Earlier this month, Yer, Blair and I descended into McCarren Pool for the first time this season for the sold out M.I.A. show.
I've seen M.I.A. four times and it's amazing how much she's grown as an artist from the first time I saw her at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia. Gone are the days of paper helicopters as stage decorations and here are the days of enormous lit up palm trees. The speaker stacks are much taller but she still likes to climb them.
Words can't adequately describe the fun that my girls and I had at the show so I thought I'd post the image above and let it speak for itself.
Notably, M.I.A. mentioned at the McCarren show that she was canceling her European tour. Some people took it as a joke but a week later at Bonnaroo, she claimed that performance would be her last.
Say it ain't so! Let's hope she's just messing with us...
Saturday, June 28, 2008
M.I.A. soon to be M.I.A.?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Why I love National Geographic
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Ulrich Schnauss at Winter Garden
Tuesday night, after picking up my tickets for the free July 4th Sonic Youth show and downing a large and expensive cerveza at nearby "Mexican" eatery, I found a cold hard seat on the back stairs inside the Winter Garden where I could listen to Ulrich Schnauss's dreamy, and recently, eerie, sounds capes.
This show was essentially a less intimate version of the last time I caught Ulrich. He played a lot of new material, some older (more favorable track) and at least one track I didn't recognize that sounded really nice. Perhaps his new material will be more similar to earlier tunes? Let's hope so.
The Winter Garden experience has me a little worried for the Kode 9 show there next week. First of all, the sound was sub par. I'm spoiled by the sound system at Love, where the Dub War parties usually take place, so I'm interested to see how the sound will be next week.
Second, I've only been to this space twice. I saw CocoRosie there last year and Ulrich there this week. Both times, it was set up as a seated show. Is this going to be the case for Kode 9? That should be interesting...
Still, next Tuesday can't come fast enough. Hurry up the Kode 9! (And BOO to Burial's DJ Kicks release being pushed back two weeks.)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Crazy dancer
Last Tuesday I had the chance to see iconic Icelandic band Sigur Rós perform inside the Midtown MOMA before a gorgeous New York City backdrop (though to be fair, I couldn't see much more than the giant pillar I got stuck behind.)
On Friday, I visited the Whitney Museum for the first time where I caught half a set by Prefuse 73 and then booked it downtown for Dub War's 3-year Anniversary, which featured the man running all tings dubstep, Skream.
That may seem like quite a week but the best part took place on Sunday at The Yard where we missed the rain and caught a sizeable chunk of Afrika Bambaataa's set. But if you think the tunes the legendary DJ was laying down did the trick, you're mistaken. The highlight was my introduction to the one, the only "Crazy Dancer."
From the enticing shirtless attire to the fly swatter in the back pocket and the uncanny ability to thrust around on and off the ground whilst never managing to catch a beat, "Crazy Dancer" is without a doubt the most fascinating and interesting fixture I've seen to date in the New York dance/club scene.
My friends were well aware of his antics and the sighting warranted an emergency phone call to other friends who were out of town in Pennsylvania.
I apologize for the crappy video and the fact that my memory card was full by the time he was screaming along to Daft Punk's "One More Time," but I hope the clip above gives you some idea of the insanity we witnessed.
See you around, "Crazy Dancer!"
Ode to Coney Island and What I learned in Photoshop Today
BTW, this was a project using photos of vegetables and fruit it was weird and fun. The trees are made out of the tops of radishes and the parachutes of bow tie pasta cut in half, the sun is obviously a piece of carrot :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Turner @ the MET
When I think of landscape painting I think of green pastures and abstract livestock grasping at a boring, pale blue background. I certainly never envision Turner and his violent orange skies and paintings where waves become the protagonist, enveloping the canvas and the viewer.
It was an ordinary Tuesday when I found myself lost in the MET, trying to make my way to the latest summer blockbuster exhibition with an interest only in the cocktail hour afterwards. But I found myself walking through the J.M.W. Turner exhibition in awe. Various rooms were filled with famous works previously only seen in cramp musty undergraduate auditoriums on age old projector slides. The large canvases told stories and the colors evoked emotion. Each section was dedicated to a chapter in Turner's life and whispered to us his bout with depression and his love affair with the sea, the sky and with Italy. I couldn't help but stand for hours in front of his paintings feeling the emotions of nature and daydreaming of the many stories held in his paintbrushes. It was incredible and inspiring and the Pimms cup at the cocktail hour weren't half bad!
The show opens on July 1st and closes at the end of September.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Roberta's: Real tasty
Also last month, I took the L train further out than usual, to the Morgan stop, to meet Yer at a pizza joint called Roberta's that was recommended to us a week before at our monthly dubstep outing.
As I emerged onto Bogart, a street I normally frequent between the mischievous hours of midnight to 6am for Brian's legendary rooftop bashes, I was surprised at how much has cropped up in the area. It used to be one bar and one market but the street is now lined with various establishments.
Roberta's fare consists primarily of gourmet pizzas, salads and antipasto. Our waiter was very excited about the ingredients he had to offer and sold me on a pizza named "The Teen Wolf" topped with mushrooms and ramps (a relative of onions, which I normally hate.)
The pies were *r e a l* tasty, the company was fabulous and the three bottles of wine consumed were completely over the top. We promised the staff we'd blog about the amazing experience we had there and I'm happy to live up to that promise now
If you live in the area, do yourself a favor and give this place a try. And if you don't, do yourself a favor and venture out to Bushwick to see what you're missing out on.
Monday, June 9, 2008
I saw the sign
Last month, I attended an art opening in the Lower East Side at the Woodward Gallery called Street Language. All pieces included characters and symbols from local artists Matt Siren and Dark Cloud and the majority of them were done on street signs (one can't help but wonder how these signs were acquired.)
We got to the show pretty late so it was a nice surprise when they kept the doors open (and the free art booze flowing) past the promised hour of 8pm. Sadly, this was the beginning of a drunken downward spiral which led me to Fontana's and the Turkey's Nest (for 32 oz Coors Light and a complimentary shot of Jameson) only to wind up at Studio B far too drizzy to enjoy one of my absolute favorite Berliners, the amazing Ellen Allien.
But that, while probably not entirely shocking to most of you, is well besides the point. Street Language is up until June 28th and definitely worth seeing. Check out some pics here and then get yourself down to the Woodward Gallery to check the pieces out in person. Don't sleep!
