Oasis Dont Look Back in Anger

Oasis At Madison Square Garden NYC
Originally uploaded by romangame.

...they quite optimistically look into the future. Not in terms of using new sounds or melodies, but seeing their fans at Madison Square Garden. Man, you could have thought they were Britney Spears or something. Screaming fans, real good rock, a uebercool Liam, not afraid of making weird fun of himself and Noel in control of it all, with some of his best tunes. I must say, I was surprised at their power and left the place happy and giddy with music. Here are a couple of pictures:

Get Your Own Music Into the Underground!

Nacht Fa Lter e i Bass Tardi
Originally uploaded by romangame.

This is the famous man behind some of NYCs most vibrant new digital music. What others do for a million bucks, this man can do it for ten dollars, musically, I mean. And I'm not talking about Owen Wilson. Thats how Fa prefers it, so we wont reveal his name.

Pee Air And C.Gibbs Ride the Rodeo Again

Pee Air Ready to Move On
Originally uploaded by romangame.

Pierre is back from a successful US tour with C. Gibbsacross these big wide United States. Pee and C. toured as a two-man band, and Pee got to try his hand at playing drums and trumpet at the same time. Go to the Rodeo Bar on June 25th, to see C. Gibbs joined onstage with Pierre and Quentin from Melomane.

Or you can go see Melomane on June 28th at the Pussycat Lounge, one of New York's shadier venues for music and entertainment of a more burlesque variety. They are playing with the horribly scandalous girl band Full Tank, burlesque variety in itself.





Here, we see Christian here being prayed for. We recommend you do the same. Dont know if he needs it, but sure he deserves it. Christian has some advice for all fellow musicians about to tour this summer. Heres what he writes:

Tour Tips

1. When struck by the gnawing inspiration to write lyrics while driving 80 miles an hour on cruise control through windy rocky mountains it is best to use Sharpies on Big Manilla Envelopes and do not steer with your feet or knees for longer then a couplet.

2. When you get to Denver which is 1/3rd higher in altitude than most places drink alot of water and refrain from eating "Newcastle Beer Cheese Soup" provided by the local venue.

3. It is NOT necessary to buy something everytime you stop.

4. The $6.99 Atomic Alarm Clock sold at truckstops everywhere is a piece of crap. Dont buy that either.

5. When getting oil changed in Lawrence , KS tell them you play country music (even if you dont) and sell them a cd. This brings oil change from $28.00 down to $18.00 and it helps your soundscan rating!

6.When the coffee place in Omaha, Nebraska doesn't know who you are when you advance the show ask them if your tour poster is up. When they reply , "Yes, but there is no date indicated and we close at 8:00pm," ask them if they have a microphone. When their response is "No" promptly cancel show and get a tattoo of your wife's name on your left forearm

7. Before getting tattoo of your wife's name do not call her and ask her which name she prefers (nickname or realname)..if a call is made, after ruining surprise tell her you got cold feet and didn't get a tattoo after all so you can surprise her in Seattle you dufus..

8. Go to Elderly Guitars in Lansing, Michigan and buy a Porchboard..."What is a 'Porchboard'?" you say?...Come to the next C.Gibbs show at Rodeo Bar this saturday Night and find out!

The Years of BC Are Coming!

Martin Bisi and the End Credits
Originally uploaded by romangame.

It's time to introduce the peerless Martin Bisi. He of revered producer fame and millions of hours of music in his ears. This blog is too small to list all of the famous bands Martin has recorded - Sonic Youth to name just one. Sometimes Martin has to get all the music out of his system and go play live: A fiery spectacle of staccato rhythms and energy. You've got the chance to see this on Tuesday at Rothko at 8pm. Yes, they really go on this early. The Izzys play later on. It's Jasper's Vicious, and Martin guarantees it's "a good night".

Manifest for Bass Players

The man on the bass: Botanicas Bongers
Originally uploaded by romangame.

They are usually not on live photos, hidden behind the singer in band shots, tortured by egomaniac guitar players, mangled by obsessed drummers, but still the coolest asset a band has: Bass players. Man, would humankind have invented dancing if it werent for the bass? If you want to experience what I mean, come to the next Botanica show on June 25th at Tonic. This band has one fine example of an able bass axer, Mr. Christian Bongers, pictured here. You will also have the chance to hear the amazing Jamay!

Smiths Carry Secret Victory Away

So What Happened at the Battle of the Bands?
Originally uploaded by romangame.

Yeah, I admit, this is not much of a picture, but hey, its the only one i took: The music, the sound, the singers and above all the songs were just too captivating to think of taking pictures. The Cure vs. The Smiths, of course, guarantees all sorts of special characters on stage and the Losers Lounge knows where to find them. Excellent work by JoeMc Ginty and the band, and compliments to a host of great singers. Why is it that bald guys do Morrissey best?
So, The Smiths and the Cure tied 2:2 after four twin sets at the Knitting Factory. This, at least, is the official result. We have it from well informed sources that the Smiths actually won 3:1, but that for some reason a Swiss neutrality clause couldn't let Manchester win. The last singer (sorry - cant remember who it was, there was no program!) put it best: "There's one reason why you have to vote for the Smiths: You can still see The Cure. And if you cant see the Cure, you still have Interpol."

Botanica Do Their Own Thing Better

Botanica at Midnight
Originally uploaded by romangame.

In case you thought it was all a scam to get more money, the water really drips from the ceiling at Tonic and repairs are desperately needed. So we get to see a lot of cool bands playing there, showing their support, and obviously a pretty mixed crowd: From the hipster to the hippie, from the yuppie to the biker. Then again, maybe these were all Angela McCluskey fans, since as soon as the singer with the raspy voice finished her set, they all disappered, missing the attraction of the night, Botanica, who acted as Mc Cluskeys backup band before. Not that Angela wouldnt have a good voice or decent songs, but for my taste, she is just a little bit too much in love with her own pipes. True greatness only came later, especially with Botanicas hit Shy or Stupid which should be on every summer playlist!

Dorit: "Come Build Your Own Theremin!"

Dorit "Theremin" Chrysler
Originally uploaded by romangame.

Theremin-Wunderkind Dorit Chrysler is off to Europe, and later Japan, again, packing her laptop and her great voice along with the peculiar instrument. New Yorkers got a fine taste of what Europe is about to see last Sunday night, when Dorit teamed up with noisemeister Gibby Haines of the Butthole Surfers.


Should you have finally decided to build your own theremin and learn how to play it, venture to Switzerland in July, where Dorit will be holding a Theremin Workshop amidst the alps closeby St. Moritz (think of the fine echo from the mountains)! Highly recommendable also because of the cool climate up there, while NYCers bake in the humid heat.

For the tour dates and more details, check out Dorits website.

This Will Hit You Shaw Enuff!

shawnuff-composite
Originally uploaded by romangame.

Folks, you get the rare chance of seeing Mike Fornatale and his underground superstars today at Magnetic Fields! Here's what Mike writes:

"Did you miss the one-and-only January '05 performance of this rag-tag batch of NYC Garage Superstars, Has-Beens, Geriatrics and One Babe-A-Licious Keyboard Player? Do you recall my saying, at the time, that "you REALLY need to come to this thing. It's a one-shot, this bunch of folks will likely never all be on the same stage again." As I so often am, turns out, I was wrong...

SHAW 'NUFF -- A one-shot [not] NYC super-group of sorts, featuring:

Peter Stuart (bass, vocals) -- veteran of the 1980s NYC garage revival, with The Tryfles and The Headless Horsemen. Appeared at Cavestomp '99 with The Standells, Cavestomp 2000 with The Beau Brummels and The Blues Magoos, and in September 2001 with Mark Lindsay's Cavestomp Redcoats. Currently a member of Special Pillow. If Peter doesn't know the song, it probably isn't worth knowing.

Kurt Reil (drums, vocals) -- founding member of The Grip Weeds (new album "Giant On The Beach" out now on Rainbow Quartz Records) and Jim Babjak's Buzzed Meg. Appeared at Cavestomp 2000 with The Beau Brummels, and in September 2001 with Mark Lindsay's Cavestomp Redcoats. If Kurt can't play the song, it probably can't be played.

Mike Fornatale (guitar, vocals) -- Has played and/or sung with The Monks, Moby Grape , Kelley Stoltz, and Mark Lindsay's Cavestomp Redcoats. Has stood in at soundchecks for Alana Amram and Arthur Lee. (Listed in descending height order.) Currently a member of Richard And The Young Lions. If Mike doesn't know the song, give him a minute.

Michael Lynch (guitar, vocals) -- Has played and sung with The Lynchpins and The Anything People. Featured artist at International Pop Overthrow shows, 2003 and 2004. If Michael knows the song, he's also intimately familiar with all nine re-mixes.

Wendy Fornatale (keyboards) -- Has only appeared once [well, twice, now] in public since college, on 9 May 1987, with The Wendytones. Wearing a bridal gown and veil. Well, it WAS her wedding after all. Seventeen years later she's out of retirement and it's about damn time. If Wendy doesn't know the song, she will bring sheet music.

What you get: a nice long evening in the coolest establishment in the five boroughs, and SHAW 'NUFF -- the most hap'nin' Human Jukebox you will ever gape at open-mouthed. Guaranteed.

Where: Magnetic Field, 97 Atlantic Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11201 - (718) 834-0069

Mash Bash with the Loser's Lounge

Loser's Lounge Battle of the Bands
Originally uploaded by romangame.

Joe McGinty and some of the usual suspects at his Piano Karaoke gave us a taste of what can be expected this weekend at the Knitting Factory: A great parade of songs by The Cure and The Smiths in a Battle of the Bands style. How the winner will be determind is not so clear yet, says Joe, so contact him if you have an applause-o-meter, he'll put you on the guest list in return. Joe makes no secret of whose songs he prefers to play: There's just much more keyboards in The Cure. I suspect guitar players rather go for Marr and the Mozzer.

Antony and the Importance of Words

Antony Fine and KK at the Lucky Cat
Originally uploaded by romangame.

You may know him as pianist extraordinaire in JC & Anphibius, as keyboardist in The Paparazzis or might even remember him from cult pop outfit Glim - but you rarely see Antony fine solo. "You're my prisoners" he jokes, then dives into his songs, dragging the audience with him, onto a tour of his beautiful, but often tortured universe, full of emotion, sadness and doubt. "My words are so important, no they're not," Antony sings, then offers poetry that flows over the song like a creek in the spring. Highlights were Antonys duet with Kerry Kennedy - my favorite female voice in the city next to Jaymay - and the great guitar by Erik Paparozzi, who slowhandedly revealed where he got his first name from.