These Days: Saturday, July 8th, 2017
Concert: Last night was the third annual Steez Day at Playstation Theatre, Capital Steez is the leader of Pro Era (you remember, Malia Obama wore their tee-shirt) who killed himself December 2013, and this is the third annual celebration of his life. I was surprised at the immensely high level of just about everything. I spent three hours there and saw many world class rappers and in a steady roll out with just two turntables (eh, Macbooks) and a microphone, the pacing was fast and furious, and the quality old school astounding. Pro Era have nothing to do with Gucci, Baby Trap, or the South. These guys are Brooklyn till they die and the children of Biggie, who is referenced often enough. Joey Bada$$ performed (whose latest album I underestimated) so did Ab Soul, Pro Era (Kirk Knight and Nyck Caution were a revelation to me on the astounding “Extortion”), Ab-Soul, Dirty Sanchez, J.I.D. and more. Flatbush Zombies didn’t make it, A$AP Rocky was ill but joined A$AP Mob for a song, The Underachievers made it. The audience were very young and very white. And I had a blast. Full review to follow. Grade: A
More Concerts: Remind me again, why did I skip Joey Bada$$ at Governors Ball?
Sports: The Mets won and the Yanks are collapsing as completely as any team I have ever seen. Certainly as any Yankee team I’ve ever seen. Tyler Clippard gave up a Grand slam and the Brewers (the BREWERS???) beat the Yanks 4 – 9. The hitting doesn’t appear to the problem, it is the pitching. The Rays are a game away from taking second place, the Sox are ahead 4.5 games, the Yanks are 4 games over .500 and the All Star Break can’t happen soon enough.
The World: Watching Trump on the world stage is so scary, it is a nightmare of thwarted intelligence: how can the USA have an inferiority complex, how can this country possibly believe they are losing when they are clearly King Kong and the only way they can be less than the Greatest Power On Earth is by uniting the rest of the world against the, which Trump just might manage to do.
New Music: I haven’t come to terms with this week’s new releases yet and took a path not taken into the superb Pro Era catalog. I really feel as though I missed these guys, I listened to them but I was too involved in Trap and pop and I didn’t quite hear em right.
Old Music: Finished with Caruso and am listening to a lot of Bing Crosby before returning to pre-solo Sinatra (say 1939 – 1946) before reviewing The Voice Of Frank Sinatra, his 1946 solo debut.
Movies: I quite enjoyed the new Spiderman, though I don’t think it is quite as good as other people do. For one thing, I didn’t like the new Flash, for another, I missed out on the bullied Peter Parker turning with his new found strength, and for a third a huge reveal was terrific but awful coincidental… People who think this Parker is the late 60s – early 70s Marvel Comics Parker, haven’t read the comics. Grade: B+
