Monday nights without football are like a hamburger without French fries. It’s probably safe to say that most of you don’t feel this way, but it’s such a tease for people like me. For a mere 16 weeks out of every year, I have a solid reason to stay glued to the couch at least one night a week, (lest we forget The O.C.). Now it’s over and in a few weekends we’ll gather for the Superbowl before having one last hurrah with the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is such a sham. It’s like break up sex. Sure sex can be considered sex, but when you’re in the thick of it something doesn’t feel right. Such is the Pro Bowl. Last night was the second Monday night without football, and I was at a bit of a loss. This lack of entertainment drove me to finally finish up The Catcher and the Rye which I may have been reading for the better half of a year. Then I picked up Less Than Zero with the hope of rebounding from my Holden induced depression. After the first 50 pages I realized this book was a whole lot sexier than Mr. Caulfield’s escapades. Were Hollywood kids always so sexually liberated? I hope to breeze through the bulk of the novel tonight so I can move on to the Lou Reed biography.
Around 10pm Captain Bulldog and I met on Avenue B and 4th Street and proceeded to Avenue C in search of the bar Nublu. An email friend of mine dropped me a line regarding an event he was putting on a New Releases Presents production. As we approached the venue I quickly realized that my email friend was actually an old classmate of mine. In fact he was in the first course I ever took at NYU. Justin C. has been putting out emails along the lines of a DIY Flavorpill format that focuses on independent rock within the city. Beach was also a friend through various long winded NYU family connections. The small world part to this story is that Justin was chatting up James who is another kid who attended that same course at NYU.
We had to throw together a quick reminiscing session because we all shared similar experiences. The course we took was a core requirement called Humanities and for each of us, it was our first actually class as a college student. I’ll never forget this class session because I walked out of it thinking I was completely in over my head. If you think about it, walking into your first college class is no easy task. I didn’t know a sole on the island of Manhattan. I was a fucking country boy who was totally naïve to all forms of city living. Upon entering the room, I spied a seat next to a pretty girl, Tara Grando, who I later befriended, and sat down next to her and Leah F. Everyone was busy introducing themselves when Professor Hildebrant cruised into the classroom carrying a giant instrument that I later learned was a sitar. He took the long string instrument out of its bag, sat lotus style on top of his desk and began to pluck the strings in syncopation with an absurd chant. I couldn’t help but laugh. The Professor proceeded into dissecting the Iambic rhythms found in Homer’s greatest work. With little or no idea how to process this first class, I pressed on praying college would not be a series of crazy son-of-a-bitches forcing their academic will on me through song.
Anyway, we eased into Nublu and I caught up with James who is currently playing in a three-piece Brooklyn band whose name has slipped my memory. The bar had a conspicuous layout. The layout was basically a rectangle, but unlike most venues of this shape, the stage was placed along the middle of one of the long sides. Next to the ‘stage’ was a raised DJ booth that seemed equipped with all the necessary means for a solid party. The loosely stacked bar found itself nicely tucked in the front corner where we made our scene for most of the evening. Before the Epochs got to playing we were joined by Liz D., Laura, Virginia, Daylen and Elise. With the warmth of the whiskey and a healthy tequila shot from Mr. Carter coursing through my veins, I was ready to hear some rock.
Sidenote: The first half of this blog post was written this morning. This was well before the shit hit the fan at work, and my ulcer started acting up. I’m going to attempt to close out strong, but forgive me if it’s lacking the usual charm.
A few of The Epochs warmed things up by playing some ambient sounds rooted in the superb drumming of Beach’s friend Kotchy. It had a great feel to it. The danceable beats had the familiar feel of The Postal Service while the soundscape being constructed by the keys and other equipment had a late Radiohead feel to it, (without Thom I might actually like that band). The noise sounded very improvisational which gave it this delicately honest nature. After 15 minutes of introduction the entire band took to their instruments. They are a group of five musicians who’ve made New York their home over the past few years. The great part about this is they’ve starved off the temptation to become a band characterized by the New York sound. The Epochs have created their own identity around lush guitar parts and a rhythm section that refuses to let up. There were times where their music sounds like its coming from tucked away portions of Sweden or Iceland. Just when you begin to close your eyes and wonder, they bring you back to reality with something so reminiscent of the Talking Heads without being an obnoxious carbon copy.
The other great aspect about last night was the speakeasy feel of the entire event. Here you are in a tight room with many oddly familiar people checking out a band with no stage and no obvious reason for being there. As the headliner Akron/Family took the stage, this atmosphere continued to expand. They passed out shakers and called for audience participation. The whiskey matched with my sober inability to keep time kept me from getting involved, but the few songs I saw were a lot of fun. Around 1am I decided to call it an evening and headed home to hang with Builder and Miriam in a collective drunken stupor.
In any event you should stop by Nublu on either Monday, January 17 or Monday, January 24 to see The Epochs and support the good thing Justin has going on.
Tonight there is a great show happening down at the Mercury Lounge. If you are a lover of all things hip hop, then check out the underground love being spread all over your broke ass. Tonights show is presented by Def Jux and features Hanger 18, Rob Sonic and Daylen's boy Beans.
If hip hop isn't tickling your fancy, stop by Rothko to check out another production put on Ms. Melody Nelson. Tonights installment of Vicious include The Cloud Room and The Harlem Shakes. Clike here for details. Look out for an upcoming Atomique featuring a listening party for the upcoming Trail of Dead record and yours truly playing the songs that make you want to punch me in the stomach!
2 Comments:
Hi jjjay,
I’m starting a free book of the month on various topics. No strings attached just go to my blog and download the file..
This month… Secrets of a Happy Marriage Revealed!
Here’s some of the topics…
How to become tolerant of your spouse’s behaviors.
The importance of communication in a relationship.
The meaning of realistic expectations.
Visit my blog http://www.longislandguide.com/blog to download you free book.
And for other information we have so many different topics including Long Island Used Ford at our site.
Always the best,
Lonny
Hi jjjay,
I’m starting a free book of the month on various topics. No strings attached just go to my blog and download the file..
This month… Secrets of a Happy Marriage Revealed!
Here’s some of the topics…
Why cooperation in marriage is deemed important.
How to know if cooperation is present in your household.
What you should do in case of a heated argument.
Great tips on how to avoid fights.
Visit my blog http://www.longislandguide.com/blog to download you free book.
And for other information we have so many different topics including Suffolk County Used GMC at our site.
Always the best,
Lonny
Post a Comment
<< Home