How D'Ya Like Them Apples?

Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to attend a lot of concerts. Not because I don't have the funds or a mode of transportation to and from the gig--I work hard for the money. So hard for it honey. Sadly, I usually have a class or work that keeps me away from seeing great performances. This year, ironically, I've found gaping holes in my social calendar. To fill the void, I've decided to see some of my favorite bands live. First on the list--The Apples in Stereo.

The Apples are a part of the Elephant Six Collective, which basically means that their groupies are hipster coeds who have listened to Pet Sounds once with their stoner ex-boyfriends. For the purposes of this entry, let me state for the record that I have a Pet Sounds reissue import that I refuse to open because I'm waiting for the right moment. In other words, I loved the fact that they played High Llamas Hawaii tracks along with Friends and 20/20 cuts from the Beach Boys and ELO in between sets.

Anyway, I drove to Cambridge, MA for the show and might I take this moment to say that of all the turnpikes in my life, I think the Mass Turnpike is the prettiest. It was a lovely (if long) drive, but I finally found my way to the Middle East. And I know you're dying to think of a witticism incorporating the club name, so insert one here. The place was awesome and I ended up stopping at a cute little shop across the street and bought some sassy vintage postcards.

Around 8:30, hometown favorites Laminated Cat took to the stage and for a quasi-local act, those kids were great. They weren't even of drinking age and yet they managed to play some great material. I've seen some crap local bands, so trust me. They're still young yet as a band, but I think the kids have potential. Their lead singer was adorable--he had the full lips and beautiful cheekbones of a male model--and he had a Schneider-like voice, which was pretty awesome. During the set, I actually got to stand next to Rob Schneider, leader of the Apples, and that's him you can see ducking by my camera in the clip montage (below). May I also add that Laminated Cat's keyboard player was on stage in wool socks--my kind of guy! I thought these guys were so cute--perhaps they should be called Laminated Kitten. Oh, bad joke...

Moving on, the next act @ 9:30 was Aqueduct, a former one-man band out of Seatle, WA. These guys were pretty good too. Matt, the guitarist, checked his mic with the "Tell me wh-y" of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way", which was pure kitsch. Some of the lyrics were a little sappy, but these guys were pretty catchy. I especially loved their bassist, Andy. We locked eyes a couple of times and I may have swooned. I can't help myself--I love a boy who can dress himself well and play an instrument. So if you were wondering why the screen goes sideways during the film montage, it's because I really wanted to get a good shot of him, since the girl with the big hair in front of me was in the way. I know, my priorities are way out of whack.

And finally, at 10:30, the Apples took to the stage. YAY! I expected great things from Robert Schneider and the gang and they delivered. It was just fantastic to be right in front of the stage and capturing these great shots and getting pretty good video. It was just absolutely beautiful. The Apples music makes me smile. There was a grin on my face throughout their entire set. It's not dark and depressing, but it's not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows either. It's a strange concoction--I don't want to know how it's made, I just want more of it.

The Apples came back for an encore and I think the show officially ended around 12:45-1 AM. My drive back was rough in the early morning hours, to say the least. I arrived back at 4 AM deaf but elated. And I couldn't hear for most of the next day, considering I had to be right in front of the stage. There was no other way I would have it. For everyone I may have shouted at yesterday, it was unintentional.

For your viewing pleasure, a clip montage constructed from the brief video footage captured on my camera. There are pics, to be uploaded later.

Found: Liner Notes #6

Mix #6--Hit the Road, Jack!
The Travel Mix

Shiver Me Timbers by Tom Waits--This is the first song I ever heard from Tom Waits and it remains one of my all-time favorite songs. It's like an old sea-faring ballad and from Waits it's perfect. The imagery in this song is so striking. I love a good sea shanty.

Message in a Bottle by The Police--I like when you can connect songs by different musicians and make stories. Thus this song would be the next chapter for Waits' narrator of the previous track. On a side note, this is one of my top Police tracks.

Land Ahoy by The Beach Boys--Did you really think I would let our last mix be without a Beach Boys track? I think I'm pretty alone in my interest in The Beach Boys in our modern times, but I can't help it. I was born in the wrong decade.

Across the Sea by Weezer--I just copied a whole bunch of my back catalogue of CDs into my computer. Pinkerton happened to be one of them. I think this whole album as a concept, with all it's Madame Butterfly references, is just brilliant. I remember being thirteen with my headphones on staring up at the blue summer skies and wondering if Rivers Cuomo knew I was totally in love with him. Which I probably was from the ages of 13-16. And now whenever I wonder why I'm the way I am, I can blame Pinkerton.

Slow Boat to China by Kay Starr--I love this song. Her voice has a lot of power for a white girl.

Champagne Taste by Eartha Kitt--Eartha Kitt used to play Catwoman on the '60s television series of Batman. This song always makes me laugh. It reminds me of the big-talkin' guys who are really just that--all talk. Ms. Kitt puts them in their place in this song.

Osaka Aquabus by The Space Twins--I hope you've grown to like them as much as I do. They are just delightful. This song also reminds me a lot of the Beatles "Yellow Submarine."

Greek Song by Rufus Wainwright--I saw this on a televised concert on the old TRIO network, which was the Bravo of its day. He had this little anecdote about how he wrote the song in an airport in Greece. He never actually saw the country and yet the song seems so fitting.

Seven-Nation Army by The White Stripes--How is this a travel song? Great question. I went to Italy last summer and I was about half-way through my trip. We were staying at this little resort on the shores of Lake Maggiore--it's one of three lakes that compose the Lake District of Italy, the other two being Lugano and Como (I didn't get to visit Como). Anyway, I'm sitting outside of my hotel on a park bench on the beach with the water in front of me and clutching my notebook and I hear this whistling. Straight from the pages of my notebook, I said "Someone keeps whistling the opening to The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and I would love to know who it is. I may have a kindred spirit with me." I never did discover who it was, but I thought it was amazing that so many miles away from home I would hear The White Stripes. It's a small world after all.

Panama by Van Halen--It's seems a little cliche these days to be a Van Halen fan, as they are reuniting with David Lee Roth (my idol) and they are selling out arenas all over the country. But once David Lee and Eddie get into a disagreement about who's hotter (a moot argument--they are both equally attractive and should I ever have the opportunity, I don't think I could choose between the two of them), they will fade back into rock obscurity, somewhere between Guns 'n Roses "Chinese Democracy" album and Kurt Cobain's ambiguous cause of death.

Travellin' Band by Creedence Clearwater Revival--If I were to take a road trip, this is the song I would play when I'm just pulling onto the highway and I'm accelerating my little green Cavalier. Truth be told, I haven't taken any road trips recently, so I had this on a mix cd that I used to listen to on my way to work. I may not be so cool going 30 mph through town, but with sunglasses and this song blaring from my speakers, I felt very hip.

Car Song by Cat Empire--This song is just so jumpy and cool and I think it really captures that youthful first feeling of driving by yourself in your car down the road and you say to yourself, "Yeah, I'm getting out of here one day."

Little Red Corvette by Prince--I think Prince is so kitsch and while everyone else may want to ponder what happens when doves cry and party like it's 1999, I still lItove Little Red Corvette and other less loved songs in the Prince catalogue.

Train Kept A-Rollin' (live, cover) by The Living End--I just love this cover. The Living End are just the bees knees.

Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band--It's The Boss! It still makes me angry to know he's married to his tambourine player. I mean, really! Granted, she is supposedly legit as an artist, but I'm not really impressed with her stuff. But Bruce is amazing. I don't know if I want to see him at the Times-Union center in Nov., though. I would have rather seen him in '75 at the Hammersmith Odium. But the flux capacitor on my DeLorean is shot.

Under the Milky Way by The Church--I used the cover version on an earlier mix, but here is the original. It reminds me of driving at night with a sky full of stars down country roads.

All Right by Supergrass--I used to listen to this song on one of my first Mix cds made specifically for my car. It was perfect for summertime driving.

Your Blood by Destroyer--A Canadian export, so you may know this guy. I heard this song on the radio on one of my drives. It has that road song feel, I think.

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend--A location to travel to, I'd think, as opposed to a road song. But still fun!

Everybody's Talking (cover) by Madeleine Peyroux--Again, this is one of those songs I heard in my car on a long drive. A nice road trip song and I just love the cool, jazzy voice of Peyroux. If I could sing like someone, I would want to sing like her. I'd have to smoke a lot of Marlboros to get that kind of husky feminine voice though.

Love is All Around by Joan Jett--A cover of the Mary Tyler Moore theme song, but from Joan Jett it's like the unconventional girl's power anthem. It is the "We Will Rock You" for the modern girl. So when you're in Scotland and you are not schmoozing with Alex Kapranos, promise me you will throw your cap into the air, as Mary illustrates below:

Or better yet, do so and get Alex to take a photograph for you.

Los Straightjackets

The following is live footage from the Los Straightjackets performance I attended back in August. Where has my summer gone?