Game #3 Loss - Recap

Pavement Tour Review - Philly (9/17/10) & Brooklyn 9/19/10)

Pavement has been one of those very impactful bands in terms of my young adult life. The first album I heard was Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain during my freshman year of highschool via my good buddy Matt. He would throw it in on our drive to lacrosse practice (so suburbs). I was immediately hooked, buying up any/all recordings and seeking out shows. Pavement was very obscure for the time (early/mid 90s) even falling out of the grunge and emerging indie scene. For Matt and I and a few of our friends Pavement was a band that fit our personality, the lyrics were ridiculous and the music was chaotic but so unique. We would be the rebels and throw them in at high-school parties when no one was looking and belt out the lyrics and blast them from our shitty cars while driving down to the beach over the summer. I have so many great memories of driving from the burbs and into Philly seeing Pavement multiple times at the Trocadero. Getting so pumped that before the encore I had to go into the bathroom and suck on the faucet as to not pass-out from exhaustion. I remember seeing them at Lollapalooza ‘95, the WDRE Fest in Camden etc. Its just one of those bands that stuck with me and brings back so many great memories.

I continued to listen Pavement all throughout college. They eventually broke-up right before I moved to NYC and right after the Terror Twilight tour ended. I was it a bit of a transition period so I missed that tour. I made every other since Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. The catalyst for the break-up is debatable but seemed to center around front man Stephen Malkmus’s desire to pursue a solo career. Seeing Malkmus over the years was great too as he has a solid band but just hearing his voice and guitar reminded me of Pavement. The past decade there have been rumors upon rumors of a Pavement reunion tour. This time last year the dream came true. The first show scheduled was in NYC at Central Park Summerstage…then there were three more…then it became a world tour. I jumped on tickets for Philly and Brooklyn. I had tickets for Central Park but had to bail last minute due to adult/work-stuff. The Philly and Brooklyn shows were phenomenal. Here are the set-lists and some pics. Take a guess which ones were taken from a pro vs me and my buds. Hmm?


Philly – The Mann Music Center 9/17/10

SET-LIST

1.Grounded
2.Cut Your Hair
3.Kennel District
4.Heckler Spray
5.Elevate Me Later
6.Frontwards
7.Silence Kit
8.Starlings of the Slipstream
9.Box Elder
10.Unfair
11.Fight This Generation
12.Shady Lane
13.Perfume-V
14.Spit on a Stranger
15.Stereo
16.Two States
17.In the Mouth a Desert
18.Conduit for Sale!
19.We Dance
20.Rattled By The Rush
21.Range Life

Encore:
22.Date w/ IKEA
23.Trigger Cut
24.Stop Breathin'


Encore 2:
25.Gold Soundz
26.Here 

PICS

Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Waterfront 9/19/10

SET-LIST

1.Cut Your Hair
2.Date w/ Ikea
3.Rattled By The Rush
4.Elevate Me Later
5.Grounded
6.Frontwards 
7.Shady Lane
8.Unfair
9.Perfume V
10.Fight This Generation
11.Silence Kit
12.Box Elder
13.Stop Breathin'
14.Two States
15.Father to a Sister of Thought
16.Heckler / In the Mouth a Desert
17.We Dance
18.Summer Babe (Winter Version)
19.Fin
20.Stereo 

Encore:
21.Spit on a Stranger
22.Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17
23.Starlings of the Slipstream

Encore 2:
24.Gold Soundz
25.Kennel District
26.Range Life

  PICS

 They played every track I wanted to hear...except for Debris Slide which I found out later that they played it in CP...so pissed. Box Elder was the suprise highlight for me as I don't remember them playing that in highschool or college.

All said both shows were insanely good. The Philly show I thought was better played (something was off for a few of the BK songs) and held a special place for me given I experienced it with friends that grew up with the band with along side me. Brooklyn was equally sentimental as I rocked along with my sister who is always there to dance with me even when lame NYC crowds wont. The bands we've seen together over the years I cant even begin to count. Another "point of reflection" is that my first NYC apartment was in Williamsburg not too far from where Pavement took the stage...really hit me how much has changed in both the neighborhood and for me personally in the past 10 years or so. Sad sappy sucker.
While new recordings from Pavement are extremely doubtful and a reunion tour in 2020 would be even more doubtful, I was glad to be transported back to the alt-rock 90's...if only for a few nights.

The lyrics to Range Life really sum it up nicely. Enjoy.

Pavement - New Music - More Music Videos

Remember When I Said...

Neko Case and The Klaxons had the greatest album covers of all time? Well folks...this is a close second....or could trump them all. So many levels of "awesome".

Here's a video...TONS of cameos.

Pavement Plays Colbert!!! Malkmus Does An Awkward Interview!! (not shocking)

(via Pitchfork/Audioperv)

"Gold Sounds"


"Awkward Interview"



I am in the middle of my "Pavement Tour 2010" (Philly Friday, Crooklyn Sunday and Central Park tonight) so I will have a more detailed show review with pics int he coming week(s). All I can say upfront is that the set-list both nights KILLED. Box Elder, Two States, Summer Babe etc...stay tuned.

How..How did I not know about this? UGH!

If you ever get a chance to see these guys...do it...regardless if you're a punk fan or not. So many great show memories from my high-school/college days. Ask me about when I stage-dove at a show in Philly in high-school...and the crowd parted like the red sea. BMOC.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/09/bouncing_souls_14.html

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Greatest Album Cover of ALL TIME (The Sequel)

Remember when I posted last year that Neko Case had the greatest album cover of all time for Middle Cyclone. Well...there's a new contender for 2010. I only have a few tracks from these dudes from their last album (some good..others too abstract....Golden Skans is a top-notch track) but I have seen them interviewed and that said...this choice of cover-art does not surprise me at all. Purrrrfect.

If I pick up The Klaxons latest Surfing The Void I will throw out a review.

Are You Kidding Me?

Unreal. This is the kind of pairing you (aka me) dream about. R.E.M. was a big part of my childhood and The Walkmen my adulthood. This song in particular brings back some memories. Cant wait to see them in October...The Walkmen. I probably should check out R.E.M. the next time they tour.

"The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won't get smashed..."



The Walkmen cover R.E.M.

NEW THERMALS SONG/VIDEO - "I Don't Believe You" (featuring Carrie Brownstein from Sleater Kinney)

(via BrooklynVegan.com)

Show Review: QUASI @ Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA (4/23/10)

I know this is mega late but I needed to make sure I had this evening on the CugeRock record. The last time a saw Quasi live was…the Sword of God tour…I think. It’s been a long time. I got into Quasi in college. I was always a Sleater Kinney fan so I knew Janet Weiss was a solid drummer but didn’t know much about Sam Coomes or his other bands including Heatmiser which he played with Elliott Smith.

True story – I rode my BMX to a house party at U of D back in 1998 with my Sony sports walkman (yes…walkman). While most guys were trying to get laid and drunk I was only interested in talking music with some friends…and getting drunk. My buddy Karl was a big music freak who worked at the local record shop. His recommendations were always on-point/highly regarded. He had mentioned this band Quasi who he was really into at the moment. The party was blaring Phish or DMB or some other jam-bandy/hippie crap so he brought me upstairs to listen to the Featuring Birds record in which (after hearing the first track) I immediately had him tape for me. For some reason I remember the dubbing process taking forever. Late night I was wasted and popped the tape into my player and listened to Our Happiness is Guaranteed while swerving downhill on main street back to my house. One of the great college/music related memories I have.

The “signature Quasi sound” I fell in love with was the distorted Roxichord keyboard Sam would pound on while Janet kept the beat and backed his vocals. After the Sword of God album…the albums were strictly guitar rock…which…while good…didn’t blow me away hence I lost interest after purchasing Hot Shit and When The Going Gets Dark hoping for at least a few Roxichord tracks…no dice. Apparently Sam would still break out the Roxichord at live shows but couldn’t use it for recordings (which makes zero sense to me). I was just turned off. Then I started reading press leading up to the release of their latest album American Gong.

They added Joanna Bolme from Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks for a fuller sound. I thought "OK, I'll bite". I was pleasantly surprised. The tracks on American Gong are so rocking…so much so I forgot why I fell in love with this band in the first place (Roxichord). Janet is the most insane drummer Ive ever seen…on par with Neil Peart and Travis Barker. I am always mesmerized. Don’t tell my girlfriend but I've always had a crush on Janet. I brushed her arm once while watching an opener at one of their Maxwells shows I saw with my sister…I was creepily jazzed about that interaction (see the “Quasi Tour” from a prior post - http://www.cugerock.com/2009/07/tommys-top-rock-show-memories-thus-far.html )

When I saw they were playing in the spring at Johnny Brenda's in Philly I jumped at the chance. It just so happened to coincide with the same weekend of my Uncle Eds 70th birthday so my sis, her hubby, my girlfriend, cousin and his girlfriend all made plans to go (rollin deep son). Johnny Brenda's is such a small/cool venue that they were right on top of us. It reminded me of when I saw them at Brownies in NYC years ago. They played all of the top tracks off of American Gong like Bye-Bye Blackbird, Repulsion and Little White Horse but then I saw Sam break out the Roxichord and I knew “it was on”. He played Our Happiness is Guaranteed, as well as The Poisoned Well and I’ts Raining (I think). My sister and I were PUMPED. Then they encored with a few covers from The Who! I remember Pictures of Lilly and I Can See For Miles and Miles but I think they played a few more. Such a great show and it was Sam's birthday that night to boot. The openers Let's Wrestle came out and sang him the Happy Birthday song along with the crowd (which was otherwise…pretty dead…which is odd for Philly…NYC yes). Seeing Janet drum in such an intimate venue was amazing. The sound was great despite the odd architecture of the venue. Here are some crude pics of the show.

Here’s where it gets interesting - The bar is right next to the stage and the merch table was across for the bar. We hung out at the bar for a bit after the show to have some Kenzingers (cheap/awesome Philly beer) and eventually Janet and Sam came out to hang at the merch table. Joanna was seen breaking down the set then disappeared....almost like she was their roadie...weird. They were signing LPs, CDs and shirts so I immediate picked up a signed LP. My sis got a cd and Danny got a signed shirt BY JANET EXCLUSIVELY. Living in NYC for so many years I rarely would get star-struck...but when it comes to musicians I love and respect…I turn into a 14yr old….alcohol doesn’t help (ask Danny about the time he hung out with Ted Leo in Boston…I expect a comment to this post DC).

I have a pretty deep history with Quasi and given Sam was good friends with Elliot Smith (who, like Ben Folds, got me through some tough times and is one of the top if not THE top songwriters of all time in my opinion) and Janet is one of the best drummers in history…why the fuck wouldn’t I introduce myself. The the conversation should have went down like this:

Me: “Hi guys. I’m Tom (shaking hands) Great show. I’ve been a huge fan since day one”
Sam & Janet: “Thank you. That’s great. Thanks”

Then I walk back over to the bar....

How it really happened was somewhat different. I introduced myself and (since there was literally no one else at the bar besides us, Sam, Janet and their merch manager) began rambling about my history with them. I spoke about the Quasi tour of 2002….then specifically told them about the time when we saw them at Brownies NYC (during our tour) where I proceeded to steal the setlist from under Sams keyboard after the show (I was drunk…shocker). They both looked bewildered as I described what went down back in '02.

My brother-in-law Rob stood next to me and witnessed the present carnage...then I called my cousin Danny over…"Danny…c’mere…remember that Brownies show?” So I roped him into the embarrassment. I still have that setlist which I placed in a frame (pictured here)

See this prior post which provides a little more detail on "the great heist" - www.cugerock.com/2009/06/quasi-is-back-new-album-coming-in-fall.html

I didn’t get the vibe that they were pissed I stole the setlist but rather that I was STILL TALKING TO THEM. At one point I turned to Janet and was like “Brownies…you remember Brownies?” She was visibly irritated and replied “Of course I remember Brownies man. C’mon” (exact quote could be exaggerated). The conversation then pretty much came to an awkward end and we walked back to the bar.

All-and-all this was phenomenal show that was intense and brought me back into the Quasi die-hard fan club. Not only did I get to enjoy their music but I also got a chance to share a piece of my life/music history with them via face to face conversation (which is extremely rare). Whether they enjoyed the stories or not (leaning towards not) it was pretty amazing to actually explain to them how they played a significant role in many of my more prominent/positive rock and roll memories. "Boom"

The Thermals Cover Green Day @ PMF

(via Pitchfork TV)

So so good. I really hope this becomes a regular cover at their future shows.