Weeeelll we played at The Metro last night. It was our first gig in awhile not in some kids’ tea party tent or something; in other words, it felt great to play a “legit” show*. The event was part of Rock N’ Raise, a fundraiser (that I somewhat helped put together) for Darfur. 50 schools around Chicago are participating in order to reach a goal of $50,000, enough to fund a Sudanese refugee camp school for one whole year. No word yet on how well that raisin’ has gone but I’m really confident / hoping it gets there. Before the show, they had raised about $4,500.
After the show we went to Hayden’s house for a super smashing sleepover soirée, where sat on our laptops antisocially and insisted that any form of communication whatsoever be instant message. (not really, but we did play ‘puter games.) Also, Hayden wears old persons’ sunglasses.
We did venture out of the lair for a little bit.
I think there’s something that could be said about these branches. I picture a cartoon with a brick building sitting next to a tree and the tree feels alienated. Finally the tree gathers enough courage (sap. hyuk hyuk hyuk.) to reach out (literally?) to the building (non-nature). The building is much taller and straight-forward.
Yesterday Henry, Elise, Misa and I went to go see Death Cab For Cutie at the Aragon Ballroom. The idea of us all going was originally a birthday present for Henry, but since we couldn’t figure out the ticket situation (or some other lame excuse like that) we never got it together. Luckily, my mom worked in the music business for 20+ years and ~knowz people~ so we got in (thank you mom and Dave and Mike and all you guys)!
The show was awesome. Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot were the opening bands, but we got there too late to see Ra Ra Riot. Cold War Kids were pretty cool. They had an exciting set, even though most of their songs sound the same. Same goes for Death Cab… They’ve got a veerry consistent vibe throughout all their songs (not necessarily a bad thing), but there are some that really stand out creativity-wise, I think.
Out of all the people that came with me/us, Henry is the most DCFC obsessed. He is a freakfan / superfan / guru / fanatic / whateveryouwannacallit. But really, he looooves them. He wrote down the set list, sang every single lyric to every single song, moved around excitedly (and I mean really excitedly).. A few other kids from our school were at the show, too, and said they could see Henry maniacally dancing at the front of the balcony. Misa, Elise, and I had to stand back so he wouldn’t accidentally punch us.
I, however, am just being introduced to their music. So far I think they’re a pretty cool band. The only thing I kinda don’t like is what I mentioned before: the songs-sorta-sounding-the-same syndrome, otherwise known as SSStSSyndrome. But then again, I barely know their music, and sometimes bands need to sorta grow on you before you understand them. If there’s one thing I’d like to see from them, though, it’d be some more, ah, I dunno.. Deerhoof-esque funkyness, maybe (holy crap there are a lot of commas in this sentence)? Regardless, they’re a bunch of great musicians. And Ben Gibbard is one of the coolest people ever, FYI.
As you can see, all of my friends had Death Cab shirts except me. So, my mom took a Jeff Tweedy shirt, blotched out “Jeff Tweedy,” and finger painted Death Cab For Cutie in. We spent twenty minutes blow drying it before the concert. At first, we thought it was a fail. But soon we realized we had come upon a tee design gem.
We want to start mass-production right away.
Henry meeting Ben Gibbard… To put it appropriately, this was the equivalent of an OD on nitrous oxide for poor little Henry here.
Not the best picture (for me and Henry at least). But who cares! It’s freakin’ Ben Gibbard!
The Aragon Ballroom is such a cool place! It’s built to look like some Spanish village or something, complete with turrets in the balconies and ten-foot-long medieval-looking swords above the stage. The coolest part is probably the ceiling. It’s painted to look like a starry space galaxy landscape thing, with little blinking lights to simulate stars! OMG! (teh Google machine won’t find me any good pictures of it right now, but BELIEVE ME.. it’s amazing).
There’s just one little problem with the Aragon, though.. sound quality. It suucks. So that was a bummer. But feeling like you’re in Italy circa 17th century makes it almost worth it.
Going to this show really made me remember how much I miss my mom’s old bar, Lounge Ax. Since the day I was born (and even before that), I spent practically every day there; it was like my extended family. The bar closed down in 2000 when I was four, and it really changed things. *using italics to emphasize poignancy* Its legend still lives on, though, in the memories of music fans all over the country.
Keith Moon: Despite his.. er.. irresponsible lifestyle, I worship this man as one of my favorite drummers. Ever. Yes, he does hold his sticks funny, and yes, he does (did) wear weird jumpsuits, but he can really “rip the skinz.” Check out this video.
John Entwistle: Beast bassist. He’ll play an unbelievable solo whilst looking like he’s barely awake.
Roger Daltrey: Never been the BIGGEST fan of him, but he’s pretty cool. He’s famous for the signature mic-cord swing move.
Pete Townshend: Like his bandmates, Pete is also a beastly musician. You NEED to see the documentary, The Kids Are Alright, to understand his amazingness.
The Who are an English hard rock band that formed in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, England, in 1964 and grew to be considered one of the greatest and most influential bands in the world. They are also famed for their prowess as a live band – winning awards and being described as “possibly the greatest live band ever.” The primary lineup consisted of Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey (lead vocals), John Entwistle (bass, vocals) and Keith Moon (drums, vocals). – Last.fm on The Who
The Hives-
To tell the truth, I don’t really know why I like The Hives so much. The album Tyrannosaurus Hives is my favorite, along with the songs Walk Idiot Walk, Diabolic Scheme, and A Little More For Little You.
The Hives are a garage rock band from Fagersta, Sweden that emerged in the US and the UK in the early 2000s, but existed for nearly a decade before that, playing punk rock. – Last.fm on The Hives
Neil Young-
Um.. Do I really need to say anything? Neil Young is THE master of country/rock music.
Neil Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 12, 1945. He is a singer-songwriter with a long and extensive musical career. He has become one of the most respected and influential musicians of his generation. – Last.fm on Neil Young
Deerhoof-
Last.fm got it right; they DOES mix “sugary melodies and an experimental spirit into sweetly challenging and utterly distinctive music.” I’ve writtena bugajillion posts where I mention them.
San Francisco’s Deerhoof mixes sugary melodies and an experimental spirit into sweetly challenging and utterly distinctive music. The group began as the brainchild of guitarist Rob Fisk and drummer/keyboardist Greg Saunier in 1994; early releases, such as 1995’s 7”s The Return of the Wood M’Lady and For Those of Us On Foot, had a more traditionally harsh, no wave-inspired sound, though they also included the quirky tendencies that dominated their later efforts. -Last.fm on Deerhoof
Spoon-
Don’t know much about these guys. They kind of turned up on my iPod after a post-birthday iTunes shopping spree, but I only bought a few songs. Me likee.
Spoon is an American indie rock band from Austin, Texas. The band was formed in 1994 by lead singer/guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno. Current members also include: Eric Harvey (keyboard, guitar, percussion, backing vocals) and Rob Pope (bass, backing vocals – replaced Joshua Zarbo in 2007). - Last.fm on Spoon
As you may have noticed, I’ve been writing a ton about the band Deerhoof lately. Apparently, the drummer, Greg Saunier, found one of my posts! And he wrote about it on his blog! It truly was awesome when I found this. Here’s a snippet from his post (excuse the all-capital-ness):
“…WHICH ALSO REMINDS ME OF WHEN JEFF TWEEDY BROUGHT HIS SON SPENCER IN FOR SOUNDCHECK. AT FIRST HE SEEMED A BIT SHY, UNTIL WE OFFERED FOR HIM TO SIT IN ON DRUMS. HE WANTED TO PLAY “MY DIAMOND STAR CAR” AND IT ENDED UP THAT WE WERE STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH HIM.
While it’s cold and rainy here in Chicago, my dad’s in Los Angeles, hiking up mountains and enjoying the sun. Why? He’s working on the new Wilco album. Here are some pictures from California:
Ellen and Greg are over tonight! So far, we’ve A. Worked on my Bar Mitzvah invitations, B. Made delicious chicken, and C. Watched Ace of Cakes. The show’s about a couple of very, very talented cake-makers who make very, very amazing cakes. In the episode we watched, they made a cake with hand-painted art on the bottom, bright pink decals on the middle, and a nasty green zombie hand on top. The finish product was pretty insane; I liked it.
And remember… don’t forget to vote for Colbert on NASA’s page! Mr. Stephen Colbert needs our help. Without us, his name will never be in space! Unless he buys a noncommercial spacecraft and pilots a one-manned flight into outer space… But that’s not gonna happen anytime soon. That said, vote for Colbert!
Sammy, my younger brother, has decided to follow the path of my uncle Danny and I – to become a blogger! He started a WordPress.com blog on the topic of ClubPenguin (click here to see it), a video game he and his friends play. So far, he’s got a couple of posts and a few hits. Today he was complaining about not having enough hits and that his blog isn’t popular enough, and I told him that I’ve been blogging for about two years, and it wasn’t till pretty recently people started reading my blog. Besides (this is gonna sound corny), it’s not about fame or popularity, it’s about the writing. If he enjoys writing, then he should blog. If you’re blogging to “become famous on ClubPenguin so everybody goes ‘Whoa look, it’s that guy!’ when they see you,” you’re blogging for the wrong reason – in my opinion.
On Monday, I started a new tradition: Songs Of The Week. One of the bands I featured was Deerhoof, a group from San Francisco, who I really, really like. I’ve known about them for.. years, ever since my dad introduced them to me. Greg Saunier, the drummer, is one of my favorites. He is so creative! He uses two ride symbols as a hybrid hi-hat (GENIUS), and shares my passion for simple, practical drum sets.
After school today, we went to the ‘burbs for a meeting with my Bar Mitzvah DJ. I told them I don’t really like “popular music,” and I’m more into.. well, things kids my age don’t really listen to. I’m okay with some rap, but I wouldn’t listen to it on my own. That said, I don’t really have a choice; there needs to be some generic radio music – “plastic music,” I like to call it – on the playlist, or else some (most) people won’t like the party. I GUESS I’LL JUST HAVE TO DEAL. It’s okay, though, because the DJ’s are really nice and they understand.
When we got home from suburbia, my mom had me try on my great grandfathers tallis. We wanted to see if I should wear it for my Bar Mitzvah. I probably will, but it needs to be dry cleaned. A bajillion years of closets/coffee stains means it’s really dirty. Anyway, my mom started crying when I tried it on. What?! I can’t imagine what she’ll be like when I’m actually in my Bar Mitzvah suit, wearing my tallis, and chanting Torah. Oy vey.
