[grand/slam]

Headed to downtown Jersey City for Jim Fabros' "Music is My Life". I was blessed to share the "stage" at Grand Banks with some ridiculous talent, while tweeting almost every part of the night. (This twitter thing will become the death of me I swear)

Q and I rocked our first full-band set with Alan. I guess months of living together beat practicing any day. I'll admit I had a few stage-fright jitters at first. "What song is next? When does the hook come in again? How am I going to pay for this tab?" Despite a few rough edges, we kicked off what was to become a pretty memorable night.

The Cancio siblings were up next. Music flows effortlessly through their veins. Laura's "Anna's Song" officially ties with Matt Sia's "Lost" on my list of "Songs You Can Get Married To, Grow Old To, And Make Many Babies With." Even now, my voice is still sore from yelling "MOMO!" (Thank you Jack Daniels and your key to my belligerence.)

I played double-duty, hitting up Nico's drums again for Jay and Pe. I was proud to hear how tight we sounded. We started the groove right transitioning from "TShirt and Sweats" to a spontaneous rendition of Usher's "Nice and Slow". Thankfully, Jay's voice cleared up. Thankfully, this woman (to the left) showed no signs of sexually transmitted diseases.

Ron Verbal and the Scottie Pimpins headined it, killed it, and killed it some more. No video could ever capture their live experience. Hip Hop is alive and well. And it can be found in Jersey City.

This weekend, I was able to spend some much needed time with a good friend, Ashley Clack.

From The Nuyorican, to The Forum, to good old Fusion Ti. The accolades go on and on. Honestly, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have hit up these open mics in the first place. You introduced me to the love-hate relationship that is slam poetry. An artform I hold much respect for to this day.

And you paid dues in dance as well. From Jazz and Tap, to dance crew heavyweights FR3SH and Rhythmology. You have endless potential. Glad to see you're pursuing the dream.

Ashley. Poet. Dancer. Ate.

From Jersey to Chicago. Make us proud. (And tell Fong I found his copies of Buffy The Vampire Slayer at the apartment)

I've been slowly reaching the tail-end to a pretty eventful summer. If this is how it all ends, I can't wait to see what's next.

[next big things]

It's official...

YouTube is dominated by Asians.

HappySlip, AJ Rafael, Gabe Bondoc, Passion, Rin on the Rox. But where's my tristate at? What you got on Jay Legaspi, John-Flor, Alfa, Matt Sia …

But enough of my ebonic swag speak.

I honestly grew up with most of these guys. Drove my first car listening to John-Flor. Broke up with my first girlfriend listening to Jay Legaspi (sorry broham). But today is a new day. Now it's time the eastcoast met the next generation of singer/songwriters. It's been long overdue.

- HelloIMDylan - the youngest, and in my opinion the best guitar player of the bunch. He played Kollaboration at NYU awhile back. He's going places.

- Kat Madamba – Kat gets better every time I see her perform. Her voice was as strong as ever this past Tuesday at Tasty Coco. And she’s artistic to boot. (peep the poster to the right).

- Ryan Bandong – The Baruch kid pretty much came out of nowhere. His covers and poppy tunes earned him instant Youtube credits with AJ Rafael. His friends Napon, Noel and Elise showed us that NY has something to say too.

- Laura Cancio – Hands down, the best female vocalist I’ve ever known. And she doesn’t break a sweat. The more I’m around her, the less talent I realize I have. Plus, she’s the only one who’s as passionate for The Get Up Kids as I am.

- Alan Ray – Despite his many professions…nurse, roommate, barber, martial artist, and panty dropper, Alan actually started off as a musician. I am blessed to share the stage, and a small Newark apartment, with him.

For any of you new musicians, they’ve set the bar right here. And for all you musicians still on your grind , step your game up.

[shoot]

This past weekend ended ... on a Monday. After the smells of a Sunday BBQ, I headed north for a few meetings and a JL Photoshoot in Brooklyn. We choose to shoot on one the hottest days ever, but the nightfall quickly cooled us off. Cindy, our "stylist" helped turn a trio of fashion-ignorant gentlemen into color-coordinated rock gods.

• Photoshoot Lesson 1: Williamsburg, Brooklyn is way too artsy for me.
• Photoshoot Lesson 2: There's a fine line between smiling with swagger and smiling like a creeper.
• Photoshoot Lesson 3: Smile with your eyes.

Ended the night surprisingly tipsy in Manhattan. Stopped by Continental off St. Marks. 5 shots of anything can set your mind straight. We then proceeded to fill our bellies with some Chicken & Rice. Man have I fallen back in love with this street food. Those halal stand guys are culinary geniuses.

[brotillion]

I am fulfilling the bro stereotype. Vain. Belligerent.

With the help of FLASH and the Pana fam, we decided to do my 21st birthday a bit differently. A roast to end all roasts. A Brotillion of sorts. Both of which, I probably deserved.

We were able to book Pianos Bar in Bloomfield. Just as its namesake, the venue features pianos and house musicians every night. Almost a cabaret-vibe. Definitely a musician's haven.

The night was filled with cheap shots and vulgarity. Everyone from my roommates, to fellow open mic fiends, to even my own flesh and blood had something to say. At first, I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. How much dirt can one person have, right?

Well thanks to my brother... more than enough.

We had friends from far and wide, from Staten Island, to Arkansas, to even Tokyo.



Despite some embarrassment, we all had a good time. We raised money for FLASH. Poets Ashley and TJ used their eloquence to rip me to shreds. My roommates brought up stories of music, comic books, and drunken escapades. And some, just made some ridiculously well-edited videos.



best. birthday. ever.
-Matt

[r&r]

Cubicle, Music, Cubicle, FLASH, Cubicle, Sleep

That’s been the sick cycle of my summer. So much so that I decided to take off from that 9-5 grind to head to Virginia Beach with some friends. 5 guys on a 5 hour road trip. Insert the gay/bromantic jokes here.

Peabodys – A glorified version of Hooters. Minus the wings. Plus beer pong. We entered the place amidst a dodgeball tournament. Rubber balls, beer bellies, and half-naked women ran rampant.

We embarked on playing a few games of pong, which wound up being the default activity for the entire weekend. Alan got a suck&blow shoot from a bikini clad woman who looked like a guido Olsen Twin. And our server was wearing a fruit-roll-up-two-piece....Skank never tasted so good.

Ocean Front – Despite all the sun burnt tourists and henna tattoos, Atlantic Ave was pretty lively, due in part to the local entertainment. The street was filled with bands, magicians, and even Jesus freaks.

The highlight of the… street was singer/songwriter Kayce, who sang covers of Ben Folds and Death Cab. Her cover of “Still Fighting It” was orgasmic. God bless the female singer/songwriter genre.

Mt. Trashmore – We decided to visit the park on the hottest day ever, which got its name from the trash and clean soil the park was made from. Worked on Alan’s new songs “This Once”, and “Paralyze” with Buddha spitting some verses. I guess music does take you to new heights. (cheap pun intended). Videos coming soon.

The Jewish Mother – Much thanks to Berto for the heads up. We entered to find a Ska-sounding, Hollister-looking band playing on stage to a full-house. The teenage musk and loud bass amps were reminiscent of late Jersey spots like Hamilton St or Bloomfield Ave. The scene sure ain’t what it used to be.

Croatan Beach – Coined by Khloe as “the locals beach”, Croatan Beach was the highlight of the trip. Although we didn’t stay too long (and butchered the name to no end) the beach alone beat any beach on the Jersey shore. (Yes, I’m selling out). Warm water, warmer sand. And no belligerence, which is a common element at most Jersey beaches. A big thanks goes to Khloe for the directions and hospitality

All in all, the VA treated us well. A new meaning to southern comfort.

[warriors and b-lines]

two warriors in st. marks

it was quite the throwback to say the least. i grabbed the mic to share hosting duties with jd for the final two warriors showcase at je bon. matt sia and jay legaspi opened the night, with a couple friends roasting the two warriors along the way. classic TW pieces in my eyes are group piece scenes from a date and harry's famous spam. i really hate to see them go. with mark working at columbia and harry traveling the world, i'm guessing the duo will be on hiatus for awhile. best of luck to you both.

it was a pleasure to see some old and familiar faces from the summer of 2007. booking a slew of shows and open mic nights, i felt like i wanted to manage the world back then. i felt immortal. it was that summer where i first acquainted myself with new york city. as a kid from white suburban new jersey, my only real perception of new york was times square and the bennys who flooded our beaches every summer. today, what i took from that summer was good friends, good food, and a love-hate relationship with the path trains.

one east studios

i spent the first half of my weekend back at one east to punch in the final drum tracks for jay. the agenda for the day was the new track soldier on and fan favorite protective. soldier on is more of an uplifting piece. an optimistic, roll-with-the-punches sort of tune. protective is the official theme song for any designated driver. leave it up to jay to write a cute song about drunk crushes, and make it a track girls could swoon over.

it was a marathon of a day, but after a 1-hour energy shot and a sweaty drum throne, we eventually got the final tracks out by the end of the night. it's been a pleasure to work with paul and john valencia of glad hearts. one valuable lesson i've learned is how to muffle a snarehead using a metrocard (which we also used for maggie and absence back at melody lanes in bk). it gets the job done.

saturday also marked my first visit to shake shack. with one east only a stone's throw away from madison square park, the guys and i decided to stop by on the (much shorter) b-line. although not the full shake shack experience, i did get messy with a cone of chocolate custard. gotta stick to that good old new york diet.