"Please could you stop the noise I'm trying to get some rest..."

If someone were to ask me what one summer concert I would want to go to, I would say Glastonbury without a second thought. The line up features an immense number of artists from a wide variety of musical genres. In fact, here's pdf poster of the full lineup.

And look at some of the previous live performances!

Radiohead - Paranoid Android


Coldplay - Fix You


Bloc Party - Helicopter


Anyway, I cannot make it to Glastonbury this year, yet again. But for those of you who do have a chance to go, let me know how it is. And for all you UK readers out there who don't yet have tickets, not to worry! Not only are tickets still available but there are contest tickets that can be won, including that of the Spot the Bull contest below:

"I'm so glad that I'm an island now..."

Oy to the vey. So much has happened since I last posted music here.
For one, I'm making progress in my studying and in work. So yay to that. I've had some unforgettable times with friends before one returns to college. In addition, I saved a toddler's life from oncoming traffic and had to deal (pleasantly) with the attention of strangers. Whew. (And I'm not saying that to be haughty, I'm saying that because it was an unknowing change in my life). I've seen a lot of movies (Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood destroyed me). Now I'm awaiting the surprise visit from Bruce and Bryn and the chaotic loveliness that will follow. I was just watching a special on Martin Luther King Jr. and happened across a preview for Metric's upcoming dvd of their concert in Montreal called Metric : Live at the Metropolis. Having seen Metric numerous times and proclaimed my love for their sound innumerable times, I'm excited for their dvd release. Wooo! I came across the preview in the middle of a song and it happened to be Combat Baby, which is one of my personal favorites. But the song right after it on the dvd is also killer because of its lyrical content:

Sickness was fixing me some
Coughed my heart in the last stall
Now that the damage is done
I never miss it at all.





Wow.







Metric - Empty from Live it Out

"I can see so clearly when your smoke gets in my eyes. Please me with your promises, and hurt me with your lies..."

It has come to my attention that Ben Lee is opening (along with Josh Ritter) for Aimee Mann on her holiday tour. That means on December 14th, Ben Lee will be playing in New York City.

I already have a holiday party and class that day, but let's see if I can squeeze in an hour to see everyone's favorite Australian singer who has a button with a picture of me on it.

Oh, and here's the video for the first single off his latest album:



I'm quite excited for this new development.

"The negative sex is power for a life time..."

I went out to the I Am X concert with Chris and Aaron and had an amazing time. Aaron was handed Chris Corner's sweat rag, Chris got the drummer's broken drumstick, and Chris Corner grabbed my hand.

The music was powerful and electrifying, and our dancing was out of control. I can safely say that the three of us masterminded screaming "Bring Me Back a Dog" to try and get the band to play it for the encore, and I Am X heard us and complied! The fans were lively and friendly, and since the show wasn't sold out this time around, we had the room to explore the atmosphere that the concert created.





I Am X - The Negative Sex from The Alternative

"You could blame it on the music but it wouldn't be right..."

I think of myspace as a huge joke, but sometimes, it comes through for ya. Myspace does a lot of secret music shows, one of which was the !!! (chk chk chk) show at Maxwell's. (Another of which was a James Blunt show, I don't know what I was thinking).

Anyway, !!! was insane. They had a bit of makeup on but don't seem to be makeup wearing guys on the whole. I mention this because I feel like the addition of excessive makeup and glamness to the band would take it in a direction that it doesn't need to go. Anyway, enough people had heard of them where I got stuck in the back, but the energy was off the wall and for that sweaty good time, I commend them. They seem to oscillate back and forth between taking themselves a bit seriously (in a good way) and just cutting loose and doing silly things like dancing the twist in the middle of their songs. It's kind of like they hadn't realized that they're professional music makers and still retained that same somewhat juvenile fun of high school or college rock bands. Refreshing, really, because in that kind of atmosphere you can let go and dance and jump around with the audience and just go with the flow of the night.



!!! (chk chk chk) - Must Be The Moon (Hot Chip Remix)





!!! - Hello? Is This Thing On?



Also, before I end this post, I checked my site counter thing earlier today and noticed that over the course of maybe 40 posts, I've gotten well over 5,000 people visit. So wow!! Thank you all for reading and listening! :-D

"I needed you to notice..."

Returning from the weekend back into my concert list.

Shiny Toy Guns at Fearless Studios.

At two points during the year, I don't know what I was thinking as far as potential jobs were concerned. I sent in an application to be a veejay for both Concert TV and Fearless Music. The former did not get back to me though I thought it was a better prepared application and I've been to an insane number of concerts and have so many stories. I actually got the chance to interview for the latter (I genuinely assume that musical knowledge/cheery personality won them over, as I don't think of myself as looking like an "in front of the camera" person. Confirming this, they opted to go with this college frat looking dudebro, and then phased that out as well and mostly only show minimalistic studio performances). Anyway, Shiny Toy Guns were there that evening, and the small group of people who were there both as staff and interviewing got the chance to stand way in the back of the small space behind the cameras and catch the show. I count this as lucky because there must not have been more than 15 people total, if even that.

Their energy fit in with where they were performing. And the female lead sang each song boldly, even throwing herself on the ground a la Madonna or The Sounds, though I'm not sure if they used that footage because I know that the vocals and music wound up being out of sync the teeniest bit. I don't even think I had heard of them much or perhaps at all before then, but I know they performed Le Disko and Don't Cry Out and a few other songs. It felt like a supremely small set and I had to leave for another interview and couldn't stick around to chat up the band. That would've been something, yeah? I feel like they could've done more as far as being electrifying, but it was a studio performance rather than a full out concert. But it still felt like something special and you knew you were in the presence of a really fun band on the verge of something great.






Shiny Toy Guns - Don't Cry Out from We Are Pilots

"And there will always be a part of me, nobody else is ever gonna see but you and me..."

Ben Folds at Muhlenberg College.

I saw Ben Folds in March as a birthday present from the Randall to my Dante (bringing it back!) and co-BBIF (BBIF is a long story that involves a friend of ours calling me a "Big Breasted Indian Friend" except this girl's "I" stands for "Italian"), Alison. The auditorium was packed and Ben focused on a lot more of his newer material (Songs for Silverman and Supersunnyspeedgraphic). However, his piano playing ability was astronomical. I would think he was on crazy amounts of speed if it weren't for the fact that he was incredibly precise and playing like it was his last day on earth. Having seen him later with John Mayer, I can definitely say that the passion and drive were there at Muhlenberg and made for a better show. The best show I've seen of his, by far. It felt like he wanted to be there and wasn't just playing a show because he was on tour. He felt alive.

The energy level that he poured out onto the crowd was reflected back to him as a result, and he was very much a captivating presence. He kept discussing this $8000 instrument he had purchased (it looked like a keytar or synthesizer or something) and was hilarious. At one point, he launched into an insanely wonderful rendition of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" (better than the cover of it that's floating around online) and managed to play one instrument with his toes, while continuing on the piano with his hands.

We were in Ben Folds' direct line of sight (we showed up early and positioned ourselves as close to in front of his piano as possible) and had opted to wear very bright colors. We were clearly the only people who were rocking out and knew all the lyrics. During and after the show, Ali and I discussed amongst ourselves how we definitely thought that Ben Folds kept looking at us, and one or more of her friends who was with us said the same thing without having heard our story. This led us to the logical conclusion that Ben Folds probably thought we were awesome. And we are.



Ben Folds - Gracie from Songs for Silverman



Ben Folds - Landed



Ben Folds - Such Great Heights

"They say the wretched get their kingdom..."

Howdy. Here's another concert story from the top five of my year in limbo.

I Am X at the Knitting Factory. I went with my friends, Chris and Aaron, both of whom are big Sneaker Pimps/I Am X fans so I was in good company. The line outside was immensely fascinating because it was a grand mix of (literally) people in business suits and their tan overcoats, and overly made up punkish looking kids wearing a lot of black. We stood in the middle of them all, hanging out, talking amongst ourselves and to the business folk. It was a sold out show, and due to some flaketastic reasons out of my control, I didn't have a ticket. I made it inside to where the box office was and asked to buy a ticket. I was denied, duh. But I stood there and talked to the person, attempting to pull forward that sometimes dormant charismatic and convincing side and sure enough eventually, after she looked both ways and made sure the other people she turned away weren't around, she acquiesced and gave me a VIP stamp. I didn't even get charged for a ticket. I wound up having to buy a round of drinks for the three of us as it was put forward that it wasn't fair that I didn't have to pay for tickets and everyone else did. I love talking my way into stuff. It's like a hobby at this point.

Anyway, Chris Corner put on an amazing show that had an almost dark circus feel to it. I suppose it was the silver top hat outfit he was wearing. He had these staccatto bursts of energy that made him appear almost machine like rather than fluid though his vocals were brilliant and transitions seamless. He wasn't much for audience conversation, but he knew just when to engage New Yorkers in their city pride. For the encores, he and the band were joined by his girlfriend, Sue Denim, from . Soy good. If I had known about The Mighty Boosh earlier than that night, I would've tried to look for Julian Barratt or Noel Fielding, but alas.




I Am X - Bring Me Back a Dog from The Alternative










I Am X - Spit It Out


I Am X - Kiss & Swallow (this song live is killer, by the way)

"Kiss me before you go. I'm going low and lately..."

I have a million lists going at once on this blog. I'll get back to songs I enjoy from commercials eventually. I was thinking today about how my year in limbo has almost come to an end and about some of the shows I've seen and mentally narrowed down the individuals or acts I thought were tops.

So here's a list of my favorite five shows from this past year (and the artists you have to look forward to hearing about these next couple of days):
1. Ray LaMontagne at Maxwell's.
2. Emily Haines at Joe's Pub.
3. Ben Folds at Muhlenberg College.
4. I Am X at the Knitting Factory.
5. Either Shiny Toy Guns at Fearless Studios or !!! at Maxwell's.

Anyway, I'll start with my favorite first.
Ray LaMontagne is battered, soulful, and brilliant. He has a lot of competition from the likes of James Morrison or Amos Lee, but I think he can stand on his own. What I feel separates him from the others of his musical genre is the passion. You can hear the desperation, anger, or pain in his voice while the charged blinking of his eyes take you on a journey of their own. I don't think I've witnessed a person look at the audience less than Ray does, but you don't feel disconnected from it. Rather, you feel drawn in as he is, everyone lost in the music having a quieted individualized experience. He is also the rare performer whose live presence and sound far outshines the recorded material that labels have been distributing.

Maxwell's, in particular, was quite conducive to this type of music. It's dark and somber, one of the smaller venues I've encountered in my concert time. People show up early to have dinner and hang out at the bar down the corridor from the stage, which is great, because a lot of the acts do the same thing. As a fan, you have the opportunity to interact with people you enjoy on a more personal level: buying them drinks, having a good conversation over a newspaper, hanging out before the divide between artist and audience begins. While I didn't do that with the Ray LaMontagne show, it was still the perfect background and atmosphere for his slow singer-songwriter music and allowed him to feel both bittersweet and comforting through the melodies and vocals. In summary, Ray LaMontagne is like an old army jacket: worn through, full of character, comfortable, but precious enough where you can feel so many stories emanating through the very threads that comprise the material.




Ray LaMontagne - Barfly from Till the Sun Turns Black





Ray LaMontagne - Trouble - from the series Live from Abbey Road. (By the way, that series is phenomenal. If you are into the process behind recording in the famed studio and different bands' takes on how they make their music, I suggest checking it out on the Sundance Channel).

"It's not the storm before the calm..."

Yesterday, I caught the James Morrison - Ben Folds - John Mayer show with Alison and Michelle (who are like my sisters). We sat on the front edge of the lawn at PNC Bank Arts Center and had a great view of the show and entertaining company including your standard pothead surfer types, a middle aged mom with green hair, and overly cuddly couples.

Having seen Ben Folds earlier this year, I can wholeheartedly say that he put on a better show (the best show) at Muhlenberg College. However, he still performed wonderfully, though it seemed that not enough of the crowd knew the words to his songs. They did appreciate his $8,000 keytar synthesizer instrument thing that he uses to play the cover of Such Great Heights, which, along with Jesusland was one of the highlights of his set. He strayed away from things that absolutely everyone would know (Rockin the Suburbs, Brick) and a lot of his material was from his more recent albums. I was holding out for "Learn to Live with What You Are," being that he was doing a lot of music from Songs for Silverman, but alas, it never came. However, Ben Folds attacked each song fearlessly, and even led the crowd in sing alongs while standing atop his piano, and that's just plain fun.



Ben Folds - Jesusland from Songs for Silverman




John Mayer did a really great mix of songs, both old and new, that carried over well to the crowd. I know he's a talented artist, and have respected his career course in doing pop stuff and then branching out with the John Mayer Trio, but his guitaring was a sight to behold/amazing to hear. He went into a four minute solo riff at some point and created some grooves that invariably justified the presence of the holdover hippies we witnessed swaying in their tie-dyed t-shirts, jean shorts, and fanny packs. He thanked his fans after every song and didn't stray away from making the guitar face. I'm a fan of the slower John Mayer work, but in a massive concert setting those aren't bound to be played. I was surprised that he busted out with songs from the John Mayer Trio and was just overall impressed and awed by his technical ability.

John Mayer - Clarity (Acoustic) from Heavier Things (Bonus Disc)


John Mayer - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room from Continuum

"The mirror's even tired of you..."

Theo Kogan is better than you are.

At the very least, her voice would like you to believe so, as it surges with attitude during every track of the newly released Theo and the Skyscrapers album So Many Ways to Die. She sings lyrics like, "when she shoots a load, you better swallow" with a delivery that reminds you she and her band members probably did not so much as blink while attaining their extensive collection of tattoos. The song "Big Britches" does the best job of reinforcing their queen-bitch-synth-punk sound, by the way.

Regardless of the bold demeanor, it's on some of the more experimental tracks where the band truly shines. "Tease," which I quoted previously, is a departure from some of the speedier pacing which marks the rest of the album. It is what I believe to be the strongest track. The deeper synth layering and drumline match the lower vocals really well and truly embody the tone of the album. Another example of the radical side appears on what turned out to be my favorite track, "New York." The band plays for a minute and a half before the vocals cue in, and then those same vocals are used to propel the melody further (especially toward the end), rather than impart the lyrical material. I mean, it's so well orchestrated that if I were ever to create a horror movie (a la Danny Boyle and 28 Days Later) and the horribly infected potentially zombie people were clawing their way up to our unaware society from their graves, "New York" is the song I would want playing in the background to provide a slowly building suspenseful atmosphere. Seriously.

Theo and the Skyscrapers understand the rock lifestyle (Theo used to roll with the Lunachicks. Small world, one of the other members of the Lunachicks babysat a friend of mine from college when she was but a wee tot. Sean Pierce played with Toilet Boys, etc), making a name for themselves without label support and touring with bands like Rancid and Marilyn Manson (the latter of whom's influence you can hear on the darkerwave edges of the guitar material, particularly the song, "Spider"), and are a band that seems to emanate the attitude of the city they inhabit.

Theo and the Skyscrapers are embarking on a summer tour soon and you can purchase the album at the TATS Myspace.


While I'm on the topic of bands and New York, the Siren Festival's schedule was finally announced:



Now I don't have to worry as much about potential time conflicts between desired acts like the We Are Scientists, Voxtrot, and the New York Dolls, as everything is laid out in a handy dandy flyer.

Though it's 11 days away, I'm excited (It'll be my first concert back from my MCAT imposed 3 month live music hiatus) so here are some tracks to get you guys excited too.

Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives from Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives EP

We Are Scientists - This Scene is Dead from With Love and Squalor

Keith Murray = yum.

"Teacher thinks that I sound funny, but she likes the way you sing..."

I am constantly thankful for the presence of my friends and often awestruck in looking back and realizing the growth that has occurred, both of our bonds and of each individual. Keeping that in mind, I thought it would be nice to put up a couple of my favorite tunes on the topic. From the early notion that two children could walk with eachother merrily to school, to people being with one another in their final days, here are a handful of songs that I believe chronicle the growth of companionship in a unique manner.

The White Stripes - We're Going to be Friends from White Blood Cells. I think Jack White captures the nature of elementary school friendship perfectly. Children walking to school, getting messy, the rambly sing song nature of their speech, the coziness of autumn. Even the video for the song, (which can be found here) is understated and sweet as Jack plays guitar while Meg sleeps.




Stellastarr* - Somewhere Across Forever. This song reminds me of a conversation. I've always thought of it as a back and forth between two people, perhaps teenagers, of a particularly bold and brazen temperament, wanting to strike out on their own and establish a world for themselves.




Justice Vs Simian - Never Be Alone. Aka "We Are Your Friends," the story behind this song is hazy, possibly due to the many re-imaginings of the bands involved (Justice, Simian, Simian Mobile Disco, Garden). From what I've gathered, it seems that Simian released "Never Be Alone" and then Justice remixed it for a contest (but didn't win!). The song still took off, was renamed, and won an MTV Europe Music award (it was the one where Kanye West went crazy). It reminds me of nights spent dancing, and how I was told to remember the lyrics so one of my friends could get the song, but never did.



LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends from Sound of Silver. The line "you spent your first five years trying to get with the plan and your second five years trying to be with your friends again" makes me think of 30 or 40 year old business people in suits running around trying to be 20 again. As a bonus, here's Franz Ferdinand - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem Cover). Quite possibly better than original.



Death Cab for Cutie - "Follow You Into the Dark" from Plans.
I thought it was best to put up the video.




And as a post script to yesterday's initial video post, Rod Thomas actually contacted me and is a really sweet fellow who appreciates even the tiniest support. He's coming to NYC in late September, and you should totally check him out. I know I'll be there.