We Give a F*ck About an Oxford Comma (Vampire Weekend, December 4, Terminal 5)

Vampire Weekend certainly qualifies as one of the bands of the year 2008. Smart lyrics, tight beats, and instrumental diversity, combined with local connections, have combined to push Vampire Weekend from a small venue band in January to a band that sells out three consecutive nights at Terminal 5 in December of the same year. Alas, good music comes at a price for the listener and concert-goer. The latest price is an anti-VW backlash among concert reviewers (see below for a few examples).

Yes, the concert was only 1 hour. Yes, they could have shown more improvisational flair. But still...those are small-picture issues - this was absolutely a fun, fulfilling concert. From "Mansard Roof," "Campus," "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "I Stand Corrected" at the beginning through "Walcott" at the end, the band delivered a well-performed and entertaining show with plenty of character to differentiate the music from the album versions. The string quartet pieces in the main set and encore were, in particular, spectacular. "A-Punk" and "M79" were absolute blasts of energy. From my vantage point (as seen above), the crowd was definitely into the show - despite the distance, most people in my area were dancing intensively throughout the show (save the few non-released songs which slowed the motion). Combining performance, music, and crowd, how could it not be a really fun evening?

Oh, you think the crowd was too preppy? The fans too annoying? Fed VW and swallowing it mind-numbingly because they were told to like it by the radio? Ummm, sure, whatever. Fuck, I don't listen to the radio ever, and I was hardly atypical for the audience. I will grant that the crowd was likely better-educated than the typical indie rock show. The Columbia connection certainly contributes here. But why is that a problem? Engaging a crowd different from the typical NYC music crowd is a bad thing for music? Really?

This was a crowd that could be entertained (in a self-deprecating manner) by the humor of Stuff White People Like. They have debated Oxford comma usage (my current usage differs from my usage 10 years ago, and I am very deliberate about it). Songs about campus romance? Surprisingly underrepresented in music. Smart lyrics, diverse instruments, and original arrangements are good - why should the fact that the music is appealing to the over-educated affect the inherent beauty of the composition?

In the end, the changes in my listening habits over the days and weeks following a concert serve to best inform me about how much I enjoyed the concert. In the case of VW, my play counts went up far more than typical, particularly for "M79," whose elegant intensity in concert gave it particular subsequent musical gravitas for me.

Quibbles about the show? Yes, certainly. The kids don't stand a chance? Silly hyperbole. Was it a top-5 concert for me in 2008? Definitely not. Top 10? It's in the running. Which, given the minor issues I (and others) had with the show, including the band's to-date limited catalogue, makes for a very, very good evening. And unique - how many songs from their debut album will disappear from live shows in the years to come?

Other reviews (mostly positive, despite the tone of this review):
Troubled Souls Unite
Quiet Color
Throwing Waffles
HearYa
So This is What the Volume Knob is For
Astronautte
That green plant (flickr)
Beyond Race
We All Want Someone
Paste Magazine
Prefix
WNEW

As winter draws out fall's breath

At the edge of fall and winter, of ice and water...

Photos from a glorious morning where the frost gave way to dew as the sun poked above the horizon. And then returned to frost as a cloud passed in front of the sun. And back and forth the struggle between warmth and cold.

Stellastarr*, Wakey!Wakey!, Barking Spiders (Johnny Brenda's, November 10)

Work brought me to Philadelphia on a Monday in November, perfectly set up for a concert afterwards at my favorite Philly venue, Johnny Brenda's.


Wakey!Wakey!, whom I had previously seen at Rockwood Music Hall, opened. Lead singer Mike Grubbs belts out his vocals with a rare passion and a unique flair for the dramatic. It is not inaccurate that on the band's myspace page Mike's band roles are listed as piano, vocals, and Mojo. Wakey!Wakey! definitely delivers an energetic show, worth seeing if you haven't (and worth seeing again if you have). Unfortunately for me, my brain has decided that his voice and style (including the piano) make him Dennis DeYoung, and I can't wait for him to belt out "Lady" and "Come Sail Away." He definitely could pull off a Styx cover band if the original music scene further deteriorates...



Barking Spiders played second and delivered the fastest and most intense and most guitar-heavy performance of the evening. Decidedly different than either the preceding or following act, and definitely worth catching again.

Stellastarr* was obviously the main attraction for the crowd (including me). One reason I love Johnny Brenda's is the intimacy of the venue and the fact that nearly everyone has a great view of the band on either the floor or the (short) balcony level. In my case, I was 3 feet from Amanda Tannen, which was a good way to catch Stellastarr*. And Stellastarr* delivered, with a mix of older songs with a couple of new ones in a strong performance (though they left their keyboardist in Brooklyn, and thus skipped "Lost in Time" (sadly)). Unfortunately, the crowd was terrible tonight. Just a couple of people dancing, a lot of people standing around passionless, in general people were not particularly into the band, and the show wasn't sold out. A bad performance by the Philly crowd definitely detracted from what could have been an absolutely stella' evening of music (pun intended). I would have adored this performance with a New York crowd. Alas.

Why I Love New York: Impromptu Music Performances (Peter Himmelman)

One of my favorite things about New York is the city's ability to surprise you. Musical surprises being among my favorites. Tonight's example: after a stimulating Varsity Letters reading series event featuring Drew Magary, Buzz Bissinger, and Dan Steinberg, walking down Rivington and being surprised to find Peter Himmelman playing to a small, enthusiastic crowd on the street.

Jonathan Richman at the Society for Ethical Culture

I attended the very entertaining Jonathan Richman show on a gorgeous Tuesday evening at the Concert Hall of the Society for Ethical Culture. While certainly well-aware and appreciative of his musical history, I was previously a casual listener. I wasn't in the group of Jonathan Richman afficionados. Or, at least, I wasn't until last night.

Wow, just wow. The Concert Hall was a perfect setting for this show - intimate, personal, intense. Jonathan's unique style and the intensity of his life philosophy shone through in a show fully appreciated by his many long-time fans. Even if his set consisted almost entirely of his last three albums ("it has to be fresh"). The crowd was just fully engaged with Jonathan and holding tight to his every lyrical dabbling and spontaneous styling.




Specific highlights of the show for me (other than, of course, the deeply evocative lyrics and the intensity of his delivery) were his polylingual extensions in Let Her Go and Vampire Girls; the intensity while singing without a microphone in Springtime in New York; storytelling in The Lovers Are Here and They're Full of Sweat; and the joyous rendition of I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar (which, as the last song in the main set, continued on and on (3 or 4 restarts) as the crowd continued its adorative clapping). "Do you want to hear it? You have no choice" was his twice-used lead-in when transitioning from English into romance languages. Conveniently, I am near-fluent in French and Spanish (as was much of the crowd, apparently, based on their reactions to specific lyrics), and joining Jonathan in using greater linguistic range to expand the expression of human experience added immensely to the show.

Es Como El Pan and When We Refuse to Suffer are my favorite songs from "Because Her Beauty...", and I loved the expanded lyrics in both (e.g. "that's when the homeowner's association wins and your purple and yellow paint job is the loser"). But the show was strong from first note to last (and quite the last, ending with the deeply personal "As my Mother Lay Lying").

I just wasn't prepared for how much I would enjoy this performance. As CHIMAERANDI at jojoblog noted, "I am a firm believer that all it takes to get one of your friends from lukewarm to love is to take them to one of Jonathan's shows." Yes, yes indeed.


Setlist (perhaps jumbled or missing a song or two near the end of the main set and beginning of the encore due to an unstoppable delete key on the iPhone; please correct in comments or email)

Because Her Beauty Is Raw And Wild
No One Was Like Vermeer
In Che Mondo Viviamo
You Can Have a Cell Phone That's OK But Not Me
Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow
The Lovers Are Here And They're Full Of Sweat
Le Printemps Des Amoureux Est Venu
The World Is Showing Its Hand
Sinister house party (?)
Es Como El Pan
Here It Is (Leonard Cohen)
Let Her Go into the Darkness
Egyptian Reggae
El Joven Se Estremece
Everybody forgets me mr. sorrow (?)
When We Refuse To Suffer
Vampire Girl
Vampiresa Mujer
Springtime in New York
Stultified

The Lovers Are Here and They're Full of Sweat

I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar (last song of main set; restarted 3 or 4 times)

-----------------------
He Gave Us The Wine To Taste It
Old World
A qué venimos si no a fracasar
Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love
As My Mother Lay Lying

------------------------
Another description of the show, with better photos - really, they can get better than mine? Impossible. (I'll leave it to the reader to determine whether that was spoken in English, French, or Spanish (misspelled).)


A good review of the Philadelphia show:
Philadelphia Inquirer

Jenny Lewis at the Apollo Theater

Saturday night I caught Jenny Lewis at the Apollo Theater. Sarah Silverman opened. A really great performance from Jenny (and her talented band), if a bit short (one hour for the main set, plus a three-song encore - hey, ask Willie how it's done). A bit of a shame at that - if you just have 2 albums, shouldn't you get to most of both of them? Rabbit Fur Coat? Born Secular? It Wasn't Me? Alas.

Highlights of the show for me: "Jack Killed Mom" as the opener; Acid Tongue; and "Love Hurts" (duet with Jonathan Rice). "The Next Messiah" was also stellar.

Perhaps the most amusing part was Jenny's homage to the Apollo Theater and its patrons: "You have had a lot of great artists over the years here in Harlem."


Setlist

Jack Killed Mom
The Charging Sky
Rise Up With Fists
Bad Man's World
Black Sand
Carpetbaggers
You Are What You Love
Acid Tongue
Melt Your Heart
The Next Messiah
Sing a Song for Them
--------------
Love Hurts
Godspeed
See Fernando


Show links

Blogged about at
Brooklyn Vegan
Rock Turtleneck
Spectacular Views (includes an mp3 of the terrific "Love Hurts" duet)
Spin
Subway Philosophy
Ear Farm

Additional photo sets:
Ryan Muir @ Metromix
Dese'Rae Stage @ Prefix and flickr
Other flickr sets 1

Willie Nelson at Radio City Music Hall!

I spent a wonderful Thursday night watching Willie Nelson at Radio City Music Hall. Willie Nelson came on right at 9, playing "Whiskey River" with a huge Texas flag behind him.


Norah Jones sang with Willie on "Nightlife" and "I Gotta Get Drunk," which was spectacular. During "Nightlife" she noted "but it's your life, Willie." Both songs are also reprises from her efforts with The Little Willies, only one of my favorite bands.

Willie played on until 10:45 in a very entertaining show.


Willie and his guitar. The man still has the licks and still has the pipes.


Setlist (33 songs, 1 h 45) (!!!)

Whiskey River
Still is Still Moving to Me
Beer for my Horses
Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Nightlife (w/ Norah Jones)
I Gotta Get Drunk (w/ Norah Jones)
Get Down Little Sister (Bobbie Nelson, a.k.a. Little Sister Bobbie, who is actually Willie's older sister (interview))
Death Ray Boogie (Bobbie Nelson)
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Me and Bobby McGee
Me and Paul
If You've Got the Money, Honey, I've Got the Time
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Georgia on my Mind
All of Me
Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys
Angels Flying too Close to the Ground
On the Road Again
Always on my Mind
Nuages (guitar solo)
Milk Cow Blues (incl. long instrumental)
City of New Orleans
To All the Girls I've Loved Before
Superman
You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore
Moment of Forever
Bloody Mary Morning
On the Bayou
Hey Good Looking
Move It On Over
'Til I Can Gain Control Again
Will The Circle Be Unbroken/I Saw The Light/I'll Fly Away

Much better photos from others at brooklynvegan (photos from Fresh Bread).

Also blogged about at the Village Voice, New York Magazine's Vulture, stillstillmoving, and People Talking Strange.

Plenty of uploads on youtube

Flickr sets: 1, 2

Iceland

Iceland was an incredible country to visit. It is striking from the start, landing in a field of volcanic rocks in Keflavik. The airport itself is James Bond-like (in terms of the architecture and dress and mannerisms of the flight attendants). Then on to the bus ride to Reykjavik you pass through this incredible barren landscape of lava fields. (But my photos of this landscape are all horrible, because I was in a moving bus and it was raining.)

Reykjavik is right on the water, and is surprisingly small as a European capital (the entire country only has 300,000 people).

Along the waterfront: An homage to the Vikings.


Coming off a redeye, I needed to start my day with something highly active. Even in the cold and rain (temperature 10-12 degrees C with a constant drizzle). I took a boat out to Videy Island for a very pleasant hike.




I particularly enjoyed the tidal pools in volcanic rock at lock tide.




I found myself singing, "The hills are alive...with the sound of minimalist art."

After a red-eye, a pick-me-up was needed, and the kaffi latte at Kaffitat, on Laugavegur, provided.

The Blue Lagoon - one of the most bizarre and incredible places I have ever been. Set in volcanic rock, geothermally heated, silt-filled water that is incredibly smooth on the skin. A very pleasant 2 hours here, even in the rain.


After a fine Icelandic dinner of seafood stew (***) and bacalao at Ristorante Caruso, I was entertained by the Icelandic locals at a local pub. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the post-dinner evening was an acoustic (!) cover band that apparently really enjoyed Bon Jovi - as did the crowd! Icelanders belting out Bon Jovi (played acoustically, I remind you) and other American standards provided the perfect ending to a wonderful day of sampling Iceland.

Note: Iceland is the same distance from New York as Los Angeles is - I definitely plan future trips to more fully explore all aspects of the country! Like the American west (combining aspects of Wyoming, California, and Alaska), but with fewer people - and just as close (well, much closer than Alaska)!

Blue crabs

I love preparing local seafood. Blue crabs, lobsters, clams, mussels - ahhh, the tastes of summer.

Sunrise

I woke up several mornings during my vacation to Rehoboth Beach to enjoy the sunrise.



The last morning I was even greeted by dolphins at about 30 meters away! (Of course, my camera was put away at that time...)

A series of self-portraits, taking advantage of the long shadows.




Footprint self-portraits

Duck

Pre-Peking duck at Hsin Wong - mmmm....

Seagull at low tide