————-

WE FUCKING GOT ONSTAGE WITH GOLDFINGER LAST NIGHT AT ROSELAND BALLROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

there’s no words to describe how awesome the concert was. they fucking OWNED it. insanely. they had so much energy, feldy was stage diving left and right, and aside from “get up,” they played THE OLD SHIT!!!!!!!!! starting with “spokeman” and ending with “99 red balloons” and with “open your eyes,” “san simeon,” “superman,” “my girlfriend’s shower sucks,” “here in your bedroom,” “counting the days,” “miles away” (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and of course “MABLE”! in the middle, which we got onstage for! insane. the crowd onstage was jumping around and holding feldy above their heads — he almost tumbled off but he fell onto captain lmfao, SWEET! BEST. SHIT. EVER!

the energy in the whole place was great, everyone was jumping and dancing and there was a circle pit.. AND a kid from the audience ate a twinkie out of someone’s a$$. delicious. i was laughing too hard to catch who it was, haha.. AND the opening bands were really entertaining as well, beginning with orange county’s suburban legends — who apparently have ridiculous(ly amusing?!) choreography added to their pop/ska/rock. madd points for originality, boys! seriously, though, they were totally fun. next up was boston’s westbound train, who brought soul and ska and reggae together with that awesome old school flavor. and soul, man, SOUL!!!!!!!!!! totally, totally, totally dug it.

you know what i loved about the whole thing? AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION! all three bands we saw that night (we didn’t get to stay for less than jake) got the audience involved with jumping and dancing and call-back singing and splitting the audience up to compete in echoing the lead singer. so fucking fun! a great combo of bands but together but without a doubt goldfinger OWNED IT. when a sharply dressed feldy screamed to everyone to JUMP THE FUCK UP, EVERYONE jumped the fuck up! their bassist, kelly, is also ridiculously entertaining to be in front of while they perform, hahah ;D

NEXT ON THE AGENDAAAA..

our perrenial favorites, THE GIRAFFES , are playing mccarren park on july 12th for the brooklyn kickball all-star weekend(!?!??!), in addition to a MUCH looked forward to rocks off concert cruise on august 29th! FUCK YES! in other news.. captain’s 21st birthday giraffes show @ bowery ballroom needs NO introduction but certainly many, many THANKS for heads rocked and lives changed ;D “finger the world, pain is temporary.. PRIDE IS FOREVER!!!” immortal words from drew and damien. <3 also, DEMANDER opened the show and were seriously fucking great! put them on your list of bands to see.

may we also recommend checking out these fucking fantastic brooklyn musicians.. LEO (alternative/electronica/IDM) and TRISTAME (rock/alternative/acoustic)?!?

AND nicole atkins sounds just like she does on CD live and in living color — saw her at the socrates sculpture park in LIC on july 17th. AMAZING. ohyesohyes.

more soon, i hope!

rock steady!

- audrey

SAVE CONEY ISLAND!

ps OH MAN how could i forget, the golden dogs came back to NYC to play an, as always, AWESOME show at bowery on the 20th! lesson learned: never scream “BULLSHIT!” to a band without an explanation! ;D we also got the heads up on another totally fun and disco-ed out electro/rock band, heloise & the savoir faire, who we have yet to see live because of life suckiness, but is also on our list. ROCK!

we shall be back, all in due time. we had an adventure! and now we’re tired.

since we’ve been gone:

b-52′s new album “funplex”! goldfinger new album “hello destiny”! we don’t have either of them because we suck! and we sure as hell don’t have MSI’s new release either. i know, we’re lame.

NOT. in the weeks to come..

THE GIRAFFES at bowery ballroom june 12!

GOLDFINGER at roseland ballroom june 26!

and all the way at the end of the summer.. ELECTRIC SIX ROCKS OFF CONCERT CRUISE AUGUST 14!

sweet jesus.

hopefully we’ll survive until then.. but just so you know, we’re not dead. zombified, maybe, but not dead.

we’ve got more rants to do and music to write about, oh yeah.

but first. LIFE. ugh.

;D

rock steady,

- audrey

edit/

haha, now that i look back on it, both of us got pretty sick after that giraffes show. mm, germs.

AND..

New York University (Unit #80411)
www.chick-fil-a.com/nyu

figures the only chick-fil-a within 15 miles of me would be in NYU! FAGS! DON’T YOU HAVE ENOUGH?!?

-weeps-

ok i’m done. ;D

the golden dogs kicked ass at piano’s (158 ludlow at stanton) on the 20th! piano’s made for a nice little venue, decorated with long mirrors and HUGE pictures of tropical scenery. the bar in the front was packed to the HILT but through a glass door in the back is the stage area. there was a good turnout, which i was definitely happy to see, and the cap and i arrived to catch the middle/end of NYC band heavy rescue - the lead singer made me smile because you could tell that he loved being up there – he was belting out the lyrics off the mic even when it was the piano player’s turn to sing the vocals. they seemed proud of what they were doing, and it was cool.

the golden dogs took the stage as a four piece – dave azzolini on vocals and guitar, jessica grassia on keys and vocals, taylor knox on drums and stew keyduk on bass. neil quin, who we had met at the golden dogs’ electric six gigs last year, is no longer in the band (neil you rocked! take care, man!). i don’t know when the dogs will be back, but they rocked the shit out of NYC while they had the chance.

as we said to dave after the show, “you just spilled your guts all over the stage!” and they really did. the nervous energy is just radiating out of them, perhaps best exemplified in jessica’s bouncy piano playing! their set included ”birdsong,” “construction worker,” and “runouttaluck,” as well as a song the two of us hadn’t heard before called “painting ape,” the captain’s favorite, “dynamo,” and my favorite, “saints at the gates,” which got a particularly great crowd response. they of course took the opportunity to blow everyone away with their rendition of “nineteen hundred and eighty five,” which the captain later told me he never wants to end! the song is great on CD but when you hear it live and watch them drain that song for all it’s worth – classic concert moments, people.

the crowd shouted for an encore, but the dogs were beat – and i don’t blame them. the “golden dogs show is a bloodletting” comment certainly holds up. it was great to see them in NYC again, but even as they return to canada, keep an eye on these guys!

next on the agenda.. disturbed has a new album!

“indestructible” comes out june 3rd. one of the best shows i’ve ever been to was a disturbed show at nokia theatre not long after their last album, “ten thousand fists” came out. they posted two new songs from “indestructible” on their myspace – “inside the fire” and “perfect insanity.” i love the laugh at the beginning of “inside the fire”! on an initial listen it struck me as somewhat similar to their previous work, but it’s quickly growing on me. i’m just afraid that their new material won’t be so different from their old material, and that the lyrics won’t hit me as hard as they have in the past.

i’ve always loved disturbed for their unique take on rock/metal – the way they can be characterized as a metal band and can sing about darker subject matter, but they aren’t all doom and gloom about it. the subject matter they deal with on their second album, “believe,” has made for some of the most affecting songs i’ve ever heard. their exploration into the concept of BELIEF was amazing – “prayer”? “believe”? and the liner notes:

“In an age of nothing, at a time when we stand at the brink of our own destruction – strengthen your belief in yourself, in the future, in the things of this world which cannot easily be perceived. Awaken that which lies dormant now within your soul. Re-ignite the flame of your consciousness and measure the strength of your conviction. Reveal the lie. Renounce your hatred. Seek, find and embrace the truths you are fortunate enough to discover. Cherish them. Use them to anchor you in the sea of chaos that is the world we live in. When twilight draws near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life – BELIEVE.”

that last line almost gives me chills. i’ve also always loved their great hooks, vocals, and lyrics – especially david draiman’s vocal style and his quick delivery of barrages of words, like at the end of “meaning of life,” one of my absolute favorite disturbed songs and perhaps one of my favorite songs EVER, or more recently on “pain redefined.” in thinking about the new album, i can’t forget how much their last one, “ten thousand fists” affected me when i first listened to it in.. 2005?? wow, can it be that long ago already?? anyway, i guess i’m just looking for that. i also still miss draiman’s various sounds and growls from the first album – they’ve appeared less and less over the years. in any case, i’d love to see them again and i’ll definitely be keeping tabs on the release of the new album.

next item of business! the giraffes‘ NYC homecoming show is nearing (april 12th @ mercury lounge) and i can’t fucking wait. on a recent blog, they linked to a GREAT new york press article by mishka shubaly (of beat the devil) about SXSW and the brooklyn bands – including the big sleep, freshkills, and the giraffes – that recently traveled to the festival to play. please read it if you have a chance – it’s awesome and funny but it also gets to the heart of things (involving making music, trying to get by financially, screwing around with your friends, and ultimately being human), and ends on a poignant and yet realistic note. read it!

while on the topic of giraffes articles, if you’d like to be informed about the latest of their endeavors, read this spankin’ new interview from losanjealous. i honestly can’t think of another band that gives such consistently entertaining interviews. the pictures are fucking great, too.

AND apparently lola staar‘s dreamland rink opening attracted more attention than expected – over 900 people RSVP’d and ashanti and marisa tomei got added to the mix?! i can’t seem to find any word on whether or not the rink is going to be open for the rest of the summer. last time i checked it was, but i haven’t come across specific days/times. guess we’ll just have to go check it out – we missed the party (unfortunately!), but here’s a video and a recounting of the event from the gowanus lodge blog.

in other news..

what’s up with the lack of music venues in long island city? are there seriously some underground loft shows going on that i don’t know about, like there are in brooklyn?! c’mon people! i’ve seen shows advertised at dominie’s hoek and the pit at maric lanes (yep, a bowling alley), but i just saw on licpop that a LIC venue called the creek and the cave that previously featured live music isn’t going to anymore. hm.. what are the other venues in queens?! silent barn? ridgewood is kind of in both queens and brooklyn, as far as i know. i guess i’ll have to look into it.. it’s times like these that the captain and i wish we had the funds to start the venue we always dream about. maybe someday…

and just because his shit is ridiculous.. listen to pwrfl power. my initial reaction to his dainty little offbeat ditties was “..are you kidding?” but then he comes out with a line like “my dad used to beat me up because i was holding them wrong” in “chopstix song” and i had to laugh out loud. i also want to mention again how much i LOVE “love is a dog from hell” by pass kontrol. oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah.

until next time..

ROCK STEADY!

- audrey

edit/

goldfinger just posted another new song on their myspace and it’s fucking AWESOME! i honestly like it better than the other new one they posted.. the ska beat and horns are back, fuck YEAH! AND the lyrics are progressive/socially conscious.

LISTEN TO “GET UP”!

i almost forgot about this album (how could i?!??!).. GOLDFINGER! “hello destiny” is out april 22nd!!! they have a new song on their myspace and from what i can hear right now “one more time” isn’t bad at all.. but i wanna hear some bouncy ska! and horns! .. hahaha their second track on myspace came on (“answers”) and i literally just said “ohhh shit” out loud. there’s that driving ska geetar in the background and that slinky rhythm, oh yeah!!! gimme some of THAT! .. ahem. in any case, i CANNOT wait to see these guys in concert — i really hope they come to NYC!

aside from that – since i don’t have a lot of time at the moment – i just wanted to bring up three bands i’ve been looking into in my search for more fun local music. i’ve been looking into local venues (even in queens venues like LIC’s the creek and the cave or dominie’s hoek, since everyone always goes to manhattan and brooklyn..) and, well, out of the bands i was looking into yesterday, the majority (a.k.a. all but three) were REALLY soft and folky and sometimes just strange, with half spoken-word “vocals” and just overall this cracky MINIMALISM i really can’t get into.. so what to do?

the bands i end up digging are a rarity – they have to be UNIQUE, they have to stand out.. and, apparently, they seem to involve horns or saxophones, some unexpected kind of beats/influences or sound combinations, or just a general display of ENERGY (!!!!!!!!!!!) that is unfortunately seeming to be lacking from so many bands.. hey, i know, a lot of people can dig that sort of thing – that works, and whatever floats your boat is fine with me – but i think growing up with freddie mercury and the theatrics of queen and going to see ridiculously high energy live shows by the likes of the giraffes, electric six, night kills the day, etc. have spoiled me. or at least attuned me to what REALLY awesome music is REALLY like ;D

in short.. i stumbled upon the new york howl (punk/soul), gato loco (latin/classical/screamo.. what??), and pass kontrol. i’ll be back to look at the NY howl and gato loco (hopefully we’ll get out to a show of theirs soon), but for now, PASS KONTROL from bushwick, brooklyn.

they’re a little trippy, a little spacey, a little electronic.. sometimes a little too instrumental for me.. but for some reason, i REALLY like their track, “love is a dog in hell.” really. distortion all over the vocals, driving beat, oh yeah. LISTEN TO IT! honestly, i wish they had more tracks like this.. it’s kind of just one of those weird instances when a completely random song catches your attention.

other songs? “back in berlin” is totally funky but the repeated spoken word thing is kind of too modernistic for me.. *shrug* “accent number four is cockney.” haha. i think that’s what they’re saying..?! now i like it. not really. i just like the word “cockney.” ahem.

“the kberg nasty”: maybe it’s just because i have a headache right now, but sometimes i can’t get into semi-strange instrumental electronic music – although i really dig that nasty, deep beat that comes in from time to time.. and yeah, it seems sprawling instrumental music just can’t keep my attention (“budapest”.. although it picks up a little more than halfway through).. or maybe, as i mentioned earlier.. maybe i’ve just been spoiled by the rollickinginsaneoutofcontrolmassiveejaculationofenergy that is THE GIRAFFES, for instance.. yeah. maybe that’s it ;D

IN ANY CASE.. pass kontrol has a show tomorrow night at goodbye blue monday (the cap and i had a failed excursion out there one rainy night.. one day we’ll make it there!), and then at pete’s candy store in brooklyn on april 3rd and at space space in ridgewood (390 seneca avenue) on may 3rd. some of their songs are a bit short and very instrumental (“the fall of new hope city” is another one) – i’m kind of curious as to what they would play live. well.. perhaps we shall see.

that’s it for me, for now! hopefully we’ll have some good stuff comin’ up for you this weekend.. and in a side note, i think “answers” is my new favorite song. ;D

ROCK STEADY..

- audrey