Highlights from Geekfest 2010

Ahh, yes.  The Viola Congress, which I was in fact dreading, turned out to be wicked awesome.  (Think of that with a Boston accent, k?)  First of all, I got to stay with a friend whom I haven't seen much in the last two years, so that was pretty great.  Second of all, I got hired by Kim to be her personal assistant in the fall.  Third of all, I found out that Garth Knox, the man, the legend, is coming to NEC next year.  Yes, my debt is absolutely totally 100% going to be worth it.  (Here's a pic of them both!)  Fourth of all, I got to hang out with my college roommate, and feel awesome when going to an urban outfitters in an old church.  Oh, and did I mention that there were two to three concerts a day by solid faculty?  

Concert highlights:

Garth Knox Solo Recital (one word: baller)

Kimmy Kashkash's double whammy: Shostakovich Preludes arranged for viola and piano one day, amazingly weird performance art for viola and percussion the next day.  I am SO looking forward to my future employment.

Nobuko Imai's lovely interpretaions of Takemitsu, especially beautiful in realizing that she is 66-67!  

And more!

I was also thrilled to have contemporary music concerts EVERY DAY that I was there.  I don't love all music equally (Brahms and I are NOT speaking right now, since he's making me play him in July) but damn, I love the weird shit a lot.  Garth Knox also sold us all on his contemporary etudes Viola Spaces which I am definitely going to learn.  No question. He's our newest viola crush, when it comes to this stuff, and he makes an amazing team with Kim when it comes to duets.  

And the moral, is this makes me excited to practice!  And learn stuff! And also believe that there's hope for me too, because we all play so differently and want such different things in a career. (But don't worry, I'm still stalking Grizzly Bear in my spare time and making greeting cards and baking.)  I just think there's a possibility of doing lots of things that you love, and maybe everything will work out someday, and you and me and everyone else we know will be bathing in the splendor of their heart breaking with music.

listening to: garth knox, bruno maderna "viola," broken social scene "world sick" from forgiveness rock record.

Oh wait, and we got a free stainless steel viola water bottle and two free sets of strings.  YES.

Beethoven, or why I don't want to be your friend.

In listening to the new mates of states' cover of "Laura", I can safely say that I am not ready to make new friends. After a day of festival bonding, I am totally drawn to isolation. I am all about being sociable and extroverted and all that, but I'm not ready to discard my old friends from Eastman. I'm still processing the rise and fall of my connections with them, and even though many of them are leaving Rochester by the time I return, I can't forge new friendships yet. I just want to hold onto the ones I have, and make them stronger. Maybe it means that I'm lame for not wanting to read quartets at night, but I just don't want to be just anyone's friend. I want to be your acquaintance, and maybe your colleague, but we've only got like 9 days, and I just am not in the mood yet to make new alliances. So I'll creep into the dark velvety abyss of the internet, where I can read articles about bands on pitchfork, read people's blogs, and listen to music. (Oh and look at etsy and regretsy, and everything else.)

I'm so proud of myself for even practicing so much in the last 48 hours, and being able to play quartets today, after my longish hiatus. After that, it's hard to be motivated to socialize in excess. (Speaking of the internets, I am pleased to announce that Beach House is touring with Vampire Weekend in the fall, and yes, I already bought tickets to see them in NYC in September, but they are also playing in Boston, which means that I could see them at home instead. Tempting, although it would be great to see them in radio city music hall. Either way, I'm super excited about seeing Beach House, and maybe I'll see them in June in Buffalo (6/20). Their album "Teen Dream" is really amazing. Check it out.)

music ideas in only a few words:

*the smiths can only be in small doses, like spicy food. otherwise, everything gets very hazy.

*joanna newsom's new album sounds like joni mitchell. that's a good thing.

*lily allen is a much better popstar than most. very witty, even if she's on a major label and has some over amplified sounds.

*sharon jones is amazing. kudos to her for rocking out in her 50's.

*i'm embarrassed to say that parts of the new moon soundtrack are very good. why did so many artists think they needed to contribute songs for the sake of emo vampire teens?

*i don't think i can ever be a purely classical musican. I keep having to work on some contemporary rep here to keep from losing my mind in Beethoven.

*i'm thinking about the handmade cookbook I'm going to send to grizzly bear, and i'm very excited. i'm also allowing myself to totally indulge in my popular music habits. it's summer, and i don't give a crap. obsession, take over.

(here's a new favorite from the new moon soundtrack: grizzly bear +lead singer of Beach House=slow success. not the best recording quality, but gets the just across. and p.s., i'm still waiting to meet daniel rossen on public transportation, and have him fall madly in love with my baked goods. hey, it could happen!)

The Grizzly Bear Video Catalogue

Due to a brief inquiry from McMillan as to the nature of music videos, I'm listing all of the Grizzly Bear music videos, because all I do in my spare time is read the newspaper and watch music videos. Let's go in reverse chronology:

While You Wait For the Others-from Veckatimest, also available sung by Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers.

Ready, Able-also from Veckatimest, and strangely creepy. The artist is Allison Schulnik, whose other work is also pretty disturbing and depressing.

Two Weeks-the original video, not the sweet fan video that I usually post. Love the bow ties, but somehow the cuteness factor and oversized anime eyeballs are a little creepy, although it makes the drummer look kinda adorable in a weird twisted way. It really is just a reinforcement of my unresolved love for Daniel Rossen (last on the right and half of Department of Eagles) since his cheeks are just so pinchable.

Two Weeks-awesome fan video. This just blows my mind for CG animation possibilities. Being a humble computer challenged person, I didn't realize it was all CG until I'd seen it 3 or 4 times.

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

Granny Diner/Hobo Clown-Animated Short, also by Allison Schulnik. This made me cry the first time I watched it-nothing is really more pathetic than sad claymation creatures. The track is a bonus track from "Yellow House" and it's also on the "Friend" EP, which I highly recommend because of its amazing electric version of "Little Brother," one my favorite songs of theirs.

"Knife" from Yellow House. It's been covered by lots of bands, and it's a winner of a track. Just add some weird quicksand and a creature that looks like it's made out of stale pieces of bubblegum stuck together, and we're in business.

"Central and Remote" also from "Yellow House."

"Fix It" from that way early Grizzly Bear album "Horn of Plenty," when it was just an Ed Droste project, before Daniel Rossen tempered his wayward ways.

And because I wanted to end with an oldie, but goodie, here is one of my favorite videos ever from Department of Eagles, "No One Does It Like You."

that's enough videos to keep y'alls entertained for awhile, I think.

Obsession

So I have been going through my quarterly or biannual "band/indie rock music obsession" phase, which usually occurs on breaks from school, when I indulge in non classical music in excess. This particular binge is thanks to last week's concert, and the hope that I will attend some good shows in the summer, before Canada, part 9. (I've been to Canada 8 or 9 times since I moved to the Roch.) Anyway, on the same line, I had the weirdest dream about the band Grizzly Bear last night, and a less weird one about Vampire Weekend.

In my dream, Grizzly Bear, whose members are moderately clean-cut looking, showed up at the church where I did my Easter gig (Lutheran something in Pittsford) and looked kinda crazy and manic, in that their facial hair was out of control and they looked homeless. They sat in the choir loft, and instead of singing, they read 'the Lorax' for the children's service component. I asked them if they would sing, and the drummer said that it was too early in the morning for their vocal chords to be warmed up. I was really bummed, of course, but I told them that it was fine. Then, the dream gets a little hazy, and I did something really cool or wore something really cool, and the lead singer, Ed Droste, told me I was one of the coolest fans ever, and that I deserved 22 points. (For what?? I don't know.) He said there was some kind of national competition for fans, and that I was a medal contender. (Significance of 22? No idea.) The band then told me that they were going to Cleveland, and that I should go to the show, and that if I was a winner, I would get to go to the Wisconsin show too. That's all I remember. Weird. It definitely has some vague connection with the "Two Weeks" video, which is filmed in a church, and the fact that John and I were discussing the complications of Catholicism before bed. (John is MJ's boyfriend, and we were just having a light chit-chat about how sometimes throwing in Jesus and God references can really taint a spiritually informative homily or sermon.)

I also, in the same evening, had a sweet dream in which I wrote Vampire Weekend a letter, they wrote me back, but at MJ's mom's address in Byfield, MA, and told me that they wanted to hire a personal assistant/musician to do fill work. It was a far less descriptive dream, but equally rewarding. I dropped out of NEC and moved to Brooklyn to live in a closet and cook, clean, and play viola lines. It was dreamy.

currently listening to: Gorillaz, "Plastic Beach".

Currently contemplating: My future. I.e., what the f*$% am I going to do next year. More on that next time.

Currently baking: Sage shortbread and matcha cookies for MJ's recital tomorrow. Success stories and recipes to follow.

Proof the white boy can't dance

I often have major crushes on the indie/alternative/other bands...grizzly bear, decemberists, vampire weekend...but this video is absolute proof that my favorite paul simon stylized band singer (graceland era) simply can't dance like everyone else in this video. And it's kind of a amazing. Here is ezra koening soloing with "The very best" and his vocals sound terrific, but man, he doesn't hold a candle to the band's booty shaking. But I manage to love him anyway, even if he is wearing a plaid shirt over a striped or plaid shirt. Too bad he doesn't wear glasses.

In other news, there's a great quote from pitchfork: ""I just love the Grizzly Bear. That project was great. It sounds like these church cathedral chords-- it's just sick what they're doing."
-- Jay-Z, sounding more and more like somebody's cool grandpa every day. The Grizzly Bear!"
I wish grizzly bear would take the hint and make a super sweet collaboration with THE Jay-z. ok? Because that could be awesome.

Two Weeks Fan Video

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

This is a freaking AMAZING music video that just blew my mind completely. It is so beautiful and original, and I appreciate that the video-maker person decided that the couple was a gay couple. The lead singer of Grizzly Bear is openly gay, and it just makes me heart clap that a group can be so successful, despite our world's homophobia.

Other Sweet Music Videos

Here's one of my other video favorites that I think is just really interestingly done. I didn't want to put it on the "at seventeen" page, since it has no thematic correlation with that one.

It is a sort of side project of members of Grizzly Bear- "Band of Eagles."

I just like this one, Metronomy's "Radio Ladio" because they are all funny colored, and the way they play the piano is fabulous.

I really like the "cuteness" factor of this, since none of them look quite this adorable in real life. Although the drummer (second from right) is quite cute in real life. And I have had a dream about being Grizzly Bear's housekeeper.

And I just like St vincent- this isn't an amazing video. I think she also looks more gorgeous than normal here.