Aimee Mann @Music Hall of Williamsburg, Aug. 1st

Last Friday, I met up with Ste & Lora, Julie1 and Wawa (man, it had been a long time since I last saw him) for an evening featuring the ever-so-droll Aimee Mann at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Much like my prior visit to the venue, we preceded the concert with some drinks and greasy 'cue from Fette Sau, which may have somewhat dulled our abilities to pay attention. This was my third time seeing Ms. Mann (first at St. Ann's Warehouse and then at Town Hall), and it was the closest I had ever been to the blonde sliver of cool, but despite our proximity to the stage and the intimacy of the venue, I was more distracted by the people surrounding me than ever before.

I am by no means an ardent fan of Ms. Mann, but I have always appreciated the plaintive quality of her songs dealing with regret, heartbreak, relationships, and so forth. Her music may not be the most stirring but it is consistent in its lyricism and cleverness. I have a few of her albums and find that even when I'm not up to date with her catalogue, her shows are quite enjoyable for her casual banter (although how many times must we hear her bash on Phil Collins winning the Oscar over her for his Tarzan song over "Save Me?") and skilled musicianship. She does not overindulge and seems to connect with her audience quite well. Even though at first I found the group of large men behind me singing along every word kinda off key a nuisance, by the end of the show, Ms. Mann found a way to bring them into the fold, when she stumbled on the words for an audience request, and the men helped her out, to which she responded with something like, "Who knew my music could be like a German drinking chorus?"


Here is a good chunk of her probably most well-known solo song "Save Me" (before security tapped me on the shoulder to stop recording):

Bon Iver @Bowery Ballroom, July 29th

A last minute call by Shana allowed me to tag along for the wonderfully exciting Bon Iver show at the Bowery Ballroom. We got there nice and early to be front center. Unlike my last visit to the Bowery Ballroom, this show reminded me why I love this venue -- Bon Iver capitalized on the Bowery's generally great sound and intimate setting and made me an overnight fan. They, led by Justin Vernon and his beautiful soaring falsetto, were an accomplished group, taking us through melodically complex songs with layer upon layer of harmony. The songs at times reminded me of the first time I caught Grizzly Bear, but perhaps with more oomph to their beats. I really dug the mostly mellow vibe with the occasional rock out on the guitar thrown in. The songs really engaged the audience with building crescendos. At times, Vernon's falsetto reminded me of Coldplay's Chris Martin, but perhaps with the profundity that Coldplay's music often lacks.


Here's a gorgeous solo by Vernon called "Re: Stacks":

The opener, Bowerbirds, were a perfect complement to Bon Iver. This quiet trio also sang beautiful songs that might not reach headliner status but still managed to hold the attention of the crowd. Rather straightfoward folksy sounding tunes full of harmony and without gimmick.

I videoed a nice tune by them called "Teeth of Life."

For the encore, Bon Iver called Bowerbirds back onto the stage and performed a cover by Nashville singer Sarah Siskind called "Lovin's for Fools":


All in all, a gorgeous night for music!

Deerhoof @Prospect Park, July 18th

(Bad cell phone pic!)
After catching the amazing Dark Knight earlier in the day (man, Heath Ledger was good!), I brought Bestest Boy to Prospect Park for the $3 Deerhoof concert, where we met up with Shana, her Michael and Julie1 and sat in the row behind the pit. The only other time I have caught these guys was opening for Radiohead when I went out to Berkeley a few years ago, so I was very excited to see them again as headliner, and from a better vantage point. I dig their music -- experimental, punk or whatever you want to call it, and also I dig their lack of pretension. They're clearly all in a row, up front, ready to rock. They, like the time I saw The Thermals, just play the kind of music that makes you bounce your head hard without being too goddamned angry. And man, that drummer sure can tear up his four piece drum kit! It was definitely weird sitting for most of the show, but then again, my legs were probably thankful. At any rate I was happy to be bopping along to the nonsensical lyrics sung by Satomi Matsuzaki, sitting next to my sweetie.

PS -- Shana's Michael spotted part of Blonde Redhead sitting in front of us.

The dude -- which twin brother it was, who knows for sure -- got up before Deerhoof's set to twiddle with the drum kit, so we were hoping for a guest appearance, but no such luck!

Bastille Day Weekend @The Catskills, July 12th-14th

Not a gig, per se, but a great weekend out in the country. Last weekend, Bestest Boy took me to his pal Eddie C.'s annual Bastille Day Weekend Celebration in the Catskills. Before heading out of the city, we loaded up the car with some gravalax, pastrami salmon and sturgeon from Barney Greengrass; bagels and bialys from H&H; and pâté, fois gras, croissants, beaucoup de fromages et cornichons de Zabar's! Also, many, many bottles of wine.

Once up at the farm, we mainly relied on Rich, professional tapas chef and guitarist/keyboardist extraordinaire to direct the evening meals. And there was tons of grilling.

Those are dried plums (aka prunes) which were soaked in Merlot for a few hours, then stuffed with fois gras, wrapped in prosciutto, grilled, then finished off with a thyme-infused simple syrup. Heavenly!

In addition to being exquisite gourmands, many of our friends are also fantastic musicians, keeping the rest of us drunkards entertained well into the night. Oh it's amazing what a fearless singer 8 oz. of Knob Creek will make me!

The Metropolitan Opera @Prospect Park, June 20th

Friday night we went to Prospect Park in Brooklyn for a free program under the stars by the Metropolitan Opera featuring two of its stars, real-life couple Angela Gheorghiu and Robert Alagna. They were supported by a chorus and a full orchestra. I am certainly no opera buff, but have enjoyed a performance here and there, even at the big house. The outdoors program was wonderful in that (a) it was free!, (b) we had assembled a nice group of friends, (c) we brought yummy treats, (d) we could stretch out on blankets as opposed to sitting in stuffy small seats, and (e) they sang a lot of recognizable tunes (thanks, Bugs Bunny!).

Below is a solo by each that I captured on my crappy little camera of the projection screen next to the stage. The first is one of my favorite arias from Puccini's Madama Butterfly -- "Un bel dì vedremo" (One fine day we shall see) -- sung by the soprano Gheorghiu.

This next one is a solo by the tenor Alagna -- "Nessun dorma" (None shall sleep) from Turandot also by Puccini. I first became familiar with this song watching the recently deceased Pavarotti sing it on TV, but Alagna does a pretty bang up job here:


For two hours, this ultra-talented couple charmed the crowd with their playfulness and fantastic ability to emote. Gheorghiu, with her three costume changes, was absolutely stunning to behold. Here is a video I took of the two of them together -- "Te iubebc!" from Gherase Dendrino's operetta Lasati-ma sa cânt:


Luckily, the rain held off till well after the show too. A perfect evening!

Smile! You're on Candid Camera!

I heard an interesting interview with British band The Get Out Clause on The Takeaway on WNYC last week. Not that their music is especially noteworthy (kinda along the lines of Coldplay and Snow Patrol, methinks), but they talked about the band's inventive method of putting together a video for their first single "Paper."

As Wired explained about a month ago, the British government has installed security cameras all over town in attempt to curb scofflaws. Citizens are able to request any footage in which they appear within 30 days, however. And so, The Get Out Clause used this policy to their advantage, playing as a band in front of numerous security cameras, and eventually requesting and splicing said footage to form a video on a shoestring budget.

Gotta love the DIY attitude! On the Takeaway the guys intimated that they were yet to be signed by a record label, but in this day and age of the Internet, and YouTube and overall cleverness, is it really necessary?

The Breeders @Webster Hall, June 10th

Happy Birthday, ladies! Kim and Kelly Deal brought me back to my college years as they tore through a quick 75 minute or so set based mainly off their latest album, as well as a handful from Last Splash and a few Amps covers. It was thrilling seeing "Cannonball" played live, as the crowd shook the floor. I YouTubed "Here No More" down below. Can't wait to see The Breeders again when they come back for a free pool party at McCarren Pool on Sunday, July 13th (with Matt & Kim)!