Friday, July 31, 2009

LOTS OF PEOPLE LOVE THIRD EYE BLIND

The response to my post asking what's the deal with this Third Eye Blind resurgence has gotten a lot of attention. On my blog, there's over 100 posts from people letting me know I'm a fucking idiot for not giving 3EB a chance, and on Absolutepunk.net there's over 500 posts telling me I'm a fucking idiot for... not giving 3EB a chance. They all called me out for dismissing them for being on the radio (when I actually said that it had nothing to do with them being on the radio... specifically since some of my favorite bands were radio bands), and for being an elitist musical snob as well, which is laughable. Oh well. Over the weekend I will be compiling some of the best quotes from the tl;dr postings.

Here's one to give you an idea of the extent to how wrong we (magazine editors) were on this whole "voice of the generation" thing:
"Also, I never looked at Nirvana as a true 90s band. I know they were popular in the nineties, but they were from a whole other genre so comparing Nirvana to third eye blind is kind of ridiculous."

The thing is, I gave them a chance. And it's not that I don't like them, I really have no problem with Third Eye Blind, it's just that I never thought they'd be the band that would become the most influential band of the 90s. As someone from another blog pointed out: from a decade that gave us genres like grunge, britpop, and rave/electronica -- it's some what surprising that this is going on. I bet you Jenkins and company are surprised as well. I grew up in this time. I was there when they were on the radio and I am not being a snob or elitist by saying that there's no way I ever thought they'd be the band that reached the youth in the way they have. This is not a diss to them, it's just an honest acessement. I get that SJ's lyrics are about drugs, relationships, issues, ect... but it still doesn't keep this whole thing from being somewhat surprising.

Let's fast forward ten years and put you in my shoes. Let's pretend you discover that Boys Like Girls are the BIGGEST MOST IMPORTANT BAND of the generation just below you. You're sitting there being like "Wait... seriously? what about My Chemical Romance?" Even if you don't like My Chem, you sort of realize that they had some sort of cultural impact that Boys Like Girls just didn't have.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

AN INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM SHIT

A lot of people have been noticing and commenting on how much science I've been twittering about lately. I've always had a very hungry appetite for science, but I was really just someone who subscribed to RSS feeds from news aggregates like Yahoo! and Google, or emailed a rocket scientist friend of mine when new space discoveries were made. But recently and randomly, a friend of mine turned me onto quantum physics. As something I sort of thought was either way over my head or tldr;, when my mind was opened up to the world of Quantum Physics it was like I was a new person... particularly, since I've been really trying to face what being a Jew means to me and how G-d is defined/undefinable. I was actually thinking that diving into the sciences and learning as much as I can about the facts could make an atheist, but it's oddly had an opposite effect. Everything about it is just so incredibly fascinating that when I'm not reading about it, I'm thinking about it. I love it. I love the fact that we're all really, scientifically, connected, and how time is just an abstract notion. I love the idea of other dimensions. And most of all, I love wondering what all this really means.

As an introduction to quantum physics, i suggest you check out these short youtube clips. Yes, they're cartoons, but animation is really the best way to understand how these things work since there's no physical way to show them, really. Tonight, I'm diving into String Theory and fasting for Tisha B'Av. Talk about juxtaposition.

Enjoy!


Double Slit Experiment:


Flatland:

THIRD EYE BLIND EXPLAINED

For the record: I am not comparing Third Eye Blind to the Smiths, per se. I am comparing their importance to kids in their early 20s/late teens, to when I was in my teens/20s. It is 100% baffling to me.

Here's evidence so yo know I'm not lying:
Threads about Third Eye Blind on AbsolutePunk.net.

EDIT: The response that kids are having on AbsolutePunk.net about this blog.

When I was in my teens/20s, The Smiths were one of the most important bands of my life. Sure, they were from my older brothers' generation, but Moz spoke to me as I wanted my best friend to. There were only a handful of musicians that spoke to me the same way that Morrissey did/does, and those musicians were Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain, Thom Yorke, Beck (weird, i know), Ian Curtis (not til my early 20s), and Brian Molko. I basically didn't have that many friends because my parents were strict and didn't let me do social activities after school that weren't transcript/resume boosters (granted, I got so drunk once when I was 15 that I puked for 24 hours straight and so I was grounded for life) -- so those musicians were my friends when my friends were out doing fun shit.

On the radio during this time were bands like Third Eye Blind, Everclear, Matchbox20, Cake, Lit, Bush, Gin Blossoms, Deep Blue Something, etc. I didn't really care too much for those bands because they were radio bands that I felt had no substance. It wasn't so much that they were on the radio... I just felt like they didn't speak to me, were cheesy, and just on this whole different level of music that didn't penetrate the surface. How could you possibly compare the despair of isolation that Morrissey sang about to the ... whatever "do do do" that Stephen Jenkins sang about in 3EB? To me, and lots of other people of the same age group I was in, a band like 3EB et al were a joke. They were a band you expected to hear on the radio, but basically didn't give a fuck about beyond that. You wouldn't be caught dead at one of their shows, you wouldn't be caught dead with one of their cds, and you wouldn't even have to worry about any of that because it was all on a different plane.

Fast forward nearly 10 years and I've got a record label. One of my most favorite bands, the Oohlas, are signed to this label. They're moody and sophisticated and combine aspects of my favorite bands like the Pixies, Nirvana, and the Smiths all into one. I learn that one of the members used to be in Everclear and I find that to be odd and random and totally insignificant other than explaining how come he's got a nice house and studio and can play drums. Another band signed to the label, Permanent Me, were comprised of kids in their late teens. When they saw and recognized someone from the Oohlas as someone from Everclear they basically freaked out. They couldn't believe their absolute luck that they were signed to the same label as someone from Everclear and spent a good hour, if not more, telling me how great Everclear were. I was confused because Everclear was a whatever band to me ... but then, when I asked them what other bands they liked from the 90s, expecting them to wax rhapsodic about how important Nirvana is to them and influenced who they are today... i was BLOWN AWAY to hear them unanimously agree that Third Eye Blind was the best band from the 90s.

I didn't believe them. I asked them if they were joking. They weren't. I asked them if they were talking about the same band I was talking about -- the one with the "Semi-Charmed Life" song. They were. I asked them how many of their friends felt the same way. They said ALL OF THEM.

Now, yes, there are tons of kids in their late teens/early 20s that don't agree with them. But there are more kids than I ever, in my wildest dreams, thought possible, that love Third Eye Blind and consider them their favorite band EVER. I don't know how this happened. I really, really, really don't. But it did. I don't really understand how it could, and would love to be enlightened. But seriously, kids think Stephen Jenkins is a fucking hero genius, while lots of people over the age of 27 had absolutely no idea he was even relevant. While those of us over 27 had left him for dead, basically, Stephen Jenkins was being hailed by the kids as their biggest musical influence and inspiration. What. The. Fuck?

Well, now you know.

I was talking to one of my musical heroes recently and she asked me what the 90s revival was all about. When I told her "Well, I'm glad you're sitting down because when I tell you what i know, you might faint or cry: The 90s revival is all about Third Eye Blind. It's not about Nirvana, it's not about Hole, it's not about Pearl Jam, Green Day or Beck whose constant stream of musical input has lasted til now. It's not about any of the bands that Rolling Stone or SPIN hailed as the saviors of mankind... it's all about Third Eye Blind."

She didn't believe me and accused me of either lying or talking out of my ass. I told her I wish I wasn't truth-telling, but I was. And, after asking a couple other sources in their 20s, she realized I was right on the money.

How the fuck did Stephen Jenkins do it? Seriously.

EDIT: By the way, the reason i brought up the fact they're on the radio, and that having nothing to do with why i didn't like them, was because a lot of the bands I like were on the radio. Man, people kinda miss the point. shit. also, i don't dislike 3eb (in fact, I love "Wounded"), but i never thought they'd be the band that stood the test of time in such a major way, and I'm sure they're surprised as well. i'm just pointing this fact out to my peers who dont know. i just did all you 3eb fans a favor and brought your favorite band some attention from people who work in major media outlets and told them that they were relevant and missing something under their nose. You're welcome.

Monday, July 20, 2009

BE A MUSIC VIDEO EXTRA!

Tuesday July 21
Come be a video extra for a live Young Love performance at Webster Hall Studio.

They'll be filming our concert scenes between 6:30 and 9:30. Stop by for any or all of it!

Webster Hall Studio
125 East 11th Street
Entrance to "The Studio" is just to the right of the main entrance.

RSVP: Jane@vbnyc.com

Sunday, July 19, 2009

MY NEW PARTY

Sunday School Matinee is the all-ages version of my infamous Stolen Transmission Party (5-Time Paper Magazine Nightlife Award Winning party, inspiration behind many songs, the subject of at least one book, the place where a few couples met and later wed, and thrown with her party partner KarenPlusOne/Karen Ruttner) -- which hosted performances by bands like Hot Chip, The Horrors,InnerPartySystem, Maximo Park, The Futureheads, Tokyo Police Club, and more.

Sunday School Matinee has been specifically created for under-21's in the NYC area that don't get to experience cool bands and DJs because almost all the venues in NYC are 21+.

Sunday School Matinee is doing something that's never been done in NYC before: It's a tastemaker-type party for all-ages with on-the-verge bands, celebrity DJs, dancing and TEENAGERS that come every week with the hope of seeing something new. It's a place where they might expect to see a secret show, a rare acoustic performace, or see someone from their favorite band playing a special DJ set.


There's only going to be a couple of these until school comes back in session in September (which is when we'll go back to being a weekly), so please be sure to come tomorrow.





Word is getting out that Sunday School Matinee is the place to be if you want to see some of the best up-and-coming bands in NYC or touring through this fine city. What's our evidence of this? Well, the President of Virgin/EMI was at Sunday School Matinee the other day. He dropped in to check out the bands and loved what he saw. Will he be back again? Probably.

As ohmyrockness suggested, last week's Sunday School Matinee was the hotly tipped show. Its guest performers:
The Drums, Your Nature and A Million Years, blew everyone's expectations. Believe the hype about these bands.

This week wont be any different. We have Grieves, Reni Lane, and The Rochambros. A true variety of sounds ranging from Grieves' backpack hip hop/trip hop grooves, Reni Lane's hypnotic and ever so Coldplay-fronted-by-a-woman sound, to The Rochambros' highly Elvis Costello/Pixies influenced tunes.