I skipped it. I had prior obligations. It was my choice actually, but I missed it. Perhaps it was the death of the scene when Sunset Junction finally got a VIP lounge as some have reported. They had a good lineup this year.
I did get to see Ninja Academy at an art show Saturday Night. Interesting band with real actual ninjas on stage.
So since I didn't go there, all I can say is that the 'Junction is a hotbed of counter culture creativity. It's almost too much, but that makes it's truly eccentric peoples that much more alluring. Thje festival has definitely become "the thing to do" for my demo. And with over 100,000 people jammed into such a cool neighborhood that's reason enough to go see all kinds of neat stuff. And you can say you rode the Metro this year. But it's too late now.
That's it, click on the links- nothing more to really say about it.
You aren't going to the 30 Seconds to Mars show tomorrow - are you? Man, I'd hope not. It's not so much that the band sucks, but boy are they terrible. If I didn't have to yell at teenagers, I'd definitely get my ass to Delancey for this FREE show with an open bar from 9-10pm. Make sure you tell them Jay sent you. Ok, that won't get you anywhere, but go to see The Comas in action - I like those kids and I have a huge crush on Nicole.
The Big Sleep is hosting a listening party at Hi Fi for their debut album SON OF THE TIGER on Frenchkiss Records this Wednesday, August 30th. Please come by to kick back a few with Sonya, Danny and Gabe, as well as your friends at Frenchkiss and 2:30 Publicity.
Tonight's (8/29) the night!
It's the first anniversary of hurricane katrina, and all these restaurants are giving a portion of profits to charity to help rebuild the city. it's a perfect excuse to head out for dinner with friends or try a new place--also, a good excuse to get out there for the cause. Really, please, let's all try to help out. we obviously can't get down there but it's still nice to get involed!
Check out the list here, and then call all your friends!
First and foremost, all you NYC cats should click this link which leads you to the contest for a pair of tickets to the Wolfmother and Gov't Mule show, (see flyer). You know how I feel about the Mother so enter for your chance to stand side-by-side in all of our head banging glory.
Secondly, happy dirty thirty to the man behind the guitar - Danny Big Sleep. I know he'll want to kill me for mentioning his age, but I'd like to thank him for making me feel young again. This weekend he... well actually, Sonya... coaxed us out of the city to a lake in Dover, NJ. Christen gave Rory and I a ride out to the tiny man made beach where we met a big crew of folks who swam around all day. I got a bit sun burned, but dammit was it worth it. We returned to Danny's Mom's house for some ice cream cake before heading back to the city. It was a magical day. Last night was the second part of the celebration that lead us to Fontana's where some Tuesday night party was in full effect. We drank free booze for an hour before turning over to PBR's. It was a good time and thanks to Deannie, I have a massive hangover today. Good looks! Happy birthday you handsome superstar.
Don't look for me this weekend. I'll be out of the city thanks to the good looks of Cara who has been kind enough to lend her wheels so I can return for a surprise party. It should prove to be a good one - who's coming with me? C'mon, how can you turn down late night trips to Wal-Mart and some potential gun shooting?
No... Stop it... No... Bad Jared. Just because you played one on TV doesn't make you a rock star in real life. Please get hit by a bus you fucking cumdumpster. Thank you. Love Loose Record, (pic by Abz).
Over the years the challenge of "feats of strength" has changed drastically, but little did I know my latest test would be a Wu Tang show. If you would have come to me in 1994 and told the little country kid who fell in love with Enter the 36 Chambers that I'd one day work a Wu Tang show and than watch the latter half of the show from the side of the stage, I would have told you that you're full of shit. Well, last night I did just that and tonight - somewhat to my dismay - I have to do it again. It was absolutely nutty last night, but shaking hands with folks like Ghostface (pictured), Masta Killa, UGod and Redman (yes, he showed up to do a track with Method Man) was worth all the hassle. From Rza's pic'd out afro to Cappadonna's beater tucked into his boxers, the guys looked fantastic and just as I remembered. Probably the best part of the show (outside of them pulling a Ghostface and inviting all these ladies on stage) was the crew of little kids who rolled in with Wu and were on stage for the whole show. They even got behind the mic a couple times and shared versus - can you fucking imagine. Oh, and Ghost jammed out "Back Like That" from his latest which was hotter than ever. After last night, I'm fully aware as to why "Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with".
If you missed it, they are back again tonight. Tickets are really steep ($50), but when are you going to get to see them in a small-ish room with rabid fans who threw it up out of love for a solid hour and a half? There are still tickets available so bring cash and come down to the club.
Later tonight I'm hoping to have enough in the gas tank to get down to Mercury for some of the Professor Murder set and the entire Girl Talk show. Have you heard Girl Talk? Of course you have, everyoneandtheircousin is talking about this PA boy. Don't expect to get into this show, because as many of you know, the crew of Pitchfork aggregators (myself included) sports collective wood for P-Murda as well. So yes, this show is going to be nuts, but hopefully a neck or two can be broken in honor of my little sister's last night in the city.
If you can get out of work early enough - head down to the South Street Seaport for the Tralala show who are opening for the New York Dolls!!! I won't be there, but you should make it a point to get down there.
Tomorrow night there are a number of options that start with Eric returning to NYC and taking Say Hi To Your Mom to the Knitting Factory, (check out a review of his latest record Impeccable Blahs and closely followed by Eagle Seagull who are the Nebraska's take on all things blog rock, (think Wolf Parade - thanks to Baseball Star for the heads up). They are headlining a Pianos show so be carefully; you may remember when Wolf Parade made their Pianos debut - a few months later we all had uncomfortable jeans thanks to those Canadians. If you're looking for guaranteed crazy party, head over to Sin-e to see the strip search style of Gil Mantera's Party Dream - those boys are out of their collective minds. Be prepared to see bulges of epic proportions. If you're out in Park Slope (why would you be out there) - stop by Union Park to check out Arbor Day and let me know if Dan is still in the band). Me, well, I'll probably sit on the couch playing tendo with Steve all day long.
As for Sunday, word on the street is I'll be butt naked in some lake somewhere. Stay tuned and have a balls-out weekend.
Thanks to a Sub Pop email, we've been tipped off to their CMJ plans for the Bowery Ballroom on November 2nd tickets will be easy to come by (NOT... hahahaha):
The Shins The Thermals CSS The Album Leaf Oxford Collapse The Elected Loney, Dear
By now you should be fully aware of the latest French invasion. Put away your hipster hatred and false patriotism and get ready for the Ed Banger Records takeover. If you haven't heard of this un-fucking-real electro label, than you should at least know about Justice who recently signed a deal with Vice, (though I don't know if it is for distro or some licensing deal or whatever). Anyway, the label is hitting Element on August 31 for some massive dance party that will include sets by Sebastian, Uffie, Busy B, DJ Medhi and Feadz. Check out Myspace - they are all over it. It will give you a sample of the neck breaking beats that will take over the LES for one night only.
I'm serious kids; if you ever wanted to hit up one of those crazy dance parties, than this is your chance. This isn't your Rififi or MiSShapes or some bullshit. This party will be out of control. Get your tickets or camp out. Just do what must be done to get in this party.
While in the depths of my obligatory 8 month rut, I've decided to try something new. Yes, I'm going to start taking photos - well, to be honest I'll probably have folks take photos for me. I want and need to become more familiar with Flickr so I've started my own account. Right now it is a bunch of random shots that were living on my memory card and a few come courtesy of Shananana from the period of time where she seized the technology and created an embargo on all free flow of goods. Luckily that's exactly what I'm looking to do. If you see me out, take my camera and snap some pictures for me. I'd hate to be the douche bag with the camera.
Speaking of douche bags, has anyone seen roommate Kyle, (pictured above)? On Sunday I hid on the couch for a solid portion of the day and at some point he busted in followed by Tropical Storm. They came in to the apartment, used the restroom, grabbed some pot and a pile of money before telling me they were off to Atlantic City. This was 48 hours ago. Are they alive? Did they become millionaires? Does anyone have credible information? If so, please fill me in.
Last night I felt severely beat down, but somewhere around 9pm I picked my Mama's filled belly (which is getting larger by the day) off the couch and walked to CBGB's. After some quick hellos outside the club, I ducked in and caught a stellar performance by Sam Champion. Now I don't know if there were a couple covers peppered in there - Noah's choice of covers always solidified our different taste - but there were a couple songs that I didn't recognize. They played newish jams like "So Good To Me", "B Minor" and "Heavenly Stomp", but they also brought out the old school with "TV Fever" and "Company Dance". I was lazy and asked Emma to shoot some photos for me while Yaps and I sung-a-long from the back of the room, but I fucked up those photos last night. Hopefully I can salvage something and post them on Flickr.
Following the show I hustled down to Bowery to catch the Dirty Pretty Things first New York performance. It felt awfully strange seeing Carl at the Bowery after a show at CB's which played host to my first Libertine's experience. After a ridiculous wait, the band emerged as a five-piece because Carl was still in a sling following a nasty shoulder separation. They certainly looked the part of reincarnated Libertines and with Carl and Gary taking their rightful places behind a microphone and massive drum riser respectively. The band was helped by the guitarist of The Paddingtons, and the brassy hooligan fit right into the dirty (no pun intended) mix. Carl's arm was rightfully draped in a sling made out of good old Union Jack. A storm of flashes signified the presence of the blogsphere and I'm sure you'll see more reports later. I was to busy standing in the back trying to fight the girl school giggles induced by watching David Fricke rock out in a beat up Husker Du shirt and some make-shift boat shoes. Last night was my first introduction to the band's sound and yes, it has the patented Jones-esque Libertines, but what really struck me about last night was Carl's deliciously dark vocal delivery. He didn't pick up an ax all night (except during the first song of the encore - pictured above) which forced him to focus his energy on his voice. If it was possible, my panties would have been soaked. So the band played a couple of Libertines tunes, but they've created their own identity even if it is just another car on the Libertines locomotive. For their final song they ripped into "I Get Along" which is the song that launched my love for Carl's previous efforts. Some girls tried to dance around on stage, but a nasty crew dude would just shove them right off. It was a hilarious revisit to a former love.
Once again there are reports of CBGB's alledged final days. Is it a publicity stunt? Probably not. Have they lost the battle? It sounds likely. Have you been to the club? If you said no, then your chances to lay eyes on the famous stage are numbered. Here is where Sam Champion and Apollo Sunshine can help you out. They booked a last minute show at the old haunt and provided with your chance to say goodbye, (or hello - if that's the case). In any event, CBGB's is the place to be on this, the Monday of all Mondays. It might not be a Tuesday - which some of you know as my favorite day of the week - but it will do. See at the rock n' roll show. Check out the video of Sam Champion's "TV":
Well, not quite. It's me the dogger. In the spirit of perpetuating the good times, I wanted to check in with an exclusive: I gots fired. That's right. Yes, it was completely out of the blue, however the writing was on the wall. In the last month, out of protest I shaved my head and started wearing these clear-reflective glasses at work. I got spanked, called in sick the next day, then showed up on Friday with the new look. Perhaps they thought new psycho dogger was going to blow the place up. This went on for three weeks, my boss told me who was behind the witch hunt, then eventually...das boot.
Anyhoot, since that moment things was not right and the best I can say is that I am glad they made the choice for me. I doubt I could have waited until my bonus check next March. As for the title of this post, all I can say is that it's the end of a great period and the breaking of my LA hymen. That's right, first period and sex ed all at once. Shit, I moved out here with a job, got hired away to work for these folks - I've been stable for four years while my night terrors and bonerlust raged on behind the scenes. Now without my duality I only suspect it's a brief moment in time before I just lose it all to my exotic vices and plunge ass first into porn starting a new trend with my ivory dildo collection and clear-reflective glasses. Or even worse, I could start my own blog and web site.
Yes kiddos - you are looking at one of the most well rounded, indie friendly pool parties to date and if the weather continues to be cuter than a retard in sweat pants than I'm sure the pool will be jammed with good folks to gawk at. It's like Blue States all over the place out there - plus girls in bikinis. You can't beat that. Maybe I'll finally get out for a change. After leaving the office at 9pm last night I stopped by Shananana's to say whats up to Lindsay and Anton who are in from Chicago to apartment hunt. We had a beer and I split a cab downtown with Emily and Sarah who I miss dearly. Hanging out used to be so great! Now work is ridic as you can note by the posts. Hopefully I'll have some interesting things to say after the weekend, but don't hold your breath.
Also, check out this Favorite Sons E-Card. They really surprised me with a set at the Empty Bottle in June. They are totes worth a gander. Speaking of Vice things that are worth a damn, Ro-Dog is going to be pounding the pavement in a few weeks and one of the things Cap't Pink and his Gold Member will push is the Vice Guide to Travel. This is one crazy fucked up ride into the depths of the craziest places on earth. These kats are bananas and probably have a difficult time playing soccer - can you imagine the size of their balls?
If you see my lil' sister out this weekend, buy her a shot. She turns 21 on Saturday - hands off Gager.
Blotto, Rando, Shitshow - these are just a few of the words that could be used to sum up this weekend. The past couple days have been a ton of fun, but don't think I didn't spend a good four or five hours each day doing a pile of work. Yes, that's right - weekends no longer exist in their natural form. They are personally considered abridged work days. I'm not complaining and in a second you'll read why.
Friday ended with a fart, but after work Eric and I headed to Paladar to grab some Mojitos. We were later joined by Kaylen and Hawkins who just so happened to be in the neighborhood. After dinner we hit the roof above Schillers for a couple beers. From there the night began to tailspin. It began with a stop by 186 for some Nintendo before heading to KGB to say hello to Lou who bar backs on Friday night. Then we rolled over to Boss Tweed's, but as we entered Queen Goon and the Darn were on their way out so we headed to Local 186, (yes, we nearly touched all the crappy bars in one night). After a couple drinks I was well on my way to complete and utter so Hawk and I cruised over to Annex with the hopes of seeing the Teddybears. When we arrived the line was out of control so we just hung on the street for a bit. Due to my inebriation it took awhile for me to notice two of the Teddybears were standing right next to me. After a chat they went inside to kick things off, but as soon as they did, Eric walked by and invited us upstairs to a house party. All of a sudden it was 3:30am and I had been talking hip hop for an hour with a few dudes from Queens. It was an interesting night.
Saturday began with a trip to the office followed by a stop by the Merc to say hello to Rory. Later that night a crew came over to have drinks before heading to the Cake Shop for what was one of the best Big Sleep shows I've seen in quite some time. You better be at the record release show - otherwise you just suck. I'd bore you with details, but all the photos on Darn's flickr account will surely bring you up to speed. Check them out and enjoy - more on his page.
The thing is that I don't believe you care anymore. Who wants to hear about me getting drunk and peeing on my rug, laundry or even a hippy couple from Stanford? Do you really? I mean, sure - sometimes life can get a bit out of hand, but at this point, all I do is work and this is no exageration. The last few days have been spent locked down at my desk. In any event, that didn't stop me from running around Brooklyn without a shirt on this past Saturday. As you know by know, Bloc Party killed it out at the pool despite our inability to get a damn beer. I was in the lovely company of Dana-Dane who shared in my fustration, but we got by on hot dogs. We made our way into the crowd for most of the set that included my favorite songs - "Modern Love" and "Little Thoughts". Near the end we found Christen in the back and decided to beat the rush back to Manhattan. On our way across the field I took off my shirt and tackled Christen on the astroturf. It was like a giant peanut butter and lesbians sandwich! We are totes gay for each other.
Later than night was Christie's going away party. If you know me, chances are you know Christie and are as heartbroken about her departure as me. Her surprise party was at Fontana's and it felt like a college reunion with all the right players. By the end of the night I found myself hugging the bar taking shots with Yaps and Gager while a mess insued behind us. It was a perfect send off.
Since that party I've been head down, blinders style working. It's been a crazy couple of days and I plan to take the productivity into the weekend. If you are down, come have a drink with us at 186 pre-Big Sleep at Cake Shop on Saturday, but before that there isn't much going on (well, I've refused to look). Demander is playing tonight and I hear their new stuff is tip top, but other than this show - I'm clueless.
Last night was a super good time. It began with a rush out of the office to have dinner with Chris and Angela at Paladar. After a fantastic steak we headed over to Fat Baby to hang while the Teddybears spun their new record. There was a lot smoke and one mask. It was great to catch some time with kids like Josh, Abe, Dani (sp?), Karli, Mark, John and brothers Finger on the Pulse. If you haven't heard the Teddybears yet, get ready - they are going to be massive. I fucking love the shit - seriously, it is all I play these days. Check out Cobrastyle and Punkrocker (yes, that is Iggy that you're hearing). I'd like to thank Rob for turning me on to the jams so early and Sam for being the man who picked these kats up at Atlantic. The record is due out September 12 so get ready for the revolution. You may want to put on your dancing shoes and go get down with them tonight at midnight over at the Annex.
We then rolled over to Mercury Lounge where I once again proceeded to goon the Queen as much as possible. I think there was also an unsolicited boob grab and yes kids - they are real and they are fantastic. God bless her. We caught the tail end of Magneta Lane who seem to be stepping right into the shoes that Sleater Kinney just tossed back in the closet. They fucking wail and they look good doing it. Next up was Silversun Pickups and though they have their twee or Sunny Day moments, I kind of dig them. Dude's voice is a bit crazy, but when he belted "Kissing Families" I was screaming like a super fan. The night ended with Tequila shots and a sweaty passout - it was all this boy could hope for.
Yo Chicago party people - check out these events for some off the beaten style Lolla goodies. Go and tackle Mere for me since I won't be there to do it myself.
BMF Media Group is turning Lollapalooza weekend upside-down with The ck one Music Lounge @ Hard Rock Hotel Chicago during Lollapalooza 2006. 3 days and 3 nights of VIP/Invite-only events. Join us in the lounge during the day for food, drinks, live tattoo inking, internet, video games, special guest DJs, gifting, press and more... plus each night:
Friday --> ck one Music Lounge Opening night kick-off party with special live performance by buzz-band Mute Math Saturday --> Kanye West Presents The Official G.O.O.D. Music Afterparty and special performance by Sa-Ra Sunday --> Metromix.com Wrap Event featuring a special DJ set by Pete Wentz of Chicago’s Fall Out Boy
Feel free to pass this invite to a friend and let us know if you have any questions. RSVP at www.ckonemusiclounge.com for all-access credentials to all day and night events. Or alternatively, you can RSVP to the respective night party you wish to attend at the RSVP emails listed below.
