Down 0-3, But I've Got Tix For Sunday's Game

I just got home from the Meadowlands, where I witnessed a heartbreaking New Jersey Nets double overtime loss to Shaq and the Miami Heat in the 3rd game of the first round of the playoffs.



There were three major events during the game for me:

1. Seeing Beyonce courtside early in the game.

2. Realizing near the end of the first half exactly how much I hate Alonzo Mourning.

and 3. Splitting the back of my pants leaping out of my seat when the Nets tied the game again at the end of the 1st overtime period.

That walk from the arena to the car over by Giants Stadium was WAY draftier than usual.

Did You Really Want Me To See That?

For the fast few months, one of my favorite wastes of time has been this website that posts the latest 40 images posted online by Live Journal users.

The randomness coupled with the sheer bizarreness of what people are brazen/stupid/careless/foolish enough to post for all the world to see makes for a really fun and kind of creepy (but not creepy enough from stopping me from looking) peeping-tom experience.

Here are a few winners from recent glances I've taken:










and finally...is this Interpol's Carlos D. at a Chuck E. Cheese?

Free Riot!

The free iTunes download this week is the Kaiser Chiefs' "I Predict A Riot" and can be found here.

If you don't have this yet, now's your chance to play catch-up with the cool kids.

Getting My Friday Night Irish On In Hoboken, Wizard Kicking On Saturday

I had the choice Friday night to see Beck at his "secret" show at Hiro at The Maritime Hotel, or to see The Undertones at Maxwell's. It was not even a contest, I could not pass up a chance to see the legendary band from Derry (not to mention the fact that I was taking my brother Ron to see them for his first time, as a birthday gift).

As they were at their show I saw last year at the Knitting Factory, they were loud, fast, and tight. They played about 26 songs in little over an hour, thankfully foregoing the "encore" charade (walking off the stage, through the crowd to the back, and then back through the crowd to the stage again) and just tacked a few more songs onto the set.

The sold-out crowd was packed with older folks who'd seen them come through in the early 80's, lots of kids brushing up on punk-pop history, and a surprising number of chubby goth girls, who seemingly thought they were at a Siouxie show, but they appeared to enjoy themselves nonetheless. Between this show and last weekend's Bloc Party show at Bowery Ballroom, I've seen more dancing and have personally pogoed more than my last 10 years of club shows combined.

Here's what it looked like from the middle of Maxwell's floor:




Last night I hit the MetroStars second home match (and the first home match this year without monsoon conditions) to see them draw against the always boring Kansas City Wizards, 2-2. It was friggin' freezing, and was the first sporting event of the new millineum where I actually stood in line to buy hot chocolate to stay warm.

The highlight of the evening, besides the excellent jalapeno "cheez" that came with my pal Sergio's "Nachos del East Rutherford":



was the fact that the other Sergio in attendance there, Sergio Galvan Rey, had both goals for Metro, in one night equalling his entire last year's goal total. Draws suck, but they are way better than losses, especially when your team comes back from being down by two. Here's what the cavernous and 5/6 empty Giants Stadium looked like from my chilly vantage point in the rear of the supporters section:



And today's sunny & 73F Sunday afternoon weather? How's a brother supposed to get himself back to work on Monday morning after all this?

For You Chumps Who Missed Them The First Couple Of Times Through...

Bloc Party tickets for Webster Hall can be had here for a mere $20. Get them now before you have to pay $200 to some guy in Timb's and a Yankees knit cap on the corner of 2nd Ave. and 13th the night of the show.

****EDIT 4/17/05****

Those shows are now sold out. Tell the ticket mooks on Craigslist I said hi.

As Seen In Front Of A Qi-Gong Joint on 5th Street @ 2nd Ave

That must be powerful stuff...

Positive Tension

I saw Bloc Party this past Friday night at the Bowery Ballroom. Long sold out, tickets were being scalped out front for $200!

After a leisurely outdoors Mexican dinner with my pal Charles at Mary Ann's, we made our way to the hall just in time to see Montreal's Chromeo take the stage. Knowing only their excellent single "Needy Girl" (which seems to ALWAYS be on New York Noise), I was pleasantly surprised how great they sounded and how much fun their set was. Their Moroder-influenced grooves sounded great in what was sadly a quarter-filled-room at that point in the night.

Here's Chromeo's Dave 1 and P-Thugg in action:



After a decent, but not exactly thrilling forty minutes of songs from Chicago's The Ponys, Bloc Party came on and hammered out a fantastic set. I wasn't sure what to expect after hearing they cancelled their Wednesday Philly date allegedly because of Kele "blowing his voice out", but he sounded plenty strong to me.

The crowd was probably the danciest NYC bunch I've seen at a rock show since the days of The Cat Club and when Webster Hall was known as The Ritz. My legs were actually sore from the non-stop pogo that I was forced by the music to do. That's a good kind of hurt.

The band announced they were coming back to play Webster Hall in June, so unless you want to play the scalper game, keep an eye on TicketWeb and save some dough.




Better photos than mine can be had at One Louder.

Spinachdip NYC liked Thursday's show so much, he went to see Saturday's show in DC as well.

Another nice review of Friday's show is at Friday.

At least I won't be the oldest guy at these shows...

Found out about a couple great shows coming up:

Kraftwerk @ Hammerstein Ballroom on June 1st. I know, it's just four guys throwing a switch on mostly prerecorded tracks, put I'd probably pay the same money if some club DJ announced he was playing a loud two-hour Kraftwerk greatest hits set.

Devo at Hammerstein Ballroom on August 10th, as reported by the wicked.

I've got no idea when tickets go on sale for these shows.

DEVO was amazing when I saw them last Summer after the Nike Run Hit Wonder race. Here's how they looked in their Nike blue energy uniforms from my spot up front:

Creepy Craigslist Posting Of The Week

This, for a pair of tickets you can get gratis at the new Best Buy downtown.

Yikes.

I Predict More Riots

As reported on the excellent i rock i roll, a whole bunch more Kaiser Chiefs dates for the USA have been firmed up:

Philadelphia Theatre of Living Arts (May 24)
Asbury Park Stone Pony (25)
Montreal Club Soda (27)
Toronto Mod Club (29)
Chicago Park West (31)
Minneapolis First Avenue (June 1)
Seattle KNDD Radio Destival (4)
Vancouver Richards on Richard (5)
Boston WFNX Show (7)
San Francisco Live 105 Show Shoreline Ampitheatre (10)
Los Angeles Avalon (11)
San Diego House of Blues (12)
Washington 9:30 Club (July 20)
New York Webster Hall (21)
Chicago Lollapalooza (23)
San Francisco Fillmore (25)

A trip down the shore to The Pony may be in order. Not sure I can deal with the mookfest that is Webster Hall, though.

Feist For Free

Current Canadian Indie It-Girl, former roommate of Peaches, and Broken Social Scenester Feist is the free download artist of the week on iTunes.

Normally the free iTunes tracks suck...this one, Feist's "One Evening" doesn't.

****EDIT 4/15/05****
The Feist track is no longer offered for free on iTunes, but follow this link to find every other free song currently available for download.

The Secret Machines @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

A fantastic free show last night before a weird looking crowd of about 130 people, sponsored by Jack Daniels and a radio station (WRAT..."The Rat"...catchy, huh?) that not only doesn't play TSM, but seemingly think they are a new band with a debut record coming out soon (!!). Many new songs from the new album, free pizza and worthless swag from hot booze rep girls (including what appear to be plastic Jack Daniels Yahtzee dice cups), and the giveaway of an all-expenses paid trip to Bonnaroo for two to a guy who looked like he crawled out of a refrigerator box out by the dumpster to come in for the free show. Of all the strange looking cats in the house, I'm thrilled he won...I'd be willing to bet that trip will be the highlight of that guy's entire life.

Sounds like the new record's gonna be a good one. More on The Secret Machines here.

Anyone going to see Aberdeen City @ Pianos this week? They are playing a three week residency, starting Wednesday.



AC are a four piece from Boston who sound a whole lot like New Yorkers. Download their last 2 records here.

Rainy Day Video

Click here for video of the Kaiser Chiefs' appearance on Letterman the other night.

Things To Do While Waiting For Daft Punk To Show Up At Your House, At Your House.

Download an MP3 of the Japanese language version of New Order's "Krafty" at The Suburbs Are Killing Us.



Go to Fluxblog, where they offer up a download of the beautiful "Bells" from Electrelane.



Pretend it's 1988 and you're in Toronto with an MP3 of "She's So Young" by The Pursuit Of Happiness from Music Is A Virus.


Get Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On" here, courtesy of Matador.



Are you like me and think Nine Inch Nails new one is nuttin' special? For a fix of "good" industrial, go to Radio Babylon, where they offer (appropriately enough) an MP3 of Meat Beat Manifesto's "Radio Babylon".



For kicks, click here for Jennifer Love Hewitt's version of "Dancing With Myself", from some movie she's done for the Oxygen network.



And finally, watch the excellent video for my vote for the catchiest song with a vocal done inna-Mark E Smith-stylee, LCD Soundsystem's "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House".