blog jezel

poetry fest...this coming saturday!

Scroll down for details and additional info we added!  There will be booths and snacks so you won’t go bored and hungry, and did we mention it’s free??  We go on with our talented friends around 10 when the festival begins and then again as the full 3-piece at around 1:40pm.  See you there!

-Jess

jasper revisits el jezel

Our old friend Jasper was pretty much the first person to ever write something about El Jezel back in the early days, but it’s been a bit since he’s seen us.  Fortunately, we were able to play Rehab which he is booking and he had a chance to catch up on us.  Suffice to say, we still got the goods:

“I’ve known George, Jess, and Dan, namely El Jezel for years and must have seen them dozens of times over the course of that time, but hadn’t recently - since ‘05 I think.  Holy fucking shit, in that amount of time, about as long as it takes most semi-famous bands to make it then break up, they’ve not only stuck together but have grown exponentially as a band.  They’ve found their voice, got their groove back, etc.  More specifically they’ve slowed down the pace of their songs to a comfortable Dandy Warhols level, with epic results.  How cool is it that a band from our old days kept at it and reinvented themselves so spectacularly.”

Check out this rave as well as others at his site: www.jenyk.com

listening to nick cave

How has this guy managed to pump out so much fucking music over the last 30 years?  I’ve never been a fan, but then he puts out a new record and I end up hearing it at the job and usually enjoy most of it.  Maybe I gotta go out and but every goddamn Nick Cave record.  Maybe I’m ready now. 

It’s funny how that works when you get into an artist that has a long and winding catalog.  Whenever I think of doing that I think of Bowie and how I went through this 6-month phase in college where I bought every Bowie album.  I bought most of them at Nuggets in Kenmore Square for around $8-9 bucks each.  They were used, but they were the Rykodisc reissues that included weird bonus tracks and I’m glad I bought them when I did.  Suckers now buy them without the cool bonus tracks for the same fucking full line $18.99 at places like mine.  I gotta push for a Bowie sale.  Everyone needs to own every Bowie album because as we all know even the shitty ones have AT LEAST 2-3 great tracks.  Seriously, even Pin Ups, even Black Tie White Noise, and especially the first Tin Machine album.  At some point it became cool to shit on that album(probably the day it came out) because Bowie had the gall to form a band and call it something different then his name, but the truth is it is a SOLID album.  Hella better then some of those wacky ass 90’s drum and bass albums if you ask me.  

OK, I’m losing my train of thought.  The fact of the matter is- I’m drinking my second beer at 3:30am listening to a bunch of new Nick Cave songs scroll through www.hypem.com and I’m deciding at the very least to buy the new Nick Cave album tomorrow.  I have the Best of from a few years back to tide me over.  Will I get the entire catalog?  We’ll have to see about that.

 -george

April 8, 2008: our rawk star week, pt.1

So much is happening right now for El Jezel that it almost feels like we’re real rawk stars.  In the course of one week we managed to pull off a photo shoot, a video shoot, a couple rehearsals, and a show.  The only thing missing is an early morning phone interview with DJ Jimmy J at WKOT.  Does anyone have an in at WKOT?  Hook us up!

Our photo shoot was in fact an early morning affair as we all gathered in Astoria to have Ricardo try and capture the natural beauty of El Jezel.  Once he realized that beauty was a little too much to ask for at 9am on a Tuesday, he just did the best he could.  Fortunately, Ricardo is a very talented man and somehow made us look damn cool.  We took to the streets and got some shots amongst our beloved N line and I was very impressed with how many NYers were willing to stop and wait for a photo to be taken before walking into the frame.  I don’t play that, especially after working in Times Square when there is always some adorably guffawed tourist posing in front of the most blinkly lit blocks in all the world.  Hell no, I walk right into the shot and try to leave my mark. 

Our normal Thursday and Friday rehearsals got right to the point- running the set.  This is sometimes a blast, sometimes tedious.  Last week it was mostly tedious.  Not because we’re sick of the songs or of each other for that matter, but simply because we were tired.  It’s like I always say- it’d be so much easier to be in a band if it wasn’t for this shitty full time job I had to hold down.  Dan usually keeps is together while I fluctuate between a business like let’s-just-get-through-this demeanor and a goofy second-wind mania.  Jess is the one who struggles the most.  She’ll certainly kill me for revealing this, but let it be known that she can get through some songs with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face.  I know she’s not sleeping, but I sometimes wonder just how close she is to entering a sweet dream full of soft clouds and winning lottery tickets.

Saturday rolls around and we find ourselves at one of our favorite clubs in the city- The Delancey.  Although the upstairs bar has turned into a full throttle meat market on the weekends, the basement is still as perfect a room for live music as it was when BP Fallon was hosting Death Disco there a few years ago.  Actually, it’s got a whole lot better.  The sound board is bigger which must mean it’s better, right?  And unlike the casual days of Death Disco when set times were a vague outline at best, these days things are pretty reliable.  Especially when Jenny and Jeremiah are hosting their Hot Rocks parties, which was what we were doing there on Saturday.  A couple live bands, a couple drink specials, and a whole bunch of 50’s and 60’s music pumped out inbetween- what more could you want?  That night we shared the stage with the indie-progging Zero Spanish (featuring our second favorite drummer named Dan) and the charming skip of The Rowboats. Don’t ask me what “charming skip” is, it just seems to make sense right now.

Our set was a helluva lot better than Coco 66 since the sound and the vibe was far superior.  I think I made it through the whole set without one fuck-up, and that’s always something to be happy about.  After our set the plan was to catch a bit of The Rowboats and get home early since we had to wake up at about 5:30 am to start shooting our video.  Well, plans are nice and all, but sometimes you just crumple them up and throw em out the window and that’s exactly what we did on Saturday.  I think the turning point was when the super friendly bartender offered us free shots.  I tried to turn it down, but Jess seemed down, and when Jess of all people is down with a free shot you have to take advantage and ride it out.  And that’s exactly what we did, we rode out that shot til Midnight when the Pabst Blue Ribbons were free and impossible to turn down.  Suddenly it’s 1am and Hot Rocks is turning into a full fledged dance party and we’re fighting the urge to stay and dance with Marta and chat with Chris and make up gang signs with Jeremiah.  So we left.

No one ever writes about packing up gear when you’re in a band.   Sure, we’ve all seen the Journey or Motley Crue videos where we see stop-motion footage of tireless roadies assembling stages for the big rock stars, but you never quite see the indie side of that scenario.  Well, I will always remember one specific moment like that.  The year was 1996 and I was living in LA as part of my last semester of Film School.  I had excitedly made it to the a club that had the unfortunate name of Coconut Teazer to see The Martinis, the new band comprised of ex-Pixie Joey Santiago and his wife.  You may remember their song on the Empire Records soundtrack, but you probably don’t.  After the opener wrapped up their forgettable set I stood in shock as Joey Santiago, THE Joey Santiago, hoisted his own amp, pedals and guitar onto the stage.  Not like it was such a crime for him to do it, but it somehow bummed me out.  The last time I saw this guy live was 4 years earlier when The Pixies opened up fro U2 in the Worcester Centrum.  Now I was a few feet away from him as he struggled to lift his amp…wow.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, no one writes about moving gear and I guess I shouldn’t either, but I will say that playing shows always comes with the irritating comedown of the load out.  Here we are, half in the bag trying to lift heavy gear and get a cab to stop for us.  Here we are, tired and buzzed trying to make sure we didn’t leave a guitar stand behind(for the record, El Jezel has left a small fortune of guitar stands around this city’s rock clubs) or forget to actually get paid.  Somehow we usually manage to pull this off regardless of how unglamorous it is.  Maybe someday we’ll be a successful band that has roadies to move gear and managers to handle our money and we’ll pine for the simpler days of late night cab rides over the Williamsburg Bridge, but until then we will suffer.

So we got home late.  Late enough to get a couple hours sleep before the big video shoot.  And that’s where things get really interesting and sleep-deprived and exciting.  However, I need to get some sleep right now so you will have to hear about all that in a day or two. 

DRUMS IN AN ELEVATOR

I wish I could say our show last Saturday at Coco 66 went down smoothly, but then I would be a dirty liar.  You know that in this ill-prepared world of rock shows things rarely go off without a hitch, and Saturday was no exception.  However, before I ramble on about all of it, let me happily say up front that in the end everything seemed to work out…and isn’t that the most important thing?

So as we informed you before, the show was moved at the last minute to Coco 66 from the more impressive Club Europa.  We hadn’t been there before, but we were optimistic and hopeful.  We loaded in to find a multi-roomed/sectioned space with a good vibe.  The staff seemed nice and accomodating, and we left our stuff near the back where we assumed we’d be playing.  Not long after, Jason, the soundguy, showed up and made us feel again like it was going to be a good night.  As we began setting up our gear he informed us that the drums and some power cords were in the freight elevator, which was on the second floor where the owner of Coco 66 lived.  He was trying to get in touch with him in order to have him unlock the elevator and send it down, but the owner wasn’t picking up his phone.  No worries, it was still a good 40 minutes away from showtime and he was sure it would be sent down any minute. 

40 Minutes Later.  Panic is setting in and desperate phonecalls are being made to try and secure a drum set for the night. Our friend Don has a space right around the corner, but he’s stuck at his apartment waiting for a delivery from Fresh Direct.  Any other potential drum set is a good 20-30 minutes away and would essentially set the night back past their sound curfew.  Just as we’re getting ready to seriously consider a non-drum kit set, Jason gets a call from the owner telling him the elevator will be down in a minute.  We all sprinted into action and put our shit together.  The set started late, but we only ended up having to cut two songs.  

We debuted Jessica’s new “Easier to Drown”, and ended with a cover of Portishead’s “Glory Box”, which seemed to be a highlight.  Ricardo was there to take some pictures and we hope to throw a few up here.  We also were given a cool opportunity to possibly contribute some music to a play by our old friend Diesel.  We’ll see what happens with that…

Afterwards we took in a fantastic set by our friends in Two Seconds to Midnight that featured cameos by both Jessica and Dan.  As usual, the heartfelt songs of Zig and company sounded gorgeous.  Though this is only their second show, I think they’re well on their way to charming every last music fan in the city.  And I have to mention how wonderful it is to hear strings at a rock show, especially since Hannah and Emily seem to be spot on at every turn!  Go to their MySpace page and check ‘em out:  http://www.myspace.com/twosecondstomidnight 

After loading in back at the space the three of us decided to celebrate with a little late night chow at Kellogg’s Diner.  Though the food was sub-par, the company was great and it turned out to be the perfect ending to a great night.  We of course wanna thank everyone who came out like The Grillos, Oliver, Jeremiah, Melissa, Diesel, Ricardo and Marcus, Nathania, Manny, Mike, Don and everyone else who I can’t remember.  Let’s all do it again real soon.  Oh wait, we are- SATURDAY, APRIL 5th at THE DELANCEY!

THE UNLIMITED $5 GUESTLIST and YOU!

So we now have told you that our ex-show at Club Europa was moved to Coco 66 and in the previous post we hooked you up with a map.  Well, now we want to play a little indie rock Robin Hood and save you a few bucks.

 See, regardless of the fact that our show was downgraded to a smaller club at the last minute, the booker still needs us to charge a $10 cover.  But we don’t even get a piece of that until after the first 15 people.  HOWEVER, there is still a lovely unlimited $5 guestlist that we would love for you to get on.  As we’ve made clear before, El Jezel is not in it for the cash money-

EL JEZEL IS IN IT TO WIN IT!!!

If you want to email us at eljezel@eljezel.com with your name we’d be more than happy to get you on the $5 list. 

And by the way, Bryan Bruchman took that cute pic up there.  Ain’t he swell?

COCO 66, here we come.

It’s official. 

We have moved the show to Coco 66.  It’s in the same hood and now there is no turning back.  You wanna go?  Sure ya do.  Here’s a treasure map:

 http://maps.google.com/maps?q=66+Greenpoint+Ave,+Brooklyn,+NY+11222&ie=UTF8&ll=40.731454,-73.955069&spn=0.006927,0.014462&z=16&iwloc=addr>