| Back in Black, I hit the Sack |
[Mar. 27th, 2007|09:11 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Talib Kweli and Madlib - Funny Money | ] |
Hey,
It's been a while but I thought I would just drop a live journal update for the readers (if there really are any).I think a bunch of people who have live journals and myspace accounts and whatnot have those moments were they feel the need to open up and unload some thoughts they have on there mind. And I guess tonight is just one of those quiet nights were I am left to wonder about some things in my life.
Recently, I've been looking at my surroundings and wondering if Rochester is the place for me to be. While a lot of people love to bash the Western New York city I was born and raised in, I am not going to do that. I think for certain people, Rochester, NY is a perfect place for them, but others, it isn't. I think I fall into the latter of the two. For someone who is really into the arts on a more grand scale then a middle size market care truly offer, I feel like I might need to be in a place where that scene is a little more thriving. And while Rochester has some benefits in that area (especially in film, with the Eastman House and Little really showcasing this), I think I just need to be in a place that has more of a network for that.
I often think about why I came back to Rochester after I graduated back in 2004. I had a bunch of friends go move to NYC and look for work. I also had a few move out to Boulder, CO and are making something out there. But I decided to return home. The key reason is I was not to sure what I wanted to do with myself and I didn't want to venture to far away just to move away. So I think I stayed around in a place that was both framiliar and comfortable that was surrounded by both friends and family. For the next few years, I still wasn't so sure I wanted to stay around her forever but I wasn't ready just to make a big move.
But about a year ago, I had one of my really good friends decide that he was going to leave Rochester and start a new chapter with his life. And I think that is when I started to thinking about the my life and the fact that everyone I care about is not going to be in the same place forever. And then, at about the same time, I started making some new friends and getting very close with them. And a good number of them were either college students or people just out of college from other parts of the country. And as time goes on, it becomes more evident that those people are not going to be around forever. Some are going to grad school, some are getting bigger jobs in bigger cities, some are just looking for a change of scenery. This is happening to both friends of new and old. And at around this time, my brother and I were having a conversation and he thought that while someone is young, it is a good idea to get out and at least try something new. And if you don't like it, Rochester will always be there. So after staying in Rochester and trying to make things work here, I think my time may be winding down. I am not 100 percent sure on where I want to go and exactly when I want to do it, I think that it is important to get out and try on a new chapter on my life.
I dunno, maybe I have been watching to much Entourage lately and deep down I want to be one of those guys. To just get up and leave for a new city and never look back. I guess all I really need a really good looking friend who could be a superstar. I could play the part of Eric and do his manager role. Or be Turtle and just drive around, get the mail and reap all the benefits. Shit, I could be Johnny Drama if need be. I am older then most of my friends anyway so that isn't impossible.
Time will tell I guess. Time will tell. |
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| Passenger 57 is on Cinemax 3 |
[Feb. 13th, 2007|10:56 pm] |
Ok, this list is a little late. Mainly because I was waiting until I got a chance to see some of these flicks that didn't make it to Rochester until January. Even though I wanted, there were still a number of films I have not seen because I just havent had the time to get around to them. Some of those films include The Queens, the Last King of Scotland, United 93, World Trade Center, The Prestige, The Fountain, and others. But anywho, of all the movies I saw this year, these are my top ten favorite films of 2007:
Top ten movies of 2006:
10. Little Miss Sunshine
This is a movie that is funnier the second time around. This dysfunctional family road trip flick is a solid mix of dark humor and dry delivery that has really packs a punch. Being a big fan of the office, it was great to see Steve Corell dive into dramatic acting as well as he did here. And the rest of the cast is fantastic. It would be great to see a follow up and catch up on these characters somewhere down the line.
9. A Scanner Darkly
Director Richard Linklater's animated follow up to "Waking LIfe" tells a wonderful tale of drugs paranoia and the lengths the authorities go to trip to stop it. The storytelling and the acting are dead on but its animation (which is very similiar to those Charles Schwab commercials) makes the movie a more wonderful, trippy experience.
8. Children Of Men
This bleak, futuristic thriller is the perfect mix of action, thought-provoking political debates, and edge of your seat suspense. Clive Owen plays the anti-hero better then just about anyone else out there and proves himself to be a solid lead for years to come. Some have called it the new "Blade Runner", and who am i to argue with that.
7. Thank You For Smoking
IMO, this was the funniest film of 2006. Aaron Eckhart is amazing here. He is able to make you feel sympathy and root for a character you should loathe. What I love about this film is that never apologizes about what it does or says. Its is crude and very un-PC and I love it for that. I hope we see more films like this in the future.
6. Stranger then Fiction
Like Jim Carrey in the Truman Show or Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love, this is Will Ferrall's coming out party. He (along with a great supporting cast Maggie Gyllenhall, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson) are wonderful in this tale of a man whose life is created by a fictional writer. It is one of the most and creative movies i have seen in years that kept me guessing the whole way through as to where it would go.
5. Babel
People were really split on this film. Some called it to pretentious and artsy. I think there has to be some sort of pretentiousness that comes will telling a story this massive. To keep it short, this is another wonderful multi-layered story from the maker of Amores Perros and 24 grams which deals with the problems that arise with the barriers of language, culture, and distance people of the world have with each other. Brad Pitt gives the best performance of his life and Adriana Barraza shines as well. This is world class filmmaking.
4. Half-Nelson
Ryan Gosling performance is one of the best performances I have seen in years. It takes a movie with a very limited story to levels that not many actors nowadays could dream of pulling off. And the fact that most of the acting was improvised even takes the role to an even higher level. And he matched from the by the impressive debut of Shareeka Epps. This movie is able to avoid all the typical drug cliches and tells a no bullshit, heartfelt story. This picture is not a cinematic breakthrough, it is sweet and simple, easily accessible and resonant.
3. Letters from Iwo Jima
If you whipped out Clint Eastwood's acting career, his behind the camera work would really stand on its own. And this may be his crowning achievement this telling of the Japanese side of the WWII battle is an incredible of of filmmaking. It is a wonderful portrait of war that capture men who fought with honor and courage for something that was bigger then them. Right or wrong, Letters captures the telling of historic battle and it does so with the upmost honesty and humility.
2. The Departed
A tour de force of a crime drama from the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. He goes back to his roots of telling the tale of crooks and even more crooked cops and the cat and mouse games the play when no ones which is which or who is who. Leo, Jack, Damon, Marky Mark, and all the others give some of the years best performances. Scorsese does a wonderful job of pacing the movie. I spent the whole 3 hours on the edge of my seat, awaiting every scene to come. After being dicked over 30 years, I hope Scorses finally gets his long deserved Oscar for best director cause he totally earned it here.
1. Pan's Labyrinth
With Children of Men and Babel, this was the year for Hispanic directors. And this film is the one that shines the brightest. Guillermo Del Toro's adult fairy tale is flat out masterpiece in every which way shape or form. The movie dealing with a young girls fantasy driven adventures set to the background of Rebellious group's takeover of a Spanish dictators rule is one of the most creative films I ever seen. It one that will haunt you and break your heart at the same time. It makes me so happy to see more of these breathtaking, daring foreign directors coming into there own and getting their work out to the people. I hope to see more films like this in the years to come. |
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| People say crazy shit during sex, one time I called this girl mom |
[Jan. 28th, 2007|09:38 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Bjork - All Is Full of Love | ] |
I love half.com. Over the past few years, I have been able a ton of cheap cd's, movies, and books on that website. It's like the world's biggest used multi-media store. And since its been a pretty cold and snowy winter here in Rochester, I've spent a lot of time staying in a lot and one of the things I have been doing is watching a lot of flicks. I've seen some new ones but I have also gone back and rewatched a bunch of movies that were big for when I was growing up. Here are just a few of the movies that I rewatched over the past few weeks.
CLERKS (1994):
I remember renting this movie for the first time the summer before 8th grade and I thought it was unbelievable. I watched it 3 times before I had to return it to Blockbuster. Later that year, my brother bought it for me for christmas and over the next few years, I would continuously go back to it. While this straight ahead day in the life tale of two Convenience store workers in New Jersey only costly around $30,000, it was just as (if not more) fascinating as anything mainstream Hollywood was putting out at the time. While the filmmaking and acting is a little rough and amateurish at times, it is a movie made with a great amount of spirit and originality. And the dialogue (while quite vulgar at times) is so sharp and on point, it feels more like a documentary then a full length feature. It's the kind of movie I took for granted after a while because it was so good, it was ripped off left and right for the years to come. But watching it again reminds me that Kevin Smith made one of the best comedies of the 1990s. It was also my first exposure to independant cinema. From that point on, I began to look beyond the megaplex theatres and search out to the Little Theatre and less publicized videos, as I never knew when the next Clerks was going to strike.
HARD BOILED (1992):
After I saw The Crow in seventh grade, I became a big fan of that Comic Book style, over the top action movies. I remember seeing a box for this film "A Better Tomorrow" in which it has a quote of critic calling director John Woo something along the lines of "the best action film director alive". I saw "A Better Tomorrow", and while it was the best action movie ever, I was certainly impressed. I began to look out for his other films. It was when I found "Hard Boiled" that I went crazy about Woo and his lead, Chow Yun Fat. The story of two gangs battling over control of the Hong-Kong drug world with a supercop trying to take them both down is pretty standard among Woo films, but this movies action sequences are amazing. It was almost like a dance number. Woo could make the most bloody gangland shoot out look like a graceful ballet. And Chow Yun Fat was such a badass, he made all the hollywood action stars look like pussies. Shortly after that, both Woo and Fat tried their hand at American cinema to mixed results. While Woo directed such piss poor action movies as Broken Arrow and Mission Impossible two, he did direct one solid action film in "Face Off" and helped bringing a number of Asian films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to US shores. Fat also made some not so wonderful attempts at Hollywood action flicks, before returning back east and starring in a number of great Asian films like "Crouching Tiger" and "The Curse of the Yellow Flower". But even after all these years, it was still fun to put this wonderful movie on the TV and watch some of these mindless action sequences.
GOODFELLAS (1990)
Ok, I'll be honest. This movie never really went away. It seems like only a matter of time would pass before I watch this wonderful Mob Drama. This film is perfect in every way, shape, or form. It seems like no matter what mood I am in, I can put this movie and watch it from start to finish. The helicopter sequence is one of the greatest sequences in any film. I could go on and on about this movie. If I had to do an island top 5 movie list, this film would definitely be on their. The main reason I put this on their is because I had it on video for a long time and I just recently got the 2 disc DVD in the mail. And the high quality picture and audio that comes with the DVD made the movie only that much better.
That's all for now. More to come later. |
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| I feel God In this Chili's Tonight. |
[Jan. 18th, 2007|02:50 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | all goodk | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Ryan Adams - Is This It? | ] |
Interesting time in the world right now. Might as well use the old live journal to talk about a few things that are on my mind. One of my best friends Dusty usually has a list of things he thinks he might think and I always enjoyed reading them and I think he has something going with it. So basically, I am just gonna rip him off and do something like that for my LJ. I know, it's not the most original idea but atleast I am ripping off someone with a good idea.
So here we go:
- The beginning of each year, after I look back on the last years favorite musical moments, I look at what music is coming our way in the new year. A number of my favorite artists are coming out with new albums this year, three of which are coming in March (Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, Ted Leo) and another to follow in May (Wilco). Now if only Radiohead would release there new album sometime this year, that would really make it a great music year.
- It sucks to see the end of the NFL season right around the corner. Its always nice to spend about 20 Sundays out of the year to do nothing but watch football all day. It was also cool to meet up with people at Matthews and watch the games there. So now we got two playoff games and the Super Bowl and that will be it until next September.
-Also, the Phoenix Suns are kicking ass and Steve Nash is having the best year of his life. I think this could be their year to go all the way. Lets just hope the Mavs cool off and I think all will be good.
-I hate the Oscars. Not so much the awards but the way they are set up. To keep the movies fresh in the voters mind, studios release the best movies in the last 3 months of the year. While that makes right now a great time to see flicks, its makes a good chuck on the rest of the year pretty slow (occasionally a great flick will pop up here and there). It would be great if they had the Oscars twice a year, once in June, another in December. That would spread things out a bit and make for a better time at the movies.
-I'm definitely realizing how much I can milk out of my job at universal buzz. In the past few weeks, I worked out doing interviews with bands, doing contest giveaways and getting some free cds, and even getting my name on the guestlist to some great shows. I am not sure how long I will be at this job so I might as well take full advantage of it while I can.
-The Office is really the TV show on right now that I really make an effort to watch. I know alot of people criticize it for ripping off a groundbreaking British show but I think Steve Carroll and company have really took the concept and made something that is extremely funny and clever. I know HBO has a bunch of great shows coming back this year (Entourage, the Sopranos, maybe some Curb, BUT NO LUCKY LOUIE?), but until then, looks its all about the Office on Thursday Nights.
-I just went to the Post Office and filled out all the paperwork to get a passport and I think this is the year I venture out of North America. I feel like there are a lot of spots in the world I should check out and now that I have the flexibility to do so, now might be the chance. Europe is a possibility, but I would also love to go to venture to Iceland. Its a beautiful looking country and it would be a great place to explore. So we shall see.
-Got the family out of town. My mom and Bill went down to Florida for the winter and will be there until the end of March. And this could become something framiliar. They have talked about moving to North Carolina in the next year or two for some time and now it looks like its not to far away. So with them down south and my brother and sister in law moving to Wisconsin to be closer to her family, it looks like it will be me holding up the Roch. If I choose to stay. Somewhere down the line, I might come to a point where I decide it is time to venture out of my hometown and experience something else. While I have not decided anything as of yet, its still something I have on my mind and I will be keeping that option open.
Thats all for now. Sleep well folks. |
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| Part 3 |
[Dec. 31st, 2006|03:20 pm] |
Alright, here we go. Another list for the year in review.
Favorite Concerts of 2006:
20. Aloha @ The Bug Jar 12/15/06
19. Tortoise @ Bowery Ballroom 9/17/06
18. Franz Ferdinand @ Cornell 4/10/06
17. The Secret Machines @ Shrine Underground 11/06/06
16. Tapes N Tapes @ Pitchfork Festival 7/30/06
15. Death Cab for Cutie/Ted Leo 10/27/06
14. Spoon @ Pitchfork Festival 7/30/06
13. Rogue Wave @ The Mohawk Place 8/16/06
12. Built to Spill @ The Town Ballroom 9/30/06
11. Bell Orchestre @ The German House 4/26/06
10. Jose Gonzalez @ The German House 10/13/06
09. Jens Lekman @ The Bug Jar 7/23/06
08. Radiohead @ Hummingbird Center 6/7/06
07. Sunset Rubdown @ The Metro (Chicago) 7/28/06
06. Nine Inch Nails @ Blue Cross Arena 3/9/06
05. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists @ The Bug Jar 3/6/06
04. Zero 7 @ Webster Hall 9/16/06
03. Stereolab @ The TLA (Philly) 3/20/06
02. The Walkmen @ The Mohawk (Buffalo) 1/29/06
01. Broken Social Scene @ Webster Hall (NYC) 1/27/06 |
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| Best of 2006 part 2 |
[Dec. 30th, 2006|12:49 pm] |
Alright, yesterday I made my return to the world of live journal with my favorite musical moments of the past year. Today, I will continue this with my favorite albums of 2006.
Favorite albums of 2006:
20. The Evens - Get Evens
19. The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
18. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
17. The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
16. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
15. Islands – Return to the Sea
14. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
13. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
12. The Rapture – Pieces of the People We Love
11. Calexico – Garden Ruin
10. Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
09. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
08. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
07. Yo La Tengo – I’m Not Afraid of you and I can Beat Your Ass
06. Belle and Sebastian – Life Pursuit
05. Band of Horses – Everything All The Time
04. The Decemberists – Crane Wife
03. Built to Spill – You In Reverse
02. M. Ward – Post-War
01. Tapes N’ Tapes – The Loon
Honorable Mention:
Cat Power - The Greatest
Mogwai - Mr. Beast
Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I am Dreaming
Juana Molina – Son
Bierut – Gulag Orkestar
Comets on Fire – Avatar
The Black Keys – Magic Potion
Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Johanna Newsom – YS
The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Broom
Cold War Kids – Robbers and Cowards
Wolfmother – Self-titled
Elvis Perkins – Ash Wednesday
Sparklehorse – Dreamt in the Belly of a Mountain
Cursive – Happy Hollow
Aloha – Some Echoes
The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
Favorite Live Album:
My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
Favorite EP:
The Black Keys - Chulahoma
Favorite Reissue:
Pavement - Wowee Zowee |
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| End of the Year lists and what have you |
[Dec. 29th, 2006|12:18 pm] |
This website still exists? I know, its been a while. I guess I just haven't been feeling up to writing the past few months. But I thought with it being the end of the year, now is as good a time as any to get back into the swing of things.
I think 2006 was a really good year. I got a place of my own, I met a bunch of new people, I started promoting concerts in Rochester (which is something I have talked alot about in the past and I finally did) and it was a great time, and at the UBuzz, I was able to record a bunch of great bands that I hope can benefit from the little exposure we give them.
2006 was also a year that I starting thinking more about my long term plans. Seeing friends move away and having their lives take them in new directions made me look at my life and question what I want to do and where the best place is for me. Now I haven't made any life changing decisions yet but it has been something that I have started to think about every now and again. I think that will carry into the new year.
Musically speaking, 2006 has been a fantastic year. As I said earlier, I promoted my first show in Rochester (Jose Gonzalez at the german house), I got to record and interview some really great bands through Universal Buzz, saw some great shows in and out of Rochester, saw my first proper festival in Chicago (Pitchfork), and heard a bunch of great bands (both new and old) for the first time.
So that brings us to the 2006 "Best of.." music lists. Anyone who knows me knows this isn't anything new. You've seen them all before so you know how this works. There are a hundred lists like this one in magazines, websites, and blogs all over the place. So these are just my opinions on the music of 2006. Today, we are going to start it off with the best songs of the year.
Best songs of 2006:
20. "Lived in Bars" - Cat Power
19. "Hospital Beds" - Cold War Kids
18. "Stadiums and Shrins" - Sunset Rubdown
17. "Shakey Dog" - Ghostface
16. "To Go Home" - M. Ward
15. "Painter In Your Pocket" - Destroyer
14. "Brace Your Face" - Aloha
13. "Black Magic" - Yo La Tengo
12. "Cowbell" - Tapes N Tapes
11. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
10. "Young Folks" - Peter Bjorn and John
09. "Conventional Wisdom" - Built to Spill
08. "The Island" - The Decemberists
07. "While You Were Sleeping" - Elvis Perkins
06. "White Collar Boy" - Belle and Sebastian
05. "Please Don't take My Sunshine Away" - Sparklehorse
04. "The Funeral" - Band of Horses
03. "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" - The Flaming Lips
02. "Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh Huh" - The Rapture
01. "Smiley Faces" - Gnarls Barkley
More to come in the next few days!! |
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| Come on Feel the Illinoise! |
[Jul. 22nd, 2006|11:42 am] |
Only one week away from the Pitchfork Music Festival in downtown Chicago. As each day gets closer, I find myself getting more and more excited about it. 40 bands, 3 stages, for only 30 bucks. And being that I have only seen about 5 artists on the bill, it should be a real bargin. The festival has a great lineup of up and comers (Tapes'n Tapes, Band of Horses, Jens Lekman), established acts (The Walkmen, Spoon, Yo La Tengo) and rare appearances (Os Mutantes, Silver Jews). Besides the music, they will have a lot of great stuff goin on around town, with art showings and street sales and others. And when looking at the website it seems like the city of Chicago will be doing a lot of sponsorship and volunteer work for this festival. Its great to see the city come together and help put together an awesome weekend for music and arts fans from around the world.
The only issue with something like this that is something you have no control over, the weather. I can only think of the last (and only) festival I went to back in 2003, THE FIELD DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL. It wasn't bad enough that the festival ran into a bunch of permit problems days before the best and they had to move it from a two day festival in Long Island to a one day show at Giant Standium (and cancel half the acts on the bill), but we got hit with non-stop cold rain from the time we got there at 11 am til right before Radiohead went on around 9ish. And there was really no escape from it, except finding refuge in a portable toilet. But now I am willing to the festival scene a different shot. Hopefully it will all go well.
I'll keep you posted as to what happened once I get back in town |
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| Jose Gonzalez live in Rochester 10/13/06 |
[Jul. 22nd, 2006|11:32 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Magnolia Electric Co. - Lonesome Valley | ] |
Hey Everybody. It's been a while but I have big news. After months of talking and planning, I have finally gone ahead a booked a show in downtown Rochester, New York. And I am very excited to announce that Mute recording artist Jose Gonzalez will be performing live at the German House on October 13th, 2006 (Friday the 13)!!!
For those of your unframiliar with Gonzalez, he is a 25 year old Swedish singer/songwriter that has been compared to Nick Drake and Paul Simon with the guitar playing of Joao Gilberto. His debut album "Veneer" was released in the US in the fall of 2005. He gained a loyal following, thanks in part to having his music featured a great commerical for Sony Bravia, as well as touring with the likes of Juana Molina and the Books.
Just recently, he was a guest vocalist of a number of tracks on the new Zero 7 album "The Garden". He will be going on the road with them in September and then he will be heading out on the road to headline his own shows. That is when he will touchdown in the German House.
While I am still working out all the details, I will be selling advance tickets via the German House, Record Archieve and possibly Aaron's Alley. Keep checking this site for updates on what looks to be an incredible show this fall!
Also, if you want to sample some of his great tunes, you can check out his official website (http://www.jose-gonzalez.com) and his myspace site (http://www.myspace.com/josegonzalez). |
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| heartbeat...it's a lovebeat |
[May. 8th, 2006|01:02 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | Kay Jewelers | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Jose Gonzalez - Remain | ] |
-I think weatherwise, this is probably my favorite time of the year. Its the time when the days are warm and sunny but not humid (low 70s) and the nights are just chilly, like the kind of weather where you should carry a sweatshirt around with you if need be. Its perfect for taking walks and going on roadtrips. It sucks cause I know this isn't going to. I'm probably going to wake tomorrow and it's gonna be so humid, I'm going sweat puddles just by checking my e-mail.
-Speaking of this time of the year, its usually pretty busy in terms of recording shows. Seems like a great deal of bands are out on the road this time of the year, right before you get all those huge festivals over in Europe and the big amplitheatre shows in the US. And while there are a few shows in Buffalo, its cool that there are a god deal of those shows going on in the Roch. It makes my job a lot easier and a lot more fun because I'm more likely to see friends of mine at the show if they are in Rochester. It makes it seem like somewhat of scene we got going here and hopefully it can continue.
-I'm so happy that the Suns the came back from 3-1 and sent Kobe and the Lakers home on Saturday. Not only did Phoenix win the series, but it was announced that Steve Nash won the MVP for the second straight year, and it wasn't even close. And while everyone thought the race was between Nash and Kobe, it turns out Kobe came in fourth during the race (behind Lebron and Dirk). So I guess that while its great to score 60 points every other game, it doesn't mean much if you can only get a subpar season out of the rest of your team.
-I think the Pitchfork Music Festival would probably be my favorite festival of the summer to go to. Not to take anything away from Coachella or Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza or anything like that, those festivals have greats on it (some amazing bands). But for me, those ones are just a little too big (upwards of 100000 people). I think they said they are only selling around 15000 for pitchfork which is less the amount of people I saw Radiohead up in Toronto a few years ago. Plus, the lineup isn't overloaded with 100 bands, making it so you have to jump around to try to see stuff and battle your way through people. Its only about 39 bands, a good chunk of which I am really into, performing in downtown Chicago and its done in a way so you can see the almost everything you want without mapping out a serious gameplan. You get in, you take care of business, you go home.
-Over the past few weeks, I have been really getting into these books by the 33 1/3 Continuum. They are these 100 pages little pocket books all dedicated to one particular album. Some of the books deal with the making of, or what the song was like, or people who make them, or what kind of an impact they had on listeners. THe cool thing about them is all the books are completely different, with a different writer or different approach. The first one I read was on "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys, and now I am finishing up "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel. Both ones have really given me a sense of what went into making these terrific albums. Its also really cool to read these because they are written by people who are really passionate about these particular albums and its very inspiring for me to see people's lives effected by these albums and doing something positive with it.
-That's about it for now. |
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| Trippin |
[Mar. 17th, 2006|01:04 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Built to Spill - They Got Away (live in Roch) | ] |
Road trips are always fun. Whether solo or with a group of friends, sometimes its just good to take a drive out of town. Although recently I have been recording a bunch of shows in Buffalo and Ithaca for UBuzz that it is a little bit less of an enjoyment and more of a necessity. But for the most part, I do enjoy it. It's a form of a escapeism and if its a nice day, sometimes the scenery is a bonus. But I think the thing I like the most is listening to music. It seems like my car is the place where I listen to music the most. But being that it doesn't take that long to get around Rochester, it seems like when I go out of town is when I really get to listen to an album from start to finish in it's original form. Although I often will make a mix for the trip, that will only take me so far. So its key that I prepare a good booklet of albums that will last me to and from my destination.
This upcoming week, I am heading to Philadelphia for a couple of days so its I preparing the music for the trip is pretty important. Here are a few albums that I think work really well for long road trips like the one I am about to encounter:
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits
The Pixies - Live @ Coachella 2004
Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
Built to Spill - Perfect from Now On
NAS - Illmatic
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
The Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin/Yoshimi
The Silver Jews - American Water
Jay Z - Black Album
Talking Heads - The Name of this band is...
Beck - Sea Change
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Olivia Tremor Control - Dusk @ Cubists Castle
GNR - Appetite for Distruction
A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
Television - Marquee Moon
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Pearl Jam - Various live material
So those are some standard ones. Some are good rockers (Petty, Television), some relaxing (Beck, Nick Drake) some good hip-hop (NAS, Tribe), and some out there stuff (Flaming Lips, Olivia Tremor). I also like to throw in some new albums that I haven't listen to as much because I just haven't gotten around to them and now I might be a little more inclined to. As those albums include:
Serena Maneesh - Self-titled
Mogwai - Mr. Beast
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
The National - Alligator
Tom Waits - Real Gone
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See a Darkness
Live Grateful Dead bootlegs given to me via family members
ANd that should do it. Am I going to listen to everything on this list? Most likely no. But atleast it gives me a good mixture of anything that I may be in the mood for. I couldn't think of a better way to work it.....well....maybe I could get a car adapter for my Ipod. Then that would simplify it. Ehh, whatever. |
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| To all the ladies in the place with style and grace... |
[Feb. 9th, 2006|12:04 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | Crazy Sexy Cool | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Brian Jonestown Massacre - Nevertheless | ] |
Alright, its been a while. I've been a totally half ass and didn't finish my year in review list. It's been a pretty busy time for me. At the beginning of 2006, some things changed for me at Universal Buzz. Instead of trying to sign up new radio stations, I am contacting bands, trying to get them to allow us to record them and be on our show. It's a great gig, it is what I have always wanted to do since I started working there. I know that what is best for UBuzz doesn't always go along with my personal tastes so sometimes I have to I have to go after shows like Straylight Run and Morningwood which I am not all that into but serve a great benefit for the show. So I just kind of go along with that and try to add solid shows in there that may be a little unknown but are still really good like The M's and Dirty of Purpose.
One of the shows (and new albums) I am really looking forward to this year is from Built to Spill. It's funny that about a year ago I told my buddy Jeremy that we have to see them this year because it is now or never. At that time, they closest they had come was New York City and Philadelphia, and I decided on going down to NYC to visit some old college friends and see them at Irving Plaza. Then a few months later, they announced a fall tour that happened to come to Rochester's Water Street Music Hall, which was just unbelievable. The show was great and we got to record them, which was awesome as well. And now as the band releases their new album this April, they have announced tour dates and one of them is on April 29th at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY. So much for now or never I guess.
To finish what I started, here are the last two lists from the much delayed 2005 favorites.
TOP 10 FAVORITE CONCERTS OF 2005:
10. Wolf Parade @ Syracuse University
9. NIN/QOTSA/DFA1979 @ Air Canada Centre
8. Dungen/Mia Doi Todd @ Cornell University
7. Q and Not U @ Hamilton College
6. Built to Spill @ Water Street Music Hall
5. The Shins @ Koolhaus
4. LCD Soundsystem/MIA @ The Opera House
3. The Pixies (acoustic) @ The Egg
2. Sigur Ros @ Massey Hall
1. Arcade Fire/Wolf Parade/Final Fantasy @ Danforth Music Hall
TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2005
10. Thumbsucker
9. The Constant Gardener
8. Match Point
7. Batman Begins
6. Sin City
5. Syriana
4. Capote
3. Good Night and Good Luck
2. Munich
1. Crash
And that's that. Talk to you soon. |
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| Think Globally, Act Locally, Eat my shorts totally |
[Dec. 20th, 2005|10:37 pm] |
Ok, part 2 of the 2005 year in review. This time, I am looking at my favorite albums of 2005. There was a great deal of excellent music that was released in the past twelve months. But before I get to the top 20, here is a list of some of the other albums I have really enjoyed this past year:
Honorable Mentions (I'm probably forgetting some albums):
Atmosphere – We know you’re all having fun
Devandra Banhardt – Cripple Crow
The Bad Plus – Suspicious Activity
Bell Orchestre – Recording A Tape The Colour of Light
Blackalicious – The Craft
Boy Least Likely Too – Best Party Ever
Broken Social Scene – Self-titled
Caribou – The Milk of Human Kindness
Coldplay – X & Y
Constantines – Tournament of Hearts
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Self titled
Dangerdoom – The Mask and the Mouse
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Deerhoof – the runners four
Doves – Some Cities
Franz Ferdinand – you could have it so much better with…
The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Brad Mehldau – Day is Done
M.I.A. – Arular
Matt Pond PA – Several Arrows Later
The Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree
New Order – Waiting for the Sirens
Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth
Queens of the Stone Ago – Lullabies to Paralyze
Rogue Wave – Descended like Vultures
Silver Jews – Tanglewood Dreams
Spoon – Gimme Fiction
Super Furry Animals – Love Craft
Thunderbirds Are Now – Justamuschache
White Stripes – Get Behind me Satan
And here are my top favorite 20 albums of 2005:
20. My Morning Jacket - Z
19. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
18. Beck - Guero
17. Animal Collective - Feels
16. LCD Soundsystem - Self-titled
15. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
14. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queens Mary
13. Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
12. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
11. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
10. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
09. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
08. Kayne West - Late Registration
07. Sigur Ros - Takkk...
06. Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
05. Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
04. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinois
03. Common - BE
02. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
01. The Decemberists - Picaresque
Favorite EP: Iron and Wine - Women King
Favorite Live Album: Wilco - Kicking Television
Favorite Compilation: Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Woods |
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| Think Globally, Act Locally, Eat my shorts totally |
[Dec. 20th, 2005|10:37 pm] |
Ok, part 2 of the 2005 year in review. This time, I am looking at my favorite albums of 2005. There was a great deal of excellent music that was released in the past twelve months. But before I get to the top 20, here is a list of some of the other albums I have really enjoyed this past year:
Honorable Mentions (I'm probably forgetting some albums):
Atmosphere – We know you’re all having fun
Devandra Banhardt – Cripple Crow
The Bad Plus – Suspicious Activity
Bell Orchestre – Recording A Tape The Colour of Light
Blackalicious – The Craft
Boy Least Likely Too – Best Party Ever
Broken Social Scene – Self-titled
Caribou – The Milk of Human Kindness
Coldplay – X & Y
Constantines – Tournament of Hearts
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Self titled
Dangerdoom – The Mask and the Mouse
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Deerhoof – the runners four
Doves – Some Cities
Franz Ferdinand – you could have it so much better with…
The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Brad Mehldau – Day is Done
M.I.A. – Arular
Matt Pond PA – Several Arrows Later
The Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree
New Order – Waiting for the Sirens
Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth
Queens of the Stone Ago – Lullabies to Paralyze
Rogue Wave – Descended like Vultures
Silver Jews – Tanglewood Dreams
Spoon – Gimme Fiction
Super Furry Animals – Love Craft
Thunderbirds Are Now – Justamuschache
White Stripes – Get Behind me Satan
And here are my top favorite 20 albums of 2005:
20. My Morning Jacket - Z
19. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
18. Beck - Guero
17. Animal Collective - Feels
16. LCD Soundsystem - Self-titled
15. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
14. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queens Mary
13. Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
12. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
11. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
10. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
09. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
08. Kayne West - Late Registration
07. Sigur Ros - Takkk...
06. Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
05. Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
04. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinios
03. Common - BE
02. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
01. The Decemberists - Picaresque
Favorite EP: Iron and Wine - Women King
Favorite Live Album: Wilco - Kicking Television
Favorite Compilation: Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Woods |
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|
| the tacos are in the mail: part 4 |
[Nov. 30th, 2005|11:53 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | George Harrison - What Is LIfe | ] |
Hey there,
Well, 2005 is just about to come to an end and I’d have to say it’s been a good year for yours truly. After over a year of being out of schooling (not counting the little MCC stint), I’ve been working at a job I really enjoy, saw my brother get married, met some new chill people, and just had an all around good time with friends both old and new. Also, it was a great year in terms of my interests and hobbies. NCAA final four tournament was exciting and The Phoenix Suns had a great season despite losing to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. But for those of you who know me well, you know this is the time of year I always reflect on the music, movies, and concerts that have happened in the past year. And now that I am doing the whole blog thing, I might as well start off with a little year in review list.
Favorite albums, films, concerts, and other topics will come up within the next couple of weeks. First, I am going to start off with my top 20 favorite songs of 2005. So without further ado, here we go:
20. New Order – “Hey Now What You Doing”
With a year that saw Coldplay getting a little more grandiose, U2 cashing in on the same old sound, and Oasis fucking throwing in the towel (see earlier post for more info), 80s new wave icons returned strong with one of the best Brit Pop songs I have heard in years. They proved their naysayer’s wrong and showed they still have the knack to write a rockin tune.
19. Nine Inch Nails – “All the Love in the World”
Much like New Order, Trent Reznor and company have come back after 5 years with a serious musical statement, “With Teeth”. Off their new album, its first track sounds to me like the Postal Service going through and bondage fetish. Reznor bends the music and his voice back and forth; being sad, frustrated, desperate, and pissed off all within this 5 minute mental breakdown.
18. Stars – “The Big Fight”
It’s first half is less a song, more a couple’s argument with its own backup band. Amy and Torquil play lovers struggling to keep it together, all the while being in perfect harmony with each other musically. And just as the vocals start to fade out, in comes this low key instrumental breakdown that relaxes all the tension away.
17. My Morning Jacket – “Knot Comes Loose”
On their most diverse album to date, MMJ toyed with reggae, folk, and electronic music. But my favorite track would be this stripped down, salsa influenced ditty with Jim James’ ‘reverbed’ soaked voice floating over me like the sun brightening up my day.
16. Matt Pond PA – “So Much Trouble”
In the spirit of Elliott Smith and older Death Cab for Cutie, “So Much Trouble” is the perfect combination of melodic vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and soulful playing between a great band that needs to be heard by more.
15. Gorillaz – “November has come”
The best part of the Gorillaz would have to be the tracks feature a hot MC rhyming over the beats of a sick producer with Damon Alburn seeing the chorus. When you take one of the best underground MC (MF Doom), one of the best producers in music (Danger Mouse) combine it with the seeing the frontman of Blur, you can’t go wrong.
14. Bloc Party “Helicopter”
With the guitar sound of the Pixies and Radiohead, combined with lightning bolt drumming and rapid fire vocal delivery, UK’s Bloc Party created their own little spot in punk/dance music scene. And while it’s a very trendy form of music right now, songs like “Helicopter” show that these boys are miles beyond what most are doing.
13. Animal Collective – “Have you seen the Words”
Animal Collective are known for releasing some of the most out-there freak folk there is. But until recently, they have only hinted at their pop sensibilities. With this track, the boys stay true to their experimental roots while making music that is unbelievably accessible. This song is weird and off-kilter, but you could hum along to it after possibly hearing it in an upcoming Volkswagen commercial.
12. Iron and Wine “Women King”
Sam Beam continues to allow his music to grow. Along with his poetic lyrics and gentle guitar playing, “Women King” gets sprinkled with wonderful percussion and some nice guitar overdubs. His music keeps getting richer and richer with each release and this is a good sign of what’s to come.
11. The New Pornographers – “Use It”
This Canadian Supergroup writes some of the catchiest tunes out there. Their instrumentation is always upbeat, their vocals are tender, and this song is driving. Just the fact that Carl Newman and Neko Case and singing about hooking up with 2 chicks and crack pipes while still sounding exceedingly poppy is enough to for me to keep coming back.
10. The Mountain Goats “This Year”
John Darnielle’s tale of overcoming the abuse of his stepfather is one of the most heartbreaking songs I’ve heard in years. But at the same times, it’s also one of the inspirational. With its positive delivery on a depressing situation, its gives hope to all that they can make it through life’s toughest obstacles. If only for the simple chorus of “I am going to make it through this year, if it kills me!”
9. Common – “Be”
It opens with one of the funkiest baselines I have ever heard, followed by keys, piano, drums and strings that are smooth as silk. Chicago MC Common has both an incredible flow and a great message that everyone should hear, hip-hop fan or not. As he searches for more to be in life, the listener is rewarded with this wonderful track.
8. Beck “Missing”
Beck strums his guitar back and forth with the feel of a Mariachi, longing for a love out of his life. All the while, the Dust Brothers create this soundscape behind him, both groovy and off-setting. It sounds like “Tropicalia” looking to settle down.
7. Sleater-Kinney “Jumpers”
This is a prime example of an over-the-top, aggressive female rock trio going all out. Dealing with the subject of suicide, the girls hit the subject head on with heavy hitting drums, distorted guitars, and hostile vocals that are unlike anything else in music. A true rollercoaster ride from start to finish.
6. Stephen Malkmus – “Freeze the Saints”
A country/folkish ditty in the style of the Shins. Malkmus is making some of his tightest, most accessible music of his illustrious career and this is one of his best moments. Quite simply, to quote the songwriter himself, “They say done is good/But done well is so much fucking better!”
5. Sigur Ros – “Glosoli”
As the stalking drum and bass line march its way too its extraordinary climax, singer Jonsi Birgisson’s higher then high vocal range takes the song to even greater heights. And then it explodes, creating a phenomenal sound that is breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and surreal.
4. Kayne West “Touch the Sky”
West’s first-class lyrics and rhyming ability matched with ultra funky sample of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up” cannot be anything but a good song. But co-producer Jon Brion makes it even better, adding extra drum tracks that give “Touch the Sky” that extra something special. When not being on top of his lyrically conscious side, West has the ability to put out hip-hop’s best party jams. And this one is definitely the later.
3. LCD Soundsystem “Daft Punk Is Playing In My House”
Speaking of great party jams, James Murphy and his gang have put together a super-swanky electro/trash number that can’t stop one from (at the very least) stomping their feet or nodding their head. With just the right amount of synthesizers, cowbells, and hand claps, LCD Soundsystem made a danceable new wave track that the biggest rock n’roll purist can enjoy.
2. Wolf Parade “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts”
Montreal’s Wolf Parade takes jittery singing, bouncing guitars, spaced-out keyboards, and straight-forward drumming to make a song that just can’t sit still. It sounds like the band is trying to break free of your stereo and come to live right in front of you. Each time I hear this track, I feel like it has been tampered with in some way. It’s as if song finds a way to evolve within itself. And that’s a sign of great music, “Dear Sons and Daughters…” always sounds new and fresh no matter how much I hear it.
1. Sufjan Stevens “Casimir Pulaski Day”
No song in 2005 found its way into my life more often then Sufjan Stevens track about dealing with the wintertime death of a close friend. No matter where I was, where I was going, what mood I was in, or what I was in the mood for, “Casimir Pulaski Day” was always perfect for the situation. Stevens lyrics are touching, the vocals are angelic, and its guitar/banjo/horn combo are extremely melodic. It’s another example of how some of the simplest musical approaches create the sharpest, most thoughtful, and most delightful music in the universe. |
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| Put on your sunday best kids, we're going to Sears! |
[Nov. 13th, 2005|08:29 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | in the special place | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Rilo Kiley - With Arms Outstretched | ] |
Alright folks,
Anyone who has known me for a little while knows that's I used to use my instant messenger profile as a way to make these top ten lists of things I liked or disliked in terms of music, movies, or whatever I felt like (mostly music though). I have taken a break from that for a while; probably because I have run out of things I felt listing. So, I just let it fade away until something came along that I felt like doing. Well, I have that feeling again and this time, I have decided to use my Live Journal as a way of doing it. So here we go.
On MTV.COM, they occasionally do this band profile thing where all they do is ask these artists the same three questions. One of which is "(Living or Dead) What is the one band/artist you would love to see more then any?" And that got me thinking. Of all the great music that has come out over the past few decades, who would I love to see if I had the chance? So that's why I have decided to do my top 10 list of Bands/Artists I would love to see live if it were at all possible.
But here’s the twist. Not only have I put the band or artist here, but also from a particular time period in their career. Since certain careers span years or even decades, I thought it would better to knock some of them down to just a specific time in their lives. But they have to be broken up or dead. Otherwise, I would love to see the Rolling Stones, not so much the 2005 version as much as the 1972 version. You know, back when they were making music and people were excited about it, as opposed to know when they make music and people are only excited about them touring on it to hear older shit.
Being that my list is only going to include 10, I thought I’d mention a few bands that would also be great to see if it were possible. They include Jane's Addiction (circa 1989), Neutral Milk Hotel (1998), The Police (1981), The Clash (1981), Television (1977), The Who (1975), Sly and the Family Stone (1972), James Brown (1969), Charles Mingus (1955) and Fela Kuti (1978).
So here we go:
Tie at 10. Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (early 1970s):
Two great bands that have been ruined by classic rock radio. But at this time in the careers, each band was incredibly groundbreaking in their own ways. Led Zeppelin took blues rock to the sonic extreme, with touches of folk, world beat, and psychedelic rock. Pink Floyd pretty much became the definition of progressive rock, making music that was dense, challenging, thoughtful and accessible all at the same time. Both bands had a huge impact on me growing up and I believe that it was around this time that bands really peaked. Zep released "Houses of the Holy" and Floyd released "Dark Side of the moon", my favorite albums from the two and in seeing them live on dvd, I saw how powerful they really were. And even though they were worlds apart musically, they shared a lot in more in common then you would think such as powerful drummers, virtuoso guitarist, multistramentals, and a high energy show from start to finish. For the part of me that still throws on the classic rock station once in a while just two hear a track from these two, being able to see Floyd or Zeppelin in all their glory would be a dream come true.
9. Guns N Roses (late 1980s):
I remember talking to my buddy Adam in college about GNR and he made a good point that "our age group is probably the last one that got to experience Guns N Roses being the biggest band on earth". And it’s really weird to look back and see all that has gone wrong with Axl Rose and company, from the egos to the never finished "Chinese Democracy" to the 2002 tour gone to hell and so on. But popping on "Appetite For Destruction" made me remember why people were so crazy about these five from 1987-1993. Guns N Roses had this rebellious spirit mixed with the confidence and risk that I didn't see before and when I see bands try to do it now, it looks like...well....Godsmack (or something as fucking awful as they are). They wrote songs that were heavy, but not too heavy. I could listen to GNR even when I was in the mood for something soft. Their records were really incredible; I can't imagine how sweet it would have been to see that shit come to life.
8. The Beatles (whenever)
Come on. What can I say. The Beatles influenced just about anyone who has heard them. Everybody loves at least one song, fan or not. I don't even think its worth saying anything because basically everything has been said about them at least 100 times. I wouldn’t really care when I saw them because each era was great. It would be interesting to see them recreate their later stuff live just because they never did, but I am still a big fan of everything that came before that. Any Beatles era would be fine. And I don't think I am alone on that.
7. Rage Against the Machine (mid 1990s)
Talk about a huge influence. The mixing of rock and hip-hop hasn't been better, before or since. The frustration in Zach De La Rocha's vocals mixed with the out of this world guitar playing of Tom Marello set to a killer backbeat with a political agenda was just earth shattering. Then, they broke up and Zach to become a recluse, while the rest of the guys got Audio enslaved. But I remember hearing a tape of them playing live in Germany back in 1994 and they sounded so eager to burst onto the scene. Throughout the show, you could totally sense that these guys were on a mission and hungry to get there shit out there. It’s the type of passion you would wish to see at any performance from any band you love. And at this time, Rage Against the Machine was able to deliver the goods.
6. Grateful Dead (early 1970s)
Unlike certain friends and family members, I am not a huge Dead fan. I like them, but I wouldn't say I love them. But, I have heard enough bootlegs to understand why people are so nuts about them and had I had the opportunity to see them live, I probably would be in the boat as well. The combination of Jerry's bluegrass guitar playing, Bobby's more rock sound, Phil's jazzy improv bass playing, and Mickey Hart's infatuation with world music came together to create this beautiful soundscape that could keep people ears locked on them for hours and hours. I would pick this era because at there live shows, they used to always open with an acoustic set, which would serve as a great buildup for a concert (from the folk side to the spaced out side). They would touch on everything that made them the legends they are.
5. The Wailers (early 1970s)
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston and the Barrett Brothers are the quintessential reggae band of all time. They were able to take reggae behind Jamaica and into the homes of the world. Like Rage, they made strong, political music that demanded attention. Unlike Rage, they were easily accessible and easy for most to get into. The original line-up was as tight as any back could possibly get. They created music that was inspirational and meaningful and their shows were their best example of that. Being able to connect with your audience live is very important for a band like the Wailers to do. And in what I have heard, they were a group of renegades that were always up for putting on an amazing show.
4. Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsies (1970) – Hendrix is the ultimate guitar hero. And in seeing live concerts on video and bootlegs really, it’s pretty obvious why I would want to experience something quite like that live. But instead of seeing him perform with the regular Experience trio, I would prefer his other trio he played with, The Band of Gypsies. Along with drummer/singer Buddy Miles and bassist Billy Cox, Hendrix continued on his psychedelic guitar explorations but added a more R&B based rhythm section. Plus, having Buddy and Jimi share singing duties was a real treat, you never really knew were they where they were going musically. The Band of Gypsies helped create a more soulful sound to Jimi’s body of work. And it’s a sound that hasn’t been recreated since.
3. Miles Davis Second Quintet (mid 1960)
Miles Davis on Trumpet, Wayne Shorter of Sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter of bass, and Tony Williams on drums. In my opinion, they are the greatest jazz band of all time. When those five phenomenal musicians got together back in 1965, they were able to take jazz music to a whole new level. While it was still deeply rooted in tradition of standards and Davis’ originals, they were able to improvise and rework the music with a more adventurous, edgy approach. When you listen to them, you hear the musicians play for each other, it is like they are challenging on another to step it up and goes somewhere unexplored with the music. Each musician was at the top of their game at this time and doing something that is still breathtaking now, let alone 40 years ago.
2. The Mahavishnu Orchestra (early 1970)-
After breaking away from Miles Davis’ fusion band in 1970, guitarist John McLaughlin took what he learned from the legendary leader and created the ultimate rock fusion band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra. With an incredible backup band, most notably for the out of control drumming of Billy Cobham, McLaughlin merged rock and Jazz in a way no one thought was possible. With the size, volume, and energy of rock n’ roll and the sophistication and complexity of jazz, Mahavishnu were able to bounce back from breakneck guitar hero antics to delicate, sweet melodies all within the same song. And live, the boys’ jamscapes were from another universe. They’re another band that no one has been able to recreate. And until someone can come along with the heart, emotion, talent, and creativity of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, it will remain a form of music only available on record.
1. Talking Heads (early 1980s) – From Phish to Modest Mouse, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to Wolf Parade, it seems like you can’t go anywhere without hearing a new band that sounds like the Talking Heads. From 1977-1983, the Talking Heads made some of the most groundbreaking music of all time. The mix of New York punk, art rock experiments, African polyrhythms, 70s funk and soul got wrapped up in the form of a superb rhythm section (Chris Frantz and Tina Weymonth), a multi-talented sideman (Jerry Harrison) and one of the most unpredictable front man in rock history (David Byrne). It is a type of music that has been imitated for years by so many bands, but never duplicated. And when I think of two of the best concerts I have ever seen (Radiohead and The Arcade Fire respectively), both those live shows scream Talking Heads at me. In terms of both composing and performance, the Talking Heads blow most (if not all) bands out of the water. It’s such a shame that the four musicians can’t get back together and make it worth, at least not for just one more tour. But it doesn’t look like its going to happen. So I guess I’m just going to have to listen to their mind-blowing double live album “The Name of This Band is Talking Heads…” for the 900th time and just imagine what that must have been like to have been there. |
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| Say It Aint So |
[Sep. 13th, 2005|09:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | frosty | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft | ] |
According to MTV Online, it seems that the latest Weezer album "Make Believe" may be the bands final album. In the band's linear notes of the new album, they have taken a quote from William Shakespeare's final play The Tempest. It reads, "This rough magic/ I here abjure, and, when I have required/ Some heavenly music, which even now I do/ To work mine end upon their senses that/ This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff/ Bury it certain fathoms in the earth/ And deeper than did ever plummet sound/ I'll drown my book."
Apparently, the band noted that if (and this is just a possibility) "Make Believe" was to be their final album, that would be a cool way to go out. So while nothing is completely official, the band certainly isn't denying that the end may be insight.
Some might view this as unfortunate and I would agree. But not because the band might be calling it quits now, but because they didn't do this years ago. Now I know I am gonna get some shit for this from some of my buddies who adore Weezer but if it could have worked out that they would have released Pinkerton in 1997, have it get bashed and rejected by critics, fans, and even Rivers Cuomo, then have them disapear, have Pinkerton become of the underground cult classic that it is (along with their genius debut album) and allow their legend to grow, I think that would have served them better.
Just look at their last three releases. In my opinion, you have the Blue Album and Maladroit, two records that came out back to back that while they have afew gems here and there, the majority of those tunes are throwaways and I really have no need to ever hear them again. And "Make Believe", well that's another example of a great band from a decade ago that is tired of their sound but afraid to make any drastic change.
As for the band in a live situation, I will admit that I am happy I saw the band live (back in the fall of 2001 in Philly). It was cool to hear them play alot of their Blue album classics. But other then that, I got all new songs and one track off Pinkerton (Tired of Sex). And it just seemed as if the band was going through the motions, doing the same old same old, not really enjoying themselves. And just recently, I saw them on MTV Hard Rock Live, performing material both new and old. I've never seem a band so bored with what they are doing. In my opinion, when a band gets to that point and their is no real reason to get up their play besides maybe money, I say just stop doing it. What's the point?
Now I hate to sound like a Weezer hater or something, but I just feel that when I look back at my life sometime in the near future and the music that I was listening too, only two Weezer records will really be their, the blue album and Pinkerton. Beyond that, it was just a few tracks here and there by some band that I listened to while driving to work or watching baseball in my parents basement. But that's just me |
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| BBC World News on mute isn't that exciting |
[Aug. 25th, 2005|10:21 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Beta Band - Inner Meets Me | ] |
Alright, so recently I've been spending some of my fridays night alone in my apartment. I big reason for this is that I feel thursday nights have replaced friday nights as the night to go out. For one thing, my job entitles me to go out to club and record live bands whenever they come into the area. Recently their have been a lot of those shows on Thursday nights at the Bug Jar in downtown Rochester. Afterwords, some of my good buddies play records there late night and we have this dance party. Not so much the bumpin bar scene blasted top 40 hip hop and R and B (although Gwen Stefani has made an appearence here and there) but more towards the rock and underground type music. And that usually goes til last call around 2 a.m. So because of what thursday nights have become, friday nights have become a more low key affair.
And it is at this time that I would love for ABC to bring back TGIF. I mean I'm sure they got something now (that probably sucks) but they should just do a best of TGIF. In which cause I have selected my favorite shows from the TGIF lineup from the years of my youth and these are the four shows I would pick:
1. Full House - come on, who didn't watch that. I still watch it on ABC family when nothing else is going on. The corney jokes, the mullets, the stupid impressions... and thats only Dave Coulier! Plus it captured late 80's/early 90's pop culture in a pretty good light. The teenage mutant ninja turtle pajamas, DJ blasting Mili Vanili on her walkmen, Danny Tanner going to the Slaughter concert (up all night, sleep all day indeed). Plus they had twins and I'm not talking about those Olsen's, I'm talking about Nikki and Alex. To quote my brother after seeing an episode with them "COULD THEY HAVE AFEW MORE FUCKING TWINS ON THIS SHOW!"
2. Mr. Belvedere - What a great show, the fat english butler looking after your typical American family. While we all thought Benson had a lock on the sitcom butler, along comes Christopher Hewitt as Lynn Belvedere to rock our world. Not to mention Bob Uecker as the dad, the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers as well as the Cleveland Indians (in a movie atleast) in one of his best (I think only) non-baseball related role. So you can take all your favorite Reginal VelJohnson moments from Family Matters and I'll take just 22 minutes of Belvedere bliss and never look back.
3.Step By Step - I was a bigger fan of this show when it was syndicated then on ABC but it was still great. Let me break it down, you had Patrick Duffy as the mechanic dad Frank, THE EVERYMAN! Then you had Suzanne Summers, the MILF before I knew what that was followed by the hot daughters. The kinda hot Dana, the really hot Karen, shit even Al, Frank's daughter was kinda cute. His sons werent that interesting but his nephew Cody (played Kickboxer 2 and wife beater Sasha Mitchell) playing the spaced out dude livin the van kept the laughs coming. It was an innocent time for TV, if that show came out nowadays it probably be filled with incest. Actually....that not be so bad now that I think of it.
4. Where I live - My darkhorse candidate. It was a close call between this, Just the Ten of Us, and Boy Meets World. I give this wonderful little nugget of a sitcom staring the very underrated Doug E Doug as Harlem youth living the hip hop teenage life with his family struggling to get by. But even with there hardships, Doug and company manage to create good times around them. I mean how many shows dealt with such issues as selling bootleg T-shirts on the side of the street or trying to figure out which nostril to put a stub in. Not that many I tell you. |
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| Don't Believe the Truth Indeed |
[Jun. 1st, 2005|09:09 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Mos Def - Rock n Roll | ] |
In reading a number of reviews, I heard almost nothing but great press about Oasis' first album in three years. Everything from "the boys make a triumphant return" to "Oasis haven't been this strong in a decade" or whatever comeback story you can think of. And being an Oasis fan, I must say that I was pretty gullible to buy into all of this. While I should have be suspicious of anything the band has put out over the past few years, I instead took in any good news or reviews that come my way regarding Oasis. So as May 31st approached, I got excited in hearing the album every critic seemed to be calling "their best since (What's the story) Morning Glory"! And just yesterday, that day came. Talk about a disapointment. I guess I kind of deserve actually believing all the hype that was being fed into this disastrous album.
Now, let me backup just a little bit. When I was growing up, Oasis was one of my favorite bands. "Definitely Maybe" and "(Whats the Story) Morning Glory" were just the greatest albums to me. Every song was flawless and those albums are still incredibly timeless. I can still listen to those first two albums whenever and they sound great. Then, the band released "Be Here Now". When it first came out, it was heavily bashed for sounding self-indulgent and pretentious. And while I dont think the album is an amazing breakthough, it still offers a good number of tracks (Don't Go Away, I hope I think I know, Fade In-Out, Be Here Now, and All Around the World) which are extremely catchy and hard to resist. And even the albums weak songs are not god awful. The bands next two albums (2000's Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and 2002's Heathen Chemistry) was a different story. Whether it was trying to experiment with new instrumentation, methods of production, producers, new band members, or whatever of the problem may be, Oasis really seemed to struggle to create an album the was a solid listen from start to finish. But even with these not so good albums, there were a number of solid tunes off each album. Whether it was "Go Let It Out", "Gas Panic", "Who Feels Love" or "F@## in the Bushes" off Standing...., or "Songbird", "Little by Little", "The Hindu Times" and the untitled hidden Track on Heathen Chemistry, it still gave me hope that Oasis may have been down but not yet out.
Well, with the release of "Dont Believe the Truth", I feel as though it is pretty safe to say the band is out. Gone...I think thats the best world to describe the current state of Oasis. Gone are the catchy hooks that used to be overflowing from previous Oasis albums. Gone is the powerful punch the band used to pack on there most rockin songs. Gone is the passion that made "Wonderwall" and "Live Forever" so timeless. Gone is the cocksure attitude of a band that used to think and "act" like the greatest band in world. Instead, the 2005 Oasis have been replaced by a lazy batch of rock stars who seem as if they have scrapped the barrel to it very bottom and maybe even a little lower and its completely dry.
The band's performance on these songs are unthrilling and uninspired at best. The strongest tracks on the album like "Keep the Dream Alive", "Love Like A Bomb", and "Guess God thinks I'm Abel" are only slightly mediocre (probably because they are surrounded by some of the bands worst songs ever). The rest of the album just gives of seem like a band that isn't all that interested in conquering the world anymore. Its 42 minutes of listening to a band I once love basically throw in the towel. The only upside to the purchase of "Dont Believe the Truth" is the bonus CD which features five live tracks Oasis recorded at the Metro in Chicago back in 1994. Its both a friendly reminder how great this band once was compared to the beat up version of themself they are on "Dont Believe the Truth". |
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| OK, its been a while but whatever |
[May. 28th, 2005|02:16 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Stephen Malkmus - face the truth | ] |
Early today I was reading an article on billboard online about this tour called the Zooma tour that was just canceled. It was to feature Trey Anastasio and Ben Harper headlining a bunch of amplitheaters along with a number of rotating opening bands that I was looking forward to seeing even more then those two (The Black Keys, Gomez, MMW). They pulled the plug on it 3 weeks before the first show. While the promoters cited "unexpected difficulties" as the reason to bring the tour to a halt, its pretty clear to see that they meant "lack of ticket sales."
As I started thinking about it, I remember last years horrific diseaster known as the Lollapalooza 2 day traveling festival. Now that was a sick lineup featuring bands like Sonic Youth, Morrissey, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Polyphonic Spree, TV on the Radio, Sound Tribe Sector 9, The BRMC, Gomez (again, maybe they are the touring curse?) and a bunch of others. But that tour was also canceled a few weeks before it began. While the Zooma tour doesnt bother me that much (the only band I really wanted to see was the Black Keys, maybe they will do some headlining shows now instead), I remember being so pissed last year at Lollapalooza bringing their tour to a halt before it even started for what they stated as "poor ticket sales". It just annoys me because I feel like all these promoters need is a little bit of faith. It's like some field of dream status, "If you build it, they will come".
Like I wasn't dying to get tickets right away to Lollapalooza, mainly because I wanted to seeing alot of the second stage stuff and didn't care to buy a good seat at more money. So I waited, and I am sure there were more people like me. I mean just look at the Warped Tour. It's been going strong for over a decade now and they don't sell 70 percent of their tickets until the week of that particular show. I feel like Lollapalooza and the Zooma Tour could have done the same. Atleast give it a try for a couple of shows and then if they don't pick up, dump it. But to just bail out so early, I have some advice for ya, grow some balls! The people are out there and they will respond. Just have some faith. |
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