Concert: The Shins (Live at The Wellmont Theater: 5/17/09) + More!

Well folks, if it's been about two weeks since I posted. The summer's picking up quite rapidly, much more than before. Instead of laying around, bored, and waiting for some action, I've started my summer Spanish courses at the County College of Morris (not so bad, actually) and making bank while I make sub sandwiches for business types. Both unflattering tasks, but I'm getting decent marks and pretty nice pay. Enough to let me go see The Shins at least.

What a terrific show. Despite losing two members to a destined, failed taco business (so indie), the Seattle outfit showed up in Montclair, New Jersey to showdown. The Delta Spirit kicked ass as openers; most impressive newbie set of the year so far. We've played one of their tunes on our show. Lots of percussion creativity and emphasis on noise. A+ plus to those guys. Young dudes, opening for the The Shins, making their names. I've spoken enough about opening acts on this blog, let's get away from the appetizer and into the main course.

The Shins opened with "Know Your Onion! - Pam Berry - Phantom Limb" !!!. Totally set the pace for an explosive evening. Throw in some surf rock covers (courtesy of The Beach Boys), new tunes "Double Bubble", and a massive punk rock rebellion/girls-in-the-audience-guitar-playing-slaughter fest, and you've got yourself one hell of an evening. They played from roughly 9 til 11:30 PM. Me, who was suffering from upset stomach and a reluctant case of being the designated driver, did not get as nearly as messed up as my local concert go-ers, but I witnessed some great rock 'n' roll by an expeirenced and humble rock band. No bullshit. They played their old tunes better than recorded sessions and recieved a standing O. Garden State bump or not, these guys carried their own. Best performances of the evening: "Gone For Good", "Sleeping Lessons", or "New Slang". Well done. Well worth my 40 bucks. Looking forward to new material and a new record in 2010.

Though this is from a week earlier, this is pretty much how the song went... Fact.

In other news, I thought I had swine flu earlier this week. Whoo-oo-oa I was on fire. Fever fest!

Just starting to feel better now. Memorial Day Weekend, staying up late, and alcohol destroyed my immune system. I met a ton of new people, swam in a freezing cold ocean, and stole many a-drinks. I should not be alive. I should've been the pork's disease's next victum, yet here I am. Blogging late on past events. Whoever said the summer is time to relax was mistaken. Seriously.

Want more?: Bell X1 put out a new record. Check that out, along with "The Great Defector". Really great stuff. Thanks to RXP in New York City for the new tuneage.

Also, Bruce Springsteen is up for best song in a movie at the MTV Movie Awards this Sunday for "The Wrestler". He'll lose to Paramore because we live in a cruel and uneducated world.

Buenos dias! (Learning already...)