December 31, 2006
PARTY!
Tonight is a passage
Between old and new
From what you did
to what you will do
But in the end, neither the past nor the future are real.
Be present in the moment and enjoy the hell out of tonight!
December 22, 2006
Happy Hollerdays!
It's that time of year. Have you done all your SHOPPING? Gotta keep that economy rollin' along! Aside from all the cynical commercial bullshit of the Holidays, I love the idea of giving at the end of the year. Stop being so self-focused (we all are) and think of all the people you love. Show them you love them with a gift. Something from you, from your heart, for them. Most exchanges require the use of money, too, and that's fine, as long as you don't feel pressured into it. That's what this commercial stuff is all about; uninvited, pick-pocket hands reaching into your wallet, telling you that you NEED to spend this money to feel OK. Your friends and family don't need you to spend money, they need you, and you need to show them that you love them. The holidays are such a great excuse to do that. Give from yourself, not for yourself.
Matisyahu
Happy Hannukah. Matisyahu was at the Hammerstein Ballroom and I can't imagine a better way to celebrate than getting down with his Hasidic reggae stylings. He is an incredible performer who had everyone's eyes on him at all times, especially when he was climbing around on the ballroom balconies, making my palms sweaty. Like Rastafarian Reggae, his reggae is deeply connected to his Judaism and powered by his beliefs. All music should have some deeper essence like this. He really means it.
December 16, 2006
Best Birthday Ever?
Happy 29th, buddy. I'm now within striking distance of 30, and if yesterday was any indication, these celebrations will just keep getting better. I can't wait for my 50th... After a nice dinner in Chinatown at the cheap and tasty New Green Bo Restaurant, we headed over to the Bowery Ballroom to see The New Deal. Wow. They were awesome. It is a bass drums and keyboard trio that played non-stop dance music. Two sets (who plays two sets anymore?) over two and a half hours and the crowd was going crazy. I have never seen a New York crowd dance as much as this one; it was a rave. I honestly can't remember ever having so much FUN at a concert. And to top it off, after hours of instrumental techno, they sang Billy Joel's "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" to end it. Amazing. I would like to thank The New Deal for playing such a great show and all my friends for coming to celebrate with me. Birthdays are meant to be shared and being together with my best friends at a great show is about as perfect a party as I could imagine.
Bread and Puppet Theatre
This sneaky-clever group from Vermont put on a great show this afternoon, called "The Everything is Fine Circus". The show is presented for and with children and is a beautiful collection of giant puppets, performers and musicians that effectively communicates the ill wills of our government through it's host, Mr. Everything is Fine and various sketches such as 5 Popular Kinds of War, Telephone tap-dancing and a parade of crutch-assisted donkeys carrying placards reading: When A Government Becomes Destructive, It Is The Right Of The People To Alter Or Abolish It. These guys are certainly doing their duty. The company is one of the best, most creative and most progressive puppet groups in the world and, not surprisingly, Kevin Buckland is involved with their work and performed in this show.
December 12, 2006
POWAQQATSI
I just watched POWAQQATSI, which is, to be as descriptive as possible, a beautiful film. Simple and exquisite. Says so much without a single word. Some of the shots made me laugh out of sheer awe. This is Homo Sapiens. It is an incredible planet we live on and this movie documents it beautifully. It is similar to Koyanasqatsi, but almost entirely focused on humanity. The Philip Glass score shares common themes with the first movie of the Trilogy and paces it nicely, taking us along on this journey around the world. You've never seen Life like this.
ARS NOVA
Alaina and I went to an awesome holiday party at the Ars Nova Theatre last night. The theme was Winter Prom 2006 and they had decked out the space in appropriate gymnasium attire. The performances were top notch, especially Langhorne Slim, SHOCKWAVE, The Varsity Interpretive Dance Team and Nellie Mackay. Seriously some of the coolest performances I have ever seen assembled together in one variety show. And to top it off, they had a full dinner banquet in their offices! Unreal! It was, as Alex Timbers put it, THE place to be in New York that evening. I have he and Alaina to thank for the good fortune to attend such an incredible blow-out, and I felt privileged to be a part of it.
FANTASY FOOTBALL
Update: Two of my three teams are in the semi-finals of the do-or-die playoffs. An enormous mental error cost me fatally in one league already, so I need to stay focused and make the right moves... and Drew Brees, Ladell Betts, Jericho Cortchery et al. need to come up HUGE this weekend! Fight, Boys, Fight! Fight with all your Might!
December 8, 2006
Junior Boys Live
Greenpoint, BK. Nice. I haven't spent much time there, but I have to say it seems like a pretty sweet spot. The destination last night was Studio B to see the Junior Boys. Hot little club and the Boys played a great show. They opened with The Equalizer and its phatabulous bassline, then played most of the new album, So This Is Goodbye, as well as some tunes from the first album, Last Exit. They featured a nice blend of sampled and live instruments, including a drummer who filled in the beats with some humanness. Some of their material felt a bit too chill for the live club atmosphere, which was lacking a bit in energy, but overall they sounded really good. After their set, Morgan Geist DJ'ed, which was a nice treat. I've been listening to his neo-80's music for years and have always wanted to hear him live. He didn't disappoint. I even danced a little...
December 4, 2006
Ouch
I crashed my bicycle on my way to work, swerving to avoid a pedestrian who suddenly appeared in my path, directly in front of a school crossing guard. Both seemed very concerned with my inability to navigate my transport. When I arrived at work, I realized that the fall had cracked the headstock on my backpacker guitar; still playable, but requiring service, and my body is bruised from its asphalt encounter... But hey, nobody died. My life will continue tomorrow and may even bring new reasons to be happy and content. In fact, one exciting thing that happened today is that my new issue of Good Magazine arrived. Tomorrow I will read every word of it and be inspired to make the world a better place. Get yourself a subscription and improve your life.