So my home town is getting more famous by the minute. Yesterday Oveis sent me a link to a blog that posted pictures of a 100lb Princeton, NJ girl traveling to Clearfield, PA to take down the 6lb burger at Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub. She did what many, including my father and me, couldn’t which was finish the massive meal. She probably scored a t-shirt for her efforts. Over Christmas break I stopped by Denny’s to wish my friend Shazz a happy birthday. They had a poor tequila selection, but let’s put that aside and plan a road trip. I’ll be taking bets on how many pounds of burger I can take down before puking. The line is 2.5lbs. Be still my heart...
New York City has been dangerously cold the past couple days and that whore Mother Nature isn’t letting up any time soon. Tomorrow may hit above freezing which would be a treat, but don’t hold your breath. After work I scurried to the subway instead of walking back to the L.E.S. Kyle and Dan cruised through after finishing a shift at the Mud Truck. Lou and Stevo also showed up to do some sort of practice space keys hand off. We took some time to discuss the future of the Jets. I couldn’t be happier to sit in a room with a bunch of kids, most of who love the Jets, and talk football. Around 6:30pm I threw on some thermals, and walked to the Bowery.
The whole crew was working last night. You had D.D.D. (Noah and I), two lovely ladies behind the bar and one surly merch table guy. Ok, Dan wasn’t surly, but he called himself lame for reading this blog. Dan, on the spectrum of awesome this blog registers an 8 so it can only help your personal quotient. Anyway, Dave and I were subject to the harsh conditions while we worked the 2nd door. It really wasn’t all that bad except for my toes. If you have any suggestions or long time secrets about keeping your toes from freezing, please pass them on. I’m all ears. Around 10:30pm or so, the 2nd door got shut down and I feverishly sipped a glass of whiskey with the hope that feeling would soon return to my piglets.
After a quick chat with Noah and Mia, I nestled into the corner with Gigs, Beach, Lucy and Tumblehawk. The six piece Swedish rock band, The Soundtrack of Our Lives was a few songs into their set. Apparently Little Steven stopped into the Bowery to announce the band prior to them taking the stage. They sounded pretty great. Over the past few years the press has given a lot of attention to the idea of a garage rock revival touting bands like The Mooney Suzuki, The Hives, The Von Bondies and various other Detroit bands as the leaders of this movement. While listening to TSOOL, I couldn’t help but think those journalists missed their opportunity to expose a band that was playing some great Nuggets esque garage psych. Fuck all the theatrics of their fellow Sweds or Sammy James, TSOOL were living the sound embodied by those bands rather than simply playing it. They have a cool mystique about them, but they don’t go overboard. Granted the lead singer, Ebbot Lundberg, reminds me of a cross between Tim Harrington and Tim DeLaughter, (maybe in appearance and actions only), but he belts out a sound that pays homage to the 60’s English sound. Though they rarely give you too much to get excited about, they are worth checking out if you are the type of kid that chooses The Stones over The Beatles.
One note from the show: David Fricke loves TSOOL. He was back in our corner doing the scotch hop their entire set. This should indicate to most of us what kind of rock they deliver. My night ended swiftly. On my way out of the club, James played a dirty trick on me by hiding my knapsack. I nearly had a heart attack. My walk home was broken up by a slice at Rosario’s, and my night ended quickly once I was back in our sauna.
Tonight a there are a couple shows scheduled that are worth battling the elements. First up is a Mercury Lounge appearance by the always hilarious Hold Steady. If you haven’t seen these guys construct anthem rock around the rants of Craig Finn, stop by the club to check them out. And just incase you weren’t aware, one half of the band is ex-Lifter Puller. Openers White Hassle will grace the stage with their country fried blues with a pinch of punk around 10pm.
If you are looking to be apart of the scene, then stop by Pianos for the second installment of Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah’s residency. They were pretty decent last Wednesday, but some people think they’re all the rave. Stop by upstairs to have a drink at Ms. Nora’s Savvy Party.
Additionally, tonight will be the second installment of Shindig! at the art space on 6th Street between Avenue B and C. For only $10 you get access to an open bar until the liquor’s gone and you get to hear sets from The Five O’clock Heroes (who just announced UK dates) and The Go Station. That and it’s so packed that you can probably get away with a few ass grabs.
*** Audrey is helping to put on a SpinArt benefit for Sarah Flynn at Rothko next Tuesday that will include Ted Leo, Apollo Sunshine, The Benzos, The Head Set and The Chinese Stars. My homeboy (I wish) James Murphy will be making you sweat with his moves on the decks. You are highly advised to purchase your tickets soon. They go on sale tomorrow at 12pm.
*** Some upcoming Mercury Shows include the new IT! band from the U.K. The Kaiser Chiefs on February 12th and the wackiness of Lansing-Dreiden on the 17th, (buzz via Melody Nelson via The Wicked).
*** If you've been flaking on purchasing your Rogue Wave Tickets (almost sold out!) don't worry, they will be playing a second show on February 7th (via The Wicked). No word yet as to whether or not Sam Champion will play the second show.
*** Check out Zach's band Octagon. This is the first I'm hearing of the "much praised by Sean Bones" band. Hopefully they'll update their show listing soon so we can see them live.
*** In Issac’s most recent email, he proclaims that the new Brendan Benson single, What I’m Looking For, can be downloaded from the Startime International website. The song will be on the March 22nd release of Alternative To Love.
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