yes, this is severely delayed. i've been very busy driving myself nuts and falling behind on reviews. so this will be an abridged moe.down review- not as fresh or detailed as it would have been had i done it the week i had gotten back.
let's see, where do we start? well, i would have to say, let's start with:
august 30, 2006:
i wake up to a nasty feeling in my throat... it had been growing there for a few days... and when i looked in the mirror i realized that my right tonsil had grown to roughly the size of a firetruck-- and just as red... except, do fire trucks have pus running down the sides? i don't think so. my tonsil did. so i went to the doc... annnnnd, i had strep throat... wonderful. "but doc, i'm going camping..." "don't go." "hahahahaha... but doc, i'm going camping..." "you shouldn't go... but if you DO go... stay dry and warm." "okay."
did i mention hurricane ernesto was slowly moving towards upstate new york? it was. i got some antibiotics and realized that my weekend was already compromised. but fuck it, i always end up sick after moe.down anyways- out of my hands. but i'd have to behave myself.
august 31st, 2006:
holy fuck, did my throat BURN. how do you go 7 years without having strep throat and then just pick it up one day right before the music festival you wait ALL YEAR for... i blame snakes on a plane and the union square stadium theater. can't figure out where else i would have picked it up... and the kicker? eugene didn't fucking get it!!! how does THAT happen? fucking immune system. regardless- i headed up to utica that night, like always, and we hotel'd it in order to get ready for...
september 1, 2006:
IT BEGINS! we headed up to turin and got there at about 11am. stood in line in the parking lot for nearly an hour. lisa and 4dice took the wagon and claimed our land. same spot as last year. the old parking lot near the rv's. fuck crackville. just going back to visit is hard enough. and i didn't even do it this year, last year we did and got THE FEAR.
we had unloaded and started setting up just as the dc crew arrived to do the same! awesome as always to see them, despite the lack of paul/megan duo. and then of course the JACKLEENS showed up, which is always a wonderful treat!!! no loughrey, sara, paul, or megan this year--- so we made a shrine for them...
this would be the best weather we'd get for the whole weekend. ernesto was approaching with slow fury. we were bunkering down and expecting the worst. tarps, bungees, binder clips, and all sorts of wind precautions abound. no one knew what to expect except the 90% chance of rain. ugh.
grace potter & the nocturnals sounded good, but i didn't go see them- i was saving my energy. the strep was really draining me physically and i was going to have to portion out my rockin' for the rest of the weekend. we were really looking forward to seeing page/fishman and that new project- the first song was okay... very promising. all downhill from there. it was really more of a boston-pops kind of thing. reminded me of when eisner summercamp used to bus us kiddies to tanglewood to try and get us to appreciate that shit... it was lackluster and i was incredibly disappointed. would have rather seen vida blue.
ran into brendan o'neal!!! WOOOOOOOT! LOVE YOU BRENDAN! holy fuck it's been a loooong time! brendan warned of the impending storm and i was hoping to see him more during the weekend's festivities... but no luck. :( just one brendan sighting. sadness.
moe.'s friday night set was okay. love godzilla, but it's more of a late night closer than anything else. plane crash- still don't like it. and good trip--- LOVE that song. :) that made me happy- but still- i was hoping they would really pull that shit out on friday night- especially cuz the weather for the next two nights was gonna be SHIT. just okay.
sleep on my side of the district was made difficult by the peeps next door who had taken either acid or coke and were up all fucking night talking and literally GUFFAWING at the top of their lungs. seriously- til 10am. no joke. however, apparently on the jackleens side of the district some chick had taken either too much or bad acid and flipped the fuck out-- glad i didn't hear any of that shit. apparently medics came, strapped her to a plank, and took her to the hospital to ride it out. good times! know your limit!
september 2, 2006:
i awoke to the sounds of mr. marty racine... oh marty, my dear... what would i do without you? we got to spend some quality time together before the rain came... he came to the water faucet with me while i washed my hair (knew it was gonna be the only chance i had since the storm was quickly approaching). thank you for your kind indulgence marty, now you know the maintenence necessary for a jewfro. i heart you, my dear. you are the peachiest. :)
the rain started mid afternoon. i was really looking forward to moe.'s afternoon set because that's when i'm usually able to power up to the very front. glad i didn't this time because mid-way through the set, the tarp over the stage reached it's limit and POURED EVERYTHING IT HAD BEEN COLLECTING out over the front/center rows of people. rob laughed his ass off and then apologized for doing so. :)
akimbo, 32 things, and timmy. not bad. have seen them rock everything out more, but it was fine. i did enjoy this set. was looking forward to seeing umphrey's set at night, but i just didn't have the energy. strep was totally effecting my performance. i ended up napping through umphrey's in order to be able to rock out at moe. that night. also, it was pouring by then. the wind had definitely missed us, but the rain hadn't. so it was gonna take even more effort to stand on the hill in the rain for umphrey's and moe.
yolk in the beer tent! they still sound great- and they had awesome energy. nice seeing them after so long!!! really really really!!! good stuff! still think there should be a 'looking for answers?' reunion tour, but i'd settle for a reunion beer tent weekend.
evening moe. set highlights: george, the road, the pit. rebubula was kinda lame. sorry guys. i've heard better. was expecting more energy from the band and didn't get it. the hill was wet and starting to get a weeeee bit muddy. oh, and ps, i had managed to get al to say happy 30th birthday to hannon, but the fucker didn't come to the 2nd night set, so he missed it. download the show, you asshole!!! :)
oh the rain, the rain... oh the rum cake, the rum cake. see, i didn't DRINK any alcohol since i was on antibiotics... but i'm not made of steel. when katmama makes a rumcake, you EAT that motherfucker... you eat as MUCH as you can!!!! mmm... butter.. sugar... rum... and butter, sugar, and rum. dear lord. the sludgy goodness of a recipe gone insane.
september 3rd, 2006:
marty came by again in the morning before he had to start his work shift. his tent had gotten soaked in the shitstorms overnight. he had briefly considered just showing up at mine but thought it might freak me out--- i told him it'd be okay but he slept in the back of his car instead. moron. what have we learned marty? there will always be room for you in my tent.
despite the weather and the madness that was slowly enfulfing our states of mind, we all managed to keep our shit together. the sun came out and the rain cleared very briefly during ziggy marley's set. i'm not a fan of his, so i enjoyed that weather out by our campsite and took a lot of pics. we had a quick connect 4 tournament in which master bach managed to kick everyone's asses... DAMN YOU, MATH TEACHER!!! DAMN YOUUU!!! and then we all got our shit together and headed over to the INCREDIBLY MUDDY hill (yes yes, i know this was nothing compared to coventry, but it was still fuckin' muddy yo!) to see mike gordon and ramble dove.
i think out of all of the phish guys, i've been enjoying mike's side projects the most. i liked trey's first album and tour, but since then i haven't been as into it. mike's stuff is fun and bluegrassy and it makes me happy. i enjoyed his set a lot, he had some kickass singers as well that really set the mood. we had to walk to/from/on the hill incredibly carefully- especially miss katmama who resigned to wear her sneakers instead of the wellington boots cuz they gave better ankle support. the rain was holding off, but we were all in our full gear--- and additionally put ponchos on for safety. so- me--- newly recoated goretex boots and jacket... with $1 poncho as an outerlayer. lots of people came even more prepared-- with rain pants! i'm totally investing for next year. i thought about it before leaving campmor this year, but thought it'd be overboard... but damn, great idea.
final 2 sets of moe... we were really all hoping they'd pull it ALL OUT for these, especially since we'd been patient in dealing with the shitty weather and mud all weekend... love punchline- still miss the old version... brent black, can't you hear me knockin, seat of my pants, rec chem... too late. they should have played these earlier on- friday/saturday. meh. by the time they played rec chem, rob's bass wasn't working properly and he ended up having jim pound some drumsticks on it to try and get sound... then right before the fireworks started and the lights went off, he kicked his bass, threw it to the ground and started smashing it until someone came and took it away from him. great rockstar moment. pissed off and possibly drunk. i love you rob derhak.
it was so damn cloudy we couldn't see the fireworks, but the whole fucking situation was so funny, i was at least laughing and embracing the absurdity of it all. sunny in nyc, sunny in syracuse-- ALL FUCKING DAY... but turin??? SLAMMED. fucking hurricanes.
september 4, 2006:
i woke up really early and just decided to pack up my gear before it started raining again. it was pretty peaceful and familiar. the parking lot was for shit. the mud was so deep that they were towing people out with tractors. i had a good time 4 wheelin' it out of there in a subaru-- the mud was soooo deep... i was zig-zagging over the worst of it, the slipping and sliding was totally fun though. i felt like a kid playing in it. the road leading out of snow ridge was so caked in mud that it was slippery and the police were set up making sure people didn't try and drive too fast- hysterical!!! we got to slim's in boonville for our post-moe.down breakfast, like always... to sad news... steve irwin killed by a stingray. very sad. i almost cried. :( horrible horrible news.
regardless- dont want to end on a downer. moe.down 7? 7 HUZZAHS! i've been to all of 'em, this wasn't my favorite. but it was still moe.down and i still had fun. especially because of the group of folks we had camping. it was nice to be able to hang out with the dc folk more this year. and i can't wait to see everyone next year for moe.down 8: PAYBACK. i will be sending this request to the band as well, since i always harass them... but next year i would like to request: dana monteith and iowa 80, ween, primus, the secret machines (or for snoe.down 3), and stephen malkmus.
please view my photo gallery *NOTE THE MEATWAD FLAG*:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=l68vczl.bn7f0q4d&x=1&y=-d9qc54
and you can download the show on archive.org:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=moe.%20turin%202006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
corn cob pipes: the debate continues
my dear pal heinzy has somehow discovered my myspace blog and felt the need to send me an email in response to my black crowes PNC review from a couple of months ago:
Yo Lynn
Thanks to the internet, I can read into people's thoughts and words, thus,
I have 9 reasons why corn cob pipes are cool:
1. They are cheap. Usually about 2 bucks.
2. They're made of plastic and corn, which is 50 percent natural.
3. Corn and plastic do not set off metal detectors.
4. If you lose,break, or dispose of......(See reason #1).
5. In the rare occasion it snows and you're building a snowman, who are
they going to go to when they have 2 pieces of coal and a button?
6. The initials CCP are eerily silmilar to the old Soviet Union initials
CCCP.
7. Corn cob pipes are viewed as "dashing" in some societies.
8. Native American Indians may have smoked out of similar pipes, minus the
plastic filter and corn sticker on the bottom of it.
9. Take the word 'hi' and 'u' out hiccup.
Later
Heinz
-----
my response was as follows:
you have not convinced me, sir.
I DO NOT LIKE THE CCP.
i would not like it in a house.
i would not like it puffing with a mouse.
i do not like it here nor there.
i do not like it anywhere.
i do not like the corn cob pipe.
i would not smoke it with barney fife.
i don't want to smoke it on the floor or in the mezz.
i don't want to toke it with hans moleman wearing a fez.
i do not like the corn cob pipe.
it gives me a headache, it gives me strife.
i love you heinzy very much,
but your corn cob pipe i will not touch.
smooch.
lynn :)--~~~
----------
what are YOUR views on the CCP debate? please share them here.
Yo Lynn
Thanks to the internet, I can read into people's thoughts and words, thus,
I have 9 reasons why corn cob pipes are cool:
1. They are cheap. Usually about 2 bucks.
2. They're made of plastic and corn, which is 50 percent natural.
3. Corn and plastic do not set off metal detectors.
4. If you lose,break, or dispose of......(See reason #1).
5. In the rare occasion it snows and you're building a snowman, who are
they going to go to when they have 2 pieces of coal and a button?
6. The initials CCP are eerily silmilar to the old Soviet Union initials
CCCP.
7. Corn cob pipes are viewed as "dashing" in some societies.
8. Native American Indians may have smoked out of similar pipes, minus the
plastic filter and corn sticker on the bottom of it.
9. Take the word 'hi' and 'u' out hiccup.
Later
Heinz
-----
my response was as follows:
you have not convinced me, sir.
I DO NOT LIKE THE CCP.
i would not like it in a house.
i would not like it puffing with a mouse.
i do not like it here nor there.
i do not like it anywhere.
i do not like the corn cob pipe.
i would not smoke it with barney fife.
i don't want to smoke it on the floor or in the mezz.
i don't want to toke it with hans moleman wearing a fez.
i do not like the corn cob pipe.
it gives me a headache, it gives me strife.
i love you heinzy very much,
but your corn cob pipe i will not touch.
smooch.
lynn :)--~~~
----------
what are YOUR views on the CCP debate? please share them here.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
soulive, 8/13/06, rocks off boat cruise, hudson river, new york city
okay, let me just start off right now with a disclaimer: i don't think i'm too good on boats. i've really only spent an extended period of time on a boat a couple of times. 1 being a seapods booze cruise on lake champlain in '99 in which i was medicated by a special brownie that kicked my ass and can't really remember much of the afternoon... except chopping off d-mighty's arm with a light saber. and at 2am in the monopole asking people around me if they still felt like they were on the boat... "everything keeps going up and down..." and the 2nd being my fake-brother's wedding rehearsal dinner, in which i accidentally ate an "edible" flower that was in my salad (motherfuckers), turned green, and had to take a benedryl and be escorted back to the hotel... missing a no doubt incredible evening at the 3 needs and filling myself up with crack-beer like the good ol' days. it is this fear of boats that has kept me off of things like jamcruise or moe.cruise... but i digress.
soulive, 8/13/06, rocks off boat cruise, hudson river, new york city
perhaps this boat ride would be different. or not.
we grabbed some grub and although i didn't intend to drink at all, i am just a fool for the cowgirl's margaritas. i mean they serve them in a mason jar for fuck's sake. UNCLE. we headed up to the dock and in full out preparation, i needed a medicating puff. strictly medicinal (see above disclaimer). and lemme tellya, it might have been the only thing that kept my shit together. we finally left shore and started heading towards the statue of liberty as the sun set. it was really pretty... but the boat was pretty claustrophobic. ugh. and again, i wasn't gonna drink, but at this point it was necessary. i was already second guessing my total committment to seeing this gig.
the band finally started up and they sounded okay. they were set up downstairs underneath the overhang of the 2nd floor. which actually blew cuz i couldn't even stare at alan banging away. they should really either move the band out into the open 5 feet or so, or just destroy the balcony that hangs above the "stage" area. also, the acoustics were pretty shitty. it reminded me of the tune inn in new haven. exactly like being trapped in a gigantic metallic turd.
they had advertised some "special guests" which i was hoping would consist of people like dj logic or vernon reid or maybe even a sax player... nope. it was a couple of "guest vocalists" who ended up more or less just screaming into the mic. loudly. i've seen this band kick some SERIOUS ass before, and i was expecting no less- i mean, we're cruising around manhattan, you'd think they would be on their game... not so much. the jams were kind of generic, loose, nothing special. at this point i'm feeling pretty old... we hung out a bit on the back of the boat, enjoyed the view of the city... the best city in the world. new york city. this was probably the best part of the show.
also, here, let me say that i've never wanted to leave a soulive show early... ever. and now that i finally wanted to leave a soulive show early- i was trapped on a fucking boat... it kinda sucked. well, we finally made it back to dock, the band had stopped, and i couldn't wait to jump onto solid ground... but we had to wait about a half hour for some reason, because they weren't letting anyone off the boat... so it was a lot of people, crammed into each other... trying to leave... it's hot... everyone is rocking back and forth... oh god, just thinking about it right now is making me nauseas and i've been off the boat for a good 2 1/2 weeks already. DAAAAMN did land feel good under my feet. i can't even begin to tell you...
anyways. a lame soulive show, trapped on a crowded boat... do i blame the band or the rocks off boat cruise? maybe i just don't drink enough to enjoy this sort of shit? i want to give this review more, but i'm teetering on the brink... this hurts me more than it hurts you, soulive... please forgive me alan... soulive rocks off cruise 8/13/06: 4 painful HUZZAHS. and that's being generous.
i told you, i don't think i'm so good on boats...
soulive, 8/13/06, rocks off boat cruise, hudson river, new york city
perhaps this boat ride would be different. or not.
we grabbed some grub and although i didn't intend to drink at all, i am just a fool for the cowgirl's margaritas. i mean they serve them in a mason jar for fuck's sake. UNCLE. we headed up to the dock and in full out preparation, i needed a medicating puff. strictly medicinal (see above disclaimer). and lemme tellya, it might have been the only thing that kept my shit together. we finally left shore and started heading towards the statue of liberty as the sun set. it was really pretty... but the boat was pretty claustrophobic. ugh. and again, i wasn't gonna drink, but at this point it was necessary. i was already second guessing my total committment to seeing this gig.
the band finally started up and they sounded okay. they were set up downstairs underneath the overhang of the 2nd floor. which actually blew cuz i couldn't even stare at alan banging away. they should really either move the band out into the open 5 feet or so, or just destroy the balcony that hangs above the "stage" area. also, the acoustics were pretty shitty. it reminded me of the tune inn in new haven. exactly like being trapped in a gigantic metallic turd.
they had advertised some "special guests" which i was hoping would consist of people like dj logic or vernon reid or maybe even a sax player... nope. it was a couple of "guest vocalists" who ended up more or less just screaming into the mic. loudly. i've seen this band kick some SERIOUS ass before, and i was expecting no less- i mean, we're cruising around manhattan, you'd think they would be on their game... not so much. the jams were kind of generic, loose, nothing special. at this point i'm feeling pretty old... we hung out a bit on the back of the boat, enjoyed the view of the city... the best city in the world. new york city. this was probably the best part of the show.
also, here, let me say that i've never wanted to leave a soulive show early... ever. and now that i finally wanted to leave a soulive show early- i was trapped on a fucking boat... it kinda sucked. well, we finally made it back to dock, the band had stopped, and i couldn't wait to jump onto solid ground... but we had to wait about a half hour for some reason, because they weren't letting anyone off the boat... so it was a lot of people, crammed into each other... trying to leave... it's hot... everyone is rocking back and forth... oh god, just thinking about it right now is making me nauseas and i've been off the boat for a good 2 1/2 weeks already. DAAAAMN did land feel good under my feet. i can't even begin to tell you...
anyways. a lame soulive show, trapped on a crowded boat... do i blame the band or the rocks off boat cruise? maybe i just don't drink enough to enjoy this sort of shit? i want to give this review more, but i'm teetering on the brink... this hurts me more than it hurts you, soulive... please forgive me alan... soulive rocks off cruise 8/13/06: 4 painful HUZZAHS. and that's being generous.
i told you, i don't think i'm so good on boats...
Thursday, August 17, 2006
peelander-z & the kaiju big battel, 8/4/06, the warsaw, brooklyn, ny
so let's start this review off with a little backstory. the week before hern mentioned to me that peelander-z were playing the warsaw in conjunction with kaiju big battel and that lisa's friend was getting them tickets because the dude lives around the block from the place. i get psyched. i remembered seeing the website for kaiju a couple of years ago and it looked hysterical, but i never bothered motivating to go see it. so, with the motivation in full effect, i bought my ticket. i have heard great things about peelander-z and have wanted to see them for a couple of years now. flash forward. day-of-show... actually a couple of hours before the show, and hern IM's me... they don't have tickets. whuh? what about lisa's friend that you gave money to so he could get you tickets? oh, he never got the tickets? and now the show is sold out? and i'm the only asshole with a ticket? i am going on the record right now and saying flat out: lisa's friend is a giant douchebag.
hern and lisa had hope that maybe they could score some extras if they got there early enough. so they went down to williamsburg after work and situated themselves at some bar on the walk between the L and the warsaw with blue lights around the awning and i met them there. the waitress was hella cool and we had some great pregaming going on. eventually we made our way over to the warsaw and the doors hadn't opened yet, so the line to get in was fairly absurd- around the corner. there were peeps looking for extras and absolutely no scalpers or anything. so it was kind of a fruitless attempt. so they took off and i waited... and texted... and got a phonecall from someone who was adorable enough to stay on the phone with me til i got to the door.
there was a giant wrestling ring set up in the middle of the warsaw with a cardboard and balsa wood model of the empire state building in it. i walked up to the very front by the stage, cuz i wanted to witness peelander-z in full effect. and boy did i ever! they came out and started going nuts, it was fucking bizarre and awesome all at once... i was totally getting into it in the front row... and then... out of nowhere... peelander-pink comes out with a suitcase full of percussion tools... and she runs over and hands me a drumstick and some sort of percussive-instrument and motions for me to come onstage. "what??? up there?" she nods and gestures me up... well, okay... so i hopped onstage and started rockin' out with peelander-z! it was pretty phat! a couple more folks came up and we rocked til the end of the song. peelander-red nearly hit me with the guitar head when he jumped up and finished the song. it was pretty damn rock 'n roll--- and fucking NO ONE IS THERE TO TAKE A PIC OF ME ROCKIN' OUT ONSTAGE WITH PEELANDER-Z... so once again-- lisa, your friend is a giant fucking douchebag. there were plenty of photographers and peeps with video cameras- so if anyone out there has pics of me onstage from that night, i'd love to see 'em.
but i digress- peelander-z rocked the warsaw- i wish their set lasted longer. it was maybe 30 minutes. they ended by bowling each other down the walkway, which was pretty fun. they were awesome and i'd love to see a full show, hopefully they'll be back in nyc soon!!!
kaiju big battel... well, it was unlike anything i've ever seen... except for wrestlemania 3 & 4 and the scene in pee wee's big adventure when he wanders onto a japanese monster movie set... and any gamura film that mst3k used to play... it started out when hell monkey destroyed the giant empire state building- very cleverly build around a ladder so that he could scale it. [BIG UPS on the props- they were great, whoever makes them does an awesome job-- 10 HUZZAHS TO YOU, PROPMASTER!]. the evening progressed with the kaiju intern being defeated in a battel where a model of the brooklyn bridge also got destroyed. i had a pretty good spot next to the walkway where they were throwing all the used props/models after they got destroyed. which also happened to be the place where anyone who was thrown out of the ring- they landed on the garbage heap. so i got some fun footage including the giant mushroom struggling to upright himself which can be viewed here:
so, it was a pretty entertaining night, all in all. it would have been way more fun to share it with a handful of friends (lisa, your friend is a douche), but the crowd was a chill one and everyone was having a good time. the full breakdown of the evening's wrestling can be found here: http://www.kaiju.com/commentary_aow.htm
i would say, all together... peelander-z and kaiju big battel: 8.5 HUZZAHS!!!! WOOT!
hern and lisa had hope that maybe they could score some extras if they got there early enough. so they went down to williamsburg after work and situated themselves at some bar on the walk between the L and the warsaw with blue lights around the awning and i met them there. the waitress was hella cool and we had some great pregaming going on. eventually we made our way over to the warsaw and the doors hadn't opened yet, so the line to get in was fairly absurd- around the corner. there were peeps looking for extras and absolutely no scalpers or anything. so it was kind of a fruitless attempt. so they took off and i waited... and texted... and got a phonecall from someone who was adorable enough to stay on the phone with me til i got to the door.
there was a giant wrestling ring set up in the middle of the warsaw with a cardboard and balsa wood model of the empire state building in it. i walked up to the very front by the stage, cuz i wanted to witness peelander-z in full effect. and boy did i ever! they came out and started going nuts, it was fucking bizarre and awesome all at once... i was totally getting into it in the front row... and then... out of nowhere... peelander-pink comes out with a suitcase full of percussion tools... and she runs over and hands me a drumstick and some sort of percussive-instrument and motions for me to come onstage. "what??? up there?" she nods and gestures me up... well, okay... so i hopped onstage and started rockin' out with peelander-z! it was pretty phat! a couple more folks came up and we rocked til the end of the song. peelander-red nearly hit me with the guitar head when he jumped up and finished the song. it was pretty damn rock 'n roll--- and fucking NO ONE IS THERE TO TAKE A PIC OF ME ROCKIN' OUT ONSTAGE WITH PEELANDER-Z... so once again-- lisa, your friend is a giant fucking douchebag. there were plenty of photographers and peeps with video cameras- so if anyone out there has pics of me onstage from that night, i'd love to see 'em.
but i digress- peelander-z rocked the warsaw- i wish their set lasted longer. it was maybe 30 minutes. they ended by bowling each other down the walkway, which was pretty fun. they were awesome and i'd love to see a full show, hopefully they'll be back in nyc soon!!!
kaiju big battel... well, it was unlike anything i've ever seen... except for wrestlemania 3 & 4 and the scene in pee wee's big adventure when he wanders onto a japanese monster movie set... and any gamura film that mst3k used to play... it started out when hell monkey destroyed the giant empire state building- very cleverly build around a ladder so that he could scale it. [BIG UPS on the props- they were great, whoever makes them does an awesome job-- 10 HUZZAHS TO YOU, PROPMASTER!]. the evening progressed with the kaiju intern being defeated in a battel where a model of the brooklyn bridge also got destroyed. i had a pretty good spot next to the walkway where they were throwing all the used props/models after they got destroyed. which also happened to be the place where anyone who was thrown out of the ring- they landed on the garbage heap. so i got some fun footage including the giant mushroom struggling to upright himself which can be viewed here:
so, it was a pretty entertaining night, all in all. it would have been way more fun to share it with a handful of friends (lisa, your friend is a douche), but the crowd was a chill one and everyone was having a good time. the full breakdown of the evening's wrestling can be found here: http://www.kaiju.com/commentary_aow.htm
i would say, all together... peelander-z and kaiju big battel: 8.5 HUZZAHS!!!! WOOT!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
black crowes, 7/19/06 @ jones beach & 7/22 @ PNC, NJ
okay, i'm running waaaay behind on these reviews. but it's for a good reason- i'm gainfully employed again. woohoo. anyways, let's get to this.
black crowes, 7/19/06, jones beach, ny & 7/22/06, PNC garden state arts center, holmdel, nj
i wasn't originally planning on going to the jones beach show, but liane called me a few days before it happened with a bargain i couldn't refuse. she had 4 phatty tickets in the orchestra section but her ride bailed and she offered me a ticket in exchange for transportation... so since i wasn't working, i said HELLZ YEAH. but then the next day i got food poisoning. ohhhhh, the food poisoning i did have. i had a day to recover but i didn't want to bail because i didn't want her to have to miss the show! i was able to eat a bowl of white rice before the show and that made me happy.
no alcohol at jones beach--- still lame. i mean, i couldn't drink anything anyways, but the whole concept is fucking lame. we made our way to the seats-- and they were AWESOME. they were in the beginning of the raised section of seats- but they were right on the water. literally. on the beach. so every time liane looked at me, i was standing next to the water, and she'd just start laughing. the band was pretty good, the crowd wasn't that great though. the place wasn't packed at all (probably cuz it was a weeknight) and the band had no energy to feed off of. some of the songs were okay, but i definitely wasn't blown away. it was also a "greatest hits" show. they played most of their singles and i enjoy hearing them, but they didn't mix it up enough. the hammerstein shows really spoiled me i think.
however, i also was having trouble standing up... and sitting up. my muscles were so sore from puking for close to 24 hours that it felt like my rib cage was collapsing into my intestines. good times. it's hard to rock out when you need to be taking a nap.
mooooooooooooving on... 7/22 in jersey...
i had these tickets for like 4 months- heinzy and i had been looking forward to the tailgating and the celebrations for about the same time- i think we had planned either right before or right after our simultaneous BC vacations. brett was supposed to show up (but he didn't because he's a lame ass that is afraid of the rain). we convinced mr. cifarelli to join us and he was on the fence until he felt how wonderful the a/c in my car was. we got down to the parking lot and fought off the rainy blues for a while- and i hold firm my contention for the corn cob pipe. why anyone would want to subject themselves to the lacquered flavor headache inducing plastic and corn concoction, i don't know. but i digress.
we skipped out on drive by truckers and robert randolph. i don't know if i've seen dbt, i've heard some good things... but robert randolph (i'm preparing to be scorned) just doesn't do it for me. in all honesty, i get tired of him after about 5 minutes. yes, he's talented, but somehow it comes off to me as more along the lines of "musical wanking". let the flames begin!
we ran into the vh1 crew inside by the beer tent, only got to see them for a few minutes, but fuck it, the show was aboot to start. there was an immediate difference in the crowd (vs. the jones beach crowd). this place was about to erupt with energy. the bandshell was packed and the band was feeding off of it. was it the weekend? was it the sun finally emerging from the clouds and drying up the rain? or was it the BEER? well, the beer was plentiful. i was still afraid to drink cuz my body was still adjusting to normalcy. but the band rocked, it wasn't a "greatest hits" show, but more like a "classic favorites" show. it was more in line with the hammerstein shows from last year. good stuff.
of course always a topic of conversation- when will a new crowes album come out? well, now that chris robinson and kate hudson have officially split, i gotta say- it's quite possible there will be a new and absolutely KICK ASS crowes album very soon. all that emotional rage has to be funneled somewhere! rock it!
so, let's see... jones beach show- a lame: 5.5 HUZZAHS... pnc show- a rockin' 8.5 HUZZAHS!
black crowes, 7/19/06, jones beach, ny & 7/22/06, PNC garden state arts center, holmdel, nj
i wasn't originally planning on going to the jones beach show, but liane called me a few days before it happened with a bargain i couldn't refuse. she had 4 phatty tickets in the orchestra section but her ride bailed and she offered me a ticket in exchange for transportation... so since i wasn't working, i said HELLZ YEAH. but then the next day i got food poisoning. ohhhhh, the food poisoning i did have. i had a day to recover but i didn't want to bail because i didn't want her to have to miss the show! i was able to eat a bowl of white rice before the show and that made me happy.
no alcohol at jones beach--- still lame. i mean, i couldn't drink anything anyways, but the whole concept is fucking lame. we made our way to the seats-- and they were AWESOME. they were in the beginning of the raised section of seats- but they were right on the water. literally. on the beach. so every time liane looked at me, i was standing next to the water, and she'd just start laughing. the band was pretty good, the crowd wasn't that great though. the place wasn't packed at all (probably cuz it was a weeknight) and the band had no energy to feed off of. some of the songs were okay, but i definitely wasn't blown away. it was also a "greatest hits" show. they played most of their singles and i enjoy hearing them, but they didn't mix it up enough. the hammerstein shows really spoiled me i think.
however, i also was having trouble standing up... and sitting up. my muscles were so sore from puking for close to 24 hours that it felt like my rib cage was collapsing into my intestines. good times. it's hard to rock out when you need to be taking a nap.
mooooooooooooving on... 7/22 in jersey...
i had these tickets for like 4 months- heinzy and i had been looking forward to the tailgating and the celebrations for about the same time- i think we had planned either right before or right after our simultaneous BC vacations. brett was supposed to show up (but he didn't because he's a lame ass that is afraid of the rain). we convinced mr. cifarelli to join us and he was on the fence until he felt how wonderful the a/c in my car was. we got down to the parking lot and fought off the rainy blues for a while- and i hold firm my contention for the corn cob pipe. why anyone would want to subject themselves to the lacquered flavor headache inducing plastic and corn concoction, i don't know. but i digress.
we skipped out on drive by truckers and robert randolph. i don't know if i've seen dbt, i've heard some good things... but robert randolph (i'm preparing to be scorned) just doesn't do it for me. in all honesty, i get tired of him after about 5 minutes. yes, he's talented, but somehow it comes off to me as more along the lines of "musical wanking". let the flames begin!
we ran into the vh1 crew inside by the beer tent, only got to see them for a few minutes, but fuck it, the show was aboot to start. there was an immediate difference in the crowd (vs. the jones beach crowd). this place was about to erupt with energy. the bandshell was packed and the band was feeding off of it. was it the weekend? was it the sun finally emerging from the clouds and drying up the rain? or was it the BEER? well, the beer was plentiful. i was still afraid to drink cuz my body was still adjusting to normalcy. but the band rocked, it wasn't a "greatest hits" show, but more like a "classic favorites" show. it was more in line with the hammerstein shows from last year. good stuff.
of course always a topic of conversation- when will a new crowes album come out? well, now that chris robinson and kate hudson have officially split, i gotta say- it's quite possible there will be a new and absolutely KICK ASS crowes album very soon. all that emotional rage has to be funneled somewhere! rock it!
so, let's see... jones beach show- a lame: 5.5 HUZZAHS... pnc show- a rockin' 8.5 HUZZAHS!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Dana Monteith, 8/12/06, Gabe's Hootenanny, Sussex, NJ
my good buddy gabe just bought a house out in the middle of nowhere in jersey and his one wish was to have a kickass housewarming party... in order for that to happen he needed one important ingredient: truck stop love ballads. and there's only one man in the world that can provide such an ingredient: dana monteith. so dana was called in special for the task. truck stop love ballads DELIVERED.
i was about 10 minutes from gabe's place when my phone rang- it was dana. "where are you???" "i have no fucking idea." "well, i'm waiting for you to get here before i start!" "ack!!!!! you're waiting for me???" "yeah, guppy, get here FAST! or i'm gonna drink even more!!!" "okay okay, i think i'm close--- have a cheeseburger and by the time you're finished i'll be there!"
i pulled into gabe's neighbor's driveway and parked (the place was packed- satellite parking was the only option!). gabe's house is huuuuuge and gorgeous! the yard was amazing and featured a giant vegetable garden!!! man, if only i wanted to live in the middle of fucking nowhere in jersey!!! damn!!! i had to wait for setbreak for the guided tour- which had about 15 other people on it... gabe should have gotten a megaphone for the full effect.
but rewind back to the music--- dana started off set I with unmarked trunk. a touching tale of the road and love lost and possibly my favorite truck stop love ballad of all time! i didn't keep a setlist, but through his 2.5 sets he went on to play some classic truck stop love ballads: self destruct button, on a dime, afterglow, slipping back, creamery rag... and some classic ominous seapods favorites: waiting room, hope i shall arrive soon, the old gp, jet smooth ride, bong hits and porn... there were more... in fact, gabe and g3 had printed out a whole bunch of seapods tunes from stretch's pink flamingo file and dana happilly obliged as best he could (a few of the tunes he had even rehearsed the night before!).
set 2.5 got a little "blue" and "messy" due to the "alcohol" and "darkness". but there was cake, coffee, and lovely cream puffy things... however, there has been a promise of a "downstairs bar opening" party that will ALSO feature truck stop love ballads this winter... and GUITARAOKE... sasso.com is going to set up a computer server that will spew out requested song lyrics and music for dana to please party goers with even the most discerning musical tastes. gordon lightfoot? no problem! johnny cash? no problem! michael bolton? NOW YOU GOT A PROBLEM!
i took some footage of dana rockin' out the backyard- please view it!
gabe's backyard housewarming hootenanny featuring truck stop ballads by dana monteith? 10 HUZZAHS! rock the sussex! THANKS GABE!!! your party was SUPERB!
to learn more about dana monteith and truck stop love ballads please visit dana's website: www.danamonteith.com
i was about 10 minutes from gabe's place when my phone rang- it was dana. "where are you???" "i have no fucking idea." "well, i'm waiting for you to get here before i start!" "ack!!!!! you're waiting for me???" "yeah, guppy, get here FAST! or i'm gonna drink even more!!!" "okay okay, i think i'm close--- have a cheeseburger and by the time you're finished i'll be there!"
i pulled into gabe's neighbor's driveway and parked (the place was packed- satellite parking was the only option!). gabe's house is huuuuuge and gorgeous! the yard was amazing and featured a giant vegetable garden!!! man, if only i wanted to live in the middle of fucking nowhere in jersey!!! damn!!! i had to wait for setbreak for the guided tour- which had about 15 other people on it... gabe should have gotten a megaphone for the full effect.
but rewind back to the music--- dana started off set I with unmarked trunk. a touching tale of the road and love lost and possibly my favorite truck stop love ballad of all time! i didn't keep a setlist, but through his 2.5 sets he went on to play some classic truck stop love ballads: self destruct button, on a dime, afterglow, slipping back, creamery rag... and some classic ominous seapods favorites: waiting room, hope i shall arrive soon, the old gp, jet smooth ride, bong hits and porn... there were more... in fact, gabe and g3 had printed out a whole bunch of seapods tunes from stretch's pink flamingo file and dana happilly obliged as best he could (a few of the tunes he had even rehearsed the night before!).
set 2.5 got a little "blue" and "messy" due to the "alcohol" and "darkness". but there was cake, coffee, and lovely cream puffy things... however, there has been a promise of a "downstairs bar opening" party that will ALSO feature truck stop love ballads this winter... and GUITARAOKE... sasso.com is going to set up a computer server that will spew out requested song lyrics and music for dana to please party goers with even the most discerning musical tastes. gordon lightfoot? no problem! johnny cash? no problem! michael bolton? NOW YOU GOT A PROBLEM!
i took some footage of dana rockin' out the backyard- please view it!
gabe's backyard housewarming hootenanny featuring truck stop ballads by dana monteith? 10 HUZZAHS! rock the sussex! THANKS GABE!!! your party was SUPERB!
to learn more about dana monteith and truck stop love ballads please visit dana's website: www.danamonteith.com
Saturday, July 15, 2006
les claypool, 7/15/06, nokia theater, nyc
hey'all, this review finds itself delayed by a few days as i suffered a nasty bout of food poisoning this week. pasta primavera? not necessarily so safe. it's been quite an ugly week. so, here we go!
les claypool, 7/15/06, nokia theater, nyc
so, this time around i didn't get tickets for everyone in advance cuz last time i kinda got fucked. good call. for this show i flew solo as all my friends who said they might go bailed- no surprise. i however, had been looking forward to this show for months, and i wasn't gonna miss it. another reason i felt like i had to see it was because my friend teresa haire who passed away a couple of months ago would have wanted to see it. she was going to come to the les nokia show with me last october but her med school exams got in the way and she missed it because she was being a good-responsible-student. fuck, johnny fishwick would have had a good time there too, cuz it was les. so yeah. i felt like i needed to be there to enjoy the show for my homies too. haire & johnny 4 eva, 4 realz, yo. mad respek.
anyways, i rolled into the city conveniently in time to miss the opening band and get street parking. bought my ticket at the door and chugged my water that the security guard found and i couldn't bring inside. and as i came down the escalators at the nokia, les had just hit the stage and i listened and watched him on the big screen (I REALLY FUCKING LOVE THIS SETUP), ran into the bathroom and didn't miss a second of the music cuz it's pumped right in there (ahh, just like wetlands... except... bigger... shiny... and lit without a blacklight.). i made my way into the theater on the right hand side and it was pretty packed. i didn't feel like powering all the way up to the front, so i found a nice little nook next to the tapers on the main floor.
this was a great spot until some kid started hitting on me nonstop for like 5-10 minutes. i tried to be nice, then i tried to ignore him. it actually got to the point where he spoke through about 3/4 of a song and the lines he was throwing out there were getting worse and worse. he was either on e or drunk as hell... or both... or maybe he was just THAT enamored with me, i mean, i am fucking awesome. regardless i was missing this entire fucking song cuz he was yammering away- never mind the fucking taper mics we're standing next to- now he's not only ruining my time, but everyone who should have a clean recording of this show. finally i'd had enough.
RETARDED CHILD: you really are gorgeous
ME: you HAVE to stop hitting on me NOW.
RC: buh---
ME: NO- STOP. NOW.
after a couple of minutes he got uncomfortable enough to finally leave, but not before apologizing.
RC: i'm really sorry if i was making you uncomfortable
ME: (watching stage) no worries
RC: thank you for having the balls to tell m---
ME: STOP. NOW.
and he left. goddamnit. seriously guys, get the fucking hint. and if it seems like the girl is remotely interested in the actual concert that is going on, talking nonstop in her ear isn't gonna help your cause.
anyways, back to the music. les had the same lineup as last time i believe. drums, sax, sitar, percussion... they sounded great. it was a good mixture of new/old stuff. some of the spacier jams seemed a bit loose to me. the main point is that les is such a solid fucking performer, i really enjoy listening to his shows and experiencing the showmanship. however, why in 2006 is it still necessary to have an obligatory drum solo for 10 minutes no matter how long the set is? i realize everyone likes to take a piss, but i'm really losing patience with the prolonged drumz.
also, at the merch table on the way out (merch whore that i am) i picked up one of the new dvd's and a copy of les' first novel- he had done a book reading earlier in the day at a b&n in the village but i didn't know about it! lame! the book is called south of the pumphouse, and i haven't started reading it yet.
i don't see the show up on etree yet, but they do have the october 2005 show, here is the link: http://bt.etree.org/index.php?search=les claypool&cat=0
all in all- drag your asses out to see les, he's fun for fucksake. oh yeah- i just got a bulletin post from the les claypool myspace page announcing that there is a brand new official primus myspace page up, and to stay tuned because there will be some primus news announced very soon - so go add them to your friends (and we'll all get the good news together- aww, precious). methinks it's tour time! but getting back to les/nokia--- 8.5 HUZZAHS! les RULEZ.
les claypool, 7/15/06, nokia theater, nyc
so, this time around i didn't get tickets for everyone in advance cuz last time i kinda got fucked. good call. for this show i flew solo as all my friends who said they might go bailed- no surprise. i however, had been looking forward to this show for months, and i wasn't gonna miss it. another reason i felt like i had to see it was because my friend teresa haire who passed away a couple of months ago would have wanted to see it. she was going to come to the les nokia show with me last october but her med school exams got in the way and she missed it because she was being a good-responsible-student. fuck, johnny fishwick would have had a good time there too, cuz it was les. so yeah. i felt like i needed to be there to enjoy the show for my homies too. haire & johnny 4 eva, 4 realz, yo. mad respek.
anyways, i rolled into the city conveniently in time to miss the opening band and get street parking. bought my ticket at the door and chugged my water that the security guard found and i couldn't bring inside. and as i came down the escalators at the nokia, les had just hit the stage and i listened and watched him on the big screen (I REALLY FUCKING LOVE THIS SETUP), ran into the bathroom and didn't miss a second of the music cuz it's pumped right in there (ahh, just like wetlands... except... bigger... shiny... and lit without a blacklight.). i made my way into the theater on the right hand side and it was pretty packed. i didn't feel like powering all the way up to the front, so i found a nice little nook next to the tapers on the main floor.
this was a great spot until some kid started hitting on me nonstop for like 5-10 minutes. i tried to be nice, then i tried to ignore him. it actually got to the point where he spoke through about 3/4 of a song and the lines he was throwing out there were getting worse and worse. he was either on e or drunk as hell... or both... or maybe he was just THAT enamored with me, i mean, i am fucking awesome. regardless i was missing this entire fucking song cuz he was yammering away- never mind the fucking taper mics we're standing next to- now he's not only ruining my time, but everyone who should have a clean recording of this show. finally i'd had enough.
RETARDED CHILD: you really are gorgeous
ME: you HAVE to stop hitting on me NOW.
RC: buh---
ME: NO- STOP. NOW.
after a couple of minutes he got uncomfortable enough to finally leave, but not before apologizing.
RC: i'm really sorry if i was making you uncomfortable
ME: (watching stage) no worries
RC: thank you for having the balls to tell m---
ME: STOP. NOW.
and he left. goddamnit. seriously guys, get the fucking hint. and if it seems like the girl is remotely interested in the actual concert that is going on, talking nonstop in her ear isn't gonna help your cause.
anyways, back to the music. les had the same lineup as last time i believe. drums, sax, sitar, percussion... they sounded great. it was a good mixture of new/old stuff. some of the spacier jams seemed a bit loose to me. the main point is that les is such a solid fucking performer, i really enjoy listening to his shows and experiencing the showmanship. however, why in 2006 is it still necessary to have an obligatory drum solo for 10 minutes no matter how long the set is? i realize everyone likes to take a piss, but i'm really losing patience with the prolonged drumz.
also, at the merch table on the way out (merch whore that i am) i picked up one of the new dvd's and a copy of les' first novel- he had done a book reading earlier in the day at a b&n in the village but i didn't know about it! lame! the book is called south of the pumphouse, and i haven't started reading it yet.
i don't see the show up on etree yet, but they do have the october 2005 show, here is the link: http://bt.etree.org/index.php?search=les claypool&cat=0
all in all- drag your asses out to see les, he's fun for fucksake. oh yeah- i just got a bulletin post from the les claypool myspace page announcing that there is a brand new official primus myspace page up, and to stay tuned because there will be some primus news announced very soon - so go add them to your friends (and we'll all get the good news together- aww, precious). methinks it's tour time! but getting back to les/nokia--- 8.5 HUZZAHS! les RULEZ.
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