Best of June, 2013

Caveman, MHOW 6.21.13

The summer has finally arrived and that brings both elation and deep depression around these parts.   The warm weather is appealing.   Fresh fruit, farmers markets, baseball games, beach, outdoor concerts, no homework, etc...  are all welcome round here.  Driving our only child to Canada for her month long camp are things we could do without.

Lots of quiet days in these parts the next few weeks.  It is amazing what one 11 year old can add to a household.  There will be no sporting events.  The lawn chairs can go back in the garage.  Sun block will only be used pool side, not on softball diamonds.  Saturday afternoons can be spent in one zip code.  Sundays too!

Food takes on a whole different meaning too.  With three different schedules and appetites, it is common to have three dinners (at varying times.)  That is, if we are not all having frozen yogurt for dinner.   Dinners can be manipulated a bit, and likely coordinated with one less mouth to feed.  That little mouth eats all friggin day.

We can grab some adult drama on the tv too.  Since when did her bedtime come after 10pm?  How many food competition or talent shows are there?  Ask me!   Oh, and Storage Shopping American Picker Duck Hoarders Intervention Wars are in my wheelhouse too.  Wait, we can't watch Hoarders anymore because it gives her nightmares.   But you get the point.  She ain't watching The Newsroom with us.  She tolerates CBS Sunday Morning, and less so 60 Minutes.  Maybe we can get back in the pop culture swing of things.  Hell I would even watch an episode of the absurdly overrated True Blood.

It's weird though.  She should be in her room goofing around on her computer or chatting with friends. She should be shooting hoops in our mess of a driveway.  She should be bitching at me for making the wrong chicken nuggets.  She should be controlling the remote.  And damn it she should be feeding her damn fish.

But most importantly we should be hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, and taking in all of her goodness.

Maybe next summer.  And we still have all of August.  For now things will be a little odd around here. Empty nesters if you will.  Hopefully we make a few concerts.  There will certainly be loads of work.  It will all disappear in the blink of an eye.  The only hope is she has the time of her life, and we don't lose our minds.

Music might need to save the day.  This summer follows an already stellar year with a great selection of songs.  Below please find this months crop.  Happy Listening and enjoy the summer!!!

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Better Days"  Alex Ebert is the ring master of this left coast band of hippies and misfits.  It's a little bit like 70s Elvis with its pop-gospel sound.  Nothing more than a feel good diddy about the power of hope and need for happiness.

Eleanor Friedberger "She's A Mirror"  Chicago based singer/songwriter with catchy hooks and a pretty, unique voice.  This track steals the bass line from Hall and Oates "Maneater."  But what it lacks in saxophone, it more than makes up for with spunk and fun.  Her new record comes out soon.

Alpine "Gasoline" Australian synth pop group who absolutely shine with this dreamy, flowing master work.  Their debut record, A is for Alpine, was released last month.  They are huge in down under and might very well be the next big thing on these shores.  This song, and the eye catching video, are addictive.  Be warned.

Portugal, The Man "Evil Friends"  Alaskan band, and the best thing to come from Wasilia.  Wonder if they saw Russia from their kitchens?  They are back with another record and this single sounds like a big departure from their last effort.  Granted, the falsetto is still there.  This is garage rock with a glaring nod toward 60s mod and surf rock.  It may be different, but it rocks.

Pure Bathing Culture "Pendulum"  Portland, OR based synth pop.  Their debut record, Moon Tides, will be available in August.  Rainy day music to say the least.  Soft, soft, and more soft.  Your happiest dreams say this song is too sweet.

Surfer Blood "Demon Dance"  Alt rockers from, wait, what?  Florida?  That you do not hear a lot of.  West Palm Beach by way of Orlando these guys released their sophomore record, Pythons, in April.  They have a Weezer-esque thing going for them and rely more on guitars then the other acts on this list.  Maybe their sound is more Nada Surf?  You get the drift.  Synths are absent.

Temples "Shelter Song"  Young English kids who clearly heard the Beatles Revolver once or twice in their day.  More garage rock with some more than subtle references all things 1960.  The Mods are back folks!

Dead in Your Head "Bleached"  LA act with a very Waitresses feel.  Pat Benatar meets the Go Go's with some Bananarama playing in the background.  80s vibe throughout with enough hooks to keep you smiling.

MNDR "Faster Horses"  Only here because the video is totally bizarre.  It's club music with a chorus that doesn't annoy.  But its the visuals from this NY act that compel.  Dare you to look away.  David Lynch scratches his head at this.

Rogue Wave "College" Alt rock from Oakland, California.  More of the floor tom, soft surf resurgence in play here.  Real Estate, Local Natives, Grizzly Bear are all bands that come to mind listening to this feel good song about those 4 (or sometimes more) years after high school.  Oh what I wouldn't do to get back there and tell that kid to have a better idea of what you want to do when you grow up.

40, fat and stupid is no way to go through life.

Until next month folks.  Please enjoy the summer.


PS
For the record the photo of Caveman is to remind you that they are amazing and you should download both of their records and see them live.  They played two nights in NYC last weekend and once again displayed depth, richness and complexity to all their tunes.  They may have the best vibe going right now (opening for Ra Ra Riot in the fall.)  Kindly GET ON BOARD!

Wine Under Twenty Bucks - Apothic Red

My latest find, Apothic Red, was discovered by accident when I was called upon to grab some wine at the last minute.

My daughter had just completed the final performance of her school's production of "Annie" in which she played Grace Farrell,  Oliver Warbucks' sophisticated executive assistant. As per tradition, after the show the cast and their families gathered at a local restaurant.

The restaurant is a BYOB, and as we sat down -- newly minted theater folk at one table, parents at another -- someone said "wouldn't it be great if we had brought some wine". Knowing that there was a liquor store three doors away, I impulsively said "I'm on it", not knowing what the hell to get for the group of forty-somethings eating diner food.

As I entered the liquor store, that distinctive cardboard and sharp stale beer smell of all liquor stores took me back to my high school days. My senior year of high school, I gave up my three year career as a busboy to start working as a clerk at a liquor store.

It was a great job, and a great "coming of age" education for me.  Always having been kind of a geek and a late bloomer, the people I met and worked with opened up a new world for me. The hilariously profane owner, his earthy wife, and the rotating cast of coworkers (Most of whom were adults for whom the liquor store was a second job -- a DMV clerk, my high school's custodian, a receptionist, a nurse, a few students from nearby Muhlenburg College) were the first people to peel back the wrapper on my impending adulthood.

One of the on-and-off again employees was a "woman" (she was probably 20 years old). She was crude. She swore like a truck driver. She smoked like a chimney. She had terrible grammar. She apparently had never read a book. She chewed gum with her mouth open. She freely talked, in full detail,  about her many sexual exploits with the various police officers she dated.  She dressed so scantily that even the ex-hippies she worked for had to ask her to cover up. She smelled the whiff of inexperience with women coming off of me and teased me mercilessly about it.

My natural reaction - being clean cut, honor roll student, well-read, the apple of many a teacher's eye, and college bound - was, of course, to be secretly, mindlessly in love with her.

Now it can be told - we all drank on the job.

It was here among these wondrous,  colorful explosions of individuality that I first learned about alcohol as something other that purely a drug, whether stolen from your parents, or purchased by an older conspirator, purely for the purpose of getting drunk.

But none of this educated me about wine. This was the 1980s, and wine was something most working people I knew bought in a big jug.

My introduction to wine, though, came at the same time, from my high school English teacher, Mr. B.

Like all teachers, Mr. B had a mythic back story that had been passed along among students for years. I had heard that in his youth he had been in seminary training to be a Roman Catholic priest, and his wife had been studying to be a nun, and that they met, fell in love and decided to give up the clergy to get married.

I never knew whether this story was actually true. I knew he was Italian and a deacon in his church. In his gentle and humane manner, and his passion for teaching and compassion for his students, he was a man of spiritual depth.

As for wine, one day we were studying "A Tale of Two Cities". As was the manner back in the day, the students were taking turns reading aloud passages from the book, and then animated discussion would follow.

But when we came to Chapter One, Part Five, "The Wine Shop", Mr. B took up the reading himself as follows:

"A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken, in the street. The accident had happened in getting it out of a cart; the cask had tumbled out with a run, the hoops had burst, and it lay on the stones just outside the door of the wine-shop, shattered like a walnut-shell.

All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness, to run to the spot and drink the wine. The rough, irregular stones of the street, pointing every way, and designed, one might have thought, expressly to lame all living creatures that approached them, had dammed it into little pools; these were surrounded, each by its own jostling group or crowd, according to its size. Some men kneeled down, made scoops of their two hands joined, and sipped, or tried to help women, who bent over their shoulders, to sip, before the wine had all run out between their fingers. Others, men and women, dipped in the puddles with little mugs of mutilated earthenware, or even with handkerchiefs from women's heads, which were squeezed dry into infants' mouths; others made small mud-embankments, to stem the wine as it ran; others, directed by lookers-on up at high windows, darted here and there, to cut off little streams of wine that started away in new directions; others devoted themselves to the sodden and lee-dyed pieces of the cask, licking, and even champing the moister wine-rotted fragments with eager relish. There was no drainage to carry off the wine, and not only did it all get taken up, but so much mud got taken up along with it, that there might have been a scavenger in the street, if anybody acquainted with it could have believed in such a miraculous presence.

A shrill sound of laughter and of amused voices--voices of men, women, and children--resounded in the street while this wine game lasted. There was little roughness in the sport, and much playfulness. There was a special companionship in it, an observable inclination on the part of every one to join some other one, which led, especially among the luckier or lighter-hearted, to frolicsome embraces, drinking of healths, shaking of hands, and even joining of hands and dancing, a dozen together. When the wine was gone, and the places where it had been most abundant were raked into a gridiron-pattern by fingers, these demonstrations ceased, as suddenly as they had broken out. The man who had left his saw sticking in the firewood he was cutting, set it in motion again; the women who had left on a door-step the little pot of hot ashes, at which she had been trying to soften the pain in her own starved fingers and toes, or in those of her child, returned to it; men with bare arms, matted locks, and cadaverous faces, who had emerged into the winter light from cellars, moved away, to descend again; and a gloom gathered on the scene that appeared more natural to it than sunshine."

Mr. B looked up at us. And he said, best as I can remember, something like this:

"Why were these people so excited? Because wine is good for you. Wine is food. Wine brings people together in joy, and that's why each drop of it for these people was like a renewal of body and spirit, because wine is food for both body and spirit".

I had forgotten about this story until I saw the bottle of Apothic Red in the liquor store. At that moment I realized Mr. B was passing along to us some wisdom about wine, and its importance to him, and perhaps why it should be important to us.

I knew nothing about Apothic Red. Its a California mutt -- a Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet blend --- It had a cool label, and a cool name, and, of course, was the right price.  I grabbed three bottles and scurried back to the restaurant.

The wine was uncorked and everyone had a glass and we all started talking. The Apothic Red was dark and fruity and rich. It went well with a hamburger, rare, with Bermuda onions and tomato.

By an eerie bit of synchronicity, one cast-mate's father said the advertising company he worked for had designed the Apothic Red label.

Another father, born in Italy, sampled the wine and declared it delicious. This meant a lot to me. Like most WASPs, I grew up believing the stereotype that Italians, like all cultures that ring the Mediterranean, are imbued with unparalleled ancient wisdom on the good things in life, like food, drink, love, art and pure unabashed enjoyment of life . As I have grown older, I have learned that this stereotype is, of course, largely true.

So we all got to know each other better, had a lot of laughs, and, in celebrating out kids foray into musical theater, and perhaps their step or two more toward adulthood, drank in moments of renewal of body and spirit.


http://www.apothic.com/wine.asp

The Left-Wing Conservative: Against Big Government

I recently reconnected with an old high school friend with whom I had lost touch for over twenty years.

And as we do with many of our old friends, we picked up right where we left off --- in our case, discussing politics.

Our discussions then, and now, were not really about convincing each other - though in our youth we probably thought otherwise. Rather, they were, and are, more about seeing how many holes we could poke in each other’s positions. Both of us, I think, enjoy the intellectual chase of the debate much more than the kill of victory. Even these many years hence, in middle age, we have not (yet) found a political issue we firmly agree upon.

He is a self-described "conservative" Republican. But he's not a Tea Party wingnut-- he’s totally cool with science and evolution, and thinks that having elected leaders that are intelligent and Ivy League-educated can sometimes (he's thinking "Romney", not "Obama") be a good thing. And while his religious views lead him to traditionalist positions on moral and social issues, he doesn't just say "love the sinner, hate the sin", but actually lives it. 

In other words, he's a mensch.

I was flattered to hear that he was actually reading this blog. And charmed to hear that he liked it but didn't agree with any of it.

He is also, by profession, a marketing guy, so he challenged me about naming my political blog “The Left-Wing Conservative”. He wondered whether it was just a clever, catchy name, since he didn’t see too much that was “conservative” about it.

I explained to him, as I have in previous blogs, about how I see my "conservative" views as consistent with the conservative tradition traced through Edmund Burke, de Tocqueville, Montaigne and the ancient Greek polis.

He wasn't buying it.

He said to me “When am I going to see a real “red-meat” conservative viewpoint from you?”

So he got me to thinking. Do I have any “red meat” conservative views?

Yes. I'm against Big Government.

Like most people, I hate Big Government, by which I mean the Federal Government. Which means I think they should stay out of my business. Unless of course, I need them for something, like disaster relief or to repel an invasion, in which case I want them to swoop in like the wrath of God.

But since World War II, and especially since 9/11, we are more and more governed by a Federal Government that, whether Republican or Democratically led,  pulls more and more regulation and governing into the realm of secrecy, and moves more and more policy decisions into a "one size fits all" model tailored to narrow, powerful interests.

The TARP and bank bailouts were hashed out in a Treasury Department conference room with the very banks seeking relief (and are the same banks that later wrote 90% of the new banking regulations). The NSA has been given free reign to monitor every phone call and email in the country. And "No Child Is Left Behind" in being subjected to mindless standardized testing. And Agribusiness continues to be permitted by the Feds to override state laws that would require labeling of genetically modified food.

I think we are just too big and too diverse of a country to be governed so centrally, and our  disconnection has resulted in our detachment from seeing how the Federal Government has become less representative of its citizens.

While the US Constitution is not holy writ sent down from a fiery mountaintop, it is instructive on this topic.

The US Constitution is a treaty among several different independent states (In fact, it was typical in the Founders time for folks like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams to refer to Virginia and Massachusetts, respective, as their "country").  Each state agrees to give up some of their own sovereign powers to a central federal government for roughly three general purposes:

1. Common national defense and security

2. Remove trade barriers among the states, and set some national standards, to create a national market for goods and services.

3. Establish a national baseline of individual civil rights for US citizens by guaranteeing equal protection of the law (people get treated the same under the law regardless of race, religion, national origin, etc.) and due process of law (the government cannot deprive you of your life, liberty, or property unless they give you notice, a hearing, right to counsel, etc. Also, it considers whether there are some areas of our lives that the government cannot interfere with, regardless of notice, a hearing, right to counsel, etc.)

Beyond these three general purposes, it was expected that public health, morality, and welfare would be taken care of by the individual states, the theory being that these standards vary based on culture, geography, and region, and therefore the states are in a better position to pass laws on these topics.

I'm sure we could argue about the details of the above three principles. In fact, I think we are supposed to -- these were all left very broadly cast, and our forefather's assumption was that citizens would be competent to use free speech, reason, and debate to sort out the details on how to fulfill these goals.

However, I think we have been laboring mightily against the reality that, aside from these common principles of mutual benefit, we really are, in many ways, still a collection of different countries, each with its own culture, priorities, and morals. This diversity is, overall, a good thing, I think. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously referred to each state being a "laboratory of democracy", in which various ways of living can be explored.

I have lived in New Jersey almost my entire life, and while I have not traveled extensively, when I do and I am asked where I am from, my first thought is "New Jersey". And plenty of other people feel the same way about their own state.

Maybe the constant attempt to turn everyone into a "Real American" (as various parties and groups define it) is driving this excessive concentration of power. We are chasing after an abstraction and ignoring the real, tangible impact of many Federal policies, and denying our own separate states, or polis's vitality in the process.

Anthony Bourdain, the travel and food writer, speaks often of how his experiences in various countries have opened his mind and broken him of his Manhattanite superiority complex toward his fellow Americans. Now, when he visits places and meets people in the US that he used to dismiss as "hicks" in "flyover country", he says he now views them as he would citizens of a foreign country, and now sees the richness and complexity of their culture, even if he would not want to live in that culture.

(Another old friend recently caught me using the "flyover country" expression on Facebook, and rightly called me on it)

Perhaps if states want to pass laws I don't agree with regarding same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception, medical marijuana, unions, regulation of businesses, creationism versus evolution,  and sex education, while I don't have to like it, perhaps I can view it as another "laboratory of democracy" working through a few experiments.

On the other hand, why should I be subject to the whims and prejudices of a politician that I did not even get the chance to vote for, or against? Why should senators from sparsely populated states representing a fraction of the total US population have so much sway over what happens in New Jersey?  And why are we being dictated to by a concentration of power in a swampy suburb between Maryland and Virginia?

So this left-wing conservative is now looking to keep it local.

 Organic Consumers article on Senators and how they vote (among other things)

The Week piece on how Wall Street may be responsible for writing America's laws

CNN piece on data mining

The National, Barclays Center 6.5.13

Singer Matt Berninger, of indie rock royalty The National, joked last night to the thousands in attendance at Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, "we have played many places in and around NYC, but we always loved this place best.  It's good to be back where it all started."  Well, something like that.  Berninger is from Ohio and met Scott Devendorf (bass) while they attended the University of Cincinnati.  Only after they left Ohio for Brooklyn, about 15 years ago, and hooking up with twin brothers Aaron (guitar/keyboard) and Bryce Dessner (guitar) and Scott's brother Bryan (drums) did the band take shape.  Then, like about half of today's alt rock bands, they began to call Brooklyn and NY home.  In those 15 years Brooklyn has become Manhattan West and Jay Z and Bruce Ratner built an immense Arena in an insanely busy part of town (to the dismay of many of the locals.)  The Nets left Jersey for it and the Islanders will be playing hockey there this winter.  This was The National's epic homecoming.  The National?  An arena band?  Sure, why the hell not?  If Passion Pit can play MSG, these guys can headline this venue.  But what a venue...

Did I mention it's size?  The Barclay's Center has a capacity of 18 thousand.  That is easy to believe.  And since the motif is mostly black (hallways, ceilings, tile...) it has an cave-like feel to it.  My wife thought it looked like an Equinox gym.  That might have had a little to do with the fragrance that permeates the place.  Can someone tell me if they blast cologne in that place?  It was smoky in the concourse from something.  And I am sorry, but at this size you are NEVER going to be able to make it feel like a rock club.   Once you start checking ticket stubs for sections it is clear you are at an "event" not rock show.  There are plenty out there who like an arena or stadium show.  This blogger is not among them.  For one thing, I need to be able to see the bands faces.  I want to know if there is improvisation going on, or if a singer is getting emotional, and how, for the most part, they get along with one another on stage.  Chemistry, or lack thereof, are necessary components to capture my attention.  That cannot be replicated by a video screen.  My seats were pretty darn good too:  lower level pretty much straight on with the stage.  When Berninger announced he had a guest vocalist (Annie Clark from St. Vincent), I had to take his word for it.  They were far away!  She could have been anyone.  Her vocals could not be heard either.  In fact, it makes no sense why she was there at all.  

Thankfully the sound is pretty darn good.  Berninger's big baritone sounded great and the rat-a-tat drumming of Bryan was clearly energetic and emphatic.  Berninger can not be faulted for not filling the arena and the Dessner brothers get a pass too.  Again, the place is immense.  The National really don't have a sound fit for this scale.  These guys are a 3 to 4 thousand seat band.  And that is ok.  Who can really play an arena these days?   Save the Bon Jovi, Bruce, Coldplay, U2 votes too.  Think for a moment of newer bands.  Bands!!  Not Taylor Swift or Gaga...  those are variety acts (special in their own right.)  Categorize those musical acts the same way you would the Harlem Globetrotters or Disney on Ice.  

Music loud and big enough to knock an arena crowd off its feet.  Is it Foo Fighters?  Pearl Jam?  Nine Inch Nails (who are touring this summer?) 

You gotta be real freaking loud and have a big personality/stage presence to pull it off.  Dave Grohl is probably the closet around.  Friends tell me Brandon Flowers of The Killers has what it takes.  Laid back, black suited Berninger, skews more lounge than arena.  His sardonic asides in between songs are witty for a smaller room.  

It's just all very odd.  

Don't get me wrong.  There were moments of real power.  "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Afraid of Everyone" from their amazing record High Violet were soaring and special.  Earlier songs, like "Abel" and "Squalor Victoria" were performed with high energy.  And slower numbers, like the opener "Don't Swallow the Cap" from their new record Trouble Will Find Me, were special in their own right.

It's just very anti-rock show...

  

There are plenty of clean lines and modern decorative touches.  The concession stands boast espresso, sushi and authentic NY sandwiches.  Stoli handles the liquor and beer stands are abundant.  Remembering the blight that was the Atlantic rail yards (which this arena replaced- was built on top of) the Barclay's is easily an above average upgrade.  

We handed an usher a stub.  We had to stay in our section.  People were not standing.  Other folks were insistent they sit in seat 12, not 14.  All that was missing was someone selling Cracker Jack, or a foul ball it my way ( I guess stray puck or basketball makes more sense.)  

It was good to see one of my favorites on a big stage.  They deserve the acclaim, both commercial and critical.  It was nice to see another grand new piece of NYC architecture and innovation.  Say what you will about the Barclay's, it is nothing if not impressive.

Let me be the first to say these entities need not meet again.  It will be great to catch a hockey game this fall.  If and when The National plays in smaller venue later this year, count me in.

Until then I will stick to music clubs for music.  Dinosaur Jr at Irving Plaza tomorrow night is more my speed. Although the doors open at 11pm. Yikes!!

The National setlist Barclays Center 6.5.13  SiriusXM broadcast the show live and will be replaying on SiriusXMU should you want to listen.  Tune in to that network or look them up online for more detail.

Some street art.  I guess.

There are pictures of old NYC basketball squads on the interior corridor walls.  Weird mix of old on a very new (and new looking) building.  

Like a steel birds nest (like the Chinese Olympic Stadium)

The interior of the "Geico Lobby"  Modern, Modern, Modern!

The many subways of NYC are just steps from the Center.  The 4 took about 30 minutes to get to Lower Manhattan.  Figure 30 minutes for midtown too.

Pacific Standard  Nice beer bar with West Coast theme located on 4th Ave.  Just a few blocks away from the venue with a nice happy hour, friendly bar keepers and cool crowd.  Nice find!

The National, Barclays Center 6.5.13

Best of May, 2013

The live shows have been few and far between this Spring for yours truly.  The few shows I have seen,  The Neighbourhood, Youngbood Hawke and last week The Hold Steady and Gaslight Anthem, entertained, but by no means overwhelmed.

Maybe I am too distracted?  The house ain't selling.  The cellar ain't staying dry.  The neighbors across the street are complete ass holes.

Maybe I am too tired.  Softball coaching, driving the Pulaski, walking blocks and blocks on the scorching streets of NYC to deliver a master key, waking up with the dog at 5am, Living. Freaking. Life.

It's a wonderful maze of heartache and joy married to periods of exhaustion, hysteria and sheer panic.  But in a good way.

The entertainment dollar, and more specifically the ability to break free for a few hours, then actually ENJOYING said time, is an elusive temptress.

Find the money to a night out?  Not overly difficult to attain.  Ok maybe a little.

Find the combination of 1) a thing you kinda want to see and 2) the want and availability of kinda doin it is as complex as the equation Matt Damon solved in Good Will Hunting.

That's a convoluted way to say it's been tough catching live shows lately.  And the past few have not had my full attention, for a shit ton of reasons.  

Lucky for me I am in the car often.  Luckier still I subscribe to SiriusXM and Spotify.  This is by no means an ad.  Pandora, ITunes,  and anything but terrestrial radio provide today's listener to an inordinate amount of music, both old and new.  I was in a rental car a few weeks back and came upon the NYC FM stations for an hour or so.  I couldn't help it.  I was trapped!  WHO CAN STAND IT??  Morning zoo's are still around.  The obnoxious car pitchmen who speak rapidly and insult your intelligence are still around.  Then, after all that, they play JLo and T Swift for hours on end.

Trust me, there is plenty of good stuff out there.  And you should be listening to it.  A healthy crop of new material from new bands, like Smith Westerns, and established acts such as The National, has made the first half of 2013 most pleasant to listen to.  We do it every month, and we dare you to say these tracks don't rock and/or roll.  Or beep and boop.  Or get all sappy on your shit.  Or gasp, make you think.  Take 15 minutes, click on a link or two, and remember life isn't all commercially interrupted nonsense meant to play in the background.   Find your outlet.  Then barge right in.

Kurt Vile "Never Run Away"  This is a guy every good indie, hipster blogger worships to.  This blogger has heard the name for several years and with great regularity confused him with The War on Drugs.  DJ's call him influential.  Other musicians speak fondly of him.  But damn it this blogger could tell you nothing of the man, and most certainly his music.  This track I know.  This track I love.  It appears on his recently released LP Wakin on a Pretty Daze.  Vile is soft on guitar and subtle with vocals.  Let's put it this way, I want to know more about this Vile character.  What kind of indie, hipster am I?  

Deerhunter "Back to the Middle"   Bradford Cox and his band of misfits I do know.  For one, he created one my my all time favorite songs.  Secondly, he played "My Sharona" for over an hour to silence a heckler.  That kind of commitment and jaded humor will get you everywhere says me.  His new record, Monomania, came out 5.7.  Good old fashioned, 70s inspired rock and roll.  Not the Zeppelin kind you might be looking for.  But we all like The Cars and Tom Petty too, right?

Phoenix "Trying To Be Cool"  On paper I should hate this song.  The French band annoys me cause they are French.  The singer is married to Sofia Coppola, who may be Hollywood's most overrated filmmaker.  ScarJo's ass aside, Lost in Translation was a colossal bore.  And don't get me started on The Virgin Suicides.  SNORE!!!!  But my daddy didn't make The Godfather 2 so I will just sit here and write the blues.  Oh, and reluctantly say these frogs are pretty good and this song is darn catchy.

Smith Westerns "Varsity"  Great harmonies, deft arrangement, and just a really fun vibe is laid out here.  Somehow I think Zach Braff would use this song if he filmed a surf movie with Greta Gerwig as an gal who just can't catch a wave, I mean break.

Vampire Weekend "Ya Hey"  Hardly seems right putting these guys in the mix.  They do have the #1 record in America.  They have a PR department that never sleeps.  Hell, they all have Ivy League educations.  They are gleefully uncool, yet massive stars who continue to put out signature hooks and whimsical lyrics.  It's in the bloodstream now, and there was nothing we can do.

Red Hands "Walk Off the Earth"  This track follows the Indie adult alt/pop blueprint circa Foster the People on.  You got your percussion.  You got your guy and girl singer.  Harmonies and tribal beats overwhelm the senses.  Let's not forget this band had the viral cover of Gotye.  Annoying and douchey (but clever.)  And when I hear "walk off the Earth" I am reminded of Sharri Shepherd's refusal to accept basic science.  You don't know the world is flat??  And you collect a paycheck to talk about things?  Good grief.  This song will have you tapping your feet though.  And isn't that what it's all about?

Small Black "No Stranger"  And now for the 80s synth part of the program.  This act has Pet Shop Boys DNA I tell ya.  Maybe a little OMD too.   Don't act like you don't know, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark!  What?  Was my school the only one that changed the lyrics of "If You Leave" to serenade the graduating class?  And am I the only one who failed chorus?  Small Black is a Brooklyn act.    If you have to label it the blogosphere calls it "chillwave."  Frankie says whatever.

The National "Demons"  Giving these guys space in an alt column is as useless as praising Vampire Weekend.  Wait, that has been done here too.  Drinking the Kool-Aid they call it.  But what a tasty blend it is.  Deep and dour yet hopeful and inspirational.   Is Small Black is Brooklyn "chill wave" The National are Brooklyn royalty.  Their triumphant return is this Wednesday at the House Jay Z built (Barclay's fool!)  They are promoting their outstanding LP Trouble Will Find Me.  Quite possibly the best band you never heard of.  Do something about that please.


Beach Fossils "Clash The Truth"  Essentially Beach Fossils is NYC multi instrumentalist Dustin Payseur's brain child and baby.  Guitars, hooks, synths are all here, front and center.  Judd Nelson might like this playing when he tears signs off the walls of school halls.

Frightened Rabbit "Woodpile"  Before I knew anything about these guys I heard this song and thought "Hey, Snow Patrol have a new song?"  Then I found out they were from Scotland and probably were spoon fed Gary Lightbody and his power ballads.  Sean Connery's accent has nothing on this guy and it works so well.  I have heard far worse influenced by total lame o's.  I am talking to you Olly Murs!!

Have a great month all and enjoy the summer!!

Keep cool, be safe and tell all your friends about this silly little blog you can't get enough of.

(I mean this one)

Asbury Park, 5.23.13  Restore the Shore!!

It was far from an ideal night for a concert.  Cold and 50 degrees with a steady rain is NOT Memorial Day weather and it kinda sucked.  We left before Gaslight Anthem.  Sucked.  And for the record there is never a need to see a show here again.  Save the money, stay on the boardwalk and watch from there.  The sound was super loud too!!  I Know, I know if it's too loud, you're too old.  Not so, there is loud good and loud bad.  This is loud bad, trust me.

The Hold Steady, Stone Pony

Embarrassed this was my first visit to the historic Stone Pony (albeit never inside the doors.)  

Youngblood Hawke, Santos Party House 5.13.13

The Strobe @ Santos Party House

As a father of an active 10 year old let me state the obvious, it can difficult to get a night out.  Without family nearby we often employ "sitters" to watch her for a few hours.  As a parent of a higher maintenance, 18 month old Whippet, the "sitter" often spends more time with him, than my child.  It is a juggling act to get coverage on a Friday or Saturday night.  Weeknights are an ever greater challenge.  We are fortunate to have good friends and neighbors who let us act like children more often than your average suburbanite.  There are folks in town who NEVER get to NYC for a night out.  Why on Earth would you live in the footsteps of America's greatest city if you refuse to enjoy its cultural, intellectual and spiritual rewards?  That's a different story.  Point is, it can be a challenge living here.  Even the "fun" times are burdensome.  For instance, when you add the babysitting costs to dinner, tolls, parking, and concert tickets a night out costs some serious coin.  That is all a very complicated way of saying you tend to have high expectations when you step out on the town.

A few Mondays I drove into NYC for work, back out to make school pick up, feed dinner, set up for practice, meet up with partners in crime, then back into NYC, meet with other partners...  then away we go.  No violin necessary, but the whole thing can be a bit taxing for someone at my advanced age.  Your damn right it's easier to couch and watch bad tv until you fall asleep around 9.   Sometimes that is a lot more satisfying believe me.  Which brought us to Santos Party House in Lower Manhattan.


Or, likely, will never get us back to Santos Party House.

It started with a phone call earlier in the day to the venue itself.  "What time will Youngblood Hawke come on?" I asked.

"Um, 9pm they are on." the daffy teenage girl informed me.

Seemed about right.  The doors opened at 7:30.  Figure an opening act could play a half hour set at 8 and YBH would be up and running on schedule.

We rolled back into town around 7 which gave us a nice 2 hours to otherwise have a drink and attempt to be merry.  Santos Party House is in an awful part of town.  It is a few blocks north of City Hall.  After 5pm the place is deserted.  Law and Order MUST film all their crime scenes here.  It is a mix of scaffold, trash, closed storefronts and empty promises.  1970s Times Square is embarrassed of this place.

Dinner ended up several blocks away near Bowery, Mercury Lounge, Little Italy.  Right, why not just go a show up there then?

Brinkley's Pub hosted our dinner the week before when we saw The Neighbourhood @ Bowery.  They have an impressive beer list with several local offerings on draft.  After two visits though it is hard to imagine ever eating there again.  The first time there was a tragic mis-order that involved a burger that tasted nothing like beef.  Worse, the texture totally fooled me.  Imagine taking a sip of what you believe to be iced cold lemonade and getting a thick, chocolate milkshake.

830 or so we were in line to get into Santos.  The place is small.  Capacity is 570, so they say.  They allow about 4 or 5 people in at a time.  But wait, you show ID outside, then go in to scan ticket, then wait back in line to get stamped and allowed in by another bouncer.  Some of this process can, and should be done outside.  After all the inside lobby is smaller than most studio apartments closets.  It was one of those weird, windy May evenings too.  Maybe it was 50 degrees once the sun went down.  The ladies had coats.  We were directed to a downstairs area that promised restrooms and coat check.

There were restrooms.  Coat check did not exist.

OK, maybe we will just get one drink and calm down a bit from the added frustrations.  Santos has two bars on opposite sides of the adorable little dance floor and tiny stage.  The beer choices are limited and the liquor even more odd.  No drinks for us!  Only Dos Equus on their 8 taps!!???  Odd choice to say the least.

Fine, it's 8:59.  The music will be on soon.

And it was!  But it wasn't Youngblood Hawke.

Some nice kids called The Colourist came on stage.  They did fine and had a girl drummer who was spunky, talented and easy to watch.  Drummers who sing continue to amaze and impress me.  The sound and feel for the club were ok during their set.  There were moments I felt the place could be special.

Then, at 10pm, and jam freaking packed, Youngblood Hawke came to stage.  With coats in hand
we all felt the temperature rise.  We may have already been too hot (under the collar.)  A few happy, feel good songs later, including the sugary sweet "Stars, the couch came calling.  Sometimes you have to cut your losses.

We never made it to "We Come Running," the massive hit that put these guys on the map.  Maybe it's too much girl and guy singer- Grouplove, Givers, Naked and The Famous come to mind.  Maybe it's too many drums on stage- Foster the People, White Rabbits, Gotye for example.

I love the 80s, believe me.  I also believe bucking trends, showing originality, standing apart...

It all felt too familiar, except in a dumpy part of town in a club we weren't really digging.

Mondays can be bad, but we don't need to pile on.

When we left the venue for some fresh air we were greeted with this scene.

Seemed fitting.  I see toy dogs smaller than these things.  Rats I tell ya!  We will get em next time.

NY clubs you should know says NYU Local. Amazingly Andrew WK's Santos Party House is on it. Apparently I am too old

The Colourist

Youngblood Hawke, 5.13.13

The Left Wing Conservative - Disaster Relief

The recent, heartbreaking destruction from the tornado in Oklahoma once again has disaster relief on the front pages.

As a citizen of New Jersey, I continue to be grateful for the support we received from all over the country after Hurricane Sandy. And, while admittedly not his biggest fan, I gave Governor Christie props for putting New Jersey first and partisan politics and his national political ambitions aside in criticising his fellow Republicans in Congress for delaying, and in some instances, voting against, Hurricane Sandy relief.

One of the most vocal opponents of Hurricane Sandy relief was Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, who voted against the bill, calling it "loaded with pork".

Now, he sees the request for relief for Oklahoma as "totally different". Do tell.

As a citizen of New Jersey, I am fortunate to live in, like California and New York, an affluent state. However, by most estimates New Jersey also has the worst return on investment on tax dollars (about 62 cents on the dollar) sent to the Feds v. Federal largess returned to New Jersey.

And I note that Oklahoma gets upwards of $1.36 back to their state for every federal tax dollar they pay.

From a purely moral standpoint, if someone is in need, and we have the ability to help, then we have a duty to help.

However, from a political standpoint, I more and more question whether federally centralized taxing and spending is the right approach.

More to come on this topic soon. Look for my upcoming post "Against Big Government"...


New York Daily News Article on Imhofe

Info from Tax Foundation on States "Return on Investment" on federal taxes 1981-2005