jinners: why do you come here? and why do you hang around?
who is jinners?
why do you come here? and why do you hang around? ...it was just to see, just to see all the things you knew, i'd written about you... oh so many illustrations...
jinners is my nickname... hopefully in an affectionate sorta way.
The Besnard Lakes, Peter Moren, Luke Temple @ Bowery Ballroom
LOVED IT. ALL OF IT.
It was my first time seeing Luke Temple, and he just blew me away with his lovely voice. I'm definitely going to be checking him out more... Just take a listen to one of my faves of his -- "people do" -- you could hear a pin drop in the Bowery Ballroom during this song. It is that stunning.
This was my second time seeing Peter Moren's solo show. This time he had Doug from Dirty on Purpose on keys and bass and the wonderful Chris Egan on drums. He definitely seemed more confident at this show, and he told that to the audience. His endearing between song banter was adorable, but what I love is that his songs are so sensitive. Sensitive, endearing Swedes. You gotta love them. I love that on his MySpace blog, he has posted about how much he misses his girlfriend. You can tell that songs like "My Match" were inspired by his love. I talked to Peter a little bit after the show and asked him about his solo project. He says it's coming out sometime in March probably on Touch & Go or an affiliate. He may tour around it in the Spring -- but he didn't want to think about touring right now. He was totally burnt out. I told him I saw him over at Benicassim, and that it was one of my favorite festivals -- he agreed. What's not to love about spending half of the day at the beach and half of the day on stage? Plus the crowd for PBJ at that festival was insane, extending far beyond the tent the show was in.
Anyhoo, moving on to The Besnard Lakes. These guys blow me away every time I see them. It's like they put me in this trance, and I am totally hypnotized. They didn't disappoint this time, playing all my faves -- "Devastation," "Disaster" and "Bedford and Grand" and more... The Bowery Ballroom wasn't as full as it should have been last night, but everyone who was there was super into it. How could you not be? Jace and Olga's vocals kind of tear at my heart. Oh how I love them.
We all went over to Beauty Bar to hang out afterwards, and I met Adam Franklin from Swervedriver. What a rad dude. I congratulated him on the reunion... can't wait to hear more about that. Overall, a really fun night!!!
I went to see Soulsavers last night featuring Mark Lanegan. I'll admit that I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. I just ended up going to the show to hang out with Mike, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard a little on MySpace and loved the dark, serious nature of Mark Lanegan's vocals over the dramatic music.
The crowd was like half industry, half fans. It was my first time at the Blender Theater, and I didn't like the $7 beer. Ouch. Where's the $3 PBR? I am poor and thirsty!
I didn't realize there was an opener, and it turned out to be Wild Light, who I have been curious about -- especially because they've been touring with Arcade Fire. During their set, I was trying to figure out who they reminded me of -- but it was really hard to pinpoint. I guess they've been compared to Arcade Fire, but I kept thinking of bands like The Cure and The Jam... maybe even sometimes emo, especially on the vocals. On a lot of the songs, three singers would harmonize. It didn't seem to be their night however -- a fan from the crowd yelled "Call it an early night." I guess they were anxious to see Soulsavers. The band just replied with something like "suck my dick" and moved on to rock the rest of their set. I like when bands can work through hecklers. Hecklers are so rude.
Before the Soulsavers crept up on stage, there was a hypnotic purple light show and some ambient mood music. As the band walked on stage one by one, there was a certain sense of drama and suspense. Mark Lanegan's deep voice and sturdy stance was so... masculine. Kind of a turn on, honestly. He sort of reminded me of a mix between the dark sexiness of the late Mark Sandman from Morphine and the soulfulness of John Doe from X with a brooding attitude. The combination was intoxicating to watch.
See for yourselves... More Soulsavers dates below: November 28 @ North Star (Philly) November 29 @ Black Cat (DC) December 1 @ The Independent (San Francisco) December 2 @ Troubadour (Los Angeles)
Last night I went to The Music Slut's Blogger's Delight party to see Peasant, a.k.a. Damien DeRose, who is a singer-songwriter from Doylestown, PA. That is right near where I grew up in Lansdale.
His songs have a small town feel and are emotionally dreamy, but not in that annoying emo, cheesy way that some singer-songwriters are. Instead, Peasant's songs are charming and modest -- and that modesty sweetly enhances the "awwww" factor. I hear some Iron & Wine influence -- that hushed but smooth vocal that's so intimate, you want to lean in to hear every delicate note, every intricate pluck of the acoustic. The music totally makes me sigh. I love it.
His album, On the Ground, will be released in 2008 on Paper Garden Records.
He's in town playing some more, so go check him out: November 28 @ Rockwood Music Hall (NY) December 6 @ Pete's Candy Store (Brooklyn)
Peter Moren of Peter Bjorn and John is a great guitarist, and he displayed his skills at his Joe's Pub gig on Monday. He's also got such a charming, modest personality, which totally enhanced his VH1 Storytellers-style solo show.
Doug Marvin from Dirty on Purpose was accompanying on keys, and Chris Egan from The Shorebirds was playing on drums (Peter jokingly dubbed it Peter Doug and Chris). Both were on hand clapping duty. There were also three girls on strings, and later on in the show Bjorn came out to play on piano.
The songs and show were really intimate. Peter's ability to inflect different emotions and tones is a pop gift that helps elevate his songwriting. He's like the Swedish Elvis Costello. He opened with a cover of Richard Hell's "Time." He also did a four song encore, which included my favorite 80s song ever, Aha's "Take On Me."
I can't wait till his solo album comes out! He'll be performing again on Dec. 5 at Bowery, opening up for The Besnard Lakes. Can we say killer show? Oh yes, oh yes!
Last night, an impressive collection of musicians gathered to celebrate the film and soundtrack to Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The concert benefited 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing at seven locations across the country.
Towards the beginning of the night, Calexico and Jim James of My Morning Jacket collaborated for a beautifully intricate version of “Goin’ To Acapulco.” Even as he stood there casually dressed in a dark hoodie with his hands in his pockets, Jim James really shined as a performer.
Last night I wasn't really expecting to go out to another show, but somehow I ended up at Warsaw in Brooklyn to see The Thermals and These Are Powers.
These Are Powers are fronted by Anna Barie, who used to front Knife Skills (a band I used to manage). When Knife Skills broke up last year, Anna formed a band with her boyfriend Pat Noecker, who used to be in Liars and No Things. She has totally grown infinitely as a front woman, her vocals are polished but also seemingly spontaneous at the same time. She has a way of charming the audience with her high kicks and jumps. She and Pat have really formed a chemistry on stage. Add Bill on drums and spooky noises, and you have what the band has dubbed "ghost punk." She handed out instruments to the audience and had them play along to a couple songs. She jumped into the audienced and danced with the common people. It was fantastic. It was my first time seeing them, and I was so impressed with their performance. Go out and see this band now!! They have an album on Hoss Records called Terrific Seasons.
The Thermals of course totally rocked it. I always feel really giddy when listening to the Thermals and I'm sure I've said it before -- they make me feel like I am back in high school. The feelings of rebellion, excitement and youth come rushing back to me. It's exhilarating. They didn't disappoint last night!
Last night I popped into The Onion/Adult Swim's Halloween show at Union Hall to see one of my favorite bands in Brooklyn, Cheeseburger. This is a band that gets better and better every time I see them. But without fail, every time, I get so freaking excited! I wasn't even drunk last night, and I felt like I got a total contact high from the performance.
In the beginning of the night, Sara from Spinner (dressed as a sexy Spidey) did a "Name That Tune" round before the band took the stage. I correctly identified Vampire Weekend and won myself a free shot. That's so hipster of me. Thanks to Jeremy Yohai for pounding that band into my skull so early on. Now I kind of see the poetry of that band name.
I downed the tequila and then moved my way to the front of the stage. Part of the experience is about watching frontman Joe Bradley do his thing on stage. His crazed, drunken fierceness is probably second only to Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav, and that's probably only because Tim Harrington is twice his size.
Rolls of toilet paper were brought out and thrown all over the venue. Candy was thrown into the audience. Beer was spit on Halloween wigs and costumes. It was pretty magical.
Watch Cheeseburger perform "Derby Day" at Union Hall-oween.
Concert Review: Film School - 10/25/07 @ Mercury Lounge (New York, NY)
Last summer I heard a rumor that Film School had broken up. This was disappointing news as I had just seen them at SXSW and really was beginning to love them. Turns out the band was just on hiatus, or maybe they came back to their senses and realized they couldn't just quit like that. What kind of happy ending would that be for a band called Film School?
Last night I went to see them at Mercury Lounge, and really enjoyed their heavy, dark, shoegazy set. Lead singer Greg Berten's vocals range from soft, dreamy coos to sensitive-guy mutters.
My philosophy this year at CMJ Music Marthon was to "go with the flow." I would have a loose plan each day with what I hoped to see, but generally I would just high-five friends and see where the day (and night) ended up taking me. This laid-back approach served me well at SXSW (a huge indie festival in Austin, TX) earlier this year, and it didn't steer me wrong at CMJ.
Another side of CMJ Music Marathon are all the shows that are considered "unofficial" day parties or shows. This year there are quite a few -- too many to be named, but they usually include free admission, free booze and free swag!
I spent the last few posts focusing on the "music showcase" side of CMJ, which is a huge part of the festival that appeals to both fans and music industry professionals alike. But another important aspect of CMJ is what is happening behind the scenes -- networking between musicians and the pros who support them and their careers.
Even though I swore I wouldn't watch any more reality tv shows, I couldn't help myself with this one. I just saw The Salt-n-Pepa Show last night on VH1, and am already hooked. Perhaps they're not gonna "push it" anymore, but I'm so happy to see these two ladies reunite and start working together. I never knew there was so much drama behind it!
Last week I went to see Miss Polly Jean Harvey for the first time at the Beacon Theater in New York. The show was sold out, and I had amazing seats ... right next to Music Snobbery, so you know they're good. ;-)
I have to admit, I listened to the new beautiful and haunting PJ Harvey album, White Chalk, before going and was afraid it was going to be a super-mellow show. I was dead wrong. She played a balanced mix of new and old, and it was actually a very soulful, dramatic and captivating show. I couldn't take my eyes off of PJ and found her performance very moving. She had on a white, Victorian looking dress that she claimed had all of the words to the songs written on it, a dress very similar to the one she's wearing on the album cover and a very simple stage set up with piano and various instruments.
Her vocals are so versatile, it's like she's changing character from song to song, and each character is so believable it's easy to get lost in the world that Polly Jean sculpts note by note. The best part is that she plays all of the instruments like she's starring in the best one-woman show ever.
I was quite charmed by her stage banter (everything sounds better with an English accent, innit?), and her fans were also very vocal with their "I love yous," "woo-hoos" and standing ovations. It was easy to get swept up in all the excitement, and I walked out of the theater infected and inspired.
I listened to the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, in the van on the way down to DC this past weekend. I wasn't that into it honestly. So I ask, Is Radiohead dead or what?
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 don't normally like huge stadium shows (usually bowery is as big as i like to get), but watching bjork perform at madison square garden was really amazing and enjoyable. we had nosebleed seats, but that's ok because we didn't have to sit next to any crazy people.
i had seen her perform at united palace not too long ago, and was expecting the same show... and it basically was the same show except bjork had on a different outfit, there were red flames bursting up from the stage on the opening number, and at one point bjork squirted out spider webs from her hands into the crowd like she was spiderman. she did her duet with antony of antony and the johnsons, which started off kinda weak, but then antony regained control and really put on a powerful vocal performance. i have to say though, my heart nearly exploded again during "army of me" because the crowd just went FUCKING INSANE. it was crazy. she ended the night during the encore with "declare independence" just as she did during the united palace show.
as i said in my united palace review, it's like watching a musical unfold. this time though, i was thinking this: her show is not as much about the hits as much as it's about the mystical, strange journey she is taking you on. she is able to create a world of her own, and when you're at her concert, you feel like you are not on earth. it's like peeking into another world... or rather peeking into the majesty and chaos that must be bubbling up in bjork's cute lil' head.
the british band the klaxons played as main support, and while i liked their music, i found their live show a bit on the dull side. their music could benefit from a little more of a light show. a lot of their songs started to sound the same, but it all still sounded good... sort of in a lansing-dreiden way, with lots of vocal gymnastics.
santo gold opened the show and they reminded me of m.i.a. meets no doubt or gwen stefani. the california m.i.a., i say (even though she hails from brooklyn). and what do you know, diplo was on the wheels of steel. no wonder!
chemical brothers, ladytron, the rub @ mccarren park pool
'cause i was helping mikers out with some filter work, i went to the chemical brothers show the other day, and the glow sticks were out and about... man, i haven't seen glow sticks since the last time i took a hit of X.
seeing the chemical brothers was a similar experience. though the music isn't really my thing per se, i loved the light show they put on. it took me back to my suburban high school days -- when i would go see the laser light show's "alternative music night" at the franklin institute planetarium. the images at the chemical brothers show were somewhat political with images of guns (or at least i think i remember seeing guns), scary with images of yellow-toothed clowns and awe-inspiring with their vivid colors.
it was also my first time seeing ladytron, whose music is more up my alley. in fact, i was even dancing during their soundcheck. i love the female vocals mixed in with the upbeats. they were less techno, and more indie dancefloor. just give me a disco ball and my new favorite drink ["summer babe" from soundfix - soco and peach schnapps and gingerale], and i'm all set to get a move on.
we were working with this great screenprinting company called hacienda, who were screening original collectors prints on the back of the chemical brothers merch tees. it is a pretty ingenious idea and really did boost the band's merch sales. what fan wouldn't want a limited edition concert tee? they were doing a different print with chemical brothers lyrics on the back of each tee, a different design for every night of the tour, presented by zune.
the rub were the opening djs for the shows at hammerstein and mccarren park pool. i saw both sets and thought their set at mccarren park pool was so much better. i recognized more songs and less techno beats. i guess i am anti-techno, eh? it's like an allergic reaction or something, but nothing personal.
transformers may be the #1 movie this week, but it TANKED in my book. the animation was great. the story was cheesy. and did it really have to be 2 and a half hours? HELL NO!
ratatouille was another cute pixar film, except that rats are NOT CUTE in my book. i felt more for the stern french girl in the kitchen than the main rat character... no fault of patton oswalt.
oh, and i finally went to see knocked up. it had its moments, but overall, i thought it was weaker than judd apatow's other flicks -- 40 year old virgin (which i loved) and talledega nights (which i didn't love as much). however, i definitely want to check out superbad!
