Well… Friday was fun. The Non-Commissioned Officers sounded good. It was cool to hear (some of) the movie soundtrack tunes performed. A lot of Lehnings were there… Jordan and Eric on stage, their mom (who guested on vocals on the band’s last song, a Joy Division cover), and Jason who mixed our album. I was impressed with Eric’s vocals… I had met him in Nashville when we were down there for mixing and didn’t take him to be the lead singer type, but he proved me wrong. You just wait… those Lehnings will take over the world someday.
The band they opened for, though, blew me away. “Detachment Kit.” They rocked so hard, and unexpectedly so. The band’s myspace claims they are a “jam band” and I’ll call that quite a misnomer. “That was the hardest I’ve rocked with a turtleneck on.” –Rob. Exactly. The music was “smart,” too, not just rockin’… I don’t really want to try and describe it, but it was pretty innovative. And they really looked the part (I’m sorry but that did add to the show). They had a guy who I would have said was the keyboardist, except he played tambourine for 95% of the show with the keyboard laying untouched in front of him. And by “played tambourine” I mean “totally freaked out on tambourine.” Yeah. Again, adding to the show.
There was also a brief visit with Sabrina outside the club pre-show and some crepes at a hole-in-the-wall joint up the road from Pianos post-show. The music there was way too danceable for a hole-in-the-wall crepe place.
Saturday night I made hot mulled cider that came out a little too sweet… then some of us went out, first to Bruxelle’s and then to the Old Village Inn for a bunch of appetizers and a bunch of discussion about life, jobs, and music… Sunday Rob and I hit Hook Mountain for some picnicking and Philsbeeing (our beloved paper plate frisbee). We watched The Squid and the Whale at night, which Rob built up to be “the lighter side of divorce.” Jeff Daniels was great in it… overall I liked the acting but the subject matter was, maybe needless to say, uncomfortable. …overall it was a pretty low-key weekend, the first in a while, and mostly consisted of apartment-ing and playing with the kitties.
And here I am, back at work on Monday. Exit without looking: PEACE!
Monday, October 16, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Back to the Village
So looking forward to this: tomorrow night we're going into the city to see a band called The Non-Commissioned Officers at a place called Pianos. Why are we going to see this band? Because it has 2 Lehnings in it (see recent entries), Jordan and Eric. Eric has written/directed and acted in an independent "zombie" movie called Make Out with Violence, and Jordan scored it, and this band will be playing selections from said score. Totally stoked. When we first interviewed Jordan last year he brought in a 9-song demo including some tracks he did for the movie, and I've been listening to it ever since.
Wouldn't it be cool to spend some time in Canada (he said to himself)? Montreal-ish? Toying with the idea of more school in the future and where it would be. The European culture, I could work on my French... I don't know, just musing, but it's a neat thought, living there for a while, having that be a chapter in my life...
Work is work. The band... has finally, FINALLY, received its final mastered copy of the CD. We have been working with local artist Paul Kostabi on album artwork, so once we complete that, along with the liner notes, and send it off for duplication, we should be good to go... in the meantime, we are meeting with our "booking guy" Mike Branning about playing shows around New York (city and state) this fall, branching out from Nyack. Stay tuned...
Wouldn't it be cool to spend some time in Canada (he said to himself)? Montreal-ish? Toying with the idea of more school in the future and where it would be. The European culture, I could work on my French... I don't know, just musing, but it's a neat thought, living there for a while, having that be a chapter in my life...
Work is work. The band... has finally, FINALLY, received its final mastered copy of the CD. We have been working with local artist Paul Kostabi on album artwork, so once we complete that, along with the liner notes, and send it off for duplication, we should be good to go... in the meantime, we are meeting with our "booking guy" Mike Branning about playing shows around New York (city and state) this fall, branching out from Nyack. Stay tuned...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Make Out with Violence
Type this into YouTube.com... it's a trailer for Eric Lehning's movie. It looks... way more legit than I imagined it, I have to say. And you can hear Jordan's music in the background.
Friday, October 06, 2006
The autumn leaves...
Man… I miss a rhythm section. No bassists or drummers to play jazz with around here. I mean, other than posting a couple ads on craigslist, I haven’t really looked, but… eh! We have this legit Clavinova at our increasingly-more-apartment-y apartment (kitties, new kitchen table, restaurant-style pepper mill… heh) and… I’m just jammin’ on it by myself. It’s a travesty, I tell you.
Best idea ever (credit to Rob on this one): a STEERING WHEEL WITH A KEYBOARD IN IT. Picture it… 3 octaves or so, not very long keys obviously, but… you could comp along to your favorite tunes –and- still have your hands on the wheel! Genius.
Best idea ever (credit to Rob on this one): a STEERING WHEEL WITH A KEYBOARD IN IT. Picture it… 3 octaves or so, not very long keys obviously, but… you could comp along to your favorite tunes –and- still have your hands on the wheel! Genius.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Lehning madness
So… a “plug” for two bands I’ve been listening to lately.
Our producer for “Mode to Joy” (the Glint album) was a guy named Jordan Lehning. We met Jordan in Boston last year when we were interviewing potential producers and engineers for the aforementioned album. He came in and totally blew us away with us hip, Beck-meets-Brian Eno original music. He is a multi-instrumentalist to say the least, studied film scoring at Berklee, and comes from a very musical family: his dad Kyle is a well-known producer down in Nashville (where the family is from); his older brother Jason is an “everything man” (Jordan really is too, to be fair) and does producing, runs a mixing studio and has worked with Guster and Alison Krauss in this capacity (he also mixed our album), and plays keyboards; another brother Eric(?) makes movies… bottom line, I’m just a fan. I’ve met the guys, heard the music, and I totally support what they do. I just think they’re great. I was so encouraged, particularly after meeting Jordan and hearing his stuff, that someone our age was creating such intelligent and mature music. I am also in awe of both brothers’ mastery of a certain vintage synthesizer, the Juno 60, most notably used by the Cure, Flock of Seagulls, and the Eurythmics. Both Jordan and Jason very tastefully incorporate it into their music. I bought one months ago and am definitely not (yet?) of Lehning caliber.
Jordan fronts a band called Eureka Gold and Jason plays in a group called The Bees. Both have a bit of a Nashville twang to them but I wouldn’t call either a country act. Alright… one at a time.
The Bees (U.S.) – They have two albums out, “Starry Gazey Pie” and “High Society,” both of which I recently bought, the first of which I’ve been listening to these past few days. It’s pop, sure, but acoustic pop, -smart- pop (ha! …product placement), and without an “I’m-the-shit” lead singer… rather, most of the band sings, and the sound is very reliant on (vocal) harmonies, a big plus in my book. Some critics have compared them to the Beach Boys in this regard. Jason plays acoustic piano as well as the Juno. The guitarist/songwriter Dan primarily plays a 12-string guitar, which is a nice alternative. Fave cuts… “Gravity,” which I’ve been listening to non-stop for the past 48 hours, the slightly Floyd-ish “Sea of Stars,” and “High Society.” (P.S., they added the “(U.S.)” on to their name because there was a band in the U.K. of the same name)
Eureka Gold – A bit more “bombastic.” I’d describe the sound as indie rock and alt-folk-ish, even Beatles-esque at times. Jordan’s group adds an extra guitarist to the lineup, totaling 5 members. They rock more than The Bees but (like his brother’s group) also rely on vocal harmonies, and absolutely know how to mellow out. They’ve got one album out, “When I Was Golder,” and the whole thing is excellent. Very cohesive. Part of the maturity I see in both groups I’m sure comes from the fact that their songs average 3 minutes in length. And not (necessarily) because they’re trying for radio hits, no… because both understand and execute the “less is more” notion. Brevity is the soul of wit, and Jordan is musically a very witty guy. Eureka Gold is like the Mozart of modern rock… I feel smarter listening to them.
“Gooooood stuff!”
Oh, and… last night I went to see my friend Sabrina Stone (-not- the one that comes up on a google search) play at the Bitter End in the Village. She is a guitar-playing singer/songwriter with a real unique voice and some very well-written original material. For those that don’t know, this a pretty famous venue for acoustic music… Bob Dylan used to play there, among others. Sabrina was on after a pretty mediocre chick rock band and really sounded very good. She had gotten a little sick just days before and was forced to alter her setlist to accommodate her limited vocal range, but she definitely rose to the occasion. I think my favorite from last night was “Smurfette,” a tongue-in-cheek blues song about being a 16-year-old white girl living on the upper east side. She had mentioned that she was considering doing a Jamiroquai cover, “Cosmic Girl,” which would have been –killer-, but opted for an Ani DiFranco cover instead (which she totally nailed). Anyways, she brought in a nice crowd and I was glad to be there to support her.
You love cats
And I love ice cream
And since cats like ice cream it’s kinda like you said “I love you”
…heh. Something like that. She’s got some clever lines. She has a newer song with a line like “you’re like that dream that I forgot… but woke up smiling from” and the phrasing of it is just, genius. I have to say.
Look out for these bands/artists in the future… my money is on them.
Oh! Eesh! We have CATS now at our apartment! Heh… really in response to our mouse problem, but cats are cats. They’re little guys… one female who was up for adoption, “Stella,” and one male who was bought as a friend, “Draven(?)”… don’t ask, I missed the naming ceremony. Anyways, they’re freakin’ cute as hell and currently reside in our laundry room.
Stella!
Our producer for “Mode to Joy” (the Glint album) was a guy named Jordan Lehning. We met Jordan in Boston last year when we were interviewing potential producers and engineers for the aforementioned album. He came in and totally blew us away with us hip, Beck-meets-Brian Eno original music. He is a multi-instrumentalist to say the least, studied film scoring at Berklee, and comes from a very musical family: his dad Kyle is a well-known producer down in Nashville (where the family is from); his older brother Jason is an “everything man” (Jordan really is too, to be fair) and does producing, runs a mixing studio and has worked with Guster and Alison Krauss in this capacity (he also mixed our album), and plays keyboards; another brother Eric(?) makes movies… bottom line, I’m just a fan. I’ve met the guys, heard the music, and I totally support what they do. I just think they’re great. I was so encouraged, particularly after meeting Jordan and hearing his stuff, that someone our age was creating such intelligent and mature music. I am also in awe of both brothers’ mastery of a certain vintage synthesizer, the Juno 60, most notably used by the Cure, Flock of Seagulls, and the Eurythmics. Both Jordan and Jason very tastefully incorporate it into their music. I bought one months ago and am definitely not (yet?) of Lehning caliber.
Jordan fronts a band called Eureka Gold and Jason plays in a group called The Bees. Both have a bit of a Nashville twang to them but I wouldn’t call either a country act. Alright… one at a time.
The Bees (U.S.) – They have two albums out, “Starry Gazey Pie” and “High Society,” both of which I recently bought, the first of which I’ve been listening to these past few days. It’s pop, sure, but acoustic pop, -smart- pop (ha! …product placement), and without an “I’m-the-shit” lead singer… rather, most of the band sings, and the sound is very reliant on (vocal) harmonies, a big plus in my book. Some critics have compared them to the Beach Boys in this regard. Jason plays acoustic piano as well as the Juno. The guitarist/songwriter Dan primarily plays a 12-string guitar, which is a nice alternative. Fave cuts… “Gravity,” which I’ve been listening to non-stop for the past 48 hours, the slightly Floyd-ish “Sea of Stars,” and “High Society.” (P.S., they added the “(U.S.)” on to their name because there was a band in the U.K. of the same name)
Eureka Gold – A bit more “bombastic.” I’d describe the sound as indie rock and alt-folk-ish, even Beatles-esque at times. Jordan’s group adds an extra guitarist to the lineup, totaling 5 members. They rock more than The Bees but (like his brother’s group) also rely on vocal harmonies, and absolutely know how to mellow out. They’ve got one album out, “When I Was Golder,” and the whole thing is excellent. Very cohesive. Part of the maturity I see in both groups I’m sure comes from the fact that their songs average 3 minutes in length. And not (necessarily) because they’re trying for radio hits, no… because both understand and execute the “less is more” notion. Brevity is the soul of wit, and Jordan is musically a very witty guy. Eureka Gold is like the Mozart of modern rock… I feel smarter listening to them.
“Gooooood stuff!”
Oh, and… last night I went to see my friend Sabrina Stone (-not- the one that comes up on a google search) play at the Bitter End in the Village. She is a guitar-playing singer/songwriter with a real unique voice and some very well-written original material. For those that don’t know, this a pretty famous venue for acoustic music… Bob Dylan used to play there, among others. Sabrina was on after a pretty mediocre chick rock band and really sounded very good. She had gotten a little sick just days before and was forced to alter her setlist to accommodate her limited vocal range, but she definitely rose to the occasion. I think my favorite from last night was “Smurfette,” a tongue-in-cheek blues song about being a 16-year-old white girl living on the upper east side. She had mentioned that she was considering doing a Jamiroquai cover, “Cosmic Girl,” which would have been –killer-, but opted for an Ani DiFranco cover instead (which she totally nailed). Anyways, she brought in a nice crowd and I was glad to be there to support her.
You love cats
And I love ice cream
And since cats like ice cream it’s kinda like you said “I love you”
…heh. Something like that. She’s got some clever lines. She has a newer song with a line like “you’re like that dream that I forgot… but woke up smiling from” and the phrasing of it is just, genius. I have to say.
Look out for these bands/artists in the future… my money is on them.
Oh! Eesh! We have CATS now at our apartment! Heh… really in response to our mouse problem, but cats are cats. They’re little guys… one female who was up for adoption, “Stella,” and one male who was bought as a friend, “Draven(?)”… don’t ask, I missed the naming ceremony. Anyways, they’re freakin’ cute as hell and currently reside in our laundry room.
Stella!Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Happy 5767
Well first a l’shana tovah to anyone celebrating the Jewish new year…
For the past 5 or so years, September has been a particularly busy month for me. School starting, multiple weekend festival gigs with Clan Du, and the High Holidays. Now college is over and Clan Du is on hiatus, but I still attend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in some form, somewhere. This year was one of the very few spent away from home (I think I only went to services at Brandeis my first year, and didn’t so much care for them) and to try and sum it all up, while I did miss some aspects of my home temple “scene,” the change was very welcome. A new town and community, a new “service buddy,” my Uncle Sam, a new rabbi and cantor with new things to say. I even got to be glilah yesterday afternoon at services and dressed the Torah. I don’t remember the last time I did that, or if I’ve even done it –ever-, but I had help. It was nice to be even a small part of the services at this temple I had been going to these past 10 days.
Rewind to Friday night… some excellent Indian food at Natraz with Rob. The dance room at Bruxelle’s was –scarily- dead later on when we went out, but at least Rob, Dylan and I got some choice renditions of the Doors’ “Alabama Song” in, wandering around Nyack from bar to bar (as we had been planning… you think I’m joking…).
Saturday we hit an Octoberfest at Bear Mountain Park. The weather wasn’t great, but we made the most of it. It started out as Rob, Mat, Kevin, myself, and Rob and Kevin’s friends Dan and Casey. But then Adam and Yael drove up and joined us, followed by Caroline, her daughter Emma, and Renia. We had a nice time, drinking good beer, eating knockwurst, potato salad and some rather profound WAFFLES, and hucking around the (real) frisbee, thanks to Dan. What else… I must’ve heard the “chicken dance” 5 times throughout the day… Dan got screwed on this contest he entered where you got to jam along with the band on some horn instrument that looked like a long hose with a… well, horn, attached on the end… Rob was the superstar of the afternoon, successfully playing frisbee with us as well as outfielding for a nearby family baseball game… yup. Goodness. We left when it started raining, but the good times kept rolling for me… that night Ines, Mike, Roberta and I hit the Cheesecake Factory for diiiiins. “Really, the only word for it is… mmmmgaaaaahhh.”
Kevin, Dan, Casey, Rob.
Mateus chugs!
And Sunday night to Monday was Yom Kippur. Services and fasting from dinner to dinner. Uncle Sam and I caught the tail end of Kol Nidrei being played by a cellist and violinist prior to Sunday night services, which was nice, especially since this is a tradition at my temple, although the violinist had some slight intonation issues. Monday morning we decided to walk to the temple since it was so damn nice out. The rabbi continued his sermon theme from Rosh Hashanah and this time spoke about the importance of loving the stranger “within.”
Two friends are in a bar, drinking, having a good time. One turns to the other and says, “I love you.” The other looks slightly puzzled and responds “No you don’t. How can you say such a thing when I have not bared my soul to you?"
I’m not going to delve into this any further here, but suffice it to say, this really strikes a chord with me.
And finally… I beat my cousin Josh at ping-pong (albeit “General Grievous”-style… don’t even ask) which means I am now RANKED! Whoo! Number 8 baby!
This entry is a bit like an episode of Scrubs, huh? The abrupt juxtaposition of the fun and the serious? It even throws –me- off a bit… but that’s how it came out of my head.
For the past 5 or so years, September has been a particularly busy month for me. School starting, multiple weekend festival gigs with Clan Du, and the High Holidays. Now college is over and Clan Du is on hiatus, but I still attend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in some form, somewhere. This year was one of the very few spent away from home (I think I only went to services at Brandeis my first year, and didn’t so much care for them) and to try and sum it all up, while I did miss some aspects of my home temple “scene,” the change was very welcome. A new town and community, a new “service buddy,” my Uncle Sam, a new rabbi and cantor with new things to say. I even got to be glilah yesterday afternoon at services and dressed the Torah. I don’t remember the last time I did that, or if I’ve even done it –ever-, but I had help. It was nice to be even a small part of the services at this temple I had been going to these past 10 days.
Rewind to Friday night… some excellent Indian food at Natraz with Rob. The dance room at Bruxelle’s was –scarily- dead later on when we went out, but at least Rob, Dylan and I got some choice renditions of the Doors’ “Alabama Song” in, wandering around Nyack from bar to bar (as we had been planning… you think I’m joking…).
Saturday we hit an Octoberfest at Bear Mountain Park. The weather wasn’t great, but we made the most of it. It started out as Rob, Mat, Kevin, myself, and Rob and Kevin’s friends Dan and Casey. But then Adam and Yael drove up and joined us, followed by Caroline, her daughter Emma, and Renia. We had a nice time, drinking good beer, eating knockwurst, potato salad and some rather profound WAFFLES, and hucking around the (real) frisbee, thanks to Dan. What else… I must’ve heard the “chicken dance” 5 times throughout the day… Dan got screwed on this contest he entered where you got to jam along with the band on some horn instrument that looked like a long hose with a… well, horn, attached on the end… Rob was the superstar of the afternoon, successfully playing frisbee with us as well as outfielding for a nearby family baseball game… yup. Goodness. We left when it started raining, but the good times kept rolling for me… that night Ines, Mike, Roberta and I hit the Cheesecake Factory for diiiiins. “Really, the only word for it is… mmmmgaaaaahhh.”
Kevin, Dan, Casey, Rob.
Mateus chugs!And Sunday night to Monday was Yom Kippur. Services and fasting from dinner to dinner. Uncle Sam and I caught the tail end of Kol Nidrei being played by a cellist and violinist prior to Sunday night services, which was nice, especially since this is a tradition at my temple, although the violinist had some slight intonation issues. Monday morning we decided to walk to the temple since it was so damn nice out. The rabbi continued his sermon theme from Rosh Hashanah and this time spoke about the importance of loving the stranger “within.”
Two friends are in a bar, drinking, having a good time. One turns to the other and says, “I love you.” The other looks slightly puzzled and responds “No you don’t. How can you say such a thing when I have not bared my soul to you?"
I’m not going to delve into this any further here, but suffice it to say, this really strikes a chord with me.
And finally… I beat my cousin Josh at ping-pong (albeit “General Grievous”-style… don’t even ask) which means I am now RANKED! Whoo! Number 8 baby!
This entry is a bit like an episode of Scrubs, huh? The abrupt juxtaposition of the fun and the serious? It even throws –me- off a bit… but that’s how it came out of my head.
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