Visiting New York and getting your geek on? Wondering where to go for a post-outing nightcap? Brooklyn is the NYC borough to beat when it comes to geektastic drinking establishments, boasting two locales that appeal to lovers of genre fiction, gaming, and good beer.
It was Sunday afternoon and I set out to enjoy the last of the Northside Festival riches. Four days of music and art were drawing to a close and I was content with the events of the weekend. I fought my way through crowds, rubbed shoulders with indie music celebs, I saw more shows in four days than I have since SXSW and I’ve got a list of EP’s to download.
Surfer Blood opened for WAVVES who opened for Guided by Voices during Saturdays day shows at McCarren Park.
Most people in attendance were there to see Guided by Voices. I know this because the demographics were much more something you’d expect to see in Williamsburg’s southern neighbor, Park Slope; lots of old dudes and so, so many children. I totally wish I was one of those babies at music festivals with the hot pink ear protectors on my head and I bet if, god forbid, I ever birth such a thing I’m gonna drag it along with me. Maybe thats what outside day shows are for. Bring your kid to a music festival during the day and everyone will glance over and be like, ‘OMG, isnt that rocker kid so cute. And look at his mother! I hope I have that many tattoos by the time I’m a parent.’ Bring your kid to a bar at 1 AM and you’re likely to get picked up by social services.
It was day two of Northside Fest in Williamsburg and thunderstorms threatened to shut the main event down. But just before Yellow Ostrich went on the Steve Madden stage in McCarren Park, the clouds cleared and a double rainbow stretched over the Manhattan skyline, or at least that’s what I heard via Twitter. I had taken cover in a nearby bar and made it just in time to see the end of Sharon Van Etten as she played to a sparse, rain drenched crowd. The rest of Williamsburg poured in shortly thereafter, anxiously awaiting to see Beirut. The band had been relatively quiet since 2007 but with their release of The Rip Tide in August 2011, momentum picked up and they became a group everyone was talking about again.
There is a new-old music trend a-brewing and its headquartered (surprise!) in the underground clubs and venues of New York City.
Coldwave is a term traditionally used to describe a group of European post-punk psychedelic experimental bands in the late 70’s and 80’s that you’ve probably never heard of. Taking notes from the Cure, Joy Division and Siouxsie and The Banshees, Coldwave draws inspiration from punk and goth styles and then chills everything out a whole lot. Think multi-layered analog synths, deadpan vocals and lyrics that would bring yo mama to tears and you’ve got the idea.
At first I was hesitant to make the comparison between Matthew Dear and David Byrne, but I’ve been listening to his discography all morning and I’m gonna stand by my guns. Like at the end of “Psycho Killer,” when Byrne makes his “Ay ay ay ay ay” noise. Or the “Ahh ha ha ha” in “Girlfriend is Better.” Well, Dear makes noises like that, but trips them out with fancy electro-pop reverb while playing the guitar, all with a full band behind him. Furthermore, Dear’s music, like that of Talking Heads, is experimental and inaccessible enough to appeal only to a progressive crowd—a little pretentious, even—while exhibiting real creativity and talent. The pretentiousness, in the end, is well earned.
One of the great things about music, and why I love it so much, is that it affects people in ways that no other medium really can. It has this incredibly ability to touch every emotion inside a person – love, laughter, madness, heartbreak, joy… what have you – sometimes hitting each and every one of those over the course of a single song. It’s said that the sense of smell is the most powerful sense in a person, the one that conjures up emotion and memory most vividly; however I disagree. I think it’s hearing. I can listen to a song and be taken right back to a memory of / with it like it happened only yesterday, even if that memory is almost as old as I am.
With the above in mind, I’m brought to the first bit of news this week: after the passing of his close friend, Sally Menke (Quentin Tarantino’s longtime editor), RZA along with James Black, Kobra Khan and Justin Nokuza have released “Gone” in her honor.
Hello kiddiwinks! Your favorite time of the week is upon us once again; I am of course referring to the moment when you all get to bask in the glory that is my weekly music news recap. I’ve finally recovered from the oh so lovely cold a certain someone gave me (you know who you are, but don’t worry, I still totes love you) and am feeling back to normal once again! Eeee! Happy panda paws in the air! So, without further ado, let’s get to it shall we?
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ChinaShop would like to welcome its newest contributor Amanda Boyd to the team! Despite the (frequent) misconception that’s she English, Amanda Boyd was indeed, to quote The Boss, “born in the USA” – New Jersey, in fact. Her love of music comes from her efforts to recover from the childhood trauma of being denied a pet llama; she was given a pair of headphones and a complete Beatles collection. It worked. She currently works for Red Bull and resides in the hipster capital of the world, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
Every city has it’s hipster sector, but not all hipster sectors are created equal. New York’s Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn stands apart not only because of its density, span, and tastemaking power, but also its considerable cultural diversity. A breeding ground for bands and artists of all stripes since the 70s, Williamsburg is home to numerous theaters, cafes, art spaces and concert venues. Local and [often] imported bohemia thrives alongside multiple ethnic clusters, often inspiring snarky dismissal by other NYC residents. Clearly, if you like fun, this neighborhood is not to be missed.