Wild and wobbly weekend
Despite the untimely demise of the 2005 Yankees season, I'm feeling pretty chipper this morning. And why, you may ask? I had a really good weekend. There's nothing like great music and good company to make life more enjoyable, no?
I was supposed to meet up with Marti on Friday evening for some piano bar-ing, but she got stuck at work. This was unfortunate, of course, but at the same time fortuitous, for I'd been trying vainly to come up with a way to hang with Marti and yet still manage to take in Derek's band, Dream Into Dust at Cake Shop. With Marti bailing, I got to the show in plenty of time.
I have to say that I'm more and more impressed with Dream Into Dust each time I see them. Their sound is extremely unique, featuring effected acoustic guitar and delicate, aching vocals (courtesy of Derek) surrounded by swirling clouds of noise (provided by Bryin Dall's guitar abuse). Their keyboardist and bassist are also really solid, but in all honesty it's all about Derek and Bryin. They're a fearsome combination. I'd recommend that everyone make every effort to catch them live. I took some pictures with my phone, but they all came out looking like soup.
Alas.
Cake Shop is an interesting venue, but pretty tiny. Saturday evening, however, took me to the opposite extreme as I took in a show at Radio City Music Hall. And what show would that be?
Dead Can Dance.
I had the good fortune to catch them back in 1995, shortly after moving here to New York City. In fact, that was the first concert I saw after become a citizen of our fair metropolis. The band was phenomenal back in '95 and they certainly did not disappoint this time around. They played for almost two hours and were simply fantastic. A heady mix of middle eastern, medieval, folk, and experimental. Just gorgeous. Lisa Gerrard continues to be one of the most adventurous vocalists around, using her four octave range to take us all on a roller coaster ride of sound. Brendan Perry's rugged baritone is similarly compelling, if in a complete different way. They played with what looked like a 25 piece orchestra and filled Radio City with divine music.
The next evening I continued my joust with culture shock by heading to Byte on Sunday night. Byte is a monthly gothic/industrial night similar to Contempt, but on a much larger scale. That is to say three floors of music. I did have quite a bit to drink before I arrived, so it's all a bit of a blur. I do, however, remember dancing and having a great time.
I woke up slightly after noon yesterday (having not gone to bed until about five that morning) and spent the day dawdling around the house. Then I watched the Yankees fall apart once again. Can't say that was any surprise.
But at least the Red Sux didn't make it either...
;-)
Today's audio supplements:
Dr. Israel - Inna City Pressure
(drum and bass meets reggae and dub in some back room somewhere)
Mad Professor - Meet In Berlin At Checkpoint Charlie
(the Mad One dub-izes Puls Der Zeit, a German rock band)
Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night
(guaranteed heartache)
Various - Gyro Jams!!
(thumping drum and bass)
June Christy - Something Cool
(Peggy Lee-esque beauty and sly winks)
I was supposed to meet up with Marti on Friday evening for some piano bar-ing, but she got stuck at work. This was unfortunate, of course, but at the same time fortuitous, for I'd been trying vainly to come up with a way to hang with Marti and yet still manage to take in Derek's band, Dream Into Dust at Cake Shop. With Marti bailing, I got to the show in plenty of time.
I have to say that I'm more and more impressed with Dream Into Dust each time I see them. Their sound is extremely unique, featuring effected acoustic guitar and delicate, aching vocals (courtesy of Derek) surrounded by swirling clouds of noise (provided by Bryin Dall's guitar abuse). Their keyboardist and bassist are also really solid, but in all honesty it's all about Derek and Bryin. They're a fearsome combination. I'd recommend that everyone make every effort to catch them live. I took some pictures with my phone, but they all came out looking like soup.
Alas.
Cake Shop is an interesting venue, but pretty tiny. Saturday evening, however, took me to the opposite extreme as I took in a show at Radio City Music Hall. And what show would that be?
Dead Can Dance.
I had the good fortune to catch them back in 1995, shortly after moving here to New York City. In fact, that was the first concert I saw after become a citizen of our fair metropolis. The band was phenomenal back in '95 and they certainly did not disappoint this time around. They played for almost two hours and were simply fantastic. A heady mix of middle eastern, medieval, folk, and experimental. Just gorgeous. Lisa Gerrard continues to be one of the most adventurous vocalists around, using her four octave range to take us all on a roller coaster ride of sound. Brendan Perry's rugged baritone is similarly compelling, if in a complete different way. They played with what looked like a 25 piece orchestra and filled Radio City with divine music.
The next evening I continued my joust with culture shock by heading to Byte on Sunday night. Byte is a monthly gothic/industrial night similar to Contempt, but on a much larger scale. That is to say three floors of music. I did have quite a bit to drink before I arrived, so it's all a bit of a blur. I do, however, remember dancing and having a great time.
I woke up slightly after noon yesterday (having not gone to bed until about five that morning) and spent the day dawdling around the house. Then I watched the Yankees fall apart once again. Can't say that was any surprise.
But at least the Red Sux didn't make it either...
;-)
Today's audio supplements:
Dr. Israel - Inna City Pressure
(drum and bass meets reggae and dub in some back room somewhere)
Mad Professor - Meet In Berlin At Checkpoint Charlie
(the Mad One dub-izes Puls Der Zeit, a German rock band)
Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night
(guaranteed heartache)
Various - Gyro Jams!!
(thumping drum and bass)
June Christy - Something Cool
(Peggy Lee-esque beauty and sly winks)
posted by Ben at 9:34 AM
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