Interview with The Faint's Todd Fink

I had a chance to talk with Todd Fink (lead singer and keyboardist of The Faint) last night about their latest album Fasciinatiion, the band's creative process, and the evolution of the geekdom.

I've always found it interesting that such a modern sounding punk-synth-dance band was born out in Nebraska so I had a chance to ask Todd about how they evolved out in what seems to be the middle of nowhere and how their sound developed. As a full blown tech/art geek I was a fan of The Faint's new single "The Geeks Were Right" and Todd admitted that he too had become a geek-

"I grew up skateboarding - I knew geeks and liked them but it wasn’t me. Now I’ve really become a geek - everybody in my band has become a geek- we’ve got tables of toy keyboards with tons of sottering irons everywhere".

Todd and I also talked about the creative process and finding inspiration in art, literature, and music. We are both fans of the philosophy of Bucky Fuller so it is cool to see a resurgence of some of his ideas lately. I was interested in the band's decision to leave their label, Saddle Creek, and start their own Blank.wav Records and Todd said the band wanted to take control of things (and it was clear that it was the direction the music industry was going in).

I also wanted to see what new music the band was listening to and if we should look forward to any new remixes. Todd gave former band mate Conor Oberst praise on his new solo album and said that the band was listening to The Kills on tour and are thinking of doing a remix for them. You can read the full interview on the Short and Sweet blog later this week. Also check out the album, it's pretty sweet- especially Machine in the Ghost and The Geeks- they'll be in town on August 18th for a show at Terminal 5.

In Chad, I mean Brett We Trust?

The New York Jets have taken a front row seat to the Brett Favre circus out in Green Bay in the last week and now the circus is coming to New York and we're happy to have it in town. The likely hood that the career victory leader would end up in New York seemed unlikely with the mention of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers always taking precedent but late Thursday night it became official according to Fox News. I feel like we got away with one of those crazy trades you propose when you're a kid- like trading a Joe Montana rookie card for a piece of gum. Either way, as a Jets fan you have to be excited having a future hall of famer lead the team when you get the sense he's still got.

After watching the situation with the Packers and Brett fall apart I expect we may soon hear some of the dirty details that led to the quick falling out. The Packers seemed to be in a nearly impossible situation with their new quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Brett suddenly back from retirement. The entire situation became a sports version of a crazy Spanish-speaking soap opera because it became stranger and stranger, but hey with the Mets and Yankees both doing poorly as of late it made for something else to focus on for a while. According to ESPN.com the trade is likely to include a 4th round pick which may become a 3rd round pick depending of Brett's performance- either way not much of a cost. I can already see the Favre jersey frenzy that we be on it's way in the coming week.

Maureen's Kitchen: An Offbeat Eatery with the Breakfast to Remember

If you're on Long Island and you love a serious breakfast or gourmet lunch you know Maureen's Kitchen in Smithtown. It's the well kept secret every foodie seems to know which is evident if you're trying to catch breakfast on Sunday. With their famous cow decor it's the offbeat fun experience everyone remembers and locals live by. Whatever the wait, Maureen's is worth it serving up outstanding breakfast favorites such as the croissant French Toast with cream cheese and raspberries and an egg omelet with asparagus and Havarti cheese. I love their lunches as well especially the cranberry chicken salad with melted cheese on chipmunk bread and of course their million dollar sandwich which consists of a chicken cutlet with balsamic vinaigrette, spinach, caramelized onions, and roasted peppers on flat bread. If you make the trip be sure to bring cash because credit cards aren't accepted and try to hit it in the off hours because you'll avoid the wait. Maureen's is a Long Island landmark that hasn't rested on it laurels so enjoy!

The Painters "Quality Control" Art Show

I'll be participating in the a huge art and media show coming up in August at Painters gallery and restaurant on Long Island. I'll be premiering my latest short film "How to Draw in Six Easy Steps" which includes some of my artwork as well. The last Painters show was pretty awesome and this time around the show should be bigger so it should be a good time. My buddies Ancient Tongue will be performing and FRESH will be projecting some of the films outside as well.

Rock the Bells @ Jones Beach Theater 8.3.08

Last night's Rock the Bells show was the pinnacle in Hip Hop, it was the show to end all shows. The concert was an all day affair complete with 2 stages and over 20 hip hop acts performing. It was a night of special guests as much as anything with: De La Soul bringing out Biz Markie, Mos Def bringing out Talib Kweli with Pharoahe Monch, Method Man and Redman bringing out Slick Rick as well as EPMD, Nas bringing out Jay Z, and A Tribe Called Quest bringing out Busta Rhymes just to name a few. It wasn't just cameos that made it a special night, it was performances. Their were a number of high points that made the show an instant classic- Dead Prez were lo-fi but blew away the crowd, De La Soul showed why they've been around for 20 years working the crowd, newcomers the Cool Kids rocked the second stage and raised eyebrows, and Mos Def pumped up the crowd with style. The show also brought about the reunion of classic hip hoppers A Tribe Called Quest and the Pharcyde which was historic but the most riveting performances were from Supernatural who dropped a crazy audience freestyle with DJ Scratch, the duo of Method Man and Redman who infused the stage with energy throughout their whole set, and Nas who came complete with a full band. I highly suspect we'll be seeing this show coming soon on DVD because it was a bit too epic to just be spontaneous so don't feel bad if you missed it.

A Day on the Farm

Long Island is a bit like a cross-section of the country (often with an over-the-top accent) but one of the nice parts of living here is that in 20 minutes you can be in a city, a beach, a park, or a farm. Yesterday I spent the morning out on the Suffolk County Farm documenting the 4H fair and getting to know farm life more intimately. They had a large range of animals everything from the traditional cows and pigs to llamas and peacocks. I thought that it was a bit of a harsh reality to see little kids playing with the animals then later walking past the "meat processing center" with a painting of happy cows and pigs on it. Isn't that like putting a crematorium in an old folks home? Anyway the experience was fun and I would've never known that I was only ten minutes away from my house because it felt like authentic Kansas with huge fields of corn surrounding the farm. As I was headed out a massive storm rolled over my head so I made a quick exit before the hail started.

Rock the Bells @ Jones Beach Theater 8.3.08

Sunday afternoon I'll be out at Jones Beach again to Rock the Bells with some of my favorite hip-hop bands of all time. Below is the set times (thanks to BrooklynVegan.com) for any one else headed out to the show. I plan on spending a few hours relaxing on what's left of the beach before the show because it's going to be an all night affair!

Rock The Bells NY Set Times

Stage 1

10:25 - Tribe Called Quest
8:55 - Nas

7:45 - Method Man & Redman

6:45 - Raekwon & Ghostface

5:55 - Mos Def

5:05 - The Pharcyde

4:15 - De La Soul

3:25 - Immortal Technique

2:50 - dead prez

Stage 2

6:40 - Spank Rock with Amanda Blank

5:55 - Devlin & Darko

4:45 - Afrika Bambaataa

4:05 - The Cool Kids

3:25 - Tyga

2:45 - Ninjasonik

2:05 - B.O.B.

1:25 - MURS

12:55 - Jay Electronica

12:25 - Wale

11:55 - Kidz In The Hall

11:15 - DJ Blaqstarr