Effective Immediately: I no longer go by the name Jay Michael Belin. As of last night around 9pm, I made the decision to change my name to Armen Cadillac Belin. It has a nice ring to it. In additional name change news, Mr. Beach has changed his name to Johnny TBA Keteyian. I’m currently lobbying for him to change his middle name to TBC as opposed to TBA. To-Be-Culkined has a nice ring to it. Shall we move on? Much like the rest of you, my long, Union induced, winter break is now over. I’m back in my office, and life has returned to its mundane normalcy in under 3 hours. Why don’t we take a few minutes to relive the glory that was the week after Christmas?
Ok, that statement is completely unfair to the gay community. My apologies to all of you who decided the same sex is the right sex. Mayer is beyond artists associated with the gay community. Elton John would kick his ass. In any case, last Tuesday was the first of two sold out nights of John Mayer Blues at Webster Hall. Around 6pm, I picked up Gigs in my rented Taurus and dropped her off at the club before returning the car to Hertz. It was an emotional goodbye, but I said a few words, kissed the AM/FM radio and made way for Webster. The line was completely out of control. We had Mayer hungry fans wrapped around the block and all the way to 12th Street. It had all the makings of a shitshow, but thankfully the line moved smoothly and we got everyone in on time. All of us Indie rock kids should take a page from these middle aged pop rock types. Please make it easy on the door guy. It will only help your cause.
It was extremely hilarious to see a couple of frat boys get tossed from the show. What the hell do you have to do in order to be ejected from a John-fucking-Mayer show? The kids were bold enough to put up a fight while security escorted them off the premises. I suspect they were pitting too hard, but who knows. After the show, Noah gave me a ring so I shot down to Bowery where he was finishing up his shift for the Fab Faux. Merida was kind enough to get me shithoused with Michael. We sat at the end of the bar drinking tequila like it was our job while everyone basked in their post holiday glee. About midway through the night, the coolest thing ever happened. Noah spied a lonely can of Bud Light in the back of the freezer. Being one to always drink the cheapest beer possible, I asked for the lone wannabe Silver Bullet. As I drank the beer through my straw, Noah and Michael were giving me shit so I decided chugging the beer would be best. The second I finished, a large belch from within pushed the beer out of my stomach and onto the bar making a perfectly symmetrical circle. Noah and Merida were the only two to see this incident, and I quickly wiped it up to avoid further embarrassment. The night grew blurry with each downed drink, and by 1:30am I knew it was time to remove myself.
On Wednesday, I decided to get up early to cruise around to cross a few lines off my to-do list. After a stop at a bank in Chinatown, I saddled up and road down to the offices of Inland Empire Touring. Noah and DTL were inching through a slow day when Robin showed up. Hopefully her cat is doing a bit better (one way or the other) than it was that morning. Noah and I popped into Socrates diner for a quick bite before heading back to the neighborhood. Thanks goes out to Empire for hooking me up with a few new CDs including the much anticipated Futureheads disc that hasn’t left my stereo since. With a Christmas gift card in my wallet, I decided to pop into Tower Video to make a purchase. I scored the hilarious Anchorman and the “We put the emo in emotional,” Garden State. It took the goddamn clerk nearly 30 minutes to figure out my American Express gift card which had me fuming. Luckily I returned home and was greeted by our long lost friend Matty G. Matt took a semester abroad in Ireland and came back with stories of his home country and a Grizzly Adams type beard. He also showed up with a Guinness glass for 186 and a pile of hash for the head. Dan and Kyle also cruised in so we sat around getting silly for a couple of hours while cracking up to Ron Burgundy.
The call for Wednesday’s show was a bit before 7pm, so I packed up and made way for Webster. This evening was a lot warmer than the previous which made my shift 100 times better. Noah was also downstairs for the first hour or so, and then he came up and got his hang on with me. Around 11pm we were both dismissed. On our way down the block Beach called and asked if I wanted an extra ticket to Clutch. It had been ages since I saw the infamous jamcore band so I met him on 14th Street and we headed to Irving. Upon entering we said a quick hello to Andy then met up with Sarah and Mia who were all too psyched for the big rock show. We slid upstairs and had a few Budweiser’s while gawking at the large number of metal (and meat) heads in attendance. As Clutch took the stage, my ears started to bleed. Not only is Clutch a seriously loud band, but couple that with 1200 fans belting out every word and you have a recipe for eardrum disaster. By mid set we joined with Jomo and Kerri who were also part of the head banging crew. Clutch, though no longer my particular brand of whiskey, were still pretty damn good. They are a tough as nails band enjoyed by a tough as nails fanbase.
After the show Beach and I popped into some bar on 15th Street called Revival to score a couple drinks before calling it a night. We rambled on for quite some time before my drunk ass decided to take a cab to Gracefully where I introduced myself to Mr. Nice, (aka Chicken, Ham and Cheddar). Another great day was in the books.
Now is the portion of the break where days become foggy and nights get blacked out. It is my contention that Thursday was spent dicking around, but on further review, I actually got some killer hang time in the books. First of all, there was brunch with Miriam and Josh who a lovely couple to share a dining experience with. Both are very interesting creatures who complement each other well. Then around 1:10pm Carbomb call time at The Library. I showed up a little early and chatted up the bartender before I was joined by Beach, Builder, Gigs, Mia and Sarah for a quick afternoon pick-me-up. Following this early afternoon debauchery, I stopped by the Mud Truck to chill with Kyle during his shift. He let me play Mud DJ for a bit so I blasted Astor Place with some !!! (Chk Chk Chk) goodness. We bounced around the truck asking customers what their party plans were before Noah showed up and the two of us headed back to 186. The Carbomb and ensuing bowl packs took their toll so I decided it was time to pass out for awhile.
(Lt: Pic From Melody Nelson) When I woke up it was time to rock. The punk-funk jammers known as !!! (Pow Pow Pow) were slated to play two shows at the Mercury Lounge. Noah, Builder and I arrived as the opener to the early show was finishing up. I quickly caught up with Audrey and Dennis who dropped the dime on a Pianos Wilco performance that I neglected to attempt to hit up. Greg was working the bar and dished me a nice tall PBR before I slid to the back to meet up with Beach, Lucy and Tumblehawk. We waited in anxious anticipation while the opener finished and changeover began. As the crew began to take shape, we were joined by Machia, Uncle Mike, Sarah, DTL, Daylen and a few others before !!! hit the stage. I must confess that !!! (Chk Chk Chk) is my absolute favorite live band. There are others that make me go crazy (i.e. Iggy Pop, The Black Keys, The Libertines), but nothing compares to the pure dance-ability of this Brooklyn/Sacramento 6 piece, (or is it 7). They were magic, but I decided to save myself for the second dance.
During change over, I returned to 186 with Danny, Lucy, Builder and Noah. After we downed some Sparks and PBR, Noah, Tumbleweed, Lucy and I got our Mario Tennis on. Lucy and I were a bit shaky at the start, but we turned it up and kicked their asses in the end. Around 11pm, Noah headed for RANA while the three of us returned to the Mercury. The crew grew since the previous set, and we had the back corner on lock down. By the time they ripped into Hello, Is This Thing On? the entire room was going all out for the rock. It is great to see kids letting go and giving into an undeniable force. Though the onstage banter of lead singer and the drummer come singer is a bit off point, their dance moves and opposing vocal styles gives their music some added depth. As their set came to a close with Me and Giuliani followed by Intensify, there wasn’t a body in the club that wasn’t bobbing along to the beats. They are such a kick ass band that I hope they play a NYE party in NYC next year. I can’t think of a better way to ring a new year. Hopefully we’ll get them sooner than later since they claim to have written a bunch of new tracks. My night ended quickly after the show in hopes of filling my tank enough to get me through the next couple days.
(Lt: Carlos and da moneys) That’s right boys and girls, 2004 went out with a bang, but before I get to the party, let me discuss the sloth like day. After getting up on the later side, I managed to sneak out one last email to the kids in hopes that a few of you would make it to Bside. Then I returned home to waste the afternoon with Baldass and Builder. As the hour grew closer more people began calling and stopping by with one thing on their mind; party time. Around 9:30pm Mike helped me take all the gear up to Bside where we were greeted by an always awesome Carlos. At the time, he was the lone bartender so he helped set up the equipment needed for Jin, Josh and I to spin some CDs. The equipment was awfully weird, but after some practice we figured it out. This was helpful because by 10:30pm the bar was packed out the door. I know Bside isn’t the biggest bar on the East Side, but holy shit, I don’t think its been that packed in a long time. You could barely move through the bar let alone get a beer or take a piss. Thankfully Sivan helped bar back until Danny showed up to help out for the rest of the evening.
I want to take a quick second to thank everyone involved with NYE at Bside. Not only were the DJ’s great, (me included), but all of the kids who showed up were in great spirits and ready to party, (minus Sean Bones who I continually reminded that it was New Years). I’d like to sit here and give shout outs, but that would run the page entirely too long. Thanks to all those who buckled down and stuck out the duration of the night and to those of you who passed through on your way. Some funny highlights include running around kissing random girls, Dana’s shirt, Chris’ poppers, Tumbleweed’s brownies, Sivan’s NYE decorations and last but not least, the count down. As 2005 approached, Jin and I decided !!! (Chk Chk Chk) would ring in our New Year. I asked Danny to change the TV to a channel with a countdown, and as he did, we took note that it was 11:59:52 which didn’t leave us much time so everyone just started yelling. The noise continued for another half hour while everyone scrambled for kisses and champagne. It was truly a glorious event. It was also great to see kids from out of town like Jenny, Evan, Gabe and Rebecca make an appearance. Again, thanks to all of you. It was really great. Thanks for the extremely blurry memories.
Josh and Sivan (Our Lovely Host)!
Lt-Rt: Noah, Matt, Sean (kneeling), Ryan, Pooj, Emma, Sarah
Around 4am we decided to close up shop and meet up with Beach at the Mercury Lounge. The Mercury opened its doors at 2am for the extended drinking hours the NYPD permits on NYE. What I can remember involves more dancing in the back of the club to more !!! and The Thermals. If I’m correct, I broke about 3 strings on my air guitar. We had a great time back there, and yes, “2005 the year Belin kisses on the lips,” was in serious affect. Around 7am Beach delivered on his egg and cheese promise. To be honest, I could have eaten 10 of them and not realized. They were the perfect end to a perfect evening. As I stumbled home from the Mercury in broad daylight, I managed to eat the final half of an egg and cheese that I promised would be delivered to Builder. Sorry DJ Build It.
So the big night was officially over. Saturday became a grim reality along with the massive bags hanging below my bloodshot eyes. With the hope of regaining some balance, I cruised over to Cami’s to sit around and recuperate. Our brilliant plan involved finding a copy of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, but we came up empty. Not to be discouraged, we decided to refuel at the Yakaniku West also known as the Japanese Steak House that makes you take off your shoes and cook your own food. We ate delicious steaks and filled our bellies with something non-alcoholic, (scratch that, we had a Sapporo). After dinner we parted ways and I returned home for some much needed nap time.
Around 10pm it was time to turn it back up to 11. At this point I met up with Perry, Beach and Daylen who were finishing up their first coconut shrimp of 2005. Perry, being the constant gentleman, bought the group a gigantic shot of tequila that set the page for the rest of the evening. After leaving Boca Chica we headed south for the Bowery. I knew it would be a big night, but my body was praying for some time off. As we entered the Ballroom, we ran into many of the previous night’s kids who were out to prove their warrior status. Sherri, Mia, Dan, Sarah, Gigs, Jomo, some dude whose name I can’t recall and a few others were all present and accounted for. Thankfully Mr. Bango tended the bar and kept me inline with some serious vodka tonics.
A little after 11pm the Drive By Truckers took the stage and blasted out 3 solid hours of down home American rock. They reminded me of Cash without the Religion, My Morning Jacket without the reverb and Lynyrd Skynyrd without the Confederate Flag. They played a set of deep fried, south of the Mason Dixon style rock that had the crowd in an uproar. Though some might disagree, I think they are at their best when the seldom used vocals of the skinny guitar player get the lead. He sounds more like Cash; a deep draw with a salty after taste. It didn’t hurt that they had a cute bass player and were passing gigantic bottles of whiskey around the stage.
We were acting up throughout their entire set, especially Perry who could be seen swinging girls from left to right in typical down-home Perry fashion. Around 2am or so, I decided to go meet up with Hawkins. On my way out of the club, Dexter and Sam both instructed me to get the hell back in the club. Upon asking what for, they opened the front door and the most hilarious sight was on stage. First off I noticed Beach running to the front to pat someone on the back. That someone was Jomo and he was adorning a girlie DBT tank top with his belly hanging out while pumping his fist of fury. It was piss your pants funny. He was attempting to sing back up vocals, but whiskey and flailing prevented him from every getting his voice through the PA. It was glorious. I’m severely disappointed about my exit because I heard Perry took Jomo out on his shoulders even later in the evening. I ended my night with a few drinks at Welcome to the Johnsons with Hawkins, Jeraline and her cute friend, (Stephanie?).
Sunday was spent in regular fashion. Beach, Daylen and I gathered for the Jets game at Daylen’s crib. We were later joined by Builder, Baldass, Julia and Francesca. The Jets played a disappointing game, but they still managed to back into the playoffs. This weekend they start their improbable run for the Superbowl in San Diego. It’s a long tough road, but if Chad Pennington is able to step it up, we have a chance to go deep especially if our defense keeps up the good work. The rest of my day was spent on the couch lamenting the previous few nights drunken abyss.
Monday was such a treat. The Union managed to negotiate an extra day off for the University employees so I slept till 2pm and then sat around watching Fresh Prince. As the night fell, I met up with Lizzy for some delicious steaks at Cafecito. I haven’t gotten in a good Liz hang for quite some time, so our dinner was top notch. We shared stories of off the chain siblings and our love and/or reluctance of higher education. Later that night I returned to the aforementioned couch and wasted the evening watching the Auburn versus Virginia Tech game. Tonight is the BCS Championship Orange Bowl so you know tomorrow’s blog entry won’t be too eventful.
Take care kids. Happy New Year! Thanks for reading. It’s people like you who made me a Person of the Year. That’s right, Person of the Year. I’m going to make all my blogging friend’s t-shirts.
1 Comments:
more !!!
i want to set up a show now.
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