Now I am slightly less disappointed, but skeptical (JC's wardrobe isn't helping matters).
F
27.4.06
F.J. DESANTO IS IS SLIGHTLY LESS DISAPPOINTED, BUT SKEPTICAL
Some time ago on this blog, I reported with great happiness that Jackie Chan would reunite with his childhood friends/classic co-stars Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao for PROJECT BB, a new action comedy. Then, the rug was pulled out and the film was announced without the two co-stars and boy was I pissed off. (However, Johnnie To regular Louis "the most tan asian alive" Koo was cast as the co-star, which is a good thing). Today, I found out Yuen Biao has a cameo in the film, now called Rob-B-Hood (which is a weak title). Observe:
Now I am slightly less disappointed, but skeptical (JC's wardrobe isn't helping matters).
F
Now I am slightly less disappointed, but skeptical (JC's wardrobe isn't helping matters).
F
24.4.06
F.J. DeSanto Hates Connecting Flights. And the South.
My exhaustion will be justified by the end of this entry. I think. First off, you may note the heading of this edition of MOGblog is rather wordy. This is inspired by our new favourite pop culture gossip site called WHAT WOULD TYLER DURDEN DO, which has the most hilarious subject lines ever and they make us laugh daily. I don't think I read anything else on the site. Check it out at www.wwtdd.com
Onwards....
Thursday night saw Irene and I meet up with the legendary and elusive ASH for a great night. How rare it is to see Ash! And the evening completely justified my constant nagging of him to come into the city of New York and spend some time with us. He's a fun motherfucker who needs to be more social in these parts. We checked out Elbow at Webster Hall and man was it fucking GREAT. Again, this is a band I don't rush to listen to on CD, but when they the play, they are incredible. the Murray of British rock, Guy Garvey has lost a lot of weight, his leg has healed and he is a charismatic frontman like you can't believe.
Ash even said it during the gig "he's a star". And man can he sing. The band was tight, in good spirits and brought what will easily be top 5 come Gig Of the Year Honours. A total surprise. Loved it. And watching Ash clap along when prompted by the singer was priceless. Then we hung around the hood drinking tea (CHAI!), telling stories and record shopping. That's the beauty of New York. 11pm on a weeknight and you can get some music.
Friday saw Irene and I travel to Virginia Beach for her friend Fuki's wedding. Sister In Law was Maid of Honour and nephew and his pal Edward were ringbearers. Observe these handsome boys as we get them ready in their Tuxedos:
(No one was Tuxedoed during the making of this blog entry) Anyhow, Irene and I got a little downtime at our nice hotel, but mostly it was catching up with Irene's old friends (Irene lived here for some time). We ate well, had some drinks and basically kept it slow. Lots of time spent with the nephew, which is always the best. We hit the Build a Bear and his pal Edward aka Captain Apple Sauce is really cool. Sadly the rain did make for a good outdoor wedding, but it was a fun time regardless and Irene and Sister In Law's various friends are pretty cool and it overall was fun. For the first time in months, Irene and I got to just hang out without interruption, which was a treat in and of itself. I would like to reccommend a really good place to eat called Bin 257, which we actually went to twice. They have a beef and goat cheese ravioli to die for.
However, the south scares me. Some of the people are downright fucking scary. They don't use turnsignals when driving, but on the flipside, they have Sweet Tea everywhere, and I was in Tea Heaven. But we spent too much time in malls. Irene made me go to some fast food thing called Chick-Fill-A, which was awesome had the free refills. Also, Irene took me to a sweet record store her friend owns called Relativity Theory which had some awesome stuff. Check it out at http://www.relativetheoryrecords.com. Best of all was our skipping the post wedding brunch to go the what might be the best Mexican place on the entire planet, El Azteca, which is Irene's favourite food ever outside of NYC. I couldn't believe how good it was. Nachos, Tacos AND Sweet Tea (Free refills). Find that shit if you ever end up down south. No website fort his place. Too hardcore for sissy internet shit.
Getting back home was a drama and a half as we had a connecting flight in DC and it got delayed for FIVE hours. For a 45 minute flight. Fog delay. Then get this, the crew "timed out" and their 16 hour workshift was over and thus we had to de-plane and attempt take off twice. The worst. We had an insane flight attendant who was both funny and scary and ended every sentence with "I'm just kidding". By the time our schedule 7pm flight took off, it was 12:30am. Seriously. It was so stupid, but once we got up in the air, they pointed out to us the bad weather conditions that were reminicent of the Mutara Nebula from WRATH OF KHAN (Sorry, geek moment). Seeing lightning storms in the sky is kinda awesome and scary all at once. By the time we returned to MOGworld, it was 2am. I write you now in a very tired state, so I'm being lazy and just playing bass to HF demos and trading Emails with Eric Powell, which is always a pleasure.
Who the fuck saw 24 tonight. HOLY SHIT. I haven't commented on it lately but this might be the BEST SEASON EVER. TRUE.
Evan would normally be in my house tonight, making bitch demands for his food, but nooooo, his ass is in San Francisco hanging out with KRUGER BABY CUTENESS. Observe Evan here with proud Kruger father and babies.
Lucky Bastard.
F
Onwards....
Thursday night saw Irene and I meet up with the legendary and elusive ASH for a great night. How rare it is to see Ash! And the evening completely justified my constant nagging of him to come into the city of New York and spend some time with us. He's a fun motherfucker who needs to be more social in these parts. We checked out Elbow at Webster Hall and man was it fucking GREAT. Again, this is a band I don't rush to listen to on CD, but when they the play, they are incredible. the Murray of British rock, Guy Garvey has lost a lot of weight, his leg has healed and he is a charismatic frontman like you can't believe.
Ash even said it during the gig "he's a star". And man can he sing. The band was tight, in good spirits and brought what will easily be top 5 come Gig Of the Year Honours. A total surprise. Loved it. And watching Ash clap along when prompted by the singer was priceless. Then we hung around the hood drinking tea (CHAI!), telling stories and record shopping. That's the beauty of New York. 11pm on a weeknight and you can get some music.Friday saw Irene and I travel to Virginia Beach for her friend Fuki's wedding. Sister In Law was Maid of Honour and nephew and his pal Edward were ringbearers. Observe these handsome boys as we get them ready in their Tuxedos:
(No one was Tuxedoed during the making of this blog entry) Anyhow, Irene and I got a little downtime at our nice hotel, but mostly it was catching up with Irene's old friends (Irene lived here for some time). We ate well, had some drinks and basically kept it slow. Lots of time spent with the nephew, which is always the best. We hit the Build a Bear and his pal Edward aka Captain Apple Sauce is really cool. Sadly the rain did make for a good outdoor wedding, but it was a fun time regardless and Irene and Sister In Law's various friends are pretty cool and it overall was fun. For the first time in months, Irene and I got to just hang out without interruption, which was a treat in and of itself. I would like to reccommend a really good place to eat called Bin 257, which we actually went to twice. They have a beef and goat cheese ravioli to die for.However, the south scares me. Some of the people are downright fucking scary. They don't use turnsignals when driving, but on the flipside, they have Sweet Tea everywhere, and I was in Tea Heaven. But we spent too much time in malls. Irene made me go to some fast food thing called Chick-Fill-A, which was awesome had the free refills. Also, Irene took me to a sweet record store her friend owns called Relativity Theory which had some awesome stuff. Check it out at http://www.relativetheoryrecords.com. Best of all was our skipping the post wedding brunch to go the what might be the best Mexican place on the entire planet, El Azteca, which is Irene's favourite food ever outside of NYC. I couldn't believe how good it was. Nachos, Tacos AND Sweet Tea (Free refills). Find that shit if you ever end up down south. No website fort his place. Too hardcore for sissy internet shit.
Getting back home was a drama and a half as we had a connecting flight in DC and it got delayed for FIVE hours. For a 45 minute flight. Fog delay. Then get this, the crew "timed out" and their 16 hour workshift was over and thus we had to de-plane and attempt take off twice. The worst. We had an insane flight attendant who was both funny and scary and ended every sentence with "I'm just kidding". By the time our schedule 7pm flight took off, it was 12:30am. Seriously. It was so stupid, but once we got up in the air, they pointed out to us the bad weather conditions that were reminicent of the Mutara Nebula from WRATH OF KHAN (Sorry, geek moment). Seeing lightning storms in the sky is kinda awesome and scary all at once. By the time we returned to MOGworld, it was 2am. I write you now in a very tired state, so I'm being lazy and just playing bass to HF demos and trading Emails with Eric Powell, which is always a pleasure.
Who the fuck saw 24 tonight. HOLY SHIT. I haven't commented on it lately but this might be the BEST SEASON EVER. TRUE.
Evan would normally be in my house tonight, making bitch demands for his food, but nooooo, his ass is in San Francisco hanging out with KRUGER BABY CUTENESS. Observe Evan here with proud Kruger father and babies.
Lucky Bastard.
F
20.4.06
Hum, Ass
Irene and I are off to Virginia for a wedding this weekend (Nephew is ringbearer). Thus, the usual Saturday trip to Brandt's was pushed up to last night. He had been touting his progress on one of the tunes and was excited to share. How can one deny such enthusiasm?
The song of the night was EXIST, one of the songs featuring Peter Saintface on vcoals. It's a great tune and features my favourite 20 seconds of the album (the bridge, which by the way, I didn't play on!) Sorry this pic is a bit blurry
The fun part of the evening was the arrival of my new backup bass, an ephiphone Thunderbird (The cheapy version of my beloved Gibson Thunderbird, now currently in the ex-guitarists folks house). My intention of getting this was just to have something to practice on while running around while giving the original bass less stress by dragging it everywhere (It will end up in the studio and used for recording). B and I spent some time trying to find some sweet sounds on my POD to capture those classic F-sounds ;-) Observe:
It was a productive evening and the song sounds fucking amazing. Listening to the song being built up on the computer was a treat. With each sound added, I would get goosebumps. This is a gem on the album and B has done a tremendous fucking job making it sound like an epic.
In another news, look at this, Brandt Gassman HOMEMADE HUM-ASS
It's actually really good. I was kind of hoping it would suck so I could have a field day with this, but no such luck for this blog, but lots for my tastebuds. The kid can play guitar and make hum-ass. The Exit Strategies Tour will be quite healthy.
Finally, awesome baby alert features celebrated San Francisco ARTISTE Rowan Kruger, here in action:
She and her brother might be chilling with Evan this week. We get these handsome kids and hopefully awesome Link baby in June.
See you next week!
F
The song of the night was EXIST, one of the songs featuring Peter Saintface on vcoals. It's a great tune and features my favourite 20 seconds of the album (the bridge, which by the way, I didn't play on!) Sorry this pic is a bit blurry
The fun part of the evening was the arrival of my new backup bass, an ephiphone Thunderbird (The cheapy version of my beloved Gibson Thunderbird, now currently in the ex-guitarists folks house). My intention of getting this was just to have something to practice on while running around while giving the original bass less stress by dragging it everywhere (It will end up in the studio and used for recording). B and I spent some time trying to find some sweet sounds on my POD to capture those classic F-sounds ;-) Observe:
It was a productive evening and the song sounds fucking amazing. Listening to the song being built up on the computer was a treat. With each sound added, I would get goosebumps. This is a gem on the album and B has done a tremendous fucking job making it sound like an epic.
In another news, look at this, Brandt Gassman HOMEMADE HUM-ASS
It's actually really good. I was kind of hoping it would suck so I could have a field day with this, but no such luck for this blog, but lots for my tastebuds. The kid can play guitar and make hum-ass. The Exit Strategies Tour will be quite healthy.
Finally, awesome baby alert features celebrated San Francisco ARTISTE Rowan Kruger, here in action:
She and her brother might be chilling with Evan this week. We get these handsome kids and hopefully awesome Link baby in June.
See you next week!
F
16.4.06
Bunny...
The time whizzzzzes by...
After some late afternoon coffee with my dear old NYU friend Katrina, Friday saw Irene and I hit the movies for the first time I believe since January. I think the reason we haven't been to the cinema is less about being so busy than it is about there being a lack of quality films that are exciting enough for us to rush out to see. We kept hearing from friends and family how enjoyable Spike Lee's new INSIDE MAN is so we decided to check that out after a nice dinner at Chino's (located just a block or two over from MOGworld.
I really enjoyed INSIDE MAN. Let's face it, Denzel is just fucking awesome. I won't get too deep into the film in case you haven't seen it, but I thought it was laid out very nicely and was a ride worth taking. That British guy with the unpronounceable name from DIRTY PRETTY THINGS who was also the bad guy in SERENITY plays Denzels side kick and he is rapidly becoming the best actor on the plaent. He's going to break through at some point and you read it here first. He fucking owns. My complaints involve me giving up plot details, so I'll refrain, but the film could have used some more Jodie Foster and some explanation as to who people were and what their relationships were to each other. It's got a bit of a long second act that could have used some trimming, but overall it was a worthy trip to take.
Saturday saw me return to the Island of Long for some quality time with my small cousin, now 8, who is staying with my aunt and uncle while his parents spend their anniversary in Italy. We did very manly things, including a trip to Wendys and Toys R Us. Our conversations revolved mostly around his love life, which is extremely scary, but these kids start young. When you have an 8 year old using phrases like "Hooking up" and telling you "I like Rap, Hip Hop and Whitesnake", life is truly surreal.
Saturday night saw me racing back to the city to check out Ladytron with Irene and Lurch. I'm not a huge fan, this is mostly Irene's thing, but I enjoyed the show simply because they are an electronic band doing what I like best: performing. They had a 6 piece band and everyone did something to make it as live as possible. And guess what? It works. Live bass, live drums, and people playing their synths and not just miming to a backing track. Smart presentation and good video backdrop. I was told this gig was interesting because they were more personable than previous tours, and I found them quite likeable. A good gig.
The rest of the evening goes into a pub crawl haze as we were joined by some of Irene's friends for an evening of great discussion of things ranging from small world conicidences to the genius of 24. Nothing beats some Sambuca at 3am. This all however, made our Easter a little tougher to handle as we had to get back to Long Island for some fine cooking. Stuffed. Hope you all had a solid holiday.
Some tidbits:
1. Thanks to the ex-guitarist for bringing my bass back to a closer county.
2. Thanks to the former label for hooking us up with tons of back catalogue
3. Thanks to Head Cobra for the dance advice.
4. Good thoughts to the ill Cerati, who supposedly has some circulatory problem in his legs (because of this, I will refrain from discussing my issues with his newest CD)
and finally...
5. Thanks to the San Fran Mogworlders who sent this photo of Mrs. Krugers Baby Boy on his first Easter:
Oh yeah, I've been working like a motherfucker on Abelton Live in this beautiful new computer, but I need M-Audio to create a proper fucking driver so I can run my sound shit into this bitch! Come ON!This week is no piece of cake as Irene and I must fly down south to Virginia for a wedding in which her sister is the maid of honour and small awesome nephew is the ringbearer (pictures to follow). Never. Ever. A moments rest. WOOSH!
F
After some late afternoon coffee with my dear old NYU friend Katrina, Friday saw Irene and I hit the movies for the first time I believe since January. I think the reason we haven't been to the cinema is less about being so busy than it is about there being a lack of quality films that are exciting enough for us to rush out to see. We kept hearing from friends and family how enjoyable Spike Lee's new INSIDE MAN is so we decided to check that out after a nice dinner at Chino's (located just a block or two over from MOGworld.
I really enjoyed INSIDE MAN. Let's face it, Denzel is just fucking awesome. I won't get too deep into the film in case you haven't seen it, but I thought it was laid out very nicely and was a ride worth taking. That British guy with the unpronounceable name from DIRTY PRETTY THINGS who was also the bad guy in SERENITY plays Denzels side kick and he is rapidly becoming the best actor on the plaent. He's going to break through at some point and you read it here first. He fucking owns. My complaints involve me giving up plot details, so I'll refrain, but the film could have used some more Jodie Foster and some explanation as to who people were and what their relationships were to each other. It's got a bit of a long second act that could have used some trimming, but overall it was a worthy trip to take.
Saturday saw me return to the Island of Long for some quality time with my small cousin, now 8, who is staying with my aunt and uncle while his parents spend their anniversary in Italy. We did very manly things, including a trip to Wendys and Toys R Us. Our conversations revolved mostly around his love life, which is extremely scary, but these kids start young. When you have an 8 year old using phrases like "Hooking up" and telling you "I like Rap, Hip Hop and Whitesnake", life is truly surreal.
Saturday night saw me racing back to the city to check out Ladytron with Irene and Lurch. I'm not a huge fan, this is mostly Irene's thing, but I enjoyed the show simply because they are an electronic band doing what I like best: performing. They had a 6 piece band and everyone did something to make it as live as possible. And guess what? It works. Live bass, live drums, and people playing their synths and not just miming to a backing track. Smart presentation and good video backdrop. I was told this gig was interesting because they were more personable than previous tours, and I found them quite likeable. A good gig.
The rest of the evening goes into a pub crawl haze as we were joined by some of Irene's friends for an evening of great discussion of things ranging from small world conicidences to the genius of 24. Nothing beats some Sambuca at 3am. This all however, made our Easter a little tougher to handle as we had to get back to Long Island for some fine cooking. Stuffed. Hope you all had a solid holiday.
Some tidbits:
1. Thanks to the ex-guitarist for bringing my bass back to a closer county.
2. Thanks to the former label for hooking us up with tons of back catalogue
3. Thanks to Head Cobra for the dance advice.
4. Good thoughts to the ill Cerati, who supposedly has some circulatory problem in his legs (because of this, I will refrain from discussing my issues with his newest CD)
and finally...
5. Thanks to the San Fran Mogworlders who sent this photo of Mrs. Krugers Baby Boy on his first Easter:
Oh yeah, I've been working like a motherfucker on Abelton Live in this beautiful new computer, but I need M-Audio to create a proper fucking driver so I can run my sound shit into this bitch! Come ON!This week is no piece of cake as Irene and I must fly down south to Virginia for a wedding in which her sister is the maid of honour and small awesome nephew is the ringbearer (pictures to follow). Never. Ever. A moments rest. WOOSH!
F
14.4.06
April, 14 2006
mike venezia (that would be ASH to you aggression fans)
djing sat 4/14/06 @ ampatron
113 franklin st. (at greenpoint ave.), greenpoint, NY 11222
1/3 of ilm returns to ampatron as guest dj for the evening. mike's main set is from 8-10. he will also be djing in between the 3 groups that are performing: girona, federale, and the uber-talented the=equation. mike will be spinning an eclectic mix of post-rock, minimal techno, idm, krautrock, etc. we're sure that some ilm material, in addition to mike's own electronic music releases will pop up during his sets.
I didn't write the above, but i betcha 10 bucks he doesnt play THEME FROM PROPAGANDA the now lost Hypefactor "classic"
F
mike venezia (that would be ASH to you aggression fans)
djing sat 4/14/06 @ ampatron
113 franklin st. (at greenpoint ave.), greenpoint, NY 11222
1/3 of ilm returns to ampatron as guest dj for the evening. mike's main set is from 8-10. he will also be djing in between the 3 groups that are performing: girona, federale, and the uber-talented the=equation. mike will be spinning an eclectic mix of post-rock, minimal techno, idm, krautrock, etc. we're sure that some ilm material, in addition to mike's own electronic music releases will pop up during his sets.
I didn't write the above, but i betcha 10 bucks he doesnt play THEME FROM PROPAGANDA the now lost Hypefactor "classic"
F
11.4.06
GARY OLDMAN SAYS...
There are 3 reasons to get up in the morning:
1. Drinks
2. A Good script
3. Depeche Mode
9.4.06
Lucy!
On Friday night, Irene and I hung out for the first time in what seemed like months. A nice dinner, some shopping, and some good music courtesy of SOUTH, who appeared that night at Bowery. The three piece have been augmented by 2 live members since we last saw them and its a much different dynamic. I liked it a lot. I love their first two records, but the new album isn't catching me at all. I feel like James Lavelle was the missing element. He just brings something to the table thats unique and awesome and I don't see why bands aren't beating down his door to produce their stuff. He's an untapped resource. Anyway, South were tight and when it worked it worked well. I just felt like the new songs held them back a bit. However, they did a KILLER cover of New Order's BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE which started off with 3 of the 4 band members all on some form of electronics. It was super. We left the gig in good spirits and the weekend was off to a good note. Then it got better, because...
Saturday saw the first MOG/NYC visit from LINK BABY LUCY, who is awesome and tiny and cute and likes to follow Irene around. The links brought the cuteness to MOGworld and we had a blast just hanging out with them. Look how she rocks it at the Gramercy Cafe, setting things straight while wearing Irene's specs:
Awesome, right?
Of course I cannot start the week without KRUGER BABY CUTENESS, here in the bottom two photos who we shall reunite with in June and seem to get bigger with each passing week. Cramps take note and get some pix in! Avy's first words will be "PREQUEL TRILOGY" if I have anything to say about it.
I apologize to the three members of Ass Cobra for missing their second gig this past week. Obviously, i would have made it, but Link baby took priority. However, I love you no less....Now it's time to relax a bit, catch up on some music and prepare to somehow write to you about the disappointment of the second most anticipated album of 2006, which has just entered my hands. Gus, we need to talk. The big news today was the announcement of THREE MORE YEARS of 24, which means Kiefer can by 60 more guitars. However, I think the guy who plays Aaron Pierce should be paid more than Keifer cause he is the best character actor on TV today. I haven't commented too much here on the blog about this season of 24 but my god it is the hot shit of epic proportions. I can't imagine how they will top this season (other than introducing the Zombie Tony).
F
Saturday saw the first MOG/NYC visit from LINK BABY LUCY, who is awesome and tiny and cute and likes to follow Irene around. The links brought the cuteness to MOGworld and we had a blast just hanging out with them. Look how she rocks it at the Gramercy Cafe, setting things straight while wearing Irene's specs:
Awesome, right?
Of course I cannot start the week without KRUGER BABY CUTENESS, here in the bottom two photos who we shall reunite with in June and seem to get bigger with each passing week. Cramps take note and get some pix in! Avy's first words will be "PREQUEL TRILOGY" if I have anything to say about it.
I apologize to the three members of Ass Cobra for missing their second gig this past week. Obviously, i would have made it, but Link baby took priority. However, I love you no less....Now it's time to relax a bit, catch up on some music and prepare to somehow write to you about the disappointment of the second most anticipated album of 2006, which has just entered my hands. Gus, we need to talk. The big news today was the announcement of THREE MORE YEARS of 24, which means Kiefer can by 60 more guitars. However, I think the guy who plays Aaron Pierce should be paid more than Keifer cause he is the best character actor on TV today. I haven't commented too much here on the blog about this season of 24 but my god it is the hot shit of epic proportions. I can't imagine how they will top this season (other than introducing the Zombie Tony).
F
6.4.06
Gorilla Balls
I don't think it's any secret that I hate Damon Albarn. I hate him tremendously. Yes, it stems from my intense love and loyalty to Oasis, but the fact that he basically fueded with my two favourite Britpop era bands, Oasis and Suede, says more than enough. After reading the excellent book BRITPOP by John Harris recently, I hate him even more. Also, Blur has always kinda sucked, and believe me, I tried very hard to like them early on.
So when he started doing the Gorillaz thing, I must admit I thought it was for a laugh, and it probably was. However, there were some decent tunes and I must admit a fascination with the idea of marrying music to animation to present the band. Nothing I would ever do, obviously, as I am too vain to hide behind a cartoon (make guitarist joke now), but interesting nonetheless. I believe I own the first Gorillaz album. Irene, however, is a bit of a fan, and owns I think most of the singles, etc. Anyhow, I have sort of casually followed this project and have been quick to make comments about how his cartoons were more popular than his band. Again, I hate Damon Albarn.
When I read that Albarn was going to do 5 nights at the Apollo performing the new album DEMON DAYS as he recently did in Machester with as many of the special guests from the album that he could muster up, I was interested but not motivated. The over the top UK press (which I love simply because they are so over the top), praised this 5 night "one time only" run so enthusiastically that I was curious if money was exchanged. However, when I heard that Albarn had enlisted Shaun Fucking Ryder of the Mondays (Who I had never seen perform), I must admit that that, coupled with Irene's love of the band, was enough to get me to throw down "large cash sums" for tickets. Even for someone I hate, like Damon Albarn.
So there we were, In the top section of the Apollo on a rainy Monday night. The big buzz was from the night before, which was the opening night, and how the projections didn't work, thus effectively killing half if not more of the presentation. The NY Time butchered it (unfairly I feel), so I was a bit concerned. However, within the first few minutes of the show, I found myself enjoying it tremendously.
They took an opera box and had two of the animated characters come to life in puppet form. It was actually pretty funny and clever and a cool way to start the gig. And the curtain lifted and there was something like a thousand people onstage playing the new album. Two guitarists (both from the Verve!), a whole string section, 4 or 5 backup singers, a keyboardist, a very fierce drummer and a percussionist. There might have been more for all I know. And in the back, hidden behind a piano, with no spotlight on him, was Damon Albarn. Wisely, he never once spoke to the audience or allowed any focus to be placed on him. Instead, he left plenty of room for the guest stars to shine (the highlight of which was a wonderful children's choir who had tons of energy and charisma and were possibly the best moment of the night).
The night proceeded at a brisk pace. The balance between the film/animation and performance was really well done. Guests like Neneh Cherry and De La Soul got things moving in person and they made up for the missing special guests like Doom and Dennis Hopper by incorporating them into the video portions of the set. I don't know who to write about Ike Turner. And then Shaun Ryder came out and he quite simple owned it. I doubt half the crowd knew who he was other than anglophiles and expats, but by the time he was done, everyone knew this motherfucker. Irene said he looked like a turtle, and I felt he moved in fashion similar to Mike Hess' impersonation of Parkinson's disease. Even Damon Albarn, who I hate, popped like a mark while watching Shaun Ryder do his thing. the drugs DO work.
Anyhow, the whole show had a very upbeat feel good (not Inc) quality to it. I felt like we were at something special and I want to emphasize how awesome the musicians were. There were no backing tracks. Everyone played and it was a real treat to watch them pull it off so well. They played the new album from beginning to end without a bum note and that is impressive. Upon returning for an encore, they played the recent post-album song HONG KONG, which is featured on the new Warchild HELP charity album. They brought out a chinese harpist and finally out to the front came Damon Albarn, who I hate, to sing front and center. He seemed humble and appreciative and not a douche. He probably still is a douche, but this was a genuine moment for even though I hate this guy, which I might have mentioned, I had to respect him for this one night for doing something very cool and very special. Well done.
F
So when he started doing the Gorillaz thing, I must admit I thought it was for a laugh, and it probably was. However, there were some decent tunes and I must admit a fascination with the idea of marrying music to animation to present the band. Nothing I would ever do, obviously, as I am too vain to hide behind a cartoon (make guitarist joke now), but interesting nonetheless. I believe I own the first Gorillaz album. Irene, however, is a bit of a fan, and owns I think most of the singles, etc. Anyhow, I have sort of casually followed this project and have been quick to make comments about how his cartoons were more popular than his band. Again, I hate Damon Albarn.
When I read that Albarn was going to do 5 nights at the Apollo performing the new album DEMON DAYS as he recently did in Machester with as many of the special guests from the album that he could muster up, I was interested but not motivated. The over the top UK press (which I love simply because they are so over the top), praised this 5 night "one time only" run so enthusiastically that I was curious if money was exchanged. However, when I heard that Albarn had enlisted Shaun Fucking Ryder of the Mondays (Who I had never seen perform), I must admit that that, coupled with Irene's love of the band, was enough to get me to throw down "large cash sums" for tickets. Even for someone I hate, like Damon Albarn.
So there we were, In the top section of the Apollo on a rainy Monday night. The big buzz was from the night before, which was the opening night, and how the projections didn't work, thus effectively killing half if not more of the presentation. The NY Time butchered it (unfairly I feel), so I was a bit concerned. However, within the first few minutes of the show, I found myself enjoying it tremendously.
They took an opera box and had two of the animated characters come to life in puppet form. It was actually pretty funny and clever and a cool way to start the gig. And the curtain lifted and there was something like a thousand people onstage playing the new album. Two guitarists (both from the Verve!), a whole string section, 4 or 5 backup singers, a keyboardist, a very fierce drummer and a percussionist. There might have been more for all I know. And in the back, hidden behind a piano, with no spotlight on him, was Damon Albarn. Wisely, he never once spoke to the audience or allowed any focus to be placed on him. Instead, he left plenty of room for the guest stars to shine (the highlight of which was a wonderful children's choir who had tons of energy and charisma and were possibly the best moment of the night).
The night proceeded at a brisk pace. The balance between the film/animation and performance was really well done. Guests like Neneh Cherry and De La Soul got things moving in person and they made up for the missing special guests like Doom and Dennis Hopper by incorporating them into the video portions of the set. I don't know who to write about Ike Turner. And then Shaun Ryder came out and he quite simple owned it. I doubt half the crowd knew who he was other than anglophiles and expats, but by the time he was done, everyone knew this motherfucker. Irene said he looked like a turtle, and I felt he moved in fashion similar to Mike Hess' impersonation of Parkinson's disease. Even Damon Albarn, who I hate, popped like a mark while watching Shaun Ryder do his thing. the drugs DO work.
Anyhow, the whole show had a very upbeat feel good (not Inc) quality to it. I felt like we were at something special and I want to emphasize how awesome the musicians were. There were no backing tracks. Everyone played and it was a real treat to watch them pull it off so well. They played the new album from beginning to end without a bum note and that is impressive. Upon returning for an encore, they played the recent post-album song HONG KONG, which is featured on the new Warchild HELP charity album. They brought out a chinese harpist and finally out to the front came Damon Albarn, who I hate, to sing front and center. He seemed humble and appreciative and not a douche. He probably still is a douche, but this was a genuine moment for even though I hate this guy, which I might have mentioned, I had to respect him for this one night for doing something very cool and very special. Well done.
F