Friday, July 25, 2008

Chris Bergson: Modern Day Blues Man


I saw this guy a while back at Rockwood Music Hall. Me and a friend went on a random night to see what was playing and stumbled upon his show.

Rockwood was pretty noisy that night. We caught the tail end of a previous set, over which the audience talked and laughed at jokes and what not. Although the performer got a good reception after the music had finished, it didn't seem as if the crowd was there to see music.

Chris stepped on stage and I assumed it would be more of the same. He looked a tad shy; a short humble white guy coming to play the blues. Once he opened his mouth, however, the audience dynamic changed drastically. Everyone shut up as soon as they heard this deep, warm, soulful voice coming from such a small package. It only took about 5 minutes for everyone to warm up to the music, and from that point on, everyone was dancing, singing, drinking and having a great time.

Chris is a Brooklyn-based Blues man. I'm assuming he's from Gowanus Heights as that's the first track on his new album. Chris finger-picks a chinky Gibson guitar and sings with the soul of a 50 year-old delta man. His backing band lays down some nice funky grooves and Chris just goes at it. His signature voice is equally matched by his guitar work, he rips gritty blues rock with the twang of an acoustic finger picker. He played for about an hour that night. Each song had its own unique vibe and he managed to make an hour of relatively straight forward blues tunes go by in an instant.

Chris is playing a few times in the New York area in the upcoming month:

July 30th, 2008 - in Hoboken, NJ @ Scotland Yard - take the path train from Manhattan to Hoboken, it's about 2 blocks from the station. It's a pretty awesome pub/blues joint.

August 21st, 2008 - Rockwood Music Hall - on Allen St. just below Houston St. The best sound in the city. Go early because it's a tiny spot.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Aphex Twin: Covered

I dug up a bunch of live performances of Aphex Twin's music and paired it with the original recordings. Enjoy!


The Bad Plus performing Aphex Twin's "Flim". David King gives quite an interesting take on Richard D. James's insane programmed electronic drums. The original recording is posted below.

Flim - The Bad Plus


Flim - Aphex Twin

Some dude playing a classical guitar rendition of "Avril 14th" from the album Drukqz. Original Recording below.



Avril 14th - Aphex Twin

This is Dillinger Escape Plan playing "Come to Daddy". This ones a bit silly if you ask me. I dont think they're entirely successful in pulling it off.



the original. video by Chris Cunningham.

Come To Daddy - Aphex Twin



click here for more music by Aphex Twin

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Daft Punk: The root of all samples

I love Daft Punk. Until recently I assumed the songs were all original. To be honest, I was a little dissapointed when I came across this YouTube video exposing the extent to which the French duo quote the songs of the 70's. It's quite suprising that a group known for originality and innovation is so rooted in the past when it comes to the compositions themselves. Nonetheless, the duo does re-record the instruments and make their new versions more suitable to modern bass-pumping sound systems. Even after learning the terrible secret of where the music comes from, I still think these guys rock. My personal favorite Daft Punk moments: The wah-wah lead line to "Robot Rock" and the redunkulously funky bass line in "Around the World".