Speaking of Priceline...what a scary idea. It's more or less gambling. I mean, I know I got good deals ($185 round trip flight from Philly to Cali and $75/night in a 3 1/2 star Marriot), but when I was submitting my prices, I noticed that I was squinting my eyes, hoping like I do when someone on my team goes for the game-winning shot. Anyway, it's too late now!
In case you are interested, here are the acts that I'm most excited for at Coachella:
Lyrics Born
Damian Marley
Sigur Rós
Atmosphere
Imogen Heap
Massive Attack
Matisyahu
Coheed and Cambria
Gnarls Barkley (MF Doom & Cee Lo)
There are others I'm excited to see as well, but they're certainly not the reason I'll be flying all the way out to Cali (Scissor Sisters, Common, Franz Ferdinand, etc.) I was actually really hoping that Guns n' Roses would make an appearance. Axl has gotten up the strength to make some appearances in Europe this summer, but so far he has not booked any dates in the US. If you remember, his last tour was cut short when a riot broke out in Philadelphia after he decided not to show. Di and I were there and, trust me, it was crazy. There were fights, fires, seat cushions
and bottles flung from the nosebleeds, and people were taken to the hospital. I had actually seen them the night before in MSG and it was amazing. I find it funny that I'm all into random, good (and mostly underground) music, yet I still love GNR. Oh well...
While I'm on the topic of GNR and Coachella, I'd like to mention something that has been bothering me. I keep reading and hearing mixed things about Matisyahu. Most of the "critics" like him. He's sort of the new hip thing. That's cool, but it bothers me that he is getting SO MUCH attention for the fact that he is a Hasidic Jew. True, I noticed...its rather impossible not to. However, those who only focus on his religion really miss the best thing about him. Obviously, religion is an important part of his life and music, but he is a musician. Like any good artist, he incorporates his experiences and lifestyle into his lyrics and music. The thing is...he's good - really good. His albums are great and his live shows are phenomenal. I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite, because I took my parents to a show up in Vermont. I thought they would actually enjoy the music, but I knew that the fact that he was Hasidic would help them accept the urban music...and it did.My point to this rant is that a lot of people who praise Matisyahu's music focus on his religion more than his music. In addition, those who don't like him, call him a gimmick or worse. How is he a gimmick? How is the fact that he is an Orthodox Jew any different than him being Catholic or vegan or anti-Bush? His beliefs and lifestyle do not make his music better or worse. Do these
idiots think that he is pretending to be religious and when he goes home, he takes off his fake beard, grabs a 40 from the fridge, sparks up a blunt, throws in some hardcore porn, and kicks back? I mean, c'mon! Personally, to me a gimmicky musician is one of the dozens of pop star rappers on MTV or someone like Buckethead.Matisyahu is not like Buckethead. As I said above, I saw GNR in 2002 when Buckethead was still in the band. Admittedly, I was impressed by Buckethead's guitar solos, breakdancing, and nunchuck skills (and computer hacking skills for the Napoleon Dynamite fans). However, this guy is clearly a tool. He wears a white mask and a KFC bucket on his head. That is neither creative nor interesting. I have no idea if he was beat up a lot as a child, but it seems highly unlikely that his "image" has anything to do with who he is inside or what he believes in. Comparing this gimmicky dumbass to a true artist is a shame.
Here's a decent bio of Matis from good ol' wikipedia
1 comment:
i think independence and comfort traveling runs in the family...i recently signed up for a three week textile tour/workshop in peru next october where i won't know anyone.
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