Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Music Monday: Punch Brothers and Carnegie Hall

Friday night I had the opportunity to see my favorite band, Punch Brothers, play Carnegie Hall. You know, the one in New York. I have been to both the Carnegie Music Hall and Carnegie Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh in the past year and this one in New York is much bigger, though the stage doesn't look that different. I've seen Punch Brothers several times in a variety of different places from the Allen Room at the Time Warner Center to the Bowery Ballroom over three years ago.

Yes I took a picture, don't tell, ok.

Though it was large and some of the intimacy was lost, it was a wonderful setting to hear this music. I still can not get over the acoustics, even though I was up in the balcony, several flights of stairs above the band, I could easily make out every note and though I had heard all of the songs played live or on a recording I noticed many nuances that were lost before. I think as a band they played up the incredible sound they had in this space and took more advantage of crescendo and decrescendo in their music. This probably was my favorite element of the concert hearing all the different aspects of their playing kept me riveted. The only thing I really missed was the song It'll Happen, which is a favorite of mine, evidenced by the number of time itunes says I've played it. Though I only noticed that I missed it when a friend mentioned how beautiful it is as an offset to the song Sometimes.

Set list:
Don't Need No
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Sometimes
Reptilla
This is the Song/Good Luck
The Blind Leaving the Blind: 3rd mvt
Wayside (back in time)
Welcome Home
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048, 3. Allegro
Punch Bowl
Alex
The Blind Leaving the Blind: 4th mvt
Martha My Dear
Lonesome River
Watch at Breakdown
Rye Whiskey
Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Can
The Eleventh Reel

I just have to note that I felt really weird seeing these guys play in such a big hall. One of my favorite things about this type of music is how accessible the musicians are and what a great community it fosters. I have a number of stories of the nice people I meet at these types of shows and knowing I'm at the right club because I see the musicians as I'm walking in. So it was strange walking in and seeing few familiar faces (though Tony Trischka was outside when I was waiting to meet my friends) and the boys being so far away. That and the after show with a list, that's just crazy.

Does stuff like this happen to anyone else?

I was waiting to cross Seventh Ave in Manhattan today headed toward some fabric stores when a woman asked me if she could cross the street with me. I had no problem with that so we waited for the light to turn. When it did, she put her hand on my bent arm that I was resting on my purse, we crossed that street and she thanked me and went on her way. I did not expect her to touch me at all, just that we would walk across the street side by side.

She was probably five to ten years older than me, dressed business casual and in heels. And she didn't pickpocket me or try to accost me in any way. The whole thing was just odd. New York City can be a very strange place.

Things to make

I've got a bit of time on my hands these days. While I'm trying to keep busy churning the job applications out, it is not a full time job. Things are slowly falling into place at my new/old apartment. So in the meantime I'm coming up with new ways to occupy my time, which will include baking, cooking and more knitting. Well the new knitting will have to wait a bit until a few things are finished.

If I get really ambitious I'll start that etsy store I've been meaning open for years.

grammar police

Spotted on my walk/run this morning; the grammar police are in full effect in Park Slope.
I haven't had much to report on music wise, though I have started seeing shows again, though nothing really super yet. There are some acts coming up that I really want to see. Unfortunately some of those are before I'm moving back for good, such as WPA, Vienna Teng and Elizabeth and the Catapult. I guess I'll catch them next time they play.

My music scene

This blog post explains a lot about the NYC music scene which I can't often put into words. Basically it is what it is and the genre fusions that are going on there make complete sense in a place where the industry does not rule the downtown clubs. Though the audience is a large part of this as well, because they are open to all of this genre bending.

Yeah, I just can't say it as well.

Last night

I dreamed that we were in midtown and it was snowing. You needed to go to the west side. I walked down the street and asked you for the street number of a building. "Three thirty-three," you said. I realized you were on the north side of the street so we turned left and started walking. The city was quiet, still and white and the buildings felt so close together. I was cold, so you gave me your blazer and put your arms around me.

Even in dreams it's still kind of surprising what I can remember.

Subtle differences

I made a quick visit to NYC this weekend, where I witnessed one small difference between that city and the environment I find myself in here in Pittsburgh. Maybe it is the educational nature of the community here, but I do find that in Pittsburgh two common small talk questions have been replaced or slightly reworded.

In NYC a common small talk question is "What do you do?" and here it is replaced by "Where did you go to school/college/university?" And then in NYC the person you're talking to will often ask "Where do you live", i.e. what borough, neighborhood, county, etc. Here that question becomes, "Where are you from?", which I never know how to answer anymore.

pictures

I start a new semester in just a few days and am unhappy to see December slip away and beginning the descent into January.

I hope that 2009 brings more pictures like these.

Good things

I was going to post all the things I'm missing about NYC, but instead I have come up with a few decent things to be happy about here.

I found a good yoga studio that's closer to my house than Park Slope yoga was. And they play the Beatles during yoga class and have ac, but not too much ac.

Carrie Rodriguez will be in Pittsburgh in December. Hurrah! Let's hope more good NYC acts will follow. I thinking of a few groups that may start with the letter P. You know, for Pittsburgh. Think of the alliteration.

Not necessarily pro-Pitt, but I did find a cheap flight to NYC for Columbus day weekend. Sadly I will not be able to stay through Tuesday night. Now to find the wormhole that drops me into the LES. I miss the LES dearly.

When I Come Back Down...

Something about leaving NY makes me think of this song, even though the song really has little to do with what is happening.

And just for kicks, here's favorite banjo player's rendition.

Damn, I'm going to miss this.

Saw an awesome band last night, the prigs at the rockwood. Too bad I can't seem to get their CD anywhere. I caught the tail end of the set before, which I instantly wished I'd seen too, Jeff Taylor and Elizabeth Ziman.

All summer I've been picking random shows to go to by finding people who play with other artists I like. A lot of this music has started with Chris Thile/Punch Brothers/Michael Daves. And so far it really hasn't disappointed me and it isn't all country bluegrass, it's just good. Because really good music is good and bad music is bad. And there is a lot of good music in NYC. I just hope that Pittsburgh has a good music scene too. Though I'll be starting from scratch there.

An eventful half hour, well to me...

Tuesday evening I on my way to a friend's house for a small get together. And it was an eventful trip there. Well the whole evening was eventful, but certainly not as odd as my trip into the East Village.

When I got on the full train at herald square an older asian woman offered me her seat. I declined, but then realized she probably thought I looked pregnant in my babydoll dress and was not helped by my slouchy posture. I do pilates, I should not look like I'm going to give birth. I spent the rest of the ride trying to stand as straight as I could.

I got off the subway and started walking over into the East Village. Just past Lafayette I see a blond woman checking messages on her cell phone. The blond woman caught my eye as it was none other than Debbie Harry. I was slightly tempted to scream out, "Call me!" to her, but tried to keep my calm, cool celebrities are dull face. But it is kind of awesome to see someone who is so damned cool.

I walk a little farther and see a guy in a vintage Gale Catlett basketball camp t-shirt. This is really only interesting to the Morgantown crowd, as we went to school with his daughter, but still pretty random to see in the E.V.

Then lots of fun and hilarity insued and I ended up at the delancey street stop at midnight kicking myself for not leaving the living room earlier. Though on the other hand I think I finally really appreciate the fine work of the 5 deadly venoms.

not ready for morning

I've been trying to pack up this week and stressing that everything won't fit in the car come Sunday. While work and going out has been a welcome distraction, I am also very tired. And I guess that's why I fell out of bed this morning. Unless the red wine I had last night was so good that it knocked my body off its equilibrium.

Carrie Rodriguez at Joe's Pub last night was wonderful and Joe's Pub is a better venue than I thought it would be. It's just too bad that all I could think about during the show was silly stuff like packing and all the errands I had to run. sigh.

I just looked up the website for Carrie Rodriguez and it says that she's the free download of the week on itunes. So go download Infinite Night for free. I can tell you already that it's a great song. Plus she'll be on Mountain Stage and Austin City Limits soon. Awesome.

So my head did not explode the way I said it would

I had one of those NYC crazy moments last night, the kind that make my jaw drop. I got backstage to be introduced to Chris Thile last night, but that wasn’t the craziest part. After we had been introduced, I turn around and he’s talking to Renee Fleming. My jaw dropped and I may have kind of freaked out a little. I turned to my friend and tried to whisper in my tiniest voice, “That’s Renee Fleming”. And she didn’t even know who that was. I don't think anyone else there knew who she was really, well except for Chris Thile.

And after we left I had to call my mother right away. I had a feeling that a musicologist would appreciate such a thing. And also I think it's kind of cool that Renee Fleming would come see this band that I love so much.

And the setlist:
11th reel
Wayside (back in time)
Punch Bowl
1st movement
Ocean of diamonds
It’ll happen
Watch at Breakdown
Heart in a cage
3rd movement
4th movement
Brakeman’s Blues

Encore:
Poor Places
Molly and the Tenbrooks

And really now, how can I leave when things like this happen?

Crooked Still/Infamous Stringdusters/Chatham County Line

I saw this trio of bands play the Bowery Ballroom last Wednesday, all in all it was a good show, even though there were far more obnoxious drunk people than I am used to. Crooked Still was awesome, but my favorite part of the show was when Chatham County Line came and played in the audience at the end of their set. I thought they were done and then they're in the audience jamming. I have never seen any band/performer do that, but it was great and they finished with one of my favorites "Handle with Care". Actually it was kind of like this:



PS the videos are obviously not mine, so thanks to whomever posted them.