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Last Night's Music: Florent Ghys and @Glockabelle (at Pioneer Works)

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My 2014 Live Music Stats & Highlights

In 2014 I saw approximately 118 performances during 50 shows. I saw 105 unique acts and visited 35 unique venues (15 being new-to-me). Roughly 54% of the shows I attended were in Brooklyn and 38% were in Manhattan. The remaining 8% were in London.

46% of shows I saw were classical/experimental/jazz, versus 54% non-classical, which is the exact same breakout as last year. Perhaps this ratio is my sweet spot.

Most Watched Bands/Musicians:

Public Speaking (4)

A Bunch of Dead People (3)

Steve Reich (3)

Philip Glass (3)

Most Visited Venues:

Brooklyn Academy of Music (5)

Merkin Concert Hall (5)

Baby's All Right (3)

Carnegie Hall (3)

Favorite Classical/Experimental/Jazz Performances:

Basin Street Brawlers @ Wilton's, the world's oldest surviving great music hall in London. Walking up, the neighborhood was so quite and empty that it seemed like we had the address wrong, but then we turned into an alley that had a sign for the hall and there were lights strung across the telephone wires and we could hear trumpet. But still no one in sight. Once we opened the doors to the venue it was -packed-, with old jazz standards coming from the band's horns. It was like being transported back to the 1920s. https://vine.co/v/MWd37rZm7m5 and http://instagram.com/p/kQIrbFkFu5/?modal=true

So Percussion @ Silent Barn in Brooklyn. It was a cozy crowd in the dead of summer (read: no air conditioning). They performed part of Steve Reich's Drumming in the middle of the room, everyone was sweating buckets, and it was life affirming. http://instagram.com/p/q0MJgPEFuh/

Huun-Huur-Tu @ Carnegie Hall as part of David Lang's Collected Stories series. I had been swept away by the recordings of these Tuvan throat singers several years ago. What they do is unreal to my westernized ears, but it makes me feel so much emotion. They didn't play this song at Carnegie, but I wish they had: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b1egQpIjLs

Iarla Ó Lionáird @ Carnegie Hall as part of David Lang's Collected Stories series. Iarla's rendition of the traditonal Irish folk song "Cruel Sister" was so haunting and beautiful, it almost made me cry. He played a simple harmonium and his voice was transfixing. I haven't since been able to find a recording of the song that can do it justice.

Zs @ Trans Pecos in Brooklyn. Brutal, aggressive, hypnotic. Standing front row with Allan and Chelsea, with a screeching sax right in our faces. https://vine.co/v/M0pIBLJWriz and http://instagram.com/p/q8Vsm8kFqC/

Colin Stetson with Brooklyn Youth Chorus @ Merkin Concert Hall in Manhattan. I had seen Stetson and BYC before, but together they were absolutely astonishing. http://instagram.com/p/l3Ydd_kFuv/

Favorite Non-Classical Performances:

Kraftwerk in 3D @ United Palace Theatre in Manhattan. Cheesy? Perhaps. Mind-blowing? Most definitely. Plus this venue is probably the most beautiful rough gem in all of Manhattan. https://vine.co/v/MiBBmrwhZVM and http://instagram.com/p/mTlqtRkFsm/

Skeletons @ Trans Pecos in Brooklyn. It was their NYC farewell show, and after seeing all the bands from their music circle play before them (Zs, Hubble, etc), I could feel the last 5 years of following them unravel in front of me. https://vine.co/v/M0DnuXYM9tm

Deerhoof @ Baby's All Right in Brooklyn. I think I bounced up and down for the entire length of the show. https://vine.co/v/OeOQ2Q7XXKI

Friend Roulette @ Spike Hill in Brooklyn. I've seen this band many times before, but this time just felt special. An out-of-town friend and I walked into the venue mid-set; the doors were wide open since it was a nice summer afternoon. The dance floor was wide open so we could just stand there and take it in. https://vine.co/v/MInz02D3OWO

Glockabelle @ "Space Space" in Brooklyn. French pop steeped in percussive keys, prog-length breakdowns, and the occasional classical digression. https://vine.co/v/OhDZrvULtIz

A Bunch of Dead People @ "Space Space" in Brooklyn. Probably the nastiest of the nasty I've ever seen ABODP be. It was close to Halloween, so it felt like Satan could plausibly be in the room. https://vine.co/v/OhFXHW0YLQi

Runner-Up: Couples Counseling @ Silent Barn's Pleasure Jail in Brooklyn. I don't really know this artist at all, but the setting of the show in a tiny apartment kitchen, bathed in blue lighting just worked. https://vine.co/v/MhjDjqAnzA0

A Few Other Awesome Moments Captured on Film:

Ava Luna, Krill and others @ Silent Barn http://instagram.com/p/l_nb9iEFqP/

Craig Leon with ACME @ Le Poisson Rouge https://vine.co/v/Mrq6eErOMiJ

William Onyeabor star-studded tribute @ BAM https://vine.co/v/MrILiUIAFnH

Mac DeMarco @ Baby's All Right https://vine.co/v/M5iOJddL9aM

Public Speaking @ Pianos https://vine.co/v/Mr9qzd5Mi1A

Jon Mizrachi @ Fort Useless http://instagram.com/p/nRx-SKEFqa/

My Love MHz @ Grand Victory https://vine.co/v/MMWBV9IphhZ

Christopher Tignor @ Union Pool https://vine.co/v/MIBeOVV0tv3

Roomful of Teeth @ WFC Winter Garden https://vine.co/v/MT3Pp7MYvv0

YES @ Radio City Music Hall https://vine.co/v/MPxEJEnBaVe and https://vine.co/v/MPxLDBHmKM7

EBone Underground busking in the subway https://vine.co/v/MPlDliL9Jmp

Brain Cloud @ Barbes https://vine.co/v/OqmrMZbpHrl

King Crimson (okay, I didn't actually record them playing, but this is what it felt like) https://vine.co/v/O7MdKx5ETnr

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Shura - "Touch"

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Seurat from afar. (at The Art Institute of Chicago)

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Great record shop. Friendly staff and a FREE hidden arcade room in the back. Here are my #vinyl finds. #robertwyatt #harrypartch #arthurrussell #canpeelsessions #bettypadgett (at Logan Hardware Records)

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Friend Roulette - Just Woke Up (Fucked Up)

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Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Nancy Sinatra (1966)

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A post shared by Arminda K (@armindak)

#tbt to a year ago when I recorded random vocals for Zach. And then to a month ago when I finally heard what magnificent madness they had officially morphed into. As I dive head-first into vocal surgery and a new chapter for my voice, I am happy to have this as a reminder! Check the whole album out at eternalgarb.bandcamp.com

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This was my gift for donating to Smile Train, because tuxedo cats and vinyl make me smile. :) Thanks Aimee and Orange You Glad!

Cats and Vinyl (Assembly Required) by Aimee Pong

aimeepong.com

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DEERHOOF (at Baby's All Right)

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This is definitely going to be one of my top 5 new fav albums for this year.

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New Tom Zé album is out. I'm swimming in lots of new music. Life is great.

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My #vinyl picks from Twist & Shout. Notice that the first album I found upon entering the store was Skeletons' Lucas, unopened and for $5. #swoon (at Twist & Shout Records)

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Tune-Yards - Nikki Nack - 2014 Yet another amazing musical endeavor by Merrill Garbus.

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Damn that intro is pretty proggy...

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New York Roller Dancers skate to William Onyeabor's "Fantastic Man"