Some NY cool music venues - Rockwood Music Hall, The Cake Shop, The Living Room and the Bowery Ballroom

Some pics of these places. If you happen to go/be in NY and want to hear some good music head for Ludlow St and surroundings (Allen St, Delancey ) and just look around, you're bound to find something really worth it... Don't expect grand and top design chic places (except maybe a bit at Rockwood or Bowery, I didn't go inside that last one) but rather small cosy places full of people and worn down furniture...nice (proof of what I mean: the last pic, inside the Living room, which is divided between literally a living room where you can hang out and have a drink and a big room behind curtains -no door!- where the concerts are held).
* The Living room and the Cakeshop:

* Bowery Ballroom and Rockwood Hall:

* The living room: bar and concert venue:

2008's Lastfm top songs - Oops, I'm mainstream!! + 6 songs worth listening to

Ok, so Lastfm has counted down the most listened to during this year, and if there's a source to be trusted, I guess this is it (though only a certain group of people listen to music there, I know).
So I'm going to list the songs that made it, you can check out the results here but as usual with lastfm it can be quite slow and painful!!:
1. Viva la vida (Coldplay), 2. Violet Hill (Coldplay), 3. Time to pretend (MGMT), 4. Electric feel (MGMT), 5. Life in technicolor (Coldplay), 6. Cemeteries of London (Coldplay), 7. Kissed a girl (Kate Perry), 8. 42 (Coldplay), 9. Strawberry swing (Coldplay) and 10.Kids (MGMT).

So a few notes:
1. Coldplay: agreed, Viva la vida is my pic for best album of the year though it's a band I've only recently started to like. Amaazing.
And Time to pretend: saddest roughest song this year. Best lyrics. At one point we all realize we're "fated to pretend"... even if we try our best not to, right?.
2. Shame! Only one girl in the top ten and it has to be Perry. Boring. Saw "Hot'n cold" video the other day, was ok, but the kissed one .... And so many girls out there so much more deserving...
3. Ooops, I'm mainstream!!. (apart from Perry) these are all in my most played list (not in lastfm, although sort of too, don't check my profile, I haven't downloaded the software so it only reflects the conjunction of serendipity and random -except for the main lines-, mostly listen to radios and songs I like and I don't have so... plus serious restrictions. But great tool to discover new music anyway, I recommend it).
4. Radiohead nowhere to be found, weird. Not a band I listen to much but I thought it would definitely make it...you never know.
And since I've gone "philosophical" with the pretending thing, another two real pieces of plain simple philoso-truth that never fails and yet we keep choosing to ignore:
1. I only like you when you give me cookies (self explanatory):

2.I know this little guy bites fingers but there I go and stick one into his mouth. Guess what ...yeah, he bites me!!!and not like he's sorry...big surprise!!!

Sorry, don't usually post these but couldn't help it..lol.
Ok, back to music. Some pretty songs:
*Dido "Burnin' love"(with citizen Cope. "Without you I've been burning love"...that line is something.). Love this song
* Lisa Miskovsky "Still alive"
* Erin McCarley "Love save the empty" (if you like it check out "Pitter pat" )
* Carla Bruni "L'amoureuse"
* Gabriela Cilmi, "Sweet about me"
* Tilly and the Wall "Falling without knowing" - 80's with a twist
And I've just realized that the other day I "met" Susan Tedeschi!. Didn't know she was Derek Trucks's wife. Funny. Well, if I've seen two people in love...

Nicole Atkins mini informal interview

So the other day after her concert at the World Cafe I asked Nicole about her next album (recorded a bit of it with her permission, that's where I've taken the screen prints from). Last time I caught up with them, back in May, they had plans to start recording a new album after the Summer so...
Still she hasn't started it yet, and won't until she finishes her ongoing tour. Not decided on the producer yet (depends on the material she comes up with) or possible collaborations ... but she has plans to go out to the desert for a while, rent someplace with Greg Dulli (Gutter Twins) and write some songs together. She told me she already worked with him (like 5 years ago), and she's looking forward to it again (but, as she pointed out, it hasn't happened yet so it may not...).

Now for the part I can transcribe:
1. What are the lyrics for the new album about?
It's all about death and heartache...
2.Rhythm's faster, slower...?
No, not faster, just harder and more dramatic...


Looking forward to it.
Thanks to her.

Pfff, I guess I'll blog...

The other day I went to Nicole Atkins' concert at the World Cafe and she was gracious enough to chat a bit after, even let me record a mini interview (won't post, I'm a terrible interviewer), so I'll have to get around to transcribing that soon. As soon as my computer lets me do the screen prints it's not letting me do right now (it's got a mind of its own, as most of my artifacts).
Could also talk about my first ever yoga class today -I know, nothing to do with music and nobody cares, but whatever, guess I'm still traumatized and need to get it out- which was hilarious, specially when the zen music turned to rock guitars by some kind of mistake (had time enough to question my preconceived ideas about yoga though...nah, it was what I thought. Not for me, that slow flow, that stopping to relax every 3 minutes...aaagg, that's my idea of stress!!!).
Also lastfm, been observing it for a while and it's really curious how artists use it these days, a whole marketing study behind it. Also helps me divide between greedy artists (or most times their labels) and generous ones (like Madonna has only 2 full tracks to listen to... c'moon!. My beloved Keane, on the other hand, have all their tunes available to listen, these cold pale English boys...sigh). It's also fun to see what people listen to. It's 12.14 am, nov 10th and one of my "friends" is listening to a Jose Feliciano carol, makes me smile....not the Christmas part. It's been decided that all my family 's to be shipped to my house this once, always gets "interesting" (hence my trying out yoga lessons...will have to look for something else).