2007

june et jim

keeping with live music, back in november of last year i was in paris and saw a poster for this band. I didn't think much of it other than i liked the name and thought they looked cool, also wondered how jim pronounced his name, ie was it like the book and film "in the english way?" later that week i went to a birthday party at "au chat noir " in belleville and they where playing downstairs. I didnt get to see them play as i had to leave but i did go and say hello and picked up a couple of their demo cd's, i think they where a little surprised in me buying something i havent heard ( if only they had read my blog ) and hoped that i liked them - which i do very much, and have been checking out their page often, and am as i write hoping they can send me their new ep's !
You can check them out here to have a look and listen

92008

only the strong surive
saturday night C and I went to see James at the stone pony, I've been waiting many years to go to see a band at this very famous venue, and James didn't disappoint - i cant remember the last time i was this squashed at a show. They played a great 2 hour set spanning their back catalogue and the new album.


this is the best i can do in regards to a photo, i really need to start bringing a camera.



For those not familiar with the New Jersey landscape, the Stone Pony is on the Jersey Shore in Asbury Park made famous by many things including this iconic album cover art by bruce springsteen.


Here's an older version of the the greetings postcard - i wonder if the boss thought about using this one ? probably not, looks more like something credence would do.

91908

oh my darling
Last night C and I went to see Basia Bulat at the Highline Ballroom, this is about the 5th time i think we've seen her in the past year and hopefully i"ll get to see her again soon as i could listen to her every night. She also played some new songs which was very cool.


as far as i know her debut album is not on vinyl but i did pick up this single a while back.

Dark and moody photo...I was sitting at stage left, level with the stage so the sound was odd in that i didnt really hear the amps just the band which i have to say was very cool. As a wannabe drummer i got to watch and listen to bobby bulat's every beat.

She wears her fringe like roger mcguinn
An extra treat last night as she played you "ain't going nowhere" Whoo-ee! Ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair!
Basia is another musician who's music could save the world!

२००७(१९८१)

musique originale du vie
I've been buying soundtracks as long as i've been buying records, and watching films. Just after C got me my new turntable for my birthday last year i was bargain box hunting at other music and picked up this beauty. I had not seen the film since my days of hanging out at the scala in kings cross london, but as a self confessed francophile i figured i couldnt go wrong. And i didn't - a great mix of eighties electronica, the beautiful
la wally aria "ebben", and all wrapped up in the amazing score by Vladimir Cosma. As fate would have it just the following week The Film Forum screened a new print. The movie has aged very well, and ever since i have been trying to find one of those cool blue wave lamps that Gorodish has in his appartment...



This album is now up there with my all time favorites, and i play it almost every week !

0911

jihaddyhaddy
on thursday C and i went to see babe the blue ox with our very good friends mike and anna. Id never heard of this band before, but they where excellent live. I dont really think of myself a political person, its all rather laughable in my opinion and is full of self interest and ego. That said I do consider myself politically aware, and on this day of all infamous days i couldn't help think that if more people listened to bands like babe we would live in a happier healthier world. I found myself thinking of the 70's band showaddywaddy
and how i miss listening to them - they to could save the world. I thought of creating a band called jihaddyhaddy - our mission... well i think you can figure the rest out for yourselves.

friends forever


more music to save the world. This is E=MC2 by giorgio
I picked this up at second hand rose - the best record store in the world, here in NY. How I got to thinking about the father of disco himself is lost to me at the moment.
The music, the cover art, everything, could save the world !

082908

Searching for the now
Last week I went to see The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at the glasslands gallery in williamsburg. I didnt know that much about them other than the 7" single Bryan had also given me for my birthday which is on very nice grey vinyl and number 4 in searcing for the now series.

It was a very interesting evening, starting with us going to the wrong venue around the corner which then turned out ok as it gave us something to do in between bands, alternating between the 2 venues. I rely on Bryan to keep me up to date with the cool kids, and is the latest, spenser,frank... in a long line of friends that have been nice enough to share new music with me, and thats new as in i haven't heard.
I was so tired by the time "the pains" came on - around 1am i think, that i cant remember if i liked them or not. I do remember i liked that band before them - my teenage stride
I wish i could remember the name of the other venue and the headlining act as they where mental and we lasted about a minute. I do love seeing live bands though.

2008

Vetiver
I held out on buying myself a birthday vinyl gift in the hope that someone else would, and i was lucky enough that my good friend Bryan delivered the goods with "thing of the past" by Vetiver, the only problem is that i already had it. Its an excellent album and my first Vetiver purchase. It caught my eye with its great cover art and gatefold sleeve, i've been buying records and cd's just for the cover art for years now, and sometimes it works out and sometimes not, but i find thats all part of the fun.