April heralds a six month anniversary of my turning vegetarian. It’s a change I’ve had no trouble succeeding with, despite being the sort of person who scoffed at this lifestyle. However, I still wrestle with a good reason when I’m asked why I made the switch. It is my hope that some introspection here will reveal to me a suitable and concise answer.

I do know this for certain, I became vegetarian because it was possible. Upon moving from home in rural-suburbia to Hoboken, I lost the option of a zero effort and cost meal every night. However, in return for spending money or energy, I have a much wider array of options here. Mediterranean and Indian cuisines have been new and delicious discoveries for me, both of which have a strong vegetarian influence. And why get the shawarma sandwich when I can eat two falafel sandwiches of approximately equal deliciousness for the same price? For me, cheap, filling and fast are the perfect storm for a regular meal, and my appetite has erred in that direction.

When one lives on this sort of diet, healthiness can be a sacrifice. For me, it’s rare a day doesn’t go by where I don’t eat falafel or dollar pizza. Also, I rarely cook, maybe once or twice a week. It may seem like hypocrisy to state I’m vegetarian for health reasons, but in the aforementioned context it fits. Low cost meat can be sketchy, is generally unethical, and something I do not want to support. Your chickpeas in a falafel sandwich likely aren’t jacked full of antibiotics, but in comparison you could have pink slime in your anonymously sourced beef.

So discussion of this cheap and spooky meat leads into another reason I support vegetarianism, unsustainability of meat. The amount of food energy and effort required to raise livestock is really outstanding. Did you know that half of the world’s crops go to animal feed? Current production won’t be able to be kept up forever, and why should we even wait for ‘peak food’ much like we are rapidly heading towards ‘peak oil’. Plenty of people are starving already anyway. Sadly, I would hazard that this pushes the realm of science fiction for most. As an aspiring science type, I like to talk about this reason the most when people ask me about vegetarianism. Can I say it with a straight face when I’m lazy about recycling though?

I am a vegetarian, and a pragmatic one. I see the lifestyle as a smart, easy and rewarding choice based on my current diet. Meat is foregone due to its often questionable origins and a hope for a better tomorrow. It is a fun challenge for me to keep up, and my conviction won’t be wavering anytime soon.

DIVE is a fascinating, new indie outfit from Brooklyn with a live act that needs to be seen to be believed. I have had the fortune of crossing paths with them twice now and been left marveling both times. They’ve quite impressed me in the role of first opener, gaining a reputation as a very tough act to follow. Their sound so far in a sentence: Upbeat psychidelic rock with riffs that have been reverbed up to 11.

I mentioned I’ve seen DIVE twice now, both times being shows where they’ve snuck on the bill last minute. My first encounter was Chairlift’s album release show for Something in January. The scene: The floor is empty at Bowery Ballroom, and this band dressed like hobos takes the stage and starts rocking out. These guys don’t just stand around looking down playing guitars either. Both the singer and guitarist are jumping around as if they’re twitching marionettes. I remember being particularly amused that neither of them fell on their asses, they escaped tangles of amp wires almost gracefully. They were definitely the best surprise of that night, with that show overall leaving me nonplussed. Chairlift had a good performance certainly, but they left out old favorites like Bruises, which is always a serious transgression for me. The front rows being dominated by the paparazzi didn’t help either, though the crazy fan who attacked the band was amusing.

Upon getting home, I looked up what scant info I could find on DIVE, learning that it is a side project of Beach Fossils’ guitarist Cole Smith; The Fossils are a quite capable surf rock band with some local renown. I quickly became a fan, and discovered that they were headlining Music Hall of Williamsburg last weekend. I bought my ticket, and once again found DIVE sneak on to the playbill. Well, this show was quite a fun one. DIVE, as one of three openers, played with the same energy; Overall, I was left with an impression that the show was like one big family gathering; The other support acts, Hoop Dreams and Mac Demarco, were great and Beach Fossils did not disappoint. Nor did the crowd, who would have guessed that Beach Fossils has a devoted following that likes to get physical at their shows.

Above, a well produced three song studio piece from Newtown Radio that features the DIVE members playing in a controlled setting. Below, was the best video I could scrounge off youtube for a representation of DIVE live. Cell phone quality is all I’ve got for now.

So I’ve been waxing poetic about DIVE so far here, but it’s actually hard for me to proselytize this group. Right now, they only have two singles out, but the real tragedy is that the energy from their live act does not translate to these recordings. What they have out isn’t bad, it just doesn’t sound accurate. The music is more washed out, and far more mellow. As I understand, they’ve got an LP or EP in the works for Q2 2012 so hopefully my concerns are addressed. The Beach Fossils tour is ongoing, and they’ll back in NYC soon at Mercury Lounge as support for Frankie Rose. Catch them in person, and you’ll see what I’m raving about.

Acts: The Darkness w/ Foxy Shazam, Crown Jewel Defense
Date: 2/4/12
Party Members: John Schander
Venue: Irving Plaza

The Darkness is a glam rock band out of Britain with some notoriety from a few hit singles in the early 00′s. Drug abuse brought the band to a long hiatus, only recently ending. The Darkness’s arrival at NYC’s Irving Plaza this February is their first since the breakup over five years ago, a fact I was definitely unaware of. It brought the hype for this performance up to a fever pitch, the band’s own musical merit not withstanding. I was lucky to snag two tickets at the box office before a quick sell out. They definitely put on a rock show to remember for the ages.

I got into The Darkness a couple of years ago, off a suggestion from John Schander, friend and serious Rock Band afficionado. Imagine my shock when he told me he hadn’t been to any concerts. So what better opportunity is there for a first concert than one of his favorite bands? I believe that he had an excellent time, but some rookie mistakes were made. His were getting a drink at the venue and wearing a heavy coat. Irving’s got some of the worst drink prices ($10 for a can of Bud, haha!), and I always avoid coat check by strategically wearing an insulated hoodie in winter weather that can be tied around the waist, affording max mobility and comfort; if I’m committing a fashion crime, I’ll let the haters hate.

Anywho, this concert was a long and late running one. Doors at 8, and two openers would preclude the Darkness from taking the stage until 10:45. Our supporting acts were Crown Jewel Defense and Foxy Shazam. Crown Jewel was alright, but unremarkable. They were four bros in glitter singing about rock n’ rolly stuff. Most remarkable happening was that the lead singer tossed a novelty foam hat into the crowd that one dude in front of me had to put on and block half my view. Thankfully, he got thirsty, vacating his spot ahead of me; I never saw that hat again until much later in the night.

Foxy Shazam, on the other hand, was a more interesting group. Where as Crown Jewel seemed a rock band still trying to figure out who they are, these guys certainly have got their shit figured out; Hard rock with a “Fuck it!” attitude and a lean towards the grotesque in their appearance. I was especially fascinated by the super creepy keyboardist, who stood out from the rest of the band on looks alone. I was wondering if he could see straight into my soul when he glared into the crowd. But it was their singer eating a lit cigarette on stage that made me a fan, and leaves me musing if it’s for all the wrong reasons. They are a seriously bombastic bunch, and their music was solid. It seems that whenever I’m really impressed with a supporting act, I continually get really blown away by the main event.

Look at that dude!

The wait between opener and main event at a sold out show is always a downer; Being packed like sardines sucks. Irving and The Darkness get a negative here for taking for-ever. A thirty minute wait seemed an eternity, and on top of that, we all got trolled by the band still not coming on after the lights dimmed for an additional two songs(‘The Boys are Back in Town’ and an intro theme). Still… we got a solid hour and half set at least, so I SUPPOSE it was worth it.

“Black Shuck” was the opener, and a good loud song to start out with. Lead singer Justin Hawkins had several garish, leather outfits, when he had clothing on anyway. He sort of reminded me of a rock star Jack Sparrow. He would proceed to be a magnet for everyone’s attention with his antics, charisma and energy. It seemed like every song featured him dishing out a serious deal guitar solo at some point. Darkness is in the middle of recording a new album, and I always feel bad when a band debuts new songs and everyone is just like, “Huh?”. I had that feeling a lot this show, but with such a long hiatus I would suppose it’s a given.

The crowd at this show was slow to rouse, but finally started to get busy about halfway through the set. Once woken, the atmosphere was electric. Things especially became chaotic during ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, which was the closer before the encore. There was plenty of moshing up front, a chick jumped off a balcony, and plenty of crowd surfers, myself included.

The Darkness is definitely back. I, and I imagine really everyone, had sort of forgotten the band as they faded into total obscurity in the past few years. They’ve proven to me that they’ve still got it as a live act. Imagine my surprise when they also showed up in that Superbowl commercial the next day. I’m pretty optimistic we will start seeing a lot more good stuff from them over the next few years, another US tour better be included!