brass bonanza

ITALIA! ITALIA! ITALIA!

2006-07-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

THEY DID IT! ITALY WON THE WORLD CUP! ZIDANE IS A PUNK! CIAO ZZ! FORZA ITALIA!

FORZA ITALIA!

2006-07-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Italy vs. France! WOPs vs. Frogs! One win away from the WORLD CUP TITLE! I love my Italian heritage and I sure as hell hope the Azzuris beat the French on Sunday. Here's to the boys in blue, Buffon, Cannavaro, Toni, Grosso, Gattuso, Del Piero, Totti, Zambrotta and more! FORZA ITALIA!

The Darkest Eyes!

2006-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Unreal! Sleater-Kinney! The All-Mighty Queens of Rock! Have Broken Up! Tragic! I cannot believe this. I am shocked! They play Webster Hall on August 2nd! What a sad day! SK Are Fucking Metal! They will be missed!

*
After eleven years as a band, Sleater-Kinney have decided to go on indefinite hiatus.

The upcoming summer shows will be our last. As of now, there are no plans for future tours or recordings. We feel lucky to have had the support of many wonderful people over the years. We want to thank everyone who has worked with us, written kind words about us, performed with us, and inspired us.

But mostly we want to extend our gratitude to our amazing fans. You have been a part of our story from the beginning. We could not have made our music without your enthusiasm, passion, and loyalty. It is you who have made the entire journey worthwhile.

With love and thanks,

Sleater-Kinney
*

Hurricanes are not Whalers!

2006-06-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone is even reading this or if any ever will, but I have to get something off my chest. Tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes won the NHL's Stanley Cup! Why do I care? Because this team used to be the Hartford Whalers! The only professional sports team Connecticut ever had (WNBA?). They were rudely taken away from us and Hartford has never recovered. Let it be known, the Carolina Hurricanes are not the Hartford Whalers and never will be! I hope you all drink poison from Lord Stanley's Cup. GO WHALE!!!!!

The Return of the Gangsta

2005-11-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm back and I don't have an excuse for not updating my page in a long ass time. Just know, I will try my best to keep this going. The pressure is on.

Depeche Mode Tour?!

2005-05-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

All I know is that in Dusseldorf, Germany on June 16th , Depeche Mode is having a press conference. They have been in the studio for a few months and the new album should be coming soon. The rumor is that they will be announcing a tour for possibly 2006, if not the end of this year! I don't care what year they tour, as long as I can see them I will freak the eff out!

05.05.05!

2005-05-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

Let me say that my 24th birthday was absolutely amazing. Day two was the highpoint of the two day best fest. I got phone calls from a bunch of friends wishing me a Happy Birthday. I love my friends and family. Holla! The plan for the night was to see New Order. I saw New Order and I was blown away.

My homegirl Dee bought me tickets for my birthday and we left for the show around 8:30. I was nervous that we'd miss some of it, but I stayed positive. We got to Hammerstein around 9 and walked in and caught the end of 'Love Vigilantes,' which was the first song. I was so pumped that we didn't miss anything. This show was beyond amazing. I won't even front, hearing those Joy Division songs was so surreal. I've been reading the mixed reviews of New Order playing Joy Division, all I can say was that they were amazing and the crowd ate it up. I was shocked at how great the crowd was. Everyone was dancing and yelling all the words. Dee came to the conclusion that all great crowds consist of gay men. Every song they played was great. I was not expecting 'She's Lost Control,' holy shit! When they started playing it I almost threw up. Temptaion was brilliant as well. So crazy. This review sucks. I'm still in awe. Cinco De Mayo! Here's the setlist and a shot:

Love Vigilantes/Crystal/Regret/Hey Now What You Doing/Krafty/Transmission/True Faith/Run Wild/Jetstream (with Ana Matronic)/Waiting for the Sirens' Call/Bizarre Love Triangle/Love Will Tear Us Apart/Temptation//encore-She's Lost Control/Atmosphere/Blue Monday//Doctorin' the Tardis

the Decemberists- 5.4.05

2005-05-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

It was finally here, day one of the two day best fest. I have been looking forward to seeing the Decemberists for some time now. I just recently discovered their music, so I never had a shot to see them before. I got to the show and was quite disappointed that Willy Mason cancelled his opening slot. I enjoy his music and was hoping to see him. Anyway, the Decemberists came out and it was on! They opened with 'The Infanta' and proceeded to play alot off Picaresque. They did play some of my favorites though, 'Los Angeles, I'm Your's,' 'Song For Myla Goldberg,' 'The Sporting Life' and 'The Chimbley Sweep.' The crowd wasn't too bad, it was very young. There was alot of singing along and some dancing occured now and then. One of the highlights for me was when Petra Haden sang Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights.' Her voice cracked for a second, but she pulled it off and it was beautiful. I have nothing to compare this show to, but i loved every minute of it and I'm jonesin to see them again. Here's the setlist and a few shots:

the Infanta /the Legionnaire's Lament/Song For Myla Goldberg/We Both Go Down Together/the Bagman's Gambit/the Sporting Life/From My Own True Love(Lost At Sea)/16 Millitary Wives/Wuthering Heights/the Engine Driver/Los Angeles, I'm Your's/the Chimbley Sweep/California One-Youth and Beauty Brigade//encore: Eli, the Barrow Boy/the Mariner's Revenge Song

Pixies-Yes, boNO

2005-05-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

According to the news on blocparty.net, Bloc Party will be opening for the Pixies at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD on June 13! That show will be quite intense. Also, it's rumored that Bloc Party said "NO" to supporting both U2 and Coldplay on their upcoming tours. Worst or Best move ever? Either way, they are still the jump off. Holla!

Tom Morello @ Times Up

2005-04-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Nightwatchman, or should I say Tom Morello, will be playing an instore at Times Up on Saturday night. He'll be playing solo acoustic probably, I don't know what songs he'd play though, maybe some Billy Bragg. He goes on at 7:30 sharp, right before he hits the stage with Audioslave at Roseland. Times Up is at 49 E. Houston.

Oh, Canada

2005-04-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam has announced a 15 date tour throughout Canada! I was hoping for a few shows in the states, but they will be here soon enough. New album coming out this year, that means a full on tour. The Canada run is in September, so I'm feeling a release date right before or after it. Pearl Jam is the jump off! Eff what anyone has to say. Eddie Vedder is my hero and I will always defend him to the death. Here are the tour dates:

Sept. 2: Vancouver (GM Place)
Sept. 4: Calgary, Alb. (Pengrowth Saddledome)
Sept. 5: Edmonton (Rexall Place)
Sept. 7: Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre)
Sept. 8: Winnipeg, Manitoba (MTS Centre)
Sept. 9: Thunder Bay, Ont. (Fort William Gardens)
Sept. 11: Kitchener, Ont. (Memorial Auditorium)
Sept. 12: London, Ont. (Labatt Centre)
Sept. 13: Hamilton, Ont. (Copps Coliseum)
Sept. 15: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Sept. 16: Ottawa, Ont. (Corel Centre)
Sept. 20: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Sept. 20: Quebec City (Colisee Pepsi)
Sept. 22: Halifax, Nova Scotia (Metro Centre)
Sept. 24: St. John's, Newfoundland (Mile One Stadium)

Boom!

2005-04-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

System of a Down and the Mars Volta will be touring together this summer. What a double bill that is. It's going to be absolutely nuts. System will be doing a small club tour dubbed the "Guerilla Tour" before the full summer tour. They have yet to announce the date for the NYC "Guerilla" show or for the Mars Volta tour. System will also be on SNL on May 7th. Holla!

"Neil, I want to party with you!"

2005-04-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

"C'mon a yeah ha!" That's right, Neil Diamond will be playing MSG on August 18th. Personally, I've never seen Neil live, but I've heard his shows are a good time. Some claim he's the greatest American songwriter ever, I disagree. Anyhow, the presale starts tomorrow and tickets start at $70, ouch. When I think of Neil all I can think of is 'Saving Silverman.' That movie is so underrated, Jables and Steve Zahn, so great.

Sleater-Kinney @ Roseland?

2005-04-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, they must be expecting great things from Sleater-Kinney's new jawn, "The Woods." So great that they would schedule a show for June 23rd at effing Roseland Ballroom. Roseland, are they completely mad!? They go from playing two shows at Mercury Lounge to one huge ass gig at Roseland. I don't get it, I really don't. I missed the Mercury Lounge shows and was really looking forward to a show at Bowery or Webster Hall. I will not be going to this show and that's a bummer. I love SK and I hope they sell the joint out. Tickets go onsale Friday.

A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod

2005-04-27T01:28:00.000-07:00

What a night in The Bronx! Alex Rodriguez had such a serious game, finally showing why we pay him $800 billion dollars. First at bat-3 run home run, second at bat-2 run home run, third at bat-Grand Slam! He also singled, giving him a total of 10 RBI. It was a cold and windy night, but Alex and the boys made it worthwhile. The Yankees beat the Angels 12-4. Now, A-Rod is not my favorite player on the Yanks, but if he keeps this up he may creep into the top 5.

''Hey Face, what did you think of the game tonight?"

The Shins, Saturday

2005-04-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Webster Hall was packed on Saturday night, the first of three sold out shows by The Shins. I've been wanting to see them for a while now and missed them on their last tour. My sister bought tickets for us to go, she was equally pumped for the show. She calls me on Saturday afternoon and tells me her troubled car battery finally quit on her and she had no way of getting to me in time from PA. So that was a huge buzz kill. I felt so bad , she really needed a break. This also meant that the tickets at will call were in her name. I called to find out what I could do and they said ''Nothing really at this point." I brought a piece of paper with the credit card info on it and explained my situation. They let me go and allowed me to leave my other spot for The Tim, who spur of the moment decided to travel to my place from good ole' CT. He got to the show after 'Kissing The Lipless,' pretty good, considering he caught a 7:57 train in New Haven! Holla!

Now for the show itself. I thought it was great and they were really tight. But something felt like it was missing and I couldn't put my finger on it. The crowd was not moving at all (what a shock), and I still beleive that crowds play a large role in the greatness of a show. It was packed from front to back. I was up front for most of the show and later moved to find The Tim. It was very fulfilling. They played everything I was hoping to hear, new and old songs alike. The band seemed to be into it and shocked that they sold out 3 nights. I like Webster Hall, as long as you can get a ''good place under the lighting." It was a great night, I wish my sister had come but The Tim was a pleasant surprise. Also, The Brunettes were the jump off! They were very fun and the crowd seemed to like them alot. Plus the lead singer, Heather, is super fly TNT. Here's the setlist and a shot.

Know Your Onion-Kissing The Lipless-Pressed In A Book-Mine's Not A High Horse-Girl Inform Me-When I Goosestep-Pink Bullets-Young Pilgrims-Saint Simon-Strange(Magnetic Fields)-*new song*-Turn A Square-New Slang-Gone For Good-Girl On The Wing-So Says I-- encore: Caring Is Creepy-Those Bold City Girls-One By One All Day

The Results Are In

2005-04-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

"First we're going to Webster Hall, then Roseland, then Hammerstein, all the way to the White House!"

The world we currently live in will no longer be the same. We will have new rulers of the free world and those rulers will be none other than Bloc Party. After killing it two nights in a row at Bowery, the Bloc Party crew will do the same in June at Webster Hall. June 14 & 15 will bring them back to NYC and tickets go onsale tomorrow at Noon! They'll be more than $15, I'm sure. These will sell out pretty quickly. The Ticketweb site will be flooded tomorrow, I suggest going to Mercury Lounge if you have the time. Let the countdown begin!

Post Party Depression

2005-04-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, I missed the better of the two Bloc Party shows. Piss me right off! My dedication to the Yankees back fired last night. I was going to leave early and try to get in but I never did, so I'm upset. Plus, they got beaten pretty badly. I heard the show was great, better sound, better crowd and less arrogance. Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. They'll never be back to the Bowery but at least I got to see them on Thursday. And you know I'm already counting down the days to Webster Hall!

Speaking of Webster Hall, The Fiery Furnaces will be there tonight! This should be a fun show. I've yet to see them, so I'm looking forward to it. Plus, it will get my mind off of last nights events. There are still tickets left and the doors open at 6:00 (damn dance party)!

Bloc The Party

2005-04-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Holy Bloc Party! These guys are so amazing, my love for them continues to grow by the day. Last night at the Bowery was my first time seeing them and I was blown away. The song selection was amazing; they played 'Blue Light', 'Tulips', 'The Marshals Are Dead', 'Positive Tension', among many others. They were very chatty with the crowd, asking how we felt and getting us to scream, "Bloc Party Come To Party!" They joked early on about making it a Karaoke night, they teased a few songs; Evil, Mr.Brightside, Talk Show Host, Take Me Out and Yellow. It got a rise out of the crowd and the band as well. They seemed to be in great spirits and Kele's voice sounded fine to me.

The crowd was pretty good, but it could have been better. I was near the front, so it's always crazy up there, lots of dancing and singing along. They also confirmed the reports that they'll be playing Webster Hall in June, which lead to 'Boos' from the crowd. Those shows will be crazy and will sell out instantly! It may be bigger but as long as you get there early and get close, it's fine. I don't hate Webster Hall that much, it's on my street so that's butter!

The bottom line, these guys are going to blow the eff up! It's something we all knew, but now the ball is rolling and it's picking up speed quickly! They have fun and so does the crowd. Those are two things that are very important to a bands success. Come June we'll be lucky to see them at Webster Hall, I dread the day they play Roseland. Here are a few shots, enjoy.

OC=Oh No

2005-04-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Did last nights episode even happen? It had absolutely no substance to it. My frends have been telling me for awhile that the show is falling off, but I was in denial. I'm one of the few champions for Marissa Cooper, I even stood up for her when Twist (Oliver) came into the picture. I just feel really bad for Marissa and her life in constantly in shambles. So, I was all about her and Ryan getting back together and I still am. They need eachother. Look how she helped Trey out with that extra scrilla, what a girl she is, so kind. She always seems to be there for everyone and when she needs help, she's left in the cold. People need to stop hatin' on her and take her into their hearts, like I have. Marissa Copper will have her revenge on the OC! Believe that!

Bloc Party's 'Banquet' was played during a Sethela scene, nice to hear before the show. Also, Lou Barlow was played last night. The episode as a whole didn't go anywhere. It was one of those episodes that had very little plot and lot's of forced comic relief. The auction was lameowitz. The crystal egg from Risky Business, WOW! How shocked were you when Trey stole that ish? You weren't, no shit. The predictability of this show is so bad. The Hater-ade has been poured, but i have yet to take a sip. Not yet.

Finally.....

2005-04-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

Last night was the start of my baseball season. When the Yankees start up I become a different person. I am very passionate in everything I do, but when it comes to the Yankees, I freak out completely! My friend Eric and I have season tickets and last night was game one of the season. It was a beautiful thing to be back at that stadium. Catching up with all my friends that I haven't seen since last year, the pinstripes and that beautiful stadium in the Bronx, what a feeling! So we pounded the Sox 9-2, it felt great to get at them again! Everything seems to be going back to normal in Yankee land; the Sox losing again, the Mets blowing it in the 9th and Tino's back! The Yankees are running shit this year! Here's to a great year in the Bronx! Go Yanks!

More Shins

2005-03-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

The Shins have added a third show at Webster Hall! It's on Monday, April 25th! Tickets go onsale tomorrow at Noon! This is sweet music to many ears. It should sell out pretty quickly. As long as the Ticketweb site doesn't get ill again, all should be well.

A Hard Rain

2005-03-29T01:38:00.000-08:00

The Decemberists have sold out their show at Irving Plaza on May 4th. Just as many had anticipated, Picaresque took off and now Colin Meloy and his merry crew are destined for glory! At least I hope they are. Tickets are still a go for their show at Warsaw May 26th, $18. I'm glad I gots mines.

Today I was reminded of something that annoys me very much. It's not a person, place or specific thing. It is a witty little phrase, a comeback, if you will. It is widely used and you may have even used it yourself. Here it is; "Hey, I like your (shirt,shoes,jacket). Where did you get it?" The witty ass reply, "At the store." Well, no shit! Thanks for the information, you jerk! Keep it to yourself next time! Oh, I know, it could have been a present from someone or it may have been purchased at some random fruit stand. Save it! I don't want to hear it! Go home!

Also, Michelle Dessler is my beau! Holla!

Weezer Hits The Road

2005-03-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

Good news! It seems that the wonderful Weezer will be going on a little tour for that ass! Two dates in NYC, no venue yet, probably Hammerstein. I would kill for a smaller show, but that's not likely. I hope they charge $10 again for tickets, like they did when Yahoo! was their sponsor. Word the eff up, love the Weezer!

Weezer North American tour dates, according to Geffen Records:
4/26 - Vancouver, BC
4/27 - Seattle, WA
4/29 - San Francisco, CA
4/30 - Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
5/3 - Minneapolis, MN
5/4 - Chicago, IL
5/5 - Detroit, MI
5/6 - Toronto, ON
5/8 - Boston, MA
5/10 - Philadelphia, PA
5/11 - New York, NY
5/12 - New York, NY
5/14 - Atlanta, GA

Turn The Radio Off

2005-03-16T23:50:00.000-08:00

I have been listening to The Decemberists non-stop lately. I'll put a different band on and I'll just end up switching it. This always happens, I'll listen to one band and disregard anything else. They are playing the day before my birthday, May 4 (Quatro de Mayo), at Irving Plaza. Tickets have been onsale for awhile now, but 'Picaresque' is out next Tuesday, so it will end up selling out soon after that. Now, I just need confirmation for New Order on May 5th and it will offically be the best birthday! Holla!