This might be my first blog from the air. I am 3/4 of the way back to NYC from an extended stay on the West Coast. While here in the air, I want to wish Team Mogpac well on their first dodgeball game, currently being played somewhere in the big apple. I hope Matt Gentile will report the results here on the blog and I look forward to participating in the next round of what we call MOG Athletics. Considering it was Irene’s idea, I should participate.
A lot happened on my LA journey and it’s hard to remember it all because I’m so tired, but I’ll try to give you the update, as I did actually work on things to benefit the world of MOG. I won’t get too deep into my adventures at E3 as it was a massive headache and basically a huge arcade on steroids. I did enjoy seeing some of the new games and in particular, the new tech. I think we’re all going to be playing the Playstation Portable in the next few years. It was also fun to see my man Evan walk the floor of this convention like a massive rockstar (He’s an important game reviewer in the real world). The convention is huge, it’s loud. Note to self: next time bring aspirin.
Quick story: on my way to the convention, LA’s finest pulled me over for jumping into the HOV lane (like an idiot I pulled right in front of a fucking cop). However, upon seeing my Ipod in the front seat, the two policemen, who shall remain nameless, and I got into a conversation about their desire to play their Ipod in their police car. When they learned I was going to E3, I not only avoided a ticket, I also got a police escort for my trouble. Only in LA kids.
Anyhow, at a party held in honour of my lawyer/agent/advisor, Leo V23 and I huddled into a corner to discuss our musical work for the upcoming week in LA while also trying to avoid (unsuccessfully) as many entertainment industry types as possible. With our game plan set, Leo and I spent a few nights in the wee hours working on the new HF song OUR FAITH. We had been looking for Leo to come through with his unique style of atmospheric guitar playing and singing and boy did my second favourite Argentinean come through. We took what was a wall of guitars and britrock and turned into a sexy explosion of the subtly and noise. Tons of loops were removed and by doing so, the melodies really came through while also making Robin’s drums really stand out. Leo laid down some beautiful guitars and even better vocals, in Spanish no less. I used my skills in an arranging capacity and we have a brand new and interesting song that is a million times better than what I walked in there with.
Leo is used to being a solo performer, but I was really impressed with how collaborative he was. Working with him was no different than working with my best collaborators: Brandt, Ash and Robin. He would listen carefully to my ideas and even if he thought some of them wouldn’t work, he would try them, which sometimes led to him being surprised, me being surprised and most importantly, really allowing us to push the material forward. After working with “producers” and “musicians” whose egos and need to be in charge overwhelms everyone else in the room to the point where they won’t let anyone push the music forward because of their own insecurities, Leo was a joy to work with and has a place in the Factor Corporation any day.
On the topic of Leo, in between all of this I managed to catch the debut gig of his newest project AM Pacific, which continues the musical style he began several years with his previous project Sutra. This was at a private party filled mostly with hipster douches out in Los Feliz, the Williamsburg of Los Angeles (Fuck you, Fury). Leo had a very simple set up of himself on guitars and vocals, one girl on lead vocals, and another girl on vocals and trumpet (who was amazing). Beats and loops were run through a PA via Leo’s Ipod. They came on late and the people were annoying, but damn was this short set worth it. The AM trio was excellent and really delivered a beautiful set and the best cover of Chris Issak’s WICKED GAME you will ever hear.
Meanwhile I worked on artwork for a potential HF single, while my 3 cohorts teamed up with Ass Cobra’s amazing bassist Charles to work on a potential B-side, which they have titled DESCRIPTIVE. An mp3 was sent my way of the material written for this song and boy am I excited. I had a few requests of what I would like to hear in a B-side and the Factor Corp really stepped up to the plate. I’m already writing vocal melodies. I hope Brandt will go into detail about the making of this song somewhere here.
Luckily Brandt took the space to review Morrissey’s new one and I’m happy to say I’m loving the album. Another amazing return to form by a legend of days past. We need Moz and he has not let us down. Duran was the comeback of 03, and Moz is truly the comeback of 04. Thank God.
My celebrity sightings included former Melrose Place douche Patrick Muldoon, the Legendary Mickey Rourke, Apollo Creed himself Carl Weathers, current Playboy cover star Charisma Carpenter (who I was tempted to ask why she refused to show her nether regions in said photo spread, thus making the spread quite Maxim instead of Playboy), and the man Dan Hamill and I call Mr. 100 Million Dollars: Oliver Martinez, who might be the one human being Brandt hates the most on this planet besides Benicio Del Toro (who is on the airplane movie screen right now in 21 Grams). Oliver was sans Kylie, but was wearing these horrible glasses that reminded me of Dan Hamill Circa 1993. Not good. Special thanks to my friends at Ca’Brea for sitting my lawyer/agent/advisor and myself at a better table that the movie stars.
Also, the highlight of my trip was spent with the younger crowd, including the new Fury baby, in from San Fran (it was fun seeing Bradley J. Fox and my sister Dee Dee looking into their future of parenthood while playing with the Fury child). And of course, as much time as possible was spent my 5 year old nephew, who becoming more of a clone of my girlfriend every day, just as my small cousin has become a Star Wars loving Benihana eating clone of me.
Oh I saw TROY and the best part was seeing the trailer for CONSTANTINE.
New York approaches. More, much more, soon!
F
22.5.04
16.5.04
All The Lazy French
With FJ loitering outside all-male theaters on Santa Monica boulevard and sharing iPod tips with law enforcement, news on the home front is my responsibility for another week. The past few days were rife with gigs, record purchases and hypefactor work, thankfully, so there is a lot to keep you occupied until FJ writes about the "gig" he saw Saturday night.
First stop of the week was on Thursday at the dreaded Piano's (where personality goes to die) to see The Dansettes. Joe Babic, the perenially youthful bassist in Saintface, has dated a charming lady named Jamie for as long as anybody in the MOGpac has been going to see his band. Unlike the worst rock 'n' roll girlfriends - a lecherous lot who date talent because they lack it themselves - Jamie is a musical firebrand in her own right, and The Dansettes are her band. A 1960s-styled girl group, no less, with Jamie and two others on vocals and a quartet of male instrumentalists. While The Dansettes are a nostalgia act in the sense that they are not doing anything to modernize the soul genre, they stay true to the tenets of the best groups from that era and have more talent and style than any other contemporary outfit claiming to be "soul." The set mixed obscure Northern Soul covers and originals, and it was obvious the band knows its roots because they nailed the best elements of the former in their own material. It is tragic that The Dansettes have yet to commit anything to tape, as Jamie truly has an excellent tropue on her hands.
Revelation of the evening: Jamie can belt out those soul numbers with as much vigor and flair as her 1960s predecessors. Who knew the spirit of Dobie Gray was alive and thriving in the body of a 5-foot, 3-inch Polish girl? Utterly remarkable.
My original plans to see Saintface at Lit on Friday night were scuttled when, at the last minute, FJ discovered via Irene that Colder had their debut New York gig booked for the same evening at Rothko on the Lower East Side. Colder is the alias of Marc Tan, a French video artist who wrote and recorded some tunes to accompany his visual work. "Again," the album borne of those recordings, ended up being more interesting than anything Tan committed to DVD, and he was promptly signed to Output Recordings (the über-hip home of The Rapture, etc.) Reviews pegged the record as a more electronic Joy Division or Revenge, naturally piquing interest among some MOGpac members. And for the most part, the record lives up to the hype, as its absence of memorable hooks is more than compensated for with Tan's spacious programmed atmospheres.
When FJ or I carp about electronic artists' live shows, we almost always note the reliance on computers or pre-programmed material (Squarepusher, you asshole: take note). In Colder's case, however, the exact opposite was the case. Tan brought a three-piece accompaniment (guitar-bass-drums) for the tour, and his group proceeded to wreck the album's subtle delivery. It was not until the middle of the hour-long set that the group struck a rerasonable balance between the live rock and the programming, and even then with mixed success. I will rarely argue that something is too live, but the criticism holds true for Colder. Even Ash, an ardent fan of Again on the first listen, was underwhelmed. And our talkative guests did not help matters.
That being said, Colder drew a heck of a crowd for a show with no promotion. Every crisply-dressed indie snob in the city packed into this tiny club, making for a crowded, overheated and unpleasant wait... save for the DJ playing Die Warzau's "Land Of The Free."
I made the trek to Rebel Rebel on Saturday for no particular reason, only to discover that Dave had limited edition versions of Morrissey's You Are The Quarry in stock. In short, this is the best set of tunes old Moz has assembled since the early 1990s. There is nothing earth-shattering here, aside from the liberal use of programming and synthesizers, but the melodies are strong and as arresting as anything in the man's solo repertoire. I will argue that a stellar lyricist like Morrissey should align himself with more innovative songwriters and arrangers, as stated in the New York Times' review of Quarry. Nevertheless, Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte are competent players who deliver some fine work on this album. Kudos.
PJ Harvey's new single The Letter, on the other hand, was a letdown. Harvey chose to produce her new record herself, and limited her instrumental support to longtime collaborator Rob Ellis. While the song is pure Harvey, the production leaves a lot to be desired when held up against Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. A shame, really, though I will reserve final judgement for the album.
Album to be discussed later that you must pick up now: Chris Connelly's Night Of Your Life, out now on Underground, Inc.
Tonight: Guitar work on "Leningrad" to test my theory that the song is far from complete. Stay tuned...
First stop of the week was on Thursday at the dreaded Piano's (where personality goes to die) to see The Dansettes. Joe Babic, the perenially youthful bassist in Saintface, has dated a charming lady named Jamie for as long as anybody in the MOGpac has been going to see his band. Unlike the worst rock 'n' roll girlfriends - a lecherous lot who date talent because they lack it themselves - Jamie is a musical firebrand in her own right, and The Dansettes are her band. A 1960s-styled girl group, no less, with Jamie and two others on vocals and a quartet of male instrumentalists. While The Dansettes are a nostalgia act in the sense that they are not doing anything to modernize the soul genre, they stay true to the tenets of the best groups from that era and have more talent and style than any other contemporary outfit claiming to be "soul." The set mixed obscure Northern Soul covers and originals, and it was obvious the band knows its roots because they nailed the best elements of the former in their own material. It is tragic that The Dansettes have yet to commit anything to tape, as Jamie truly has an excellent tropue on her hands.
Revelation of the evening: Jamie can belt out those soul numbers with as much vigor and flair as her 1960s predecessors. Who knew the spirit of Dobie Gray was alive and thriving in the body of a 5-foot, 3-inch Polish girl? Utterly remarkable.
My original plans to see Saintface at Lit on Friday night were scuttled when, at the last minute, FJ discovered via Irene that Colder had their debut New York gig booked for the same evening at Rothko on the Lower East Side. Colder is the alias of Marc Tan, a French video artist who wrote and recorded some tunes to accompany his visual work. "Again," the album borne of those recordings, ended up being more interesting than anything Tan committed to DVD, and he was promptly signed to Output Recordings (the über-hip home of The Rapture, etc.) Reviews pegged the record as a more electronic Joy Division or Revenge, naturally piquing interest among some MOGpac members. And for the most part, the record lives up to the hype, as its absence of memorable hooks is more than compensated for with Tan's spacious programmed atmospheres.
When FJ or I carp about electronic artists' live shows, we almost always note the reliance on computers or pre-programmed material (Squarepusher, you asshole: take note). In Colder's case, however, the exact opposite was the case. Tan brought a three-piece accompaniment (guitar-bass-drums) for the tour, and his group proceeded to wreck the album's subtle delivery. It was not until the middle of the hour-long set that the group struck a rerasonable balance between the live rock and the programming, and even then with mixed success. I will rarely argue that something is too live, but the criticism holds true for Colder. Even Ash, an ardent fan of Again on the first listen, was underwhelmed. And our talkative guests did not help matters.
That being said, Colder drew a heck of a crowd for a show with no promotion. Every crisply-dressed indie snob in the city packed into this tiny club, making for a crowded, overheated and unpleasant wait... save for the DJ playing Die Warzau's "Land Of The Free."
I made the trek to Rebel Rebel on Saturday for no particular reason, only to discover that Dave had limited edition versions of Morrissey's You Are The Quarry in stock. In short, this is the best set of tunes old Moz has assembled since the early 1990s. There is nothing earth-shattering here, aside from the liberal use of programming and synthesizers, but the melodies are strong and as arresting as anything in the man's solo repertoire. I will argue that a stellar lyricist like Morrissey should align himself with more innovative songwriters and arrangers, as stated in the New York Times' review of Quarry. Nevertheless, Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte are competent players who deliver some fine work on this album. Kudos.
PJ Harvey's new single The Letter, on the other hand, was a letdown. Harvey chose to produce her new record herself, and limited her instrumental support to longtime collaborator Rob Ellis. While the song is pure Harvey, the production leaves a lot to be desired when held up against Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. A shame, really, though I will reserve final judgement for the album.
Album to be discussed later that you must pick up now: Chris Connelly's Night Of Your Life, out now on Underground, Inc.
Tonight: Guitar work on "Leningrad" to test my theory that the song is far from complete. Stay tuned...
11.5.04
What about?
I can only assume I am blogging so much because I am on a plane in the morning, but just to tease you, the Hypefactor Live Experience just took an interesting twist. Stay tuned.
F
F
MANCHESTER UNITED!
From today's NME comes this years most awesome event:
NOEL GALLAGHER and IAN BROWN have collaborated on a track for the former STONE ROSES vocalist's new album. According to The Sun newspaper, the pair met by chance at the Electric Cinema in London’sNotting Hill. "We got talking about music and agreed we should do something," explained Brown . He added: "Noel sent me some music he’d done and I recorded a vocal. The result is brilliant, I’m really excited. I hope it will be a single." The news comes after denials from the Oasis camp that Liam was to form a supergroup with ex-Roses guitarist John Squire. As previously reported onNME.COM, the band claim the story was "dreamed up" by editorial staff atThe Sun. Oasis are currently working in the studio on the follow-up to ’Heathen Chemistry’, which is due for release later this year. Brown’s new album is expected in August or September.
NOEL GALLAGHER and IAN BROWN have collaborated on a track for the former STONE ROSES vocalist's new album. According to The Sun newspaper, the pair met by chance at the Electric Cinema in London’sNotting Hill. "We got talking about music and agreed we should do something," explained Brown . He added: "Noel sent me some music he’d done and I recorded a vocal. The result is brilliant, I’m really excited. I hope it will be a single." The news comes after denials from the Oasis camp that Liam was to form a supergroup with ex-Roses guitarist John Squire. As previously reported onNME.COM, the band claim the story was "dreamed up" by editorial staff atThe Sun. Oasis are currently working in the studio on the follow-up to ’Heathen Chemistry’, which is due for release later this year. Brown’s new album is expected in August or September.
Batman and Me
Though this blog is usually reserved for the musical portion of my life, I must report today that I am a victim of false reporting on the internet. It was reported on "respected" internet movie sites this morning that I have become an Executive Producer on the forthcoming BATMAN film. While I would love nothing more in life than to produce a Batman film (and believe me this new one is going to be the bomb), I can truthfully tell you that I AM NOT an Executive Producer. I just happen to work for two of them in my "other" life. I wanted you all to read this first as the E-mails are already coming in.
NO I AM NOT. OK? I would love to know who does this shit.
I have asked the websites to remove the false article simply because A. It's bullshit and B. Could get me in trouble. THANKS, Jett.
F
NO I AM NOT. OK? I would love to know who does this shit.
I have asked the websites to remove the false article simply because A. It's bullshit and B. Could get me in trouble. THANKS, Jett.
F