Little Joy
Little Joy
(Rough Trade)






Fabrizio Moretti, mostly known as the drummer from The Strokes, is bringing a Little Joy into our lives. Little Joy, the name taken from a well known corner bar in Los Angeles, also consists of Moretti’s main gal, Binki Shapiro and Rodrigo Amarante of Los Hermanos. The album is soft and somewhat rustic with a sleepy, mellow approach. Comparatively, it’s a very different sound than you’re used to with The Strokes. After taking a tour of messages boards and forums, it’s a difference hardcore fans are not taking too well. The sound is closely related to that of Devendra Banhart’s, and although the record lacks some of his charm and emotion, it does retain that laid back feeling which is quite nice after the third listen. The album does have it’s moments with tracks like, “The Next Time Around,” “Brand New Start,” “Shoulder to Shoulder,” and “Keep Me in Mind,” which should be a good listen to anyone, Stroke fan or more possibly, not.

DOWNLOAD - Little Joy – Keep Me in Mind.mp3

Dezzy Ramdeen



The Residents - Left: Duck Stab; Right: Eskimo







The Residents
Eskimo
Duck Stab
(Mute Records)




Mute Records has reissued The Residents’ Eskimo and Duck Stab CDs in deluxe book packages. The only question is why. If the Wicked Witch of the West’s bodyguards recorded a concept album, it would sound like Eskimo. It’s not music; it’s a National Geographic soundtrack with incoherent chanting, blasts of arctic wind, and synthesized blips that sound like Eskimos breaking wind. It begins with “The Walrus Hunt,” blurted out in incoherent Eskimo esperanto alongside a keening Viking horn and the sounds of a walrus being capped. The liner notes offer miscellaneous facts about Eskimos, such as the classy tidbit that menstruating women aren’t allowed outside their igloo until they bath in the urine of a child. I am the walrus, indeed.

Duck Stab is comprised of minimalist industrial twaddle even Devo would reject, including the grating “Constantinople,” the barking distortion of “Sinister Exaggerator” and a heinous “Hee Haw” horror, “Laughing Song.” Even Frank Zappa would think this bizarre balderdash is too weird. Now I know why the Residents seldom appear on their CDs. You can’t track down a group of criminals if you don’t know what they look like.

Michael Jefferson


Ratatat
LP3
(XL Recordings)






The sound of Ratatat's new album LP3 might be best described as electronic world music meets Super Mario Brothers. The Brooklyn based duo of Mike Stroud and Evan Mast made a name for themselves in recent years with their unique instrumentals and hip-hop remixes and have continued to push the envelope with their new album LP3. Tracks like “Falcon Jab” and “Mirando” make an immediate impact with their textured beats, strange digital sound clips, and catchy percussion elements. This is contrasted with other more low-key tracks such as “Flynn” and “Imperials” which have a more subtle Portishead feel.

The biggest criticism of the album is that some of the songs feel incomplete alone as instrumentals and cry out for a vocal or some additional element. Much of the album works well without vocals thanks to the band’s dense instrumentality and the bands ability to mix it up. There are terrific narrative melodies that are created with eclectic sounds of electronic backbeats and drums but it would be fantastic to see the band team up with some vocals in the future. In all, the album is an easy listen that is varied musically- at times it’s upbeat and funky and there are songs that become more peripheral. The album is certainly perfect music for a party because it’s interesting and fun but still ambient without a lead vocal.

Tim Needles

Location: East Village, NYC
Event: Obama Pajama Party: Election Eve '08
Show time: 6 PM
Venue: China 1
Food: China 1
Drink: Hi Fi
Miscellaneous: Second on Second Karaoke Bar & Lounge

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY SO VOTE! Okay, so now that you’ve voted, it’s time to party with concern. So everyone will be nervous waiting to see whom our next President will be. Take the edge off at Obama Pajama Party: Election Eve '08 where you can watch the election results come in on large projection screens along with live music (bands: Days like Months, Jennifer Logue, DJ Lush, and A Million Years), food and drink specials, guest speakers, and Obama and McCain supporters in their pajamas. Part restaurant and part club, China 1 serves up more upscale Chinese food than you’re used to. With décor that’s more dungeon lounge than China, this is a fun place to hang. With an MP3 jukebox that has 3000 albums to choose from, nicknamed “El DJ,” Hi Fi is a rock lover’s wet dream. With daily drink specials, this place is cheap, and that’s a rare thing in NYC these days. If you’re still in the mood to party after this early reading, hit up Second on Second for some karaoke, where you can sing till your throat is sore!

Location: Dumbo, Brooklyn
Event: Obama-Fabulous Election Night Party
Show time: 6 PM
Venue: Galapagos
Food: RICE
Drink: Low Bar
Miscellaneous: Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Hosted by Theatre Reverb's Olga and Bjorn, celebrate or frantically wait for the election results at Galapagos Art Space, where there will not only be a projection screen with the news coming in live, but to get you in the mood for some state-by-state results, a performance by the Yes We Can!-Can Girls! Plus there will be a Presidential kissing booth, and a special appearance by Santa Claus. Is December really only a month away? Sheesh! RICE not surprisingly offers a pretty intense variety of rice, from brown to Bhutanese red. Most of the rice based dishes come in large and small sizes. Right below RICE is Low Bar, an extremely convenient place to grab a drink and catch some great DJs spin in a lounge environment. Right off the water, with a view of the South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge so close you can touch it, the only thing that could make this view better is ice cream. You’ll usually find a long line for Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, but the sweet flavors are worth it!

While many people here in New York practice some form of yoga, nowhere is there a place that offers more than a few basic types of it under one roof, till now. Pure Yoga is the only one not just in NYC, but in the United States, that offers 19 varieties of it. Housed in a 20,000 square foot space, the facility is broken down into four studios for group classes and two smaller rooms for meditation and private class.

Whether you’re looking for Hatha, Ash Tanga, Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, or meditation, there are more than 50 instructors, including guest teachers from all over the world, teaching 110 classes a week. Every discipline is broken into three levels ranging from beginner to advanced practitioner so everyone can take a class at every level. One of the nicest aspects about this place is that they offer a yearly membership allowing you to take as many classes as you’d like rather than paying per class or for a package, which most studios solely offer. Pure Yoga is refreshingly different from all other yoga studios as it offers a very high-end yet minimalist designed environment that helps immerse you in the experience. Located on the Upper East Side, Pure Yoga is worth the trip for anyone looking to learn more about a certain style of yoga to those who have made it a part of their life.

DaVe Lipp

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Ahhh, it’s autumn, my favorite time of year. Unfortunately, the water treatment plant a few blocks away, doesn’t shut down for this particular reason. So, I strike a match and light some candles that transport me to a perfect fall, where I’m dressed in high boots and my fanciest church goin’ bonnet as “Paw” drives us in the covered wagon to the annual Cider Festival. Too bad my sister Mary’s blind but thankfully, her sense of smell is so astute she guides the way, “Hang a Louie at the rotting orchard,” she shouts, “Take a Rhonda at Old Man Crow’s tool shed.” Maw baked her prize winning pies and each of us are responsible for carefully holding one on our laps as we traverse the pre-industrialized, long, winding country road. The smell is like heaven but as usual, Mary won’t stop describing it in flowery detail. Now Paw’s praising her genius and Maw’s eyes are lighting up like there’s a pair of angel wings coming out from Mary’s backside. What about me? I’m the one who loves you the best! Mary might be prettier than I am, she might be smarter, she might have a hotter boyfriend than I’ll ever have, but I’m your half pint Paw! I’M YOUR HALF PINT!!!

This Little House on the Prairie episode was brought to me by Botanica Candle Company with help from scents like Pumpkin Pie, Pine Needle, French Vanilla, Frankincense & Myrrh, Yuletide and Hot Apple Pie. Available in votive’s, tarts and diffusers, each one has the seductive power to make you pull off your bloomers and take a bath in a barrel underneath the Harvest moon.

Sheehan McGuirk

Location: Chelsea, NYC
Comedy: Who the F&$K Is Joe the Plumber?
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: The People’s Improv Theater
Food: Pop Burger
Drink: Gaslight Lounge
Miscellaneous: Amy’s Bread

It’s the night before Election Day and if you haven’t figured out whom you’re going to vote for yet (seriously?), you should check out Who the F&$K Is Joe the Plumber?, a night of stand-up comedy going over all the best and mostly worst that’s happened up to this point in the election run-off. Burger joint in the front, upscale lounge in the back, the menu at Pop Burger includes basics like 2 pop burgers for $5 for a quick fix or if your lounging, the likes of tuna tartar with soy truffle jus ($15). The Gaslight, a great hotspot bar in the meatpacking district, is dark and cozy while affordable for the area. If you don’t know Amy’s Bread, when you order a sandwich at a café or restaurant in the city, ask where they got the bread. There’s a good chance it’s from Amy’s because she’s one of the best bread makers in the city.

Funk Legend & Music Icon George Clinton All photos by Shannon Effinger












George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
October 23, 2008

After two short, forgettable opening acts and a nearly 40 minute wait, The P-Funk All Stars finally took the stage at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill last Thursday. Guitarist Gary “Starchild” Shider, an original member of Parliament-Funkadelic, began by shouting “Vote, it ain’t illegal yet.” The energy of the music shocked many people. It was a little unexpected to hear that vitality from these veteran musicians. But the theme that night was the unexpected. Shider quickly shook off his jacket and revealed his normal attire—practically nothing. Yes, this P-Funk legend is also affectionately known as “Diaper Man” and he lived up to the name once again.

George “Dr. Funkenstein” Clinton, the man we were all waiting to see, finally walked out on stage. He brought an already raucous crowd to its highest point as he playfully gestured to them. Although he was jovial, Clinton was there for business. With a slight turn of his hand, the musicians immediately began with “Cosmic Slop.” The P-Funk All Stars had the musical freedom to explore with trills and long solos, but Clinton made sure that chord structure and syncopation was kept in the music. He was an effortless conductor of these “funkateers” that night.

Singer Belita Woods brought down the excitement well with “The Girl is Bad.” She was pure rhythm and blues. Woods wore a beautiful floral dress—very surprising compared to what Shider was wearing that night. The quality of her voice was light yet gravel tinged and it brought an added seductiveness to the lyrics.

The funk continued with “Atomic Dog.” The rhythm of the guitar section, driven mainly by Shider, and Clinton’s musical direction was a lesson in music theory. These two “atomic dogs,” well into their sixties, didn’t have to run far to “chase the cats” as a gaggle of women dancers rushed the stage.

After 2 ½ hours, their show was cut short because of a later performance scheduled and the crowd continued to shout “We Want The Funk” for a good ten minutes. George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars proved that night that music is and will always be the great unifier.

Shannon J. Effinger

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P-Funk legend Garry "Starchild" Shider performing "Atomic Dog"

Belita Woods performs "The Girl is Bad."

Pepper love NYC All photos by Jennifer Hein

Pepper
Irving Plaza
October 26, 2008

Pepper took the stage at the Fillmore to the tune of "Burnin' Down the House" and that they did. On the home stretch of their "Here Comes the Law" tour with Passafire and The Supervillains, the Hawaiian-based, Southern California dwelling band pulled out all the stops to give the packed house an energized mix of reggae rock, punk, hip hop and even disco.

The shirtless trio consisting of vocalist/bassist Bret Bollinger, guitarist/vocalist Kaleo Wassman and drummer Yesod Williams stormed through a raucous set that was determined by their tradition of letting the audience pick songs and then feeding off their energy. There was no shortage of energy in the city that never sleeps as they busted out old school favorites like "Office" and "Ashes" and gave us a taste of their latest album Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations with the hard-rocking single "Blackout" that rounded out a night of pure mayhem.

The band was so thankful to the fans and the sheer greatness of playing a New York City venue that they could hardly contain their excitement, which kept everyone in a complete frenzy from the anticipation. A spontaneous drum solo at the beginning fired up the crowd made up of a mix of NYU undergrads, die-hard reggae rock lovers, and hipster kids.

During the fan favorite "Too Much," Wassman jammed out a killer guitar solo and then proclaimed his love by blowing the audience a kiss. Bollinger got the pit really rocking as he told everyone to "scream as loud as you can" and reacted with "now that is what New York City sounds like on a Sunday night." To top it off, Wassman just sighed into the microphone and simply said "it feels so good to be in a real F'ing city" and the applause they received was a fitting end to an insane night.

It was surely not a normal Sunday night, but the fans were completely gratuitous for a stellar show and putting some warmth into the chilly NYC air.

Jennifer Hein

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