What a trip! My new friend Tatiana and I'd been talkin' 'bout seein' live rock music for a while. Well we finally did it. The main event was Caribou -- hot off the heels of their acclaimed new record.
But before the show it was a stop at Spitzer's Corner at Ludlow and Rivington. Possibly my favorite bar in NYC yet! In Tatiana's words, it had a Terrace Club vibe, but with significantly more class. And a much finer array of beers. A couple of drinks down and we were off to the Bowery Ballroom -- a legendary venue I've always been set on attending. Definitely lived up to my expectations! Quite an amazing place.
We first walked into the concert hall to be greeted by a truly wild performance from the first opener. The singer seemed to be throwing temper tantrums on stage as he furiously flailed his arms up and down while stomping about. He then grabbed the microphone and started madly sliding it along the guitar strings. A new technique? Not sure if I cared for it. We were curious to know what sorts of substances might inspire such erratic behavior.
After that we were treated to some more pop-oriented songs from the clearly Canadian, and very catchy group Born Ruffians. The singer had a really fun voice! Lots of potential for these guys I imagine. Then the crowd swelled as the main act took the stage. I hadn't heard too much of this band so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I was pretty blown away by the intensity of their performance. Projected visualizations of swirling geometric images bathed the band in an eerie light. Kicking off with doubled up drums immediately brought on a hypnoticly rhythmic atmosphere. The music sounds as if they they grew up in modern times with all the electronic stylings of Boards of Canada but then stepped into a time warp back into the 60s and were using their modern sounds to adapt to the dreamy, psychedelic sounds of the bygone era. Very driven and focused musicians -- almost as if they were in a trance, but occasional smiles between each other let you know they were having fun and pleased to see such an enthusiastic crowd. I think I'll buy their new album.
On Friday Night a wonderfully strange turn of events took place. My good high school friend Chris Hillman was playing drums with his new band here in my very own neighborhood, literally 5 blocks away, at the Lit Lounge. The venue had a charming cave-like feel, indeed some of the clientèle seemed not to have seen the light of day in quite some time. But in addition to the regulars, Chris' appearance drew the masses; Pine View kids crawled out of the woodwork for this spectacle. Guest appearances from Mike Kolarik, Jenny Kirsten, Tricia Baga, Dan Treiman, Vinti Bhatnagar, Rachel Romanski, Santosh Sateesh, and Wen Shi to name a few. It was really fascinating to see everyone in their new places! And to think that so many of us are here in NYC.
The show itself was really fun too. Morningbell put on a very lively and exciting performance. Chris' drums were top notch and the band's tunes hinted at an updated version of many Beatles licks with the spacey atmosphere of the Flaming Lips. In spite of a limited budget, I could also sense their creativity in resorting to Christmas-light adorned jackets and pedal-controlled strobe lights to enhance the spectacle. But it was the surprise addition of the theramin really sealed the deal for me. I've seen plenty of Beatles covers before, but their rendition of the trippy classic "Tomorrow Never Knows" was way cooler than stuff I've heard in the past.
Great work Chris and everyone else in the band. I can see why this band is one of the top performers in the Gainesville scene.
It's a Blog Revival! Tell your friends! Now that I'm official and moved into NYC it's time to revamp this venture with more offbeat curiosities and musical delights. I'm sure I kept you all waiting long enough in anticipation for that elusive next update, but I had to take respite lest this blog become too chore-like. Ayo this technology stuff can sometimes make life far too complicated and I don't want to hear any bitchin about my lame excuses and anachronistic curmudgeonry. Just think of the old days when people had wait 6 months, in the snow, then travel 14 miles by mule-wagon to the post-office and maybe get the tattered remains of a letter from a loved one, delivered via pony-express, if they were lucky. My friend Dan is going with the Peace Corps to the isle of Vanuatu. Mail there can take 6 weeks to deliver. There is no internet. Think of all the time we could save from blogging, youtubing, facebooking, myspacing, iPoding etc. You might even have a few minutes to spare to talk to someone face to face! Apparently this sentiment is gaining in much needed traction:
Of course I say this all with a grain of salt. I realize how hypocritical it is to voice these opinions over the internet, on a blog no less. But truthfully, I have found great value in disconnecting. Or better yet: disconnecting and then reconnecting with the outdoors. In fact, one of the things I did in my blog break was attend another scientific conference: the Ecological Society of America (ESA) annual meeting in San Jose, CA where I gave a presentation for a session on on Education and Nature. Basically, the session talked about new ways to get kids to learn/experience/enjoy science and ecology outdoors. Indeed there is a growing disconnect in America's youth with the outdoors. This has big implications not only for helping new generations of ecologists and environment appreciators, but it also plays a big role in child development. In attendance at the conference was the de facto leader of this new "No Child Left Indoors" movement, Richard Louv. For anyone interested, I recommend his book Last Child in the Woods. He covers new evidence suggesting that nature deprivation is manifesting itself in kids with problems like ADD, depression, obesity, lack of creativity and social development and other non-surprising symptoms. Outdoor experience suddenly becomes a public health issue. And it's easy to blame the parents or the kids for being lazy, but that's sort of a cop-out answer for the the larger issues at stake: Loss of natural wilderness for starters, but also unending litigious efforts seeking to "protect" our children from the dangers of the outdoors. Indeed our antiseptic society has grown an unhealthy fear of getting muddy every once and a while. Ask any adult: 9 times out of 10 they played outside as a kid. Not so anymore. Ask any adult concerned about the environment and the percentage is even higher. First hand experience gives a sense of awareness and appreciation for the natural world that is sorely lacking today.
I was lucky enough to really get outside in Vermont last weekend with Ellen. We hiked Mt. Philo just outside of Burlington. Pictures forthcoming (hopefully?). Amazingly, this mountain used to be an island in the Sea of Champlain (once upon a time it was more than just a lake!).
Ok, so to round out this rip-roarin' revival, lets cleanse our pallets some fresh musical tastes. I've devised a new way to categorize my musical discoveries: Live, New & Used. Much like their record store namesakes Live=live shows, New=recent releases, and Used=older stuff I only recently encountered.
I saw this band live with my new friend Steve at the Mercury Lounge here in downtown Manhattan. Steve knew the band from when he used to work at Filter magazine and got us in for free on the guest list. Apparently they are from my home country, Australia where they are all the rage. I really enjoyed the show. One song in particular which they played an extended cut for was really stellar.
MUSIC: New
Spoon - GaGaGaGaGa
This is a straight-up fun, rock-steady album from a great band. The kind of album that you can really jive to any time. At a party, chillin on the porch, walkin down the street: you name it these guys will serve up the feel good vibes.
White Stripes - Icky Thump
Favorite song of the new White Stripes album is without a doubt Rag & Bone. The skits in this song are hysterical following typical Jack White mania. FYI rag & bone men are an old-time British gypsies/junk dealers who would take old unused stuff from people and then turn it into something to sell. Like old rags sewn into clothing or bones to boil and make glue. The Whites capture the essence of the lifestyle perfectly in this song.
Justice - †
Hype surrounding this release crescendoed into a CAT-5 storm in the dance music world. Two Parisian producers frequently compared to Daft Punk but with a decidedly edgier sound. The single featured below, although not my favorite on the album, has a really fun video.
M.I.A. - Kala
The globetrotting superstar is back! Ready again with world rhythms as disparate as dijeridoo and Bollywood melodies. This time, a different approach than the knock-you-out beats as the first album. Instead Kala warms up gradually after each listen. Just a quick rehash: M.I.A. is a London born artists raised in Sri Lanka whose father is part of a revolutionary group in the Tamil region of India. She passionately communicates about the true state of the world from perspectives of those in developing countries rather than the Western view of most modern media. And in a much more believable way than the just-for-show Jay-Z-style bhangra sampling craze a few years back.
There's more to talk about but not enough time! Other good releases of note: Wilco - Sky Blue Sky The National - The Boxer Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
MUSIC: Used
XTC, Skylarking - One of my proudest life achievement was approaching the register at High Fidelity Records' cousin, the Princeton Record Exchange, earlier this summer with a used copy of Skylarking. I'd never heard this band before but I knew they were well regarded in the rock canon so I thought I'd give them a shot. The snarky music snob manning the machine glared down at me with his calculating eye. Then after slight hesitation his disposition gave way to a tepid smirk as he saw my purchase and muttered, "Great album," just loud enough for me to hear. Relishing this coveted compliment, I took heart that even hipsters can have compassion for the plebeians every once in a while. His words were not wasted either: this record is amazingly satisfying after many repeated listens. High production values, complex yet tuneful melodies, and sophisticated themes treated with childlike playfulness make this some of the finest British studio-pop of the late 80s.
Love - Forever Changes:Long hailed as a lost classic from the 60s summer of love. Lyrics have a weirdness factor can only stem from the time the album was conceived.
Depeche Mode - Violator: The kings of 80s synthpop (though this was released at the beginning of the 90s). This album is really cohesive and expertly arranged, with a dark and foreboding yet very sensual vibe. The lead singer, Davad Gahan is one of my new favorites.
Greetings! I now return victoriously from my hiatus to bring you several new and interesting posts that have been percolating during my abscence from the blogosphere. To kick things off right, I thought I'd just share what I've been up to for the last year or so:
Still hard to believe I finished that beast. It didn't really turn out how we hoped but then again science rarely does. Regardless, we discovered some interesting things and there is always more work to be done. Here's a little recap:
-Greenland plays a major role in climate change. If it melted, sea level could rise 7 meters. -Understanding how the Greenland Ice Sheet formed will give us a better idea of how it interacts with global climate and how it might change with future global warming -We tried to use argon dating on ice from the bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet to pinpoint its buildup, but the ages we measured were from the future. -The error was probably due to argon contamination from the earth's crust below -We still founds lots of other interesting properties in the ice but I wont bore you with them here. Read the thesis if youwant to know.
Fun fact to tell your friends: there are microorganisms that have survived over 250,000 years 3 kilometers under the ice in Greenland.
In other recent news, I scored an apartment in NYC for next with on of my best friends Santosh and his current NYU roommate Anand who is a really awesome dude. So psyched! Come check us out: 212 E. 10th St., Apt. 3B (off 2nd Ave). Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to afford it. Hard to believe I'll soon be living life in the Big Apple.
What a trip! My new friend Tatiana and I'd been talkin' 'bout seein' live rock music for a while. Well we finally did it. The main event was Caribou -- hot off the heels of their acclaimed new record.
The music sounds as if they they grew up in modern times with all the electronic stylings of Boards of Canada but then stepped into a time warp back into the 60s and were using their modern sounds to adapt to the dreamy, psychedelic sounds of the bygone era. Very driven and focused musicians -- almost as if they were in a trance, but occasional smiles between each other let you know they were having fun and pleased to see such an enthusiastic crowd. I think I'll buy their new album.
