Playing for Change: Songs Around the World
(Hear Music)





There’s a universal power that permeates every note and frame of Playing for Change: Songs Around the World, the new CD/DVD project from producer Mark Johnson. The film unites musicians from across the globe seamlessly into the same song allowing for collaboration like none before and illustrates the power of music to unite people from every place and culture. The package includes 10 amazing tracks and 5 videos of the recording, which is done mostly outside, along with a segment about the Playing For Change Foundation, which is aimed at building art and music schools worldwide.

The first video for “Stand By Me” which gained awareness for the project as it spread virally online begins with Roger Ridley, a Santa Monica street musician, singing the song alone and he is soon joined by others such as Roberto Luti of Italy, the Native American Twin Eagle Drummers from Zuni, New Mexico and a host of others. The standout songs on the album are two of Bob Marley’s best known songs, “One Love” and “War/No More Trouble” which feel totally appropriate in the worldwide setting and feature the voice of Marley himself alongside U2’s Bono, Keb’ Mo, and a number of other fantastic musicians you’ve never heard of from India, Africa, Israel, Nepal, and Europe. The lesser known musicians such as Vusi Mahlasela of South Africa, Grandpa Elliot from New Orleans, and Tal Ben Ari “Tula” of Israel overshadow the big names at times with their startling vocals and the music, which pulls from nearly every corner of the globe is edited marvelously.

The concept is fantastic and without question it’s become an ongoing project as it should soon become enormously successful, but more than anything, the music is brilliant. You may believe in the cause but you’ll get hooked by the music and the personalities of these fantastic musicians.



Tim Needles

The band and the statement you'll make after seeing them Saturday


















Friday May 22

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Morrissey's 50th Birthday Party with Kaki King
Show time: 9 PM
Venue: Glasslands Gallery
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Kaki King helps celebrate Morrissey’s 50th birthday with a performance at Glasslands. Joining her are Beta Beta, Bodega Girls, and Stationary Set with DJs Rude Dudes. For vegetarians and those not in the mood for meat, Wild Ginger offers Pan-Asian cuisine in a relaxed earth-toned environment with a menu featuring veggies, tofu, seitan, and soy. The best thing about Teddy’s Bar is that it’s just got this great neighborhood vibe that’s warm and friendly, while also having a great menu of drinks and American bar food favorites like burgers, salads, sandwiches, and steak. A great place to get good coffee, take a seat, and watch the passing hipsters stroll by, Verb Café even has excellent sandwiches and baked goods to snack on before the show.

Friday May 22

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Band: Grand Masters of Gypsy Music
Show time: 9 PM
Venue: Mehanata Bulgarian Bar
Food: San Loco
Drink: Max Fish
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Menahata Bulgarian Bar (113 Ludlow St.), which seems to center around Balkan music and Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz who spins records often there also offers live Gypsy music as the Grand Masters of Gypsy Music perform. It’s world music with a punk aesthetic! Let’s face it, San Loco does not serve the greatest Mexican food ever. But it certainly isn’t bad. The prices are inexpensive, you can get a heaping amount of nachos for as little as $3.75, and telling by the heavy traffic, the place is doing just fine. What I like about Max Fish is that it’s a local bar for local artists. It’s walls play host monthly for art exhibitions, there’s a pool table in the back, and drinks aren’t pricey, like many new bars springing up in this neighborhood. For one of the best cupcakes in the city, Sugar Sweet Sunshine has 10 varieties, on top of cakes. Try the Sexy Red Velvet or the Bob, a yellow cupcake with chocolate almond buttercream.

Saturday May 23

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Holy Fuck + A Place to Bury Strangers + Crocodiles
Show time: 8:30 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: Social
Drink: 151
Miscellaneous: Bereket

How awesome is it to get three great bands playing one show? Holy Fuck’s ridiculous live show includes two members tweaking and turning knobs with a live drummer and bassist, as they churn out some great electronic induced rock. A Place to Bury Strangers also features electronics but takes a more experimental and sonic route while Crocodiles are heavy on the rock with a retro feel. Where to go afterwards? Go straight to the bar, and that bar would be 151, where happy hour is 7 days a week from 6pm till 10pm and includes 2 for 1 drinks. For those that don’t want a liquid dinner first, check Social for comfort food including the Mac and Cheese (Macaroni covered in Three Cheese Truffled Mornay Sauce and topped w/Seasoned Bread Crumbs). For a late night eat, a favorite spot of mine is Bereket for falafels and to watch drunks succeed at spilling their food all over themselves and failing at picking up chicks. Not for the faint of heart!

Saturday May 23

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Emanuel & the Fear + Darla Farmer
Show time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Mercury Lounge
Food: Pukk
Drink: The Magician
Miscellaneous: Mason Dixon

Taking upbeat rock and adding electronics, orchestral instruments and a pop feel, Emanuel & the Fear make pretty damn good rock with enough members to actually be an orchestra. Darla Farmer on the other hand write a heavier kind of rock with a big band cabaret feel with punk vocals that sound like they will eat their audience alive, in a good way though! Pukk serves up some delicious vegetarian Thai food. With a futuristic design, plastic and green tint everywhere, the menu offers everything from Pad Thai to Spicy Watercress Duck, only the duck, like all meat here, is made of vegetarian soy. A chill bar to go for a drink and not be bothered with loud, annoying drunks is The Magician. This place, which has no visible name, is across the street from Welcome to the Johnsons. With a southern theme, the draw at Mason Dixon is being one of only two bars in NYC with a mechanical bull. For $10 you can ride it. Expect to be thrown off in 5 seconds, if you can stay on that long!

Sunday May 24

Location: East Village, NYC
Theater: Thank You For Being A Friend: The Musical
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Kraine Theater
Food Supper
Drink 2A
Miscellaneous Whole Foods on Bowery

When gay pop star Lance Bass moves next to Miami’s favorite retirees, Dorothea, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia, all hell breaks loose as well as plenty of hilarity, wise cracks and tons of Broadway tunes in this unauthorized parody of The Golden Girls musical in drag. Those looking for good and inexpensive Italian food should most definitely check out Supper. Do yourself a favor and try the “Priest Stranglers” pasta with Marinara and soft Ricotta di Pecora cheese. A good nearby bar is 2A. With two floors of windows, it’s great for watching the remaining hipsters who can still afford to live in the city pass by. If all your dinner/drink plans fail and you need an all-in-one, the Whole Foods on Houston Street is your upscale go-to-grocery store for dinner and snacks.

Screeching onto the screen, the latest installment of the Terminator franchise delivers gritty thrills, appreciated homage, and the next chapter in this story of humanity versus mechanized assassins.

The over exposed look at the beginning of the film struck me right away; a silver retention process used on the stock to give many of the vast post apocalyptic daylight scenes of the wasteland deserts of war torn 2018 a certain visceral realism.

From the jarringly opening scenes, the narrative kick starts into one pulse quickening situation after another, following the dichotomy of humans versus machines created to terminate them; blood and bone vs. metal and killer instinct. This threat is best illustrated in the scenes of violent capture and hellish herding of humans to their presumable death by emotionless deaths head faced robots and the fearless resistance fighters struggle to keep hope and humanity from extinction.

We find of vast importance to the multifilm narrative, personified in the film’s most exciting character, Marcus Wright, the exploration of salvation. Marcus, a convicted murderer put to death in 2003, later experimented upon to become a prototype melding of human and machine; created as a being whose physiological functioning is dependent upon a mechanical device.

A cyborg made from a killer who now has been given a second chance at life, Marcus acts as a link between man and machine. This figure puts into sharp relief the film’s ultimate question: what human advantage will lead to salvation over oppressive mechanized death?

The answer may well surprise you, just as the refreshing comfort of this newest installment of the ever popular Terminator series takes it’s place next to the successful members of the previous trio of films.

From the classical theme music of Terminator 2: Judgment Day to open the film, to now adult John Connor still blasting Guns N Roses, though this time to entice a killer machine into a trap; the Homage is sparing, but feels so right.

Familiar were the scenes of a beleaguered group of armed people driving up to some deserted 7-11 station, of a bruised and beaten resistance fighter stumbling up a short flight of wrought metal stairs on a bad leg, molten construction factory sparks glowing in the background, the steam and thundering of mechanical pistons veiling a mechanical death’s head grin.

It’s a Terminator movie, that’s for sure.

Kenneth Joachim

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Art: Freedom and Beauty: The Art of Iraqi Refugees
Show time: 9 AM – 5 PM Daily; Thru May 28
Venue: Church of St. Paul the Apostle Parish Center
Food: Swizz
Drink: Russian Vodka Room
Miscellaneous: Zip Burger

At the opening reception for Freedom and Beauty: The Art of Iraqi Refugees, see 15 paintings and drawings created by four Iraqi refugees with themes of loss and tragedy, things that are sadly, everyday occurrences in the Middle East. For fans of fondue, Swizz is where it’s at. Try the Traditional Cheese Fondue (serves two) with Gruyere and Emmenthal cheeses, served with cubed bread ($40). When it comes to making great vodka, at the Russian Vodka Room, the menu says it all as they offer 53 different vodka’s not including their 10 specially infused flavors like strawberry, ginger, and if you’re feeling bold, garlic, pepper, and dill. If your looking for a burger with lot’s of extra’s, then check out Zip Burger, where farm-raised, organic/grass-fed meat and poultry help them create a better burger. Burgers start at a mere $4.50 but can get dangerously expensive depending on your toppings.

Polly Scattergood
Polly Scattergood
(Mute Records)






It is hard to resist associating Tori Amos and Liz Phair to Polly Scattergood’s self-titled new release. The naked lyrical prose from this native of Essex, England, is saturated in a dark sobriety and hyper-awareness of intense emotional anguish. The strained rock instrumentation forms a nice soft ground for which each song grows, fighting to overcome, despite all kinds of conditions. The hushed whispery vocals remind one of certain sides of Tori Amos and the raw emotional release harkens Liz Phair’s earlier work. Most songs are slow to mid-tempo rhythms about love gone cerebrally bad and are often deepened and studied in melodious psychological anguish. Scattergood is not apologetic or removed from brutal honesty about the conditions of her heart and mind. Amongst blustery effects of violins and keys, Scattergood seems to barely be able to muster enough vocal power to deliver her songs at times. This breathy liberation is endearing and sometimes consistent to the overall push and pull of the album. “Please Don’t Touch,” is a more cheery acoustic guitar driven, more accelerated rhythm request where Scattergood’s voice rises much above the music and holds fast to a forceful musical “no thank you.” “Bunny Club” is an electro-lite kiss-off and directive about choosing self and refusing to be a victim. With hide and seek ambiguity, Scattergood balances dire introspection and strength.

Chanda Jones


The Warlocks
The Mirror Explodes
(Tee Pee Records)







A little 'Krautrock', some psychedelia and a whole 'lotta Velvet Underground, The Warlock's new CD, The Mirror Explodes is an 8-song loud, wanting-to-be haunting collection.

After a disappointing opener "Red Camera," "The Midnight Sun" works a bit better for me, though things still meander a bit. By the time we are dead center with "There Is A Formula To Your Despair" though, I was getting to like The Warlocks lazy guitar strum, low beat background noisy thang. Bobby Hecksher's vocals take some getting used to and I felt he's used on the first few tunes to set up a mood and nothing else, but on "Formula" band and vocals are pretty much together with a sense of purpose.

Things get definitely 'Velvety' for me on "Standing Between The Lovers Of Hell." "You Make Me Wait" has that effective build that "Red Camera" lacked (and it's one of my faves here) and there's lots of noise and psychedelia on "Frequency Meltdown." The last tune, "Static Eyes" is cool, mainly because it's unlike anything else here, with a nice use of an acoustic…and I feel this is one of Hecksher's better vocals with the band perfectly restrained behind him.

The Warlocks have seen nineteen members since the band's inception in 1999 and it definitely seems Bobby H. and the kids have their sound worked out here. If you want a little bit of mood, a touch of noise, maybe a little hint of early Lou Reed, pick of up The Mirror Explodes.

Ralph Greco, Jr.


Double Dagger
More
(Thrill Jockey)






The title of the album really says it all. Double Dagger held nothing back with their most recent load of songs in More. The album itself doesn’t stand out as anything spectacular, but holds its own with sheer balls of iron. There are no standout singles, which actually makes it feel very much like a whole unit, no one-hit-wonder outdoing the rest, and I quite enjoyed that fact about it. While they are definitely very loud, and you can tell there are quality tunes behind the volume, I was sometimes lost amidst the din. The musicians are quite worthy of praise in terms of their talent, and when I was able to pick out some of the fabulous guitar solos in between the general cacophony, I was thoroughly impressed. “The Lie/The Truth” stood out in particular, mingling a ferocious chorus with spoken verses, and you can just envision them turning red and resisting Mother Nature’s will to strike them dead from exertion. Actually, you can feel that in every song, as I’m pretty sure they tempt impending aneurysms with any performance. Double Dagger will be at Market Hotel on May 23rd, and will undoubtedly rock with abandon, because they seem like the type of guys who would turn campfire songs into loud, hard, rock, just for the sheer hell of it. And they would do it well.

Marissa!


Clues
Clues
(Constellation)






Montreal record label, Constellation, debuts a new album from ex-Arcade Fire’s Brendan Reed and ex-Unicorn’s Alden Penner. Along with other local musicians and visual artists Nick Scribner, Ben Borden and Lisa Gamble, don’t expect a sound spin off. Despite a few feeble similarities to their former bands, the Clues have a sound of their own. The eleven track album combines experimental, psychedelic, and post punk rock with the element of surprise, especially in regards to it’s musical structure. The lyrics are clever and filled with surrealist imagery, and dream like references, calling to mind fantastic visions of ghosts, the ocean, Nessie, dragons, death, and dreaming.

“Haarp,” the opening track is faintly reminiscent of Pink Floyd at the start. Toward the end of the song, the drums and guitars pick up speed and hammer concertedly as the ever-soft vocals ask, “Will I be able to feel the difference, when you turn me on and off?” Every track sees their instruments brilliantly colliding, producing a meritorious record with exceptional tracks like “You Have My Eyes Now,” “Perfect Fit,” “Elope,” and “Crows.” Early as it may be, the Clues have definitely earned a spot on my favorite albums of 2009.

Dezzy Ramdeen


Betty Padgett
Betty Padgett
(Luv N Haight Records)






Being the obstinate 70’s prog-head I am, I don’t get out all the much in the world of disco, reggae, or soul, but I can damn well appreciate them, as I do Betty Padget’s recently unearthed debut album. This lady from the Miami-based music scene collaborated with soul legend Milton Wright in 1975 to produce a stellar 8-song collection. Full of horns, cool riffing guitars, that sometimes ‘downbeat on the one and the three,’ this is music that weaves perfectly under Betty’s amazing pipes.

From the opener, “It Would Be A Shame” you know you’re in the hands of a master. Betty’s voice is rich, rising atop the simple groove under it, never overpowering, making this tune snappy fun and full of groove. The cover of “My Eyes Adore You” follows with a slight reggae treatment, which Betty and Wright employ more then once, and by the third song, her modest hit “Sugar Daddy Part 1” we have Betty moving along with punchy horns and a funky guitar.

“Never, Never, Never” and “Rocking Chair” (“Chair” is another great commercial tune) are as close as we’re gonna get to full-on reggae, both with Betty’s perfect pitch and mature control. “Gypsy Of Love,” a slow sexy number with some slightly over-played drumming, the spirited WAR-like reprise of “Sugar Daddy Part 2” and “Love Me Forever,” an almost 50’s style pop ballad, with some interesting accordion-like backing and great backing vocals, ends the album way too quickly.

Ralph Greco, Jr.

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard + Diane Cluck Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: Social
Drink: 151
Miscellaneous: Bereket

Anti-folk singer Jeffrey Lewis makes politically charged punk songs that are witty, crazy and fun. Joining him is one of his collaborators Diane Cluck whose got a lush voice and knows how to beautifully lay out a song with just an acoustic guitar and a drummer named Anders Griffin. Also performing is folk influenced singer Pepi Ginsberg. Where to go afterwards? Go straight to the bar, and that bar would be 151, where happy hour is 7 days a week from 6pm till 10pm and includes 2 for 1 drinks. For those that don’t want a liquid dinner first, check Social for comfort food including the Mac and Cheese (Macaroni covered in Three Cheese Truffled Mornay Sauce and topped w/Seasoned Bread Crumbs). For a late night eat, a favorite spot of mine is Bereket for falafels and to watch drunks succeed at spilling their food all over themselves and failing at picking up chicks. Not for the faint of heart!

Lot 49
Lonely Planet
(Lot 49)







Whoever said 90s Alt-rock is dead or out of style, haven’t heard Lot 49’s album Lonely Planet. Comparable to The Smiths and The London Suede, this long lost gem is filled with great songs that harken back to the days when black was the only black.

This Santa Barbara based group, born in 1993 and ended in 1997 was made up of Scott Killion (Malo) on vocals/guitar, Kevin Serra on guitars, Josh Richards on bass and Mike Pearl on drums. Funny enough, the seven songs that make up this album never were released and subsequently lost for a near decade after the band broke up in 1997. Lucky for us they were found!

Right from the beginning, “Exponents” and “Shake Out” both sound like blasts from the past with really nice vocal chops from Killion and guitar riffs from Serra who complement each other well. The whole album has great riffs while “Serenade” offers up spoken word and horns that have a great cabaret feel. This song is almost ahead of its time when you think of many of the acts today that rock orchestral instruments.

The album, with its 90s sound will remind you of your youth and how being an outsider was cool and Lonely Planet is the soundtrack to that memory.

LISTEN + DOWNLOAD
Lot 49 - Exponents
Lot 49 - Shake Out

DaVe Lipp


Carbon 9
The Bull
(World of Sound)







Hi Kids! Are you fifteen? Do you wear nothing but black? Do you hate your parents? Did your first girlfriend just break up with you? Have you never heard of Korn, Disturbed, P.O.D., Nine Inch Nails, or Papa Roach? Then you're going to love Carbon 9's newest album The Bull!

Unfortunately for the rest of us, there's not much to like here. Stacey Quinealty (vocals), Darwn DeVitis, Matty Milani (drums), Omar D Brancato (bass), and Danny Cistone (backing vocals, performing art(?)) form up Carbon 9, a competent but uninspired quintet. Unfortunately their style of nu-metal would've sounded outdated in 2003, but here it is in 2009 and we have The Bull. It's 16 tracks of high schoolesque angst about lost love complete with some of the worst lyrics I've heard in a long time. The album credits the song writing to Quinealty and DeVitis, and they clearly hit up their local Sam Ash to pick up the new, patented Trent Reznor lyric generator to put these out. In the title track, they claim to take on "No love for hope," while in “Loving You,” they boldly and originally claim that "Loving you (has in fact) made me crazy." Imagine this spread out over 16 tracks, and then throw up in your mouth a little bit. I think the best part is the unintentionally hilarious tribute to Styx in "For You" where Quinealty sings "Mahalo Arigato, Thank You."

Also their cover of Danzig's “Mother” has made poor Glenn cry, but I do give them credit for that one because they put a little bit of their own spin on it, adding a harder edge and some electronic squiggles and pops. Unfortunately, in general The Bull lacks any originality or punch. But by all means if you've never heard a Jonathan Davis or Trent Reznor self-loathefest, pick this one up.


Michael Adler


The Hold Steady
A Positive Rage
(Vagrant Records)






I’ve been listening to The Hold Steady for a while, not necessarily because I loved their sound, but because they seem to be such an important band in the Indie Rock world, and several of my all time favorite bands admittedly (Sufjan Stevens and Interpol) took me a considerable amount of time to appreciate. I think what makes The Hold Steady so difficult to listen to is the fact that the lead singer, Craig Finn, has a unique and not almost unpleasant voice which, like Nick Cave, moves equally between singing and talking. A Positive Rage contains essentially 16 of the band’s best songs performed live and in order, and a nearly one hour documentary DVD that provides valuable insight into who the band is, their philosophy (positive adult themed rock and roll), and where they came from (Minneapolis).

If you are a die hard Hold Steady fan, A Postive Rage is a must own – the DVD is a marginal cost above the album, and the band just sounds terrific live. If you are new to The Hold Steady, this is probably not a bad purchase either – I gain more and more appreciation every time I listen to the songs, and I sense there will be a timelessness to their songs and sound. Check out “Stuck Between Stations” for one of their trademark songs, “Lord I’m Discouraged” and “You Can Make Him Like You” which really show how great they incorporate the use of a piano, and “Citrus” or “First Night” for two very beautiful slow songs that sort of remind me how good Dave Matthews used to be.

Paul Kim


Zack Borer
Home






On the surface Zack Borer’s album Home is built firmly on the foundation of a man and his guitar. Borer musically works through the adventures of life involving breakdowns and victories with his own self-explorative mirror and folk, and soulful nicely crafted guitar strumming. At times, with hand-clapping uplifting jams to much harder edged arguments and ponderings, Borer uses his guitar as both a weapon and an extension of self. It is easy to hear his passion but harder to label his sound, it could easily be pop, soul or country. He writes with such a self-righteous efficiency one feels the therapy in Borer’s self-contained songs. Based out of New York City, it is clear Borer is a powerful singer/songwriter. His accessibility is also a gift. At times sort of a single man’s version of Matchbox Twenty or Rusted Root, Borer has a natural, unforced earthy dynamic. “Enemy” is a nice bouncy pop anthem that travels, literally and speaks to his desire to break from stagnation to survive. The beauty of Home reaches the experiences of many and this is Borer’s gift. The way he speaks to his convictions and failures so that it relates to everyone make the album relatable and impressive.

Chanda Jones