Lunch and Dresses
Went to Rotier's today for lunch. Fuckin awesome. And Galaga was to be had. I'm wearing a mod outfit, well maybe not mod, but this weird 60ish dress that is red and has a high waist. It's more maroon, actually, and has these blue flowers with yellow centers on them...and I am wearing dress shoes to boot. I am either losing my mind or am turning into Thora Birch. More girly by the day, I tell you, more girly by the day. It was ten dollars at a thrift store on Louise Place, across from Cafe Chocolat, so hey, what can you do?
Holla.
The Short Story
Here's the cliff notes:
Working a lot. 3 jobs now. we'll see how that goes.
Paper still undone. Getting closer, but not close enough.
Saw Shaggy last night as a VIP...ha ha. It was interesting (details to come).
Saw my friend Rick play on Wednesday night...that was entertaining, especially because of this one chick Julian who was also playing...I couldn't make it up if I tried. A song cycle about the ODYSSEY and a mini skirt and...I'll fill in the hilarious blanks on that later.
Hope all is well.
As They Say, Music City USA
I don't really agree with this nomenclature for Nashvegas, but due to my recent dippings into the music scene, I guess it makes a bit of sense. There were many shows I missed during the year (Frank Black, Jucifer, Venus Hum, etc and so on), but some I caught (Catpower, Johnny Marr and the Healers). As it turns out, I was going to go to a show on Friday night, but way leading onto way and conversation onto conversation, I got there a tad bit late (can we say 1am) and it was all over. I still caught up with Mike and Rick from work, but they were on the way out and / or home. Mike had to go home to his woman (yes, married), and Rick made an offhand comment about his plant not caring if he makes it in at a certain time. I think he told me once that he was divorced, but then, he seems young...but then, it is Smashville...and the South....
The continuation was last night. I was going to work on my paper (heh heh heh) but called up Justin to see what was up in Buffalo, and we had a nice long conversation, as it had been a while. Then I went to Guido's (home of good pizza and some house concerts) to see Bells for Aida and some mathrock bands. The first one was called Moreland Audio, and they were awesome. The drummer REALLY impressed me for some reason, which is weird because what do I know about good drummers...? But he rocked and made suitably interesting faces (nothing along the lines of PhiLL Ramey faces : ) or the guy that looked like he was Chris Elliot doing you know what..) He just seemed really determined, and had great fills and plain out and out rocked ass! He had rhythm to spare, and as I would find out later, personality to match. Let me set the scene for you: As I say, Guido's is a little pizza joint right across the street from V--t, and it has a mighty fine slice o' pie. But they also bring live music to their basement for the kids and squids to enjoy. It is a really tiny space, but a good one at that. For some reason the vibe (no comment) reminds me of the grandpa's basement feel of Cecilie's, except it's pizza and not coffee. You walk down a sort of rickety set of stairs to the basement, a set of stairs that suitably remind me of the ones leading to my own basement: wooden, not really splintered, but creaky. As I walked down, I spotted out CJ and Mike and sat on down. Moreland Audio was already on, and I was sort of sorry that I was late. I have this thing for punctuality, but then, I was talking to my brother, so it seemed like and okay excuse. Moreland Audio just rocked. This is what a website (sponiczine) had to say about Moreland Audio:
This is one of those albums that I would like to like more than I do because it seems so technically intelligent. I’m not above admitting that I might not have the attention span required to bring something like this to the foreground. Moreland Audio is a three piece instrumental outfit who make muscular, off rhythm, ricocheted rock. Much of it is really tight, harsh and jagged, but nevertheless built upon intriguing layers of juxtaposition.
Their bio practically begs for them not to be slugged with any “post” labels. I’m happy to oblige. Too many grad students out there are writing music reviews. There’s a lot less affected artiness in Moreland Audio than in Tortoise and their ilk. Still, I’m a flyby fan of much instrumental music or I use it to cushion the background when I’m doing other tasks (including getting dressed to go out, smoking dope and talking, and cleaning my apartment). Still there’s much to appreciate for people who want to hear something daring and removed from the missionary comfort of verse, chorus, verse.
And this one from adequacy.net:
From the ashes of Atlanta's indie darlings Purkinje Shift, Gary Flom and Ben Davis have risen to become Moreland Audio. The two guitarists have a new drummer, Adam Overton, in tow and a brand new album being released this month. The trio's eight-song epic is obviously missing both bass and vocals, but for fans of math rock or post-rock, Moreland Audio will be a treat that is easy to lose yourself in.
Moreland Audio is a bit hard to classify. They have obvious jazz roots, and the music itself is at least based on rock, but the result is something different all together. The album plays out like one long jam, with only subtle changes and progressions marking the switch between songs. The music is intricate and cerebral but still highly enjoyable for exactly the same reason. Despite the technical level, everything here still sounds organic and completely natural. You can tell that these guys understand each other about as completely as possible and this feeling is passed on to the listener.
Turbogold will definitely take you on an emotional and intellectual journey filled with a variety of highs and lows. It's as though you are getting plugged right into the music itself and I can't imagine a more elaborate musical experience than this. I imagine the group's live show contains a lot of impromptu jamming depending on the mood of the band and crowd and where the music is destined to take them all that night.
Moreland Audio, like many similar bands, will not please everyone. If you don't like instrumental music or can't handle music that is going to make you think, then this is not the album for you. However, if you enjoy music that will simply captivate you then you should make sure you pick up Turbogold and give it a go. Bands this cohesive don't pop up everyday, and you'd be remiss to miss out on the experience.
If you like mathrockish action, check 'em out. Definitely worth a listen, in my opinion. I read one review that slammed them saying that they couldn't concentrate on the music if they were in a padded cell. I obviously left that one out... What I liked was how hard they rocked. Lap steel? It reminded me of the interesting contraptions that the Modey Lemon sling to their drums to make some sound. What was the best was just watching the three guys interact, get into it, and smile either about the fun they were having or something about the song itself and how they happened to be playing it. I always dig it when I see musicians that get into it and aren't too pretentious to show it.
The second band was nothing to write home about. I even forget their name. VERY mathrock (I hate the term, but what the hell do you call it?) and annoying vocals. That is what hits or misses it for me: the vocals of such bands. They had a moog (yes, Marty, a MOOG!) and that was cool. A coupla songs were very plink plunky ya bla blee blee bleeeish, which was cool, and happy making, but when the songs had words, they were either kinda vapid (something about a surfspot, 6'swells) or just too loud for me, too grating, I guess.
The third band, Bells for Aida, were AWESOME! I knew them from WRVU stuff, and they're a local Nashville band. What's nice is that they aren't Nashville -- they do a very experimental Sigur Rós-esque thing, although I hate comparing them. One guy plays his bass or guitar with a bow sometimes, and they are superartsy, and have a film going on behind them / on top of them. Black and white film projector style, with anything from strange old movies about going to the moon and to landscapy shots. Interesting. Good sound...soothing, and I just wanted to close my eyes and soak it in.
Between sets, I met Adam, the drummer from Moreland Audio. Really nice and interesting guy...we ended up talking philosophy and film and everything in between. That's the accidental for you. I talked to him after the 2nd band's show, and then CJ hijacked the conversation to talk music and touring stuff, because he is a traveling musician in his off time. But after the show / before Bells for Aida, we sorta struck up a conversation, and it was rollin. It's been a while since I've met someone like that where things just clicked. He's going out to Valencia, CA for gradschool - to get an MFA...He's arsty, but not pretentious. We're supposed to email each other, and I fully intend on following through on it. He's no Citgo Girl, but maybe I'll see him again at some point, or at least we'll develop an email repoire.
Sorry this got to be a bit long winded. In other news, I am NOT dying, contrary to my hypochondriac beliefs...It isn't pneumonia or bronchitis, although I sound like I am gonna hack up a lung. (This has been going on for like 3 weeks now.) It has been taken as allergies...and so I have some Allegra to try out, and see how it goes...awful. On the one hand, it's good that I'm not dying (yes, melodramatic), but at the same time, the thought that it is the allergy bowl of Nashvegas that's getting to me is a bit disconcerting, considering the fact that I will stay here for a coupla more years yet.
Hope all is well. Holla!
