An Unintentional Music Monday - Swervedriver

Coincidentally I went to a concert last Thursday and as it happens I am only writing about the show today, hence the unintentional Music Monday.

A couple of months ago I was perusing Time Out Magazine and saw that a band called Swervedriver was coming to NYC. They were going to be playing a show at the Bowery Ballroom and one at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I got myself a ticket for the Brooklyn show. Small venue, cool band - good stuff.

Swervedriver is another one of those British bands that falls into the shoegazer genre. An amazing band from Oxford who were active in the 90's and that somehow I discovered randomly way back when. For those unfamiliar with the shoegazer genre, best I can say is that it is a sub genre of British alternative rock, with a psychedelic dreamy sound and some serious guitar distortion.

I made my way to Brooklyn at about 9:15 thinking by this time I had missed the opening bands, which would be my usual modus operandi. Apparently not - nope, nobody had played yet. So I checked out the venue, got myself a beer and made my way to floor and prime position in front of the stage. The opening bands, Longwave and The Still Out were actually good and I would recommend checking them out.

At about 11:30 we were finally ready to go, the hall was packed, I worked my way right up to the stage in front of the bass player proceeded to get blown away by Swervedriver, my personal favorite songs were 99th Dream, Never Lose That Feeling (was only sorry they didn't play Never Learn) and Duel.

Great show, good crowd and after the encore the bass player, Steve George shook my hand and gave me his pick. Rock on dude! Yeah!

Funny observation though - in all the shows I have been to over the years, never have I been to a venue where there was NO line for the women's restrooms and a line for the men's. I think I need to be going to more of these types of shows... ha ha ha.

As far as I'm concerned the best thing about NYC these days is that cool bands generally come here. So here's hoping more British bands start reuniting and/or head over to NYC. If Ride (were to reunite) and Sterophonics come to NYC I may just lose my mind completely.

PS Last time I'm taking pictures with my damn phone - I've had it, I'm bringing a camera from now on!

PPS A belated Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially my own!

Music Mondays - The Verve

So this Music Monday I have a some rants and raves. Last week I went to a show at the WAMU Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The band that I went to see was The Verve.

Back when I was in high school and college I was super into British music. I was all over anything that fell into the Brit Pop / Shoegazer category. There was a really cool radio show on the University of Miami radio station that played a lot of this type of music and I was an avid fan, I called in and everything. I even had my own part in the show for a while, it was called "Christina's Corner" and the DJ would play the bad ass songs I requested. Yes, I had my very own 5 minutes of radio fame.

One of the challenges of being into this sort of music, was access. This was in the early days of the internet and I used to scour message boards for information on my favorite bands. When I used to go to Switzerland over the summer, the best was a layover in Gatwick or Heathrow, where I could hunt down CDs and music magazines in the airport music shops.

Anyway, so somewhere along the way I heard of this band called Verve (before they had to change their name to "The Verve"). Their music absolutely captivated me, their sound was so completely ethereal, lush, rich and sensual - all at the same time. The music literally had and still has, the ability to take me to another world.

If memory serves correct, about 10 years ago, my sister and I saw they were coming to the US and to a city sort of close to us. We drove to Atlanta to see them, quite a long drive. It was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I have ever seen. The band played an incredibly intimate show in a club in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.

So all these years later, I saw they were coming to do a show in NY. I had to go.

The Verve played a great show, they were on and incredibly intense. Although I am happy for them that they were able to play two shows in a larger venue, I missed the intimacy of the smaller club type show. However, again, nothing against the band - they made my week. My gripes come in with the crowd.

A - If you come to see an awesome band play, SHUT THE F*CK UP while they are playing! Do you think any of us give a crap about your social calendar??? Have some respect for the band and for your fellow concert goers.

B - Are people too cool to stand and rock out? A high proportion of the crowd was sitting for most of time, about the only time everyone got up was for the song "Bittersweet Symphony". I'm not hating on the people that only know their popular songs but what's up with sitting the WHOLE time? Maybe it is my Latin blood that makes me move and my age that really makes me not care if I look like a spaz.

Anyway, rants aside, it was a great show and next time they come to NYC I'm going and making my sister come with me! (Consider yourself warned Carmen!)

PS Blackberrys don't take good pictures, so I messed around with the picture in Photoshop. Next time I go to a show, I'm taking a camera.

PPS I'm trying to make some changes to the blog, new addresses and new website. Some of the posts may be looking a little crazy....

Work Wednesdays!

Ok ok so I'm a day late with this post - some of us have to work for a living, right? Ha ha ha.

Anyway so this week's fabulous job is being a music supervisor.

Last weekend I met up with a friend who I would say is about equally obsessed with music as I am. We were driving along in my car, listening to my ipod and chattering away as we do. At some point in a conversation about music, my friend made a statement that almost caused me to have a car accident. Reena says "I feel like I have a soundtrack running through my life." I totally freaked out - I have felt like that for ages! I can apply music to just about any part of my life. I basically score my life in my head.

Well I can't recall anyone else agreeing with me on that one, so it was really funny to discover someone else that subscribes to my particular brand of crazy. So Reena and I decided "music supervisor" would be the job to have this week.

According to our friends at Wikipedia, a music supervisor is an individual who combines music and visual media. The job is both creative and logistic (check, check); music supervisors select music and negotiate usage licenses. Their job is very diverse one, they have roles in the creative process helping to emphasize storyline, emotion, time period and cultural location.

Seems pretty cool to me.


PS Big shout out to MCH who became a mom for the second time this past Saturday. XOXO!

Work Wednesdays!

So the theme for Wednesdays is work, but I'm not talking about ordinary things. I'm going to blog about cool people who have amazing jobs.

This week one of my ambitions is to be the back up singer for the Rolling Stones. Last Sunday a friend and I went to go see the Rolling Stones IMAX movie. It was a seriously rocking movie! We almost felt like we were really at the show. It was actually tough to stay seated but we may have gotten kicked out of the movie theatre for dancing in the aisles. Those guys are soooo cool and they have so much energy!

So my friend decided she wants to be Keith Richards. Yes, I said she wants to be Keith Richards. So I'm gonna buy her a headscarf and a pirate pin. I think she could pull it off.

Since we were on the topic of fantasy jobs, I picked being the back up singer for the band. Lisa Fischer is the the back up singer for the band. She performed with so much charisma and looks like she's having a blast. So this week, I want to be Lisa and shake it with the Stones! If only I could sing!

Music Mondays - Turning Frowns Upside Down!

I have decided to try to put some structure to my blog and being that I am currently doing a bit of this and a bit of that for work, now is as good a time as any to get started. I am making Mondays either Music Monday or Movie Monday, I love both artistic formats so much that it makes it quite impossible to choose, so depending on my mood it may be one or the other, or even both.

This week, as you can tell by the title, it is Music Monday!

Now you may ask yourself, what can I write about music? Honestly, I'm no proper critic but I know what I like. I have had what some could classify as an obsession with music since I was a kid. I listened to my parents records of The Steve Miller Band, Strauss and Sergio Mendes as a little girl. I actually remember sitting on the floor by my parents records looking at album covers for what seemed like hours. And there was nothing better than when my mom would take us to the beach and we would listen to the Caribbean guys playing their steel drums.

When I was a bit older my dad introduced me to the artistry of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac. We would get in the car, blast the music and just drive. Over the years I have developed a passion for music from all genres, from hip hop to punk rock to folk to reggae and so on.

Now I have had a few missteps in terms of my music choices in the past and like most people I have a few embarrassing tracks in my collection but really, who the hell cares. I can't help it, I really loved Wham!

I read a post by Jonathan Fields today "108 songs that’ll stop you from biting your cubicle-mate…or at least curb the urge!" and thought this would be a fitting way to start off Music Mondays. Jonathan lists his 108 favorite songs for changing his mood. I am not sure I could limit it to 108, for me it depends entirely what mood I'm trying to get in/out of and being that I'm a woman, you know that means LOTS of moods.

So Thursday I was in a super crappy and frustrated mood because of this whole job search and didn't wake up feeling much better Friday morning. I had a meeting in Manhattan, got in the car, plugged in the ipod and got on my way. I started to play the best music in the car and all of sudden I'm seeing it's a beautiful day, the sun is out, all of NY is in spring bloom and it's about 70 degrees. Perfect! And the cause of this sudden shift in perspective? Music. Rather, listening to the right music.

Here is my list of some of my current feel good music. Being that it's Monday shouldn't we talk about stuff that makes us feel good anyway? I'm talking about sun on your skin, warm breeze, no traffic, cruising around, weekend afternoon, chilled out happy.

Slightly Stoopid - Up on a Plane
Slightly Stoopid - Basher
Slightly Stoopid - Ain't Got a Lot of Money
Slightly Stoopid - Bandelero
Kings of Convenience - Live Long
Gipsy Kings - Djobi Djoba
Culver City Dub Collective - Crying Shame (Culver City Dub Remix)
Born Jamericans - Warning Sign
The Beautiful Girls - Music
The Beautiful Girls - Morning Sun
Ballyhoo! - Cali Girl

So I say get your ipod, cd player, tape player, record player or even 8 track player and put on your favorite happy time, sun shining, life is good tunes and enjoy the day. Happy Monday!

Ah Bella Italia!

Since I was having such a good time in Europe I decided to extend my stay another week and upon the suggestion of my cousin Philipp I hopped on the train to Venice. I have loved riding trains since I was a child and this was quite a long one, Luzern, then various towns in Switzerland, Chiasso the border town where ultra serious Italian immigration officers check your passport, then on to Milan, Verona, and finally Venice.

This was my first time in Venice and I was strangely daunted by the fact that I was arriving in this unknown city in the evening by myself. I made my way out of the train station to the Vaporetti (the boats that are the city "buses"). Sitting on the Vaporetti, driving down the Grand Canal, I was breathless. It was evening already and the water glittered with reflections of the lights shining from the palatial villas on the Grand Canal. Every little canal, like an alley, held the promise of secrets and mystery.

I arrived at my stop at the Rialto Bridge and tried to find my way to my hotel through the piazzas and alleys that snake through the city in no logical way. A word to the wise, if you go to Venice, PLAN to get lost. I made it to my charming hotel without major incident and was so excited to see this beautiful city. I dropped my bags and headed to San Marco Square. I walked through little alleys and over little bridges and arrived at this magnificent square. While I was taking it all in a man selling tickets for a concert approached me. He spoke to me in Italian for a bit and at the end of his spiel I laughed and told him I don't speak Italian. But I did buy a ticket and listened to Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed live in a church. Amazing.

After the concert I decided to get some dinner, well unbeknownst to me at the time, all the restaurants around San Marco are very expensive. I walked into a cafe and asked about dinner for which they sent me upstairs. When I arrived upstairs I noticed this was a bit posh for me, ladies in dresses, men in dinner jackets. Oh well, what the hell I'm rocking this fur coat from my aunt and I figured I would play woman of mystery for the evening. So I sat down, received a few curious looks from other patrons and had a lovely glass of wine, pasta dish and tiramisu. After a brief conversation with the Swiss couple next to me I finished up and headed back to my hotel (after getting lost again, OF COURSE).

Savannah

Today was a day I needed to get some sleep. I finally rolled out of my hotel, spurred by hunger, at about 12:30. I strolled along Bay Street and came to Vic's on the River. A good restaurant in a beautiful historic building. I had a lunch of a great Sauvignon Blanc, a salad, some serious biscuits and a pulled pork sandwich. Seriously, I'm in the South - how could I NOT have pulled pork??? After all those calories it was time to walk a little, however I needed caffeine first. I ended up randomly at the Olympia Cafe on River Street. I asked the guy for a coffee and if I could smoke outside (a vice I am working on). He asked me if I was from NY, to which I responded "How could you tell."

Sidebar - for those who know me, I don't think I sound like a New Yorker, in NY I have been asked if I am Canadian and when on the phone with South Africans, I have been asked if I am South African. A little weird but whatever it's all good.

Anyway, so the Greek proceeds to tell me he never smoked because he played soccer but it never bothered him. What bothers him are all the chemicals in everything and nuclear testing - I have to agree, I think he has a point. Then the Greek tells me "Go. Sit. Relax. Have baklava on the house." Normally I am not a fan of baklava but if you are ever in Savannah you have to try the one here - food of the Gods.

I sat outside drinking my coffee, eating (again) my baklava, smoking my cigarette and watching everyone walk by. It is both Octoberfest and Pirate Week so there were some interesting sights. Eventually I move on and hear this guy playing African drums, turns out he's from NY, plays in Central Park and does a lot of work with kids. Very cool guy and it was a lot of fun to watch him and this 6 year old musical prodigy go to work. You can check out Lenny on his website www.lennyhoops.com.


So I walk along with full intention to keep walking and I run across this saxophone player. The saxophone makes me think of the guys that play on the corners or in the subway stations in NYC, in a way nothing evokes the beauty of NYC like the sound that resonates from a sax. Hakim is originally from Memphis and is now based in Nashville. A very cool guy and by his own description, an old cat. He asked me what he could play for me. I asked for some blues, something soulful. Hakim delivered, he played a song called "The World is in an Uproar". I was hooked, so I sat in the sun with Hakim for a while, being his sole audience, talking about life and art and listening to him play. It was like everything slowed down when he played, people strolled and smiled and boats just glided past on the river. I got to request one more song before leaving, being in Georgia, I had to go for "Georgia On My Mind".

So I did not do much of the tourist thing here, I did not see any museums, do any trolley rides, see the house from "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" but I had a great day, saw some beautiful things, listened to amazing music and met great people, that's all that really matters anyway, right?

Brooklyn, NY to Wrightsville Beach, NC

Well I drove 618 miles yesterday. I left home at 7:30 in the morning and some will attest to the fact that I am not a morning person. At all. I do enjoy my sleep quite a bit.

I drove across the Verazzano Bridge, through Staten Island, all the way through New Jersey with the truckers running the Northeast corridor, across the Delaware Memorial Bridge, across Key Bridge (which is my favorite way to circumvent Baltimore - I do not like the harbor tunnel). The sun finally peeked through the clouds in Baltimore. I waved at the National Monuments as I bypassed Washington DC, and drove all the way to Ashland, Virginia.

I decided to stop in Ashland on a whim for lunch. I was not really interested in eating at the rest stops along I95, that's fine for the bathroom and refilling coffee and gas but that's it. Ashland is just north of Richmond, Virginia and it is where Randolph Macon College is located. It is a cute little town, with railroad tracks that run right through it. I had yummy lunch at the Iron Horse, where a very nice waitress told me the the ice cream place across the tracks was really good but keeps weird hours. I decided to take my chances, turns out they were open. (Nicki Ouch - this is for you) I had "deertracks" flavor which was vanilla with chocolate chip and peanut butter cups. It was better than Coldstone.




What was funny to me is that the further South I got, the slower everything got. The driving on I95, the service at the Starbucks.... that is until I reached I40 - which is the SCARIEST highway (with the exception of one around Orlando where my sister and I got lost once) I have ever driven on. By the time I hit I40, which takes you east off I95 toward the Outer Banks, it was dark already.

The speed limit is 70mph, which nobody drives, and there are NO LIGHTS on the 4 lane highway. At this point I had been driving for a long time and was really tired and over caffeinated, not an ideal combination. So nothing but pick up trucks passing me at what felt like 135mph and I probably got flipped off by a number of Southerners - good thing I don't have NY plates or I might have been shot for being a slow driving yankee. Once again, my playlist saved me and on came some music to pump me up and help me drive at least 75mph for the last 50 miles. Fait Accompli by Curve, if you are tired is a good choice, take it from me.

Finally made it to my hotel a block from the beach at 9:30 at night. It was a long day - but a good one.

Playlists - Road trip

Ok so I'm writing again.....

Part of preparation for a road trip (NYC to Wrightsville Beach, NC to Charleston, SC to Savannah, GA to Miami, FL) is making a playlist. I am a little crazy about my music and slightly obsessed with my ipod (which is one of the best inventions EVER as far as I am concerned). I have little doubt that my ipod was a key factor in me surviving so many business trips over the last few years. Screaming kids, chatty seat mates, flight delays - thankfully my ipod was able to grant me some reprieve from the insanity that is airports and airplanes.

So if anyone is interested, here is a selection of what will be playing in my car from NY to Miami, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Moving - Supergrass
Jardin d'Eden - MC Solaar
Let Me Blow Ya Mind - Eve
Take It Off - The Donnas
Break You Off - The Roots
Wasting Time - Jack Johnson
Kiss - Prince
Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies
Live With Me - The Rolling Stones
Let's Take A Trip Together - Morphine
It's Ok, But Just This Once! - Gym Class Heroes
I Want You Back - Jackson 5
Ms. Jackson - OutKast
Badfish - Sublime
Galang - MIA
Free - Donavan Frankenreiter & Jack Johnson
Feel Me Flow - Naughty By Nature
Get Up Stand Up - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Alive - Pearl Jam
Show Me A Little Shame - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Hard To Handle - The Black Crowes
Town To Town - G. Love And Special Sauce
Mercy Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye
American Girl - Tom Petty