Nick's Picks. It's a pretty simple concept: Things that people should check out, with no criteria or relevance to anything in particular. I'll probably write every week or two, depending on what caught my eye. Feedback is strongly encouraged.
1. Jake Lloyd: Ten Years After Star Wars Ep One
For my first posting of "Nick's Picks," I couldn't have gotten luckier in stumbling across this gem:
Believe it or not, this guy went to my high school. Actually, he got kicked out of the private high school in town and had to go to the public high school. Why? He got in too many fights because people kept calling him "Annie" and saying he ruined The Phantom Menace. Notice how I didn't say he got kicked out for beating other kids up, just that he kept getting in fights. Also, notice how Jake mentions nothing of that. Unfortunately, I never was lucky enough to be graced by any conversation with him (Probably too "charming and intelligent" for his taste). I did get to observe from a distance, and yes, he did turn goth for those four years. Maybe that had some bearing on why high school was rough? Yeah, he's not Anakin anymore, but he sure is still a douche.
2. Harry Pothead?
The world loves Harry Potter. I happened to catch the Half-Blood Prince premier at midnight. I enjoyed it very much, as it was the first time I wasn't the biggest nerd in the room. I was even more impressed with this: No jail for drug rap Harry Potter star Jamie Waylett. I'm sure that slap on the wrist will teach him a lesson. Finally all the "Harry Pothead" jokes are true.
3. Tallan Got Talent
Okay, okay. Enough of that. Let's talk about uplifting things for the rest of this. Well, I usually don't care too much for shows like "American Idol" but have you seen "America's Got Talent?" It makes me proud to be an American. All kidding aside, take the time to watch this 9-year-old Tallan Nobel Latz tear it up on guitar. Rip it up, buddy:
4. The Nervous Wreckords
I love the music of Louis XIV. When they came to Boston, I was that guy (you know what guy I'm talking about) who went to the show alone because no one else was around. I was bummed to hear that they're taking a break so Brian Karscig can pursue his own music. Luckily, The Nervous Wreckords are brilliant. The songs are catchy, danceable, and just plain fun. Karscig's also got one of the best beards in the industry (look out Eels). Best of all, you can get their first EP for free on their myspace. Do it while you still can; it's been playing on repeat in my iTunes for weeks now.
5. Jack White - 2 for 1
Jack White is the man. He's one of the greatest guitarists of this generation (purely my opinion, but if Rolling Stone says so, it must be true). So once he's conquered the guitar world, why not have fun on drums? The Dead Weather is another supergroup (not to be confused with the Raconteurs) featuring that chick singer from the Kills, some guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age, bassist "Little Jack" Lawrence, and Mr. White on drums. "Treat Me Like Your Mother" is worth your time:
And if that wasn't enough for him, he's starring in a movie alongside Jimmy Page and The Edge.
Thanks for taking the time to read my first "Nick's Picks," if you even made it this far. Feel free to leave some comments!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
15 Albums That Changed My Life
As I can never come up with an accurate order of my favorite albums, I figured I'd compile this list in chronological order. While my years of being aware of music cover just over ten years, there is still plenty of relevance to the subject. What I consider a great album is one that is put on and isn't turned off until it's complete; from start to finish and no skipping in between. In creating this list, I also realized what I consider a favorite album of mine is completely different than an album that changed my life. While there's a few albums on here that would make my Top 50, there's quite a few on here that I didn't expect to make this list.
1. Beck - Odelay
This is the album that made me interested in music. It helped me to see that music could be relevant. Up until that point, I'd been listening to mostly classic rock and oldies simply because it seemed safe. "Where It's At" had an edge to it that I'd never heard before, and helped define the genre "alternative". The fact that he wrote and performed all the instruments with the production guidance of the Dust Brothers also inspired me to do the same. Odelay is and always will be my favorite album. Simple as that.
2. Weezer - Pinkerton
I actually hated this album when I first heard it. It wasn't the catchy and simple "Blue Album" that I'd hoped for. However, I gave it a chance and realized it was their best release. While it's emotional and heart-felt, it's just a fun album.
3. Death Cab For Cutie - The Photo Album
I didn't know a whole lot of indie music back in the day, and a friend of mine gave me Death Cab for my 15th birthday. I'd never heard of them but I trusted her instinct. The album was short and sweet and more mellow than I had been listening to at that point in my life, but I really enjoyed it. It ended up on heavy rotation in my CD player, one of those hi-tech portable ones with rechargeable batteries. I was hip, I know.
4. Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way, Baby
"Praise You" was brilliant. I couldn't figure out who the song was by for some reason, maybe because Google wasn't as easy to type in lyrics and find out who a song was by back in the day. Regardless, Fatboy Slim was my introduction into electronic music. I had to buy the edited version though, because that's just how my parents were. And I honestly appreciated that about this album (labeled "Kiddies Clean Version") because there's something about hearing "Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven" over and over for four minutes that isn't all that appealing. Despite that, it took me away. It was just pure fun and remained on repeat through most of high school.
5. Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
This may be one of the darker albums that I've listened to, but as a two-disc conceptual release, it's one that deserves some credit. I don't listen to it nearly as much as I used to, but I still can honor it as an album that influenced me to get involved in music technology. WIthout "The Fragile" I may not have considered moving to Boston to pursue a degree in music synthesis. Even despite it's 23 song span, I still find myself listening to it all the way through.
6. Damien Rice - O
This album simply reminds me of high school. I enjoyed performing his songs with a female friend of mine, and when available, a cellist. After listening to so much alternative and layered music, Damien Rice showed me simplicity and focus on good songwriting. The use of wine glasses for percussion on "Cheers Darlin" is sheer perfection.
7. Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R
"Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstacy, and alcohol. Cocaine." Starting off an album with those lyrics? It's just amazing. Queens have some way of taking alternative music and mixing it with catchy melodies and making it all work. They can be heavy and gentle at the exact same time. They're eerie and comforting. Having multiple singers and leads depending on song just makes sense. I have a weak spot for Mark Lanegan's gritty voice. It's too bad he never made it on the new album.
8. Aqualung - Strange & Beautiful
I'm not quite sure how many hundreds of times I listened to this album when I got it, but it's just beautiful. It's so relaxing from start to finish. I don't find myself listening to it as much anymore, probably because I associate it with a past relationship, but it's still something that deserves some credit. There's not really much more to it than that.
9. Viva Voce - Lovers, Lead the Way!
This album also reminds me of a same past relationship, hence following Aqualung in chronology, but I still listen to it on a regular basis. Nostalgia takes me to the days of spending hours at Luna Music in Indiana and just picking up random CD's to listen to. This one was on display and the opening track is just epic. It explodes into a wall of strings, piano, and drums and doesn't come down until the album finishes 15 songs later. It was one of the first dreamy albums I ever got into.
10. The Roots - The Tipping Point
I had always been a baller and listened to hip-hop, but it wasn't until the Roots released "The Tipping Point" that I actually thought the genre could have some serious talent. I don't mean it was the first time I'd heard quality rap lyrical talent, because I would never diminish old school artists like Dre and Snoop (the list could go on and on), but Black Thought rapped about relevant topics instead of talking about drugs and hoes. For a live band to perform hip-hop, well, that was unheard of as far as I knew. And when I saw them live, they put on a rock show, not a rap show. I pumped "The Tipping Point" all through senior year of high school. I'm really psyched to see them as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
11. Mellowdrone - Box
I discovered Mellowdrone after reading an article comparing him to Beck. I honestly didn't see any similarities at all, but I found the album to be brilliant. It's a good blend of live instruments and electronic programming, and I love it. I was also intrigued when I learned he went to Berklee in Boston and decided to leave because he disliked the city so much. (I think I can relate...) Regardless, I found a version of "Box" with a bonus track that covers Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" that is surprisingly, for lack of a better word, amazing. Overall, the album just makes me feel good.
12. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
Brand New was my medicine for helping me bid farewell to my hometown of Carmel, Indiana. While I discovered the album after I'd already been away for a year, it still took me some time to move on from my past. I still remember sitting in my car in the parking lot of Max and Erma's and turning up this album as loud as my speakers could handle. It was the most therapeutic method I knew, and helped me to overcome a lot of frustration with the distance.
13. M. Ward - Post-War
I don't typically fall in love with artists that my friends recommend. I'm not exactly sure why. It's not that I'm close-minded but I generally gravitate toward artists "find me." My friend gave me an M. Ward album and I instantly loved it. It soothed and relaxed me in a way that most other songwriters don't. I still listen to this album multiple times in one week.
14. Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead
While there are still some quality albums being released by modern artists, Phantom Planet really caught me by surprise. I'd always been a fan of their music, but when I'd heard they were putting out a new album in 2008, I couldn't help but be skeptical. However, I didn't even get past the first song before I was blown away. From start to finish, Raise the Dead is an uplifting experience. It's a wonder that Phantom Planet never saw much success other than their hit television theme contribution.
15. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
While I just found this album, I felt it deserved some recognition. It hasn't defined any major experiences yet, but since they are from Portland, it has given me some hope in moving there. And I honestly couldn't decide between this album and their "Love & Distance," but I went with this one because it's the one that introduced me to their music. There's just something about this genre (I'm not sure what to call it: ambient, dream pop, indie?) that I've been finding a lot of comfort in, especially with the state of everything today and having to spend a month looking for a new job. The Helio Sequence just helps me escape and puts me in another place that I don't leave.
1. Beck - Odelay
This is the album that made me interested in music. It helped me to see that music could be relevant. Up until that point, I'd been listening to mostly classic rock and oldies simply because it seemed safe. "Where It's At" had an edge to it that I'd never heard before, and helped define the genre "alternative". The fact that he wrote and performed all the instruments with the production guidance of the Dust Brothers also inspired me to do the same. Odelay is and always will be my favorite album. Simple as that.
2. Weezer - Pinkerton
I actually hated this album when I first heard it. It wasn't the catchy and simple "Blue Album" that I'd hoped for. However, I gave it a chance and realized it was their best release. While it's emotional and heart-felt, it's just a fun album.
3. Death Cab For Cutie - The Photo Album
I didn't know a whole lot of indie music back in the day, and a friend of mine gave me Death Cab for my 15th birthday. I'd never heard of them but I trusted her instinct. The album was short and sweet and more mellow than I had been listening to at that point in my life, but I really enjoyed it. It ended up on heavy rotation in my CD player, one of those hi-tech portable ones with rechargeable batteries. I was hip, I know.
4. Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way, Baby
"Praise You" was brilliant. I couldn't figure out who the song was by for some reason, maybe because Google wasn't as easy to type in lyrics and find out who a song was by back in the day. Regardless, Fatboy Slim was my introduction into electronic music. I had to buy the edited version though, because that's just how my parents were. And I honestly appreciated that about this album (labeled "Kiddies Clean Version") because there's something about hearing "Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven" over and over for four minutes that isn't all that appealing. Despite that, it took me away. It was just pure fun and remained on repeat through most of high school.
5. Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
This may be one of the darker albums that I've listened to, but as a two-disc conceptual release, it's one that deserves some credit. I don't listen to it nearly as much as I used to, but I still can honor it as an album that influenced me to get involved in music technology. WIthout "The Fragile" I may not have considered moving to Boston to pursue a degree in music synthesis. Even despite it's 23 song span, I still find myself listening to it all the way through.
6. Damien Rice - O
This album simply reminds me of high school. I enjoyed performing his songs with a female friend of mine, and when available, a cellist. After listening to so much alternative and layered music, Damien Rice showed me simplicity and focus on good songwriting. The use of wine glasses for percussion on "Cheers Darlin" is sheer perfection.
7. Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R
"Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstacy, and alcohol. Cocaine." Starting off an album with those lyrics? It's just amazing. Queens have some way of taking alternative music and mixing it with catchy melodies and making it all work. They can be heavy and gentle at the exact same time. They're eerie and comforting. Having multiple singers and leads depending on song just makes sense. I have a weak spot for Mark Lanegan's gritty voice. It's too bad he never made it on the new album.
8. Aqualung - Strange & Beautiful
I'm not quite sure how many hundreds of times I listened to this album when I got it, but it's just beautiful. It's so relaxing from start to finish. I don't find myself listening to it as much anymore, probably because I associate it with a past relationship, but it's still something that deserves some credit. There's not really much more to it than that.
9. Viva Voce - Lovers, Lead the Way!
This album also reminds me of a same past relationship, hence following Aqualung in chronology, but I still listen to it on a regular basis. Nostalgia takes me to the days of spending hours at Luna Music in Indiana and just picking up random CD's to listen to. This one was on display and the opening track is just epic. It explodes into a wall of strings, piano, and drums and doesn't come down until the album finishes 15 songs later. It was one of the first dreamy albums I ever got into.
10. The Roots - The Tipping Point
I had always been a baller and listened to hip-hop, but it wasn't until the Roots released "The Tipping Point" that I actually thought the genre could have some serious talent. I don't mean it was the first time I'd heard quality rap lyrical talent, because I would never diminish old school artists like Dre and Snoop (the list could go on and on), but Black Thought rapped about relevant topics instead of talking about drugs and hoes. For a live band to perform hip-hop, well, that was unheard of as far as I knew. And when I saw them live, they put on a rock show, not a rap show. I pumped "The Tipping Point" all through senior year of high school. I'm really psyched to see them as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
11. Mellowdrone - Box
I discovered Mellowdrone after reading an article comparing him to Beck. I honestly didn't see any similarities at all, but I found the album to be brilliant. It's a good blend of live instruments and electronic programming, and I love it. I was also intrigued when I learned he went to Berklee in Boston and decided to leave because he disliked the city so much. (I think I can relate...) Regardless, I found a version of "Box" with a bonus track that covers Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" that is surprisingly, for lack of a better word, amazing. Overall, the album just makes me feel good.
12. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
Brand New was my medicine for helping me bid farewell to my hometown of Carmel, Indiana. While I discovered the album after I'd already been away for a year, it still took me some time to move on from my past. I still remember sitting in my car in the parking lot of Max and Erma's and turning up this album as loud as my speakers could handle. It was the most therapeutic method I knew, and helped me to overcome a lot of frustration with the distance.
13. M. Ward - Post-War
I don't typically fall in love with artists that my friends recommend. I'm not exactly sure why. It's not that I'm close-minded but I generally gravitate toward artists "find me." My friend gave me an M. Ward album and I instantly loved it. It soothed and relaxed me in a way that most other songwriters don't. I still listen to this album multiple times in one week.
14. Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead
While there are still some quality albums being released by modern artists, Phantom Planet really caught me by surprise. I'd always been a fan of their music, but when I'd heard they were putting out a new album in 2008, I couldn't help but be skeptical. However, I didn't even get past the first song before I was blown away. From start to finish, Raise the Dead is an uplifting experience. It's a wonder that Phantom Planet never saw much success other than their hit television theme contribution.
15. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
While I just found this album, I felt it deserved some recognition. It hasn't defined any major experiences yet, but since they are from Portland, it has given me some hope in moving there. And I honestly couldn't decide between this album and their "Love & Distance," but I went with this one because it's the one that introduced me to their music. There's just something about this genre (I'm not sure what to call it: ambient, dream pop, indie?) that I've been finding a lot of comfort in, especially with the state of everything today and having to spend a month looking for a new job. The Helio Sequence just helps me escape and puts me in another place that I don't leave.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
News and More News!
Beautiful Lies news:
As we are continuing to work on the new album, we've all decided a little more blog action would be appropriate. Whether or not that means we talk about the album, well, that gets repetitive after a while. We'll have a track listing as well as a title very soon. We do have some other exciting news though!
Beautiful Lies is releasing an EP just before Christmas. We figured there's nothing better to give your loved ones than a CD full of hits, including "Untitled" and newly recorded versions of the classics "Cold" and "All Because of You." There will be one or two other songs on it as well, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise just yet...
Obviously it's too early to be playing holiday music, but once Thanksgiving is over, we're open to the idea of recording a Christmas song. What would be a good holiday song for BL to cover? Send us your thoughts and suggestions!
In other news:
I've been working on this electronic/pop project, and it's going to be completed by Christmas as well. It features hits such as "Light My Cigarette" and "Put Some Butter On It." There's also a demo of "Trapped" on my page (myspace.com/nickmcleanmusic). When the rest is done, I'll probably post it there as well. Word on the street says there may be an exclusive dance party this weekend to debut it.
Also check out Zach's new blog at http://www.theonelove.org/zachmclean.
As we are continuing to work on the new album, we've all decided a little more blog action would be appropriate. Whether or not that means we talk about the album, well, that gets repetitive after a while. We'll have a track listing as well as a title very soon. We do have some other exciting news though!
Beautiful Lies is releasing an EP just before Christmas. We figured there's nothing better to give your loved ones than a CD full of hits, including "Untitled" and newly recorded versions of the classics "Cold" and "All Because of You." There will be one or two other songs on it as well, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise just yet...
Obviously it's too early to be playing holiday music, but once Thanksgiving is over, we're open to the idea of recording a Christmas song. What would be a good holiday song for BL to cover? Send us your thoughts and suggestions!
In other news:
I've been working on this electronic/pop project, and it's going to be completed by Christmas as well. It features hits such as "Light My Cigarette" and "Put Some Butter On It." There's also a demo of "Trapped" on my page (myspace.com/nickmcleanmusic). When the rest is done, I'll probably post it there as well. Word on the street says there may be an exclusive dance party this weekend to debut it.
Also check out Zach's new blog at http://www.theonelove.org/zachmclean.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Croatia Pt. 1
I've begun to realize that as we are getting farther into this tour and deeper into Europe, the ability to access the internet has been diminishing each day. It's not something I am dependent on by any means, but I think losing contact with friends and family starts to make one feel homesick. I'm still having a great time and the shows have been going great, but it's starting to take a toll on me. Several negative things have happened to each of us that could have had better timing, but we're doing our best to keep the morale high.
We parted ways with Phil and met up with a new group to join us on our journey. They're an acoustic pop duo with some electronic beats by the name of Cargo City. They're a very talented and friendly group from Germany. Both of their names are... challenging to pronounce, so we have been calling them Simon and Johnny.
After playing in Switzerland and staying having a night off in Munich, we went to Vienna, Austria (3/24). The venue was called B72, and it was definitely different than the other places we've played, as it was a smaller place but had two floors for people to watch the bands play. We played again with Slimboy, a Swiss pop-punk band that we played with in Bern.
I'd say this was the show that started off all the technical difficulties to come, but nothing too major to prevent us from performing to our full potential. For example, during the show, each band member lost power to their own amp or keyboard at some point in time. We still performed as well as any other show, and I even got down on the audience floor to get the crowd to sing with me during "Untitled." I've never tried this before, but I'm sure I will do it again now.
I love the German food called doner, but I'm sick of it... Regardless, we got to check out Vienna during the day and even saw a castle. It was pretty interesting:
Our next show led us to Croatia (3/25). We performed at a nice club in Zagreb called KSET. Upon our arrival, I opened my guitar case to find that one of the tuning pegs on my guitar had broken. One guitar stolen, another one broken. Great times, right? I spent some time backstage working out the parts without the one string, however, and went on with no problems. We got to try the authentic Croatian style pizza that had some sort of ham and mushrooms on it. It was alright. Anyway, Cargo City played right before us, playing some very catchy pop tunes. Johnny's bass stopped working halfway through their set, so he had to borrow Alex's. Oh don't worry, that's not the last thing to go wrong. It's almost more amusing to me at this point, just to see what's next.
On Wednesday (3/26), we woke up and ventured into Zagreb to see the city. It was very, very different than the other European cities we've seen up to this point. There were a lot more merchants and small shops, with simpler architecture. We split off and did some souvenir shopping. I got a hand-carved wooden fish bottle opener and an amazing pair of shoes (made in Italy!) that I can't wait to wear, as well as a nice little gift for a special someone.
After wandering all day, we drove to Varazdin. The venue actually turned out to be in the basement of a high school, which naturally brought in a large crowd of students. We met a lot of great people at this show, both through the staff and the audience. The strange thing about this show was that it turned out to be a mixture of... well, our worst and our best show. What I mean is everything was working perfectly fine during the sound check, but as soon as kicked into the climax of our intro song, one of the amplifiers we were borrowing from the opening band just stopped working. We extended the intro to see if Zach could figure it out, in an effort to play it off as if nothing had happened, but there was no getting around it. One song into the set and we just said "Who cares?" and I played the rest of the set on keys.
That's what I would call the worst part of the show. On the other end of the spectrum, we rocked harder than I think we ever have. Our performance alone was... off the chain. There's no other way to explain it. Where we lacked in working equipment we made up for in our showmanship. And the audience really appreciated that, as the definitely showed how much they enjoyed it. They requested an encore, and "The Answer is Always C" came out once again. It was our best selling merch night too, and we signed several CDs and shirts and talked to a lot of new faces. It just goes to show how important it is to play through anything, no matter what may happen during a set, because you can't let it affect the outcome.
We parted ways with Phil and met up with a new group to join us on our journey. They're an acoustic pop duo with some electronic beats by the name of Cargo City. They're a very talented and friendly group from Germany. Both of their names are... challenging to pronounce, so we have been calling them Simon and Johnny.
After playing in Switzerland and staying having a night off in Munich, we went to Vienna, Austria (3/24). The venue was called B72, and it was definitely different than the other places we've played, as it was a smaller place but had two floors for people to watch the bands play. We played again with Slimboy, a Swiss pop-punk band that we played with in Bern.
I'd say this was the show that started off all the technical difficulties to come, but nothing too major to prevent us from performing to our full potential. For example, during the show, each band member lost power to their own amp or keyboard at some point in time. We still performed as well as any other show, and I even got down on the audience floor to get the crowd to sing with me during "Untitled." I've never tried this before, but I'm sure I will do it again now.
I love the German food called doner, but I'm sick of it... Regardless, we got to check out Vienna during the day and even saw a castle. It was pretty interesting:
Our next show led us to Croatia (3/25). We performed at a nice club in Zagreb called KSET. Upon our arrival, I opened my guitar case to find that one of the tuning pegs on my guitar had broken. One guitar stolen, another one broken. Great times, right? I spent some time backstage working out the parts without the one string, however, and went on with no problems. We got to try the authentic Croatian style pizza that had some sort of ham and mushrooms on it. It was alright. Anyway, Cargo City played right before us, playing some very catchy pop tunes. Johnny's bass stopped working halfway through their set, so he had to borrow Alex's. Oh don't worry, that's not the last thing to go wrong. It's almost more amusing to me at this point, just to see what's next.
On Wednesday (3/26), we woke up and ventured into Zagreb to see the city. It was very, very different than the other European cities we've seen up to this point. There were a lot more merchants and small shops, with simpler architecture. We split off and did some souvenir shopping. I got a hand-carved wooden fish bottle opener and an amazing pair of shoes (made in Italy!) that I can't wait to wear, as well as a nice little gift for a special someone.
After wandering all day, we drove to Varazdin. The venue actually turned out to be in the basement of a high school, which naturally brought in a large crowd of students. We met a lot of great people at this show, both through the staff and the audience. The strange thing about this show was that it turned out to be a mixture of... well, our worst and our best show. What I mean is everything was working perfectly fine during the sound check, but as soon as kicked into the climax of our intro song, one of the amplifiers we were borrowing from the opening band just stopped working. We extended the intro to see if Zach could figure it out, in an effort to play it off as if nothing had happened, but there was no getting around it. One song into the set and we just said "Who cares?" and I played the rest of the set on keys.
That's what I would call the worst part of the show. On the other end of the spectrum, we rocked harder than I think we ever have. Our performance alone was... off the chain. There's no other way to explain it. Where we lacked in working equipment we made up for in our showmanship. And the audience really appreciated that, as the definitely showed how much they enjoyed it. They requested an encore, and "The Answer is Always C" came out once again. It was our best selling merch night too, and we signed several CDs and shirts and talked to a lot of new faces. It just goes to show how important it is to play through anything, no matter what may happen during a set, because you can't let it affect the outcome.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Switzerland: Basel & Bern
I may have spoken too soon when I claimed that Germany was my favorite country on this tour. It's really hard to say if there really is one that stands out to me anymore. Each country has its own amazing and unique qualities that leave me always wanting more.
We recently spent a few days in Switzerland, playing two shows in Basel and Bern, followed by a day off to see the scenery. The reception of Beautiful Lies in both cities was incredible, much to my surprise. The crowds have varied greatly in age as well, but supportive nonetheless.
Our first show in Switzerland happened in Basel on Friday (March 21), where we performed at a large club called Sommercasino. The crowd here was even bigger than the night in Cologne. I'm not really sure how many people there were actually, but the pictures can show that the club was definitely packed. The venue also had the best sound of all of the venues so far. And much to our luck, they spoiled us with great food and drinks.
We've taken on a pretty standard set at this point, and I was extremely shocked to see the crowd begin to mosh to "The End," as that may be one of our slowest songs. We altered the set on the fly as well to perform "The Answer Is Always C," in order to keep the intensity and speed going for those who wanted to jump around. We ended up meeting a lot of people at the merch table afterwards, even to the point where we were taking so long to clear out that the staff had to ask many lingering audience members to leave the venue. The band even ended up hanging out with a few of new people we met after we cleared out as well.
Saturday morning brought us to the beautiful city of Bern. It was a smaller acoustic show in the front room of the promoter's store, but it allowed for a more intimate and personal setting. Some random people we met the night before even came by to watch the show and spend the evening with us. Unfortunately, it was also Phil's last night traveling with us. He was so compelled to perform with us, which was quite alright because he's so talented... what I mean is instead of his normal appearance on "Save Yourself," he ended up playing seven songs in addition to this, all of which were completely unrehearsed but still wonderful.
After the show, a huge group of us went out on the town. Mike turned 21 at midnight, and even though it's not a big deal in Europe, we still made sure he had a great time celebrating his birthday. We definitely made some great friends and memories that night.
Since we only got to see Bern at night, we all decided to go into the city to see the sights and be tourists. As this is probably one of my favorite scenic places on the trip, I probably took more pictures and videos than anywhere else. Here's just a small taste of Bern:
As I'm writing this now, we're driving through the Alps after an afternoon in Munich, Germany. I really never expected to see so much in two and a half weeks... I have a lot of pictures that just aren't uploading at the time. I have been holding out on posting so I figured I would just post as many pictures as possible on a later date.
We recently spent a few days in Switzerland, playing two shows in Basel and Bern, followed by a day off to see the scenery. The reception of Beautiful Lies in both cities was incredible, much to my surprise. The crowds have varied greatly in age as well, but supportive nonetheless.
Our first show in Switzerland happened in Basel on Friday (March 21), where we performed at a large club called Sommercasino. The crowd here was even bigger than the night in Cologne. I'm not really sure how many people there were actually, but the pictures can show that the club was definitely packed. The venue also had the best sound of all of the venues so far. And much to our luck, they spoiled us with great food and drinks.
We've taken on a pretty standard set at this point, and I was extremely shocked to see the crowd begin to mosh to "The End," as that may be one of our slowest songs. We altered the set on the fly as well to perform "The Answer Is Always C," in order to keep the intensity and speed going for those who wanted to jump around. We ended up meeting a lot of people at the merch table afterwards, even to the point where we were taking so long to clear out that the staff had to ask many lingering audience members to leave the venue. The band even ended up hanging out with a few of new people we met after we cleared out as well.
Saturday morning brought us to the beautiful city of Bern. It was a smaller acoustic show in the front room of the promoter's store, but it allowed for a more intimate and personal setting. Some random people we met the night before even came by to watch the show and spend the evening with us. Unfortunately, it was also Phil's last night traveling with us. He was so compelled to perform with us, which was quite alright because he's so talented... what I mean is instead of his normal appearance on "Save Yourself," he ended up playing seven songs in addition to this, all of which were completely unrehearsed but still wonderful.
After the show, a huge group of us went out on the town. Mike turned 21 at midnight, and even though it's not a big deal in Europe, we still made sure he had a great time celebrating his birthday. We definitely made some great friends and memories that night.
Since we only got to see Bern at night, we all decided to go into the city to see the sights and be tourists. As this is probably one of my favorite scenic places on the trip, I probably took more pictures and videos than anywhere else. Here's just a small taste of Bern:
As I'm writing this now, we're driving through the Alps after an afternoon in Munich, Germany. I really never expected to see so much in two and a half weeks... I have a lot of pictures that just aren't uploading at the time. I have been holding out on posting so I figured I would just post as many pictures as possible on a later date.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Back to Germany: Cologne & Mannheim
To be completely honest, I have to admit that I probably have enjoyed my travels in Germany the most. Not only is the area around very nice to observe, the people here have been very accommodating. Amazing clubs and amazing people... well, what more can you ask for?
We got to take another ferry back from Denmark, but unfortunately we found no ball pits or anything like the first ferry. We actually were the last car off the boat due to some of the others lagging behind.
We performed in Cologne, Germany at an amazing club called All Area. Pull A Star Trip opened the night off with a great acoustic set featuring Steffen and Philip, followed by Beautiful Lies. It was probably one of the bigger crowds we've performed in front of on this tour, as everyone was having a great time as they packed the room. It was also very nice to meet a few new faces, as our good friend and producer Phil had invited some old friends who came to the show. I also got to see a couple friends who I met last summer at a Beautiful Lies cafe show at Berklee.
After the show we ventured to see the Koelner Dom. I wish there was a better way to show the massive size of this church, as it was even too big for my camera to properly capture it. It was also a little difficult because it was nighttime. But I took a few different shots of it:
Thursday brought us back to Steffen's hometown of Mannheim. We played stripped down set at Cafe Nelson, which was just around the corner from Steffen's apartment. A band from Switzerland called Slimboy opened the night, followed by Pull A Star Trip and then Beautiful Lies. Phil from Pull A Star Trip accompanied us on cello for "Save Yourself." After we finished our last song, the audience requested an encore, and we played "El Scorcho." And after that... another encore was requested. We've never really had that kind of thing happen, but it was very flattering. Phil joined us for the second encore, performing the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind." We'd never even rehearsed it with him before but it worked out wonderfully.
The next morning, we woke up to an amazing home-cooked meal courtesy of Phil. Two days in Switzerland follow our Germany dates. More to come soon.
We got to take another ferry back from Denmark, but unfortunately we found no ball pits or anything like the first ferry. We actually were the last car off the boat due to some of the others lagging behind.
We performed in Cologne, Germany at an amazing club called All Area. Pull A Star Trip opened the night off with a great acoustic set featuring Steffen and Philip, followed by Beautiful Lies. It was probably one of the bigger crowds we've performed in front of on this tour, as everyone was having a great time as they packed the room. It was also very nice to meet a few new faces, as our good friend and producer Phil had invited some old friends who came to the show. I also got to see a couple friends who I met last summer at a Beautiful Lies cafe show at Berklee.
After the show we ventured to see the Koelner Dom. I wish there was a better way to show the massive size of this church, as it was even too big for my camera to properly capture it. It was also a little difficult because it was nighttime. But I took a few different shots of it:
Thursday brought us back to Steffen's hometown of Mannheim. We played stripped down set at Cafe Nelson, which was just around the corner from Steffen's apartment. A band from Switzerland called Slimboy opened the night, followed by Pull A Star Trip and then Beautiful Lies. Phil from Pull A Star Trip accompanied us on cello for "Save Yourself." After we finished our last song, the audience requested an encore, and we played "El Scorcho." And after that... another encore was requested. We've never really had that kind of thing happen, but it was very flattering. Phil joined us for the second encore, performing the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind." We'd never even rehearsed it with him before but it worked out wonderfully.
The next morning, we woke up to an amazing home-cooked meal courtesy of Phil. Two days in Switzerland follow our Germany dates. More to come soon.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sweden / Denmark
It's been a few days since the last time I posted about the shows, and a lot has happened as well. While the people in Germany have been amazingly nice to everyone of us, the scenery in Sweden has been beautiful. I was talking with Steffen about it all... I plan on coming back to Germany for as long as I possibly can... but we have to make a weekend trip to Sweden. It's just beautiful. I don't really know what other way to put it. Pictures always speak much more than words, so I figured I'd just let photographs explain our time in Stockholm, Sweden:
Later that night, we played a show in Uppsala, Sweden. It was at a nice little cafe place called the Grand Cafe. The staff was very nice and fed us a great meal of authentic pasta salad. We followed a band that sounded a lot like the Strokes. Afterwards, we went out to a small pub in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
The next morning, we travelled a long, cold day over to Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the city. It turns out I woke up in the middle of the afternoon in the van and everyone else was gone. It was the first time I had slept all through the afternoon and didn't even wake up when we stopped. i just found myself waking up next to a huge store called the New Yorker in the middle of Copenhagen. I thought I was alone as well, but much to my surprise, Philip was sleeping in the bench seat in front of me. Even though I missed out on the daytime in Copenhagen, the city was very beautiful.
We then played a show that night at a small venue called Lades. It was much like a basement looking club. The opening band was really cool, combining live electric and acoustic guitars with a lot of electronics. We then played a nice electric set where we played El Scorcho for the first time on this tour. We've been working out an extended bridge during the middle of The End which we played for the first time on the tour as well. Even though it's a few shows into the whole trip, it felt like the group was finally becoming much tighter, as it's only been a few shows with Mike.
Afterwards, we talked with some of the locals and met a lot of nice people. At some point in the night, the whole group traveled to a blues bar down the road, where Philip ended up getting on stage and jamming with the local blues guitarist. I have never seen anything like it... Philip is amazing at what he does, and probably jammed for about 20 minutes on stage.... unrehearsed... just purely phenomenal. I got a good 10 minute video from the whole journey, too.
We followed that day with a long trip back to Germany. Beautiful Lies and Pull A Star Trip spent the afternoon with a nice journey by van and ferry (which consisted of over 9 hours). Much sleeping took place in the van, and thank goodness I never have to drive because I really needed to sleep. I'll miss Sweden though. It's cold there, but not to our surprise as we're used to the chill of the air in Boston. I do hope to go back. Two shows in Germany to report on in the near future. I'l be writing about those shows soon and very soon.
Later that night, we played a show in Uppsala, Sweden. It was at a nice little cafe place called the Grand Cafe. The staff was very nice and fed us a great meal of authentic pasta salad. We followed a band that sounded a lot like the Strokes. Afterwards, we went out to a small pub in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
The next morning, we travelled a long, cold day over to Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the city. It turns out I woke up in the middle of the afternoon in the van and everyone else was gone. It was the first time I had slept all through the afternoon and didn't even wake up when we stopped. i just found myself waking up next to a huge store called the New Yorker in the middle of Copenhagen. I thought I was alone as well, but much to my surprise, Philip was sleeping in the bench seat in front of me. Even though I missed out on the daytime in Copenhagen, the city was very beautiful.
We then played a show that night at a small venue called Lades. It was much like a basement looking club. The opening band was really cool, combining live electric and acoustic guitars with a lot of electronics. We then played a nice electric set where we played El Scorcho for the first time on this tour. We've been working out an extended bridge during the middle of The End which we played for the first time on the tour as well. Even though it's a few shows into the whole trip, it felt like the group was finally becoming much tighter, as it's only been a few shows with Mike.
Afterwards, we talked with some of the locals and met a lot of nice people. At some point in the night, the whole group traveled to a blues bar down the road, where Philip ended up getting on stage and jamming with the local blues guitarist. I have never seen anything like it... Philip is amazing at what he does, and probably jammed for about 20 minutes on stage.... unrehearsed... just purely phenomenal. I got a good 10 minute video from the whole journey, too.
We followed that day with a long trip back to Germany. Beautiful Lies and Pull A Star Trip spent the afternoon with a nice journey by van and ferry (which consisted of over 9 hours). Much sleeping took place in the van, and thank goodness I never have to drive because I really needed to sleep. I'll miss Sweden though. It's cold there, but not to our surprise as we're used to the chill of the air in Boston. I do hope to go back. Two shows in Germany to report on in the near future. I'l be writing about those shows soon and very soon.
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