Author Archives: stephen mejias

In his August 26th entry, Tris McCall writes on a topic very dear to the donewaiting heart:

If the Internet is supposed to be so big, so multifaceted, and so ungoverned, why do all the music review sites now look the same? More disturbingly, why do they all have the same opinions?

It’s because fashion is a more demanding master than any editor could ever be. When you read Pitchfork (which you really shouldn’t), you can practically hear the footsteps of generally-accepted indie opinion hounding the writers.

Tris’ is a voice that I value highly, one that I think we should be aware of, and strive to honor.

As Tris might say, “Rock.”

Back in February – February 13th(!), to be exact – I took up some space here on our home page to mention how great of a time I had in spending an evening with Jon and Justin from Rye Coalition.

At the time, the band was just getting comfy back in Jersey after an exhausting, but wonderful, experience working with Dave Grohl on their first recording for Dreamworks.

I walked over to their apartment to discuss the recording process and get some info on the band, in general. I learned a lot, and came away from it feeling inspired and happy, while gaining a greater appreciation for the guys, both personally, as well as professionally.

In any case, I was holding onto the interview, waiting for further developments. Further developments went sour. As it turns out, it doesn’t look like the album will be released by Dreamworks or by Dreamworks’ affiliates. In my opinion, the label has made a terrible mistake.

I haven’t been in touch with the guys recently, but they’ll be playing a short string of shows in the NYC area, starting with an August 6th date at Maxwell’s, followed by an August 13th show at Plaid.

Rye Coalition is rightfully very proud of what they’ve accomplished, and want to celebrate it, despite the fact that there is no album representing their work, physically.

The old interview is now posted at Bridges & Tunnels. Though the album will no longer be published by Dreamworks, the piece still works to show the values that Rye Coalition hold.

Uncle Joe’s
154 First Street
Jersey City, NJ
9pm. $5.

10pm – Bulletproof Touch
11pm – the Tri-State Conspiracy
12pm – King Django

The guest DJ for the show will be Cloud People.

It seems that my report on this Friday night’s show at Uncle Joe’s is also unreliable.

Well, not entirely. These things happen.

Unfortunately, Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer had to cancel. They send their apologies. No worries, though, they’ll be around to play more shows in the near future.

So, any bands out there wanna play? I’m pooped.

A Donewaiting.com / TheApetown.com Production

Friday, May 7th at Uncle Joe?s ? 154 First Street, sunny Jersey City
Crayon Rosary
The Slow Wire
Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer
Guest DJ: Jason Small of XOXO Records
9pm. $5.

We played our fair share of shows. Back in the MPS days, that is. We played some real depressing shows, some real thrilling shows. Most of the shows fell somewhere in between. All of the shows were fun in some way. Even if only for the car rides, the conversations on the way to the venue, or the meals afterwards.

On May 7th, at Uncle Joe’s, I feel fortunate to be able to host two bands that I actually enjoyed playing with. Back in the MPS days, that is. The Slow Wire – who we share time with on a Reinforcement Records compilation – and Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer – who we met somewhere down in the darkness and gravel of Pennsylvania, at an event that was more like a prom or a blood drive than a rock show. But, hey. We had a good time.

I miss those days. But these days are good, too. And this Friday, May 7th, will be especially good. Joining The Slow Wire and Zolof will be a band called Crayon Rosary, who I have only recently become familiar with. They were brought to me by another old friend, another who has shared memories of long drives and heavy lifting: Jason Small. We know Jason from his time spent in the band, Fortunato; a band that we were always happy to play with. Jason has moved on and started his own record label, XOXO. And Crayon Rosary call it home.

This Friday, Uncle Joe’s will be home to all of us as we reunite, shake hands, drink up, laugh, rock, and dance like mad.

LOOKING FOR BANDS

Saturday, April 10th, Uncle Joe’s (Jersey City, NJ): The powerful and sexy Spitting Cobras will be playing.

Due to some silly circumstances, we have no other bands. If interested in filling the bill, please contact me right away.

Thank you.

Breaking News:
Due to the success of February 6th’s Donewaiting.com Anniversary Party in Jersey City, I will be hosting a monthly event at Uncle Joe’s. From now through the rest of eternity, I suppose, the first Friday of every month will belong to Donewaiting and the Apetown.

Next party:
Friday, April 2

Uncle Joe’s
154 First St., Jersey City
Doors @ 9. 5 bucks.

Awesome bands:
10pm – Sasha Alcott & the Possibilities
11pm – Oxford Collapse
12pm – Rye Coalition

Oh yeah.

This will be a welcome-home party for Rye, who haven’t played in quite awhile. They’ve been back and forth between Jersey and LA, recording their next album, which was produced by Dave Grohl for Dreamworks. The last time they played at Uncle Joe’s, they had to plug their amps into the outlets in the apartments upstairs, and all the power went out. Please welcome them home.

This is going to be LOUD. (And sexy as all hell.)

I recently missed Asobi Seksu at Sin-e. I missed the show, but got a chance to speak with the band. Keith handed me a flyer. I won’t miss this one.

Saturday, March 6, 8pm: Asobi Seksu celebrates the Friendly Fire Recordings release of their new self-titled CD with a party at Sin-e. Sharing the stage with them will be Dirty on Purpose, The Hong Kong, and Dennis Cahlo of the Realistics. Ultragrrrl will be selecting between sets. The CD, recorded by Will Quinnell at 80-20 Studios (Queens, NY), features original artwork and photography by Sean McCabe.

Asobi Seksu recently performed at the Jersey City Donewaiting.com Anniversary Party. They have also just completed a video for their single, “Walk On The Moon,” directed by Casseus of Partizan Entertainment.

On Friday, March 5, Asobi Seksu will be performing at The Middle East in Boston, MA, with The Flesh, The Cignal, and The Information.

In the “Bands-That-You-Don’t-Know-But-Know-You-Should” category, falls, for me, a band called TV on the Radio.

Somewhere, I read their sound described as:

The crossbred vocals of Peter Gabriel and Ozzy Osbourne fronting a pissed-off Beta Band.

Sounds cool to me. And they’re sexy-looking, too.

Their new Touch and Go LP, “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes” is set for release on March 9.

Check their site for a big ol’ list of tourdates. In the Ohio neck of the woods, they’ll be stopping for a night in Cleveland with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I think I’ll check them out this coming Monday, the 23rd, here in NYC.

Check out this blog, too. Funny, fantastical, clever stuff about religion, politics, rock n roll, deer pants, gorillas, and human nature.

Last night, I had the great pleasure of meeting with Justin Morey and Jon Gonnelli of Rye Coalition, my neighbors. I walked up Jersey Avenue, made a left here and a right there, and knocked on their door. They were expecting me, and greeted me with warm handshakes and smiles.

I offered them a bottle of wine, which they were very thankful for, and Justin soon excused himself to the kitchen where he prepared a delicious pot of spaghetti.

But this small article isn’t meant to be about the warmth of their home, or of their talents in the kitchen, or of their passion for making others happy. What I most want to mention now – and I will mention this again – is how incredibly hot and stunningly gorgeous the new album, produced by Dave Grohl for Dreamworks Records, already sounds, even as it is, in the very early stages of its development. The songs haven’t been mixed yet, and I found myself wondering, “What the hell needs to be done? How can these songs sound any better?”

It’s exactly what you might expect if you only expect the best. And I feel confident that you can expect the best from Rye Coalition. They worked extremely hard. And you can hear it, and you can feel it. The songs are definitely Rye, with as much power and urgency as ever, but with a more attractive and embraceable allure. Perhaps you can credit that to Dave Grohl, or perhaps you can credit that to Rye’s maturity. Seems to me that it was the right combination at the right time for everyone involved.

When the new Rye songs were done, Jon popped the Probot CD into the player. Probot is pretty great, too. Yes. But I found myself betting that Dave Grohl felt as honored to work with Rye as Rye felt about working with Dave.

I feel fortunate to finally have the chance to get to know these guys personally, and as I said, I was wildly impressed by the new album. It’s only a shame that we’ll have to wait at all for its release. I don’t want to wait another day, really. I hope that you’ll start talking about it now; I mean for you to spread the word. This is something worth talking about. I hope you’ll feel as privileged as I do to know something about it.