There has been lots of live music happening recently, sometimes for no reason, sometimes for reasons not too fun, but music nonetheless. Last week a benefit show was held for producer Scotty Hard, who was in a car accident recently. He had no insurance, a boat many musicians are in, its a nationwide mess. I once heard a jazz drummer talking about how to survive in New York as a musician, his response was “Find Yourself A Girl With Benefits”. Hard produced some amazing work, from De La Soul to MMW, many things in between, so there was a great show of support. It really felt like every musician there truly wanted to be there, it was not just another gig. Those not playing at the time stood on the sidelines, ready to tear it up. Vernon Reid opened the show, I think he was playing with a penny as a pick, strange sounds. His band was impressive though, DJ logic, John Medeski, John Scofield, and Nicky Glaspie on drums- who is pretty much the next Dennis Chambers. She used to be a guest on our old college radio show while she was a Berklee Student, then showed up on the cover of Modern Drummer one day as Beyonce’s drummer…yeah, she was kind of good.
I like to think of the red behind him as some sort of magical aura. As the Scofield took the stage, it was evident that there was great respect for him amongst everyone in attendance. He’ll break out a combination of notes you could never imagine, but somehow it works, and the rest of the band chases after that for a few measures. A long time ago, the TB and I saw him at a large collective performance, many musicians on stage at once, he took a ridiculous solo, the alto sax player stepped up to a vocal mic, looked around and said “how am I gonna follow that?” it was kind of true, you don’t really follow that.
Reid left the stage, replaced by my part time hero/drum instructor Billy Martin, for a MMS-W set, where the Chris Wood was, no one knew. Again, Scofield led the band through some intense melodic freakouts, using looping pedals, shrill fuzz distortions, the whole thing. Guitar players usually get boring after about 3 minutes, the only previous exception I’ve found is Nels Cline. But now, I’ll add scofield to the list.
Good music all round. We left early and sadly missed The Duo and Soulive, damn these responsibilities of having to wake up at a specified time.
Later in the weekend, a Half Surprise Fake Bat Mitzvah was thrown for our friend, one Sara Q Robinson. The meal consisted of the most high cholesterol food you could imagine- steak, latkes, stuffed cabbage, kreplach, fried onions, pickled tomatoes, deliciousness. We went to a very old restaurant on the Lower East Side, one of the few holdouts from the jewish era of yesteryear. Havanageliah might have been sung, the hora may have been danced, a chair may have been hoisted, but then again, it might not have.
Notice the old school seltzer bottles, as seen in many classic comedy films. The waiter smacked one member of our party for shaking one too much, it was deserved. Also, whats with people responding with a “no” to the evite, then showing up at the dinner anyway, when it was clearly stated that reservations were being made? Seriously, get it together man.
I’m genuinely bummed out today. I just visited my favorite deli for the first time in about 6 weeks, and learned that the owner, Tony, passed away a few weeks ago. I’m just going to ramble for a bit, in all seriousness you could tell he was a beautiful person, and loved to see people enjoy sandwiches, a passion we both share. He will be missed.
My love of deli sandwiches is no secret. Everyone who has been in my presence for more than 15 minutes has heard me wax poetic about a delicious sandwich I have eaten recently, cheesesteak or otherwise. Above all other sandwich venues on earth, by far the finest was the Evergreen Deli in Springfield, NJ. Its a unique atmosphere, the first floor of a residential house, 1970’s wood paneling on the walls, no grill, no name brand cold cuts. Tony made 6 turkeys every morning, and if you got him going, you could tell how genuinely proud of this he was. It was all completely justified, this stuff could take Boars Head in a fight with its hands tied together, also blindfolded. If you had any doubts, you would be given a handful of turkey. Beyond the turkey, the meatballs were Serious Business. I’ve told this story before, but it warrants a re-telling. There’s a sign on the wall that reads “You Are At The Home Of The Biggest Balls In Town” Another fact Tony was eager to discuss. Here is a story I heard when waiting on line one day
“I’ve been here 32 years, and never advertised once. A while back the church bulletin called me up and said “wanna put an ad in the bulletin?” I says “I’ll only do it if you put EVERGREEN DELI HAS THE BIGGEST BALLS IN TOWN” and I never heard from them again!”
I will never forget that as long as I live. He hailed from the JC, so he always gave me the supreme greeting of “JERSEY CITY!!” Or if someone in front of me ordered a large sandwich (as they all were large) He would say “Ya gotta be from Jersey City to handle somethin this big!” I wore my “My way or the Pulaski Skyway” t shirt, and it cracked him up.
I was going to get a tuna sandwich or something, keep it relaxed, but as I learned this news, there was no other choice than the Giant Meatball Hero, made by his sidekick Sonia. He came from a different time, didn’t accept credit cards, would let you pay later if you were short on cash, constantly handed out handfuls of cold cuts and pieces of chicken, he told old ladies the cheesecake his wife made was “better than sex”. A true American original, there will never be another.
This weekend some of the crew dove headfirst into the canvas, stretching our artistic muscles, getting ready to begin our second lives as visual artists. A giant canvas was acquired (about 4 feet by 3 feet), nailed to a wall, lit tastefully, and it was Go time. Lets examine the progression through the magic of photos.
We started with some minimalism, the conclusion was that it’s a dragon on the left, and a killer whale fighting a giant squid on the right. I don’t think anyone will disagree. On we go
So we’ve starting moving a little into the abstract here, the red also sort of took over the right side.
I believe at this point canvas locations were switched, just to mix it up
and here, we just went a little crazy with it. The sections I am partial to are the green mini fish in the center, and the whale head on the right. Also the exploding dragon at the top, you cant go wrong with that.
So there you have it, I’m hoping this painting sells for somewhere in the $36.00-$450,000 range.
During the school days, our radio station would bring in lots of live music, a good chance for all of us to work with real musicians, they were our unknowing guinea pigs. Occasionally they would figure this out and not be too excited. It being a school and all, it was the policy that no one but students touch the equipment… again, good for us, not so much for them. One such case was a reggae group, led by Mikey Dread. It was late on a weekend, after a very full day, his band was to close out the weekly reggae show. I also remember Henry Rollins was doing a spoken word thing on the campus that night, so we were all eager to get out and over to the show. So its two 21 year white dudes, and 6 giant Rastafarians. The smell of the Ganj was enough to knock out an elephant or perhaps rhinoceros. Maybe they had some sort of ganj flavored cologne? who knows. Anyhoo, so they set up and start playing. Mikey, the band leader sort of conducts the sound check, doing like a Mozart meets Peter Tosh type of thing, when he feels like it, the music stops. This whole time, we have no idea what this guy is doing, he’s just sort of pointing and dancing, then he comes in the control room as the band continues. He starts asking to hear things soloed, giving instructions on how to gate a kick drum (to block out extraneous noise) and how the interplay between the kick and bass is the most important….as the thought of “who the hell is this dude” goes through our fragile young engineering minds. We just wanted to get out of there.
The host says the band has a 30 minute set, he goes “Nah, dats too much, we play two songs” So, thats what they did. The 2nd song was basically a giant introduction of the band and himself, giving shout outs to everyone he could thing of. He even said, “Dis one goes out to our engineers, Dey got da chicks, and the electron-ics” which gave a chuckle. He then went on a rant about Joe Strummer, saying “ya know, Mikey Dread produced Da Clash back in da day” And we sort of paused….thinking we should have listened harder when he was giving instructions on how to mix. So…there’s that.
this is possibly the greatest thing on the internet:
He even matched the timing of the hand movements, wow. I heard Clapton’s people forced the guy to take it off youtube, but it somehow re-appeared.
OK, on we go. Here is a sure sign that a person does not “have it together”. Most streets in America have 2 way traffic, with a designated area closest to the curb for parking. This does not come as news to most of us. Now, one would assume by the laws of common sense, that when one parks on the aforementioned street, they would point their car according to the side of the street they are on. Again, you would think most could figure this out. I have seen this law broken twice in my life that I can think of, both times at the studio where I spend most of my days. In both cases, it was a soccer type mom, pulled up right in front, while there are several other cars on the block, facing flat out in the wrong direction. I don’t know why this bothers me so. I just feel like I can’t trust these people. You don’t have the decency to turn your car around, you cant be trusted, thats just how it is. When I first got my license, I drove to a friends house where we were getting a ride to a show in the city, since we were still too young to drive in Manhattan. I clearly remember pulling up and trying to just park in front of his house, which would have meant facing the wrong direction. His dad was outside and said “Um, what are you doing? You cant just do that” and i thought “you know, you’re right, this just feels wrong” and I guess thats how it went.
So apparently Bowery Presents just bought a theater in Montclair NJ, and will be putting on shows there. I find this very strange, but welcoming nonetheless. TB and I have discussed this, and have come to the conclusion they need to either present 10 Huron Ave, or this abandoned and boarded up social club down the hill from us. I feel like this plan is foolproof.
So that last post was the more than I ever thought I would write pertaining to politics, but today brought another sort of event. This morning I went to by far the swankiest law office I have ever seen (its also the only law office I have ever seen…)to record Ed Koch for a news program. This thing took up 3 floors of a midtown building, with spiral staircases connecting them together, the walls all lined with books, comfortable looking couches everywhere…when I work in the mail room, this is what I will aspire to.
I really don’t know much about “Old New York” in the pre Guliani era. I do remember coming in as a small child, and having the feeling be distinctly different than it is now. Much more dirt, “grime” if you will, it felt a lot more like Gotham City than this luxury high rise truman show thing happening now…but hey, maybe I’m just imagining that. But today, sitting in this office I got the Old NY vibe. No, I’m not saying it was a grimey office. The Koch Man was dressed like a Mayor should be dressed. Giant red suspenders, cuff links, very high pants, very wide and shiny tie.
It was truly a unique experience. He seemed a little sleepy while I set up, some small talk here and there, a colleague came in and made a Spitzer joke, we all had a good chuckle, very low key. But as soon as the phone rang for the interview….BAM!!! MAYOR MODE! he sprung to life! Yelling, laughing scrambling for thoughts, reading notes off printouts, making little asides, he frikkin tore it up man. He was standing up for the Jews, talking presidential race, laying the smack on the Spitz, it was all there. He would give me little nods if I laughed at a joke, I felt like his sidekick. As they were finishing the interview, he put his hand over the receiver, and said to me “Not bad, eh?” I gave him the thumbs up, but I really wanted to give the Hi Five. In those 2.5 words he basically said “See homes, I still got it, damn straight.” and he totally did. Go Koch.
This has been a work week like none other, but you don’t need to hear about unrealistic demands of advertising clients. Why? Because that shit is boring. Sometimes chairs are thrown as a result, sometimes not, its just one of those things.
Now before we talk about Spitzer, lets talk about recording drums. Over the weekend I took a little break from the outside world to make note of some sounds, as previously stated. This was no session in particular, we’ve been trying to get some new ideas together and have been passing them around, so I wanted to join in the fun. Any excuse to break out some old instruments is worth it, so here is what I started with:
That bass drum is around 80 years old, complete with the original heads. I saw Stanton Moore play one one night, and was forced to buy one in retaliation. The Old Ska Band would occasionally bring it to shows, and tape a piece of paper to the front saying “This bass drum may be wood, but it is VERY metal”. The snare is a marching drum I believe from the early 70’s given to my sister by her high school, and the floor tom is a rare 14×14 ludwig keystone badge with Gretsch die cast hoops, won on ebay during a furious snow storm several years ago. Here’s another angle, why not?
Yes, I Gaff Taped my wallet to the snare. But while this bass drum sounded wonderfully thunderous, it was too much. Took up too much sonic landscape, so I had to switch to my reliable 22″ ludwig, which has been with me for years. Check out the bite taken out of this ride cymbal, a crack which was cut out by Russian Cymbal Master Nodar Rode:
My favorite thing ever is the new Copperphone mic, previously discussed, which you can see close to the snare drum. Here is a closer shot, complete with different bass drum, added for effect:
So I got a few ideas down, we’ll see what happens. It really is an amazing thing that we can just send files of a recording session between several people, without ever being face to face. While I see this as an overall disadvantage, If you look at it as a completely different situation than traditional music recording….it is kind of cool. Maybe I can find a way to post sounds on here…any ideas web master TB?
OK, so, first of all, how great was the Spitzer thing? I know, right? Totally. Lets examine why it was both great and terrible at the same time. Right off the bat, who cares that he got a hooker? What he does is his business, it really didn’t hurt anyone had he not been caught, the girl was probably not some sex slave, but a well paid escort. On that note, he paid her $5500 an hour. Now lets pause and think about that. What the hell do you get for that much money? In addition to her normal services, I would like to think she’d arrive with a gourmet meal, a new suit for you, give you a haircut, and clean your house afterwards. TB and I have discussed the merits of expensive instruments in the past. Like if you buy a $2000 guitar, how much better does a $5000 guitar get? You see the point here? Some have suggested that maybe the service charged that much in exchange for confidentiality? Yeah, we see how well that worked out…
It only bothers me, because everything we have been taught to believe as skeptical liberal young-ins has turned out to be true. No one is above corruption, and you can’t trust politicians. Not that I ever trusted a politician, you would just think that if someone has the balls to make an entire career out of fighting corruption, busting Wall Street, the recording industry…and yes, even prostitution rings…He’d at least practice what he preached. Really, how dumb can you be. Sure, visit a hooker, no one really cares (except your wife, i’m talking about the public here) but at least be smart about it, man. You yourself said never use the internet for these things. In fact, the very software they used to flag irregular transactions from your account was the VERY software you helped legislate to gain access to individual accounts! Dumbass. Oy Vey.
My day was comprised of over 71% public radio, I’ll give you the last 35 % right off the bat.
I’ve been a big fan of Chuck Klosterman for a while, particularly Fargo Rock City- possibly the greatest book written on the subject of heavy metal that is not about one specific band (see The Dirt and Slash). He’s hilarious, slightly bitter and self deprecating, and his books are easy reads. Sometimes thats exactly what you need. Everyone who at one point liked rock music can identify with Klosterman, he personifies the overly obsessed rock and roll kid, only he made a career out of it. For this, he certainly deserves a Hi Five.
He has supposedly written a novel, and tonight he did a reading and discussion on Fiction, a medium he has never touched. So, I figured, I’ll tear it up. It was held at the Highline Ballroom, a venue which is a little shiny for my tastes. I guess they attempted to have a supper club type feel to it, with little tables set up over the entire floor, but I feel it really broke up the atmosphere. So, here I am at a table, and I see a familiar pair of large glasses, a tall skinny dude walking slightly nervously (yes, one can totally have a nervous walk) and yes….it is none other than THE IRA. Ira muthafuckin Glass, as he is known in public radio circles. Immediately I give those around me a mental hi five. So, it turns out Ira will be doing an onstage interview with him, oh man, I’m freaking out. None of this was previously announced.
Chuck read a bit from the novel, some kind of funny stuff, it didn’t hit as hard as his non fiction stuff, but he did manage to throw in an Exile on Main St reference, so points for showing his true colors. The interview section was genuinely interesting. Ira kept prodding him about influences, and Chuck stuck to the fact that he is not at all influenced by other authors, and tries as hard as he can not to get emotionally involved while listening to music or watching TV. He also dropped a Tweedy reference, so we’re now homies for life.
On an Ira note, you can really see his true personality as a radio host and interviewer. If Chuck at any point would drift off mic, Ira would instinctively move the mic back towards him, without missing a beat of conversation. And this is precisely what I will discuss with him if we ever meet. If only my Remix had one the TAL contest…I was totally robbed.
I also took the first test I have taken in many years today…with a pencil nonetheless! It proved to me how much technology is branded into our souls, this is a true example. I was doing a short answer section, and was unsure of the spelling of a word. I literally paused for a millisecond, waiting for the squiggly red line to appear. When I realized what was happening, I felt a little startled. My philosophy with tests is nearly the same as it is when recording: Get it done as well as you can, as quickly as possible, and lets move on to something else. Whether this is best…who knows, I’m not sure of the results. But with music, I’m willing to say it is almost always the best choice.
I should have taken notes on this Klosterman talk, he did throw out some gems, perhaps they’ll come to me in a dream, and that is what I will do right now, goodnight.
Lets talk about The Black Crowes for a second. Yes, they’re an imitation of The Stones, The Allman Brothers, and The Faces, but I’m pretty much ok with that. How many other bands sound like that these days? Sometimes you need your yearly dose of extremely loud stoner guitar rock, and thats exactly what we got last night, at a small venue in South Jersey. They have some sort of new album coming out, no one is too excited for that, except after Maxim wrote a fake review of it before they heard any music, starting some controversy. The point is, Maxim said it sounds like The Crowes never evolved after their first few albums and they’re stuck in this mid 70’s rock thing, this album brings nothing new. They published this without hearing a note. Well, I was among the first 1000 people to hear this new album (they performed it in its entirety last night) and I can pretty much say, they’re right.
The first CD I ever bought was Shake Your Money Maker. My 2nd musical heroes, post Guns N Roses, were The Black Crowes. I would beg my parents to take me to shows at age 12, and reluctantly they dragged me to The Beacon Theater a few times a year. The venue pretty much became 1 giant cloud of smoke, the perfect environment for a 12 year old badass to hear the loudest band ever. I did feel kind of lucky, I got to see them with the original lineup at the peak of their heroin addictions, also the peak of their experimental musical phase. One night a 12 piece horn section sat in, which was truly amazing. But after a while, it started to get a little watered down, the set lists became the same, The Hits became more present. So, we move on, the band goes on indefinite hiatus, thats just how it goes.
But, at some point a few years ago, a giant reunion happened, with something like 7 nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Marc Ford even crawled out from under his rock and re-joined the band. I attended one of these shows, and felt extremely satisfied with the results. They pulled out some very obscure rarities, a few covers, minimal hits, a positive experience. It still wasn’t the early days or extended jams, on stage fights, sloppy jamming, and unpredictability, but I could deal with it.
The show last night was somewhere in between all of this. They looked a little weathered, everyone in the band sporting a beard, and with Luther Dickenson from The Word and The North Mississippi Allstars on guitar. He seemed to bring new life to the band, Chris and Rich seemed very happy with his presence, and his Duane Allman ripoff slide lines. The venue was filled with the Jersey Crowd you would expect, 91% dudes, wearing T shirts of the band.
But, they still sound like themselves. They’re not at the point where they’re an imitation of themselves, just an imitation of a musical period long ago, which again, I am ok with. Rich Robinson had 3 amp heads, a few cabinets, and 2 tape echoplexes, overkill? Sure, why not. They’re incredibly loud, and always have been. I read an interview with Andy Hess, one of their temporary bass players, who said they never learned about dynamics, they just liked the way they sounded with everything on 10, so why play any other way? yes yes, we’ve all been there.
Yes, the pictures suck, deal with it. After the new album was played start to finish, they did a few other tunes, I think some weird covers, one hit, and one album deep cut. So, this marks the first show where I only knew 2 songs a band performed. Kept on the toes the entire night, a nice change.
I could also totally replace Steve Gorman on drums. He’s proficient, not flashy, and has good time. My plan is to somehow hit him with a mic stand, and I’ll run up really quickly to replace him. I’m growing a beard in preparation.
OK, enough of that. Did anyone see Wilco on Saturday Night Live? I caught the youtube re-cap…the Tweedy Suit?? Yes, the man never lets you down.
