New Black Angels Descends on NYC

One of my favorite bands has an new album coming out and a show in November here in NYC....

Check out the latest new tracks: Bad Vibrations by The Black Angels

Trust me - these guys rock in a serious way!

Obey This - Last Show @ Deitch

www.flickr.com

'Exit Through The Gift Shop' - nice work

A great commentary about how art tries to brainwash us into believing the hype. Nice job bringing us back down to earth Banksy.... Funny, honest and interesting. A great art film, even if you hate Graffiti.

NYC Nutworks....

A very funny new blog that tracks wireless networks around the city. It confirms both the creativity of New Yorkers as well as some their more deviant fetish's... In addition, there are some nice snarky comments that help bring a smile to your face... Enjoy!

The Boosh are coming - The Boosh are here!!!

The Mighty Boosh, a wonderful cult BBC comedy sketch team has finally arrived in the US on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network.

We've recognized these guys previously - we're huge fans of old Gregg and can't wait to set the DVR so we can finally see them on the big screen.

So buckle up, and get ready for some tripped out and hilarious TV.

My own polaroid!

The NYTimes story regarding instant photo's and the evolution of cell phone photography continues. And this time, yours truly is part of the story.... Of over 1,500 photo's submitted, one of mine was chosen to be featured on NYTimes.com - see it here.

Needless, to say - I'm very excited.... My first published image! Excited but not about to quit the day job yet......

Rafiqi’s Tries To Intimidate New Mexican Cart From 49th Street

How can you compete with a headline like that? Saw this article in today's NYTimes and decided to do my own research prior to getting lunch. What I found near my office, the above headline and a link to some tasty Mexican.

Who knew it was so rough and tumble out on the streets - see the full article about the beef between the two vendors here.

An Artful Sandwich

Katz Deli: Corned Beef, Mustard, on Rye
Two slices of bread, meat, veggies (optional), cheese (optional) and dressing... Five (or less) simple ingredients, infinite combination's...

One sandwichologist has taken this passion and documented the visual impression these creations deliver, prior to filling the tummy.

Enjoy Scandwiches and then go out and enjoy the real thing.

Hipster Heaven (or Hell)

Tired of that crowded L train - well take solace you're not the only one slightly annoyed by the plethora of lame ass, stinky, indie hippies...

Check out this site - especially the comments section... Light fun and clever.

Caption for this pic reads...

“I wish for…more allowance!”

The old man is back - just in time for the down times

You and I aren't the only ones going through closets looking for things to sell and additional ways to scrape together some coin. And while the bankers may have robbed our accounts - at least it wasn't our lovers who emptied our pockets...

The only good news - well, all this bad luck has put old Leonard Cohen back on the road. Sorry Leonard - tough for you but great for all of America which hasn't had the pleasure of hearing your baritone pipes croon some old classics... The morose tone sung on favorites such as 'Chelsea Hotel' and 'Suzanne' can be heard here (thank you NPR) at his first US performance at the Beacon in over 15 years....

So long retirement.... looks like everyone's working a little harder for a little less these days.

The Master of Space and Time - Leon Russell

What a way to end the Thanksgiving weekend - with two hours of rocking Leon Russell.... If you haven't heard of him, or if you thought he was dead, let me stop and say; no he's very much alive and rocking - so listen up!

We saw Leon up in Norwalk Connecticut at a very cool, refurbished country playhouse called the Infinity Theatre. It felt like we we're going back in time (and looking around at the audience we probably were) - but it was totally fun and the music was great. The sound was great, the seats were comfortable, lighting was minimal but effective - overall awesome!!!!

Let me just say Leon is the man...... He looks EXACTLY like he does on the record cover! Huge beard, white suit, white snake skin hat, sunglasses (that flip up!).... And while he may look like a combination of Gandolf the Grey and Yoda - his hands still move well over the piano keys and his voice remains slightly high and surly.... And his show was great! While I had hoped for some interesting stories - as my wife said - "real musicians don't talk. They play music and that's how they speak." Well, she was right - Leon didn't say a word until the end - he just played - one hit after the other.

But when he did speak - we listened. At the end of the show Leon said; "Well, this is about the time we're supposed to walk off the stage, wave and say good bye.... You clap - we walk back on stage - we play some more..... Well - I'm too old for that shit. Wy don't you all just imagine we walked off stage and we'll play some more... OK?" We definately thought that was OK!!!

Leon's band also rocked - a truly random group of guys from in or around Oklahoma.... There was:
- The young guitar player who looked like 'son of the blues bros.' (amazing slide guitar)
- The older bass player who was still wearing the uniform of the 80's jazz bass player
- The blind second keyboard player who never seemed to be looking anywhere but none the less, hit every key perfectly (he totally rocked!)
- And the drummer (who unfortunately was hidden behind his drums, but he rocked too!)

The only disappointing part of the night was the fact that Leon didn't have a chance to play either "Tight Rope" or "Queen of the Roller Derby" (my wife's favorite song) - but otherwise amazing! What a joy and pleasure to see a great musician take the stage in a small and intimate (great sounding) venue.....

Perhaps I can make it happen again when he's back in NYC in March!

Not so bright in this morning light

It was a long evening. Too long in fact - and while I share some of the blame (don't believe everything you read/hear/are told), I continue to wonder why no one can put on a good show anymore. Here a few questions to think about.

1) Why can't a venue ever post the actual time a band will go on? Originally it says 7pm. When I arrive they say 9pm. They actually go on at 11pm.

2) Why can't opening acts not be terrible? I think this is a pretty low bar. Just don't suck. Unlucky for me, the opening acts last night did suck. The first act was monotonous, droney, repetitive and electronic. The fact that they looked like poster children for American Apparel didn't help them either.

The second act, while slightly more creative, with some ability to use a looper, was also too redundant and overly dramatic. Chill out. relax - its music. And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the guy at the bar - the only guy actually talking during the show - wouldn't shut up. His voice was an additional track to an already annoying song.

3) Did you do a sound check before you got on the stage? This seems to be a recurring theme lately. I know the economy's bad but I'm sure there must be someone in your crew or at the venue who can perform a sound check and ensure all the levels are correct. This will benefit everyone.

The back story - why I'm writing and the band in the picture (which is dark and you probably can't make anything out).

Brightblack Morning Light - been a fan for years. Missed them the first time they came through NYC a few years back so I was determined to see them live. Little did I know I would need every ounce of that determination just to make it to their opening song. And needless to say, once they did take the stage things improved.

In fact, Rachel Hughes (keys) was excellent. While the keys are a driving force on the CD, it was even more evident on stage. Additionally, their use of other non-traditional instruments such as a strange flute like thing as well as a xylophone-like thing were also very cool. Lights - very trippy and they even had a smoke machine... A little gimicky and if it wheren't for the crowd - probably would been pretty cool.

Shineywater (guitars/vox) however - back to the mixing point above. He looked like he was having fun and from what I could hear it was probably ok - but that was the problem. "Probably".... Turn it up buddy - it's a concert - people came to hear you!

Anyway - I arrived with high expectations and left defeated and exhausted....

Oh wait - I didn't even get a chance to rant about the crowd.... Needless to say, I needed every drop of determination and perseverance to make it through the night...... Perhaps we can catch them in some Kwanzaa hut up in VT after a day of skiing - with hot cocoa in hand and a smoke in the other - now that sounds superior.

Big hugs go out to my wife for going with me. She showed true grit and didn't complain once. She left that up to me.

-----------FOLLOW UP-----

Interesting Video


EVEN BETTER "Comment" from Brkln Vegan Website:

"I banged that chick in the video. Her name's Mary and she lives in Oakland."

Get your sex bomb on down in the living room

And that living room is Bill's - Bill Saxton the man with the Sax.

I had the pleasure of seeing Bill a few weeks back and what an evening. Great music - great crowd. Awesome. He's even on MySpace and check out the review below...

Enjoy and thanks Mart-nitski for the heads up on this hidden gem.

Frommer's Review

Imagine hearing great live jazz in your living room. That's about as close as what you will experience at the very intimate and special Bill's Place. Bill is Bill Saxton, a jazz saxophonist extraordinaire and a Harlem legend. Saxton was a Friday night regular for many years at St. Nick's Pub and has played at clubs all over Harlem and downtown. In late 2005 he opened his own club in the parlor level of a brownstone on West 133rd Street. In the 1920s, 133rd Street between Lenox and Seventh Avenue, with a number of speakeasies and jazz joints up and down the block, was the original "swing street"; a 17-year-old Billie Holliday was discovered singing in a club on 133rd Street, and the block was the model that West 52nd emulated and tried to imitate in the 1940s and 1950s. So it's appropriate that Saxton's place is on this historic block -- the jazz heard here is also the real deal. There are no frills at Bill's Place: Come into the parlor, find a seat -- there aren't many, so reservations are a must -- and groove to Saxton's pure bop sound. Alcohol is not served, but soft drinks are available and you can bring your own bottle. Open on Friday and Saturday only. On Friday Saxton and his quartet perform while Saturday is reserved for legends and emerging talent.

Big Package. Little Box.

What in the world do people do in New York - and hasn't anyone been reading the news? I thought the world was coming apart at the seems. Apparently the folks at The Box in Manhattans lower east side didn't get the memo.

In fact, at a recent birthday party on a tuesday night, I was surprised to find the place empty at 11pm. Damn, I thought - this place must be on the decline (its actually been open for several years now). After a quick tour provided by my friend..... Interlude - the Box is a converted sign factory and is one the cooler spaces I have been to in NYC.... We sat down to have a drink and await the show - yes there's a show.... And it doesn't start until 1am. 1 am?????? And when it does begin, hold on..... Now I am no expert in burlesque, but it was plenty fun, oversexed and got the crowd to its feet. By the end of the night, folks were hanging from the rafters....

And what a crowd - models, actors, punks, suits.... Typically NY.... And, damn crowded too!! Did I mention there was a a line to get in still at 2:30....

Anyway. The fun ended at about 4 and continued to deteriorate when my alarm went off at 8 (had to sleep in...)...

But overall - what a night.... Happy birthday Eyeballs!

A bit of a Beck handed compliment.....

Last nights concert at the United Palace Theater (which is an amazing venue, visually), was a little disappointing. Despite arriving late and missing the opening act MGMT, I held out hope that the evenings entertainment would more than makeup for my tardiness.... Needless to say, it didn't.

While Beck was ok, and the band looked the part, the overall sound was not good. You couldn't make out the vocals, feedback was a bit of an issue and overall, everything sounded mudled. While I don't blame beck (I blame the sound guy), I was a little suprised he didn't care more about the overall performance - especially when everyone paid $50+ a ticket.

As for how engaged he was with the crowd, this too was disapointing..... At a few moments it felt it might break out from the duldroms, but it never did. The encore was barely an encore. Goodbye, hello, goodbye.... That about sums it up.

The highlight of the night were the three songs of the Sea Change album - perhaps the venue accomodates a more stripped down sound better.... But for whatever reason, these seemed to highligh his ability to shine as a solo artist, free from all the gimmicky electronics and indie back-up band....

I realize he's probably tyring to just fulfill his recording contracts and obligations - but it felt a little like showing up to work rather then the original and passionate artist Beck is known to be....

Thank you to BrooklynVegan for providing the full set list.

Loser
Nausea
Girl
Timebomb
Minus
Soul of a Man
Mixed Bizness
Nicotine & Gravy
Que Onda Guero
Hell Yes
Black Tambourine
Devils Haircut
Think I'm in Love
Modern Guilt
Orphans
Walls
Missing
Chemtrails
Golden Age
Lost Cause
Lonesome Whistle
Where It's At

Encore:
Gamma Ray
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
E-Pro

And, another one bites the dust.

As reported in the NYTimes, Coney Island's Astroland park will be shutting its doors for good this year.

That's really too bad because NYC continues to lose those things that have made it unique. I wonder, within all this change, which direction we are going - getting better or worse?

As I mentioned last year, everywhere you look it seems someone is trying to sell you something. That, or they're building a new hi-rise condo and are trying to get you to move in.....

I was talking to an a high school friend the other day who is a carpenter. He made the observation that tradesman, crafts persos or carpenter was not included on a profile page he had completed for facebook, myspace or someother. This impressed upon me, more than all the articles I had read to this point, the fact that America truly has become a service economy. One in which very few people actually make anything. Instead, we spend our days "working" to get everyone else to buy the things someone in a lower paid country made...... Uhhhhh.

The folks at Astroland made something. Unfortunately for them, they sold their space (they didn't even sell what they had made). But alas, this is were we stand.

Live Vampires

Vampire Weekend video's. Pretty good stuff. Love the strings. From Pitchfork archives.

Show em' up - pt .1 (MMJ)

It's concert season people and I'm doing my darndest to see some great bands. Two shows have been memorable.

The first got a lot of press - My Morning Jacket at Radio City Music Hall.

These guys killed it! And, let me say there is not a bad seat in Radio City. I should know - we were in the third tier, last row..... Literally, the last seats.... And while the band looked a little smaller than I would have liked, they put on a show...

The ticket said doors open at 7 and show's at 8. Hmmm.... No opening band. 8 o'clock show???

Well, I didn't want to be the asshole who shows up late and glad I didn't, because at 8:10 they took the stage. With a few words of hello they tore into what would be four continuous hours of song. FOUR HOURS! No talking, no bullshit - just rockin' out.

From the first note, the crowd was on their feet. And after the four hours of dancin', rockin', drinkin' and smokin' everyone was tired. And I can only imagine how the band felt.... Check out the set list - reads like a 'best of' with the full Evil Urges album sprinkled throughout.

Evil Urges, Off The Record, I'm Amazed, Highly Suspicious, What a Wonderful Man, Touch Me Part 1, Sec Walkin, Golden, Thank You Too, The Way That He Sings, Two Halves, Phone Went West, Aluminum Park, Steam Engine, Smokin From Shootin, Touch Me Part 2

Encore:
Bermuda Highway, Librarian, Wordless Chorus, It Beats 4 U, Dondante, The Bear, Lay Low
Run Thru, Anytime, One Big Holiday

I was there - but only a few of the performers actually showed up

"I'm not there" is not just the title of a new movie by Todd Haynes - it can also be used to describe the quality of the performances by the bands asked to play some of Bob Dylan's greatest songs for the movie, album and concert.

While there where several highlights, overall the artists just phoned it in.... And for a $60+ ticket, I'm a little (no, I'm very) disappointed.... But maybe my expectations where a little too high. While a few folks delivered on the power and soul of the music, for the most part the music was not $60 ticket caliber... You could just as easily go to any jazz/rock club and hear equal if not better versions of these songs....

So, let's start with the good: The Roots where definately the best, and I hope the rest of the musicians feel like assholes because they made everyone else look like crap.... With the exception of maybe Calexico, MMJ and Jim James, the lap guitar/violin/mandolin player, David Mansfield and Gomez, everyone else was a little underwhelming.

On the sounds good, but it's overall mediocre, was a guest appearance by a young women whose name I can't remember, but who played "Hard Rain..." - who got a standing ovation. She had a nice voice and overall it was better than some of the other performers, but you might as well have just listened to the Eddie Brickel version from the 90's... No originality. No inspiration or soul...

And while I am a huge fan of J Mascis, I was disappointed... I kept waiting on the edge of my seat for J to blow open the doors and deliver a sonic boom of Dylan'esque rock! While J did deliver some nice solo's, it wasn't until the Roots that I actually felt someone or anyone put any effort, feeling and forethought into the music.

Otherwise, there where a bunch of "legendary" folk and punk singers who didn't impress me... And WTF was with the Acid children??? I'm down with the hippy love fest, but don't spend ten minutes getting ready huggin' and lovin' and then play a three minute song....

Sound guy - I know it's tough with so many different performers, but you have to do better than that.. Crackling bass. Terrible mix. Changing the volume in the middle of a song??? Again, disappointing.

And finally, to add injury to insult, Heath Leger - lay off the blow and take the fuckin' gum out of your mouth....

Has NYC lost it's soul?

A recent town hall here in NYC discussed just this subject, as reported by the NYTimes. As someone who grew up here in the city in the late 80's and mid 90's and lives here now, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. As I like to quip to friends, SoHo is now the biggest and nicest open air mall in America. What was once old warehouses, artist lofts and a smorgisboard of strange sights, smells, scenes and people, has become an area where I feel more alienated then ever - it's not my New York!

I remember hearing immigrants speaking a foreign language; Spanish, Chinese or a Caribbean dialect - now I am more likely to hear German, French or Dutch.. Tourists dominate.

Starbucks dominates. H&M dominates. Banana Republic dominates. Art Gallery's that cater to the tourist trade dominate.

What happened to all the "normal" people?