Sunday, October 31, 2010
New York City might be a fun place to live, but I am starting to questions whether or not its worth it. Everyday to go to work I sit on a subway for atleast thirty-five minutes, then walk another ten. When I go out to the bars I often pay up to eight dollars for a beer. Of course there are the upsides, I live in one of the greatest cities in the world, but greatest from whose point of view? I can enjoy this city at this point in my life, but for how long? not much longer!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Caribou @ Webster Hall 9/22/10
For those of you unaware of Caribou, here is a little bit you should know. Caribou is a music project by Ontario native Daniel Snaith. He records everything solo in the studio, but while on tour has a five piece band including himself as percussionist. He formally went by the name of Monitoba, before being sued by a man who shared Monitoba as a last name. Caribou doesn't tour the states much so when I saw the opportunity to see him, I knew I had to take it.
It was a Wednesday night, and I was eager to get to Webster Hall to see the show whose tickets I have been holding on to for weeks now. Since I have only been living in NYC for a short time, I still get lost. Which is exactly what I did on the way to the show, but I quickly found my way and arrived as Caribou was going on stage. Although, the concert hall was packed full of people, I managed to make my way up to the first row. As close as I could get, I noticed a paper plate right next to the guitar pedals with the set-list written on it. The first song was going to be "Odessa", my personal favorite, the encore was "Sun", by far Caribous most popular. One of the best things about attending concerts, is the element of surprise. I figured now that I knew what songs they were going to play, that was no longer possible, but was I ever wrong.
Immediately after the music started, so did the background projections. Patterns and colors, mixed with politcal videos and creepy cartoons filled my vision. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, except maybe for a few Bonnaroo shows that I vaguely remember, but I'm not getting in to that. The combination of the two drummers and multiple synthesizers fit perfectly for a rainy night in Manhattan with a hundreds of drunk and drugged college students. I was also surprised by the variety of instruments they used everything from a flute to a washboard. As the show went on, the crowd got more into it, and by the time they hit the encore everyone knew that nine songs just wasn't enough. Although they only played an hour it felt like four, nobody wanted to go home. I attend a lot of shows, already more than most will see in a life time. Some of them stick out more than others, this was definitely one of those, and I will not be satisfied until I see some more Caribou.
It was a Wednesday night, and I was eager to get to Webster Hall to see the show whose tickets I have been holding on to for weeks now. Since I have only been living in NYC for a short time, I still get lost. Which is exactly what I did on the way to the show, but I quickly found my way and arrived as Caribou was going on stage. Although, the concert hall was packed full of people, I managed to make my way up to the first row. As close as I could get, I noticed a paper plate right next to the guitar pedals with the set-list written on it. The first song was going to be "Odessa", my personal favorite, the encore was "Sun", by far Caribous most popular. One of the best things about attending concerts, is the element of surprise. I figured now that I knew what songs they were going to play, that was no longer possible, but was I ever wrong.
Immediately after the music started, so did the background projections. Patterns and colors, mixed with politcal videos and creepy cartoons filled my vision. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, except maybe for a few Bonnaroo shows that I vaguely remember, but I'm not getting in to that. The combination of the two drummers and multiple synthesizers fit perfectly for a rainy night in Manhattan with a hundreds of drunk and drugged college students. I was also surprised by the variety of instruments they used everything from a flute to a washboard. As the show went on, the crowd got more into it, and by the time they hit the encore everyone knew that nine songs just wasn't enough. Although they only played an hour it felt like four, nobody wanted to go home. I attend a lot of shows, already more than most will see in a life time. Some of them stick out more than others, this was definitely one of those, and I will not be satisfied until I see some more Caribou.
5 Songs to listen to NOW!!
- Starfucker - "Medacine" *listen here*
- Dale Earndhart Jr. Jr. - "Nothing But Our Love" *listen here*
- Kele - "Tenderoni" *listen here*
- Rural Alberta Advantage - "Drain the Blood" *listen here*
- Small Black - "Despicable Dogs" *listen here*
Wavves & Christmas Island @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 9/21/10
I moved to New York for two reasons, the music scene and the opportunities. In this city, on any given night there is a show to go to, no matter what your musical taste is. You may think this is an exaggeration, but it most definitely is not. The first show I attended was at the Music Hall of Williamsburg featuring Wavves, a "lo-fi-noise pop" band from San Diego. Opening the show was fellow west coast band Christmas Island, whose name refers to the Pacific island where the United Kingdom tested nuclear weapons in the 1950s.
I arrived at the show three songs in to Christmas Islands set, where I walked in to an array of hipster rockers. Not that I didn't expect this, this is Brooklyn, but some kids are just too hip for there own good. I found the bar and ordered myself an overpriced whiskey and coke, found a spot and began to listen to front man Brian Island and his immensely lovesick songs. It was like he stole the diary of a heart broken 16 year old surf punk and wrote an album with his words. His backup vocals were provided by drummer Lucy Wherly, who added a sort of innocence to the band that I enjoyed. This isn't a band that I would rush to tell my friends about, but they are certainly recommended to see live if you get the chance. They ended the set with their new single called "Bed Island" off the self-titled EP.
I have read a lot of reviews about Wavves and their live shows, most of them consisting of stories that front man Nathan Williams gets so wasted on and off stage that he can barely finish a show. I would probably be doing the same if I was 23 and touring the country with my band so I can't judge the guy. The month or so prior to the show I began listening to Wavves new and second album "King of the Beach", full of distorted vocals, sloppy guitar, and my favorite of all synthesizers, the MicroKorg. This album caught my attention quickly which is why I couldn't give up a chance to see them.
After forty five minutes of waiting for the band, they appeared just as I imagined. All of them sporting tye dye t'shirts with messy hair and a confused look on there face, I quickly thought to my self, those look some friends back in Omaha. They began to play and not long after a mosh pit began. I found myself to be right in the middle. It had been a long time since I pushed some people around at a show, so I figured why not. After losing my shoe twice, falling over, and elbowing a girl in the nose, I figured it was time for me to step out. They played for about an hour and were very talkative with the crowd, while sipping on Heineken. The last song they played was "Post-Acid", my personal favorite. Maybe it was the number of drinks I had, or the atmosphere of the venue, but I had no complaints with their show. I loved it all from the mosh pit to the five minute pee break that the bass player took mid-set.
I couldn't imagine going to a better show to introduce myself to the Brooklyn music scene, it was all I could ask for. I only wish some of my regular concert going friends from Omaha could be here to witness the amazing things that go down in this city. There is no doubt in my mind that New York City can satisfy my hunger for music, and I'm always hungry!
Listen to Wavves Here
I arrived at the show three songs in to Christmas Islands set, where I walked in to an array of hipster rockers. Not that I didn't expect this, this is Brooklyn, but some kids are just too hip for there own good. I found the bar and ordered myself an overpriced whiskey and coke, found a spot and began to listen to front man Brian Island and his immensely lovesick songs. It was like he stole the diary of a heart broken 16 year old surf punk and wrote an album with his words. His backup vocals were provided by drummer Lucy Wherly, who added a sort of innocence to the band that I enjoyed. This isn't a band that I would rush to tell my friends about, but they are certainly recommended to see live if you get the chance. They ended the set with their new single called "Bed Island" off the self-titled EP.
I have read a lot of reviews about Wavves and their live shows, most of them consisting of stories that front man Nathan Williams gets so wasted on and off stage that he can barely finish a show. I would probably be doing the same if I was 23 and touring the country with my band so I can't judge the guy. The month or so prior to the show I began listening to Wavves new and second album "King of the Beach", full of distorted vocals, sloppy guitar, and my favorite of all synthesizers, the MicroKorg. This album caught my attention quickly which is why I couldn't give up a chance to see them.
After forty five minutes of waiting for the band, they appeared just as I imagined. All of them sporting tye dye t'shirts with messy hair and a confused look on there face, I quickly thought to my self, those look some friends back in Omaha. They began to play and not long after a mosh pit began. I found myself to be right in the middle. It had been a long time since I pushed some people around at a show, so I figured why not. After losing my shoe twice, falling over, and elbowing a girl in the nose, I figured it was time for me to step out. They played for about an hour and were very talkative with the crowd, while sipping on Heineken. The last song they played was "Post-Acid", my personal favorite. Maybe it was the number of drinks I had, or the atmosphere of the venue, but I had no complaints with their show. I loved it all from the mosh pit to the five minute pee break that the bass player took mid-set.
I couldn't imagine going to a better show to introduce myself to the Brooklyn music scene, it was all I could ask for. I only wish some of my regular concert going friends from Omaha could be here to witness the amazing things that go down in this city. There is no doubt in my mind that New York City can satisfy my hunger for music, and I'm always hungry!
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