2. Calexico: Convict Pool. I’ve probably posted this before, but I just can’t get enough of this song…going on 2 years now.
3. Rodrigo and Gabriela: Tamacun. Now, I like good Spanish Guitar music, but THIS is GREAT Spanish Guitar music. Undoubtedly, you’ve heard this somewhere and will recognize it when you hear it. I know, for example, that they play this song in Disney’s California Adventure Theme Park in the eating area next to the Mission Tortilla Factory.
7. Arcade Fire: Black Mirror. My introduction to Arcade Fire..and I’ve never looked back. Fantastic song…and nice use of a Phantom of the Opera lick. Also, with this one, I wouldn’t stop at the free download. Buy the album. Neon Bible is probably one of the best Indie albums of the last 10 years.
8. PT Walkley: Somebody. Just found this one on Spinner.com’s Free MP3 of the Day. Fascinating piece. Best use of violins, IMO, since Jump Little Children’s “Cathedrals”.
I believe Indie is not just a fine taste for music…it’s a lifestyle.
So, a little while I got an email from a friend announcing he’d be spending a few days in New York City, and he wanted to know what were the coolest sites to see. I spent two months last summer living and working in Manhattan, and I prided myself on getting around and seeing some of the lesser-known, but definitely worth seeing, sites. In fact, after the two months, my co-workers gushed at how I had seen more stuff in NYC in two months than they had in the years they had lived there. Anyway, here’s what I recommended–my Indie guide to seeing NYC.
Note: These are only a few sites, if you have some good suggestions, add your 2 cents below.
1. The site of the 1964 World’s Fair. A sight that maybe only an avid historian would love…this one has particularly cool meaning for They Might Be Giant’s fans. Not only do they mention the fair in a number of their songs, they filmed the video for Don’t Let’s Start (video below) there. Sadly, the site is fairly run down now…half of it has been taken over as a skate park, and the arena behind me in the picture below has been overrun by a local theater company, which uses it as a junk site.
2. Strawberry Field: The immortal memorial to John Lennon still features plenty of flowers and a steady flow of Lennon music. It’s on the outskirts of Central Park and can be kind of hard to find…but once you find it, you get a “daily double” as just across the street is the hotel where John Lennon was shot.
3. Battery Park: Summer Concert Series. Last year, NY had the best Indie music for FREE at Battery park. I blogged about the spoon concert, below, already. I’ve posted a recording of the concert as well (click on Spoon in the side bar). Definitely worth seeing.
4. Go Meet Rupert. My FAVORITE experience while there…the Hello Deli, just around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater where David Letterman is filmed, is actually a great place to eat…and Rupert is one of the nicest guys around. Right in the middle of orders, he’ll take a picture with you and even wish your dad a happy birthday on your cell phone (ok, that’s what he did for me…I cant imagine he’d have done it if it was busy when I went in). You’ve got to get there early though, the place closes at 4.
5. The NY Cathedrals. In the Cathedrals, of New York and Rome, there is a feeling, that you should just go home, and spend a lifetime, finding out just where that is. Ok, so few may know this Jump Little Children classic, but I’ve always held it as one of my favorites…so when I got to NY, I had to find every cathedral I could. St. Patrick’s is easy to find…but this one right in front of the Juliard* (below) was my favorite.
The LDS Temple is a very nice addition to the NY skyline
*Speaking of the Juliard…10 points goes to the reader who knows the Moxy Fruvous song that mentions the music school.
So, that’s my quick Indie guide to seeing NY. If you want the main sites, you can probably find them on a quick google search.
This Indie Life 