So another good one came in the other day mentioning the band [via NY Music Daily]:

imagine a female Jarvis Cocker, or Aimee Mann in a really bad mood, with a harder-rocking band.

I play bass in that “harder-rocking” band. Nice! Thanks much. They even give us a shout out at the end (though I’m not sure why I didn’t get linked; I think I’m easy to find).

However, these guys hated the hell out of the record [via Everything but Urban]:

Sounds like a mash up of an over-done Glee episode and a high school musical theater production

Ouch! It goes on from there, too. But, at the end of the day, they gave it some attention. I only wished they’d have linked the record. I’m always curious which drives more traffic. Of course it’s a balance of what’s said and who’s saying it.

Personally, I’m not offended or worried. But, if they’re into “everything but urban,” one can’t help but wonder if they’re a little racist…

Recording the album was a very cool process. Hannah had the vision and the feel, I just had to toss in suggestions for what the bass could be doing. It was also a welcomed departure from the reggae and pop/punk stuff that I’ve been somewhat (mostly intentionally) limiting myself to. This album has pop tunes, cabaret-punk, ballads, folk, and rock-n-roll and it all makes sense together on this record. One of the musicians from one of the other bands commented to me after the show that the songs really told a story, complete with characters and a plot. We played third and played to a pretty packed Cake Shop. People were into it and had nice things to say to us afterwards. I’m real proud to have been a part of the project and it felt great to really mark the completion of it in this way.

Stream and buy the album on bandcamp and download a b-side from the record for free.

Photo pilfered from Facebook

The other bands were fun, but made me feel incredibly unhip. Boy Girl Party played first and were this peppy, sing-along-y thing that reminded me of fun. But, I’ve only heard that one song by fun. So what do I know. (Most importantly, their drummer was the drummer for the now defunct NYC reggae band, The Equilibrians. Versatility.) Their last song was this great synth-pop jam (the live version had a synth where you hear the piano). Haley Bowery played some polished power-pop next. My girlfriend said she sounds like Liz Phair; I defer to her knowledge. I duggit. Closing the show was Toys and Tiny Instruments. They play music… using only what the name of the band implies. People were pumped about it.

I’d also note that this record is seeing some of the most press coverage of any record I’ve played on:

“gorgeously jangly, menacing, jazz-tinged powerpop…” 

• Listening Party on AOL Music
• Meet Hannah vs the Many on Collected Sounds
• Q&A with Lip Mag
• Seven Questions in Heaven with Culture Brats
• Free Download for a Rainy Day on New York Music Daily
• Ones to Watch on The Middle
• Review on Altsounds
• Review on MusicFanCam
• I’m Going Down with the Legends on What’s Protocol

Here’s the press release.

UPDATE 1/29/12: More reviews both good and bad!

Unlike general desk jobs, when you’re engaged in some hard labor, you’re not “multi-tasking.” You have one thing to do that requires your body’s attention. If it’s a job you’ve gotten good at, you can actually just let your mind wander. After having professional duties, with tasks were the fruit of your labor is not always so apparent, it’s really nice to have a job where you can very plainly see that the work is done. You have a stack of things here that needs to be moved there. You do it, it’s done, and you can see with your eyes that it’s done. It’s so rewarding and is some what of a novelty. The ROI, return on investment, is so clear! No research required! I had a sink-full of dishes, then washed them, so the sink is empty. How good does that feel? (How good does building Ikea crap feel? There’s research on it.) And guess what, you can’t check email while you do dishes (yet…).

So to answer your next question, yes I’d love to help you move, or build that thing, or clean whatever. Really.

My standing office at home is about 10% as cool as this.

With no intention or forethought, I find myself working at a standing desk at home. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a standing office, it’s really just my netbook on my dressers stuck in between my turntable and TV. But that’s just the thing: I put it here because it was the only convenient place in my modest tiny studio where I wouldn’t be tripping over cables. Turns out it might be good for me.

My officemate, after some back turmoil, converted her desk into a makeshift standing desk by putting the monitor and keyboard on a stack of books. I literally look up to her all day [zing!]. Turns out, she’s happier and in better shape because of it. We already sort of had an idea that sitting all day was bad for you (a former roommate used to complain that when she switched to a desk job from waiting tables, her ass got flat, among other complaints). Instead of getting up to walk around every now and again, my officemate sits down every now and again. Makes sense.

So here I am, standing at my dresser, finding it easier to jump to the stove to work on dinner (I can’t be bothered to get up and down from a chair!), and enjoying how nice it is to stand after a day of sitting. Should I make the change at work? I’m tempted. It’s bad enough my eyes are taking a hit staring at (2) monitors all day. I’m hoping biking to work a few times a week is going to counteract it.

Photo via shawnporter on flickr

I love baclava! But what's it got to do with cycling?

My cute new pair of texting gloves with the fingertips cut out were useless. I had a nice chill by the time I got the Manhattan bridge, where winds were so cold and fierce I had to pedal to go downhill. I was frozen by the time I got to work. Thankfully, we have a gym in my office adn I thawed out before I got to my desk. I’m likely lucky I didn’t get frostbite in my fingertips (is that a real thing or just something our parents said could happen?).

You should probably google “winter cycling” before you try it. I sure didn’t. I didn’t bike home today, but I’m stubborn enough to try again tomorrow.

Can’t wait to try this in the snow. I’ve got mountain bike tires, why not. Happy cycling!

Coming soon: I post about cycling in the snow and how bad an idea that was.

1. Takes place in Brooklyn (where I live)
2. Has no absurd expectations set around it (no “blowouts”)
3. I can walk home worst case scenario (you try getting any form of public transportation home in NYC on New Year’s Eve)
4. Has cool people (this is not to be assumed)

Ideally, it means going to a low-key neighborhood affair or a bar that promises not to be too loud. My girlfriend calls New Year’s Eve “Amateur Night.” I’d never heard it before, but it simply means people who don’t drink like assholes during the year, suddenly feel the need to drink like schmucks and generally have no idea how to hold their alcohol. The last few years, I’ve gone to some great low-key neighborhood parties, drank sufficiently, and walked home. It’s been great.

This year, for the first time in ever, I had a girlfriend with whom I wanted to spend the evening. The same rules applied, except now I had a partner. We went in with the same expectations, but were excited to be spending the night with each other. She took care of dinner reservations at a place that was easy enough to get to. We decided if a party presented itself, great, and if not, we’d probably stop by the park (walking distance!) for the fireworks. However, we ended up having a solid three hours between dinner and the fireworks, so we decided to bar-hop up and down the street.

At the second bar, which ended up being not-so-exciting, and the drinks we ordered were not-so-good, I all of a sudden found myself panicking that I had somehow dropped the ball (pun intended) on planning the perfect New Year’s Eve. I should have picked out a few bars in advance, figured out who had specials, which bar was really on the way to our final destination…

And then, somewhat miraculously, we decided that we were both too tired for fireworks and wanted to watch the ball drop on TV. And who cares if the drinks were mediocre, we said from the start that we wanted a low-impact evening. Somehow, I had fallen into the New Year’s Eve hype-trap in spite of following all my rules. I blame my inexperience with this “love” business and how the evening suddenly had turned into a romantic date when I wasn’t looking. Next year I’ll go to Times Square and the hell with my rules.

How do you avoid New Year’s Eve hype?

• Just as I’m trying to hunt down a less beat up copy of my favorite Pietasters record, Asbestos Records and Underground Communiqué Records go ahead and launch the Third Wave Ska Preservation Society Vinyl Reissue Project. My wallet hopes this is a one-time thing; you better believe I’m backing it. By far the best part is the haterade flow in the comments on the Punknews. [Punknews, Kickstarter]
• King Hammond is a producer, songwriter, and bassist who played on one of my favorite Selecter albums. I didn’t know this until I found out I The Hard Times was backing him for a few gigs. [Amazon, Hard Times]¹
• Home to Flogging Molly and a few Bosstones records (and The Smooths!) Side One Dummy has partnered with labels like Asian Man, Hellcat, Fat Wreck, and Paper + Plastick to release free music in a way that’s productive for fans and labels alike. I’m down. [Pop & Hiss, The New Record]
• I know you think Spotify is so cool and that there’s revenue for bands, but here’s a delightful infographic showing you how much they make (h/t @edwardangert). Coincidentally, Long Island punk act Bomb The Music Industry, known for giving their music away from day one, sees things similarly. [Information is Beautiful, Quote Unquote, Bomb the Music Industry]
• Speaking of giving away music, my friends in Brooklyn Soul band OTiS celebrated the release of their second album, “Music Elevator,” to a packed Rockwood Music Hall (150 people, didn’t think you could fit that many). All attendees got a free CD. One reviewer called this funk “Not Safe For Work.” Get at me if you want a review copy. [Bandcamp, The Round Table, 7duckets]²
• Pizza places are dropping like flies! I’m not quite how we’ll survive in a post-Pizzapocalypse world. Coincidentally (if you’re me), it’s also been a bad year for the bagel. I hadn’t noticed (Sorry, I just never thought H&H was anything special). Hit Muzzarella in Union Square for a slice and Bergen Bagels in Prospect Heights and you’ll be okay. [Fucked in Park Slope, MyJewishLearning, Yelp]
• I was sold on droid for my next phone, but putting the best SNES RPG on an iPhone weighs heavy. (Lufia 2 or FF2 would have done it for me as well.) (I still don’t actually own Chrono Trigger on SNES!) [Mashable]
• I’m officially pumped for The Muppets, but it took a post on AbsolutePunk.net about the soundtrack, of all things. [AbsolutePunk]
• Boston ska-punk band Big D and the Kids Table has canceled their upcoming tour, likely including their scheduled Brooklyn show, in light of their lead singer, David McWane being diagnosed with throat cancer. Wishing him a speedy recovery. [Punknews]
• While making changes to my Time Warner Cable bill, I thought I’d use their online chat for customer support instead of getting on the phone. Turns out they don’t support my computer’s software. I appreciate their Twitter account getting back to me, but I think they missed the point. [Tumblr, Twitter]
• Dying Scene has pulled together everything you need to know about Hey Stranger’s new record. [Dying Scene]³

Well I’m spent. Wasn’t that better than me spamming your facebook feed or twitter feed with links?

Happy Thanksgiving/Yom Turkey Sameach!

Disclosures:
¹ I play bass for The Hard Times
² I’ve been hired to handle some publicity for OTiS
³ I play bass and handle publicity for Hey Stranger

We did it the new old-fashioned way. That is, we spent time in advance of recording figuring out the best tempos for the tunes, and then recording vocal and guitar scratch tracks. In the 3 or 4 practices leading up to recording, we would take a few minutes out of an already busy practice to find the right tempo. Tony, our lead singer, then used those tempos to create the scratch tracks. We’d then go to multi-tracking where we recorded each instrument, one at a time, to those scratch tracks. This is where the bulk of the time went. (The last update I gave on recording was in September of 2011!)

For each session, it meant a number of people had to be available: our loyal engineer, Dave, the musician performing (or in the case of the horn section, 3 musicians), and Frankie or me acting as producers. If we were using the Creation Station studio in Whitestone, Queens, that meant coordinating with their schedule, too. The bulk of the people involved were working Joes; weekends were the only option. If I’ve learned nothing else about adulthood, free weekends are worth their weight in gold. When it came time to record the horn section, it meant 6 different calendars had to align. This album took a year and a half because we really only recorded one weekend a month when all was said and done. Really, it’s amazing we finished at all.

Our engineer Dave handled the mixing and we brought in Jesse Litwa of Royal City Riot and Broadcaster to handle mastering. Mastering, like every other stage of recording, took time only because of how long the feedback and revision stages took. After we got a round of mixes (or masters, or album artwork, or whatever), it took a solid week to collect the band’s feedback and relay it back to the person in charge in a meaningful way. Our practice time is precious and not as regular as we’d like. We’re all busy with our jobs or classes, and our lead singer bounces between NYC and Baltimore. When it came time to listen to a round of mixes, it happened over email. Effectively, we’re an “email band.” Decisions are made over email, feedback is given over email, and having discussions can be… challenging. Anyone with an office job can tell you how great/awful email can be. Now apply that to a creative process like making a record. It’s not ideal, but it’s what we had to work with.

The result was a record we didn’t rush through and we’re really proud of. We have 10 tracks of songs we’d been playing for quite some time and had the itch to record, proving they were written. The exception being one song that we had only demo’ed, not yet played out, and that we had to learn along the way. Ironically, I think this song came out the best and is my favorite (it reminds me the most of The Hippos’ “Heads Are Gonna Roll,” the record I wanted ours to sound most like). While we didn’t get to add every bell and whistle to the record that we wanted, we did get every song down that we had which I’ve never accomplished in any band before. The record is titled “Waited Out The Day,” the first song on the record. Tony speaks about the tune and plays an acoustic version:

The cover art was created by our friends at Shameless Design who also did the “Devil Girl” (aka Suzy) who’s appeared on stickers and CDs. We can’t thank them enough for their time and patience as we only had a vague idea of what we wanted out of a cover. I had the pleasure of creating the rest of the album artwork taking design cues from the cover. We’re really excited about the cover. You’ll find nods to handful of songs and the same kitschy vibe that we seem to carry with us.

Like anything else, this was a tremendous learning experience. I wore the “producer” hat for a chunk of the recording. Turns out, I’m not bad at it, but it was a role I was happy to relieve myself of every now and again. I think this will also be the last time I record to a click track. If you don’t practice or perform to a metronome, don’t try recording to one. Use the metronome to figure out the best tempos and have your drummer get a sense of the tempo right before tracking. You’ll end up playing to the song and the drummer and not to the click. It’s a much more natural process. I also think if we go back into the studio, I want to record bass and drums at the same time, with the guitarist in the room playing, but not tracking. This is how we did some basic tracks for The Hard Times and I think the tracks we got what we wanted.

You can stream the entire record on bandcamp. “Bitch and Rhyme” can be downloaded for free. If you like what you hear, you can buy the record directly from us for $4.99 on bandcamp. It’s also available on iTunes and Amazon if those are your stores of choice. In case your curious, Tunecore is our digital distributor of choice. Physical records are only available at shows but they may soon appear online (it’s a totally sexxy digipak, I promise).

Except that’s the point: you have to see it. It’s hung at eye level. I couldn’t see it because it’s sat in its packaging more or less since I received it. At 28, in my umpteenth apartment since graduating college, I’m finally hanging it. What took me so long?

At my mom’s home, before graduating high school, I just had the same mezuzah on my bedroom door that I’d had since I was very little (I think it was a boy with a red balloon but I’m fuzzy). I think I was saving the cactus mezuzah for my first dorm or apartment. Except, I was hesitant because I really liked this one. I wasn’t going to just use some 3M sticky thing to attach it to my dorm doorpost. The same went for the house I lived in my last year. I wanted it safe. Did you trust all of your college neighbors? Those hallways could get pretty rowdy. I also can’t help but feel like there was some latent fear of anti-Semitism hiding in there. “I don’t want to attract attention to myself.” “What if it gets vandalized.” When I lived in the AEPi house at UConn–a house full of more yids–we didn’t event hang one on the house. We made excuses about it becoming the subject of a mindless frat prank. Again, I think there was more going on.

The last few years, I’ve seemed to continue coming up with excuses and never get around to it. But now I’ve got my own apartment. It’s still fragile and I’d prefer it not be on the outside, so I hung it in the doorway between my entrance way and main room (I have a studio, it’s just the one room). It sits under a nice, somewhat out of place arch. I will get some of that 3M wall stuff and hang a more durable one outside (I even went to the grocery store around the corner to see if they had!).

Why is it such a big deal? I think for me it was a fairly adult move and commitment. I’m fairly interested in the intersection of the physical and the spiritual in Judaism (why we sway when we pray for example). The mezuzah is a physical representation of the spiritual (or the traditional, the familial, the religious, the cultural, your pick, I’m not getting into that here). More importantly, hanging a mezuzah is one of the greater meta-mitzvot (meta-commandments)–commandment to do commandments. Hang a mezuzah so you’re reminded of all the other, 612 or so, commandments you should be observing. That’s why it’s set at eye level. So you see it. (Tzit-tzit work the same way.) Mezuzot are not about good luck; having a non-kosher mezuzah won’t bring you bad luck.

Most importantly, this was the first step in making my home as Jewy as I want or don’t want. Next step: kashering the kitchen on my terms.

Regarding the title of this post, I lived for a year in Tucson, a.k.a. “The Old Pueblo.” Additionally, This post was not sponsored by MyJewishLearning.com, I just really like their explanations. I promise my next post will be about ska.

UPDATE 9/24/11: I hung a mezuzah outside the door to my apartment.

It didn’t happen overnight. What was sudden was the realization that the initiative now needs to come from me. I can’t sit around waiting for holiday celebration to just happen. For the past few years, I’ve been the resident mashgiach (kosher food supervisor) to my mother and sister. As I write this, my sister BBMs me about whether or not she can eat particular foods this Passover. Holidaydinners are often catered to my own practices, not the practices of the host (I have conflicting feelings about this but ultimately feel honored and cared for). Three years ago I was living in a somewhat oversized apartment in Brooklyn (and paying through the nose for it, don’t kid yourself). It simply made sense to use the space for a Passover Seder, so along with a friend and former colleague, we put something together.

Generally speaking, my mother’s family, my Jewish side, is not so observant. Growing up, Passover Seders–this was the event that sparked this post so it will continue to be my example–happened with family friends, rarely with family. We have some distant cousins (distant only by technicality, they’re as close as family gets on my mom’s side) who have hosted a Seder every year as long as I can remember. They’ve since taken to hosting Seder on a Saturday night near to when Passover happens regardless of the date. While this doesn’t meet my observance needs, it does meet my familial needs. I also truly admire how they took a holiday and a tradition and molded it to meet their needs (weekends are the only way in which their kids and grandkids may participate, what more reason do you need?) and I’m glad they’ve continued this way.

I go out of my way to say this because it’s important to note that we didn’t inherit anything. My mom’s mother died before I was born and my mom’s dad just wasn’t a part of our lives. I don’t entirely recall when, but possibly in middle school my mother decided we were going to start hosting Seders. The first few years, the Seder happened at our place but my mother outsourced leadership. I think this was a smart move. Get comfortable in your own house first. A few years in, she took on leadership herself. While we naturally inherit general Jewish tradition and practices of the Seder, my mother had to invent all that would be unique to the Wilkenfeld family Seder. (My dad is not Jewish and they were divorced by the time all this happened. He’s the most supportive non-Jew of my Jewish observance in my life but that’s another post). With nominal help from my sister and myself, my mom hosted Seders for 20-plus people in our dining room, often beautiful mixes of Jews and non-Jews, the most engaging Seders I’ve ever been to, and completely kid friendly.

Once my sister left for college and I was finishing college, there wasn’t really help around the house. Regardless of the mental energy that goes into hosting a Seder, there’s just a lot of cleaning, lifting, and general schlepping. That’s what kids are for. My mother began to ease off from hosting and who could blame her. She had done her time; above and beyond the call of duty. A few years she joined me at Hillel (both when I was a student and later when I was an employee). My first year in New York, I co-hosted, in that oversized Brooklyn apartment. It was my favorite Seder in recent memory and it ended up being a one-off instead of the start of something new.

Last year, in a very last minute way, my mother and I held an intimate Seder at her place with her boyfriend, my father, and his partner. It was perfect, it was necessary, but for me it wasn’t enough and it should have been the wake up call. This year was the wake up call. A week or so in advance of the holiday, it occurred to me that I hadn’t even begun the conversation with my mother or my sister to figure out what we were doing, if anything. My mother and I will likely be doing another “intimate” Seder the first night and attending the Seder of one of my coworker’s the second night. It will be wonderful and I’m so happy it’s all happening. But I want more.

Among other holidays and observances, Passover Seders are now my responsibility. I need to start the conversations rolling, deciding what we’re doing and where we can hold the party. My mother and sister look to me to energize them and take that initiative. It’s not a point of conflict; they’ll support what I want to do. In the spirit of getting-things-done, I’ve marked my calendar for 2 months in advance of Passover 2012. Decisions don’t need to be made then, but that’s when the questions need to be asked. I won’t know where I’ll be living, who will have the space, who will want to cook, or who will be around to attend. I do know that I will want to do something and I’ll be upset with myself I don’t. I do know that the sooner I start asking the questions, the sooner I can get my mother and sister on board, the more people I can invite, and the more meaningful Seder I can plan and deliver. In the mostly matriarchal liberal Jewish world, I’ve become the patriarch without any effort. I don’t foresee this changing anytime soon.

I see this as an opportunity. Next Passover falls on a weekend so there’s a chance to invite those who might not be able to travel during the week. I don’t know that I’ve ever (EVER) done Passover with my cousins on my mom’s side (or that my mom’s family has every done a seder together). Don’t mistaken this for any type of kiruv thing, or any self-righteous need to deliver this stuff to anyone. It just means a lot to me and I want to share with the people who mean a lot to me. No one can make this happen but me and no one will challenge me to do it besides myself.

What are you doing to bring meaningful Seder experiences to you and those who are important to you?

Chag Pesach Sameach, Happy Passover

After writing this, I immediately felt the need to come out and say that I could not have written this had my mother not provided me with experiences, education, and inspiration. Had she not laid the groundwork, I would not be in a position to think these issues through.