A week ago we held the first ever musical performance/event at GRNY. As part of the Jet Blue Follow Your Whim tour, unofficial musical guest of Giant Robot Goh Nakamura came by the store to perform a set. With him were Sadie Contini and Han Wang, aka the Invisible Cities, and research biologist by day, indie rocker by night Eric Lai. Now I have to come clean and say that sweet indie acoustic music really isn't my cup of tea, or at least not a genre of music I actively seek out. But I have to say, I genuinely enjoyed everybody's performances a great deal. Eric Lai did a song called "Semi Ex-Girlfriend" that obviously came from the heart, and the chorus to the Invisible Cities' "Pythagorean Theorum" (A squared plus B squared equals C squared) was immediately stuck in my head. Sadie wrote it to get her young niece into mathematics and wound up penning one hell of a catchy chorus. Goh took the headlining spot with gusto. he's got talent and stage presence in spades. We were treated to tons of original songs, as well as "Tequila" (complete with Pee Wee Dance), "Papa Don't Preach", and *I even got the intro to Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years" out of him. Everybody involved and attending had a really great time. Goh's going to be playing at the Giant Robot Biennale in LA at the end of the month, so you West Coasters should make it a point to attend. The Biennale is going to be amazing, but that's another story.
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Labels: Eric Lai, Follow Your Whim, Giant Robot, Giant Robot Magazine, Giant Robot New York, Goh Nakamura, Green Candy Press, GRNY, Han Wang, Jet Blue, Sadie Contini, The Invisible Cities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
The JetBlue 2009 Follow Your Whim Tour
Featuring live music by Goh Nakamura, The Invisible Cities, and Eric Lai
Friday, October 2, 2009, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Giant Robot
437 East 9th Street
Between 1st Ave.& Ave. A, in the East Village
New York, NewYork 10009
(212) 674-GRNY(4769) | grny.net
Giant Robot is proud to celebrate the Follow Your Whim Tour with musical performances by Goh Nakamura, the Invisible Cities and Eric Lai.
The Follow Your Whim Tour was conceived on a whim, when JetBlue announced their $599 all-you-can-fly pass for the month of September. The tour has taken two San Francisco-based acts (and their roadies) through Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, Seattle, Chicago, and now New York City, playing venues, living rooms, and public spaces.
Goh Nakamura is a San Francisco Bay Area based musician who writes ditties about parking tickets, impossible crushes and faraway dreamlands. With one foot in the traditional troubadour world and another in the digital age, he performs at venues small, large, and virtual, to an enthusiastic and ever growing audience. A fortuitous 2007 feature on YouTube's front page brought his music videos over a million views and earned him a huge new fanbase from all over the world.
http://gohnakamura.com/
The Invisible Cities began in 2001 in San Francisco when Han Wang (guitars, vocals) met Sadie Contini (guitars, vocals) on craigslist.org — for music, not for dating. The duo then started collaborating with band members in San Francisco and in New York, including Han’s brother Gary Wang (bass, arrangements) and Tim Bulkley (drums). With the help of many friends, the band’s first album, Watertown, came out in 2004 and was praised on many best-of-the-year lists. With the addition of singer-songwriter Goh Nakamura on guitar, the band recorded basic tracks for their second album, Houses Shine Like Teeth.
http://www.theinvisiblecities.com/
Eric Lai led the Oakland indiepop band Highwire from 2003-2005, playing songs about diaries, femme fatales and coffee. He now occasionally plays solo around New York, when he's not tied up running a cancer genetics lab.
http://www.myspace.com/thenewmilogreene
http://www.mskcc.org/lai
Musical performances by Goh The Invisible Cities and Eric Lai will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 on Friday, October 2. For more information about the artists, GRNY, or Giant Robot magazine, please contact:
Eric Nakamura
Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 479-7311
Labels: Eric Lai, Follow Your Whim, Giant Robot, Giant Robot Magazine, Giant Robot New York, Goh Nakamura, Green Candy Press, GRNY, Han Wang, Jet Blue, Sadie Contini, The Invisible Cities
Next week is a big week for events at GRNY. On Friday, October 2nd from 6 to 8 pm, we'll be hosting San Francisco based musician Goh Nakamura with The Invisible Cities and Eric Lai as part of the Jet Blue Follow Your Whim Tour. Goh was featured in GR issue 60, and is the unofficial musical guest of Giant Robot, having gigged at all the GR stores in California, GR/Eats, Eric's house, Martin's house and now poised to conquer Giant Robot New York. Joining him are The Invisible Cities (a musical collective that includes Goh as a member), and research biologist by day, indie rocker by night Eric Lai. What better way to start your weekend then with some free music? Then the following day, Saturday October 3 from 6 to 8 pm, GRNY is proud to host artist Abby Denson for a signing of her new graphic novel Dolltopia from Green Candy Press. Dolltopia is a fun and quirky tale about dolls who are tired of being controlled by humans, so they start their own society. And if that doesn't get you, did I mention there will be cupcakes? And if you don't like graphic novels and cupcakes, I just feel sorry for you. Please join us for these great events and an exciting weekend at GRNY!
Labels: Abby Denson, Dolltopia, Eric Lai, Follow Your Whim, Giant Robot New York, Goh Nakamura, Green Candy Press, GRNY, Han Wang, Jet Blue, Sadie Contini, The Invisible Cities
