Fah Q: A.C. Newman (still love ya!)

(photo provided by friends at Bumpershine, oddly enough, this is the basement level of Union Hall)

You were totally stoked when I gave you my Borat pin (my only one too, although I still have that bumper sticker so I'm good I guess) at CMJ at Union Hall two years ago. I was with MISTER film critic Chris Cabin, of Filmcritic.com, and thusly quoted by Roger Ebert. He actually remembers it too. We chatted briefly amongst the playlist downstairs that either you or some other smart person made.

You were at Union Hall again almost a year later, this time on a Thursday (bless you, Union Hall), with the man from Destroyer. He was staring through my soul I swear to Satan.

I drank enough, so I had the courage to come up to you and ask you how you were doing and if you remembered the Borat pin. You said no and the conversation was suffice to say, somewhat cold.

Still dig the music...I guess Elia Kazan is a good analogy?

Newman's new album comes out next week on the 20th, called Get Guilty. From the site: "You can get $3 off of the CD version and download an exclusive, pre-order only B-side immediately. The B-side is A.C.’s take on the Go-Betweens’ “Love Goes On”."

Learn more about Newman at his official site, and also check out Matador Records who is releasing this newest shindig.

The Coast @ Union Hall 7.6.2008

I was having a few pints with my friend Chris over at Pacific Standard, and we decided to fill up the growler with some ale and head over to Union Hall to see what was doing at the bocce courts. Turns out, Toronto's The Coast showed up a little late and was able to inadvertently headline the Sunday night show. Chris and I were probably only two of maybe 12 people there, but for what we saw, we went ahead and bought their record, Expatriate. Now while the record is catchy and easy to listen to, with swooping, simple guitar riffs and a decent amount of reverb and some keys to fill out some tracks, I wouldn't say it's incredibly original or varied. Chris said it was like "the Gin Blossoms with integrity". I wouldn't downgrade them that much, if you like a more introspective Phoenix then you should definitely check them out, it's great summer music, really unpretentious, and I met Ian and Ben and they were cool. And it certainly makes for a solid live show, one that made it all the more enjoyable as Union Hall's basement doesn't exactly scream roomy.

The Coast are currently on a U.S./Europe tour, their dates can be found on their MySpace page. They are playing at Rehab tomorrow night (7/8) in the East Village.

Check them out here:
http://www.thecoastmusic.com
and on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/thecoastmusic