| I'm a Homeowner |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|06:17 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | White Rabbits - It's Frightening | ] |
Yesterday I became a homeowner. (Well, it's a condo.) Earlier in the week my father referred to it as a "milestone." I did not think that was accurate until I started to think about it. All my adult life I've been working toward this, whether I knew it or not. Even when I didn't have money, I was responsible with it. I've never made wild purchases that I couldn't afford and I've never been in debt. That's been due to some luck and a little common sense. For years I was putting myself in a position to be a good candidate for the financial aspects of homeownership.
Unfortunately, the process between "prospective buyer" and "homeowner" is terribly stressful and painstaking. You look at other people's homes and try to imagine yourself living there. Sometimes you see it; sometimes you don't. You toss the latter as prospects. I realized early on that my first home would not be my ideal home. (I just cannot afford the ideal home.) There were concessions I had to make, but I'm happy with the decision I've made. The things I don't have aren't essential and the things I want to change can stay as is for now. (For instance, I'm not thrilled with the kitchen cabinets.) However, I am determined to eventually put my mark on it.
When I moved into my current apartment, I didn't know if I'd be staying in Chicago past the initial lease. Even though I've been here almost four years, I've never really considered it my permanent home. Anyone who's visited can attest to that. But my mindset is different now. I've mapped out concepts for each room and will spend (within reason) to get them to look the way I want them.
By far the most frustrating part of the entire process was the loan. I took a recommendation on a lender from some friends. Let's just say I will not be recommending his group to anyone else. It's a ridiculously arbitrary ordeal. At one point, I was basically lambasted for my credit being too good. Too often I didn't get straight answers. Some figures were unclear. And a couple last minute surprises left me sour with the whole experience. (The day before closing, I asked my lender exactly how much I needed to bring for my down payment. He said $7,000 more than I'd originally planned on. Why $7,000? I have no fucking idea. His group also added an extra $1,360 at the very last minute. I'd already signed papers without that amount factored in before they slid it in just before the whole deal was closed. I'll be busting skulls over those issues on Monday after the holiday.)
It's funny; my realtor told me a short while ago that a lot of buyers become so stressed and/or exhausted over the whole process that they can't initially enjoy their home. I've felt the same way. I barely slept the night before closing. I woke up at 3:55AM and hardly got any sleep after that. Even last night I had some trouble staying asleep. But... I have to say I'm really happy with being a homeowner. Once I actually move in and the sourness wears away, it'll probably be awesome.
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| Away We Go, The Hangover, Moon, Public Enemies |
[Jun. 20th, 2009|02:18 pm] |
I would guess that not many people go to a movie when nothing about it seems appealing. Maybe you don't think the actors have chops. Maybe the director is completely out of his comfort zone. Maybe the story doesn't grab you much. But sometimes those movies turn out pretty well against all odds. Luckily, I have an outlet to screenings for these movies I'd rather not risk $10 on. So it's always a nice surprise to be wildly impressed with something you walked in thinking wouldn't work. That's the case with Away We Go. I've never seen John Krasinski do anything worthwhile apart from Jim Halpert. I've never been a fan of Maya Rudolph. (However, I also only know her from trying to sing in every "SNL" sketch.) Sam Mendes is all right, but his movies have never wowed me. And the story of two 30-somethings finding their place in the world doesn't appeal to me just yet. But somehow they made it work. Krasinski and Rudolph display acting skill far beyond anything I'd envisioned for them. (I never gave much thought to either doing much special.) Sam Mendes delivers a story about a couple who actually like either. And the story did, in fact, appeal to me in a few ways. The supporting cast is owed a lot, as well. Allison Janney steals her scenes. Maggie Gyllenhaal is... a wreck. Chris Messina, Melanie Lynskey and Paul Schneider stand out too. But it's really about Krasinski and Rudolph. I was like, "Yeah, they're all right." And then there's this one scene on a trampoline and I was just like, "Wow." I wasn't terribly impressed with the very end, but it's definitely a good movie. (Oh, and I have to point this out: There's a strip club scene featuring "Hercules' Theme" by Hercules & Love Affair and "Oh Sweet Nuthin'" by the Velvet Underground. Great use of music.)
A few days later I saw The Hangover and my expectations were essentially met. I know what a movie like that will deliver. It had a few good laughs and some lines that'll be funny among my friends. But there's not much more to say about that one.
Last week I saw Moon and was told to not watch any trailers or even read about it beforehand. All I knew going in was it starred Sam Rockwell, took place on the moon and was directed by David Bowie's son. (The "Space Oddity" and "Starman" jokes are just too easy.) It's difficult to do a movie about loneliness in space without bringing out some 2001 influence. So I assumed a few things that weren't necessarily true. But that had to have been done purposely. The story and Rockwell kept this one alive. A few scenes were great concepts, but I was disappointed in execution a little too often to say I was very impressed. Though, it's not like I thought my time had been wasted. I'd like to not ruin it for anyone who does want to see it. I'll just say to not watch too much on it first.
And then last night I saw Public Enemies. I really wanted to like it. I remember them filming in and around Chicago last summer. I like most of the stars and Michael Mann is one of the premier crime film directors of this era. But it just didn't get it done for me. There is excellence, no doubt. The action scenes are great. It sounds awesome. (Honestly, I thought someone was firing a gun in the theater at one point.) And the acting is pretty good. But the script and historical inaccuracies killed it for me. I thought Depp and Cotillard had good chemistry, but their relationship wasn't developed enough for me to care about them as an entity. Christian Bale's Melvin Purvis was mostly empty. Some of the dialogue was laughable. The fiction was distracting. I understand it's difficult to pull off a project like this because it needs to play out like a movie while also respecting the history, but too much was sacrificed for me to see past that. You can't just rewrite history for a movie. Well, at least I don't think you should. It ended and I thought, "That's really the cut?" I'd actually be very interested to see the, like, 4-hour edit that undoubtedly exists.
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| Fake Fictions, Coltrane Motion, White Mystery, Justin Townes Earle |
[Jun. 8th, 2009|10:39 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Wreckless Eric - "Whole Wide World" | ] |
I realized a few months ago that almost all of the shows I was going to were headlined by national bands and rarely even had local support. So I started going to more local shows. Got to support the scene, right? Friday night I caught Fake Fictions, Coltrane Motion and White Mystery. Fake Fictions were all right - reminded me a lot of early 90s indie-rock. Maybe a little Superchunk? Maybe I'm completely off about that. Coltrane Motion were really good for about 20 minutes. It's two guys doing a little something in the Ratatat line. One is on guitars; the other sings and plays keys, programs, samples, etc. The singer had this incredible vertical leap. But he really annoyed me with that habit of reminding everyone between every song that they were Coltrane Motion and who the other bands were. Maybe it was just nerves. Headlining was White Mystery - the latest Alex White band. This one's with her (real) brother playing drums. They were good - had a garage rock sound - but only played about 20-25 minutes.
Sunday night I went to see Justin Townes Earle. I've been digging Midnight at the Movies pretty hard. I've heard very good things about him live. It was a street festival for $5 on a night when I wasn't doing anything else. No-brainer. He was terrific. He played an hour and a half, dropped almost everything from Midnight at the Movies along with a ton of covers by John Prine, Carter Family, Buck Owens, others I can't name, etc. I was extremely impressed.
But, here's where it gets strange. Late Friday and early Saturday morning I couldn't get Friday's show out of my head, in a good way. It was really sticking with me. I was thinking of how it sounded, how the audience was reacting to the music, where I heard influences from other bands, etc. But Sunday was the show I enjoyed much more, yet an hour later I was checking my email and watching TV without a thought of JTE in my head. And that kinda blew my mind because I put way too much thought into everything, especially something I've really liked. So, why was it the show I liked less seemed to resonate with me more? My only explanation is one that has absolutely nothing to do with the show. Literally five minutes after Earle's set ended, it started pouring rain. And I was on my bike. So I rode 20 minutes home in on/off heavy rain. Then I got home, got my shit ready for work on Monday and got a little something to eat. But Friday? Gorgeous night. Nothing distracted me. I walked out of that show and it was the only thing on my mind, other than a pretty cute girl standing in front of me. It's funny how that works sometimes. When I look back on this weekend, I'll definitely remember JTE more fondly. But in the immediate aftermath, I just got kinda sidetracked. I didn't even think of that until I woke up Monday morning from a dream about the JTE show.
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| Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Up, Doves |
[May. 30th, 2009|02:00 am] |
| [ | sound |
| | James Carr - "I'm a Fool For You" | ] |
I'm not a big Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan. They've had some really good songs. They have a reputation for putting on a good show. But their albums haven't won me over. This latest one, though, has been pleasant on my ears. So, in the interest of making good on stealing their music, I plunked down $28 to see them play live on Tuesday. First of all, the show was at the Aragon, which is a barn. It's universally disliked because it sounds absolutely horrendous in there. I couldn't even place a cover song they played because the vocals were unintelligible and the riff was muddy. (After coming home and doing a little work, I got it as "Human Fly" by the Cramps. In another venue, I'd probably have recognized "I say buzz buzz buzz / And it's just because" in a heartbeat.) Karen O is at a point where she doesn't even have to be wild to get applause. She gets it just by spitting water or holding the microphone a specific way. Now, don't get me wrong, she's a really good frontwoman, but I guess I expected more than some jazzercise moves and a little screaming. She wasn't even wearing something outrageous. I thought she'd be the second coming of Wendy O. Williams, or something. Ken nor Mychelle were very impressed with the set list, but it was heavy on singles, so I didn't mind. But they only played an hour, which disappointed everyone. (And I've now talked to, like, a half-dozen friends/acquaintances who were there.) Shouldn't a band with as much output as them play longer?
Then Wednesday evening I saw a screening for Up. I haven't seen much marketing for it and didn't even know when it was being released until a couple weeks ago. And, well, it's Pixar. Does any movie studio offer a consistently better product? If so, I don't know of them. And I understand why I haven't seen much marketing - because there's not much to market. A septuagenarian (possibly?) doesn't strike me as a character that'd inspire action figures. Neither does a little Asian kid. And a house attached to thousands of balloons would be a difficult toy to produce. But this movie doesn't need those gimmicks because it was so good. The opening scenes that critics have been going bananas over are excellent. They provide the deepest character development for any Pixar character yet. I'm convinced that one of Pixar's features will receive a Best Picture nomination in the next few years. I would have no qualms with Up being the one. It looks tremendous and the story's far better than many that carry live action films.
Now, it's no secret that I go to a lot of shows. In fact, it's probably fair to say that I see a lot of shows that don't mean a lot to me. Of course, I'm always hoping that they'll mean something and I'll cherish the memories for the rest of my life. But that's not likely to happen very often. So it's almost a bit of a novelty for me to attend a show now where I'm actually excited because A) I've never seen the band before; B) Their music has meant a hell of a lot to me for a long time. After years of one thing or another preventing me from seeing Doves, I finally did so on Friday. And I was not disappointed. Anyone who knew me well between, say, 2001 and 2003 was well aware of my love for Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast. They heard me jaw on about "The Cedar Room" and "Pounding" far too much. They didn't play the former, but they did own the latter. Mercy. And the Kingdom of Rust songs, which have yet to really sink in for me, sounded great and will probably have a great influence on how I hear the album from now on. But it was the songs from the first two albums that I wanted to hear, and which blew me away. "Rise" reminded me of my rather eclectic 2-4AM radio program my sophomore year of college. "Words" reminded me of driving around dark country roads late at night with the sunroof open. "There Goes the Fear" reminded me about living with Skot, Sean and Sweitz. This band's really important to me. I can't believe it took me so long to see them. They were everything I hoped they'd be. (And then I met Jimi Goodwin afterward. He seemed nice.)
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| St. Louis, Indianapolis, South Bend, Detroit, Cincinnati, Louisville |
[May. 21st, 2009|09:53 pm] |
I'm in Louisville, Kentucky. I've been on a baseball trip with my dad this week. It's much in the same vein as our past trips to spring training and a weekend here or there elsewhere. We were in St. Louis on Sunday for a Brewers/Cardinals game. It was my first visit to the new Busch Stadium. I thought it was all right. Maybe I was unfairly biased because it was ridiculously windy at our seats behind home plate in the upper deck. Or maybe it's just because I really dislike the media's obsession with saying that Cardinals fans are the best in the country. Now, what exactly makes great fans? Is it leaving in the 7th when your team is losing? Because that's what happened on Sunday. Sure, anyone can root for a winner. How about having a little faith in the concept of the game not being over even with two outs in the ninth down by a few? I've seen it happen. But, no, a bunch of red shirts were bailing early on. What? Something better to do on a Sunday afternoon than be at a baseball game? What's with those people?
Monday we drove to Indianapolis for a Triple-A game between affiliates of the Nationals and Pirates. Two Pirates prospects used the same at-bat song and the whole team seemed to be defensively-challenged. The pitcher ran into the first baseman to force an error on what should have been a routine popout. A ball landed between three players who couldn't communicate. I think there were 3 real errors, but tons of mental mistakes. It really is quite incredible to see the mistakes that major leaguers don't make. Watching a minor league baseball game certainly gives fans a better appreciation for the skills of major league baseball players. Tuesday's game was Single-A and it wasn't that much worse than the Triple-A game. Maybe one or two of those players make the major leagues and the others are probably just thrilled to have a paycheck for playing a game. Sometimes you see a curveball totally overmatch a batter and you almost see this little light go off in his head saying, "Man, this game is difficult." Of course, that curveball may not even make it beyond the next level of play either when it's hammered 400 feet for a homer.
Wednesday evening we were back at the major leagues with a game between the Rangers and Tigers. I could actually enjoy Comerica Park this time because, unlike my first visit two years ago, the Mets were not involved. The Tigers won. Verlander was his streaky self. (I'm pretty sure I saw Verlander humming a Porsche in downtown Detroit earlier that afternoon with some horrendous rap music blaring away.) Nelson Cruz walloped a homer while sitting on my fantasy bench. It was a pretty good game. My dad and I were surrounded on three sides by people who had no reason whatsoever for attending a major league baseball game. One guy asked my dad if Gary Sheffield still played for the Tigers. (He was released by them in spring training and signed with the Mets shortly thereafter.) A guy behind us was full of misinformation about designated hitters and historical statistics. (Although, he may have been trying to get laid. And, obviously, the girl had absolutely no idea what was right or wrong.) And the dude next to me was just a plain ol' idiot with no idea what the score was, what inning we were in, or anything about the game aside from 3 beers will cost $20.25. Sweet mercy.
Earlier today we were in Cincinnati for a game between the Phillies and Reds. Major traffic killed us and we missed the first inning and a half, but both teams piled on a bunch of runs. Unfortunately, my dad spent the majority of the game away from the seats in the shade. I toughed it out like a fan and now my arms are crisp from the rays. The stadium was not terribly impressive. Its sightlines are weak. The audio system are horrible. The scoreboard is too busy and inefficient. And parking is a disaster. But the day got better with some Graeter's afterward. Then we hauled it over to Louisville, had dinner in a really hip neighborhood, and I am kinda smitten with this town. It rules pretty hard so far. Tomorrow's schedule has the Louisville Slugger Museum, perhaps a trip to Ear Xtacy and yet another Triple-A baseball game. It should be fun. |
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| Leonard Cohen |
[May. 9th, 2009|02:03 am] |
| [ | sound |
| | The Concretes - "You Can't Hurry Love" | ] |
Sometimes a concert is so expensive that you're basically obliged to discuss how much the tickets cost. It's almost like it gives you an excuse to not be blown away by the caliber of performer who'd charge obscene admissions. You know, $100 is a lot of money to pay for just one performer. You can't really fault a person for not thinking a concert didn't live up to the expectations that come with $100+ tickets, right? But the reason why tickets cost so much for some performers is they know their audience will pay it. They know that they can put on a show where most of the people will say, "Well, that was worthwhile." (There has to be actual discourse on concert ticket supply and demand. I just can't find it.)
No fan wants to regret not seeing someone the last time they had a chance. I've told this story a hundred times, but it bears repeating: When I was in 7th grade, Nirvana played at Lehigh University and my dad wouldn't let me go because it was a weeknight. He said, "You can see them the next time." There's been no next time. You want to know why I go to so many shows? That's why. I don't want to miss another one like that. Of course, that means I see a lot of junk, too. But when a show rules, it is so worthwhile because I can savor the moments.
With that being said, there was absolutely no way that even $100+ tickets would keep me from seeing Leonard Cohen. The man is 74 years old and hasn't toured in 15 years. Really, what are the chances he goes back on the road again? I couldn't risk it, especially with the raves his performances have drawn. I mean, every single person I know who's seen him has said they've been floored. I've never heard such uniformity in concert reviews. There's always somebody who's like, "Eh, it was ok." (I was that person about Radiohead among my friends last year.) Nobody says that about Leonard Cohen. I had to see what the hubbub was about.
A few songs into Wednesday's show, I was sort of unimpressed. His band is terribly cheesy, as if they were pulled from a cruise ship. And his voice is far different than when he recorded my favorite songs of his. (It's deepened as it's aged.) But then it all started to come together. I began to experience exactly what everyone else has. I became mesmerized. I heard his music in a way I never had before. Lyrics had a more profound impact on me than ever. And I just sat in awe. It's not like I could do anything else. For three hours he delivered hit after hit. It was pretty amazing. You don't often go to a show where everyone is so synchronized with each other. I mean, 3,600 people jumped to their feet for an ovation after "Hallelujah." Yeah, that's a phenomenal song, but it was the performance that drove people to stand and cheer. Often I hear some opening band get a smattering of applause from their friends and people who're polite. It detracts from what applause really means. Hearing Leonard Cohen sing iconic music made me remember.
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| Franz Ferdinand v. Star Trek, Thermals |
[May. 1st, 2009|07:03 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Keane - Hopes and Fears | ] |
February 26, 2004 holds a special place in my showgoing heart. I was living with my parents. I had no job. I was miserable. But I still knew how to enjoy a rock and roll show. And, boy, did I see one that night. A band called Franz Ferdinand killed it. Even 5+ years later, "This Fire" from that night remains one of the best live songs I've ever heard. I saw them again a few months later and they were all right. I haven't seen them since. So, when they announced a Chicago show in February, Ken and I snapped up tickets. I'm not crazy about the venue, but I'll see a good band there. My issue right away, though, was that the tickets were priced around $30. The first time I saw them it cost me $8. And there is no way in the world a band's going to be nearly four times as good five years on in a venue ten times as large! But I was still determined to go... until I got an email inviting me to an advance screening of Star Trek. I sold the Franz Ferdinand ticket for $40 and went to the free movie a week before its release. Ken thought I'd lost my mind. And I had my doubts. But, holy moly, that movie was awesome. I don't want to ruin it (price to pay for seeing it in advance), but it's almost exactly what I wanted. It's full of homages to the original series (even an "Enterprise" reference), yet is distinctly on its own from its predecessors. This isn't necessarily a prequel as much as a shot in the arm. And it's excellent.
Now, this theater shares a building with one of those new hip bowling alleys that's actually a bar/lounge with a few glittery lanes in the back. We're walking downstairs to leave and see probably a dozen people outside the lounge area windows. We walk over to see the commotion and it's because the 3rd OT of the Celtics/Bulls has just started. So, of course, we stick around to watch that. I don't even like professional basketball and I was excited. The crowd only grew as we stood there. By the time the game was over and I turned around, there must've been 40 people watching with us. (It was just past 10pm then and there were already lines in the lobby for the Wolverine movie's midnight showings. This morning I read that Hugh Jackman walked into one of the theaters unannounced and just kinda said, "What's up, people?" So I guess the wait was worth it for some of those people.)
The night before last, I saw the Thermals for the third time. They have so much working against them. I don't think Hutch Harris is a very engaging frontman. I don't think their musicianship is top-notch. There's nothing extraordinary about more than half of their songs. But when they're onstage, they continually impress me. I should also note that I'd had "Returning to the Fold" in my head for about two days prior to the show. They started the set with that song and I was on cloud nine. The rest of the show was pretty good, too. I can't say I was disappointed or ever will be with them live. They just seem to, you know, lock into a groove. But what is up with A) 9:30 start times on weeknights; B) Chicago crowds acting as though they're in line at the DMV? Sweet mercy, half of that room must've been dead while I was busy getting whiplash from headbanging.
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| Blackhawks, Junior Boys, Gaslight Anthem, The Faint/Ladytron, Glasvegas, Presets |
[Apr. 9th, 2009|07:04 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Big Audio Dynamite - "E=MC2" | ] |
Wednesday
I'm not really a hockey fan. I've been to a bunch of games with friends who love the sport, but I cannot get into it on television. Watching it live is the way to go for me, except for playoff overtime hockey. That is thrilling no matter what. Anyway, Ken and I went to the Blues/Blackhawks on Wednesday. St. Louis was coming in on a 5-game win streak and the Blackhawks have been hanging around the back end of the playoff picture. The Hawks scored twice in the first on what looked like tricky shots and then added another later on before St. Louis put one in the net with 1.5 seconds in the game. You can't get much closer to a shutout than that. While I very much enjoyed the game, I still had no interest in watching one on television two nights later.
Thursday
For years I've been hearing all sorts of mad hype surrounding Junior Boys' live show. With Max Tundra opening, I decided it was my time to finally see what all the hubbub's about. First of all, Max Tundra is like a grinder. He doesn't look like a performer in the same way that some people say David Eckstein doesn't look like a professional athlete. But Tundra works really hard at his craft as a musical schizophrenic. And even though Parallax Error Beheads You is one of the most precise-sounding recordings I've ever heard, the man still manages to find space in his music to drop surprises. And he dances. Oh, does he ever dance. But an opener can't excite a Chicago live music crowd. It just doesn't happen. And then Junior Boys were... all right. They sound good, but they don't really do much and their set list was really strange. They'd bust out a banger, then talk once the song had ended. And the next one would be some mid-tempo bore. They couldn't hold momentum to save their lives. But when they were going right, they were really fun. "In the Morning" was tight.
Friday
I knew that Gaslight Anthem would attract a bad crowd of people who don't often go to shows. They're all over the big commercial radio station here. But had I known that a lot of those people were going because they'd seen GA open for Rise Against, I might've avoided the show entirely. Some of these people were insufferable. Sweet Jesus. And then Gaslight Anthem weren't even in top form. I can't explain it, but they sounded light, as if a guitar was missing. The vocals weren't too strong either. And only the singer appeared to be enjoying himself. So I can't speak too highly of them as a live band. They'll be back for Lollapalooza in August. Maybe they'll be better then. Judging from what I've read on them, I'm willing to say that Friday was a bad night. Heartless Bastards were better than I expected as an opener, so the night wasn't a complete loss.
Saturday
All ages shows conflict me. On one hand, a lot of hipster kids are totally disrespectful and attention whores. On the other hand, I wouldn't be such a showgoer if it weren't for all ages shows when I was underage. But the one thing I do kinda like is that I know exactly when they have to be over - 10PM, for curfew. So that's nice because then you can plan the rest of the night around that. So, of course, I DVR'd the Final Four and planned to watch it after seeing Ladytron and the Faint. Ladytron... eh... great visuals, but totally boring. At some point, a band needs to come through as performers instead of presenters. This band does not. The indifference toward showmanship that a lot of electronic music acts took from Kraftwerk only goes so far. The Faint scored in this department. Their visuals were pretty weak, but I'm there to be aurally (not visually) stimulated, you know? And they really delivered. They played all the jams, too. My only complaint was that some of their antics seemed forced and they didn't play very long, actually ending before curfew. (Afterward, I was unlocking my bike and some girls were taking pictures near me. One girl asked me what other language I speak because a guy like me apparently looks like he's bilingual. I lied to them, but they were very nice and returned to me the credit cards and transit passes that'd fallen out of my pocket at some point. Gracias.)
Monday
Back in January, a friend of mine saw Glasvegas in Los Angeles and was basically like, "You must see this band live." I bought into them hard. Their self-titled album has been in serious rotation at home and on the iPod. I'm a little late to the bandwagon. It's one of my favorite releases of 2008 and I didn't even hear it until 2009. (But I also never listened to a David Bowie album until 2003.) Ken and Mychelle have also bought into the hype big time. We were all jazzed up for the show. And I think we all walked out pretty disappointed. I just didn't feel it. They came out flat with "Geraldine" and it took a while for them to get into the groove. They went through the motions for about half the set before realizing that a few hundred people really wanted them to get their shit together. While I still wasn't floored like I desperately wanted to be, the last 15-20 minutes were much better than the first. It's a tale of two bands with them. When they're off, they have no life. When they're on, they are a professional rock band. I would give them another chance in the future, probably when they play a venue two or three times larger than Bottom Lounge this fall. (I figure I've seen somewhere around 2,000 bands live in my lifetime. It's probably safe to say that the opener was in the bottom 1% of those. They were really horrendous. And what was so frustrating is that they seemed to have a little talent. It's just that they couldn't put together a song to save their lives. Most people standing around us thought they were a joke band.)
Yesterday
Sometimes it's good to go into a show fresh - with absolutely no knowledge of who you're going to see. Ken spent weeks raving about the Presets' opening slot for Cut Copy last year. He eventually talked me into seeing them, even going so far as to put himself "on the blocks" for them. At first, I was ready to pull them out from under him, but I gave the Presets some time and they delivered. The last 30-40 minutes of their set were the heat. They extended some of their songs into marathons, yet kept the momentum and the crowd loved them for it. People don't dance in Chicago like they dance in Philadelphia or New York. But the Presets got about as much out of the crowd as can be expected, especially for a Wednesday night.
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| No DJing & Primal Scream |
[Mar. 25th, 2009|08:12 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Hem - Rabbit Songs | ] |
I've been acquiring a lot of music that is near perfect for the gig that is suddenly on indefinite hiatus. I'm pretty sure it's ironic that during the longest gap between DJ gigs in years I'm finding the best music that makes me most comfortable. Last night was yet another wasted opportunity. There was some event where that new Decemberists record was played and then bunches of promo stuff was given away. I was supposed to play records after all of that. I don't even like the Decemberists, but I picked out a lot of music that I think would be enjoyed by people who'd go to a Decemberists-related event. After a fantasy baseball draft, I picked up my gear and left the house in a steady rain. Ten minutes later I got a text message that my services were not required. Oh well. One of these days I'm going to play again to an audience. And I am going to knock them dead.
Over the weekend I saw Primal Scream. I wasn't sure what to expect and imagined myself disappointed because I've wanted to see them for years. But once they shook off the dust and found their groove, they slayed. The talent up front was incredible. Andrew Innes and Barrie Cadogan were one of the best guitar duos I've ever watched. Barrie was almost exactly everything I believe a rock'n'roll guitar player should be. He had style and substance. Andrew was a little more subdued, but making tremendous sounds. And they both nearly overshadowed Mani. They ended the set with "Movin' On Up" and "Rocks." Amazing set, especially streamlining their varied history so that songs on albums that don't even sound like the same band all sounded perfect when strung together for 90 minutes.
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| Watchmen |
[Mar. 9th, 2009|12:24 pm] |
At some point after boys realize that baseball cards are worthless, many split into two collector groups. Their obsessive habits carry over into either records (or CDs) or comics. Some don't collect either and some collect both. I collect records. I gave comics a shot, but it seemed far too daunting for a hobby. I've basically ignored comics (and graphic novels) my whole life. But the hype behind Watchmen was too much for even me to ignore. So late last year I bought it and earlier this year I read it - in two sittings over a weekend. It was amazing.
Like nearly everyone else who's read it, I saw the movie adaptation over the weekend. I knew that some things would change (and be cut out) and it probably wouldn't be as good as its source, but I stayed optimistic. And I'm glad that I had low expectations yet allowed for them to be improved upon. I really do not envy anyone associated with this movie. But I must say I can't think of how else it could've been done. It is impossible for any film to capture everything from its novel source. But Watchmen is still one of the most faithful movie adaptations I've ever seen. The ending is different, though it conveys generally the same theme as in the novel. A lot of the flashback edits are alluded to in the magnificent opening credits that almost everyone can agree is done very well. And what else was left out was not integral to the plot or dealt with in other ways. Could I have ogled Silk Spectre for a few more minutes? Yeah; who couldn't? But I'm really not that disappointed. I think some people who hold the comic in such high esteem have failed to understand that books and movies do not operate in the same way. They probably shouldn't've seen it because now all they're doing is complaining.
[Edit: That top paragraph isn't meant to imply that girls don't obsess over collections. Or that they don't read comics or listen to tons of amassed music. But they don't typically start with baseball cards. I saw Watchmen with a girl who probably liked it more than I did, by the way.] |
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| Rare DJ Gig |
[Feb. 26th, 2009|01:48 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Cafe Tacuba - Sino | ] |
I haven't played records out since November. Five Star is dealing with some permit issue that has kept them from having DJs during the week. So I've not really gone out very much during the week the last three months, except for shows and maybe a movie here and there. (Speaking of movies, I saw all five Best Picture nominees last Saturday. It was actually pretty fun, even if there was nothing I saw as cinematic dominance.)
Then on Sunday, Arunas emailed asking if I wanted to sub at Darkroom on Wednesday. Obviously, I took him up on that. I ended up being last to call a time slot, so I was scheduled for 12:30 until close. Now, this is on a Wednesday in the winter. I showed up at 10:30 and there were six people there. That only dwindled as the night went on.
So it turns out that their Wednesday resident quit and they're just filling slots with anyone. Wednesdays were usually for hip hop. Now, that's just not something anyone's getting out of me. To make matters worse, the turntables weren't working, so I couldn't even play what I wanted to. Basically, it was one of the worst gigs I've ever done - an hour between a handful of CDs and nowhere close to my outline. And at the end of the night, all I got was a lack of sleep, $10 and frustration.
And on a completed unrelated note, who is the guy responsible for this?!?!?
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| Pains, Coupleskate, Godfathers, Monotonix |
[Feb. 16th, 2009|10:25 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Suede - "New Generation" | ] |
I've been to four shows in the last five nights. Last Wednesday I saw the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Depreciation Guild. Now, I've enjoyed what I've heard from Pains despite their name. They're basically like a wimpy New York version of the Pastels with a little Voxtrot in there too. There is room in my life for a band with that description. But they absolutely should not be headlining at this point. While they played very well, it was the shortest headlining set I've ever seen - 25 minutes. I've been to plenty of shows where a band hasn't even warmed up at the half-hour point and these people were back at the merch booth already. Although, I should stress that they were really good. They were pretty raw and the keys were so low I don't even think they were on for some songs, but it sounded terrific. Depreciation Guild impressed me a lot too - reminded me of a laptop band with a ton of shoegaze guitar.
Friday night I caught Coupleskate and Euphone. I'd been contacted a few weeks ago by Coupleskate's guitarist about writing them up for Transmission. Otherwise, I'd probably have never heard of them. I listened to their album seven times before churning out a couple paragraphs. I think I wore myself out on it because I picked them apart pretty well at the Bottle. Don't get me wrong; I like the album and think the band's shown tremendous promise, especially when you account for the leap that they've taken since their first EP. But the plain jane indie-rock with a few surprises didn't get it done for me on Friday. While seeing them, I realized I should've given massive props to the album's producer. (Incidentally, he is Euphone.) Their vocals live were kinda weak and I thought their play was a little sloppy. But they've got something good going for them. Ryan Rapsys played like a champ to open. One hand on drums and the other on Wurlitzer? Good times.
The next night was the Godfathers' only US show. It's crazy for a band to fly from London to Chicago for just one show, but I was glad to witness it. First, though, I have to mention the absolutely horrible opening band. My first impression soured me on them, just the way they were dressed. Then butchering "Sunny Afternoon" sealed it and I tuned out. But the Godfathers made up for it. I'm too young to have listened to them in their prime, if they could even be considered to have had a prime. They were late to the British punk scene and spent the 80s competing with the Smiths and the Cure for some limelight. They were too hard for that entire decade's pop music. So they just wallowed behind the scenes and dropped a few great albums. And for a bunch of old dudes, they were tight. And because most of the crowd (even on Valentine's Day) were oldsters probably out for their only show of the year, they were somehow more lively through most of the night than crowds at most shows I go to. Two encores (second one after the house lights had come up) made it an exciting night. (And I rode my bike to and from Metro in 20-degree weather. It's better than waiting for the bus at 1am.)
However, the most entertaining show of the weekend was definitely Monotonix. I can't even describe how insane these guys are. Everything sounds cheesy when I type it out, but it's so fun to watch. I seriously thought the Hideout was going to be destroyed. The mirrorball got kicked a few times, as did basically anything hanging from the ceiling. At least 90% of the audience had some physical contact with the singer because he was all over room. If they get some more jams in their backpocket and can continue to put on shows that make Les Savy Fav's seem like Fleet Foxes', they're destined for stardom. I don't think they want it, but it'll be forced upon them. So... it was a pretty good weekend.
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| Metallica |
[Jan. 28th, 2009|12:15 am] |
| [ | sound |
| | James - "One of the Three" | ] |
I went to a Metallica concert on Monday. I'm not a fan of theirs. By the time I was interested in music, they were considered sellouts even by some of their fans. Plus, I started out listening to punk and hardcore. As far as the music I liked was concerned, Metallica fucking sucked! The reason I went is because I was on the Sword's press list. Of course, the traffic clusterfuck around that arena kept me from actually seeing the Sword. I gave myself 45 minutes to drive nine miles. I didn't think that trip would take over an hour and a half and I'd be parked a half-mile from the arena. But that's what happens in the suburbs.
Anyway, what a weird group of people to be at a concert. At least 25% were wearing a Metallica t-shirt or hockey jersey. Probably half could be described as riff-raff. And then there were, like, six ridiculously hot girls with complete tools. But, again, that's what happens in the suburbs.
So... Metallica starts playing around 9:15PM. They have a raised centerstage that's bigger than some clubs I've been to. There're eight gigantic coffins hanging from the ceiling. There's a laser light show to announce their entrance. (The only thing I knew about a Metallica concert before actually going to one was that they played Ennio Morricone's "Ecstacy of Gold" before going onstage.) It was clearly an event.
Now, I don't envy the guys in this band. They have been around for a long time. They have made a lot of public relations mistakes. But you can tell they are desperate to connect with the audience. After starting with two new songs, they play "Creeping Death" and "Ride the Lightning." People go crazy. They mix in a lot of new songs with some old ones to appease the people who're Metallica fans but make it known that they're not really into the new stuff. (Even these people have a right to be snobby about something, I guess.) One girl in front of me texted "I hate this song" during "Enter Sandman." A bunch of other people complained about the number of new songs. And I might be insane, but I think I saw someone roll their eyes at "Master of Puppets." (If the couple in front of me doesn't use "Nothing Else Matters" as their wedding song, I will be shocked.)
Kirk Hammett came off as the coolest dude in the band. Lars Ulrich came off as a complete dick. (Big surprise, huh?) Robert Trujillo seemed like a kid who had the chance to play with his favorite band. And I couldn't really tell if James Hetfield was still having fun over the 2-hour set. But here's the thing: They know their place. They're not going to release another Kill 'Em All or Master of Puppets. Their legacy is sealed. They're being inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. They seem to be pretty comfortable. A metal band doesn't release black beach balls onto the crowd during an encore ("Seek and Destroy") unless they're probably not taking themselves too seriously, you know? If anyone's looking for innovation from them at this point in their career, they're probably walking out of that show a little disappointed. If they just want to hear some power chords and classics spanning a once-great band's discography, they walked out thrilled.
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| Water Pressure |
[Jan. 12th, 2009|07:38 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | Rilo Kiley - "Accidntel Deth" | ] |
Anyone who's spent a night at my apartment has quickly learned the worst thing about in the morning. The shower's water pressure leaves a lot to be desired. I think I could spit with more momentum. But, strangely enough, I've adapted and only get upset about it after I've used another shower. However, it became unbearable about a week and a half ago. I mean, it just fucking stopped. It was just, like, dripping out of the showerhead. So I called the landlord and was like, "Yo, this needs to be fixed." And I heard nothing for days.
So, finally, last Wednesday I received a call saying they'd be at my apartment the next day. Thursday I got home from work and... nothing's changed. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to try to shower when the water barely drips out of the showerhead? It's ridiculous. Strong water pressure should be a right for all citizens. So, Friday... I get home from work, open my front door, and my apartment looks like it's in the midst of renovations. The floors are covered in dirt and dust. Even the kitchen has been tampered with. To make a long story short, the water pressure is fixed. And it's better than ever. But they destroyed my bathroom. It appears that the bottom half of a wall was taken out and all of the pipes behind it were replaced. That includes the tiles in the shower. So they fixed the problem; they just didn't complete the back end. There's currently a bag covering a two-foot hole in my shower. They've got to come back to finish the job, right? I lived with the dirt and whatnot over the weekend. They didn't return today. And I don't really want to clean until I know they've done. Why clean when these people are just coming back to get everything dirty again? But how long do I hold out?
This whole experience has kinda soured me on buying a home, though. If I'm dropping a few hundred thousand dollars on a home, I want it to be perfect. I don't want to have to replace or renovate anything for at least a few years after dropping so much cash on a down payment, you know? Eh, I hate thinking about this.
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| 2008 |
[Jan. 5th, 2009|10:55 pm] |
| [ | sound |
| | The Gaslight Anthem - "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" | ] |
2008 was a year full of inconsistencies. When one aspect of my life was going well, another was falling apart. Some things remain a mess. Others are clear or in the process of being so. But the one thing, like always, that seemed to play a significant role was music. I entered the year with Jon Brion and ended it with Justice. Between those shows, I saw a few others. Some that were prominent, whether for better or worse, were the legends - X, Kraftwerk, Gilberto Gil, Mavis Staples, Public Enemy, Jarvis Cocker, Nine Inch Nails and Nick Cave. I met a nice girl while listening to LCD Soundsystem. I broke up with her after a Hercules and Love Affair show. I bought a bunch of albums, the bulk in 2 collections - one that was primarily 60s/70s singer-songwriters bent toward Americana, the other mostly heavy metal, house and electronic. I liked many of them and disliked only a few, but hardly found anything to love. Some of the most intriguing listens, though, were the new records that appeared out of the blue - Glen Campbell, Cheap Time, Menahan Street Band, the Midwest Beat, Shugo Tokumaru, Max Tundra, etc. Someone made me a mix that they later told me to throw away. Another person couldn't stop telling me about the mix they were afraid of giving me. (I'm apparently a tough critic.) And I continued to write about music as if I know how to. However, I'll keep this short. ( Favorites & Disappointments )
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| Christmas |
[Dec. 27th, 2008|04:24 pm] |
Right now I am in Puerto Rico. Last week I was in Pennsylvania. Visiting both sides of the family for Christmas can be somewhat exhausting. But I've tried to make the most of my time away from home because I know it'll be a while before I get such a luxurious break again. (And counting my jaunt to Singapore, I've worked roughly half of December. But that's what happens when use-it-or-lose-it vacation days pile up.)
My dad and stepmom were pleased to have me at their home for a few days. I watched some movies, discussed a few of the things going on with me in Chicago, got some news about my hometown, did a little record shopping, went to a college basketball game, and ate a lot of cookies. It was relaxing. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, has been quite a ride. My mother is absolutely bananas about me spending Christmas with her. I've tried to limit our arguments, but a few have slipped through. We always seem to argue about wardrobes around Christmas. Her definitions of "formal" and "casual" are from some alternate universe and I always get lost in translation. In positive news, my Spanish has somehow improved since my last visit. I'm understanding much more and picking up Puerto Rican idiosyncrasies easier. But cramming everything we want to do into four days has been insane. Yesterday we ran errands, then went record shopping, then came home and packed, then went to my grandmother's house in the mountains. This morning we woke up, had breakfast at home, drove to Fajardo, walked around for a few hours, picked up lunch, did a little more record shopping (in a hardware store) in San Juan, then came home. Tonight we have some fancy dinner to attend and then tomorrow's another full slate until my flight in the afternoon. But I'm not complaining because I do enjoy going around. Although once I get home, I'll probably do nothing out of my routine except watch bowl games.
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| Oasis, Ryan Adams, Constantines, Obits, Xmas Shopping |
[Dec. 15th, 2008|09:50 am] |
| [ | sound |
| | Sleepercar - West Texas | ] |
I don't see many arena concerts. Between the exorbitant ticket prices, notoriously awful sound and feeling like you're not in the same county as the act on stage, even a good band is not very appealing in these venues. But there are exceptions. For Ken's birthday, we went to see Oasis and Ryan Adams on Friday. Judging by the empty seats, Oasis' popularity in the Chicagoland area is greatly overestimated. Our seats weren't bad about halfway back on the floor, but entire sections of the upper level were completely empty. I think the last time I was interested in seeing Oasis was in '96 or '97 when Manic Street Preachers opened in Philadelphia.
I'm a very casual fan of theirs, but I appreciate their place among the music I like and try to hear their singles. I really had no idea what to expect from them live. It appears that they're moving into the phase of their career when they tour on greatest hits. They obviously weren't going to play everything, but they dropped in some huge singles apparently at the expense of rarities that would've elated the superfans. Other than the dismissal of anything from Be Here Now, I was pretty pleased with the selections. Set and encore leaders "Rock'n'Roll Star" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", respectively, were definite highlights among a few others I can't recall a name for now. Liam and Noel played their roles just as I imagined they might, though Liam didn't do his trademark "lean into a too-high microphone" move. Ken said everything else was there. They are certainly performers. On the other hand, I knew going into Ryan Adams' set that he was a wild card. I'm not sure an arena's a very good place to see him, but he busted out a few hits and we were more or less ok with that. At least it wasn't a total trainwreck. Only once did I see a point where it could've tipped, but he composed himself and continued without incident.
Saturday evening was the better show, though. There are a few people who pretty much have lifetime passes from me and whose music I will always give opportunities to enjoy. Rick Froberg is one of them. The guy was in Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes. For that, I have never had a reason to think he's capable of disappointing. Although, I believe his new band Obits is his first without John Reis. (The opening band kept referring to them as Orbits. After the third or fourth time, people started yelling, "No, it's Obits!") So what're they like? Well, if you strip a little intensity from the Froberg/Reis sound (i.e. Hot Snakes) and add some extra melodic 60s garage rock, you'd be in the neighborhood. They were fantastic. Constantines headlined. They are not my favorite live band, but I will probably see them every time they come around. They sound great live and always toss in a couple surprises, usually a cover. On this night, they covered "Fuckin' Up" by Crazy Horse. (Incidentally, Obits covered "Military Madness" by Graham Nash.) They covered all albums pretty well and I can't imagine any fan of theirs leaving disappointed.
Sunday afternoon I completed my Christmas shopping and even picked up a little something for myself at Burberry. I owe assists to my sister for pointing me in the right direction with some gift ideas and to the Magnificent Mile for having just about everything I needed within about four blocks. So it was a pretty good weekend.
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| Travel Woes |
[Dec. 2nd, 2008|08:22 pm] |
Monday morning I went to the airport, waited in some lounges, sat on a motionless plane, and then went back home when the flight was delayed a day due to a mechanical issue that, to my knowledge, was only that some reading lights weren't working. Tuesday morning I woke up at 3AM, went to the airport, got on a plane that actually went a few thousand miles before being diverted, and then sat on another tarmac for a few hours before again being delayed overnight. Right now I should be in Singapore. But instead I am in Anchorage.
From what I can tell, someone very sick got on the plane in Chicago and became very ill about an hour into the flight. According to people sitting near this person, he probably shouldn't've even been allowed to board. You see, supposedly this gentleman has a blood disease and his family was flying him back to Vietnam to die. Because of Monday's delay, he no longer had enough saline to keep him stable for the extra day. So, I'm told, he barely made it on the plane alive. Why we continued for another five hours before diverting to dump off this guy is something I can't even begin to imagine.
Once we arrived in Anchorage, yet another mechanical issue was discovered. This one probably could've been fixed easily, but the time to do so would've extended the flight beyond the crew's legal hours. So it was delayed again. The alternate plan was to fly from Anchorage to San Francisco to switch crews. Now, even though that would've been going backward to go forward, wouldn't you rather spend a night in San Francisco than Anchorage? I mean, it's 13° here and I'm not exactly dressed for it because I'm supposed to be in Singapore and it's, you know, 87° there. At least it looked nice while the sun was still out.
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| Not Loaded |
[Nov. 26th, 2008|04:07 pm] |
I was supposed to have a DJ gig tonight. After the day I've just had, I don't know whether it's good or bad that it was cancelled at the last minute. You see, I play records at a trendy bar on a Wednesday all through the year. Most of my friends cannot come to these gigs because they have to be awake and alert on Thursday mornings for their jobs. I never hold it against anyone. But the night before Thanksgiving is when everybody does go out. This is supposed to be the night when many of my friends can actually come to one of my gigs. Some had been planning on it for weeks. Unfortunately, there was... a miscommunication and I was told yesterday that I wouldn't be DJing. So I'm bitter about that.
On the other hand, I just got totally fucking slammed today. Basically, I dropped the ball on a major project and spent the afternoon on many attempts to clean up the mess before the extended holiday weekend. Needless to say, it didn't exactly get done the right way. So I'm not really in the mood to play records. And I'm certainly not in the mood to get asinine requests from the Thanksgiving Eve crowd that will inevitably pester me to play songs that I wouldn't drop in a hundred years. Although, I did have a few serious surprises ready to go. Whatever.
You know what I've been listening to a fair amount of lately? Harps and Angels. Yes, seriously. The music is just all right, but it's a very funny album. It's no Good Old Boys, but it'll certainly do.
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