Atlanta vs. New York City v.1
This post begins a series (Ideally, it will be a weekly installment, but let's be honest here. It's not gonna end up being weekly.) on a topic I like to call "Atlanta vs. New York City". (Atlanta came first because it's first in alphabetical order.) Due to the fact that I don't actually live in Atlanta, the topic will also include the surrounding area, geographically speaking.
Volume 1
Last Thursday, Sara and I went to see Matt Pond PA at the Loft in Atlanta. (For those of you that have seen The Baxter, may I suggest that, in your head -- or perhaps aloud -- you read the name Matt Pond PA in the same tone as the line "Elliot Sherman. CPAAAA!" If you don't know to what I refer, kindly disregard aforementioned statement.) I had seen Matt Pond PA play at the Brooklyn venue NorthSix a couple of years ago and was very impressed, despite not being familiar with many of their songs. If I recall correctly, the show was sold out. The music was great, the banter between the band and the audience was great, and the crowd itself was filled with non-hippie bearded guys, which was really great.
I bought my ticket for the Atlanta show a few weeks before the big night. I was willing to pay the extra three dollar "convenience" charge to buy it early because I knew that they had sold out several shows around the U.S. Hoping for good music and many non-hippie bearded guys, I walked into the Loft only to find that, apparently, 19-year-old frat boys like Matt Pond PA in Atlanta. Of the North Face fleece and sunglasses-around-their-neck variety. Also, it seems the emo kids around the state have also caught onto this band. That's right, the emo kids that sing at the top of their lungs in their best Dashboard Confessional voice. While obviously dissappointed to be surrounded by the kind of group that I was (because, right, I'm a music snob, an elitist, if you will) -- I think Sara and I were some of the oldest people there besides the band members -- nothing detracted from the music itself or the band's banter. All in all, it was a good show. Problem was, I wanted to close my eyes the whole time and pretend I was back in Brooklyn. But then I couldn't see Matt Pond's lovely face.
Volume 1
Last Thursday, Sara and I went to see Matt Pond PA at the Loft in Atlanta. (For those of you that have seen The Baxter, may I suggest that, in your head -- or perhaps aloud -- you read the name Matt Pond PA in the same tone as the line "Elliot Sherman. CPAAAA!" If you don't know to what I refer, kindly disregard aforementioned statement.) I had seen Matt Pond PA play at the Brooklyn venue NorthSix a couple of years ago and was very impressed, despite not being familiar with many of their songs. If I recall correctly, the show was sold out. The music was great, the banter between the band and the audience was great, and the crowd itself was filled with non-hippie bearded guys, which was really great.
I bought my ticket for the Atlanta show a few weeks before the big night. I was willing to pay the extra three dollar "convenience" charge to buy it early because I knew that they had sold out several shows around the U.S. Hoping for good music and many non-hippie bearded guys, I walked into the Loft only to find that, apparently, 19-year-old frat boys like Matt Pond PA in Atlanta. Of the North Face fleece and sunglasses-around-their-neck variety. Also, it seems the emo kids around the state have also caught onto this band. That's right, the emo kids that sing at the top of their lungs in their best Dashboard Confessional voice. While obviously dissappointed to be surrounded by the kind of group that I was (because, right, I'm a music snob, an elitist, if you will) -- I think Sara and I were some of the oldest people there besides the band members -- nothing detracted from the music itself or the band's banter. All in all, it was a good show. Problem was, I wanted to close my eyes the whole time and pretend I was back in Brooklyn. But then I couldn't see Matt Pond's lovely face.
posted by Lauren | 10:12 AM
16 Comments:
Aw, shucks, Lauren. Don't say that. We have fun together, right? Right? Okay. That's not completely true. I have been spending a lot of time elsewhere . . . But we're eating lunch tomorrow. That'll be fun, right? Right?
Don't worry, Lauren. Be happy. You just gotta start driving to church with or without me -- not so you can get baptized, and not so you can date guys. But so you can hang out with other people our age. It'll be fun!
Sara? Sara, who? Do I know you? :)
I didn't realize that this post sounded so negative. I wasn't going for that. Not completely, anyway.
And I've pretty much resigned myself from all religious functions for a while. There it is. For the World Wide Web.
Can you put God on hold?
Lauren, when you were in New York, you raved about stuff in Georgia. The grass is always greener on the other side in your world. Your grass is just fine -- be happy with it.
Who said I'm putting GOD on hold? I'm putting religion on hold. NOT the same thing.
Damn, why do I feel like I'm being attacked on all sides here when I didn't even intend for this post to cite the negative qualities of "my grass"? On either side of the fence.
My grass is just fine. But even if it was brown and parched, I'd deal with it.
I didn't think you were negative. You commented on the music scene there in Atlanta, and compared it to that in NYC. You preferred the latter to the former, and felt a little nostalgic. Simple enough. You as much as said that the music and the band were great, and you were definitely upbeat about Matt Pond's physical appearance! All in all, a nice even balance.
As for the religion thing? Folks, if I responded I'd end up posting a 10 pg. comment with footnotes, citations and endless links. So I won't touch that with a ten-foot clown pole.
Well...maybe one link: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=religion
I do think that sometimes when one feels least like getting involved in church activities and whatnot, that's the best time to do go. Perhaps because at those times I've been at a bit of a low ebb, and also because I usually have a better time than expected, always a happy surprise.
But let's get back to the really important topic here, which is the loveliness of mr Matt. He's a grown up indie kid. Mature. And lovely to look at as well as listen to. I love the way he shyly giggles.
And I remember beardy man from summer 2004. Tall and cool and not stuck up. That was a fun night!
Ahh, beardy man. Where are you?
Religion is the worship of God -- they're linked. You can't unlink them no matter how hard you try. Now if you had said you were putting institutions on hold, that would be another thing. But then I would just argue that university is an institution so why wouldn't you include it in your exclusion? You might as well drop out of school, quit working at a company, grow a beard, eat organic food, and move to the mountains. I just think it's telling when someone isolates one area of their life -- it shows there's an imbalance. That to me usually means there's some kind of problem. I'm just concerned, Lauren, I don't want you to grow a beard.
I didn't think your post was negative, I was just stating that you tend to close your eyes and wish you were somewhere else. I guess I should have said open your eyes and be happy with the emo kids surrounding you. Lauren, if you ever became emo... I'm kidding you can become emo if that makes you happy.
You swore. I'm telling...
I love you Lauren. I love you Lauren. I love you Lauren. I love you Lauren. I love, love, love, love, love, you Lauren...
Yeah. Compartmentalizing life is what we men do, and by all accounts it drives women insane.
I completely disagree. You can separate God from religion. In fact, I daresay that the majority of "religious" people do.
You know that I wouldn't mind quitting school. I don't work for a company. I'd love to live in the mountains and be self-sufficient.
Everyone isolates some part of their lives. And "imbalance", huh? That's fair...
All I meant was that I would have preferred being in Brooklyn with the hot bearded guys.
And everybody compartmentalizes, Ian. Not just males.
These comments are entirely too personal for my comfort.
P.S. Forget the weekly installment on Atlanta vs. New York City. I'm not getting raked over the coals like this every week because my comments comparing the two cities are misconstrued.
No, you should keep writing the Vs. articles. I think it's a good idea. I liked reading it. I would have preferred you being in New York for the show as well. Maybe I'm lashing out 'cause I miss you (or maybe you just know how to push my buttons -- come on, you knew if you said that I was gonna retaliate). :o) That's how our friendship works. You and Sara work differently. That's why you don't tell me certain things (but I find out anyway, I'll have you know). I didn't mean to comment so much about things that are too personal. I should have just called and we could talk over the phone. Note to self: call Lauren.
I agree that all human beans compartmentalize.
KEEP WRITING THE WEEKLY VS. ARTICLES!!!
I think everybody compartmentalizes too; but I keep reading articles and hearing psychologists/sociologists (usually women) talking about how it's a typically male thing to do. Remember, I'm a recovering feminist. ;) It's taking me a while to break from my programming.
And while I still refuse to comment on the religion issue, I will encourage everyone to look up the word "religion" in a dictionary. It might help explain the conflicting views we're getting.
Ian, stop speaking in riddles. I get that "religion" can mean both faith and institution. Is that what you're getting at?
And I'll decide sometime next week if you guys deserve another round of the weekly versus articles. :)
Not really, no. It's more like an anti-koan... ;D
And I also vote for more Atlanta/NYC posts. I've only ever been to the airport so I'd love to hear more about it.
Post a Comment
<< Home