Earth, Wind, Fire, Phoenix, Great!

On Tuesday, last minute, I went to see Earth, Wind & Fire. My hood-neighbor Steve Porter and I headed to Boston to find out why this group is one of the most successful bands of time, one of president Obama's favorite bands, and why they've been the recipients of so many Grammys. As I've been working on a project for Philip Bailey, we had backstage passes and met the band after the show. It was an honor to meet Philip Bailey and Verdine White among others. Their performance was full of energy and sounds that crossed numerous genres. By the end of the night, my questions had been answered - EWF are true living legands.

The following night, Elizabeth and I headed back east to see one of my favorite bands. The French band Phoenix was playing at the Paradise Rock Club. I last saw them live back in 2004 at the Irving Plaza in New York City. Like last time, they played an incredible show. This time they played a set consisting mostly of songs off of their new album Wolfgang Amedaus Phoenix and other recent album It's Never Been Like That but only one song from Alphabetical... "Run Run Run" - I hope they come back to the area again soon.

Decemberists to play Holyoke

Now it seems, there's no shortage of good news for Holyoke... The Decemberists might be playing at Mountain Park on August 16th. Who's coming to the show?

Gogol Bordello at House of Blues

Last night, Elizabeth and I went to Boston to see one of our favorites bands Gogol Bordello. The concert was at the House of Blues and we met up with some friends of ours for a night of rambunctious and entertaining gypsy punk rock.

One of our friends scored the exclusive Foundation Room, a lavish private lounge embellished with artifacts from India. The decor was plush and elaborate - the floorplan was a labyrinth with countless offshoots and hidden rooms. We arrived a bit early and got our own sneak peek at the show to come; we walked in as the band sound-checked to "Dogs Where Barking" and a few other songs.

Gogol Bordello hit the stage sometime after 9PM. The band played an energetic show to a sold-out crowd hungry for their Slavic rhythms and punk rock antics. I wish I could see this band night after night - their live performance is that inticing.

After the show we stopped by a late-night party at Kingston Station, a downtown bistro covered in smooth white subway tile reminiscent of many French brasseries you'd find in Manhattan.

New Music Venue in Holyoke

Dear Mountain Park, welcome back! It's been decades and now you're back. I wonder who the first band/group will be for the grand opening.

OK Go at Pearl Street

Last night, Elizabeth and I went to see OK Go perform at Pearl Street in Northampton. They're great on stage, great on treadmills, great with handbells, great with pin pong - what else could you ask for? Excellent show!

The Bird and The Swede

Last night, Elizabeth and I went to see The Bird and The Bee. My friend Marcus, a young Swedish entrepreneur, joined us for this occasion. If anyone knows good pop music, it's the Swedes and he granted them his Swedish-stamp-of-approval. The Bird and The Bee played an entertaining show, shared some travel stories and graced the crowd with their cute retro outfits.

T-Pain, Tea and CT Adventures

On Friday, I got a few tickets see T-Pain at the MGM Grand in CT. Overall, the show was a fun time. An up-and-coming heavy hitter, Ryan Leslie was the opening act. He was backed by a full band and put on an energetic show... (on a sidenote, he went to Harvard when we was 15). The main attraction, T-Pain played for an hour or so. His performance was entertaining and almost theatrical at times with hit after hit after hit. I think he closed with "I'm So Hood", a song full of pure scholarly and artistic expression of the socio-economic divide of inner-city America... right?

This type of music is a guilty pleasure of mine. When I drive, I usually flip between stuff like Interpol, The Smiths, Elliot Smith and uhhhh, Hot 93.7.

We didn't get a free boat ride or anything but being of the music industry, we did get to meet T-Pain after the show. Backstage he has wearing a green pair of Mountain Dew pajamas which nicely complimented his platinum grills.

On the way back we stopped in downtown Hartford for midnight tea at Steam City Cafe (they serve food until 1AM!) which is located in the beautiful Cheney Building which was designed by H.H. Richardson. I'd say this building has Bristol Byzantine / Moorish influence and one of his greatest works.

Las Vegas in Springfield

Last night, I checked out The Rat Pack is Back show at CityStage in Springfield. The YPS hosted a wonderful pre-show gathering and hooked me up with a ticket. I had the expectation that the show was going to be lame - but was pleasantly surprised, I had a blast!

The Bird and The Bee

I just got back from checking out The Bird and The Bee at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA with my buddy Rob of the design super-group Rob & Damia - the show was a blast. The venue was filled with Inara George's warm voice and Greg Kurstin's brilliance on the keys. Their debut full-length or EP are definitely worth picking up. If you'd like to treat yourself to the audible form of sweet candy, euphoria, and guilty pleasure, this group is for you.

Weezing in Lowell

Last night, Elizabeth and I along with a good friend went to see Weezer in Lowell, MA. This city, just like Holyoke, was planned for industry and manufacturing - the Merrimack and various canals are lined with beautiful red-brick buildings. When we got there, our buddy at Interscope brought us inside to meet Tom Delonge (ex-Blink 182) and his band Angels & Airwaves. Elizabeth mentioned her museum and surprisingly the guys all wanted to know more about Houdini and Holyoke! She's turning into to quite the museum elevator-pitcher. All in all, it was a nice adverture.

Gogol Bordello in Providence

Yesterday I went to Providence, RI to see one of my favorite bands, Gogol Bordello. I always look for a reason to drive out to Providence as I'm a fan of the city's interesting architecture and emerging art's scene - maybe I just love seeing the Turks Head Building. Gogol Bordello played at Lupo's and put on an amazing show, probably one of the best shows I've ever attended. Elizabeth had a quick chat with with Eugene Hutz, in Russian of course.