Possibly the most incongruously situated show of the year, a Middle Eastern quartet playing often beautifully slinky bellydance music in the shadow of hastily constructed, third world style highrises (whose units sell for millions apiece), looking as if a healthy shove would be enough to send each of them tumbling into the Hudson. Down below in the park, with violin, vocals, ney flute, percussion and an excellent multi-instrumentalist alternating between oud and accordion, Zikrayat had the crowd seated along the amphitheatre-like steps clapping along, rugrats included. They started their hourlong set with three Egyptian film songs before bringing the first of their two bellydancers up in front: to the womens’ immense credit, both managed to stay upright in their high heels while shimmying across the park’s flagstones, no small achievement. Meanwhile, the band ran through a rare 1930s Oum Kaltsoum song, on which the violinist tried in vain to get the crowd to improvise, Arab-style (they couldn’t get their voices around either the scale or his low baritone). They also played a rousing 70s Lebanese pop hit on the familiar theme of being broke but still trying to score with a woman, as well as an original featuring a long, impressive taqsim (improvisation) from the accordionist. They closed with the bellydancers prancing around to some rustically-flavored classical material, the violinist switching to an eerie Egyptian spike fiddle. Despite a refreshingly strong wind gusting in from the river, sometimes roaring into the microphones, the sound guy did an admirable job. This is the kind of show that tests the mettle of a band: if they can pull off something like this under less than ideal circumstances – and Zikrayat did – they ought to sound spectacularly good in a club later in the evening without a bunch of kids running around, squealing and drowning out the music.

The series here this year has been uncommonly good: both Peruvian jazz chanteuse Corina Bartra and Chinese pipa pioneer Min Xiao-Fen’s Blue Pipa Trio have played here. How unlikely could that be? As it turns out, shows at the park are booked by the Queens Council for the Arts, the same folks who brought us this year’s wonderful Latino Cultural Festival at the Queens Theatre in the Park, among other events. If next year is anything like this one, this will be a first-class afterwork concert destination.

For all the art, click this link.

Saturday, Gavroche and myself got out for SanDisk’s Rock the Bells tour at Shoreline. If you’re in Denver on 8/23 or Washington on 9/6, don’t miss this show. Rock the Bells continues to set the standard in terms of large scale festivals bringing together a fantastic line-up that often doesn’t happen with hip-hop. Whereas some tours or shows will have one or two big names with a bunch of unheard of artists (not that they’re bad!), Rock the Bells this year features one of the most star-studded hip-hop line-ups I’ve ever seen. Even if you’re not a huge fan of hip-hop, this show features enough classics that it can serve as a tasty introduction to some music you haven’t heard and might enjoy.

Furthermore, one of the major plagues of festival shows, the lengthy and crowd-angering set changes between acts, was completely eradicated by the crew of this show. Utilizing a simple stage set up with a DJ above a large black screen with the name of the act, it took very little to get in and out of sets, and towards the end of the show it was 10-15 minutes between every performer. When you look at the Kanye fiasco (no matter who’s fault that was) at Bonnaroo and some of the problems that always come with numerous acts, the artists and the crew of this show have a lot to be proud of in their speedy set changes.

The event started with SanDisk’s royal treatment in their VIP lounge. They had an open bar and food served all day, as well as scheduling meet and greets with Supernatural, Dead Prez, Murs and De La Soul. The event is sponsored by them along with their new product, the Mobile Ultra Mini SD card, which gives your phone 2 gigs of memory. Seems to me the type of thing anyone with a love of music or movies needs. All I can say is that I hope the fans appreciate what SanDisk did in compiling this artist line-up and sponsoring the show.

The show kicked off around 11 with a short set from Wale, who is gearing up to release an album off Interscope. He was followed by MURS, who, despite being a kick-ass rapper, somehow got stuck with a mostly empty amphitheatre. But he brought energy to the stage in his quest to promote not only the free internet release of Sweet Lord, but also his upcoming Murs for President. With shorts, a concert promoted t-shirt and his signature dreads, MURS carried with him less pretension and more of a laidback aura than you might expect from a rapper of his caliber, but he’s truly about the music and the fans. At the meet and greet after his set, he not only posed for pictures with fans, but I even saw him take a girl’s cell phone and talk to her friend to convince the friend that this girl was actually backstage with him. Seeing him chat it up with some girl’s friend on the cell phone, just to help her verify she was there was one of those fan friendly moments that most artists will never get involved in. Murs seemed happy to.

MURS gives a fan's friend some proof (and continues his Presidential campaign)

Following Murs, it was a surprise to see Blackalicious released so early in the show. Between Chief XCel and Gift of Gab, they’re one of the truly gifted hip-hop groups that can take difficult songs straight off the album and reproduce them flawlessly live. More than that though, Gift of Gab is just plain fast. When you hear a song like “Alphabet Aerobics,” you don’t think there’s any way it could be performed live. It’s just too fast with too many tongue twisters. Gift of Gab makes it sound easy. At one point in the set, he did a fantastic mixmatch, using an old Puff Daddy beat to rap “To Know You” from 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up. To close the set, they freestyled at a frenetic pace, just to prove it wasn’t all just a stage show.

M-1 of Dead Prez

After Blackalicious, Dead Prez took the stage and put together a set that got the steadily growing crowd energized. They played about 6 songs, finishing with “Bigger Than Hip-Hop” which pumped life into the stage just as they were leaving it. One of the great things about Dead Prez was that they, like Murs, were extremely accessible to the fans backstage. M-1 set up shop on a couch with a bottle of Patron and stic.man spent most of his time talking to people. They’d pose for anyone that came up with a camera for them. Very friendly.

stic.man of Dead Prez

Immortal Technique followed Dead Prez with a set that I think pleased every Tech fan in the crowd, and shocked everyone else. I’ll start with a thank you to Immortal Technique and his crew over at Public Wizard as they set up the interview with Tech and put us in touch with the press department for this festival. For people who don’t know Immortal Technique’s music or message, hearing him on stage for the first time could have a very jarring effect on someone chilling on the grass drinking and smoking at a hip-hop festival. But as anyone who’s a listener knows, and as he told everyone at the show, he really doesn’t give a fuck what you think.

Immortal Technique

He’s far more politically oriented than any other rapper at the show, and he delivers his lyrics with an uncompromising style that doesn’t care if the audience likes it or not. He played a great set with “Industrial Revolution,” “The 3rd World,” “Harlem Streets,” “Point of No Return,” and “Peruvian Cocaine.” More than any rapper I’ve seen in concert, he never truncates his lyrics or songs, which makes sense for someone with that kind of power in the message. If Tech is in your town, check out the show. He’s intense.

In between Immortal Technique and Raekwon and Ghostface, Supernatural took the stage and ripped one of the longest and most interesting freestyles I’ve ever heard live. With people at the edge of the stage, he freestyled solo for about 5 minutes, rhyming about whatever random objects the people in front of him handed to him. He talked about the San Francisco Giants, Trident gum, a bracelet, anything. It was like watching an extremely gifted improv actor who knew how to rap. I hadn’t seen Supernatural before this concert, and I was blown away by the depth and length of his freestyle.

Following Supernatural came, in my opinion, the weak link of the show. Raekwon and Ghostface took the stage and fell flat. Despite having a large bottle of orange juice and a blunt on stage with them, Raekwon and Ghostface just don’t deliver live like other members of the Wu-Tang Clan that I’ve seen.

Raekwon and his OJ

It’s not that they’re not solid rappers in their own right, major contributors to the Wu-Tang crew, and fantastic studio rappers, but live they just don’t perform like GZA and Method Man. While other artists at the show were able to engage me with songs I hadn’t heard before, I couldn’t get into any part of the set. I also took some issue that these guys forgot where they were, thanking Los Angeles at the end of the set. Some people thought they said, “The Bay,” but I know I heard them say, “L.A.”

Next up was Rakim who unleashed solid song after solid song. The crowd was heavily invested in this one as a rapper so old school that he’s referenced in an old school 2Pac song called “Old School” ripped through an energetic set in which he rapped with enthusiasm, skill and what seemed like an urge to have everyone in the crowd feel what he was feeling when he let it out.

Rakim enjoying the music

I hadn’t heard any Rakim other than his work with Eric B., and I was thoroughly impressed with how natural he sounded even removed from the sound of the ’80s. What’s more is that you can see in his reactions to the music and his delivery how much he loves the genre. This was one part of the show I wasn’t sure about going in and was very pleased with coming out.

When De La Soul took the stage, the passion from the crowd poured out. Posdnuous went off stage and into the crowd and was immediately surrounded by the fans. The entire set was upbeat and very strong for a group who has been dealing with numerous release and record label issues over the past 8 years. Along with Murs and Dead Prez, this group was the most accessible backstage, taking time to joke around and take pictures with Pharcyde.

Dave of De La Soul

De La Soul’s grind was followed by the rowdy duo of Method Man and Redman. From the minute they ran on stage to the time they left it, these two brought the show and the crowd to a new level. While some people not too versed in hip-hop may have thought The Wire’s Cheese was trying his hand at rapping, there was no question to a listener that Method Man showed up.

Redman opened up a shook can of Coke on stage and then did an interesting dance trying to avoid the spray. But the cameras in the photo pit had no such luck as the box of bottled water on stage quickly became projectiles for Meth and Red to chuck into the crowd. There’s usually a 5-6 foot space between the photo pit and the seats near the stage. Method Man invites the crowd to come up and they quickly fill in the gap, providing him a place to dive off the stage and into them. These two slammed through their set of well rehearsed fan favorites such as “Y.O.U.” and “Mad Crew” with incredible precision despite the crowd surfing and water hurling antics. There were several excellent moments throughout every artist’s set, but for the passion of performance and raw energy, no set rivaled Method Man and Redman.

The Pharcyde took the stage next. The DJ gave them a little flak for the length of time since their last album, and they got the “with special guest” billing from the tour. The set was good, and of course closed with “Passin Me By” and included “Runnin” which had the crowd enthused. For a group who hasn’t been together in years, it didn’t show in their on-stage chemistry. The set was well done and while most know Slimkid3 and Fatlip, there wasn’t any sense of animosity between them or competition for stage time.

Tre of Pharcyde

The always eclectic Mos Def followed, coming on stage in a shirt from a Louisiana coffee/beignet shop, sunglasses, a trucker hat and an 80s windbreaker style jacket.

Mos Def

This changed throughout the set as he lost the jacket and hat, traded them for a bandanna and gradually got more relaxed with the crowd as the set went on. Up to this point in the concert, the sun had been on the other side of the stage, so it fit perfectly as the sun started raining down on the front side of the stage for Mos to perform “Sunshine.” Although it’s still hard for me to separate Mos Def the rapper from Mos Def the Def Jam Poet and Poetry MC, he carries a stage presence and swagger that just works.

Nas was next. While Method Man and Redman put on the performance with the most juice, Nas had the best set of every artist at the show. He started with “Sly Fox” off his new album (we’ll leave it to other outlets to decide whether to call this one Untitled or the N-word Nas originally wanted to slap it with), and then went on an all-out retrospective of his work with varied length pieces of “New York State of Mind,” “The World is Yours,” “Life’s a Bitch,” “Street Dreams,” “If I Ruled the World,” “Nas is Like,” “Got Yourself a Gun” (complete with an interlude featuring Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.”) and then doing a heartfelt rendition of “One Mic.” One problem with all the favorites is that rappers will drop out and let the crowd do some of the work…they paid to see YOU rap it! If they wanted to listen to themselves rap, they’d do it in their car or at home or at a karaoke bar.

Nas

Regardless of this fact, Nas’ set was more complete than any other in that he gave a taste of his new music but threw out all the favorites to remind the audience of his lyrical supremacy, and sometimes more importantly in rap, his longevity and ability to continue evolving while maintaining a quality of lyrics that rarely suffers from repetition even eight albums later.

To close the show, Q-Tip did three songs with Mos Def before he was joined by the rest of A Tribe Called Quest to finish out an excellent afternoon of hip-hop. Q-Tip initially seemed very agitated, angry almost that the crowd volume was not what he expected. He yelled “LOUDER” several times and was obviously frustrated. He of course performed “Vivrant Thing.” As for Tribe’s set, it was a throwback worthy of the concert, playing a host of fan favorites that had everyone dancing and rapping along. But why go through the setlist when I can simply show you?

A Tribe Called Quest Set List

So that was that, 2008’s Rock the Bells. With 2 more shows left, there’s still a chance for people to get out and see it, and if you don’t, don’t forget it when it comes around next year.

Melissa Lawson is the winner of the 2008 Nashville Star Series.

Hi everyone! I am HOME! After 3 months on Nashville Star and 2 AMAZING whirlwind weeks after winning, I am finally HOME! =) I get to spend a couple of weeks with my family, no cameras, no interviews, just us Lawsons hanging out and lovin’ on each other. I am really looking forward to this time to recharge my batteries and get ready for the Nashville Star tour kicking off Sept. 12 in St. Louis and to begin working on the album, which will be released around the first of the year. Now let me tell you about what you really want to know about … CHINA! WOW! I thought Nashville Star was great, but it can’t even compare to the last 2 weeks of my life.

Beijing, China, is such an incredible place. Never in my life would I have ever thought I would go to China, much less have the opportunity to sing at the Olympics. I am so blessed and fortunate to have an amazing fan base supporting and praying me through this. Let me fill you in on the details of my trip …

We flew out on Aug. 9 from L.A. on a 777. The seats were awesome. It was a little like Star Trek. They recline into a completely flat position, so you can sleep, or a “relaxed” mode as well. There was a personal TV screen for everyone and tons of movie choices.

When lunch was served, we had a 5-course meal. It started with champagne, then some little sushi appetizers, baskets of bread and moved onto a salad and salmon/tuna wrap thing, then the actual dinner course, a mushroom cannelloni, fruit, dessert, little chocolates and coffee or tea. It was an unbelievable amount of food. Unfortunately for me, I am allergic to shellfish and not a huge fan of what I like to call fru-fru food. I’m a simple eater, so, as much as the meal was entertaining, I didn’t eat a lot. Honestly, I think I was most nervous about the food in China, because I don’t even care for Chinese food at home, so the authentic food scared me. =) Let’s just say I was VERY glad that I brought Kashi bars with me. They did have Pizza Hut, which we tried one night, but it was NOT the same Pizza Hut we know here in the U.S. They had squid and other crazy things on the pizza. No custom orders there, either. I think it was the language barrier more than anything. Our first leg of the flight was 12 hours or so and actually went by pretty quickly. I watched a couple of movies, listened to my iPod and wrote in my journal about my week. We then landed in Tokyo, and I was amazed to see how green it was there. It was like the start of spring. There were tons of fields of crops. It was beautiful from the air. We had a layover for about an hour, then loaded onto another plane for another 4 hour trip into Beijing. That flight felt like nothing. I fell asleep before we even got off of the ground and slept till we started our descent. We landed in Beijing at around 8 p.m., which is about 7 a.m. Central time in the U.S. When I got off the plane, I was almost knocked over by the odor. It smelled like dead fish and bad body odor. YUCK!

We went through customs, which was easier than I thought it would be. Got my passport stamped, which was REALLY cool, and then headed out the doors to baggage claim. The Today show was waiting there for us in a car. Oh, the “us” traveling with me were Damon “Goodtimes,” who was one of our producers on Nashville Star, and one of the most hilarious guys I’ve ever met, and Shawn, my manager, and guitar player. Anyways, we got into a sprinter-style van and headed to the hotel. It was dark and rainy outside, so I couldn’t see much. We arrived at the hotel, and after a bit of confusion, we discovered that we were accidentally booked at the wrong hotel. The one we were supposed to be at was a good hour drive away, so we went ahead and stayed where we were. It was really nice there. We enjoyed some music in the lobby restaurant and headed to bed. The next day, we decided to fill it up with sightseeing. We went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (which was awesome), the silk factory, the cloisonné factory, the pearl market and, of course, the Great Wall of China. At the Great Wall, we took a cable car up to the top, which was quite out of my comfort zone. There were no seatbelts, and we were hanging hundreds of feet in the air. It was frightening and breathtaking all at the same time. You could see mountains forever. Due to the rain they had the day before, the smog wasn’t so bad and allowed us to have a wonderful view. Once at the top, Damon had me sing my single for a bunch of tourists. It was hilarious. Lastly, we tobogganed down. The toboggan was kind of like a bobsled of sorts. We sat on these individual seats and off we went. We filmed the whole ride down. It was really exhilarating. It has been so long since I have allowed myself to “let go” like that. I think losing the weight has definitely helped. I am looking forward to doing many more adventurous things now. I think I let go of a lot of my fears that day. It was very freeing and I had a blast there. The Olympic green was awesome, too. The “bird’s nest” and “the cube,” where the main events and water events were held, were incredible. The city spent billions of dollars preparing for the Olympics and wanted to make an effort to put their best foot forward. I think they did a fantastic job. I didn’t get to see any events, but I DID meet the USA men’s gymnastics team that had just won the bronze. That was pretty cool.

The Today show was great! I met Meredith, Al Roker, Hoda and Matt Lauer. Everyone was so welcoming and gracious to me. We had a rehearsal earlier in the day, and there were even a few girls that had voted for me on Nashville Star … all the way in CHINA. That was an unbelievable feeling to know I was halfway across the world and there were people there who had supported me through this experience. Later that evening, we shot the show live. It was so weird knowing that I was singing at 9:30 p.m. or so in China. My day was almost over, yet back at home, the same day was just getting started. I think overall the performance went well. The audience was so wonderful, and after the song, I took pics and signed autographs for the new Chinese fans. The next morning, we headed out very early. The smog was so overwhelming that day that I was having trouble breathing. You couldn’t even see the sun. It was comparable to an early morning Texas fog, where you can’t even see 20 feet in front of you. I was definitely glad to be heading back to the U.S. The trip back was a long one. Over 26 hours of traveling.

I ended up back at the Opryland [Hotel] in Nashville, which in a way felt like coming home after 2-1/2 straight months of living there for the show. I had a good night’s rest and prepared to sing on the Grand Ole Opry Friday and Saturday night. While at the Opry, I was able to meet Point of Grace, one of my favorite contemporary Christian groups, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Mel Tillis and many other great country legends. It was such an amazing experience. When I was 13, I started singing on the Opry circuit at home. They were small little Opry houses that mimicked the “real” Opry. While I was standing backstage waiting on my turn to go perform, I turned to my husband and said, “I feel like I am home.” He agreed. There was an overwhelming sense of peace.

Although I was nervous about the performance, I felt so comfortable. In my life, I never dreamed I would make it to the Opry stage. It was just not something that ever really crossed my mind, so to be standing on the stage, being introduced by Vince Gill, one of the most amazing country vocalists and musicians of all time, was incredible. The audience was so accepting, and there were so many great people backstage. Everyone from the security guards, camera guys, stage managers, the Opry band and the back-up singers, just to name a few, made the whole experience feel like I was with family. I have had such an incredible journey, and I know this is just the start of what is to come. The single has done very well so far, and the fans and radio have been supporting me and the song wholeheartedly. I am really looking forward to seeing all of you on the road during the tour. Keep checking back. I will be blogging as much as possible from here on out. I love ya’ll. Thank you for everything. I am so blessed to have been a part of all of this craziness. =) In His Grip, Melissa

Full of dense, action-packed symphonic force and sweet balladry, possibly more so than ever, considering the massive use of synthesisers (not the same possibilities in the early 70s) and some extra goodies in the shape of glockenspiel, sitar and violin. The sound is more modern - and not only when it comes to recording – there is a slight neo-prog influence to be found; slick, clear guitar work and soloing, modern keys and a general crispness, tightness and easy-going atmosphere that actually manages to shine through the flamboyant keyboard excesses and heavily romantic outbursts. Including an electric guitar to this extent may at first feel kind of alienating for a fan of the older albums, either in dominating the soundscape or just the simple truth that parts featuring it don’t feel particularly 70s. Much of the overt classical leanings in the music are also replaced by a more contemporary symphonic sound, with motifs and structure that sound familiar for those of you who have made excursions into the modern symph scene.

Just like on Collage, the band manages to create a fuller sound and a more varied effort here than on their two classics while losing a little consistency along the way. Apples and oranges, and I can’t say it troubles me exchanging one for the other. The band shows amazing talent in filling up all the gaps in the music with just the right tone from say a glockenspiel or a piano, creating interplay between the instruments that I’d love to here from more bands.

Loosely held together by a couple of recurring musical themes and the four elements, the songs found on Elementi work just as well individually as they do collectively, playing the album from start to finish. Quite varied in style and mood but neatly grouped together due to the taste for drama and beauty. A colourful display of synth and organ madness, Hammond groove, heavier interludes, a touch of 60s psych-rock and sweet guitar-driven sophisto-pop is what a listener will face when listening to Elementi. Some of it in the same song; a quite impressive feat since the medium song length is about 3-4 minutes. A nice touch is that the albums first and last song both have the same hopeful, positive vibe to them, which adds a sense of circular completion to the music. Perfect match to the change of seasons and their respective elements that can be witnessed on the front cover.

With an impressive power to last, Elementi’s made it into my top three from the band without much effort. Very mature and surprisingly good for a band that has such a long career - and above all - music that suggests fresh spirits instead of tired ones makes this a worthy part of my collection.

4 stars.

//LinusW

by LinusW


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The Oakland-based singer for alternative Latino act Mezklah found all the band's equipment stolen from in front of his home on Sunday, right before the group was set to leave for a Japanese tour on Thursday. If you see a Gibson, laptop, or any other item fitting the descriptions below, get in touch with mezklah@hotmail.com (thanks to Eric Arnold for the tip). -- Jennifer Maerz

On the morning of Sunday, August 17, 2008, alternative-Latino group MEZKLAH were robbed of several essential pieces of equipment from a vehicle parked in front of lead singer Angel Garcia's home in Oakland, CA. Among the stolen goods were a sampler, a MacBook Pro computer, and a Gibson guitar. The band needs these essential items before they depart for a Japanese tour this Thursday. A full list of the stolen gear is included below. If you have any knowledge of any of the equipment's whereabouts or location, please call Matias Pizarro, (562) 522-9798, or email the band at mezklah@hotmail.com. STOLEN GEAR:

ROLAND SPD-S SAMPLER, with slight scratches on the sides.
GIBSON SG 1981, BROWN WOODSTOCK, all natural wood brown guitar with silver humbucker pickups.
XIO NOVATION MIDI CONTROLLER KEYBOARD
ROLAND PD 80 PAD, with small tear along the black rubber rim.
BOSS DD-3 DIGITAL DELAY PEDAL
WHITE APPLE MAC BOOK 2.4 COMPUTER, slightly scratched on the scroll pad. Top of the computer has a sticky black tape mark.
NOVATION GIG BAG
SWISS ARMY BACKPACK, with a SunStudios patch sewed on it. Various cables and Roland SPDS Manual inside bag.

Better than: Watching all three Matrix movies on blu-ray.

Trent Reznor and...The Pips? (Derrick Miller)

More of a multimedia event than a concert, the performance last night of Trent Reznor and his latest incarnation of Nine Inch Nails was nothing short of breathtaking. Packed with enough emotional anguish and visual dynamics to fuel a season of prime time television dramas, the music was nearly dwarfed by an array of stage manipulations and large scale computer effects that cast an eerie Orwellian effect over the proceedings for most of the evening.

Beginning with three cuts from The Slip, Nine Inch Nails’ most recent effort, the band rarely took the foot off the gas pedal. When a more familiar track like “March of the Pigs” surfaced, the 80 percent-filled arena roared like an addict receiving a much-needed fix. While the music pounded like a forbearer of Armageddon, the stage crew went about turning the AAC into a high tech freak show. Metal curtains that surrounded the band turned into giant LED screens that pulsed with static and shadowy images. At one point the placement of the screens forced Reznor and three bandmates to perform a mini-set at the very front of the stage, creating a claustrophobic feel that suited the mood of songs such as “The Warning” perfectly.

About midway through the two-hour angst fest, Reznor retreated to center stage where he played xylophone (!) on several instrumental numbers from the moody Ghosts releases. Beautiful and not the least bit techno, this portion of the show was an amazing example of how well Reznor’s audience understands the mercurial artist. While the instrumental tracks are undeniably gorgeous (coming across like the Butthole Surfers covering Calexico), they are also short on the kind of drive most folks are looking for at typical rock shows. Yet, here were scantily clad goth girls and beer soaked frat boys all swaying to music that could easily serve as the soundtrack to a PBS special on long lost undersea creatures.

Shortly thereafter, Reznor unleashed “Head Like a Hole” and even three shirtless (and unconsciously loaded) youngsters in front of me raised from near death to bounce along in uninhibited glee. The second to last song of the encore was “Hurt” and the crowd sang along to the power ballad with an adulation that bordered on religious fanaticism. When Reznor finally left the stage and the house lights came on, fans cheered as if Obama himself had just spoken.

Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: I knew the night was going to be an odd one when the ticket lady said to my photo pass request, “The artist is having a bad day so no pictures will be allowed.” Luckily, my friend Derrick Miller brought in his digital camera and did manage to take a few long ranges shots (as did about 10,000 others). Also at the door, security was taking all spiked dog collars, wristbands, etc. and tagging them for pick up after the show. I could envision the chaos as fans elbowed one another, proclaiming, “Hey, that’s my sadomasochistic paraphernalia.”

Random Note: As they approach 40, many of these original, leather-clad goth girl, Nine Inch Nail fans are gaining some weight. Perhaps these gals need to work in a salad along with the human flesh. And believe me, all of that tight fitting bikini wear needs to be retired post haste! Reznor, too, was a rather stocky fellow, looking more like a late night plumber than the sleek frontman of days past.

By The Way: Brooklyn’s A Place to Bury Strangers opened the show impressively with a quick eight songs of doomy post-punk that recalled The Jesus and Mary Chain along with Echo and the Bunnymen. Although the band’s strobe light backdrop did not do the epileptics in the house any favors, the music was dense and almost memorable. The crowd, which, at 7:30 p.m., was more of a polite gathering, treated the trio respectfully, warming up the mosh pit for the frenzy that was to come. --Darryl Smyers

The Game Lyrics (featuring Lil Wayne) - My Life

breathing
dog barking
gun shot and glass break

The Game
Punk ass mothaf@#ka, get your ass up
What chu was goin do? kill me in my sleep you bitch ass nigga?
Tupac, Biggie! shut the f@#k up! f@#king dogs barking and shit

[Punk Ass Motherf@#ker]
Don’t shoot!
Don’t shoot!

gun shot

The Game
F@#k You Nigga!

Lil’ Wayne
And I’m grindin’ til I’m tired
They say “You ain’t grindin’ til you tired”
So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wide
Looking to find
A way
Through the day
A light
For the night
Dear Lord, you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ why
You haven’t taken (my life? x3)
Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)
(My Life x3)

The Game
Take me away from the hood like a state penitentiary
Take me away from the hood in the casket or a Bentley
Take me away
Like I overdosed on cocaine
Or take me away like a bullet from Kurt Cobain
Suicide (Suicide..suicide..)
I’m from a Windy City, like “Do or Die”
From a block close to where Biggie was crucified
That was Brooklyn’s Jesus
Shot for no f@#kin’ reason
And you wonder why Kanye wears Jesus pieces? (My Life x3)
‘Cause that’s Jesus people
And The Game, he’s the equal
Hated on so much, “The Passion of Christ” need a sequel
Yeah, like Roc-a-fella needed Sigel
Like I needed my father, but he needed a needle (My Life x3)
I need some meditation, so I can leave my people
They askin’ “Why?” Why did John Lennon leave The Beatles?
And why every hood nigga feed off evil?
Answer my question before this bullet leave this Desert Eagle

Lil’ Wayne
And I’m grindin’ til I’m tired
They say “You ain’t grindin’ til you tired”
So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wide
Looking to find
A way
Through the day
A light
For the night
Dear Lord, you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ why
You haven’t taken (my life? x3)
Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)
(My Life x3)

The Game
We are not the same, I am a Martian
So approach my Phantom doors with caution (caution…caution)
You see them 24’s spinnin’? I earned them
And all the pictures of me and Em, I burned them
So there ain’t no proof that I ever walked through 8 Mile
And since there ain’t no Proof, I never walked through 8 Mile
Sometimes I think about my life with my face down
Then I see my sons and put on that Kanye smile (My Life x3)
Damn, I know his momma’s proud
And since you helped me sell my dream, we can share my momma now
And like MJB, “No More Drama” now
Livin’ the +good life+, me and Common on common ground
I spit crack and niggas could drive it outta town
Gotta Chris Paul mind state, I’m never outta bounds
My life used to be empty like a glock without a round
Now my life full, like a chopper with a thousand rounds Gunshots

Lil’ Wayne
And I’m grindin’ ’til I’m tired
They say “You ain’t grindin’ ’til you tired”
So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wide
Looking to find
A way
Through the day
A light
For the night
Dear Lord you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ why
You haven’t taken (my life? x3)
Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)
(My Life x3)

The Game
Walk through the gates of Hell, see my Impala parked in front
The high beams on, me and the Devil share chronic blunts
Listening to the “Chronic” album, playing backwards
Shootin’ at pictures of Don Imus for target practice
My mind f@#ked up, so I cover it with a Raider hood
I’m from the city that made you motherf@#kers afraid of Suge (Compton… Compton…)
Made my grandmother pray for good
And never made her happy, when I bet that new Mercedes could (My Life x3)
Ain’t no bars, but niggas can’t escape the hood
They took so many of my niggas, that I should hate the hood
But it’s real niggas like me, that make the hood
Ridin’ slow in that Phantom just the way I should (My Life x3)
With the top back
In my Sox hat
I’m paid in full, the nigga Alpo couldn’t stop that
Even if they brought the nigga ‘Pac back
I’d still keep this motherf@#ker cocked back

Lil’ Wayne

And I’m grindin’ til I’m tired
They say “You ain’t grindin’ til you tired”
So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wide
Looking to find
A way
Through the day
A light
For the night
Dear Lord you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ why
You haven’t taken (my life x3)
Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)
(My Life x3)
(My Life x3)
(My Life x3)
(My Life x3)

The Game featuring Lil Wayne Lyrics - My Life Song Words

Song Words by Artist / Band : The Game ft Lil Wayne
Lyrics Title : My Life
Taken from Album : L.A.X.
Single Released : July 22, 2008, August 5, 2008 (iTunes))
Music Genre : Hip hop

The song My Life by The Game featuring Lil Wayne entered Billboard Hot 100 Single Chart on position 21 on week 34/2008

(Song Data Information taken from : Wikipedia)

Good Cop: As you’ve probably figured out, we’ve been experiencing technical difficulties, sorry about that, we’ll make it up to you.

Bad Cop: You don’t have to make it up to anybody. This is the blogosphere, after all, there are no rules, no obligations.

Good Cop: But we promised these good people a new front page post every day, something that at the very least should be entertaining and possibly informative as well.

Bad Cop: Look, everybody has computer problems. That’s why they have IT departments, because computers are programmed to screw up, if they didn’t all the IT people would be out of a job. I don’t think anybody’s counting if we miss a few days between posts.

Good Cop: But we don’t want to give people the indication that we’ve lost interest and given up just like practically every other music blog out there.

Bad Cop: I don’t think anybody’s paying attention. You just want to be famous.

Good Cop: We will be famous! Why do you think I’m spending so much of my free time here?

Bad Cop: I dunno, because you’re a masochist.

Good Cop: We’re gonna be bigger than pitchfork!

Bad Cop: In your dreams. We were born too late. All the popular stuff now is trendoids and trust fund scum.

Good Cop: Not true! Look at Sharon Jones! The whole gypsy music thing, Gogol Bordello. There’s a huge audience for the kind of stuff we cover!

Bad Cop: I’d like to know where.

Good Cop: You’re just cynical. You’ve been spending too way much time in Williamsburg.

Bad Cop: Don’t I know it.

Good Cop: Can we have our editorial meeting now?

Bad Cop: Editorial meeting? This is the blogosphere, why should we?

Good Cop: Because we agreed when we started working on this thing, we should do stuff that’s interesting to people besides us, we planned the whole month in advance.

Bad Cop: Subject to change.

Good Cop: I know, subject to change, but so far this month doesn’t look anything like the way we planned it.

Bad Cop: The way you planned it.

Good Cop: Hey, you didn’t object when we agreed that this was what we were going to do.

Bad Cop: I have a role to play. I’m the wild card in the deck, remember?

Good Cop: Now you’re breaking the fourth wall. Stop it.

Bad Cop [reaches into his backpack. Pulls out a flask, unscrews the top and takes a long drink]: AAAAAAH [offers it to Good Cop]. Here. Good for what ails ya.

Good Cop: Put that away. You can’t drink when you’re on duty.

Bad Cop: You got me to stop smoking pot so I could remember what happens at all these shows, but there’s no way you’re going to get me to stop drinking [takes another slug].

Good Cop [cynically]: I guess that’s a start. Can we start with the meeting now? I think Bachata Roja Legends was a really good choice. And the Points West Festival thing was smart even though you intruded on my turf.

Bad Cop: Your turf? Excuse me?

Good Cop: I’m supposed to do the calendar and you’re supposed to go out to the shows, remember?

Bad Cop: So what. I did it. You didn’t. And if you did you probably would have recommended it.

Good Cop: No way! Tickets were $800 or something like that.

Bad Cop: That’s the VIP ticket, it gets you in to hang out with all the trash with the really big trust funds.

Good Cop: All right, just next time tell me you’re going to do something like that, ok?

Bad Cop: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. That one got a lot of hits.

Good Cop: OK. But what happened to the Wu Man show, did you go?

Bad Cop: Bad sound. Can’t blame an artist for that. There were other problems but I don’t want to get into that.

Good Cop: How about El Ritmo Southside afterward?

Bad Cop: Bad experience. Doesn’t reflect on the band though. I revised your listing in the calendar.

Good Cop: OK. The Sloe Guns and Toneballs, ok, that’s done. And the Jenny Scheinman, that’s a good find. Just so you know, we’re running 60/40 male/female with the reviews so we need to beef up our coverage of women artists.

Bad Cop: So that means all sisters for the next year.

Good Cop: No, nothing so obvious, but you know what I mean. Now Elaine Juzwick, that was a good one, how did you discover that?

Bad Cop: On the way to the Brooklyn What show. I needed a drink and they had wine. The art just happened to be good.

Good Cop: What happened to the Brooklyn What?

Bad Cop: Running behind. Not the band’s fault. I had stuff to do, couldn’t stick around til after midnight in the middle of Brooklyn.

Good Cop: And you snuck another organ concert in there too I see.

Bad Cop: I thought you wanted women artists. This was a whole series of women performers, I think we covered three of them and I would have done a fourth if it hadn’t been so awful.

Good Cop: But can we please not make this organ music central? It’s a tiny, tiny subculture, I don’t want to get pigeonholed. Plus most people think it’s creepy.

Bad Cop: It is creepy! Plus it says this [raises middle finger] to anybody who’s too much of a wuss to handle it.

Good Cop: C’mon, let’s not alienate the whole world, huh? Can’t you get over this high school rebellion thing? You’re older than I am.

Bad Cop: Don’t I know it.

Good Cop: OK, I see the Sex Pistols thing bombed. I said this once before, I think we should stay out of the archive unless we have something that’s really going to generate traffic. And I think we shouldn’t go back more than 10 years, it dates us.

Bad Cop: But that’s where all the good stuff is.

Good Cop: Actually, I’ve looked through and there’s a lot of great stuff from 7, 8 years ago. That Sonic Youth show that you put up a couple of months ago, I was in second grade then. And it didn’t get us hits either.

Bad Cop: It’s more than just getting hits, remember, this whole thing becomes an archive after awhile.

Good Cop: Dude, this is the blogosphere, blogs come and go in a nanosecond, it’s all happening in real time. I say if it isn’t a big name we shouldn’t do it. The Village People thing stiffed too.

Bad Cop: But it’s funny.

Good Cop: It is funny. But nobody knows anything about the Village People. Growing up, I knew the songs, YMCA, Macho Man but I didn’t know anything more about them, the outfits, you know.

Bad Cop: Now you do.

Good Cop: That isn’t going to make us famous.

Bad Cop: You wanna be famous, shoot me.

Good Cop: That would be a role reversal.

Bad Cop: Look who’s breaking the fourth wall now.

Good Cop: Can we get back to the blog? How about the Daniel Bernstein show?

Bad Cop: I had a family obligation.

Good Cop: You don’t have a family.

Bad Cop: OK, a social obligation.

Good Cop: Drinking, I suppose.

Bad Cop: Traveling. Obligations, like I said.

Good Cop: You can’t keep blowing off assignments or deadlines like that, it throws everything off and you end up having to work twice as hard. Or I have to bail you out and that’s not really my problem.

Bad Cop: Not to worry. Somehow I get it done.

Good Cop: Sort of.

Bad Cop: Hey, shit comes up and we have to deal with it. Thank you Isaac Hayes for expiring.

Good Cop: Ewww, that was tasteless. I hope you’re joking.

Bad Cop: Hey, it’s what they pay me the big bucks for. Start paying me the big bucks and I might clean up my act.

Good Cop: That’s down the road. Right now we have to suck it up. I see you finally got to write up 9th Wave, you’ve wanted to do that for awhile. And Eli Paperboy Reed, that was a great choice. [pause] And I see you’ve got Edward Rogers and System Noise done, that’s important, good work.

Bad Cop: See, I’m not so bad. What have you done lately, big boss?

Good Cop: I did the live music calendar and the Custard Wally review.

Bad Cop: Whoooeee, two posts in a month.

Good Cop: Actually three if you count the first calendar. That takes twice as much work as what you do anyway.

Bad Cop: It wouldn’t if you could figure out how to get the site and the computer to talk to each other, that’s what you yunguns are for, isn’t it?

Good Cop: Actually you’ll be proud to know I have and I can show you.

Bad Cop: I’m all ears.

Good Cop: OK, later. What concerns me now is that we have a big stretch coming up and not much planned, if the second half of this month is anything like the first, we’re going to have to scramble for posts to get us hits.

Bad Cop: Relax. It’ll all work out [drains his flask]

Good Cop: And I think we should lay off the jazz.

Bad Cop [mystified]: Huh?

Good Cop: They have their own world. It’s vastly different from ours. Different language, too: ostinatos and obbligatos, what it all means I have no idea.

Bad Cop: Which is why we need to bring jazz back to the people! In the 1930s the top 40 was all jazz, people forget that. It’s dance music. Jazz got its start in whorehouses which is all right with me!

Good Cop: Unless you speak the lingo you’ll come across as an amateur.

Bad Cop [gets up and walks to the door] I’d rather be an inspired amateur than a pretentious professional.

Good Cop: Hey, we’re not finished yet! Where you going?

Bad Cop [holds up the empty flask, upside down] Three guesses. [On his cellphone] Hello, Discount Liquors? How late are you open? 

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