Notes from Germany
I am an American expat living in Germany. It's a far away land on the other side of the ocean. It's interesting and often weird here. If you read this and want to comment then email me at nate(the at symbol)chillmost.com. If you find any spelling or grammar mistakes, you can keep them.
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Stereolab was cool. It was a super good show. It was in the Phonodrome on the Reeperbahn. At first I was right up front and we could see evrything nice and clearly. Unfortunately, I was standing right next to the huge stack of speakers and due to the EXTREME VOLUME it started to feel as if there was a loose piece of tissue paper flapping around in my ears. So I moved to the back where I couldn't see anything but it sounded great. Stereolab is one of the most unglamorous bands you will ever see. They just get up there and rock. They don't really interact with the audience much because they are too busy making great music.
One note of sadness: One of the recognizable characteristics of Stereolab's sound in the past has been the spacey vocal harmonies between Laetitia Sadier and the late Mary Hansen. Without Mary something is missing but it is still interesting. She will be missed.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Preparations for American Roadtrip 2004 are underway. Just reserved a rental car from Avis. Our main concern with the rental car is the sound system. Having a way to play our CDs is absolutely crucial to the mission. It all rests on that. If we have to pay for an upgrade, so be it.
I will be spending the weekend making compilation CDs for the ride. There will be lots of:
- American classic rock: Allman Bros, Doobies, Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Eagles, Skynard, etc.
- Hip Hop: Gangstarr, Erik B & Rakim, NWA, The Roots
- Country: Willie, Waylon, Cash, George Jones, Haggard, DAC
- Hard Rock: Queens of The Stone Age, Sonic Youth, Led Zep, Black Crowes (shmc), Black Sabbath, etc
- Motown and classic R&B: Marvin, Temptations, Supremes, James Brown, Al Green, Otis Redding
- Blues: Robert Johnson, SRV, Junior Walker, Muddy Waters, J. L. Hooker, BB King,
- And much much more..
Tonight I am going to see StereoLab. Should be cool. Haven't heard any of the new stuff yet. Might also just be a bunch of indie rockers/closet music critics standing around with arms crossed and being seen. Not be confused with the "Space Rock Status Guy". Speaking of which....
Kevin Shields "interview" in the Guardian: I lost it.
