Godspeed You! Black Emperor

March 18, 2011
Their music sounds like nothing else; eminating soundwaves create an aural sea of vibrations for mental flotation... It is grand and glacial, creeping along while building and releasing intensity in epic breaths that last night's venue could not have suited any better. St. John's Church on 60th and Columbus is one of those truly impressive spectacles you would go visit on a trip to Europe, but seeing as I never go to church in my own country except for the occasional wedding, I would not typically find myself in such a space; quite a shame for its extraordinary beauty. Luckily,…

The Prospect Park West Bike Lane

March 12, 2011
When NYC DOT installed this bike lane in June 2010 I was overjoyed. It made my daily commute much safer, more enjoyable and it sent a message that biking was encouraged in this city where it is so necessary to reduce traffic and pollution. To make this lane, the high-speed, three-lane (plus two parking lane) superhighway known as Prospect Park West was reduced to two driving lanes with a row of parked cars acting as a barrier between bikes and cars. Sure, it was brilliant and improved safety while encouraging healthier lifestyles but this is Park Slope, Brooklyn, one of…

SoundCloud

March 10, 2011
Last week I made some music. I was going to upload it here, but then I realized that SoundCloud is a much better host than whatever random Wordpress widget I have installed. Check it out and Follow me! Supergood on SoundCloud I am liking SoundCloud quite a bit. It seems like a community of musicians interested in creating and sharing music with instant and free worldwide distribution. It is the future of music. While I heralded Napster as the best thing to happen to music and support free music, it has become obvious that many artists disagree with me. They…

The Last Lions

March 8, 2011
Real drama is always more interesting to me than scripted drama, and documentaries are the most likely to blow my mind in a movie theater.  When I stepped into The Anjelika to see National Geographic's The Last Lions, I experienced some of the most intense fear, relief, heartache and joy I have ever felt in a dark box with flashing lights. This drama unfolds in Botswana and follows a tiger family going through a period of extreme trauma and the stark choices they must make for survival. There is a script to this movie as well, narrated by Jeremy Irons,…

Magic Mountain

March 2, 2011
I did a lot of skiing over the past week, in Maine and Vermont, and while the conditions varied considerably from the first day (icy and wind holds on most lifts) to the last day (almost two feet of powder), I always have fun playing on a mountain. That last day, however, also involved one of my best discoveries of all time: Magic Mountain. This place was around back when I first started learning the sport, though I never went, then closed in 1991.  I never heard another word about it until last weekend, when I was informed that it…

Radiohead. Again.

February 25, 2011
King of Limbs is a masterpiece. We could say that about almost all of their records, but this one is special. It feels futuristic, like we will have to wait 20 years to truly appreciate its impact. The rhythms and textures range from jagged and explosive to silky and drifting, while the song structures are fresh and unique. The album has an ethereal mood and it evolves throughout, making this one of the most listenable Radiohead records as a whole. It feels alien, but not alienating... This band has consistently challenged our perceptions of a modern day rock band and…

Beautiful Losers

February 5, 2011
I watched a great documentary called "Beautiful Losers" about a group of artists who redefined popular art in the 1990s, including Mike Mills, Shepard Fairey, Harmony Korine, Ed Templeton and Margaret Kilgallen. Their work came out of graffiti and skateboard culture and brought art to the masses in a Do-It-Yourself and independent style as the visual equivalent to the indie scene in music and movies that burgeoned in that period. The interviews with the artists are fascinating, allowing a glimpse into the minds of these incredibly creative people; they discuss their process and evolution of the art world, from being…

The Banya and Halusky

January 30, 2011
I took a trip down to the Russian bathhouse Sandoony USA yesterday and was finally enlightened to the exoic pleasures of the banya. With three saunas, a steamroom, hottub, small pool and ever-essential frigid dunktub, there was plenty of extreme temperature variation and testing of human tolerance; the body only enjoys so much warmth before it enters pre-panic mode and begins to sweat, then finally begins screaming at the brain to remedy the situation. At that point evacuating 190 degrees of heat and plunging into 50 degrees of water seems like a pretty good idea. And it is extremely refreshing.…

The Glory and The Agony

January 18, 2011
Snow! Vermont! Skiing! Three-day weekend! I clicked into my bindings for the first time this season at Okemo and thanks a month of heavy snowfall, the skiing was delicious! Two full days of the most exhilarating activity that I participate in, gliding down a mountain a pair of planks; gaining terminal velocity on steep groomers, bumping into rhythm on moguls or picking a line through a maze of trees in the glades, I am constantly hooting and hollering in gleeful joy. Aside from the possibility of maiming or killing (small odds!) skiing never lets me down. Unlike some other activities…

A New Year’s Revelation

January 4, 2011
New Year's Eve tends to be a letdown. It is so hyped and feels like it should be the greatest night of both years that it bridges and often ends up being just an overpriced and overcrowded affair with 10 minutes of excitement overshadowed by hassle and cursed with a terrible hangover to begin the next year. And then there was 2010/2011... Although we have the opportunity to celebrate NYE every year, this one will remain unique forever. My sister was married at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. and threw down a serious party to ensure the title of…