13 posts tagged “beastie boys”

Because I have too many writing and editing projects going on, I have failed to maintain my Vox blog. Oh, shame!

I want to correct that failure. I'm going to try to write regularly about what I'm listening to, writing and editing, reading, watching, consuming, and wishing for. 

Listening
1. I have been listening to so much good music lately! My favorite discovery of late is Holy Fuck, an experimental band from Toronto. Their songs are completely instrumental (i.e., no vocals). Unbelievably good stuff! I will see them perform at the Coachella Music Festival in April.

2. I've been listening to a lot of abstract hip-hop, funk, and soul. I created what I believe to be the most awesome playlist this past week.

Watch That Sound - DJ Vadim (from Sound Catcher)   
Dead Ones - Lifesavas (from Gutterfly Soundtrack)   
That Kind of Man - The Heavy (from their self-titled 3-Track EP)       
Here I Come - The Roots (from Game Theory)   
No Reason for You - Kutiman (from Kutiman)   
I Ate Your Soul - Grieves (from Irreversible)   
Morning Child - 4hero (from Play with the Changes)   
Beaten Metal - Antibalas (from Security)   
Sloop Jay D - Bullion (from Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee)
Poison Dart - The Bug  (single)
My 2600 - Captain Funkaho (from Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45s)
Loveless - 4hero (from Two Pages)   
Model Citizen - Ohmega Watts (from Watts Happening)
Colleen - The Heavy (from Great Vengeance & Furious Fire)   
Come on Now - The Sweet Vandals (from The Sweet Vandals)   
Good Communication - Y Society (from Travel at Your Own Pace)   
Sirius B - The Heliocentrics (from Out There)   
12 Apostles- Flevans (from Cold Hands)   
Music Is Ruling My World - Kutiman (from Kutiman)   
Blood from a Stone - Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra (from I'm Thankful)
The Dark Side of the Sun - Modeselektor (from Happy Birthday!)
Nike Boots - Wale (single)

   

Writing/Editing
1. I recently completed editing a book titled History and Tradition of Jazz. I really enjoyed this editing project because I learned a lot about jazz music, which I was somewhat ignorant of. For weeks, I've been listening to nothing but jazz music, which was good but also made my ears want to bleed after a while. After studying all the artists (from Count Basie to Ornette Coleman to Miles Davis to Kenny G [!!] to Wynton Marsalis to Medeski, Martin & Wood), I chose Charles Mingus as my favorite jazz artist. I dig avant-garde jazz!

I asked the publisher to think of me for future music titles. The last book I edited for the publisher was an educational title dealing with teaching problem children. I struggled getting through it because it was so damn boring. With the jazz book, I edited at lightening speed because I enjoyed the topic.

2. This week I wrote and published a book review for Ari Marcopoulous' photo book Ad Rock at Mic to Mic, my Beastie Boys blog. Mic to Mic -- which I originally created for just my good friends to read -- has become very popular with the Beastie Boys fan community. I was shocked when I started reviewing the site's numbers. Beastie Boys are a very difficult band to write about, so they have very few fan sites. My blog is the only site that publishes updates regularly. When I was following the Beastie Boys tour last year, I met so many nice people who told me that they enjoyed reading the blog. I was going to give up on the blog at the end of the tour (because I need to focus on other things), but after all the compliments, I decided to keep it going.

3. For a long time, I have hated -- it seems unfairly -- on Myspace. I always viewed at it as something for young people, not adults. However, recently, I've learned it is a good source for discovering and keeping updated with new music and artists whom I admire. I created a new Myspace page (I have another one that I never look at or update) for the sole purpose of connecting with artists.

Reading

This past week, I picked up a hardcover copy of U2 by U2 at Border's for 7 bucks! When the book was published last year, I asked HarperCollins to send me a review copy, which they failed to do. "Fine, whatever," I thought and forgot about the pricey book (it originally sold at $40). The other day I paged through the book and decided there's not much in it that I don't already know or have already seen. I'm not sure if that's pathetically sad or impressive.

Maybe it's just me, but the book seems a little Adam-lite.

Watching
I canceled my cable television over a year ago because I never watched television. I can't say I miss it. I just watch dvds now.

I haven't been to the cinema in ages. I lost interest in film because, for a while, nobody was making any good films. The last film I saw in the cinema was "Super Bad." Funny flick. Somebody recommend a good film?

Consuming
This week I purchased a 3-day pass for the Coachella Music Festival, which takes place in Indio, California, at the end of April for $287.70. It's sooo worth it! I went to the festival last year with my friends Jenny and Paul and had a fantabulous time. We're teaming up again for this year's festival. Read my Last.fm journal to find out about who's playing at the festival and whom I'm excited about seeing.

Wishing
I wish winter was over. This has been the worst winter in 30 years. I have shoveled more snow this winter than any person should shovel in their lifetime! I'm ready for green grass and sunny skies.

Video: Show us a great music video.

1. Hike through the Andes Mountains in Peru with Celeste
2. Take a trip to Australia (This is a sure thing. I'm going in February.)
3. Get a new job
4. Move to a new city
5. Hear the new Bad Brains album produced by Adam Yauch
6. Visit Krista in Washington, D.C.
7. Reach peak physical and mental state through exercise and meditation
8. Paint my bedroom
9. Tour Oscilloscope Laboratories (as promised to me) in New York
10. Vacation at Robin's home in Costa Rica
11. Join an organization that focuses on putting the right candidate for president in the White House in 2008
12. Attend many Beastie Boys shows (*fingers crossed*)
13. Start sewing again

1. Attending the Beastie Boys concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, and having songs dedicated to me (October)
2. Introducing my Japanese friend Hirorin to Bono in Tokyo (December)
3. Attending the Gimme Shelter benefit concert in New York with Ruth (October)
4. Attending the U.S. premiere of "Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!" at the Sundance Film Festival with Barb (January)
5. Meeting and spending time with Celeste in Buenos Aires (October)
6. Attending the VH1 Hip Hop Honors in New York (October)
7. Touring with U2 in Japan (November & December)
8. Celebrating my 40th birthday in New York City with my friend Krista (May)
9. Attending the South by Southwest Music and Film Conference in Austin, Texas, and partying with Morningwood [the band] there (March)
10. Attending the Henry Rollins Band and X concert in Milwaukee (August)
11. Introducing my friend Jenny to the Beastie Boys at the etnies GvR skateboarding festival the day after her birthday (October)
12. Taking my friend Paul to his first strip club in Las Vegas (October)

What song best describes your current mood?

"High Plains Drifter" by the Beastie Boys best describes me and my mood at the moment -- just the title, not the lyrics. For the last month, I have been traveling (drifting) almost non-stop to see the Beastie Boys perform in the United States and South America. In Hollywood, the Beastie Boys even dedicated the song to me, whom they called "the traveler."

I've been having so much fun with the band. The fun will continue when the band tour Australia in February. I have tickets to two of the four shows there. If I can find a good intra-Oz flight deal, I'll add the other two shows and do the whole kit and kaboodle.

I just added two more Beastie Boys concerts to my schedule. I'll be seeing them perform at a private party for etnies (a skateboard company) in Lake Forest, California, on Saturday, October 21. I'm flying into Los Angeles and staying with a Beastie Boys friend of mine who lives there. We're going to the show in Lake Forest together. Then, she and I are getting on a plane the next day and flying to Las Vegas, where we have a room at the Hard Rock Hotel and where we will see the Beastie Boys perform on Monday, October 23. It's going to be a whirlwind few days with the Beastie Boys. Again.

I haven't recovered from New York yet.

I'm really looking forward to my trip to New York now. Things are falling in place nicely for it. David offered me a room at his place, so I don't have to spend all my money on hotel (which is always the most expensive part of visiting NYC). Several of my Beastie Boys friends have contacted me to let me know that they're going to be in the city at the same time for the benefit concert, so I've got more friends to hang out with. I'm also going to get together with some of the U2 gang. Tim and I are going to try to get together for drinks. Tim is like me, in that he likes to catch a live show by practically any band. We might try to fit in a show together. I'll also see Ruth and, of course, David.

I was looking at the event schedule for the dates I'll be in the city. One event has got me questioning whether I really want to cover the Hip Hop Honors. I learned that PJ Harvey is doing a talk as part of the New Yorker Festival the same night as the Hip Hop Honors. If my credentials fall through for the Hip Hop Honors (I won't know if I'm credentialed until the end of the month), I am going to be at the PJ Harvey talk, come hell or high water. She's one of my favorite artists.

Miho Hatori and Brazilian Girls are doing a show together at Webster Hall while I'm in NYC. I might try to go to that one. Ratatat are doing a DJ set at the Guggenheim for First Fridays, which appears to be a singles pick-up thingie, similar to the Chicago Art Institute's AfterHours. Thurston Moore is doing a solo gig at some bar in Brooklyn. I have options...

I need to move someplace where I can see a concert every night. Only then I will I be truly happy.

I booked my air travel to New York today. In the last 24 hours, my plans for what I'll be doing in New York have evolved. I learned that the Beastie Boys will be performing at a benefit concert for the Animal Rescue and No-Kill City Shelters of New York a few days before the VH1 Hip Hop Honors taping, so I'm going to go to New York earlier than I originally planned so I can catch the concert.

I ordered two tickets to the benefit concert yesterday and phoned Ruth to tell her she's going to a concert for her birthday.

"I suppose you want me to take pics of the Beasties, right?" she asked.

"Duh," I replied.

Last night I heard from a friend in Los Angeles who plans to go to the benefit concert in New York too. The dates of our stay in New York are identical, so we'll be hooking up and hanging out.

I was thinking that this trip was going to be a quick in-and-out to the Big Apple, but it's looking more and more like an actual holiday.

I almost booked my air travel for Buenos Aires today, but decided to delay it a few more days. Celeste sent me some hotel and tourist information, and I want to review it carefully before I commit to a certain numbers of days in Argentina. I don't want to travel all the way there and then not spend enough days to do it justice.

The flight there looks like it's going to be brutal. Madison to Chicago. Chicago to Miami. Miami to Buenos Aires.

If you could watch any movie on the big screen right at this moment, what would it be?

If the room with the big screen also had a mammoth sound system, my film choice would be the Beastie Boys' concert film Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!, which was shot at Madison Square Garden in October 2004.

I was incredibly priviledged to see the film premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where the band brought their own sound equipment for the theater. The sound was so loud that the seats shook in the theater. The film experience at Sundance was like being at an actual concert. I was in the first row. It was incredible, incredible, incredible!

I also saw the film at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, where the band was not allowed to bring in any sound equipment. It was a lesser experience than Sundance because of that.

The film is out on dvd now, but I've avoided it because I want more time to pass before I see it again. If that makes any sense...