what not to wear to a show

1) I am not really concerned with your comfort. Everyone knows what they will and will not be comfortable in. You should not wear shoes like this for everyone else's comfort. For example, last night at Gogol Bordello, the crowd was jumping up and down to gypsy-punk beats and swinging and dancing, when *STOMP*!! I got the heel of a girls shoe in my foot. I was wearing Converse, pretty generic, but comfortable shoes that if I stepped on someone wouldn't cause much harm.
High heels are NOT cool if you are going to be jumping up and down and getting into it. So, do a good deed; wear flats. The people around you will appreciate it.
NO


YES


2)Anything that is your "favorite." Don't wear your favorite dress to a sweaty jumpy crazy show. Chances are, because it is your favorite the universe will want to poop on your head and something will happen to it. Your favorite coat (I almost wore my favorite white jacket last night, which could have quickly turned disastrous), a favorite piece of jewelry, a pair of shoes, just keep in mind what kind of show you will be attending and when in doubt just don't wear it. This applies to anything brand new as well. Brand new shoes, a brand new outfit, something will spill, you will get sweaty, it won't look new anymore and you will be sad.
3)This one is for the gentlemen. Please leave your shirt on. No one wants to be pushed into your sweaty, nasty body. You might think you're sexy, but no one else does.

Gogol Bordello live

I saw Gogol Bordello live last night. Apollo Sunshine opened. They played at Webster Hall, in Manhattan. The crowd was much too rambunctious to snap any pictures. It was fantastic though. The crowd really makes it more fun (whereas sometimes a crowd can ruin seeing a good band by not getting into it). The music was good, but from where I was standing most of the words being sung were undecipherable. The village voice calls their shows "theatrical, international dance parties."
At one point Eugene came out dressed like Alex from Everything Is Illuminated (he plays this character in the movie) and started rambling about being a premium person and getting carnal. It was really awesome. Too bad he didn't break-dance.
This is a clip from the movie where Eugene explains his character Alex's life in Odessa.

Here is a picture of the band since there was no way I was getting one last night.

This is the edit, post nap (aka a few days)
So, Apollo Sunshine brought out grumbles from the crowd around the bar at Webster Hall a few nights ago. The complaints were mostly that they were untalented. Now, I wouldn't say that they were untalented, just maybe lacking direction peppered with stage jitters. They had A LOT going on with their music and it seemed like the timing was off. They were the kind of band that plays in a bar on friday nights that the local crowd adores but doesn't translate well to a crowd waiting to hear gypsy-punk and get rowdy. They need to work on their stage act for a bigger audience, but I don't think they were bad, in fact I thought they were kind of fun. I mean, they were the only opening act...so cut the men some slack. I would go see them again just to figure out what their deal is.
As for Gogol Bordello, the energy flooding off of the stage was nothing short of what rolls off Niagara Falls. Anytime I felt like I needed to go sit down and catch my breath, they started up again and I couldn't help wanting to stay put. And the band in the picture is missing some people from the show, if only I could have taken a picture, but I think very few people could keep a camera surviving. Just go see them next time they are around, even if it isn't your scene, you'll have a great time.

vacation

I finished finals and got home for winter break a few days ago. It has been very nice to be home and spending time with my family so I haven't had a lot of time to do bloggy things (aka anything besides study/travel/christmas shopping).
It did, however, snow on Long Island which is rare but pretty. My house looks even more like a gingerbread house when it has snow covering it.

I still need to figure out how to post music that isn't just a simple youtube video. That is why people have New Year's resolutions/goals. Until then, here is my Christmas playlist in the soundless form.

ps-what do you think of my new layout?

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's Live at Penn State

Margot played a free concert here last Wednesday night in the HUB. I'd say more but finals have consumed my life. Also, the layout is under construction and I apologize for my blog being hideous.

Top albums of 2008 (or not)

1. TV on the Radio: Dear Science--um...NO! THE TOP ALBUM!? Why?

4. My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges--I can see it

7. Coldplay: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends--Ok, this album is really good. I travel a lot, and this is my number one favorite for new york-pennsylvania trips.

10. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend--Obviously, yes. This album is amazing, but will they be able to pull it off again?

11. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes--Yes, but I've still never actually listened to it all the way through. Greg says its good, so I trust his musical judgment.

24. Girl Talk: Feed the Animals--This should be higher on the list.

25. The Magnetic Fields: Distortion--I love them, they are a guilty pleasure. Not something I would admit listening to in a social setting or people might think I am a 12 year old boy masquerading as a DJ.

Thank you Rolling Stone for making a really poorly thought out list.
OK, I will now return to my writers block on the next band I'm reviewing and trying to re-do the layout of the blog so it doesn't look so "amateur."

Australia

I pretty much keep my opinions to myself when it doesn't come to music or fashion, but I can make an exception in this case. I just saw Australia on Saturday night and was blown away. Anyone who gave this movie a terrible review is probably not a 21 year old girl in love with adventure stories.
Nicole Kidman looks the most beautiful of any movie she has ever been in. Her legs are 60 miles long and her face glows rather than has a pasty doll quality like in Moulin Rouge.
Her character, Lady Sarah Ashley goes on her own personal "walkabout" throughout the story set in this rugged territory romanticized by the film.

The directing was perfect. There's one scene of a kiss, and there's this electrical pause where their lips are about to meet. The camera is super zoomed in to see the sunburn on Hugh Jackman and the freckles on Kidman. Another scene is a glowing, sparkling thing where she is visited by a small boy who sings to her, that is literally a re-realization of that Chanel commerical Kidman did with Baz Luhrmann a few years ago. The way he uses light for effect is mesmerizing.

Just promise me you'll go see it!

cookies

We baked Christmas and Hanukkah cookies this weekend while watching The Grinch and listening to the Hotel Cafe "Winter Songs" album. I can't wait until winter break so I can embrace the holidays to the fullest extent.



Jules and I dressed alike on purpose, and I borrowed Mike's hat to hide my rat-nest hairstyle. Nothing like getting drunk on boxed wine and decorating cookies to give you the Christmas spirit.

Young Widows

Heavy, intense, and oddly catchy, like a raw, darker, Dungen. Old Wounds is the Louisville, Kentucky band, Young Widows' second album. It caught me completely off guard, floating in the huge pile of indie-folk-rock albums that have dominated the scene this year. Finally, someone (or rather 3 someones) is kicking folk-rock into a corner with their heavy reverb and post-punk beats.
The vocals, in typical hardcore fashion, are difficult to decipher on the first spin. Short three- and four-word sentences a la punk rock bands of old, and repetitive lyrics keep it simple. On "Lucky and Hardheaded," I fell in a hole. A deep, deep hole. At the bottom I found god. I fell in a spell. I remember it well. Apparently these lyrics are not that complex. Luckily, you can barely understand them half the time anyway.
I like this, I think, because its something a little different. Its just the right tone to head into finals.
Sounds like, Fugazi, Dungen, Jesus Lizard

1)Took A Turn
2)Old Skin
3)Mr. No Harm
4)The Guitar
5)Lucky and Hardheaded
6)21st Century Invention
7)The Heat is Here
8)Delay Your Pressure
9)Let Him Be
10)Feelers
11)Swamped and Agitated
Here's an absolutely terrible video:

Chad VanGaalen

Chad VanGaalen sounds wistful yet full of desire in this acoustic ballad that starts the album, singing in soft falsetto, "When I'm dead is when I'll be free." On his third LP, Soft Airplane, "Willow Tree" is the first of many layers.
"Cries of the Dead," has catchy hooks and obscure sounds that feels as good as a sunny day. Blithely swaying through the mixture, though, are morbid lines,"Maybe its your neighbor beating his dog in the basement, I can hear the cries of the dead."
The Calgary native switches gears to a more rock driven sound on "Molten Light" and later "Bones of Man."
His voice echoes through "Inside Molecules," another rock driven song that displays his talent for multi-faceted music. The underlying sound of old school Tetris through bridges, and then flows into a hollow sounding bongo with chimes, bells and a tinkling assortment of sounds.
He confidently mixes sound into the world of electronic-indie, sounding like a much-matured MGMT, on "Tmnt Mask" and "Phantom Anthills." In these tunes I can almost swear I hear someone playing spoons, then putting it through the magic-electronica-machine.
If I had to compare him to other artists, I would say Modest Mouse, MGMT, and sometimes Mogwai.
There is no confusion that he has something people have been looking for in a sea of sound-alikes. This is one of the best albums that I have come across in a long time and I suggest that everyone actually buy it rather than download. The world needs more artists like this.


Not just a talented musician... VanGaalen is also an animator and artist, he made this to go with his song "Molten Light."

1)Willow Tree
2)Bones of Man
3)Cries of the Dead
4)Inside the Molecules
5)Bare feet on Wet Griptape
6)Phantom Anthills
7)Poisonous Heads
8)TMNT Mask
9)Molten Light
10)Old Man + The Sea
11)City of Electric Light
12)Rabid Bits of Time
13)Frozen Energon


He also makes his own cover art.

i have a cool mom

godtoldmetotellu: you're mom is one small power pop

thats where i get it from.

Frosty the Snowman

The Fiona Apple cover of Frosty the Snowman. Very pretty. I got it off of the Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs.

I'm excited for winter, snow, Christmas, twinkle-lights, wrapping paper, holly, mistletoe, and cookies. What do you like about December?

photo:henri bonell

thanksgiving break

Instead of reviewing CD's, I did absolutely nothing but this:

I read every single one. I would be ashamed of my pre-teen book obsession but unfortunately I love them too much to care.