Posted by The G on June 13, 2013 under Encounters with G | 
Photos by G.
Avril Lavinge and Geoffrey Dicker
Say what you will about the music of Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger (of Nickelback), there is one thing you cannot say about the musical couple – that they are not nice. Avril was in town to perform an intimate set to celebrate a magazine launch in downtown Manhattan. By the time she exited the building, about 30 devotees were on hand to try and catch a glimpse of Avril and to my knowledge she accommodated (or made a great attempt to accommodate) everyone with photos or autographs, which I thought was really cool of her.
Chad Kroeger and Geoffrey Dicker
Avril’s fiance is Chad Kroeger of the band Nickelback and once again, you’ve probably read disparaging things about him or his music on the web and those opinions aside, Chad was SUPER NICE! He happily posed for photos, signed autographs and chatted with fans. More importantly, he didn’t try and rush Avril off, which is always appreciated (and quite rare in these types of situations). I saw a few online accounts of this event and they all mentioned the possibility that Avril is pregnant. Not one of her true fans even cared at the actual event and I never heard the “p word” once so it just goes to show how the media tries to turn everything into a scandal. That’s very sad, according2g. That’s why I recommend you have experiences in person and find out the truth for yourself. The truth about Avril and Chad is that they are both really nice and I wish them all the best! Thanks again!
Posted by The G on June 12, 2013 under Celebrities |
Photo by G.
John Gourley of Portugal. The Man and Geoffrey Dicker
Happy birthday to John Gourley, lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Portugal. The Man. If you don’t know their music, I highly encourage you to check them out. They are a psychedelic rock band who have a nice streak of making excellent albums from start to finish. As I’ve said before, their 2011 album “In The Mountain In The Cloud,” is nothing short of a masterpiece, whose songs deserve to be sung en masse in stadiums. Thankfully, their fan base is growing by leaps and bounds after their latest record “Evil Friends” was produced by uber-producer Danger Mouse.
“Evil Friends” will definitely be on my best albums of 2012 list and if you like that album, you will like ALL of their music. Lucky for you, if you are just discovering Portugal. The Man, they’ve already released 8 albums, and they are all great! John Gourley has done much of the artwork for these albums and a lot of their releases have cool and unique packaging. Since you know I like to meet the men (and women) behind the music, you’ll be pleased to know that not only is John Gourley super talented but he’s also an extremely nice guy. I’ve met him on a couple of occasions and most recently he told me that the band has quite a few unreleased songs from the “Evil Friends” sessions, so let’s hope they see the light of day! Happy birthday John! I heart you!
Posted by The G on May 25, 2013 under Encounters with G, G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Adeline Michele of Escort
If you like disco or funky grooves, become a fan of Escort. The 17 piece band (yes!) performed to a packed house at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 24, 2013 and for an hour and a half, the venue was transformed into a giant dance floor. All of Escort’s songs make you groove and you’d swear these tracks were originally released in the 70s, yet they are Escort originals. Escort has everything you’d want in a funky band – amazing grooves, a horn section, great backing vocals and all upbeat songs! The world is currently buzzing about the new Daft Punk album as there are some Chic-esque tracks courtesy of their collaborations with Nile Rodgers but for me, it’s all about Escort. Their songs absolutely transcendent and I guarantee that when you check out their music, you will have no choice but to bust a move.
The Disco Ball!
I spoke with lead singer Adeline Michele after the show and I told her that I’ve seen Prince perform over 50 times and Escort’s grooves definitely give Prince a run for his money! We both fantasized out loud that it would be amazing to see Escort open for Prince some day, so Prince if you are out there, please make this happen!
Escort
After the jump, see the setlist (which included a disco-fied cover of “Hollywood,” the Chris Glover of Penguin Prison/RAC collaboration that was given away for free last year). Thanks again Escort for a great show! Can’t wait to see you again!
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Tags: 2013, Adeline Michele, Band, Disco Ball, Escort, Images, Lead Singer, May 24, Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York, Photo, Review, Set List
Posted by The G on April 19, 2013 under Artsy Fartsy, Encounters with G |
Photos by G. Art by Richard Butler.
noisymouth by Richard Butler
New York! Make sure you head over to Freight + Volume to check out a new collection of paintings entitled “ahatfulofrain” by Richard Butler. Yes, the same Richard Butler of the band Psychedelic Furs! Being a fan of his music and his paintings, it’s so exciting to see a new body of his works on canvas because it shows off a completely different side of the artist and you will see just how prolific he is.
Richard Butler – ahatfulofrain
His paintings, all inspired by his daughter, have a quality of mystery and darkness to each work and like I did at his last exhibit, I stood in front of each painting and imagined a back story as to what went down before the moment was captured. My imaginary stories differed, but recurring theme stood out and that is, the person in these paintings have been through some crazy stuff!
Richard Butler – hatfulofrain
Create your own backstories at this really cool exhibit, which is on display though May 25, 2013.
extreme closeup
I spoke with Richard Butler at the opening night reception and as always, he was a very nice guy. His art really moves me and I was able to express that to him as well as asking him if all of these works were created since “hypochondriacatthegrammercyparkhotel” which exhibited in 2011. He told me yes, that all of these paintings (and some more that are not on display in the exhibit) have been created in the last 2 years! So impressive. Even more impressive was that I asked him if he paints on the road. Psychedelic Furs have been playing a lot of shows in the last few years and he told me that it’s too difficult to bring the supplies on the road and create the art. Obviously, his time management skills are impeccable and I have even more respect for him than I already did. Thanks again Richard. I love your art (both music and paintings) so much! It was really great to talk with you.
Richard Butler and Geoffrey Dicker. Photo by Richard’s friend.
“ahatfulofrain” by Richard Butler is on display at Freight + Volume (located at 530 West 24th Street) in Manhattan through May 25, 2013. Don’t miss it!
Tags: "ahatfulofrain", 2013, Art, Artist, Details, Exhibit, Freight + Volume, Gallery, Lead Singer, New York, News, Paintings, Psychedelic Furs, Recent Photo, Richard Butler, Singer
Posted by The G on April 8, 2013 under G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx
One of my 1980s fanboy dreams came true on April 7, 2013 when I saw The Fixx perform at The Bell House in Brooklyn. The 80s new wave/rockers have a new album out called “Beautiful Friction,” and the classic lineup has reunited for this tour. Over the course of the hour and a half set, a majority of tracks from the new album were played and if you haven’t really followed The Fixx in a while, you should definitely check out their new record as it’s really good.
The Fixx
But the show was not all about the new record. Many of The Fixx’ most beloved tracks were played including two of my personal favorites “Less Cities, More Moving People” and “Secret Separation,” which was played as an unannounced second encore! Lead singer Cy Curnin threw in a bit of Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good To Me” at the end of the song (and if you’ll recall, Cy appears in the music video). Stay tuned as a video of “Secret Separation” will be coming soon!
The Fixx
The classics “One Thing Leads To Another,” “Red Skies” and “Saved by Zero” were also performed and both Cy and the band sounded as good as they did in the 80s. A few of my favorite tracks were not aired (such as “Sunshine in the Shade,” “A Letter to Both Sides” and “Are We Ourselves?”) but the prospect of hearing those classics live will keep me coming back to see The Fixx for as long as they keep touring.
The Fixx
The Fixx Merch
The Fixx Setlist – Bell House. Now property of the G archives.
Tags: 2013, April 7, Band, Brooklyn, Cy Curnin, Images, Lead Singer, New York, Photos, Recent Photo, Review, Set List, The Bell House, The Fixx
