A NYC Getaway to See Tortoise
I ❤️ NY • I ❤️ NY • I ❤️ NY
It was a quick trip to Manhattan, but a memorable one, indeed. Leaving on Friday morning and heading back home just over 48 hours later seems fast, and it was. However, a lot was accomplished between my friend and copilot Ryan, and me. After a walk around the Lower East Side and a few early evening cocktails, we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner by way of tapas and paella at Boqueria, along with great conversation.
It was a great way to prepare for a long and fun Saturday in Manhattan, which culminated in the whole point of the trip: seeing Tortoise perform live at The Bowery Ballroom, the first time I had seen them play in 20 years.
We walked about 8 miles around the city before the show, so our dogs 👟 were tired.
Tortoise at The Bowery Ballroom
I wrote about Tortoise a month ago, anticipating this show.
Including their brand-new record, they have released eight albums since 1994, but their influence is everywhere. They helped define what came to be known as “post-rock,” although they never fit comfortably into any single category. They proved that instrumental music could be as emotionally vibrant and engaging as anything. This show lived up to the hype, and selfishly, I wish they played longer, but it was a truly great performance by a band I’ve been obsessed with since college.
Honestly, I hate recording video of the band at shows. If you missed it, you should have been there… I also don’t want to distract patrons with my bright iPhone and get in the way of something magical happening on stage. Live in the moment, right?
…but on Saturday night, I recorded a very, very small clip, since it was a band I admire so much and hadn’t seen live in over 20 years... Enjoy this extremely short, semi-hidden 20-second iPhone clip of Tortoise.
Here’s the setlist:
Vexations
Monica
In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, and Beethoven, There Were Women and Men
Layered Presence
Prepare Your Coffin
Dot/Eyes
Promenade à deux
The Equator
Works and Days
I Set My Face to the Hillside
Ten-Day Interval
Night Gang
Rated OG
Encore:
Axial Seamount
Tin Cans & Twine
Crest
By the way, the opener featured guitarist Bill Orcutt, with Chris Corsano on drums. It was about 25 minutes of pure fire and brimstone. Unbelievably good. Unbelievably loud. Watch the clip below courtesy of Hank Shteamer on Instagram.
Radio Radio
While in New York City, I also had the opportunity to catch up with some dear old friends. WUNH meant a lot to me in college, and I’m lucky to have found friends for life because of that damn radio station. Bob & BR are true New Yorkers and genuine people. Two of the nicest, funniest people you’ll ever meet. We shared pizza slices from Scarr’s and some drinks afterward at Clockwork, where another WUNHer was in attendance, my old pal Heather.
We traded stories, caught up on current events, reminisced about CMJ, talked about music, and laughed a lot. Always great to see you guys. We should do it more often!
Record Store Find
I found a CD by Chantal Acda at Academy Records, located on West 18th Street, over the weekend. They had a lot of used noise in their inventory, but some gems were found, including this album still in its shrink wrap. Her voice has a hint of Sandy Denny's vibe, and the ensemble is top-notch, featuring Bill Frisell, Eric Thielemans, Colin Stetson, Shahzad Ismaily, Jozef Dumoulin, and more. Give it a listen!
One of my favorite murals in NYC features the best hardcore punk band to have ever recorded — Bad Brains, from Washington, D.C.
Thanks for reading. - JB