Slumming in Queens

come rock. this friday 12/18. much fun will be had.

who: do you see the dark 

what: live rock music, two sets, originals and covers

where: maggie maes, 41-15 queens blvd (btw 41st & 42nd-- across the street from the 7 train)

when: friday 12/18 -- first set at 11pm, second set at 12:30am 

how: just show up with ID. it's free and drinks are cheap. 

why: why the fuck not?

That was my Friday night and it turned out pretty damn good. I did not get out of the house until like 9:30 and was even able to do some Christmas shopping before hand. For the last week or two I have been complaining that I keep skipping shows so I finally corrected that. It is interesting that I made it to this one. Nope I passed up burlesque, a big theater show at the Grammercy, and a holiday Queen V's Take Back New York show over at Don Hill's. All of those are over in the city. . . city being Manhattan. Have to say I never checked out Queens before. 

The drive over was easy-across the Tri-Borough, and down the BQE, onto Queens Boulevard. I was worried I would not find a parking space but no issue- Found one right out in front. Maggie Maes is a cool bar with some space in the back where they were just setting up the PA. So after saying hello, I found a bar stool and had a White Russian. Granted this was a place with an English or Irish flavor, with lots of beer and ale around me, but it is the holidays and it was cold out, and I had skipped dessert. So I settled in with my drink and read the daily news, checking out the sales for cars. they had a couple flat screens around the place playing highlights from English football - soccer.

Anyway, Do You See the Dark went on around 11:00 or so. they did an original and then a Zeppelin tune. That was different as they had not done covers before. For me that is a line in the sand. I struggle with finding venues because I have only booked original bands doing their own tunes. So i had come to Queens to see them do a mix of originals and covers. They are one of my favorite acts and it was what I would call a 'hometown' show, and I did want to do something

Anyway, the Zeppelin tune was pretty good. I believe it was "Whole Lotta Love". Rachel did a good job generally with handling the vocals. They went on to do a Pink Floyd tune from the Wall, and that got my attention. I got to see a style of guitar playing that you do not get to see Mike doing usually. Later on in the set they did the Police's Message in a Bottle. Frank on the drums always impresses but it seemed like he was really enjoying that stuff that Stewart Copeland does with the high-hat in that tune. Well at least I got into it!

So the covers worked. The second set they mixed it up further, a couple of their tunes, a few more covers-even a Sabbath tune or two. They did one tune I was thinking was theirs at first, but was in fact was Faith No More. so some unknown gems too. After the two sets I was thinking this might work in Westchester - maybe I could sell such a mix to venues. Places that previously were not interested in purely original acts. Forget about that though, it was just neat to see the band doing this mix of tunes and various styles. Yeah I love their originals but this was cool too, simply something different. 

And as far as my choice of shows, it was a good night. Some good music at a cool bar, with good folks.

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Rocking Show, But For Thirty Bucks?

Last Friday, the local radio station, the Peak, 107.1 had a show down at the Vintage in White Plains NY. It featured two relatively unknown acts, Daniella Cotton and Back Door Slam. both have been getting some attention though, and that attention is deserved. Hopefully, we will hear more from both of these acts!

So two cool acts at the Vintage, which is a great bar and venue in White Plains. And the place was packed! It was very cool to see a capacity crowd for a rock show happening in Westchester. It confirmed that folks will come out and support rock and check out a good show! It was nice to see someone working to bring rock to Westchester and succeeding!

The one thing that threw me, however, was the price tag. To get into this show, the price was $30. That is alot of money for two bands that are really just starting. Remember, the Wild West had some decent acts in the Vintage awhile back, and some folks were upset that I was charging $10. Packing the place at $30 a head just entitles the station to that much more credit. No doubt they had their costs and I trust the bands got paid. We are talking a radio station that boasts world class rock.

What was amazing to me was the amount of advertising done on the station to get the word out, It was the Peak's birthday celebration too but boy they truly did push this event! That is the scary part. Today you have to do that much advertising to fill a venue.

I just do not think it was always that way. It is today though. It is a challenge.

Do Note-the flyer at the top of the page is from 2005! It is a flyer from another show with two very cool bands, but not advertised like the Peak show. It took place three years ago and is done!

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SWSW. . . Meanwhile, What Are We Doing?

Most of you probably know that SxSW just wrapped up down in Austin Texas. For those who do not SXSW is basically the city of Austin celebrating music and those who make music. To be specific, it is a set of interactive, film, and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas.

It is one extended party and involving several hundred if not thousands of bands and artists. You have the bands, and you have music business people. There is even corporate people considering various sponsorship options in regard to music.

If you go through the listing of bands at sxsw.com you see a good number of bands from NYC and Brooklyn listed. (It is interesting that folks make that distinction. I am not from NYC, I am from Brooklyn. . .) It is cool to see they made the trip down to Texas and participated.

One can debate the benefits of going down. You probably will not come back with either a record deal or a corporate sponsor, you never know, but regardless of that, you were part of something. The music scene there is celebrated. The cool thing is that it is a week which is about making music, about getting out there and making some noise. It is a week of celebrating music and musicians.

Meanwhile over here, and this is not the first time this has been said, we have nothing. Oh we do have stuff going on. This weekend in Yonkers is the Alice Cooper and Kiss Tribute Show. Nothing against Alice or Kiss or the tribute acts doing these shows, but we are talking to different leagues here. It just don't compare to SxSW.

Alright, that is Yonkers. NYC proper has a few things going on. I am talking good shows featuring local talent that should be checked out. One of my favs, Do You See the Dark is playing Baruch College in the next week. The Dirty Pearls are doing a show at the Trash Bar in Brooklyn. Me Talk Pretty is doing a show too in the next few days. All good acts-good shows, and I am afraid they are all on the same night!

So there is stuff going on, but unlike Austin, which is swallowed up by the music, NYC and the metro area, swallow the music. It is just sucked up like a giant black hole-gone and forgotten. Have no doubt, the music scene is here and happening, and there are some gems to be found, but they get little respect, little attention.

Further, the institutions of the city are disappearing. The old clubs are gone, the CBs, the Continentals. When you talk to bands and artists, they want to get out of the city. NY might be the base of operations, but they want to come to Yonkers (yes even Yonkers. . .) and Westchester.

On the other hand, maybe that is New York. We all know someone who came with a dream and who got beat. It is not suppose to be easy. As Phil Lynott said, New York "is high rise, concrete and complex". It is that much bigger, that much more challenging. It can and routinely does overwhelm. Maybe New York subscribes to Nietzsche's Will to Power-it is going to throw everything it can in your way, and you will struggle, and if you succeed, well now you are talking!

Regardless of that challenge, it would just be cool if the music scene in NY had a bit of that spirit, a bit of that recognition found at SXSW. And maybe that is just not New York, maybe NYC is the town that to live and thrive here is a badge of recognition. The problem is I am not sure anyone is thriving. I just think NYC, Yonkers and Westchester are just not tuned in. They are busy in their cublicle listening to the peak and getting the lowdown on who the governor is banging today.

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