Another weekend has come and gone, and though I spent most of Friday trying to convince Beach that my drinking skills have declined, Friday night would beg to differ. My Dirty On Purpose imposed hangover lasted all day. A headache refused to leave me alone, but my last day in the old office couldn't have been better. It came and went like any old day, which is exactly what I requested. No parties. No speeches. No nothing. My boss teary towards quitting time, but the younger crew was pumped for the post work drinks. David, Lauren, David and I walked around in search of cheap margaritas. Our search led us to Caliente Cab Co. Its one of the cheesiest places in the neighborhood, but it suited our needs. We got the evening started with heaps of frozen drinks and shots of tequila. David, who has no qualms about being a lightweight, got hilariously drunk. He also threw down for the bill, which was amazing. Thanks David! Lauren's friend Barbara joined us and rounded out the crew nicely. I was really lucky to have worked in an office with amazing people.
My night was just beginning, but I could barely hold myself up to hail a cab. I made a quick stop by 186 to pick-up the tape of Thursday's episode of The O.C. before heading to Dana's to bask in her illness while catching up on the Cohen's with her and Sylvia. This week’s episode was a hundred times better than the season premier. We see the kids quickly returning to last season’s form. Seth tried the whole table top love profession. Ryan saw Marissa making out with sketch-city, the pool boy. Summer is trying to hold out against the Cohen charm while Marissa throws her frumpy self all over the town. Did you see that house Caleb lives in? I’d shit my pants on the regular if my hat hung in that domicile. The big story on this episode, besides Jimmy’s desperate attempt to get Haley to stay on the show, was Caleb’s indictment. The family was sitting around enjoying some Chinese take-out when the poe-poe showed up to take grandpa to the slammer. It’s up to Sandy to bail him out, but what can he do with a cunt like Julie Cooper threatening to drag Kristen through the mud with her husband. This week should prove to be mucho interesting.
Once we finished our post show wrap up, I made way for the Bowery. Being one to sacrifice fashion (or lack there of) for comfort, I froze my ass off on the way to the venue. Kyle was waiting out front when I arrived, and we quickly slid into the warmth thanks to D. who was working the door. We searched the ballroom for pieces of the crew and eventually stumbled upon Nate and Amy who were guarding the back corner. While we waited for Hot Snakes to take the stage we did a quick tequila shot and I endured some ribbing from Tony who wouldn’t believe that Nate and I aren’t brothers. We definitely have a separated at birth look to us, but can’t we just leave that joke alone? Hot Snakes finally took the stage and their first three songs were a little off. They weren’t flashing the innate power of the music, so when they finally took a break after the third song, numerous onlookers (including me) yelled, “Turn it up!”
By the fourth song, they were rocking my face off. Some might think the monotone vocals get old after 40 minutes, but they could have played all night. The crowd was definitely digging the rock Hot Snakes was serving. They played one of my favorite new songs, Mystic Decade, early in the set, but they also (from my accounts) neglected to play another great new song, Kreative Kontrol. It didn’t really matter because they played all my jams off of Suicide Invoice. Halfway through their set Jin called me from an oddball number. She told me to shoot up to the balcony for a quick drink. She was hanging with none other than the infamous Scat Turdly who also goes by Jamie, (for work and church purposes). It was great to finally meet the faceless rogue who pleasantly pollutes the comments section with witty banter.
We returned to the floor where Denise came up to join us for the rest of the set. Following the encore and the conclusion of the set, S.T. came down and graciously bought us tequila shots. How many? I couldn’t begin to remember, but he played a major factor in me passing out at the foot of my bed in all my clothes while using a backpack for a pillow. We went downstairs to hangout for a bit, and Nate took me upstairs to meet the band. It was my first time in the Bowery band room, and like a jackass, I lined my pockets with Coronas. Thankfully the band wasn’t in there to see me pulling my own sketchball move, but we ran into John on the main floor and I can’t even remember what was discussed.
Fast forward 8 hours, and I had to peal myself off the floor of my bedroom. Builder returned home from a self-imposed exodus to New Jersey with a heap of good books which reminded me it was time to finally read The Catcher in the Rye. With J.D.’s masterpiece in my pocket, I hit the F Train for a trip out to Brooklyn. Since it had been nearly a month since I ventured to the faraway borough, it felt nice to take a day trip even if a transfer was necessary.
Noah’s place has changed since my last visit. The boys who reside in that apartment have turned it into a prime party spot, (that’s a big hint to Noah). We sat around listening to some records before Noah destroyed me with a single knifer. Then we got the bright idea to play video games, but it was a little too intense for this stoney baloney. We sat back and enjoyed a Dave Clark Five record which really blew my mind. For awhile I thought it was a Beatles record, but Noah set me straight. Dan and Emma stopped in and we all marveled at the new William Shatner record, Has Been. The album is so self-effacing, but as Dan pointed out, when you are a joke and you embrace the fact that you are a joke; you are no longer a joke. Shatner enlisted Ben Folds to produce the record, and though the desired results may have satisfied the creators, it made me want to puke in my mouth. Shatner is so full of shit and the fact that Henry Rollins added some vocals to this proves he should be lumped in the same category.
One bright spot on the record was the Joe Jackson assisted cover of Pulp’s Common People. The arrangement of the song and the spoken word style of vocalization gave the song an entirely different fell. It stripped it of its party atmosphere and forces listeners to take part in the tragedy of the lyrics. All bands attempting to cover artists should use this as a blue print. It affects the audiences approach and emotion relative to the song.
Dan and I walked over to his neighborhood for a quick hang before Dilly and Joe from Arbor Day came to pick us up. On our way to the city, we picked up Andy and stopped by Abe’s to snag the Bahamas’ new record. From what I heard, the new record is much more thought out than the rushed first effort, (partly my fault). The record shows their maturity and willingness to grow as a cohesive song writing team. Let’s hope they play another show.
Alister, Kyle and I hung out for awhile at 186 prior to me popping into the Mercury Lounge to have a quick drink with Beach, Tumbleweed, Makia, Daylen and Lucy. We snagged a beer and caught a set from Your Code Name Is: Milo. It’s a terrible name, but the band kicked some serious ass. They are a five-piece British band who pumps out aggressive rock akin to At the Drive In, but with more metal drippings than hardcore tendencies. The little elf of a lead singer squeals and screams when needed, but he brings it back to earth for the verses. Expect a full-length out soon. They may a good version of bands like Funeral for a Friend.
After their set, I stopped into the Luna Lounge to catch a glimpse at Pela. I only caught a couple songs, but they weren’t really doing it for me. This could have been due to the fact that YCNI:M just finished filling me with the need to break things. This prompted me to go back to 186 to slug a quick beer before returning to Luna for a solid Arbor Day set. These guys are starting to come together, and even though they still wait till the 11th hour to promote their shows, the room always has bodies in it. They finished up and the crew milled about outside, as we always do, so I decided to shoot back over to the Mercury Lounge. The Upwelling was taking the stage, and this three-piece didn’t do much for me. Cami, Builder and Alister stopped in so we took the party to the basement for awhile. After a few more drinks, a successful Culkin on Makia and some drunken J.B. antics, Cami and I set out to meet up with the rest of the crew.
On our trek to The Hanger, we realized no one was actually there so we decided to grab some food. After much deliberation (Katz or Bistro), we decided to hit up 7A. Naturally I scored a Tuna Melt and Cami was all about her burger. We enjoyed the food and the company before parting ways. Cami and I always have a kick ass time when we go on little missions. Then I wondered aimlessly trying to find the kids, but they weren’t picking up their cells. Sarah and Sean were in Johnson’s where everyone else was supposed to show but didn’t. We stopped back into the Mercury to no avail and decided to call it a night. A half hour later, Dan, Erin, Kyle, Stevo and Deeznuts walked into 186 and we sat up talking about nothing of importance for hours.
My non-alcohol induced slumbers always end a bit to early, but it ended up being a good thing because Dana and I were able to meet for a cup of coffee prior to the Loose Record meeting. Dana took me to her regular spot on Avenue B called DT/UT, (I think it stands for Downtown Uptown). After managing to spill my coffee twice, we finished up so I wouldn’t be late. Christina and Builder were already working when I returned. Mike soon joined us and we had a promising meeting. Following the bizness at hand, Mike and I set out to find a piece of equipment he could shoot for the logo. We walked down to the Triple-Five store so Rothfeld could do a quick exchange and then made way to Union Square.
Our first stop was Guitar Center on 14th and 6th. They have tons of equipment in that store. We searched for my cousin Jared who is a manager in the store, but we came up empty. We did find the holy grail of logo equipment. I took the tag off it and Mike took heaps of photos. We were psyched to find it, but pressed on in search of a receiver or soundboard that could be the big winner. Stops at Circuit City and PC Dicktard and Son proved to be worthless so we called it an evening. Later that night, I was called into work the Helmet show at the Bowery Ballroom. It was super slow, but I had a good time working the 2nd door. The nice part was I was home by 11pm and watched a tape of Arrested Development. That show is gold.
Yesterday I started my new job. Having an office with a door is so fucking sweet. Right now I’m just hanging out on my lunch hour listening to The Flaming Lips while hammering out a blog entry. Expect more of this in the future. For now enjoy a couple links.
*** If you are looking for action tonight, check this out.
*** If you hate anything below the Mason Dixon, check this out, (Thanks Tumbleweed).
*** If you love drugged up former playmates, check this out, (Thanks Dana).
4 Comments:
nice, a backpack, and with your clothes on? i'm honored to have been a part in that. i can top it though. my pillow was an xbox! plus i can't stop laughing at how you and that guy nate look exactly alike. it was hilarious. i had a lot of fun that night...despite dealing with the 30 angry drink ghosts in my head the next day. jamie
an xbox! thats 10 times better than mine. yeah, we look the same... fugggit. anyway, good to finally meet you. are you out of the nyc? did you return to... i think it was toronto, but i may be well off. how'd the rest of the weekend treat you? read that jin took you to misshapes... wicked.
i had sooo much fun that night. blurry drunken fun. i love that you woke up at the foot of your bed!
blurry, yes. drunken, yes. very fun, yes. brian damage, definitely. jamie
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