Bushwick is Beautiful

(A rare look)Inside Abbey Road studios

2012-04-18T12:01:00.020-04:00

I felt like a young Charlie Bucket standing outside the chocolate factory. The last time the general public was allowed into the hallowed Abbey Road Studios in London was 1983. For their 80th anniversary Abbey Road opened it's doors for a few hours each weekend for a presentation in Studio 2 with Brian Kehew, and Kevin Ryan. Brian and Kevin have written books about the studios, and the Beatles, and definitely know the history.

So for those of you that didn't make it to the studios for the presentation, you are probably asking this. What is it like inside? I've been to Abbey Road three times before.
Always taking pictures in front, where the Beatles crossed in 1969. Sometimes I'd wonder over to Paul's house on Cavendish Avenue, only a 10 minute walk from the studios. You can imagine Paul in the late 60's walking the route (which he did many times), heading into to meet the other Beatles for recording sessions. The area around Abbey Road studios in St. John's Wood is magical enough, but I always wanted one more thing. To go inside the studios themselves. Having read countless books on the sessions, and imagining what it was like past the famed doors. Reading about John on an LSD trip sneaking off the top to catch some air, or Paul sliding down the banisters of the stairway in Studio 2, to the white lab coats which made the Beatles feel they were in a prison of sorts. Whatever Abbey Road was to them, we all know what it means to us. As George Harrison once said, "we created the vibe there".

So 3 weeks ago, when I was standing outside waiting with the other lucky ticket holders, I began to think about all the stories once more. Now, I was about to make my own.

We were walking through the doors, holy..... What's next? I notice the orchestra sign up sheet on the welcome desk. This studio is still very much still in use. Especially for movie soundtracks. I go to a second make shift desk where two girls await my ticket. Yes, I am in.

There is no turning back now right? They put a bracelet around my arm which remains there for 15 days. We are greeted at every possible turn by security. There is no wondering about. For security reasons, and also studios are still in use. We are directed down a flight of steps. Along the way looking at all the pictures in frames lining the walls. Mich Jagger, Elton John, George Martin, the Hollies, mmmm Green Day? Sure. Once I'm down to the next level I overhear someone pointing down the stairs below. "That's where Paul recorded Mother Nature Son". Every nook and cranny holds some history. Making a quick right I am looking through big worn doors into the holy grail. Studio 2. I'm overcome with emotion. I'm not really sure what to do first. Since they allowed cameras to come in I feel like I need to capture every thing possible. I shoot the walls, the famous exit where Ringo recorded his bits for Yellow Submarine, the famous staircase leading to the control room. Someone says to me, "Don't forget the chairs". "The chairs?", I think to myself. "Those are the same ones used in the Beatles recording sessions", the stranger continues. So I get a few pictures of chairs.

Thankfully the people putting on this presentation brought out old instruments used on classic songs. The mics from the 60's, the piano's used on "A Day in the Life", the Celeste used on Dark Side of the Moon's "Time"etc,...and we can play them? I'm in heaven.

The 90 minute presentation about 80 years of recording at Abbey Road is about to begin. Now would be the perfect time to sneak off to the bathroom. This is where Yoko followed John holding his hand while he used to the potty. Oh this is getting wonderfully ridiculous!

Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan take us through 80 years of history in amazing detail. Especially considering the time restraints. They pepper their info with pictures, and audio. Giving us fantastic lines such as "you've never heard this track in the same studio in which it was recorded before, until now". The Beatles era, and Pink Floyd are what most people are here for, but all the info was fascinating for music, and history lovers.

Suddenly the presentation is over. Oh no! We have to leave this wonderful space. We are gracefully given 30 minutes to go get a drink in the bar. Yes there is a bar, and patio for staff, and artists inside the studios. It's like a little cafe/brewery feel.
Is this the canteen where Pink Floyd would sneak off to, and talk about the session?

What a wonderful oppurtunity for fans like me. Thank you to everyone at the studios. The staff I met was top notch, and very friendly. You have made a dream come true. Walking into studio 2 did have the vibe. There was something there. I felt it, and now I know...

The Blue Van: Back in the Studio

2012-02-12T07:29:00.002-05:00

Danish retro rockers The Blue Van are back in the studio recording. Scheduled release date is Fall 2012. They will release a single this spring to hold fans over. They put up a teaser video from the studio with clips of two new songs, "Thunder and Lightening" and "Hold Me".

January 30th

2012-01-30T03:06:00.006-05:00

43 years ago today the Beatles got up on the roof, and let us in one last time.

In their drugged out haze, fighting, and business issues they still managed to get

up, and get off one last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWzs3YbtehI&feature=player_embedded

Midnight City live in Los Angeles

2011-12-15T18:05:00.002-05:00

Song of the year no questions. Sax solo icing.

http://youtu.be/q3w9mfk7D9c

Rosebuds hit the Carnival

2011-11-16T09:34:00.002-05:00

The Rosebuds play two songs off their new album Loud Planes Fly Low at a European carnival.

Very well done. Simple is the best beauty.

Beatles - Get Back

2011-10-26T16:04:00.002-04:00

In so many ways.....YES.

The Blue Van strike gold with ABC

2011-10-17T17:56:00.003-04:00

Congrats to my friends from the Blue Van for finally getting the break they deserve. Their single "Man Up" will be used on ABC's new show of the same name. Denmark's favorite indie retro rockers will now be heard on prime time every Tuesday night this fall on ABC.

Radiohead Codex Live

2011-07-20T07:16:00.003-04:00

Another essential link for you. Radiohead released KOL awhile ago, and has only played one show since.
This is some of the footage of a session they did for the BBC which still doesn't have a release date.

"jump off the edge....no one gets hurt......the water's clear"

Another moving slow burner from the best band of our generation.

http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xjw7ny">
Radiohead live from the basement - Codex (07/2011) von carlos15677

New M83: Midnight City

2011-07-20T03:20:00.002-04:00

"she is my church..."

http://soundcloud.com/m83/midnight-city

Head over to soundcloud to hear it! Full album comes out in October.

Michele Bachmann's Choice

2011-07-09T06:25:00.001-04:00

Dear Michele Bachmann,

Being a moron is not a choice.

Love,

us

Mudside Festival 2011 Review

2011-06-26T07:36:00.012-04:00

Southside Festival 2011
Tuttlingen, Germany

After 4 hours of driving on the Autobahn we arrived in the middle of nowhere.
A small farming town over run by a festival 5 times it's size.

We were led to a parking area that covered fields and fields of green (soon
to be mud). The long walk up the entrance was filled with excitement, and
curiosity. The festival was alive and well starting the parking area. The atmosphere was full of energy. Everyone carrying their tents, coolers, and clothes needed for the 3 day event. By the time we got to the camping area we were overwhelmed. Now where can we find a space? The first band had hit one of the 4 stages 2 hours ago. We soon discovered from asking, and seeing ourselves there wasn't much room at all. Every square inch of the campsite had been taken. Mental note, arrive the night before next year. After an hour of walking around carrying gear on every available limb we found a crack. A hole between two tents just big enough for our small tent. This spot ended up being a life saver later on.

After quickly setting up, and treating ourselves to a Pils we headed for the entrance to the music stages. On the way as we walked down a runway for planes we noticed the madness around us. "this is crazy" was said at least 3 times before we entered the gates.

No time to spare Warpaint was setting up as we showed our festival wristband to the security.

Warpaint - Saw them in LA opening up for the XX last year. Their live show really bring out the music in full force. The rhythm section is powerful, and delivers a punch that they haven't captured yet on their records. Although the band was obviously jet legged, or just down right tired they grooved through a nice set that the Germans enjoyed. I feel like they could have benefited from a slightly different set list, but they left us wanting more with "undertow". They will be back.

Flogging Molly - One of the best things about these European music festivals is the variety. You can go from electronic to heavy metal, to folk within a stage or two.
We ran from the end of Warpaint's set to the energy that was brewing on the main stage. Flogging had the crowd dancing, and roaring to each anthem they sang.
This set is also of note because this is where the rain started. Less than 1 hour into the music the rain started, and didn't really stop for another 10 hours.
At first it seemed to ignite the crowd here, as we all were dancing and singing in the rain. Soon is became apparent that this downpour was going to change all of us.

Making it safely back to our tents, we regrouped as the rain belted the tent.
Only one act could get us our of our safety net, and into the storm.

Bright Eyes - Started at 12:30 pm. It was cold, and the rain only intensified before their scheduled slot. Someone we managed to get the energy, and willpower to force ourselves to run to their set. They were playing in a tent, that was one plus.
The rain had turned the grounds into mud at this point. We were screaming, laughing, and trying not to fall down as we walked into the entrance.
Our clothes were now soaked, shoes ruined, and pants full of mud. Bright Eyes made
these minor inconveniences. They treated us to a powerful performance that was met with a poor response. The band was on fire, clearly enjoying themselves, but sadly their energy was not matched by the crowd. Not to say the crowd wouldn't enjoy them but I felt they would give other festival performances greater less deserved responses.

Elbow - After what feels like days of rain Elbow set the next days seeing the clouds lift, and rain finally cease (at least for a moment). Guy's voice is perfect live.
His stage banter upbeat, this was the perfect band to receive the best weather.
When they closed the set with "On a Day Like This" it was celebrated by festival goers for multiple reasons. None of which that it's a great anthem.

Eels - Now in the same place we saw Bright Eyes the night before the Eels give
us a far less inspired performance, but get a far better response. First off this band sounds nothing like it does on record. I don't want to hear honky tonk from the Eels. We left disappointed in the set list, performance, and the crowd.

Arcade Fire - Strangely enough I've never seen this band live despite sharing an office with their management, and being a fan early on. They put on a great show as expected with great energy, and an outstanding visual display. The arcade movie theater set up went perfectly with the music. The video clips that played with the songs added to the music. Mountains Beyond Mountains was pedestal by blogged when the suburbs came out. I found it ok at first listen. Now after seeing it live it truly hit home. This track is a winner.

Portishead - It had been 12 years since I last saw Portishead. It was in Germany no doubt at another festival up north. They have only released one album since then, and have no doubts remained in the shadows. Beth usually says very little, as she did on this night, which only
adds to their mystic. Tonight they gave us a nice set list touching on a few songs from each album. The highlight being the slowed down version of "Wandering Stars" and "The Rip".
We were on the rail for this show, and Beth came down to give high fives, and hugs to the front row. I know I made some contact with her. I pointed to my P shirt, and she smiled. Love that lady.

Lykke Li
One of those performers I've been dying to see for ages (along with Robyn who I have yet to see yet). Finally in a smoked filled tent I find sanctuary from the rain, and bad music outside. Lykke is great live. The music has tons of percussion, and sounds even better live that on record. Her voice is so powerful live, and she is a performer in every sense of the word. She is not as good without her band though.
They truly feed off each other in a special way. Great set tonight filled with older hit songs to the new stuff. All of it sounds good live.

Southside Festival

2011-06-16T07:02:00.003-04:00

It's been over 10 years since I've see Portishead live. It's all coming full circle.
Sometime late in the summer of 1998 I found myself wandering around Köln wondering
where my life was going. I had just gotten off the plane from Seattle, and things
seems hopeless. I was to start school at an American university in two days. That night
at the Bizarre festival I made some german friends, and found myself in a VW bus with strangers. I managed to make my way to the stage just in time for Portishead set. PJ Harvey was finishing up, and was enjoyable as well.

Flash forward to 2011, and again I find myself here about to see Portishead again at
a german music festival.

Southside seems to be a good antithesis to Rock am Ring. Less Rawk! More music.
This year's line up includes Portishead, the Sounds, Elbow, Arcade Fire, Eels, Chemical Brothers, Warpaint, An Horse, Lykke li, the Kills, etc

Can't wait to meet some new german friends, share some drinks, and laughs in the camping grounds. It's funny how life comes full circle. Here we are...
everything ends only to start again.

Watch your feet for cracks in the pavement...

2011-05-14T18:04:00.005-04:00

Why do we give our lives over to people who don't inspire?
People, and things who down play, down grade, and suck creativity from our being...

In the movies we watch. Is anything original anymore? There are so many remakes,
sequels, ripped off rehashed ideas it's really hard to get excited about them anymore.
Now I believe that creativity still lives, and breathes below the surface. For some
reason this force is denied. Either by the creator or by someone with the power
to squash this.

I have come to realize that I give way too much of my time over to things
that don't lift me up, and help me to progress. Now I don't feel like you
need to have everything in your life be original, and life changing. Over stimulation seems to have very negative affects as well. With the tv I watch, the sports I follow,
the magazines I read, the movies I watch...basically how I spend lots of my time.
Are these things helping me reach my goals in life?

The short answer is no, and it's damn time I do something about it.

Bud Ice? More like Bud Lice

2011-05-06T07:17:00.001-04:00

Seriously, who wants this stuff?

New Start

2011-03-27T17:11:00.001-04:00

I'm taking my talents to South Beach, ahem, no I mean Western Europe.
See you on the other side of the pond...

Some Days are Better than Others

2011-03-02T06:56:00.002-05:00

Some Days are Better than Others (trailer) from matt mccormick on Vimeo.

featuring: Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, and James Mercer of the Shins and Broken Bells.

Out this Spring. Really looking forward to this movie. How will
these two indie musicians do in front of the camera? From the trailer everything
looks promising.

Beat Night Feb. 18th

2011-02-02T15:55:00.001-05:00

BEAT NITE
Bushwick Art Spaces Stay Open Late

Friday, February 18, 6-10PM

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN Jason Andrew + Norte Maar bring back the late nite with the fifth installment of BEAT NITE: Bushwick Art Spaces Stay Open Late. What has become the signature party of all parties with art above all else, this bi-annual night is half art stroll, half bar crawl, where selected art spaces stay open late welcoming the public to see real art in real time, one night only, Friday, February 18, 6-10PM. The official after party will be held at The Bodega where DJ Scot Bowman will spin the town tunes and host Jason Andrew (aka Paddy Johnson’s muscled Cyborg) will take off his shirt at 11:30PM. This episode of BEAT NITE is sponsored by HYPERALLERGIC.

Participating art spaces include among others: English Kills, Centotto, Fortress to Solitude, Famous Accounts, and re-installation by Austin Thomas of the apartment gallery that started it all, Norte Maar.

Bushwick is the place to make art from the ghetto to the glamour. Artists have found solace in the supportive neighborhood made up of emerging and established artists, choreographers, writers, alternative spaces and reputable galleries. Putting the spit on the art world where community means more than commerce join Jason Andrew + Norte Maar for this event where the art is real and the people making it are to.

FOR MORE INFO CALL 646-361-8512

Put Yourself...

2011-02-02T05:48:00.010-05:00

in a position to succeed. Have you looked around at your surroundings lately?

Are you in a place that best suits your needs? Almost everyone has put

themselves in a place that tears them down. Whether it be the overall general environment,

or the just the people you associate with...everything plays a role in your life, and happiness.

I ask you to take an honest assesment of where you are, and who is in your daily life.
Do they care about you, and have your best interests in mind?

Christina Perri - "Jar of Hearts" MP3

Queen James Tweets About Karma?

2011-01-12T10:12:00.002-05:00

"Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything "

Really Lebron?

When I saw you pass by those two kids in SA who had been waiting 2 hours to meet
you without even acknowledging their existence....did God see that?

Karma is real. You are right about that.

Robyn 3, Lady Gaga 0

2010-12-26T13:25:00.002-05:00

Robyn - "Hang With Me" live at the Rimmel Room

I've been a big fan of Robyn ever since I heard "With Every Heart Beat".
Her voice, her lyrics, her stage presence all blow Lady Gaga out of the water.
Gaga tries too hard, while Robyn just is.

Her release of 3 albums this year took her to near superstar status....
and I couldn't be happier for her. All of these fresh new versions recorded
at the Rimmel Room are great. Turn your brain off, and your soul on.
Robyn will speak to you.

return

2010-12-16T19:19:00.000-05:00

let's take that song, and make it our own again...

Worst NFL Injury Ever (Video)

2010-12-06T18:17:00.004-05:00

Watching Samuel Koch sustain a near deadly injury on live German television this week
was rough to stomach. It got my thinking of an NFL injury I saw probably 20 years ago. Any old memory you might have might just be available on You Tube. I typed in "horrible nfl injuries", and sure enough it was the second video that came up.

Warning this video is of a graphic injury sustained on live television.

Worst NFL injury you've ever seen? It was for me.

Portishead are back! I'm going to rant about it.

2010-11-24T18:43:00.004-05:00

Our dream like gods of musical mind fucking are back. Portishead delivers on many levels.
They are immune to the nature of the music around them. The music of the time doesn't have to mean the most popular. Portishead speak for me. Radiohead do as well.
I've been saying for years the two bands need to tour together. More head is never
a bad thing. This would be a tour for music lovers everywhere.

Anyways, P announced today via their official web site that they will be playing live again in 2011. They will curate ATP for a second time over a weekend at the end of July. They will also tour in Europe around that time, and come to states for the first tour in over 10 years in the fall.

Bringing back an old favorite band got me thinking today. I remembered the first time I saw
Portishead in 98. I remembered where I was then, and where I thought my life was going.
This depressed me a little because I realize that things hadn't turned out even close to as planned. You realize you are at a life crossroads, and have been stuck there over 3 years.

Sometimes you need to take control of your life from the natural forces causing you

to go too fast. It's ok to slow down, to pause, and ask why.

Society pushes you along at a very fast pace early on. We aren't given much time to reflect before we are pushed on to something else. That is is why it's ok now in your 30's as many of my fellow aging hipsters are, to put a hold on life. Hit the pause button. Ask yourself...

where am I going?

Is this really where I want to go. Is this even close to the right direction?

If you do nothing life tends to float you down stream with the ebb and flow of sleep.

It's ok to get off that cart, and make a stand. It's ok to be honest to yourself.

Those things inside you are beautiful, and special. Don't try to be like everyone else.

/rant from a mid 30's aging hipster.
(Can't wait to see P this summer)

Fredrik - "Milo" the Bushwick fan Video

2010-11-12T18:57:00.006-05:00

For me, I can't see music without an image associated with it. I love being inspired
to put the images I see in my head on film(matched to the music).

You put something out there on You Tube, and you'll get all types of feedback.
Some positive, making you feel on top of the world. People will tell you that your video was inspiring, and they loved it. Others, will call you some hack who has
no talent at all. You have to be ready for anything when you put yourself out there.

Though, to do nothing is to fail. Take what's special to you out of the dark.

Anyways /rant.

thank you to Fredrik for giving us such a great song. Hopefully I
did it some justice.

- Bushwick

San Francisco Giants: World Champions

2010-11-02T22:08:00.003-04:00

SF Giants: Champs of MLB

It's been a long time coming for the SF Giants. Over 50 years since they won a title, and never
since they left NY. Well, Giants fans the wait it finally over. Thanks to rookie studs like
Buster Posey, and Madison Bumgarner the Giants are the champs. They're going crazy down there....