Kushi Tan

Gone to Tumblr

2010-04-04T21:55:00.000-04:00

Elvis Italiano

2009-08-03T07:22:00.005-04:00

In Montreal, we saw these posters in the Italian neighborhood near Marche Jean Talon. Who is Elvis Italiano? I noticed he has a facebook site.

Fleet Foxes with Espers at 9:30 Club

2009-08-02T21:28:00.004-04:00

Last week, saw the band Fleet Foxes at the 9:30 Club.
The openers were Philly psychedelic folk band, The Espers. I love their music, but the Fleet Foxes audience were pretty chatty during the set. I'm glad they have a new record coming out in the fall, and I'm planning to see them play when they headline with Kurt Vile in Baltimore.
Fleet Foxes were good, but they really need to work on their stage show. They seemed to take forever to get ready betweeen songs, tuning and tuning, even with their guitar tech already tuning their instruments. When they played their songs though, it was lovely.

Dead Weather with Screaming Females at the 9:30 Club

2009-08-02T20:18:00.004-04:00

A little of a late post here, but saw the Dead Weather play at the 9:30 Club the night before their record Horehound came out. The openers, Screaming Females, from New Brunswick, NJ were a true revelation- the lead singer/guitarist was a tiny woman who could really belt it out.
The Dead Weather were pretty awesome live. Lead singer Alison Mosshart was a charismatic and sexy frontwoman, and Jack White on the drums was tight and formidable. The show reminded me of seeing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- kind of dirty, filthy rock and blues.
Towards the end of the set, Jack White took over guitar duties as well.

XX Merge Night 4

2009-07-30T19:34:00.004-04:00

Night 4 had a lot of special guests including Ben Gibbard introducing Telekinesis with the guitarist from Nada Surf and Ian from The Rosebuds.
M. Ward played and for his last few songs, Zooey Deschanel came up onstage for backup vocals.

My favorite part of the evening was see Destroyer, Dan Bejar playing a nice acoustic set.
Sorry no pictures from night 5 because cameras were forbidden at the venue that night.

XX Merge Night 3

2009-07-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

Night 3 of XX Merge was ok.
Saw the reunion of New Jersey band, Spent which was really fun. They had that nice wall of sound to their guitars which I really like.
The best set hands down went to Lambchop. Someone took a vid of their finale, a revelatory cover of the Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime".

Lambchop @ XX Merge from sassafrassv on Vimeo.

Polvo.
Pipe- much beer was thrown during this set.
Spoon.

XX Merge Night 2

2009-07-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Night two of XX Merge was highlighted by performances by Richard Buckner, the New Zealand band, the 3Ds, Versus, and Superchunk.
Guv'ner.
Versus.
The 3Ds.
Superchunk.

XX Merge Night 1

2009-07-30T00:02:00.009-04:00

I was lucky to go to Carrboro, NC for XX Merge, the 20th anniversary concert series for Merge Records. Here are some highlights from the first night.
Lou Barlow.
The Clientele.
The Magnetic Fields.

The Rosebuds.

Animal Collective at the Ottobar

2009-05-11T07:05:00.004-04:00

Last night, the band Animal Collective kicked off their tour in support of their new record Merriweather Post Pavillion in their hometown of Baltimore in the intimate setting of the Ottobar.
The soldout crowd of about 400 filled up the club early in the evening, and were restless and a bit noisy for opener, local musician, Daniel Higgs.
When Animal Collective arrived onstage though, the crowd were riveted. The bands trippy, groovy electronics were incredible. Just using simple lights under tablecloths and an image of their most recent album cover on the wall, the show was simple, but the mood of the room was all about their sound and the audience grooving along to the music.
It was truly a privilege to see this amazing band in such a small venue.

M. Ward with The Vivian Girls at Sixth & I Synagogue

2009-02-24T07:55:00.003-05:00

Over this weekend, I went to DC's Sixth & I Synagogue to see M. Ward. It was my first time at this venue- beautiful inside with great acoustics.
The Vivian Girls from Brooklyn opened up. I loved their enthusiasm on stage, and their sound reminded me of The Shaggs meets post-punk.
This was my second time seeing M. Ward play and, as before, he was great. He started onstage solo with an acoustic guitar. The ladies in the audience swooned.
A few songs in he brought out the full band, and the show was spectacular. I was blown away by his guitar playing on a John Fahey cover. I also loved his cover of Daniel Johnston's "The Story of an Artist".

Beirut at BAM

2009-02-17T07:51:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago, I was up in NYC to see the band Beirut play at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, opening a series of concerts celebrating musicians from that borough.
He was accompanied by the Vassar Orkestar, which added significantly to the drama of their music. He played a few new songs from his new double ep set as well.

Antony & The Johnsons at the Keswick Theater

2009-02-05T10:17:00.003-05:00

Monday night, we went to the Keswick Theater NW of Philly to see Antony & The Johnsons play. Suprisingly, the show was not completely filled. Despite that, the concert was amazing.
Antony's voice was beautiful. He said he felt like he had lemons on his fingers as he was playing piano, but the the support of the Johnsons, the music was great. He did a fun cover of Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" as well as songs from all his records.

Jay Reatard with Cola Freaks at the Black Cat

2008-10-30T09:21:00.001-04:00

I went to the Black Cat Tuesday night to see Jay Reatard play. It was a good crowd of mostly dudes, but the show was really great. The openers were the Cola Freaks, a really high energy punk band from Denmark. The lead singer was really intense and he went into the crowd and had people scream into the mic.
I've been listening to a lot of Jay Reatard records recently, particularly Blood Visions. He was pretty fantastic live- reminded me of punk shows I saw in college. He played his set with very little break between songs, and I'm betting that in my younger days, I would have wanted to get in on a mosh pit.

The Magnetic Fields at Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh, NC

2008-10-20T23:54:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to get to see The Magnetic Fields play in Raleigh, NC at the Meymandi Concert Hall. The show was truly memorable.
The band played their set all acoustic which is interesting because their new record has a lot of distortion in its production. The songs performed more pared down sounded incredible. A lot of it also had to do with the amazing acoustics of the venue, which was definitely set up for classical music. During the show, the power went out, but the sound of the instruments still carried well in the hall.
The show was so good, I hope that the band plans to record a live record from this tour. They played songs both new and old, which prompted me to want to re-visit some records of theirs I don't listen to as much right now.

The Wedding Present at the Black Cat

2008-10-20T23:23:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, I went to the Black Cat to see Britpop legends, The Wedding Present play. Before the show even started, David Gedge was talking to fans at the merchandise table which I thought was pretty cool.
Their set was a nice mix of some of their classics as well as songs from their most recent record, El Rey. The band sounded great, and Gedge broke several guitar strings. It was odd that their roadie, instead of being the stereotypical middle aged dude, was a young cute woman wearing an Obama button.
As with all their shows, they played their setlist with no requests or encores. During their show, Gedge said they don't do requests because it was too hard to remember all his songs.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the 9:30 Club

2008-10-06T21:24:00.003-04:00

Last night, I went to the 9:30 Club to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds play. It was an interesting group of fans from aging goths, young hipsters, and some guy in a bathrobe wearing devil horns and a red glove on his right hand.
Nick Cave and his band were amazing- especially guitarist Warren Ellis, who looked like a madman onstage. Nick Cave was charismatic onstage and his voice sounded incredible. He even took the time between songs to sign autographs.

Glasvegas at The Ottobar

2008-10-06T21:04:00.002-04:00

After the VP debate last week, I went to the Ottobar to catch up and coming Scottish band, Glasvegas play at the Ottobar. The turnout was a bit meager- there must have been about 30 people there, but the band sounded great. Since they only have one record, there set was only about half an hour, however all the songs sounded great. There were enough Britpop fans there that there was even a singalong.
The bassist and guitarist danced around like the Fine Young Cannibals, and the lead singer admitted his only knowledge of Baltimore was Hairspray. I bet it wasn't even the John Waters version. . .

Santogold at the TLA, Philly

2008-10-06T20:20:00.002-04:00

I was lucky to catch Santogold in Philly at the TLA a few weeks ago. She puts on a great show. Accompanied by two dancers and a laptop, she sang nearly all the songs from her record, and she did a few of the songs from her mixtape with Diplo.
I particularly liked it when she did "The Guns of Brixton" cover song. The crowd was pretty wild for her music.

The Walkmen at the 9:30 club

2008-09-07T19:46:00.005-04:00

Last night, after the rains from Hurricane Hanna passed over, I went to the 9:30 club to see The Walkmen perform.
Opening up was a group called Golem, a band inspired by Eastern European and Jewish klezmer folk music. They were fun to listen to, and the violinist was gorgeous.
The Walkmen's new record, You & Me, is really good- they seem to have a knack for writing songs about the holidays and New Year's. Live, the new song "In the New Year" was amazing- Hamilton Leithauser's voice crescendoed into a scream in the chorus. They played a nice mix of songs from all their records. It was also nice to see Leithauser smile and banter between songs.
At the end of their main set, during "Louisiana", keyboardist Pete Bauer's son rushed up on stage in a small set of earmuffs and played the wooden sticks.

Mission of Burma perform Vs. at the Black Cat

2008-06-30T23:14:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I went to see legendary band, Mission of Burma perform their album Vs. at the Black Cat.
Opening up was the band Versus, named after the Mission of Burma album. They haven't really played much since 2001, so I was pleasantly surprised at a chance to see them as well. They sounded good- playing a mix of old songs as well as some new ones.
This was my first time seeing Mission of Burma, and they were awesome. Their energy onstage really got the crowd going, even singing along. They had producer/musician Bob Weston on the sound board doing the effects for the songs. I really liked watching Clint Conley rock out. Despite their age, this band played better than a lot of younger acts.
For encore, highlights included "Academy Fight Song" and "This is not a Photograph".

The Breeders at the 9:30 Club

2008-06-12T10:01:00.002-04:00

I went last night to see The Breeders at the 9:30 Club. It was actually my first time seeing them play, and it was great. They played songs from all their records as well as some Amps tunes. Kim and Kelley Deal were really fun onstage, and their voices sounded amazing. Honestly, they were more fun to see than the reunited Pixies shows a few years ago.

SVA MFA Thesis Exhibition

2008-05-17T08:38:00.005-04:00

Big props to my friend Brooklen, who just completed his MFA at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I stopped by his MFA exhibit reception to check out his project, Merge/Feast, which focuses on food (of course) with families from different backgrounds and cultures.
Congrats.

Polvo at the Black Cat

2008-05-10T09:32:00.005-04:00

So last night in DC, I was lucky to see the newly reunited NC noise rock band Polvo in their first show in 10 years.
The last time I saw them was opening for Pavement in the mid-90's. They made a crack about a lot of drunken 35 year olds in the audience tonight.
At first, they didn't seem as tight a band as before, but after warming up, they were pretty great. The new drummer seemed to fit in well to their vibe as a band. They played some familiar songs as well as a new song.

Their setlist included: "Thermal Treasure", "Every Holy Shroud", "Festher of Forgiveness", "Fast Canoe", "Tragic Carpet Ride", "Title Track"

The Raveonettes with Black Acid at The Black Cat

2008-03-30T10:24:00.006-04:00

Three sold out concerts in a row in DC- I'm tired today.
Last night I went to see Danish band The Raveonettes at the Black Cat main stage.
The openers were a British band Black Acid whose style reminded me of old British metal of the 70's and 80's. They were actually very entertaining for me- the lead singer had on tight white pants and a sleazy voice.
I love the new album by the Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust. It's their best to date- part Jesus & Mary Chain and part Angelo Badelamenti. In concert, they were really great. Their music needs to be heard really loud because of the feedback and noise made by their guitars- they remind me of the house band in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
I was standing right in front of singer-guitarist Sharin Foo- she looked cool with her really blond hair, dark mascara and blue eyes. I also liked how their drummer only had 2 drum and a cymbal. One highlight of the concert was when they did a cover of Stereolab's "French Disko".

Stephen Malkus & The Jicks with John Vanderslice at the 9:30 Club

2008-03-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

Friday night, went to the 9:30 club to see Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks perform in a sold out show. Wonder why he didn't come to Baltimore because it's a title of a song on his new album. Oh well.
The opener was John Vanderslice, who I had heard of, but not actually heard before. Not too bad- he had nice songs and his band was good. He gave props to vegetarian Chinese restaurant Vegetable Garden in Rockville.
This was my first time seeing Malkmus outside of Pavement. Janet Weiss formerly of Sleater-Kinney was also his drummer. They were really good- I still love Malkmus' quirky lyrics combined with his always interesting guitar sound.
He is definitely a big nerd- I recall a reference to the word "Frak" during the show.

Xiu Xiu with Thao Nguyen at the Black Cat

2008-03-28T08:08:00.006-04:00

The backstage area of the Black Cat was soldout last night for arty rock band Xiu Xiu and former DC musician currently getting a bit of internet buzz, Thao Nguyen.
Opening up was musician Chris Garneau, a musician who sang low key breathy pop songs accompanied by organ and cello. I was not a huge fan of his songs, and I wished he hadn't played so many songs with the exact same pace and mood.
Clearly the show was sold out because of fans of former local musician Thao Nguyen with The Get Down Stay Down. She was alright- the band had a lot of energy. Similar to musicians like Feist, she reminds me of Cat Power with less angst. I understand her appeal, and I though she put on a good show, but not quite my cup of tea.
Xiu Xiu still blows me away when I see them live. I appreciate how serious they are about their music, and despite half the room clearing out before they started, they were still impressive. Jamie Stewart is a really interesting frontman - his voice is very impassioned, and his guitar playing is interesting.

The Pogues at the Rams Head

2008-03-17T23:05:00.003-04:00

Last week, I was lucky again to see The Pogues on their US Tour before St. Patrick's day. This time, they came to Baltimore!
Shane looked better than any other time I've seen him- this time he was upright, and I actually understood 90% of his speech. It was also good to see Phil Chevron play as he was treated for cancer last year.
As a tribute to The Wire, Spider Stacey dedicated "The Body of an American" to Mcnulty, and then asked for no one to give anything away about the last episode.
As usual, the band was on point- the sound at the Rams Head had the best sound of all the times I've seen the band play.
For the finale, when they played "Fiesta", Shane joined Spider in bashing his head with a tray. I hope they decide to come back to Baltimore next year.

Conservatory Avant-Garde Ensemble at Peabody

2008-02-24T19:51:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, went to the Peabody Conservatory to see the Conservatory Avant-Garde Ensemble perform George Crumb's "Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III)". This was the first time I went to a concert at Peabody, and I was really impressed. The space, the sound, all were impeccable. I loved hearing the Crumb piece performed live.
In addition, they also performed a piece by Peabody student, Amy Beth Kirsten entitled "For a Dream's Sake" (pictured) which was really nice- I particularly liked the vocal part of the composition.
They also performed "Mugam Sayagi" by female Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh.

Matmos at Floristree Space

2008-02-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

Last night, went to Floristree to see recent Baltimore transplants, Matmos play a benefit concert for the Transmodern Age art festival.
Despite a noisy crowd during their set, I enjoyed my first time seeing them play their music. It was definitely part performance as well. They started the set with a video projector during the song "Rainbow Flag".
During their song, "Rose and Teeth for Ludwig Wittgenstein", they had two guys drum using bunches of roses, and in the following song, "Germs Burn for Darby Crash", they shaved a guy's hair into a mohawk.

Cornelius at the 9:30 Club

2008-01-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I went to 9:30 club to see Japanese musician Cornelius play.
After eating some great soul food and bearing the set of a Medeski, Martin & Wood-inspired jam duo, Cornelius and his groups came on stage. They started with a large sheet in front of the stage- soon a video projection started introducing the show as the "Sensuous Synchronous Show". Then after seeing band members' silhouettes backlit on the sheet, it dropped down to reveal the band playing.
Cornelius and his band were really good. They changed music styles with great ease- from pop to ambient to metal to disco.
His video show though was pretty spectacular and, as promised, completely in sync with the music. Highlights included a video that started looking like sound waves, but was in actuality flowing water filmed sideways. I also liked another video that had a hand walking around a room.
Cornelius was also very engaging with the audience: he pulled a kid onstage to play the theremin, and he also passed a sampler with large buttons into the front row of the audience to play.
He put on a great show.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at TLA

2007-12-17T23:46:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we went up to Philly to the TLA for a Daptone Records showcase of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Opening up were label mates, the Budos Band. They played African jazz like the stuff from the Ethiopiques series. Groovy and fun for about 3 songs. The band reminded me of a bunch of band geeks, but they knew how to play.
See Sharon Jones onstage was amazing. She was small, about 5 foot tall, but so much energy. Her voice was spectacular, and boy did she dance on stage. Her style is so retro without any preludes towards kitsch. It was a fun night.

F'n Cartoon Nips

2007-12-07T15:39:00.000-05:00

Funny Montreal Signage

2007-12-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

The Thermals with Reporter at the Black Cat

2007-11-05T07:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. More venues are not allowing personal cameras- I saw Cat Power and Morrissey recently and they were cracking down hard on people with little cameras. Kind of sucks. Another show I went to, Feist at the Rams Head is viewable on MSN now. I'm the big head middle, towards the back.
So Saturday, went to the Black Cat to see The Thermals for the second time this year. Openers Reporter were pretty fun to see as well. Lead singer Alberta is friends with lickingpants and studioacorn, so I said hi to her at the merch table and wished her a happy birthday.
Didn't get as good a spot as last time to see The Thermals, but yet again, they were pretty great- high energy, fun music.

Patrick Wolf & Bishi at the Black Cat

2007-10-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to the Black Cat to see Patrick Wolf play- it wasn't too crowded which was nice. Opening up was singer-sitar player Bishi from London. She mixed Indian music with a dance sound. Her voice was really nice, and it was fun watching her jam on the sitar. She mentioned her sitar teacher was in town but she was reluctant to have him see her as rock sitar is counter to what sitar is all about.
I was really happy to have had a chance to see Patrick Wolf. I've been following his music since Lycanthropy first came out. He is an amazing musician- playing guitar, viola, and keyboards. I wish his acccordion hadn't broke on the trip over.
He actually played a lot of songs from his earlier records- I got the impression he was burnt out on playing songs from The Magic Position.

A Night at the High Zero Festival

2007-09-30T16:23:00.000-04:00

I went to a concert last night that was part of the High Zero Festival. It's basically a gathering of free improv musicians from Baltimore and the rest of the world to play together.
The concert started with Dutch musician/vocalist Jaap Blonk performing solo. His voice is an amazing instrument; one piece using his "cheek synthesizer" was in stereo- each cheek creating different sounds simultaneously. I was moved by his performance of a Dadaist poem where he shouted the German word "brüllen", meaning "to cry" about a hundred times.
The second piece involved several artists who had there own custom made instruments. They were accompanied by a vocalist and a dancer as well.
The third set included contrabass and 2 theremins, one of which, by Italian musician Massimo Simonini, was prepared so that it produced presampled sounds from piano to what sounded like an Italian disco song.
The fourth set featured former Wolf Eyes menber Aaron Dilloway on tape loops accompanied by a cellist, a violinist, and electronics.
Due to a computer now working, we were lucky to be treated with Jaap Blonk again, this time in a set featuring beat boxer Shodekeh and amazing local percussionist Dan Breen. I think this was the best set of the night.

Diplo & Switch at Sonar

2007-09-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

On the same night as Sea & Cake, Sonar also had the DJs Diplo and Switch spinning.
Switch is the DJ that produced most of the latest M.I.A. record, Kala. His style of DJing was pretty fun to hear- a lot of house actually with crazy electronic sounds.
Following him was Diplo, probably my favorite DJ right now. He really know how to get the crowd moving. My favorite moments were when he did a Baile Funk medley, when he threw in a jazz riff, and when he segued from House of Pain to Daft Punk.

The Sea and Cake & Meg Baird at Sonar

2007-09-30T15:33:00.000-04:00

Friday night, I finally got to see The Sea & Cake, a band I've been a fan of for several years. Oddly enough, on the PA before the show, they were playing John Prine.
Opening up was Meg Baird, lead singer from the Espers. Her solo music involves a lot of traditional Appalachian folk songs. They were all a little melancholy and bittersweet. She is a really good guitarist and her voice is very lovely.
The Sea and Cake were great to see live. They performed a whole range of songs from their catalogue, and their musicianship was pretty fantastic- Prekop, McEntire, Claridge and Prewitt are all talented on their instruments. I think the last time I saw Archer Prewitt play was with the Coctails.

Genesis at the Verizon Center, DC

2007-09-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

Last night, went with a bunch of friends from high school to see the great band Genesis play on their Turn It On Again Tour at the Verizon Center in DC.
We started the night at a bar that also turned out to be the meetup for the Genesis fan club. It was good warming up to fine beer and Genesis on the PA.
The concert was great. On this tour, the band is playing more of their classic hits like "In the Cage", "The Carpet Crawlers", "Ripples", and "Firth of Fifth". They sounded fantastic. I am personally a fan of their 70's music the most, and I loved it.
A moment I found amusing was that immediately following a medley of classics like "In the Cage", the band started playing "Hold on my Heart", a newer song, so I decided to run to the restroom. When I first went in, the men's room was empty, but then, dozens of guys started showing up as well, all with the same idea that we didn't really like the latest stuff.

John Prine at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

2007-09-24T07:14:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, I saw folk music great John Prine perform at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. He was amazing. I last saw him when I was in college, and in the interim he was treated for throat cancer, so despite his voice being a little hoarser, he was still pretty great. It was an older crowd with a more than a few aging hippies. The acoustics of the place were fantastic.
He played with a bassist and another guitarist who also did double duty on a mandolin. He also went electric towards the end of his set as well. My favorite songs he did were "Whistle & Fish", "Angel from Montgomery", "Souvenirs", "Lake Marie", "In Spite of Ourselves", and "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness". The last one nearly got me choked up.

Girl Talk at the 2640 Space

2007-09-24T06:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delays in posting. Last Tuesday, I saw Girl Talk play a sold out show at the 2640 Space, an old church in Baltimore. The kids these days go nuts watching a guy checking his email.
His set was pretty close to his V Fest set- the usual ADHD mashup of familiar hits of the past 40 years of music. I worry that there are cracks in his act though- Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" is not a clever sample.

Phil Collins and the Breakup Song

2007-09-10T20:38:00.000-04:00

Did anyone catch the recent episode of This American Life on breakup songs and Phil Collins?
One of my favorite programs in recent time. I particularly like how Phil gets choked up in his interview and the revelation that his breakup is responsible for his turn from working with the likes of Eno to becoming a pop monster.
All this is in the light that I am seeing Phil and Genesis in a short 2 weeks. Can't wait.

Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard & Ray Price at Merriweather

2007-09-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Last week, I went to Merriweather Post Pavillion to see the Last of the Breed tour featuring Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price.
Ray Price started the night backed by the Cherokee Cowboys led by his son on guitar. He sings a pretty old school crooner style of country. Nice, sobering songs about love and heartbreak. I like his version of "Please Release Me" and Hank Williams' "Mansion on the Hill".
Up next was the Okie, Merle Haggard. He was pretty awesome to see play- I've always loved his blue collar working man songs. He did "Mama Tried", "Silver Wings" and "Okie from Muskogee". Towards the end of his set, Willie came out and they did my favorite of the night, "Pancho & Lefty".
Last up was Willie Nelson. He has always been amazing live- full of great songs and energy. I love how he always opens with "Whiskey River". He had Merle and Ray Price on stage, and the did "Crazy" and "Nite Life" all together. It was an amazing evening of real country music.

Mass Shivers with Oxter at the Current Gallery

2007-08-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

Last night, went to the Current Gallery downtown with some friends to see Mass Shivers from Chicago play. The bass player is the boyfriend of one of my friend's cousins.
The space was nice, terrible parking though. The openers were a local band, Oxter. They seemed to be a trio of jazz guys who wants to "get funky" and "rock out". Technically solid, but while it seemed like the musicians were having fun, we, the audience, were made to suffer a numerous variety of false stops, dissonant Hammond organ chords, uninspired horn solos, bad samples of dialogue, and a cover of The Offspring's "Come Out and Play" (a la Miles Davis' "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson).
Mass Shivers reminded me why I like a lot of bands from Chicago- hard drumming, interesting solos, and no nonsense rock. A shame the jam band crowd left after the openers finished as they missed how a good rock set should be. No smiling, just serious music.

Stereo Total with The Octopus Project at Ottobar

2007-08-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

I've been a fan of Stereo Total for about 10 years, since their album Monokini came out. I remember buying it on vinyl in NYC. Alas, for years, I lived in towns where the band never toured. After waiting so long to see them, I was not disappointed in their show.
Opening up was Austin, TX's Octopus Project. They have a lot of energy, but maybe because they are mainly playing instrumentals, I just don't get into them. Sometimes their music sounds like a harder version of John Carpenter theme music.
I wonder how popular they would be if they didn't have a hot theremin player- she's certainly not clara rockmore. I loved her stance as she played the theremin- reminded of a ballerina.
Stereo Total were great to see live. Françoise Cactus came off as being slightly scatterbrained on stage, but she was very endearing. She attributed her spaciness to jetlag. Brezel Göring looked liked an aging punk rocker.
However, when they played, they played great pop songs with a lot of energy and tongue in cheek. They had no pretense of trying to be cool- it was just pure simple fun music.

4 Hours at the Virgin Festival Day 2

2007-08-06T00:27:00.000-04:00

Scored a free pass to the Virgin Festival at the Pimlico Racecourse, so I went for a few hours before the crowd and overpriced food was too much to bear (it wasn't that bad, but when Panic! at the Disco started their set, it was time to go).
I started in the "Dance Tent" and caught local artist Dan Deacon play. His music is an electronic mashup of synthesizer and ipod- it's okay. I just wish he were more trained in music because it has too much of an amateur-goofing off feel to it.
The computer DJ Girl Talk was next- I gotta admit, he was pretty damn fun to hear mashing up several songs at once, and the crowd went crazy for him.
I then went to see Regina Spektor perform at the South stage. She was alright- I liked a few of her songs, but not so much into the songs with too many vocal gymnastics.
I also caught some of Matisyahu. I wonder that if her were not an orthodox Jew, would he be as well known? I haven't really been into his songs so much.

The last act I saw was Spoon. They were pretty good. Former Spoon member Roman from local act Oranges Band joined them for some older songs.

Charlie Louvin and Lucinda Williams at Rams Head

2007-07-30T07:17:00.000-04:00

Last night, went to the Rams Head downtown to see Charlie Louvin and Lucinda Williams play.
I was more excited to see country music great Charlie Louvin and he did not disappoint. He was classy, funny, and his voice was great. He played "Great Atomic Power", the song that Uncle Tupelo covered which introduced me to their music.
Lucinda Williams was pretty good as well. While I prefer her earlier songs, her voice is still stirring. My favorite part of her set was when she and Charlie dueted on a pair of songs.

Odd Bathroom Paintings

2007-07-24T00:07:00.000-04:00

If you read the food blog, Fougoo mentioned the unusual photos in the bathroom of the restaurant Nasu Blanca. Well since they don't really have food, we put them up here.
There was definitely a mysterious scat and bukkake interpretation to these photos of Asian ladies with brown and white liquid on their faces.
The brown one is in the men's room at the restaurant, the white is in the ladies room.

Kwik-E-Mart, Bladensburg, MD

2007-07-08T21:45:00.000-04:00

Drove down to Bladensburg, MD to see the Kwik-E-Mart they converted from a 7-11 Store. Needless to say, it was pretty cool.
I got myself a Squishie and a doughnut with pink icing and sprinkles, mmmm.
I also picked up some Buzz Cola and Krusty-O's cereal which I'll post about when I try them.

Here are some of my more favorite signs:

Flip Flop Summer Tour at Lincoln Financial Field

2007-06-25T06:46:00.000-04:00

Well, this past weekend was pretty interesting for me. I went to the Flip Flop Summer Tour concert in Philadelphia at the Lincoln Financial Field, the stadium where the Eagles play.
This concert, headlined by country superstar Kenny Chesney was completely sold out- over 50,000 people!
I have never been to what I would call a "New" Country concert before, but this was pretty incredible to see. When we showed up, we walked through a tailgate that must have been a 1/2 mile outwards from the venue. Booze and BBQ! A lot of female fans as well. Unlike the indie music scene I frequent, this crowd included whole families from children to grandparents. I also appreciated that they were unpretentious- no one was there to be cool; they were there for a good time.
I had never really heard the music by any of the acts on the bill. I really enjoyed opened Pat Green. I was lucky to be on the stage at the side during his set. He did a pretty awesome cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City".
My friend, Brandon, who plays keyboard for Sugarland, told us he was a huge star in the Texas country scene, which is almost like another world to itself. It's where Joe Ely, a country musician I'm a huge fan of, is a huge act, but he has not quite crossed over to the mainstream Nashville scene.
I was also lucky to be right up to see the band Sugarland during their set. They had a lot of energy, and lead singer Jennifer Nettles was beautiful and brassy. It was pretty cool seeing my friend, Brandon on stage with the band. I played in one-shot experimental band with him in college! Crazy!
I guess Kenny Chesney is like a Jimmy Buffett for the country crowd, and clearly everyone was at the show to see him. When he came out, he popped up out of a stage in the center of the field, and everyone went nuts. This is the response I've only seen with shows like the Rolling Stones, and I felt odd because, I didn't know any of his songs.
New Country is a lot more like pop-rock than people outside of the scene are willing to admit. Sure there's a little more of an accent, maybe a fiddle or two, but the music at it's heart is rock and roll. While I still prefer singer-songwriter types like Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, and Gillian Welch, I have to admit, you have to respect this scene that fills stadiums. Indie music needs to have multiple stages with 40 acts to do the same.

Panda Bear with Scott Mou & WZT Hearts at Ottobar

2007-06-22T01:08:00.000-04:00

Went last night to the Ottobar to see Animal Collective member Panda Bear play. Somehow, he planned a limited tour and decided to grace our humble town. I saw Spank Rock hanging out at the bar in the back.
Opening up was local band, WZT Hearts, a trio that includes 2 laptops and a drummer who also yells. Their sound is ambient-noise- some interesting stuff, but watching them is a bit too much like an internet cafe.

Up next was Jane member and Other Music employee, Scott Mau. I know I've asked him for help when I've been at the store. Musically, he played rhythm on an acoustic guitar, ran a sampler, and sang with a lot of echo in falsetto. It was a little disappointing.

Panda Bear was pretty awesome. His sound is electronic psychedelic pop, and his set was fantastic. He played with no breaks and segued from song to song, with his visuals matching the music. Trippy, occasionally groovy, and really nice.

A Night at the Wire 2007

2007-06-10T08:31:00.000-04:00

HBO's The Wire is one of my favorite programs on television, and it's pretty cool that all production of the show take place in and around Baltimore. I was lucky last night to go to their final A Night at the Wire event thrown in support of the Ella Thompson Fund.
When we arrived, we had the chance to tour the soundstages for the fifth season shooting. We got to see the sets for the Western, City Hall and the Mayor's Office, and the new set for the Baltimore Sun news room. The props team showed us fake guns, drugs, and bodies, and in wardrobe, we looked at clothes for the Bunk, Brother Mouzone, and Marlo.
After the tour, we wandered around the silent auction items and grabbed some drinks. By far the coolest item up for sale was Omar's shank he used to castrate his would-be assassin from the last season. David Simon, the show's creator, clearly wanted this item, so I didn't have a chance in bidding.
The party was also really cool in that you could easily mingle with members of the cast. We got to see McNutty, Kima, Herc, Carver, Lester, Marlo, Snoop, Cutty, Rawls, Dukie, Rhonda, Levy. I talked to Clay Davis, Chris Partlow, and Landsman.
Clark Johnson, who was on Homicide and has directed a few Wire eps, was there as he has a role as the Baltimore Sun editor in the new season.
Some hints overheard about the new season were that Daniels will become Colonel, Sydnor is the last untouched and pure member of the unit by the end of the show, the Sun's Michael Olesker cameos, they shot some at the Washington Post recently, and Carcetti is going to make the run for Governor of Maryland.
The night ended with auctioning off of items like a speaking part on the show ($12K), Dinner with McNutty ($7K), Cookout with Kima and Bubs ($7K), Lester's doll furniture that Clarke Peters actually made, and an autographed box of Honey Nut Cheerios from Omar ($500). My friend, the Sunmonkey, got ticket to an O's game courtesy of Gov. O'Malley, right behind home plate. I hope he invites me.

More Rayguns from Moshi-Moshi

2007-06-04T06:55:00.001-04:00

As noted in my previous post, there is currently an amazing raygun exhibit at the Moshi-Moshi gallery in Portland, OR. Well, the curator was kind enough to send me images of other rayguns being shown. Inspired by the Ray Hourneau pieces, other artists designed their own rayguns.
Above is the Lonely Hitchhiker raygun, which utilized an actual prop from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy feature film, modified my Hourneau's archivist Brian Elliot.
This piece was made entirely of felt.

I understand this piece consisted of parts from film cameras.

Licking Pants said the turnout and response to this exhibit was great, so if you're in Portland, check it out.

Rayguns at Moshi-moshi, Portland, OR

2007-05-30T21:18:00.001-04:00

This Friday, at the Portland Gallery, Moshi-Moshi, opening will be a show featuring the Rayguns of Ray Horneau. I would recommend anyone in the area to check out this amazing exhibit. Here is a brief intro written by Ray's archivist Brian Elliot and pictures of some of the rayguns:

I met Ray in Bolivia in the early 70's. He was operating a grimy old clock repair shop on Via El General in Santa Marta. He looked a little disheveled, chronically 40. I knew from the moment I met him that something was up. He had that look of someone who is holding back.
I wandered in to look at his stuff and we got to talking. When his Daughter, Xotil came out from the back room he introduced us. After that, I divided my attention between listening to Ray's story (which I did not believe) and watching the beautiful Xotil.

Ray had crash landed in Southern France on August 4th, 1405. The Spring that year had been unseasonably warm and wet, ideal conditions for the growth of a fungus that attacks wheat called, ergot. Apparently, the crop had been badly infected and most of it had been destroyed. Farmers were devastated so it was no surprise that some of the contaminated wheat slipped into the mills and was duly transformed into highly potent, hallucinogenic baguettes and pastries. So while the majority of the little village of Perigord were having ergot- induced psychotic episodes, Ray arced in overhead like some kind of sputtering meteorite and smashed into a field. As luck would have it, the ground underneath gave way and Ray's second crash deposited him safely at the beach of an underground river formerly hidden from the view of humans for some 4 million years. The owners of the dairy farm above him did not survive the three plus days of hallucinations. One of the cows fell into the hole- lucky for Ray and the rest wandered off to be claimed by the neighbors. The grass grew out and covered the hole. This is how Ray managed his undetected entry into the human race.

Ray spent several desperate months trying to raise the home office on his communications gear, but it had been sadly smashed beyond repair. He was able to deploy an observation satellite so he occupied his time observing 15th Century France, and learning to prepare and enjoy beef. He even tried his hand at painting on the cave walls.

By the time I met Ray in 1975, he was on his 14th alias as a clock repair man. He had moved every 40 years or so to avoid suspicion over his inability to age. He had been married about 4 times. It broke his heart to outlive his wives and each time he swore he'd never do it again, but aliens get lonely too every few hundred years or so.

Ray's gig back on the home planet had been as a kind of tech services guy. He specialized in a technology that could transform objects into a beamable signal and then back again, your basic Star-Trek transporter kind of thing. He was en-route to a repair when his little mishap landed him here.

Ray had always been a little distracted. While his aptitudes had placed him in his current occupation, he had always had these musings pulling his attention from the task at hand. Images, shapes color, texture, the desire to re- contextualize. Ray was an artist born into a culture without art. Back home, he was damaged goods. They tried to place him in an area where he'd make the most contribution and do the least damage, but the writing was on the wall.

Here on Earth, post crash-landing, Ray was the most technologically advanced biped walking upright- the proverbial big fish in a little pond. But that neither boosted his confidence nor inflated his ego. Ray realized early on that he'd have to blend to survive. So he did. And his natural caution and considered demeanor only helped with this.

Being curious and intelligent, Ray sought out like minded souls. His clock business often brought him into contact with many in the upper socioeconomic strata. Time and again, through each of his aliases, he managed to rub elbows, Zelig-like, with the notable of each generation. Along the way he developed this hobby of producing one-off "rayguns" for his famous friends. He was able to roll all his interests and skills into this labor of love; transporter technology, design, art and biography.

To call them guns is a bit of a misnomer. They have really always been transporters. Once fired, the victim of choice is transported instantly 150 miles to the right to the nearest population center. These are weapons to be used in a pinch, to buy their owners a little extra time. Because of technical limitations, they have only had the ability to fire once. The agreement has always been that once discharged, the instrument should be returned to Ray with an account of the incident, reason for firing, name of victim and any comments on its performance. If never fired, then Ray would show up at the wake or reading of the will to reclaim it once the subject passed on.

In return for the loan of the gun, Ray would get to spend some quality one on one time observing whom ever he found fascinating as a subject for a Raygun. He would take notes, sketch, sometimes he would ask for some small object from the subject to incorporate into the piece.

To see Ray's inventory of over 600 little boxes labeled with the names of every subject he has designed for is breathtaking. It is striking to see not only the names of the famous, but those of individuals invisible to history. I can't help but wonder about the genius and humanity of those whose names I do not recognize. Clearly they must have had some extraordinary qualities to have attracted Ray's attentions and efforts. It is a conceit of mine that since our meeting in Santa Marta 30 years ago, Ray is thinking of making a gun for me. As it stands, I am honored by his invitation to act as his agent and archivist.

As to Mae West's gun. According to the incident report written in her own hand, she had been drinking on the afternoon of September 15th 1936. Shooting had recently wrapped up on "Klondike Annie" She had just had an argument with the director who had stormed off the set, she used her weapon to steal/transport a grand piano off the sound stage and to her home 150 miles away in Palm Springs. In her comments to Ray she wrote, "I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it." This was one of the more novel uses of one of Ray's devices.

Piggy Stardust? Chunky Dorey? Chubby Funster!

2007-05-21T13:05:00.000-04:00

Went with some friend to see Ricky Gervais at Madison Square Garden Saturday night. He was really funny.
A highlight was David Bowie introducing Gervais by singing the "Little Fat Man" song from Extras.

Shameless Plugs

2007-05-16T22:24:00.000-04:00

So did anyone catch this week on the penultimate episode of Heroes the reference to my favorite on hiatus NYC restaurant, Shopsin's? How cool was that?
It was mentioned by the character Matt Parkman played by Greg Grunberg who currently graces to cover of Geek Monthly published and edited by some friends of mine.

Hungry Like The Wolf

2007-05-15T18:08:00.000-04:00

I could not resist posting this commercial of the man, Bruce Campbell rocking the Old Spice. It's almost like the anti-Tag/Axe, but honestly, I have no idea what Old Spice smells like much less anyone who uses it.

Harajuku Kids

2007-05-12T03:07:00.000-04:00

Every Sunday in Harajuku in Tokyo, the kids come out dressed in their best and brightest. It's like a giant Cosplay convention while out shopping and hanging out. In the US, these kids might be mocked, but in Tokyo, it's seems to be a form of self-expression.

The one below is my favorite. Bloody doctor out shopping.

Back from Japan

2007-05-11T11:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the blog silence, but it's been a hectic time. I was in Tokyo recently, and my pops had to have bypass surgery. All is well except I am recovering from jetlag.
This is my cousin's pic of Darth Vader Samurai Armor- it sells for about $3500 bucks. So cool.

Chris Ware on This American Life

2007-04-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

I love Chris Ware's comics, but he's now proving he's brilliant as an animator as well in this segment from this week's This American Life on Showtime.
The host, Ira Glass introduces each story in a setup like John Cleese on Monty Python- behind a desk placed incongruously in some unusual location.

I get the impression not a lot of people have Showtime, but they are really stepping it up recently with some really great shows like Weeds and Dexter. The Tudors is pretty bad though- only good for a little skin.

Here is the segment:

Peter Brotzmann, Marino Pliakas, & Michael Wertmuller at the Red Room

2007-04-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

Last night, I went to see German free music saxophonist, Peter Brotzmann play at the Red Room inside Normal's Books. Accompanying him was Marino Pliakas on electric bass and Michael Wertmuller on drums.
Brotzmann was amazing- despite losing his reeds in his luggage, he sounded great on the saxophone- loud and quiet, noisy and melodic all together. I also loved hearing him humming as he played his instrument.
Wertmuller looked like Michael Madsen, and he was fantastic to hear in the drums, sometimes hitting so hard it sounded like a machine gun (one of my fav Brotzmann albums by the way). Pliakas looked like Richard E. Grant, and with no effects pedals, he was making all these crazy noises on his bass.

Kaiser Chiefs, The Walkmen & The Annuals at 9:30 Club

2007-04-08T19:22:00.000-04:00

Last night, we went to a sold out show sponsored by NME with the Kaiser Chiefs headlining.
Opening up was North Carolina band The Annuals. They've received some hype in the blogosphere, so I was interested in seeing them Needless to say, I was disappointed. Their bombastic style of rock reminded me of Arcade Fire, and I hate that crap. They had 3 people drumming sometimes, but I'm not sure why as it added nothing to the music. I don't get why all there up and coming indie bands have to be so bombastic. Is it to create drama onstage?
Next up was one of my favorite bands, The Walkmen. I just saw them a few weeks ago, but despite a less receptive audience, they were outstanding. After hearing a lot of their new songs, I really am looking forward for their next record.

The Kaiser Chiefs were what I expected from a Britpop band- high energy, tight playing, and good audience rapport. The lead singer was short and pudgey and at one point he swam on top of the audience to the bar at the club. They played the songs from their two records I recognized well. They were fun.

Xiu Xiu, Shearwater, and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at Ottobar

2007-04-08T18:48:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday, I went to the Ottobar to see art punk rockers Xiu Xiu play.
Opening up was local band Thrushes. Their sound was very shoegaze, and the lead singer's voice was nice. For some reason she had a paper on her mic stand (lyrics?). They still seem a little tentative on stage, but a nice opening set.

Second on the bill was Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. He brought out about six or seven Casio keyboards, but he seemed to only play three of them. I really enjoyed his melancholy pop songs, and the sound and range he got out of the Casio keyboards was pretty impressive.

The third act was Shearwater. They were a rock outfit with a little folk influence, and the band itself were all very good musicians. They had lovely lady on upright bass and a band member named Howard. However, I didn't really love their songs and music all that much.

Headliners, Xiu Xiu were pretty great. Their sound is a mix of punk and free music. I was particularly impressed by their percussionist Ches Smith who reminded me of avant-garde percussionists I've seen. They also did a fantastic cover of New Order's "Age of Consent".

Iris Dement at the Rams Head Tavern

2007-04-03T07:36:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, I went to Annapolis to the Rams Head Tavern to see folk-gospel artist Iris Dement play.
I've been a fan of her music since college, and I haven't seen her play in about 12 years. Last saw her in the Sidebar in St. Louis where I had seen Sleater-Kinney play as well.
This was a different venue. Annapolis is really white, especially if you compare it to Baltimore. Also, the Rams Head crowd was much older. I swear I was probably closer in age to Iris than the audience.
Her voice has aged a little, and she can't hit some of her higher notes, but the songs are still beautiful.
I had planned on trying to see Menomena in DC afterwards, but her show was so good I stayed for the whole thing and just went home afterwards.

The Fuses and Double Dagger upstairs at the Ottobar

2007-03-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

I went to the Ottobar upstairs last night to see local post punk band The Fuses in their last show. I guess they've been around since 1997, but one member is moving to NYC to become a lawyer. I liked their energy and the songs were fun, loud, and driving.
Opening up was another local band, Double Dagger. Their sound was also punk rock, and the lead singer ran around into the crowd and on top of the pool tables in the space.
It was a nice night.

Bonde Do Role and DJ Scottie B. at the Ottobar

2007-03-29T07:49:00.000-04:00

I was at the Ottobar last night to see Brazilian baile funk act Bonde Do Role play. Usually in Baltimore, there is one guy shooting pictures with a nice SLR camera, but for some reason tonight there were four. I didn't get it.
Baltimore's scene is diverse, but not that huge, and having all these guys shooting and looking up at the front of the stage was pretty annoying.
The first opening act was a local Austrailian transplant The Death Set. They are a duo who sing/yell and play guitars whilst thrashing about. Unfortunately, they are backed by an iPod mini. It plays samples of hip-hop songs and then they sing and play with rather compressed sounding drum and bass parts. It seemed like half the room were already fans while the other half just watched, but I do feel they would do a lot better getting some bandmates to fill out their sound.
They were followed by a DJ set by Scottie B., who is considered one of the early DJ's spinning the Baltimore Club sound. It's like a collage of all kinds of music from Motown to indie music to rap to classic rock mixed over a unrelenting dance beat. It's pretty darn fun to move to- I particularly liked hearing "Money for Nothing". Scottie B. was wearing a shirt dissing on Aaron Lacrate who I thought was crap opening for Lily Allen.
Bonde Do Role followed with a fun and energetic set. They sing and rap in Portuguese to beats sampling AC/DC, Salt N Pepa, and the Grease soundtrack. They told a story about how they were freaked out at having seen John Waters at dinner that day.
The lead singer, Marina, gyrated on stage and reminded me of early Karen O, and I always say, you gotta love a band with a chubby dude- this was the DJ, Gorky.

Gito Gito Hustler at Sidebar

2007-03-27T01:23:00.000-04:00

Gito Gito Hustler are an all girl rock band from Tokyo that remind me of the the 5,6,7,8's meets the Runaways.
They played their Baltimore debut last night at the Sidebar, a punk club across from City Hall. It wasn't crowded, but the band really pumped up the few patrons with their broken English and unabashed enthusiasm.

They made devil horns, they espoused drinking beer, and the guitarist played guitar in the middle of the crowd.

The Ponys, Black Lips, The Films and Blondsai at Ottobar

2007-03-25T17:09:00.000-04:00

I went to the Ottobar Friday night for a pretty fun show. First up was local act, Blondsai. They were a garage band with a lead singer sporting a blond beehive and a hot mixed Asian guitarist. They had a lot of energy, but I get the impression they are better when they're more drunk.

The second band was The Films, from South Carolina. They reminded me of Arctic Monkeys some, but not as genuine sounding. They were skinny and dressed right. The young ladies seemed to like them, too. Not my cup of tea.

I think more people were there to see Black Lips than the headliner. They have that disco punk sound that all the kids love, but they have a psychedlic pop sound. They had a little too much fun onstage for my taste.

The Ponys were pretty great to see live again. There new record, "Turn the Lights Out" is a lot more hard rock and punk sounding than the last album. They definitely take inspiration from the 90's Chicago noise sound in their music, and live, they played nice and noisy.

Madeline, Pwrfl Power, Wheatie Mattiasich, Adam Lipman, and Mandarin Dynasty

2007-03-18T10:42:00.000-04:00

I went to a concert in an apartment at the Copycat last night because I had heard of one of the artists on NPR.
The first person to play was Mandarin Dynasty (Mike) from San Diego. He played a mix of anti-folk with noisy guitar with some re-sampling. I like that he had a a good sense of humor in his lyrics. He finished off a Maddog 20/20 during his set.

Second to play was Adam Lipman. He was ok. His songs seem to focus on angst over women. His singing style was a little out of tune, and he sang one song in Spanish which he clearly was not fluent in. I don't recall his drink.

Third up was local musician, Wheatie Mattiasich. I last saw her a year ago at Lemon Hill. She played acoustic in the dark in an area of the space with a hookah and pillows, and this time, she had another woman harmonizing with her on a few songs. I love the sound of her voice- it's low and reminds me some of Chan Marshall. Her songs remain simple though- they all sound a lot like traditional folk tunes or children's music. I think she only drank water.

Next up was Pwrfl Power, a Japanese guy name Kazu from Seattle. His songs reminded my of some music my cousin's wife, Kayoko gave me on MD years back. He played very whimsical pop tunes about drugs, pets, and being happy with himself. He was a good guitarist, and I also liked that he sang in Japanese as well as English. He drank beer.

Finally, the main act was Madeline from Athens, GA. I really liked her set. She sings folky-pop songs with a little country sound mixed in. She brought along a bass player and drummer. She was drinking Seagram's vodka and "honey" water, but she played a really solid set.
At one point, she decided to sing a song whilst hula-hooping. For some reason, she reminded me of Mary Louise Parker in Weeds- very dry and matter of fact in her persona, but serious when it came to her performance.

The Pogues at the Electric Factory

2007-03-17T09:21:00.000-04:00

Despite terrible traffic due to sleet and freezing rain that slowed the way up 95 to Philadelphia to about 35mph, I went to see the Pogues with Shane MacGowan play at the Electric Factory last night. Heck, Shane came out on stage and performed in a wheelchair despite tearing ligaments in his knee a few nights before, I figured it was worth the trek.
Fougoo and Redneckhunter met up with me, and we were lucky enough to position ourselves right up front for the show. We had to bear the very young openers, Starving Goliath, who felt it was kitchsy to sing Elton John's awful Lion King song. Needless to say, the older crowd was not amused.
The Pogues were, like last time in DC, great.
Before they came out, the PA played The Clash's "Straight to Hell", and then the band came out followed out by Shane in a wheelchair.
It was definitely a different set from the other show I saw with them. It was cool to hear some songs performed I had not heard previously.
My favorite songs of the night were "Body of an American", "Rainy Night in Soho", "Dirty Old Town", "A Pair of Brown Eyes", and "Fiesta" (especially watching Spider hit his head with a metal tray).

The Good, The Bad & The Queen at 9:30 Club

2007-03-15T00:23:00.000-04:00

I went to the 9:30 Club last night to see Damon Albarn's latest project, The Good, The Bad, & The Queen. It was a great show.
The opening act was actually a burlesque duo from Baltimore, Trixie Little & Evil Hate Monkey. The crowd really responded well to their tongue in cheek and very acrobatic act. It was fun to have them warm up the crowd, and really got everyone excited to see the headliners.
The Good, The Bad, and the Queen is essentially a supergroup consisting of Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), guitarist Simon Tong (The Verve), bassist Paul Simonan (The Clash), and Tony Allen (Fela Kuti's band). They basically played the entire album, and they sounded great.
Albarn was charismatic onstage. I think at one point he took a hit of a joint and proceeded to rock out.
Simon Tong was your basic Britpop aloof guitarist- he seemed quiet, but his guitar playing was solid. I wish we could have heard more of Tony Allen's drumming but when he hit the drums hard, you could tell.
I had the best time watching Paul Simonan onstage. He was so cool- he had this awesome punk swagger. When he smoked a cigarette onstage, he was still cool. It made you wish you had the chance to see him with The Clash. I loved the dub style of his bass playing.

The encore was a song called "Dog House" which they left off the record, and they closed with B-side, "Mr. Whippy", with a guest Syrian rapper. All in all, it was a really fun show. It looks like you can hear it on NPR here.

The Shins w/ Viva Voce at D.A.R. Constitution Hall

2007-03-12T23:55:00.000-04:00

I went to D.A.R. Constitution Hall to see the sold out show with The Shins. It's not one of my favorite venues because the sound is always a bit muddy sounding in the space that's probably more suited to Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" than a rock show.
Opening up was Viva Voce- a two piece who were alright, but probably are better appreciated in a small club than this space. Unfortunately, half the audience was in the lobby during their set.
I've seen The Shins in smaller venues, and watching them, I felt curious as to why the band, now 10 years old, still had some weak moments in their set. Honestly, "New Slang" sounded really sloppy.
I did like a few of the songs from the new record though. However, the concert was a little disappointing. I think they are better in medium sized clubs rather than these large halls.

The Walkmen with The Broken West and Ferraby Lionheart at the Ottobar

2007-03-10T08:39:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to the Ottobar to see one of my favorites, The Walkmen, play. Opening up were two groups from LA.
First, a guy called Ferraby Lionheart, who I wasn't really into. He wore a Tom Waits hat and was so skinny that you could see it in his face. He sang so-so folk songs that never really excited the crowd who talked during his set.
The next group was The Broken West, who did a better job of getting the audience attention. They were alright- they reminded me of early Wilco.
I still contend that The Walkmen are one of the best bands to see live right now, and they never fail to disappoint when I see them play. They were amazing. In the Ottobar, especially so because of the intimacy of the venue. Particularly good were performances of "The Rat" and "All Hands and the Cook", and they played several new songs from their upcoming record.

Borbetomagus in Baltimore

2007-03-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

Last night, in a loft space at the H&H building, I saw legendary free music band Borbetomagus play.
These guys have been around since the 1970's and have at least 30 records. I remembered I discovered them because there stuff was always in front of Boredoms records.
Anyway, they were pretty amazing- loud and chaotic. There was a good turnout for them and, surprisingly, there were many women at the show, too.
I ran into a friend who I used to do college radio with years ago.

The Thermals with The Big Sleep & Statehood at Black Cat

2007-03-03T09:10:00.000-05:00

Last night was a great soldout show at the Black Cat with Portland's The Thermals.
Opening up was local group, Statehood. They had a lot of energy. Their sound was very post-punk. They actually reminded me some of Baltimore's Low Moda, but dancier- a lot of driving drums with staccato guitar. I enjoyed their set.
The second act was The Big Sleep from Brooklyn. They were ok- their sound was very rhythmic with a lot of feedback and electronic sounds. It became a little droning after a while - hence their namesake I guess.

The Thermals were pretty amazing live. They played with a incredible amount of energy, and the crowd was going crazy. Lead singer Hutch Harris was really charismatic on stage, and he seemed to really appreciate the excitement of the audience. Also, watching bassist Kathy Foster play was pretty hot- she has this cool mellow attitude to her performance- woo woo.

Happy Chinese New Year

2007-02-18T00:06:00.000-05:00

It's the year of the Golden Pig- Happy 4704!

Lily Allen at 9:30 Club

2007-02-17T23:45:00.000-05:00

Friday night, I went to see Lily Allen in a sold out show at the 9:30 Club. I had a great time.
The opener was Baltimore DJ Aaron Lacrate - I think mp3s should not be used for djing because the sound quality of his set was crap- the 9:30 has fantastic sound, and it sounded like a blown speaker was playing during his set.
Lily Allen was really impressive. I love her voice and the fact that her music has rocksteady and ska beats. She pretty much did all the songs from her debut record, Alright, Still, and to fill the rest of the set she did some pretty great covers of Keane's "Everybody's Changing", The Kooks' "Naive", and The Specials' "Blank Expression".

Vetiver and Vashti Bunyan at Rock & Roll Hotel

2007-02-10T08:51:00.000-05:00

Last night, I went to a venue that opened last year in DC, the Rock & Roll Hotel, to see, again, Vetiver and Vashti Bunyan. The space was pretty nice, and the sound was good at low volume, but when they cranked the system, it was just ok.
I caught the last part of the opener Vandaveer from DC. They were alright- his songs were nice.
Vashti Bunyan then played. She was so soft spoken on stage, but her songs were nice. Accompanying her were some of the musicians from last week's Carnegie Hall show as well as the cellist from the Espers.

Vetiver followed, and they were pretty great. They started by playing a fantastic song by Bobby Charles. Andy Cabic said that the album it's on is not in print, but that the record was produced by Rick Danko and had members of the The Band on it.
Vetiver played a more mellow set at the Carnegie Hall show, but last night, they rocked out more, which was pretty great.

My Fav Superbowl Spot

2007-02-05T07:01:00.000-05:00

GPS POWER!

Ennio Morricone at Radio City Music Hall

2007-02-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

Last night, I was lucky enough to go to the North American debut of famous soundtrack composer and pending honorary Acadamy Award recipient Ennio Morricone. Performing with him was the Roma Simfonietta and a chorus of about 100 singers. They played a lot of his "greatest hits" including music from The Mission, The Untouchables, and The Sicilian Clan. However, by far, the highlight of the evening was his medley of music from the westerns of Sergio Leone.

Welcome to Dreamland at Carnegie Hall

2007-02-04T09:59:00.000-05:00

Friday night, I went to my first concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall to see a show curated by David Byrne called Welcome to Dreamland. The concert was his introduction to the Weird America - Freak Folk scene that has been around in the last few years.
I sat in front of Jonathan Demme, too.

First up was CocoRosie. I didn't get any pics of them, but I have blogged about them before. Sierra Cassady sounded amazing with the Carnegie Hall acoustics. They brought along Spleen to back them up, and the crowd really responded to their set. They played a few new songs that sounded good.

Cibelle, the Brazillian singer, then sang one song on her own before the next act, Adem played his set.

Adem was really good. He definitely fell more into the tradition of British Folk. I liked that he did his song "Spirals"- it's one of my favorites. He had Vashti Bunyan sing his song "Pillow", and it was really beautiful.

Up next was psychedelic country rock band Vetiver. They played a nice downtempo set, and I can't state enough how the acoustics of Carnegie Hall really made these artists sound amazing.

Vashti Bunyan followed, and she was really good. Highlights were when she played "Diamond Day" and "Lately".

Last up was Devendra Banhart. This was my first time seeing him and he was pretty amazing. He played songs ranging in style from folk to a Portugese song to an all out psychedelic rock jam. His guitarist was pretty amazing as well.

The show ended with David Byrne and all of the artists in the show coming out and singing a Moondog song, "Be a Hobo". All in all, it was a really amazing event to have seen.

Orange Snow

2007-02-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

Shoot- so sorry to people who stumble upon this blog for the scarcity of posts in January.
I promise to be better about blogging this month.
Did anyone read about the orange snow in Russia. The report is that the snow in the Omsk region of the country came down orange and yellow!?!
The snow also supposedly formed oily pools, and smelled terrible.
No word on the cause, but I got a sneaking suspicion some butthead trying to make a buck is behind this.

Camera Obscura with The Essex Green at 9:30 Club

2007-01-24T00:17:00.000-05:00

Monday evening, I went to the 9:30 Club to see Camera Obscura play.
Opening up was a Brooklyn band called The Essex Green. I only thought they were okay- well intentioned but just not great.
They had a pop-rock sound like The New Pornographers, but without a woman with a voice as strong as Neko Case and without a lyricist like Dan Bejar.
Needless to say, I was not surprised by their Gram Parsons cover.
Camera Obscura played at the Black Cat last year, but it was nice to hear them at 9:30 because of the better sound system. It was also an impressively crowded club for a Monday night show. Despite a few technical difficulties with the acoustic guitar, the band was great.
They mentioned how they like local band Georgie James, and lo and behold, John and Laura from that band could be seen watching Camera Obscura from the balcony.
I just also want to add, the young lady in front of me looked just like the sister from Dexter on Showtime,

The Beach House and High Water at Floristree Space

2007-01-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Last night after the movies, I returned to the Floristree Space for a show. It was the CD release for local band Arbouretum on Thrill Jockey.
Opening was a band called Highwater. They were pretty interesting- a quartet featuring drums, bass, keyboard and cello. They had a nice slow rock sound and the lead singer reminded me of Neil Young and John Fogerty.
Up next was local "Pitchfork effect" band, The Beach House. They have been getting a lot of blogger buzz since their debut release last year. I'm glad that in Baltimore, they still play DIY places like Floristree. They introduced a few new songs that sounded great.
Alas, I was tired after they were done, so I missed the headliners. Sorry.

A Connection to Letters From Iwo Jima

2007-01-20T07:34:00.000-05:00

So, I went to see Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima last night. I loved it. It's a pretty damn great war film telling a story about a side of WWII I hadn't seen before.
One of the leads, Tsuyoshi Ihara, who plays Baron Nishi, is friends with my cousin in Japan! I had dinner with him about 2 years ago. He was impressed that I knew him, but alas it was because I was a nerd. I placed him in one of the Gamera films.

Emily Haines & Soft Skeleton with Tall Firs at 9:30 Club

2007-01-11T09:12:00.000-05:00

The 9:30 Club was really cold last night for the Emily Haines show. It was also my first seated show there. To top that off, DC now has a smoking ban in all bars and clubs!
Opening up was a band called Tall Firs. I was a little disappointed in their low-key electro-acoustic style at first, but after their third song I began to enjoy their set. I liked it when they played off each other's guitar sounds, and I actually was enjoying a dissonant section when they stopped and admitted they had goofed up on a song.

Emily Haines was really good. Upon first listen to her record, it was really quiet and a little boring, but the songs live were much better. I didn't think she needed to have a projector and a Powerbook for visuals because it was nice just to watch her play music.
I enjoyed her crowd banter, and was really impressed by her humble nature. She's considered one of the "indie hotties", but she was very sweet. She ended with a really nice cover of Neil Young's "Expecting to Fly".

Back from Blog-cation

2007-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple weeks.
What with the holidays and all, I decided to take a break from posts.
It has been eventful though:
- Xmas with the family
- Went to Brooklyn to hang with some friends
- Enfant Terrible and his girlfriend got engaged
- My friends in Michigan had a baby!
- Licking pants and Studio Acorn opened a new storefront
- Spent New Year's in Carroll County near the corporate headquarters of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers
- went to get new glasses and found out I need reading glasses - I'm Old!

Spank Rock, Sweatheart, and Shodekeh at Talking Head

2006-12-24T02:36:00.000-05:00

Last night, went again to one of the last few shows at the Talking Head Club in Baltimore.
This evening was a concert featuring underground hip hop artist Spank Rock and the DJs known as the Baltimore Bass Connection.
First up was Sodekeh, member of the International Beatbox Association, with his beatbox partner Max G.
They were pretty cool. I liked it when they recreated the Clipse's "Grindin'" beat. I think he was also using circular breathing in some parts.
The second act was a group from South Philly called Sweatheart. The band had Amanda Blank who also raps with Spank Rock. They were rock-electro-pop band that had hilarious songs about finger banging and diarrhea. All the members of the band had on oversized t-shirts and tights.
By the time Spank Rock hit the stage, the Talking Head was packed and hot. This has been quite a year for this regional hip hop artist.
Needless to say, it was an incredibly high energy set. They let audience members dance up on stage with them. It got pretty chaotic, but it was fun, reminding more of a house party than a concert.
Amanda Blank joined Spank Rock on a few songs. A South Philly girl who raps filthy lyrics - hot!
I was kitty cornered stage right near the speaker, and I was lucky to shoot some great closeup pictures of the night.

Year End Lists - My Top 10 Records of 2006

2006-12-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

This is going to be tough. I don't know if I can subscribe to ranking these albums this way, but what the heck.

1. Joanna Newsom - Ys
-gotta admit, I love her voice and her pretentiously long songs - so bleah to all you haters

2. Scott Walker - The Drift
-"that's a swanky suit" - another difficult listen for the normals, but when did I ever say I was normal.

3. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
-his voice is like a straight man's Rufus Wainwright with backing by A Hawk and a Hacksaw, one of my favorite bands.

4. Cat Power - The Greatest
-I love Chan's voice, and the pairing with the Memphis Rhythm Band is great.

5. Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's Block
-Swedish pop- it's all for the kids!

6. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
-I am glad more people are listening to Dan Bejar, but he does fall into the acquired taste music I fawn over.

7. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
-They carry the twee torch that Belle & Sebastian are slowly moving away from.

8. Girl Talk - Night Ripper
-Philly has Diplo and now Girl Talk - DJs I actually care about.

9. The Knife - Silent Shout
-More Swedes that the kids are crazy over. You just gotta dance!

10. Susanna & The Magic Orchestra - Melody Mountain
-Better than Nouvelle Vague and weirder covers - KISS, Leonard Cohen, AC/DC

Noted reissues:
Karen Dalton - It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best
Hermine - The World on My Plates
The Orchids reissues
Josef K - Entomology
This Heat - Out of Cold Storage
White Mice - s/t
Rita Lee - Hoje é o Primero Dia do Resto de Sua Vida

Year End Lists: My Top 10 TV Moments of 2006

2006-12-20T23:22:00.000-05:00

1. The Wire
What an amazing 4th season for The Wire- it seemed to be finally getting the critical hype it deserves this year, too.
Gotta love the moment when Omar, in his bathrobe, walks the streets of Baltimore terrifying the corner kids and even scoring a package.

2. Battlestar Galactica
This year saw the end of season 2 as well as half of season 3 - some less consistent episodes recently, but it's still damn good sci-fi. I loved the episode liberating New Caprica with the Galactica in the atmosphere, and the final battles of the Pegasus.

3. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
The best food-travel show ever. My favorite episode was Quebec. It inspire me on a trip to Au Pied De Cochon for foie gras poutine. However the best moment was when he shared a raw seal carcass with an eskimo family. The old ladies laughing with blood on their faces was priceless. He ate the eye!

4. The Office
This show is definitely a distinct item from it's UK inspiration. I loved "The Merger" episode, particularly Ed Helms' Andy vs. Dwight.

5. How I Met Your Mother
What can I say - Robin Sparkles!
"Let's Go to the Mall!"

6. The Colbert Report
This was Colbert's year- I think it really came to light at the White House Correspondant's Dinner, but gosh darn, my nerd side loved the Green Screen challenge. It even brought Lucas out!
And with last night's Decemberist's shredding challenge, Colbert's da man!

7. Deadwood
Dan Dority vs. the Captain!

8. South Park
"Make Love, Not Warcraft" - a fitting tribute to our friends lost to the World of Warcraft. I know someone I have not seen or heard from in 2 years because of this game.

9. The Headbutt
Just because of how the Italian team were so obnoxious taking dives during the World Cup final, I think we all wanted to headbutt them on their asses like the great Zidane did. Even though he didn't win the match, we all won.

10. Tyler & Roeper
With Ebert out for his illness, this show has had a series of guest critics with Richard Roeper. You got to finally figure out if A. O. Scott actually liked or disliked a movie.
However, the best part was discovering Aisha Tyler is kind of nerdy. Her video picks one week were Ong Bak and Old Boy!

Diplo at The Talking Head Club

2006-12-19T01:50:00.000-05:00

So, unfortunately, at the end of the year, Baltimore's Talking Head Club (formerly The Ottobar) is shutting down for good because of the building being sold.
It's the club where I've seen a lot of "Freak Folk" acts like Vetiver, Espers, Josephine Foster, and Six Organs of Admittance as well as great smaller indie groups like The Ponys, Jason Forrest, and JOMF.
They have a pretty interesting lineup for their last couple weeks of shows.
Tonight, was the final night for Taxlo's Taxidermy Lodge- it's put on by a local group of DJs, but the highlight was an appearance by Diplo from Philly.
He was pretty awesome - he did a lot of his mixes with Baile Funk as well as Dancehall, but he also included a lot of great 80's classics. He also knew when to leave a song alone and to let some of them just play. Such was the case with "Gigantic" and "Under Pressure"
Things I learned about dance music tonight:
1. Daft Punk is such a force of current dance music, it's not funny.
2. The 80's ruled! - I knew this already I guess
3. Baltimore dance parties are pretty damn awesome because of the diversity of people attending.

Year End Lists : My Top 10 Concerts of 2006

2006-12-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

I went to a heckuva lot of shows this year- seeing some acts multiple times. Here are my favorites:
1. The Touch & Go 25th Anniversary Festival - in particular Killdozer and Big Black - a great lineup of bands from my young adulthood that I also got to see with a bunch of my Midwestern mates.
2. Joanna Newsom at Black Cat - I know it's love her or hate her- I loved her show!
3. The Walkmen at Johnny Brenda's - hands down, they are the most promising, solid new rock band, and yes, this was just yesterday.
4. Art Brut at the Ottobar - I love Eddie Argos with the mustache- They were hilarious live- best sing-along act.
5. Beirut at Warehouse Next Door - a really nice show I felt lucky to have gotten into considering all the hype in the blogosphere.
6. Camera Obscura at Black Cat - They released a great record this year, and gosh darn it, I love that scottish twee sound.
7. Belle & Sebastian at Merriweather Post Pavillion - despite seeing them 3 times this year- this was my favorite of their shows mainly cause I could sit on my ass and eat a brat during the show.
8. The Concretes at 9:30 club - a show where there were maybe 30 people there. the band then cancelled their US tour early and then broke up. they were great.
9. Jose Gonzalez, Juana Molina & Psapp at Black Cat - another packed show thanks to the Pitchfork effect, and I managed to block the view of some short prick
10. Espers & Brightblack Morning Light at Talking Head - I really like the freak folk!

Runnerups include seeing the goofy sober Cat Power with the Memphis Rhythm Band, The reunited Pogues, and Scritti Politti on his first US tour.

The Walkmen at Johnny Brenda's

2006-12-17T03:37:00.000-05:00

I went up to Philly yesterday for a friend's Christmas party, but I managed to also get tickets to a special holiday show put on by one of my favorite bands, The Walkmen, at a small club called Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown.
Opening up was a local Pa. musician, Brother JT. He had a blues rock sound and his voice reminded me of a less hoarse M. Ward. It was ok - a lot of energy, but the guitar playing in the solos was kind of sloppy.

As ever, The Walkmen were pretty amazing live. The venue was really nice and intimate, and the crowd was really feeling the love for the band. I saw them play in Philly in May at TLA, but last night's show was way better. The sound was also much improved from the other venue. This show was apparently set up by the now disbanded Mazarin, who are friends with The Walkmen.
The band played a great set of songs from their last couple records (no Pussycats stuff though) and I think some new tunes that sounded nice. This time, they had 3 ladies on horns through several songs (instead of just "Louisiana").
I was also really happy they played their holiday single, "Christmas Party" with one of the guys from Mazarin reading the spoken part of the song off paper plates. They also did a rocked out version of "White Christmas".

The Ex with DJ Rupture and Low Moda at the Ottobar

2006-12-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Monday night, I went to the Ottobar to see art punk rockers, The Ex play.
Opening up was Baltimore's Low Moda. This local post-punk band just released a record on their own label, Creative Capitalism, called Gospel Store Front. It's worth checking out.
They definitely are tighter and tighter each time I see them play.
Next up was DJ Rupture. I have a few of his mixes, some of which can be really interesting listening to. Live, as with most DJs, he was kind of boring to watch cuing up records and adjusting levels. I was also disappointed that he had to appeal to the crowd and played "Sexy Back" and "Crazy" to "pump up" the audience. Zzzz.
I saw headliners, The Ex, play at the Touch & Go Anniversary festival in the late summer. At that show, the guitarist bled all over his guitar.
At the Ottobar, they rocked!
Even sans bassist, they sounded loud and driving. It was also pretty awesome that the Ottobar audience were really into the band.

Why Pitchfork is Stupid, Pt. 4,352

2006-12-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

So Pitchfork, in their esteemed wisdom reviewed the reissue of Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas album, and what do you know, it got an 8.3!?!

Good grief - how can this timeless classic album be rated lower than albums by The Pipettes, Chavez, and The Hold Steady.

Incidentally, I was talking to a booker for one of DC's venues, and she said that the so-called "pitchfork effect" was making it harder for the booking of bands because internet virtual hype inflated the prices of touring bands - even with acts who had no prior tour experience. I do worry when a select few become tastemakers for the public - the new payola is online.

The Wire 4.13 - Final Grades

2006-12-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

Whew, what a season - The Wire finished it's fourth season last night with a fantastic episode filled with a lot of heartbreak sprinkled with a teeny-tiny bit of hope.
The stories of the four boys all came to an end with very mixed results.
I loved seeing McNulty giving another shot at real police work. I also liked seeing the reappearance of the Greek's man with Prop Joe. Poor poor Bubs.
The parallels of Carcetti's political career with that of our future Governor and outgoing Mayor O'Malley are really interesting.
My favorite scene was with Bodie and McNulty in the park and how the sunlight seemed to darken for a moment- it was beautiful and sad.
I wonder when they'll start filming in town for the new season. . .

Why I Want a Wii

2006-12-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

The Wire 4.12 - That's Got His Own

2006-12-04T19:49:00.000-05:00

The most recent Wire episode was probably one of the darkest episodes of the series for me. Because of the storylines this year following the kids, all the events that occured on the episode were especially sad because of what all the events hold for their futures. Sadly, now, all of them have lost their parents - from Dukie leaving Prez for high school to Randy's tragedy.
For those who don't know Baltimore well, the stable where Bubbles gets advice is for the horses that are used to draw fruit and vegetable carts around this city. Yes, Baltimore still has these fruit carts - one comes around my neighborhood in the late afternoons.

David Lynch's Inland Empire

2006-12-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to see David Lynch and his newest film Inland Empire this weekend in New York.
I loved the movie- it was scary and emotional. The byline says the film is about "a woman in trouble." David Lynch came out before the film and introduced a trumpeter who opened the film with a short piece. Afterwards, Laura Dern and Justin Theroux joined Mr. Lynch onstage for a Q&A.

Fun Montreal Signage

2006-11-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the paucity of posts recently. Holidays, home-closings, and road trips.
Here are some signs from Montreal.

Couche Tard- basically 7-11 for Quebec- also a good mix tape by Spank Rock and The BBC guys.

No ice cream or cameras!?!