THE FLAMING LIPS!!!

So, I know this is a bit overdue...

But I went to see The Flaming Lips last Tuesday night in Central Park as part of the summer concert series!

Funny story about the tickets---I went to order one from ticketmaster, and they were sold out. So, naturally I checked ebay...

Actually, I was a first time ebay user and when I ordered the ticket and it was due to get to me the next morning, I knew that timing would be important. I gave the seller a shipping address that differed from my billing address because I've been staying in NY for the summer.

Lo and Behold! Come Monday morning, there is a ticket waiting for me!!---At home in New JERSEY!!!---It was delivered at 9:30AM and I happened to leave my house at 9:00!

Bummed and sad, one of my friends said, "maybe try seeing if they have tickets at the door?!?!"

Second Attempt.

Word to the wise: never buy a ticket in central park. It ended up being a fake...me and my better sense should have known it would be. Nonetheless, I grovelled and recapped my story for the authorities at the concert, while my 4 friends looked sad that I couldn't get in and by a strange stroke of luck, or maybe some undue kindness from the man in charge, I was let in.

Despite the terrible heat wave that had been taking NY by storm, Monday night, August 26th was a brisk 84 degrees with a cool breeze.

The opening act Oneida was one I was unfamiliar with---to be frank, their music just sounded like one long continuous noise to me. It was just instrumentalists, half wearing sunglasses and hunched over their instruments. That act went on for WAY to long in my opinion. I would have preferred a tribute or jam band. I am giving their album a listen as we speak, hoping maybe I got the wrong first impression from what sounded like drug-induced, confusing noise.

I think I'm confirmed in my opinions.


The Lips, however, were incredibly entertaining! I actually didn't really follow them before seeing the concert, but I always have a desire to go to concerts and listen to bands that I haven't heard before. I did a little research on some of their hits before the concert and thought I'd dig it, which I did!

"Silver Trembling Hands" and "The W.A.N.D" were among my favorites. "She Don't Use Jelly" I knew from the Ben Folds Five cover version, so for me the original sounded new.

I think like Oneida, they might of stretched some of their song lengths out so as to either fill out set time or just because they liked to jam. For me, I could take or leave some of their music but the show overall was very entertaining with some of its gimmicks: Lead singer Wayne Coyne's entrance into the audience in a bubble, a full light show, and confetti cannons of orange and yellow. Not to mention, the band was "born" through a woman's legs at the show's start to symbolize their album, Embryonic. Despite some of the silliness, including the song "I Can Be a Frog", where the whole audience was engaged in animal noises, the band looked to be having a blast and so did the audience.

The Newly Mrs. Drastic Fantastic to release Tiger Suit in September!

I saw KT Tunstall in concert this past Tuesday at the Hiro Ballroom. I've been following the Scottish Singer/Songwriter Pop sensation since her first album, Eye to the Telescope, released in 2006. This was around the same time I got my first guitar, free albeit, and began tooling around with my own songwriting. My high school self loved that Carlo Robelli piece of wood, and it still accompanies me on trips to the beach frequently. (Though for most gigs, it's since been replaced by my Larrivee, my Ibanez or my Mini Martin--but more on these later.)

Anyway...

After the 2006 release of Eye to the Telescope, with hits like "Suddenly I See" and "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", which were omnipresent in the TV/Radio world, Drastic Fantastic came along in 2007. The album was definitely a move away from folksy, simpler guitar stuff and into more gritty Pop, with songs like "Hold On" and "Funnyman". Now, after a few years off to marry her drummer, Luke Bullen, and get herself sorted out again she's set to release a New Album called Tiger Suit, in September.

Seeing her perform at Hiro was an absolute delight because it was a remarkably intimate venue and she played some new songs off of what will be her third album! With just a loop pedal, some light reverb, some 4 guitars and a roadie or two, Tunstall gave an awesome solo performance and a glimpse of her process as she played and sang in the raw.

Tunstall admitted that this was her first real gig since her last album, aside from a few bar gigs in Scotland. Overall, her performance was very real and it felt like she was really bringing the audience in as she cracked a joke or two. Upon having to start a loop over, she begrudgingly said, "Ugh my mother is going to see this up on Youtube tomorrow and ask 'what are you doing messing up?' " I have a feeling the stuff off of her new album will move further into the realm of electronic and pop than her old stuff, but I'm excited to see what she does nonetheless!

Check out "Push that Knot Away"! --a vid KT dropped, previewing a single!

Kara's New Headphones

RIP sleak Bose headphones that I've worn practically to death. You were really amazing while you lasted.

I got my Bose headphones around my Junior year in High School when I started to become really interested in all things musical, and did some basic recordings on my iMac G5 (Which I paid for myself in 2005). I felt so proud! I was recording my own songs, making music, and pumping tunes into my ears nearly every day.

Now, I'm about to be a Junior at Northwestern University. As a native to the east coast, I am living in NY for a while and working at Recorded Books for the second summer. To listen to audiobooks, I use headphones EVERY DAY. Once those Bose babies broke on me this past Wednesday, I knew an immediate replacement was necessary.

I visited my friends over at Sam Ash and decided to go with an awesome pair of Sony MDR-7506 over the ear headphones. An industry standard, and a pretty popular pick at around $100, and definitely a good investment for me, as a music collector, audiophile and sound design minor.

Plus, if I were to buy the more consumer Bose model as a replacement to my old Bose headphones, they would've been around $125, a noticeable markup from about 3 years ago.

I'm excited!

Keep Listening...

KG