Praise Be It to Zola Jesus

I caught an awesomely intimate Zola Jesus performance at the Other Music record store last eve, gratis, and I wasn’t even in Brooklyn! (Anything worthwhile is usually happening in BK, hence why I’m moving there.)

Nika Roza's voice is of such deep emotional power that I’d thought her older and she’d been through a lot in her life (like dated in NYC for several years). Her music is not the stuff of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. It inspires existential contemplation as it shoots through heart valves inspiring beats in your chest.

I did not expect this cute, little blonde 22 year old to appear before me and save my musical soul for the evening. But she did. Praise be it to Zola Jesus. 

ZOLA JESUS "CLAY BODIES" MUSIC VIDEO from FUTURE PRIMITIVE FILMS on Vimeo.

The Murder City Devils are Coming!!! NYC JULY 18th..FO FREE!!

Please excuse the inordinate amount of exclamation points, but this is one of my favorite bands of all time. I'll return to this post when I get my bearings about me. Big thanks to Mr. Jones for the VIP.

For more info on the MCD go HERE 

 

The Tale of the New CocoRosie Album

The always evolving majestic sister duo CocoRosie released their new album Grey Oceans last month and I just got around listening to it tonight. The horror. This album didn’t get the best reviews by the “critics” but screw them, this is my review. And the tale begins:

Imagine a freak show hosted by Mary Poppins: the Bearded Lady dreamily plays the piano in white gloves; the Sword Sallower, upon the blade entering her throat lifts her pinky; the Siamese twins sing operatic-30’s jazz vocals whilst the snake is charmed by its master’s nursery rhymes behind tribal beats and harps. Merry-go-Round pastel horses ascend and descend to synthesizers and horns. Sometimes. All the tracks lack a true common thread, but lay down in elegant-freakish fairy sugar dust. The medicine goes down- for me.

Give Lemonade a minute.25, that's when the song really gets awesome. You won't be disappointed. The next song is great sexy time music. Or  great when you're alone in your apartment writing a blog post. 

Artfarm: An art and Urban Farming Project in the Bronx

Created by a group of architects and design activists, Artfarm will take an empty, run down concrete area and transform it into a colorful interactive green community space.

“We plan on encouraging ownership of this space by asking neighboring households, bodegas, etc to adopt a planter in the site and look after its upkeep. The installation will sport a mix of community, culture and art.” They also had children from the community join in the creation by painting planters.

This type of creative project is how life gets injected back into communities; locals begin to interact with their neighbors and feel connected again to their environment because they have a stake in it.

Watch the video and read more about this totally awesome project on Kickstarter here. Kickstarter is an online community site that helps fund creative projects in the U.S.

Supremely Awesome Music=The Growlers

Finding a great band is like finding a great sexual partner. You hook up with a lot of mediocre lovers along the way, ones that, when sexually engaged you’re thinking “no, not like that, just move your fingers/hands/tongue like this, no, that’s definitely not it, what’s wrong with you?” Then there are those amazing experiences, where the person is practically reading your dirty mind, and it feels so good your body responds “mmmmmm, yes, yes, exactly, thank you, you’re a freakin jedi, aaaahh.” The Growlers album Are you in or Are you Out? is the musical equivalent of the latter, and I am so in.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR EARS: Upcoming shows in the citaaaay

Portugal. The Man July 3 FREE

The Beach @Governors Island

I’ve seen this band several times and they never fail to give an awe inspiring show. If you don’t feel compelled to rock out during said performance you’re either 1) my 60+ yr old parents; 2) have taken too much xanax and must report home immediately; or 3) do not enjoy classic funk soul smacking rock music. Otherwise, I really think you’ll dig it.

PS1 Warm Up Party July 3^rd

There is a particular musician that I want to take in at the Warm Up party and she is Glasser. Her song "Apply" from the EP made me want to dance around a bonfire Native American style and take roots prescribed by the medicine man- all in slowed time. Check it.
There is sound in my mind, keeps me up all night-Glasser 

Brian Eno Predicts the Future-Again.

Through a fault of our designing We are lost among the windings of these Metal Ways. Back to silence back to minus with the purple sky behind us In these metal ways. Nobody hears us when we’re alone in the blue future. No one receiving the radio’s splintered ways. In these metal ways, in these metal days.