Rooming the Lower East Side

Old Europe strikes back - in the heart of New York City. Room is hard to get in this city, but you should definitely try to see this one: A hard rocking band that digs in deep and is obviously enjoying what they do, the rougher the better. The roomsters come from Switzerland, Austria, France and Switzerland and transport you to Musical Wonderland. Get your own piece of Room on Tuesday, January 24th at East River Bar in Williamsburg, when they hit the stage with their friends from Morex Optimo and The New Jersey Band!

Pics by Kerry Kennedy on Treo.



The two Room singers have also been labelled the Stan and Ollie of Punk rock.

Freezing For Lennons Soul

This is the entrance of the Dakota Building on the 72nd Street in NYC, taken at 10:55pm on December 8th 2005. To the minute, 25 years ago, four shots rang out into the night and shot John Lennon, the greatest songwriter ever. We were there, sang Beatles tunes with hundreds of others till our noses froze off. We also saw Yoko Ono blow out the candles in the window exactly at 23:15, when Lennon was pronounced dead. And now go and put on "A day in my life." Close your eyes and take a seven minute break.

Ladies and Gentlemen, finally live and loud: Room!

come have a beer, a laugh and give us some of your advice. theres the amphibious pete opening at 8pm, room at sharp 9pm and two just as obscure acts after ten - this is where its really at, if u come.

Join the New York Theremin Society!

In case you don't know it yet, the instrument to play today is not the guitar and not the laptop, but the Theremin. It's that weird black box that only makes noises if you dont touch it. Due to the tireless efforts of Dorit Chrysler, we got to hear not only one, but five theremin players: Next to Dorits etheral sounds, Anthony Ptak, Armen Ra, Rob Schwimmer and David Simons gave us a taste of their magic at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn and everyone who attended was absolutely stunned. Is this the future of music or the perfect combination of smart Jazz, a twist of Rock and the world of classical music? Stay in touch with the New York Theremin Society and also check out Dorit's new MySpace page!



This picture shows the famous Chrysler building her universe of sound at Pete's Candy Store.

Definitely At Your Services!

The Lower East Side's last cool club Tonic was the place to be again on Saturday night: Shortly past 1 am The Services took the stage in an wild, energetic rush that took the sophisticated audience (among them members of such 90s icons as Halcion, Foetus, Morning Glories) by surprise and had everyone dancing by the end of the short set. With just electronic stuff and one single cymbal plus a few lights they managed to be diverse, direct and fresh and no one was bored a second. That happens rarely, really, these days. Listen to some of the Services at A Touch Of Class, the label that has a reputation to be one step ahead of the industry. They also managed to find DJs who kept the energy of the show up and the people dancing. And you don't see that too often, too, these days.

Art Brut For Arty Kids

People say they sound like Half Man Half Biscuit. Or the Television Personalities. Or even the Buzzcocks, but when unleashed on the trendy crowd of Manhattan at the Tribecca Grand Hotel, they are just five scared British kids hoping they won't be forgotten a year from now. Yes, there's lots of energy and witty songwriting. Their record Bang Bang Rock'n'Roll is well worth a listen, its refreshening and nicely tongue-in-cheek. But who wants to be subject of the newest New York hype? Looked to me like most of the kids in the posh Tri Grand lounge were just there to have been there and not because they care anything about the band or the music. That's a pity, cause this band deserves it.

It's Jaymay Season Again

Remember those evenings in spring when we discovered New York's newest best voice, the extremly talented Jaymay? Just like back in May, the singer/songwriter and her four piece band play the Living Room again every Monday in November. We stopped by yesterday and are happy to report that she hasn't lost any of her magic. With the addition of a new electric guitar player and through the fact that the band is tighter than ever, you get a warm sound, meaningful, direct lyrics and quite a handful of soul - just the right mix for escaping the cold November nights. Still, I'd say it's time to release that damn record everyone wants to buy. And one more thing: What's up with the make up, girl? I'd say you don't need it - you shine already thru your music.

Now There's Even More Room

Room, the infamous band that never gets out of its rehearsal space, has been experimenting with various musicians and has finally found the right guys to add to the bombastic sound. They promised your scribe to a) go into a recording studio soon and b) play live before the end of the year. Are empty promises promises, too? Anyway: Pictured here on the left is Rooms newest member, Bernd the Finger, a howling dervish on guitar. Not pictured is our favorite allrounder DJ Jeanno, but, hey, somebody had to take the picture, right?

Kinetic Treat You Well

It's been a while that Kinetic have been on this blog, but that's mostly since they've been "tucked away in the Fortress of Solitude, fashioning from iron and wood and steel what will become the first full-length Kinetic release". But now they are back with three shows and all the shows are FREE. That deserves deepest respect and a full listing on this blog. Here's what singer Brendan writes about the upcoming performances:

"First on the agenda is Thursday November 17 at Galapagos (galapagosartspace.com). Sponsored by jezebelmusic.com, this show will also feature the excellent Limbs, Earthquakes, and Proton Proton. The night starts at 8, we play at 9, and it is FREE.
Next up is Wednesday November 23 at Scenic on Avenue B between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Presented by Loveless Music Group, this is another excellent show, boasting Daylight’s for the Birds (offshoot of the departed On!Air!Library!). They play at 11, we play at 12, and there’s a host of intriguing bands before that beginning at 8, and once again it’s FREE, so come early and stay late!
Lastly, but certainly not leastly, we will be doing a stripped-down acoustic set at Cross-Pollination at Pianos, Tuesday November 29 at 8PM. For those not familiar with the Cross-Pollination philosophy, it involves two separate sets by different performers, and then a third, collaborative set. Playing with us on the 29th are the unbearably fantastic Comas, so this will truly be a night to remember. And it’s FREE too!"



Make sure to stop by Kinetic's MySpace page to hear a few tracks from the upcoming album. Their sound is amazingly big, yet tender and personal, which may be the result of Brendans angelic voice or legendary soundmaster Pete Min's fine production.

Morex Optimo take on Halloween

Sometimes all the right things happen at once - like on Sunday evening, when Morex Optimo play the Mercury Lounge while Melomane and Botanica rock Tonic. This is a difficult choice, sisters and brothers, and I recommend to split personalities to go to both shows. In case, you cant make it, you can at least see what you're missing and view a little movie of the Roman Games and Morex Optimo live in Budapest.



Plus, as this photo shows, they know not only how to handle their axes and sticks on stage, they are also very well versed at carving the ole pumpking head: Morex Optimo's Yuri and Heather, with a little help from their friends.

Botanica And Melomane Team Up at Tonic on Sunday - Listen to New Botanica Track

It's been a busy week, so I've seen no shows, but at least Botanica did me a favor and played a live set on the radio that I could listen to over the internet while at work. Pretty damn good, this technology, i have to say. Of, course, WFMU was the station and Irene Trudel was the host. You can check out the full show in her archives or listen to a new track called Someone Else on this blog. Botanica played for about an hour and sounded simply amazing. Even the dead pan cool Irene said so and seemed to mean it. But that's just half of the good news - Botanica, who embark on yet antoher Euro tour if Mr. Bongers foot plays along, play a show at Tonic on Sunday, following the great Melomane who start at 9pm. Forget Haloween or come to the show all dressed up. Here's a pic from Botanicas last show at the Delancey:

Urgent Message from Brother Mark E.

Oh yes, it's out and it must be great. Dont you hate it when critics say the new album by has-been Soandso is "the long awaited masterpiece" or a "return to form"? Real fans usually wouldnt use these words, but with the new Fall LP "Fall Heads Roll" even the most retentive journalists gush over the new work by Mr. Smith and his aides. My brother Marcel called me from across the Atlantic just to tell me how fantastic it was - and he's been a Fall fan since almost thirty years now. Swissies are fortunate enough to read his review in the WochenZeitung. Over here, we have to do with his earlier article "Ein Fall fuer sich" or read what Everett True writes about it in The Stranger. And since you all know what Mark E. Smith looks like and I have this really cool picture of me and my bro taken by Kristofer at the Hafenbuffet in Rorschach, this is what I'll post below. And while were at it: It is a wrong assumption that The Fall have influenced the strokes, as Julian Casblancas told me in an interview I had with The Strokes last week - it will be posted here in about a week. Nirvana and Velvet Underground Casbalanca says is what he listened to, but not the Fall or Televsision for that matter. What a relief this must be for Mark E. Smith.



Rorschach-New York connection: Support for CBGS and a will to defend Brooklyn is sported hereby the two elder Elsener brothers.

Barango Brings News from Hungary

Our friend in Budapest, Barango, has sent word that he is working on new music! The hungarian punk legend with the five string bass who translates Bukowski into Hungarian has set his goals high - the new stuff supposedly is not as aggressive punk as it used to be but more mellow... How could it not be with his lovely girlfriend Agi bringing out the softer side in the man that knows how to shock the world of hungarian radio... Here is a picture of Branago during his show at Red Hole in Budapest. He is the good soul who welcomed Morex Optimo and The Roman Games into Budapest and was a most genreous host! Looking forward to seeing you again soon and walking through the streets of Budapest singing Anti Nowhere League songs!

More-X, N-V, Sin-e

You missed it again, and it was your last chance. the dear KK played with NV and it was a lot of energetic fun. This band has a certain appeal that makes you think of singer Mark's, yours and probably your partner's record collection. Though you won't find any Jane's Addiction CDs in mine, you certainly find Sonic Youth and the Buzzcocks.
XTC on acid, too, as Morex Optimo promised to be. The European tour has made a band out of them that can weather every storm and cause quite a stirr, too. Me, I like them most when they rock straight out, but I hear some people are just as fond of the breaks and hooks as I am of the commercial pop song harmonies. Seize the opportunity to see Morex Optimo this coming Friday, October 14th at the BAM cafe. The sound is excellent and the food not half bad.



Cosmonauts! Yes, you're getting there - maybe you wont fly, but your records will fly off the shelves!



NV - Janes Addiction, Sonic Youth and Buzzcocks rolled into a crazy roll of rock.

Thank Yous to Vienna, Budapest and Switzerland!

Photos from all kinds of friends, old and new, flow in and remind me of the great days of late summer Morex Optimo and The Roman Games spent over there! I could sit and watch forever! Thank you all - more info, if you click on the photos!
By the way, I'll soon start writing about all of your bands soon again, but lemme take a minute here.