What's not to love about Cryptacize?After being such crazy rock stars for awhile, E and I haven't been to a show in three weeks! Thus, I'm pumped to see Cryptacize this Wednesday at the Middle East Upstairs. Just in time, Saint Sufjan himself wrote a nice piece on them for the Asthmatic Kitty website. If I could write half as well as that man, I'd be happy.
In other tour news, Sigur Ros is playing the BOA Pavilion on 9/19 (thanks, Brad!)! Bring the tissues for when they play "Ára bátur," my current favorite song off the new album. If you don't tear up when the orchestra swells at the climax, you likely don't have a soul. This show will totally make up for the fact that we're not going to Radiohead (I wouldn't let E buy tickets, and now I'm regretting it).
G. Love and Special Sauce are playing the Pavilion 8/14. Should we go for the sake of high school nostalgia? [Ed.-E just read this and said "no way." So I guess we're too cool for G. Love now. Once you've seen Dirty Projectors, you don't go back.] Man, I have so many good memories of Philly G. Love shows--the best of course being New Year's 2000, when we all awaited the apocalypse by making out on stage. OK, I wasn't making out, but I was there with E, about a year and a half before we started dating. You know, it's kind of embarrassing to admit it, but I've definitely seen G. Love live more than any other artist (probably four times? maybe five?).
Oh, you know what's even more embarrassing? I think I saw The Verve Pipe three times back in the day. Ha! In my defense, of all the shitty post-grunge bands of 1996-2000, Verve Pipe had some good qualities. I did some post-grunge research the other day, and discovered Brian Vander Ark's website (anyone want to book a house show?). My research also produced this sad little fact: Sponge and Marcy's Playground are playing a Carnival Cruise. Remember back then when everyone thought rock was over and Prodigy and Chemical Brothers were going to usher in a new era of electronica music? Wow. Glad we were wrong about that. Though I did buy "The Saint" Soundtrack to prepare myself.
2 comments:
While I think it'd be great if Brian Vander Ark were playing "bigger" shows, the fact is he's found a great way to make money and continue a songwriting career and to pay the bills without a record label.
don't blast the musician for the market that the music industry has created. If you want to blast him for writing crappy music I'd be okay with that (except you'd be wrong).
The fact is, Brian's "acoustic folk" style of music now does not lend itself to what rock and pop radio are playing today... so what? That doesn't mean he's not producing great music. His self-titled third solo album is fantastic.
Good to hear you like VanderArk's stuff. My post came out way more snarky than I intended; I usually try to stay away from the negativity.
Truthfully, I loved--like really loved--VervePipe back in the day (hence seeing them multiple times, buying b-sides, etc.). I still argue that a lot of bad music came out of that era, and VervePipe, perhaps unfairly, has been lumped together with similar bands.
What I didn't mention in my post is that on his blog, VanderArk wrote some thoughtful reflections on his time in a successful band. Sounds like he likewise wrestles with music that's soulful vs. commercially successful.
Singer-songwriter one man and a guitar isn't really my thing, but I actually would love to see VanderArk play live solo. If he tours Boston, I'll be there.
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