Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert-Same Love:
I heard this song a number of times before I really heard it. Great song. Powerful message. Awesome video. Well done...
Friday, January 4, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A November To Remember...
November came and went with 3 shows of vastly different sounds, vibe and proportions on my calendar.
JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION w/Bloodshot Bill
-November 3, Bowery Ballroom
It has been a while since I have seen the Blues Explosion so I was excited to see they would be playing the best music venue in NYC, The Bowery Ballroom, while touring to support their latest release, Meat and Bone. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion oooze cool and their live shows are nothing but legendary. The trio consists of lead guitar/some bizarre wood box that makes cool noise/lead singer Jon Spencer, guitar/harmonica/backing vocals Judah Bauer and Russell Simins who bashes the hell out of the drums. It is hard not to use the word cool a lot when speaking of JSBX. To start with, Jon Spencer seems to always play in bands with cool names such as Pussy Galore, Boss Hog and The Honeymoon Killers. The music JSBX play blends blues, punk, rockabilly, soul and with Jon behind the mic you can include a little 'gospel preaching'.
With Hurricane Sandy hitting NYC earlier in the week, the lights came on in time and JSBX were the first show to play in a week. This meant a lot to the band as they are considered a 'downtown NYC' band, so playing in their backyard to uplift some heavy hearts is what we all needed. The show had been sold out for weeks but the venue was 80% full as people were not able to make it due to the storm. Jon spoke briefly about Hurricane Sandy, mentioning how he spent the day helping his brother in law cleaning out his apartment and reminding us that we're New Yorkers, lets work together and we are going to be all right. 25% of tickets and merchandise from all their shows this week would be going to the Red Cross and hurricane relief.
We missed opener Ava Luna and entered to the crazy one man rockabilly show Bloodshot Bill playing on the balcony of the venue. This sweaty mess of slap guitar, drums and harmonica wrapped into one was an awesome warmup that lead us right up to and introduced JSBX. You couldn't ask for a better warmup and intro and you could tell that the band loved it as much as the crowd did. In addition to the full throttle in your face barrage of music that is a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion show, the backdrop to the stage was a trippy 60's lava-lamp-like imagery from Liquid Light Lab that took things to a different level, especially for those in an altered state. The show was a fantastic mix of new and old and while I haven't picked up the new cd yet, the new songs were new, fresh and classic JSBX. The 6 song, 18 minute encore of Greyhound, Afro, RL Got Soul, Blues X Man, Fuck Shit Up and Bellbottoms capped out a night and while we walked out you couldn't help but think if Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has something to do with it, yes, everything is going to be all right.
Check out the encore! MADONNA
11/12, Madison Square Garden
Review #1
This was the first time I have ever seen Madonna live and will be the last. Not saying it was a crappy show, just saying that when you pay as much as I did for the tickets, I'm bound to be let down. But tonight wasn't about me, it was about my wife as I got these tickets for her birthday. I've always respected Madonna as she is a true pioneer and pop royalty. She always finds ways to reinvent herself that is relevant to the times yet still be Madonna. Touring behind arguably her weakest cd MDNA, I was still somewhat excited to witness my first ever Madonna show. The tickets said, doors 7, show at 8, so we rushed to the Garden figuring we would grab some food at the newly renovated venue and be in our seats in time for the 8 pm start. The hallways were filled with freaks, both girls and guys dressed like Madge and her backup singers over the years and I have to say, some were pretty impressive. It's one thing to dress up to go to a concert, it is another to dress up in costume like the performer. I say bravo to some of you.
So we get to our seats, fresh pastrami sandwich and beers in hand at 7:45. The venue was less that 50% full. We overheard some people saying that she isn't coming on till later. Others say 9:30. Some say 10. I ask one of the ticket takers and they tell DJ at 9, Madonna at 10:30. Huh? Then why does the ticket say 8?! Ok, me and Madge are off on the wrong foot. I did a quick search on my phone to hear that yes, indeed, she was coming out after 10 at all of her shows on this tour. Philadelphia even booed her, then again Philly booed Santa Claus. I guess if I wasn't a novice Madonna fan, I would have known this. Regardless, the show must go on. At 9, some DJ that will remain nameless comes out. I say he will remain nameless because I didn't hear him say his name and he wasn't worthy enough for me to look up who he was after the show. He had the crowd dancing to some fun but pretty much generic songs then he did something dreadful. He told us the next song was off his new cd and then he, uh, um, oh no. He sang! DJ's don't sing! Shut up! Ok, enough on this dude. Thankfully, he only performed for 45 minutes. Being finished at 9:45, we thought that maybe Madonna would hit the stage at 10 or 10:15 at the latest. NO, she made us wait even longer. She didn't hit the stage until 10:47 and when she did, it was a full on Broadway like spectacle with numerous set and costume changes and more dancers in freaky outfits than you can imagine. While I was already angry as having to wait almost 3 hours, I will admit that the first set sucked. Her voice seemed to struggle as did her 54 year old body keeping up with her dancers. Also, I didn't know what the hell was going on. She was running around the stage with fake guns shooting at random guys while singing a song from her new cd. I was thinking, this shit better turn around quick or we are exiting early. Second costume change she came out in her marching band/cheerleader outfit and things started to get pretty good. She even had the marching band elevated above the stage which was pretty cool. The show progressed on thankfully mixing in hits such at Papa Don't Preach, Express Yourself (with Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' mixed in), Open Your Heart, Vogue and Like A Prayer which are the reasons why everybody was there.
She showed us why she still commands top billing, high ticket prices and is considered one of the most powerful women of the past century. At one point in the show she spoke about the recent election and of Hurricane Sandy. She told us that she went to Rockaway Beach with her kids to see the destruction and she saw people helping others and it was all good. People applauded this but I thought that she wasn't any different from other people that were going out to these areas and taking photos of the destruction so they could post them to Facebook or Instagram. The only difference is that Madonna went there and got her photo taken! Did she roll up her sleeves to help out? She she donate any of her millons or even a % of tonight's show towards relief? She did perform a very mellow version of Like a Virgin in which she stripped down and rolled around like a stripper telling people to throw money up on stage, which would be donated towards charity. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I am just cranky about the night but I thought this was a rather weak effort. Maybe she would have taken a page out of Jon Spencer's book and not only went to to help out people rather than for a photo op and donating some merchandise of ticket proceeds would have been more respectable. While I appreciate these artist for their do good ways, some of the bigger names need to shut the fuck up and sing. I get the feeling that it has become part of their act and therefore not even from the heart anymore. Madonna, you sang Papa Don't Preach. Maybe you need to take heed to your words.
Desperate attempt to stay relevant: The night after seeing her, rumor has it she brought out the Gangnam Style dude and did his dance with him. Ugghh. Come on Madonna, you are better than that!
Review #2 (my wife's review)
"Although I loved the show, she's a dick"
THE HELIO SEQUENCE
11/15, Bowery Ballroom
Back at Bowery a few weeks after the Jon Spencer show to catch this 2 man Portland, Oregan band that blend alternative rock with dreamy indie pop. It is bands like this and nights like tonight that makes me love music so much. We bought tickets at the door, the venue was modestly filled and everybody was happy. The 15 set was heavy on songs from their well received fifth full length album Negotiations and their fantastic last album Keep Your Eyes Ahead. Their dreaminess exploded on songs from Negotiations with tonight's opener One More Time as well as October, The Measure and Downward Spiral. These songs blended perfectly with old takes such as Can't Say No, Captive Mind, You Can Come To Me and the perfect one two punch of Keep Your Eyes Ahead of Me followed by Lately. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this show. This band has given me nothing but pleasure from the first time I heard them and I'll never pass up an opportunity to see them.
Opening song "One More Time" (not my video)
JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION w/Bloodshot Bill
-November 3, Bowery Ballroom
It has been a while since I have seen the Blues Explosion so I was excited to see they would be playing the best music venue in NYC, The Bowery Ballroom, while touring to support their latest release, Meat and Bone. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion oooze cool and their live shows are nothing but legendary. The trio consists of lead guitar/some bizarre wood box that makes cool noise/lead singer Jon Spencer, guitar/harmonica/backing vocals Judah Bauer and Russell Simins who bashes the hell out of the drums. It is hard not to use the word cool a lot when speaking of JSBX. To start with, Jon Spencer seems to always play in bands with cool names such as Pussy Galore, Boss Hog and The Honeymoon Killers. The music JSBX play blends blues, punk, rockabilly, soul and with Jon behind the mic you can include a little 'gospel preaching'.
With Hurricane Sandy hitting NYC earlier in the week, the lights came on in time and JSBX were the first show to play in a week. This meant a lot to the band as they are considered a 'downtown NYC' band, so playing in their backyard to uplift some heavy hearts is what we all needed. The show had been sold out for weeks but the venue was 80% full as people were not able to make it due to the storm. Jon spoke briefly about Hurricane Sandy, mentioning how he spent the day helping his brother in law cleaning out his apartment and reminding us that we're New Yorkers, lets work together and we are going to be all right. 25% of tickets and merchandise from all their shows this week would be going to the Red Cross and hurricane relief.
We missed opener Ava Luna and entered to the crazy one man rockabilly show Bloodshot Bill playing on the balcony of the venue. This sweaty mess of slap guitar, drums and harmonica wrapped into one was an awesome warmup that lead us right up to and introduced JSBX. You couldn't ask for a better warmup and intro and you could tell that the band loved it as much as the crowd did. In addition to the full throttle in your face barrage of music that is a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion show, the backdrop to the stage was a trippy 60's lava-lamp-like imagery from Liquid Light Lab that took things to a different level, especially for those in an altered state. The show was a fantastic mix of new and old and while I haven't picked up the new cd yet, the new songs were new, fresh and classic JSBX. The 6 song, 18 minute encore of Greyhound, Afro, RL Got Soul, Blues X Man, Fuck Shit Up and Bellbottoms capped out a night and while we walked out you couldn't help but think if Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has something to do with it, yes, everything is going to be all right.
Check out the encore! MADONNA
11/12, Madison Square Garden
Review #1
This was the first time I have ever seen Madonna live and will be the last. Not saying it was a crappy show, just saying that when you pay as much as I did for the tickets, I'm bound to be let down. But tonight wasn't about me, it was about my wife as I got these tickets for her birthday. I've always respected Madonna as she is a true pioneer and pop royalty. She always finds ways to reinvent herself that is relevant to the times yet still be Madonna. Touring behind arguably her weakest cd MDNA, I was still somewhat excited to witness my first ever Madonna show. The tickets said, doors 7, show at 8, so we rushed to the Garden figuring we would grab some food at the newly renovated venue and be in our seats in time for the 8 pm start. The hallways were filled with freaks, both girls and guys dressed like Madge and her backup singers over the years and I have to say, some were pretty impressive. It's one thing to dress up to go to a concert, it is another to dress up in costume like the performer. I say bravo to some of you.
So we get to our seats, fresh pastrami sandwich and beers in hand at 7:45. The venue was less that 50% full. We overheard some people saying that she isn't coming on till later. Others say 9:30. Some say 10. I ask one of the ticket takers and they tell DJ at 9, Madonna at 10:30. Huh? Then why does the ticket say 8?! Ok, me and Madge are off on the wrong foot. I did a quick search on my phone to hear that yes, indeed, she was coming out after 10 at all of her shows on this tour. Philadelphia even booed her, then again Philly booed Santa Claus. I guess if I wasn't a novice Madonna fan, I would have known this. Regardless, the show must go on. At 9, some DJ that will remain nameless comes out. I say he will remain nameless because I didn't hear him say his name and he wasn't worthy enough for me to look up who he was after the show. He had the crowd dancing to some fun but pretty much generic songs then he did something dreadful. He told us the next song was off his new cd and then he, uh, um, oh no. He sang! DJ's don't sing! Shut up! Ok, enough on this dude. Thankfully, he only performed for 45 minutes. Being finished at 9:45, we thought that maybe Madonna would hit the stage at 10 or 10:15 at the latest. NO, she made us wait even longer. She didn't hit the stage until 10:47 and when she did, it was a full on Broadway like spectacle with numerous set and costume changes and more dancers in freaky outfits than you can imagine. While I was already angry as having to wait almost 3 hours, I will admit that the first set sucked. Her voice seemed to struggle as did her 54 year old body keeping up with her dancers. Also, I didn't know what the hell was going on. She was running around the stage with fake guns shooting at random guys while singing a song from her new cd. I was thinking, this shit better turn around quick or we are exiting early. Second costume change she came out in her marching band/cheerleader outfit and things started to get pretty good. She even had the marching band elevated above the stage which was pretty cool. The show progressed on thankfully mixing in hits such at Papa Don't Preach, Express Yourself (with Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' mixed in), Open Your Heart, Vogue and Like A Prayer which are the reasons why everybody was there.
She showed us why she still commands top billing, high ticket prices and is considered one of the most powerful women of the past century. At one point in the show she spoke about the recent election and of Hurricane Sandy. She told us that she went to Rockaway Beach with her kids to see the destruction and she saw people helping others and it was all good. People applauded this but I thought that she wasn't any different from other people that were going out to these areas and taking photos of the destruction so they could post them to Facebook or Instagram. The only difference is that Madonna went there and got her photo taken! Did she roll up her sleeves to help out? She she donate any of her millons or even a % of tonight's show towards relief? She did perform a very mellow version of Like a Virgin in which she stripped down and rolled around like a stripper telling people to throw money up on stage, which would be donated towards charity. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I am just cranky about the night but I thought this was a rather weak effort. Maybe she would have taken a page out of Jon Spencer's book and not only went to to help out people rather than for a photo op and donating some merchandise of ticket proceeds would have been more respectable. While I appreciate these artist for their do good ways, some of the bigger names need to shut the fuck up and sing. I get the feeling that it has become part of their act and therefore not even from the heart anymore. Madonna, you sang Papa Don't Preach. Maybe you need to take heed to your words.
Desperate attempt to stay relevant: The night after seeing her, rumor has it she brought out the Gangnam Style dude and did his dance with him. Ugghh. Come on Madonna, you are better than that!
Review #2 (my wife's review)
"Although I loved the show, she's a dick"
THE HELIO SEQUENCE
11/15, Bowery Ballroom
Back at Bowery a few weeks after the Jon Spencer show to catch this 2 man Portland, Oregan band that blend alternative rock with dreamy indie pop. It is bands like this and nights like tonight that makes me love music so much. We bought tickets at the door, the venue was modestly filled and everybody was happy. The 15 set was heavy on songs from their well received fifth full length album Negotiations and their fantastic last album Keep Your Eyes Ahead. Their dreaminess exploded on songs from Negotiations with tonight's opener One More Time as well as October, The Measure and Downward Spiral. These songs blended perfectly with old takes such as Can't Say No, Captive Mind, You Can Come To Me and the perfect one two punch of Keep Your Eyes Ahead of Me followed by Lately. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this show. This band has given me nothing but pleasure from the first time I heard them and I'll never pass up an opportunity to see them.
Opening song "One More Time" (not my video)
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