VIRB

Hey people, what''s up?
I have mosquitos in my apartment in Brooklyn. They are really wiley bastards. They hide out in dark places all day and then at night they creep into my room and attack me real stealthily while I am sleeping. They get me in the worst places too; on the ankles, wrists, and fingers. I thought it was bedbugs at first, but then I wake up in the morning and I see them chilling behind the curtains or behind my plants. I kill them and my blood gets smeared all over the wall. Pretty gross, right?
Well, thats not what I am here to talk about today.
Fujiya and Miyagi made it into the states last week without incident. We met up with them last Thursday night at the Bowery Ballroom on Delancy Street to rock some Manhattan heads. It was really good to see them again. We had gone on a little mini-tour with them over the summer and we got to be pretty good friends. They are really funny, and they think that we are funny looking, what with all of our high-fiving; but we still get along like gangbusters. So, we had never played the Ballroom before, so we were pretty excited. I even got some new shoes just for the occasion; John Fluevogs. F&M and Uncle Rubin both thought that was pretty funny, but I am here to tell you that they are some dope shoes, and you will be seeing them alot, so get used to them. So we played first and came out blazin'! However, after our first song, Rubins robot started malfunctioning... and eventually had to be rebooted. During this time I was stuck with no video backup, and just my dumb-ass jokes to keep the show going. I was a little frazzzzled, but I think eventually I pulled it off and the robot mended its wounds and the show continued. We played real hard for the next 40 minutes and the crowd was pretty happy about it. Dirty On Purpose followed us and rocked the house; complete with a cover of Real Life's "Send Me an Angel" bringing all the downtown hipsters back to second grade. Sweetness. During most of this, I was downstairs talking to birthday girls and some of my friends who made it out to the show but soon moved upstairs right before Fujiya and Miyagi hit the stage. Now, if you have never seem F&M before, they are a great show; danceable songs, witty lyrics, and fun stage presence even though they don't talk to the audience or even move much. But still the energy is awesome and the crowd is never left feeling let down; I highly recommend them to anyone. So, they rocked and we all met up after the show in the 90 degree dressing room to chat, eat the swiss cheese that was very sweaty, and drink the rest of our Red Stripes. There was an after party at Sweet and Viscious later, but I was ready for my mosquito-infested bedroom, so I left.
The next night we all met up again at The Music Hall of Williamsburg which used to be North Six. When it was North Six, it was a pretty grungy place with a couple of bars, some big coloumns that were good at obstructing views, and some bleachers in the back; so it looked exactly like where Nirvana plays in "Smells like Teen Spirit." Now it just looks like the Bowery Ballroom, except newer and shinier, not unlike all of Manhattan. Its almost like a caricature of it's former self, you know? But they did keep the bleachers although they are on the balcony, but still offer rest for the weary and some good views. This place was funny because backstage, we all had our own dressing rooms. Three bands, three dressing rooms. Ours was the smallest but still had a tub of Tecates in it, so we were happy. We went on at ten o'clock and from the beginning, the crowd was rowdy, and only got rowdier. At one point, about a third of the way through, girls in the front row started screaming like we were the Beatles, and then dancing like crazy during the songs. It was so suprising, I couldn't help but laugh through a couple lyrics. But it was great! The enrgy was incredible. I don't know if it was because it was Friday night, or if it was because we were in Brooklyn, but it was like we weren't in staunchy-ass New York anymore. Now, I'm not saying that New York is staunchy (even though I just did) but sometimes you go out to see a band and the people just stand there, arms crossed and maybe bopping their heads if you catch them on a good night. But this was all-out dance party! And it fucking kicked ass! The rest of the night was amazing. Dirty On Purpose ruled and Fujiya and Miyagi played their best set that I have ever seen, even though Dave (the guitar player and singer) was nervous because the had had such an awful soundcheck. But the bad soundcheck was a thing of the past and they killed it! After the show we all hung out in their dressing room with all three bands and some of the girls from Au Revoire Simone and swapped stories and laughed about all the stupid things people talk about; including, but not limited to, free mushrooms in Amsterdam, sketchy bathrooms, rock'n'roll hair, and of course Moose Bumps.
The next night we went to Yale University while F&M and DOP went to Beantown to rock some Commonwealthians. We got to New Haven at around 7 and went straight to Sally's for what was supposed to be "The Best Pizza in the World." We waited outside for about a half hour, and then when we got in, we waited for the pizza for...wait for it...2 hours! Oh my fucking god. By the time we got the best pizza in the world it could have been toejam footballs and we still would have eaten it, so yes, it was the best pizza in the world because if I say it wasn't than it would not justify the wait. Maybe if we all hadn't been starved to death before we even got in, it would have been better, but as it was, we ate it and left in about 1/10's of the time we waited for it. Does that make sense, I was never good at fractions. So, after that we headed over to St. Anthony, a secret society set in the heart of Yales illustrious campus. We played there a couple months back, as Uncle Rubins cousin is an alum of both Yale and the secret society, St. A's as they like to call it. We set up in the basement, which seems like either a tomb, or a weapons hold, and judging from all the secrets at Yale, it could have been one or both of them. We started the night with some Judge Dreadd on the stereo and moved on to some Mixel Pixel after Rubin took off my Loo &Placido mash-up mix and told me I didn't know how to DJ. Then when we felt the time was right, we started playing. From the first note, these college kids were dancing up a storm. Congo lines, Chorus lines, sweaty table-top dance moves, and dirty back-room bump-and-grind, man these kids had them all! It was really pretty amazing to watch. We played for a really long time, busting out some old tunes that we hardly ever play anymore like "Chinatown Bus" and "Dressed to Kill." We even encored with "Adderal," which I don't think we have played in over 6 months, so they got a great show and we had a great time. We spent the rest of the night travelling around campus dropping in on parties and admiring the sights. The campus is so surreal, I can't even believe collge kids live there doing all those crazy college things. It seems like there should be Dukes and Earles living there, not a bunch of kids, but hey, its the future of America so fuck it.
So, another crazy weekend with Project Jenny, Project Jan. Next week we are hitting the West Coast with Fujiya and Miyagi, so I will be writing a blog after each one of our shows. I will probably be wrting them from the road, so if my typing isn't so good, just imagine it is, okay?! Cool! See you in Vancouver!
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxo
Junior