Band of Barcelona

Dear all - I am in Barcelona, SPAIN, and stumbling upon a small and tender vinyl shop, I came across Los Mismos. I'll write more when I return in 3 days. Enjoy their music, though.
























If you can find it>>>

Los Mismos > Congratulations

Premature Summer Plans

Free Summer Concert Season is back...and I'm excited. Here are my recommends as of now (everything is subject to change.)

South Street Seaport (River to River):

7/4: Sonic Youth does the 4th of July

7/11: No Age promotes their new album, Nouns. (also: Telepathe, Abe Vigoda)

7/25: Atlas Sound, El Guincho - I don't know much about El Guincho, but Atlas Sound, made up of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, has the potential to relax you to the ages by the seaport's convenient sunset affected located.

8/15: Dirty Projectors - I like them.

Celebrate Brooklyn (Park Slope yeah!):

7/11: Brazilian Girls

7/18: Deerhoof

Central Park SummerStage:

8/16: Battles

Siren Music Festival: 7/19

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and Broken Social Scene headline.

Also good to see (perhaps) are Beach House and Film School - more TBA

Also some fun - movies at McCarren Park Pool: (no more pool parties...)

7/8: Rushmore

7/22: Wet Hot American Summer

8/12: 28 Days Later

8/17: Velvet Goldmine

8/26: Blue Velvet

And I kind of want to start writing more now that I'll have time...summer is when I write.

mp3s:

Atlas Sound - River Card

No Age - Neck Escaper

No Age - Eraser

Brazilian Girls - Homme

Sonic Youth - Free City Rhymes (alternate take from NYC Ghosts + Flowers sessions)

100th Post Special: THE RED DOOR / Photo Diary

On Friday night, WHITE RABBITS, FRANKPOLLIS, SOFT, and THE SUBJECTS performed at the wonderfully accomodating THE RED DOOR, a rehearsal space in Chelsea. The night was a lot of fun: Here are some photos:

what a waster / our tax money goes in panties

long time no talkie

late winter sounds/recommends:

atlas sound - bite marks

white rabbits -kid on my shoulders

frankpollis - sleep of death

the raveonettes - hallucinations

mgmt - kids

aphex twin - flim

kings of convenience - learn the putdown (mojib mix)

kevin drew & broken social scene - cocaine skin

kylie minogue - speakerphone

and dedicated to eliot spitzer

notorious b.i.g. - big booty hoes

Last Night ; Tonight ; Tomorrow Night

Last Night:

Frankpollis / Hymns / Indyans @ Pianos

The sound at Pianos is severely flawed, but it didn't destroy any sets - except for Indyans, who were just...eeek. And I never dislike a Frankpollis set.

Tonight:

Driving to and from Saratoga Springs in a big SUV.

highlights:

K.D. Lang's entire Absolute Torch and Twang - That girl can sing.
The Creation - Making Time
Colloseum - The Kettle (listen back to back with the Fatboy Slim sample of this song in "Push The Tempo." You'll like the original better.)
The Beatles - Please Mr. Postman
The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy (over the Tappan Zee Bridge, this was just heavenly)






Tomorrow Night:





Nothing.

Gil Scott Heron @ SOBs

It was an absolute privilage:

The best part about this show, I think, wasn't even the music - which accentuated Heron's sage-lyness - It was his anecdotes about his tours with Stevie Wonder in the 70s and 80s. His first interesting tale was a story about how he was on the tour bus with Stevie and a couple of other guys, and they needed to make a show. They were coming from the west to the east, and they didn't take into consideration the time difference (losing an hour,) so their driver went way past the speed limit. They were eventually pulled over (Gah!) so their clever clever tour bus driver put on a cockney accent, charming the officer, and exclaimed desperately that he had the entire African Boxing team in the bus, and that they were going to be late for the fight. The cop, who happened to be an avid boxing fan, immediately dropped the ticket charge, and they not only arrived to the venue early, but with a police escort!

-and for the record, Stevie Wonder did mention John Lennon's murder in December of 198 at his concert in the South. Don't believe everything you read - in the words of Gil Scott Heron.

Blonde Redhead / The Raveonettes @ Terminal 5

I'll start by addressing the utter contradiction to my last post that I am about to spout at you - I walked into Terminal 5, having purposely missed the new Secret Machines band, and I was completely engrossed, even as I handed my ticket stub to the man at the door, by The Raveonettes. They were playing new stuff off of their soon-to-be-released Lust Lust Lust, including a finale with "Aly, Walk With Me," the song I accused of being listless and disappointing. Perhaps Terminal 5, a lacking venue, facilitated their ghost-surf sound. The chick drummer that was with them was, as well, was a good addition. She had such passion and vigor with the symbols and the snare, making the set sound like a thunderstorm. The Raveonettes conjured up a tempest, and it was damn cool.

Blonde Redhead, who always convey wisdom, misery and joy with their sets, came off as half-victims to a flawed sound system and half-sampling too much of the record; thus, it all peeled away at the illusion that there was this living euphoria being presented to you. Granted, this wasn't even 1/1000 as bad as the girls with cameras, taping entire songs for YouTube or some other purpose. Nothing pulled you out of the realm of a surreal concert setting more than camera screens capturing the entire thing in front of you. Our eyes are naturally dragged to the screen, so, stop! Highlights were Paul Banks's guest appearance, playing guitar on "23;" the melty sounds of "Dr. Strangeluv," "Falling Man," and by far, "Melody." As far as sampling goes, why would a band sample vocal tracks that doesn't need to. This isn't Disney - this is a band that used to collapse at the alter of Sonic Youth. As well, the sound, especially during my favorite song on 23, "Spring and by Summer Fall," was close to being baseless. The sound was too tinny to consume the audience in lush oohs and melodies.

This doesn't at all take away from my love for them. But, bands should just keep booking Webster Hall and not so much Terminal 5. Leave this venue for smaller bands and late night showings of World War II -era movies.

Blonde Redhead are incredible. Now I just feel bad.