15 posts tagged “sadness”
Ah, the power of the 'bearded altbro'...do not underestimate this term, lovies.
I just want to point out right quick the irony from last Friday, from when I wrote, that I talked about seeing this man in concert but didn't think I would be able to since me and the ladies were going up to Echo Lake for the weekend. Well, where the hell do we pull off the freeway en route to Kimber but the Vallejo/Solano border where a Mickey Dee's was, and right as we pulled into the drive-thru I saw the lights of a ferris wheel from the Solano County Fair. Where I'm sure Mr. Sweat was running around in, with a hot dog and cotton candy. How incredibly tragic and mocking life was then.
(The weekend was full of amazingness and awesome, so all was not lost. But I was still bummed.)
I missed both husband's band on Wednesday and friend-of-a-friend's band Lazarus last night for the Mission Creek Festival, so I'm gonna try and make it up this weekend: Bloody Beetroots and maybe Joseph Arthur tonight, and then trying to hit Earlimart, Feist, or Gravy Train!!! tomorrow before ending the night at the Download afterparty for Datarock/Flosstradamus and then my friend Sean's superspecial warehouse party. Sunday I want to attend the Choose GOOD Block Party with my favorite Berkeley sunny indie kids the morning benders, but my mama is coming to hang out with me in the city, and she takes precendence. Duh.
Ratatatatatatatatat, I love you...can I have your bearded babies?
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Live - Ratatat @ Slim's | SF
Here is the thing about the music scene sometimes in San Francisco: it can be brutal getting into at-capacity shows. You could give away your prized Pucci moped, a burrito, and maybe a blowjob for free, and it still wouldn't have guaranteed admission into Ratatat's sold-out Slim's show last week. Six different people asked me for an extra ticket as we walked into the SOMA venue for some electroshredding, and all I have to say is this:
For all that is holy and right in the world, get
your Ratatat tickets now for the full September tour. It's gonna make
you change your pants, bang a stranger in the bathroom, and sweat until
it looks like you just emerged from a shower fully dressed. (more...)
One day I will see this band in person, all six, even if it fucking kills me and I have to take away Bobby's crack pipe. Or something.
I hung out with Miles at the station after the Tilly show on Tuesday, and we talked about how we could potentially see Keith Sweat on Friday at the Solano Country Fair (!!!! - no joke), but alas, I am going up with some friends to see the Kimber in Echo Lake and will not be back until Sunday. So tragic. I'm NEVER going to see him, ugh.
Anyway, the JET cover story is a pretty cool read and also lists all 21 of New Edition's singles: who can forget "Cool It Now" and "Can You Stand The Rain" and "Mr. Telephone Man?" I'm telling you, one day...greatness...
Tonight I am seeing a band who "look like a couple of bearded altbros from your local community who are decent dudes, and possibly have a long term girlfriend who they will not dump any time soon," aka "attractive bearded alt-men." More or less, I know Ratatat at Slim's is gonna own so hard - I've been listening to LP3 straight since I got it yesterday and I must say, the Indian influences on "Mumtaz Khan" are so fucking sublime I'm already on planning on showing up in my flats for maximal dance time.
I know I have been M.I.A. in the blogosphere, but there are some crazy things I'm going to soon and will be doing, so I am excited to share with everyone when I'm granted access. In the mean time, I'm going to continue to waste time on Hipster Runoff...best ever...
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Live - Tilly And The Wall, Loquat @ Great American Music Hall | SF
I love lots of things in life: small babies, free beer, hugs (sometimes all at the same time, it's true). I'm sort of a happy-go-lucky person that way; little things make me the utmost elated. Most people who meet me will discover this crazy dumb fun "I love everyone" attitude about me within the first ten minutes of initial encounter. It's internal programming that can't really be changed.
That being said, I thought Tilly and the Wall might be the band to encompass this joyous merriment part of my personality. I walked into the Great American Music Hall Tuesday night to shiny silver fabrics draped over the main stage balcony, and I spotted a disco ball stashed for later purposes. It also looked like everyone was dressed in sequins or had a headband on, so it seemed I was in store for a spectacle of some caliber. (more...)
Who knew electronica by some Aussies would cause a bitch fight? Touche...
I'm trying desperately to get tickets to see Beirut tonight, but I don't think it's gonna happen. I am a superjerk for waiting this long anyway. I also feel super bad that I have not been able to publicly love this band as much as I should/could have; I honestly think they are a beautiful slice of perfection, and lord knows I didn't shut up about The Flying Club Cup when it was in my player (it was my favorite album of 2007 - in front of Interpol and Radiohead, no less!). I did an interview with multi-instrumentalist Jason Polanski last October that never ran because it got buried under other articles I was doing, and I never did a review of their show that same month because I literally struggled for two weeks on how to write about something that was so special. Retarded, I know, but I honestly love 'em that much. Guys: I am sorry I am such a douchetard. If I end up making it in tonight, I promise I won't have writer's block and will shower you with words of adoration.
Jamie Lidell is also tonight; maybe the blackest-white-man will cheer me up instead...
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Live - The Presets @ Mezzanine | SF
Security guys were running inside to grab these
two screaming hos who were barefoot and holding their lucite heels,
with their strung-out hair flapping in the wind; one of them was
hollering "I just want to go home, fuck it! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME." I
waited patiently as security pulled out an alleged guy who hit one of
the hos to question him and get his side of the story (he denied any
involvement). I have to say I couldn't blame the guy - I don't support
violence, but these two bitches looked nuts.
I patted my favorite security guard on the knee on my way in to say
"Dude, I am sorry for this shit" before getting my dance on inside.
Here's the thing about The Presets - there are only two of them in the band. Two people, four hands, 20 fingers. It doesn't sound like a lot, but standing in the back of Mezzanine I swear to God there might as well been 19 of them on stage, all banging on a various instrument that made a pounding, monstrous, electrified blip of some sort. The amount of noise Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes made was mammoth, completely enveloping me and the rest of the sold-out audience; I stood in the back by the coat check, I went to the bathroom, I traveled upstairs, and the sound still followed me like a good stalker. I was impressed.
The Australian duo was in town to show-off new record Apocalypso, a brilliant and sharp album full of bodyrock dance jams, industrial-influenced tunes, and solid electronic grooves. And show-off they did - a wave of insanity brushed over everyone's heads during "My People," a hard-hitting, deep anthem interposed with Hamilton's baritone licks, with an explosion of dance midway for the bridge. There was some mega-thrashing happening, and for a second I thought I was going to be hit in the face with someone's drink. This dance party was serious. More melodic tracks like "This Boy's In Love" make me fall in love myself on the spot - how is that possible? Anyone?
I have to hand it to Australia - you guys overcame the Brits being dicks by sending over ex-cons to your island by producing some of the best electronic music as of late. Keep on keepin' on: I think the Presets show was one of my top five of 2008 thus far.
(Oh - and when I was leaving the club, the two hos who claimed to be beaten down were still outside whining about they just wanted to go home, to seemingly no one. THEN GO HOME. Sheesh.)
The Presets North American Tour
05.29.08 - Minneapolis, MI (Triple Rock Club)
05.30.08 - Chicago, IL (The Abbey Pub)
05.31.08 - Toronto, ON (Lees Palace)
06.01.08 - Montreal, QC (Cabaret Music Hall)
06.02.08 - Boston, MA (Paradise)
06.04.08 - Brooklyn, NY (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
06.05.06 - New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom)
06.06.08 - Philadelphia, PA (Pure)
06.07.08 - Washington, D.C. (Rock N Roll Hotel)
By JENZ
May 28, 2008 in
NEWS
107.7 FM - I have heard Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird," Guns'N'Rose's "Sweet Child O' Mine," and now "Message In A Bottle" by The Police.
Obviously, whoever did the tracklisting for Guitar Hero II listened to this radio station.
And in sad news, I am missing some phenomenal concerts the weekend of September 21 - a good friend of mine is married, and I am shooting her wedding and rehearsal dinner, which is going to be my gift to her...but look!!
- sept 21: white stripes, cold war kids @ greek; simian mobile disco @ mezzanine; arcade fire, lcd soundsystem @ shoreline; lee bob watson, mariee sioux, aaron ross, alela diane @ hotel utah; sugar & gold, DJ omar @ elbo; dredg @ GAMH
- sept 22: paolo nutuni @ warfield; the section quartet (performing radiohead's 'ok computer') @ CDN; dirty vegas @ ruby skye
Man. Man. Damn marriages...
You were a bitch to get to and from, had the worst "Mexican" food place ever around the corner, and it was a little shady (hello East London). But man, any day a music venue is shut down is a sad day. I mean, I could go into a huge tirade about the state of art as a whole (music, performaning, fine arts et al), but really? Tearing down a legendary place in favor of building some apartment flats? The world is cruel sometimes. Paul Simonon is my fucking hero though...he said he was going to take a piece of the place with him, and he did. Via bringing an axe on stage and chopping off a chunk. Fuck yes.
Anyway, the interior of this venue is actually quite spectacular, a little reminiscent of the Warfield here in San Francisco. I have fond memories of seeing Sugababes there last April, and then going to the NME night at Koko and giving a dude blue balls, spasming to Hot Chip's "Over & Over" while wearing a red dress and skull gloves, and then freezing my ass trying to get to my hostel on the oppsosite side of the city and almost getting hypothermia because I left Koko at 2 AM and got to my place (no fucking joke) 6:15 AM.
Well, maybe I'm not so sad to see the Palais go. JK! Of course. The fucking Clash played there.
I mean, seriously?!?!??!?!?!?!
I don't really have a digital music player. No, I am still old school and buy CDs. If I had a working record player I'd buy more vinyl. A few months ago my $20 tiny MP3 player crapped out, so I reverted to an old Discman that I found shoved in the pantry area of my house next to Windex and the hand broom. Amazing.
Anyway, because I don't have a portable music player per usual I had to dig around for headphones for the Discman. When I was in the UK last April I had that MP3 player and left my headphones at home; taking the tube in London is so much better when you have a soundtrack, so I caved and bought another set at HMV in the Manchester City Centre when I was visiting Martin and have held onto them since then. The left bud cracked pretty bad from wear and tear (and me burying them at the bottom of my tote bag). I also lost the little black squishy jacket that goes over both buds, but I still kept them because they still worked.
Until last night, when in my sleep-deprived stupor from the all-nighter I was pulling, I stepped squarely on the left bud and split the shit out of it.
The sad thing is, I will probably keep these fucking headphones for a while longer until I remember to get new ones, solely because they are from the UK ("HMV" is printed on the body), and I am a total Anglophile.
In fact, I am using them right now...the right one still works, sue me.
Ima miss you dudes.
xo
- I like to embarass myself, especially in public forums. Yes - I just attended one of the best and biggest, prestigious, bad-assest indie pop festivals in the country, AND I AM NOT AFRAID TO SAY I LIKE ENERGY 92.7. What? *shrug* It's what comes in at work.
- Because I am an awesome sister, I'm buying tickets to that Epitaph Records showcase on the 15th for my brother's 19th birthday because believe you me, I would never be caught in a million years at an Epitaph Records showcase. I mean, it can't be all that bad, right? A few weeks ago I was in a cab on my way to Stellastarr* at Bottom of the Hill adonned in a black and white checkered dress and heels, and my driver was ballsy enough to ask me/state that since I had a lip ring, therefore I "shattered his expectations about me." Er...what? Just because I have a piece of metal through my mouth DOESN'T MAKE ME PUNK. Hardcore, maybe. A bad ass, definitely. Punk? But, alas...me thinks I won't have a hard time fitting in that show.
- Holy shit - Logan Whitehurst died? Fucking A, I don't know why I didn't know about this earlier and I certainly didn't mean to find out by reading it in the program guide while waiting for set change at the Matt & Kim gig on Thursday. Instantaneously the world seemed like a darker place and I let a few tears drop before I had to pony up and get behind the merch table. I was absolutely floored...suddenly selling beer koozies didn't seem like the most important thing in the world.
My college roommate my freshman year (and now best friend) Melissa introduced me to the Velvet Teen and the first Noisepop I volunteered for, they opened for Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks (2003). I've seen them way too many times to count and treasure them very close to my heart as one of my favorite bands that consistently never disappoint me. A little more digging around tonight and I read that Casey (Logan's replacement) went to do stuff with The Americas, Josh with The New Trust, and Judah's...solo/art/record'ing it up. The website says that they all are still friends and are more than likely never swearing off never playing with each other...but shit dude. Two-fold sucker punch in my groin with that news. Tres sad.
- To end on a more upbeat, ridiculous note, I really like that Robin Thicke song "Lost Without U." I am tragic.
I would like to have a disclaimer and apology at the beginning of this article - solely because I know the following account will probably get me in trouble and more than likely also get my ass kicked. Thus, in advance...apologies.
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Last night: Matt & Kim, Erase Errata @ Bottom of the Hill.
Tonight: Diesel Happy Hour with guest DJs Dandy Warhols; Annuals, Simon Dawes, Pilot Speed, and Ray Barbie and the Mattson 2 @ Cafe du Nord; Dandy Warhols @ Mezzanine (I'm show-jumping)
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My Thursday kick-started with my art opening reception on campus and drinking at noon while eating Cheez Whiz.
I'm still in college with a double-major (meaning I will never leave) in journalism and photography, and I was lucky enough to score my first solo show in our Fine Arts Building this semester.
I work in the Fine Arts gallery as well as the undergraduate gallery on campus, so I had no qualms about bringing champagne as well as some snazzy garden crackers and Cheez Whiz. I had called my best friend Melissa while at Albertson's during this purchase, so she is also to blame for this choice.
My parents came up from San Jose to congratulate me and check out my art, and I was talking to my mom about the Diesel happy hour Wednesday night and how Melissa and I were going to be checking it out that night as well. "What's happy hour?" she asked in all honesty, and I tried my best to describe pretty much the best idea in the history of booze selling without sounding too much like an alcoholic - I was already smelling like one.
After a sushi lunch and a coffee break with my wonderful parentals, I hopped on a 38 back downtown to meet Melissa for the Diesel happenings. We met my friend Kristin in the lobby and proceeded to skip downstairs into the lair of hipsterdom. Frontman Brian from Scissors for Lefty was due to spin as well as local superstar DJ Omar.
We were pseudo-ushered to a classy folding table with samples of "martinis" and "margaritas," and after picking up the former, sat down on a plush blue bench adjacent to men's apparrel. I was getting used to the fact that we were totally partying in the middle of a retail outlet, and settled into my seat and chatted with my girls.
Scissors' Brian happened to be wandering around and Kristin snagged him in conversation when we walked by us; we started talking about the Noisepop shows of the week and he opened his black peacoat to show us the baby blue French Kicks shirt that he was wearing underneath. Secretly I was kicking myself in not being able to see either band at Slim's that night. I was sort of put off by his schoolboy good looks, so when he began to shake all of our hands I decided to seize the opportunity and asked if I could take his picture.
This girl Nora, who I had met at the opening party while I was doing VIP list for my volunteer work, was also in our group at the time and offerred to take the picture. "Yeah, I think you should be in it with me," Brian said, and my schoolgirl crush started forming. I got up to pose with him and before I knew it, I had this beauty of a creature proposing marriage to me in the following dialogue:
BRIAN: "So, let's get married"
ME: "(inwardly stoked, but trying to play cool) Sounds good dude"
BRIAN: "I think my parents should talk to your parents..."
ME: "Yeah, I think they might want a down payment"
BRIAN: "Like a deposit?"
ME: "Yes...maybe some sheep. That'll do"
All of a sudden he's on his knees in proposal-mode and holding my hand and I'm pretty flustered, which is really unlike me. Later I was told my cheeks turned the color of my hair.
After a five minute fan girl crushing, it was time to get to business. I had to be at Bottom of the Hill for the Matt & Kim show soon and needed to get some work done in the refreshment department.
One drink turned into two which turned into five, and suddenly I'm laughing really hard and kicking my feet in the air at a joke Melissa tells me about who knows what. I am having a blast with the girls, playing catchup, judging people relentlessly (but not ruthlessly), and generally having a good time. Kristin is perpetually fetching us drinks at the classy folding table and being really adorable, and I'm bugging Melissa to quit her job a server to hang out with me more at these kind of things and be cynical together. The lines between hilarity and reality began to blur hardcore...didn't I deserve a good time considering my insane schedule this week? I reach in my pocket to check my phone when...
Then.
Then?
Noisepop for a split second became more personal than musical. Dude 1 walks in, the object of my affection for a few months now in the "so close, yet so far away" vein. He's been one of the few people to make me extremely nervous whenever I'm around him, literal dry throat and mind blanks. It also doesn't help that he is extremely attractive. I point him out to Kristin and she automatically starts throwing napkins at his head...I'm mortified but cannot contain my laughter. He comes over to chat and I'm secretly freaking out inside. A discussion about a night long past both our radars comes up and we make plans to get together during the weekend to sit down and really talk; happy hour isn't exactly the best bet to make amends.
In the back of my head I know I have to call the show manager to say that I am going to be late to Matt & Kim, and as I'm telling this to Melissa after Dude 1 leaves I suddenly gasp so loudly she grabs me in a half-hug and goes "What?!" Dude 2 is walking down the stairs and my jaw hits the floor. He's stood me up, been mean, and never returned my phone calls within the time I've known him, but yet I run into him at stuff like this and everything starts again between us like nothing is wrong. I wave weakly and he nods.
I down my last drink and start to head off upstairs to catch a cab; Dude 2 of course stops and wants to talk to me. We are in conversation from the bar area all the way to the street and he is pushing my buttons so much to the point where I start yelling at him "No, Dude 2! You can't come in and out of my life like this and get what YOU want when I'M the one who gets hurt!" on the corner of Post and Kearny. At this point I realize my irresponsibility is biting me in the ass and I'm totally getting the payback from not being on time.
NOTE TO SELF: NOISEPOP IS ABOUT MUSIC. NOT DRAMA.
I finally hop buses and then a cab to Bottom of the Hill to be a grand total of three and a half hours late. From what I can tell, the show had been fairly chill and one of the merch guys said there hadn't been any real rushes as of late, but I still felt like a terrible human being. I watched the last part of Erase Errata and then punished myself by seething in my distain for dudes during Matt & Kim's set. After they left stage one of the other volunteers and I sold more lovely products for all the bands, counted inventory for each, and then dispersed cash revenues for the night. Matt and Kim's Kim came over to thank us for our hard work, and she is so tiny in person I kind of just wanted to pick her up and swing her around.
After beating myself up again and apologizing to the show manager for the 7,398th time, I was picked up by a group of friends and we set on our way to complete number two on my to-do list for Noisepop and hug this man:
Determined to still have a good time despite the lack of Ted Leo-ness available, Suz, Kim, Rachel, Jenn, Messina, Kristin and I managed to head bang to CSS and convulse to the Faint.
One sweaty shirt and hair in my face later, popscene ended and I couldn't help but feel unsatisfied by my Noisepop intake for the day. Really though, I have no one but to blame myself. Moral of the story is: STAY AWAY FROM DUDES AND BOOZE IN ONE SITTING. Sounds pretty good to me.
I miss Kings of Convenience a lot. I'm glad Erlend does stuff with Royksopp and has a solo thing and is now doing The Whitest Boy Alive...but I miss stuff like this:
Come back. Please?
TWBA is playing a show tonight in Mexico. At a bar. WHAT THE HELL.
