July 6, 2006
Honestly, is there anything better than the combination of hot weather, a kickin’ outdoor concert in Central Park, and great company? I didn’t think so. I’ve gone to two SummerStage shows so far and I’m heading to another tomorrow night. The first one was a Thirsty Ear Records showcase.
It was pretty great, but even better was the one this past Saturday, with Ska Cubano, Balkan Beat Box, and Antibalas. Holy lord was that amazing. I am totally sold on BBB, even though they made me hurt my feet with all the dancing I did. Antibalas were wonderful, as usual. M and I got there too late for most of Ska Cubano’s set, but their last song was awesome. Lots of energy and lots of people on the stage.
More summery nonsense is coming up. My band (well, I play in it, but it’s not mine by any stretch, though we are vaguely democratic in the Greek sort of way, and enough about that), Kovax, is playing two shows next week! Check the site for details.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:34 am
I haven’t got a simple recommendation of a new band from a friend in ages. Remember the days we used to pass around tapes of stuff from 20 different bands in the hopes that something would stick? I make a point of buying five or six new bands every time I go home (to England), but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tune into what happening. It’s even harder over here and, I might argue (just to incite some debate) that this is because it’s harder to distinguish the dross in this country. Lazy musicians without talent in England turn to Europop or watered down house music, where the proportion of ‘rock’ ‘punk’ etc. is higher here, so the rubbish can’t be driven off into shallower waters. Just to keep things going then, I’d recommend Eastern Lane, a new band from Northern England, whose first album, “The Article,” is now available on import (I think).
PS thanks for the comments about the disband, Jeff - we need all the help we can get.
August 3rd, 2006 at 3:45 pm
I know, Nick. I can’t tell you how many tapes I made for people (friends, younger sisters) just because I wanted to spread some of the gospel of good stuff. There must be dozens of ‘em out there gathering dust in closets.