Saturday, June 05, 2004
MOVED
Hey y'all. We're permanently relocated to www.huskygentleman.com.
See you over there! No more updates on this site. Thanks :)
Friday, June 04, 2004
the warm road
A cool, spring breeze flutters through palm leaves and the horizon seeps heavily with an amber glow. Over your shoulder, water gurgles gently in a pond, and sotto voce is the m.o. for all ongoing conversations. Could be SoCal, could be SoBe, but would you guess it could be at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge?
The Delancey, a new LES spot at Delancey and Clinton, combines elements of DC's Eighteenth Street Lounge (the aforementioned roof deck), W'burg's Galapagos (spacious, airy bar area), and Lit in the East Village (basement performance space, minus Lit's urine-soaked waftings). Last night, +1 showed off its latest batch of talent with sets by the Twenty Twos, the Hong Kong, Benzos, and the Harlem Shakes.
We'd heard some girl-group oldies being spun upstairs, and were pretty happy about it; quite conveniently, the Shakes were drawing inspiration from those songs of yore, adding a gritty surge atop tried and true doo-wop harmonies. Definitely wanted to hear more, but I wasn't at all disappointed that Benzos were up next.
[Sidebar: My buddy Jed (pictured here with the Husky Gentleman and by his lonesome) often comes to shows with me and has a tendency to be mentioned on these pages. However, we've decided Jed needs a cool nickname. Not that "Jed" isn't a lovely name, but it doesn't represent him well enough. E-mail me with your Jed nickname suggestions and win...something. The nickname "King Garf" is not eligible.]
So Benzos...I had told [insert Jed nickname here] that they reminded me a lot of Radiohead's more melodic side, a statement he interpreted as, "Benzos are the next Radiohead." That's going way too far, but it's not a total stretch. Mike Benzos (vox/keys) even has the Jonny Greenwood haircut. Coiffure aside, Benzos sounded simply superb -- even on a stage that appeared stuffed into a suburban rec room -- by embellishing tracks from their debut EP like "Warm Road" and "You're Forever An Hour Glass" with sublime atmospherics that soared above their supremely able rhythm section.
I missed most of the Hong Kong while babbling with the smokers outside, but I did manage to catch "Galaxies," a giddy romp that's gotten many spins on my iTunes.
Then ladies night kicked into full effect with another set from the Twenty Twos, a band whose ascent seems more imminent with each power chord that Jenny Christmas pounds out of her sparkly Danelectro. Their attitude is, of course, still bitchin'. When a sweaty male admirer thanked the band for getting his nipples hard, Terrah Twenty Twos -- always on the prowl for free bevvies -- asked for a Jack and coke in return. This band has always been cranking out the 3-minute rawk bangers with the greatest of ease, but they're beginning to show a staggering poise while delving into more mid-tempo jams like "Radio." Their debut EP should be out sometime, hopefully...ask Nick Marc next time you see him.
Tonight, it's another set from Ambulance. Very excited. For now, I'm savoring a little Midnite Vultures on this stunning springlike afternoon. "Lady, step inside my Hyundai!" Yeah.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
every day it's a gettin' closer...
...rollin' faster than a roller coaster.
Don't think it gets much faster than Six Flags' Nitro, and I rode that baby three times on Thursday during a lovely day off from the grind. Nitro is so bad-ass that I called up my coaster-loving stepfather just minutes after finishing the ride to boast of its grandeur.
A day out in the park was pretty fabulous, and the crowds were thin, especially after five. We rode Rolling Thunder three times in a row since no one was waiting. Pictures coming soon...yes, I loved Nitro so much that I broke down and bought the stupid, overpriced color photo at the end.
back to reality
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and once again it was chock full of smiles for me as I attended CISV's National Youth Meeting, hosted this year by the Philly chapter at gorgeous Camp Canadensis in the Poconos. This was the first year since 2000 that I'd not been heavily involved in the NYM program, and it was really superb to chill out, kick back, and simply be a participant for a change. Nattie and the NYMC did an amazing job as usual, especially with a record-shattering turnout of 150 people! Wow. Makes me proud to have been a part of this program's growth.
Check out my NYM 2004 photo gallery here.
In other news, I took a wee break from CISV land this weekend to attend a benefit for my wonderful friend Gehrett and his family. Both G and his mom have been very ill of late and without adequate health insurance, and my Philly crew responded by putting on an amazing event at the Khyber in Philly on Saturday night. Thanks especially to Jen Oliver for leading the charge. It wasn't the ideal setting to reconnect with so many lovely Philly faces, but I'm glad I could take part. If you want to find out how to make a donation, visit this site.
Monday, May 24, 2004
i need to write more
...because weekly recaps are friggin impossible. Not that my life is so darned exciting, but I end up going into every little detail and it nixes an entire work morning. That being said, I'll be brief.
Let's skip into the week a little bit. Wednesday night brought another set from the Upwelling, this time filling the spacious walls of Northsix in Brooklyn. They tore through their songs with their usual vigor and looked quite at home up on the big stage. Josh Upwelling is a funny drunk. The band's next show is Wednesday, June 2 at Mercury Lounge, a venue that suits their sound tremendously. The Upwelling's on at 10:30, but come early for the so-baroque-you-don't-need-to-fix-it sounds of Devotchka at 9:30.
Thursday night provided another opportunity to savor the Magnetic Fields, and it was truly splendid. While Stephin and co. leaned on material from their latest, i, old faves like "Reno, Dakota," "Papa Was A Rodeo," "Yeah! Oh Yeah," and "The Book of Love" brought the crowd ample smiles. That's not to say the new stuff was slouchy at all; I'm really falling in love with "I Don't Believe You," "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend," and "I Wish I Had An Evil Twin" from the new record. More on this show later.
Friday was balls out. Well, any night the Fever take a New York stage, is bound to be balls out. Celebrating the release of the debut full-length, Red Bedroom, the bratty five-piece slapped us around for an hour with particular vigor on "Labor of Love" and the anthemic set-closer "Bridge & Tunnel," but they also rocked us gently with "Put It On You." It was frantic and devastatingly good, and some fans had quite bizarre ways of getting into the Fever's groove. The afterparty at Rothko was a sweatbox (although I loved that they had a bar right by the humongous bathroom line), so we ended the night at Motor City.
After a lovelier-than-lovely afternoon spent sunning in the park under the Brooklyn Bridge among the most delightful company (and a few feet away from a man doing yoga while wearing only a bright yellow jock strap to conceal his AMPLE package), we regrouped at CB's Lounge for a set from Pittsburgh faves Camera, and in mere seconds I was jiggling my mop top along to this band's giddy, modern pop. Afterwards, we headed over to 6's & 8's, my absolute new favorite bar in my neighborhood. On weekends they're perpetually rocking quality tunes ranging from present tense (Franz Ferdinand) to ironic past tense (Van Halen), plus they have the most excellent waitresses in the city, ladies that are sweet, sour, and everything in between.
Argh...must be productive now. Enjoy photos from the Fever and Camera, and thanks to Alexis for getting some extra Fever shots and all of the Camera shots for me :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
weekends are for suckers!
With my weeks seeming much more like weekends these days, I decided to chill out a bit. Well, sorta.
Friday night, Natalie and friends were still about, and after a long day at the office I met up with them to see the Bamboo Kids and the Twenty Twos at CBGB. Sadly, we missed pretty much all of the Kids set, but the Twenty Twos were superb, as usual. You know how girls get turned on at rock shows and take their tops off? The Twenty Twos make me want to tear my shirt off too, and my pants, not that anyone would be too pleased. I'm usually nonplussed around musicians, but they make me nervous. Too hot!
Went dancing afterwards at Rififi, a place I truly loathed the last time I went there, but we had a good time grooving to New Order, the Rapture, and Pulp. Nattie and Kelley got the crowd doing the "Common People" clap while pounding the boards all hot and shit on stage. We finished up at Beauty Bar, singing along to classics like "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Maneater." I love Hall & Oates. Yay blue-eyed soul.
Saturday I slept. A lot. Then went to Parisi for a last fatty boombalatty meal before going back on the healthy eating plan. If you haven't been, Parisi Bakery (Mott bet. Spring and Broome) serves to-die-for Italian meats and cheese on their own fresh-baked sesame-semolina rolls. Order my special: hot cappicola, fresh mozzarella, and in-store roasted red peppers with a touch of balsamic. You will be one happy camper.
I tried to do some shopping for my husky self on Sunday, hitting the new SoHo Bloomingdales desperately seeking jeans, but sadly I wasn't so desperate as to spend $150 per pair. The whole store, as Jed so astutely pointed out, seemed like Canal Jeans (which used to inhabit the space) on an Apu-like price gouging spree. We left, but not before being cajoled into trying a cologne called "Sexual" (with an accent over the 'u'"). It was misnamed, I think...missing the "metro."
We then jetted uptown to see Kill Bill, and it rocked. I am in awe of Pai Mei's five point palm exploding heart technique and will not rest until I have learned it. Beware, y'all. Watch those steps after crossing my path!
And what the fuck was up with Tony Soprano's dream sequence? Did they hire the creative team from Twin Peaks for one episode? My roommate stormed out of the living room after the episode, disgusted that he'd wasted an hour on such drivel. I wasn't as bummed, having enjoyed the Annette Bening cameo quite a lot.
On tap this week:
More soon, lovelies. Until then...stay husky!
Friday, May 14, 2004
yay technology!
Lunch was phenomenal...best BLT in town, and lovely company from Natalie and her Pittsburgh lovelies.
Anyway, just wanted to welcome you all (finally!!!) to my new home at HUSKYGENTLEMAN.COM! Please visit often!
my co-co-coachella
Many moons since last post. Read all about my California adventures at spin.com, and see my photos of...
Some news from the music front since California. It's been a busy week out and about for me, beginning with Monday's delightful performance by Norwegian charmer Sondre Lerche at Irving Plaza. For the first time, Sondre brought his backing band -- aptly named the Faces Down -- over from Norway, and it was fabulous to finally hear songs like "Sleep On Needles" and "No One's Gonna Come" with a rhythm section. He also did a fantastic rendition of "Two Way Monologue" on Conan the next night.
Tuesday featured Metric and the Stills, also at Irving. Can't believe I did two Irving nights in a row! Metric was simply jaw-dropping. Each time I've seen them, they get even better and Emily Haines gets even sexier. She's so demure and relaxed off stage, but on stage she's freaking out, crowd surfing (chest down!), and ripping her clothes off. "Calculation Theme" and "Hustle Rose" make my neck hairs stand up. I left about five songs into the Stills set. YAWN!
On Wednesday, I caught a bit of Unison, sort of a launch party for Rothko, a gorgeous new venue on Suffolk Street just south of Rivington. Really excited to see some bands there sometime, but for now I settled for Audrey and Dennis spinning the hitz on the wheels of steel. Also met up with the dudes from Shade who were in town for two gigs, one of which I caught last night. I was really impressed. They rocked my face off, even at a shithole like Siberia near the Port Authority.
Now I'm pooped, but I think a long, tasty lunch at my new favorite restaurant will do the trick.
Monday, April 26, 2004
the sound of settling
Sometimes, even the most dedicated of revelers needs a break. So I took one, all weekend long. I watched inordinate amounts of the NFL Draft, avoided shaving, watched several movies (Habla Con Ella, One Hour Photo, Buffalo 66, the new Chris Rock special on HBO), chilled for Sopranos, and basically acted like a sofa tuber for 60 hours or so. Been awhile since that happened.
Thursday capped a week of long nights out. After Devendra Banheart's whimsical set here in the Spin offices, I caught the F train and shuffled on over to Northsix for French Kicks/Ambulance/Inouk. Always good to see +1 bands and that company's usual suspects: Kaps, Nat, and Gina. Inouk weren't spectacular (and the sound guy ruined the "shoop shoop" background vocals from the On!Air!Library! girl on "No Danger"), but I'm really falling in love with their songs. They have this Led Zeppelin/Mother Love Bone mysticism wrapped around a very rhythmic sound that ranged from bluesy to jazzy to Middle Eastern.
Ambulance had one of their best-ever sets. They played with a loose, jovial swagger that seems to have evaded them thus far. Bassist Matt cracked jokes throughout the set and guitarist Benji hammered out riffs with a confident smirk, all indications about how this band is finding its niche.
That being said, I have a feeling that they'll blow the French Kicks off the stage most nights on this tour; while I do adore the Kicks' new album, it's a toughie to translate onstage, especially in clubs with mediocre systems like Northsix. The songs are deeply layered with loads of little keyboard nuances, but after a few songs, I found myself wandering off into the Billyburg night and chasing a familiar cloud one block south on Kent Street...
Counting the days until California sunshine (two, to be exact). Coachella's bound to be spectacular. Can't wait.
Alas, much to do before then, so back to the grind. Au revoir.
