COOL SIGN

I saw this sign @ Sullivan Hall. Every auditoriun should have one. I just bought a new small camera and this is the first pic I post with my new Polaroid...I'll upload some of the other pictures I shot yesterday later

THE EARPLUG MYTH

Yesterday I was at a very loud concert and a friend asked me if I smoked. I was courious about the question so he told me that cigarette filters worked as good earplugs. I thought this was the perfect soulution for loud situations. I woke up today and did my research. This is what I found.

EXAMPLE:
"Using some Malboro extralight filters we conducted a quick experiment to see just how effective they might be. The results:They afford no protection below 500Hz and about 6 Db @ 500, 12 Db @ 1000, and 22 Db @ 2000, just like you would expect from a leaky earplug. It is also important to note that the numbers above are only for filters sized exactly right and sealed tightly around the perimeter of the ear canal. Since the diameter of a cigarette filter is only about 8 mm, they are on the small size for most of the population" (found @ audiology online. Hearing protection)

CONCLUSION:
"DO NOT expect any benefit from such non-standard earplugs as cotton, cigarette filters, putty, gum and even empty bullet casings (on the shooting range). They present multiple risks to your hearing because they don't effectively attenuate sound, they are uncomfortable and they are unhygienic" (found @ www.hear-it.org)

"Make-shift protectors, such as cigarette filters, cotton, or bullet casings do NOT protect you and are not hygienic" (found @ Army webpage)

ANARCHIST SOUND SPONSORED BY ANDY WARHOL

Yes, it's true I should know these things but I didn't, so I'm thrilled 'cause I just found out Andy Warhol was manager and self proclaimed PRODUCER! of The Velvet Underground. Can you imagine? I knew the sixties where surrealistic but this is just too much. Warhol got the Velvets a deal with Verve records and he was labeled as their producer,liberating the band so they could explore their raw sound.
Now, lets go back.
By 1965 Warhol was VU's manager and he also suggested that the band featured the german-born singer Nico, so the Velvets recorded in three days in New York City their debut album "The Velvet Underground and Nico" which was released in May 1967.
The symbiosis between Warhol and VU is shown in "a symphony of sound" a video that captured a rehearsal of the band at The Factory in NYC with Nico and her son Ari which off course was filmed by Warhol.
Here's the Youtube video for you to watch

SHAI MAESTRO

Israeli pianist Shai Maestro at the Blue Note while performing in Avishai Cohen's trio.
He was listening to Avishai's solo that later was joined by drummer Mark Guiliana

MORE LOVE WE GET,MORE LOVE YOU GET

"More love we get, more love you get" said bassist Avishai Cohen last night during his last performance at the NYC's Blue Note where he presented his most recent recording "Gently disturbed". The trio,with Shai Maestro on piano and Mark Guiliana on drums, played music so intimately that a spiritual vibe got into me, specially when they presented "Eleven Wives" where Mark, as usual, extended on an impressive solo, not only as a virtuoso but also as an explorer of the spiritual mood that the music lead to.
Bass intros. as well as Shai's introduction to the last tune they played ("Nunu"), explored extreme dinamics in the pianissimo range and brought to life the intimate sound of souls.


Here´s a picture of Shai while listening to Avishai's solo that was then joined by Mark...Shit...as usual I can't seem to upload it. I guess I'll have to hang it on my next entry

BROOKLYN NIGHTS

Yesterday I had a gig at Freddy's backroom and this is the guy that went before us. His name is Jesse.

MUSIC THAT FITS THE WEATHER

Bajofondo performance last Friday at Summerstage (Central Park NYC) was very intense.
After a rainy afternoon the band showed as usual the best they had.Santaolalla, composer of award winning soudtracks souch as Brokeback mountain and Diarios de motocicleta, said it: "esta música es perfecta para este clima" (This music fits the weather) or something like that. Eventhough I was unconfortable because I was soaked and all the tall Newyorkers (or visitors) where in front of me, the concert was worth it. The band is better live than on a CD, and the energy I got from them is more uplifting that the usual tango music. It's a very interesting and original art form that comes straight from Argentina and Urugay.
Here´s a video. Hope you enjoy!

NYC'S ROCK N' ROLL HALL OF FAME

In November 2008, the Rock N' Roll hall of fame plans to open an annex in 76 Mercer Street in Manhattan.
The actual space is in Cleveland and was opened to the public in 1995, eventhough the foundation started in 1983 by a group of music executives.
The point of opening an annex in NYC is to call attention to the Cleveland exhibit that's visited by half a million people per year.
For now, in the 25.000 square-foot annex there'll be Jonny Ramone's and Eric Clapton's guitars, a CBGB's Phonebooth and Bruce Springsteen's first car, a yellow 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible.

KANYE'S GOT IT ALL

Kanye West,the nine times Grammy award winner, has one of the best web music pages I've seen.
I'm not talking about his music, who personally I don't like, but this man knows exactly what he's doing.
The page's designed by Takashi Murakami, the japanese artist and exponent of global fan-geek culture who made Kanye UniverseCity as a crayon-colored cartoon. As VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN wrote for the Nwe York Times: "an ever-expanding metropolis on the order of Shanghai".
Kanye's web page also has a blog, videos, music, photos, tour dates, and everything you want to know.
Check it out and have fun

http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com

DESTINO

In 1946 Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney worked on the animation for "Destino", a song by the Mexican composer Armando Domínguez. After 8 months of work the project wasn't finished so in 2003 it was completed under the direction of Dominique Monterey.
Sometimes I feel like this sureal movie.
Here´s an abstract I found on youtube.