links:
The Giraffes The first, last and only sex metal band you'll ever need. Their live show borders on sacrificial orgy. Aaron, their young Elvis/Jim Jones lead singer, is possibly the most compelling frontman in NYC and not just because he made this site for me.
Melody
Lanes This is the studio where I recorded my last
record. Inevitably, the first thing everyone says to me after
they
hear it is "It sounds great!" I say thanks, and then they say,
"No, I mean, all the sounds are just incredible! where did you record
it?" Jay
Braun has patience bordering on sainthood and, more importantly, he has
incredible
ears. And when the shit hit the fan with my van, Jay agreed to accept some
of the stuff I had to get rid of anyway as payment for the session. Without
Jay, "So Long" would literally not have been possible and I'm
eternally grateful.
The
Negatones Jay Braun's band, and the prime beneficiary
of his recording prowess. They're great live, too, somehow
they're always on the edge of falling apart but they rope it back in,
and
that to my mind is what makes a great live performance. That, and a stage
strewn with some of the most craptacular vintage electronics
I've ever seen. For fans of Brainiac and over-the-counter drug abuse.
Baby
Dayliner My
old pal Ethan, who is breaking new ground with some of the
bravest and most inventive song writing, arranging
and recording I've ever heard. I could write a treatise on how brilliant
he is. His live performances are equally baffling and dazzling. Of the
bands
I know, he is probably the person I'll most likely end up working as
a caterer for on his tour.
Jerseybeat
The oldest and best fanzine in the greater NY area. Jim Testa is one of
the few people I know who genuinely seems to
enjoy going out to shows.
Tris
McCall Man, talk about an enthusiastic showgoer! Tris
knows and loves every band around. He's been a great inspiration
to
me, he showed me how to become interested in the world again. His criticism
is spot on‚ when I read his review of my record, I realized
that I would keep making records as long I have someone like Tris to understand
'em.
I've actually written a treatise on how brilliant he is, which will
be posted here soon.
The
Means An incredible band that always gets comparisons
to old AmRep and Touch and Go stuff like Laughing Hyenas and
Scratch Acid, which are stylistically correct, but they don't
address the most crucial element of the Means music, which makes
you drive around late at night, listening to it in your car and
screaming your fucking head off. Yippee-yi-yo ki-ay, motherfuckers.
The
High Strung Man, I should curse these guys for putting
the touring bug in my head. But I guess they didn't put it there,
just woke it up. The High Strung are my touchstone for rock'n'roll
greatness and also my, well, my Jesus: lately, in ill situations, I've
been asking myself "What would the High Strung do?" Expect a
lenghty treatise on these guys, too, but for a start, I'll say I've never
made a better group of friends in a shorter amount of time. Their most
recent record "These
Are Good Times" is as close to perfect as a record gets.
The Possibilities
The High Strung booked this band as an opener for a show they did at Luxx
before we were best pals, so I
made 'em send in a disc of the band. It turned out to be Way
Out‚ by the Possibilities. I listened to the record twice through,
(which I don't need to tell you I never did to any other record while I
was at
Luxx) then brought it home. It became one of my favorite records of the
year, and I'd
be hard pressed to choose between this and the High Strung's "These
Are Good Times" as the better record. To me, this is a classic record,
and the fact
that you probably haven't heard it is concrete proof that A&R folks
must just sit around sniffing their fingers.
All
Your Mishka Needs:
And
all those times you saw me blacking out you thought it was just for fun
Man,
Mishkas the world over suffering from the same damn thing
I
thought I had a lot of questions
Mishka
T-shirts, anyone? Yeesh, this dude is the fucking worst.
Scroll
down for the most retarded shit ever
