Take the long way home because I like to roam, enjoy a lemonade spritzer with Eliot Spitzer
There's nothing like going to a show to take your mind off reality for a while.
Ever since my brother introduced me to Northern State three or four years ago, seeing them live here in their home state has been a goal of mine. True story. In fact, it was one of the (few) things I was looking forward to about moving to New York.
I finally got around to it tonight when I caught their showcase at The Annex with
everydaysushi and Steph. Having parted ways with Columbia after their last record (2004's All City), they were debuting songs from their upcoming still-untitled album for the many label reps in attendance-according to the guy next to me who was "friends with the band." (Steph rolled her eyes at that one. She is actually friends with friends of the band... more on that below.)
The easiest way to describe Northern State is to say "female Beastie Boys." Yes, they are three white chicks who rap. I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I love NS. They are fun and feminist and fun. I think a better way to explain Northern State is that one of the MCs is named Hesta Prynn and they introduced their bassist as Gregor Samsa. Their new material is a lot more diversified in sound-in their own words, there is "an unprecedented amount of singing," which means they "have either lost [their] minds completely or are making the best record of [their] career." It was all very good.
This photo totally fails to capture their energy, so I am adding their music video for "At the Party" (off their old-school first album, Dying in Stereo), with which they closed their set:
My only complaint is that nobody was dancing. If you know The Annex, you know this is because we were in LES hipster central (maybe it also had something to do with all those label reps).
Setlist? This is gonna be tricky because none of the songs they performed (except the last one) have yet been released.
Anyway, after their set we made our way through the crowd to meet up with Steph's friends at the back of the bar. This is when I love living in New York and when I realize how much progress I've made here. So we met Josh, whose girlfriend works with Steph in concert promoting. Josh works for Northern State's booking agency and is also one of the geniuses behind Hip Hop Karaoke. One of HHK's other co-founders is dating Spero, who happens to be my personal favorite MC in Northern State (she is the one whose voice reminds me of Eliza Dushku's-tough and sexy). So Josh (who was hilarious and friendly and awesome in his own right, and not just because he appreciates just what is legendary about Duke-UNC basketball) totally introduced us to Spero, who was also very friendly (and very Long Island, which was hilarious).
We left when the next band went on stage and then Steph, Mel and I went to Congee Village, which for some reason is where I always end up whenever I go to a show in the Lower East Side. Maybe it has something to do with the million varieties of hot congee you can get for $3.50. So we ate cheap, delicious, authentic Cantonese food and gasped over the highlights on SportsCenter and it was just a perfect night, especially since I was dressed appropriately for the freezing weather. Also, I did not have to spend too much time in the cold because I managed to run after and catch the M15 both downtown and back. I LOVE it when that happens. Also, I got to hang out with Steph, who is my favorite person to go to shows with because she is fun and crazy and fun, and with Mel, who is pretty much my favorite person to hang out with, anytime, anywhere.
There was something really inspiring about watching three white girls rap onstage. I think that in addition to enjoying their work, I love experiencing artists doing their thing because what I see is perfect contentment-people doing exactly what they dreamed of doing with their lives. Doesn't it seem silly not to do the same?
Ever since my brother introduced me to Northern State three or four years ago, seeing them live here in their home state has been a goal of mine. True story. In fact, it was one of the (few) things I was looking forward to about moving to New York.
I finally got around to it tonight when I caught their showcase at The Annex with
everydaysushi and Steph. Having parted ways with Columbia after their last record (2004's All City), they were debuting songs from their upcoming still-untitled album for the many label reps in attendance-according to the guy next to me who was "friends with the band." (Steph rolled her eyes at that one. She is actually friends with friends of the band... more on that below.)
The easiest way to describe Northern State is to say "female Beastie Boys." Yes, they are three white chicks who rap. I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I love NS. They are fun and feminist and fun. I think a better way to explain Northern State is that one of the MCs is named Hesta Prynn and they introduced their bassist as Gregor Samsa. Their new material is a lot more diversified in sound-in their own words, there is "an unprecedented amount of singing," which means they "have either lost [their] minds completely or are making the best record of [their] career." It was all very good.
This photo totally fails to capture their energy, so I am adding their music video for "At the Party" (off their old-school first album, Dying in Stereo), with which they closed their set:
My only complaint is that nobody was dancing. If you know The Annex, you know this is because we were in LES hipster central (maybe it also had something to do with all those label reps).
Setlist? This is gonna be tricky because none of the songs they performed (except the last one) have yet been released.
"Better Already"
"Mother May I"
"Ooh, Girl"
"I Like It When You"
"The Things I'll Do"
"Away Away"
"Sucka Mofo"
"At the Party"
Anyway, after their set we made our way through the crowd to meet up with Steph's friends at the back of the bar. This is when I love living in New York and when I realize how much progress I've made here. So we met Josh, whose girlfriend works with Steph in concert promoting. Josh works for Northern State's booking agency and is also one of the geniuses behind Hip Hop Karaoke. One of HHK's other co-founders is dating Spero, who happens to be my personal favorite MC in Northern State (she is the one whose voice reminds me of Eliza Dushku's-tough and sexy). So Josh (who was hilarious and friendly and awesome in his own right, and not just because he appreciates just what is legendary about Duke-UNC basketball) totally introduced us to Spero, who was also very friendly (and very Long Island, which was hilarious).
We left when the next band went on stage and then Steph, Mel and I went to Congee Village, which for some reason is where I always end up whenever I go to a show in the Lower East Side. Maybe it has something to do with the million varieties of hot congee you can get for $3.50. So we ate cheap, delicious, authentic Cantonese food and gasped over the highlights on SportsCenter and it was just a perfect night, especially since I was dressed appropriately for the freezing weather. Also, I did not have to spend too much time in the cold because I managed to run after and catch the M15 both downtown and back. I LOVE it when that happens. Also, I got to hang out with Steph, who is my favorite person to go to shows with because she is fun and crazy and fun, and with Mel, who is pretty much my favorite person to hang out with, anytime, anywhere.
There was something really inspiring about watching three white girls rap onstage. I think that in addition to enjoying their work, I love experiencing artists doing their thing because what I see is perfect contentment-people doing exactly what they dreamed of doing with their lives. Doesn't it seem silly not to do the same?