Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Won’t you be more than my Valentine?
Those of you who know me well, know that Valentine’s Day is not a big deal. I normally don’t celebrate it whether I’m single or attached. And if you really know me well, you know I’d rather get music over flowers or chocolate any day of the week.
Most women stress about not having a Valentine, but really how important is it? Ultimately I’m looking for more than one day of attention. Ideally the lucky guy I end up with will have some interest in music, or he is at least willing to be supportive and go to shows with me…even if we have already seen this band for the 30th time.
I have always called my friend Brie my musical soul mate. Brie is also in the same predicament of being fabulously hot, intelligent, and a music goddess. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to be with us?
I know that someday Brie and I will each find guy that is right for us. She will end up with that Jewish doctor (but a dentist is okay too!), and I will end up with a guy who needs a green card (we all know this is my best bet for marriage). But in the meantime we will still hold on to our hopes that one of us will find our cool, hipster, music-loving guy…and that he will have a similar friend. In order to speed up the process I have created an ad to help find a guy:
SWF looking for SM between the ages of 25-37 to share life with. Looking for a man who will be my ultimate concert buddy. Must also enjoy indie flicks and documentaries. Must claim to not be a hipster, but totally is one without looking like it. Must love to travel, especially following our favorite bands. Must have the following characteristics:
The emotion of Death Cab for Cutie
The intelligence of The Decemberists
The honesty of The Shins
The sincerity of Sufjan Stevens
The humor of OK Go
The charm of Pete Yorn
The warmth of M. Ward
The vision of Beck
The neurosis of Conor Oberst
The style of Interpol
The cockiness of Oasis
The humbleness of Coldplay
The creativity of Radiohead
The partying style of The Strokes
The dance skills of Franz Ferdinand
If you feel you fit the following description, please respond. Will be waiting here patiently listening to “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs until you do.
xoxo,
Stefania
Most women stress about not having a Valentine, but really how important is it? Ultimately I’m looking for more than one day of attention. Ideally the lucky guy I end up with will have some interest in music, or he is at least willing to be supportive and go to shows with me…even if we have already seen this band for the 30th time.
I have always called my friend Brie my musical soul mate. Brie is also in the same predicament of being fabulously hot, intelligent, and a music goddess. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to be with us?
I know that someday Brie and I will each find guy that is right for us. She will end up with that Jewish doctor (but a dentist is okay too!), and I will end up with a guy who needs a green card (we all know this is my best bet for marriage). But in the meantime we will still hold on to our hopes that one of us will find our cool, hipster, music-loving guy…and that he will have a similar friend. In order to speed up the process I have created an ad to help find a guy:
SWF looking for SM between the ages of 25-37 to share life with. Looking for a man who will be my ultimate concert buddy. Must also enjoy indie flicks and documentaries. Must claim to not be a hipster, but totally is one without looking like it. Must love to travel, especially following our favorite bands. Must have the following characteristics:
The emotion of Death Cab for Cutie
The intelligence of The Decemberists
The honesty of The Shins
The sincerity of Sufjan Stevens
The humor of OK Go
The charm of Pete Yorn
The warmth of M. Ward
The vision of Beck
The neurosis of Conor Oberst
The style of Interpol
The cockiness of Oasis
The humbleness of Coldplay
The creativity of Radiohead
The partying style of The Strokes
The dance skills of Franz Ferdinand
If you feel you fit the following description, please respond. Will be waiting here patiently listening to “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs until you do.
xoxo,
Stefania
Sunday, February 11, 2007
“In your love, my salvation lies…”
On Wednesday, February 7th I made it out to the Mercury Lounge (my first time there...whoo hoo!) to see Scottish songster, Alexi Murdoch. I actually arrived too early. The website said 9pm, but didn’t specify if that meant doors or show time. I got there at 8:30pm, and was told that doors opened at 9pm. So I stood outside talking to the doorman/bouncer, and essentially was first in line. Those of you who know my crazy concert habits are not surprised. Waiting outside wasn’t so bad. In fact I saw Alexi get out of a cab and into the venue. I got a smile, so I felt all warm a fuzzy for a few minutes.
Since it was freezing cold, they decided to let us in at 8:45pm. I immediately walked into the space where the show was going to be. The space was tiny! It was nothing like I expected. It was like a combination of the main stage and downstairs stage of the Black Cat in DC. Another thing I instantly noticed was James Iha sitting on a bench talking to some of his friends. As many of you may know I am a HUGE Smashing Pumpkins fan. HUGE. I sat down on the same bench a few seats down and nonchalantly started texting away to some of my friends who would care.
“Fancy seeing you here…”
In about 10 minutes a group of guys came in and sat next to me, James was friends with them and so at that point he was reachable to me. I still pretended to be uninterested. A part of me wanted to say something to him, but what? I mean when faced with such greatness how can you not sound like a tool? It was a similar (not entirely the same, but close) to eating about 5 feet from the members of Radiohead at Café Milano (DC). What can you say? So I settled for making eye contact and getting a head nod that says, “Hey.” Good enough for me.
James and his friends were there to see the opening act, Midnight Movies. A band from LA that has a sound that is reminiscent of the 60s and the lead singer Gena Olivier sounds like Nico, if Nico were American. I really liked this band. I found it odd they were touring with Alexi Murdoch, since they sound so different. But was pleased I was exposed to a fabulous new band. Their second album is being released this April. This is the video for their song “Patient Eye”:
So after Midnight Movies performance Alexi took the stage. The venue, if you remember was small. So small in fact there was no backstage behind the stage. So the musicians have to walk through the crowd and up the side set of stairs to get on stage. On stage it was just him and another guy, whose name totally has escaped me. Dammit! I am normally pretty good about remembering names. The gentlemen plowed through most of Alexi’s only album, Time Without Consequence. A phenomenal album if you do not own it. They played 3 or 4 songs together and then Gena, Sandra Vu, and Ryan Wood of Midnight Movies joined them on stage.
Some of the highlights for me were “Breathe,” “Love You More,” and the song where he sounds most like Nick Drake, “Orange Sky.” My favorite song he played that night was “Shine.” So good. He even surprised us by playing some new stuff. He did not play my favorite song, “Wait.” Which might be the saddest song I have heard in a while, it even rivals Sun Kil Moon’s song “Carry Me Ohio” for being the most heart wrenching.
Instead of leaving the stage and returning for an encore he made a joke about the smallness of the venue and told us he was just going to stay on stage and he’ll pretend we cheered him back on.
The show overall was fabulous. At this point in time Alexi’s following is small. I really feel that he will take off if he continues on the path he is going. You might have heard his music on “The OC,” “Prison Break,” and in the movie “Garden State” (but not on the soundtrack). If you get a chance to see him on this tour, then do it. Right now he is playing, small intimate venues…from what I can tell. Which is perfect for his style of music. This is the kind of music you want to be wrapped in a warm blanket (preferably snuggling with a sweetie) listening to. His soothing voice just calms you. He invites you to put your life on hold and just reflect. And who doesn’t need that from time to time?
xoxo,
Stefania
Alexi singing “All My Days” on Last Call with Carson Daly:
Alexi’s Site: http://www.aleximurdoch.com/
Midnight Movies’ site: http://www.midnightmovies.net/
Since it was freezing cold, they decided to let us in at 8:45pm. I immediately walked into the space where the show was going to be. The space was tiny! It was nothing like I expected. It was like a combination of the main stage and downstairs stage of the Black Cat in DC. Another thing I instantly noticed was James Iha sitting on a bench talking to some of his friends. As many of you may know I am a HUGE Smashing Pumpkins fan. HUGE. I sat down on the same bench a few seats down and nonchalantly started texting away to some of my friends who would care.
“Fancy seeing you here…”
In about 10 minutes a group of guys came in and sat next to me, James was friends with them and so at that point he was reachable to me. I still pretended to be uninterested. A part of me wanted to say something to him, but what? I mean when faced with such greatness how can you not sound like a tool? It was a similar (not entirely the same, but close) to eating about 5 feet from the members of Radiohead at Café Milano (DC). What can you say? So I settled for making eye contact and getting a head nod that says, “Hey.” Good enough for me.
James and his friends were there to see the opening act, Midnight Movies. A band from LA that has a sound that is reminiscent of the 60s and the lead singer Gena Olivier sounds like Nico, if Nico were American. I really liked this band. I found it odd they were touring with Alexi Murdoch, since they sound so different. But was pleased I was exposed to a fabulous new band. Their second album is being released this April. This is the video for their song “Patient Eye”:
So after Midnight Movies performance Alexi took the stage. The venue, if you remember was small. So small in fact there was no backstage behind the stage. So the musicians have to walk through the crowd and up the side set of stairs to get on stage. On stage it was just him and another guy, whose name totally has escaped me. Dammit! I am normally pretty good about remembering names. The gentlemen plowed through most of Alexi’s only album, Time Without Consequence. A phenomenal album if you do not own it. They played 3 or 4 songs together and then Gena, Sandra Vu, and Ryan Wood of Midnight Movies joined them on stage.
Some of the highlights for me were “Breathe,” “Love You More,” and the song where he sounds most like Nick Drake, “Orange Sky.” My favorite song he played that night was “Shine.” So good. He even surprised us by playing some new stuff. He did not play my favorite song, “Wait.” Which might be the saddest song I have heard in a while, it even rivals Sun Kil Moon’s song “Carry Me Ohio” for being the most heart wrenching.
Instead of leaving the stage and returning for an encore he made a joke about the smallness of the venue and told us he was just going to stay on stage and he’ll pretend we cheered him back on.
The show overall was fabulous. At this point in time Alexi’s following is small. I really feel that he will take off if he continues on the path he is going. You might have heard his music on “The OC,” “Prison Break,” and in the movie “Garden State” (but not on the soundtrack). If you get a chance to see him on this tour, then do it. Right now he is playing, small intimate venues…from what I can tell. Which is perfect for his style of music. This is the kind of music you want to be wrapped in a warm blanket (preferably snuggling with a sweetie) listening to. His soothing voice just calms you. He invites you to put your life on hold and just reflect. And who doesn’t need that from time to time?
xoxo,
Stefania
Alexi singing “All My Days” on Last Call with Carson Daly:
Alexi’s Site: http://www.aleximurdoch.com/
Midnight Movies’ site: http://www.midnightmovies.net/
Monday, February 05, 2007
“What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart?”
I knew the day would come where I would slack off. I just knew it! But alas, I am back and promise that I will do my best to write weekly. Anyhoo…on Friday, January 26th my roommate Stacy and I escaped the harsh, cold city to enjoy the warm soothing sounds of M. Ward (M is for Matt) at Town Hall.
The opening act was Portastic, Matt’s fellow label mates on Merge. I had never heard of them before, but after doing some research I discovered that the performance we got was pretty stripped down...it was just Mac McCaughan and Margaret White. Stacy and I were unimpressed, but I think the lackluster reaction from the crowd also validated our opinions. It was also hard to keep a straight face with some of the lyrics Mac was singing. However, the girl in front of us was shaking so hard with laughter. I’m sure Portastic is normally pretty good. I’m sure they have a following. But I will have to pass.
M. Ward took the stage and the crowd went wild, especially since he came out and just rocked out on the guitar. The stage by the way was very sparse: Matt, guitar, and piano. He then went into “Chinese Translation,” from Post-War. In the hour and a half set (including an encore) he covered songs from every album, and it was good mix from each one. “Carolina,” “Paul’s Song,” “Fuel for Fire,” “Sad, Sad Song,” “Helicopter,” “Requiem,” and “Fool Says” were some of the highlights.
He did a cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Story of an Artist” and dedicated it to his artist friends who were in the crowd and nodded towards the front row. I immediately thought that Conor Oberst might be there since the two are pals and collaborators. And Conor lives in Brooklyn, so he could easily take the subway to the show. But straining my eyes in a dark theater, I couldn’t tell.
During the encore, he had some friends join him on stage. On “Magic Trick” he had Rachel Cox and Patrick Sullivan of Oakley Hall help him out. Then on “O’Brien/O’Brien's Nocturne” a skinny white boy with shaggy hair came out. I immediately thought, “Conor!” And leaned over to Stacy to tell her so. But I couldn’t really tell, and there were no introductions. So I just assumed it wasn’t. However, I was right…it was Conor! Side note on Conor (and I’m sorry if this is TMI): As much as I love Bright Eyes, I don’t want to have his babies, like other gals (other gals…please quit yelling that when he is on stage, it’s annoying. And you are probably underage. So shut it). I like Conor, but realistically we’d never work. He’s vegan. And we all know I love meat and leather (that sounds so dirty, doesn’t it?). Okay now that I have that off my chest…
The M. Ward show was good times, and perfect treat for the January cold. If you have read some of my past blogs you know I have much love for Matt. Seeing him live was not disappointing. I highly suggest checking him out if he is playing in your town.
xoxo,
Stefania
Clip of “Fool Says” one of the sweetest love songs ever. *Sigh*
The opening act was Portastic, Matt’s fellow label mates on Merge. I had never heard of them before, but after doing some research I discovered that the performance we got was pretty stripped down...it was just Mac McCaughan and Margaret White. Stacy and I were unimpressed, but I think the lackluster reaction from the crowd also validated our opinions. It was also hard to keep a straight face with some of the lyrics Mac was singing. However, the girl in front of us was shaking so hard with laughter. I’m sure Portastic is normally pretty good. I’m sure they have a following. But I will have to pass.
M. Ward took the stage and the crowd went wild, especially since he came out and just rocked out on the guitar. The stage by the way was very sparse: Matt, guitar, and piano. He then went into “Chinese Translation,” from Post-War. In the hour and a half set (including an encore) he covered songs from every album, and it was good mix from each one. “Carolina,” “Paul’s Song,” “Fuel for Fire,” “Sad, Sad Song,” “Helicopter,” “Requiem,” and “Fool Says” were some of the highlights.
He did a cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Story of an Artist” and dedicated it to his artist friends who were in the crowd and nodded towards the front row. I immediately thought that Conor Oberst might be there since the two are pals and collaborators. And Conor lives in Brooklyn, so he could easily take the subway to the show. But straining my eyes in a dark theater, I couldn’t tell.
During the encore, he had some friends join him on stage. On “Magic Trick” he had Rachel Cox and Patrick Sullivan of Oakley Hall help him out. Then on “O’Brien/O’Brien's Nocturne” a skinny white boy with shaggy hair came out. I immediately thought, “Conor!” And leaned over to Stacy to tell her so. But I couldn’t really tell, and there were no introductions. So I just assumed it wasn’t. However, I was right…it was Conor! Side note on Conor (and I’m sorry if this is TMI): As much as I love Bright Eyes, I don’t want to have his babies, like other gals (other gals…please quit yelling that when he is on stage, it’s annoying. And you are probably underage. So shut it). I like Conor, but realistically we’d never work. He’s vegan. And we all know I love meat and leather (that sounds so dirty, doesn’t it?). Okay now that I have that off my chest…
The M. Ward show was good times, and perfect treat for the January cold. If you have read some of my past blogs you know I have much love for Matt. Seeing him live was not disappointing. I highly suggest checking him out if he is playing in your town.
xoxo,
Stefania
Clip of “Fool Says” one of the sweetest love songs ever. *Sigh*
