Blonde Redhead returns with Sit Down for Dinner, their first record in nine years (worth the wait!). The new songs are said to be inspired by a passage from Joan Didion's 2005 memoir, "The Year Of Magical Thinking" — "Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends."
The audio track here is for "Kiss Her Kiss Her." You can watch the band's epic video for "Sit Down For Dinner (Pts. 1 & 2)" only on YouTube. (There's an age restriction on it that prevents the embed function.)
The NYC trio that formed in 1993 plays at Brooklyn Steel on Nov. 10.
Tomorrow (Saturday!) night, Modern English plays at the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls, 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
And ahead of this, we've had several conversations with people about Modern English, known to many simply as the English band that made the iconic 1980s new-wave smasheroo, "I Melt With You."
The band's first record, Mesh & Lace from 1981, is a moody, post-punk gem. Subsequent releases saw Modern English taking a more commercial-friendly tone... featuring some excellent tracks, like "Someone's Calling" (above) from 1983 and "Ink and Paper" from 1986... a rare two-for-Friday-at-5 combo!
Bush Tetras, the influential post-punk/no-wave band that got its start on the Lower East Side in the late 1970s, just released a new video for their single "Bird on a Wire."
The video, featuring singer Cynthia Sley in front of EV storefronts that housed some iconic businesses, also includes a supporting role from East Village-based photographer GODLIS.
The track is from the band's new LP, They Live in My Head, out on July 28.
This video premiered on June 23 ... "New Amsterdam" composed by Moondog and performed by Calefax Reed Quintet... and filmed and edited by East Village resident H. Paul Moon.
You can read more about the making of the video here.
As you'll see, the East Village has a supporting role, including St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, First Park and First Street Art Park.
In addition, there's a scene where Moondog biographer Robert Scotto — a West Village resident — sits on the stoop of the composer's former address at 179 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Moondog was a fixture of two different worlds in New York City. He was both a respected musician who worked with big names in genres ranging from classical to jazz to rock music, as well as an enigmatic street performer.