ladies and gents, introducing nicole atkins & the sea. they’re playing a free show at the socrates sculpture park in LIC on june 17th, which is why i’ve been seeing her everywhere. i finally took the time to listen to the band this morning and loved the sound — after which, i was totally floored seeing them perform on david letterman awhile back. WATCH THIS. it sounds strange to say, but i literally got chills watching her sing. i think it was because her voice just soars on CD (or on the myspace tracks, rather), and then to just watch her belting it out and sounding just as great live.. just wow. and i LOVE the artwork she uses for her album, “neptune city” — it totally reminds me of old coney island. girlcrush much! more on nicole.

in other news, THE GIRAFFES ARE COMING.. !!! bowery ballroom june 12th, baby! AND.. the texas firehouse in LIC rocks. there’s really nothing like listening to live music on a ROOF and having no one bitch at you about it. in addition to humor, awesome art, and just an all around good vibe.. i even left my cell phone in the bathroom, panicked when i went back in and it wasn’t there and thought someone had definitely stolen it.. only to find the DJ had it. SWEET. more about this later ;D

oh and ps KEEP YOUR EYES ON LOLA STAAR! her dreamland roller rink NEEDS YOUR HELP and there are TWO benefits (june 13th and 15th) planned for NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!! they should be totally fun, and helping the dreamland roller rink reopen is a GREAT cause.. pps anyone notice the “reithoffer’s playland” that just went up in coney island in the space where the go carts and batting cages used to be?! awesome surprise the other night — good to see more amusements and less empty lots. fuck that shit!

rock steady!

- audrey

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”!

Lola Staar’s Dreamland Roller Rink will open March 22 in the Childs Restaurant Building!!!!

can you say.. AWESOME?!?!?!

from lola staar’s myspace:

“Lola’s Hot Pink Dreams Burst into Reality!!

Lola Staar’s owner, Dianna Carlin, has won an amazing contest sponsored by Glamour Magazine and Tommy Hilfiger!! In celebration of Tommy’s new fragrance, Dreaming, they hosted a contest to make someone’s ‘dream come true!!’ Dianna dreamt of transforming the enchanted, vacant, historical landmark building [...] into a magical Roller Rink full of color, life, energy, art and fun.

Along with Taconic Investment Partners, Glamour and Tommy Hilfiger are helping her to transform this dream into a reality and filming a fabulous documentary movie about her exciting journey.

On March 22nd, the spectacular Childs Building will become Lola’s magical roller skating Dreamland!”

there is a free opening party from 6:00 PM – 12:00 PM but you have to RSVP.. hopefully sugar n thunder will get to be there!!

in any case – congrats to lola staar, we love you guys!

– audrey

edit/

so it does seem that the roller rink is a temporary installation for the spring and summer right now – taconic investment owns the childs building and plans to use it for a restaurant and entertainment hall. that doesn’t sound bad BUT, this is a roller rink, people! maybe if the rink drums up enough support it can stay? i can’t wait to see it. speaking of which, check out this awesome pic of the childs building actually open!