March 30, 2005
Bodyworlds II, L.A. Science Museum, 3/25/05
Wow. I'm not sure what to say about this display. Gunter van Hagen has perfected a process that turns the flesh of dead bodies into plastic, so he's used the process to make these crazy statues. It's not too disgusting at first because the process makes the body look rather waxy. Most of the displays show organs and explain function. There's also a sizable number of diseased and injured organs. After seeing so much that can go wrong with the body, I started to feel really fragile.
The really disturbing part of the display was the full scale bodies in all sorts of strange poses. I remember Vesalius's illustrations of the body in rather fanciful poses, but some of these are really scary. One of the displays is actually cubist. The artist has pushed cross-sections of the body forward through the skin, so you can see each layer of the body. The subject is actually opening up his abdomen with his hand pulling back his skin. This one was so disturbing because you could actually tell what this man must have looked like in life. Worse, there's still some tattoo on his hand which has to make him a recognizable human to someone.
The full body displays usually depict all sorts of fanciful athletic poses with some muscle or organ moving away from the body so you can see other organs underneath. I'm not sure why we need to see a body on skis or skateboard for all eternity. It's actually very unnerving.
Nearing the end were exhibits on pregnancy showing the fetus in various states of development. Apparently someone stole one of them later that day.
The very last display showed a lateral cross-section of a fat person. I guess he wanted to show what the body looked like with all those layers of fat. It was strange to have those sections so polished that it looked like slab you could use for a table. I'm sure most people wouldn't quite recognize what it was for a long time.
Posted by deaconmf at 07:03 PM | Comments (0)
February 28, 2005
Joanna Newsom, Nicolai Dunger, Nedelle and Okay at the Swedish-American Hall, 2/26/05
Didn't much like Okay. They were hippy-ish and not much fun. Nedelle was much better and her cover of that old Smokey Robinson tune was fun. Nicolai Dunger went on a little too long.
Joanna Newsom owned this show. She's got that strange little girl thing which works for her. Her voice is a powerful, yet sounds very uncontrolled. That'll get more sure as she goes on. Her playing was rather amazing considering the bleeding blisters on her fingers and the frayed strings. I know I should refrain from reporting celeb sitings, but I saw Spike Jones. I should have asked him out just to say I had. LOL.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2004
Swayzak, Matthew Dear and somebody else, 12/13/04
This was a great night of electronic music over at the Rickshaw Stop. I forgot where it was at first. I got there and Roddy was already looking over the floor from that balcony there. We perched ourselves in some plastic chairs and talked. I wish I knew what the DJ's name was that started the evening because he was a good time. It sounded like he had recorded his own stuff for use that evening and his set was a little slower than danceable, but worked as atmosphere.
Matthew Dear was great fun too. I think he played a couple of tracks from his new album. It helped that he was cute too. His stuff was a bit faster, far more organized than the previous guy and he certainly knew how to play to the crowd. Speaking of which, there was quite a crowd by the time Swayzak played.
I got Swayzak's last record and it didn't remind me of what they turned out to be at all. It was New Order with updated beats. While it wasn't bad, it wasn't as interesting at Matthew Dear.
I'll definitely keep writing until I goddamn catch up with the present day. Events from last year are, well, so last year.
Posted by deaconmf at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
The Mae-Shi, Battleship, Punks and The Cold War, 12/11/04
This show was a damned good time. I'm glad I went to see the Maeshi all those months ago because all of these bands were a very good time. I went with my friend Roddy, who happens to know the drummer in the Maeshi. This means that these guys are a lot older than I thought they were.
Anyhow, I got there and watched The Cold War which was an enjoyable sound. Roddy got there after his job and we watched the rather joyous musical breakdown that was the Punks. I didn't really like them much, thought it looked like they were having a great time. Roddy wanted to join them and I actually suspect they might not have minded much.
Now Battleship sounded great. Good name, great sound. It sounds very state of the art indie with some nice guitar solos.
Then the Maeshi went up. Roddy reminded me of something I totally forgot. "Maeshi" means "business card" in Japanese. Don't think I'll ever forgot that again. They were great fun. The quality of the sound there meant that their vocals weren't easy to hear, but they still looked like they were having a great time. At times, their power chords sure sounded like Heart or Boston. Great joke, guys. Goes very well with that silly sampled thing they did.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:57 PM | Comments (1)
Roddy Schrock and Life on Earth @ The Lab, 12/9/04
Ok, I'm way behind, but I'm going to start catching up on things I've been doing. This one is the oldest.
Ok, I know the artist in question and like what he does. So, let's just say that I enjoyed myself immensely. I got a glass of wine. My friend, Miss C came along too even though she had been very sick. I'd seen The Life on Earth before and really hadn't liked their arty-jazz schtick. It worked less well without the video accompaniment.
Roddy's work though seemed very subtle and even funny at times. He slivered samples of various spirituals from different cultures then transformed those sounds into a Morse code of electronic unease. Roddy wisely let his music continue when he began Remi's video accompanyment. What began as colored squares eventually turned out to be pixelated pictures of the war in Iraq.
Another thing that was interesting was watching Roddy do this. It's always interesting watching people do something they love. I like the way that his body language emphasized each part he added or subtracted. It was a kind of thrust dancing and it was fun.
I wish more people had been there to see it. And one day, there will be, dammit.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2004
Brian Wilson Smiles, Davies Symphony Hall, 11/4/04
Some works of art sound impossible by their description. Take Calder sculptures. I'm sure the description of a mobile seemed ridiculous when they first appeared. That Billy Bragg/Wilco record of Woody Guthrie lyrics seemed like it would never work either. Then I heard about Brian Wilson's plan to complete Smile 30+ years later. This sounded like folly. He couldn't make it work the first time. How could it work with his sound and attitude after all those years of mental illness and age?
Well, goddamn, I was wrong. So wrong. The performance at Davies gave me the opportunity to think about it too. Brian sat there for the most part without playing his keyboard. The concert started off with the band mostly standing around harmonizing to old Beach Boys tunes. Come to think of it, saying that was pretty redundant. LOL. They did sound amazing. "Sloop John B" still sounds like the saddest way of saying "I want to go home." Then they played their instruments, including Paul McCartney's favorite tune, "God Only Knows". It's still the one song that sounds like a middle aged man could sing it without being embarassed. I've been going to shows in cheap venues for so long that I forgot you could see a band and actually hear every instrument at once. I guess you do get what you pay for.
Miss C and I walked around a bit during the intermission. She overheard some old woman saying "So the Beach Boys simply performed the work of this composer..." That one wins for the most ridiculous thing anyone's said about pop music in awhile.
After the intermission, they did "Smile" in its entirety. It begins with "Our Prayer" and ends with "Good Vibrations". A lot of other Beach Boys material gets reworked. Some of the lyrics and arrangements to very famous tunes gets altered as well. Brian's voice is nowhere near what it once was.
And it all doesn't matter. Smile is playful, optimistic and whimsical without seeming awkward, unthinking or Pollyanna-ish. Brian's vocal limitations help make Smile sound like a graceful acknowledgement of the limitations of this project. The album itself is constructed from smaller parts that often repeat themselves and lend an otherwise patchy work needed cohesion. For example, the voices that start off the album in "Our Prayer" repeat themselves at the beginning of "Good Vibrations". I finally understood that "Good Vibrations" is his version of gospel music.
The band later returned for an encore. They mentioned that they've been doing this since January and they sound great playing these old tunes. Where I'm from, you can't get away from these songs, but it took this performance to remind me why I need to hear them again.
Posted by deaconmf at 10:15 AM | Comments (4)
October 07, 2004
I Dance the Music Electric: Mouse on Mars/Rat-a-tat/Junior Boys
Yup. It was a dance party even though, as we all know, SF Indie, et. al. don't dance.
Unfortunately, I missed most of the Junior Boys set. They sounded pretty energetic during the their last two songs. Maybe next time.
Rat-a-tat got started pretty quickly. They better have. It's just two guitarists and a drum machine. Anyhow, it was a lot like the record itself. You hear the first tune and think it's a great idea to have guitars that sounds like synthesizers playing in front of a synthesized beat. The idea gets tired pretty quick though. If I kept dancing, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more because I wouldn't be listening. Oh well.
Then Mouse on Mars went on. They were a lot of fun at first as well, but the tempo didn't seem to vary. They seemed very happy to be in San Francisco and the crowd danced its approval. Now, that's a complement here. I loved watching a drummer sing that wasn't Phil Collins, but after awhile, I was just tired. At my age, I don't think taking drugs is really an option and by looking at these entries you can tell I've been pretty busy.
It's time for a short break from eventful things, so I can get some rest. Maybe I should take up meditating again. (Insert deep breath here.)
Posted by deaconmf at 01:50 PM | Comments (1)
October 04, 2004
"I'm not a winner, but I don't intend to lose", The Nervous Breakdowns @ Madrone, 10/3/04
I keep forgetting that the miraculous can happen anywhere. I'll get to the miracle in a moment.
Last night, Roddy listed a bunch of things he wanted to do and the one we had talked about was a publishing party for a magazine called Kitchen Sink. Good magazine. I'd been walking past Madrone (Ms. C: New cool bar alert!) all weekend on the way to the Independent. So glad the party was there because the inside of the place looked great. Lots of dark hard wood and a nifty bar where they displayed their infused vodkas on a back lit wall. Lots of nifty, not so moderately priced drinks too.
So we waited for the band to show. And here's where the miracle occurred. They were amazing. I think I'd read that they put on an amazing show in either the SFBG or the Weekly, but this was a great time. They started off with an instrumental that sounded a lot like Imperial Teen. Then:
1. They did a cover of the Go-Gos' "This Town".
2. They sang about sex! Over and over again. I told a friend of mine once that we needed more post-punk songs about enjoying sex.
3. Female bass section!
4. Good sloganeering lyrics. Besides the title of this entry, they came up with "Your pessimism turns me on" and "This is not a song of silence".
5. They sounded like 1995 was happening all over again with those loud post-punk guitar chords and Keala is a damned good player.
6. They played a tune that was built on the bones of "Sweet Jane" and called that one "S.O.B." They also dedicated it to Film School for drinking all their beer when they played with them.
7. In their best moment, Matt, the rhythm guitarist, turns around and starts singing into the mic with his shorts unzipped. They keep falling down. He eventually turns around, pulls them off, then gyrates his ass and crotch in time to a tune that might be a Peaches cover. He looked great in his tighty-whiteys. While he's gyrating, the bassist and lead guitar ended up lying down on the floor. Alt-rock orgy exhaustion! Matt's my vote for best looking guitarist this year. We need more hot Asian men on stages everywhere.
When it was over, I went over to talk to the lead guitarist/singer, who happened to be from Hawaii. So was Matt. Did I also mention they're gay? Keala said it figured that the one other Asian guy in the room was from Oahu. It somehow makes sense.
They play again on 10/16 at Balazo Gallery in the Mission. I'm there just to see if they pull this off again. I'm pretty certain they will.
Would I make out with the band? Oh, hell yeah! Orgy at Balazo! This proves miracles can be skanky too.
Posted by deaconmf at 12:05 PM | Comments (1)
Everybody do the psychrock! Ghost/White Magic/6 Organs of Admittance @ the Independent, 10/2/04
I almost didn't go to this because I was feeling rather sorry for myself, but I'm glad I went. 6 Organs guy still looked very cute. He's got those alt-rock style signifiers down. Messy hair, inability to look at his audience, modest sounding. Before amplification, everybody had to project. Now we get very quiet vocals all the time. Finally figured out why he sounds folky yet psychedelic. The top string on his guitar is either very loose or an actual bass string. Give him that rather distinctive droning sound. Most of the time, he seems to use it to keep time. It looked and sounded pretty entertaining though. Liked the Spanish sounding tunes a lot. Must be from that Octavio Paz record.
Then White Magic came on. Two big burly looking dudes and one tiny blonde woman on her keyboard. The guitarist sounded great and came up with a lot of interesting melodic ideas. The drummer did something I'd never seen before. He pulled his tshirt collar up over and dropped his shoulders. This dropped the collar back over his head and wiped the sweat off his face. Brilliant if messy idea. LOL. On the other hand, the chick was really getting to me on the keyboard. She kept doing scales on all these songs and I was getting so tired of it. Finally, she began playing guitar which helped. She didn't rock out, but at least her modest guitar skills stopped those stupid scales.
Finally Ghost came on. They started off with a nice jazzy tune where they all gradually came in. Then they started on the whole prog-rock thing. This wasn't much fun, though the lead singer's crushed velvet magenta (fuschia? Hard to tell with stage lighting.) outfit looked made for this kind of performance. I know they're Japanese. They look Japanese. They sing with Japanese accents. But it sure didn't sound Japanese at all. Far more Celtic actually. Those damned penny whistles and flutes were driving me crazy, but they knew how to make those guitars sound big, so everything was ok. I kept thinking that people would hate this if they weren't from Japan. Can't imagine who would want to listen to Yes. Would I make out with the band? Sure! The bassist didn't have the greatest teeth, but he was about my height and had a great body. I wonder if Japanese bands get laid on the road in America.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
Chug-Chug-Chugging Away: Earlimart/Heavenly States/Elefone @ the Independent, 10/1/04
This was the first of two shows this weekend and it was nice. (Much thanks to Chris for the suggestion.) We got there a little late because I was at an apartment interview. (Speaking of which, those two haven't called me back yet. Grrrrrr!) I met David and we walked over to the Independent. They've done a nice job with the place. Took out that horrible bar from middle of the room, but they really can't do much about that monolithic pillar where they used to have the mixing board. Anyhow, we saw Elefone's last two songs. Damn, they looked young. Later, when I was in the bathroom, I saw the lead singer. On stage, I would have sworn he was 20 because he was short and energetic. As it turns out, he's got a head of very grey hair. Poor guy. Then, Heavenly States went on. They politely did their alt-pop thing until the very end when the lead guy ran off the stage. He had some decent banter going, but no one was laughing. Poor guy. Definitely a cute bassist who looked really tall on stage. Then David and I took turns standing next to him near the bar. Turns out he's probably 5'10". And really rail thin. The main event was very sensitive. Earlimart sound so Elliot Smith but I don't remember them sounding like this before. Breathy vocals. Beatlesque tunes. Depressing subject matter. Thing is the tunes were sturdier than on the previous record and I remember la-la-laing in my head as it went on. Surprise of the evening: They knew Springsteen's "State Trooper". I didn't think anyone knew "Nebraska" anymore. Would I hit on anyone in the band? Guess not. I can't even remember what they looked like.
Posted by deaconmf at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2004
Jean Grae with her sidekick Sara vs. the guy in the front row @ Amoeba, 9/26/04
At the best in-store I've seen in awhile, Jean Grae defended her bad-ass-itude. She took awhile to get started, but that's because she got to town about 15 minutes before. She did a couple of tunes of her album, then she opened that little gate they have on the stage at Amoeba to let some fans dance with her on-stage. It was the goofiest thing I'd seen in a long time. Her posse looked like the junior high glee club gone gangsta. Her biggest fan, Sara, brought her gangsta attitude, black hoodie and Eminem hand motions. Unfortunately, Sara's friend, who looked like the only African-American up there had zero rhythm. She couldn't handle 4/4 beat. Poor thing. So after Jean Grae asked us to throw our fists up in the air, she asked the brotha in the front row why he didn't, especially since he was right in front of her. He was waiting for something more kick ass. So she did and she got him to yell "yes you can". Jean's obvious an angry type, but she was aware of what her audience wanted and expected out of her. Charming as hell. Sexy too. Bring on more of the sistahs.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:36 PM | Comments (3)
September 24, 2004
Take me out tonight: Franz Ferdinand @ the Fashion Concourse, 9/22/04
Last night, I went to see Franz Ferdinand. (Much thanks to Ms. C.) It was a little disappointing. While it seemed like the band liked what they were doing and knew how to do it, the sound could have been a little cleaner. Also, because I haven't been to a "rock show" in a long time, it seemed like the band was overwhelmed by their lighting. It was some super-high-tech diorama at a museum of the future explaining what rock and roll was like in the 2000s. I wished the lighting guy had projected the savannah behind them and had some gazelles or lions on stage. Still, it was good to see that a lot of people were still rocking out hard. Even 15 year old girls. Watching teenagers screaming "I'm cheating on you" was good for the soul. Maybe it's time to see Beyonce in concert.
Posted by deaconmf at 12:43 AM | Comments (2)