Nov. 15, 2008 : The Giraffes at Mercury Lounge, Prime Motivator, record release party. That night was like an emotion that you never want to stop feeling. Now that it has passed, you want to go back and feel it again and again, but you can't because it was only possible in that brief moment. This band is above the rest. Going to see the Giraffes is like going to see a band like System of a Down. They don't sound the same, they are not the same, but the quality and skill of these individuals is on par with them. It is mind blowing that I only paid ten dollars to hear them. WTF?!?! I see no weakness when they play. All four members are strong and make you feel their music. I don't know if Andrew the drummer or Jens the bassist get as much recognition from fans but never sell them short because they are fucking amazing. Damien on guitars and Aaron as vocals, usually steal the show with their antics, but everyone plays/sings better than almost any Nyc band out there.
First off, I have to say Sohail is the man. He trekked all the way up from D.C. to see The Giraffes Record release party. And then the next day with a hang over, starving and sleep deprived, he went back to D.C. to do a full shift of work.
Secondly, none of the content of this blog would be here if it weren't for my girl Oi Ling Hu. Her online handle is IHugLion. She is a great photographer and one day hopefully a professional one. She took all the pictures and the video, and even though I barked at her while making Melanie she still was good to me. I wouldn't have enjoyed the night with out her. Check out Oi's Blog and her Flickr page.
If you didn't get to see The Giraffes dominate at Mercury lounge you should be able to listen to them soon on Archive.org
If you didn't get to see The Giraffes dominate at Mercury lounge you should be able to listen to them soon on Archive.org. On a happier note Archive.org has a recording of the very first time Sohail and I ever heard The Giraffes. Another bonus was that show was the only time we have ever heard them play the song "Twin Sisters" live.
I was watching PBS on a Sunday and I caught a preview of the documentry, Frontline: The War Briefing. The complete piece can be found on the PBS website. I didn't know how bad things were in Afghanistan, its so hard to keep track of what the old administration is doing. This gives you a better idea of what is really happening across the ocean, no smoke and mirrors like Fox news. 2008 was the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since the war started, and we still have the majority of our troops in Iraq, where the majority is not needed.
I'm not pro war but I'm definitely against the unnecessary loss of life. With inaccurate smart bombs, bad intelligence, undermanned and underfunded troops it seems like the negligence in Afghanistan is creating a blood bath.