Ariel Lask played Kenny's Castaway

When I moved to New York four years ago I thought I would be seeing friends play shows all over the city all the time. However, as time has progressed that has turned out to not be the case. I've seen select shows by people I am friends with, but instead many by signed artists. Last night I joined my roommate in heading downtown to see one of our friends play an intimate gig on Bleeker. Despite the terrible band that went on before, the evening was great. Ariel Lask played her folk-pop tunes to a non-inviting audience, but powered through the show with a smile. The songs about love, living abroad, and discovering yourself were complimented by her low voice that was rather reminiscent of the recent British Pop sensation Adele, but you know... better. While the atmosphere was not up to par with letting Lask shine through, she held her own and joked along the entire set. The simple songs were in stark contrast to the metal act on before her, yet she was able to captivate her audience and capture the mood of a final Thursday evening in New York City.

Girl Talk played Williamsburg Waterfront

This has been a strange and long summer filled with travel and life changing experiences. Most of it took place away from the city, hence the lack of posts over the past month. However I am now back in the city for quite some time and ready to get back to the rock. One of the things I always miss about New York in the summer is that I miss all the free shit. Since yesterday was my first Sunday in the city my roommates and I headed to Brooklyn for the free Girl Talk show on the waterfront. Now say what you will about Girl Talk, essentially it is just a guy on a lap top, but the dude knows how to party. The day started off a little slow with a super long line to get in, another long line for beer, and they were out of food before the second act even finished. Even once Girl Talk took the stage things seemed to be a little off. The crowd was not dancing and the hipsters just bobbed along. However once the tunes started bumping it was hard to stand still. Classic pop songs layered over indie guitars and hip-hop made for a perfect summertime jam. He covered everything from Daft Punk to Journey to The Cranberries. Halfway through the show rain began to fall, but that did not stop the people from moving. There were a few times when the show stopped due to Girl Talk's backstage pass hitting his space bar, cords getting unplugged, and then the stage began to brake from all the people dancing. Yet it was nothing the crowd could not handle. When the sample of "Since U Been Gone" began to play everyone went nuts and the finale of Notorious B.I.G. over "Tiny Dancer" was a personal highlight. Not even the heat could keep people from dancing and crowd surfing to the biggest outdoor dance party of the summer.