For the last 6 years, I've played on a local coed New York City softball team called Serenity Now! (Yes, taken from the Seinfeld episode).
And for the last 6 years, the big event has always been going out to a bar in close proximity following the game, win or lose, but win usually means more drinks consumed and better time had by all. And for 6 years, music has mostly been at the forefront of post game conversations. I always find that going to a bar with a formidable juke box where we one can program the music and not be at the mercy of the bartender's taste is certainly the better way to go.
The best thing about NYC bars and pubs is that the juke box selections vary over an incredibly wide range of music depending on the neighborhood you're in. Sure you have your standard bar w/juke box featuring nothing but greatest hits albums and the best selling albums of pop groups (IE Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, Any Nirvana album) and so on. The beer on tap is usually Rolling Rock, Bud, and Bud Light, and sometimes really bad Guiness, but even these bars have their loyal patrons. The more power to them.
But playing softball in every corner and far reach of Manhattan Island, and sometimes Roosevelt Island over a 6 year span has seen a variety of bars and a variety of juke boxes featuring music you thought you'd never see except for in your own music collection.
Most recently, our post game visit to the Dive Bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side (we won our game by the way) saw pitchers of Paulaner HefeWeizen and Lagunitas IPA on the table, along with The Crystal Method playing on the juke box. What is Lagunitas and who is The Crystal Method? While some of you may know them, the brew is Californian and the music is anything but like what you'd hear at a pub. Check either of them out. I have to say, they paired quite nicely. Especially after a hard fought softball victory.
Over the years my teammates and I have played music trivia, covered every wacky top 10 list having to do with music (IE The top 10 songs with the word "Rain" in the title), and tracked careers of musicians from their original bands to their solo careers and back again. And while we've done this in every corner of the Island, from the Lower East Side to Harlem, it had been some time since there was a formidable juke box to slip money into instead of a punk bartender with his/her IPod hooked up to the sound system.
It was beautiful. CSN's Southern Cross, Etta James's At Last, The Cure's Lovecats, and Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives were some that I chose. There were a bunch of selections I had never heard of and when you spend money to hear them, it's probably best to stay clear and not risk it. If not for the barkeep giving us 6 free songs after the juke box crapped out eating my $2, all would have been lost and we would have been stuck listening to the Yankees/Devil Rays game.
But alas God was watching us on this night.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
THE CONCERT SITUATION: FROZEN IN TIME PART 2: THE CASE OF THE BAND
Part 1 of this entry focused in on the non-evolution of concert fans. The ones who go to concerts with trademark dress of the bands they are seeing and only cheering to hear the trademark songs they sing, even if that band has way more than a few trademark songs.
Now we turn the tables and focus on the bands. You know, those bands that are the mothers of failed re-invention. The ones that get sick of their own image and feel they have to change for no reason and then realize that their fan base isn’t happy, that making critically acclaimed music doesn’t sell records, and then must finally return to their roots because the bank account reads negative 5 million dollars.
But even when they try that, it’s quite a pathetic site to see bands either get back together or finally go back to their roots after many years removed because these people aren’t 25 years old anymore. How Jagger, Tyler, Turner, and Springsteen do it I will never know.
CASE #1: KISS
Before I begin this one, even though I'm not a big fan of KISS, they are one of the greatest metal/glam rock bands to ever exist. They set standards in music and showmanship and deserve every bit of their credit and success.
The Culprit: Unmasking themselves in the 80's and then masking back up in the mid 90's at the age of 50+.
Why is it pathetic?Back in the 70's when these guys ruled the scene, the glitter and pyrotechnics went with KISS concerts like bread and butter. But for some reason they decided to get on the hair band wagon of the mid 80's and take off the makeup and shed the glitter outfits for run of the mill leather clad outfits and garbage songs that sounded like everybody else at the time. To a KISS fan, to put these guys in the same sentence as Slaughter or Warrant is a tragedy.
In the mid 90's when they appeared on the MTV music awards, they were back, with glitter and their trademark anthem "Rock n' Roll All Day and Party Every Night." But not only did it seemed forced, it made me want to vomit seeing a much heavier Gene Simmons and an incredibly hairy chested Paul Stanley try and fit into those quasi futuristic clothes. Plus their voices had gone, and so had the energy. They should have kept their dignity and either stayed masked always or stayed unmasked once it was done. They were a tough act to follow and couldn't even follow themselves.
CASE #2: STEPPENWOLF
The Culprit: Keeping with the burnout 1960's cut off t-shirt all the way into their early 60's.
Why is it pathetic?Somebody should have told these guys that Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces have been outdated movies for almost 40 years. I was watching "CBS Morning Show with Charles Osgood" and they did a "Where are They Now" piece on Steppenwolf. It made me laugh to the point of hysteria.
They mention that Steppenwolf is touring again, working the trailer park circuit. Hear that? The TRAILER PARK CIRCUIT! The brains behind Born to Be Wild and Magic Carpet Ride are at it again wowing unemployed rednecks lounging out on their couches with multiple cigarette burns. The set of "Good Morning Meth" takes 5 minutes to listen in.
The image of a wrinkled lead singer pumping his fist in the air singing the lines "Booorn to be Wiiiiiiiiild" barely sounding like he can talk much less sing, to a less than tepid reception from the townies, kinda makes me cringe inside and never want to hear either of those songs again.
Now we turn the tables and focus on the bands. You know, those bands that are the mothers of failed re-invention. The ones that get sick of their own image and feel they have to change for no reason and then realize that their fan base isn’t happy, that making critically acclaimed music doesn’t sell records, and then must finally return to their roots because the bank account reads negative 5 million dollars.
But even when they try that, it’s quite a pathetic site to see bands either get back together or finally go back to their roots after many years removed because these people aren’t 25 years old anymore. How Jagger, Tyler, Turner, and Springsteen do it I will never know.
CASE #1: KISS
Before I begin this one, even though I'm not a big fan of KISS, they are one of the greatest metal/glam rock bands to ever exist. They set standards in music and showmanship and deserve every bit of their credit and success.
The Culprit: Unmasking themselves in the 80's and then masking back up in the mid 90's at the age of 50+.
Why is it pathetic?Back in the 70's when these guys ruled the scene, the glitter and pyrotechnics went with KISS concerts like bread and butter. But for some reason they decided to get on the hair band wagon of the mid 80's and take off the makeup and shed the glitter outfits for run of the mill leather clad outfits and garbage songs that sounded like everybody else at the time. To a KISS fan, to put these guys in the same sentence as Slaughter or Warrant is a tragedy.
In the mid 90's when they appeared on the MTV music awards, they were back, with glitter and their trademark anthem "Rock n' Roll All Day and Party Every Night." But not only did it seemed forced, it made me want to vomit seeing a much heavier Gene Simmons and an incredibly hairy chested Paul Stanley try and fit into those quasi futuristic clothes. Plus their voices had gone, and so had the energy. They should have kept their dignity and either stayed masked always or stayed unmasked once it was done. They were a tough act to follow and couldn't even follow themselves.
CASE #2: STEPPENWOLF
The Culprit: Keeping with the burnout 1960's cut off t-shirt all the way into their early 60's.
Why is it pathetic?Somebody should have told these guys that Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces have been outdated movies for almost 40 years. I was watching "CBS Morning Show with Charles Osgood" and they did a "Where are They Now" piece on Steppenwolf. It made me laugh to the point of hysteria.
They mention that Steppenwolf is touring again, working the trailer park circuit. Hear that? The TRAILER PARK CIRCUIT! The brains behind Born to Be Wild and Magic Carpet Ride are at it again wowing unemployed rednecks lounging out on their couches with multiple cigarette burns. The set of "Good Morning Meth" takes 5 minutes to listen in.
The image of a wrinkled lead singer pumping his fist in the air singing the lines "Booorn to be Wiiiiiiiiild" barely sounding like he can talk much less sing, to a less than tepid reception from the townies, kinda makes me cringe inside and never want to hear either of those songs again.
PODCAST 1: Party Music for the Situation
Well friends, the first podcast of Music for the Situation is finished and uploaded ready for your listening pleasure.
PODCAST 1: Party Music for the Situation (Click here to listen)
Subscribe in a reader
The first podcast of Music for the Situation features suggested party music from Led Zeppelin (Fool in the Rain, Hey Hey What Can I Do), Phish (Heavy Things), Beck (Hotwax), and INXS (Need You Tonight). You get to hear me talk in between too giving you interesting facts about the music...not that you need it.
PODCAST 1: Party Music for the Situation (Click here to listen)
Subscribe in a reader The first podcast of Music for the Situation features suggested party music from Led Zeppelin (Fool in the Rain, Hey Hey What Can I Do), Phish (Heavy Things), Beck (Hotwax), and INXS (Need You Tonight). You get to hear me talk in between too giving you interesting facts about the music...not that you need it.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
THE CONCERT SITUATION: FROZEN IN TIME
This entry is a two parter. It will first cover concert fans and then in part 2, we’ll cover the artists. OK? Here we go…
One word: EVOLUTION!
It’s something that is pretty much guaranteed NOT to happen when you go to see your favorite band or singer in concert.
While this is not a bad thing as some of the best versions of certain songs that have been sung live are 10 times better than the studio version, there’s something entertaining yet pathetic about seeing aging hipsters hold on to their youth like a 5 year old would an ice cream cone.
THE CASE OF THE FAN #1
Concert: Bruce Springsteen
The Culprit: 55 year old women and men dressed in the Born in the USA getup: US Flag headband, denim jacket, white T-shirt, ripped jeans, and the trademark US Flag sticking out of the back pocket. Why is it entertaining yet pathetic? Even though it’s been 21 years since the album, and he’s evolved into a rich Hollywood music making God with very little edge left in his music, folks still only go to his concerts to see him sing three songs: Glory Days, Born in the USA, and Born to Run. He’s doesn’t play Born in the USA and Glory Days and has even publicly said he hates playing these songs live anymore, but then he’ll put on a kick-ass 10 minute version of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and folks still walk away disappointed. You have to laugh at this. It’s BRUCE! Does any one man demand more of your respect for his whole arsenal of music than this guy?
He’s made about 50 more songs that are better than these three. But yet, folks go nuts when they hear these big three as if they’ve never heard it before. My guess is that these folks own no albums by artists with staying power more than a few years, and no, a greatest hits album DOES NOT COUNT!
THE CASE OF THE FAN#2
Concert: U2
The Culprit: Bono’s Joshua Tree Getup consisting of that pseudo black cowboy hat as seen in the With or Without You video.
Why is it entertaining yet pathetic? See the Springsteen description above. And then tell me why people still only cheer when they hear Joshua Tree songs at their concerts. U2 has reinvented themselves 5 or 6 times since their Joshua Tree days and have won 6 or so grammys for their last 2 albums. Not to mention they made an album called Achtung Baby after the Johsua Tree that was 10 times as cutting edge and didn’t have any political undertones and yet nobody is seen trying to mimic Bono’s large fly sunglasses from that album.
One word: EVOLUTION!
It’s something that is pretty much guaranteed NOT to happen when you go to see your favorite band or singer in concert.
While this is not a bad thing as some of the best versions of certain songs that have been sung live are 10 times better than the studio version, there’s something entertaining yet pathetic about seeing aging hipsters hold on to their youth like a 5 year old would an ice cream cone.
THE CASE OF THE FAN #1
Concert: Bruce Springsteen
The Culprit: 55 year old women and men dressed in the Born in the USA getup: US Flag headband, denim jacket, white T-shirt, ripped jeans, and the trademark US Flag sticking out of the back pocket. Why is it entertaining yet pathetic? Even though it’s been 21 years since the album, and he’s evolved into a rich Hollywood music making God with very little edge left in his music, folks still only go to his concerts to see him sing three songs: Glory Days, Born in the USA, and Born to Run. He’s doesn’t play Born in the USA and Glory Days and has even publicly said he hates playing these songs live anymore, but then he’ll put on a kick-ass 10 minute version of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and folks still walk away disappointed. You have to laugh at this. It’s BRUCE! Does any one man demand more of your respect for his whole arsenal of music than this guy?
He’s made about 50 more songs that are better than these three. But yet, folks go nuts when they hear these big three as if they’ve never heard it before. My guess is that these folks own no albums by artists with staying power more than a few years, and no, a greatest hits album DOES NOT COUNT!
THE CASE OF THE FAN#2
Concert: U2
The Culprit: Bono’s Joshua Tree Getup consisting of that pseudo black cowboy hat as seen in the With or Without You video.
Why is it entertaining yet pathetic? See the Springsteen description above. And then tell me why people still only cheer when they hear Joshua Tree songs at their concerts. U2 has reinvented themselves 5 or 6 times since their Joshua Tree days and have won 6 or so grammys for their last 2 albums. Not to mention they made an album called Achtung Baby after the Johsua Tree that was 10 times as cutting edge and didn’t have any political undertones and yet nobody is seen trying to mimic Bono’s large fly sunglasses from that album.
Monday, July 17, 2006
MY FIRST AND ONLY VISION QUEST MOMENT
Hi, I’m Jason. You don’t know me all that well but I’ll start with my situation.
It’s the Summer of 1990 and I’m on my first and only date with a girl who I met at a high school graduation party. We weren’t old enough to drink yet so I took her to, what else, the movies, to see “Days of Thunder.”
Now, I know what you’re thinking and I can say that I wrote a letter to Simpson and Bruckheimer demanding a refund of my $6.50 but they went on and made all these movies and for some reason never got back to me. Anyhow, lesson learned the hard way.
After the movie, we landed back at her parents’ house where you couldn’t have painted more of a stereotypical picture of what happens on a date in the 1950’s. Parents asleep upstairs, us dowstairs trying not to make a sound and (INTERLUDE: Assuming you can picture it, I will skip the details).
Now this all happened before music became a veritable force in my life. Prior to being a college boy, I knew nothing about music. I bought top 40 albums that I got sick of in a week, and eventually ended up losing or breaking every new cassette tape I ever bought, this included Twisted Sister, Men at Work’s Business as Usual, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Wall of Voodoo’s Call of the West and yes don’t laugh, Quiet Riot’s Metal Health, probably worth some money today. But hey, without these bands, VH1 never makes I Love the 80’s or the World Series of Pop Culture.
Anyhow, as we were, um, “dating,” the radio was playing and I heard a song hit my ears that triggered brain cells I never knew I had. I had heard the song 500 times before but never before in a situation like this one. And even if for the briefest of moments, the song actually affected me.
I listened to the song from beginning to end, every word and took it in as if it was the last time I was ever going to hear it. It’s sad I know, but that song was none other than the theme from VISION QUEST – Madonna’s “Crazy for You.”
Now don’t go hosing me down with cheez whiz just yet.
Just to get it out of the way, the movie Vision Quest is bad and only in a film as contrived and as 1980’s as this one can a dufus like Louden Swain get that lucky that a beautiful struggling ex-New York artist who thinks she can make it in Spokane, just happens to be a border in your father’s house. That would be like if Angelina Jolie moved into my house because she broke up with Brad Pitt, lost all her money and custody of her kids and thinks she can make it as a telemarketer on Long Island just to make ends meet.
But just think about it for a second. How many times have you heard a song one way and then seen it in a different light after an event or occurrence in your life? Yeah, thought so.
And it was from this occurrence in my life that I created my first mix tape. You know, those compilations of music you used to make by recording tape to tape or CD to tape? It took me almost an entire day to do. I had to think of the perfectly appropriate songs, the perfect order, the perfect everything. Does this situation sound familiar to anybody? C’mon, sure it does.
But it got me thinking much more about the music. It was from this event, I started to think of situations where certain songs would be most appropriate. Kind of like the top 10 list thing, or the all time greatest songs, or the all time greatest baseball team at each position.
Nowadays, whenever I’m having people over, I take time to make sure the music is right, and don’t think that folks don’t comment. If I get even a subtle comment, I’ve done right by my guests.
Taking it a step further, I obsessed for a month over my wedding playlist for the DJ. A five hour playlist, so many options, so little time. My wedding was one large mingling session. No set dance time and the music was a great level so you actually heard the buzz of the crowd rather than the music piercing your eardrums. It turned out to be my greatest work. The DJ knew exactly what we wanted in terms of atmosphere, and she came through in fine fashion. It truly was the greatest day of my life, thanks in large part to the aptly placed music.
The end of the story is, this girl I made the tape for isn’t the one I married, but I mailed the tape to her, and she never called me again. Oh jeez, go figure that one. I thought for sure a 90 minute tape of love ballads would surely get her to go out with me again.
OK, now you can break out the cheez whiz. Thank the almighty for Ipods. Now if you make a digital mix for your date/girlfriend, all you have to do is click and drag, and if it doesn’t work out, well then, you didn’t spend too much time on it. I digress however, ‘cause this isn’t a dating advice blog.
It’s all about the music here.
Jason L. Kaplan is a music lover and has spent many hours and days behind closed doors examining music's impact on any given situation. He's also the owner of a greeting card retailer, Jancy Street Photocards (http://www.jancystreet.com) Jason loves getting email. Please send your comments.
It’s the Summer of 1990 and I’m on my first and only date with a girl who I met at a high school graduation party. We weren’t old enough to drink yet so I took her to, what else, the movies, to see “Days of Thunder.”Now, I know what you’re thinking and I can say that I wrote a letter to Simpson and Bruckheimer demanding a refund of my $6.50 but they went on and made all these movies and for some reason never got back to me. Anyhow, lesson learned the hard way.
After the movie, we landed back at her parents’ house where you couldn’t have painted more of a stereotypical picture of what happens on a date in the 1950’s. Parents asleep upstairs, us dowstairs trying not to make a sound and (INTERLUDE: Assuming you can picture it, I will skip the details).
Now this all happened before music became a veritable force in my life. Prior to being a college boy, I knew nothing about music. I bought top 40 albums that I got sick of in a week, and eventually ended up losing or breaking every new cassette tape I ever bought, this included Twisted Sister, Men at Work’s Business as Usual, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Wall of Voodoo’s Call of the West and yes don’t laugh, Quiet Riot’s Metal Health, probably worth some money today. But hey, without these bands, VH1 never makes I Love the 80’s or the World Series of Pop Culture.
Anyhow, as we were, um, “dating,” the radio was playing and I heard a song hit my ears that triggered brain cells I never knew I had. I had heard the song 500 times before but never before in a situation like this one. And even if for the briefest of moments, the song actually affected me.
I listened to the song from beginning to end, every word and took it in as if it was the last time I was ever going to hear it. It’s sad I know, but that song was none other than the theme from VISION QUEST – Madonna’s “Crazy for You.”
Now don’t go hosing me down with cheez whiz just yet.
Just to get it out of the way, the movie Vision Quest is bad and only in a film as contrived and as 1980’s as this one can a dufus like Louden Swain get that lucky that a beautiful struggling ex-New York artist who thinks she can make it in Spokane, just happens to be a border in your father’s house. That would be like if Angelina Jolie moved into my house because she broke up with Brad Pitt, lost all her money and custody of her kids and thinks she can make it as a telemarketer on Long Island just to make ends meet.
But just think about it for a second. How many times have you heard a song one way and then seen it in a different light after an event or occurrence in your life? Yeah, thought so.
And it was from this occurrence in my life that I created my first mix tape. You know, those compilations of music you used to make by recording tape to tape or CD to tape? It took me almost an entire day to do. I had to think of the perfectly appropriate songs, the perfect order, the perfect everything. Does this situation sound familiar to anybody? C’mon, sure it does.
But it got me thinking much more about the music. It was from this event, I started to think of situations where certain songs would be most appropriate. Kind of like the top 10 list thing, or the all time greatest songs, or the all time greatest baseball team at each position.
Nowadays, whenever I’m having people over, I take time to make sure the music is right, and don’t think that folks don’t comment. If I get even a subtle comment, I’ve done right by my guests.
Taking it a step further, I obsessed for a month over my wedding playlist for the DJ. A five hour playlist, so many options, so little time. My wedding was one large mingling session. No set dance time and the music was a great level so you actually heard the buzz of the crowd rather than the music piercing your eardrums. It turned out to be my greatest work. The DJ knew exactly what we wanted in terms of atmosphere, and she came through in fine fashion. It truly was the greatest day of my life, thanks in large part to the aptly placed music.
The end of the story is, this girl I made the tape for isn’t the one I married, but I mailed the tape to her, and she never called me again. Oh jeez, go figure that one. I thought for sure a 90 minute tape of love ballads would surely get her to go out with me again.
OK, now you can break out the cheez whiz. Thank the almighty for Ipods. Now if you make a digital mix for your date/girlfriend, all you have to do is click and drag, and if it doesn’t work out, well then, you didn’t spend too much time on it. I digress however, ‘cause this isn’t a dating advice blog.
It’s all about the music here.
Jason L. Kaplan is a music lover and has spent many hours and days behind closed doors examining music's impact on any given situation. He's also the owner of a greeting card retailer, Jancy Street Photocards (http://www.jancystreet.com) Jason loves getting email. Please send your comments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)