Vetiver @ The Bowery Ballroom (May 3, 2009)

If I could wake up tomorrow and be in any band I would want to be in Vetiver. Tonight’s show at the Bowery Ballroom was the most satisfying musical experience I’ve had in a long, long time. At one point the band remarked how quiet the audience was between applause, and indeed, the room was filled with very good listeners. We were transfixed. We were also learning by example – what really stood out for me was how well the band members listened to each other. The guitars weren’t drowning the rich vocal harmonies or other contributing textures. The music was lush and full, yet there was plenty of space and breath, even when building jams. Everyone seemed very relaxed and present, a presence that rippled over the audience within the first moments of “Rolling Sea,” the set opener and a favorite of mine. In fact the entire new album is filled with refreshing songs that make TIght Knit my favorite album of 2009. And tonight’s show blew the album out of the water. As a guitarist I was and still am in awe of Andy Cabic and Sanders Trippe’s playing. Words do not suffice, so I’ll let the music speak for itself. If I had the money I would buy you each a copy, but for now here’s the link to iTunes.

Now I need to go to bed – here’s to hoping I’m in Vetiver when I wake up!

P.S. Brooklyn’s The Antlers and San Francisco’s Papercuts supported.

The Antlers did a great job and they will tour with Au Revoir Simone in a few weeks.

Papercuts hooked me with the first note. They are on tour with Vetiver and both will be back in NYC on Thursday to play Brooklyn’s Bell House. If I were you I’d go. I am me and I’m going.

Have a great week! Did you know Prefuse 73 is performing at the MoMA tomorrow night?! Another one of my favorite live shows – hope to see you there!

Vetiver @ The Bowery Ballroom (May 3, 2009)

If I could wake up tomorrow and be in any band I would want to be in Vetiver. Tonight’s show at the Bowery Ballroom was the most satisfying musical experience I’ve had in a long, long time. At one point the band remarked how quiet the audience was between applause, and indeed, the room was filled with very good listeners. We were transfixed. We were also learning by example – what really stood out for me was how well the band members listened to each other. The guitars weren’t drowning the rich vocal harmonies or other contributing textures. The music was lush and full, yet there was plenty of space and breath, even when building jams. Everyone seemed very relaxed and present, a presence that rippled over the audience within the first moments of “Rolling Sea,” the set opener and a favorite of mine. In fact the entire new album is filled with refreshing songs that make TIght Knit my favorite album of 2009. And tonight’s show blew the album out of the water. As a guitarist I was and still am in awe of Andy Cabic and Sanders Trippe’s playing. Words do not suffice, so I’ll let the music speak for itself. If I had the money I would buy you each a copy, but for now here’s the link to iTunes.

Now I need to go to bed – here’s to hoping I’m in Vetiver when I wake up!

P.S. Brooklyn’s The Antlers and San Francisco’s Papercuts supported.

The Antlers did a great job and they will tour with Au Revoir Simone in a few weeks.

Papercuts hooked me with the first note. They are on tour with Vetiver and both will be back in NYC on Thursday to play Brooklyn’s Bell House. If I were you I’d go. I am me and I’m going.

Have a great week! Did you know Prefuse 73 is performing at the MoMA tomorrow night?! Another one of my favorite live shows – hope to see you there!

Ghosts, Feathers, Shadows, & Dead Weather (April 8, 2009)

This weekend I went to see The Ghost of the Saber Toothed Tiger, Sean Lennon’s current project with his partner, Charlotte Kemp. I went without expectation, not knowing any of their music aside from a few short MySpace clips and trying to think beyond the bloodline. I was pleasantly surprised. Their sound is a melodic folk-rock-cabaret mix and their harmonies blended well with the deep red interior and warm lighting of the Living Room. They were backed by some of the best musicians in the city and during one song, “written for Paul’s son,” I felt tingly energy shoot up from my feet to the base of my skull and I wonder if it was, indeed, the ghost of the saber-toothed tiger. (The name comes from a story Charlotte wrote as a little girl). I particularly liked “Jardin du Luxembourg,” too, and I was surprised by the dynamics of the group, as well as Sean’s electric guitar playing, used sparingly and tastefully and therefore very effectively. It’s apparent that they share similar influences as Beck, and it made sense when they closed with a Serge Gainsbourg cover – here’s an interesting version of “Comic Strip,” one of my favorites:

(Speaking of ghosts, here’s a neat interview with Dylan on ghosts of the South. His new album comes out in less than three weeks!)

Last night I went to Glasslands Gallery to see Blood Feathers, above, a fantastic rock band from Philadelphia. Glasslands is a really cool venue, filled with installations and, at least last night, lots of beautiful long-haired boys. Before Blood Feathers the Los Angeles-based The Street & Babe Shadow played, another boy-girl duo accompanied by beautiful long-haired Californians. It was all very overwhelming, actually, and I sought comfort in my friends who confirmed that, indeed, there was an abundance of beautiful long-haired Californians roaming about and that, indeed, it was very overwhelming. The best thing to do in such a situation is dance, and that’s just what we did. Paige Stark sang background vocals until she took (and I’d say thereafter stole) the spotlight for a few numbers with guitar – in a sea of beautiful long-haired boys this beautiful long-haired girl held her own. Fantastic.

Then this morning I woke up excited to get tickets to see The Dead Weather at the Bowery Ballroom next week and according to Ticketmaster the show was sold out at 10:00:05, a mere five seconds after going on sale (and this was according to both web and phone, as I was working both). I am not happy about this. What’s even worse is that as I sat at my laptop, cursing Ticketmaster (I have not been able to get one ticket through Ticketmaster this year), I looked out the window and it was snowing. Dead Weather indeed. Just went to the box office at Mercury Lounge and no luck there either. At least I have memories of – yup, you guessed it – beautiful long-haired California boys…

Reminder – Saturday night I’m playing Northeast Kingdom with Gann Matthews and Patrick Glynn! See the site for info

Ghosts, Feathers, Shadows, & Dead Weather (April 8, 2009)

This weekend I went to see The Ghost of the Saber Toothed Tiger, Sean Lennon’s current project with his partner, Charlotte Kemp. I went without expectation, not knowing any of their music aside from a few short MySpace clips and trying to think beyond the bloodline. I was pleasantly surprised. Their sound is a melodic folk-rock-cabaret mix and their harmonies blended well with the deep red interior and warm lighting of the Living Room. They were backed by some of the best musicians in the city and during one song, “written for Paul’s son,” I felt tingly energy shoot up from my feet to the base of my skull and I wonder if it was, indeed, the ghost of the saber-toothed tiger. (The name comes from a story Charlotte wrote as a little girl). I particularly liked “Jardin du Luxembourg,” too, and I was surprised by the dynamics of the group, as well as Sean’s electric guitar playing, used sparingly and tastefully and therefore very effectively. It’s apparent that they share similar influences as Beck, and it made sense when they closed with a Serge Gainsbourg cover – here’s an interesting version of “Comic Strip,” one of my favorites:

(Speaking of ghosts, here’s a neat interview with Dylan on ghosts of the South. His new album comes out in less than three weeks!)

Last night I went to Glasslands Gallery to see Blood Feathers, above, a fantastic rock band from Philadelphia. Glasslands is a really cool venue, filled with installations and, at least last night, lots of beautiful long-haired boys. Before Blood Feathers the Los Angeles-based The Street & Babe Shadow played, another boy-girl duo accompanied by beautiful long-haired Californians. It was all very overwhelming, actually, and I sought comfort in my friends who confirmed that, indeed, there was an abundance of beautiful long-haired Californians roaming about and that, indeed, it was very overwhelming. The best thing to do in such a situation is dance, and that’s just what we did. Paige Stark sang background vocals until she took (and I’d say thereafter stole) the spotlight for a few numbers with guitar – in a sea of beautiful long-haired boys this beautiful long-haired girl held her own. Fantastic.

Then this morning I woke up excited to get tickets to see The Dead Weather at the Bowery Ballroom next week and according to Ticketmaster the show was sold out at 10:00:05, a mere five seconds after going on sale (and this was according to both web and phone, as I was working both). I am not happy about this. What’s even worse is that as I sat at my laptop, cursing Ticketmaster (I have not been able to get one ticket through Ticketmaster this year), I looked out the window and it was snowing. Dead Weather indeed. Just went to the box office at Mercury Lounge and no luck there either. At least I have memories of – yup, you guessed it – beautiful long-haired California boys…

Reminder – Saturday night I’m playing Northeast Kingdom with Gann Matthews and Patrick Glynn! See the site for info

The New Year: On Past Selves, Patti Smith, And Being Vigilant (January 1, 2009)

In last night’s post I mentioned how I visited my past self over the holidays, something we all experience to some degree when we return to our hometowns and families. I check in with my “inner child” on a daily basis – I find that she is a great source of strength. In yoga practice, balasana is what we in the West call “child’s pose,” but the definition of bala is actually “strength” – and I think it’s important to remember this connection. During this time of year both the “savior” and the New Year are personified as newborns, conjuring images of hope, health, opportunity – a fresh start on life. Our species may not be independent as babies, but what we lack in autonomy we gain through a beingness that we as adults long to return to. By “beingness” I mean the self-contentment many children display through their curiosity, wonder, play… spontaneous creation. Perhaps a greater connection to spirit (though unconscious). A child is a symbol of inner strength – a seed that is self-contained. As exhibited in the Tarot, Strength is related to compassion, softness, receptivity, gentleness – quiet. Children depend on us for food and shelter and care and we depend on them to continue life – literally and yet also by reminding us of who we are. Life moves in two directions. Well, more than two, but I don’t want to get into that right now. Definitely more than one. Because let’s face it – none of us is independent. We are interdependent – depending on parts of ourselves and our pasts, depending on this beautiful dis-eased planet beneath our feet, and depending on each other.

Last night I saw Patti Smith with her beautiful band – and children – at the Bowery Ballroom. As she transformed from quiet poet with spectacles to wild conjurer of spectacles and then back again, I felt honored to witness an integration of being unlike any I’ve ever seen. She was the coy little girl one moment, the sage the next; she was the rebel, the goddess, the mother, the lover, the warrior, the healer – watching her slip in and out of these archetypes – these selves – was mesmerizing. She became a screen – a clear channel – upon which these characters visited through sound and movement. Rather than an actor or chameleon who puts on various faces, I got the sense that these beings were emerging from deep within, and I was one of the privileged few allowed to experience her inner transformations, projected through her outer, physical body. Her performance reminded me of an arts workshop I took with Lanny Harrison at La MaMa rehearsal space on Great Jones when I was at Gallatin. Lanny is a remarkable performer, and perhaps the only other person I have witnessed morph so seamlessly in this way. Through Buddhist meditation techniques and free play we explored “shape-shifting” and the constancy of change through physical movement and sound. In addition to Gallatin she teaches at the Shambhala Meditation Center of NY. I recommend looking her up. I’m going to. These two women inspire in me the power of surrender. Of the strength – bala – of letting go.

As 2009 approached the intensity of the performance escalated and the band roared through “Because the Night” before opening the New Year with “People Have the Power.” There was a lot of joy in that little room. Through her committed presence, authenticity, and improvisational spirit Patti reminded us of our interdependence throughout the evening, not only through her interactions with the crowd, but through her dedication to love. She told us not to worry, singing a ecstatic cover of “I’ll Be There.” Although, as anyone familiar with her work knows, this message of love is not a sugar-coated one. In her opening words she declared 2009, the Year of the Ox, the Year of Work, and she instructed us to be vigilant – to embrace the new year and our new president with love, but also to make demands. Not just because our economy has crumbled, but because we are still six years into an unjust, unnecessary war and always on the verge of another. Not to mention our war against the planet, our very home.

Going back to that mixtape from six years ago – The truth is that the girl who made that mix was in a lot of pain. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember her so well. It seems easier to push away what is painful or at least uncomfortable. How much simpler it is to converse with my four-year-old self, who was content to collect rocks and blow bubbles and play left-hand verses right-hand tic tac toe. But she is only one tiny piece of who I am, and I am only one tiny piece of who we are. We are all pieces of world peace – until all the pieces are there, working in harmony to create the greater picture, we are broken in our own chaos. We can’t afford to disconnect any longer – nor to think we are disconnected. It is an illusion to think this separation is possible. It may be cliche, but things become cliche for a reason – we are at war with each other and with this planet because we are at war with ourselves. We have one body for this life’s journey and one planet to share. As I gaze up into space, this sure feels like a small boat.

And so I will adopt and reiterate Patti’s phrase as my own resolution for entering the New Year: BE VIGILANT, from vigilare – to keep watch, stay awake. Awake not only to the present moment, but to our past and future selves, for what we become in the future depends on who we were in the past, and how conscious we are of the past. Can our past selves be in conversation? Is democracy really possible? As we make peace with the pieces we find ourselves living in a more peaceful world. Let us not be afraid of who we are. This life is so fleeting – one moment bombs are dropping in the Gaza Strip and the next moment the ball is dropping in Time Square – This year, and this world, is whatever we want it to be. It’s time to raise the torch and see what’s been hiding in the shadows.

With love and best wishes for this moment in your life, old and new and everything in between – Happy New Year.

And Happy Birthday, Mom.

The New Year: On Past Selves, Patti Smith, And Being Vigilant (January 1, 2009)

In last night’s post I mentioned how I visited my past self over the holidays, something we all experience to some degree when we return to our hometowns and families. I check in with my “inner child” on a daily basis – I find that she is a great source of strength. In yoga practice, balasana is what we in the West call “child’s pose,” but the definition of bala is actually “strength” – and I think it’s important to remember this connection. During this time of year both the “savior” and the New Year are personified as newborns, conjuring images of hope, health, opportunity – a fresh start on life. Our species may not be independent as babies, but what we lack in autonomy we gain through a beingness that we as adults long to return to. By “beingness” I mean the self-contentment many children display through their curiosity, wonder, play… spontaneous creation. Perhaps a greater connection to spirit (though unconscious). A child is a symbol of inner strength – a seed that is self-contained. As exhibited in the Tarot, Strength is related to compassion, softness, receptivity, gentleness – quiet. Children depend on us for food and shelter and care and we depend on them to continue life – literally and yet also by reminding us of who we are. Life moves in two directions. Well, more than two, but I don’t want to get into that right now. Definitely more than one. Because let’s face it – none of us is independent. We are interdependent – depending on parts of ourselves and our pasts, depending on this beautiful dis-eased planet beneath our feet, and depending on each other.

Last night I saw Patti Smith with her beautiful band – and children – at the Bowery Ballroom. As she transformed from quiet poet with spectacles to wild conjurer of spectacles and then back again, I felt honored to witness an integration of being unlike any I’ve ever seen. She was the coy little girl one moment, the sage the next; she was the rebel, the goddess, the mother, the lover, the warrior, the healer – watching her slip in and out of these archetypes – these selves – was mesmerizing. She became a screen – a clear channel – upon which these characters visited through sound and movement. Rather than an actor or chameleon who puts on various faces, I got the sense that these beings were emerging from deep within, and I was one of the privileged few allowed to experience her inner transformations, projected through her outer, physical body. Her performance reminded me of an arts workshop I took with Lanny Harrison at La MaMa rehearsal space on Great Jones when I was at Gallatin. Lanny is a remarkable performer, and perhaps the only other person I have witnessed morph so seamlessly in this way. Through Buddhist meditation techniques and free play we explored “shape-shifting” and the constancy of change through physical movement and sound. In addition to Gallatin she teaches at the Shambhala Meditation Center of NY. I recommend looking her up. I’m going to. These two women inspire in me the power of surrender. Of the strength – bala – of letting go.

As 2009 approached the intensity of the performance escalated and the band roared through “Because the Night” before opening the New Year with “People Have the Power.” There was a lot of joy in that little room. Through her committed presence, authenticity, and improvisational spirit Patti reminded us of our interdependence throughout the evening, not only through her interactions with the crowd, but through her dedication to love. She told us not to worry, singing a ecstatic cover of “I’ll Be There.” Although, as anyone familiar with her work knows, this message of love is not a sugar-coated one. In her opening words she declared 2009, the Year of the Ox, the Year of Work, and she instructed us to be vigilant – to embrace the new year and our new president with love, but also to make demands. Not just because our economy has crumbled, but because we are still six years into an unjust, unnecessary war and always on the verge of another. Not to mention our war against the planet, our very home.

Going back to that mixtape from six years ago – The truth is that the girl who made that mix was in a lot of pain. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember her so well. It seems easier to push away what is painful or at least uncomfortable. How much simpler it is to converse with my four-year-old self, who was content to collect rocks and blow bubbles and play left-hand verses right-hand tic tac toe. But she is only one tiny piece of who I am, and I am only one tiny piece of who we are. We are all pieces of world peace – until all the pieces are there, working in harmony to create the greater picture, we are broken in our own chaos. We can’t afford to disconnect any longer – nor to think we are disconnected. It is an illusion to think this separation is possible. It may be cliche, but things become cliche for a reason – we are at war with each other and with this planet because we are at war with ourselves. We have one body for this life’s journey and one planet to share. As I gaze up into space, this sure feels like a small boat.

And so I will adopt and reiterate Patti’s phrase as my own resolution for entering the New Year: BE VIGILANT, from vigilare – to keep watch, stay awake. Awake not only to the present moment, but to our past and future selves, for what we become in the future depends on who we were in the past, and how conscious we are of the past. Can our past selves be in conversation? Is democracy really possible? As we make peace with the pieces we find ourselves living in a more peaceful world. Let us not be afraid of who we are. This life is so fleeting – one moment bombs are dropping in the Gaza Strip and the next moment the ball is dropping in Time Square – This year, and this world, is whatever we want it to be. It’s time to raise the torch and see what’s been hiding in the shadows.

With love and best wishes for this moment in your life, old and new and everything in between – Happy New Year.

And Happy Birthday, Mom.