THE ART FAIRS, BLAMMO ? more like busto. pre-cooked, past expiry date & and canned at that. afc – u got that part, right. FRIEZE TIX: $40 a pop. long trek & serving up stale fare !! fashion forward, NOT !! no wonder all the trendsetters & hipsters plan on staying home, BROOKLYN !! the un-fair.

bye the way. ‘nother crazy thought. whatever happened to MARIKO MORI ?
she could take that whole fair biz, uptown tent & Chelsea dia !! put it into the palm of one hand, spin it around a little bit with her other hand, and then blow it all away. with one breath. I’m thinking TOM ECCLES, did you leave your body, and mind – a decade ago, never to return. I mean, and Bard, who ? as in: who cares, and for shame right in the middle of the hugest most happening city in the world. maybe, NOT. . . with friends, I mean curators, plural !! – like that. and the graphics, it all looks worse than tourist brochure grade, just sayin’. . . not ONE image to surface, unless you want to count the aerial of the tent ? with any real buzz – out of the whole damn pack.

just some lousy six pack smart ass rating, oh gee – that’s real swift. that was an eye opener. but you can’t call the art, can you.

guess it takes a doc-umentary photographer – to do that ?

BRITS, go home. you’re busted.

birds of a feather.

p.s. message to MOJO: a picture is worth a thousand words !! – and that’s why docs . . . rule !!

and yeah, I’m a ‘doctor’ !!

so, take the L train BACK to BROOKLYN. and ROCK ON.

SPIKE HILL – A GREAT DIVE BAR – THE REAL DEAL – 186 BEDFORD – BET N 6th & N 7th – WILLIAMSBURG.

COME CELEBRATE MEXICO DEFEATING THE FRENCH at the BATTLE of PUEBLA !! – with DRINKING & DANCING & GENERAL, as in HUGE – DEBAUCHERY.

THE LINE-UP:

8 PM ZACH ORION ALBUM RELEASE !!!! (yeah, I’ve caught him down in the L train.)
9 PM BIRDS IN WEATHER
10 PM THE PLANES
11 PM THE SENORS OF MARSEILLE oh, yeah. ‘BIG’ !! no doubt, it’s my body & – play it loud.

THIS is a FREE SHOW – and SPIKE HILL will be serving up $4 MARGARITAS & $1 OFF CORONAS – ALL NITE LONG.

check out: BIRDS IN WEATHER & SAMPLE THE DEMOS . . .

check out: BIRDS IN WEATHER /blog – scroll down a bit & catch the action in the BIW LAB: hand-made music . . . & as always – good graphics.

SHOUT OUT TO: HANS VIETS !! HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO !!

THE N’ERE DOWELLS – REVIEWED BY SIMON CERIGO, April 20, 2012.

THE N’ERE DOWELLS – a new indie group based in Brooklyn, New York are an up-tempo jangling guitar foursome that contrary to their name – make great music.

Their music is akin in spirit to the early CLAP YOUR HANDS AND SAY YEAH sound – in its forward drive.

My favorite songs from their 5 song demo are: “Jungle” and “Spend Time”.

sample: The N’ere Dowells – 5 song demo . . . “yeah I wanna scream” – & – play it loud !!

The N’ere Dowells comprise:

GIO – guitar/vox
JACK – guitar
THEO – bass
DEXTER – drums

they have 2 gigs upcoming in the New York area:

SAT MAY 12, 2012 – YIPPIE CAFE in Manhattan, NY
SAT JUNE 2, 2012 – BIG SNOW BUFFALO LODGE in BROOKLYN, NY

NOTE: earlier that week of MAY 12, 2012 – the band will be heading to BOSTON, where they are going to play on CAMBRIDGE RADIO on MAY 9th – and then will be playing a show at MIT – on MAY 10th.

ALL PHOTOS: COURTESY – THE N’ERE DOWELLS

up, for an Academy Award Oscar for BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM, ‘Chico & Rita’ is a lovely, dreamy, steamy and often sad look back at beautiful times – its two main characters hurt by both their own tempestuous temperaments, and the biased days of 1948. This is a retro postcard that plays out as maybe the first Black Latin contender among the American and Japanese genres of animation. and its voice is adult, passionate and a reality check.

any comic book artist worth their salt, or any visual artist with soul for that matter, is going to marvel at how the characters’ black Latino features flit across the big screen and seep down into your soul. the backgrounds are literally ‘souvenir’ postcards filled with the lights and ambiance of cities and days, not that long past. and yes Chico arrives in the big apple, New York City, much the same way as the Cuban poet REINALDO ARENAS, of Julian Schnabel’s, ‘Before Night Falls’ did . . . amidst the wonder and magic of a big city snowfall. and like that eventful film, this one too, can steal your heart, and leave you secretly wiping away – the tears.

the movie is framed by a flashback stance, that works really well, and gets you in the heart. closer to the action and drama, than a straightforward narrative might have. but what really captures your heart – is the music. haunting and beyond soulful, it betrays the term ‘jazz’ – and takes on an absolutely otherworldiness. it’s not quite a better time or place – but it is a ‘moment’ of pure desire . . .

watch the trailer: Chico & Rita

on the lower right there, you can listen to the soundtrack, and switch among the songs. look for the film’s signature melody: ‘Sabor A Mi’ – sung by Idania and Bebo Valdes

in NYC, its currently playing at the ANGELIKA FILM CENTER.

and you know what happened to ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS !! Simon’s very first music post way back in 2005. went big-time baby, even art-wise.

Birds in Weather, sample their sounds, here !!

Saturday 12/10, 2011:
Legion Bar 790 Metropolitan Ave (corner of Metropolitan & Bushwick Ave) Brooklynm NY 11211
Wojik 9:00 pm
The Planes 10:00 pm
Birds in Weather 11:00 pm

Sunday 12/11, 2011:
Suffolk Bar 107 Sufflok St (between Delancey St & Rivington St) New York, NY 10002
The Enthusiasts 9:00 pm
Birds in Weather 10:00 pm
Luck War 11:00 pm
Indian Rebound 12:00 am

catch: everybodies new favorite band - YUCK – with their song: ‘Georgia’ – on YouTube !!

It seems that Pitchfork – the quote unquote “new music” site – is losing its grip on new music . . .

A Mr. Mark Richardson gave a pretentious negative review to the debut CD Cape Dory by the new group Tennis, which I feel will probably be one of the best CDs of 2011.

His review smacks of the class resentment that followed the release of the first Vampire weekend CD.

He probably listened to Cape Dory with only earbuds on an iPod, not a real sound system. And only with his mind, not his heart or body.

I read his review of the new Destroyer CD Kaputt, in which he gave a very favorable review, to see where he was coming form. He is coming from that cool, intellectual, ironic conceit that destroyer is famous for. I am big fan of the early DCs This Night, and Streethawk, by Destroyer, thinking them two of the best albums of the last decade because of Dan Bejar’s emotional heat.

It’s the emotional heat, which is the result of the very-much-in-love couple, who are Tennis, which is so authentic and attractive. Sincerity is not a negative in music.

Cape Dory is an amazing album, not only for Alaina Moore’s voice with Hammond keys, which is really expressive, but also for Patrick Riley’s surf guitar – that sings !! Besides their hit ‘Marathon’, I am addicted to ‘Waterbirds’, ‘Pigeon’, ‘Seafarer’, and ‘Long Boat Pass’.

In contrast, Kaputt though slick and well-produced, sounds to my mind emotionally and intellectually tired.

It’s so easy for wannabe critics to praise anything rock strs do (and have no doubt about it, Dan Bejar is an indie star), while arrogantly dismissing newcomers. The best way to listen to new music today is on YouTube, maybe using Pitchfork as a reference, but don’t fall for that “best new music” bullshit – written by power-tripping “critics”.

CD ARTWORK: Cover photo by ERIN ALGIERE, Design by KYLE FLETCHER, Additional photos by TENNIS

Tennis, ‘Cape Dory’ copyright 2010 Fat Possum Records LLC

see: FAT POSSUM

sample songs & check out: TENNIS on mySpace !!

check this out !! sweet – it’s an unofficial fan video !! – TENNIS – MARATHON on YouTube !!

and watch the band, here : TENNIS, MARATHON – LIVE !! – at CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE, NEW BRUNSWICK – on YouTube !!

watch my personal fave: TENNIS – SEAFARER – @ THE ECHO, ECHO PARK, LOS ANGELES. NOV 11, 2010 !! – YouTube

___________________________________________

During the last decade the music scene in Brooklyn has been cooking and sometimes exploding. From Williamsburg to Bushwick independent, low-fi, or DIY music is being made and experienced daily. It was not a surprise that Jeff Magnon, from that great 90s group Neutral Milk Hotel gave a great show in a loft in Bushwick recently.

One of the more interesting bands to come out of this frenetic scene is Sisters. Their debut CD Ghost Fits is a good example of the ‘Do It Yourself’ ethos that runs through a lot of the more interesting contemporary music.

Ghost Fits – captures the energy, creative excitement, and fun – of the dynamic Brooklyn scene.

Sisters, Ghost Fits – copyright NARNACK RECORDS 2010.

regarding the artwork, MATT CONBOY writes that he did the drawing on the CD disc and, “the cover image was from a needlepoint thing we saw at a friend’s house in Atlanta.”

check out: sisterssound.com

this is the best place to catch their music: SONGS on sisterssound.com !!

check out: Sisters/Myspace

SISTERS played live at the closing party for the JASON GRUNWALD art exhibit, at EASTERN DISTRICT in BUSHWICK, APRIL 29, 2010.

SISTERS is a two-man band. guitarist and singer AARON PFANNEBECKER, and . . .

drummer and keyboards, MATT CONBOY.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH

check out the original post: Nue History/OCT 9, 2010

JON COHEN, setting up. Casa del Popolo, Montreal, Quebec. MAY 2010.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH

The Montreal independent music scene is sizzling – with groups like The Braids, Wolf Parade, Islands, and the now famous Arcade Fire – making a lot of white hot noise.

Add to this motley crew – THE JON COHEN EXPERIMENTAL – who will be playing in NEW YORK, tomorrow FRI APRIL 1, 2011/9PM at PETE’S CANDY STORE – in BROOKLYN – 709 LORIMER ST.

Their current CD, BEHOLD is a synthesis of tight studio production and improvisational jazz rock with a sprinkling of razor sharp vocals. One of my favorite tunes is the melodic and dreamy ‘Don’t Be The Cloud’.

The rest of the CD exudes a smooth-as-velvet though quirky sound – I’ve been told that to see them live, is to: BEHOLD !!

FRONT COVER ART BY: ELENA WILLIS
ADDITIONAL ARTWORK BY: JON COHEN
COPYRIGHT 2010 THE JON COHEN EXPERIMENTAL

CHECK OUT: THE JON COHEN EXPERIMENTAL/myspace

SWEET TOOTH NELSON and JESS PAPS – capture the folk fire at the Northeast Kingdom – underground ‘den’.
WED MARCH 9, 2011

check out: SWEET TOOTH NELSON
check out: SWEET TOOTH NELSON/myspace
check out: NORTHEAST KINGDOM

JESS PAPS also played a totally awesome solo set.
most def, check out: JESS PAPS/myspace/papsjams

check out: JESS PAPS on You/Tube – apt #5 – cover

the ‘DEN’ – at Northeast Kingdom

BLACK FOREST . . . GANN MATTHEWS on the right.

SWEET TOOTH sang a few solo songs . . .

SWEET TOOTH NELSON/’IT WAS SOMETHIN’ TO ME’/YouTube

BRETT LAND, left, came to join him on banjo, and JESS PAPS joined in, too . . .

BRETT LAND and his banjo . . . sounding better, and better.

GANN MATTHEWS watching the action, from the audience.

BRIAN and HOLLY of ROCKWOOD REVIVAL. . .
Holly plays washboard and sings.

farewell, for now. SWEET TOOTH.

WILD ISLE PRESENTS:
the NELSON TAPE RELEASE PARTY, PAPS, ROCKWOOD REVIVAL, and GANN MATTHEWS – at NORTHEAST KINGDOM, BROOKLYN.
MARCH 9, 2011

the NORTHEAST KINGDOM – DEN . . .

‘fire-burning’ stove, and . . .

all.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH

bye the bye – happy new year to PETE PEZZIMENTI, yeah !!

who says:

hello everyone!

twain will be performing tonite in new york so please join us.

tonite [1-19/11] at six pm at rockwood music hall on allen st. just below houston. and tomor [1-20-11] at bar at 10 pm. in park slope.
both shows are free and we have music for sale to take home and enjoy.
mat and i look forward to seeing you there, – p-

yes. most def !! check them out: TWAIN on myspace/which lists band members as: cherry ghost, hairy ghost, Mat Davidson, scary ghost, Pete Pezzimenti, weary ghost, Ken Woodward, and fairy ghost.

note their GENRE !! – Melodramatic Popular Song / Surf /Western Swing

ha !! well done. great music. just check out that first song – The fool in the Tree – you’ll be – hooked.

wow – the new year – is – shaping up to be a rocker – or what !! and this is what ? just 2-3 weeks into 2011 ???