In which the universe does me a solid

Last weekend I had the stomach flu. Like curluponthebathroomfloorIwantmymommy stomach flu. It was ugly.

I think the universe decided to try for balance, and do something nice to counter the OMGIwanttodie stomach flu. It did me a solid.

A few weeks ago on a lark I threw my email into an online contest to win concert tickets. I do this periodically, if it's a band I'd actually like to see. I'm certainly not entering every contest. I honestly have to want to see the band or I don't bother.

The band in this case? Cake. It was CAKE. A band I've been listening to since late high school/early college but have never had the chance to see. And they don't come to the East Coast that often.

So I entered. Just once. You could enter every day, but I only entered once.

And then I forgot about it.

On Monday, the first day I was able to eat solid food, I get a phone call. It's the radio station running the contest. I won. I thought it was a joke. Asked what the punchline was. The nice woman on the other end of the phone just laughed and told me it wasn't a joke. Really, I was one of the winners.

Wait, what? Pause...I let it sink in for a moment.

OMFG I WON. I won two tickets to the show. In box seats. bouncebouncebouncebounce

And then she says: "And you won a meet and greet with the band after the show."

I froze. Mouth open. Holy effin' shite I GET TO MEET CAKE!!!

She gives me the details about where to pick up the tickets. The concert is Wednesday. Holy crap. I manage to pull myself together and figure out who to take with me.

So the show was last night. And it was full of so much awesome win. I have no pictures, as the band has a strict no-photography no-recording policy. The event staff were enforcing it, too (saw them throw a couple of people out).

Cake did three sets. Two main plus an encore. A nice mix of early stuff, their big hits, and a few songs off the album coming out in January 2011. Truly an excellent mix. They even played one of my all time favorites: "How Do You Afford Your Rock'n'Roll Lifestyle?" (from Motorcade of Generosity (1994)). They have no set list, choosing instead to play whatever they feel like that evening. They were clearly having as much fun as the rest of us were watching them and dancing at our seats. John kept the crowd engaged, really interacting with everyone between songs. There were moments of complete random hilarity.

Did you know they give away a real live tree (a sapling in a bucket) to an audience member at every show (info here)? And they make the person swear to plant the tree and take care of it. They have to submit pictures to their website as proof. They want progress pictures too, even if the tree dies. You can see pics of people with their trees here in the gallery. A dude named Ian won the tree at this show. A Fuji apple tree, specifically.

All around a good time.

And the people watching? Priceless. What a crowd.

The meet and greet after the show was predictably weird and awkward yet very cool. The guys actually talked to us contest winners. Mingled and chatted. They're nice very down to earth real people, which was a very pleasant thing to have confirmed.

It was an excellent evening. There really isn't another word that's better. Just excellent. Yeah, awesome works too.

But don't think you're off the hook yet, universe. This was a nice little interlude, but not change. I still need things to change. So, thanks, I had fun, but let's work on the bigger long-term picture, m'kay?

Disappointment to the NINth degree

There are few things in life that I would do pretty much anything for. One of those things is to see NIN one more time before Trent Reznor goes on hiatus for an "undetermined" amount of time.

Last June NIN came to Camden, NJ with Jane's Addiction for the NINJA tour. It was the same weekend as NASIG.

I was responsible and went to the NASIG conference like a good little serials librarian. Using my brain and doing what I "should" do.

I was FOOLISH. Idiotic. Stupid. [feel free to continue to add appropriate synonyms]

So a few weeks ago Trent announces they will be doing a last precious few shows in the US when they get back from Europe. The Wave Goodbye tour.

It was like the universe handed me a second chance on a platter. Especially after the completely hellish June I had. I was excited and blissfully happy for the first time in months. Truly happy at that moment. I vowed to do whatever I could to make one of those shows. Tickets were going on sale Friday, 7/17, at 5pm EST for the shows in NYC.

Well, it turns out the universe was fucking with me.

I was logged in at 10 minutes to 5pm. I was ready. I kept clicking on "buy tickets". I ended up in the "waiting room" about 3 minutes to 5pm.

And I waited.

And I waited some more.

Finally I get in to buy tickets at about 5 minutes after 5pm (nearly 10 minutes in the "waiting" room). I select a show in NYC (specifically the Bowery show). I select ONE ticket. Just one. That's all I needed. I plug in the necessary CAPTCHA phrase. I click "Purchase".

I get this evil message that "there are not enough tickets available at that number. Please select a different (fewer) number of tickets and try again."

SOLD OUT.

OMFG. Panic! I try another NYC show. And another. Same response over and over.

I try for one of the Chicago shows when I get home (work was closing so I had to leave...no choice, couldn't sit there until 5pm CST) and can't even get to the NIN tour page. So no Chicago show either.

ALL the NYC and Chicago shows are sold out. And Trent has made it clear that he will not be adding any additional shows. That this is truly it. And I honestly cannot afford to go one of the shows in LA.

I am seriously so upset that I start crying. I'M NOT GOING TO GET TO SEE NIN. Possibly ever again. And it was partially my fault for being so fucking responsible and doing what I "should" do by going to a work conference instead of seeing NIN this past June.

NIN is so much more than "just a band" for me. Way more. A friend once described me seeing a show as a kind of religious experience for me, and they are right. NIN's music touches my soul, reaches all those deep down dark places you never let anyone see. The music has gotten me through so much shit in my life since Pretty Hate Machine (halo 2) came out way back in 1989 I can't even begin to tell you (I wore that tape out three times and then I bought the CD). And I'm missing the Wave Goodbye tour. I can't stand it. What the fuck did I do to deserve this? My life has been hell recently and the additional tour dates actually made me excited about something again. And I can't get tickets. It's like the world just crashed in. I needed to get a ticket to one of these shows on so many levels. And unless some miracle occurs, it's not going to happen.

Universe, GO TO HELL. I HATE YOU RIGHT NOW WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING FOR FUCKING WITH ME LIKE THIS. You already ripped my heart out once this summer, why did you have to do it again?

OMG NIN

Just got home from the Nine Inch Nails concert tonight.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

Best. Show. Ever.

Best. Seats. Ever.

OMG WOW

I think I'm high on the adrenalin rush...and hoarse from screaming and singing at the top of my lungs.

New NIN album!!

EEEEE!!!!! NEW NIN ALBUM!!!!!!!!

WANT!

Titled Ghosts I-IV, it's an entirely instrumental album of 36 tracks on 2 CDs.

It gets better. How can it get better, you ask? The first 9 tracks (disc 1) are available for download for FREE from nin.com, complete with a 40 page booklet and other fun stuff. FREE, people! [Of course, the NIN Ghosts site is so clogged tonight I can't download it at the moment...]

It even gets one step even better than free...DRM-free as well. All downloads, free or purchased, are being made available DRM-free.

And you people wonder why I would have Trent Reznor's baby in a heartbeat if he asked me to...

Other editions, including a deluxe edition with the 2 CDs, a hardback book, DVD, and Blu-ray disc with a slide show, will be available soon. The basic 2 CD set (DRM-free download included!) should be available April 8th.

OMG OMG OMG OMG...yes, I'm freaking out. Deal with it.

News about Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor at The NIN Hotline

Original choral music, followed by pizza and beer

Friday night I went to a choral concert. My friends AH and her husband DS sing in a local choral group, the Choral Arts Society. I had yet to make one of their concerts, so I was determined to make it to this one.

This particular concert showcased the works of local composers by partnering with the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum. They performed the works of 6 artists, the first five of which were shorter. The pieces ran the gamut from poetry and prayers arranged with original music to new arrangements of existing works and hymns.

One of my favorites was the arrangement of a Jewish prayer for a funeral, the Kaddish, by David Ludwig. It was beautifully done, so serene yet full of emotion. The Mourners' Kaddish itself, while spoken during funerals and during the period of mourning, does not actually mention death at all, but rather focuses on life and spirit and exalting God. I think David Ludwig did an amazing job of presenting this so it came through clearly in the music.

I particularly liked the fact that all the composers were there. They each spoke briefly before their piece was performed, giving us a little bit of information about what inspired them and what they aimed to create. It's not something you normally get to hear, and it adds so much more to the performances to hear a bit of the background behind the pieces. The performance was also recorded, so the composers would have a copy of their work being performed for promotion and personal record.

The last piece was one that had been commissioned by the Choral Arts Society artistic director, Matthew Glandorf. He asked Anthony Mosakowski to do a rendition of the Passion according to St. John. Fortunately, this was not the 2 hour version of the Passion. The four soloists were incredible. And Anthony added to the usual limited role of the larger chorus. Typically their role consists of playing the part of the crowd or the people. But in the scripture itself, it references other scriptures and prophesies. So Anthony had the chorus singing and chanting those referenced parts in the background while the soloists sang the St. John scripture. It was interesting to hear the Passion with another layer added to it.

Overall, it was a beautiful concert. As someone that's not normally a big choral music fan, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed myself. The chorus is awesome, and I'm actually looking forward to future performances and hearing more choral music.

Afterwards, we went to grab a bite to eat and a drink at Dock Street Brewing Co. Their specialties? Beer (duh!) and pizza. Really really good pizza and small locally brewed batches for their draft beers. They have this great information board that lists all the available beers and a brief description of each one, which simplifies the selection process. I had their Baltic Porter, a porter brewed with maple syrup, which was very nice, dark, smooth, and had just a hint of sweetness. It complemented the pizza beautifully.

There were 7 of us, so we decided to split 2 large pizzas, which allowed for 2 slices each plus an extra for whomever was really hungry. These are not small slices, so two was plenty for me. We chose one with meat and one vegetarian pizza, which was not easy as there are many tasty options. We all agreed that there hard part of the decision was not agreeing on the choices, but having to limit ourselves to only two! The meat pizza we chose was the Flammenkuche and the vegetarian was the A La Greek. The Greek was pretty standard (tomatoes, feta, etc.) but topped with a mixed-greens salad, which was a nice addition. The Flammenkuche had bacon, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and rosemary. OMG that was yummy. The crust on both was perfect, thin while still soft and just a bit chewy.

The only negative about Dock Street? It's very noisy. The building is an old firehouse, so there's not much to it. High ceilings, lack of "soft" material, so everything echoes. Plus they have music playing. Not a place for intimate conversation. But I'll certainly be back to try other beers and work my way through their incredible pizza menu.

An evening of Bach

Last week my friend AH asked me if I would be interested in an evening of Bach with her and DS on Sunday. It's been quite some time since I've had the opportunity to enjoy some beautiful classical music so I jumped at the chance to join them.

The Curtis Institute of Music here in Philadelphia does a series of student recitals every year. Over one hundred. Sunday night was once such recital, in a beautiful location: St. Mark's Church. St. Mark's was built in 1849, and it's a grand stone building, very Gothic Revival. Needless to say an incredible setting for an evening of baroque music.

The concert was the complete Brandenburg Concertos by J. S. Bach. This is quite the endeavor, especially for a student recital. Most student recitals are small groups, or solos with accompaniment. These Concertos require multiple different arrangements of instruments and people, all of varying number. Sometimes a student would be playing the lead part, yet in the Concerto immediately previous or following they might be the support. Not an easy situation for a student, yet an incredible opportunity. The evening was divided into two halves: No. 1 through No. 3 at 4pm, and then No. 4 through No. 6 at 7:30pm. Between was a dinner break.

One of the things that makes this arrangement of the Brandenburg Concertos unique was the harpsichord (side note: what's with harpsichords almost always being painted in gaudy colors? the inside of the lid on this one was bright orange with a gold border!). And in some it was the support, yet in others it took a more prominent role. Each Number had a combination of strings and/or wind instruments and the harpsichord. Not something you get to hear everyday.

No. 1 had some great echoes between the violins, the oboes and the horns. The violins would play the melody solo, the whole group would play, the oboes would have the melody solo, the whole group would play, and then the horns had the solo. It was really interesting to hear how each different type of instrument changed how the melody sounded.

In No. 2 the trumpet was awesome! The trumpet player was a young woman and she rocked it. It was a small trumpet, almost like they had folded it in on itself, but wow what a sound. She had a great clear tone and never got lost behind all the other players.

No. 3 was all strings. The cellos were great. And the professor played the harpsichord for this one because there's a moment where Bach gives the player liberty to do what he likes. Pure improvisation. I'm sure he decided how he was going to play it that very day.

Next was the dinner break. St. Mark's is in a part of town with restaurants everywhere. And nearby was Monk's, home of yummy Belgian beer and mussels. AH went for mussels with a bit of spice (she has a cold so spicy food is always nice to help clear the sinuses). I decided to try their burgers this time, getting the "Trappist" with lettuce, tomato and goat cheese, hold the raw onions please. It was quite yummy. DS also had a burger and we split a basket of their yummy pommes frites. But the Bourbon mayo that comes with the fries was all his (Bourbon is just not my thing). And of course we all had a beer (how can you not?).

We got back to the church in plenty of time to get a good seat for the second half.

The violin player that had the primary part in No. 4 was amazing. His fingers positively danced on the strings. It was such incredible finger work and he played it effortlessly. The two flutes played off of each other beautifully, alternately letting each other be the stronger sound. And with such beautiful clear tone to their playing. In general all the players were so impressive during all three movements of No. 4.

No. 5 contained the harpsichord solo. The professor played again for this Concerto, as one movement contained quite a long solo with plenty of room for interpretation.

For No. 6 there was another unique element: no violins, only the lower strings (viola, cello and bass). It was beautiful. It was amazing to see how the violas played almost "around" each other, one playing then the other, chasing each other through the melody. I love canons in music. Many of my favorite musical pieces are canons, so it was great to hear one with a pair of violas.

All six of the Concertos have this wonderful layering element to them. I love how Bach layers the music and you can hear him building them: one instrument starts, then another picks up the melody, then a third, then eventually everyone joins in. And try as I might, I can't pick a favorite one. I enjoyed them all immensely.

It was an amazing evening of music. And I was positively humbled by the talent of these young musicians. I'm going to have to check out other student recitals. You just can't beat an evening of free classical music played by a group of students that obviously have a passion for what they are playing.

OZOMATLI!!

Ozomatli came through Philly last night. This time as part of a tour called Summer Haze with two other bands: Slightly Stoopid and G Love & Special Sauce. The show was outside at the Festival Pier down on Penn's Landing. [note: parking fees down there are a racket!!] My friend AH (who I introduced to Ozo at the show in April) and her husband DS joined me. While waiting in line to be let into the venue, I was treated to the sounds of the band warming up. I got to hear "City of Angels" twice, once at a distance and once right in front of the stage!

As always, Ozo ROCKED it. Seriously, OMG and WOW! My post-show Ozo-high is still going strong (aided by my iPod and some serious at-work chair dancing, of course). They had the full band there this time, all nine current members (Jabu was absent at the April show). They all are just so much fun to watch. AH commented about how they smile the entire time they are on stage and it's obvious that they are having so much fun up there. And the coordinated playing and dancing done by the band members is always impressive (how do Raul and Wil-Dog do that??). They only had use of about half the stage as the instruments for the other two bands were set up behind them. Unfortunately this meant that some band members were less visible than normal (Jiro, Mario, and Justin when he was on percussion). But this did not stop Ozomatli from making use of every inch of stage they had available to them. At one point Raul left the stage and leaped over security and the barrier to jam in the middle of the crowd!

The set itself was quite short, at just under an hour of Ozo time. So not enough. They could play for 4 hours and it wouldn't be enough. I couldn't get a copy of the set list this time (bummer!) because of the barrier in front of the stage and security between the barrier and the stage. That and the crew started breaking down the Ozo set as soon as they left the stage for the traditional "party in the crowd" to prepare for the next band so by the time Ozo was done with the end of show jam in the crowd the set was already half gone.

They mainly played songs off of the latest album Don't Mess with the Dragon, but none of the ballads, only the faster paced higher-energy songs. They did play "After Party," which I do believe is my favorite song on the new album, and "Can't Stop," which is AH's favorite, so we were both very happy. Ozo did play some of their older stuff, including "Saturday Night" (always a favorite). In the middle of "Cumbia de los muertos" they played a medley of random non-Ozo '80s and '90s rock songs. And of course they ended the show with "Como Ves" before picking up their instruments and heading into the crowd. Justin played an incredible drum solo at the very very end that garnered quite the response from the surrounding crowd.

The crowd was a bit disappointing. It felt kind of like a big frat party and there didn't appear to be very many Ozo fans in the audience. And most people weren't even dancing! What's up with that?? There's something wrong with those people, I swear. Ozomatli is probably one of the most "danceable" bands out there!!

Various band members jammed with Slightly Stoopid at the end of their set, which followed Ozomatli. First Raul joined them on stage for a hard-core rock song. I've never seen him play like that! For the last song in Slightly Stoopid's set, they were joined by Shef, Asdru, Uli and Justin. Last up for the evening was G Love & Special Sauce (a local Philly funk band).

My favorite things during the evening include the girl that had never seen Ozo before and is now, in the words of AH's friend, their slave. She was beyond excited and thought the traditional end of show drumming circle/snake through the crowd was the best thing ever. And during the post-show "party in the crowd" I saw Shef grab some guys blunt while walking through the crowd and was alternating smoking and playing his trombone before passing the blunt off to someone else. Classic. The man is crazy, but we love him anyway.

Quite possibly the most disturbing part of the evening was sitting around between bands and having it proved once again that AH and I have the librarians' curse of "information here" tattooed on our foreheads. We kept getting asked for directions. Sigh.

Photos of various concerts are here on Flickr.

Oh, and we went for dinner afterwards at Standard Tap. Yes, dinner at 10:30pm at night. This is not unusual in other parts of the world, I promise. I had the absolutely delicious "Standard Burger." It was perfectly cooked, and includes lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, a grilled onion slice, and cheese. So very very good. And it arrived with excellent fries, liberally sprinkled with salt AND pepper. AH had the soft-shell crab sandwich, and given the amount of finger licking that occurred I'm certain she really enjoyed it! DS had the yummy squid, which is fried in a batter that also includes the "standard" salt AND pepper. We topped it off with nice cold beers. I'll be going back there, guaranteed.

Incredible music and dancing to one of my favorite bands followed by good food...what an excellent evening! Too bad I had to work the next day. My alarm went off painfully early this morning. God willing Ozomatli's next show in Philly will NOT be on a weeknight.

Music in the park

During the summer the Philadelphia Orchestra performs free concerts in parks around the city. It's the "Free Neighborhood Concerts" series. Tonight was the one in Clark Park, where the farmers market I usually go to is on Saturday mornings. A few of my colleagues live in very close to the park, and they said they'd save a bit of space for me when they staked their claim on a patch of grass. They all have toddlers and infants or are (very) pregnant (KS was hoping Bolero would bring on labor... but no luck), and I brought my own four legged furry child, Aussie.

I love the symphony. I always have. In college I was fortunate enough to be friends with some of the people that played in the city orchestra, so I always had free tickets to the performances. In graduate school they had deep discounted tickets for students. I went every chance I got. When I got my first job and moved to a big city, friend JT and I decided to split the cost of a season subscription for two seats to six concerts. We always made an evening of it, going out to a restaurant and then to the concert, often discussing the performance afterwards over drinks or dessert somewhere. She and I had a blast. So when my friend KS told me about the concert in the park, I knew I was going to go no matter what. It had been far far too long since my last orchestra concert.

I got there with plenty of time, which was good since I had to park a good ways away from the park. I overheard someone say that around 2,000 people attended the concert. Wow.

They had a theme to the pieces they chose for the evening, focusing on Spanish music. I couldn't have been more thrilled. They played Chabrier's Espana, portions of Bizet's Suite No. 2 from Carmen, Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34, Danzon No. 2 by Marquez, a tango from Barber's Souvenirs, and finished up with Ravel's Bolero. What a fantastic selection. It was a bit hard to hear the quieter parts of the pieces and movements, mainly because they didn't have the speaker volume up high enough. Overall it was beautiful. Very well played. The conductor, Rossen Milanov, was energetic, often dancing while he conducted. I love watching conductors when they're really into the music. The Philly Orchestra is really good. I now have a goal of finding a way to see a few performances during their regular season.

Free neighborhood concerts are not only fabulous for the music, but for the general ambiance and experience. Where a concert in a performance hall tends to bring only to adults, concerts in the park bring out whole families. Small children, like the toddlers and infants I was surrounded by, get to experience music in an environment where they aren't shushed the entire time. They can move around, dance, and no one minds if they get a bit rowdy at moments. People bring picnics and spread themselves out, lying back and letting the sound of the music envelop them. It's peaceful, yet there's an energy. The ambient noise of the people and kids and other dogs doesn't bother me in the slightest. For me, it only enhances the experience, being able to watch and hear others enjoy the music as much as I am.

The only negative moment of the evening was when a local news helicopter hovered overhead of the park for just a bit too long. I missed hearing an entire movement of the Carmen suite because that damn helicopter drowned out the music entirely, even the loud parts. Very annoying.

Aussie behaved quite well. She enjoyed the attention she got from the kids and other people nearby. I'm sure the small bag of dog treats I brought helped a bit as well. She was a bit restless with all the activity around her for most of the concert, watching everything, that is until the last song, Bolero. My dog took a nap during that song. Who sleeps through Bolero?? Only my dog. As if I needed more confirmation that she's weird.

OZOMATLI!!!

Last night was the Ozomatli concert at World Cafe Live here in Philly.* Wow. I mean, really, WOW. My legs hurt from all the dancing. And let's just say that my bike ride into work today was not the most pleasant. But I have the Ozo buzz going on, and like usual, it should last a few days. Woot!

Ozomatli is this wonderful fusion of Latin, hip hop, funk, punk, Middle Eastern sound and other random world music. It's beautiful. And very dance-able. You can't help but have a lot of fun. And the band is always high energy. You can tell they're really enjoying themselves up there. I brought a new Ozo fan to the show, AH, and she commented on how the entire band was smiling the entire show. It's obvious they're having a good time, which means the audience has a good time. She was particularly impressed with the coordinated dancing done by the band...both halves of the stage jumping and dancing in sync, often while playing instruments. Um, wow. Not an easy thing to do, but I've seen it happen every show.

The other truly beautiful thing about Ozo is the diversity of the audience they attract. Their music is such an eclectic blend of styles that they attract and eclectic blend of people. Looking around from my spot in the front and slightly to the right of center, I saw a wide range of ages (including set of parents that brought their son), races, backgrounds, styles, and dancing abilities. A true cross-section of society, much like the band themselves (a very diverse group of guys).

Ozo has a new album out, Don't Mess with the Dragon, and most of the set was from it. They even started with one of the songs off it: "City of Angels." They came on stage and set the show to be their typical high energy let's all have a good time and dance the night away right from the first drumbeat. WOW, they so rock.

[How many times can I say wow in one post? Let's find out, shall we??]

Mid-set they did a weird little mix of songs from the '80s like Blondie's "The Tide is High" and a few others that were like a trippy little journey down memory lane. And of course the audience sang along. What's freaky is that we all knew the words.

What's equally as freaky is that I still remember how to do the electric slide. The little trip down memory lane was just to prime the crowd. For "After Party," Ozo challenged the audience to dance the electric slide for the entire song. And, 'cause Philly rocks, we did it. "After Party" is one of my favorite songs off the new album. You just can't go wrong with a song about coming together and enjoying yourselves. It's a bit more mellow than most of their stuff, but with the same let's-all-have-a-good-time-vibe and rockin' beat that makes Ozo so much fun. Again, WOW. I love this song and it's even better live. [But then, isn't everything better live with Ozo??]

"Magnolia Soul" and "Violeta" are two of their social justice focused songs on the new album. For those of you that don't know, Ozomatli is from Los Angeles, and they have a serious social justice aspect to what they do and their music. These news ones are absolutely incredible songs. "Magnolia Soul" is a funk-inspired song that highlights the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and the resilience of New Orleans in the aftermath. The ballad of "Violeta" echoes the tragedy of life lost in war, on both sides, making it an incredibly moving song. "Violeta" was one of the few ballads they played during the set. So much of Ozo's repertoire is high energy, that when they do have a ballad it's particularly noticeable. In this case, it is also particularly moving. They also played "Temperatura," which address immigration. Again, attacking political issues via an inspired and upbeat tune with some serious rabble-rousing lyrics.

The mixed some of their classics (or even vintage) tunes in with the songs from the new album. True old school songs like "Eva" and "Misma Cancion" were interspersed between new stuff. They played two of my all time favorites: "Believe" and "Ya Viene el Sol," which aren't really old school but definitely classic Ozo. And as always with these songs, WOW.

At the end of every show, the whole band grabs various percussion instruments and horns and heads off the stage into the crowd for a jam session. No joke. EVERY SHOW. Often, this is where it ends, because there's no place else to go. This time, however, it only started as a circle in the middle of the dance floor. Wil-dog (bass player extraordinare...can you salsa dance, jump and strum all at the same time without missing a beat or a chord? Yeah, I didn't think so) led the band in a line snaking its way through the crowd and out into the lobby where they took up residence on the steps and jammed for a bit more.

Once they were finally done (exhausted, maybe?), they all stuck around to chat with the audience and sign whatever people gave them. Really, WOW. They even included a tear out sheet in the booklet for Don't Mess with the Dragon that promised they'd all sign it if you brought it to a show. So I did. And I got it signed by everyone (except Asdru, vocals/trumpet, who disappeared). Along with the set-list I managed to snag off the stage at the end of the show. Go me!

So life is good. I may be tired and sore, but, damn, what a party! My Ozo buzz is still going strong (fueled a bit by my iPod), but, seriously, WOW. What more is there to say besides THANK YOU to Ozomatli for a bloody awesome and absolutely rockin' and intensely high energy show!??!!

*Note: pictures will be posted over on my Flickr account later tonight, so go check them out! Be warned, the on stage shots of the guys were taken with my camera phone (flash photography prohibited by the venue), so the quality isn't excellent, but hell, they're pics of the band!

New music month, or, a love post about Nine Inch Nails

Earlier this month (April 3rd) Ozomatli released their new album, Don't Mess with the Dragon. It rocks. It's fun and exciting and has a great (and infectious) beat. Like all their albums. I've been listening to it and dancing while I do my housework. It's so much more fun to vacuum when you're doing a salsa at the same time. Really. Try it. You'll see.

Today (TODAY!!) Nine Inch Nails released Year Zero, less than two years after With Teeth. Trent Reznor did some serious viral marketing on his latest album, to the point of catching the attention of "non-fans" like the big guys at Google (Matt Cutts) and Rolling Stone. He left USB drives for people to find at concerts, giving fans pre-releases of tracks from the new album and leading them a neat little "down the rabbit hole" chase through the web. A series of websites linked from one to the other, all leading fans through a network of ideas (and a vision of the future), while keeping them interested and guessing. Messages were hidden on t-shirts and buttons. Listening parties (hear the full album before the release!) were held where fans were given more "clues" to the website maze. All in all, quite brilliant. Fans used webpages/fanpages (examples here and here), message boards and wikis to keep each other informed. And Trent has encouraged it all. It has been fascinating to watch, and it's still going. It's not done yet. It's still evolving. There are more "clues" on the album, in the CD booklet, the cover art, and on the physical CD itself ("thermachrome" art that is only visible when the disc is warm, how cool!). Oh, and let's not forget, the entire thing is a commentary on the possible state of the future world, it's a make-believe and rather bleak future where the government has control of it's citizens via a drug they put in the water called parepin (do a Google search for it, I dare you...).

I'll be buying the album, regardless of the marketing, but that's because I'm a long term fan (think back to the beginning of NIN with Down In It and Pretty Hate Machine in 1989) and I buy ALL the albums. Trent's been doing viral stuff for awhile, one example being the lyrics to With Teeth, which were made available via a PDF file that linked one song to another using colored text (there was no booklet with the album). From what I understand via interviews, it's not about selling records for Trent, it's really about the music. So making it possible for fans to listen to the entire album (which he did) prior to release might seem insane, but I wasn't at all surprised. In one of my favorite interviews with Trent he talks about how when he gets a new album, he turns off the phone, sits down, and listens to the entire album from start to finish. He has to experience the album and the music as a whole. Because, ultimately, it's about the music. And I happen to agree wholeheartedly (as someone that really does get "lost" listening to music as much as I do when reading a book).

Overall Trent has really tapped into the web2.0 market and made the music an experience that the fans participate in and help shape. I have so much respect for that. He's reinvented himself and the band over and over, constantly growing as an artist and musician. Nine Inch Nails has blogs (yes, plural), a MySpace page, fan sites that are detailed, and an ever evolving main website complete with a "resources" page that has exterior links. Not to mention downloads galore for those that want them. You have desktop wallpaper, sound files that fans can remix and then upload back to the main site (granted, in Garageband for Macs, but still...), song lyrics, and so much more. It takes the music beyond and really engages the fans, making them active listeners, not just passive receivers. Which, in a nutshell, is what web2.0 is all about, engaging users. Year Zero as an album in particular is supposed to be more than just the album, everything, including the websites, is Year Zero. It's a whole package: image, story, future world, music, all tied together; every piece is significant (although the music is the ultimate expression). And it's not done yet. It's still evolving.

Oh, and if anyone's interested, Year Zero (the album) rocks. Different than every album that came before, and just as incredible. I'm in love with NIN all over again (happens every time I hear a new release). It's distinct in its sound from the other albums/releases, yet without betraying its roots so you can still tell it's Nine Inch Nails. Truly reflects the ever evolving nature of Nine Inch Nails as a musical entity.

Ask and ye shall receive...

My friend L has left Philly and returned home (this is sad, but we're surviving...for now. I'll go for a visit soon). Over the weekend, we were discussing how it was great that Brave Combo had been here (see post) and that now Ozomatli needed to come do a show so that all would be right with my world.

Well, ask and ye shall receive!

OZOMATLI IS COMING TO PHILLY!!!

They're playing at the World Cafe Live Downstairs venue on Tuesday, April 24th. I will be there. Front and center, dancing my little heart out.

I'm so beyond excited I can hardly sit still.

Do a little polka

I'm tired today from being either up too late or up too early every day this week, and the weather is nasty (winter is in it's death throes), but it's Friday and I have fun polka music running through my head.

Last night I saw Brave Combo in concert. They're a "polka" band from Denton, Texas. Well, they are a Grammy award winning contemporary polka band, but they're so much more than that. They fuse polka with a variety of music genres, and they also take traditional tunes and songs from other genres and turn them into polkas. I often describe them as "polka on acid" or something to that effect.

How did I end up being a fan of a polka band, you ask? Well, my friend L called me one day and informed me (I was not asked, I was told) that I had plans the following week on Thursday.
Me: OK, what?
L: We're going to see Brave Combo.
Me: Who?
L: A polka band.
Me: What? You've lost your mind right? And you're messing with me, right?
L: NO. [laughing] I'm completely serious. You'll love it. Trust me.

So I trusted her. And she was right. I loved it. I polka danced the night away and went into work the next day tired and sore and humming salsa tunes done "Brave Combo style" (aka turned into polkas). What you need to know is that this is not the first conversation I had with L that ended in her telling me "trust me". And I had learned that trusting her was a good thing, as we always had a good time and she had yet to steer me wrong. She had, after all, introduced me to Ozomatli (an awesome band that I'm a HUGE fan of now), taken me to the local international festival and introduced me to many other local greats. So I trust her when she says "trust me" and wow, what a blast!

When I saw Brave Combo was coming to Philly, I KNEW I HAD TO GO. I had to represent. I also had to continue the tradition of dragging some poor unsuspecting soul along, much like L did to me, and L and I did to my friend J and our friend S. So I called my new friend M, and we had the "trust me" conversation and she agreed, but not without some trepidation. This was, after all, our first "trust me" situation.

Well, her trepidation was not warranted. We had a blast and she is now a Brave Combo fan. Even bought their Christmas CD (yes, Christmas carols as polkas - brilliant!).

They played at World Cafe Live!, a great venue here in Philly. It was a great place to see a show, plenty of space, good sound, and good food. And it was a typical Brave Combo show, if you can call them typical (which, honestly, you really can't).

They played all the greats, including the "Hava Nagila Twist" (always a crowd favorite), and two of their classics: the Hokey Pokey and chicken dance, both done Brave Combo style. They played my favorite song "Do Something Different (Diappear)" and they did some salsa, some cumbia, a little swing and a few twists, and included some Chicago-style and Cincinnati-style polkas. Oh, and a few medleys for good measure. The only awkward point was when they forgot to turn Ann Marie's mike on when it was her turn to sing, but Carl stopped them an we had a mike check interlude, which was entertaining in it's own right. One of the best things about Brave Combo is their casual attitude and interaction with the audience. They make the experience personal and fun for everyone, even if you don't dance. Although not dancing to the Hokey Pokey or the chicken dance is a crime.

So, pop on over to their web site and check them out. I took a couple of photos and put them up on Flickr (here and here), but be prepared, the quality is pretty bad since they were taken with my cell phone's camera and the lighting wasn't all that great (well, it's a bar, what do you expect?).

Holiday traditions: Part 4, entertainment

Besides the trip to cut down the Christmas tree each year, there were always a few activities that come to mind when I think about the holidays.

Jigsaw puzzles
We always had jigsaw puzzles. At every holiday function. And they were holiday themed. Easter ones, Thanksgiving ones, even Valentine's day. But we had several different Christmas ones. And we did them every year. New ones would appear from time to time, but we never stopped doing the old ones. We'd just cycle in the new ones. One in particular I remember was the gingerbread house. There also was a wreath made of dog bones, polar bears (winter themed), Christmas ornaments, and I believe even Santa's workshop to name a few.

We'd designate a table as "the puzzle table" for the entire holiday, and do puzzle after puzzle, with music on in the background. Somehow we never lost a piece. When people would come over for Christmas day dinner, they'd eat, drink hot cider and work on the puzzle, all while talking and having a good time. And of course my sister and I fought over who got to put in the last piece...which meant either Dad or Mom did it instead.

Games
We'd play many a card game as a family. Specifically we played Uno, hearts and pinochle (double deck, 4 players for you card sharks out there). Now these were not the Norman Rockwell everything is merry card games. These were vicious. For example, once I gave my mother the queen of spades during hearts. She turned to me, and said, completely seriously, "bitch, I'm gonna get you for that." And she did. Then next round she nailed me but good, giving me a nasty run of hearts AND the queen of spades, but not enough to shoot the moon. Damn her, I went from first place to third place in ONE hand. But before you call child services, we always had a good time. We'd call each other names and scream and laugh and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. As a family. How many other people can say they had that good of a time just hanging out with their family? My sister and I know we were pretty lucky in that respect.

Movies/TV:
Growing up my sister and I weren't allowed to watch much tv. We were allowed the Muppet Show (a family event), sci-fi with my dad, and PBS. That's about it. So Christmas time was special because it meant we got to stay up late and watch all the special shows. The Charlie Brown Christmas with the pitiful tree, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, John Denver and the Muppets Christmas, other Christmas specials that came out over the years, the parades on TV, and most special of all, the ballet of the Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov in the title role.

Music
Everyone has their favorite Christmas/holiday music albums. For some people it's carols or pop music, but for us it was an album called "A Brass Christmas," George Winston (both "December" and "Winter into Spring"), and John Denver & the Muppets. Jenna and I danced around the living room to Miss Piggy singing "Christmas is coming" every year. I still have those albums, now on CD rather than vinyl. And it just doesn't feel like Christmas until I play them.