Hello my followers, I know I know, long time no see...but I've been VERY busy since Blog #2 and I have lots on my plate, what can you do??
First off, I hate to start on a sad note, but I have to get this off my chest...the recent tragedy of the slaying of local East Northport, Long Island mother Ann Pabo & her 12-year-old son Connelle really hit home because I KNEW HER FOR YEARS!! I used to see Ann around town, on the bus, all the time, as she worked at this Huntington Village law office (I think), and she brought Connelle along on rare occasions...I didn't know her that well, but I always thought she was very nice, gentle & pleasant, dignified even...she kept to herself most of the time, she had a sweet, high, raspy, speaking voice, and wore round glasses. It was always nice seeing her around, I always said hello, she had a nice presence, never thought anything more. Then I saw in the paper of her son being slain, and I thought "how tragic"...THEN I saw the picture of both of them...I never knew her last name was Pabo...and things hit home...I was shocked...then I saw pictures in the paper from the vigil held in their honour at the E.Northport train station, kids holding candles, and I almost lost it...it's one thing to see stories and pictures of murder victims and think "how tragic", but quite another when it's someone you actually KNOW...whether a family member, close friend, or just a pleasant regular you see around town, and it really hit me hard. I wanted to attend the vigil but I had no idea when it was held and I was working...so I feel it's my duty and obligation to honour Ann & Connelle in my blog here...it's the least I can do, to give them a sense of dignity and closure, for them and for me. RIP Ann & Connelle Pabo...you will be missed, you were quiet but made a small impact in my life.
OK, now on to happier topics, like....music!! ;)
Recent acquisitions have been:
1-- M.I.A...."Maya" (N.E.E.T.-XL-Interscope)...a lot better than many reviews of the album, which tore it apart...I like it a LOT...I think the negative reviews stem from the fact they expected it to venture further into hiphop territory, when in fact MIA is more about the experimental, industrial, rock, noise, Europop and danceclub side of her...a little Gaga, a little NIN, a little early Ministry. I prefer this, a challenge, rather than her giving people what they want, aka "Paper Planes II"...MIA is not that kind of artist, and I am not big into people-pleasers, unless their ART is what the people want and she pleases herself first. Nuff said.
2-- Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse..."Dark Night Of The Soul" (LEX-Capitol/EMI)...the finally-released onetime collab between Danger Mouse and damaged genius Mark Linkous (aka Sparklehorse) (and many guests) is excellent but bittersweet...as the label dispute was a partial reason why Mark committed suicide, and really, the label should feel responsible, as we lost one of our modern day renaissance men because of stupid business decisions...at least the album is dedicated to him as well as featured guest Vic Chesnutt, who also passed away. The whole album is a masterpiece, which doesn't hurt that it features other guest spots by the Flaming Lips, Nina Persson (famously of the Cardigans and A Camp), Susanne Vega, warped filmmaker/musician David Lynch, and many more. Dark, tuneful, and sad...a triumph of this or 2008, when it was supposed to be released.
3-- Sheryl Crow..."100 Miles From Memphis" (A&M/Interscope)...great followup to 2008's "Detours", and a nice sorta-tribute to her southern soul roots, including Stax & Hi Records...as well as 70s AM radio pop...it's full of great originals and a few inspired covers of Terence Trent D'Arby's "Sign Your Name" (with one Justin Timberlake...who is from Memphis) and the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", a tribute to her onetime boss...there is even the reggae-ish "Eye To Eye" featuring one Keith Richards!!! Sheryl is on a roll..."Summer Day" is a great first single and "Peaceful Feeling" rocks.
4-- Jacob Vanags..."Pulses Are Pluses" (self-released)...featured artist at July's Every Third Thursday at LIVE in East Northport, this EP by NY transplant via Ohio is awesome...he's a piano powerpop artist in the same vein as Ben Folds but with his own twist...he's very melodic with catchy hooks. cool lyrics, a sense of humour, and creativity in arrangements...if it were up to me, Jake would be headed for the top of the pop charts ASAP...hey, it might happen regardless!! Watch out for this guy.
5-- Michelle Raitzin..."Michelle Raitzin" (Rondel Records)...this self-released 2009 debut album by Great Neck, Long Island, 18-year old powerpop singer/songwriter/pianist Michelle Raitzin really shows great promise. 7 of the 11 tunes are co-writes by Michelle and her dad Michael, and the other 4 are good-to-great covers of outside material...but the sequence of the album emphasizes her writing and originals, not the covers, which basically fill the album out nicely. The album is good pop/powerpop with nice arrangements and really good, radio-friendly vocals...she shows serious promise...if I can compare her to anyone, I would say she is not unlike aspiring Long Island artist Kyle Lardner or LI duo Jac & Jill...accessible and radio-friendly, homespun even, but more than just a demo, and not overly commercial or polished like the horrible Charice. There is SERIOUS promise with Michelle, as she is a great performer, a growing writer, a really good and charming singer, she was on numerous Kidz Bop records growing up and more, but I just saw the album on Amazon.com and saw a seller was selling the album for $600!!!! Like, why??? Was she picked up by a major label and this album forced to be out-of-print???? Any answers would be helpful.
6-- Pete Sanchez..."Raccoon Maizy" (Sir Chorus Beef Publishing)...this band of 2 sets of brothers (George & Brian Wolf and Scott & Sean Bruno) surprised me bigtime. They rock, they are hilarous and have a self-depreciating humour over the course of the whole record, not unlike jokesters Patent Pending. Any album that starts off with 2 songs called "Worst Song Ever" & "WSE 2" should be terrible but it's not, plus the rest of the album consists of fun tunes with cool 1-word titles like "School" & "Stoned"...she will probably be a fun, kickass rocking band to see live, my hunches tell me.
7-- The Roast Beef Curtains..."Pleasure EP" (self-released)...a fun debut (??) EP with 5 reggae/modern rock hybrid tunes, not unlike early Sublime, and a Jewish slant...the song "Rabbi David" is obvious...but the RBC are pretty cool.
8-- We're All Just Passing Through..."Bedroom Recordings Vol. 1" (self-released)...really good singer/songwriter record with 3 cool songs: "Dreamcatcher", "The World At Your Feet", & "Nobody Picks A Fistfight In NYC"...recorded in Travis' bedroom in North Babylon, Long Island. Vocally, Travis resembles Brendan B. Brown from Northport's Wheatus, but the tunes are well-written and the melodies & hooks are pretty obvious, but in a great way...the guy is really good and I want to hear every tune he has written in his vault. Really!! I will shine his shoes.
9-- Stereo Skyline!!..."Stuck On Repeat" (Columbia/Sony)...really cute powerpop record by this young East Meadow, Long Island-based foursome...it's a very short little treat, 8 catchy tunes, 20 minutes long, but you may find yourself playing it twice in a row...soundwise, it's powerpop in the Fountains Of Wayne/Click Five/Hanson mold, but they have their own twist...the single "Tongue Tied" is a REALLY cute, charming little song, as flu catchy as Hanson's "MMMBop", which features a funny cameo by the lead singer of Hey Monday...not singing but the end of a telephone...singer calls up, gets "tongue-tied", and she's like, "um, HELLO!!! This is not funny!!" I laughed and had to play the song 3 times in a row to get my fix...you might do the same.
Fave overlooked artist (in the US) of the blog: Canadian singer/songwriter AMANDA MARSHALL...she has not released a new studio album since 2002's masterwork "Everybody's Got A Story", which was a great hybrid of singer/songwriter pop/powerpop, orchestrations, and hiphop, and her lyrics on the record cut deep with issues regarding how your can't judge people with preconceptions on the surface. The label in the US, Columbia/Sony, really dropped the ball on this record...they changed the cover to a nice but lamer substitute...the original Canadian cover would have gotten people's attention instantly, the videos got no play on MTV/VH1, and they did not promote the album AT ALL in the US (all over Canada, yes, but not below the border)...it was ahead of the curve...it has as much in common with Jay-Z as it does with, say, Sheryl Crow or Melissa Etheridge. The lyrics are edgy too, with many bleep-worthy words radio would have had to work around. Her first 2 albums, her self-titled debut from 1995 and "Tuesday's Child" from 1999 are worthy too, with great writing and rocking tunes, if a tad heavier in mood & lyrics...EGAS is a bit lighter in mood, but edgier and more visionary in approach, and it sounds better and more timely NOW, in 2010, than it did in 2002...who else would write a song called "Double Agent"?? Amanda is bi-racial but does not look it at all...blonde hair & blue-eyed, but her hair is long and curly & wavy which is the only sign of her mom's black Trinidadian race...so the song is about white people talking crap as if she was one of them, but she's not...another song, "Brand New Beau", is about her coming home unexpectedly and finding her boyfriend cheating on her in bed, but with another man...pretty deep stuff, but done in a fun, playful manner. She released (only in Canada) a singles collection in 2003 called "Intermission" with 2 killer, then-new songs, one called "Cross My Heart" and the other "Till We Fall In", worthy of her prior work, but hasn't released anything since. Now's a great time to appreciate her work, really.
Next up, Lady Gaga...saw her at Madison Square Garden, on July 9, 2010, and I must say, it could be one of THE greatest shows I have ever seen...a 2 1/2 hour spectacle (not counting the opening act)...and yes the show is very much worthy of that word...all creative sets, daring costumes, props, a great setlist...19 tunes...all 8 from "The Fame Monster" EP, 8 from "The Fame" album proper, 1 GREAT new song "You & I", a piano ballad rocker from her upcoming album that has more in common with Billy Joel & Elton John than anything she has released besides "Speechless", and 2 unreleased GREAT songs "Glitter & Grease" and "Vanity" which proves Gaga probably has a vault filled with great unreleased originals and that she has more in common with prolific powerpop bands like the Posies, Prince, Jellyfish and the Jayhawks than Madonna. There was not one empty seat in the house and everybody was celebratory...what was also great about Gaga's show was that, yeah, it was staged and rehearsed, but she showed her shortcomings and vulnerability, warts and all, which only made her that more human and endearing and made made me and everyone else love her more...what other MSG act would talk about the love she has for her dad or the "drunk assholes" that inspired her??? Not too many, if at all. I love the woman, period, and my $110 spent on my ticket was worth every penny. Her merch booths rivaled KISS and I gladly plopped down $70 on a night-exclusive T-shirt (the white one that said in gold "Madison Square Gaga") and a really nice silver tour program book. AND I will gladly see Gaga again...can't get enough...and openers (and Gaga friends) Semi Precious Weapons had to be one of THE great opening acts I've ever witnessed...a very fun gay-friendly head-on collision of glam & trash...1974-era New York Dolls and "Highway To Hell" AC/DC...and they promoted the hell out of Gaga, as much as their own band...when they were headlining clubs in 2006, Gaga was THEIR opening act, and she's been loyal to her friends...she got them signed to Geffen, Cherrytree, Streamline and Perez Hilton's label Perezcious Music, and Gaga executively produced their label debut "You Love You", a very fun record...if it doesn't sell millions of copies, who cares?? Fun rock & roll trash.
An upcoming festival I would love to attend is: Virgin Mobile's Free Fest in Columbia, Maryland, on September 26th...very likely I will be there...MIA is headlining.
A recent discovery....co-ed Brookyn duo Sleigh Bells...not THEM, they are great!! No, what I discovered was that female singer Alexis Krauss was, 10 years ago or so, the lead singer/bass player in one of my fave girlbands ever, RUBYBLUE...who recorded THE great lost albums of the 00's, 2001's "Beyond Pink", which never got offically released because their label, Edel America, went belly up right before the album was to come out. Promos were issued and you coulda easily found it for a dollar at downtown NYC stores like Sounds, Norman's, Kim's Underground, and Academy. Now "new" copies (never new and sealed, as they were all open promos with cuts in the barcodes) go for $100 on Amazon, but USED copies go for 38 cents...snap them up while you can...Rubyblue's record "Beyond Pink" I call a lost classic.
Records I haven't gotten yet BUT I need are the new Scissor Sisters album "Night Work" (Polydor UK-Downtown/Universal) and Kylie Minogue's deluxe edition of "Aphrodite" (CD/DVD) (Parlophone UK-Astralwerks/EMI), as I collect them both.
This was exciting, as in the Sunday NY Times, I was in a picture in an article on the LIVE record store, featured on July 11th, in a picture with Jac & Jill performing acoustically during their June Every Third Thursday!!! There is a link to the article on their Myspace page...John from the store and Rick Eberle told me about the pic before I saw it, so I was shocked to say the least!! ;) Anyhoo, Jac & Jill's performance at Loony Tunes in West Babylon, Long Island, is a KICKASS record store!! My first time there, and I was blown away...not just their selection and prices but their stage and PA rivals that at many NYC venues!! And J&J really rocked on stage...just excellent and charming. What's great about them, and not so great about many/most radio-friendly, radio-driven pop acts, is that Jac & Jill are not stuck in the pop formula...that verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-fade formula that pop is made of but gets rote and boring if creativity is sucked dry. They are not afraid of being MUSICIANS and able to JAM without losing sight of the songs or getting too "JAMMY" (if you get my drift)!! They build on their solid songs, play with the arrangements, add a little cover to the beginning of one, or break into another while midsong...like Madonna's "Like A Prayer" at the beginning of "Can't Stop"...they get funky too and ride the groove one minute, and jam on a tasty riff the next, emphasize their creamy harmonies, the works, they are not boring. Their band is really tight, Jill is a KILLER guitarist and Jac is no slouch on the keys either. J&J's live band consists of: Jaclyn Quatela on lead vocals and keys, Jill Winter on lead guitar and backing vocals, Shawn Keys on keyboards, Adam Dunn on the drums (he kicks ass), David Holder on 6-string bass and backing vocals, and Wayne Smith on backing vocals, so yes, lots of harmony, killer tunes, fun stage presence and rocking musical attack...excellent on all fronts, and the scary thing is they literally just started!! I also wonder why Jac & Jill's self-titled, self-released debut album is not on Amazon.com yet??????????? They would sell loads on there, as that is one site that many music fans like myself buy music.
The 2 recent Every Third Thursday concerts at LIVE have been great. June's on the 17th consisted of:
LI powertrio Butterscotch Stanley (from Hauppaugue)...they were interesting and decent...like the Pixies, but not nearly as catchy...nice guys though...big turnout for them and the singer/guitarist managed to break a string...rock & roll!!!!
Michelle Raitzin...see my review of her self-titled debut album above...
David Diamond, from Bethpage...why have I NOT heard of this guy before!?!?! AMAZING!! He's like killer alt-country rootsrock, in the same quality vein as the Jayhawks or Gram Parsons!! His latest album, the self-released 2010 title "Revenge Of The Slowpoke" is a 15-tune instant classic...and his band kicked ass...David was on acoustic guitar and kickdrum at the same time, this HOT redhead named Victoria, who is a singer/songwriter herself, was on creamy harmony vocals, and various percussion instruments like eggshaker and washboard, there was a lead guiatrist on hollowbody Gibson, and a utility player situated behind me on keyboards and 6-string electric violin!! What killer songs and a killer creative band with creative arrangements...David was totally lowkey & unpretentious, his songs were REALLY well-written, and I literally HAVE to get everything he has written...he looks like Peter Buck from REM, sounds like Marc Olson, wears glasses and his songs speak for themselves, what talent!!
Lastly, the headliner, John Hampson from Nine Days ("Absolutely (Story Of A Girl")) could not show up, as he had a funeral to attend, but the show was great in the end.
Then, during July's, on the 15th, the lineup was:
LI transplant via Ohio Jacob Vanags...he kicked ass with his great tunes, great voice, cool keyboard skills...including his little Casio toy, and beatboxing skills...he could EASILY give Adam Young/Owl City a run for his money...see my review of his EP "Pulses Are Pluses" above...
LI powerpop band The Last Days Of Summer...they were pretty good and the funny notable thing about their set is that their drummer didn't play drums during their set!!! It was his job to pass around flyers/promo cards that night and they were on his ass the whole night!! He was with his girlfriend but I felt bad for the guy...they sounded good though and emphasized the harmonies and guitar interplay.
Travis aka We're All Just Passing Through...it was him on acoustic guitar and lead vocals and his cute sister Alexa on harmonies...GREAT songs and a vocal intensity similar to Wheatus...they went to the same highschool as me...as they were from Centerport...and are great people, instant friends...see my review of their EP above...
Lastly, Melotone...I had no idea what to expect, but they were interesting to say the least...an instrumental band...yes I said instrumental...that was a tital goofball machine...think part cartoon music, part Frank Zappa, part New Order-ish drum machine attack, and part jamband like the Disco Biscuits...they were great musicians (guitar/bass/drums/keys) but counterattacked that with goofball antics and funny faces and expressions, especially the ubernerd keyboard player and drummer...they exhausted the whole room...and they are nothing like Mellowdrone, who is a kickass powerpop 1-man band Jonatahn Bates, who is a hybrid of the Cars and Beck.
Lastly, I attended the 10th Annual Siren Festival in Coney Island, Brooklyn, on the VERY hot and sweaty July 17th, 2010...I mainsly went for the great Brooklyn co-ed indie powerpop band The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, they did not disappoint and I met them afterwards. Other faves were the great but mysterious powerpop/bubblegum/surf/indie artist/band DOM (yep just Dom)...he gave me a copy of their 10-inch EP vinyl...and the PIL/Slits-ish Apache Beat. Matt & Kim were fun but unmemorable, Kid Leo & The Pharmacists were just unmemorable, I missed Holy Fuck and Screaming Females...and I met two of the bands I missed but heard were awesome...this one cool power rock & roll trio with a GREAT female singer with a cool afro, EARL GREYHOUND, as well as Baltimore indie blonde-female-fronted band Wye Oak who are signed to Merge...Night Marchers were alright but not nearly as good as their predecessors Rocket From The Crypt & Drive Like Jehu. I missed Surfer Blood, Harlem, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and, regretfully, Ponytail, who I hear are really cool, rocking and original. It was a good time by all.
Well, this was a long entry...any comments are welcome, feedback, insults, whatever...sorry for boring you, but this LOOOOOONG entry was a long-time coming, after much business and procrastination...hey, whattareyagonnado, right??? Until next time, peace to you all... ;)
Powerpoplarry
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