A month ago, Yer, Jake and I trekked over to Chelsea on a snowy Sunday afternoon to check out the opening of "Banksy Does New York" at the Vanina Holasek Gallery.
As we rounded the 10th Avenue corner onto 27th, we discovered that many New Yorkers had also been struck with the same idea that day. We turned right back around and headed over to Benny's in the West Village to console our thirsty selves with $4 Black Flower margaritas.
As I stumbled home from Boat last night, I remembered that the Banksy show would only be up until the end of the month. I checked the website, confirmed that this Saturday was indeed the last day and vowed then and there to rise at the crack of noon and break my vow to avoid the city until January 2nd.
The Vanina Holasek Gallery is a very small space but it boasts three floors, which contained 30 or so of Banksy's pieces. On the top floor was a note encased in plastic, a "Buy one, get one for free" offer, in which he promised to replicate a copy of every piece sold somewhere on his favorite canvas, London, for free. Banksy is awesome.
Below are photos of some of the pieces in the show. I would urge you to check it out, but sadly, it's over. Until next time, Banksy!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Banksy does New York
Friday, December 28, 2007
2007: Year in lyrics
It’s that time of year again, and I'm not talking about the Holidays or the hordes of tourists parading through Midtown. I'm referring to everyone and their mom's "Top Albums of 2007" lists, a far more obnoxious annoyance which can't simply be ignored by avoiding certain parts of town.
I could tell you that I really dug Boxer and Person Pitch too but why would I want to when every other blog, magazine or publication has replicated identical lists ranging from 10 to 100 of the same titles? Instead, I've put together a top 10 of my favorite lyrics from 10 albums on most of those lists. (As ranked here by Pitchfork.)
10. "Tune in Tokyo" - Spoon - "Rythm and Soul" - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (#7)
Has anyone used this phrase since, like, the fifth grade? My favorite Spoon lyrics are actually the random "Yeah's," "Uh huh's" and "Oh no's" sporadically uttered by Britt Daniel but that seemed like a bit of a copout.
9. "Sticks and stones may break my bones / But words will never hurt me" - Panda Bear - "Carrots" - Person Pitch (#1)
Innovative album, undecipherable lyrics. But, if like me, you hunted them down on Noah Lennox's MySpace page; you also found gems like these. Another one that takes us back to those formative elementary school years.
8. "And a fall from you / Is a long way down / I've found a better way out - Beirut - "Cherbourg" - The Flying Cup Club (#40)
Insert smartass remark here. But wait...I don't have one. I just happen to think this is a sad, beautiful and hopeful sentiment all at once. Apparently, I do have a heart.
7. "Your life will fall apart" - The Arcade Fire - "Intervention" - Neon Bible (#27)
When Winn Butler sings "Working for the church while your life falls apart," Regine follows it with a high pitched "Your life will fall apart!!!!" It's completely dramatic yet simultaneously hilarious. I LOVE that.
6. "The other side of takeout / Is mildew on rice" - Animal Collective - "Peacebone" - Strawberry Jam (#6)
Before this, I never thought of takeout as being multi faceted. This completely changes the way I look at most takeout (Pizza remains unscathed though I believe the science could easily apply) and makes me ponder the temporary aspect of life overall. It’s deep.
5. "When I climb trees / Dem feet, dem tickle" - MIA - "Mango Pickle Down River" - Kala (#3)
A month ago, my coworker and I engaged in a heated Jamaican slang off over IM. We exchanged numerous lines of island dialogue and when my supply dried up, I took a chance with this and not only did it totally fly, but it was received with hearty laughter and a "You're funny." (Which I aim to be.) Thanks M.I.A.!
4. "Tiptoe through our shiny city / With our diamond slippers on" - The National - "Fake Empire" - Boxer (#17)
You know what I love about NYC bands? I can relate to their lyrics. This is precisely how I feel whilst prancing around town. But my all-time favorite National lyric is "Break my arms around the one I love" from “Daughters of the SoHo Riots” off of Alligator.
3. "And if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up / And I still don't wanna stagger home" - LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends" - Sound of Silver (#2)
How many summer nights does this describe? So many... Too many to count. I'm right there with you James.
2. "Physics makes us all its bitches" - Of Montreal - "Gronlandic Edit" - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (#5)
Choosing one favorite lyric from an album like this must be like trying to decide which of your kids is your favorite. Can I just say all of "The Past is a Grotesque Animal?" Even that seems unfair.
1. "You used to be alright / What happened? / Et cetera et cetera..." - Radiohead - "15 Step" - In Rainbows (#4)
Never in all my years of music listening have three short lines or eleven words described the way I feel about the artist that penned them so eloquently.
And that's it! Here's to 2008 and all the lyrical goodness that shall accompany it. We should be seeing new albums from Sia, Cat Power, Hot Chip, Mountain Goats, Goldfrapp, Autechre, M83, Portishead, Of Montreal, Death Cab for Cutie and Ladytron, just to name a few.
A Happy and safe New Year to everyone out there from the Lazy Robots crew. See you in ’08!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Fashion Blogging
I'd like to encourage those bloggers out there, whether you are fashion-obsessed or not to check out the Costume Institute's latest exhibition, blog.mode: addressing fashion. The exhibition opens today and I managed to snap a few photos for you guys during the press previews yesterday. Enjoy and peruse the exhibition's blog for some fashion reading!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Five for Friday
New Hot Chip
Not one but two new Hot Chip tracks dropped on the net this week. The first is a Jesse Rose remix of their upcoming single "Ready For The Floor” and the second is their remix of Everything But The Girl's Tracey Thorn's cover of the Pet Shop Boys “King’s Cross." Discobelle is already saying that their upcoming album "will most likely be one of THE albums in 2008." Absolutely can't wait to get my hands on this one.
Explosions in the Sky Tour
Unless you got pre sale tickets for the New York stop of Explosions in the Sky's supposed last tour, tickets go on sale at noon today. I'm not sure Terminal 5 will be a great venue for this but it's not to be missed either way.
New Portishead
Where were you in 94...94...94...when Dummy dropped and changed your life? It's been a whole decade since we've seen a new Portishead album, excluding their live releases. Urb posted three new songs and videos from the band on Monday. It's about time.
Let's ride
It was nice to see a skate shop pop up on Smith Street earlier this year. But it was even nicer to see a flyer from them on my doorstep yesterday morning advertising snowboard trips leaving from the location starting December 15th. Hella convenient.
We're moving!
Buh bye Blogger! The bots are taking the blog elsewhere. We're moving this operation over to http://www.lazyrobots.net in the near future. Stay tuned!
Merry Stache-mas!
Sadly, my days of walking dogs in Williamsburg and planting flowers in Fort Greene Park have come to a screeching halt in light of the weather but it's important to remain benevolent during the holiday season. And what better way is there to give back to the community than by growing a sweet mustache...for the kids! It's the only good deed I can think of that will not only make you feel warm inside but also keep your upper lip warm in the frosty nights of winter.
A friend of mine is doing just that for the New York chapter of "Mustaches For Kids", an organization that's been raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other children's charities since 1999. This year they're supporting DonorsChoose.org to improve at-need public schools.
So check out my friend Steve's profile, check out their hilarious FAQ, make a donation and hop on over to the Montauk Club in Park slope at 8pm on Saturday, December 15 for the grand finale, The 'Stache Bash.
Anyone else find it ironic that growing a creepy mustache can benefit school kids while simultaneously getting you banned from being within 500 feet of a school?
Sunday, December 9, 2007
All Quiet on the Brooklyn Front
A Look at Old Skool Bronx
Well, its been quiet, finals are bulldozing through and I've spent most of my rockstar/partytime lost in various libraries and in every book known to man concerning the beginnings of hip-hop starting in the mid-70s and early 80s, some call this the true "old school." The music evolved on the streets of the Bronx as an alternative to street and gang violence, inspired by multiple music genres and cultures and spread by DJs at house and block parties. The Jamaican dancehall culture with their booming mobile sound systems were a great source of inspiration for early pioneers of hip-hop, what up, Dj Kool Herc! Starting as early as 1973, Kool Herc would plug his rigged sound system (made from old TV sets) into street lampposts and start spinning old school jams, sampling a bit of funk, jazz, R&B and blues. His sister would throw house parties charging 25 cents for the ladies and 50 cents for the gentlemen, it's nice to know we still get in cheaper! The party favors: malt liquor and 40oz beers, my kind of party. The parties would be about dancing, something, I've been feeling nostalgic for, not exactly the b-boy/girl parties of the late 70s and 1980s, but the parties I knew so well in the 90s.
When is dance coming back and what has happened to Hip-Hop? I have this theory that if everyone started wearing baggier clothes, dance will come back, you really can't move in cigarette jeans and concerning Hip-Hop, well, it's interesting to see how it has transcended America and has become a global phenomena, but where's the future? Bling and violence, booty and sex? I hope not . . .
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Banksy Craze
Unfortunately, our trek in the snow to see Banksy at the Vanina Holasek Gallery ended in a resounding, "I will not stand in this line!" Our refusal was plain logic since the show will be up for the next month (duh!) and who wants to elbow their way through an art show, anyway? Apparently these crazy folks in line did.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Dear God,
It's me Yer and I just wanted to thank you for bringing Banksy to New York.
I've admired the politicking, graffiti artist and ninja, Banksy, for a long time now since first discovering his mad hatter ways while living in London and seeing his art work canvas the city. I love his incognito ways, his graphic style, his political balls busting imagery. Can I go as far as saying, Banksy is my hero? No, because he wouldn't want me to believe in heroes. Well, let me just say he's the no. 1 badass, next to Bruce Lee, of course and I'm thankful he is a part of this generation of artists.
Bansky uses his medium to attack and question all that is wrong with today's society and he continues to say something with his art and I love this kind of sensibility. Even though there's been flack about how his art work has been selling for millions and how he's a sell out, aren't the real suckers the museums and dealers willing to pay these crazy prices, esp. since his work is mostly public art already?
I'd be content with staying in all weekend just to prepare myself for the opening on Sunday at the Vanin Holasek Gallery but the no. 1 DJ extraordinaire and overall HOTTIE, Diplo, is in town so I'll try to hit up that up, but Banksy, I'm really saving myself for you, love.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Lazy Obsessions
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Ladies and Gentlemen, Diplo’s back
I think I’ve made it abundantly clear on this space that I love Diplo and that some of the most off the hook soirées in my New York repertoire took place in his presence. Though I missed his last stop through town, who could forget this night at Studio B?
And how hard did we rage at his Apple Store appearance (aka the Apple Store BYOB extravaganza) the night before S’s birthday this summer?
And long before the birth of Lazy Robots, Y and I danced our faces off at the Diplo/CSS/Bonde Do Role show at the Warsaw in Greenpoint, where sweat and polish sausage mixed in the air filling it with an interesting odor like none I’d encountered before.
Simply put, it’s always a good time when Diplo drops by and he’s gracing us with his presence once more on November 30th at Studio B. Tickets are available here. I just bought mine. Don’t sleep!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Artists and commercials
When the temperature drops and winter lurks around the corner, I tend to let laziness dominate and hole up in my apartment. So last night, I cozily curled up in front of the TV and turned on the American Music Awards. Unfortunately, because I have Tivo and fast forward through all the commercials, I missed the only interesting thing about happened during that broadcast.
Halfway through the show, a T Mobile ad aired featuring Of Montreal. The commercial, which you can check out here, revealed the band sitting in a hotel room when their manager calls a band meeting (very Murray of Conchords) and informs the group that he’s chatting with Japanese promoters about their upcoming reunion tour. A few lines of dialogue are exchanged and the spot ends with “Gronlandic Edit” playing under a voiceover.
Admittedly, I wince more often than not when I hear one of my favorite bands blaring out of my TV speakers but at the end of the day, what’s good for them works for me. These guys took a lot of heat for that spot prompting lead singer Kevin Barnes to write up a lengthy discourse posted on Stereogum defending their stance. He raises some interesting points.
If the song works with the product, I don’t object. For example, I’m a big fan of the CSS iPhone/”Music is my hot sex” combination. I love how they skirt around that lyric, the most prominent and song title, but don't use it. The one they do use however, “My music is where I want you to touch,” makes perfect sense in this context.
I’m a little confused about what Shiny Toy Guns’ “Le Disko” has to do with RAZRs and completely dumbfounded about the connection between Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Chromeo’s “Needy Girl.” I also don’t understand why Spoon’s “I Turn My Camera On” was used to sell cars as opposed to cameras. Or is that too obvious?
Finally, we’ve all seen M.I.A.’s “Galang”/Honda spot, (a questionable combo) but did anyone notice that she’s still doing some free advertisement for them with the lyrics “ Barbarella look like she's my dead ringer / When I'm dogging on the bonner of ya red Honda” from “Bamboo Banga?” Is this her FU to anyone who accused her of selling out or is she just trying to score more dough? Genius!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Drum and bass is alive and well...in Budapest
Last Saturday night, I hit up a dubstep night in the Slope and ran into a friend of a friend who also happens to be a regular reader of our blog.
He gave me some slack for posting an old Treasure Fingers mix last week and I replied that TF primarily produces drum and bass and had been focusing on that and touring Europe recently. I was then faced with an interesting question.
"Drum and bass? Does that even still exist?"
It turns out that it does. In Budapest, as evidenced by the video above where a 3000 strong showing came out in support of Mr. TF himself, spinning under his dnb alias, The Enemy (of Evol Intent.)
In fact, all of Europe still has a really good drum and bass scene but Eastern Europe takes it to ridiculous levels. As though pyrotechnics and S&M dancers on stage weren't enough, where else would you expect to watch a magician saw a girl in half in front of you right in the middle of your DJ set, revealing all his tricks to you as his victim glances over and winks at you?
Be on the lookout for a full length LP from the Evol Intent crew entitled Era of Diversion which is slated for release February 11 (UK) and February 12 (US). The album will consist of 19 tracks total with only 7 being drum and bass. The rest will be idm, downtempo, glitchpop and post rock and Evol Intent will be doing a live instruments tour to support it starting March 7th.
A cultural affair
It's not often that I step foot inside a church or attend a performance involving any sort of classical music, both of which happened last weekend. And as if that weren't enough of a culture shock, on Sunday afternoon Y, Jake and I checked out a whopping three art exhibits in Midtown and on the Upper West Side.
First on the agenda was the Museum of Art and Design for the "Pricked: Extreme Embroidery" exhibit. Pieces ranged from a set of wings made out of black gloves to figures embroidered on a light silk fabric that looked as though they'd been sketched in pencil. This very unique and interesting show will be up until March 9th and is well worth seeing.
Next, we wandered uptown to the Neue Gallery for a Gustav Klimt exhibit: “Gustav Klimt: The Ronald S. Lauder and Serge Sabarsky Collections.”
It’s primarily a collection of Klimt’s drawings, as well as some photographs, most notably one of him in a large blue robe cradling a cat in his arms, and a replica of one of his studios featuring original furnishings. Some of Klimt’s most famous paintings are also present, including “Lady With Feather Hat,” and “Adele Bloch-Bauer I.”
I saw a number of Klimt's drawings at the Met two summers ago and one of my favorite things about his shows is people watching. There’s nothing like seeing the look on an 80-year old, wheelchair bound woman’s face as she gazes upon Klimt’s sketches of nude women exploring themselves.
This exhibit will be up until June 30th.
Finally, Y offered to take us over to the Met to check out Damien Hirst's “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” AKA, The Shark.
I'm not a huge Damien Hirst fan and generally find myself scowling when I come across his work, but being the kind of girl who stayed up all night watching Shark Week as a kid and whose idea of a dream vacation is South Africa to cage dive with Great Whites, this particular piece attracted me.
The shark is massive and when looking at it, I can't help but to try and envision the story that brought this animal from its home deep in the ocean to this giant formaldehyde filled tank inside a museum in New York City. Where and how did Hirst even get a shark? It's an impressive feat and certainly worth seeing in all its gruesome glory.
The Met will house it for the next three years so there's plenty of time to see it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Warm-up, Project Runway Season 4
It's too early to pick favorites (although I'm a bit partial to the New Yorkers) or predict who's a style maven or just a fashion faux pas but I do have to say season 4 players are quite the hard hitters. Check out my quick list of player stats and tune in tomorrow night to the season premiere. May Tim Gunn be with all of you.
-The boys outnumber the girls by one.
-The average age is 34, the youngest being 21 and the oldest, 46.
-One designer has dressed celebs such as, Fergie, Jessica Alba, Erykah Badu, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan .
-Three went to Parson's School of Design and two went to the Fashion Institute of Technology.
-One designer co-wrote a D.I.Y. book on t-shirt makeovers while another is a model with a joint degree in Sociology and Fine Arts.
-One designer has 13 siblings and designs the label, Lizalde.
-Of 15 of the designers 10 have their own professional clothing lines and one has their own florist shop .
-There are two international designers, one from the West Bank and one from Korea.
-One designer has her own Wikipedia entry.
-And does anyone care about the models? Not really.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Múm plays Wordless
While sitting at my desk Friday afternoon, getting schooled in no less than five games of Scrabulous, I got a last minute invite to check out Múm, whose latest album Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy was released on September 24, as part of the Wordless Music concert series.
I saw Múm (pronounced "Moom") back in Atlanta in 2004, but this was an entirely different show. It was my first time seeing them without Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. Also, the venue, St. Paul of the Apostles Church, puts the now defunct Echolounge to shame. The comfort level, however, left a bit to be desired. The pews were not the most pleasant to sit on for four hours but that's a small price to play for a beautiful experience like this one.
The turnout was impressive and organizers had to line up rows of chairs in the back because there wasn't enough seating room in the pews. By the time Múm came on, people had begun sitting on the floor close to the stage in the center aisle. The ambassador of Iceland even came out.
This was the first of two back to back nights for Múm playing this series in NYC and our performance was the more chill session whereas they said the following night would be more of a rocking out one. Recordings and set lists for the shows are available here: Friday night / Saturday night. (These are in Flac format which can be played on a PC via Winamp and converted to play in iTunes on a Mac.
I also really enjoyed opener the opener, Torngat, a trio from Montreal, particularly their more drum intensive numbers. Sadly, their cd's had been confiscated at the border and were unavailable for purchase at the show.
There are three more Worldess shows in this series. On November 28, Max Richter plays the Good-Shepherd Faith Church and on January 16 and 17, the Wordless Music Orchestra will debut Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood's Popcorn Superhet Receiver at St. Paul. Maybe Johnny can partially redeem his band for me after the disappointing fiasco that is In Rainbows. (They're trying.)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Guitar art show
I'll admit it, if you place a guitar in front of me and it isn't made of plastic with five big rainbow colored buttons on the fret bar, confusion ensues. But last Thursday night, I took the N train down to M1-5 in Soho to meet up with John and Christina for the Syrup Kids’ first art show where starter acoustic guitars served as blank canvases for 18 local artists. The result was interesting and possibly the most fun I’ve had with guitars not attached to my Playstation in weeks.
We perused the various interpretations for a few hours while sipping on the drink special ($3 Bud Lights) and listening to Postal Services remixes and Cut Copy. Every piece was highly original with materials ranging from acrylic and spray paint to metallic markers, paper-maché and googly eyes.
In case you’re in the market for a custom guitar, all the pieces went up on Ebay the day after the show and can be found here. If I had some extra scratch, I’d snatch up one of these in a heartbeat (my favorite is the last one in the slideshow) so don’t sleep! And from what I hear, Syrup kids have more shows in the works (Custom toasters? Snowboards?) So be on the lookout for more things from these cool cats in the future.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
$26.76
One of my ultimate favorite things to do EVER is thrift store shop. I long for those long weekend days that would start out with a Krystal Spicy Chik a coke and a drive to the several Value Villages in Atlanta. My best friend and I (Tom C. Lee) would raid the shop coming out with garbage bags full of jackets, sweaters, dresses, belts, hats, purses and jewelry. It was truly a dream and I miss those days terribly since moving to New Yawk. I gotta say as much as J'adore the NYC I really hate the thrift stores here. Charging over 25 bucks for a thrift store dress that you would normally purchase for 2.99 is absurd. Help a sister out! I work in nonprofit and go to grad school, one more strike and I'd be a fashion faux pas the rest of my life.
This weekend's trip to New Haven, CT granted a chance to hit the few thrift stores around town and the last Salvation Army Jake and I visited resulted in a handful of great items all for the blowout price of $26.76. WHAT A FRIGGIN STEAL!
Here are the photos:
Our robot competition
Well not really. If the lazy robots (mostly me as the laziest) were a little less lazy maybe we would be more like the Cardboard Robots, check out their blog here, Cardboardrobot.com. We could be on our way to world domination by now. Note to self: start buying cases of energy drinks.
Read More......Friday, November 9, 2007
I became a volunteer
Anxious for Hot Chip to dazzle us with a new album? I know I am. But my fave Brit nerdy lap poppers have found a way to appease me in the meantime by offering us a free download, "I became a volunteer." It's been available on their site, which I obviously never visit, since the end of September.
You have to sign up for their mailing list to get the song but if you dig Hot Chip like I do, it's information you would want anyways. And if you just want the music minus the marketing, just go ahead and enter fake info into the form or the name and email of your enemies. Have some fun, it's Friday!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
You win some, you lose some
My corner of Brooklyn has suffered a few tragedies this year on the Red Hook side. We lost the beer milkshakes at Schnäck and we lost Lido’s entirely. But we have gained some things on Smith Street that have made me a bit more optimistic. Bar Great Harry got a middle and last name (as well some good beers on tap) and now Sample is serving Absinthe.
Apparently, I’ve been living under a rock because I didn’t even realize until last week that Absinthe had been readily available in New York City since June. The liquor was banned in the United States in 1912 because of the hallucinogenic effects of its primary ingredient, wormwood.
So what say you neighbors? Shall we give this “Lucid” a go? I wonder if it’s as tasty as the homemade stuff we used to drink back in Atlanta.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Help This Kid Out!
Putting the New York bitterness aside, it's nice to hear stories of love at first sight and the crazy things that we do to obtain this love. You have to admit, most of the time we end up shrugging the cute guy on the train off or looking down when our eyes lock with a potential tenderoni. Not Patrick Moberg, he spotted the GIRL OF HIS DREAMS the other night on the 5 train and started a website, NYGirlOfMyDreams. The site is a plea for a meet and greet with the rosy-cheeked girl writing in her journal wearing blue tights, that got off at Bowling Green stop.
I'm just passing this on to help him, secretly hoping that fairytales and romance do seriously exist. Check out a video of him here, (he's cute, ladies!) and he may or may not interview with CNN tomorrow?
UPDATE: He found her, hopefully there's a love connection.
Monday, November 5, 2007
She cleans up well
After a pit stop at the Coliseum Friday night to wish a friend who quit his corporate job to pursue his dreams good luck, I cabbed it to the airport, en route to Atlanta for a wedding.
My old roommate, partner in crime and all around good pal, the legendary DJ Little Jen tied the knot after many years of playing the field.
If anyone wonders why Jen and I are such good friends, I offer you this: a) the left half of the above photo speaks for itself. And b) For their first song, Jen and her new husband Jason slow danced to Björk's "All Is Full of Love." Perfect.
Weddings in Atlanta are always fun because I get to catch up with old friends and rave scenesters. This one was no exception. Since I've been gone for a while, I asked my friend Eddie what the ATL was feeling these days in the club. His reply: Treasure Fingers.
In case any of you haven't heard of Treasure Fingers, it's an electro funk side project of The Enemy (who makes up one third of drum and bass outfit, Evol Intent.) Treasure Fingers has remixed artists such as Snowden and Ocelot. His original "Cross the Dancefloor" is pure class.
He put out a mix last summer entitled "40 Minutes in the Champagne Room" which you can still download on his Myspace page. So go there now, grab it, rock it and hopefully someone will bring this man to New York very soon!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Halloween Mayhem
I know I'm lame for going out on Halloween and not dressing up but I did capture a few festive New Yorkers out on the town, prowling the streets of the East Village having a good o' time. At the end of the night I had big dreams about next year and what lavish costume I would wear, what kind of team costume I would have, a dance routine, perhaps, to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (even though nothing will ever top the "Thriller" routines of yesteryears). Anywho, I'm high off all the office candy, till next year, Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween!
To get you through the Halloween Hump day, here are some photos from the Halloween Dog Parade in Thompson Square Park! Yay!
eeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiilllllllllot
How do I pee in this getup?
Amy Winehouse in the hezzy!
Heeeeeyyyyyyy guys, can I bum a cigi?
Please do not eat me.
Brooklyn music videos (Part deu)
I can't imagine that too many 21 year old kids in France listen to Jacques Brel, as Zach Condon claims to have done while composing The Flying Cup Club, Beirut's second full length release.
The heavily French influenced, accordion and horns laden record is beautiful, dramatic and epic. It's the perfect thing to listen to while picnicking on a Sunday afternoon. The songs, with titles such as "Nantes," "La Banlieue" and "Cherbourg," are each meant to represents a different French city.
Along with the album, which was released last month, the band teamed up with La Blogotèque director Vincent Moon and shot videos for each song, unveiling them on their website as they went along. The process is complete and all twelve videos are now available on Flyingclubcup.com.
The videos take place in various Brooklyn locations including old buildings, a church, the waterfront, a garage, apartments and the street. The site offers both a French and English translated explanation about the original inspiration for the song and the concept behind the video.
If you haven't heard the album, this is a great opportunity to give it a listen free and if you already own and adore it like me, you'll definitely want to check out these videos.
Could anything suit me better than songs about French cities visually realized in Brooklyn locales? Parfait. Thanks Beirut!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Some of you may have seen this on Discobelle this morning but I figured it was worth reposting since we're in Brooklyn and a lot of us attended this show.
"World Premiere! - Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007), Shot at the band's show in Brooklyn on August 9 and Directed by Olivier Gondry, the video features footage from 250 cameras held by fans in the audience!"
I can't think of a better way to get over the Monday Morning Blahs than by reliving even the most miniscule moment of this experience.
Getting real
Every few months, I’m struck with the notion of moving into the city or to Williamsburg, yet time and time again, I reconsider. I love CG$ because it’s real, the people, the hangouts, the vibe and nothing pleases me more than spending a whole weekend in my hood doing fun things without ever needing to hop onto a train.
Friday night, Omar, Dennis and I ventured down to Lido’s to pay our final respects. The bar wasn’t as well stocked with mixers as usual, forcing us to shoot the Don Julio straight up, Tulum style. We downed a few drinks there; wandered down to Mooshine to play pool, then back to Lido’s and eventually my place for a challenging drunken Guitar Hero session.
Saturday, I hosted an intimate pumpkin carving soirée. S made pumpkin ravioli from scratch as Y and I tried to bring our wildest pumpkin visions to life. We drank sangria and roasted pumpkin seeds. It was very Martha Stewart, a different but welcome way to spend a Saturday night.
Sunday, the girls and I met up with Erin for brunch at Miriam in Cobble Hill and then we caught an early afternoon showing of Ryan Gosling’s new flick, “Lars and the Real Girl,” written by Six Feet Under's Nancy Oliver.
I didn’t know what to expect with this movie. Admittedly, the primary draw for us was Gosling’s hotness. The reviews have been widely mixed.
But while the premise seems ridiculous and conjures up a lot of creepy notions, the movie was original, emotional, superbly acted and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Gosling was amazing. The emotional range in his beautiful kind eyes moves me to pieces. Only he could make me weep at the funeral of his sex doll girlfriend. Patricia Clarkson also stood out.
The way this movie rides the fine line between absurd hilarity and tragedy is nothing short of genius. Overall, I would highly recommend it.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Buh bye Lido’s
Earlier this week, Omar broke some news to me that I refused to accept. He informed me that the bartender at Lido’s told him last Sunday that the bar would be closing for good next Friday, as in today.
What? How can you do this to me, Lido’s? I’ve only lived in Brooklyn a little over a year and a half and you’re already deserting me? Talk about abandonment issues!
Remember all the good times we had, Lido’s? Remember Dennis’s Birthday ’06?
And who could forget the night of bitchiness when we got hustled at pool by “Suit and Sweater” before they scampered off to the Burg for that art thing?
But most of all, can any of us remember Dennis’s Birthday ’07? (I certainly recall the brutal aftermath the following day…)
Honestly Lido’s, where is Dennis supposed to celebrate his birth next year? Have you thought about that?
While I still haven’t come to terms with this tragedy, if you must go, I’ll see you tomorrow night to send you off in style as I drown my sorrows with very reasonably priced drinks. What do you say CG$ and Red Hook ¢ massive? Who’s down for giving Lido’s a proper going away?
You will be missed, Lido’s. =(
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Astroland . . . ONE LAST SEASON
March 18 . . . . let it be known that Coney Island will be ours.
Thanks to nyctreeman for the 1905 postcard of Coney Island
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
CMJ wrap up
As I alluded to before, three of my best friends from Atlanta (Theresa, Jeffrey and Loic) made the trek up to my fair city for the MIA/Justice shows, which happened to fall on CMJ week.
Frankly, last Wednesday to Sunday is somewhat of a blur for me, a reminiscent haze of good times and music.
Wednesday night, Theresa and I met up with Omar, Emily and Shomit at Hiro ballroom to catch The Cool Kids, A-Trak, Kavinsky and Kid Sister (sporting a chic new blonde do.) It was packed but with a far less douchey crowd than usual.
Thursday, we hit up the Heist party at Rebel featuring some of our ATL brethrens such as Deerhunter, Le Castlevania and Klever.
Friday was M.I.A. at Terminal 5 and Saturday was Justice at Terminal 5 and Erol Alkan at Studio B. Sunday, I recovered (watching people jump on trampolines on their snowboards in Red Hook) and on Monday, I started my new job.
The thing about new jobs is that responsibility isn’t always piled on you right from the start (a far cry from my last gig.) In this case, it’s taken a while to get started so I’ve had a lot of free time over the past two days. As a result, I played around with Flash and put together a little photo gallery with some CMJ madness shots.
The majority of these pictures consist of my friends and I boozing it up and raging, but hey, it’s my blog, right? (Well 1/3rd mine, at least.) Enjoy!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Black and white rainbows
Though I'm making up for it today, please pardon my recent bout of laziness in posting. My excuse? I just got out of a seven-year relationship, the worst relationship of my life. That's right boys and girls, I quit my job!
Like all relationships, this one had its ups and downs. We learned a lot from each other but now the time has come for me to peace out and move on to a bigger and brighter future.
You know what else is big and bright? Rainbows. What do rainbows have to do with anything, you might ask? I'm glad you asked. Rainbows have to do with Radiohead and their week-old release (yes, I am I slowly getting back on the ball) In Rainbows.
What's genius about in In Rainbows? The distribution. The band opted to sell the records themselves on their website rather than going through a label. Even more shocking, fans could name their price. I entered a nice cool five pounds into the text field, nothing happened.
I tried for hours, all morning. Then a friend IM'ed me saying he'd just gotten his download over email. He offered to send it to me and I agreed; my patience had run out and I needed to hear it.
So what's the verdict? Radiohead is probably my favorite band. The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac are some of the best albums in existence. Hail to the Thief had its moments. Rainbows however are kind of black and white for me.
I'd heard at least half the album because I saw Radiohead twice in Spring 2006 and downloaded a copy of their Boston live show from Bradley's Almanac. Those shows were amazing. Hearing these songs a year and a half later instead of something new is a letdown. It's boring. I wish they'd gone a different direction after Amnesiac. The follow up efforts just seem more and more watered down and mundane, normal, if you will.
I found the Pitchfork review amusing, and not altogether pretentious. The rating? Like the album, you decide. We even agreed on one point: the album acoustic version of "Videotape "was anti climactic. Why does the live version that I have sound so much better?
Maybe they're saving all the good stuff for the box set? A different version of the album? Here's to hoping.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Et Justice pour tous
The idea of two guys standing behind a huge illuminated cross, as though they're larger than life gods is just a bit over the top. But when those two guys are French duo Justice and they're unleashing fierce electronic beats to a hungry sea of people, it works.
The Justice show at Terminal 5 was insane. There are no words. The highlight for me was when they played "We Are Your Friends" and every single one of the 3,000 in attendance screamed out "We are your friends, you'll never be alone again!" at the top of their lungs. It was truly a moment.
The show was great, the sound was great, and everyone had an absolute blast. Watch out Daft Punk, Justice is giving you a run for your money. Don't worry though, the robot suits and the pyramid are a lot cooler than their cross.
Afterwards, we headed over to Studio B to catch Erol Alkan in what was pretty much the Justice after party. We were quickly made aware of the inconvenience of the location of Terminal 5. It took about 20 minutes just to get a cab and at least another 45 (and $30) to get out to Greenpoint.
By the time we got to Studio B, there was a line and it didn't seem to be moving. We stood outside for 45 more minutes and finally got in.
Erol Alkan was the icing on the Justice cake. He is an absolutely amazing DJ and kept everyone dancing, mixing in everything from the Pixies to Hot Chip and Prodigy. My friends were ready to leave around three but I forced them all to stay until the very end. This was definitely one of my top three nights at Studio B (the other two being Diplo and Chromeo.) The club was packed to capacity; it was off the hook.
And speaking of the hook, we made it out to the Red Hook ball fields today for the last Soccer Taco of the season. Hopefully everything will get sorted out so the vendors are back next year. More Mexican corn and Pupusas, please!
Power power!
It's no secret that I love M.I.A. So when her Terminal 5 show was announced and Y offered to get me a ticket for my birthday, I was stoked. Somehow, I managed to convince three of my best friend from Atlanta to come up for the show. Days passed, weeks even. Finally the time came and Friday night we found ourselves at the new venue, teeming with excitement.
Earlier that day, I ventured over to Brooklyn Vegan to get the scoop on the Thursday night show. Reviews were mixed. Some people loved it; others hated the location, complaining that it was too massive and cold and that the beers were pricey. I don't know about you but I expect to pay over six dollars for a beer anywhere above 50th street. It's called "pre-drinking," folks.
So after a fair amount of pre-drinking in CG$, our crew took a car into the city and we arrived at Terminal 5 half an hour before M.I.A. took the stage. We hit up the bathrooms, got a drink, spent at least 10 minutes or so debating whether or not we were standing next to an aging Lady Miss Kier, and then the show began.
Donned in shiny leggings, silver high tops and a fluorescent orange stripped top, M.I.A. exploded onto the stage and killed the crowd for an amazing show that none of us will soon forget.
She played a ton of stuff from her new album, Kala, including "Bamboo Banger," "Bird Flu," "Boyz," "Jimmy" (a somewhat different version than on the album, "$20." "Hussel,"(during which Afrikan Boy joined her onstage), "XR2," "Paper Planes," and "Down River." She also pulled out some favorites from the Arular repertoire such as "Pull Up The People," "Bucky Done Gun," "Fire Fire," "Bingo," "Hombre," "10 Dollar" and "Galang." (She opened with the first song from her second album and closed with the last song from her first.)
At one point, they let people go on stage to dance. We were way in the back but decided that we needed to get in on that action. We made it all the way up to the front but they wouldn't let us on. Still, it worked out well because suddenly, we were much closer.
I like the new venue. Intimate, it's not, convenient, with its three levels of bathrooms and bars, it is. Anyone who was there Friday night would be hard pressed to call it "cold." The energy level was high and everyone looked like they had a good time. Can't wait for Justice Saturday night! Hope it's as interesting as their Jimmy Kimmel stint!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Fashion Costumes
I'd like to be any of these non-slutty, fashionista superheros for Halloween. Thank you Felipe Oliveira Baptista!
Wonderwoman
Star trek Meets Mod
Badass wrestler
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Vh1 Hip Hop Honors?
As everyone knows I am not a fan of contemporary rap but I found myself watching a rerun of the VH1 Hip Hop Honors show and I couldn't turn the channel! Yeah like everyone else I've seen the poster advertisements while waiting for my faithful six train in the morning or the persnickety L train on the way to the studio, and I thought wow what cool illustrations, but I don't think I'll watch the show. I was wrong.
What some of you may not know is that I was an avid fan of hip hop during my preteen years. I have an aunt who is only five years older than me so during my formative years she was like a big sister. So, of course I wanted to be just like her. She was listening to Salt n' Pepa, LL Cool J, Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, Queen Latifah so I listened too. This is where Hip Hop Honors touched me. I turn it on and the first Honoree is Missy Elliot who is the most creative performer, producer, video star to come along in a long while. Then I hear, Whodini was being honored and I just had to see it. I wasn't disappointed, I found myself singing along to all the classics complete with the old school dance moves. It took me back, I wonder if this is the music I'll be blasting when I'm eighty, making all the kids roll their eyes and sigh "Not again!"Other honorees included Snoop Dogg, the movie Wild Style (see if you have the chance, it's awesome), and A Tribe Called Quest. If you're like me and you remember rap before the era of gangsta you'll wanna see this show.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Can't Have The Cake
and eat it too.
Boo, while we were squirming in the crowd of thousands (maybe hundreds) at the Arcade Fire + LCD Soundsystem pow wow (which by the way was amazing and yet frustrating all at once) we missed everything else that weekend including Diplo and M.Ronson on Friday and Sigur Ros and Coco Rosie on Saturday. God, New York, ya killing us!
anywho, STOP IT, can't cry about it now, here's a hump day treat. WE HEART MARK RONSON!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Beirut and Inspirational Musings
Take this weekend to listen to Beirut and while you're at it download the new single, Sunday Smile here.
Beirut at the edge of the sea
staring across at Africa, dreaming of travel
going with wind, water . . .
floating an inch above the waves
hovering just slightly
nudging the current forward
to rest on land
moving, m o v i n g
all along
beyond past, broken seashells, war
to glimpse a secret place no one could ever go
whispering stories along the way in sound, in music
carrying the moment, the deep longing
in a single breath blowing through a horn, a note, a season
to find meaning
sitting at the edge of the sea
Monday, September 24, 2007
Ulrich Schnauss at Joe's Pub
Saturday night, I made a rare weekend trip into the city to catch Ulrich Schnauss at Joe's Pub.
I'd never been to a show at Joe's and found it to be an interesting venue. It's small and intimate. Half the space is filled with tables and they serve food. It's a little like seeing your favorite artist playing in your dining room.
The show began promptly at 9:30 and Ulrich played through many tracks off his new album, Goodbye, including "Shine," "Medusa" and the title track. The only older tune he played was "On My Own," which I found disappointing because I prefer his previous material to the new album.
IDM loses part of its charm when performed live because essentially, it was just a man and his laptop, joined every so often onstage by a (hot) guitarist/lyricist. I joked that he was really just running his iTunes library and talking to his friends on iChat. My friend Cesar retorted that he was updating his MySpace profile and we finally decided that he was just looking at porn.
Still, the music sounded great, the visuals were nice and I couldn't help but think that it was a shame we'd given up all those party favors we used to indulge in back in the day.
After the show, I ventured back to CG$ and further still to Red Hook ¢, specifically Lido's Bar, for Daddy Dennis's 33rd Birthday bash. Unfortunately, I had far too many $4 cocktails, a course of action that ruined the 24 hours to follow and caused me to blow off my ball field plans on Sunday. Better luck next weekend!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
National Singles Week!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Shake A Fist
I recently grabbed the new Hot Chip tune, “Shake A Fist,” due for a 12” release sometime this month and after a few listens, I still can’t decide how I feel about it.
Just last night, I was thinking that “Over and Over” defined Summer ’06 for me. And while I loved that song and realize that this one will probably click after a few more listens, it’s just different than what I think of when I think of Hot Chip.
The middle part, AKA the "sounds of the studio," is an experiment within a song. It’s a far cry from anything on their previous two albums. I love the heavy bass and grimey sounds but I’m confused about the evolution.
I do recall that when we saw them in March at Webster Hall, their new material seemed to have taken a turn into harder, more danceable, dare I say, ravey territory, but I was a big fan of their melancholic, lap-pop, bleep and glitch numbers too (unlike the folks at Fluxblog apparently, though I found their review quite amusing.)
Check it out for yourself and decide.
Trump L'Oeil Baby
Hanging out in the CG$ and R.Hook$ this weekend got me looking at a lot of babies, admiring the fact that I don't have one but that they exist and are tiny bundles of cuteness, at least when they are not crying and pulling hair. Instead, (thanks to the Sartorialist) I can look for my very own Trump L'Oeil baby t-shirt.
Monday, September 17, 2007
And the award goes to...
So is it just me, or is the award season so far a total joke? Let's start with the now infamous MTV music video awards. First this is a joke because you rarely ever see videos on MTV anymore, as pointed out by the lovely Justin Timberlake during the show. ( I don't want to see anymore of the Simpson sister's respective reality shows either.) Second, YES Brittney Spears was horrible but that was the only reason a lot of us tuned in. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a Brittney hater and I wanted to see the flop live rather than hear about it second hand, and I did, repeated several times thanks to A's TiVo. Third, and thankfully I'm not alone in this contrary to several early reports, Mtv's new award show format was very uncomfortable to watch. The reason we tune in is to see the performances, these were limited to short teasers where we were encouraged to visit the internet for the full show. The production was rife with awkwardness and technical difficulty. For example, did anyone notice the guy pushing Jennifer Garner down the stairs on her way to present an award with Jamie Foxx? It was priceless, even Mtv's staff has admitted to not being happy with the outcome. Also who came up with the award categories? I was grateful for the shorter two hour format, but that was about it. Oh and Kanye West's rumored outbursts were quite enjoyable too, but I guess technically that wasn't part of the broadcast. Oh and sorry Mr. West but if you had opened the show I wouldn't have busted my ass to get to the beginning of the show like I did for Brittney.
Let us now move on to the Emmy's. Boring. The circular stage wasn't exciting, half the audience got to see the back of some important people in the TV biz, and I kept waiting for a rock show to start or a stand up comedian to come on. Ryan Seacrest as host, umm really? Wasn't there someone else more dynamic, and less pop culture? It seemed like the same movies and mini-series were nominated in every award category. Come on, there had to have been a little more going on in the television world this year. I mean how many times did Robert Duval get up on stage to make a long winded speech about cowboys and have to get played off. What's going on? Is there no creativity involved in the planning of these shows anymore? Fine, great take a risk but Ryan frickin' Seacrest? really? I didn't even make it through the whole show, maybe it got better but I somehow doubt it. Maybe I should do what I normally do and completely ignore all the award shows.
