Walkmen/Golem

Knowing nothing about the opening band, and a little apprehensive of The Walkmen after their last show at the Basement, I went into this experience with less then stellar expectations. Then the show started an hour late.

"Oh dear," thought I.

"Fuck you," replied the concert.

Golem is a unique sort of band, one that I wouldn't hesitate to say sounds like a Bar Mitzvah on speed. The (female) lead singer sang in Yiddish whilst wielding an accordion, the (male) singer belonged in theater with the emotion he put into singing, and the other instruments consisted of a trombone, a violin, a string bass, and drums.

And it was great.

The crowd jumped and clapped to the old-world meets new-world folk punk, and the band was as funny as it was talented.



The Walkmen then proceeded to blow my mind. They played songs off their new album and a few old hits, striking a perfect balance between the two. Hamilton Leithauser's (haha) voice was spot on as he hit his trademark high notes with ease while the rest of the band stood back and just played...awesomely. What I could say about the live music would pretty much just echo my thoughts on their latest album, You and Me: It's great stuff! Full of emotion, off the beaten path stylistically, and exciting as hell. Drummer Matt Barrick should be especially commended with how fun it is two watch him do his stuff.

Good times.



RD

What I've Been Diggin'

Well, with one measly week left until I head back down to Columbus, I have been blessed with plenty of time to listen to some new artists...

The first of which is a bluesy rock act called The Parlor Mob. I came across them through the Lollapalooza music sampler. Which is both awesome because of the free mp3, but depressing because it made me realize I missed their stage during my short trip to Chicago. Nonetheless, the band rocks pretty hard. I hear similarities to Cold War Kids, The White Stripes and The Black Keys. However, they totally have a style and sound of their own. The only thing that trumps the quality of their debut album And You Were A Crow is the reception of their live act. Definitely be on the lookout for this band, I know I will.

The second band I wanted to mention briefly go by the name of the Postelles. I came across their EP, gave it a listen, and had to grab it. Unfortunately, I missed them at Lollapalooza too. But, I suppose that is the double bladed sword aspect of a music festival, can't see 'em all. But anyway, back to the band. They have a very infectious poppy sound, you'll be humming along like you've known the songs for years. While they have that modern indie-pop/garage feel similar to a vampire weekend-strokes combo, they give me a oldie vibe, like the beatles or other 'British Invasion' bands. Ha, regardless of my vague description, you should check em out if you like anything Albert Hammond Jr./The Stokes have done.

Check these out:

Small Update

After a depressingly bad football evening with the Buckeyes (which surprisingly enough turned into a good drinking evening for me ha. ha. ha.), I think The Walkmen concert at The Basement in Columbus tomorrow is just the pick-me-up I need. I'll take some pics and throw them up perhaps.

On a side note, here's a band I've been listening the shit out of: The Gaslight Anthem. While the name at first evoked for me a vision of post-punk mediocrity, these New Jersey natives know how to spin a rocking good yarn in the style of one of N.J.'s greats, Bruce Springsteen (who they say happens to be one of their biggest influences). Here's a track from their first album, Sink or Swim, which is the edgier of the two they've released, called "1930":

Live Review: The Mars Volta - The LC - 9/12/08

So, it turned out that the Mars Volta actually played this time. And I gotta say, last night, the two cancellations and the eight months wait seemed to be a reasonable price to pay for such an excellent show. I had seen the Mars Volta before, but it wasn't anything close to this. From where I was standing the mix sounded amazing. It's hard to believe that it could sound so great with so much instrumentation going on at once, but it sure did. And unlike when I saw them touring with S.O.A.D, the crowd was actually there to support them. As a result, the amount of energy they brought was tremendous.


They opened the show with a lengthy jam that led into Bedlam's goliath of a track...'Goliath' (excuse the lame ass pun), and they never looked back. They seemed to effortlessly achieve a perfect balance of improv and structured tracks. I was so captivated that I couldn't help but get my groove on and sing out loud. I think the show pretty much topped my charts as far as adrenaline goes.


One of the standout songs during the show was the ever-so-funky 'Ilyena'. I was hoping they would play that song, but I wasn't sure how it would translate live, but just like most everything else that night, they nailed it. Despite the awesome set, I still wish they would have included my personal favorite of their discography "Roulette Dares", but they more than made up for it. Aside from that, the only thing that brought the show down a bit was standing on the fringe of the 'mosh pit'. However,towards the end of the show Cedric asked them to stop, and I really appreciated that. I kind of expected him to say something earlier given his opinion about the topic, but better late than never I suppose.


Another highlight of the show was when Cedric addressed the two previous cancellations with a brief chat with the crowd that went something along the lines of this:

"You probably thought I was in the tour bus just smokin' weed...
But I was actually in the tour bus sick AND smokin' weed.
...Big difference
So, for that, we'll play an old one"
(*again, that's roughly what he said)

photo of me with 100% of the dinosaur population attending the show.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos, I thought they turned out pretty well. You can see my whole album here. In conclusion, from my experience, I'll leave you with this advice; see these guys when they are headlining, you will not regret it.

tony

Everyone Likes It

I'm not exactly sure what this is supposed to be advertising, but I'm positive it's doing a great job, ha. Hats off to "Cleatus's Farm Equipment n' Such's" marketing division...

(location: Ashland, OH Route 60)

Goliath, Are You Receiving?

Sept 12 finally peaked it's head around the corner. Tomorrow is the scheduled re-re-reschedule for the Mars Volta Newport show. As you may know, it is no longer being held at the Newport, but the LC. I'm still optimistic, I think they will make up for it with an amazing show. Hopefully they will do something cool for the Newport ticket holders.

Anyway, I'll be back Saturday night with at least some pictures. Hopefully, they are of a concert this time instead of police escorting people away from the venue.

/Crosses Fingers,
tony

Hydrogen Vs. Boost: Translated

Ha, found this video on digg a second ago, made my night. Check it out.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

An Amazing Find: Andrew Bird

After purchasing Andrew Bird's Live at Austin City Limits today, I stumbled across this gem on youtube. It's a short documentary on Andrew Bird titled "Weather Systems". It's really nice to see an artist like this on such a personal level, and comforting knowing that he's just a normal guy aside from all the talent of course. Anyway, check it out, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Free Cool Kids

Thanks to GreenLabelSound.com, here you are. Just hit the download or play button, it's free because of some totally hip marketing scheme from some soda company. Whatever, free cool kids! Chitown Waz good?

This Should Be a Good Year

The Walkmen just put down a performance of their latest single "In the New Year" off of their album You and Me which was deservingly praised by me. Anyway, they are featured over at pitchfork.tv on Juan's Basement. Here is the clip, enjoy.



I gotta say, stellar performance fellas.

And if you would like to see these guys for yourself (and I suggest you do), they will be playing at the Basement on Sept 15 in Columbus. If you're in town, I wouldn't advise you to miss it.

Back to watching Apple's "let's rock" event unfold,
tony

Naked People!

Heh, I found a new favorite banner ad while shopping for some new treads over at zappos. What a great way to get people to click your link. Kudos to you zappos marketing team.

Unfortunately, the following isn't exactly what I though I would see after clicking the link.


It's cool though zappos, I shouldn't expect that of you, I'm sorry. I'm glad I could advertise your "clothing" on my page. Now just drop the prices on the New Balance 420's and we will be cool.

Snake? Consent?

Well when I woke up today the colbert report was on, SCORE!



I guess I don't know all that much about David Patterson besides him being blind and having an affair. But he seems like a real cool dude.



I'd love to stay and chat but I'm on my way to the pet store,
tony

ton-e-wok #5

New Office Teaser

Hey don't forget about the office season 5 premier on Sept 25. Here is the new teaser. Have a look...



Although this is completely unrelated, here is a screen of myspace's homepage that I just had to grab. Mainly just to let people know. The Issue of how hard Avril rocks has finally been put to rest by Myspace's finest.

It's just So true. And I really wanna check out that Rottweiler who loves a kitten.

top 5 bands that rock equally hard if not harder than Avril (in no order)
5) Metallica (St. Anger Era)
4) The NEW new kids on the block
3) A Flock of Seagulls
2) vintage new kids on the block
1) Kenny G

go browns,
tony

Crossing My Fingers For Tuesday

Well it looks like a photo of the new nano has leaked (possibly). This redesign seems pointless to me. I actually like the more square approach. To me, having obviously not handled the new device, it seems the screen will feel smaller since it is so narrow, much like the generation before. That is, unless they include the "turn it sideways" function that a lot of media players are getting nowadays.

Then we get to the subject of memory. Massive amounts of flash memory seems to be the future of the ipod. Just thinking of an 80 gig ipod classic makes my wallet open a bit. But more realistically, I would love to see a 16 gig nano. I'm not asking for 32, as I realize they need something to release down the line. I don't think 16 is so much to ask for. Then again, we are talking about the nano, so I bet they keep it 4/8 gigs. There is always the Touch I suppose. The touch has just always been slightly out of my price range. But, with the rumors of price cuts to the ipod line to defend them from the monster that is the iphone, that could change.

Also, an itunes update has been confirmed, and that's all well and good. But, I have a feeling apple has something up their sleeve. Maybe this is me just being desperate, but what if they reveal the rumored itunes subscription plan. Not only would that be awesome, but I think it would be an excellent move to boost album sales.

Welp, regardless, we'll see on Tuesday. Oh hey, Spore comes out tomorrow!

tony

Random Comic

Yeah yeah, lack of posting...
This should cheer you up.


smbc-comics.com