All Points West Pt 2 - K’naan, the Roots, Radiohead - Liberty State Park 08/09/08
Current mood: awake
Category: Music
The good stuff! 5pm: Somali hiphop artist and about-to-be world music star K'naan took the smallest of the three stages, with probably the biggest backstory of the festival. Ck out his Wikipedia entry, his myspace page, and his own website cause his journey from Mogadishu, Somalia, to the UN, to Harlem, to Ontario is worth it.
After "the African Way," K'naan admitted that his recent Lollapalooza appearance, he entirely forgot the whole second verse of a song, only to see the front row of dedicated young fans mouthing the correct words in disdain, as he "made some stuff up. . . hey, I recorded that album, like four years ago"
His stage presence is remarkably relaxed, direct, and intimate; his lyrics are fierce, poetic, and intricate. The small but dedicated crowd was treated to several tunes from his upcoming album, Troubaour, and his neat explanation of the original 11c. French troubadours, with whom he feels a bond.
He admitted that the album is supposed to come out in September. "but it won't," he said with a smile. "because I haven't finished it." The album was recorded at Bob Marley's old house in Jamaica, where K'naan talked about feeling the amazing spiritual vibe, and features contributions by Ziggy Marley and Junior Gong--probably along with other Marley offspring, with whom K'naan is close, sharing not only Marley style but also dedication to the ideals of Bob.
Tunes from Troubaour included the upfront "I Come Prepared," the plea to "Take a Minute," and "abcs"--available now, free somewhere via some kind of special telephone download. Many were punctuated w/some crazy street sounds and whooping sirens, courtesy of dj One Tyme, who used to spin behind reggae/dancehall fave Elephant Man.
Exhorting the crowd to sing along "ha hey" to some Somali prompts, K'naan kind of gave up in despair at the enthusiastic but rhthym-challenged response. He finished up with the beautiful "Waving Flag" ["they call me freedom . . . just like a waving flag"] and returned for an encore of his worldwide hit "Soobax."
7:30 The Roots on the second largest stage. Un-f*cking believable. The Roots play with all live orchestration, and Black Thought rips it up onstage with breathtakingly deft raps over insanely great work by the band. Here he is with ?uestlove on drums
Guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas played with the tunes, the beats, and the kind of cocky self-assured mastery that you get only . . . when you're actually a master. From jazzy bits of "Favorite Things" to the opening to Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," it seemed like Douglas channeled every African American guitar hero from Jimi Hendrix to Robert Johnson from his giant cranium into his taut, live-wire body.
On the sousaphone, "Tuba Gooding, Jr." postured like he was vying for Class Clown in the yearbook but played like a man who knows the power of the large horn like a bass, adding some serious weight on the beat to the very body-cavity thumping lines coming out of the speakers. Heavy, man. and funny as hell at the same time.
The Roots ended with a brilliant frenzy of jazz, rock, R'n'B, TSOP, synths and more in perfect synch with the crowd. Without a doubt, they were the best live performance of the show, melding moment-by-moment improv brilliance with the mounting crowd excitement, feeding one off the other to show how live music should be done.
8:30 Radiohead This is how live music IS done, when you are one of the most popular, cerebral, and venerated bands of the decade playing to about 50,000+ people in an outdoor field with no raked seating, no natural amphitheater, and no room. I always feel like Radiohead's stuff is kinda chamber music for rock fans, capable of being both intellectually and emotionally huge yet incredibly personal and searingly intimate at once. They seem an odd match for an outdoor megafestival, yet Thom Yorke's quirky posturings and spamodic, nerdly dance moves manage to translate strangely well via multiscreen monitors and their justly celebrated and very sophisticated light show.
Opening with Reckoner, they played (this is not a set list) Kid A, You're All I Need, Nude (no remixes!) We are fishes, Wakey Wakey, No Surprises, Bangers and Mash, among much else. Occasionally calling to mind the chill of Pink Floyd, they nonetheless managed to communicate with the crowd despite practically no banter, except when Yorke screwed up Videotape. They ended with two encores, including Pyramid Song and Fake Plastic Trees.
then, once again meek and bleating, we sheep, denuded and shorn of our cash, humbly lined up for an almost two-hour wait to get on the ferries. for a 15-minute ride.
but for nine hours of music, a sunny day, and the Roots and Radiohead, it was worth it. nyah, nyah, border guard -- despite your best efforts, I didn't give your corporate masters any cash, for I didn't buy ANY food - i had managed to sneak some granola bars and a Milky Way in, after all ; )
All Points West Pt. 1 - Nicole Atkins, Chromeo, Metric-Liberty State Park 08/09/08
Current mood: energetic
Category: Music
All Points West - a 3-day extravaganza of 3 stages filled with the top indy/alternative (well, sort of) music the current scene has to offer.
A more corporate, managed, ultra-controlled and manufactured experience it would be hard to imagine, esp compared the previous evening's arty collectivist goodness of 88Boadrum (see previous blog).
apw was on an "island" off Jersey City that required a ferry ride to reach. A $20 per person (purchased in advance on Ticketb@ast@ard, or $30 at the landing) ferry ride. The expensive, highly limited parking passes were were sold out far in advance.
The trip from Wall St via NY Water Taxi took 15 mins., tops. it took longer to walk the causeway from the ferry to the showgrounds than to ferry from Manhattan to "liberty" island.
the only thing liberated on "liberty" isle was our cash. Already bleating like sheep, we were herded toward gates where Draconian gatekeepers went thru everyone's bags, ruthlessly collecting contraband - not cannabis, but even MORE evil -- i.e., food.
No food allowed. I had brought a single whole wheat pita with a little peanut butter spread. GONE. Because white bread and much festival food just screws w/my stomach, and I was gonna be in the sun for 9 hours, w/only my pal PortaJohn nearby, it seemed like a good idea. NOT. I was advised I could bring in food only with a doctor's letter. As I hollered, "Better give that to the homeless!" the pita was carried away.
here's the border guard, holding the offending flatbread:
The place was hilariously fake and corporate, but the music was fine. Saw Your Vegas, Nicole Atkins, The Virgins, Chromeo, the Black Angels, Metric, a bit of Animal Collective, K'naan, the Roots, and, of course, Radiohead. Missed Kings of Leon and a few others.
here are the photos, all courtesy mr. twi-ny of This Week in New York. (for MANY MORE that will blow you away with their excellence and general coolness, you must go here: This Week in New York's FLICKR. Seriously!)
Nicole Atkins was charming, quirky, and a pretty funny songwriter. "Pork, Grilled Egg, and Cheese"was a highlight.
Chomeo was their usual silly Francophile disco dancebeat self. I didn't stay for much of their set, since it seemed exactly the same as the one they used when they opened for Justice.
Next on the main stage was Metric. Emily Haines is to Metric as Debbie Harry was to Blondie. They are not the band, but they are.
Next, the good parts:K'naan, the Roots, and Radiohead. yee=hah these bands were hot!
The Best Drum Show EVER!!! 88boadrum, 88 drummers at 8:08 on 8/8/08 , Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Current mood: chill
Category: Music
At 8:08pm, on 8/08/08, on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn, NY, 88 drummers gathered to perform.
This was a revisiting of the 77 drum extravaganze on 7/7/07 - and it was AMAZING.
The piece was created and orchestrated by the Boredoms, who performed it LA this year, while electronic dance faves Gang Gang Dance led it here in Brookly.
Best event EVER. it was FREE, and nothing was being sold. Instead, a silk-screen station would silk-screen t-shirts for the first 300 attendees,
or, later, silk-screen whatever you felt like taking off and getting silk-screened!
tho' sponsored by nike, it was the antithesis of the corporate arts spectacle/festival. The vibe was super cool, super respectful, . . and the music was incredible.
Siren Music Fest Coney Island, NYC, 7/19/08
Current mood: content
Category: Music
Where to begin? first, the Village Voice's Siren fest at Coney Island has been around for 8 years, but I have never been there. It gets a bad rap for being stupid crowded, super hot, managed like Bush running a laundromat, and generally a bad time is had by all.
but . . .NOT - I went on Saturday, and from 2pm to 9pm, saw 7 great bands, many new, in a well-run showcase that went off like clockwork. Yes, it helped that I had a VIP press badge that got me in and out of the narrow crowd pens onto the boardwark quickly. Yes, it helped that my water and those damn energy drinks were free.
But LOTs of peeps had a good time,
mainly cuz the Voicers in charge made the shows run super-tight.
first up, we saw Brooklyn's own Parts and Labor w/pal Kerry, who's hubby's currently playing w/the Mendoza Line. Very fine. Many pix are up on This Week in New York's photostream on Flickr - but not here.
then Film School, Times New Viking (fave band name of 08), and the Annuals.
both Times New Viking (a rather TV on the Radio-like sound)
and the Annuals (from Raleigh, NC, sporting a somewhat generic indy south pop tone)
featured a hot chick keyboardist and sweet guitars.
But the "new" (at least to me) band standouts were Ra Ra Riot and Islands.
Ra Ra Riot of Syracuse, had a gorgeous blond singer, who looked like he should have been homecoming king but decided to be really cool instead,
and two female strings virtuosos, on electronic violin and cello,
plus bass, lead guitar, and drums. Their anthemic, strings-laced sounds were drenched in swooping pure rock joy, and roused the crowd from its late afternoon torpor to Cyclone-style heights.
The quirky Islands, from Montreal, Canada, had some serious star power, from the weirdass fascination of the lead singer, whose entrance was canned ]
to the hotties on violins, who looked suspiciously like brothers -- one of whom sported an ultracool look worthy of a Johnny To movie villian-hero
to the surprise appearance of Despot, a rather small but fast rapper from Queens, who upheld the american way and seemed to be doing some sort of July 4 celebration about two weeks too late.
Riot and Islands built the momentum just right for the featured artist Mr. Twi-ny and I chose to see, having the choice between the excellent Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and Broken Social Scene.
I urged Mr. Twi-ny to check out BSS, whom I love; he responded "Are they one of those dancey things. . .they aren't too techno, are they?"
of course they are NOT. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, BSS is in the vein of Arcade Fire -- a collective of musicians who are a band as much as a bunch of loosely associated people who play together a lot. Feist was one of them. Brendan Canning is one of their guitarists. They have horns, about 4 or 5 more guitarists, and a rotating band of female singers and one main male one.
They are SO MUCH FUN. They did a fantastic version of Ibi Dreams of Pavement, and Fucked up Kid, and Fire Eyed Boy. And their sound swoops like the Cyclone, too, and they stump for Obama, and they bring ecstasy and joy and lots of rhythm and GUITARS, horns, percussionists, random female singers in cool dresses . . .they are known for playing with the musicians who show up. And they do it right.
it was night, it was done, we went home happy. check out ra ra, islands, and bss.
See Coney Island before its gone.
I'm glad I saw it one more time,like this.
Currently
listening
:
Broken Social Scene
By
Broken Social Scene
Release date: 2005-10-04
Dizzee Rascal Highline Ballroom NYC 7/18/08
Current mood: productive
Category: Music
British hiphop, rap, grime -- genrefy him anyway you want, but 21-y.o Dizzee Racal is something else, esp live.
Friday night in Manhattan at the small Highline Ballroom, with its a impressive soundsystem and functional, comfy vibe, Dizzee arrived about 10 mins before showtime -- concertgoing companion the lovely Leyla spotted him entering, with a posse of two and trademark Cap Back.
Bouncing on stage, with DJ Aaron LaCrate and his backup singer, Dizzee gave props to the propwer authorities in an RUN DMC black t-shirt and smoking red-and-black hightop Nikes.
He tore into the trademark high-energy highspeed lyrics of Where's Da G's, and the show was heavy on more material from his third album, Math + English, including Bubbles, Wanna Be, and a joyous Flex, which got a number of the ladies doing exactly that.
Dizz's relation to the crowd was a lot more relaxed and playful than that at his May 08 show, just two months ago at Webster Hall.
Probably cuz the crowd at Highline was 1) a lot more knowledgeable bout his music 2) a lot more British (he shouted out to 'the Brits' on several occasions, to massive response from at least 1/2 the crowd) 3) a lot more mixed, in age, race, and style 4) a lot better dancers.
Midway thru the show, a blistering rendition of his first US hit, Fix Up Look Sharp, got good response, but it was his show closer (accompanied on stage by three mysterious eminence grise of rap -- old guys, one with massive flash and a fine, fine, silver skull-headed cane) that brought down the house.
Was a privilege to hear what has topped the British charts for the last 5 weeks, Dizzee's mega hit "Dance With Me" -- that got the girls flexing, the bodies bumping, and the Brits cheering.
The crowds don't show up in NYC for Dizzee like they should - but we're lucky to get him in small venues. We'd never get near him in Britain!
Shows I Have Not Blogged
Current mood: rejuvenated
Category: Music
Why have i not blogged them? Cuz I am exhausted all the time. I also run a business and go to the gym when I'm not at a show. do you care? NO. I don't.
I have seen:
May 30, South Street Seaport: Die! Die! Die! Wire June 26, Central Park Summerstage: Turntables on the Hudson, Bebel Gilberto, Seu Jorge, Federico Aubele, Thievery Corporation June 27, South Street Seaport: Black Acid, King Khan and the BBQ, A Place to Bury Strangers July 4, Battery Park: The Feelies, Sonic Youth July 5, Central Park Summerstage: Apollo Sunrise, Dengue Fever, Rachid Taha July 9, Madison Sq Park: Ollabelle July 11, South Street Seaport: Abe Vigoda, Telepathe, No Age July 13, McCarren Pool: The Whip, Matt & Kim, the Breeders
Does anyone want a review of any one in particular? Here's some pix of the AWESOME Thievery Corp show:
She was a fave - best one I've seen. GreenSkirt was amazing - that's Seu Jorge behind her. She's Brazilian. I want to run away with her and go adventure in the Amazon! LouLou G - excellent but her mike sucked. Sleepy Wonder, one of three amazing reggae singers TC works with. dreads a flyin' -that's Roots of Roots and Zeebo, more reggae masters
yes, I can do that. Okay, maybe not so far w/the foot Sister Pat. So fine!
Pearl Jam in NYC - guest review
Current mood: energetic
Category: Music
well, I saw the Thievery Corp in Central Park, last night, on assignment for This Week in New York. A stupendous show. Review to come!
Meanwhile, Mr. Twi-ny himself saw Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden earlier in the week. check it out!
Tuesday, June 24, and Wednesday, June 25
"Why be satisfied," Eddie Vedder declared early on in Pearl Jam's first appearance at Madison Square Garden since July 2003. "We've got all night." Explaining that they had negotiated a deal that allowed them to play past curfew, Vedder led the band through thirty songs and more than two and a half hours of nonstop energy. On a very brief tour (twelve shows in nine cities in twenty days) organized around the group's recent appearance at Bonaroo, PJ is not out promoting an album, or even a specific political candidate. Instead, they are having a blast, mixing up setlists with songs from throughout their nearly twenty-year career.
Vedder seemed particularly pumped to be back in New York City, waxing poetic about its record stores — after playing "Spin the Black Circle" — and sharing memories of past gigs here. For the uninitiated, Pearl Jam shows have taken on the aura and epic proportions of Springsteen concerts, as fans know just what words to shout at and when to pump their fists in unison; the band mixes up the setlist every night, with songs about the working man and war; they make cover songs their own. On Tuesday night, they included the Who's "Love Reign o'er Me," Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," and the Ramones' "I Believe in Miracles," with special guest CJ Ramone. Most of the band has been together from the beginning, and chants of "Boooooooooooom!" ring out whenever keyboardist extraordinaire Boom Gaspard joins Pearl Jam onstage.
With Jeff Ament on bass, Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Mike McCready on lead guitar, and Matt Cameron on drums, Vedder led the ferocious crowd through such songs as "Corduroy," "Faithfull," "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," and "Even Flow," with McCready striking all the requisite guitar god poses (and holding a fierce duel with Gaspard on the Victoria Williams song "Crazy Mary") and Vedder rambling around the stage, occasionally stopping for a little wine and a cigarette. Vedder dedicated "Do the Evolution" to comedian George Carlin, who passed away Sunday, and the antiwar singalong "No More" to a seriously wounded Iraq veteran, making his cries of "I'm still alive" on the encore "Alive" that much more potent. (Of course, playing it immediately after the Ramones cover, he might have simply been celebrating that CJ was still with us, after the tragic deaths of Joey, Johnny, and DeeDee.) Ted Leo and the Pharmacists open the show.
Currently
listening
:
A Place to Bury Strangers
By
A Place to Bury Strangers
Release date: 2007-11-07
m’god, I’m pimping horses now
Current mood: warm
Category: Friends
well, not exactly.
More like my old friend Sarah, who's in the Washington Post today.
Sarah runs an AMAZING nonprofit farm called Great and Small that rescues horses and puts them to work in therapeutic riding, where kids and adults with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities learn to ride horses and relate.
Yes, Therapeutic Riding is a REAL therapy and it really helps. Sarah's had abused kids from inner-city DC who haven't spoken for months come out and wind up talking to the horses and really connecting. And adults in wheelchairs get up on a horse and be mobile. It is a beautiful farm and WAY cool. so ck it out! viddy below.
okay, I'll blog about last Friday's Wire show later, but for now, this tidbit about the intersection of book publishing and celebrity cultcha caught my eye - from most excellent book trade site Publishers Marketplace.
Book Expo America was held in Los Angeles this year; I didn't go, as it is getting kinda irrelevant (shh). But look what I missed!
PRINCE! to promote his new book 21 NIGHTS Prince invited a crowd of celebs to a show at his house - on a stage set up right next to his volleyball court. (I swear, that Charlie Murphy sketch on The Dave Chapelle Show is looking pretty veracious now.)
Per Michael Cader of Pub Marketplace, at the show were P. Diddy, Cameron Diaz (I wondered why I didn't see her at my gym this weekend - yes, she goes there), Eddie Murphy, neighbors Sylvester Stallone and Paul Reiser, as well as Olivia Newton John, Babyface, and Dr. Phil. Cader wrote: "Prince and his band set off one a solid hour-and-a-half set based on his own distinctive interpretations of classic rock hits like A Little Help From My Friends, Crimson & Clover, Wild Thing, Cream, You've Got the Look, Everyday People, Thank You For Letting Me Be Mice Elf Again, Honky Tonk Woman, and a finale of Purple Rain and 1999. As one Simon & Schuster attendee put it, 'the man has more funk per pound than anyone.' "
And a BIG thanks to Mr. Cader for posting the link to Prince's rented pad: "easily viewable via the web," on high-end LA real estate site.
I do loathe celebrity "culture" but I do love Prince. Wonder if there's a bootleg out there somewhere? . . .
awake
energetic
chill
content
productive
rejuvenated
warm
busy