How could I forget to post about the Baeble Music/Loose Record "Push Play" party last Wednesday? Featuring Mixel Pixel, Ra Ra Riot, James Fucking Friedman, and Melody Nelson? I arrived late after work, and supposedly missed waiting on a line wrapped around the block. The Canal Room was full. Here are some photos:
Thanks to Amylu at Baeble for setting up an excellent evening!
After a couple weeks of working some hellishly long days at the office, I had to let off some steam. So I had myself a very un-productive weekend, depending on how you look at it.
My band played a show Thursday night, and one of our old friends who happens to be in the new Lemonheads lineup came to see us. When he offered to put us on the list at their Southpaw show, I couldn't refuse (even though I had just seen them in December). So Friday night we piled into a car and headed for Park Slope. The band was energetic and spot-on, but looking around I did start to secondguess my bias towards them. The brunt of the audience were 20-something fans who, like me, were there for nostalgia's sake alone. Fast forward to a handful of beers later, and I no longer gave a shit.
My friends in The Press rocked Matchless on Saturday night. I was stoked to see these adorable hooligans perform. The sound at Matchless is muffled, but the band put on an engaging show. They perplex me and are a little uncomfortable to watch because of their intensity...which could both be interpreted as good qualities. And ladies, they are cute (see photo).
Gangs of friends showed up that night to hang out, including a group of girls from Japan. Several rather illogical things occurred that were directly my fault, one which involved finally sating my urge to punch a guy in a bar. What do you call a one-eyed dear? No-eyed deer. (joke courtesy of AT)
IN: Nirvana b-sides and rarities OUT: naysaying naysayers
It's unusual for me to pitch a Lit gig. But I've been listening to this Thomas Lunch album called Diagrams Without Instructions while working on Loose business, and it's not half bad. For a scale of reference (as I am constantly teased by friends for being too much of a naysayer), here is an breakdown of my music rating hierarchy:
"Utter crap" - if I bump into the lead singer at union pool, I might throw my beer at their ridiculous hairdo.
"Whatever" - I dislike it but admit that someone else might enjoy it.
"Not half bad" - listenable from start to finish. I likey.
"Great" - I just ran out and purchased five albums from this artist.
"Malkmusssss" - Malkmus.
I digress. Thomas Lunch is "not half bad." I made it through the fourteen tracks and found something charming in each one. The most notable cookies of this album were "Tator Tots and Robots" and "Centipede Centerpiece," whose titles have a neat play on words. "Tator Tots" is a dancey motherfucker that could make me boogie were I at a cool party and not formatting Excel spreadsheets at the moment. And "Centipede Centerpiece" has the feel of old Nirvana outtakes..."Oh, the Guilt" perhaps...it's incredible.
Digressing again, here is the Lit pitch. Tuesday February 27th, $6 cover, with an open bar from 11pm-midn if you ask for the "Lunchie Special." Lit is at 93 2nd Ave. There will be other bands, but doubtfully as cute as this guy.
Every now and then I can still catch a guy carrying a big boom box around town. It usually makes me smile to myself, if not chuckle. But what if they were lugging these around instead?
Yes, even Urban Outfitters is marketing the new portable PA system for the iPod. Being in a band that spends a lot of time loading amps, seeing an amp on wheels immediately triggers pain in my lower back. So I'm going to vote OUT for this one.
IMOGEN HEAP TONIGHT (FEB 15) at THE BOX! 2 SHOWS - EARLY & LATE LIMITED TICKETS JUST RELEASED!
These two shows in a small, intimate venue will be very special piano-only performances, during which Imogen will exclusively play songs from her recently re-released 1998 debut album 'I Megaphone'.
Last weekend a bunch of us (including some Loose staffers) got together and had a 12-hour marathon of bonding over fancy cheese, Rick's homemade chili, and all breeds of alcohol. Looking back at the entire affair, the highlight was undoubtably when a Gary Glitter song (you know, the one used in countless basketball games) came on and Maggie's dog started singing to it. It is unknown how the pup became conditioned to react in such a way to specific songs.
Doug Aitken's sleepwalkers exhibit at MoMA has certainly raised the museum's indie cred. Not only did Cat Power perform at the first friday opening, last night Thurston Moore and director Jim Jarmusch had a talk to "discuss the power of film, music, and nighttime to transform the city and its inhabitants." I think it might be keen to keep an eye out for future MoMA cookies like these.
The BlackBerry 8800 is still being eagerly anticipated...there have been some CG images posted on the internet, but none of those gizmo-geeks has even touched one yet. Last month the CEO of Research In Motion(RIM) showed his sole prototype to a few uber-nerds in a dark basement below a conference.
The other day I held it in my hand. See? Hope I don't get in trouble for this.
