out of the ground into the sky

suntree I
Originally uploaded by third uncle.

nirvana
from the album
xxii ii mcmvciv
live in rome
LISTEN/drain you
LISTEN/school

nirvana? am i going through an early midlife crisis? well, yes i am, but this isn't the reason i'm posting these teen angst faves. tonite pj and i saw the new gus van sant movie 'last days', a film based on the final moments of kurt cobains life leading up to his suicide (or murder for those less convinced). as with van sant's more recent films like the previous 'elephant', the movie is carried by a meditative, near placid pace that accentuates mood and an arresting realism over conventional plot development or narrative arc. like 'elephant', a film based on the columbine shootings, there's no real need for storytelling, the historical events already well ingrained. we know quite well that there will be no happy ending. and again like 'elephant' this was a bold move as far as subject matter for van sant to make. if you grew up with cobain's music and resulting iconism then you probably have pretty strong notions of what kind of person he may have been. i think this would be quite a challenge for a filmmaker, especially with a pop culture figure as huge as cobain was and still is. but van sant's stumbling and mumbling blake (not kurt, only 'based' on him) as played by michael pitt, never tries to state more than he knows he reasonably can, but simply puts to vision a sensitive impression of a disconnected soul on his last days on earth.

broader than broadway

shinehead
Originally uploaded by third uncle.

roy ayers ubiquity
from the album
he's coming
LISTEN/we live in brooklyn baby

digable planets
from the album
blowout comb
LISTEN/borough check

one of the best things about being in new york for the summer are all the free events. since we last spoke i've gone to see femi (son of fela) kuti at central park, a premier screening of werner herzog's 'grizzly man' with the director on hand, and roy ayers at von king park in bed-stuy (fort greene to you real estate agents). femi was no fela, it's not fair to compare but it's also hard not to. his version of afrobeat is faster and slicker than dad's, a feel some may dig but no me so much. his energy was great though and anything even slightly resembling that classic afrobeat rhythm makes me happy no matter. herzog brought a laugh out during the post screening q and a of 'grizzly man'. when asked what the purpose of the film was, he dryly cracked, "i don't know. what is the purpose of children?" it was also learned that the first time he ever used a telephone was at age 17. and roy ayers in bed-stuy. i wasn't sure what to expect from the 64 year old, his best material over two decades behind. it was a mixed bag, mostly an icky kinda smooth jazz punctuated by soprano sax, but also some groovin' funk shit that sounded really good, especially coming from a buncha old timers and a white boy drummer. sad that they didn't play 'we live in brooklyn baby' considering they were playing in the heart of the borough. plus, i really believed they had to since the song, and its sampled/rapped/revised permutations, have been following me around and flooding my head for the last couple weeks. if anyone has smif n' wessun's 'home sweet home'(another song that samples the ayers' track) please send it my way. i'll love you forever for it.

hot fun in the summertime

this is a wall
Originally uploaded by third uncle.

jamie lidell
from the album
multiply
LISTEN/new me
LISTEN/what's the use

today was hot. its nearly ten in the nite and i'm still sticky with sweat. it's currently 90 degrees according to the weather people. a slight drop from the 95 degree day. i love weather like this, the mind numbing heat, the appreciatively sweet relief in finding a nice spot of shade, a strong fan, or a cold beer. love all the summer activities too, like bbq and smashball with pj by the lake at prospect park, catching an outdoor hop fu screening at the bandshell, and strolling through soho to the barry mcgee show at deitch projects. the gallery space was pretty big and carried a lot of his work. the first thing you see after walking through the entrance, which is actually the back end of a truck's trailer that's been laid on its's side, is a crashed and graffitied stack of automobiles piled ceiling high. at this point you can only say "whoa!" or "oh my!", or "holy...", or something like that. and as impressive a sight this is, it's only the beginning. there's also a small tower of monitors and wires that serve as a video installation, a shed built out of panels painted with brightly colored geometric shapes, and the actual inside of a public restroom with one in a number of animatronic graffiti guys tagging the long scrawled mirror. it amazes me that one person can work with so many different ideas (like painting, video, photo, sculpture, mechanics, massive installation) and create something so incredible, skilled, and distinctive. if in new york then you should go and see yourself, if you can't make it then you can at least look at more photos here.
going along with theme of summer fun, here are two tracks from jamie lidell off his recent release multiply. lidell can bring the funk, 'new me' summons the powers of james brown and fela kuti, and the soul, showing a little white boy wonder in the slow grooving, blue-eyed burner 'what's the use'. white boy is sincere, none of this irony drenched beck type soul, and pulls off a classic sounding record that also delights with its freaked-out and fresh production.

swing low sweet jewel encrusted chariot

mountain goats II
Originally uploaded by third uncle.

the mountain goats
from the album
the coroner's gambit
LISTEN/jaipur
from a live performance
LISTEN/trash(suede cover)

with pj away in kentucky, its been just me and eliot here to celebrate the fourth of july. well, this is not entirely true. i had to leave sweet eliot home tonite to meet up with friends downtown for a special independence day event put together by rooftop films featuring a set by john darnielle, otherwise known as the mountain goats. the large open outdoor space seemed an awkward match when set against darnielle's rousing, often burning, confessionals. and while it's true that a smaller venue would've proved a more fitting showcase, it was actually really cool to see him perform on a rooftop in downtowm brooklyn on such a nice nite. he also mentioned how it was the first time he's played solo in three years, which probably accounted for number of old songs he decided to play. one of my favorites was 'jaipur', the first song from the album the coroner's gambit. my scalp buzzed and my heart skipped in favor when he sang out the opening verse...
i was having visions of sugar pastry
cooked up in clarified butter
i tried to turn my visions into prayers
but i built my castle way high up in the air
yeah i came to the gates of the fabled pink city
hungry, and tired, and cold
swing low sweet chariot
chrome tail pipe shining bright as spun gold