As is Arcade Fire's latest album The Suburbs.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Happy New Year
A year and a day ago I arrived in New York with an overstuffed van of belongings and no place to put any of it. It's been a hell of a year.
My first couple months here were spent in a hopeless repetition of long days filled with applying for jobs I didn't want and working a random smattering of gigs, usually for little to no pay. I remember the misery of submitting cover letter after cover letter and the anxiety of having no prospects whatsoever on the horizon. Despite it all, I can only recall those months with fondness now. Amidst the interminable hours spent leaching off the wireless and air conditioning from the coffee shop across the street were mild Fall days where, after a morning of combing through the job boards, the bulk of afternoons were devoted to deciding what we wanted to cook for dinner. We were still exploring the mundanities of the city around us -- discovering jogging routes, determining the best grocery store to shop from, figuring out subway and bus routes. The days, unoccupied by any job obligations, stretched long and -- oddly enough -- full of promise. The city could hold anything and it was there for you to find, just around the next corner.
Brooklyn was still a faraway place, set aside like a book we were curious about but didn't have time to crack open yet. Words like "Houston" and "Canal" were suddenly unfamiliar on our tongues, the bridges reaching across the rivers were indiscernible from one another, and every street looked the same. We had signed a year-long lease but had no idea if we could sustain ourselves here for that long. Everything seemed nebulous and uncertain, except for the conviction that this was a place I needed to find a way to stay in, otherwise I would regret it for the rest of my life.
And now it's a year later. Work has been comfortably steady for the past 8 or 9 months, while still allowing me enough time to pursue side projects or take trips to new cities. My idea of New York has gradually expanded far beyond the confines of Lower Manhattan to include places like Long Island and New Jersey. There's a strong familiarity with the structure and layout of the city now, allowing you time to notice quainter things like the ubiquity of scaffolding or how my boogers are a lot gnarlier here than they were in Los Angeles. Idiosyncrasies abound, and you learn to do things anew. Eat, drink, walk, drive, freeze, sweat, go to the library, shop at the grocery store -- you learn to do all of it over again. And in the process you really, truly fall in love with a city.
This has been a year of change, to put it laughably mildly. A year ago I was listening to "Empire State of Mind" pounding out of car windows while wondering how the hell I was going to pay my rent; today I'm heading over to Jay-Z's midtown offices to work on background visuals for his concert with Eminem (oh yeah, brief update on the company -- it would seem Possible Productions is on the cusp of some big things). A year ago I didn't know where to get anything I needed; today I have books lining my shelves and a refrigerator full of food. A year ago the apartment was freshly painted and scrubbed down; today the walls have yellowed just the slightest and a layer of dust has settled comfortably over the floor beneath my bed and all of the other spaces we've come to not use.
A year ago New York was a challenge; today it's home.
Anyway, here's a grab bag of moments from this past year.
My first couple months here were spent in a hopeless repetition of long days filled with applying for jobs I didn't want and working a random smattering of gigs, usually for little to no pay. I remember the misery of submitting cover letter after cover letter and the anxiety of having no prospects whatsoever on the horizon. Despite it all, I can only recall those months with fondness now. Amidst the interminable hours spent leaching off the wireless and air conditioning from the coffee shop across the street were mild Fall days where, after a morning of combing through the job boards, the bulk of afternoons were devoted to deciding what we wanted to cook for dinner. We were still exploring the mundanities of the city around us -- discovering jogging routes, determining the best grocery store to shop from, figuring out subway and bus routes. The days, unoccupied by any job obligations, stretched long and -- oddly enough -- full of promise. The city could hold anything and it was there for you to find, just around the next corner.
Brooklyn was still a faraway place, set aside like a book we were curious about but didn't have time to crack open yet. Words like "Houston" and "Canal" were suddenly unfamiliar on our tongues, the bridges reaching across the rivers were indiscernible from one another, and every street looked the same. We had signed a year-long lease but had no idea if we could sustain ourselves here for that long. Everything seemed nebulous and uncertain, except for the conviction that this was a place I needed to find a way to stay in, otherwise I would regret it for the rest of my life.
And now it's a year later. Work has been comfortably steady for the past 8 or 9 months, while still allowing me enough time to pursue side projects or take trips to new cities. My idea of New York has gradually expanded far beyond the confines of Lower Manhattan to include places like Long Island and New Jersey. There's a strong familiarity with the structure and layout of the city now, allowing you time to notice quainter things like the ubiquity of scaffolding or how my boogers are a lot gnarlier here than they were in Los Angeles. Idiosyncrasies abound, and you learn to do things anew. Eat, drink, walk, drive, freeze, sweat, go to the library, shop at the grocery store -- you learn to do all of it over again. And in the process you really, truly fall in love with a city.
This has been a year of change, to put it laughably mildly. A year ago I was listening to "Empire State of Mind" pounding out of car windows while wondering how the hell I was going to pay my rent; today I'm heading over to Jay-Z's midtown offices to work on background visuals for his concert with Eminem (oh yeah, brief update on the company -- it would seem Possible Productions is on the cusp of some big things). A year ago I didn't know where to get anything I needed; today I have books lining my shelves and a refrigerator full of food. A year ago the apartment was freshly painted and scrubbed down; today the walls have yellowed just the slightest and a layer of dust has settled comfortably over the floor beneath my bed and all of the other spaces we've come to not use.
A year ago New York was a challenge; today it's home.
Anyway, here's a grab bag of moments from this past year.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sexual Solicitations Of The Bradburyian Variety
It's either the English major, sci fi fan, geek, pop-music-enjoyer, or hormonal teenager inside of me that's getting a kick out of this. NSFW, if that sort of thing pertains to you. Who knew UCB girls got down like that?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Chi-City Sighs
Chicago obviously has much more to offer than Lollapalooza, and this trip over the last week marked my first time in the city. Fondly known as the Second City, Chicago has more than a few residents who will readily admit the city's own little-brother complex, always ready to be a step behind or a buck short (Cubs fans in particular, it seems). Still, though I heard more than one native Chicagoan say -- with some amount of envy -- "It ain't New York" this past week, Chicago has nothing to be coy about. It's a sterling city whether you look at it on its own or in comparison to any other city in the world.
A stunning skyline, a rich history, a vibrant culture -- Chicago's got those in spades. The streets of the city may not have the familiarity or sex appeal of a city like New York, but believe you me, walk down any one of them and you can find something that stimulates, stuns, or demands your attention. Here are some things from the trip that did just that for me.
Where's Waldo?
A stunning skyline, a rich history, a vibrant culture -- Chicago's got those in spades. The streets of the city may not have the familiarity or sex appeal of a city like New York, but believe you me, walk down any one of them and you can find something that stimulates, stuns, or demands your attention. Here are some things from the trip that did just that for me.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Lollapalooza, Part 02
It's been three days of fun and sun, food and booze, music and madness here in Chicago. Lollapalooza 2010 was a hell of a ride, allowing me to not only see some of my favorite acts for the first time, but also opening my eyes to old acts I'd never given an honest shot and new acts I'd never heard of before. To try to properly convey the entire experience in a few paragraphs seems foolhardy and inadequate, so I'll just post some pictures and leave you with this tidbit:
After spending the whole day roasting under the sun, hopping from stage to stage to catch act after act, drinking and eating and drinking some more, it's remarkable that the human mind still has the capacity for a moment of unimpeded clarity, when it realizes the buzz of the alcohol and the contact high its been riding all day has given way to something new -- an adrenal rush that stems purely from the pulsing notes pouring out of the speakers, from the chorus of 100,000 voices crying out together in desperately earnest song, from the suffocating crush of bodies churning and shifting and bouncing and shaking in unison -- and in this moment you finally begin to realize what you've suspected your whole life, a basic truth about the profundity a few simple notes and a shared experience can bring.
And onto the pictures! We (being Roy, Figge, and I, with occasional guest appearances from Roy's college friend Lily and her boyfriend Tom, as well as Figge's friend Josh) started things off a little late on Friday, and I hadn't quite gotten into the flow of taking pictures yet so I don't have anything from the acts we caught that day (except for the Chromeo shot from the last post), so we'll kick things off with Saturday.
Wild Beasts. Awesome band I just found out about. Definitely worth checking out.
Warpaint. Dreamy electro-pop all-girl group (with, fun fact, Shannyn Sossamon's sister on bass (in the middle)). I dig these girls' steez.
The xx. Gotta say, their live show -- as expected -- wasn't all that exciting, but the music's good, and the vibe's mellow. I'm not sure I'd be anxious to see them again, but I had a good time.
Perry Farrell (of Jane's Addiction, and founder of Lollapalooza).
Cut Copy. I never really got into these guys, but they put on a really fun show.
This is, sadly, the best picture I ended up with of Phoenix.
But here's a video to make up for it:
Sunday kicked off with a repeat viewing of Company of Thieves. I can't get enough of these guys; they're that awesome.
In the afternoon we caught Freelance Whales. I was curious if their eclectic electronic folk-pop would translate in a live show, but they played a beautiful set.
Mumford & Sons. Another band I had never properly investigated before the weekend, and we only caught the tail end of their show, but they made enough of an impact that I'll definitely be doing some exploring in the next few weeks.
We took it easy for the next few hours, but I did make my way over to MGMT briefly. Yeah, they drew a big audience. Yeah, I didn't care enough to get any closer than this. I still love Oracular Spectacular, but that new album is so unimpressive, and their live performance, unfortunately, isn't much more riveting.
Swung by The Temper Trap's stage. I wasn't particularly enthralled by their album, but their live show was definitely more enjoyable than I expected. "Sweet Disposition" was about as awesome live as I hoped it would be. I swear everybody from spacey hipster chicks to muscle-clad jocks were vibing to that song. This is them in one of their tamer moments.
Closing the festival was Soundgarden and Arcade Fire. This was the crowd waiting for Soundgarden (and that's their stage in the distance).
We opted to watch Arcade Fire instead, which drew a similarly massive crowd. We clawed and elbowed our way to the front, but this is, again, sadly, the best picture I could get of them.
So here's another video instead:
Good times at Lollapalooza this year. Believe it or not, that wasn't even the full list of bands we saw. We managed to sneak in a few songs from the setlists of The New Pornographers, Matt & Kim (who put on an incredible show), Neon Trees, The Black Keys, Lady Gaga, The Strokes, Stars, Metric, Spoon, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and The National. Needless to say, it was an exhausting weekend, but I couldn't get enough. I'm definitely going to try to come back next year. Until then...
After spending the whole day roasting under the sun, hopping from stage to stage to catch act after act, drinking and eating and drinking some more, it's remarkable that the human mind still has the capacity for a moment of unimpeded clarity, when it realizes the buzz of the alcohol and the contact high its been riding all day has given way to something new -- an adrenal rush that stems purely from the pulsing notes pouring out of the speakers, from the chorus of 100,000 voices crying out together in desperately earnest song, from the suffocating crush of bodies churning and shifting and bouncing and shaking in unison -- and in this moment you finally begin to realize what you've suspected your whole life, a basic truth about the profundity a few simple notes and a shared experience can bring.
And onto the pictures! We (being Roy, Figge, and I, with occasional guest appearances from Roy's college friend Lily and her boyfriend Tom, as well as Figge's friend Josh) started things off a little late on Friday, and I hadn't quite gotten into the flow of taking pictures yet so I don't have anything from the acts we caught that day (except for the Chromeo shot from the last post), so we'll kick things off with Saturday.
Wild Beasts. Awesome band I just found out about. Definitely worth checking out.
Sunday kicked off with a repeat viewing of Company of Thieves. I can't get enough of these guys; they're that awesome.
Good times at Lollapalooza this year. Believe it or not, that wasn't even the full list of bands we saw. We managed to sneak in a few songs from the setlists of The New Pornographers, Matt & Kim (who put on an incredible show), Neon Trees, The Black Keys, Lady Gaga, The Strokes, Stars, Metric, Spoon, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and The National. Needless to say, it was an exhausting weekend, but I couldn't get enough. I'm definitely going to try to come back next year. Until then...
[videos courtesy of Figge]
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Lollapalooza, Part 01
Just a brief update before I head out again tonight, but here are a few photos of what's been going on through the first two days of Lollapalooza 2010 in Chicago.
Company of Thieves at the House of Blues the night before Lollapalooza.
Chromeo!
The xx.
A full update to come...
Company of Thieves at the House of Blues the night before Lollapalooza.
A full update to come...
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