METALLICA MSG NYC 11.15.09

Metallica really tore the Garden a new one over the weekend. I was lucky enough to score pretty sweet seats and VIP passes to last nights show, which from what I hear, was the far better of the two night metal fest.



Metallica played "in the round" which was definitely a bold move for a band that usually brings a massive stage and production along with them. Ive seen the full show a bunch over the years, so this was a nice change, which felt almost made for the gardens sight lines although its a bit weird watching the guys backs at times.
A lot of people may not get metallica. they probably havent really heard all the songs and certainly have not seen them live.
When you stop and think about it, they are likely the best hard rock band in the game, and have taken it far beyond metal.



The setlist was definitely on point, with enough of the old, recent, and new to please all comers.
One of my favorite Misfits songs "last caress" and old gold like Dyers Eve and plenty of pyro had me screaming and pumping my fists all night. Nice work guys.

Brooklyn Vegan did has a good review and pics of the show here http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/11/metallica_playe.html

MOTORHEAD * REV HORTON HEAT 09.09.09 NYC

YES the show was AWESOME
YES I havent posted in AGES
YES I am VERY hungover as I type this

Heres some pix from my brand new Blackberry Tour, my latest gadget. pretty sweet so far, but only time will tell.
Nice to finally return to the world of camera phones after over a year using the Blackberry World Edition (no camera).

I hope this gets me taking more pix and therefore posting more frequently, but we will see how that goes...


Lemmy & Co ruled as usual. Amazingly loud. perhaps the loudest club show I have witnessed although very cool that they broke into an acoustic jam towards the end of the set. You havent lived until you see Motorhead live.
Matt Sorum from The Cult, Guns n Roses, Velvet Revolver, Camp Freddy, (anything else?) was on drums. an odd choice in my book, but technically he really brought it.
www.imotorhead.com





The Reverend Horton Heat blew my mind last night.

If you haven't seen and/or heard the Rev, do not sleep.
He is an amazing performer, songwriter, and unique character to say the least. His cross of rockabilly & punk are right up my tattoo covered, booze fueled, alley.
www.reverendhortonheat.com

His new album "Laughin & Cryin'" Is out Now. Go git it!


It was a true pleasure to meet The Rev & Jimbo his upright bass player.
Much love to Scott @ Atomic & John their gracious tour mgr for making that happen.



NEXT UP: CHICKENFOOT AUG 14, 2009 NYC

Star Trek on IMAX!

What's with J.J. Abrams and time travel/alternate dimensions? Lost, Fringe, now Star Trek!

Even Felicity goes back in time!

It's a love-hate relationship with J.J. As much as I love Lost, it's been a heart-wrenching (Daniel Faraday's murder), frustrating (who is Jacob??), five-year, 100+ hour, tortuous path to figuring out the island. My Lost-based nightmares will be able to subside in 2010 after its final season. Thankfully, J.J. has created a self-contained, merely two-hour feature that is 2009's Star Trek. I've never been big on the series, but I enjoyed this film! This movie has tipped the love/hate scale in J.J.'s favor.



My favorite scenes were with Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy as New and Old Spock, who gave great performances. (They appeared together on Jimmy Fallon's Late Night show, available online if you care to watch. Leonard is a funny old dude.) I won't give away any revealing details, but the film was definitely an exciting introduction to new Trekkies and included enough old school references to satisfy hardcore Trekkies. I have a newfound crush on emotionally-unavailable half-Vulcan half-humans, i.e. Spock.

Warning: Times Square AMC "IMAX" will rip you off. The screen is nowhere near as large as it should be. IMAX is associating its name with theaters that aren't actually IMAX. They can go suck it.

Star Trek Website

-Angela

NICE FACE Live at Don Pedro, Brooklyn

A big fan of the Brooklyn lo-fi scene, Nice Face opened for Crystal Stilts at Don Pedro on Thursday night, May 14th. The band is relatively new to playing live, but I would argue they're on par with the trendy lo-fi bands, i.e. Crystal Stilts, Wavves, Vivian Girls, etc. I had already seen Crystal Stilts and wanted to check out Nice Face, whose MySpace I'd been listening to over the past year.



Their songs are a perfect mix of warped vocals, grit, noise, and dark, catchy hooks. "FUBAR Over You" and "Hidden Automatic" were definite crowd pleasers. The band always has really great original cover art, which makes buying a hard copy worth the trouble. You can find their records here: http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/. Don Pedro was the perfect venue for Nice Face's first live show in more than a year. The space is extremely small, so their performance felt very intimate, with the lead singer and guitarist standing face-to-face, ground level with the audience.



Nice Face's MySpace

-Angela

Charlyne Yi and Akron/Family Live at Bowery Ballroom, NYC

Charlyne Yi opened for Akron/Family at Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, May 6th. I saw her walking out the doors as I entered and my friend and I gave each other a knowing glance... we've all seen and loved Knocked Up! (She was the super dorky, high as a kite Asian girlfriend of Martin Starr, who I will forever think of as Bill from Freaks and Geeks.) What I had thought was just a fun celebrity sighting ended up being much, much more. She performed live, singing charmingly off-key while playing multiple instruments (guitar, small harp, accordion), mixing awkward yet delightful comedy sketches with simplistic, sweet melodies and tons of audience participation.

Charlyne Yi's MySpace



Performance artist, musician, screenwriter, actress, comedian, on-screen and possibly real-life girlfriend of Michael Cera, Charlyne is my favorite celeb of the moment. I tried my best to look for Cera, but he was nowhere to be seen. Looking forward to seeing their mockumentary Paper Heart, which comes out on August 14th!

Paper Heart's Website



Although at times I felt I was forced into a hippie commune, dancing while participating in tribal chants, and though songs were frequently extended to the point of delirium, I found Akron/Family's enthusiastic energy to be refreshing and their music and vocals to very beautiful, meditative, folksy, experimental. There were impressive amounts of dead-on a capella, and also instrumental improv, not only by the three band members but by their backup wind instruments. Even the flute was badass!



Akron/Family's MySpace

Photos courtesy of SeanEdgar and Danfun's Flickr

-Angela

Friendly Fires and White Lies at Bowery Ballroom

The Soft Pack, Friendly Fires, and White Lies played Bowery Ballroom on Friday, March 27th. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the first act, The Soft Pack, my favorite band of the three.



I did get to see the lead singer of Friendly Fires, Ed Macfarlane--who definitely resembles a young, flamboyant Malcom McDowell!--and his spastic, gyrating dance moves. He was the highlight of my night! Plus, with a guitarist who brought a dustbuster to bang against his guitar strings for ambient effects and two sets of drummers perfectly in sync, they provided a performance worth my money. "Jump in the Pool" and "Paris" were most memorable. Their music is greatly appreciated when you need a little upper in your day, and if you want to dance at a show, check these boys out live.
http://www.myspace.com/friendlyfires



It was very fitting to see the goth-inspired, macabre White Lies dressed in all-black and no surprise to feel their somber stage presence. I have to say, their irritating light effects could have given a non-epilectic kid a seizure. The random, disorienting, bright-as-fuck flashes into the audience felt like some sort of blinding defense tactic a la Rear Window rather than dramatic effect. However, I was impressed by frontman Harry McVeigh's vocals--bold and on-key. The audience was very energetic, singing along. The crowd favorite seemed to be E.S.T., which stayed stuck in my head the rest of the night.
http://www.myspace.com/whitelies

-Angela

Work To Do at 112 Greene St Studio

Street artists including Aiko, Bast, Dain, and Ellis G transformed the lower-level 112 Greene St. studio space into the vibrant, collaborative group show Work To Do, running through April 16th. Opening night, Thursday March 26th, featured deafeningly-loud 90's hip-hop and free beer and wine. Long lines wrapped along the block in the rain to get a first glimpse at the artwork!



My favorite pieces were WRONA's "Assorted Undead" series of acrylic and pen zombie creatures on cardboard. The undead suit was my favorite, but unfortunately it had already been sold.
http://www.myspace.com/death_wro




My next two favorites were available (the bawling half-head and hippie) and since I was a bit tipsy (open bars at art shows are genius!), I decided to just go for it with no qualms. I've purchased prints and small handmade crafts before (my tea mug from Etsy!), but this was my first gallery purchase. A real milestone! The show offers affordable works if you're looking to purchase art. Regardless, it's worth a browse.



-Angela