6/18 – The Pho-real world
The above photo is taken in Manhattan at the site where the original MTV series, “The Real World” graffiti was used in all of the opening scenes. Pretty cool for the pop culture buff in all of us and I have appropriately chosen this as the photo for the next leg of my blog journal of recently living in New York. I also found a website that shows the locations of many infamous music spots of days gone by like the corner store photographed for the album cover of the Beastie Boys “Paul’s Boutique” and the building photographed on Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti”album. I will check these places out in the coming days of city exploration for the impeding joy of random musical encounters in my new world.
Rightfully so, I have just returned from a great couple of weeks on the road of several musical adventures. Those of which include recently seeing the Beastie Boys, Phish, Bruce Springsteen, MGMT, Tony Rice, David Grisman, David Byrne, Nine Inch Nails, Mars Volta, Turbine, King Sunny Ade, Ani Difranco and many others. If you couldn’t tell, It would appear that I was on a blasphamus musical rampage, however, I was fortunate to catch all of these acts in the same weekend at the greatest music festival on earth that is called Bonnaroo.
Bonnaroo is a place where all things are possible. The variety of music atmospheres is appalling and very accessable to the people with the 5 stages throughout the grounds. Having been an honored guest and having an all access pass, I had the opportunity to chat it up with so many artists all in one place meanwhile having dinner next to them every day and it was all a completely normal activity. The music was abundant and the festival was very well organized. I remember on the last night at the closing set of Phish, i was dictating the whole setlist to the guy writing the article for The Rolling Stone magazine, hahaha, and he really appreciated it.
Well, let me start first at the starting point 2 weeks ago when the long awaitied Phish shows came through town. Phish opened their summer tour with a sweep of the northeast. To start of June, I caught the 3 night run at the beautiful Jones Beach theatre just about an hour from the city and man, what a way to start out of the gates running. The venue was amazing, overlooking a magnificent waterfront and spectacular sound all around. Got to rage it with many west coast friends who came out and that made it really special and incredibly fun. It was especially sweet to rock out in the pouring rain to the songs of Free and 2001 again. I got to hear the best version of Cities ever and this time it had the most meaning i’ve come to understand.
After the three nights of music in New York, I headed up to Massachucetts to catch another fun run at Great Woods Ampitheatre and then the next day at Camden in New Jersey for the most epic show of the run at the reunion place of my hundreth Phish show and the venue where I first met my best friend Brian. It was an awesome week of grooves and then that next morning I caught my flight out to Tennesee to meet up with my boyfriends band, Turbine, in Knoxville where they played a post Phish show party and then we all loaded in the van and set sail towards Nashville’s music city and the site of Bonnaroo.
It is currently raining cats and canines which is keeping me indoors for the moment though I have a lot to do today. I woke up thinking that I want to write a new and interesting column for the local paper and I also was planning on taking my first city wide subway trip to run a bunch of errands. I love the rain here so much, it never really ever rained so much in the summertime back in California and it has such an appealing feel amidst the brownstone buildings and bustling crowds. I’m enjoying this out my window as I write and the sound in inspiring.
Turbine is currently on tour right now in Colorado and I am missing them greatly. When they get back, Jeremy is setting up a couple of solo shows in the area which will be amazing and a lot of fun and we’ll have a continued plethora of music on our palate for the coming months.
Well, thanks for your continued love and awesomeness and i’ll look forward to our next rendezvous all too soon.
Keep rockin’ it like ya do!
With much love and musical appreciation,
-B
