You know your day is going to be excellent when you start things off by completely fucking up your iPod because some asshole establishment on 3rd Street has their garbage all of the sidewalk and said garbage forces you to run into some metal garbage cage. The cage scored a direct hit on my iPod screen and now its only 30% visible. I’m not going to dwell on this shitty happening, but it unfortunately spells the end of my iPod days. There is no way I’m going to buy a third one in two years. Anyway, the Shit and Donkey show has been in full effect since my last post. Another weekend swooped in and once again destroyed my will to live. In an effort to keep things short and sweet I’m going to recap in a brief sort of fashion. Since I lack all sorts of brevity, here is the long winded version. Inner conflict is not my bitch.
What’s with my inability to order anything but a Cuban Sandwich when its on the menu? On Friday Beach stopped by 186 post work to pick Chris, Amy and I up for a bit of dinner before a night of shows. We decided on Yuca Bar which provided us with some delicious meal and a top notch fish out of water scenario. Not pleased with the various vinaigrettes offered on the menu, Amy decided to ask to replace it. The waiter (a pretty boy with a rod up his ass) asked what she’d like upon which Amy replied ranch. The dude shot her a “do you think we have ranch” talking out his neck kind of look which forced her to settle for some fancy dressing. Regardless, we had some tasty sangria and my Cuban kicked balls. We settled up with Mr. No Personality and made our way down Avenue A.After saying hello to the crew, we scooted inside where Mr. Carter, (I wonder if that Sly film of the same name pissed him off) greeted us like any proud band manager. We basked in his good nature as his lady friend (who’s name has escaped my clutches) decided it was tequila time. We quickly took a shot and camped out in the back for a set by The Epochs. This was my first chance seeing the band since Kevin Smith was added to the lineup. If you don’t know Kevin, he is a wonderful kid who has some serious chops when it comes to the bass. Though I didn’t manage to see their entire set, the band is really taking strides to crafting their atmospheric pop sound. Kevin adds a funk toned layer to their tracks that at some points can swing all the way to a !!! (chk chk chk) danceable sensibility with better vocals then the masters. Around 10:40 I bowed out to find some cymbals Dan needed me to bring to Sin-e.
Chris, Amy and I met Leclare, Dan and Ando out front of the club. We hustled into the venue and I introduced the girls to heaps of old friends. Since Sin-e doesn’t have a real deal liquor license (*wink* speak easy *wink*) we stepped over to Sin-e bar for a couple quick drinks and a Sparks. We returned to the club a couple songs into The Stammers set. I’ve seen this band in many forms over the years, and it sounds like they finally have a lineup that suits their creativity. They’ve certainly tightened the screws and sound like a well oiled rock machine. My only gripe is their set time. A band without a record shouldn’t play more that 40 minutes at the most. If they cut out a few songs and bring the hits, their set might reach a few more unfamiliar ears.
The last billed act was Explorer who is 3 parts Arbor Day and one part Fabian. The rundown is as follows: Joe on drums, Dan on guitar/vocals, Dileepan on guitar/vocals and Fabian on bass. Despite this being their first live gig, Explorer did quite well. Their sound is definitely heavier than Arbor Day and the splashes of psychedelic rock are surely welcomed. At times they reminded of a band I would have listened to had I been in college in 1995. They also managed to do some justice to a Neil Young song as well as Nirvana’s All Apologies. Hopefully they will start booking some more shows so everyone can get explored, (sorry).My intentions upon leaving the club were to stop by The Mercury for a quick drink before heading to Crash Mansion to wish Nora a happy birthday. Unfortunately we totally flaked on the latter half of those plans as we got roped into many drinks at the Mercury. Some of the kids from the show stopped in to hang before venturing out to find Irish Carbombs. This left Daylen, Beach, Chris and I in the back room with a pile of Crif Dogs we’d ordered for the party. As the four of us basked in the sent of tater tots and mustard, Greg and Jaclyn joined us for a 4am picnic. Word to the wise; Beach and I also spent some time figuring out the stage configuration for The Culkins first farewell gig. We are going to be bigger than The Beatles.
With Friday under my belt, I looked forward to a crazy Saturday. It all started with a Loose Meeting before a big hang involving Kyle, Basketball and some records. Around 6pm Chris, Amy and I met Moser, Stevo and Yaps for an early side dinner at Yakiniku West on 9th Street. If you haven’t tried this joint yet, find a date and get your ass over there. Just make sure you know how to use chop sticks or you’ll look like an ass, (unless you can get your hands on a giant pair of tongs). We had a hilarious dinner full of insults and inappropriate conversation. It’s always nice to show your little sister your classy side.
Following our feast, we headed back to 186 for a big wait. If you weren’t aware, I threw a bit of a party on Saturday night for Christie’s 24th birthday. The night was slow in developing but by 11pm the apartment was standing room only. Most of the solids stopped in to revel in the shitshow, but there was also tons of new faces there which is the sign of a good party. Despite some major regulation duties by yours truly, I managed to have a great time. Some highlights involved Mike, Rebecca and I rocking to NOFX which seems to happen at a lot of our parties, Stevo (just because he is an allstar), my little sister teaching drinking games to the likes of Del, Jason, Dana, Dee and Julia and the late night appearance by donkey fucker plus 8. A note to the kid with the dreadlocks who wouldn’t shut his fucking mouth: Don’t ever come to my house again. You severely pissed me off and I was a second away from cold cocking you. Whoever brought him, remind me to punch you in the genitals next time we hang out.
Around 2am the neighbors were banging on the ceiling so we figured it was a good time to close up shop. Thanks to kids like Elliot, Christie, Ghory and especially Dana for helping me clean up the all the fallen soldiers. You made my Sunday clean simple. Also, apologies to all those who didn’t know about the party. It had to be underground because it was going to get out of control. I didn’t really invite more than 5 people, and they did the rest. We stopped into 2A where Jen was slinging tequila shots during the first few hours of her birthday. While we’re on birthday apologies, I’m sorry to flake on your party Jen. All apologies. Around 3am my drunken thoughts turned to pizza so I returned home where the girls had some waiting. My sister is clutch. We think alike except for the whole being punctual thing.
Sunday was a slow day. More basketball was watched and tons of work got done. Did you get the Loose Mailer? Doesn’t it look great? If you signed up and didn’t receive it, please check your spam boxes and mark Monday’s email as not spam. Around 8pm Cara stopped in for an evening of delicious Thai food and old episodes of the O.C. Speaking of The O.C. did anyone see last weeks? Some claimed it was boring, but I certainly had a great time with the episode. Does anyone know the over under on how long Alex will remain on the show? I’m giving her 2 tops. They also announced the NCAA Tournament bracket. I’m not going to divulge my picks, but let’s just say we’re all mega excited for Thursday. Oh, and a big FUCK YOU to the committee for giving The Irish a snub. They won some big games and had a winning record in one of (if not THE) best conferences in the country.
Monday was a hectic day at work followed by a shift at the Bowery for the Embrace show. Apparently it was their first show in New York, (and America?) but the kids certainly knew who they were as the club was definitely close to a sell out. As my tour of duty came to an end, Gigs and I decided to walk over to The Mercury Lounge to check out the Welsh boys known as Goldie Looking Chain. Here’s a warning: If you are going to SXSW and want to see a fun as hell show, GLC is the answer. They were fantastic. Eight or nine whiter than sin kids bouncing around the stage with incredible energy and even more impressive flow. Their brand of hip hop was bouncy, goofy and a certainly tighter than a Christian prom date with a promise ring. GLC douses their lyrics with hilarious anecdotes about drugs, getting laid, Vampires and Mom’s with dicks. As we bobbed around in the back with Jomo and Beach, the smile on my face had a hard time disappearing.
There was some sorting that needed done following the show, but Beach and I managed to roll over to Rothko in time to catch the last few songs by Maximo Park. Since the record was put in my hands, it’s been on heavy rotation at work. Yes, it follows in the footsteps of U.K. hotshot bands of late, but is that a bad thing? Sure, it’s bound to get tired, but they did it well so I’m guessing they’ll do well, (until the bubble bursts). I mean seriously, yesterday The Bravery were #2 on the U.K. charts after a day. The club cleared out awfully quickly, but we siddled up to the bar for some shots (thanks to Kari) while the Tarts kept the brit rock rolling from the booth. With tequila Tuesday coming one evening early, we rolled over to Johnson’s for some more drinks and pool. Unfortunately some ass was there being a drunk dickhead and forced a confrontation. What’s with jackasses these days? Seriously, I’m not one to throw down, but I’m also not one to put up with some guy being a complete dickhead to my friend and me. Thankfully the bartender bounced the guy just as we got into each others face and voices got raised. Stay the fuck home if you can’t handle yourself.We closed out the night with a San Loco appearance where our Mullet Man was rocking the register. Kari also happened to be scoring some tacos so we all basked in the goodness that is 3am margaritas before calling it a day.
Isn’t New York City the fucking best? This place makes for a solid consolation prize to all of us who can’t make it to Austin. As the British bands make their way to SXSW many of them make a point to stop by and give New York a taste. Take Maximo Park and GLC; Monday was both bands first show on American soil. On Tuesday Doves made an appearance at The Bowery Ballroom. My main man Dave and I rocked the second door which caused me to miss them playing the single from the new record, but it wasn’t a big deal. The room was absolutely packed to the gills. I’ve never seen it this full. Everyone was digging their broadly cast Brit rock sound. My only problem was the damn lights that made it nearly impossible to watch the show. Maybe they should consider turning those down a bit. In any event, they put on a great show playing songs from all three of their record. I also managed to recognize a lot of the new material. The entire crowd was digging it. If you missed last nights show, check out Doves with Mercury Rev on May 18th and 19th at Webster Hall. A special presale is being done through their website, and Ticketweb will have the tickets available next Wednesday.Awww heck, I’m rambling. Time to do some work. If you are heading to Austin have a kick ass time and please let me know what was missed. And make sure to dedicate your first BBQ meal to the soldiers left behind.
5 Comments:
as I was locking my office door last night, I heard a crunchy sound...my ipod earbuds(dangling out of my tote) got annihilated under my foot. today I am sad.
it's a wave of ipod mutilation...
its terrible. mine is completely fucked. its like just like picking your phone up and dialing random numbers. but at least this way i'm not calling old girlfriends, just reliving bad musical decisions.
Speaking of bad musical decisions, sources tell me that North Street Records is interested in putting out the first Culkins album. Is there any truth to this rumor?
Oveis
actually, they don't have the money to get this talent. they tried, but they were only talking 5 digits. and since this will be our farewell record... we want heaps of cash
actually, they don't have the money to get this talent. they tried, but they were only talking 5 digits. and since this will be our farewell record... we want heaps of cash
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