Summer Reading: Twilight

Never underestimate a book about high school romance with vampires in it.

That’s the lesson I learned after reading Stephenie Meyer’s novel ‘Twilight,’ which is about, well, a high school romance with a vampire. I went on vacation recently with some college pals, and for poolside reading, one of my friends had gotten us each a copy of the wildly popular teen book (which is still the #5 book on Amazon right now, and the first in the Twilight Saga series). I was skeptical, especially since I hate when books try to grab your attention with a shiny “Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture!” sticker on the cover, but I obliged. It’s not ‘War & Peace,’ nor would I say it’s not what I expected from a book about vampire teen romance, but it was a great read – entertaining, fun and perfect for summer. It’s very easy to see the Twilight series as the next step for kids who recently outgrew the Harry Potter books.

And about that major motion picture…I totally can’t wait. After the huge Entertainment Weekly cover story on the film a few weeks ago, plus all the Comi-Con buzz, I’m…well…THIRSTY for more JUICY details (many, many puns intended). You can watch the trailer here:



The fourth and final installment of the Twilight Saga comes out Saturday. Anyone camping out at a local bookstore?

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Monday night I ventured out to farthest Brooklyn to see John Legend at Wingate Field, part of the excellent and free MLK series presented for three decades by inimitable Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz.

Legend put on a strong, energetic show for the 16,000 attendees that demonstrated his range, from big numbers with the other 11 people on stage (including horn section and three backup singers) to my favorite, just him at the piano singing "Ordinary People," one of the best relationship songs of the past decade. Estelle, just shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, opened.

I so love that I live in a city that puts on free shows like this, and the Philharmonic, and the Metropolitan Opera, and Central Park's Summerstage.

I love even more that Legend donated his performance fee to his own Show Me Foundation, which helps kids in Ghana, and to Camp Brooklyn, which sends Brooklyn kids to sleepaway camp.

Coming soon to Wingate: Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Patti Labelle.

One Solution To The Problem

Leaked music on the internet is a hotly contested issue in the industry, amongst music fans, amongst musicians. Indie band Deerhoof take the cake with their brilliant idea on how to effectively leak new material:

We went there on business...

It's been a great pleasure getting to know fellow Brooklynites and all around kick ass band The Hold Steady as they've been working on the release of their incredible new album 'Stay Positive.' Highlights are too numerous to mention -- not least of which was an incredible show at McCarren Pool a few weeks ago where the band took the stage just as the sun rose after a deluge of 'Day After Tomorrow' proportions.

This week release date is finally upon us, and things kicked off with a performance on Letterman last night. If you've ever wondered just what happens on the other side of the camera here's a little souvenir we were able to grab after the show:


The best part of the show was undoubtedly the band's performance of "Sequestered In Memphis," but an (arguable) close second was the incredible sketch that was put together by comedian Andy Kindler, who traveled with the band for shows and turned in a hilarious segment on what it means to be (in his words) "The Best Rock Band In America." See for yourself:



And of course here's the performance of "Sequestered," complete with a horn section for good measure:



In the meantime, in third place among cool things, was the uncanny wardrobe resemblance between Craig Finn and my fellow Shore Fire cohort Rob Krauser. I managed to get a shot:


And to answer the next question, of course I tried to get the stripes to line up. Note to Rob and Craig, if you ever have plans to go to the same prom, trade some emails first.

Next up for the Hold Steady is a massive U.S. tour, including a stop at the Pitchfork festival in Chicago this weekend. Look out for them in a venue near you, they're going to build something this summer.

Chafin Goes Plain Vanilla

Shore Fire's newest employee Chris Chafin arrived here just in time for his birthday celebration. We gathered around the kitchen table to chow on a vanilla over vanilla ice cream cake.

Reckless in the City

New York got a little bit country (and rowdy) this week as Reckless Kelly performed a sold out show Monday at the Mercury Lounge celebrating the release and successful first week sales of 'Bulletproof' (Yep Roc). The Austin band visited our Shore Fire office, played live on SIRIUS' Road Dog Trucking Channel, and performed atop the building housing Relix and their sister mags among other activities this week.

From left to right: SFM's Matt Hanks and Diana D'Angelo, smoking guitarist David Abeyta, singer/songsmith Willy Braun, frequent streaker and drummer Jay Nazz, master of bass Jimmy McFeeley, and ten gallon sporting Cody Braun (fiddle/ mandolin/ vocals).

Cody and Willy at SIRIUS.


Reckless Kelly with Relix writer Mike Greenhaus.

Sweet Music To My Mouth

I was just thinking the other day "I'm bored with these ice cream flavors. When is Ben & Jerry's going to come out with a new flavor?" And to my delight the company announced today that they will honor Elton John with "Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road!" It's said to be made of "an outrageous symphony of decadent chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks."

The flavor is only available from July 18th thru the 25th and proceeds are donated to Sir Elton Johns AIDS Foundation. Can't wait!

Elvin Bishop Brings The Heat

Our love of hot sauce here at Shore Fire is well documented. Our refrigerator door is lined with bottles from around the globe. So are our kitchen cabinets. Aaron Neville once sent us a case of his eponymous sauce, which we tore through all too quickly. And Shore Fire's Michael Lavigne used to have a direct line to some killer sauce that was only available in Prague. I could go on....

So imagine my delight when we received a couple bottles of Partytime Pepper Sauce from Shore Fire client Elvin Bishop in the mail today! Say it with me - Partytime Pepper Sauce. How could this stuff be anything but awesome?

Elvin's quite the gardener. He can tell some great stories about his jam-making exploits. But it's the Partytime Pepper Sauce I'm most excited about. I'll be dowsing my lunch with it tomorrow!

Holy Hullabaloo, Batman!

I've previously mentioned my fondness for Hullabaloo!, the mid-Sixties prime-time TV show on NBC that featured all the acts you might expect, from Paul Anka to the Zombies, as well as some you might not, such as Judy Collins. There was a regular infusion of the British Invasion (Chad and Jeremy, the Kinks), undoubtedly helped along by Beatles manager Brian Epstein's appearance as the host of a London segment, and lots of Motown, including Marvin Gaye and The Supremes. A similar show called Shindig on ABC was its antecedent, but I don't remember it being as good.

Hullabaloo!'s dancers were a highlight of every show (they included Michael Bennett and Donna McKechnie, best known as creator and star of the original production of A Chorus Line), and a segment called "Hullabaloo! A Go-Go" featured a dancer in a cage, shaking it while wearing a fringed minidress and short white go-go boots.

Fans of The Dark Knight will undoubtedly object, but here are the Hullabaloo! dancers cavorting to the "Batman" theme:

Playing The Building

David Byrne, founder of one of the greatest bands ever, an accomplished composer and host of the now defunct Sessions At West 54th TV show, unveiled an art installation called Playing the Building last month in the Maritime Building at the southern tip of Manhattan. Byrne literally turned a portion of the old building into a massive musical instrument, all programmed from a small organ placed in the middle of an abandoned room.









I'll let Pitchfork.TV do the talking in their exclusive video/interview on the installation, but over the weekend I had the opportunity to check out the exhibit and it's well worth a visit. It's also a great opportunity to see the inside of the beautiful Beaux-Arts Maritime Building, a landmark structure built in 1909 situated right next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Playing the Building is open Friday - Sunday from 12PM-6PM until August 10. Admission is free.

Flash: Laverty Celebrates B-Day with Ice Cream Bash

The whole staff -- 20+ -- lined up yesterday for an ice cream smorgasbord to celebrate Shore Fire President Marilyn Laverty's birthday. July 4 is always an extra-festive time for us here, coinciding as it does with Marilyn's July 3 birthday.