What's your Obama-won-face?

Due to technical difficulties of feeling cut off from the world because of no election news coverage, the Pomp election watch was shortly canceled and we made our way down to another LES hang out, preferably one with drink specials and television screens; all the while staying close to the Williamsburg bridge so that the trip to BK would be quick and painless no matter who the victor. Our group consisted of Pomp editors, photographers, writers and illustrators, armed with red and blue glowsticks and huge Obama pins, we made our way through the strangely quiet streets. In bars, people were glued to television screens in a rapt alcoholic daze.



Inside Iggy's (great jukebox, $2 pbr and $3 red white and blue shots) with it's multitude of news channels and it's guardedly optimistic patrons we were able to rejoin the rest of the world in waiting with baited breath. Yes Obama's lead was pretty extensive but the talk of the town was "dirty tricks". The general murmur was of great enthusiasm - and as the night wore on and the red white and blue shots were imbibed aplenty - growing wariness.



In the middle of talking to a friend, a cheer went up. We turned towards the TV to see CNN declaring Obama president-elect. Everyone started screaming until someone shouted "Wait! Isn't it too soon to tell?" People immediately stopped cheering and started drinking like mad. Like I said already, guarded optimism.



Finally the news reached our paranoid minds! Whoops and shouts, people laughing hysterically, me and my roommate jump up and down and hold on to each other. Everyone else hugging, talking rapidly and smiling hugely. We find noisemakers and start blowing like Lewinsky. Strangers hugging, kissing and high-fiving as if there is absolutely nothing separating them (because at that moment nothing is). Like New Years but better, all that hope and expectation distilled into a balmy November night.





The rest of the evening was an ecstatic haze of taking pictures of Obama-won-faces, celebrating loudly and reveling in the noise. The LES was a parade of insane elation. The city felt like a community again.

- Kastoory










PostScript: Obama's speech was also a high point of the night as all the noisemakers and revelers silenced to hear him speak. It just further cemented his place in history. How many presidential acceptance speeches are that humble? And give we-the-people so much credit? I don't know, but seeing Oprah as just one of millions in a crowd thawed my cold dead heart even further, it might even start beating again.

W

As a struggling young film director the dire economy and upcoming election make me feel like my future is frightening. I went to see “W.” to get inside the head of a man who has been a joke of a president these last two terms.

I was disappointed with the lack of coverage of the 2000 election in the film. This is Bush’s biggest moment, from abortions and drunken tirades to the White House. Why don’t we see this major turning point for his character?

The large cast of principal characters (mainly Bush’s cabinet) managed to grow and have transitions as people, with the exceptions of Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld. Rice served purely as comic relief, Rummy voiceless until his sudden infuriated resignation.

Screenwriter Stanley Weiser perfectly depicted a man who has faced a huge amount of ridicule in a very human way. The Bush we watch is not simply dumb, dyslexic, or even unkind, but full of conviction, naiveté, and a soft heart (besides the killing soldiers and torture thing). Though he is in scenes laughable, eating habits and dialectics aside, this seems part of his nature, nothing purposefully malicious. We don’t get mad at rap stars for never shedding their hood slang. Josh Brolin pulls off Bush by taking his subject’s political strategy "I'm just a normal guy", in his portrayal of the character. I felt compassion for this charmingly pitiful man. The film's commentary on George's presidency, and the overall premise, is that blind conviction leads to botched success.

Though the film’s premise is strong, I wanted resolution to my protagonist’s inner conflict, not a political statement in the end.



-Fury Young

You Have To Peep This

With election day looming, I'm beginning to wonder if I should cop a gun for the crib. Not to be a crunchy hippie and all, but at a time like this, we seriously need something, ANYTHING, to break this tension and crack a smile.

I grabbed this video from MissbehaveMag.com (cuz its sweet) and it seems safe to assume this was originally aired on CNN (derf).

I'm not sure where these kids are from or who wrote these genius lyrics, but i think its safe to say T.I. would be proud... and Obama.... and even maybe McCain. Besides, these kids have some fucken bad ass moves.



-Amanda S.

CMJ Hangover

This Bushwick bitch is back in action NYC-style just in time for CMJ. This marks the one-year anniversary of me moving to this town from the O.C. Going to the same party that opened up CMJ last year - the infamous Conflict of Interest party (put on by the Syndicate for the 10th year in a row) was definitely a culmination of my moxie. Last year I was desperately alone - this year not only was I able to avoid the hour-long line to get in - I knew someone around every corner.

From cutie Nicky Digital pulling PBRs out of his back pocket for me to kids from college giving me high-fives I was ballin...ok enough of my ego...



"Sleepyhead" the song by Passion Pit - kids if you don't like it, maybe you'll pretend to love it live to be hip. My verdict is that Passion Pit have been hyped way too much but It's a fun jam live -- especially after a shot of tequila (oh shit it's only Tuesday?!).




I was lucky enough to attend the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg Tuesday night with my friend Nicole marking Passion Pit's first show in BK. I also caught a heartbroken DJ Jens Lekman (rumor has it he just broke up with his love). Some awesome Lykke Li remix was the highlight of the set but it was fun and he looked adorable-- like a sad puppy in a silly sweatshirt.

Since I'm sick as a dog a week later and there is mouse shit next to my bed I'm going to give a one liner of everyone else I saw:

Audrye Sessions - Incredible band from Oakland who you really have to see to believe.

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons - It was my first time seeing him with the complete ensemble dubbed "the Wandering Sons" and it was magical, especially in candlelight. (see Nicole's review below of his solo show in BK)

Shugo Tokumaru - Whimsical folk music from Tokyo, need I say more?

The Whip - Took a whole roll of polaroids, so yah I must have been drunk. (See Nicole's review and digi fotos)

Riddenpaa - Awesome punk threesome from Portland, I think Eric might be my new favorite person. Also ran into this dude I met in Montreal whose sister just happens to be in the band. Music is a small world after all.

Lucky Soul - Chris from Music Snobbery (an awesome music blog) put it best: "The Cardigans have a dinner party with St. Etienne and The Pipettes. After dinner, they decide to get drunk on after-dinner wine and make songs."


Little Boots - Cute brit in sexy boots performing post-modern Kylie Minogue-esque dance-worthy pop jams.




Chief - Wow where have these boys been all my life? I definitely fell in love with one of the three singers -- guess which one?! They all harmonize so well and rock harder.

Billy Bragg with the Watson Twins - OK so this wasn't officially part of CMJ but it was an incredible way to end my week. Highlights - The Watson Twins covering The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and Billy Bragg waxing political and yelling at some Irish dudes.

OK forgive me while I go back to sleep or clean up some more mouse poo. New York is a constant flux of high highs and low lows.

-Lauren Mooney

Pomp Does CMJ

CMJ has come to an end-- and I'm glad. Don't get me wrong, I <3 music. And who doesn't love a live show, even if for nothing more than the close proximity of a sexy stranger's breath on your neck as inaudible questions are asked over a blaring bass line. But this past week, my head has been spinning with RSVPs, not to mention keeping track of everything in my mental calendar. Being as disorganized as I am, I missed about 70% of the shows I wanted to see, and about 60% of the shows I was on the list for, but some bands I did see made it all worth it:

Dovecote Records & Sneak Attack Media hosted a basement showcase at Rehab in Alphabet City. I arrived just as scene newbie Matt Duke kicked off his set, surrounded by tables of pill bottles filled with M&Ms and CD Samplers. As the crowd shoved to capacity, Tim Williams, who will be back at this Ave B venue on Nov. 21st, tugged on my heartstrings. Mason Proper delivered. Halfway through 'Point A to Point B', my mom (yes- I brought my mom to a CMJ party) turned to me and said, 'These drinks are strong, but they're fantastic'.




After putting my mom in a cab, I headed to the Brooklyn Vegan party in Williamsburg to catch the midnight show of The Phenomenal Handclap Band. I got there at the tail end of Ponytail-- luckily I'll be catching them on Halloween at Danbro. After 6 tequila shots in 3 minutes, I was super excited to spot Kurt Loder. “He 'molded my musical childhood!” I screamed to a friend, only to realize in a sober state a few days later that it was, in fact, fellow MTV News dude John Norris.

The next stand out event took place at Pete's Candy Store the night after the Black Seal party, where Wisconsin boy Cory Chisel performed in cozy quarters. Cory, accompanied by sweet songstress Adriel Harris, said 'if I hit her with this guitar, I'll feel really bad'. 'So will I', Adriel quipped. I was sitting towards the back of the room surrounded by proud sing-a-longs The Wandering Sons, who joined Cory & Adriel on stage for a few tunes, including an enchanting cover of Loudon Wainwright's 'I'm a One Man Guy'. This is the kind of music that makes me wanna smoke in bed, especially new jam 'Sex to Sleep.' If you feel like swooning, I suggest you keep your eyes open for Chisel repping his new gig as one of the Lucky Few.






From here I hopped in a car and headed back into the LES. A quick pit stop at Mercury Lounge and then straight to the The Annex, where NME was throwing a bash headlined by The Whip. The first and last time I saw these folks was at McCarren Park Pool and I loved them. I took a little too much advantage of the free Dewar's then, making me dance happy-- and this time wasn't much different. I mean, it was in a dark club and not in the overexposure of the summer sun, but I chugged enough to not realize that the DJ I was shaking my thang to was Mattie Safer of The Rapture.





A few days out of the madness and my concealer can finally go back to its home at the bottom of my make-up bag. Wait, who am I kidding? Figuratively speaking, it's always CMJ in NYC.


** Disclaimer: Sometimes I tend to forget to take photos-- OR, as in the case of The Whip show, I just take photos of myself dancing with friends in front of the speakers (which I REFUSE to share, by the way). I'm a classy broad, let me tell you....

--Nicole Wasilewicz

Got Frolf?

If you want to unwind in our terse political climate and take advantage of beautiful fall Saturdays thanks to Global Warming, why not try some Frolf in Prospect Park? This is home to NYC's only Frisbee-golf (Frolf) course (http://prospectparkdiscgolf.org/).

As an urban Brooklyn boy with a country heart, I relish the chance to kick off my shoes and feel the grass between my toes. So, with makeshift map in hand and beers in a bag, I journeyed with two Frolf buddies into the park's Nethermead in search of the orange dots and red tape that marked the course.



I don't know who the hell designed this idyllic Minotaur's maze, but all the trees look the same. Unless you pack a pair of military binoculars with your Frisbee, there's no way you're spotting the right brown stalk to shoot at in the distance. My favorite description of an orifice ever: "orient yourself towards the woods; this hole is marked by two orange bricks submerged in the ground."

As the afternoon wore on, it didn't matter that we had to re-work the course as we went; whizzing bright orange discs around pedestrian heads was too much fun. Less cool was correcting good Samaritans trying to return our toys, lest they screw up the game. As in golf, Frolf requires players to re-launch their flying objects from exactly where they lie.

Once while retrieving an errant throw, I disturbed a couple rolling gaily in the grass. I approached gingerly, curious to watch the energetic female on top. She dismounted, and flung back her long curly hair only to reveal lady lover number two underneath. Still smiling at this gift from the Frolf Gods, I went on to make the next hole in one triumphant arc.

In the end, my game faltered and I lost by three aggravating strokes in typical Happy Gilmore fashion, but the bag of beers was empty and my stress was gone. I definitely have some work to do before my next outing, but if you want to spend your own intoxicating day on the Frolf links with a few friends, check out http://www.discgolfdirectory.com/ to find a course near you.



-Jake Englander

2012: A Space Prophecy

The Mayan calendar ends in the year 2012. If you aren't living under a rock, chances are you have heard and probably worried about this. Nostradamus, who predicted major wars around this time and a huge "space collision," also referenced the date. Biblical figures prophesied the planet Nibiru (also known as Planet X) will come flaming toward Earth in comet-form to finish off the stragglers left from WWIII. In 2012 the Hebrew calendar will climb to its highest point (5772), which could optimistically present this time as a new beginning. Nuclear warfare, singularity, aliens coming and allowing passage and salvation on the Mother Ship, and the theory that Earth will start rotating in a different direction all seem possibilities to visionaries and scientists.

You may say "I'll worry about it in four years." A select few obsess about the questionable future, failing to realize that future is happening now. We think endless solutions are wide open. We plan on moving out of the city, learning to farm. We save up for our hybrid car (or dream about saving up for them), but we're Tom Cruising forward with our eyes wide shut. 2012 is here.



The world has been thrown into dark, challenging times. Until recently, we have done nothing about it. We have grown lazy, looking to our elders to protect us from every bump in the road. Who do we expect to save us? Obama? He'll be busy cleaning up Bush's dirty diapers (of course assuming, as any liberal Canadian like me would, that Obama will be your next President). What will we do when the world's oil supply runs dry? It is estimated to be completely depleted in a decade. Who will you be without your fav party pics blog? What will you be doing instead of updating your Facebook status? Sowing a field? Probably not. I myself can barely keep a cactus alive. 2012 isn't the downfall of humanity, and it isn't in our future. The future isn't real, the present is—the present is 2012. The time we have to save ourselves is now. Not in some alternative apocalyptic universe.



-Jayme Keith