July 9, 2009 · 8:00 AM

ev2bk News – NYC Flights delayed by turtles?

Turtle This morning, dozens of turtles closed down a runway at JFK airport causing flight delays of up to an hour and a half! The 78 diamondback terrapin turtles (which are the state reptile of Maryland apparently) are thought to be in mating season and were probably looking for a nice quiet place to umm… meet up? Apparently the sand along the runway and its proximity to water attracted them to the location. The details of the incident seem to have puzzled everyone, including John Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority, who told the Times “It is unclear whether the turtles pair off, or if the numbers indicated it was a group activity.” Not to worry, the turtles have been safely removed and transported to a more discreet location.

When I heard this news, of course, I thought of the classic “Happy Together” by 60s American folk-rock band, The Turtles. “Happy Together,” released in 1967, was their biggest hit, it replaced “Penny Lane” by the Beatles to become number one on the Billboard charts. They made it to number one with the guy wearing a mustard sweater with a tie sewn onto the front, now that’s saying something.

The Turtles – Happy Together:

-Melissa

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July 9, 2009 · 2:31 AM

ev2bk Live Music – Los Neuronautas

DSC01564Last week we checked out the CD release party for Las Horas Sin Tiempo, the first LP from latin rock group Los Neuronautas. The band was scheduled to play on the rooftop of the pretentiously swanky Ravel Hotel in Long Island City. However, when hotel security would not allow any of their fans who were wearing sneakers (or Timbs!) upstairs for the show – in a bout of artistic integrity – the band relocated to the Texas Firehouse gallery/loft space, which was convenitently within walking distance down the street. An impressively-sized crowd followed. Leaving the overpriced cocktails (with 20% tip included) behind, most of the crowd stopped in at a nearby deli before heading up to enjoy the BYOB rooftop loft:

DSC01565

Los Neuronautas on the Texas Firehouse Roof

Los Neuronautas on the Texas Firehouse Roof

Los Neuronautas

Los Neuronautas

Probably the highlight of the evening, and when the band truly hit their stride, was when they busted into a spirited rendition of “Desvanecer;” in the process, lead singer/lead guitarist David nearly broke his second set of strings that night. Although it doesn’t even come close to replicating the energy level of the live performance, here’s a link to the recorded version:

“Desvanecer”

Los Neuronautas was formed in 2006 by lead singer and lead guitarist David Vanegas, and drummer Jeff Ortiz. Bassist Gabriel Gutierrez joined the band in February, 2009. Their varied influences include the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, The Cure and The Doors.

-ev2bk

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July 8, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – Search Engines result in Lisztomania

In major tech-news today, the results are in for Microsoft’s new search engine Bing (at least from the New York Times) and, shocker!, they say that in many ways it is better than Google! Some of the major advantages that they point to are pop-up balloons, showing you the first few paragraphs on any site, that show up when you point to a search result before clicking on it, and a new panel to the left of the search results of common sense links. From the Times “When you search for a medical condition, that table offers Causes, Remedies, Treatment, Prognosis and News. Aren’t those almost always the answers you’re really looking for?” You can visit the newly launched comparison site, bing-vs-google.com and decide for yourself.

All this news about information organization and lists today made me think of the infectious song “Lisztomania” released this year by the French alt-rock band, Phoenix. Phoenix, with Thomas Mars on vocals, Deck D’Arcy on bass, Laurent Brancowitz and Christian Mazzalai on guitar, released their debut album, Untitled, in 2000. Many of their former band mates and French rock contemporaries include members of Air and Daft Punk. Their second album, Alpahabetical, released in 2004, increased their profile with songs like “Run, Run, Run” and “Everything is Everything” reaching the charts. They even gained some notice in the high-fashion scene when Hedi Slimane commissioned a custom mix of their song “Victim of the Crime” as the soundtrack to one of his Dior Homme runway shows. They have permeated the DJ scene here and all over Europe and their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, including the aforementioned track “Lisztomania,” just released in late May of this year, is their best yet.

Listen below to here the awesome remix of “Lisztomania” produced by Brooklyn-based duo Holy Ghost!

If you like what you hear you can download more from the boys of Holy Ghost!, Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel, at Green Label Sound here.

Phoenix – Lisztomania:

-Melissa

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July 7, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – Inside a Boy

I hope everyone enjoyed the gorgeous holiday weekend. Now that you’re back in the city, easing into the week (hopefully with a little tan), we here at ev2bk wanted to welcome you back with a free show and a stellar new video. Tonight in the ev, Pianos is hosting the weekly Cross-Pollination show where two local singer-songwriters will each play a 45-minute solo set, followed by a three-song collaborative set where both artists share the stage. The two-hour concert is free and doors open at 7:30, so if you’re in need of your new music fix for the week, go check it out.

Liberated Matter created the Cross-Pollination concert series with the goal of strengthening the local music community and forging bonds between musicians and creating new collaborations. They pair musicians based on the diversity of their music styles as well as the compatibility of their sounds. Cross-Pollination at Pianos has been going on for two years now (since June 2007). They partnered with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, ASCAP, to produce the event.

Tonight’s featured local performers are Alex Drewchin and Louis Schefano (aka Louis) formerly of the mostly one-man-band, Regia. Listen below to get a sample of what you might here tonight from Louis Schefano, from his EP “Louis’s Freak Show Revenge.”

My Brightest Diamond, led by the operatically-trained, Brooklyn-based, singer-songwriter Shara Worden, performed at a past Cross-Pollination concert. The band released their first album, Bring Me the Workhorse, in 2006. Today’s jam comes to you from their 2008 release, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. The haunting vocals on this track, at times reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, and the Anime-meets-Pixar escape video are definitely worth checking out.

My Brightest Diamond – Inside a Boy:

-Melissa

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July 4, 2009 · 12:00 PM

JOTD Holiday Update – 4 July 2009

Happy Fourth of July Weekend from Block Island!

New posts will resume on July 7, but for now, who doesn’t enjoy a little Bob on vacation? We love you too.

-ev2bk

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July 1, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – You and I and Wilco

At The Bell House last night, Nonesuch Records hosted a CD release party for the new album by the lovable jam rock band Wilco, aptly titled Wilco (The Album). This is the seventh studio album by the Chicago-based sextet, with eleven new songs, including a duet with Leslie Feist. To celebrate the album’s release yesterday, Paste magazine devoted their web site to the new record, calling it Wilco (The Takeover). Rolling Stone gave it four stars (out of five) and called the new album “a triumph of determined simplicity by a band that has been running from the obvious for most of this decade.” The album is getting great reviews so far. Their blend of catchy hooks and thoughtfully crafted lyrics will undoubtedly make it one of the best albums of the summer.

Standout tracks on the album include, “Wilco (The Song),” which they dedicated to their fans, the rollicking jam “I’ll Fight,” and the aforementioned duet with Leslie Feist, “You and I,” a light and dreamy track that I’m sure we can expect to hear in some upcoming movies. I just hope it’s not playing over a horribly cheesy montage (try not to imagine it…)

Wilco feat. Feist – You and I:

-Melissa

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