Rebirth Brass Band vs A Reserve

Rebirth Brass Band, from New Orleans, are coming to Australia.

It bin only recent dat I done realized da genius (the gza) dat be pumpin', like blak angel musiq, outta dat citee. Big Up to HBO and Treme y’all. Great fukin’ show.

Wat be pissin’ me off, is da price of dem tixs. 135 clams for A Rerserve? Wat da fuk is A Reserve? Soundz like buoolshiit ta me.

Soundz like dey don’t wan da peeps dat reallee lurv da musiq seein’ Rebirth tcha’ no? Seemz ta me dat dey is cateren for an expeeeensive krowd, and I don’t wanna soundz racists, or like sum fukin' commie red, but a rich white krowd.

“ A Reserve”? Shiiiiiit. Wat man on da streetz gonna pay dat? Dey got bills and kidz and shit to spend dey cash on. But sum dum arse promotion mufafuckas don’t give no fuks ‘bout da man on da streetz.

Dey wan dey cash money greedy fukin’ pig fukers. Dey wannna be exploiten Rebirth to, probs ain’t payin’ does niggaz shiit, and makin’ big arse fukin’ profits.

Now ‘old up one mufafukin’ momnt yo. I ain’t sayin dem rich white folk won’t enjoy da show, or dat dey ain’t go no passionz fer the Rebirth, but what chu wan is real peeps in dey, real mens who lurv havin’ fun and gonn-get a bit fukin’ ruckas and shit, yelling and screamin’ and feelin’ da band.

I lurv money. I wish I ‘ad mo. I wish Santa done say “Mo Mo Mo” radda den “Ho H0”. But he don’t. And o'course ANYONE goin’ to see Rebirth is gonna be fans, cos they ain’t exactly radio material out here, but wadda about da man on da street,s dat just be lurvin tunes but got billz and kidz and shit to pae?

Wat about muthafukin’ me?

And WAT DA FUK IS A RESERVE?

Part 56 - Sufjan Hangover (Take my wife, Take My kid)

On a hot Melbourne night, lots of people packed out Hamer Hall to bask in Sufjan Stevens’s angelic glory. The gig was pretty good. Sounded great - I enjoyed the visuals and just basked in Sufjan’s angelic glory. If believing in God made me like Sufjan (talented etc etc etc), I would be the first on my knees in front of Father Irish, or Pastor Protestant.

After the show finished, I walked down Swanston Street to find the nearest tram stop. The air smelt of Mary-Jane. I decided I wanted to listen to Sufjan and went through my highlights of Come Feel the Illinoise, Seven Swans and All the Delighted People. Highlights, hilarious. Sufjan tracks can last from between 2 minutes to 20.

Listening to the artist whose gig you just disappointedly walked out of ain’t the best of ideas. Much like checking your study notes after you think you did particularly bad on an exam, listening to the produced, meticulously crafted recording can ruin an already ordinary experience. You hear what they didn’t play, the little nuances live recordings forget about or gloss over.

(Of course, the live show can do things a studio album never can. It can make you fall (more) in love, it can make you passionate. It can exhaust you and thrill you and make you come over and over.)

Why mention this? I already said how good the show was? A third question to round it off?

His encore sucked. He came out and performed songs from Come Feel The Illinoise (see below). He played them after he said he wouldn’t be playing any old stuff. I respected that decision he made. Sure, I wanted so badly to hear, the solo from Sister, and to rock back and forth to the amazing Djohariah, but he said he wouldn’t be playing any old stuff.

But he did. He tacked them on. That’s how it felt. No visuals either, no lighting show, just music. Normally, this would be fucking awesome. But not that night. He confirmed his intention behind the encore in an interview on Pitchfork. Just to make so the audience wouldn’t feel ripped off.

That’s crap. An artist can play any song they like. Sure, you want to hear the stuff you know. I won’t deny that, I will never deny that. But don’t treat us like fucking morons. He played dispassionately, without passion. The encore was a bone he felt he had to throw. It lacked passion yo (threes, I love threes). The album versions of the encore tracks are so wonderful, so pretty. Dare I say it, they are beautiful. The live versions went through the motions with pretty girls and flouro sticky tape.

It’s hard writing this because I do love Sufjan so much. He can have my first baby girl. He can have her mum too. That’s how much I love Sufjan.

The tram ride home was fun. I love tram or train rides at night, especially if you have had a few or I get to hang with Mary-Jane. She’s great. The darkness, the music.

Encore: Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, IL, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. and Chicago