Brush With Greatness: part 37

So its like this big joke that I'm a "stalkerazzi". Its not my fault that celebrities like to have their pictures taken with me. OK, maybe its a little bit my fault. So for a while, I started to feel self-conscious about it, so yesterday as I was heading out the door I reached for my digital camera and then, in a second of weakness, decided to leave it where it lay.

I was on my way into Manhattan to meet with the manager of Local 138, the bar that is hosting my "discoskater" launch party this Tuesday. The bar was about as full as you might expect at 5:00 on a Thursday - about 6 people and the bartender. The manager had stepped out so I ordered a beer to wait for him.

I usually like to sit at the far end of the bar, but those stools were taken, so I grabbed one near the front of the bar. Two guys were talking one spot away. Their discussion was mostly centered on helicopter piloting and I got the impression that one was the instructor for the other.

The man nearest to me had a voice that was very familiar. His back was facing me, so I couldn't immediately place him. It didn't take long to recognize him. The California "surfer dude" accent was unmistakable. I was already kicking myself in the teeth for leaving the camera home.

The manager Fred showed up and we went out back to have our meeting. I asked if he realized who was drinking in his bar and he said, "Oh yeah, he's here a lot - he lives in the neighborhood". We spoke for a bit about my plans for my upcoming party and we negotiated my drink specials (get there early on Tuesday for free booze kids!) and I rushed back out to my spot at the bar.

The bartender asked the two gentleman if they wanted another round. One said no, but the other, who just happens to be the former lead singer for the greatest band of the 1980s had another. The bartender asked him what band he was in, and he politely replied. I almost fell off my stool at the fact that she didn't know, but then again, she was about 2 years old in 1984. She mentioned that he was her first celebrity crush and he let her keep that change (must've been about a 40 dollar tip).

She then had him autograph a drink coaster. Here was my chance! I whipped out my sketchbook and asked him for his signature as well. He did me one better, making a nice little sketch of a boat on a tropical horizon. I told him what a big fan I was and wished him well on his new radio venture. I told him he was a major part in the soundtrack of my youth. I made sure to give him some discoskater stickers and invited him to the launch party - hey stranger things have happened!!

His autograph is pretty readable in case you haven't figured it out yet.

AUTOGRAPH

Running with the Devil, indeed!

Duncan Sheik

daveB & Duncan

Picture one of your musical heroes - JC Chasez, perhaps - maybe Ashlee Simpson. Now picture yourself as an artist who happens to have a new t-shirt line. Now imagine that you (by hook or crook) or more precisely by knowing the drummer in the band you pass along one of those t-shirts to your hero. Maybe that hero will like the shirt enough to wear it on laundry day or maybe pass it along to a boy or girlfriend. But picture instead, your hero immediately puts the shirt on and wears it for his concert.

Well that pretty much happened to me last night at a Duncan Sheik show in New Jersey. I've been a fan since his "one-hit wonder" days with "Barely Breathing" (a still-favorite shower or karaoke song for me). His next album "Humming" hooked me in and provided some of my favorite songs ever. His "Phantom Moon" album (where he worked with another artist who wrote all the lyrics) put him in the realm of Nick Drake (one of Duncan's heroes). His last album "Daylight" is an under-appreciated masterpiece.

So imagine me almost hitting the floor when he came out for the gig sporting my "me likey" shirt from my new discoskater line. Pretty heady stuff for a music geek like me!

Incidentally, the show was great and I need to thank Doug Yowell and his wife as well as Gerry "Spooky Ghost" Leonard for getting the tee into Duncan's hands.

wow!

Across the Narrows concert

Kasabian rocks out

A few weeks ago, me and me bud, Matt "K" went to see day 2 of "Across the Narrows", 1 of 4 concerts spread over the weekend between 2 minor league ballparks. How could I pass up a great all-day festival-style concert in the hometown? Well, I couldn't and didn't. Oasis was headlining and I've never seen them live, so I was looking forward to it. Given their reputation, I was expecting either a great or terrible performance with no in-between.

The weather was picture perfect (if it had been this past weekend it would've sucked as it poured throughout). We arrived while the first band, the Redwalls were on. They sounded pretty decent from outside the stadium, but we were in no rush to go in yet since we wanted to walk around a bit and Matt had never seen the S.I. 9-11 memorial which is close by. We went inside for Jesse Malin's set. I had never heard him before and was surprised that he was kind of alt-country. His tunes were decent enough but he's no Wilco or Ryan Adams. He went on a bit of a tirade possibly pissed at the heat and the sun direct in his face during his set. He also cried foul about the $9 toll to get on to Staten Island - my guess is he probably drove himself in from Manhattan and didn't have EZ-Pass.

I was disappointed by the Lemonheads. The slacker thing doesn't play too well in 2005 and they had the worst sound mix of any of the bands. I was a pretty big fan back in the day, but live, they sorely miss Juliana Hatfield's background vocals which always provided a great counterpoint to Evan Dando.

It used to really bother me when bands play to pre-recorded tracks (esp. since as a drummer, I don't think I could keep such robotic time to a track) but these days, when done right, I appreciate the sonic qualities it gives bands like Doves and Kasabian. These are two bands I knew primarily on buzz and I dug both of them. I liked how each band traded vocalists - always cool to hear alternate voices in one band.

I was struck during many of the bands at how influential Oasis has become after all these years. Of course when they came out they wore their influences on their sleeves. Now bands like Kasabian and Doves show the trickle down effect of the brothers Gallagher.

I dug "Jet's" energy, but their singer likes to scream a lot. And their ripped off riffs annoyed me after a bit. One bright spot was their drummer who bashed away at a 3 piece set with only 2 cymbals - proof that less can be more.

Well, in the end, surprise, surprise, Oasis didn't suck and weren't "awesome" the truth as often is the case was a shade of gray. It's cool that they are back to playing "Wonderwall" (bugs me when a band denies the fans the song that gave them gold plated diapers - hear that Thom Yorke?!). The hits sounded great and Liam's nasally vocals found their groove a few songs in. He's still king of the bratty asshole stage presence and it doesn't piss me off now - I get a kick out of it.

They didn't play an encore - who could blame them - the paltry crowd was pretty spent by then and didn't give them reason to.

I enjoyed the day and am glad the promoters are saying they will do it again - lessons learned and all. Overall, I'm disappointed in my fellow Staten Islanders who didn't really support it all that much. It prompted me to create a cartoon and submit it to the local paper which passed on it - but here it is for you to enjoy.

ATN cartoon