If there are any lady readers of this blog, please give me a call and schedule some cuddle time with me. I need to be held. Tired doesn’t convey my current state of mind, but it will do. If you see me tonight or for the rest of CMJ, give me a hug. Your chubby teddy bear of a blogger needs one. Thank god a mini vacation is looming in the not so distant future. It’s only been one day of the four day festival, and I’m all ready feeling the affects. My late Tuesday night certainly didn’t help matters, but last night added to my beat nature. If only I could blow off my day job as an administrative whore, I might be a bit more chipper at the club. Unfortunately I’m stuck pulling 15 hour days, but my employers and the money make it all worth it.
Allow me to explain. Last night was supposed to be my night off. My calm before the storm. Around 4pm Mia rang me up and asked if I could do the merch table for the Decembrists. Initially my body cringed at the idea, and I asked her to call around with the hopes of actualizing my couch crusade. Less than 15 minutes later I realized something. Those kids are in the grip of CMJ. It’s no joke. They handle three venues and upwards of 80 bands in 4 days. Another thought dawned on me. In the past year or so, they have helped me see more bands than I can imagine. They would never say it, but I owe them. With these thoughts in mind, I called to the office and confirmed that I would be there at 5:45pm. What’s a few weeks worth of exhaustion if you can have a fruitful year of rock and even make some extra money?
There was a definite buzz around the Bowery last night. The entire staff was geared up to make it the best CMJ experience possible. It’s kind of like watching a great team (read: Yankees) warming up for a big game (read: ALCS). Everyone knows what they have to do, and if it’s done right you’ll go to sleep happy. Anyway, I got in there and had to do a major count for the Decembrist’s who were nowhere to be found. After everything was set up, I settled in for a long night behind the counter. Thankfully I had a running joke with one of the bartenders which lightened things up when sleepy crept up on me.
The French Kicks also had a huge display at the table. They did a ton of sales last night, which is cool for them. Lawrence, the bass player, performed most of their merch duty and confirmed suspicions that he is a really nice guy. He filled me in on their tour with Keane as we sat around idly chit chatting about nothing specific. From where I sat, the French Kicks sounded great, and despite some urinal prophet who said he could “write better songs with his eyes closed,” while peeing, I think they still have the same luster that made me a fan after hearing the Young Lawyers Ep.
After things got settled up, I hung out for a drink while the kids began to pour in for the second show. With sleep on my mind, I wished everyone luck and headed towards home. I popped by the Mercury in hopes of sneaking a peak at Arcade Fire, but the lines were longer than expected. It was off to sleepy town.
Thanks to all the kids who consistently updated me on game 2 with text messages and phone calls. Behind a stellar performance by John Lieber and a two run shot by the unsuspecting John Olerud, the Yankees beat the ShitSox 3-1 and hold a 2-0 lead in the race for the American League crown. As we know from the past, the series is far from over, but heading to Fenway with a 2-0 lead is a nice feeling. Hopefully Kevin Brown won’t pull any dickhead stunts tomorrow night and he’ll sneak us a game 3 victory. It’d be nice to see him have a big game.
Sidenote: I just checked my messages and there is a 4am message from my friend, (take a wild guess at which one,) who wished me sweet dreams of “Yachting on a boat made of boneless buffalo wings while sailing in an ocean of sour cream”. All I can say is, how the hell did he know?
I planned on writing more, but my day got busy and I got some good news. I hope to return to form tomorrow.
8 Comments:
hey, never count out olerud. lest we forget that once upon a time he had the highest batting average in the majors after half the season had ended. ok maybe that was about ten years ago, but still, brain tumor and all, the guy can hit. scat
i wouldnt call myself a serious reader, nor do i know who you are, but having skimmed this month and last, i think we may near soulmates worthy of a cuddle. allow me to explain: on a good night, i go to bed in the morning to the blessed sounds of an old weezer live show, and any good night (or morning, afternoon, walk, shower, etc.) usually involves a sparks. i dont even like the liquid pixie stick taste, but something about it doesnt let me say no. if only you liked q and not u.
everybody's running running running.....
does that answer you question. soulmates worthy of a cuddle sess. that is a bold statement, but i appreciate the direct nature of your comment. let's make it happen. riiiight. thanks for reading and if you see me around the block, say hello. i'm the kid with the glasses. i know that really helps.
p.s. anon, if you get to the q & not u show tonight, lemme know how it goes. i've missed their past couple shows, but tonight i'm working at webster and bowery so show is no go.
q and not u rocked (opened with your song pick) as did el guapo. im such a sucker for dischord bands. you should end your q and not u hiatus and be sure to join their dance party next time around.
I'm definitely a big fan of dischord as well, and that goes way back, but its good to hear they brought the rock. though i'm not a fan of el guapo at all, there dischord has a solid roster even after loosing black eyes to retirement.
i wasnt a fan of el guapos the first couple times i heard them either; now, however, im sold. theyre also refreshing to see, especially this weekend, when a lot of the bands playing i feel like ive seen a lot, and with them this isnt true. (reading your post), im glad trail of dead was still acting nutty- i remember a showcase they did in 2001 where they annihalated the place; funny times and theyve always seemed too tame when ive seen them since. it was a good weekend for myself aswell. i didnt get to the thermals which i wanted to (so thanks for the reenactment), but the same night i achieved a highlight when convincing some random girl i exchanged two words with about rats in the subway to come with me to a friends warehouse afterparty in brooklyn. she even walked through some projects with me (i didnt want to walk there alone). it was great.
two of my favorite things: projects and girls.
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