Saturday, June 27, 2009

The King of Pop and a Blonde Redhead

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4:06 PM
In case you don't have a television, radio, access to a printed publication or the ability to converse with a breathing human being, you probably know the passing of Michael Jackson. The King of Pop died on Thursday in Los Angeles after suffering a cardiac arrest. As many of you have felt, this was a complete shock and very hard to take in as a fan of music. His contributions to music as a solo artist and as part of the Jackson 5 have been unsurpassed. As discussing with some friends last night, we decided that it is impossible to find someone who doesn't like at least one Michael Jackson song. Impossible. Even at the last night's Celebrate Brooklyn show, the Icelandic siren Olof Arnalds covered Jackson's "Billie Jean" in the most articulate way...acoustically. It was very surreal to hear it in such a way but was much appreciated by the crowd. Even electro's Boys Noize offered a couple Michael Jackson tracks in his set last night at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles. Saying that MJ will be missed a gross understatement. He was an icon and his legacy will live forever.

As mentioned earlier, I attended Celebrate Brooklyn's free concert that showcased Iceland's Olof Arnald and New York's own Blonde Redhead. Upon arriving to Brooklyn's Prospect Park, the weather was not in our favor. Literally, the random thunderstorm met us at the park and didn't let up for a good half hour. Fearing the show's cancellation for the majority of the rain storm, the good people at the venue finally let in the soaked crowd. I was quite pleased with Arnald's set as she casually conversed with the crowd, even interrupting her own songs to say sweet nothings sporadically. Indeed, the highlight of the night was the Michael Jackson cover; it just stood out. When Blonde Redhead took the stage, they were received with a appreciative applause. As being a local group, the New York faithful were most gracious the band and staff did not cancel the show. The band was not near as vocal as Arnald but kept the crowd entertained with their library of music. They played a vibrant set, despite the lousy weather; the sky beaming with the occasional lightning strike. Overall, was a good night.



enjoy.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Goodnight

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6:04 PM
I have been severely neglecting my blog. Don't know why since I have plenty of time on my hands right now. It's simple math. No job = free time. Hopefully something will pan out soon. If you live in NYC and have the hookup, please don't be shy. I am awesome. Trust me.

On the brighter side of things, I have finally gone to my first shows in NYC in the shape of Brooklyn's Northside Festival. Spanning four days, I was able to see the likes of the Hold Steady, the Witchies, Sunset Rubdown, Cymbals Eat Guitars and the Dodos. Of course, there were other bands I wish I could have caught but with so many venues hosting shows, times would conflict and I would have to pick and choose. I am happy with the choices I made.

Not any sooner, I was at Parkside Lounge to see Jon Yeager perform a solo set; very good stuff. All in all, I was very happy to have seen some live performances in New York, of course, many more are soon to follow. I'll keep my camera handy to take video when possible; below is a sample of the shows I saw over the span of those five days.











If you'd like to see more from the Northside Festival, you can check out the MTC YouTube channel.

enjoy.
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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Rooftop Picnic and a Trip to Brooklyn

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9:29 PM
Yep, that's me overlooking Central Park. I had planned to go to a picnic at said park but it turns out that we were detoured to a rooftop that overlooked the mighty park. It was definitely a spectacular sight and was much appreciated. Thanks Joe.

I've actually been listening to a lot of great music, mostly new and a few older. Lately I've been listening to Cymbals Eat Guitars, Phoenix, Passion Pit and the Clash. Yeah, the Clash aren't new by any means but I have a new found interest in their music and find them extremely enjoyable.

I would love to catch Cymbals Eat Guitars at this week's Northside Festival in Brooklyn; the music and art festival will last from Thursday to Sunday, spread throughout Williamsburg and Greenpoint. There are a handful of bands that I would love to see but I know it will be very hard to do so since the venues are so spread out. I would love to catch the Dodos, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Woods, the Drums, the Hold Steady (again), Bishop Allen (again), the Tallest Man on Earth and John Vanderslice just to name a few. Having purchased a badge months ago, I am more than ready to attend my first show(s) in NYC and will have to charge up the ole camera for a lot of video.

enjoy.
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