February 20, 2008, I hopped into my girlfriend’s car for a “mystery weekend” she planned as a Valentine’s day present. In the car she coyly asked me about my brother and whether or not I had talked to him recently. I hadn’t, but I didn’t know she planned for us to go see my brother’s band, Favourite Sons, at their first concert in NYC in 8 months that night.
We made it to Union Hall, a nice spot in Greenpoint, with time to spare. The bar has two Bocce ball courts and nice low-ceilinged venue downstairs. The band took to their spots naturally and started with a new song which I loved. In fact most of their set was new material culled from the last year. This was my first time to see them in concert in the 3 years they’ve been together. The sound was best ever especially with their accompanying keyboardist. Here are a couple photos and videos from the set:
After the show it started snowing for the second or third time this winter. Living in Charleston, SC, myself it was entertaining to experience the “real” winter. It snowed 3-4 inches making it a little slippery to get around the next day.
Friday we ventured to 5 ave where we visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim. We went to The Met to check out South Carolina native, Jasper Johns’, show Grey. The show, as the title suggests, exhibits his experimentation with the color and feeling of grey in the last 50 years of his career. What struck me most was his Perescope piece inked on plastic that he found in a Charleston art supply store. He addresses the primary colors in a played down composition and suggests the motion of a ruler and his hand. The effect of ink on plastic is liquid and dreamlike in the way that you can find rainbows in an oil spill. Unfortunately photography was prohibited.We did however find this amazing mirrored convex dome on the wall next to Damien Hirst’s embalmed shark.
We debated as to whether we wanted to go into the Guggenheim but we were confronted by the question, “Is there any reason not to?” On display was Cai Guo-Qiang’s Want to Believe, which spanned from the floor up to the ceiling of the museum, snaked through the rotunda, and took up at least two of the annex spaces. I wonder how long it took to install. Part of the installation was a work in progress in which the artist and his employees carved wet clay sculptures. Another part of the exhibit was an above ground that snaked around one of the annexes, help water, and a yakskin boat. I was one ten-year-old shy of actually getting on the boat, but the installation in that room in particular blew me away. The exhibit ended with a trip down into the basement of the Guggenheim where a final exhibit, Everything Is Museum, was displayed. Cai currated a show including Kiki Smith and some other international artists. One of the more interesting pieces were 3 skylights converted into projection screens. This exhibit also documented some of Cai’s involvement with MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art). He, Kiki Smith, and others have literally exhibited in caves and forts as part of an attack on the preexisting museum structure. I enjoyed how the exhibit was guarded by a porcelain doll created by Kiki Smith.
Then we headed to Artie’s delicatessen on the upper West side. I enjoyed my Jewish Chef Salad. Who doesn’t like meat salad?
Friday night we saw Eric Copeland of Black Dice, Cause Commotion, and Blood on the Wall at Williamsburg Music Hall. The space was huge with a bar underneath it. Eric Copeland drilled our ears with twitchy and heavy beats with some slight vocal additions. He kept his head down and stuck to twisting knobs on his podium. The sound was almost as if he took R&B off the radio and put it in his homemade sampler. There was a certain beat to the whole set but nothing you could tap your foot to for more than twenty seconds at a time. Cause Commotion was not my thing at all. I liked Blood on the Wall though. I had not heard much of their music before that night, but was very impressed with it all. They’re a very tight band and fairly straight forward as well. I enjoyed the alternating male and female lead voice , which meant to me variety in song writing. They played a really sick encore with a kind of Can sounding drum beat that was more progressive than some of their prior songs.
After the show we went to a bar called Enid’s in Greenpoint where we met up with some of Meghan’s friends and I surprisingly met up with one of my friends, Greg, from the time I lived in Murfreesboro, TN. Crazier is that he now lives in LA. Craziest is that both Greg and I have brothers living in Greenpoint. Weird, right?
Saturday we checked out Cafeteria, a twenty-four hour restaurant in Chelsea. The highlight of the meal was probably the “Mac Attack” macaroni and cheese combo. It featured bacon and smoked gouda, truffle oil, and fontina mac and cheese. Nuts.
This is a photo of Emily, Meghan’s friend and I, at the Dietch Projects inside of Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind exhibit. This exhibit was overwhelming, but makes more sense now that I’ve seen the movie. I didn’t like the movie so much, but the exhibit was a great mix of instructional art, installation, sculpture, and workshop. Groups of 10 or so sign up for the workshop and execute it every two hours. The workshop includes creating a storyboard, deciding rolls, and then creating a film on the set of all the variable rooms. There was a lawyer’s/doctor’s office, outdoors, alley way, cafe, highway, etc. It’s almost a shame that the art ties to such a huge movie.
That night we met up with some family friends of Meghan’s for Italian in the Upper East Side at a spot called Elio’s. I had gnocci with sausage ragu, which was perfect. I was embarrassed for being under-dressed so I buried myself in food.
After dinner I headed to Union Docs in Williamsburg to check out the Adolescent Sessions featuring Sian Alice Group and Skeletons. Union Docs is a performance space where bands play in the basement and are projected upstairs using surveillance technology. The cutest thing about the space is how you can’t clap for the band playing, but you have to stomp to show your appreciation between songs. Sian Alice Group played blissful, at times epic, and psychedelic rock. I enjoyed the sections without drums, but with 3 guitars, keyboards, vocals, and bass. The sound was thick and beautiful. I left after their set to try and check out Black Dice at the Market Hotel, but the show was sold out. Selling out in your own neighborhood.. wow. I came back to Union Docs to check out Skeletons, which I thought was good, but not anything I’d like to hear more than a song of.
On Sunday we celebrated Brunchness with Ted of Viva-Radio at the Flatbush Pavillion American Apparel location. Honorary mugs were printed and given out to customers, and we made waffles and served Gorilla Coffee. Most hilariously Ted made thirty six hard-boiled eggs for us to enjoy. It was nice to see my brother with his coworkers and interns working on what matters most, breakfast.
This was definitely a whirlwind of activity for one weekend, but nevertheless much needed. All the travel, art, and music was very inspiring and motivating. It was also heart warming to see my brother do what he loves on stage. Who knows what’s to come with me and NYC. I enjoy the pace and culture of NYC, but I’m not signing a lease any time soon, unless it’s at a communal living, art, and pizza space.
All of these photos were taken by Meghan McNeer.
