tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81058711949469003892024-03-12T19:28:45.043-07:00Cigarette DiariesA blog about cigarettes, interesting people and good conversation.The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-35749746762895104812009-08-16T18:37:00.000-07:002009-08-16T21:59:37.873-07:00Girls & Boys 8.14: LA Riots + DJ BerrieWent to Girls & Boys last night, for the second consecutive Friday in a row. It was suppose to be a night of Flosstradamus, Designer Drugs and DJ Berrie, but I guess the later of the three DJ's coudln't make it, and LA Riots showed up.<br /><br />The crowd was much better than last weekend, in terms of energy and the amount of people sorrounding the stage.<br /><br />It feels good to walk up on stage with out a VIP bracelet and take photos with my highly overrated DSLR while dozens of people watch from below, begging for me to take their photo, trying to sneak on stage-only to get kicked off by a bouncer. A camera and the right attitude will get you far in life.<br /><br />A friend of mine that happens to DJ said, "people always assume that being a DJ is glamorous". I'd say the same goes for a photographer. I enjoy myself @ Girls & Boys, but there's a fine line between doing a job and enjoying yourself. I can't remember the last time I went to a show as a fan, put down the camera and enjoyed myself to the fullest potential.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/154copy-1.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">As usual Webster Hall filled with dudes.<br /></div><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/007copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Downstairs in the studio, I walked into this band that was playing. I apologize, because I didn't catch their name but they put on a very exciting performance.<br /></div><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/012copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><p></p><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/094copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">I guess LA Riots replaced Flossradamus last minute, because I didn't expect to see him. For the longest time, I was under the empression that LA Riots was a DUO and not a single DJ.<br /></div><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/070.jpg" width="450" /></center><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/058copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/068copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">For some reason people love to have their picture taken. I personally hate it, and avoid it at all costs. There's nothing worse than being the creepy guy in the background of a shot.<br /></div><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/044copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/090copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Cute girl @ the show that I kept seeing. The chill bouncer that let me on stage, also let her up at one point in the show, but she was shut down by the other bouncer with in minutes.<br /><br />I learned that the bouncers rule Webster Hall and it's not in your best interest to be on bad terms with them.<br /><br />A camera gets you a long way in life.<br /></div><p></p><br /><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><center></center><p></p><p></p><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/100copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">DJ Atrak making a quick appearance. Think he was just intown for the night and wanted to support FlasstraDONEmus (as he put it via twitter)? It's weird because myself and a lot of other people regard these "international" DJ's as celebrities, but when you're around them at a show or something, you realize their just like everyone else-maybe the same goes for "real" celebrities.<br /></div><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/159copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">I only caught a little bit of Designer Drugs cause LA Riots played for soo long.<br /></div><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/166copy.jpg" width="450" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">It was dude on the lefts birthday and I guess he knew the bouncer well enough to get on stage. You can always tell the people that should be on stage apart from the rest. They're always eager to be close to the DJ, get close to the crowd and ask photographers to take their photo. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><center><br /></center></div>I should be back next week. Getting used to the Friday night madness @ Webster Hall. Next week is DIOYY (DJ Set), should be a packed house. Hopefully less bros and more hoes.<br /><br /><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/girls%20n%20boys%208%2014%202009/?albumview=slideshow">FULL GALLERY</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span>Email me, thepopularguru@yahoo.com<br /><br />Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thepopguru">TWITTER</a><br /><br />X<br /><p></p>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-63756424862682185272009-08-08T19:43:00.000-07:002009-08-13T12:02:31.525-07:00Girls & Boys 8.8.09 PHOTOS<center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/034copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A diverse crowd, made up of mostly guido men<br /></div><p></p><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/068copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Favorite act of the night, played some classics n really got the crowd into it.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/072copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/076copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/083copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">These guys were from Europe or something, cause they so desperately wanted to get on stage they were throwing money to the bouncers, LMAO.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/097copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">This dude was all over the place.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/100copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Lights<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/129copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/137copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Dude holding the beer was crazy haha, he must have been rolling on some E because he was having a better time than everyone in the building combined. Nice guy though.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/144copy.jpg" height="600" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">"You shoot for lastnightsparty.com right?" Nahhh, I'm not that cool.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/155copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">This chick was absolutely gorgeous. The guru was there on a mission to take photos though...<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/169copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/173copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Who dis?<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/182copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/200copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Sinden<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/206copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/219copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">"Can you take our picture please" A camera will get you far in life.<br /></div><p></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 448px; height: 672px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/179copy.jpg" /><br /><br />Table before the destruction<br /><br /></div><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/225copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"You gotta take a picture of this" And then bam, Dude in the green shirt desides to knock over all the drinks on the table behind the DJ, turns the table over and throws it to the ground in one swift motion. Luckily I was left unscathed, unlucky for me, I wasn't preprared to take some graphic photos of the occurance. Dude was obviously tossed right after...EPIC move though. Respect.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/235copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Sinden was playing some bangers but the crowd was DEAD.<br /></div><p></p><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/237copy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This dude.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Email me, thepopularguru@yahoo.com -leave comments. cya next show!<br /></div></div><p></p>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-15540008647938422802009-08-08T19:17:00.000-07:002009-08-08T19:35:12.693-07:00Where Have You Been?<center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/webster%20hall%208%202009/173copy.jpg" width=500></center></img><br /><br />I've been up and down, July was the longest month I've ever made it through with out physically harming myself or anyone else. It started off with so much potential, as all July's do. Middle of the summer, finally some "good weather", then all of a sudden Murphy's Law and Karma decide to double team my ass and put me on house arrest for a month.<br /><br />I spent most of July thinking about how long bad luck could last. While constantly thinking of that, I managed to go out a few times.<br /><br />MGMT<br /><br />Club One<br /><br />MGMT pt 4<br /><br />Sinden + Viking + Return to Webster Hall<br /><br />I'm working on consolodating my websites into one and trying my best to put out good content on a consistant basis so bare with my folks.<br /><br />If I saw you at a show, and you thought I was cool, email me and I'll send you some photos, thepopularguru@yahoo.com<br /><br /><br />XThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-31559761793662418602009-07-02T21:41:00.001-07:002009-07-08T21:44:22.864-07:00Cigarette DiariesMGMT, July 1st 2009<br /><br />I don't write love letters anymore.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/MGMT/pretty_girlcopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />...I should not have left.<br /><br />Not to take shitty photos and loose valuable goods. I was in the middle of darkness trying to load film. Mean while I'm dropping containers of film and god knows what else. I offer a jersey boys a swig of vodka and it disappeared. Should have just enjoyed the show.<br /><br />More photos <a href="http://www.thepopguru.com/">HERE</a>.<br /><br /><br />XThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-10332801623299578402009-06-21T15:39:00.000-07:002009-06-23T08:17:26.305-07:00At First You Don't Succeed...Try Again<span style="font-size:78%;">*Due to the circumstances there are a lack of photos. I apologize.</span><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/aoki%20webster/webster_sign.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />"I was on a guest list, I was suppose to get in easily"<br /><br />Then and there I watched this over weight Spanish "bouncer" tear off the lamination on my ID and proceed to crush it with his hands, all while a crowd of people giggled to themselves. I put up a 5 minute fight prior, asking for it back in as many ways possible, none of which made the situation any better.<br /><br />I've called the cops on bouncers before and I learned that NYC cops don't give a fuck about "trivial matters." I often wonder what cops do care about, maybe just their job.<br /><br />"I hope you enjoy your fucking job"<br /><br />"I love it"<br /><br />Bouncers all have the same attitude as if their trained not to have any feeling or sympathy. Maybe if I was a girl with a nice rack he would have treated me differently, who knows.<br /><br />"Get the fuck outta here, never come to this club again"<br /><br />Been told that one before.<br /><br />I walk backwards, slowly, as pissed as ever, cursing and shouting, probably making things worse for myself in the future.<br /><br />But now...<br /><br />I'm a fighter, I go till the 12th round and if I go down, I'm not going with out a dramatic finish.<br /><br />What I soon realized after the initial incident, was that I had a second ID on me (I have multiple personalities) and there are two or three entrances into the club, so thought why not try a different ID at a different entrance. All I had to do was avoid the two bouncers that knew me.<br /><br />I was standing in line a few people back from getting into the club, anxious as a house wife fearing I would be spotted and thrown to pavement.<br /><br />"Everybody step to the right"<br /><br />Steve Aoki and his entourage arrive in the same fashion that every other band enters Webster Hall, quickly and with great respect from managment. I spotted an oppurtunity when I noticed <a href="http://www.thecobrasnake.com">Mark The Cobrasnake</a>, a famous nightlife photographer that I've followed for years.<br /><br />In a panic, I state my name, extend my hand and say "Hey man, can you help me out, I'm having trouble getting in"<br /><br />He looked at me like I was a wet puppy abandoned in the rain and said, "Yeah sure man, you're with us. Come on"<br /><br />The very same bouncer that took my ID escorted Aoki, The Cobra Snake and a whole group of young frenchies, MYSELF included to the upstairs, backstage dressing room.<br /><br />Aoki comes up to me in the middle of the room, looks me dead in the eyes relaxed and with a blank stare and says, "They ripped up your ID man, that sucks"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/aoki%20webster/backstage_cobra.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />I regret not taking out my camera earlier for the only photo is a poor shot where you can see Mark to the left and a young model to the right. Everyone was in the room for about 2 minutes before Mark told Aoki they should bounce and everyone else followed. Ironically I didn't see Mark once after that, not on stage, not in the crowd.<br /><br />Great thanks to Mark for helping me get in,<br /><br /><br />X<br /><br />PS. Party photos and more absurdity @ my other <a href="http://www.thepopguru.com/">blog</a>.The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-74054548132738404592009-06-19T06:47:00.000-07:002009-06-19T07:45:27.790-07:00Your Favorite Pink Floyd Song?*Please refer to the disclaimer<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/bartenderscopy.jpg" width="450" /></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Gordon's the bartender in the back</span><br /></div><br />To Gordon,<br /><br />"This is going to sound like kind of weird, and don't take this the wrong way, but what's your favorite Pink Floyd song?"<br /><br />The bartender, Gordon, meandered his way over while I was pretending to "clean up" the now vacant space, that housed the most insane party I've been to in awhile. The man who says, "what can I get you" the man that had been serving me drinks all night, great tasting vodka sodas and cans of PBR approached me, asking about Pink Floyd.<br /><br />Such an odd question to ask someone. Such a difficult question to answer.<br /><br />I thought for a few moments, lifting and twisting my head like people do when they're a bit clueless and don't know what to say.<br /><br />"Brain Damage"<br /><br />Brain Damage (Dark Side of The Moon) probably is my favorite song by Floyd but there are so many others that I love equally as much. Brain Damage was my introduction into Pink Floyd, the song that literally made me re-think what life could be. For awhile all of Dark Side of The Moon was my existence, I spent many lonely disassociated nights with a playlist filled with Floyd.<br /><br />"Yeah Brain Damage into Eclipse...I'm glad you said that, that's a good choice"<br /><br />Gordon went off into this deeply passionate monologue about how great Pink Floyd was. I really wish I could have filmed it, it was so deep, I can hardly recite it.<br /><br />"There music is just so passionate, so full of life, it literally speaks to you"<br /><br />I shook my head agreeably.<br /><br />"One of the only albums you can listen to from start to finish and enjoy every single song...not just enjoy every song but have an experience listening to the album"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/gordon_black_white.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />I'm also a big fan of Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Were here, obviously Money...shit there are so many songs, is it possible to have a favorite? It's mood music...if you're down and out, maybe you turn on Time, if you're missing your lover, maybe Wish You Were Here...and those are just the songs that everyone knows....delve into some of their other stuff, the obscure...Welcome to the Machine. Could go on for days.<br /><br />In retrospect though, I might have to change my favorite song to the LIVE version of Shine on You Crazy Diamond, on the right day and mood, that song can literally bring tears to my face, it's that strong.<br /><br />Such a great band, sometimes forgotten amongst all the other legendary rock groups, mistakenly misunderstood sometimes but if you like them, you love them.<br /><br />"Why'd you ask me that man"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/gordon_tendingcopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />"I dont know" Gordon said looking dead into my mirrored glasses" "you seemed like an interesting person, someone that I could have a real conversation with, there's something about you"<br /><br />"No shit man, here's my card, this conversation will be up there"<br /><br />"Cigarette Diaries" Gordon said and fondled the card like everyone does when I hand them my flyer.<br /><br />Calling me interesting is the greatest compliment a man could give me.<br /><br />Maybe we'll have another real conversation if we ever cross paths again...how do you feel about the Velvet Undeground.<br /><br />XThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-44379795451130801782009-06-14T13:26:00.001-07:002009-06-16T07:43:41.639-07:00Casual Encounters 1 x 2<center><br /></center><span style="font-size:78%;">*names are pseudonyms and the characters fictionalized.</span><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/timothycopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />First person I talked to the whole night was this tatted man named Nick. The night was still young so I was desperate for conversation and Nick happenend to be sitting at a table alone, judging by his appearance, I figured he had something interesting on his mind (pun intended)<br /><br />We talked the shit for awhile.<br /><br />"Where you from, what are you doing, here, do you know michelle, etc"<br /><br />Nick was from Rhode Island, lived in Chelsea.<br /><br />"Is this what you do for work" work referring to being a bouncer.<br /><br />"Nahhh, not really, I do what's available, I'm an actor...what ever I gotta do to make money"<br /><br />At the time I didn't think much of this comment, but I did mention it to someone else, and they thought it was strange that someone with a tattoo could get acting gigs.<br /><br />"Must be the go to guy if they need a hard ass looking guy..."<br /><br />But now in retrospect I'm thinking maybe he was a porn star. When he said "strong man" I thought he just meant bouncer. He said he just got finished with a body building competition so he didn't feel like boozing. Dudes legs are literally the width of my waste.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/roidscopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />With out a moments notice Nick says, "I gotta change into my outfit" and straight takes off his shirt and pants right @ the table to leave himself only in a pair of underwear. Dude was more than comfortable with his sexuality, so I'm going to ad male stripper to his possible list of "hustles".<br /><br /><br /><br />Nick didn't get in any fights, he walked around and took photos with girls, drank for free and got paid.<br /><br />X<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed/strong_man_girlscopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />I met that night were a group of girls, and I do apologize that I don't have a picture of all three together (with out the strong man), I didn't intentionally intend for it to happen that way.<br /><br />The night was moving slow so everyone that was there was confined to the small lounge in between the entrance and wall that housed a bar. A lot of people were outside, waiting to see if the event got bigger, which it definitely did.<br /><br />"Can I offer any of you another drink" all three look in their cups to see mostly ice and little liquid.<br /><br />"Ummm no, not right now I think..."<br /><br />"I get my drinks for free"<br /><br />There eyes lit up like two year olds on Christmas day.<br /><br />"Ohhhh you do"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed/pour_Itcopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />One of the percs of being a photographer I guess and thankfully the bartender was nice enough to hand me three vodka sodas all at once. I grabbed those drinks with two hands like a skilled waiter does with beverages at a restaurant.<br /><br />We talked the shit for awhile. I learned that with glasses on I look considerably older than I am.<br /><br />"How old are you"<br /><br />"how old do you think I am"<br /><br />"24-28"<br /><br />I laughed, "21"<br /><br />They explained that my maturity and character is what lead them to believe I was in my mid to late twenties.<br /><br />"I'm 32 and you act older than me" one said jokingly.<br /><br />My theory is I'm not old, I'm young, and I'm going to be 21 for as long as I can.<br /><br />"You look/seem like a person that belonged in the 70's...like @ Studio 54". I'm not exactly sure how to take that, could surely mean a lot of different things, both positive and negative. Hopefully they just mean I was super cool and a bit out there.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/mandycopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />Somehow we collectively came up with this idea to stage some photos, involving me and the brunette chick, who wore the same glasses as me, except hers were clear. Every girl that wears clear lens wayfarers turns into a sexy librarianesc woman, which is very attractive.<br /><br />"You just got called out in public for cheating on your girlfriend"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/rejectedcopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />"So you guys just ran into each other and you haven't seen one another for awhile"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/memba_mecopy.jpg" width="500" /><br /></center><br /><br />"Two socialites getting photographed by the paparazzi from multiple angles at the sametime"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/socialite.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />The ideas kept going, one of them was an actress, I think she looks a tad big like Mandy Moore, she was the one coming up with most of the ideas.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><center><img style="width: 415px; height: 264px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/mandy_02copy.jpg" /></center></div><br /><center><br /></center><br />"How about you're mad @ one of your friends because she stole the guy you were interested in (me)" I was having so much fun with this game.<br /><br /><center><img style="width: 403px; height: 255px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed%20cigarette%20diaries/librariancopy.jpg" /></center><br />We had a few more drinks, on me of course, and then it was finally time to migrate to the 11 o'clock dance party. We all walked over and slowly slipped away from one another. I never saw them again, except the brunette, who I thought was quite gorgeous in that outfit and clear lens glasses, but I saw her talking to some dude the whole time and never approached her.<br /><br /><center><br /></center><br /><br />Story of my life,<br /><br />XThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-23047673611658425502009-06-14T13:20:00.000-07:002009-06-15T11:07:56.637-07:00I'm From France<center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed/frenchie.jpg" width="500" /></center><br />Met this interesting French guy @ And Everyone Laughed. Late night. drinking PBR's, cops shut down the party, I'm tired, worn out, the sun is starting to rise.<br /><br />I sit down and jump into conversation with Jean. We must have talked for an hour and for half of that time I thought he was from Germany.<br /><br />"You speak French"<br /><br />"Yes, I speak French"<br /><br />His English was fine, but he had a strong accent so it was difficult to understand what he was saying.<br /><br />"So when are you going back to Germany"<br /><br />"I'm from France"<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed/pbrcopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />The booze must have been getting to me, why else wouldn't I be able to connect a distinct french accent with this man.<br /><br />We spoke of Paris and how great the city was, studies and women. I offered him a cigarette because I knew he was a smoker (French), we smoked inside until someone told us we couldn't.<br /><br />"Let me pay you for this cigarette"<br /><br />I carry two packs of cigarettes @ all times during the night for a reason, a dollar in my pocket isn't going to turn me into a millionaire.<br /><br />"Let me buy you a drink"<br /><br />How could I let someone buy me a drink when I got my drinks for free?<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed/exchangecopy.jpg" width="500" /></center><br /><br />We drank PBR's and had a few more smokes, Michelle came over and we took turns naming french electro DJs in a circle.<br /><br />"Daft Punk, Kavinsky, Petite Pilous, etc"<br /><br />French people are great. After talking for an hour or so, Jean said if I was ever in Paris to get in touch and I could stay at his place. He lived right in the center of Paris. I couldn't knock on my neighbors door and ask to stay at their place. And while we were both drunk, I know he was serious.<br /><br />"I think I gotta head out man, we'll be in touch"<br /><br />I stayed to help "clean up" and Jean left.<br /><br />"Why did you talk to that guy for so long" asked the Michelle<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/everyone%20laughed/pbrsss_black.jpg" width=500></img></center><br /><br /><br /><br />"Because that's what it's all about cigarettes, good Conversation and interesting people"<br /><br />Don't know if I'll ever see Jean again, but hell...<br /><br />XThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-91562336198165814392009-06-07T21:14:00.000-07:002009-06-16T14:41:49.221-07:00To Jim<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/blogs/?action=view&current=jimcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 476px; height: 303px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/blogs/jimcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />"You married"<br /><br />Jim smirked and laughed quietly to himself and in a very short and shy tone said, "Nah, women think I'm crazy".<br /><br />I think that line will forever stick with me as the truest way to tell someone why you're single. A lot of people talk the shit and make up stories about how they just got out a long term relationship, or they're not looking for a girl at the moment but Jim was honest about his situation.<br /><br />"Care for a smoke"<br /><br />"Sure"<br /><br />Jim and I walk outside, I offer him a Camel light, he rips off the filter and smokes it like a lucky strike. While having a smoke, I learn that Jim has been riding motorcycles for awhile. He had a horrible accident driving 75mph on the highway, with just a shirt and some jeans. Somehow he lived with only a few minor scars.<br /><br />"I was telling the EMT to take me home...I was out of the hospital in one day, broke the cast off my wrist and treated my wounds the old fashioned way, salt water and alcohol."<br /><br />"A hospital is the most expensive hotel in the area, $1500 a night"<br /><br />Jim spoke softly and took long pauses between sentences. He seemed a bit down and out, like he didn't belong @ this babyshower. He kept talking about how he was the worst guitar player in the room, which definitely wasn't true. Jim wasn't drinking that day but he's certainly the sort of guy that you would want to sit down with and have a couple pints of beer.<br /><br />If we meet again,<br /><br />XThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-76758329938387759232009-06-04T07:05:00.000-07:002009-06-04T14:42:03.392-07:00To The Homeless Community<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/down%20n%20out%20in%20nyc/?action=view&current=home_less_dudecopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 602px; height: 384px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/down%20n%20out%20in%20nyc/home_less_dudecopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Looks like the homeless have really stepped up their hussle game. A lot of have quit the business of sitting on the street, holding cardboard signs in the direction of selfish New Yorkers, and now casually walk up to you and ask if you could spare some change. Homeless people are no longer the smelly, decrepit old man with no teeth, I've had long in depth conversations with people that claim they're something and at the end of the conversation they ask for something.<br /><br />"Hey man, if you could spare any change, I'd really appreciate it...I need 4.50 to...." Blah, Blah, Blah.<br /><br />"I only have a penny in my pocket"<br /><br />"That's fine, what ever you have"<br /><br />This happens to me all the time and more often that not, I don't have any change in my pockets. The last time it happened I was in the east village, and this homeless person comes up to me, starts talking about how cool my glasses are, and then of course asks for change, mean while I didn't have ANY money for myself. It's bothersome and a bit rude if you ask me to assume that people have money to give away.<br /><br />I politely responded, "I don't have ANY money on me mann".<br /><br />There have been days when I literally don't have a dollar to spend in the city and when I'm broke do I walk up to strangers and ask for money? Hell NO! During these tough and turbulent economic times, it's almost insulting to ask someone for money.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/down%20n%20out%20in%20nyc/?action=view&current=home_less_dude_02copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 594px; height: 378px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/down%20n%20out%20in%20nyc/home_less_dude_02copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Now a few moths ago, I used to empty my pockets out to homeless people, I figured they all had it bad and I whole heartedly felt bad for them. Not necessarily because they had one leg and claimed to be a war vet but because well to do businessmen were walking right past them with out missing a step.<br /><br />That's changed though. I'm going to be the selfish asshole and say that most "homeless" people don't need to be begging on the streets.<br /><br />Well I guess now that Obama is President, he'll CHANGE that situation...smh<br /><br />I AM TOO BROKE TO ❤ NYC<br /><br /><br />The/Pop/GURU<br /><br />To clarify I'm all for helping homeless people, I just think that it's a job for the city to handle, not me.<br /><div class="sm-media"><a href="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geutu41idK6jQAa6JXNyoA/SIG=11vsnicno/EXP=1244211256/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_%28symbol%29"><br /><noscript></noscript></a></div>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-49031762394533566572009-04-26T13:05:00.000-07:002009-05-09T15:30:06.761-07:00Sex or Drugs For Life?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=crowdedcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/crowdedcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="550" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">"If you had to pick Sex or Drugs for the rest of your life what would you choose" it's one or the other and just because you pick Sex doesn't mean you're garunteed anything, same goes with drugs, it just means that you couldn't have the other...<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We asked a gang of people and got some interesting replies, mostly "Sex dude".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=sex_or_drugs.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/sex_or_drugs.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=traincopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/traincopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /><br /></div><br />This guy gave one of the most extravagantly interesting and slightly disturbing responses to the question. With out give away away too much of the the Documentary, the guy said "Sex".<br /><br />__________<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Intro to BK!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=harry_moment.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/harry_moment.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />The night was pushed back an hour because Gobs The Zombie was having a little too much fun with the fake blood and visuals.<br /><br />I think @ one point someone started to chant "SEX N DRUGS...SEX N DRUGS", haha, maybe it was me?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=chillin-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/chillin-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />There was evidently no rush to start the set so we went up to the roof and Logan nearly fell asleep. Someone had the idea to take hydroxycut mixed with a few shots of vodka which apparently didn't sit well. Ironically a few days later the FDA told everyone to stop using that shit because it was dangerous. That's why I stick to the real drugs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=192copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/192copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Like always I had a problem getting prime location for shooting. We decided ahead of time we wanted overhead shots, so the crowd could be seen but this one bouncer was just not letting it happen, as if we were @ Webster Hall or some shit (no disrespect to my man Sam Black).<br /><br />I spoke with the right people, got on stage, The Zombie closed his set and introduced SXNDRGS.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4406760&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4406760&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/4406760">SXNDRGS Open @ REFUGE</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user891150">Popular Guru</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />There was a nice crowd, again very diverse.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/?action=view&current=blowcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/blowcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />"Who brought the wild, crazy ghetto crowd?" SB<br /><br />"Not us, we brought the chill SXNDRGS/Philly crowd"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1njTEZ3t2uQmvL9nSX-_UcVRJw9nNpicLvYm77r05vjJjaB22a9dswQa4MwKnYhX-NLjigJP3YaGuvuTKqLql7H-FobeR5sbzBbwpVgAyg7oJIpac6KvRtkvkvgysqFzhFBp62KQIRoS4/s1600-h/176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 449px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1njTEZ3t2uQmvL9nSX-_UcVRJw9nNpicLvYm77r05vjJjaB22a9dswQa4MwKnYhX-NLjigJP3YaGuvuTKqLql7H-FobeR5sbzBbwpVgAyg7oJIpac6KvRtkvkvgysqFzhFBp62KQIRoS4/s400/176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330366657258681458" border="0" /></a><br />People had fun, everyone except this chick that was sitting by the stage just doing nothing. I asked her if she wanted to dance or something and she responded by saying "I don't know how".<br /><br />Refuge was sick, great venue, if you haven't been check out one of their parties, they're wild. Hope to see SXNDRGS back soon!<br /><br />So what would it be, Sex or Drugs?<br /><br /><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/refuge%20sxndrgs/">FULL ALBUM!</a><br /><br />www.myspace.com/sxndrgs<br /><br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /></div><br /><br /></div>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-90430083319482564862009-04-26T13:04:00.001-07:002009-05-09T15:32:03.239-07:00Gobs The Zombie @ Refuge<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/?action=view&current=142.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/142.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="550" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Gobs The Zombie is the name...most "interesting" set I've seen in awhile.<br /><br />I walked in with SXNDRGS and obviously by passed cover charges and all that, considering I'm the official photographer, ya know.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/?action=view&current=077.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/077.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I was feeling Gob The Zombie, he was playing some epic tunes and had this whole stage act that included a projection system broadcasting videos he produced himself (from other content), a couple girls dressed as some creepy I-don't-know-what's with blood running down their chins and plenty of strange gadgets.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/?action=view&current=125.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/125.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />"Hey, mind if I take your photo?"<br /><br />"Go ahead"<br /><br />"Hey by the way, why are you guys dressed like that?" I couldn't understand what they were saying because the music was so loud but I later relized they were part of the performance.<br /><br />To be honest, Gob The Zombie went on a little long. As a matter of fact he pushed everything back an hour, which wasn't a big deal except SXNDRGS was anxiously awaiting to perform, plus we could have left the crib atleast half n hour earlier and had some more Vodka.<br /><br />Gob's set was all over the place. He was playing bangers, then hip hop, then crazy hard core trance, it was wicked.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/?action=view&current=151.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/151.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />At one point he brought out all these fake bloody body parts and handed out small plastic bones.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/?action=view&current=089.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/zombie/089.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />It was all very over the top for me but I liked how he put his heart into it and really came up with some original ideas, good looks on carry that crowd over for SXNDRGS!<br /><br />Check out Gobs The Zombie via his <a href="http://www.myspace.com/gobsthezombie">MYSPACE PAGE</a>!<br /><br />Keep in touch brosoff.<br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /><br /></div></div>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-85379604300177213072009-04-26T12:53:00.001-07:002009-04-29T13:19:37.601-07:00Graced with Presence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0dtSJS0Nfm9ASFbx0V8FnEz1xsEy4Ca5wCB687_-E8kj5MGPgFUlAalaq7g-HFJRFN_O6eCJLRe_fl6Dz0yScJs2aK8nAeM94Za2wjiZza4VJnBj6CbkcDfuefilO34Ly3AXqO73MY3c/s1600-h/pool_side_01+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 527px; height: 352px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0dtSJS0Nfm9ASFbx0V8FnEz1xsEy4Ca5wCB687_-E8kj5MGPgFUlAalaq7g-HFJRFN_O6eCJLRe_fl6Dz0yScJs2aK8nAeM94Za2wjiZza4VJnBj6CbkcDfuefilO34Ly3AXqO73MY3c/s400/pool_side_01+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329092333499265954" border="0" /></a><br />So the other night I went to the hotel Grace for a birthday bash.<br /><br />It was a strange location, not because it was run down or anything but because I didn't get the feeling it was an actual hotel. I suspected that only a few people stayed there, most likely tourists with no better sense than to stay @ a hotel in Times Square.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBpKf1G2m_BwgQ2z9D8oLig_4CjvETuQsOhze3-EycHJalb6bE7QeAC3qbh8aXJC_wZRfFFiPel4DNdMqQMDXpWZtbkQYTokIvSoBV9mAoPiQBsHSDCSepAfjzFjbv17KExqxCGCfyCRt/s1600-h/010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBpKf1G2m_BwgQ2z9D8oLig_4CjvETuQsOhze3-EycHJalb6bE7QeAC3qbh8aXJC_wZRfFFiPel4DNdMqQMDXpWZtbkQYTokIvSoBV9mAoPiQBsHSDCSepAfjzFjbv17KExqxCGCfyCRt/s400/010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330201416808349650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS39PgEyeCcOOncIN2qT3nl24EiXW61sVEZa1gMSIRJsjV9W16EW_coE4Xy40_89Hx3AzWtjgg9zjLysrz5AhlM33KwNua7qLHnTqFTvvYYhtSLPuWFaH7x9bZv09PXxALYdD0q60d800/s1600-h/016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS39PgEyeCcOOncIN2qT3nl24EiXW61sVEZa1gMSIRJsjV9W16EW_coE4Xy40_89Hx3AzWtjgg9zjLysrz5AhlM33KwNua7qLHnTqFTvvYYhtSLPuWFaH7x9bZv09PXxALYdD0q60d800/s400/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330201824534601186" border="0" /></a><br /></div>The crowd was very "diverse". The lounge was literally separated by race. Blacks/minorities in the VIP area, whites/others by the bar, most of them partial clothed because there was a pool.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNX-ENqj4AHnkp9i4Sm1vCbE1dNXZyIMHIC6qkCVgTJdamJBb4ADr7VRXk6DeqC18veOtxp2ipZRlJ17F46HFiLxcz7Mgekjv9Vpf-DGKdOfCYb-fZXcV47d7OvcxIZOkSKK6gG9MLoMY/s1600-h/032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNX-ENqj4AHnkp9i4Sm1vCbE1dNXZyIMHIC6qkCVgTJdamJBb4ADr7VRXk6DeqC18veOtxp2ipZRlJ17F46HFiLxcz7Mgekjv9Vpf-DGKdOfCYb-fZXcV47d7OvcxIZOkSKK6gG9MLoMY/s400/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330202109539823906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Wegro</span><br /><br /></div>There was some integration though, this one white boy that convinced me to sneak a 2 liter bottle of Skyy Vodka into the hotel was all about crossing the line of segregation.<br /><br />"Who the fuck sneaks a bottle into the VIP room?"<br /><br />The scene was very uptight. Not much socializing. I only talked to a few people, no one seemed that interesting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bGWGfu7DubMrJ50QNuLGeeCg3S01tKa3P4cSCr_x4BdHFRlJ6qftw7nzKen3XyH1bbDjg7ZiDG-PTHur3lubzuEwDAm58gWFd5AIVBu6OnMiDcgTGBuIaPk1gYFIbHvrIMUB2GAfFnXB/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bGWGfu7DubMrJ50QNuLGeeCg3S01tKa3P4cSCr_x4BdHFRlJ6qftw7nzKen3XyH1bbDjg7ZiDG-PTHur3lubzuEwDAm58gWFd5AIVBu6OnMiDcgTGBuIaPk1gYFIbHvrIMUB2GAfFnXB/s400/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330202704986449122" border="0" /></a><br />The pool reminded me of a roman bathing room. Every time I glanced over it seemed like it was 90% dudes in the pool, all white people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BysK6KsLj9LzgIz8O4Jf1SBJ8jxjn0VWcHidnnVx1tRoLVZ76sh3QXSQqcDLqmuaaOnwqL_RtMQkyq7lREW9PzOIsFagE4LhSYTyfDqqRZLQgx1wjamkOSdhl_24o_VCuqaM5fGW6JSj/s1600-h/019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BysK6KsLj9LzgIz8O4Jf1SBJ8jxjn0VWcHidnnVx1tRoLVZ76sh3QXSQqcDLqmuaaOnwqL_RtMQkyq7lREW9PzOIsFagE4LhSYTyfDqqRZLQgx1wjamkOSdhl_24o_VCuqaM5fGW6JSj/s400/019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330202700086037666" border="0" /></a>I wasn't feeling the vibe, felt like a sweet sexteen or something lame like that, no disrespect to the honory. Not my kinda scene. People were literally walking around in bathing suits and towels wrapped around them like they were in Cabo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH0tgKzsmJiOIerrk8wH-YF9j4XoWYYRW1P5Sfpz6D_jx3nUwtaJQ3kdxNbg1XN_G0RGQepMAvGFW_SgZMUhdQvaxqTOE13GKToQteCED_Xl-cecbpuFL_CnKIqa3gwXUEUJZoC1FEUmp/s1600-h/036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH0tgKzsmJiOIerrk8wH-YF9j4XoWYYRW1P5Sfpz6D_jx3nUwtaJQ3kdxNbg1XN_G0RGQepMAvGFW_SgZMUhdQvaxqTOE13GKToQteCED_Xl-cecbpuFL_CnKIqa3gwXUEUJZoC1FEUmp/s400/036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330204395158891394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Shouts to the birthday boy...</span><br /></div><br />Enough said,<br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-11349469730784456512009-04-25T00:15:00.000-07:002009-04-26T10:54:18.836-07:00After the Block Party is the After Party**DISCLAIMER:<span style="font-style: italic;"> I apologize in advance if this post offends anyone.</span><br /><br />So the after party was the most interesting part of the day/night, nothing like what I expected.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=283.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/283.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Sometime between walking over to the after party and waiting, the guys from SXNDRGS and I decided to indulge in a couple vodka shots. Vodka hasn't treated me well in sometime, the last time I drank vodka I blacked out and fucked up my hand/face.<br /><br />The past has never stopped me from embarking on the future though, so we all took about 4 vodka shots in like 15 minutes and since we were so damn tired from partying the whole day a caffeine pill (yes-caffeine pills exists and they're a joke).<br /><br />"Do you give a fuck?"<br /><br />"Nahh, I really don't"<br /><br />There were a few bouncers outside of the house when we arrived, black dudes of course, not sure what their purpose was-don't remember them checking ID or anything of that sort.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=daniella_01copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/daniella_01copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />DJ Beebs got right to work and began to play some tunes, an eclectic mix of top 40 songs mixed in with a few electro house bangers. I think I heard Rhinna playing @ one point though, which makes my ears bleed.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=290.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/290.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />There was a refrigerator full of Pabst and a keg that was used as an anal butt plug for some dude.<br /><br />So the music was playing people were getting fucked up but the house rules really sucked...no smoking in side, ladi da dadi da. I couldn't figure out who's house it <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span>, but some girl kept coming up to Logan asking for 5 bucks for beer. She didn't ask me for shit and good thing because I literally had no money and would have never paid.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=312.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/312.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />There was this girl that was dressed in a red tank top that seemed to be all over the place,grinding on guys, moving from one to the next, the kind of girl that would dance with a wall if it could move side to side.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=310.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/310.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I found out she had a boyfriend along the way, a real sketch ball who turned out to be a huge weirdo because he told me he had no problem if I got with his girl almost as if he was insisting. Dude kept putting his hand on my shoulder in a passive agressive manner which almost set me off.<br /><br />"I don't care bro, go for it"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=307.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/307.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I smoked a blunt with the only other black person that was @ the party, Andrew. When he introduced himself to me he said, "My names Andrew I like to smoke weed and fuck with people" , I'm not sure about fucking with people but the man definitely enjoyed his ganja. A few of us smoked out the kitchen, which was apparently against the rules.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=321.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/321.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />After the blunt I was beyond twisted. Downer fest for me. Malnutrititioned and dehydrated plus alcohol and weed equals comatose sleep. So I decided I better throw on the wayfarers before someone got worried about me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=311.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/311.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I kept noticing the girl in red talking to my boy Troy. He had this look on his face that said he wasn't interested but she was right up in his face like she wanted a kiss or something.<br /><br />I was game over sometime around 1 or 2am. Couldn't walk or talk straight, had no interest in doing anything but falling asleep. I was so desperate to get away from the party, I went outside around the corner and sat on the ground. Getting fucked up in a city you're not familiar with can be frightening. Luckily for me, my boy Logan had my back.<br /><br />"You're gunna be alright" He kept saying but I knew damn well I was gunna fine.<br /><br />I was driven home and layed to rest which concluded my night, the best part about the whole situation was the fact that Logan gave me 10 dollars because he thought I might take a cab, which gave me just enough money to get home the next day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=301.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/301.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Not sure what ever one else did but supposedly everyone got pretttty trashed (Harry).<br /><br />Not all the Vodka for me from now on.<br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /><br />Got this message from somebody:<br /><blockquote><br /><span>If you're going to come to philly, you should learn to be a little more courteous. It was nice of Daniella to invite you. So don't be rude to her or her friends or we're not going to welcome you back.</span><br /><br /><span>You should be more mindful of what you write about on your little blog. If you're going to be judgmental, at least develop your prose style a little more.</span><br /><br /><span>It sounds like you've never rented a property before if you can't understand a few simple house rules. I hope this fact didn't conflict too much with your normal rockstar lifestyle.</span><br /><br /><span>Sorry you were too wasted to enjoy the party...</span></blockquote><span></span>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-79085659663003790822009-04-25T00:03:00.000-07:002009-05-09T15:39:17.395-07:00To Block Shock Crew<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/?action=view&current=daniella_01copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/after%20party/daniella_01copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /> </a><br /></div><br />Daniella,<br /><br />Thanks for putting me on as an official photographer. It's funny how we came together, considering I just happened to find your group on facebook and knew SXNDRGS. You did a good job keeping things in order and made the whole event reallllly fun, props for keeping it together.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/block%20shock/?action=view&current=troy_chillincopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/block%20shock/troy_chillincopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />To Troy,<br /><br />You're a killer DJ man. Your energy is crazy, love your style. Crazy that you know Gabe n them, small world after all.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/block%20shock/?action=view&current=andrew_01copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/block%20shock/andrew_01copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />To Andrew,<br /><br />The multi-talented man. Good luck with the documentary, let me know if you need help with editing or anything. Sweet camera by the way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/block%20shock/?action=view&current=black_mancopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/block%20shock/black_mancopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />To Andrew H,<br /><br />"My name is Andrew, I like to smoke weed and fuck with people" I remember that's the first thing that I heard you say, HAHA. I think we were the only two black people chillin the entire time at the Block Party. Good looks on the blunt during the after party, next time we link up we gotta spark up man.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/sxndrgs/?action=view&current=ben_03copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 348px; height: 523px;" src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/sxndrgs/ben_03copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />To Ben,<br /><br />Dude thanks for letting me crash @ your place and providing me with a comfortable bed to rest my tired bones-it was a comfortable sleep to say the least. Not sure what I would have done if I didn't have people looking after me. Sorry I bounced so early, don't know why I did actually, I'm just always on the move, can't stand to stay in one place too long.<br /><br />I feel like we have this crazy crew of multi talented artists, musicians and DJs and if we all stick together we can make something out of all of this. Definitely need to have another Block Party in the summer. I'm thinking July, in the dead heat, turn it into a festival of some sort. I dig alternative bands and all that but I don't think they mixed well with the other music. Wouldn't mind just listening to bangers all day n nite. Guess you gotta break it up somehow though.<br /><br />I'm planning on moving to Philly "<span style="font-style: italic;">eventually"</span>, which could take awhile but I have my sights set on the place.<br /><br />To Everyone Else,<br /><br />To all the names I forgot and people I met but don't remember, those that dig my photography and steez, cheers!<br /><br />PS. If anyone wants prints of photos, hit me up thepopularguru@yahoo.com!<br /><br />ALSO!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4279473&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4279473&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/4279473">SXNDRGS</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user891150">Popular Guru</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-828526980654052072009-04-24T20:54:00.001-07:002009-04-24T21:37:51.082-07:00Thanks JanelleTo Janelle Monae<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=cover_shotcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/cover_shotcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />The beautiful and talented Janelle Monae, who I was privileged enough to see perform live @ Toads Place a few nights ago, had this to say about my photos/website...<br /><blockquote>"I LOVE the pics! You are awesome! Great eye. Great site. Thank you so much for being there.;) Thank you for your support.Give up the cigs!xo<br /><br />Janelle Monae / JanelleMonae"</blockquote>I was shocked when I got THAT via direct message on Twitter.com<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=companycopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/companycopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Apparently the card I gave to one of her band mates made it up through the grapevine and to Janelle herself!<br /><br />It feels good to know that people are paying attention. I don't know about the "giving up the cigs" part (the site wouldn't be the same with out) but we'll see what happens.<br /><br />Thanks Janelle!<br /><br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-76350091036871981682009-04-20T17:09:00.000-07:002009-05-03T16:57:53.663-07:00To The Fans of Of Montreal<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=ready_to_rockcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/ready_to_rockcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=olda_mancopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/olda_mancopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" wight="600/" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Of Montreal was an extravagant event to say the least. Toads Place was packed an hour before anyone was even on stage; getting to the front looked nearly impossible. I noticed a very diverse crowd; the teenagers that had school the next morning were rampant but then I also saw a 40 something year old milf browsing aswell as an older fellow standing beside me during the show.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=domaincopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/domaincopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Finding a good place to shoot was a difficult task. I couldn't see myself pushing my way front and center to the stage, although this being CT and not NYC it probably could have been done, so I settled for the corner of stage left to shoot Janelle Monae. The bouncers @ Toads are super cool because they understood that I was a photographer there to do a job, so they did everything they could to give me good position.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=kevin_leadcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/kevin_leadcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />15 minutes before Of Montreal went on, I convinced one of the bouncers to let me into this area in between each of the barriers that separated the section of the venue where you could drink booze and the main section floor. I was the only one in that area, minus a bouncer who was so cool for letting me stay there-had it been a different bouncer I'm not sure I would have been allowed to stay there, but it certainly made me feel important.<br /><br />It took awhile for the show to get going and people were growing anxious, but when this 6 foot something guy dressed in a blazer and wolf mask came on stage, that signified that the show was about to start.<br /><br /><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=monsters-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/monsters-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /><br />3/4 of the way through the show my battery died so I had to use this trick to get a couple more shots. If you shake a battery for a minute or so, it gives it a little bit of juice to keep going, works well with AA batteries.<br /><br />Towards the end of the set I look in my bag and realize I had my charger the entire time and was positioned right next to an open outlet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=guitarist_01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/guitarist_01.jpg" alt="Photobucket" width0="611" wight="600/" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Of Montreal is a very diverse band. They're a little flamboyant and out there but they still have that hard rock element to them. 21st century glam rock maybe? I don't know. The guitarist was wild, loved his outfit and he was ill.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=pig_facecopy-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/pig_facecopy-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />They had people dressed up as different creatures roaming the stage like little hobits periodically through the show.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/?action=view&current=crowdcopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/of%20montreal/crowdcopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" 600="" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I met a bunch of people @ the show but forgot everyones name, if you're reading this, hit me up via thepopularguru@yahoo.com<br /><br />Full album of photos coming soon!<br /><br />That's all folks,<br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-34898032814802869992009-04-20T11:37:00.000-07:002009-04-20T17:07:51.608-07:00To Janelle Monae Fans<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=fingercopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/fingercopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div>Last night Janelle Monae opened up for Of Montreal @ the legendary Toads Place in New Haven, CT.<br /><br />"That was the opener? I thought she was headlining" said a fan.<br /><br />Janelle's performance was that good. Full of energy from start to finish. You might expect that someone performing in CT wouldn't give a good performance, but she ROCKED!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=crowd.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/crowd.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />The crowd was definitely into it, I think a lot of people came out JUST to see her.<br /><br />I was a bit skeptical at first when I saw that Janelle was the opener for Of Montreal, the two didn't really go together in my mind, but in retrospect, they do mesh quite nicely. She even came back on stage to sing a duet with Of Montreal!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=painting_01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/painting_01.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />When I was @ the bar over getting a drink, Janelle whipped out this huge square canvas and began painting some abstract piece that she eventually gave to some fans. She also discarded her jacket.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=passioncopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/passioncopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />I was right up on stage right. I thought it would be bad ass if she took my Wayfarers and put them on for the performance...but she didn't.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=companycopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/companycopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><p></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=getting_readycopy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/getting_readycopy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div>Her band mates were super cool aswell, really friendly...I took a photo of the guitarist in the bathroom when he was fixing his DU. Dude on the left kinda reminds me of Merlin Bronques (for you hipsters). I coulda probably gone back stage to meet Janelle but had to get good position for Of Montreal.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/?action=view&current=cover_shot_02copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo163/thepopguru/cover_shot_02copy.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />Next time it will be Janelle headlining!<br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-5606563753567135652009-04-15T19:48:00.000-07:002009-04-17T11:16:50.017-07:0020 Seconds of Twin Sister<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4oTvkjcw5BdrEdLkkVvhVeA66eIF7amDRCBYWCC_0DED5Bb9D3fFF_6AKqNxYdW3n7h5f0FkFzVV4aAfaXnL9j-4KwJw1h65ZHgXXTuYn6CSZlHyO6PUl4SCmnLMPotTazAxP4GOXDQD/s1600-h/drank.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4oTvkjcw5BdrEdLkkVvhVeA66eIF7amDRCBYWCC_0DED5Bb9D3fFF_6AKqNxYdW3n7h5f0FkFzVV4aAfaXnL9j-4KwJw1h65ZHgXXTuYn6CSZlHyO6PUl4SCmnLMPotTazAxP4GOXDQD/s400/drank.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325355306324364722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Twin Sister @ Lit Lounge 4.9.09</span><br /><br /></div>I went to shoot Twin Sister @ The Lit Lounge but got side tracked over Sake Bombs in the East Village. I caught 20-30 seconds of the show but still managed to enjoy the show and get some decent photos<br /><br />To Twin Sister,<br /><br />"I'm the photographer for Twin Sister, are they still playing" I asked the bouncer.<br /><br />"Yeah, yeah, yeah, go right ahead, just show them your ID"<br /><br />I told the bouncer the same thing and was let in with out them even looking at my ID or asking for the cover charge (not sure they were still collecting).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GbRqvu4_9Y60K70WXeOt2p4lvsmgUgqn8zTfD-bXG6Op3qE-ocpwrsGs6E2q4d56BjpsLb2BLwnO9kd1GSm9PCn9K9-9wqbBnhL628tA8vBRL37pcfa3HxpUyBSIOk60qBg_cuSmVOLo/s1600-h/gabe_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GbRqvu4_9Y60K70WXeOt2p4lvsmgUgqn8zTfD-bXG6Op3qE-ocpwrsGs6E2q4d56BjpsLb2BLwnO9kd1GSm9PCn9K9-9wqbBnhL628tA8vBRL37pcfa3HxpUyBSIOk60qBg_cuSmVOLo/s400/gabe_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325495323602254562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Finally a good photo of Gabe</span><br /></div><br />I was a bit overwhelmed by all the people and the excitement from Twin Sister's performance. I walked into their last song and the vibe was good. The guys from Twin Sis were really rocking out, giving the performance their all, Drea bobbing with a beer in hand and nice outfit, Bryan in his zone, and the rest of their guys doing their thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJWrgq07k87EbRc1DGB333PNsqCew2ONHwi9kGBkwdCGD45cZ1NKLAlBuYy8WhduZIzPWe9iyFGN32kws5oo1mZV5Jo-YigTz1TEqXGGdoh_bychzuQXlNFxWED0bl5Ua9RMWTvoUa9K3/s1600-h/bry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJWrgq07k87EbRc1DGB333PNsqCew2ONHwi9kGBkwdCGD45cZ1NKLAlBuYy8WhduZIzPWe9iyFGN32kws5oo1mZV5Jo-YigTz1TEqXGGdoh_bychzuQXlNFxWED0bl5Ua9RMWTvoUa9K3/s400/bry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325498657214613474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Bryan always giving it his all</span><br /></div><br />I made my way to the left side fot venue because last time I shot predominately from the right so I wanted to get some different shots.<br /><br />I had to fight my way to a decent position and immediately prepared myself for the quickest shoot I've ever accomplished.<br /><br />I caught less than a minute of the performance but maybe that's all I needed. Working on the fly was interesting, haven't had to ever work like that but I'm sure I will have to in the future.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbRrGfIQjoOfMl6xh20QUacyOYm1DbDOzjVgnNmr7srD5WImYuAySNXQfMtMQzGOGA0gwsj1JSXuA0b-_Gza2BZWQDAg_UQR13oKWCpso-ax6iAeW0AXlArxijgQr-Eq97sFpSBDCp6nM/s1600-h/big_fan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbRrGfIQjoOfMl6xh20QUacyOYm1DbDOzjVgnNmr7srD5WImYuAySNXQfMtMQzGOGA0gwsj1JSXuA0b-_Gza2BZWQDAg_UQR13oKWCpso-ax6iAeW0AXlArxijgQr-Eq97sFpSBDCp6nM/s400/big_fan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325495569036128610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Biggest fan-guy was at last show, front row!</span><br /></div><br />Twin Sister was forced off the stage, despite the crowd wanting more. That's the one down side to Lit, they have a tight schedule with no room for improvozaton. Such a constrast from Death By Audio, the venue where I first saw Twin Sis where you could essentially do what ever you wanted.<br /><br />There was an open bar from 12:00-12:30 but it wasn't much of an open bar because they served limited drinks and insisted you pay $1.<br /><br />I passed out some flyers to promote the band and my photography, talked with Drea for a minute and bounced early because the Lit Lounge was quickly turning into a dance club full of loosers.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl5DVrjdNcq94_gP26Oivxau3Ne7TqBG5dnBVKDr6Y_cBBBxbdlTh4KP90JAV4EYa7OYhbhLG95gZpr0IvKL2_evclLafAS3cgLMcLWiD9xA852VW2svsqRsh2pJ7Z7r5bI85F88wil0h/s1600-h/eric_drea.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl5DVrjdNcq94_gP26Oivxau3Ne7TqBG5dnBVKDr6Y_cBBBxbdlTh4KP90JAV4EYa7OYhbhLG95gZpr0IvKL2_evclLafAS3cgLMcLWiD9xA852VW2svsqRsh2pJ7Z7r5bI85F88wil0h/s400/eric_drea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325500497937821026" border="0" /></a>By the way Eric, nice guitar you were playing that night!<br /></div><br />I'm looking forward to the May 1st show in Port Chester. I'm hoping for a nice day so I can explore and shoot some footage. If you guys aren't doing anything, lets all get together and shoot some video(s).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpPCB3m49wtbiQI0K3ypV53LetilfdMgKlRbRARZ2vbx_M-jXjUOfUIiUJ1GVpR5Ivjx9H2mE0nlD5XeKrtwtum89jTRIUZjySTx52Zu58Rdz3cm6W-QHJAQ2YFp_OVf6WIjBVkanTdJa/s1600-h/drankin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpPCB3m49wtbiQI0K3ypV53LetilfdMgKlRbRARZ2vbx_M-jXjUOfUIiUJ1GVpR5Ivjx9H2mE0nlD5XeKrtwtum89jTRIUZjySTx52Zu58Rdz3cm6W-QHJAQ2YFp_OVf6WIjBVkanTdJa/s400/drankin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325497347150850210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">A now classic shot</span><br /></div><br />Looked like another great show from what I saw, nice to see everybody, sorry I was late and that we didn't hang out after.<br /><br />Everybody check out Twin Sister via www.twinsistermusic.com -download the EP it's free and wonderful!<br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-67981938949828776932009-04-15T15:31:00.000-07:002009-04-15T19:45:55.226-07:00The Night of SXNDRUGS<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UmnkTVCthHzpp1pDljc7rOCgNLVaa0HcQ8aCNmpz2G9hXaark245cdTONtqSjE-Pb-QzUUyuTROgHLUvZ0QpR1FyMEdbZv06RE_joWmXB8zxY658LANCsrHFMR6x2zy5PSS_wk7O4QtH/s1600-h/bros_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UmnkTVCthHzpp1pDljc7rOCgNLVaa0HcQ8aCNmpz2G9hXaark245cdTONtqSjE-Pb-QzUUyuTROgHLUvZ0QpR1FyMEdbZv06RE_joWmXB8zxY658LANCsrHFMR6x2zy5PSS_wk7O4QtH/s400/bros_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325059976714219586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Right to Left)<br />Berry, James, Logan, Harry</span><br /><br /></div>On the 9th of February I went into NYC to shoot Twin Sister @ The Lit Lounge in the East Village but got distracted when I met up with SXNDRGS for an impromptu Sake Bombin' session. Over the course of 4 rounds of bombin' Entourage came up.<br /><br />To SXNDRGS,<br /><br />"Well then who am I?"<br /><br />"You're the token black guy"<br /><br />I will not stand to be the "token black guy" of the crew. If anything I should be Vince. While I admit, I am no actor, not by trade atleast, I'm the most charasmatic, laid back and uniquely handsome member of the group. If you really pay attention to Entourage and study it like I have you'll realize Vince is hardly an actor, he's more of just...THE MAN.<br /><br />So if I can't be Vince, who can I be?<br /><br />The only other character I can associate myself with is E and only because he's a business minded individual. I do have a little bit of Arie deep down inside of me but that side of me only manifests itself when I forget to take my medicine.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOXdsIHcZg3_kOBAvCX2osdC_cG3EEN_3TOq4SUPwrzEXDwifHawbUDgAjiB4cQwWHMEPqMZ4aveTAgk-PjEtY8-eGyInVxqS1mcdnemNk1mRFPrzvWwkUF2GggUGgGhZ-1PjTZ3EDJsg/s1600-h/bros.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOXdsIHcZg3_kOBAvCX2osdC_cG3EEN_3TOq4SUPwrzEXDwifHawbUDgAjiB4cQwWHMEPqMZ4aveTAgk-PjEtY8-eGyInVxqS1mcdnemNk1mRFPrzvWwkUF2GggUGgGhZ-1PjTZ3EDJsg/s400/bros.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325060682618892418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">SXNDRGS</span><br /><br /></div>So after watching the entire 4th season of Entourage in two days it became clear to me who I was. Billy Walsh, the director of Medellin and the most bad ass character on Entourage. Billy is based on the likeness of Quentin Tarantino, Vincent Gallo, Robert Rodriguez and one of the producers of Entourage. If and when I become a famous director, I will behave according to the manner in which Billy carries himself. The sporadic, unconventional nature of his life and the passion for art is what I'm all about, words can hardly describe the connection.<br /><br />So I'll forget being Vince, you guys can fight for that spot. If you ask me, Harry most resembles Vince, James would be E...as for Turtle and Drama. I suppose Berry would have to be Drama and Logan Turtle but in all honesty they don't resemble either.<br /><br />Sake Bombin was fun but I much rather drink for free, once I start spending it's hard for me to stop.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8CPdtdU9vrt0eN0v5gGMu_ju2MZvsL5Gs-93dJ4Wz4dgfQWzo-OSm2fGCSzQrsZCdGRVZ55IneAI5J79KDNnINynLfzi6B_2M63_lAJ7t-_8kYqiUQRd-BRF-FHbFiYFJIQXCpndMsmB/s1600-h/sxndrgs_01+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8CPdtdU9vrt0eN0v5gGMu_ju2MZvsL5Gs-93dJ4Wz4dgfQWzo-OSm2fGCSzQrsZCdGRVZ55IneAI5J79KDNnINynLfzi6B_2M63_lAJ7t-_8kYqiUQRd-BRF-FHbFiYFJIQXCpndMsmB/s400/sxndrgs_01+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325060519923767282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">James + Logan</span><br /></div>To Logan,<br /><br />Don't dance/act like a girl at a night club in the East Village, it's New York, no one's gunna think you're funny, they'll just assume you're gay. I don't think that stripper was having nearly as much fun as you were.<br /><br /><br /><br />To James,<br /><br />You're a cool dude, I like how you figured out the bill on the top of your head and called the watress out for being Chineese although we were at a Japaneese Sushi bar.<br /><br />To Berry,<br /><br />The level headed guy you want to have a round for those rough nights.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJZ8OprwXJpII5ybfzlJ_EdcN97qFQZillm_6_TRFHduCexVevY6SFeDiIHPgyvzCxbLNCxd6uTJl1xbzYLfjONi4ji8NlXBUVgf83CVBUdmcNNbeSnZP8Sx0a3vMStd85FaXjs3Aq751/s1600-h/sxndrgs_04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJZ8OprwXJpII5ybfzlJ_EdcN97qFQZillm_6_TRFHduCexVevY6SFeDiIHPgyvzCxbLNCxd6uTJl1xbzYLfjONi4ji8NlXBUVgf83CVBUdmcNNbeSnZP8Sx0a3vMStd85FaXjs3Aq751/s400/sxndrgs_04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325114540153205666" border="0" /></a><br />To Harry,<br /><br />The master mind behind the machine, thanks for letting me stay @ your place, sorry I had to bounce so early but I'm a free spirit, too free to be confined to the west side of 42nd street.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-38971903221929436312009-03-13T14:14:00.000-07:002009-03-24T19:46:42.188-07:00"From What I Can Obersve...It Was a Goodnight"First go to <a href="http://www.twinsistermusic.com/">TwinSisterMusic.com</a> put on a song from their LP or play their new demo called "Smoke" then listen then read!<br /><br />"From what I can remember, it was a goodnight"<br /><br />It's been almost a week now and that's all I can recall? Let's try this out....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aOt5mfEDlVnXKGv-JWHfrbwC2CF3q_7al17r33sGH87x5cSnPfxyc5ZrLt7f8D7oPjTg7UQ_-xikwu6xyEMzO7PU_i7RNEe1FCMPKtd6_g_XaeCiBPc26676WFF0zem5sVzLcShHVT9j/s1600-h/art_school_saved_my_life.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aOt5mfEDlVnXKGv-JWHfrbwC2CF3q_7al17r33sGH87x5cSnPfxyc5ZrLt7f8D7oPjTg7UQ_-xikwu6xyEMzO7PU_i7RNEe1FCMPKtd6_g_XaeCiBPc26676WFF0zem5sVzLcShHVT9j/s400/art_school_saved_my_life.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313051945706780002" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I went to my friend Alberto's artshow early on in the night, around 6pm.<br /><br />It was fun, I walked up and down stairs with a couple of drunk girls and in between mixing beer, wine and ='s I observed some great art (this night is all about observation)!<br /><br />The art show was more of a party than an art show, they had this weird room filled with homemade treats that students made. I couldn't help but think there was something funny about all these treats but maybe it was just me (I did eat some Apple Pie that I thought was delicious at the time but was really just too sweet)<br /><br />I couldn't stay long because I had to go shoot Twin Sister @ the Lit Lounge.<br /><br />Thankfully the place was easy to find, I remember being extremely eager to get there for I feared that Twin Sister might be on already...so worried that when my friend bumped into her friend, I cut their conversation short in a rude manner by pointing at my watch to signal that it was time to go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKf1FyAQrdOmrtefE6jsEqEe3Ug_EBngtc9U7Lpt8AYDVlfnSYxeSUnqE3yxDYU4cKb-D467kgOIzoFLeES-SQ0e_So4y_ddkuCzgVS6_d9vssiFGX-o7n6VI94RTRru9qdrF76PIkIGIJ/s1600-h/3_5th_the_band.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKf1FyAQrdOmrtefE6jsEqEe3Ug_EBngtc9U7Lpt8AYDVlfnSYxeSUnqE3yxDYU4cKb-D467kgOIzoFLeES-SQ0e_So4y_ddkuCzgVS6_d9vssiFGX-o7n6VI94RTRru9qdrF76PIkIGIJ/s400/3_5th_the_band.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313052280058470082" border="0" /></a><br />Lit Lounge was a nice venue, loved the red lighting (reds my favorite color) and also how it was shaped like a long, wide corridor (very narrow).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GkbM1O1dRQkf_4Z3rXApoXzVkXPBKBITEm_wOkLCmJ31VCSfCgi90qnRqcGUY0X3Dvpn5yymVGDFvRRwEn400iwnFIknnNQjBMxlkixetdSGNxwFrJSwqx-ZOREqPSrndGYZ9H4AebUn/s1600-h/drea_at_the_mic_color.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GkbM1O1dRQkf_4Z3rXApoXzVkXPBKBITEm_wOkLCmJ31VCSfCgi90qnRqcGUY0X3Dvpn5yymVGDFvRRwEn400iwnFIknnNQjBMxlkixetdSGNxwFrJSwqx-ZOREqPSrndGYZ9H4AebUn/s400/drea_at_the_mic_color.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313052470435546738" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I saw Drea, the singer from Twin Sister except I didn't exactly recognize her because she looked quite different at the time but in retrospect I think she looked distinctly the same, just different hair obviously.<br /><br />I drank some more beer and made the mistake of bringing alcohol outside which was dumb, I thought I was in London again and we were allowed to drink on the streets, but the bouncer didn't find that to be amusing and threatened to kick me out for good if I ever did that again.<br /><br />Then I talked to a girl outside that might have lived in CT, but I remember she said she worked with animals and kids with mental illness(what's the politically correct term these days?) in conjunction with one another to help treat their disorders.<br /><br />I had the urge to smoke a cig but had no rolling papers (I currently roll my own to cut costs) so I went across the street and of course they had the largest selection of rolling papers I've ever seen in my life and some guy says to his friend.<br /><br />"These are the best rolling papers in the entire world mann" and he signals the cashier to grab him a pack and so I do the samething except I just open the display and take them myself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcnXSpzf6dpSZyXrPWXYrsarEimczpuE57bdf6XekKCAFsxWDS7rga70wJCQVuBypFKVLOurAelSGr-JHjF_AOXGb-EnvOxiqz_iYDJa5GhGLuPi0wcxMnqLIIVhe9ebotsivKUJNCpEF/s1600-h/027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcnXSpzf6dpSZyXrPWXYrsarEimczpuE57bdf6XekKCAFsxWDS7rga70wJCQVuBypFKVLOurAelSGr-JHjF_AOXGb-EnvOxiqz_iYDJa5GhGLuPi0wcxMnqLIIVhe9ebotsivKUJNCpEF/s400/027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316949540593649218" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The papers actually turned out to be the worst papers in the world because they were enormous and incredibly thin but they were probably smoking ganja, not shag.<br /><br />Back to the show...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78au1TFnwDPpIjNo-SSKIAjA0gwMY4JVXBdrErpuCxBydNq_TJ8KeubdAlgVOhQEnPQvqmyFmmHhAyP0NCjnKveoPbZBAzL2naM8stfIleg9t7WdtQkNzJ_iENvP9zp-wIx4J7aSb4jPP/s1600-h/4_5ths_band.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78au1TFnwDPpIjNo-SSKIAjA0gwMY4JVXBdrErpuCxBydNq_TJ8KeubdAlgVOhQEnPQvqmyFmmHhAyP0NCjnKveoPbZBAzL2naM8stfIleg9t7WdtQkNzJ_iENvP9zp-wIx4J7aSb4jPP/s400/4_5ths_band.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313053011224978642" border="0" /></a><br />The show was great. Only thing was it seemed to go by really quickly though...I think they were rushed because they didn't play my favorite song, "Dry Hump".<br /><br />Got some great shots, couple of decent videos and enjoyed watching the band play for the second time. Much more polished show, crowd seemed to dig them, whole place was packed and moving around.<br /><br />Went home with Bryan, Eric and Drea. Or actually we went to someones apartment first and hung there for awhile, drank somemore beer.<br /><br />Then we went to Bryan and Erics apartment, but before that got more beer...then I got hungry and bought Bryan an 8 dollar sandwitch (which was damn good).<br /><br />Drank half a beer (Red Stripe) watched 5 minutes of a movie I don't recall the name of and passed out on a chair for a couple hours.<br /><br />Then moved myself from the chair to Eric's room, where I slept for the night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PoihRGttyEM_5UUwBPJe7oBT1afVPFzMAk7JhR1nLOo9hEWThB4uECWXKeWEU8LqlhjquWEKIJcKfqdwohe3UKREprsMV8oEIFdIcm5Nw96UTyNwN1GUVgQTfdM_d-vAwd_rjh793H4d/s1600-h/good_times.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PoihRGttyEM_5UUwBPJe7oBT1afVPFzMAk7JhR1nLOo9hEWThB4uECWXKeWEU8LqlhjquWEKIJcKfqdwohe3UKREprsMV8oEIFdIcm5Nw96UTyNwN1GUVgQTfdM_d-vAwd_rjh793H4d/s400/good_times.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313053372495957122" border="0" /></a><br />and I woke up in that room, to a beautiful spring day!<br /><br />More photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepopguru/sets/72157615003571151/">HERE</a>!<br /><br />The End,<br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-50822688855545658362009-02-25T19:16:00.000-08:002009-02-25T21:32:30.577-08:00To SlimI was escorted around central Philly by a convicted murderer. I only got two shitty photos of the guy because he told me he didn't want his photo to be on the internet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWnSeNmqZBZ8OOEZ6tz9ujO9WU4w-lZadALCmxvAatRDVK2bjmL0GnYhvX7dVGKUbomH_rphOD8PbUFv_G42WI5XXztqdHl5VAg2Q7rV0O16S-FKUH680nD9YTlXQ2806KrzvdaTQiK5R/s1600-h/028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWnSeNmqZBZ8OOEZ6tz9ujO9WU4w-lZadALCmxvAatRDVK2bjmL0GnYhvX7dVGKUbomH_rphOD8PbUFv_G42WI5XXztqdHl5VAg2Q7rV0O16S-FKUH680nD9YTlXQ2806KrzvdaTQiK5R/s400/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306940317710486786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Slim</span><br /></div><br />I got off the china bus after almost 2 hours on the road from NYC to <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1235618432_0">Philly</span>. Hungover when I arrived, from 4 Heinekins that I drank on the ride; a tall, older looking black guy offered to light my cigarette.<br /><br />To Slim,<br /><br />Unsure of where I was going I asked this man if he knew where Broad street was. So much can be said about a city based on how people give directions.<br /><br />In the town I live in, in CT, people will go completely out of their way to give you step by step directions, complete with landmarks and friendly suggestions.<br /><br />In NYC the truth is, people can never really give definite directions, often times they only have a slight idea of where you're headed and the best they can do is "point you in the right direction" which is generally in the opposite direction that you came. But I'm sure no one would EVER escort you to where you needed to be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vCoGtZNoTXbBqJPERUC_zMYw9SWiRAUdnswNhVGT1L8zDYazTy9gHBU9qlbYDU2NJDXaogTkQfXYgJCPJOdY2yGD89Wkz9Ax0qjFDTFBQO44GPzJ7CTkuKFMJKIShhNs9ynvE1IQOTee/s1600-h/desperate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vCoGtZNoTXbBqJPERUC_zMYw9SWiRAUdnswNhVGT1L8zDYazTy9gHBU9qlbYDU2NJDXaogTkQfXYgJCPJOdY2yGD89Wkz9Ax0qjFDTFBQO44GPzJ7CTkuKFMJKIShhNs9ynvE1IQOTee/s400/desperate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306974712135015394" border="0" /></a>Philadelphia comes across as somewhat of a desperate city. This man, who introduced himself as Slim informed me that I need not take a taxi because I would probably get ripped off.<br /><br />"As soon as they see you with that rollidex, you're done" referring to my blackberry.<br /><br /><br />"Come on, ill show you" and so he escorted me to exactly where I needed to be and on the way we talked and schooled me on how things worked in Philly. But of course, during these desperate times in this even more desperate city, everything has a price.<br />He told me 10 dollars was his "fee", and in my mildly drunk, ignorant and naive state, I happily paid the man. I actually dropped my wallet in the middle of the street and thankfully a lady picked it up and flagged me down because in retrospect, if it had been anyone else that picked it up, I would have been SHIT out of luck 15 minutes into my trip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5JlXnQ_ry2EmQsl-rWsEV3bSu2-GPCnAk50GZOzg3hdNvKwno_8V5PRD5s-fCTXf-LLzDvSJbFHbewcEXOcX4SFztLCeHfnCmbOxvVFm3t-7GxOF3i7RTH62js6RKmfdiaNpdgCpKQ75/s1600-h/027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5JlXnQ_ry2EmQsl-rWsEV3bSu2-GPCnAk50GZOzg3hdNvKwno_8V5PRD5s-fCTXf-LLzDvSJbFHbewcEXOcX4SFztLCeHfnCmbOxvVFm3t-7GxOF3i7RTH62js6RKmfdiaNpdgCpKQ75/s400/027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306940317472879634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Slim<br /><br /></span></div>Wednesday afternoon I found my way back only to see Slim standing @ the bus stop in the same outfit he wore the day before as if he had no home and slept on the street.<br /><br />Slim was no employee of the cab stand, more like a street entrepreneur, someone whom made money how ever he could.<br /><br />I told Slim I needed a cheap ride home, and in the same way he escorted me to my location the first day he took me around the area to some Chineese guy that sold tickets.<br /><br />"Come on, follow me"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsngC7nOcET2a6nws_gL6p6OI45FU2faiP18mXHYexyd8KGvNiMBjxDSwCpMZNz5mZ6dQECY9yd_8Gst-1HpkzBnPt77Th-Imqq2aLbe6SVm3gAhbG070-EChqHVa8gx0m0znVzmpuJb05/s1600-h/buddha.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsngC7nOcET2a6nws_gL6p6OI45FU2faiP18mXHYexyd8KGvNiMBjxDSwCpMZNz5mZ6dQECY9yd_8Gst-1HpkzBnPt77Th-Imqq2aLbe6SVm3gAhbG070-EChqHVa8gx0m0znVzmpuJb05/s400/buddha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306947193236687954" border="0" /></a><br />A long the way we talked some more, and in between history lessons on why Cambodian women resembled Black women I found out that Slim was a convicted murderer. This isn't the first time I've met someone that's gotten into trouble, but rarely people ever just come out and own up to their crimes. People like to twist their story to make it sound like they were somehow wrongfully accused or something to that effect but not slim, he was explicit as could be he owned up to his crime in the most sincere way; he killed a man. Slim spent something like a decade in prison and then after stabbing someone in the joint was sentenced to an additional 3 years.<br /><blockquote>"They were gunna give me 5 but the judge had sympathy cause the guy that I stabbed was a rapist"<br /></blockquote><br />To be honest, I wasn't scared of Slim. I could sense that he was something of a changed man.<br /><br /><blockquote>"Can I take a picture of you Slim?"<br /><br />"Nah brotha, sorry, I don't want my picture taken"<br /><br />"Hey man, I need some liquor, where's the nearest Chineese liquor store?"<br /><br />"What you need?"<br /><br />"A 40"<br /><br />"Aww man, we just came from the 40 store, why didn't you tell me then"</blockquote><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08W50InLLEZQCyxQbqYAON0Sz0GbpA64IiXyuLh_T8y_aFm4wQ6b_iQeJsR44ikezBnrvpjIdcEkiRbUaXb3kRJfr6Vkp031oWHMldLp1Y7dK7uLBxBZ5v9Cad2lsSJ9YrTxS0Fr7xvtE/s1600-h/40_please.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08W50InLLEZQCyxQbqYAON0Sz0GbpA64IiXyuLh_T8y_aFm4wQ6b_iQeJsR44ikezBnrvpjIdcEkiRbUaXb3kRJfr6Vkp031oWHMldLp1Y7dK7uLBxBZ5v9Cad2lsSJ9YrTxS0Fr7xvtE/s400/40_please.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306945732582859746" border="0" /></a><br />There was one moment when I was bit nervous and thought Slim had an elaborate plan to rob me. He had ample opportunity to do so, and I had no shame in showing off my wealth and upbringing (walking around with a 600 dollar camera, diamond watch, plenty of cash) but even when we walked down a back alley Slim was nothing but genuinely kind to me carefully instructing me to take pictures of certain landmarks.<br /><br />I parted ways with Slim @ the bus station and while he succesfully hustled 5 dollars out of me in exchange for helping me obtain a cheap 5 dollar ticket and showing me a place to buy a 40oz.<br /><br />"When you coming back brotha"<br /><br />"Soon maybe"<br /><br />"Alright well, make sure you stop by and say what's up to brotha slim when you touch down"<br /><br />"Will do"<br /><br />Keep your head up man,<br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /><br />Sent Via Rollidex By AT&GThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-71993650178527486942009-02-12T22:25:00.000-08:002009-02-13T10:19:25.867-08:00Inner Circle of Acquaintances<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUpcCQ4xtdHmTgmUzPIpr4A4A2nsCJfKrHnBlYkyghCuAn-awXxq-IfK3p-AQd4QAO_JRfiZYQYXUjqOkV3dXo39vuxx69XWW7E68jd5E536RDS_9IP7p2fLc5wWYvJGx6i0HSxC_-yAA/s1600-h/pretty_girl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUpcCQ4xtdHmTgmUzPIpr4A4A2nsCJfKrHnBlYkyghCuAn-awXxq-IfK3p-AQd4QAO_JRfiZYQYXUjqOkV3dXo39vuxx69XWW7E68jd5E536RDS_9IP7p2fLc5wWYvJGx6i0HSxC_-yAA/s400/pretty_girl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302168964951303634" border="0" /></a><br />Last night I was invited to a loft party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The crowd was interesting, because everyone knew one or two people there, some maybe a few more, but no one knew everyone, not even the hostess.<br /><br />I'm starting to really enjoy these low key events that take place in BK. Why deal with the hassle of a large venue, the crowds, the wait, the anal staff-when instead, I can enjoy myself while spending less money?<br /><br />You never know what to expect when you attend these events though-it's like you expect one thing and get another. Usually works out nicely though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtv6hxuQz-tD-_5W0g4GCiUIDKomBJdwTq56kZGn6EbElY25tkGYLFWtWBVoXmg1DMN-bYZEm9HNxg2NyEz5IG_odczKEXJGDOqO-H0lAI0mIfqOsirGoYrz3P3ecYcCw8CU0BCFk7Q2_/s1600-h/got_damn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtv6hxuQz-tD-_5W0g4GCiUIDKomBJdwTq56kZGn6EbElY25tkGYLFWtWBVoXmg1DMN-bYZEm9HNxg2NyEz5IG_odczKEXJGDOqO-H0lAI0mIfqOsirGoYrz3P3ecYcCw8CU0BCFk7Q2_/s400/got_damn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302172906082300674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8DxHhbyBl0sI9sSTekBENnA0FqXm2pOupEnPDILNpV69gN1De_F7UuwtRuLSbkrCD5fcrMhvXoeEG9KZ4OSzP1uNHRlWgWgcShL9aUSNOYGN8FrHXICo-Y6K21D9EY-XjuYaGGr88CVR/s1600-h/lad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8DxHhbyBl0sI9sSTekBENnA0FqXm2pOupEnPDILNpV69gN1De_F7UuwtRuLSbkrCD5fcrMhvXoeEG9KZ4OSzP1uNHRlWgWgcShL9aUSNOYGN8FrHXICo-Y6K21D9EY-XjuYaGGr88CVR/s400/lad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302176925856189986" border="0" /></a><br />A couple people were performing that night. Marquese, a talented, young, singer/songwriter/guitarist/violinist and Luke (from The <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234506321_0">Kooks</span>), sort of "headlined" the night while others joined in for a few songs here and there, it was more of a well organized "pass the guitar session" than anything else but made for an enjoyable night.<br /><br />Overall the talent was AMAZING.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuoulyW3cBZWj0lJ6naZQFR7vPvefyWxdLy2E5e-AjjPOnRcDpsKmGTmYxVKFiBPOcu9z-WN1lwr9aAmowuHMhgZvvyqX4gJns5lBrNVOTZvnh3JucnlVY_ee_PDnc0pmc4BHfC-TPDRb/s1600-h/mellow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuoulyW3cBZWj0lJ6naZQFR7vPvefyWxdLy2E5e-AjjPOnRcDpsKmGTmYxVKFiBPOcu9z-WN1lwr9aAmowuHMhgZvvyqX4gJns5lBrNVOTZvnh3JucnlVY_ee_PDnc0pmc4BHfC-TPDRb/s400/mellow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302174858669253122" border="0" /></a><br />I was pretty taken back by the performance of Marques. Its not everyday you come across a brother in riding pants, that sings, plays the violin, guitar and does it all WELL.<br /><br />As my friend put it, "and it's not corny either".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6WCMliD22UaIl-hIw3cdc_hzzCjqtuDKWyJZn6RGA7PG0I4AMfAHZJwRJJPBIJPhA0Zbpqo19z8SfXveSUJ7_9nqriPbJDjRvDlD2-Xfw77kJB7xYdln_eTdH05llGUizKA2SEYKFFtY/s1600-h/more_than_a_feeling.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6WCMliD22UaIl-hIw3cdc_hzzCjqtuDKWyJZn6RGA7PG0I4AMfAHZJwRJJPBIJPhA0Zbpqo19z8SfXveSUJ7_9nqriPbJDjRvDlD2-Xfw77kJB7xYdln_eTdH05llGUizKA2SEYKFFtY/s400/more_than_a_feeling.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302168956068772610" border="0" /></a><br />He was so on point through out the night, I can't say he missed one note, perfection in my eyes. Even though it was a small gathering of friends and acquaintances, he still had the vibrato of a poised performer taking a grander stage. He was kind of shy and reserved when he wasn't performing, softly informing everyone that there was a 10 minute intermission or that the night was almost over, but when he performed it was almost as if he spoke through music.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzR729VXC4zysLa3gP2MNoA7PHlID-m9eoPBPNkeFtphv_zxCdNhkQB8IiXptiwECONwf094E5VPEbVBoC-hfj75OMs-DCIKa2DYa7Ppk_B7bsclXh-C8kQeZt08KtR_ssbRZyykfYk6f/s1600-h/luke_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzR729VXC4zysLa3gP2MNoA7PHlID-m9eoPBPNkeFtphv_zxCdNhkQB8IiXptiwECONwf094E5VPEbVBoC-hfj75OMs-DCIKa2DYa7Ppk_B7bsclXh-C8kQeZt08KtR_ssbRZyykfYk6f/s400/luke_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302168957274932258" border="0" /></a><br />Luke from The Kooks was a really <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234506321_1">cool guy</span>. Its weird because if you didn't recognize him and didn't witness him play guitar, you would have never known he was an international pop music star.<br /><br />"Hey man, we haven't met yet...I'm Luke"<br /><br />"Hey what's up man"<br /><br />"Good to meet you mate"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nCfCIWUJBdBXxYJUv24AKC7aJUF60vp8jV8Pd5GS-Te_r6Xmg2XSP-0si96wsgICaS9WC3P7uiV1XDYigfRT_nnOoGNNdP4uzKk4ib1pFMyxl0I1xWp5YL6lva7L5_l31LeHgiQbmn6o/s1600-h/duet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nCfCIWUJBdBXxYJUv24AKC7aJUF60vp8jV8Pd5GS-Te_r6Xmg2XSP-0si96wsgICaS9WC3P7uiV1XDYigfRT_nnOoGNNdP4uzKk4ib1pFMyxl0I1xWp5YL6lva7L5_l31LeHgiQbmn6o/s400/duet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302167527319657458" border="0" /></a><br />There was no shame in Luke's performance, he played a few acoustic songs by himself, and played along with Marques for a few others. Luke's a fine guitar player and singer/songwriter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XwsgwJaucCzw0zs2gPqjWDkf8RpnLT0Nqqc_TzhTNIt4IDmYjjcJEXrRDU1HE_fAoSkdgA9BrkLUovirBBaCobceccA7fsLFYjR0Npuwe8fFg1H5aZOvRnvH8SjMmp53xgJ2jR4LGPy4/s1600-h/lovely_benoit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XwsgwJaucCzw0zs2gPqjWDkf8RpnLT0Nqqc_TzhTNIt4IDmYjjcJEXrRDU1HE_fAoSkdgA9BrkLUovirBBaCobceccA7fsLFYjR0Npuwe8fFg1H5aZOvRnvH8SjMmp53xgJ2jR4LGPy4/s400/lovely_benoit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302167542204628290" border="0" /></a><br />My friend sang back up and killed it! I didn't know she was a singer until she went up on stage with Marques, definitely give her props for rising to the occasion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQoc5rtUo-b5sK-vFez6LodGc4l7-2yMs-YBT5l-n4mfFyjTKbsNrWClfuww2sQZOqIj2_IzruD5Jzio8hk_KZ7jwYJEYZ3A6NLr5VCBZll-bgNX5tDxOiC85B3atoC21Q2xs4aMZmRq5/s1600-h/intermission.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQoc5rtUo-b5sK-vFez6LodGc4l7-2yMs-YBT5l-n4mfFyjTKbsNrWClfuww2sQZOqIj2_IzruD5Jzio8hk_KZ7jwYJEYZ3A6NLr5VCBZll-bgNX5tDxOiC85B3atoC21Q2xs4aMZmRq5/s400/intermission.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302167535804042530" border="0" /></a><br />The whole night was really inspiring. Kinda made me wanna just put myself out there and see what happens. I feel like so much of it has to do with having the balls to take risks.<br /><br />Check out Marques Toliver's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/marquestoliver">MYSPACE</a>.<br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /><br />Sent Via Blackberry by AT&TThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-79216493067922473562009-02-05T18:06:00.000-08:002009-02-08T22:03:18.896-08:00To Kyle Gilbride (more from Death by Audio)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfYRPD0HzgSQsmbBGZgQzMkihoeOC055SpWq2v9T9otq750CFhzK_neAPWAroAVSC31LNiufm6in_hcvEVi2wLlJo9O5JfHpTzguztmgQGBjhzz4vPyoaEBENI0bT1nHhpLJhdiDEjwl9/s1600-h/kyle_03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfYRPD0HzgSQsmbBGZgQzMkihoeOC055SpWq2v9T9otq750CFhzK_neAPWAroAVSC31LNiufm6in_hcvEVi2wLlJo9O5JfHpTzguztmgQGBjhzz4vPyoaEBENI0bT1nHhpLJhdiDEjwl9/s400/kyle_03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300673089602826482" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Kyle is a kid that looks like Rick Ross, except he's skinny, white, has a red beard and he doesn't rap, he actually plays acoustic guitar and he's a really talented song writer. I saw him perform along with Twin Sister, Data Dog and Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt @ Death by Audio, a DIY music venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn the other night.<br /><br />To Kyle,<br /><br />Hey man, photos didn't come out as well as I thought they would. The lighting in there was borderline none existent, just one of the beauties/downfalls of film.<br /><br />Anyway...the performance.<br /><br />So I left the venue for a minute to step out and get some fresh air, even thought it was freezing outside. When I left there weren't many people there, the lights were on no music was being played but what I returned to was dim lighting and a few dozen people sitting on the floor, quietly observing you play guitar.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfpmxyUwPhJ3JdvleNpJDXtIaujFVgSwben_X3r-vMoJAHy9VBsQC85b4rzdtY1qK2iKbxQ8bmKGL4k4toDk5kn-NAuIoNGELCecaYXWs8WwaSMjur_8yCjFxQHM9eN_K0To_HiXVEp2b/s1600-h/kyle_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfpmxyUwPhJ3JdvleNpJDXtIaujFVgSwben_X3r-vMoJAHy9VBsQC85b4rzdtY1qK2iKbxQ8bmKGL4k4toDk5kn-NAuIoNGELCecaYXWs8WwaSMjur_8yCjFxQHM9eN_K0To_HiXVEp2b/s400/kyle_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300672648148076706" border="0" /></a><br />No mic, no backing band, no percussion, no interesting strobe lights, just a kid with a guitar, playing for an intimate group of friends and strangers.<br /><br />It was so quite I was hesitant to take any photos. My Pentax has a very LOUD shutter, so I only took photos after you were finished playing, didn't want to disturb your playing. Quietness can be a sign of deep interest so you might take that as a compliment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5S1vmNQ1pIv06Yao7Q7HcPRb9YdIhvI1EuWXF-CTSvxZUMw6EF0cgy6HiqGuSzKzbdrtC4vYF5TZ6oBWt_nnZX3FOBYeKlgE9Vd9iz2ZvOlGqGfDexyTrEf7_ob8WGjDyBmSvBK2-S5V/s1600-h/kyle_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5S1vmNQ1pIv06Yao7Q7HcPRb9YdIhvI1EuWXF-CTSvxZUMw6EF0cgy6HiqGuSzKzbdrtC4vYF5TZ6oBWt_nnZX3FOBYeKlgE9Vd9iz2ZvOlGqGfDexyTrEf7_ob8WGjDyBmSvBK2-S5V/s400/kyle_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300672645944467986" border="0" /></a><br />Don't mean to be judgemental (isn't that essence of this blog...or blogging period? LOL) but I thought the innocence of your performance was really touching. Playing with no mic, softly singing, almost whispering into the ears of your observers, periodically looking down at your notebook between songs to observe your hand written set list, made for a tender moment.<br /><br />Hope to see play again man, next time I'll get some better photos.<br /><br />The Popular GuruThe Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8105871194946900389.post-90962470073514499612009-02-05T13:12:00.000-08:002009-02-05T16:48:16.620-08:00To Twin SisterThe other night I made it down to <a href="http://www.myspace.com/deathbyaudioshows">Death By Audio</a>, a DIY music venue in Williamsburg Brooklyn, Twin Sister and a few other bands/performers played before <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theterrorpigeondancerevolt">Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >To view the complete album from that night, go to <a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=182288336&albumId=1858641">THIS</a> page. Or email me and I'll send higher res photos.</span><br /><br />__________________________________________________________________<br /><br />To Twin Sister,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vza2eXsDBMdvNtkvrBfajMRK3-SBRxzflO21hXiVRHLRGKML8Ma6n8fH38X-3qdXL2wKjgGOsW0CB3ROhhRirEhDndpaWOUkwKvO0QpCF_z9I5xcmOnnjFeStgQ5mxtC78vm0zRwQ8jf/s1600-h/ohhhh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vza2eXsDBMdvNtkvrBfajMRK3-SBRxzflO21hXiVRHLRGKML8Ma6n8fH38X-3qdXL2wKjgGOsW0CB3ROhhRirEhDndpaWOUkwKvO0QpCF_z9I5xcmOnnjFeStgQ5mxtC78vm0zRwQ8jf/s400/ohhhh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299430200302134578" border="0" /></a>READERS, listen to <a href="http://twinsistermusic.com/music/dry_hump.mp3">THIS </a>and read...<br /><br />You guys were definitely a "breath of fresh are" from all the other talent that night. I haven't seen a "rock band" perform since...Black Mountain in September of 08. How ironic, I hate to compare bands, especially bands that I like and respect but I also can't help but make the connection. Alternative, psychedelic rock band, with a female singer...come on.<br /><br />I enjoy bands made up of all guys and one female.<br /><br />Actually no, I enjoy female talent period. There's something attractive about seeing a woman up on stage, especially when she happens to be cute as it is. Women make good performers because women are naturally good at expressing emotion (I think), my marketing teacher told me that, as opposed to men of course which doesn't say much.<br /><br />It's definitely bad ass to have one female in a band full of dudes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrT9BHefTdEFlyspii4LpZ9o51qIffvIKNJJKCoUJcMeF9aozpQoTcIXBMrs3_Au0cR1740GuY2JyX-U0M4tSnSRw78__J0hqur5xEAODduce77QwiVsi85PVoMp8yvxLV7H_mA_BhC5-/s1600-h/guitar_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrT9BHefTdEFlyspii4LpZ9o51qIffvIKNJJKCoUJcMeF9aozpQoTcIXBMrs3_Au0cR1740GuY2JyX-U0M4tSnSRw78__J0hqur5xEAODduce77QwiVsi85PVoMp8yvxLV7H_mA_BhC5-/s400/guitar_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299459054837929778" border="0" /></a>I think the photos compliment the spontaneity and DIY astetic to the night? "Not exactly what I expected"-that summs it up nicely.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8V7e5J6COr6O6mZfj_5Dn9doDNm65mmsxCXxwJorUCZYj_RqRxT6cPmy3bMyw2bHVw5Cd4PloM0KeMsKfXFe3w4Uu1u23L0WVVOY5VoZ1m5mXjL9xqjBBkyCHtJMyLq8f_1kx0Qxl8oEe/s1600-h/emotion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8V7e5J6COr6O6mZfj_5Dn9doDNm65mmsxCXxwJorUCZYj_RqRxT6cPmy3bMyw2bHVw5Cd4PloM0KeMsKfXFe3w4Uu1u23L0WVVOY5VoZ1m5mXjL9xqjBBkyCHtJMyLq8f_1kx0Qxl8oEe/s400/emotion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299458858437059106" border="0" /></a><br />There's definitely something intriguing about being so close to musicians while they play. Even when you're front row at concert, in a small venue, with a medium sized crowd, you're still a good 3-5 feet below the performers and a few yards a way from any of them. Juxtapose that with Death by Audio, a closet compared to even the smallest venues that I've been to, one that really doesn't even have a stage which allows the audience and performers to be at eye level with one another and literally only a couple feet apart, makes for a better show IMO.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cAkeu3N7N_tXLUNqwFPf1TmDgBgxRCIx97YpG5HQ-87K2s__-Cxbhg3ZfmCFDP37y4Jyfvd9AuDnkisFBNFsY2C70LKit143lld0XaqvF9q_lPJuXvFjp6YqhKpbcZo_nDnYz1ax0E-F/s1600-h/eye_contact.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cAkeu3N7N_tXLUNqwFPf1TmDgBgxRCIx97YpG5HQ-87K2s__-Cxbhg3ZfmCFDP37y4Jyfvd9AuDnkisFBNFsY2C70LKit143lld0XaqvF9q_lPJuXvFjp6YqhKpbcZo_nDnYz1ax0E-F/s400/eye_contact.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299458334670681122" border="0" /></a><br />I suppose that's why "the stage" was invented, so performers don't have to look directly into the eyes of their audience members. I've never really been on stage, but I'm sure it'd be distracting, nerve racking even, to have to look directly into the eyes of your audience. I personally felt <span style="font-style: italic;">distracting</span>, there were a couple times I locked eyes dead on with the chick that was singing, felt like I was disrupting the focus, made me kinda weak at the knees for a minute-like when you find yourself staring at a girl from across the room for too long, and she turns her head to see you drooling over her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPhV5o8nWeUushyphenhyphenIA8yJVKzjar_9Q29XVr-61DdM97mWCFNFfBuouqnujg6s2EZhm7uqCY5CSr567wNIcBslvtzFktcLjJBlf9BPuSolvsB9rFsmHt22nXkoCtB5XAGCMcB2aFmtMozJE/s1600-h/zonin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPhV5o8nWeUushyphenhyphenIA8yJVKzjar_9Q29XVr-61DdM97mWCFNFfBuouqnujg6s2EZhm7uqCY5CSr567wNIcBslvtzFktcLjJBlf9BPuSolvsB9rFsmHt22nXkoCtB5XAGCMcB2aFmtMozJE/s400/zonin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299430789949071090" border="0" /></a><br />You guys were really great though, I enjoy a band that's psychedelic and a bit out there, but can still bring it home and rock out for a couple songs. My favorite tune happens to be "Dry Hump", oddly enough, LOL. I also enjoyed "I Want a House". I was talking to Brian and he said you guys were more of a "recording band", thought the performance was pretty stellar (never thought I'd find myself using that word) for a band that's more into "recording".<br /><br />Book some more shows why don't ya!<br /><br />Keep up what you're doing, next time you're in NYC, I'll definitely be in the crowd.<br /><br />check out Twin Sisters <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/twinsisterband">myspace</a>.<br /><br />Best of luck,<br /><br />The Popular Guru<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />PS. Sorry I took so many pictures of the keyboard player(no disrespect), I really didn't have much room to maneuver and the lighting was best where he was stationed. The bass player was sort of stuck in the background and Brian hidden behind equipment.</span>The Popular Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05886513475121289813noreply@blogger.com1