April 8, 2008: our rawk star week, pt.1
So much is happening right now for El Jezel that it almost feels like we’re real rawk stars. In the course of one week we managed to pull off a photo shoot, a video shoot, a couple rehearsals, and a show. The only thing missing is an early morning phone interview with DJ Jimmy J at WKOT. Does anyone have an in at WKOT? Hook us up!
Our photo shoot was in fact an early morning affair as we all gathered in Astoria to have Ricardo try and capture the natural beauty of El Jezel. Once he realized that beauty was a little too much to ask for at 9am on a Tuesday, he just did the best he could. Fortunately, Ricardo is a very talented man and somehow made us look damn cool. We took to the streets and got some shots amongst our beloved N line and I was very impressed with how many NYers were willing to stop and wait for a photo to be taken before walking into the frame. I don’t play that, especially after working in Times Square when there is always some adorably guffawed tourist posing in front of the most blinkly lit blocks in all the world. Hell no, I walk right into the shot and try to leave my mark.
Our normal Thursday and Friday rehearsals got right to the point- running the set. This is sometimes a blast, sometimes tedious. Last week it was mostly tedious. Not because we’re sick of the songs or of each other for that matter, but simply because we were tired. It’s like I always say- it’d be so much easier to be in a band if it wasn’t for this shitty full time job I had to hold down. Dan usually keeps is together while I fluctuate between a business like let’s-just-get-through-this demeanor and a goofy second-wind mania. Jess is the one who struggles the most. She’ll certainly kill me for revealing this, but let it be known that she can get through some songs with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face. I know she’s not sleeping, but I sometimes wonder just how close she is to entering a sweet dream full of soft clouds and winning lottery tickets.
Saturday rolls around and we find ourselves at one of our favorite clubs in the city- The Delancey. Although the upstairs bar has turned into a full throttle meat market on the weekends, the basement is still as perfect a room for live music as it was when BP Fallon was hosting Death Disco there a few years ago. Actually, it’s got a whole lot better. The sound board is bigger which must mean it’s better, right? And unlike the casual days of Death Disco when set times were a vague outline at best, these days things are pretty reliable. Especially when Jenny and Jeremiah are hosting their Hot Rocks parties, which was what we were doing there on Saturday. A couple live bands, a couple drink specials, and a whole bunch of 50’s and 60’s music pumped out inbetween- what more could you want? That night we shared the stage with the indie-progging Zero Spanish (featuring our second favorite drummer named Dan) and the charming skip of The Rowboats. Don’t ask me what “charming skip” is, it just seems to make sense right now.
Our set was a helluva lot better than Coco 66 since the sound and the vibe was far superior. I think I made it through the whole set without one fuck-up, and that’s always something to be happy about. After our set the plan was to catch a bit of The Rowboats and get home early since we had to wake up at about 5:30 am to start shooting our video. Well, plans are nice and all, but sometimes you just crumple them up and throw em out the window and that’s exactly what we did on Saturday. I think the turning point was when the super friendly bartender offered us free shots. I tried to turn it down, but Jess seemed down, and when Jess of all people is down with a free shot you have to take advantage and ride it out. And that’s exactly what we did, we rode out that shot til Midnight when the Pabst Blue Ribbons were free and impossible to turn down. Suddenly it’s 1am and Hot Rocks is turning into a full fledged dance party and we’re fighting the urge to stay and dance with Marta and chat with Chris and make up gang signs with Jeremiah. So we left.
No one ever writes about packing up gear when you’re in a band. Sure, we’ve all seen the Journey or Motley Crue videos where we see stop-motion footage of tireless roadies assembling stages for the big rock stars, but you never quite see the indie side of that scenario. Well, I will always remember one specific moment like that. The year was 1996 and I was living in LA as part of my last semester of Film School. I had excitedly made it to the a club that had the unfortunate name of Coconut Teazer to see The Martinis, the new band comprised of ex-Pixie Joey Santiago and his wife. You may remember their song on the Empire Records soundtrack, but you probably don’t. After the opener wrapped up their forgettable set I stood in shock as Joey Santiago, THE Joey Santiago, hoisted his own amp, pedals and guitar onto the stage. Not like it was such a crime for him to do it, but it somehow bummed me out. The last time I saw this guy live was 4 years earlier when The Pixies opened up fro U2 in the Worcester Centrum. Now I was a few feet away from him as he struggled to lift his amp…wow.
Where was I? Oh yeah, no one writes about moving gear and I guess I shouldn’t either, but I will say that playing shows always comes with the irritating comedown of the load out. Here we are, half in the bag trying to lift heavy gear and get a cab to stop for us. Here we are, tired and buzzed trying to make sure we didn’t leave a guitar stand behind(for the record, El Jezel has left a small fortune of guitar stands around this city’s rock clubs) or forget to actually get paid. Somehow we usually manage to pull this off regardless of how unglamorous it is. Maybe someday we’ll be a successful band that has roadies to move gear and managers to handle our money and we’ll pine for the simpler days of late night cab rides over the Williamsburg Bridge, but until then we will suffer.
So we got home late. Late enough to get a couple hours sleep before the big video shoot. And that’s where things get really interesting and sleep-deprived and exciting. However, I need to get some sleep right now so you will have to hear about all that in a day or two.
1 month ago