis. doors are at 9pm and Dirty on Purpose is on at 10pm. see you there!
this show features gabby glaser, co-founder of luscious jackson. her brand of soul/garage rock is the perfect summer soundtrack. listen on myspace... doors are at 8pm and gabby is on at 10:30pm. $6!
Dirty on Purpose/OhMyRockness Tickets/Prizes Giveaway and Besnard Lakes Tour
The awesome folks at OhMyRockness are doing a ticket and prize pack giveaway for our June 14th show at Bowery Ballroom with Earl Greyhound. You can win a pair of tickets as well as a DOP designed band t-shirt, a copy of "Hallelujah Sirens," a DOP sticker and a button. It's easy, just enter in your information here to submit for the contest.
Here are our tour dates with Besnard Lakes in July! 7/15 - Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ) 7/16 - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA) 7/17 - Black Cat (Backstage) (Washington, DC) 7/18 - Blend (Chapel Hill, NC) 7/20 - WOXY Lounge Act (1:30pm) 7/20 - Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, OH) 7/21 - Uncle Fester's (Bloomington, IN)
Dirty on Purpose + Earl Greyhound + Great Northern = Awesome
Hey Everyone,
Dirty on Purpose just confirmed our next show in New York with our amazingly talented friends in Earl Greyhound and another great band called Great Northern on Thursday, June 14, at Bowery Ballroom in New York. This show will definitely sell out ahead of time, so if you want to come out (and we hope you do), please buy tickets ahead of time.
It is also our friend Garrett's birthday that night, and he's celebrating the big day with us at Bowery. It's gonna be a pretty magical night in general. Come out and party with us.
update to dirty on purpose's doug marvin joins peter bjorn and john onstage in new york
Update: Thanks to the Tripwire for picking up the above photo of Doug on the bongos and Heather on the mic at the PBJ show. Sweaty and sexy! Read their review of the show here.
dirty on purpose, calla, the sugar report @ bowery ballroom
thanks to everyone who came out to the show on saturday night. the show sold out! special thanks to calla for asking us to play with them. thanks to the sugar report. thanks to the fans. thanks to the friends. thanks to everyone in between.
Bonus points if you know who is featured on the button in the poster below...
Plus: Dirty on Purpose posted photos from their Spring 2007 tour with bands like The Besnard Lakes, Helio Sequence, The Thermals, The Big Sleep, Earl Greyhound, Apollo Sunshine, Matt Pond PA and more. Check out their Flickr gallery.
sign up for haystack.com and start ranting about your favorite bands!
i know this sounds like a commercial, but i just spent the last few hours updating my haystack profile, rating songs from bands like silversun pickups, dirty on purpose (duh), asobi seksu, margot & the nuclear so and so's, mark gardner (of ride), mew, granddaddy, and more. i'm so addicted.
we landed in austin to rainy weather. mike and i ate the famous salt lick at the airport, then headed to our hotel. i had to admit it was good. i had never eaten it before...
after getting settled, mike and i met up with a bunch of my ascap coworkers and had dinner at moonshine. we were incredibly full afterwards but wandered over to buffalo billiards to see what was going on -- but nothing was really going on there so we went back to the hotel to crash.
wednesday started off way better - less rainy. more like a light sprinkle here and there. i met up with the boys in dirty on purpose near the convention center to pick up badges and such. then we headed over to the gen art party. they played a lot of new songs and some old songs, and it was nice to see a big crowd for them cheering them on. austin rules.
then we headed over to the orchard happy hour at the driscoll hotel. they have these every day of the music fest, and it's always a happy hang for me and the boys. we heart the orchard. plus, they had guitar hero!! i ran into my old coworker wade, as you see him above shredding some guitar.
wednesday night i spent all night at the ascap rock showcase at dirty dog bar. bat for lashes started off the night right with her cat power like vocals. i kind of like hippies from the uk, even if they have been compared to enya. i ran into ben weber who i adore - he manages two of my favorite artists - elvis perkins and nada surf. i needed a little rock break so i went over to the convention center with him and chatted about life, music and such. he's a capital guy. so many people were at the ascap party (it was a packed house all night), that several people commented to me: "if i had known EVERYBODY was gonna be here, i would have come early and stayed all night." pretty awesome! we have some photo coverage going up on www.ascap.com, so check it out.
on thursday, i woke up super early to set up the filter party. after eating however, i started throwing up repeatedly and they sent me back to the hotel to rest. i managed to catch the host comedian Zach Galifianakis and a great band from san diego called grand ol' party. unfortunately i missed youth group, besnard lakes and badly drawn boy. i was so upset!! filter did put photos and video up on their filter blog however, so go over there to check out the coverage.
daniel brought me a care package filled with water, saltines, ginger ale and some other stuff, and i started to feel a lot better. mike joined us, and we decided to go see besnard lakes at the mohawk for the jagjaguwar showcase. they were so amazing - it was more magical than a band of horses show, if you can believe that. plus, i like bands who use smoke machines.
afterwards, i headed back to the hotel to rest, and doug and annie stopped by to show me some tlc. it's nice to have friends who care -- and thanks to everyone who sent me "get well" texts. i love you all.
dtl and mike joined me later again with some stubbs bbq. savory society, eat this! mike played with the voodoo doll we got in the sxsw registration bags. poking our stomachs so we didn't get sick again.
i felt a little more re-energized so i decided to go with dtl to see fujiya and miyagi at opal divines. the first song we heard was ok, and we agreed it reminded us of air. but then they started singing in french, and eurotrash dudes up front were chanting "fujiya miyagi" over and over again, and i started to feel like i was at a frat party. we bolted shortly after that. i was getting really tired again, so i we headed back towards my hotel.
on the way, we ran into a cool looking church called the central presbyterian churh and decided to check it out before i passed out. it was really amazing in there. and randomly this girl that dtl loved was singing there -- nina nastasia with jim white on drums (he also drums for white magic and someone else i can't remember). she had one of the most beautiful female vocals i've heard in a while. just really pure -- the church was the perfect setting for them. dtl said she sings on his favorite boom bit song - she sang another version of that song that night, and it made me a little teary eyed. maybe it was the exhaustion or the song, but i needed to crash badly after that if i was going to be in good shape for today. i'm at the filter party all day today so i'll let you know how it goes!
not sure how long all y'all have been rockin' it at northsix over the years (remember when it first opened up in 2001?), but i have experienced many firsts there, including...
first time i saw fiery furnaces when they were just eleanor and matthew giving each other nasty looks and arguing with each other on stage.
first time i went to a rock venue that had stadium seating like a high school auditorium, ala "smells like teen spirit."
first time i saw british sea power with their stage foiliage.
first time i ever saw deerhoof.
first time i saw locust.
first time i heard "take off your pants" at a stellastarr* show.
first time i saw the mink lungs. what the hell ever happened to them?
first time i ever met a bartender who baked treats for her patrons.
first time i took photos of the oxford collapse at a show. meaning, the first real oxc show that wasn't a house party. now they're on sub pop after all their hard work.
first time dirty on purpose ever played there was for chris newmyers (starter foundation) birthday party -- they played with the thermals.
first time i saw the witnesses and the hong kong. what the hell ever happened to them?
the first (and only) time i saw panthers and les savy fav together. holy shit that was amazing.
anyhoo, the big sleep are playing there tonight -- the last show ever at northsix as northsix -- with radio 4 and freeblood. tomorrow, the venue i guess will turn into the music hall of williamsburg. some people may be irked by the bowery acquisition, but i think it will only mean good things for the scene in this part of brooklyn because bowery presents has done such a good job with shows at mercury lounge, bowery ballroom and webster hall (and other various venues around the city).
hey everyone, dirty on purpose is doing their next new york show at good ol' mercury lounge. they'll be playing with lymbyc systym who were on tour with them and the album leaf this past fall, and also saxon shore.
joe designed a couple lovely posters to help promote the show. please take them and post them on your blog. xoxo
Last week, Mike Bell from Filter magazine guest dj'd at the weekly GBH Radio Show (East Village Radio) and played some of the new bits and pieces by people such as bloc party, kaiser chiefs and others. Stream or Download the show.
You'll also find music from the following: datarock, muttonheads, new young pony club, freeform five, hot chip, dsico, cut copy, editors, daft punk, dfa 1979, klaxons, shout out out out out, switch, css, ratatat, the gossip, the big sleep, the cinematics, of montreal, bryan scary, air, au revoir simone, albert hammond jr, ra ra riot, fanfarlo, the shins, apollo sunshine, mason proper, and dirty on purpose. Full track listing here.
my life has changed so much since i put up a substantial post here.
i turned 28 this past december. wow. i think that officially makes me an adult. it also means that 2007 is the year i turn 29. wowee zowee.
i've become a bridesmaid for one of my best friends, stephie of dc. i almost can't believe it. we've known each other since freshman year of college. i'm getting to the age where people actually consider marrying each other. strange.
i watched twin peaks season 1 on dvd and picked up a new motto from kyle mclachlan's character: "give yourself a present every day."
i am now consulting on the side, which is awesome. some extra money to pay rent, and of course, the experience of working with such a lovely company like haystack. i'll be spreading the good word about this to you soon, i'm sure!
i tried writing a song on garageband. it's fun and quirky, like me.
i have met many new people in the last couple months, and i like them.
i took my younger sister to get her first tattoo and paid for it. i love corrupting the youth. i also bought her a ciggy pipe. bwahahahah. i am the most laid back sis ever.
i have found i like saying the word "shizz."
i am addicted to listening to the first 12 minutes of diplo's "live at 3D" on my morning commute. it's the best mix of ciara, ludacris, yeah yeah yeahs, twista and tv on the radio. ever. you should try it if you haven't done so yet.
i have finally stopped retelling bekah's "get awesome" story, which got mixed reviews. some people loved it. some people were disturbed by it. if you wanna know, ask me...
i saw jerry yeti for the second time in my life. nice boy.
i enjoyed superdeluxe.com very much and waved to eugene mirman for probably the 10th time in my life. why is he so adorable and funny? thanks for the invite, dani.
i have about five girl crushes right now. shhhhhh.
many people have been texting or calling me telling me they hear dirty on purpose at places like: doug fir lounge (portland), manhattan mall (nyc) and adrianno goldschmeid (nyc). i admit, i love these kind of texts and calls. keep them coming.
free dirty on purpose show @ the delancey + my birthday party
i don't always throw a party for my birthday, but this year, i decided to combine a birthday bash with the dirty on purpose fall 2006 tour finale at the delancey on december 13. the show is free to get into so bring all your friends out to celebrate. there will be much boozing!
cmj, guitar hero II, haystack and iceland -- all wrapped up in one huge blog post!
these past two weeks have officially become a blur for me. i'm sure most people say this after some time passes them by, but in my case, i sometimes wonder how life is passing by so goddamn swiftly! how is 2006 nearing its close?
someone recently asked me what the best band of cmj was, and i decided i didn't have a straight answer for this question. if they were to instead ask, what the best band i've never seen before this cmj, well then that would elicit the response, "erase errata." they were a pleasant surprise on saturday morning of cmj at the aam party at northsix. kudos to justin and the crew for kicking things off that way on the last day of cmj 2006. i developed a sick girl crush on the lead singer. thaaaaanks.
the most fun i had was playing guitar hero II with various drunk people at the gibson 1st annual cmj blowout at gibson nyc headquarters in the old hit factory building. i am embarrassed to admit how many times i got "song failed" while trying to fake play guitar and bass, but let's just say i officially suck at pretending to play music in video games. woot woot!
oh another surprise love at first sight/listen was headlights, a polyvinyl band from the farmhouses of champlaign, IL. they were just absolutely lovely as they recorded a special podcast for the ASCAP network. i also really loved the stephen brodsky podcast, who really wooed me with his earnestness in this podcast.
i really also loved the amazing crowd of people who showed up the haystack/v2/l magazine party that i helped sponsor. i met a lot of great people and saw some old friends at this party, and it was dirty on purpose's last show of cmj -- we were all celebrating the culmination afterwards. i was also delighted to see that haystack.com has officially launched their site -- a social music network where people help power other people's interest in good music. the site also features "tastemakers" in music so you can all start talking about music with each other all in one place. an open dialogue and lovefest of music is found here. if you haven't signed up for an account yet, check it out now...
and finally, the dirty on purpose boys are now on tour with the album leaf. check out their tour schedule here and support a show near you!
in other news, i am preparing for my trip to iceland to see the sugarcubes reunion. i am both excited and nervous. wish this intrepid music reporter luck. i feel like this year has been a complete whirlwind.
the 2007 plug awards will take place february 10, 2007, at irving plaza and will spotlight the indie artists of 2006. with independent music growing bigger and bigger each year, i think it gets tougher and tougher to nominate the true "indie" artists and music industry professionals who adhere and support the indie way. (wow, i think that's the most i've ever said "indie" in one paragraph). oh and it's produced by the wonderful peeps over at jelly nyc. sweetness.
anyways, we all know which albums were stand out this year -- i know i have several favorites from 2006 -- though not too many favorites. i'm gonna take this moment for a shameless plug: to ask everyone who enjoyed dirty on purpose's full length, hallelujah sirens, to vote for it for the 2007 plug awards. it's one of those albums that just wraps around you as you listen to it more and more. once you're hooked, you're hooked. check out the songs on DOP's myspace page...
i can't believe that it's already september. time seems to go by faster and faster every year, and i am entering the period in my life where i lose track of time. everything is a blur. kind of scary. kind of exhilarating.
dirty on purpose is playing the south street seaport, and i'm starting to feel really happy. i feel like i've reached a special milestone. the seaport has such good vibes all around that i'm looking forward to the show like no other show before. it's really lifting the gloom that had slightly enveloped me.
i hope to see y'all at the south street seaport! pier 17. friday, september 1. show starts at 6pm. dop are on at 8pm. spinto band headlines!
I've gone and done it. I've up and disappeared. Yes, I'm on tour with Dirty on Purpose for a couple weeks. It is a test of time and wills, but I'm up for the challenge and welcome the change of pace.
I feel somewhat glorious and euphoric, especially when random shit happens like an unexpected trip to the tacky town of Las Vegas. Or that wild night at a strip club in Los Angeles that had full-on nudity. Yikes.
Then there are quieter times like driving across the flat yet highly elevated state of Wyoming. At one point during the drive, we were at the highest point in all of America. This was exactly the point in time when our moods started to crash after the Vegas high.
So while the rest of the country is suffering and literally keeling over from the deadly heat wave, we are freezing cold. The Wyoming rainfall has chilled the weather, and the air is brisk. I asked the band to shut all of the windows as I shiver in my shorts and hoodie.
For miles and miles, there is nothing but yellowing fields of grazing cows passing me by. My cell phone has no service. I am cramped in a van. No one is talking. I am lonely and bored and left with my own thoughts.
It is at times like this when I wonder where my life is going. I start letting all my sorrows bubble up to the surface of my brain. I forget about the thrill of the bright lights, and wince with the sudden flood of dark memories.
We stopped by a diner in the middle of nowhere. There is a gang of truckers standing outside gawking and talking about an apparent police chase going on across the street. Inside, the waitress talks to a trucker about his trek to Idaho. When she was taking our order, I ask her if the diner has cream cheese. She doesn't seem to know what that is.
Later when we are paying our bill, she asks us where we are from. "Far away from here," we reply. "Very far," another one of us adds. We tell her we're from New York and that we're a band on tour. She has a dreamy and envious look on her face, and part of me wants to tell her that she should get out of this nowhere town she's in and pursue bigger dreams. For some reason though, I don't say a word.
Traveling, I am finding, is the hopeful search for my soul. As I meet new people and catch a brief glimpse of how the other half lives, I am drilling down to the core of who I am through comparisons and contrasts. There are somethings I miss from home -- Mikers, cobb salads and my cat, Ziggy. But then I see things like how people's bathrooms are the size of my entire apartment, and I wonder what the hell I'm doing living in New York. Oh yes, I think Tom Petty said it best: I'm runnin' down a dream that never would come to me, working on a mystery and going wherever it leads...
The highlights from tour so far included... My first show with the band in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill where we partied with a whole crew of people and somewhere along the line I lost my sneakers -- shout out to Ted, Matt, Louise, the Quiggles, Garo and everyone else... It was so much fun. The band did an exclusive acoustic set for Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles that turned out really well. They even played a new unrecorded track called "Audience in the Room." Their songs really lend themselves well to being stripped and slowed down into really poetic moments. I can't wait for that to air. We also really loved Salt Lake City's Kilby Court. All the kids who came to the show were so into it, and they really seem to have a good community for music there. The venue owner lived across the street, and we were hanging out in his backyard for a bit. Last night in Denver's Hi-Dive, we met up with Danny Brothers who directed the "Light Pollution" video and met a few other great people, including the owner of the bar who was super nice and genuinely a fan of the band. He gave us a free round of whiskey shots with cokebacks. I think this is now my new favorite drink.
My discoveries are sometimes treasured during the good times, and at other times, I am at an all-time low, despairing about the things in my life I can't control. Of course, give it a couple days, a few drinks and some smokes, and I'm sure I will soon forget my woes. At least for the time being.
However, on tour, the one thing you will always learn and remember is what time the bars close and where you can get yet another greasy cheeseburger. That's just how it goes I suppose.
there is also an afterparty at union hall in park slope (5th and union), presented by sparkle motion, where stars and dirty on purpose will be DJing... i am also told there might be other surprises in store. it's all very hush-hush, maybe-maybe at the moment.
coolfer has music & video downloads & streams available of all the bands playing siren, so if you've never heard of any of them before, you can have a taste before gorging yourself. click here to check it out!
dirty on purpose and au revoir simone on mtv's you hear it first!
mtv featured dirty on purpose and au revoir simone on mtv's you hear it first today! and if you look closely, i think you can spot me about three times in the background. crazy!!! click here to watch...
when you are bored with the scene you are in, then travel. that's my motto. or at least one of them.
i'm not saying i am bored of the new york scene, but sometimes, it's nice to get out of the city and discover the rest of the world. sometimes it can be amazing, and other times dreadfully awful. i haven't been lucky enough to do much traveling, but it's something that i'm dying to explore.
last night i saw jf robitaille and the capitol years, and i realized there are still good songwriters out there. i adore jf robitaille for his writing skills and his fragile voice. he's got this very approachable aspect that is wondrously endearing. he recently moved here from montreal, and his record was produced by howard bilerman (arcade fire, the dears) and brian paulson (beck, wilco). i see lots of good things down the road for him.
and the capitol years? damn, they really fucking impressed me. i mean i was completely floored throughout their set. incredible harmonies. absolutely hilarious personalities. and their amazing ability to burst into what jordon calls "organized chaos" made me clap along and jump around in delight. i am definitely dying to hear their upcoming album, dance away the terror, on park the van records. if you like dr. dog and the teeth, you will definitely dig on the capitol years. they are part of that philly collective that seems to be growing more these days. i never used to hear about bands from philly but all of a sudden, it's the next city that is birthing good music. listen to their song, "mirage people."
next week, the rinse are playing the haystack and insound party, and i can't wait to see their infectious brit pop! their songs "out of her mind" and "naughty" are stuck in my head. if you haven't seen them, you should get your ass out to club midway next wednesday. there are $3 beers to get you sloshed, great music, and videos and footage of bands like we are scientists, asobi seksu, and more!
later this month, i travel to spain -- out of the country for the first time! i just got my passport! there's an international music festival called benicassim that i'm going to check out. the festival is right on the beaches of the mediterranean. whoever dreamt up this festival must have been a genius. i want to drink in the culture there. i want to forget about new york for a weekend and live the valencia scene. wish me luck on that. i also want to be among people who are going to just go apeshit over seeing fucking awesome bands.
then later in july and august, i am going on tour with dirty on purpose from san francisco to austin. it's going to be some good times. i'll be seeing their show at bottom of the hill in san fran, and then their la show with papa m at spaceland. i'll also be with them for san diego street scene. i've heard many good things about california, and i cannot wait!
on a side note: i walked around new york city early evening yesterday listening to the new tv on the radio album, return to cookie mountain. all i can say is WOWEE ZOWEE. it hit me so suddenly, and i was walking in a trance. it's like the 5th time i've listened to the album, but i guess in the right setting, the entire album is very affective. i am still nuts about "wolf like me."
thanks to everyone who came out to see dirty on purpose on thursday. we oversold the room with a line out the door! also thanks to say hi to your mom, the little ones and a place to bury strangers. it was great playing among our friends. hope to see everyone all over again at siren music festival, which is going to be sick!
haystack and insound present... july artist summer series
i've also helped put together some showcases of great emerging bands with haystack, an online music community that is launching later this month and insound, one of the first independent online music stores, (see the flyer in the post below). come and check out the first night's lineup:
wednesday, july 5th @ club midway (formerly scenic - ave b between 2nd and 3rd)
8pm - jf robitaille (recently moved to brooklyn from montreal) i first saw jf robitaille play acoustic, and he charmed me with his smart yet intricate music. check out his myspace page and come out and check out his live show. he recently completed a 7th day residency at pianos.
9pm - the english department the english department are indie rockers who mix intellect with sensitivity for engaging rock and roll.
10pm - cavalier king (residency) this is the first night of cavalier king's residency at club midway in july 2006. he recently performed at thom yorke's listening party, and that may give you an idea of what kind of music he plays -- gentle acoustic rock that explodes with passion. check out the song "the unprotected."
11pm - the capitol years you may think you've heard their name around, but never checked them out before. now's your chance before they release their next record on park the van records (dr. dog, the teeth) and become the next big thing from the city of brotherly love. check out their song "mirage people." it really reminds me of the harmonious nature the beatles used to have.
DIRTY ON PURPOSE RELEASES "HALLELUJAH SIRENS" TODAY!
I am delighted to announce the official release of Dirty on Purpose's debut full length album, Hallelujah Sirens on North Street Records. In celebration, they've added a new song from the album to their MySpace page -- "Your Summer Dress." Enjoy!!
Also thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Thanks to everyone who likes and supports the music. You can buy copies at your local record store or online:
so you want to know why i never update my blog anymore... my schedule has just been bananas. i know by now i sound like a broken record, but whatever. i'd still like to share what's going on in my crazy life...
also here's the video for "light pollution" - it was directed by george's brother, gregory wilson, and produced by the awesome daniel brothers. see it below:
amp camp says:"...this band has an entirely different perspective than its contemporaries; DOP's ambition is more palpable, and their songs go farther. The influences are there, but the lasting effect is one of inimitable freshness." (review by fernando royale)
filter mini also had some nice words to say on the new album: "Aggressive and soft, quiet and loud, Dirty On Purpose disarm the year-long anticipation for their full-length with tracks as fulfilling as a lengthy dorm-room snogging session. Slow when it needs to be, full of robust melodies and swirling with competing nuances worthy of second consideration (think soft hair, a little rough stubble, some musk around the collarbone), Dirty On Purpose’s Hallelujah Sirens is sure to score more than a few couples getting fresh for many make-out moments to come." (review by catherine adcock)
i know how hard a time people have had in describing their music. but today we came across a review that also truly seems to get the essence of what dirty on purpose is. the music blog, good hodgkins, however, really seems to get it: "As far as I’m aware, space rock and dream pop essentially mean the same thing yet a distinction is necessary for one very good reason: space rock begat dream pop when it reached the point where it had more in common with 60s pop music than straight-ahead rock and roll. Listening to Hallelujah Sirens - the debut LP from Brooklyn four-piece Dirty On Purpose - it’s hard to tell exactly to which sub-genre they belong. At one moment we’re greeted with a hammering guitar assault that borders on shoegaze; in the very next instant - within the same song, no less - we’re met with a jubilant trumpet hook. And that, really, is the essence of Dirty On Purpose: the influences are all present and accounted for but it seems they’ve all exchanged clothes. What we’re left with, then, is something unmistakably fresh."
so now that the album is done and some early reviews are pouring in, i thought i would announce the details for the new york cd release show, siren music festival and the san diego street scene! see below...
"HALLELUJAH SIRENS" CD RELEASE SHOW Thursday, June 29, 2006 @ Mercury Lounge 217 E. Houston Street New York, NY $12/$10 Advance
The Village Voice Sixth Annual SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL Saturday, July 15, 2006 @ Coney Island Brooklyn, NY
We are very excited to be playing at the wonderful Siren Music Festival at Coney Island this summer along with some amazing bands including Stars, Art Brut, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Stills, The Cribs, Celebration and She Wants Revenge. We're looking forward to the corn dogs, the sand, the water, the Cyclone and most of all, hanging out with our friends and fellow music lovers. The best part? It's FREE!! For more information, visit http://www.villagevoice.com/siren.
SAN DIEGO STREET SCENE Saturday, August 5, 2006 @ Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA
We are also looking forward to playing San Diego Street Scene in August with great aritsts like Kanye West, Modest Mouse, Snoop Dogg, Wu Tang Clan, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Queens of the Stone Age, Bloc Party, The Futureheads, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, and about a million more great bands! For more information or to purchase tickets to the festival, please visit http://www.street-scene.com.
new york is one of those places that can make you smile or make you frown. and what goes up, inevitably also comes down. it's not science. it's just new york. it rains for a couple minutes, and then switches to sunshine -- as if asking for an apology for that two minute mishap. and who are you to deny it?
across the street from my job, david blaine was floating in a bubble filled with water. down the street from that, there is a bible read-a-thon. and on the subway last night, many of us exhausted commuters were subjected to a torturous ride home that included a snail-like crawl with occasional sickening jolts.
and then you wake up in the morning and read this in the news... dirty on purpose is playing siren music festival!!!!! wheeeee! along with she wants revenge, stars, art brut, tapes 'n tapes, the stills, the cribs and celebration. woo hoo!
and somehow, all the pain and sacrifice seems worth it.
i know i haven't updated in forever... but seriously, i've been running around like crazy and haven't had a chance to breathe. last week i was busy with moving into a new apartment (fully moved!), throwing a private listening party and making sure things ran smoothly at the pratt show for dirty on purpose. (taking a breath now...)
this past week i was swamped with work during the day, and in the afternoons, i spent my time at the tribeca ascap music lounge at the tribeca film festival. my faves -- lisa hannigan (her first US performances! she's the female singer from the damien rice album, o), elvis costello & allen toussaint, nellie mckay, patty griffin, david ford and brazilian girls.
i finally got to meet frank from chromewaves in person, and he looks exactly like his photo! he reviews the dop showcase here. the soundsystem at spiros is pretty shitty -- so dop were lucky that they brought their own sound man to fix all the feedback almost instantly... though my favorite dop show in austin was definitely the loose record show. i was dancing around everywhere for that one!
if blogging now about my last full day in austin is any indication to how tired i am, there you go. my muscles are aching from schlepping shit all week. my ankles are killing me from constantly standing at shows. and my throat is clogged from all the smoking. in short, sxsw 2006 was awesome.
on saturday i got up and headed over to the filter party. i forgot i wasn't setting up for that party and started setting up. then i ran over with joe from dirty on purpose to check out the free asics that were being given away over at beauty bar. we ran into sarah and doug from the jelly party -- they were getting ready for their awesome party with art brut and apollo sunshine -- jello shots in the fridge. the beauty bar in austin is a lot fancier than the beauty bar in new york. it was actually a really great place to hang out though. i have no idea if they are related.
then i jetted off to try and catch the silversun pickups (who i had missed at the dangerbird showcase the night before) at moonshine and got there shortly after they started their set. they totally wowed me with their live performance. there tension between beautiful guitar lines with the driving bass and the lead singer's passionate growl.
then i ran back over to the trade show to the listening kiosk and just hang out and talked with people at the trade show until i went to go see sam champion at emos iv. afterwards i caught the last few songs of art brut at the jelly party. i had never seen them before, and enjoyed their stage banter. musically they were OK, but the lead singer had such charisma. art brut -- top of the pops! he kept shouting that out at the end of their set, every once in a while throwing in other band names like "apollo sunshine -- top of the pops! big daddy kane -- top of the pops!" so funny.
then i went to the orchard party at the driskill (where jay was staying) to celebrate the dirty on purpose and north street records union with our whole team of peeps. after that i ran back to my hotel to get stuff to set up for the ascap acoustic showcase at whisky bar. then i met up with dtl over at emo's annex to check out swearing at motorists. this was a band he and i saw at sxsw 2004, and they won me over so much i bought all of their freaking cds after the show. there's just something that is so open and vulnerable and defiant about their music that catches in my throat and makes my heart cry out. i lurve that shite.
then i went to grab some food and check out knife skills at lava lounge and also say hi to slim and portia from 5rc -- who are putting out their full length this summer. that was the best knife skills show i had ever seen and my heart had massive palpitations (sp?) as they played their set. even dtl, who was going to leave in the middle of their set -- had to stay to the end. it was that compelling.
then i ran back over to the ascap acoustic showcase. i saw jennifer from our la office who i didn't get to spend much face time with during the entire week, so i went with her to check out a couple more bands before heading back to whisky bar officially for the night. we went to check out living better electrically at the blend bar balcony but ending up only catching their last song. from what i could tell it was pretty good. then we headed over to maggie mae's to see the duke spirit. the lead singer was like a punk rock chan marshall. lots of sex appeal, and i liked what i saw of their set. this was a relief because i actually like their cd. i ran into beach there and we chatted for a bit. then jen and i ran back to whisky bar and we heard the chapin sisters rehearsing upstairs before their set. lovely melodies. later -- the rest of my gang was watching gang of four on some rooftop. i skipped out and headed to my hotel because i literally couldn't stand anymore. i got a call a little later that mike was bringing a whole bunch of people back to my hotel -- george, joe, liz, jonathan and some girl named claudia. joe was tired and cuddled up to me in bed like he was my son, and jonathan started to take photos like he was the papparazzi, even when i told him to stop. i knew everyone in the room except that claudia girl and she decided out to cuddle up to me in bed too. at that point i had enough, and i kicked everyone out of the room so i could go to sleep. sweet sweet sleep. that was my austin 2006. can't wait again for next year!
my voice is cutting out and my throat is all scratchy. my eyes are so dry from the air in my hotel room, and i'm exhausted from lack of sleep. thus begins day four of my sxsw experience.
yesterday i headed over to the filter music alliance blogger brunch at the filter cedar street courtyard show. i ended up seeing a few faces i hadn't seen in quite a while (jen from daily refill, scott from stereogum and robert duffy from donewaiting, in addition to meeting frank from chromewaves for the first time in person). i was catching up with robert, who i first met in person at nemo this past year (dirty on purpose played his showcase there at lizard lounge) and it was great to catch up with him and the celebrity pilot folks. such nice guys. they are what makes ohio a nice place to visit -- in addition to the lovely peeps at woxy, who i'm not sure if they're here -- i haven't seen shiv around at all. last year i ran into him all over the place, so perhaps he didn't make it out this year. ;-(
scott ended up interviewing and filming me for some thing he's doing for yaris and toyota. not quite sure what it is but it was sort of surreal being on camera. we recounted how i was actually the first blogger he ever met "in person." those were the days when stereogum was a livejournal, and i used to run into scott everywhere. he's still a really nice guy, and i'm happy to see that his blog is doing so well! he ragged on me a little for missing sxstereogum, but if i could have made his party, i definitely would have been there. unfortunately i was working the trade show all of thursday. boooooooo. i also tried looking for the mysterious brooklyn vegan but couldn't find him. you'd think i would have met him by now!
then i had to run off the trade show again for the listening booth and ended up running into bsiii again. after the trade show, he and i went over to the todd p show over at ms bea's to catch knife skills. we saw a little bit of dc snipers, who were pretty good. after knife skills finished i headed back to the hotel to set up for the barfly/ascap showcase at exodus where the secret guest were the zutons. when i got to the club, the zutons were soundchecking... they sounded really awesome. then later i headed over to spiros to see dirty on purpose. haystack stopped by and interviewed the band and filmed some of their set.
then we booked it over to the loose record party at big orange. big orange is sound team's recording studio/rehearsal space and it was amazing -- cool set up of tv monitors inside and the practice space was a cool set up too. it had this huge outdoor part of it that was nice to hang out in the breeze and then a nice projection of the band on a wall outside so even if you weren't inside you could see and hear the band. i saw daylen and robbie from clap your hands and got caught up with them. daylen's been touring with those guys, and it was great to see them there. dr. dog was up next and they were rocking it out. so did sound team and voxtrot. it was an overall awesome party where the kegs never ran out, and there was actually some room to breathe the chilled austin air. what a great night.
oh am i sleepy. i'm getting up right now to go to breakfast with recently acquainted friend melissa who manages a great brit rock band called the rinse and her other manager girlfriends. i still haven't had my first cup of coffee yet, but there is plenty of gatorade to go around. i'm not quite built for the hanging out every night and insane show hopping that goes on at sxsw but i'm up for the challenge this year.
i feel like yesterday was a complete blur, but i was able to start out my day with seeing wayne coyne and the rest of flaming lips play demos from the new album and talk about the creative process that led from demos to finished product at the filter cedar street day party. it was pretty cool. he also played a random tape on his four track that was an answering machine message left for him one night by a friend... she was in the shower when the police came to her door. they didn't announce themselves. she came to the door in a towel and then the police pointed guns at her and told her to put her hands up. she said no (she's naked in a towel)... and that's where he stopped the tape. apparently it goes on for another 40 minutes. i wish i knew how the story ended...
then i rushed over to man the listening kiosk at the trade show and met a bunch of ascap members. met up and hugged knife skills and dirty on purpose as they arrived in austin. i had such a feeling of relief when they arrived here. i had to admit, austin wasn't feeling like a complete experience without them. now it was complete. jenna, jo and sky also arrived, and we hung out here and there during the course of the day. i also went to the ascap music and money brabec panel, which is always an educational experience on how to make money in music, and ran into bsiii. it was such a nice surprise!
later i went to dinner with some coworkers and jenna, joe and oystein (sp??) at iron works. it was the best bbq i've ever had but i kind of felt like a savage eating ribs. that probably won't happen anytime soon, but i'm glad i got that texas experience. afterwards we went to see film school at club deville, and i ran into brody, who manages singer-songwriter josh pyke from austraila. we also ran into erika and heather of au revoir simone there and we all chilled out to the sonic wave of film school. then i moved on next door to velvet spade, where i watched a band called the annuals with dtl for the ace fu/solid pr showcase. we ventured off to see oxford collapse rock it at the aam showcase over at habana calle 6. they were superb. if you haven't heard, these kids just got signed to sub pop. they rule. jesse from chin up chin up jumped on stage and played the shit out of whatever was lying around. it was awesome. at the show i ran into a lot of the chicago peeps, including the nice folks over at flameshovel and new york peeps lio and kay from kanine and sara and company from aam. i also saw gerry who plays drums in a number of bands including the juan maclean and turing machine (and former knife skills drummer) who i hadn't seen in AGES. it was like a little teary eyed reunion!
later on in the night i went back to velvet spade and checked out pteradactyl and an albatross at the ace fu/solid pr party at the velvet spade patio. then i made a quick stop at emo's annex at the kill rock stars/5rc party and caught two ton boa. then i returned to the velvet spade to catch a little bit of man man's set inside. i tried to wait it out and watch no things, but i was just way too tired from all the running around and had to get up early the next day so i just booked it back to my hotel to sleep.
austin: day 2 last night i went to a big staff dinner at an amazing restaurant called sullivan's steakhouse. mmm delicious. then mike and i wandered around, checking out the calm before the storm. 6th street was busy, but not as busy as today! we ran into the say hi to your mom kids and went to hang out at club deville. my new favorite place to hang out in austin. in fact, the last time i was there was two years ago at sxsw for the insound day party with daniel. boy did it bring back memories! we also hung out with the dudes from dynah. nice guys. great brit pop rock.
today i woke up early and headed to the austin convention center to set up for the tradeshow. we had a bunch of "listening kiosks" that were apple laptops with nice headphones attached, as well as some kind of film projector. this is so people can come listen to showcasing bands and see trailers for films screened at the film festival portion. the convention center was MADNESS.
mike and i managed to make it over to urban outfitters to check out the metal hearts set. i met a bunch of the suicide squeeze folks, and i lamented the fact that i'd never been to seattle. i'm dying to go. any band heading to seattle? take me, take me! metal hearts were great -- they were the first official band of my sxsw 2006. i loved the sax. ran into jay good times. the man knows how to make an entrance, he snuck up from behind and suddenly it dawned on me that austin was going to be so nice this year -- running into so many great friends. brings a tear to my eye...
i hung out for a little bit with some of mike's filter coworkers. they were supernice and i was a little sad i would miss the bulk of the filter party slots because i'm going to be at the tradeshow right smack in the middle of their day parties. i'm going to try to run and see some of the end though. i'm also planning to go to the wayne coyne Q&A and listening party for at war with mystics. yay! i also ran into polsia again, who is always a pleasure to see. we had a nice chat about all the good things to come for the cloud room. i'm really happy for her!
i had a little bit of time before setting up for the ascap showcase so i ran over to meet jay good times roll over at the super swank orchard lounge at the driskill hotel. it was like walking into the set for clue, the kind of place where pipes and smoking jackets are mandatory. i also ran into pfeffer from razor and tie and we had a nice chat and catch up outside of the omni. turns out he's like 5 doors away from me. small world! then i met up with scott from headgear who is awesomely doing the sound for all of the dirty on purpose shows. then i met up with daniel and mike and we caught up on everyone's plans for the rest of the week.
if that wasn't enough, i had to run back and forth from my hotel to set up for the ascap showcase at the dirty dog bar. the dirty dog bar has a logo of a girl with her skirt flying up -- and there's a dog humping her leg. hmmm pretty dirty! the bands were great though and i met a ton of wonderful peeps. the owner of the bar even set me up with a free jello shot at the end of the night. aberdeen city, love of diagrams, pilotdrift, office, the rinse, colored shadows and the ark were great. i'll elaborate more later. time for me to sleep and prep for tomorrow.
i'm sorry to all of you who missed the dirty on purpose show at northsix last friday night. it was one of those nights to be remembered. brooklyn rock and roll history. there was even a busload of english school kids -- 16 years old -- to see dop headline brooklyn. their teacher had brought signed permission slips (how cute!?). they were all so excited, and so were we.
the air was already magical. i mean with oakley hall, hopewell and jaymay on the bill, it was just one of those amazing nights -- the kind that you'll look back on and think, "whoa, i'm so happy i was there to see brooklyn's finest emerging acts show everyone what they got." several people came up to me and said they were just blown away. i was too. it was the best dirty on purpose show to date, and it was special to have so many supporters in the room showing their love!
the band played many songs from their upcoming full length album, and it was heavy shoegaze heaven with new songs like "no radio," "kill our city," "always looking," "your summer dress" and "lake effect." they also played some hits from the sleep late for a better tomorrow ep like "mind blindness" and "spider eyes."
oakley hall were really great -- that indie rugged country rock with beautiful melodies. pretty wonderful. we heard them rehearsing downstairs before their set, and then they rocked it onstage. if you haven't checked this band out, and you're going to see the yeah yeah yeahs on saturday at bowery ballroom -- go early and witness their wonderfulness. my favorite song is "lazy susan." there's such a classic feel to it, like it was written in the 70s an amped up for contemporary audiences.
hopewell also gave a stunning and energetic performance with their psychedelic jam rock. plus, they seem to be really nice, humble guys, which maybe isn't important to some people, but is imperative to me.
i was simply, achingly mesmerized by jaymay. she sings some backup vocals on the upcoming dirty on purpose album, and i've been a fan of hers ever since. there's this sweet vulnerability to her music that is undeniably blissful to the senses. i was super excited and giddy when she dedicated her first song, "gray or blue," to me. and even more wowed by her entire set -- especially when she broke out the a capella trumpet in one of her songs. it's amazing to see someone mimic the sound of a trumpet so naturally. i loved it!
at the knife skills show at mercury lounge on monday, the band's set was cut off before they could play their killer song, "doctor doctor." that was a bummer. those wolfmother people must be crazy because they wouldn't let the band go on past a certain time. i don't see what the rush was... but that's how the industry works. you have big wigs from interscope buying up all the tickets, and then they pressure the venue and the sound guy to keep everything on schedule so that all the industry-ers won't end up going to bed too late on a monday night.
the black lips left me blue -- so much so that i left the main room after just one song. i heard the lead singer whipped out his dick and peed in his mouth at the finale. then he spewed it on the audience. unfortunately, the music was as immature as his antics, and so the set suffered in my eyes -- though i'm sure there were lots of people who were into it for the sheer "shock" value of it all. the vice people seemed pretty excited about them, but let me tell ya, they ain't no bloc party or the streets.
i was pretty excited to see wolfmother and see what all the hype was about, but you know -- it's hard to please me. not only do i look for that special oomph, i also look for originality. and while wolfmother had the showmanship and huzzah, they lacked an original sound. in fact, they sounded like the bizarre baby of jack white and ozzy osbourne. someone told me that they were actually asked in an interview if jack white wrote their songs for them. ouch. all in all though, the crowd full of mostly industry types lurrrved their aussie metal sass.
Just a friendly reminder about DoP shows this weekend -- DoP be headlining both Northsix and Valentine's shows. Today's your last chance to buy tickets ahead of time for the Northsix show. Here are the details below. Hope to see you this weekend!
i had fun in the blizzard this past weekend. the white wonderland illuminated my spirits.... we started the weekend off in philly, as dirty on purpose stepped on to the khyber stage for the second time. however, this time around, there was no window to be broken. the khyber had replaced the broken window (accidentally smashed by doug last time around) and also built a wall in front of the windows. smart move.
it was awesome because we had dtl, jersey dan, builder, howerton, jenna and more in the house to support the team. i hung out a little bit with jim from phillyist, and discovered that the khyber had a band room. the khyber has a very mercury lounge feel to it. narrow bar area with a similarly sized show room. the difference is that the khyber has an upstairs bar that always has a party going on every night. parties like "destroy your liver" on sundays -- all you can drink for $10 -- or "In My Pants" -- described as "pussy footing music." hmmm.... but let's not forget the indie rock party, "no tan lines." i love it! the band also played with some other cool bands -- audible who are on polyvinyl -- sweet melodies and happiness all around. relay were also pretty cool, also melodic indie rock.
the next night we rolled into new haven, amidst small flurries. the last time we played new haven, we played at BAR, which provided us with free pizza and beer all night. we were sad to find that BAR had a terrible fire destroy the upstairs, and subsequently closed down. however cafe nine was pretty cool. the stage was small and the setup of the bar was very similar to magnetic field in cobble hill/carroll gardens over here in brooklyn. oh and cafe nine happened to have a neon budweiser guitar on the wall. pretty sweet (see below).
they played with a great new haven band called diamond j and the rough. i had listened to the music on myspace before the show and really liked what i heard. the band is even better live. total bright alt-country. they were so friendly to boot, and even invited us to crash at their house -- which we took them up on after seeing how much it was snowing. diamond j said, "first we have to go to a birthday party." so we drove in the snow to a birthday party -- which turned out to be a birthday party for jason -- the guy in mates of state. so much fun! ran into the bishop allen kids there, and later a bunch of us explored kitchen karaoke. afterwards, we headed back to diamond j's house. their house was huge and cheaper than my apartment in new york, and the best part was that it was right by the ocean. look out and there was just water. of course, hard to appreciate as much with 2 feet of snow below, but still pretty breathtaking. what am i doing living in new york when there are places like this to be had? at their house, we watched dvds featuring the band, david cross, the aristocrats... and made breakfast and lunch -- fun!
even still, i missed new york and i missed mikers, so we all returned home the next day, despite snow still falling down. the best part about coming home is sleeping in my own bed. le sigh!
check out more terrible, blurry photos on my flickr page.
la familia this weekend my sister came to visit me, and i was broke so we chose to do cheap form of entertainment... namely anything free.
on friday, nate (jay' doppelganger) came over to death by audio to shoot the dirty on purpose. this shoot took a very long time -- during which we proceeded to get drunk on whiskey (though my sister didn't partake) and got sucked into a really bad quality moog training dvd. the shoot got kind of ridiculous as antics ensued... i was tired afterwards and went home -- and off to bed.
the next day i took my sister over to beacons closet, but came up empty handed in our search for spring dresses for my sister. we then went home to eat and rest, and quickly got sucked into watching the first season of lost (my sister's dvd set).
i think there's one korean woman and one korean american guy on the island, and the guy speaks horrible korean. the woman featured is all over the korean soap operas that my parents watch. i knew she looked familiar. so weird to see korean soap opera people on american tv. they seem to have every different kind of demographic represented on this show, and i'm wondering if that's part of why it's so popular -- i mean, besides the fact that it's scary and suspenseful.
i also watched, grizzly man, the documentary by werner herzog featuring timothy treadwell, a kooky nature lover who communed with the kodiak grizzly bears for 13 summers before he finally got mauled to death by one of them. werner herzog's opinions and constant feature of himself got kind of annoying, but overall, the doc was interesting to watch. they didn't play the audio of timothy's death at the end, which i know is sick, but i was super curious to hear.
i've been absolutely terrible at updating my show happenings on this diary, especially all the dirty on purpose shows i've been to. but c'est la vie. here i am giving you the update on what's been going on in my crazy lil' world.
so a whole crew of us traveled to boston to see dirty on purpose play the plan @ great scott. unfortunately, we were competing against a pivotal patriots game that night, but overall, we fared well. though the day started out wonderfully (i was wearing shorts with boots), it turned into quite a chilly storm (and then i felt stupid for being so optimistic about the weather).
this was the band's first show since october when they played with wolf parade at nyu. they had been hibernating underground working on their full length due out this spring, and now it was time to come out and test out the new songs live. i think it went well, and i always have a great time at the plan, which is nicely put together by booker carl lavin. the band played with a nice philly group called grammar debate, who had sweet melodies and a charming demeanor. appomattox was also very nice. also before the show, we gobbled down on some good food provided by a boston band called the beatings. they were also supernice to us. i enjoyed the swedish meatballs very much. better than the ones at ikea!
we stayed overnight at doug's friend jocelyn's house. she lives with her boyfriend dave in this nice apartment with a somewhat evil cat who ended up scratching me a couple times. oddly enough, that cat likes to crawl in plastic bags and have you swing it around. i've never seen such a thing before! a ton of people showed up at the house, and we proceeded to play trivial pursuit on dvd. mike and i were very close to beating doug and joe. soooo close. then after that, we got sucked into playing xbox karaoke. everyone kept passing me the mic on songs they got tired of singing. i am a karaoke sucka, so i went along with it all. all in good fun.
mike and i traveled down to dc separate from the band. we wanted to get there a little early and grab dinner with stephanie. the show was in chinatown at a placed called warehouse next door. mike, steph and i ended up at ruby tuesday where i had a wonderful megarita to put me in the right mood. then we went over to the warehouse.
what i didn't expect was a long line to get into the show. and then when i walked into the venue, it was already full of people. amazing! i was happy that dirty on purpose was again reunited with say hi to your mom. so anyways, it was a nice packed show in a venue that is slightly bigger than pianos in new york, maybe. i ran into another blogger in the crowd, natalya of seeking irony, who helps put on the blue state party with information leafblower at the black cat in dc. she was so nice, and i was excited to actually talk to a new show friend... also, belin's beloved oveis made an appearance, which was awesome. it's always nice to see familiar faces at shows!
one of the things i like about dc is that all the touristy things to do are FREE. the next day mike, steph and i went to the national zoo. we saw many awesome animals, including the pandas. we almost saw the baby panda but it was asleep in a bucket with only a patch of fur giving away its location. those pandas are darn cute. the next day, mike and i wandered over to the mall to see the washington monument, the lincoln memorial, the vietnam memorial, the white house and also saw some of the exhibits at the american history museum. it was a full day of activities and then we hopped on a bus back to new york. i was happy to come home.
the lilys are back to support their new record, everything wrong is imaginary. sounds like a good motto to me! i can't wait. the last time i saw the lilys, it was in the old office or something at knitting factory right after dirty on purpose opened for the suicide girls. yes, we skipped the half-naked girls for the lilys, and it was much more enticing and intimate. the band will be playing magnetic field on feb. 4. check out their music on their myspace page.
1. Patti Smith (Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn) :: All of the hype that I had disregarded as hyperbole, were proven a reality. Patti Smith is a new personal hero of mine with her raw, unadulterated power, rebellion and independence. Seeing her perform Horses with Tom Verlaine and Flea was so surreal!
2. The Shins (Webster Hall, New York) :: Hands down, the best contemporary indie rock band to see live. They bring about multiple smiling orgasms whenever you hit play.
3. Dirty on Purpose (The Khyber, Philadelphia) :: This was probably one of the most fun Dirty on Purpose shows of the year because there were people dancing, and the band was tight as a four-piece.
4. Stars (SXSW - Cedar Street Courtyard, Austin) :: Stars simply blew me away during their performance at the Filter Day Party at SXSW. They were one of the only new bands I ended up liking in Austin this year, and I walked away liking them better than Broken Social Scene or Arcade Fire.
5. Damien Rice (Knitting Factory, New York) :: I find myself holding my breath when Damien Rice sings. His live version of "Delicate" makes me fall apart inside.
reflections of the way life used to be this past year has been so crazy. i can't believe how much has happened. some of you know i went through some terribly depressed times. in fact, there were tons of awful moments, but it all seemed to balance out at the end of the year with just as many happy moments. and luckily, i ended the year a big goofy smile. now i'm looking forward to what 2006 will bring me.
here's my list, although let me say i would have put other records in if it were a top 10 albums of the year, but since it was only top 5, i went for diversity.
1. Set Yourself on Fire, Stars :: I fell in love with these Canadians in Austin during SXSW 2005, and after listening to this album, I think the affair will last quite a while. Sweet female vocals dueting with equally sugary male vocals are the perfect confection for my affection.
2. Sleep Late For a Better Tomorrow, Dirty on Purpose :: Disclosure: Yes, I manage this band, but fuckin' A, they're amazing. While I think this EP (originally self-released in 2004) is pretty impressive, wait until you hear the full length next year. Holy smokes.
3. PREfection, Cass McCombs :: Utterly romantic, Cass McCombs knows how to make his music sway to the beat of a broken heart. Ouch. Sigh.
4. Thunder, Lightning, Strike, The Go! Team :: This album takes me back to the era of music when Phil Spector was a king producer not a murderer and crazy dance contests were televised. Whenever I'm feeling sad, a dash of "Ladyflash" goes a long way in making me feel happy.
5. Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1, M.I.A. / Diplo :: Diplo's hip-hop mashup album with M.I.A.'s debut Arular changed the way I listen to and view music. As the world churns more and more into a melting pot, so does music, and this album proves the fusion can be quite potent.
also don't forget to check out the deli magazine's best of 2005 lists... where there were mentions of indie night school, todd p, north street records, the big sleep and more!
also, there's a new video podcasting site called hellthy that you should check out. their first video podcast included videos from queens of the stone age and dirty on purpose. this will go nicely with the new video ipod that the band bought me for christmas/birthday. sweet!!
good times roll posts top 5 lists from a few nyc bands good times roll posts top five lists from local new york bands, including sam champion, the end of the world, the big sleep and dirty on purpose. this reminds me that i need to burn joe a copy of the cass mccombs' prefection album since he doesn't already know the genius of cass.
"Best Label in my opinion was North Street Records. They're new, but look how much they accomplished in just one year! 2005 was definitely the year of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. They broke new ground with getting great distribution without a label. You can have a band without a label, but you can't have a label without bands. Scenemakers? I thought Loose Record did a great job this past year in throwing superb parties and bringing the indie community in New York together. But then again, so has Todd P, though in a totally different way. I guess it depends on what particular scene you are talking about. Tom Sean also started a great series with Indie Night School. Tough call!"
ps: i skipped holiday parties last night because i was at work until 9. then afterwards, i went home, booked my flight to sxsw, and watched the muppet show, season 1. all i have to say is MENOMENA, doo doo doo doo doo!
voxtrot is playing mercury lounge tonight. these texans are hotter than john mueller's bbq. if you know what i'm talking about, then you know to be at merc tonight. i first heard of them through rosa of green potato ventures when dirty on purpose played with them in austin this past year, and then again when i DJ'd one of skippy's hot august night shows this past summer. i fell in love with "the start of something." the whimsy, the romance, the adorable. sigh. the band goes on at 11 but get there early because you know it's going to sell out.
dirty on purpose on pandora.com out of curiosity, i put dirty on purpose into pandora.com and went through this progression of music...
"mind blindness" - dirty on purpose "black and gold" - jim yoshii pile up "associate" - jack logan "sea" - misc/ill lit "girls & sunshine" - dirty on purpose "beaches of the world" - no wait wait "flying pizza" - swearing at motorists "here she comes again" - the stands "i just get caught out" - the go-betweens
my friend ryan started a tie company with his friend will and voila -- sovereign beck was formed. it's the perfect holiday gift for your cute indie rock boyfriend -- hint hint. come to the opening party at wallspace gallery on dec. 8. dj from dirty on purpose wore one of these fantastic ties at their last bowery show. they are awesome. i want one for myself. christy from cheeseburger and erika from au revoir simone are modeling these fancy ties above.
sovereign beck men's neckwear exhibition december 8-11 @ wallspace 547 west 27th street, 2nd floor
i've been in total bliss the last few weeks, despite the chilly weather in new york. i feel insane like it's all going to end suddenly. i'm crossing my fingers! i've also had absolutely no time to update this blog on any kind of regular basis. for this i am sorry, but i hope you will still stick it out with me because i will always feel compelled to write when i do have the time.
happy birthday, fon-lin! i hope this year they put birthday candles in your turkey.
right now i'm getting ready to attend the very dirty thanksgiving at dj's house. this will be the second time i've spent thanksgiving with friends (last year was a shitshow at 186 with belin, builder, kyle and friends). this year, i spend turkey day with the dirty on purpose crew and some others. i hear dj is cooking up a turducken. what!?
i'm taking some space up here to say, i love my friends. they are the best on the planet, and i guess it surely helps that a prerequisite to being my friend is that you have to be nice, humble and awesome. and they are!
ok off to the music stuff... recently i ran into peter from the walkmen. it's been ages since i've seen him, but he was looking happy. i asked him about that book the walkmen are writing, and he told me they are definitely writing it and publishing it... right now they are recording in DC, and i asked him if any of the songs that they played at the dentyne irving plaza show were going to be on the record. he said no... they were going with totally new songs. i can't wait to hear it!
i've been going to a lot more shows than usual these days! i saw echo and the bunnymen at irving plaza! (thanks to dtl and cheney). i was so happy to see this band live -- i didn't know what to expect but what i got back was lovely, spacey music that made my heart sway. bring on the dancing horses! lips like sugar, sugar kisses! the killing moon would come too soon! and i did attend the diesel party with echo's acoustic set, but you know... i just couldn't see or hear anything. i met some people from the spinto band at the party... the one guy looks soooo young.
i also saw we are scientists at rock and rare for some kind of weird industry showcase with lots of free sparks. i liked the first song ("the scene is dead") and the last song ("the great escape") but everything else in between was sort of whatever... kind of emo pop punk, if you ask me. it's not my thang, but that's just my steez. you may like it if you're into that sorta thing. but damn, those two songs are killer.
what else? oh, yes, i went to the GBV DVD listening party that louise from fringe benefits put together. i got there early to ensure that i got my GBV shotglass. it came to me complete with some kind of tasty shot. yay! she also sent me away with some posters to hang on my bland bedroom walls. (right now the walls are full of dirty on purpose posters. yes, i know... such a one-track mind!) i want that DVD damnit.
i also saw the sword at mercury lounge the other night. they were great but they looked so young! leave it to the youth to bring you some badass metal. apparently i was so drunk that i poured liquor down kevbo's throat! i don't remember doing this... maybe i had too much sake. anyhoo, jo, phil, sara, john, kevin and i booked it over to 2a and hung for a bit. i congratulated kemado on the new signing. are they turning into a metal label now?
oh my god, i almost forgot jay asked me to speak on a panel to talk about ascap and band management. that was a lot of fun. i can now put that i played mercury lounge. being under the spotlight was really weird for me, but i had lots of practice during the last two years of sxsw so i had my schpiel down pat. it was funny how one of the students knew about "south ex southwest" (that's how she pronounced it) because of the real world austin. seriously kids, get on the ball! that's the bestest music conference in the country! book your tickets now! is anyone else going down to sxsw in 2006? i just found out last week that i'm going, and i can't be more excited. brooklyn spring break part deux!
i almost forgot to mention that i went to the strokes listening party at black and white the other week, but i couldn't really hear the album. what i did hear though sounded like the strokes in their heyday.... what i did hear sounded nothing like the massive craziness of "juicebox." i have to say i'm really excited to hear the new album without the buzz of a crowd drunk on free harp and guiness. good party though, dani. you are tops in my book.
i also hosted a tasty get together of an expanded treats club at hotel 74 (aka my house). it was a cozy affair of friends who crave sugar. jennarator tested some of her recipes, and the the feedback was HOT. coffee heath cookies, pumpkin chocolate spice cookies, cinnamon bread, brownies, chocolate martinis. oh my gosh. it was good. check out photos of some key fingerlicking moments on my flickr page.
so i just wanted to share some exciting on the moon music news about full length records from both bands i manage, dirty on purpose and knife skills. dop head into the studio to record their debut full length for north street records at head gear, and knife skills head into the studio in december to record their debut full length for 5rc (krs' slim moon's label - joining the noise revolution!!). we're all pretty excited about the opportunities ahead of us. i've heard the demos (both bands have new material posted on their myspace: dop & ks), so i can assure you they're both going to kick some serious ass and blow everyone away. is that setting the standard too high? i don't care. i believe in them both 1000%. i hope you see it too. woo hoo!!!
ps. thanks for supporting us!!!
pps. yes that is "girls and sunshine" on an episode of mtv's laguna beach. people have been asking... now you know!
wow my life lately has been a total whirlwind. what i thought wouldn't be a busy week has suddenly turned into something of an overwhelming mound of work. figures!?!
i went to a halloween party of a friend of a friend who turned out to be the lead singer of hockey night. his apartment was in carroll gardens... a nabe i had never ventured to ever before. that apartment was fabulous by the way... i was lazy and took a car with mary, joe and mike. i was the only one of our group with a "costume" -- which really just was my cat ears. everyone else at the party had some good getups. the winners of the costume party were food -- a hambuger and a mound of nachos. mmmmm.
on saturday, i ventured to upstate new york where my grandmother was celebrating... a very old birthday. she thinks she is going to die within the next year or so. she tried to give me a photo of myself graduating from college, which stands on her dresser. she said, "after i die, they will just throw this away. so you should take it." when she says things like that, it just makes me sad. she's from the old world view. she is paranoid. but there is nothing i can do to assuage her. i took the photo at the time but later slipped it back onto her dresser before i left.
we had this enormous korean cake for her that was absolutely delicious, and an elaborate traditional korean meal with lots of goodness -- braised beef, kimchee, mandoo, and all sorts of other concoctions that i don't know the english translation of. this is the perfect recipe for a food coma.
i got back into the city late on sunday, and started feeling ill. i tried to watch some of my csi dvds to no avail. i was too effing tired and sick. i spent all of monday trying to recover as much as possible, popping airborne every few hours, advil and nyquil. i'm happy to say i am feeling better, though not fully recovered.
tonight, sugar high social, the new official name of our "treats" club, is convening for the second time. i picked the place -- fortunato brothers. i love this place because of its mafia history and its even more infamous desserts. oh yeah, it is also three blocks from my apartment. i'm prepared to indulge!!! we are inducting mary into the club tonight. next time, sara. the fad for sweets is slowly growing. watch out.
tomorrow mike is taking me to see the go!team at webster hall. i'm very excited about this. i hope i have mustered up enough energy to dance my ass off. perhaps a few sparks light beforehand will help the cause...
on friday, dirty on purpose head into the recording studio. i'll probably join them some other day this weekend as i plan to hit say hi to your mom and dios malos on friday and trick and the heartstrings on saturday at mercury lounge. you should be there too...
whew. i feel winded already just thinking about my week. thanks for listening.
on monday i want to try and catch eugene mirman at pianos... but it may not work out timing-wise...
then on tuesday, i'm going to see wolf parade at north six. that should be a good one. i've never seen them live, but their album has been growing on me... and every other blogger seems to think they are the shit. which of course doesn't mean anything! bwahahaha.
on wednesday, i forget what i am doing. can anyone remind me? probably go to band practice, and chill out on some hawaiian punch shizz.
on thursday, i'm going to the wolf parade/dirty on purpose show at nyu. maybe ambulance afterwards, but it all depends on how business goes at the show.
dirty on purpose, the a-sides, okay paddy, the teeth @ the khyber last night i totally fell in love with the khyber rock venue in philly. there were charming rock posters hanging everywhere in the main performance space that held 200 max. the bar was separate but had that same narrow corridor feeling to mercury lounge. the performance space was grungy and dark -- creating this very cozy atmosphere that was probably most held by venues like luxx or brownies in new york(r.i.p. to both those).
the bands we played with were fun indie bands as well. some from the neighboring suburbs of philly that i grew up in, it was really nice to see that the quality of music doesn't suffer. i never thought that philly had an "indie scene," but i was proven wrong by what i saw last night. there were tons of indie-loving kids coming out to support the bands tonight. i even met a 38-year-old father of 4 (with another one on the way) who was out at the show to support his friends band okay paddy (their cd release show). it was just nice to see that everyone was friendly and into music as much as the 20 year old skinny indie rocker from williamsburg. even more so, even. the vibe of the place was intoxicating. there was a dance party going on upstairs. the dop set, which i realized was full of all new songs went over exceptionally well with the crowd, who were making lots of noise after each song. it felt awesome.
oh, and one thing i like about the tripwire review (i posted the review below this one), is that i do think dirty on purpose is total makeout music. they just create this warm, fuzzy atmosphere that is quite intoxicating and romantic. it's totally something where you dim the lights or burn candles and lock lips with someone till they're pounding from the friction.
the tripwire reviews dirty on purpose & bishop allen @ bowery ballroom Live - Indie Rockers Invade Bowery Ballroom There are some bands that just look like ‘bands.’ They walk into some place and you know you’re not looking at a banker or elementary school teacher. One of the last shows I’d seen at Bowery Ballroom before last night was the Morning After Girls, Singapore Sling and Brian Jonestown Massacre – all bands who look like ‘bands.’ None of them were wearing the white Band Member sticker that Bowery gives out to performers because they really didn’t have to. You knew at first glance that those kids were in ‘bands.’ Last night’s show was a different story. Bishop Allen and Dirty on Purpose were milling about the crowd last night at Bowery and if I hadn’t known any better I never would have known they were the people about to take the stage and deliver one of the most fun/beautiful shows I’d seen in a while.
The first time I saw Bishop Allen I stood there with my friend and we just stared up at the stage with huge smiles on our faces. Bishop Allen seems to elicit that response in most people. Charm School, their debut LP, was one of the most, ummm, charming records of 2003. Lead Bishop Justin’s singing is able to sound sad, snarky, cheerful and forceful from moment to moment, Christian’s guitar lines bounce along with C.O.’s bass, and the four of them on stage look like they could be playing to a cafeteria full of 10 year olds just as easily as they played to an ever-growing indie crowd at Bowery.
Dirty on Purpose. Where to begin? Every time I see this band I love them a little bit more. Listening to their EP Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow on my computer at work, turning the volume up a few clicks every time “Mind Blindness” comes on (which you can listen to with some other tracks at the band’s MySpace page), I forget the power the band has live. Opening with the epic, swirling “Monument,” and playing through new songs and tracks off the EP, DoP create a blanket of sound so warm and inviting, swirling and expansive, you forget you’re in the same Bowery Ballroom you started in. You can check out their transportive musical powers over at their site where they’re offering a download of a recent show in Boston. If you’re in Philly tonight, swing by the Khyber and check these kids out and be transported to Dirty on Purpose land.
thanks to everyone who showed up at the dirty on purpose show last night at bowery. it's so awesome. i think that was the biggest crowd they ever played to. all the bands were great -- bishop allen (a constant fave) and mates of state really blew me away. i love the new bishop allen songs. i want the record now!!
ok so by now you probably know that dirty on purpose is playing with wolf parade at nyu. advance tickets are for nyu students. tickets are open to the public on the day of the show. $6 for students. $8 for public. there's an opening act called the honey brothers... but you may know them because adrian grenier (of entourage fame) is in the band. this is particularly interesting to me because my first jinners post ever was about seeing adrian grenier play with the honey brothers.
you can also now download the entire dirty on purpose set from their boston NEMO show. click here.
"if everything you ever wished, came true in a day..."
as i walked to the first treats club meeting at milk and cookies bakery, i listened to the new dirty on purpose demos and cass mccombs (who i am incidentally going to see tonight at webster hall). i saw couples walking hand in hand in washington square park. the fountain was flowing, and i saw the Arch lit up behind it. i sat down and snapped a photo. i felt like i was back in college and i suddenly wished i had someone to hang out in the park with.
mommy and daddy record release party wednesday, september 21 @ mercury lounge they are playing with oxford collapse and thunderbirds are now! www.mommyanddaddy.com
brooklyn responds: hurricane katrina benefit wednesday, september 21 @ southpaw southpaw puts together a great bill to benefit victims of hurricane katrina... featuring performances by radio 4, craig wedren, the cloud room, group sounds, pela, domino, au revoir simone, dj mark ronson, dj vito (the rapture), dj tony fletcher www.brooklynresponds.com
sam champion record release party friday, september 23 @ mercury lounge sam champion celebrates the release of slow rewind on razor and tie. i am very proud. like a soccer mom. they are playing with spinto band and the big sleep (hell yeah!) www.samchampion.com
trembling blue stars with dirty on purpose saturday, september 24 @ maxwell's this is the first of a series of new york area shows that sub pop band trembling blue stars is doing as part of their "farewell tour." come and say "hello, please don't go!" trembling blue stars website
brooklyn responds: hurricane katrina benefit sunday, september 25 @ southpaw southpaw puts together another great bill to benefit victims of hurricane katrina... featuring performances by they might be giants, the wrens, nada surf, richard buckner, sam champion, eiffel tower, harlem shakes, chris grace, dj djezi, reggie watts, aziz ansari www.brooklynresponds.com
cmj was better this year... but i was running around like crazy.
and now i'm exhausted. working this festival is a shitload of work, but it's sweetly rewarding all at the same time. i didn't get to see as many bands as other people who were simple pleasureseekers (i'm sorta jealous...), but hey, all in a day's work. here's some photos from my festival experience...
spencer created cool projections to hang above the crowd at the loft party on friday... he's the same guy who does the projections for a place to bury strangers...
vaz played a mean set... i thought paul was going to fall off the edge a few times into the crowd. hot.
yes, dirty on purpose. you'll see them quite a bit on this page. all in a day's work.
oh i almost forgot to mention -- i finally met jerry yeti.
i heart jay belin.
youth group were great. "shadowland" was so awesome!! that ending is smashing.
there were people MOSHING violently to a place to bury strangers. whoa.
the lovemakers making out...
and pumping out their brand of dancey new wave.
superfans dancing to the lovemakers... turning our loft party into a disco dance party. i was like, where the hell am i?
dirty on purpose, chin up chin up @ mercury lounge
that chin up chin up song "we should never have lived like we were skyscrapers" makes me wanna dance like crazy. it builds into a frenzy... oh so quietly, sneaking up on you... then you can't control yourself. your body moves in spasms. thank you.
the sound at this show was so amazing that many people came up to me and said it was the best dirty on purpose show ever. MARK is the man behind the board with the magic touch. thank you mark and mercury lounge for having us.
dirty on purpose @ soundfix records
soundfix has beautiful sound. the quiet, intimate setting was perfect for more poignant numbers like "cheat death" and "go back to sleep."
if you picked up the deli magazine, maybe you noticed perry, kip and i got interviewed on being independent band managers. i sound like such a nerd. haha.
rawr.
check out the dancing girl behind fon-lin. she was amazing and very punk rock... but how old is she???
trick & the heartstrings @ pianos
one of the biggest surprises for me was trick and the heartstrings. josh has been talking my ear off about them for so long! they are like prince, meets the police, meets the clash... jeremy brought up the clash reference. and they have these amazing coordinated dance moves that i'm really into -- so amusing. it's like oddball provocative. it makes sense that these guys were nyu drama majors because they really knew how to put on an entertaining show. my favorite song was called "i've got sex on me" though i liked the bjork and mazzy star cover... listening to their mp3s is nothing like seeing them live. definitely go see them.
September 16 @ Death By Audio (Brooklyn) 49 South Second Street, Between Wythe and Kent With The Lovemakers, Youth Group, A Place To Bury Strangers, Vaz See Flyer $5 // Free Beer // Roof Access Set Time -- 10 p.m.
September 17 @ East Village Radio (New York) With DJ Colleen Crumbcake. Listen in as Joe and Doug guest DJ and possibly whip out an acoustic set! Set Time -- 11 a.m.
September 17 @ Mercury Lounge (New York) Official 2005 CMJ Showcase with The Upwelling, Youth Group, Chin Up Chin Up, Amusement Parks on Fire, Dressy Bessy, Apollo Sunshine, Kid Dakota $12 Set Time -- 11:30 p.m.
++KNIFE SKILLS++ September 15 @ Cake Shop (New York) Official 2005 CMJ Showcase Set Time -- 8:45 p.m.
September 17 @ Kingsland Tavern (Brooklyn) Todd P Presents... MC Traciotomy, Gorch Fock, Pterodactyl, Knife Skills $6 Set Time -- 8 p.m.
i ran into jco, my first roommate out of college and former show-goer, the other day on the street. i remember way back in the day when she was the only one who ever signed my guestbook. those were some funny days! i have to email her and catch up.
do you remember when oolong (the bunny with things on its head) died? sad day. this week, i also had my first correspondence with peter bauer from the walkmen. both peter and kimya dawson took my "who's your indie rock boyfriend" quiz. peter got stephen malkmus and kimya got adam green. cute! if you want to take this slightly dated quiz... click here.
when i first fell in love with kexp.org... this week i was also obsessed with the french kicks' wwfkd column... i used to submit questions all the time under different names... and they would actually answer them. it cracked me up.
do me a favor and watch the dirty on purpose video on mtvu.com! just click here, and then click on the video. the more people who click, the better chance we have of getting on mtv2. you can also request to see the video by emailing feedback@mtvu.com. i would also love it if you spread the word by reposting this on your own site or sending the link to your friends!!
summer is flying by well what the hell have i been up to? this is a hard question to answer as my memory has oft been failing me lately. i'm like one of those machines that churns out the work... but i don't really remember much about it. i am going to turn to my trusty day planner to help me fill in some details...
i went to see other passengers and a place to bury strangers at cake shop on july 28. i remember drinking a couple sake shots with nick, and then enjoying the maddening darkness that pervades other passengers and their psychedelic rock. then came the sonic annihilation of a place to bury strangers, whose music has this strange sad romance to it, where their experimental sounds swoop in and out like ghosts looking for their lost loves. andy at cake shop rules. thank you, andy.
the next day, joe/george/ollie/greg/joe had another rooftop party at their sugar factory loft. the butcherings and mahi mahi played. i don't remember much about the butcherings, but mahi mahi was awesome -- nick described them as a cross between fischerspooner and lightning bolt. that is a perfect description so i won't try to top it. the two-piece is from providence, and i think they are playing a couple more shows soon here in the city... check their website for the real deal sked, as i'm a little foggy today.
then the next day, of course, i went to see dirty on purpose play at sound fix records -- our local williamsburg record store. they played a quieter set where only vocals were mic'd and it sounded simply amazing in that room. all of our peeps showed up in support, so it really felt like a cozy lil performance. joe's daughter sophie totally stole the show with her cuteness. so adorable.
on sunday morning, the last day in a hot hot hot july, i met up with jenna to drink at supercore -- a japanese style cafe in the 'burg. there was this ambient electronic laptop slash instrument duo making lots of weird noises. i thought i should have some rave gear on or something. after a while it was slightly too much to listen to. but whatever, supercore was still damn fun. a bunch of people met up with us and we went over to mugs for dinner -- where we ran into even more people. it was like a snowball effect.
then george and i left and headed over to bowery to see a place to bury strangers open up for brian jonestown massacre. i have to say something here -- i was expecting a lot out of this group after watching dig!. i mean, they were built up so much in that movie, so i was really looking forward to their show. but there was such a disconnect between the image and the band, that i actually ended up being extremely bored and exhausted. they jammed way to much on completely uninteresting parts -- rather indulgent. the middle band, mazarin, had a pretty way with their shoegaze... sometimes their music swayed like mazzy star (without the female vocals). i would have to see them again. but the best band of the night was clearly a place to bury strangers. they knocked everyone else's performance out of the way with their tight set. the music was together in full force and in line with the dual projections they had going on with the music. fucking awesome.
august started some kind of weird renewal in my life. i reconnected with my uptown cousins and their kids, carson (4) and zoe (3). i have to say that my cousins kids are damn cute. and i totally missed them. i was happy that they remembered who i was because i used to babysit them a lot a few years ago. they call me "emo jin" because "emo" means "aunt" in korean. but we all know how that double entendre works too. haha.
then i was lucky enough to have dinner with ben weber, a band manager of one of my favorite local bands -- nada surf. he's one of the nicest people i've met in the industry, and we enjoyed lots of good food at schillers in the lower east side. including a delicious mango champagne drink. yummmmy! i got to pick his brain a little bit on managing and the music industry. so. cool. so. cool. i can't stop listening to their new album, the weight is a gift.
the next day i found out ascap was sponsoring those indie night school nights that tom sean from the black spoons has been putting together. this one happened to be about getting press in new york city, featuring top music bloggers and print journalists. it was pretty interesting to see what they all had to say about getting covered your band covered in new york, juxtaposed with my personal experience in getting bands covered in new york media and beyond (remember the rest of the country?). it was a pretty informative panel for bands who have no beginning point of reference, and a lot of young bands were there in full force at the sold-out event. (PS: the next indie night school event is tomorrow at pianos featuring many of today's hottest band managers (interpol, blonde redhead, vhs or beta, etc), and i'm sure with its stellar lineup, it will sell out... you can buy tickets in advance here).
then on saturday i went to see sam champion at bowery ballroom for the second time. so good! and so much fun. i ran into some people i haven't seen in a while. it was lots of random goodness. i could only stay for a few songs of the love as laughter set but i really liked what i heard. sam jayne is a purdy interesting character on stage... though i'm not sure if he came alive for me because daniel was right next to me whispering all the inside jokes into my ear. i guess being clued in by someone on all the intricacies of the songs and stuff definitely bolsters the experience. i liked love as laughter a lot. next time i will have to catch their full set.
the next week i went to see coney island swan dive and mark mcadam at sin-e. mark mcadam has a full band on stage with him -- this was part of his residency at sin-e. mark is the kind of guy who really acts out his songs and expresses each line with his face and body language. so it's like they are coming alive like little stories told by the fire. i thought he was a good songwriter, but the music wasn't really in my taste. maybe just a tad too poppy for me. but i can't deny the goodness of his voice.
coney island swan dive was great. like i've said before, they are a band that does country covers of pop songs. in their set: "i want you to want me" by cheap trick, "in bloom" by nirvana, and many many others. they are such a novelty band, and i hope they play more often so people will come out and experience this more. i never really liked country, but i like angie's voice and personality.
then i realized i had gone to sing karaoke with all of these folks before... and now i know why they were all clearly superior singers to me. jeeeez!!
last thursday i dj'd at magnetic field in brooklyn heights because skippy asked me to (thank you skippy!). i was scared because i had never been to this bar before. but when i got there it was like a nicer version of pete's candy store. i really dug the vibe there. the owners were super nice. they had nice booths along the side and a good-sized stage. i did not meet this guy, jerry, who seems to be meeting all of my friends. i did not bring out the cat ears. i did not wear short shorts (until after the gig). it just wasn't that kind of crowd. but it was a sugary nice crowd.
and the sound was really great! i saw the consultants for the first time -- and they really reminded me of velocity girl. that's not a bad thing at all since i adore copacetic. the mugs were great as well -- male vocals -- but the same poppy, shimmy vibe as the consultants. both of these bands are local bands i had never seen before, and i really enjoyed their sets a lot. i will have to keep an eye out for them.
voxtrot was so much fun! they were very much like the smiths, but in a bombastic way that goes beyond any bad derivative way. they were like the smiths in a nostalgic awesome kind of way. (what a horrible description, i'm so sorry). basically, they are awesome. when skippy introduced me to them that night, they told me they played with dirty on purpose in austin. i totally remember that show was one of the band's most stressful shows because the van had broken down before they could get to the venue, john mueller's bbq. i think footage from that show is seen on new york noise... according to shirley beans.
i was so happy to see jay, beach, noah, anna, pat and aeri show up and support me at my dj gig. you should have seen me jump up and down when i saw them walk into the bar. i heart you all!! those margaritas tasted like apple juice. the big hit of the night i think was the smiths' "ask." i mean how fun is it to belt out: IF IT'S NOT LOVE THEN IT'S THE BOND THE BOND THE BOND THE BOND THE BOND THE BOND THE BOND THAT WILL BRING US TOGETHER!
let me tell you, so much fun.
so anyways, we all piled into a cab afterwards and headed into the city. grabbed one drink at 2a, then i went to pass out at aeri's new apartment. aeri is my friend from dc who just moved to new york a couple weekends ago. it's weird to have her here in the flesh because most of our correspondence has been through IM. technology is an amazing thing.
this past weekend i went to see broken flowers, the new jim jarmusch with bill murray... which was depressing. and disjointed. and completely not plot driven. i'm just not sure if i liked it at all. also: the theater, angelika, has seats that are too narrow and blasts the A/C (like any other normal theater), so i was sort of uncomfortable and cold at the same time. hard to enjoy.
i also saw the aristocrats, which is a documentary on the dirtiest, oldest joke in the comedy world, called "the aristocrats". i had many favorite moments in the film but i thought the documentary was a tad too long. i did enjoy bob saget's version of the joke though. (jay, go see this one!) i also liked several other versions, but a lot of them did fall flat. yesterday at a video conference meeting at work, one of my coworkers broke out the drew carey click of the hands, and i burst out laughing. i couldn't believe he did that.
the lilys are back to support their new record, everything wrong is imaginary. sounds like a good motto to me! i can't wait. the last time i saw the lilys, it was in the old office or something at knitting factory right after dirty on purpose opened for the suicide girls. yes, we skipped the half-naked girls for the lilys, and it was much more enticing and intimate. the band will be playing magnetic field on feb. 4. check out their music on 
