New York, News

Apartment Gardens: Hipster Trend or City Zen?

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 12:15 pm

Few things scream “Hipster” like an apartment garden. But this Spring, when visiting my family in a small village about twenty miles due east of Albany, New York, I found something in the garage that struck my interest. A small cardboard box with a monsterous tomato plant hanging out of an upside down vinyl bag which is “as seen on TV.” It’s called a Topsy Turvy, and I was intrigued. And just like that, the seed was planted in my mind as the frost began to subside in late March. After placing the nearly pristine Topsy Turvy in with my bag of clothes, I had this sudden excitement bubbling up within me: “No more buying tomatoes!” I quietly thought to myself. MORE »

Gary Coleman 911 Call Released

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 11:30 am

There’s a lurid aspect to celebrity deaths: the 911 call. This spring has already been the start of a monumental death march, with the loss of iconic Easy Rider Dennis Hopper (also had a great cameo on “Demon Days” as the narrator of the Gorillaz track “Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head”), and the bite-sized actor/security guard Gary Coleman. In the latter case, the 911 call has been released in relation to his death, but the details are a bit fuzzy. “There’s blood everywhere!” his ex-wife Shannon Price screams to the operator, according to Associated Press. MORE »

Hooray For Earth: MOMO Review

Johnny Sanford :: Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 12:00 pm

Hooray For Earth’s new MOMO EP is a taste of what’s to come in the current music landscape, and it’s out today. Broadly inspired by the classic 80’s new wave movement, the album is poppy and relevant. The album is considerably layered, and the band put the two strongest tracks at the beginning. “Surrounded by Your Friends” and “Comfortable, Comparable,” are both inspiring tracks that will be a great addition to your roof-top afterparty mix this summer. MORE »

Camera Obscura To Play Obscure Show at Brooklyn Flea

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 11:30 am

When researching for a book I wrote last year, I made it a point to go to every Flea Market around New York City. Hands down, Brooklyn Flea is my favorite. It’s got all the charm and panache of Hell’s Kitchen, but it’s closer to my house and they sell McClures pickles, and have amazing Asian hot dogs. But now, it looks like I’m gonna have to make my way back because Camera Obscura will be playing a free 2pm show on Sunday, June 6th. If you don’t have the $30 for their Grand Ballroom show the next night, you might want to make your way over to the Flea. MORE »

Arcade Fire Debut Two Tracks from New Album Today

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 10:00 am

Few bands have inspired the cult-like status that Arcade Fire has in just two full length albums time. With the release of Neon Bible in 2006, it’s been four full years since fans have heard a shred of new material, aside from the acoustic version of “Wake Up” on the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. That is, until today. At 12pm Eastern time, NPR will be hosting a live discussion, via this link. Music maven Bob Boilen will talk to Arcade Fire’s Win and Will Butler about their new record, The Suburbs, and offer a special preview of the songs “Month of May” and “The Suburbs.” The new album will be out August 3rd, 2010. Updated! MORE »

The Case For a B.P. Boycott

Johnny Sanford :: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 6:30 pm

The pink shrimp in the room is covered in oil. More specifically, British Petroleum. It was April 20th, 2010, (37 Days ago) that the explosion on a B.P.-Leased oil rig exploded, killing eleven workers in the Gulf of Mexico. Initial reports of the incident focused mainly on the search and rescue operation, and briefly mentioned that there was a shit-ton of oil pluming into the Gulf’s pristine waters. MORE »

Bonnaroo Donates to Nashville Flood Victims

Johnny Sanford :: Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 12:45 pm

In an effort to speed the recovery of Nashville’s flooded streets, the organizers of Bonnaroo will match donations dollar for dollar (up to $50,000) for those who donate to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The three-day festival that showcases indie rock, bluegrass and jam bands will go on as scheduled from June 10th-13th, as it was not affected by the flooding. MORE »

Stream Ratatat’s New Album on NPR

Johnny Sanford :: Monday, May 24th, 2010 9:03 pm

Get ready for a mental boner if you’re a fan of glitch pop, because you can stream Ratatat’s new album LP4 a good two weeks early on NPR. As I write this post, I’m listening to the great new single, “Party With Children.” The album is full of unexpected turns and musical oddities. Check it out here.

Pearl Jam Leaves Cloud of Ash Where MSG Once Stood

Johnny Sanford :: Friday, May 21st, 2010 12:00 pm

The lights go black. It’s been seven years since I’ve seen this “touring band,” and it might be another seven before I see them again. Added up, this might only be a thrice in a lifetime experience. I looked around at an incredibly diverse crowd of Girl Scout moms, frat boys, Wall-Street alcoholics, and aging grunge-sters all under the same roof to witness the chemistry of Pearl Jam. The energy is electric as they tear into their first song. MORE »

Museum Heists Turn Me On

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 20th, 2010 1:45 pm

This morning, while doing my regular “check to see if the world hasn’t blown up” scanning of the internet news sites, I stumbled upon a rather interesting story: The Paris Modern Art Museum was heisted of five irreplaceable pieces of art; Dove with Green Peas by Pablo Picasso (painted in 1911), Pastoral by Henri Matisse (1906), Olive Tree near l’Estaque by Georges Braque (1906), Woman with Fan by Amedeo Modigliani (1919) and Still Life with Candlestick by Fernand Leger (1922). Reading the news, I didn’t really lament the loss of priceless art from the world. Instead, my mind wandered into the more seductive side of art thievery. MORE »

George Washington’s Corpse Owes $300,000 in Library Late Fees

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 20th, 2010 1:15 pm

That’s right, the estate of George Washington has finally returned a book to New York’s oldest library, The New York Society Library. When checking records, staffers at the library realized that Emer de Vattel’s “The Law of Nations” was checked out on October 5, 1789 by Washington and never returned. A few phone calls later and the staff at Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, VA, offered to replace the book. Though the late fees add up to a staggering $300,000, the library is not planning on collecting it, presumably due to the fact that it was George fuckin’ Washington that neglected to return the book. The replacement copy was returned an egregious 221 years late.

Worst Week Ever (For CD Sales)

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 20th, 2010 12:30 pm

In a world that has a shitload of free torrents, it’s only natural that this week was the worst week for cd sales since 1991 (New York Times). Justin Bieber came out with a strong 60,000 this week, barely beating out the Lowest Selling Soundscan Album in History, which was the Dreamgirls Soundtrack in 2007. But do such sour sales say anything more about pop culture than the fact that we like free music? Yes. It’s the fact that people don’t like the music that is considered “popular” anymore. More and more, people are moving away from shitty, shitty music. Yes, this is going to be a rant. MORE »

Atlas Sound’s Cemetary Gates on Pitchfork TV

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 20th, 2010 11:30 am

Pitchfork.com is streaming an original Atlas Sound mini-concert entitled Cemetery Gates. The the music is hauntingly fitting to the baroque church in which it’s held. Bradford Cox proves his pedaly genius, putting on a tenacious solo show. Check it out after the jump. MORE »

Phoenix Acoustic Performance on NPR

Johnny Sanford :: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 1:00 pm

Even though Phoenix sold their music to the greedy powers-that-be, they still rock. They stopped in to NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts” and played four of their tracks off of Wolfgang Amadaeus Phoenix completely acoustic. On the setlist: “Lisztomania,” “Armistice,” “1901,” and “Playground Love.” Here’s the link.

NYC Summer Festival Roundup

Johnny Sanford :: Monday, May 17th, 2010 12:30 pm

With the weather warming up, people are leaving their comfy couches for the green grass and heading out in droves to Prospect Park and Central Park. Now, there’s a better reason than a cold 40oz. to head there, because the NYC summer music schedules have all been released! Here’s the round up of all the great (mostly free!) shows that are gonna be around the city this summer MORE »